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The Transfiguration

The Transfiguration: Not the End of the Law, But the Preview of the Kingdom

The Transfiguration is one of the most glorious and challenging passages in the New Testament. It is commonly taught that the appearance of Moses and Elijah served to symbolically announce the end of the Old Covenant—that the Law and the Prophets were passing away, to be superseded by Christ.

However, a closer look at the biblical text and the prophetic context reveals a truly controversial truth: the Transfiguration was not a funeral for the Law, but a magnificent, future-focused preview of the very thing your site is dedicated to—The Lord’s Return and the establishment of His Messianic Kingdom on Earth.

I. The Unsettling Silence of Abolishment

If the primary purpose of this mountain-top event was to signal the immediate abolition of the Mosaic Law, we would expect some mention of it. Yet, the biblical accounts are conspicuously silent on this point.

The Apostle Luke gives us the essential detail that Moses and Elias were not present for a symbolic farewell, but for an actual conversation:

“Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:31, KJV)

The Greek word translated as “decease” is exodon (Exodus). They were discussing Jesus’ coming Exodus—His death and resurrection—the foundational act that would fulfill the requirements of the Law and the Prophets. They were not there to be dismissed; they were there as witnesses confirming that Jesus’ redemptive work was the ultimate goal of the Old Testament system.

If the Law was immediately concluding, why bring its greatest representative, Moses, into the scene of future glory?

II. The Lawgiver’s Testimony of Continuity

The idea that the Law was “finished” at the Transfiguration contradicts Christ’s own stated purpose earlier in His ministry. Jesus did not come to terminate the covenant established through Moses; He came to complete it:

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:17-18, KJV)

The Transfiguration presents Moses and Elias in glory (Luke 9:31, KJV), standing alongside a glorified Jesus. This entire scene of heavenly splendor does not suggest two concepts being retired, but rather two foundational pillars of God’s revealed truth being validated and integrated into the most glorious event of all—the revelation of Christ’s divinity.

God’s command from the cloud was not a signal for the Law to end, but a command for the people to embrace the Law’s fulfillment: “This is my beloved Son: hear him.” (Mark 9:7, KJV). The emphasis is not on the passing of Moses and Elijah, but on the supremacy of the one who fulfills their entire testimony.

III. A Prophetic Preview of the King and His Kingdom

The most compelling argument for the Transfiguration being a glimpse of The Lord’s Return and the Messianic Kingdom lies in the immediate context of the event. Just before going up the mountain, Jesus spoke these prophetic words to His disciples:

“Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” (Matthew 16:28, KJV)

The Transfiguration, occurring “after six days” (Matthew 17:1, KJV), is the direct answer and fulfillment of that promise. On that mountain, Peter, James, and John saw a visual preview of the Son of man coming in his glory—a temporary unveiling of the splendor Jesus will possess at the Second Coming.

Furthermore, the presence of Moses and Elijah has a prophetic and eschatological function, representing the two distinct groups of redeemed people who will be present when the Kingdom is ushered in:

  • Moses: He represents the great company of the righteous dead who are resurrected to glory. Moses himself died (Deuteronomy 34:5, KJV), but appeared in glory.
  • Elias (Elijah): He represents the righteous living who are translated without experiencing death, having been taken up in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11, KJV).

The Transfiguration, therefore, is not a message about abolishment, but a prophecy about The Lord’s Return. It gives us a visual truth: when Christ comes to establish His Kingdom, the Lawgiver and the Prophets will be there, in glory, witnessing the ultimate fulfillment of God’s eternal plan. It is a stunning preview of a fully realized Kingdom, where the Law is upheld, and the King is worshiped.