Seeing the Kingdom of God, Part 1

Let's bow in a moment of prayer together. Father, we thank you for today and the opportunity you give us to study your word. And we truly pray, Lord, that our eyes would be open to view your splendor and glory on this wonderful Lord's day. In Jesus' name, amen. Turn with me in your Bible, if you would, to Luke chapter 9.

Luke chapter 9, as we continue our study. And today we are going to look at the most important event in the life of Christ between his birth and his death.

This passage is the most monumental revelation of the glory of God and his kingdom in between his birth and his death. So this becomes a crucial passage for us to understand the glory of Jesus Christ, our Lord. It finds itself in the midst of a tremendous passage of scripture. A passage that we've entitled, His Way in His Words. Luke 9, verses 18 to 26. It all began with the question, who do men say that I am? That question revealed to us the identity of the Messiah. It went from the question to the instruction, which dealt with the centrality of his mission.

From the instruction to the application, to the reality of his message. That is, if any man come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. And ends with this conclusion. And that is his glory on the mountain. Here in Luke chapter 9. It's a beautiful display of the glory of God. And we need to come to grips with it. And verse 26 is a transition verse. Because Jesus unveils to us for the very first time in his words that he is going to return.

Luke unveils to us the first time Christ talks about his return to this earth. It says this, for whoever is ashamed of me and my words of him, will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Now we know that biblical prophecy centers around the two comings of the Messiah. His first coming and his second coming.

In his first coming he came to redeem man. In his second coming he comes to reign over man. In his first coming he came to be killed.

In his second coming he comes to kill. In his first coming he came to serve. In his second coming he comes to be served.

In his first coming he came to seek and to save. In his second coming he comes to search and destroy.

The two comings are completely different. And the Old Testament talked about those comings. And the prophecy surrounding the arrival of the Messiah. In fact the Bible tells us that there are 1,527 passages that refer to the second coming of Christ in the Old Testament alone.

In the New Testament one out of every 25 verses speak about the second coming of the Messiah. The Bible is very clear that there were 333 prophecies surrounding the arrival of the Messiah. 109 of them fulfilled in his first coming.

Leaving 224 to be fulfilled in his second coming. Everything around biblical prophecy centers around the two comings of the Messiah. One in his humiliation. The other in his exaltation. The one as a servant. The other as a sovereign king. Now that is absolutely crucial for us to understand especially in light of this passage. Because Jesus has been speaking to his men. Who do men say that I am? Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Ah Peter blessed are you for flesh and blood is not revealed to you but my Father who is in heaven.

The only way you know that I'm the Messiah, that I am the Son of God Peter is because my Father revealed it to you. And Peter took that big deep breath and knew that he was the man on that day. And Jesus said but don't tell anybody that. Instead tell them this that the Son of Man must suffer. He must die and will rise again. And Peter so full of himself said oh Lord that's not going to happen. That's not the plan. In fact Lord let me tell you how it's going to unfold.

Because evidently you don't understand who you are. We understand who you are. But maybe Lord you're having an identity crisis. Let us explain to you how it's going to happen. And Jesus said to him get thee behind me Satan. He rebuked him. So Peter going from that humongous self-esteem moment to a time of great depression. And then Jesus says listen this is the way it's going to be.

This is how it must happen. This is how it will happen. And on top of that if you want to follow me you're gonna have to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow me. Not only am I gonna die but you gotta be prepared to die as well. So you can imagine the emotion of the twelve. They're like we don't get it. We don't understand. Jesus says if you want to keep your life you will lose it.

But if you want to ultimately end up keeping your life you're gonna have to lose it today. Again negative sermon on the part of our Lord. If you don't confess me before men I will not confess you before my Father who is in heaven. And by this time they are overwhelmed, overwhelmed with all that Jesus is saying. It's like you know you come to church. You come thinking man I'm gonna hear a sermon today. I'm ready to go. And the pastor hits a nerve. And once he hits a nerve you shut out everything else he says.

You don't hear anything else he says because he hit a nerve. And all you can think about is that oh that sin or that problem or that difficulty or I don't like the way he said it or and you turn everything else off. That's exactly the way the Apostles were. Jesus said, Jesus said you're blessed Simon because my Father revealed it to you that I am the Messiah. I am the Son of God. Instead of reveling in the fact that they had face-to-face contact with the Messiah of God instead they became angry because he talked about his death.

If they would have known the Old Testament they would have known that the Old Testament spoke about the death of the Messiah. But instead they became bewildered at the at the words of Christ. That's not what they wanted. That wasn't their plan. God's plan yes. Their plan no. So as Christ began to unfold that plan for them it became more and more overwhelming in their minds that this is not the direction we want to go. But Jesus said this is the plan. This is where we're going. And then he says oh by the way the Son of Man will return in all of his glory.

They didn't get that either. They missed all that. It was too overwhelming. The very fact that Jesus is going to return. It didn't compute with them. Return, return, return from what? Where you going? See it wasn't easily digested for them. They were having a hard time. And yet Christ mentions for the very first time he's coming again.

He's going to return. And they needed to understand this. And then he says these words. But verse 27. We've told you about the butologies of Scripture. Whenever you see a but in Scripture there's this great transition. But Jesus says.

He says this. I see to you truthfully there are some of those standing there here who shall not taste death until they see the kingdom of God. But I want to let you know something. There are some of you. Not all of you. A few of you that will not die. You're not going to taste death. You're not going to drink that bitter cup until you see the kingdom and all of its glory. Matthew's account says that the Son of Man and his kingdom you will see. Mark's account says you will see the kingdom in great power.

You're going to see all that. You're going to see glory, power, and the kingdom of God. Some of you. Now why did Jesus say that? Because Jesus had to verify in their minds the very fact that he was going to come back exactly as he said. Jesus did what the prophets of old did. Remember those prophets that used to prophesy about the coming kingdom of God. How would people believe in the coming kingdom of God? I mean Jesus said he's coming back. It's been 2,000 years. And you read 2 Peter chapter 3.

You realize there are going to be mockers and scoffers that say where is the promise of his coming? Where is he at? I don't see Jesus anywhere. Everything's going to continue just as it always has. Nothing's going to change. They'll begin to mock and to scoff those of us who believe in the return of the Messiah. How do we know he's going to come back? How do we know he's true to his word? Well just like the prophets of old. Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah. All those major prophets. All those minor prophets.

All those guys who prophesied about the coming kingdom of God. They would give a prophecy in the distant future. But to prove that that prophecy was true and would actually come about as they said. They would also give a prophecy that would take place in the near future. So that those who saw the fulfillment of the near prophecy would have their faith bolstered so they would believe in the future prophecy. Make sense? That's exactly what Jesus did. I'm going to come again. I'm coming back. And he knows they're just overwhelmed with the emotion of self denial.

cross-bearing, following Him, the one who's gonna die. All their dreams and all their hopes were dashed. They're thinking, where's the kingdom? I mean, this is the king, right? And if the king is the king, he's got a kingdom. In fact, John the Baptist came preaching, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus followed John the Baptist and said, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And they had seen from the human perspective, kingdom power, right? They had seen people healed. They had seen people raised from the dead.

I mean, this was actually the most incredible time in the history of the world because as Christ was proving His messianic credentials, they would come to realize that this is the way the kingdom is going to be. And as He gave His messianic credentials, they saw the kingdom power on display. When demons were cast out, when dead were raised, when the storm was calmed, the sea was calmed because of the storm. When they saw the miraculous power of God, they understood that He was the king. And yet, their ability to understand that great and glorious kingdom, they needed to understand the king himself.

And so Jesus is going to take them behind the scenes. Jesus is going to unveil the curtain that they might see the glory and splendor of God Himself to realize as they see on this mountain, the king, his glory, his kingdom, and his power. They needed to see that because they would be the ones who would write about the coming king and his kingdom. So He would take three of His men, Peter, James, and John. Why three? Because God made a statement in Deuteronomy 1915 that says, in the mouth of two or three witnesses, everything will be confirmed, right?

So there needs to be a confirmation of what they're going to say. He will take some of them. Not all of them, but He will take three of them. And these men will be eyewitnesses to the majesty of the Christ. Some of you will be alive. Truthfully, I say this to you. He says, I say to you truthfully. In Mark's account, he says, truly I say to you. Now that's a unique phrase. I mean, I mean, truly, truly, verily, verily, I say unto you, I mean, I mean. Just by way of information, 76 times that phrase is used at the beginning of a sentence in the Bible.

48 times it's used at the end of a sentence in the Bible. And every time it's used at the end of the sentence, it's man speaking in response to God. And every time it's used at the beginning of the sentence, all 76 times it's God himself who says it. Now, why is that significant? Because Jesus says, listen up, what I'm going to say, you can bank on.

