Our heavenly Father reveals truth progressively for at least two reasons: First, knowledge is additive. Some elements have to be known before other elements can be understood. Second, an infinite Father constantly releases more truth because He wants to draw finite beings closer to the Godhead. The gulf between deity and created beings is too wide to measure; therefore, the doorway into the Godhead is through humility and truth.
Jesus was sent to reveal humility and truth. He said, “I am the way [to the Father who sent me] and [I have spoken] the truth and [I offer] the [fullness of] life [that comes only from the Father]. No one comes to [know] the Father except through me.”1 This is a very bold statement and some Christians use this verse, especially the last sentence, inappropriately. They think the last sentence means salvation is only possible for those who know and believe in Jesus. If so, are billions of people who lived on Earth before Jesus was born lost? Are billions of people who have died since the cross without hearing about Jesus also lost? No, of course they aren’t. The Father’s Plan of Salvation is not limited by knowledge. It is our response to the Holy Spirit that determines our eternal destiny.
Paul wrote the Jews were first to have access to the truth about God because: “Theirs is the adoption to sonship [God chose Abraham and the descendants of Abraham]; theirs the divine glory [Shekinah glory, the glory of a self-existing God filled the Most Holy Place in the temple], the covenants [given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob], the receiving of the law [at Mt. Sinai], the temple worship [the services were designed by God] and the promises [given through the prophets]. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all [gods], forever praised! Amen.”2 Paul elevated the Jews over the Gentiles theologically. His primary reason being: The Messiah “is God over all [gods].” Jesus is a self-existing deity. The great “I AM.” Whatever gods the Gentiles may have and worship are imaginary.
Even though the Jews “had everything,” knowledge did not change their hearts. Similarly, Christians have a spiritual advantage over the rest of the world’s religious systems regarding truth because Jesus “is God over all [gods].” Jesus was sent to Earth to reveal more truth about the Father. Those who believe Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life are more enlightened than those who do not know. However, the majority of people who will be saved will not be Christians! God’s grace for repentant sinners is not based on knowledge; it is based on faith – doing what is right without regard for the consequences.
For the past 2,000 years, Christians have remained a minority within the world’s population. The Father foreknew this before the world was created and made provisions for it. Everyone who receives salvation will be indebted to Jesus because His blood made the transfer of salvation possible! To be clear, the Bible teaches and the Jews have proven salvation is not determined by having access to, or even possessing, truth. Each person’s salvation is determined by his response to the Holy Spirit. Truth’s purpose is to sanctify us through enlightenment.3 “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”4 Truth draws us nearer to God. It sets us free from ignorance and darkness.5 The truth about the Godhead brings peace, assurance, contentment, and happiness. God’s love is the most amazing and precious attribute we can understand. There is no room for fear, doubts, or suspicion when we properly know the Godhead.6 Truth is so exciting for those who want it and find it. And the confounding thing about truth is this: It is almost impossible to share it with those who are not searching for it!
The Father wanted Abraham’s descendants (and then the world) to understand His love and ways. He wants everyone to know of His intense and boundless love for all sinners, rebellious and repentant, so He sent His equal, “The Word,” to represent Him. He sent One who has actually seen the Father, One who could perfectly demonstrate Him in every way. Jesus confirmed this point when He said to Philip, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”7 This comment does not mean Jesus is the Father as some people insist. Jesus meant He and the Father are identical in character, substance, and nature. If we insist Jesus is another form of the Father, we put the Bible in a state of internal conflict; and, the minute we do this, truth becomes obfuscated. Truth is quickly and easily obscured when opposing statements in the Bible remain in opposition. Truth is easily mangled by foolish notions. When people search the Scriptures to prove what they already believe, truth always takes a back seat. If we do not allow Bible truth to correct our thinking, there is no point in having a Bible. I think most Christians regard the Bible as a book of traditions instead of a book loaded with progressive revelation. We can believe whatever we want about God. Lucifer is an excellent example of this freedom and the consequences of rejecting truth.
Life Is About to Change
Currently, millions of Christians worship an icon called “Jesus.” That is, they worship a being they know little about and are content with what little they know. Sure, His name is well known, His birthday is celebrated (Christmas), His death and resurrection are observed (Easter). Christians know He worked some miracles and He promised to return. However, there is so much more to Jesus than these few details. Be forewarned: His icon is about to disappear and the reality of a living Sovereign called “Jesus” will soon be revealed!
