The Pursuit of Spiritual Gifts Is Unrelated to the Attainment of Life

The Pursuit of Spiritual Gifts Is Unrelated to the Attainment of Life

Xin Sheng    United States

After a Startup Failure, I Believed in the Lord and Received His Grace

My name is Xin Sheng and I was born in Taiwan. In 1978, I moved to the United States at age 19 accompanied by my parents. Afterward, to realize my entrepreneurial dream, I opened a retail auto parts store sponsored by my parents. However, it went out of business later for lack of sales channels. Along with that, my startup dream vanished. My parents often gave me attitude for the money loss and sometimes spoke to me sarcastically, asking me to pay their money back. I was so distressed. At that time, I thought of Pastor Yang and his wife whom I met when I was running my store. They served in a neighboring church and I had visited it several times at their invitation. I felt harmony and love and my heart was at peace there. Faced with my parents’ attitudes toward my failure and toward the loss of my business, I felt that my home was lacking in warmth and love compared with the church. So I wanted to stay in the church to calm my mind. There I was moved by the free help of Pastor Yang and his brothers and sisters to other people. They all abided by the teachings of the Lord and pursued to be good people. I felt it was a pure land in the world. Therefore, I turned to the Lord through baptism on Thanksgiving Day of 1981. Thank the Lord for visiting His blessings and profuse grace upon me thereafter. I got married in 1983. My wife and I left our parents and moved to a town in the middle of the United States the next year. I learned aircraft maintenance and repair at a school and meanwhile attended meetings at a Chinese Christian church. Except for workdays, my wife and I would serve in the church. Although it was a small church, there were many believers with fervent hearts and great faith. In 1986, I became an official aircraft maintenance worker and got a stable job. At the same time, my wife and I had our first child. My career and life went smoothly, which made me feel as if I had entered the good land of Canaan. I was happy with the presence of the Lord, often living in joy.

My Wife and I Spread Gospel and Built a Church in Our Hometown, Taiwan

In 1990, my wife came up with the idea of returning to Taiwan for spreading gospel to our families and building a local church. After prayer, we got back to Taiwan with our kids in 1992. At the beginning, there were few believers in our church. Through our constant efforts and cooperation with the local brothers and sisters, the church thrived in five years, burning like fire with an increasing number of believers. Everyone was following the Lord with the utmost confidence. Seeing that the church we established with consistent efforts grew ever better because of the Lord’s blessings, I felt joyous and thanked the Lord for His blessings and grace, and had a greater faith in following Him.

Seven Years Later, I Returned to the United States and Joined the Charismatic Church

Because of some changes in life, my whole family moved back to the United States in 1999. My wife and I decided to settle down here, expecting a new start.

After coming back to America, we found the Charismatic Church and started to serve again, which brought us a new aim and knowledge. The pastor told us, “It is said in the Bible, ‘But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these works that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will’ (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). So we should pursue to be filled with the Holy Spirit, which is a spiritual gift. Only those who are filled with the Holy Spirit are the people possessed of spiritual life. It should be emphasized that everyone must pursue to gain the gift of praying in tongues, for the level of our spiritual life can be upgraded only with the gift of speaking in tongues. If we only pray with the understanding, the level of our spiritual life won’t be upgraded, and then it will be hard to say if we can enter into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord comes….” From then on, people in our church began to pursue various spiritual gifts, and those who gained the gift of speaking in tongues accounted for the largest proportion. I saw that once the pastor laid his hands on the believers and prayed, some cried, some laughed, some suddenly fell down, and some couldn’t stop speaking in tongues … My brothers and sisters always prayed in tongues after we finished singing hymns. But I was unable to do so. I supposed I was not a spiritual person. So I felt troubled for failing to gain any gifts, including speaking in tongues, which was the most common one. Feeling helpless, I just comforted myself with this: Don’t worry, maybe it is still early for me to gain spiritual gifts.

I Was Confused by the Church Situation Where the Believers Pursued to Be Filled With the Holy Spirit

Gradually, a growing number of the believers in our church could speak in tongues. But I saw that when my brothers and sister pursued spiritual gifts and the filling of the Holy Spirit, they paid decreasing attention to the explanation of the Scriptures and the practice of the Lord’s words, and all their deeds were far from testifying to the Lord. I remembered one time when my younger son came back from the church, he said, “I think the church is pretty much like the society. I don’t want to attend meetings anymore.” Actually, I felt the same way about the church. Gradually, I couldn’t feel the work of the Holy Spirit. I began to wonder whether or not the pursuit of being filled with the Holy Spirit was from Him. What’s more, every time we broke bread in Holy Communion, the church became a place of confessing. The moment the glasses of wine were raised, we began to repent our sins. But after that, we returned to real life and again committed sins involuntarily. The original prosperity of our church was lost and never returned. I was worried about living in sin and being unable to save myself. I tried to solve my problem through praying more, reading the Scriptures and spiritual books more, but to no avail. In particular, when I saw the Lord’s words, “Truly, truly, I say to you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3), my heart was full of fear and worry. I still lived in sin and was unable to put the Lord’s teachings into practice. I still could lose my temper, show jealousy and hatred toward others, have passions and lusts, and even tell lies for my personal benefits … I repented my sins, but after that, I continued to sin unwittingly. How could I be reborn in this way? I often thought to myself: If the pursuit of being filled with the Holy Spirit and receiving spiritual gifts is necessary for our salvation, why doesn’t the Lord bless our church? Can we really enter into the kingdom of heaven in such a way?

I Heard the News About the Lord’s Return Seventeen Years Later

I befriended Sister Fang on Facebook in November of 2016. In our conversation, I learned that her cousin was very seeking and that his knowledge and understanding of the Bible were very high. Then through Sister Fang, I got to chat with her cousin, Brother Qiancheng. Thanks be to the Lord. He indeed had a thorough and profound knowledge of the Bible, and I gained a new understanding of the Bible through his sharing. He also told me wonderful news that the Lord Jesus has come back. I was ecstatic and eager to know the work He has brought forth. However, when I heard him say, “The Lord has come back. He becomes flesh and expresses the words to do the work of judgment beginning with the house of God …” I felt conflicted and shocked: The Lord has come back through incarnation; how could it be possible? I believe that the Lord will appear to us with glory in a spiritual body instead of through incarnation when He comes back.

I put forward my viewpoint to Brother Qiancheng. He said, “It is meaningful that God incarnate comes to do His work. God doesn’t do anything insignificant. God becomes flesh once again to do His work in the last days. There are divine mysteries here. Let’s look at the prophecies in the Bible, ‘For as the lightning, that lightens out of the one part under heaven, shines to the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation’ (Luke 17:24-25). ‘I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come’ (John 16:12-13). These verses have prophesied that the Lord Jesus will return through incarnation. The Son of man refers to God’s return to flesh, becoming a person who is born to a human and have parents. God really and actually becomes man, but the Spirit within Him is the Holy Spirit, and He is the embodiment of the Spirit of God. If God appeared in a spiritual body, then He wouldn’t be called Son of man. On the other hand, when God comes back in the last days, ‘first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.’ Only when God comes in the flesh will He suffer many things, and if God appeared as the Spirit, He wouldn’t suffer as much. For instance, the Lord Jesus suffered in a practical way before He was nailed to the cross. When He transcended the flesh and became a spiritual body after the resurrection, however, He did not suffer anymore. On the third hand, ‘when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.’ Man can comprehend and enter the truth only if God’s Spirit is materialized in the flesh, speaks and works among man in a practical way, while the direct work of the Spirit cannot achieve such results. We will understand it more clearly after reading Almighty God’s words.”

