Former Nightclub King Says He Saw Future During Near-Death Experience

By Michael H. Brown

First Story

I just read an intriguing book over the weekend. It's called The Fast Lane to Heaven, and it's about Ned Dougherty, who once owned the hottest nightclub in the New York City area. The club was in the Hamptons on Long Island (home to the super-rich), and was called Club Marakesh. Ned had a second club in West Palm Beach, and lived the glamorous life: limos, models, celebrities, seaplanes, Dom Perignon champagne.  

On July 2, 1984, something happened to him, something like a heart attack or a stroke, and Dougherty found himself collapsing on the sidewalk outside his club. He felt like he was "floating, suspended in a black, bottomless pit." In the distance he could hear voices. "I have no vitals! We're losing him!" said an emergency technician in an ambulance en route to the hospital. Dougherty was able to sit up in the spirit and rise above the ambulance -- watching it speed off. As he was suspended in air he saw a "kaleidoscopic review" of his lifestyle and possessions, which then vaporized. Suddenly a mass of energy formed over him in the sky and shaped itself into a cylinder funneling upwards. He was drawn into another realm -- a realm in which he saw deceased loved ones, a realm in which he was enveloped by the Light of God.

There was a "symphonic" music. There were buildings made out of no earthly material. There were spirits. Dougherty very capably recounts the experience of reviewing his life and understanding what it had been all about. It really makes for fascinating reading.

But what makes this account unusual is that Dougherty -- hardly a devout Catholic (in fact a heavy drinker who had liked the life of a playboy) -- had an experience in the afterlife with a "Lady of Light" who stood next to a large globe of the earth and began to speak to him about the future of the world.

According to Dougherty (and remember, this is in a book that came out in March), the "Lady of Light" -- who he would later identify as the Virgin Mary -- showed him events that would first happen in the Middle East and then Italy. "I was told that these events would be acts of 'aggression, terrorism, and war, performed by self-proclaimed radical groups, supposedly in the name of God," he wrote before the events of September 11. Dougherty flatly predicted that "terrorist attacks and acts of war and aggression will continue to plague the Middle East, Africa, and Europe." He was shown a future in which violence would spread from the Middle East to Europe, and then to the former Soviet Union and to the Far East -- particularly China.

The greatest threat, he was shown, would come from China and a "two hundred million army" (see Revelation 9:16). "The Lady of Light specifically told me, 'Pray for the conversion of China,'" claims Dougherty. "'The conversion of China to God is necessary for the salvation of the world.'"

Naturally, such claims have to be discerned, although, for Ned, the fruits seemed good. He was delivered from the "fast lane" and all the drugs, sex, and booze that had come with it. He says the phenomena he has seen is similar to what he has since learned about apparitions at Zeitoun, Egypt, where Mary was also called the Lady of Light. This is intense stuff and brings to mind Fatima -- where the Virgin came nearly a hundred years ago and expressed an almost identical concern about a similar threat from Communist Russia.

But most remarkable was what Dougherty had been told about the U.S. "While acts of terrorism and war and political unrest plague the Eastern Hemisphere, the Western Hemisphere will be spared the worst of the terrorism," he was told. "However, a major terrorist attack may befall New York City or Washington, D.C., severely impacting the way we live in the United States."

Remember, this was recorded in a book released six months before the attack on the Pentagon and World Trade Center! We learn of all this just a week after running an article about another Long Island resident who, a week before September 11, was allegedly receiving apparitions of Therese the Little Flower with similar foreboding. Clearly, things are beginning to happen fast and furiously -- especially around New York. Indeed, Dougherty later had visions of the Virgin at a shrine in Eastport, along with an experience with the Archangel Michael. We'll discuss this next. And we'll look at what else Dougherty prophesied. 

For although he did not see terrorism destroying the United States, he claims to have foreseen other events that would...

[Due to requests we are making Ned's book, The Fast Lane to Heaven, is available in our bookstore; otherwise it can be purchased at a secular store; as always, we urge readers to exercise prayer, fasting, and discernment.

