Questions and Answers on the Conditions for Entering the Kingdom of Heaven (8)

Question 8: Since believing in the Lord, we have given everything to expend ourselves and have worked very hard for the Lord, and we have undergone quite a lot of persecution and tribulation. We have even been imprisoned for Him and we’d rather die than deny the name of the Lord or betray Him. I think that this is carrying out God’s will. By suffering for the Lord and standing witness we can achieve holiness, and be qualified to see the Lord. As long as we continue to uphold this, when He returns we will be raptured into the kingdom of heaven.

　　Answer: Working hard for the Lord is doing God’s will—this is a notion of most people in the religious world. As far as people see it, that’s quite right, but does it accord with the truth, and is it in line with the Lord’s will? Let’s first look at a fact. When the Jewish Pharisees traveled over land and sea to preach and do His work, to other people it looked like they were upstanding in behavior and pious. So why were they condemned and cursed by the Lord Jesus, who said “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites”? God can see into people’s hearts! Even though the Pharisees worked hard, they were just carrying out religious rituals and explaining knowledge and theory from the Bible. They did not put God’s word into practice at all, and they did not follow His commandments. Every single thing they did was for blessings, for rewards, and it was also for their status and to make a living. In their hearts, they didn’t love God at all and they didn’t have any reverence for Him. Their mad resistance and condemnation of the Lord Jesus completely exposed their nature of hating the truth and their hypocritical essences. That is why the Lord Jesus hated and cursed them. From this fact we can see that being able to work hard absolutely does not represent doing God’s will, and someone being upstanding in their behavior does not represent purification. As long as a person does not love God in their heart, does not put God’s words into practice, and does not keep His commandments, all of their hard work is in vain. It is all meaningless and absolutely cannot gain God’s praise. Anyone who is capable of resisting and condemning Christ in the flesh will certainly suffer the hatred and damnation of God. So then what really is doing God’s will? This refers to people being able to put God’s words into practice, obeying His commandments, being able to perform their duty in accordance with His words and the principles of His words, relying on their love for God to expend themselves for Him, having a heart of magnifying God, being able to fear God and shun evil, and frequently exalting Him and bearing witness to Him. Only this is truly doing God’s will. We can all see that there truly are many people who suffer quite a lot after believing in the Lord, that they pay quite a great price and even go to prison or are martyred and still do not depart from the Lord. The only thing this means is that they have genuine faith in the Lord. However, they are not pursuing the truth while they are working hard and they do not place emphasis on putting the Lord’s words into practice or keeping His commandments. Instead, they follow their own will and are obstinate and arrogant. After believing in God for many years, their disposition in life has not changed at all—they are still arrogant and do not obey anyone else. They frequently tell lies and engage in deceit, and even though they are able to do a lot of work and suffer a great deal, and they have some good behaviors and testimony, everything they do is for the sake of gaining blessings, gaining rewards. It is to enter into the kingdom of heaven and be crowned. Paying a price and expending oneself this way is trying to make a deal with the Lord and it is deceitful in nature. Personal motives and objectives are hidden within. They absolutely are not people who love and obey the Lord, so how could it be said that they do God’s will? What’s more, although they wave the flag of working and expending themselves for the Lord, they have never exalted Him or borne witness to Him. Rather, they are showing themselves off in all things to have people look up to them. They are struggling for fame and fortune and setting up their own little kingdoms. Their hard work is for the same purpose as the Pharisees’—it is entirely for their status and their living. This has nothing to do with doing God’s will. Instead, it is doing evil and resisting God. We can see from this that if a person cannot put God’s words into practice and they cannot keep His commandments, if they do not have a heart of love and obedience for God, then no matter how much they suffer and how much work they do, they still are not doing God’s will, and it particularly does not mean that they have cast off sinfulness and achieved purification, so how could they be worthy of entering into the kingdom of heaven? Just as the Lord Jesus said: “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity” (Mat 7:21-23).

Questions and Answers on Being Saved and Being Finally Saved (8)

Question 8: As to those who have believed in the Lord Jesus for many years and sacrificed for Him their entire lives, if they do not accept Almighty God’s work in the last days, they really won’t be able to be raptured into the kingdom of heaven?

