KEYS TO THE KINGDOM FOUND IN THE PARABLES

By Tom McManus

Enjoy this excerpt from the first five chapters of my book and then return to my STORE to order your copy in paperback or e-book format. Thanks for your time! Enjoy and be blessed!

CONTENTS
Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………..7
1. The Fear of the Lord ………………………………………………………………………….1
2. Seeing Differently ……………………………………………………………………………18
3. An End-Time Timeline …………………………………………………………………….25
4. The Coming Millennial Kingdom ……………………………………………………..42
5. What Is the Kingdom of Heaven? ……………………………………………………..47
6. How Will One Be Judged At the Judgment Seat of Christ? ………………….53
7. What Happens to Those Who Miss the Kingdom of Heaven?……………….62
8. The Two Inheritances ……………………………………………………………………..74
9. The First Resurrection …………………………………………………………………….82
10. The Parable of the Ten Virgins ……………………………………………………….85
11. The Parable of the Dragnet …………………………………………………………….90
12. The Parable of the Wheat and Tares ……………………………………………….93
13. The Judgment Seat of Christ ………………………………………………………….97
14. The Parable of the Talents …………………………………………………………….101
15. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant ………………………………………….106
16. The Parable of the Wedding Feast …………………………………………………109
17. The Son of Man Judges the Nations………………………………………………..114
18. The Second Death ………………………………………………………………………..123
19. From the Resurrection to the Judgment Seat ………………………………….133
20. This Sounds Like Purgatory ………………………………………………………….151
21. How the Fall Feasts Could be Fulfilled ……………………………………………169
22. A Letter to the Laodicean Church …………………………………………………..175
23. Divorce and Remarriage ……………………………………………………………….184
24. Being Ready for Tribulation ………………………………………………………….196
25. The Parable of the Sower ………………………………………………………………204
26. So, What Now? ……………………………………………………………………………208
Author Contact Page ………………………………………………………………………….219

“And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  Matthew 16:19

INTRODUCTION
Matthew 13:10-13 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”
Interestingly, after Jesus said, “It has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,” the very first parable He told began with the words “The kingdom of heaven is like,” not the Kingdom of Heaven is. The parables are keys to solving this mystery, and that is what we will venture to do in this book—solve the mystery. We don’t understand the true meaning of the parables because we have eyes that do not see and ears that do not hear. Many, including the handpicked disciples of Jesus, were left scratching their heads, not having a clue as to what He was actually saying.

Mark 4:13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?”
The disciples pursued Jesus for the interpretation of what the parables meant.
Mark 4:33-34 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.
If you are like me, you like doctrine to be black and white. There’s the scripture. I believe it, and that settles it. Yet, the Lord hides truths in parables and enjoys it when we pursue Him to receive more understanding of them.
Proverbs 25:2, NASB It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
Jesus told the Church of Laodicea: “Anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.” We will only anoint our eyes when we have convinced ourselves that there are some things we just don’t see well enough yet. Let me show you a picture that many of you may have seen already. I was first introduced to this picture by one of my high school teachers. He split our class into two groups and sent one group outside the classroom into the hallway. He then outlined the shape of a beautiful young woman to the group in the classroom. The groups traded places, and when the new group came in, he outlined the shape of an old hag in the picture. (Here’s a hint about this picture: The chin of the young woman is the nose of the hag, and the necklace of the young woman is the mouth of the hag. See if you can see both perspectives.) The two groups were brought together, asked to be seated and questioned as to what they saw. One group said a beautiful young woman, while the other group responded quickly with a laugh that it was an old hag. This went back and forth until there was feisty shouting. It wasn’t until the teacher allowed the students to come forward and outline the eyes, nose and chin of their prospective woman that they understood what the other was talking about. Each group had no question as to what they saw. It was as plain as night and day, and yet, as they allowed themselves to listen to what the others were saying, they began to see the image differently. Those who were the most steadfast in their viewpoint were the last to see what was there.
    As I speak about the parables in the coming pages, it will be as though I am showing you a third woman in the picture, a totally different women you don’t yet see. I’m taking the time to talk about seeing differently because I know it is hard for me to process new information that doesn’t fit into my established theology. I, too, am guarded and do not want to be tossed to and fro by every new wind of doctrine. My appeal would be this: in order for you to understand what I am trying to say, please follow my pointer (so to speak) until … we are able to see the picture together. It’s very difficult to process ideas that disrupt our established belief structure. Sometimes we can viscerally feel a shaking in our inner man. If you are like me, it is in those times that we can flip a switch in our brain which is the “No” button. This provides temporary relief from having our understanding challenged. When we switch to “No,” we are unable to hear much of anything but that “No.” I’m embarrassed at how often I have done this very thing. I think that is what the Scriptures talk about when they say “ears that do not hear.” I am convinced that you will have insights that I haven’t seen, and I pray that I will hear your comments without fearing that all my great premises will fall like a stack of Jenga blocks … if what you say is true. What I don’t want to do is just go through the exercise of looking at a new eschatology for something else we can differ on. What I hope we will find is that Jesus spoke some very direct and stern warnings to His people, warnings that need to be understood, and if we miss them, we will suffer the consequences of having eyes that do not see. If we understand the fear of the Lord and long for the sanctifying work of the Spirit, we will be ready for Christ’s coming. The Lord desires that each will receive the fullness of the inheritance that He has for all who believe. Tom McManus North Carolina

THE FEAR OF THE LORD CHAPTER 1
The purpose of these writings is to warn the Body of Christ of impending judgment that we will face if we do not repent. You may say that this sounds as exciting as a trip to the dentist, but just like going to the dentist, your efforts in reading through this may prevent future pain. If you ask most believers, “Why should you fear the Lord?” many would answer, “I don’t know.” Most of us think very little about judgment and assume that we will go straight to Heaven, lie upon a cloud and play a musical instrument forever. Others would answer that they fear going to Hell. When asked what they must do to be confident they will not go to Hell, many give answers that are vague and lacking surety. Knowing what it is that we should fear and what to do to stand confidently before the Lord is the wisdom we need.
Proverbs 14:27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death.
    Now, having the fear of the Lord is different from being afraid of God, although they may seem the same. The fear of the Lord is always good, but being afraid of God is a sin. If you are afraid of God, you might think He is mean, unjust, uncaring or unforgiving. These things are contrary to the true character of God and defame Him. Some would say that they have nothing to fear, for God has forgiven them all their sins and Christ sees them as perfect. Certainly, God will limitlessly forgive those who repent and ask for His forgiveness, but what about those sins that believers fail to repent of? When Christ spoke to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3, He didn’t see them as perfect; He saw them exactly as they were, with all their weaknesses and strengths. He called them to repent and listed a variety of consequences they would suffer if they failed to do so. So, Jesus sees the good and bad in us, and here is what He will do when He judges us.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
All believers will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ; there will be no unbelievers present. You may or may not know that the Judgment Seat of Christ is different from the Great White Throne Judgment, but we will go over that distinction further on. Unfortunately, you have probably never heard a sermon about the Judgment Seat of Christ, and yet it is, by far, the most important event of your life and one that you are quickly approaching. We will all be judged according to what we have done, whether good or bad. The “bad” will be sin that has not been repented of, for all sin that has been repented of is forgiven and forgotten (see 1 John 1:9). So, what are some of the “bad” things we could be found doing? Here’s an example:
Matthew 6:15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Would you not need to pay a penalty for those sins that have not been forgiven?
Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. If you judge someone harshly you will be judged harshly.
James 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
If you show no mercy, you will not receive mercy yourself. You may be quite familiar with these scriptures. They were given as stern warnings to believers (not unbelievers), so that we would not suffer the specified repercussions. So, what does it mean to not have your sins forgiven? What does it mean to be judged harshly? What does it mean not to receive mercy? And what are the consequences we should fear if we are found in these sins? To answer, we’ll be looking at Matthew 5, where Jesus delineated the difference between the Old Covenant and the New. He also clearly clarified His new standard for what He considered sin and what the punishment for that sin would be.
