Sons of Issachar

329. Evangelising Non-Christians: A Fresh Perspective

Mike Parsons –

In the last post, I talked about evangelising Christians. Now I turn to those who do not consider themselves Christians at all.

Challenging Preconceptions for Non-Christians

When it comes to talking to people who are not yet Christians or not yet believing, or have not yet realised what Jesus has done for them, I would start at a different place. I would probably begin by challenging what they think they know about Jesus and God, because it is probably not the truth. I would likely challenge some of the preconceptions they think they know from whatever religious upbringing they have had. I would say, “You may have thought you needed to do this or this or this, but actually God has done it all – you just have to receive it.” I would use illustrations like: “When someone buys a gift for you, they wrap it nicely, present it well, put your name on it, and then hand it to you. You didn’t buy it, you didn’t deserve it – it was a gift they gave you. But it wasn’t yours until you received it, even though your name was on it. Only when you reached out, took it, opened it, and received it as a gift could you say ‘this is now mine.’ Until then, you haven’t received anything, even though the gift is there.”

The Gift of God’s Grace

That is essentially what God has done. Jesus has reconciled everybody. He has taken away ‘the sin’ – the lost identity, their amnesia from who they really are. He has revealed the Father (as Jesus is the express image of the Father). He has shown people that it is all about love: He has called people to love one another, forgive one another. I would challenge them to see what Jesus said in light of our religious thinking – an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, vengeance, God being angry and needing appeasing. To say, “It’s already been done! God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. He’s already made a relationship, already given you the Spirit and made you alive so you can know Him. He’s already done all these amazing things – why don’t you just let Him give you that experience?”

Receiving the Gift

So give them the opportunity of having that experience as well. Probably having knocked down some religious ideas like “you have to go to church, pray, read the Bible” and so on. You can say, “Who said you have to do any of those things?” and open up a whole different vista of who God really is. It’s like the book “The Jesus I Never Knew” by Philip Yancey – he was probably brought up in the Bible Belt but never knew Jesus for who He really was. I would try to present Jesus as someone they may have thought they knew, but there’s more – a truth that probably challenges what they thought they knew.

Then I would stress the need for experience – that it is a relationship, God with us. God is in them already, wanting to reveal Himself to them. Ask them to give Him a chance. Then you can use something like “Behold I stand at the door and knock,” and say, “God is in you, within your spirit. He wants you to let Him into the rest of your life – to bless you, heal you, make you whole, remove all guilt, shame, condemnation, give you your true identity as His son, empower you to succeed and prosper.” Then get them to close their eyes, picture a door, open it, and see what happens.

Conclusion

So ultimately it all comes down to the same point – encouraging both Christians and non-Christians to experience things. But in both groups you may need to remove some preconceived ideas about what they think it is all about and what they think might be the truth. Then help them find The Truth as a person – Jesus – through that experiential encounter with the reality of who God is and what He has already done.

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328. Experiencing God’s Love: A New Approach to Evangelising Christians

Mike Parsons –

If you are starting with people who are already professing to be Christians, you will begin in a different place than if you are engaging those who don’t.
I will get on to evangelising non-Christians in my next post. Ultimately though, both need to know the love of God and experience that love themselves, through a revelation of who He is, to fully come into the knowledge of who they are.

Beyond Religious Conditioning

I would always start in an experiential way. If they are Christians, I will quote scriptures that point to the fact that Jesus and the Father very clearly desire an intimacy that is not religious and not based on works, performance or the old covenant. I would definitely look at the New Covenant wineskin for believers who may be conditioned or programmed by various religious beliefs. What did Jesus say we should expect? We should expect to be where He was, in the “I AM” relationship with the Father. He came and breathed on them to receive the Holy Spirit on the day of resurrection, affirming them as the new representatives of humanity: just as Adam was the first representative through whom all died, now they were the new representatives where all are made alive.

