From the Gospel of Matthew    15 

Jesus Reveals That He Must Die (Mt 16:21 23) 

     From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to 

Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and 

scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him 

and began to rebuke him, saying, `God forbid, Lord! This shall never 

happen to you.' But he turned and said to Peter, `Get behind me, Satan! 

You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of 

men.'   (Mt 16:21 23). 

    When Jesus told his disciples that He must suffer greatly and die, Peter 

rejected this idea. He did not want to accept that his Lord must endure great 

suffering. Jesus strongly corrected Peter for this error. 

    In the same way, some Christians will reject the idea that the Church 

must suffer greatly as Her Lord did. And some Christians might be upset 

because I write that the Church must endure a time of great suffering, the 

Passion and Crucifixion of the Church. Yet this is the  truth found in Holy 

Scripture. How could anyone read the Gospels and the book of Revelation 

and many other passages in Holy Scripture and not realize this? 

    Later on, the disciples began to understand what Jesus was saying about 

His great suffering:  And they were greatly distressed.  (Mt 17:23). 

The Transfiguration (Mt 17:1 8, Mark 9:2 8, Luke 9:28 36) 

     And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, 

and his garments became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them 

Moses and Elijah, talking with him.  (Mt 17:2 3). 

    The transfiguration of Jesus is a foreshadowing of the transfiguration of 

the Church. The Church will experience an increase in holiness, a great leap 

forward in purity and faithfulness to God. This event is the Church's 

transfiguration. 

    Just as Jesus' face shone like the sun, so will the face of the Church shine 

like the sun. Just as Jesus' garments became white as light, so the Church's 

garments will be made white as light. The Church will make a great increase 

in holiness and purity and love of God and all virtues, within a short period 

of time. 

    The Church will be transfigured several times. Many people from this 

generation will experience a transfiguration of the Church (late in the first 

decade of the 21st century). The increase in holiness among Christians will 

be clear even to worldly persons. Sinners will repent. Faithful Christians will 

become much closer to God. Furthermore, the time of the Forty Years, 

taken as a whole, is a time of transfiguration for the Church (A.D. 2000 to 

late 2039 or early 2040).