All the disciples died.  Yet, Jesus said that some of them would not taste death before they saw the Kingdom of God.  (Luke 9:27)

  All died…Judas Iscariot by his own hand (he betrayed Jesus).  Ten of the others died a martyrs’ death according to Scripture and church tradition.  That leaves one…John, the brother of James.  Hmmm, yet we know that he too died when an elderly man.

What could Jesus have meant?  Jesus knew that John would receive a vision of the kingdom of God on the island of Patmos, was this to which Jesus referred to when He talked with His disciples?

(NASB) Revelation 1:13-15 “…I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.
14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire.
15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.”

  John saw the resplendent majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven and wrote of that experience in the book of Revelation.

Besides John, who were some of the others who saw the kingdom of God?
(NASB) Isaiah 6:1-4 “…I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.
2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3 And one called out to another and said,
‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory.’
4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.”

When Isaiah saw and heard the above, he said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”                                                                                                                                                                         (NASB) Isaiah 6:5

The risen Lord Jesus met Saul (who later was named Paul) as he was going to Damascus to persecute and arrest followers of the Way (followers of Christ).  (Acts 9:1-2)

(NASB) Acts 9:3-6 “As he (Saul) was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him;
4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’
5 And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,
6 but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.’”

Three different men, at three different points in time…each were given glimpses of the risen Lord and His kingdom… and each recognized the majesty of the living God!

As we read God’s word, glimpses of His kingdom are given to our understanding.  One day all followers of Christ will live there, in God’s kingdom!  Are you included?