Experiential Encounters

I would emphasise that Jesus wanted them to experience His presence. Even when He told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem, it was so they would be clothed with power from on high – an experiential encounter affirming what they had already experienced in being indwelt by the Holy Spirit and received new life when He breathed on them, just as the Father breathed life into Adam. This challenges the idea of a certain number of people being “born again” at some future point, when the reality is that all were born again at that resurrection moment, affirmed when He breathed on them. As He said in John 14, “On that [resurrection] day you will know I am in you and you are in me, and we are in the Father.”

Challenge the conventional

I think always stressing the experiential side is key – that we have been called to hear His voice, come boldly to the throne of grace, and enter the realms of heaven experientially because they are open. Expressing this in a practical way removes the spiritualisation of the concept and sets the expectation for what our relationship with God should be. We can challenge the conventional vaguely hopeful expectations of ‘going to heaven when we die’ with affirmations of what Jesus said we should expect in this life – being in union with each other, our love relationship allowing the world to see what it means to be in relationship with God.

Summary

In conclusion, I would definitely give people an opportunity to have their own experience of God. Make it simple, easy and accessible – don’t complicate it. Give them the opportunity of encountering God through experience, and from that point, you can open the door for them to understand so much more.

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327. Reflections on my Journey with God

Mike Parsons

My own journey and the experiences I have described to you over many years are just one example of what can happen, not something that everyone has to go through in the same way. Walk in relationship with the Father, and let Him set the agenda.

When I was fasting and engaging with God for the first time in 2010, I went through an exhaustive process of applying the blood of Jesus to the gateways of my soul, as I had heard Ian Clayton explain. It worked for me because of my disciplined nature, but I wouldn’t necessarily advise everyone to take that same approach. Instead, allow the Father to show you what He wants to deal with, and provide you with the right tools for that specific work. It’s about using the appropriate method for the job, rather than trying to force something that doesn’t fit.

Flexibility and responsiveness to the Holy Spirit are the key, not trying to impose a rigid, one-size-fits-all process. In something like Engaging God I can provide some resources, but nowadays I would advise letting the Father direct how they are applied in each person’s unique journey. Simply surrender as a living sacrifice, and allow Jesus, your High Priest, to prepare you. Keep walking in relationship with the Father, and let Him set the agenda. I have found that a formulaic, systematic approach is not the way God does things. Use the tools provided as the Spirit leads, not as a program to work through. Each person’s journey is unique, and the relational, responsive approach led by the Father is far more effective than trying to systematically fix ourselves. So be at rest and do not strive.

The finished work of the cross is indeed complete, but we may not always be fully aware of (or benefiting from) everything that Jesus accomplished. Transformation comes through the renewing of our minds, as we come to a deeper realisation of God’s amazing unconditional love, limitless grace, and triumphant mercy. That is what enables us to change, not because we have to in order to be acceptable to God, but because the revelation of what He has already done for us leads us into transformation.

The journey of restoration and wholeness is a relational one, and the pace at which it unfolds is relative to each person’s unique circumstances. Some may experience swift breakthroughs, while others who are deeply broken may need more time to fully trust God and allow Him access to the depths of their being. The key is to simply follow God’s lead, without setting your own agenda. Present yourself daily as a living sacrifice, and let Him guide you on the path He has for you. Resist the temptation to compare yourself to others or try to figure it all out through your own knowledge and strength. Trust Him, enjoy the journey, and allow Him to bring things to the surface when the time is right. This keeps the process relational and joyful, rather than heavy or burdensome.

Summary

I believe that God will lead you into the wholeness and restoration He has for you, at the pace that is perfect for your unique journey. The invitation is to rest in His love, walk closely with Him, and let Him do the work. When we do that, the transformation He desires to bring about in us can unfold in a positive and life-giving way.

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326. The Power of Confessing Your Beliefs

Mike Parsons

‘Confession’ is not just saying the words. Anyone can say “I am immortal” but that has no value if you do not truly believe it in the depths of your being. Your confessions have to be an overflow of what you already know to be 100% true – not something you are trying to convince yourself of.

