Unsolved:Ancient Prophecies

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Short description: 1990's Supernatural TV series


Ancient Prophecies is a series of four TV specials that aired on NBC between 1994 and 1997.  Hosted by David McCallum, each special focused on apocalyptic prophecies of doomsday leading up to the year 2000, including interviews and reenactments.

Ancient Prophecies

This special aired on March 1, 1994.[1]  Contents include:

Production and reception

3 years after airing a recut and updated version of The Man Who Saw Tomorrow, NBC aired the first special in its Ancient Prophecies series.   It was produced by Paul Klein’s Coast to Coast productions, in association with Greystone Communications.[1] Per the closing credits, the pyramid model in the opening credits was created by The Chiodo Brothers.

Variety described the acting in the special as “generally earnest but subpar.”  It added “production values are minimal, and the docu is mostly exploitative.”  It continued, “[The series] turns out to be a routine roundup of everything from biblical verses and Nostradamus to Jeanne Dixon, who has troubling ideas about the future.  In fact, just to titillate impressionable viewers, there’s only bad news ahead.”[12]

The Washington Post stated, “The network’s department of program standards “wanted to avoid a War of the Worlds’ panic, the spokeswoman said. “We were afraid that viewers might take the show to heart and wanted to provide as much of a context as possible,” producing the following disclaimer:[13]

"The following is not a news program or a documentary.  The people appearing on camera are not necessarily experts and are expressing personal opinions only.  Although significant opposing viewpoints exist, they are not included.  The information presented represents unsubstantiated anecdotal accounts of events, interpretations of writings, and speculation about the significance of certain predictions.  Some predictions by the same sources, though not mentioned, have been proven inaccurate.  Events are dramatized, simulated and re-created."[13]

And finally: "It is not the intention of the broadcasters to suggest that any prophecies are true, and all conclusions about the future, drawn by persons in this program, are purely conjecture".[13]

Ancient Prophecies II: Countdown to Doomsday

This special aired on November 18, 1994.[14] Contents include:

Production and reception

David Bianculli of The Baltimore Sun wrote, “More mumbo-jumbo for morons. I don’t mean to poke fun at anyone’s fervent beliefs, but the insidious, insulting and insipid way in which these “Ancient Prophecies” are described and re-enacted should make disbelievers out of us all.”[14]

New Visions of the Future: Prophecies III

This special aired on February 28, 1996.[17] Contents include:

  • Astrology as presented by Henry Weingarten,[18] Edward Helin,[19] Thomas Seers[20] and Richard Houck.  Houck claimed to have predicted his death by stroke as occurring on September 3, 2031. In reality, he died from cancer on April 1, 2001.[21]
  • Bible prophecy, specifically the idea that each Psalm directly correlates to a year in sequence, with each text describing events for that year.  Described by J. R. Church[22] and Gary Stearman.[23]
  • Marian apparitions through the experiences of Maria Esperanza.  Presented by Drew Mariani[24] and Michael Brown.[15]
  • Visions of Josyp Terelya.[25]
  • H. G. Wells’ future predictions through his fiction, presented by Gary Westfahl and George Slusser.
  • The Philadelphia Experiment, with Preston Nichols, Andrew Strom[26] and Al Bielek.[27]
  • Earth changes caused by the Ring of Fire, with Gordon-Michael Scallion[7] and Jon Davidson.[28]
  • Near Death Experiences, with testimonials from Cassandra Musgrave, (AKA Martha Cassandra St.Claire)[29] Elane Durham,[30] Jessica Carde[31] and Diane Morrissey.[32]
  • The Native American predictions of Jake Swamp[33] and Martin Gashweseoma,[34] with Paul Hutton and Scott Peterson.[35]
  • Bavarian seer Matthias Stormberger, presented by John Hogue.[36]
  • The occult figure William John Warner, also known as “Cheiro.”