　　Answer: As for this problem, Almighty God has already given us a clear answer. Almighty God says, “If you do not seek the way of life provided by Christ of the last days, then you shall never gain the approval of Jesus, and shall never be qualified to enter the gate of the kingdom of heaven, for you are both a puppet and prisoner of history. Those who are controlled by regulations, by letters, and shackled by history will never be able to gain life, and will never be able to gain the perpetual way of life. That is because all they have is turbid water that has lain stagnant for thousands of years, instead of the water of life that flows from the throne. Those who are not supplied with the water of life will forever remain corpses, playthings of Satan, and sons of hell. How, then, can they behold God? If you only try to hold on to the past, only try to keep things as they are by standing still, and do not try to change the status quo and discard history, then will you not always be against God? The steps of God’s work are vast and mighty, like surging waves and rolling thunders—yet you sit and passively await destruction, sticking to your folly and doing nothing. In this way, how can you be considered someone who follows the footsteps of the Lamb? How can you justify the God that you hold on to as a God who is always new and never old? And how can the words of your yellowed books carry you across into a new age? How can they lead you to seek the steps of God’s work? And how can they take you up to heaven? What you hold in your hands is the letters that can provide but temporary solace, not the truths that are capable of giving life. The scriptures you read are that which can only enrich your tongue, not words of wisdom that can help you know human life, much less the ways that can lead you to perfection. Does this discrepancy not give you cause for reflection? Does it not allow you to understand the mysteries contained within? Are you capable of delivering yourself to heaven to meet God on your own? Without the coming of God, can you take yourself into heaven to enjoy family happiness with God? Are you still dreaming now? I suggest, then, that you stop dreaming, and look at who is working now, at who is now carrying out the work of saving man during the last days. If you do not, you shall never gain the truth, and shall never gain life.

Questions and Answers on the Conditions for Entering the Kingdom of Heaven (7)

Question 7: Today we believe in the Lord Jesus; we suffer and sacrifice to spread the Lord’s name, forsaking everything else. We are doing the heavenly Father’s will. This means we have already been made holy. When the Lord arrives, He will definitely rapture us into the kingdom of heaven.

　　Answer: As for how we can enter the heavenly kingdom: The Lord Jesus said, “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Mat 7:21). Although people sacrifice to spread the Lord’s name, forsaking all else, you cannot deny that they also sin quite a lot. The fact that they sin means that they belong to Satan and are still corrupt. They are still able to resist and betray God; this means they have not truly been cleansed. If they were kings, they would set up their own kingdoms in opposition to God. This is enough to prove that they haven’t truly been cleansed and made holy. How can people that resist God this way be qualified to enter the heavenly kingdom? Sacrificing for the Lord, spreading the gospel, establishing the church, supporting the faithful, etc, these are all very good behaviors. If people practice these behaviors out of love, if they truly are sacrificing for God, if they want to obey and satisfy God, if they do not seek to make a deal with God, then these behaviors are truly good; God will remember these behaviors and bless these people. If they are doing it in an attempt to make a deal with God, if they seek to satisfy their fleshly desires, if they're doing it to enter the heavenly kingdom and be rewarded, then these behaviors are just attempts to trick God; these people are resisting God! Therefore, is the fact that you practice these behaviors evidence that you are implementing the heavenly father’s will? Does it mean you’re holy? Definitely not! Their good behaviors will still be matched with their sinful natures. They are only doing those things because they want to make a deal with God. This proves that men are too adulterous. How can people like this truly love God and obey God? Men are subject to and controlled by their sinful natures. When God does and says this that are not in line with their own conceptions, they judge Him, denounce and condemn God. When God puts them through trials, they misunderstand, hate and betray God.Men can believe in God while exalting and following other men at the same time. They listen to other men before they listen to God. People who serve God can often act on their own conceptions, exalt themselves, bear witness to themselves and take God as their enemies. Men are controlled by their sinful nature. As soon as they gain power, they will establish their own kingdoms, with God as their enemy. This is just like what the rabbis, scribes and Pharisees did; when Lord Jesus came to do His works, they fanatically condemned and resisting Him in order to protect their own positions. As a result, Lord Jesus’s grace never came to the Jews. Were they not establishing their own kingdoms in opposition to God? Therefore, if their sinful nature has not been resolved, even people who look like they’re laboring and behaving well have not had their satanic natures cleansed. Therefore, how can these people really implement God’s will, regardless of how much they suffer or what works they do? Those that implement God’s will are undoubtedly also those that obey God. They are definitely of the same mind as God. They surely will not rebel against or resist God. These people are the ones who are qualified to enter the heavenly kingdom and receive God’s promise.

from the movie script of Stinging Memories

More details:

Since the Lord Jesus and Almighty God are the same God, isn’t just believing in Jesus enough to be saved? 

God’s Creation

　　God Created The World

　　(Genesis 1:1-25)

　　God-s creation, God created the world( Genesis 1:1-25)

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters.

　　And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

　　And God said, Let there be a firmament in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

Questions and Answers on the Conditions for Entering the Kingdom of Heaven (6)

Question 6: We forsake everything else, spread the Lord’s gospel, and shepherd the church. This kind of labor is the way to implement the heavenly Father’s will. Is there anything wrong with our practice this way?

