‘The Word of God’ — LOGOS — means the word spoken which carries the full intention of the speaker. "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the honour of kings to search out the matter" (Proverbs 26:2) to the end that each may ". . . be established in present truth" (II Peter 1:12)

John 14:26 ‘But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My Name, He shall teach you ALL THINGS . . .’ Now let me ask you a question. If the Holy Spirit within you is to teach you ALL things, just how much is left over for you to work out all by yourself just because you have been to school ??? So let us now put ourselves in a teachable frame of mind so that we can hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

The account of the mighty revelation and purpose of God, which the Holy Spirit gave to Matthew as Peter, James and John related what happened to them.

‘A Day’ is usually taken as a 1000 years from the scripture of (II Pet.3:18). Thus we can say that 6 days equals 6,000 years since God began His regeneration which makes this timing right about now! The six days can also parallel 6 months. If it is ‘after’ six days, then it must be in the 7th. Day or after six months it must be in the 7th. month which is the month of the Feast of Tabernacles. After 6 days comes the sabbath or 7th. day; which also equates with the ‘sabbath of rest’ (Hebrews 4) that we are expected to come into. What we have just said can be amplified by the understanding that ‘A Day’ = a time of progressive enlightenment — often called an age. As night-time or darkness represents ignorance, so daytime speaks of enlightenment from God as He makes Himself known to His 'replica' — mankind in His image.

  The scene is set . . . after 6 days. Notice that all the disciples were not involved, just Peter, James & John — 3 out of the 12 disciples! Jesus brought them up to the top of a high mountain, a high place. Now a high place in the Spirit equates with heaven where God alone dwells and where His words are heard. It is a real place above the natural realm thinking of ‘good and evil’. ‘Bringeth’ shows a willingness to go, to be led to a higher place with Jesus. These hungry disciples would be shown an important part of God’s plan. Did the other nine get invited? I believe that they were given the opportunity to go up the mountain with Jesus because the word tells me that God is no respector of persons. On the other hand, Jesus would have known from His Father which of the disciples were desirous of more understanding from Heaven. It just might have been that the nine disciples who stayed at the bottom of the mountain wanted to continue in what they were doing. It is necessary to come apart, be separated from the ‘usual’. The word ‘Apart’ means pertaining to, beyond, touching , separated from those in the valley below. Even with natural hill climbing, the higher one goes, the more one sees! 

Jesus was transfigured! Why? What was He desiring to show these three? . . . and at such a timinng? The word ‘Transfigured’ in the Greek is metamorphusao. We have learned that ‘metamorphosis’ is the process that preceeds the emerging of the butterfly in all its beauty i.e. the full manifestation of the nature that is inherent in the egg, that becomes a catterpillar and then formed for itself a crysalis. In due season, the restrictive shell cannot contain the ever expanding butterfly and there is a transfiguration which reveals the full nature that was present in the beginning of that life. Have we not felt somewhat restrained in this hour knowing that the Lord Jesus is in us? Didn’t He promise that we would do what He had done and greater things as well ? There is a cry that we might be ‘turned inside out’ so that the indwelling Christ-life can come forth into this promised action . . . that He might break forth out of the hard crysalis shell of our natural thinking, natural limitations, so that every eye shall see Him.

There are two other places in the New Testament where this word is used and they will both add some understanding as to what happens when transfiguration takes place and how it is experienced.

Let us look at . . .

II Corinthians 3:18 which says, ‘But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into that same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord’.

The word ‘changed’ is the second instance of metamorphusao. This changing work of God in us is not done instantaneously. It is a process of change because we have been teachable and have thus yielded to the word that the Spirit has been bringing to bear on our lives for change. One emphasis of the word ‘glory’ is the awareness of the presence of God in one’s life after being ‘changed’ in a certain area. Then on to the next ‘day’ of dealings so that a further expression of glory is experienced. This is pictured in the ascending of the mountain with Jesus which culminates in God’s Image being seen. The fullness of glory is the IMAGE of God which is His Spiritual-man in a changed container — one that has been turned inside out so that nothing of the old Adam is seen.

In actual fact, the Image is the effect of right thinking (God’s). This is seen in the third reference context of the word metamorphusao — being the word ‘transformed’. Now observe Romans 12: 2 ,‘Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind’. . . this verse shows us that the change takes place in us by the renewing of our (plural i.e. corporate, mind). That is why we find ourselves having a hunger for more of God; it is because we desire to know His will which is His word revealed (taught) to us by the Spirit within. I Corinthians 1:16 tells us that we have the mind of Christ but such thinking has not yet found a continuous front place in our lives. The old Adamic thinking gets blurted out first, until God’s thoughts overpower them and we see Jesus.

