Did the Transfiguration Fulfill Matthew 16:28?

Copyright © 2004-2008 by Michael A. Fenemore

Speaking to a ―crowd with His disciples‖ (Mark It was the preparation day, and the Sabbath was about
8:34), Jesus said this: to begin. (Luke 23:54)
26
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole 31
…The Jews said to him, ―We are not permitted to put
world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in anyone to death,‖ 32to fulfill the word of Jesus which
exchange for his soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to He spoke, signifying by what kind of death He was
come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and about to die. (John 18:31b-32)
WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS
28
DEEDS. Truly I say to you, there are some of those When he saw Peter and John about to go into the
who are standing here who will not taste death until temple, he began asking to receive alms. (Acts 3:3)
they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.
(Matt. 16:26-28, NASB unless otherwise noted.) Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which
The word ―going‖ (Gk. mello) in verse 27 can be were about to die… (Rev. 3:2)
translated about. It is defined in Strong’s The foregoing list is not exhaustive. There are
Concordance as follows: many more cases where mello has been translated
1. to be about; 1a. to be on the point of doing or about. We are compelled to wonder whether the
suffering something; 1b. to intend, have in mind, think eschatological views held by the translators may have
to (Strong’s, 3195) influenced their translation of Matt. 16:27.
Although the majority of translations concur with
We suggest that verse 27 should have been
the NASB, not all do:
translated, ―For the Son of Man is about to come in
the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL The Son of Man will soon come in the glory of his
THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.‖ Father and with his angels to reward all people for
Mello has been rendered about in numerous other what they have done. (CEV)
passages:
For the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of his
As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem… (Matt. Father with his angels, and then he will reward each
20:17) one according to his deeds. (GNB)

…Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to For, the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of
drink?… (Matt. 20:22b) his Father, with his messengers, and then he will
reward each, according to his work. (YLT)
And a centurion‘s slave, who was highly regarded by
him, was sick and about to die. (Luke 7:2) Even the man widely considered the father of
dispensationalism, John Nelson Darby, could not
30
And behold, two men were talking with Him; and deny the meaning of mello:
they were Moses and Elijah, 31who, appearing in glory, For the Son of man is about to come in the glory of his
were speaking of His departure which He was about to Father with his angels, and then he will render to each
accomplish at Jerusalem. (Luke 9:30f) according to his doings. (DARBY)
So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore Clearly, Christ was saying the Judgment was
tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass ―about‖ to take place.
through that way. (Luke 19:4) Perhaps, the most convincing proof that mello in
verse 27 should be rendered about is Christ‘s
…what will be the sign when these things are about to emphatic clarification which follows in verse 28:
take place? (Luke 21:7b)
―Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are
But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may standing here who will not taste death until they see
have strength to escape all these things that are about the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.‖ Even if we
to take place… (Luke 21:36) accept the meaning of mello in verse 27 as simply
―going,‖ verse 28 immediately presents a much
greater problem for anyone believing that Christ has
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 Did the Transfiguration Fulfill Matthew 16:28?
Copyright © 2004-2008 by Michael A. Fenemore
Revised: 2008 Aug 05

not already come ―in His kingdom‖ to ―REPAY EVERY Not one of the vital components listed above was
MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.‖ apparent at the Transfiguration. The following is a
Only those who believe that all Bible prophecy synopsis of Matt. 17:1-9:
has been fulfilled can take verse 28 at face value.
They believe that most of those standing there died, 1. Jesus takes Peter, James and John up a high
but ―some‖ were still alive when Jesus returned to mountain;
inaugurate the Kingdom of God at the destruction of 2. Jesus is transfigured (his face shines and his
Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The literal interpretation of clothes appear white);
verse 28 is supported by numerous other passages
3. Moses and Elijah appear;
including these clear statements from Luke 21:
4. A bright cloud overshadows the disciples;
…when these things begin to take place, straighten up
and lift up your heads, because your redemption is 5. A voice says, ―This is My beloved Son, with
drawing near. (v. 28); 31…when you see these things whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!‖;
happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near. 6. Moses and Elijah disappear;
32
Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away 7. Jesus says, ―Tell the vision to no one until the
until all things take place. (vv. 31f)
Son of Man has risen from the dead.‖
Those still waiting for the Second Coming face a
seemingly insurmountable difficulty: no one alive in Immediately, we notice glaring inconsistencies
the time of Jesus could be alive today. However, between the prediction and the suggested fulfillment.
