Racing Toward Armageddon: The Three Great Religions and the Plot to End the World

Baigent has written neither a history book nor a religion book. Rather, he has sounded a warning cry about the manner in which extremists of three faiths have very specific plans to attempt the destruction of the world. Baigent's information is relatively easy to corroborate, but he has "connected the dots" in an attempt to warn everyone else that these people genuinely believe in their lunacy and genuinely intend to carry it out. The three groups of extremists begin with the Jewish extremists who are determined to expand the state of Israel to its Biblical dimensions, which some (basing their thinking on the book of Joshua) regard as extending into modern-day Iraq. They are also determined to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, and as a first step they want to demolish the Dome of the Rock, which is merely the third holiest shrine in all of Islam. Baigent records how a rabbi present in 1967, when the Israelis reclaimed Jerusalem, insisted that Moshe Dayan take the opportunity to blow up the Dome of the Rock then and there, and how Dayan courageously refused. But the extremists are determined to destroy it. The only problem: They can't attack the Dome without risking a sinful intrusion on sacred ground, and they lack the means of cleansing themselves of this sin. Enter the red heifer. A pure red heifer with no more than one black hair is required for the ritual to purify those who would assault the Dome. An evangelical Christian cattle rancher in the American South has been working with Jewish ultra-orthodox rabbis to breed such a red heifer. They have almost succeeded on two occasions. The Christian extremist is helping because Christian extremists believe that the Temple must be rebuilt in Jerusalem in order for the Apocalypse to come and Jesus to return. They expect that this will bring on a global catastrophe, a war that will surpass all past wars, but they don't care; they believe they will be magically raptured up to Heaven before the shooting starts, where they can sip tea with Jesus and watch us sinners getting slaughtered. The key message of this book is not the details of the thinking of the lunatic fringe. Baigent wrote this book in an effort to shake everyone else out of their slumber. He is trying to warn everyone else that these people are determined to take actions that could easily lead to a global nuclear war. He warns us that they genuinely believe that they will somehow prosper in a global catastrophe, and are determined to bring it on. They are really, truly, as deluded and as dangerous as Charles Manson ever was with his Helter-Skelter plot, but with vastly greater resources in their hands. Measured against his intent, Baigent has done a good job of making the true situation clear and compelling. He has sounded the warning and done it well.

First, I wish you good health after your liver transplant. I'd love to e:mail you personally, but this seems to be the only way I can contact you. I just bought your new book Racing Toward Armageddon, and as usual it is excellent, as were all your previous books. I don't know why, but for some reason I want to apologize to you for Dan Brown using your name and Richard Leigh's name as his Lee Teabing character in The Da Vinci Code. He owes so much to you guys for all the research you provided him.

Finally a book about the true agenda of the religious manipulation that we have all been suckered into. Michael excels with this expose of how governments (ours) has been on an underground "stream" of manipulation using Biblical fundametalist thought to dominate the world. Facts are separated from fiction in this book. A must read for the true researcher of why our government does things the way it does. As a former military member (20 years) and former preacher, I wholly agree with Michael's views.

This is a very enjoyable and entertaining read. It includes a great deal of interesting history, the thesis is sure to irritate a lot of fundamentalists from the three major world religions. Unfortunately, there is a lot of truth in the danger of religious fundamentalism. I hope the author has overstated the case but even if he has not, it is still a peril worth considering. You will either love this book or hate it. I, for one, loved it. Keep up the good work.

The one thing these religious extremists have in common is the belief that they and they alone are the keepers of the "True Faith" and it is their God given duty to bring about their version of the end times (of course, the rest of us are generously given the option of converting or facing God's wrath by their blood soaked hands). All this brings me to a highly engaging and eye opening book by Michael Baigent entitled, "Racing Toward Armageddon: The Three Great Religions And The Plot To End The World" (you may remember Mr. Baigent as the co-author of the hugely popular "Holy Blood Holy Grail" and "The Messianic Legacy"). Mr. Baigent gives us an excellent historical overview the three main religions and their claim on Jerusalem. He then leads us through their Byzantine world to induce the coming of the Messiah, but which Messiah? Is it the Messiah Ben David or the Twelfth Iman? Or is it the Second Coming of Jesus? Finally, Mr. Baigent details the objectives of each and finally, what we can do.