Transfiguration was a foretaste, where for all eternity we shall say: "Lord, it is good for us to be here."

As was his wont after his miracles, Jesus now also bids his disciples tell the vision to no man till he should be risen from the dead.

The knowledge of the Transfiguration was destined for the world, but the world was not ready for it then. Jesus was sowing the seed. The world must first witness a man bearing a cross up to Calvary, and there dying on it, before it could realize who that man was. The miracles of Jesus were to be presented to the world when they could be taken together with the death on the cross, and the resurrection from the tomb.

The Apostles obeyed the command of Jesus, but on the following day, as they came down from the mountain, they questioned among themselves of two things. First, what did the Master mean by the resurrection from the dead? and secondly, how was it that Eliah, whom they had just seen on the mount, had not come to prepare for the coming as the scribes taught? Jesus had before spoken of his Resurrection, but the Apostles were slow to receive such a mighty truth. This is clearly evidenced by the conduct of the Apostles on the day of the Resurrection. Jesus had many times foretold that he would arise on the third day; and yet we find on that day no Apostles expecting the event. The greatest surprise is felt by all at the intelligence brought by the women that the Lord was risen. So hard it is for man, as he is at present constituted, to realize the things of the supernatural order. In the new order of things, into which the blessed enter, the higher spiritual forces predominate, but here the body predominates, and holds the soul down, hindering its accessibility to the truths of the Kingdom of God. We see woeful evidences of this spiritual heedlessness in the men of to-day. Men will listen to the word of God preached from the pulpits of our churches, and never question the authenticity of the message, and then go forth and forget all about that message, and move in the spirit of the world, as though God had never spoken.

The prophecy of Malachi, IV. 5-6, had made known to Israel that Eliah was to come before the day of the Lord.

Now the Jews confounded the coming of the Messiah as Redeemer with his coming as Judge, and therefore strove to prove that Jesus could not be the Messiah, from the fact that Eliah had not come. The Apostles had already acknowledged the Messiahship of Jesus, but the argument of the scribes was a perplexing thought. The appearance of Eliah on the mount intensified their perplexity, and they therefore direct a question to Jesus concerning it.

Jesus first clearly declares that there is to be a coming of Eliah, a coming in which he will reorganize the remnants of Israel. This coming of Eliah will take place before the coming of the Messiah as judge. As we have stated in Vol. II., there are some who deny that Eliah in person is to come before the judgment day. These believe that whatever is said of such coming of Eliah relates to John Baptist. We have before adduced proofs in refutation of such opinion. Jesus Christ could not here clearly declare that Eliah is yet to come to restore all things, if the promised coming of Eliah related only to the mission of John the Baptist. After clearly establishing the truth in regard to the real Eliah's coming, Jesus speaks of his herald John the Baptist whom he metaphorically calls Eliah. Even the Apostles, who were not quick to see these things understood him to speak of John the Baptist. John came in the power of Eliah; he was the first Eliah, a type of the great prophet who shall be the herald of the second coming of Christ. John's character was like the character of Eliah, and his work was similar.

It is evident from the words of Christ that the religious leaders of Israel stirred up an active persecution against the Baptist. It is quite probable that they were the ones who incited Herod Antipas against him. It was not to be expected that such hypocrites would withhold from persecuting a man who so boldly unmasked their dishonesty and hypocrisy.

The second member of the twelfth verse of Mark's text is somewhat obscure. By comparing it with its parallel text in Matthew, we are persuaded that its sense is equivalent to the following: How is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be set at naught? Thus also did they deal with the first Eliah, John the Baptist. Jesus

identifies his own cause with the cause of John the Baptist, and appeals to the prophecies concerning his own sufferings and death to corroborate the authenticity of John's mission.

The last clause of the thirteenth verse of Mark's text is also hard to understand. As it is clear that the Eliah of this verse is the Baptist, it is not clear how the clause, "as it is written of him," applies to John. The sufferings and the death which Jesus was to undergo are in divers manners predicted in prophecy, but we do not find in prophecy such description of what John was to suffer.

To solve this difficulty Fillion and others enclose in parentheses the clause, "and they have also done unto him whatsoever they would." Thus this clause is exempted from the things written of the first Eliah. It seems more probable to understand the sentence as follows: The prophet Eliah was opposed by a wicked generation. He strove to uphold God's law and God's worship among a degenerate people and an impious king and queen. Both Ahab and Jezebel sought him to kill him. He was forced to fly and dwell in deserts. because he opposed the worship of Baal, because he was jealous for the Lord the God of hosts. So long and bitter was the strife, and so did wickedness acquire power that Eliah prayed to God to take away his life. Now these things were written of the prophet Eliah. The Lord Jesus declares that in the person of John the Baptist another Eliah had come against whom a wicked king and a faithless generation had risen up even as is written of the prophet Eliah. The character of the prophet Eliah and that of John the Baptist were similar, their work was like, and they were in like manner persecuted by their nation.

MATT. XVII. 14—23 14. Καὶ ἐλθόντων πρὸς τὸν ὄχλον, προσῆλθεν αὐτῷ ἄνθρωπος, γονυπετῶν αὐτὸν, καὶ λέγων:

15. Κύριε, ἐλέησόν μου τὸν υἱὸν, ὅτι σεληνιάζεται καὶ κακῶς ἔχει: πολλάκις γὰρ πίπτει εἰς τὸ πῦρ, καὶ πολλάκις εἰς τὸ ὕδωρ.

MARK IX. 14—31

14. Καὶ ἐλθόντες πρὸς τοὺς μαθητὰς, εἶδαν ὄχλον πολὺν περὶ αὐτοὺς, καὶ γραμματείς συνζητοῦντας πρὸς αὐτούς.

15. Καὶ εὐθὺς πᾶς ὁ ὄχλος ἰδόντες αὐτὸν ἐξεθαμβήθησαν, καὶ προστρέχοντες προστρέχοντες ήσπάζοντο αὐτόν.