What did Jesus mean with "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
Matthew 16:28
ESV - 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.
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Asked January 26 2015
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Marko SImurina
For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Joel Williams
These verses show Jesus speaking, giving his prophecy of the end of the world... According to him, it should have happened within a few decades of him saying this:
Matthew 16: 27, 28
Mark 13:26-30
Luke 21:27-32
“For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds. Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.“ (Matthew 16: 27, 28)
“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven. Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place…“ (Mark 13:26-30)
“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. Then He told them a parable: Behold the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.“ (Luke 21:27-32)
Key words... “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.“/"Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place."
Until what takes place?
Mark 13:
24 “But in those days, following that distress,
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it[d] is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The Day and Hour Unknown
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert[e]! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
As you can see, this is the end times prophecy... straight out of the bible, you can see for yourself it isn't out of context. He already said the end of times would come, and it would happen within the life time of some of those he was speaking to. It literally states "Heaven and earth will pass away". There is no confusion here. “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death
Joseph Bawa
I was also wondering if Matthew 16;28 actually meant that there are some people still alive from the days of Jesus Christ on earth. I decided to personalise that scripture and said to my self that then I don't want to die until I see Christ appearing in His glory with power.
But upon further reflection through the discerning of the Holy Spirit, I have come to understand the scripture with a contextual meaning. I believe some people during the time of Jesus (especially his disciples) did not die until they experienced the power of His resurrection on the day of Pentecost. Some of those He ministered to fulfilled the scripture (that prophecy).
So prophesies have already being fulfilled in the Bible including Matthew 16:28. The death and most importantly the resurrection of Jesus Christ brought the Kingdom of God to earth.
Today, some will surely live to experience the rapture.