2 Peter 1:19-21

The sure word of prophecy: V.19. We have also a more sure Word of Prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the Day-Star arise in your hearts; v.20. knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. v.21 for The prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

One reason for the acceptance of the doctrine as taught by him St. Peter has given. But in this paragraph he speaks with even greater emphasis: And we have the prophetic Word as a more sure one, to which giving heed you do well as to a lamp that shines in a dark place, until day break and the morning-star arise in pour hearts.

He is speaking of the Word of Prophecy as it was known to the Christians, as the Jews had for centuries used it in their public worship, the writings of the Old Testament. This Word was not truer, but it was more certain, so far as the readers were concerned, than the doctrine taught by the apostles. There was no question, neither among Jewish Christians nor among converts from the heathen, that the Old Testament prophecies, all the canonical books of the Old Testament, were God's Word.

What Peter wants to impress upon them all is this, that the Gospel as taught by him and his fellow apostles was not only confirmed by the testimony of God from heaven, but also by all the prophecies of old. The written Word was like a burning lamp that shed its light far abroad, even in places which were dark and obscure. Therefore the Christians were doing the right and proper thing in giving heed to this light.

In comparison with the time when the full glory of God will be revealed, the day at the end of time, the present days and the age in which we are living in the world' are dark indeed. Until the coming of that day, until the true and everlasting Morning Star will arise in eternity, until all our hopes will be fulfill led, me must take heed to the written Word. In yonder world, of course, where we shall walk in the light of God's countenance and see the true Morning Star, Jesus Christ, face to face, we shall no longer need the written Word of the Gospel.

The apostle writes in conclusion: Understanding this at the outset, that no prophecy of Scripture is dependent upon private interpretation; for never was a prophecy brought forth by the will of a man, but, moved by the Holy Ghost, men spoke from God.

Here is another reason for calling the written Word sure or certain. We should understand and know from the very beginning, and not permit any wisdom on the part of men to change our persuasion, that not a single prophecy depends upon private interpretation; the words are neither the prophets’ own ideas or philosophies, nor can any person take the prophecy and interpret it to suit his own fancy. It is the Word as inspired by the Holy Ghost, and to meddle with it in any manner is a sacrilege, is blasphemy.

Never was a real prophecy brought forth by the will of man; not one of the many hundreds of passages in the Old Testament that reveal the future is a mere man’s conjecture. The prophets whose recorded sayings are preserved for us in the canonical writings of the Old Testament were inspired by the Holy Ghost.

And they did not only receive the incentive to write from the Spirit, the choice of words being left to them, but their words, what they spoke, were from God. The prophets followed the leadership, the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and thus the prophecy of the Old Testament came into being.

Incidentally, this was not a mechanical inspiration, but the Holy Ghost accommodated Himself to the intelligence and knowledge, to all the intellectual accomplishments of the writers whom He employed, the result being a book which is as diversified in style as it is interesting and edifying in content.

Note: The lesson of this passage, namely, that the Old Testament writings are the inspired Ward of God and that Scripture may be interpreted only by Scripture in order to make any claim for absolute acceptance, must be heeded and followed by all true Christians until the end of time.