4. There is no way of eternal life within the Bible; if man holds to the Bible and worships it, then they will not obtain eternal life.

XI. One Must Fellowship Clearly the Aspect of Truth Concerning the Relationship Between God and the Bible

4. There is no way of eternal life within the Bible; if man holds to the Bible and worships it, then they will not obtain eternal life.

Bible Verses for Reference:

“Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me, that you might have life” (Jhn 5:39-40).

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me” (Jhn 14:6).

Relevant Words of God:

The way of life is not something that can be possessed by just anyone, nor is it easily obtainable by all. That is because life can only come from God, which is to say, only God Himself possesses the substance of life, there is no way of life without God Himself, and so only God is the source of life, and the ever-flowing wellspring of living water of life.

from “Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The Church of Almighty God | God’s Discipline Drove Me to Seek and His Words Conquered Me

God’s Discipline Drove Me to Seek and His Words Conquered Me

Xin Yu

Shangqiu City, Henan Province

Pray to God

I was once a worker of the “Justification by Faith Church.” Since I believed in Jesus in 1987, I had expected that one day I would be received up into heaven by the Lord and enjoy the heavenly blessings. However, when the Lord “knocked” on my door, I took Him as a deceiver from Satan and condemned and resisted Him with all my effort. When I recall the past, I feel very regretful…

The Bible was compiled by man, not by God; the Bible cannot represent God.

XI. One Must Fellowship Clearly the Aspect of Truth Concerning the Relationship Between God and the Bible

3. The Bible was compiled by man, not by God; the Bible cannot represent God.

Bible Verses for Reference:

“Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me, that you might have life” (Jhn 5:39-40).

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me” (Jhn 14:6).

Eastern Lightning | The Word of the Almighty God Conquered Me

The Word of the Almighty God Conquered Me

Tang Jiaqi

Shenyang City, Liaoning Province

The Church Life

In 1992, I believed in Jesus because my father got cancer. Through prayer, the Lord not only healed my father but also healed my heart disease. Three years after I turned to the Lord, I turned from the Three-Self sect to a house church and became a leader. Then, I pursued more actively, and my faith became greater and greater. The number in the house church I was in grew from several to over two hundred. The church was greatly revived.

How has God led and provided for mankind up to the present day?

X. One Must Fellowship Clearly the Aspect of Truth Concerning How to Know God

4. How has God led and provided for mankind up to the present day?

Relevant Words of God:

The work of God’s management began at the creation of the world, and man is at the core of this work. God’s creation of all things, it can be said, is for the sake of man. Because the work of His management stretches over thousands of years, and is not carried out in the space of mere minutes or seconds, or a blink of an eye, or over one or two years, He had to create more things necessary for the survival of man, such as the sun, moon, all sorts of living creatures, and food and a living environment for mankind. This was the start of God’s management.

from “Man Can Only Be Saved Amidst the Management of God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Only the Word of Almighty God Can Save Me

Only the Word of Almighty God Can Save Me

Shi Lianjun

Huai’an City, Jiangsu Province

Reading God's Words

I joined the Joseph Church in 1997. In 1999, I was appointed as the district leader of the church in Shuyang County. At that time, the kingdom gospel of Almighty God had spread to our county. I remember that one day in August of that year, someone in our church told me that a person who preached the gospel of the last days was in the home of a believer in Huji Township.

Eastern Lightning | Almighty God Has Given Me a Second Life

Almighty God Has Given Me a Second Life

Xie Surong

Tangshan City, Hebei Province

Church Life

For years, life has been continuing in this world through generation after generation. Everyone live a life in their respective roles, smooth or rough, poor or rich. No matter what kind of life they live, very few have found the real life. Before the age of 28, I had lived my life as most people do.

On a very common day, I was chosen by God from among the vast sea of people. It was then that I came to know the source of all things, the source of man’s life, and the two different destinations for man, heaven or hell, and I also knew that God, because of mankind’s sin, was incarnated personally and laid down His life for them through His crucifixion, thereby bringing them grace, peace, and joy. This was the first turning point in my life.

