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Prophecy and the Psyche

Prophecy and the Psyche “He who could foresee affairs three days in advance would be rich for thousands of years.” “When the fork is supported by two pillars, with six half-horns and six open scissors: The very potent Lord, heir to the toads, Will then subjugate to himself the entire world.” There has been no shortage of effort on the part of men to predict the future. One man who is popularly credited with foretelling many things is Nostradamus, the sixteenth-century French astrologer and physician. “The first two lines indicate a date. When the fork, “V” is sustained by two pillars, they make an M, the Roman numeral for one thousand. Six half-horns are CCCCCC, the numeral for six hundred; six open scissors, XXXXXX, make sixty. In other words, in 1660 the great Lord of France, heir to the Merovingians whose emblem was the toad . . .will be the greatest monarch in the world . In 1660 Louis XIV married Maria Theresa of Spain. Early in 1661 Louis, at twenty-two, became virtual autocrat of France, the Grand Monarch of the civilized world. On this interpretation by followers of Nostradamus of this particular quatrain the Saturday Review states, “ That isn’t exactly what Nostradamus said, but then again, who knows what he meant?” Of the alleged 946 predictions attributed to Nostradamus, only about 70 are considered to have had some kind of fulfillment. That works out to less than a 7-percent success rate. However, regarding the ‘successes,’ M’Clintock and Strong’s Encyclopedia comments that many are considered to be the “bold forgeries” of his interpreters, including the prediction of his own death. Others were “composed after the events to which they seem designed to refer.” Some are “strained” in their application and some are shown to have ‘fulfillments’ in a number of different events. Whether accurate or not Nostradamus’s predictions have wielded great influence. He has been credited with predicting the French Revolution to the Rise of Adolf Hitler, which he called “Hister”. Even in war time his predictions has been used in propaganda of opposing armies in WWII. People are interested in the future. They search for reliable predictions concerning many subjects, from weather forecasts to economic indicators. When they act on such forecasts, however, they are often disappointed. The Bible contains many predictions, or prophecies and much like Nostradamus it has generated great controversy and hysteria amongst countless individuals. Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines prophecy as “the inspired declaration of divine will and purpose 2: an inspired utterance of a prophet 3: a prediction of something to come.” Prophecy according to The Encyclopedia Britannica is a divinely inspired revelation or interpretation. Although prophecy is perhaps most commonly associated with Judaism and Christianity, it is found throughout the religions of the world, both ancient and modern. Though many religions have their share of prophecies and prophets, none are more influential and prominent than that of the Judeo-Christian persuasion. Moses, David, Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jesus, Mark, Matthew, Luke, John, Paul, Peter. These are just 13 of the bibles penmen that have prophecies reaching from pre Christian times to the modern era. The Hebrew word for prophet is nav’i meaning to proclaim, mention, call summon and nevi’a meaning prophetess. Prophecy as we know it today or what is termed Classical prophecy began with Amos and Hosea of the 8th century BC. These prophets showed contempt for any theological influence other than the doctrine handed down from the time of Moses. This usually led to a pronouncement of judgment, with a hope for salvation for the obedient ones who reformed their worship to Yahweh religious laws. The Encyclopedia comments that the “Hebrew prophets were perhaps more advanced than other prophetic movements”, because they didn’t follow Mid Eastern tradition of interjecting their own opinions and advice. Predictions of judgment were not restricted to Israelites. What are known as the Major and Minor prophets from Isaiah to Malachi based in size of the book, also pronounced judgment against nations in opposition of Yahweh and the religion establish according to Mosaic Law. But at the same time salvation was extended salvation and paradisiacal conditions to conformers. Though no paradise on earth was established in those times, many major historical events were predicted involving the shift in world powers. The prophet involved with penning down these predictions is Daniel. Bible apologist usually point to Daniels predictions of the next 4 shifts of major world powers in human history down to our day . In regards to opposition to the authenticity of Daniels predictions one publication quotes “The New Encyclopedia Britannica acknowledges that the book of Daniel was once “generally considered to be true history, containing genuine prophecy.” The Britannica claims