2 PETER 1

Survey of the epistle
Whereas the theme of Peter’s first epistle was suffering, the theme of his second epistle is knowledge and its benefits. In chapter 1 working out of the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord will result in a life of virtue, “add to your faith virtue”, 1:5. In chapter 2 a denial of the knowledge which was set out by the apostles will result in a life of vice, “that cannot cease from sin”, 2: 14. In chapter 3 the awareness of knowledge will result in a life of vision, “seeing that ye look for such things”, 3:14.

Survey of the first chapter
The chapter may be divided into three sections. From verses 1-9 the apostle is encouraging us to “the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” verse 1. From verses 6-11 he is encouraging us to be diligent, verse 10, and to remember the teaching of the apostles. From verses 12-21 he assures us that what Christians believe about the coming of the Lord is confirmed by what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration.

Structure of the chapter

(a)	Verses 1-4	Intelligence as to the promises of God
(b)	Verses 6-11	Diligence in the preparation for the kingdom
(c)	Verses 12-21	Confidence in prophecies about the kingdom

(a) Verses 1-4
Intelligence as to the promises of God

1:1
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

Simon Peter- in his first epistle, (written to the same people, 3:1), he wrote as Peter. This is the Greek equivalent of the name Cephas the Lord Jesus gave to him at the beginning, John 1:42. This emphasised his true apostleship, for he had been with the Lord from the start, as must be true of an apostle, Acts 1:21. Here, however, he highlights both the name his father gave Him, and the name that he was known by as an apostle. In this way he reminds us that he had a nature that could sin, and it was only the grace of God that kept him. It was as “Simon, Simon” that the Lord addressed him to warn him that Satan desired to sift him, Luke 22:31-34. He is writing to those who are in very grave danger of denying their Lord, and he assures them at the start of his epistle that he had his failings too, but by God’s mercy he overcame them and was restored. When he was thus restored, the Lord instructed him to “strengthen thy brethren”, verse 32, and this he seeks to do in this epistle.

A servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ- note the order of Peter’s description of himself. He had learned the lesson in the upper room, for the Lord had said to them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them”, John 13:16,17. He had just given them the example of He, their Lord, girding Himself with a towel like a servant, and washing their feet. He would soon say to them, “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you”, 20:21. So the apostles were servants and sent ones, (the meaning of the word apostle), and they were to remember that they had a Lord, and He was their sending authority. This was not only a warning to Peter, but also an encouragement to his readers, who may be assured that he is serving their best interests as one who is sent of the Lord Jesus Himself.

Note also the order of the titles of Christ. Peter had finished his first epistle by using the title Christ Jesus that was especially associated with the apostle Paul, whose initial experience of Christ was to see Him as the ascended Christ, and then to be told that He was Jesus. Peter, however, came to know Him first as Jesus, the man on earth, and then realised and confessed that He was the Christ, the Messiah of Israel.

To them that have obtained like precious faith with us- the word obtained is literally “obtained by lot”, and is used very sparingly in the New Testament. It is used of Zecharias when he was allotted the role of offering incense, Luke 1:9. It was used of Judas Iscariot as to his appointment as an apostle, Acts 1:17. In neither of these cases is there the thought of chance. After all, the Scripture says that “the lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord”, Proverbs 16:33. Now the word “disposing” has a legal flavour to it, meaning “a verdict pronounced judicially”. It is derived from the Hebrew word which means “to pronounce sentence”. So Peter is saying that the faith that was possessed both by his readers and himself, precious as it was, (being placed in a precious person, 1 Peter 2:7), was theirs by judicial sentence. And what is involved in that comes before us when we look at the next phrase.

Through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ- so the man Jesus Christ, who is both God and Saviour, is the one through whom God’s judicial verdict on us is mediated. He is “Jesus Christ the righteous”, 1 John 2:1. More than this, it is through His knowlege of God’s demands with regard to us as sinners that He justifies many, Isaiah 53:11.

So it is that those who exercise faith in Him are recognised as believers by God in a judicial sentence. So it is not that they received faith as something outside of themselves, given to them in some way by God. It is that, once they had believed, they were recognised by God as having faith, and that in full accord with His justice. They were reckoned to have the same faith as the apostles, (their faith was therefore authentic), and this recognition was God’s just verdict upon them. Their God and Saviour Jesus Christ had justified them, in the sense that He had recognised them as His own in a righteous way and on a righteous basis.

1:2
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord- in his first epistle to them the apostle simple expressed the wish that grace and peace might be granted them. Here he tells us how it happens in practice. It is as we increase in the knowledge of God that grace and peace are multiplied. The more we grow in the knowledge of God and His person, the more we shall know the grace or favour of God, and the peace that comes through being in practical harmony with Him.

And of Jesus our Lord- we shall also know grace and peace through Jesus our Lord, because it is always through subjection to Him as Lord that the blessings of God are known. We should not expect to know in our experience the grace and peace of God if we do not know God as we should, and do not submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

1:3
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness- we are helped in our advance in the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ by the fact that the power of God has been put forth, not just to save us, (for the gospel is “the power of God unto salvation”), but to assist us in our quest for the knowledge of God. What are those “all things”? First, there is the indwelling Spirit of God, who enables a godly life as we respond to His leading. Every believer has the gift of eternal life, the life of God, to enable progress to be made in the knowledge of God. Then we have the written word of God, our guide book for Christian living. Again, God has gifted certain men to expound that word so that we do not go wrong as we read it ourselves. Then there is fellowship with other believers, which helps and encourages on the pathway of Christian life. These five things are God’s provision so that a godly and meaningful Christian life may be lived to His glory.

Through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue- in the final analysis, those five helps can only be of benefit if they are used in the context of who God is, and what He purposes His people to be in terms of glory and virtue. At the beginning God made man in His image and after His likeness, Genesis 1:26. His image would speak of the glory of representing God; His likeness would speak of the honour of being like God. Man, through sin, largely lost the capacity to represent God and display God, but the believer is a new creature, and as such is able to manifest and represent God in terms of glory and virtue. This is the Christian’s calling, his main business. Virtue may be defined as “praiseworthy excellence”.

1:4
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises- “whereby” means “through which”, referring to the “all things that pertain to life and godliness”, verse 3. The phrase “whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises” may be thought of as a parenthesis, so that there may be preserved in our minds the link between “the things that pertain to life and godliness”, and “that by these ye might become partakers of the Divine nature”.

