Matthew 16:28;
Mark 9:1; and
Luke 9:27
Jesus (talking to his disciples) seems to be implying that his return would be within their lifetime....that they (at least some of them) would still be alive when the Second Coming would occur.
Now....I'm not trying to make anyone question their faith here. Nor am I trying to poke holes in scripture. I'm a believer. But as Christians, we often come across passages in the Bible that we want to ask questions about.
So my question is....do you think Jesus was referring to the Second Coming? If not, what do you think he was saying here?
Any and all answers are appreciated. 🙂
Dear Going Nowhere,
You asked:
So my question is....do you think Jesus was referring to the Second Coming? If not, what do you think he was saying here?
Mark 9:1 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.
Absolutely, yes. Christ was teaching that some people in His presence would still be alive at His "second coming".
And they were.
I will explain that statement in detail. The second coming of Christ is a part of the "great mystery of Christ and His church" (Eph 5:32). That
great mystery is the most hidden truth in scripture and has only been revealed to a "few".
Take a look at what the Book of Revelation says about the second coming:
Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for THE TIME IS AT HAND.
Rev 22:7 Behold, I COME QUICKLY: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Rev 22:10 And he saith unto me, SEAL NOT the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for THE TIME IS AT HAND.
If the time for the second coming of Christ and the teachings of the Book of Revelation are still future, how can anyone, especially those who lived and died over the past 2000 years, ever hope to KEEP THE SAYINGS OF THE PROPHECY?
Was Christ mistaken when He said "I come quickly"?
Two thousand years is not quickly.
The truth is the prophecies were fulfilled in the 1st century A.D. and have continued to be fulfilled over and over again since that time. For Christ's Elect of this age, Christ
has already come or
is presently coming or
will come in the future.
Rev 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne...
Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
The second coming of Christ to His Elect (First Fruits) will continue over and over again until the last
chosen person has been saved and this age comes to an end.
The book of Revelation,
along with ALL End-time prophecy teachings, are
not teaching about outward coming world events as most people believe.
They are teaching on the pathway to salvation. The events described in the Book of Revelation and End-time prophecy teachings are
spiritual events, meaning that they happen "within" a person.
Luke 17:20-21 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
This scripture above is teaching on the second coming of Christ. It is a spiritual coming to His Elect, those who have been chosen from the foundation of the world. They are the only ones who Christ is saving in this present age. This age is only for the harvesting of the First Fruits of His harvest of mankind. The rest of mankind will have to wait for their salvation which will come at the end of the harvest season (end of the final age). They simply were not chosen to be "First Fruits" which are harvested early.
Here is another verse that speaks of the second coming of Christ:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
The first time Christ
appeared to mankind was when He was in the flesh. The second time He will
appear to mankind will be when He is "spirit". Under the New Covenant, Christ comes without observation and He comes "within" us. The Old Covenant is physical but the New Covenant is spiritual. Physical human eyes will never see Christ again:
Acts 3:20-21 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
The phrase "heaven must receive" is referring to the spiritual nature of Christ now that He has been resurrected. He will never visibly appear to this world again. At His "second coming", He "appears" spiritually within a chosen believer. This means that He will no longer be "veiled" from them. At this time, Christ will heal the chosen believer's spiritual blindness. In other words, He will give them "eyes that can see". Christ will be revealed through scripture. For those believers, they will find hidden "treasure".
Prov 2:1-5 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
Matthew chapter 24 is one of the great "end-time" teachings in scripture. Look at what Christ says about those events:
Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Notice how similar this verse is to the ones you quoted in you post.
Until a believer can "see" spiritually ("eyes that can see"), the book of Revelation and all End-time prophecies will remain a mystery. We must "keep the sayings" of the Book of Revelation and the End-time prophecies or salvation will pass us by in this age.
There is much more to the "great mystery of Christ and His church" than what I presented above. The core teaching of this great mystery involves the Early and Latter Rain of the Spirit. I can go into detail on this mystery if you have an interest.
Joe