Some of Them Shall Not Taste of Death

This verse is about what will happen when the kingdom comes, and why it matters - it's not about when it will happen.

MATTHEW 16:28
28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

It says there be some standing here - but it doesn't say when. It also says they - not you - shall not taste of death until they see the Son of man coming.

Now let's turn to Mark's account:

MARK 9:1
1 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

Here it's narrowed-down even more. There be some of them - not just some, but some of them - not some of you. And again it says, they - not you - shall not have tasted of death till they have seen the kingdom of God come.

So, Jesus was not necessarily speaking about some of those to whom He was speaking at the time. He was speaking about some other people - them - who shall not taste of death. "Them" refers to a group of people different to the group to whom He was then speaking. He doesn't specify who the group is. Therefore, it could be a distant generation. The text doesn't disallow this meaning. Therefore, it's not a proof-text for preterism. It leaves the timeframe open.

When you think about the context, and the point Jesus had been making, it doesn't fit that Jesus would need to make a statement about timing. Therefore, this verse is not so much about when, as it is about what and why.

It's not about when the kingdom will come - it's about what its coming will be like - and why that should motivate us to take up our cross today.