Meditate. One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone.... About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on a mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Luke 9:18, 28-29 (Also see Mark 9 and Matthew 17.)
Jesus liked to pray alone—to connect with His heavenly Father one-on-one. He wasn’t distracted by others and having to meet their needs. Just Him and God. That’s a good relationship. Devoted to each other.
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| Mt. Hermon - Highest mountain in Israel. Possible location of Jesus Transfiguration. |
But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him." Matthew 17:5
I’d say that was very powerful prayer…Jesus was transformed. God the Father was present too and He spoke just as He did when Jesus was baptized. Powerful words; not in a prayer, but a statement of love, acceptance, pride and advice.
The Transfiguration is a powerful occurrence.
According to my Ryrie study Bible this gave the disciples an opportunity to see
Jesus in His glorified state as He will be in His coming Kingdom.
Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him--even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes! Amen! Revelation 1:7
The appearance of Moses and Elijah give a
picture of those Jesus will take with Him to His Kingdom, both those who are
have previously died and those who will be raptured as described in First
Thessalonians.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want
you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not
grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and
was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will
bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from
the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead
of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a
commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of
God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then,
together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be
caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the
Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words. 1 Thessalonians
4:13-18
Caught up…raptured. Jesus told His
disciples and us to …keep watch…and be ready. Ready for rapture or for Christ’s
Second Coming? In either case it is linked to believing in Christ as our
Savior. His Second Coming will be after the Tribulations and the 1,000 year Reign.
We don’t know the hour or the day of His return (see Matthew 24:42, 44). Are
you a believer and are you ready for the Rapture?
Prayer ~ Lord Jesus, You preferred to pray alone…and we should do likewise—pray alone—setting up a private place where we can meditate on Your words and seek answers from our Heaven Father. I praise You for Your example. Please give me inspiration to inspire others and encourage them. We look forward to meeting You in the air!
Verse of Salvation ~ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's condemnation. Romans 5:8-9
©
2020 Text. photos and paintings by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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