The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
In Nostradamus’ 19th quatrain in the chapter named “Centurie Tierce” (in one sense having the meaning, “Group of One Hundred, the Third Part”), he wrote (in Old French):
En Luques sang & laict viendra plouvoir,
Un peu devant changement de preteur:
Grand peste & guerre, faim & soif fera voir
Loing ou mourra leur prince recteur.
Now, it is most important to understand that this quatrain cannot be understood by reading it syntactically, meaning one cannot race through these four lines as if it were one sentence, even though there is only one period mark showing. In fact, one cannot run through one line (MUCH LESS combine two lines as one), as if that were one standard sentence. Each word has the potential to translate (into English) as multiple words, such that in French, one speaking French may use the same word in multiple expressions, all with different impact of meaning.
For instance, the common irregular verb, venir as appearing in this quatrain in the third person future tense (viendra), would simply be translated as, “will come” but, based on practical usage, viendra can also translate as, “will arrive, will approach, will draw near unto; will proceed from, will issue from, will be derived from; will spring, will prove, will grow; will happen, will chance, and will fall out” These possibilities of translation come from a 1611 French-English dictionary, making these possibilities most relative to the times of Nostradamus. Therefore, when reading, laict viendra pluvoir one must be open-minded, and consider ALL these possibilities of translation, since no one after the fact (i.e., not Nostradamus) knows for certain which use is correct.
The Cyrstal Links website shows this as the English translation:
In Lucca it will come to rain blood and milk,
Shortly before a change of praetor:
Great plague and war, famine and drought will be made visible
Far away where their prince and rector will die.
Notice how three ampersands dissappear? See the word changement (“changing”) downsize into “change”? The words that translate into “thirst will be to see” (soif sera voir) becomes “drought will be made visible”? Rather than “prince rector,” see how an “and” appears from nowhere? This is called syntax being applied to the written word, whereby the brain disregards the word in which words are written and makes intellectual adjustments inside the brain, in order to make sense of the written words. This is why reading is considered to be an automatic process that makes paraphrses of divine text become ammended by human beings taught the rules of language. It is why the French read Nostradamus and conclude (in their brains) this English translation is what they think … in French.
This is what makes interpreting Nostradamus much more complex than simple syntactical reading can allow and is why the French have never understood the meaning of Nostradamus’ words, even though they fully understood (for the most part) the words. I will simply present a translation in English, based on the totality of translation possibilities, where although there are other words that could be substituted. This multiplicity is dismissed by normal syntax, keeping one from seeing the whole truth intended. This is why reading passages from divine texts (the books of the Holy Bible) need explanation: the words, as written, make it difficult to grasp the intent. A literal translation makes it clearer how one can begin to interpret this quatrain, because each word must receive adequate attention. One such translation, although not the only translation, is as follows:
In the ones of Luke parentage & milk will issue from to pour down wet,
One small owing converting to judge:
Great disease & warfare, hunger & thirst will cause to see
Far off where will decay their potentate cleric in charge.
What one must do at this point is understand that Nostradamus, as a prophet of Yahweh, through an encounter with the Holy Spirit (Spiritual Baptism as Holy Anointment) and the divine possession within his soul-flesh by Jesus the Son, it was this divine union that produced The Prophecies as a holy document, from a holy source. With The Prophecies indeed from a divine source of inspiration, it then the equivalent of another book of the Bible. Included in its verses are then predictive quatrains related to this holiness, explaining how the future is allowed to be seen by God.
Knowing that, one can see the following begin to appear in the words of this quatrain. The importance of Luques as as the divinely elevated Apostle of Jesus, who Nostradamus was a modeled after. This is “Luke” – an author of one of the books known as the Gospels (Good News of Luke and Acts), although not one of the known disciples of Jesus. Some state he was born Greek and became a disciple of Paul. Some believe that “Luke,” as a Greek physician and historian, wrote the story of Jesus from his mother’s (Mary) perspective, as he was not a first-hand witness to that of which he wrote. This would make line one hint of those who know of Christ from his mother, the blessed Virgin. The point is not to debate who “Luke” was, but to see that “the ones of Luke” (Luques, as Lucas) means Christians, in general, and thus followers of Jesus.
The name “Luke” means “Light, Of Light, Of The Day,” rooted in the Latin word Lux, meaning “Light or Day(time)” (Abarim Publications). When the main theme statement (line one) begins by importantly stating “In, Upon, Into, On” or “Thereof,” that leading to a capitalized Luques becomes an important statement that a state of awareness has been reached, due to coming “Into Lights.” When Jesus is seen as the “Light” of Truth, as the Son of Yahweh, this can equally be a statement of awareness that comes from divine possession.
This leads to sang, where that translates as “blood,” but this comes with many metaphoric meanings, making it more than a literal statement of “blood”. Although it still retains the physical element of the flowing of blood through the veins, assisting life, such a liquid flow, the ones of “Luke” (Luque -s) share in the belief of Jesus, whose “blood” was shed for many. That is spiritual “blood,” where the physical “blood” is that within one’s own body, which is then divinely possessed by Jesus’ soul.
Thus, “Into ones of Luke” means the “bloodline” of Christians is established, with the importance of an ampersand (&) signaling that becomes the “milk” that “will happen to fall fom the sky” – where the aspect of the sky is metaphor for heaven or the spiritual realm. The ampersand signifies a level of greater importance added to simple nourishment from “milk” is not the only meaning. First, the production of “milk” in all mammals begins after the delivery of a child, who is the important recipient of important milk. Second, the word laict (lait) can mean “an important drink” or a “white liquid” (Wiktionnaire). This is the “drink” of the cup of Jesus’ “blood,” where the color white (in The Prophecies) is associated with Christianity.
When joined as “parentage & milk”, one sees a connection of from mother & child “nourishment will issue from.” This is then the act of childbirth, which makes a mother’s milk drop, in the form of lactation, “to pour down wet.” This is not only the “flow of nourishment” to the child, but the “rain of blood,” as the genetic flow of lineage, which will issue from one mother. That is the first line, which is the main theme that controls all focus of the remaining lines in this quatrain. It can be summed up as, “In the lineage of the ones found in the book of Luke & nourishment will come to fall from spirit.” This my friends, is a statement confirming a bloodline of Jesus .
Line two, the secondary theme statement that supports the main theme, is allowed the freedom to separate and direct the focus to a new line of thought, based on the main theme, because a comma mark ends line one. This then states (looking at each word individually) “One” is important to grasp. The number “One” mean great superiority over others, due to it being a capitalized word. This becomes relative to the main theme as an important “One” that is “to fall from the sky” like rain “Upon” the soul of an Apostle. This is a presence that “few” experience, although it is available to ll souls in flesh. For those who submit themselves fully to Yahweh, the gift of Jesus’ soul to enter one and become one’s Lord makes the recepient of such Grace feel “small.” This is how Saul the Pharisee felt, after his soul was possessed by the soul of Jesus, such that he changed his name to Paul, meaning “Small” or “Little.”
This then says the presence of Jesus’ soul within comes “before” one’s own soul’s value, such that the person “formerly” has become reborn from above (like rain “to fall from heaven”). The word devant also means an “apron” worn, which means “One” who has been Baptized by the Spirit of Yahweh is cleansed by His “outpouring” and made clean of all past transgressions. This allows a soul-body to wear the “apron” of humility and servitude to others, in one’s physical tabernacle, into which Jesus has been made eternal High Priest.
This mirrors the nativity of Jesus, born again into flesh from above, placed in meager surroundings, where the host soul is “owing” love and commitment to Yahweh as His new bride. In that. the present participle of the possessive verb devoir (in Old French debvoir), meaning, “to owe, to have to,” is stated in the present participle (devant). This states an obligation born to “One” so “small.” It indicates a “duty” and “service” demanded of all souls in flesh possessed by the “bloodline” of the Son of Yahweh. The responsibility of those comes through “converting” or “changing” (changement) others that are lost souls in need of Salvation. As a quatrain bearing a religious theme, a statement of “conversion” as that owed to receive the “One” reflects on the entirety of Jewish history, since Jesus, where Jews were (and still are) faced with the acceptance that Jesus as indeed being the promised Messiah of Yahweh. The Israelites (not the same as Jews) were sent into the world as ministers in the name of the Son of Yahweh to be “changing” the lost (Gentiles) into the found.
They had to convert to belief in the New Testament. Along with the Jews, Gentiles were also given the opportunity to convert their beliefs (pagan views of polytheism) to those of the “One” God. This is highly supportive of the main theme the lineage of Jesus the Christ, as it indicates the advent of Christianity “changing” from the religion of Judaism (theocracy of priesthood to teach of the “One” God) to the way of life that is Christianity (each individual soul-body subjected service to Yahweh through love and spiritual marriage, so it is Baptized as a Christ or one Anointed, able to be reborn as Jesus in the flesh anew). For those to begin “converting” all humanity to judge souls saved by the divine possession of Jesus’ soul, they must become the preposition de, as ministers who go “to, from, with,” or “of” the direction of Jesus (the Advocate). The element of judgment, as that decided by a “praetor” or “magistrate” that weighs the facts and determines how things should be (according to the law), this cannot be overlooked, particularly as the theme of The Prophecies.
