Why Nostradamus Followers Fear This Horrifying Prediction In 2023

French physician, astrologer, and seer Michel de Nostredame is best known for the rhymed quatrains prophecies he left behind. Nostradamus lived in the 1500s, a time of plagues and pestilences when the occult and astrology were part of everyday life (per Britannica). 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. This in turn led to him being paid well for his medical work and eventually being invited to work with famous scholars of the time (via Biography). 

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. He soon became so well known that Catherine de Médicis invited him to the court, where he would not only write horoscopes for her children but would eventually predict (quite accurately) the death of her husband, King Henry II (via Sky History).  

By 1558, Nostradamus had published an expanded version of his book of prophecies, which now covered more than 2,000 years into the future, basing his predictions on the visions he had while meditating in front of a bowl of herb-filled water (per History) and combining that with what was considered scientific analysis at the time: forecasting events to come based on the mathematical movements of celestial bodies (per Britannica).

Because Nostradamus prophecies were often vague and enigmatic, they can easily be interpreted to fit different events throughout history. The cryptic writing (and often poor translation of the original medieval French) means it's easy to speculate and read what you want to read in them.

According to Biography, 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, "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" is supposed to refer to Hitler's oratory abilities and his massive army (via Business Insider). While the wording is quite vague, many believe this is a good interpretation of his prophecy.

Another popular one is the Great Fire of London, which devastated the city in 1666. Nostradamus is said to have predicted it with the words "The blood of the just will commit a fault at London / Burnt through lightning of twenty threes the six." References to the number 66 (20 by 3 plus 6) match the year of the fire, plus references to London and burning seem pretty accurate (the fire wasn't started by lightning, though).

Nostradamus had pretty dark predictions for 2022, including things like inflation, starvation, and a potential asteroid strike for 2022 (via The Daily Star). 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. A prediction for 2022 even referred to famine with the words "So high the price of wheat / That man is stirred," a prediction that seems to have come true already as grain exports from Ukraine have been halted due to the war. 

But for 2023, the predictions are even scarier. They start with a prediction of a large conflict that could potentially change the world forever: "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 WWIII in 2023, as reported by The Daily Star.  

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 .... certainly this century" (as reported via 7News). 

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 (per Sunday Post). 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 (as reported via Yearly Horoscope). 

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.