It's absolute truth. Here we go. So you ready? Listen to it. Listen to it. Because what I'm going to state is absolute fact. Cause you to perk your ears up. And man in response says, I mean, I mean, I hear because you said it, I believe, and now I'm prepared to act. And Jesus says, are you ready for this?

Truthfully, verily, verily, truly, truly, I say to you, here it is. There will be some of you, not all of you, but some of you who will seek kingdom glory. I'm going to come again. I'm going to come in great power and in great glory. And to verify that I'm going to let some of you see that glory. You will not die until you see that glory. And that sets the tone for verses 28 down through verse number 36. Let me read it to you.

And so many days after these sayings, it came about that he took along Peter and John and James and went up to the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face became different than his clothing became white and gleaming. And behold, two men were talking with him and they were Moses and Elijah, who appearing in glory were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep, but when they were fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.

And it came about as these were parting, as these were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here. And let us make three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah, not realizing what he was saying. And while he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to overshadow them. And they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud saying, this is my son, my chosen one, listen to him. And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.

And they kept silent and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen. Now folks remember, this is the most important event between the birth of Christ and his death. Because in this passage, he reveals to us exactly who he is, unlike any other passage in those Gospels. So this becomes crucial for our understanding. The text says very clearly, and some eight days after these sayings. Matthew and Mark say six days after these sayings. So which is it? Eight days or six days?

The answer is simple. It's both. Well how can it be both? Simply because Luke tells us the day he said it and the day it happened. And the other writers just record the six days in between the day he said it and the day it happened. So both are true. Okay? It was eight days from the day he said it to the time it actually happened. And Matthew and Mark just record the six days that took place in between those two bookend days. Make sense? The Bible says very clearly, on some eight days after these things, it came about that he took along Peter, John, and James and went up to the mountain to pray.

Now, second time, Peter, James, and John go with him. Right? Remember back in Luke 8, verse number 51? Christ took Peter, James, and John, the three men that would be a part of his inner circle. He would take them into the house of Jairus and there there would be a resurrection of his daughter. And that was the first time he set those three aside from the other apostles.

And now he does it a second time. He will do it again and again because those three men make up the inner circle. They are the most intimate ones with our master. We'll see it in the Garden of Gethsemane where he takes his men to that garden and he goes off with those three men to pray. Remember that? And here Jesus takes these three men with him because he's going to pray. And Luke emphasizes the prayer part or the prayer ministry of Christ because it's essential to us understanding the humanity of deity.

And that's what the title of Luke is, the humanity of deity. We know he's 100% man. He's also 100% God. And Luke emphasizes the humanity of deity and that he's always dependent upon his father in heaven. And so he has a unique emphasis on the prayer life of Jesus, the Messiah. Unfortunately, the other three fall asleep. They tend to do that every once in a while, a lot like you folks do sometimes. You fall asleep in prayer meeting. You ever done that before? Sure. We all fall asleep during prayer meeting, sometimes, somewhere, someplace.

And these men did. And it's remarkable because especially on the eve of the crucifixion, you'd think they'd stay awake knowing that Jesus had spent all that evening with them. They would be awake anticipating what was going to happen next. But Luke's account tells us in Luke 22, I believe it is, that they were overcome with grief. It caused them to fall asleep. And I do believe that that's what happened here too. They were overcome with grief. They're hearing for the very first time that Jesus is going to die.

They're thinking, oh man, I can't believe this. Not only is he going to die, but they're going to follow him. They're going to die. That's going to be overwhelming for somebody. They got to lose their life in order to keep their life. They got to confess him before men. I mean, it's just overwhelming. And they missed the resurrection. They missed the glorification of the Son of Man. They missed his return when he reveals himself in all of his splendor and glory at the end. They missed all that. So many days later, he takes them up to the mountain.

What mountain is that? It's called the mountain. Matthew says it's a high mountain. Which mountain is that? No one knows for sure. There are lots of mountains in Israel. There's one that has a Catholic church on top of it, Mount Tabor. And the Catholics believe that that's where the resurrection or the transfiguration took place. I doubt that that's the place because Mount Tabor is not a high mountain. The Bible says a high mountain.

Well, to qualify as a high mountain, easy for you to say, to qualify as a high mountain, you got to be high. That makes sense to you? Makes pretty good sense to me. That mountain would probably be Mount Hermon, which is the base accessory of Philippi, which is where this discussion in Luke 9 would take place. So maybe that's the place. No one knows for sure. Okay? If God wanted you to know which mountain it was, guess what? He'd have told you which mountain it was. The mountain's not important. What takes place on the mountain?

Now, folks, that's important. And four things I want you to see. Two this week, two next week. Got to get you to come back next week, right? So two this week, two next week. What takes place on this mountain helps us understand how you and I can see the kingdom of God. How you and I can view the glory of God in all of his splendor, in all of his majesty. We need to be able to see his kingdom. And here he shows it to us. The first thing I want you to see is the son's transformation.

The son's transformation. It says this in verse 29, and while he was praying, the emphasis is on he, not them. They were sleeping. He was praying. The appearance of his face became different, heteron, different other than what it normally is. Okay? Different of another kind, not difference of a same kind. That's alas. This is heteros, different of another kind. Okay? And his clothing became white and gleaming. Now this is a classic understatement by Luke. His appearance changed. It was different.

His face was Lukas. His face was gleaming, sparkling, shining. Matthew's account says his face would shine like the sun at noon. And folks, that's amazing. Why? Well, remember at the birth of Christ, he was born. He came out of the womb like any baby would come out of the womb, right? And Mary would wrap that babe up and hold that babe. And she would nurse that babe. She would feed that babe. She would change that baby as you would feed and nurse and change your baby. And that baby would grow to be a little boy.

And that little boy would run around the carpenter's shop with his father Joseph, and he would run around the carpenter's shop like every other boy would run around their father's feet at work. And when Jesus went out to play, he would go out to play like every other boy would go out to play. And when they saw him, they saw him as a boy. He grew to be a man. And when they saw him, they saw him as a man. They would see him as a man who would speak as a man. They would see him eat as a man would eat.

They would see him sleep as a man would sleep. They would see him drink as a man would drink. Like any other man would eat or drink or sleep. That's how they saw him because he was 100% man. But now his appearance changes. Everything about him changes because the Bible says God is spirit.

And whenever that spirit would manifest himself in the Old Testament, he manifested himself as what? Light, right? Light. The eternal life is described as light. That's why the Bible says God is light.

In him is no darkness at all. That's light of the world. I am the light of the world. And God would manifest himself as light. Now Matthew's account in Matthew 17 verse number two says that Jesus was transfigured, transfigured, metamorphose.

It's a word we get our English word metamorphosis. And when you think of a metamorphosis, you think of a butterfly, right? Comes out different than he went in. And when you see the butterfly, you would never imagine that it was one time a what? Caterpillar. Never imagined it. But here Jesus was transfigured before them, transformed, metamorphosized before them. What would shine forth would be the glory and splendor and majesty of God himself and his clothes. What's it say? It says, and his clothes became white and gleaming.

There was this sparkling dash of lightning that would exude from him. Now notice light does not come upon him.

Light emanates from him. Light does not come upon him because he is light, right? So light comes out from him. And Luke in just one simple verse really downplays what is actually the most incredible scene between his birth and death. And that is that his flesh was unveiled, unzipped before his men and the glory and splendor of God would shine forth. Because you see, when Jesus returns, when the Son of Man returns, he's going to return with the clouds, as Matthew account says, and in great glory. When you think of the glory of God, you think of the nature and character of God.

And the glory of God is always described by his beauty, his bigness, okay? His beauty and his bigness and his brightness. That's how his glory is described. Why? Because in the Old Testament, when someone said they had glory, it means to say they were heavy, okay? It's a word that designates heaviness. And that heaviness would demonstrate the wealthiness of that person. And that's why glory is described as bigness because it's the bigness of his beauty that is bright and shining. And that is his glory.

And when Moses said in Exodus chapter 33, Lord, show me your glory. I want to be able to see your glory. I want to understand you. And the Lord God says, I can't show you that because if I showed you, you'd die.

So what I'll do is I'll hide you in the cliff of the rock. I'll walk by you and let you see the afterglow, just the afterglow. And then of course, Exodus 33 and Exodus 34, you begin to see that. And remember when Moses would come down off the mountain, his face would shine and it would glow, right? Because his face would radiate the beauty of God. He had spoken with God as a man would speak to a man face to face. Now we know that God dwells in unapproachable light, 1 Timothy 6, right? He dwells in unapproachable light.

No man can see him and live. We understand that. And Peter would say over in 1 Peter 1, 16, these words, we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. Everything about the coming of Christ from Peter's perspective was all about this day on the transfiguration. We made known to you the coming of the Messiah, that we were actually eyewitnesses of his majesty, his glory, his splendor, his beauty, his bigness, his brightness.

