Prophetic Prospective Daily Devotional

Peter, as he writes what many call his "swan song", reveals to the reader of his letter a message for those of us living in the last days. It is a letter that states the ground rules for the prophets used down through the centuries.

Peter says the written word, God's prophetic passages, are better than even an eyewitness account of an event, verses 16-18. That "more sure word of prophecy" is the Bible itself. We must only study the prophetic passages found between Genesis 1:1 and Revelation 22:21. This is the inspired word of God. Any other prophecy from man today is of "another spirit" not the Holy Spirit.

Peter's exhortation to us is to study God's prophetic scriptures, which takes up about 30 percent of the entire Bible. He says that we "do well to take heed" to this word "as a light that shineth in a dark place", verse 19.

The reason Biblical prophecy is to be studied and will be to our benefit to do so is because it did not come to its written form by the will of man but "holy men" of God "wrote as the Holy Spirit inspired, breathed into them" what to write, verse 21.

The key to understanding the whole of God's prophetic word is found in verse 20. The phrase "no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation" is an essential in any deep study of Bible prophecy.

There are 17 Old Testament books that are essentially exclusively "prophetic" in nature. The book of Revelation in the New Testament is "prophetic" along with portions of all sixty-six books of the Bible.

To read and study all of these books - not one passage in any of the prophetic books can contradict the other. They must all fit like a "hand in a glove" in perfect harmony. This principle will assist your study of prophecy as we realize even though we are studying books from a number of sources there is only one writer - the Holy Spirit of God.

We must now begin the study of this "sure word of prophecy" and continue our study "until the day dawn and the day star arise in our hearts," verse 19. That, of course, is the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me to take heed to this "more sure word of prophecy" as I wait the Lord's coming.

The disciple that followed Jesus Christ for three and a half years learning as he journeyed through Israel with the Master, the Messiah, the Apostle Peter finally learned how to be a true "servant" of the Lord.

In the first verse of Peter's second letter, this arrogant, loud-mouthed, mean, tough fisherman realized he was to be a "servant," a bondservant of Jesus Christ.

Notice in Peter's first letter, I Peter 1:1, he doesn't introduce himself as a servant but as an "apostle." This second letter was written not long before Peter's death and he knew that it was close, verse 14, and with that knowledge he could see things the way they really were, he was simply a "servant".

Peter tells us how "grace and peace" could be multiplied unto us through our knowledge of God the Father and Jesus the Son, our Lord. By that same knowledge, we also receive "all things that pertain unto life and godliness," verse 3.

This chapter, our extended reading, contains "Biblical mathematics." "Multiplication" is found in verse 2, "addition" is found in verses 5-7. Notice that because we are "partakers of the divine nature," verse 4, we can start with "faith" and then add virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and finally we can add to all of the above "love."

Let's look at Peter's purpose for this letter, II Peter 1:12-15. He wants us to "remember." Peter says he will not be negligent but instead will put us in "remembrance" of the things he had just written to us.

Peter says, verse 13, he will "stir up our remembrance" so that after his death, we who read his letter might "remember" these great truths. In chapter 3 of II Peter, the apostle reveals the way he will stir up our "remembrance" is by the words of the "holy prophets", the writings of the "apostles" and the words spoken by "Jesus Christ."

Peter's second letter is the "how to's" for living in the End Times. Read these words and “remember” them for the way ahead, until He comes.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Help me, Lord, to remember Your Word so that I will be stirred up to action in these the last days.