The Apocalypse Code

Though it is rarely considered such, St. John's Book of Revelations -- like the Mayan Long Count -- is both a calendar and an instrument of prophecy, and like the Long Count, its chronological clairvoyance derives from its intimacy with the stars. . . The "clock" that measures out these cycles of seven in John's Revelations is the same one that plays into the Mayan calendar -- the precession of the equinoxes, caused by the wobble of the earth upon its axis, against the background of the starry heavens.

The Earth's axis falls back through the fixed stars, 1° every 72 years; since there are 30° in each zodiacal sign, it takes 2160 years (30 x 72) for the Sun's position at the vernal equinox to pass through each zodiacal constellation. A "zodiacal year" (also known as a Great Year or Platonic Year, since Plato was one of the first to refer to it) thus lasts 25,920 (12 x 2160) years. Our present cultural age -- of Pisces -- began in the year AD 1414. The Piscean cultural age will end in AD 3574; the two following cultural ages will bring the calendar to the year AD 7894. This brings humanity to the end of the seven letters of John's Revelations. The period of seven seals (7 x 2160 = 15,120) brings the date to AD 23,014; the final period of seven trumpets carries this apocalyptic calendar to AD 38,134, denoting the end of Earth evolution, when the great purging (seven vials of wrath) will commence. Surrounded as we are by an array of doom-saying prophets who anticipate that the year 2012 will bring global catastrophe, John's Book of Revelations is a comforting calendar, since it looks forward 36,000 years into the future!

Before this end date is reached, however, humanity must pass through many trials; this is the central message of Revelations. The exact meaning, and the exact timing, of these trials, has confounded readers of Revelations for nearly 2000 years. Expressed in imaginative pictures from a long lost clairvoyant experience, in the same way that the pictures came to the prophets of the Chilam Balam, the prophetic pictures of Revelations elude the modern mind. In addition, the many centuries of erroneous and largely ideologically-driven interpretive exercises have severely lessened the sense that we might have as moderns that this extraordinary text could still have any relevance for us. That its main students in our own time tend to be fundamentalists anticipating an imminent Rapture makes Revelations that much less appealing as a source for understanding the signs of the times. Yet if we can muster such titanic effort to penetrate the mysteries of the Mayan calendar, can we not bring similar effort to the archetypal work of Christian prophecy?

Linda Schele and her fellow Mayanists working in the late 20th century to crack the code of Maya hieroglyphics needed a "Rosetta Stone" to help them break through to a full understanding of ancient voices. . . John's Apocalypse demands a similar Rosetta Stone. The precessional clock is the "hour hand," allowing only the broadest of correlations between the pictures of the Apocalypse and historical events since John first recorded his visions. A "minute hand" is needed if these pictures are to serve at all as guides for the present and future. Since we are deciphering Christian "Long Count" prophecy, it is not surprising that we can find both the "Rosetta Stone" and the "minute hand" by following the chronology of the life of Christ to understand the present moment in history. The life of Christ - especially the time from the baptism in the Jordan through to his death and resurrection, together referred to as the Mystery of Golgotha - can be thought of as an embryonic period, a seed from which the future course of world history grows and bears fruit. Every deed performed by Christ has eternal significance, so that the rhythm of his life -- like the Mayan Long Count -- does not end, but perennially repeats in new cycles of Time.

The period between the Baptism and the Mystery of Golgotha we can liken to the period between conception and birth. The conception took place at the Baptism in the Jordan, on September 23, AD 29, when Christ incarnated into the physical body of Jesus. From that date through to Easter Sunday on April 5, AD 33 is a period of 1290 days. It is also the period mentioned by Daniel in the last chapter of the Book of Daniel. Each one of these days was a preparation for the unfolding of the future history of humanity. The key -- the "Apocalypse Code" -- to this unfolding of the Christ impulse is that one day in the life of Christ corresponds to 29½ years of history. Readers familiar with astronomy will know that this is the period required by Saturn to make one orbit of the zodiac. Applying the Apocalypse Code, the first day following on from the Baptism relates to the first 29½ years of history following the Mystery of Golgotha in AD 33, the second day to the second 29½ years, and so on. Applying the Apocalypse Code, we can thus actually determine when the end of the earth will take place. That is 1,290 times this Saturn rhythm of 29½ years, which takes us up to the year AD 38,000. This date is confirmed by the date -- AD 38,134 -- mentioned earlier in relation to the precessional cycle.

