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 the Truth of Incarnation (2)

Question 2: Why is it that God has to become flesh to do His work of judgment in the last days? In the Age of Law, God used Moses to do His work, so why can’t God use man to do His work of judgment in the last days?

Answer: Why it is that God must become flesh to do the work of judgment in the last days is a question with which many who thirst for truth and search for God’s appearance are chiefly concerned. It is also a question that relates to whether we can be raptured into the kingdom of heaven. So, it is very important to understand this aspect of the truth. Why is it that God has to incarnate Himself to do His work of judgment in the last days instead of using man to do His work? This is determined by the nature of the work of judgment. Because the work of judgment is God’s expression of the truth and expression of His righteous disposition to conquer, purify, and save mankind. Let’s read a passage from Almighty God’s word.

Why God Worked in the Flesh in the Age of Grace

　　If God does not become flesh, He remains the Spirit both invisible and intangible to man. Man is a creature of flesh, and man and God belong to two different worlds and are different in nature. The Spirit of God is incompatible with man of flesh, and no relations can be established between them; moreover, man cannot become a spirit. As such, the Spirit of God must become one of the creatures and do His original work. God can both ascend to the highest place and humble Himself by becoming a man of creation, doing work and living among man, but man cannot ascend to the highest place and become a spirit and much less can he descend to the lowest place. Therefore, God must become flesh to carry out His work. … Only the flesh of God incarnate could redeem man through His crucifixion, whereas it was not possible for the Spirit of God to be crucified as a sin offering for man. God could directly become flesh to serve as a sin offering for man, but man could not directly ascend to heaven to take the sin offering that God had prepared for them. As such, God must journey to and fro between heaven and earth, rather than letting man ascend to heaven to take this salvation, for man had fallen and could not ascend to heaven, much less obtain the sin offering. Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to come among men and personally do the work that simply could not be accomplished by man.

from “The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

　　The first stage of God’s work was the leadership of man. It was the start of the battle with Satan, but this battle had yet to officially begin. The official war with Satan began with the first incarnation of God, and it has continued right up until today. The first instance of this war was when God incarnate was nailed to the cross. The crucifixion of God incarnate defeated Satan, and it was the first successful stage in the war. When God incarnate begins to directly work the life of man, this is the official start of the work of regaining man, and because this is the work of changing man’s old disposition, it is the work of doing battle with Satan. The stage of work done by Jehovah in the beginning was merely the leadership of man’s life on earth. It was the beginning of God’s work, and although it had yet to involve any battle, or any major work, it laid the foundation for the work of the battle to come. Later, the second stage of work during the Age of Grace involved changing man’s old disposition, which means that God Himself wrought the life of man. This had to be personally done by God: It required that God personally become flesh, and if He had not become flesh, no one else could have replaced Him in this stage of work, for it represented the work of fighting directly against Satan. If man had done this work on God’s behalf, when man stood before Satan, Satan would not have submitted and it would have been impossible to defeat it. It had to be God incarnate who came to defeat it, for the substance of God incarnate is still God, He is still the life of man, and He is still the Creator; whatever happens, His identity and substance will not change. And so, He put on the flesh and did the work to cause the complete submission of Satan.

from “Restoring the Normal Life of Man and Taking Him to a Wonderful Destination” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The Substance of Christ Is God I God who becomes flesh

AlmightyGod says, "The appearance of the incarnate God was basically the same as that of the prophets and sons of man. And the incarnate God was even more ordinary and more real than the prophets. Hence man is completely unable to distinguish between them. Man focuses solely on appearances, completely unaware that, though both work and speak, there is a substantial difference. Because man’s ability of discernment is too poor, man is unable to discern basic issues, and is even less capable of distinguishing something so complex. The words and work of the prophets and those used by the Holy Spirit were all doing man’s duty, performing his function as a created being, and doing what man should do. However, the words and work of God incarnate were to carry out His ministry. " 

I

God who becomes flesh

is called Christ,

so the Christ

that can give people truth

is called God.

It is not too much to say like that.

For He possesses

the substance of God.

