Will the Lord Jesus Come Again in a Jewish Image?

Will the Lord Jesus Come Again in a Jewish Image?

In 1994, I accepted the gospel of the Lord Jesus. At that time, my third elder sister gave me a Bible, and we made an appointment to attend a meeting on Sunday. That day, as soon as I entered the church, a rectangular stereoscopic oil portrait of the Lord Jesus Christ came into my view: He bears the image of a Jew and wears a white robe, with long curly blond hair spilling over His shoulders, with blue eyes, a high nose, and a kindly face…. I was quite amazed and thought within: actually the God I believe in bears a Jewish image…. Due to my zealous pursuit, I became a preacher soon. On a Sabbath day, when it was my turn to give a sermon, I looked at the believers down there and said gently, “Brothers and sisters, it is because of the Lord’s great love that we poor people are chosen from different places. The Lord Jesus is full of lovingkindness and mercy, and He promised us that He would come again. Please turn to Acts 1:11, ‘Which also said, You men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven.’ As we all know, the Lord Jesus ascended to heaven in a Jewish image. So, when He returns, He shall still descend among His sincere believers in the image and clothes of a Jew. We must hold on to the Lord’s way firmly to welcome His return.” After hearing that, the believers all nodded in agreement. With such an expectation, I was more zealous in my pursuit and service. However, I had never seen the return of the Lord Jesus….

Later, Sister Yang, at her old age, came to our church. During my contact with her, I found she was quite spiritual. So, I often fellowshipped with her about the verses in the Bible. One day, she said to me, “I have a good news for you. The Lord Jesus has come back, and He has returned to flesh and is doing a new work in China.” I was absolutely shaken and asked, “You said that the Lord Jesus has come back and is doing a new work in China. Then, what does He look like?” She answered with a smile, “Of course He takes the image of a Chinese.” I said, “Acts 1:11 says, ‘…this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven.’ The Lord Jesus went away in a Jewish image, so He shall still appear to all peoples in a Jewish image when He returns. How can He come in the image of a Chinese? It’s impossible.” Sister Yang said, “As to this question, we may look back on what kind of images God took when He appeared to man. As a matter of fact, in God’s work, God never appeared to man in a fixed image. In the Age of Law, God appeared to Abraham in the image of a man (referring to Genesis 18); and He also appeared to Moses in the brambles and fire (referring to Exodus 3:1-4). In the Age of Grace, although God became flesh in the image of the Lord Jesus and did His work in Judea for several years, He didn’t ask man to memorize His Jewish image. For instance, the Lord Jesus was once transfigured before His disciples, with His face shining as the sun, which was definitely not a Jewish image; after He was nailed to the cross and resurrected, His image was not the previous image, so that the two disciples on their way to Emmaus and Mary Magdalene didn’t recognize Him. From these, we know that the image of God is beyond man’s definition. Let’s read a passage of Almighty God’s words, ‘God is the greatest in the entire universe, so could He fully explain Himself using the image of a flesh? God puts on the flesh in order to do a stage of His work. There is no significance to the image of the flesh, and it bears no relation to the passing of ages, and has nothing to do with God’s disposition. … Although the image of man was created in the image of God, how could the appearance of man represent the exalted image of God? When God becomes flesh, He merely descends from heaven into a particular flesh. His Spirit descends into a flesh, through which He does the work of the Spirit. The Spirit is expressed in the flesh, and the Spirit does His work in the flesh. The work done in the flesh fully represents the Spirit, and the flesh is for the sake of work, but that does not make the image of the flesh a substitute for the true image of God Himself; this is not the purpose and significance of God become flesh. He becomes flesh only so that the Spirit can have somewhere appropriate to reside when doing His work, so that He can achieve His work in the flesh—so that people can see His work, come into contact with His disposition, hear His words, and know the wonder of His work. His name represents His disposition, His work represents His identity, but He has never said that His appearance in the flesh represents His image; that is merely a notion of man. … The portrait of Jesus was painted by man so that man could worship Him. At the time, no special instructions were provided by the Holy Spirit, and so man passed the portrait on until today. In fact, according to the original intention of God, man should not have done this. It is only the zeal of man which has caused the portrait of Jesus to remain until this day. God is Spirit, and man will never be capable of summing up exactly what His image is. His image can only be represented by His disposition.’ (“The Vision of God’s Work (3)”) From Almighty God’s words, we know that God is the supreme Ruler. He is the invisible Spirit, who is formless and imageless. God can ascend to the highest place and humble Himself to be a man. No matter which image He appears in, His substance is still God Himself. When God becomes flesh to carry out His work, it is totally because of the needs of His work, not for the purpose of replacing the true image of God Himself with the image of His flesh. The appearance of His flesh can’t represent God’s disposition or God’s true identity. The image of God incarnate has nothing to do with God’s substance or God’s true image. Only from His work and word can we know God’s disposition, substance, and identity, and that God is the truth, the way, and the life. Man must not regard the appearance of God’s flesh as God’s true image or make such a conclusion that ‘God took the image of a Jew, so God will look like this forever.’ It is a blasphemy and slander against God. Whatever image God takes to do His work, it is meaningful. When God becomes flesh, He will take the image of people in the country where He does His work, for it is advantageous to people’s contact with Him and the smooth progress of His work in the flesh. For example, in the Age of Grace, God became flesh in Judea and did His work among the Jews, so He bore a Jewish image, wore the clothes of the Jews, and spoke Hebrew. In this way, it was relatively easy for the Jews to contact Him and know more about His word and work and thus receive His salvation. Similarly, God becomes flesh in China in the last days, and so He appears in the image of a Chinese and speaks Chinese. In this way, it is convenient for the chosen people of China to accept God’s work and receive the truth expressed by God. If God, when incarnated in China, still took a Jewish image and spoke Hebrew, the Chinese wouldn’t be able to understand His word, much less would they understand the truth expressed by Christ. In that case, wouldn’t God’s work of salvation yield no effects? Thus, it is so logical that wherever God becomes flesh to do His work, He will take the image of people there. But we should know that no matter which country’s people God incarnate resembles in looks, His substance is still God Himself, which is beyond all doubt. As Almighty God says, ‘Although the image God’s flesh takes in the work of today is totally different from Jesus, Their substance and origin are one after all, and They are from one source. Maybe They have many differences in Their outer shells, but the inside truth of Their works is not in the least different. After all, the ages are completely different. How could God’s works be completely the same or be contradictory to each other?’”

