The Beatific Vision: On the Transfiguration of Christ

Pastor Chris Gordon and Rev. Dr. Dan Borvan walk through Mark 9's account of the Transfiguration, showing how Christ's glory answers the disciples' confusion over a suffering, dying Messiah.
Title
The Beatific Vision: On the Transfiguration of Christ
Summary
Pastor Chris Gordon and Rev. Dr. Dan Borvan walk through Mark 9's account of the Transfiguration, showing how Christ's glory answers the disciples' confusion over a suffering, dying Messiah.
Published
Aug 10, 2026
Hosted By
Pastor Chris Gordon
Where To Tune In
Show Notes

In this episode, Pastor Chris Gordon is joined by Rev. Dr. Dan Borvan to work through Mark 9 and the Transfiguration of Christ. They set the scene with Peter's confession of Jesus as the Messiah immediately followed by his rebuke of Jesus for predicting His suffering and death — exposing the perennial human pull toward a theology of glory over a theology of the cross.

Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction & Subscribe
2:01 - Today's Topic: The Transfiguration in Mark 9
2:12 - The Beatific Vision Explained
4:30 - Context: Peter's Confession & Jesus' First Prediction
5:55 - Peter's Rebuke: "Get Behind Me, Satan"
9:57 - Theology of the Cross vs. Theology of Glory
11:49 - Deny Yourself and Take Up Your Cross
14:19 - The Hard Verse: "Kingdom Come with Power"
19:46 - The Transfiguration Begins
20:57 - Divinity Unveiled or Glorified Humanity?
22:13 - Moses, Elijah, and the True Exodus
23:47 - Peter's Booths & the Overshadowing Cloud
26:58 - "This Is My Beloved Son; Listen to Him"
28:20 - Peter's Application in 2 Peter 1
30:56 - Coming Down the Mountain

Guest Information:
Rev. Dr. Daniel Borvan is pastor of preaching ministry at Christ Reformed Church. Daniel earned his Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Seminary California in 2011, along with a Master of Arts in Historical Theology (thesis on Faustus Socinus).

Dan on X - @danborvan
Dan's Church - christreformed.org

Mentions:
The Beatific Vision
Mark 9 (Transfiguration account)
Peter's Confession of Christ (Mark 8)
Theology of the Cross vs. Theology of Glory
The Wilderness Temptation of Christ
Moses and Elijah
The Exodus (as Old Testament type)
2 Peter 1 (Peter's eyewitness testimony)
Psalm 27
Isaiah 6
Luke's Gospel account of the Transfiguration
John 6 (the crowd's attempt to make Jesus king)
Acts 1 (the disciples' question about restoring the kingdom)
The Road to Emmaus
W. Robert Godfrey's "crowd reduction sermon"

Guests
Our guests on this episode included:
Rev. Dr. Dan Borvan
Rev. Dr. Dan Borvan

Rev. Dr. Daniel Borvan is pastor of preaching ministry at Christ Reformed Church. Daniel earned his Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Seminary California in 2011. As a student at Westminster Seminary he learned that all study of Scripture, theology, and church history is put into practice in the worship and work of the church. The goal is to glorify Christ by serving His church. At Westminster Seminary he also earned a Master of Arts degree in Historical Theology. His thesis paper was on Faustus Socinus.

Daniel is chairman of the Heidelberg Reformation Association. Some of his published articles are on the Heidelblog website. Daniel was installed as pastor of preaching ministry at Christ Reformed Church, September 29, 2023. Daniel is married to Marcy and they have two daughters and a son.

x: danborvan

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