　　Answer: Spreading the Lord’s gospel and working for Him doesn’t necessarily mean you’re implementing His will. To truly implement the heavenly father’s will, you must implement the Lord’s doctrine and keep His commandments. You must do as the Lord demands. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like to it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mat 22:37-39). As far as implementing the heavenly father’s will is concerned, the most important requirement is practicing Lord Jesus’s current words. This is the most basic principle. If you do not focus on following Lord Jesus’s words and instead follow those biblical figures, you are not implementing the heavenly father’s will. To implement the heavenly father’s will is to follow God’s words. People always exalt the words of the apostles contained in the Bible instead of exalting those of Lord Jesus Himself. By doing so, they are not implementing God’s will; Instead, they are resisting Him. In order to implement God’s will, you must obey Him, accept His trust and bear witness to God regardless of what He says or does. Those people, the ones that no longer rebel against God or resist Him, are the ones that He praises. Take Abraham, for example, he was able to follow God’s words. He dutifully gave his beloved only child to God. God rewarded Abraham for his loyal servitude. He blessed one of Abraham’s other children, allowing him to eventually become a great nation. Another example is Job; He revered God and stayed away from evil things. During his trials, when his wealth and children were taken away, he cursed himself instead of blaming God; he continued to bless the holy name of the Lord. Therefore, he was a perfect man in God’s eyes. Peter is yet another example. He followed Lord Jesus all his life, longing to pursue the truth. After accepting the Lord’s trust, he shepherded the church, in strict accordance with God’s requirements. Eventually he was able to serve God until death and love Him above everything else. All of these people obeyed and revered God. People like this are the ones who truly implement the heavenly father’s will. If you say that laboring for the Lord means you are implementing the heavenly father's will, then why, after the Pharisees traveled to the ends of the earth to spread the gospel and work for the Lord, were they eventually condemned and cursed by the Lord Jesus? That’s because they believed in God but did not implement His doctrines. When Lord Jesus came to do His works, not only did the Pharisees not accept it, they lead the entire Jewish faith in fanatically condemning and resisting Lord Jesus. They even beared false witness to Him in an attempt to hurt Lord Jesus. Everything they did was a betrayal of the Lord’s path; they took Lord Jesus as their enemy. Although these people looked as if they were enduring much suffering and laboring hard for the Lord, how can we say they were implementing the heavenly father’s will?

from the movie script of Stinging Memories

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Seek God's Appearance | New Christian Song 2018 "The Incarnate God Leads Mankind Into a New Era" 

Questions and Answers on the Conditions for Entering the Kingdom of Heaven (4)

Question 4: All of us have believed in the Lord for many years, and have always followed the example of Paul in our work for the Lord. We have been faithful to the name and way of the Lord, and the crown of righteousness surely awaits us. Today, we need only focus on working hard for the Lord, and watching for His return. Only thus, can we be taken into the kingdom of heaven. That’s because in the Bible it is said that “for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me” (Isa 49:23). We believe the Lord’s promise: He will take us into the kingdom of heaven at His return. Could there really be anything wrong with practicing in this way?

　　Answer: In watching for the arrival of the Lord, most people believe that they need only work hard for the Lord, and follow the example of Paul, in order to be directly taken into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord arrives. To them, it seems right to practice in this way, and no one disagrees. Yet we who believe in God should seek the truth in all things. Though practicing in that way is in keeping with people's conceptions, is it in keeping with God's wishes? I think we should know: God's words are the principles of our actions, they are the standard by which all people, things, and matters are measured. If we practice according to the words of God, we will surely receive God's approval. If we go against the words of God, and practice according to our own conceptions and imaginings, then we will surely be detested and rejected by God. Can we really be directly taken into the kingdom of heaven by watching and waiting and working hard for the Lord? Let us look at what the Lord Jesus said “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity” (Mat 7:21-23). In the words of the Lord Jesus we see that the Lord Jesus only said “but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.” He did not say that all those who are faithful to the Lord Jesus’ name and work hard for the Lord will be rewarded, and enter into the kingdom of heaven. Is this not fact? The Lord Jesus didn’t say that people need only work hard for the Lord to enter into the kingdom of heaven. To me, these are our conceptions and imaginings. If, as in our conceptions, all those who keep the Lord’s name and work hard for Him will enter into the kingdom of heaven, why were some of those who preached and cast out devils in the Lord Jesus’ name condemned as evildoers by the Lord? This shows that working hard for the Lord is not necessarily the same as doing the will of God. And why is that? Because many people work hard for the Lord so that they might be blessed, and not for truly obeying God. Their satanic disposition is still there. They still have conceptions about God, and still disobey, oppose, and condemn Him. Some even hate the truth, like the Pharisees. No matter how hard they work for the Lord, how could such people do the will of God? In nature, such people oppose God. To enter into the kingdom of heaven simply by working hard for the Lord, this is intolerable to Heaven! Don’t you all agree?

What’s the Significance of the Lord Becoming Man’s Sin Offering?

By Wuyan, China

　　It is recorded in the Bible, “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin” (Rom 8:3). “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Heb 9:12). From these verses we know that, in order to redeem us mankind from sin, the Lord Jesus was nailed to the cross as mankind’s eternal sin offering. And since then, we all call Him the redeeming Lamb. But do you know the profound meaning behind this appellation?

　　To figure out this question, we should first know what sin offering means. Let’s look at Leviticus 4:27-31, “And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he does somewhat against any of the commandments of Jehovah concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty; Or if his sin, which he has sinned, come to his knowledge: then he shall bring his offering, a kid of the goats, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has sinned. And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering, and slay the sin offering in the place of the burnt offering. And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger, and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar. And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a sweet smell to Jehovah; and the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him,” and Leviticus 16:30-31, “For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before Jehovah. It shall be a sabbath of rest to you, and you shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.”

