Question: What gave you the idea for “The Divine Secret”?

Joe Kovacs: After my previous book, Shocked by the Bible, I realized people had a huge interest in one subject I had briefly touched upon, and that focuses on our incredible destiny. It seems everyone wants to know what’s REALLY in store for them in their future, since there are so many unanswered questions people have about the meaning of life, what lies ahead in the future, and what in the world God is actually doing with people. Most folks just don’t know the answers, and I felt the need to tell them what the Bible actually says, because it does provide solid answers — answers they most likely have never heard, and answers that are much better than, “God only knows” or “I’ll guess we’ll all find out after we’re dead.” It’s very good news, by the way; the greatest news you could possibly imagine.

Q: What do you mean by the greatest news we could imagine?

JK: It’s the most fantastic and thrilling news ever. And I’m in the news business, so I know what news is. It’s simply mind-blowing awesomeness and you may not even want to accept it at first, because it’s so spectacular. Just know that there’s good reason for plenty of hope and joy in your life from this moment onward, because the Bible holds an incredible secret about your future, and also reveals the brilliant news of what’s really coming. And it’s NOT floating around on clouds forever doing a whole bunch of nothingness except playing a harp.

Q: Do you believe the Bible is true?

JK: Absolutely. I’m a Bible-believing Christian, and while I never tell anyone what to believe, I encourage them to just read the words on the pages of the Bible. They actually mean what they say. If people merely accept what’s already printed in Scripture, they’d know this without me having to tell them.

Q: When you say the Bible holds a secret, what do you mean by that?

JK: I’m not talking about any kind of secret numeric code hidden in ancient languages that people need computer programs to look into. The Bible itself declares many times that it contains a secret. Some passages in a variety of translations refer to “God’s secret,” “God’s secret wisdom,” “God’s mysterious plan,” “a wonderful secret,” “the secret that was hidden from everyone,” “the secret of the Good News,” “the mysteries of God,” and “the mysteries of the kingdom of God.”

Perhaps the single most declarative verse about the Bible’s divine secret is found in the New Testament, where it says: “This message is the secret that was hidden from everyone since the beginning of time.”

Jesus was also specifically asked by his followers why He would always talk to the public in puzzling analogies, called parables. His answer still baffles many Christians today because Jesus indicated He was actually HIDING his message from most people, while spelling it out for a very selected few.

Q: And the basic subject matter of this secret is what?

JK: It has to do with who you really are, why you were made, and what your intended destiny is. You know, back in the 1980s, the rock band Missing Persons had a big hit with its song,“Destination Unknown.” That song’s basic message is that life is so strange when you don’t know your destination. That’s actually very true, but there’s simply no need for being in the dark. There’s no reason to live your life being unaware of why you’re here and your true, intended destiny. Your destination IS known, and it’s most likely not what you’ve been told.

Q: OK, now you’ve really got me interested. What is this thrilling secret about our destiny?

JK: The answer actually begins right in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. After God created all the plants and animals after their own kind, Scripture indicates that God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.” This single verse tells us so much when it’s read slowly and people grasp what it’s shouting at them. The first thing people need to notice is that God is more than one person, as They said, “Let US,” and “OUR image.” It doesn’t say, “Let Me make man in My image.” So God is actually a family of divine beings.

Q: Please explain what you mean by a family of divine beings.

JK: Although this may sound strange, God is actually a family. The word “God” in Hebrew is a plural word, “Elohim,” literally meaning “the Mighty Ones.” Yes, there is one God, and that one God is a single family, made up of more than one person. Just like you yourself have one family, and you live in your one household, and there’s probably more than one person in your one family. The same is true with God, there’s more than one person in the family. You probably already know the names of the characters in this family, such as Father and Son. And yes, it’s no coincidence that “Father” and “Son” are family terms.

Q: I think most people can grasp that. So continue now about the divine secret.

JK: All right. While most believers understand that they were created by God, they don’t really know why, or what the purpose is behind it all. The big question of “Why?” is a major mystery for many. But, in countless verses, the Bible explains the reason behind it all in very simple terms. All you have to do is read the words on the page and believe what they say. You might smack yourself after learning what the purpose is, wondering why you never realized it before.

Q: And what is this purpose?

JK: It can be summed up in the word “family.” God is a family, and the divine family is having children. They’re known as the “children of God.”

Q: Wait a minute. Most people have heard that term “children of God” before, and they understand that we’re all God’s children, don’t they?

JK: Yes and no. Yes, they understand that we were created by God, but they don’t understand what it really means to be “children of God.” You might want to ask yourself, “What are the children of cats?” Aren’t they cats? And the children of giraffes. Aren’t they giraffes?

Q: What are you suggesting with this line of thought?

JK: I’m not suggesting anything. I’m saying the Bible declares outright in many, many places that if we truly follow the Creator of the universe, then we become the actual children of God, the. sons and daughters of God, and the offspring of God. All these phrases are found in Scripture declaring what we are and what’s meant for us. We’re intended to be members of God’s own divine family!

Q: Are you saying we’re going to be God?

JK: No, we’re not going to be God the Father, or God the Son whose name is Jesus; and we’re not going to be above either of them in authority. But the Bible does say in numerous places that we’re the children of God, and it even calls us God’s “offspring.” We’re going to be God’s immortally alive kids, actually sitting down on the throne of God reigning and ruling over the nations once Jesus comes back to Earth. We’re going to be above the angels, judging angels. We’re going to be above typical human beings as we judge them, too. All these sentences are your Bible right now, and they’ve been there for hundreds of years. It’s about time everyone crack open their own Bibles and start reading what’s really there.

Q: Can you give me a quick example of where we’re called the children of God?

JK: Sure. Here are just a few examples from the New Testament. Jesus said in His famous Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

The apostle Paul said, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”(Romans 8:14)

Paul also noted that God said, “I will be your father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:18)

And Jesus, after He was raised from the dead, said that “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” (Revelation 21:7)

It’s more than obvious Jesus is not meant to be the ONLY son of God forever. In fact, the Bible calls Jesus “the firstborn of many brethren,” because He’s the first of many brothers and sisters being added to God’s family. And He promised that we would inherit “all things.” We’re going to inherit everything Jesus inherited. We need to accept this magnificent truth of the Bible.

Q: So you actually think we’re going to be divine members of God’s family?

JK: Without a doubt. The apostle Peter said we’re going to be “partakers of the divine nature,”  and all through the New Testament it talks about a massive transformation for our bodies, making the jump from our current mortal, physical, flesh-and-blood bodies into immortal, non-perishable, spirit bodies.

Q: We’re going to have new bodies?

JK: You bet. The Bible tells us that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,” so we simply cannot be immortal in the bodies we now possess. But don’t worry, God will instantaneously change these temporary bodies of ours into brand-new, glorious, powerful bodies that are no longer composed of matter, but spirit instead!

Q: Are we going to be like some cloud of energy floating around?

JK: No, not at all. We’ll still look like ourselves, with a face, torso, arms, hands, legs and feet; but we’ll just be made out of spirit, as God is made out of spirit. God has a shape that looks like ours. Actually, we look like God, because God was here first, and as we saw in Genesis, They said “Let Us make man in Our image.”

Q: Assuming this is all correct, what’s the reason for this?

JK: Jesus brought a message when He walked on Earth, but almost no one remembers that message. They tend to focus only on Jesus being the messenger and Savior. The New Testament says Jesus came preaching the Good News of “the kingdom of God.” He was announcing that He’s bringing His very own family to Earth to run His everlasting kingdom, an actual government that’ll be headquartered here on this planet, and no longer in the unseen dimension we call heaven.

Q: You’re saying Jesus is the head of a government?

JK: Exactly! The Bible calls him the head of a government in several different ways, such as Governor, Prince of Peace, King of kings, and Lord of lords. These are government titles. He’s not a baby in a manger anymore. He’s the resurrected Creator of the universe, and He’s coming back to boot Satan the devil out of power, and take over rulership once He returns from heaven and lands in Jerusalem.

Q: Is that what the Second Coming of Jesus is all about?

JK: Yes, but most people don’t realize that Jesus is going to have some assistance in governing this future kingdom, whenever it arrives. Remember, Jesus is called the King of kings. Now you might be wondering just who those kings are. They’re the people who are truly faithful to God and filled with His Spirit, and once He raises them to eternal life and their new status as divine children of God, they’ll be given a certain amount of co-rulership under Jesus and God theFather to govern the nations on Earth.

Q: So, what does this kingdom of God have to do with the meaning of life?

JK: Once we understand that God is a family looking to grow larger by having children, it prompts us to learn how to become part of this family, because not everyone, sadly, is going to share in this phenomenal destiny. There are some people who know the truth of God, and willingly reject it, and their destiny is not eternal life. It’s the opposite, eternal death. So, it behooves all of us to study our instruction book — the Bible — on how to gain eternal life and become children of God.

Q: Hold on. I thought you just to have to believe in Jesus, and that you’re saved by Him?

JK: You know, many people are operating under the same impression, and it sounds so nice and easy. But it’s just not biblical. The Bible says even demons believe in Jesus, and they tremble in fear. Satan and his minions, who are all angels in rebellion against God, incidentally, are well aware who Jesus is. They know He’s God, but they’re not saved, because they’re not obeying His laws. Jesus Himself said the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

Q: So how do people get eternal life and become children of God?

JK: Over and over again, the Bible tells us the answer. We’re told to repent of our sins and follow God’s way of life. And Scripture defines what sin is. It is breaking any of God’s laws. And if you’re unsure what God’s laws are, you can start with the famous Ten Commandments. You might know some of them already such as not murdering, stealing and lying, but they also tell us not to lust after anything, not to have other gods before the true God, and to rest on the Sabbath day, which the Bible defines as the seventh day of the week, Saturday. One of the wisest men who ever lived, King Solomon, summed it up by saying, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

Q: Some people might say that’s working to be saved. What do you say to that?

JK: Well, there’s no question the Bible says salvation is a free gift from God, and that we can’t earn salvation, and I totally agree. But at the same time, Jesus said we’re rewarded according to our works, which is what we do. The Bible is filled with all these instructions on how to live because this is the way God lives, and if we’re going to be members of the divine family, God expects us to DESIRE the right way of life, and at least try our best. Thankfully, there is forgiveness available if we stumble, but we’re not supposed to be lying, cheating, adulterous schmucks. One of the main messages of the Bible is basically, “Come on, guys. Cut it out!”

Q: What about people who are totally confused about God, or they never even heard the name of Jesus Christ? Are they forever done for?

JK: When taking all the biblical evidence into account, I personally don’t think they’re done for.

The Bible is clear that if people don’t repent, if they don’t stop breaking God’s laws, then they’re going to perish forever. Jesus said that twice. However, there are millions of people who never even heard the name of Jesus or the call to repentance, and I think God will give them an opportunity to repent in the future.

Q: When might that take place?

JK: The Bible actually spells out two different resurrection times in the Bible. There’s a first. resurrection when Jesus returns, and that’s when all the true believers are raised back to life and given their new spirit bodies. But a thousand years after that, the Book of Revelation talks about a second resurrection for “the rest of the dead.” That refers to everyone else who ever lived, from the garden of Eden all the way through modern times. Even Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson will be raised in that resurrection if they didn’t make it in the first round.

Q: So what’s this second resurrection all about?

JK: This is the famous Judgment Day people have heard about for so long. And these people will be brought back to life in their regular, flesh-and-blood bodies they have now. They will not be spirit beings. The purpose of this event is to judge them — not necessarily to sentence them to death, though that may happen for some super wicked people who knew God’s truth and rejected it. But it is a time of judging, or another word to help you understand it might be“evaluating.”

From what I read in the totality of the Bible, these people are being raised back to temporary life because God, who is full of mercy beyond what we can fathom, will give them a chance to repent and follow His ways of life, learning to become obedient servants. And they’ll have help from some of the people they previously knew who will have been made immortal members of God’s family. The Bible clearly says the faithful believers will have the authority to judge. So they’re the evaluators, the coaches and judges of the future, almost like on “American Idol” or “Dancing with the Stars,” helping to perfect everyone else so they can become children of God, too! It’s really a remarkable plan.

Q: Are you serious? Like “American Idol” or “Dancing with the Stars”?

JK: I’m just using those TV shows as a simple analogy to help people understand what judging is all about. The final contestants on these programs are not involved in some sort of quick, one-time “snap judgment.” The hopefuls are viewed and judged, or evaluated, from week to week and given advice on how to better their talents and performance. They then practice throughout the following week to develop a higher level of skill for their singing or dancing, and performance again for another time of testing and evaluation. The judgment cycle keeps repeating itself, and usually after a certain number of weeks, the contestants have grown and improved tremendously from their original state of readiness. In other words, the judging has helped to significantly better and perfect them, making them more complete.

In a similar fashion, I think repentant people in the second resurrection will get the chance to improve themselves through trials and testing to develop their godly character, finally learning how to master and overcome the sinful nature embedded in their minds from their original lifetimes’ worth of satanically inspired brainwashing and confusion. Ultimately, they too can be perfected and crowned with the same glory given to Jesus and the faithful folks in the first resurrection.

This is not based on a hunch or whim. The Bible says people who do wrong now will eventually have a willingness in the future to finally obey God’s laws, and they’ll be taught by God Himself as well as the children of God right here on Earth.

Q: So there’s still some hope for people who right now might be considered “unsaved?”

JK: Yes, I believe so, especially when we take into account all the Scriptures, and not just one or two ambiguous verses. Otherwise, why even resurrect those people at all? If everyone is going to be found guilty, God might as well just keep them dead, since the wages of sin is death. But my point in “The Divine Secret” is that God is intentionally hiding His message now, keeping it secret from most people, because if they really knew the truth of God and rejected it, they might not get that future chance to repent, and therefore lose out on eternal life in the kingdom. But Paul says in the Book of Romans that God is keeping everyone is unbelief now so that He may have mercy on them all! It’s simply brilliant. Having said that, you’re learning much of the truth of God right now, so you might not want to take a chance and play Russian Roulette with your destiny. We all need to stop rebelling and sinning against our Maker.

Q: This is all so fascinating. Why haven’t we heard this before?

JK: I’m sure other people have said this message before, but it’s either been ignored or God hasn’t opened people’s minds to it. Famous Christian writers such as C. S. Lewis in “Mere Christianity” wrote that we were meant to be in the actual family of God, and he used terms such as “god or goddess” for Christians, saying we’ll become a “dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine.”

The message has been printed in Bibles for centuries, but the ostensible Christian Church is so far removed from the teachings of the Bible these days that people often don’t recognize the truth when it’s right in front of their faces. It’s unfortunate, because many God-seeking people today have little or no understanding about why they’re here. It’s not just to say, “I believe Jesus is my Savior” and thus I win an instant admission ticket to some atmospheric apartment on a cloud with a picturesque view of Jesus’ face and an eternal round of sky golf. Sorry to burst your bubble if you happened to think that was really God’s grand plan.

We’re meant to learn God’s way of life right now, to be thoroughly prepared, to undergo many challenges and even sufferings to make us complete and mature individuals so we’re ready for action in the kingdom of God, the divine family and government of our Creator. The Divine Secret is, in fact, the most awesome and untold truth about your phenomenal destiny.