During Near-Death Brush Businessman Claims He Was Shown Warning Specific To The East Coast And New York Area   

 Second Story

We've been in the process of discerning a number of reputed seers, as well as those who claim to have glimpsed the afterlife (and sometimes the future) during near-death experiences. We have many questions. There are many gray areas. We'll be probing some of them soon. One of those we've been considering is Ned Dougherty, a Catholic businessman who once owned the most lavish nightclub in the ultra-rich New York suburb of the Hamptons on Long Island. We have been looking at him because long ago he foresaw the wave of terrorism and expressed it in a way that closely matched what has now become reality. He expressly saw both New York and Washington as involved in an event that would change the way we live.

Now, in the wake of the decision on cloning, we're interested in what else he may have to say, and so we caught up with him yesterday as he was on the way to a speaking engagement. Ned, who now works full-time on causes of charity and discussing what he says he was shown during a near-death experience in 1984, is extremely concerned about natural disasters. He claims that during his brush with death, a woman he identifies as the Virgin Mary showed him a number of future events that will occur unless mankind reforms.

"Everyone perceives that there is going to be an earthquake in California," says Dougherty, but he believes there is also a concern with the East Coast. In one series of visions he saw massive waves striking from Florida to Long Island and believes it may be related to something we have discussed as the Gorringe fault in the eastern Atlantic near the Azores-- a mysterious seismological hotbed under the ocean where land heaves up and last caused a major tidal wave in 1755 (a surge that swept the coastline from Spain and Portugal to Morocco and up to England). It's located at 36.5 north latitude/11west longitude, and periodically causes quakes of up to magnitude-8.7. Ned is concerned that it could also cause a wave or backwash to North America. He believes this because in his vision it seemed like there was enough warning for people to evacuate -- "a time to get to safety." Ironically, he saw one such safe spot at a shrine called Our Lady of the Island in Eastport, Long Island, which he says is several hundred feet above sea level and located with precisely the view of the ocean he experienced in his vision. "When I read of the Gorringe," he says, "it connected with what I had seen in the vision."

Of course, prophecy is rarely specific business, and those who have legitimate glimpses are shown future possibilities: what could happen, what might be imminent at one particular point in time, but what may change. Nonetheless, it grants us certain guideposts, and is meant to energize us to prayer. Dougherty preaches that Catholics need to form and strengthen prayer groups, which he says will have more of an effect in staving off wars and other disasters than anything our political leaders can do. This he was shown very specifically by the Virgin Mary, he claims.

And so it is submitted for our consideration. He believes that those who died on September 11 at the World Trade Center did not do so in vain. "Very much a part of why they were here was that their lives had to be sacrificed for this wakeup call," claims Ned. He is concerned that if New York City doesn't realize why September 11 occurred, it will face further trauma. "I saw events in New York City that were not just from terrorism but from natural disasters that perhaps may befall New York City in the future," says Dougherty -- urging repentance. 

"Blessed Mother actually showed me a map of the globe, and it began to shake," he asserts. "As for September 11, I'm not the sure that's the worst we as a country will be exposed to. I'm not sure based on the visions I saw in New York City whether or not there will be future catastrophic events in New York City. I try not to speculate, but it seems like even though we've had a spiritual wake-up call, and more people are questioning things of the spiritual world rather than the material world in which we live, it's really up to what we do from here."

He is concerned about those "who don't pray or don't believe in an afterlife and don't believe in the existence of God or the angels and saints. 

"Simply the most important thing we can do is pray. The Lady of Light  told me that the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of humanity is prayer. Not through our political leaders or powerbrokers but through prayer we would have the ability to change the world for the better, and that's the way I prefer to see things in the future."

 The fact remains, however, that a reversion back to the way we were before September 11 can have dire consequences.  It's up to us to pull it together now. "I saw that we're not facing geopolitical events happening but geophysical events, involving what I saw as the massive tidal wave," he told Spirit Daily. "And I saw visions happening from different locations, and one of them in particular was the clearing at the shrine in Eastport which looks out into the Atlantic Ocean. From the top of the clearing, which is probably several hundred feet above sea level, her view facing south is directly out toward where TWA Flight 800 exploded and went down and it's also from that view that I saw this massive tidal wave."

Let us emphasize once more that this is only for your consideration. We are going through a discernment process just as you are. We don't necessarily accept everything any given prophet or alleged near-death experiencer says. But we believe God has always sent messengers, and there is little question that Dougherty, who has even conducted research at a seminary in Huntington (and is now a practicing Catholic), is serious. He didn't feel drawn to investigating the visions that had haunted him for years until he was drawn to the Long Island shrine, where he had additional visions and experiences, and where he believes people should go if there is ever a warning of any such event. He is concerned that if the Gorringe ridge or whatever activity in the ocean were to heave a wave, it would "destroy all of our military bases, which are all very much located in low-lying areas -- our supply bases that allow us to conduct war." 

