During the last days, God carries out the work of judgment beginning from the house of God, making a group of overcomers in China.

During the last days, God carries out the work of judgment beginning from the house of God, making a group of overcomers in China.

Bible Verses for Reference:

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17).

“For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:27).

The Church of Almighty God | I Have Found a True Home

I Have Found a True Home

Yangyang, USA

When I was three years old my father passed away. At that time my mother had just given birth to my younger brother, and my grandmother, owing to superstition, said that it was my mother and younger brother that caused my father’s death. For lack of a better option mother had to take my younger brother to her father’s house to live, so from the start of my earliest memories I was living together with my grandpa and grandma. Although my grandpa and grandma treated me well I still felt lonely and really wanted to be together with my mom and little brother.

Eastern Lightning | How I Nearly Became a Foolish Virgin

How I Nearly Became a Foolish Virgin

Li Fang, China

In the fall of 2002, Sister Zhao from my denomination, the Church of Truth, brought her niece, Sister Wang, to my home to tell me some great news that the Lord has come back. After a few days of reading the words of Almighty God and listening to the sister’s detailed fellowship, I understood that from the creation of the world until now God has performed three stages of work in order to save mankind. Other truths that I also came to know were God’s adoption of a different name during each stage of the work, the significance of God’s name for each age, and the mystery of God’s incarnation, etc.

Eastern Lightning | Disturbances From the “May 28” Rumor (Part 2)

Xingwu, France

Searching the Truth of the Facts, I Saw Clearly the Root of the CCP Shifting Blame to The Church of Almighty God

After that, I no longer guarded myself against the brothers and sisters of The Church of Almighty God. Whenever I had the time I would read the word of God and look at the videos, movies, music videos, hymns, musicals and other works put out by The Church of Almighty God. The more I looked at all this, the more I felt provided for, and the more pleasure I felt. I affirmed from my heart that Almighty God is the appearance of the Lord Jesus. Now I finally understood why the CCP and pastors and elders from the religious world started the rumor that “once you accept Almighty God’s work of the last days you can’t get out.” As it turns out, it’s not that you can’t get out, rather it’s that the work of the Holy Spirit and the provision and guidance of God’s word is in The Church of Almighty God, so if you are able to enjoy the living water of life that God bestows upon you, and attain the way of eternal life, then why would you want to leave? Now I too am not willing to leave, moreover, I have resolved to properly follow Almighty God, and to accept Almighty God’s judgment and chastisement to attain salvation and be brought by God into His kingdom. Then I thought about how my older sisters were still being deceived and bound by various rumors, failing to follow God’s work of the last days, and I became very worried, so I got two sisters from The Church of Almighty God together to spread the gospel to them. To my surprise, my second eldest sister’s husband, who is a believer of the Three-Self Church, wouldn’t let me near my sister, and he even snarled at me with a face full of rage: “I’m warning you not to come to our home to spread the gospel! Back home CCTV news broadcast the May 28 Murder Case in Zhaoyuan, Shandong. Does this really not worry you? From now on, you must not have us meet people from Eastern Lightning, and you certainly must not bring them to our home.” I could see that my sister’s husband did not see the truth of the facts and that he had been deceived by the rumors, which made me very worried, but I didn’t know how to convince him to listen. Later on, when my husband also knew that I had accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days, he made even more of an effort to stop me, and would even go online constantly to search for videos regarding the May 28 Zhaoyuan Murder Case and make me watch them. Seeing that my family and other relatives were continuing to be deceived by the May 28 Zhaoyuan Case and were unwilling to look into God’s work in the last days, I felt very sad. And, owing to my small stature, whenever my family members came at me, I didn’t know how to refute and expose the lies of the CCP; on the contrary I felt like I was being negative and weak. At the same time I felt perplexed inside: Why would the CCP blame The Church of Almighty God for the May 28 Zhaoyuan Murder? What was the real truth behind the scenes for doing this?

Once the brothers and sisters became aware of my situation they came to help and sustain me. I said to them: “I believe that Almighty God is the appearance of the Lord Jesus, that He is Christ incarnate in the last days, that the words expressed by Almighty God are all the truth, and I also am sure that those rumors are not the truth. But there is one thing that I do not understand. Why did the CCP report on CCTV news that the May 28 Zhaoyuan Case was the doing of The Church of Almighty God? What is the May 28 Zhaoyuan Case really? Can you please fellowship about this with me?”

