History is filled with testimonies of the dead living again. Even today we read, hear of or witness the resuscitation of people formerly pronounced "dead." But all of these people rose from the dead "mortal"... and died again, later.

But the "first" spoken of, regarding Jesus' resurrection from the dead, is that He is the "first to rise from the dead IMMORTAL." The first mortal man ever to be literally, "born again."

He is the Firstfruits and the Firstborn of God's Children to undergo the type of resurrection mentioned in I Corinthians 15:51-54. He is the first "man" to rise from the dead and "put on immortality."

"...now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the Firstfruits of them that slept [died]. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection from the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

"But every man in his own order: Christ the Firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's AT HIS COMING." (I Cor.15:20-23)

The "transfiguration" of Jesus, which Peter, James and John saw, was a VISION!

"And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the VISION to no man, until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead." (Matt.17:9)

Moses and Elijah [contrary to the modern teachings of some] are DEAD... and shall be among the "dead in Christ" who shall rise from the dead at Jesus' "second coming" before those who are Christ's and still alive on earth at that time.

"According to the Lord's own Word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep [died]. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the DEAD IN CHRIST WILL RISE FIRST." (I Thess.4:15-16 NIV)

Moses and Elijah are not alive now... nor were they alive in that "vision." Only the "living" flesh and blood Jesus who stood before His disciples was the real person, tranfigured, to show them how His glorified body would appear in the Kingdom.

All Jesus was doing was fulfilling His promise to them:

"Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom." (Matt.16:28)

And sure enough... some of them standing there; Peter, James and John... didn't have long to wait [before they died] to see Christ in His Kingdom -- in VISION [where Moses and Elijah will also be, then]. They had no "snapshots" of Moses or Elijah to be able to "recognize" who stood there with Jesus. How could they know Moses and Elijah from Adam, and even name them, except it was revealed to them in the vision?].

People coming back from the dead are a "dime a dozen." They come back as mortally as they died. But Jesus Christ is the only man to rise from the dead "immortally."

He's still alive [many professing Christians tend to forget that]. And those living or dead who are Christ's will each have their turn at that same miraculous form of regeneration from the dead. But, every man in his own order.

"...The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening Spirit... And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." (I Cor.15:45-49)

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