Decoding the Past - Episode Guide

La Cosa Nostra exploits major cycles and crises throughout history.

Author Dan Brown puts forth astonishing hypotheses in his novel that tries to link a mystery to the life of Jesus.

Stories about Nostradamus prophecies about the future. 

Stories about Nostradamus prophecies about the future. 

Examining the potential catastrophes that threaten to wipe out life on Earth.

Examination of a ghostly image that appears on a burial cloth.

Using the Bible to predict events.

Some look for cryptograms in the Bible outlining the past and future.

Jesus' return from death.

The Book of Revelation has many prophecies and symbolism.

A look at the secret societies that includes the Order of Skull and Bones, the Bilderbergs and the Tri-Lateral Commission.

Prophecies throughout history that some believe had foretold the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Germany are explored and also the origins of Nazism.

Some presidents use psychics and experience visions.

John the Baptist has great meaning in Christianity.

Hitler recalls Erwin Rommel while the general is pursuing the British.

A history of the Knights Templar, a medieval Christian order that charged with protecting Jerusalem following the Crusades.

The conclusion of a two-part history of the Knights Templar, a medieval Christian order that had charged with protecting Jerusalem following the Crusades.

The Greek cult of Dionysus, early Christians, the Church of Satan and the People's Temple.

A profile of an American psychic Edgar Cayce (1877-1945), who had offered a medical diagnoses and various prognostications, often while in a trance.

Adventurers seek the cup Jesus used at the Last Supper.

Thousands of believers across the world report experiencing Marian apparitions.

Ancient Greeks believed that the Oracle of Delphi spoke on behalf of the gods.

Judas' childhood, his relationship with Jesus, and a monumental decision characterize him forever.

Global flooding, fiery destruction, plagues, earthquakes, epidemics and famine.

The mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle are explored by using underwater cameras, computer graphics and also the re-creations of disappearances.

Explorers search Mount Ararat and other targeted sites for the resting place of Noah's Ark.

Prophecies found in the Tanakh correlate with the birth, death, resurrection and possible future of Israel.

Sacred objects belonging to Jesus may be scattered around the globe.

Scientists test the Shroud of Turin.

Prophets predictions of the destruction of ancient Babylon.

Noah's Ark, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Shroud of Turin and messages and codes within the text of the Old Testament.

The Bermuda Triangle, the Great Lakes, ghost ships and the New Jersey shoreline.

Opus Dei encourages Christians to live consistently with their faith. We explore the secrets of this mysterious order.

The University of Chicago maintains the Doomsday Clock.

Prophets and their visions for the future.

We examine the accuracy of past predictions.

Area 51, Lee Harvey Oswald, Marilyn Monroe and Robert Kennedy.

The Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot and the Abominable Snowman.

Atlantis, Amazon women, Stonehenge and Easter Island.

The Quran plays a major role in Islamic history.

Explaining the text of the Quran.

We explore the secretive, mystical organization of Freemasons.

A search for the Abominable Snowman, including camera clips.

We examine ancient prophecies and occult rituals that fascinated Nazi Germany.

Vampires in folklore and Vlad the Impaler.

Near the Dead Sea, archaeologists find the ruins of two ancient cities.

Story about The apocalypse.

The number 666 and its effects on society.

Some believe angels carry out God's orders.

We explore the origins of heaven and hell and the symbols that represent them.

The Virgin Mary reveals three prophecies to children in 1917 Portugal.

The agenda of the Antichrist; the Apocalypse. A historical look at the biblical antichrist, what it has meant in the past and references to what it means in the present day. The search for who the antichrist might be, stems according to the documentary, primarily from the US, and includes such past figures as Popes, Hitler, Mussolini, Napoleon, to the more present day figures of Nixon, Bush, Bill Gates.

Sea monsters may be figments of the imagination or living relics of prehistoric times.

Legal, religious and historical scholars reveal ways in which people have viewed the issues the Ten Commandments have raised throughout history.

