Matthew 17, Mark 9

To Peter, the Lord promised -

"...I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (New Testament Matthew 16:19)

A few days later -

Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only." (New Testament Matthew 17:1 - 8)

Of this significant event not much more is recorded by Mark. Nothing is written of the Peter receiving the keys that whatsoever he should bind on earth would be bound in Heaven. One would have to suspect that it was on this occasion these keys were given. Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained the significance of the two visitors -

“Moses, the great prophet-statesman whose name symbolized the law, and Elijah the Tishbite, a prophet of so great fame that his name had come to typify and symbolize the collective wisdom and insight of all the prophets. Moses held the keys of the gathering of Israel and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north; Elijah, the keys of the sealing power. These are the keys which they conferred upon Peter, James, and John upon the mount, and which they also conferred upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple nearly two thousand years later. (D. & C. 110:11–16.) Both of them were translated beings and had bodies of flesh and bones, a status they apparently enjoyed so that they could confer keys upon mortal men. We have a detailed scriptural account of Elijah’s translation (2 Kings 2) and a number of scriptural references concerning Moses which can only be interpreted to mean that he too was taken to heaven without tasting death. (Alma 45:18–19; Mormon Doctrine, pp. 726–730; Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 2, pp. 107–111.)

In that the first fruits of the resurrection had not yet taken place, Moses and Elijah, both as physical beings were present to present those keys to the Savior and Peter, James, and John. The keys related to the power to bind on earth and in Heaven is otherwise known as the sealing keys. Again, Elder McConkie explained -

“These keys include the sealing power, that is, the power to bind and seal on earth, in the Lord’s name and by his authorization, and to have the act ratified in heaven. Thus if Peter performed baptism by the authority of the sealing power here promised him, that ordinance would be of full force and validity when the person for whom it was performed went into the eternal worlds, and it would then admit him to the celestial heaven. Again, if Peter used these sealing keys to perform a marriage, then those so united in eternal marriage would continue as husband and wife forever. When they attained their future heaven, they would find themselves bound together in the family unit the same as they were on earth. (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 615–16.)” (McConkie, DNTC, 1:389–90.)

As brief as the words of the gospel writers on this event, I find it interesting that as the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith how the earth would be transfigured, he also said -

"...even according to the pattern which was shown unto mine apostles upon the mount; of which account the fulness ye have not yet received." (Doctrine and Covenants Section 63:21)

In other words, no one yet has received a full account of what took place upon on the Mount of Transfiguration. Obviously there were others there. Elder McConkie writes that in the -

"...Joseph Smith Translation Mark 9:1-4, suggests that John the Baptist was also present on the Mount of Transfiguration. The original manuscript of the Joseph Smith Translation reads precisely as the printed editions do for these verses.

John would be a spirit only, since he had been slain some months before and the Savior's resurrection had not yet taken place. Just what John the Baptist's mission could be at this event is not clear, but perhaps there were many holy and angelic beings present for a number of reasons. Elder Bruce R. McConkie expressed his understanding of the event as follows: "It is not to be understood that John the Baptist was the Elias who appeared ' with Moses to confer keys and authority upon those who then held the Melchizedek Priesthood .... Rather, for some reason that remains unknown-because of the partial record of the proceedings-John played some other part in the glorious manifestations .... Perhaps he was there, as the last legal administrator under the Old Covenant, to symbolize that the law was fulfilled." (Bruce R. McConkie. Doctrinal New Testament Commentary. 3 vols. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-73, 1:404.)

What an interesting thought, which basically means -

“Until men attain a higher status of spiritual understanding than they now enjoy, they can learn only in part what took place upon the Mount of Transfiguration.” (DNTC, 1:399.)