The Last Prophet. The wine press is full of people claiming themselves to be prophets nowadays and they gender a large following of believers in their camps, however, the clear majority of these self-proclaimed prophets and futurists are frauds and fakes whose only purpose is to milk the gullible out of their money.
It is normal for a person to want to feel special, to have a sense that he or she is above the fold, to believe that they are in possession of exceptional knowledge and gifts that few other people are endowed with. So, along with greed, personal recognition and acclaim are the driving forces behind a person wanting to draw attention to themselves by proclaiming that they are a prophet.
One definition of a prophet is, “an authoritative person who divines the future.” (Microsoft Word Thesaurus). Another definition of prophet is, “one who prophesies, or foretells events; a predictor; a foreteller” or, “one inspired or instructed by God to speak in his name, or announce future events.” (Webster Dictionary).
None of the above definitions emphasizes that a prophet must be sincere, unambiguous, and reliable in their predictions, and none of these definitions of a prophet suggests that vagueness is the status-quo of prophetic utterances, which is the technique employed by all self-proclaimed prophets throughout history. What this means is that what a prophet is, is defined by the prophet him or herself and not by a set of standards that a certified seer must adhere to.
Many devotees hail Michel de Nostradamus as being a genuine prophet but reading his quatrains are unnerving, to say the least, as they simply do not make any sense and can be interpreted to mean anything. How people can relate any of his quatrains to any specific event in the past and the future is an amazing feat in mind reading of the dead on their part.
I understand why Michel de Nostradamus wrote as he did during the time that he lived because the Catholic Church was on a rampage at that time murdering and torturing in abandon, and he certainly did not want to be the next person burned at the stake by the church. Yet, it seems that if Michel de Nostradamus earnestly wanted to forewarn people about future events he would have also written a script of his quatrains in clear, readable language that was only to be published after his death and out of reach of the Catholic Church.
Some examples of the prophecies of Michel de Nostradamus are as such:
Century 3, Quatrain 35, 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;
His fame will increase towards the realm of the East.”
Now, what does this mean? Many devotees of Michel de Nostradamus say that this is a prophecy of the rise of Adolf Hitler. However, Michel de Nostradamus could have been talking about anyone because during his time there were many warlords throughout Europe vying for wealth and power.
Century 6, Quatrain 97, reads:
“Two steel birds will fall from the sky on the Metropolis,
The sky will burn at forty-five degrees’ latitude,
Fire approaches the great new city,
Immediately a huge, scattered flame leaps up,
Within months, rivers will flow with blood,
The undead will roam the earth for little time.”
The above quatrain is ascribed as being a prediction of 911 by Michel de Nostradamus. But is it really? A person who is bestowed with the ability to see into the future should have far more details about people and places than obscure references that can be interpreted and misinterpreted as the reader sees fit.
No one who had been reading the writings of Michel de Nostradamus interpreted century 6, quatrain 97 as pointing to New York, New York, United States of America, and the Twin Towers until after that disaster happened, which should show that no one knows how to properly interpret the prophecies of Michel de Nostradamus, or that his prophecies cannot be correctly interpreted because they are so open-ended and ambiguous.
There were large towers in Michel de Nostradamus’s day so he could have said steel birds flew into towers, but he said that steel birds fell on a metropolis. And what does he mean by the undead roaming the earth and “little time” for what? Also, when, and where did rivers flow with blood within months after 911?
I am now proclaiming myself to be a prophet and I predict that someday I will die. I have just foretold the future and no one can deny that someday my prophecy will come true, but that prophecy is vague and it is something that even a child knows. Now if I were to have a divination that on this precise day, and at this specific time, and in this exact way I will die, and this prediction comes true then it could be said that I was a genuine prophet, at least in that prediction.
Century 10, Quatrain 75, reads:
“Long awaited, he will not take birth in Europe,
India will produce the immortal ruler,
Seeing wisdom and power of unlimited scope,
Asia will bow before this conquering scholar.”
This is a prophecy by Michel de Nostradamus that is ascribed as meaning that the Anti-Christ, or an Anti-Christ, will come from India. “Long awaited”, “immortal ruler”, “conquering scholar”. What are these phrases telling us, and what will this ruler rule? Anything can be made of this prophecy from history and it does not give any enlightenment about anything.
Century 3, Quatrain 1, reads:
“After combat and naval battle,
The great Neptune in his highest belfry:
Red adversary will become pale with fear,
Putting the great Ocean in dread.”
Now, what in the world is he trying to convey? The people who lived in his day and in his region, may have known, or had an idea of what he was talking about but to people outside of his region and to future generations these lines mean absolutely nothing. “great Neptune”, “Red adversary”, “Ocean in dread.” What is Michel de Nostradamus seeing that caused him to use these terms? Only he knows?
If someone is telling your fortune in such a blurred formless manner so that you can interpret what they are telling you in different ways they are just wasting your time because they are not giving you anything that you cannot give yourself.
A true prophet wants to inform and enlighten, not puzzle and confuse. A true prophet is clear and specific in details because she or he wants what they are prophesying to be understood. A person who can see into the future understand that they can change the course of human history and will be as direct and as precise as possible when conveying this information to the public.
A true prophet does not look for fame and fortune but has a deep sense of loving and caring for people. A true prophet really sees into the future and no one can be judged as being a true prophet when all their revelations are seen after the fact.
A true prophet understands that human actions are not written in stone and that many misfortunes and bad decisions can be avoided with the advance knowledge of the benefits and consequences that certain actions and decisions will produce. Knowing this, a true prophet does not ramble or speak in circles, but come to the point and let people know what is going on.
I have nothing against Michel de Nostradamus, and from reading many of his quatrains, I have nothing for him either as being a person endowed with supernatural mystic talents. I believe that Michel de Nostradamus tinkered with his herbal concoctions too much late at night in his attic and really did have visions, but seeing things in an abnormal state of mind does not qualify a person as being a prophet.
People just love doomsday. If there is a conversation about heaven and hell, the conversation about hell will always attract the most interest because talking about kissing, and loving, and hugging one another all day gets very boring after a few moments, but talking about obliteration, annihilation, and devastation can be entertaining for several hours.