The Transfiguration of Christ

So. My title for this post is "The Transfiguration of Christ". As a kid, I never knew what the heck it even meant or was about. Since being saved at age 25, I know what the story is about and generally what it is referring to. But now....

I read devotion to my boys tonight, and this was the topic of discussion. Somehow, God opened up my understanding a little bit more, and I want to share what I discovered. This may be old hat to you, but I think it's neat.

First... when you look at what happened right before this, Jesus just got done calling Peter Satan because Jesus had just told him he would be killed, and Peter didn't want to hear that. So Peter said, basically, NO WAY! Six days later, up on the mountain, when he sees Jesus transformed and talking to Moses and Elijah, he thinks it's so awesome to be here in this place, in this moment, that he says the craziest thing... Lord, let's build three tabernacles (booths) here, one for each of you. This is further proof that Peter didn't want to go back to life's real circumstances... he didn't want to face the awful truth that Christ had to die. I have to admit that I have been guilty of wanting to "set up a tabernacle" to avoid having to face things in my walk with God. For example... we are headed to church camp this Saturday. Who in their right mind wants to LEAVE that type of atmosphere and rejoin the real world? Last year, we immersed ourselves in the very powerful presence of God for six days, we tore up Satan's kingdom, we had many healings take place, young children receiving the Holy Ghost, a lady get up out of her wheelchair... it was awesome! The day we left, I turned on the radio in my car only to hear the news that there had been a horrible terrorist bombing in the London subway system. YUCK! I wanted to turn around, go back to camp, and set up a tabernacle and STAY THERE! But if we do that, then the lost souls of our country and world will remain lost. We need to go into the real world and TELL THEM about this awesome Jesus we love and serve!

Second, I saw a foreshadow of the rapture of the church in this story. The two people that Jesus was talking to on the mount were Moses and Elijah. Standing there in their "glorified" condition. My boys were able to point this out to me! They told me that Moses had died, and Elijah had not. Adam said, "The ones who die go in the rapture first." Wow. HE connected this to the rapture for me. This vision that Jesus gave to his disciples was meant to encourage them in the dark days to come, but it was also a small glimpse of what it will be like on THAT DAY... the day the Lord returns for His church. The dead in Christ (Moses) shall rise first, and those who are alive and remain (Elijah) shall be caught up with them in the air to be with the Lord (yep, they were both standing there on the mount WITH THE LORD). How cool is that?

The story of the transfiguration has never really meant much of anything to me. It almost seemed kind of Catholic sounding (I don't mean that in an offensive way, either). That is just the image I got when I heard the word "transfiguration". But now, it holds so much more meaning and depth for me. Thank you Lord for this small but excellent revelation! Thanks Adam and Nick for helping it happen!

In other news, our friends Petrina and Christine came over this evening to interview my husband and I as "Adam and Eve" for a lesson they are teaching the juniors at camp next week. Needless to say, it was pretty hilarious! I have a feeling she will be "sharing" this video with our Pastor, so I am sure it will be seen by many in the church before all is said and done! It was fun, though!

Well, it is treacherously late, and I so need to be in bed. But before I go, check out this fantastic article. Remember my last post about the book I was reading? The one about Joel Sonnenberg, the baby that got burned nearly to death at age 22 months? This article, published at the 25th anniversary of the tragic accident, is fantastic, with awesome pictures! Check it out!