The Mount of Transfiguration

Sun Myung Moon Prayer

"Beloved Father, please allow this to be a time when the words of the Lord can be heard through the ears of our hearts and minds. Please allow us to understand that the words Jesus spoke were relevant, not only for his time but also for us at present; they are words that transcend history. 

Please allow us to fathom the anguishing heart of Jesus toward Peter. Allow us to fathom as Peter understood the thoughts of Jesus and gave such a reply that he could inherit the whole will of heaven.

Beloved Father, we earnestly wish and desire that you will allow the words given to us today to make a deep connection with us. Just as Peter testified, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," allow us to look upon the Lord and rejoice and to testify to the Lord. As the people who can become harmonized with the eternal words of the Father, please guide us always to reflect upon ourselves while we are on the path until the moment when we can appear spotless before the Father, the Holy Spirit, and all created things. Amen."

From the speech of Sun Myung Moon: We Are the Ones Who Should Possess the Keys to Open the Kingdom of Heaven March 17, 1957

Jesus never won the chosen people of Israel, and he never gained the support he needed from them. He came to erect the kingdom of God on earth, but instead he had to caution his disciples even to keep his identity a secret because people did not accept his legitimacy as the Messiah.

From the speech of Sun Myung Moon: The Future of Christianity October 28, 1973 

What is bound on earth is bound in heaven

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:19

In Matthew 16:19 and 18:18 Jesus says, "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." When he left this earth, he gave the keys to the kingdom of heaven to Peter, who was on earth. Because the kingdom of heaven was lost on earth, it must be found on earth. 

From the speech of Sun Myung Moon: One God, One World Religion February 11, 1972

In Matthew 16:19 Jesus teaches that even though this world is now completely decadent, these problems have to be solved in this realm. God has to restore his family, nation, and world here in this physical world to begin with. Where did God lose his family, his tribe, his nation, and his world? Up in heaven? No. Right here on this earth! Disease erupted right here in the physical world. So it has to be cured here. We have to untie the knot here in this physical world.

From the speech of Sun Myung Moon: True Parents' Birthday February 13, 1997

What happened after Jesus' crucifixion? God's dispensation was divided, with one side a physical dispensation and the other a spiritual dispensation. Jesus fulfilled the position of the True Parent of mankind spiritually. His body was killed, so he was in a position to be the Bridegroom spiritually The Holy Spirit is in the Bride's position, but it never had a physical form as Jesus once did.

The Bible teaches that the kingdom will come first on earth and then be opened in heaven: "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

From the speech of Sun Myung Moon: The Day of the Victory of Heaven October 4, 1979

The Mount of Transfiguration

"I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God." About eight days after Jesus said this he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor; talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Luke 9:27-31

In Luke 9:30 there is a description of the Mount of Transfiguration: 

"Behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem." In other words, this is the occasion in which God sent Moses and Elijah as messengers, informing Jesus about his crucifixion at Jerusalem. The crucifixion was decided upon at that particular moment.

From the speech of Sun Myung Moon: Christmas in Heart December 25, 1973

In difficult circumstances of persecution, to return the nation and religion to God, Jesus prayed on the mountaintop and fought against Satan throughout his three years of public life. Yet he saw no fruit. Consequently, he finally went up to the Mount of Transfiguration with the heart to awaken the ignorant people, even if he had to undertake his death. After realizing that no human effort would bring about the result, he came forward with an ardent heart to save the people, who had the ties of history and the age and who were linked to the heart of God. He was determined, even if he had to die as a sacrifice and shed his blood.

The place he visited with such a heart was not a great palace. It was neither the house of a disciple who received him, nor the house of the people of the state, nor the house of a leader of the Jewish religion. It was a mountain, the Mount of Transfiguration. When Jesus went to the Mount of Transfiguration, he discarded all previous resolutions and set out to give his body to the nation, determined to face death. If someone can imagine the figure and heart of Jesus as he climbed the mountain then, if someone can experience that sorrow as his own and behold Jesus with such a heart, he will be able to experience the sorrow of Jesus toward heaven, the nation, and his religion.

Since that figure and situation were full of pathos, God sent Elijah and Moses to discuss Jesus' death in Jerusalem with him. Jesus knew that heaven and his disciples would be stricken with grief upon his death. Worried about the people and their descendants, he grieved for the sake of the past, the present, and the future. Wanting to save the Jewish people even through his death, Jesus appeared before God with a prayerful heart similar to that of Elijah's when he cried out, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." (l Kings 19:14) Jesus' heart was truly mournful.

After he was notified of his coming death in Jerusalem, Jesus prepared for the day of death. He felt the day of death coming closer and closer, and the situation becoming increasingly chaotic. Seeing that one of his beloved disciples would betray him, Jesus seriously felt the need to conclude all his affairs on earth before going to the cross. Knowing that he had the responsibility as the Savior to follow the path to death, Jesus worried that even after his death the sorrows of the past, present, and future would not disappear, but would remain. His mind and body were immersed in such feelings.

From the speech of Sun Myung Moon: The Sorrowful Heart Of Jesus As He Went To The Mountain January 25, 1959

Jesus rebukes Peter 

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he should go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law and that he should be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

"Never; Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" Jesus turned and said to Peter "Get behind me, Satan! Thou are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Matthew 16:21-23

God instructed Jesus to alter his mission. Peter's reaction to this news was to reply, "God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you." Do you know what Jesus said to him? He said, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men." In general, Christians, including theologians and ministers, interpreted this thusly: "Look, even Peter was scolded by God. Why? Because Peter was in a position to oppose the crucifixion, which was the will of God." This is their interpretation: the crucifixion was a predestined course of Jesus. But people do not know that this was after God informed Jesus of his altered mission toward the crucifixion. This is why Jesus now pursued this altered course and Simon Peter did not know the true heart of God.

From the speech of Sun Myung Moon: Christmas in Heart December 25, 1973

God gave two kinds of prophecies concerning the accomplishment of his will through Jesus. One foretold that Jesus would die due to the disbelief of the people. (Isaiah 53) Another foretold that the people would believe in and honor Jesus as the Messiah and help him to accomplish God's will in glory. (Isaiah 9) Why did Jesus chastise Peter so harshly? In truth, when Jesus spoke these words, the disbelief of the chosen people had already frustrated Jesus efforts to complete the providence of salvation both physically and spiritually By that time, Jesus had resolutely determined to accept the fate of the cross (Luke 9:31) as a condition of indemnity to open the way for the spiritual salvation of humankind. Peter's dissuasion could have hindered Jesus from paving the way for spiritual salvation through the cross. For this reason, Jesus rebuked him.

Exposition of the Divine Principle: Messiah 1.5-6