“For He received from God the Father honor and glory 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 voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”
2 Peter 1:17–18

We must revisit this scene on the mountain. We are not told in Scripture which mountain this actually was. Some believe it was Mount Tabor, while others believe it was Mount Hermon. Peter called it the holy mountain because of who was there, what took place there, and the message they received there.

It would seem that all three disciples were encouraged in a special way by what they saw that day. The experience appears to have impacted each of them uniquely. For John, it strengthened his affection for Christ, as he would later write so often about the love of Christ. For James, it helped him endure what lay ahead, as he became the first of the eleven disciples to give his life for the cause of Christ (Acts 12:1–2). For Peter, the sight of the glory of Christ on that holy mountain so impacted him that he was later used by the Spirit of God to write two Kingdom epistles in which he speaks of the glory he beheld.

The message that gives us strength to endure is found in the glory of the Person of the Son. Christ is enough to fill the heart and mind! A glimpse of His glory, as it is revealed to us in the Word of God, can strengthen the discouraged and motivate us to press on for the testimony of Christ, knowing that the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ will soon be revealed.

Peter goes on to remind us, “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:19–21).

Anchor For Today:
The more we are occupied with God’s message to us, which is found in the Person of His Son, the more He, as the Morning Star, will rise in our hearts. Peter found great strength and encouragement in this message, and so can each one of us.