He possesses God's disposition

and wisdom in His work,

which are unreachable by man.

Those who call themselves Christ

yet cannot do the work of God

are frauds.

Christ is not merely

the manifestation of God on earth,

but the particular flesh

assumed by God,

as He carries out,

completes His work among man.

Christ is not merely

the manifestation of God on earth,

but instead,

the particular flesh assumed by God,

as He carries out,

completes His work among man.

Christian Musical Drama "An Uncertain Return" | Why Are Christians Homeless (English Dubbed)

Impression after watching:

Friends, hope we share the film to more people  and let them know the real situation of Christian's persecution in China, also hope more people pray for these Chinese Christians. May God give them power and faith to overcome the forces of darkness."

Christian Zhang Chengzhi is forced to flee his home because of the Chinese government's mad persecution of religious beliefs. A happy family is torn apart. But the police refuse to give up—they monitor, question, and intimidate his family members, and look for opportunities to arrest him. Zhang Chengzhi and his family miss each other, but cannot be reunited. Zhang narrowly escapes arrest time after time and in the end has no choice but to escape the country. He and his family are in different corners of the world and don't know when they will meet again …

The Church of Almighty God | "Perilous Is the Road to the Heavenly Kingdom" (3) - Disclosing the Mystery of the Incarnation

Although people who believe in the Lord all know that the Lord Jesus is God become flesh, however no one can truly understand the truth of the incarnation. It is prophesied in the Bible that the Lord will come again in the flesh to speak and work in the last days. If we do not know the incarnate God, then we have no means of welcoming the second coming of the Lord. So, knowing God incarnate is the key to welcoming the Lord's return. How then should we know the incarnate God?

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How Great Is the Love of God | Christian Song | "The Incarnate God Is Most Lovable"

The Church of Almighty God | How Great Is the Love of God |"The Incarnate God Is Most Lovable"

I
After God became flesh, living life among mankind, He saw man's depravity, the situation of their life. God in the flesh deeply felt man's helplessness, how pitiful they are; He felt their sadness. God gained more compassion for the human condition, and more concern for His followers from His instincts in the flesh.

II
In God's heart, those He wants to manage and save mean the most to Him; He values them above all else. Great price He's paid; betrayal and hurt He's endured. But He never gives up, relentless in His work, with no regrets, no complaints. God gained more compassion for the human condition, and more concern for His followers from His instincts. God gained more compassion for the human condition, and more concern for His followers from His instincts in the flesh.

from "God's Work, God's Disposition, and God Himself III" in The Word Appears in the Flesh

God's voice | Interpretation of the First Utterance

the Church of Almighty God | God's voice | Interpretation of the First Utterance

Just as God said, “None can grasp the root of My words, or the purpose behind them.” If it weren’t for the guidance of the Spirit of God, if it weren’t for the advent of His words, all would perish under His chastisement. Why does God test man for so long? And for as long as five months? This is the focal point of our fellowship as well as a central point in God’s wisdom. We can assume this: Were it not for this trial, and without God attacking, killing, and hacking away at the corrupt humanity, if the building of the church continued until today, then what would that accomplish? So in the first line of His speech, God gets straight to the point and explains the desired effect of these months’ work, and it is painfully accurate! It goes to show the wisdom of God’s deeds over this period of time: teaching the people to learn submission and sincere dedication through the trial, as well as how to better understand God through painful refinement. The more despair people experience, the more they are able to understand themselves. And to tell the truth, the more painful refinement they face, the more they can understand their own corruption, and in doing so they even learn that they are not worthy of being a service-doer for God, and rendering this kind of service is being elevated by Him. And so once this is achieved, once man has depleted himself, God utters the words of mercy, not hidden but in plain sight. It is clear that after several months, God’s new[a] approach of work starts today; this is plain for all to see. In the past, God often said “it is not easy to earn the right to be called My people,” so as He has fulfilled these words in the people who are referred to as service-doers, all may see God can be trusted without any error. All of what God says will come true to varying degrees, and His words are not in the least bit empty.