Then Brother Qiancheng began to read the words of Almighty God. Almighty God says, “The Spirit is impalpable to man, and invisible to man, and the work of the Spirit is incapable of leaving any further evidence or facts of God’s work for man. Man shall never behold the real face of God, and shall always believe in a vague God that does not exist. Man shall never behold the face of God, nor will man ever hear words personally spoken by God. Man’s imaginings are, after all, empty, and cannot replace the true face of God; the inherent disposition of God, and the work of God Himself cannot be impersonated by man. The invisible God in heaven and His work can only be brought to earth by God incarnate who personally does His work among man. This is the most ideal way in which God appears to man, in which man sees God and comes to know the true face of God, and it cannot be achieved by a non-incarnate God” (“Corrupt Mankind Is More in Need of the Salvation of God Become Flesh” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

“So if this work is done by the Spirit—if God does not become flesh, and instead the Spirit speaks directly through thunder, so that man has no contact with Him, would man know His disposition? If only the Spirit does the work, then man would have no way of knowing His disposition. People can only behold God’s disposition with their own eyes when He becomes flesh, and reveals His words in the flesh, and expresses His entire disposition through the flesh. God truly lives among man. He is tangible; man can truly engage with His disposition and what He has and is; only in this way can man truly know Him” (“The Vision of God’s Work (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

“The work that is of greatest value to corrupt man is that which provides accurate words, clear goals to pursue, and which can be seen and touched. Only realistic work and timely guidance are suited to man’s tastes, and only real work can save man from his corrupt and depraved disposition. This can only be achieved by the incarnate God; only the incarnate God can save man from his formerly corrupt and depraved disposition. Although the Spirit is the inherent substance of God, work such as this can only be done by His flesh. If the Spirit worked single-handedly, then it would not be possible for His work to be effective—this is a plain truth”(“Corrupt Mankind Is More in Need of the Salvation of God Become Flesh” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

After reading Almighty God’s words, Brother Qiancheng fellowshiped, “We are still living in sin and under Satan’s domain. Every day we sin and confess. Such corrupt people like us are unfit to see God’s face. What’s more, we are of flesh and blood, so we can’t see God’s spiritual body. When Daniel saw the vision, he set his face toward the ground, became dumb, and there was no strength or breath left in him. When the apostle John saw the vision on the island of Patmos, he fell to the ground as dead. God’s Spirit allows no offense, and can never be approached by man. Only when God is incarnated to be a man, actually carries out His work and speaks His words in the world of man and expresses the truth, can the outcome of salvation of man be attained.”

The Words of Almighty God Awakened My Heart

Brother Qiancheng’s fellowship was very practical and beyond all dispute, making me up from my stupor. As it turned out, God’s work has a very profound meaning. But I would always define it according to my own conceptions. I was too ignorant and arrogant. Indeed, we are caked in grime, living a life of sinning and confessing. How could we be fit to see God’s spiritual body? Only when God is incarnated as a man as well as work and speak among us, can we hear His voice with our own ears, read His words, experience His work personally, and come face to face with Him. Just when the Lord Jesus did His work, His disciples were face to face with Him every day, listened to His preaching, and accepted His personal provision, watering and shepherding. The work of God incarnate is so beneficial to man.

Then Brother Qiancheng read two more passages of God’s words, “It is precisely because Satan has corrupted the flesh of man, and man is the one who God intends to save, that God must assume the flesh to do battle with Satan and to personally shepherd man. Only this is beneficial to His work. The two incarnate fleshes of God have existed in order to defeat Satan, and have also existed in order to better save man” (“Restoring the Normal Life of Man and Taking Him to a Wonderful Destination” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

“When God is working in the flesh, He is actually doing battle with Satan in the flesh. When He works in the flesh, He is doing His work in the spiritual realm, and makes the whole of His work in the spiritual realm real on earth. The one who is conquered is man, who is disobedient to Him, the one who is defeated is the embodiment of Satan (of course, this is also man), who is in enmity of Him, and the one who is ultimately saved is also man. In this way, it is even more necessary for Him to become a man who has the outer shell of a creature, so that He is able to do real battle with Satan, conquering man, who is disobedient to Him and possessed of the same outer shell as Him, and saving man, who is of the same outer shell as Him and has been harmed by Satan. His enemy is man, the object of His conquest is man, and the object of His salvation is man, who was created by Him. So He must become man, and in this way, His work becomes much easier. He is able to defeat Satan and conquer mankind, and, moreover, is able to save mankind” (“Corrupt Mankind Is More in Need of the Salvation of God Become Flesh” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

After reading God’s words, Brother Qiancheng continued his fellowship, “After thousands of years of Satan’s corruption, man has been fully imbued with Satan’s poison like its thoughts and views. What man has lived out is totally in Satan’s image, such as arrogance, self-rightness, self-importance, conceit, selfishness, deceit and so on. Man is also full of imaginations and conceptions about God. Once God’s work is not in line with man’s notions, he will judge, refuse, even blaspheme and condemn it. No one loves the truth or hungers for the truth, nor does he like walking the right path. Instead, people all love the world, pursue fame and fortune, always long for more, adore lust, and covet fleshly comforts. God is righteous and holy. People with the corrupt satanic disposition are not qualified to see the face of God, much less inherit God’s promise and enter into God’s kingdom. People living under Satan’s domain are the ones Satan tries to swallow. God cannot bear to see His created mankind taken captive by Satan. He intends to fully save man from the domain of Satan, allowing him to inherit His promises. To save man, God has to bestow upon him the truth that can help him to throw off Satan’s dark influence. When man gains the truth as his life, Satan’s poison existing within him will be eliminated, and the outdated ideas and views as well as his outlooks on life and values will be changed. Once all things that belong to Satan in man have been cleansed by God’s words, he shall fully break free of Satan’s influence and be saved by God. And the work of expressing words and bestowing man the truth can only be done by God incarnate. As is now clear, corrupt mankind is in need of the salvation of God become flesh.”

God’s words and Brother Qiancheng’s fellowship made me gain further understanding of God’s work in the last days. God becomes flesh to do His work for the purpose of saving man that has been deeply corrupted by Satan. Without the work of God incarnate, man would never be supplied and shepherded by God’s words, and would be unable to gain the truth to break away from the influence of Satan or free himself from sins. In that case, man would always be controlled and exploited by Satan, always live under Satan’s domain, and belong to Satan forever. Therefore, God incarnate expresses the words to provide to man and shepherd him, allows him to break away from Satan’s influence and become a man who truly belongs to God and is gained by God. This is profound salvation for man and great love for him.

It was almost time for my work. Then we all got offline after setting up a time for our next fellowship. I was contemplating God’s words and Brother Qiancheng’s fellowship on my way to work. Almighty God’s words have indeed unveiled mysteries and clarified the significance of incarnation. God is so practical. He becomes flesh as the Son of man, expresses His words and judges the corruption of mankind really and actually. In the past, I believed that the Lord would appear in a spiritual body when He came back. It now looks as though my thought is so vague and impractical, neither is it realistic. However, concerning Brother Qiancheng’s fellowship that people who have gained the truth have received life, I have a different understanding. It is agreed in our Charismatic church that people have gained life when they are filled with the Holy Spirit, or when they get spiritual gifts like speaking in tongues or interpreting tongues. But I have learned something from this fellowship and dare not uphold myself. I prefer seeking out him for fellowship online next time.

