And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.
When the Father's voice from the bright cloud ended, the vision passed and Moses and Elijah disappeared, and the overwhelming radiance faded so the three disciples with Him could look up and see Jesus alone standing with them on the mountain. What they had just beheld fulfilled His promise that some would see the kingdom of God come with power, for they saw Christ's kingdom in miniature in the glory of His transfiguration. Moses, raised from the dead, represented those to be raised at Christ's coming, and Elijah, translated without seeing death, represented those to be changed to immortality while living, and together they showed the law and the prophets in accord with the gospel. The revelation of His divinity with heaven's testimony that He is the beloved Son to be heard was given to strengthen the disciples against the sorrow of His humiliation and crucifixion, and to strengthen Jesus Himself for His coming suffering and death in Jerusalem. The sudden closing of the glory joins it at once to the grief below, for the same glorified Redeemer descended to free the demon-afflicted child, teaching that those who have seen His glory must go with faith, prayer, and self-sacrificing love to set Satan's captives free.
Moment on the Mount
After the bright cloud overshadowed the mount and the Father's voice was heard, the vision ended and Moses and Elijah disappeared, leaving Jesus alone with the disciples on the mountain. The transfiguration gave a glimpse of Christ's future glory to strengthen faith for His coming humiliation and crucifixion. It fulfilled His promise that some standing with Him would not see death till they saw the kingdom of God come with power, for the disciples saw the kingdom of Christ in miniature with Jesus revealed in heaven's glory and proclaimed by the Father to be the Son of God. In that miniature kingdom Moses represented those who will be raised from the dead at Christ's second coming, and Elijah, who was translated without seeing death, represented those who will be living at His appearing and in a moment be changed from mortal to immortal without tasting death. Moses and Elijah together represented the law and the prophets, showing that the Old Testament is not set aside by the gospel but is in accord with it and embraced by the new dispensation. Their presence with their honor to Him, with God's voice declaring His divinity, gave strong proof that He is the promised Messiah and Son of God, meant to strengthen the disciples to endure His coming humiliation and crucifixion and recalled to sustain them during His trial.
At the voice of God from the bright cloud the disciples fell smitten to the earth with hidden faces and lay prostrate, remaining so until Jesus came near and touched them. He dispelled their fears with His familiar, well-known voice saying Arise and be not afraid, after which they ventured to lift up their eyes. When the heavenly brightness passed away and the forms of Moses and Elijah disappeared, His own overwhelming divine radiance also passed. Then they could look at Him as He stood with them alone on the mountain.
The witnesses permitted to behold His glory were Peter, James, and John, the three disciples brought into the closest relationship with Christ who saw Jesus glorified. On the mount Jesus was transfigured by the glory of God, His face lighted up with divine glory and His clothing white and glistening. From the radiant glory the voice of God came in fearful majesty declaring This is My beloved Son, hear Him. Moses and Elijah had been sent to talk with Jesus concerning His coming sufferings and death in Jerusalem, chosen rather than angels because they had experience in earth's trials. God gave this manifestation so His followers would not cast away their confidence in their coming bitter sorrow and disappointment.
What the Vision Revealed
The transfiguration fulfilled Jesus' promise that some standing with Him would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God come with power, for on the mount the disciples were permitted to see the kingdom of Christ in miniature. There Jesus was clothed with heaven's glory, with the light of heaven, and was proclaimed by the Father's voice out of the cloud to be the Son of God. In that miniature of the kingdom of the redeemed at the second advent, Moses stood with Him representing those who will be raised from the dead at Christ's second coming, while Elijah stood with Him representing those who will be living on earth at Christ's appearing. Elijah, who was translated to heaven without seeing death, represents the saints living at the second advent who in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump, will be changed from mortal to immortal and be translated to heaven without tasting death. Together Moses and Elijah also represented the law and the prophets, showing that the Old Testament is not set aside by the gospel but is in accord with it, and that the new dispensation embraces the old.
