Mark 9:1
And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power."
Jesus began his earthly ministry by proclaiming that the kingdom of God is at hand. Now he tells his disciples that some of them there would not taste death before they see the kingdom of God coming with power.
Q: Just where is the kingdom of God?
A: It's where God reigns as king, simply put.
Wherever God reigns is where his kingdom is.
The kingdom of God is not just a geographical place or a moment in time and history. It's not like a mirror that reflects only external realities. In many ways the kingdom of God is already within us and in the world. If God is reigning in your heart and mind, then his kingdom is already among you, and some would say it is within you. If you haven't been completely compromised by your need to control your own spiritual life by worldly things then you have access to the prolepsis of God's heavenly kingdom realized in your faith.
Luke 17:20-21
Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you."
Though we cannot fully see it from our worldly perspective, we can know it from the perspective of our Creator. And we can discover its boundaries and far reaches by observing them in The Word of God which came down from there. We have been given this opportunity to glimpse the kingdom in the person of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 2:9
But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
The glorified and transfigured Christ is the prototype of our own recreation. Peter, John, and James have been arguing about who among them would be the greatest in the kingdom of God. Jesus takes them mountain climbing to help them gain a new perspective on this. What Jesus wants for them is to have them understand that they are either living in the kingdom of God or living in the kingdom of Satan.
Jesus called Satan the prince of this world. The apostle Paul refers to Satan as the god of this world. When the religious authorities came to arrest Jesus in the garden, he said...
Luke 22:53
"When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."
Jesus recognized that the powers of darkness was ruling on the earth. Today, as it was then, you are either ruled by Satan or by the Kingdom of God.
Our only hope is The Father, to whom we should eternally give thanks, for he sent his Son to qualify us in sharing in His inheritance as saints in His Kingdom.
Colossians 1:13-14
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Do you understand yet? That's what being a saint means, you are a citizen of the kingdom of God. It's not some superhuman disciple who is overflowing with godly merit. If the transfiguration proves anything it proves that Godliness and Holiness come from Jesus, not any human effort.
Jesus is the image of the invisible Kingdom because he is the first born of Creation and he's recreating mankind into his image. And truth be told nothing can truly exist apart from him. Heaven or Hell, all things find their being in Him.
Colossians 1:17, 19-20
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together...For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Jesus takes these few disciples with him, and they go up on the mountain to pray. While Jesus was praying “the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.”
Elijah and Moses appear before Jesus. The shekinah, the glory of God, a supernatural cloud surrounds them, and God speaks to them.
Mark 9:7
And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him."
And so here we have the multifaceted presence of God, the Prolepsis of Christ revealed for the disciples to witness. And we call this "the transfiguration" of Jesus. Here's a word we never use outside this gospel context. Imagine the impact of this event. It's so profoundly different than our own reality that we literally have a word for it that we never use in any other context. This unique transfiguration is a foretaste of the end of the age when the Son of Man will come...
“in the glory of his Father” (Matthews 16:27).
...He will come in his glory which is revealed to us in John's writing:
Revelation 1:13
And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle...(v.17,18) "I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
And you'd better believe that this experience changed the disciples that were there. Changed their understanding, their perspective, and their witness.
See 2 Peter 1:16-18 and John 1:14
It may not have changed their human nature and how they feel and act in this world, but they are now firsthand witnesses of and for the Kingdom of God. What they experienced was an echo of Daniel 7:13–14. This prolepsis of kingdom revelation is a peek into what must be hidden for now.
Do you understand how these things can happen, or is it still too far-fetched and unnatural to grasp?
I get that, this experience is unbelievable in the things we're told happened. But I trust God that he has the power to do these things.
Where does that trust come from?
I believe. I believe what Jesus said about himself.
John 5:26-27
"For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man."
I believe in his power, the power of life and power over death.
I believe he has the authority to judge the living and the dead.
I believe this is why the Jews sought to kill him, because he made himself equal with God.
I believe that whatever the Father is doing, Jesus is doing.
I believe he raises the dead and gives them life for all things have life through him.
And I believe him when he promised:
"Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life." (John 5:24)
And I believe these things because I believe the scriptures have eternal life in them and they give witness to Jesus as the Lord of all life. And I believe The Father when he says...
Matthew 17:5
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."
I believe I will listen to him, and not this kingdom of darkness.
I'm not going to believe differently.
I'm not going to do as Peter and the others and try to set up traditional tabernacles so I can hold onto that power and glory and keep it for myself. I'm not going to try and restrict the kingdom of God in anyway. I understand that this life is just a glimpse into Christ's glory. Just as the gospel writers weren't concerned with the exact geographical location of this transfiguration, I know that it's more important what took place than where it took place. I know that it's more important to listen to Jesus as was commanded by The Father than it is to package up the glory of God for distribution to others in some religious organization. I know that the transfiguration is a proleptic glimpse of the glory that awaits Jesus at his resurrection. And it is also a glimpse at our own future state when we come into his glory at our resurrection in Him.
