Jesus was coming back in their lifetime

JESUS WAS COMING BACK IN THEIR LIFETIME
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Matthew 16:28 28"TrulyI tell you, some who are
standing here will not taste death before they see the
Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
The Coming Of The Son Of Man
Matthew 16:28
R. Tuck
Not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. This is
immediately suggested. "Christ's coming," and"Christ's coming in his
kingdom," must be phrases used with a variety of meanings and with a
variety of references.We begin to feel that it must be used as a proverbial
phrase. Various explanations of our Lord's meaning have been given.
Examine three.
I. CHRIST CAME IN HIS KINGDOM AT THE TRANSFIGURATION. This
meaning is suggestedby the factthat the narrative of the Transfiguration
immediately succeeds,and the evangelistappears designedly to setthem in
close connection. Thatwas a very sublime manifestation of his glory, but it is
difficult to understand how it could be calleda "coming of the kingdom."
Moreover, there is no point in saying that some would be sparedto the coming

of the kingdom, when all were to be spared overthe Transfiguration. That
explanation cannot be regardedas satisfactory.
II. CHRIST CAME IN HIS KINGDOM AT THE DAY OF PENTECOST.
That is properly regarded as the actual starting of Christ's new and spiritual
kingdom. In part it may fulfil the reference ofour Lord. But here again the
difficulty occurs that the apostolic band was intact at the Day of Pentecost,
with the exceptionof the traitor Judas, who had "gone to his own place." It is
hardly possible to rest satisfiedwith this explanation.
III. CHRIST CAME IN HIS KINGDOM AT THE FALL OF JERUSALEM.
"This was a judicial coming, a signal and visible event, and one that would
happen in the lifetime of some, but not of all, of those present." John certainly
lived beyond this event. "In a sense which was real, though partial, the
judgment which felt upon the JewishChurch, the destruction of the holy city
and the temple, the onward march of the Church of Christ, was as the coming
of the Son of man in his kingdom." This is altogetherthe most satisfactory
suggestion;and we need only suppose that Christ was carried awayin his
thoughts beyond the present, and was helped in thinking of the sufferings that
were immediately before him, by comforting visions of the successandglory
which would follow his suffering and his sacrifice in the world's by and by. -
R.T.
Biblical Illustrator
For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father.
Matthew 16:27, 28
The coming of the Son of Man
D. Charles., A. Macfarlane., H. McNeile.

1. The judgment of the world has been committed to the Son as Mediator, as
an appropriate honour to One who had humbled Himself for the redemption
of the world.
2. Christ is qualified to be Judge, as the Son of God, of the same essence as the
Father; the perfections of the Godheadwill appear glorious in Him.
3. The saints in judgment will be manifestedas the doers of the will of God
upon earth.
4. The work of the Judge will be, not to justify, or to make righteous, but to
prove the saints by their works, that they are righteous already.
5. Men will be judged by their works, to show that God in the work of man's
salvationsupports the cause of infinite holiness.
6. Judgment will not be according to the works visible to men, but to all done
in secret.
7. Judgment according to works will condemn the ungodly, and make them
dumb before God.
(D. Charles.)
I. THE SON OF MAN AS THE PROMISED, manifested, ascendedOne.

II. His REAPPEARANCEON EARTH Predicted, possible, necessary.
III. HIS SUPERHUMAN GLORY. His herald, person, retinue is glorious.
IV. His IMPORTANT WORK. TO raise the dead, change the living, judge all,
reward each, resignthe reins of government into His Father's hand.
(A. Macfarlane.)
I. That the Lord Jesus Christ shall return to this earth as a man in the glory of
God with His angels.
II. That all Christ's believing people shall appear with Him.
III. The Lord at His coming in His glory shall reward every man according to
his works.
(H. McNeile.)
An awful premonition
C. H. Spurgeon.
Compared with the doom which will be inflicted upon the ungodly at the
coming of Christ, the death of nature is nothing.

I. THE SINNER'S DEATHIS BUT A FAINT PRESAGE OF THE SINNER'S
DOOM AT THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN IN HIS GLORY.
1. We can make but little comparisonbetweenthe two in the point of time.
Physicaldying is but the work of a moment; the doom of the wickedwhen
Christ comes will never die.
2. In point of loss there is no comparison.
3. Neitherdoes death hear any comparisonwith the last judgment in point of
terror.
4. The pains of death are not comparable to the pains of the judgment at the
secondadvent.
II. IN THE STATE OF SEPARATE SPIRITS THEYHAVE NOT FULLY
TASTED OF DEATH, NOR WILL THEY DO SO UNTIL CHRIST COMES.
Till after the secondadvent their bodies do not suffer; they know that this
present state will end, after judgment no end; they have not been put to the
shame of a public sentence.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Waiting for Christ's coming
Ready for work.

I saw a picture the other day in a shop window, with which I was greatly
pleased;it representeda room in which was a window looking out upon the
sea;a lady with a grave, anxious face satby the window, and two little
children were playing on the carpet. On the table lay a letter, which seemed
just to have been opened, and againstthe wallwas hanging the portrait of a
gentleman. There was very little writing underneath the picture, and very
little was wanted; for I could understand the story which the picture was
intended to tell, as plainly as if the painter had told me himself. The father of
these little children was evidently absent from them beyond the sea. There was
his portrait, but he was far away. But he had sent them s letter containing the
joyful news that he was coming home again! And so there was the mother
sitting at that window, day after day, and looking across the wide waters, in
the hope of at last seeing the white sails of the ship which should bring the
long-expectedone home. Now this picture, I think, may remind us of what the
Lord Jesus usedto tell His disciples about His "coming again."
(Ready for work.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(28) There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death . . .—The
immediate sequence ofthe vision of the Son of Man transfigured from the low
estate in which He then lived and moved, into the “excellentglory” which met
the gaze of the three disciples, has led not a few interpreters to see in that
vision the fulfilment of this prediction. A closerscrutiny of the words must,
however, lead us to set aside that interpretation, exceptso far as the
Transfigurationbore witness to what had till then been the latent possibilities
of His greatness.To speak ofsomething that was to take place within six days
as to occurbefore some of those who heard the words should taste of death
(comp. John 8:52, Hebrews 2:9, for the form of the expression)would hardly

have been natural; nor does the vision, as such, satisfy the meaning of the
words “coming in His kingdom.” The solution of the problem is to be found in
the greatprophecy of Matthew 24. In a sense whichwas real, though partial,
the judgment which fell upon the JewishChurch, the destruction of the Holy
City and the Temple, the onward march of the Church of Christ, was as the
coming of the Sonof Man in His kingdom. His people felt that He was not far
off from every one of them. He had come to them in “spirit and in power,”
and that advent was at once the earnestand the foreshadowing ofthe “great
far-off event,” the day and hour of which were hidden from the angels of God,
and even from the Son of Man Himself (Mark 13:32). The words find their
parallel in those that declaredthat “This generationshall not pass awaytill all
be fulfilled” (Matthew 24:34). That such words should have been recorded
and published by the Evangelists is a proof either that they acceptedthat
interpretation, if they wrote after the destruction of Jerusalem, or, if we
assume that they were led by them to look for the “end of all things” as near
at hand, that they wrote before the generationof those who then stoodby had
passedaway;and so the very difficulty that has perplexed men becomes a
proof of the early date of the three Gospels that contain the record.
BensonCommentary
Matthew 16:28. Verily, there be some standing here, &c. — And that you may
not doubt that there shall be a day of judgment, when I shall come clothed
with divine majesty, to render unto men according to their actions in this life,
let me assure you there are some here present that shall not die till they shall
see a faint representationof this, in events which will soontake place,
especiallyin my coming to set up my mediatorial kingdom with greatpower
and glory, in the increase of my church, and the destruction of mine enemies.
Accordingly the disciples saw their Mastercoming in his kingdom, when they
were witnesses ofhis transfiguration, resurrection, and ascension, andthe
miraculous gifts of his Spirit conferredupon them; and lived to see Jerusalem,
with the Jewishstate, destroyed, and the gospelpropagatedthrough the
greatestpart of the then knownworld.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
16:24-28 A true disciple of Christ is one that does follow him in duty, and shall
follow him to glory. He is one that walks in the same way Christ walkedin, is
led by his Spirit, and treads in his steps, whithersoeverhe goes. Lethim deny
himself. If self-denialbe a hard lesson, it is no more than what our Master
learned and practised, to redeem us, and to teachus. Let him take up his
cross. The cross is here put for every trouble that befalls us. We are apt to
think we could bear another's cross better than our own; but that is best
which is appointed us, and we ought to make the best of it. We must not by
our rashness and folly pull crossesdownupon our own heads, but must take
them up when they are in our way. If any man will have the name and credit
of a disciple, let him follow Christ in the work and duty of a disciple. If all
worldly things are worthless when comparedwith the life of the body, how
forcible the same argument with respectto the soul and its state of never-
ending happiness or misery! Thousands lose their souls for the most trifling
gain, or the most worthless indulgence, nay, often from mere sloth and
negligence. Whateveris the objectfor which men forsake Christ, that is the
price at which Satanbuys their souls. Yet one soul is worth more than all the
world. This is Christ's judgment upon the matter; he knew the price of souls,
for he redeemedthem; nor would he underrate the world, for he made it. The
dying transgressorcannotpurchase one hour's respite to seek mercyfor his
perishing soul. Let us then learn rightly to value our souls, and Christ as the
only Saviour of them.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Verily I say unto you ... - To encourage them, he assuredthem that, though his
kingdom was now obscure and despised - though he was castout and little
known - yet the time was nearwhen he would be regardedin a different
manner, and his kingdom be establishedwith greatpower.
This cannot refer to the end of the world, and there is no need of referring it
to the destruction of Jerusalem.

