Some Apostles Still Alive Today?

by sacolton 22 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  sacolton

  Matthew 16:28
  "I tell you with certainty, some people standing here will not experience death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

  Mark 9:1
  Then he said to them, "I tell you with certainty, some people standing here will not experience death until they see the kingdom of God arrive with power."

  Luke 9:27
  "I tell you with certainty, some people who are standing here will not experience death until they see the kingdom of God."

  I'm having trouble understanding this scripture. Is Jesus saying that some of his Apostles are still alive and walking the earth until He returns with His kingdom?

  Any help with this?
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  undercover

  Maybe it has nothing to do with future events and all that was supposed to happen already happened in their lifetime...

  If you're into myths and legends...
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  Mary

  "I tell you with certainty, some people standing here will not experience death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

  Didn't Jesus say this just before he took them up to the mountain and was transfigured? My take on it has always been that the Transfiguration was to demonstrate to his followers what the Second Coming would look like and that's what he was referring to when he said that those standing there in front of him would 'not taste death' before seeing that.
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  sacolton

  Would it mean that the second coming of Christ actually happened at the Pentecost when Jesus brought the Holy Spirit? The only one who wasn't alive was Judas Iscariot as to the meaning as "some of you". Does this make sense?
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  Lieu

  John "saw the actual Kingdom of God" when he was given the Revelation, etc.

  Pentacost was him sending "the helper" or "holy spirit" on those chosen. His second coming, according to the bible, will be quite visible to everyone.
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  sacolton

  So, "some people" really meant just John?
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  Satanus

  If all it took was a description, whether words, a vision, or an illusion, then he could have just drawn a stick figure picture in the dirt, in order to fulfill that prophecy. By that standard, christ has come a few hundred thousand times, and the wt armageddon has come a few thousand times in pictures.

  S
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  Ultimate Reality

  The other, more logical approach is to conclude that Christ's return/parousia was to take place within the generation of the people to whom he was speaking.

  Much of Chistendom and Jehovah's Witnesses in particular want to interpret these scriptures as applying now (or since 1914). Instead of assuming these things were written in a code, we can apply them to the people that Jesus spoke to and how they would have understood the words.

  In this case, saying that the these words would apply to the transfiguration, which took place a few days later, makes no sense. Why did Jesus make the point that some would still be alive (in other word's some would be dead) when they saw this event?

  Our mistake comes from the false chronology of the Watchtower. For example, if Revelation was written before 70CE and indeed as John said, the things in Revelation are to "shortly take place" then we can see why the Apostles had a sense of urgency. Because they were expecting a Great Tribulation in their lifetime that would not be repeated (or have a secondary larger fulfillment). And they would expect Christ to return and execute judgement on the harlot of apostate Jersulalem within their generation.
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  Lieu

  So, "some people" really meant just John?

  No, that's the reason for "etc" in my post.
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  Mary

  Would it mean that the second coming of Christ actually happened at the Pentecost when Jesus brought the Holy Spirit? The only one who wasn't alive was Judas Iscariot as to the meaning as "some of you". Does this make sense?

  Um....that wouldn't be my take on it, no. Matthew 16: 27-28 says: For the Son of man is destined to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will recompense each one according to his behavior. Truly I say to YOU that there are some of those standing here that will not taste death at all until first they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”

  The very next chapter (Matthew 17) and verse (1) says: "...Six days later Jesus took Peter and James and John his brother along and brought them up into a lofty mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone as the sun, and his outer garments became brilliant as the light. And, look! there appeared to them Moses and E·li´jah, conversing with him..."

  What I get out of this is that Jesus was simply showing them how he would return at some point in the future. While the events of Pentacost were significant, there wasn't anything that resembled Jesus returning with kingly power. It would happen at an unspecified future date.

  I could be wrong, but that's my interpretation of it.