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In The Twinkling of An Eye

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A weird event is mentioned in the book of Matthew. It is known as the Transfiguration of Jesus. What most do not see is that there is a reference to Sukkot revealed in the event. And many do not realize that what happened to Jesus on that mountain was only a preview of the Resurrection of Jesus and all who would trust in His Name. In other words, the bodily transformation Jesus manifested is what awaits all who are His sons and daughters. Matthew 17:1-9 states: And six days after this, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves.2 And His appearance underwent a change in their presence; and His face shone clear and bright like the sun, and His clothing became as white as light.3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, who kept talking with Him.4 Then Peter began to speak and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good and delightful that we are here; if You approve, I will put up three booths here—one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah.5 While he was still speaking, behold, a shining cloud [composed of light] overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, This is My Son, My Beloved, with Whom I am [and have always been] delighted. Listen to Him!6 When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were seized with alarm and struck with fear.7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, Get up, and do not be afraid.8 And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.9 And as they were going down the mountain, Jesus cautioned and commanded them, Do not mention to anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead. AMPC

Did you catch the Sukkot reference? Then Peter began to speak and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good and delightful that we are here; if You approve, I will put up three booths here—one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah. Matthew 17:4

Peter was thinking of Sukkot or Tabernacles. But hidden in plain sight is a reference to our destiny. Romans 8:30 alludes to this event: And those whom He thus foreordained, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified (acquitted, made righteous, putting them into right standing with Himself). And those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity and condition or state of being]. AMPC

This word glorified refers to a bedrock doctrine of Christianity. What is glorification? Got Questions provides an answer: The short answer is that “glorification” is God’s final removal of sin from the life of the saints (i.e., everyone who is saved) in the eternal state (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17). At Christ’s coming, the glory of God (Romans 5:2)—His honor, praise, majesty, and holiness—will be realized in us; instead of being mortals burdened with sin nature, we will be changed into holy immortals with direct and unhindered access to God’s presence, and we will enjoy holy communion with Him throughout eternity.…Final glorification must await the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13; 1 Timothy 6:14)….How and when will we be finally glorified? At the last trumpet, when Jesus comes, the saints will undergo a fundamental, instant transformation (“we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” – 1 Corinthians 15:51); then the “perishable” will put on the “imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:53). According to Philippians 3:20–21, our citizenship is in heaven, and when our Savior returns He will transform our lowly bodies “to be like His glorious body.” Although it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, we know that, when He returns in great glory, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2). We will be perfectly conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus and be like Him in that our humanity will be free from sin and its consequences. Our blessed hope should spur us on to holiness, the Spirit enabling us. “Everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure” (1 John 3:3).

Sukkot is the time we look up to see if we are about to be glorified with Jesus. Regarding this topic of our physical bodies resurrection from the dead C.H. Spurgeon, the prince of preachers, once remarked: The body, then, is the Lord’s. Christ died not only to save my soul, but to save my body. It is said he “came to seek and to save that which was lost.” When Adam sinned he lost his body, and he lost his soul too; he was a lost man, lost altogether. And when Christ came to save his people, he came to save their bodies and their souls. …Is this body for the Lord, and shall death devour it? Is this body for the Lord, and shall winds scatter its particles far away where they never shall discover their fellows? No! the body is for the Lord, and the Lord shall have it. “And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise us by his own power.” Now look at the next verse: “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ.” Not merely is the soul a part of Christ—united to Christ, but the body is also. These hands, these feet, these eyes, are members of Christ, if I be a child of God. I am one with him, not merely as to my mind, but one with him as to this outward frame. The very body is taken into union. The golden chain which binds Christ to his people goes round the body and soul too. Did not the apostle say “they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the Church?”—Ephesians v. 31, 32. “They are one flesh;” and Christ’s people are not only one with him in spirit, but they are “one flesh” too. The flesh of man is united with the flesh of the God-man; and our bodies are members of Jesus Christ. 

Happy Yom Kippur!

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What is Yom Kippur? The Bible refers to it as the Day of Atonement or becoming “at-one-in a moment” with God. An article on the website of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews reminds us, in more detail, why Yom Kippur was instituted by God. It states: Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the Jewish year and is the culmination of the High Holy Days. In 2024, the observance of Yom Kippur starts at sunset on October 11 and concludes on the evening of October 12. In Jewish tradition, Yom Kippur marks the final opportunity to repent before God before the Book of Life is sealed for another year. This day marks the culmination of the High Holy Days or Ten Days of Repentance, which began ten days earlier with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Yom Kippur offers Jews the final opportunity of the holy season to repent of their sins. Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year or, as the Bible describes it, the “Sabbath of Sabbaths.” The Bible states, “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work—whether native-born or an alien living among you—because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins. It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance” (Leviticus 16:29–32).