They had been sent by the Father to talk with Jesus concerning His sufferings and death in Jerusalem, to comfort Him and bring Him heaven's glory as He faced His coming agony. They were chosen for this instead of angels because they had experience in earth's trials. This manifestation of Christ's divinity, with His face lighted with divine glory and His clothing white and glistening, together with the heavenly testimony to His divine character in fearful majesty, gave strong proof that He is the promised Messiah and Son of God. It was given to strengthen the faith of the disciples so they would not cast away their confidence nor wholly lose it in their coming bitter sorrow and disappointment at His humiliation and crucifixion. The vision showed them Christ in the glory of His kingdom in connection with His necessary death, assuring them that His shameful death was part of God's plan of redemption and a glory shared for and with the human race.
The glory they had seen and the voice they had heard strengthened their faith that He was the Son of God, a memory they recalled to sustain them during His trial. The same glory also strengthened Jesus Himself before His betrayal and crucifixion and the sufferings that followed. Peter's response showed he took the vision to mean an earthly kingdom that would honor Jesus and protect Him from death, but the scene pointed to a mission that must be completed through suffering and death. The glory revealed on the mount points onward to the glory God's faithful people will share as they approach their final time of trouble.
Glory Brought to Need
The heavenly glory was brief, and when it closed the disciples were left with Jesus alone, for after He had been transfigured by the glory of God, had talked with the messengers of heaven, and had been proclaimed the Son of God by the Father's voice issuing from the radiant glory, He descended from the mount to meet grief below. The same mighty Redeemer who had stood glorified before His wondering disciples stooped to lift the victim of Satan. That victim was a lunatic child with distorted countenance wallowing on the ground in spasms of agony, demon-afflicted and suffering human misery. Jesus restored him to his father freed forever from the demon's power, thus joining the extremes of glory and grief in a brief space of time.
The setting of mountain glory beside the descent to heal the suffering boy makes the healing an object lesson of redemption, showing that the same Jesus who was glorified stooped to save the lost. Those who have seen Christ's glory must carry their work beyond moments of spiritual illumination to people enslaved by Satan. They are to draw near to Christ and go to the need waiting below with faith and prayer to help set the bound ones free. That service is to reflect His self-sacrificing love in sacrifice for humanity, in self-sacrifice and self-sacrificing love.
The mount of transfiguration is an image of the spiritual ascent to be made through strength and endurance. That ascent is made through toil and self-sacrifice. It is made through devotion to knowledge and love.
When the Father's voice from the bright cloud ended, the vision passed and Moses and Elijah disappeared, and the overwhelming radiance faded so the three disciples with Him could look up and see Jesus alone standing with them on the mountain. What they had just beheld fulfilled His promise that some would see the kingdom of God come with power, for they saw Christ's kingdom in miniature in the glory of His transfiguration. Moses, raised from the dead, represented those to be raised at Christ's coming, and Elijah, translated without seeing death, represented those to be changed to immortality while living, and together they showed the law and the prophets in accord with the gospel. The revelation of His divinity with heaven's testimony that He is the beloved Son to be heard was given to strengthen the disciples against the sorrow of His humiliation and crucifixion, and to strengthen Jesus Himself for His coming suffering and death in Jerusalem. The sudden closing of the glory joins it at once to the grief below, for the same glorified Redeemer descended to free the demon-afflicted child, teaching that those who have seen His glory must go with faith, prayer, and self-sacrificing love to set Satan's captives free.
Moment on the Mount
After the bright cloud overshadowed the mount and the Father's voice was heard, the vision ended and Moses and Elijah disappeared, leaving Jesus alone with the disciples on the mountain. The transfiguration gave a glimpse of Christ's future glory to strengthen faith for His coming humiliation and crucifixion. It fulfilled His promise that some standing with Him would not see death till they saw the kingdom of God come with power, for the disciples saw the kingdom of Christ in miniature with Jesus revealed in heaven's glory and proclaimed by the Father to be the Son of God. In that miniature kingdom Moses represented those who will be raised from the dead at Christ's second coming, and Elijah, who was translated without seeing death, represented those who will be living at His appearing and in a moment be changed from mortal to immortal without tasting death. Moses and Elijah together represented the law and the prophets, showing that the Old Testament is not set aside by the gospel but is in accord with it and embraced by the new dispensation. Their presence with their honor to Him, with God's voice declaring His divinity, gave strong proof that He is the promised Messiah and Son of God, meant to strengthen the disciples to endure His coming humiliation and crucifixion and recalled to sustain them during His trial.
