We are on the trail as to what Jesus meant by Matt. 10:23,
“But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.”
So again, it’s important we read through from verse 18 to get some facts as well.
Matt. 10:18, “And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak… 23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.”
Vesres 18 & 19 tells us, “And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.”
Now that describes for us relatively the nature of the persecution and why. So essentially they were being persecuted because of what they were doing. That’s exactly why the likes of Peter and company were picked up in Acts Chapter 4 after healing the cripple by the gate in Acts 3.
So we are told, Acts 4:1, “And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, 2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.”
Now we see that preaching has always been their offence. Therefore Jesus’ statement means keep teaching the message to the people; and if they persecute you in one city, move to another and continue doing so for you wouldn’t finish all the cities in Israel until the son of man comes. “Ye shall not have INSTRUCTED, i.e., preached the Gospel in the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.”
Now it is seen that destruction of Jerusalem happened 30 years after this statement was made not even up to 40 years;
But in the words of Dr. Lightfoot, “Ye shall not have traveled over the cities of Israel, preaching the Gospel, before the Son of man is revealed by his resurrection.” Rom. 1:4, “To you first, God, raising up his Son, sent him to bless you,” (Acts 3:19-20).
And again it must be observed that the period or age of the expected Messiah is dated from the resurrection of Christ.” So the word we are looking at is simply you would not finish the survey, to preach in every one of the cities, before the Son of man come.
Viewed from this perspective, it means Jesus came in the Pentecost, which agrees with Romans 1:4. But the problem with this view alone is, while the Son of God comes to bless, the Son of man comes in judgment.
And the passage in question in Matt. 10:23 is talking of the Son of man and not the Son of God, as it is important for us to observe the difference in these ministries of the Son of God and the Son of man though they be one person in all.
Conclusively then, “Till the Son of man be come” simply was referencing primarily the Lord coming into His kingdom (Matt. 16:28), while the Apostles were still alive in the transfiguration. And then He also came in judgment on the Jews at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 with the Roman Armies. This event ended the Jewish persecution of the Apostles.
And that answers Matt. 10:23 “But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.”
Meaning you wouldn’t finish going round the cities of Israel teaching the people before I come in judgment to Jerusalem. And it did happen in AD 70.
So friends don’t expect this passage to be fulfilled in the future neither was Jesus instructing you to run around the cities of Israel. You are not in Israel in the first place; and this is not talking of spiritual Israel as some will claim, as they have no clue as to what Jesus was saying.
Again, this isn’t about the second coming of Christ so called but simply the judgment of Christ on the religious Jews and His manifestation as the son of God.