DOCTRINE SUPERSEDES VISIONS

Monday 19 May

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. 2 Peter 1:16-20 (NKJV)

Let’s set the scene for this passage. Peter, James and John saw Jesus whose face began to shine like the sun and his clothing became dazzling white. This was a transfiguration. Almost instantaneously Peter, James and John were caught up into the Spirit in the very same vision. There they were taken up in the Spirit to a high mountain where Jesus met with Moses and Elijah who began talking with him. Moses represented the law and Elijah the prophets.

All this excitement was obviously too much for Peter as he interrupted their conversation and said ‘Lord it is good for us to be here. If you’re willing, let’s make three tabernacles; one for you one for Moses and one for Elijah’. Why he thought Jesus, Moses and Elijah needed some kind of dwelling or shelter you will have to ask him when you see him.

Then the Father from heaven interrupts the interrupter (Peter) and says of Jesus, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; you hear Him! Don’t listen to Moses and don’t listen to Elijah. From now on listen to Jesus. There are some who still congregate at the ‘church’ of Moses and Elijah even today and this is reflected in their teachings. I’ll stick with Jesus and the continuation of His ministry through the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. We’ll come back to this thought.

This is why Peter stated ‘we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.’ Imagine sharing a vision with the incarnate Christ. As far as spiritual experiences go, that would be hard to beat. He then recounts the vision. Take note of what Peter says next. ‘We also have a more sure word of prophecy.’ This is huge!

In essence he was saying that despite this astounding supernatural event, we have a more reliable medium with which to base our life upon; the doctrine of the scriptures. Jesus gave an exegesis that was never recorded but look at the content in Luke 24:27

‘And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things CONCERNING HIMSELF’. Look at verse 44 same chapter,

Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms CONCERNING ME.”

Remember I told you earlier that Moses represented the law and Elijah the prophets? Now can you see why God told everyone in the vision to listen to Jesus? Reason being, because it was only what was of Christ in the law and of Christ in the prophets that was the ‘all’ that must be fulfilled. The good news is in Christ, it has.

What does all of this communicate to us? Any vision you have must always be subject to the authenticity of the scriptures. What are the scriptures? Genesis to Malachi. The New Testament epistles are not the scriptures but a revelation of the scriptures by the Spirit. Don’t fall prey to an overactive imagination that refuses to seek for confirmation in the Word. This is how we deviate from scripture.

This is why Peter talks of ‘the Daystar’ which is the Holy Spirit rising in our hearts. Don’t forget though that the Holy Spirit will never contradict the rightly divided written word no matter what your vision or experience may be. This is why no prophecy of scripture is open to private interpretation.

In other words you can’t experience something and then try to find scripture to match it. Regardless of what your vision, dream or spiritual experience is, the Word of God can only mean what it has always meant in the context in which it was written when it was written.

We have all been shown a powerful example in this passage of how we should live as believers. Not by visions and dreams but by rightly divided truth. Why? Because doctrine supersedes visions. Don’t believe me? Look at Peter.

APPLICATION

Make a decision that you will not operate as a believer by hearsay, experiences or teachings that have no scriptural foundation from now on.