We saw it and we're going to make it known to you because Jesus is true to his word. He's going to come again. So Jesus would give them a glimpse of his return to prove to them that, yes, you wait, because one day I will arrive. The question is, will you be ready when he arrives? And so he wants them to see his glory. In Revelation chapter 1, it speaks of the glorified risen Christ and it speaks of his countenance as a man, as his countenance was as a man, or excuse me, was as a son that shines in its strength.

In Revelation 19, he comes back in all of his glory. In Revelation 21, you had the new city of God and there is no light, there's no electricity in that city. Tom Mason, no Southern California Edison, baby. It's all about the Lord Jesus Christ for the land is the light of that city and you won't get a bill either. I throw that in Tom, sorry, buddy, but you know, that's because it's the brightness of the land that shines and it just lights up the entire city because of the beauty and splendor of the Messiah himself.

God is light in him. There's no darkness at all. And Jesus would clearly say, I am that light. I am the light of the world. Remember what John wrote in John 1, 14, and we beheld his glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth. Now you understand a little bit more about what John would behold when he saw the Messiah. We beheld his glory. We were eyewitnesses of his glory. We saw the glorious kingdom of God. We saw the glorious power of that kingdom. We saw the beautiful brightness of that kingdom.

We beheld that and he is full of grace and he is full of truth. And why is he full of truth? Because everything he says is absolute truth. That's who he is. He's the God of truth. Christ would pull back that veil, unzip his flesh, and let them behold the God who is light in whom is no darkness at all. He wanted to give these three men the glimpse of his glory. He wanted them to see the kingdom of God and its power. And so he would bring them up on this high mountain on this day. And while he was praying, his face became different other than it was.

He became like the sun at noon with the brightness that would shine forth with the light emanating from his body. Sun's transformation leads us to the saint's affirmation. The saint's affirmation. Listen to this. Verse 30. And behold. I love, Luke uses that throughout his gospel. By the way, just stand in awe of this. Be in shock. He says, behold, two men were talking with him and they were Moses and Elijah. Moses and Elijah who appearing in glory were speaking of his departure which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

Luke says, be surprised. Stand in shock. Are you ready for this? Here it is. Not only was Jesus transfigured before them, not only was he metamorphosized before them, there were two men that were there standing with him. And these two men, listen carefully, were easily recognizable. Moses and Elijah. Now how did Peter, James, and John know that this was Moses and Elijah? How would they know? They, you know, they didn't have a picture of Moses and Elijah. They weren't able to go back to one of the Jewish scrapbooks and say, hey look, this is what Moses looked like.

This is what Elijah looked like. Oh, I remember you from my mother's, my mother's photo album. No, no, there's no pictures. How do they know Moses and Elijah? Moses have a big M on his chest. Elijah have a big E in his chest. Hey, I'm Moses. He's Elijah. Did, was Moses standing there with, with the Ten Commandments in his arm, you know, broken and shattered, but there he was. And there Elijah sitting in some kind of chariot on fire. Well, the Bible didn't tell us those things were present, so probably not.

How did they know that one was Moses and the other was Elijah? That's a good question. But somehow God revealed it to them, did he not? Somehow they introduced themselves to Peter, James, and John. The question comes, why Moses and Elijah? Why not Jeremiah and Daniel? Why not Ezekiel and Hosea? Why not Enoch and Jacob? Why Moses and Elijah? Well, that's a good question, right? Well, a couple of reasons. Think of two people in the Old Testament who had unusual departures from this planet. Because they're speaking to Jesus about what?

His departure. So, isn't that what it says? It says, very simply, and behold, two men were talking with him, and they were Moses and Elijah, who appearing in glory were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now, see, this is important. Because you see, although Peter didn't understand the plan, Moses did. And although James and John didn't get the crucifixion thing, Elijah did. So, they're going to prove to Peter, James, and John that this whole departure thing, this whole realm of what's going to take place at Jerusalem is exactly what Jesus has already said.

That's why it's the saints' affirmation. They are going to affirm everything that Jesus said, everything that Jesus had already spoken to them about in Caesarea Philippi, as he talked to them about his death. And if any man come unto me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. They're going to affirm all that to these three apostles. It's the saints' affirmation. We know about Moses. Remember Moses? He died at Deuteronomy 34. Where did he die? We don't know. How did he die? We don't know.

All we know is that the Bible says that God buried him. God was the undertaker of Moses. And we don't know anything about where that body was buried or even how Moses died. We just know that he died and God buried him. We do know from Jude's account that it was Satan who would wrestle Michael the archangel for the body of Moses, right? Now, what he wanted with the body, we do not know. But we know what the Bible says in the book of Jude.