Prophecies IV: The Final Visions

This special aired on September 20, 1996.[37] Contents include:

  • Marian apparitions in Santa Maria, California.  The trances and visions of Barbara Matthias,[38] presented by Jerrie Castro[39] and author Michael Brown.[15]  Warnings from Zdenko “Jim” Singer of Toronto.[40]
  • Future prophecies of Jules Verne, as conveyed through his fiction.  Detailed by Walter James Miller and screenwriter Gavin Scott.
  • Psychic visions of prophet June Gatlin[41] and conversations with author Joyce Noll.[42]
  • Eschatology discussions with Peter Lalonde, Gary Stearman,[23] Johanna Michaelsen,[43] Rabbi Ariel Bar-Tzadok[16] and Salem Kirban.[44]
  • Survivalism and fallout shelter techniques with Byron Kirkwood.[45]
  • Seeress Regina, an early 20th century Germany prophetess, presented by John Hogue.[46]
  • Earth changes with John “Running Deer” Eleazer.[47]
  • Mayan predictions for the year 2012, with Barbara Tedlock.[48]
  • Hypnosis and dreams of the future, with Chet B. Snow[49]

Production and reception

On September 15, 1996, the Los Angeles Times noted it as one of many documentary specials scheduled to air.  “The latest installment of this periodic two-hour special explores unexplained visions and occurrences, as well as modern-day prophecies.”[50]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Lowry, Brian (January 27, 1994). "NBC's "Prophecies" eyes doomsday". Variety. https://variety.com/1994/tv/news/nbc-s-prophecies-eyes-doomsday-117879/. 
  2. Capt, E. Raymond. (1978). The Great Pyramid decoded (Rev. and enl. ed.). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Artisan Sales. ISBN 0-934666-01-6. OCLC 4003369. 
  3. Noone, Richard William (1995). 5/5/2000 : ice, the ultimate disaster. Noone, Richard William. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 978-0609800676. OCLC 38091078. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 Nostradamus (1503–1566) (1989). Conversations with Nostradamus. Cannon, Dolores (1st ed.). Boulder, CO: America West Publishers. ISBN 0-922356-01-7. OCLC 19516497. 
  5. Stanford, Ray (1988). Fatima prophecy. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-35510-5. OCLC 18295688. 
  6. Summer Rain, Mary (1994), Spirit song : the introduction of No-Eyes, Bourdo, Carole, Norfolk, VA: Hampton Roads Pub. Co, ISBN 1-878901-48-6, OCLC 32610216 
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Gordon-Michael Scallion". 2008. https://www.crystalinks.com/Gordon-MichaelScallion.html. 
  8. Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher (April 4, 1994). "Books of the Times; God, Self and Evil From a Fundamentalist View". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/04/books/books-of-the-times-god-self-and-evil-from-a-fundamentalist-view.html. 
  9. Mojtabai, A. G. (August 14, 1988). "On the Road with God". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/14/books/on-the-road-with-god.html. 
  10. "Kelly Quirke". 2009. https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Kelly_Quirke. 
  11. "Harry Darlington Dies". The Washington Post. November 8, 1996. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1996/11/08/harry-darlington-dies/75415fcc-00be-4d2f-bb6f-2986ec31adcc/. 
  12. Scott, Tony (February 28, 1994). "Ancient Prophecies". Variety. https://variety.com/1994/tv/reviews/ancient-prophecies-1200436516/. 
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 Carmody, John (April 12, 1994). "The TV Column". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1994/04/12/the-tv-column/5af8a3da-b4a7-4eaf-b5b9-3e93d78b2f28/. 
  14. 14.0 14.1 Bianculli, David (November 18, 1994). "This week, top shows not to be missed". The Baltimore Sun. https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1994-11-18-1994322154-story.html. 
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 Brown, Michael H. (1998). The last secret. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Charis. ISBN 1-56955-023-9. OCLC 38107039. 
  16. 16.0 16.1 "About Ariel Bar Tzadok and the KosherTorah School". 2019. http://www.koshertorah.com/about-the-rav.html. 
  17. Keveney, Bill (March 3, 1996). "Psychic "Network"". Hartford Courant. https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1996-03-03-9603010042-story.html. 
  18. "Astrologers Fund Director Henry Weingarten". 2012. http://www.afund.com/hwbio.html. 
  19. "Edward Adoph Helin". 2011. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?n=edward-adoph-helin&pid=154034341&fhid=11023. 
