Product Description

' "Twin Towers" was encoded in the 3000-year-old text. "Airplane" appeared in exactly the same place. "It caused to fall, knocked down" crossed "airplane" and "towers"...But it was not this terrorist attack that really shook me. It was what the Bible code predicted was yet to come.' This is the sensational sequel to THE BIBLE CODE, which rocketed to the top of the bestseller charts in 1997. The discovery of a code encrypted in the Bible some 3000 years ago caught the public imagination. But if this code predicted the disastrous events of 9/11, what more can it tell us about our future? And if we are on the road to Armageddon, can it give us the information we need to survive? One word of advice - don't make big plans for 2006...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #138135 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
Rights have done a wonderful job with this and sold an extract of the new material contained in the paperback to the DAILY MAIL which will run at the beginning of November (we have a press date of 27 November). And don't forget the excellent BBC2 HORIZON programme on Michael and the book which will be shown in November, as soon as I have a confirmed transmission date I'll let you know.

From the Inside Flap
The publication of the original BIBLE CODE in 1997 caused a sensation. Its revelation of a code that revealed the future that had been encrypted 3000 years ago in the Bible sent Michael Drosnin's book rocketing to the top of the bestseller lists across the globe. Now comes the long-awaited sequel, THE BIBLE CODE 2: THE COUNTDOWN, which starts with the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and counts down to Armageddon. It warns that we are now in 'the end of days', that we may face World War III, that the world is in danger of being engulfed in 'an atomic holocaust'. But we can change our future. Indeed, the author believes that the Bible code was designed to be unlocked by computer, now, at this one moment in human history, so that we will have the information we need, just in time to survive. The code warned of the assassination of the Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin more than a year before his murder. It foretold everything from the Holocaust to Hiroshima, from World War II to Watergate, from the Moon landing to the collision of a comet with Jupiter - thousands of years after the Bible was written. THE BIBLE CODE 2: THE COUNTDOWN reveals startling new predictions about Osama bin Laden, the places and the years that terrorists might strike, end even the time of the final battle, the real Armageddon. The author has travelled the world, meeting world leaders and briefing them on the ancient prophecies the code reveals. And in the deserts of Arabia he has taken on a search for a 'key' that will unlock the code completely. Lost for millenia, it may reveal our entire future, in time to stop the countdown, and save the world. E M B A R G O E D 18.99 in UK only Michael Drosnin is a reporter, formerly at the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. In addition to THE BIBLE CODE he is the author of the New York Times bestseller Citizen Hughes. He lives and works in New York. Weidenfeld & Nicolson Orion Publishing Group Orion House 5 Upper Saint Martin's Lane London, WC2H 9EA

From the Back Cover
'At 8:48 am on September 11, 2001, I was awakened by the sound of an explosion that changed the world forever.' 'I ran up to my roof just in time to see a second Boeing 767 fly right into the second of the Twin Towers, setting it ablaze. It was obviously no accident. The two planes had been hijacked by terrorists. New York was under attack. I ran down from the roof and immediately searched the ancient code on my computer, the Bible code.' ' "Twin Towers" was encoded in the 3000-year-old text. "Airplane" appeared in exactly the same place. "It caused to fall, knocked down" crossed "airplane" and "towers".' 'What I saw happen with my own eyes on September 11, 2001 was encoded in the Bible 3000 years ago.' 'It was not this terrorist attack that really shook me. It was what the Bible code predicted was yet to come.' - Michael Drosnin THE BIBLE CODE 2: THE COUNTDOWN

Customer Reviews

The scam continues
When the original book came out it received an enormous attention. Thankfully some people took to the task to actually analyze and try to explain what Michel Drosnin is doing - fooling his audience using mathematics. Michael Drosnin challenged his opponents with the famous quote "When my critics find a message about the assassination of a prime minister encrypted in Moby Dick, I'll believe them." (Newsweek, Jun 9, 1997). And boy did he get what he asked for. See for yourself:

http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/dilugim/moby.html

So, it's sad to see Drosnin is able to release a new book and continue to fool people like this. And this book does nothing to try to explain the basic combinatorics at work, instead it's more fantastic "predictions" and omnious "findings" like 9/11 that naturally will cause grief and anger.

Do yourself a favour and save your money, don't feed people that (obviously) knowlingly try to sell people vapour. Why not buy a real bible, or a book on basic combinatorics and probability and check out the following web page that explains all about this:

http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/dilugim/torah.html

It's not rocket science, it's just statistics....
As a story, this makes for an interesting read. As a piece of science, it is pure nonsense. Drosnin combines pseudo-science with religion (never a good idea) and claims to produce evidence that the Bible contains within its text, coded messages about the future (predictions) that have either subsequently come to pass, or have yet to occur. The only problem is, they are all complete baloney.

The reason is obvious to anyone with even a basic grasp of statistics. Using a cypher system known as a skip code (of which the Bible Code is a specific example), it is possible to encode a hidden message into a text. Used in reverse, it is also possible to find certain words/phrases in a text by using a skip code search algorithm. The problem is, it is not only likely to find your chosen word, it is a statistical impossibility NOT to find the word. Infact, a basic search for a simple word like 'towers', in a body of text only a couple of pages long, will yield several hundred results. You may argue what is the harm in doing this? The truth is, there is none. But by the same token, what is the value of doing this? The truth is, again, there is none. Unless the WHOLE sentence or message is revealed by the skip code, then it is meaningless. What Drosner does is to find specific words (of his choosing), that are connected in some context (like 'towers' 'twin' 'airplane' 'new york'), but he is equally likely to find all of these phrases, since there is a 100% probability of finding every word he looks for. Drosner claims that by cross-referencing the hidden skip-code terms with lines of actual text, the messages somehow become truthful and meaningful 'predictions'. But the significance of his results are a by-product of the selection process that Drosner himself creates.

But what is truly objectionable is the way that Drosner purports to tell you trueisms that are simply not what they appear to be. By making sensational claims and attempting to give them credence by linking them with the Bible, Drosner devalues the Bible itself, ignores scientific reasoning, and insults our intellegence.

And if all this doesn't convince you not to waste your money, why not give skip codes a bash yourself? It's easy to find programs on the net that let you search any text you want. It's fun and it's interesting, but it's NOT Nostradamus... it's just maths.

The Bible Code (both editions)
As a scientist and atheist I purchased this book based on recommendations from my peers. Although many may find its contents disturbing, or that it challenges their systems of belief, it is no reason to judge this book as nonsense. The information contained in this book is thoroughly researched, and is based on a peer reviewed paper which was submitted to a renowned mathematical journal. It is a fascinating read, suitable only for the open-minded who are prepared to accept the contents for what they are...an entertaining book which is based on fact. Any reader is aware that a view expressed n a book may be biased, but I do find that this is not the case. I would recommend this book as it is one that is not only fascinating, but an excellent topic for conversation and debate. Excellent.