Christian Hymns | "Only the Creator Has Pity on This Mankind"

Christian Hymn | "Only the Creator Has Pity on This Mankind"

The Creator is among man at all times, He is always in conversation with man and the entirety of creation,

and He is performing new deeds every day.

His substance and disposition are expressed in His dialogue with man;

His thoughts and ideas are revealed completely in His deeds; 

He accompanies and observes mankind at all times.

He speaks quietly to mankind and all of creation with His silent words:

I am in the heavens, and I am amongst My creation.

I am keeping watch; I am waiting; I am at your side….

God's Word | "The relationship between each stage of God’s work and His name"

(1) The significance of God taking the name Jehovah in the Age of Law

Bible Verses for Reference:

“And God said moreover to Moses, Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you: this is My name for ever, and this is My memorial to all generations” (Exo 3:15).

Relevant Words of God:

    “Jehovah” is the name that I took during My work in Israel, and it means the God of the Israelites (God’s chosen people) who can take pity on man, curse man, and guide the life of man. It means the God who possesses great power and is full of wisdom. … That is to say, only Jehovah is the God of the chosen people of Israel, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of Moses, and the God of all the people of Israel. And so in the current age, all the Israelites apart from the tribe of Judah worship Jehovah. They make sacrifices to Him on the altar, and serve Him wearing priests’ robes in the temple. What they hope for is the reappearance of Jehovah. … The name Jehovah is a particular name for the people of Israel who lived under the law. In each age and each stage of work, My name is not baseless, but holds representative significance: Each name represents one age. “Jehovah” represents the Age of Law, and is the honorific for the God worshiped by the people of Israel.

from “The Savior Has Already Returned Upon a ‘White Cloud’” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Gospel Movie Clip "Stinging Memories" - Christ of the Last Days Brings the Way of Eternal Life

Gospel Movie Clip "Stinging Memories"

Christ of the last days has shown man the way to the kingdom of heaven and brought man the way of eternal life. Have you received the way of eternal life He grants us? Please stay tuned!

Fan Guoyi was an elder of a house church in China. In his over twenty years of service, he always emulated Paul, sacrificing for the Lord zealously and working hard. He firmly believed that he was doing the will of the heavenly Father by pursuing that way and he would surely be raptured to the kingdom of heaven at the return of the Lord. However, when Almighty God’s end-time salvation came upon him, he clung to his notions, rejecting, resisting, and condemning it time and time again…. Later, after several debates with the preachers from the Church of Almighty God, Fan Guoyi finally woke up. He truly understood the meaning of doing the will of the heavenly Father and the way of pursuing to be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven….

At every thought of the past, the memories were stinging in his heart….

Reunited With the Lord

By Jianding, USA

    I was born into a Catholic family, and from an early age my mother taught me to read the Bible. That was during the time the Chinese Communist Party was building up the nation after the civil war, and since the CCP government was suppressing all religions, I was 20 years old before I finally got the chance to go to church and listen to sermons. The priest often said to us: “We Catholics must properly confess our sins and repent. We must do good, not evil, and always go to Mass. During the last days, the Lord is going to come and judge everyone and send people to heaven or to hell based on their behavior. The greatest sinners will suffer eternal punishment in hell, whereas those who commit minor sins can still go to heaven as long as they confess their sins to the Lord and repent. Anyone who doesn’t believe in the Lord will never get to heaven, no matter how good they are.” When I heard this, I rejoiced that I had the good fortune to be born into the Catholic faith. I told myself to be serious in my seeking, attend Mass more often, and confess my sins and repent to the Lord more so that I could go to heaven and not suffer in hell. That’s when I developed the determination to go to church and participate in Mass regularly. The priest also told us then that the Lord would return in the year 2000—we were all elated to hear that, and we all became very earnest in our pursuit, awaiting the Lord’s return. But the year 2000 came and went and we didn’t see any sign of the Lord’s return. Many in our congregation lost their faith, and fewer and fewer people attended Mass. I also felt a sense of disappointment, but I still felt that my faith in the Lord wouldn’t be shaken, no matter what others did. That was because there had been many times when I’d been in danger when the Lord had protected me and I had emerged safely. If it hadn’t been for the Lord’s protection I’d have died long before, so I wasn’t going to be so ungrateful as to lose faith in the Lord.

