The Lord Jesus Has Come Back | Gospel Movie "The Mystery of Godliness"

The Lord Jesus Has Come Back | Gospel Movie "The Mystery of Godliness"

Lin Bo'en was an elder at a house church in China. During all his years as a believer, he felt honored to suffer for the Lord, and valued the knowledge and attainment of the Lord Jesus Christ above anything else in the world.

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Gospel Movie Clip "Awakening From the Dream" (1) - The Tabernacle of God Is With Men

Gospel Movie Clip "Awakening From the Dream" (1) - The Tabernacle of God Is With Men

Many believers in the Lord Jesus all wait to be raptured into the kingdom of heaven, but do you know where the kingdom of heaven actually is? Do you know the real meaning of rapture? This movie clip of Awaking From the Dream, will uncover the mysteries of the rapture for you!

Storyline:

Like many followers of the Lord Jesus, Yu Fan focused on studying the Bible, cast everything aside to pay the price of suffering for the Lord, and sought to serve the Lord with enthusiasm. She thought that by pursuing her faith this way, when the Lord returns she would definitely be raptured into the heavenly kingdom. When Yu Fan, in order to realize this beautiful dream, enthusiastically preached and worked for the Lord, her fellow workers raised a difficult question: Although the sins of us believers have been forgiven, although we cast everything aside and pay the price of suffering for the Lord, we still often reveal our corruption, we still sin and oppose the Lord. God is holy, so how can corrupt people like us ever be worthy of His praise? Are we qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven? This didn't inspire Yu Fan to reflect at all, not until she had a discussion with preachers from the Church of Almighty God. Then, Yu Fan was able to understand the mysteries of rapture. She finally was able to awake from her dream, and firmly believed that Almighty God was her long-awaited Savior, the Lord Jesus.

Recommendation：Message From God | Gospel Music "God Wishes for More People to Gain His Salvation"

Christian Worship Song 2018 "How to Know the Appearance and Work of Christ of the Last Days"

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Why is it said that religious pastors and elders are all walking the path of the Pharisees? What is their essence?

Picture of The Church of Almighty God

Bible Verses for Reference:

“And he began to speak to them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and dig a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to farmers, and went into a far country. And at the season he sent to the farmers a servant, that he might receive from the farmers of the fruit of the vineyard. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.

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Why did the Lord Jesus curse the Pharisees? What exactly is the essence of the Pharisees?

Why did the Lord Jesus curse the Pharisees? What exactly is the essence of the Pharisees?

Bible Verses for Reference:

“Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honor your father and mother: and, He that curses father or mother, let him die the death. But you say, Whoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatever you might be profited by me; And honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have you made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. You hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draws near to me with their mouth, and honors me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mat 15:3-9).

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What is the difference between the words of God conveyed by prophets in the Age of Law and the words of God expressed by God incarnate?

What is the difference between the words of God conveyed by prophets in the Age of Law and the words of God expressed by God incarnate?

Relevant Words of God:

In the Age of Grace, Jesus also spoke much and did much work. How was He different from Isaiah? How was He different from Daniel? Was He a prophet? Why is it said that He is Christ? What are the differences between them? They were all men who spoke words, and their words appeared more or less the same to man. They all spoke and did work. 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.

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The religious world believes that all scripture is given by the inspiration of God and it is all the words of God; how should one have discernment toward this statement?

Relevant Words of God:

   Not everything in the Bible is a record of the words personally spoken by God. The Bible simply documents the previous two stages of God’s work, of which one part is a record of the foretellings of the prophets, and one part is the experiences and knowledge written by people used by God throughout the ages. Human experiences are tainted with human opinions and knowledge, which is unavoidable. In many of the books of the Bible are human conceptions, human biases, and human absurd interpretations.

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The Bible is only a record of God’s two stages of work in the Age of Law and the Age of Grace; it is not a record of the entirety of God’s work.

Picture of The Church of Almighty, God God's word

Bible Verses for Reference:

“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).

“He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 2:17).

“Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof” (Rev 5:5).

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One must understand that the message spread by the Lord Jesus in the Age of Grace was only the way of repentance.

One must understand that the message spread by the Lord Jesus in the Age of Grace was only the way of repentance.

Bible Verses for Reference:

“Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mat 4:17).

“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Mat 26:28).

“And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luk 24:47).

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What is being saved? What is salvation?

    Bible Verses for Reference:

“He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned” (Mak 16:16).

“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Mat 26:28).

“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).

Relevant Words of God:

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Welcoming the Lord’s Return | I Welcomed the Return of the Lord

I Welcomed the Return of the Lord

Qingxin, Myanmar

My parents are both Christians and from an early age I started going with them to church to attend services. At the age of 12 I attended a grand Christian camp in Myanmar, and while I was there a pastor told me: “The only way to avoid death and enter the kingdom of heaven is to be baptized.” And so in order to enter the kingdom of heaven I decided to get baptized while I was at the camp. From that time on, I became a genuine Christian.

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Gospel Testimonies | I Welcomed the Return of the Lord (Audio Essays)

I Welcomed the Return of the Lord (Audio Essays)

Qingxin, Myanmar

My parents are both Christians and from an early age I started going with them to church to attend services. At the age of 12 I attended a grand Christian camp in Myanmar, and while I was there a pastor told me: “The only way to avoid death and enter the kingdom of heaven is to be baptized.” And so in order to enter the kingdom of heaven I decided to get baptized while I was at the camp. From that time on, I became a genuine Christian.

