{"id":253,"date":"2018-01-01T11:13:40","date_gmt":"2018-01-01T10:13:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/?p=253"},"modified":"2018-01-01T11:13:40","modified_gmt":"2018-01-01T10:13:40","slug":"the-transfiguration-of-the-messiah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/2018\/01\/01\/the-transfiguration-of-the-messiah\/","title":{"rendered":"The Transfiguration of the Messiah"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u2026 and he was transfigured before them; and his face did shine as the sun, and his garments became white as the light.<\/em><\/p>\n

Matthew 17:2<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a study of the Transfiguration of Yeshua (Jesus) and its significance. The Transfiguration of Jesus is found in three Gospels: Matthew 17:1\u20138<\/a>, Mark 9:2\u20138<\/a>, and Luke 9:28\u201336<\/a>. To get the full picture of what happened, all three Gospel accounts must be studied and compared.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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I. The Observers<\/p>\n

First, concerning the ones who observed the Transfiguration, it was not all twelve disciples but only three: Peter, James and John. Just prior to this experience Yeshua promised His d<\/span>isciples that some of them would not die until they saw His glory in the Kingdom. In Matthew 16:28<\/a>, the promise Jesus made that, \u201csome of them that stand here would not die until they saw the glory of<\/span> the Son of man coming in his kingdom\u201d was now fulfilled, and the some were Peter, James and John. These were the some who saw the Transfiguration. Furthermore, they went unto a very high mountain. Just before this event they were in Caesarea Philippi at the foot of Mount Hermon. So we take this mount<\/span>ain not to be Mount Tabor, which is the traditional sight of the Transfiguration, but rather Mount Hermon, the highest mountain in all of the Holy Land, being over 9,000 feet above sea level. As they came to a very high mountain, the Transfiguration occurred.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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II. The Transfiguration<\/p>\n

The three Gospel accounts of the Transfiguration read as follows:<\/p>\n

Matthew 17:2<\/a>: \u2026 and he was transfigured before them; and his face did shine as the sun, and his garments becam<\/em>e white as the light.<\/em><\/p>\n

Mark 9:3<\/a>: \u2026 and his garments became glistering, exceeding white, so as no fuller on earth can whiten them.<\/em><\/p>\n

Luke 9:29<\/a>: And as he was praying, the fashion of his countenance was al<\/em>tered, and his raiment became white and dazzling.<\/em><\/p>\n

In the Transfiguration, a transformation took place and suddenly a very bright light penetrated through the body of Yeshua, lighting up and whitening His clothes. What they saw was indeed the glory that the Son of Man will have in His Kingdom; they saw the Shechinah Glory itself. Throughout eternity past, Jesus had always been characterized by this very glory. But when Jesus became a man at the incarnation, the Shechinah Glory\u2014the glory of the Messiah\u2014was veiled by His human body. Only at one point in His life on earth did the Shechinah Glory penetrate through the physical frame of His body, and that was at the Transfiguration. When the Transfiguration occurred, it was the out-shining of the glory of God. The veiled-glory was unveiled for a few moments before these disciples.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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III. Moses and Elijah<\/p>\n

Along with Yeshua, there were two other men from the Old Testament: Moses and Elijah. Why were these two men present and not others? There are two reasons. First, Moses was there to represent the Law, and Elijah was there to represent the Prophets. Remember, that the purpose of the coming of Yeshua was to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. In fact, Luke 9:30b\u201331<\/a> states: \u2026 Mose<\/em>s and Elijah; who appeared in glory, and spoke of his decease which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Greek word for \u201cdecease\u201d is exodos<\/span>. It is the Greek word from which our English word \u201cexodus\u201d is derived and some Bibles translate the word as \u201cdeparture\u201d. In other words, the topic of conversation among Jesus, Moses and Elijah was the coming death of Jesus in Jerusalem. Since the death of Jesus was the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, that is one reason why Moses and Elijah happened to be there.<\/p>\n

The second reason why these two men were there was that Moses had died but Elijah had not. Moses was there to represent the saints that will be resurrected. Elijah was there to represent the saints that will be translated or changed into immortal beings at the point of the Rapture, without having to go through the process of death. These saints will change in \u201cthe twinkling of an eye\u201d while they are still living.<\/p>\n

The fact that the term exodos<\/span> is used is significant. The Exodus of Israel from Egypt meant freedom and liberation. The reason for discussing His death\u2014His exodos<\/span>\u2014might be for three additional reasons.<\/p>\n

