Examples of analyzing and discerning the rumors and lies of the CCP government and the religious world (2) | The Church of Almighty God

5. Examples of analyzing and discerning the rumors and lies of the CCP government and the religious world (2)

(3) Analysis of the third rumor of the Chinese Communist Party and religious community: The Church of Almighty God was created by man.

Relevant Words of God:

Some may wonder, Why must the age be ushered in by God Himself? Cannot a created being stand in His stead? You are all aware that God becomes flesh expressly for the purpose of ushering in a new age, and, of course, when He ushers in a new age, He has concluded the former age at the same time. God is the Beginning and the End; it is He Himself who sets His work in motion and so it must be He Himself who concludes the former age. That is the proof that He defeats Satan and conquers the world. Each time He Himself works among man, it is the beginning of a new battle. Without the beginning of new work, there would naturally be no conclusion of the old. And no conclusion of the old is proof that the battle with Satan has yet to come to a close. Only if God Himself comes and carries out new work among man can man fully break free of the domain of Satan and gain a new life and new beginning. Otherwise, man shall forever live in the old age and forever live under the old influence of Satan. With every age led by God, a part of man is set free, and thus man advances along with the work of God toward the new age. The victory of God is a victory for all those who follow Him. If mankind of creation were charged with concluding the age, then be it from the viewpoint of man or Satan, this is no more than an act that opposes or betrays God, not one of obedience to God, and the work of man would thus give a handle to Satan. Only if man obeys and follows God in an age ushered in by God Himself would Satan be fully convinced, for that is the duty of a created being. And so I say that you need only follow and obey, and no more is asked of you. That is what is meant by each keeping his duty and performing his function. God does His own work and does not need for man to do His work in His stead, nor does He involve Himself in the work of created beings. Man performs his own duty and does not interfere with the work of God, and that is true obedience and proof that Satan is defeated. After God Himself has ushered in the new age, He no longer works among man Himself. It is only then that man officially steps into the new age to perform his duty and carry out his mission as a created being. Such are the working principles that can be transgressed by none. Only working in this way is sensible and reasonable. The work of God is done by God Himself. It is He who sets His work in motion, and also He who concludes it. It is He who plans the work, and also He who manages it, and even more, it is He who brings the work to fruition. It is as stated in the Bible, “I am the Beginning and the End; I am the Sower and the Reaper.” All that is related to the work of His management is done by Himself. He is the Ruler of the six-thousand-year management plan; none can do His work in His stead or bring His work to a close, for it is He who is in control of all. Since He created the world, He will lead the entire world to live in His light, and He will conclude the entire age to bring all of His plan to fruition!

God redeemed mankind in the Age of Grace, so why does He still need to do His work of judgment in the last day

1. God redeemed mankind in the Age of Grace, so why does He still need to do His work of judgment in the last days?

Pictures of The Church of Almighty God

Bible Verses for Reference:

“You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy”(Lev 11:45).

“Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Heb 12:14).

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

Relevant Words of God:

At the time Jesus’ work was the redemption of all mankind. The sins of all who believed in Him were forgiven; as long as you believed in Him, He would redeem you; if you believed in Him, you were no longer a sinner, you were relieved of your sins. This is what it meant to be saved, and to be justified by faith. Yet in those who believed, there remained that which was rebellious and opposed God, and which still had to be slowly removed. Salvation did not mean man had been completely gained by Jesus, but that man was no longer of sin, that he had been forgiven his sins: Provided you believed, you would never more be of sin.

from “The Vision of God’s Work (2)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

When Jesus was doing His work, man’s knowledge of Him was still vague and unclear. Man always believed that He was the son of David and proclaimed Him to be a great prophet and the benevolent Lord who redeemed man’s sins. Some, based on faith, became healed just by touching the edge of His garment; the blind could see and even the dead could be restored to life. However, man could not discover the corrupt satanic disposition deeply rooted within him and neither did man know how to cast it away. Man received much grace, such as the peace and happiness of the flesh, the blessing of the entire family upon the faith of one, and the healing of sicknesses, and so on. The rest were the good deeds of man and their godly appearance; if man could live based on such, he was considered a good believer. Only such believers could enter heaven after death, which means that they were saved. But, in their lifetime, they did not understand at all the way of life. They merely committed sins, then made confession in a constant cycle without any path toward a changed disposition; such was the condition of man in the Age of Grace. Has man received complete salvation? No! Therefore, after that stage was complete, there is still the work of judgment and chastisement. This stage makes man pure through the word so as to give man a path to follow. This stage would not be fruitful or meaningful if it continued with the casting out of demons, for the sinful nature of man would not be cast away and man would only stop upon the forgiveness of sins. Through the sin offering, man has been forgiven his sins, for the work of the crucifixion has already come to an end and God has prevailed over Satan. But the corrupt disposition of man still remains within them and man can still sin and resist God; God has not gained mankind. That is why in this stage of work God uses the word to reveal the corrupt disposition of man and asks man to practice in accordance with the right path. This stage is more meaningful than the previous one and more fruitful as well, for now it is the word that directly supplies man’s life and enables the disposition of man to be completely renewed; it is a stage of work more thorough. Therefore, the incarnation in the last days has completed the significance of God’s incarnation and completely finished God’s management plan for the salvation of man.

from “The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” 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 a sinner because of the salvation of God, but this does not prove that you are not sinful, and are not impure. How can you be saintly if you have not been changed? Within, you are beset by impurity, selfish and mean, yet you still wish to descend with Jesus—you should be so lucky! You have missed a step in your belief in God: You have merely been redeemed, but have not been changed. For you to be after God’s heart, God must personally do the work of changing and cleansing you; if you are only redeemed, you will be incapable of attaining sanctity. In this way you will be unqualified to share in the good blessings of God, for you have missed out a step in God’s work of managing man, which is the key step of changing and perfecting. And so you, a sinner who has just been redeemed, are incapable of directly inheriting God’s inheritance.