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Christian testimonies | Almighty God Saved Me, a Blind and Ignorant Person

Almighty God Saved Me, a Blind and Ignorant Person

Li Jinzhi
Fuxin City, Liaoning Province

Picture of The Church of Almighty God | Almighty God Saved Me, a Blind and Ignorant Person

In May 1990, I accepted Jesus in the Three-Self sect because of illness. In 1993, I turned to the Church of Truth and later became a junior leader there.

In July 1999, our church leader told us at a meeting, “In recent years, a biggest ‘heresy,’ ‘cult,’ called ‘Eastern Lightning,’ has appeared in mainland China. They preach that God has come, and as a female. The spirit in them is very powerful. Once you talk with them, it will enter into you, and you will be controlled by them in spite of yourself and do whatever they say. … Co-workers, brothers, and sisters, none of you should come into contact with the people of ‘Eastern Lightning,’ nor receive them, lest you share in their sins….” Hearing the leader’s words, I firmly believed that “Eastern Lightning” was a “heresy,” a “cult.” And I thought, “This has fulfilled the words in the Bible. The end time has arrived, and false christs have appeared.” So, I made an inward resolution: I must be watchful and prepare myself, and even more, I must keep a good guard over the brothers and sisters so that no one will be taken captive by “Eastern Lightning.” Otherwise, I won’t be able to give an account to the Lord.

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Christian testimonies | I Heard God’s Voice While living in Sins

Picture of The Church of Almighty God

Yang Zhiying
Haicheng City, Liaoning Province

My name is Yang Zhiying. In 1991, I, together with my husband, were called and turned to the Lord. Before long, I became a co-worker in the Tambourines Playing and Dancing Church. Whenever I attended the large meeting of the co-workers, the sight of the gathering of over a hundred people filled me with elation, and I felt very honored and proud to be a follower of God in this life. I resolved to consecrate my whole life to the Lord. I shepherded and sustained the church throughout the years regardless of wind or rain. And I believed that as I toiled and worked so faithfully for the Lord, there must be a crown of righteousness laid up for me at the time of the Lord’s coming. But little did I imagine that when the Lord came, I shut the door on Him and became an evil servant that resists God.

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Christian testimonies | The Conversion of a Son of Disobedience

Picture of The Church of Almighty God | The Conversion of a Son of Disobedience

Li Baosen

Tieling City, Liaoning Province

In the fall of 1996, I accepted the Lord Jesus in the True Jesus Church. Later, I became a preacher, responsible for shepherding over thirty churches in my parish.

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Christian testimonies | God’s Discipline Drove Me to Seek and His Words Conquered Me

God’s Discipline Drove Me to Seek and His Words Conquered Me

Xin Yu 

Shangqiu City, Henan Province

I was once a worker of the “Justification by Faith Church.” Since I believed in Jesus in 1987, I had expected that one day I would be received up into heaven by the Lord and enjoy the heavenly blessings. However, when the Lord “knocked” on my door, I took Him as a deceiver from Satan and condemned and resisted Him with all my effort. When I recall the past, I feel very regretful…

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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…

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Christian Variety Show "The Lord Is Knocking" | Welcome the Return of the Lord (2018 Short Sketch)

Christian Variety Show "The Lord Is Knocking" | Welcome the Return of the Lord (2018 Short Sketch)

The skit The Lord Is Knocking explains how, in the last days, the Lord knocks at the door of our hearts with His words, and that wise virgins can hear God's voice and feast with the Lamb.

Pastor Chang Shoudao has always awaited the Lord's return, but when Brother Zhen testifies to him that the Lord has already returned, he stubbornly sticks to his own notions and imaginings, believing that the Lord will return on a cloud, and keeping the door of his heart closed to the true way. This time, however, Brother Zhen discusses passages of the Scripture relating to the Lord's return with him, and he discovers that the Bible contains prophecies that in the last days the Lord will return in secret, in incarnate flesh, to speak new words and purify man, and only afterward will appear publicly to reward good and punish evil. At the same time, he comes to understand the true meaning of the Lord knocking at our doors, and that the key to welcoming the Lord's return is being able to hear God's voice. When he finally hears the voice of God in Almighty God's word, he finally opens the door to his heart and welcomes the Lord's return.

Picture of The Church of Almighty God | The Lord Is Knocking

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Gospel | Testimonies of Returning to God | That Day the Sky Was Especially Clear and Sunny (Part 2)

 Gospel » Testimonies of Returning to God » That Day the Sky Was Especially Clear and Sunny (Part 2)

MAY 20, 2018 BLOGADMIN GOSPEL, TESTIMONIES OF RETURNING TO GOD

‘Before man was redeemed, many of Satan’s poisons were already planted within him. After thousands of years of Satan’s corruption, man already has within him a nature that resists God. Therefore, when man has been redeemed, it is nothing more than redemption, where man is bought at a high price, but the poisonous nature within has not been eliminated. Man that is so defiled must undergo a change before being worthy to serve God. Through this work of judgment and chastisement, man will fully come to know the filthy and corrupt substance within him, and he will be able to completely change and become clean. Only in this way can man be worthy to return before the throne of God. … Though man has been redeemed and forgiven of his sins, it is only considered as God not remembering the transgressions of man and not treating man in accordance with man’s transgressions. However, when man lives in the flesh and he has not been set free from sin, he can only continue to sin, endlessly revealing the corrupt satanic disposition. This is the life that man leads, an endless cycle of sin and forgiveness. The majority of men sin in the day only to confess in the evening. As such, even if the sin offering is forever effective for man, it would not be able to save man from sin. Only half the work of salvation has been completed, for man still has corrupt disposition. … it runs deeper than sin, planted by Satan and deeply rooted within man. It is not easy for man to become aware of his sins; man is unable to recognize his own deeply rooted nature. Only through judgment by the word can such effects be achieved. Only thus can man gradually be changed from that point onward’ (‘The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)’ in The Word Appears in the Flesh).‘You only know that Jesus shall descend during the last days, but how exactly will He descend? A sinner such as you, who has just been redeemed, and has not been changed, or been perfected by God, can you be after God’s heart? For you, you who are still of your old self, it is true that you were saved by Jesus, and that you are not counted as a sinner because of the salvation of God, but this does not prove that you are not sinful, and are not impure. How can you be saintly if you have not been changed? Within, you are beset by impurity, selfish and mean, yet you still wish to descend with Jesus—you should be so lucky! You have missed a step in your belief in God: You have merely been redeemed, but have not been changed. For you to be after God’s heart, God must personally do the work of changing and cleansing you; if you are only redeemed, you will be incapable of attaining sanctity. In this way you will be unqualified to share in the good blessings of God, for you have missed out a step in God’s work of managing man, which is the key step of changing and perfecting. And so you, a sinner who has just been redeemed, are incapable of directly inheriting God’s inheritance’ (‘Concerning Appellations and Identity’ in The Word Appears in the Flesh).”

The Picture of The Church of Almighty God

The sister continued fellowshiping: “From the word of Almighty God we can see that every stage of work carried out by God is carried out in accordance with the needs of the corrupt human race. At the end of the Age of Law, man no longer had the strength to struggle free from the binds of sin due to the temptations and corruption of Satan. Man had offended the laws of Jehovah and was confronted with the dangers of being stoned to death and burned by the fires of heaven. God loves the human race. He incarnated Himself to become the likeness of sinful flesh, and He was nailed to the cross to save man from sin. So, as long as we believe in the Lord Jesus then we will be saved. The Lord no longer remembers our sins. We can come directly before God and pray to Him, and enjoy the abundance of grace bestowed by Him. But although we have been saved, that does not prove that we are without sin. We, the human race, have been corrupted by Satan for thousands of years. Satan’s poison has taken root deep inside of us, it has become our life; it has become our nature. We are controlled by the conceit and arrogance, deception and crookedness, selfishness and contempt, and greed and evil of Satan’s nature. We are still able to often lie, deceive and sin in resistance to God. This is the root of our cyclical life of constantly committing sins and then pleading guilty to them. So, God, based on the demands of the corrupt human race and God’s management plan for saving the human race, has come to carry out a new stage of work in the last days to judge and chastise man in order to cleanse him and change his corrupt disposition, so that in the end the men who have attained salvation and who have been perfected may enter into God’s kingdom. If we still now hold on to the notion that ‘to be saved once is to be saved forever,’ then we are refusing to accept God’s work of judgment in the last days. If that’s the case, then the poison of Satan that is in our blood will never be cleansed, and we will never be able to attain God’s salvation, not to even mention being brought into the kingdom of heaven. These consequences are very serious. So, now, in these last days, man can only walk away from the Age of Grace and accept Almighty God’s work in the last days. Only then will man be thoroughly cleansed, attain God’s salvation and go to a good destination.”

As I listened to the fellowship by the sister, I thought to myself: Yes, Almighty God’s words are spoken so practically, we really have only been forgiven for our sins, but the nature of our sins still exists. This corrupt disposition has not been resolved, so it’s no wonder that during these last several years I have lived a life where I commit sins during the day but then plead guilty to them at night. Almighty God’s words have untied these issues in my mind that have weighed heavily on me for many years. Almighty God’s words really do have a truth to them that can be sought out. Could it be that Almighty God really is the return of the Lord? I really do need to look into this properly …

I was gradually getting rid of the guards I had put up against the sister, but just as I was thinking about looking into the matters we had discussed, a loud and urgent knocking sound suddenly came from the door. Sister Hu rushed to open the door, and let in a pastor who stormed into the room. He looked at me, and then he looked at the sister who was spreading the kingdom gospel of Almighty God, and then he said to me in a tone of astonishment and anger: “What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you not to go around listening to strangers preaching? How could you still run over here and listen to them? Go home at once, do not listen to them anymore or you will be deceived and it will be too late for you to repent!” After the pastor had finished chiding me he then turned to threaten the sister: “And you people who are spreading Eastern Lightning, you do nothing else but come to our church and steal lambs! Leave at once, if you do not go I will not be so polite!” Witnessing the pastor treat the sister in this way made me feel quite disgusted, so I said to him: “Pastor, this sister just had some really good things to say, and it keeps with the Bible. I feel that it’s really quite possible that Almighty God is the return of the Lord. Why don’t you just give it a listen, and then we can decide. Besides, doesn’t the Bible say that ‘Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares’ (Heb 13:2)? We who believe in the Lord ought to have love, we cannot treat people this way. To rush this sister out like this, doesn’t that go against the Lord’s teachings?” After the pastor heard me say this he yelled out at me: “What do you understand? We who believe in Jesus have already been saved, we do not need to be saved again! They have come here to steal lambs, do not receive them!” At this time the sister who had been spreading the gospel smiled and said: “We are all waiting for the return of the Lord, why can’t we sit down and have a conversation? If we miss the opportunity we will regret it very much….” Without waiting for the sister to finish talking, the pastor started shoving her out, saying: “Do not speak, even if you had better things to say I still would not listen to them! Leave at once!” And just like that, the pastor went so far as to push, pull and swear at the sister to drive her out of the house. After the sister left, the pastor went back to threatening me: “Hurry back home. From now on you are no longer allowed to be in contact with people from Eastern Lightning. Otherwise you will be expelled from the church, and if this happens you will never have the opportunity to receive the praise of God and enter into the kingdom of heaven….” At that time I had already heard the fellowship by the sister, I understood that the Lord Jesus had only saved us, He had not cleansed us, for only when the Lord returns to carry out His work of judgment will the work of cleansing man be carried out. Without receiving God’s work of judgment in the last days, man’s corrupt disposition will not be changed, and he will not be able to attain God’s salvation. So, the pastor’s words did not have much of an effect on me, I just had to deal with what happened and nod my head, and afterward I returned home.

