Matthew 17: 1-13

His face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light

 

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,  And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.  And his disciplesasked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.  But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.  Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. (Matthew 17: 1-13)

Jesus showed the three disciples to climb the mountain and talk to Moses and Elijah. When Jesus went to Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples: "Who do people say I am?" The disciples replied, "It is said to be Elijah, to say that Moses is back, and to be one of the prophets." Jesus asked Peter, "Who do you think I am?" Then Peter answered, "You are the Son of the living God." Jesus was born as the Messiah in the land of Israel. And, through numerous miracles, Jesus showed signs as the Messiah. However, the Israelites did not think of Jesus as the Messiah.

The purpose of the Messiah's coming to this world is to suffer and die on the cross to save sinners, and then survive in three days. However, not to mention the Jews, the disciples were unaware of this. Even Peter said that this should never happen to the Lord. In Matthew 16:21『From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 』

When the Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign, he said there was nothing to show except Jonah's sign. Jonah's sign is that Jesus died and would be resurrected in three days. In Matthew 12: 39-40『But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 』

The disciples did not believe that Jesus said he would rise. They had little interest in what Jesus was saying. So, Jesus revealed the scene of the resurrection. Moses and Elijah appeared. Moses died, but no one could find his body. Elijah was a prophet who went up to heaven without dying. Jesus was transformed while praying. The disciples first witnessed the transformation of Jesus. Moses' face was shining brightly when he received the Ten Commandments from Sinai and descended from Sinai. When Elijah ascended to heaven, he quickly changed and ascended with fire chariots and whirlwinds. Change means changing to another being.

In Luke 9: 29-31『And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.  And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:  Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. 』 Why did Jesus talk about death with Moses and Elijah? It indicates that there is a resurrection. In John 10:17『Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 』

Jesus said, "Don't tell anyone what you saw before the Son of Man survived the dead." The target is the shadow of the true image. So, Jesus said, "Don't talk until God's promises are fulfilled." God's promise is that the Son of Man will die and be resurrected in three days. When Jesus asked to keep it a secret, the disciples did not know what it meant.

In Mark 9:10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean. 』 The disciples said, "Why then?" They want to testify right away, but they are not willing to pretend to see the sights they witnessed in front of other disciples. It was because Elijah had to come first. In the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi 4: 5,『Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 』 The great and dreadful day is the day when the Messiah comes and gives judgment and salvation. God would send Elijah before that day. The disciples just witnessed Elijah's coming with two eyes. So the mysterious sight that they were surprised at was also a sight, but he wanted to testify that Elijah had come, and he wanted to do so because Moses was with him.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus instructed his disciples five times, "Don't tell anyone." It is the fifth time that Jesus asked his disciples after coming down from the Mount of Change. After six days of the promise to be resurrected, the figure after resurrection was shown in advance to the disciples on the mountain of change, thereby guaranteeing its realization. Israel at the time of Jesus was waiting for the Messiah to come.

The conclusion of the Pentateuch, the Old Testament, which the Jews considered most important, was that a prophet like Moses would come. The Old Book of the Old Testament, which concludes the Old Testament Age The conclusion of Malachi is that Elijah first comes to the world before the prophet comes. About four hundred years after the Malachi prophecy, God's revelation did not appear.

The Israelites continued to be ruled by the uncircumcised, idol-loving Gentiles, such as Greek and Roman. Under these circumstances, the three disciples witnessed the coming of Moses and Elijah. Why do Moses and Elijah appear? In Deuteronomy 18: 15-22, the Israelites feared God on Mount Sinai, so they asked Moses to hear the word of God and inform the people.

So, God said to Moses, "I will raise up a prophet like you in the future." The prophet means Jesus Christ. So when the disciples look at Moses, they must think of the prophet God spoke of. Elijah was a prophet who fought against the prophets of Baal and the prophets of Asherah during the time of King Ahab and burned and killed 800 people from heaven. Elijah was responsible for turning "Israel from God" to God. When Jesus came into the world, Israel's appearance was no different from that of Elijah's day.

Through the prophet Malachi, before Jesus Christ came, Elijah foretold. So, John the Baptist (the spirit of Elijah) came and spoke to the people. Jesus Christ will come and judge Satan. John the Baptist cried to repent, but the leader of Israel killed John the Baptist. The reason Jesus appeared to Elijah is that when the disciples remember the words of the prophet Malachi, they immediately realized that John the Baptist was the spirit of Elia. However, even though Jesus and Moses and Elijah were appearing and talking to Jesus, the disciples did not realize this. The theme of the conversation is that Jesus will suffer and die and will be resurrected in three days.

Jesus also admitted that the disciples were right. “Elijah will come first and restore everything.” Elijah had already come, but people did not recognize it and treated it arbitrarily. As the disciples later admitted, John the Baptist was that Elijah. If the disciples shout, "Now we have seen Moses and Elijah, and the Messiah is here," they also become like Elijah, John the Baptist. Then, like John the Baptist, they are also treated randomly by people and suffer the same persecution and suffering. Then, problems may arise in the preaching of the gospel. Jesus was only concerned that the Gospel was properly witnessed. And the thing is that Jesus will die on the cross and resurrect in three days so that the whole world will know.

To change means to be born again with water and the Holy Spirit. It is said that the old man must die and be reborn as a new man. In Galatians 4:19, 『My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you』. When the image of Christ is made in the regenerated one, it becomes a different being. It becomes the spiritual being who wears the body of the spirit from the physical being. In Matthew 13:43『Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 』

The Old and New Testaments and human sinfulness do not change. The sins that make God a liar in front of the land of Canaan, or those who flee from the cross of Jesus. It is the same without being united with his death on the cross. The Bible clearly says that not believing is proof that you are not born again.

Although in Romans 6:7『For he that is dead is freed from sin. Even today, most people believe that "if you confess your sins and believe that Jesus has forgiven the sins of those who repent, you have been freed from sin." This will not happen unless we are united with Jesus' death.