Eastern Lightning | To Give Credence to Rumor Is to Lose God’s Salvation of the Last Days

Whenever they hear someone talking about Almighty God’s gospel of the last days, many brothers and sisters within the church are unable to listen and don’t dare accept what is said because they have been startled by sensationalized rumor. They might hear someone say: “Those who believe in Almighty God are really something, you’ll be deceived if you get in contact with them. There are many true believers among every religious sect and they have good inner qualities, they are lambs who love the truth but they are being stolen by believers in Almighty God …”
Or someone has said: “The believers in Almighty God are really enthusiastic about spreading the gospel. If they convert a believer they receive a prize of 2,000 RMB (about 300 dollars), if they convert a church leader they can get 10,000 to 20,000 RMB (about 1,500 to 3,000 dollars) …” And still others have said: “They don’t have very good boundaries between men and women and they are all very promiscuous …” And still others have said: “The Eastern Lightning is a criminal organization. If you get involved with them you’ll never escape. If you do, they’ll gouge out your eyes and cut off your ears, or they’ll break your legs …” etc., etc. It is rumors like these that make some brothers and sisters who are not clear on the facts delay or even refuse God’s salvation of the last days. I do not know if any brothers or sisters within the church have earnestly thought about or studied whether or not these things that are said match up with the facts; is there any factual basis? Have you ever thought about what sort of dire consequences there will be if you believe all the rumors you hear and persist in doing things the wrong way? For now, we need not discuss who the source of these rumors is or why they would deliberately fabricate these things. Instead, we will first have a simple fellowship about these rumors so we can enable our brothers and sisters to clearly see the substance of these rumors.

The rumor goes: “Those who believe in Almighty God are really something, you’ll be deceived if you get in contact with them. There are many true believers among every religious sect and they have good inner qualities, they are lambs who love the truth but they are being stolen by believers in Almighty God …” Today, most of the believers in Almighty God do indeed come from many different religious sects and among them, a great many are very dedicated people, but to say that they are all deceived is malicious slander, pure and simple. Just think about it: Could so many devout people coming from so many different religious sects to accept Almighty God’s work of the last days all be deceived? Does it make sense that they’d be believers for so many years without having some discernment? Even if there is some deception, it could only be those who are not seekers and who are muddled in their faith who get deceived. How is it even possible that so many seekers and so many with sincere faith in God could be deceived? As everyone knows, our faith is in the almighty God—the Holy Spirit who is the sevenfold intensified Spirit—and only the work of the Holy Spirit can encourage the seekers and truly faithful to return to God. Today, there are many sincere seekers from various religious sects who have read and re-read the Bible and who have now come to accept Almighty God’s work of the last days, so what does that indicate? All brothers and sisters with spiritual acuity know the answer, which is this: The Church of Almighty God contains the work of the Holy Spirit and it contains the truth! If it were not the work of God Himself, then who would have brought these brothers and sisters from so many different religious sects together? Could such a great miracle be the work of man? Almighty God is indeed the return of the Lord Jesus; He is the appearance of the one true God! He shall reap and winnow in the last days and do the work where all religious denominations return to one and He will bring all true believers into His kingdom. Therefore, the brothers and sisters who are true believers from all religious sects have one by one returned to stand before Almighty God’s throne after hearing God’s voice. Almighty God has brought the truth, the way, and the life and He reveals the mysteries of God’s 6,000-year management plan. He tells us all the mysteries in the Bible that we didn’t understand and when the true seekers of God hear these truths and see God’s appearance, how could they not accept the work of Almighty God in the last days? Who wouldn’t want to follow the footsteps of the Lamb? This is the reason so many seekers from different religious sects have accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days. The idea that people who have accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days are deceived is clearly an outright lie, it is defamatory, and it is blasphemous to God.

Some people have said: “The believers in Almighty God are really enthusiastic about spreading the gospel. If they convert a believer they receive a prize of 2,000 RMB (about 300 dollars), if they convert a church leader they can get 10,000 to 20,000 RMB (about 1,500 to 3,000 dollars) …” Within this lie, it is mentioned that believers in Almighty God are very enthusiastic about spreading the gospel of Almighty God. While this part is indeed factual, the rest about believers in Almighty God being bribed with money to spread His gospel is purely fabricated nonsense and a defamatory rumor. The fact is, believers in Almighty God who spread His gospel do not receive an award of any kind. Instead, they spend their own savings to do so, and sometimes all they have. The reason they are so enthusiastic is not because they are bribed with money, rather, it’s because they have truly seen the appearance of God, heard God’s word, received His great salvation, and experienced God’s love. Therefore, they are willing to spend all they have and endure any hardship or humiliation to spread the gospel of God’s kingdom. They are just like the original disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ; they have seen God’s appearance and they have gained God’s love. They have given up their homes and careers to bear witness for God; it’s true! Perhaps some brothers and sisters have personally witnessed how believers in Almighty God are treated when they spread the gospel: Some are humiliated, others are beaten with clubs, some are chased off, and others have even been sentenced and imprisoned at the hands of people in power; they suffer all manner of persecution. … I urge everyone to consider this: Who would willingly submit themselves to curses, beatings, and humiliation to spread God’s gospel of the last days if it were not for God’s great love and the work of the Holy Spirit? Who would risk the dangers of prison to spread the gospel of God’s salvation in the last days if they hadn’t seen the appearance of God? If it really was about money, wouldn’t it be easier to go out into the world and work for it? Why endure humiliation and suffering like that to spread the gospel? If we take another look at the brothers and sisters who spread the gospel of the last days, how many of them are wearing or using famous brands or high-end products? If this rumor were true that bringing in a believer gets them 2,000 RMB and bringing in a church leader gets them 10,000 to 20,000 RMB, then wouldn’t there be masses of brothers and sisters in China getting rich every day by spreading Almighty God’s gospel of the last days? There’s no harm in doing a quick survey: Let’s see exactly who among the brothers and sisters in the Church of Almighty God has gotten rich from spreading the gospel. Thus “converting a believer gets a prize of 2,000 RMB, and converting a church leader gets them 10,000 to 20,000 RMB” is clearly a lie and is defamatory.

There are still others who have said: “They don’t have very good boundaries between men and women and they are all very promiscuous …” Regarding this point, let’s take a look at Almighty God’s words: “I am the holy God Himself, I cannot be sullied, and I cannot possess an unclean temple” (The Word Appears in the Flesh). And the regulation is very clear in “The Ten Administrative Decrees That Must Be Obeyed by God’s Chosen People in the Age of Kingdom”: “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.” We can see from Almighty God’s words that He is holy and does not live in an unclean temple. His righteous disposition does not tolerate any offense from mankind and anyone who is a follower of Almighty God must strictly adhere to God’s administrative decrees or they will be expelled from the church; no exceptions. The kingdom gospel of Almighty God has spread throughout mainland China and there are believers in Him in every place. You may have seen them yourself and the believers in Almighty God are all dignified and upright, their words and mannerisms are appropriate and in good taste, they conduct themselves in a principled manner, they speak and work rationally, possess humanity, and their living out is worthy of admiration. They are outstanding among other members of society; it’s a fact! Again, the brothers and sisters who are believers in Almighty God are primarily drawn from very genuine seekers from various religious sects and many are leaders and co-workers from different denominations. They have known from the Age of Grace that God hates promiscuous activity and they have always maintained the Lord Jesus’ commandments, something which truly reverent people have always done in the past. Would someone like this intentionally violate the administrative decrees of God’s kingdom today? In the past they traveled about for the Lord, gave up everything they had, and bore the cross and suffered for many years, does it make sense that they do not understand such a simple and basic rule? So you can see, the root of this rumor is simply nonsensical and purely meant as a smear campaign.

Some people have said that “The Eastern Lightning is a criminal organization. If you get involved with them you’ll never escape. If you do, they’ll cut out your eyes and cut off your ears, or they’ll break your legs …” When they bring up criminal organizations, we all know that those involve murderers, arsonists, and very vindictive people who do all manner of evil things. No one wants to provoke those sorts of people. Even the Chinese Communist Party and its police won’t dare mess with them, isn’t that right? So let’s take a look at the brothers and sisters who spread the gospel of the last days. When they go out to bring people before the throne of God, they endure being thrown out, insulted, beaten, attacked by dogs, arrested, imprisoned, and tortured. They suffer all kinds of cruel treatment. If these brothers and sisters were really criminals, would anyone really dare treat them that way? Who would hit them? Who would set their dogs on them to attack them? Who would dare try to arrest them? No one would do that! Would a criminal endure verbal abuse and not respond? Would a criminal be beaten and not fight back? Do you know of any criminals like that? If these brothers and sisters really were criminals, why would they be specifically trying to convert true believers in God who are relatively dedicated seekers? Furthermore, there are many brothers and sisters from various religious sects who have heard God’s gospel of the last days. Whether they accepted the gospel and then withdrew from the church or if they never accepted it in the first place, who among them has had their eyes gouged out, ears cut off, or legs broken? Is there any factual basis for anything these rumor spreaders have said? There is also no factual basis when they say things like: “If you get involved with believing in Almighty God you’ll never escape.” In fact, all of the true believers and those who are truly certain about God’s work in the last days who do decide to never leave, do so because they do not want to leave. Why is this? Almighty God says, “The incarnation of God has sent shockwaves through all sects and denominations, it has ‘thrown into disarray’ their original order, and it has shaken the hearts of all of those who yearn for the appearance of God. Who is not adoring? Who doesn’t long to see God? God has personally been among man for many years, yet man has never realized it. Today, God Himself has appeared, and shown forth His identity to the masses—how could this not bring delight to man’s heart?” (“Work and Entry (10)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “During the last days, God once more became flesh, and when He became flesh this time, He ended the Age of Grace and brought the Age of Kingdom. All those who accept the second incarnation of God will be led into the Age of Kingdom, and be able to personally accept the guidance of God. … All those who submit under His dominion shall enjoy higher truth and receive greater blessings. They shall truly live in the light, and shall gain the truth, the way, and the life” (Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh). The incarnation of God in the last days has indeed sent shockwaves through various sects of the religious world and it has shaken the hearts of those who thirst for God’s appearance. The reason brothers and sisters from various sects have returned to stand before God is because they have seen the appearance of God, heard His word, understood Christ of the last days is the truth, the way, and the life, and that only belief in Almighty God will allow them to achieve salvation and entry into the kingdom of heaven. Who would want to leave after receiving salvation like this? Therefore, it’s easy to see that rumors about people not wanting to leave due to being afraid of having their eyes gouged out, ears cut off, or legs broken are just being fabricated by people with ulterior motives.

From what we fellowshiped about above, we can see that the slanderous comments about God’s work in the last days are nothing but lies that are complete fabrications with no basis in the truth. To be a believer who concocts lies and bears false witness is behavior that God hates the most and is deemed as sinful behavior by God, just like the Bible says here: “He that speaks truth shows forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit” (Pro 12:17). “Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight” (Pro 12:22). The Lord Jesus said: “You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and stayed not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (Jhn 8:44). Considering that this is something God doesn’t like, why do they persist in doing this? In John chapter 11 verses 47-48 it says: “Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man does many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.” Matthew chapter 28 notes this fact: After the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the chief priests and the elders were afraid that everyone would go to believe in the Lord Jesus and that they would thereby lose their status and income. They then colluded to cover up the fact that the Lord Jesus was resurrected. They bribed the soldiers with silver and made up lies to persuade people that the Lord Jesus never resurrected, saying that disciples took the body of Christ away when the soldiers were sleeping. We see from this that people can fabricate lies and slander as well as blaspheme God, which indicates their evil nature, that they hate the truth and that they are enemies of God. They do this to protect their own reputations, statuses, profits, and physical pleasures. It’s just the same today. As Almighty God has expanded His work of the last days in mainland China, great swaths of believers from many different religious sects have come to accept God’s new work. When some leaders of these sects see more and more people accept Almighty God’s work of the last days while their churches dwindle, they fabricate all sorts of lies and slander to condemn Almighty God’s work of the last days so that they can protect their own status and income. This is how they deceive and frighten brothers and sisters to make them afraid to accept God’s work in the last days; their purpose is to trap and control their congregations. These people treat Almighty God in the exact same way that the Pharisees treated the Lord Jesus; they are the modern-day Pharisees! From this we can see that people intentionally and purposefully spread lies.

If we are unable to discern these lies and blindly follow them, then we stand on the side of those who slander, resist, and disturb God’s work. This not only causes one to lose God’s salvation in the last days, it also turns one into a target for God’s detestation and rejection and punishment. This is just like the Lord Jesus’ work among the Jewish people, where the Pharisees made up all kinds of lies and slander against Him, such as saying the Lord Jesus’ ability to cast out demons was only because He was conjuring the prince of demons, Beelzebub, as well as other blasphemous things. So, many Jewish people took the evil path of resisting God when they blindly accepted the lies of the Pharisees due to lacking the discernment and not carefully studying what they saw and thereby followed the Pharisees to abandon and murder the Lord Jesus. The Pharisees spread falsehoods and slander about God, and we all know what ending they met, but what about those Jewish people who took those lies and slander as truth, wasn’t their ending just as tragic? The Jewish state was destroyed and the Jewish people were scattered in all directions. They had no home to return to for 2,000 years and they were punished by God just like the Pharisees were. Aren’t these the consequences of taking the lies of the Pharisees as truth and resisting God? We can see then, that those that believe in God without a reverent heart and who do not seek to investigate God’s new work and those who easily believe lies become accomplices to Satan and become evildoers who resist God. In the end, they will lose God’s salvation. It is the same today as it was back then. As believers and followers of God, when facing God’s work in the last days, we must seek and study it with reverent hearts. This is the only way to approach this if we want to keep pace with God’s work and obtain God’s salvation of the last days. Otherwise we will become like the Jewish people in the past who became tools exploited by Satan, who resisted God, and who became God’s bitter enemies and thereby became subject to God’s punishment.

We should know that rumors are one of Satan’s tricks and that rumors are one of its methods to resist God’s work. However, God’s wisdom is always a step ahead of Satan’s tricks. Satan is not only incapable of messing up God’s work, but instead just makes God’s work more effective. Just like when the Jewish scribes and Pharisees tried so hard to resist and condemn the Lord Jesus’ work; they colluded with Rome to have the Lord Jesus crucified, but they had no way of knowing the true significance of when the Lord Jesus said: “It is finished.” This shows us that God used Satan’s trick to achieve His own plan and to complete His redemption of mankind. Today is no different. Even though there are leaders and co-workers in various religious sects who use their own deliberate and despicable means to create lies and rumors to resist Almighty God’s work of the last days, however, none of these tricks are capable of harming God’s work. Instead, they are beneficial to the accomplishment of God’s work of the last days to classify man according to their kind and to reward the good and punish the evil. Although their lies have deceived some brothers and sisters, people who sincerely seek God’s appearance have ultimately returned to stand before God’s throne. Lies may tightly bind together the “tares,” but these lies do not do the same to “grains of wheat.” The wind blows the chaff away, while the plump seeds shall be gathered into the granary in the end. To put it another way, lies will reveal and eliminate those who do not belong to God, who lack reverence for God, and the conformists. But for the genuine seekers of truth who thirst for God’s appearance, they shall be taken by God to a beautiful destination. In this manner, Satan’s tricks end up only helping to complete God’s work in the last days of classifying man according to their kind, as well as rewarding the good and punishing the evil, doesn’t this serve as a great example of God’s almightiness and wisdom?

We will end our fellowship here. I believe that when you are all confronted with rumors you will understand their cause, their substance, and their harmfulness! And now, Almighty God’s work in the last days has reached unprecedented new heights and approaches its glorious end and Almighty God will reveal Himself for all nations and all peoples to see. At such a crucial time, are you willing to lose your life and forsake God’s salvation of the last days just to believe in some rumors? I know that you will make the wise choice.