The Transfiguration

For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

2 Peter 1:16ff (Spoke 17, Cycle 3)

Second Peter is the only Epistle that mentions the Transfiguration, when Christ took Peter, James, and John to a high mountain and revealed His Glory to them and His Face (panim) "did shine as the sun":

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

Matthew 17:1ff

The Greek icon of the Transfiguration shows Jesus flanked by Moses on His left with the Tablets of the Ten Commandments, representing the Law, and by Elijah on His right with his mantle that he used to part the Jordon, representing the Prophets. This is an image of "the righteousness of God," Jesus Christ, being "witnessed by the law and the prophets" (Rom 3:21, BW book pg 59). It is a standard iconic form in Orthodox Christianity, seen also in icons of the Resurrection (Spoke 22, BW book pg pg 373). The Greek word at the top is the Greek metamorphosis which entered essentially unchanged into English.

As noted above, 2 Peter is the only NT Epistle that mentions the transfiguration. It forms a KeyLink between 2 Peter on Spoke 17 of the Bible Wheel and Matthew 17 on the Inner Cycle of Matthew. It is a fundamental theme of Spoke 17, as discussed in The Promise of His Coming and many other articles. It is based on the fundamental meaning of Pey as "appearance" or "showing" which is exemplified most clearly in the KeyWord panim (face) (see Esther: The Hidden Face of God). This is the meaning of Pey seen in the passage above when God the Father intentionally displayed "honour and glory" on His Son on the Mount of Transfiguration. A similar intentional display of the honour of glory - this time by an earthly rather than divine King - sets the stage in Esther, Book 17:

In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him: When he shewed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even an hundred and fourscore days.

Esther 1:3ff (Spoke 17, Cycle 1)

The list of common vocabulary found in these two geometrically integrated passages is quite impressive. It includes the words power, glory, majesty, honour and excellent. This set forms a a KJV KeyLink between the first and the third books on Spoke 17:

	KeyLink: A King Reveals the Glory of His Kingdom
	Esther (Spoke 17, Cycle 1)2 Peter (Spoke 17, Cycle 3)

The difference between the divine revelation of glory on Cycle 3 and the natural on Cycle 1 follows the general pattern of the Three cycles. For example, on Spoke 22 of Cycle 1 (Song of Songs) a natural King receives his Bride, whereas on Cycle 3 of Spoke 22 (Revelation) the Divine King receives His everlasting Bride - the Church.

Questions? Comments? Join the discussion on the Bible Wheel Forum!