TRANSFIGURATION

TRANSFIGURED

                “And six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother and brought them up to a high mountain by themselves, and He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun and His garments became as white as light and behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking with Him.” Mt. 17: 1, 2.

                This is one of those mysterious incidents that happened in the life of Jesus. We wish that they had said more about it. Why did it happen and what was its purpose? Was this something Jesus needed to experience before His coming death? Did this revealing of His real glorified self strengthen Him? Or was it for the disciples that His glory was revealed so that they could tell us about it?

                One thing is certain, John didn’t miss the meaning of this experience when He said in John 1:14; “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

                But the astounding thing is John told us in 1 John 3:2 saying: “Beloved, now we are children of God and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that when He appears, we shall be like Him because we shall see Him just as He is.” In other words we shall see Him glorified as on the mount of transfiguration and we will be like Him. We too will shine like the sun.

                Paul said in 2 Cor. 4:6, 7: “For God who said, ‘Light shine out of darkness is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves… always carrying about the body of the dying of Jesus that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”

                Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are a tabernacle in which Christ dwells by His Holy Spirit. In other words, when we are born again a light turns on in the Most Holy Place and our spirit is made alive by the Spirit of God and we become a new creature.

                It is this Spirit of Christ that dwells in us that will transfigure us when Jesus comes and we too will be glorified even as Jesus was on the mount of transfiguration.

                If only we knew what God has placed in us… if only we could comprehend the reality that this treasure within us is greater than Satan who is in the world, we would not live in fear of anything.

                Jesus has placed eternal life in us. Our spirit will never die. It cannot die because it has been quickened by the very Spirit of God, who said in the beginning, “Let there be light.”

                It is through this Spirit that we have the mind of Christ. 1 Cor. 2:16. And it is for this reason that Paul warns us saying: “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:5, 6.

                Again Paul says in Galatians 6:7, 8: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.

                This whole thing happens in us. We as temples, like the tabernacle of Moses, have a triune nature. When we receive Christ as Savior and Lord, He turns on the light in our Spirit and we become new creatures…Literally a new creatin. The light goes on in the Most Holy Place and now we, in our souls (mind will and emotions) choose whether to sow to the Spirit, or whether we will sow to the flesh. In other words, in looking at the sanctuary, we see that our soul hangs out between the Spirit (Most Holy Place) and the flesh (The outer court.) And if we have truly offered our bodies as a living sacrifice upon the altar of burnt offering, then the flesh is dead, but our spirit is alive. WE choose to serve the spirit rather than our flesh.

                So why is it then that the flesh keeps on trying to have dominion over our lives? Well, sanctification is an ongoing process of taking the things in our lives that stand between us and God and laying them upon the altar of burnt offering. Like Paul says, we die daily.

                This is why the altar had four horns on it. Sometimes we have to tie the things of the flesh down and burn them to a crisp because they have a way of slipping off the altar before they are totally consumed.

                But in this process of fighting to tie our sins to the altar, we tend to forget that we have this treasure in earthen vessels “that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves.” 2 Cor. 4:7b.

                Perhaps, rather than fighting sin so much, we should spend more time before the altar of incense beholding the face of Him who now dwells in us. If we will sow to the Spirit, we will be planting seeds in the fertile ground that will yield life unto eternity.

                 Paul says something strange in 1 Cor. 5:5 that rattles our doctrinal cages a bit until we truly understand the nature of man and of salvation. Concerning a man in the Corinthian church that was committing incest and refusing to come clean, Paul said: “I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
What on earth does he mean?

                Looking at the tabernacle of Moses, we see that this man was a Christian. He had been born again. He had eternal life in his spirit, but he had fallen into sowing to the flesh. And since he would not repent and turn from it, Paul assigned His body to death so that at least his spirit could be saved. In other words, this man will not receive a resurrection body. Only his spirit will be saved.

`               So now it makes more sense what Paul said in 1 Thess. 5:23 when he said: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

                My point is this… Friends, we have entered into a very specific time of judgment and we have been given 40 days to repent and to put away the things of the flesh and to turn fully to God. We want to be preserved spirit, soul and body at the coming of our Lord and this time, starting from the solar eclipse to the Day of Atonement is a time, which throughout biblical history has been a time of national and personal repentance.

                We are facing the end of time as we know it and God has warned us even as He warned Ninevah to repent and turn to Him, because on the Day of Atonement our names will either be in the book or not in the book and the books will be closed and the Tribulation will begin. In other words, there is a very good reason for us to spend these 40 days in repentance and turning to the Lord with our whole hearts.

                I don’t know that this represents what some would call the close of probation. After all, the biggest harvest to ever come in is yet just ahead of us. Perhaps this time will determine whether we are wise or foolish virgins… whether we are the bride or just guests of the King. I really don’t know, but I am certainly fasting and praying during this time.

                I want to be a part of the Bride. I want to be transfigured at the coming of the Lord. I want to be preserved complete… spirit, soul and body at the coming of our Lord. I want more than just to be saved. I want to reign with Him. I want to be known by Him. We are told that we must contend for this… to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. But this is not just for the saving of our own skin.

                We want to be a part of the harvest and we want to minister in power. We want to take part in saving many souls including our children and loved ones. We want whatever surpassing greatness that Yeshua is offering and the humility that must go with it to take part in saving those for whom our hearts bleed.