Matthew 5:21-22 and 27-30 You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.” But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, “Raca!” shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, “You fool!” shall be in danger of hell fire. You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
Jesus began by saying, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder.’” This is the Old Covenant, the Ten Commandments. He then said, “But I say to you, ‘If you call someone a fool, you could be subject to Hell fire.’” These are the New Covenant guidelines and the punishment for disobedience. I’m not making this up. This is Christ’s new mandate for those who believe. Then He did it again. He said, “You have heard it said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ” This is from the Old Covenant, the Ten Commandments. Then Jesus said, “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” This is again the New Covenant guideline. But wait a minute! I thought the New Covenant was supposed to be easier than keeping the Law. It is a lot easier not to kill someone or not to have illicit sexual relations with someone than it is not to judge someone or not to lust after a woman in one’s heart (especially at a beach on a summer day). Jesus was saying, “I’m not interested in whether or not you appear to be a religious person on the outside; I will be judging your heart. I will be judging whether you have murder or lust hidden there.”
    Wow! A few could obey the Law, but it is beyond everyone to fulfill these new higher standards. Jesus knew this, and His solution was quite easy: repent and be forgiven. And what if you sin again? Repent again and be forgiven, and repeat the process as often as needed. The sanctification of the heart cannot be done in our own strength. It requires a constant fellowship with Christ. As the Spirit leads us, we repent and are washed and cleansed from all iniquity. Jesus declared this New Covenant in the midst of a religious system full of religious men who rejected God but worked feverishly on their outward appearance. He knew that His disciples might not be fully understand what He was saying, so He emphasized the point:
If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
These words mean something, and they are not to be ignored or minimized. This was (and is) a word to believers, the righteous ones who were (and are) moving into the New Covenant. Obviously Jesus was not promoting self-mutilation. He was saying, in no uncertain terms, that if your eye causes you to lust, it would be better for you to pluck it out than to go to Hell. If your computer is causing you to be entangled with internet porn and you can’t stop, then throw it out the window. It’s better that you lose a computer than suffer Hell fire. If your right hand causes you to point an accusatory finger or hurt someone, then it is better to cut it off. Hell is so bad that it cannot be compared to the temporary pain of plucking out your eye or cutting off your arm.
    Christ spoke very clearly and directly as to how He will one day judge believers, but these words have been ignored or displaced with man’s ideas on the topic. When we take a look at how He will judge us, we will understand the fear of the Lord. Remember, the fear of the Lord is a good thing.
Job 28:28 And to man He said, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.”
So how does the Body of Christ view Hell as it relates to believers? Many teach that there will be no punishment for the believer—only a loss of rewards. Thus, the warnings from Jesus land on deaf ears. There are others who believe that if one persists in sin, he can lose his salvation and end up in the Hell (which he believes is the Lake of Fire). Both of these understandings fall short. We’ll be looking beyond the Calvinistic/Armenian paradigm to find the real answers. So what is hell? We will see that there are three words that are translated as Hell—gehenna, tartarus and hades. We will see that each of these is distinct from the others. Just about everyone who would use Hell in a sentence would understand it as a fiery place of judgment where one experiences the wrath of God forever. Revelation 20 describes the Lake of Fire and Brimstone as the place where the devil (Satan), the False Prophet and the Beast are cast, along with those whose names are not written in the Book of Life. Further on, I want to prove to you that Hell is not the Lake of Fire. This alone is worth the price of the book. It is essential to understand what Hell (Gehenna) is, since Jesus warned His disciples numerous times of the consequences of Hell (Gehenna) for being carnal. He never warned the Gentiles concerning
    Hell (Gehenna). Jesus was not saying that a believer would experience eternal wrath in the Lake of Fire if they were found in lust or judging others. So, what is the fiery consequence that He is speaking of?

KEYS TO THE KINGDOM FOUND IN THE PARABLES CHAPTER 2
SEEING DIFFERENTLY
I want to give you an interpretation of a parable that you probably haven’t heard before. It will reveal what Hell (Gehenna) is. First, let’s read the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant:
Matthew 18:21-35 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, “Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.” Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, “Pay me what you owe!” So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.” And he would not, but
went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?” And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.
