Peter Warns All Believers Against False Teachers Within and Exhorts Us to be Steadfast Volume 15

The Trustworthy Prophetic Word of God Declared and Affirmed by the Apostle Peter Part 2 2 Peter 1:20-21 Knowing this first, that no Prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. 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. KJV Note: NKJV=New King 👑James Version The Apostle Peter in concluding his discourse on the Prophetic Word of God that was declared through God's Prophets long ago concerning the first coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and also concerning His second coming when He judges this world in righteousness (that being His own righteousness) and ends time forever, declares to us that what the Prophets spoke was not from their own intellect or intelligence, that is, not from the mind of man. Peter uses the phrase 'private interpretation' in 2 Peter 1:20 and we understand what he means here by private, but the English word 'interpretation' is translated by the Greek word epilusis which is used this one time only in the entire New Testament and means explanation, that is, application: - interpretation. In other words, these men like Moses and Isaiah and Zechariah and Hosea and Amos and so on were not using their intelligence or wisdom or knowledge to foretell when and where the Messiah would come or how He would live and suffer and die for the sins of the world 🗺. But on the contrary they were listening 👂and hearing from the Lord Jehovah/Yahweh and then speaking or writing what He declared to them, for example here is what Ezekiel said and then wrote in his book, "And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "'Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, 'Hear the Word of the LORD!' Thus says the Lord GOD: 'Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the LORD. They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, 'Thus says the LORD!' But the LORD has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, 'The LORD says,' but I have not spoken.' Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you,' says the Lord GOD. 'My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord GOD." (Ezekiel 13:1-9) (NKJV). You see the One true God is Omnipotent (all Powerful) and Omniscient (all Knowing), therefore, nothing that He does not want recorded as His Eternal Words will not be so declared. The Old Testament Prophets as well as the New Testament writers declared the true Word of the Lord because He God gave His Word to them. The Bible is the Word of God and not the Word of Men 🚹 and there is the very Power of God in His Holy Words. No other book ever written by men does any of the words contain in any of those many books have any power in them at all. God's Word (the Bible) comes with His Divine Power in every Word from Genesis Chapter 1 to Revelation Chapter 22. Here is what the Expositor's Bible Commentary has to say of 2 Peter 1:20, "The Greek words need to be taken account of before we can gather the true meaning of this clause. That which is translated 'is' is much more frequently rendered 'comes to pass,' and bears the sense of 'arises,' 'has its origin.' 'Interpretation' is the translation of a word which occurs here only in the-New Testament, and implies the 'loosing' of what is complicated, the 'clearing' of what is obscure. The lesson which the Apostle would give relates to the right appreciation of the Old Testament Scriptures, which contain the prophecy which he has called above 'the lamp in a dark place.' He intends to say something which may incline men to follow its guidance. The prophetic writings furnish us with illustrations how the problems which arose in the lives of the men of old time, both about events around them and also about the dispensations of Divine providence, found their solution. Thus they furnish rules and principles for time to come; and that men may be induced to confide in their guidance is the object of St. Peter's words. He bids the converts know that these unravellings and clearings of the ways of God are not men's private interpretation of what they beheld. This was not the manner in which they came to be known. They are not evolved out of human consciousness, pondering on the facts of life and the ways of God, nor are they the individual exposition of those whom God employed as His prophets. They are messages and lessons which came from One and the same Impelling Power, from One and the same Illuminating Influence, even from God Himself, and so are uniform in spirit and teaching from first to last; and He from whom and through whom they are given can say by the mouth of the last of the prophetic body, 'I am Jehovah; I change not.' (Malachi 3:6)." The Apostle Peter now wants to put a period and exclamation point on this very long entertained but very wrong entertained fallacy or fiction or foolishness that the Prophets of old declared or decided or determined what they would speak or write concerning the will of God. Peter says here in 2 Peter 1:21 that 