When Jesus said that those who eat his flesh and drink his blood will not die, he was speaking of physical, not just spiritual, death (look at John 6:58). But this truth has been largely lost and spiritualised over the past 2,000 years. Religious leaders have instead reinforced the inevitability of physical death, often misinterpreting passages like Hebrews 9:27.

The reality is that Jesus has already conquered death, and we are called to live in the victory of that finished work. But most Christians have bought into the mindset that death is just a “promotion” to heaven – an unavoidable part of life that we have to accept. We need a complete mindset shift to align ourselves with the truth of our immortality. This isn’t just a mental or spiritual concept – it has to manifest in our physical bodies as well. We pursue wholeness and health, believing that God wants us healed and restored; when we live in that reality of health, we no longer need healing, because sickness and disease will have no hold on us. And if we do not get sick, we will not die. Immortality is the truth that has been brought to light through the gospel (see 2 Timothy 1:10), but a truth that most people have lived in darkness about.

The passage of time is no longer a threat, but an opportunity to fully walk out the eternal life that is ours in Christ. We do not have to fear aging or death, but can confidently press forward, knowing that our bodies will be transfigured and empowered to function in ways beyond our current understanding.

Conclusion

The key is aligning our confessions and our mindsets with the reality that Jesus has already accomplished, not trying to make something true that was not true before, but declaring and living out the truth of our immortality. When we do that, we will begin to see the power of the resurrection working in our mortal bodies, bringing them into the fullness of eternal life.

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325. Embracing Compassion: Aligning to God’s Heart

Mike Parsons

Emotions are a powerful and important part of the human experience, and we do not have to be afraid to embrace them. In fact, the very word used to describe Jesus’ compassion means being “moved in the gut” – a deep, visceral reaction. The key is aligning our emotions with the Father’s heart.

When we see injustice or suffering, it is right for us to feel anger or sorrow. But we have to be careful that we do not just let those emotions rule us and cause us to act rashly or unwisely. Instead, we can use those feelings to connect with what the Father is feeling about the situation. What does the Father’s heart desire in this moment? Allow that to be what moves us and guides our response. Sometimes that may mean taking practical action, whether through legislation, intercession, advocacy, practical aid or other means. At other times, it may simply be about weeping with those who weep, or expressing compassion in a way that reflects the Father’s love. Every situation and every individual prompts a unique response.

The danger is when we try to suppress our emotions altogether, out of a misplaced sense of stoicism or reserve which is prevalent in some cultures. That is not how Jesus lived – he expressed the full range of human feelings, from laughter to tears. His emotions were a key component of the connection he enjoyed to the Father’s heart that enabled him to respond every time with such wisdom and power.

So let us be open to what the Spirit is stirring within us. Sometimes those gut-level reactions will well up unexpectedly, going beyond just our intellectual understanding. When that happens, we need to lean into it, allowing those emotions to guide us towards the Father’s purposes, rather than trying to shut them down.

Conclusion

Ultimately, it’s about finding the right balance – not being controlled by our emotions, but allowing them to be a servant that connects us to the Father’s heart and empowers us to act in alignment with His will. That is where we will find the wisdom and compassion to truly make a difference in this world, bringing heaven to earth.

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324. Complete Salvation in Christ

Mike Parsons

The Finished Work of Christ

The finished work of Christ has accomplished everything necessary for our complete salvation. There is nothing else to be done.
All the promises and covenants of God are fully and completely fulfilled in Jesus. There is nothing and no one else who could complete or fulfil them.
We are all included in Jesus and have received life through him, just as all died in Adam.

The Universality of Salvation

As in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. All have received life, though not everyone is aware of this reality yet.
The ministry of believers is to help people understand this amazing inclusion and reality that all have been given life in Christ.

The Universality of Sin

The Bible verse “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) is often used to tell people they are not good enough and need God.
The reality is that all have outworked their lost identity, which is short of the glory God intended for us.

Justification by Grace

The ‘all’ who have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (in Romans 3:23) are “justified as a gift by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).
This means that all who have sinned (which is everyone) have also been justified, not by their own merit, but as a free gift of God’s grace through Christ’s redemption.