Brother Chen said: “Thanks be to God! You have raised a great question. If we do not recognize the truth behind the rumor, then we will easily be deceived by the lies and nonsense of the CCP, fall for Satan’s tricks, deny God and betray God, and fail to attain God’s salvation in the last days. Only by understanding the truth of the facts while being able to simultaneously discern the viscous motives of the rumor-starters will we be able to make wise choices and not be duped by Satan. Let us start by talking about what really happened in the McDonald’s Murder Case in Zhaoyuan, Shandong. On May 28, 2014, in a McDonald’s restaurant in Zhaoyuan, Shandong, Zhang Lidong and several other suspects beat a woman to death, and after only three days from when the criminal case started, before a court of law heard and judged the case, CCTV, the CCP’s media mouthpiece, publicly reported on and determined the nature of this case, directly condemning The Church of Almighty God. Let us think about this, can the media judge a case and reach a verdict? Is this reasonable and lawful? Is there a degree of credibility to such findings? Later on, when several criminal suspects were being interviewed by the media, they all repeatedly stated that they were not members of The Church of Almighty God, nor had they ever been in contact with The Church of Almighty God. On August 21, 2014, when the public trial for the case began, Lü Yingchun, one of the perpetrators, also clearly stated: ‘Zhang Fan and I are the unique spokeswomen for the real “Almighty God.” The government has been cracking down on the Almighty God of Zhao Weishan, not our “Almighty God.”’ This is enough to show that these criminal suspects are not affiliated in any way with The Church of Almighty God. However, the CCP judges did not accept this testimony from the criminal suspects, and insisted on saying that they were members of The Church of Almighty God. In addition, the perpetrators Zhang Fan and Lü Yingchun claimed to be ‘God,’ and said things like how they are two fleshly bodies sharing the same soul, that within the span of a few minutes they were able to determine that the victim was a vicious spirit and that they had to beat her to death. And the other suspects all firmly believed these things without any doubt. The testimonies that this group of people provided in court were incoherent, it was a bunch of nonsense, and clearly those who claimed to be ‘God’ and those who followed did not have the thinking and rationality of normal humans, they were a group of psychopaths.

“In ‘The Ten Administrative Decrees That Must Be Obeyed by God’s Chosen People in the Age of Kingdom,’ Almighty God clearly stipulates that: ‘Man should not magnify himself, nor exalt himself. He should worship and exalt God.’ God is the one true God, the Creator of the heavens and earth and all things in them, and no man can replace Him or pretend to be Him. But Zhang Lidong and his gang did not have God within their hearts, their hearts did not have the least bit of reverence for God. They even went so far as to murder someone in a crowded public place while daring to pretend to be God Himself. These are clearly people who have lost the conscience and reason of normal humans, and clearly they themselves have become possessed by evil spirits. The evangelistic principles of The Church of Almighty God clearly stipulate that no one is allowed to preach to those who have the work of evil spirits and who are possessed by evil spirits. There’s no reason to even talk about them being admitted into the church—this is public knowledge! So, all those who are somewhat discerning can see that the Shandong Zhaoyuan Case is totally a legal case fabricated by the CCP in order to frame, blame and discredit The Church of Almighty God.”

I was finally able to have some discernment in what happened in the May 28 Zhaoyuan Case after listening to Brother Chen’s fellowship. It turned out to be a scam put together at the hands of the CCP. I saw how truly mean and shameless the CCP was; it went so far as to fabricate a legal case to make false charges against The Church of Almighty God, and brazenly deceive and make a fool out of the Chinese people and people all over the world! It is too evil!

Sister Liu continued the fellowship, saying: “Now why would the CCP want to brazenly frame and blame The Church of Almighty God for the May 28 McDonald’s Murder Case in Zhaoyuan? We all know that the CCP is an atheistic political party, that it hates the truth and hates God, that ever since it came into power it has always frantically suppressed and persecuted religious belief, that in order to completely outlaw religious belief it has labelled Christianity an evil cult and the Holy Bible as the work of an evil cult, and that it has frantically arrested, suppressed and persecuted Christians. This is a fact that anyone can see! Now God has again come in the flesh to appear in China to carry out His work; that is, Almighty God is carrying out the work of words to judge man, cleanse man and save man. The words expressed by Almighty God have already been published online, for people from all nations and all lands to seek and investigate. Brothers and sisters from all denominations and sects who truly believe in God and even many nonbelievers, after reading the word of Almighty God, all recognize that it is the truth, that it is the voice of God, and one after another they return before Almighty God. The CCP, seeing Almighty God’s gospel of the kingdom expand and flourish like this, became extremely shocked and panicked. It is afraid of people reading the word of Almighty God, because once people realize the truth they will clearly see the CCP’s satanic and demonic essence of deceiving and corrupting the human race and resisting God, and they will forsake it and betray it, thereby coming before God, and in this way they will no longer believe in the CCP or follow it. In order to protect its dictatorial governance, in order to have everlasting control of the Chinese people, and establish China as an atheistic region, the CCP has used the May 28 Zhaoyuan Case to create a large public fuss to bring false charges against and discredit The Church of Almighty God. On the one hand, this deceives those people who do not understand the truth, and brings about in the masses a misunderstanding and malevolence toward The Church of Almighty God, causing them to hate The Church of Almighty God and those who believe in Almighty God, making them dare not to seek and examine the work of Almighty God in the last days; on the other hand, this gives the CCP a reasonable excuse and builds up public opinion for it to suppress and prohibit The Church of Almighty God in the future. As everyone knows, the CCP, before suppressing religious belief, ethnic minorities or college students, will fabricate a violent event to make false charges against these groups, and then it will suppress them with military force. Take, the June 4th student movement for example. The CCP first incited some instigators to mingle among the students, in order to start fights and unrest, then it made up lies and fabricated legal cases to shift the blame onto the college students, and after that it used force to suppress them. This is the strategy that the CCP consistently adopts to root out dissidents and protect its own dictatorial governance. When there were mass protests by the Tibetan people the CCP followed this same set pattern, and the same went for the Shandong Zhaoyuan Case. So, if we clearly see the repulsive satanic and demonic face of the CCP and its deliberate intention in starting rumors, we will not believe the CCP’s rumors, or be deceived by it, or fall for its tricks.”