Here we have a master who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. One servant owed the master 10,000 talents (150,000 years of salary), which he was not able to pay. “The master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.” The servant and his family were to be sold as slaves for life to pay the debt. Before this judgment could be executed, however, the servant fell down before his master (also translated as worshiped the master). He said, “Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.” As a result, “Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.” Who does this servant with the great debt represent? Think about it. Who do you know who has been forgiven much? All of us owe a debt (of sin) that is impossible to pay by any natural means, and therefore, this is the judgment we all face without Christ’s redemption. When unbelievers understand the consequences of their debt, they cry out to God for mercy. The master, who represents God Himself, heard the cry of the debtor, had compassion on him and forgave him his debt. This shows that the servant who asks for forgiveness receives salvation with the cancellation of his debt of sin.
Act 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
Colossians 2:14, NIV Having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
The man who was forgiven much represents each of us who have believed in Christ and been born again. Then, however, that believer went out and threw someone in jail who owed him a small debt. The result was that the master called the one who had been forgiven much to stand before him and held him accountable for what he had done. This speaks of the Judgment Seat of Christ, the place where all believers will be judged for all things done and all things left undone.
Romans 14:10-12 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written:
“As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.”
So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
The master was extremely angry and told the tormenters (jailers) to take the man away until his debt could be paid. Notice that the man was not to be confined to jail forever—only until his debt was paid. Then he would be released. This punishment, then, is distinct from the eternal wrath of the Lake of Fire reserved for unbelievers, in that it has an end. That end comes when the debt is paid. Now, look at the very next verse and remember that Jesus was telling the story:
So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses (verse 35).
Who was Jesus talking to here when He had said, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you?” It was Peter who asked, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” And it was in response to Peter’s question that the Lord told this Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. So, the Lord was speaking directly to the disciples here, not to the unbelieving. This, then, is how Jesus said His Father would judge believers who fail to forgive from the heart. This is about more than just lip service. Jesus was affirming that He would be judging the hearts of men. Have you ever heard a sermon that informed believers that they would be imprisoned after the Judgment Seat of Christ until their debt was paid if they had unforgiveness in their heart? Our understanding of God’s judgment on unforgiveness cannot be modified or watered down because we think it is too harsh or doesn’t fit into our theology. Our response should be clear. We must forgive in the same way we have been forgiven. Is this important? We can test our interpretation of this parable and see if it aligns with other scriptures.
Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
    Do you understand this scripture more clearly now, or are you beginning to? The following scriptures are spoken to believers, and the judgment that is spoken of will happen at the Judgment Seat of Christ:
Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
James 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
We have all been offended by others and, generally speaking, can recognize whether we have truly forgiven someone or not. All someone has to do is walk in the door, and our heart will tell us how we feel in this regard. We are required to give our bitterness, anger and resentments to Christ and allow love for our enemies to reign in our hearts. This is an impossible task for the carnal man, but as we submit our hearts to Christ through confession and repentance by faith, we are transformed by the Spirit of God. We can be confident that Christ will cleanse us from all iniquity as we confess our sins to Him. You may say that all your sins—past, present and future—are forgiven at the cross and, although this sounds good, is it true if one has unforgiveness in their heart? Jesus was exhorting His people to repent and be ready at His coming or suffer judgment. Remember, the servant received the elimination of all his debt, but, because of his judgment on someone who owed him money, he was judged in the same way, and his debt was reinstated. We saw earlier in the book that Jesus knew that the parables would not be understood by many. He knew that man’s traditions and doctrines would negate what He would say in the parables.
Matthew 13:15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.
If they had eyes to see and ears to hear, they would understand and repent, and then He would forgive them and restore them. We will see that the parables are like prophetic declarations to warn God’s people of what will happen at the end of this age. Here are corresponding verses that line up precisely with the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.
Matthew 5:23-26 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.
