Incredible truth has been hidden—in fact held back—from all humanity for 2,000 years. A deceived world has been kept from knowing the vital missing dimension to resolving all mankind’s problems. Scientists, theologians, educators and philosophers have remained ignorant of the truth of why man exists. And yet this awesome truth—this amazing knowledge—has always been available. But most have not known where to look.

Jesus Christ came as a newscaster revealing future events—explaining in advance good news for all mankind. This astounding story involves you! Prepare to be stunned beyond belief!

The hope of every Christian is to eventually receive salvation, with most assuming that “going to heaven” is the final and greatest reward attainable for every person on Earth. This is seen as the pinnacle—the supreme achievement and ultimate fulfillment!—of the human destiny.

But is this true? Or is there something greater ahead for every human being ever born?

Hope of Salvation

The “bound for heaven” idea is based on a long-held assumption—on what most have been told that the Bible says about life after death. The result has been that few who think about the afterlife talk of any other potential. Even fewer are willing to take the time to get the facts!

The awesome truth is that the Bible teaches something entirely different—and infinitely greater!—than this popular supposition believed by the vast majority of people attending all the well-known, mainstream churches.

Most people at some point wonder why they are here—why they were born—what’s the purpose of human life. Yet they live and die never knowing the truth—or even that they could have known.

But here is another reason. Most never concern themselves with life’s greatest questions until confronted with death—their own or of someone close. Even then, most only take a superficial interest. The few who are willing to look closely at how they will spend eternity do not know where to find plain answers. They either do not know how to study the Bible for themselves or believe they should merely accept the answers of “learned men” who have “been trained”—and who “know about these things.” And they are instructed to “accept on faith” those things about the afterlife they are told cannot be understood.

Tragically, taking the easier path, most remain willingly blind, accepting non-answers without resistance.

The nations of Earth are speeding toward a time of final, terrible world trouble—the crisis foretold to occur at the close of this age. The growing fear of war, terrorism, famine, disease, crime, pollution, breakdown of the family, and a host of other worsening and seemingly insoluble problems have gripped great and growing numbers, including whole nations.

Evidence abounds that the end of this present civilization is near. Those who wonder “Where is this all going?” “What is God doing?” and “Is this all there is?” want clear—plain!—provable answers to these and related questions.

The very greatest question is, “Does God have a Master Plan?” If so, what is it? The answer is that He does, and it carries many exciting details—all of which you can know. You will learn that God’s purpose is immutable, that it cannot be overthrown or defeated.

You can also know of your place within it. In fact, if you read this two-part article series, you will. It answers every one of the most important questions that should be on your mind, including others you would not know to ask—but need to understand. None of the answers are what you expect. Neither are they what educated so-called scholars and theologians teach, because none can teach what they were never taught—what they never learned.

You were put on Earth to fulfill an astonishing purpose—you hold a potential far surpassing your very greatest expectations. Prepare to be inspired beyond imagination!

Held Back for 2,000 Years!

The truth of the gospel has been withheld from the world. Billions are deceived. Previous billions have been. Even you have been lied to. A complete seduction has taken place, and all the world’s religions have played a part in it. Knowledge of your incredible future has been kept from you!

The world has believed a false gospel for 2,000 years. It has generally supposed that Jesus is the gospel rather than the Messenger of it. The message—the centerpiece—of the gospel is not Jesus. By focusing on the Messenger, religious deceivers suppress His message!

The result is that man does not know the way to peace, abundance and all of life’s good things. The gospel would have shown the solution to man’s most insoluble problems. Yet, except for the apostle John, all of the original apostles were martyred for teaching the truth of God’s incredible purpose. Think. Jesus Himself was crucified because people did not want to hear His message!

A correct knowledge of the true gospel involves a dimension of understanding that cannot be discovered by scientific inquiry. Every supposed “great religion” of the world has helped hide it. Their leaders neither comprehend nor are willing to teach it. And ministers have held back the great key that unlocks your purpose for being!

How did this happen? Who is behind this suppression of knowledge?

The Super Deceiver

To the unlearned, the Bible is a book of shocking statements. It reveals startling truths, completely unknown even to those who profess to understand it. But there are few statements more astonishing than Revelation 12:9. This verse directly states that Satan the devil—who does exist!—“deceives the whole world.” As “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2), he has influenced, guided, deceived and controlled the unsuspecting masses.