This all gets into difficult territory. What's right to warn about and what creates unnecessary fright? Where do the legitimate warnings end and the far-out things begin? He is also concerned about the Pope and has warned that many years ago he had been shown Egyptian terrorists eyeing the Vatican and disguised in "clerical robes" at a nearby restaurant. This is chilling because after that vision, word came of an actual assassination plot by Bin Laden's men while the Pope was visiting the Philippines -- and in the hideout where bombs were being made police found clerical garb that would have been used as a disguise for the terrorists.

Dougherty remains concerned about the Pope because he says he was shown a possible terrorist strike in Rome itself -- the "same kind of devastation" as what hit New York on September 11, "a massive attack," and he believes the next several months -- as Bin Laden gets desperate -- will be especially crucial. 

Prayer, however, can stop it -- must stop it -- and that's why we're printing this today, in the wake of the unfortunate cloning announcement.

"The most important message that I understood," says Dougherty (who we will continue to discern), "was that none of these events need happen."

It's not "gloom and doom" to explore these matters. It's gloom and doom to ignore them. We're called to recognize potential problems like the Gorringe Ridge and pray. For only if the world turns back to God will we avoid events set to come as part of a purification (a tribulation that, in my belief, has already started).

Man Who Claimed Near-Death Revelation Now Sees Further Dangers For America

Third Story

Near-death experiences are much in the news these days. Literally millions have experienced them. They are also controversial. Just last week, scientists claimed in a prestigious medical journal that they created an artificial out-of-body experience in one patient by stimulating a certain part of the brain (the "angular gyrus"). 

But their experiment was extremely limited: the sole subject had only a fraction of the experiences that many of those who clinically "die" report, and the lead researcher himself admitted there were aspects of such episodes that he could not explain. 

Many of those who die and come back tell us of far more elaborate scenarios than simply feeling like they are floating (which is what the woman in the study reported) -- often describing powerful encounters with angels, deceased loved ones, and Jesus. 

Other studies have confirmed the inexplicable nature of near-death, including the ability of some to see at great distances and know what is transpiring far beyond the location of their deaths. There are also spiritual controversies. Some near-death experiences seem a bit too "cosmic," troubling many because the descriptions often go beyond traditional religious phraseology or imagery -- some even sounding New Agey. 

This is why we must be cautious, and this is why we offer it only for discernment. One such case that gained tremendous attention last year was that of Ned Dougherty -- former owner of the hottest nightclub in the New York City area. Located out in the Hamptons and called Club Marakesh, it was the hangout of sports stars, cocaine users, and celebrities alike, and Ned himself, a heavy drinker, was in the fast lane -- until July 2, 1984, when he suffered something like a heart attack or a stroke and found himself collapsing on the sidewalk outside his club. 

In a book and now a video about his experiences, Ned says he felt as if he was "floating, suspended in a black, bottomless pit." In the distance he could hear voices. He was able to sit up in the spirit and rise above the ambulance -- watching it speed off. He was drawn into another realm -- a realm in which he saw deceased loved ones and was allegedly enveloped by the Light of God, in which he saw a "magnificent Man" he believes was Jesus and a woman he believes was the Blessed Mother.

Whatever or whoever Ned saw, he came back with some intriguing prophecies. To wit: that there would be greatly enhanced natural disasters, that the Pope was in danger, and that the U.S. would be hit by terrorism. He wrote this in a book, Fast Lane to Heaven, published six months before September 11 -- saying that "a major terrorist attack may befall New York City or Washington, D.C., severely impacting the way we live in the United States."

We met Ned at Our Lady of the Island Shrine on Long Island last spring, where he claims he had additional visions of the Virgin after his near-death experience. Naturally, we can't vouch for everything he says, but we found him to be a low-key, intelligent man who attends daily Mass and has greatly simplified his life -- struggling to make ends meet and no longer surrounded by the lavishments of wealth. He seemed peaceful and happy. 

