It was one of the most intense confrontations of Jesus Christ’s ministry.

Surrounded by hostile religious leaders with stones in hand, He was being accused of blasphemy for declaring Himself to be the Son of God (John 10:36). In the face of being stoned, Jesus calmly cited a verse many Bible readers gloss over: “Is it not written in your law, I said, You are gods?” (vs. 34). He was quoting Psalm 82:6.

Wait, did He just call a group of human beings “gods”?

Was Jesus speaking in metaphor? Was this simply a play on words? Or was He hinting at something far more profound—something almost no one understands today?

When Jesus Christ began His ministry, He brought a message of good news. He was a Messenger sent by God, not focused on personal salvation or just sharing stories about Himself. Instead, He preached “the gospel of the Kingdom of God” (Mark 1:14-15). The word gospel means good news.

This Kingdom is not a metaphor, a church or heaven. It is a literal government to be established on Earth, replacing every human system. It will rule all people with God’s perfect Law, bringing true peace and righteous judgment. This was, and remains, good news in a world filled with problems.

God’s Kingdom was the message Jesus declared. It was what He taught in city after city. It was the focus of His parables, sermons and private instruction. Yet even His followers struggled to grasp it—just as most do today.

The true gospel not only involves God’s coming government, it also has to do with who will help lead it. God is not merely building a Kingdom; He is building a Family. Astonishingly, human beings are the ones who will be born into it. Jesus pointed to this truth when He quoted Psalm 82:6, calling people “gods.”

This is the Bible’s greatest secret—hidden in plain sight for millennia. This message runs through Scripture from beginning to end.

Most Have Never Heard

The word “gospel” is everywhere in religious culture. It appears in sermons, devotionals, advertisements and mission statements. It is even the name of a music genre. For many, gospel is a familiar term that suggests truth, inspiration or spiritual comfort.

In many denominations, the gospel is thought to center on Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. Some feel the gospel has to do with healing, grace or personal relationships. Others believe it is simply to love your neighbor. While these are all important teachings, they are not the gospel Christ preached.

The Bible records it plainly: “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the Kingdom” (Matt. 4:23). He preached the Kingdom of God, not a message about Himself. Jesus was simply the Messenger.

From the start, Christ pointed to a government, one that will reign over every nation on Earth. This divine administration is destined to bring peace and justice to a world long plagued by human failure.

The apostle Paul issued a sobering warning about not distorting this message: “I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him [God] that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ” (Gal. 1:6-7). Paul declared that any who preached a different gospel were “accursed” (vs. 8).

This is serious. So serious that God inspired Paul to repeat the warning in verse 9.

How could such an important message be lost? Why do so many speak of the gospel while not understanding the Kingdom—and what it means to be part of it?

The answer is both simple and sobering. Paul explained in II Corinthians 4:4 that “the god of this world”—Satan the devil—“has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ…should shine unto them.” That blinding includes many who sincerely believe they represent Christ yet unknowingly promote a counterfeit message.

In obscuring the real gospel, Satan has concealed far more than just knowledge of God’s future government. He has also obscured who is meant to participate in that government.

A Real Government to Rule

Most people know Jesus is called the Son of God. Yet what is attached to this sonship?

Isaiah 9:6-7 prophesied of Christ’s role: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder…of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end.” This is not poetic. Jesus is bringing a Kingdom with real authority, laws and leadership.

God’s Kingdom will bring peace no human government has ever accomplished.

The prophet Daniel reinforced this: “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a Kingdom, which shall never be destroyed…it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms [the kingdoms of men], and it shall stand forever” (2:44).

Even Christ’s teaching on the model prayer reflects this future reality. Jesus told His disciples to pray, “Your Kingdom come” (Matt. 6:10). This was not a prayer for something already present like a church or religious idea. It was a petition for a world-ruling government still to come. We should still pray this prayer, knowing the Kingdom has not yet been fulfilled.

This government will have a King—Jesus Christ. It will have a capital city—Jerusalem. It will have territory—all nations. It will have laws—God’s Commandments. And it will have subjects—the entire world, brought under divine rule for the first time in history.

Isaiah 2 paints a vivid picture of the time when nations will no longer go to war and weapons will be repurposed for peaceful use. People all over the world will seek instruction directly from God: “Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (vs. 3). At last, mankind will learn the way to peace.

Yet even this description only scratches the surface.

The Kingdom also includes those who will assist Christ in ruling. Revelation 17:14 calls Him “Lord of lords, and King of kings”—meaning others will reign alongside Him. Revelation 1:6 makes this even clearer, recording the words of those who have received salvation: “And has made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.”

This is where the true scope of the gospel emerges. Jesus called people “gods” for a reason. God does not plan to lead this government alone—He is building a Family of divine beings to rule with Him.

Hidden for a Reason

There is another reason the truth of the gospel has been hidden for millennia. God has also not chosen to reveal this knowledge to everyone quite yet. While Jesus Christ preached publicly, He often concealed the deeper meaning of His words.

Jesus regularly spoke in parables. When asked why, He replied: “Unto you [His disciples] it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand” (Luke 8:10). Matthew’s account records Him saying, “It is given unto you to know the mysteries…but to them it is not given” (13:11).

Christ used parables not to make His teachings easier to grasp, but to limit who could understand.

This reveals another fundamental truth: God is not trying to save the entire world now.

Jesus plainly stated: “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:14). Only a select number are being given the opportunity to understand the gospel today, and to be among the first to become “gods.”

For those God is calling (John 6:44), the gospel is like a priceless treasure suddenly uncovered. Jesus compared it to “treasure hid in a field; the which when a man has found, he hides, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field” (Matt. 13:44).

This hidden truth is so valuable—so life-changing—that a person would give up everything to obtain it.

God’s Family Government

From the beginning of man’s existence, God’s plan was to reproduce Himself. Genesis 1 reveals what sets human beings apart from the animals: “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them” (vs. 27). People were made to reflect God. He designed us with the capacity to develop His nature and character within us if we allow Him.

Paul added that those led by God’s Spirit are already considered His children: “The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:16-17).

By this point, you should know this means literal sonship!

The apostle John wrote, “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God…now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (I John 3:1-2). Those who submit to God in their lives will in the Kingdom become “like Him”—composed of spirit.

This is why God says He is using Jesus Christ to bring “many sons unto glory” (Heb. 2:10). As a Father, God is not merely saving people—He is reproducing Himself, just as human parents reproduce themselves through children.

The men who sought to stone Christ in John 10 missed the point, but you should not. Human beings are meant to be God’s offspring.

Jesus called this process being “born again”—not as a religious experience now, but as a literal transformation that occurs at the resurrection. Read John 3:3-6 and I Corinthians 15:50-53.

Human beings will be changed from flesh and blood into immortal spirit beings, full members of the God Family. This is the astounding truth behind the gospel Jesus taught.

I Corinthians 2 adds more: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him. But God has revealed them unto us by His Spirit” (vs. 9-10).

God is bringing a world-changing government, and Christians can help run it as part of His divine Family.

Now What?

When Jesus announced the gospel, He tied it directly to personal action: “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand: repent you, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

Now that you understand what the true gospel is, His words take on far greater meaning. To “believe the gospel” means accepting this incredible reality: that you are being invited into God’s own Family—to share rulership with Jesus Christ in a soon-coming divine government.

This gospel is the message—and commission—given to The Restored Church of God, creator of this magazine, to proclaim. Read Mark 13:10.

But belief alone is not enough. Christ also said to “repent.” Many assume repentance means only sorrow or emotion, but the term really means to change—completely surrendering to God’s way of life.

True Christianity is not just going to church once a week. It is a deep commitment to God. Someone who submits to God’s Way is learning, training, growing, overcoming and preparing to rule.

Jesus Christ will soon return to establish His Kingdom. Those who respond now—who believe and act on this gospel—will reign with Him as “gods.” This is not fantasy—it is the plain truth of your Bible.

To learn how to act on this incredible knowledge, read our free booklet What Is True Conversion?