Taste ofdeath - That is, die. Before they die they shall see this.
Son of man coming in his kingdom - Mark and Luke have explained this:
Mark 9:1, "Until they have seenthe kingdom of God come with power;" Luke
9:27, "Till they see the kingdom of God." The meaning evidently is, "till they
shall see my kingdom," i. e., my church, now small, feeble, and despised,
greatly enlarged, established, and spreading with greatrapidity and extent.
All this was accomplished. All these apostles, exceptJudas, lived to see the
wonders of the day of Pentecost;some of them, John particularly, saw the
Jewishnation scattered, the temple destroyed, the gospelestablishedin Asia,
Rome, Greece, andin a large part of the known world.
Remarks On Matthew 16
1. People will often judge far more correctlyabout natural than about
spiritual things, Matthew 16:1-3. In respectto natural objects they are
watchful. In them they feel a deep interest, and they watchfor every sign that
may affecttheir interest. They are too much concernedto judge falsely. But
they feel no such interest in religious things. Hence, it happens that people
who have goodsense and much wisdom in regard to worldly concerns, are
often exceedinglyfoolish in regard to religion. They believe reports respecting
religion, revivals, and missions, which they would despise on any other
subject. They read and believe newspapers and other publications, which they
would hold in contempt on any other topic but religion. They give a degree of
weight to arguments againstthe Bible, and againstthe doctrines of the gospel,
to which they would attachlittle or no importance on any other subject. They
sustain themselves in infidelity by arguments which they would regardas of
no force if the same kind of reasoning was urged in defense of anything else.

2. It is of importance to watch the signs of the times, Matthew 16:3. In the
days of Christ it was the duty of the people to look at the evidence that he was
the Messiah. The proofs were clearthat he was the Messiah. It is also
important to look at the signs of the times in which we live. They are clear
also. Much is doing; and the diffusion of the Bible, the labors among the
pagan, the distribution of tracts, and perhaps, above all, the institution of
Sunday schools, betokenan eventful age, and are an indication that brighter
days are about to dawn on the world. We should watchthese signs that we
may rejoice;that we may pray with more fervor, and that we may do our part
to advance the kingdom of God. Little children should grow up believing that
they live in an important age;that they enjoy many specialprivileges, and
that they may and must do much to spread the gospelthrough the earth. Even
in childhood, they should pray, and they should give to benefit others;and,
most of all, they should give themselves to Christ, that they may benefit others
with a right spirit.
3. Sinners should be addressedwith deep feeling and faithfulness, Mark 8:12.
Jesus sigheddeeply. So should we. We should not be harsh, or sour, or cold
and unfeeling when we address our fellow-men about eternity. We should
weepover them, and pray for them, and speak to them, not as if we were
better than they, but with an earnestdesire for their salvation. Compare Acts
20:31;Philippians 3:18.
4. People easilymistake plain instruction, Matthew 16:7. And especiallyis this
the case where there is any chance of giving a worldly turn to the instruction.
If people's thoughts - even those of Christians were more off from the world,
and they thought less of the supply of their temporal wants, they would
understand the truths of religion much better than they do. No man can
understand the doctrines of religion aright whose principal concernis what he
shall eat, and drink, and wear. Hence, even Christians are often strangely
ignorant of the plainest truths of religion; and hence the importance of

teaching those truths to children before their thoughts become engrossedby
the world; and hence, too, the importance of Sunday schools.
5. We should not have undue anxiety about the supply of our wants. Christ
supplied many thousands by a word, and he can easilysupply us, Matthew
16:9-12.
6. We should learn, from his past goodness, to trust him for the future,
Matthew 16:9-12.
7. We should be on our guard againsterror, Matthew 16:11. It is sly, artful,
plausible, working secretly, but effectually. We should always be cautious of
what we believe, and examine it by the word of God. False doctrines are often
made as much like the truth as possible, for the very purpose of deceiving.
"Satanhimself is transformed into an angelof light," 2 Corinthians 11:14.
8. It is important to ascertainour views of Christ, Matthew 16:13-15. Ourall
depends on this. If we do not think and feel right respecting him we cannot be
safe. We should often, then, ask ourselves - we should ask one another - what
we think of Christ.
9. It is our duty to profess attachment to Christ. It should be done boldly, and
always, Matthew 16:16. We should never be ashamed of him. And to do this,
we should always, in our own hearts, believe that he is the Christ, the Sonof
the living God.
continued...

Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
28. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here—"some ofthose
standing here."
which shall not taste of death, fill they see the Sonof man coming in his
kingdom—or, as in Mark (Mr 9:1), "till they see the kingdom of God come
with power";or, as in Luke (Lu 9:27), more simply still, "till they see the
kingdom of God." The reference, beyond doubt, is to the firm establishment
and victorious progress, in the lifetime of some then present, of that new
kingdom of Christ, which was destined to work the greatestofall changes on
this earth, and be the grand pledge of His final coming in glory.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Mark saith, Mark 9:1, till they have seenthe kingdom of God come with
power; Luke 9:27, saith no more than till they see the kingdom of God. There
be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, that is, that shall not die.
Hebrews 2:9. It is the same with not seeing death, John 8:51,52 Heb 11:5. The
greatquestion is, what is here meant by the
Song of Solomon of man coming in his kingdom. It cannot be meant of his
secondcoming to judgment, spokenof immediately before, for all who stood
there have long since tasted of death, yet is not that day come. Some
understand it of that sight of Christ’s glory which Peter, and James, and John
had at Christ’s transfiguration, of which we shall read in the next chapter;
and I should be very inclinable to this sense, (for there was a glimpse of the
glory of the Father mentioned Matthew 16:27) were it not for those words
added by Mark,
till they have seenthe kingdom of God come with power. This inclineth others
to think, that it is to be understood of Christ’s showing forth his powerin the
destruction of Jerusalem. But the most generallyreceivedopinion, and which

seemethto be best, is, that the coming of the Son of man here meant is, his
resurrectionfrom the dead. His ascensioninto heaven, and sending the Holy
Spirit, after which the kingdom of grace came with a mighty power, subduing
all nations to the Lord Jesus Christ. He was declared, (or determined), to be
the Sonof Godwith power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the
resurrectionfrom the dead, Romans 1:4. And when, after his resurrection
from the dead, they askedhim, Acts 1:6, whether he would at that time
restore the kingdom to Israel, he puts them off, and tells them for an answer,
Acts 1:8, But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon
you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea,
and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. And then, Acts 1:9,
he in their sight ascendedup into heaven. Then did the kingdom of the Son of
man come with power, Acts 2:33-36, they knowing assuredlythat the Son of
man, whom the Jews hadcrucified, was made both Lord and Christ, as Acts
2:36, and, as Acts 2:34,35, setat God’s right hand, (according to the prophecy
of David, Psalm 90:1), until his enemies should be made his footstool.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Verily I say unto you..... This is a strong asseveration, Christputs his "Amen"
to it; declaring it to be a certaintruth, which may firmly be believed:
there be some standing here; meaning either his disciples, or some of the
audience;for it is clearfrom Mark 8:34 that the people were called unto him
with his disciples, when he said these words:
which shall not taste of death: that is, shall not die; a phrase frequently used
by the Jewishdoctors:they say(y),
"All the children of the world, , "taste the taste of death".''
That is, die:

till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom; which is not to be
understood of his personalcoming in his kingdom in the last day, when he will
judge quick and dead; for it cannot be thought, that any then present should
live to that time, but all tasted of death long before, as they have done; for the
story of John's being alive, and to live till then, is fabulous, and grounded on a
mistake which John himself has rectified at the close ofhis Gospel:nor of the
glorious transfiguration of Christ, the accountof which immediately follows;
when he was seenby Peter, James, andJohn, persons now present; for that, at
most, was but an emblem and a pledge of his future glory: rather, of the
appearance ofhis kingdom, in greaterglory and power, upon his resurrection
from the dead, and his ascensionto heaven; when the Spirit was poured down
in an extraordinary manner, and the Gospelwas preachedall over the world;
was confirmed by signs and wonders, and made effectual to the conversion
and salvationof many souls;which many then presentlived to see, and were
concernedin: though it seems chiefly to have regard to his coming, to show his
regalpower and authority in the destructionof the Jews;when those his
enemies that would not he should reign over them, were ordered to be
brought and slain before him; and this the Apostle John, for one, lived to be a
witness of.
(y) Zohar in Gen. fol. 27. 4. & 37. 1. & in Exod. fol. 19. 2. & in Num. fol. 50. 4.
& 51. 2. 4. Vid. BereshitRabba, sect. 9. fol. 7. 3, 4. Midrash Kohelet, fol, 83. 2.
Geneva Study Bible
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 {x} kingdom.
(x) By his kingdom is understood the glory of his ascension, andwhat follows
after that, Eph 4:10, or the preaching of the gospel, Mr 9:1.

EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
Matthew 16:28. Having affirmed the certainty of the secondcoming and the
divine retribution, He now proceeds to do the same with regardto their
nearness.
εἰσί τινες κ.τ.λ.]which refers to those present generally, and not merely to the
disciples, presupposes that the majority of them will have died previous to the
event in question.
γεύσωνται θανάτου]The experiencing of death regardedas a tasting of it (of
its pains). See note on John 8:52, and Wetstein.
ἕως κ.τ.λ.]not as though they were to die afterwards, but what is meant is,
that they will still be living when it takes place. Comp. Matthew 24:34;
Hofmann, Schriftbew. II. 2, p. 629 f.
ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ]not for εἰς τὴν κ.τ.λ. (Beza, Raphel, and others), but as
a king in all His regalauthority (Plat. Rep. p. 499 B: τῶν νῦν ἐν δυναστείαις ἢ
βασιλείαις ὄντων). Luke 23:42. There is no substantial difference betweenthe
present prediction of Jesus as to His impending advent in glorious majesty
(comp. Matthew 10:23, Matthew 24:34), and that in Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27. The
βασιλεία cannot be supposed to come without the βασιλεύς. This, at the same
time, in answerto Ebrard (comp. Baumeisterin Klaiber’s Studien, II. 1, p.
19), who interprets this passage,not of the secondcoming to judgment, but,
laying stress on the ἐν (againstwhich the ἐν τῇ δόξῃ, Matthew 16:27, should
have duly warned), understands it as referring to the founding of the church,
and particularly to what took place at Pentecost, andthat notwithstanding the
context and the words εἰσί τινες, etc., which, if this view were adopted, would

be entirely out of place (Glass, Calovius). It is likewise to explain it awayin a
manner no less arbitrary, to understand the passagein the sense ofa
figurative coming in the destruction of Jerusalemand the diffusion of
Christianity (Jac. Cappellus, Wetstein, Kuinoel, Schott, Glöckler, Bleek), orof
the triumphant historicaldevelopment of the gospel(Erasmus, Klostermann,
Schenkel), orof the powerful influences of the spirit of the glorified Messiah
as extending over the world (Paulus). Others, such as Beda, Vatablus,
Maldonatus, Jansen, Clarius, Corn. a Lapide, following Chrysostom, Euth.
Zigabenus, Theophylact, have so strangelyperverted Christ’s prediction as
even to make it refer to the incident of the transfiguration immediately
following.
On the impending advent in general, see the observations at the close of ch. 24.
Expositor's Greek Testament
Matthew 16:28. crux interpretum, supposedby some to refer to the
Transfiguration(Hilary, Chrys., Euthy., Theophy., etc.);by others to the
destruction of Jerusalem(Wetstein, etc.);by others again to the origins of the
Church (Calvin, Grotius, etc.). The generalmeaning canbe inferred with
certainty from the purpose to furnish an additional incentive to fidelity. It is:
Be of goodcourage, there will be ample compensationfor trial soon;for some
of you even before you die. This sense excludes the Transfiguration, which
came too soonto be compensatory. The uncertainty comes in in connection
with the form in which the generaltruth is stated. As to that, Christ’s speech
was controllednot merely by His own thoughts but by the hopes of the future
entertained by His disciples. He had to promise the advent of the Son of Man
in His Kingdom or of the Kingdom of God in power (Mk.)within a
generation, whateverHis own forecastas to the future might be. That might
postulate a wider range of time than some of His words indicate, just as some
of His utterances and His generalspirit postulate a wide range in space for the
Gospel(universalism) though He conceivedofHis own mission as limited to
Israel. If the logionconcerning the Church (Matthew 16:18)be genuine, Jesus
must have conceiveda Christian era to be at leasta possibility, for why

trouble about founding a Church if the wind-up was to come in a few years?
The words of Jesus about the future provide for two possible alternatives:for
a near advent and for an indefinitely postponed advent. His promises
naturally contemplate the former; much of His teaching about the kingdom
easilyfits into the latter.—γεύσωνται θ.:a Hebrew idiom, but not exclusively
so. For examples of the figure of tasting applied to experiences, vide Elsnerin
Mk. For Rabbinical use, vide Schöttgenand Wetstein.—ἕως ἄν ἴδωσι,
subjunctive after ἐν ἄν as usual in classicsand N. T. in a clause referring to a
future contingency depending on a verb referring to future time.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
28. Taste ofdeath] Compare
The valiant never taste of death but once. Jul. Caes. Act. ii. 2.
St Matthew’s version of this “hard saying” indicates more plainly than the
other Synoptic Gospels, the personalpresence ofChrist. St Mark has, “till
they have seenthe kingdom of God come with power;” St Luke, “till they see
the kingdom of God;” but the meaning in eachcase is the same. Various
solutions are given. The expressionis referred to (1) the Transfiguration, (2)
the Dayof Pentecost, (3)the Fallof Jerusalem. The lastbest fulfils the
conditions of interpretation—a judicial coming—a signal and visible event,
and one that would happen in the lifetime of some, but not of all, who were
present.
Bengel's Gnomen
Matthew 16:28. Τινὲς, some)Our Lord does not mention them by name; and
it was profitable for them not to know that they were the persons meant.[772]
Peterthen scarcelyhoped that he would be one of them.—ὧδε, here) A
strikingly demonstrative particle.—ἓως ἄν ἴδωσι, until they see)Something is
indicated which was to happen, but not immediately (otherwise all, or nearly
all, would have lived to that time), but yet something which would take place

in that generationof men. This term (terminus) or period has various
intervals: the vision, or seeing, various degrees up to the death of those who
saw it, which followedat various times: cf. in Luke 2:26, the expressionπρὶν ἢ
ἴδη, before he had seen, used with regardto Simeon. And the advent of the
Son of Man advancedanother step before the death of James (see Acts 2:36),
and passimtill Matthew 12:2, and cf. Hebrews 2:5-7); another before the
death of Peter(see 2 Peter 1:14; 2 Peter1:19, and Luke 21:31); another, and
that the highest, before the death of John, in the most magnificent revelation
of His coming, which the beloved disciple has himself described (see Gnomon
on John 21:22);a revelation to which the event foretold will correspond;see
Matthew 16:27, and ch. Matthew 26:64. And a previous proof of this matter
was given in a week[773]from this time on the Mount of Transfiguration;
and, at the same time, out of all the disciples those were chosenwho should
most especiallysee it. It is beyond question, that those three[774]who
witnessedour Lord’s transfiguration were peculiarly favoured with reference
to the subsequent manifestations of His glory. This saying of our Lord appears
to have been referred to, but not rightly understood, by those who imagined
that the last day was near at hand.—τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον, the
Son of Man coming) His conspicuous coming to judgment (see Gnomon on
Matthew 16:13) is meant, which would begin to follow immediately after His
ascension.[775]
[772]And He may have thereby also at the same time sharpened others.—V.
g.
[773]“After six days,” chap. Matthew 17:1.—ED.
[774]Of whom James, in the year 44, Peterin 67, John in 102, are generally
said to have died.—Harm., p. 372.

[775]Bengel, J. A. (1860). Vol. 1: Gnomon of the New Testament(M. E.
Bengel& J. C. F. Steudel, Ed.) (J. Bandinel & A. R. Fausset, Trans.)(251–
333). Edinburgh: T&T Clark.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 28. - This verse has always been a crux to commentators, who cannot
decide what is the event to which it refers. Many, taking it in connectionwith
the preceding announcement, refer it exclusively to the day of judgment; but
this idea is not compatible with Christ's assertionthat some present shall see it
ere they die. Norcan it refer to Christ's resurrection and ascension, andthe
mission of the Holy Ghost, which took place only half a year after this time,
and the prediction of which so short a time before could not have been
introduced in the terms here used. Other expositors, and some of greatname,
agree that the event to which Christ alludes is his transfiguration narrated in
the next chapter. But there are insuperable objections to this view. How could
Christ assertin the most solemn manner, Verily, I say unto you, that some of
his hearers would tire to witness an event which was to occur only a week
hence? Noris it likely that he would thus publicly announce a transaction
which was strictly private, seenonly by three chosenwitnesses, who were
further chargednot to revealthe vision till the Son of man was risen from the
dead. The Lord had been telling of the final judgment; he now announces,
with the formula used by him to present some revelationof Divine truth, that
there was to be a coming of the Son of man at no very distant date. This
advent is doubtless the destruction of Jerusalem, which, as it occurredonly
some forty years after this time, some of his auditors, apostles and the
multitude, would live to behold. This greatevent was a type of the second
advent, the two being closelyconnectedby Christ himself (see ch. 24.). There
is some truth in all the views that have obtained concerning this passage:"The
prophecy unfolded itself by degrees;it has put forth buds and blossoms, but it
will not be in its full bloom of accomplishmenttill the greatday"
(Wordsworth). There was some display of Christ's kingdom at the
Transfiguration; anotherat his resurrection, and the events consequent
thereupon; but the greatone was when the overthrow of Jerusalemand its
temple made way for the full establishment and development of the gospel,
putting an end to the first dispensation. Some standing (of them that stand)

here. Among the apostles St. John certainly survived the destruction of
Jerusalem. There seems to be no recondite meaning in the term "standing," as
if it signified "remaining steadfastlyby me, adhering to my side;" as, taste of
death is merely a periphrasis for "die," and has not the sense oftasting the
bitterness of death, experiencing its sting. It appears to have been originally a
metaphor derived from a nauseous draught, which every one must drain.
Coming in his kingdom. Not"into his kingdom," but in the powerand glory
that appertain to his kingdom. Not that he will personallyappear, but his
mystical presence will be seenby its effects, the judgment on the Jewish
nation, the establishmentof a spiritual, yet visible kingdom in the place of the
old covenant. There may be a similar allusion in Christ's words about St.
John, "If I will that he tarry till I come" (John 21:23), and "This generation
shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled" (Matthew 24:34) - where the
dissolution of the Jewishpolity is the event signified.
END OF BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
THE SECOND COMINGSBasedonMatt. 24:29-35
BY GLENN PEASE
Life is full of serendipity, which is the finding of things you are not looking
for, when you are searching for something else. Columbus was looking for
Asia, and instead he found America. Edison was looking for the electric
light, and he found the phonograph. Pasteur was looking for a way to keep
wine from turning sour, and he found the process of pasteurization. The
world is full of discovers which are made by people looking for something
else. It happens to all of us. We go to the attic or garage looking for

something and we discover something else we forgot we had, and we are
delighted that we found it.
This is what is called serendipity. The word was coined in 1754 by Sir
Horace Walpole who read the Persian tale of Three Princes of Serendip who
were always finding things they were not looking for. He called this
experience serendipity. It was my experience of serendipity that changed my
whole perspective on Matt. 24. I was reading for my Sunday School class on
Revelation, and I was seeking to grasp the views of Dr. Henry Morris, who
got his degree from the University of Minnesota, and who worked for years at
the Institute For Creation Researchin California. He is famous for his work
in this field, and is also a Professor of Apologetics at Christian Heritage
College in San Diago.
In his book The Revelation Record, he begins with a look at the Apostle
John and the strange rumor that ends his Gospel. Jesus had just told Peter
about the way He would die. Peter responded by saying, "What about
John?" Jesus says in John 21:22, "If I want him to remain until I return,
what is that to you? You must follow me." Now Jesus did not say John
would live until the second coming, but only that it was his business and not
Peter's. The rumor, however, spread that John would not die but live to see
the return of Christ.
Now why in the world would John end his Gospel with a false rumor
about his living to the second coming? Could it be because it turns out not to
have been a false rumor after all, and that he did, in fact, live to see Christ
come again? Dr. Morris opened my eyes to a whole new world dealing with
the coming of Christ. He made this comment on John's visions in the book of

