Prophet El-Bernard vs Prophet Samuel: Using Prophet Samuel to Defend Failed Prophecies

El-Bernard and Prophet Samuel: Did they both miss it?

We have all seen the videos circulating this week. A popular prophet, El-Bernard, prophesied a specific victory in the recent NPP Flagbearer elections. But when the votes were counted on Saturday, the result was different.

Now, social media is buzzing with defenses. The most popular one is the "Samuel Defense."

People are quoting 1 Samuel 16:6, where the Prophet Samuel looks at Eliab and says, "Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him." The argument goes: "See? Even the great Prophet Samuel missed it. He got it wrong, so cut the modern prophets some slack."

But others have pushed back, arguing that Samuel only thought this—he didn’t say it.

So, who is right?

It is true that modern translations like the NIV and ESV state that Samuel "thought," but the KJV, NKJV, and ASV all render the word in 1 Samuel 16:6 as "said." This is accurate to the Hebrew because the word used (amar) refers to vocal speech the vast majority of the time.

Usually, when the Bible means "thought," it qualifies it, like in Esther 6:6: "Now Haman thought in his heart" or "And Haman said to himself."

Since 1 Samuel 16:6 lacks that "in his heart" qualifier, why do we assume it was just a thought? We have to let Scripture interpret Scripture. For that we have to look elsewhere in the Bible for the proof.

We find the answer in 1 Samuel 3:19, which says the Lord "let NONE of [Samuel’s] words fall to the ground." If Samuel had spoken this error about Eliab out loud, his words would have fallen to the ground, and Scripture would be broken. 1 Samuel 9:6 confirms this, stating that Samuel "is highly respected, and everything he SAYS comes true."

Therefore, we are forced to conclude logically that Samuel kept this judgment to himself and didn't SAY this out. The translation of amar to thought instead of a statement makes contextual sense then. It was a private judgment that God immediately corrected. He didn't grab a microphone and announce a wrong winner to the nation.

The One Who Never Misses

This brings us to a much more important set of questions: Is there a prophet who always gets it right?Is there a prophet who never has to correct even his own thoughts? Yes, there was!

Prophet Samuel was great, but he was human. The Spirit of Prophecy is designed to point us to the One greater than Samuel: Jesus. (Revelation 19.10)

Jesus is the only Prophet whose speech and thoughts were perfectly aligned with God at all times. In John 5:30, Jesus reveals His secret: "By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me." (NIV)

Jesus didn’t just get the "big announcements" right; His inner life was flawless. He said in John 8:29, "The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him." (NIV)

The Track Record

Jesus’s prophecies don’t just "hit" sometimes; they were always true and shaped history.

• He predicted His own death and resurrection (Mark 8:31, Matthew 16:21), and it happened exactly as He said.
• He predicted the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (Matthew 24:1-2), which came to pass literally in history in AD 70.
• He predicted the social state of our world. In Matthew 24:12, He said, "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold." We see this everyday on social media and in real-life social experiments.
• He warned us in Matthew 24:5, "For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many." Indeed, history is full of people who fit this description.

The Final Prophecy

In a world of uncertain predictions and failed election prophecies, Jesus is the only Prophet worth trusting with your life. None of his words has ever, or will ever fail.

He has one major prophecy left on the timeline: He is coming back to judge the world.

If He was right about Jerusalem, right about the resurrection, and right about the state of our hearts today, we can be sure He is right about His return. The question isn't whether His word will come to pass—it’s whether we are getting ready for it. Because sure, He will come!