The Space of Jesus Christ

 The “Space” Between Matthew 16:27 and 28. Verse 27 clearly points to the final, visible Second Coming in glory with angels for judgment and rewards — exactly as Enoch prophesied (Jude 14-15: “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment…”).

This was part of Jewish expectation and aligns with what the disciples asked about (“when will this happen?” in the broader discourse).

Verse 28 assures that “some standing here” will see the Son of Man “coming in his kingdom” before tasting death.

My placement of this as the resurrection/ascension (about 6–12 months later, depending on exact chronology from Caesarea Philippi) is a recognized interpretive option.

Jesus receives “all power… in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18) right after rising — this is the Daniel 7:13-14 enthronement: the Son of Man approaching the Ancient of Days and receiving dominion.

The Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8, six days later) functions beautifully as the “decidedly forecast illumination” and preview as described — a foretaste of resurrection glory for Peter, James, and John.

Many solid interpreters see verses 27–28 as bracketing the whole complex: final return (27) previewed/inaugurated in transfiguration-resurrection-ascension (28).

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This is not an artificial gap but prophetic compression common in Scripture (near and far fulfillments in one breath).

Jesus takes them from Enoch’s known prophecy of the end to the surprising near-term inauguration they “had no idea was about to happen sooner than expected.”

Manifest in His ascension to the Throne and John 20:17Jesus’ words to Mary Magdalene at the tomb (“I must ascend unto my Father and your Father…”) explicitly announce the coming ascension (John 20:17).

This is His enthronement by the power and glory of the Father’s right hand (Acts 2:33-36; Ephesians 1:20-22; Hebrews 1:3).

This reference fits comprehensively: He must first ascend and sit on the throne before returning at, and for the consummation. He was preordained to this glory!

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Handing the Kingdom Back to the Father at the consummation, is Fully Biblical:

1 Corinthians 15:24-28 — After subduing all enemies (last of all, death), Christ delivers the kingdom back to the Father, by whose power He is enthroned, so “God may be all in all.”

My wording is expressly precise. Apostleship, Eyewitnesses, and the Elisha Parallel, is one of the strongest parts of my statement:

Seeing the resurrected Christ was indeed the defining prerequisite for apostleship recorded in (Acts 1:21-22; 1 Corinthians 15:5-8; Acts 2:32).

The Elisha/Elijah parallel (2 Kings 2) is apt: the successor receives the double portion only after witnessing the master’s departure in glory, or the disciple had only received the half of it lived together in the same body of mortality.

Like as though the disciples had been with Jesus and experienced all the miraculous, wonder of their partnership with Him on earth, but at end, had only witnessed the empty tomb, and not Himself ascended.

Peter, James, and John (and others) lived to see the risen Lord, receive the Spirit at Pentecost, and lay the foundation of the Church (Ephesians 2:20).

Jesus’ promise in 16:28 underwrites this empowerment “by His glory immortal from heaven.” He was endorsing the coming Church age with full commitment.

Some in the larger crowd may have died before the resurrection — “some” allows flexibility, and the promise held for the key eyewitnesses. Concerning overall Prophetic Declaration and Continuity my statement in this regard is Biblically continuous with:

Daniel 7 (kingdom reception).

Enoch/Jude (final judgment).

The Gospels’ passion predictions + resurrection/ascension narrative.

Apostolic witness and the present reign of Christ.

Our blessed hope of consummation and rejoin immortal to Him, when death ends forever.

It avoids making Jesus appear to err on timing, or yield to a misinterpretation that any of the disciples would live in the mortal body, until His final return, while preserving the tension of the “already and not yet" of His present Kingdom from heaven.

The nuance of the Holy Spirit is indispensable here, only He can weave these threads together by one breath from His mouth. (Enoch → Transfiguration preview → Resurrection inauguration → Ascension → Final return) into a unified revelation of Jesus Christ in two verses.

The core revelation here, in Spirit and in truth, is solid.

This remains a faithful presentation of our blessed hope: the King who has come, and who reigns now immortal from heaven, who will come again to make all things new. Revelation 21:5

Rightly dividing by depending on the gift of His Holy Spirit and comparing Scripture with Scripture, reveals, over and over again, He is the main character of it all.

May the reader understand and agree in one Spirit, and one truth eternal, and secured immortal in the body of Jesus Christ! Amen!

