Mike Parsons
with Jeremy Westcott –
Important note: as with the two previous posts, we need to let you know that we have changed our view of these things in the light of further revelation from God. We now see the whole of Matthew 24 as a warning about the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70.
References to ‘the end of the age’ are always about AD 70 and not to ‘the end of the world’.
Our interpretation of the word ‘judgment’ is now more about delivering a verdict (“This is Me, and this is not”) than passing sentence; about God giving people an opportunity to change, rather than about Him handing out punishment. He really is Love, and Love really does keep no record of wrongs.
But it remains true that our work will be tested with fire.
Below is the post as originally written.
On the last day, the first people to be taken will be the unbelievers, swiftly followed by the believers. If that is news to you, it is probably best to read our previous post before embarking on this one.
“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming… For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will” (Matt 24:42, 44).
Understanding Thessalonians
We have looked before at some of the misunderstandings which can arise from reading Thessalonians carelessly. When he writes to them about the last day, Paul is responding to a particular question which is vexing the church there. They understand very well what will happen to the believers who are alive when Jesus returns, but what about those who have died? Will they miss out?
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words (1 Thes 4:13-18).
‘By the word of the Lord’ – this is not Paul’s interpretation, this is what he has received directly from Him. It is all going to happen in the same instant, and as I have said before, there will be lots of noise. His coming will be very obvious. The dead in Christ will be resurrected, and then the living believers will join them in meeting the Lord – and in the air, not on the earth. Paul offers comfort, says not to be frightened or concerned about all this. Alive or dead, you will be with Him in the age to come. All at the same time.
He says the same thing to the Corinthians:
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed (1 Cor 15:51-52).
Some will be alive, some dead, but all will be changed in a moment. All of us will receive our eternal, immortal bodies. These are bodies like those Adam and Eve had when they were created, when they had their spirit on the outside of them. The glory of God manifested on the outside. Skin was only added later when they sinned, and not animal skins: skin. Skin was not needed before that – I can’t go into all that here, but you can ask God to show you.
Resurrection and judgment
For everyone, believers included, the last day is the day of resurrection and judgment. The day of separation: wheat from the tares, sheep from the goats (Matt 25:31-46). There will be judgment for unbelievers, and we will look at that next time. But there will also be judgment for believers.
‘For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know’ (Matt 24:44-50).
At the end of the age, what will we be found doing when He comes? The servant found doing as his master commanded was put in charge of all his possessions. Here (and in other parables) there is a scale of rewards.
But what happens to the unfaithful servant? His master will return and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt 24:51). Jesus says this again in Matt 25:30 ‘Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’.
This is not ‘hell’ – you don’t get dark flames.
But there will be dimensions close to the throne, and dimensions far away. The weeping and gnashing of teeth is when we realise we have let God down. When we see how much we have missed – or done in our own strength. I have been there, in the heavenly realms, at that judgment seat. There was a good deal of weeping and gnashing of teeth for me, when I saw all that I had missed. The good news is that we don’t have to wait until we die or until Jesus comes: we can all go there now, and get this dealt with. Again, you may need to ask God about that.
Paul says, For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God… So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God (Rom 14:10,12).
Scroll of Destiny
This judgment is not about sin. Sin is covered by the cross and by the blood of Jesus. This is about our life. This is about our scroll of destiny. Look at Psalm 139: everything that was written, all the vast sum of the thoughts of God that are written about us. What are we going to do about that? Are we going to fulfil that or not? We are going to have to give an account of whether our scroll matches up with the scroll of our life that God has written for us.
‘But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire‘ (1 Cor 3:10-15).
Paul is writing here about that same judgment for believers. It is a fiery place, a consuming fire. The true quality of our life will be on trial. Let’s get it sorted now, and we will be able to claim our reward. That reward consists of the things we will be doing in the age to come, in the new heavens and the new earth. Awesome things. It consists of responsibilities that God will entrust to us, because we have been faithful here.
