Some of You Shall Not Taste Death – Eschatology Notes 2023

What did Jesus mean when He said, “some of you shall not taste death…?” Consider this scripture…

24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

27 For the Son of man shall come [μέλλω — is about to come] in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

28 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 kingdom.

-Matthew 16:24-28

This passage can be a problem for Christians. Is Jesus saying He will return (vs 27) before all His disciples die (vs 28)? If so, was Jesus wrong in predicting His own return?

There are three other questions we must ask (and answer as best we can) in order to answer those first ones: 1) When Jesus says, “some… shall not taste death…,” what time frame can we deduce from that? 2) What is meant by “the Son of man coming in His kingdom?” 3) Is vs 27 and vs 28 referring to the same event?

The first question answered…

Jesus makes the interesting statement that some of His disciples (and possibly some of the crowd who were also present [Mark 8:34]) would not taste death before they see the Son of man come in His kingdom. He makes the same statement in Mark 9:1, and again in Luke 9:27. To “taste death” means, in fact, to die (see Hebrews 2:9), but for Jesus’s disciples it was not a final death of course. And they would not all die before this great event, but perhaps most would.

The plain reading of Jesus’s statement tells us that this event would be far enough in the future so that some, if not most, of His followers would already have died, but not so far in the future that they would have all died.

Many scholars and commentators suggest that Jesus is referring to the transfiguration here (for example click here, here, here, or here). In the text, we see that the transfiguration occurred 6-8 days later. These scholars suggest that because the event of the transfiguration occurs directly after Jesus makes His statement, the two must be connected. I don’t doubt there is a significance between the two, but the significance of Jesus implying some would die before the Son of man comes in His kingdom outweighs the significance of the order of the narrative. How many disciples died in those 6-8 days? None that I’m aware of.

Imagine speaking like Jesus in another context…

Teacher: Good news kids! It’s only 6 more days till your summer vacation!

Kids: Yaaaaaaay!!!

Teacher: And you know what else?! Some of you will live to see the last day of school!

Kids: <looks of fear and confusion followed by weeping>

Putting it plainly, if you tell a group of adults that something will happen in the future, and that some of them will die before it happens, but not all of them will die, you are talking about an event that is approximately 30-50 years in the future. The “Son of man coming in His kingdom,” from the perspective of Jesus’s disciples, was an event which would happen towards the end of the first century.

Jesus makes a similar statement in Matthew 10:23, which also places the event of “the Son of man coming in His kingdom” potentially decades into the disciples’ future.

The second question…

Daniel 7:13-14 says…

13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Psalm 110 says…

1 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

4 The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.

6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.

7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.

Matthew 26:61-65 says…

61 [Two false witnesses] said, This fellow [Jesus] said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.

62 And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?

63 But Jesus held his peace, And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.

64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.

Luke 21:20-27 says…

20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.

21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.

22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.

23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.

24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Matthew 24:15-16 (compare to Luke 21:20-21 above), 27-34 says…

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains…

27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:

33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Mark 13:14 (compare to Luke 21:20-21 above), 26-30 says…

14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains…

26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:

29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.

30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.

I encourage anyone reading this (*crickets*) to read the full chapters referred to above, but I think these sections of scripture are sufficient to show us that the “Son of man coming in His kingdom” is at least referring to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD70. AD70 fits the vocabulary of question #2, and it fits the time frame of question #1. The “Son of man” on the clouds is not to be seen as Jesus physically riding a cloud in the sky attacking Jerusalem, but rather it is the coronation and vindication of King Jesus. (Read also Luke 17:20-37.)

If you don’t agree with me, some guy writing a blog no one reads, perhaps you’ll agree with N.T. Wright…

Click here to read more from N.T. Wright and his views on this subject.

Third question…

Matthew 16:27 says, “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” We can see parallels to this from the above quoted texts concerning AD70: Matthew 24:31 and Mark 13:27. The angels gather the saints into the Church while Jesus judges. This is a judgement on Israel first, and is not the final judgement of all mankind. (However, this gathering and judging does carry on in history as the Church expands into the world. The word “angel” simply means messenger. And the messengers who gather in the elect throughout history are people — Christians working to complete the great commission.)