Gospel Song "How God Rules Over All Things" | How Great Is Our God |

Gospel Song "How God Rules Over All Things"

From the moment you come crying into this world,

you begin to perform your duty.

In the plan and ordination of God, you assume your role,

and begin the journey of life. 

Whatever your background or the journey ahead of you,

none can escape the orchestration and arrangement that Heaven has in store,

and none are in control of their destiny,

for only He who rules over all things is capable of such work.

Gospel Movie clip "Mission of Love" - The Way to be Purified and Saved

Gospel Movie Clip "Mission of Love" (3) - The Way to be Purified and Saved

By His crucifixion, the Lord Jesus has redeemed us from sin. Why does man still need God's work of judgment in the last days to be purified and saved? Here you'll get the answer.

Storyline:

Li Mo believed in Jesus from childhood. When she was 16, she became a coworker of the house church and worked for the Lord zealously. However, the dissension in the church escalated and the believers’ faith and love became cold increasingly. The desolate scene made her fall into the distress and perplexity she had never had before. In 1999, she was fortunate to hear Almighty God’s gospel of the last days and finally met the Lord! She joyfully told the good news to the brothers and sisters who were still eagerly expecting the Lord’s coming in religion. Unexpectedly, she was slandered, insulted, driven away, beaten and abused…. In those years, she went to many places to preach the gospel, such as many counties and cities in Hebei Province and Sichuan Province. During that time, she underwent many persecutions from the religious world. Although she suffered a lot and ever became weak and passive, with Almighty God’s word leading her and God’s love encouraging her, she didn’t fear hardships and difficulties and went forward bravely. In such experience of sufferings, she saw clearly the religious world’s substance of being hostile to God, saw God’s substance of being righteous, holy, and beautiful and good, and even more deeply tasted God’s love and salvation, so that her life gradually grew up in adversity. It’s really glorious to be persecuted for righteousness!

Why does God have different names in different ages? What are the meanings behind God’s names?

Relevant Words of God:

   Could the name of Jesus—“God with us”—represent God’s disposition in its entirety? Could it fully articulate God? If man says that God can only be called Jesus and may not have any other name because God cannot change His disposition, these words are blasphemy indeed! Do you believe that the name Jesus, God with us, alone can represent God in His entirety? God may be called by many names, but among these many names, there is not one that is able to encapsulate all of God, not one that can fully represent God. And so, God has many names, but these many names cannot fully articulate God’s disposition, for God’s disposition is so rich that it simply exceeds the capacity of man to know Him. There is no way for man, using the language of mankind, to encapsulate God fully. Mankind has but a limited vocabulary with which to encapsulate all that they know of God’s disposition: great, honored, wondrous, unfathomable, supreme, holy, righteous, wise, and so on. Too many words! This limited vocabulary is incapable of describing the little that man has witnessed of God’s disposition. Over time, many others added words that they thought better able to describe the fervor in their hearts: God is too great! God is too holy! God is too lovely! Today, human sayings such as these have reached their peak, yet man is still incapable of clearly expressing himself. And so, for man, God has many names, yet He has no one name, and this is because God’s being is too bountiful, and the language of man too impoverished. One particular word or name does not have the capacity to represent God in His entirety, so do you think His name can be fixed? God is so great and so holy yet you will not permit Him to change His name in each new age? Therefore, in every age in which God personally does His own work, He uses a name that befits the age in order to encapsulate the work that He intends to do. He uses this particular name, one that possesses temporal significance, to represent His disposition in that age. This is God using the language of mankind to express His own disposition. Even so, many people who have had spiritual experiences and have personally seen God nevertheless feel that this one particular name is incapable of representing God in His entirety—alas, this cannot be helped—so man no longer addresses God by any name, but simply calls Him “God.” It is as though the heart of man is full of love and yet also beset with contradictions, for man does not know how to explain God. What God is is too bountiful, there is simply no way of describing it. There is no single name that can summarize God’s disposition, and there is no single name that can describe all that God has and is. If someone asks Me, “Exactly what name do You use?” I will tell them, “God is God!” Is that not the best name for God? Is it not the best encapsulation of God’s disposition? This being so, why do you spend so much effort seeking after the name of God? Why should you cudgel your brains, going without food and sleep, all for the sake of a name? The day will arrive when God is not called Jehovah, Jesus, or Messiah—He will simply be the Creator. At that time, all the names that He has taken on earth shall come to an end, for His work on earth will have come to an end, after which His names shall be no more. When all things come under the dominion of the Creator, what need has He of a highly appropriate yet incomplete name? Are you still seeking after God’s name now? Do you still dare to say that God is only called Jehovah? Do you still dare to say that God can only be called Jesus? Are you able to bear the sin of blasphemy against God? You should know that God originally had no name. He only took on one, or two, or many names because He had work to do and had to manage mankind. Whatever name He is called by—did He not freely choose it Himself? Would He need you—one of His creatures—to decide it? The name by which God is called is a name that accords with what man is capable of apprehending, with the language of mankind, but this name is not something that man can encompass. You can only say that there is a God in heaven, that He is called God, that He is God Himself with great power, who is too wise, too exalted, too wondrous, too mysterious, and too almighty, and then you can say no more; this little bit is all you can know. This being so, can the mere name of Jesus represent God Himself? When the last days come, even though it is still God who does His work, His name has to change, for it is a different age.