The Universality of Justification

The “all” who have sinned are the same “all” who have been justified. There is a universality to both the problem of sin and the solution of justification.
Romans 5:18 states that just as condemnation came to all through one man’s transgression (Adam), so also justification of life has come to all through one act of righteousness (Christ).
The condemnation referred to here is not eternal punishment, but the state of living in lost identity apart from God, and the consequences that brings.

Jesus’ Authority over All Mankind

According to John 17:2, Jesus is given authority over all mankind, so that he may give eternal life to all whom the Father has given him.

Eternal Life for All Mankind

In John 17:2-3, Jesus states that eternal life is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom God has sent.
God has given Jesus authority over all mankind: the same “all” who were condemned in their lost identity and the same “all” who would be made righteous and justified.
Some may try to separate the “all” to whom Jesus has authority over, and the “all” to whom he gives eternal life. That is illogical. The same “all” applies to both – Jesus has authority over all mankind, and he will give eternal life to all whom the Father has given him.

The Supremacy of Christ

Colossians 1:15-20 speaks of the supremacy of Christ, and that all things were created through him and for him.
Note again the inclusive nature of the “all” – nothing is left out, as all things have been created through Christ and hold together in him.
And it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Christ, and through him to reconcile ‘all things’ to himself, whether on earth or in heaven.

The Universality of Reconciliation

Christ has reconciled all things, not just people, but everything that he created.
This reinforces the universal scope of Christ’s work: he has reconciled all of creation to the Father through the blood of his cross.

The Universality of Christ’s Work

John 1:7 – Jesus came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him.
John 1:16 – Of Christ’s fullness, we have all received grace upon grace.
John 3:35 – The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands.
John 5:28 – A time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice.

The Reconciliation of All Things

In John 12:32, Jesus says that when he is lifted up on the cross, he will draw all people to himself.
“All” does not leave anyone out, and there are many instances of the word “all” used throughout the teachings of Jesus and the Scriptures.

The Fulfillment of the Law

In Matthew 5:18, Jesus states that not the smallest letter or stroke of the law will pass away until all is accomplished.
The “heaven and earth” referred to in this verse represent the old covenant system, which was fulfilled; and it passed away when the temple was destroyed in AD 70.

Key Takeaway

All has been accomplished through the finished work of Christ; there is nothing left to be done for the full and complete salvation not only of mankind but of all creation.

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323. The Judgment Seat of Christ

Mike Parsons –

Video summary

Some people may not fully live out their intended destiny, but encounter purification at the Judgment Seat of Christ, where that which is of lasting value is distinguished from what is not. The Lake of Fire symbolises purification rather than eternal damnation, a place of refining in God’s presence, not the end of the world or the fate of the devil and fallen angels. In context, it relates to the persecution faced by early Christians, particularly at the hands of non-believing Jews in Jerusalem.

Entering the realms of heaven involves engaging with the Father, who comforts and purifies. Regrets are addressed, tears are wiped away, and the scroll of your life is cleansed. This leads to an ongoing relationship marked by unfolding knowledge, truth and engagement as part of the cloud of witnesses.

I do not subscribe to the concept of Purgatory, but I do believe in the Judgment Seat. I have experienced it personally, engaging with my scroll under the fire of God’s scrutiny. However, there was no guilt, shame, or condemnation – only love and a process of addressing missed opportunities and wrong motives. Our sins are forgiven through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, and every accusation against us is nullified. From God’s perspective, He always sees us as innocent, justified and righteous.

When we engage with God relationally, we begin to understand our true identity and undergo transformation through the renewal of our minds. I encourage you to spend time with the Father, seeking to discover the truth about Him and yourself. This understanding frees us from negative thoughts about our imperfections: perfection, to God, is simply being who He made us to be. It’s not about striving or achieving but about resting in our identity as His children.

