The first of Nostradamus's three Antichrists is clearly Napoleon Bonaparte, given both the extent and the quality of the prophecies he dedicates to the man. The second Antichrist is Adolf Hitler - again, Nostradamus devoted an inordinate amount of space to Hitler's effect on the world stage. The third of his Antichrists is the 'one still to come', to which he devotes a number of prophecies still waiting to be fulfilled. They include dates and consequences: the period starts in 2010, with advance warning of the Third Antichrist, covers his birth in 2035, the Global War triggered by the Antichrist in 2070, and the decay and destruction of the Antichrist's empire by 2097.' Although many people know that Nostradamus prophesied the coming of the three Antichrists allegedly foretold in St John's Epistles (and also, in the guise of the Beast, the Dragon, the False Prophet, and the Whore of Babylon, in Revelation), they don't know who the first two Antichrists were, nor who the third will be when his time comes. This book will answer those questions. Nostradamus differs from the Biblical Book of Revelation in his emphasis that there are three Antichrists, and not simply one. Author Mario Reading believes that Nostradamus intended his concept of the three Antichrists to act as an evil mirror image of the Holy Trinity, and designed this as a possible three-stage build up to Armageddon. He concludes that Nostradamus intuited that all three Antichrists would be supra-national, in the sense that their actions would affect the whole world - and not simply their own countries.

B. J. Oropeza shows why no one can predict the date of Christ's return from historical events, geological disasters, coded numbers, the identity of the antichrist, sources outside the Bible, and on and on.

This entertaining, thought-provoking package will help people start the new century out on the right foot. Included are a full-color book of millennium prophecies by seers such as Nostradamus and Edgar Cayce, a wall calendar for the year 2000, a personal "time capsule" for readers, a "registered prophet" contest, and more.

This defense correspondent for The Independent, military scholar, and former soldier combines his views and analyses.

Simpson (political science, U. of Illinois at Chicago) offers a hardheaded look at how to deal with the major social, religious, and political challenges of the last part of this century. He asserts that we need a new politics of compassion based on a clear understanding of political action and its consequences and informed by ethical and explicitly religious values. Paper edition ($15.95) not seen. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR