As I was praying and seeking the Lord this morning, I was lead to the following passages about the time when Moses and Elijah appeared to Jesus on the holy mount. First we have Peter’s account.
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2Pet 1:16-21, ESV2011)
And Matthew gives the following account of what happened on that day,
And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. (Matt 17:3-8, ESV2011)
Prophesy from the mouth of God was spoken from heaven in their presence. It was so powerful that they fell on their faces and were terrified.
True prophesy comes when “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” To the extent that we are “carried along by the Holy Spirit” when we write or speaks determines whether it is “prophesy.” No it is not on the level which is recorded in the Bible, but it should always agree with what is there. Peter wrote,
If any man speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man ministers, let him do it as of the ability which God gives: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1Pet 4:11, KJ2000)
Upon seeing Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus, Peter felt compelled to say something religious. In effect he was saying, “Oh wow, Jesus! This is really great. How about I build three tabernacles, one for each of you so we can capture the moment!” Here we have the flesh of Peter speaking out from his carnal mind when he should have been listening in silence to what was being said. As Jesus said, “The flesh profits nothing. My words they are Spirit and they are Life.”
Part of the reason God rebuked Peter was for him putting Jesus on the same plain as Moses and Elijah by building three tabernacles. In the first place, the Father was not interested in enshrining and bringing down to an earthly level what was going on in His heavenly realm. Rather, He was wanting to bring the thoughts, minds and hearts of those men up into His heavenly viewpoint. Men love to build shrines around God’s special spiritual moments. They want to capture what God is doing and bring it down to earth under their control. I was raised in the Catholic church and they, along with their Protestant counterparts, have built a shrine around everything they can think of that could be construed as a spiritual event here on earth. In Israel there are churches built over where they think Jesus was born, where they He died on the cross, and where He was buried for three days. There is even a monastery build on Mount Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments, and another where they figure Elijah was fed by the ravens! There is no end to religious man’s efforts to pull what is heavenly down to an earthly level. It’s all about control, men trying to control and package up what is of God and make a profit while they are at it. I have seen it happen time and again. It sickens me to see on the opening page of a Christian blog or website a “Donate” or a “PayPal” button. Peter warned us about this.
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation slumbers not. (2Pet 2:1-3, AKJV)
Another thing I have observed on the internet is when Christian blog writers go around and steal what other inspired writers share. The other day a man with a very large following put an article I wrote about my testimony on his website without including the web address where he got it. [1] Even worldly writers know that leaving this information out when quoting others is considered plagiarism. And even worse, people have put our books for sale on Amazon and it distinctly says on the back covers of each of them, “This book is not for sale.” We have never sold or asked for donations for anything we have written. We have freely given what God has freely given to us. Peter was right, “many shall follow their pernicious ways… and make merchandise of you.” When man puts his hand on or tries to make a profit on what God is doing, the Holy Spirit leaves and that move of God and prophetic word dies.
The other lesson I see in God’s rebuke of Peter that day is that he was putting Jesus on the same level of importance as the law and the prophets. Moses represented the law and Elijah represented the prophets. But look what God has to say about their purpose and place:
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (Heb 1:1-3, ESV2011 – emphasis added)
The writings of Moses and the prophets have one purpose – to testify about Jesus Christ (see Luke 24:25-27). Yet, today there are churches who totally focus on the law, and others focus on prophets and prophesy to the point that they exclude the words of Christ. Yet how many are totally given to listening to the Spirit of Christ and obeying His leading?
Peter wrote, “And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts…” The Holy Spirit is that lamp shining in dark places in our hearts and Jesus is the Morning Star who is rising in our hearts as we grow in Christ by listening to His voice and obeying Him.
Dear saints, we would do well to heed the warning from God in this age when lying spirits abound “This is my beloved Son, HEAR YE HIM!”
A Wilderness Voice 