Transfiguration

Mark 9. Verse one, at first, seems as if it should be included in chapter 8. However, it works just as well as an introduction to the transfiguration account here in Mark. -- 9:1 "I assure you that some of you standing here right now will not die before you see the Kingdom of God arrive in great power." This statement was said to "His disciples and the crowds"(8:34). Six days after this Jesus took Peter, James and John to a mountain. The Catholics say that this started the final 40 days of Christ's earth walk before the Cross. I believe that. It happened between the Feast of Tabernacles and the Passover. The last Feast and the first Feast--I Am the First and The Last-- As the three were standing there Elijah and Moses appeared and were talking with Jesus. One gospel says that they were discussing what was to come in Jerusalem to accomplish God's Plan. And suddenly Moses and Elijah disappeared and only Jesus remained. Moses was the first savior of the Jews and represented the Old Covenant in the Law. Elijah was the first of the Prophets and one who never died a natural death, and the first to resurrect the dead. He restored a child to the parent. Peter James and John were permitted to see Christ as He truly IS. I believe that they were there to bear witness forty days before they were going to see Him beaten so bad that he did not even look human(Isaiah 52:14). Then A voice from Heaven--very much like the same at His baptism before He spent His forty days in the wilderness--This is My Beloved Son" --Then The Father added "Listen to Him." The Law and The Prophets message was fulfilled in the presence of those three disciples. Jesus in His Glory remained and received the Father's Authority. This was also The Father encouraging the Son to complete the work. Just as He came to Him before the wilderness experience (tempted for forty days), The Father came to encourage and hold up His Son to live through the even greater temptation of His next forty days to come.---Thank You Jesus for Your Finished Work! There were three disciples present at the transfiguration. In the four Gospels, three of the Gospels give an account of the transfiguration. Matthew 17, Mark 9 and Luke 9, why not John?If you remember, I brought out that in Mark 9 the first verse seems to maybe be out of place. I think that the first verse of Mark 9 is the reason why there is no account of the transfiguration in John. I believe that John took that word from Jesus for himself. "I assure you that some of you standing here right now will not die before you see the Kingdom of God arrive in great power." John describes himself as the one who Jesus loved. I think that John had a relationship with Christ that the others did not. He accepted Christ without reservation, and he believed that he would see the Kingdom come. And he did--check out The Revelation. In John's Gospel Chapter 1, He says this(verse 14)"So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father." John was talking about the transfiguration. He did not give an account in his Gospel because he believed that he would see the Revelation before he died---and he did.

E lijah was the first person to raise someone else from the dead. He was also the prophet to fulfill the prophecy of Moses. Some people think that Jesus was the fulfillment but as I read it I think that it was pointing to Elijah. The second half just doesn't sound like Jesus. The prophecy in Malachi says that Elijah will come again--the prophet that fulfilled the Moses prophecy--and did not experience death himself, but was taken up---will return before Messiah. After the disciples had seen Moses and Elijah AND THE GLORY of Messiah, and they heard the Voice from Heaven proclaiming Jesus as THE ONE, then they ask "why do the scribes say Elijah must come first?" This is where you can really get messed up thinking with your mind and not with the aid of Holy Ghost. "He is indeed coming first, in fact if you can see it, he has already come and was badly mistreated..."( this is not a direct quote). They had just seen Elijah and recognized him--without any prompting. And they ask WHY do the teachers say that he must come first. Well, did Elijah not just show up to them? Jesus answered with He has come and is coming---. Jesus Has come and is Coming. Jesus was the first to raise Himself from the dead just as Elijah was the first to raise others. The Father gave Jesus that command. He gave His life and He took it up again. What happened before will happen again before the second coming of The Son of Man---that is word given to me a few years back, and the Word will back that up.---Get ready the trump will blow soon and we will be called up before that great and dreadful day of the Lord---Read Rev. 3:10 that was my word for the day.---Thank You Father that we as your children will be spared the trying of the earth! I believe that the Lord wants to look at the manifestation of Moses at Jesus' Transfiguration. First of all I want to mention that there were two main prophecies that the Jewish people looked for to know that Messiah had come. 1) Deut. 18:15 "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites, and you must listen to that prophet." 2)Mal. 4:5" Look I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives."The first prophecy came through Moses. I believe this is talking about Elijah. Moses was the mediator between God and the Israelites. God wrote His Law with His own finger and gave the tablets to Moses.(Exodus 32:16-19) Moses did not even make it all the way down the mountain and the people had broken Law #1 and probably, truth be told, all 613 regulations(Ex. 20-31) and Moses smashed the tablets. God was with Moses on the mountain. Do you not know that God saw the people breaking the law even as He wrote it on those tablets? After this Moses and the Levites killed three thousand of their brothers and sons. Because they did this they were ordained for service.After the Holy Spirit came, the believers were ordained for service and (Acts 2:41) Peter added three thousand that day. The law brings death and Grace brings life. Moses went right back up that mountain and God gave the Law again. This time when Moses came down his face glowed so much that the people were afraid to come near him. And Jesus took them to the top of a mountain---sounds like where Moses got the law. And Jesus appearance became so bright they were afraid. And the voice from Heaven said---in the presence of Moses and Elijah---This is my beloved Son Listen to Him. Mark 9:2(NKJ) .. No one else was there. As the men watched, Jesus appearance changed. Wow! Does this sound like a salvation experience or what? I never saw this before. No one else is there. Jesus becomes His real self to you---suddenly! Peter, James and John had been hanging out with Jesus for three years or so, and taking in the Wisdom of God from Him, but had yet to see Jesus as He truly IS. I can relate. I was introduced to Jesus at a very early age but failed to see Him as He is for many, many years. I was baptized in water at the age of 8. I believed that Jesus was my only Salvation, but I was motivated by fear and not by Love. I was taken in by a doctrine that said that I must accept Jesus and then I must do. It was not until I had an encounter with The Father and He filled me with His Spirit and I saw Jesus as He Is-- then I understood: He made me and He saved me and I had nothing to do with either one. It is only by His Grace that I am. I was created to be a human being--not a human doing. If it is by works that we are saved we should be Muslim. The good deeds must come from Him and not ourselves. We create corruption and death. The Father creates Life. As we let Him move through us, He creates Life. As we strive, we produce death. Hebrews 4:11(NKJ) Let us do our best to enter in to that(His) place of rest. I think that I should mention the last member of the party on Transfiguration Mountain--James. This is not the James that wrote the book in our New Testament. That James was Jesus' half brother. This James was one of the "Sons of Thunder" John's brother. I had to question why him or why them--why these three. James did not write any books of the Bible--why was he chosen to see the Transfiguration? Luke 5: 8-11 Peter, James, and John were the first three disciples and they left everything and followed Him. They were the three that were there for the whole of His Ministry here on earth in a human body. They knew as much as any of His followers that he was a human, and they needed to SEE that He Is God. Don't we?---be blessed---c