'the Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man' and that little English word 'will' is translated by the Greek word thelēma which means a determination that is, (actively) choice (specifically purpose, decree; abstractly volition) or (passively) inclination: - desire, pleasure, will. In other words, they didn't know anything about the times and places of the coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ our Lord nor did they know of any future events in human history that they wrote about, for it was all given to them by the Spirit of God who is the true author of the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. This entire 1st Chapter of 2nd Peter is all about what he and we have been given by God, not about what he or we have determined about God or decreed about God or declared about God from our own knowing or knowledge, but all about what God has shown him and given to him that he might declare the truth of God to all of us who are of the truth and love the truth, remember what the Apostle John wrote, "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth." (1 John 2:20-21) (NKJV). The anointing from the Holy One is what every true born again son or daughter has from God and so was it with those men of old who spoke and wrote for God His very Words and now we see Peter writing this very truth here in 2 Peter 1:21, "but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" and so is the Apostle Peter in his writing these two letters. The little English phrase 'were moved' is translated by the Greek word pherō̄ a primary verb which means to 'bear' or carry (in a very wide application, literally and figuratively: - be driven, move along. Like a sail boat with no engine cannot move forward through the water without the wind 🍃going through the sails, so could not those Prophets of old 🧓speak or write 📝for God without the Holy Ghost giving them the words to speak and write 📝. This is why we read in the Old Testament 'Thus saith the Lord God' or 'The Word of the Lord came to me saying' or 'Then the Lord said to Noah' or 'And the Lord said to Moses', for this is the pattern throughout the Old Testament. However, we now read these words written to us by the writer of the Book of Hebrews, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the Prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;" (Hebrews 1:1-2) (NKJV). Peter and Paul and John and the other writers of the New Testament are all likewise moved along by the Holy Spirit and we must recall these words our Lord Jesus spoke to them not long before He ascended back to Heaven, "'I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you." (John 16:12-15) (NKJV). These are all the things that Peter and Paul and John have written in their letters Amen! Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of 2 Peter 1:21, "Seeing it is so absolutely necessary that persons be fully persuaded of the Scripture's Divine origin, the Apostle tells us how the Old Testament came to be compiled, and that, 1. Negatively: It came not by the will of man. Neither the things themselves that are recorded, and make up the several parts of the Old Testament, are the opinions of men, nor was the will of any of the Prophets or penmen of the Scriptures the rule or reason why any of those things were written which make up the canon of the Scripture. 2. Affirmatively: Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Observe, (1.) They were holy men of God who were employed about that book which we receive as the Word of God. If Balaam and Caiaphas, and others who were destitute of holiness, had any thing of the spirit of prophecy, upon occasion, yet such persons were not employed to write any part of the Scriptures for the use of the Church of God. All the penmen of the Scriptures were holy men of God. (2.) These holy men were moved by the Holy Ghost in what they delivered as the mind and will of God. The Holy Ghost is the supreme agent, the holy men are but instruments. [1.] The Holy Ghost inspired and dictated to them what they were to deliver of the Mind of God. [2.] He powerfully excited and effectually engaged them to speak (and write) what he had put into their mouths. [3.] He so wisely and carefully assisted and directed them in the delivery of what they had received from Him that they were effectually secured from any the least mistake in expressing what they revealed; so that the very Words of Scripture are to be accounted the Words of the Holy Ghost, and all the plainness and simplicity, all the power and virtue, all the elegance and propriety, of the very words and expressions are to be regarded by us as proceeding from God. Mix faith therefore with what you find in the Scriptures; esteem and reverence your Bible as a book written by holy men, inspired, influenced, and assisted by the Holy Ghost." If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Peter Warns All Believers Against False Teachers Within and Exhorts Us to be Steadfast Volume 14