that in reality, however, Daniel “was written in a later time of national crisis—when the Jews were suffering severe persecution under [Syrian King] Antiochus IV Epiphanes.” The encyclopedia dates the book between 167 and 164 B.C.E. This same work asserts that the writer of the book of Daniel does not prophesy the future but simply presents “events that are past history to him as prophecies of future happenings.” Of note also when it comes to influential prophetic pronouncements are 3 gospel accounts Matthew chapter 7, Mark chapter 13, Luke chapter 21 and the vaunted book of Revelation. These 4 accounts have generated much speculation throughout the centuries in the Common Era. They forecast great disturbances in society, by means of natural disasters and political upheaval. The influences of these prophecies have had far-reaching affects on not only supposed Western society but also on non Judeo-Christian countries. The judgments in these books in conjunction with Classical Prophecy, pronounce devastating consequences on the Jewish nation, as well as those throughout the rest of the globe, not adhering to the form of theology approved by Yahweh. There was the millennial hysteria of 999 AD with the anticipated Return of Christ. Recently there was the recent drama called Y2K. So vast the psychological effect of this event, it was evident throughout the globe. Influence on the economy was enormous. Conspiracy theorist and Doomsday believers, usually charismatic religious and right wing groups spent tons of money for survival products. Stories were broadcast on major networks leading up to the mystical Millennium. There were countless articles written in numerous journals, newspapers and magazines. Of course the Tabloids dominated the millennial hysteria market. Seen on the cover of one the many tabloid magazines in 1999 were “The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse spotted riding in the Arizona desert”. Indeed, a lot of the frantic state of mind of the year 2000 arriving had to do not only with the computer bug, but also with religious, specifically biblical beliefs. When pondering the prophetic element of the biblical record, the person of Jesus Christ plays a major role in the influence of bible prophesy on people. There are over 300 alleged prophecies concerning him. The dating system of BC (before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini) meaning in the year of our lord day is based on the year of his birth has been responsible for the way the calendar is formed throughout much of the world. The stories of his activities and teachings have influenced philosophy. He has been imitated by social and political activist like Martin Luther King, inspired pogroms and crusades based on religion in his name, been revered as a savior and prophet, been looked upon to aid nations in wars, and expected to return to judge and save individuals. He is even mentioned in the holy book of Islam, the Qu’ran as the last prohet before Muhammad. Undeniably this individual’s story and charisma has been the most influential of all religious icons in known history. Though Christ’s influence has molded the psyche of many, there is still much debate as to his whether his teachings are actually his words or if he even existed. The biblical prophecies have generated war, slavery, inquisitions, holocausts, massive religious movements, and formations of new religions, inspired political philosophy and been the bases for mass suicides. Here are a couple of negative influences the bible has had on human society. The Crusades, a movement to recapture the holy land of Jerusalem, began in 1095 and ended in the mid- or late 13th century. “The Crusading movement includes other wars against Muslims, pagans, and dissident Christians and the general expansion of Christian Europe. In a broad sense the Crusades were an expression of militant Christianity and European expansion. They combined religious interests with secular and military enterprises.” The Spanish Inquisition, a movement to remove heretics came into existence in 1231.AD. The constitution Excommunicamus of Pope Gregory IX established it. In 1252 Pope Innocent IV sanctioned the use of torture. This old Roman law was usually used to extract “truth” from suspected heretics. Sadly, in studying history, one is forced to realize that there have been many great atrocities, many holocausts. Numerically, the treatment of the Africans captured and taken by ship to the Americas, ranks as one of the greatest. The Encyclopedia Britannica states: “Out of every lot of 100 shipped from Africa 17 died in about 9 weeks, and not more than 50 lived to be effective labourers in the West Indies islands.” “Estimates of the slaves shipped across the Atlantic run from 30,000,000 to 100,000,000”. The numbers who perished were huge indeed. “One of the most startling bits of information about the role of the church in slavery,” writes clergyman A. C. Forrest in the Toronto Star, “appeared 19 years ago in the fourth volume of Winston Churchill’s History