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

Though man has been redeemed and forgiven of his sins, it is only considered as God not remembering the transgressions of man and not treating man in accordance with man’s transgressions. However, when man lives in the flesh and he has not been set free from sin, he can only continue to sin, endlessly revealing the corrupt satanic disposition. This is the life that man leads, an endless cycle of sin and forgiveness. The majority of men sin in the day only to confess in the evening. As such, even if the sin offering is forever effective for man, it would not be able to save man from sin. Only half the work of salvation has been completed, for man still has corrupt disposition.

from “The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

To man, God’s crucifixion concluded the work of God’s incarnation, redeemed all of mankind, and allowed Him to seize the key to Hades. Everyone thinks God’s work has been fully accomplished. In actuality, to God, only a small part of His work has been accomplished. He has only redeemed mankind; He has not conquered mankind, let alone changed the ugliness of Satan in man. That is why God says, “Although My incarnate flesh went through the pain of death, that was not the whole goal of My incarnation. Jesus is My beloved Son and was nailed to the cross for Me, but He did not fully conclude My work. He only did a portion of it.” Thus God began the second round of plans to continue the work of the incarnation. God’s ultimate intention is to perfect and gain everyone rescued from Satan’s hands, which is why God prepared again to risk dangers to come into flesh.

from “Work and Entry (6)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Though Jesus did much work among man, He only completed the redemption of all mankind and became man’s sin offering, and did not rid man of all his corrupt disposition. Fully saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to take on the sins of man as the sin offering, but also required God to do greater work to completely rid man of his disposition, which has been corrupted by Satan. And so, after man was forgiven his sins, God has returned to flesh to lead man into the new age, and begun the work of chastisement and judgment, and this work has brought man into a higher realm. All those who submit under His dominion shall enjoy higher truth and receive greater blessings. They shall truly live in the light, and shall gain the truth, the way, and the life.

from Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh

The work in the last days is to speak words. Great changes can be effected in man through the words. The changes now effected in these people on acceptance of these words are much greater than that of people in the Age of Grace on acceptance of those signs and wonders. For, in the Age of Grace, the demons went away from man with the laying on of hands and prayer, but the corrupt dispositions within man still remained. Man was healed of his sickness and forgiven his sins, but the work for just how the corrupt satanic dispositions within man could be cast away was not done in him. Man was only saved and forgiven his sins for his faith, but the sinful nature of man was not taken away and still remained within him. The sins of man were forgiven through God incarnate, but it does not mean that man has no sin within him. The sins of man could be forgiven through the sin offering, but man has been unable to resolve the issue of just how he can no longer sin and how his sinful nature can be cast away completely and be transformed. The sins of man were forgiven because of the work of God’s crucifixion, but man continued to live in the old, corrupt satanic disposition. As such, man must be completely saved from the corrupt satanic disposition so that the sinful nature of man is completely cast away and never again develops, thus allowing the disposition of man to be changed. This requires man to understand the path of growth in life, the way of life, and the way to change his disposition. It also needs man to act in accordance with this path so that the disposition of man can gradually be changed and he can live under the shining of the light, and that he can do all things in accord with the will of God, cast away the corrupt satanic disposition, and break free from Satan’s influence of darkness, thereby emerging fully from sin. Only then will man receive complete salvation.

from “The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Man cannot be fully saved from his sins by the healing of sickness and casting out of demons and cannot be fully made complete by the manifestation of signs and wonders. The authority to heal and cast out demons only gives man grace, but the flesh of man still belongs to Satan and the corrupt satanic disposition still remains within man. In other words, that which has not been made clean still belongs to sin and filth. Only after man has been made clean through words can he be gained by God and become sanctified. If no more is done than casting out the demons within man and redeeming him, that is only seizing him from the hands of Satan and returning him to God. However, he has not been made clean or changed by God, and he remains corrupt. Within man still exists filth, opposition and rebelliousness; man has only returned to God through redemption, but man has no knowledge of Him and still resists and betrays God. Before man was redeemed, many of Satan’s poisons were already planted within him. After thousands of years of Satan’s corruption, man already has within him a nature that resists God. Therefore, when man has been redeemed, it is nothing more than redemption, where man is bought at a high price, but the poisonous nature within has not been eliminated. Man that is so defiled must undergo a change before being worthy to serve God. Through this work of judgment and chastisement, man will fully come to know the filthy and corrupt substance within him, and he will be able to completely change and become clean. Only in this way can man be worthy to return before the throne of God. All the work done this day is so that man can be made clean and be changed; through judgment and chastisement by the word, as well as refinement, man can cast away his corruption and be made pure. Rather than deeming this stage of work to be that of salvation, it would be more apt to say it is the work of purification.

from “The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The 6,000 years of work of God’s management are divided into three stages: the Age of Law, the Age of Grace, and the Age of Kingdom. These three stages of work are all for the sake of mankind’s salvation, which is to say, they are for the salvation of a mankind that has been severely corrupted by Satan. At the same time, however, they are also so that God may do battle with Satan. Thus, just as the work of salvation is divided into three stages, so the battle with Satan is also divided into three stages, and these two aspects of God’s work are conducted simultaneously. The battle with Satan is actually for the sake of mankind’s salvation, and because the work of mankind’s salvation is not something that can be successfully completed in a single stage, the battle with Satan is also divided into phases and periods, and war is waged upon Satan in accordance with the needs of man and the extent of Satan’s corruption of him. … In the work of man’s salvation, three stages have been carried out, which is to say that the battle with Satan has been split into three stages prior to the complete defeat of Satan. Yet the inner truth of the entire work of the battle with Satan is that its effects are achieved through bestowing grace upon man, and becoming a sin offering of man, forgiving the sins of man, conquering man, and making man perfect. As a matter of fact, the battle with Satan is not the taking up of arms against Satan, but the salvation of man, the working of the life of man, and the changing of man’s disposition so that he may bear testimony to God. This is how Satan is defeated. Satan is defeated through changing the corrupt disposition of man. When Satan has been defeated, that is, when man has been completely saved, then the ashamed Satan will be completely bound, and in this way, man will have been completely saved. And so, the substance of man’s salvation is the battle with Satan, and the war with Satan is primarily reflected in the salvation of man. The stage of the last days, in which man is to be conquered, is the last stage in the battle with Satan, and also the work of man’s complete salvation from the domain of Satan. The inner meaning of man’s conquest is the return of the embodiment of Satan, man who has been corrupted by Satan, to the Creator following his conquest, through which he will forsake Satan and completely return to God. In this way, man will have been completely saved. And so, the work of conquest is the last work in the battle against Satan, and the final stage in God’s management for the sake of Satan’s defeat. Without this work, the full salvation of man would ultimately be impossible, the utter defeat of Satan would also be impossible, and mankind would never be able to enter the wonderful destination, or get free from Satan’s influence. Consequently, the work of salvation of man cannot be concluded before the battle with Satan is concluded, for the core of the work of God’s management is for the sake of mankind’s salvation. Earliest mankind was in the hands of God, but because of Satan’s temptation and corruption, man was bound up by Satan and fell in the hands of the evil one. Thus, Satan became the object to be defeated in the work of God’s management. Because Satan took possession of man, and because man is the stock of all God’s management, if man is to be saved, then he must be snatched back from the hands of Satan, which is to say that man must be taken back after having been held captive by Satan. Satan is defeated through changes in man’s old disposition that restore his original sense, and in this way, man, who has been taken captive, can be snatched back from the hands of Satan. If man is freed from the influence and bondage of Satan, Satan will be shamed, man will ultimately be taken back, and Satan will be defeated. And because man has been freed from the dark influence of Satan, man will become the spoils of all of this battle, and Satan will become the object that will be punished once this battle has finished, after which the entire work of mankind’s salvation will have been completed.

from “Restoring the Normal Life of Man and Taking Him to a Wonderful Destination” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The six-thousand-year management plan is divided into three stages of work. No stage alone can represent the work of the three ages but can only represent one part of a whole. The name Jehovah cannot represent all of the disposition of God. The fact that He carried out work in the Age of Law does not prove that God can only be God under the law. Jehovah set forth laws for man and handed down commandments, asking man to build the temple and altars; the work He did represents only the Age of Law. The work He did does not prove that God is the God who asks man to keep the law, the God in the temple, or the God before the altar. This cannot be said. The work under the law can only represent one age. Therefore, if God only did the work in the Age of Law, man would define God and say, “God is the God in the temple. To serve God, we must wear priestly robes and enter the temple.” If the work in the Age of Grace had never been carried out and the Age of Law had continued until the present, man would not know that God is also merciful and loving. If the work in the Age of Law had not been done, and only that in the Age of Grace had been done, man would know only that God can redeem man and forgive man’s sins. They would only know that He is holy and innocent, that He can sacrifice Himself and be crucified for man. Man would only know of this and have no understanding of all else. So each age represents one part of God’s disposition. The Age of Law represents some aspects, the Age of Grace some aspects, and then this age some aspects. The disposition of God can only be fully revealed through the combination of all three stages. Only when man knows all three stages can man receive it fully. Not one of the three stages can be omitted. You will only see the disposition of God in its entirety once you know these three stages of work. God’s completion of His work in the Age of Law does not prove that He is the God under the law, and completion of His work of redemption does not show that God will forever redeem mankind. These are all conclusions drawn by man. The Age of Grace has come to an end, but you cannot say that God belongs only to the cross and that the cross represents the salvation of God. If you do so, you are defining God. In this stage, God is mainly doing the work of the word, but you cannot say that God has never been merciful to man and that all He has brought is chastisement and judgment. The work in the last days lays bare the work of Jehovah and Jesus and all mysteries not understood by man. This is done to reveal the destination and end of mankind and conclude all work of salvation among mankind. This stage of work in the last days brings everything to a close. All mysteries not understood by man must be unraveled to allow man to gain insight into such and have a clear understanding in their hearts. Only then can man be divided according to their kinds. Only after the six-thousand-year management plan has been completed will man come to understand the disposition of God in its entirety, for His management will then have come to an end.

from “The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Read more: Is Eastern Lightning the Return of the Lord Jesus?

                   The Church of Almighty God was founded by Almighty God personally?

Breaking Through the Fog to See the Light

Faith    China

I am an ordinary worker. At the end of November, 2013, a coworker saw that my wife and I would always make a lot of noise about little things, that every day we were worried and distressed, so he passed on the work of Almighty God in the last days to us. From the word of Almighty God, we have learned that the heavens and earth and all things were created by God, and that man’s life is bestowed on him by God. We have also understood the truth of the mystery of the six-thousand-year management plan, the mystery of the incarnation, God’s three stages of work in saving mankind, the significance of God’s work of judgment in the last days, and other respects. My wife and I thought that happening upon God having come to save mankind during our lifetimes was a great blessing. We happily accepted God’s work in the last days, and led a church life. Under the guidance of the word of God, we both pursued the truth and to transform ourselves, and whenever something happened and we started to argue, we wouldn’t just find fault with each other like we used to, but rather we would reflect on ourselves and try to know ourselves. After that, we acted in a way that forsook the flesh in accordance with God’s demands, and our marital relations became better and better, and our hearts became peaceful and steady. We felt that believing in God was truly good. However, while we were joyous and happy to follow God, when we were enjoying the blessed life, we were faced with a violent attack coming from our families…. Just when I was losing my way, it was the word of God that guided me to see through Satan’s scheme, and to break through the fog and enter onto the radiant and correct path for life.

Pictures of The Church of Almighty God

When I had just retired in February of 2014, my daughter in law got us two elderly folks to travel to Sichuan to babysit our grandson. I prayed to God: “Almighty God! My daughter in law has asked me to babysit our grandson, but I’m not used to life in that place, and it’s not convenient to believe in God or read the word of God in that place. I hope You will open up a way out for us….” Not long after that, my daughter in law called me again to say that she would bring my grandson to us. When I heard this news I was overjoyed, and felt how almighty God is. God heard my prayer and opened up a way out for me. Before too many days had passed, my daughter in law and her parents brought over my grandson. As it happened, the day after that I was going to a gathering, and I told them that I believed in Almighty God. After hearing this, my daughter in law said unhappily, “Dad, how can you believe in Almighty God? I’m sure you know that the government doesn’t allow people to believe in Almighty God, and in recent years they have been arresting believers in Almighty God. You can’t continue to believe in Him.” I refuted her by saying, “When we believe in God, we don’t do it out of opposition to the government. We just attend gatherings, read the word of God, pursue the truth, and follow the right path. How can they not let us believe?” My daughter in law said, “No matter what you say, and even if believing in God is the right path, as long as the government opposes it, you can’t believe in Him!” I thought to myself, “No matter what you say, it is the true God who I believe in. Even if the CCP government doesn’t allow it, I will still believe.” Later, my daughter in law went and found my wife and urged her that we shouldn’t believe in God…. Afterward, my son in faraway Sichuan called me up and said, “Dad, I heard you believe in Almighty God. That’s something the CCP opposes, so you can’t believe in Him anymore.” When I heard my son say this, I felt perturbed in my heart: Believing in God is the law of heaven for me, so why are you all trying to block me from it over and over? It’s so hard to believe in God and follow the correct path! I then prayed silently to God to guard me so I could resist the disturbances of my son and daughter in law. After praying, my heart gradually became tranquil. Although my son and daughter in law did not understand, I was clear that my faith in God and following the correct path was not mistaken, and that I could not be influenced by them. After three days, my daughter in law hurriedly came running home, and I saw that she had two stacks of something printed in her hands. She urged me to look at them quickly, and when I looked I saw that they were filled with rumors and falsehoods of the CCP government vilifying, condemning, and defaming the Church of Almighty God. For a moment I felt some confusion in my heart, and I thought: It can’t be, I’ve been attending meetings for several months and I’ve never seen any brothers or sisters missing arms or legs! Why does the CCP government want to spread rumors and defamation about the Church of Almighty God? What is really going on here? In the evening that day, I couldn’t sleep because I kept turning this over in my mind. “Alas! My son and daughter in law are trying so forcefully to block me, and the CCP government is also trying to persecute me, so what should I do?”

