Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 16:28

"Verily I say unto you, there are some of them that stand here, who shall in no wise taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." — Matthew 16:28 (ASV)

So near was that reign which would repay the losses of the saints for Christ’s sake that, before some of them died, the Lord would have held a rehearsal of it in His judgment of Israel, through the siege and destruction of Jerusalem, and would have set up His kingdom, of which the judgment seat is an index and an instrument.

We have here a difficult passage, and this appears to be the simplest way of interpreting it in its context. Our Lord seems to say, “Through suffering and death I pass to a throne, and by that fact it will be seen that loss and death are often the way to true gain and real life. My kingdom is not far away or unreal. Some of you will see Me exercising My royal power before you die.”

Yet it has been thought that it means some would never truly taste death or know the fullness of its terrible meaning until the judgment day. This is true, but it can hardly be the teaching here.