Revelation: "In one sense, John did indeed tarry until Christ came. On the
wonderful Lord's Day when John received the book of Revelation Christ did
"Come" back to John's presence...So that John saw his beloved Lord once
more. Furthermore John was allow to see all the events that would be
associatedwith Christ's eventual second coming to the earth, so that he could
record them for the instruction and inspiration of all believers between his
day and the last day."
Before John died he saw the second coming of Christ in all its glory and
power. The entire future of God's plan for man was unveiled and unfolded,
and John saw it with his own eyes, and he put it in a book where all of us can
see it. Did John really see the second coming? Yes he did! He could not
have recorded it if he had not seenit. This is a serendipity experience for me,
for I was looking for ideas about Revelation, and suddenly I discover the very
piece of knowledge I needed to understand the mysteries of Matt. 24. Jesus
clearly says he is coming in power and great glory immediately after the
tribulation, that is the worst tribulation that was everto happen to the
generation He was speaking to-the generation that killed the Son of God.
We know this happened in 70 A. D., but did Jesus come after 70 A. D. as
He said? It appears not from our perspective, and so this whole passage is
stood on its head and made to mean everything but what it clearly says. To
protect Jesus from being a false prophet Christians have ignored His clear
statements and made Him say something entirely different from what He
actually said. I followed these teachers myself, and made this the hardest and
most complex chapter of the Bible to interpret, until I learned that it is
possible to believe Jesus, and take Him at His word, and see that He really did

come in power and great glory just as He said.
He came to John in power and glory, and by way of John to the whole
church by means of the book of Revelation. But my question was, are there
other comings of Christ after His death and before His literal coming in the
flesh, which will end history. I began to study the words of the New
Testament that described the coming of Christ, and I discovered that the
answer was yes.
One of the key words for His coming is the Greek word parousia. At least
15 of the 17 times it is used of Jesus it refers to His second coming. But look
at the very interesting exception where it is used of His first coming, or,
rather, a second coming during His first coming, which happened on the Mt.
of Transfiguration. Listen to II Peter 1:16-18, "We did not follow cleverly
invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ, but we were eye witnesses of His majesty, for He received honor
and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the
Majestic Glory, saying, this is my Son whom I love, with Him I am well
pleased. We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were
with Him on the sacred mountain." Peter, James and John were permitted to
see Jesus come in power and glory and majesty evenbefore He died. The
future of their Lord broke into time, and they experienced the parousia even
before the first coming had ended. Jesus had already appeared in power and
glory to the three of His inner circle.
The point I am making is that God can reveal the parousia at any time.
The coming of Jesus in power and great glory is not limited to the coming that
ends history. It is not out of line with the New Testament at all to believe

Jesus when He says He will appear in power and great glory to the world
after 70 A. D. This becomes all the more easily to see when we study the word
coming in Matt. 24:30. "They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of
the sky, with power and great glory." The Greek word for coming is
erchomai, it is the same word used in 24:39 where we read, "That is how it
will be at the coming of the Son of Man." The same word is used in 24:42,
"Therefore, keepwatch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will
come." Also in 24:44, "So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man
will come at an hour when you do not expect Him." It is used 8 times in this
chapter. It is the number one word used to describe the second coming of
Christ.
Jesus then used this word to describe a coming of Himself to the people of
His generation, and a coming that was different than His just being there.
When He sent His 12 out to preach the Gospel of the kingdom to the lost
sheepof Israel He concluded His instructions with these words in Matt. 10:23,
"I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel
before the Son of Man comes." This is a shocking prophecy, for Jesus is
saying that before the church goes into all the world, and evenbefore Israel is
fully reached there will be an erchomai-a coming of the Son of Man.
Now you have a choice. You can follow the liberals that just say Jesus was
plain wrong. He had a misconception and just did not know what He was
saying, or you can follow those who twist plain language to mean something
else than what it obvious means. Or you have the third option which is
believing Jesus knew what He was saying, and believing it was prophecy that
was fulfilled. The coming of Christ can be literal, or it can be in an historical

event, or it can be in a spiritual experience. We need to see this to understand
the coming of Christ. In John 14:18, Jesus in the context of telling His
disciples He was about to leave them says, "I will not leave you as orphans: I
will come (erchomai) to you."
He goes on, "Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will
see me. Because I live you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am
in my Father and you are in me and I am in you." On what day is this that
Jesus will come again after leaving them? I is obvious the Jesus is speaking of
the day of His resurrection. Jesus left this world in death, but He came back
again, and the word used for that coming is the same word used for His
second coming all through the New Testament. Easter was, in fact, a second
coming for Jesus, for He had ascended to the Father and then came back into
time, and to the earth in His new body. He left, and then came back again.
That is what a second coming is.
The hope of God's people all through time is for God to dwell with them,
and make His home in their midst. This dream is finally fulfilled in Rev. 22:3,
"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, now the dwelling of God is
with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people and God
himself will be with them ad be their God." Now this will not be until after
the final second coming and the end of history, but the fact is, the future has
already come in Christ's coming after His resurrection. Jesus using this same
word erchomai says in John 14:23, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my
teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our
home with him." This is the ultimate goal of life-to live with God in the same
house, and Jesus says this can happen in a coming that is long before the final

coming. It is a coming that can and does happen every time a person
anywhere on this planet opens their heart to Jesus in conversion, or in
renewed surrender. Christ is coming again to people all over the world every
day of history.
Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, and so He not only comes to bring eternal
life to us, He comes again to bring us to eternal life. He says in John 14:3,
"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be
with me that you may be where I am." In our careless reading of this promise
we think this is the second coming, but if that was the case, the thief on the
cross was taken to heaven that very day of Christ's death, and yet the 12
Apostles are still waiting to be taken there at the second coming. Paul,
however, says that to be absent from the body is to be with the Lord. He went
to be with Christ the day he died. If this coming back to take the 12 is not
until the second coming, then they will be just about the last people in
paradise.
This promise to the disciples only makes sense when we see it as a promise
to come and take each of them to heaven when they die. What a comfort that
is to all believers. You are not left to wander through strange tunnels and be
alone. Jesus says He will come(erchomai) and take you to the Father's
mansion. He is our Shepherd and Guide, and just when we need it most He
will be there. Every death is a mini-rapture where Jesus comes to each child
of God and takes them up to meet the Father, and be with Him forever. This
means there is a second coming of Christ every day in history as He comes to
take His own home. He is evernear and we never know when He will be
coming to receive us to Himself.

We see this clearly in the experience of Stephen, the first Christian martyr.
In Acts 7:55-56 we read, "But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to
heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of
God. Look, he said, I see heavenopen and the Son of Man standing at the
right hand of God." The crown rushed on him and stoned him to death.
Stephen had his own private rapture as he prayed before he died, "Lord
Jesus receive my spirit." He was taken directly into the Father's mansion by
Christ as he died.
This became a traditional way of describing death for the believer.
Eusebius, the early church historian, in the account of the death of James has
him saying to his killers, "Why do you ask me about the Son of Man? He is
seatedin heaven at the right hand of the great power, and is about to come on
the clouds of heaven." Jesus comes again in power to take his own to heaven.
This was the early tradition, and it is based on the promise of Jesus to come
again to receive His own to Himself.
We need to also face the reality of Jesus coming in judgment. In Revelation
the word erchomai is used 7 times for the second coming, but it used also for a
coming that is before that final coming. It is used in Rev. 2:5 where we read,
"If you do not repent I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its
place" This is a promise to come again to discipline the church of Ephesus.
Jesus does not wait for the second coming to do all his judgment. He comes
into history along the way and disciplines His people. There is not way to
know how many times Jesus has come back into this world. All we can
conclude is that it has been many times, and often in probably every period of
history. In a very real sense, there are second comings that are going on

continuously, and will continue until history ends in His final coming in the
flesh.
In Rev. 2:16 Jesus says it again to the church of Pergamum, "Repent
therefore! Otherwise I will soon come to you and will fight against them with
the sword of my mouth." This is a warning, and a case where Christians are
being told to prevent this second coming of Jesus, for it is a coming in
judgment. If they repent they will prevent His coming, and this is a good
thing. What a paradox! Here are Christians who are urged to do all they can
to prevent Christ coming to them. Not all comings of Jesus are good, for He
will also come in judgment. This is a "Just wait until your father gets home,"
type of coming, and Jesus does not want to come in that way.
Jesus wants to come into history and our lives, but always as a friend and
guide. That is why He says in Rev. 3:20, "Behold, I stand at the door and
knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will go in and eat with
him and he with me." That is the way Jesus wants to come into each of our
lives-at conversion, at renewal, and on every occasion that we are willing to
invite Him to join us.
Now what is the value of seeing all of these pre-second coming second
comings? The value is that we see Jesus is not way off in another universe, but
is actively involved in this world that He died to save. He is active in history,
lives, and churches, and was from the start. Right after the cross Jesus began
His coming back into time and history, and He has never ceased. One day He
will come for the last time, and the curtain will fall on the play of life in time
once and for all. But meanwhile we need to be aware of His comings. If you
are locked into just His final coming, and you fail to see the many others, then

many of the things Jesus said will not make sense. Especially this whole scene
He describes as following immediately after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A. D.
Verses 29-31 sound so much like the final coming that few everdream it
could be on of the many pre-second comings that run all through the New
Testament. But Jesus says it is a pre-second coming because He says in v. 24
that it will happen before that generation passes away. Now if this was an
isolated statement, it could be considered a mystery we just cannot
understand, but when you find every one of the Gospels have similar
statements by Jesus, and that He clearly planned to return from heaven to
that generation of people, then you cannot escape its clear meaning.
Listen to these texts that say clearly that Jesus will be seenby the people of
His day.
1. In John 1:51 Jesus says to Nathaniel, "I tell you the truth, you shall see
heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of
Man."
2. Jesus responded to the question of the high priest at His trial, "Are you the
Son of the BlessedOne?" by saying in John 14:62, "I am and you will see the
Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the
clouds of heaven." That, of course, was the last straw, and for that kind of
language they judged Jesus worthy of death. It was blasphemy for Jesus to
say they would see Him as their Lord and King. Of course, it was not
blasphemy if He really was, but they did not believe it.
3. Jesus said to the crowd in Mark 9:1, "I tell you the truth, some who are
standing here will not taste death before they see the Kingdom of God come
with power."

