The Truth About Nostradamus, Prophet or Clairvoyant?
Nostradamus said the world would end in AD 3797. Was he right?
Some have called Nostradamus “the greatest prophet that ever lived”. Others view the prophecies of the 16th century author with much suspicion as they have questioned the source of his professed prophetic insight. The debate has raged for four hundred years.
The writings of this 16th century medical doctor, author and mystic have fascinated people for centuries and it is estimated that, on average, at least thirty translations or commentaries on his work have been published each century since his death four centuries ago. His writings were even used for propaganda purposes during the Second World War when both German and Allied pilots dropped “Nostradamus leaflets” from the air predicting victory for their countries.
Just lately the media, especially in South Africa and England, have given much attention to his work and movies are currently doing the rounds on our local circuits. Video cassettes are in great demand in homes around the country as details of fulfilled events are dramatized. So much so that even some Christians have wondered where he got his inspiration. Was Nostradamus inspired by the Spirit of God .. or was this a man who dabbled in the occult?
The prophecies of Nostradamus range from events in his own day to anticipated future events, including “the end of the world” .. which he dates at 3797 A.D. Four hundred years ago he wrote: “I have composed books of prophecies, each containing one hundred astronomical quatrains .. comprised of prophecies from today to the year 3797″. These books have never been out of print.
In spite of the fact that much of his work was written in a deliberately obscure manner to avoid manipulation in its interpretation, some of his work is very detailed and even dated. Three hundred years before the event He prophesied the founding of the Pasteur Institute in 1889, speaking of Pasteur by name. Examples of other prophecies include the execution of Charles I, the dreadful plague of London, the rise of Napoleon, the abdication of Edward VIII in 1936 and a number of detailed prophecies concerning Hitler (whom he calls Hisler), naming him as the “second antiChrist”.
Details of World War II are penned by him as he prophesied the German armies sweeping across the Rhine into France, the rise of Mussolini, the Nazi invasion of Belgium and occupation of Norway. He warned of “weapons heard in the sky” .. “machines of flying fire” – describing oxygen-masked pilots as “half-pig, half-man when battles are fought in the skies”. He predicted the destruction of Pearl Harbour and the dreadful events of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
Nostradamus wrote about the invention of the air balloon, the development of safe air travel, nuclear warfare, Nixon and the Watergate Scandal, the deposition of the Shah of Iran in 1979 and the rise and fall of Ayatollah Khomeni, plus many other world events.
He was so popular in his own day as stories of his prophetic powers circulated that Queen Medici, wife of Henry II of France, commissioned him to write horoscopes for her family. He did this most reluctantly. “The king’s eyes”, he predicted, “would be pierced in their golden cage”. Four years later King Henry was killed in a jousting accident.
He prophesied the date of his own death too, ordering that a plaque with the date 1700 be placed in his coffin. 134 years later, in the year 1700, his body was exhumed and placed in a more prominent resting place.
It is not generally known that Nostradamus was not 100% accurate with all his prophecies, as many claim. For example, he predicted that France would grow in power and be victorious in a struggle with Spain during the 16th century. In fact, the opposite happened and France was driven out of Italy by the Spanish in 1559. A family line in France that he predicted a great future for also died out.
However, his amazingly successful prophecies spanning the centuries have caused many to believe that he definitely had supernatural insight. What must be questioned is THE SOURCE OF THIS INSIGHT. Where and how did Nostradamus get his information? It is vital for the Christian to be sure about this because Nostradamus has much to say about “the end times”. Can these prophecies be trusted?
Nostradamus is very clear about his methods and declared open that he used the “aid of astronomy .. other methods .. and even the Holy Scriptures” to bring himself into the place where these revelations were available to him.
He wrote of his fascination with astrology and the occult since the age of nine years, and recorded that, after the death of his first wife and re-marriage to a lady of means, he spent much time along studying “secret forbidden books” and meditating. The literature that appears to have influenced him the most, and from which he quotes extensively, is an occult book “De Mysteriius Egyptorum” by a fourth-century Neo-Platonist name Tamblichus.
He wrote that he never predicted anything of his own accord but, following the methods of his occult masters, he would place a bowl of water on a brass tripod, touching it with a ceremonial occult wand engraved with hieroglyphics. Then, as he gazed intently into this water, it would mist over and clear and he would see pictures, names, dates and faces in the water.
At the same time, a “divine power .. a god” would inhabit his body, leaving him with a feeling of disembodiment and in a trance-like state. A voice would begin to tell him what he was seeing and he would write it all down.
This is none other than pure occult practice, very far removed from the scriptural methods of the Biblical prophets and Christians would do well to heed the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 18:9-12 where he emphasises that those who practice occultic methods “are an abomination unto the Lord”.
Moses said something else of interest in Deuteronomy 13:1-3 as well: “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, AND THE SIGN OR THE WONDER OF WHICH HE SPOKE TO YOU COMES TO PASS, saying ‘Let us go after others gods which you have not known, and let us serve them’, YOU SHALL NOT LISTEN TO THE WORDS OF THAT PROPHET or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul”.
In other words, “touch not the unclean thing” (2 Cor. 6:17) – leave it strictly alone and have nothing whatsoever to do with it. Good advice for those who love to watch the “Nostradamus videos”!
Why would satan take so much trouble to share this kind of information with a man like Nostradamus? Simply because people who trust his prophecies will also trust his predictions for the future .. regardless of what the Bible says.
Instead of looking for the Return of the Lord Jesus Christ .. the most momentous event this world will ever experience – and completely ignored by Nostradamus – they will be looking for Nostradamus” “third antiChrist .. the man with the blue turban”. Satan’s world ruler – Scripture’s antiChrist – will take his place in world affairs and followers of Nostradamus will trust him completely while they scan the horizon for a prophesied Eastern leader.
Seven years of tribulation? Not so, says Nostradamus. He predicts 27 years of war, followed by world peace and the ushering in of the golden age lasting 1000 years – the longed for “age of Aquarius” – culminating in the end of the world in the year 3797 A.D. Does that sound familiar to those who know something about spiritism?
Speaking of His Second Coming and the end of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ emphasised that “of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matt. 24:36). No one else has the correct date .. not Nostradamus or the devil himself!
Those who follow the teachings of Nostradamus not only find themselves at variance with Bible prophecy, but find their eyes focused far away from the Lord Jesus Christ, our coming King, Saviour, Lord and God – without a thought about His second coming.
Let Christians be warned. Jesus said that false prophets would abound in the “last days” (Matt. 24) and would deceive many.
JESUS IS COMING SOON! Let’s keep our minds stayed on Him and our eyes focused on His Word – our only reliable guide for this life and the next!
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Val Waldeck
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