Earlier in this study, I wrote Jesus was found worthy to receive the book sealed with seven seals in 1798. At that time, He was given sovereign power enabling Him to perform the task of breaking each seal. I understand the first three seals have been broken8 and their effects can be identified, but since most Christians have no idea what the seven seals represent, they cannot associate the effects with the breaking of each seal.
However, when Jesus breaks the fourth seal, God’s wrath will be released and life on Earth will change drastically for everyone! I believe (time will tell) when the world is engaged in a nuclear exchange, Jesus will act. He will stop mankind from annihilating one another with even greater “fire power” than nuclear missiles. When Jesus uses His judgments to step into the fray of political hatred and war, the fourth seal will be opened and the Great Tribulation will begin.
When the fourth seal is opened, four horrific events will occur in rapid sequence.9 The first event is a firestorm that will destroy one-third of the Earth, followed by two asteroid impacts. The fourth event will be volcano eruptions which cover the Earth with darkness. These deadly disasters will end life on Earth as we presently know it. Jesus, the Creator of everything on Earth (including mankind), will mortally wound Earth’s ecosystems and the planet will not recover.
The Bible indicates these horrific circumstances are coming. The clergy of the world’s religious systems are not preparing their subjects for God’s wrath, and the world’s political leaders do not have a clue. When the Great Tribulation begins, the infrastructure created by man will fail. The coming wrath is more encompassing and distressing than words can express. Each person on Earth will be dramatically affected. For perspective, consider this: If the population of Earth is eight billion people, two billion people (25%) will die during the first four judgments. One-third of Earth will be burned by fiery meteorites. God’s wrath will be so extensive, so pronounced, so overwhelming, and so encompassing that most of the survivors will be afraid to speak for fear they might further offend an already angry God. When Jesus breaks the fourth seal, He will crush man’s religious arrogance and break up the political gridlock that has overtaken the world.
The wrath of a sovereign Jesus will be so “out of character” for the icon called “Jesus” that most Christians will turn bitter. Little do they realize Jesus sent the flood in Noah’s day! Jesus will terrorize the whole world with God’s wrath and in the process, He will accomplish several purposes. Consider this:
First, 144,000 servants will speak for Jesus. During the Great Tribulation, they will proclaim four messages in chronological order. The first message will be inflammatory for most of the world. They will tell the world Jesus Christ is the Creator ruling heaven and Earth with a rod of iron. He is almighty God, the Judge of Mankind, and He commands everyone to worship Him on His holy seventh day Sabbath!10 When you consider more than two-thirds of Earth’s population does not believe Jesus is deity and 99% of the world does not regard Saturday as a holy day, the first message given by the 144,000 will be as confrontational as the destruction that just occurred!
Second, the clergy and political leaders of the world will react to God’s wrath by uniting and creating a worldwide crisis government, which the book of Revelation calls it Babylon. World leaders will create this government11 because they will conclude God is angry with the whole world because of its decadent and degenerate behavior. They will create laws forbidding any behavior offensive to God and implement severe penalties for breaking the laws. Therefore, anyone found violating laws, which the crisis government imposes on the world, will be severely punished. Some of these laws will regard worshiping God. Catholic and Protestant countries will establish laws regarding worship on Sunday. Muslim countries will establish laws regarding worship on Friday. Israel will establish laws regarding worship on Saturday. Meanwhile, the 144,000 will proclaim Jesus will save any repentant sinner if the sinner will place his faith in Him and obey His commandments. This will set up a worldwide test of faith because Jesus’ demands will be contrary to the demands of the crisis government and, either way, the penalty for rebellion will be severe.
The Judgment of the Living
Each survivor will learn about Jesus and His generous offer of salvation after He breaks the fourth seal! Jesus will speak through the 144,000 who will give the “testimony of Jesus.” The Bible teaches salvation comes through faith alone. Ever since Jesus opened the first seal in 1798, the Holy Spirit has been advancing this message throughout the world. By placing the entire world in a dire situation, and after the world’s religious and political leaders set up their opposition to God’s truth (the crisis government), all of the survivors will be challenged to obey the Holy Spirit and put their faith in Jesus. Through the 144,000, survivors will hear the gospel of Jesus; this sets up the judgment of the living. Because free-will beings have the power of choice, their resolve must be tested. This testing will involve four steps:
First: Enlightenment – The survivors must hear God’s demands.
Second: Decision – The survivors must intelligently and thoughtfully consider God’s demands and decide a course of action. Holy Spirit influence to stand for Jesus will be heavy.
Third: Testing – Persecution will test the faith of each person who chooses to obey Jesus.
Fourth: Sealing – Jesus will reward the faith-full with the sealing: the awesome transformation Jesus gave the 144,000. (The sealing is presented in Chapter 6.)
Prostitutes like Rahab and demon-possessed people like Mary Magdalene will be freed of their slavery to sin! Jesus not only saves, He also transforms repentant sinners! After a person is sealed, he will have no further interest or attraction for sin. He will be like Adam and Eve before they sinned, having no propensity for sin!
Today, our world is full of antagonistic politics, cultures, religions, and gospels. Long ago, the Father devised a way to cut through the world’s chaos and gridlock with “justifiable” destruction to humble and silence the survivors. The Father devised a way to expose and give His third law enforcement. This third law demands everyone worship Jesus, the Creator, as they worship the Father! By placing the whole world in dire circumstances and empowering 144,000 individuals to speak the “testimony of Jesus,” the world will wake up to the fact Jesus is almighty God. Once this truth sees daylight, the untold story of Jesus can be told and will be heard around the world!
Jesus Is Looking for Honest-Hearted People
God’s method for judging people from every walk of life illumines a profound fact. Anyone who conscientiously does the good he knows he should do is honest hearted. Each time a person’s knowledge of “good” expands, God challenges his/her honesty again. As attorney Richard J. Humpal said, “When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease being honest.” God is constantly challenging our faith to see if we will be joyful in an environment where righteousness is the way of life and progressive truth never ends. An honest-hearted person will embrace God’s truth regardless of the consequences because he loves God and His truth. Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”12
A truth-loving person, even if he died having only one percent of God’s truth, will be happy for eternity with God and the holy angels. This is because his attitude toward an infinite God is appropriate. Such a person is teachable and will happily continue to learn throughout eternity because his knowledge of God’s truth will forever expand. Jesus said, “But whoever lives by the truth comes [keeps on coming] into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have [learned and] done has been done in the sight of God [God’s power].”13
The third law of the universe is so simple a child can understand it.14 It commands all created beings to worship our Creator, Jesus Christ. Jesus declared with His own mouth in the Ten Commandments that His holy day is Saturday, the seventh day of the week.15 The 144,000 will proclaim the third law, an everlasting gospel, throughout the world with great power and authority for 1,260 days. The Holy Spirit will convict each person of sin, righteousness, and judgment to make sure he/she understands the testimony of the 144,000 to be truth that comes from the lips of Jesus!16 The honest in heart will respond to this enlightenment just like steel responds to the pull of a magnet. Everyone on Earth will hear the four messages from the 144,000. This untold story of Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats!
Summary
The stage is set. Earth’s cup of sin is full and overflowing. Most of its people do not anticipate they are about to be participants in a catastrophic drama. Jesus is holding back the “four winds” of wrath until the appointed time. Soon, Jesus will select and seal the 144,00017 and God’s wrath will begin. Holy Spirit power will be poured out around the world. Jesus will speak through His servants and the survivors will consider a gospel that is contrary to almost everything they believe. There is good news! The Bible says there will be an innumerable group of people who find salvation during the Great Tribulation.18
Jesus will be exalted as almighty God, the Creator of heaven and Earth, the Savior of the world, the God of the Old Testament, Michael the archangel, the Son of God, the Lamb of God, and a coeternal member of deity. No one in the universe compares to Jesus because no one has done what He has done. This small book is my attempt to tell a small part of His story. When John closed his gospel, he wrote what I would like to say again: “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”19
Click on the numbers by the reference to go back to where you were reading.
1. John 14:6, insertions mine
2. Romans 9:4-5, insertions mine
3. John 17:17
4. Psalm 25:4-5
5. John 8:32
6. 1 John 4:18
7. John 14:9
8. For more information on the first three seals, see: wake-up.org/untold-story-information
9. For more information on the fourth seal, see: wake-up.org/untold-story-information
10. Revelation 14:7
11. Represented as a beast in Revelation 13:1
12. Matthew 13:44-46
13. John 3:21, insertions mine
14. Revelation 14:6-7
15. For more information on the Sabbath, see: wake-up.org/untold-story-information
16. John 16:8; Revelation 14:12; 19:10
17. Revelation 7:1-4
18. Revelation 7:9-14
19. John 21:25