In the typical HyP version of this passage,
Jesus is telling His audience that some will live long enough to
see Him destroy Jerusalem. However, there is much more being
said in this passage than just "40 years from now Jeursalem will
fall."
But what, exactly, is it about Matthew
16:27-28 that would lead a person to think "AD70" unless they
were already thinking it? That is, unless one was already
assuming that AD70 was the coming of the son of man?
Fact is, there is not the slightest breath of
the fall of Jerusalem in any of this passage ; rather, there
much talk (and in the immediate context) of perserverence and
potential martyrdom in bearing the cross of Christ. So why would
we not consider that as the major focal point of verse 28's
declaration of some not "tast(ing) death until they see"? After
all, scripture says "it is appointed unto men once to die and
AFTER THAT the judgment" -- the very judgment talked about in v.
27!
Rather, I believe the immediate context
reveals this passage to be about laying down one's life for the
sake of the gospel, with the attendant rewards which follow. It
is my belief that this suffering/vindcation motif revealed
throughout the New Testament finds one of its most encouraging
defenses in Matthew 16.
The theme of self-sacrifice is developed
consistently through the second half of Matthew 16, with the
pivotal passage just a few verses prior to the important “son of
man” reference —
Matthew 16:25 For whosoever will save his
life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for
my sake shall find it.
Accordingly, we might hear Jesus saying
“There are some standing here who will be laying down their
lives for my sake (and, Peter, you are one). However,
fear not, because you will not have perished until you see me
coming for you in my kingdom, vindicating you to your great
delight.” etc..
Such turns of a phrase are known elsewhere in
Scripture, indicating the personal reception of a promise. Take,
for instance, the account of Simeon in Luke 2:25-26
"And there was a man in Jerusalem whose
name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking
for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would
not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ."
Here we see how Simeon was promised
that he would behold the object of his delight before he should
taste of death. This is precisely what Jesus is promising his
hearers in Matthew 16:27-28!
For evidence to support the idea that
individuals would behold the kingdom in power and glory, take a
look at Stephen’s martyrdom in Acts 7:
Acts 7:54 When they heard these things,
they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their
teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked
up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God,
and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 And said,
Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man
standing on the right hand of God. 57 Then they cried out
with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with
one accord, 58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and
the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet,
whose name was Saul.”
Might this not be a perfect example of the
“son of man” being revealed in power and glory personally to
Stephen prior to his tasting of death? Of all the Providential
signs of God's power and glory in that generation, this seems
like it would be the most likely to inspire the type of comfort
of which Jesus spoke. And wouldn't it be a huge comfort for all
subsequent witnesses to see that they too would be personally
ushered into the kingdom by the coming of their King? (And
wouldn't it also be terrifying for those who brought unrighteous
judgment against the witnesses? Every eye shall see Him,
including all of those who pierced Him.. and not just
those few still living 40 years later.)
It is very possible that Luke is consciously
drawing from Jesus' discourse through the conspicuous use of the
theologically electric "son of man" reference.
Notice again that the immediate context of
the coming of the son of man passage in focus is persecution and
martyrdom:
"From that time on, Jesus began to show
his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be
killed and on the third day be raised.. Then Jesus said to his
disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his
life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will
find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole
world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for
his life?"
Now, what is it about this context that would
lead a person to think of a single, impersonal event 40 years in
the future? It just isn't there.
Instead, the similarities between the martyrdom in Acts 7 and the
promise in Matthew 16 are staring us in the face:
27 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. 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. "
Notice the shared terminology that is used in
both Matthew 16 and Acts 7:
"Glory" (Doxa 1391) 16:27 & 7:55
"Father/God" (Pater 3962) 16:27 & (Theos 2316) 7:55
"See/Saw" (Eido 1492) 16:28 & 7:55
"Son of Man" 16:28 & 7:56
"Standing" (Histemi 2476) - Two objects, Same Word
This is a pretty significant connection!
Taken with recent "Seminar scholarship," I'm sure even more
connections could be made. However, we don't have to go outside
of the Word of God to see how consistent this personalizing
interpretation actually is.