from “The Vision of God’s Work (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

God's Word | "The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)" (Excerpt 2)

God's Word | "The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)" (Excerpt 2)

Almighty God says, "God's saving of man is not done directly using the method of the Spirit and the identity of the Spirit, for His Spirit can neither be touched nor seen by man, neither can man draw near. If He tried to save man directly using the perspective of the Spirit, man would be unable to receive His salvation. If God did not put on the outward form of a created man, there would be no way for man to receive this salvation. For man has no way of approaching Him, much as no one was able to go near the cloud of Jehovah. Only by becoming a created human being, that is, only by putting His word into the body of flesh that He is about to become, can He personally work the word into all who follow Him. Only then can man personally see and hear His word, and moreover enter into possession of His word, and by this means come to be fully saved" (The Word Appears in the Flesh).

Gospel Movie Clip "From the Throne Flows the Water of Life" - Testimonies From Experiencing God's Judgment in the Last Days

Gospel Movie Clip "From the Throne Flows the Water of Life"

In the last days, Almighty God expresses the truth in China and carries out the work of judgment beginning with the house of God. He conquered and saved a group of people, and they are the ones who have obtained the way of eternal life. Do you want to know how they've undergone God's judgment and chastisement? Do you want to know what changes they've gone through by undergoing God's judgment and chastisement? You can hear from them if you watch this short video.

Storyline:

Tao Wei was a preacher from a house church. As her church grew more and more desolate day after day, her followers all became inactive and weak-spirited, and her own spirit grew dark. She could no longer feel the Lord's presence, and Tao Wei was confused, at a loss. How had the religious world lost the work of the Holy Spirit? Could it be that the Lord had already returned, and had appeared to do work elsewhere? … As Tao Wei urgently sought answers to these questions, she longed more and more to attain the supply of the living water of life from God. She and her brothers and sisters sought out God's work and appearance together, and finally came to the Church of Almighty God, where they began to communicate and debate with the preachers of the Church of Almighty God. … Will they be able to find the source of the living water of life at the Church of Almighty God? Will they be able to attain the water of life from the river that flows from the throne?

