A summary of the Nostradamus Quatrains and the prophecies they may contain - Part 2
By John Hogue
Proof Positive. In many ways this is proof positive Nostradamus is referring to a tilt of the Earth's axis. The give-away phrase is when he talks of the stars that become endlessly visible. The only circumstances in which this could occur is if there was permanent darkness. Not the darkness of dark swirling clouds, but the darkness of no direct sunlight. Here the only explanation is that the Earth becomes tilted to such an extent that from most latitudes the sun would never rise above the horizon, and the stars would be permanently visible. In that case permanent darkness would be the certain result.
Clouding of judgement. Nostradamus discloses that a consequence of this is a clouding of ones personal judgement. This has a plausible scientific explanation. Lack of sunlight is a well known cause of depression. Long hours of winter darkness, coupled with sedentary indoor work invariably produce symptoms of stress and anxiety. Particularly in high latitudes, Seasonal Affective Disorder, (SAD) as it is known, is an increasing phenomenon.. One can only imagine then, what stresses and strains 24 hours of darkness, 365 days a year would produce. It would certainly have a huge impact on the way we live our lives, and this is exactly what Nostradamus is telling us.
Photosynthesis. Another crucial consequence are the implications for agriculture and food production. Sunlight is vital for photo synthesis. This is the process by which plants absorb light and transform it into chemical energy necessary for growth. Without light there is no photosynthesis, and without photosynthesis there are no plants, crops or trees. In the event of a world seriously tilted on it's axis, this would constitute a major stumbling block. It would also mean that those few areas of the world that received almost perpetual sunlight would become the most important territories on Earth.
Great devastation. The reality is that in the aftermath of a polar reversal it is impossible to predict just what the consequences might be. Certainly the death toll would be appalling. Figures of up to 90% of the worlds population are no exaggeration. Coupled with ensuing disease and famine, this figure would be increased even further. In effect it is a compound catastrophe. First the comet, then a magnetic polar reversal, followed by a tilt on the axis. In addition there are devastating earthquakes, floods, and famine, and through most of it an incredibly destructive war.
The Anti-Christ. It is somewhere to the background of this immense upheaval that Nostradamus places the arrival of the Anti-Christ. Intriguingly he is linked to an extraterrestrial visitation. Quatrain 6:6 (note the close similarity to 666) offers little doubt: "He will appear towards the North, not far from the bearded star in Cancer."
Fast approaching comet. This connection with the approaching comet is extremely significant. The quatrain also appears linked with 3:34. Here the vision is of an eclipse seen in broad daylight. Nostradamus describes a monster seen by onlookers, that is interpreted differently. This could well be a reference to the "beast" of Revelation, which in this case is associated with an eclipse, and a "bearded star." One daring explanation is that the Anti-Christ arrives from the skies under the cover of the fast approaching comet. The extremely famous quatrain 10:73 tells of a terrifying king who comes from the sky. Quatrain 5:65 takes this further saying: "Suddenly arrived, the terror will be great."
World Domination. If true, it seems the Anti-Christ exploits the vulnerability of the Earth, already smitten by war, and cometary catastrophe, to initiate his own plan of world domination. Another alternative, but also interrelated, is that these verses refer to the casting down of Satan to Earth. Nostradamus like the Book of Revelation invites a dual interpretation of the Anti-Christ's identity. In this respect it is not immediately clear whether Satan, who is unmistakably cast in the role of an extraterrestrial entity, imparts his authority to his terrestrial consort, the Anti-Christ, or whether both are to be considered as extraterrestrials.
Annihilates the three. What is certain is that when the Anti-Christ does arrive, he finds the way already prepared, and once empowered loses no time setting about his purpose. His ruthlessness is exemplified in quatrain 8:77. In one of Nostradamus' most amazing prophecies he foretells how the Anti-Christ will immediately annihilate the three world leaders mentioned earlier. There is even a hint that the Pope himself will fall victim to this purge. By so doing, the Anti-Christ unmistakably signals his ambition for world domination.
Extreme Crisis. We must remember that the arrival of the Anti-Christ comes at a time of extreme crisis. In the aftermath of the cometary strike much of western Europe is in complete turmoil. Added to this there is the added nightmare of the war started by the world's three main rulers. After their assassination the Anti-Christ will no doubt assume the image of a great saviour, and revel in self invested Messianic glory. In every respect he will be a parody of Christ. He will mimic his miracles and wonders, and according to Nostradamus, will fill "ears with ornate speeches." His darker side will be fully evident in his persecution of the established Church.
