Some Prophetic Messages Not Preserved

The Bible does not contain all that prophets have said or written. For example, we do not have all that Jesus said or did. ^{20“And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25).}MOL 17.4

Does that mean that the messages that were not preserved were less important, less inspired, than those we have in the Bible? No! Everything God says is important and inspired. But some messages were of local interest. Some were covered by other messages that were preserved. Beyond question, the greater amount of prophetic messages, including the words of Jesus, were not preserved.MOL 17.5

Biblical prophets can be classified into four groups: ^{21See Jemison, A Prophet Among You, p. 73. “Not all prophets were given the same mission, nor did they do the same kind of work, but all spoke for God; all communicated Heaven-inspired messages. Some prophets set forth divine standards for human conduct, some revealed God’s purposes for individuals and for nations, some protested against prevailing evils, some encouraged the people to faithfulness, some strengthened and guided national rulers, some directed building and other kinds of activities, some served as teachers. In the course of their work, some performed miracles, some wrote books. In every case, true prophets served a body of people as God’s spokespersons; they were not merely instructed of God at the personal or family level.” Kenneth H. Wood, “Toward an Understanding of the Prophetic Office.” Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, Spring, 1991, p. 24.}MOL 17.6

1. Prophets who wrote some of the Bible, such as Moses, Jeremiah, Paul, and John.MOL 17.7

2. Prophets who wrote none of the Bible, but whose messages and ministries are amply preserved in the Bible, such as Enoch, Elijah, and Elisha.MOL 17.8

3. Prophets who gave oral testimonies (perhaps even written messages) but whose words were not preserved. Throughout the Old Testament, many unnamed prophets are noted, including the seventy elders who received the Holy Spirit and prophesied (Numbers 11:24, 25), the group that joined Saul after he became king (1 Samuel 10:5, 6, 10), and those who were hidden in caves by Obadiah (1 Kings 18:4, 13). In the New Testament, for example, the four daughters of Philip prophesied, but their messages were not recorded (Acts 21:9).MOL 17.9

4. Prophets who wrote books that have not been preserved, including Nathan (1 Chronicles 29:29), Gad (1 Chronicles 29:29), Shemaiah (2 Chronicles 12:15), Jasher (Joshua 10:13; 2 Samuel 1:18), Iddo (2 Chronicles 12:15; 9:29), Oded (2 Chronicles 15:8), Ahijah (2 Chronicles 9:29), and Jehu (2 Chronicles 20:34).MOL 17.10

What has been preserved in the Bible is the distillation of the glorious line of splendor through which God has spoken to men and women, “at various times and in various ways” (Hebrews 1:1). The purpose of Biblical writings was not to produce a complete history of all that happened to God’s people in both Old and New Testament times. The primary purpose of the Bible is to give later readers a clear understanding of the plan of salvation and the highlights exposing the great controversy between Christ and Satan. In addition, Paul wrote that the Bible provides “examples” of right and wrong, of truth and error, alerting readers to “take heed lest [they] fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).MOL 17.11