Peter’s statement comes from Second Epistle of Peter 3:2, and it’s a compact but powerful summary of two streams of divine authority that believers were to hold onto.

Let’s break it down.

1. “The words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets”

This refers to the Old Testament prophetic Scriptures.

Peter is pointing back to:

• The writings of prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel
• Their predictions about:
  • The coming Day of the Lord
  • Judgment on the ungodly
  • The promise of God’s intervention in history

👉 In context (2 Peter 3), Peter is warning about scoffers denying Christ’s return, so he reminds them:
“This isn’t new—the prophets already spoke about these things.”

2. “The commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles”

This refers to the teachings of Jesus, passed on through the apostles.

• The “Lord and Savior” is Jesus Christ
• The “apostles” include figures like Peter the Apostle, John the Apostle, and Paul the Apostle

This includes teachings such as:

• Christ’s promise to return (e.g., Matthew 24)
• Calls to holy living and readiness
• Warnings about judgment

👉 Peter is emphasizing that:

• The apostles are not inventing new doctrine
• They are faithfully transmitting Christ’s own commands

3. The Big Idea: A Unified Authority

Peter is putting Old Testament prophecy and apostolic teaching side by side.

He’s essentially saying:

“Remember what God said before (through the prophets) and what Christ has now said (through His apostles).”

This shows:

• Continuity between Old and New Testament revelation
• That apostolic teaching carries divine authority, not just human opinion

4. Why Peter Says This (Context)

In the surrounding passage, Peter warns about:

• False teachers
• Scoffers denying the Second Coming

So this verse is a call to:

• Anchor yourself in revealed truth
• Not be shaken by new, skeptical ideas

Bottom Line

Peter is urging believers to hold fast to:

• The prophetic Scriptures (Old Testament)
• The teachings of Christ delivered by the apostles (New Testament)

Together, these form a complete, trustworthy witness about God’s plan—especially concerning Christ’s return and final judgment.

 

Great question—this verse opens the door to both specific prophetic texts and a broader doctrine of how God speaks authoritatively.

1) Old Testament passages Peter likely has in mind

In Second Epistle of Peter 3, Peter is addressing scoffers who deny the future judgment and return of Christ. So the “holy prophets” he refers to are especially those who spoke about:

A. The Day of the Lord (judgment + cosmic upheaval)

Book of Isaiah

• Isaiah 13:9–11
• Isaiah 34:4

These passages describe:

• The heavens dissolving
• Stars falling
• God judging the world

👉 This closely parallels 2 Peter 3:10 (“the heavens will pass away with a roar…”).

Book of Joel

• Joel 2:30–31
• Joel 3:14

Themes:

• Cosmic signs (sun darkened, moon turned to blood)
• “The great and terrible Day of the Lord”

Book of Zephaniah

• Zephaniah 1:14–18

Themes:

• A day of wrath, distress, and destruction
• Universal judgment—not just Israel

B. The destruction of the ungodly

Book of Malachi

• Malachi 4:1

“The day is coming, burning like an oven…”

This matches Peter’s imagery of fire consuming the present world (2 Peter 3:7).

C. Creation, Flood, and God’s past judgments

Peter explicitly mentions the Flood (2 Peter 3:5–6), pointing back to:

Book of Genesis

• Genesis 1 (creation by God’s word)
• Genesis 6–9 (the Flood)

👉 His argument:

• God judged the world once (by water)
• He will judge it again (by fire)

D. Promise of a new heavens and new earth

Book of Isaiah

• Isaiah 65:17
• Isaiah 66:22

“New heavens and a new earth”

Peter directly echoes this in 2 Peter 3:13.

Summary of OT themes Peter is invoking

Peter isn’t quoting just one passage—he’s drawing from a well-known prophetic framework:

• God created the world by His word
• God judged it in the past (Flood)
• God will judge it again (Day of the Lord, fire)
• God will renew it (new creation)

2) How this relates to apostolic authority and inspiration

Now to the second half of the verse:

“the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles”

This is theologically very important.

A. Apostles as authorized representatives of Christ

Peter places:

• “holy prophets” (OT)
  alongside
• “your apostles” (NT)

This implies equal divine authority in their message.

The apostles speak not independently, but as commissioned by:

• Jesus Christ

Compare:

• John 14:26 — the Spirit will bring Christ’s words to remembrance
• Matthew 28:20 — teach “all that I commanded you”

👉 So their teaching = Christ’s commandment

B. Apostolic teaching is already viewed as Scripture

Later in the same chapter:

• 2 Peter 3:15–16 refers to the writings of Paul the Apostle
• Peter says they are counted among “the Scriptures”

This is huge:

• Within the New Testament itself
• Apostolic writings are already being recognized as inspired Scripture

C. Continuity of revelation (not contradiction)

Peter’s structure shows:

Source	Content	Authority
Prophets	OT revelation	God’s word
Apostles	Christ’s teaching	God’s word

👉 This supports the doctrine that:

• The New Testament doesn’t replace the Old
• It fulfills and completes it

D. Inspiration: God speaks through both

Earlier in the letter, Peter defines prophecy:

• 2 Peter 1:21

“Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit”

This applies to:

• OT prophets
• And, by extension, apostolic teaching

3) The Big Theological Takeaway

Peter is making a bold claim:

👉 To reject apostolic teaching is to reject Christ
👉 To ignore the prophets is to ignore God’s prior revelation

So he anchors believers in a twofold authority:

1. Prophetic Scripture (Old Testament)
2. Apostolic teaching (New Testament)

Together, they form the foundation of what we now recognize as the Bible.

Bottom line

Peter likely has in mind a network of prophetic passages—especially from Isaiah, Joel, Zephaniah, Malachi, and Genesis—that describe:

• The Day of the Lord
• Final judgment
• Cosmic renewal

And he uses them to affirm that:

The message of the apostles is not new—it is the divinely authorized continuation and fulfillment of everything God already revealed.