 —This article  from  The Church of Almaighty God,  Gospel, Testimonies of Returning to God  

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Gospel | Testimonies of Returning to God | That Day the Sky Was Especially Clear and Sunny (Part 1)

The Picture of The Church of Almighty God

Gospel | Testimonies of Returning to God | That Day the Sky Was Especially Clear and Sunny (Part 1) 

MAY 19, 2018 BLOGADMIN GOSPEL, TESTIMONIES OF RETURNING TO GOD

Note: The author was deceived and bound by the ideas of “sola fide” and “to be saved once is to be saved forever” that were disseminated by pastors, and refused to contact brothers and sisters who were spreading the gospel of God in the last days. However, later on when she witnessed a sister spreading the gospel of God’s kingdom in her elder sister’s house, and through fellowshiping, the author came to understand God’s work of judgment in the last days, and started to see clearly the absurdity of religious notions. She broke through the pastor’s control and accepted God’s work in the last days, returning before God.I used to be a believer in the Three-Self Church in China. When I first started participating in gatherings there, the pastors would often say to us: “Brothers and sisters, it is recorded in the Bible that: ‘For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation’ (Rom 10:10). We’ve been justified due to our faith. Since we believe in Jesus, we have been saved. If we believed in any other, then we wouldn’t have been saved….” I held on to these words of the pastors. As a result, I ardently pursued and actively attended gatherings as I waited for the Lord to come and let me into the kingdom of heaven. Later on, as unlawful deeds kept occurring in the church, it made me feel fed up with the gatherings there. First of all, among the pastors they were divided and partitioned, each trying to establish themselves at the top of the faction and set up independent kingdoms. Secondly, the sermons from the pastors needed to obey the United Front Work Department (UFWD). It was up to them to decide what could be talked about, and no one dared to go against them. The UFWD didn’t allow them to discuss the Book of Revelation out of fear that it would disturb popular sentiment, so the pastors didn’t preach it. The pastors would often preach about donation, saying that the more one donated then the more blessings they would receive from God…. So when I saw that these were the circumstances in the church I felt quite bewildered: Why did the church change into this current form? Do the pastors not believe in the Lord? Why do they not fear the Lord? Why do they not follow the Lord’s word? From that point on I no longer wanted to go to gatherings at the Three-Self Church, for I felt that they did not truly believe in God, that they acted in the name of believing in God in order to obtain the hard-earned money from brothers and sisters.

In the second half of 1995, I left the church without hesitation and joined a house church (adherents of sola fide). At first I felt that their sermons were not subject to the restrictions of the national government, and they even integrated the Book of Revelation and discussed the last days and the Lord’s return. They also dove deeper into the other topics that they sermonized on compared to the Three-Self Church, and I felt there was more enjoyment to be had by gathering here compared to gathering in the Three-Self Church, which made me very happy. But after a period of time, I discovered that here too among the co-workers there were some who became envious, disputed things and wanted to break up the group. None of the brothers and sisters were living out the requirements of the Lord, they were without the love that they had in the past…. When I saw that this church didn’t have any real difference with the Three-Self Church I felt very disappointed, but I also didn’t know where I could go to discover a church that had the work of the Holy Spirit. For lack of a better option, all I could do was stay with these adherents of sola fide. As before, I pressed on with attending gatherings because the pastors and preachers all said “to be saved once is to be saved forever” and “so long as you exercise patience until the end, toil for God and defend the way of the Lord then you will be able to enter the kingdom of heaven.” I kept thinking to myself at that time: Regardless of how other people are, as long as I press on in my faith in the Lord Jesus and do not depart from the way of the Lord, then when the Lord returns I will have a chance to be raptured into Lord Jesus.

The Picture of The Church of Almighty God

In the blink of an eye it was already the second half of 1997, and God’s gospel of the kingdom had already spread to where we were, and the church had turned into a chaotic scene. Leader Li said to us: “Nowadays a group has emerged that is spreading Eastern Lightning, they are going everywhere stealing lambs from various sects, and they are saying that the Lord Jesus has already returned and that He is carrying out a new stage of work. The Lord Jesus was nailed to the cross for us, He has already paid the price of His life in order to redeem us. We have already been saved, we just need to wait patiently until the end, and when the Lord returns we will certainly be raptured into the kingdom of heaven. So, we must pay attention and we absolutely cannot receive these people in Eastern Lightning. Whoever receives them shall be expelled from the church! Also, you must be sure not to listen to what they say, and you must be sure not to read their book….” It seemed that co-workers at all levels were all talking about these things at pretty much every gathering. After listening to them, I felt conflicting ideas unwittingly arise inside of me regarding Eastern Lightning. I felt I needed to guard against them and exercise great caution, for I feared that I would be stolen away by Eastern Lightning and lose my opportunity to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