The next day, I went out for a stroll in the neighborhood, and also saw these rumors slandering and condemning the Church of Almighty God posted on a bulletin board. I thought: What I believe in is the true God, so why does the CCP government oppose it in this way? It seems that in the atheistic state controlled by the CCP, believing in God really isn’t an easy thing! … When I thought about this, I felt some weakness in my heart, and I returned home downcast and dejected. Just when I got home, my daughter in law said to me again, “Dad, I’m begging you to give up your faith. If the government finds out that you believe in God, I won’t be able to keep my job, and your son who will soon get his doctorate won’t even be able to find a job. Even your little grandson might get caught up in this, and it’s possible that in the future he won’t be able to attend school.” When I heard this, I thought it was a disaster. Believing in God can even involve the future of one’s children! I got more and more scared, and I knew that the CCP government’s ways of disciplining and punishing people are extremely cruel, so cruel that you could say that “they kill people without batting an eye.” I also thought it wouldn’t be easy for me to make my son graduate with his doctorate, and now what will I do if believing in God even gets my son involved? Better to just forget about it. The price I would pay for believing in God and following the right path is too high. Then, my daughter in law threatened me, saying, “My dad said that if you continue to believe, he will report you to the police. You know that my dad is a party secretary, and has given more than thirty years of his life to them. He hears and obeys whatever the CCP wants. He’s as good as his word, and this isn’t just to try to scare you.” The defenses in my heart then completely collapsed and toppled over, and I felt that it was too hard to believe in God, that the pressure was too much. With my son and daughter in law attacking me like this, if they really wanted to report me to the CCP government to be arrested and imprisoned, an old man like me could not bear such a thing. Forget it, it’s better to just give up my belief. After that, I didn’t attend gatherings anymore, and sisters came to my house looking for me several times and I always hid so they couldn’t find me.

But during that time when I was not attending gatherings, as long as I thought about how it was God’s immense love that saved me from my suffering and the sweetness and happiness of the brothers and sisters and I singing hymns and praising God together, I missed and yearned for it a lot but still feared my daughter in law and others reporting me to the police. I felt so much pain and torture in my heart and I didn’t know what the best course of action was. At that time, a coworker (a brother who believed in God) came to my house to visit me to see why I hadn’t been attending gatherings recently. I explained to him how my daughter in law had been harassing me about believing in God. After he heard this, he fellowshiped to me, “When we are beset by these things, it’s actually a spiritual struggle. It’s just like the disaster that Job was faced with, in that on the surface it seemed like it had been caused by thieves robbing him, but actually what was behind it was Satan’s torment of people and fighting over mankind with God. Because Job revered God and was able to shun evil, in the end he could stand witness for God while Satan was humiliated in defeat. So when we are beset by these things, God’s intention is to get us to distinguish Satan’s essence of evil. When we believe in God, all we need to do is rely on God, seek the truth, and be spiritually keen, and only then will we be able to see through Satan’s scheme and to stand witness! Then we can avoid being captured by Satan. Otherwise, we will lose the opportunity to receive salvation.

After that, my coworker read to me from the word of Almighty God: “God works, God cares for a person, looks upon a person, and Satan dogs His every step. Whoever God favors, Satan also watches, trailing along behind. If God wants this person, Satan would do everything in its power to obstruct God, using various evil ways to tempt, harass and wreck the work God does in order to achieve its hidden objective. What is its objective? It does not want God to have anyone; it wants all those that God wants, to possess them, control them, to take charge of them so they worship it, so they commit evil acts alongside it. Is this not Satan’s sinister motive? Normally, you often say that Satan is so evil, so bad, but have you seen it? You can only see how bad man is and has not seen in reality how bad Satan actually is. But have you seen it in this issue concerning Job? (Yes.) This issue has made Satan’s hideous countenance and its essence very clear. Satan is at war with God, trailing along behind Him. Its objective is to demolish all the work God wants to do, to possess and control those whom God wants, to completely extinguish those whom God wants. If they are not extinguished, then they come to Satan’s possession to be used by it—this is its objective” (“God Himself, the Unique IV” in Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh). “You must be awake and waiting at every moment, and you must come before Me more. You must recognize the various plots and cunning schemes of Satan, know the spirit, know people and be able to discern all kinds of people, matters and things; you must eat and drink more of My words and, more importantly, you must be able to eat and drink them by yourselves. Equip yourselves with all the truth, come before Me so that I may open your spiritual eyes and allow you to see all the mysteries that lie within the spirit…” (“The Seventeenth Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

After he had finished reading from the word of God, my coworker fellowshiped to me about it, saying: It is an intense spiritual struggle when we are beset with these things. At present, the whole world is under the domain of Satan, the evil one, and Satan continues to do its work of corrupting mankind. It wants to fully take possession of and destroy mankind whom God created, and this is Satan’s evil goal. God’s six-thousand-year management plan is for the sake of saving mankind from the dark influence of Satan. Especially in the present time of the last days, in expressing His word, God is doing the last stage of work of cleansing and saving mankind, and Satan is afraid that we will accept God’s work, and that we will understand the truth and receive salvation. It is afraid that we will distinguish its evil and reactionary essence, abandon it, and forsake it. Because of this it is in the throes of its final deathbed struggle—battling with God for the chosen people of God and using every contemptible strategy to block us from coming into God’s presence. Schemes like the suppression and seizures done by the CCP, family members’ disruption and persecution, as well as all the rumors and slander spread by the religious circle together with the CCP government are all implemented in order to prevent us from turning toward God. But God’s wisdom is exercised based on Satan’s scheme, and God is currently using Satan’s disruption to do service for God’s work. Through this He perfects our faith and loyalty. From the outside, it is your son and daughter in law together with the CCP government using all kinds of tricks and means to prevent and obstruct us from believing in God, but actually behind the scenes it is a ruse carried out by Satan. As long as we do more to seek the truth and to understand God’s will, have some knowledge of God’s work, are able to discern all of Satan’s tricks and ruses, and are able to stand witness for God, Satan will be humiliated in defeat. As long as we don’t seek to understand the truth and don’t understand the spiritual struggle, when Satan causes disruptions for us we are liable to be led astray and to give rise to doubts about God even to the point of denying God, betraying God, and leaving God behind. This way it will happen that you will fall victim to Satan’s tricks and miss the opportunity to receive salvation. In the end you will be devoured by Satan. So we absolutely must do more to pray and draw near to God, and step up our reading of the word of God and equipping ourselves with the truth. Only in this way can we understand God’s will, see through Satan’s tricks, and stand witness to God.

Through reading the word of God and what my coworker fellowshiped, I suddenly realized: This is actually a spiritual struggle. God expresses the truth in the last days in order to save mankind, but Satan thinks up every conceivable way to use pressure and persecution by my son, daughter in law, and the CCP government to prevent me from believing in God and following God. It is afraid that I will accept God’s work in the last days and understand the truth. Thus I will distinguish its evil, hideous, satanic, demonic essence and betray and forsake it, and obtain God’s salvation. Today, I have finally seen Satan’s contemptible malice and understood the painstaking care and thought that God put into saving me. Afterward, I will read more of the word of God and equip myself with the truth so as not to be taken advantage of by Satan. The emotions I had restrained for so long were finally set free in the word of God, and I felt so happy as if I was seeing the light of day again.

Although I understood that my daughter in law harassing me for believing in God was just one of Satan’s tricks, and that I should not be fooled by Satan, I was still rather worried that if the CCP government found out about my faith it would have an impact on the careers of my son and daughter in law. I was even more afraid of the impact it would have on my grandson going to school. So I told my coworker about my concerns and he read me another passage from the word of Almighty God: “God’s authority exists regardless of the circumstances; in all situations, God dictates and arranges every human fate and all things in accordance with His thoughts, His wishes. This will not change because humans change, and it is independent of man’s will, cannot be altered by any changes in time, space, and geography, for God’s authority is His very substance. … At all times God wields His authority, shows His might, continues His management work as always; at all times He rules all things, provides for all things, orchestrates all things, just as He always did. No one can change this. It is fact; it has been the unchanging truth since time immemorial!” (“God Himself, the Unique III” in Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh). After he had read the word of God, my coworker went on to fellowship about it: God is the Creator, and is the sovereign over the heavens, earth, and everything within. He also controls the fate of every person, and whatever kind of work or future each of us has was decided long ago by God. This is something no one can decide or change by himself. Your son and daughter in law’s careers and future are all controlled by God. It doesn’t matter if they believe in God or not; their fate is dictated and arranged by God. It is unnecessary for us to be worried about this or that. Job was never worried about it, because it was clear to him that all he had was given to him by God, and whatever was conferred upon him or taken away from him was done by God. So we should only be concerned with praying to God, and entrust the future of our sons and daughters to God’s hands and have faith that God has a suitable plan…. Through these words fellowshiped to me about knowing God’s authority, I came to have faith in God, and was steady and at peace in my heart. I would no longer worry about the future of my son or daughter in law.

Afterward, through reading the word of God, I made progress in knowing the evil essence of the CCP government’s hostility to God. The word of Almighty God says: “The devil tightly trusses all of man’s body, it puts out both his eyes, and seals his lips firmly shut. The king of devils has rampaged for several thousand years, right up until today, when it still keeps a close watch on the ghost town, as if it were an impenetrable palace of demons; this pack of watchdogs, meanwhile, stare with glaring eyes, deeply fearful that God will catch them unawares and wipe them all out, leaving them without a place of peace and happiness. How could the people of a ghost town such as this have ever seen God?” (“Work and Entry (8)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). The Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life also says: “In the heart of the great red dragon, it thinks God has come to take away from it all the people who belong to it, and He is making an enemy of it. This great red dragon is a peremptory and unreasonable thing! Mankind is created by God, and God has the authority to save mankind. Originally, mankind belongs to God, and it is the great red dragon which has usurped the chosen people of God, corrupting and trampling on them at will, eventually devouring them all. However, when God comes to save mankind it antagonizes Him. We can see from this that the great red dragon’s essential nature is in opposition to heaven, reactionary, unreasonable, and absurd in the extreme. It is a wild beast and a demon” (“The True Significance of Forsaking the Great Red Dragon to Receiving Salvation” in Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (III)). Now, I understand that in this atheistic country the authority of the CCP is the authority of Satan. It does not permit God to come to this land and do the work of saving people, nor does it allow people to break free of its dark influence and be obtained by God, to be led by God into a beautiful destination. So it does all it can to resist and condemn Almighty God and the work of Almighty God, frantically disturbing and obstructing us from following Almighty God. If we do not have the truth, don’t know the schemes of the CCP, and don’t see into its essence, it will be easy to be led astray by all the kinds of lies it disseminates, or to be frightened into submission by its repression and persecution. We won’t dare to come into the presence of God, and this means it has achieved its goal of devouring people and destroying God’s work of saving people. But there is no one who can penetrate God’s wisdom. God perfectly makes use of the persecution by the CCP to do service for perfecting the chosen people of God, to allow people to understand the truth, and to completely understand that the CCP government is a satanic demon which is full of enmity for the truth and takes God as its enemy, so they can completely forsake it and turn fully toward God. It is like when I experienced this persecution, in that my son and daughter in law, as well as my daughter in law’s parents, were all led astray by the lies of the CCP government. Under duress by the CCP abusing its power, they forced me to abandon Almighty God and caused me to miss out on receiving salvation from Almighty God. But now, through reading the word of God, I have seen clearly that the CCP government uses lies to lead people astray, and uses extremely violent methods to restrict people and stop them from believing in God. I have seen that its goal is to bring us all under its control and ultimately to be harmed and devoured by it. The more I think about it, the more I hate this satanic demon, this great red dragon that is the CCP. It is tyrannical, rides roughshod over people, and oppresses and persecutes those who believe in God. Its evil crimes truly do overflow the heavens, and it will inevitably face God’s retribution! I am grateful to the guidance of the word of God, which allowed me to distinguish the devilish essence of the CCP’s resistance to God and to no longer be restrained by its threats. I am also grateful that God caused my coworker to come to my home and assist me in a time when I was negative and weak, and when I had fallen down and lost my way. He used His word to guide me and saved me from being tempted by Satan, and made me break through Satan’s net and return to the presence of God and have an opportunity to receive salvation. I have resolved that no matter how many difficulties there are on the road ahead, I will follow Almighty God all the way to the end of the road!

Recommendation: Eastern Lightning

What is the consequence and the outcome of the religious world rejecting God’s work of judgment in the last days?

5. What is the consequence and the outcome of the religious world rejecting God’s work of judgment in the last days?

Relevant Words of God:

