66 The Confession of a Disobedient Son
Wang Jianwen
Anqiu City, Shandong Province
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| Picture of The Church of Almighty God | The Confession of a Disobedient Son |
Showing posts with label Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Eastern Lightning | I Have Received Almighty God’s Great Salvation
65 I Have Received Almighty God’s Great Salvation
Wang Shouzhen
Qixia City, Shandong Province
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| Picture of The Church of Almighty God | I Have Received Almighty God’s Great Salvation |
My name is Wang Shouzhen. I had followed the Lord Jesus for more than ten years and was once a co-worker in the “Local Church.” Before I accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days, I often heard my leaders say, “The ‘Eastern Lightning’ is from a false Christ, a deceiver. They preach the gospel for money. If one is deceived and joins them, he has to sell his house and land and submit to them…” I had no doubt about the leaders’ words at all because I admired them much. So I sealed off the three churches under my charge and warned the brothers and sisters at every meeting, “Never accept the ‘Eastern Lightning.’ It is from Satan, an evil spirit, a deceiver. If you join them, there’s no chance for you to turn back. Keep away from them, and drive them off when they come!”
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Eastern Lightning | I Was an Arch-criminal Who Hindered the “Lambs” from Hearing God’s Voice
51 I Was an Arch-criminal Who Hindered the “Lambs” from Hearing God’s Voice
Qu Jie
Benxi City, Liaoning Province
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| Picture of The Church of Almighty God |
I was once a preacher in the Three Grades of Servants Church. At the end of 1996, after the Three Grades of Servants Church collapsed, I joined the Justification by Faith Church and was selected the elder. In March 1999, I accepted the work of the last days of Almighty God. It was the words of Almighty God that opened the door of my heart, melted my hardened heart, and awakened my spirit in deep sleep so that I knew that I was an evil servant and an arch-criminal who hindered the lambs from hearing God’s voice.
Friday, December 29, 2017
The Church of Almighty God | How I Accepted Almighty God
49 How I Accepted Almighty God
Li Xiushuang
Zhaoyuan City, Shandong Province
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| Picture of The Church of Almighty God | How I Accepted Almighty God |
My name is Li Xiushuang, and I was formerly a preaching co-worker of the Three-Self sect. Whenever I recall the days of my resisting and rejecting Almighty God’s work of the last days, my regret cannot find vent in words. It was God’s chastisement and discipline that saved me, so that I received the great salvation and saw God’s real and true love for me.
I knew that the last days had come, so I was looking forward to the day that the merciful Savior Jesus came in clouds with angels in the sound of trumpet and took us miserable people up into heaven to enjoy the eternal heavenly blessings. However, those prophecies concerning the Lord’s coming had all been fulfilled one after another, but the scene of the Lord Jesus coming in clouds never appeared in the sky; rather, I heard many people say that the “Eastern Lightning” was preaching that God had come to the world and had new work, and chosen a group of people. Yet I was told that these people no longer read the Bible… So in every meeting, I would say, “Brothers and sisters, don’t receive any heretic. They believe in a false Christ who is a deceiver, and they want to drag us into hell. We must bind Satan and the demons in the name of Jesus.” And I also prayed persistently for this and asked the Lord to care for and protect the “sheep” of the church. But the church still fell into desolation and the attendance gradually dropped off… I was puzzled about this and couldn’t tell why.
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
The Church of Almighty God | How I Accepted Almighty God
46. How I Accepted Almighty God
Zhao Yang
Anshan City, Liaoning Province
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| Picture of The Church of Almighty God | How I Accepted Almighty God |
In 1995, I was called in the Lord. Later, I was appointed as a deacon in the True Jesus Church and was responsible for preaching and teaching hymns.
In 1998, I heard some rumors about “Eastern Lightning,” and when we had meetings, the leader specifically spoke to us about those rumors. And he said, “They have political and economic purposes. They are against the country, and they grab money by illegal means. What’s more, the way they preach has departed from the Bible. It’s obviously a heresy….” To prevent the believers from accepting “Eastern Lightning,” the leader added one rule to the church rules: “No one should receive the people who preach ‘Eastern Lightning.’ The offender will be punished for a breach of the church rules.” I seemed to have received the Emperor’s order and began to wantonly spread the leader’s words in the church after I went back. I called on the believers to “strengthen the faith, stick to the true way, and defend together until the Lord comes.” And I repeatedly emphasized that “everyone must strictly obey the rule from above, and the leading sheep and deacons in particular should do it first and guard the Lord’s sheep properly so as to give a good account to the Lord when he comes.” But even so, I still felt insecure. So, I went to the churches constantly to investigate and get information lest the believers accept Almighty God.
Monday, December 25, 2017
Eastern Lightning | The Word of the Almighty God Conquered Me
45. The Word of the Almighty God Conquered Me
Tang Jiaqi
Shenyang City, Liaoning Province
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| Picture of The Church of Almighty God | The Word of the Almighty God Conquered Me |
In 1992, I believed in Jesus because my father got cancer. Through prayer, the Lord not only healed my father but also healed my heart disease. Three years after I turned to the Lord, I turned from the Three-Self sect to a house church and became a leader. Then, I pursued more actively, and my faith became greater and greater. The number in the house church I was in grew from several to over two hundred. The church was greatly revived.