We have no idea what to make of some of his other prophecies. He says the Blessed Mother warned of terrorism in Italy, the Middle East (this has certainly come to pass), and of great danger posed by China. He also has some personal opinions (or should we say, intuitions): 

"ONE YEAR LATER," he now writes in an e-mail, "as we all reflect on the events that have changed our lives forever, I personally reflect on the 'End Times' visions that I had been shown during my first near-death experience in 1984. I believe that we are now in the 'End Times' -- which does not literally mean the end of the world, but the end of the world as we once knew it. Indeed, the world has now changed for all of us and in ways that many of our brothers and sisters choose not to accept or recognize. Many of us have returned to a life of greed and materialism, devoid of spiritual purpose.

"September 11th continues to be a wake-up call to humanity to recognize that
all is not right in our world or in our nation. As Americans, the wake-up call asks us to recognize that we have been bestowed by Our Creator with gifts of 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' In response to the 9/11 tragedy, we as Americans are being called to be beacons of light to all humanity. However, we have become a nation that is moving further and further from the guidance and influence of God. Unless we recognize our faults and correct our mistakes, I believe that there will be more Wake-Up Calls.

"I also believe there will be a dire period of geopolitical and geophysical events during the End Times, but it will be a period of purging and cleansing for our civilization. The severity of the events may be altered -- not by the actions of our power brokers or political leaders -- but through the power of people in prayer throughout the world. Prayer is the most powerful weapon in the arsenal of humanity. Ultimately, it will be through the power of prayer that the world will be saved, and only then will we enter an Era of Peace."

Dougherty has been contacted by at least one believer (a devout Catholic) in the U.S. intelligence community (an terrorism expert), and has expressed concern for U.S. cities, "particularly (in descending order of concern) New York, San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle. 

"Taking into consideration that I have described to you what I would consider two different levels of types of terrorist attacks, the most imminent Level I concerns would be New York, San Francisco, and Bloomington, Minnesota ("Mall of America"), particularly during holiday events in these cities where and when large crowds can be expected," Dougherty wrote in one report to his intelligence contact. "I feel very strongly that potential events are 'imminent' (but avoidable) at these three locations in particular. As I mentioned to you, my information about the Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota, is current, having only received this information within the past several weeks. 

"Level II concerns would be primarily in the New York City area, Miami and Miami Beach, and Los Angeles.  These types of attacks will be focused on or directed at buildings or locations that display visible signs or banners with messages of support for Israel."

Others who have allegedly had near-death episodes have stated the same, although often in non-religious and sometimes even New Agey lingo (which, of course, must put us on our guard). They speak of "energies." They speak of problems building up to 2004 and then 2015. We have to be careful with such dates, as well as the New Age contamination. But we can say that in Dougherty's case, his warnings about a danger to the Pope was borne out in 1993 (long after his experience) when it was discovered that Al Qaeda had targeted the pontiff during a trip to the Philippines.

He remains concerned.

"I was told that these events would be acts of 'aggression, terrorism, and war, performed by self-proclaimed radical groups, supposedly in the name of God," Dougherty wrote before the events of September 11 -- flatly predicting that "terrorist attacks and acts of war and aggression will continue to plague the Middle East, Africa, and Europe." He says he was shown a future in which violence would spread from the Middle East to Europe, and then to the former Soviet Union and to the Far East -- particularly China. He has specifically warned of terrorism against the Vatican -- a warning taken seriously by his contact, who passed it on to those who study the Vatican in the intelligence community. 

Business Man Correctly Prophesied WTC Disaster and Future Upheavals 

Fourth Story

Ned Dougherty clinically "died" from respiratory or cardiac arrest on July 2, 1984, and during that episode allegedly had an experience with the hereafter and a heavenly entity he identifies as The Virgin Mary His prophecies also correctly foresaw episodes in his life.

Dougherty had predicted that "a major terrorist attack may befall New York City or Washington, D.C., severely impacting the way we live in the United States" -- a prediction that has been fulfilled in only too obvious a fashion. His book is called The Fast Lane to Heaven, and it's about Ned Dougherty (The book is available in our bookstore).

