Page 45 - BACK TO BETHLEHEM

Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us that Elijah and Moses
suddenly appeared. Luke 9:31, “…who, appearing in glory,
were speaking of His departure which He was about to
accomplish at Jerusalem.” They began to talk about the death
that he was going to accomplish.
Matthew and Mark tell us that Peter wanted to build
three tabernacles. Mark 9:6 tells us why Peter said that. “For
he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified.” He
didn’t know what to say. When you don’t know what is going
on, you want to build something and when people are not seeing
the Lord they want to start a ministry.
Only Luke tells us, in this great scene, that the disciples
fell asleep. Luke 9:32, “Now Peter and his companions had
been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake,
they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.” Luke
also tells us that the glory cloud came down and enveloped
them; covered them.
Those are the facts. Listen as Peter interprets the facts.
I’m putting words in Peter’s mouth but here’s what he said,
“I’m ready to die but I had an experience once that I didn’t
understand. Now it’s thirty years later and I finally get it. I
want to explain it to you. I want to tell you what it meant. I
didn’t know at the time but God was teaching me how to see
Jesus in the Bible.”
As he looked back at that transfiguration, God opened
his heart to what it means to see Jesus in the Bible. Peter said
that He had a prophetic word and the prophetic word was, “You
are not going to die before I come.” That was a true word. It
couldn’t be any truer. If anyone went to Peter and asked his
testimony, during that week between the prophesy and the
vision, “Do you believe some people standing here will not die
before He comes?” Peter said, “Of course, it’s a true word. It
came out of the mouth of Jesus. I believe it. He said it. I have
no reason to doubt it.” But a week later he had another
experience. He already had a true word but he is about to have
a revelation of Jesus. He had the true word but when Jesus
showed up in all His glory he never put that together.
43