The Last Scribe
Story scene · The Life of Jesus · Matthew 17, Mark 9, Luke 9
The Transfiguration as a game: the mountain, the cloud and the voice
Climb an high mountain apart with Peter, James and John, and watch Jesus pray until “his face did shine as the sun”. Meet Moses and Elias, and hear the voice out of the bright cloud, as Matthew, Mark and Luke tell it.
No download. Plays in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer. Revelation 1 and the Baptism of Jesus are free to try first.
What you will see
One night on the high mountain, told from the climb to the way down
You arrive as a Scribe, sent to witness the story and write it down. The Transfiguration is told from three passages at once, Matthew 17, Mark 9 and Luke 9, and the scene is one map you can walk end to end. Seven stand on it: James, Simon Peter, John, Moses, Elijah, Jesus, and the voice of God from the cloud. Each speaks only from their own verses. Jesus is met and spoken with, never played, and the Father is heard as a voice out of the cloud, never drawn as a person.
Six things wait to be found and read: the place where Jesus prayed, His garments white as the light, a note on why Moses and Elijah could be there, the three tabernacles Peter offered to make, the bright cloud, and His charge on the way down to tell no one until He was risen. The quest follows the passages in order: James tells you who went up, you find the place of prayer, Peter tells what he saw when he awoke, Moses speaks of His decease at Jerusalem, and then come the voice, the touch, and what the three kept to themselves.
The voice is heard as Matthew tells it: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” When you have seen it all, step into the quiz zone and eighteen questions ask what you saw.
The story, in order
The quest, Up the High Mountain, has eight steps, and they follow the passages in order. Nothing is added to the text; the steps are a way of making sure you miss none of it.
- Hear from James who went up the mountain.
- Find the place where Jesus prayed.
- Hear what Peter saw when he awoke.
- Meet Moses, and hear what he spoke of with Jesus.
- Learn why Moses and Elijah could be there.
- Hear the voice from the bright cloud.
- Hear what Jesus said to His frightened disciples.
- Hear from John what they kept to themselves on the way down.
Who you meet
Seven people and voices stand in the scene. Each speaks only from their own place in the passages.
- James, Son of Zebedee — one of the three Jesus took up the mountain, who tells you of the climb and how they “fell on their face” at the voice.
- Simon Peter — the disciple who woke to see His glory and said, “Lord, it is good for us to be here”.
- John, Brother of James — the third of the three, who tells you of the charge on the way down and what they kept to themselves.
- Moses — the lawgiver, raised from the dead as Jude 9 is read, who “spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem”.
- Elijah — the prophet who went up by a whirlwind into heaven, and here talked with Jesus on the mountain.
- Jesus — met and spoken with, never played, who touched His disciples and said, “Arise, and be not afraid.”
- The Voice of God from the Cloud — the Father, heard out of the bright cloud and never drawn as a person: “This is my beloved Son: hear him.”
What you find
Walk up to any of these and the game reads you the verses it comes from, in the King James Version.
- The Place of Prayer (Luke 9:28–29)
- Garments White as the Light (Matthew 17:2)
- Why Moses and Elijah Were There (Matthew 17:3)
- Three Tabernacles (Luke 9:33)
- The Bright Cloud (Luke 9:34–35)
- Until He Is Risen (Mark 9:9–10)
The verses on the high mountain
“And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.” Matthew 17:1–2, King James Version
Every verse the game quotes is the KJV. Where a character speaks in their own words, the dialogue is written from the passages and checked against our doctrinal rules before release. The about page says plainly how we read the Bible.
Try five of the eighteen
The Transfiguration quiz questions, with answers
Five real questions from the The Transfiguration quiz, in the game's own words. In the game the options are shuffled every time, and you need 70% to pass.
1. Which three disciples did Jesus take up the high mountain?
- Peter, James and John
- Thomas, Peter and Andrew
- James, John and Matthew
- Peter, Andrew and Philip
Show the answer
A. Peter, James and John Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart.
2. What state were the disciples in before they saw His glory?
- Fasting
- Fishing on the lake
- Heavy with sleep
- Arguing among themselves
Show the answer
C. Heavy with sleep Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him.
3. What did His face look like when He was transfigured?
- It shone like the sun
- It grew dark like a cloud
- It burned like fire
- It was hidden by a veil
Show the answer
A. It shone like the sun He was transfigured before them. His face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
4. What did Peter offer to make on the mountain?
- An altar of uncut stones
- A fire to keep them warm
- A meal for the five of them
- Three tabernacles: one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah
Show the answer
D. Three tabernacles: one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah Peter said, “Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles.”
5. Until when were they to tell the vision to no one?
- Until the Feast of Passover
- Until they reached Jerusalem
- Until the Son of Man is risen from the dead
- Until Elijah came again
Show the answer
C. Until the Son of Man is risen from the dead Jesus commanded them, “Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.”
Right answers pay 10 XP each and a perfect score pays 50 more. In a room, everyone answers the same quiz and sees how the others did. More on how the quiz works.
Story facts
- 27
- verses from Matthew 17, Mark 9, Luke 9, every one covered by something you see, hear or read
- 18
- quiz questions, each tied to a verse
- 7
- people and voices to speak with
- 6
- things to find and read
- 1–6
- players in a room; solo play is fine too
- KJV
- every verse quoted from the King James Version
How to play it
- Open the game in your browser and make an account. A child under 13 gives a parent's email instead of their own, and the parent confirms before the child can play with anyone else; see the page for parents.
- Play the short intro story in the Archivery, the library where the Scribe finds the Book. It is free and takes a few minutes.
- Open the world map and choose The Transfiguration. To play with others, start a room and share its code, which looks like SCRIBE-7K4P2Q; up to six people can join from their own devices.
- Walk the map, speak with everyone, read everything, then step into the quiz zone.
Free, and with a subscription
The Transfiguration is one of the 14 story scenes, in the series The Life of Jesus. It is part of the subscription ($9.99 a month or $79.99 a year), and the story scenes are open from the first day of it: they do not wait on the road through the books. See pricing.
Free forever, for every player: the intro story, Revelation 1, the story scene The Baptism of Jesus, and four open lands to walk with other players: the City of the Last Days, the Garden of Eden, Judea in the days of Jesus, and Patmos and the Seven Churches. Revelation 1 is a good first chapter to try before you subscribe.
More to play
- Before: Feeding the Five Thousand — Cross the sea of Galilee to a desert place where a great multitude waits.
- After: The Last Supper — Follow Peter and John into the city to make ready the passover in “a large upper room furnished”.
- Every chapter and story with a page: the list of what you can play.
Climb the high mountain apart.
The Transfiguration takes about twenty minutes alone, a little longer with friends in a room.
Start with the free chapters