Chapter 6 Several Forms of Differentiation That You Should Possess in Your Belief in God | Eastern Lightning

Almighty God's Words

5. The Difference Between Following God and Following People.

Relevant Words of God:

Of principal importance in following God is that everything should be according to the actual words of God: Whether you are pursuing entry into life or the fulfillment of God’s will, everything should be centered around the actual words of God. If what you commune and pursue are not centered around the actual words of God, then you are a stranger to the words of God, and totally bereft of the work of the Holy Spirit.

from “Know the Newest Work of God and Follow the Footsteps of God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The Moment of Change | Eastern Lightning

Su Mingyue is a preacher of a house church in mainland China. Over the years, she has been a devout servant of the Lord who insists on doing preaching work for the Lord and bearing the burden of work for the church. She goes by Paul's word in the Bible, feeling that merely believing in the Lord is enough to be called righteous and be saved by grace. Although man still sins constantly, his sins have been forgiven by the Lord, his image will be changed instantly to become holy and he will be raised into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord arrives. However, in recent years, the church has become increasingly desolate, the believers have been negative and weak in general, their faith and love have cooled. Some co-workers go by the Lord's word: "Not everyone 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." They question the notion that "When the Lord comes, He will instantly change the image of man and raise him into the kingdom of heaven." They feel that since we still sin constantly, fail to attain holiness by far and disobey God's will, how can we be raised into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord comes? After communicating and debating, Su Mingyue feels that, there are some contradictions between the Lord's word and Paul's idea of instantly changing the image of man when the Lord comes. Which idea is correct after all? Su Mingyue is dilemmatic and confused at heart. In order to find a church with the work of the Holy Spirit to solve her practical confusion, so as not to be abandoned by the Lord, Su Mingyue decides to study the Eastern Lightning. Through debating and communicating with the preachers of the Church of Almighty God, Su Mingyue and others finally understand the only path to enter the kingdom of heaven …

Recommendation:
The Church of Almighty God was founded by Almighty God personally
The Origin and Development of the Church of Almighty God
Knowing the Eastern Lightning

II. One Must Bear Witness to the Aspect of Truth Concerning the Three Stages of Work of God’s Salvation of Mankind

2. Knowing the Purpose and Significance of Each of the Three Stages of God’s Work.

(1) The aim and significance of God’s work in the Age of Law

Relevant Words of God:

The work that Jehovah did in the Israelites established among humanity God’s earthly place of origin, His sacred place where He was present. He confined His work to the Israelite people. At first, He did not work outside of Israel; instead, He chose a people He found suitable in order to restrict the scope of His work. Israel is the place where God created Adam and Eve, and out of the dust of that place Jehovah made man; it is the base of His work on earth. The Israelites, who are the descendants of Noah and of Adam, were the foundation of Jehovah’s work on earth.

The Work of Spreading the Gospel Is Also the Work of Saving Man | Eastern Lightning

  All people need to understand the purpose of My work on earth, that is, the final objective of My work and what level I must achieve in this work before it can be complete. If people, walking with Me to this day, do not understand what My work is all about, then have they not been walking with Me in vain? People who follow Me should know My will. I have been working on earth for thousands of years, and I am still doing so now. Although there are especially numerous items included in My work, its purpose remains unchanged. For example, although I am filled with judgment and chastisement toward man, it is still in order to save him, to better spread My gospel and further expand My work among the Gentile nations once man has been made complete. So now, at a time when many people have already greatly lost hope, I am continuing with My work, continuing the work I must do to judge and chastise man.

Concerning the Bible (4) | Eastern Lightning

Concerning the Bible (4)

Many people believe that understanding and being able to interpret the Bible is the same as finding the true way—but in fact, are things really so simple? No one knows the reality of the Bible: that it is nothing more than a historical record of God’s work, and a testament to the previous two stages of God’s work, and offers you no understanding of the aims of God’s work. Everyone who has read the Bible knows that it documents the two stages of God’s work during the Age of Law and the Age of Grace. The Old Testament chronicles the history of Israel and Jehovah’s work from the time of creation until the end of the Age of Law. The New Testament records Jesus’ work on earth, which is in the Four Gospels, as well as the work of Paul; are they not historical records? Bringing up the things of the past today makes them history, and no matter how true or real they might be, they are still history—and history cannot address the present. For God does not look back on history! And so, if you only understand the Bible, and understand nothing of the work God intends to do today, and if you believe in God but do not seek the work of the Holy Spirit, then you do not understand what it means to seek God. If you read the Bible in order to study the history of Israel, to research the history of God’s creation of all the heavens and earth, then you do not believe in God. But today, since you believe in God, and pursue life, since you pursue the knowledge of God, and do not pursue dead letters and doctrines, or an understanding of history, you must seek God’s will of today, and must look for the direction of the Holy Spirit’s work. If you were an archeologist you could read the Bible—but you are not, you are one of those who believe in God, and you’d best seek God’s will of today. By reading the Bible, at most you’ll understand a little of the history of Israel, you’ll learn about the lives of Abraham, David, and Moses, you’ll find out about how they revered Jehovah, how Jehovah burned those who opposed Him, and how He spoke to the people of that age. You’ll only find out about God’s work in the past. The records of the Bible relate to how the early people of Israel revered God and lived under the guidance of Jehovah. Because the Israelites were God’s chosen people, in the Old Testament you can see all the people of Israel’s loyalty to Jehovah, how all those who obeyed Jehovah were cared for and blessed by Him, you can learn that when God worked in Israel He was full of mercy and compassion, as well as possessed of consuming flames, and that all the Israelites, from the lowly to the mighty, revered Jehovah, and so the whole country was blessed by God. Such is the history of Israel recorded in the Old Testament.

Judgment Is Light | Eastern Lightning

Judgment Is Light

Zhao Xia    Shandong Province

My name is Zhao Xia. I was born to an ordinary family. Due to the influence of dictums like “A man leaves his name behind wherever he stays, just as a goose utters its cry wherever it flies,” and “As a tree lives for its bark, a man lives for his face,” reputation and face became particularly important to me.

IX Questions and Answers About God’s Work of Judgment in the Last Days

Question 9: We accept God’s work of the last days, but how do we experience God’s judgment and chastisement so that we can receive the truth and life, get rid of our sinful nature, and achieve salvation to enter the kingdom of heaven?

Answer: How to experience God’s judgment and chastisement to receive the truth and life, and get rid of our sinful nature to achieve salvation and enter the kingdom of heaven. This question you have raised is very important, because this relates to the major issues of man’s ending and destination. To seek this aspect of the truth, we should first read a few passages of Almighty God’s word:

“True faith in God means experiencing the words and work of God based on a belief that God holds sovereignty over all things. So you shall be freed of your corrupt disposition, shall fulfill the desire of God, and shall come to know God. Only through such a journey can you be said to believe in God” (Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh).

“The current process of speaking is the process of conquering. How exactly should people cooperate? By eating and drinking these words effectively and understanding them. People cannot become conquered by themselves. They must, from eating and drinking these words, come to know their corruption and filth, their rebelliousness and unrighteousness, and fall down before God. If you can understand God’s will and then put it into practice and, further, have the vision, and if you can completely obey these words and not exercise any of your own choices, then you will have been conquered. And it will be these words that have conquered you” (“The Inside Truth of the Conquering Work (1)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

“Paying attention to eating and drinking God’s words, paying attention to seeking the truth and God’s intentions in His words, and finding out God’s will in all things—this is the most fundamental and crucial means of practice. … Devoting all of your mind and body to God’s words primarily involves seeking the truth and God’s intentions in His words, paying attention to finding out God’s will, and understanding and gaining more truths in God’s words. … achieving the knowledge of God’s disposition and His loveliness, and knowing the various corrupt states of man, his corrupt nature, and what he truly lacks, and fulfilling God’s various requirements of man in order to satisfy God. Peter can correctly put all these things into practice according to God’s words, and nothing will be more after God’s heart, and there will be no better cooperation in experiencing God’s work” (“How to Walk the Path of Peter” in Records of Christ’s Talks With Leaders and Workers of the Church).