Stratford church of Christ Column
In Matthew 17, the Bible gives us the account of Jesus’ Transfiguration. Verses 1-3 state, “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.”
It is on this occasion that God chose to speak from Heaven. Verse 5 says, “While he (the apostle Peter) was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am wellpleased; listen to Him!’” How wonderful to consider that God the Father Himself proclaimed Jesus to be His Son!
But the Scriptures not only identify Jesus as the Son of God, they also identify Him as God’s Prophet. In Matthew 21, Jesus was teaching in the temple and speaking in parables. During this time, some of the chief priests and Pharisees were present. Some of Jesus’ teachings that day had been about these religious leaders.
Verses 45 and 46 close chapter 21 with these words: “Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.”
The people thought Jesus was a prophet, and they were right. He was a Prophet, but much more than that. Jesus is also called Priest, King, Savior, Son of God, and Lord. Indeed, Jesus is the greatest Prophet of all time!
The Old Testament tells about many great prophets of God. Men like Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah and many more were identified in the Scriptures as prophets. They were true servants of God. They were sent to reveal the will of God concerning the current events of their day, but also of future matters. These prophesied of Jesus, who would be the greatest of all the prophets.
In Acts 3, the apostle Peter reminded the Jewish people about the words that Moses had given concerning the coming of Jesus Christ. In verses 22 and 23 he said, “For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’” (In these verses, Peter was quoting from the Old Testament prophecy given in Deuteronomy 18:15, 18 and 19).
Several times during His earthly ministry, Jesus foretold of His coming death and resurrection. His disciples did not understand these prophecies at the time, but they would soon learn that His prophecies always come to pass.
In John 5:28 and 29, Jesus foretold of the resurrection and judgment of all the dead. He said, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth— those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”
Since all prophecies in the Bible come to pass, surely wisdom would help us to know that we need to pay close attention to the things Jesus has said. Christ Jesus prophesied of the day in which everyone who has ever lived on this earth will rise from the dead and be judged. Therefore, not one of us can say, “That doesn’t apply to me,” because it does.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” Thoughts such as these are given to us as helpful instruction. Since we must all face the Lord one day and be judged, surely it will be to our very great benefit to learn how to prepare ourselves to meet Him.
In our day, there are numerous people that have concerns about being prepared concerning the future of our world. Some talk about weather. Some collect food for storage. Still others have considerations about safety. Though such concerns may be important, they only have to do with the temporary things of this world.
Preparing ourselves for where we will spend eternity must surely be of greater importance than anything of this earthly life. Frequently, people we know and love will consider how to have a good education, how to have a great career, how to prepare for retirement, and many other concerns. But when it comes to their eternal soul, little or no preparation takes place.
The apostle Peter also gave us warning in his writings that the Day of Judgment will come. He wrote, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?” (2 Peter 3:10-12).
Instead of facing that day with fear, Jesus gave us His commandment so that we may be prepared to receive His salvation in that last day. Jesus said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). Surely by now, we should understand that when Jesus speaks, we need to listen and obey Him. Have you? We are here to help you.
