2012: The Year of Changes – Prophecies about Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin, Other Leaders, and the United States

By: Fabio R. de Araujo
Publisher: International Alliance Pro-Publishing, LLC
Publication Date: December 2010
ISBN: 978-1609420246
Reviewed by: Holly Connors
Review Date: August 25, 2010

Much has been written about the historical significance of the year 2012. Did the Mayan civilization predict the end of the world or was it simply a resetting of their “long” calendar? In the new book, 2012: The Year of Changes, author Fabio R. de Araujo takes the investigation of various predictions a step further by looking at how 2012 impacts the leaders of, and countries of, the United States and Russia.

Author de Araujo has spent 20 years gathering and studying prophecies from around the world. The results of his extensive research are neatly collected within the pages of this easy to read book. The author begins with a short introduction that looks at the history of prophecies, how leaders through the ages have twisted them in order to control the population, and even numerous examples of fabricated predictions. Finally, while some readers may suspect otherwise before reading the text, the author makes it clear that “…the book contains no political interest.” He simply wishes to present the various prophecies, evaluate them, and let the reader decide for himself/herself.

There are 18 chapters in 2012: The Year of Changes covering a vast array of predictions from the coming of the first black president in the United States to an economic crisis here in the States and Putin’s rise to power in Russia. There are a significant number of footnotes, pointing to various books and websites, allowing the reader to investigate further many of the conclusions the author makes.

The first few chapters of this prophecy book focus on the coming of Barack Obama. I had a bit of trouble getting into the discussion as it was, at times, unclear what the author was trying to say. For instance, in the first chapter, “A Fulfilled Prophecy: The 1926 Black President Prophecy,” we first read how the human mind works in regards to the development of a story, and how that story might eventually turn into a prophecy. Then the text jumps to discussing the Titanic and a book called Futility, which may have predicted the cruise liner’s sinking. Next, we’re given a look at some of Jules Verne’s works. I found myself wondering why this information was in a chapter discussing predictions about Obama until the author jumps to a discussion about a 1926 book about a black president. It was a very roundabout way to make a point about books predicting the future, without a lead-in, which would have helped the flow.

Fortunately, after a few chapters, the author hits his stride and digs deep into some very interesting predictions. What I particularly liked about this book was that it shows both prophecies the author believes to be true and also many he feels are false, and how he came to those conclusions. In the chapter “Nostradamus and Mabus,” de Araujo explains why some believe that “Mabus” is really Obama. How? Because, “Some experts believe Nostradamus adopted anagrams instead of proper names in his prophecies.” The author shows how the name Mabus can be manipulated into the name Obama, which may strain credibility for some. What is quite interesting is how the author next analyses the various conclusions many scholars have come to regarding the name Mabus. The author’s conclusion? “The only converging issue concerning Mabus seems to be that few agree about who he is.”

While many prophecy books tend to be vague and ramble on about what the future holds without any solid evidence to back up claims, this book stands apart. Why? Because the author is an historian and wraps all the discussed prophecies tightly into historical events. For example, there’s extensive coverage of the Antichrist in this book. Could Putin be the Antichrist? Could it, perhaps be a leader in China? The author includes a review of some important historical events in these countries before drawing any conclusions.

Quill says: An intriguing look at the future as predicted through innumerable prophecies.