Audio Download

Matthew 17:1–27 The Transfiguration

Today’s study is about the transfiguration, the healing of the boy with a demon,  Jesus foretelling of His death and resurrection, and finally, the payment of the temple tax. 

The Transfiguration

Mat 17:1  And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 

It was after six days that Jesus took Peter, James and John to a high mountain. The word “apart” in verse 1, according to Strong’s Dictionary, means pertaining to self, that is, one’s own. By implication, it means private or separate. Verse 1 therefore shows us that Jesus took them to the high mountain where they were alone. 

Mat 17:1  Six days later Jesus took Peter and the brothers James and John with him. They went up on a very high mountain where they could be alone. (CEV)

In the Bible, six days is the time that we must work while we live in this tent of flesh. It represents our struggle here on earth.

Exo 20:9  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

As our Commanding Officer, the Lord wants us to see the reward awaiting us after our struggles here on earth so that we shall be motivated to fight a good fight. That was why He took Peter, James and John to a high mountain. The fact that He choose three disciples is to let us know that it is when we become spiritually mature through the Lord’s judgment that we are given to appreciate what awaits us after our struggles here on earth. It is instructive to note that these three disciples were taken to a high mountain. Positively, a high mountain represents the assembly of the Lord’s elect as shown in the following verses:

Isa 2:2  And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 
Isa 2:3  And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.    

Isa 56:7  Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. 

What we are therefore being told in verse 1 is that it is in the assembly of the Lord’s elect that we are given a revelation of who Christ is and what He has in store for us.

1Ti 3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Mat 17:2  And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 
Mat 17:3  And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. 

The Lord being transfigured before the disciples was not to show to the disciples that He is the son of God. This is because, just before this transfiguration, it has been revealed to Peter by God that Jesus is indeed the son of God. It was rather to show to the disciples that we, His elect, shall be transfigured after our walk here on earth when the Lord shall come with His angels as the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.  

1Co 15:51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 
1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 
1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 
1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 

In verse 3, Moses and Elijah appeared talking to Jesus. In the account of Luke, we were given additional information of what they were talking about as follows:

Luk 9:30  Suddenly, both Moses and Elijah were talking with him. 
Luk 9:31 They appeared in heavenly glory and were discussing Jesus’ approaching death and what he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem. (GW)

Moses and Elijah being two, represent us, His elect, as witnesses of Christ. Their appearance in heavenly glory is to attest to the fact that we shall also be changed in the fullness of time as indicated earlier. Talking to Jesus about His impending death, which was to be achieved through suffering, is to make us aware that if we are to be glorified, then we must take up our cross and follow Jesus. 

Mat 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Mat 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

To take up our cross to follow Jesus signifies our willingness to endure suffering or hardship for the sake of knowing Christ. That was not what we heard when we were in the church system of this world or Babylon, where we were taught that coming to know Christ results in the end of our suffering – a false doctrine from the pit of hell. 

2Ti 2:3  Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 
2Ti 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. 

Mat 17:4  Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
Mat 17:5  While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

Peter telling Jesus that it is good for them to be on the mountain and that if the Lord is willing, they will build him a tabernacle and also build a tabernacle each for Moses and for Elijah shows us that at that time, Peter and the rest of the disciples were not converted. They depict our walk in the churches of this world at a certain stage of our walk with Christ. Peter’s statement of building three tabernacles for Jesus, Moses and Elijah shows us that it is not about our good works of the flesh, that is, of building tabernacles for the Lord that matters, but being able to hear Jesus is what matters as we see in the next verse. When we are babies in Christ, our emphasis is on works instead of resting in Christ. It is through rest that we hear the voice of the Lord. This is clearly shown in Psalm 46:10 which enjoins us to be still or to be at rest in order to hear His voice, and it is through hearing His voice that we come to know Him. 

Psa 46:10  Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 
Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

The fact that the disciples wanted to build a tabernacle for Jesus implies that the disciples were focusing on making permanent the tent of His flesh and therefore preventing Jesus from going through suffering and to die for us. They did not have a clue that Jesus was groaning to be clothed with His house which is from heaven, just as we are also groaning now to be clothed with the heavenly tabernacle so that we are not found naked.

2Co 5:1  For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 
2Co 5:2  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 
2Co 5:3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 

It is also instructive to note that Moses and Elijah represent the law of Moses. Peter’s request to building a tabernacle for each of them means that he wanted to practice the law of Moses even as he had come to know Christ. This is not possible, as the coming of Christ, which is heralded by faith, ends the practice of the law of Moses in our lives. That was why there was a voice out of the cloud which overshadowed them, saying that we must pay attention to Christ’s reformative voice, which is being echoed by His elect (the cloud) in this age. 

