Transfiguration

Volume Three—Chapter Fourteen TRANSFIGURATION

#The Meaning of Transfiguration

Physical transfiguration. The word transfigure has a secular meaning something like “to change in outward form or appearance.” As scriptural words transfigure and transfiguration refer to being lifted to a higher spiritual plane. The things of the earth exist on a telestial level. The only higher spiritual levels we know of are terrestrial and celestial. We associate the terrestrial level with the earth during the millennial thousand years and with the eternal terrestrial kingdom. The celestial level, of course, refers to God, God’s heaven, and to all that reside therein.

If a celestial being and a mortal were to come together into close physical proximity, apparently the mortal would risk being reduced to a cinder by the glory or light emanating from the celestial being. This light has a potentially physically destructive effect on telestial (and presumably terrestrial) matter.1 The Prophet Joseph Smith explained that God “dwells in eternal fire; flesh and blood cannot go there, for all corruption is devoured by the fire. [He then quoted the Apostle Paul:] ‘Our God is a consuming fire’” [Hebrews 12:29] (TPJS, 367; Hebrews 12:29).

There are theoretically two ways a mortal might be protected from such a conflagration:

1. A celestial being can deliberately withhold his light when he interacts directly with mortals.

2. Alternatively, a mortal’s body may be protected from spiritual light’s destructive effects by being temporarily physically lifted to a higher plane—a celestial plane. This is transfiguration. It enables an individual to avoid incineration while being exposed to celestial glory or light. We do not, of course, understand the actual physical nature of the process of transfiguration. Apparently we are allowed to partake momentarily of the physical nature that may be ours in the resurrection. Our body is temporarily upgraded to a celestial state.

Christ will one day return to the earth in fiery majesty. We will see the “Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). He will come with his light “on,” so to speak. We are also given to understand that his light may be the mechanism for the final destruction and cleansing of wicked telestial individuals and elements from the earth. The light of Christ, being pure divine energy, is apparently characterized by heat as well as light.

The process of transfiguration is sometimes referred to in the scripture as being “quickened by the Spirit.” What missionary hasn’t encountered an investigator who has brought up John 1:18 or 1 John 4:12: “No man hath seen God at any time.” Modern scripture provides the explanation of these enigmatic passages: “For no man has seen

God at any time in the flesh, except quickened by the Spirit of God” (D&C 67:11, italics added).

When a mortal being is transfigured, there occur physical changes often visible to other mortals. Apparently these transfigured mortals appear to be beings of light, at least for a time, during and following their transfiguration experience.

Spiritual/mental transfiguration. There is another general application of transfiguration. Ordinarily we associate the phenomenon of transfiguration, and the need for transfiguration, with a mortal blessed to be in the presence of a celestial being. The same general principle applies for the communication of celestial or spiritual concepts to a mortal. The telestial, or “natural” mortal mind, cannot fully grasp celestial concepts without being “transfigured” temporarily by the Spirit of the Holy Ghost. The “natural man” cannot comprehend “the things of the Spirit of God . . . because they [the spiritual things] are [only] spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). The mortal mind can be lifted to a higher celestial state. Only then can the mind understand and learn the celestial or eternal concepts. The mind of mortal man, once transfigured to a celestial level, is better able to view and comprehend things of a celestial nature. There is little reason to think that this spiritual/mental change is necessarily associated with the usually-visible, physical transfiguration. Apparently, the Spirit of God has a role in all transfiguration, physical or spiritual/mental.

#Scriptural Examples

In Moses 1, the prophet Moses spoke face to face with God on Mount Sinai. Moses was transfigured for the usual reason. The scripture reads, “And he saw God face to face, and he talked with him, and the glory of God was upon Moses; therefore Moses could endure his presence.” The phrase “the glory of God was upon Moses” refers to Moses’s transfiguration. It was both a physical and spiritual/mental transfiguration. It allowed him to stand in the presence of God and view and understand the things of God.