The prehistoric Gigantopithecus, a real giant ape.

We explore the taboos in human society.

Recent world events lead some to believe that the end is near.

The meanings behind the symbols and numbers on the U.S. dollar bill.

The Commandments translate into modern legal systems.

The history of the Freemasons that examines the popular misconceptions regardes the organization that includes dramatic reenactments and also interviews with historians. Among those commenting: Akram R. Elias, Steven Bullock and Brent Morris.

Archaeologists, astrologers and historians speculate on the meaning of the 2012 doomsday prophecy.

Playing cards are an everyday object used for gambling and game playing the world over. But the familiar deck of cards conceals hidden meanings that have links to secret societies and the occult. Why are there four suits and why hearts, spades, diamonds, clubs? What is the significance of the picture cards? What is the meaning of the symbolism of the Tarot? We look beneath the surface of the playing card and reveal an intriguing journey from their much disputed roots in China, Persia, and Egypt. And we uncover the secrets of card design, investigating rumored Masonic links and the way the design has changed to mirror the cultures and beliefs of the people who used them through the ages. What emerges is an extraordinary story that reveals the mysteries and meanings of the humble playing card--a history that is intimately entwined with the occult, voodoo, and man's fascination with mystical beliefs.

Where did Mary Shelley get the idea for her famous novel Frankenstein? Scientific advances in the 18th and 19th centuries sparked fascination and experimentation with artificial life forms and reviving the dead.

Today, the sorcerer's stone is seen as fiction off the pages of Harry Potter, but in the Middle Ages the quest for the sorcerer's stone was second only to that of the Holy Grail.

Examining the Seven Wonders of the World and explanations on why they were chosen and what is revealed about the builders who left them behind.

The study of Kabbalah has become a multimillion-dollar celebrity endorsed empire, however historians and religious scholars argue that the Kabbalah of Hollywood's elite is a pale imitation of the centuries-old mystical practice. The true Kabbalah is a great and complex philosophy rooted in thousands of years of history. Travel back in time to understand the true roots of Jewish mysticism. Followers believe that by studying Kabbalah, one has the potential to understand God, the soul, the structure of the universe, the afterlife, and even the meaning of human existence. We'll trace the roots of Kabbalah, learn what it means to master Kabbalah and finally, we'll attempt to explain the ancient, complex code that believers say demonstrates Kabbalah's long-hidden connection to the Bible.

Any of four artifacts may be the Holy Lance.

The dark and dangerous world of cults has long been a source of both fascination and fear. What attracts followers to cults and, more importantly, what makes them stay? In this special feature-length documentary, journey behind closed doors into a secret world where faith and devotion give way to desperation and despair. From the bizarre prophecies of Charles Manson to the desperate paranoia of Jim Jones, cult leaders draw followers into worlds of power, obsession, and sometimes death. Hear from parents who have lost their children to cults and travel back in time to examine how cults have been attracting devotees throughout history. Featuring archival footage and interviews with renowned scholars, survivors, and faithful adherents, CULTS: DANGEROUS DEVOTION is an eye-opening examination of a hidden world few people will ever see.

The truth behind the legend of the vampire.

The Tibetan Book of the Dead, a Buddhist funerary text written to serve as a guide through the afterlife from death to rebirth, is examined.

Examining the mysterious ritual of exorcism.

Prophecies and oracles from around the world point to December 21, 2012 as doomsday.

Areas on Earth exhibit aspects of black holes, such as the Bermuda Triangle.

The biblical Garden of Eden and also the mysteries that surrounds the supposed paradise and the creation story are examined. This includes the trying to determine its location.

An examination of the 1908 Tunguska event in Siberia, where a mysterious explosion destroyed nearly 1000 square miles of forest. Includes theories of what possibly happened to cause the explosion and whether it could ever happen again.

A look at regions where folklore exists around sightings of the Abominable Snowman, such as the mountainous regions of Tibet and Nepal.