On the Steps of God’s Work | The Word Appears in the Flesh

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On the Steps of God’s Work

From the outside, it seems that the steps of God’s work in this current stage have already been finished, and that mankind has already experienced the judgment, chastisement, smiting, and refinement of His words, and that they have undergone the steps such as the trial of service-doers, the refinement of the times of chastisement, the trial of death, the trial of the foils, and the times of[a] loving God. Although people have undergone great suffering in each step they still have not understood God’s will. Just like the trial of service-doers, what people gained from that, what they understood from it, and what result God wanted to achieve through that—people still remain unclear about these issues. It seems from the speed of God’s work, that according to the current rate people absolutely cannot keep up. It can be seen from this that God is first revealing these steps of His work to mankind, and He doesn’t necessarily need to get to a level that people can imagine in any of the steps, but He is trying to use this to elucidate an issue. In order for God to perfect someone to be truly gained by Him, He must carry out the steps that were described above. The goal of doing this work is to have people see what steps God needs to carry out to perfect a group of people. So, looking from the outside, the steps of God’s work have been completed, but in essence He has just officially begun perfecting mankind. This is something that people should see clearly—it is that the steps of His work have been completed, not that His work has been completed. But what people believe from their notions is that the steps of God’s work have been revealed to mankind, and that is without a doubt that His work has been finished. This way of seeing things is utterly wrong. God’s work is not in line with people’s notions, it is a counterattack against people’s notions at every turn, and the steps of His work are particularly out of line with people’s notions; this shows God’s wisdom. It can be seen from this that people’s notions are disruptive at every turn, and all that people can imagine are things that God wants to strike back at. This is an insight from actual experience. People all think that God works so quickly, and they think that when they still don’t have any understanding and are still befuddled and confused God’s work has been finished without people knowing it. Every step of His work is this way. Most people believe that God is toying with people, but the intention behind the work that He does is not like that. His working method is through rumination, first working from a general level, then going into the details, and after that fully refining these details. This catches people by surprise. People all want to fool God, and they think that if they just get by they’ll be able to get to a point where they can satisfy Him, but in reality, how could God possibly be satisfied because of mankind’s attempts at getting by? God works through the method of taking people by surprise and catching them unawares in order to gain the greatest results and to have people better know His wisdom and better understand His righteousness, majesty, and His unoffendable disposition.

God has now officially begun to perfect people. In order to be made complete, people must undergo the revelation, judgment, and chastisement of God’s words, and experience the trials and refinement of His words (such as the trial of service-doers). In addition, people must be able to withstand the trial of death. That is, someone who truly carries out God’s will can emit praise from deep in their heart in the midst of God’s judgment, chastisement, and trials, and is able to fully obey God and forsake themselves, thus loving God with a heart of sincerity, single-mindedness, and purity; such is a complete person, and it is also the work that God wants to do, and is what God wants to accomplish. People cannot draw conclusions lightly about God’s working methods, and they can only pursue entry into life. This is the foundation. Do not constantly scrutinize God’s working methods; this will only hinder your future prospects. How much have you currently seen of His working methods? How obedient have you been? How much have you gained from each working method? Are you willing to be perfected by God? Are you ready to be a complete person? These are things that you should be completely clear on. They are things that you should enter into.

Footnotes:

a. The original text omits “the times of.”

Source by: "On the Steps of God’s Work" in The Word Appears in the Flesh

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Bible Reference

“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” (Matthew 7:21-23).

“But as he which has called you is holy, so be you holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be you holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16).

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).

The answer from God’s word:

“Before God, is it that easy to be made perfect into a holy one, or a righteous person? It is a truism that ‘there are no righteous upon this earth, the righteous are not in this world.’ When you come before God, consider what you’re wearing, consider your every word and action, all of your thoughts and ideas, and even the dreams that you dream every day—they are all for your own sake. Is this not the true state of affairs? ‘Righteousness’ does not mean giving alms, it does not mean loving your neighbor as yourself, and it does not mean not fighting, arguing, robbing, or stealing. Righteousness means taking God’s commission as your duty and obeying God’s orchestrations and arrangements as a heaven-sent vocation, regardless of the time or place, just like all that was done by the Lord Jesus. This is the very righteousness spoken of by God. That Lot could be called a righteous man is because he saved the two angels sent by God without care for what he gained or lost; what he did at that time can be called righteous, but he cannot be called a righteous man. It was only because Lot had seen God that he gave his two daughters in exchange for the angels. But not all of his behavior in the past represents righteousness, and thus I say that ‘there are no righteous upon this earth.’”

