Matthew 17: 1 - 13
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
10 The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”
11 Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. 12 But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to sufferat their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
Questions:
ReplyDelete1. Where did Moses and Elijah come from? Were they special? Or does anyone have the "ability" to come back?
2. When and why does Elijah come to restore all things?
3. Why does Jesus say John the Baptist was Elijah - especially when Elijah was just there?
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/BQA/k/189/Did-Disciples-See-Real-Moses-Elijah-Matthew-173.htm says:
ReplyDeleteNotice Christ's instructions to the disciples as they descended the mountain: "Tell the vision to no one" (Matthew 17:9). A vision is not a material reality; it is a supernatural scene observed in the "mind's eye."
Moses was dead and buried long before this event (Deuteronomy 34:5-6), as was Elijah. The disciples saw these men only in the glory of the resurrection—an event which will not actually occur until the Second Coming of Christ (Hebrews 11:39; I Corinthians 15:51-52; I Thessalonians 4:13-17). So, the three disciples seeing Moses and Elijah in the transfiguration did not see ghosts or spirit beings of any kind but a vision of how they would look—glorified—in the resurrection.
The account of the transfiguration in Matthew 17 also explains Matthew 16:28: "Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste of death till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom." Since God's Kingdom has not yet been established here on earth and the disciples all died, the obvious meaning is that some of the disciples were to be shown the splendor of the Kingdom in a vision. And so they were, through the transfiguration.
http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/4017.htm says:
ReplyDelete"The verb metamorphoo ('transfigure,' 'transform,' 'change in form') suggests a change of inmost nature that may be outwardly visible." (Carson) It may be that this glory shone forth in the Garden of Gethsemane, when those who arrested Him fell back when Jesus said, "I am."
Essentially this was not a new miracle, but the temporary cessation of an ongoing one. The real miracle was that Jesus, most of the time, could keep from displaying this glory.
This happened as a fulfillment of Jesus' promise in Matthew 16:28. We should remember that chapter and verse divisions were certainly not in the original writings of the apostles, and did not come until the 16th Century.
Moses had lived some 1400 years before; Elijah some 900 years before; yet they were alive and in some sort of resurrected, glorified state.
It is fair to think that these two particular persons from the Old Testament appeared because they represent the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). The sum of Old Testament revelation came to meet with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration.
We can also say that Moses and Elijah represent those who are caught up to God (Moses at Jude 9 and Elijah at 2 Kings 2:11). More specifically, Moses represents those who die and go to glory, and Elijah represents those who are caught up to heaven without death (as in the rapture described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him! The Father, from heaven, rebuked Peter's attempt to put Jesus on an equal footing with Moses and Elijah - and while he was still speaking. It was important to interrupt Peter, so that all would know that Jesus is unique and the beloved Son - He deserves our special attention, so Hear Him!
http://www.truthaboutdeath.com/q-and-a/id/1606/if-the-dead-dont-immediately-go-to-heaven-how-did-moses-and-elijah-appear-at-the-transfiguration says:
ReplyDeleteThe text might be troubling, however, to those who otherwise understand that people go to sleep at death to await a bodily resurrection at Christ’s return. How can Moses and Elijah have been present at the transfiguration if they are waiting for the resurrection?
To make sense of this, we must first understand two important principles. The first is that, while the general resurrection of God’s people will happen at the end of time, there have been individual resurrections recorded in the Bible. Christ’s resurrection, for instance, was not part of the general one. Neither were those of the saints who came forth from the grave after Christ’s resurrection (see Matthew 27:52, 53). The prophets Elijah and Elisha both performed resurrections during their ministries (see 1 Kings 17:17–22 and 2 Kings 4:32–35). Individual resurrections throughout history do not invalidate the general resurrection when Christ returns.
The second principle to understand is that some people have left the earth without dying, and therefore are not in need of a resurrection.
Moses and Elijah each fit one of these two categories.
The story recorded in 2 Kings 2 tells us unmistakably that Elijah was taken to heaven without first dying.
Moses, on the other hand, died in the wilderness before the Israelite people entered into the Promised Land. The story of his death, as recorded in Deuteronomy 34:5, 6, reveals something extraordinary. The Bible says that God Himself buried Moses, and that none of the Israelites were ever aware of his gravesite. This is the first biblical hint that something special awaited Moses after death.
There would be no need of a bodily resurrection if everyone immediately went to heaven to live in Christ’s presence at death; similarly, translation to heaven would have no special significance because everyone would go to heaven immediately upon death. Moses and Elijah act as evidence that death brings a sleep of unconsciousness while the sleeping saints await the return of Jesus Christ.
My 2 cents on Elijah and Moses:
ReplyDeleteThe problem with the previous articles is that they have confidently explained something that they really don't (and shouldn't) have a clue about. I find this phenomenon a lot in both internet articles and written articles by "experts".
Speculation, on the other hand, I believe, is both healthy and beneficial (if for anything else but defining the parameters of possible answers).