After listening to the fellowship from the brothers and sisters I suddenly realized: It was the CCP that all along was using its media mouthpiece to disseminate rumors, and it did this to suppress and persecute The Church of Almighty God, and to deceive and block us from examining the true way and returning to God. The CCP, in order to consolidate its own power and protect its own interests, in order to achieve its goal of everlasting control over the people, really did use all the tricks it had at its disposal, it really is so treacherous and so sinister! If it weren’t for the fellowships by these brothers and sisters I wouldn’t have been able to see the truth of the facts, I would have still been deceived by the rumors. I thought back on how in the past I blindly believed the rumors spread because I did not understand the truth of the facts, how I took the rumors and maintained that they were facts, and how I even served as a servant of Satan who time and again tried to stop my mom from believing in Almighty God. I truly was so disobedient to God! I was ashamed to show my face before the brothers and sisters of The Church of Almighty God, and I was even less deserving to come before God. I really just wanted to hide my head in the sand. Thinking back on that time, I wondered how I could have been so foolish. How did I get possessed to believe the rumors of the CCP, without looking to listen to the voice of God? I couldn’t stop tears of remorse from falling down my cheeks, I bowed down before God and prayed: “Almighty God, in the past I was stupid and ignorant and didn’t discern things, I blindly believed rumors and followed Satan in resistance to You, and I even slammed the door shut time and again on Your salvation, I really was so blind! If it weren’t for Your mercy and if You did not move these brothers and sisters to repeatedly preach to me, then I would have lost this great salvation. Dear God, from now on I am willing to cooperate with You in spreading the gospel, to bring those who live in darkness and who have been deceived by rumors to You, so that I can repay You for Your great love. No matter what kind of persecution and tribulations I may face, I am determined to follow You, I will not be swayed!”

  My Family Tried to Stop Me From Spreading the Gospel, but the Word of God Led Me to Victory Over the Siege of Satan

Later on when I was spreading the gospel to my two sisters, I came across a major roadblock. Since my sister’s husband had been deeply deceived by the rumors of the CCP, he not only didn’t let me give my sister testimony of God’s work in the last days, but he also said a lot of offensive things to attack me and threatened to break off our family ties. Since my husband believed the rumors and lies of the CCP, his persecution of me also continued to escalate. Not only would he fight with me at home, but he would also secretly follow me, and even used all kinds of methods to persecute and threaten me, saying that if I continued believing in God then he was going to report me to the embassy. Facing such roadblocks and persecution, I came to bitterly hate the CCP, for it was always the one to start rumors to vilify and discredit The Church of Almighty God, which caused members of my family to be deceived to the point that they tried to stop me and persecute me in this way. I wanted to yell out at the top of my lungs: “I’m just someone who believes in God and is walking down the right path of life, why is this so difficult!” In my time of suffering and weakness, I thought about the word of Lord Jesus where it says: “Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake” (Mat 5:11). The Lord’s word enabled me to realize that those who are persecuted in the name of righteousness are blessed. It is a blessed thing that I am reviled and persecuted today because of my faith in God, I should not grieve over this suffering, it ought to make me happy, because there is value and meaning in this, and it is commended by God to endure such suffering. Later on, some brothers and sisters from The Church of Almighty God gave me more of the word of Almighty God to read, as well as some movies and other videos about brothers and sisters standing witness through persecution and tribulations, and by doing this, they supported and consoled me, and enabled me to understand God’s will. I read the word of Almighty God where it says: “In every step of work that God does within people, externally it appears to be interactions between people, as if born of human arrangements, or from human interference. But behind the scenes, every step of work, and everything that happens, is a wager made by Satan before God, and requires people to stand firm in their testimony to God. Take when Job was tried, for example: Behind the scenes, Satan was making a bet with God, and what happened to Job was the deeds of men, and the interference of men. Behind every step that God does in you is Satan’s wager with God—behind it all is a battle” (“Only Loving God Is Truly Believing in God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “Wipe away your tears, feel no pain or sorrow, all is held within My hands and My goal is to make you the overcomers soon and to bring you into glory with Me. You shall be grateful and praise for all that befalls you, and that shall satisfy My heart. … …

“… Be loyal to Me above all else, move forward with bravery; I am your strong rock, rely on Me!” (Utterances and Testimonies of Christ in the Beginning). The guidance of God’s words led me to understand God’s will. Actually, the environment that I’m in appears on the outside to be my family obstructing me from believing in God and spreading the gospel, but, behind the scenes, it is Satan that is creating the disturbance. It is a battle in the spiritual world. Satan wants to make me negative and weak through rumors and my family’s persecution, and it wants me to lose my faith and leave God and betray God, but it is the will of God to test me through this kind of environment, to see whether or not I can view things according to God’s word, see through Satan’s schemes, and take root and stand firm in the true way. Although my stature is small and there are many truths that I do not understand, I cannot cower because of these things. God rules over everything, all things and all beings are in the hands of God. So long as I have God’s support I have nothing to fear, no matter how my husband continues to threaten me he cannot actually harm me if it is not permitted by God. I absolutely must not fall for Satan’s tricks, I must sincerely rely on Almighty God and live by God’s word, and I believe God will certainly guide me to victory over the siege of Satan. Thereupon I prayed to God: “Oh Almighty God, I give You my thanks and my praise! Although this environment I am in now does not conform to my conceptions, I am convinced that Your gracious will lies within it; although I have suffered a great deal and feel weak, I am willing to cooperate with You and hold on to my devotion to You, I am willing to stand witness and bring dishonor upon Satan in the face of persecution, for You I will bear victorious testimony in order to console Your heart!” After praying, I felt a great strength inside me, and I felt confident in facing the challenges and siege of Satan. Later on, when my husband once again was using rumors to try to deceive me, I said to him in a defiant and righteous voice: “You could keep telling me these things ten thousand times and it would still be of no use; even if you bury me in rumors, don’t think that I will be deceived.”

After experiencing these disturbances, I saw that in essence these rumors were lies, that they were pitfalls and traps laid out by Satan for man, and that they were a poison that deceives man, the culprit that split up my family, and a stumbling block on my way to returning to God. Nowadays I see the truth, I am convinced that Almighty God is the appearance of the Lord Jesus, and I will no longer believe rumors, nor will I be deceived and controlled by them. While standing firm in my testimony, I saw God’s wondrous deeds, because after a while, when I was spreading the gospel to my second oldest sister, my husband stopped trying to get in my way, and he even drove me to her home. After she listened to the word of God, she too recognized that it was the voice of God, and she became willing to seek and examine the work of Almighty God in the last days, and she even called up our oldest sister to schedule a meeting for us to get together to examine and accept God’s work in the last days. As I looked at all that had happened, I thanked God from the bottom of my heart, for God guided me through my most difficult days and brought us to Him, receiving His salvation in the last days. May all glory be to Almighty God! Amen!

Eastern Lightning | Disturbances From the “May 28” Rumor (Part 1)

  The First Time I Heard This Rumor a Shadow Was Cast Over My Heart

My mother is a devout Christian. Ever since I was old enough to understand things, she would often tell me stories about the Lord Jesus, telling me that the Lord Jesus is the only true God. When I was 13 years old I went with my mom to church. At that time I really enjoyed listening to the pastors’ sermons, and I had a great deal of faith. I would actively participate in every fellowship. But I gradually discovered that there was no illumination in the sermons preached by the pastors. They always repeated some theories and knowledge of the Bible or some theological theories, and as time went on I didn’t receive the least bit of pleasure from listening to their sermons, nor did I feel I was being provided with life. Therefore, I started going to fellowships less and less frequently.

Eastern Lightning | The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven | Notions and Truths | Question 26

Question 26: The Bible is the canon of Christianity and those who believe in the Lord have done so according to the Bible for two thousand years. Furthermore, most people in the religious world believe that the Bible represents the Lord, that belief in the Lord is belief in the Bible, and belief in the Bible is belief in the Lord, and that if one strays from the Bible then they cannot be called a believer. Please may I ask whether or not believing in the Lord in this way conforms to the will of the Lord?

Answer:

Many believe that the Bible represents the Lord, represents God and that belief in the Lord means belief in the Bible, belief in the Bible is the same as belief in the Lord. They afford the same status to the Bible as they do to God. There are even those who acknowledge the Bible without acknowledging God. They think of the Bible as the supreme, and even endeavor to replace God with the Bible. There are even religious leaders who acknowledge the Bible without acknowledging Christ, and claim that those who preach the second coming of the Lord are heretics. Exactly what is the issue here? It’s obvious, the religious world has sunk to the point where they only acknowledge the Bible and fail to believe in the Lord’s return—there’s no saving them. From this it is clear, the religious world has become a group of antichrists, resisting God and taking God as their enemy. It is undeniable that many religious leaders are hypocritical Pharisees. Especially those claiming that “those who preach the second coming of the Lord are heretics,” they are all antichrists and unbelievers. It seems many people don’t know what exactly faith in the Lord is.

Eastern Lightning | The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven | Notions and Truths | Question 25

Question 25: Religious pastors and elders hold to the words of Paul in the Bible: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God,” believing that everything in the Bible is God’s words. But you say that the words of the Bible are not completely the words of God, so what is this all about?

Answer:

To begin with, we need to understand how the Bible took shape, and when it was produced. The original book of the Bible refers to the Old Testament. The Israelites, that is, the Jews, only called the Old Testament the Scripture. And then, in the Age of Grace, the Lord Jesus did a stage of work of redemption. More than three hundred years after the Lord, church leaders of the time came together to convene a meeting. They believed that the last days were approaching and that the words the Lord Jesus had spoken, and the epistles that the disciples had written, ought to be summed up together to form a book similar to the Old Testament, and sent to churches in all places.

Eastern Lightning | One who believes in God must be able to discern false shepherds and antichrists to cast off religion and return to God.

One who believes in God must be able to discern false shepherds and antichrists to cast off religion and return to God.

God's Work

Bible Verses for Reference:

“Thus said the Lord GOD to the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat, and you clothe you with the wool, you kill them that are fed: but you feed not the flock. The diseased have you not strengthened, neither have you healed that which was sick, neither have you bound up that which was broken, neither have you brought again that which was driven away, neither have you sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have you ruled them” (Eze 34:2-4).

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Mat 7:15).

“They be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Mat 15:14).

Eastern Lightning | The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven | Notions and Truths | Question 24

Question 24: You testify that the Lord Jesus has already returned as Almighty God, that He expresses the entire truth that will allow people to attain purification and to be saved, and that He is currently doing the work of judgment beginning with God’s house, but we don’t dare accept this. This is because the religious pastors and elders frequently instruct us that all of God’s words and work are recorded in the Bible and there can be no other words or work of God outside of the Bible, and that everything that goes against or beyond the Bible is heresy. We cannot discern this problem, so please can you explain it for us.

Answer:

This kind of viewpoint from the religious community is not based in God’s word; it came about entirely as a result of a misinterpretation of the Bible. The Bible bears witness to the first two stages of God’s work; this is true. However, what is recorded in the Bible is limited, and in that it does not include all of the words God spoke in the two stages of His work and all of the testimony regarding that work. Due to omissions and disputes among the Bible compilers, some of the prophets’ predictions, apostles’ experiences, and their testimonies were left out; this is a recognized fact. How, then, can it be said that apart from the Bible, there are no other records or testimonies concerning God’s work? Were those missing prophecies and epistles all mixed with human will? 

Eastern Lightning | The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven | Notions and Truths | Question 23

Question 23: You testify that Almighty God is God incarnate who is currently doing His work of judgment in the last days. But the religious pastors and elders say that the work of Almighty God is actually the work of man, and also many people who don’t believe in the Lord Jesus say that Christianity is a belief in a man. We still cannot discern what exactly is the difference between the work of God and the work of man, so please fellowship this for us.

Answer:

The work of God and the work of man are certainly different. If we investigate carefully we will all be able to see it. For instance, if we look at the utterances and work of the Lord Jesus and then take a look at the utterances and work of the apostles, we can say that the difference is too obvious. Every word uttered by the Lord Jesus is the truth and carries authority, and can reveal many mysteries. These are all things mankind can never do. That is why there are so many people who follow the Lord Jesus. However, the apostles can only spread the gospel, bear witness to God, and supply the church. The results are all very limited.

Eastern Lightning | The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven | Notions and Truths | Question 22

Question 22: The Lord Jesus said: “But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (Jhn 4:14). Most people think that the Lord Jesus has already bestowed on us the way of eternal life, but I have read these words of Almighty God: “Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life.” What’s all this about? Why does it say that only Christ of the last days can give man the way of eternal life?

Answer:

In order to actually know what is the way of eternal life, we should first know where the way of eternal life comes from. We all know that whenever God became flesh He bore witness that He is the truth, the way, and the life. This is sufficient evidence to prove that only Christ can express the way of eternal life. Since Christ is the appearance of God incarnate, since He is the flesh that God’s Spirit is clothed in, that means that the substance of Christ is the substance of God, and that Christ Himself is the truth, the way, and the life. So, only Christ can express the truth, only He is able to carry out the work of redeeming and saving mankind.

Eastern Lightning | The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven | Notions and Truths | Question 20

Question 20: It’s written right there in the Bible: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Heb 13:8). So the name of the Lord never changes! But you say that when the Lord comes again in the last days He will take a new name and will be called Almighty God. How do you explain it?

Answer:

Ever since we started believing in the Lord Jesus, we began to pray and to heal disease and cast out demons in His name. Also, because of His name, we gained peace and blessings, and moreover because of His name we gained countless graces. That is why the name of the Lord Jesus has been deeply imprinted on our hearts and we also treasure His name very much, just like how the people of Israel treasured the name of Jehovah. Accordingly, when some brothers and sisters hear that the Lord has already returned in the flesh as Almighty God, they are unable to accept it, saying: “It says in Acts 4:12: ‘Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.’ Hebrews 13:8 states: ‘Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.’ Therefore, when the Lord returns His name should still be Jesus. How could He be called Almighty God?” Brothers and sisters, what do you think of this question? Could the Lord only be called Jesus when He returns?

Eastern Lightning | God’s Words Guide Me to Learn How to Educate My Children (I)

Xiaoxue, Malaysia

I have two sons and they are one year apart. In order to raise them to be cultured, well mannered, good people who will be able to establish themselves in society and succeed, when they were two years old, I discussed finding a good kindergarten for them with my husband. After some visits, inquiries and comparison, we selected an English kindergarten because they placed importance on children’s caliber and ability, which matched my view on educating children. Although the tuition fees were a bit high, as long as the children were able to develop better and get a better education, it was worth spending a little more money.

Eastern Lightning | The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven | Notions and Truths | Question 15

Question 15: Some people ask: After believing in the Lord, we practice humility and patience, love our enemies, bear our crosses, abandon worldly things and we work and preach for the Lord and so on. We have achieved a little change. So why must we accept God’s work of judgment in the last days before being able to be cleansed and saved?

   Answers:

We can love our enemy, bear the cross, overcome our body, and spread the gospel of the Lord. These are positive behaviors coming from our belief in the Lord. Our exhibition of such good behaviors signifies that our faith in the Lord is true. These good behaviors may appear correct to people, as if these are in line with the word of God, but it does not mean that we are practicing God’s word and following the will of the heavenly Father, it doesn’t mean that we have quit our sinful nature and become sanctified. There is a reason why we cannot just look at people’s good behaviors by appearance. We also need to look at their intentions and ultimate purposes. If our intention is to obey God, love God, and satisfy God, this kind of good behavior is practicing the truth and obeying the will of the heavenly Father. On the other hand, if our good behavior is solely for the solicitation of blessing and reward, for the reward of a crown, but not from a loving heart for God, then this kind of good behavior is the hypocritical behavior of the Pharisees instead of doing the heavenly Father’s will.

Eastern Lightning | The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven | Notions and Truths | Question 14

Question 14: We follow the example of Paul and we work very hard for the Lord, spreading the gospel and bearing witness to the Lord, and shepherding the Lord’s churches, just like Paul: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” Is this not following the will of God? Practicing in this way should mean that we are qualified to be raptured and to enter into the kingdom of heaven, so why must we accept God’s work of judgment and purification in the last days before we can be brought into the kingdom of heaven?

Answer:

The question you raised is critical. It involves whether we can be brought into the kingdom of heaven. Most believers of the Lord think that emulating Paul by sacrificing everything and working hard for the Lord is tantamount to following the way of the Lord and the eligibility to be brought into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord returns. This opinion has become the conception of most believers in the Lord. But is this opinion based on the Lord’s words? Is this pursuit of ours consistent with the Lord’s intention?

Eastern Lightning | The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven | Notions and Truths | Question 13

Question 13: Some people ask: We believe that the Lord has absolved our sins, and that if someone is saved once, then they are forever saved. Why must we accept God’s work of judgment in the last days before being able to be saved and brought into the kingdom of heaven?

Answers:

All believers think: The Lord Jesus redeemed us when He died on the cross, so we have already been absolved of all sin. The Lord no longer sees us as sinners. We have become righteous through our faith, and once saved, we are saved forever. As long as we endure until the end, when the Lord returns, we will be directly raptured into the heavenly kingdom. Well, is that the truth? Did God ever give any evidence in His words to back up this claim? If this viewpoint is not in line with the truth, what will the consequences be? We who believe in the Lord should use His own words as our basis for all things. This is especially true when it comes to the question of how to treat the Lord’s return.

Eastern Lightning | After Listening with My Heart, I Have Welcomed the Lord’s Return (Audio Article)

Max, United States

In 1994, I was born in the United States. My parents are both Chinese. My mother was the classic example of a successful career woman. She is able to think for herself and is very competent. I love my mother very much. When I was in Grade 2, my parents brought me back to China to study so that I would be able to learn Chinese. It was also at that time that I started to get acquainted with the Lord Jesus. I remember one day in 2004, after I got home from school, there was a guest at our house. My mother introduced her and told me that she was a pastor from the United States. I was very happy because that was when I found out that my mother had believed in the Lord Jesus for some time. Before, she did not believe. Every Chinese New Year, she would burn incense and worship Buddha. However, after my mother started to believe in the Lord Jesus, I no longer had to smell the whiff of burnt Joss paper and incense. That day, the American pastor told me a story about the Lord Jesus. Soon after, I was brought to the bathroom and before I could react, “plop,” the pastor had dunked my head into the bathtub and after a moment, pulled my head out. All I heard was my mother and the pastor telling me, “Welcome to the embrace of the Lord Jesus. We are all lost sheep.” In this way, I started a new life journey before I knew it. However, because the Lord was with me, my heart was very happy. Afterward, each Sunday, I would go to church to worship and listen to the pastor talk about Bible stories and read from the scriptures. I was very happy all along. My heart was steadfast and I felt that believing in the Lord Jesus was truly a good thing.

In 2008, my father accompanied me to the United States so that I could study here. During this time, I went to church and participated in fellowships. In 2012, after I graduated from high school, my father bought me a plane ticket so that I could go back to China to visit my mother. Right before leaving, my father sat down with me and spoke many heartfelt words to me. He told me that in China, my mother had started to believe in Eastern Lightning. He hoped that on my return, I would be able to talk to my mother and get her to abandon her faith in Eastern Lightning. As a student who was about to enter into university, of course, I would not only listen to my father’s side of the story. Soon afterward, I went on the internet and searched for information related to Eastern Lightning. I wanted to have more of a realistic understanding of them. The result was that I found some opinions originating from the CCP government and pastors and elders from the religious world that condemned and slandered Eastern Lightning. I started feeling worried for my mother. I decided to go home and see how my mother was doing. After I got back home, I found that everything was normal with my mother. Her concern and love for me had not changed. Her faith and love for God had grown greater and she was more devout than before. I was a little less worried about my mother then.

During the time I was back in China, my mother, as expected spoke to me about Eastern Lightning. She said, “The Lord Jesus has already returned and He has started doing a stage of judgment work beginning with the house of God….” From my mother’s words, I understood that when the Lord Jesus incarnated this time, He had come as a female to do His work. I just remember that at that time, I stared blankly because this was completely different from what I had been told about the Lord Jesus when I was in the States. My pastor always emphasized in the sermons that Jehovah God is the Holy Father and the Lord Jesus is the Holy Son. Since They were Father and Son, both of them were male. Moreover, all the portraits of the Lord Jesus that were hung in the church and all the crosses that had the Lord Jesus on them indicated that the Lord Jesus was a male. However, my mother said that this time, the Lord Jesus has returned as a female. This completely exceeded my knowledge of the Lord Jesus. My heart could not take it and I told my mother, “The Lord Jesus is a male. When the Lord returns, how could it be that He would return as a female?” My mother replied, “God is Spirit in essence. God does not have a gender. It is only because He has incarnated to do the work of salvation that He chose a different gender….” However, since the viewpoint that my pastor had inculcated me with was the first and strongest impression, regardless of what my mother said, I would not believe it.

A few days later, my mother wanted to take me to attend a gathering with her. Even though I did not want to, because I respected my mother, I went with her. At the time, I remember that there was an aunty from Northeast China that said, “The last days have already arrived. The Lord Jesus has already come back in the flesh and lives amongst us. He is doing the work of the Age of Kingdom. Presently, the churches of the Age of Grace no longer have the Holy Spirit’s work and they are all completely desolated….” However, since my heart was already closed, I still maintained that the Lord Jesus is a male and that when He returns, He would surely return as a male. That is why I basically did not believe in what this aunty was talking about. All the way until I left China, I was still very bewildered: Why would the Lord Jesus return as a female? I was worried that my mother was walking on the wrong path. All I could do was pray for my mother, “Lord Jesus! Please keep my mother and make sure she does not walk on the wrong path. Guide her back into Your embrace….”

After I returned to the United States, I continued attending worship at my church. However, gradually, I discovered that the majority of what my pastor was saying was outdated and repetitious. Otherwise, it was specifically about donating to the church. As a believer, we were not able to obtain genuine shepherding. Many people would doze off during the gatherings and the number of people that attended gradually diminished. In 2014, the church I went to encountered a significant misfortune. The pastor had used public money to buy a house for himself in another state and as a result, our church went bankrupt. When I saw all these things, I felt very disappointed. At this time, my classmates brought me to their church to participate in worship. This church was a lot bigger than the previous church I went to. Each Sunday, when the pastor was giving his sermon, I would sit in the upper row of seats to listen. However, as before, I saw many people dozing off. Sometimes, even I started to doze off. Frequently, the pastor would deliberately raise his voice in an attempt to wake up the brothers and sisters. However, his attempts to get us to listen to his sermons failed. I thought back to the previous church I attended where the pastor misappropriated the church’s money to buy himself a house. His sermons were unable to provide for the spiritual life needs of the brothers and sisters. Instead, they basically came to church to sleep! The church that I was going to at that time was also like this. I asked myself, “Could it be that all churches are desolate?” Suddenly, I thought back to 2012 when I went back to China and the things that my mother and that aunty from Northeast China said. They told me: God has started the work of the Age of Kingdom. The Age of Grace has concluded. God no longer works in the churches belonging to the Age of Grace. Only by following God’s work in the Age of Kingdom can one be able to obtain the Holy Spirit’s work. This was the first time that I asked myself, “Could it be that the Lord Jesus has really returned?”

In a blink of the eye, it was the end of 2015. I received news that my mother went to San Francisco to visit my elder brother. I bought a plane ticket so I could go and see her. Once again, my mother mentioned Eastern Lightning—the second coming of the Lord Jesus. She also got me to watch many gospel videos from The Church of Almighty God as well as read many of Almighty God’s words. This time, I did not resist in the way I did before because in the past two years, I saw many scenes of desolation in the churches that I went to. This confirmed for me what they were telling me about the desolation in the churches. It is indeed the truth! I started to quiet my heart and listen to what my mother was saying, so that I could unlock the shackles that were within my heart. At that time, my mother targeted my notions. She read to me God’s words concerning the aspect of God’s gender. This left a very deep impression on me. It also explained the confusion I had all along regard the gender of the Lord who has returned. Almighty God says, “Each stage of work done by God has a real significance. When Jesus arrived, He was male, and this time He is female. From this, you can see that God created both male and female for His work and with Him there is no distinction of gender. When His Spirit arrives, He can take on any flesh at will and the flesh represents Him. Be it male or female, both represent God as long as it is His incarnate flesh. If Jesus arrived and appeared as a female, in other words, if an infant girl, not a boy, was to be conceived by the Holy Spirit, that stage of work would have been completed all the same. If so, this stage of work would have to be completed instead by a male and the work would then be completed all the same. The work done in both stages is significant; no work is repeated or conflicts with each other. … If in this stage He did not become flesh to personally do work for man to witness, man would forever hold on to the notion that God is only male, not female” (“The Two Incarnations Complete the Significance of the Incarnation” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “God’s wisdom, God’s wondrousness, God’s righteousness, and God’s majesty shall never change. His essence and what He has and is shall never change. His work, however, is always progressing forward and always going deeper, for He is always new and never old. … If He were only incarnated as a male, people would define Him as male, as the God of men, and would never believe Him to be the God of women. Then, men would believe that God is of the same gender as men, that God is the head of men—and what of women? This is unfair; is it not preferential treatment? If this were the case, then all those whom God saved would be men like Him, and there would be no salvation for women. When God created mankind, He created Adam and He created Eve. He did not only create Adam, but made both male and female in His image. God is not only the God of men—He is also the God of women” (“The Vision of God’s Work (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). After I finished reading God’s words, this matter which was gnawing at my mind disappeared almost instantly. In my heart, I felt that these words are correct. In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve. Originally, male and female were equal. If that’s the case, why can’t God return as a female?! God’s essence is Spirit. Of course He can assume either gender identity when He comes amongst us to do His work. Regardless of whether God incarnates as a male or a female, it is God’s choice. God has the right to choose what gender to incarnate into because God is the Ruler of all things and He is the Creator. Is God’s work restricted by people? What is man when compared to God? Isn’t man just dust? How can man fathom God’s wisdom? Before, I believed that God could only be a male. I truly defined God and it reveals that I did not have any knowledge of God. I was too arrogant and foolish.

Eastern Lightning | The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven | Notions and Truths | Question 12

Question 12：Most people in the religious world believe that the Lord Jesus saying “It is finished” upon the cross is proof that God’s work of salvation is already completely finished. And yet you testify that the Lord has returned in the flesh to express the truth and to do the work of judgment beginning with God’s house in order to save people utterly. So exactly how should one understand God’s work to save mankind? We are unclear on this aspect of the truth, so please fellowship this for us.

Answer:

Most people in the religious world think: When the Lord Jesus was crucified and said before He expired “It is finished,” this proved that God’s work of salvation was entirely complete, and there would be no more work. Thus, upon hearing that God is doing a new stage of work in the last days, many people absolutely deny it. They think it an impossible thing. Well, when it comes down to it, what is the truth of the matter? When the Lord Jesus was crucified, did it or did it not represent that God’s work of saving mankind was entirely “finished”? Did the Lord saying “It is finished” mean that all the Lord’s work of redeeming mankind was accomplished, or did it mean that all God’s work of saving mankind was accomplished?

Eastern Lightning | The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven | Notions and Truths | Question 11

Question 11：You testified that the Lord has returned and does His work of judgment beginning at the house of God in the last days. Is this the same as the great white throne judgment in the Book of Revelation?

  Answers:

  All those who truly understand the Bible know that the great white throne judgment prophesied in the Book of Revelation is a vision of God’s judgment work in the last days. The incarnate Almighty God came to express the truth and do His judgment work in the last days, starting to cleanse and save corrupt mankind. This means the great white throne judgment has already begun. Judgment starts from the house of God. God will first make a group of overcomers before the disaster. Then, God will bring down the great disasters and start to reward good and punish evil, until this evil era has been destroyed. God’s great white throne judgment in the last days will then be thoroughly complete.