  20. Standley, Loretta (2009). "Love Signs-Cancer". https://www.drstandley.com/lovesigns_cancerinlove.shtml. 
  21. Barnes, Bart (April 3, 2001). "Astrologer, Author Richard Allan Houck Dies". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2001/04/03/astrologer-author-richard-allan-houck-dies/6c6881ea-b79f-4acc-a385-2343a4d64f9a/. 
  22. Church, J. R. (1986). Hidden prophecies in the psalms. Jewell, Jack; Berry, Patricia; Sanchez, Enid (First ed.). Oklahoma City, OK. ISBN 0-941241-00-9. OCLC 17204376. 
  23. 23.0 23.1 "About". 2020. https://prophecywatchers.com/gary-stearman/. 
  24. "The Drew Mariani Show". 2020. https://relevantradio.com/listen/our-shows/the-drew-mariani-show/. 
  25. "Witness-Josyp Terelya". 2020. https://www.marianland.com/michaelbrown/witness.html. 
  26. Strom, Howard Andrew. "Philadelphia Experiment; the filament of Armageddon". https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1IG6EFzprMn0WpvsDLFS0C9mSWZOWfRz4AtZvxHDGNLY/edit#slide=id.i0. 
  27. Andress, Justin (May 10, 2017). "The Incredible Story of Al Bielek, the Man Who Traveled Through Time and Space". https://www.destinationtips.com/fun/incredible-story-al-bielek-man-traveled-time-space/?listview=all. 
  28. "Jon Paul Davidson". 2016. https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/About/History/Obituaries-2001-onwards/Obituaries-2016/Jon-Paul-Davidson-19592016. 
  29. St. Claire, Martha Anne (2020). "Biography". https://marthastclaire.com/bio/. 
  30. "Elane Durham's Near-Death Experience". 2016. https://www.near-death.com/experiences/exceptional/elane-durham.html. 
  31. "Jessica Carde". 2016. https://www.near-death.com/archives/jessica-carde.html. 
  32. Washburn, Jim (March 2, 1994). "Life After Near-Death; Changed for Good, Diane Morrissey Leads "Journey into Consciousness" at OCC". Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-02-vw-29106-story.html. 
  33. "Remembering Jake Tekaronianeken Swamp". 2010. https://www.thetrackingproject.org/native-communities/remembering-jake-tekaronianeken-swamp/. 
  34. David, Gary (February 15, 2016). "Hopi Prophecy and the End of the Fourth World". https://road2ruins.com/hopi-prophecy-part-i-guest-blog-by-gary-david/. 
  35. Peterson, Scott (1999). Native American prophecies (2nd, rev. and expanded ed.). St. Paul, Minn.: Paragon House. ISBN 1-55778-748-4. OCLC 40052041. 
  36. "A New Cold War-The Prophecies of Nostradamus, Stormberger and Edgar Cayce". 2014. http://www.hogueprophecy.com/a-new-cold-war-the-prophecies-of-nostradamus-stormberger-and-edgar-cayce/. 
  37. "Religion in the Media". Deseret News. July 26, 1997. https://www.deseret.com/1997/7/26/19325797/religion-in-the-media. 
  38. Fickett, Harold (2002). The living Christ : the extraordinary lives of today's spiritual heroes (1st ed.). New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-49586-2. OCLC 47238066. 
  39. "Administration". 2020. https://www.theservantsandhandmaids.net/administration. 
  40. Brown, Michael. "From the Pope to seers, warnings about the United Nations". https://www.spiritdaily.org/singer.htm. 
  41. "About Reverent June". 2020. https://reverentjunegatlin.com/about/. 
  42. Noll, Joyce Elaine (1991). Company of prophets : African American psychics, healers & visionaries (1st ed.). St. Paul, Minn..: Llewellyn Publications. ISBN 0-87542-583-6. OCLC 24142837. 
  43. "About Us". 2018. https://michaelsenministries.com/sample-page/. 
  44. Kirban, Salem (1968). Guide to survival. Huntingdon Valley, Pa. ISBN 0-89957-903-5. OCLC 2883. 
  45. Robertson, Joe (August 9, 1998). "End of the Earth". Chicago Tribune. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-08-09-9808090229-story.html. 
  46. Hogue, John (1999). 1000 for 2000 : predictions for the new millennium (1st ed.). [San Francisco]: HarperSanFrancisco. ISBN 0-06-251806-2. OCLC 41400762. 
  47. "A Christian Case Against Millennium Madness". July 1999. https://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/1999/12/a-christian-case-against-millennium-madness.aspx. 
  48. "About Barbara Tedlock". 2009. https://www.mayasites.com/btedlock.html. 
  49. Snow, Chet (2001). "Mass Dreams of the Future: An Overview from 2001". https://dwij.org/forum/future_link/future7.htm. 
  50. Matsumoto, Jon (September 15, 1996). "Special Orders". Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-09-15-tv-44079-story.html. 

External links