With that, here are (I think) are parameters:
- Elijah and Moses (or their spirits of something) actually showed up (even if it was in a vision). It was actually them. I don't think it's possible that there was playacting going on. That is, angels or Jesus wasn't playing their parts (like puppets).
- Given the fact that the dead will rise in the last day, and Moses and Elijah were actually "there", here are some of the speculations I think things could work (non-exhaustive):
1. Everyone who is dead is actually dead (both soul and body). God resurrected Elijah and Moses early (both soul and body) for this occasion. Question: Where did they go after this? Did God kill them again? Did they go down into the city, get married and live out a normal life?
2. Everyone who is dead is in a state of sleep (their souls/spirits). It was just a matter of waking Moses and Elijah for this event - after which their souls went back to sleep.
3. All people up to Jesus' resurrection (from the Old Testament) are stored in Sheol, so Elijah and Moses are still "available" for something like this. Somehow, when Jesus died and was resurrected, he brought up the captives in his train.
4. Moses and Elijah had special "deaths". Elijah was taken straight up to heaven. Moses "died", but no one could find his body. They are two of the special ones, and thus, are available for missions such as this.
5. All people are dead or asleep until the Last Day. When we are resurrected at the Last Day, we ascend into a higher dimension - one outside of space and time. So, any of us are available at any time in earth's history for a mission such as this.
There are probably more cases people can and have thought up. Anyone can probably build a case for their particular scenario, but none of us will know which one is the right one until we have been resurrected.
I think your point about people being over confident in their answers is a good. In looking at some of this I have come across some places that will call some doctrinal beliefs "unbiblical" when at least the start of the idea is definitely in the Bible. ("Soul Sleep" is called unbiblical by gotquestions yet the Bible calls death sleep somewhere around 66 times. Maybe its being interpreted incorrectly but to call it unbiblical seems more like an agenda than exegesis). OTOH I have no problem with someone being confident when they have analyzed the evidence. But having an open ear and mind to other possibilities shouldn't have to sway one's confidence. In fact, it may even bolster it.
DeleteFor the record I think #4 is likely true for Elijah. And #2 for Moses.
http://graceandknowledge.faithweb.com/matt1711.html says about Elijah:
ReplyDeleteJesus explained that a partial fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy had been carried out by John the Baptist, whose call to repentance had been heeded by many (Matt. 3:5-6). However, John's efforts had not brought about a restoration as complete as the one the disciples were envisioning.
Jesus also implied in Matt. 17:11 that the fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy had not been exhausted by John the Baptist. As a result, many Christians look forward to a final fulfillment of this prophecy before the Messiah's Second Coming.1 While it is impossible to know the precise details of the final Elijah's mission, we can make some guesses based on biblical hints.
One such hint is the name "Elijah" itself. So a prophet following in Elijah's footsteps would be a champion of the "justice and true worship"
A second hint appears in Mal. 4:4. The implication is that the end-time Elijah will promote a renewed dedication to the Torah, God's instruction in righteousness for his people.
There is a third hint in the ministry of John the Baptist, the Elijah who "has already come" (Matt. 17:12). Like his predecessor Elijah, John warned of judgment to come and urged people to repent and faithfully obey God (Luke 3:3-17).
All three of these hints suggest that a renewal in obedience to the God of Israel will be a major part of the restorative work of a final Elijah. Such a renewal should also be instrumental in bringing about another restoration that is foretold by the apostle Paul.
In the eleventh chapter of his epistle to the Romans, Paul compares the people of Israel to an olive tree. Gentiles who receive salvation through faith in Jesus are like wild branches grafted into the olive tree, while those Israelites who do not accept Jesus are branches broken off from the tree. Paul predicts that the inclusion of the Gentiles in the people of God will ultimately provoke Israelites to jealousy (Rom. 11:11), leading to the regrafting of broken branches back into the olive tree.
Over the centuries since Paul wrote his epistle, the regrafting process has been hindered by Christian attitudes of arrogance or condemnation toward the Jews (Rom. 11:18). Such attitudes have produced antijudaic theologies of antinomianism and supersessionism, often accompanied by antisemitic persecution.
http://www.onenesspentecostal.com/elijahcome.htm says about Elijah:
ReplyDeleteWhat does the Bible mean when it speaks of Elijah coming again? Was this a literal prophecy, or did John the Baptist fulfill the prophecy in spirit? Or is it that the prophecy has a double-fulfillment: one of John the Baptist, and one of Elijah.
If neither John the Baptist, nor Jesus was Elijah come again, then who was Elijah? Jesus told the multitudes concerning John the Baptist that he was the messenger of Malachi 3:1 and the Elijah of Malachi 4:5 (Matthew 11:7-14, focusing on vs. 10, 14). On another occasion, after Jesus was transfigured and appeared with Moses and Elijah on the mountain. Jesus thought of John as the Elijah of Malachi 4:5 (Matthew 17:13). How could this be?
This can be understood when we look at what the angel of the Lord spoke to Zechariah concerning John . . . And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts . . .
This does not deny that Elijah Himself will actually come again in his physical presence before Jesus returns to the earth to set up His millennial kingdom. It can be said, then, that John the Baptist partially fulfilled the prophecies of Malachi.
It may seem strange or even incorrect to say that a prophecy could be only partially fulfilled; however, we find that the Scriptures declare many prophecies to have dual references or partial fulfillment. In hermeneutics, this is called the double reference principle. Many of the prophecies concerning Jesus were double reference prophecies, meaning that they had an immediate fulfillment, and a future fulfillment.
Elijah will come back again in his physical body to prepare the way for Jesus' return. This will be fulfilled when Elijah comes back as one of the two witnesses during the tribulation period right before Jesus returns during the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 11:2-12).
Although the passage in Revelation does not specifically declare Elijah to be one of the two witnesses, many Bible scholars believe he is because the prophecies in Malachi need to be completely fulfilled, and the only place we find in the Bible where it could be describing Elijah coming again is this passage.
Yet another reason for this theory is that when Elijah comes back, it is believed that he must die so that he can be judged by God (Hebrews 9:27). It is argued that since Elijah never died, he will have to return to the natural realm and suffer death to fulfill Hebrews 9:27 which says, "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Since Elijah's physical body was taken up into heaven, having never seen death (2 Kings 2:9-12), he must come back to earth and die.
The weakness of this last argument is found in the fact that multitudes of saints will be glorified at the coming of the Lord, never to see death (1 Corinthians 15:51-55; 1Thessalonians 4:14-18), and yet they will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ. While judgment necessarily follows death, death is not necessary for judgment.
http://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/CGG/ID/3011/Restore-All-Things-.htm says about Elijah:
ReplyDeleteMatthew 17:10-13 is the second occasion Jesus declared John as Elijah. Again, He gives no indication that He expected yet another Elijah to appear. This is Jesus' commentary on Malachi 4:5-6. He is neither indicating there will be another Elijah to come, nor contradicting what He said earlier in Matthew 11. In verse 11, He speaks in a future sense because that is how Malachi 4:5-6 is written. He also did it to emphasize that the scribes had correctly interpreted the prophecy in terms of Elijah preceding the arrival of the Messiah.
Jesus begins the next sentence of His reply with "but," an adversative conjunction indicating disagreement. But means "on the contrary," "conversely," or "however," and it is used here to indicate an exception. Jesus makes it clear He did not agree with the scribes beyond the point that they had correctly taught Elijah must come first. He clarifies further by saying that the scribes did not recognize Elijah when he came and badly mistreated him. Matthew 17:13 clearly establishes that the disciples understood He meant that John was the Elijah of Malachi 4:5-6. In other words, Jesus is saying Malachi 4:5-6 has already occurred—the greatest of the Old Testament prophets already fulfilled it.
What about "restore all things"? Does it refer to doctrine? Not specifically. It is a very general statement. The Greek word means "to put back again," "to reorganize," "to set up," "to bring back," "to reclaim." It can refer to health, authority, or government—or, for that matter, to straightening out or bringing back true conceptions about the Messiah. What did the original Elijah do? He straightened out—restored—right conceptions about who God is because the Israelites had lost sight of Him.
Who says "restore all things?" Jesus does. This is mentioned in no other place in reference to John the Baptist or Elijah. The Bible's marginal references refer us to Luke 1:17 and Malachi 4:6 where nothing is said directly about either Elijah or John restoring all things. Remember, this is Jesus' commentary on what John did. Even as Elijah restored right conceptions about God in his day, John the Baptist restored right conceptions about the Messiah, God with us.
That is not all. John, the Elijah of Malachi 4:5-6, turned the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers. Logic demands this refer to his preaching as having a positive impact upon family life. Turning hearts is a fruit, an effect, that happens alongside preparing a people to receive the Messiah.
Malachi 2:14-15 reveals that in Malachi's day the Jewish community was having serious marriage problems. Family problems were extant, and they continued among the Jews down to John's day.
Secondly, this cannot refer to "the Fathers" in terms of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because they were dead, and when they died, their thoughts perished. Their hearts cannot turn to the children. What John restored in anticipation of the Messiah's coming were right conceptions about Him, and his preaching of repentance led to right relationships within human families and within the Family of God.
What is lacking in the Bible by God's express design is a detailed review of all John preached. We know only that he was very effective in what he did. We do not know all that he restored, but we can understand that he restored everything necessary for the Messiah to be recognized and received. To take "restore all things" beyond the scope of what was prophesied to be the extent of John's ministry is getting into the area of fanciful interpretations because Jesus confirms both that John was the Elijah to come and that his ministry was great.
My 2 cents:
ReplyDeleteWhen does Elijah come back and restore all things? There's a lot of different views on this. Usually in this case, I determine that it's just not clear, and that people like talking out of their rear ends.
As you can see above, some views state that John was the Elijah, period. Some people say John wasn't the Elijah and that a literal Elijah is coming back at the end times. Other's say both, and that the prophecy has a double fulfillment.
I think it's not determinable, and really doesn't matter very much. Although it does help identify the people who like to talk out of their rear ends.