To encourage us on the path of developing glory and virtue, God gives promises which are rooted in what He is in Himself, which are made known to us as part of the provision of all things, for as we have said, “whereby” signifies “through which”. They are promises that are fully in accord with His purpose to glorify Himself and His Son in the future, and to display His virtues. The believer has the great privilege of being part of that future. The giving of the promises is a strong incentive to go in for the things of glory and virtue.

The promises are said to be exceeding great, and precious. Israel were given great promises in the Old Testament, but believers of this age are given surpassing promises, which, because they involve a special relationship with Christ, must be classed as exceedingly great and precious.

That by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature- by the “all things” that God has provided us with, we are enabled to aim for the goal, (hence the “might be”, which raises a possibility, and does not speak of a realised actuality), of progressively partaking of the Divine nature. In this way there is achieved God’s goal for man at the beginning, when He made man to be in His image and after His likeness. The divine nature is the sum total of His glorious attributes as God. Some of the glories are non-communicable, for instance His omniscience, His omnipresence, and His omnipotence. But others are communicable, such as eternal life, righteousness, holiness, and goodness. These we may have a share of as we increase in the knowledge of them as we take advantage of the “all things that pertain to life and godliness”.

Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust- the corruption and lust in the world are in sharp contrast to the glory and virtue to which we have been called. This is a timely reminder from the apostle that by means of the redemption which is in Christ Jesus we have been delivered from the world. The fact that we have escaped indicates that it tried to inprison us, and yet Christ has freed us.

(b) Verses 5-11
Diligence in the preparation for the kingdom

1:5
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

And beside this- that is, “to further this end of displaying glory and virtue, we need to be personally active and exercised to do certain things”.

Giving all diligence- spiritual qualities demand spiritual energy to develop them. Peter was noted for being a man of action, even if sometimes his energies were used in the wrong way. The word for diligence, “spoude”, was the cry of the spectators at the Games as they urged on their favourite athlete. It means to “strain every sinew and speed on your way”. This is how the apostle is urging us on in the pursuit of spiritual qualities.

Add to your faith virtue- it is not so much that we add virtue to faith as when one is added to one. It is that virtue issues forth from the exercise of faith, hence the preposition is “en”, for virtue is latent in the faith that we possess already. So it is not that we accumulate a list of eight things, but that as a result of the outworking of faith, seven qualities manifest themselves. Virtue is praiseworthy excellence, and comes through faith contemplating the features displayed by Christ when down here, the “knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” spoken of in verse 8. Possession of these qualities will show an acquaintance with Him.

And to virtue knowledge- knowledge is spoken of twice in verses 8 and 9. here it is “gnosis”, knowledge that accumulates, as the life of Christ is contemplated. In verse 9 it is “epignosis”, which is knowledge which, having accumulated, appreciates, for it is “epi” knowledge, knowledge that is taken up with the person known. Once we have developed virtue, we shall desire the knowledge of Christ even more, and the apostle urges us in this direction.

1:6
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

And to knowledge temperance- out from this accumulated knowledge comes the ability to live in a controlled way, because the information is available to enable us to do so. As we watch Christ on earth, we see a Man with poise and calmness as He faced the many hostile situations that presented themselves to Him in His life.

And to temperance patience- out from a controlled life will come the ability to endure, which is what patience has to do with. We note the patient perseverance of the Lord Jesus as He moved amongst men, who were often antagonistic, seeking to trip Him up. The Lord persisted in His ministry despite the obstacles men would try to put in His way.

And to patience godliness- determination to endure will involve us in accepting what the will of God is in any and every situation. We think of the way the cities of Bethsaida, Capernaum and Chorazin had largely rejected the Lord, even though most of His mighty miracles were performed there. What was His reaction? “Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight”, Matthew 11:26. This is the meek acceptance of the will of God, the hallmark of godliness. He exhorts His own to learn of Him in this, verse 29.

1:7
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

And to godliness brotherly kindness- a right reaction to God’s dealings with us will help us in our relationship with fellow-believers. God’s kind ways towards us will be reproduced in our attitude to other believers.

And to brotherly kindness charity- brotherly kindness is, by definition, shown to brothers in the faith. Charity, however, may be shown to all and any. It is the expression of what God is, (for “God is love”, 1 John 4:8), and as the apostle John says in that verse, “He that loveth not knoweth not God”. It is important to realise, however, that charity, or love, is the climax to the qualities listed here, for it demands much spirituality in its exercise.

1:8
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For if these things be in you, and abound- we now learn the reason why it is important for us to develop the Christian graces mentioned in these verses; it is so that we might know Christ better. We should not be content with the presence of these things in our lives, but should strive that they abound, that there is a rich harvest of them, and not a poor and meagre crop of them.

They make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ- barren soil is lying idle, producing nothing. So will our lives be if we are not diligent. Sometimes a crop may be planted, showing some effort of the part of the farmer, but there is no harvest, because the plants are not carefully tended. The qualities of verses 8 and 9 need careful nurturing in order for them to bear fruit.

The fruitfulness God is seeking is in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by noting the character of His life and imitating Him that we may in some measure be fruitful for God as He was. It is not that we simply accumulate knowledge about Him, but that in the context of that knowledge we produce the fruits of virtue, temperance and so on.

1:9
But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

But he that lacketh these things is blind- it is very sad when believers are blind to the glories of Christ. There was an occasion when the Lord healed a blind man in stages. The man first of all saw “men as trees walking”, in other words, very indistinctly and inaccurately, and this was a picture of the disciples at that time. They failed to see the implications of Christ’s ability to feed, first five thousand, and then four thousand, with bread. This was a clear sign of His Deity, yet the disciples did not understand, Mark 8:14-22. But after the blind man had been fully healed, he could see every man clearly, verse 25. There follows Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Christ, verse 29; for he could see Christ clearly now. The lesson for us is that if we would develop the excellent qualities that the apostle has listed in verses 5-7, we must see Christ clearly, and we do this by gaining knowledge of Him as revealed in the gospel records.

And cannot see afar off- this defines what the blindness consists of. No doubt the blind man healed in stages was like this, for as he looked into the middle distance he saw people walking about, but they were blurred, for his eyes had not yet been restored to the full range of sight. The Lord deliberately did it this way to illustrate the lack of spiritual vision of the disciples. We are exhorted to be “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith”, Hebrews 12:2. It is as we survey His life that we see clearly.

And hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins- there is a contrast here between old sins and new virtues. The former comes from imitating Adam, but the second from imitating Christ. The remembrance of the fact that the purging of our sins was in virtue of His precious blood being shed, Revelation 1:5, and therefore at such tremendous cost to Himself in terms of suffering and death, should caution us not to return to the old ways.

1:10
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

Wherefore the rather, brethren- the apostle builds on the foregoing teachng, and exhorts us to do the preferable thing, (“the rather”), namely, to develop the things into which the gospel called us. We are able to do this because we are brethren, and therefore, being in the family of God, have eternal life from Him.

Give diligence to make your calling and election sure- again we have a call for diligence, as in verse 5. Without diligence there will be no fruitfulness. By “calling” the apostle refers to the call of the gospel which we believed, and the subsequent vocation of being a Christian. By election the apostle means the Divine side of conversion. At the moment of faith we are incorporated into that company which is known as “God’s elect”, Romans 8:33. We make our calling and election sure by developing the excellent qualities that the apostle has encouraged us to produce.

This is a much surer test of whether a person is saved or not than being able to quote a date and time when we believed, for there are some who “for a while believe”, Luke 8:13, and who subsequently show themselves to be mere professors, not possessors. As the apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; knowing brethren beloved, your election of God”, 1 Thessalonians 1:3,4. So the ongoing work, labour and patience of the Thessalonians, accompanied as it was with the vital faith, love and hope, demonstrated clearly to the apostle the reality of their profession of faith., and that they were amongst the elect. As such they were genuine.

For if ye do these things, ye shall never fall- the word fall has the idea of stumbling, so it is not the dramatic idea of falling utterly, but of temporarily stumbling on the way. There are many obstacles on the pathway of faith, but a believer, if showing the spiritual qualities the apostle is encouraging here, will be able to overcome them. After all, the Lord Jesus said to His own, “In the world ye shall tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world”, John 16:33.

1:11
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly- it is said that when a city’s sponsored athlete did exceptionally well in the ancient Olympic Games, they would symbolise their pride in him by widening the city gates, or even in some cases, it is said, by making a breach in the city walls to give him a hero’s welcome. The apostle envisages that the doors to the kingdom will be flung wide open to allow those who have developed Christ-likeness to enter in with triumph and acclaim.

Into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ- it is not just involvement in reigning with the Messiah on earth that is in view, but the rule of Christ shall extend into eternity. As the angel said to Mary, “of his kingdom there shall be no end”, Luke 1:33.

(c) Verses 12-21
Confidence in prophecies about the kingdom

1:12
Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.

Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things- the apostle saw the vital importance of the truths he had been expressing, for the lives of the believers were a reflection of Christ. He has emphasised the need for his readers to be diligent, and now he shows a good example. Notice it is “put you always”, not “always put you”. The latter would be his action, always doing it, whereas the former is their responsibility, always remembering it. He goes on to say that he will not always be able to do this personally.

Though ye know them, and be established in the present truth- he did not mean to imply that they did not know the things he is setting out, for they were established in the present truth. By this he means the truth that was present in their minds already, not just the truth he was reminding them of particularly. It is good for all believers to be established in the truth of the faith, and the scriptures will enable this, as well as the Spirit of truth who guides into truth.

1:13
Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;

Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle- the apostle knew that he would die before the Lord came, as he goes on to state. His tabernacle was his body, the dwelling place of soul and spirit. He did not see old age as a time to relax and discontinue his work for the Lord, even though as an older man he would serve the Lord in a different way to when he was younger.

To stir you up by putting you in remembrance- the reminder of things already learned is an important thing. We can so easily forget, and need constant reminders. When heeded, these reminders will stir us into activity. The Israelites were to keep the law in mind at all time, and they formalised this by attaching portions of the law to their doorway, so that they remembered it as they came to and fro, and also in the form of phylacteries on their forehead, to remind them constantly of God’s law. The Christian has no need to do this, because God has written His law on his mind and heart under the terms of the new covenant, Hebrews 8:10; 2 Corinthians 3:3. What we do need to do is constantly refer to these things as we live our lives day by day.

1:14
Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.

Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me- the words he refers to are these, spoken before the Lord went back to heaven: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God”, John 21:18,19.

“Verily, verily, I say unto thee” always introduce doctrine of prime importance in John’s gospel, so we are prepared by the use of this expression for some fresh revelation. Coming as they do before a prophecy about the manner of Peter’s death, and the long life of John, they suggest to us that there is important truth about to be imparted.

Peter is thought of first as having been young, and then in the next statement as going to be old, suggesting he was middle-aged at the time of this incident. He was marked by self-sufficiency, (girdest thyself), and determination, (where thou wouldest), in his youth, evidently. Even the word “girdest” would suggest energy and activity, for in the East a man girded up his loins for strenuous activity, tying up his flowing robes so that he could move freely. That energy and determination shows itself in Peter in the gospel records, and is one reason why he denied his Lord, for he was relying on his own strength to serve the Lord, which is always a disaster. The fact that the Lord knew this is a token of His omniscience, for it showed that He knew about Peter long before He called him to be an apostle.

Not only is the Lord omniscient about his past private life, but about the future, too, for He knows what will happen to Peter when he has grown old. He knows also the way in which he will die. He would do three things, stretch forth his hands, be girded by another, (in contrast to girding himself in his youth), and be taken where he did not wish to go, (in contrast to going where he wished to go). We are told the meaning of these words in the next verse. In the Upper Room Peter said, “Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake”, John 13:37. Peter here learns that his words are going to be fulfilled in a way he did not anticipate. Peter was thinking of the time then present; indeed, the very night he spoke the words. The Lord here informs him that he will be given the opportunity of making good his word, but not for many years.

If Peter had died trying to defend the Lord from His arrest, trial and crucifixion, that would not have been a death to the glory of God, but rather would have been to the glory of Peter, for men would have admired his heroism. Rather, he is going to die by crucifixion, as is indicated by the Lord’s words here. Tradition says that this indeed took place, with Peter insisting on being crucified upside down, so that there would be no comparison with the death of His Saviour, even in the physical sense.