Questions and Answers on the Conditions for Entering the Kingdom of Heaven (2)

Question 2: How does Almighty God do His work of judgment in the last days? How does He express His words to judge, cleanse and perfect man? This is the truth that we desperately need to know now. If we realize Almighty God’s work, then we can really hear God’s voice and be raised up before God’s throne. Please tell us in more detail!

　　Answer: Studying how Almighty God does His work of judgment in the last days is very important to our ability to obtain salvation by pursuing the truth. Almighty God works in the last days by expressing truths to judge and cleanse people. He does this solely to lift His saints into the kingdom of heaven. However, many believers in the religious community do not understand God’s will. They think the Lord will return and directly raise all of the saints into the heavenly kingdom. They don’t believe He will conduct the work of judgment and chastisement because, well, if He judged and chastised people, wouldn't He be condemning and punishing them too? Therefore, they refuse to accept God’s work of judgment in the last days; they only wait for the Lord to descend on a cloud and raise them into the heavenly kingdom. In truth, this is a complete misunderstanding of God’s will. The Lord Jesus did His work of redemption to pave the way for the work of judgment in the last days. God’s final objective is to cleanse and save humanity, allowing them to rest in the heavenly kingdom. However, God’s work of redeeming and saving man is planned; it proceeds in steps. It doesn’t all just happen at once. The Lord Jesus has completed His work of redemption and has promised to come back and receive the saints. However, no one really knows how God takes the saints in the last days. In reality, when God comes to receive His saints in the last days, He brings them to His throne first to judge them, cleanse them and perfect them into overcomers. Isn’t this how saints are raised into the kingdom of heaven? Still, this isn’t something that's easy for people to understand.

Questions and Answers on the Conditions for Entering the Kingdom of Heaven (1)

Question 1: The Lord Jesus died on the cross for us, He forgave all our sins and redeemed us from the hands of Satan. That is to say, He did this to save us and grant us access to the kingdom of heaven. Even after this redemption, we continue to sin and we have yet to be cleansed. Nevertheless, I believe that the Lord’s forgiveness has made us righteous through our faith. As long as we sacrifice everything else to work and spend for God, as long as we are willing to endure suffering and pay the price, we’d be raptured into the kingdom of heaven. I think this is the Lord’s promise to us. However, my brothers and sisters have now questioned this belief. They say that although we labor and work for the Lord, we still sin often and then confess our sins, so we have not yet been cleansed. They have stated that the Lord is holy, so unholy people cannot meet Him. My question is: We who have sacrificed everything else and spend for the Lord, can we really be raised up into the kingdom of heaven? We really don’t know the answer to this question, so we’d like you to talk to us about it.

    Answer: All believers think: The Lord Jesus redeemed us when He died on the cross, so we have already been absolved of all sin. The Lord no longer sees us as sinners. We have become righteous through our faith, and once saved, we are saved forever. As long as we endure until the end, when the Lord returns, we will be directly raptured into the heavenly kingdom. Well, is that the truth? Did God ever give any evidence in His words to back up this claim? If this viewpoint is not in line with the truth, what will the consequences be? We who believe in the Lord should use His own words as our basis for all things. This is especially true when it comes to the question of how to treat the Lord’s return. Under no circumstances can we treat His return based on man’s conceptions and imaginings. The consequences of such behavior are too serious to even contemplate. It’s the same as when the Pharisees crucified the Lord Jesus on the cross while waiting for the Messiah to come. What would the outcome be? The Lord Jesus has completed the work of redeeming mankind. This much is true, but is God’s work of salvation for mankind finished? Does that mean that all of us believers in the Lord Jesus qualify to be raptured into the heavenly kingdom? No one knows the answer to this question. God once said, “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Mat 7:21), “You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Lev 11:45). According to God’s words, we can be sure that those who enter the heavenly kingdom have freed themselves from sin and have been cleansed. They are the ones who do God’s will, obey God, love God, and revere Him. Because God is holy and those who enter the heavenly kingdom shall live together with Him, if we have not been cleansed how could we be qualified to enter the heavenly kingdom? Therefore, some people’s notion that we believers have been absolved from sin and we can enter the heavenly kingdom is a complete misunderstanding of God’s will. It originated from our imaginations; it’s our own conception. The Lord Jesus absolved us of sin; that is not false. However, the Lord Jesus never said that we have been totally cleansed through this absolution and are now eligible to enter the heavenly kingdom. No one can deny this fact. Then why do all the faithful think everyone who has been absolved from sin can enter the heavenly kingdom? What do they use as evidence? How do they support this claim? Many people say that they base this belief on the words of Paul and the other apostles, as written in the Bible. Well then, let me ask you, do the words of Paul and the other apostles represent the words of the Lord Jesus? Do they represent the words of the Holy Spirit? Man’s words may be in the Bible, but does this mean they are words of God? There is one fact we can clearly see from the Bible: The people that are praised by God can hear His voice and obey His work. They are the ones who follow His way, are the ones eligible to inherit what God has promised. This is a fact that no one can deny. We all know that even though the sins of us the faithful have been forgiven, we have still not been cleansed; we still sin and resist God often. God clearly told us, “You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Lev 11:45), “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Mat 7:21). From God’s words, we can be sure that even though man’s sins have been forgiven, they are not eligible to enter the heavenly kingdom. People must be cleansed; they must become doers of God’s will before they can enter the heavenly kingdom. This is an irrefutable fact. Apparently, understanding God’s will is not nearly as simple as it seems. We don’t become cleansed just because our sins have been forgiven. We must first obtain some reality of the truth and earn God’s praise. Then we will be eligible to enter the heavenly kingdom. If we do not love the truth and in fact are weary of it and even hate it, if we only pursue rewards and the crown but do not care for God’s will, much less to say do God’s will, are we not doing evil? Does the Lord praise this sort of person? If so, we are just like those hypocritical Pharisees: Even though we’ve been forgiven of sin, we are still not able to enter the heavenly kingdom. This is an indisputable fact.

Questions and Answers on How to Discern the Voice of God (4)

Question 4: The Lord Jesus spoke the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven to the disciples, and as the return of the Lord Jesus, has Almighty God also revealed many mysteries? Could you fellowship with us about some of the mysteries revealed by Almighty God? It would be a great help to us in identifying the voice of God.

　　Answer: Each time God becomes flesh, He reveals many truths and mysteries to us. This is without doubt. God becomes flesh in order to save mankind, and so, He naturally expresses many truths, and reveals many mysteries. In the Age of Grace, the Lord Jesus, God incarnate revealed many mysteries whilst preaching and doing His work, such as, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mat 4:17). “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Mat 7:21). The Lord Jesus also revealed many other mysteries in addition to this, which I won’t go into now. In the last days, Almighty God has come, and carried out the work of judgment beginning from the house of God, and has expressed all truths for the purification and salvation of mankind. Almighty God has not only accomplished all of the prophecies of the Lord Jesus, but has also laid bare to us the great mysteries of the past, the present, and the future, which relate to God's management plan. Let us read two passages of the words of Almighty God. “The work I have been managing for thousands of years is only completely revealed to man in the last days. It is only now that I have opened up the full mystery of My management to man. Man knows the purpose of My work and moreover has obtained an understanding of all My mysteries. And I have told man everything about the destination he is concerned about. I have already uncovered for man all My mysteries that were hidden for over 5,900 years” (“The Work of Spreading the Gospel Is Also the Work of Saving Man” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “This stage of work will elucidate for you the law of Jehovah and the redemption of Jesus, and is principally so that you may understand the entire work of God’s six-thousand-year management plan, and appreciate all the significance and substance of this six-thousand-year management plan, and understand the purpose of all the work done by Jesus and the words He spoke, and even your blind credence in and adoration of the Bible. All this it will allow you to perceive. You will come to understand both the work done by Jesus, and the work of God today; you will understand and behold all of the truth, the life, and the way. … In the end, this current stage will bring God’s work to a complete end, and will provide its conclusion. All will come to understand and know of God’s management plan. The conceptions within man, his intentions, his erroneous understanding, his conceptions toward the work of Jehovah and Jesus, his views about the Gentiles, and all his deviation and errors will be corrected. And man will understand all the right paths of life, and all the work done by God, and the entire truth. When that happens, this stage of work will come to an end” (“The Vision of God’s Work (2)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

Questions and Answers on How to Discern the Voice of God (3)

Question 3: What is the difference between God’s words conveyed by prophets such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel from the Age of Law, and the words expressed by God in the flesh?