Church Persecution. Nostradamus talks of temples profaned and pillaged, its priests and clergy tortured and killed. Quatrain 8:89 is especially explicit. It warns: "Of the church people, blood will be shed as abundantly as water. For a long time this slaughter will have no restraint. Alas, alas, to the clergy ruin and grief."
The Anti-Christ will no doubt justify these actions as punishment for the great apostasy into which he claims the Church to have fallen. He will insist that far from persecuting the Church he is simply removing a few bad apples, and restoring it to a more exalted condition.
Eastern Anti-Christ? Nostradamus offers clues that some interpret as an Anti-Christ of eastern origin. Quatrain 10:75 has it that a long awaited one will "never return in Europe", but "will appear in Asia." This can be linked with other quatrains speaking of a massive army of a million men that sweeps across Persia into Egypt, and then the Balkans - Byzantium, as Nostradamus calls it. This the prophet describes as the work of the "true serpent", which the Bible repeatedly identifies as Satan.
Asiatic threat. The threat of an Asiatic challenge to the West is obvious. In quatrain 8:59 this danger is clear: "Twice exalted, and twice cast down, the East will also weaken the West." Ostensibly this Asian invasion has limited territorial ambitions content to spread no further than the Balkans. However this all conquering leader resorts to a disarming ruse. Quatrain 5:54 tells of a great king "the Great Tartary", who crosses Alania and Armenia, in Asia. His intention, as Nostradamus puts it, is to " to see France." However this appears no more than a ploy, perhaps disguised under the umbrella of an offer to negotiate some sort of settlement. This is more than evident in the last verse of the quatrain: "And from Byzantium he leaves France bloody." Quatrain 2:29 is even more revealing, and talks of an all out invasion. "The man from the Orient, upon leaving his seat, will cross the Apennine mountains (in Italy) to see France. He will cross through the skies, the water and the snow, and strike everyone with his rod."
Living Space. France is by no means the only point of conflict. In a world already severely devastated by a combination of famine, disease, war, and natural disaster, national borders and boundaries find themselves under threat as never before. The main preoccupation is adequate living space. Northern Europe is by this time almost completely uninhabitable. Meanwhile large groups of refugees driven southwards into southern Europe cause considerable tension. Nostradamus appears to foresee a time when these tensions erupt into a Moorish invasion of southern Spain, as well as vulnerable areas of the north Mediterranean coastline.
Moorish Invasion. On the Spanish mainland, the city of Cordoba falls back into Moorish hands and further eastwards the island of Malta is similarly captured. This is a war waged on two fronts. The first in eastern Europe, the second in the far south, where the Moors seem intent on reclaiming territory lost centuries earlier. Quatrain 6:80 is unmistakable. "From Fez (in Morocco) the kingdom will stretch out to those of Europe. The city ( Paris?) blazes, the sword will slash." In the second portion of the quatrain Nostradamus switches scene to the East, writing: "the great one of Asia, by sea and land will lead a great troop, and drive out the cross to death."
Persecution. Severely weakened by disaster, Europe is in no condition to repel this invasion. As the quatrain suggests, Christianity will bear the brunt of the ensuing persecution. Events are now balanced on a knife edge. To a background of fast moving political happenings, and the threat of further natural disaster, the seal of the Anti-Christ seems absolute. If this were Revelation the road to Armageddon would be almost complete. As it is, Nostradamus' trail of continued events becomes harder to discern. In fact it is difficult to find specific quatrains with an unmistakable reference either to Armageddon, or indeed the Second Coming.
Armageddon. For Armageddon the closest approximations are Quatrains 6:96, 2:91 and 2:56. The first of these warns: "A great city (Jerusalem?) abandoned to the soldiers. Never was there a mortal tumult so close. Oh, what hideous calamity approaches." In 2:91 the vision is of a fast expanding fire: "Within the globe, death and cries are heard. By the sword, fire, and famine, death awaits." Quatrain 2:56, with its claim that "One whom neither pestilence nor sword could finish, will die on the summit, struck from the sky", may be a possible reference to the demise of the Anti-Christ. Armageddon is after all a hill top in northern Israel, and it seems that here is someone almost invulnerable to Earthly threats of danger, who is finally vanquished by celestial power.