But where did Peter get this idea? Was it from the order of the Lord’s words of verse 18? The victim of crucifixion is first taken to the place of execution, then has his hands stretched out on a cross, and then he is bound to the cross. But the prophecy of Christ about Peter gives the order almost in reverse, the stretching forth of the hands and the girding, and then the carrying where he was unwilling to go. There is to be no mistaking Peter’s crucifixion for Christ’s; in all things He must be distinct and superior. There is no mention of being nailed to a cross either, in the case of Peter.

Not only did Peter vow to die for the sake of His Lord, but also that he would go to prison for His sake. Is this the girding? He is to be arrested, and commanded to hold out his hands to be handcuffed, and then put in prison. Then he will be taken from his prison cell to his crucifixion. (The word gird does not mean to dress, but is derived from the word “belt”). Instead of walking where he wished, (or even carrying his cross, as His Lord did), Peter is going to be carried by another to a place he would not wish to go naturally, even to the place of execution. This is the way Peter would put off his tabernacle, aand he knows that the time is near.

1:15
Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.

Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance- the apostle now uses another word for his death, for he saw it as an exodus from this world. This has echoes of his Mount of Transfiguration experience, because Moses and Elijah spoke with Christ about His decease, or exodus, even though they both had dramatic exoduses of their own. Now that Christ has gone back to heaven, it is safe for Peter to speak of his departure using the same word, for there is no possibility of confusion.

It is a great pity when those who are greatly used in their lifetimes to teach the word of God do not leave any written record behind them. The apostle shows a good example here by ensuring that after he has left the scene the truth he taught would still be available.

1:16
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 we have not followed cunningly devised fables- the apostle now gives the reason why he was so concerned to ensure the believers had the knowledge of the truth; it was because of the quality of the information he was encouraging them to remember. The apostles did not follow, nor did they propagate, fables, however cunningly devised and disguised as truth.

When we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ- the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples was, “there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom”, Matthew 16:28. What follows in the account of what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration. It would be helpful to have in our minds at the outset the sequence of events on the Mount of Transfiguration:We resume in 2 Peter 1:16.

But were eyewitnesses of his majesty- so Peter can tell from first-hand experience what had happened on the mount, and that, in turn, was a preview of the future glorious kingdom of Christ. It is into this kingdom that the believer will enter, but the question is whether he will have an abundant entrance, verse 1. The majesty of the King shone forth on that occasion, and the glory of God associated with Christ in a unique way. The believer is called to glory and virtue, in order that his character may correspond with Christ’s in increasing measure. The word Peter uses for majesty was used by the Greeks for those who had attained the highest degree in the initiation into the pagan mysteries. Peter uses it in its right sense of the inherent majesty of Christ as being equal with God. The word was used as a ceremonial title of those who were of great honour. It is also used by Luke when the Lord healed a demon-possessed child at the foot of the mount of transfiguration, Luke 9:43. It is there translated as mighty power, which reminds us that in Mark’s account of the transfiguration, the Lord said they would see “the kingdom of God come with power”, Mark 9:1.

Matthew records the transfiguration as follows:

Matthew 17:1
And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,

And after six days- we should remember that this is the sequel to the previous chapter. There, having foretold His death, the Saviour pointed out that to follow Him meant suffering, but it also meant reward, for He comes to reign. To assure them of the certainty of this He said, “Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom”, 16:28. It is in fulfilment of this that He takes three apostles up the mount and His kingly glory was seen. The sight of Christ transfigured was a foretaste of the coming of the kingdom, and a guarantee that it would be established.

Matthew and Mark say “after six days”, whereas Luke says “about an eight days after”. There is no discrepancy, for if it was the seventh day after the Lord’s promise they would see the coming kingdom, then it was after six days and after about eight days as well.

But why the difference? Matthew has just recounted the prophecy of the building of the church, and now is assuring us the kingdom is not cancelled, but is yet to come. But it will come after a complete cycle of time has elapsed. The week is the period we are most used to. So after this present age has run its course, the kingdom will be brought in. But it is also true that it will be brought in as a fresh start, and just as the eighth day is the start of a new week, so Christ’s kingdom will be altogether different and new, unlike any kingdom before it.

The fact that the writers are deliberately imprecise as to the actual period, reminds us that the length of this church age is imprecise, as far as we are concerned. It is not prescribed as to length as are the three periods in Daniel’s vision, Daniel 9. The evangelists are silent as to what happened during those six days, for at the present time God is not intervening in the affairs of men in the way He did in Old Testament times. He has given His final word to men in His Son, and is waiting for them to respond.

Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother- so Matthew, Mark and Luke did not witness the transfiguration, but they are the ones who wrote of it. James and John do not mention it, but were there. Peter is the only one who was there, and who refers to it. He does this in his second epistle.

These three had been present when Jairus’ daughter had been raised from the dead, Luke 8:51-56. They would also be present in Gethsemane, Matthew 26:36,37. At this point they have the privilege of seeing His kingdom glory. It is as if seeing the raising of Jairus’ daughter would assure them that a selective resurrection from among the dead was possible, and seeing the Saviour’s glory on the mount would assure them that the sufferings anticipated in Gethsemane would give way to the kingdom.

All three of these men had to learn lessons about the nature of Christ’s kingdom. Peter would seek to prevent the Lord’s arrest by the use of the sword in Gethsemane. This gave occasion to the Lord to rebuke him, and heal the one he had harmed. This king restores a soldier of the enemy’s army! As He pointed out to Pilate, if His kingdom were of this world in its character and origin, His soldiers would fight to bring it in, John 18:36. As it is, He can point to the fact that He had rebuked Peter, (for no doubt Pilate had been kept fully informed as to what had happened in Gethsemane), so that Peter did not keep on fighting in the way he had begun. Christ’s kingdom will be brought in, not by military might, but by the exercise of the right His Father has given Him. When He does come to set up His kingdom, He will be as a stone smashing Gentile dominion so that it can never recover, Daniel 2:34,35. Significantly, Peter’s other name, Cephas, means stone, John 1:42.

James and John had been surnamed “sons of thunder”, for they clearly at that time had a stormy nature, Mark 3:17. This is seen in their request that fire come down from heaven on the unbelieving Samaritans, Luke 9:54. The sons of thunder want the lightning as well. That was suitable action in the days of Elijah, 2 Kings 1:10-14, but not now, for as the Lord said to James and John in response to their request, “the Son of Man came not to destroy men’s lives, but to save them”, Luke 9:56. His response was to go to another village. But in a day to come it will be different, for we read, “the God of glory thundereth”, Psalm 29:3, and when John heard seven thunders in the book of Revelation, they were too terrible to be told, Revelation 10:1-4. The apostle Paul writes, “the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ”, 2 Thessalonians 1:7,8. Clearly, in the time of judgment thunder and lightning will be appropriate, but not now, for God is waiting to bless, not to judge.