As Jesus describes it in Luke 13:23-35…

23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,

24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:

26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.

27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.

28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.

30 And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.

31 The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee.

32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

33 Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.

34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Salvation

The New Testament and the End Times – Eschatology Notes 2023

Below is a chart showing all the New Testament passages concerning eschatology. The passages are from Paul’s letters first, in chronological order, then through the other N.T. books, also in chronological order. I did not include any passages from Revelation as that entire book can be said to concern eschatology. I’ve added some brief notes as well….

Paul and the End Times – Part Two – Eschatology Notes 2023

There is an interesting anomaly in Paul when comparing 1 Corinthians 15 with the last part of Ephesians chapter 1 and first part of chapter 2. In both passages Paul writes of Christ’s resurrection, His reign, and the resurrection of people. He uses the same vocabulary in both passages: Christ being over powers, everything put under Christ’s feet, all in all, etc… But, the passages are not the same. The 1 Corinthians passage is describing an unrealized eschatological event, while the Ephesians passage seems to be describing a realized event which is metaphorical or purely spiritual.

Both passages proclaim that Christ rose from the dead, that Christ rules, and that Christ is above all authority and power. But then things differ. In 1 Corinthians, all of Christ’s enemies are being put under His feet, but it’s not complete yet. In Ephesians, it is done. In 1 Corinthians, it’s not until the kingdom is delivered to God the Father and the Son is subjected to Him, that God will be “all in all.” Whereas in Ephesians, the fullness of Christ already fills “all in all.” In Corinthians, there is a future bodily resurrection, while in Ephesians there is an already seemingly metaphorical/spiritual resurrection. Lastly, in Corinthians the end comes with the resurrection of the dead, while in Ephesians things carry on in this age and the ages to come. One other difference to note is that Ephesians mentions the Church while 1 Corinthians does not, although it is clear that Paul is writing about Christians in that passage.

Scholars (mainly those who are not Christian) suggest that Paul did not write Ephesians. One of their arguments is this anomaly shown here. In Paul’s other letters his eschatology matches what’s seen in 1 Corinthians: a soon coming of Christ resulting in a bodily resurrection. In Paul’s other letters, does he ever imply that believers are already seated with Christ in the heavenly places? Colossians 2:11-15 could go well with the Ephesians passage (although the same scholars who doubt Paul’s authorship of Ephesians also doubt his authorship of Colossians). Romans 6:3-11 could work too, and no one doubts Paul’s authorship there.

Let’s assume Paul wrote it all, and considering the Colossians and Romans passages mentioned above, also assume that Paul, in Ephesians, is describing an already-spiritual-resurrection for believers, and that in 1 Corinthians, Paul is describing a future bodily resurrection. This seems to go well with what Jesus said in John 5, where He seems to speak of an already spiritual resurrection in verses 24-27, and a future physical resurrection in verses 28-30. We can also compare this to Revelation 20. In that passage, starting in verse 4, there are thrones, and the believers of the first century are resurrected and reign with Christ for 1000 years. This is the first resurrection, and it only applies to believers (vs. 5). We could argue that this first resurrection is a spiritual resurrection and that it applies to all believers throughout the 1000 years (with the 1000 years beginning in the first century and continuing on till the Last Day). The final resurrection, a bodily resurrection including all humanity, is seen in vss. 11-15 followed by the final judgement.

**Note: I do not endorse any of the garbage that might be advertised on my blog page. That junk is from WordPress, not me.**

Paul and the End Times – Part I – Eschatology Notes 2023

It would appear from reading Peter, Paul, James, Jude, and John in the New Testament, that all these men believed that some kind of end was near to them, in their time.