Unconditional love and forgiveness are in God’s nature, freely given without the need for works or religious practices. As children of God, we already enjoy His love; and our Dad delights in us. Drawing nearer to God’s heart unveils the depth of His boundless love, liberating us from guilt and performance-driven mindsets. This freedom allows us to rest in our identity and embrace life fully.

Jesus promised complete joy, and left us His transcendent peace. He loves us without conditions, empowering us to love Him and others in return. The key is to allow Him to shower His love upon you, revealing it in ever-deeper ways, leading you into true freedom. The truth that you know will set you free: not mere intellectual knowledge but personal experience. Encountering the Truth embodied in Jesus renews our minds, enabling us to embrace our true selves, live abundantly, and flourish in every aspect of our being.

Key Takeaway

Perfection, from God’s perspective, is simply being who He made us to be.

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322. Spiritual Listening: Beyond Biblical Meditation

I find joy in spending time in God’s presence. I have moved beyond the need to only meditate on the Bible, because interpreting it can be complex and subjective. Instead, I allow God room to speak to me in various ways. I relax, clearing my mind and focusing solely on the Father or on Jesus. I open my heart and mind, ready to receive communication from Him.

This can take various forms, whether it’s a thought, a picture, a vision, or simply a knowing. I have had visions that were vivid encounters, although they weren’t visual in the traditional sense. When we perceive spiritually, it’s not about light bouncing off objects into our eyes; it’s about tuning into a different wavelength and interpreting the impressions received by our spiritual senses. Just as different tastes or smells can be unfamiliar until we learn to recognise them, spiritual experiences require us to train our spiritual senses to filter out distractions and focus on what the Father is communicating. Whether it’s ascending into heavenly realms or standing before the Arc of the Presence or whatever else it may be, I am not seeing any of it with my physical eyes because I always journal these experiences with my eyes open. Yet, I am there. I am an active participant, but I am also translating my spiritual perceptions into descriptions of my experiences.

I have found that it’s more about enjoying being in the presence of God. Instead of focusing on visualising or hearing something in a specific way, simply relax and see what unfolds. Talk to God and listen for His response, asking Him to reveal something to you in His own way. For me, understanding doesn’t always come through visual or auditory experiences.

Even the word ‘see’ can refer to more than just visual perception: it can also mean to perceive or understand. The main idea is to grasp the concept, regardless of the method. In the early days, there was often a strong emphasis on ‘seeing’ as a prerequisite for spiritual experiences. Ian Clayton, for one, was quite insistent about this. But no-one else knows what exactly he sees or how he sees it. He shares what he has seen, just as I too share my own experiences! For me, it is about a deep knowing – an intuitive perception that comes from engaging with God repeatedly over time. I sense and feel His presence, and my emotions are often deeply intertwined with these experiences, with moments of intense emotion when I feel the waves of His love rolling over me.

Analysing or dissecting spiritual experiences can make it more challenging to receive them. If you rely heavily on logical, analytical thinking, you may struggle with this. It’s understandable to want to understand and control the process by seeking a set protocol or method to follow. However, spiritual connection is inherently relational, and it’s best to allow the relationship with God to unfold naturally.

I made a conscious decision to let go of my own agenda and simply ‘be’ in God’s presence, with no particular expectation of seeing or hearing anything specific. Every night before I go to sleep, I intentionally connect with God in the garden of my heart; surrounded by green pastures, beside quiet waters, with the Shepherd by my side. As I drift off to sleep, my spirit remains open and receptive to experiences in the heavenly realms, while my soul is restored as I rest securely in the Father’s embrace. When I wake, I may sometimes retain memories from my time in God’s presence. But if there are mornings when nothing comes to mind, that too is perfectly okay.

Key Takeaway

Find joy in spending time in God’s presence, and allow your relationship with Him to unfold naturally.

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321. Unveiling the Deceptive Path

Note: Mike was asked a question about how he views the fact that some prophetic voices seem not to be accurately representing the good news of the gospel at all, and what might be the way forward. This is his response.