And bringeth them up into an high mountain apart- this is one of seven mountains in Matthew’s gospel. They are found in 4:8; 5:1; 1 4:23; 15:29; 17:1; 21:1; 28:16. As we may see from the reference in Daniel 2 just alluded to, a mountain is representative of a kingdom. It is appropriate that Matthew’s kingdom gospel should involve seven mountains, (assuming, of course, that they were all different), seven being the number in scripture that symbolises perfection and completeness. In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, he saw the successive empires of the Gentiles one by one. But they were marked by deterioration, for the second kingdom was inferior to the first, Daniel 2:39, and that set the tone. Christ’s kingdom, however, will have no defect, for His sceptre of dominion will be as righteous as He is, Hebrews 1:8,9.

So the King takes these disciples into a mountain to give them a preview of that coming kingdom on earth. The promise from the Lord was that they would not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom, Matthew 16:28, and now it has come to pass.

The mountain is a high mountain, for Christ’s kingdom shall not be over-topped by any other. It also became, temporarily, a holy mount, according to Peter, but it was only holy by association with the Son of Man as He was transfigured there. It is still high, but it is not still holy, for there are no “holy sites” on earth, whatever men may say. But we are reminded that Christ’s kingdom will not only be high, but holy. World-emperors have striven to achieve their high mountains, but none of them did it on the basis of holiness. Historians speak of the “Holy Roman Empire”, but it is a fiction. Only Christ has the ability and authority to found a kingdom on holiness, where all that defiles, at least at the beginning, shall be excluded. We read, “The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth”, Matthew 13:41,42. John the Baptist referred to this when he said, “He shall throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire”, Matthew 3:12.

By “apart” is meant, as Mark puts it, “apart by themselves”. So these favoured three are given a private preview of the kingdom apart from the other disciples, for they are going to be especially prominent in the testimony to Christ after His ascension. It is nonetheless true that Christ’s kingdom will be apart, for it will be distinct and different to all other kingdoms.

Matthew 17:2
And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

And was transfigured before them- this means that His form was altered. The verb is “metamorphosoo”, denoting a change of form. Now “form” is reality in manifestation, the display of that which is within. Metamorphosis is the word used of the transformation of a butterfly egg into a caterpillar, and then into a chrysalis, and finally into the full splendour of the butterfly. The Lord Jesus has been eternally in the form of God, Philippians 2:6, (the word “being” of that verse teaching this), and His Deity has ever manifested itself. In grace and humility, however, He voluntarily took the form of a servant, adding this to Himself, (for He “took upon Him” that form). When He was in resurrection He appeared in different forms, and the word Mark uses is morphe, Mark 16:12. So He manifested Himself as a gardener to Mary Magdalene at the tomb, as a pilgrim and stranger to the two on the road to Emmaus, and as a fisherman on the shore in John 21. These are not successive forms, however, in the sense that He has become a gardener permanently, or a pilgrim, or a fisherman. They were the varied ways in which He who is in the form of God and who took upon Himself the form of a servant manifest Himself at the time to suit the situation.

Here, however, He is giving to the apostles a glimpse of the glory that will shine forth when He comes to reign, and His inherent kingship makes itself evident. He will take the form of a majestic king. He is coming in “His glory”, Matthew 25:31. We must remember that “King of Israel” is a Divine title, Isaiah 44:6, so He who is in the form of God is still able to display that glory, and is giving His own a preview of that which shall be universally seen in a day to come.

But He is in the form of a servant too, so He will serve His Father as He administers the kingdom as the Firstborn, “higher than the kings of the earth”, Psalm 89:27. At present He acts in lordly grace, but in that day in kingly glory and power. There is emphasis on this, for He is “coming in his kingdom”, the kingdom of God will come “in power”, and Peter was eye-witness of the “power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”.

So we should not think of this metamorphosis, or change of form as a third manifestation of Himself, with the first being the form of God, and the second being the form of a servant, and the third on the mountain as King. He will reign as a servant, and He will reign as the Son of God.

This is no doubt why the Authorised Version translators wisely did not translate as “transformed”, but as “transfigured”. His form as God and as servant is unchanged, but the fashion of it, its mode of display, is altered as suits the task at hand. When He came the first time the nation of Israel saw no beauty that they should desire Him, for He did not fit their mistaken notions as to what their king should be like. When He comes again to them it will be different, and they will say like Nathaniel, “Thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel”, John 1:49.

So we may say that He was configured in the womb of Mary before He was born, and disfigured at His trial before He was slain, Isaiah 52:14, but as the next verse in Isaiah tells us, in a day to come kings shall shut their mouths at Him, for they will be dumbfounded when they see Him as transfigured, for the one-time Victim will have become the Victor.

There is a further thing about this kingdom, and Luke presents it to us, for he tells us that “as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered”. This is one of the seven occasions that Luke notices when the Lord was found praying. This reminds us that in its initial thousand year phase, the Messiah’s kingdom is mediatorial, for He will be acting for His Father as His Firstborn Son, administering on His behalf. This is so as to vindicate God for His placing of all things under man at the beginning. Was that a mistake? Not at all, for although Adam miserably failed in the task, and brought creation down with him, Christ will gloriously succeed, and restore all things for God. After He has done that, “then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father”, 1 Corinthians 15:24. His task completed, He will signify His subjection to God afresh, and then the Triune God shall be all in all, verse 28. So it is no surprise to find Him praying on the mount, since He will reign in dependence on His Father, just as He lived in dependence on His Father when here the first time. Again the promise will come to Him, (and the writer to the Hebrews quotes it in connection with Messiah being brought in to the world again as God’s Firstborn, Hebrews 1:5), “I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son”. All that a son expects from a father will be His. All that a father expects from a son will be the Father’s, too.

Luke does not use the word “metamorphose” in his account, for he is writing to a Gentile nobleman, and the Gentiles used that word for the manifestation of their gods, and Luke does not want Theophilus to misunderstand, so contents himself with the words, “the fashion of His countenance was altered”, which had no pagan undertones.

