Sometimes I enjoy watching “prophecy” videos on YouTube (and I use that term loosely), especially when they incorporate current events. The reason is because most of them give me a good chuckle because of their outlandish claims.
Some are clips of television shows, others are made for YouTube. Regardless, I’ve discovered some interesting things regarding these supposed “prophetic messages.”
YouTube Prophecy versus Biblical Prophecy
In this article I’ll mention “YouTube prophecy” quite a bit. So, let me explain what that term means.
Biblical prophecy is what is actually stated in the Bible when taken in context, including authorial intent. YouTube prophecy is what people put on YouTube claiming to be prophecy from God. Much of the YouTube prophecies are not biblical prophecies, even though they may reference or even quote the Bible. Just because someone can quote a passage does not make their message true. Satan quoted the Bible, but had the wrong message. The Pharisees and other leaders often quoted Scripture, but they also taught falsehoods.
So, YouTube prophecy is not necessarily biblical prophecy, but may in fact be heresy or outright lies.
YouTube Prophecies Exhibit a Common Pattern in Their Messages
After watching many of them, I’ve noticed a pattern to their messages when it relates to socio-political issues:
The United States is a central focus.
It’s often about restoring America and then saving the world. The promotors of YouTube prophecy often seem very Americanized and pro-America despite America’s lack of clear mention in biblical prophecy.
Israel is paired with America.
Even when the State of Israel (versus the people-group of Israel) is the primary focus of the prophecy, the United States seems to be connected to Israel’s proverbial hip. It’s like they are one-and-the-same nation.
Democrats or liberals are evil incarnate.
Obama’s the anti-Christ! Clinton was (or will be if Hillary is elected President) the anti-Christ! Or was it Jimmy Carter? George Soros (a liberal progressive) is the satanic puppet master! If the person is a liberal, Democrat, or worse, both, then that person will probably be vilified.
Republicans and most conservatives are the Illuminati.
If the person is a Republican or a conservative, then they belong to the “evil” secret society known as the Illuminati. The only exceptions seem to be those who are merely conspiracy theorists (ahem, Alex Jones) and their loyal followers; everyone else is Illuminati or a sheep.
Every tiny thing that happens in the world is somehow deemed biblical prophecy.
A river floods? That was prophesied. A child gets sick? Prophesied. A business lays off workers? Yep, prophesied.
Accurate exegesis is lacking or non-existent, and often replaced with eisegesis.
Exegesis is the practice of discovering what the biblical texts says in context in the original language. Eisegesis is imposing one’s own presuppositions and preconceived beliefs into a text. Exegesis is discovering the message of the text; eisegesis is reading a message into the text. Much of the YouTube prophecy that I’ve watched lacks exegesis and uses eisegesis.
New revelations from God are given preference, even if they contradict Scripture.
Somebody has a dream or wild thought and suddenly it’s a message from the Lord. However, rather than verifying the authenticity of the message against Scripture, the video creator or show’s host will often accept that “prophecy” as a message from God, even if it contradicts the Bible.
Take YouTube Prophecies with a Bucket of Salt, Not Just a Grain
When it comes to YouTube prophecy, be wary, very wary, of what they teach. Don’t just take the video’s claims with a grain of salt; take them with a whole bucket of salt. If you do choose to watch them, I recommend doing so for entertainment value or research into some of the wild and strange teachings of the YouTube prophets.
If you want to understand biblical prophecy, then you need a Bible and a good commentary such as one from the series below (not merely a Strong’s concordance and a Bible dictionary):
