Please could you spare a moment to tell me how you interpret Christ’s statement in Matthew 16:28? He says there were “those present who would not taste death until they saw the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Some say it is evidence of Christ’s humanity – since He said that He didn’t know the time of His return. Others have said He was referring to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. What is your interpretation?
Six days after Jesus said this, He took Peter, James and John to the top of a nearby mountain and was transfigured before them. Moses and Elijah were there and the voice of God spoke to them all (Matt. 17:1-8).
In 2 Peter 1:16-18 Peter recalled the event.
We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.
When Peter said this he was obviously talking about the 2nd Coming. This means the Lord’s transfiguration was the fulfillment of Matt. 16:28. Now, this doesn’t mean the 2nd Coming has already taken place as some Preterists would have us believe. It just means that during their lifetimes the three disciples were eyewitnesses to the fact that it will.