Legacy of the Prophets

A remember a time many years ago - must have been about 1998 when I sat down in Warsaw with a friend of mine to watch a Polish documentary about the coming millennium and what Nostradamus had predicted might be happening at about this time. With zero knowledge of the Polish language at the time I sat through the programme as a purely visual experience. It was a cheaply made documentary - using 1970s-style hand drawn illustrations to portray visions of the future.

The camera panned across illustrations showing angry-looking arabs with curved swords accompanied by the sound of flames and explosions in some kind of vaguely futuristic city. I asked my friend what the narrator of documentary was revealing about the French prophets predictions.

"He says there will be a war between the Arabs and the Christians."

I remember sneering with disbelief at such an idea - this was 1998... "Yeah, like how's that going to come about?" My friend (translating from the narration) said that Nostradamus had not specified, adding with tongue in cheek "But don't worry he says the Christians are going to come out on top and that the war will favour Poland." like it was of any relevance.

I was bemused and incredulous but after the events of recent years I looked up some of Nostradamus' other predictions about what just might be happening about this time. They are great fun to read and one that struck me was:

The great star will burn for seven days,
the cloud will cause two suns to appear:
The big mastiff will howl all night
when the great pontiff will change country.
Century II - 41

There are dozens of interpretations of these quatrains but I'm curious to know how YOU would interpret this one. Does it suggest a large explosion within Israel (the great star) perhaps at a nuclear installation (two suns) forcing the Pope to leave Rome or is it perhaps something to do with a crisis caused by a cosmic event?