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.

Last week, I read a feature article in Parade magazine about author Dan Brown and his Da Vinci Code series of books. Of course you’ve likely heard about his latest book, The Lost Symbol, which has just been released. The novels make extensive use of symbolism and secret societies that work to achieve power and influence world events.

One idea that was explored in Brown’s first book was that Jesus Christ had a relationship with Mary Magdalene, and subsequently fathered children by her. And, as the generations passed, there arose a secret order of people who could trace some lineage back to Jesus and Mary. A fanciful notion indeed, but one that can be refuted with a single verse from the 53rd chapter of the Book of Isaiah. Furthermore, genealogists generally concur that if Jesus did father any children, His line would have been diluted within a few generations.

I remember Brown being interviewed for a special program aired on the History Channel. The program dealt with secret societies, some of which were mentioned in The Da Vinci Code. None of Brown’s theories could be confirmed. I recall Brown using phrases like “We’re not sure, but…,” “It could be that…,” “There may have been…,” and so on. Maybe that contributed to the success of his book. The more ambiguous and mysterious a story is, the more people want to read it and concoct their own ideas. Many who preach and teach from the Bible do the same thing. Instead of making the Bible easier to understand, a lot of preachers cloak their half-baked theories behind the guise of some “revelation” from God.

But Brown goes further in his latest interview with Parade magazine. He revealed that at one point in his life, he decided that the Bible didn’t make sense, but that science made much more sense. That’s understandable, to a degree. Sometimes things that are seen and proven are easier to deal with than things or ideas that must be accepted by faith. Perhaps Brown, due to his disdain for the Bible, intentionally misconstrued Jesus’ relationship with Mary in order to develop the evolution of the various secret societies.

Where Brown really goes astray is when he discusses his idea of the Sacred Feminine, which is actually his idea of a woman-centered Christianity. He says that he studied older religions, especially paganism, and also the Mother Earth concept. He even asked the questions “What if God were a woman?” and “What if we embraced our feminine side—the more creative, passive, loving side?” Brown contrasted these questions with his observation about the destructiveness of man, and that we spend more time killing each other than on solving problems. He equates this tendency to kill with testosterone.

That idea is absurd. The trouble is, Brown isn’t the only one who claims that testosterone is inherently bad, causing men to kill and destroy. This idea is leading to the emasculation of society, where men and fathers don’t matter anymore, because super women can raise a family alone and save the world at the same time. But men can be creative—just look at the architectural designs of Frank Lloyd Wright, or read the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkein for proof. Testosterone doesn’t automatically make men killers. But I am grateful that there have been men in history who did fight for a cause. This world would be much different if, for example, Charles Martel had not defeated the ancient Islamic warriors at the Battle of Tours. Indeed, I’d like to ask a question—what if George Washington had been a woman? Some men have been pretty great, after all.