2 Peter 1:18

Peter, James and John were with Jesus on the ‘holy mountain’. This mountain was either Mount Tabor or Mount Hermon. It was ‘holy’ because God spoke there. God spoke to Moses when he gave his law to Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:23). God spoke to the *prophet Elijah there as well (1 Kings 19:8-18). However, Peter did not mention in this letter that Moses and Elijah were with Jesus. Peter emphasised what the *apostles saw and heard. This showed that they had authority. They had not made up the stories. In Jerusalem, Peter had spoken to the *Jewish leaders. He said, ‘We have seen and heard many things. We cannot stop speaking about them’ (Acts 4:20).

Evidence from the *Scriptures

v19 We are even more certain about the message that the *prophets gave. So you must concentrate on it. It is like a lamp that shines in a dark place. It shines until the day begins. It shines until the morning star rises up in your spirits. v20 First, you must understand this. No *prophecy in the *Scriptures ever came from the *prophet’s own mind. v21 *Prophecy never comes from what a person thinks. Instead, the Holy Spirit gave the *prophets the words of God’s message.

Verse 19

The *Old Testament *prophets said that the *Messiah would come. They spoke about his power and his *glory. Peter’s experience on the holy mountain showed that the *prophets were right. So the readers could completely trust the *Scriptures. People also call the *Scriptures ‘God’s word’. Peter described them as ‘a lamp’. Psalms 119:105 says, ‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.’ People often describe the world as a dark place. It means that there is much *sin in the world. In the dark, people cannot see where to go. But the *Scriptures are like a light. They show people how to live in the right way.

’The day’ is what the *Old Testament calls ‘the day of the *Lord’. It refers to the time when God will *judge the world. Malachi 4:5 calls it ‘the great and terrible day of the *Lord’. This is the day when Jesus will return. For Christians, it is a day of *salvation. They eagerly expect it.

’The morning star’ is what we call Venus. It appears just before dawn. It shows that a new day is going to start. Jesus said ‘I am… the bright morning star’ (Revelation 22:16). Numbers 24:17 says, ‘A star will come out of Jacob’. *Jews believed that this was a promise about the *Messiah.

When Jesus returns, he will fill Christians with his *glory and his light. They will know him and they will be like him (1 John 3:2). But people must use the ‘lamp’ of the *Scriptures until the day that Jesus returns.