Consider, for instance, how this coming
passage compares with Acts 1, where the description of the angel
fits Stephen's circumstances (look into the heavens and behold
Him coming in like manner, etc.). Also, there is the overt
"coming again" explanation of Jesus:
John 14:3 "I will come again, and receive
you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
Is this not precisely what has happened to
Stephen?
Jesus is not only referring to those few
listening - or some distant generation - by saying that His
saints will be brought to Him.. but that EVERYONE of his saints
will in the fullness of their times.
Now, most systems assume a singular coming of
Christ for a (very small) collective group of people alive at a
particular apocalyptic generation ; however, I believe that
scripture teaches that EVERY EYE shall see Him, not just those
alive at a particular moment in time.
That is, I believe that whereas Jesus' first
coming was to a very limited group of people, that his coming
again is to everyone (whether in judgment upon the wicked or
salvation upon the righteous). Here is a passage which speaks to
that:
Hebrews 9:28 "So Christ was once offered
to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall
he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. "
And, with this passage in mind, note the
immediate context:
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die,
but after this the judgment" (v. 27)
Put together, read this entire passage:
Hebrews 9:27-28 ""And as it is appointed
unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was
once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look
for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto
salvation. "
Again, it is often assumed that this passage
regards an apocalyptic event at a singular moment in time ;
however, I believe that a reading of Paul and others shows
consistently their expectation was that they would be fully
redeemed from the world at the time of their demise, and then be
given the full blessings of eternal kingdom life as promised,
and as given in earnest through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:12-13).
This was the primary point of encouragement
that Paul and others used in the face of the brutal persecution
Christians were facing:
Philippians 3:8 "Yea doubtless, and I
count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all
things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And
be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of
the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the
righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him,
and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his
sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any
means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."
Philippians 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence
also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who
shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto
his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able
even to subdue all things unto himself.
In all such passages, Paul's focus and
consolation is always that the Lord comes for His own in power
and glory (he and James, among others, warn of the horrid type
of meeting it will be for the wicked). There is not a breath of
AD70 being a goal of ANY sort. Nor does Paul make the
consolation corporate at a moment in time (to do so is
Universalism, in my opinion) ; it is the reception of the
salvation and redemption from all at the personal coming of
Christ.
A couple of other passages which inform this
idea :
Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted,
after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed
with that holy Spirit of promise, 1:14 Which is the earnest of
our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession, unto the praise of his glory.
1 Thess. 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting
on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the
hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but
to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high
time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than
when we believed.
There are dozens and dozens of such passages.
Matthew 16:27-28 is one of my favorites,
because we see such a beautiful fulfillment of the promise of
Jesus coming again "to receive you unto (Him)self" before
tasting of death in the life of Stephen. He, using the exact
same language, confirms the fact that Jesus came for him to
receive him into the eternal kingdom. Talk about motivational!
That is why, when I see someone denying that
there is a coming of Christ past AD70, or denying that there is
any judgment past AD70, I bristle at the stumbling block that
they are trying to place in front of a brother/sister. Talk
about overthrowing the faith of some! It is absolutely modern
Hymenaenism for that very reason.
There is much more than could be said (such
as the collective nature of his coming into the eternal realm
with his people, al a Daniel 7) - and Lord willing I'll do that
when able. However, my only real goal is to forward the idea
that the idea of manifesting to a single generation (whether
past or future) is not at all the intent of the Lord's coming,
as revealed in Scripture, but it is very personal in nature.
II Peter 1:11 "And so a triumphant
admission into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ will be freely granted to you."
It is my contention that the majority of New
Testament eschatology is about bearing the cross of Christ in
persecution and martyrdom, with our resultant glorification. To
focus on historical chronologies and time lines is to really
miss the focus of all prophecy, I believe. This Age/Age to Come
dichotomy is not about some line in the historical sand at all,
but is a declaration that leaving this realm is a personal
matter which is appointed unto all men. No man knows the day or
hour, but it is surely coming as a thief.
