FAQ: Are There Prophets Today?

On YouTube and other places on the internet, you can find plenty of “prophets.” They’re people who make videos saying that catastrophes are going to happen—signs of the end times. If you get sucked into these predictions, it’s hard not to be afraid.

Are these YouTube prophets speaking the truth? Are they sent by God? Who are we supposed to listen to?

We should steer clear of anyone who puts himself out there as an end-times prophet. Anyone who says, “Thus saith the LORD, these things are going to happen in this way,” is someone we should avoid.

We’re told to test those who claim to speak for God:

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.”

(1 John 4:1:3)

The apostle John is saying we should avoid so-called prophets that take our eyes off of Christ and what he’s done for us.

In the Old Testament, God appointed prophets for his people. They pointed out God’s judgment, but they also pointed forward to the coming of the Messiah, the Christ. Now, the Christ has come. And anyone who is a preacher of the word of God focuses on that reality. Christ has come, and God has spoken definitively in his Son, Jesus (Heb. 1:2).

Hebrews 1:1–3 are wonderful verses for you to meditate on it if you feel weighed down by the things that you’re hearing on YouTube or wherever. Listen to what this biblical author says:

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but he has spoken finally, definitively now in his Son, Jesus. Where do we hear Jesus’s voice? In the Scriptures. Jesus makes this absolutely clear in John 5.

So, don’t pay attention to any self-proclaimed prophets. They say they get visions from the Lord, but I don’t think so. There were false prophets in the days of the apostles and in the days of Israel, and there are false prophets today.

We’re called to fix our eyes on Jesus. And if they’re not doing that for you, then avoid them. Fix your eyes on Christ through the Scriptures and through faithful Bible teachers.

This article is part of our Frequently Asked Questions series. Listen to Pastor Adriel answer this question on Core Radio here.