 On July 2, 1984, something happened to him, something like a heart attack or a stroke, According to Dougherty (and remember, this is in a book that came out in March 2001), the "Lady of Light" -- who he would later identify as the Virgin Mary -- showed him events that would first happen in the Middle East and then Italy. "I was told that these events would be acts of 'aggression, terrorism, and war, performed by self-proclaimed radical groups, supposedly in the name of God," he wrote before the events of September 11.  Dougherty flatly predicted that "terrorist attacks and acts of war and aggression will continue to plague the Middle East, Africa, and Europe." He was shown a future in which violence would spread from the Middle East to Europe, and then to the former Soviet Union and to the Far East -- particularly China.

The greatest threat, he was shown, would come from China and a "two hundred million army" (see Revelation 9:16). "The Lady of Light specifically told me, 'Pray for the conversion of China,'" claims Dougherty. "'The conversion of China to God is necessary for the salvation of the world.'"

But most remarkable was what Dougherty had been told about the U.S. "While acts of terrorism and war and political unrest plague the Eastern Hemisphere, the Western Hemisphere will be spared the worst of the terrorism," he was told. "However, a major terrorist attack may befall New York City or Washington, D.C., severely impacting the way we live in the United States."

Remember, this was recorded in a book released six months before the attack on the Pentagon and World Trade Center! Dougherty sees aggression in the Middle East, China, Africa, and Europe, while the Western Hemisphere encounters natural disasters. He says that without prayer and a strong return to a pro-life society, there will be destruction in New York by natural disasters, which he sees for the entire country and both coasts.

"Freakish, erratic, and unseasonable weather patterns will create severe tidal flooding and erosion," Dougherty asserts in Fast Lane to Heaven. "There will be devastating tornadoes and wind storms; severe winter conditions with record snowfalls and freezing temperatures; record summer heat waves with severe drought; and an increase in destructive storms and hurricanes."  Dougherty is not talking about mere "signs of the times." He says he was shown visions of massive events and claims that he was shown that the banking and financial institutions could collapse "due in large part to the failure of the insurance companies as a result of natural disasters." 

If there is not a radical conversion -- and a great proliferation of prayer groups -- he foresees events that will affect both coasts. He says he was shown terrific ocean surges in Manhattan, on Long Island, and in Florida (at a bridge he believes is that span between the mainland and Key Biscayne). He believes that in the future coastal and other low-lying or unstable areas will diminish in population while mountainous and other "stable" areas become more desirable. It's his further belief that the "critical period of transition" will be completed prior to the year 2034. This struck home because there has long been the speculation that while events may occur throughout this century, major ones will be seen between now and 2040 based on the longevity of the seers at Medjugorje  (who are currently in their thirties and who say that they will live to see the secrets).

Dougherty believes that spiritually-minded people "will be drawn together to create self-supporting and self-sustaining communities" and will serve as the architect's for God's plan -- which is at great odds with a world of abortion, immorality, and materialism. As for the Vatican, "I believe that a similar terrorist attack will occur in the future in Italy, specifically in Rome. I believe that a fanatical religious group on a much larger scale will conduct the attack although it will be directed against one world leader. The focus of the attack will be upon the Vatican and the papacy."

At The Brink Of War, Man Who Correctly Foresaw 9/11 Offers New Prediction

Fifth Story

Ned Dougherty, a Catholic famous for a near-death experience during which he was given prophecies (including one that foretold terrorist attacks in Washington and New York), has issued a stark warning for the coming period of military action. We submit it for your discernment. Like any other such prediction, it should be considered and then prayed about, not become a center of any obsession. With prayer -- and Christ -- there is always more light and hope than darkness.

But we are in a period of potentially prophetic times, and heeding Scripture, we will consider certain prophecies in the coming days, emphasizing that such predictions seem to involve scenarios of what would happen if the world continued in the state it was in at the moment of the prophecy. As another person with a similar experience once said, "During my experience, I was also shown events that are likely to happen in the near future, but was made to understand that nothing is absolutely fixed and that everything depends on how we choose to use our own free will, that even those events that are already predestined can be changed or modified by a change in our own way of relating to them. A successful prophecy is one that changes enough people to sufficiently prevent the prophecy from actually happening."

Nonetheless, the prophecies are of a serious nature. Dougherty, who now lives in Hazelton, Pennsylvania, as well as Long Island, once owned Club Marakesh, the hottest nightclub in the New York City suburb of the Hamptons (home to the super-rich) and a second nightspot in West Palm Beach, living the glamorous life of limos, models, celebrities, seaplanes, and Dom Perignon champagne. 

