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NOVEMBER 30
5 But also for this very reason, giving all dili-
gence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowl-
edge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control
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perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to 1:21 by the will of man. As Scripture is not of
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godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly human origin,neither is it the result of human
kindness love. For if these things are yours will.The emphasis in the phrase is that no part
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and abound, you will be neither barren nor of Scripture was ever at any time produced
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus because men wanted it so.The Bible is not the
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Christ. For he who lacks these things is short- product of human effort.The prophets,in fact,
sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten sometimes wrote what they could not fully
that he was cleansed from his old sins. understand (1 Pet.1:10,11), but were nonethe-
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent less faithful to write what God revealed to them.
to make your call and election sure, for if you moved by the Holy Spirit. Grammatically, this
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do these things you will never stumble; for so means that they were continually carried or
an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly borne along by the Spirit of God. The Holy
into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Spirit thus is the divine author and originator,
Savior Jesus Christ. the producer of the Scriptures. In the Old
12 For this reason I will not be negligent to Testament alone, the human writers refer to
remind you always of these things, though their writings as the words of God over 3,800
times (e.g., Jer. 1:4; 3:2; Rom. 3:2; 1 Cor. 2:10).
you know and are established in the present Though the human writers of Scripture were
truth. Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am active rather than passive in the process of
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in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you,
14 knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, writing Scripture, God the Holy Spirit superin-
tended them so that,using their own individual
just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. personalities, thought processes, and vocabu-
15 Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you lary, they composed and recorded without
always have a reminder of these things after error the exact words God wanted written.The
my decease. original copies of Scripture are therefore
16 For we did not follow cunningly devised inspired, i.e., God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16) and
fables when we made known to you the power inerrant,i.e.,without error (John 10:34,35;17:17;
and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but Titus 1:2). Peter defined the process of inspira-
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were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He tion which created an inerrant original text
received from God the Father honor and glory (Prov.30:5; 1 Cor.14:36; 1 Thess.2:13).
when such a voice came to Him from the
Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this and the morning star rises in your hearts;
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voice which came from heaven when we were 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of
with Him on the holy mountain. Scripture is of any private interpretation, for
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19 And so we have the prophetic word con- prophecy never came by the will of man, but
firmed, which you do well to heed as a light holy men of God spoke as they were moved by
that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns the Holy Spirit.
DAY 30:Who was the fourth person in the fiery furnace of Daniel 3:19–25?
The delivery of Shadrach,Meshach,and Abed-Nego from the flames was an astonishing,miracu-
lous event.The furnace was real,and the flames were hot.The guards who carried the young men close
enough to cast them in the furnace were killed.Why complicate this miracle with a fourth person in the
furnace? Because the king himself noticed the discrepancy between the number he had thrown into the
flames and the number he saw strolling about.The truth usually includes unexpected complications.
The king concluded the fourth person was a heavenly being. He identified the visitor in two
different ways: 1) “like the Son of God” (3:25); 2) “Angel” (3:28). When he commanded the three
friends to exit the furnace, the king did not extend an invitation to God’s special servant.
Viewed from the context of all of Scripture, the fourth person could possibly have been the
Second Person of the Godhead (Jesus Christ) in a preincarnate appearance. For other similar Old
Testament instances, see Exodus 3:2, Joshua 5:13–15, and Judges 6:11ff. While the term “Angel” is
used in these reports, the person had a special connection with the Lord. He wasn’t an angel, but
the Angel of the Lord. His presence may be startling but He does not have the stunning and awe-
inspiring appearance of an angel. The king saw four men in the furnace. The one who appeared
miraculously he identified as the Son of God. It may well have been an inspired exclamation.

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