16:28 → “Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the
Son of man coming in his kingdom.”
The doctrine of the kingdom is one of the most essential and misunderstood teachings in scripture.
It is likely efforts by Satan to cause confusion among believers. [Doctrine of Rev. hangs on it!]
Many believe that this verse supports a “spiritual, kingdom now” position.
However, the verses that follow explain what Jesus meant!
17:1 → “And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high
mountain apart,”
“After six days” → Mat, Mark, and Luke are all consistent in this timeline.
“Peter, James, and John” → Why these three?
Throughout the Gospels and Acts, these three were the leaders of the disciples.
They also accompanied him in the Garden. [They were perhaps Jesus’s closest companions.]
“A high mountain” → Could be Mount Hermon (near Caesarea Philippi) or Mount Tabor (east of Nazareth)
The location is ultimately unknown.
17:2 → “And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the
light.”
“Transfigured” → (meta mor fah oe) change, transform
“his face did shine as the sun” → Similar to Moses when he came down from Sinai
“his raiment was white as the light” → Revelation 21:22-25 [God and Christ will provide the light.]
Christ - “I am the light of the world” → He was being serious!
They witnessed Jesus in his glorified state, not in his humbled form of a servant.
17:3 → “And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.”
“Moses and Elias” → Why Moses and Elijah?
Moses → The first leader of Israel who led them out of captivity. (A pre-Messianic figure.)
The one who received the Law Covenant from God. (The he Torah author.)
Elijah → Many similar miracles that Jesus did. (Also a pre-Messanic figure.)
Malachi 4:5 → The promise that Elijah would come. [Would mark the coming kingdom.]
How did they know it was Moses and Elijah? Did Jesus tell them? (Maybe it was obvious.)
17:4 → “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.”
“Tabernacles” → (skay nay) tent; Hebrew = (mish kawn)
Rev. 21:1-3, 22:1-5 → The LORD will one day tabernacle with man. (And those resurrected.)
17:5 → “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.”
Another part of the coming kingdom. → Christ will be publicly proclaimed the Son of God!
Phil. 2:8-11
17:6 → “And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.”
“sore afraid” → exceedingly afraid [Like the accounts involving angels and God’s glory.]
An act of both fear and worship. [We can only imagine the glory of God.]
They saw how insignificant and unworthy they were to be in God’s presence.
17:7 → “And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.”
“Jesus came and touched them” → Jesus was physically there, he was not a spirit
1 John 1:1 → Jesus truly came to earth in the flesh.
What will we do when we see God and Christ? [I can only imagine.]
17:8 → “And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.”
What happened to Moses and Elijah? → Something changed.
What they saw and experienced was no longer taking place.
17:9 → “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.”
“Vision” → The disciples received a glimpse into the kingdom to come.
16:28 → The fulfillment of Jesus’s words. [They saw the future kingdom.]
What exactly did they see? → Was it just a dream? Or was it actually happening?
Perhaps John’s visions in Revelation were actually seeing the future!
Jesus continued to maintain the Messianic secret. [It was not yet time for him to be glorified.]
Once he was resurrected, the disciples told everyone that he was the Christ.
Matthew 24 → Jesus explains that this Gospel must be proclaimed to the nations.
17:10 → “And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?”
If they had just seen a vision of Christ in the glory of his kingdom, why didn’t Elijah come first?
This was according to the prophecy in Malachi.
17:11 → “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.”
“restore all things” → What did Jesus mean by this?
If Israel had listened to the words of John the Baptist, they would have repented as a nation.
Then, they would have been prepared to receive their king.
This is an example of man going against the will of God.
God’s desire was for David’s descendents to always rule on the throne…
1 Timothy 2:4 → This is God’s will, but not all men will accept salvation.
17:12 → “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.”
God did keep his promise and sent Elijah, but they rejected him.
Just like John the Baptist, they will reject Christ as well.
This truly goes against the theory that God’s will is always done all of the time.
If that was true, it was God’s will for Adam and Eve to fall.
If that was true, it was God’s will for many people to die and go to Hell.
17:13 → “Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.”
The prophecy was not referring to literally Elijah.
Instead, it was referring to one that would come and be a great prophet.