4. Matthew makes it evenstronger in Matt. 16:28, "I tell you the truth, some
who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man
coming in His kingdom."
5. Stronger yet is the text of Matt. 10:23 where Jesus says, "When you are
persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish
going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."
6. Mark 13:30 has Jesus saying, "Amen, I tell you, that this generation will
not pass away before all these things happen."
7. Luke 21:32 has Jesus saying, "I tell you the truth, this generation will
certainly not pass away until all these things have happened."
Our major problem is that we do not have an adequate concept of just how
important that generation was in God's plan. We have no idea of the
significance of 70 A. D. because, eventhough it was the end of an age, and in a
very real sense the end of the world for the Jewish system of worship, and the
generation that rejected Jesus, we seldom hear about it. Yet Jesus said it was
going to be the worst experience of tribulation the world has everknown, or
will everknow. This is confirmed by the radical language used to describe
His coming on that generation. Jesus made it so clear that He was coming
again to judge that generation that it was one of the reasons they sought to
kill Him.
In Matt. 21 He told the parable of the tenants who refused to pay the land
owner his share of the crop. He sent servants to collect, but they drove them
away and killed them. He sent His Son, and they threw Him out and killed
Him too. Then Jesus uses violent language. The owner comes in anger, and
in verse 41 Jesus says, "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end."

Mark states it, "He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to
others."
In His parable in Matt. 22 Jesus tells the same story in a new context. The
king is giving a wedding banquet for his son, but those invited reject the
invitation, and they kill the servants who bring the invitation. Jesus says in
Matt. 22:7, "The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those
murderers and burned their city." This is what happened in 70 A. D. Look
at the last verse of Matt. 24: "He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place
with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." The
most violent language in the New Testament revolves around the coming of
Christ in judgment on that generation. Did the leaders of Israel get the
point? Yes they did, for Matt. 21:45-46 says, "When the chief priests and
Pharisees heard Jesus' parables they knew He was talking about them. They
look for a way to arrest Him."
Jesus kept His word, and He did return in judgment on that generation in
70 A. D., and the reason the language sounds so radical like the final coming
and end of the world is because it was a preview of that final end. It was a
type of the day of judgment, and the rapture of the church out of that
judgment. But its primary focus is on the fulfillment of all Jesus said was
coming on that generation. Jesus ended the history of God's people, and
began a whole new history with a new people of God.
What I have done in this message is to make it clear that Jesus comes in
many ways in history before He comes to end history. He comes to judge; He
comes to take us at death; He comes to indwell us at conversion, and He
comes to renew and empower us when we submit anew to His Lordship.

PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
GREG ALLEN
"A Preview of His Majesty"
Matthew 16:28-17:1-9
Theme: Jesus gave a manifestation of His kingdom glory, so that an assurance
of His future reign could be passedon to His followers.
(Delivered Sunday, July 15, 2007 atBethany Bible Church. Unless otherwise
noted, all Scripture references are takenfrom The Holy Bible, New King
James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
I think that the bestway to begin this morning's sermon is by making a
confession. There'ssomething you need to know about your pastor. (Don't
worry—it's not about anything bad. But I'll bet that I've your attention now!)
I confess thatI enjoy scarystories. I really love them! Now please understand;
I'm not talking about those sick, violent, 'chainsaw'stories. Noram I talking
about the kind of stories that celebrate things that are blatantly satanic. I
don't believe those are everappropriate. But what I'm talking about is the
eerie, uncanny type of stories that leave you with the haunting feeling that
you're surrounded in life by something far biggerthan you.

I'm talking about the type of stories in which people who are going about
normal, natural, every-day life are suddenly confronted with the
supernatural—leaving them with a mixture of awe and mystery and fear. I
love the old Twilight Zone shows. I love reading Ray Bradbury's short stories.
Signs is one of my favorite movies. I love the "dark and stormy night"
stories—the "there's something creepyout there in the fog" stories—the
"strange sounds in the moonlit night" stories—the stories that make the hair
on the back of my neck stand up, and that make my skin crawla little.
I've tried to understand my attractionto such stories. And here's what I've
come to understand about myself. (And it's not that I need counseling, by the
way!) I believe that my delight in such stories reflects a built-in need we all
have, as human beings—a needfor contactwith something 'transcendent' and
'eternal' and 'other-worldly'. It's an expression—to animperfect degree—of
our need for an encounterwith our Creator's gloryand majesty.
The Bible tells us that God is "the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity"
(Isaiah 57:15). And it also says that God has put "eternity" in our hearts
(Eccl. 3:11). It's a part of our natural make-up to be fascinatedwith that
which is 'transcendent'and 'above' the natural—because we were made by
the One who inhabits eternity for a relationship with Him. That inclination
has been damagedby the fall, of course;but it is nevertheless there. The
'mystery' of God's majesty scares us;but it also strangelydraws us.
And sometimes, whenGod meets that inclination in us in a personalway, and
shows us something of what He is really like—whenHe, as it were, opens our
eyes and allows us to see the depths of the mystery of His majesty and glory—
it's far more startling than a mere 'scary story'. The real, genuine experience
God's self-revelationshocks us, and terrifies us, and shakes us to the core of
our being.

And then, it leaves us changedforever.
* * * * * * * * * *
This morning, we come to just such a story. When I readit, it gives me—if I
may coin a new phrase—"holygoose-flesh". It's mysterious. It's uncanny. It
confronts us with the realization that we are in the presence ofSomeone who
is greaterand more "other-worldly" than we realized. And it's meant by God
to so impact us with the mystery of the glorious majesty of Jesus Christ, that
we are changedforever.
Turn with me to the seventeenthchapter of Matthew's Gospel;and let's look
at this story together. In it, we find that Jesus gave a startling, shocking, soul-
trembling, life-transforming manifestationof His own kingdom glory to His
beloved friends.
In Matthew 17:1-9, we read;
Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, andJohn his brother, led them up
on a high mountain by themselves;and He was transfigured before them. His
face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And
behold, Moses and Elijah appearedto them, talking with Him. Then Peter
answeredand said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let
us make here three tabernacles:one for You, one for Moses,and one for
Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed
them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved
Son, in whom I am wellpleased. Hear Him!” And when the disciples heard it,
they fell on their faces and were greatlyafraid. But Jesus came and touched
them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” When they had lifted up their
eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. Now as they came down from the

mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tellthe vision to no one until the
Son of Man is risen from the dead" (Matthew 17:1-9).
* * * * * * * * * *
First, let's consider. . .
1. WHAT THE CONTEXT OF THIS STORYWAS (16:28).
You find the context expressedin the last verse of chapter 16. Jesus tells His
disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not
taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom" (Matthew
16:28).
Now;the first thing you need to know that I believe about this verse is that it's
in the wrong chapter. The text of the Bible, of course, is the very word of God.
But I hope that you know that the chapter divisions didn't come down from
heaven. Men—human editors and publishers—separatedthe text into
chapters and verses. And in this case, the chapter division gives the
impression that Matthew 16:28 is somehow separate from what follows it.
Some of you have commented that, in some of my previous messages,I left
this verse out. And this is why. I believe it is best understood as belonging to
our passagethis morning.
Let me show you why this is so. Think back with me once againto the things
we've already seenin the past few weeks. First, we've seenthat Jesus was
clearly identified for us in the confessionthat Petermade concerning Him—
"you are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16). We've called
this "the blessedconfession";because it immediately receivedJesus'own

blessing after it was uttered. We were told that it is the very revelation of God
the Fatherconcerning His Son. In fact, we even read in our passagethis
morning that the FatherHimself againexpresses it; “This is My beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
Then, we read that this same Jesus—whois declaredto be the Christ, the Son
of the living God—must go to Jerusalemand die on the cross. In verse 21, we
read that [f]rom that time Jesus beganto show to His disciples that He must
go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and
scribes, and be killed, and be raisedthe third day." It was the setpurpose of
the Fatherthat Jesus—His ownbeloved Son—must die on the cross for
sinners. You may remember that Petercould not acceptthis. He dared to take
the Savioraside and rebuke Him for saying such a thing. But Jesus affirmed
that He would not be drawn awayfrom the cross.
And then, we read that Jesus turned to His disciples and told them;
If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow Me. For whoeverdesires to save his life will lose it, but
whoeverloses his life for My sake will find it. Forwhat profit is it to a man if
he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in
exchange for his soul? Forthe Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father
with His angels, and then He will rewardeachaccording to his works"
(Matthew 16:20-27).
Put it all together. Here is Jesus—affirmedto be "the Christ, the Sonof the
living God." He is God in human flesh—destinedto be revealed as King of
kings and Lord of lords. But He also must first suffer for sinners and die on
the cross. And He insists that anyone who would come after Him must do as
He was about to do—deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him.

They are to be willing to do so, trusting that the Son of Man will come to earth
againone day, in the glory of His Father, and will reward eachaccording to
their works.
And then comes this strange verse—one in which He speaks a truth that is
solemn and serious. "Assuredly", He says—orliterally, "Amen"—"Isay to
you, there are some standing here"—that is. some from among the twelve
disciples who had just been calledupon to deny self, take up the cross, and
follow Him—"who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in
His kingdom."
The simplest way to understand this verse, then, is as a promise from the Lord
Jesus to His disciples of that remarkable event that Matthew tells us about
next. Some of the disciples standing there—three of them, to be precise—
would be takenaside and be given a private glimpse of the glory of the One
who was calling them to follow Him by way of the cross. Theywould be given
a vision of His kingly majesty before they themselves left this earth; so that
they could testify to His glory as eye-witnesses;and could then pass on the
assurance ofHis kingly reign to those of us who would yet live, and who would
also hear His call to "follow" and lay down our lives for Him.
* * * * * * * * * *
As it turns out, this promise from our Lord was fulfilled only six days after it
was given—and the "preview" of the majestic glory of King Jesus, in which
He will one day come to this earth and reign, was grantedto witnesses who
would then pass it on to us.
This leads us, next, to consider. . .

2. WHO THE EYE-WITNESSES WERE (17:1).
Matthew tells us, that "aftersix days Jesus took Peter, James andJohn his
brother", and "led them up on a high mountain by themselves" (Matthew
17:1).
It may surprise you to know this; but Jesus didn't treat all the twelve disciples
equally. Among the twelve, He had a specialrelationship with these three.
They were with Him at some of the most important moments in His earthly
ministry.
Perhaps you remember, for example, the time that Jesus raisedthe daughter
of Jairus the ruler of the synagogue. The man's little girl had died; and when
Jesus arrived to the house with His disciples, "He permitted no one to go in
exceptPeter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl" (Luke
8:51). They alone, at that time, were witnesses ofHis resurrectionpower.
Or perhaps you remember the dark evening of our Lord's betrayal. We're
told that Jesus and His disciples came to that place calledGethsemane;and
He told them, "Sit here while I go and pray over there." Then, we're told that
"He took with Him Peterand the two sons of Zebedee, and He beganto be
sorrowfuland deeply distressed. ThenHe told them, 'My soul is exceedingly
sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watchwith Me'" (Matthew 26:36-38).
Once again, then, we find these three in close companionshipwith the Savior
at some of the most crucial moments of His ministry.
And now, once again, we see that He draws these three aside to Himself. It
was to them that He chose to revealHis glory. Why three? Perhaps it was so
that, as the Scriptures say, ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses everyword
may be established'(Matthew 18:16;see also Deut. 19:15; 2 Corinthians 13:1).
Why these three? Perhaps we can't entirely know the reasonfor the Lord's

choice. But the Lord clearlyknew who it was that He could trust to serve as
eyewitnesses andfaithful reporters of this remarkable event. And the past
two-thousand years of the church's testimony through their written witness
has proven that choice to have been providential and wise.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jesus took them apart from the others and led them up a high mountain by
themselves. He didn't wish to give this revelation to everyone—but just to
them. He didn't do it publicly—but in solitude. Luke tells us, in his accountof
the story, that it was "to pray" (Luke 9:28); but Luke also tells us that the
three were "wearywith sleep" (vv. 32-33), andso it must have been at night.
Imagine the scene. It was dark and quiet—high upon a ridge of a mountain.
The evening had fallen; and no doubt the trees and tall rocks createdan
envelop of darkness. Theywere far awayfrom anyone else;and there was
hardly a sound. The Lord was praying, and the disciples were sleeping.
And it's then that the vision came. This leads us to
3. WHAT THE THREE WITNESSES SAW (vv. 2-3)?
Matthew tells us that "He was transfigured before them". His external form
was changed. We're not told very much about this; and perhaps it's best that
we're not. We are told, however, what God has wantedus to know.
We're told that the Lord's face "shone like the sun" (v. 2). Can you imagine
what that must have been like, during that dark night in that secludedplace?
Were the disciples awakenedby the brightness? Did they think, at first, that

they had oversleptand that daylight had fallen on them? Did they have to
hold their hands to their eyes to shield themselves from the brightness?
The Bible tells us that, long ago, Moses faceshone. We're told that when he
came down from Mount Sinai from the presence of God, with the law in his
hands, "that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he
talkedwith Him" (Exodus 34:29). Aaron and the children of Israelsaw it; but
were afraid to approachnear Moses because ofit. But it also tells us that "the
glory of his countenance was passing away" (2 Corinthians 3:7).
Moses'face shone with the glory of God; but it faded awaybecause it was only
a "reflected" light. Moses, if I may put it this way, was like the moon. The
light with which it shines is only a reflectedlight, borrowedfrom the sun. But
here, we're told that Jesus'face radiated—notfrom being in the presence of
God; but because He truly was God. His was not a mere reflectedlight; but
was like the sun itself in its brightness and strength. This stressedthe very
resurrectionglory of Jesus that we read about in Revelation1:16—where
we're told that "His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength."
And we're also told that our Lord's "clothes became as white as the light" (v.
2). Mark, in his Gospelaccount, tells us that His garments became
"exceedinglywhite, like snow, such as no launderer on earth canwhiten
them" (Mark 9:3). In Revelation19:14, we read of the armies of heaven that
will accompanythe Lord on the day of His glorious return; that they will be
"clothedin fine linen, white and clean." Perhaps this is meant to conveyto us
the unspeakable purity and holiness of our Lord in His glory.
* * * * * * * * * *

It's hard to graspwhat a stunning and shocking sight this must have been!
And that's not all that the three disciples saw. Matthew writes, "And behold,
Moses andElijah appearedto them, talking with Him" (v. 3).
There's a question that preachers are sometimes asked:"Will we recognize
our loved one's in heaven?" I've always responded by saying; "Well;you
recognize them now, don't you? And aren't you going to be even smarter in
heaven?" But if anyone needed scriptural proof, I would suggestthat here it
is. How did the disciples know that this was Moses andElijah? They hadn't
seenpictures of them before. Jesus didn't seemto make any introductions.
And they certainly weren't wearing name-tags. As these two Old Testament
saints appeared to them in glory with the Lord, the disciples simply 'knew'
who they were. I have no doubt that we'll know our loved ones in glory too.
Stop and think of who it was that was that spoke with the Lord. Moses was the
greatOld Testamentgiver of the law. And Elijah was among the greatestof
the Old Testamentprophets. And I would suggestthat their presence with the
Lord was symbolic of how Jesus Himself is the subject of the two great
divisions of the Old Testamentscriptures—thatis, of the Law and the
Prophets. Jesus spoke to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus after His
resurrection;and "beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to
them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Luke 24:27).
And what's more, Luke, in his Gospel, tells us what it was that they were
talking about—that Moses andElijah "appearedin glory and spoke ofHis
deceasewhichHe was about to accomplishin Jerusalem" (Luke 9:31). Moses
and Elijah—the representatives ofthe Law and the Prophets—appearedand
spoke with our Lord concerning the work for us that He was about to
accomplishon the cross!As Jesus once taughtabout Himself; "Do not think
that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but
to fulfill. For assuredly, I sayto you, till heavenand earth pass away, one jot

or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled" (Matthew
5:17-18).
* * * * * * * * * *
What a revelation this was of our Lord in His glory! He is what Peter saidHe
was—the Christ, the Son of the living God! God walkedon this earth in
human flesh! The Man who died on the cross is the theme of the Scriptures!
And here, on this mysterious and wonderous night, He pealed back the flesh
of His humility to reveal the splendor of His deity to His friends.
And now, let's notice . . .
4. WHAT THEIR REACTION WAS (vv. 4-6).
As you read the Bible, one of the things that you notice is that Peter is usually
the first one to step forward and blurt out something—whetherit was a good
idea to say or not. I think that's why I love him so. I am all too much like him.
Sometimes, my problem is that heart may be in the right place . . . but my foot
definitely isn't.
As he beheld the glory of the Lord Jesus on display, and as he saw Moses and
Elijah in glory talking with Him about His coming sacrifice for us, Peterwas
overwhelmed. He said to Jesus;"Lord, it is goodfor us to be here" (what an
understatement!); ". . .if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles:one for
You, one for Moses,and one for Elijah" (v. 4). When Luke told this story, he
added that Petersaid these things, ". . . not knowing what he said".
First of all, Peterwas right to saythat it was goodto be there. It certainly was!
Jesus'glory was on display! Mosesand Elijah came and spoke to Him! Peter,

James and John were in a very privileged place!And it's understandable that
Peterwould think to put some tabernacles up, and want to stay.
But once again, Peterwas missing the point. Jesus was notgoing to stay on the
mountain-top—as wonderful an experience as it was—andput His glory on
display in this way forever. He was still committed to the Father's purpose for
Him—the very purpose about which Moses andElijah had come to speak
with Him. There was still the "decease"thatHe about to accomplish. He still
needed go to the cross.
And second, Petererred terribly in wishing to build "three tabernacles":one
for the Lord Jesus, one for Moses, andone for Elijah. Petererred in placing
them all on equal standing. If anything, Peter, James, John, Moses and
Elijah—all five—should have built a tabernacle for Jesus. Those glorifiedOld
Testamentsaints were simply the servants in the house; but Jesus was the
Masterof that house. The apostles andprophets are the foundation; but Jesus
alone is the chief cornerstone.
* * * * * * * * * *
And I believe that there are a few spiritual lessons forus in this. For one
thing, we may wish to linger in the moments of glory. We may wish to 'build
tabernacles onthe mountain-tops', and stay in those wondrous moments
forever. But we can't. That was not the Father's purpose. It was enough that
Jesus'glory is revealed. That assures us that we will share in that eternal
glory with Him forever. But for now, so long as we walk on this earth, we need
to come down from the 'mountain-top' times, and take the truth about Jesus
into the world of hurting people below.
Second, notice that the glory of Jesus atthat time was so wonderful (though
frightening) that the disciples would have rather left everything behind and

stayed there for as long as they could. And if such a temporal display of the
glory of Jesus was so wonderful, then what must heaven be like--where we will
see the full display of His glory forever?
And finally, we need to remember in all of this that Jesus is being put on
display as unique. He does not share status with anyone else—noteventhe
greatestofsaints, such as Moses orElijah. They were great messengers of
God; but their messagewas aboutJesus Christ. And it's Him—not His
servants—thatshould receive our attention and worship.
* * * * * * * * * *
That last point is made very clearto us in what happens next. We're told that
while Peterwas still speaking those words, "a bright cloud overshadowed
them . . ." (v. 5). This was no ordinary cloud. It was a "bright cloud"; and it
seemedto encompass them—as if to silence them and place a holy veil over
the things that they were then seeing. Canyou imagine, given all the things
that had alreadyoccurred, what a terror this would have put them into?
It's hard not to see, in this cloud, a reminder of the glorious cloud—the
Shekinahglory—that coveredMount Sinai at the giving of the law (Exodus
19:18); or that later filled the Tabernacle in the wilderness (Exodus 40:34-35),
and the Temple in Jerusalem(1 Kings 7:10-11). And now, as the glory of Jesus
Christ—Godin human flesh—is being revealed, this cloud once againcomes
as a covering.
And it was from the midst of this cloud that God the Father spoke. The voice
of the Fatherrumbled from within this cloud to the three trembling disciples,
saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. HearHim!" (v.
5). And as a result, the disciples spoke no more! They fell on their faces and
were greatly afraid (v. 6).

This is the secondtime in the Gospelof Matthew that we're told that the voice
of the Fatherspoke. The first time was at Jesus'baptism. And at that time, He
said essentiallythe same thing: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased" (Matthew 3:17). Here, however, He stresses the command, "Hear
Him!" The Father, speaking from the cloud, says the very thing that Peter
confessed—the very confessionthat Peter was told didn't come from 'flesh
and blood', but that had been revealedto him by the Father Himself—that
Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Before everyone else—beforeeveryother human teacheror preacher—even
before Moses and Elijah themselves—we mustlet Jesus Christ be heard! The
Father has pointed out Jesus and said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am
well pleased. HearHim!" If only people who scramble around the world, and
claim that they were seeking "truth", would learn from this story! Their
searchwould be over!
* * * * * * * * * *
So; considerwhat has happened. The awesome, kinglymajesty of the Lord
Jesus Christ was put on display. Selectmen were given a preview of His
majesty. Mosesand Elijah appeared with Him in glory, and spoke with Him
about His upcoming sacrifice. Abright cloud—the very Shekinahglory of
old—coveredthe scene. And the voice of the Father in heaven announced Him
to these three witnesses.
And that's when we see . . .
5. WHAT THEY WERE TO DO WITH WHAT THEY WERE SHOWN (vv.
7-9).

They were cowering in fear. But when it was over, Jesus came, touchedthem,
and displayed greatgentleness to them. He told them, "Arise, and do not be
afraid" (v. 7). He wasn't there to cause them more terror. They had seenwhat
they needed to see;and had heard what they needed to hear. It was all over
now. And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Him. Moses was
gone. Elijah was gone. The cloud was gone. The voice of the Fatherwas gone.
All they saw was Jesus—withthe words of the Father, "Hear Him!", still
echoing in their ears.
And it's then that Jesus leads them down the mountain. And as He leads them
back to the crowds below, He gives them a strict command: "Tellthe vision to
no one until the Sonof Man is risen from the dead" (v. 9). They didn't
understand. Mark tells us that "they kept this word to themselves, questioning
what the rising from the dead meant" (Mark 9:10).
I suspectthat the reasonJesus commandedthem to tell no one until after His
resurrectionwas the same reasonHe commanded them to keepsilent about
Him after they affirmed Him as the Christ, the Sonof the living God (v. 20).
His divine destiny—His purpose from the Father—remainedthe same.
Though His glory had been displayed, He still must go to Jerusalem, must
suffer in the hands of unjust men, and must die on the cross for our sins.
What meekness ourSavior displays in this! He possessedsuchpower and
glory as was displayed on the mountain—and yet, He hid it all and willingly
went to the cross forus!
* * * * * * * * * *
What a strange, scarystory this was!But every word is true. Everything
happened, just as it was reported to us.

And it's one of those strange, mysterious stories that is meant to take us up
beyond ourselves, and give us an encounter with the 'transcendent' powerof
God. It is meant to shake us down to the core;and give us "holy goose-flesh".
It's meant to change us forever. It is meant to inspire us with the
overwhelming sense that Jesus Christis everything that He saidHe was;and
that we can invest our eternal destiny in Him. It's meant to remind us that He
truly will come in the glory of His Father, with His angels, and rewardeach
according to his works. It's meant to teachus that we can safelydeny
ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him.
At least, that's the conclusionPeterhimself came to. Many years after this
event, just before he laid down his own life as a martyr for the Lord Jesus,
Petersought to urge his fellow Christians to keepon following Jesus. He
sought to remind them of the things they had been taught. And he added
'punch' to his appealby saying these words:
For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you
the powerand coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnessesofHis
majesty. ForHe receivedfrom God the Father honor and glory when such a
voice came to Him from the ExcellentGlory: “This is My beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this voice which came from heaven
when we were with Him on the holy mountain. And so we have the prophetic
word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark
place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts . . . (2
Peter1:16-19).
Misseda message?Check the Archives!
Copyright © 2007 BethanyBible Church, All Rights Reserved

WILLIAM BARCLAY
THE WARNING AND THE PROMISE (Matthew 16:27-28)
16:27-28 "Forthe Son of Man will come with the glory of his Father, with his
angels, and then he will render to eachman in accordancewith his way of
action. This is the truth I tell 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."
There are two quite distinct sayings here.
(i) The first is a warning, the warning of inevitable judgment. Life is going
somewhere--andlife is going to judgment. In any sphere of life there
inevitably comes the day of reckoning. There is no escapefrom the factthat
Christianity teaches that after life there comes the judgment; and when we
take this passagein conjunction with the passage whichgoes before, we see at
once what the standard of judgment is. The man who selfishly hugs life to
himself, the man whose first concernis his own safety, his own security and
his owncomfort, is in heaven's eyes the failure, howeverrich and successful
and prosperous he may seemto be. The man who spends himself for others,
and who lives life as a gallant adventure, is the man who receives heaven's
praise and God's reward.
(ii) The secondis a promise. As Matthew records this phrase, it reads as if
Jesus spoke as if he expectedhis own visible return in the lifetime of some of
those who were listening to him. If Jesus saidthat he was mistaken. But we see
the realmeaning of what Jesus saidwhen we turn to Mark's recordof it.
Mark has: And he said to them, "Truly, I sayto you, there are some standing

here who will not taste death before they see the Kingdom of Godcome with
power" (Mark 9:1).
It is of the mighty working of his Kingdom that Jesus is speaking;and what he
said came most divinely true. There were those standing there who saw the
coming of Jesus in the coming, of the Spirit at the day of Pentecost. There
were those who were to see Gentile and Jew sweptinto the Kingdom; they
were to see the tide of the Christian message sweepacrossAsia Minor and
coverEurope until it reachedRome. Well within the life-time of those who
heard Jesus speak, the Kingdom came with power.
Again, this is to be takencloselywith what goes before. Jesus warnedhis
disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, and that there he must suffer many
things and die. That was the shame; but the shame was not the end. After the
Cross there came the Resurrection. The Cross was not to be the end; it was to
be the beginning of the unleashing of that power which was to surge
throughout the whole world. This is a promise to the disciples of Jesus Christ
that nothing men cando canhinder the expansionof the Kingdom of God.
-Barclay's Daily Study Bible (NT)
JOHN BROADUS
Matthew 16:28. His coming is not only certain, but near. Verily I say unto
you, as in Matthew 5:18, introducing a very important utterance. His coming
will occurbefore some of those present will die. There be, old English where
we now say 'there are.' Some (of those) standing here, who were not only the
Twelve, but a crowd. (Mark 8:34) It is implied that not many of them would

live to witness what is meant; and this shows that it was not any event very
near at hand. Shall not, the strong double negative, as in Matthew 16:22.
Taste ofdeath. The image is that of a bitter cup, (Matthew 20:33, Matthew
26:29)which all men must sooneror Later taste of, and is very common in
Jewishwritings. Compare Hebrews 2:9; in John 8:51 f it is made the
equivalent of 'see death'. (compare Luke 2:26) Till they see, naturally, though
not necessarily(compare on Matthew 1:25), implies that after the coming in
question they will taste of death; and is so far an argument against
understanding our Lord's final coming to be meant. The Son of man coming
in his kingdom, or kingship, royaltyâ€”coming as king (see on "Matthew
3:2"). So in the robber's prayer, (Luke 23:42)and compare as to the thought,
Luke 21:31. In Mark 9:50, Luke 9:27, only the coming of the kingdom is
mentioned; but that implies the coming of the Messianic King, which Matt.
expresses.How could Jesus saythat he would come as Messianic King in the
lifetime of some then present? Certain rationalizing expositors at once say
that Jesus expectedhis final coming to judgment to take place within that
period. The language would readily bear that sense, especiallyin such close
connectionwith Luke 9:27; can it fairly have any other sense? Since the
Fathers of the third century a goodmany have referred it simply to the
Transfiguration, in which Jesus appearedas the glorious king. But (a) this is a
very unnatural and enfeebled sense of'coming in his kingdom;' (b) it occurred
within a week, during the lifetime not simply of 'some,'but of probably all
those present; and these objections are fatal to that view. Many others content
themselves with understanding a generalreference to the establishmentof the
spiritual reign of Messiah;some sayon the Day of Pentecost(Acts 2), though
that occurredwithin less than a year and so conflicts with 'some;' others say
throughout the following generationor the century. The most reasonable
explanation, especiallywhenwe compare Matthew 24, is to understand a
reference to the destruction of Jerusalem, forty years afterwards. This
providentially lifted the Messianic reignto a new stage. It put an end to the
sacrifices andthe whole temple ritual, and thus taught the JewishChristians
that these need be no longerobserved, and to a greatextent stopped the
mouths of the Judaizers who gave Paul so much trouble. The withdrawal of
the Christians from Jerusalembefore its destruction occasionedan alienation
betweenthem and the Jewishpeople at large. In general, the destruction of

Jerusalemmade Christianity stand out as no longereven in appearance a
mere phase or mode of Judaism, but an independent and universal religion.
(Compare Bp. Lightfoot on Galatians, p. 300 ff.) The sudden transition from
the final coming for judgment (Matthew 16:27)to this nearer coming at the
destruction of Jerusalemis repeatedly paralleledin Matthew 24;and the very
phrase of Luke 9:28 by Matthew 24:34, "This generationshall not pass away,
till all these things be accomplished." Plumptre: "Thatsuch words should
have been recordedand published by the Evangelists is a proof either that
they acceptedthat interpretation, if they wrote after the destruction of
Jerusalem, or if we assume that they were led by them to look for the 'end of
all things' as near at hand, that they wrote before the generationof them who
stoodby had passedaway;and so the very difficulty that has perplexed men
becomes a proof of the early date of the three Gospels that contain the
record."(1)
CALVIN
28. Verily, I say to you. As the disciples might still hesitate and inquire when
that day would be, our Lord animates them by the immediate assurance,that
he will presently give them a proof of his future glory. We know the truth of
the common proverb, that to one who is in expectationeven speed looks like
delay; but never does it hold more true, than when we are told to wait for our
salvationtill the coming of Christ. To support his disciples in the meantime,
our Lord holds out to them, for confirmation, an intermediate period; as
much as to say, “If it seemtoo long to wait for the day of my coming, I will
provide againstthis in goodtime; for before you come to die, you will see with
your eyes that kingdom of God, of which I bid you entertain a confident
hope.” This is the natural import of the words; for the notion adopted by
some, that they were intended to apply to John, is ridiculous.

Coming in his kingdom. By the coming of the kingdom of God we are to
understand the manifestationof heavenly glory, which Christ began to make
at his resurrection, and which he afterwards made more fully by sending the
Holy Spirit, and by the performance of miracles; for by those beginnings he
gave his people a taste of the newness ofthe heavenly life, when they
perceived, by certain and undoubted proofs, that he was sitting at the right
hand of the Father.
KNOX CHAMBLIN
Jesus the Glorious Son of Man. 16:21-28.
His resurrection, v. 21. The Father will vindicate the suffering Son of Man by
raising him from the dead. Those who suffer with him shall likewise surely be
vindicated (v. 25b).
His return, v. 27a. Thatearlierexaltation is completed in this glorious event.
As in Dan 7:13-14, the Sonof Man is depicted as a divine being entitled to the
worship of heaven (the angels are his, not just his Father's;the two autous of
v. 27 are parallel).
His judgment, v. 27b. The immediate purpose of his advent, according to this
passage, is to "rewardeachperson for what he has done" (cf. Jn 5:27). In this
context, "what one has done" must include his fundamental response to the
claims of Jesus the Messiah(cf. 16:24-26, linkedwith v. 27 by the opening gar,
"for," of v. 27a).

