05/25/2025 – Day 329 – 2 Peter 1 – 3 / Including: Signs of the End Times (3:3)/ the Bible’s fascinating facts (2:5)
My commentary excerpts this morning is from “The Evidence Bible – NKJV” (ISBN 978-0-88270-525-5) via the verse footnotes:
“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1: 19 – 21)
Commentary excerpts:
“1:19 It is important to point out that it isn’t the Bible that converts people. The first Christians didn’t have the Bible as we know it. The New Testament hadn’t been compiled, and there was no such thing as the printing press. Besides, many couldn’t read. Rather they were converted by the spoken message of the gospel. It is the ‘the power of God to salvation’ (Romans 1:16). Until God gives light to the Word, it will remain a dry history book to its reader.”
“1:21 The idea conveyed is that just as the wind controls the sails of a boat, so also the breath of God controlled the writers of the Bible. The end result was exactly what God intended.” Josh McDowell “
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“3:3. Signs of the end times (combined from Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21; 1 Timothy 4; and 2 Timothy 3): There will be false Christs; wars and rumors of wars; nation rising against nation; famines; disease (pestilence); false prophets who will deceive many; and lawlessness (forsaking of the Ten Commandments). The gospel will be preached in all the world. There will be earthquakes in various places; signs from heaven (in the sun, moon, and stars); and persecution against Christians in all nations. Men’s hearts will fail them for fear of the future; they will be selfish, materialistic, arrogant, proud. Homosexuality will increase, there will be blasphemy; cold heartedness; lack of self control; brutality; rebellious youth; hatred of those who stand up for righteousness; ungodliness; pleasure-seeking; much hypocrisy. False Bible teachers will have many followers, be money-hungry, and slander the Christian faith (2 Peter 2:1-3).
Men will scoff and say that there was no such thing as the flood of Noah and that they ‘signs’ have always been around (see 2 Peter 3: 5,6 comment). Their motivation for hating the truth will be their love of lust (2 Peter 3: 1-7). The Scriptures tell us that they make one big mistake. Their understanding of God is erroneous. They don’t understand that God’s frame is not the same as ours. They think (in their ignorance that God’s continued silence means that He doesn’t see their sins. In truth, He is merely holding back His wrath, waiting for them to repent and escape the damnation of hell.
Jesus warned that the sign to look for was the repossession of Jerusalem by the Jews. That happened in 1967, after 2,000 years, bringing into culmination all the signs of the times.”
Soli Deo Gloria!