I Felt Bitter Remorse for Resisting the Almighty God

I Felt Bitter Remorse for Resisting the Almighty God

Li Mingguang

Zhoukou City, Henan Province

Read God's Word

I was formerly a worker of the Hua Xuehe sect. On December 2, 1998, I accepted the Almighty God’s end-time work and began to eat and drink the present word of God. Gradually, I have known that God’s work always progresses forward and is done age by age to save man. I have known the inside truth about and the substance of God’s work in the Age of the Law, and also known how God redeemed all mankind in the Age of the Grace.

What is the difference between the words expressed by the Lord Jesus in the Age of Grace and the words expressed by Almighty God in the Age of Kingdom?

What is the difference between the words expressed by the Lord Jesus in the Age of Grace and the words expressed by Almighty God in the Age of Kingdom?

Bible Verses for Reference:

“Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mat: 4:17).

“And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luk 24:47).

“And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (Jhn 12:47-48).

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

The Church of Almighty God | I Am Following in the Footsteps of the Lamb

I Am Following in the Footsteps of the Lamb

Shen Ai, Singapore

When I was 18 years old my mother got ill, and so she started believing in the Lord Jesus. At the time, I knew the Lord Jesus’ name but didn’t understand anything about faith in the Lord. It was quite a coincidence that I later went to work for a company where most of the employees were Christians. Through interacting with them, I saw how they treated people with love and patience, and I came to believe that Christians were a pretty good bunch of people.

Eastern Lightning | The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven | Notions and Truths | Question 27

Question 27: The Bible is testimony to God’s work; only through reading the Bible can those who believe in the Lord recognize that God created the heavens and earth and all things and see God’s wonderful deeds, His greatness and almightiness. In the Bible there are lots of God’s words and lots of testimonies of man’s experiences; it can provide for the life of man and be of great benefit to man, so what I’d like to pursue is, can we actually attain eternal life through reading the Bible? Is there really no way of eternal life within the Bible?

Answer:

Through reading the Bible we come to understand that God is the Creator of the heavens and earth and all things and we begin to recognize His wondrous deeds. This is because the Bible is a testimony to the first two stages of God’s work. It is a record of the words and work of God and the testimony of man during the Age of Law and the Age of Grace. So, the Bible is very important to our faith. Think about it, if not for the Bible, how would we come to understand the Lord’s word and know the Lord? How else would we witness God’s deeds and begin to develop true faith in God? If we do not read the Bible, how else will we witness the real testimony of all the saints throughout the ages obeying God? So, reading the Bible is essential to the practice of faith, and no believer of the Lord should ever go astray from the Bible. You could say, he who goes astray from the Bible could not believe in the Lord. This is verified in the experiences of saints throughout the ages. No one dares deny the value and meaning of reading the Bible in the practice of faith. So, saints throughout the ages and believers all view reading the Bible as a very important matter. Some would even go so far as to say that, reading the Bible and prayer are as essential as our two legs are for walking, without either we fail to move forward. But the Lord Jesus has said, “Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me, that you might have life” (Jhn 5:39-40). Some people are confused. They think: Given that the Bible is a record of God’s word and man’s testimony, reading the Bible should give us eternal life. Then why is it that the Lord Jesus said there is no eternal life in the Bible? Actually, this is not such a difficult idea. As long as we understand the inside story and the substance of God’s words and work during the Age of Law and the Age of Grace as well as the effect achieved through these words and work, then we’ll naturally come to realize why it is that we cannot receive eternal life through the reading of the Bible. During the Age of Law, Jehovah God’s words were chiefly concerned with promulgating laws, the commandments and ordinances for man to follow. His words were mostly a kind of guide for humanity, which was still in their infancy, to live on earth. These words did not involve changing man’s life disposition. So God’s words during the Age of Law were all aimed at making people abide by the laws and the commandments. Though these words were truth, they represent the very rudimentary truth. During the Age of Grace, the Lord Jesus’ words and work were focused on the work of redemption. The words He issued addressed the truth of redemption and taught people that they ought to confess their sins and repent and refrain from sinning and evildoing. These words also taught people the proper way to pray to the Lord and demanded that man should love the Lord with all their heart and soul, love their neighbor as themselves, be tolerant and patient, and forgive others seventy times seven times, etc. These are all included in the way of repentance. So, through reading the Bible, we can only understand the work of God during the Age of Law and the Age of Grace. We come to realize that all things are created by God and learn how to live on earth and how to worship God. We understand what sin is, who are blessed by God and who are cursed by God. We come to know how to confess our sins and repent to God. We learn humility, forbearance, and forgiveness, and know that we ought to take up the cross to follow the Lord. We see for ourselves the unlimited mercy and compassion of the Lord Jesus, and realize that only by coming before the Lord Jesus in faith will we enjoy His abundant grace and truth. The words and work of God during the Age of Law and the Age of Grace as recorded in the Bible were the truth spoken by God according to His plan of saving mankind and the needs of mankind at that point in time. These truths were completely incapable of changing our life disposition and allowing us to attain purification, salvation, and perfection. Thus, the words issued by the Lord Jesus during the Age of Grace can only be called the way of repentance, but not the way of eternal life.