How can we apply the Apocalypse Code to answer the question: Where do we stand now, at the present point in time, in relation to the seed embryo of the life of Christ? Can we correlate the pictures of John's Book of Revelations as precisely as the Mayan prophetic calendar anticipated the Galactic Alignment on December 21, 2012, during the "2012 Window" from 1980 to 2016?

In applying the Apocalypse Code, each 29½-year period of history since the Mystery of Golgotha in AD 33 reflects the corresponding day in the life of Christ between the Baptism and the Resurrection. Thus, at present we are in the period described in the Gospels as the forty days of temptation in the wilderness. Historically, the period of temptation started on the evening of the Sabbath, Friday, October 21, AD 29. (The exact period of Saturn's orbital revolution is 29.4578 years. It is this exact period of 29.4578 years which is used in applying the Apocalypse Code, even if for the sake of simplicity the period is referred to as 29½ years.) The interval between the Baptism and the start of the period of temptation was 28 1/3 days. Taking this correspondence - 1 day = 29½ years, 28 1/3 x 29½ = 836 years -- we have to add this to the year 33, which is the starting point, AD 33 being the year of the Mystery of Golgotha. In terms of our calendar, therefore, the beginning of the temptation of humanity started in the year 869 (= 33 + 836). This was the year of the eighth Ecumenical Council, which took place in Constantinople, when the split began between the Eastern and the Western Churches.

At that point in time, Saturn was in sidereal Sagittarius. Every time that Saturn returns to sidereal Sagittarius we have a further day in these forty days of temptation. If we take the forty days and reckon 40 x 29½ = 1178 years, and add this onto 869, we find that the end of the period of temptation is in the year 2047, in the middle of the century.

We can be even more precise. The last day in the wilderness, the fortieth day, was the day on which Christ had overcome the temptations. In the Gospel of St. Matthew and the Gospel of St. Luke only three temptations are described. The overcoming of the three temptations is at the same time the overcoming of the forces of destruction. Fundamentally the whole of history is the story of humanity's wrestling with the three temptations. The culmination of the period of temptation was on the 39th day. The temptations lasted throughout almost the whole of the forty days, but the three temptations described in the Gospel of St. Matthew and the Gospel of St. Luke took place on the 37th, 38th, and 39th days. The 40th day was the day on which, as described in the Gospels, "Angels came and ministered unto him." Going back one Saturn revolution from AD 2047, we arrive at the start of the last day, the fortieth day, in the year 2018, when Saturn will next be in Sagittarius in the sidereal zodiac. Now we are already in the period of the 39th day. The 39th day commenced with Saturn in Sagittarius in 1988. At the present moment in time, from its present location in the zodiac, Saturn will pass further around the zodiac to be again in sidereal Sagittarius in the year 2018. Clearly, the Apocalypse Code (39th day: 1988-2018) leads to almost exactly the same historical time frame as the end of the Mayan Long Count, or, rather, the "2012 Window" from 1980 to 2016.

What do the Gospels say took place on the 39th day in the wilderness? This was the day of the third temptation, the temptation of turning stones into bread. This is basically the temptation of materialism, when the material world replaces the spiritual reality of existence, expressed in the words, "turning stones into bread." Christ's reply to this temptation was, "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word from the mouth of God." In other words, Christ directs our attention to the spiritual, to the divine Word which proceeds from the spiritual realm. Thus, our challenge is to honor the spiritual above the material. It is interesting that Christ says, "Man does not live by bread alone." It is clear we do need bread. We need the material, and we have to respect the material world, but it should not be the sole focus of our attention.

There is, however, a more subtle level of this third temptation, which it is important to understand. At the third temptation on the 39th day in the wilderness, the command of Satan/Ahriman to Christ was to turn stones into bread. For humanity as a whole, this can be interpreted as substituting something lifeless and mechanical for the living, and it is this that our modern civilization, with the help of technology, has perfected. It has now come to the point where millions of people around the world prefer the television or computer screen to the real world around us. Briefly, then, virtual reality is the modern form of turning stones into bread, where the images on the screen appear to be living, although they are actually dead and lifeless. It is this that is referred to in Revelations as "worshiping the image" (Revelations 13:13-15).