In each period of time, God will begin new work, and in each period, there will be a new beginning among man. If man only abides by the truths that “Jehovah is God” and “Jesus is Christ,” which are truths that only apply to a single age, then man will never keep up with the work of the Holy Spirit, and will forever be incapable of gaining the work of the Holy Spirit. Regardless of how God works, man follows without the slightest doubt, and he follows closely. In this way, how could man be eliminated by the Holy Spirit? Regardless of what God does, as long as man is certain that it is the work of the Holy Spirit, and cooperates in the work of the Holy Spirit without any misgivings, and tries to meet the requirements of God, then how could he be punished? The work of God has never ceased, His footsteps have never halted, and prior to the completion of His work of management, He has always been busy, and never stops. But man is different: Having gained but a modicum of the Holy Spirit’s work, he treats it as if it will never change; having gained a little knowledge, he does not go forth to follow the footsteps of God’s newer work; having seen but a bit of God’s work, he immediately prescribes God as a particular wooden figure, and believes that God will always remain in this form that he sees before him, that it was like this in the past and will always be thus in the future; having gained but a superficial knowledge, man is so proud that he forgets himself and begins to wantonly proclaim the disposition and being of God that simply do not exist; and having fastened upon one stage of the Holy Spirit’s work, no matter what kind of person it is that proclaims the new work of God, man does not accept it. These are people who cannot accept the new work of the Holy Spirit; they are too conservative, and incapable of accepting new things. Such people are those who believe in God but also reject God. Man believes that the Israelites were wrong to “only believe in Jehovah and not believe in Jesus,” yet the majority of people act out a role in which they “only believe in Jehovah and reject Jesus” and “long for the return of the Messiah, but oppose the Messiah who is called Jesus.” No wonder, then, that people still live under the domain of Satan after accepting one stage of the work of the Holy Spirit, and still do not receive God’s blessings. Is this not the result of man’s rebelliousness? Christians across the world who have not kept up with the new work of today all hold onto the belief that they are the lucky ones, that God will fulfill each of their wishes. Yet they cannot say for sure why God will take them up to the third heaven, nor are they certain about how Jesus will come to collect them riding upon a white cloud, much less can they say with absolute certainty whether Jesus will truly arrive upon a white cloud on the day that they imagine. They are all anxious, and at a loss; they themselves don’t even know whether God will take up each of them, the varied small handfuls of people, who hail from every denomination. The work that God does now, the present age, God’s will—they have no grasp of any of these, and can do nothing but count down the days on their fingers. 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.” Even though they have the “utmost loyalty” toward the words spoken by God, their words and actions still feel so disgusting because they oppose the work of the Holy Spirit, and commit deceit and evil. 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?

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

Those who are not cautious when they encounter the new work of the Holy Spirit, who run their mouths off, are quick to judge, who give free rein to their natural instinct to deny the rightness of the Holy Spirit’s work, and also insult and blaspheme it—are such disrespectful people not ignorant of the Holy Spirit’s work? Are they not, furthermore, the ones of arrogance, inherently proud and ungovernable? Even if a day comes when such people accept the new work of the Holy Spirit, still God will not tolerate of them. Not only do they look down upon those who work for God, but also blaspheme against God Himself. Such foolhardy people will not be forgiven, either in this age or the age to come and they shall forever perish in hell!

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

Christ of the last days brings life, and brings the enduring and everlasting way of truth. This truth is the path through which man shall gain life, and the only path by which man shall know God and be approved by God. If you do not seek the way of life provided by Christ of the last days, then you shall never gain the approval of Jesus, and shall never be qualified to enter the gate of the kingdom of heaven, for you are both a puppet and prisoner of history. Those who are controlled by regulations, by letters, and shackled by history will never be able to gain life, and will never be able to gain the perpetual way of life. That is because all they have is turbid water that has lain stagnant for thousands of years, instead of the water of life that flows from the throne. Those who are not supplied with the water of life will forever remain corpses, playthings of Satan, and sons of hell. How, then, can they behold God? If you only try to hold on to the past, only try to keep things as they are by standing still, and do not try to change the status quo and discard history, then will you not always be against God? The steps of God’s work are vast and mighty, like surging waves and rolling thunders—yet you sit and passively await destruction, sticking to your folly and doing nothing. In this way, how can you be considered someone who follows the footsteps of the Lamb? How can you justify the God that you hold on to as a God who is always new and never old? And how can the words of your yellowed books carry you across into a new age? How can they lead you to seek the steps of God’s work? And how can they take you up to heaven? What you hold in your hands is the letters that can provide but temporary solace, not the truths that are capable of giving life. The scriptures you read are that which can only enrich your tongue, not words of wisdom that can help you know human life, much less the ways that can lead you to perfection. Does this discrepancy not give you cause for reflection? Does it not allow you to understand the mysteries contained within? Are you capable of delivering yourself to heaven to meet God on your own? Without the coming of God, can you take yourself into heaven to enjoy family happiness with God? Are you still dreaming now? I suggest, then, that you stop dreaming, and look at who is working now, at who is now carrying out the work of saving man during the last days. If you do not, you shall never gain the truth, and shall never gain life.

from “Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Those who wish to gain life without relying on the truth spoken by Christ are the most ridiculous people on earth, and those who do not accept the way of life brought by Christ are lost in fantasy. And so I say that the people who do not accept Christ of the last days shall forever be despised by God. Christ is man’s gateway to the kingdom during the last days, which none may bypass. None may be perfected by God except through Christ. You believe in God, and so you must accept His words and obey His way. You must not just think of gaining blessings without receiving the truth, or accepting the provision of life. Christ comes during the last days so that all those who truly believe in Him may be provided with life. His work is for the sake of concluding the old age and entering the new one, and is the path that must be taken by all those who would enter the new age. If you are incapable of acknowledging Him, and instead condemn, blaspheme or even persecute Him, then you are bound to burn for eternity, and shall never enter the kingdom of God. For this Christ is Himself the expression of the Holy Spirit, the expression of God, the One whom God has entrusted to do His work on earth. And so I say that if you cannot accept all that is done by Christ of the last days, then you blaspheme the Holy Spirit. The retribution that should be suffered by those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit is self-evident to all. I also tell you that if you oppose Christ of the last days, and deny Him, then there is no one who can bear the consequences on your behalf. Furthermore, from this day onward you will not have another chance to gain the approval of God; even if you try to redeem yourself, you will never again behold the face of God. For what you oppose is not a man, what you deny is not some puny being, but Christ. Are you aware of this consequence? You have not made a small mistake, but committed a heinous crime. And so I advise everyone not to bare your fangs before the truth, or make careless criticisms, for only the truth can bring you life, and nothing except the truth can allow you to be reborn and behold the face of God.

from “Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Many have a bad feeling about the second incarnation of God, for man finds it difficult to believe that God would become flesh to do the work of judgment. Nevertheless, I must tell you that often the work of God greatly exceeds man’s expectations and is difficult for the minds of men to accept. For men are merely maggots upon the earth, while God is the supreme One that fills the universe; the mind of man is akin to a pit of foul water that gives rise only to maggots, whereas each stage of the work directed by the thoughts of God is the distillation of God’s wisdom. Man constantly wishes to contend with God, to which I say it is self-evident who will suffer loss in the end. I exhort you all not to regard yourselves as more important than gold. If others can accept the judgment of God, then why can you not? How much higher do you stand above others? If others can bow their heads before the truth, why can you not also do so? God’s work has an unstoppable momentum. He will not repeat the work of judgment again for the sake of your “merit,” and you will be filled with boundless regret at letting such a good opportunity slip. If you do not believe My words, then just wait for that great white throne in the sky to pass judgment upon you! You must know that all of the Israelites spurned and denied Jesus, and yet the fact of Jesus’ redemption of mankind still spread to the ends of the universe. Isn’t this a reality that God made long ago? If you are still awaiting Jesus to take you up to heaven, then I say that you are an obstinate piece of deadwood.

