Customer Reviews

1000 for 2000: Startling Predictions for the New Millennium from Prophets Ancient and Modern

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John Hogue's catchily titled _1000 for 2000_ has compiled a thousand prophecies for the future -- some from other people both ancient (Nostradamus) and modern (Edgar Cayce) and many others from Hogue himself. The book has been trashed by some people because it freely enters predictions without any limits on the credibility or possibility of the predictions entered within. But why must an author censor himself . . . or other people for that matter? Hogue never tries to imply that he believes all of these will come true; rather, he is collecting the ideas of various prophets into a single book, so that the reader can look at all the thought that's out there on the subject of the future.

Some of the prophecies listed are indeed unlikely, and others are very general and describe things that will inevitably happen and already have been happening (as #719: Baha'ullah's statement that "Soon the present-day order will be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead"). Especially amusing is that Hans Holzer "predicted" at #341 that "Important battles will take place in the Middle East. Europe will also be affected by war". The Middle East has had its most important wars in centuries lately, but hasn't Europe always been at war?

There are others, though, that show a remarkable wisdom and foresight for their days and age. At prophecy #37, Cheiro described in 1931 a future of global warming. At #789, Mother Shipton, as far back at 1561, realized that the androgynization of dress was to come: "And now a word in uncouth rhyme / Of what shall be in future time: / For in these wondrous far-off days / The women shall adopt a craze / To dress like men and trousers wear / And cut off their locks of hair". Many other nearby quotes came from peole who were able to know that women's equality and liberation was going to be inevitable, in times when it was unthinkable to more mediocre, average minds.

Interestingly, John Hogue himself stated as early as 1993 that "President Clinton will complete his final term, despite all attempts to unseat him" (prophecy #726). And just note the year the prophecy after that was made!

Looking at the prophecies on pages 133 and 134 about which is the one true religion that "will rule the new Heaven and Earth" gives the reader an amusing and perceptive look at just how ethnocentric and personally biased prophecies can be. Various Jewish prophets have formulated the thesis that "Only the Jews are the 'Chosen People' and only their faith will survive the holocaust. Jerusalem will be the religious capital of the world", while the theory of Sikh prophets has congealed that "Only Sikhs will survive the holocaust. I guess Jerusalem will move to Amritsar, Punjab". Any intelligent reader could obviously draw a message from the juxtaposition of predictions in that section; it would help him to see that skepticism is needed when observing blindly based prophecies. Conversely, there are also several Catholics themselves who see that the end of the papacy is coming near, and many of THEM are included in the book as well.

Hogue has come up with many ideas that are valuable in shaping the way people think. He notes: "Nostradamus horrified his readers when he said that someday kings would no longer rule the realm and mobs of peasants would be in power. We call this democracy". He devotes a section to several prophecies of his own that conservative followers of societal norms will be unnerved by: "Euthanasia accepted", "The end of race", "The end of places of worship". The book really makes people think.

And yet other prophecies provide wisdom in their own right, whether you believe them or not: #618 is G. I. Gurdjieff's 1920s declaration that "Even if only a hundred people remember themselves, the world can be saved". Osho states in #798 that "Unless you understand that the West is in urgent need of a new way of life, more and more outrageous reactions will be there around you, and you will be responsible for it". And just look at Osho's wit in prophecy #812!

Over hundreds of pages and prophecies, _1000 for 2000_ allows anyone to look at a thought-provoking and highly varied assortment of beliefs about the future, from many different sources and predictive methods, all gathered up into one place.

I can only say that the more books JH writes the less impressive he gets.... basically he is in it for the money and feeds on the fear of others. I wouldnt have given this book one star if I wasnt forced too by this bloody site

I love this book. John Hogue really knows how to mess with your feelings about life, spirituality, and humanity in general. Excellent book; I've read it twelve times and now the librarians are beginning to know me by name.

I felt the book was entertaining but that it was highly inaccurate and contradictory.
For example, it stated very blatantly that Al Gore will be our next president. Al Gore wasn't our next president.
This is just a small example of the many inaccuracies of the book.
My only recommendation is to only read the book for entertainment value and to not spend alot of money on it.

Hogue knows how to cater to the gullibility of people. As a work of fiction it creates some excitement.

This is a very good book written by John Houge, very interesting predictions for the coming millenium and beyond. It keeps you wanting to read on, hard to put down.

If one glances on the grand visionary prophecies, the single trait becomes visible: they all, whether the author is known to the general public or not, speak about the beginning and the end of human destiny. What shall we deduce from that ? First, just a brief digression: it has always been something of a puzzle (at least for me) that Islam (save a few Koranic ayets) or Chinese tradition don't pay much attention to deciphering the end time. Of course, some, like Chinese or Japanese or, to some degree, Hindus, do not look at these things as symbols of compressed human condition. For them, the show goes on & on...forever. Why- they are too polite to ask. Or petrified....Never mind. So, let's cast a glance on Christian or Amerindian prophecies: they share the same "vision" of death & resurrection of the humanity. In short, they tell you: my friend, we're going to die, and, what's the best, to die in throes of moral & physical decadence (usually, wars & pollution go hand in hand to seal our destiny). Then, after some miraculous happenings (good ole Saoshyant, Messiah, whatever...appears on the scene), we will be transmogrified & divested of our infernal passions live happily ever after. We got death & rebirth & unspeakable post-resurrection life. When I consider these panoramic visions (not just tallying the events, like Nostradamus or Malachy), an agent-provocateur thought always strikes me as a lightning: why would this simplistic picture be accurate ? They speak of fulfillment of man's destiny in extremely fuzzy language. What about death ? Or other forms of life ? Or- why would the continuation of life in a body, that is, a restricted & "shackled in" existence be *the* happy end ? By the way: they also point to ancient "wisdom" teachings (ewww, I dislike this...). Summarily: if you stick to the cosmic law (call it tao, me, maat, logos,dharma... take your pick)- then you have Life. You are life in the greater tapestry of Life, which is the embodiment of the Law. Otherwise, if you err....well, my friend, you're doomed. There is something infantile in these narratives, at least for my taste.