So what is the way of eternal life then? The way of eternal life is the way of truth which allows man to live forever, which is to say, it is the way which allows man to cast off the binds and restraints of his sinful nature, change his life disposition, and allows him to gain the truth as life, thoroughly break free of Satan’s influence, and become compatible with Christ. It allows man to know, obey, and revere God so as to never again sin to oppose or betray God. Only that which can achieve this effect may be called the way of eternal life. Man dies as a result of sin. If man attains the truth as life and solves the problem of sin, God will bless him with eternal life. So, only by receiving the salvation of God in the last days can we enjoy the way of eternal life which God grants to humankind. The Lord Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” (Jhn 11:25-26). This is sufficient to prove that mankind’s life and death is in the hands of God; this is God’s authority and no man can change their own fate. Only those who achieve salvation by accepting the work of God in the last days and gaining truth as their lives can obtain eternal life; this is absolutely certain. Therefore, after the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus in the Age of Grace was completed, He promised to return, and at that time the Lord Jesus said: “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come” (Jhn 16:12-13). The truth expressed by the returned Lord Jesus is the only way of eternal life. This is sufficient to prove that Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. Why doesn’t the Bible contain the way of eternal life? It is primarily because the Bible records God’s previous two stages of work, but it does not contain the truths expressed by God in the last days of cleansing and saving mankind. Therefore, there is no way of eternal life within the Bible. However, this does not diminish the Bible as a testimony to God or the effect the Bible has on its readers. In fact, it is precisely because God who is testified to in the Bible is real, God creating heaven and earth and all living things is true, and testimonies of generations of saints submitting and being loyal to God are true that the position of the Bible in man’s heart has never changed. One could say that generations of saints matured due to the edification they received from the Bible. Even though the corrupt disposition of mankind persists and Satan’s nature still exists and a true cleansing has not yet been gained, nonetheless the saints’ faith in and loyalty to God has never wavered. In fact, many have been martyrs for the Lord, all of whom have borne a beautiful and resounding testimony to the Lord. These are the results of God’s work in the Age of Law and the Age of Grace. We can all clearly see that those with faith in the Lord are countless in number, and even though they have not been cleansed, their life disposition has not changed, and they do not have a true understanding of God, nonetheless their faith is true. God has not forsaken these people and He merely waits for the second coming in the last days where they will be caught up before Him, they will be cleansed by Him, made perfect. In this way, all who have true faith in the Lord and who love truth will gain the way of eternal life that is given by God in the last days. Now we should be clear on the issue of why the Bible cannot grant eternal life, right?

from Answers to Screenplay Questions

Eastern Lightning | The religious world believes that all scripture is given by the inspiration of God and it is all the words of God; how should one have discernment toward this statement?