from “The Wicked Must Be Punished” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

“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 sinners 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.”

from “Concerning Appellations and Identity” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

“Only God’s work of cleansing will cleanse humanity of their unrighteousness, and only His work of chastisement and judgment will bring to light those disobedient things among humanity, thereby separating those who can be saved from those who cannot, and those who will remain from those who will not. When His work ends, those people who remain will be cleansed and enjoy a more wonderful second human life upon the earth as they enter a higher realm of humanity; in other words, they will enter into humanity’s day of rest and live together with God. After those who cannot remain have undergone chastisement and judgment, their original forms will be entirely revealed; after this they will all be destroyed and, like Satan, will no longer be allowed to survive upon the earth. The humanity of the future will no longer contain any of this type of people; these people are not fit to enter the land of the ultimate rest, nor are they fit to enter the day of rest that God and man will share, for they are the targets of punishment and are the wicked, and they are not righteous people.”

from “God and Man Will Enter Into Rest Together” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

“Some people will end up saying, ‘I’ve done so much work for You, and though there may not have been celebrated achievements, still I have been diligent in my efforts. Can’t You just let me into heaven to eat the fruit of life?’ You must know what kind of people I desire; those who are impure are not permitted to enter into the kingdom, those who are impure are not permitted to besmirch the holy ground. Though you may have done much work, and have worked for many years, in the end if you are still deplorably filthy—it is intolerable to Heaven that you wish to enter My kingdom! From the foundation of the world until today, never have I offered easy access to My kingdom to those who curry favor with Me. This is a heavenly law, and no one can break it!”

from “Success or Failure Depends on the Path That Man Walks” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

“All who are able to obey the actual utterances of the Holy Spirit are blessed. It does not matter how they used to be, or how the Holy Spirit used to work within them—those who have gained the latest work are the most blessed, and those who are unable to follow the latest work today are eliminated. God wants those who are able to accept the new light, and He wants those who accept and know His latest work. Why is it said that you must be a chaste virgin? A chaste virgin is able to seek the work of the Holy Spirit and understand the new things, and moreover, able to put aside old conceptions, and obey the work of God today. This group of people, who accept the newest work of today, were predestined by God when the world began, and are the most blessed of people.”

from “Know the Newest Work of God and Follow the Footsteps of God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Source:  Eastern Lightning | The Appearance and The Work of God

Eastern Lightning | If I believe in Almighty God, doesn’t it mean that I have betrayed the Lord Jesus? Isn’t this apostasy?

  

The picture comes from  the Church of Almighty God 

    Bible Reference

    “Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God: and I will write on him my new name” (Revelation 3:12).

    “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, said the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).

    “And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give you thanks, O LORD God Almighty, which are, and were, and are to come; because you have taken to you your great power, and have reigned” (Revelation 11:16-17).

    The answer from God’s word:

    “The work done at present has pushed forward the work of the Age of Grace; that is, the work in the entire six-thousand-year management plan has moved forward. Though the Age of Grace has ended, the work of God has progressed further. Why do I say time and again that this stage of work builds upon the Age of Grace and the Age of Law? This means that the work of this day is a continuation of the work done in the Age of Grace and an uplifting of that done in the Age of Law. The three stages are closely interconnected and linked one to the next. Why do I also say that this stage of work builds on that done by Jesus? If this stage did not build on the work done by Jesus, then in this stage the crucifixion, the work of redemption done previously, would still need to be carried out. This would be meaningless. Therefore, it is not that the work has completely finished, but that the age has moved forward, and the work has become even higher than before. It could be said that this stage of work is built on the foundation of the Age of Law and the rock of the work of Jesus. The work is built stage by stage, and this stage is not a new beginning. Only the combination of the three stages of work can be deemed the six-thousand-year management plan. … Jesus and I come from the same Spirit. Though Our fleshes have no relationship, Our Spirits are one; though what We do and the work We bear are not the same, We are alike in essence….”

from “The Two Incarnations Complete the Significance of the Incarnation” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

    “Although Jehovah, Jesus, and the Messiah all represent My Spirit, these names only denote the different ages in My management plan, and do not represent Me in My entirety. The names by which people on earth call Me cannot articulate My entire disposition and all that I am. They are merely different names by which I am called during different ages. And so, when the final age—the age of the last days—arrives, My name shall change again. I shall not be called Jehovah, or Jesus, much less the Messiah, but shall be called the powerful Almighty God Himself, and under this name I shall bring the entire age to an end. I was once known as Jehovah. I was also called the Messiah, and people once called Me Jesus the Savior because they loved and respected Me. But today I am not the Jehovah or Jesus that people knew in times past—I am the God who has returned in the last days, the God who shall bring the age to an end. I am the God Himself that rises up at the ends of the earth, replete with My entire disposition, and full of authority, honor and glory. People have never engaged with Me, have never known Me, and have always been ignorant of My disposition. From the creation of the world until today, not one person has seen Me. This is the God who appears to man during the last days but is hidden among man. He resides among man, true and real, like the burning sun and the flaming fire, filled with power and brimming with authority. There is not a single person or thing that shall not be judged by My words, and not a single person or thing that shall not be purified through the burning of fire. Eventually, all nations shall be blessed because of My words, and also smashed to pieces because of My words. In this way, all people during the last days shall see that I am the Savior returned, I am the Almighty God that conquers all of mankind, and I was once the sin offering for man, but in the last days I also become the flames of the sun that burn all things, as well as the Sun of righteousness that reveals all things. Such is My work of the last days. I took this name and am possessed of this disposition so that all people may see that I am a righteous God, and am the burning sun, and the flaming fire. It is so that all may worship Me, the only true God, and so that they may see My true face: I am not only the God of the Israelites, and am not just the Redeemer—I am the God of all creatures throughout heavens and earth and seas.”

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

    “Only those who follow the footsteps of the Lamb to the very end can gain the final blessing, whereas those clever people, who are unable to follow to the very end yet believe they have gained all, are incapable of witnessing the appearance of God. They all believe they are the smartest person on earth, and they cut short the continued development of God’s work for no reason at all, and seem to believe with absolute certainty that God will take them up to heaven, they who ‘have the utmost loyalty to God, follow God, and abide by the words of God.’ … Those who do not follow to the very end, who do not keep up with the work of the Holy Spirit, and who only cleave to the old work have not only failed to achieve loyalty to God, but on the contrary, have become those who oppose God, have become those who are rejected by the new age, and who will be punished. Are there any more pitiable than them? Many even believe that all those who reject the old law and accept the new work are without conscience. These people, who only talk of conscience, and do not know the work of the Holy Spirit, will ultimately have their prospects cut short by their own consciences. God’s work does not abide by doctrine, and even though it is His own work, still God does not cling to it. That which should be denied is denied, that which should be eliminated is eliminated. Yet man places himself in enmity of God by holding onto but one small part of the work of God’s management. Is this not the absurdity of man? Is this not the ignorance of man? The more that people are timid and overcautious because they are afraid of not gaining God’s blessings, the more that they are incapable of gaining greater blessings, and of receiving the final blessing. Those people who slavishly abide by the law all display the utmost loyalty toward the law, and the more they display such loyalty toward the law, the more they are rebels who oppose God. For now is the Age of Kingdom and not the Age of Law, and the work of today cannot be held up against the work of the past, and the work of the past cannot be compared to the work of today. The work of God has changed, and the practice of man has also changed; it is not to hold onto the law or bear the cross. So, people’s loyalty toward the law and the cross will not gain God’s approval.”

from “God’s Work and Man’s Practice” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

    “The work done by God differs across periods of time. If you show great obedience in one phase, yet in the next phase show less or none at all, then God shall desert you. If you keep pace with God as He ascends this step, then you must continue to keep pace when He ascends the next. Only such men are obedient to the Holy Spirit.”

from “The Truly Obedient Shall Surely Be Gained by God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

    “… recall what followed after the Jews nailed Jesus to the cross 2,000 years ago. The Jews were expelled from Israel and fled to countries around the world. Many were killed, and the entire Jewish nation was subjected to unprecedented destruction. They had nailed God to the cross—committed a heinous crime—and provoked the disposition of God. They were made to pay for what they did, were made to bear the consequences of their actions. They condemned God, rejected God, and so they had but one fate: to be punished by God. …

    Today, God has returned to the world to do His work. …

    The work of God is like mightily surging waves. No one can detain Him, and no one can halt His footsteps. Only those who listen carefully to His words, and who seek and thirst for Him, can follow His footsteps and receive His promise. Those who do not shall be subjected to overwhelming disaster and deserved punishment.”

from “God Presides Over the Fate of All Mankind” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

    “God’s work waits for no one, and His salvation will not be randomly thrown to anyone like rubbish, but rather, it has its object, its goal, and its choice. If you do not know to treasure it, then what awaits you will only be God’s righteous judgment and punishment. God treats everyone with righteousness. No matter how old you are, how senior you are, or even how much you have suffered, God’s righteous disposition will never change because of these. God will not think highly of anyone nor show favoritism to anyone. His attitude toward a person depends on whether he can drop everything to accept the truth and accept His new work. If you can receive His new work and receive the truth He expresses, then you will receive God’s salvation; if you flaunt your seniority, put on the airs of a veteran, and bargain over terms with God, then God’s salvation will leave you. The Jews, for example, could not accept Jesus Christ but only waited for the Messiah, and what came upon them in the end was God’s curse and wrath. This is a fact obvious to us all.”

from Postscript to Typical Cases of Punishment for Resisting Almighty God

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Eastern Lightning | God is ever unchanging. Then how can the Lord Jesus change His name to Almighty God?

The answer from God’s word:

“Each time God arrives on earth, He shall change His name, His gender, His image, and His work; He does not repeat His work, and He is always new and never old. When He came before, He was called Jesus; could He still be called Jesus when He comes again this time? When He came before, He was male; could He be male again this time? His work when He came during the Age of Grace was to be nailed to the cross; when He comes again will He still redeem mankind from sin? Will He still be nailed to a cross? Would that not be a repetition of His work? Did you not know that God is always new and never old? 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? His work is always progressing forward, and so His disposition is gradually revealed to man, and what is revealed is His inherent disposition. In the beginning, God’s disposition was hidden from man, He never openly revealed His disposition to man, and man had no knowledge of Him, so He used His work to gradually reveal His disposition to man, but this does not mean that His disposition changes in each age. It is not the case that God’s disposition is constantly changing because His will is always changing. Rather, because the work of God is carried out in different ages, His inherent disposition in its entirety is gradually revealed to man, so that man is able to know Him. But this is by no means proof that God originally has no particular disposition and His disposition has gradually changed with the passing of the ages—such belief is nonsense. God reveals to man His inherent, particular disposition, what He is, according to the passing of the ages. The work of a single age cannot express the entire disposition of God. And so, the words ‘God is always new and never old’ are in reference to His work, and the words ‘God is immutable’ are in regard to what God inherently has and is. Regardless, you cannot define the six-thousand-year work in one point, or portray it with mere static words. Such is the stupidity of man. God is not as simple as man imagines, and His work will not stop in one age. Jehovah, for example, will not always stand for the name of God; God also does His work under the name of Jesus, which is a symbol of how God’s work is always progressing forward.

God will always be God, and will never become Satan; Satan will always be Satan, and will never become God. God’s wisdom, God’s wondrousness, God’s righteousness, and God’s majesty shall never change. His substance and what He has and is shall never change. His work, however, is always progressing forward, always going deeper, for God is always new and never old. In every age God assumes a new name, in every age He does new work, and in every age He allows the creatures to see His new will and His new disposition. If people do not see the expression of God’s new disposition in the new age, would they not forever nail Him to the cross? And by doing so, would they not define God?”

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

“Some say that the name of God does not change, so why then did the name of Jehovah become Jesus? It was prophesied of the coming of the Messiah, so why then did a man by the name of Jesus come? Why did the name of God change? 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. If you believe that God can only be called by the name of Jesus, then you know too little. Do you dare assert that Jesus is forever the name of God, that God will forever and always go by the name of Jesus, and that this will never change? Dare you assert with certainty it is the name of Jesus that concluded the Age of Law and also concludes the final age? Who can say that the grace of Jesus can conclude the age?”

from “How Can Man Who Has Defined God in His Conceptions Receive the Revelations of God?” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

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Eastern Lightning | A common saying goes, “Everyone will die if the heaven falls.” Will the believers in God be spared of death when disasters befall?

The answer from God’s word:

“God created this world, He created this mankind, and moreover He was the architect of ancient Greek culture and human civilization. Only God consoles this mankind, and only God cares for this mankind night and day. Human development and progress is inseparable from the sovereignty of God, and the history and future of mankind are inextricable from the designs of God. If you are a true Christian, then you will surely believe that the rise and fall of any country or nation occurs according to the designs of God. God alone knows the fate of a country or nation, and God alone controls the course of this mankind. If mankind wishes to have a good fate, if a country wishes to have a good fate, then man must bow down to God in worship, repent and confess before God, or else the fate and destination of man will unavoidably end in catastrophe.

