imminence and delay

And he [Jesus] said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.” - Mk 9.1

"The tension between imminence and delay in the expectation of the end is characteristic of the entire biblical eschatology." - A. Oepke

"The stress on imminence is needed in order to create a response of watchfulness in Christians’ lives. The delay is needed for God to work His program, to train His people for the coming Kingdom of God, and to show mercy upon mankind. The prophets (both Old and New Testament) spoke to people in their historical situation and called upon them to serve God without reservation as they awaited His salvation. In doing this, prophecy took on a time-shortened perspective, allowing for both imminence and delay of future events. [George Eldon] Ladd sets forth the grand result: 'it is the nature of biblical prophecy to make it possible for every generation to live in expectancy of the end.'” - Eugene Kimble

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