THE KING’S BUSINESS
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vealed to us. When Paul said, I shrank not from declaring unto you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) he did not mean he had told them evenything that God had revealed unto him (cf. 2 Cor. 12:3, 4), but that he had not in order to curry favor with men held back any of God’s truth that they needed to know. The word trans lated “vision” in verse 9 does not mean vision in the sense in which we now use that word of something seen in sleep. It means literally “a thing seen” whether seen sleeping or waking. In this case, it means something actually seen while wide awake (cf. Luke 9:32 R. V.). It is the same word as that translated sight in Acts 7 :31 where reference is made to the burning bush which Moses saw. This appearance of Moses and Elijah with the Lord Jesus was no dream; Moses and Elijah really ap peared, the actual Moses and Elijah. This proves that the doctrine that those who die do not consciously exist until after the com ing of Christ in the resurrection, is untrue. It may be said that Elijah never died, but we are distinctly told that Moses had died and been buried (Deut. 34:5, 6). And the passage before us shows him (though his earthly body still lay in the grave) as Con sciously existent. Seeing Elijah speaking with their Lord taken in connection with our Lord’s reference to His resurrection led the three disciples to ask, “Why then say .the Scribes that Elijah must first come.” Our Lord in His answer tells them that in a very real sense Elijah had already come in the coming of John the Baptist, who came in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17), and he was therefore in a very real sense Elijah come back again. Our Lord Himself had already said of John the Bap tist, “This is Elijah which was for to come” (Matt. 11:14). But, as our Lord here goes on to tell them, Elijah himself is really coming to restore all things (v. 11) before our Lord comes back to this earth, though not before He comes in the air to receive His people to Himself. But when He conies back with His people to this earth Elijah will already have come and done a work of
taking on the “form” (or “ figure”) of a servant. Here we have the reverse pro cess, the figure of the servant which He had voluntarily taken on being changed into the glorious appearance of the Son of God. If things had been allowed to take their course, Jesus would have been glori fied right then and there with the glory which He had with the Father before the world was (John 17:5). But things were not allowed to take their course, for the work of redemption was not yet accom plished. So our Lord, who had turned His back upon the Divine glory when He be came incarnate (Phil. 2:6, 8) again turns His back upon it and descends from that mountain to die on the cross. The details of the transfiguration should be noted. They will give us some idea of how He and we will appear in the resurrection glory; the highest splendor of earth seems dim indeed compared with this. And now. we see God descending upon the mount (v. 5), a cloud overshadows the disciples (the cloud of the Shekinah glory). Fear falls upon them in that awful presence. God speaks (cf. Luke 9:35), “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.” Who can measure the depths of God’s joy in that Son, who again turns His back on the glory and chooses the cross. God passed by Moses, through whom He had spoken the law, and Elijah, the leader of the band of prophets, great as they goth were, and points out Jesus as His one Son and says, “H ear ye H im .” When the apostles “lifted their eyes they saw no one save Jesus only.” To have Jesus only was better than to have both Moses and Elijah. Yes, it was better than to have Jesus and Moses and Elijah. Jesus is all-sufficient.
- Wednesday, March 10. Matt: 17:9-13.
The wonderful vision that. Peter, Jame.s and John had seen they were to keep to themselves for the present; for others were not ripe to hear about it as yet. It is not always best- to tell all that has been re
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