First, His death and coming resurrection would mean freedom for Yeshua from all limitations, for when Yeshua became a man, He was limited in His use of divine power. In fact, even His glory was no longer visible because it was veiled, and was exposed only in these few moments. Yeshua\u2019s death would mean freedom from all the limitations imposed by the Incarnation.<\/p>\n

Second, it would free Him from living in a world of sin. Jesus once said, \u201cHow long must I bear with you; how long must I bear with this wicked generation?\u201d The holy Person of Yeshua having to live and walk among sinful men was always something that weighed heavily upon Him. His decease\u2014His exo<\/span>dos<\/span>\u2014would indeed be a point of freedom for Him.<\/p>\n

Finally, the exodos<\/span> of Jesus would free the believer from bondage to sin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

IV. The Response of Peter<\/p>\n

At this point Peter entered into the conversation and said in Matthew 17:4<\/a>: And Peter answered, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if you will, I will m<\/em><\/span>ake here three tabernacles; one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.<\/em><\/p>\n

At this point Peter interrupted the conversation of the three men and suggested that he be allowed to build three tabern<\/span>acles: one for Yeshua, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. In many, many sermons on this passage, Peter is very often castigated for the specific sin of wanting to put Yeshua on the same level with Moses and Elijah. By wanting to build three tabernacles instead of just one, some claim it meant that either Peter was elev<\/span>ating Moses and Elijah to be on a par with Jesus, or he was demoting Yeshua to be on the level of Moses and Elijah. However, that is not a correct interpretation of this passage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just before the Transfiguration, Peter was the one who said: \u201cYou are the Messiah, the Son of the God<\/span>, the Living One\u201d (Mat. 16:16<\/a>). Peter clearly knew who Jesus was and he knew the Messiah was superior to both Moses and Elijah. He was not trying to put Jesus on equal par with the others or vice vers<\/span>a. Rather, this is a proper response, but Peter\u2019s timing was wrong.<\/p>\n

Remember what Peter was seeing. He had seen the glory that the Son of Man will have in His Kingdom. Peter knew from Zechariah 14<\/a> tha<\/span>t the Feast of Tabernacles was going to be fulfilled by the Messianic Kingdom. That is why, during the Messianic Kingdom, it will be obligatory for all to observe the Feast of Tabernacles. Preceding the e<\/span>xperience, it is clear that Peter did not yet understand the program of death and resurrection. Now he was seeing the glory that Yeshua would have in the Kingdom and he expected that the Kingdom to be established at this time. He expected the Feast of Tabernacles to be <\/span>fulfilled at this time, and that is why he wanted to build the three tabernacles.<\/p>\n

But because he did not yet understand the pr<\/span>ogram of death and resurrection, he did not yet understand that the Feast of Passover had to be fulfilled before the Feast of Tabernacles could be fulfilled. So his response is not wrong; it was a proper response based upon the knowledge he had<\/span> at that point and the truth, as he understood it. Although it was a proper response, his timing was totally wrong. For that reason, he was not allowed to build the three tabernacles, because it was Passover that Yeshua came to fulfill and not the Feast of Tabernacles. Therefore, in keeping with the promise of Yeshua, Peter saw the glory that the Messiah will have in His Kingdom.<\/p>\n

V. The Glory Cloud<\/p>\n

Matthew 17:5<\/a> records what happened next: While he was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son, i<\/em><\/span>n whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.<\/em><\/p>\n

Suddenly the words of Peter were interrupted by the glory cloud descending upon Mount Hermon and taking in all three men. The glory cloud came down, and God the <\/span>Father spoke audibly from amidst this cloud. Three times in the ministry of Jesus, God the Father spoke audibly from heaven. The first time was at His baptism (Mat. 3:17<\/a>); second, at His Transfigurati<\/span>on; third, at the end of His ministry (Jn. 12:28<\/a>).<\/p>\n

This is the second time God the Father spoke audibly from heaven saying: \u2026 This is my beloved Son, \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

This is the Messiah. Here, God the Father affirm<\/span>ed that which Peter had just recently confessed in Matthew 16:16<\/a> when he said, \u201cYou are the Messiah, the Son of the God, the Living One.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then God the Father said: \u2026 in whom I am well pleased; \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Becau<\/span>se Jesus fulfilled the will of the Father.<\/p>\n