Hearing that, I realized such fellowship was very reasonable and irrefutable, and found the viewpoint baseless that the Lord Jesus would return in a Jewish image, which I had preached for many years…. At that time, Sister Yang continued, “No matter what image God takes, where He appears, or in which way He appears to man, God can accomplish His own work. Man shouldn’t confine God within a limited scope or within his notions and imaginations, thinking that God will surely reappear in the image of the Lord Jesus. We shall come out of our own notions and imaginations to seek and investigate the truth, and only in this way will we see the appearance of God and truly welcome the return of the Lord. Let’s read another passage of Almighty God’s words, ‘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 in 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. … 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.’” Almighty God’s words shook my heart. I would no longer hold on to the notion that the Lord Jesus would return in a Jewish image….

Later, Sister Yang fellowshipped with me about several pieces of words expressed by Almighty God: The Substance of the “Flesh” God Is In, The Two Incarnations Complete the Significance of Incarnation, God Is the Lord of All Created Beings, The Age of Kingdom Is the Age of the Word, and so on. Under the unending supply of Almighty God’s word, I understand more and more truths and increasingly feel that what God has and is is so rich. Before God, man is only a handful of dust. As a created being, man can never fathom the wisdom and wonderfulness of God’s work, much less define God’s true image. So, we should seek and investigate more about God’s return to flesh.

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Inquiring Into the Facts (I)

Inquiring Into the Facts (I)

Xiangyi

Synopsis: In view of rumors and slanders spread by the CCP government about the man used by the Holy Spirit in the Church of Almighty God, some people carry out an interview to question closely about the facts.
Characters:

Host: Xunguang;

Guests: Zhengyi and Xiangming.

Xunguang: Inquiring Into the Facts pays close attention to the hot topic about which the public care the most with you. In recent years, the rapid development of the Church of Almighty God has attracted widespread attention of countries and the popular media. About this topic which all of us focus on, today we’ve invited two guests from the Church of Almighty God to solve our doubts. Hello, Mr. Zhengyi and Mr. Xiangming.

Zhengyi and Xiangming: Hello, host.

Xunguang: We all know that, in 1991, the incarnate Almighty God formally began to express the truth and perform His ministry in Mainland China. He has expressed millions of words and done the work of judgment beginning with the house of God. The true believers who thirst for God’s appearance in all denominations and sects, after hearing God’s voice, have recognized that Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus in the last days and have turned toward Him one after another. In recent years, Almighty God’s kingdom gospel has been spread to many foreign countries and regions, and His words as well as gospel films, videos and articles of testifying about God have been disseminated widely via the Internet, which attracts an increasing number of men to seek and investigate. However, the Church of Almighty God growing stronger day by day triggers the atheistic CCP government’s deep concern and panic. As is known to all, the CCP government has been suppressing and persecuting underground house churches in China, and we frequently hear the news that the believers in the Church of Almighty God are arrested and sentenced by it. We also see a great deal of negative words from its official media, in the midst of which there is a conspicuous condemnation on a man to draw our attention especially.

“In 2000, the Chinese government launched a large-scale, nationwide search, so Zhao XX fled to New York, the United States via Tokyo, Japan. In June, 2001, he submitted an application for political asylum to the American authorities on the grounds of suffering religious persecution. The authorities who were unaware of the truth approved his request.”

Is it really the case? Considering the CCP’s unsavory reputation of persecuting religious belief and afflicting Christians all along, which is well-known in the international community, in order to avoid listening to its one-sided statement, let’s welcome these two brothers to dig out the truth for us.

Inquiry I

Xunguang: Almighty God has been working in Mainland China for more than twenty years, and millions of people have turned toward Him. But why does the CCP consume the largest manpower and material resources for solely arresting Zhao XX? It not only offered a reward of more than one million yuan for the capture of him in China, but after he went overseas, it does not give up and dispatches spies to shadow and spy on him and does its utmost to attack him on public media opinion. What kind of person is Zhao XX, whom the CCP has put a lot of efforts to arrest in the Church of Almighty God?