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 
Gal 3:24  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 
Gal 3:25  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Mat 17:6  And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 
Mat 17:7  And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. 
Mat 17:8  And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. 

To fall on one’s face is a symbol of our coming to appreciate who Christ is to us. This invokes our spontaneous worship. 

Lev 9:24  And there came a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

1Ki 18:39  And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.

Rev 7:11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

It is important to note that the disciples were sore afraid when they heard the voice from the cloud. This reminds us of the first time that ‘afraid’ was used in the Bible. It was when Adam and Eve sinned against the Lord, and they heard the voice of the Lord when he came into the garden of Eden looking for them. That was when Adam became afraid because of sin. 

Gen 3:10  And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

As we have indicated earlier, the disciples here represent our lives in the churches of this world. The disciples being afraid therefore is an indication that they were sinful. This is what happened to us. When Christ came to us with His words, we were parading in the corridors of the churches of this world in our sinful state. We were therefore afraid because of our sins. However, the Lord touched us and commanded us to arise from the ashes of sin and told us not to be afraid. That was the beginning of our deliverance from fear. 

Luk 1:70  As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
Luk 1:71  That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 
Luk 1:72  To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
Luk 1:73  The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 
Luk 1:74  That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, 
Luk 1:75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. 

The verses above show us that our deliverance from our enemies, which represent our flesh which is empowered by the devil, is what makes us to serve the Lord without fear or being afraid. 

In verse 8, the disciples did not see Moses and Elijah again, but only Jesus. This indicates that when Christ comes to us, we are no longer under the law of sin and death or the law of Moses. We are now operating under a new law of the spirit of life, which sets us free from the law of sin and death. 

Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 
Rom 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 
Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 

Mat 17:9  And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. 

To understand what is being said here, we need to know why Jesus referred to Himself as the son of man. The term has dual meaning – His humanity status and His role as the Messiah. Jesus referring to Himself as the son of man is to emphasize His earthly nature and therefore reminds us that He was just like us in His walk here on earth. In Daniel 7:13-14, the “Son of Man” is a figure who receives an everlasting kingdom and dominion from God. This is connected to the Jewish concept of the Messiah, the promised savior. Jesus referring to Himself as the son of man was also to emphasize his status as the Messiah.

Dan 7:13  I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 
Dan 7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. 

In verse 9 therefore, Jesus charging His disciples to tell no man about this transfiguration experience until He has risen from death is to let us know that it is when we come from death to life in Christ that we are given to understand we shall also be transformed in the fullness of time. During our time in the churches of this world, we were not given to understand our being changed within a twinkling of an eye at the last trump. All we knew was the false doctrine of being raptured.

Joh 5:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 

1Co 15:51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 
1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 
1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

Mat 17:10  And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? 
Mat 17:11  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 
Mat 17:12  But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 
Mat 17:13  Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. 

Elijah lived during a time when the Israelites had turned away from God and were worshipping Baal, a Canaanite god. Elijah boldly challenged this idolatry, calling the people to repent and to return to the Lord. His work was therefore to pave the way for the Lord’s children to be reconciled to the Lord. That is why Elijah must come first to prepare for the Lord’s arrival in our lives.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:  

It is important to note that Elijah’s work in the Bible is the same as John the Baptist. That is to say that Elijah or John the Baptist’s work was to prepare us for Christ coming into our lives when we were in the churches of this world. Therefore, spiritually, Elijah is the same as John the Baptist. 

Joh 1:19  And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 
Joh 1:20  And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 
Joh 1:21  And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
Joh 1:22  Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 
Joh 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

Mat 17:14  And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, 
Mat 17:15  Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. 

It was when Jesus came to the multitude that He encountered the lunatic who was possessed by the devil and therefore had no control of his actions. As we have learned from previous studies, the multitudes signify our brothers and sisters in the churches of this world. We were part of this multitude at a certain stage of our walk. In Luke’s account of this episode, he mentioned categorically that the man was possessed with a spirit as follows:

Luk 9:37  And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him. 
Luk 9:38  And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child. 
Luk 9:39 And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him. 

Being possessed by a spirit spiritually signifies being filled with false doctrines. That was our situation during our time in the churches of this world. It is instructive to note that the lunatic often fell into fire and also into water. We know from the word of the Lord that both fire and water represent the word of the Lord. What we are therefore being told in verse 15 is that when we are possessed by false doctrines, we are not able to walk according to the word of the Lord. We often stumble and fall. The lunatic experience portrays our situation when we were in the churches of this world, where we were inundated with false doctrines. We often fell short of the word of the Lord (the fire and the water).

Heb 13:9  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. 
Heb 13:10 We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. 

Mat 17:16  And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. 
Mat 17:17  Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. 
Mat 17:18  And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

The disciples were not able to heal the lunatic although they had walked with Christ for some time. This was because at that time they had no understanding of the truth of the word of the Lord or mysteries of the kingdom of the Lord. It is the truth that destroys the lies or the false doctrines in our heavens. 

Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. 

The hail signifies the truth that destroys the lies of the serpent or false doctrines. When we were in the churches of this world, our situation was just like the disciples. Although we had started our walk with Christ, we were not able to cast out of our heavens, the false doctrines of the enemy. We were therefore the faithless and perverse generation, just like the disciples. Jesus rebuking the devil and the devil departing from out of the man symbolizes the coming of Christ into our lives with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. It is His brightness which destroys the false doctrines in our hearts and minds.

Mat 17:19  Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 
Mat 17:20  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 
Mat 17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. 

Here in these verses, Jesus revealed to the disciples that it was because of their unbelief that they could not cast out the devil. This shows that during our walk in the churches of this world, our walk was characterized by unbelief. At that time, we did not have faith. The Lord is revealing to us here in verse 20 that it is not the size of our faith that matters, but our simple faith in Him that does the work. We must remember that it is Christ’s faith that we all operate with. We do not have our own faith. When Christ’s faith is at work, everything is made possible.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.  

Now, let’s come to the statement Jesus made in verse 21 about the fact that the devil is cast out only through prayer and fasting. Prayer is our communion with the Lord, and it is a two-way affair. We speak to Him in prayer, and He speaks to us with His words. Therefore, without prayer, it is impossible for us to cast out false doctrines from our heavens. Spiritual fasting involves loosing the bands of wickedness, undoing the heavy burden and setting the oppressed free and breaking every yoke. 

Isa 58:6  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 
Isa 58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 

Deu 5:24  And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.

In a nutshell, spiritual fasting is being set free from our own flesh. When our flesh is dying, then it means that we are being judged, and being judged means that we are given the ability to hear the Lord’s voice in the midst of the fire. It is this voice that dispels the false doctrines in our heavens.   

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

Mat 17:22  And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: 
Mat 17:23  And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry. 

It is when we begin to know who Christ is in the spirit that we are given to know about the suffering that Jesus endured resulting in the destruction of His flesh. Being raised the third day means that Jesus went through the process of spiritual maturity through judgment and is the first man to be resurrected after death. His resurrection was what made Him perfect. 

Heb 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 
Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 
Heb 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 

As He is, so are we. We are also going through this process of spiritual maturity through judgment as our flesh or old man is gradually being destroyed. This destruction of our flesh is what guarantees the fact that we shall be perfected when we are raised from the dead during the first resurrection. 

Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. 

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 

The Temple Tax

Mat 17:24  And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? 
Mat 17:25  He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? 
Mat 17:26  Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. 

These Bible verses are what the Lord used to start opening my understanding of the scriptures when I was in Babylon. The temple tax was an annual half-shekel tax imposed on Jewish males over the age of 20 to support the upkeep and maintenance of the temple in Jerusalem. When we were in the churches of this world, the tithes we were paying were spiritually equivalent to this temple tax. Jesus telling Peter that the sons of the kings of this earth are exempt from paying temple tax and that it is only strangers who are required to pay is to let us know that as sons of our King Jesus Christ, we are not required to pay tithes. The fact that our brothers and sisters of the churches of this world pay tithes means that they are strangers or are in bondage and that we, His elect, are free.

Gal 4:22  For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 
Gal 4:23  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 
Gal 4:24  Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 
Gal 4:25  For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.

Mat 17:27  Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee. 

As indicated in previous studies, fishes represent mankind. Therefore, the first fish that is caught represents the Lord’s elect. In our mouth is the precious word of the Lord that is able to solve every problem that we shall encounter in our walk here on earth. The piece of money that was found in the mouth of the fish therefore signifies the word of the Lord in our mouth. 

Rom 10:8  But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

In the fullness of time, we shall give to them that receive tribute money (the leaders of our brothers and sisters in the churches of this world), the word in our mouth, for the rebuilding of their temples in the lake of fire age. 

Summary

In summary, it is worth noting that when Peter and the disciples became converted, this transfiguration experience had a significant impact on their lives. This is what Peter said about this experience:

2Pe 1:16  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 eyewitnesses of his majesty.
2Pe 1:17  For he received from God the Father honour 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. 
2Pe 1:18  And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. 
2Pe 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 

Jesus was also motivated by the reward while He was here on earth.

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Just like Peter, we must be motivated by the reward ahead of us as we pay attention to the light of Christ that is shining in this dark world, until Christ rises in our hearts. Amen!!