The scripture teaches: “Wherefore, no man can behold all my works, except he behold all my glory; and no man can behold all my glory, and afterwards remain in the flesh on the earth” (Moses 1:5). No mortal can behold the glorious works of God, survive the experience, and understand what he has seen without being transfigured, both physically and spiritually/mentally.

And it came to pass that Moses looked, and beheld the world upon which he was created; and Moses beheld the world and the ends thereof, and all the children of men which are, and which were created; of the same he greatly marveled and wondered. And the presence of God withdrew from Moses, that his glory was not upon Moses; and Moses was left unto himself. And as he was left unto himself, he fell unto the earth (Moses 1:8-9).

Shortly thereafter, Moses was visited by Satan. Moses noticed that he could look upon Satan without being transfigured. Moses wrote:

But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before him. And it came to pass that when Moses had said these words, behold, Satan came tempting him, saying: Moses, son of man, worship me. And it came to pass that Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee? For behold, I could not look upon God, except his glory should come upon me, and I were transfigured before him. But I can look upon thee in the natural man. Is it not so, surely? (Moses 1:11-

14).

When Moses came down from Sinai, the physical changes of his transfiguration were still apparent: “And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist [knew] not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him” (Exodus 34:29-30).

During his mortal ministry, Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the top of a high mountain and was transfigured before them. The scripture reads, “And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light” (Matthew 17:1-2). This transfiguration was likely not done as a protection for Jesus. Rather, the changes occurring in Jesus’s physical appearance were readily visible to his apostles. They were blessed to witness this miraculous transfiguration as a testimony to them of Jesus’s divinity. On the same occasion, the apostles were similarly changed, enabling them to remain in his transfigured presence (TPJS, 158). While on the Mount of Transfiguration, the three apostles saw not only God’s divine glory but also the earth in its transfigured state (TPJS, 13).

Peter later wrote of this experience: “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. 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. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount” (2 Peter 1:16-18).

Modern revelation speaks of a day when the earth will be “transfigured.” We know the earth will eventually undergo two major changes in its glory. The first will be at the onset of the Millennium when it will be lifted from a telestial to a paradisiacal or terrestrial state. This is its transfiguration. The second will be at the end of the Millennium when the earth will receive its celestial glory (D&C 29:23; 88:26). This change actually signifies the death and resurrection of the earth. D&C 63:20-21, which refers to the earth’s transfiguration, reads: “Nevertheless, he that endureth in faith and doeth my will, the same shall overcome, and shall receive an inheritance upon the earth when the day of transfiguration shall come; When the earth shall be transfigured, even according to the pattern which was shown unto mine apostles upon the mount; of which account the fulness ye have not yet received.” Again, these verses refer to the physical changes in the earth at the onset of the Millennium when it is lifted from a telestial to a terrestrial sphere. Elder Bruce R. McConkie, commenting on these verses, wrote: “This earth was created in a new or paradisiacal state; then, incident to Adam’s transgression, it fell to its present telestial state. At the Second Coming of our Lord, it will be renewed, regenerated, refreshed, transfigured, become again a new earth, a paradisiacal earth. Its millennial status will be a return to its pristine state of beauty and glory, the state that existed before the fall” (Mormon Doctrine, 795-96). Elder McConkie also taught that this terrestrial transfiguration corresponds to the “regeneration” spoken of by the Lord in Matthew 19:28 and to the “times of refreshing” referred to by Peter in Acts 3:19-21 (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 2:48-9).

This earth is a living being, its “inanimate” parts actually consisting of myriad intelligences clothed with bodies of mortal matter. The cosmic history of the physical earth parallels that of the humans who live upon it. Before the fall of Adam, this earth, or at least the part of the earth designated to be the Garden of Eden, existed as a terrestrial paradise. After the fall, the earth, like Adam and Eve, lost its paradisiacal glory and began its present telestial existence.

The prophet Enoch perceived the leading intelligence of the earth mourning the wickedness and filthiness that came out of itself and pleading with God for cleansing (Moses 7:48). Consequently, the earth was baptized by immersion and cleansed of all wickedness at the time of Noah. It will be baptized again with fire at the second coming of the Lord.

