Why Nostradamus Followers Fear This Horrifying 2024 Prediction
The French astrologer and physician Nostradamus was born more than half a millennium ago and became a famous figure of the Renaissance. To people living today, his name is most associated with his soothsaying: his seeming uncanny ability to predict future events that history has later seen come to pass. Nostradamus' predictions came mainly in the form of verses that he called "Centuries," compiled and published in 1555 under the title, "The Prophecies." Those who believe in the power of his foresight believe that Nostradamus, who died in 1566, foresaw the French Revolution which occurred two centuries later, and the life of Napoleon, the rise and fall of Adolf Hitler, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, as well as more recent historical developments, such the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
The verses in question are cryptic and open to interpretation, and critics argue that it is possible to attach Nostrodamus' lines to one of several historical events and say he predicted them. Nevertheless, each year countless platforms treat their readers to a glimpse of what the seer prophesied for the year ahead, and in 2024 it makes for grim reading. According to believers, Nostradamus' famous verses, which they say correctly predict World War II, foretold that World War III is due to begin 79 years after the previous conflict ended. If he's right, that means the conflict will begin in 2024.
Multiple conflicts
What concerns many who are sympathetic to Nostradamus as a supposed soothsayer is that 2024 has indeed begun with humanity facing several large-scale conflicts. The conflict in Ukraine, for example, became a full-scale war in February 2022, after Russia poured troops over the border into contested Ukrainian territory. Since then, the Ukrainian fightback has been funded by the Western military bloc NATO, the nations of which have supplied the embattled country with weapons.
Meanwhile, tensions have risen in Asia, where China, an economic superpower, has increasingly given demonstrations of its military might and willingness to expand through the region, especially into the neighboring island nation of Taiwan. The reignited Israel-Gaza conflict which has transfixed the world's media since the fall of 2023 is also leading to greater divisions on the world stage.
Experts warn it is arguable that each of these is at risk of escalating to involve more widespread conflict that in the worst-case scenario could see the world's military superpowers facing off against each other in a new World War, potentially fought with the devastating power of nuclear weapons. If that were to happen, it would have a catastrophic effect on civilization unlike anything humanity has experienced before.
War footing
Worryingly, talk of the escalation of war isn't just reserved for online chatter among gossip websites and astrology enthusiasts; politicians and pundits focusing on international relations are increasingly chiming alarm bells concerning the risk of military aggression across the globe. In a March 2024 speech, the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described how he considered Europe to be entering a "prewar" period, noting that Polish airspace had recently been violated by a Russian missile. "I don't want to scare anyone, but war is no longer a concept from the past. It's real and it started over two years ago," he said, per Politico, and he implored other European countries to increase their military spending. His comments undermined those of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who claimed his country has no plans to attack any members of NATO, of which most Western European countries are members.
British foreign secretary and former prime minister David Cameron has made similar warnings concerning Chinese aggression and urged the progression of cooperation between the U.S., U.K., and Australia to enhance global security. "The lights on the global dashboard are flashing red, so it is a much more dangerous, difficult, uncertain world," he said, per ABC News. Similarly, Al Jazeera has reported that the Israel-Gaza conflict represents a "spillover" risk to other Middle Eastern territories. Only time will tell, though, if Nostradamus' ancient writings will be an accurate predictor of 2024 events.