St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), blessed with visionary experiences since childhood, was encouraged by Pope Eugenius III to record them. After ten years she produced Scivias, Latin for "Know the Ways," which includes her famous vision of five beasts, symbolic animals that represent five historical periods of time that precede the Antichrist. Each era experiences a unique spiritual crisis intended to inflict damage on the Church in preparation for the coming of the son of perdition. The author argues convincingly that the symbolism described in the vision reflects today's world, with the...