However, the new year had just begun in 1998 when one day I unexpectedly ran into someone from The Church of Almighty God and had the fortune of listening to the way of Eastern Lightning for the first time. That day, my elder sister gave me a call and invited me to her house. She had also invited Sister Hu from her village to come over too, and whe

n she saw me she smiled and said: “Oh good you came, a remote relative of mine who is a believer is visiting, come, let’s all gather together.” I responded happily: “Okay, please have her come too.” Before long, Sister Hu came back with her relative. When the sister saw us she greeted us with enthusiasm. Although I had never met her before I felt a sort of closeness to her. After we all sat down, the sister started talking. She said: “There is widespread desolation in the church nowadays. The preachers don’t have anything new they can sermonize about, and at every gathering when they aren’t discussing how to resist Eastern Lightning, it’s all just listening to tapes and singing songs. These are the gatherings. Co-workers grow jealous over one another and get into disputes, they collude and connive, they are all extremely self-righteous and everyone refuses to obey everyone else; the brothers and sisters are negative and weak, and they are without faith and love. Many have left the Lord to return to the world to make money.” Deep inside me I felt the same way, and as I nodded my head I said to the sister: “This is what it’s like where I attend too. Before we would have 20-30 people at our monthly meetings, but now there are just a few elders, even the preachers have gone into the world to make money! There is no pleasure to be had in the gatherings.” The sister nodded her head and said: “This kind of situation isn’t just at certain churches anymore, it is a widespread phenomenon throughout the religious world. This shows that the work of the Holy Spirit is not found within the church any longer, so unlawful deeds will always continue to emerge. This is a sign of the Lord’s return. It’s just like the end of the Age of Law, when the temple became a place that sold livestock and exchanged money. It was because God had already stopped carrying out His work in the temple. Instead, God had become incarnated as the Lord Jesus to carry out a new stage of work outside of the temple.” I listened attentively and nodded frequently. The sister continued speaking: “Sister, in Luke 17:24-26 it says: ‘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. And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.’ How do you interpret these lines from Scripture?” I thought seriously about them for a while, and with an awkward smile I said: “Sister, aren’t these lines from Scripture talking about the Lord’s arrival?” The sister replied, saying: “These lines from Scripture are discussing the Lord’s arrival, however, they are not talking about the Lord Jesus who came during that time. Rather, they are referring to the arrival of the Lord of the last days. Where it says ‘But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation,’ this ‘and’ confirms that it is the Lord returning. Sister, right now the faith of the believers in the church has grown cold, they are negative and weak. This is because God has become flesh once again to carry out a new stage of work. God’s work is moving forward, and everyone who does not follow God’s new work will lose the work of the Holy Spirit….” As soon as I heard the sister say that the Lord Jesus has already returned I immediately guessed that she belonged to Eastern Lightning, and my heart immediately sank. The smile on my face also disappeared as the words from my leaders who sealed off the church at once started floating around in my head: “To believe in Jesus is to be saved, to be saved once is to be saved forever! … Do not receive those from Eastern Lightning! …” As I thought about these words from my leaders I wanted to rush back home. But when this idea came across my mind the Lord enlightened me by having me remember a verse from a song: “Jesus is our refuge, when you have troubles hide with Him, when the Lord and you are together what do you have to fear?” That’s it! If I have the Lord by my side then what do I have to fear? The things I am afraid of do not come from God, they come from Satan. At this time, the sister said: “If anyone has any questions, go ahead and share them, the word of God will be able to solve all the problems and difficulties that we have.” When I heard the sister say this, I thought to myself: I hope you will not be stumped with my questions! Today I’d like to hear about what has really been preached in Eastern Lightning, which is able to steal away so many of the “good sheep.”

As I thought about this I started to ask: “Our leaders are always saying that the Lord Jesus was nailed to the cross for us, and that He has already paid the price of His life in order to redeem us, so we have already been saved. As it is recorded in Scripture: ‘For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation’ (Rom 10:10). Since we have been saved once we have been saved forever, so long as we exercise patience until the end and wait for the Lord’s return, then we will certainly be raptured into the kingdom of heaven. This is the promise that the Lord has made to us. So, we do not need to accept any new work being carried out by God.”