Deception often starts with small distortions of truth, leading people astray gradually. These initial deceptions can lay the groundwork for larger falsehoods to take root. The enemy doesn’t usually present outright lies immediately; instead, the truth gets twisted bit by bit. Any prophetic individuals who now spread complete falsehoods likely fell into deception gradually. Minor deceptions accumulate over time, dulling people’s sensitivity to truth and making them susceptible to further deception as they operate outside of love.

This is what has led to recent political and judgmental ‘prophecies’. Eschatological beliefs, particularly those of impending judgment (invariably understood to mean ‘punishment’), exacerbate this; leading to prophecies of judgment on nations or individuals through catastrophes such as earthquakes and tsunamis. When I come across such messages, I always look to express mercy instead. My desire is for all to experience God’s love for themselves, which reveals His true nature of mercy, grace and love, so contrary to this kind of judgment.

Signs along the way, such as the excommunication of the Toronto Vineyard, marked a departure from values of love and acceptance. Judgmental attitudes infiltrated the prophetic movement, leading to further divisions and exclusions. This led to an increased focus on spiritual warfare and a judgmental mindset, causing the movement to drift away from its roots in love. Prophets began to pronounce judgments in alignment with their perception of God’s impending judgment on the earth – a mindset that has drawn some into extreme political views and conspiracy theories.

It is important we measure everything against love to avoid deception. Instead of engaging aggressively, let’s approach everyone with love and restoration. Embracing and loving perceived threats (rather than fighting against them) can lead to transformation. Restoration, not separation, aligns with God’s desire to reconcile all things. So, instead of getting into conflict, it will be better if we focus on helping individuals – even fallen heavenly beings – get back on track with their original purpose. I’m not going to fight against someone or something and so give them an opportunity to fight against me. All I will look to do is come in the opposite spirit: remind them of their true identity, that God has forgiven them, and that they have an original higher purpose which is so much better than what they are doing right now.

Even though there may be deception within the prophetic movement, understanding God’s original intent for it can help us move forwards. When we receive a revelation, we often interpret and implement it based on our own understanding. I believe in the importance of embracing principles like foundational government, but my approach has shifted towards viewing government as an intrinsic aspect of our identity as children of God, rather than merely a set of roles or tasks to fulfil. Our aim is to discover and express God’s kingdom and governance in our lives, so that we can each contribute according to our abilities and opportunities for growth and expression within a given blueprint.

So, rather than fitting people into predefined roles, it is more effective to allow their identities to naturally express themselves within a relational framework. Heavenly government is an expression of individuals’ identities coming together, not a rigid organisational structure. Initially, there might be a tendency to impose organisational structures, but the essence lies in organic development and honouring each person for who they are. The principles remain valid, but the way they are worked out evolves organically within the dynamics of relationship. Sometimes, we embark on journeys to discover better ways, learning from experiences along the way. If I had known then what I know now, I would not have taken the church here along the path I did; but ultimately it is God who takes us all through doing, to becoming, to being – that is our journey.

Key Takeaways

Let our desire be for all to experience God’s love for themselves, which reveals His true nature of mercy, grace and love.

Ultimately it is God who takes us all through doing, to becoming, to being.

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320. The Signs of Jesus’ Coming

When you look at the beginning of Matthew 24, the chapter’s context is the question posed by the disciples to Jesus. They asked when these three things would happen: the destruction of the temple, the sign of His ‘coming’ (parousia = presence), and the end of the age (not the end of the world, but rather the end of the Old Covenant age, as Jesus brings an end to the Old Covenant).

These ideas are interconnected, and Jesus provides various signs of His parousia in this context. The ‘generation’ was that 40-year period and the ‘elect’ refer to Jewish believers who left Jerusalem, as Jesus had warned them. Leaving the earthly Jerusalem was also a symbolic act of leaving the Old Covenant and entering the New, the Heavenly Jerusalem. The ‘angels’ (angeloi = messengers) gathering the elect can be understood in the sense of human (and perhaps supernatural) messengers who had been sent out with the gospel during the period leading up to the end of the age; so ‘the elect’ are those who would be gathered during this time, the 144,000 of Revelation.