The Incarnation of Ahriman

From observation of current events, it can be clearly seen that this third temptation is now building up to a climax. The global financial crisis that began in September 2008, precipitated as it has been by widespread obsession with the material level of existence ("bread"), is the fulfillment in our time of the words of Christ spoken 2000 years ago. It is this trial that we-the whole of humanity-are now passing through, which is presented by the tempter who is described in the Gospel of St. Matthew as Satan, the being named Ahriman (this is the Middle Persian equivalent of the earlier Avestan language's Angra Mainyu, or "destructive spirit") in the Persian tradition. Knowledge of this being was first brought into the modern world in the early twentieth century by the Austrian spiritual teacher Rudolf Steiner, who -- in his choice of terminology -- referred back to the Zoroastrian religion, which portrays Ahriman as the being who opposes the Sun Spirit, Ahura Mazdao. Echoes of this theme of a cosmic struggle between good and evil are to be found in other religions -- for example, Satan is the dark power in the Jewish tradition, and Seth (Typhon) is the opponent of Osiris in the religion of Ancient Egypt. It is apparent, through comparison of these religions, that Ahriman, Seth and Satan are one and the same. (By the same token, Ahura Mazdao, Osiris and Christ are one and the same, in the sense that Ahura Mazdao and Osiris are two pre-incarnatory forms of Christ at different points in time, i.e. Ahura Mazdao for the Persians in the Age of Gemini and Osiris for the Egyptians in the Age of Taurus).

As it is Ahriman (Satan in the Bible) who presents this temptation of turning stones into bread on the 39th day in the wilderness, it follows that we are living in the time -- between now and the year 2018 -- of the incarnation of Ahriman or, in traditional Christian terms, the coming of Antichrist. This is the challenge which humanity is now facing. . .

Coupling the prophetic images of Revelations with the timing given by the Apocalypse Code, we can see that the central theme of the present century is that of the coming of the Antichrist -- or, to use Rudolf Steiner's expression, the incarnation of Ahriman. On October 27, 1919, Rudolf Steiner was in Zurich, Switzerland beginning a lecture series that was later published in English translation under the title: The Influences of Lucifer and Ahriman: Man's Responsibility for the Earth. While Steiner had spoken of Ahriman many times since his first mention of him on January 1, 1909 -- when he linked the catastrophic earthquake a week before in Messina, Italy to Ahriman -- this occasion in 1919 was the first time that he ever spoke of an incarnation of Ahriman:

Ahriman skillfully prepares his goal beforehand; ever since the Reformation and the Renaissance, the economist has been emerging in modern civilization as the representative governing type. That is an actual historical fact. . . Rulers are in fact merely the handymen, the understrappers of the economists. One must not imagine that the rulers of modern times are anything but the economists' agents. And all that has been enshrined as law and justice is, if one scrutinizes it carefully, simply a consequence of a thinking dictated by economics. In the nineteenth century economics was, for the first time, replaced by a thinking based on finance and banking. And in the nineteenth century was created for the first time the whole financial system which swamps every other relationship. . . If people do not realize that the legislative state that safeguards human rights, on the one hand, and the organism of the spirit, on the other hand, must balance and redress the economic order established by economists and bankers, then again, through this lack of awareness, Ahriman will find an important instrument for preparing his incarnation. His incarnation is undoubtedly coming, and this lack of insight will smooth the way for his triumphant advance (Rudolf Steiner, The Incarnation of Ahriman: The Embodiment of Evil on Earth, London: Rudolf Steiner Press, 2006, p. 26-7).

In view of the current financial crisis, highlighted by the 700 billion dollar bankers' bailout from October 3, 2008, could there be a more explicit indication of the role of the financial system in preparing for Ahriman's incarnation?

