2 Peter | Practical Teaching on Coming Conditions

Session 4 | 2 Peter 1:16-21

2 Peter 1:16-21 | Exhortation Based on the Apostles and Prophets Experience

• Verse 16 --

  • Peter suddenly changes from the singular I to the plural we, but he is still not including his readers, who remain you. I am taking the identity of we to be apostles (vv. 16-18) and prophets (vv. 19-21).

  • Peter contrasts cunningly devised fables to being an eyewitness.

  • The apostles were eyewitnesses of his majesty, and Peter will give two accounts of this in verses 17 and 18.

  • The phrase his majesty is not the life and ministry of the Lord as a lowly carpenter or humble teacher, but the Messiah with the full faith and credit of God Himself.

  • It is based on these two accounts that Peter can announce the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    
    

• Verse 17 --

  • The first eyewitness account is the baptism of Jesus, when Jesus received from God the father honour and glory.

  • This heavenly testimony of the identity of Jesus stands as Peter's defense against those who accuse him of spreading cunningly devised fables (v. 16).

    
    

• Verse 18 --

  • The second eyewitness account is when we were with him in the holy mount. This is a reference to the Mount of Transfiguration (compare Matt. 17:5-6).

  • With these two eyewitness accounts of the power of God, Peter is confident in sharing the future majesty and glory of the returning Lord.

    
    

• Verse 19 --

  • What Peter and the apostles saw and heard was to make previous prophecies a more sure word.

  • The prophets spoke of the day and the day star. The day is the arrival of the Messiah to reign, and the day star is the Messiah Himself.

  • The words in your hearts can make it sound as if Peter is speaking of a spiritual, individual experience.

    • However, the day is often spoken of by the prophets, as is the day star.

    • Compare, for example, Revelation 2:28 and 22:16 for day star, or 2 Thessalonians 2:2-3 for the day.

    • From the pages of the prophets, consider Numbers 24:17 and Malachi 4:2.

    • The day and the day star are references to the coming of the Messiah in judgment to establish His kingdom, fulfilling all promises of restoration.

      • So why then does Peter refer to this as taking place in your hearts?

      • Recall that the original Greek had not punctuation, therefore all punctuation is interpretive.

      • I would put in your hearts with the beginning of verse 20 and not the end of verse 19.

        
        

  • Until the day dawn, Peter's followers are to be a light that shineth in a dark place. This matched Jesus' instruction to be the light of the world (Matt. 5:14).

    
    

• Verse 20 --

  • Peter speaks of prophecy of the scripture“chapter and verse."

  • Scripture must always be its only rule and guide.

    • The great failure of the ages has been to interpret prophecy based on private interpretation, such as current circumstances.

    • One rule of thumb for interpretation of prophecy is that if it could not have been interpreted as such by the original hearers, it cannot be properly interpreted as such by you.

      
      

  • Note that the opposite of private is not public, especially in the sense that the church rather than the individual must interpret.

    • This is an idea of the Catholic church that has permeated much of evangelicalism, in effect if not in doctrine.

    • This verse does not call for church interpretation but for plain, literal, evident interpretation.

    • One does not need a mystical experience to interpret Scripture, but rather needs scripture alone (and a good cross-reference tool along with a dictionary are good aids).

      
      

• Verse 21 --

  • Prophecy comes not by the will of man.

  • This was true in old timeποτέ [pote] can also mean, ever / at any time.

  • Prophecy was given when Holy men of God (that is, men set apart by God) were moved by the Holy Ghost in a divine power that gave them utterance to the Scriptures.