Answer: Jesus Himself called the Transfiguration scene a vision (verse 9) when He said, “Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.” A vision gives a representation of things, but not the actual things themselves. The book of Revelation gives a series of visions, for example, the Roman Empire is represented by a red dragon; the Apostate Church by a Harlot and a City, Babylon; the true Church by a chaste Virgin and a City, New Jerusalem; Jesus and the Church by the Tree of Life, etc. The vision that Peter saw in Acts 10: 9-17 is another example. In all visions, the thing seen is not the reality, but a representation, a figure of the reality.

Two Scriptures explain the vision of the Transfiguration: In 2 Peter 1: 16-18, St. Peter testifies that this vision represents the Second Advent, the Power and the Kingdom of Christ by the words “the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” and “his majesty.” What the disciples saw in the “holy mount” was not Christ’s actual Second Presence and Kingdom, and the Power associated with these, in fact, they still have not been manifested to men. But they did see a representation of these.

The other Scripture is Matthew 16: 27, 28. Because of the break between these two verses and Matthew 17: 1-9, most people fail to connect these two sets of Scriptures. There were no chapters in the Bible until nearly twelve hundred years after St. Matthew wrote this Gospel, but Jesus’ statement shows that they are connected. In verse 27 Jesus shows that at His Second Coming and Kingdom (Matthew 25: 31) He would reward all according to their works. Then in verse 28, He says that some of His hearers should not die until they had seen Him coming in His Kingdom. But all of His hearers died at least nineteen centuries ago, and the Kingdom is still not here. How, then, shall we understand His words that some of His hearers should not die until they had seen Him coming in His Kingdom?

We answer: Three of His hearers, Peter, James and John, in the Transfiguration scene saw Him coming in His Kingdom – not in its actuality, but a vision, a representation of His Second Advent and Kingdom. They also saw Elijah in the vision, a representation of the Church, the spiritual phase of the Kingdom; and they saw Moses in the vision, a representation of the Old Testament Faithful, the earthly phase of the Kingdom. Thus the Transfiguration scene gives a complete representation of the Kingdom – its Head, Jesus, and its two phases, the Church and the Ancient Worthies. The literal Elijah and Moses were not in the holy mount at all; only representations of them. They are still dead – unconscious in the tomb – awaiting their awakening (John 5: 28, 29), when they will be in the earthly phase of the Kingdom.

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