The Trustworthy Prophetic Word of God Declared and Affirmed by the Apostle Peter Part 1 2 Peter 1:19 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: KJV Note: NKJV=New King 👑James Version As we declared in the very last commentary/bible study, the Apostle Peter had the reality and truth of who Christ Jesus our Lord was then and is now and always has been and that is He is very God manifested or made visible in human flesh to mankind, for Peter was an eyewitness to His Majesty/Splendor/Glory and God the Father speaking from Heaven affirming who Jesus Christ was and is for all Eternity. However, now the Apostle Peter writes to us these words, "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:" (2 Peter 1:19) (KJV). What does Peter mean by these words? Is he saying that the Word of God (the Old Testament for Peter at the time of his writing) is more sure or certain than what he saw and heard? Of course he is not discounting what he saw of the Glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, nor the Words he heard spoken from Heaven, for our Lord Jesus Himself affirmed to Peter, James, and John the truth of what they saw and heard as they were about to go down from the mountain when He spoke these words to them, "Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, 'Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.'" (Matthew 17:9) (NKJV). Therefore, we see that this was real and true what the Apostles saw and heard. What Peter is actually saying here, is that the Words written by the Prophets of Old 🧓were and are true and trustworthy and of course they are because it was God/Jesus Himself speaking through them. Remember when Moses said this, "'The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear'" (Deuteronomy 18:15) (NKJV). Moses was not told who this Prophet would be or the fact/reality that it would be God Himself manifested in human flesh. Moses went on further down to write these words as well, "And the LORD said to me: What they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My Name, I will require it of him." (Deuteronomy 18:17-19) (NKJV). Note: "Notice the very first words Moses writes, "AND THE LORD SAID TO ME:" This is what Moses and all the other true Prophets of God declared to the people and that being what the Lord said to them and everything that the Lord said to them came to pass exactly as He the Lord said it would. Here is the Prophet Ezekiel speaking the trustworthy Word of God, "Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the Word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life (that being his eternal life), that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn (repent) from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul." (Ezekiel 3:16-19) (NKJV). The Apostle Peter says at the end of 2 Peter 1:19 that 'light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts', for the English word 'dark' is translated by the Greek word auchmēros which is used this one time only in the entire New Testament and it means dust, as dried by wind; properly dirty and dark. The English word 'dawn' is translated by the Greek word diaugazō which also is used this one time only in the entire New Testament and it means to glimmer through, that is, break (as day): - dawn. Finally, the English word 'star' used here by Peter is translated by the Greek word light bearing ('phosphorus'), that is, (specifically) the morning star (figuratively): - day star. What our Lord Jesus means here is exactly what he declared to the Prophet Ezekiel to speak to the people and that is our human inner man 👨and inner woman 👩is evil and wicked (for we are all born that way at our physical birth into the human race Roman 3:10-18) dark and dirty, therefore, we need the light of the Word of God the Gospel of Christ to break through into our filthy hearts as the day light or the morning Sun Rise breaks through the darkness of nightfall and moves it out of the way so that only the light bearing rays of the Sun are visible, so do we human sinners need the filthy sin of our hearts dawned upon by the Word of God, that is, the Gospel of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-11), that is, Christ Himself as He enters the heart, for He is the Morning Star, as it is written by our Lord Jesus to us with these words, "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. 'I, Jesus, have sent My Angel to testify to you these things in the Churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.'" (Revelation 22:14-16) (NKJV). Here is what the Expositor's Bible Commentary had to say of 2 Peter 1:19, "THE rendering of the first words in this passage must be reckoned among the distinct improvements of the Revised Version. As the translation stands in the Authorized Version, 'We have also a more sure word of Prophecy,' it conveys a sense which many must have found perplexing. The Apostle had just dwelt on the confirmation of faith, both for himself and those to whom he preached, which was ministered by the vision of the Glory of Jesus and by the proclamation of His Divinity by God's voice from Heaven. Could any Prophetic message vie in his estimate with the assurance of such a revelation? Now what St. Peter meant is made clear. 