Going Through the Tunnels and Getting Warmed by the Sun II

Going Through the Tunnels and Getting Warmed by the Sun II

A month later, Satan’s test befell me once again. One day, my daughter who just got married came to my home. She fainted suddenly in the gateway, and my neighbor helped her into the house. In the evening, when I returned from spreading the gospel and saw my daughter sick, I thought it was a normal cold so I didn’t take it seriously. It was not expected that my daughter suddenly started to shake all over in the middle of the night. I was so scared that I didn’t know what to do. I held her tightly in my arms, and after a while, she felt a little better. The next morning, my daughter said to me, “Mom, you can go to perform your duty. Don’t worry about me. I’m okay.” I prayed to God silently in my heart, “Oh God! All things are controlled by Your hands. Today I will give my daughter to You.” Then I said to my daughter, “Xiaojing, you should pray to God and depend on God more. God is our strongest supporter.” With that, I went out for my duty. I had not imagined that when I went home two days later, my daughter was already in the hospital. I hurried to the hospital, only to see her lying unconscious in bed. My daughter-in-law said to me sadly, “Mom, Xiaojing’s condition has gotten worse since you left. The doctor did some tests, and said she had a brain bleed and needed brain surgery. However, both you and her husband were absent over the past two days and nobody could sign the consent form for her, so she has missed the best time for surgery. I heard the doctor tell Xiaojing’s mother-in-law that her condition could not be cured, and that she would be a vegetable even if she woke up.” Upon hearing this, I burst into tears. When I went to consult an expert holding out a faint hope, he shook his head. “We’ve used all the medicines we could think of and done everything,” he said. “The best outcome for her is to wake up as a vegetable.” Hearing the expert’s words, I felt as if the sky were falling, living in immense suffering. Later, my son-in-law, seeing my daughter that sick, not only did not care if she would die, but even inhumanely asked me for the customary bride-price he paid when marrying. That day, my home seemed so distant from the hospital. I walked on the way, lost and fallen, as if walking through a wisp of a dark tunnel, unable to see any light ahead of me. After arriving home, I opened the book of God’s word feebly, and saw these words, “On earth, all manner of evil spirits are endlessly on the prowl for a place to rest, are ceaselessly searching for the corpses of men to eat up. My people! You must remain inside My care and protection. Never behave dissolutely! Never behave recklessly! Rather, offer up your loyalty in My house, and only with loyalty can you mount a countercharge against the devil’s cunning” (“The Tenth Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

“When sufferings come upon you, you do not care for your flesh or complain against God; when God hides from you, you have faith to follow Him and your former love does not change or disappear; no matter what God does, you submit to His orchestration and would rather curse your own flesh than complain against Him; and when trials come upon you, you would rather bear pain to give up what you love and weep bitterly than not satisfy Him. This is a true love and a true faith” (“Those Who Are to Be Made Perfect Must Undergo Refinement” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Looking at God’s words, reflecting upon the matters I encountered recently, I truly saw that Satan was despicable and vicious. For the purpose of devouring my soul, it constantly interfered with and attacked me, so that I lived in the pain of blackmail, fearful of the loss of my money, and strayed from God and had no mind to read God’s words. This time it even used my beloved daughter to test me, in an attempt to cause me to deny and betray God due to her unexpected disease, hence losing God’s salvation in the last days. This was Satan’s cunning trick. It’s like when Satan tempted Job, behind which was actually a battle: Satan wished to get Job to renounce and deny God in the tests, while Job did not blame God from start to finish but extolled God’s name, bringing complete shame upon Satan and causing it to flee so that it never dared to tempt him again, and bearing bright and resounding witness to God. The environments coming upon me were exactly the same. Satan just tried to use the sudden circumstances to make me blame, deny, and betray God, whereas God took advantage of them to test my faith and loyalty toward Him. Though my flesh was weak, I should see through Satan’s trickery and stand on God’s side. Since God said that only with loyalty could I mount a countercharge against the devil’s cunning, I vowed to put my daughter in God’s hands for man’s life and death rests in His hands. Thinking of this, I fell to my knees, weeping bitterly and praying to God, “Oh Almighty God! Man’s fate is controlled by Your hands. I’m willing to entrust my daughter to You. If You predestined me not to lose my daughter, she will not die even if she has one breath left. If my daughter really becomes a vegetable as the doctor said, I will never blame You, and I will still follow You.”

Late at night, I sat at my daughter’s bedside, drifting off to sleep unknowingly. In stupor I heard my daughter call me, “Mom, mom, I want to drink water.” Hearing her call, I sprang to my feet with a start. I wiped my eyes and looked closely: My daughter’s hands are moving, and her eyes open. I was so excited that for a moment I was at a loss for words. I just kept saying, “Oh God! Oh God! …” The other patients in the ward also marveled, “Oh, what a miracle! How come she just got better in an instant?” Grinning with delight, I saw that it was God who truly presides over man’s fate, who saved my daughter, and that His deeds were so wonderful! Three days later, my daughter recovered miraculously, just like a normal person. This made me see even more that the battle in the spiritual realm was so fierce and that Satan was so evil and contemptible. God chose me with an intention to save me, whereas Satan interfered with me time and again with various tricks. It attacked me by taking advantage of my daughter and attempted to make me blame, doubt, misunderstand God due to her life-threatening condition, and thus deny and betray God. God permitting these temptations to befall me was to make me understand the truth concerning the battle in the spiritual realm, and be able to discern Satan’s schemes and see clearly its evil and ugly substance, thereby breaking free from its trickery and affliction, living freely and unrestrained in God’s presence. At the same time, God allowed me to know His wisdom and omnipotence through such practical environments. In retrospect, when my daughter was first hospitalized, God protected her from brain surgery. All these circumstances seemed not good things, but they actually made me recognize that man’s fate is controlled by God’s hands and that everything God arranges for man is good.

The word of God says, “My work in these three ages differs according to the nature of each age, but at each stage it accords with man’s needs—or rather, it varies according to the tricks that Satan employs in My war against it. The purpose of My work is to defeat Satan, to make manifest My wisdom and omnipotence, to expose all Satan’s tricks and thereby to save all of humanity, which lives under its domain. It is to show My wisdom and omnipotence while at the same time revealing the hideousness of Satan. Moreover, it is to teach My creations to discriminate between good and evil, to recognize that I am the Ruler of all things, to see clearly that Satan is humanity’s foe, the lowest of the low, the evil one, and to make the difference between good and evil, truth and falsehood, holiness and filth, greatness and baseness, as clear as day. This way, ignorant humanity may bear witness to Me that it is not I who corrupt humanity, and only I—the Creator—can save humanity, can bestow upon them things for enjoyment; and they may come to know that I am the Ruler of all things and Satan is merely one of My creations, which later turned against Me” (“The Truth Concerning the Work in the Age of Redemption” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). From God’s words, I understand God’s will all the more and realize that all that God does is salvation to man. Thinking back on the repeated trials, I’ve gained a great deal despite some sufferings: In experiences I saw that although Satan constantly used the people, events, and things to disturb me and tried to cause me to deny and betray God, God had been enlightening and guiding me at my side, so that I was able to become strong in negativity and weakness, see through Satan’s plots every step of the way, and see the wonders of God’s work. After these experiences, I feel even more that there is nothing fearful about Satan’s disturbance and affliction because God is with me and He leads me personally to overcome the temptations of Satan. Now I feel more certain about Almighty God’s work in the last days, and know that man, as a creature, should worship God whether he incurs blessings or adversities. I am resolved to follow Almighty God to the end.

The End.

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God’s Word Led Me to Reunite With the Lord II

God’s Word Led Me to Reunite With the Lord II

Within the first week of engaging with Almighty God’s words, I longed for them a lot. So I made the investigation through the official website of the Church of Almighty God. There were many books, including Testimonies of Experiences About Life Entry (I). All of it documented the testimonies of life experiences from the brothers and sisters in the Church of Almighty God about how they achieved knowledge of their own corrupt substance and of God’s righteous disposition and stepped onto the path of casting off sin through accepting and submitting to God’s judgement and chastisement. It contained the way to get rid of sin. I read several pieces and felt them greatly helpful and beneficial for me. This was a very good book and I wanted to buy it. I thought that it was available in our church. Then I called the bookstore in my church to inquire about the book. The clerk asked me who was the author of this book and I told her it was not written. After a while of searching, she didn’t found it and then said, “It is heresy, isn’t it?” After hearing it, I searched online by the key word heresy and saw that “The Eastern Lightning is….” I started to have some doubts, for the ones who shared Almighty God’s kingdom gospel with me were Chinese. On top of that I heard about cult occurrence in China during recent years. Various emerging denominations were also reported by the news media. So I became doubtful toward the Church of Almighty God. At the same time, I remembered the Bible said that there shall arise false Christs and false prophets to deceive people in the last days. I wondered if I believed in the wrong way and felt a little afraid. Thus, I had the thought of giving up believing in Almighty God because I was afraid of taking the wrong way. But on second thought I was reluctant to give it up because Almighty God’s words are very practical and unlock the mysteries of the Bible and give man the path to follow. I was in agony inside because of the wavering mind. Amid suffering, I prayed to the Lord, “O Lord. I have investigated the way of the Eastern Lightning and think it is the true way and the words of Almighty God are the truth. Yet I am afraid of taking the wrong way due to the online words of attack, judgment and condemnation. I don’t have discernment and I am at a loss now. May You lead me.”

After praying, I thought: No matter what, the thing I was faced with came from God. I didn’t see those things spread online with my own eyes. I should not listen to one side or fear being deceived. God’s sheep will surely recognize God’s voice. I will have verification in my spirit if they are God’s words. I must give a careful investigation. Then I continued to read Almighty God’s words. Once, I came upon these words, “God become flesh is called Christ, and so the Christ that can give people the truth is called God. There is nothing excessive about this, for He possesses the substance of God, and possesses God’s disposition, and wisdom in His work, that are unattainable by man. Those who call themselves Christ, yet cannot do the work of God, are frauds. … for although they claim to be Christ, they possess none of the substance of Christ. And so I say that the authenticity of Christ cannot be defined by man, but is answered and decided by God Himself” (“Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “If, during the present day, there is to emerge a person who is able to display signs and wonders, and can cast out demons, and heal, and perform many miracles, and if this person claims that they are the coming of Jesus, then this would be the counterfeit of evil spirits, and their imitation of Jesus. Remember this! … Once each stage of His work has been completed, it is soon imitated by evil spirits, and after Satan begins to follow on the heels of God, God changes to a different method; once God has completed a stage of His work, it is imitated by evil spirits. You must be clear about these things” (“Knowing God’s Work Today” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). God’s words made me remember Brother Zheng’s fellowship about the discernment between the true Christ and false ones. Christ is the incarnate God, is God Himself. He can express the truth and God’s disposition, do the work of God and reveal the mysteries of God. Whereas false Christs are the brood of Satan that people are possessed by evil spirits and claim to be Christ. They can neither express the truth or God’s disposition nor do God’s work, much less reveal His mysteries. When false Christs appear, they can only imitate the work the Lord Jesus did in the past by performing some simple signs and wonders or healing and casting out demons. False Christs can’t change people but can only deceive them, making them become more and more darkened.

I have gained discernment of false Christs. But there was something I couldn’t figure out. Rumors and false testimonies of blasphemy and condemnation of Almighty God swept through the internet. Many Christians on Facebook who were incapable of differentiating also followed the trend of speaking the words that judged, attacked and condemned Almighty God. God’s words are very good. Why did those people condemn them? The official website of the Church of Almighty God has abundant truth in various aspects which is completely positive and is beneficial for man. However, why did those people speak the slanderous words of judgment at will? And why did they directly distort the truth and bear false witness without reading Almighty God’s words? These questions has been preying on my mind.

I often held these questions in my thoughts as I prayed to God. One day, I was reading “Fellowship and Preaching About Life Entry” and came across this passage: “When God comes to do His work, corrupt mankind refuses to accept it, fabricating various rumors in their utmost efforts to judge, deny and slander God’s work. Countless rumors and stories are made up to slander and judge the name of Almighty God and His Church, with the result that all the religious believers are deluded and the true believers in God are hindered from coming before Him. This is the fact of corrupt mankind resisting God. When God became flesh for the first time, He came to Judea, where believers in Judaism all believed in God. But after God incarnate began to do His work, all these believers condemned and resisted His work frenziedly. To what extent? They nailed the Lord Jesus to the cross alive. They would rather have a criminal released than not crucify Jesus. Seeing that God incarnate could express the truth to save mankind, they strongly opposed Him. They welcomed a criminal more than Christ. Such was the deed of a religious group, which represents the whole corrupt mankind’s resistance against God. Does man, corrupted by Satan, have any conscience and sense? They even crucified the Creator—the most lovely God who expressed the truth to save mankind. They racked their brains to fabricate various rumors and lies to deceive people, and they even tried to instigate the whole mankind to reject the work of God and expel the coming God. This is a typical case of corrupt mankind resisting God. Doesn’t the whole corrupt mankind treat God with the same attitude now? They do their utmost to resist, condemn, and expel God, and will not give up until they put God to death. They do not allow God to exist in the world.” Only after reading these words did I realize that man has been too deeply corrupted by Satan that he has lost conscience and sense. Man doesn’t love the truth, the positive things, nor does he welcome the coming of God, completely living under the domain of Satan and becoming the accomplices of Satan. Facing with the arrival of God, he doesn’t seek or investigate it but instead speaks flippantly by judging and condemning it at will and does his utmost to banish God’s coming. Just as the Bible says, “And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:5), “This is an evil generation” (Luck 11:29), and “the whole world lies in wickedness” (1 John 5:19).

Thank God for leading me to seek the truth. I have understood how to distinguish the true Christ from the false ones and seen through to the essence of those people who didn’t investigate the truth but crafted rumors and bore false witnesses. Thank God for keeping me from being deceived so that I could come before Him. From that time on, I live in the Church of Almighty God, a large family, gather in fellowship and perform duties with my brothers and sisters. We spare no effort in seeking the truth under the provision and watering of Almighty God’s words. We fellowship with each other about our experiences and knowledge. I am willing to open up to fellowship when I meet with difficulties and they help me by communicating God’s words, which makes me feel that brothers and sisters love each other like family without bias. I truly have enjoyed the happiness and sweetness I had never felt before, living with peace and joy every day. I am willing to consecrate my individual portion to God’s work in the last days so as to find the lost lambs which belong to God and fulfill my duty as one of God’s creations to satisfy Him, no longer whiling away my days but living a meaningful life to honor and be witness to God. Amen!

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Realization Before the Spring Festival’s Eve

Realization Before the Spring Festival’s Eve

Zhou Ying

On the morning of the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month in 2005, snowflakes were fluttering down. After having breakfast, Zhou Ying, with a heavy heart, went outside pushing her bicycle. Two days later, it would be the Spring Festival. As the old saying goes, “One misses his family all the more on every festive day.” So her mind went to her husband, son and daughter…. I haven’t seen them for over three years. How are they? At that time, the couple of the host family went out to see her off and said, “It’s snowing. Come back earlier this afternoon. And celebrate this Spring Festival with us!” Zhou Ying nodded to them. Their short words deeply touched her heart. She couldn’t help shedding tears of gratefulness. By then she dared not turn around or speak lest they saw she was in tears.

Her thoughts returned to the day in the autumn three years ago. At a gathering, she was arrested by the atheistic CCP government and beaten brutally in the detention jail. … So weak once was she that she thought about suicide for fear that she could not bear the police’s afflictions. It was God’s words that led her to stand witness and not to betray Him. After getting out of the detention jail, she had some knowledge and discernment of the evil and contemptible substance of the CCP police, and deeply appreciated God’s love and protection. To avoid being hunted and monitored again by the CCP police and not to bring the danger of being arrested to brothers and sisters, she decided to leave her hometown for other places to hide herself. What’s more, as a creature of God, she was willing to perform her duty within her power to repay God’s love and salvation. That day, the dawn was breaking, and it was raining. Her husband called a taxi. Hardly had she gotten into the car when her daughter, draped in clothes, went out to say farewell to her. Zhou Ying felt pain in her heart at that moment. Seeing her husband and lovely daughter, she didn’t know what to say. In this way, such a happy family was forced to part from each other by the atheistic CCP. She held back her tears, saying to her daughter, “It’s raining. Just get inside the house in case you catch cold.” The car drove off into a distance and the tears blurred her vision …

Day had broken when Zhou Ying boarded the train. She looked out of the window, the rain still falling. At the time, she felt somewhat desolate. Then God’s words she had read before came into her head, “For thousands of years this has been the land of filth, it is unbearably dirty, misery abounds, ghosts roam its every corner, tricking and deceiving, making groundless accusations, being ruthless and vicious, trampling this ghost town and leaving it littered with dead bodies; the stench of decay covers the land and pervades the air, and it is heavily guarded. … Forefathers of the ancient? Beloved leaders? They all oppose God! Their meddling has left all beneath heaven in a state of darkness and chaos! Religious freedom? The legitimate rights and interests of citizens? They are all tricks for covering up sin!” (“Work and Entry (8)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). God’s words enabled her to understand: China is a ghost town and is under the control of the atheistic government, which is of Satan. The CCP deceives and bounds the Chinese people with atheism to make them turn away from God and worship it. Furthermore, it disallows people to believe in God and walk on the right path. Numerous Christians suffer its arrest, are imprisoned, and even are mutilated to death, which is an obvious fact. When the incarnate Almighty God, descending into Mainland China secretly, carries out the work of judgment in the last days, the CCP does everything in its power to impair and disturb God’s work: creating fake news to frame and discredit the Church of Almighty God by using the press and buying off world-renowned media; in cities and villages, installing cameras everywhere to monitor believers in God, as well as posting up notices all over and rewarding heavily those who report believers to them; breaking into houses at will to perform investigation and search or letting neighbors trail and watch on believers; oppressing and arresting wildly the Christians of the Church of Almighty God and interrogating them by cruel tortures, as well as running the brainwashing class to brainwash them so that they can deny God and betray God…. Zhou Ying has been suffering the persecution since she began to believe in God. She can only have gatherings with a handful of brothers and sisters and dare not sing loudly; even when she walks, she needs to check whether someone tracks her, for the lackeys of the CCP are everywhere. The CCP pursues and condemns believers without restraint, but leniently deals with those who do evils, murderers, arsonists, thieves and robbers in the world, with the result that in the society run amuck the wicked. The substance of the CCP is a gang of devils, specially fighting against God. As a result, so many innocent brothers and sisters cannot go back their own home, separating from their families …

At this point, a rush of cold air drove into her face, instantly bringing her to the real world from the memory. It would be the Spring Festival two days later. Seeing others spend it with their families, she was a bit homesick. Just then God’s words appeared in her mind, “The path that I’m leading you on is My work, My responsibility, and it was ordained by God long ago so that we would be predestined to come this far, until today—that we have been able to do this is our great blessing, and although it has not been a smooth path, our friendship is everlasting, and it will be passed down through the ages. Whether they were cheers and laughter or sadness and tears, they all make up our beautiful memories! Maybe you should know that I do not have many days for My work. I have so many work projects, and I cannot accompany you often. I hope you can understand Me—because our original friendship is still the same. … I hope that the things we shared in the past may become the flower of our friendship” (“The Path… (8)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Her tears began to pour down her face. She really felt that God was by her side and was comforting her with His words. She clearly knew that in experiencing God’s work, whether it is persecution or tribulation, God’s will is to perfect and save man. At the moment, feeling God’s love, she was not lonely, because God was with her.

The snow had ceased falling and the sun came out. The sunlight shining down on her body, she felt so warm in her heart and also acquired confidence. She pedaled her bicycle to the meeting location.

On the way home, she felt she gained a lot at this meeting, realizing that every one of us, coming into this world, has our own mission, and that her mission is to cooperate in spreading the kingdom gospel of God to complete His commission. She remembered Almighty God’s words, “From the moment you come crying into this world, you begin to perform your duty. You assume your role in the plan of God and in the ordination of God. You begin the journey of life” (“God Is the Source of Man’s Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). The words of God made her understand more clearly: Everyone lives in the ordination of God and all things in the universe exist under the sovereignty of Him. Everyone’s breath is from Him; no person can exist independently and all of us enjoy the gratuitous provision and nourishment of Him. She felt assured to commit her husband and children into God’s hands and allow Him to rule over their subsequent fates. She was aware that it was due to God’s ordination that she could come before Him and that doing her duty as a created being was the performance of her own obligations, which was even more God’s exaltation. She thought that thanks to God’s care and protection, she could come this far; due to God’s leading, she walked out of the negativity and weakness and all manner of dangerous situations. At the same time, she got acquainted with a number of brothers and sisters who were strange to her and weren’t her relatives but were even closer than relatives.

She returned to the sister’s home happily, and spent the Spring Festival’s Eve with them. Although she wasn’t reunited with her family, yet having God’s love and the sister’s company, she did not feel lonely.

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A Lost Man Has Returned

A Lost Man Has Returned

Xieli    United States

In order to live a life of the greatest of the great, I came to U.S. to make my way. Although I suffered a lot over years, gradually I started up a company and possessed a car and a house, living an ideal “happy” life. Meanwhile, I made some friends. In the leisure time, we ate and drank and had fun together and we got along with each other well. I thought I had a group of buddies and close friends but it turned out that they were all fair-weather friends. They were unctuously, either adulating me or flattering me, without an honest word. In sorrow and distress, I even couldn’t find one to whom I could confide. Not only that, they sought every means to plot against me and cheat me out of my money. A friend swindled the money out of me by telling a lie that his mother in Mainland China was seriously ill and then vanished without a trace. A man who was from the same region with me falsely claiming to have an investment project tricked me out of my money. Even my intimate girlfriend also betrayed me and cheated me out of my hard-earned money which took me years to save up. The fickleness of the world made me disheartened and lose the faith in life, with empty, distressed and helpless feeling. Afterward, I often ate and drank and pursued pleasure to fill the emptiness in my heart. But the temporary comfort couldn’t solve my spiritual suffering.

In autumn of 2015, I met my wife by chance who had accepted Almighty God’s work in the last days. So, she began to preach the kingdom gospel to me. I said to her, “I’m too busy to believe in God. If you’re willing to believe, just do it. It’s enough for me to believe that there’s a God in my heart.” I held such a view until one day half a year later when my wife asked me to watch the video of the Church of Almighty God The Days of Noah Have Come with her. The pictures in the video shocked me. I saw that man is very small before the disaster and that the fleshly enjoyments and fame and position man pursues are worthless and are empty in the end. In this video, I saw Almighty God’s words, “However, I must tell you that in the time of Noah, men had been eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage to such a point that it was unbearable for God to witness, so He sent down a great flood to destroy mankind and left behind only Noah’s family of eight and all kinds of birds and beasts. In the last days, however, those kept by God are all those who have been loyal to Him until the end” (“Do You Know? God Has Done a Great Thing Among Men” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “Then look upon the present age: Such righteous men as Noah, who could worship God and shun evil, have ceased to exist. Yet God is still gracious toward this mankind, and absolves mankind during this final era. God seeks those who long for Him to appear. He seeks those who are able to hear His words, those who have not forgotten His commission and offer up their heart and body to Him. He seeks those who are as obedient as babes before Him, and do not resist Him” (“God Presides Over the Fate of All Mankind” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). I felt God’s urgent desire to save mankind in God’s words. I thought about the present age. No one loves positive things and thirsts for God’s coming. Man brims with selfishness, arrogance, deception and so on; man schemes against and outwits each other for fame and gain, desires lust and violates morals and ethics…. They are indeed more corrupt than people in Noah’s days. But God doesn’t destroy man directly because of their evil and corruption yet send down various disasters to warn them and gives them the opportunities to turn to Him. Actually, God is so tolerant and kind. I pondered God’s words and thought of the fact that the world is becoming more and more corrupt and evil and disasters are getting greater and greater. When God hurls forth His rage upon this evil mankind, position and money can’t save me. Only if I come before God will I be saved. Thinking of that, I seemed to wake up from the dream. If I lose the opportunity to be saved by God for the temporary fleshly enjoyments, won’t it be a pity? So, in May of 2016, I started to believe in Almighty God and attend meetings.

Not long after I believed in God, I happened to see the online rumors. Those words condemning and blaspheming Almighty God shocked me all at once: asking man to offer money, not observing the boundaries between men and women, etc.. As those words appeared to be precise, I couldn’t discern fact and fiction and fell into puzzlement and confusion. The enthusiasm to believe in God well was dampened by the rumors at once. At that time, I accidentally heard my mother-in-law telling my wife that she would offer money on the phone, which made me believe in the online rumors. Later, I tried to stop my mother-in-law from offering money, lest she be deceived. At the same time, I exhorted my wife not to continue her belief, for fear that she would be cheated. But, she didn’t listen to me but said to me firmly, “The fact is not as the rumors say. What you saw on the internet are rumors and false testimonies. …” She fellowshiped with me about God’s words but I couldn’t hear anything she said. Later, brothers and sisters came to my home but I wasn’t inclined to conversation with them. Those days, I lived in darkness and was on edge, fearing that my wife and her mother would be cheated, not eating well or sleeping soundly. One day, at the sight of my distress, my wife fellowshiped with me about God’s words again. She showed me some of Almighty God’s words, “What I desire is not man’s conceptions and thoughts, much less your money and belongings, but your heart. Do you understand? This is My will, and even more what I set out to gain” (“The Sixty-first Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Immediately after that, she made me read some words in the Management Principles for the Church Life, “The Church doesn’t allow anyone to call on believers to give offerings by a special sermon about offerings or by any other reasons” (The Principles to Establish the Church and the Management Principles for the Church Life in Annals of the Fellowship and Arrangements of the Work of the Church (I)). She continued, “Believers in the Church all practice strictly according to the principles. Since I followed Almighty God, the Church has never required us to offer money. Not only that, the Church even delivers a variety of books and CDs to every true believer in God for free. Today, my mother wants to aid those brothers and sisters in difficulty with some money. It’s out of her willingness and no one forced her. Moreover, helping people in need is a good deed. Is there anything to be criticized?”

Almighty God’s words and my wife’s fellowship made me suddenly think of the fellowship given by a sister: The Church of Almighty God doesn’t accept the offerings of the new believers. Whoever attempts to give offerings must pray for several times to make sure that it is truly voluntary and he will never regret it. Only those believers are allowed to offer money. The Church will absolutely not accept the unwilling offerings. Thinking of that, my heart was relieved somewhat, but my doubt hadn’t been fully dispelled. As I frowned, my wife knew what I thought and said, “Don’t believe in those rumors. In order to disturb and destroy God’s work of saving man, Satan can speak any kind of lies and give any kind of false testimonies…. God is a holy God and He loathes man’s evil most. Those with bad reputation and those not observing boundaries between men and women in the world will not be admitted into the Church. If believers commit adultery to shame God’s name, they will be cast into hell. God’s words have made it plain.” Then, she opened the book of God’s word and read those words, “Because of the pealing of seven thunders, many people kneel down to beg for mercy and forgiveness. However, it is not the Age of Grace but the time of wrath. I will not spare or forgive anyone who does evil (one committing adultery, one being not clean in money, one not keeping boundaries between men and women, one disrupting and destroying My management, one not understanding the spirit, one being occupied by an evil spirit, etc. other than God’s chosen people). I will cast them all into Hades and they will perish forever” (“The Ninety-fourth Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Almighty God’s words with majesty and wrath awed me. I felt that God’s righteous, holy disposition which does not allow man’s offense and that God extremely hates those who commit adultery. At that point, some of my misgivings were removed naturally. Then, my wife fellowshiped, “In the Age of Law, God revealed His majestic and wrathful disposition to man. If man committed adultery at that time, they would be stoned to death. As God intends to destroy and end this evil and licentious age in the last days, He reveals His righteous and holy disposition to man and all the filth and evil will be burnt by His wrath. Before God sends down disasters to destroy this age, He uses His word to show His intention, what kind of people He likes, what kind of people He loathes, what kind of people will be destroyed, and what kind of people will remain. Today, God calls those who can be saved into His family and uses His word to judge and purify them. Meanwhile, in light of man’s corrupt disposition, He issues the administrative decrees for them to cling to. As for two members of the opposite sex working together, there’s a strict regulation in the administrative decrees.” Then, she opened the book of God’s word and read, “Man has corrupt disposition and, moreover, he is possessed of emotions. As such, it is absolutely prohibited for two members of the opposite sex to work together when serving God. Any who are discovered doing so will be expelled, without exception—and no one is exempt” (“The Ten Administrative Decrees That Must Be Obeyed by God’s Chosen People in the Age of Kingdom” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

After my wife finished those words, I thought of the matter happened one day in the spring of 2016. It was before my formal investigation on Almighty God’s work in the last days. I drove to another state with my wife and a sister. On the midway, my wife got off the car due to something and the sister followed her off the car. At that time, the wind was blowing and it was freezing cold. The sister stood outside the car, stomping constantly to warm herself. I asked her to get into the car but she said with a smile, “It doesn’t matter. I want to stand outside for a while.” A long time later, my wife came back and only then did the sister get into the car with her. Seeing her shiver with cold, my wife said, “It’s so cold outside. Why did you not stay in the car?” She answered, “There’s an administrative decree in our Church that two members of the opposite sex are prohibited to work together. This is God’s requirement for all His chosen people. We should observe it strictly.” Her words deeply moved me, with the feeling that this group of people were different from worldly people. Thinking of that, I couldn’t help but pat my head. In retrospect, since I engaged with the brothers and sisters in the Church of Almighty God, I had seen that they kept boundaries between men and women, spoke in a dignified and decent way, and dealt with people with a strong sense of propriety. Those rumors betray themselves before the fact. At that moment, I felt ashamed. Actually, the online rumors were all fabricated slanders and blasphemies which were careless and out of nothing. But I even harbored doubts about Almighty God and His Church on account of them. I believed in them blindly and listened to hearsay. I was really muddle-headed! My wife continued her fellowship, “This is God’s protection to man that He issued such an administrative decree. As God knows that mankind is corrupted by Satan too deeply and has no ability to overcome sins, He uses it to constrain man and makes them avoid many temptations. This is God’s love.” I nodded involuntarily. In that way, the shackles in my heart were opened and I was released from doubt, distress and depression.

So, I started to attend meetings again. When I think about this experience, I have palpitations. These rumors are really harmful. Once man is swayed by them, they will be in distress and darkness. What makes me feel very puzzled about is that: Why are these rumors on the Church of Almighty God put on the website since it is so good? Thus, in a meeting, I opened my heart to my brothers and sisters and told them my thought to seek the truth. They had me watch the gospel movie shot by the Church Break Through the Snare. It resolved all my doubts. What’s more, I had a clearer understanding after the fellowship by my brothers and sisters. It’s Satan’s constant ploy to use rumors to disturb and destroy God’s work. When the Lord Jesus worked, to control God’s people forever, the Jewish religious leaders—the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees crafted many rumors about the Lord Jesus. They blasphemed and framed the Lord Jesus, by saying that He drove out demons by the prince of the devils and that He perverted the nation and forbade to give tribute to Caesar. They gave a false testimony that His body was stolen by His disciples and He was not resurrected, and so on. If there had been the internet, I think those religious leaders would upload the rumors and false testimonies about the Lord Jesus to the internet to judge, attack, condemn and blaspheme Him. Rumor is the great hindrance to man’s acceptance of the true way. Deceived by the rumors, the Israelites didn’t acknowledge that the Lord Jesus is Messiah and thus lost God’s salvation. Today, in the Age of Kingdom, Almighty God comes to do the work of judging and purifying man with the word. The Chinese government and the religious pastors and elders acted as Satan’s tools. For the purpose of caging and controlling man, they unrestrainedly created rumors and gave false testimonies on the Church of Almighty God to smear it. Satan is too evil and contemptible!

Following that, my brothers and sisters read God’s words for me, “On earth, all manner of evil spirits are endlessly on the prowl for a place to rest, are ceaselessly searching for the corpses of men to eat up” (“The Tenth Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “Satan is constantly devouring the knowledge that men hold of Me in their hearts, and constantly, with teeth bared and claws unsheathed, engaged in the last throes of its death struggle. Do you wish to be captured by its deceitful stratagems at this moment? Do you wish, at the moment that the last phase of My work is completed, to cut off your own life?” (“The Sixth Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Almighty God’s words tell us the truth of the spiritual war. It turns out that these rumors are Satan’s schemes to devour man. If man believes in those rumors, they will eventually lose the opportunity to be saved by God and will perish and be destroyed with Satan. Thank God for His leadership. The Church’s gospel movie and my brothers and sisters’ fellowship and help caused me to see Satan’s evilness and contemptibleness more clearly. Then, I was enlightened and was at ease within. I set up my mind to follow Almighty God and walk the way to salvation. After following Almighty God, I get the true freedom and release. As I experience more, I see that there’s plenty of love and help among brothers and sisters, and that everyone pursues to be an honest person according to Almighty God’s requirements and doesn’t need to worry or fear that they will be fixed, cheated, and harmed. I have felt the true happiness in the Church of Almighty God, which is the life I have always desired.

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Is there any Bible prophecy that proves the Lord Jesus will return to flesh in the last days?

Is there any Bible prophecy that proves the Lord Jesus will return to flesh in the last days?

The Lord Jesus will return in the flesh to do the work. This is prophesied in the Bible and there are many verses that talk of this. Such as, "Be you therefore ready also: for the Son of man comes at an hour when you think not." (Luke 12:40) "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." Many have mentioned that "the Son of man comes," or "the Son of man descends." When we talk about the Son of man, it refers to a person born to a human and with normal humanity. So the Spirit then can't be called the Son of man. Jehovah God is the Spirit. We can't call Him the Son of man. The angels people saw, they're spirit entities. They can't be called the Son of man. Any spiritual being that looks like a human also isn't the Son of man. Lord Jesus incarnate was called the Son of man, Christ, because He was the incarnate flesh of God's Spirit, becoming an ordinary man who just lived among us. So then when the Lord Jesus said "the Son of man comes," "the Son of man descends," He meant in the last days He would become flesh again. Especially the words "But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation" better prove that the Lord would come through incarnation. Besides, unless God is incarnated on earth, He won’t “suffer many things” or “be rejected of this generation.” If He comes as the “Spirit,” He won’t suffer and no one would dare reject Him. And thus, when God comes again in the last days, He will still appear to us as the “Son of man,” that is, appear in the flesh. This refers to the Lord Jesus. Because the Lord will return in the glorified flesh and He won’t suffer. Let’s read another verse. Luke 9:22. “The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.” This verse tells us clearly when the Lord Jesus was first incarnated, He was rejected by chief priests, elders, and scribes and suffered quite a lot, and then was crucified. But Luke 17:24-25 tell us when the Lord Jesus comes again, He will suffer many things and again be rejected of this generation. It mentions “and again be rejected of this generation.” “Again” means that He was once rejected, and it will happen again. It shows that the Lord will come back in the flesh. If the Lord Jesus comes in the glorified flesh, He will not “suffer many things” or “again be rejected of this generation.”

from the movie script of The Mystery of Godliness, Caught the Last Train

Any major incidents of God's work are prophesied in the Bible, and there are quite a few relating to the second coming of the Lord Jesus and God's work of judgment. But we should understand that prophecies only tell people what will happen. They are reminders for people to be aware and to seek and investigate in the last days, so they won't be abandoned or eliminated by God. That's all the prophecies can do. The prophecies can't help us to know God's work, nor understand the truth, or help people obey God, or increase people's love for God. So, our best course is to directly investigate the words expressed by Almighty God and the work done by Him, from these determine whether they are truly God's voice and expression. That is the most important course of action. This is much more realistic and useful. We all know that when the Lord Jesus came to do work, the disciples and believers who followed Him, they only recognized Him gradually, through His work and words, that the Lord was Christ, the Messiah prophesied. The priests, scribes, and Pharisees who knew religious law and studied the Bible knew that the Lord Jesus' word is the truth, has authority, and has power. But because they hated the truth, they not only refused to follow the Lord Jesus, they used the letters and regulations in the Bible to oppose and condemn the Lord Jesus, This shows us the Bible can't lead or guide us to accept the return of the Lord. For those who wait the Lord's return, the Bible only serves as corroboration. The clever virgin doesn't welcome her groom using the Bible. When she hears her groom's voice, she ascertains it is God's voice and goes to meet her Lord. Those who rely on biblical prophecy rather than seeking God's voice, and who reject and condemn Almighty God's work in the last days— they are the most foolish virgins, those who God will abandon and eliminate.

Let's read a passage from Almighty God. Almighty God says, “Can you be such that you accept without question all the work of the Holy Spirit? If it is the work of the Holy Spirit, then it is the right “stream.” You should accept it without the slightest misgivings, rather than picking and choosing what to accept. If you gain some knowledge from God and exercise some caution against Him, is this not an act truly uncalled for? What you ought to do is acceptance of, without the need for further substantiation from the Bible, any work so long as it is that of the Holy Spirit, for you believe in God to follow God, not to investigate Him. You should not search out further proof for Me to show that I am your God. Rather, you ought to discern whether I am of benefit to you; that is the key. Even if you have found out much irrefutable proof within the Bible, it cannot bring you fully before Me. You are one who lives within the confines of the Bible, and not before Me; the Bible cannot help you know Me, nor can it deepen your love for Me” (The Word Appears in the Flesh). To discern whether Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus, we cannot rely solely on evidence in the Bible. Most important is whether the words expressed by Almighty God are the truth, whether what Almighty God expresses is God's disposition and what He has and is, whether Almighty God's words are the truth, the way, and the life necessary to man, whether they relieve people's confusion about belief in God, whether they save people from their corrupt satanic dispositions and satanic natures, and whether they can save people from Satan's influence, achieve purity and enter the kingdom of heaven. That's the most important factor.

from the movie script of From the Throne Flows the Water of Life

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