The lightning imagery can be interpreted in different ways. Firstly, it can mean that Jesus would come quickly at the end of that age, as lightning bursts suddenly. Secondly, the word lightning can also be translated as bright sunshine, which suggests that the light of the Gospel would be released during this period, as the messengers released that truth and the elect were gathered in.

All that Jesus says in this passage is perfectly consistent, but we may find the symbolism challenging to grasp fully due to our conditioning by modern teachings that associate these verses with the ‘rapture’ and the end of the world. But when Jesus talks about two in the field and one being taken, this is again a warning about the war and siege of AD 67-70 (nothing to do with a ‘rapture’), underscoring the importance of being alert and ready at that time. In the days of Noah there were those who were ready and entered the ark and those who were not ready and were lost: the same thing was true here. Of those who did not heed the warning to flee, some were ‘taken’ by the enemy army, and many were crucified and thrown into Gehenna during that period of the Siege of Jerusalem leading up to AD70.

Jesus’ parables have also been misinterpreted by the ‘rapture’ teaching. They are not analogies to be dissected for every detail, but rather stories used to convey a point. Terms like “outer darkness” and “weeping and gnashing of teeth” symbolise being outside the covenant and expressing anger towards the gospel: those who reject the light of the New Covenant dwell in darkness and respond with hostility.

Certain parables refer to the anticipation of Jesus’ first coming after a period of silence in prophecy. During this time, some were aware of the signs and awaited the Messiah, while others remained unaware or entrenched in a flawed religious system. When He did come they rejected Him, but then had a whole generation in which the light had gone forth, the messengers had gone out and the good news was being proclaimed. Yet still many rejected the good news and followed their old religious system rather than entering into what Jesus came to offer.

I can direct you to a whole blog post we wrote several years ago on the subject of the sheep and goats. In that parable Jesus was talking about nations, not individuals; and specifically about the treatment of the elect, the believing Jews, by their ‘brothers’ (the unbelieving Jews) during this time of covenant transition.

In reality, I believe it’s more important to seek the Father’s heart on these matters rather than attempting to dissect every scripture from a modern-day perspective. Understanding the nuances of Old Covenant language can be challenging, and without that context, passages may seem obscure.

Jesus cautioned his followers to flee Jerusalem when they witnessed certain signs, without even retrieving their coats. Historical records, such as the writings of Josephus, corroborate that Christians heeded this warning and fled to safety in the hills of Pella. While the entire region was impacted by the siege, those who followed Jesus’ advice were spared (‘saved’). The phrase ‘cut short for the sake of the elect’ indicates that even the survivors would be at risk if the tribulation continued. Ultimately, it did come to an end, signifying the conclusion of that age and its accompanying trials. We are not anticipating tribulation of this kind anymore!

Key takeaways

The signs of Jesus’ coming were for the first century believers, regarding an event in their future but in our past.

It is important always to seek the Father’s heart, rather than attempting to dissect every scripture from a modern-day perspective.

Eschatology of the Restoration of All Things

In the video Mike refers to this, his third book, which goes into a great deal of detail about eschatology and the background to the ‘rapture’ teaching.
Order the paperback from your favourite bookseller or get the ebook on our website.

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Challenging Preconceptions for Non-Christians

The Gift of God’s Grace

Receiving the Gift

Conclusion

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Beyond Religious Conditioning

Experiential Encounters

Challenge the conventional

Summary

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Summary

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Conclusion

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Conclusion

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The Finished Work of Christ

The Universality of Salvation

The Universality of Sin

Justification by Grace

The Universality of Justification

Jesus’ Authority over All Mankind

Eternal Life for All Mankind

The Supremacy of Christ

The Universality of Reconciliation

The Universality of Christ’s Work

The Reconciliation of All Things

The Fulfillment of the Law

Key Takeaway

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Key Takeaway

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Key Takeaway

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Key Takeaways

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Key takeaways

Eschatology of the Restoration of All Things

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