Elijah? Well, he didn't die, right? He just went right up into heaven in a chariot of fire. So the question comes, how did they recognize Moses and Elijah if they were spirits or did they have bodies? Good question. Remember, this is a glimpse of the kingdom of God. They're going to see the kingdom. And if God decides to give them bodies, he can do that. In fact, Elijah could say to Moses, I still got my body. I mean, I just went right up into heaven. God let me keep mine.

And Moses could say to him, well, yeah, but God buried me and preserved my body so I could be here on this day. And they could maybe be talking about their departure. And Jesus said, you know, I know Moses, you had an unusual departure. Elijah, you had an unusual departure, but you ain't seen nothing yet. You see my departure because I will die for the sins of the world. I will rise again and I will send up into glory right before their eyes. You haven't seen anything like my departure. I don't know what the conversation was, but you know what it tells me?

It tells me when you get to heaven, guess what you're going to recognize? Everybody there. You're going to recognize your loved ones. You're going to know them. Absolutely. You'll be able to converse with them. They were conversing. They were conversing about the one thing that was important, the death of the lamb, right? And that's probably what we're going to be conversing about throughout all eternity, the death of the lamb. Because as Larry read earlier this morning, during our choir number, that the worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive glory and honor and praise, right?

That's repeated over and over and over again in the scriptures. So it would be true that they would be talking about to Jesus about his departure. That's what they were doing. And Elijah and Moses, Moses, the great giver of the law, Elijah, the great guardian of the law. That's why these men. Moses, remember, would act as prophet, priest, and king for Israel. When they had no king, he spoke with authority. He spoke as a king would speak. When they had no prophet, he would speak for God. And when they had no priest, he would lead them to God.

And so he would be that prophet, priest, and king for the nation of Israel. And he would be the one who would implement that sacrificial system for Israel. And Elijah would be the prophet that would lead people to understand that the Messiah would come and be the fulfillment of that sacrificial system. So of course it would be Elijah. Of course it would be Moses. Those would be the two key Old Testament figures that every Jew would believe and understand because they were the heroes of every Jewish person.

Moses would be the representative of the law. Elijah would be the representative of the prophets. And in Matthew chapter 5 it says that Christ came to fulfill the law and the prophets, right? And these men were the representatives of that. Elijah was that one man who would speak boldly for God. He was the one who would honor his God. He had, he was zeal personified in the presence of Moses and Elijah, listen, would confirm and affirm that everything the Old Testament said about the Messiah, his coming, his death, his resurrection, and his second coming was true because the Old Testament does teach all of those things.

And that's why when Jesus, after his resurrection on the road to Emmaus would talk to those two disciples and call them foolish and slow of heart not to believe all that Moses and the prophets said about the coming of the Messiah. They should have known, but they missed. And so these two men, Moses and Elijah, these two Old Testament saints, and we know that the Old Testament saints do not get their glorified bodies until after the tribulation period. That's when their resurrection happens and that's when they get those glorified bodies.

But, but if God wanted to give them their glorified bodies early, he could do so, right? Sure he could. God can do anything he wants because he's God. And therefore he wanted to give his men the wonderful glimpse of his glory. And it says they appeared in glory as well, doesn't it? Now listen, they were talking specifically about what? All that he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. In other words, the plan is right on schedule. The death is not an interruption. The death is a fulfillment of all things that was prophesied.

And so as they begin to discuss the departure and everything that's going to be accomplished at Jerusalem, Peter, James, and John, those three men in that intimate circle of friends with Christ are going to come to realize that Jesus Christ not only came, but he will die and he will come again. But unfortunately they won't realize that until next week because they're still asleep. They're still asleep. They don't wake up to the next verse. And that's why you should never sleep in church because you never know what you're going to miss.

Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for today. You truly are wonderful. You truly are magnificent. You truly are glorious. Today, Father, we want to just take a moment to thank you that we can study your word and we can see your glory. Think of Moses who spoke to you face to face. He'd come down out that mountain. His face would shine and glow unlike anything Israel had ever seen. And they knew he had been with God. My prayer is that when we leave this place today, having looked into the perfect law of liberty, all with an unveiled face, as 2 Corinthians 3, 18 says, we have beheld your glory.

The glory is of the only begotten. And Father, we are being transformed from one level of glory to the next by the Spirit of God. When we leave this place, our prayer is that our face, our lives would shine and glow with the glory of your beauty. In Jesus name. Amen.