God at Various Times Spoke by the Prophets

In Eden, God spoke directly to Adam and Eve (Genesis 2, 3). “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8). This thought is amplified by James White:BHP 30.3

“Once, man walked with God in Eden. With open face he beheld the glory of the Lord, and talked with God, and Christ, and angels, in Paradise, without a dimming vail between. Man fell from his moral rectitude and innocency, and was driven from the garden, from the tree of life, and from the visible presence of the Lord and His holy angels.”—Introduction in Ellen G. White, The Spirit of Prophecy 1:7.BHP 31.1

When sin came it formed a wall of partition between God and man. But God did not discard or neglect the work of His hand. He chose to communicate with men primarily through prophets (Genesis 20:6, 7); but also at times through priests (Genesis 14:18) and through angels (Genesis 16:7-13). (See also 2 Chronicles 36:15; Jeremiah 35:15; 2 Peter 1:21.)BHP 31.2

Ellen G. White states:BHP 31.3

“God has been pleased to communicate His truth to the world by human agencies, and He Himself, by His Holy Spirit, qualified men and enabled them to do this work. He guided the mind in the selection of what to speak and what to write. The treasure was intrusted to earthen vessels, yet it is, none the less, from Heaven. The testimony is conveyed through the imperfect expression of human language, yet it is the testimony of God; and the obedient, believing child of God beholds in it the glory of a divine power, full of grace and truth.”—The Great Controversy, 8, 9 (C.H.L.).BHP 31.4

The men of God chosen to do this very essential and all-important work were generally known as prophets, but there are other names or titles applied to them in the Scriptures: prophet in 1 Samuel 9:9; son of man in Ezekiel 4:1; 5:1; seer in 2 Chronicles 16:7; messenger in Malachi 3:1; Haggai 1:13; spokesman in Exodus 4:16; 7:1; fellow servant in Revelation 22:9; 19:10; servant of God in 1 Chronicles 6:49; man of God in 1 Samuel 9:6; 2 Peter 1:21; watchman in Isaiah 52:8.BHP 31.5

The work of all these men, by whatever title they were known, is well stated in these words:BHP 32.1

“From the earliest times, prophets had been recognized as teachers divinely appointed. In the highest sense the prophet was one who spoke by direct inspiration, communicating to the people the messages he had received from God.”—Education, 46.BHP 32.2

It is but natural that we should expect to see prophets among God’s people, and indeed there have been many who have claimed to be God’s prophets. This is in accord with Scripture, and therefore we are counseled not to despise “prophesyings,” but rather to “prove all things,” holding “fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:20, 21).BHP 32.3

Jesus Himself, looking down to our day, said, “There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,” and they shall “shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:24). Through John He adds this caution, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Somehow, it is to be expected that where the true exists there is likely to be the false; where there is the genuine, there likewise will be found the counterfeit. Our business is to try, test, and prove the prophets to find the true and reject the false.BHP 32.4