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.

The Church of Almighty God | “Pigeon” Mail

“Pigeon” Mail

Su Jie, China

One day in 1999, after the meeting had ended, the pastor said to me, “Su Jie, here is a letter for you.” As soon as I saw it, I knew that it came from the church I established in Shandong. I took the letter and on the way home, I thought as I walked: This letter is so thick, could it be that they have encountered some difficulties? …

1. What is knowing God exactly? Can an understanding of Bible knowledge and theological theory be considered as knowing God?

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

1. What is knowing God exactly? Can an understanding of Bible knowledge and theological theory be considered as knowing God?

Relevant Words of God:

What does it mean to know God? It means that man knows God’s gamut of emotions, this is what knowing God is. You say that you have seen God, yet you do not understand God’s gamut of emotions, do not understand His disposition, and do not know His righteousness either. You have no understanding of His mercifulness, and do not know what He loathes. This cannot be called knowledge of God.

Eastern Lightning | Christian Short Sketch "A Warning From History" (English Skit)

Christian Short Sketch "A Warning From History" (English Skit) 

Two thousand years ago, when the Lord Jesus appeared and worked, the Pharisees clung to the laws and condemned His work, saying that His work went beyond the Scriptures. To protect their status and livelihood, they strove with all their might to stop people from seeking the Lord Jesus' work, and joined forces with the Roman government to nail Him to the cross.

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 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 | 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 | One must understand that the message spread by the Lord Jesus in the Age of Grace was only the way of repentance.

One must understand that the message spread by the Lord Jesus in the Age of Grace was only the way of repentance.

The Lord Jesus

Bible Verses for Reference:

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

“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Mat 26:28).

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

The Church of Almighty God | Wise Virgins Hear the Voice of God

I. The Lord has appeared in the last days and uttered words to do the work of judgment that begins with the house of God. This completely fulfills the biblical prophecies: “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 2:7). “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (1Pe 4:17). Only wise virgins can hear the voice of the Lord and welcome Him.

Bible Verses for Reference:

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20).

“He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 2:7).

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (Jhn 10:27).

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

Classic Words of God:

God’s six-thousand-year management plan is coming to an end, and the gate of the kingdom has been opened to all those who seek the appearance of God. Dear brothers and sisters, what are you waiting for? What is it that you seek? Do you await the appearance of God? Are you searching for the footprints of God? How the appearance of God is yearned for! And how difficult it is to find God’s footprints! In an age such as this, in a world such as this, what must we do to witness the day of God’s appearance? What must we do to follow the footprints of God?

Eastern Lightning | Exactly how should one approach and use the Bible in a way that conforms to God’s will? What is the Bible’s original value?

Exactly how should one approach and use the Bible in a way that conforms to God’s will? What is the Bible’s original value?

Relevant Words of God:

Today, I am dissecting the Bible in this way and it does not mean that I hate it, or deny its value for reference. I am explaining the inherent value and origins of the Bible to you to stop you being kept in the dark. For people have so many views about the Bible, and most of them are wrong; reading the Bible in this way not only prevents them from gaining what they ought to, but, more important, it hinders the work I intend to do.

Eastern Lightning | The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven | Notions and Truths | Question 19

Question 19: One aspect of the Lord Jesus’ work of redemption was to forgive and absolve our sins, while the other aspect was to bestow on us peace and joy and bountiful grace. This allows us to see that God is a merciful and loving God. But you testify that Almighty God does the work of judgment in the last days, that He expresses the truth and judges and chastises man, prunes and deals with man, exposes man and eliminates all kinds of evil men, evil spirits and antichrists, which allows people to see that God’s righteous disposition does not tolerate any offense. Why is the disposition revealed in the Lord Jesus’ work so completely different from the disposition revealed in the work of Almighty God? How exactly should we understand God’s disposition?

Answer:

Since the Lord Jesus carried out His redemptive work in the Age of Grace, we have witnessed how the Lord Jesus is full of forgiveness and patience, and how He is full of love and mercy. So long as we believe in the Lord Jesus then our sins will be absolved and we will be able to enjoy the grace of God. As a result, we have determined that God is a loving and merciful God, that He always forgives man and absolves man from all the sins he commits, that God always treats us in the same way a mother treats her children, with meticulous care, without ever showing anger. Therefore, many people don’t understand it when they see Almighty God in the last days expressing truths and judging man in harsh language that reveals man’s corruption so directly and without mercy, they don’t understand it when He condemns and curses evil people, antichrists and the Pharisees, they feel that God should not use such harsh language to judge man.

The Church of Almighty God | What is true rapture?

What is true rapture?

what is true rapture?

Bible Verses for Reference:

“And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him” (Mat 25:6).