The religious world believes that all scripture is given by the inspiration of God and it is all the words of God; how should one have discernment toward this statement?

Relevant Words of God:

Not everything in the Bible is a record of the words personally spoken by God. The Bible simply documents the previous two stages of God’s work, of which one part is a record of the foretellings of the prophets, and one part is the experiences and knowledge written by people used by God throughout the ages. Human experiences are tainted with human opinions and knowledge, which is unavoidable. In many of the books of the Bible are human conceptions, human biases, and human absurd interpretations. Of course, most of the words are the result of the enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit, and they are correct interpretations—yet it still cannot be said that they are entirely accurate expressions of the truth. Their views on certain things are nothing more than the knowledge of personal experience, or the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. The foretellings of the prophets were personally instructed by God: The prophecies of Isaiah, Daniel, Ezra, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel came from the direct instruction of the Holy Spirit, these people were seers, they had received the Spirit of prophecy, they were all prophets of the Old Testament. During the Age of Law these people, who had received the inspirations of Jehovah, spoke many prophecies, which were directly instructed by Jehovah.

from “Concerning the Bible (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Eastern Lightning | The Bible is only a record of God’s two stages of work in the Age of Law and the Age of Grace; it is not a record of the entirety of God’s work.

The Bible is only a record of God’s two stages of work in the Age of Law and the Age of Grace; it is not a record of the entirety of God’s work.

Bible Verses for Reference:

“I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come” (Jhn 16:12-13).

“He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 2:17).

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 | What is the difference between the words of God conveyed by prophets in the Age of Law and the words of God expressed by God incarnate?

What is the difference between the words of God conveyed by prophets in the Age of Law and the words of God expressed by God incarnate?

The Lord Jesus

Relevant Words of God:

In the Age of Grace, Jesus also spoke much and did much work. How was He different from Isaiah? How was He different from Daniel? Was He a prophet? Why is it said that He is Christ? What are the differences between them? They were all men who spoke words, and their words appeared more or less the same to man. They all spoke and did work.

Eastern Lightning | Characterizing the one true God as “the triune God” is defying and blaspheming God.

Characterizing the one true God as “the triune God” is defying and blaspheming God.

Relevant Words of God:

Let Me tell you that, in truth, the Trinity does not exist anywhere in this universe. God has no Father and no Son, much less is there the concept of an instrument jointly used by the Father and the Son: the Holy Spirit. All of this is the greatest fallacy and simply does not exist in this world! Yet even such a fallacy has its origin and is not entirely without basis, for your minds are not so simple, and your thoughts are not without reason. Rather, they are quite appropriate and ingenious, so much so that they are impregnable even to any Satan. The pity is that these thoughts are all fallacies and simply do not exist!

Eastern Lightning | Heresy and Cults Cannot Be Determined by People

Li Kun Anyang City, Henan Province

heresy-and-cults-cannot-be-determined-by-people

    God’s last days’ work has already conquered a group of people in Mainland China. Many believers in the religious community who long for God to appear have been conquered by God’s words because they have heard God’s voice and have returned before God’s throne. At the same time, many priests and elders in the religious community are desperate to resist and condemn God’s last days’ work. They always refer to it as heresy or a cult and wantonly condemn and blaspheme it. Their ignorance and arrogance drive them, like the Pharisees of those days, to take the road to perdition of resisting God and viewing God as an enemy, at the critical moment when new work replaces old.

Eastern Lightning | Christ Does the Work of Judgment With the Truth

Classic Words of God:

The work of the last days is to separate all according to their kind, to conclude the management plan of God, for the time is near and the day of God has come. God brings all who have entered His kingdom, that is, all those who have been loyal to Him to the end, into the age of God Himself. However, until the coming of the age of God Himself, the work that God shall do is not to observe the deeds of man or to inquire into the life of man, but to judge his rebellion, for God shall purify all those who come before His throne. All those who have followed the footsteps of God to this day are those who have come before the throne of God, and this being so, every single person who accepts God’s work in its final phase is the object of God’s purification. In other words, everyone who accepts God’s work in its final phase is the object of God’s judgment.

work-of-judgment

The “judgment” in the words previously spoken—judgment will begin at the house of God—refers to the judgment God passes today on those who come before His throne in the last days. Perhaps there are those who believe in such supernatural imaginings as that, when the last days have arrived, God will erect a big table in the heavens, upon which a white tablecloth will be spread, and then, sitting upon a great throne with all men kneeling on the ground, He will reveal the sins of each man and thereby determine whether they are to ascend to heaven or be sent down to the lake of fire and brimstone.

Eastern Lightning | The Hymn of God's Word | The Significance of God's Name

The Hymn of God's Word  | The Significance of God's Name

   In each and every age, in each stage of His work, God's name has carried weight. God's name hasn't rung empty. His every name reflects an age.

I

Jehovah, Jesus, and the Messiah all represent the Spirit of God. Yet these names just represent the ages in God's management, but not His entirety. The names people on earth call God can't express His entire disposition, can't express all that He is. They are just God's names in different ages. And so, when the final age— the age of the last days—arrives, God's name will change once more. He won't be called Jehovah nor Jesus, much less the Messiah. He will be called the powerful and almighty God. And with this name He will end the age. 

II 

God was once known as Jehovah. He was also called the Messiah. And out of love and respect, people used to call Him Jesus the Savior. Today God is not Jehovah nor Jesus, whom people knew in the past. He is the God who's returned in the last days, the God who will end this age. Replete with His entire disposition, full of authority, honor and glory, He is the God, the God Himself, He is the God Himself who rises up at the ends of the earth. He is the God who rises at the ends of the earth. 

III 

People have never been in touch with God. They have never really known Him, or understood His disposition. From the creation of the world till now, no one has ever seen God. This is the God who appears in the last days to man. This is the God who's also hidden, who is also hidden among man. He resides among man, living and real. He is like the blazing sun, and the searing flame. He is brimming with might and authority. He is brimming with might and authority. Not a single person or thing will escape the judgment of His word. Not a single person or thing will evade being cleansed in the flames. 

IV 

At last, all nations of the world will be blessed by God's words, and will be crushed by them as well. So people of the last days will see that God the Savior has returned. He is the powerful Almighty God that conquers all of mankind. He'll make people see He once was man's sin offering. But in the last days, He is the fire of the sun, which burns all things. And He is the Sun of righteousness that reveals all things. This is the work of God in the last days. This is God's work. 

V 

The reason God took on this name, on this name and disposition is to make man see that He is a righteous God, that He is a righteous God. He is the sun, the blazing sun. He is the flame, the searing flame. So all of mankind will worship Him, the one true God. And they, they will see His true face: He is not only the Redeemer, He is not only the God of the Israelites, but He is the God of all creations on earth and in the heavens or seas. 

from "The Savior Has Already Returned Upon a 'White Cloud'" 

in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Christian Song | The Second Coming of Lord | "God Is Seeking Those Who Thirst for His Appearance" | Eastern Lightning

God Is Seeking Those Who Thirst for His Appearance

I

God seeks those who long for Him, who long for Him to appear. God seeks those who don't resist, obedient as babies before Him. God seeks those who are able, able to hear His words, accept what He's entrusted and offer heart and body to Him. If nothing can shake, nothing can shake your devotion to God, He'll look down upon you, look down upon you with favor, oh … God will bestow His blessings upon you, upon you, oh … God will bestow His blessings upon you!