The Conservative Edge

I’ve been hearing a lot about prophecy and the Antichrist lately. The History Channel, especially, has featured programs that combine mysticism with the writings of Nostradamus to predict the fate of mankind. There is also no shortage of books that claim to accurately expound the Biblical prophecies that pertain to our generation.

It is amusing to watch some of the prominent TV evangelists and prophecy experts make their assertions about the future. They give the impression that they have this Antichrist thing all worked out, especially in their descriptions of what they think the Antichrist will be like. For example, they insist that the Antichrist will be charismatic, successful, attractive, and able to sway large numbers of people by working miracles. But, if you watch the TBN network, and other televised ministries, you will find that the Antichrist description best suits the televangelists themselves. Just about all of them attempt to be charismatic, influential, successful, gather large followings, and work miracles, especially by faith healing. How ironic that the religious miracle-workers best fit their own predictions of the coming Antichrist. Maybe we should beware the televangelists the most.

Then, there are the followers of Nostradamus to deal with. Whenever a major world event takes place, they claim to have found it in the writings of Nostradamus. The trouble is, none of them seem to know enough about the “prophecies” to give any kind of warning ahead of time. There were no Nostradamus devotees, that I can remember, who shouted from the rooftops on September 10, 2001, that an attack on the World Trade Center was going to happen in the next 24 hours. It reminds me of stock traders who follow chart patterns; they can tell you what kind of pattern is developing, but only after the stock has already made its moves.

Maybe the whole idea that a single Antichrist will take control of the entire world needs some rethinking. There is actually some scripture in the Bible that says we should recognize the presence of many Antichrists; and that the existence of many Antichrists will help to identify the true end of the age. This is quite sensible. The Book of Revelation describes one beast that is dreadful in appearance, with seven heads attached to one body. So, it can be easily understood that power can manifested among several power-hungry individuals. Indeed, just look at some prominent members of the United States government, to see the beast of Revelation in action. They are attempting to devour America, and set themselves in positions of authority in this country and perhaps the world.

You won’t hear that from the televangelists and Nostradamus—until after it happens, of course.

A few days ago, I took my wife to the bureau of motor vehicles (always a treat) so she could get her driver’s license renewed. Here in Ohio, drivers are required to renew their licenses every 4 years. So, my wife’s license is now valid until the year 2013. Of course, I reminded her that she won’t have to worry about any more renewals, because the world is going to end in the year 2012.

I suppose that’s the latest religious/spiritual/mystical hot idea. I was in a local bookstore recently, and I noticed that several books about the year 2012 were given prime spaces on the shelves. I believe there were 6 different books on the top shelf, right at eye level. These books were written by people who were emphasizing the accuracy and prophetic significance of the ancient Mayan calendar. The authors also seemed to be mixing in some other forms of mysticism and mythology.

This whole notion that the world will end in December of 2012 reminds me of other religious fads.  William Miller, in the 1830s, gained many followers by his seemingly irrefutable evidence that Jesus Christ would return on a specific date. Miller was wrong—twice—and left a lot of people disappointed. Just a few years ago, the book The Prayer of Jabez had many people believing that supernatural blessings would be realized by merely reciting the prayer. I would guess that the author reaped quite a blessing. I would also suppose that millions of dollars have been made by Dan Brown for perpetuating his theory of Christ’s mortality. The authors of the Left Behind series of religious books have also done quite well for themselves.

Like someone trying to get in on a hot stock, these people flood the market with material that will fan the flame of the newest revelation. And when one idea burns out, it seems that another one is ready to take its place. As a result, many people just go chasing these crazy ideas, never finding the simple truth needed to anchor their lives.

I remember the massive build up to the Y2K crisis. Ten years ago, we were told that the world was doomed to global catastrophe, as all of our computer systems would go berserk when the date changed from 1999 to 2000. All sorts of weird scenarios were described, such as planes falling from the skies, gas pumps and ATM machines not recognizing our bank cards, and massive blackouts and power failures. Then, as now, there were books, magazines, trade shows, television programs, and Internet sites that foretold of the coming crisis, and how we should prepare for it. And on New Year’s Eve, 1999, the world held its breath, and nothing happened.

So, not only are we being brainwashed with the flawed theory of global warming, we have to hear about the world ending in 2012. I think the best way to deal with these issues is to develop a significant amount of skepticism. We should learn to identify the crises that are designed to play on our emotions. With time, it becomes easier to separate the fads from the truth. As a certain Jewish carpenter once said, “Take heed that no man deceives you.” That’s good advice.