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20).

“Write, Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev 19:9).

Eastern Lightning | How I Fell Down Before Almighty God

contemplate God's Word | Eastern Lightning

How I Fell Down Before Almighty God

Wang Yu’e

Yantai City, Shandong Province

My name is Wang Yu’e. I live in Yantai City, Shandong Province. Speaking of how I disobeyed and resisted Almighty God at one time, I shed remorseful tears. I believed in God but did not know God and looked up to men and listened to men, so for years I resisted God’s work of the last days and blasphemed Almighty God, seriously offending God’s disposition and committing a heinous sin. Yet, God’s love is wide and long and high and deep. God did not treat me according to my sin but moved me with His selfless love, so that I was fortunate to come before God and live under the illumination of God’s words, know God’s righteous disposition, and step onto the right way of human life gradually.

Eastern Lightning | Almighty God’s Word Woke My Heart Out of Its Deep Sleep

Almighty God's Word | Eastern Lightning

Almighty God’s Word Woke My Heart Out of Its Deep Sleep

Liu Xin

Zhumadian City, Henan Province

I was born into a Christian family. I believed in Jesus with my parents since childhood. After I graduated from high school in 1990, the church began to focus on training me. In the summer of 1993, I was sent to Guangzhou to attend a three-month “professional preachers training class.” Because I was zealous in pursuing, I soon became a leader of the “Justification by Faith Church.” Since then, I rushed about among different churches all day, working for the Lord diligently.

Eastern Lightning | I Prostrated Myself Before Almighty God

Pray to God

I Prostrated Myself Before Almighty God

Li Fei

Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province

I was formerly a deacon of the Church of the True Jesus’ Bride. In my years of believing in God, I always considered myself as a true lover of God and a good soldier of Christ because I had offered up everything for the sake of “serving God only.” So I thought that one day I would surely ascend to the kingdom of heaven with Jesus on the same cloud. But when “Jesus” truly came to receive me, I became His enemy…

Eastern Lightning | Almighty God’s Word Made Me Become Subject Before God

Almighty God’s Word Made Me Become Subject Before God

Zhang Mingqi

Nanyang City, Henan Province

I was formerly a mid-level leader of the Stream of Recovery. Since I was called in the Lord in 1985, I had been in the stream of the Lord’s recovery. I always believed that the Bible was a book of life, in which every word was breathed by God, and that God’s good and kind intention for mankind over six thousand years had been fully revealed to us in it.

Eastern Lightning | My Icy Heart Was Melted by God

Contemplate God's Word | Eastern Lightning

My Icy Heart Was Melted by God

Zhuo Aiyan

Dunhua City, Jilin Province

My name is Zhuo Aiyan. I was born into a Christian family. I began to preach at the age of 12 and left home to serve God full time at the age of 19. I had studied theology and contacted many overseas pastors and missionaries, which I always took as my capital.

Eastern Lightning | God Is a Consuming Fire and Does Not Tolerate Man’s Offense

—the change of a person who frenziedly resisted Almighty God’s work because of her blind trust in the leaders’ words

Xia Suzhi

Nanyang City, Henan Province

“Xia X, female, aged 33, a junior leader of the Praise Church. In spring 1999, when God’s work of the last days was preached to her, she didn’t accept it but slandered and blasphemed Almighty God everywhere with her upper leaders and hindered the believers under her from having contact with the gospel preachers. In May of the same year, her husband was crushed to death by a car. In September, her son had his leg broken. In July 2000, Xia’s house (a wing-room) was on fire without any reason, and everything in the room was burned up. That her family encountered the disasters one after another shows that the wicked shall be filled with mischief.” (from Typical Cases of Punishment for Resisting Almighty God)

Eastern Lightning | Holding Fast to the “Bible” Cannot Gain Me God’s Approval

Contemplate God's Word | Eastern Lightning

Holding Fast to the “Bible” Cannot Gain Me God’s Approval

Wan Xiu

Xinyang City, Henan Province

I had considered myself very faithful to the Lord. To safeguard the “true way” and the dignity of the “Bible,” I once disowned my younger sister and wantonly attacked and blasphemed Almighty God. When I, a watchdog of the Bible, became subject to Almighty God, I discovered that it was a great mistake to believe that I could be saved through the Bible.

Eastern Lightning | Almighty God’s Word Has Conquered the Arrogant Me

Read God’s Word | Eastern Lightning

Almighty God’s Word Has Conquered the Arrogant Me

Zhao Kun

Tongchuan City, Shaanxi Province

I was born into a Christian family. I’m 50 years old. Since the 1970s, I had begun to serve God fervently. At that time, there weren’t many believers, so I became a leader in my twenties.