There is something absurdly prosaic about the fact that we are currently living through, on a daily basis, the very events that were foreseen so long ago by St. John, and which a century ago were pinpointed so exactly by Rudolf Steiner. The cryptic images that John received in a cave on the island of Patmos have now become our daily newspaper headlines - and for most of us, pressing practical concerns. As the global financial crisis continues to unfold, sweeping changes in policy are currently being implemented that seem clearly to be bringing about even further concentrations of capital, and with this concentration, an unprecedented level of global economic, social, and political power. Never before in human history has there been a moment as open to the possibility of world rulership. In the many centuries since John first recorded his visions in Revelations, the "beast" of Chapter 13 has been recognized in the personages of many a despotic king, pope, emperor, or dictator. All of these erroneous identifications of Antichrist (save perhaps the ones applied to Adolf Hitler, who truly was a "prefiguring" of the coming world ruler) came when the world was a much smaller place, that is, when each "empire" was but a relatively small corner of the planet. At present, global integration has progressed to the point where "World Ruler" is more than just a title; it describes an actual possibility. . .

Let us consider the possibility that the Mayans were inspired to devise a calendar which ends at the winter solstice in the year 2012 because there was a real spiritual inspiration underlying this. In turn, let us consider the possibility that the inspiration underlying the Mayan calendar -- in particular, underlying the end date -- could perhaps have to do with the deadline indicated in the sacred writings attributed to Zarathustra concerning the time limit set for the cosmic battle between Ahura Mazdao/Christ and Ahriman/Satan. If the end of the Mayan calendar on December 21, 2012 is indeed the deadline for the conflict between Christ and Ahriman, it is conceivable that the 3½-year period of the Antichrist will begin around the summer solstice in the year 2009 or a little thereafter. The start of this period would be at the summer solstice if the 3½ years were to be reckoned as solar years. However, if they were to be reckoned as lunar years, which was the normal mode of reckoning in ancient Israel, the start of this period would be on July 31, 2009.

In the summer of 2009, on July 22, there is a total eclipse of the Sun at 2:36 AM Greenwich Mean Time. The path of the eclipse crosses India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, the southern islands of Japan, and the western Pacific Ocean. The Moon will be at its perigee (its closest position to the Earth), making it larger than the Sun, resulting in a wider path and greater duration. (The arc of the partial eclipse path on this date swings as far north as 60° N, right across northern Russia, and as far south as 30° S, touching the North Island of New Zealand) According to Rudolf Steiner, these are conditions that will allow for the maximum power of evil (the beast) to arise up from the interior of the Earth, should human beings remain unaware of the importance of aligning with Christ and maintaining their own consciousness in a state of wakeful awareness in relation to this event.

At the time of the July 22, 2009 eclipse, there is a triple conjunction of Jupiter, Neptune, and Chiron (formerly called an asteroid, it is now classified as a "centaur," suggesting its dual nature as half comet, half asteroid) -- all within less than a single degree, and also a heliocentric opposition of Saturn with Uranus. At the time of a total solar eclipse, something sulphurous is stirred up. At the time of a solar eclipse, according to Rudolf Steiner, "that which spreads out as negativity upon the Earth can be borne up in a Luciferic way into cosmic space where it can bring about further damage." Demonic spiritual beings are more agitated than usual at the time of an eclipse, and thus -- according to Steiner -- eclipses offer special opportunities for the activity of black magicians. Very few people are able to discern this working of evil at the time of a solar eclipse. Could it be that the solar eclipse of July 22, 2009 -- the longest eclipse (lasting 6½ minutes) of the whole 21st century -- signifies the start of the 3½-year period of the rule of the Antichrist? If so, the incarnation of Ahriman may take place at or around the time of this solar eclipse.

Krishna and the Kali Yuga

The Mayan Long Count begins August 11, 3114 BC. Interestingly, the date for the beginning of the latest yuga ("age") in the Hindu cyclic calendar is midnight on February 17/18 in the year 3102 BC. This means that there is only a twelve year difference between the starting points of these two calendars -- incredibly close, given the lengthy duration of these calendars. Twelve years is a Jupiter-period, that is, it is the period that Jupiter takes to orbit the Sun. The Mayans thus start their calendar one Jupiter-period before the Hindu calendar. According to Rudolf Steiner, the Kali Yuga lasts for 5000 years, i.e., 3102 BC (astronomically -3101) to the year 1899. There is just a 12-year difference in the starting point, and a difference of 113 years in the finishing point, of the two calendars. Added together, this 125-year period is itself interesting, because it is 1/40th of the period of the Kali Yuga. . .

