Nostradamus predicted a global war that could arrive in "the next few years." Does that
mean World War III is imminent? Here's why the year 2023 has his followers horrified.
French physician, astrologer, and seer Michel de Nostradame is best known for
the prophecies he left behind. Nostradamus lived in the 1500s,
a time of plagues and disease when the occult and astrology were part of everyday life. For years,
he worked as a plague doctor and earned a bit of celebrity status for providing
herbal remedies that seemed to, at least, help some of the infected.
After the death of his wife and children, however, Nostradamus abandoned medicine and
his focus switched to the occult. He eventually started writing down his famous prophecies,
publishing them in book form in 1555. By 1558, Nostradamus had
published an expanded version of his book of prophecies, which now covered more than
2,000 years into the future. Because Nostradamus prophecies were often vague and enigmatic,
they can easily be interpreted to fit different events throughout history. The
cryptic writing means it's easy to speculate and read what you want to read in them.
"It is well known that Nostradamus concealed the nature of his prophecies."
The ancient seer has been credited with predicting everything from the French Revolution
to the atomic bomb to the 9/11 attack. Whether he actually got those historical events right depends
on how willing you are to accept the lack of specific details in these prophecies. For example,
Nostradamus is said to have predicted the rise of Hitler. His prophecy reads:
"From the depths of the West of Europe / A young child will be
born of poor people / He who by his tongue will seduce a great troop."
This is supposed to refer to Hitler's oratory abilities and his massive army.
While the wording is quite vague, many believe this is a good interpretation of his prophecy.
Nostradamus had pretty dark predictions for 2022, including things like inflation,
starvation, and a potential asteroid strike . With the COVID-19 pandemic seriously affecting
the economy of many nations and issues with gas prices and inflation affecting so many,
at least that part of the prophecy seems to have been somewhat correct. But for 2023,
the predictions are even scarier. They start with a prediction of a large
conflict that could potentially change the world forever. The prophecy reads:
"Seven months of the Great War / people dead from wickedness."
With the war in Ukraine showing no signs of ending anytime soon, the prediction of
a great war could refer to the start of World War III in 2023. Some of Nostradamus' biggest
prophecies revolve around the idea that the world would see three Antichrists. He didn't
see the "Antichrist" as a biblical figure, but instead as a tyrant who would start massive
wars resulting in the death of many people. Many believe Napoleon and Hitler were the first two,
leaving space for the third one to appear. With the Ukrainian war underway and the threat
of nuclear war closer than ever, could the third evil figure be about to rise?
If Nostradamus' predictions are correct,
we are in the right time for the next major tyrant to show his face. He predicted a long
global war that modern Nostradamus experts believe would arrive in the next few years.
Nostradamus' predictions continue until the year 3797, so this is,
perhaps, a sign of good news -– the world as we know it will likely not
end in 2023. But Nostradamus experts do agree that 2023 is meant to be a year
of deep changes and disasters. A major war is a constant in his predictions for 2023,
and so are mentions of the destruction of a large empire — which could be interpreted as China or,
even more timely, Russia — and the loss of a large number of people in Europe.
In addition to a global war, Nostradamus also predicts financial chaos, political instability,
poverty, a new Pope who will spell disaster for the church,
and civil chaos and immigration problems for 2023. While many of these predictions are vague
enough to apply to many situations and countries, it's very clear that at least the war prophecy is
very much related to Europe -– which makes it particularly terrifying if you're a believer.