This is staggering knowledge—so much so that most simply ignore or reject it, believing it cannot be true. But it is in your Bible. The entire world remains deceived about the very fact that it is deceived! (To learn more about this being, read our free booklets Who Is the Devil? and A World in Captivity.)

The Bible says that, since his rebellion prior to man’s creation, Satan has “weakened the nations” (Isa. 14:12) and “deceived the nations” (Rev. 20:3) in both understanding and critical knowledge explaining God’s purpose. His deception has been complete.

Greatest Kidnapping

Many know something is wrong—but do not know what. Most assume that things are the way they are because man has evolved to his present state. This thinking permeates modern education, but it is a false—an entirely wrong—premise. Evolution is outright fiction created by men who were led to this theory by the one who blinds all the inhabitants of Earth to God’s awesome purpose for mankind.

Those holding to the evolutionary theory are prevented—actually blocked!—from comprehending why conditions on Earth are as they are. And many statesmen, leaders and thinkers feel trapped by trends and conditions, and the general flow of world events, unable to do anything about them. Indeed, they are trapped. We must understand why.

This is not God’s world. The whole world is cut off from Him and held hostage by an unseen super kidnapper. All humanity has been deceived into believing the soothing words of this captor, thinking themselves better off under his care and leadership. Six thousand years ago, the devil hijacked Adam and Eve and all inhabitants of Earth ever after! The world has remained a willing captive.

Here is modern man’s predicament: Imagine picking up a 20-chapter book and trying to understand it by starting with the last chapter. You would be lost, completely unable to understand the persons and events described. In the same way, none can understand events in the modern world because they do not have proper background of what has happened in the previous chapters of mankind’s existence. The very first chapter of the story of humanity is the key to all 19 chapters that follow.

World Before Man

Examining prehistory, the time before the appearance of man on Earth, unlocks how Satan came to be as he is. This prehistory relates to man’s future. The Bible opens stating, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). This scripture sets the stage.

The book of Job best describes the time God created the Earth billions of years ago. God asked Job a series of questions: “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?…Or who has stretched the line upon it?…When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-5, 7). The “stars” were angels (Rev. 12:4), also described as “sons of God.” (Of course, literal stars do not sing.) Notice it says “all” of them “shouted” and “sang together.”

This remarkable passage shows that at the time of the physical creation there was peace, harmony and happiness. But this is not the actual beginning of God’s creation—it recounts the beginning of the physical creation—of all things made of matter.

The true beginning of everything—where the account of God’s creation really begins—is not found in Genesis 1, but rather in the New Testament. John is where the Bible records who or what existed before the creation recorded in Genesis. Here is how he writes of the earliest time that the Bible records: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things [some Bible translations say “the universe”] were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made” (1:1-3). This is all-encompassing.

Now, who is “the Word”? John answers: “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father)…” (vs. 14). The only God-being who ever became flesh and dwelt among men is Jesus. He was not flesh until He came to Earth to become the Savior of mankind.

In the original Greek, “the Word” means “Spokesman.” While Jesus only became the Son of God at His human birth, He was an eternal Being—Paul wrote, “Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life” (Heb. 7:3).

Plainly, these verses speak of Christ both before and after His human birth. But John reveals more! It says Christ, the Word, was God and was also with God (1:1). This is only possible if two Beings are being described. These two eternal Personages existed before any of the physical universe.

Ephesians 3:9 confirms John 1: “…God…created all things by Jesus Christ.” Having been the Spokesman for all eternity, Jesus said many times throughout His ministry that He declared only what God sent Him to say. Since Jesus was “the Word,” no wonder Psalm 33 states: “By the Word of the Lord were the heavens [the universe] made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth…For He spoke, and it was done” (vs. 6, 9). This is expanded in Colossians 1, which speaks of the Father and of “His…Son…who is the image of the invisible God…for by Him [Christ] were all things [the universe] created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him [Christ], and for Him [the Father]: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist [or the Greek means “are held together”]” (vs. 13, 15-17).

We have just summarized the Bible’s statement about persons and conditions that existed through the entire period of prehistory, when no angels or physical matter existed with God. Only these two Supreme Beings existed—alone—for all previous eternity.