Along with marking the "death" of Krishna -- his withdrawal from Arjuna -- the last representative of the ancient clairvoyant spiritual consciousness in the Indian culture, the Kali Yuga marks the loss of this spiritual consciousness for all humanity. We can grasp this by way of the following analogy. Thinking of Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnated Krishna, undergoing temptation during the period of the 40 days in the wilderness, we can also conceive of this period as an archetype symbolizing the historical period of Kali Yuga from 3102 BC to AD 1899, whereby during these 40 "days" amounting historically to the 5000-year period of Kali Yuga, the knowledge of God was in danger of being totally eclipsed. In the Mayan calendar, the "40 days in the wilderness" of the Kali Yuga is extended by approximately one "day" -- a period of transition to the new Yuga, the Satya Yuga, the Age of Light -- and thus the Mayan calendar ends in 2012 rather than in 1899. This is the real significance of the end of the Mayan Long Count. . .

Afterword

Given the monumental significance for humanity of the event of Ahriman's incarnation, the following themes are worthy of attention and further research:

(1) Rudolf Steiner said the following on October 28, 1917 (Complete Works, vol. 177): "It is interesting that the excellent statement was made in 1910 [by Francis Delaisi, La Démocratie et les Financiers, 1910]: ‘... that big capital has succeeded in creating out of democracy the most wonderful, the most effective, the most flexible instrument for the exploitation of the population as a whole. We usually imagine that the men of finance are opposed to democracy. . . but this is fundamentally mistaken. On the contrary, they lead it and consciously promote it. For it is this - meaning democracy - that provides the screen behind which they conceal their method of exploitation, and they find in it the best means of self-defence against any popular resentment that may arise.' This shows how someone who has woken up sees that the main thing is not to make loud speeches proclaiming democracy; the main thing is to see clearly the reality of the situation ... namely, from how few centers of command events in the world today are steered and directed ... [The average person] cannot attend [to these things], because they are smothered and buried under the - well, the same public life that is ruled over by the press." (The text quoted by Rudolf Steiner from Delaisi's book is italicized.)

(2) Rudolf Steiner addresses in this statement a vast theme: the exploitation of the population by an elite few. In order for this elite to achieve its goals, there is a continual creation of maya (illusion) from the press and media, consisting of a steady stream of cultural lies. These global cultural lies comprise the lens through which people's ethical and moral conceptions are shaped, at least to a certain extent. Thereby the many honest and truthful accounts by recognized researchers and reporters are usually never mentioned by the media; they are simply ignored. It is vitally important in our time to cut through the illusion to be conscious of what is really taking place in the world, and almost the only way is via the Internet, in order to gain access to the accounts by independent researchers and reporters that are otherwise, by and large, unpublished. Although the Internet is an Ahrimanic medium, it is still -- at the present point in time (2009) -- free and unrestricted, and allows for the publication of independent research. Having said this, it goes without saying that as there is no control whatsoever over what is published on the Internet, one has to be discerning. The responsibility for assessing the truth-content of what appears on the Internet lies with oneself, with one's own sense for truth.

(3) What is behind the global financial crisis? Clearly money -- alongside military might -- is the most important aspect of Satan/Ahriman's bid for world dominion. In 1933 Hitler came to power largely because of the appalling misery in Germany on account of the economic crisis there in the wake of the 1929 financial crash. And Hitler did not come empty-handed: he fueled an economic miracle which succeeded, from 1933 to 1937, in providing work for six million people. He also restored self-esteem to the German people -- for example, through hosting the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin -- after the humiliation of defeat in World War I and the crushing conditions of the Treaty of Versailles, which required Germany to accept responsibility for causing the war, to disarm, to make substantial territorial concessions, and to pay exorbitant reparations to certain countries that had formed the Entente powers. What took place from 1933 to 1945 is history -- which, however, we can learn from. Now, in relation to the present, the true story as to what underlies the current financial crisis has yet to be told, and hopefully there are some readers who might be encouraged to participate in further discussion regarding the present situation -- in which case hopefully an Internet forum for reading the signs of the times can be started, intended as a means to enable active participation in an ongoing debate concerning these questions.