The Second Coming. Regarding the Second Coming, quatrain 5:79 is perhaps the closest approximation. "The sacred pomp comes to lower its wings, upon the coming of the great law giver. The humble are exalted, the rebels confused. Never will there be his like born in the land." Messianic overtones are also present in quatrain 3:2. Here the prophesy is of one who in "Body, soul, and spirit is all powerful. As much (power) beneath his feet, as on the heavenly seat." Another quatrain with links to the Second Coming is 4:77. Here Nostradamus writes: "Italy peaceful, Kingdoms united, under the Christian king of the world." Whether this refers directly to Christ, is hard to say. Oddly Nostradamus is extremely sparing in his mention of Christ. In fact throughout his entire book of Centuries, containing 942 quatrains, Nostradamus never once mentions Christ by name. The only reference is to Christianity, and then only on a bare handful of occasions. Nostradamus is also sparing in his mention of God. When he does so it is usually in the form of some kind of imprecation, or on a few occasions when he refers to "Dieu immmortel", the Immortal God. This noticeable lack of reference to either God or Christ is obviously intentional. This was no doubt for the prophets own safety. Writing at a time when the dreaded Inquisition was at the height of its powers Nostradamus was careful to avoid any clash of interpretation. The official view had to prevail, and the result is a peculiar void between the rise of the Anti-Christ and his eventual demise at Armageddon.
Judgement Day. The next definite link that compares to the chain of Biblical prophecy is Judgement Day, and the resurrection of the dead. Yet here again there is a curious difference between the Biblical narrative and Nostradamus' own vision. For whereas the Gospels and Revelation clearly depict God as the judge of humanity, Nostradamus does otherwise. In fact he attributes this role to the "Grand Jovialiste!" In her book The Prophecies of Nostradamus, Erika Cheetham, translates this as "the great man of Jupiter!" Of course Jupiter is the Roman equivalent of the Greek Zeus; a fascinating connection that in this context is hard to understand.
The Resurrection. Nostradamus plainly mentions the resurrection in quatrain 10:74. He believes this will happen when "The year of the great seventh number returns." This as he says will "not be far from the age of the great millennium." Here it would be entirely wrong to equate this "age of the great millennium", with our own millennium date. While the two may not be far apart it would be unlikely for them to coincide so perfectly. Once more this heightens the difficulties of attributing scriptural verses or indeed any other prophetical texts to our own calendar dates. As it is Nostradamus mentions the fulfilment date of the resurrection as being the time when the great seventh number returns. This immediately suggests the seventh day Adventist theory. As stated elsewhere, the date from the present age of man to this time, is calculated by some to be around six thousand years. On the year/day method of dating, a thousand years becomes a day. Hence we are about to enter the 7th day, or the great 7th number as Nostradamus calls it.
Dating Methods. Exactly when the great 7th number will occur is hard to judge. Not least of all because translating Nostradamus' cryptic verses into conventional dates is further complicated by his employment of two separate dating methods. One is the normal calendar dating of years, and the other is what he terms dates according to the "liturgy." Quite what is meant by this "liturgy", is difficult to see. Some have interpreted it as the important Council of Nicaea, held by members of the early church in 325 AD. Others, including author Peter Lemesurier believe it to mean the date in 392 AD when the Roman Church became truly universal.
Great King of Terror. Difficulties of this sort help explain why the famous quatrain 10:72 regarding "The great king of terror", foretold to come from the sky, failed to materialise as expected in July of 1999. Newspapers in many parts of the world saw this as evidence of Nostradamus' fallibility and criticised him accordingly. In Britain there was widespread ridicule. It illustrates that by far the best method of interpretation is to rely on prophecies that can be dated retrospectively, or by contemporary events unfolding around us.
Stepping stone technique. This stepping stone technique allows key prophecies to be identified one by one, thus giving us a far better idea which target field we now find ourselves in. It is precisely because of this that Nostradamus' predictions become so worrying. As we heard, he places the events of the tribulation immediately following a period of relative peace and security. A time "when people travel safely through the sky, land, and seas..." Added to this we have easily verifiable time marker incidents like the coming of Hitler, General Franco, and the Ayatollah Khoumeini. Of even greater significance are prophecies that link us to specific weather changes such as the Mid West heat wave of 1999, and a world that grows steadily warmer and warmer.
Time Marker Periods. These crucial time marker episodes are important because they serve the function of paving the way towards far more devastating prophecies, that if Nostradamus is to be trusted, cannot lie far in the future - that is within the next fifty years, and perhaps even sooner. The question is: Should we feel worried? In other words just how accurate are Nostradamus' prophecies? Are they really a vision of the future, or are they just a jumble of rhyming verses with no special meaning?
The reality is that up to now a surprisingly large number of Nostardamus' quatrains have come true in a way that immediately eliminates all suspicion of coincidence. On this record it means that even if a far smaller percentage of predictions associated with the tribulation do come to pass, then the world is in very big trouble.