“One” is free to choose what spiritual “changing” is for “One” to make. This is the essence of Free Will. The way “One” acts in the world will determine which direction the world will take, wether “One” guides other to “change” for Salvation, or whether the world leads “One” to be “changing” one’s values to suit the world direction. The warning of The Prophecies is what will come when “One” does “little” to save one’s soul, “before changing” one’s view based on the actions of the world “changing to magistrate” evil deeds. The proverbial Judgment Day means everyone has one’s own judgment to face, regardless of when Judgment Day comes.
This secondary theme is concluding with the statement that it is up to each one of humanity to judge for themselves how to live. Judgment Day comes when most humanity has turned its back on God. To avoid that judgment, God sent Jesus, as the Christ to be resurrenced within one made a Christ (divine Anointment) by Yahweh, to be the “One small” slither of humanity “owing” his whole life as “service” to Yahweh (as the Son reborn “falling like rain from above”), for the purpose of “changing” the views of the world, so the world can judge correctly, and avoid “Doomsday.” This secondary theme then explains the need for a “bloodline” of Jesus and those who followed His lead.
The second line ends with a colon, which means the third line will clarify the secondary theme’s statement of “One small owing conversion to judge.” Still, as the third line, it additionally adds supporting details to the main theme of holy “blood.” The word Grand (in various forms) is one of the most repeated words (non-preposition, article) in the quatrains (over 450 times written in 950 poems). The capitalization indicates it is more significant than just a simple statement of bigness. In fact, all uses of the word “great” particularly in the masculine gender (grand), is indicative of a nation, including the people within that nation, who have achieved “greatness” as those “mighty, substantial, lofty, noble,” and “high.” With the focus of the quatrains being the times of the United States of America’s rise to wealth, power and influence, the United States is referenced by the one word, “Great.” The word becomes synonymous with Christianity because the nations considered “Great” give credit (in some way) to the blessings of Jesus and God; but when the Communist nations (Russia and China) join this descriptive category, this leaves the spiritual element out of the mix.
The colon is clarifying the need of these “Great” nations of the world to uphold the values of Christianity, to save the world from its predicted fate; or else the “Great” will cause the predicted end, due to their inability to judge how to live in peace. This brings one to “disease,” where the word peste can equally mean, “pestilence, infection, plague, contagion,” and “death.” This states that there is a huge flaw that comes with being “Great,” regardless of how much good the leading nations can do for the world. The flaw comes from what causes humanity to thrive to achieve “greatness,” which is far less than altruistic. This becomes a clarification of the “praetor” or “magistrate” that will judge each soul of mankind, where only Yahweh is truly “Great.” His Judgment will be based on if “One” became a “plague” upon others or not.
Man has a strong tendency to strive for personal gain; and for each Great man of this world, hundreds will try to mimic the actions that led to that stature. The “disease” that humanity suffers from is its inherent inability to easily shun the trappings of a material world, for the truly higher rewards of a spiritual reward. This “disease” not only leads to “Great” sufferings brought upon others but it eventually leads to the ruin of a soul upon “death.”. Thus, every historic “Mighty” nation has risen and fallen, with no exceptions made. This ruin is then shown to be important (& ), as that cause by “warfare.” The word guerre is singled out as an important (ampersand use) one-word statement (followed by a comma mark) that states “war, warfare, strife, debate, discord,” and “contention” are the “pestilence” brought on by those “High” without Jesus.
Following the word guerre and the internal comma mark comes pause to reflect on that stated. This pause should reflect on “war” being caused by spiritual “famine.” That lack of being nourished by Spiritual food (the “milk” that causes the Spirit “to b poured out from above”) leads many of mankind to “hunger” and have an “exceeding desire” for being “Great” (with wealth, power, and influence over others). This leads to “contentions” and “debates” with others, in order to gain control as a “magistrate” and “commander, governor, or senator.” When one’s “hunger” leads one to commit transgressions against Yahweh, in order to achieve one’s perosnal goals, the placement of another ampersand says reaching the top does not make one be at peace. This says an important (&) “thirst” sets in, from having tasted the “milk” of the cup of success. One becomes addicted to that power “drink,” where seeking more to “drink” can make one become “drunk” with worldly status. When the same word soif is seen to also translate as drought, this refelcts upon the “dryness” or absence of moisture within one’s soul, which can only be filled by the spiritual “blood” of Jesus, “poured out like ran” by the Father.