from “Christ Does the Work of Judgment With the Truth” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Do you understand now what is judgment and what is truth? If you have understood, then I exhort you to submit obediently to being judged, otherwise you shall never have the opportunity to be commended by God or to be brought by Him into His kingdom. Those who only accept judgment but can never be purified, that is, those who flee in the midst of the work of judgment, shall forever be detested and rejected by God. Their sins are more numerous, and more grievous, than those of the Pharisees, for they have betrayed God and are rebels against God. Such men who are not worthy even to do service shall receive more severe punishment, a punishment that is moreover everlasting. God shall not spare any traitor who once evinced loyalty with words but then betrayed Him. Men like these shall receive retribution through punishment of the spirit, soul, and body. Is this not precisely a revelation of the righteous disposition of God? Is this not God’s purpose in judging man, and revealing him? God consigns all those who perform all kinds of wicked deeds during the time of judgment to a place infested with evil spirits, letting these evil spirits destroy their fleshly bodies at will. Their bodies give off the stench of corpses, and such is their fitting retribution. God writes down in their record books each and every one of the sins of those disloyal false believers, false apostles, and false workers; then, when the time is right, He casts them amidst the unclean spirits, letting these unclean spirits defile their entire bodies at will, so that they may never be reincarnated and never again see the light. Those hypocrites who did service at one time but are unable to remain loyal to the end are numbered by God among the wicked, so that they walk in the counsel of the wicked and become part of their disorderly rabble; in the end, God shall annihilate them. God casts aside and takes no notice of those who have never been loyal to Christ or dedicated any effort, and shall annihilate them all in the change of ages. They shall no longer exist on earth, much less gain passage into the kingdom of God. Those who have never been sincere to God but are forced by circumstance into dealing with Him perfunctorily are numbered among those who do service for His people. Only a small number of such men can survive, while the majority shall perish along with those who are not qualified even to do service. Finally, God shall bring into His kingdom all those who are of the same mind as God, the people and the sons of God as well as those predestined by God to be priests. Such is the distillate obtained by God through His work. As for those who are unable to fall into any of the categories set by God, they shall be numbered among the unbelievers. And you can surely imagine what their outcome shall be.

from “Christ Does the Work of Judgment With the Truth” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

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

The entire religious world will immediately be left desolate, and neglected by all; they lack reality, and they will realize that their belief in God is vague and abstract. People of every sphere of society shall also disperse, and every nation and denomination will begin to fall into turmoil.

from “Interpretation of the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Utterances” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The world is falling! Babylon is in paralysis! The religious world—how could it not be destroyed by My authority on earth?

from “The Twenty-second Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh

God does not want any more people to be punished, but instead hopes for more people to be saved, and for more people to keep up with His footsteps and to enter into His kingdom. But if people refuse to recognize their mistakes, if they cannot accept the truth with a humble heart, but instead go nitpicking, trying to find fault and pretending to understand when really they do not, then they will be the ones who lose out in the end. God’s work waits for no man. His salvation is not like some piece of trash, to be randomly disposed on just anyone. Rather it is targeted, with objective and by choice. If you do not know to cherish it, then the only things awaiting you will be God’s righteous judgment and punishment. God treats all people righteously; no matter your age, how senior you are or even how much suffering you have been through, God’s righteous disposition is forever unchanged in the face of these things. … If you are prideful of your veteran status and you flaunt your seniority, laying down terms to God, then you will be disavowed from God’s salvation. Just like the Jews who could not accept Jesus Christ but only waited for the Messiah, that which befell them in the end was the curses and the ire of God; this is a fact that is there for all to see. …

… The knowledge and external behaviors of the Pharisees did not save their relationship with Jesus Christ. On the contrary, it harmed them, and it was their knowledge and conceptions, along with the image of God in their hearts, that impelled them to condemn the Lord Jesus. It was their imaginations and minds which misled them, which covered their spiritual eyes, causing them not to recognize the Messiah that had already come, to do all they could to find evidence and to gain a foothold in order to condemn the Lord Jesus. This is their ugly face—using the excuse of upholding God’s original work to condemn God’s realistic work in the present. Of course, this is a mistake that people living in any age are liable to make—using old doctrines and rules to measure and condemn truths that they have never heard before, thinking that they are adhering to the true way and maintaining their purity before God, that they are being loyal to God. But what are the facts? God is continually doing His new work, continuing His management, always new and never old. And what about people? They always hold fast to some obsolete things that they think to be the entirety of God’s expressions, patting themselves on the back, swollen with arrogance, waiting for God to bestow rewards on them with an attitude that believes God would never discard them, would never mistreat them. And what is the outcome? God’s work continues uninterrupted, with more people of the new age following Him and accepting His new work, while those who wait for God to bestow rewards on them are eliminated by God’s new work, and even more people fall into God’s punishment. At the moment when their punishment begins, their life in believing in God is over, and their ending, and their destination, are brought to an end. This is something that no one wishes to see, but it happens unknowingly before our eyes. So is this down to God’s disposition being so merciless, or is it that people’s seeking is at fault? Is it really not worth mankind thoroughly examining themselves?

from Afterword to Classic Examples of Punishment for Resisting Almighty God

Read more: Where Does Eastern Lightning Come From?

                   The origin of the Church of Almighty God.

How a Disobedient Son Changed | The Church of Almighty God

60 How a Disobedient Son Changed

Gao Feng

Linyi City, Shandong Province

I had been a co-worker of the Justification by Faith Church. The thought that I had served God for many years and was versed in the Bible always made me feel that I was something. So, I often made judgments on God’s work like “God cannot work in this way” or “God cannot work in that way.” As a result, when God’s new work came upon me, I condemned and blasphemed it blindly without seeking or investigation. I even sealed off the churches in many places, and said to the brothers and sisters, “The ‘Eastern Lightning’ is a heresy, a cult. Whoever preaches about the work of the last days is a deceiver. You mustn’t receive any stranger in future…” Whenever I remember my previous resistance against God, I am filled with remorse and hatred for myself!