Zhengyi: Bible-readers are all familiar with that God once ordained Moses to lead the Israelites when he worked in the Age of Law, which created a precedent that God uses man to cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit. When God incarnate appears and works in the last days, He again ordains a man to lead His chosen people of the churches. Zhao XX is the man He ordains in the Age of Kingdom to be in charge of leading and shepherding all people in the Church of Almighty God, and the man used by the Holy Spirit in the Age of Kingdom. Almighty God says, “The work carried out by the one who is used by God is in order to cooperate with the work of Christ or the Holy Spirit. This man is raised up by God among man, he is there to lead all of God’s chosen ones, and he is also raised up by God in order to do the work of human cooperation. With someone such as this, who is able to do the work of human cooperation, more of God’s requirements toward man and the work that the Holy Spirit must do among man can be achieved through him” (“Concerning God’s Use of Man” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

Through Almighty God’s words we can learn that Zhao XX, as the predestined and selected man used by the Holy Spirit when God carries out the work of the last days, is the man who cooperates with God’s work and leads His chosen ones to pursue salvation. He leads and shepherds God’s chosen people totally in compliance with God’s words. Since he began to be responsible for the church’s work, he has issued a good deal of work arrangements as well as fellowship and preaching to help believers enter into the reality of the truth. And he has served as the “translator” as well as the bridge to help us comprehend and receive God’s words. Under his leading, we have possessed a number of real experiences about Almighty God’s words and some practical knowledge of God. Meanwhile, we have seen clearly the facts about our corruption by Satan, and walked on the right way of human life of seeking the transformation of life disposition. Moreover, we have penetrated the atheistic CCP government’s satanic, devilish substance of resisting God frenziedly. After going through its persecution and arrest, we God’s chosen people have possessed real faith in God and have broken through the bondage of the influence of darkness, not enslaved or controlled by the CCP anymore. No matter how serious obstacles or persecution we suffer, we still persevere with our belief in and worship of God. The CCP is very clear that if all the people come to follow God, there will be no one to worship it or believe its atheistic thoughts and communist theory. That will be the time when its desires of making China a place without God and enslaving Chinese people forever are dashed. Hence, it is deeply worried that the man used by the Holy Spirit will bring all mankind before God and extremely afraid that God will reign as King among men. The reason why it frenziedly condemns and hunts the man used by the Holy Spirit is that it wants to ban the Church of Almighty God and God’s work of the last days. But when he went abroad after being persecuted, the CCP cannot arrest him anymore. It doesn’t take its defeat lying down, but spreads various rumors about him and stirs up the antagonism of men toward the Church of Almighty God. Its goal is to hinder man from seeking and investigating God’s work of the last days.

Inquiry II

Xunguang: The CCP claims that it once mobilized the nationwide policemen to search for the man used by the Holy Spirit in a large-scale way, which makes us feel as if Zhao XX had committed a felony and is a principal criminal. Could Zhao XX, a Christian really break the law? Why is such a man who worships God heart and soul listed as a wanted criminal throughout China?

Xiangming: As the law stands, the wanted criminal must meet three requirements: 1. The wanted man must be a criminal suspect. 2. The suspect should satisfy the requirements of arrest. 3. The suspect surely shirks the legal liability and his present whereabouts is unknown. Only man who fulfils the above-mentioned requirements can be wanted legitimately and legally. It is obvious that the CCP cannot list any sinful fact of the man used by the Holy Spirit or tell which law he has broken, but just says that he submitted an application for political asylum to the American authorities on the grounds of suffering religious persecution. From it, we understand that the CCP gives orders to arrest him just because he believes in and serves God. The CCP government is quite clear that if the leader of the Church of Almighty God is not eliminated, he will lead and shepherd us, God’s chosen ones all the while to make us better understand the truth and further strengthen our faith in Almighty God and our love for Him. When we all understand the truth and are made overcomers by God, we aren’t restrained or bound by any Satan’s forces anymore and can worship and serve God wholeheartedly, and the CCP will be abandoned thoroughly. Accordingly, it simply ignores the international human rights treaties and the condemnation from the international community, but just stops at nothing to arrest him.

Inquiry III

Xunguang: All right. We see that the CCP is unable to obtain its desire all the while. After the man used by the Holy Spirit went abroad, it circulates rumors through the media that Zhao XX has already fled abroad. It is incomprehensible to many people how this action, that a Christian went abroad in order to believe in God and preach the gospel seriously because he was wanted by the atheistic government, can be called fleeing. How should we treat this issue?

Zhengyi: It’s quite simple. Let’s review those apostles and missionaries who preached the Lord’s way throughout the ages, and then we can know the answer.

In 1583, Matteo Ricci, an Italian missionary, sailed across the ocean to preach in China. At that time, the gospel of the Lord Jesus’ redemption of mankind spread by him was welcomed and esteemed by Chinese scholar-bureaucrats.

In 1605, Gao Yizhi, an Italian missionary of the Societas Iesu, came to China to preach. He left China in 1616, and at the end of 1624, he returned to Shanxi, China to resume preaching until he passed away.