(4) How many people have even a vague idea as to how the global financial system operates? Fortunately there are some researchers who have dedicated themselves to the task of unraveling the intricacies of the financial system. To have at least a rudimentary acquaintance with such research is a matter of great importance, if one wishes to be conscious of the grip that Satan/Ahriman/Mammon has on the modern world. In the words of Rudolf Steiner, who devoted much research to exposing Ahriman's intention: "The endeavor is to found a [financial] ruling class in the West...with a terrible [financial] enslavement which [will]...in the course of time ensnare the entire civilized world and no one will be happy again" (Lecture of December 1, 1918 in Complete Works, vol. 186, and lecture of December 31, 1918 in Complete Works, vol. 187).

(5) In addition to financial enslavement through the power of money, the other main theme for gaining world control is military power. According to some researchers, the Global War on Terror is not simply about hunting down terrorists but is also about attaining strategic and economic objectives. Be that as it may, by redefining military doctrine to include the preemptive use of nuclear weapons, a dangerous threshold has been crossed. The attacks of September 11, 2001 are used to justify acts of war and conquest. Thereby a mammoth defense budget is justified at the expense not only of health and education, but of virtually every single category of public expenditure. Full-spectrum dominance is the cornerstone of the new post-2001 military doctrine. While hopes run high that the Obama administration will reverse the recklessly destructive militarism of the Bush era, the initial indications -- from Barack Obama's Cabinet appointments -- do not as yet (2009) reveal a fundamental change of heart in terms of seizing this golden opportunity to initiate a new era of peace on earth.

(6) Apart from the striving to exercise military and financial power on a global scale, another area of growing concern to modern humanity is the genetic manipulation of organisms -- GMOs. Its relevance at this time is not surprising, since it is evident that it is actually part of the third temptation -- the temptation of turning stones to bread -- which is unfolding in the period 1988 to 2018. However, instead of the mineral realm ("stones") being manipulated to appear as if living ("bread"), it is a direct assault upon the "daily bread" itself. The words "Give us this day our daily bread" are directed to the Divine as the ultimate source of our daily bread. Food that is genetically manipulated is an attempted substitution of inverted food in place of the real food intended for us from our Divine Origin. By inverted food is meant the principle of taking that which is of divine origin and manipulating it so that it is changed while nevertheless still appearing to be like the original. It is again the principle of virtual reality, but now transposed to the organic realm. From the perspective offered in this book on Christ and the Maya calendar, since the Mystery of Golgotha -- and in a new and more profound sense since the onset of the second coming -- the earth is the body of Christ, and thus not only human beings but also the animals, plants, and minerals of the earth are sacred to Christ. This is the deeper meaning of the words, "Heaven is my throne, and earth my footstool" (Acts 7:49). The endeavor of Satan/Ahriman is to take over the entire earth and to populate the earth with his creations -- GMOs -- in place of the plant life sacred to Christ. The achievement of this goal would signify -- at least, in the realm of food -- the breaking of the link between humanity and nature.

(7) A contemporary of Tolstoy, the Russian philosopher Vladimir Solovyov . . . foresaw -- and condemned -- the sterility and cruelty of the collectivist tyranny which a few years later would oppress Russia. In his final work, A Short Story of the Antichrist (finished on Easter Sunday 1900), one is struck by how clearly Solovyov foresaw that "the epoch of great wars, civil strife, and revolutions" was coming. All this, he said, would prepare the way for the disappearance of "the old structure of separate nations" and "almost everywhere the remains of the ancient monarchical institutions would disappear." He foresaw that this would pave the way for a "United States of Europe." The formation of the European Union in 1993 saw the fulfillment of this prophecy. Moreover, the accuracy of Solovyov's vision of the great crisis that would strike Christianity during the course of the 20th century and culminating at the beginning of the 21st century is astonishing. He portrays the climax of this crisis as the coming of the Antichrist. In his portrayal, this fascinating personage succeeds in influencing and persuading almost everyone. The Antichrist, Solovyov says, will be an admirable philanthropist and he will not be hostile "in principle" to Christ. Indeed, he will appreciate Christ's teaching. But he will reject the teaching that Christ is unique, and he will deny that Christ is risen and alive today. Every reader is recommended to read Solovyov's prophetic work, A Short Story of the Antichrist, which - alongside Steiner's prophecy of the incarnation of Ahriman and Jeane Dixon's visionary account of the birth and ascent to power of the Antichrist -- offers insight into this monumental event of our time.