The Second Fellowship Made Me Understand That Only Those Who Have Gained the Truth Are Those Who Have Life

Our appointed time finally came. I said, “Brother Qiancheng, people in our sect believed that to be filled with the Holy Spirit or gain spiritual gifts is all that is needed to have life. For example, people with the ability of speaking with tongues or interpreting tongues are those who have received life. What do you think about this?”

He said, “Concerning this issue, the first thing we need to understand is what constitutes life. The Lord Jesus has said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6) and ‘The words that I speak to you, they are spirit, and they are life’ (John 6:63). Almighty God says, ‘the more you obey the words of God, the greater the proof of your longing for the truth. People who do not long for the words of God are people who are without life. Such people are those who are outside the words of God, and who belong to religion’ (‘Only Those Who Know the Work of God Today Can Serve God’ in The Word Appears in the Flesh) and ‘Why is it said that many people have no life? Because they do not know God, and thus it is said that they have no God, and have no life. If your belief in God has reached a certain point where you are capable of thoroughly knowing the deeds of God, the reality of God, and every stage of God’s work, then you are possessed of the truth’ (‘Only Those Who Know God Can Bear Testimony to God’ in The Word Appears in the Flesh) and ‘When you are having a change, the reality of the truth is being wrought in you, and you will then progress and will see a change in the conditions of your life. When you have this change, and this kind of reality of the truth, then you will have stature, and with stature comes life’ (‘If You Wish to Attain the Truth, Then You Must Learn From the People, Matters, and Things Around You” in Fellowship and Preaching of Christ of the Last Days). From what is said above, we can see that God’s word is the life and the truth is the life. It can be seen that only those who have gained the truth and the word of God as their life are those who truly have life and those who are perfected by God’s work of judgment in the last days. In God’s work of judgment, people are able to understand and gain the truth, live by God’s words, have a true knowledge of God, understand His will in all things, be truly loyal and obedient to Him, and truly love Him, revere Him and shun evil. All of these show that they have received the life. People possessed of the life can prevail over Satan. They can penetrate Satan’s deception instead of falling prey to it, no longer rebelling against or resisting God, regardless of how Satan deceives, tempts or tests them. Thus it is erroneous that people want to gain life through pursuing to be filled with the Holy Spirit. In addition, the Holy Spirit is God Himself and will never become man’s life. The Lord Jesus and Almighty God are the fleshes in which the Spirit is realized, the incarnate God Himself, which is nothing less than the absolute truth. Apparently some people still live under the bonds of sin and what they live out is entirely the image of Satan, but they say the Holy Spirit has become their life, which is a tremendous blasphemy to God.

Some people think that those who have spiritual gifts, like speaking in tongues or interpreting tongues, have gained the life. Who said these words? Is there the confirmation of God’s words? Has Jehovah God said these? Has the Lord Jesus said these? We should use God’s words as the standard for our belief in God. Anything without the basis of God’s words comes from man’s notions and imaginations. Man has been corrupted by Satan, and the thoughts in his mind have been processed by Satan. Man pursues vagueness and abstraction, has supernatural imagination, and prefers falsehoods. Thus man’s notions and imaginations are all fallacies and are deceptive, none of which is compatible with God. The Lord Jesus has said, ‘But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come on you: and you shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth’ (Acts 1:8). It is written in Scripture, ‘And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance’ (Acts 2:4). First of all, we must understand such a truth that God absolutely will not do something meaningless or worthless. The Holy Spirit came to be with man after the ascension of the Lord Jesus for the purpose of making them have faith and strength to testify the Lord and spread the gospel. What’s more, there is a background when it comes to being filled with the Holy Spirit to speak with tongues. At that time, people of all nations who didn’t speak Hebrew gathered with the apostles. Then the apostles began to speak with other tongues, as God gave them utterance, witnessing to God to all nations and all lands, thereby leading people to turn to God. Therefore this work of the Lord at that time is meaningful and valuable. But the tongues spoken by people in the religious world have substantive differences with those spoken by the apostles in the Age of Grace. For one thing, the languages they speak don’t belong to any nation or any country, and can’t be understood by human beings. For another thing, they speak with tongues not to testify to the work of God. Then what is the value and significance of it? From these it can be seen that it is done by Satan and evil spirits rather than the Holy Spirit.”

I gained discernments through God’s words and Brother Qiancheng’s fellowship. People from the sect pursue to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to gain spiritual gifts with the result that some can speak with tongues and some can interpret tongues. This is abnormal and is simply not the work of the Holy Spirit but the work of evil spirits. Because man’s living out can show that man still lives in sin, covets money and the pleasure of the flesh, seeks fame and fortune and pursues worldly trends. Not a single one can hold fast to God’s commandments, abide by the Lord’s way, let alone overcome Satan’s temptation. How could this be having life? Even some people see the display of crying, laughing and falling on the ground in great meetings as the manifestations of having life. Thinking about it now, that is so absurd and ridiculous.

I Returned Before Almighty God

I thank God for preparing the online gathering, making me gain a lot of knowledge which is far more than what I have learned in the past couple of years in the religion. It not only rectifies my former mistaken knowledge but also makes me have discernment and see through the absurdity in the religious world. The words of Almighty God are indeed the truth that can supply the life of man. From now on, I will read His words more and equip myself with the truth so that I can become clear of mind and bright of eye and have a path upon which to tread.

In the days after this, we continued with the online gatherings in fellowship. After reading the words of Almighty God, Brother Qiancheng communicated with me about various truths, such as the mysteries of God’s incarnation, the significance of His two incarnations, the differences between the work of the Holy Spirit and the work of evil spirits, the differences between the work of God and the work of man, the prophecies of the kingdom’s beauty and so on. I firmly believe that this is God’s voice and the work of God’s appearance and become convinced that Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus. I happily accepted the work of Almighty God in the last days. Thereafter I enjoy the words expressed by Almighty God every day. I hope to become a person with the truth as my life soon. I give thanks for Almighty God’s salvation for me.

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Facing the new work God does in the last days, how should we seek to make sure that it is the true way?

Facing the new work God does in the last days, how should we seek to make sure that it is the true way?

The answer from God’s word:

“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 so, 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 try to seek God, we should not superimpose our conceptions on the work of God for God’s consideration, least of all should we employ our corrupt disposition to deliberately try to oppose the work of God. Would that not make us antichrists? How could such people say that they believe in God? 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?