2019 Inspirational Devotion: What Is Entering Into Rest?

By Zhongcheng

The Origin of Rest

    It is recorded in the Bible, “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made” (Genesis 2:2–3). In the beginning, God used six days to create the heavens, the earth, and all things within, and on the seventh day, when the work of creation was complete, He rested. God created the ancestors of mankind, Adam and Eve, placed them in the Garden of Eden, and told them to keep His rules. Adam and Eve listened to God, obeyed Him, and lived under God’s care and protection. They suffered no illness or pain, and had no troubles or anxieties. They lived carefree lives in the garden, and enjoyed their rest with God.

Mankind Is Corrupted by Satan and Loses Its Rest

    But, Adam and Eve lacked the truth and had no ability to discern good and evil. They listened to Satan’s temptation, ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, betrayed God, and were cursed by God: Men were required to work bitterly to support their families, women suffered pain in childbirth and were placed under the control of their husbands. Afterward, Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden, they lost their carefree lives, and thereafter they knew no rest. From then on, mankind lost God’s care and protection, lived under the influence of Satan, and was corrupted and harmed by Satan. People began to be envious of each other, fight one another, and kill one another, just like when Cain slew Abel because of jealousy over Abel’s offerings, which delighted God, as is recorded in the Bible. Slowly, mankind lost all place for God in their hearts, grew ever more distant from God, became arrogant, selfish, cunning, and evil, committed a growing number of sins, and even openly made themselves enemies of God, to the point that they did not permit God to exist. Finally, God used a flood to destroy this evil, corrupt mankind, with only Noah, his family of seven, and all the animals on the ark surviving.

To Save Mankind, God Ceases to Rest

    After the destruction of the flood, Noah’s descendants continued to live and multiply on the earth. Although the people of the time knew how to feed, clothe, and house themselves, they had no knowledge of Jehovah God, did not know how to worship God or hold God above all, did not know how to satisfy the Lord of creation, as well as many other things. How could a humanity such as this satisfy God’s will? At the beginning, when God created mankind, He hoped that people would listen to His words, obey Him, manifest Him, and glorify Him, but at that time, mankind was far from being able to meet God’s requirements. So, God ceased to rest, and began the work of His management plan to save mankind. As the word of God says: “In the beginning, God was resting. There were no humans or anything else upon the earth at that time, and God had not done any work whatsoever. God only began His management work once humanity existed and once humanity had been corrupted. From this point on, God no longer rested but instead began to busy Himself among humanity” (“God and Man Will Enter Into Rest Together” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

How does God’s work of judgment during the last days purify and save mankind?

Bible Verses for Reference:

“And if any man hear My words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejects Me, and receives not My words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (Jhn 12:47–48).

“I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come” (Jhn 16:12–13).

Relevant Words of God:

    When God becomes flesh this time, His work is to express His disposition, primarily through chastisement and judgment. Using this as the foundation, He brings more truth to man, shows more ways of practice, and so achieves His objective of conquering man and saving man from his corrupt disposition. This is what lies behind the work of God in the Age of Kingdom.

from Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh

Gospel Music | "The Identity of Christ Is God Himself"

 Gospel Music | "The Identity of Christ Is God Himself"

The divinity of Christ is above all mankind.

He’s the highest authority among all created beings.

This is His divinity, disposition and being.

These are what determine the identity of Him.

Normal is His humanity, in different roles He speaks, 

and utterly He obeys God, yet He is still God, there’s no doubt.

Gospel Movie Clip "Awakening" - The Work of Judgment Has Begun

Gospel Movie Clip "Awakening"

Do you know what work the returned Lord Jesus—Almighty God has done in the last days? Here, the answer will be revealed to you. 

Lu Xiu’en was a preacher of a house church in China. Believing the rumors and notions spread by the pastor, she insisted that man’s sins had been forgiven by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus, that man was saved by faith and didn’t need to receive any other salvation. As a result, she resisted and rejected Almighty God’s gospel in the last days many times… However, an unexpected experience made her see the true face of the pastor, and thus she had some discernment of him and her heart began to awaken. Just at that time, Almighty God’s gospel in the last days came upon her. This broke her imaginations and notions about God’s work and gave her a brand new knowledge of salvation and full salvation. And then she accepted Almighty God’s gospel in the last days without hesitation. However, the pastor didn’t stop disturbing her, and this caused her great distress. Under the watering of Almighty God’s word, she saw clearly the ugly face of the pastor and his deceptive tricks. She awakened resolutely….

Do You Know How Important God’s Law and His 10 Commandments Are to Mankind?

By Cheng Xin

    I trust that every one of us who believes in the Lord will be familiar with the Ten Commandments and the Law. But are we aware of how important the Ten Commandments and the Law are to mankind, and what profound significance they have for us? Today, let’s investigate and fellowship this topic together.

    God’s words say: “When God began the official work of His management plan, He set down many regulations that were to be followed by man. These regulations were in order to allow man to lead the normal life of man on earth, a normal life of man that is inseparable from God and His guidance. God first told man how to make altars, how to set up the altars. After that, He told man how to make offerings, and established how man was to live—what he was to pay attention to in life, what he was to abide by, what he should and should not do. What God set out for man was all-embracing, and with these customs, regulations, and principles He standardized people’s behavior, guided their lives, guided their initiation to the laws of God, guided them to come before the altar of God, guided them in having a life among all the things God had made for man that was possessed of order, regularity, and moderation. God first used these simple regulations and principles to set limits for man, so that on earth man would have a normal life of worshiping God, would have the normal life of man; such is the specific content of the beginning of His six-thousand-year management plan. The regulations and rules cover a very broad content, they are the specifics of God’s guidance of mankind during the Age of Law, they had to be accepted and honored by the people who came before the Age of Law, they are a record of the work done by God during the Age of Law, and they are real proof of God’s leadership and guidance of all mankind” (“God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself II”).

2019 Christian Video "God's New Name" | When the Lord Returns, Will He Still Be Called Jesus? (Skit)

Best Christian Video "God's New Name"

Xu Xin is a house church worker who is always enthusiastically seeking and yearns for the Lord's return. One day, her niece testified to her that when the Lord returns He will take a new name and only those that accept God's new name will be caught up before God's throne. She based this testimony on the following prophecy from Revelation: "Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, … and I will write on him My new name" (Revelation 3:12). Xu Xin, however, believes that Jesus' name will never change and that when the Lord returns He will still be called Jesus. This led the two of them to enter into a debate. What was the outcome of their debate? Will the Lord really take a new name upon His return? Watch the skit God's New Name to find out.

Recommendation:

4 Principles on How to Get Closer to God

Gospel Movie Clip "Awakening" - Discern Salvation From Full Salvation

Gospel Movie Clip "Awakening" 

What is being saved? What is being fully saved? Do you know the difference between them? This film clip will lead you to explore this question.

Storyline:

Lu Xiu’en was a preacher of a house church in China. Believing the rumors and notions spread by the pastor, she insisted that man’s sins had been forgiven by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus, that man was saved by faith and didn’t need to receive any other salvation. As a result, she resisted and rejected Almighty God’s gospel in the last days many times… However, an unexpected experience made her see the true face of the pastor, and thus she had some discernment of him and her heart began to awaken. Just at that time, Almighty God’s gospel in the last days came upon her. This broke her imaginations and notions about God’s work and gave her a brand new knowledge of salvation and full salvation. And then she accepted Almighty God’s gospel in the last days without hesitation. However, the pastor didn’t stop disturbing her, and this caused her great distress. Under the watering of Almighty God’s word, she saw clearly the ugly face of the pastor and his deceptive tricks. She awakened resolutely….

God's Word | "Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life"

God's Word | "Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life"

Almighty God says, "Christ of the last days brings life, and brings the enduring and everlasting way of truth. This truth is the path through which man shall gain life, and the only path by which man shall know God and be approved by God. 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? "

Christian Hymn | "In the Age of Kingdom, the Word Accomplishes Everything"

Christian Hymn | "In the Age of Kingdom, the Word Accomplishes Everything"

I

In the Age of Kingdom, God ushers in a new age with the word. He changes the means of His work, does work of the entire age with the word. This is the principle God works by in the Age of Word. He became flesh to speak from different positions, so man truly sees God, the Word appearing in the flesh, sees His wonder, and sees His wisdom. Such work is to better achieve the goals of conquering man, perfecting man, and eliminating man. This is the true meaning of using the word to work in the Age of Word, in the Age of Word.

