THE RISING OF THE MORNING STAR

2 Peter 1:12-21 (New International Version)
Prophecy of Scripture
¹²So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. ¹³I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, ¹⁴because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ¹⁵And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

¹⁶We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." ¹⁸We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

¹⁹And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. ²⁰Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 21For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:19 (Amplified Bible)
¹⁹And we have the prophetic word [made] firmer still. You will do well to pay close attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dismal (squalid and dark) place, until the day breaks through [the gloom] and the Morning Star rises (comes into being) in your hearts.

2 Peter 1:19 (The Message)
¹⁹We couldn't be more sure of what we saw and heard--God's glory, God's voice. The prophetic Word was confirmed to us. You'll do well to keep focusing on it. It's the one light you have in a dark time as you wait for daybreak and the rising of the Morning Star in your hearts.

For the past couple of days or so I've been impacted by a very precious message found in verse 19 as quoted above. I wanted to quote verses 12-21 in their totality so that you could see the context of what verse 19 has been saying to my heart and possibly your heart also will be moved. If so, it will be the Holy Spirit speaking to you as He has been speaking to me. So let me just share what has been impacting me and I trust that it will bless you, inspire you, and give you even more joy in your walk with God.

First of all we need to remember that the apostles as well as the Old Testament writers spoke from their personal encounters with God. The prophets of old were "carried along by the Holy Spirit" as we see in verse 21 quoted above. They did not write under merely human intellect but were inspired as the Spirit of God breathed into them the very life of God. These men spoke from their first hand experiences with God and their writings are quoted in the New Testament as the very Word of God itself. In the N.T. we find hundreds of citations from the O.T. writers, including sayings of Our Lord Himself, that recognize the inspiration and authority of the O.T. prophetic writings. I think what we so often overlook as we get hung up on theological information and trying to prove this and that point about the Messiah and His prophesied coming (which I believe was indeed prophesied), is that the O.T. prophets spoke under the unction and anointing of the Holy Spirit and so when the apostles went out and preached the good news of Jesus Christ they didn't really do it in an informational "proof text" sort of way as so many well-meaning people do. Rather, they spoke under the seal of the very same Holy Spirit that inspired the O.T. prophets. In the power God they preached the good news that Messiah Jesus fulfilled the history, the types, the sacrificial system, and even the poetic and wisdom writings of the O.T. As the apostles who were with Jesus personally saw His wonderful works and listened to His teachings they saw the O.T. being fulfilled all over the place and under the inspiration of that same Holy Spirit shared the utter joy that they experienced in knowing that Jesus was indeed the long awaited Christ. We find this theme over and over again in Acts and that is why their preaching was accompanied by mighty signs and wonders and multitudes were healed and became believers in Messiah Jesus. They literally turned the world upside down with their Spirit-filled witness of Jesus. They spoke out of that which had been made real to them by the Holy Spirit. Theirs was not "book" religion but truly Spirit anointed teaching. There is a huge difference! (See 1 John 1:1-3)

I review this with you so that you can see the dynamic of verse 19 for you today! As you focus upon the prophetic word, spoken by both O.T. and N.T. inspired writers, you have light in your lives to meet the darkness that prevails upon earth "and the Morning Star rises (comes into being) in your hearts." In other words, you partake of that very life of God Himself, that very same light that the prophets and apostles experienced.

In order to have this light burning in our souls, transforming us and others who come into contact with us, we must wait upon the Lord, spend time in pondering the deep meaning of scripture, and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. The kind of spiritual enlightenment being talked about here in verse 19 does not come by human effort and mentation alone but by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Yes, we must put forth effort to give God priority and time in our lives. Without that commitment nothing will really happen that is vital in our lives. However, "the rising of the Morning Star" (true spiritual enlightenment) is solely a work of grace. It is not something that we can make happen no matter how much will-power we use. We are totally dependent upon the gift of the Holy Spirit to bring this "Morning Star" into our lives. Our part is to set aside the time necessary, to have the total commitment in our hearts, but the "Morning Star" rising in our hearts is a gift for all who truly seek for it.

Are you totally committed that having the "Morning Star" of enlightenment in your life is the most important thing of all, above every other pursuit?

Anyway, this is about all I can share for now on this. I have much more to share as things unfold and I wait upon God daily for His guidance on what to share and for wisdom to share in the best possible way.

Written by Tom Durst of Spokane WA
tomdurst1@msn.com