In 1853, James Hudson Taylor, a British missionary who was only 21 years old, bade farewell to his parents and came to China to preach the Lord’s way. Since then he had never left China.

In 1885, Herbert Dixon, a British missionary, in company with his wife, left their four young children behind in England to preach in China until they martyred themselves in Xinzhou, Shanxi in 1900.

In 1916, Zhong Aihua, an American missionary, came to preach in China, and engaged in medical missionary work for 25 years. He was also one of those who dedicated most of their lives to Chinese Christians.

For thousands of years, it was precisely these missionaries who crossed borders to spread God’s gospel all over the world. None of the governments of democracies have ever condemned them as fugitives. If we say that preaching the gospel abroad means fleeing, could it be said that all Christian churches are formed by the gospel-spreading of those criminals who flee to escape punishment? And that Christians can believe in God at all times and in all countries is because they accept the gospel preached by fugitives? In order to complete the work of the church and to expand God’s kingdom gospel, the man used by the Holy Spirit went abroad. How could he be related to the word fleeing? Obviously, the CCP’s nonsense is purely the discredit against the Church of Almighty God and the smear against him. For the sake of banning God’s work of the last days, it has told a pack of lies and stops at no evil. Now it is quite reckless of the consequences when speaking and doing things. That it makes up these rumors is, in effect, making an enemy of God as well as Christians at all times and in all places openly. So, none of the words spread by the CCP deserve to be trusted.

To Be Continued …

Part Two: Inquiring Into the Facts (II)

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The Difference Between Worshiping God and Worshiping Idols

The Difference Between Worshiping God and Worshiping Idols

Now, a statement circulating online says that putting illustrations of the Lord Jesus on the Internet or sharing them with brothers and sisters is worshiping idols, not worshiping God. Does it conform to the truth? How can we tell the difference between worshiping God and worshiping idols?

The Lord Jesus said, “when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him” (John 4:23). Based on these words from the Lord Jesus, many thoughtful, savvy people will acknowledge such a fact: To judge whether or not one truly worships God depends not fully on his outward behavior, but on whether he truly believes in God and thirsts for the truth, and whether he is an honest man who shows a true representation of himself before God. That is to say, a man who appears devout on the outside is not necessarily a true worshiper of God, while a true worshiper of God focuses on worshiping God in spirit and in truth, not outward practices. So, my brothers and sisters and I all believe illustrations of the Lord Jesus are merely a symbol and metaphor which represents God is with us. We are not worshiping idols by using these pictures. What does worshiping idols truly refer to? It means to regard the illustrations or the Bible as God, and prostrate and kneel before them. That is truly worshiping idols. Let us put forward some examples. Some people must pray with a Bible in front of them, and some always take a Bible with them wherever they go and even hold it as they sleep. Still, there are some believers who must pray with their faces to a portrait of the Lord Jesus, and some others who make long prayers laying their hands on the Bible. These people all believe what they do is worshiping God. Yet, in fact, they have been unable to feel the presence of the Lord and the work of the Holy Spirit long ago. Some preachers in the churches cannot communicate any true knowledge of God, or reveal the real road for the believers to practice the truth and follow God’s will. Those who listen to the messages in a muddled way don’t know to actively search for the footsteps of the work of the Holy Spirit and only hold to various religious rituals, even though they cannot obtain the supply of life. Is this type of belief really worshiping God? If one cannot gain the work of the Holy Spirit and worships the illustrations and the Bible as God, then the object of his worship is actually empty air or a vague God in his notions and imagination, and in essence he is worshiping idols. By contrast, some people who have a picture of the Lord Jesus hanging in their homes are very pious as they pray to Him, and in their prayers, they often speak from their hearts, give thought to the Lord’s love, and are moved to tears. They normally focus on practicing and experiencing the Lord’s words, frequently receive enlightenment from the Holy Spirit and reap knowledge about the reality of the truth. This is the result reached through the work of the Holy Spirit. For such people, who can say they are worshiping idols?

Second of all, some people do not honor God as great as they believe in God, but blindly believe in and worship their pastors and elders. They believe and obey whatever their pastors and elders say, and never rely on God’s words to discern whether their words are in accordance with the truth and whether their deeds are after God’s heart. With regard to receiving the Lord’s second coming, many people are especially obedient to their pastors and elders. If their pastors and elders condemn and oppose something, they will follow them without discernment. When the pastors and elders claim that the Lord has not returned or define the way in which He shall come, they put blind faith in it, rather than discern it according to God’s words or seek a way of practice that is after God’s heart in God’s words. In their eyes, belief in God means to listen to the pastors and elders in all things. They worship and have blind faith in man so much that they even obey man as God. This is truly worshiping idols, and the men they worship are precisely their idols.