most expositors think they have found a way out of At the Transfiguration, the Son of Man was there,
this predicament. They claim that when Jesus and he was changed to a certain glorified state (Matt.
mentioned ―coming in His kingdom,‖ he was actually 17:2; Mark 9:3; Luke 9:29); however, there were no
referring to his Transfiguration described in the angels present, nor was there any sign of the
following chapter. Radmacher claims, ―In the Judgment taking place. There was certainly no one
Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John saw a there Christ was ashamed of. In fact, very little at the
preview of the kingdom.‖1 The present article will Transfiguration resembled Christ‘s description of
test that interpretation. ―coming in His kingdom.‖ If Jesus was referring to
For the Transfiguration to qualify as the the upcoming Transfiguration when he made his
fulfillment of Matt. 16:26-28, it must include several prediction, we must wonder why he mentioned the
key elements: Judgment. It was completely absent from all three
Transfiguration accounts. What was the point of
1. Jesus coming ―in the glory of His Father with verses 26 and 27? It would be as though Jesus had
His angels‖ (v. 27); said this:
2. People being rewarded for what they have
done, i.e., the Judgment (v. 27). This would 1. Here‘s how the event will look;
include people Christ was ashamed of (v. 26; 2. Some standing here will live to see it;
Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26). MacArthur says, 3. When they do, it won‘t look anything like I
―Here…the Lord was concerned with the just said it will look.
reward of the ungodly—final and eternal
judgment‖;2 What a ridiculous interpretation! Yet that‘s
3. The ―kingdom of God‖ (v. 28). exactly what the popular teaching amounts to, and
millions of Christians have accepted it without
1. Earl D. Radmacher, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible question. Consider some of the details associated
Commentary, electronic ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson with the Judgment:
Publishers, 1999), Matt. 16:28. 16
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with
2. John F. MacArthur, Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB) a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Matt. 16:27.
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 Did the Transfiguration Fulfill Matthew 16:28?
Copyright © 2004-2008 by Michael A. Fenemore
Revised: 2008 Aug 05

trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. and stood at a distance. 19Then they said to Moses,
17
Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up ―Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the God speak to us, or we will die.‖ (Exod. 20:18f)
air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1Thess.
4:16f) The people said, ―we will listen.‖ So God began
to speak to the Israelites through Moses. However,
At the Transfiguration, the Lord did not ―descend Moses would not live forever and was not even
from heaven.‖ There was a ―voice out of the cloud,‖ allowed to enter the Promised Land. Before his death,
but not a ―shout‖ (Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:34f). he warned the Israelites about the danger of taking up
There was no trumpet blast, nor any sign of the the ways of the heathen nations they would encounter
Resurrection or Rapture. (Deut. 18:9-14) and explained how he would be
Since the Judgment was a key element of the replaced:
coming Jesus predicted, he had to be referring to the
The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like
Second Coming because the Judgment was predicted
me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall
to take place at the same time. If the Transfiguration listen to him. (v. 15)
was supposed to be the fulfillment of Matt. 16:28,
i.e., a preview of Jesus coming in his kingdom, then Moses was redirecting their listening to a prophet.
it should appear unquestionably like the Second After Moses died, his prediction met an immediate
Coming. However, the Transfiguration looks nothing fulfillment in Joshua:
like it. The disciples were ―overshadowed‖ by a Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of
cloud, but it was a ―bright cloud,‖ unlike the ―clouds wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; and the
and thick darkness‖ which normally accompany a sons of Israel listened to him and did as the Lord had
judgment of God (Joel 2:2; Zeph. 1:15). The disciples commanded Moses. (Deut. 34:9)
were not ―caught up…in the clouds to meet the Lord
First, the Israelites listened to Moses. Then, they
in the air.‖ And there was much more missing from began listening to prophets. Moses gave Israel God‘s
the Transfiguration: the Kingdom of God!
Law. After Moses, a line of prophets spoke for God
Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud and continually reminded the people to keep that Law
voices in heaven, saying, which became known as ―the law of Moses.‖ The
―The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of Old Testament ends with this warning from the
our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever prophet Malachi:
and ever.‖ (Rev. 11:15)
4
Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the
The voice from the cloud could not be described statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in
as ―loud voices in heaven,‖ and it said nothing about Horeb for all Israel.
―the kingdom of the world‖ becoming ―the kingdom 5
Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet
of our Lord and of His Christ.‖ Also, we must before the coming of the great and terrible day of the
wonder why Moses and Elijah were present. They LORD. (Mal. 4:4f)
were not mentioned in Matt. 16:28. Furthermore, if That very last ―Elijah‖ was John the Baptist (Luke
the Transfiguration was about Christ‘s coming, why 1:16; Mark 1:2-4; Matt. 11:13; 17:11-13).
was his departure the topic of discussion (Luke Moses and the Prophets spoke for God in Old
9:31)? All these inconsistencies make the Covenant times. It‘s difficult to imagine a more
Transfiguration interpretation appear highly prestigious calling. Israel was commanded to ―listen‖
questionable. to them. In the gospels we notice Christ‘s high regard
What was the Transfiguration all about? Why for ―Moses and the Prophets‖ or ―the Law and the
were Moses and Elijah in the vision? To answer these Prophets‖ as the two great authorities in the history of
questions, it is necessary to begin at Mount Sinai: Israel. Moses and the Law were synonymous. Elijah
18
All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning was arguably Israel‘s greatest prophet after Moses
flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain (Deut. 34:10-12) having raised the dead (1Kgs.
smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled 17:17-24), and as we have seen, his name was
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 Did the Transfiguration Fulfill Matthew 16:28?
Copyright © 2004-2008 by Michael A. Fenemore
Revised: 2008 Aug 05

associated with the arrival of the Messiah (Mal. 4:5f). be gathered before Him; and He will separate them
At the Transfiguration, we see Jesus standing with from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep
Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah from the goats; (Matt. 25:31f)
(representing the Prophets).3 The voice from the The key elements are the same:
cloud refers to Jesus and says, ―listen to Him!‖ (Matt.
17:5). Then, Moses and Elijah disappear leaving only 1. The Son of Man coming in power and glory;
Jesus. Clearly, the time had come once again for
2. Redemption (reward for the righteous);
God‘s people to shift their attention — their listening
— to a new spokesman. The purpose of the 3. The Kingdom of God;
Transfiguration is never stated, but evidently, it took 4. The timing stated emphatically: ―Truly I say to
place to clearly demonstrate that Jesus was the you…‖;
successor to Moses and the Prophets. That is how the 5. A first-century arrival: ―this generation‖;
author of Hebrews portrayed Christ: 6. Christ accompanied by angels;
1
God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the 7. The Judgment.
prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2in these
last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He
To suggest the coming in Matt. 16:26-28 refers to
appointed heir of all things, through whom also He
made the world. (Heb. 1:1f)
an entirely different event from the coming described
in virtually identical terms in the Olivet Prophecy is
Now, God‘s people were being commanded to grossly inconsistent. If we ―let the Bible interpret the
―listen to Him!‖ Bible,‖ then we should let the Olivet Prophecy tell us
So what does any of this have to do with Matt. the meaning of Matt. 16:26-28. Result: Verse 28
16:28? Answer: Nothing! The Transfiguration had refers to the Second Coming, not the Transfiguration.
nothing at all to do with the Judgment or Christ Those who insist on abandoning the natural meaning
―coming in His kingdom‖ with his angels. That of the text are motivated only by the presupposition
leaves only one option: Matt. 16:28 refers to the that Jesus could not possibly have returned in the first
Second Coming and the inauguration of the Kingdom century, not by the details recorded in the
of God which must have taken place in the first Transfiguration accounts.
century because some standing there would live to Of course, if one really strains, some relationship
see it. The Transfiguration was not a vision of that between the two passages can be found. For instance,
coming. Jesus paints a picture in verses 26 through some argue that Moses and Elijah will be in the
28 which is identical to his description of the Second Kingdom; therefore, the Transfiguration was a
Coming found in the Olivet Prophecy. Notice the preview of the Kingdom. However, such feeble
similarities: arguments are based only on a desperate desire to
27
Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A defend the futurist presupposition, not on sound
CLOUD with power and great glory. 28But when these hermeneutical principles.