In 1998, when I arrived at a host home, the sister of the host family told me, “Someone preaches that God has come and has been incarnated as a female…” I immediately said, “If such a person comes again, don’t receive him. Ignore such heresy.” After I said that, I no longer cared about it. One day, I received a leaflet distributed from above, which said, “‘The Eastern Lightning’ is a cult organization and an end-time false christ. …”At this moment, I suddenly thought of a co-worker of our church who had been “captured.” Only then did I realize the “seriousness” of the matter, and thus I suddenly developed hatred toward “the Eastern Lightning.” Holding the leaflet, I immediately went with another co-worker to the home of that co-worker who had been “captured” by “the Eastern Lightning.” I directly handed her the leaflet for her to read and exhorted her, “You have believed in the Lord for so many years. You must not go astray. ‘The Eastern Lightning’ has been determined to be a ‘cult.’ Besides, it’s not written in the Bible that God is a female. Now is the end time, and all religious circles have become more and more complicated. If you follow a wrong belief, won’t you have believed in vain? Turn back now!” But no matter what I said, she was not swayed. Later, we went to persuade her many times, but she still did not turn back. This made me hate “the Eastern Lightning” all the more. At each meeting, I would wildly preach, “‘The Eastern Lightning’ is a cult and is an end-time false christ. Once you join it, you will not be able to withdraw. The Bible clearly says that the Lord is the Christ and is the Son of the living God, but they say that God is a female. The Bible clearly says that there is only one name under heaven given to men, that only Jesus Christ is our Savior, and that salvation is found in no one else. How could God’s name change? So, we must be careful not to be deceived. …”
Saturday, December 23, 2017
Eastern Lightning | A Hymn of God's Word "God’s Name Will Be Magnified Among the Gentile Nations"
A Hymn of God's Word "God’s Name Will Be Magnified Among the Gentile Nations"
1. The purpose of God’s judgement is to encourage man’s obedience; the purpose of God’s chastisement is to allow for man’s transformation. Though God’s work is for His management’s sake, none of what He does isn’t good to man. God wants the lands beyond Israel to obey as the Israelites did, to make them into real men, so that in the lands beyond Israel God’s foothold shall be gained. This is the management of God. It’s His work in the lands of the Gentiles.
2. Today, many people still don’t understand God’s management. It’s because their cares and desires are focused on the future they’ll acquire. No matter what God speaks, Him and His work they don’t seek. Man only thinks of tomorrow’s land. If this goes on, how will God’s work expand? How will the gospel spread the world? You must know when God’s work grows, you will be scattered far and wide. God will strike you, God will strike you, as Jehovah did with Israel tribes, so the gospel will spread the earth, God’s work to Gentile lands. Among young and old God’s name will expand, and from the mouths of all tribes shall God’s holy name be praised.
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| Picture of The Church of Almighty God | God’s Name Will Be Magnified Among the Gentile Nations |
Friday, December 22, 2017
Christian Movie Trailer | The Lord Jesus Christ Has Appeared "Who's Nailing God to the Cross Again?"
Gu Shoucheng is a pastor in a house church in China. He has believed in the Lord for many years, and has been working consistently on his sermons, and he has been all over preaching the gospel. He has been arrested and imprisoned because of preaching the gospel, and did 12 years' time. After getting out of prison, Gu Shoucheng continued to work in the church. However, when Almighty God's gospel of the kingdom came upon the church that Gu Shoucheng belongs to, he doesn't seek or investigate it at all, but stubbornly relies upon his own notions and conceptions to condemn God's work in the last days, and he does everything he can to disseminate notions and fallacies to disrupt and block believers from accepting the true way. It was particularly after reading the words of Almighty God that Gu Shoucheng discovered that they truly possessed authority and power and that whoever heard them would be convinced, and he became deeply afraid that anyone in the church who read the words of Almighty God would become a believer in Him. He feared that then his status and his living would become unsustainable. So, he discussed this with Elder Wang Sen and others in the church and decided to deceive people with rumors used by the Chinese Communist government attacking and condemning Almighty God. Gu Shoucheng and Wang Sen do their utmost to seal up the church and block the people from accepting the true way, and they even cooperate with the CCP satanic regime to arrest and persecute those who bear witness to Almighty God. Their actions seriously offend God's disposition and are subject to His curse. As Wang Sen is on his way to arrest some people who are spreading the gospel of the kingdom, he gets into a car accident and dies at the scene. Gu Shoucheng is living in fear and desperation and is seized with panic. He frequently says to himself: "Is my condemnation of Almighty God nailing God to the cross again?"
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| Picture of The Church of Almighty God | Who's Nailing God to the Cross Again? |
Thursday, December 21, 2017
The Hymn of God's Word "In the Age of Kingdom, the Word Accomplishes Everything"
The Hymn of God's Word "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.
II
Through the word, man comes to know
God’s work and His disposition.
Through the word, man knows his essence,
and knows what he ought to enter into.
All God’s work in the Age of Word
is accomplished through the word.
And man is revealed, eliminated,
and tried through the word.
Man sees the word, hears the word,
and knows the existence of the word.
So he believes in God’s existence,
almightiness and wisdom,
believes in God’s heart of love for man
and His desire to save man.
Though “word” is common and simple,
the word from the mouth of God in flesh
shakes the earth and heavens,
changes man’s heart, notions and old disposition,
and the old world.
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| Picture of The Church of Almighty God | In the Age of Kingdom, the Word Accomplishes Everything |
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Eastern Lightning | A Hymn of God's Word "Since God Saves Man, He Will Save Him Completely" | Gospel Music
A Hymn of God's Word "Since God Saves Man, He Will Save Him Completely" | Gospel Music
1. Since God created man, He will lead him; since He saves man, He will save him and gain him completely; since He leads man, He will bring him to proper destination. Since He created man, since He manages man, He must be responsible for man’s prospects and fate. It is this which is the work done by the Creator. Though the work of conquest is achieved by removing the prospects of the human race, in the end, man still will be brought into, into the proper destination God has prepared for him. ‘Cause it is God who works man, man has a destination and his fate is thus assured, his fate is thus assured.
