2 Peter - Verse-by-Verse Biblical Exegesis

keeping them from sin and error. (S. Kistemaker) To regard the revelation of the NT as
capable of altering the original revelation of the OT ignores the fact that the OT is
revelation. In spite of all that we do not know about the composition and collection of the
old canon, what we do know sets our framework. The prophesies of Scripture came as
holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. This leads to the
conclusion that OT Scripture is true and stable in the expression of truth. This would be
denied if that early revelation may be altered by later revelation, which would mean that
the early revelation is either wrong or misleading and in need of correction. (E. Johnson)
There were 330 prophesies in the OT concerning the first coming of Christ, and all of
them were literally fulfilled. No human being can guess like that. (J. McGee)
The first step in the transmission of truth from the heart of God to the heart of the
believer is revelation, the act of God the Holy Spirit uncovering the things in the heart of
God to the Bible writers, thus imparting the truth of Scripture to them. This brings us to
the doctrine of verbal inspiration … The Holy Spirit allowed the writers the free play of
their personalities, vocabulary, and training, while at the same time guiding them to make
an infallible record lof truth infallibly revealed ... We now come to the doctrine of
illumination, namely, the act of God the Holy Spirit enabling the believer to understand
the truth given by revelation, and by inspiration written down ... The investigation of,
inquiry into, scrutizing, and sifting of scripture truth is done in the energy of the Holy
Spirit who illuminates the sacred page of Scripture to the believer … The Spiritcontrolled
Christian investigates, inquires into, and scrutinizes the Bible and comes to an
appreciation and understanding of its contents. (K. Wuest) The writers recorded their
God-given words as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. They were moved by the
Holy Spirit in their writings, much as a sailboat is borne along by the wind. (R. Zuck)
Whether they were oral prophets or writing prophets, the explanation is that they were
“moved by the Holy Spirit.” The word translated “moved” is the word for carrying a
burden. In this statement, accordingly, the human authors are carried along to the
destination intended by God much as a boat will carry its passengers to its ultimate
destination. Although passengers on a boat have some human freedom and can move
freely within the boat, they nevertheless surely and inevitably are carried to the
destination of the boat itself. (J. Walvoord) A common but erroneous interpretation of
this phrase “any private interpretation” is that no individual has the right to study and
interpret the Word of God for himself, and every individual must look to the church for
the proper interpretation. What Peter wrote may be rendered this way, “No prophecy of
Scripture comes out of private disclosure.” The apostle is dealing with the source from
which the Scriptures came. They are not of human origin. Peter asserts that we can
believe the Word of God because Scripture did not originate with men, but holy men of
God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (J. Pentecost)
Deny the millennial reign of Christ on earth, and vainly do you seek a clue amidst its
labyrinth. Prophecy, to an apostolic eye, was one of the great pillars of a Christian’s hope
... Do any, then, attempt to dissuade the Christian from the study of prophecy, as obscure
and unprofitable, apt to mislead the inquirer into extravagance and delusion? Rebuke
such … Till the night of this present evil age be past, and the new age come, this is our