Again, Jesus was not talking to an unbeliever, but to a believer, one who was bringing his gift to the altar. He said that if you remember that someone has something against you, then leave the gift before the altar and be reconciled, and then come and offer your gift. Understand that if you have unforgiveness in your heart, Jesus is not interested in your gifts or Christian service. They are actually detestable to Him. This is not to be ignored. One must reconcile quickly, for judgment will be made swiftly, and the cost will be exacting. We see here again that Jesus quite clearly stated that a believer can be thrown into prison. This, again, is not to be confused with the eternal punishment of the Lake of Fire, since this prison term has an end, and that end comes when the debt is paid off. Then that person is released. I would suggest that even though a believer can suffer a temporary punishment, they will receive eternal life, which is an inheritance that is given them through faith and cannot be lost. Although the interpretation of these scriptures might bear witness with your spirit, you may have a hard time figuring out how this could fit into your present understanding. I will endeavor to show you how these events will work together in the coming chapters. Remember, I’m drawing a picture here, and I’m not done yet. I want to make a quick note here that this book is not associated with the Catholic doctrine of purgatory, although you may find some similarities. In fact, we will discuss in more detail the stark distinctions between this study and purgatory. If you have disdain for anything remotely sounding like purgatory, I fully understand, especially considering the aberrant use of indulgences by Catholic priests to atone for punishment in purgatory. I would suggest that the doctrine of purgatory and the Reformers’ reaction against it has been the chief cause for our current lack of understanding concerning Hell (Gehenna), the Judgment Seat of Christ and the parables. You will find that our discussion will not take either a Catholic or Protestant viewpoint, but something that is uniquely different. If you need to, you can skip over to Chapter 20 “This Sounds Like Purgatory” (page 152) to see the distinctions we make. With that said, I hope we can look afresh at the Scriptures and see what Jesus has to say about Hell and judgment.

AN END-TIME TIMELINE CHAPTER 3
AN END-TIME TIMELINE
I know that this interpretation of the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant may be new to many, including seasoned believers. We know that the words of Jesus have meaning and should not be disregarded. Yet, for many, it is difficult to understand how and when this temporary punishment of Hell (Gehenna) will take place. In order for me to explain how a believer could experience Hell (Gehenna) and yet receive an inheritance of eternal life, it is essential to look at end-time events. We will go through Revelation 19:11–21:8 to get an overview of what will happen at the end of this age and on into the ages to come. We will see the Battle of Armageddon, the establishment of Jesus’ thousand-year reign on the earth, the different judgment seats and the New Heaven and New Earth. We will go through all of this so that we might understand how what is spoken in the parables can happen within the end-time sequence of events. The coming of Jesus will mark the end of this age and the beginning of the next.
Revelation 19:11-19 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.  Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”
And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.
The illustrations that follow are on a timeline which moves from left to right, past to future. The horizontal line denotes the Earth. Above the Earth represents the heavens, and below represents the placement for Death, Hades and the Lake of Fire. Scriptures will be highlighted in each illustration.
Revelation 19:20-21 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.
This chart shows the Beast and False Prophet thrown alive into the Lake of Fire. Let’s continue:
Revelation 20:1-3 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
This chart shows that Satan is bound in the Bottomless Pit for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:4-6 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
   There is an amazing amount of information in these passages, so in order not to get bogged down, I’ll make a brief overview and come back later to substantiate my assertions. I would suggest that the dotted line represents the First Resurrection, which is the resurrection of the saints. That the “thrones and judgment was committed to them” is revealing the Judgment Seat of Christ. Only the saints stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. We are told: “Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” These martyred saints who, by definition, were dead, have arisen in the First Resurrection and are judged worthy to reign with Christ for a thousand years. The implication is that any saints who took the mark would not enter the thousand-year reign of Christ (see Revelation 14:9-12). A judgment is being made as to whether one gets into the thousand-year reign or not. Some of the resurrected dead enter into the Kingdom, while “the rest [or remainder] of the [resurrected] dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.” Some believers will be found unworthy of entering the thousandyear reign. We will come back and look more deeply into the First Resurrection and the Judgment Seat of Christ after we go through a general overview of the ages. Right now, let’s continue with our timeline:
Revelation 20:7-10 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
This chart shows the release of Satan from the Bottomless Pit and his arrival on Earth, where he will deceive men and gather an army to fight against the saints and the beloved city. This will be the Battle of Gog and Magog. Fire will be sent down from Heaven by God and will devour the enemy. Satan will then be cast into the Lake of Fire and brimstone, where the Beast and the False Prophets are. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Revelation 20:11-12 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

We can see in this chart that what will follow the thousand-year reign of Christ is the Great White Throne Judgment. This will be a display of the awesome power and glory of the Lord, as it is said, “from whose face the earth and heaven fled away.” This will be like a scene from the Matrix, God on His throne and men and women standing before that throne being judged. Books will be open, and another book, which is the Book of Life.