　　Answer: Due to the difference between the essence of the incarnate God and the prophets, the incarnate God comes to do God’s work whereas the prophets only performed the duty of man. So the nature of their work is different. Let’s see how Almighty God says it. Almighty God says, “The prophets of the Old Testament made prophecies, and similarly, so could Jesus. Why is this so? The distinction here is based on the nature of the work. In order to discern this matter, you cannot consider the nature of the flesh and you should not consider the depth or superficiality of one’s words. Always you must first consider his work and the effects his work achieves in man. The prophecies spoken by Isaiah at the time did not supply the life of man, and the messages received by those such as Daniel were merely prophecies and not the way of life. If not for the direct revelation of Jehovah, none could have done that work, for it is not possible for mortals. Jesus, too, spoke much, but such words were the way of life from which man could find a path to practice. That is to say, first, He could supply the life of man, for Jesus is life; second, He could reverse the deviations of man; third, His work could succeed that of Jehovah in order to carry on the age; fourth, He could grasp the needs of man within and understand what man lacks; fifth, He could usher in a new age and conclude the old. That is why He is called God and Christ; not only is He different from Isaiah but also from all other prophets” (“The Difference Between the Ministry of the Incarnate God and the Duty of Man” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). From the word of Almighty God, we realize that the incarnate God performs His own ministry and does the work within the management of God that represents the work of an era, and that the word He expresses is for all mankind. However, the prophets were those used by God to do the duty of man when He worked in the Age of Law. The prophets just conveyed the word of God through the inspiration of Jehovah God by stating some prophecies, giving some warnings to people or doing some sporadic work. If we can distinguish between the prophets’ duties and the incarnate God’s ministry, we can see the difference between the word of God conveyed by the prophets and the word expressed by the incarnate God. We all know that the prophets were people raised up in various periods of the Age of Law to convey God’s word. The main function of the prophets was to state the prophecies while conveying God’s requirements, commands, as well as God’s exhortations, reminders, warnings, and words of punishment to the Israelites or others. For example, when the evil deeds of the Ninevites came up before God, God sent Jonah to Nineveh to proclaim, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (Jon 3:4). It can be seen that the prophets only conveyed the word of Jehovah in various periods. They did not do the work of any particular age. The words of God conveyed by the prophets were something like prophecies, exhortations, reminders, warnings and so on, not expressing all the truth for the salvation of mankind. As for the word of God incarnate, He comes to do a stage of work and speaks to all mankind in the identity of God, expressing His management plan for the salvation of mankind, His disposition, what He has and what He is, His requirements of man and the truth that mankind must possess. These words are the work that can open a new age and end an old age, and they are addressed to all mankind. They represent God’s work in this age and are all the truth that God’s chosen people have to experience and enter within this age. These words can supply life to man, make man repent, change man’s disposition, save and cleanse man and make man perfect.

Questions and Answers on How to Discern the Voice of God (2)

Question 2: All of the apostles’ letters in the Bible were things that God had inspired, but I’m not clear on whether or not they really are His words. How would you explain this? And outside of the Bible, through the ages there have been many people who have been utilized by God as well as many spiritual people who have written books. In man’s eyes the things that they’ve said have all been in line with the truth and are edifying for mankind, so what really is the difference between these things they’ve said that are in line with the truth, and the words of God?

      Answer: Are the apostles’ letters recorded in the Bible the word of God? Actually, the authors of the apostles’ letters have been written clearly in the Bible. They were mortals used by God, not God incarnate. Therefore, what they said were human words and absolutely not the words of God, let alone the voice of God. This is beyond any doubt. The same is true of history! When the letters written by the apostles were sent to the churches, it was very clear to God’s chosen people at that time that those apostles were men being used by God, and they were not the Christ. Only the Lord Jesus was the Christ. So no one regarded their correspondence as God’s words. The reason why people in the last days regard the apostles’ letters as God’s word is all because of what Paul said: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God.” People are misled by this statement. Coupled with their superstitious and worshipful mentality toward the Bible, people no longer examine the historical facts. If we are to differentiate between man’s speech that accords with the truth and the words expressed by God in the flesh, we must first be very clear that God has the substance of God and man has human substance. God’s word is a revelation of God’s life and it is an expression of God’s disposition, whereas the words of man reveal human substance. Only the direct expressions of the Holy Spirit are the truth and only those expressions are the word of God. This is because the substance of God’s life is unique and possessed by no man. However, people used by God and people who have the Holy Spirit’s work can speak words that accord with the truth and that can edify others. This comes from the enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit and also from man’s experience with and understanding of the truth in God’s word. However, it is not a direct expression of the Holy Spirit and therefore it is not the word of God. Any word said by God, whether it is recorded in the Bible or not, is forever God’s word. Conversely, any word of man, even if it is recorded in the Bible, remains as man’s word. For neither God’s essence nor human essence will ever change. Therefore, the word of God is always the word of God, and the word of man is always the word of man. In the concept of man, any word that is consistent with truth and edifying to man originated from God. If it is recorded in the Bible, it was inspired by God. Thus it is God’s word. For the edifying words that are consistent with the truth but not recorded in the Bible, although people dare not say those are the word of God, they also think that those were revealed or inspired by the Holy Spirit, thus also originated from God. This point of view is utterly wrong. Based on this viewpoint of man, when God’s work in the last days is completed, many of those who have been saved and made perfect will be able to say many words that are edifying for people and consistent with the truth. Can you say that these words were revealed and inspired by the Holy Spirit? Are all of these the truth and the word of God? Apparently, this kind of view and imagination is absurd. When people understand the truth from experiencing God’s work, they will have undergone some changes. They will have some knowledge about God and live out some reality of the truth. These are the effects of God’s work. No matter how much people understand the truth, how much change they undergo, their human essence has not changed. They are still humans, albeit humans who have been transformed and perfected through God’s salvation, humans who have been reborn and renewed by God. Therefore, without a doubt, people’s words that are edifying to others and consistent with the truth are still the words of man. According to this principle, when we read the Bible again, we can distinguish which words were spoken by God or by man at a glance. As such, the apostles’ letters, whether recorded in the Bible or not, are human words of course. Undoubtedly, the writings of spiritual figures of all ages are also human words. It is completely correct to distinguish the word of God from the word of man like this.