2. What man pursues and desires are the yearnings they have when pursuing the extravagant desires of the flesh, rather than the destination, the destination due to man. What God has prepared for man, on the other hand, are the blessings and promises due to man when he is made pure, which God prepared for him after creating the world. Those blessings and promises are not tainted by man’s imagination and conceptions, or his choice or flesh. This destination is not prepared for a particular person, a particular person, but is the resting place of the whole of mankind. This is the most proper destination, proper destination for mankind. This is the most proper destination, destination for mankind.
from “Recover Man’s Normal Life and Bring Man into the Pleasant Destination” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
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| Picture of The Church of Almighty God | Since God Saves Man, He Will Save Him Completely |
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
The Church of Almighty God | "The Truth Exposed Behind the May 28 Zhaoyuan Case" | Eastern Lightning
The Church of Almighty God | "The Truth Exposed Behind the May 28 Zhaoyuan Case" | Eastern Lightning
In 2014, the CCP arbitrarily fabricated the notorious 5/28 Zhaoyuan Incident in Shandong Province to create the basis of public opinion for total suppression of house churches, and propagated falsehood globally to condemn and defame the Church of Almighty God. As a result, some unwitting parties who did not know the truth were deceived by the CCP's propaganda. In this program, several major doubts revolving around this case will be revealed to dissect the lies of the CCP one by one and clarify the facts for you, and utterly expose the truth behind the Shandong Zhaoyuan Incident before the world.
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| Picture of The Church of Almighty God | The Truth Exposed Behind the May 28 Zhaoyuan Case |
Monday, December 11, 2017
Eastern Lightning | The Hymn of God's Word "God Has Brought His Glory to the East"
The Hymn of God's Word "God Has Brought His Glory to the East" | The Church of Almighty God
God gave His glory to Israel then moved it away from there,
bringing the Israelites and bringing all men to the East.
God has led them all to the “light”
so that they may be reunited and associate with light,
no longer have to search, search for the light.
God will let all who are in search see the light again
and the glory He had in Israel,
see God has come down upon a white cloud among men,
see the clouds of white, see the clusters of fruit,
see Jehovah God of Israel, God of Israel,
see the “Master” of the Jews, see the longed-for Messiah,
and the full appearance of Him persecuted by kings throughout the ages.
God will do the work of the universe and perform great works,
showing all His glory and all His deeds to man in the last days.
God will show His full countenance of glory
to those who have awaited Him for many years,
to those who have longed for Him to come upon a white cloud,
to Israel that has longed for Him to appear once more,
to all mankind who persecute God.
So all will know God has long ago taken away His glory
and brought it to the East.
It’s not in Judea, for the last days have come!
from “The Seven Thunders Peal—Prophesying That the Kingdom Gospel Shall Spread Throughout the Universe” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
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| Picture of The Church of Almighty God | God Has Brought His Glory to the East |
Friday, December 8, 2017
The Hymn of God's Word "The Substance of Christ Is God" | The Church of Almighty God
The Hymn of God's Word "The Substance of Christ Is God" | The Church of Almighty God
1. God who becomes flesh is called Christ,
so the Christ that can give people truth is called God.
It is not too much to say like that.
For He possesses the substance of God.
He possesses God’s disposition and wisdom in His work,
which are unreachable by man.
Those who call themselves Christ
yet cannot do the work of God are frauds.
Christ is not merely the manifestation of God on earth,
but the particular flesh assumed by God,
as He carries out, completes His work among man.
Christ is not merely the manifestation of God on earth,
but instead, the particular flesh assumed by God,
as He carries out, completes His work among man.
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| Picture of The Church of Almighty God | The Substance of Christ Is God |
Friday, December 1, 2017
Eastern Lightning | The Confession of a Person Who Frenziedly Resisted Almighty God
42 The Confession of a Person Who Frenziedly Resisted Almighty God
Zhao Tingting
Xuchang City, Henan Province
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| Picture of The Church of Almighty God | The Confession of a Person Who Frenziedly Resisted Almighty God |
A baseless rumor spread that “the people of the ‘Eastern Lightning’ cut off others’ ears or gouge out their eyes.” After hearing it, I, who was foolish and ignorant and without any discernment, began to act as a daring vanguard of resisting God with the Bible in my hand. However, in the years of competing with the “Eastern Lightning,” I not only didn’t hinder the surging waves of Almighty God’s work from advancing, but I exposed my ugly face in God’s light thoroughly and suffered punishment from God. Recalling the past events, I’m really extremely ashamed.
Sunday, November 26, 2017
The Church of Almighty God | How I Accepted Almighty God
37 How I Accepted Almighty God
Dao Ming
Donghai County, Jiangsu Province
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| Picture of The Church of Almighty God | How I Accepted Almighty God |
I was formerly a believer in the “Three-Self Church,” and I had followed Jesus for over twenty years. Like other brothers and sisters, I had also been awaiting the day when I would be raptured and meet God in the air. But later, everything I did was against this wish. Thinking back to that now, I really regret very much…
One day in the winter of 1996, Brother Zhao of our sect came to my home in a hurry and said to me, “Brother, someone told me that God has come to China and done a new work. What do you think about it?” At that, I flew into a rage and roared, “Nonsense! Jesus said, ‘But of that day and that hour knows no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.’ They are so bold as to dare to speak such a word by their own will. That is purely a false Christ! Don’t listen to them. Believe in the Bible, and that won’t be wrong.” Brother Zhao said then, “Right! I think so too. But there is a great dispute about that in the meeting places in the south district and believers there are at a loss what to do. Could you go there with me to give a message? We should keep them from going astray.” At the time, I, angry and worried, agreed without the least hesitation.
On the evening of the third day, three of us, Brother Zhao and I and another brother, hurried to a meeting place. I preached recklessly on the pulpit, “Now the followers of the ‘Eastern Lightning’ say that the Lord Jesus has been incarnated the second time and come to China to do His work. This is a deceitful lie. Never believe it. I have asked many pastors and elders about that, and they all said that they didn’t know it. So can the followers of the ‘Eastern Lightning’ know it? Do you think my words are reasonable?” The brothers and sisters answered with one voice, “Yes!” At that time I was very pleased with myself: Though I didn’t say much, it produces an immediate effect. A brother declared himself right away, “We mustn’t listen to the message of the ‘Eastern Lightning.’ We must stand firm on our most holy faith…” As the result of my preaching, the meeting was filled with an atmosphere of “fighting for justice”… I felt that I was so capable of working! But little did I expect that my such faithful devotion would be repaid with disasters one after another…
In February, 1997, my father died of illness, and my mother got hemiplegia. And I myself got arthritis and chronic gastritis. Though I spent more than 800 yuan on the treatment, instead of being healed, they became worse and worse. Immediately following that, a donkey kicked me and injured my left arm, and my eldest son had a traffic accident and broke his right shin, and his medical treatment cost us over 4,000 yuan… The series of disasters swept away my past “assurance.” I couldn’t withstand anymore, much less did I have any energy to ask about church affairs. However, I still didn’t wake up but considered that Job’s trial had come upon me.
Though I was so foolish, Almighty God didn’t forsake me. On January 8, 1998, two sisters came to my home and said to me, “Brother, shall we go and listen to the messages given by a co-worker of Nanjing Theological College? We heard that he gives wonderful messages, and they are of great benefit to us preachers. Will you go?” Without thinking much then, I answered, “Tomorrow I’ll be there on time.”
The next day the sisters took me to a brother’s home. As soon as I went in, several brothers and sisters greeted me politely. Then they asked me about the situation of my church of that time. As they were humble and spoke kindly, my caution against them gradually disappeared. A brother asked me, “Brother, do you know why the churches are desolate now?” I said, “I’m thinking about that, but I haven’t found the cause.” The brother said, “The churches are desolate because God has done a new work now on the basis of the work of the Age of Grace. Although Jesus redeemed man and cleansed man of his sins with His precious blood, man’s sinful nature is still within him. So God does a stage of new work in the last days—the work of removing the root of sin. Now God has come to the world and is doing His work on a group of people who are willing to accept His new work. So all the brothers and sisters who have accepted Almighty God have a better and better condition, while in various denominations and sects there is already no working of God and so they become desolate. This is similar to the time of Jesus. When Jesus came at that time, He didn’t work in the temple, so the temple became a ‘den of thieves.’” Although his words sounded perfectly clear to me, as I was sure that they were the followers of the “Eastern Lightning,” I stopped him before he finished his words. “Aren’t you saying that the Lord has come? That’s impossible. The Lord Jesus said that of the day when He comes, the Father alone knows, and even He Himself does not know. Moreover, none of our pastors, elders, or believers here knew it, so how could you know it? You said that God has done a third stage of work. Is it recorded in the Bible? I will never believe it! Because God never changes, both now and forever!” The brother said with a smile, “The Lord Jesus said, ‘But of that day and that hour knows no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.’ This word is absolutely true. But it means that no one knows on which day or at which moment the Lord will come, not the angels in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father (the Spirit). It does not mean that when the Lord has come, no one will know that He has come. That is to say, since God comes to the earth to do His work, certainly there will be people who know it. If when God comes to the earth to do His work, no one knew that, then what would be the point of His doing it? And whom would His work be aimed at? If He came not to save man, then why should He endure the humiliation to come to the world? Jesus said, ‘Seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.’ If you don’t seek, how can you know that? When Jesus was born in the manger at that time, weren’t there also shepherds telling the good news? Matthew 25:6 says, ‘And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him.’ This shows that after God comes, there will be a ‘cry’ made and people coming to preach the gospel of God. Today, aren’t there many brothers and sisters preaching the gospel of the last days to us? It’s simply that we are not willing to accept this fact. Furthermore, this time God does the work through incarnation in a hidden way, and He comes to steal the ‘treasures,’ so only those who truly believe in Him can know it, and only those who truly seek Him can gain Him. If we don’t have a seeking heart, how can we gain Him?” Having said this, the brother picked up the book of Almighty God’s word and read these words: “At that time when Jesus worked in Judea, He did so openly, but now, I work and speak among you in secret. The unbelievers are completely unaware of it. My work among you is isolated from others. These words, these chastisements and judgments, are known only to all of you and no other. All of this work is carried out among you and opened up only to you; none of those unbelievers knows this, for the time has not yet come. These men are near to being made complete after enduring chastisements, but those on the outside know nothing of this. This work is much too hidden! To them, God become flesh is secretive, but to those in this stream, He can be considered to be open. Although in God all is open, all is clear and all is released, this is only true with those who believe in Him…. When God’s work on earth comes to an end, that is, when this work in secret concludes, this stage of work will blow wide open. All will know that there are a group of overcomers in China; all will know that God become flesh is in China and that His work has come to an end.” After reading God’s words, the brother said to me, “From God’s words we can know that God has come among us today and has brought a new work. We didn’t know it because we failed to keep up with God’s present work and didn’t know the direction of the Holy Spirit’s work. However, we cannot say that God has not yet come because we ourselves haven’t kept up with His work. Brother, as long as we have a seeking heart, God will surely appear to us and not hide from us. If we don’t seek but just wait for the day of God’s appearing to men publicly, I’m afraid that it will be too late to seek then. Almighty God says, ‘… when you see Jesus descend from the heaven upon a white cloud with your own eyes, this will be the public appearance of the Sun of righteousness. Perhaps that will be a time of great excitement for you, yet you should know that the time when you witness Jesus descend from the heaven is also the time when you go down to hell to be punished. It will herald the end of God’s management plan, and will be when God rewards the good and punishes the wicked. For the judgment of God will have ended before man sees signs, when there is only the expression of truth.’” After hearing the brother’s fellowship and thinking about the words of Almighty God, I wavered, and my attitude became much softened. I thought, “Right! If the Lord has really come but I fail to follow Him, won’t it be too great a pity? Won’t I regret to death? Besides, what the brother has fellowshipped about is indeed reasonable and agrees with the Bible, and I have never heard about it before. Why don’t I seek more before I make a conclusion?”
Seeing that my attitude changed for the better, the brother selected some words of God to solve my notions. God says: “Have you followed the work of Jesus and His words? How faithful are you to Jesus? The greatest book of prophecy of Isaiah in the Old Testament never mentioned that a child named ‘Jesus’ would be born in the age of the New Testament, merely that a male infant would be born by the name of Emmanuel. Why did he not specify the name ‘Jesus’? Nowhere in the Old Testament does this name appear, so why then do you still believe in Jesus? Surely you did not have to see Jesus with your own eyes before you came to believe in Him? Or did you begin to believe upon receiving a revelation? Would God really show you such grace? And bestow upon you such a great blessing? On what basis did you believe in Jesus? Why then do you not believe that He has become flesh this day? Why do you say that the absence of a revelation to you from God proves that He has not become flesh? Must God tell man prior to commencing His work? Must He first receive the approval of man? Isaiah only proclaimed that a male infant would be born in a manger but never prophesied that Mary would give birth to Jesus. Why then did you believe in Jesus whom Mary gave birth to? … Was not such work carried out long ago? Cannot God this day do a new work? The work of yesterday can be altered, and the work of ‘Jesus’ can follow on from that of ‘Jehovah.’ Cannot then the work of ‘Jesus’ be succeeded by another work? If the name of ‘Jehovah’ can be changed to ‘Jesus,’ then cannot the name of ‘Jesus’ also be changed? This is not unusual, and people think so[a] only due to their simple-mindedness. God will always be God. Regardless of the changes to His work and His name, His disposition and wisdom remain forever unchanged. …” “There are those who say that God is immutable. That is correct, but it refers to the immutability of God’s disposition and substance. Changes in His name and work do not prove that His substance has altered; in other words, God will always be God, and this will never change. If you say that the work of God always stays the same, then would He be able to finish His six-thousand-year management plan? You merely know that God is forever unchanging, but do you know that God is always new and never old? If the work of God never changed, then could He have brought mankind to today? If God is immutable, then why is it that He has already done the work of two ages?” I was utterly convinced by God’s words. I realized this: In the past, I thought that since the words “the third stage of work” are not recorded in the Bible, God won’t do this stage of work; if God did it, it would have been recorded in the Bible, otherwise it isn’t the work done by God. Didn’t I circumscribe God within the Bible by holding such a view? What Almighty God says is right. If my notion were right, then by what did I believe in Jesus? Was Jesus’ work recorded in the Old Testament? Then why could I believe in Jesus? The Bible says that the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Isn’t it a terrible thing for me to cling to the letter like this? Thank God that He has enlightened me and made me wake up. Thank God that He has given me this opportunity so that I have understood these truths. By then, my eyes were already full of tears. “O God! Your words have opened my heart and brightened my eyes. Examining myself according to Your words, I see that I was ignorant, absurd, and ridiculous. O God! I circumscribed You within my notions and letters, and I thought that You would forever be called Jesus and forever be crucified for mankind because You are ever unchanging. But today You tell me that being ever unchanging means that Your substance and Your disposition are unchanging, but not that Your work is unchanging. O God! I’m clear now. I’m grateful for Your salvation. I really need the third stage of Your work. I’m willing to accept it and keep up with Your footsteps!”
Dear brothers and sisters, what is written above is the course of how I changed from resisting God’s new work to accepting it. I hope that you can learn lessons from my experience and drop your notions and seek. As long as you have a thirsty and seeking heart, I believe that God will surely enlighten you, and you will surely receive this greatest blessing and receive this eternal salvation!
Footnotes:
a. The original text does not have “People think so”.
Source: "How I Accepted Almighty God" in How Was I Conquered by the Word of God
Recommendation: Know more of the Church of Almighty GodSunday, November 19, 2017
Almighty God's Word | God Himself, the Unique II (Part Two)
God’s Righteous Disposition Part Two
Although God’s Wrath Is Hidden and Unknown to Man, It Tolerates No Offense
God’s treatment of the whole of foolish and ignorant humanity is primarily based on mercy and tolerance. His wrath, on the other hand, is concealed in the vast majority of time and of things; it is unknown to man. As a result, it is difficult for man to see God display His wrath, and it is also difficult to understand His wrath. As such, man makes light of God’s wrath. When man faces God’s final work and step of tolerating and forgiving man—that is, when God’s final instance of mercy and His final warning reach them—if they still use the same methods to oppose God and do not make any effort to repent, mend their ways or accept His mercy, God will no longer bestow His tolerance and patience upon them. To the contrary, it is at this time that God will retract His mercy. Following this, He will only send forth His wrath. He can express His wrath in different ways, just as He can use different methods to punish and destroy people.
Thursday, November 16, 2017
Eastern Lightning | The Almighty God Conquered Me, a Stubborn Person Who Resisted God
26. The Almighty God Conquered Me, a Stubborn Person Who Resisted God
Li Wenming
Mulan County, Heilongjiang Province
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| Picture of The Church of Almighty God | The Almighty God Conquered Me |
In 1995, at a co-worker meeting, the servant and the maidservant preached, saying, “Now, there are some people preaching that the Lord has come the second time. They preach specially to seeking believers and co-workers in all sects and denominations. So, don’t contact them. That ‘spirit’ is very powerful. Once you join them, you can never withdraw. They always use specious biblical doctrines to deceive people. You’re immature in life, so don’t fellowship with them. After you go back, tell all the host families and the believers: Don’t receive anyone who is not of our denomination. Make no exception even for your own father or mother.” The words of the servant and the maidservant were deeply engraved on my heart. I thought, “If God had really come, would the servant and the maidservant not know it? Since even they don’t know it, then it must be false.” From then on, I wildly blasphemed and condemned the Almighty God’s new work and sealed the churches everywhere. I told the brothers and sisters, “‘The Eastern Lightning’ is a heresy and a cult. If they come, just drive them out. If they don’t leave, just beat them. This is not committing sin but is guarding the truth. Only the way we believe in is the true way. We can never be saved except through the servant and the maidservant.”
In August 1997, the work of the Almighty God spread to our area. My second uncle (formerly an area co-worker of the Three Grades of Servants Church) and his wife accepted the Almighty God’s new work, and all the several dozen believers in our church, except for my mother and my younger sister, also accepted it with them. Yet I was kept in the dark. In December, my second uncle came to my photography studio with a book. He opened it and showed me one piece of word, whose title is: “The ‘Savior’ Has Already Returned on the ‘White Cloud.’” At the sight of it, a thought came to mind: “Isn’t it saying that God has come? This must be a book of ‘the Eastern Lightning.’” Instantly, my temper flared up, and I shouted to my uncle, “You have accepted a heresy. In the name of the Lord, I warn you, turn back quickly. Otherwise, I’ll break with you once and for all. …” After he left, I immediately informed my upper co-worker that my uncle had accepted the heresy. The upper co-worker told me, “Watch closely everything your uncle does.” So, I spied on my uncle’s movements like a plainclothes policeman and also asked my mother and younger sister to keep an eye on him.
One day after the Spring Festival, my younger sister hurriedly came to my photography studio and told me, “Our uncle and aunt are having a meeting.” Hearing that, I felt a surge of fury. I immediately went to my uncle’s home by motorcycle. I flung the door open and saw two unfamiliar sisters among them (one was over 20 years old and the other over 50). When seeing me, the two sisters stood up and greeted me warmly; yet when I saw them, I became more furious, even to the point that my belly almost burst with anger. I bawled, “What are you up to? Who told you to come here? You deceitful thieves, get out of here!” Without allowing them to speak at all, I drove them away fiercely. Then, I turned toward the brothers and sisters present and shouted to them, “Why did you receive strangers? Did you get permission from the church or from me?” At this time, my uncle and aunt fellowshipped with me again, advising me to make an investigation. They also said that all of them believed it was the true way. I was even more enraged at that: “Uncle, ah, uncle, aren’t you doing evil? You not only have accepted it yourself but also try to draw others in. I tell you, don’t try to do that to me again. I’ll have nothing to do with you from now on!”
After I came out of my uncle’s house, I immediately went to seal the other churches shepherded by my uncle. And I informed all the churches in the county: “From now on, don’t receive any co-worker or believer not brought by me. Especially reject my second uncle. If he comes, drive him out. Don’t serve him anything to eat or drink. This isn’t committing sin. You must not share in his sins. If in the future I preach a different way from the one I preach today, you should also reject me and not receive me.”
Since then I had regarded my uncle and aunt as enemies and also hated those brothers and sisters who had accepted the Almighty God. I hated them for letting me down and failing to stand the testimony. However, my uncle and aunt and those brothers and sisters who believed in the Almighty God always returned good for evil. They spared no trouble to come to my home to preach God’s end-time new work to me. From December 1997 to June 1998, they came almost every day to preach to me, yet every time I abused them with malicious words and drove them away. Once, worst of all, I even beat a brother and hustled him out of the door. I thought to myself, “You deserve it, since you do evil deeds. May you freeze to death, thirst to death, and starve to death!”
Once, my second uncle came to my home again. At the beginning, I did not drive him out. However, when he started to preach the Almighty God to me once again, I flew into a rage and drove him away angrily. It was just lunch time. After my uncle left, my family-sister got somewhat angry. She scolded me, “How could you do that? Can man’s anger achieve God’s righteousness? He is our uncle in the flesh and is our elder after all. You’ve gone too far in treating him like that. The Lord told us to love each other, and love even our enemies. Do you have love?” “Though he is our elder, I can’t make an exception. Even for our own father or mother I can’t make an exception. This is a thing in the spirit,” I said angrily. Later, I did feel a sense of guilt when thinking of my family-sister’s words. However, when I thought of my upper co-worker’s words: “If you are deceived, you’ll have no part or share in the church. We can only see God through the servant because the servant has a direct relationship with God as Moses did. Disobeying the servant is disobeying God and the servant’s words are equal to God’s words, because the servant is our earthly master,” I felt what I had done was right. So, I put the blame on my uncle, thinking, “Didn’t he deserve it for accepting the heresy?” In the face of my family-sister’s advice, I not only did not turn back but went even further: I allowed no one in the churches to contact believers in the Almighty God. I believed that only by doing so could I guard the flock well and be a good faithful steward of the Lord.
