HE'S THE LORD OF EVERYTHING. HE EVEN CALLS HIMSELF, "THE LORD OF THE HARVEST!" By Chad Taylor May 26, 2008 When Jesus went up the mountain with three of His disciples, He was transfigured or altered from His human state to a glorified one. It was a fearful moment of splendor as the Son of Man revealed His heavenly identity and manifested His glory in human form to three trembling witnesses. The description of Jesus' appearance in this indescribable moment is life-changing, and reveals a glimpse into their future shortly after this transfiguration. Moments after this earth-shaking experience as God the Father is heard audibly from Heaven and Elijah and Moses appear on the mountain with the Lord--Jesus declares to His disciples, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead..." (Matthew 17:2). This was indicating that there would be a time that this manifest presence of Jesus, in all its blinding brilliance, would be revealed and exposed to the world, existing just below this mountaintop experience. Now look a little closer at this event as the Gospel records it: "His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light..." Matthew 17:9 The word "shone" is a derivative from the Greek word "Lampos" or "to shine with brilliance." The color of His clothing was "white as the light" which is "Leukos," the word for "white light" or "fire." Jesus had become a brilliant, radiant white flame that caused the disciples to collapse to the ground in terror. This was not just a momentary passing experience, but rather, a prophetic keyhole into the future which would be accessible to all after His resurrection. But as you will see, there was another hinge on this door of His glorious transfiguring presence--the harvest. Now His Glory Revealed to the World This was not the last time that this brilliant glory would be revealed. Fast forward a few chapters to Matthew 28. We see a vacant grave where the Body of Jesus had been laid, and now, rather than Moses and Elijah appearing, the Angel of the Lord descends and rolls the stone away from the cavity and sits down. The angel announces to the two women which had come to fulfill their duties--that Christ was not dead but is very much alive, and then commands them to, "Go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead!" This is the first evangelistic mandate after Jesus had conquered the grave. The news of His resurrection raced through Galilee. When the angel commanded them to go, literally, "two by two," we again see the same "white-Leukos" or brilliant light that is white like snow and bright as lightening. The angel appears in the same glory that Jesus revealed on the Mount of Transfiguration and sends the two women with a Message. What was once contained on the top of the mountain to three trembling disciples is now unveiled to the world. Mary Magdalene and her accomplice became the first evangelists proclaiming the resurrected Christ in the "Leukos," or His manifest power, that they had seen on the mountain top. Suddenly, the vision begins to come into focus; the awesome presence and power revealed to the world in all of His amazing glory on the mountain, then later at the empty grave, is for a much larger, dynamic purpose. These manifestations were not just showcasing His stunning brilliance, but rather it was to confirm His resurrection and life to the world--past, present and future. The glory of God revealed in these epic encounters was the sole spearhead of evangelism that would be confirmed with great signs and wonders. This becomes even more clear as we hear the description of the harvest as Jesus exhorts His apostles: "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are already 'white' for harvest!" (John 4:35). Did you see it? The same Greek word used at the Mount of Transfiguration to describe His glory and the same vivid language at the empty grave of a resurrected Jesus now defines the harvest--Leukos: brilliant white light and fire! A progressive advancement of God's presence was manifesting in the earth from the mountain, the grave and now--the harvest. "And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and great grace was upon them all." Acts 4:33 This lightning rod of God's transforming presence was now being translated into the first century church. They were "telling the vision" of what they had seen and heard on the mountain down below in the valley of decision and great power was upon them. When Stephen faced his persecutors as they opposed the message of Jesus it records, "And all that sat in the council looking steadfastly on him and saw his face as it had been the face of an angel..." (Acts 6:15). Suddenly it was not a private matter of a select few. It had become a worldwide event that reached out past every social religious boundary with His message of eternal salvation. The awestruck disciples were now the carriers of His glorious presence into the "uttermost parts of the earth." God's White Light Causes the Fields to Be White for Harvest We see now that the engine of the Gospel message that drives it into the world--is His presence and glory. It is not a tantalizing self-induced experience that produces no fruit, but rather an illuminating light which leads the world to Jesus and becomes the pillar of fire that leads His Church into the world. Yet often in contemporary circles, we see the opposite in effect. We want to privatize His glory and keep it shrouded in personal experience, assuming the world will simply catch on. Look at the words of Jesus carefully, "No man after he has lit a candle puts it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick so that they that come in may see the light..." (Luke 11:33). "...so that those that come in may see the light"...what are they coming into that a light is so important? They are coming into His Kingdom like an airplane on a dark runway and need a spotlight guiding them to the shores of His presence and salvation! That's what He meant when it was declared prophetically, "YOU are the LIGHT of the WORLD" (Matthew 5:14). You have become the transfiguring light of His presence and are the only hope of the world to see it. "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory..." (Colossians 1:27). Our job description now is to reveal the Light of eternity in a dark world void of it. We are light to the world and are here to transfigure and transform it. Now we can see why He identified Himself as the "Lord of the Harvest" (Matthew 9:38 and Luke 10:2).There was His crowning achievement, the joy set before Him and why He had suffered and died. It was the reason He was crucified to ransom lost mankind to Himself. He was the Lord of that Harvest and had received an anointing and was now giving to His Church the anointing to reap it. The word harvest literally means: a reaping. In Luke 10:2, harvest is literally mentioned three times, "Then He said to them, 'The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'" A "reaping or crop" is not "going" to be ready. It "was already" ripe, and the only hindrance to that reaping were the workers or laborers. That word "laborer" can be interpreted in the ancient text as "toiler or teacher." This world needs someone to teach it the Word of God. As far as we appear to be climbing this current mountain of revelation and gifts, we can never disqualify the necessity of teaching and preaching His Word. It's the very reason the glory was given and that divine power was granted--to "be His witnesses." Look at Philip as he encounters the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8:26-39. Philip became the prophet to Africa's royal court sent by God along the roadside. He became the teacher that illuminated the ancient text of Isaiah revealing Christ to him. Then he was a mighty evangelist who baptized the man in water along the way after the eunuch openly confessed, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God..." (verse 37). Rather than dissect God's power into cookie-cutter theologies, let's fully embrace the sheer power of His presence and step into the brilliant light of the "Lord of the Harvest" and become His prophets, kings, priests, teachers and evangelists to the world. In that exact moment, the world begins to press around us like moths to the flame as it did Him and all of them then. We suddenly realize we have entered a harvest that is a result of prophecy and has become the answer to His ancient prayer, "...pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest" You become that laborer and you become that harvester and the prophecy of Jesus of a great glorious white harvest continues to be fulfilled and unfolded. The harvest we face today is a prophetic one born on the winds of prophecy uttered from the mouth of Jesus two thousand years ago. Like Philip, run to it! You may see kings bow, princes baptized and vagabonds saved. This great prophetic adventure awaits you, and His glory will carry you into the white light of His presence, because you "are a city set upon a hill that cannot be hid" and you are the "Leukos" or "light of the world." Lord of the Harvest, send them! Chad Taylor Consuming Fire Revival Network Email: help@... Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList website, email contact info, and author contact information intact. ElijahList Publications 310 2nd Ave SE, Albany, OR 97321 www.elijahlist.com email: info@... Get the name you always wanted with the new y7mail email address. www.yahoo7.com.au/mail