Baptism by water, baptism of the Spirit (receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost), and the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost leads to the justification and sanctification of

human beings. The fallen or telestial earth will be similarly justified and sanctified and transfigured when it is baptized with fire at the second coming, and it will receive again the terrestrial or paradisiacal glory it enjoyed before the fall (see Articles of Faith 1:10). The actual day of the earth’s transfiguration to a paradisiacal state will be the last day of its telestial existence, the day of the Savior’s second coming to the earth.

The prophet Abinadi, as he preached among the people of King Noah, was, on one occasion, transfigured, undoubtedly as a witness to the people. It also served to protect him from those inclined to harm him: “Now it came to pass after Abinadi had spoken these words that the people of king Noah durst not lay their hands on him, for the Spirit of the Lord was upon him; and his face shone with exceeding luster, even as Moses’ did while in the mount of Sinai, while speaking with the Lord” (Mosiah 13:5).

The Book of Mormon account tells of the Savior’s blessing the three Nephite disciples who elected to tarry upon the earth. They were favored with a remarkable experience (the Savior is speaking as this passage opens):

And the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and the Father giveth the Holy Ghost unto the children of men, because of me. And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he touched every one of them [the nine who elected not to tarry] with his finger save it were the three who were to tarry, and then he departed. And behold, the heavens were opened, and they [the three who elected to tarry] were caught up into heaven, and saw and heard unspeakable things. And it was forbidden them that they should utter; neither was it given unto them power that they could utter the things which they saw and heard; And whether they were in the body or out of the body, they could not tell; for it did seem unto them like a transfiguration of them, that they were changed from this body of flesh into an immortal state, that they could behold the things of God. But it came to pass that they did again minister upon the face of the earth; nevertheless they did not minister of the things which they had heard and seen, because of the commandment which was given them in heaven. And now, whether they were mortal or immortal, from the day of their transfiguration, I know not (3 Nephi 28:11-17).

The text does not make it clear why the Savior touched each of the nine and did not touch the three who wished to tarry. It is obvious, however, that their ministries would be different. We do not know exactly what wisdom the three Nephites received, but it seems clear that translated beings have knowledge and wisdom given unto them that exceed human perspective.

Mormon uses the word transfiguration here to describe the condition of the three Nephites while beholding the glorious things of God. Some confusion has been caused by this passage since we know that these three Nephite apostles were eventually translated. The confusion has centered on the exact differences between transfigured beings and translated beings. This confusion is not warranted. The scriptural use of these terms seems to indicate that transfiguration is more temporary, occurring primarily to permit one to behold spiritual things not tolerable in the mortal (or even perhaps in the translated) condition. Translated beings experience a long-term change that culminates at the time of their resurrection. Likely these Nephite disciples were first temporarily transfigured and then later translated. As this passage is closing, Mormon seems to be commenting that he’s not sure when exactly their translation (“whether they were . . . immortal”) occurred relative to their being transfigured.

Enoch was transfigured so that he could withstand the presence of the Lord. The scripture says that he was “clothed upon with glory” (Moses 7:3). The scripture also refers to Moses as having “spiritual eyes” (Moses 1:11).

Two instances of transfiguration in this dispensation are often overlooked. At the opening of the present dispensation, Joseph Smith was spiritually quickened so that he could see both God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and receive instruction from them. After seeing a transcendent brilliance descend upon him, the Prophet wrote: “When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air” (JS-H 1:16-17). Who can doubt that the phrase “when the light rested upon me” refers to his transfiguration?

When section 76, the vision of the three degrees of glory, was received by Joseph and Sidney Rigdon, they were “in the Spirit,” with the result that they “were enlightened, so as to see and understand the things of God” (D&C 76:11-12, 113-119; cf. D&C 110:1-4). Again, it is likely they were transfigured, at least spiritually/mentally, on this occasion.

1 See a discussion of light in volume 1, chapter 15, The Concept of Light.

See volume 1, chapter 18, Baptism, the Ordinance that Brings Spiritual Growth.