Look back to the time of Noah’s ark: Mankind was deeply corrupt, had strayed from the blessing of God, was no longer cared for by God, and had lost the promises of God. They lived in darkness, without the light of God. Thus they became licentious by nature, abandoned themselves to hideous depravity. Such men could no longer receive the promise of God; they were unfit to witness the face of God, nor to hear the voice of God, for they had abandoned God, had cast aside all that He had bestowed upon them, and had forgotten the teachings of God. Their heart strayed farther and farther from God, and as it did, they became depraved beyond all reason and humanity, and became increasingly evil. Thus they came ever closer to death, and fell under the wrath and punishment of God. Only Noah worshiped God and shunned evil, and so he was able to hear the voice of God, and hear the instructions of God. He built the ark according to the instructions of God’s word, and assembled all manner of living creatures. And in this way, once everything had been prepared, God unleashed His destruction upon the world. Only Noah and the seven members of his family survived the destruction, for Noah worshiped Jehovah and shunned evil.”

from “God Presides Over the Fate of All Mankind” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

“When disaster comes, famine and plague will befall all those who oppose Me and they will weep. Those who have committed all kinds of evil during their many years as My follower shall not be guiltless; they too will live in a constant state of panic and fear amidst the disaster that has scarcely been seen through the ages. And all My followers who have been loyal to no other shall rejoice and applaud My might. They will experience ineffable contentment and live in a joy that I have never before bestowed upon mankind. For I treasure the good deeds of men and abhor their evil deeds. Since I first began to lead mankind, I have been hoping for a group of men who are of the same mind with Me. And I have never forgotten those not of the same mind; I have loathed them in My heart, awaiting only the opportunity to see My retribution administered on those wrongdoers and relish in such. My day has finally come and I need no longer wait!

My final work is not only to punish man but to arrange the destination of each. Moreover, it is to receive acknowledgement from all for all that I have done. I want each and every man to see that all I have done is in the right and is an expression of My disposition; it is not the doing of man, least of all nature, that brought forth mankind. On the contrary, it is I who nourish every living being among all things. Without My existence, mankind can only perish and suffer the invasion of plagues. None will ever again see the beauteous sun and moon or the green world; mankind shall encounter only the frigid night and the inexorable valley of the shadow of death. I am mankind’s only salvation. I am mankind’s only hope and even more, I am He on whom the existence of all mankind rests. Without Me, mankind will immediately become stagnant. Without Me, mankind will suffer catastrophe and be trod upon by all manner of ghosts, even though none take heed of Me. I have done work that can be done by no other only in the hope that man repay Me with good deeds. Though few can repay Me, I still conclude My journey in the world and begin on the work that will next unfold, for My journey among men these many years has been fruitful, and I am very pleased. I care not about the number of men but rather about their good deeds. In any case, I hope that you do sufficient good deeds in preparation for your own destination. Then will I be satisfied; otherwise, none of you shall escape the disaster. The disaster is brought down by Me and of course orchestrated by Me. If you cannot work for good in My presence, then you will not escape suffering the disaster.”

from “You Ought to Do Enough Good Deeds to Prepare for Your Destination” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

“All disasters befall one after another, and disasters arise in every nation and every place. Plagues, famines, floods, droughts, and earthquakes can be seen everywhere. They do not happen in one or two places, nor will they be over in one or two days, but they will spread over more and more regions. Moreover, the disasters will be greater and greater. During this period, various kinds of insect plagues will break out one after another, and cannibalism of man will occur in various places. All these are My judgment upon all nations and all peoples. My sons! You will surely be free from the sufferings and afflictions. I wish you to grow up soon so as to take up the burden on My shoulder earlier. Why do you not understand My heart’s desire? The work will be heavier and heavier in future. Could you bear to let Me alone work busily? Let Me put it more plainly: Whoever grows up in life will enter the refuge and be free from sufferings and afflictions; whoever fails to grow up in life will be bound to suffer and be afflicted. Haven’t I spoken about it plainly enough?”

from “The Sixty-fifth Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

“But know that I will not annihilate the entire world, nor will I annihilate the whole of mankind. I will keep that remaining third—the third that loves Me and has been thoroughly conquered by Me, and I will cause this third to be fruitful and multiply on earth just as the Israelites did under the law, nourishing them with copious sheep and cattle and all the riches of earth. This mankind will remain with Me forever, yet it is not the deplorably filthy mankind of today, but a mankind that is an assembly of all those who have been gained by Me. Such a mankind will not be damaged, disturbed, or besieged by Satan, and will be the only mankind that exists on earth after I have triumphed over Satan. It is the mankind that has today been conquered by Me and has gained My promise. And so, the mankind that has been conquered during the last days is also the mankind that will be spared and will gain My everlasting blessings. It will be the only evidence of My triumph over Satan, and the only spoils of My battle with Satan. These spoils of war are saved by Me from the domain of Satan, and are the only crystallization and fruit of My six-thousand-year management plan. They come from every nation and denomination, and every place and country throughout the universe. They are of different races, have different languages, customs and skin colors, and they are spread across every nation and denomination of the globe, and even every corner of the world. Eventually, they will come together to form a complete mankind, an assembly of man that is unreachable by the forces of Satan. Those among mankind who have not been saved and conquered by Me will sink silent to the depths of the sea, and will be burned by My consuming flames for all eternity. I will annihilate this old, supremely filthy mankind, just as I annihilated the firstborn sons and cattle of Egypt, leaving only the Israelites, who ate lamb’s meat, drank lamb’s blood, and marked their door lintels with lamb’s blood. Are the people who have been conquered by Me and are of My family not also the people who eat the meat of Me the Lamb and drink the blood of Me the Lamb, and have been redeemed by Me and worship Me? Are such people not always accompanied by My glory? Have not those who are without the meat of Me the Lamb already sunk silent to the depths of the sea?”

from “None Who Are of the Flesh Can Escape the Day of Wrath” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Recommendation: Is Eastern Lightning the Return of the Lord Jesus?

You Should Seek the Way of Compatibility With Christ | Eastern Lightning

You Should Seek the Way of Compatibility With Christ

I have done much work among man, and the words I have expressed during this time have been many. These words are for the sake of man’s salvation, and were expressed so that man might become compatible with Me. Yet I have gained only a few people on earth who are compatible with Me, and so I say that man does not treasure My words, for man is not compatible with Me. In this way, the work I do is not merely so that man can worship Me; more importantly, it is so that man can be compatible with Me. People, who have been corrupted, all live in Satan’s trap, they live in the flesh, live in selfish desires, and there is not a single one among them who is compatible with Me. There are those who say that they are compatible with Me, but who all worship vague idols. Although they acknowledge My name as holy, they tread a path that runs contrary to Me, and their words are full of arrogance and self-confidence, because, at root, they are all against Me, and incompatible with Me. Every day they seek traces of Me in the Bible, and find “suitable” passages at random that they read endlessly, and which they recite as “scriptures.” They do not know how to be compatible with Me, do not know what it means to be in enmity of Me, and merely read “scriptures” blindly. They constrain within the Bible a vague God that they have never seen, and are incapable of seeing, and take it out to look at during their spare time. They believe in My existence only within the scope of the Bible. For them, I am the same as the Bible; without the Bible there is no Me, and without Me there is no Bible. They pay no heed to My existence or actions, but instead devote extreme and special attention to each and every word of Scripture, and many of them even believe that I should not do anything I wish to do unless it is foretold by Scripture. They attach too much importance to Scripture. It can be said that they see words and expressions as too important, to the extent that they use verses from the Bible to measure every word I say, and to condemn Me. What they seek is not the way of compatibility with Me, or the way of compatibility with the truth, but the way of compatibility with the words of the Bible, and they believe that anything that does not conform to the Bible is, without exception, not My work. Are such people not the dutiful descendants of the Pharisees? The Jewish Pharisees used the law of Moses to condemn Jesus. They did not seek compatibility with the Jesus of that time, but diligently followed the law to the letter, to the extent that they ultimately nailed the innocent Jesus to the cross, having charged Him with not following the law of the Old Testament and not being the Messiah. What was their essence? Was it not that they didn’t seek the way of compatibility with the truth? They obsessed over each and every word of the Scripture, while paying no heed to My will and the steps and methods of My work. They were not people who sought the truth, but people who rigidly followed the words of Scripture; they were not people who believed in God, but people who believed in the Bible. Essentially, they were watchdogs of the Bible. In order to safeguard the interests of the Bible, and uphold the dignity of the Bible, and protect the reputation of the Bible, they went so far as to nail the merciful Jesus onto the cross. This they did merely for the sake of defending the Bible, and for the sake of maintaining the status of each and every word of the Bible in people’s hearts. So they preferred to forsake their future and the sin offering to condemn Jesus, who did not conform to the doctrine of Scripture, to death. Were they not lackeys to each and every word of Scripture?

And what of people today? Christ has come to release the truth, yet they would rather expel Him from among man in order to gain entry into heaven and receive grace. They would rather completely deny the coming of the truth in order to safeguard the interests of the Bible, and would rather nail the Christ returning to flesh to the cross again in order to ensure the everlasting existence of the Bible. How can man receive My salvation, when his heart is so malicious, and his nature so antagonistic toward Me? I live among man, yet man does not know of My existence. When I shine My light upon man, he still remains ignorant of My existence. When I unleash My wrath upon man, he denies My existence with even greater vigor. Man searches for compatibility with words, with the Bible, yet not a single person comes before Me to seek the way of compatibility with the truth. Man looks up to Me in heaven, and devotes particular concern to My existence in heaven, yet no one cares about Me in the flesh, for I who live among man am simply too insignificant. Those who only seek compatibility with the words of the Bible, and who only seek compatibility with a vague God, are a wretched sight to Me. That is because what they worship are dead words, and a God that is capable of giving them untold treasures. What they worship is a God that lays himself at the mercy of man, and which doesn’t exist. What, then, can such people gain from Me? Man is simply too lowly for words. Those who are against Me, who make limitless demands of Me, who have no love of the truth, who are rebellious toward Me—how could they be compatible with Me?

Those who are against Me are those who are not compatible with Me. So too are those who do not love the truth, and those who rebel against Me are even more against Me and incompatible with Me. All those who are not compatible with Me I deliver into the hands of the evil one. I relinquish them to the corruption of the evil one, give them free rein to reveal their maleficence, and ultimately hand them over to the evil one to be devoured. I care not how many people worship Me, which is to say, I care not how many people believe in Me. All that concerns Me is how many people are compatible with Me. That is because all those who are not compatible with Me are evil ones who betray Me; they are My enemies, and I shall not “enshrine” My enemies in My home. Those who are compatible with Me shall forever serve Me in My home, and those who place themselves in enmity of Me shall forever suffer My punishment. Those who only care about the words of the Bible, who are unconcerned about the truth or seeking My footsteps—they are against Me, for they limit Me according to the Bible, and constrain Me within the Bible, and so are blasphemous in the extreme toward Me. How could such people come before Me? They pay no heed to My deeds, or My will, or the truth, but instead obsess over words, words that kill. How could such people be compatible with Me?

I have expressed so many words, and have also expressed My will and disposition, yet even so, people are still incapable of knowing Me and believing in Me. Or, it could be said, they are still incapable of obeying Me. Those who live in the Bible, those who live amidst the law, those who live on the cross, those who live according to doctrine, those who live among the work I do today—which of them is compatible with Me? You only think of receiving blessings and rewards, and have never spared a thought to how to be compatible with Me, or to how to prevent yourselves from being in enmity of Me. I am so disappointed in you, for I have given you so much, yet I have gained so little from you. Your deception, your arrogance, your greed, your extravagant desires, your betrayal, your disobedience—which of these could escape My notice? You palter with Me, you fool Me, you insult Me, you deceive Me, you exact Me, you extort Me for sacrifices—how could such maleficence elude My punishment? Your evildoing is proof of your enmity to Me, and is proof of your incompatibility with Me. Each of you believes yourself to be so compatible with Me, but if that is the case, then to whom does such irrefutable evidence apply? You believe yourselves to possess the utmost sincerity and loyalty toward Me. You think that you are so kindhearted, so compassionate, and have devoted so much to Me. You think that you have done enough for Me. Yet have you ever compared these beliefs against your own behavior? I say you are plenty arrogant, plenty greedy, plenty perfunctory; the tricks with which you fool Me are plenty clever, and you have plenty of contemptible intentions and contemptible methods. Your loyalty is too meager, your earnestness is too paltry, and your conscience is even more lacking. There is too much maliciousness in your hearts, and no one is exempt from it, not even Me. You shut Me out for the sake of your children, or your husband, or your own self-preservation. Instead of caring about Me, you care about your family, your children, your status, your future, and your own gratification. When have you ever thought of Me as you spoke or acted? When the weather is cold, your thoughts turn to your children, your husband, your wife, or your parents. When the weather is hot, I hold no place in your thoughts, either. When you perform your duty, you are thinking of your own interests, of your own personal safety, of the members of your family. What have you ever done that was for Me? When have you ever thought of Me? When have you ever devoted yourself, at any cost, to Me and My work? Where is the evidence of your compatibility with Me? Where is the reality of your loyalty to Me? Where is the reality of your obedience to Me? When have your intentions not been for the sake of gaining My blessings? You fool and deceive Me, you play with the truth, and conceal the existence of the truth, and betray the substance of the truth, and you place yourselves in such enmity to Me. So what awaits you in the future? You merely seek compatibility with a vague God, and merely seek a vague belief, yet you are not compatible with Christ. Will not your maleficence receive the same retribution as that deserved by the wicked? At that time, you will realize that no one who is incompatible with Christ can escape the day of wrath, and you will discover what kind of retribution shall be wrought upon those who are in enmity with Christ. When that day arrives, your dreams of being blessed for your belief in God, and of gaining entry to heaven, shall all be shattered. It is, however, not so for those who are compatible with Christ. Though they have lost so much, though they have suffered a lot of hardship, they shall receive all of the inheritance that I shall bequeath to mankind. Ultimately, you will understand that only I am the righteous God, and that only I am capable of taking mankind into his beautiful destination.