Finally, please notice that in Matthew 16:28
the context is "death". "Shall not taste of death
until.." - and so the death of the individual is where the focus
lies in the very verse in question. What takes place prior to
that death is "seeing the kingdom of God come with power." Only
some of those listening would be given this priviledge, whereas
some would reject Him. If you look at the verse immediately
prior to 27-28, this is exactly what it is saying:
"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?"
The same focal point of leaving this world in
the comfort of Jesus' promise of glory is seen in other passages
as well, perhaps most blatantly regarding the thief on the cross
who was about to die:
Luke 23:42-43 And he [thief on the cross]
said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy
kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To
day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Dispensationalists and Hyper Preterists alike
may baulk at this idea, believing that the Lord will gather all
people on a particular calendar date.. but this is not declared
by the text itself. If it is to be taken personally, every man
is rewarded "then" meaning at their time, as the scripture says:
"It is appointed unto men once to die, and after that the
judgment." (Matt 16:27 "reward ("requite" in Weymouth) every man
according to his works")
If AD70 figures into the imagery of Matthew
16:27-28 at all (even though it is not mentioned, or even so
much as hinted at in the text), it would be as a visible,
external show of these very personal revelations (per Israel’s
entire role as visible schoolmaster of invisible things). This
is also likely considering both Jesus and Paul's correlation of
the fall of the temple with the death of the body (John 2:19 ; 1
Cor. 3:17)
At any rate, there is no question that we
have vastly underestimated the significance of persecution and
martyrdom in its coloration of New Testament eschatology.
CONCLUSION
So then, with the complete lack of any
references to AD70, and with abundant references to the
personal work as testimony conflicts with rejection, Matthew
16:27-28 stands with Matthew 10:23 as an example of:
A) (Opposition) The eisegesis of the Hyper
Preterist "AD70 coming of the Son"
and
B) (Advocacy) Jesus Christ warning and then
comforting those who live godly in Him that they will be
persecuted for providing testimony of the gospel, but will be
glorified for their endurance to the end.
If nothing else, the complete lack of AD70
reference might be enough to bring those teaching dogmatic HyP
to a bit of a pause.. because if it has been assumed that
Matthew 16:27-28 is about AD70, then what else might have
been assumed?
Fact is, the only reason we believe a lot of
what we believe is that we haven't come up with anything better
yet. Sadly, our prejudices really work against us getting the
true picture of the Word if we are unwilling to allow the Holy
Spirit to move us in particular directions.
For a final support of the contention that
the majority of New Testament eschatology is about bearing the
cross of Christ in persecution and martyrdom, check out one of
Paul's more blatant eschatological “time texts” :
“the time.. is at hand” - II Tim 4:6
(now, without the dots)
“the time of my departure is at hand.”
blessings!
todd
[Important Note: Though certain partial
preterists agree with Hyper Preterism on time texts, to a
certain degree, it is never in the same context that the
resurrection, judgment and coming found their ultimate
expressions in AD70. When John Lightfoot uses Matthew 16:28 to
refer to AD70, for instance, he is not agreeing with Hyper
Preterism that AD70 was the only judgment, coming or
resurrection of Christian eschatology... just that this passage
doesn't necessarily point to a future beyond that event.
Therefore, he is not using the passage in a Hyper Preterist
context, nor is he teaching a Hyper Preterist message, even
though some shared opinions of advocacy might be found.]
John Lightfoot: "Was not the judgment and sad
conflagration of Jerusalem, and destruction of the Jewish church
and nation, an assurance of the judgment to come ; when
the expressions whereby it is described are such as, you think,
meant nothing else but that final judgment? As, 'Christ's
coming: coming in clouds, in his glory, in his kingdom : — the
day of the Lord; the great and terrible day of the Lord : — the
end of the world ; the end of all things : — the sun darkened ;
the moon not giving light: — the stars falling from heaven, and
the powers of heaven shaken: —the sign of the Son of man
appearing in heaven: — heaven departing as a scroll rolled
together, and every mountain and hill removed out of its place,'
&c. You would think, they meant nothing but the last and
universal judgment; whereas their meaning, indeed, is
Christ's coming in judgment and vengeance against the Jewish
city and nation; but a fore-signification also of the last
judgment." — Works, Vol. vi., p. 354.