One day in mid-April, I was just about to call the area co-workers together to discuss what course should be taken to stop the preachers of the Almighty God’s new work from entering the churches to snatch the sheep, when my belly hurt unbearably. No matter how hard I prayed, it was to no avail. So I had to go to the hospital. After an examination, I was found to have acute appendicitis. I prayed hastily, “O Lord, please heal me. You know I am faithful to you. I have to go to the church to guard the flock!” But no matter how hard I cried out, I did not turn better. In the end, I was obliged to have an operation. Even so, I did not realize that I had been disciplined for resisting the Almighty God and that God was trying to stop my evil footsteps by the illness. I stayed in the hospital for nearly a month, and after I was released, I continued to resist and condemn the Eastern Lightning. In early June, while I was working, my incision was torn open and hurt unbearably. So, once again, I was hospitalized.
After being hospitalized twice, I could not remain calm anymore. Losing the Lord’s keeping, I felt very depressed in spirit. I prayed but got no response, so I felt especially distressed. Moreover, the condition of the churches got worse and worse. Most of the co-workers and the preachers in every church were so weak that they could not pick themselves up. Each meeting place which used to have over eighty believers had only over twenty left. The co-workers used the platform to attack each other, and there was not a bit of love among them. I myself was unable to preach anything except about how to guard against “the Eastern Lightning.” Faced with my own plight and the condition of the churches, I had no strength to resist anymore. I pondered in my heart, “Since I began to resist ‘the Eastern Lightning,’ I haven’t received God’s keeping because of my faithfulness but kept suffering misfortunes: my wife got ill and was hospitalized, my photography studio was robbed, I was hospitalized twice, and the churches became desolate. God is almighty; how could he not defeat satan? Have I resisted wrongly? Is the one my uncle and those preachers of “the Eastern Lightning” believe in really the true God? Otherwise, how could they have such great strength and love? They can pretend for a while, but they can’t pretend all the time! To be frank, their love, their sincerity in treating others, and their living out really arouse my admiration. They never lost their tempers when preaching the gospel to me. No matter what I called them, devils, lunatics, psychopaths, or shameless jerks, they never got angry yet only advised me with kind words. So many times they were driven out by me and suffered from hunger or cold. Some of them even stayed overnight in the haystacks outside because of having no place to go to. …” Thinking back to what the believers in the Almighty God had done, I could not help praying to the Lord, “O Lord, I have neither their faith, nor their love, nor their sincerity. O Lord, if it’s not the true way, who can have such great faith? O Lord, what is all this about? Please guide me.”
Thank God for hearing my prayer. One day at the end of June, my aunt came to my home once again with a sister. My aunt said to me earnestly, “Wenming, whether it’s right or wrong you should investigate. You’ve encountered so many things, so you should wake up. God doesn’t want to abandon you. Two brothers are at my home now. You’d better go and have a fellowship with them lest you regret.” I thought to myself, “This must be God’s preparation. I believe God will definitely guide me to know whether it’s right or wrong.” I said hurriedly, “OK, Aunt, I’ll go and listen.” Hearing that, my aunt was so excited that tears streamed down her face. When I arrived at my uncle’s home, two brothers stood up and welcomed me warmly. Such a thing had never happened in our church. Then, we started to fellowship. The two brothers fellowshipped from Genesis all the way to Revelation and made very clear the three stages of works, God’s names, and God’s working principle of being ever new. One brother said, “The three stages of works are the center of God’s managing mankind. Only by knowing the three stages of works can man understand the whole course of God’s saving mankind. In the Age of the Law, God led people to live on earth, and he made people conscious of their sins through issuing the laws. The work of the Age of the Grace was the work of crucifixion; Jesus became man’s sin offering and bore man’s sins. The work of the Age of the Kingdom is to judge and purify man with the word, the purpose of which is to remove man’s sins. The word here is exactly the word in the little scroll prophesied in Revelation 5:1-5. Now God has come and personally made his word known to us. This has fulfilled the word in Revelation ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” After listening to the brother’s fellowship, I was convinced. But I still could not help asking him, “If God has come, how come the servant and the maidservant don’t know? Can man be saved not through the servant and the maidservant? The servant has a direct relationship with God just as Moses did. Disobeying the servant is disobeying God and the servant’s words are equal to God’s words!” With regard to my question, the brother specially fellowshipped with me about the relationship between God and man. He said, “God is the Creator, and man is the created being. God and man cannot be considered to be the same. Since we believe in God, we cannot exalt man and cannot treat man as God. In essence, you have treated the servant and the maidservant as God while believing in God that way. Only the Lord Jesus was qualified to say ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’ (John 14:6), because he was God’s incarnated flesh and was God Godself on earth. Apart from him, no one is qualified to say so, because all men are created beings and none can represent God. Only God is the source of man’s life, and he can express the truth to supply man and can open an age and end an age. The servant, the maidservant, and the apostles, and even those used by the Holy Spirit can only speak something about their own experiences and their shallow knowledge of God’s work on the basis of the work of the new age opened by God. However, they must have a humble and seeking heart before they can receive the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Some of their knowledge is helpful to people, and some has errors and can mislead people and cause them to have erroneous knowledge of God. For this, the followers need to have discernment so as not to resist God. For example, when the Lord was incarnated and did the work of the Age of the Grace, those high priests, teachers of the law, elders, and Pharisees in the temple were all leaders in man’s eyes, yet they became sinners resisting God because of their stubbornness and their sticking to old things. Didn’t those who followed them also become ones condemned by God? Let’s look at Moses. Though he was used by the Holy Spirit, the issuer of the law was God Godself, for God is the source and man is only the channel. Moses was only performing man’s duty: conveying God’s will to the people.” I was rendered speechless by his words and could not but feel convinced in heart and in mouth. The brother continued, “Today, God wants to personally do the work that he has not completed, that is, the work of reaping, judging, selecting, and unifying. This work can only be done by God Godself, and only God can divide created beings into their kind. As Matthew 13:47-48 says: ‘Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.’ Here, the ‘net’ refers to the gospel, the ‘lake’ refers to the world, all kinds of ‘fish’ in the net refer to the believers in God in all sects and denominations, and the ‘fishermen’ on the shore refer to Christ. Then, isn’t the servant also in the ‘net’? Can he come ashore to pull the ‘net’ up?” Then, the brother opened the book of God’s word and read these words: “The development of mankind, the turn of society, and the progress of science cannot be achieved without the arrangement of the Creator. These works cannot be done by the founder of any religion. The founder of a religion is only the leader of a religion, and he cannot represent God and does not represent the One who created the heavens and the earth and all things. The founder of a religion may be able to lead all the people in the entire religion, but he cannot lead all the created beings in the entire world. This is a fact known to all. The founder of a religion can only be a leader and cannot be equal with God (the Creator). All things are in the hand of the Creator, and in the end they will have to come under the hand of the Creator. Mankind was created by God. No matter what religion it is, it will have to come under God’s authority. This is the sure trend. Only God is the supreme One among all things. The highest ruler among the created beings will have to come under his authority. No matter how high a man’s position may be, he cannot bring mankind into the proper destination. No man can divide all things into their kind. Jehovah himself created mankind and divided them into their kind, and in the end he will still do his own work and divide all things into their kind. Except God, no one else can do this.” After listening to God’s word and the brothers’ fellowship, I felt clearer in my heart. Thank the only true almighty God for making me understand so many truths and enabling me to come out of the dominion of the servant and the maidservant and return before God in a real sense.
After I accepted the new work, I ate and drank God’s word hungrily and felt bitter remorse for my past resistance. I abhorred my foolishness and ignorance and felt even more grateful for God’s tolerance and salvation. When I listened to hymn 221 “Who Cares for God’s Heart,” which goes,
“The darkness is over the earth; the devils are extremely ferocious.
God does the work with great difficulty, and suffers all humiliations.
Men have been corrupted so deeply, becoming the hostile force.
What Jesus suffered, has recurred today.
They believe in God yet do not know God, and crucify God again.
They are even more ferocious and vicious, than they were before.
Although there are many believers in God, few of them know God.
As we try to testify about God in the whole mainland, we find it so hard.
When we try to testify about God to others, we ourselves meet troubles instead.
With swords and bludgeons, they drive us out of their houses.
With tears in our eyes, we are heartbroken with grief.
We walk the way of the cross with difficulty, shedding tears and blood.
They all worship idols, and the evil slaves are entrapping them.
They believe in God in name, but are controlled by the evil slaves.
Where are those who love God? Where are those who seek God?
When God calls and knocks at the door, they hastily shut it tighter.
Men are desperately wicked, which has been revealed from these facts.
May God have mercy, and sympathy on those who love him.
God’s heart is so grieved, but who cares for his heart?
He does such a great work, but no one understands him,”
I felt that every word of it struck my heart. Thinking of the rejections that God had suffered for mankind, and thinking of how ferocious and vicious I was when beating and abusing the brothers and sisters who preached the gospel, I shed floods of tears, feeling extremely grieved, and I abhorred myself for being so blind and having no discernment. I remembered those past scenes in our denomination: At every big co-worker meeting, several hundred co-workers knelt on the floor listening to the servant’s message, whereas the servant sat in a big chair, around which knelt a ring of co-workers chosen from different churches of the denomination. A young, beautiful, and unmarried sister of over 20 years old held a wet towel in her hand and wiped the servant’s face from time to time. The co-workers (sisters) behind the servant fanned him in turn. All these gave the impression of serving an “emperor.” Besides, at each co-worker meeting, everyone had to offer at least 50 yuan. Such sharp contrast made my mind like a clear mirror. I deeply felt this: God has paid too much and suffered too much for mankind. God’s substance is forever holy and beautiful. Only God can bring man into the pleasant destination, and only God’s word can purify us thoroughly. No one can do God’s work in his stead. The servant isn’t God, and he cannot express the truth, much less give us life. He is a created being like us and is also under God’s control. Only when we come before God can we really receive salvation.
Dear brothers and sisters, I hope that my personal experience can give you a bit of enlightenment. I hope that you will no longer disobey and resist the Almighty God’s new work of the last days as I did, nor treat the servant as God at his beck and call as I did. Only God is the source of man’s life, and only the Almighty God can thoroughly save man. Dear brothers and sisters, break through the bondage quickly and follow the Almighty God who was, and who is, and who is to come. Let’s step toward the new age together!
Source: "The Almighty God Conquered Me, a Stubborn Person Who Resisted God" in How Was I Conquered by the Word of God
Recommendation: The Church of Almighty God was founded by Almighty God personally
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