What does the term "present truth" mean in the context of the Shepherd's Rod?
In the context of the Shepherd’s Rod message, the term "present truth" carries a specific and profound meaning. It refers to God’s message that is particularly timely, relevant, and essential for His people at a given point in the unfolding of divine prophecy—especially as it relates to the closing work of the gospel and the purification and sealing of the church.
Truth for the Time Appointed
The Shepherd’s Rod emphasizes that just as in past dispensations God had specific messages for His people (e.g., Noah’s message before the Flood, John the Baptist’s message before Christ’s ministry), there is a divinely appointed truth for this generation—what Jesus called “meat in due season” (Matt. 24:45). The Rod teaches that ignoring this present truth is as dangerous as rejecting the messages of Noah, Moses, or Christ in their time.
The Message of the 144,000 and Church Purification
Present truth, according to the Shepherd’s Rod, includes the revelation of the judgment of the living, the identification and sealing of the 144,000 (Rev. 7), and the purification of the Seventh-day Adventist Church as portrayed in Ezekiel 9. These teachings are seen as the current, advancing truth that God expects His people to receive, understand, and proclaim.
Unsealing of the Writings of the Prophets
The Rod teaches that the writings of the so-called “minor prophets” and other formerly "sealed" prophecies are now being opened and explained under divine guidance (see Micah 6:9; Nahum 1:15; Zech. 6; etc.), and that these revelations are part of the present truth for the remnant church.
Elijah-Type Message
The Shepherd’s Rod movement identifies itself with the antitypical Elijah message that Malachi 4:5-6 prophesied would come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. This message is to turn hearts back to God, prepare a purified people, and restore all things (Matt. 17:11).
Rejection Brings Peril
Consistent with past patterns of truth, the Rod teaches that rejection of present truth leads to spiritual blindness and loss, just as it did for the Jewish nation in Christ’s time. Conversely, acceptance brings life, light, and preparation for the Kingdom.
Present truth, in the Shepherd’s Rod framework, is God’s advancing message for His church today, centered on judgment, reformation, church purification, and the setting up of the Kingdom of glory on earth before the second coming. It is not a new gospel, but the unfolding of prophecy that has been hidden for this specific time, intended to wake up and prepare God's people for the final events.