They were God, having infinite power of both mind and creative ability. This is why They created man—long after the physical universe was made—to have creative mind power. This fits the pattern of God’s own creative power and ability. Human beings can design, plan and build almost anything they choose. The enormous power to reason, think through, make judgments, and proceed toward goals differentiates human beings from animals.

Even if God had never made anything else, just think of how enormous must be His power—that He (They) could create the human mind, with its seemingly unlimited potential.

Job 38:7 reveals that angels were created before the physical universe, which preceded the appearance of man by billions of years.

Angels are composed of spirit. They are literal beings, but not made of matter. They received immortal life from the moment they were created. Though less powerful than God, these spirits have far more power than physical human beings. They were the pinnacle of God’s creation throughout billions of years of prehistory.

Creation of Man

We must now examine the creation of man and what God said about His product after it was finished.

Genesis is the book of beginnings. Its 50 chapters span 2,000 years, so it is not written to show detail. Rather, it represents a look at the critical high points of human history. The creation week and the time immediately following are described in the first three chapters.

Genesis 1:1 states, “In the beginning God…” But who is the One speaking—calling Himself God? The Old Testament is recorded in the Hebrew language. “God” is Elohim, a word similar to team, group, family or church. God is one Family—one God—composed of two Beings.

God and Christ enjoy complete harmony and agreement. They reflect perfect outgoing love, concern and cooperation. The Father is the supreme leader of a Family that both chose to expand. First God created the angels and then the whole universe, including Earth.

Next came man.

God said, “Let Us [plural] make man in Our image, after Our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). Clearly more than one person was involved. Verse 25 shows each animal was made after his kind: “God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creeps upon the earth after his kind: and God saw it was good.”

Verse 27 continues, “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” This verse is key to understanding that God’s purpose is to reproduce Himself. The human family and human reproduction is a type of this plan. Next comes an important statement: “God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (vs. 28).

The next two verses explain that God entrusted the entirety of His Creation (animals, plants and everything else) to man’s dominion—his overall control. Genesis 2:19 describes how God brought all the animals to Adam “to see what he would call them.” The account concludes with the vitally important: “God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:31).

Next God presented Adam and Eve with the choice they would soon face between the Tree of Life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The choice would be between God’s “divine nature” (II Pet. 1:4)—building and developing His character—or taking on Satan’s sinful nature.

Had Adam obeyed God, he could have qualified to replace Satan and help restore the government of God to Earth.

Is God’s Creative Power Limited?

We might ask, with the seemingly unlimited capacity of His creative genius, is there anything even God Himself could not create immediately? Has God any limits? Is there a single item, of any kind, beyond His ability to create instantly?

Yes—one thing! And it is all-important.

God cannot create the holy, righteous, perfect character possessed by both the Father and Christ. Get this vital piece of understanding clear in your mind. God cannot impart perfect character overnight—by divine fiat. And yet this most important quality must be present in a human being for God to achieve His ultimate creative purpose.

This kind of character involves the ability to choose, to do and to live the right way, even against the pulls and temptations of self-desire. It is a complete yielding, on the part of a free moral agent, to God and His perfect way of life—voluntarily and unconditionally. It is submitting to God’s government and His Law.

This quality of mind—character!—cannot be built overnight. It is a lifelong process. Character must be developed through repeatedly choosing (with God’s help) to live and do what is right. God cannot automatically instill this into anyone. It is built through tests and trials of every sort. Free moral agents must continually yield to God and choose to do right, over and over, until it is their fundamental, intrinsic character! This truly crucial understanding cannot be overstated.

Angels were created with free moral agency. They were given minds capable of making decisions, reasoning and thinking through problems, and of setting their will. God revealed the true way to these free moral agents, and allowed them to choose which way they would go.

Jude 6 shows God placed the angels on Earth as their “first estate…their own habitation.” His intention was they use our planet as a testing ground—a proving ground—to build character.

The pre-Adamic world was populated by giant prehistoric creatures. This was prehistory as far as man is concerned. Men were created later, after Satan ruled the Earth as Lucifer with his one-third of the angels.

God saw His supreme creation, Lucifer, had rebelled and disqualified himself as Earth’s ruler. Though surely disappointed, God was not surprised. He understood in advance this possibility. He had planned ahead, knowing what this could mean.

God knew He and Christ were the only Beings who could not and would never sin. He purposed, through His Son, to expand His Family by creating perfect character in man.