Studying Eastern Lightning and Welcoming the Return of the Lord

By Jianchi, Taiwan

    I’d believed in the Lord for 28 years as a member of a local church, and because I believed the negative publicity of the church, I almost missed my chance to welcome the return of the Lord Jesus. If it hadn’t been for God’s mercy, then I would have lost my one and only chance to attain true salvation. My experiences brought me to earnestly appreciate that, only by being a wise virgin, taking the initiative to seek the truth and focusing on listening to God’s voice can we welcome the appearance of God.

I First Hear About Eastern Lightning

    Two years ago, a sister from my church returned to her hometown to preach the gospel there and, two weeks later, she returned. When she had gathered us together at a church meeting, she said, “Eastern Lightning testifies that the Lord Jesus has now returned in the flesh, and that He is expressing truths and performing the work of judgment. I don’t think this can be possible, for it says clearly in the Bible that ‘this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven’ (Acts 1:11). After the Lord Jesus resurrected, He ascended to heaven in a spiritual body, and so when He returns, He should likewise appear to us coming on a cloud in a spiritual body, and He will immediately rapture us up into the heavenly kingdom. He can’t possibly appear to us in the form of an incarnation. Moreover, the elders often say that anyone who testifies that the Lord has returned in the flesh is false and that we must stay away from them at all costs. There are many brothers and sisters in China who believe sincerely in the Lord and who have begun to believe in Eastern Lightning. We must be careful, and we absolutely must not make contact with them.” I nodded and thought to myself: “When the Lord returns, He shall appear in the resurrected spiritual body to all nations and all peoples. How could He possibly appear and work in the flesh?” At that point, I didn’t look into this matter any further, but just let it go. Later, at another meeting, one of our church elders said many things to condemn Eastern Lightning. He also said to us, “Eastern Lightning has been growing rapidly in recent years and Almighty God’s work in the last days has now extended to all nations across the world, including Taiwan. You must all keep your eyes open and stay away from them, and you really must not read the words expressed by Almighty God. Stealing good sheep from other churches is their specialty.” Their warnings had the opposite effect on me, however, and my curiosity was piqued. I thought to myself: “What kind of church is Eastern Lightning? Why would so many brothers and sisters who sincerely believe in the Lord start believing in Eastern Lightning?” But because the elders in our church wouldn’t let us have anything to do with Eastern Lightning, I just kept reminding myself to be careful and cautious.

    In February this year, I made a friend from France who is a Christian too. My new friend had unique opinions on the Bible and, from her experiences, I saw that she was very good at seeking the Lord and experiencing the Lord’s words in her life. The understanding she showed in each of her fellowships was greatly beneficial to me, they gave me a fresh understanding of many verses in the Bible, and we would often read the Bible together. One time, this sister asked me, “Have you ever heard of Eastern Lightning?” I said, “Yes, I have. The elders in our church tell us not to have anything to do with it, and they’ve said many things to condemn Eastern Lightning.” She then asked, “But do you really comprehend it?” And I replied, “No, I don’t.” She went on: “This is not a fair outlook to take on things. If you haven’t personally come into contact with their church, then you shouldn’t condemn them so lightly. As Christians, we must have God-fearing hearts, and we must learn how to seek the truth in all things and speak according to the facts—this is the principle of action for Christians. Sister, if you had the opportunity to understand Eastern Lightning, would you be willing to seek and investigate it?” After listening to her speak, I thought to myself: “She speaks so reasonably. I’ve never come into contact with Eastern Lightning but instead have believed the words of elders and parroted the words of others. This really isn’t a responsible way to go about things, and if I speak carelessly without any factual basis, wouldn’t that mean that I’m telling lies and bearing false witness? But the elders all say that we must not have anything to do with people from The Church of Almighty God and that we must not listen to the words expressed by Almighty God. So should I make contact with them or not?” But then I thought that the Lord Jesus was the one true God and that I had already laid my foundations on the true way, and therefore Eastern Lightning couldn’t possibly shake my resolve to follow the Lord. And so, I said to the sister, “I can listen to what they have to say, but I won’t accept it.”

After I Make Real Contact With Eastern Lightning

    By the sister’s arrangement, I began to come into contact with brothers and sisters from The Church of Almighty God. We discussed the Bible together and fellowshiped about the truths concerning faith in God. Through this contact, I discovered that their understanding of the Bible was enlightened, and they fellowshiped very clearly on such truths as the kinds of people the Lord loves, the kinds of people He detests, what doing God’s will means and what kinds of people can enter the heavenly kingdom. In particular, the words of Almighty God they shared with me fellowshiped so clearly about matters concerning faith in God, and they shared with me music videos produced by The Church of Almighty God. In each video, brothers and sisters would happily sing and dance in praise of God, and after I watched them, I felt really inspired. The truths in gospel films were also fellowshiped really clearly and I had great enjoyment from watching them. I thought to myself: “The Church of Almighty God is not like the elders say. Their fellowships all tally with the Bible, and yet the elders have warned us many times not to listen to Almighty God’s words and not to have anything to do with people from The Church of Almighty God. Should I really continue to look into Eastern Lightning?” I pondered this question repeatedly, and I sought the answer and prayed to the Lord over and over, asking the Lord to guide me. I realized that one has to have an independent mind to believe in God and that one cannot be restricted by others—“I believe in God, not man,” I thought. I then thought of something the brothers and sisters had given fellowship on in a gospel film of the Church of Almighty God: The Lord Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). One’s judgment of whether or not something really is God’s work has to be based on God’s words and based on whether or not this way has expressions of truth, for only by doing that can one hear God’s voice. Take Peter and John, for example. Didn’t they follow the Lord Jesus because they took heed to listen to God’s voice and ascertained from the truths He expressed that He was indeed the Messiah who was prophesied? As I wondered about this, I thought: “Yes, Peter and the other disciples at that time recognized the Lord Jesus as God Himself through His words and through His work. If I don’t listen to the words of Almighty God and I don’t seek or study this way, how then will I ever know whether or not Almighty God’s words are the truth and whether or not they are the voice of God?” Thinking this, I therefore decided to attend meetings together with the brothers and sisters from The Church of Almighty God, and to continue to investigate Almighty God’s work of the last days.

    At every meeting, brothers and sisters from The Church of Almighty God gave such novel and clear fellowship, and their fellowships were enlightened by the Holy Spirit. They enabled me to understand many truths I had not understood over many years of belief in the Lord, such as the mystery of God’s six-thousand-year management plan, the significance of God’s three stages of work, the mystery of God’s name and so on. At one meeting, the brothers and sisters showed the film The Mystery of Godliness. After watching the film, I understood that the Lord Jesus was the incarnated Christ. But when it spoke about the Lord Jesus returning in the flesh to work and save man, I didn’t quite understand it, and I thought: “The elders used to preach that, after the Lord Jesus resurrected, His spiritual body ascended up to heaven and that, when He returns, He shall appear to all nations on a cloud in the resurrected spiritual body, so how could He possibly appear and work in the flesh?” I therefore voiced my perplexity, and a brother read to me a passage of Almighty God’s words: “If you desire to witness the appearance of God, to follow God’s footsteps, then you must first walk away from your own conceptions. You must not demand that God do this or that, much less should you place Him within your own confines and limit Him to your own conceptions. Instead, you should ask how you are to seek God’s footprints, how you are to accept God’s appearance, and how you are to submit to the new work of God; this is what man should do. Since man is not the truth, and is not possessed of the truth, he should seek, accept, and obey” (“The Appearance of God Has Ushered in a New Age” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). The brother then gave fellowship, saying, “God is the Lord of creation, He is supreme, and no one can fathom His almightiness and wisdom. We human beings are just creations. We must not judge God’s work by our own conceptions and imaginings, and we must not demand that God perform His work according to our own ideas. Instead, no matter how God works or whether or not His work accords with our own notions, we should always seek, accept and obey it—this is the sense of reason a created being should possess. As Isaiah 55:9 says, ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’ We are just tiny created beings, so how could we possibly fathom God’s work? The Lord Jesus prophesied that He would return in the last days, and whether or not we can welcome the Lord’s return is related to our individual end and destination. We should let go of our conceptions and imaginings and seek God’s new work with humble hearts, for only those who do this are the ones who accept the truth and can obtain the work of the Holy Spirit. Sister, if there is any issue you don’t understand, we can pray, seek and fellowship about the truth together. God will then enlighten and illuminate us so that we can understand His words and come to know His work.” After listening to Almighty God’s words and this brother’s fellowship, I perceived that there was indeed truth to be sought here, and I thought about how God’s work couldn’t possibly be fathomed by any human being. If it so happened that Almighty God was truly the Lord Jesus returned and I didn’t look into it in earnest, wouldn’t I then miss my chance to welcome the Lord’s coming? I decided then and there to let go of my conceptions and continue to investigate this way.