Study to Show Yourself Approved of God

 Revised Version of "Apostolic Faith" (Improved for Clarity Bible Study & Strength)

Study to Show Yourself Approved
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
Scripture is not of private interpretation (2 Peter 1:20–21) and must not be twisted to fit human opinion. With that humility, we examine the clear biblical progression of God’s redemptive plan.
The Bible distinguishes two major aspects of salvation:

• The present salvation of the soul (regeneration and adoption by the Holy Spirit) while we still live in mortal bodies during Christ’s current heavenly reign.
• The future redemption of the body to immortality at Christ’s appearing, when death is finally destroyed and God makes all things new.

1. Eternal Life as the Present Gift of the Holy Spirit: Salvation of the Soul and Adoption as Sons
Eternal life is not only future—it begins the moment a person believes. The Holy Spirit regenerates, indwells, seals, and adopts us as God’s children right now.

• John 5:24 – “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and has crossed over from death to life.”
• Romans 8:15–17 – “You received the Spirit of sonship… we are God’s children… heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.”
• 1 Peter 1:9 – “You are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
• John 3:16, 36; 10:28; Ephesians 1:13–14

This is the “already” aspect of the Kingdom: we have been transferred from the dominion of darkness into the Kingdom of God's beloved Son (Colossians 1:13). 
The soul is secure, and we are empowered for holy living amid a mixed world (Matthew 13:24–30). Yet we still groan in our mortal bodies (Romans 8:18–23) and battle against the sinful flesh of our origin in Adam.
2. The Intermediate State: Souls of Just Men Made Perfect, Absent from the Body
For believers who die before Christ’s return, Scripture teaches a conscious, perfected existence with the Lord—disembodied but fully alive, free from sin and earthly conflict.

• 2 Corinthians 5:6–8 – “We are confident… and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”
• Philippians 1:23 – “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.”
• Hebrews 12:22–23 – “…the spirits of the righteous made perfect.”
• Revelation 6:9–11 – Souls under the altar, conscious, crying out, clothed in white robes.
• Luke 23:43 – “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

The body rests in the grave awaiting resurrection, but the spirit and eternally living soul is already perfected in heaven with Christ. 
Old Testament hints (Daniel 12:2–3; Ecclesiastes 12:7) are clarified and filled with joy by the New Testament revelation of Christ’s victory.
3. The Present Reign of Christ from Heaven (The Inaugurated but Not-Yet-Consummated Kingdom)
Christ is already reigning enthroned by the Father, but His Kingdom operates in “mystery” form during this age—wheat and tares growing together until the harvest.

• Ephesians 1:20–23; Acts 2:33–36 – Christ seated far above all rule and authority, head over the church.
• 1 Corinthians 15:24–28 – “He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
• Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43 – Good seed and tares remain together until “the end of the age,” when angels separate them.
• Colossians 1:13; Acts 3:21 (restitution of all things to God's original intention).

This is the age of patient mission, gospel preaching to all nations, endurance, and growth of God’s family amid opposition.
4. The Blessed Hope Fulfilled: Redemption of the Body to Immortality and the New Creation
Our ultimate hope is not the intermediate state, but the visible return of Christ, the resurrection/change of the body, and the new heavens and new earth where death is no more.

• Titus 2:13 – “Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
• Romans 8:23 – “…we ourselves groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.”
• Philippians 3:20–21 – “We eagerly await a Savior… who will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
• 1 Corinthians 15:51–54 – “We will all be changed… the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”
• 1 John 3:2 – “When Christ appears, we shall be like him.”
• Revelation 21:1–5; 22:3–5 – New heaven and new earth, no more death, God dwelling with His people, “they will reign for ever and ever.”

At that moment, all the redeemed—those who “sleep” and those who remain—will be glorified together, death destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26), and God will be “all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28).
Conclusion
This framework flows directly from both Testaments and upholds both urgency for every generation and patient endurance until the end. The present heavens and earth will pass (Isaiah 51:6; 2 Peter 3:10–13; Genesis 6:13 context of judgment), but God’s promises to His people stand forever for all who have believed in Him from the beginning, and forever to the end.Amen. 
May the Lord grant every reader wisdom and revelation in the Spirit of understanding as they offer themselves to intentional meditation, prayer, Bible study, and saturation in the glory of His power to save daily (Acts 17:11).