Failed prophecy?

EXCELLENT READER QUESTION TO OUR WEBSITE:

"I've been struggling with this for five years.  Maybe you can help me.  There are a few passages that indicate Yahowsha thought he was going to come back and establish his kingdom during their lifetime.   This is a failed prophecy.  I've heard a lot of contrivances and allegorical arguments, but nothing convincing as of yet.

'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 16:28)"

OUR RESPONSE:

It's a bit bewildering isn't it?  But look at the entire way Yeshua teaches: He teaches in "twists" of Aramaic with hidden meaning that may have a literal understanding, but more often than not the literal meaning makes no sense and the expression means something only to those who (we may say) "have been enlightened".

Even Yeshua's Talmidim did not understand why Yeshua spoke to the masses in parables and they asked Him.  He answered: "To you it is given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them.  For to him who has, it will be given to him and it will increase to him, and to him who has not, even that which he has will be taken from him.  Because of this, I will speak in parables with them because they see, and they see not, and they hear and they do not hear, nor do they understand." (Matthew 13:11-13)

So here as He talked to his Talmidim, He revealed the meaning of the verse that has given you so much trouble! His Tamidim had been "given the mystery of the Kingdom of Elohim", but to those who don't have the mystery, well, they "see, and they see not, and they hear and they do not hear, nor do they understand".  The "mystery of the Kingdom of Elomim" is what Yeshua had been sent to do, that is, provide everlasting life by accepting Him as Savior and by their turning to YHWH and obeying (See John 17:2-4).   The Talmidim, who had that acceptance, were able to understand Yeshua and follow Him.  They understood Yeshua spiritually, rather than literally.  They saw, heard, and understood while most in the masses could not see or hear with understanding because they had not yet received the spirit of understanding.  Let's now apply this to the difficult verse.

The difficult verse is found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke:

Matthew 16:28: "Truly I say to you, that there are men who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of man come in his Kingdom."

Mark 9:1: "And he would say to them, “Truly I say to you, that there are some who are standing here who will not taste of death until they see the Kingdom of Elohim which has come in power.”  "

Luke 9:27: "Truly I say to you that there are men who stand here who will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of Elohim."

(Note the subtle difference the way Mark and Luke record the same verse.)

Now go back an look at the verses in Matthew preceding verse 28 and remember, we must understand the verses not literally, but spiritually.  We only need to go back to verse 25:

25.  He who desires to save his life, will lose it.  And he who loses his life for my sake, will find it.  26. For what does it profit a man if he gains all the world, and loses his soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27. For it is necessary for the Son of man to come in the glory of his Father.  And then with his
Set Apart Messengers he will reward each man according to his work.

WE understand verse 25 because WE understand that we "save our life" when we "lose our life" because we understand that by our acceptance of Yeshua and obedience to YHWH, our "saved life" is our everlasting life, not our physical life.  WE also understand what is meant in the second part of verse 25.  When WE stop living in the world and turn to Yeshua, we "find our life" meaning we "find a holy physical life, which leads to everlasting life after physical death".  This is confirmed in verse 26, then in verse 27 the "clincher" is given to understand the difficult verse 28.  Let me highlight the words and add some commentary:

27. For it is necessary for the Son of man to come in the glory of his Father [far future event].  And then with his Set Apart Messengers he will reward each man according to his work [Revelation 22:12].  And now we understand verse 28.  There will not be "Set Apart Messengers" with Yeshua until and unless there have been those on earth who have accepted and understood the mystery of the Kingdom of Elohim as Yeshua said of His Talmidim! So what Yeshua says is that already, present there with them were people who would not taste death until they see the Son of man come into the Kingdom.   That phrase, not meant literally as it seems, that is "as the 2nd coming", says that since He, Yeshua, was at that time only an unknown teacher understood by few as to who He was or why He was there, nevertheless, soon,  would "see the Kingdom of Elohim" before they died a physical death.  In other words, they would receive the Spirit and they would turn to Yeshua and gain their eternal life and that is becoming part of the "Kingdom of Elohim".   In other words, Yeshua's "mission" would begin to be "fulfilled" while many were still alive at that time!

That prophecy happened!  While we still wait for His physical 2nd coming, MANY Set Apart Messengers began to fill the ranks who "saw the Kingdom of Elohim" while they were still alive at that time!  An example is recorded in Acts 2.  Yeshua had been crucified and had ascended.  Many were assembled and the Spirit filled the assembly and those who were ready, received the Spirit and became the "Believing Living" (I just coined that term!), and they will be the Set Apart Believers of Matthew 16:27 in the future when Yeshua does ultimately return. 

It is not a failed prophecy at all.  Rather, comprehending what Yeshua was saying, not literally, fully explains that He was talking about the "bigger picture".  The bigger picture is that yes, Yeshua will be returning in the future, but before that, there must be those who, while still alive in their physical existence, accept a Set Apart life - an obedient life of belief that Yeshua is their eternal-life-giver.  That process began upon Yeshua's crucifixion, and the Spirit filled those who were ready, such that their eyes were opened, and the Kingdom of Elohim began to grow.  While alive, as believers, we are part of the Kingdom of Elohim, and after death, we receive our eternal life and become a spiritual part of the Kingdom of Elohim.

So I hope I have done a good enough job explaining this and that the argument presented here is not seen as another contrivance!