And his face did shine as the sun- in the beginning God made a greater light to rule the day, Genesis 1:16. Moses did not use the word sun in that chapter, for one of the purposes of the creation account is to be a protest against idolatry. Moses was writing to prepare the nation of Israel for their entry into the land of Canaan, where men worshipped Baal, the sun-god. He establishes in their minds that the sun is not to be worshipped, for it is a created thing. And he does not give the greater light a name, so that they do not make it an excuse to do the same.

So the sun is the supreme ruler of the day, just as Christ will be Supreme Ruler in the day of His kingdom. Even the names of idols like Baal will not be remembered then, and God will insist that they do not call Him “Baali”, but rather “Ishi”, so that the false ones among them are not tempted to lapse into idolatry, Hosea 2:16.

It is only Matthew who likens His face to the sun, as is fitting in the gospel of the Ruler. But Peter, in his account, says he was eye-witness of His majesty, the word meaning magnificence or greatness. The greatness and magnificence of the sun is a fit figure for that of Christ. He is the sun of righteousness, who shall arise with healing in His wings, Malachi 4:2.

And his raiment was white as the light- every art class has learnt that white is the combination of all the colours. Spin a card with the colours of the spectrum on it and it will turn white. So all glories meet in Christ and are perfectly manifest by Him. If an object is green, for instance, it is because all colours except green have been absorbed, and only the green is manifest. Christ will hide nothing of His glory in the day of His manifestation, hence His garment is like the light in its completeness.

The psalmist wrote of God, “Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment”, Psalm 104:2. It is appropriate, therefore, that the Divine King should appear as clothed with light. The glory of His person is shining through His raiment. There is a contrast here, for Christ will displace the beast, the world-ruler of a coming day, of whom it is said, “his kingdom was full of darkness”, Revelation 16:10.

Mark likens the whiteness of His garments to the snow, for garments speak of character, and He is pure and spotless. Then he adds, “so as no fuller on earth can white them”. It is typical of Mark in his servant gospel to use a trades-person to illustrate his point. If a fuller could make a garment as white as Christ’s, (remembering his garment is white because of the shining-through of His glories), then someone could wear that garment and compete with Christ in glory. But Mark assures us it cannot be done. No wonder he says the garments were “exceeding white”, for they surpass anything that earth can produce.

Luke adds that they were glistering. Luke does not compare the whiteness to anything, whereas Matthew says “white as light”, Mark says, “white as snow”. The reason Luke does not do this is because the word glistering is itself a comparison, meaning, literally, “to flash as lightning”. This reminds us that not only is the character of Christ glorious, “as the light”, and pure, “as the snow”, but it is active in its maintenance of righteousness, “as the lightning”. When He reigns, every sin and act of rebellion shall be dealt with actively and promptly, just as the lightning strikes the earth without warning.

Matthew 17:3
And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him- this raises some interesting matters. For instance, how did Peter and the others know who these two men were? Was it because Elijah was wearing his distinctive hairy garment? This cannot be, since it fell from him when he was translated to heaven, 2 Kings 2:13. However they were able to tell, it suggests to us that believers shall recognise one another in resurrection, even those they have not known personally on earth.

There is also the matter of how did they appear? Were they given bodies for the occasion, just as angels appeared to men in old time as men? They certainly did not have their resurrection bodies, although by the time the kingdom is set up they will have been raised with an incorruptible body.

The fact that they were talking with Him shows that in the glorified state there will be fellowship with Christ, for His promise was that His people would be with Him where He is, John 14:3, and the apostle Paul assures believers that they shall “ever be with the Lord”, 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Those who overcome shall walk with Him in white, Revelation 3:4.

It is interesting to notice that Moses and Elijah are both mentioned at the end of the last book of the Old Testament. Malachi writes, “Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgements. Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord”, Malachi 4:4,5. The mount experience is establishing a link in the minds of the three apostles that were there, between the Old Testament and the coming kingdom. This was not lost on them, for the apostle Peter tells us that his experience confirmed the prophecies that had been given of old time concerning the coming of the Messiah to reign, 2 Peter 1:19.

So Moses is a servant, and Elijah is described as a prophet, and as such they represent, on the Mount of Transfiguration, all the Old Testament servants and all the Old Testament prophets. But they also represent the Law and the Prophets, the general division of the Old Testament sanctioned by the Lord Jesus Himself in Luke 24:27, for “Moses and all the prophets” is equivalent to “all the Old Testament scriptures”. The appearance of Moses and Elijah is a reminder that the scriptures are full of the coming glories of Christ. Israel were bidden in Malachi 4 to look back to Moses, and to look forward to the coming of Elijah.

The mention of “Moses…in Horeb”, reminds us that both Moses and Elijah were associated with mountains. For Moses it was mount Sinai, or Horeb, where he was given the law, and where the people sinned grievously at the foot of the mount. Elijah is known for his triumph on mount Carmel, where he confounded the prophets of Baal. The law was the covenant of the kingdom, and established the nation of Israel before God. The work of Elijah in a sense restored the kingdom after its lapse into idolatry under Ahab. Neither of the these two men were able to bring in permanence, however. Only Christ can reign effectively, and maintain God’s rights completely.

It is Luke who tells us what the conversation was with Christ. He writes, “who…spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem”. So they did not discuss the kingdom as such, but the event that would lay the foundation of the kingdom, even the Lord’s decease. The word for decease is “exodus”, a going out, a departure. Moses had left Egypt when he renounced his rights as a ruler in Pharoah’s court, but the conversation is not about that. He had led the children of Israel out of Egypt in their great exodus, but they do not speak of that specifically either. He had a strange exodus from this world, for not only was he buried by God when he died, Deuteronomy 34:6, but the Devil had contended with Michael the archangel about his body, Jude 9. Unique as those things were, they are not the subject of discussion on the mount.

And neither did they discuss the occasion when Moses offered to die for the nation, and thereby, as he thought, make atonement for their sin of idolatry, Exodus 32:30-33, for the work of Christ for Israel must be preserved in its uniqueness. Only He is qualified to make atonement.

And then there was Elijah, depressed because Jezebel sought to kill him, and requesting that God would take away his life, 1 Kings 19:1-4. But this would have undone all the good he had achieved on mount Carmel, where the forces of evil had been defeated. Elijah also had a dramatic exodus from this world, for Elisha saw “a chariot of fire, and horses of fire…and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven”, 2 Kings 2:11. Momentous as that was, it is not discussed on the mount.

