Sometimes we still think of heaven only as a future place and time. How do we know that Kingdom of heaven is already here? Jesus promised his disciples that some of them would not die before they saw the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom (Matthew 16:28). Wait a minute! All of the disciples have died. So when did this happen? Six days later as recorded in the first two verses of this chapter.
On the mountain Jesus was transfigured so that his face shined like the sun. This is the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom. Peter, James and John saw Jesus gloriously changed. Peter saw it, and blurted out, “Let’s stay right here Jesus.” Peter always had to say something whether or not he had something to say. After God spoke confirming Jesus was his Son, the disciples fell on their faces. Jesus picked them up, dusted them off and took away their fear.
Someday we will see Jesus in all of his glory when he returns in his future Kingdom. But today, we can see him if our eyes are open. The whole earth is full of his glory. Like the moon which produces no light of its own but lights up the sky with the sun’s light, so we are daily harbingers of Christ’s coming glory to the world. Paul tells us that through the Spirit, the more time we spend with Jesus, the more we are being changed to reflect his glory to the world (2 Corinthians 3:18).