The Lord Jesus said, “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21-23). As we believe in God, we should have a place for God in our hearts, often exalt and testify to God, seek truth in all things, submit to God’s word and put it into practice. This is following the will of God, and through this we can certainly obtain the work of the Holy Spirit. In this way, no matter how many illustrations of the Lord Jesus we place in our homes and churches, or on the websites, it is completely right, because it is for the sake of spreading the gospel and bearing testimony to God, and it is regarded as a positive thing commended by God, which is beyond doubt. Conversely, those who believe in God in name only and worship status and power in reality, blindly believe in and follow the pastors and elders and treat man as God, hold to letters and doctrines as the truth—such people cannot possibly have the work of the Holy Spirit. No matter how many religious ceremonies they follow, God will not like them, but instead detest and reject them, for they never take exalting and bearing witness to God as their duty, or consider implementing and experiencing God’s words as important. These people are the chaff and false believers without life. Their faith is genuinely worshiping idols.

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A Blade of Grass That Grows Among Thorns

A Blade of Grass That Grows Among Thorns

Yixin    Singapore

Editors’ note:

Yixin, a kind and caring beautician, came to Singapore from China. Under the Lord’s protection, she had a secure job and led a happy and steady life. Later, she heard the news about the Lord’s return. Unexpectedly, during the process of her investigation, she was paid attention to by her company and pastor. She was once afraid of a rupture with others and the loss of her job. However, God’s words led her. Depending on the guidance of God’s words, she saw clearly what came from Satan and what came from God in the hindrance and attack from her pastor and fellow believers. She understood many aspects of truths and grew gradually amid attacks and threats, ultimately solidifying her will to follow God all her life. Here is the inspiring experience she narrated.

A Sister of My Original Church Knew That I Was Investigating the Work of God in the Last Days

In November of 2016, I made the acquaintance of people in the Church of Almighty God on Facebook, a brother named Lin Quan, two sisters called Zhang Hua and Xiaoxiao. They fellowshiped and bore witness to me about God’s work in the last days combining with the prophecies in the Bible. Through their fellowship and testimony, I got to know that Almighty God has done a stage of work of judgment and purification with the word based upon the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus. In the last days, God intends to completely save man from the domain of Satan through judgment, allow man to break away from Satan’s influence, stopping disobeying Him and resisting Him and becoming someone truly obedient to Him. From Almighty God’s words, I also came to understand that God will separate wheat from tares, sheep from goats through judgment so that man shall be classified according to kind. Through Almighty God’s words and the testimonies of the brothers and sisters, I realized that Almighty God is exactly the coming of the Lord Jesus whom I longed for. I was willing to accept His work in the last days.

One day, Sister Zhu of my original denomination suddenly asked what I was up to recently. Then I told her my investigation on Almighty God’s work in the last days. Upon hearing the Church of Almighty God, she began to slander the Church and blaspheme Almighty God by repeating many online rumors and words of condemnation of God. She also advised me not to contact the people of the Church of Almighty God. I said, “I have engaged with those brothers and sisters for a while and felt good to communicate with them. They are different from what you said. What’s more, Almighty God’s words are very practical and easy to understand and remember. They can supply man and be the bread of life and show man the way to practice, giving me much more than the pastor’s sermons.” Seeing my determined attitude, she quit trying to persuade me but asked me whether to tell my investigation on the work of Almighty God in the last days to Sister Yun, who preached the Lord’s gospel to us. I answered, “No. There are still many things I don’t understand. I will tell everyone when I fully verify it.” She promised me not to speak to Sister Yun until I was clear about it.

My Investigation on God’s Work in the Last Days Was Given Away and I Was Attacked by My Boss

Against all expectations, five days later, my boss found me and said, “Yixin, Sister Yun asked me to pray for you. Although I don’t know how to pray, I will try my best….” Upon hearing these words, I realized that Sister Zhu had told Sister Yun my investigation on Almighty God’s work of the last days. Such behavior of hers was so immoral and full of deceit and betrayal to me, making me feel that even brothers and sisters in the Lord were untrustworthy…. As I thought of this, my boss, without asking me the ins and outs, accused me of not believing in the Lord properly and going astray in the presence of over ten people in the company. She also spoke many words resisting Almighty God and condemning the Church of Almighty God. It happened so suddenly that I didn’t know what to do, with a very awful feeling. So I prayed silently, “O Lord! Why did they say those words of resistance and condemnation without investigation? How could they put so much trust in the online rumors? O Lord! What should I do? Am I really wrong? O Lord! I wish for You to protect me. I don’t know what to do….”