'And we have the Word of Prophecy made more sure'-more sure because we have received the confirmation of all that the Prophets spake dimly and in figure. The Apostle and the rest of the Jewish people had been trained in the ancient Scriptures, and gathered from them, some more and some less, light concerning God's scheme of salvation. There were, however, but few who had attained a true insight into what was revealed. They had dwelt, as a rule, too exclusively on all that spake of the glory of the promised Redeemer and of His coming to reign and to conquer. That there should be suffering in His life, they had put out of sight, though the Prophets had foretold it; and so when Christ spake of His crucifixion, soon to come to pass in Jerusalem, St. Peter exclaimed-and he had the feelings of his nation with him-'That be far from Thee.' The voice on the holy mount and the words of Moses and Elias had opened their eyes to the full drift of Prophetic revelation; and by the illumination of that scene of glory, where yet the lot of suffering was contemplated as near at hand, there had been given to them a grasp of the whole scope of prophecy, and their partial and distorted conception of the Work of Christ was banished forever. 'Whereunto ye do well that ye take heed.' The idea of a volume of New Testament Scriptures had not entered St. Peter's mind. He knows that St. Paul's letters (2 Peter 3:15-16) are read by some, who do not all profit by the privilege; and his own letters he intends to be an abiding admonition to the Churches. The need, too, of a record of Christ's life and works, a Gospel, must have begun to be felt. But yet he points the converts to the ancient records of Israel as a guide to direct their lives. They had heard the Gospel story from the lips of himself and others. Thus they had the key to unlock what hitherto had seemed hard to understand, and could study their Prophetic volume with a new and perfect light. This he means by 'ye do well.' Ye go to the true source of guidance, drink of the fountain of true wisdom, and gain strength and refreshment-when it is much needed. Duly to take heed of these records is to search out their lessons and labor after that deeper sense which is enshrined beneath the Word. Given as they were at various times and in various fashions, and given to point on to God's purposes in the future, these Scriptures must needs have been dark to those who first received them, nor could the men whom God chose to deliver them have been fully conscious of all they were meant to declare as the ages rolled on and brought their fulfillment nearer. Nor are they all luminous even yet, but they grow ever more so to those who take heed. 'As unto a lamp shining in a dark place.' Spite of all the light we can compass, the world will always be in one sense a dark place. It is a world of beauty, full of the tokens of God's Handiwork, the indications of His Love. But evil has also made an entrance: and the trail of the serpent is evident in the sorrow, the disease, the wickedness, that abound on every side. And problems continually present themselves which even to the saints are hard to be solved. Many a Psalm records the conflict which has to be passed through ere God's ways can be reconciled to men. We must go into His House, draw near to Him, feel to the full His Fatherhood, ere our hearts can be contented. Nay, the disquiet breaks out again and again. So God, in His mercy, has provided His lamp for those who will use it; and to those who take heed it furnishes ever-new light. The history, the Prophecy, the devotion, the allegory, of the holy volume are all full of illustrations of the firm purpose of redemption, of the eternal, unchanging love of Jehovah, thwarted only by the perverseness of those whom He is longing to save from their sins. And to call God's revelation in His word a lamp is a striking and instructive figure. It is something which you can take with you, and carry into the dark places whither your lot may send you, and use its light just where and when you need it. But its light must be fed by the constant oil of diligent study, or its usefulness will not be found to the full. And the truth is the same if we apply the lesson to nations and Churches as it is for individuals. The records were given to a Nation chosen to keep the knowledge of God alive in the world. The word spoken did not profit, as it was meant to do, because it was not mixed with faith in them that heard it. And there is the same faith needed still. The light of a lamp in a dark place shines but a little way; but by the rays of the Divine lamp men are to walk, in faith that the steps beyond will become clear in their turn. And thus alone will the problems of life be really solved, the religious contentions, the social difficulties, the trials of family life, the individual doubts and fears: all are elements of darkness; all need to be illumined by the lamp which God has provided. Oh that men would burnish it by diligent heed, and keep its radiance at the full by constant seeking thereunto! 