                We always think in terms of being raptured and getting out of here. Is that all we care about? Do we just want to save ourselves or do our hearts weep for loved ones that seem to be asleep and unaware?

                Some are now suggesting that rather than a rapture as we have traditionally known it, we will instead be transfigured (glorified) and made immortal and that we will then take part in the harvest… cloaked of course even as the glory of Jesus was cloaked after His resurrection.

                I have people that I want to save that don’t pay any attention to me now. It seems that many will not turn toward God until every other means of security and survival has been ripped from them by the  horrible events of tribulation that are soon to come.

                 We, in our own selfishness just want to be taken out of here… but what about our kids? What about our friends? Are we really willing to just say “So long… good luck in hell?” God certainly isn’t willing that any should perish… and He is going to use this tribulation period not only to refine and purify the careless church, but to force a decision between Christ and Satan. This is what the Mark of the Beast is all about. It is a final test of allegiance… a final choice of masters… a final choice as to whom we will serve.

                Speaking of these days just ahead the angel told Daniel: “Go your way Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. Many will be purged, purified and refined; but the wicked will act wickedly and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.” Daniel 12:9, 10.

                In this coming judgment of America, judgment will begin first at the house of God. There is going to be a great shaking. We can see the beginnings of it already as many are falling away from the faith. To those of us who have eyes to see and ears to hear, everything is shouting out a warning. The sun, moon and Stars are shouting from the sky. The nations are in an uproar and ready to break out into a global war. All of nature is turning on its head as even now, one of God’s judgments pounds away at our southern flank.

                Millions of animals, fish and birds die each month from unexplained causes. There have been 32 cases of water turning to blood in rivers, lakes and oceans in diverse places. The earth is groaning under the weight of sin even as Satan sets up his final global kingdom.

                And now, on September 23 a sign will appear in heaven. “… A woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she was with child; and she cried out being in labor and in pain to give birth.” Rev. 12:1, 2. This is not the birth of Jesus. He is the Head and the Head has already been born and caught up to God. What is happening now is the birth of the Body… and just as the head is born first in a normal birth, so the body follows. This sign is telling us that the long anticipated birth of the sons of God is about to take place. See Romans 8:19-25.

                The sons and daughters of God are about to be born and the seven headed dragon of Revelation 12 and 13 is waiting to devour the child as soon as it is born, but the child will be caught up to heaven. Then the dragon will go off to make war with the remnant of her seed that keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

                I can’t even pretend to understand the exact time of all of this and how exactly it will unfold. All I know is that I want to be on God’s program doing what God has called me to do and I want you to be there too.

                Every morning the Lord wakes me up between 3 and 4 to do my little part in His kingdom and it will mean my eternal joy to share eternity with those whom the Lord has reached through my feeble meanderings. We need to think… to question our traditions… to be stirred up, not to put our faith in institutions, or traditions. We need more than that. We need the living power of God that often lies dormant in us to shine forth. We need to take hold of that treasure until it becomes the center and the surpassing greatness of our lives. We need to arise and shine and give glory to God for the glory of the Lord is risen upon us. For behold the darkness is about to cover the earth and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon us and His glory shall be seen upon us and the Gentiles shall come to our light and kings to the brightness of our rising.” Isa. 60:1-3.

                Don’t limit yourself to what you think you can do. We were born for this hour. We are called for this hour. God knew us long before He placed us in these last days. He knew all that we would go through, both the good and the bad of it to make us the perfect vessel to win others to Christ. We have known sin. We have known defeat. We have faced our weakness. We have finally laid it all upon the altar so that God can do in and through us what we could never do.

                He has taken this gritty grain of sand and turned us into a pearl. He has placed upon us layer after layer of His own righteousness so that the power may be of God and not of ourselves. We have been humbled by our own weakness and now we must rely upon His strength. We can be more than conquerors through Jesus Christ. We can be blazing soldiers, having put on the shining armor of God.

                We shall overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony … and let’s face it. These bodies of ours are groaning and decaying and getting ready to die. Why should we cling to them? Why try to save them as if they hold some future for us? We have new immortal bodies waiting for us.

                “For our light affliction which is but for a moment works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory… for we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven; if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked… Therefore we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord; for we walk by faith and not by sight: We are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Cor.4:14, 5:1-3, 6-8.

                “Therefore come out from among them and be separate says the Lord and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you and will be a Father unto you and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. 2 Cor. 6:17, 18.

                I believe that all of the signs point toward the consummation. There is a convergence of events that can’t be ignored. We have ten thousand times more signs than the advent people had a hundred and fifty years ago when they thought the Lord was about to return. We can now see that many things had to yet take place including the technology to fulfill final events. Israel had to come back into its land in order for major prophetic events to take place. There have been 2 world wars and a third now looms on the near horizon. All of the prophetic pieces are now in place in the Middle East. In every field including politics, religion, finance and nature, the signs are coming on like gang busters. We have seen the Pope rise to the occasion, becoming the leader of the global religion of the Beast. We have seen apostate Protestants falling away and joining the beast system. We have seen the predicted signs in the sun, moon and stars. None of them will be repeated in our lifetimes.

                If this isn’t it, then I would like to know what is missing. In reality, nothing looks like it does on paper. We can expect many surprises… but in general, I believe that we have entered or we are about to enter through the gate into the final showdown between Christ and His people and Satan and his people. And Jesus said: “When you see all of these things, then lift up your heads for your redemption draws near. Luke 21:28.