of the English-Speaking People. Churchill wrote: “‘. . . over 650,000 slaves were held by ministers of the gospel and members of the different Protestant churches. Five thousand Methodist ministers owned 219,000 slaves; six thousand five hundred Baptists owned 125,000; one thousand four hundred Episcopalians held 88,000; and so on. Thus the institution of slavery was not only defended by every argument of self-interest, but many a Southern pulpit championed it as a system ordained by the Creator and sanctified by the Gospel of Christ.’” “It is claimed that not only the slavery of blacks was in fulfillment of this Biblical curse, but their black skin color is too. Thus many whites have been led to assume that blacks are inferior, and that God meant for them to be the servants of whites. Many blacks became embittered by the treatment that they received as a result of this religious interpretation.” Adolf Hitler claimed that the Reich would last a thousand years and would accomplish what the Bible says only God’s Kingdom can. He thought by beginning with the young people he could make a new world. Hitler had a mammoth stadium built in Nuremberg for displaying Nazi might. Significantly, 144 gigantic pillars were erected on a platform nearly 1,000 feet long. What was significant about the pillars was, the Bible speaks of 144,000 who would rule with “the Lamb” Jesus Christ, and that their rulership would be for a thousand years. Evidently, the erecting in the Nuremberg stadium of 144 pillars was no numerical accident. Biblical language and symbolism was obviously incorporated by Hitler in Nazi doctrine and party beliefs. One of the most shocking news to make the newspaper headlines in 1978 was the horrible tragedy in Jonestown, Guyana. It was likened to the 960 Jewish zealots at Masada who preferred death to surrendering and being in slavery to the Romans; also, to the 1,000 Japanese civilians who hurled themselves from a cliff in Saipan as the American troops took the island. The Guyana tragedy was featured day after day in newspapers worldwide. First, the death toll was 400, then 500, then as high as 780 and next: “GUYANA TOLL IS RAISED TO AT LEAST 900 BY U.S., WITH 260 CHILDREN AMONG VICTIMS AT COLONY.” Finally, the number rose to 913. Rev. Jim Jones called himself the reincarnation of Jesus, then later started calling himself God. He said he was the actual God who made the heavens and earth. Also, at his Guyana commune he was said to keep shouting out “I am the Alpha and the Omega!” At times, apocalyptic vision gives rise to apocalyptic events: a mass suicide by Heaven's Gate members in a mansion in California. An inferno at the Branch Davidian complex in Waco, Texas. Indeed, some right-wing militia groups use biblical imagery to justify violence. The Christian Identity movement, for example, believes that Christians will face violent persecution before Jesus returns. Says Charles B. Strozier, a psychoanalyst and history professor at the City University of New York, They arm themselves, because they want to "shoot it out with the beast of Revelation, to fight true evil with their Uzis." Common belief in a prophecy will be a strong binding force. One of the principal attractions of the first Christian sects was that they offered salvation from a threatening disaster. This no doubt has been the general lure of such individuals as Hitler & Jim Jones. But predictions are not limited to the religious faiths. The New Age movements use this shared belief in portents as well. For more than fifty years an imminent landing of UFO's has been predicted. Various cults claimed to be their first contactees. Many even tie in the Spinning fiery wheel of the bible prophet Ezekiel with UFO’s. There are scores of predictions in the bible that tell of a paradise of unimaginable happiness. Some believe this to be eternity in heaven, others bliss on a Utopian Earth. Needless to say a happy future can and has been a psychological refuge for many, having to deal with our modern hectic society. As a word of caution, John, the writer of the gospel book John, the 3 letters of John, and the book of Revelation warned against believing every “inspired expression,” which is basically what prophecies are. Instead, he admonished Christians to “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.” As believed by bible scholars most of the hundreds predictions, or prophecies, of specific events enclosed in the Bible have already been fulfilled. Yet skeptics will say that prophecies are so general that they could apply to numerous events in history, And for that reason, they should not be taken seriously. When prophecies are symbolic which is the case with a lot of the bibles prophesies, they do indeed have a hypnotic affect on people looking to know the future. However, when specific nations and times are foretold hundreds and sometimes thousands of years before their occurrence, we should seriously consider future Biblical prophecies. Why? As noted the bible has influence unmatched in the theological and literary