THE TRANSFIGURATION by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Thursday, January 22, 1880

FromThe Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 55, No. 4

THE TRANSFIGURATION.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

BY ELD. D. M. CANRIGHT.

“AND, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.” Matt. 17:1-3.

On the mount of transfiguration two men appeared to those present. These were Moses and Elijah. It is claimed that this circumstance proves that the real man lives after the death of the body. It is readily admitted that the case of Elijah furnishes no proof of this, from the simple fact that he was translated without seeing death. See 2 Kings 2:11. But the case of Moses is different. Moses had died fifteen hundred years before, and had been buried; but he appeared on the mountain. Hence it is claimed that it was his immortal soul separate from the body. To this claim we object, and we give our reasons.

The Bible says that Moses died and was buried. See Deut. 34. Afterward he was seen on the mountain alive. Now, we submit that the rational conclusion to be drawn from these facts is that Moses had been raised from the dead. The conclusion of our opponents is unnatural; it is a mere supposition without any facts. It does not say Elijah and the soul of Moses were there, or that the spirit of Moses was there. No; but “There appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.” Moses himself was there. But turning back to the record, we read: “Moses, my servant, is dead.” Josh. 1:2. And here it is said that Moses talked with Christ. Was there more than one Moses, then, one dead and one alive? That is absurd. No, there was only one Moses. The Bible positively says this Moses was dead. And now we maintain that if Moses was actually seen alive afterward, he must have been raised from the dead. If our opponents had not had their judgment warped by a fanciful philosophy, they would readily admit that their conclusion is unnatural and illogical. We propose to show that the Scriptures intimate that this is a fact, in the case of Moses, that he was raised from the dead.

First, look at the record of his burial, which is extraordinary. It says that the Lord buried him, and “no man knoweth of his sepulcher unto this day.” Deut. 34:6. Why was this? The Lord did not suffer him to die a natural death, but he took him up into the mount, and there he died in a peculiar manner; and then the Lord took care of him, and no man ever found his sepulcher.

Secondly, the language in Jude does plainly assume that Moses was raised from the dead.

“Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.” Verse 9.

How is this? What does this mean? Here was a dispute between two noted individuals, Michael the archangel on one hand, and the devil on the other. It will be remembered that the archangel is the one who will raise the dead; for Paul says, “For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and dead in Christ shall rise first.” 1 Thess. 4:16.

It is the prerogative of the archangel to raise the dead, and this is the very one that held the controversy with the devil about the body of Moses. Let it be remembered, further, that the devil is the very one who holds the power of death under which Moses had fallen; for Paul says, Heb. 2:14, Christ took our natures “that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Now we begin to understand what Jude means. The archangel, who alone has the right and power to raise the dead, has a dispute with the devil, who holds the power of death, and this dispute relates to the body of Moses. The devil disputes the right of Michael to raise that body. But the archangel rebukes him, and carries out his own design. This certainly does imply that Moses was raised from the dead. In perfect harmony with this, we read that Moses was seen alive on the mountain with Elijah, who was translated.

Thirdly, Moses was a type of Christ. See Acts 3:22. “A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, like unto me.” Christ died, was buried, and was raised again the third day without seeing corruption. So Moses, as the type of Christ, was raised from the dead.

Fourthly, the very significance of the transfiguration proves that Moses was there bodily. What was the transfiguration for? It was a miniature representation of the kingdom of God; for, notice that Christ had just promised them that some of those standing there should not taste of death until they should see the kingdom of God come. Then Matthew adds that about six days afterward Jesus took the disciples up into the mountain and was transfigured before them. In the kingdom of God there will be, first, the King of glory. Jesus appeared in this capacity. Secondly, the living saints who will be translated at the second advent without seeing death. Elijah was here as a representative of this class. Thirdly, those who have died and been raised from the dead. Moses was here as a representative of that class. And thus were Christ’s words fulfilled. They saw in this an epitome of the kingdom of God. Indeed, Peter directly declares this in speaking of that event. “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from Heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.” 2 Pet. 1:16-18. The apostle declares that in this event on the mount they saw the power and coming of Christ just as Jesus had promised.

But to this it may be objected that Christ, in his resurrection, was the first-fruits of them that slept. How, then, could Moses have been raised before him? Well, Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter, the widow’s son, and others were raised from the dead before Christ was. But you say that these were not raised to immortal life. Neither does this text say that Christ was the first to be raised to immortal life. It simply says that he should be the first-fruits that should rise from the dead. Acts 26:23. In point of time, others did rise from the dead before Christ. Looking at the original Greek we find that “the first” translated from protos, is thus defined by Greenfield: “First in time, order; first in dignity, importance.” We see, then, it not only means first in time, but it also means first in importance. So of Christ. His resurrection really did not take place till after a few others were actually raised; but his resurrection was the grand, important one of all; for by virtue of him the others were raised. And finally by his word and power all the millions of the human race will come up. In view of these facts, we firmly believe that Moses was raised from the dead, and was actually alive on the mount, as the record says.