Nostradamus predictions
NOSTRADAMUS, the French Christian Jew who lived in France in the 16th century, made many forecasts, including the two World Wars. 18 of his 950 quatrains refer to a third world war.
Some Nostradamus experts had given the date for the start of such a war as mid-1999, referring to the Balkan conflict surrounding Kosovo.
They obviously misinterpreted the quatrains. Their attention then turned to the 11 September 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York, to other conflicts and to predictions of plagues.
NOSTRADAMUS
Born Michel de Notredame on 14 December 1503 in St Remy, France, he was the oldest of five sons. His grandfather, Jean, taught him Latin, Greek, Hebrew, mathematics and astrology at an early age. Nostradamus received a medical degree in 1529 and became physician-in-ordinary to Charles IX during a plague. He is said to have had extraordinary healing abilities, credited with curing plagues in areas that he worked.
Nostradamus was in his late 40s when, it is told, he frequently went into a meditative state and had visions of the future. He began to document the visions in a mixture of Lain, French, and Greek quatrains, dividing them into ten section called “Centuries” and publishing them between 1555 and 1558. The first edition, called Les Prophéties (The Prophecies) contained three Centuries and 53 quatrains.
Nostradamus was married twice, losing his first wife and two children to the plague. He died on 2 July 1566.
“The Prophesies” was translated into English in 1672 as The True Prophecies or Prognostications of Michael Nostradamus, Physician to Henry II. Francis II. and Charles IX. Kings of France.
In 1781, The Prophesies was banned by the Roman Catholic Church. Ironically, in 1553, when Nostradamus encountered a group of Franciscan monks he threw himself on his knees, clutching at the garment of one of the monks, Felice Peretti. When asked why he had done this he replied that he must yield “before his Holiness.” Nineteen years after the death of Nostradamus, Peretti became Pope Sixtus V.
What the experts say Nostradamus predicted about the Balkan war
The war prophecy is reserved for someone whom Nostradamus refers to as “the tyrant.” He predicted that the Slavs will “change their prince” and “raise an army in the mountains,” suggesting a guerrilla war. He speaks of “when the north pole is united” (NATO?), and there are many geographical references to the Balkans, such as Greece, Italy and the Mediterranean.
The war is linked to when the “eagle” (United States) and the “cock” (France) stand together. There also is specific reference to the time when England, Poland and Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia) “form a new alliance.” Poland joined NATO in 1999, with the other former Eastblock countries following.
Nostradamus predicted that the Allies will win, that the war will be protracted, lasting seven months, and that it may go beyond the Balkans, toward the north, but that after the war there will be “peace on earth for a long time.”
The forecasts by Nostradamus seemed to be confirmed by other seers, including Nicolaas van Rensburg, known as Siener van Rensburg, the famous South African seer who lived 1862 to 1926.
At the turn of the 20th Century Van Rensburg had also predicted the use of electricity, the massacre of six million Jews, the Chernobyl disaster, the rise and fall of Russia, and the European Union – in the last two instances accurately describing the flags before they were designed.
Of the third world war, Van Rensburg predicted that England would left weakened, while Germany would rise to become the world’s most powerful nation.
On when it would happen, Van Rensburg only replied that it will take place “when the ice melts.”
Further such predictions by the famous American seer Edgar Cacey are available in the book Predictions for the 21st Century.
What the experts say Nostradamus predicted about the WTC attack
“In the year of the new century and nine months, from the sky will come a great king of terror. The sky will burn at 45 degrees… fire approaches the great new city… there will be thunder… The third big war will begin when the city is burning.”
So it is quoted among rumor mongers. The facts are:
Nostradamus appears not to have made predictions about the World Trade Center attack or, at least, none that could easily be understood from the quatrains. He did not mention “the new century,” or “nine months” and New York is not at 45 degrees; the Manhattan latitude is 40° 47′ N.
What then?
Of course, not only have the “experts” on the prophets not always been correct – the seers themselves have not always been quite so accurate in their forecasts. In fact, many predictions have missed the mark.
Time will tell if the Kosovo conflict or, indeed, the World Trade Center attack had put the spark to a bigger barrel. As for the end of the world… Nostradamus predicted it to be the year 3786 or 3797, depending on which Nostradamus expert you believe.
Cryptic numerology:
After the WTC attack on 11 September 2001, Uri Geller asked everyone to pray for 11 seconds for those in need. Why?
The first plane to hit the towers was Flight 11 by American Airlines;
Flight 11 had 92 on board: 9 + 2 = 11;
Flight 77 had 65 on board: 6 + 5 = 11;
New York City – 11 Letters;
State of New York – 11th State added to the Union;
See Law of Truly Large Numbers
Nostradamus predictions on pandemics
What did Nostradamus say about pandemics? A lot, actually. Most of his quatrains deal with plagues, earthquakes, floods, droughts, wars and other disasters – but all are undated, giving only hints.
In his Epistle to Henry II (who lived from 31 March 1519 to 10 July 1559), he wrote:
Then will commence a persecution of the Churches
the like of which was never seen.
Meanwhile, such a plague will arise
that more than two thirds of the world will be removed.
Plagues are mentioned eight times in Century II, including Quatrain 6:
Near the gates and within two cities
There will be two scourges the like of which was never seen,
Famine within plague, people put out by steel,
Crying to the great immortal God for relief.
Century VIII Quatrain 17:
Those at ease will suddenly be cast down,
the world put into trouble by three brothers;
their enemies will seize the marine city,
hunger, fire, blood, plague, all evils doubled.
Nostradamus did not use the word virus and did not mention any particular virus.
“To predict is difficult; especially about the future” – Chinese proverb