Elijah at Christ’s Transfiguration

In order to understand how Elijah was involved with Christ’s Transfiguration, we need to understand something about what are called early and latter rains. We find the following in Deuteronomy:

So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul—then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. (Dt 11:13-15)

In Israel the early rains came in the autumn (October-November) and the latter rains came in the spring (March-April). Plowing occurred after the early rains softened the soil. Planting was then done for a spring harvest of barley and wheat. Plowing occurred after the latter rains for planting of fall harvest of flax and millet.

What Elijah prophesied was not just no rain, but a drought, three and a half years of drought:

Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word. (1Ki 17:1)

While the Bible doesn’t say what time of year Elijah prophesied the drought to start, for maximum effect, it would likely be some time before the latter rains and before the maturation of the fall harvest. This would likely occur before Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets at the beginning of Tishri, the seventh month) to show that God was not remembering his covenant with Israel due to their sin of worshipping Baal.

Elijah was told to go to the Cherith Ravine (1Ki 17:5). This was near where Elijah grew up in Gilead. There was a stream here normally until mid-Summer when it would dry up; perhaps it dried up earlier this time due to the drought. Therefore, his time here was likely no more than half a year.

Elijah was then told to go to Zarephath (1Ki 17:9). This is slightly north of Israel in what is today Lebanon. Ironically, this is the area from where Jezebel grew up. Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab and a very wicked woman who led all of Israel into the worship of Baal through her 450 prophets.

Elijah is later told to go to Mt. Carmel and have a showdown with Jezebel’s prophets of Baal here as many of the people gathered and looked on at the spectacle (1Ki 18:19). The prophets of Baal pleaded with Baal to light their sacrifice with fire and, after a time, even cut themselves to show their devotion to him by giving him their blood, but nothing happened (1Ki 18:25-29). After the prophets of Baal gave up requesting and pleading with Baal to light their sacrifice, Elijah prepares his sacrifice by building an altar as God had commanded one to be built, dug a trench around the altar, and then poured several barrels of water over the sacrifice to wet the wood which overflowed into the surrounding trench. At Elijah’s request, God sends fire from heaven which consumed not only the sacrifice, but the stones of the altar, and the water that was poured over it in the trenches surrounding the altar (1Ki 18:30-39).

The people fell to their faces and worshiped God. Elijah then had the prophets of Baal slain. Elijah prayed earnestly for rain three times. Rain came, but it wasn’t normal rain but a torrential downpour (1Ki 18:44-45).

When Ahab told Jezebel what Elijah had done, she sent a letter to Elijah stating that she was going to do the same to him as he did to her prophets of Baal. For some reason, this frightened Elijah, and he feared for his life (1Ki 19:3a). He became so frightened he fled from Samaria to Beersheba and then a day's journey into the wilderness where he collapsed. After being fed by an angel twice, he had enough strength to reach a cave at Mt. Sinai after forty days of travel (1Ki 19:3b-9).

If the drought started sometime before Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets) before maturation of Fall Harvest, then 3 ½ years later would put the time around Shavuot (May/June) when he had his encounter with the 450 prophets of Baal.

While at the cave at Mt. Sinai, God spoke to him:

The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” (1Ki 19:11a)

This is likely the time Elijah was transported to the Transfiguration to see Christ.

Once he was back at Sinai, God helped Elijah see his lack of understanding.

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1Ki 19:11b-13).

This seems to be not one event but two: he was first called to the mouth of the cave to experience the presence of the Lord, but then later was farther back in the cave and went to the mouth of the cave again. If he was transported to Christ’s Transfiguration, this would explain why he was within the cave and called to its front twice.

God then gave Elijah instructions (1Ki 19:15). He was to travel to Abel-Meholah. Getting there would have taken another 40 days. This may be reason there is no mention of his face glowing as the glow would have faded over this time.

Abel-Meholah was near where Elisha grew up. Elijah found Elisha plowing in his father’s field. Plowing was not possible until now, even though late, because of the drought and the torrential downpour they had just experienced. Upon hearing his calling from Elijah, Elisha sacrificed his oxen and used the wood from the plow as kindling (1Ki 19:21). This implied he was willing to leave his profession permanently to follow God and Elijah. Elijah also anointed Jehu as the next king of Northern Israel as God had commanded him to do.

For Elijah, meeting with Christ would have been an encouragement to him that his mission was far greater than he had ever believed. This may have been the beginning of the story that Elijah would be a forerunner of their coming Messiah. Only Malachi mentions this in Scripture (Ml 4:5). Yet Elijah became larger and more infamous than all the other prophets even though Scripture does not place him as such before Malachi says anything about him. This is curious because other prophets were of great renown and had a lot more information written about them, like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Yet, it seems Elijah surpassed them all in renown. This may also have prepared Elijah for him becoming a symbol of hope that at some point in their future, they could be with their Messiah without having to die as they enter the Messiah’s promised future kingdom where all would be back like the garden of Eden with peace between humans and within the animal realm, and where Israel would become a nation that all other nations would look up to.

While not proof, this likelihood of Elijah transported from Sinai to Mt. Hermon for Christ’s Transfiguration does help to explain many things the Israelites would need to piece together as they lived and looked forward to their coming Messiah.

Next, let’s compare the timeline between Moses, Elijah, and Jesus for a better understanding of how they all parallel each other. Stay with me and we’ll do that next time.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens