The Coming of the Kingdom in PowerMark 9, speaks of the coming of the kingdom in power. How does this text fit within an A.D. 70 time frame? Some have taken it to mean the time of the beginning of the kingdom on Pentecost of Acts 2. Their argument goes something like this. Mark 9:1 is the coming of the kingdom with power. The power came on Pentecost of Acts 2 with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the kingdom came in power on Pentecost. This reasoning fails to harmonize with several points in the context of Mark 9:1 and its related passages. Further, it does not take in the entire scope of the remote contexts for this subject. Observe the text in context. The context of Mark 9:1, is to be found, not in what follows (the Transfiguration) but in what precedes it. Jesus spoke about his rejection and suffering prophesied in the scriptures. He would bear his cross to Calvary. This would be the means of establishing his kingdom. Peter began to rebuke Christ, to which the Lord responded that God purposed his death. Next, Jesus called the people to Himself along with His disciples also and spoke to them about bearing their crosses through self denial. This he said in view of the following, i.e., the coming judgment. For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:38) Unfortunately for some and tragically for others, this verse is separated from Mark 9:1 by an arbitrary chapter division which leaves verse the latter totally isolated from it's context. They should be read and interpreted as one subject. See the parallel passages (Matthew 16:27, 28; Luke 9:26. 27) where no gap or chapter divison exists. The two passages in Mark (8:38-9:1) should be read as one unbroken subject.
The context of Mark 9:1, is to be found, not in what follows (the Transfiguration) but in what precedes it. Jesus spoke about his rejection and suffering prophesied in the scriptures. He would bear his cross to Calvary. This would be the means of establishing his kingdom. Peter began to rebuke Christ, to which the Lord responded that God purposed his death. Next, Jesus called the people to Himself along with His disciples also and spoke to them about bearing their crosses through self denial. This he said in view of the following, i.e., the coming judgment. For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:38) Unfortunately for some and tragically for others, this verse is separated from Mark 9:1 by an arbitrary chapter division which leaves verse the latter totally isolated from it's context. They should be read and interpreted as one subject. See the parallel passages (Matthew 16:27, 28; Luke 9:26. 27) where no gap or chapter divison exists. The two passages in Mark (8:38-9:1) should be read as one unbroken subject. Note first that Jesus addresses the same audience at the same time in Mark 9:1 as he does in verse 38. He had called the people and his disciples, v. 38. And he said to them, (Mark 9:1). The context of Mark 8:38 is judgment. Its focus is the eschatological coming of the Lord and the kingdom in power. This sets the time beyond Pentecost of A.D. 29, to a much later time. Some will see the judgement as yet future, denying that the kingdom of God is yet in existence. We see this as erroroneous. Rather, Jesus' focus for judgment is upon those of this adulterous and sinful generation. Elsewhere he uses this specific designation to speak of the generation which would crucify him on the cross, the very subject with which he began this conversation. See Matthew 12:39, 16:4. Moses, long ago spoke of Israel as the perverse generation of the last days, in whom there was no faith, (Deuteronomy 32:20). Verse 21 of that chapter when compared with Romans 10:21, leaves no doubt that the first century generation of unbelieving Jews is the culprit. Compare also Peter's words, (Acts 2:40) with those of Paul, (Philippians 2:14). The judgment Jesus has in mind is the A.D. 70 destruction of Jerusalem when God would bring vengeance on the nation for their rejection of Him. It is in that context that the Lord says to the audience in His presence, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power." This creates a serious problem for those who attempt to align the text with the coming of the Spirit on Pentecost of Acts 2. At the time of judgment, i.e. the Parousia of Christ, the eschatological Spirit's ministry is completed. The Spirit's role begins on Pentecost but ends at the great and terrible day of the Lord with the presence of Christ, (Acts 2:16-20). Since it is the case that Christ comes in his kingdom, hence is no longer absent, but present with the church in the kingdom, hence the completion of eschatology, the eschatological Spirit's work is complete. See 1 Corinithians 1:7, 8. His work would only continue until the end of the Jewish age, Matthew 18:20; Mark 16;20). The force of Mark 9:1 is that Jesus affirms that the time of His parousia, coming in judgment and in the coming of the kingdom in power would happen before some standing with him died. This cannot be Pentecost as explained above. It cannot be the time of the transfiguration, for that was not enough time for "some" of the disciples to have died. We have record of only one disciple who died prior to Pentecost of Acts 2. Even that extended beyond the transfiguration. However, by the time of the Roman invasion of Judea, several if not most of Jesus disciples had died. It is reasonable to conclude that within that 40 years, other disciples who stood in that crowd died also. Yet, the passage would be fulfilled before all would die. Hence the coming of the kingdom in power occurs within their generation, after Pentecost but within the lifetime of those who stood in Jesus' presence.
Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold..." (Daniel 2:45) God's kingdom totally obliterated the kingdoms of the world without ever lifting a sword, save that sword of the Spirit. In this manner, the nations do not learn war any more and beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. It is the power of the gospel changing the hearts of men. That is a power of which the most sophisticated weapon or bomb cannot accomplish were it magnified a zillion times.
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A parallel event was the times of the Gentiles. This takes up the image of Daniel's prophecy which was a figurative symbol of the Gentile nations. Their destruction would come with the fall of Jerusalem. It is not the physical demise of these nations, for Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, were already physicaly defeated. Rome's physical defeat would happen a few centuries later. However, these nations are seen as conquered by the gospel of Christ within one generation. That is the awesome diplay of the kingdom in power and the gospel. Nor does it mean that every individual is saved but that people are saved out of all nations, tribes and languages by the gospel.
"If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death," (John 8:51). For New Testament saints who were baptized into Christ, this victory over death began on Pentecost. Not until the end of the age harvest would death be conquered for the rest of the faithful dead, i.e. those who died under the Old covenant, (Hebrews 11;39, 40).
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