Today, God has new work. You may not accept these words, they may feel odd to you, but I advise you not to reveal your naturalness, for only those who truly hunger and thirst for righteousness before God can obtain the truth, and only those who are truly devout can be enlightened and guided by God. Nothing will come of seeking the truth through quarreling. Only by seeking calmly can we obtain results. When I say that ‘Today, God has new work,’ I am referring to God’s return to flesh. Perhaps you do not mind these words, perhaps you despise them, or perhaps they are of great interest to you. Whatever the case, I hope that all those who truly yearn for the appearance of God can face this fact and give it careful consideration. It is best not to jump to conclusions. This is the way that wise people should act.”

from Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh

“You should choose your own path, and should not blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and reject the truth. You should not be an ignorant and arrogant person, but someone who obeys the guidance of the Holy Spirit and longs for and seeks the truth; only in this way will you benefit. I advise you to tread the path of belief in God with care. Do not jump to conclusions; what’s more, do not be casual and carefree in your belief in God. You should know that, at the very least, those who believe in God should be humble and reverential. Those who have heard the truth and yet turn their nose up at it are foolish and ignorant. Those who have heard the truth and yet carelessly jump to conclusions or condemn it are beset by arrogance. No one who believes in Jesus is qualified to curse or condemn others. You should all be someone who is rational and accepts the truth. Perhaps, having heard the way of truth and read the word of life, you believe that only one in 10,000 of these words are in line with your convictions and the Bible, and then you should continue to seek in that 10,000th of these words. I still advise you to be humble, to not be over-confident, and to not exalt yourself too highly. With your heart holding such meager reverence for God, you will gain greater light. If you carefully examine and repeatedly contemplate these words, you shall understand whether or not they are the truth, and whether or not they are life. Perhaps, having only read a few sentences, some people will blindly condemn these words, saying, ‘This is nothing more than some enlightenment of the Holy Spirit,’ or, ‘This is a false Christ come to deceive people.’ Those who say such things are blinded by ignorance! You understand too little of the work and wisdom of God, and I advise you to start again from scratch! You must not blindly condemn the words expressed by God because of the appearance of false Christs during the last days, and must not be someone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit because you fear deception. Would that not be a great pity? If, after much examination, you still believe that these words are not the truth, are not the way, and are not the expression of God, then you shall ultimately be punished, and be without blessings. If you cannot accept such truth spoken so plainly and so clearly, then are you not unfit for God’s salvation? Are you not someone who is not fortunate enough to return before the throne of God? Think about it! Do not be rash and impetuous, and do not treat belief in God as a game. Think for the sake of your destination, for the sake of your prospects, for the sake of your life, and do not play around with yourself. Can you accept these words?”

from “When You Behold the Spiritual Body of Jesus Will Be When God Has Made Anew Heaven and Earth” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

“External appearance does not determine substance; what’s more, the work of God has never conformed with the conceptions of man. Did not the outward appearance of Jesus conflict with the conceptions of man? Were not His appearance and dress unable to provide any clues as to His true identity? Was not the reason why the earliest Pharisees opposed Jesus because they merely looked at His external appearance, and did not take to heart the words that He spoke? It is My hope that the brothers and sisters who seek the appearance of God will not repeat the tragedy of history. You must not become the Pharisees of modern times and nail God to the cross again. You should carefully consider how to welcome the return of God, and should have a clear mind of how to be someone who submits to the truth. This is the responsibility of everyone who is waiting for Jesus to return with the clouds. We should rub our spiritual eyes, and not fall prey to the words full of flights of fancy. We should think about the practical work of God, and should take a look at the real side of God. Do not get carried away or lose yourselves in daydreams, always looking forward to the day that the Lord Jesus suddenly descends among you on a cloud to take you who have never known Him or seen Him, and do not know how to do His will. It is better to think upon practical matters!

You may have opened this book for the purpose of research, or with the intention to accept; whatever your attitude, I hope that you will read it to the end, and will not put it aside easily. Perhaps, after reading these words, your attitude will change, but that depends on how motivated you are, and how easily you take things to heart. There is, however, one thing that you should know: The word of God cannot be spoken as the word of man, much less can the word of man be spoken as the word of God. A man used by God is not the incarnate God, and the incarnate God is not a man used by God; in this, there is a substantial difference. Perhaps, after reading these words, you do not accept that they are the words of God, and only accept them as the words of a man who has been enlightened. In that case, you are blinded by ignorance. How can the words of God be the same as the words of a man who has been enlightened? The words of God incarnate initiate a new age, guide the whole of mankind, reveal mysteries, and show man the direction ahead in a new age. The enlightenment obtained by man is but simple practice or knowledge. It cannot guide the whole of mankind into a new age or reveal the mystery of God Himself. God, after all, is God, and man is man. God has the substance of God, and man has the substance of man. If man views the words spoken by God as simple enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, and takes the words of the apostles and prophets as words personally spoken by God, then man is wrong. Regardless, you should never turn right into wrong, or speak of the high as the low, or speak of the profound as the shallow; regardless, you should never deliberately refute what you know to be the truth. Everyone who believes there is a God should consider this problem from the correct standpoint, and should accept His new work and words as a creature of God—or else be eliminated by God.”

from Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh

“The objective of God’s appearance free from the constraints of any form or country is for Him to be able to complete the work of His plan. For example, when God became flesh in Judea, His aim was to complete the work of crucifixion to redeem all mankind. Yet the Jews believed that it was impossible for God to do this, and they thought it impossible that God could become flesh and assume the form of the Lord Jesus. Their ‘impossible’ became the basis by which they condemned and opposed God, and ultimately led to the destruction of Israel. Today, many people have committed a similar error. They wantonly proclaim the imminent appearance of God, yet also condemn His appearance; their ‘impossible’ once more confines the appearance of God within the limits of their imagination. And so I have seen many people fall about laughing after coming upon the words of God. Isn’t this laughter no different from the condemnation and blasphemy of the Jews? You are not devout in facing the truth, much less do you yearn for the truth. You merely study blindly and wait nonchalantly. What can you gain from studying and waiting like this? Can you receive the personal guidance of God? If you cannot discern the utterances of God, how are you qualified to witness the appearance of God? Where God appears, there is the expression of the truth, and there is the voice of God. Only those who can accept the truth can hear the voice of God, and only such people are qualified to witness the appearance of God. Put your conceptions to one side! Stop and carefully read these words. If you yearn for the truth, God will enlighten you to understand His will and His words. Put aside your view of ‘impossible’! The more that people believe something is impossible, the more likely it is to occur, for the wisdom of God soars higher than the heavens, God’s thoughts are higher than man’s thoughts, and the work of God transcends the limits of man’s thinking and conception. The more that something is impossible, the more there is the truth to be sought; the more that something is beyond the conception and imagination of man, the more it contains the will of God. Because no matter where God reveals Himself, God is still God, and His substance will never change because of the location or manner of His appearance. The disposition of God remains the same regardless of where His footprints are. No matter where the footprints of God are, He is the God of all mankind. For example, the Lord Jesus is not only the God of Israelites, but is also the God of all people in Asia, Europe, and America, and even more the only God in the entire universe. So let us seek God’s will and discover His appearance from His utterances, and follow His footprints! God is the truth, the way, and the life. His words and His appearance exist concurrently, and His disposition and footprints shall always be accessible to mankind. Dear brothers and sisters, I hope that you can see the appearance of God in these words, and will begin to follow His footprints toward a new age, and into a beautiful new heaven and new earth prepared for those who await the appearance of God.”

from “The Appearance of God Has Brought a New Age” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

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It is written that the Bible is God-breathed. Why do you say that the Bible is not all God’s words?

It is written that the Bible is God-breathed. Why do you say that the Bible is not all God’s words?