Revelation 20:13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.
In this chart, we see that the Sea, Death and Hades (Hell) give up their dead to the Great White Throne. The Sea, Death and Hades represent holding tanks, so to speak, for souls that have died and are awaiting final judgment. This resurrection of the dead is noted by the dotted lines.
Revelation 20:14, KJV And death and Hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
This is an important piece of information. Picture these places, if you will, as giant warehouses containing the souls of the dead, awaiting final judgment. When they are emptied of all the souls in them, these emptied structures are then thrown into the Lake of Fire. It is critical to note that there is a distinction between Hades (Hell) and the Lake of Fire since one is thrown into the other. Hades (Hell) will burn forever in the Lake of Fire, but there will be no one in it.
Most of us use Hell as a word which communicates eternal wrath, when in fact the Lake of Fire should be used. It is amazing how ingrained this is in our understanding. I still find myself using Hell as a description of eternal wrath, even though I’ve had an understanding to the contrary for years now. Make no mistake: any punishment in Hades (Hell) will not come close to the wrath of the Lake of Fire and brimstone, which will happen after the Final Judgment of the Great White Throne. Hades (Hell) should be defined as a place where the souls of men are awaiting their final judgment. We will look into Hades in more depth further on. For now, let’s continue our timeline:
Revelation 20:15-21:8 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
We see that those who do not have their name in the Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Those who have their name in the Book of Life will enter into the next age, which is the New Heaven and New Earth. The following chart illustrates the three ages: the present age, the thousand-year reign and the New Heaven and New Earth. We have seen that before each age there is a resurrection of those who are to be judged, to determine whether they will enter into the next age or suffer punishment during that age. The Judgment Seat of Christ will come before the thousand-year reign, and the Great White Throne Judgment will come before the New Heaven and the New Earth. We have seen that not only the souls of men will be judged here, but also other spiritual beings.
The understanding of these different ages and the distinction of the different judgment seats which precede them may seem insignificant, but they have a profound impact on how people interpret the Scriptures. The vast majority of believers assume that there is just one judgment, so when one dies, they’ll either go to Heaven or to the Lake of Fire, and that’s it. I would suggest that the understanding of the two judgments and the two coming ages is critical for us to understand how a believer can suffer punishment while also receiving eternal life. I hope to show that a believer can miss the thousand-year reign and suffer punishment during that time for the things they have done or failed to do, while making it into the New Heaven and New Earth and receiving eternal life. It is when one believes by faith in Christ that their name is written in the Book of Life, and they receive an inheritance of eternal life. The
Great White Throne Judgment will reveal whether or not one’s name is in the Book of Life, so that one can enter into that next age, which is the New Heaven and the New Earth. Since this inheritance was given by faith and not by any works we have done, it cannot be lost by what we do or fail to do. There is not one scripture that states, “If one believes, they ‘might’ receive eternal life.” Christ will be judging believers at the Judgment Seat based on the condition of their heart and the fruit of their life. Believers will either enter into the Kingdom or miss it and suffer punishment in Hell (Gehenna). Those believers who are found worthy will enter into the thousand-year reign, after which they will stand before the Great White Throne Judgment and find their name in the Book of Life, which will allow them to enter into the New Heaven and New Earth. This is designated by the red line. Those believers found unworthy to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven will suffer in Hell (Gehenna) during the thousand years. After that time, those carnal believers will be resurrected before the Great White Throne, during which they will find their names in the Book of Life and receive eternal life in the New Heaven and New Earth. This path is designated by the blue line. At the end of the thousand-year reign, we see that three places give up their dead: 1.) Hades 2.) Death and 3.) The sea. I want to make some suggestions as to what these places may be. 1.) Hades (Hell) is specifically the place where the souls of men go when they die. This is a pleasant place for believers and a not-sopleasant place for unbelievers, as Jesus described in Luke 16. This corresponds to Sheol in the Old Testament. The righteous will resurrect at the end of this age, and unbelievers will resurrect at the end of the thousand-year reign. 2.) Hell (Tartarus) is used only once in the following scripture:
2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell [tartarus] and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment … .
We can see that Hell (Tartarus) is a place where the fallen angels are chained awaiting the Final Judgment, which is the Great White Throne Judgment. They will then be cast into the Lake of Fire, since their names are not in the Book of Life. I would suggest that the place known as Death is another name for Hell (Tartarus). 3.) Hell (Gehenna) is any place a believer goes where they experience punishment before the Final Judgment. I believe that this is also called “The sea.” Hell (Gehenna) is translated nine times as Hell, and three times as Hell fire. Jesus warned His disciples ten times using Hell (Gehenna) as a consequence of living a carnal life. In two cases, Jesus warned the scribes and Pharisees of the consequence of Hell (Gehenna) for their hypocritical ways. Jesus never warned unbelievers with Hell (Gehenna), only the righteous. We will go over more scriptures that show that Hell (Gehenna) is a temporary place of judgment. The timeline helps us to see that Hell is different from the Lake of Fire. Hell is a general term that describes any place where souls are awaiting the Final Judgment. Most of us use Hell as a word which communicates eternal wrath, when, in fact, the Lake of Fire should be used instead. I would suggest that this greatly effects the way in which we understand what the parables are saying. This is a general overview. I expect you to hold these things loosely and trust that they will be confirmed as we continue our study.

KEYS TO THE KINGDOM FOUND IN THE PARABLES CHAPTER 4
THE COMING MILLENNIAL KINGDOM
Here is an Old Testament passage which corresponds to the coming of Jesus and the millennial kingdom that we saw in Revelation 19 and 20:
Isaiah 11:1-9 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist. “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.”
We can see the clear descriptions of Jesus in the first verses, and then, in verse 4, we see that Jesus “shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.” This will be followed by a time of peace in which the animals live in harmony together, and even a child will not fear a viper. This Kingdom will be on the earth and will cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea. This next age will be a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies which foretold that God would reign and dwell with His people Israel on the actual land He gave them. They knew these promises, meditated on them and were anticipating the fulfillment of them.
Ezekiel 37:27-28 My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. The nations also will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.
Micah 4:2-4 Many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.
But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, And no one shall make them afraid; For the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.
The idea of a coming Kingdom is further seen when Daniel received the interpretation of one of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams:
Daniel 2:28 and 31-35 But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these: You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
The various pieces of this manlike image were representative of the various kingdoms that would be established on the earth over time … until there would come a Kingdom that would crush the other kingdoms and reign on the earth forever.
Daniel 2:44-45 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.
These are only a small portion of the promises of the coming Kingdom that permeate the Old Testament. Jews yearly celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, anticipating not only the return of the Messiah, but also that they will tabernacle with Him on the Earth. This Kingdom is also the inheritance of born-again believers. The promises to Israel are the promises of righteous believers since we have been grafted into the olive tree, which is Israel (see Romans 11:17 and 4:6). We can expect this Kingdom to come, and it is further revealed in the New Testament. Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
How and when this Kingdom will come has always been a mystery to the people of God, as it is with many today. Even some of Jesus’ chosen disciples were confused about why the Son of God would come into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey instead of destroying the Roman Empire with a rod of iron and His breath. When Christ was crucified, did not the disciples begin to question whether or not this was the King of the Kingdom they were expecting? In many respects modern-day saints have less insight into the coming Kingdom and, thus, are more likely to be caught unaware as to the specific things Jesus said about entering into the Kingdom. Most believers, when asked where we will go after we are resurrected, would say that we go to Heaven. When asked what Heaven will be like, many describe it as an ethereal paradise where saints float through the clouds, play musical instruments and enjoy a tremendous retirement plan. Few would say that, for the first thousand years, we will be ruling and reigning with Jesus on the Earth, yet we’ll see that this is exactly what has been prophesied.

WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN? CHAPTER 5
WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN?
