Albert Barnes Commentary Luke 2:26

"And it had been revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord`s Christ." — Luke 2:26 (ASV)

And it was revealed to him. We are not informed in what way this was done. Sometimes a revelation was made by a dream, at other times by a voice, and at other times by silent suggestion. All we know of this is that it was by the Holy Ghost.

Not see death. He should not die. To see death and to taste of death was a common way among the Hebrews of expressing death itself .

The Lord's Christ. Rather the Lord's Anointed. The word Christ means anointed, and it would have been better to use that word here.

To an aged man who had been long waiting for the Messiah, how grateful must have been this revelation—this solemn assurance that the Messiah was near!

But this revelation is now given to everyone, so that they need not taste of death until, by the eye of faith, they may see the Christ of God. He is offered freely. He has come. He waits to manifest himself to the world, and he is not willing that any should die forever.

To us also, it will be as great a privilege in our dying hours to have seen Christ by faith as it was to Simeon. It will be the only thing that can support us then—the only thing that will enable us to depart in peace.