Almighty God Guided Me to See Through Satan’s Plot

Later, I told Brother Lin Quan what happened to me. He sent me some God’s words, “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? Surely you are not still waiting for Me to dispense My leniency one more time? Seeking to know Me is the key thing, but neither should you neglect to pay attention to actual practice. I am revealing insights to you directly in My words, in hopes that you will be able to submit to My guidance …” (“The Sixth Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh). And “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” (“Corrupt Mankind Is More in Need of the Salvation of God Become Flesh” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Brother Lin told me, “God’s words make us understand that it is a spiritual battle and that Satan’s harassment has come upon you. God incarnate expresses words for man to know Him, His work and His disposition so as to save them. While Satan follows on the heels of God to disturb and disrupt God’s work, deny God’s work and Christ, and reject the truth so as to hinder man’s return to God. The Bible says, ‘And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not’ (John 1:5). ‘He came to his own, and his own received him not’ (John 1:11). When the Lord Jesus came to do His work, the leaders of Judaism, like the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees, not only rejected Him but also became Satan’s servants, making every effort to defy His work. They mainly used the means of creating rumors and giving false testimonies to oppose God. For example, they slandered and blasphemed the Lord Jesus, saying that He drove demons out by the prince of the devils. They also framed Him for perverting the nation and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar. What’s more, after the Lord Jesus’ resurrection, they even bribed the soldiers to give the false testimony that the body of the Lord Jesus was stolen by His disciples. It is even recorded in the books other than the Bible that the Lord Jesus was an illegitimate son. In the last days when God carries out His new work, the CCP government fabricates numerous rumors in order to establish an atheistic place in China, and many pastors and elders in the religious world give lots of false testimonies for the sake of maintaining their status and jobs. So that people might be blinded, frightened, and hindered from investigating and accepting God’s new work. Therefore, we must see clearly that the atheist CCP government is the enemy of God, that the pastors, elders and the wicked who prevent man from investigating God’s work of the last days are the Pharisees of modern times, and that the online rumors are Satan’s schemes. Only in this way can we stand at God’s side in this spiritual struggle, without being taken captive by Satan….”

Brother Lin’s fellowship allowed me to know the root cause of the rumors. None of the people who attacked me had investigated Almighty God’s work of the last days before resisting it. They got really carried away with those rumors. Wise people would draw a conclusion after investigation. However, since belief in God was a serious matter, I feared taking a wrong path and had some misgivings. After I got home from work, I prayed to the Lord in tears, “O Lord! You are the God who observes the depths of man’s heart. You once guided me when I was most in need, making me happy and joyful. O Lord! I am very bewildered right now. May You guide and lead me. O Lord! Today I won’t listen to others and follow the crowd. I am willing to act in harmony with Your will.” As I was sleeping that night, without knowing the time, I felt in a daze that something was pressing on me. I wanted to open my eyes but failed and my struggling was in vain. I shouted hurriedly, “Lord Jesus, save me!” But it was useless although I had shouted twice. I was very fearful and was at a loss what to do. Suddenly I thought of Almighty God. So I cried out “Almighty God” twice and then I woke up. I was seized by panic and it was quite a while before I recovered. I thought to myself: Why was it useful to cry out to Almighty God while calling out to the Lord Jesus was not? At that time, I remembered Brother Lin’s fellowship: Almighty God has come and continued the work of the Lord Jesus. He has ushered in a new age and concluded the old by the name of Almighty God. Because there is one name for each age, the Holy Spirit upholds His new name in the new age. Now it is the last days. Almighty God set about His work in 1991. So, God only answers our prayers when we pray in the name of Almighty God. Only then did I realize that what happened just now was not accidental, but the confirmation given by God after He heard my prayer. Thanks be to the Lord! Thus, I had confidence to face the attacks from my boss and my colleagues.

I Was Again Attacked Because I Persisted in Believing in Almighty God

When I was at work the next day, my boss again criticized me in front of all the employees, saying that I was walking the wrong path. She also spoke very harsh words to blaspheme God. I was indignant at those words and asked her, “What is evil? We all believe in God. Why do you condemn others in this way?” After saying this, I stormed away. A few minutes later, my boss came for me and blamed me for losing my temper with her. I said, “I did not mean to get mad. But you shouldn’t have said those words. We believers in God should not say the words profaning, resisting or condemning God, which is sinning against God. If you feel I will be detrimental to the company, I can choose to leave. All I want is to believe in God properly. I won’t hurt you or affect the company. You think you mean well. But I’m an adult with rational thinking. Concerning whether Almighty God is the coming of the Lord Jesus, I have sought and investigated it rather than believed it by listening to others casually.” She then asked me if I had read the statements on TV and online. I answered, “Anything negative comes from Satan. What I have seen differs from what you have seen. The Church of Almighty God has never made people do those evil things. Rather, quite the opposite, we’re asked to be good and honest people.” Then she was speechless and left.

A Hymn of God’s Word Gave Me Confidence to Fight

However, from then on, my boss has been freezing me out and even satirizing me in order for me to give up my faith in Almighty God. One day, my boss suddenly told me, “Sister Yun will talk to you when she comes back from her business trip.” At those words, I felt somewhat bad and nervous. It was Sister Yun who spread the Lord’s gospel to me. She was also a VIP client in our beauty salon. If she was offended, it would be hard for me to deal with her and my boss would be unhappy. As the day of Sister Yun coming back approached, I became more nervous and scared. One afternoon, I prayed to God in a VIP room. Just after my prayer, my boss phoned to say, “Sister Yun will come in a moment. Give a facial treatment to her.” Though reluctant, I had no excuse to wriggle out of it. I went to the staff room, listening to hymns of God’s word in order to quiet my heart before God. I listened to the 210th hymn “I Am Determined to Love God”: “… I wish for You to open the eyes of my spirit, I wish for Your Spirit to touch my heart, so that before You I am divested of all passive states, and unconstrained by any person, matter, or thing; my heart I completely lay bare before You, such that my entire being is devoted before You, and You may test me however You wish. Now, I give no thought to my prospects, nor am I bound by death. Using my heart that loves You, I wish to seek the way of life.” God’s words gave me faith. Gradually, my heart calmed down and was at ease. Yes. Whatever others say, I should seek the truth, search for the appearance and work of God and pursue to love Him without the constraint of anyone. How my boss sees or treats me and how my relationship with Sister Yun is going to be rest in God’s palm. Therefore, I got the faith to face all this.