The answer from God’s word:

“Not everything in the Bible is a record of the words personally spoken by God. The Bible simply documents the previous two stages of God’s work, of which one part is a record of the foretellings of the prophets, and one part is the experiences and knowledge written by people used by God throughout the ages. Human experiences are tainted with human opinions and knowledge, which is unavoidable. In many of the books of the Bible are human conceptions, human biases, and human absurd interpretations. Of course, most of the words are the result of the enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit, and they are correct interpretations—yet it still cannot be said that they are entirely accurate expressions of the truth. Their views on certain things are nothing more than the knowledge of personal experience, or the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. The foretellings of the prophets were personally instructed by God: The prophecies of Isaiah, Daniel, Ezra, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel came from the direct instruction of the Holy Spirit, these people were seers, they had received the Spirit of prophecy, they were all prophets of the Old Testament. During the Age of Law these people, who had received the inspirations of Jehovah, spoke many prophecies, which were directly instructed by Jehovah. …

… Today, people believe the Bible is God, and that God is the Bible. So, too, do they believe that all the words of the Bible were the only words God spoke, and that they were all said by God. Those who believe in God even think that although all of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament were written by people, they were all given by inspiration of God, and a record of the utterances of the Holy Spirit. This is the erroneous interpretation of people, and it does not completely accord with the facts. In fact, apart from the books of prophecy, most of the Old Testament is historical record. Some of the epistles of the New Testament come from people’s experiences, and some come from the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit; the Pauline epistles, for example, arose from the work of a man, they were all the result of the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment, and they were written for the churches, were words of exhortation and encouragement for the brothers and sisters of the churches. They were not words spoken by the Holy Spirit—Paul could not speak on behalf of the Holy Spirit, and neither was he a prophet, much less did he see visions. His epistles were written for the churches of Ephesus, Philadelphia, Galatia, and other churches. And thus, the Pauline epistles of the New Testament are epistles that Paul wrote for the churches, and not inspirations from the Holy Spirit, nor are they the direct utterances of the Holy Spirit. They are merely words of exhortation, comfort, and encouragement that he wrote for the churches during the course of his work. So, too, are they a record of much of Paul’s work at the time. They were written for all of the brothers and sisters in the Lord, and were in order to make the brothers and sisters of all of the churches at the time follow his advice and abide by all of the ways of the Lord Jesus. By no means did Paul say that, be they the churches of that time or of the future, all must eat and drink the things of him, nor did he say that his words all came from God. According to the circumstances of the church at that time, he simply communed with the brothers and sisters, and exhorted them, and inspired belief in them; and he simply preached or reminded people and exhorted them. His words were based upon his own burden, and he supported the people through these words. He did the work of an apostle of the churches of that time, he was a worker who was used by the Lord Jesus, and thus he was given the responsibility of the churches, he was charged with carrying out the work of the churches, he had to learn about the circumstances of the brothers and sisters—and because of this, he wrote epistles for all of the brothers and sisters in the Lord. All he said that was edifying and positive to people was right, but it did not represent the utterances of the Holy Spirit, and he could not represent God. It is an egregious understanding, and a tremendous blasphemy, for people to treat the records of a man’s experiences and a man’s epistles as the words spoken by the Holy Spirit to the churches! That is particularly true when it comes to the epistles that Paul wrote for the churches, for his epistles were written for the brothers and sisters based on the circumstances and situation of each church at the time, and were in order to exhort the brothers and sisters in the Lord, so that they could receive the grace of the Lord Jesus. His epistles were in order to rouse the brothers and sisters of that time. It can be said that this was his own burden, and was also the burden given to him by the Holy Spirit; after all, he was an apostle who led the churches of the time, who wrote epistles for the churches and exhorted them—that was his responsibility. His identity was merely that of a working apostle, and he was merely an apostle who was sent by God; he was not a prophet, nor a foreteller. So to him, his own work and the lives of the brothers and sisters were of the utmost importance. Thus, he could not speak on behalf of the Holy Spirit. His words were not the words of the Holy Spirit, much less could they be said to be the words of God, for Paul was nothing more than a creature of God, and was certainly not the incarnation of God. His identity was not the same as that of Jesus. The words of Jesus were the words of the Holy Spirit, they were the words of God, for His identity was that of Christ—the Son of God. How could Paul be His equal? If people see the epistles or words like Paul’s as the utterances of the Holy Spirit, and worship them as God, then it can only be said that they are too indiscriminating. To speak more harshly, isn’t this nothing but blasphemy? How could a man talk on behalf of God? And how could people bow down before the records of his epistles and of the words he spoke as if they were a ‘holy book,’ or a ‘heavenly book’? Could the words of God be casually uttered by a man? How could a man talk on behalf of God? And so, what say you—could the epistles that he wrote for the churches not be tainted with his own ideas? How could they not be tainted with human ideas? He wrote epistles for the churches based on his personal experiences and the extent of his own life. For instance, Paul wrote an epistle to the Galatian churches which contained a certain opinion, and Peter wrote another, which had another view. Which of them came from the Holy Spirit? No one can say for sure. Thus, it can only be said that they both bore a burden for the churches, yet their letters represent their stature, they represent their provision and support for the brothers and sisters, and their burden toward the churches, and they only represent human work; they were not entirely of the Holy Spirit. If you say that his epistles are the words of the Holy Spirit, then you are absurd, and you are committing blasphemy! The Pauline epistles and the other epistles of the New Testament are equivalent to the memoirs of the more recent spiritual figures. They are on a par with the books of Watchman Nee or the experiences of Lawrence, and so on. It’s simply that the books of recent spiritual figures are not compiled into the New Testament, yet the substance of these people is the same: They were people who were used by the Holy Spirit during a certain period, and they could not directly represent God.

The Gospel of Matthew of the New Testament documents Jesus’ genealogy. At the start, it says that Jesus was a descendant of Abraham, the son of David, and the son of Joseph; next it says that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of a virgin—which would mean He was not the son of Joseph or the descendant of Abraham, that He was not the son of David. The genealogy, though, insists on associating Jesus with Joseph. Next, the genealogy begins to record the process by which Jesus was born. It says Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, that He was born of a virgin, and not the son of Joseph. Yet in the genealogy it is clearly written that Jesus was the son of Joseph, and because the genealogy is written for Jesus, it records forty-two generations. When it goes to the generation of Joseph, it hurriedly says that Joseph was the husband of Mary, words which are in order to prove that Jesus was the descendant of Abraham. Is this not a contradiction? The genealogy clearly documents Joseph’s ancestry, it is obviously the genealogy of Joseph, but Matthew insists that it is the genealogy of Jesus. Does this not deny the fact of Jesus’ conception by the Holy Spirit? Thus, is the genealogy by Matthew not a human idea? It is ridiculous! In this way, you know that this book did not come entirely from the Holy Spirit. There are, perhaps, some people who think that God must have a genealogy on earth, as a result of which they assign Jesus as the forty-second generation of Abraham. That is really ridiculous! After arriving on earth, how could God have a genealogy? If you say that God has a genealogy, do you not rank Him among the creatures of God? For God is not of the earth, He is the Lord of creation, and although He is of flesh, He is not of the same essence as man. How could you rank God as of the same kind as a creature of God? Abraham cannot represent God; he was the object of Jehovah’s work at the time, he was merely a faithful servant approved of by Jehovah, and he was one of the people of Israel. How could he be an ancestor of Jesus?

