The following guest sermon was submitted by ULC minister Cassidy Trevors. All ULC Ministers are invited to contribute their own sermons for consideration/publication. To submit a sermon, please email it to sermons@ulc.org.
Another year down, another year many are looking forward to leaving in the past. From real wars, to culture wars, to "War of the Worlds" on Amazon Prime – 2025 brought with it a lot of horrific events.
As we say goodbye to 2025, many of us are likely looking ahead towards what 2026 holds for us. And if the new year is anything like Nostradamus’ predictions… Well, we may be in for an electric year. Literally.
Who Was Nostradamus?
Born Michel de Nostredame in 1503, Nostradamus was a physician and apothecary who developed a strong interest in astrology and the occult. In his lifetime, he was a sought-after soothsayer, even providing horoscopes for European royalty, including the court of Catherine de’ Medici.
The French astrologer published Les Prophéties in 1555, a collection of poetic quatrains that many believe predict future events with uncanny accuracy.
Supporters claim his writings foresaw everything from the French Revolution to the rise of Hitler to the assassination of JFK. Critics argue the verses are so vague they can be retroactively applied to almost anything.
Still, his predictions continue to fascinate readers centuries later – whether through prophetic insight or clever ambiguity. Nostradamus’ legacy endures, and once again readers are looking to his words to see what he might have predicted for 2026.
Lightning Strike
If you consider yourself a great man, you may want to avoid going outside during storms. Nostradamus wrote that "the great man will be struck down in the day by a thunderbolt," which many believe refers to a celebrity, elected official, religious leader, or royalty.
It would be a bizarre way to go for anyone, let alone a figure of importance, though some have interpreted this as a metaphorical thunderbolt... meaning this could also refer to an assassination by gunshot.
Bees?!
Nostradamus predicted a swarm of bees in 2026. Yes, bees. "The great swarm of bees will arise by the night ambush," he wrote, putting everyone with bee allergies eternally on edge.
New plague sent from God? The resurgence of killer bees? The optimists among us might say that this refers to a bounce back of the honeybee population. One can hope.
Blood in Switzerland
Nostradamus’ predictions are often incredibly vague, but he is occasionally very direct. For 2026, Nostradamus says that "the Ticino will overflow with blood, fires, deaths, drowned by the long-edged blow."
The Ticino is an Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, and considering the specificity of the prediction, any Nostradamus-believing residents may want to consider relocating.
A New Idol
Nostradamus warns us of false idols in 2026, writing "they will prepare idols of Kings and Princes." It’s unclear who is making these idols, and of whom, but in the aftermath of the "No Kings" marches, some have interpreted this to be in reference to President Trump.
Trump’s affinity for putting his name on things, as well as the upcoming minting of a special one-dollar coin by the U.S. treasury featuring Trump’s face on it, have also played into this narrative.
Was Nostradamus warning us not to worship a false idol? And is it possible that leader is the president?
Could Nostradamus See the Future?
Sometimes it feels like we’re living through far too many “historic” moments. And if Nostradamus is to be believed, that trend isn’t slowing down anytime soon. But put a big emphasis on the if.
Most of his prophecies read like broad doomsday warnings: disasters, wars, and betrayals, written vaguely enough to fit almost any era.
It’s a tactic familiar to modern end-times prophets, who confidently announce the apocalypse is just around the corner… until it isn’t. When predictions fail, the timing was simply “off.” When something does happen, it’s held up as proof.
That flexibility is a big reason Nostradamus is said to have predicted nearly every major world event since his death. His verses are cryptic, undated, and open to interpretation, making them easy to apply retroactively. Still, some of his predictions do feel uncomfortably close to real events, and that uncanniness is what keeps people coming back.
So how seriously should we take Nostradamus’ forecast for 2026? That is up to you.
2 comments
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David Cuevas
If it happens it happens. There's nothing you can do about it, theres knowhere you can go.
These are some thought provoking predictions. My first thought about the lightening bolt was that it may be a reference to an aircraft being literally struck down by lightening, so avoid flying in bad weather, your greatness, whoever you may be.
My next thought was about the bees arising in a night strike. This one is a bit more alarming because it might refer to a swarm of drones attacking at night. They do make a sound similar to bees and Nostradamas would have no idea that we would have man made machines capable of attacking en-masses, sounding like a swarm of bees.
The long edged bow, or the longed bow as it would have been called in Nostradamas' time, seems to me to be referencing the capability of delivering missiles at great distances. Again, Nostradamas would have interpreted a vision of those projected objects as arrows, which were his only frame of reference at that time.
Switzerland has been a militarily neutral country since the 19th century, so the likelihood of their engaging in a war is unlikely unless they were defending themselves. Who would want to attack Switzerland?
According to Swiss federal authorities, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are increasingly attempting to procure dual-use goods and technologies for their military and nuclear programs through Switzerland.
The FIS and SECO are raising awareness among Swiss companies about the risks related to espionage, sanctions evasion, and proliferation.
The FIS says they have never experienced such a density of threats. So, yes they are a strategic target.
As far as false idols go, I'd have to go along with the theory that it could be a reference to Trump, for all the reasons listed in the article.