This state of “thirst” is then prophesied as that which “will make, cause, act, exploit, effect, commit, work, form forge, and fashion unto” (fera) a state relative to this future of The Prophecies. The word voir then says it be be obvious, as that “to see” taking place before one’s eyes (when opened “to see”). The word can equally translate to mean “to heed,” which takes one’s focus back to the main theme statement of divine prophecy, and the secondary theme of Christianity being “due” to God’s offering mankind a chance for survival on earth and redemption in Heaven. In this sense, Jesus was sent to feed the “hunger” pangs, saying, “take this bread, it is my body”. The body of Christ becomes the “nourishment” (“milk”) of the soul, where the written Word is the food for how to live, knowing truly what is “Great.” To quench the thirst “drink this wine, it is the blood of the New Covenant” means to marry Yahweh and give rebirth to His Son Jesus, as the spirit that flows through one (the “blood”), elevating one to being in touch with Yahweh, through His Spirit that Consecrates.
The purpose of Jesus was (and always will be) to open all eyes; and in the future we will “see” the true meaning of these words, hopefully early enough “to heed” the advice The Prophecies offer. When Nostradamus was led to write his divine book (that is from the same source as “Luke”), 1555 (when this quatrain was first published) was “Far off” from the times “where” humanity “will decay” and look “to see their potentate” in Vatican City for divine guidance. Unfortunately, that significant “One” will have “little” of value placed “before” his brain, to offer the flock, “before” all hell breaks loose on earth. This will be because that “One” office of “magistrate” will have experienced a “changing,” from servants to Jesus and God (as the “Great”) and been “converting” to Satan-worshipers (the Italian Mafia now owns Vatican City and its bank). With “their potentate changing” into a “lender” (the French translation of préteur) the “Noble” “cleric” of Rome (the pope) “cleric in charge”will die,” as “One” sent by Yahweh as His Son reborn “will make” the evil ones “act” to ensure that “magistrate will perish.” That becomes a major statement about the decline of the Roman Catholic Church, which will take the idea of Jesus and God and, rather than nurture a true bloodline, will make its own quest to become “Substantial.” While Nostradamus did not condemn the Church of his day, the schisms of the original Church of Jesus point to some flaws in the methodology of turning the “Great” Roman Empire into the “Great” Church of Rome.
The Prophecies were written in an unintelligible style to protect that Church, because, for all its imperfections, symbolic of all humanity having sins, that Church would do work for God, despite its “disease.” However, in the future of which Nostradamus wrote, divinely inspired by Yahweh to write, with no knowledge of the future beforehand, that Church “will decay.” This particularly will be when “their potentate” (or “their prince”) “cleric in charge” or pope (recteur), not the “One” sent by Yahweh, “will perish” by means of murder. This means the “death” (peste mourra) of the last pope, having already led the Church “to see” its path away from righteousness” “will depart this life,” and with it the soul of the Church likewise “will perish.”
All in all, this quatrain is a general one, one which paints a broad-stroke picture that spans over two thousand years, while still being predictive of things occurred in modern history and other things still around the corner to come. Like all quatrains, it stands solidly alone as one prophecy. It bears meaning by itself. Still, like all quatrains, it links to other quatrains that expand on what is said here, specifically the general storyline of the whole of The Prophecies, as far as this quatrain is concerned.
There are other ways to view this quatrain, so that it tells of a specific future event, one involving someone, or someplace named “Lucas,” and the advent of “milky white rain.” Certainly, the stories of the quatrains focus deeply on the elements represented by the “Four Horsemen” of The Revelation: “Famine, Disease, War,” and “Death”. All are elements represented in this quatrain.
In such a case, both interpretations would be true; and such is the power of a divine prophecy. Yahweh cannot be limited to one explanation. I hope this gives you an idea how to read Nostradamus. Every quatrain comes alive with deep meaning, by following the same format. You simply must know what was truly written; and then you must read slowly.
Note: The Italian city Lucca (in the Tuscany region, near the Tyrrhenian coast) is spelled in French, Lucques (notice an extra c). The name Luke, as in the Gospel of Luke, is spelled Luc in French. The family name Luques shows it as a variation of Luke and Lucas.