Who wrote the genealogy of Jesus? Did Jesus Himself write it? Did Jesus personally say to them, ‘Write My genealogy’? It was recorded by Matthew after Jesus was nailed to the cross. At the time, Jesus had done much work that was incomprehensible to His disciples, and had not provided any explanation. After He left, the disciples began to preach and work everywhere, and for the sake of that stage of work, they began writing the epistles and the books of gospel. The books of gospel of the New Testament were recorded twenty to thirty years after Jesus was crucified. Before, the people of Israel only read the Old Testament. That is to say, in the Age of Grace people read the Old Testament. The New Testament only appeared during the Age of Grace. The New Testament didn’t exist when Jesus worked; the people after He was resurrected and ascended to heaven recorded His work. Only then were there the Four Gospels, in addition to which were also the epistles of Paul and Peter, as well as the Book of Revelation. Only over three hundred years after Jesus ascended to heaven, when subsequent generations collated their records, was there the New Testament. Only after this work had been completed was there the New Testament; it had not existed previously. God had done all that work, the apostle Paul had done all that work, and afterward the epistles of Paul and Peter combined, and the greatest vision recorded by John in the island of Patmos was put the last, for it prophesied the work of the last days. These were all the arrangements of later generations, and they are different to the utterances of today. What is recorded today is according to the steps of God’s work; what people engage with today is the work personally done by God, and the words personally uttered by Him. You don’t need to interfere—the words, which come directly from the Spirit, have been arranged step by step, and are different from the arrangement of man’s records. What they recorded, it can be said, was according to their level of education and caliber. What they recorded was the experiences of men, and each had their own means of recording and knowing, and each record was different. Thus, if you worship the Bible as God you are extremely ignorant and stupid!”

from “Concerning the Bible (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

“Today, who of you dare to say that all the words spoken by those who were used by the Holy Spirit came from the Holy Spirit? Does anyone dare to say such things? If you do say such things, then why was Ezra’s book of prophecy discarded, and why was the same thing done to the books of those ancient saints and prophets? If they all came from the Holy Spirit, then why do you dare to make such capricious choices? Are you qualified to choose the work of the Holy Spirit? Many stories from Israel were also discarded. And if you believe that these writings of the past all came from the Holy Spirit, then why were some of the books discarded? If they all came from the Holy Spirit, they should all be kept, and sent to the brothers and sisters of the churches to read. They should not be chosen or discarded by human will; it is wrong to do that. Saying that the experiences of Paul and John were mixed with their personal seeings does not mean that their experiences and knowledge came from Satan, but only that they had things that came from their personal experiences and seeings. Their knowledge was according to the background of the actual experiences at the time, and who could confidently say that all of it came from the Holy Spirit? If the Four Gospels all came from the Holy Spirit, then why was it that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John each said something different about the work of Jesus? If you don’t believe this, then look at the accounts in the Bible of how Peter denied Jesus three times: They are all different, and they each have their own characteristics.”

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

“Today, I am dissecting the Bible in this way and it does not mean that I hate it, or deny its value for reference. I am explaining the inherent value and origins of the Bible to you to stop you being kept in the dark. For people have so many views about the Bible, and most of them are wrong; reading the Bible in this way not only prevents them from gaining what they ought to, but, more important, it hinders the work I intend to do. It is a tremendous nuisance for the work of the future, and offers only drawbacks, not advantages. Thus, what I am teaching you is simply the substance and inside story of the Bible. I’m not asking that you don’t read the Bible, or that you go around proclaiming that it is totally devoid of value, but that you have the correct knowledge and view of the Bible. Don’t be too one-sided! Although the Bible is a history book that was written by men, it also documents many of the principles by which the ancient saints and prophets served God, as well as the recent apostles’ experiences in serving God—all of which were really seen and known by these people, and can serve as reference for the people of this age in pursuing the true way.”

from “Concerning the Bible (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

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Almighty God's Word "How to Know Reality"

Almighty God's Word "How to Know Reality"

Almighty God says, "If people are to know God, they must first know that God is the real God, and must know God’s words, God’s real appearance in the flesh, and God’s real work. Only after knowing that all of God’s work is real will you be able to actually cooperate with God, and only through this path will you be able to achieve the growth of your life. All those who have no knowledge of reality have no means of experiencing God’s words, they are ensnared in their conceptions, they live in their imagination, and thus they have no knowledge of God’s words. The greater your knowledge of reality, the closer you are to God, and the more intimate you are with Him; the more you seek vagueness and abstraction, and doctrine, the further you will stray from God, and so the more you will feel that experiencing God’s words is strenuous and difficult, and that you are incapable of entry. If you wish to enter the reality of God’s words, and onto the right track of your spiritual life, you must first know reality and separate yourself from vague and supernatural things—which is to say, first you must understand how the Holy Spirit actually enlightens and guides you from within. In this way, if you can truly grasp the Holy Spirit’s real work within you, you will have entered onto the right track of being made perfect by God."

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How I Fell Down Before Almighty God | Ironclad Proofs of God’s Words Conquering Denominations’ and Sects’ Leaders

 How I Fell Down Before Almighty God

Wang Yu’e

Yantai City, Shandong Province

My name is Wang Yu’e. I live in Yantai City, Shandong Province. Speaking of how I disobeyed and resisted Almighty God at one time, I shed remorseful tears. I believed in God but did not know God and looked up to men and listened to men, so for years I resisted God’s work of the last days and blasphemed Almighty God, seriously offending God’s disposition and committing a heinous sin. Yet, God’s love is wide and long and high and deep. God did not treat me according to my sin but moved me with His selfless love, so that I was fortunate to come before God and live under the illumination of God’s words, know God’s righteous disposition, and step onto the right way of human life gradually.

Since 1998, there had been people accepting the work of Almighty God in our church, and the believers in our church had become fewer and fewer. Moreover, there arose intrigues, jealousy and strife, and factions among the brothers and sisters. I didn’t know what to do then, so I asked my leader in tears what was the matter. I thought to myself, “Could it be that I am unworthy to be a church leader?” The leader said, “The Bible tells us clearly that in the last days some people will apostatize, and there will appear antichrists and deceivers… The ‘Eastern Lightning’ is a heresy, a cult. You should remember: Never listen to or have contact with anyone who preaches the three stages of work or the female Christ, much less read their books. Be sure not to be deceived by them. We should keep the Lord’s way. It’s enough for us to just read the Bible and listen to Hong Kong Gospel Radio Station.”

In the days that followed, there were really many brothers and sisters coming to preach God’s salvation of the last days to me. I not only didn’t accept it, but instead I hated their guts. Once, two elderly sisters came to preach God’s gospel of the last days to me. I said to them, “You apostates are so conscienceless. You have left the Lord, and you even come to deceive me. You are all the brood of vipers. Don’t defile my house. Get out!” While saying this, I tried desperately to push them out of the door. One of them was pushed over by me. Her head was hurt and bled. Seeing this, I even said gloatingly, “Serve you right. This is God’s punishment for you!” After driving them away, I prayed to the Lord, “O Lord! Please curse them, stop their steps, seal their mouths, and bind the devil, Satan…” Another time, a distant aunt of my husband, over eighty years old, came to me and said, “I come to tell you a piece of good news. Now, God has done a new work in China, the work that the word accomplishes everything…” I was annoyed at these words, thinking, “You even come out preaching at such an old age. You have really joined in a cult. Don’t think that I will accept it because you are over eighty. Even if a 100-year-old person comes to preach, I will not accept it.” The next day, I drove her away in spite of a light rain.