The Yom Kippur Goats

“Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats — one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat.” — Leviticus 16:7–8 Today, Yom Kippur is marked with a day of fasting and worship in the synagogue. However, when the Temple stood, the people observed an elaborate service, culminating when a red thread representing the sins of Israel would miraculously turn white when they were forgiven. The service that once took place in the Temple was based on the commandments regarding two goats. Today, we only read about that service; however, it is imperative that we understand the meaning behind this ritual. Once we do, we can still benefit from the message. The Bible instructed the High Priest to select two goats and then cast lots to determine each one’s fate. By way of the lots, God would determine which goat would be consecrated to Him and which would become the scapegoat sent into the desert to die. The commandment required that the two goats be identical in appearance, size, and value. These goats would look like twins – the same on the outside – but their destinies would be completely different.

A Reminder of Jacob and Esau

The idea of twins that are opposite in nature is familiar in the Bible. Although twins, Jacob and Esau could not have been more different. Ultimately, as adults, they took very different paths in life, and Jacob became the father of God’s people while Esau became the father of Amalek – the nation designated by the Bible as God’s archenemy. The twin goats on Yom Kippur are meant to remind us of Esau and Jacob. The message of the twin goats is that while their appearance may fool men, there is no fooling God. He only determines their appropriate fate. “People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). On Yom Kippur, we have an incredible opportunity for forgiveness. But in order for that to happen, we must admit our errors and resolve to be better. We can only do that if we are willing to uncover our greatest shortcomings and confront our hidden vices. We can fool others and even ourselves, but there is no deceiving God. Yom Kippur is a time to come clean. We need to take an honest look inside the places that only we can see. We have to determine where we have gone wrong and make amends. Only then can God cleanse us of our sins.

Through Jesus we are no longer under obligation to observe most of the Feasts and Festivals (Sukkot or Tabernacles will be celebrated during the Millennial Reign of Jesus). The Old Testament sacrifices were never enough to rid the people of the stain of sin and guilt from their hearts, nor did they have the power to change hearts. Hebrews 10:1-10 echoes this thought: For since the Law has merely a rude outline (foreshadowing) of the good things to come—instead of fully expressing those things—it can never by offering the same sacrifices continually year after year make perfect those who approach [its altars].2 For if it were otherwise, would [these sacrifices] not have stopped being offered? Since the worshipers had once for all been cleansed, they would no longer have any guilt or consciousness of sin.3 But [as it is] these sacrifices annually bring a fresh remembrance of sins [to be atoned for], 4 Because the blood of bulls and goats is powerless to take sins away.5 Hence, when He [Christ] entered into the world, He said, Sacrifices and offerings You have not desired, but instead You have made ready a body for Me [to offer];6 In burnt offerings and sin offerings You have taken no delight. 7 Then I said, Behold, here I am, coming to do Your will, O God—[to fulfill] what is written of Me in the volume of the Book.8 When He said just before, You have neither desired, nor have You taken delight in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings—all of which are offered according to the Law—9 He then went on to say, Behold, [here] I am, coming to do Your will. Thus He does away with and annuls the first (former) order [as a means of expiating sin] so that He might inaugurate and establish the second (latter) order.10 And in accordance with this will [of God], we have been made holy (consecrated and sanctified) through the offering made once for all of the body of Jesus Christ (the Anointed One). AMPC

What does this mean for you and I? Romans 3:23-25 Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives. 24 [All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus, 25 Whom God put forward [before the eyes of all] as a mercy seat and propitiation by His blood [the cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to be received] through faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins without punishment. AMPC

Jesus made atonement for our sins – making us one with God in a Moment! Jesus’ perfect sacrifice has reconciled all of us, who were enemies of God, to being rightly related to God. Jesus has made peace between God, the Father and all those who are willing to receive and trust God’s Gift of His Son. Paul reminds us that because of Jesus reconciling us to God you and I have been given a ministry and mandate to seek out others who need Jesus’ Atonement and be reconciled to God: 2 Corinthians 5:18 But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him]. AMPC

Today we are reminded to give thanks for all the wonderful blessings Jesus’ Atonement has secured for us; to be reconciled to God through repenting of thoughts and actions that are an offense to God; to be reconciled to others, making a fresh commitment to seek to bring others into harmony with God (it’s our ministry). Set aside time today to seek God and draw near to Him, and as a reminder realize this is the day we are to Come Up Here in order to enter His Throne Room to worship, and seek Him for what is to come for the new year.