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the experiencing of the Feast of Pentecost which releases the initial words out of the mind of Christ. They are usually in ‘tongues’ and then develope into English as we grow and are changed from glory to glory by allowing such a renewing work to be accomplished in our minds. You will have noticed that it all takes place by the spirit of the LORD. Unless Jesus is Lord of your life and thinking, the change will not last for the next area to be built thereon. The nature of the butterfly will come forth but the right environment will most decidedly help the process. Our thinking is the all important issue in this change. As we progressively think more of His thoughts and thus His will, we shall grow into His image. As a man thinketh, so is he (Proverbs 23:7).

Because the word in the Romans reference said RE-NEWED, we know that our mind must have been ‘new’ one time earlier! When? We shall have to go back to the beginning of Genesis.

A little recap. Genesis 1:26 says ‘Let us make man in our image and after our likeness,’ and this many-membered man will have dominion over all creation (verse 27). Here in Chapter One, God made a spiritual man or, if you prefer, a Spirit-man. He was the replica of God Himself having all of His nature, resources and authority and thus could rule and reign with Him over all creation. The containing perameter was light depicting an actual being containing the true image of the Living God — full of Love, Word and God-Life. In Genesis 2:7 God formed a body out of what He had created and breathed into that form or substance, the breath of lives — image and likeness — that had been made in Chapter One. The man of chapter one relates to the higher - Spirit realm while the body of chapter two relates to the lower-earthly realm. Thus God has His Adam and Eve: the masculine Adam, Spirit-man who would relate to God and the feminine Eve would be influenced by the earthy. God decreed that the two — male and female — were to move as one as the visible expression of Himself. Adam and Eve were pronounced ‘one flesh’. This Spirit man was the only man that God would relate to and God provided everything that he would need in the garden of God’s dwelling place . . . in Adam’s heart? Adam drew his thinking and supply from His God and while he did so, he was in ‘heaven’. Adam (Genesis 5:1) and His Father were one.

Now comes a test, the result of which did not take God by surprise! Adam’s thinking source was replaced by a new source — that of Eve’s, fuelled by the whispers of the serpent. "You can create and be as God, but you will need to have knowledge of what is good and evil." Her SENSES created and dictated her thinking which she gave to Adam. Such thinking could in no way mix with the thinking that he derived from God. Gravity took over and they partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Just about every operation for God ever since has been controlled by that forbidden tree. The people of God have not known the voice of God neither have they known His thoughts or His ways (Isaiah 55:8). So much of our daily lives and especially our Christian decisions have been made from the realm of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If the situation before us is ‘good’, we do it and we ask God to bless it! If it appears ‘evil’ we refuse to do it and probably end up ‘binding it’ and consigning it to some place far away! Every denomination has been formed through this method of deciding. Each has its own ideas and lists of what is ‘good’ to believe! God is not interested in the’good’ or the ‘evil’ — they both stem from the wrong tree and cannot produce life, ONLY DEATH. Such decisions draw upon the LAW and the untaught ‘letter word’, to substantiate their choices, while GRACE with the ‘spirit word’ will tend towards LIFE. The Tree of Life is the Spirit Word, the mind of Christ, called ‘Logos’ who is Jesus — the Incarnate Word. Remember the ‘Logos’ Incarnate Jesus Word carries within Himself the whole purpose and intention of Father-God.

The ‘Second Adam’ (the Spiritual Man Christ ) and the ‘Second Eve’ (soulish area) are to become one, when natural-thinking Eve submits to her Husband’s spirit-word. The true expression of the Body of Christ is with Jesus as the Head. This obviously means that it is only His thinking that will control His Body.

Jesus was fully man and fully God

Jesus was the prototype of a new tribe of God-men. He was ‘Son of Man’ and He was ‘Son of God’. The three disciples went up the mountain with Jesus, the Son of Man: while they were in that high place in the spirit, the top of the mountain, Jesus, the Son of God was unveiled. The disciples were made aware of God’s purpose for His creation. They would later be told that the things Jesus did, they would do also and greater. The nature of God, His Father, that supernatural life which He caried within Him, broke through the ‘crysalictic’ shell of human limitation. Jesus on this mount was showing the three within the twelve who were willing to be BROUGHT higher, what God was purposing for them. Jumping ahead a little, we can read that they were not to mention any of these happenings until AFTER the resurrection. The reason being that the power for it to happen would be released in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead where He would break the power of death which the tree of the knowledge of good and evil keeps on creating.

The full nature of the Divine Life in the Seed that birthed Jesus through Mary has likewise birthed you and I. The parallel account of the nature within is seen in the natural realm where the nature of an oak tree is in the tiny acorn. God placed within you the Seed of Himself so that the Seed would grow to maturity and become that corporate replica of Himself after being ‘transfigured’.

Jesus taught us to pray ‘OUR FATHER’ thus indicating that there were more SONS besides Himself. Every Seed brings forth after its kind. The 7th. month has the Feast of Taberancles in it, which we are commanded to partake of. It is also called the Feast of Harvest. Jesus the Seed sown into our earth, nurtured etc. until there is the harvest of that Seed which Ephesians 4:13 describes as ‘ perfect man in the measure and stature of the fullness of Christ’. We are ‘joint-heirs of God’! If we were joint heirs of $1,000, we would each receive our portion of that money. We are joint heirs OF GOD. We receive His Life , for it is in His Will and Testament (His Word, our Bible). Jesus-God not only died to make the will active, but He was raised again to ensure that we receive our inheritance. What a glorious plan God has.. . and being God, He cannot be thwarted and He cannot fail. His love for us has no limits or conditions.

Back to Matthew 17 . . .

Transfigured . . . transformed . . . changed . . . TRANS = across - figure or form limitations; i.e. a TRANSFER OF FORM or a change of substance. When Adam was first formed, he was all life and knew not death in any form. His body was God’s expression of Himself. We are known as the ‘body of Christ’ and the transfiguration here on the mount, showed a change of form of Jesus’ body/flesh; the result of what had been walked out inwardly in the earthly realm being manifested in the spiritual or heavenly one.

His face did shine as the sun. No one in the natural realm can look into the sun. It takes being in a supernatural realm to do this. The fire effect of His gaze will surely burn upany dross revealed by His progressive dealings. The face is that part of one that shows all the expressions of what one is thinking and is the means whereby we recognise the person. These ones who were up the mountain and most certainly ‘in the spirit’ would only recognise Jesus in the spirit. It is in the same way, we shall recognise Jesus only if we are in the spirit whereby we shall know Him by the manifestation of His life. We shall thus see Him face to face. . . we shall see Him AS HE IS (I John 4:17) not as He was !

HIS Raiment (covering) we are told, was white as THE light. What specific ‘LIGHT’ was being refered to here? Remember back in Genesis 1, we saw that the spirit-man which God created had to have a boundary (we called it a parameter) and as it was in the spirit, we saw that it was ‘light’ — the expression of God which equates with Life (His). The Life-Light covering died when they sinned and drew the wages of death and so they thought they were naked! They truly were! Here on the mount of transfiguration, the true covering of the Spirit-Man which we are becoming, receives back the Light covering that the first Adam lost. Colossians 3:1 says ‘my life is hid with Christ in God’ . . . I am not seen, only He is seen and He is the Light, the parameter of my life for in Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).

The transforming work is done as we yield to the word by the Spirit, for the entrance of thy word giveth light. Such an entrance of the spirit-word renews our mind. The ‘letter-word’ which many have never allowed to be revealed to them by the Holy Spirit, will produce bondage by its link with death.

In the mouth of two witnesses... Moses-Letter-Word (Law) and Elijah-Spirit Word bear witness to this unveiling of the God-Life which was in Jesus and which is also in us. These three mentioned here were the only ones the Bible records who fasted for forty days and forty nights. That then is 3 x 40 which equals 120: 120 in Bible numbers means the Spirit-FILLED life that is continuous. The bible which is black ink on white paper, is absolutely essential for experiencing the life of Christ. It leads to and becomes the foundation of the spirit-word in us which has the Life of God in it and has the power to change us. The law represented by Moses declares what God desires, and the Spirit represented by Elijah shows how by the spirit word He will achieve that plan and adds up to the Life of an obedient son — Jesus, being the Firstborn of many (Romans 8:29). The communion service consists of partaking first the ‘flesh-letter-word’ of Jesus’ Body followed by the ‘blood-Spirit-word’ which is Jesus’ Blood wherein is His Being. The two together reveal the Living Word, the Incarnate Word — Jesus, His name and nature. He said, ‘My words they are spirit and they are life’ (John 6:63). His Life is manifested only after we have taken that life into us. Communion of two people takes place with words and remember, death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that love it, shall eat the fruit thereof (Proverbs 18:21) . . . what you eat, you become. The whole earth is waiting for the sons to come forth (Romans 8:19). Moses and Elijah, the word declares were talking with Jesus . . . enjoying the reality of communion and not just performing vain repetitions like so many do. It is good to partake of ‘the occasional communion’ until the type and shadow in the letter-word has, by revelation, produced the true continuous communion of walking with Him. Except ye eat My flesh and drink My blood (John 6:54,55 and context), "My life is to be released fully in you to the end that you will be raised up, transfigured and changed into My image".

Matthew 17:4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three taber nacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

Peter answered . . . who? Who was talking to him? It must have been Jesus including Peter and his two companions in the conversation. There was, of course, no room for the flesh to be dominant, not even Peter’s! Therefore the conversation that Peter was hearing in this created timeless zone, had something to do with the Feast of Tabernacles of the 7th. month, because for that feast, all were expected to construct a simple booth covering so that their own natural identity could be hidden . . . a picture of the flesh having been dealt with by God and thus no longer in sight.

How did Peter and the others recognise Moses and Elijah? They were certainly not around in Peter’s time! They recognized each other IN THE SPIRIT just like we are told to do but find it quite difficult to do it all the time, right? Let us look at II Corinthians 5:16, ‘wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more’.

Even in the natural realm, no farmer will dig up the seed to have another look at it! The seed is planted with an expectation of a harvest from that seed. God is no different for His harvest is to reveal His son in me (Galations 1:16) . . . this done many times over!

Peter’s observation was ignored for it would have brought the proceedings back into the natural realm and it was evident that Jesus was entirely in the spirit realm of heaven on earth.

Matthew 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

Please Peter (he represents you and I so often!) don’t interrupt the anointing and what God is doing by a ‘letter word’. God just kept on with this revelation of Himself. ‘A bright cloud overshadowed them’. We shall look at who the ‘them’ included and then at the overshadowing cloud.

Let us read a similar account of this occasion in Luke’s gospel. Luke 9:34 ‘While he thus spake, there came a cloud and overshadowed THEM: and they feared AS THEY ENTERED INTO THE CLOUD.’ So we see that the cloud started by encompassing Moses, Elijah and Jesus. The cloud either expanded and included the three disciples or they were drawn into the cloud to be with the others. Either way the cloud was covering all SIX of them. That is an important conclusion for what follows.

A cloud in scripture represents the very presence of God — whether it be the expression of God leading His people through the wilderness or whether it be the cloud of witnesses of Hebrews 12. It is such a cloud — a bright one due to the glory it contains which Jesus will fully manifest Himself through at the end of this age. On the day of atonement which is a part fo the Feast of Tabernacles, God said that He would appear in the cloud upon the Mercy Seat (Leviticus 16:2). ‘He will come in the clouds of heaven’, says Matthew 24:30), with power and great glory’. Clouds of heaven . . . heaven in the natural does not produce clouds; these clouds are the faith FULL witnesses expressing the fullness of Christ coming from the realm of heaven which is the presence of God.

What happened when Mary was overshadowed in Luke 1:35 ? The result was that she brought forth the Son of the Highest, Jesus. Mary is another picture of the true yielded Church Bride that will bring forth the many-membered Son in the image and likeness of the Creator . . . the many membered Christ — the harvest of the Seed sown (John 12:24). The whole scene on this mountain of transfiguration did not take very long to complete. However it is the desire of the Lord for each one of us to be in the secret place of the Most High and thus abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1) not as a visitor but one who remains there.

A small recap is in order here. Luke 1:32 declares that Jesus was called SON OF THE HIGHEST. In verse 35, Mary was overshadowed by the power of the Highest. Therefore we shall see that the One speaking out of the cloud calling Jesus His Son, would be THE HIGHEST — usually referred to as EL ELYON — the Most High God.

The actual words spoken by The Most High are very important. These words would have meant a lot to the early Church because they understood the background to such phrases. Let me recap for you.

In the east, there is a fairly common ceremony associated with the adoption of a firstborn son by his father. Any lingering thoughts of adoption as pertaining to our day should be quickly discarded. This time of adoption would be like this: A father who had, say, many sons, daughters and servants would be running his affairs efficiently. Through the years his firstborn son would be just the same as the servants obeying the commands of father. The firstborn son however, would be constantly in the presence of his father learning how he did things, how he used his resources and at the same time taking on him the very attributes of his father’s nature. His father would observe the progress and there would come a time when that son would have so matured that the father would know that he could hand over the responsibilities of his affairs to him. He would call a public meeting inviting all the family, relatives, neighbours and business associates. When assembled, he would call his son to come to the platform and he would place his hand on his son’s head and declare the following words: ‘This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased. Today I adopt him.’ From that moment on, the firstborn son would no longer have to operate as a servant for he would know what was wanted and how to do it. He would have the full resources of his father, his full nature and authority.

