Kingdom Events

Matthew 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.”
 
REMEMBER that time is an essential foundation element to God’s Kingdom. Generally, the Kingdom timeline is well-defined from Genesis to Revelation. God reveals his planned process in events under his sovereign time schedule. But this verse creates a “time challenge.” For example, people who refuse to believe the Bible look at these words and say, “Jesus was wrong. All the people hearing his voice that day have died, and he has not returned.” They self-righteously point out that if Jesus was wrong, one cannot trust his other teachings.
   Perhaps you have wondered about Jesus’ words here. Or you don’t know about them. Or you simply read past it, trusting God’s Word. But don’t  you wonder what Jesus means here? How do we defend that the Bible is without error, God’s inspired Holy Word when it seems Jesus was mistaken?
   As with any Bible text, we look into the context of Jesus’ words and understand them from a first century meaning. Remember the previous two lessons. Jesus has just taught of suffering and losing one’s life. He has talked of final judgment and heavenly reward. So his purpose now is to encourage his disciples to be steadfast. He promises they will see the fullness of his glory during their lifetimes. Here’s how we understand the Lord.
   First, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth.” As Matthew has shown us many times in his gospel, Jesus underscores the words he is about to teach by affirming them as Heaven’s truth. Emphasizing the importance of his next words, Jesus then referred to a series of Kingdom events that express the Son of Man’s glory for the apostles to see. For example, the next lesson describes Jesus transfiguration into the fullness of his glory. That is a Kingdom event. The Son of Man – Jesus – in effect comes to earth in his stunning, brilliant glory for a brief time in the presence of “some of” his disciples Peter, James and John.
   Second, another Kingdom event showing the Son of Man’s glory is Jesus’ resurrection. Certainly that is the Son of Man coming to life in glory. Third, they all would then see his risen, glorious body ascend to heaven. A fourth Kingdom event is the Son coming through the Spirit at Pentecost. The tongues of fire touched each apostle. Jesus’ glory was revealed in a stunning mind, heart and soul transformation. It’s as if the apostles were transfigured into Jesus’ glory. The Spirit empowered the disciples to preach and begin the church. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus came in power to rule his church. A fifth demonstration of the Son of Man coming in glory is Jesus’ magnificent work through the Spirit to heal the sick, resurrect the dead and save souls through the apostles’ work. This is the Son coming in the Spirit to build his Kingdom.
   Have you seen the Son of Man coming in glory? Has he transformed your life? Are you a new creation in Jesus Christ? Do you love the Lord God? Then the Son of Man’s glory has come to you.