The Lord Returns to Appear and Work in the Flesh

    The brother went on with his fellowship, saying, “Actually, there are many verses in the Bible that clearly prophesy that the Lord shall appear in the flesh when He returns, as it says in Matthew 24:44: ‘Therefore be you also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes.’ And in Luke 17:24–25: ‘For as the lightning, that lightens out of the one part under heaven, shines to the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in His day. But first must He suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.’ These prophecies all mention the coming of the Son of man, and Son of man means someone who was born of man and who possessed normal humanity, such as the Lord Jesus who appeared normal and ordinary from the outside, who possessed normal humanity and was not supernatural in the slightest. His spiritual body, however, was not restricted by the physical world, now appearing, now disappearing, and was incredibly transcendent, and therefore could not be called the Son of man. Therefore ‘the Son of man be in His day’ and ‘the Son of man comes’ as spoken by the Lord Jesus referred to God returning in the flesh in the last days. In particular, the words ‘first must He suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation’ stated in the Scriptures are further proof that the Lord will appear in the flesh when He returns. If God came in a spiritual body riding on a cloud, then that would be a great and powerful scene, and everyone would tremble and quake and would fall to the ground to worship God, and who then would still dare to reject, condemn or resist God? And how then would these prophecies be fulfilled? Only by God incarnating as the Son of man and coming to the earth to perform His work, and by people seeing Him as normal and ordinary and not knowing that He is God Himself, can they then resist, condemn and reject Him relying on their conceptions and imaginings. Therefore, when the Lord returns, He first appears and works in the flesh, and this is beyond all doubt.”

The brother’s fellowship was reasonable and based on evidence, and through his fellowship I came to understand the meaning of the Lord’s words when He said, “But first must He suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.” Only by God incarnating as a normal, ordinary person that is at odds with people’s conceptions, and by people not recognizing Him as the incarnate God can people then condemn and reject Him. If God appeared openly in a spiritual body to all nations and peoples, everyone would fall to the ground to worship Him and no one would dare resist Him, and then He would not be able to suffer many things or be rejected. I also came to understand that it is precisely because God appears and works in the flesh when He returns in the last days and because He appears so normal and ordinary, that the whole religious world can go by their conceptions and imaginings to reject and resist the incarnate God. I had often read this verse before, but I had never understood it to this level of meaning. It looked as though the views I had always clung to before did not really tally with the Lord Jesus’ prophecies.

Gospel Movie Clip "Song of Victory" - God's Judgment in the Last Days Makes the Overcomers

Gospel Movie Clip "Song of Victory"

The brothers and sisters of the Church of Almighty God endure the severe obstruction and persecution from the Chinese Communist Party and the religious world. Why do they continue to refuse to surrender, continuing to preach the gospel and testify for God? How does Almighty God lead them to undergo God's judgment and tribulations to attain purification and become overcomers?