In 1 Corinthians Paul exhorted his readers to live pure lives and then, in order to warn his readers, he used examples of how God punished the Israelites in the past. Then he said…

Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. I Corinthians 10:11

In James chapter five, James rebukes stingy rich people and then he encouraged his fellow believers to be patient…

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! James 5:7-9

Peter, in his first epistle, encouraged his readers to turn away from their past evil habits and to live pure lives. And then he said…

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in you prayers. I Peter 4:7

John, in his first letter, encouraged his readers to not love the world, but rather love God. And then he said…

Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know it is the last hour. I John 2:18

In Hebrews, the author encouraged the readers to remember what Christ accomplished for them, and then he said…

…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25

Jude, in his short epistle, warned his readers of false teachers and impostors who had infiltrated the early Church. Then, after describing those trouble makers, Jude wrote…

But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. Jude 17-18

In my last article, I wrote of how Jesus prophesied about two events: 1) The coronation of King Jesus and the destruction of the temple; 2) The Last Day resurrection and final judgement. I believe that prophesy #1 was fulfilled in the first century by AD70 and that prophesy #2 is still future. Would the NT authors agree with me? I have the advantage of looking back on 2000 years of history. I know what happened in AD70. I know what has not happened since then. The NT authors did not have this advantage. They did not even have a complete book of scriptures to refer to. Therefore, I believe that the NT authors combined Jesus’s two prophesies as one, and believed that both those prophesies would come to pass within their lifetimes. They were not wrong in their theology, but they were mistaken in their understanding of how their theology would play out in time.

To support this theory I only need to read the New Testament. I will start with Paul. In this article I will focus on I & II Thessalonians.

I Thessalonians

Imagine yourself as a member of the Thessalonian church around the year AD50 when this letter was written. You are hearing this letter being read in your church, and Paul is speaking directly to you and your church family. Paul writes, “…you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come,” and, “…what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy,” and then, “so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints,” and you can’t ignore this, “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep… And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” Paul continues to speak this way for the rest of the letter.

It does seem that Paul believed that he and the Thessalonian church would experience the coming of the Lord personally, especially when reading chapter four. Paul wrote of two groups of Christians: those who are asleep and those who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord. Paul placed himself, and the Thessalonian church, within the group of those who are still alive at Christ’s coming.

Jesus spoke of the Son of Man coming in His kingdom (prophesy #1), and Jesus spoke of a last day resurrection (prophesy #2 — see my last article). Paul most certainly expected Christ to come in His kingdom very soon, and he was right to believe so. Paul knew from Jesus’s own words that the temple would be destroyed, and Paul knew the significance of that: no longer was the center of worship in Jerusalem — a new order of things had begun under King Jesus. However, I believe Paul mistakenly thought the resurrection would happen at the same time. And why wouldn’t he? The gospel was being proclaimed with power across the empire, many miracles were happening, and people were already being transformed in powerful ways. Why wouldn’t Jesus be coming back soon to complete history?

II Thessalonians

Paul, again in 2 Thessalonians, speaks as though the coming of the Lord is near, and the persecuted Thessalonians would receive rest “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.”

But there was a problem with the Thessalonian church. They seemed to believe that the Day of Christ had already happened and they had been left out. It is unknown exactly why they thought this, but apparently they had been deceived somehow. Paul assures them that the Day had not already happened, and that two things would come first before that Day: a falling away, and the Man of Lawlessness being revealed. I’m not going to attempt here to identify who this man might have been (Nero? the High Priest? Herod? John Levi Gischala?), but it is clear from Paul’s language that this man was present in the time this letter was written, around AD50…

Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. II Thessalonians 2:5-8 (ESV)

It is strange to think the Man of Lawlessness is someone who will be revealed shortly before the Last Day resurrection and final judgement (a still future event), but was already being restrained in Paul’s day, and that Paul and the Thessalonian church knew what was restraining him. It makes more sense to connect the Man of Lawlessness with the destruction of the temple in AD70, an event which was relevant to the Thessalonian church and to Paul and to all the Christians and Jews living in the first century. Again, I believe Paul was correct in thinking the coming of the Lord was near (coming into His kingdom/coronation/destruction of the temple) but was mistaken in thinking this also included the final resurrection and final judgement.

**All scripture, unless otherwise indicated, is from the NKJV**