things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up The suggestion that the Transfiguration was a
your heads, because your redemption is drawing near... preview of Jesus coming in his kingdom is
31
…when you see these things happening, recognize unbelievable. The Transfiguration is clearly unrelated
that the kingdom of God is near. 32Truly I say to you, to Christ‘s prediction in Matt. 16:28 since most of the
this generation will not pass away until all things take key elements mentioned in verses 26 and 27 are
place. (Luke 21:27-32); 31But when the Son of Man missing, and new characters appear whom Jesus had
comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then
not mentioned at all. The ―coming‖ in verse 28 is
He will sit on His glorious throne. 32All the nations will
inextricably linked to the Judgment in verse 27. It
cannot be separated from the image of thousands of
3. ―Moses and Elijah were the representatives respectively of the angels present at the Resurrection, Judgment and
law and the prophets…‖ (Edward E. Hindson & Woodrow
Michael Kroll, KJV Bible Commentary, electronic ed. arrival of the Kingdom of God. In Matthew 16, Jesus
[Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1994], Matt. 17:1-9). is explaining the reality of the Judgment; the most
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 Did the Transfiguration Fulfill Matthew 16:28?
Copyright © 2004-2008 by Michael A. Fenemore
Revised: 2008 Aug 05

critical moment in the life of any human being: the issue was providing a successor after his 40 years of
point at which one goes to live in heaven forever or leadership, and the people would have understood it
suffers the ―second death‖ (Rev. 2:11; 20:6, 14; that way. Moses said, ―you shall listen to him.‖ This
21:8). He brings his sober warning to a climax with was clearly fulfilled by Joshua who was considered a
this startling finale: it is so close that some of those prophet: ―the sons of Israel listened to him‖ (Deut.
present will still be alive when it occurs! That closing 34:9). The book of Joshua was included in the
statement is an exclamation mark intended to Former Prophets. More prophets followed Joshua:
punctuate the preceding words. To divorce it from his Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth,
teaching on the Judgment is to destroy his message was judging Israel at that time. (Judg. 4:4); …the Lord
right at the climax. Why would he halt at this crucial sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and he said to
moment and switch to a completely unrelated event? them, ―Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‗It was I
Unbelievable! who brought you up from Egypt and brought you out
from the house of slavery.‘‖ (ch. 6:8)
Conclusion The book of Judges was also listed in the Former
Prophets.
The ―coming‖ in Matt. 16:28 is the Second Barclay writes, ―In Deuteronomy the hope and
Coming, and since some of those standing there belief is that God will always raise up a prophet for
would still be alive when it occurred, it must have His people.‖5 Of course, God could have inspired
taken place during the first century. The Moses to speak words that would later be
Transfiguration interpretation of Matt. 16:28 is reinterpreted by Peter. Other New Testament authors
simply a desperate attempt to avoid that conclusion. offer interpretations of Old Testament passages that
seem quite unrelated to the original text. For instance,
Objections Matthew interprets Hos. 11:1 as a reference to Christ
— ―OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON‖ (Matt. 2:15)
Objection. You claim that Moses‘ prediction in — ―although the obvious original reference of the
Deut. 18:15 was fulfilled by Joshua. However, Peter prophecy was to Israel,‖6 and the original was
applied it to Jesus in his Pentecost sermon: actually an indictment against God‘s ―son‖ (Israel):
22
Moses said, ‗THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU 1
When Israel was a youth I loved him,
A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM
And out of Egypt I called My son.
YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you. 2
23 The more they called them,
‗And it will be that every soul that does not heed that
The more they went from them;
prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the
They kept sacrificing to the Baals
people.‘ 24And likewise, all the prophets who have
And burning incense to idols. (Hos. 11:1f)
spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also
announced these days. (Acts 3:22-24) Jesus too, indulges in this reworking of Old
Answer. When Moses said, ―The LORD your God Testament passages. When indentifying Judas as the
will raise up for you a prophet like me from among one who would betray him, he referred to Ps. 41:9:
you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him,‖ ―I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have
it‘s doubtful he was thinking about Jesus. MacArthur chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‗HE
says, ―The singular pronoun emphasizes the ultimate WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST
Prophet who was to come.‖4 However, that is not ME.‘‖ (John 13:18)
necessarily true. The singular is used to refer to Here is the original verse from the Psalm:
Moses‘ successor, Joshua, not Jesus. If Moses had
been thinking ahead to Christ, it would have gone
right over the heads of the people. For Moses, the 5. William Barclay, The Making of the Bible, (London: Cox &
Wyman Ltd., 1961), 26.
6. Jesus and His Times, (Pleasantville: Reader‘s Digest
4. MacArthur, Deut. 18:15-19. Association, Inc., 1987), 30.
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 Did the Transfiguration Fulfill Matthew 16:28?
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Revised: 2008 Aug 05

Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Testament in a way which to us might seem
Who ate my bread, illegitimate or downright dishonest. However, that is
Has lifted up his heel against me. apparently what they did. It‘s doubtful anyone
The KJV Bible Commentary identifies the employing such a mystical interpretive ―technique‖
―friend‖: today would be taken seriously.
In Acts 3:24, Peter connects Jesus and numerous
This obviously refers to Ahithophel, for he is called
other prophets to Moses‘ prediction. In effect, every
―the man of my peace‖ since he was one of David‘s
official counselors (II Sam 15:12)...As David‘s friend,
prophet would be another fulfillment of Moses‘
Ahithophel defected from the king and joined in prediction with Christ being the last and greatest
Absalom‘s conspiracy (see II Sam 15:12, 31; 16:15– prophet. So it is far from clear that Moses was
23; 17:1–23).
7 referring only to Jesus in Deut. 18:15.
Objection. You have presented Matt. 16:26-28 as
MacArthur calls Ps. 41:9 a ―prophecy.‖8 However, one paragraph giving the impression that Christ‘s
before Jesus referred to it, who would have thought reference to the Judgment in verses 26 and 27 is
this verse was a prophecy? It doesn‘t even contain a connected to ―coming in His kingdom‖ in verse 28.
prediction. In fact, it speaks in the past tense. It might However, the Bible you are using, the NASB, inserts
be called a type, but surely, no one would have a paragraph break at verse 28 suggesting a separate
considered it so if Jesus had not spoken up. It is quite thought not connected to verse 27.
common for New Testament characters to declare Answer. In some Bibles, a paragraph break may
something ―fulfilled‖ when the original was not a appear where there was none in the Greek source
prediction and gave no indication whatsoever that it text. Such is the case here. The NASB isolates verse
required fulfillment. Barclay explains how the Jews 28 into a one-sentence paragraph. However, in the
interpreted Scripture: Nestle-Aland 27th edition of The Greek New
If was a Jewish belief that all scripture had four Testament (GkNT), there is no break at verse 28.
meanings—Peshat, which was the simple meaning Incidentally, the NASB is inconsistent. The
which could be seen at the first reading; Remaz, which corresponding verse in Luke has not been separated
was the suggested meaning and the truth which the from the description of the Judgment (Luke 9:25-27).
passage suggested to the seeking mind; Derush, which The KJV, ESV and NLT correctly place Matt. 16:26-
was the meaning when all the resources of 28 within one paragraph.
investigation, linguistic, historical, literary,
Objection. Mark places Christ‘s prediction about
archaeological, had been brought to bear upon the
passage; Sod, which was the inner and allegorical coming in his kingdom with the Transfiguration at
meaning. The initial letters of these words, P R D S, the beginning of chapter 9:
are the consonants of the word PaRaDiSe, and to enter Chapter 8
into these three [sic (four?)] meanings was as if to enter 36
―For what does it profit a man to gain the whole
into the bliss of Paradise. Now of all the meanings Sod, world, and forfeit his soul?
the inner, mystical meaning was the most important. 37
―For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
The Jews were, therefore, skilled in finding inner 38
―For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this
meanings in Scripture. It was thus not difficult for them adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will
to develop a technique of Old Testament interpretation also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of
which discovered Jesus Christ all over the Old His Father with the holy angels.‖
9
Testament.