In Matthew 3:16+17, Father God brought His Firstborn Son Jesus to a public meeting at the side of the river Jordan. After John had baptized Him, Father spoke, ‘This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him’. Father adopted Jesus at the mature age of 30. From that moment on and not before, Jesus moved with His Father’s full nature, full authority and full resources.

It is most interesting that Matthew also recorded the passage that we are studying. So here in chapter 17 with Jesus at the top of this mountain, the same words are heard. A son cannot be adopted twice!!! So what then is happening here with the bright cloud overshadowing SIX saints? The words used by God show that it is another adoption ceremony but this time He is showing us that there is an adoption ceremony or proceedure for His ‘Harvest-Son’ . . . the many membered Christ made up of those who have been following Jesus around, learning of His ways, His authority and how He uses His boundless resources. We too will need, by yielding to the life-producing word, to be adopted and thus released into the realm of fullness of which the baptism in the Holy Spirit is the downpayment. This corporate adoption takes place after six days when the Feast of Tabernacles is fullfilled in you and I.

The ‘well pleased’ comment, that which gives God pleasure, is usually spoken when the surrounding subject refers to the Kingdom of God or the bringing forth of His mature sons. This is seen in Ephesians 1:5, ‘Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children (mature SONS in the Greek - huiosthesia) by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.’

This expression of real life that was shown to the three disciples in the high place with God, was not to be spoken about until AFTER the resurrection. The veil had to torn first so that the way into the Holiest would be open. What was being demonstrated at the top of the mountain — the ‘Holiest-of-all walk’ —would then become available for ‘whomsoever’. It would be His resurrection life that would be the enabling for such a walk. It would then be ‘their present truth’ that they would be established in.; whether they ‘came back’ like Moses and Elijah or were ‘changed.’ 

Matthew 17:6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.

It wasn’t just the voices that touched them, it was the terminology that God used for they would most certainly have known its meaning having heard of Jesus’ adoption at His baptism by John the Priest. You notice that they fell on their face when they heard "IT" not "Him"!!! This statement was therefore a tremendous shock to their natural thinking! They saw that they were included with the Lord . . . that they were right then one Spirit with Him. They were still human and thus became very afraid for they heard things they were taught were not lawful to hear — just like Paul heard in II Corinthians 12:1-3. They too would learn after the resurrection and ascension had taken place, that such enabling was released to them and us through the whole calvary experience of Jesus.

How did they manage to keep quiet about it until the resurrection power was released to bring it all to pass? Had they shared it, a whole discourse would have been launched on a spiritual matter which could not be solved by educated thinking or natural reasoning. These things came to Peter, James and John BY REVELATION. They will likewise come to us in exactly the same way.

  Matthew 17:7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise,and be not afraid.

Jesus initiated this time of unveiling and now He comes to conclude it and to touch them and thus remove their fears. He told them to "Arise’ as they were possibly still face down overcome with the awe and privilege of the occasion.

Matthew 17:8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.

They looked up and Jesus was right there with them again. Could it be that they had learned to see others in the spirit? Jesus was very real to them; did they see Him as a man! We know Him no more after the flesh, but after the spirit. So many only want to see Jesus as He was upon the earth some 2000 years ago. ‘As He is, so are we in this world’ (John 4:17) . . . this does not read ‘as He was’!

In conclusion, let us read . . .

II Corinthians 5:1-6

2 Cor 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

2 Cor 5:2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: A house is where one dwells or abides like abiding under the shadow of the Almighty!

2 Cor 5:3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.

Do you recall how that Adam and Eve discovered that they were naked ?

2 Cor 5:4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Clothed with the Light . . . the Shekinah glory of the Holiest of All which has been opened to us by Jesus will simply contain us.

2 Cor 5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. The release via the baptism of the Holy Spirit — our personal Pentecost — is the guarantee of our transfiguration . . . but every man in his own order.

2 Cor 5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: one is ‘at home’ in the body when the reasoning minds of our Eve control our lives. At such a time, the Lord’s thinking is absent from our lives.

May we each one so yield to the individual dealings of the six ‘days’.

‘Keep our hearts, Lord Jesus, hungering and thirsting

after Righteousness . . .which is You’ §