from The Word Appears in the Flesh

In my view, every religion teaches people to be good. Is it that one can be saved as long as he believes sincerely and does not do evil, regardless of which religion he believes in?

Pictures of The Church of Almighty God

3 In my view, every religion teaches people to be good. Is it that one can be saved as long as he believes sincerely and does not do evil, regardless of which religion he believes in?

    “He who is incapable of creating the world will be incapable of bringing it to an end, whereas He who created the world will surely bring it to an end, and so if one is unable to bring the age to an end and is merely to help man cultivate his mind, then he will surely not be God, and will surely not be the Lord of mankind. He will be incapable of doing such great work; there is only one who can carry out such work, and all that are unable to do this work are surely the enemies other than God. If they are cults, then they are incompatible with God, and if they are incompatible with God, then they are the enemies of God. All work is done by this one true God, and the entire universe is commanded by this one God.”

from “Knowing the Three Stages of God’s Work Is the Path to Knowing God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

    “It is a truism that ‘there are no righteous upon this earth, the righteous are not in this world.’ When you come before God, consider what you’re wearing, consider your every word and action, all of your thoughts and ideas, and even the dreams that you dream every day—they are all for your own sake. Is this not the true state of affairs? ‘Righteousness’ does not mean giving alms, it does not mean loving your neighbor as yourself, and it does not mean not fighting, arguing, robbing, or stealing. Righteousness means taking God’s commission as your duty and obeying God’s orchestrations and arrangements as a heaven-sent vocation, regardless of the time or place, just like all that was done by the Lord Jesus. This is the very righteousness spoken of by God. That Lot could be called a righteous man is because he saved the two angels sent by God without care for what he gained or lost; what he did at that time can be called righteous, but he cannot be called a righteous man. It was only because Lot had seen God that he gave his two daughters in exchange for the angels. But not all of his behavior in the past represents righteousness, and thus I say that ‘there are no righteous upon this earth.’ Even among those who are in the stream of recovery, no one can be called righteous. No matter how good your actions, no matter how you appear to glorify the name of God, not hitting and cursing others, or robbing and stealing from them, still you cannot be called righteous, for such things can be possessed by any normal person. Today, what’s key is that you do not know God. It can only be said that today you have a little normal humanity, yet you are bereft of the righteousness spoken of by God, and thus nothing that you do is proof of your knowledge of God.”

from “The Wicked Must Be Punished” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

    “The standard by which man judges man is based on his behavior; one whose conduct is good is a righteous person, and one whose conduct is abominable is wicked. The standard by which God judges man is based on whether one’s essence obeys Him; one who obeys God is a righteous person, and one who does not obey God is an enemy and a wicked person, regardless of whether this person’s behavior is good or bad, and regardless of whether this person’s speech is correct or incorrect. Some people wish to use good deeds to obtain a good destination of the future, and some people wish to use good speech to purchase a good destination. People falsely believe that God determines man’s outcome according to his behavior or speech, and therefore many people will seek to use this to gain a temporary favor through deceit.”

from “God and Man Will Enter Into Rest Together” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

    “There are now many people who are unable to perceive humanity’s future destination and who also do not believe the words I speak; all those who do not believe, along with those who do not practice truth, are demons! Those who seek and those who do not seek are now two different types of people, and they are two types of people with two different destinations. Those who pursue knowledge of the truth and practice the truth are the people whom God will save. Those who do not know the true way are demons and enemies; they are the descendants of the archangel and will be destroyed. Even the pious believers of a vague God—are they not also demons? People who possess good consciences but do not accept the true way are demons; their essence is one of resistance to God. Those who do not accept the true way are those who resist God, and even if these people endure many hardships, they will still be destroyed. … Anyone who does not believe in God incarnate is demonic; more so, they will be destroyed.”

from “God and Man Will Enter Into Rest Together” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Recommendation：Eastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared.