Christian testimonies | Almighty God Saved Me Through His Punishment

Almighty God Saved Me Through His Punishment

Li Meirong
Zhumadian City, Henan Province

Picture of The Church of Almighty God

My name is Li Meirong, and I was a preacher in “the Sunday Meeting.” Because I was a long-time believer with seniority, I was given the name “Li Daogao” (which means my teaching was high) by the brothers and sisters. This is their opinion of me: Though without a high education, she can memorize the whole Scriptures; though without much power, she can “summon wind and rain” in the church. I was always proud of it. When the gospel of Almighty God was preached to our church, to show my “loyalty,” I resisted and condemned it frantically, hence God’s new work was hindered greatly in our area. I acted as a real antichrist and an unpardonable evil man. In the end, the punishment of Almighty God awoke me. Looking back, I was heartbroken with remorse…

It was in October, 1999. Our leader preached in a co-workers’ meeting, “Now there appears a false way, the ‘Eastern Lightning.’ It’s very aggressive! They believe in a female Christ. It’s an underworld organization. They are drawing people in from everywhere by all kinds of means. If you refuse to accept after hearing their preaching, they’ll gouge out your eyes, cut off your nose, and break your legs. From now on, you shall never receive any strangers. Whoever does it will be cast out of the church! …” Hearing what the leader said, I felt hatred and fear for this way. I thought to myself, “The ‘Eastern Lightning’ followers are so malevolent. It’s really a cult. I will fight against it with my last breath!” On my return, I immediately conveyed the words of the leader to the brothers and sisters and also devised a set of methods against the “Eastern Lightning.” I repeatedly told them to report to me or call “110” once they found the preachers of the “Eastern Lightning.”

One day in May 2000, no sooner had I come back home from the fields than a sister came and told me that two preachers of the “Eastern Lightning” were at her home. After hearing that, I rushed there. On seeing two stranger brothers, I burst into a storm of abuse: “You scums, what are you doing here? Want to snatch my ‘lambs’? You’re daydreaming!” “Sister, we just come to preach God’s gospel of the last days. We mean no harm to you. Besides, the ‘sheep’ all belong to God…” “Don’t talk nonsense here. Go away! Otherwise, I will call ‘110’!” I roared, driving them away.

On the morning of August 7, 2000, two strange sisters came to preach again, and I snarled at the sight of them, “You’re so cheeky! You stick to anyone you contact. Get out! Don’t foul my threshold! … You yourself believe in a queen and even want to take me in. A vain idea!” “Sister,” one of them said solemnly, “You condemn God’s work blindly without making any discernment. Do you not fear God?” I got furious, grabbing the broom and hitting her violently, and swearing ferociously, “You devil, God will punish your kind! …” They had no choice but to go away with tears. At that time, I was like a victorious “hero,” very pleased with myself.

God’s disposition is as a consuming fire. How could He tolerate my wild resistance against Him? One day in September, when I was cooking at home, I suddenly felt dizzy and weak at the knees, and I fell on the ground and fainted. It was a long time before I was found and sent to the hospital by my neighbor. The doctor diagnosed me with cerebral thrombosis. I was hospitalized for one month and spent 5,000 yuan on medical treatment. But the disobedient I didn’t realize it was God’s punishment. So, after I got out of the hospital, I still did everything to seal off the church and hinder the spreading of God’s gospel of the last days.

In the early spring of 2001, my daughter accepted God’s new work, and she came with a sister to preach it to me. I roared at my daughter wildly, “Damn rat, you believe in a cult behind my back. You’ve really disgraced me! Don’t come to my house any more. I’m not your mother and you’re not my daughter. I’ll have nothing more to do with you from now on. Just believe in your female Christ! …” The sister hurried to exhort me, “Aunty, aren’t we believing in one God? How could there be many Gods?” “Who believe in one God with you? You are of a heresy, a cult, and an underworld organization!” I said, in great anger. “Aunty, whether it’s right or wrong, you may have a listen and discern.” My daughter also pleaded with me with crying, “Mom, listen to me once. Sit down to have a listen!” “Get out! I have preached for years. How can I be fooled by you!” With this, I drove my daughter and the sister out mercilessly.

Due to my resistance, Almighty God’s punishment came to me again. One night in February, 2001, I suddenly got a tight feeling in my stomach. I thought that I ate too much and it would be all right after I rubbed it. However, the pain became more intense as I rubbed it, and in the end, it was so severe that I writhed on the bed. After a doctor’s examination, he told me that there was a tumor the size of a fist in my stomach, and the operation was impossible, which could only cause death. My husband had to bring me back from the hospital. During the several months, I suffered from the unbearable pain all day long, and truly tasted the pain of hell. I thought to myself, “I’ve served the Lord for years and guarded the church faithfully. Why does the Lord treat me in this way? Is the ‘Eastern Lightning’ I resist and condemn the true way? Is the One I resist the true God? …” At the thought of this, I felt very frightened. Then I had a heart to seek.

One day in May of the same year, my daughter and the sister came to see me again. Because of the illness, I dared not resist any more. I asked them, “The Lord Jesus is a male, but why do you say He has returned as a female?” The sister asked me, “What is God’s substance?” “His substance is Spirit.” “Since His substance is Spirit, does the Spirit have a gender? Gender is for created beings. There is no gender with God before He becomes flesh, and He has a gender only after He is incarnated and puts on the shell of a man. This flesh can do His work and represent Himself either in a male shell or a female shell.” Then she opened the book of God’s word and read: “Each stage of work done by God has a real significance. When Jesus arrived, He was male, and this time He is female. From this, you can see that God created both male and female for His work and with Him there is no distinction of gender. When His Spirit arrives, He can take on any flesh at will and the flesh represents Him. Be it male or female, both represent God as long as it is His incarnate flesh. If Jesus arrived and appeared as a female, in other words, if the conception by the Holy Spirit was to an infant girl and not a boy, that stage of work would have been completed all the same. If so, this stage of work would have to be completed instead by a male and the work would then be completed all the same. The work done in both stages is significant; no work is repeated or conflicts with each other. … If only the work of Jesus was done without the complement of this stage in the last days, then man would forever hold onto the notion that Jesus alone is the only Son of God, that is, God only has one son, and that any who comes afterward with another name would not be the only Son of God, much less God Himself. … There are some who believe that as long as He is a male who comes, He can be deemed the only Son of God and a representative of God. … If this stage of work is not done in the final age, then all mankind would be shrouded in a shadow of notion about God. If so, man would think himself to be of a higher status than woman, and women would never be able to hold their heads high. At such time, no female would receive salvation. People always believe that God is a male, and He always loathes woman and would not give woman salvation. If so, then is it not true that all women created by Jehovah and also corrupted would never have the opportunity to be saved? Then would it not have been pointless for Jehovah to have created woman, that is, to have created Eve? And would not woman perish for eternity? Therefore, this stage of work in the last days is to save all mankind….” Hearing this, I was brightened within: I always had notions about God’s gender in the past, and that is because I was too foolish and blind, and did not know God’s substance or understand God’s kind intention to save men!

But at the thought of the leader’s words, I felt worried. So I asked the sister, “Some people say you are of an underworld organization. Is it true?” “Aunty,” the sister said, “If we were really of an underworld organization, could we spare the lives of those who resisted God’s work and beat and cursed us? Besides, if their words were true, the victims would have reported it and the government wouldn’t sit back and do nothing. But in fact, throughout the whole country, is there anyone who has their eyes gouged out and ears cut off because of believing in Almighty God? Aren’t they rumors fabricated out of thin air by those who have ulterior motives?” The sister’s words caused me to think, “Yes, if they were of an underworld organization, how could I still live well like this after I repeatedly drove, abused, and beat them?” The sister read me another passage of Almighty God’s word: “The work of every age is begun by God Himself, but you ought to know that whatever the work of God, He does not come to start a movement or to hold special conferences or to establish any sort of organization for you. He comes only to carry out the work that He ought to do. His work is not restricted by any man. He does His work however He wishes; no matter what man thinks or knows, He focuses only on carrying out His work. Since the creation of the world, there has already been three stages of work; from Jehovah to Jesus, and from the Age of Law to the Age of Grace, God has never convened a ‘special conference’ for man, nor has He ever assembled all mankind together to convene a ‘special global working conference’ in order to expand on His work. He simply carries out the initial work of an entire age when the time and place are right, and through this ushers in the age to lead mankind in their lives.” At that time, I woke up as if from a dream and saw the light. Facing every word of truth of God, the disobedient me finally fell down before God and accepted Almighty God’s work gladly.

Through eating and drinking the word of Almighty God, I understood many truths I didn’t understand before and became more certain about God’s new work. The recollection of my disobedience and resistance against God threw me into deep remorse. Many times I confessed to God with tears, “O Almighty God, in all these years, I resisted You while believing in You, yet I thought I was loyal to You. I’m so blind and ignorant! I really hate it that I listened to my leader’s words without discernment, wantonly spread rumors to seal off the church, desperately hindered Your gospel of the last days from spreading in this area, serving as a Pharisee, and I even insulted, abused, and beat the brothers and sisters who preached Your good news to me. I’m really a heinous person deserving to die, worse than a beast! I should have been cursed according to my doings, but You awoke me through punishment and aroused me with Your words filled with power and authority, so that I saw Your wide, long, high, and deep love. Your selection of me is really Your exceptional grace and uplifting for me. Your kindness to me is so great that I cannot repay it enough, but I am willing to offer up my whole being to testify Your deeds.”

After accepting Almighty God’s new work, I began to cooperate in God’s gospel work. Soon, over thirty people in our church came before God. All the Glory be to Almighty God! Unexpectedly, several months later, the tumor in my stomach miraculously disappeared and other diseases all healed, from which I even more saw God’s wonderfulness. I thanked and praised God from the bottom of my heart!

Dear spiritual brothers and sisters, don’t believe the lies of those deceivers any more, and don’t resist God’s work because of believing rumors as I did. It will be too late to repent when God’s punishment comes. Think about it! Brothers and sisters, don’t adhere to your foolish way! When this opportunity is missed, it never comes again! It will be too late to repent when the gospel work of Almighty God comes to an end in the mainland China!