'Until the day dawn, and the day-star arise' in your hearts. The day has begun to dawn for those who will lift up their hearts to its breaking. The day-star from on high hath visited the earth in the Person of Christ, but the full day will not be till He returns again. Yet His coming into the world was meant to lighten every man, and to win all men to walk in His light. 'I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Me,' is His own promise. And in that decease of which He spake with Moses and Elijah. He has been lifted up. But He has left it to them that love Him to lift Him up constantly before the eyes of men, to exalt Him by their lives; and our lax performances make the progress of His drawing all men, to halt. We fail to make due use of the lamp which He has put ready to our hand, and which only needs to be grasped. The perfect day will not come to us in this life, but He gives to His faithful ones glimpses of the dawn. They learn the presence of the Sun of righteousness, though as yet they see Him only through the mists and darkness of life; and they are cheered with the certainty of the coming day. And the day-star of the Spirit is kindled in the hearts of those who ask Him to dwell there; and they are led forward into greater and greater truth, into richer and fuller light. And for the same end the Spirit is promised to the Church of Christ: that she may be enabled, having used the lamp first given with all faithfulness, to open to men the ways of God more fully, and, amid the changes of times and varying vicissitudes and needs of men and nations, to prove that the only satisfaction to the soul is the increasing knowledge of the oneness of God's purpose and eternity of His Love. To such a power she will be helped by giving heed to the lamp in every dark place and seeking in its light the elucidation of all hard questions." If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Peter Warns All Believers Against False Teachers Within and Exhorts Us to be Steadfast Volume 13

Christ's Wonderful and Powerful Glory Seen by the Apostle Peter 2 Peter 1:16-18 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His Majesty. For He received from God the Father Honour and Glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the Excellent Glory, This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with Him in the Holy Mount. KJV Note: NKJV=New King 👑James Version All that Peter has written in his first letter ✉ and now this very second letter ✉, he wrote with concrete assurance of who our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ truly is and that being God Manifesting Himself in Human Flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). The Apostle Peter was an eyewitness of the majesty and power of Christ's Glory (2 Peter 1:16). Peter saw His face 😔 shine forth as bright as the sun ☀, yet Peter only saw a glimpse or a foretaste of His Mighty Glory (remember Moses Exodus 33:18-22). Peter wanted those early true believers and all of us true believers who have come after them to know that this Christ (whom he speaks of and writes about) is the One True and Only God. This why Peter says here in the beginning of 2 Peter 1:16 that they did not follow after fables, that is, deliberately false or improbable accounts; stories about mythical or supernatural beings or events. The Lord Jesus took Peter and James and John up on a high mountain ⛰ and let them be eyewitnesses of part of His Glory that was veiled or covered up by His human flesh, even as He made Moses and Elijah appear before Him talking with Him (Matthew 17:1-8). So this is why Peter wrote these incredible words in his first and second letter ✉, for example remember what he wrote at the very beginning of his first letter ✉. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5) (NKJV). He (God the Father) has begotten us, that is, made us His offspring through new birth. Our inheritance waiting for us in Heaven is incorruptible. We are kept or guarded by the Power of God. Wow! Wow! and Wow! The fact that Peter knew that Jesus Christ is God and that the Spirit of God moved him along like the wind does a sail on a ship is why Peter wrote such awesome, amazing, and absolute words in each of these letters. Here is what Adam Clarke had to say of 2 Peter 1:16, "I think, with Macknight and others, from the Apostle's using eye witnesses, or rather beholders, in the end of the verse, it is probable that he means those cunningly devised fables among the heathens, concerning the appearance of their gods on earth in human form. And to gain the greater credit to these fables, the priests and statesmen instituted what they called the mysteries of the gods, in which the fabulous appearance of the gods was represented in mystic shows. But one particular show none but the fully initiated were permitted to behold; hence they were entitled beholders. This show