Thirdly, God the Father said: \u2026 hear ye him.<\/em><\/p>\n

They had heard the Law. They had heard the Prophets. Now they must listen to the Son, because the Son is the fin<\/span>al revelation. That is the point of Hebrews 1:1\u20133<\/a>, where the writer pointed out how, \u201cin past times, God has revealed Himself in various ways and divers portions, but has, in these last days revealed <\/span>Himsel in his Son.\u201d They must hear, listen, and obey the Son.<\/p>\n

The cloud overshadowed all three men and, at that point and the disciples no longer saw the three men. They saw only the cloud and heard t<\/span>he voice of God the Father saying: This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.<\/em><\/p>\n

Then, in Matthew 17:8<\/a>, as if to drive home that same point, suddenly the cloud lifted: And lifting up <\/em><\/span>their eyes, they saw no one, save Jesus only.<\/em><\/p>\n

The purpose of seeing only Jesus was to drive home the point that He was the One they had to hear. They had heard the Law; they had heard the Prophets, no<\/span>w they had to hear the Son.<\/p>\n

VI. The Significance of the Transfiguration<\/p>\n

There are theological significances of the Transfiguration that should be carefully noted. First, the Transfiguration authenticated the Messiahship of Yeshu<\/span>a, which had been rejected by men but accepted by God. When God the Father spoke audibly, He said, \u201cThis is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him.<\/em><\/p>\n

This authenticated the Messiahship of<\/span> Yeshua.<\/p>\n

Secondly, the Transfiguration anticipated the earthly Kingdom of the Messiah. This is seen in two ways. First, before the Transfiguration Jesus promised His disciples that some of them would <\/span>not die until they saw the glory that the Son of Man would have in the Kingdom (Mat. 16:28<\/a>). The some who did not die were Peter, James and John. When they saw the Transfiguration, they saw the glory <\/span>that the Son of Man will have in the Kingdom. Thus, it anticipated the coming earthly Kingdom.<\/p>\n

One of these three men, Peter, later wrote these particular words in 2 Peter 1:16\u201318<\/a>: For we did not foll<\/em><\/span>ow cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there was borne <\/em><\/span>such a voice to him by the Majestic Glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: and this voice we ourselves heard borne out of heaven, when we were with him in the holy mount.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

When Peter reflected on the experience, he pointed out that, to him, it was an anticipation of the future power and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ; the coming of the Messiah in His Kingdom.<\/p>\n

<\/span>The third significance of the Transfiguration is that it guarantees the fulfillment of all prophecies; it guarantees the fulfillment of all Scriptures. This is also seen in two ways. First, according <\/span>to Luke 9:31<\/a>, the discussion which Yeshua had with Moses and Elijah concerned His coming exodos<\/span>\u2014His coming death, which would fulfill the Law and the Prophets. Secondly, the eyewitness of this event, <\/span>Peter, wrote in 2 Peter 1:19\u201321<\/a>: And we have the word of prophecy made more sure; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star a<\/em><\/span>rise in your hearts: knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation. For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spoke from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Again, from the background of the Transfiguration, Peter took this as evidence of the guarantee of the fulfillment of all Scripture.<\/p>\n

The fourth significance of the Transfiguration is that it contai<\/span>ns a pledge of the life beyond. Both Moses and Elijah were there. Moses did die, so he represented the resurrected saints. Elijah did not die, so he represented the translated saints. There is this pledge of the life beyond. The fact that these two men continue to<\/span> exist, though one in spirit-form only, and the other in a glorified-body form who was translated, and yet were still present and able to communicate, shows the continuation of the life beyond death.<\/span><\/p>\n

The fifth significance of the Transfiguration tells us what it cost Jesus to come. It meant He had to veil His glory twice. The first ti<\/span>me His glory was veiled was at the Incarnation. Then, at the Transfiguration, the Shechinah Glory penetrated through the veil; but after the Transfiguration, it was veiled for a second time. What did it cost Yeshua to come? It meant He had to veil His glory twice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, the Transfiguration shows the measure of His love; He was willing to do all this on our behalf.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2026 and he was transfigured before them; and his face did shine as the sun, and his garments became white as the light. Matthew 17:2 Introduction This is a study of the Transfiguration of Yeshua (Jesus) and its significance. The Transfiguration of Jesus is found in three Gospels: Matthew 17:1\u20138, Mark 9:2\u20138, and Luke 9:28\u201336. … <\/p>\n

\u201eThe Transfiguration of the Messiah\u201c <\/span>weiterlesen<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-allgemein"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":254,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253\/revisions\/254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buch.jehovah-shammah.de\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}