Verse 3 says, “And behold, Moses and Elijah were seen by them, conversing with Him.” Moses and Elijah represent the Old Testament overcomers who will be in the manifestation of the kingdom. They both appeared in the coming of the kingdom, that is, they were present in the manifestation of the kingdom.
In this miniature of the manifestation of the kingdom we have not only the Old Testament overcomers, but also New Testament overcomers, represented by Peter, James, and John. In this manifestation we have a glimpse of the full manifestation of the kingdom in the future.
Moses died, and God hid his body (Deut. 34:5-6); and Elijah was taken by God into heaven (2 Kings 2:11). God purposely did these two things so that Moses and Elijah might appear with Christ on the mount of His transfiguration. They were also preserved by God to be the two witnesses in the great tribulation (Rev. 11:3-4). Moses represents the law, and Elijah, the prophets. The law and the prophets were the constituents of the Old Testament as a full testimony of Christ (John 5:39). Now Moses and Elijah appeared to converse with Christ concerning His death (Luke 9:31) according to the Old Testament (Luke 24:25-27, 44; 1 Cor. 15:3).
We have pointed out that God hid Moses’ body and that Elijah was taken to heaven. However, Elijah was not taken to the third heaven. Acts 2:34 indicates that apart from Christ no one has ascended into heaven. Thus, Elijah was not in the third heaven. God hid Moses’ body and He kept Elijah until the day of Christ’s transfiguration. When Christ was transfigured, these two appeared with Him.
In verse 4 Peter said, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You are willing, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” This indicates that Peter recognized Moses and Elijah. Perhaps you are wondering how Peter was able to recognize them. In the Lord’s conversation with Moses and Elijah there must have been some indication of their identity that made it possible for Peter to recognize them. Peter might have said, “This is Moses and this is Elijah! How happy I am to see you! Oh, it is wonderful to be here!”
In his excitement Peter made the absurd proposal that he make three tabernacles, one for the Lord, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. The effect of Peter’s absurd proposal was to put Moses and Elijah on the same level with Christ, which means to make the law and the prophets, represented by Moses and Elijah, equal to Christ. This was absolutely against God’s economy. In God’s economy the law and the prophets were only a testimony to Christ; they should not be put on the same level with Him.
Verse 5 says, “While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I delight; hear Him!” This declaration of the Father to vindicate the Son was given firstly after Christ’s rising from baptism, which signified His resurrection from the dead. This is the second time the Father declared the same thing, this time to vindicate the Son in His transfiguration, which prefigures the coming kingdom. In God’s economy, after Christ came, we should hear Him, no longer the law or the prophets, since the law and the prophets were all fulfilled in Christ and by Christ.