was probably some resplendent image of the god, imitating life, which, by its glory, dazzled the eyes of the beholders, while their ears were ravished by hymns sung in its praise; to this it was natural enough for St. Peter to allude, when speaking about the transfiguration of Christ. Here the indescribably resplendent majesty of the great God was manifested, as far as it could be, in conjunction with that human body in which the fullness of the Divinity dwelt. And we, says the Apostle, were beholders of His own majesty. Here was no trick, no feigned show; we saw Him in His Glory whom thousands saw before and afterwards; and we have made known to you the power and coming, the appearance and presence, of our Lord Jesus; and we call you to feel the exceeding greatness of this power in your conversion, and the glory of this appearance in His revelation by the power of His Spirit to your souls. These things we have witnessed, and these things ye have experienced: and therefore we can confidently say that neither you nor we have followed cunningly devised fables, but that blessed Gospel which is the power of God to the salvation of every one that believes." God the Father affirming God the Son by speaking from Heaven in an audible voice that could be understood and was understood by the three Apostles on the Mountain ⛰. For these words spoken from Heaven, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (2 Peter 1:17), were spoken for them and us to believe and understand and never doubt again. God had come to earth 🌎in human form to bring man back to Himself, as the Apostle Paul wrote it with these words, "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting people's sins against them (but canceling them), and has committed to us the word of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)(NKJV plus a little Amplified Bible). Here is what Matthew Henry had to say of 2 Peter 1:17, "What a gracious declaration was made: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased - the best voice that ever came from Heaven to earth; God is well pleased with Christ, and with us in Him. This is the Messiah who was promised, through whom all who believe in Him shall be accepted and saved. This declaration is made by God the Father, who thus publicly owns His Son (even in His state of humiliation, when He was in the form of a servant), yea, proclaims Him to be His Beloved Son, when He is in that low condition; yea, so far are Christ's mean and low circumstances from abating the love of the Father to Him that His laying down His life is said to be one special reason of the Father's love, John 10:17. The design of this voice was to do our Saviour a singular honour while he was here below: He received honour and glory from God the Father. This is the person whom God delights to honour. As He requires us to give honour and glory to His Son by confessing Him to be our Saviour, so does He give glory and honour to our Saviour by declaring Him to be His Son. This voice is from Heaven, called here the Excellent Glory, which still reflects a greater glory upon our blessed Saviour. This declaration is from God the fountain of honour, and from Heaven the seat of glory, where God is most gloriously present." The Apostle Peter wanted to make it very clear that they heard this voice from Heaven (2 Peter 1:18) for it was not a figment of their imagination, but a clear detectable audible voice from Heaven speaking in the Hebrew language that they could clearly discern. Here is what again Matthew Henry had to say of 2 Peter 1:18, "This voice was heard, and that so as to be understood, by Peter, James, and John. They not only heard a sound (as the people did, John 12:28, John 12:29), but they understood the sense. God opens the ears and understandings of His people to receive what they are concerned to know, when others are like Paul's companions, who only heard a sound of words (Acts 9:7), but understood not the meaning thereof, and therefore are said not to hear the voice of Him that spoke, Acts 22:9. Blessed are those who not only hear, but understand, who believe the truth, and feel the power of the voice from Heaven, as he did who testifieth these things: and we have all the reason in the world to receive his testimony; for who would refuse to give credit to what is so circumstantially laid down as this account of the voice from heaven, of which the Apostle tells us, It was heard by them in the holy mount, when they were with Jesus? The place wherein God affords any peculiarly gracious manifestation of Himself is thereby made holy, not with an inherent holiness, but as the ground was holy where God appeared to Moses (Exodus 3:5), and the mountain holy on which the temple was built, Psalms 87:1. Such places are relatively holy, and to be regarded as such during the time that men in themselves experience, or may, by warrant from the word, believingly expect, the special presence and gracious influence of the holy and glorious God." If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...