Chapter 9
Some may find it disturbing to learn that Christ‘s 1
And Jesus was saying to them, ―Truly I say to you,
disciples and even Jesus himself interpreted the Old there are some of those who are standing here who will
not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after
it has come with power.‖
7. Hindson & Kroll, Ps. 41:9. 2
Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James
8. MacArthur, John 13:18. and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by
9. Barclay, 45. themselves. And He was transfigured before them;
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 Did the Transfiguration Fulfill Matthew 16:28?
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Answer. Chapters and verses do not exist in the transfigured before them; and His face shone like the
original text. They were added much later and are not sun, and His garments became as white as light...
always consistent across the synoptic gospels: In the GkNT, verses 21 through 28 are contained
The Bible was divided into chapters by Stephen in a single paragraph. However, not only does
Langton (who later became Archbishop of Canterbury) MacArthur retain the NASB‘s illegitimate paragraph
early in the 1200s. Robert Stephanus, a book printer break at verse 28, he inserts an uninspired topic
from Paris, is credited with dividing those chapters into heading. All this tampering makes it appear as though
verses in 1551. The first complete printed Bible using Jesus was merely dispensing random unrelated
the chapter and verse divisions was the Geneva Bible proverbs rather than presenting a single coherent
10
of 1560. message. The NASB‘s isolation of verse 28 is not
Langton could not have been more inconsistent. In surprising. The futurist paradigm cannot stand to
Matthew, he inserted the chapter break after Christ‘s have a connection between Christ‘s coming in verse
prediction; in Mark, the break appears before the 28 and the Judgment in verses 26 and 27 because it
prediction; in Luke‘s account, there is no chapter would preclude the Transfiguration interpretation.
break at all. According to the GkNT, a new paragraph However, although MacArthur retains the paragraph
should begin at Mark 9:2. This leaves verse 1 break, he is unable to deny the true meaning of verse
conspicuously isolated in modern Bibles. Obviously, 28, and hence, cannot avoid contradicting himself.
it belongs in the previous chapter. After interpreting it as “The Prophecy of the Second
The intended meaning of the text is further Coming,” he says, ―it seems most natural to interpret
obfuscated when uninspired topic headings are this promise as a reference to the Transfiguration.‖
inserted by Bible editors. For instance, notice these To be consistent, he should have described verse 28
headings beginning at Matt. 16:24 in The MacArthur as A Prophecy of the Transfiguration. The problem
Study Bible (NASB): is, such a heading would be unbelievable, and
evidently, MacArthur knows it. His heading clearly
Revelation of Jesus’ Reward
Mk 8:34-37; Lk 9:23-25
indicates that he knows verse 28 refers to the Second
24
Then Jesus said to His disciples, ―If anyone wishes to Coming. However, he just can‘t make the break from
come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his futurism, and formulates a comment that defies logic
cross and follow Me. 25―For whoever wishes to save his and is not the least bit helpful to Christians seeking
life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake enlightenment from his study Bible. Quite simply, if
will find it. 26―For what will it profit a man if he gains Matt. 16:28 is a prophecy of the Second Coming,
the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a then the Second Coming must be the fulfillment, not
man give in exchange for his soul? 27―For the Son of the Transfiguration or anything else.
Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with Presumably, chapters, verses, paragraph breaks,
His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN
and topic headings have been added to make
ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.
Scripture more understandable. However, sometimes
The Prophecy of the Second Coming the result is complete destruction of the intended
Mk 8:38-9:1; Lk 9:26, 27 meaning. It‘s astonishing that informed theologians
28
―Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are are not more careful with God‘s Word. We find an
standing here who will not taste death until they see the indication of how God feels about adding to Scripture
Son of Man coming in His kingdom.‖
in the book of Revelation:
The Transfiguration 18
I testify to everyone who hears the words of the
Mk 9:2-13; Lk 9:28-36; 2Pe 1:17, 18

17
prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God
Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and
will add to him the plagues which are written in this
James and John his brother, and led them up on
book; 19and if anyone takes away from the words of the
a high mountain by themselves. 2And He was
book of this prophecy, God will take away his part
from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are
10. Canadian Bible Society, written in this book. (Rev. 22:18f)
http://www.biblesociety.ca/about_bible/chapters_verses/index.html.