So they spake of His decease, the way He would go out of this world. The Lord Himself would speak of His death as a departure, saying, “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father”, John 16:28. And John, in the second prologue in his gospel, writes, “Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father…and that he was come from God, and went to God”, John 13:1,3.

Now when Israel were experiencing their exodus, they sang on the banks of the Red Sea, “Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed…thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance…the Lord shall reign for ever and ever”, Exodus 15:13,17,18. So there is a link established between the exodus and the arrival in the land. But more than that, they look on further, and think of the establishment of an everlasting kingdom, with the Lord as King. And so it shall be. The apostle Peter made it clear on the day of Pentecost that David, in his capacity as a prophet, knew that God would “raise up Christ to sit on his throne”, Acts 2:30; that is, to sit on David’s throne. So the resurrection of Christ and His ascension to God’s right hand is the basis on which He will sit on David’s throne in the day of His kingdom. He must be a man risen from the dead to die no more, since His kingdom is for ever. The King shall never die!

This conversation may have gone on for a long time, for Luke tells us “But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him”. These three would sleep in Gethsemane, and they sleep on the mountain. How we need to heed the exhortation of the apostle, “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do others; but let us watch and be sober”, 1 Thessalonians 5:5,6. It is not appropriate for those whose proper sphere is the light of His presence, and the day of His kingdom, to sleep like those who know neither His presence nor His rule. It is certain that if we do not keep alert, we shall miss both sights of His glory and insights into His decease.

Matthew 17:4
Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

Then answered Peter- now that he and his two companions are awake, they can see the glory of the Lord, and also Moses and Elijah. Even though these two “appeared in glory”, as Luke tells us, it was not their own glory, nor yet the glory of resurrection bodies, for they did not have these, but they were seen in association with the glory of Christ. Moses had requested to see the glory of God, and his request was granted to a degree, but he could not look upon God and live. God graciously covered him with His hand, Exodus 34:20-23. Now, on the mount, however, he can look upon the glory and be in the glory, for God is manifest in flesh, and we see the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 4:6.

Peter responds to this situation, (hence the word “answered”), but Luke tells us “not knowing what he said”. If he had thought more and spoken less it would have been better. What he was doing was putting the Lord on the same level as Moses and Elijah, and this will not do, and the Father instantly moves to counteract the idea. He is jealous for the honour of His Son, and will not allow Him to be in any way diminished.

And said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here- this was indeed true, and it is always good to value opportunities to see the Lord’s glory.

If thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias- it was good that he called Jesus Lord; it was good that he said “if thou wilt”, recognising that His will must be paramount. Sadly, however, he did not realise the implications of his suggestion, even though he knew the Lord and His will must come first. His suggestion to detain Moses and Elijah was as they were leaving. He wanted to bring them back.

Some see in the idea of making tabernacles a reference to the Feast of Tabernacles, when Israel dwelt in temporary booths to commemorate their journey through the wilderness and to anticipate their entry into the kingdom. But the response of the Father to this suggestion was to command that they listen to His Son alone. So perhaps the idea that they make tabernacles was so that they could sit in them in turn and learn of Moses and Elijah and the Lord Himself. At the beginning of Christ’s ministry two of John’s disciples had enquired where He dwelt, and He invited them to come and see, and they abode with Him that day. What fellowship they must have enjoyed, no doubt in a temporary shelter near the Jordan. One of those thus privileged was Peter’s own brother, and the other may well have been John.

Peter’s thought perhaps went something like this, “What things Moses and Elijah can tell us, since they have been speaking so long with Christ in glory. They must have a wealth of information they could pass on to us”. But this lessens the supremacy of Christ in relation to the unfolding of the truth, and must be resisted. To give each a teaching tent was to say they had equal knowledge of the truth, and this was not the case. Luke tells that he said these things not knowing what he spake. He had not thought through the implications of his words.

Matthew 17:5
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

While he yet spake- the Father moves instantly to rebuff any suggestion that His Son may be treated equally even with Moses and Elijah, great men of God as they were. He spake through the prophets of old, but now speaks exclusively in His Son, Hebrews 1:1,2.

Behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them- the cloud that signified God’s presence was upon the mercy-seat in the tabernacle, Leviticus 16:2. Now it again signifies God’s presence, but instead of being over the ark it is over His Son, the one the ark prefigured. This cloud of glory overshadowed them, putting them in the shade, so that they might see the better the glory of Christ, and not be so foolish as to equate Him with Moses and Elijah.

And behold a voice out of the cloud- Peter tells us that he heard the voice from the excellent glory, another description of the bright cloud they saw.

Which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him- these are the same words that Matthew wrote in his account of the Lord’s baptism. There it was the Father’s word of approval after His life in Nazareth in the past, and also to pre-empt the critical words of men that they would speak to Him during His ministry. There was nothing in the word at His baptism about hearing Him, even though that was going to be necessary. It is as if the Father is assuming they will, even though He knew they would not. Here it is the Father’s word of approval of His ministry in the past. Nothing has spoiled Him during those years, and He remains the delight of His Father’s heart.

In the context of Matthew’s gospel, and the purpose Matthew had in writing it, this is the assurance that He is God’s Beloved one, far superceding David whose name means “beloved”, and Solomon, whose other name was Jedidiah, again meaning beloved, 2 Samuel 12:25. He is the supreme King in virtue of His unique relationship with the Father.

Matthew is also linking back to the closing book of the Old Testament, and showing that whereas in Malachi’s day God had to say “I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of Hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand”, Malachi 1:10, now it is different, and one has come to Himself be the offering for the sin of the nation, and then rule over them in righteousness. Perhaps this is why Mark and Luke omit the words “I am well pleased”, for to them the fact that He was the beloved Son included the idea that God was well-pleased with Him, and they employ other means to link with the Old Testament. Mark does it by developing the idea of the Servant of the Lord in Isaiah, and Luke does it by giving scenes at the beginning of his record that are Old Testament in character.