The Picture of The Church of Almighty God

After hearing me say this, the sister smiled and said to me: “Many believers think that the Lord Jesus has already been nailed to the cross for them, and that since He paid the price of His life they have been redeemed and they have been saved. They think that to be saved once is to be saved forever, that all they need to do is exercise patience until the end, to wait for the Lord’s return when they will certainly be raptured into the kingdom of heaven, and that they do not need to accept any new work carried out by God. But is this way of thinking really correct or not? Does it really conform to the Lord’s will? Actually, this idea that ‘to be saved once is to be saved forever, and when the Lord returns we will be raptured into the kingdom of heaven’ is just man’s conceptions and imagination, it simply does not conform to the Lord’s word. The Lord Jesus never once said that ‘those who have been saved by their faith may enter into the kingdom of heaven,’ rather, He said, ‘but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven’ (Mat 7:21). To ‘be saved’ and ‘doing the will of the Father which is in heaven’ are not the same thing. When we speak of ‘being saved for your faith,’ this ‘being saved’ refers to being forgiven for your sins. That is to say, if someone was supposed to be put to death according to law, but then they came before the Lord and repented, receiving the Lord’s grace and having the Lord forgive them for their sins, then this person would break away from the law’s conviction, they would no longer be put to death according to law. This is the true meaning of ‘being saved.’ But to be saved doesn’t mean that a person has broken away from sin and been cleansed. We all know this to be deeply true through experience. Even though we have believed in the Lord for many years, often admit our sins to the Lord and repent, and also enjoy the joy and safety of being forgiven for our sins, we still often involuntarily commit sins, we become bound by our sins. This is a fact. For example: Our arrogance, slyness, selfishness, greediness, evilness and other parts of our corrupt disposition still continue to exist; we still enjoy pursuing the trends of the world, and wealth and fame, and the pleasures of the flesh. We cling to sinful pleasures, unable to free ourselves. In order to protect personal interests we are also able to often tell lies and deceive others. So, to ‘be saved’ does not mean that one has attained full salvation. That is a fact. As God says: ‘Be you holy; for I am holy’ (1 Pe 1:16). God is holy, but is He able to allow those who often sin and resist God to enter the kingdom of heaven? If you believe that those who have been saved by their faith may enter into the kingdom of heaven, then why does the Lord Jesus also say the following words? ‘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). Why is it said that when the Lord returns He will separate the goats from the sheep and the wheat from the tares? We believe that it is completely invalid to say that ‘those who have been saved by their faith may enter into the kingdom of heaven!’ It completely deviates from the words of the Lord Jesus! These are words that resist those of the Lord! So, if we do not receive and believe in the Lord’s word, but rather hold on to the fallacies disseminated by the pastors and elders, if we rely on our own conceptions and imagination in our faith in God, then we will never be able to achieve God’s requirements, and we will never be able to be raptured into the kingdom of heaven.”

I mulled over the sister’s words and felt that what she said made a lot of sense, so I sat there listening quietly …

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Gospel Testimonies | Perception of Life | Where Does This Voice Come From? (Audio Article)

 Gospel Testimonies  | Perception of Life | Where Does This Voice Come From? (Audio Article)

April 22, 2018

Shiyin, China

I was born in a religious family, and I have many relatives who are preachers. From the time I was young, I followed my parents in believing in the Lord. After I grew up, I addressed to the Lord in prayer: If I could find a husband who believed in the Lord, I would offer myself up together with him in service to the Lord. After I got married, my husband really did believe in the Lord, and in fact became a full time devoted preacher. In order for my husband to feel at ease in his work for the sake of the Lord, and to be able to fulfill his commitment in the presence of the Lord, I actively undertook the burdens of running a household. Although it was a little bit difficult and tiring, my heart was filled with joy and peace no matter how much suffering I endured because I had the Lord as my support.

After 1997, I discovered that my husband no longer had much light he used to have in his preaching. When I got him to do some housework, he would always make excuses about being busy with his preaching work, and would often become enraged with me because of a few little things. I was resentful of my husband’s behavior and was no longer as perfectly happy to do the housework as I had been before. The difficult burdens of household life and the darkness of my spirit caused me to live in agony, but there was no one who I could turn to tell what I was feeling. All I could do was come into the presence of God and pray in the dead of night when everyone was asleep, and ask the Lord to give me more faith and strength. At the same time, I yearned for the Lord to return quickly.

The Picture of The Church of Almighty God

One day in April of 2000, when I was arranging the clothes, I found my husband’s bag. I noticed that it was bulging, so I pulled open the zipper out of curiosity and saw that there were a Bible and a book of hymn inside. There was also a new book which was bound in an outer cover. I thought to myself: “How have I never seen this book before? It has to be some kind of reference book, or a book containing the experiences of some spiritual person. I have to read it, because it might be of some help to me.” Led along by my curiosity, I saw a title which read, “Those Who Are to Be Made Perfect Must Undergo Refinement.” “What a fresh and uncommon title!” I thought, “Judging by the title, refinement is not a bad thing! I am now in a state of refinement that is beyond my abilities, so I have to read carefully how he experiences refinement and thus I can find the way from within that.” At that, I began to read: “It used to be that people would all make their resolutions in front of God and say: ‘No matter who doesn’t love God, I must love Him.’ But now, you are faced with refinement. It is not in line with your notions, so you lose faith in God. Is this genuine love? You have read many times about the deeds of Job—have you forgotten about them? … When you face sufferings you must be able to not consider the flesh and not complain against God. When God hides Himself from you, you must be able to have the faith to follow Him, to maintain your previous love without allowing it to falter or disappear. No matter what God does, you must submit to His design, and be more willing to curse your own flesh than to complain against Him. When you are faced with trials you must satisfy God in spite of any reluctance to part with something you love, or bitter weeping. Only this can be called true love and faith. No matter what your actual stature is, you must first possess the will to suffer hardship as well as true faith, and you must have the will to forsake the flesh. You should be willing to personally endure hardships and suffer losses to your personal interests in order to satisfy God’s will. You must also have a heart of regretting yourself, that you weren’t able to satisfy God in the past, and be able to regret yourself now. Not a single one of these can be lacking and God will perfect you through these things. If you lack these conditions, you cannot be perfected” (“Those Who Are to Be Made Perfect Must Undergo Refinement” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). I was reading and crying at the same time, as the words were saying exactly my circumstances. Before I had resolved to dedicate myself and my husband to the Lord, and that I would be completely content to do so no matter how painful or exhausting it was. Now, however, because of difficulties at home and my husband’s lack of consideration, I always felt that I have been especially wronged, living in a state of undergoing refinement, and losing the faith and love I had once had. I was unable to maintain the resolution I had made in the presence of God, and would often cry alone in secret. I thought about how Job was able to stand witness to God in the midst of such a great and arduous trial, and not lose faith in God, and had even said, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). How could I have forgotten that? I then felt deeply regretful about all that I had done in the presence of God: Others would rather suffer hardships and lose out on their interests and yet still want to satisfy God. I had believed in the Lord for so many years, but had lost faith in the Lord. I complained to the Lord while enduring refinement, and where did I express any love for the Lord at all? With this in mind, I secretly made the inward determination, that I could no longer be as I had been before, that I should support my husband in the work he was doing for the Lord, and that it was right for me to suffer a bit of hardship.

