Peter mentions the everlasting kingdom of Jesus in 2 Pet 1:11.  He mentions the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in 2 Pet 1:16, and the promise of his coming in 2 Pet 3:4.  Therefore, what he wrote in 2 Pet 1:12-21 definitely has something to do with the coming of Jesus.  Some believe that the prophecies of his coming and kingdom are “cunningly devised fables,” [2 Pet 1:16].  The scoffers say, “Where is the promise of his coming,” [2 Pet 3:3-4]?  But Jesus coming in his kingdom is not a fable.  The truth of Jesus coming in his kingdom was:

Witnessed by his apostles – 2 Pet 1:16 – in Matt 16:28 Jesus said that some standing here would see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.  They saw him coming in his kingdom in Matt 17:1-5.  He was transfigured and his face did shine as the sun.  In Mal 4:1-6 he is called the Sun of Righteousness.  He arises and Moses and Elijah are here before he comes.  In Rev 1:16 John saw him and said, “his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”

Confirmed by God in heaven – 2 Pet 1:17-18 – In Matt 17:5, God called the person who was transfigured before them, “my beloved Son.”  He instructed the disciples to hear him.  In so saying, he confirmed that this is how Jesus would appear at his coming.

Prophesied in old time – 2 Pet 1:21 – the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man as in Deut 18:20-22; Jer 14:14; Ezek 13:2-7.  Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.  See Acts 1:16, for instance, “the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake.”  Look at Zacharias’ statement in Lk 1:70, “he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets.”  Zacharias’ prophecy in Lk 1:67-75, is fulfilled when Jesus returns.  In 2 Sam 23:2-4, the Holy Spirit spake by David.  The prophecy is the fulfillment of the everlasting covenant with David in verse 5, which happens when Jesus returns.  See another prophecy concerning the coming of Jesus in Jer 23:5-6.  See Acts 4:25-26 with Ps 2:1-9.  The Lord, Peter said, “by the mouth of thy servant David hast said,” and then he quoted Ps 2:1-2.  This Psalm records David’s prophecy of Jesus coming in his kingdom.  There are many of these Old Testament prophecies.  We cited some of them that show you God was speaking through the prophet.

Recorded in scripture – 2 Pet 1:19-20 – Peter said about the written words of God, “We have a more sure word of prophecy…”.  What we have in writing in the scripture is “more sure” than hearing “a voice… from the excellent glory.”  The obvious reason is that we have, in writing today, “the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets,” [2 Pet 3:2].  We can take heed to them “as unto a light that shineth in a dark place.”  See Ps 119:130, for example.  You can continually read them “until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.”  This will be when Jesus returns.

Here’s an example of God’s words being spoken to a man who then records the spoken words in a book.  In Deut 5:24-31 God spoke the commandments to Moses because the people didn’t want to hear the voice of God speaking to them.  In Deut 31:24-26, Moses wrote the words down in a book.   In Matt 4:4, 7, 10, when Jesus was tempted by the devil, he quoted the words that were “written” in Deut 8:3; Deut 6:13; Deut 6:16.  The words that were written are the same words that were “said,” [Lk 4:12; Deut 6:16].

When Peter preached, he always put them “in remembrance of these things,” (the things that he wrote in this epistle) even though they were “established in the present truth,” [2 Pet 1:12].  He stirred them up by putting them in remembrance [2 Pet 1:13].  A lot of preaching is, indeed, repetitious.  Peter knew that his time on earth was limited [2 Pet 1:14].  So, in order for them “after (his) decease to have these things always in remembrance,” he wrote them down in this epistle [2 Pet 3:1-2].  What we have from the Holy Spirit through the writing of Peter is better than what they had when he preached because we have his words in our possession.  The Holy Spirit teaches for eternity in scripture what only a limited number of people heard in time.

Peter said, “no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation,” because the scripture records what the Holy Sprit said.  Therefore, the Holy Spirit is the only one who can teach and reveal the truth of his prophecies in scripture [Jn 16:13; 1 Cor 2:9-10].  Interpretation is the act of expounding and unfolding what is not understood or not obvious.  Men who try to privately interpret prophecy are hopeless to understand it without the Holy Spirit [2 Tim 3:16; Job 32:8].  What most so called “scholars” do is that they go to a Greek or Hebrew text, they retranslate the words to what they think are more intelligible words, and then they interpret the passage according to their translation and not according to what the Holy Spirit wrote.  This only leads to more confusion and disconnects the Holy Spirit from his work of inspiration.  It’s like Joseph said in Gen 40:8, “Do not interpretations belong to God?”

Conclusion: Through men like Peter, who recorded in this epistle, the words that he wanted his hearers to remember, the Holy Spirit recorded in scripture the things he wants us to remember [Jn 14:26]. “Ye do well that ye take heed,” [2 Pet 1:19].