So it is that, as Peter says, when the voice came to Him He received honour and glory. He also says that the voice came to Him, even though it is in the third person, and not directly to Christ. He is being honoured and glorified amongst those who wanted to put Him on a level with Moses and Elijah. Instead of wanting to divide their attention between Christ, Moses and Elijah, the apostles are to hear God’s Son exclusively. That is not to say that the law and the prophets they represented do not still have lessons for us, (the Lord Himself showed they do on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24), but the lessons are to be learnt in the light of the ministry of Christ, and not in isolation. This was relevant in Peter’s day, for he is just about to warn his readers concerning false prophets and false teachers. The way to counteract them is to listen to Christ. He spoke Himself in the gospels, and He speaks still through the rest of the writings of the New Testament. We need nothing more. Indeed, to add to these is to incur God’s curse, Revelation 22:18.

When the law was given, so awesome was the occasion that the people asked that the word be not spoken to them any more. In response, God promised He would send them a prophet like unto Moses, Deuteronomy 18:15-19. The apostle Peter made it clear to the nation of Israel that Jesus was that prophet, yet they had not obeyed Him, Acts 3:22,23.

Elijah also was found on the mount of the law, and he had to learn that God speaks through a still small voice, and not through fire, wind and earthquake, 1 Kings 19:8i-12. That still small voice was that of Christ, who came in grace and truth.

Matthew 17:6
And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.

And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid- they no doubt were not so much afraid of the sound, but what the voice said, as they were rebuked for ever putting God’s Son on a level with Moses. This was especially sad because a few days before, Peter had confessed Christ as the Son of God, and had thereby rejected the notion of the people that He was Elijah, Matthew 16:14-16.

17:7
And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.

And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid- He can calm their fears because of the truth of the next verse.

Matthew 17:8
And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.

And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only- this was the answer to their wrong suggestion. It is as we concentrate on Christ alone that we are in the right attitude before God.

We return now to 2 Peter 1:17

2 Peter 1:17
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.

For he received from God the Father honour and glory- the Father was pleased to associate with such an one as this, and to express His approval of Him in the words Peter records. The apostle puts honour first, for that must be established since there has been a suggestion from Peter himself that Moses and Elijah and Christ are on a level as teachers. Christ is honoured in that a bright cloud overshadowed them, (the apostles), and out of the cloud came a voice declaring, “This is my beloved Son, hear him”. When the voice was past, Jesus was alone found to be there, for Moses and Elijah were gone. The idea that they should each be given a tabernacle so they could sit in it and teach the apostles, was out of the question, for the word is “hear him”.

But He was given glory as well, for it was out of the glory-cloud that the voice came to announce Him as being God’s beloved Son. So the glory-cloud performed two functions; it served to prevent the apostles looking to Moses and Elijah, and it also provided the means whereby the voice could come from the Father.

When there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory- so the word does not come from heaven as at His baptism, but from the excellent glory of the cloud. There could be no higher recognition of glory that this.

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased- so there is the formal recognition of relationship, “My Son”, and the formal declaration of worth, “In whom I am well pleased”. Just as this same word at His baptism assures us of Divine approval of His silent, private, years in Nazareth, so this word assures us of Divine approval for all that He had done in His public ministry. The apostle does not quote the remainider of the word from the glory, “hear ye him”, possibly because he wishes to emphasise the worth of His person, rather than His word. Of course it is important for us to hear Christ, but that is not the point here. It was the point on the mount, for, as we have seen, Peter was in favour of installing the Lord and Moses and Elijah in separate tents, so they could teach.

1:18
And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

And this voice which came from heaven we heard- the apostle joins James and John with himself in this testimony to what they heard, that “In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established”, Matthew 18:16, the words of the Lord Jesus confirming the teaching of the law in Deuteronomy 19:15.

When we were with him in the holy mount- so it is not a word from heaven to someone else who passed it on to Peter and the others; they heard the word personally as they were on the mountain. For the occasion, the mount was holy, being associated with holy things. It was not holy before the incident, nor has it been holy afterwards.

1:19
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:

We have also a more sure word of prophecy- as a result of his experience on the mount, the prophetic word of the Old Testament was confirmed to Peter.

Whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place- compared to the glory that shall fill the earth when Christ reigns, the world is a dark place. For the believer there is the lamp (that is, something personal, rather than a light like the sun), of the prophetic word to explain the principles of Christ’s Kingdom, so that we may be governed by them now.

Until the day dawn- when the sun of righteousness arises, Malachi 4:2, the “morning without clouds” will have come, 2 Samuel 23:4. Peter had seen the Lord’s face shine as the sun, giving a preview of this, Matthew 17:2.

And the day-star arise in your hearts- prior to the sunrise, the day-star rises, to give a signal that the day is about to begin. It does not lighten up the earth, but it does give a sign to those who are awake. Such is the coming of the Lord for His people at the Rapture. When that happens, we shall be changed to His likeness, so the light will rise in our hearts, changing us morally, 1 John 3:2. There is also the fact that when the coming of the Lord becomes precious to us, then our hearts reach forward and, so to speak, bring the day-star into our hearts. (See Hebrews 11, and the way faith reached forward and laid hold of future things, so that they became real in the soul). The Lord promised to the overcomers in Thyatira that He would give them the morning star, Revelation 2:28. Again, in Revelation 22:16 the Lord Jesus describes Himself as “the bright and morning star”. The response of John is “Even so, come, Lord Jesus”, verse 20, so the morining star arising in our hearts is the anticipation of His return.

1:20
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

Knowing this first- this is the first principle of Bible interpretation.

That no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation- the word “is” here is part of the verb to become, and is used with the genitive. So the idea is of becoming the property of anyone. We cannot make the prophecy our own property, as if we have exclusive rights to the correct interpretation of it. All believers share the truth. The faith is delivered to the saints, Jude 3. Only false prophets would claim to alone know the truth. A private interpretation is an interpretation which one thinks out for oneself, (as the false prophets did), unaided by the Spirit of God.

1:21
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.

For- the reason why verse 20 is true.

The prophecy came not- the idea is that the prophecy was borne, the same word as “came” in verse 17, referring to the voice that came to Christ from the Father. So the same mouth that spoke to the prophets, spoke on the mount of transfiguration.

In old time by the will of man- it was not their private invention, any more than we may have a private interpretation.

But holy men of God- those whose will was surrendered to God, and who rejected human wisdom.

Spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost- the word “moved” was used of a ship when it was carried along as the wind fills its sails. So if that is the way the prophecy came, by the Spirit, then that is the way the prophecy must be interpreted, by the Spirit. All this prepares the way for chapters 2 and 3 where false and unholy prophets were attempting to lead the people of God astray.