Charles Spurgeon Commentary 2 Peter 1:21

"For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit." — 2 Peter 1:21 (ASV)

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.

This is the foundation of our faith—that this Book is divinely inspired. Do not let anyone make you doubt concerning this matter, for you must give up Christianity itself if you give up the inspiration of this Book.

You have nothing else to fall back upon but this Book and your own personal verification of it by the work of the Holy Spirit in your own soul.

To tamper with inspiration is to tamper with the heart of true religion. The least doubt on that matter is fatal.

I mean what I say, and I know how desperately this mischief is working in these days in which we live.

Men used to say, with the famous Chillingworth, "The Bible and the Bible alone is the religion of Protestants;" and so it was once.

Yet now it seems to me that anything but the Bible is coming to be their religion. But as for us, we accept as authoritative nothing that contradicts these truths which are written in this Book.

We intend to stand firm by these truths, God helping us; we can do no other, come what may in this evil age.

Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

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.

So that they sometimes spoke what they did not themselves understand. The prophecy carried its own key within itself, and the key could not be found until the prophecy was fulfilled.

I believe that the prophecies in Revelation, and in the books of Daniel and Ezekiel are very much of this character. I also believe that while it is quite right to watch for and expect the coming of the Lord, we will spend our time more profitably preaching the doctrines of the gospel than meditating on the mysterious prophecies of the Word.

They will be understood when they are fulfilled, but we do not think they will be fully understood before that time.