All that changed on July 2, 1984, when something happened to him like a heart attack or a stroke and Dougherty found himself collapsing on the sidewalk outside his club.

According to Ned, he felt like he was "floating, suspended in a black, bottomless pit." As he was suspended in air he saw a "kaleidoscopic review" of his lifestyle and possessions, which then vaporized. Suddenly a mass of energy formed over him in the sky and shaped itself into a cylinder funneling upwards. He was drawn into another realm -- a realm in which he saw deceased loved ones, a realm in which he was enveloped by the Light of God.

It was during this experience -- which has transformed his life (he is now a daily communicant) -- that Dougherty asserts he encountered a Lady in light who stood next to a large globe of the earth and began to speak to him about the future of the world. Later, he believes he was spoken to by the Archangel Michael.

Referring to a book he wrote about the experience and a chapter on what he calls "future visions," Dougherty, in an e-mail this week to those who have followed his reputed revelations, states: "Many of you who have already read Fast Lane to Heaven know that we are now facing events more terrible than we ever expected to see in our lifetimes. Many of you have been returning to the book to read the 'future visions' recognizing that today's current events are all contained in the book. Following the near-death experience in which I was shown these future visions in 1984, even I thought that the world would never be reduced to the loss of spirituality and level of insanity in which we find ourselves today while at the brink of war.

"I was shown a vision of a large plateau in the Middle East. The plateau was surrounded by a dusty, dry, and barren region that seemed to be deserted and devoid of any life. I was told that future events at this location in the Middle East would start a chain reaction of man-made catastrophic events, first in the Middle East, then in Africa and Europe, followed by events in Russia and China. We are now at that point where it appears that mankind will cause a chain reaction of catastrophic events resulting in incredible devastation.

"As a human being and an American, I find myself conflicted with my true spiritual nature. I want to support our country, our president, and our troops who are now clearly in harm's way, but in my essence I am a spiritual being and know that violence will never solve the problems of the world.

"I find myself most conflicted by the Archangel Michael's Message (pages 172-174) which is clearly a warning to the people of the United States of America. We want to believe that the United States is doing 'the right thing' and that President Bush is truly acting by divine inspiration with a clear mandate in the course in which he leads us. But I have my doubts because of what I have been shown will happen if the prosecution of this war results in tremendous death and destruction.

"The Lady of Light told me that none of these future events need take place if mankind began to recognize and work with God's plan. The way to understand and work with God's plan is through prayer and meditation; through prayer to call out to God, and through meditation to hear His message.

"I was told that the world could be saved, not by its leaders, but by prayer groups throughout the world. I was told that the prayers of twenty could save a nation from war. I was told that the fate of mankind rested on our ability, individually and collectively, to change the direction of mankind in accordance with God's plan.

"So what can we do?

"Very simply, we can pray. We can ask ourselves what Jesus would do. Perhaps we can throw our hands up in prayer and beg for His return. Perhaps He will choose this moment in eternity to return and stop the insanity. Now that's something to pray for!

"From page 258: 'The future of the world is in our hands. The right choice is obvious. If each and every individual aspires to lead a life of love of God, self and neighbor, collectively mankind has the ability to determine the future of the world and to choose our destiny as a civilization. Individually we have the responsibility to do our part to achieve a future for mankind that is in accordance with God's plan. It is not for us to question whether or not God will allow cataclysmic events to devastate humanity. If the future of the world is doomed, it is of our own making. It must be a determination for us, individually and collectively, to change the course of events. God is making Himself available to us through His Holy Spirit  to give us the courage, strength and wisdom to change the course of future events for the betterment of mankind.'

Dougherty ends his latest missive: "PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!"

Whatever else we may agree or disagree with in such experiences and such prophecies, we can only second that motion.

[see also Fast Lane to Heaven and video From the Hamptons to Heaven]

Update On Nightclub Owner Whose Visions Foresee Terrorism

Sixth Story

His name is Ned Dougherty. We met him two years ago when we did a story on his prophecies. Dougherty once owned the hottest nightclub in the New York City area. It was in the Hamptons on Long Island (home to the super-rich), and was called Club Marakesh. Ned had a second club in West Palm Beach and lived the glamorous life: limos, models, celebrities, seaplanes, Dom Perignon champagne.  

