The law and the prophets were fulfilled in and by Christ (Matthew 17: 1-13) By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce

The law and the prophets were fulfilled in and by Christ (Matthew 17: 1-13) 

By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce 

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical Precepts & Gospel music 

In God’s economy, after Christ came, we should hear Him; we should no longer hear the law or the prophets, since the law and the prophets were fulfilled in and by Christ. The law and the prophets were shadows and prophecies, not the reality; the reality is Christ.

Since the Lord’s transfiguration occurred six days after the revelations (given at the foot of Mount Hermon) in ch.16 concerning Christ and the church, the high mountain here must be Mount Hermon. To receive the revelation concerning Christ and the church, we must be far away from the religious environment; but to see the vision of the transfigured Christ, we need to be on a high mountain, far above the earthly level.

 Moses died and God hid his body (Deut.34:5-6); Elijah was taken by God into heaven (2Kings 2:11). God purposely did these two things that Moses and Elijah might appear with Christ on the mount of His transfiguration. They were preserved by God so that they could be the two witnesses in the great tribulation (Rev.11:3-4). Moses represented the law, and Elijah, the prophets; and the law and the prophets were the constituents of the Old Testament as a full testimony of Christ (John5:39). Now Moses and Elijah appeared and conversed with Christ concerning His death (Luke9:31), which had been spoken of in the Old Testament (Luke 24:25-27,44; 1Cor.15:3) In his absurd proposal, Peter put Moses and Elijah on the same level as Christ; he made the law and the prophets equal with Christ, this was absolutely against God’s economy. In God’s economy the law and the prophets are only a testimony of Christ; they should not be put on the same level with Him. “While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, the Beloved, in whom I have found My delight. Hear Him”” (Matthew 17:5).

This declaration of the Father, given to vindicate the Son, was first spoken after Christ’s rising from baptism, which signified His resurrection from the dead. This was the second time the Father made this declaration, 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; we should no longer hear the law or the prophets, since the law and the prophets were fulfilled in and by Christ.  

Peter proposed to keep Moses and Elijah, i.e., the law and the prophets, with Christ, but God took Moses and Elijah away, leaving no one except Jesus Himself. The law and the prophets were shadows and prophecies, not the reality; the reality is Christ. Now that Christ, the reality, is here, the shadows and prophecies are no longer needed. No one except Jesus Himself should remain in the New Testament. Jesus is today’s Moses; as such, He imparts the law of life into His believers. Jesus is also today’s Elijah; as such. He speaks for God and speaks forth God within His believers. This is God’s New Testament economy.

The vision of the transfigured, glorified Jesus can be seen clearly only in the resurrection of Christ. Verses 10-11 this was according to Mal.4:5-6. This will be fulfilled at the time of the great tribulation, when Elijah will be one of the two witnesses (Rev.11:3-4), as prophesied in Mal.4:3-12)