The Picture of The Church of Almighty God

When I was thinking like this, all of a sudden I felt much better emotionally. I felt these words were very well spoken, and were able to get to the heart of my actual circumstances. I felt they were able to point out the way to me and cause faith and strength to unconsciously arise within me. I thought to myself: “Who was it who said these words? How was his knowledge so lofty? I have read some books written by well-known spiritual people, and although those books have been of benefit to some people, they were not written in as clear and elucidating a way as this book, nor one which possessed truth. Really, who was it who spoke these words?” I was drawn by this book to continue reading on, and the more I read the more I felt that these words were spoken so well. Each and every line spoke directly to my inmost heart. From these words I understood that no matter how great one’s suffering is, he must follow God to the very end. In the face of suffering, one must willingly submit to God. If one becomes weak in the face of trial, he should have faith, and rely on God to stand firm. The more I read, the more I felt illuminated in my heart and the more I had a way to put into practice. It was right then that my husband came home, and I asked him right away, “Where did you get this book?” My husband smiled and said, “I borrowed it from somebody, and I have to give it back to him soon.” I really wanted to keep reading the book, and I said, “I also want to read this book.” My husband said, smiling, “Then pray! God may make it so.”

One day, when I was cooking, I was listening off and on to some hymn my husband had playing, “Who is not adoring? Who doesn’t long to see God? … God once shared joys and sorrows with man, and today He has been reunited with mankind, and shares tales of times gone by with him. After He walked out of Judea, people could find no trace of Him. They yearn to once more meet with God, little knowing that today they have again met with Him, and been reunited with Him. How could this not stir thoughts of yesterday? Two thousand years ago today, Simon Bar-Jonah, the descendant of the Jews, beheld Jesus the Savior, he ate at the same table as Him, and after following Him for many years felt a deeper affection for Him: He loved Him to the bottom of his heart, he loved the Lord Jesus profoundly. How about us today? Today God has been reunited with mankind, and shares tales of times gone by with him” (“Two Thousand Years of Longing” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs). The lyrics of this hymn gave voice to my own thoughts and evoked my feeling of longing for the return of the Lord. I wept as I listened, and thought to myself: “Ever since I first believed in the Lord, I have thought of the Lord Jesus every day, and hoped that He might return more quickly so that I could share tales of times gone by with Him. These lyrics were so genuine and moving, and even more were able to express people’s longing for the Lord.” I then put down what I was working on and listened with full attention, hearing another hymn called “Seek Only a Heart That Loves God.” “I ask for nothing in my life but that my thoughts of love for God and my heart’s desire be accepted by God.” I thought, “Who wrote this hymn? How can his resolution be so great? This hymn is greatly motivating for me, and how pure is the heart that loves God as it says in the line, ‘ask for nothing in my life but that my thoughts of love for God!’” Before, when I believed in the Lord, I did not know to love the Lord, and just want to enjoy the grace, peace, and joy of the Lord. Today, this hymn greatly opened my worldview, and I saw the people who believe in God must love God, and they must not seek anything for themselves and only this kind of love can be pure. This hymn is well expressed. I then secretly resolved in my heart that I too wanted to pursue this goal, and that I would love the Lord no matter who didn’t love Him.

After reading the words in that book, as well as hearing those hymns, I then went to act in accord with those words. When my husband went out to work again and had no time to help with the housework, my heart wasn’t as distressed as it had been before. If the brothers and sisters had any flaws or mistakes in what they said, I could also forgive them for it, because I wanted to make God content. I wanted only to seek a heart that loves God like the hymn had sung about.

 In the blink of an eye, the time for planting the fields had come. One evening, my husband was tidying up and said to me, “Tomorrow, I will head out to work in a church in another area.” I said immediately, “Will you be able to come back after a few days?” He said, “I don’t know. I’ll try my best to come back earlier, so you don’t have to worry about the housework.” When I heard what he said, my face darkened, and I thought, “You say don’t worry about it, but how can I not worry? You’re going off without any idea of when you’ll be back, and the fields in other people’s houses have already been sown. Our field has not yet even been plowed, and if the seeds are planted late, in fall there won’t be a good harvest. When that time comes, what will we do? If only my husband would finish sowing his field and then go off to assist the brothers and sisters!” In the evening of that same day, I lay in my bed unable to sleep wracked by great turmoil in my heart: The last time my husband traveled for more than half a month before coming back, but then it hadn’t been the season for farm work. Now, the crucial time for farm work has arrived, and if he is gone for another half a month, what will I do? I might just have to get him to go find his co-worker to do the work and be done with it. But I thought about it again: “That won’t do, as the brothers and sisters are waiting for him to go assist them. If he doesn’t go, won’t that be an offense against the Lord?” In the state of being refined, I came into the presence of God and prayed: “Lord! It isn’t that I am unwilling for my husband to go and assist the brothers and sisters, just that it’s the right time when our household should be working the fields. In my heart, I am enduring quite an intense refining indeed, and I don’t know what to do. Lord! I ask for Your help, to safeguard my heart and not let me be disturbed by these things.” After I prayed, these words occurred very clearly to me in my mind: “No matter what your actual stature is, you must first possess the will to suffer hardship as well as true faith, and you must have the will to forsake the flesh. You should be willing to personally endure hardships and suffer losses to your personal interests in order to satisfy God’s will” (“Those Who Are to Be Made Perfect Must Undergo Refinement” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). These words instantly took hold of my heart, and brought a clarifying light to it: That’s right! If someone wants to satisfy the Lord, he must have the resolution to endure hardship and should rather suffer physically and endure losses in his interests in order to satisfy the will of God! These words gave me faith, and I thought: If the fields are planted a bit late, then so be it! However much we harvest is up to God, and the most important thing is my husband working for the Lord’s sake. With this in mind, I felt light and liberated in my heart, and before I knew it I had fallen asleep. On the morning of the next day, I said to my husband: “Be at ease and go work in the service of the Lord! Whenever you come back, it doesn’t matter. I submit to God’s arrangement.” When I thought about what I was doing was satisfying the Lord, I felt joy and steadiness in my heart.

My husband came back after a few days, and I found that he seemed to have changed into another person. He helped me with the housework, and said to me: “You’re working too hard! These last few years have been difficult enough for you, doing everything both inside and outside of the house. I’m aware of this. Before, I would often go out to work, not helping share the burdens of housework with you. In the future, I will do more when I have time.” Hearing his words, I was very moved because my husband had never spoken like this before. I thought to myself: “Ever since my husband read that book, there has been a big transformation in him. Not only does he preach with great light, but his attitude toward me is different than it had been before. Reading the Bible hadn’t resulted in any such changes in him in the past, but after reading that book he had transformed so much in such a short time. It seems the words in this book really have the power to change people!” At the same time I sensed that the words in this book had been of great benefit to me. After reading it, I had faith and strength, and when I acted in accord with the words in that book, the dissatisfaction I felt with my husband went away. After my husband read this book, his attitude toward me also changed, and he understood how to be considerate of me and take care of me. All these changes made me even more think that the words in this book were really powerful and authoritative! But really, who was it who had written the words in this book? I had never found the answer to this.

One day, two months later, my husband said he wanted to take me with him to attend a gathering. I had a feeling that this gathering would be something very special, otherwise my husband wouldn’t take me with him to listen to it. I was filled with anticipation in my heart, and looked forward to seeing that book again. The following day, my husband and I, together with two sisters, were sitting happily in a vehicle on the way to a sister’s house. There were many brothers and sisters taking part in that gathering, among them a sister in her thirties who integrated the Bible and fellowshiped about many truths about God’s work in the last days to us. When I was listening to what the sister fellowshiped about, I felt a special kind of brightness in my heart, and I came to thoroughly understand many passages of the Bible and about God returning to do the work of judgment that I hadn’t understood before. I thought to myself, “How can she fellowship about this so well, and communicate the Bible so clearly? How does she have so much understanding?” Then, the sister, her face filled with a smile, said loudly to us, “I’ll tell brothers and sisters an excellent piece of information that will excite people’s hearts. The Lord Jesus for whom we have long yearned has returned incarnate among us to do His new work, to express the word and open up all the mysteries, to lay bare the three stages of God’s work and His six-thousand-year management plan, as well as the incarnation of God and the mysteries of the Bible. Today, the content of what I fellowship about all comes from the words that have been expressed by God.” The brothers and sisters and I who were sitting heard this great news, and finally understood why the sister had understood so much. It turns out it had all been told to her by the voice of the Lord who had returned. Now we too heard the voice of the Lord, and we all happily embraced each other, shed tears of excitement, and the whole place began to quiver with enthusiasm. I was so happy that I felt like jumping for joy, and thought: All along I have been hoping for the Lord Jesus to return a bit earlier. Two thousand years have passed, but now the Lord really has returned! While I am alive, I am able to welcome the Lord Jesus’s return, and for that I am truly blessed!

Soon, when the time came for us to disperse, the sisters gave each of us a book called Judgment Begins With the House of God. Holding onto the book of the word of God, I suddenly thought of that book from before. Could it be that it is this book? When I got back home, I impatiently asked my husband, “The book that I saw that day—is it the same word of God that the sister mentioned today?” My husband smiled and said, “It is.” At that time, it was like I was waking up from a dream. That voice comes from God after all, is the voice of the incarnation of the returned Lord Jesus, and is the voice of God! No wonder these words could be so moving to me, give me faith and strength, change my corrupt disposition, and take me out of suffering. Then, I blamed my husband, saying, “You have received the new work of God; why did you conceal it from me?” My husband said, “At the time I really wanted to tell you, but most of the people in your family are preachers in the church, and I was afraid that you might not understand when I explained it. I was afraid that your relatives would find out about it, and once they came out to disturb and hinder you, not only would this cause you to lose your opportunity to receive salvation, but also it would have made me become an evil person!” Hearing what my husband said, my misunderstanding of my husband vanished, and I was all the more thankful to God for saving me. I resolved to read this book well.

 Through reading the word of Almighty God, my parched spirit obtained nourishment and sustenance…. I never thought that I would be able to hear the word of the returned Lord with my own ears, to be raised up into the presence of God, to meet face-to-face with God, and I felt especially grateful to God for His love and salvation. After over 10 days, my husband and I together with the sisters who spread the gospel got together, and took the brothers and sisters of our church who had true faith in the Lord over to meet Almighty God. All honor and glory be unto God!

—This article  from  The Church of Almaighty God,   Gospel Testimonies 

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