Predictions
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
Introduction to Apocalyptic Eschatology
By Balthazar Seferiades
From the Book of Revelations and Daniel in Biblical times, to Nostradamus in the 1500’s, prophets and their predictions have held the world spellbound for centuries. Kings and politicians, priests and emperors, all have made use of these predictions to justify their own actions and to convince others of their divinely ordained success. Many predictions appear to have come true, especially in the case of Nostradamus, as will be shown later. Other prophecied events, such as those from Revelations which concern the end of the world, never seem to arrive. However, the failure of previous doomsday predictions doesn’t seem to discourage new soothsayers from claiming that the world will end soon. Strange and frightening events such as hurricanes, earthquakes, wars, and plagues continue to occur, and many people interpret these events as signs of an impending day of doom. The twin threats of nuclear war and environmental catastrophe add a chilling sense of realism to the concept of divine wrath. Even the most hardheaded materialist must admit that humans now have the power to put an end to life as we know it on this planet.
As in the past, those who control the armies and weapons of today use prophecies to justify their wars and to assure their followers of a divinely sanctioned victory. Different interpretations of the same apocalyptic scriptures abound, and the champions of these schools of thought compete for the minds and hearts of the masses. Militant Evangelical Fundamentalists use their Dispensationalist theology to justify neverending war in the Middle East, Branch Davidians use the Book of Revelations to predict a fiery end for the United States, Rastafarians keep on moving toward the mystical land of Zion that lies somewhere beyond this corrupt Babylonian world.
Can all of these competing interpretations of the Apocalypse be correct? Certainly not. If not, then who is right and who is wrong? Only a true prophet could tell us for certain. In the absence of a verifiable Messiah who can explain all these mysteries to us, must we be content to sit on our hands and await the Day of Judgement? The answer to this last question must, perforce, be an unequivocal “no.” What can we do to prepare for the Apocalypse? Read on, and with patient study a seed of wisdom may be planted in your mind that will grow into a veritable tree of knowledge, the fruit of which will nourish and sustain your spirit through the dark times ahead.
The misuse of predictions for political ends can only be sustained through a literal interpretation of prophecies. Current literalist or Dispensationalist theology in the English speaking world can be traced back to Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, a nineteenth century interpreter of Apocalyptic literature. Scofield’s event-oriented interpretation of Revelations and other books, which holds that Biblical prophecies refer to events in the material world that take place at a certain point in time, makes it possible for modern interpreters to use the Bible to predict the date and ultimate outcome of nuclear war. However, the Bible itself does not provide instructions for how the prophecies contained in it are to be interpreted. Scofield’s focus on single, identifiable events reflects the materialist bias of nineteenth century thought. Other interpreters of the Scriptures, ultimately deriving from the Alexandrian school of Biblical exegesis that existed before 325 A.D., see the prophecies of the Book of Revelations and the Books of Daniel as allegorical and metaphorical rather than as literal predictions.
Allegories and metaphors can be applied to many events instead of just one event. In this way, Biblical prophecies help to keep individuals and groups on a spiritual path whenever a collective crisis arises by providing a metaphorical formula for keeping the faith in the face of impossible odds. Such crises have occurred many times in history: the Roman persecution of the Jews in 70 A.D., various Roman injustices against Christians, the fall of Rome itself, and even the American Revolution are all events that were seen at the time as the advent of the Apocalypse. Those who resisted injustice or invasion at these historical times, whether Jew, Christian, Roman, or American, used Biblical prophecies to lend strength to their cause and to convince themselves that God would grant them ultimate victory. The continuous application of Scriptural prophecies to vastly different events in history lends weight to the idea that such prophecies are allegorical rather than literal. In other words, they can be applied to many events, not just to one set of events. The Apocalypse can occur many times, metaphorically speaking, rather than only once in a literal sense. By the same token, the Kingdom of God can also come more than once. In fact, it could be created again in our own lifetimes. This might be what Christ meant when he said, "This generation shall not pass away before all of these things have been fulfilled.” Certain individuals who lived at the same time as Jesus did experience the Apocalypse, metaphorically speaking, and in the same sense these individuals achieved entry into the Kingdom of God. We also have the same opportunities today.
The prophecies of Nostradamus were written as a series of highly metaphorical quatrains, or four line poems. When taken literally, only a few of these poems reveal any clear meaning. Sometimes the meaning of a particular quatrain becomes abundantly clear after the event it refers to has passed. Other quatrains have remained obscure for centuries, or have been interpreted in several ways at different times in history. The passage of time makes the translation of the Nostradamus prophecies more difficult, since the quatrains were written in 16th century French with a mixture of Latin and Greek words thrown in. This makes it easy for irresponsible translators to alter the quatrains to suit their own purposes, since modern readers will be unlikely to understand the original French. Some have even gone so far as to combine elements from different quatrains, or to invent their own quatrains and attribute them to Nostradamus, in order to claim that the illustrious prophet predicted some notable event.
Poorly translated Nostradamus quatrains can be imaginatively interpreted so as to fit almost any past event, or predict whatever outcome is desired for an unfolding historical situation. Therefore, let the reader beware of the many books that claim to have cracked the Nostradamus code and that allegedly reveal the secrets of future events. It seems more likely that no author as yet fully understands what Nostradamus meant. The famous French prophet possessed a vast knowledge of astrology, Qabalah, and magical rites, as well as mathematics and techniques of encryption. In short, he was a mental giant, and his own words tell us that only divine guidance can reveal the true meaning of his prophecies. His metaphorical quatrains may reveal the future to individuals who approach them with the appropriate mystical state of mind. Those who truly understand the secrets of Nostradamus may be unwilling or unable to reveal these Mysteries to lesser minds.
Let it first be understood that prophetic writings can be interpreted as metaphorical, spiritual messages, instead of literal predictions about what will happen at a certain time. The spirit world exists outside of time, and thus it can coincide with many different times and spaces in the material world. This makes it possible for prophecies to be fulfulled many times, and to be applied to many situations. In addition to this first type of prophetic ambiguity, there is yet another layer of meaning hidden in any given prophecy: all predictions can be taken personally rather than collectively. In other words, the Apocalypse can be interpreted as an individual event as well as a collective one.
The personal Apocalypse can be followed by an individual rebirth, or resurrection of the spirit. Prophecies, when seen in this light, take on a more mystical or metaphysical character. They lead the seeker after Wisdom on toward the Divine Light, rather than frightening the ignorant into some holy paroxysm of terror. This is not to say that the personal Apocalypse will not be scary or difficult. However, the hope exists that each individual will learn from his or her own experience of Doomsday and thereby come closer to the Divine. The central thesis and teaching of this course will be that each of us must prepare for and eventually face our own version of the Apocalypse and be reborn out of this experience as fully awakened spiritual beings. Only then will we be able to play our parts in the collective Apocalypse now unfolding on the world stage, and serve as the catalyst for the spiritual rebirth of all humankind. Once we have entered the Kingdom of God ourselves, we can also help the rest of humanity to do so. The Golden Age awaits.
The 2012 prediction is widely interpreted. Some of the Nostradamus predictions have proven to be accurate, which gives us more hope for our current predictions. Doomsday prediction have been refuted several times yet new ones still emerge. Many people are looking forward to the prophecy of 2012 mayan calendar and mayan prediction. Some fundamentalist believe in dispensationalism and evangelism and that 2012 will be the second coming of the messiah. Rebirth is also tied into apocalyptic eschatology and armageddon prediction.