Just like that, my heart became more and more hardened and more and more disobedient. And I even tore up the book of God’s word the sisters brought to me and burned it. One summer day in 2001, it was raining hard. I thought that no one would come that day. Unexpectedly, two out-town sisters came again. I was very angry and said, “Even in such weather you come and disturb my rest!” As I talked, the two sisters began to fellowship with me in the rain. Before they finished their words, I said exasperatedly, “Go or not? If you don’t go, I will dial 110! My foundation has been well established. You’ll get nothing from me! Except the Bible, I don’t want to read anything or listen to anything! I drive you in the name of Jesus. Go away. Don’t talk rubbish!” After they went away, I found a book named The Expression of the Christ in the cabinet. I took up the book of God’s word and tore and burned it like a maniac. While doing so, I kept swearing, “You devils and Satans even dare to misuse the name of the Lord Jesus. I burn you all in the name of the Lord!”

God’s disposition indeed does not tolerate man’s offense! Because of my disobedience and resistance, my family suffered God’s punishment. In April, 2002, my husband’s stomach swelled for no reason. The doctor diagnosed that he had cirrhotic ascites. Soon, it turned into liver cancer. We spent nearly 20,000 yuan during the time when he was hospitalized, but he passed away ten days after he returned home. Three days after his death, my eldest son forced his wife to worship idols. His wife didn’t listen to him, so he beat her up. As a result, she went to her mother’s home. No matter who went to persuade her, she refused to come back. My youngest son also forced his wife to lay offerings, and as his wife refused to do so, he burst into a storm of abuse. My sons kept burning paper money and my house was filled with evil smoke. This made me sick and hard to breathe. I was full of anger, hatred, and grief, and sobbed my heart out. Every time when the day for burning the seventh-day paper money came (from the day of a person’s death, his family has to lay offerings and burn paper money every seven days, until the forty-ninth day), my house was in chaos. In those days, I really lived in agony. Though I fasted and prayed earnestly all day, I still couldn’t see any hope. I completely lost the peace and joy of being with God.

October 2, 2002 was the most unforgettable day in my life. On that day, I, a stubborn and disobedient person, was conquered by God’s word and finally fell down before God.

On that day, I went to a sister’s home with my younger sister. There I met with two sisters who preached God’s work of the last days (I didn’t know about that at that time). After I talked about some of my difficulties, the two sisters began to fellowship with me, “God’s work has advanced, so the churches that do not keep up with the pace of God’s work become desolate, and some brothers and sisters go back to the world…” Hearing this, I was certain that they were the “Eastern Lightning” followers. “I mustn’t listen to them.” I thought to myself. So I gave my sister a hint that we should stop listening, but my sister insisted on listening. She asked one sister, “Since the Lord Jesus is the Son of God, why is the Christ you preach a female?” The sister took out the book of God’s word and read these words to us: “Each stage of work done by God has a real significance. When Jesus arrived, He was male, and this time He is female. From this, you can see that God created both male and female for His work and with Him there is no distinction of gender. When His Spirit arrives, He can take on any flesh at will and the flesh represents Him. Be it male or female, both represent God as long as it is His incarnate flesh. If Jesus arrived and appeared as a female, in other words, if the conception by the Holy Spirit was to an infant girl and not a boy, that stage of work would have been completed all the same. If so, this stage of work would have to be completed instead by a male and the work would then be completed all the same. The work done in both stages is significant; no work is repeated or conflicts with each other. … With God there is no distinction of gender. His work is done as He wishes and is not subject to any restrictions, particularly free, but every stage has a real significance. God became flesh twice, and it goes without saying that His incarnation in the last days is the last time. He has come to reveal all His deeds. If in this stage He did not become flesh to personally do work for man to witness, man would forever hold on to the notion that God is only male, not female.” God’s words explained the question very clearly, but I was still afraid to be deceived. So I secretly sang the song of beating down the devil, Satan. But after I sang two or three words of the song, I couldn’t go on. And then I began to pray to bind the devil, Satan. But I didn’t know what to pray after I said only two or three words. At that point, my sister asked, “Does the Bible mention the three stages of work?” The sister said, “Yes.” As she said that, she opened 2 Corinthians 1:10 and read it: “Who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us….” And she continued, “This verse was written in the Age of Grace. And so ‘who … does deliver’ refers to the salvation of the Lord Jesus, ‘who delivered …’ refers to the work of the Age of Law that Jehovah God did, and ‘he will yet deliver us’ refers to the work of judgment and chastisement God does in the last days. From this, we can see that God’s management work of saving mankind is divided into three stages: the work of the Age of Law in the Old Testament, the work of the Age of Grace in the New Testament, and the work of the Age of Kingdom in the last days. And again, Isaiah 43:11-12 says, ‘I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no savior. I have declared, and have saved, and I have showed, when there was no strange god among you….’ In these verses, ‘I have declared’ means that God had spoken to His people through prophets. That is, it signifies the work of the Spirit, the work God did in the Age of Law. ‘I have saved’ means that God, in order to save mankind, was incarnated to be the likeness of sinful flesh and was nailed onto the cross. That is, it refers to the redemptive work the Lord Jesus did in the Age of Grace. ‘I have showed’ means that Almighty God expounds all the truths to people with words in the last days. ‘Declared, saved, and showed’ signify three different stages of work done by one God. These verses show us that God’s work of saving mankind consists of three stages.” Hearing this, I suddenly felt that the sister’s fellowship was very reasonable, and I thought to myself, “I have read these verses before, but why didn’t I know that they typify God’s three stages of work?” At that point, my sister asked, “Is it that God has already begun the work in Revelation? Has the Lamb opened the little scroll and revealed the mystery?” The sister answered with a smile, “Yes, God’s sheep hear God’s voice. Today, God has done a new work, and by expressing words He has unlocked all the mysteries of His six-thousand-year management plan to His believers. As long as you read God’s word, you will know everything. If you don’t read the word God has expressed today, how can you know whether it is true or false? God’s word says: ‘You must not blindly condemn the words expressed by God because of the appearance of false Christs during the last days, and must not be someone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit because you fear deception. Would that not be a great pity?’ Aunty, let’s be humble and seek whether it is the true way and investigate whether it is the truth. Don’t hold to our notions, thus hindering the Holy Spirit from working on us!”

After hearing the sister’s fellowship, I also wanted to put forward my doubts. So, I asked her, “How do you know that the Lord has descended? Doesn’t the Bible say that He will come in the same way as He went? The Lord left on a white cloud, so He will surely come back on a white cloud. Have you seen the Lord descending on a white cloud?” The sister replied, “Yes, the Lord Jesus went on a white cloud, so He will still come on the white cloud. But do you know what the ‘white cloud’ refers to? The Bible also tells us that the letter kills and the spirit gives life. It is written in Luke 17:24-25, ‘For as the lightning, that lightens out of the one part under heaven, shines to the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.’ From these two verses, we may consider this: If the Son of man came on the white cloud in the sky as we imagine, who would not know Him? How could He be rejected by this generation? Only when God’s coming is very discordant with man’s notions, like the Lord Jesus’ first incarnation, people will reject Him. Aunty, concerning what the white cloud refers to, let’s have a look how God explains it. God’s word says: ‘Man believes that, following the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus went back to heaven upon a white cloud, and took His place at the Most High’s right hand. Similarly, man conceives that Jesus shall descend, again upon a white cloud (this cloud refers to the cloud that Jesus rode upon when He returned to heaven), among those who have desperately yearned for Him for thousands of years, and that He shall bear the image and clothes of the Jews. After appearing to man, He shall bestow food upon them, and cause living water to gush forth for them, and shall live among man, full of grace and love, living and real. And so on. Yet Jesus the Savior did not do this; He did the opposite of what man conceived. He did not arrive among those who had yearned for His return, and did not appear to all men while riding upon the white cloud. He has already arrived, but man does not know Him, and remains ignorant of His arrival. Man is only aimlessly awaiting Him, unaware that He has already descended upon a white cloud (the cloud which is His Spirit, His words, and His entire disposition and all that He is), and is now among a group of overcomers that He will make during the last days. Man does not know this: although the Holy Savior Jesus is full of affection and love towards man, how could He work in “temples” inhabited by filth and impure spirits?’” “Ah yes! Is it really that God has come to earth and done a new work? If God did not unlock the mysteries of the Bible, how could they know so much? Who can unlock this mystery except God Himself?” Hearing God’s words, I was completely convinced. And I also realized that I had been sticking to the letters of the Bible and had never sought God in the matter of the Savior’s return. I felt very ashamed of this. Nevertheless, I still didn’t understand one thing, that is, why doesn’t God do His work openly since He has come? So, I asked the sister this question. The sister answered, “God’s word says this: ‘To work in the nation of the great red dragon, the most backward of places, is no easy task. If this work was to be made known, then it would be impossible to continue. This stage of work simply cannot progress in this place. How could they tolerate it if such work were carried out openly? Would this not bring even greater risk? If this work were not concealed, and rather continued as in the time of Jesus when He spectacularly healed the sick and cast out demons, then would it not have long ago been “seized” by the devils? … And if so, how then could My work continue to be carried out? The reason that signs and wonders are not manifested openly is for the sake of concealment. So My work can neither be seen, known or discovered by unbelievers. If this stage of work were to be done in the same manner as that of Jesus in the Age of Grace, it could not be so steady. So, the work to be concealed in this way is of benefit to you and to all work. When God’s work on earth comes to an end, that is, when this work in secret concludes, this stage of work will blow wide open. All will know that there are a group of overcomers in China; all will know that God become flesh is in China and that His work has come to an end. Only then will it dawn on man: Why is it that China has yet to show decline or collapse? It turns out that God is personally carrying out His work in China and has perfected a group of people into overcomers.’” Hearing God’s words, I deeply felt that God loves us so much. He does the work in a hidden way all for our sake. Moreover, since God chooses to work in a hidden way, there is surely His wisdom in it. What are we men? How dare we tell God how to do things! Ay! I’m really indebted to God. I condemned the brothers and sisters and abused them as the devils and Satans. I really confounded black and white! I acted as an accomplice of Satan, but I thought that I was faithful to the Lord. God sent the brothers and sisters to save me time after time. But I didn’t know to thank them but hated their guts. What I did has stabbed God to the heart. Fortunately, Almighty God’s word has enlightened me, a foolish person, so that my numb and obtuse spirit is revived. With remorseful tears, I said to the sisters in shame, “I have resisted the true God and condemned the brothers and sisters. Now I see. The God you preach is the Savior Jesus, the true God!” And then I prayed to God, “O God! I’m so blind and so foolish. I have done all the wicked deeds. It’s all because I’m so arrogant and have no seeking heart that today I’ve become one who resists You. O God! Can You forgive me once more? Will You still want me? …” The sister held my sister’s hands and mine and said, “Aunty! God loves man. He desires all men to be saved and not one to perish. God says: ‘In saving every person, God will pardon him to the maximum extent, that is, show him the greatest tolerance. As long as he can turn back from his wrong way and as long as he can repent, God will give him the opportunity to receive salvation.’ Aunty, God loves you so much. As long as you come to understand, God will be happy. God’s love for man is boundless and infinite, not as narrow as man’s…” My sister and I were so excited that we could hardly say a word. We just hugged the sister tightly, and a thousand words could not even express my feelings at that time… I felt that I was full of strength and in a good spirit. And the two sisters looked pleasant to me, and I couldn’t even bear to part with them. I knew that it was God’s love that united our hearts together. All the glory be to Almighty God!

After I was certain about God’s work, the trouble in my family died away. This showed me that everything is in the orchestration of Almighty God, and Almighty God is the only true God! At that point, I understood that because I disobeyed and resisted God, God raised up environments to smite and discipline me, hoping that I could realize that and turn back from my evil way. However, I, being numb and obtuse, not only did not wake up but blasphemed God instead. I really deserve God’s severer punishment! I’m really unworthy to live before God! All I can do is to spend the rest of my life in cooperating with God to bring before Almighty God the brothers and sisters like me who believe the rumors and resist the true God, so that they can enjoy the salvation of the last days early.

In order to repay God’s love, I joined the gospel preaching. Once, I went to preach the gospel to a sister. Just after I knocked twice on the door, the sister opened the door and swore, “You devils and Satans, go away! You are simply like beggars running around all day. Be off!” With this, she shut the door with a “bang.” I said to her through the door, “Sister! In the past, I was like you; I was also afraid to take the wrong way and always listened to the leaders. Today, after I accept Almighty God, I understand God’s intention to save man. If it were not for God’s love…” As I was saying this, the door was opened suddenly. With a stick in her hands, the sister said to me fiercely, “Go or not? If not, I will dial 110…” Ay! Seeing her, I saw the me yesterday. How remorseful I was! Only then did I realize how hard God’s work on earth is! And I also understood this: The reason why the brothers and sisters who preach the gospel don’t lose faith even when cursed and beaten is that they have understood God’s eager intention to save man and God’s work has produced the result so that they all live out the likeness a normal man should have. Those who don’t keep up with the pace of God’s work and who lose the work of the Holy Spirit all live in satanic disposition without sense and humanity. They eat the food God gives to them, but do the evil deeds of disobeying and resisting God, yet they are ignorant about it; they live in the fooling of Satan but think that they are defending the true way. Ay! They are really foolish, blind, and too pitiful!

Dear brothers and sisters, wake up quickly! Don’t be bound and fooled by others. Once an opportunity is missed, it will never come back to you. God says: “The return of Jesus is a great salvation for those who are capable of accepting the truth, but for those who are unable to accept the truth it is a sign of condemnation. You should choose your own path, and should not blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and reject the truth. You should not be an ignorant and arrogant person, but someone who obeys the guidance of the Holy Spirit and longs for and seeks the truth; only in this way will you benefit.” Every word of God is the truth and the fact, without any falsehood. Don’t persist in the wrong way, and don’t be like what I was, nearly falling into God’s eternal punishment. Now, recalling all these, I feel very frightened indeed. If it were not for God’s love and tolerance, I would have already died somewhere! I hope that brothers and sisters can take it as a warning and wake up soon after reading my testimony!

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