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 Did the Transfiguration Fulfill Matthew 16:28?
Copyright © 2004-2008 by Michael A. Fenemore
Revised: 2008 Aug 05

By adding all the extra clutter, MacArthur and not ―justified in viewing Christ‘s transfiguration as a
others are taking away as well: taking away the prepicture of His coming kingdom.‖ There is no firm
intended meaning of the sacred Word of God and support for that interpretation in 2Pet. 1:16-18 or
robbing Christians of their God-given right to read it anywhere else in the New Testament. In fact, we
free of man‘s misguided editing. have seen that the Transfiguration interpretation is
Objection. Peter refers to the Transfiguration as suspect to the point of being completely unbelievable
the ―coming of our Lord Jesus Christ‖ in 2Pet. 1:16- since the key features of the Judgment and other
18: related events are entirely absent. Furthermore, other
16
For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we
timing statements made by Jesus confirm the natural
made known to you the power and coming of our Lord meaning of Matt. 16:28 (see Matt. 10:23; 24:34;
Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. Luke 21:28, 31f; Rev. 1:3; 22:10). When we add the
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For when He received honor and glory from God the numerous apostolic references to a return of Christ
Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by within the lifetimes of those in the first century, the
the Majestic Glory, ―This is My beloved Son with true meaning of Matt. 16:28 simply cannot be denied.
whom I am well-pleased‖— 18and we ourselves heard If we are then willing to believe that everything was
this utterance made from heaven when we were with fulfilled as predicted, there will be no need for a
Him on the holy mountain. strained interpretation.
So should we not conclude that the
Transfiguration was a vision of the Second Coming? Closing Comment
Many commentaries, including the Believer’s Bible
Commentary, interpret the Transfiguration this way: Ultimately, those who take the position that all
Bible prophecy has been fulfilled can believe
We are justified in viewing Christ‘s transfiguration as a
whatever they want to on this. They are actually free
prepicture of His coming kingdom. Peter describes the
event as ―the power and coming of our Lord Jesus to believe that the Transfiguration was the fulfillment
Christ‖ (2 Pet. 1:16). The power and coming of the of Matt. 16:28; that position does not affect the
Lord Jesus refer to His Second Advent.
11 outcome of their eschatological system. It is only
those who still wait for the Second Coming of Christ
Answer. The Greek for ―coming‖ here is who feel compelled to accept this highly questionable
parousia. It is the same word used for the Second interpretation for lack of anything more substantial.
Coming in Matt. 24:27, 37. However, parousia does They perceive that Matt. 16:28, if taken at face value,
not always imply the Second Coming. For instance, would obliterate futurism. So they tell themselves
the ―coming‖ of the ―man of lawlessness‖ (2Thess. that the Transfiguration provides a way out.
2:3-10) was also a parousia. In 2Cor. 10:10, parousia However, the ―coming‖ Jesus referred to in
is translated as ―presence‖ and refers to Paul, not Matt.16:28 included the Judgment, which of course,
Jesus. So Peter‘s use of parousia does not necessarily was predicted to coincide with the Second Coming
refer to the Second Coming and does not at all and arrival of the Kingdom of God; and Jesus plainly
suggest the Transfiguration was ―a prepicture of His said some of those standing there that day would live
coming kingdom.‖ The words ―the power and to see it all. Baffled theologians, blinded by their
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ‖ actually refer to the futuristic presupposition, grasp for something to
Transfiguration itself, not the Second Coming. The rescue their paradigm, but in the process, abandon
Transfiguration was a parousia, and the Second sound exegesis and accept a bogus interpretation.
Coming was a parousia; two separate parousias.
Considering the lack of consistency between the Download this article in PDF format at: http://www.Preterism.info
Transfiguration and Matt. 16:26-28, we are certainly
Scripture quotations marked CEV are taken from the Contemporary English Version Copyright ©
1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked GNT are taken from the Good News Translation Second Edition
11. William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary, Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright
electronic ed. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
1995), Matt. 16:28. Used by permission.

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