The meaning of v. 28. Here (I believe) "coming" means not the Parousia itself
(so Gundry, 341), but anticipations of it in various events which occurby
virtue of Jesus'resurrection(v. 21) and as manifestations of his resurrection
power- notably the coming of the Spirit, the Gentile mission, and the
judgment upon the Jewishnation in 70 A.D. (see Carson, 380-82). This
excludes the Transfiguration;v. 28 seems a strange wayto refer to an event
only six days away; and the event on the Mountain is hardly an anticipatory
"coming" of Jesus.
THOMAS CONSTABLE
Verse 28
The announcement of the kingdom"s appearing16:28 (cf. Mark 9:1; Luke
9:27)
Jesus revealednext that some of the disciples whom He addressedwould not
die until they saw Him coming in His kingdom. This prediction may at first
appear to be very similar to the one in Matthew 10:23. However, that verse
refers to something else, namely, Jesus" reunion with His disciples following
their preaching tour in Galilee.
This verse ( Matthew 16:28) cannotmean that Jesus returned to setup the
messianic kingdom during the lifetime of these disciples since that did not
happen. Neitherdoes it mean that Jesus had already set up the kingdom when
He spoke these words, as some writers have believed. [Note:E.g, C. H. Dodd,
The Parables ofthe Kingdom, pp53-54.]What Jesus predicted would happen
in the future rules this out. Some interpreters have takenJesus" words as a

reference to His resurrectionand ascension. However,Jesus spokeofthose
events elsewhere as His departure, not His coming ( John 16:7). Moreover
such a view interprets the kingdom in a heavenly sense ratherthan in the
earthly sense in which the Old Testamentwriters consistentlyspoke of it.
Mostamillennial and some premillennial interpreters confuse the eternal
heavenly rule of God with the millennial earthly rule of Messiah. Some take
the kingdom as entirely heavenly, and others take it as both heavenly and
earthly. Among the latter group are those who believe the kingdom is
operating in a heavenly form now but will become an earthly kingdom later.
A popular name for this view is the "now, not yet" view. This view often
involves confusing the church with the kingdom. [Note: E.g, Ladd, et al.] This
is the view that progressive dispensationalists holdas well.
Other interpreters believe that Jesus was speakingaboutthe day of Pentecost.
[Note:Morgan, p221.]Howeverthe Son of Man did not come then. The Holy
Spirit did. Furthermore the kingdom did not begin then. The church did. Still
others hold that the destruction of Jerusalemis in view. [Note:Richard C.
Trench, Studies in the Gospels, p198.]The only link with that event is
judgment.
Jesus appears to have been predicting the preview of His coming to establish
His kingdom that He gave Peter, James , and John in the Transfiguration(
Matthew 17:1-8). [Note:Walvoord, Matthew: . . ., p126; Toussaint, Beholdthe
. . ., pp209-10.]The Transfigurationfollows this prediction immediately in all
three of the Gospels that recordit (cf. Mark 9:1-8; Luke 9:27-36). Moreover
Matthew ,, Mark , and Luke all linked Jesus" predictionand the
Transfigurationwith connectives. Matthew and Mark used "and" (Gr. de)
while Luke used "and ... it came about" (Gr. egeneto de). Peter, one of the
witnesses ofthe Transfiguration, interpreted it as a preview of the kingdom (
2 Peter1:16-18). Finally Jesus""truly I sayto you" or "I tell you the truth" (

Matthew 16:28) separatesHis prediction of the establishment of the kingdom (
Matthew 16:27) from His prediction of the vision of the kingdom ( Matthew
16:28). Jesus" referenceto some not tasting death until they saw the kingdom
may seemstrange at first, but in the context Jesus had been speaking ofdying
( Matthew 16:24-26).
Jesus had just announced that He was going to build His church ( Matthew
16:18), so what would happen to the promised kingdom? Here He clarified
that the kingdom would still come (cf. Matthew 6:10).
J. LIGON DUNCAN
The Son will reign and His judgment will be according to kingdom self-
denial.
There’s one lastthing I’d like you to see in verse 27 and 28. Here we see
Jesus’third argument. He has first said to the disciples, ‘You ought to deny
yourself because those who seek their own interests first, never get
satisfaction.’ Secondly, ‘Becausethere is no thing that you can gain in this
world that is worth losing your soul eternally.’ And then thirdly, here in verse
27 and 28, He says, ‘You need to understand that I am going to reign. And I
am going to judge according to the obedience ofthe kingdom principle of self
denial.’ He teaches here in verses 27 and 28, the Sonwill reign. And He will
judge according to kingdom self-denial. Now friends, very frankly this is a
startling statement by the lord Jesus Christ. And it’s important for you to
understand that Jesus is not contradicting salvation by grace through faith
alone.

Jesus is saying though something quite striking. He’s saying salvationis by
grace. And the judgment of every man will be by obedience. That’s an
amazing thing. Though salvationis wholly by grace through faith, yet Jesus
says, ‘I will judge every man according to his deeds.’ According to his
obedience. Now understand why Jesus is saying that without us getting on a
theologicaltangentfor a moment. Understand exactlywhy He’s saying that.
He knows that His disciples expecttheir reward when? Now. And He wants
them to be ready to delay their expectationfor immediate reward. He wants
them to understand that they will be rewarded and when they are rewarded,
it will be greaterthan anything they can imagine now but it will not be now
primarily. Though they will experience the peace ofthe kingdom which
passes understanding in their heart in the trials of this life. Though they will
experience the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling them. They will not see the
final victory and triumph of the kingdom until the Lord Jesus Christ comes
with His angels and rewards them for their faithfulness. The Lord Jesus
Christ is saying ‘Look, I want you to value that reward more than you value
anything that anyone can give you in this life.’ It’s very interesting.
I saw a speciallastnight on A & E on the life of Cassius Clayor Muhammed
Ali. In the 1960s you’ll remember, he converted to the Nationof Islam. And
they were describing the teacherof the founder of the Nation of Islam, Elijah
Mohammed. And one of the central tenants of his teaching was that there is
no heaven, there is no hell. All the heaventhat there is, all the hell that there
is, is here and now. And you either have your heaven here and now, or you
have your hell here and now, it’s up to you. And his argument was, there
were some people who are experiencing their heavennow and there are some
people who are experiencing hell now. And the important thing to do in life if
to make sure that you experience your heavennow. That is exactlyopposite
from the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is saying, my friends, ‘The
reign and the rewardwhich you are longing for is not going to come in this
phase of the kingdom.’ For now, we are the church militant. For now, we are
the church persecuted. Fornow, we are the church suffering. Then, will be
the glory. Then, will be the reward.

And He is saying to His disciples, I promise you as you have trusted in Me and
as you have walkedin the wayof self-denying obedience, I will rewardyou
when I come. I promise you. So Calvin says, “How do you put together
salvationby grace and judgment by works?” Here’s whathe says:“These
two things agree excellently. Forwe are justified freely because Godaccepts
us irrespective of our merits and yet, according to His goodpleasure, He
repays our works with a rewardwhich we do not deserve.” And so, we deny
ourselves for Christ in order to enjoy ourselves in Christ.
Now friends, these messages, these teachings, these truths which Christ is
setting forth, are absolutely essentialto the Christian life. And we’ve got a
long way to go in our growth of these truths. But if we were to begin to put
these truths into practice in our lives here at First Presbyterian Church,
watchout. Let us pray.
Our Lord and our God, give us the grace to deny self and to take up the cross
and follow the Lord. And so, to participate in His heavenly reign that has
already been inaugurated but which on one day, He will display with power
from eastto westand north to south when He comes againin the fullness of
the glory of His kingdom. We ask it in Jesus’name. Amen
A B Bruce
Verse 28
Matthew 16:28. crux interpretum, supposedby some to refer to the
Transfiguration(Hilary, Chrys., Euthy., Theophy., etc.);by others to the
destruction of Jerusalem(Wetstein, etc.);by others again to the origins of the

Church (Calvin, Grotius, etc.). The generalmeaning canbe inferred with
certainty from the purpose to furnish an additional incentive to fidelity. It is:
Be of goodcourage, there will be ample compensationfor trial soon;for some
of you even before you die. This sense excludes the Transfiguration, which
came too soonto be compensatory. The uncertainty comes in in connection
with the form in which the generaltruth is stated. As to that, Christ’s speech
was controllednot merely by His own thoughts but by the hopes of the future
entertained by His disciples. He had to promise the advent of the Son of Man
in His Kingdom or of the Kingdom of God in power (Mk.)within a
generation, whateverHis own forecastas to the future might be. That might
postulate a wider range of time than some of His words indicate, just as some
of His utterances and His generalspirit postulate a wide range in space for the
Gospel(universalism) though He conceivedofHis own mission as limited to
Israel. If the logionconcerning the Church (Matthew 16:18)be genuine, Jesus
must have conceiveda Christian era to be at leasta possibility, for why
trouble about founding a Church if the wind-up was to come in a few years?
The words of Jesus about the future provide for two possible alternatives:for
a near advent and for an indefinitely postponed advent. His promises
naturally contemplate the former; much of His teaching about the kingdom
easilyfits into the latter.— γεύσωνται θ.: a Hebrew idiom, but not exclusively
so. For examples of the figure of tasting applied to experiences, vide Elsnerin
Mk. For Rabbinical use, vide Schöttgenand Wetstein.— ἕως ἄν ἴδωσι,
subjunctive after ἐν ἄν as usual in classicsand N. T. in a clause referring to a
future contingency depending on a verb referring to future time.
Bible Questions AnsweredNew Ask Random SignUp Donate
Search...
Search

Jesus was coming back in their lifetime

Jesus was coming back in their lifetime

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Jesus was coming back in their lifetime

Similar to Jesus was coming back in their lifetime (20)

More from GLENN PEASE

More from GLENN PEASE (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Jesus was coming back in their lifetime