This has always been one of the most mysterious stories in the Gospels to me. I remember once sitting in Sunday School in 2012/13 and asking the teacher what the transfiguration was all about. He didn’t know. It seems obvious that Jesus was revealing or demonstrating His deity and glory in this moment, but I remember asking why.
All these years later, I’m still not quite sure on the answer. Why here? Why now? What did it accomplish? And speaking of why here- where even is here? All the Bible tells us is that Jesus took the disciples to “a high mountain.”
Frankly, I haven’t quite settled my thoughts on most of those questions, but we may have a pretty solid theory now as to the WHERE.
Mount Hermon and the Region of Bashan
Mount Hermon, according to the Book of Enoch, is the exact location where the 200 Watchers (AKA fallen Sons of God) touched down on planet earth in the pre-flood world. This prominent mountain- located in northern Israel (today it straddles Lebanon and Syria as well)- is a site of frequent condemnation throughout the Scriptures.
Hermon is in the area of Bashan (we call it the Golan Heights today). This region was a stronghold of giants and demons in the Old Testament and New. It was a location Jesus Himself visited in Matthew 16 (and other gospels). Here, at the foot of Mount Hermon, Jesus made this famous declaration:
Matthew 16:18-19 – 18 “…And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
And shortly after this, Jesus makes this mysterious comment:
Matthew 16:28 – “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
A similar statement is made at this same event in parallel accounts in Luke 9:27 and Mark 9:1. This has confused many readers. Is Jesus saying that some of the disciples would not die before the Second Coming of Christ?
Obviously, that can’t be what Jesus meant; this was 2,000 years ago, and the disciples were all dead within a hundred years of this. Therefore, the phrase “they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” must have meant something else.
And it did: the transfiguration. In all three Gospel accounts, this is the very next recorded event that took place after Jesus said those words.
Matthew 17:1-3 – And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.
Dr. Heiser’s Theory: It Happened on Hermon
Dr. Michael Heiser, who I have referred to often on this website and my podcast, had a chapter in his book The Unseen Realm dealing with the transfiguration. He also includes some information on this theory in a follow-up book, Reversing Hermon.
His theory that Jesus chose Mount Hermon for the Transfiguration makes sense. Here are the reasons Heiser provides:
- Most scholars place Mount Tabor as the site of the Transfiguration- but Mount Tabor is only 1,843 feet. In comparison, Mount Hermon is 9000+ feet- a much better candidate for a “high mountain, as Matthew described it.
- Though six days passed, the proximity of the previous story (at Caesarea Philippi) to Mount Hermon means that Jesus was in this region during this time of His ministry.
- The symbolic association of Mount Hermon (as the place of a significant Old Testament rebellion) makes it a logical choice for the transfiguration. The place where the fallen Sons of God lost their glory is the same place where the true Son of God revealed His glory.
- “What this means for the theme of reversing Hermon is straightforward. When Jesus chose to go to Mount Hermon to be transfigured, He was claiming it for the Kingdom of God.” (Reversing Hermon, page 99)
For me, the question still lingers: why did Jesus do it? What was He accomplishing?
In a spiritual sense, He was putting the demonic realm “on notice.” He was revealing to them, right in the middle of their home base, that He was all powerful and in total control. The Watchers of the primeval era “left their domain/proper dwelling” (Jude 6) to try and gain dominion/authority on earth. Jesus was showing the demonic world that the earth is His proper domain, not theirs.
And also, in a practical sense, Jesus’ transfiguration accomplished another purpose. If Jesus just wanted to show the demons who they’re messing with, He could have done that all by Himself. But instead, He took three of the disciples up there with Him. What did this accomplish? I believe the key lies in what Jesus had said just prior.
Let’s return to the previous chapter, where Jesus had said that some standing there would not die before they saw the Son of Man in His Kingdom power and authority. Jesus was actually giving His disciples quite a serious charge (duty) in this moment.
Matthew 16:24-28 – 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Those are some heavy words! Jesus is demanding absolute loyalty from His followers, even unto their own deaths. That’s a hard pill to swallow. Next, Jesus declares that some of them will see His glory before they do die.
And then right after that, three of them have the privilege of witnessing the transfiguration. What does all this mean? Putting it together, I think this was Jesus’ thought process:
“I am asking you to die for me, if required. But if I’m going to ask you to make such a heavy sacrifice, I’m also going to show you that it will be worth it. That I am who I say I am. I will show you my glory. But not all of you- only those who have already shown the most devotion.”
And those were Peter, James and John. It’s not about salvation- all of the disciples other than Judas were truly saved. But how close you want to get to God’s glory is a choice each of us must make for ourselves. And only three had earned the privilege to see the truth of who Jesus was with their own eyes. They were granted this privilege based on their love and dedication to Jesus.
I’m not sure if this answers every last question about why the transfiguration took place. Personally, I’d like to know more about why Jesus said not to tell anyone about it until late. Or why Moses and Elijah were there. But this is where I’m at on some of those questions right now.
If you’d like a podcast episode with more information on Hermon and the spiritual geography of the Bible, we encourage you to check out the following two episodes of the Weird Stuff in the Bible podcast:
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