area. This would leave many to believe there is some divine backing to it. The Bible deserves consideration because it is by far the most widely circulated and widely translated book in all human history. Over 500 years ago, the first edition printed from movable type came off Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press. Since then, an estimated four billion Bibles, in whole or in part, have been printed. By 1996 the complete Bible or portions of it had been translated into 2,167 languages and dialects. More than 90 percent of the human family has access to at least part of the Bible in their own language. Further no less than 1/3 of the Earth’s population professes to follow or have some belief in the bible. No other book, religious or otherwise, even comes close! Whether you are a fanatic or atheist, agnostic or casual believer of the bible, careful consideration should be given to the words that has influenced millions over the millenniums. One cannot be serious about learning about why people do the things they do and believe what they believe if they do not give consideration to the mesmerizing prophesies of the Bible. There are still many untold stories and history to be written or fulfilled, depending on ones viewpoint. Whether we believe it words or not, the Bible will be at the forefront capturing the imagination of millions with its gripping prophesies about destruction and paradise. The jury is still out in most scholars’ minds as to authenticity. But time will tell if the words are true or not. If they are, one will hope they’re on the right side of the fence! Bibliography: Centuries by Nostradamus - Quatrain X-100 published 1555 Saturday Review, January 15, 1972 Webster’s 9th New Collegiate Dictionary Prophecy – Encyclopedia Britannica Online Revised standard Bible version, Daniel Chapter 2; verses 31-45 According to Josephus a 1st century Jewish Historian, Jerusalem, opened its gates in surrender, and Alexander was shown the book of Daniel’s prophecy, presumably chapter 8, where a mighty Greek king would subdue and conquer the Persian Empire. Thereupon, Alexander spared Jerusalem and pushed S into Egypt, where he was greeted as a deliverer. Jewish Antiquities, XI, 337 [viii, 5] “New Testament scholars have established beyond any reasonable doubt that the Jesus of early Christian documents is to some extent a fiction of the Christian imagination.” http://www.westarinstitute.org/Jesus_Seminar/jesus_seminar.html "Crusades," Microsoft� Encarta� Online Encyclopedia 2001 The Encyclopedia Britannica (11th Edition, Vol. 25, p. 222) The New Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th Edition, Vol. 1, p. 283. Awake, October 8 1977, page 30 Watching the World Clergymen Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown, in their Bible commentary, assert: “Cursed be Canaan [Genesis 9:25]—this doom has been fulfilled in. . . the slavery of the Africans, the descendants of Ham.”—Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Whole Bible.the 1st book of Moses called Genesis by Robert Jamieson – Awake October 8, 1977 p.28 Are Blacks Cursed by God? Revelation 14:1; 20:4, 6 – The Bible in Living English, translated by Steven T. Byington New York Times, November 26, 1978 U.S. News & World Report 12/15/1997- Cover article – Dark Prophecy by Jeffery L. Sheler King James Version of the Holy Scriptures – Ezekiel 1: 16-20 King James Version of the Holy Scriptures – 1 John 4:1 Based on figures published by the United Bible Societies. Revised standard Bible version, Daniel Chapter 2; verses 31-45 31: "You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. 32: The head of this image was of fine gold, its breast and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33: its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34: As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it smote the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces; 35: then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. 36: "This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37: You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, 38: and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the sons of men, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air, making you rule over them all -- you are the head of gold. 39: After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40: And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things; and like iron which crushes, it shall break and crush all these. 41: And as you saw the feet and toes partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the miry clay. 42: And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43: As you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44: And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand for ever; 45: just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure." Pay attention to Daniels Prophecy! – published by the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of NY inc.

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