(8) The redemption of Lucifer (a subject taken up in Chapter 8 of the book) offers an image of the true significance of the New Age. The "New Age" movement -- in terms of awakening consciousness to spiritual reality -- is not to be underestimated in terms of the battle between Christ and Antichrist. Within the New Age movement there are many diverse streams, many of which, however, pay little or no attention to Christ. One stream which has been called into existence is that of geomancy -- concerned with exploring the spirituality of the earth and with healing the earth. This stream, that is broadly represented within the New Age movement, has in Europe found a champion in Marko Pogacnik, who - like the authors of this book -- is well aware of the whole dimension of earth changes in connection with Christ's second coming. Marko's work is a significant contribution to awakening a connection with Christ in his second coming -- an event that has to do with the spiritualization of the earth. The work of geomancy, when aligned with Christ in the etheric realm, opens up a new and vast dimension of spirituality as a counterpoint to the world of the Internet, in the sense that cyberspace is a shadowy lifeless realm (referred to by Terry Boardman as "the belly of the beast"), whereas the living experience of the spirituality of the earth - together with Christ, the Spirit of the Earth - is a light-filled experience of life's great abundance. This theme itself is part of the vast one of Christ's second coming, his return in an ethereal raiment, which also deserves a much fuller treatment than we have been able to give it here. . .

Conclusion

The wisdom of the ancient calendars and their associated prophecies was in their anticipation of ever brighter dawns appearing after periods of darkness. The Maya Long Count's culmination at the 36-year "window" marked by the alignment with the Galactic Center offers a promising image drawn from the cosmic pattern of the Earth and Sun's alignment with the Celestial Heart of our galaxy, to begin a new era of human alignment with the Divine. Similarly, the future according to the Apocalypse Code signifies a continuing unfolding and enactment of Christ's life -- for the whole of humanity -- over the next 36,000 years. There are many wondrous miracles ahead, once humankind makes it through the three temptations in the wilderness. We made it through the cosmic days of the first two temptations -- (1) 1929-1958 and (2) 1958-1988 (dates according to the Apocalypse Code) -- and we will also make it through the cosmically appointed day of the third temptation: (3) 1988-2018. There is a precious and wondrous future ahead!

Knowing clearly -- at least to a certain extent -- something of what the future holds in store, even if it is not exactly a rosy future, can bring an extraordinary sense of peace. Why? Because with spirit beholding, i.e. seeing into the future, it becomes a living experience that everything is watched over. It is the realm of spirit to which we have to turn first and foremost. This means that what takes place on the level of human consciousness is of great significance as a determining factor regarding the future. It is a matter of becoming active, first on an inner level in turning one's consciousness toward the realm of spirit, endeavoring to grasp what is right (in terms of divine righteousness), and then to act accordingly. Thus, each one of us is called upon to play our part, in whatever way we can, in the unfolding drama of humanity's destiny upon the earth. And what is the essence of this destiny now? As indicated in this book, the second coming of Christ -- his return in the etheric aura of the earth -- is the primary event of our time, and the coming of the Antichrist is merely the shadow side of Christ's return.

This book describes the remarkable parallel between the "2012 Window" (1980-2016) and the specification -- by applying the Apocalypse Code -- of the 39th day (1988-2018) of humanity "in the wilderness" on which the third temptation of humanity, the encounter with Satan/Ahriman takes place. As indicated in Appendix II of the book, the period 2009-2014 is also the time, within this 39th day, when Pluto is at the same location (Sagittarius) in the zodiac as during the 3½ years of Christ's ministry. Given Rudolf Steiner's prophecy that the incarnation of Ahriman would take place shortly after the year 2000 and that this incarnation is inevitable, the cosmic indicators point to the 3½ years of the incarnation of Satan/Ahriman as occurring during the remaining time of the 39th day as an inversion of the 3½ years of Christ's ministry. Given the existence of freedom, however, the prophetic statements outlined in this book can only be indications and not certainties - and this needs to be borne in mind with regard to any discussion of the content of this book.

Photo by wauter de tuinkabouter, courtesy of Creative Commons license.