We have previously described how, on July 2, 1984, something happened to him, something like a heart attack or a stroke, and Dougherty found himself collapsing on the sidewalk outside his club. He felt like he was "floating, suspended in a black, bottomless pit." In the distance he could hear voices. "I have no vitals! We're losing him!" said an emergency technician in an ambulance en route to the hospital. Dougherty was able to sit up in the spirit and rise above the ambulance -- watching it speed off. As he was suspended in air he saw a "kaleidoscopic review" of his lifestyle and possessions, which then vaporized. Suddenly a mass of energy formed over him in the sky and shaped itself into a cylinder funneling upwards. He was drawn into another realm -- a realm in which he saw deceased loved ones, a realm in which he was enveloped by the Light of God

But what made this account unusual is that Dougherty -- hardly a devout Catholic (in fact a heavy drinker who had liked the life of a playboy) -- had an experience in the afterlife with a "Lady of Light" who stood next to a large globe of the earth and began to speak to him, allegedly, about the future of the world. According to Dougherty, the "Lady of Light" -- who he would later identify as the Virgin Mary -- showed him terrorism that would occur, and he specified New York and Washington months before September 11. He accurately foresaw it "severely impacting" our way of life.

What do other parts of his prediction say about coming terrorism? What will be the extent of coming future events? Did he have further insights?

While Dougherty saw the events of 9/11 on the East Coast, he said he was shown that the Western Hemisphere will be spared the worst of the terrorism. He was very concerned about places like Rome. In a nearly startling fashion, what he was allegedly told dovetailed with the prophecy of a German mystic, Therese Neumann, who likewise saw what Dougherty described as a financial breakdown caused by nature's upheaval around us.

"The Western Hemisphere will be plagued mainly by natural disasters," he said he was told years before the run of subsequent events that included the Mississippi flooding, quakes in California, and Hurricane Andrew. "Freakish, erratic, and unseasonable weather patterns will create severe tidal flooding and land erosion. There will be devastating tornadoes and wind storms; severe winter conditions with record snow falls and freezing temperatures; record summer heat waves with severe drought; and an increase in destructive storms and hurricanes."

These events will graduate according to region and time period, claimed Dougherty in a prediction paralleling what has also been proclaimed by Venezuelan mystic Maria Esperanza (and also what we have called the "1990 prophecy," which said events would come as purification on a regional scale). Some of the disasters, Dougherty asserts, will affect U.S. military bases, and pave the way for a group that will attempt to reorganize the world's financial and banking institutions. We leave this for your discernment.

What are we to make of such drama? Is it possible? Is it another conspiracy theory? As always, we follow the Scriptural admonition test the spirits but not to despise prophecy. Just last Sunday, the Mass reading was on such coming  disasters -- so it is certainly in keeping (despite what some might have you believe) with the Gospel message. Can we vouch for it as something on which we can hang our hats? Of course not. Prophecy is fluid in time and often a prophet has both "hits" and "misses." There are times when those with gifts of prophecy interject their own opinions.

But Dougherty, an extremely level-headed and intelligent man, has articulated what many others likewise sense: that we are approaching what yet another mystic calls a great storm. Terrorism will now be a part of the world's situation, he asserts, "but the Lady of Light told me that these acts of terrorism and war were never part of God's plan. In reality, these acts of aggression and war are the products of evil men who are motivated by power and greed, not love of God. They use God and religion as a cover to enforce their diabolical plans to ferment political turmoil and to enslave and control others."

Yet like Esperanza and the Pope, Dougherty was against going to war against the Muslims. When it comes to violence, turning the other cheek, he believes, is the "high bar" set in place by Jesus (Whom he also believed he encountered during the experience). His chief concern is what he sees as an attempt to create a secular, materialistic world devoid of individual freedoms.

Are we glimpsing this with formation of the new European Union -- which has been trying to keep religion out of its constitution? Are we also seeing it in the tightening of government control and greatly enhanced surveillance, as well as introduction of tracking devices, in the wake of 9/11?

Again, we'll leave it for you to discern. Dougherty now spends much of his time speaking to groups and urging the formation of prayer cells. If mankind does not convert, he believes, if there is not enough prayer, truly major natural events involving massive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and huge tidal waves are on the horizon. "Spiritually-minded people will be drawn together to create new self-supporting and self-sustaining communities," he writes. "These pioneers of vision who are attuned to God's plan for mankind will be architects for the brave new world that God has envisioned for our future."