At the voice of God from the bright cloud the disciples fell smitten to the earth with hidden faces and lay prostrate, remaining so until Jesus came near and touched them. He dispelled their fears with His familiar, well-known voice saying Arise and be not afraid, after which they ventured to lift up their eyes. When the heavenly brightness passed away and the forms of Moses and Elijah disappeared, His own overwhelming divine radiance also passed. Then they could look at Him as He stood with them alone on the mountain.
The witnesses permitted to behold His glory were Peter, James, and John, the three disciples brought into the closest relationship with Christ who saw Jesus glorified. On the mount Jesus was transfigured by the glory of God, His face lighted up with divine glory and His clothing white and glistening. From the radiant glory the voice of God came in fearful majesty declaring This is My beloved Son, hear Him. Moses and Elijah had been sent to talk with Jesus concerning His coming sufferings and death in Jerusalem, chosen rather than angels because they had experience in earth's trials. God gave this manifestation so His followers would not cast away their confidence in their coming bitter sorrow and disappointment.
What the Vision Revealed
The transfiguration fulfilled Jesus' promise that some standing with Him would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God come with power, for on the mount the disciples were permitted to see the kingdom of Christ in miniature. There Jesus was clothed with heaven's glory, with the light of heaven, and was proclaimed by the Father's voice out of the cloud to be the Son of God. In that miniature of the kingdom of the redeemed at the second advent, Moses stood with Him representing those who will be raised from the dead at Christ's second coming, while Elijah stood with Him representing those who will be living on earth at Christ's appearing. Elijah, who was translated to heaven without seeing death, represents the saints living at the second advent who in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump, will be changed from mortal to immortal and be translated to heaven without tasting death. Together Moses and Elijah also represented the law and the prophets, showing that the Old Testament is not set aside by the gospel but is in accord with it, and that the new dispensation embraces the old.
They had been sent by the Father to talk with Jesus concerning His sufferings and death in Jerusalem, to comfort Him and bring Him heaven's glory as He faced His coming agony. They were chosen for this instead of angels because they had experience in earth's trials. This manifestation of Christ's divinity, with His face lighted with divine glory and His clothing white and glistening, together with the heavenly testimony to His divine character in fearful majesty, gave strong proof that He is the promised Messiah and Son of God. It was given to strengthen the faith of the disciples so they would not cast away their confidence nor wholly lose it in their coming bitter sorrow and disappointment at His humiliation and crucifixion. The vision showed them Christ in the glory of His kingdom in connection with His necessary death, assuring them that His shameful death was part of God's plan of redemption and a glory shared for and with the human race.
The glory they had seen and the voice they had heard strengthened their faith that He was the Son of God, a memory they recalled to sustain them during His trial. The same glory also strengthened Jesus Himself before His betrayal and crucifixion and the sufferings that followed. Peter's response showed he took the vision to mean an earthly kingdom that would honor Jesus and protect Him from death, but the scene pointed to a mission that must be completed through suffering and death. The glory revealed on the mount points onward to the glory God's faithful people will share as they approach their final time of trouble.
Glory Brought to Need
The heavenly glory was brief, and when it closed the disciples were left with Jesus alone, for after He had been transfigured by the glory of God, had talked with the messengers of heaven, and had been proclaimed the Son of God by the Father's voice issuing from the radiant glory, He descended from the mount to meet grief below. The same mighty Redeemer who had stood glorified before His wondering disciples stooped to lift the victim of Satan. That victim was a lunatic child with distorted countenance wallowing on the ground in spasms of agony, demon-afflicted and suffering human misery. Jesus restored him to his father freed forever from the demon's power, thus joining the extremes of glory and grief in a brief space of time.
The setting of mountain glory beside the descent to heal the suffering boy makes the healing an object lesson of redemption, showing that the same Jesus who was glorified stooped to save the lost. Those who have seen Christ's glory must carry their work beyond moments of spiritual illumination to people enslaved by Satan. They are to draw near to Christ and go to the need waiting below with faith and prayer to help set the bound ones free. That service is to reflect His self-sacrificing love in sacrifice for humanity, in self-sacrifice and self-sacrificing love.
The mount of transfiguration is an image of the spiritual ascent to be made through strength and endurance. That ascent is made through toil and self-sacrifice. It is made through devotion to knowledge and love.