Do prophecies render the Scriptures unprofitable?

Summary:

Prophecies do not render the Scriptures unprofitable. 

There are many reasons to support this:

The Scriptures command to not treat prophecies with contempt:

The Scriptures command to not treat prophecies with contempt. 

It is written: "DO NOT BE-TREATING PROPHECIES WITH-CONTEMPT" (1 Thessalonians 5:20).

The Scriptures encourage to prophesy:

The Scriptures encourage to prophesy. 

For example, it is written: "BE-ZEALOUS-for the spiritual (gifts), but even-more THAT YOU-MIGHT-BE-PROPHESYING" (1 Corinthians 14:1).

Another example: "I-WISH (that) you all (were) speaking (in) tongues, but even-more THAT YOU-MIGHT-BE-PROPHESYING" (1 Corinthians 14:5).

The Scriptures command to test prophecies:

The Scriptures command to test prophecies. 

It is written: "do not be-treating PROPHECIES with-contempt, but BE-TESTING ALL (THINGS)" (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21).

In order to test prophecies, something external of the prophecy itself can help to test whether the prophecy is true or false. The Scriptures can be profitable for this purpose, as they can be outside of a prophecy that someone can receive. 

It is written: "EVERY SCRIPTURE (IS) God-breathing, and PROFITABLE FOR TEACHING, FOR REBUKING, for making-straight" (2 Timothy 3:16).

For more information:

Basic ways to test prophecies:
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The Scriptures are profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting:

Paul wrote that "All SCRIPTURE (is) God-breathed, and PROFITABLE for TEACHING, for rebuking, for CORRECTING" (2 Timothy 3:16). 

The Scriptures are profitable to correct or rebuke any report that can be given, and it is also profitable for teaching and correcting things that would not be completely accurate. 

Prophets can refer to the Scriptures as binding:

In the Bible, prophets can refer to Scriptures as still binding on people. 

For example, Jesus, who was also a prophet, said to people: "For what reason indeed are YOU TRANSGRESSING THE COMMANDMENT (OF) GOD for-the-sake-of your tradition? FOR GOD COMMANDED saying [IN EXODUS 20:12]: ‘Be-honoring (your) father and (your) mother’, and [IN EXODUS 21:17] ‘Let the (one) speaking-evil-of father or mother come-to-an-end (by a) death’." But you say, ‘Whoever says (to his) father or (his) mother: “Whatever you-might-be-benefitted from me (is a) gift (to God)” shall by-no-means honor his father or mother’. And YOU-NULLIFIED THE WORD (OF) GOD for-the-sake-of your tradition."

The Scriptures give examples displaying that prophecies spoken, when true, can be binding:

The Scriptures give examples displaying that prophecies spoken (if determined to be true) can be binding on the person on the receiving end. 

For example: "one man from the sons of the PROPHETS said to his neighbor BY (THE) WORD OF THE LORD, “Strike me, now.” But the man did not want to strike him. And he said to him, “BECAUSE YOU DID NOT LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF THE LORD, therefore, behold, (when) you depart from me, a lion will strike you.” And he departed from him, and a lion found him, and struck him" (1 Kings 20:35-36).

The Scriptures therefore testify that prophecies can have an authority in the life of believers.

Prophecies spoken were not necessarily added to the record of Scriptures:

Prophecies:

In the Bible, prophecies that were spoken were not necessarily recorded and added to the record of the Scriptures.

For example, it is written: "Paul having-laid (his) hands (on) them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they-were-speaking (in) tongues and PROPHESYING" (Acts 19:6). It is not recorded in the Scriptures what they were "PROPHESYING" (Acts 19:6).

Another example, it is written: "Philip the evangelist" (Acts 21:8), "this (one) had four virgin daughters PROPHESYING" (Acts 21:9). It is not recorded in the Scriptures what they were "PROPHESYING" (Acts 21:9).

Prophecies from prophets:

Even if the prophecies were spoken by prophets, they were not necessarily recorded and added to the record of the Scriptures.

For example, it is written: "let two or three PROPHETS SPEAK, and let the others discern. But if (something) IS-REVEALED (to) another being-seated, let the first be-silent" (1 Corinthians 14:29-30). This probably happened, and it was not recorded in the Scriptures what did these "PROPHETS speak" (1 Corinthians 14:29).

Another example, it is written: "I hid A HUNDRED OF THE LORD'S PROPHETS in two caves" (1 Kings 18:4). These were a hundred true prophets of the Lord, yet none of their prophecies are recorded in the Scriptures.

Another example, it is written about that the prophet Micaiah prophesied "Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne" (1 Kings 22:19). Here his prophecy was recorded but yet no other prophecy from him was recorded prior to that even though he was known as a prophet and had prophesied before according to the following passage a few verses earlier in 1 Kings 22:8: "the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Yet one man, to seek the Lord by him. But I HATE HIM, FOR HE DOES NOT PROPHESY GOOD CONCERNING ME, but evil, MICAIAH the son of Imlah." These true past prophecies that were spoken to this king are not recorded in the Scriptures.

People do not necessarily need prophetic utterances to follow what is found in the Scriptures:

In the Bible, there are examples of people who found what was written in the Scriptures, and without any prophetic utterance in that process, they decided to apply what they found to concern them in the Scriptures. 

During temple repairs, the king Josiah found the book of the Law, and someone read it for him. It is then recorded that "WHEN THE KING HEARD THE WORDS OF THE SCROLL OF THE LAW, that HE TORE HIS CLOTHES. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Achikam son of Shaphan, and Achobor son of Michaias, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaias the king’s servant, saying, “Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for all the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this scroll having been found; for the wrath of the LORD having been kindled against us is great, BECAUSE OF WHICH OUR FATHERS DID NOT LISTEN TO THE WORDS OF THIS SCROLL, TO BE DOING ACCORDING TO ALL THE THINGS HAVING BEEN WRITTEN CONCERNING US.”" (2 Kings 22:11-13). 

Here the king Josiah simply read the Scriptures, and commanded to obey what was applicable to them in it, without having received a prophetic utterance to know that. 

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