Jesus and John the Baptist both exhorted the righteous, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:1 and 4:17), with clear exhortations to be ready for what was coming next. Jesus was warning that some would not enter the Kingdom of Heaven because of their lawlessness (see Matthew 7:21-23). So what exactly is the Kingdom of Heaven? Each of the gospels speak of a different characteristic of Jesus. For instance, the book of Matthew speaks of the kingship of Jesus. Interestingly, the “kingdom of heaven” is referenced thirty-three times and only in the book of Matthew. This book is a valuable resource in describing the coming reign of Christ on the Earth and revealing significant events that will happen as we transition into that age. The next age will be when Christ rules on the Earth for a thousand years, while Satan is bound in the Abyss. This is when the fullness of the Kingdom of Heaven will be reigning on Earth. It will be on Earth as it is in Heaven at that time. There is not a direct verse that states that the Kingdom of Heaven is the thousand-year reign, but the following verse can be a piece of the puzzle to affirm that this is indeed the case: Matthew 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
We saw earlier that the martyrs live and reign with Christ for a thousand years, so we can deduce that the thousand-year reign is the Kingdom of Heaven (if we combine these two scriptures). I know that these scriptures, by themselves, may not be definitive enough for you to believe it, but we will see further verification of this truth as we proceed.
We await and expect the coming Kingdom, but we pray that it would be “on earth as it is in heaven,” meaning that we would see the manifestations of Heaven here on Earth as we pray and believe by faith. When Jesus walked on the Earth and signs and wonders were manifest, it was Heaven on Earth. The same is true today when we walk in this Kingdom authority through the Spirit of God. We will look to the parables to give us insight as to when the Kingdom of Heaven actually began.
Matthew 13:31-32 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
The “seed” of God the Father is Jesus, and the Father sent Jesus to the Earth. Jesus died and was placed into the ground, and from that seed the Kingdom of Heaven came forth.
1 Corinthians 15:36, NLT … When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first.
So, the Parable of the Mustard Seed tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven began at the coming of Christ and that it will grow until it surpasses all other trees or kingdoms. This is similar to the interpretation of Daniel’s dream that we read earlier. As believers, we expect the coming of the Lord to bring forth the fulness of His reign on the Earth. I have added to our chart a dotted line from the time of Christ on the Earth to the Second Coming of Christ, to illustrate that already-but-notyet aspect of the Kingdom of Heaven on the Earth.
It is important to go over this since we find that the parables are speaking about specific events that will happen as the Kingdom of Heaven approaches. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, which begins with, “the kingdom of heaven is like,” is showing us the Judgment Seat of Christ, which comes at the start of the Kingdom of Heaven, and there it is determined who will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. This may be a good time to show how the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God are similar and yet different. Jesus and John the Baptist exhorted the righteous to repent in order to be ready for the coming Kingdom. The book of Matthew states, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” whiles the other gospels state, “The kingdom of God is at hand.” Similarly, the parables begin in Matthew with the words, “The kingdom of heaven is like,” and the other gospels say, “The kingdom of God is like.” Why is that?
The Kingdom of God includes the beginning and the end (the alpha and the omega) of all time, which means that the arrows move out infinitely in both directions. This includes the present age, the thousand-year reign and the age of the New Heaven and the New Earth. The Kingdom of Heaven in its fullness is only the thousandyear reign.
Picture it this way: I could say that something happened in the 1900s, and I could be more specific and say that something happened in the 1930s, and both would be true. This is what is happening here. The Kingdom of God includes all of the Kingdom of Heaven, while the Kingdom of Heaven is only a portion of the Kingdom of God. The parables in the different gospels are the same, which indicates that they are talking about the same time frame. Thus, one could use either the  Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven, and it would be correct. This is a key to unlocking the understanding of the Kingdom of Heaven. The parables will illustrate what the resurrection of the saints will be like and what the Judgment Seat of Christ will be like. These events will happen at the end of this age, as the Kingdom of Heaven approaches. Many, when looking at the parables, think that those who are sent to Hell (Gehenna) or Outer Darkness are unbelievers, but, in fact, they are believers being judged. Unbelievers will not be judged until the end of the thousand-year reign.

Exciting, huh? Can’t wait to read the rest? Just go to my STORE now and purchase your complete copy today!