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March, 1938
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
bj> .manifestation, was to them a sun all their lives— and that spiritual incandes cence of His deity caused them ever to know Him as perfect manhood and holy Godhood. III. The Talking "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” (Lk. 9:30, 31). There appeared unto the disciples two men—human beings—Moses and Elijah. They appeared in glory— in their glorified bodies— something like that of the trans figured Jesus, but with less radiance. Moses was the man of Sinai. Elijah was the man of Carmel: Moses, impressing a- world with the loftiness of his early leader ship, was the founder of the nation. Elijah was the reformer of the nation. Moses gave the nation— under God— a charter. Elijah— under God— called the nation back to allegiance. The waters of the Red Sea divided themselves at the raising of the rod of Moses. The waters of the Jordan were divided at the touch of the folded mantle of Elijah. Both Moses and Elijah had fasted forty days. So had Jesus fasted forty days. Both of these men were marvel ous in their lives, and both were removed from the earth in a strange manner. Moses had no sooner tasted of death than he was withdrawn from under the dominion of death and of him that had the power of death (cf. Deut. 34:6; Jude 9). Elijah had not died. He was taken up by a whirlwind when the chariot of fire appeared, during which flaming flight his natural body was changed into a spiritual body (cf. 2 Ki. 2:11; 1 Cor. 15:51). Thus these two were peculiarly fitted to appear on this occasion as examples of the com plete redemption of man, for which Jesus came to earth. Both these men on a mountain had seen visions of God. They were the two most remarkable characters in the whole of the Mosaic economy. Moses, standing now act ually in the Promised Land for the first time, was the one whose presence signified that, in Jesus, “ the shadows of the law were all fulfilled and now withdrawn.” Elijah’s presence testified that in this trans figured Christ, all the hope of heaven be gins and ends, and that, in Him, “ every prophecy of the past is fulfilled.” Moses was the representative of the law. Through him the law was given, and the kingdom founded, and the sacrifices instituted which prefigured the sacrifice of Christ. Elijah was the representative of the prophets, who foretold the coming of the Messiah, His sufferings, and His kingly glory, while he was himself the type of the forerunner. Jesus Christ in His own person brought the gospel, the fulfillment and completion of the other two, “so I shall not remain in the law and the prophets, but through the law and the prophets I shall come to Christ.” There was a conference of these three. ■“ And they were talking with Jesus” (Mk. 9 :4 ). Moses, with the flash of God’s throne in his eye and the life of eternity in his voice, was talking with Jesus. Elijah, feel-
ing the security of a yearning past in the grandeur of the present, reading in the shining face of Jesus the unwritten har mony of the song of Moses and that of the Lamb, was talking with Jesus. They “ spake of his decease which he was about to ac complish at Jerusalem” (R. V .). The word here translated “ decease” is the Greek word “ exodus,” . similar to our Eng lish word “ decease,” and it means “ a going away.” It is used in only two other places in the New Testament. In Hebrews 11:22, it refers to the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, in which, of course, Moses was the great leader. In 2 Peter 1:15, the apostle applies it- to his own approaching death. The three on the mount were talking not merely of the crucifixion and the bloody cross down the road a distance. They were talking of His exodus, His departure, from this earth by a threefold way—by the cross, by the resurrection, and by the ascension. This departure was not the end of Jesus’ existence, but an episode in His life. For His life on earth was an episode between two eternities, one reaching back before all worlds, one forward forever. The cross with all its bloody horrors; STUDYING THE TRANSFIGURATION [Recognized as being never a subject for dogmatism, the transfiguration is so pro found in its teaching that a study of vary ing interpretations is valuable. The Editors have kept this fact in mind in preparing this March issue.] Sunday-school teachers who will be dealing with the subject of the transfiguration in connection with the International lesson on April 2 4 will find Dr. Lee’s com plete outline helpful. The con clusion o f his article will follow next month. I. THE TAKING 66Jesus taheth Peter, James, and John . . . into a high mountain apart,99 II. THE TRANSFIGURA TION “ And he was transfigured before them.99 III. THE TALKING “ And • • • there talked with him two men.99 IV . THE TABERNACLES
the resurrection with all its joy and tri umphs and glories; the ascension, when, with the cloud as His chariot and the winds as His steeds, He went back to the Father’s right hand— of these were they talking. They were not talking of Christ’s irre proachable life, not talking of Christ’s matchless teachings, not talking of Christ’s astonishing miracles, not talking of Christ’s marvelous example. Incidental and collat eral all these to the one purpose for which He came—to die, that man born once and born dead might be born again and born alive. Talking they were of His exodus—His departure from this world by the cross, where Jesus became for us all that God must judge; by the resurrection, the cer tificate of our Lord’s mission from heaven; and by the ascension, when “ a cloud re ceived him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). God’s great redemptive plan in Christ was epitomized in that manifestation and that conversation on the mount. And in the events immediately following the revela tion can be found our Lord’s will for us, His people, in this present age of grace. [T o be continued ] Day o f Prayer for the Jews As a result of observing anti-Semitic trends in America and after consultation with many leading pastors throughout the country, Ella Mae Canney (Biola ’26) of Los Angeles, a Gentile friend of the Jews and worker for the Jewish cause, was led to promote the idea of a special day of prayer for them on Sunday, March 27, 1938, just preceding the Passover season. Miss Canney recently made an automobile tour across the continent for the purpose of studying the situation among the Jews in all kinds of communities. Everywhere she found the Jews expressing fear of po groms in America, .as in other countries. She was amazed to find Jew-hate so wide spread in some of the Eastern states, even some pastors being outspokenly anti-Semitic. Out of these experiences she has received a burden of conviction that the only way of saving the Christian testimony to Israel and of warding off serious bloodshed lies in the stimulation of Christians to definite prayer concerning these matters. In the appeal for a day of prayer on March 27, it is suggested that pastors ar range if possible to give on the same Sun day special messages dealing with the sub ject of prayer for Israel.. Among themes for prayer are the following: 1. That the rising tide of Jew-hate in America may be stemmed and that God will show any Christians, who may have helped to promote anti-Semitism, the dangers of such a course in view of the definite warnings of the Word of God (Jer. 30:16). 2. That Christians everywhere may come to share something of Christ’s own love for His brethren, and to feel some thing of Paul’s longing for their salvation (Rom. 9:2, 3; 10:1, 2). 3. “ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psa. 122:6). Jerusalem lies at the heart of the Jewish problem of the world today.
“ Then answered Peter . . . let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.99 “ A voice out o f the cloud, which said . . ." “ And Jesus came and touched them.99 “ M y son . . . he is a luna tic, and sore vexed . . . And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out o f him : and the child mas cured from that very hour.”
V . THE TESTIMONY
VI. THE TOUCH
VII. THE TORMENTS
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