Questions and Answers on How to Discern the Voice of God (1)

Question 1: The Lord Jesus has now returned and He has a new name—Almighty God. Almighty God has expressed the words in the book The Word Appears in the Flesh, and it is the voice of the bridegroom, yet many brothers and sisters are still unable to discern the voice of God. And so, today we have invited the witnesses from the Church of Almighty God. We have invited them to fellowship with us about how to identify the voice of God. So we’ll know how to ascertain that Almighty God is the return of the Lord Jesus.

     Answer: This question is of the utmost importance! To accept God’s work of the last days and behold the appearance of God, we must know how to identify the voice of God. In fact, identifying the voice of God means recognizing the words and utterances of God and recognizing the characteristics of the Creator’s words. Regardless of whether they are the words of God become flesh, or the utterances of the Spirit of God, they are all words spoken by God to mankind from up high. Such are the tone and characteristics of God’s words. The authority and identity of God are clearly manifested. It can also be said to be the unique means by which the Creator speaks. God’s utterances each time He becomes flesh surely cover many areas. They primarily relate to God’s requirements and admonitions of man, the words of God’s administrative decrees and commandments, His words of judgment and chastisement, and His revelation of corrupt mankind. There are also words of prophecies and God’s promises to mankind and so on. These words are all the expression of the truth, the way, and the life. They are all the revelation of the substance of God’s life. They represent God’s disposition and all that God has and is. We are able to see from the words expressed by God that God’s words are the truth, and they have authority, and power. Thus, if you wish to determine whether the words expressed by Almighty God are the voice of God, you can look at the words of the Lord Jesus and the words of Almighty God. You can compare them, and see whether they are the words expressed by one Spirit, and whether they are the work done by one God. If their source is the same, then this proves that Almighty God’s words are God’s utterances, and that Almighty God is the appearance of God. Let us look at the words spoken by Jehovah God during the Age of Law, and the words of the Lord Jesus in the Age of Grace. They were both the direct expression of the Holy Spirit, and, moreover, were the work of one God. This proves that the Lord Jesus was the appearance of Jehovah God, the appearance of the Creator. Those who have read the Bible all know that in the words expressed by the Lord Jesus during the Age of Grace, there were words of admonitions, words of God’s requirements of mankind, and words that touched upon God’s administrative decrees. There are words of many prophecies and promises too. These words were one complete stage of work carried out by God during the Age of Grace.

Questions and Answers on the Way of the Lord’s Arrival (Secret and Open) (2)

Question 2: I’ve believed in the Lord for over half my life. I’ve worked tirelessly for the Lord and have been on constant lookout for His second coming. If the Lord came, why didn’t I receive His revelation? Has He cast me aside? This has left me very confused. How do you explain this?

　　Answer: Man thinks that if he believes in the Lord for half his life, works hard for the Lord, and vigilantly awaits His second coming, when the Lord comes again He will give revelation to them. This is man’s conception and imagination and is not in keeping with the fact of God’s work. The Jewish Pharisees compassed land and sea spreading the way of God. Did the Lord Jesus ever give them any revelation when He came? As for the disciples that followed the Lord Jesus, which among them followed the Lord Jesus because they had been given revelation? Not one of them! You might argue that Peter received God’s revelation and recognized that the Lord Jesus is Christ, the Son of God, but that was after Peter had been following the Lord Jesus for some time and had heard Him preach for some time and had some knowledge of Him in his heart. Only then did he receive a revelation from the Holy Spirit and was able to recognize the Lord Jesus’ true identity. Certainly Peter did not receive any revelations prior to following the Lord Jesus, this is fact. Those that followed the Lord Jesus were only able to recognize that the Lord Jesus was the coming Messiah after hearing Him preach for some time. They didn’t follow Him because they had received a revelation in advance that allowed them to recognize who the Lord Jesus was. In the last days, Almighty God has descended secretly among man to do the work of judgment. Millions of people have accepted and followed Almighty God, but not one of them does so because they received a revelation from the Holy Spirit. We follow Almighty God because we recognized God’s voice in our reading of Almighty God’s word and communing on the truth. These facts prove that when God is incarnated to do His work, He certainly does not give revelations to any man to believe in and follow Him. Not to mention, in the last days God expresses truth to do the work of judgment. God’s utterance of His word to the whole universe is His work of the last days. All can hear God’s voice. God’s speech in the last days represents the first time since God’s creation of the world that God has proclaimed His word to all of humanity and to the entire universe. In Revelation, God said many times “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to the churches.” In the last days, God works through utterance of His word and expression of the truth to find His sheep. God’s sheep can hear God’s voice. All those that hear and understand God’s voice are God’s sheep, are the wise virgins. Those that do not understand God’s voice must be the foolish virgins. In this all men are distinguished each unto his own kind. This shows how wise and righteous God is!

Questions and Answers on Rapture (4)

Question 4: Through your fellowship, we see that our thoughts about the Lord’s return and the rapture really did just come from our own conceptions. We have already seriously gone against the Lord’s words. That being said, how should we wait for the Lord’s return and the rapture now? Can you talk about this in a bit more detail?