But if someone’s work is burned up when tried with fire, he will suffer loss. This is not a long darkness – he can be assured he will be saved, but ‘through fire’. Fire purifies – that is its purpose. Even if we have messed up, we are still saved. There is no fear here. If you are a believer, and you have faith, you are not going to a fiery place for eternity. But there will be a judgment.
Related articles
- Misunderstanding Thessalonians (freedomarc.wordpress.com)
- The End Of The Age (freedomarc.wordpress.com)
- An Invitation to be a Slave (imahnidawson.wordpress.com)
and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt 24:51)
this is a reference possible to how King Agag was killed (another Gilgal)? Samuel hacked him to pieces… and Doeg tried to stop it by citing the law? That Samuel “hacked him to pieces” phrase is only found once in the Old Testament.
But the phrase is repeated here in Matt 24:51
Could it be the servant wasn’t strengthening the position of the weak/weak moment and taking advantage of the spoils just like the Amalkites/Agag attacked the weak/worn out people in the rear of the march through the wilderness… and like Saul turned his cheek to Agag’s abuse and choose to take the spoils for himself to make himself look good at the altar (the best sheep and oxen)?
That what Jesus is warning us over is not to neglect the weak and despised… not to take advantage of our brothers and sister… to help build each other up and fortify each others positions/land/inheritance.
It all goes back to your first statement about Gilgal being the first campsite on the promised land side…
and how we are the temple…and after the physical temple was destroyed each person rebuilt the section they worked at/lived near. That is our calling…to help rebuild the people around us that have been torn down, to bridge the gaps, to fight until all our brothers and sisters have secured their inheritance (the vineyard).
I ramble…i see it clearly. stink at typing it out. Im just super excited to have found you. Everything I read is a confirmation that makes my soul leap in explainable ways. Cuz I get it… on a deep down personal level. I get it. I’ve searched for people like me for a long time… and for a place I can learn and grow. I am so blessed to have landed on your shores.
The scriptures are like a never ending loop of confirmation. If you look through the layers they all connect… and an amazing story is revealed…a deeper truth that sets us free to fly.
❤
Hi,
I had vision where God had handed me Scroll of Destiny in my right hand. Would you know what could that mean?
Thanks,
Amy
Hi Amy
When God gives us something in a vision, or in the realms of the spirit, it’s often good to ‘eat’ it, symbolising taking it for ourselves and making it a part of us. But I would suggest you just go back to God and ask Him what He is saying to you and what He wants you to do. He loves to be pursued!
Let us know how you get on…
Blessings
Jeremy
Hello! This is regarding outer darkness. I’ve heard this from Neville Johnson. You spoke the same about outer darkness that this is for believers who did not perform their destiny here on earth. Am i right? Is there any chance for those who went to the outer courts to go to the inner court? If so, how? And hOw can we know our scroll of destiny? Thanks and hope to hear from you. God bless!
Hello Ella, sorry for the delay in responding to your questions. Even now, I am only going to really answer the one about our scroll of destiny (though you can apply my answer to your other question about outer darkness too).
The answer is that you really need to ask God: we have written about this in our post ‘Scroll of destiny (revisited)’ https://freedomarc.wordpress.com/2013/10/04/scroll-of-destiny-revisited/
This may not seem like much of an answer, but it is the truth. If we cultivate a close relationship with Him, then we can ask Him to reveal these things to us, and increasingly He will do so. We always test the revelation we receive against the plumb-line of what scripture reveals of God’s nature and character, but this is an age when the prophetic books are being opened and God is readily speaking about all kinds of subjects. – Jeremy.
Hello Jeremy! Thank you for you response to my query. I want to thank God for showing me your website. It is my desire that that i be learn the realms of heaven and get to the realms of heaven. Slowly, the Holy Spirit is showing me. Thank you again for your generosity in sharing. God bless you more!
ps. i hope you will entertain my other queries and i hope also that you include me in your prayers. I thank God for all of you! 🙂
Ps.62:12 😐
Hello, I just wanted to clarify what you meant by “not long darkness” in your last paragraph. We will suffer lost as in lost rewards correct. Just want to clarify because I got the impression that we were going to face darkness for a period of time.