I Triumphed in the Test by Praying to and Depending on God

A few minutes later, Sister Yun arrived. I prayed to God silently, “Almighty God! I am afraid that she will speak words that blaspheme, resist and condemn You…. May You protect and help me.” She started by only talking with me about what she reaped from her business trip to Israel. In the end, however, she asked me in a roundabout way, “In the last days, many false Christs and false prophets have appeared to deceive people….” I said, “Yes. The Lord Jesus indeed reminded us of that. But He also said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). The Lord will lead us onto the right path. We should not only worry about deception from false Christs in the last days, because God has told us that His sheep listen to His voice.” However, she didn’t listen to me at all but kept telling me to be careful of false Christs that appeared in the last days to deceive people. She then spoke negative words about the Church of Almighty God. I ignored her words. Seeing me not respond to her, she no longer said anything. I thanked God for protecting me. As such, I passed this test.

God’s Words Guided Me Again and Gave Me Discernment

Later, my boss was still not pleased about me believing in Almighty God, keeping freezing me out and attacking me in front of my colleagues. During that time, brothers and sisters from the Church of Almighty God constantly fellowshiped and shared with me in order to allow me to understand God’s will. They told me: God gives people freedom of choice and He never forces them, which is His working principle. People volunteer to accept or not accept Almighty God’s work in the last days without being compelled. They also sent me a passage of God’s words, “Now what I set is the exercise for your life to grow, so that your spirit will be acute, your spiritual eyes will be opened and thus you will know what is from God. If it is from God, you will be capable and burdened in your service and be assured in your spirit. If it is not from Me, everything will be empty, and you will gain nothing, feel down in your spirit, lose faith, become distant from Me, and sink into mind. Now, living in the spirit, you can transcend all the worldly things. Living in the mind, you will fall into Satan’s trap and come to a dead end. Now, it is very simple. Look up to Me with your heart, and immediately you will be strong in your spirit and have ways of practice. I will lead you at your every step, and My word will be revealed to you anywhere and anytime. No matter when and where it is and how adverse the environment is, as long as your heart looks up to Me, I will surely let you see clearly, My heart will surely be revealed to you, and you will not get lost when running forward” (“The Thirteenth Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). I gained a bit of knowledge about this passage of God’s words through their fellowship. There was always God’s permission no matter what happened to me. He created such an environment to try me and test me whether or not I had true faith in Him. Meanwhile, God wanted to open the eyes of my spirit so that I could distinguish between what came from God and what came from Satan. God also wished me to learn to rely on and look up to Him in trials because He would be with me to lead, guide, care and protect me.

With the guidance of God’s words and the help of brothers and sisters, I was even more aware of what was the right path. I ascertained that following Almighty God was keeping pace with the footsteps of the Lamb rather than taking the wrong path. Brothers and sisters in the Church of Almighty God fellowshiped about the truth and God’s will with me, and bore witness to what God has and what God is. They never forced me to believe but allowed me to choose freely. They only communicated with me on God’s will and helped me learn to discern various views. Whereas Sister Yun and my boss kept saying the words of profanity and resistance to God according to the online rumors in order to obstruct me from accepting God’s work of the last days by compulsion. When I didn’t listen to them, they just denounced and took digs at me. This made me thoroughly understand that only what was from Satan would push, attack and force man. Thanks be to God! It was obvious for me that who was from God and who was from Satan.

I Was Attacked and Threatened by the Pastor of My Original Church

I had thought things had come to an end, but something unexpected again happened. One day, I had just finished a beauty treatment for a client when my boss came to take me to the next building. I remembered she was out for a couple of hours, but I didn’t know she was actually talking with Sister Yun and the pastor of my original church in the next building. She didn’t tell me that Sister Yun was waiting for me until when we were almost to the door. I entered and saw that Pastor Liu and his wife and Sister Yun were there. I was a little nervous at that time for I had no idea what they would do. So I prayed to God silently, “Almighty God! They come to me for another talk. I ask You to protect me, help me and give me Your wisdom to respond to them.” About ten minutes later, I was no longer nervous or flustered. I thought to myself: Are they here to force me to leave Almighty God? If I don’t agree, will I lose my job? But I then called to mind that everything was in God’s hand and He would make proper arrangements. I wouldn’t leave Almighty God even if my job was lost. Pastor Liu asked me when I started believing in the Lord and spoke many things about belief in the Lord. Then he asked, “Do you know the Church of Almighty God? Are you still in touch with them? …” He also said many words that blasphemed Almighty God and vilified the Church. I said with some anger, “Why do your knowledge and opinion of the Church of Almighty God conflict with what I’ve learned through contact? We all browsed on the Internet. I saw both negative and positive information. But you started to condemn it without considering the positive or investigating. Is that proper?” Instead of answering me, Pastor Liu said, “The Church of Almighty God develops rapidly and has stolen the lambs from many churches. If you don’t listen to our admonitions and persist in believing in Almighty God, we won’t be courteous to you. We will tell all the brothers and sisters in the church that you have believed in Almighty God and they will think that you want to steal lambs if you go to the church.” He then intimidated me by saying some false testimonies. I wasn’t scared of his words but on the contrary, I asked him with confidence, “Have you seen these things with your own eyes? Are you sure that people in the Church of Almighty God did them? You blindly condemn the Church and blaspheme Almighty God by echoing others’ views without seeking or investigation. Aren’t you the same as the Pharisees who resisted the Lord Jesus?”

I Saw Through the Pastor’s Lie

I continued to ask, “It is prophesied in the Bible that the Lord will be rejected by this generation when He comes again. What does it mean? Is people’s resistance against Almighty God the same as that of the Pharisees against the Lord Jesus? What did the Lord Jesus say when the Pharisees opposed Him? He said, ‘But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer you them that are entering to go in’ (Matthew 23:13). Why was it that they opposed the Lord Jesus while His disciples followed Him? The Lord Jesus once said that His sheep hear His voice and that He would separate sheep from goats. I haven’t believed in God for a long time and don’t understand the Bible. Pastor Liu, you studied theology. I think you’ll have some answers.” He was incapable of replying to my questions. He only said, “We can obtain everlasting life since we believe in the Lord and have been baptized.” I said, “What? Is it this simple to obtain everlasting life? Does everyone who was baptized in the church treat the Lord with sincerity? There are always sermons to encourage offerings in the church. But the Lord never said giving offerings is love for Him. Then what does it really mean to love the Lord? Please talk about it.” He answered, “Loving the Lord is to read the Bible more and pray more.” At that point, I thought: Although I don’t know what true love for the Lord is, his answer is purely fooling me. The Pharisees read many scriptures and offered a lot of prayers. Could it be said that they loved the Lord? If they did, why did they blaspheme and condemn the Lord and nail Him to the cross? Pastor Liu has no idea at all about what it is to love the Lord. It turns out that having biblical knowledge and theology doesn’t mean understanding the truth. When my thoughts went there, I felt that it was meaningless to argue with him. So I didn’t want to say more. But Pastor Liu still continued, “Do you know they claim that the Lord has returned through incarnation as a female to do His work?” On hearing this question, I said, “What form the Lord takes when He becomes flesh is His own business. We are just small and insignificant men. Can we define the work of God? Men are mere dust before God and cannot even compare with ants. It is not necessary for God to seek our advice about how to perform His work.” Seeing that they did not at all have a heart of seeking and investigating God’s work of the last days, I didn’t want to go on talking with them. At last, I asked, “Have you ever thought that your arrival to the company for me like this would affect my work?” I didn’t expect that Pastor Liu lied to me, “Your boss has no idea about the content of our conversation.” Upon hearing his words, I didn’t say anything but forced a smile. I prayed silently to God in my heart, “Dear God, You have allowed me to see clearly the pastor’s true face. He is full of lies. He spent the whole afternoon talking with my boss. What’s more, since my boss heard it from Sister Yun that I believe in Almighty God, she has got a sharp tongue and kept attacking me. Now the pastor actually tells me that the content of our conversation is unknown to my boss, which is really blatant deceit of me.” I didn’t want to speak to him anymore, and felt like leaving.

Sister Yun’s “Persuasion” and the Pastor’s Warning

Seeing me not want to go on with the conversation, Sister Yun said, “Yixin, you have parents and children. You should think about them.” I said, “My family are all good and safe. I have God’s blessings and guidance when I believe in Almighty God. We will get better and better.” Pastor Liu and Sister Yun suggested making a prayer for me but I refused. Then Pastor Liu warned me by saying, “If you don’t leave the Church of Almighty God, nobody of our church will admit you in the future.” I thought: How does the church look like now? It has become a den of thieves, just like the temple when the Lord Jesus came to do His work. I can’t receive any provision there. There is nothing I cannot bear to part with. I have accepted God’s work in the last days, followed the Lamb’s footsteps, come before God’s throne, being supplied by the living water of life flowing from Christ. The Church of Almighty God is my only true family.

I Saw the Fulfillment of Almighty God’s words

Thanks to God’s mercy. I have gained discernment through the disturbance from the religious force. I saw that the pastor told a pack of lies. What he lived out and what he did totally came from Satan. Besides, the believers in religion deceived each other and were unworthy of trust. The religious circle has lost the work of the Holy Spirit, been completely shrouded by darkness and dominated by Satan. In the meanwhile, I also saw that the brothers and sisters in the Church of Almighty God solve people’s problems and difficulties with God’s words, living under the guidance of God’s words. It is the truth that rules in the Church, it is the word of God that rules, it is the Holy Spirit that rules. The sun shines resplendent here. No wonder Almighty God says, “Now what I set is the exercise for your life to grow, so that your spirit will be acute, your spiritual eyes will be opened and thus you will know what is from God” (“The Thirteenth Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). After experiencing these words from Almighty God, I’ve recognized that He is as good as His word and that His word shall be accomplished. This is absolute. Almighty God’s words are indeed the truth, and I am even more certain that the Church of Almighty God is the real church and that Almighty God is the Creator who has appeared to work. I am willing to follow Him all my life.

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