On June 28, 1998, a strange sister came to our church while we were having a co-workers’ meeting. I asked her, “Where are you from? What are you here for?” She answered, “I’m a believer in Jesus. I want to attend your meeting as I heard this is a church.” I winked at the brothers and sisters to show that we should guard against her to prevent her from joining our church. After a short conversation with her, I knew that she came to preach the “Eastern Lightning,” so I abused her for being shameless and tried to drive her away. I pushed her into a puddle outside the door formed from a heavy rain that day, gave her two kicks and said, “Go away! …”

However, a few days later, the sister came to my home. I sicced the dog on her without a word, trying to frighten her away. Yet she didn’t move. The dog lunged at her, but it only smelled her and didn’t bite her. The sister said to me with a smile, “Brother, did you see? Did you see that God is caring and keeping me?” I was tongue-tied. And I remembered the biblical verses which told us how Daniel was kept by God in the lion’s den. Nevertheless, I still didn’t believe her words and told my wife to drive her out. My wife struck her with a club, and the blow felled her to the ground. After quite a while, she stood up and found herself limp. Then my wife dragged her out and pushed her into the filthy pool outside our house. She crawled out of it, limping, filth all over, and her shoes were left in the pool… Our neighbor saw it and took her home to let her wash herself and gave her a pair of shoes. It was already dark when she came out from the neighbor’s home. Yet she didn’t air any grievance and limped away.

My resistance and blasphemy against Almighty God and inhuman cursing and beating of the brothers and sister incurred God’s punishment soon afterward. A serious illness came upon me. I found it very hard to breathe, and each breath I took caused sharp pain in my chest. It left me unable to do any work. After examinations by different instruments in several hospitals, which cost over 1,500 yuan, the cause of my illness was still unknown. I was very puzzled: Did those instruments all go wrong? Greatly tortured by the illness, I could not but come before God to pray and examine myself, “O God! Why did I get such a strange illness? Did I offend or resist You? Is this Your punishment for me? I’m really confused. God! Please enlighten me and reveal it to me…”After prayer, I thought of that sister. I wondered why she had such great love and perseverance so that she came to my home to preach the kingdom gospel of Almighty God again and again. Faced with our beatings, curses, and insults, she never retaliated but still came wearing a smile and without any complaint… By contrast, we were not like believers in God at all, even worse than the unbelievers! What we did was really a shame to the Lord’s name! Thank God for His enlightenment. I pondered over it carefully. “Why did she spend so much trouble on us? Is there anything worthy of such a great price? …” I thought a lot about it, and then said to my wife, “If the sister comes again, we can’t treat her as before. We should quiet down and have a fellowship with her. My illness may have something to do with this.” Then I began to expect the sister to come again.

Not long afterward, the sister really came. She said smilingly as soon as she came in, “Uncle, here I am again. Are you still angry with me?” I was somewhat embarrassed. I said, “We felt great regret for it. We’ve seen God’s love manifested on you. So, we want to have a good talk with you.” She said happily, “Thank God! Uncle, auntie, it is Almighty God who has changed your heart! I came here today because Almighty God gives me the strength. Without the working of the Holy Spirit, no one could have love or faith. Men are all weak, selfish, and self-oriented, aren’t they? It is all because Almighty God has strengthened me that I can do these. It’s the work done by God. Today I’ve brought you a priceless treasure. I hope you can accept it.” With that, she took a book out of her bag and handed it to me. I took it over and saw it was entitled The Expression of the Christ. I quickly opened it and read the Preface. God says: “‘God’ and ‘man’ cannot be spoken of as equals. His substance and His work are most unfathomable and incomprehensible to man. If God does not personally do His work and speak His words in the world of man, then man would never be able to understand the will of God, and even those who have devoted their entire life to God would be incapable of gaining His approval. Without God’s work, no matter how good man’s doing, it will count for nothing, for the thoughts of God shall always be higher than the thoughts of man, and the wisdom of God is unfathomable to man. And so I say that those who have ‘seen through’ God and His work are ineffectual, they are all arrogant and ignorant. Man should not define the work of God; moreover, man cannot define the work of God. In the eyes of God, man is smaller than an ant, so how can man fathom God’s work? Those who are constantly saying, ‘God does not work in this or that way’ or ‘God is like this or that’—are they not all arrogant? We should all know that people, who are of the flesh, have all been corrupted by Satan. It is their nature to oppose God, and they are not on a parity with God, much less can they offer counsel for the work of God. How God guides man is the work of God Himself. Man should submit, and should not hold such and such a view, for man is but dust. … Since we believe that there is a God, and since we wish to satisfy Him and to see Him, we should seek the way of truth, and should look for a way to be compatible with God. We should not stand in stiff-necked opposition to God; what good could come of such actions?” Reading those words, I felt somewhat afraid. I thought, “Aren’t these words directed at me? Could it really be God’s work, God’s personal word?” I hurriedly turned to another page and read these words: “Almighty God is the all-powerful, all-accomplishing, and complete true God! He not only takes the seven stars, bears the seven Spirits, has the seven eyes, breaks the seven seals, and opens the scroll, but He is much more in control of the seven plagues and seven bowls and reveals the seven thunders. And He has already sounded the seven trumpets!” “When the seven thunders utter their voices, it means that I have saved all those who love Me and who sincerely want Me. All those who belong to Me and who are predestined and selected by Me can be called by My name and can hear My voice. This is God’s call. Let all the ends of the earth see that I am righteous and faithful, I am love and mercy, I am majesty and a consuming fire, and in the end I am merciless judgment. Let the world see that I am really and completely God Himself. Everyone is sincerely convinced and none dare to resist, judge, or slander anymore. Otherwise, curses will immediately come upon them and disasters will befall them. And they will only weep and gnash their teeth and be destroyed.” After I read those words, I couldn’t help shedding tears. “So, Almighty God is the One who breaks the seven seals and opens the scroll! He is really the returned Jesus! Then isn’t what I did a resistance to God? No wonder I got this undiagnosed disease. It is God’s punishment for my resisting His work…” At that thought, a fit of dizziness came over me. And I heard my wife sobbing, “We should accept it. The sister suffered our beatings and curses for the sake of bringing us to God. Treated like that, she still didn’t lose faith and came to preach to us by love. This is enough to show that it is God’s work, because only God has such love.”

Afterward, my wife and I followed Almighty God determinedly, and I gradually recovered from the illness which tortured me for long. I thanked Almighty God very much! I had been so disobedient to Him and resisted Him so much, yet He was still so gracious to me. Facing God’s selfless love, I felt more remorseful. “O God! Your salvation to me not only shows me Your majesty and wrath but Your salvation of love as well. After reading Your words today, I really hate what I did in the past! Though I have believed in You for many years, I didn’t know You and limited You within my notions. It’s all because I’m too blind and ignorant! O God! I really don’t deserve Your such uplifting. I resisted You and offended Your disposition. It is justifiable for You to take away my life according to it. But You still gave me the opportunity to repent and start anew. God, I’m willing to start all over again and spend the rest of my life repaying Your love for me!”

Brothers and sisters, what do you think after reading the experience of how I changed? Whatever thought you may have, I’d like to give you this advice: It is most senseless to condemn and resist God’s work blindly without seeking and investigation. It can only harm and forfeit yourself. Take me as a warning, brothers and sisters. God’s work of salvation in Mainland China is drawing to an end. Accept His salvation as soon as possible. You will regret all your life if you miss it!