　　Answer: The saints’ hopes of being raptured are mainly based on the Lord Jesus’ own words: “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jhn 14:2-3). We interpret the Lord Jesus’ words based on our own conceptions and imaginations. We think that because the Lord Jesus ascended to heaven on a cloud, the place the Lord has prepared for mankind must be in heaven. Therefore, we have been waiting for the Lord Jesus to return and raise us into heaven. In addition, we particularly revere Paul’s words: “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Therefore, we started to hope that the Lord would raise us into heaven when He returns. Different people have different understandings of the rapture. Most people think that when the Lord arrives, He will raise the saints up into heaven to meet Him. We have hoped for this kind of rapture for many years. Well, what is the rapture really? Most people aren’t quite clear about that. The mystery of the saints’ rapture was only revealed when Almighty God arrived. Almighty God says. “People imagine that ‘rapture’ means rising from below unto up high. That is utterly wrong. Rapture means selection after having been predestined by Me, and refers to all those who were predestined and are chosen, … and nothing is more at odds with the conceptions of man. All who have a share in My future household will have been taken before Me: This is the absolute truth, it is immutable, it can be refuted by no man, and it strikes back against Satan. All who were predestined by Me will be taken before Me” (from Utterances and Testimonies of Christ in the Beginning). Almighty God’s words are very clear. “Being caught up” is not what we think—being taken into the air from the earth and meeting the Lord in the clouds. Nor is it being taken up to heaven. It means that when God returns to earth to speak His words and do His work, we will hear God’s voice and will be able to follow Him and obey His work in the last days. This is the true meaning of being caught up before God’s throne. All who can distinguish the Lord’s voice, find the truth in Almighty God’s words, accept the truth, and return to Almighty God are the wise virgins. They are the gold, silver and precious stones that have been “stolen” by the Lord and returned to His house because they are all of good caliber and can understand and accept the truth. They can understand God’s voice. They are the ones that have truly received the rapture. They are the overcomers who will be made when God does His work as He secretly descends to earth in the last days. Ever since Almighty God started His work of the last days, more and more of the people that truly thirst for God’s appearance have recognized His voice in Almighty God’s words. One after another, they have accepted God’s work of judgment in the last days. They have been caught up before God’s throne to meet with Him face-to-face and accepted the watering and nourishing of His words. They have gained true knowledge of God. Their corrupt dispositions have been cleansed and they have managed to live out the reality of the truth in God’s words. They have already obtained God’s abundant salvation. These people have already been made overcomers before the great catastrophes arrive. They have been obtained by God as the firstfruits. Those who hold onto their own conceptions and imaginings and blindly wait for the Lord to come and take them up to heaven, they who reject God’s work of judgment in the last days are the foolish virgins. They are the ones who will be forsaken by God. They are destined to suffer in the disasters; they will cry and gnash their teeth. This is a fact.

from the movie script of Awakening from the dream

Books of the Church of Almighty God | Questions and Answers on Rapture (3)

Question 3: The Bible says, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1Ts 4:17). How should we interpret that?

　　Answer: We should hope for the Lord’s return based on the prophecies that He Himself spoke. That is the most standard way of waiting for the Lord’s return. Who are you quoting, really? Are you quoting the Lord’s words or the words of men? “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air,” who said that? Are those the Lord Jesus’ words? The Lord Jesus never said anything like that. The Holy Spirit never said that, either. The words you believe in and quote are Paul’s words. Do Paul’s words represent the Lord Jesus’ words? Can he represent God? Only God knows the answer to this mystery. If we corrupt humans dare to make blind interpretations and judgments like this, we are committing a heinous sin. Paul was not Christ. He was only an ordinary corrupt person. His writings are full of impure human ideas and imaginings. His words are not the truth, so we cannot use them as proof. All proof should be based on God’s words in the Bible. That is in line with the truth. It’s wrong to investigate the rapture and entry into the kingdom of heaven based on the words of people in the Bible, especially Paul, and not based on the Lord Jesus’ words, because only the Lord Jesus’ words are the truth; only His words have authority. Only the Lord Jesus is Christ, the King of the heavenly kingdom. Why don’t you search in the Lord Jesus’ words for the truth and God’s will? Why do you use the words of men as the basis of your search instead? Is this in accordance with the Lord’s will? This makes you prone to following man and walking down your own path. God made mankind out of clay. He tasked them with doing their duty on earth and managing the rest of His creations. He demanded that they obey, worship, and honor Him, and mandated that their place was on the earth, not in heaven. Moreover, God told us long ago that He would establish His kingdom on earth. Besides, He will dwell with us humans on earth and the kingdoms of earth must be transformed into kingdoms ruled by Christ. Therefore, God’s kingdom will eventually be established on earth, not in heaven. Many people are always looking to be raised into heaven. That is their own conception and imaginings, their own fanciful desire. It is not at all in accordance with the truth or the fact of God’s work.

from the movie script of Awakening from the dream

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