Come Follow Me LDS- Matthew 16-17, Mark 8-9, Luke 9,Part 2

'High Places, A Shiny Face & Elias x2'
- Jesus Takes Peter James & John to a 'High Place'
- John the Baptist & Moses Appear
- There are two different Eliases

 

 

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in this episode we're gonna talk about

high places a shiny face and Elias times

two there we go so this episode is

primarily focused on the Transfiguration

of Jesus Christ as he and three of the

Apostles go to a high mountain and have

a couple of visitors we're gonna focus

on Matthew 17 we're also going to go to

Joseph Smith translation and look at a

couple things that are really very

important or where a little bit of

information is restored to us about

Elias starting at the top here in verse

1 with Matthew 17 it says and after six

days Jesus taketh Peter James and John

and bringeth them up into an high

mountain apart okay so two things

immediately that I would look at with

this first of all here we have a

separation of Peter James and John from

the other apostles and we see that

somewhere else as you recall once we get

to the Garden of Gethsemane remember

Jesus brings Peter James and John with

him there also and there's even a

mention about them sleeping and we find

that in one of the accounts also just

prior to them talking about the

Transfiguration where Peter James and

John are sleepy there's something about

that that we ought to look at something

that has to do I think with covenant

even when Adam is asleep and then Eve is

presented to him there's something there

about I think there's something there

about covenant when we look at

falling asleep okay then we look also at

and he bringeth them up into an high

mountain apart so this is a statement

from Matthew

that says immediately putting us on

alert that what is about to happen here

is going to happen in a place where

there are holy things and covenants

typically that take place so a high

mountain apart remember when Nephi is

carried away by the spirit he is carried

away to a very high mountain and so

saying that you're going to a high

mountain is something that is specific

to the knowledge of the author and it's

like Moses going up Sinai to a very high

mountain and bringing down the covenant

to the Israelites

so here Jesus is going up into a very

high mountain again with Peter James and

John kind of like they kind of represent

kind of like the First Presidency I

think of the church they've all been

ordained they've been in Peters already

been given the keys to the priesthood

here so another thing to think about is

the following you recall that when we

have the episode on the Sermon on the

Mount Jesus there also went up into a

high mountain and set something up it

doesn't say what happened but it says

that after he was set he began preaching

and what it appears to be is that he was

setting up some kind of a ritual and

maybe it was something very temple like

or something an altar or something that

was used for to go through a ritual and

to make covenants that would make sense

and they're up on a mountain to do this

remember that back in the time about of

Lehi a little prior to Lehi

at least prior to Lehigh preaching King

Josiah who the Old Testament says is the

most righteous King that there ever was

remember he came in and right after he

became King and he was only eight years

old this is about 620 ish 630 620 630 BC

so about 20-25 years probably before

Lehi leaves Jerusalem and King Josiah is

only eight years old he comes in he

becomes king and he's got a court

obviously around him and others that are

obviously actually ruling at this time

well there is a political party a

theocratic political party that existed

at that time that disrupted everything

and they changed the theology of the

religion apparently and I have my own

thoughts about exactly what had may have

happened at this point but what they did

end up doing based on the work of many

many biblical scholars is under the

reign of King Josiah the Deuteronomists

like Deuteronomy the Deuteronomists

which is what we would call the kind

of like the political party they

centralized power and remember that in

Jerusalem as with all ancient

city-states like that

these are theocracies and so you have a

king but you've got a high priest also

and so sometimes they even duel for

power between the theocratic side of

things and the secular side of things

but in this time period they centralize

everything in Jerusalem to the temple

and one of the things that they do is

they go around and destroy all of what

they call the high places and this is

kind of interesting because it may be

that this was not dictated by Jeremiah

or

other prophets at the time why do we say

that the reason is that along with

taking out the high places there were a

lot of reforms in the temple which would

be the center of your theology and a

number of other changes that happened

and now the Bible the Old Testament says

that these were all really good and it's

because they were worshipping the

Canaanite gods and there was a lot of

idolatry and perhaps that's all true but

there is a lot of evidence that shows

that what was actually happening at this

time is that they were moving away from

the gospel and trying to it was more

of a power grab to centralize things in

Jerusalem and then that's where Lehi

ends up coming in later you know 20

years later 20 25 years later into that

environment where there's a smash-up he

ville in the religion my personal belief

is that a lot of what happened is they

took Christ out of the theology and

maybe not completely but they changed

his role they changed the idea

again this is the Nehor principle

that I've discussed previously they

change the idea of who the Messiah is

and that it's not Jehovah necessarily

they can't get rid of it completely so

maybe it's a war hero or somebody else

that's coming but it seems to me that

what is happening at that time at the

time of Lehi is that they have removed

Christ and so they had gone around and

destroyed all of these high places in

the time of under the reign of

Josiah it's kind of interesting that now

600 plus years later here's Jesus and

he's doing all of these things and he

seems to do them on high mountains and

they are ritualistic and he goes out and

does these things almost as if it's kind

of a slap in the face to

the centralization of power in Jerusalem

it's almost like he's going out and

creating his own high places as he does

this I don't know this but it seems to

me that he is going directly against the

doctrine that had the centralized doctor

that came in under King Josiah about the

high places in fact a lot of priests at

that time that worked the ordinances on

these altars and whatever else they had

set up in these high places or killed

oftentimes under Josiah as well so

here's Jesus a high priest who is in a

high place doing perhaps rituals and

other holy things and talking about

covenants and preaching almost as if

it's a direct reversal of what had

happened under King Josiah right so then

we go down to verse 2 and here's what

verse 2 says and it says that after

they'd gone up into the mountain apart

and was transfigured being Jesus of

course was transfigured before them and

his face did shine as the Sun and his

raiment was white as the light so again

this is a reference or it's also

showing a comparison to Moses right who

is also in a high place on Sinai who

also had a covenant who also had a

vision and who also had a face that

shined and so if you've seen the episode

on veils that I've done he talks about

this also so he comes down from Sinai

and he has to veil his face because he

is so bright and shining you know with

luster because of his experience on

Sinai so this is a comparison to that

and here's Jesus where this is a similar

thing he's transfigured and Moses was

probably possibly transfigured at that

same time

when he was on Sinai and that's why as

he comes down here he would be down here

very likely in his physical body we go

over who the visitors are here but Moses

is one of them so his face did shine and

his raiment was white as the light

another thing I think about on this is

that here he is transfigured well if

you're transfigured and are not supposed

to die but perhaps this is something I

don't know maybe III I think usually we

have talked about the savior on the

cross and we talked about how he has a

mortal mother and a God as a father an

internal father and so therefore he had

power over death and that's very

possible that it just worked that way

but he also has been transfigured as

we're told here so he gets transfigured

and then when he dies on the cross maybe

that's kind of a shot in the arm to him

or maybe there's somehow some way that

he is able to stay alive as he

withstands everything from the Garden of

Eden and then on the cross because of

the Transfiguration something to think

about and then verse 3 and behold there

appeared unto them Moses and Elias

talking with him so he gets a couple of

visitors to come down and chitchat about

who knows what maybe scriptural verses

there wouldn't be surprising that they

might even be talking about some

scriptures that's what happens with

Joseph Smith when Moroni comes and

others are visit him oftentimes there

are a number of Old Testament especially

verses that are recited to the person

being visited and maybe he's given some

insight in some strength at this time

that he may not have had yet and maybe a

message from Heavenly Father to

helped prepare him for what he is soon

going to be going through so a very

pivotal moment here with this

Transfiguration in the ministry and life

of Jesus but here we have again

Elias this mention of Elias and this is

not a mistake that we keep going back to

the term Elias and it's very much

focused on the higher and the lower law

the Melchizedek Priesthood and the

Aaronic priesthood and who represents

those and why we need to move beyond the

lower law here with Jesus and he's

trying to reach down and pull everybody

up pull everybody up to a higher way of

thinking a higher understanding more

enlightenment of about the gospel by

teaching them about the higher law and

Elias who the real name - that is or the

Hebrew word - that is Elijah is a big

part of that higher and lower law so

we'll go over to Joseph Smith

translation and see what until the Smith

has to say about that but first verse 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

Tabernacles one for thee and one for

Moses and one for Elias so in the King

James Version here we just keep hearing

Elias we don't hear another name

and then verse 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 here he came

remember there was a cloud on Sinai with

Moses also so again that comparison with

Moses and when the disciples heard that

voice they fell on their face and were

sore afraid and Jesus came and touched

them and said arise and be not afraid

and then the aftermath Jesus is walking

down the mountain with Peter James and

John and he has this discussion

and as they came down from the mountain

this is verse 9 Jesus charged them

saying tell the vision to no man until

the Son of Man be risen again from the

dead the vision my first thought goes to

Lehi a visionary man right where again a

part of that theology of high places

would be there are no visions just like

we hear all the time now that revelation

is done the cannon is closed of

Scripture that goes right along with

losing the real doctrine of Christ and

laymen and let me was recalled are

complaining about Lehi because he's a

visionary man and then Nephi also is

visionary and of course he has a vision

in a high place so visionary men here

who have this have this vision on top of

the mountain and then it goes right that

they go immediately so think about

this they come down they know who they

have just seen I believe they know who

they've seen and yet here they bring

this point up because there's something

they don't understand and they need an

answer from Jesus and so they

immediately go to this question and his

disciple - his disciples asked him

saying why then say the scribes that

Elias must first come so remember they

had just said tell the vision to no man

until the Son of Man be risen again from

the dead so they know based on what the

scribes teach these are like the script

or Ian's they know that Elijah

they say Elias but that's the word the

name is Elijah must come first why do

they say that that's what they're asking

Jesus okay if the atonement is about to

happen and this is what happens with

Christ why is it said that Elijah has to

come first

or they might be thinking we don't want

this to happen to you we haven't even

had Elijah come

yet remember in the cedar meal in the in

the Passover meal one of the cups of

wine are drinking for Elijah and

they have a chair for him usually and

they open the door toward the end of the

meal to allow Elijah to come and when he

comes in his role is to herald the

coming of the Messiah now the idea for

the Jews now of who the Messiah is is

very different but that's Elijah's job

he is the preparer right he's going to

prepare the way also remember this that

in the Aaronic priesthood which is the

lower law and which is the law and

priesthood to prepare you to come unto

God that the Aaronic priesthood is

the priesthood of ministering angels so

in this instance as they're talking

about Elijah that has to come first or

in the cedar meal where Elijah will

herald the Messiah he is acting as a

ministering angel as a preparer and we

talked about the ministering angels Alma

had a ministering angel that came to him

and basically what he had to repent he

had to prepare himself before he could

go out and teach about Christ and so

here Elijah is seen as a ministering

angel the ministering angel to announce

the coming of the Messiah but it gets

confusing because Jesus answers them

about who what does it mean that Elias

or Elijah has to come first he says

Elias truly shall come first and restore

all things okay so there's a problem

there because someone has to come in

first to prepare the way before things

are all restored in this instance it's

Jesus who is this Elijah that Matthew 17

would be talking about and where he's

going to restore all things all of the

Melchizedek Priesthood

but there needs to be a preparer first

and so he says but I say unto you that

Elias is come already and they knew him

not but have done unto him whatsoever

they listed likewise shall also the Son

of man suffer of them in other words he

will also die because they're talking

about John the Baptist as the Elias or

the Elijah then they decided the first

thirteen then the disciples understood

that he spake unto them of John the

Baptist so we need some clarification

here and we do get some clarification

not fully but we do get some

clarification from the Joseph Smith

translation so this is what the Joseph

Smith translation of chapter 17 in

Matthew tells us he makes some

clarifications here about Elias remember

also when you go through the Joseph

Smith translation you will see that a

large portion perhaps the majority of

everything that Joseph Smith goes

through in that and those changes those

verses they're changed have to do with

the Melchizedek Priesthood they had to

do with the higher in the lower laws but

it's specially focused on the

restoration of all things and he does

the same thing here with chapter 17 in

verse 10 he says and Jesus answered and

said unto them Elias truly shall come

first and restore all things as the

prophets have written and then verse 11

says Elias has come already concerning

whom it is written because behold I will

send my messenger and he shall prepare

the way before me that's from Isaiah at

least from Isaiah and so here he is

saying he's making a clarification she's

saying Elijah or Elias is the preparer

or at least that's one of the roles and

then Jesus continues and says and they

knew him not and have done unto him

whatsoever they listed likewise shall

also the Son of man suffer of them and

then in verse 13 he says but I say unto

you who is Elias so he's the question

was about why does allies have to

come first and this is what the school

say so he's gonna come in and try and

explain away what the scribes have said

and offer some clarification because

what he is I think what Jesus is saying

is the scribes don't know what they're

talking about so let me tell you what

what this is so he says but I say unto

you who is Elias behold this is Elias

whom I send to prepare the way before me

so this would be the spirits of Elias as

we talk about the spirit of preparation

preparing for the gospel the Aaronic

priesthood spirit of al Isis Elias then

the disciples understood that he spake

unto them of John the Baptist and also

this is key and also of another who

should come and restore all things as it

is written by the prophets so there are

two different Elijah's or two different

Elias’s and they work together the first

comes in it's like mysterious first who

is the preparer and that's what the

ironic priesthood represents remember

the ironic priesthood is the priesthood

of preparation of the gospel or the of

the preparatory gospel and so Elias the

first Elias symbolizes the erotic

priesthood well who is the first lice

it's John the Baptist who came in

restored the ironic priesthood to Joseph

Smith he is the icon of the Aaronic

priesthood the preparatory gospel and

then he says that they spoke of another

who would who should come and restore

all things as it is written by the

prophets so that would be someone who

restored everything the keys of the

Melchizedek Priesthood would be the

other Elias or the other Elijah and

oftentimes when they are talking about

these things we have the Spirit of Elias

which is where the ironic priesthood we

talk about the spirit of Elijah

usually with temple work but really it's

the spirit of Elias or Elijah for the

restoration of all things and of course

the temple is kind of the pinnacle of

the restoration of all the priesthood

keys so very good clarification here

from Joseph Smith showing us that there

are two Elias’s or two Elijah's one that

comes in for preparation that's John the

Baptist and the other that restores all

things and in this case it would be

Jesus Christ who is restoring all things

here as the head of this dispensation

so who shows up to talk with Jesus on

the Mount of Transfiguration first you

have who is Elias or John the Baptist

who comes and visits with Jesus and then

you also have Moses who comes and visits

with Jesus well what I see there is the

ironic priesthood and the Melchizedek

priesthood even though the law of Moses

would be associated with the ironic

priesthood Moses is the head of a

dispensation

he holds keys for the restoration of the

gospel for the restoration of the

Israelites it would seem to be that John

the Baptist is there but in spirit only

because his you know he lost his head

pretty recently and so and he was not

transfigured so he is there in spirit

but Moses if he was transfigured on

Sinai here Moses is there as a

transfigured being who has not tasted

death yet because there has been no

resurrection yet at this point it's

about to happen but there's been no

resurrection yet so Moses would be there

as a transfigured physical being so all

the way through this experience on the

Mount of Transfiguration we have a

restoration of things that are lost the

high places being restored in a way or

that concept being and restored in a way

by Jesus

and the rituals and visions that he's

encountering in these high places

very much against what those in power in

Jerusalem would allow secondly we have

Jesus himself being transfigured and

speaking with the ironic priesthood

representative John the Baptist and the

Melchizedek priesthood representative with

Moses so the higher and the lower laws

there together with Jesus third we have

Peter James and John who have already

been ordained and now our kind of set

apart there as a type of First

Presidency perhaps that also hold the

keys remember Peter has been given the

keys and so we have this big priesthood

chitchat and get together on this high

mountain representing here that the

restoration of all of these priesthood

keys and a representation of the

fullness of the gospel and a new

dispensation I'll talk to you next time