But He knew that He could not initially make man of spirit—and immortal—like angels. He had to ensure there would be no more immortal beings who could turn, in rebellion, and become deceivers and destroyers.

His Plan for man would have to take into account that those offered the opportunity of building His character must have free moral agency. They could rebel and practice sin as their chosen way of life. God understood this would always be a possibility with every free moral agent. But He had to preclude that they could live forever, like Satan and his demons, in continuing misery and unhappiness, spreading it to all those around them. He could not have a member of His Family possessing the very power of God running amuck throughout the universe.

God had to consider all of this within His Plan. So He made man of flesh—the dust of the ground—simple dirt. This incredible purpose—carrying such awesome potential!—is beyond the comprehension of the most brilliant human intellects to discover on their own!

Plan to Replace Satan

Satan demonstrated he could not be governed by God. Therefore, a successor had to qualify to replace him, because Satan’s government was still in place on Earth. He was still in office—as “god of this world” (II Cor. 4:4).

Of course, God understood that Satan, as deceiver (Rev. 12:9), would do all in his power to defeat God’s Master Purpose by destroying His new creation—man.

Understanding human beings would have freedom to choose, God had to plan, with “the Word,” that this only other Member of the Godhead must be made flesh and come to Earth to become Savior for all who would sin (Rom. 3:23) and need redemption from the penalty of eternal death (6:23).

God knew He could resurrect Christ after He had paid the death penalty for all mankind. These were critical facets of a Plan God thought through in every detail. Part of His Plan had to include imparting into men’s minds a tiny bit of His own nature through begettal of His Spirit into all who would be converted to His way.

God’s Holy Spirit contains and reflects the perfect character that is His and Christ’s, and His marvelous Plan would allow God—composed of Spirit—to place a little of His own character into human beings, only made in His physical image and likeness. We will learn in Part 2 of this Personal how God’s Spirit enters and works in the human mind.

Purpose of Today’s World

Almost immediately after Christ’s baptism by John the Baptist (Mark 1:9-11), He entered an extended battle with Satan. Successfully resisting the devil’s temptation was key to Jesus overcoming sin and qualifying to remove him at the setting up of the kingdom of God. Matthew 4 contains the account.

Though Jesus qualified to replace Satan 2,000 years ago, there are several reasons for the long delay in establishing God’s kingdom. God’s Plan encompasses 7,000 years. The sixth day is nearing its close, with the final 1,000-year day just ahead. Satan will be bound (Rev. 20:2). But this cannot happen before the 6,000 years are complete.

Man was given this time to try his own ways, governments, religions, philosophies, value systems, forms of education—and wrong methods to solve the world’s greatest problems. Under Satan’s sway, he has practiced sin—disobedience to God’s commands—all this time. Then he has tried to treat all the ill effects instead of addressing the cause—breaking God’s spiritual laws! Hard lessons are being learned. The vast majority, who have never known the precious truth of God, are having to see that their own solutions do not work!

Not yet bound, Satan does everything within his power to thwart God’s Plan. His deceived ministers (II Cor. 11:13-15) teach, in effect, that God has failed to save the world. But only by God’s permission does Satan hold sway over this “present evil world” (Gal. 1:4; I John 5:19). God is not losing a kind of cosmic “wrestling match.” He has full control. He knows exactly what He is doing, and the genius of His Plan can be known. No true God would ever condemn humanity without offering salvation to everyone!

There are other reasons for the delay in Christ’s Return. He had to first call and train the original apostles—to be part of the foundation of the Church (Eph. 2:20) and to take the gospel to the world. Then, throughout the New Testament period, He had to train the rest of an administrative team to rule with Him when He returns.

Jesus did not establish His kingdom immediately because He had to ascend to heaven to become High Priest of those God calls. Christians are reconciled to God by Christ’s death, but they are saved by His life—His Resurrection (Rom. 5:10). Also, while still human, Jesus could not install Himself as Satan’s replacement. Daniel 7:13-14 reveals that He had to return to heaven to be crowned with power and glory before He could return. (Read the first half of Luke 19.)

Most people have absolutely no idea why they exist. This is spiritually revealed knowledge, unattainable to all whom God has not called to learn His truth (John 6:44, 65). In Part 2, we will explore how God is working within the minds of those He calls! But in the meantime, read our free book The Awesome Potential of Man.