This event is the final answer to Jesus' question, "who do you say I am?"
This event puts to rest all other allegations and imaginations about Jesus as something other than God Almighty, King of the Universe.
If you walk away from this mountain top experience and you still look to religious traditions or humanistic philosophies for solutions to your spiritual life, you're lost and are akin to those who will soon be shouting "crucify him!" Your unbelief and unwillingness to listen to him as commanded has sealed your fate.
Matthew 24:6-8 "You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these events are the beginning of labor pains."
There has been thirteen years of war for every one year of peace since the time of Christ. Mankind loves war.
"Many will fall away, betray one another, and hate one another." (v.10)
Love grows cold. Lawlessness spreads faster than the gospel. But through endurance the kingdom of God will be preached. And the angels will fulfill this mission:
Revelation 14:6 "Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, 'Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.'"
And just as a side note, for all ...
Matthew 10:16
"Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves."
"Beware the moon, Stay on the road. Keep clear of the moors." (From: An American Werewolf in London 1981)
I was 19 when that movie came out and it was then that I was at my lowest point ever. I was dying and couldn't see it happening to me.
It's nearly Halloween, and I've arrived here in my daily studies at Jesus sending his children, as lambs, out to preach the gospel among wolves. And I have to admit this morning my head went to the movie I rewatched (for the hundredth time) again last night. I confess I'm somewhat of a connoisseur of werewolf movies. It's really an odd and unexpected fascination since throughout my entire childhood I was plagued nightly by nightmares of invisible werewolves that stalked me trying to bite me. I couldn't see them but could hear them. And when they were just about to bite, they'd suddenly be visible (this is how I knew they were werewolves). And this was a ...
Matthew 10:32-33
“Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven."
Jesus calls and sends his disciples to the lost sheep of Israel because he has a great compassion for the needy. He sees them as sheep without a shepherd, lost and living in miserable conditions. They're harassed, and cast down. And in the face of many evils they're unable to help themselves. They are outside of Christ, living in darkness.
And what's interesting is the disciples are sent to be forerunners to His coming. Like heralds they are to go into the towns and villages healing the sick, casting out demons, raising spirits and preaching the good news. It's a mission trip, he's sending them outside the congregation to free these people from the bondage of evil. This is aggressive evangelism. It's like rustic camping. Bring it in and take it out. They must depend entirely on God for all their needs. It's a mission trip focused upon aggressively reaching ...
Exodus 13:21-22
The Lord showed them the way; during the day he went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud, and during the night he was in a pillar of fire to give them light. In this way they could travel during the day or night. The pillar of cloud was always with them during the day, and the pillar of fire was always with them at night.
In 1446 BC, the 435 miles long trip from Goshen (Tell el-Dab’a) to Mt. Sinai took the Hebrews a total of 47 days to trek. The Hebrews made the 12-mile-long crossing of the Red Sea at the Straits of Tiran, and they all eventually arrived at the Red Sea on day 25 then took 22 days to travel 124 miles from the Red Sea Crossing to Mt. Sinai. During that entire trip about 2 million Jews DID NOT die. The Lord was with them in a very prescient manner. And his protection was upon them. They hadn't done anything to earn it. They had no merit born out of faithfulness. In fact, many if not most were people who had been fully engaged in the pagan worship of the Egyptians.
Pharaoh's army easily traveled the 249 miles from Goshen to the Red Sea crossing ...
James 2:1
"My brothers and sisters, show no partiality [favoritism] as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory."
It may be smart, this sign of showing favoritism, but it is sin, in the same way that murder and adultery are sin. It's the sin of discrimination. And it's contrary to God’s design. It's difficult to say you love your neighbor as yourself when you are motivated to be discriminatory towards others who are not to your liking. Living a life in faith is living selflessly always, not just when it's convenient. There are never moments when it's not sin to discriminate against others. To operate in this discriminatory manner is to make yourself a law unto yourself. A law contrary to God's law. And this attitude toward the law of God draws attention away from the needs of others and makes the merits of the self into law. This is how one arrives at self-righteousness and a philosophy of self justification.
With God there is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11). We know Jesus was no respecter of persons because his disciples taught that he ...
Mark 9:23
And Jesus said to him, "‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes."
Whatever the situation, a follower of Jesus should respond always in faith. For it is always faith that does the will of our Father. And what the Father requires is the prayers and fasting of his people.
And to be honest, it's not really that hard a task. It's no great sacrifice to pray for others and fast of the things that distract you in prayer. At any rate, like it or not, a life of prayer is our duty.
The father of this young boy, in Mark chapter nine, was greatly troubled. His son probably was afflicted with epilepsy. And he's desperate for a solution that will save his son from this horrible malady. And yes, it's possible that this affliction is inspired by Satan, certainly the demons believed that to be the case.
You may ask, "how does that happen?"
The obvious answer would be that the boy was likely already frail. I mean to say he likely had the condition at least available for the demon to take advantage of in its possession of his body. They'll prey upon human weakness in the mind,...
