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"Indeed, I looked at all of those things. But the context in which that verse appears (the right block on the link provided) is operative to understanding and therefore, my reading of it."

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It is always a good idea to take things in context, but you sometimes have to go a bit beyond the "context" shown at BibleHub, or other sites like that.

The Second Letter of Peter was a letter, and it did not logically stop at the end of a chapter. If you continue with "Chapter Two - Verse 1" of that letter, you see that the very next sentence Peter writes in that letter is about false teachers, trying to get people to agree with their own (private) false interpretations of what Peter had been talking about, and Peter goes on to counsel them to not listen to those false teachers (and, by implication, their "private", erroneous interpretations of prophecy and teachings), but to listen rather to the Church leaders (like Peter himself) who continued to instruct them in the correct interpretation of the prophecies and teachings.

That is the broader, and more useful context to read those texts in, as I see it.

(With that, I have to say good night to you, as I have to get up pretty early. God bless you, Alamo-Girl.)

Thank you again for sharing your insights, dear brother in Christ, and especially thank you for your blessing! May God ever bless you in this world and the one to come.

I took your advice and extended the context backwards and forwards to pick up the full paragraphs, both dealing with the subject matter of prophesy. In letter format, the two paragraphs look like this:

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. 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: 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.

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. – 2 Peter 1:16 through 2 Peter 2:1-3

I still read it the small way, though - that the first paragraph going into the second is speaking of prophets and prophecies.

Thank you for the conversation! It has been interesting.