Eastern Lightning | When the Lord Jesus Knocks at the Door, How Will We Answer

When the Lord Jesus Knocks at the Door, How Will We Answer

Xiao Fei

After I entered belief in the Lord, the brothers and sisters liked to sing a hymn called “The Good Man Is Knocking at the Door” which goes: “The good man is knocking at the door, His hair wet with dew; let us quickly rise and open the door, and not let the good man turn around and leave. …” Every time we sang this hymn, our hearts were deeply moved and stirred. We all want to ask the good man to stay the night, so when the good man comes and knocks at the door we will welcome the Lord the first time we hear the good man’s voice. It can be said that all of us who believe in the Lord have such a hope. But when the Lord comes, how will He knock? When the Lord knocks, what should we do to make sure we are welcoming Him as the Lord? This is something people who believe in the Lord should think about.

Christian Movie | "Knocking at the Door" | How to Be Raptured to the Kingdom of Heaven by Lord Jesus

Christian Movie | "Knocking at the Door" | How to Be Raptured to the Kingdom of Heaven by Lord Jesus

Two thousand years ago, the Lord Jesus prophesied, "And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him" (Matthew 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" (Revelation 3:20). For the last two thousand years, believers in the Lord have been watchful and awaiting the Lord's knock on the door, so how will He knock on mankind's door when He returns?

The Church of Almighty God | God’s Word Leads Step by Step to Victory

God’s Word Leads Step by Step to Victory

Yili, USA

I was born in a Chinese Christian family, and my grandmother always used to take me to the church for gatherings and to sing hymns in praise of God when I was young…. After I grew up I obtained some grace of the Lord and experienced some of the Lord’s deeds, and I felt even more that the Lord is trustworthy. The Lord’s love for people is the truest, and the Lord’s word has authority and power and can give people hope. Whenever I would sing hymns, pray to the Lord, and read the word of the Lord, I would feel especially steady and tranquil in my heart. I came to the USA in 2007, and was baptized at church in October of 2010, when I began my service. At that time, my heart was impassioned.

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 CCP Slanders The Church of Almighty God as a “Human Organization.” What’s Their Motive?

Zheng Weiguo (Minister of a municipal United Front Work Department): I want to talk about your belief in God again. Do you know clearly who created The Church of Almighty God? I have worked half a lifetime for the United Front, studying religions for decades. It’s fair to say that I understand various kinds of religions rather well. For more than two decades, we have mainly studied The Church of Almighty God. According to the government’s propaganda materials, The Church of Almighty God was founded by someone named Zhao in northeastern China. This man is the high priest of The Church of Almighty God. He is leading the Church. Believers of The Church of Almighty God claim that he is someone used by the Holy Spirit. They often listen to the preaching of this person who is used by the Holy Spirit, and they listen to him in the administrative work of the church. Although you believers of Almighty God read the word of Almighty God, pray in the name of Almighty God, regard The Word Appears in the Flesh expressed by Almighty God as canonical doctrine, and communicate the word of Almighty God in your congregation, in any case, this person is the one who has the final say in The Church of Almighty God. So we are certain that The Church of Almighty God was created by this person. Both the CCP and the religious community characterize The Church of Almighty God as an organization of man. I think it is true. Do you understand this?

Zheng Yi (A Christian): Dad, the CCP has studied The Church of Almighty God for more than 20 years, do you mean that is the result of such a study? Then tell me, who founded Christianity and Catholicism? Could it be Paul or Peter who was the founder? Who founded Judaism? Could it be Moses? Isn’t it absurd? Dad, you atheists have never acknowledged the existence of God, not to mention the fact of God’s incarnation. No matter the incarnate Christ has expressed how much truth, accomplished how much work, and brought how much salvation to mankind, don’t you all endeavor to deny, cover up and condemn Him? Dad, do you think that Christianity and Catholicism were founded by man, so these are organizations of man? This is your greatest absurdity. Had the Lord Jesus not appeared to work, no believers or followers of the Lord would have been engendered, let alone the creation of Christianity. Isn’t this the fact? How could the apostles have created a church on the merit of their own giftedness alone? Dad, can you go by people’s reception of the leadership and shepherding of Peter, John and other apostles and say that Christianity was founded by the apostles, hence it is an organization of man? Dad, The Church of Almighty God was begotten entirely by the appearance and work of Almighty God. It was because people heard the voice of God from many truths expressed by Almighty God that they returned before God and coalesced into the church. Upon appearing to work, Almighty God personally witnessed the man used by the Holy Spirit, who is the leader of The Church of Almighty God. Just as Moses in the Age of Law and the apostles in the Age of Grace, he is the man used by God to do his duty to water, shepherd and lead the chosen people of God. Dad, your Communist Party denies God’s work and all the truths expressed by God, even denying that the One believed in and followed by the chosen people of God is the incarnate God. Isn’t there an ulterior motive? Had it not been the appearance and work of Almighty God, The Church of Almighty God would not have been begotten, and it would not exist. This is an undeniable fact. The CCP is consciously aware that the Christians of The Church of Almighty God pray in the name of Almighty God. What they read and communicate in congregation is the word of Almighty God. Why does the CCP still tell such glaring lies? The One God’s chosen people of The Church of Almighty God believe in is Almighty God. God’s chosen people follow the leadership of the man who is used by the Holy Spirit according to the word of Almighty God. This is a fact.

Zheng Rui (A Christian): Dad, you will know clearly when I read two passages of Almighty God’s word to you. Almighty God says, “The work carried out by the one who is used by God is in order to cooperate with the work of Christ or the Holy Spirit. This man is raised up by God among man, he is there to lead all of God’s chosen ones, and he is also raised up by God in order to do the work of human cooperation. … He who is used by God, on the other hand, is someone who has been prepared by God, and who possesses a certain caliber, and has humanity. He has been prepared and made perfect in advance by the Holy Spirit, and is completely led by the Holy Spirit, and, particularly when it comes to his work, he is directed and commanded by the Holy Spirit—as a result of which there is no deviation on the path of leading God’s chosen ones, for God surely takes responsibility for His own work, and God does His own work at all times” (The Word Appears in the Flesh). Dad, in “The Ten Administrative Decrees That Must Be Obeyed by God’s Chosen People in the Age of Kingdom,” the seventh administrative decree also states clearly: “In work and matters of the church, apart from obeying God, in everything you should follow the instructions of the man who is used by the Holy Spirit. Even the slightest infraction is unacceptable. You must be absolute in your compliance, and must not analyze right or wrong; what’s right or wrong has nothing to do with you. You must only concern yourself with total obedience” (The Word Appears in the Flesh).

Zheng Rui: Dad, God’s chosen people’s acceptance of the leadership and watering of the man used by the Holy Spirit is practicing God’s word and obeying God. When your CCP studied The Church of Almighty God, why didn’t it take the time to read Almighty God’s word? Why hasn’t it seen the ten administrative decrees of Almighty God? Why didn’t you seek from God’s chosen people of The Church of Almighty God and let them communicate the truth to you? You merely studied The Church of Almighty God from the outside without reading Almighty God’s word and understanding God’s work, how could you really understand The Church of Almighty God？

Zheng Yi: Dad, why does the CCP government keep saying that The Church of Almighty God is an organization of man? Why hasn’t it said a word about the incarnate God? Why hasn’t it mentioned a word about the book The Word Appears in the Flesh? Actually, what the CCP fears most is the truth expressed by Almighty God, because the CCP knows deep down that all the believers of Almighty God have accepted Almighty God after reading the book The Word Appears in the Flesh. So the CCP distracts people’s attention by saying that The Church of Almighty God is an organization of man created by man to intentionally conceal the fact of Almighty God, Christ of the last days, appearing to work, so people will pay attention to this person. The CCP does this in order to stop people from believing in and following God. This is its real purpose. The CCP distorts the facts and asserts that the church where God appears to work is an organization of man. This is the CCP’s excuse for suppressing and persecuting God’s church. The CCP is too cunning and vicious! Dad, isn’t what I said the truth? You have to distinguish between them. You must not listen to the rumors of the CCP anymore!

from the movie script of Red Re-Education at Home

Eastern Lightning | The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven | Notions and Truths | Question 10

Question 10：There are some people who go by the Lord Jesus’ word: “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (Jhn 16:8). They believe that after the Lord Jesus rose to heaven and on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended and worked on men. It should be God’s work of judgment. Then what exactly are the differences between the work of judgment in the last days done by Almighty God and the work of the Lord Jesus?

Since you acknowledge that what the Lord Jesus did was redemptive work, and He brought to us the way of repentance, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” then what is the basis for you to determine that the Holy Spirit did the work of judgment of the last days when He came at Pentecost? You merely based on what the Lord Jesus said, “for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send him to you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment …” (Jhn 16:7-8), and dared to determine that the Holy Spirit had come to do the work of judgment in the last days. Is there any basis in the word of God? Had the Lord Jesus ever said, “The Holy Spirit has come to do the work of judgment in the last days”? The Lord Jesus had never said this. The Lord Jesus clearly said, “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). The message of the Lord Jesus is very clear that judgment is not His work. When the Lord Jesus returns in the last days, He will then express the truth to do the work of judgment. To be sure, it is wrong for us to refer the work of the Holy Spirit in the Age of Grace as God’s judgment work. Naturally, it requires the moving, enlightenment, and illumination of the Holy Spirit for us to attain true confession and repentance of sins. However, confessing and repenting before the Lord in bitter tears, it is the result of the Holy Spirit’s work, which is entirely different from God’s work of judgment in the last days. Let us read two passages of Almighty God’s words, and we will understand what judgment really means.

Almighty God says, “When it comes to the word ‘judgment,’ you will think of the words that Jehovah spoke to all the places and the words of rebuke that Jesus spoke to the Pharisees. Though these words are stern, they are not God’s judgment of man; these words are only those spoken by God within different environments, that is, different settings, and they are unlike the words spoken by Christ as He judges man in the last days. In the last days, Christ uses a variety of truths to teach man, reveal the essence of man, and dissect his words and deeds. These words comprise various truths, such as man’s duty, how man should obey God, how man should be loyal to God, how man ought to live out the normal humanity, as well as the wisdom and disposition of God, and so on. These words are all focused on the essence of man and his corrupt disposition. In particular, those words that reveal how man spurns God are spoken in regard to how man is an embodiment of Satan and an enemy force against God. When God does the work of judgment, He does not simply make clear the nature of man with just a few words, but carries out revelation, dealing, and pruning over the long term. Such manner of revelation, dealing, and pruning cannot be substituted with ordinary words but with the truth that man does not possess at all. Only such manner of work is deemed judgment; only through such judgment can man be persuaded, be thoroughly convinced into submission to God, and gain true knowledge of God. What the work of judgment brings about is man’s understanding of the true face of God and the truth about his rebelliousness. The work of judgment allows man to gain much understanding of the will of God, of the purpose of God’s work, and of the mysteries that could not be understood by man. It also allows man to recognize and know his corrupt substance and the roots of his corruption, as well as to discover the ugliness of man. These effects are all brought about by the work of judgment, for the substance of such work is actually the work of opening up the truth, way, and life of God to all those who have faith in Him. This work is the work of judgment done by God.”

                                   from “Christ Does the Work of Judgment With the Truth” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

“The work of judgment is God’s own work, so it must naturally be done by God Himself; it cannot be done by man in His stead. Because judgment is the conquering of man through the truth, it is unquestionable that God still appears as the incarnate image to do this work among men. That is to say, in the last days, Christ shall use the truth to teach men around the earth and to make all truths known to them. This is God’s work of judgment.”

                                    from “Christ Does the Work of Judgment With the Truth” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

How do you feel after reading the word of Almighty God? God’s judgment work is a mystery, and no one could discern it without His revelation. Isn’t it true? Almighty God has elucidated clearly what judgment is and the effects achievable by the work of judgment. After listening to the word of Almighty God, does everyone understand more about God’s judgment work in the last days? In the last days, the judgment work of God is to thoroughly cleanse and save mankind. God will not just say a few reproaching and imprecatory words to people. Nor can a few passages of words suffice to free us from the binding of sin and allow us to receive cleansing and salvation of God. God speaks enough words to express all aspects of truths that mankind should understand and enter for purification and salvation, and open up to mankind all the mysteries of God’s management plan. The number of words is hundreds, even thousands, of times more than those expressed by the Lord Jesus in the Age of Grace. The focus of God’s judgment work in the last days is expression of the truth and words of judgment on man. By judging and revealing our satanic nature in resisting and betraying God, as well as the essence and truth of our being corrupted by Satan, the holy, righteous, and unoffendable disposition of God is revealed. All aspects of the truth about God’s intention and requirements on mankind, about who will be saved and who will be punished, and so on, are told to us. Experiencing God’s judgment work in the last days, we will be able to understand the purpose of God’s management plan. We will be able to distinguish positive things from negative ones. We will be able to see the demonic face of Satan’s mad resistance to God, discern the substance and truth of our being utterly corrupted by Satan, and recognize our satanic nature that resists and betrays God. When we gain some true understanding about God’s righteous disposition, God’s almightiness and wisdom, about what God has and is, we will develop a fearful heart for God. We will prostrate in abject shame and feel that we are not fit to live before God. We will hate ourselves in our hearts, rebel against ourselves, and gradually break away from the binding of sin to live like a real man, becoming a person who truly fears and obeys God. This is the result of having experienced God’s judgment work in the last days. Only this kind of work is God’s judgment work in the last days. Does everyone understand that?

Let us then look at the Age of Grace. What the Lord Jesus did was the work of redemption, and what He preached was the way of repentance. He only showed the merciful and compassionate side of God’s disposition to us. Although the Lord Jesus had also said some words of judgment, condemnation, and imprecation against the Pharisees, His work was only the work of redemption which was centered upon forgiveness of sins, teaching of repentance, mercy on man, and bestowal of grace. It was not the kind of work that focused on judging and cleansing the sins of man. So the work of the Lord Jesus only revolved around the work of redemption and He expressed limited words on teaching us how to repent and admit our sin, how to be humble and patient, how to be baptized, and how to bear the cross and suffer, etc. We only needed to follow the Lord’s word to admit our sins and repent when we believed in the Lord. Then our sins would be forgiven, and we would not be convicted and executed by the law. We would be qualified to pray to God and enjoy the grace and blessings of God. This was the result of God’s redemption work in the Age of Grace, which was utterly different than the result of His judgment work in the last days. However, some people believe that by experiencing the Holy Spirit’s work in the Age of Grace, receiving His enlightenment, reproach and discipline, praying and admitting sin in bitter tears, and doing some good deeds, it is the experience of God’s judgment and cleansing. If that is the case, then do you know the roots of your sins? Do you know the essence of your satanic nature that resists God, the truth about mankind’s utter corruption, and Satan’s evil essence? Do you know about God’s righteous, majestic and unoffendable disposition? Have you really broken away from the bondage and control of sin? Have you cleansed yourselves of satanic disposition and become reverent and obedient to God? If you haven’t accomplished these, how can you speak of having experienced God’s judgment and cleansing? Does everyone understand the communication this way? The work that the Lord Jesus did in the Age of Grace was not judgment work. Only the work of Almighty God in the Age of Kingdom is the judgment work of God in the last days.

from Answers to Screenplay Questions

Eastern Lightning | The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven | Notions and Truths | Question 3

Question 3: Speaking of the return of the Lord, it is written in Matthew 24:36: “But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” No one can know when the Lord Jesus will return, so how do you know that the Lord Jesus has returned already? It really seems inconceivable to us!

Answer:

The Bible reads: “But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Mat 24:36). Some brothers and sisters take this to mean that the Lord has not come back. They don’t believe the Lord now has already come back. Actually, such reasoning doesn’t make sense. For the Lord comes to save man. If the Lord does not let man know of His coming, then how can men follow Him and believe in Him? How can God accomplish His work of salvation? If we always hold to this statement, then won’t we be waiting forever for the second coming of the Lord? So, what does this verse really say?

Eastern Lightning | What are the wise virgins? What are the foolish virgins?

Relevant Words of God:

In the past, people have made predictions of “five wise virgins, five foolish virgins”; although the prediction is not accurate, it is not entirely wrong, so I can give you some explanation. Five wise virgins and five foolish virgins certainly do not both represent the number of people, nor do they represent one type of people respectively. Five wise virgins mean the number of people, five foolish virgins represent one type of people, but these two things are not the firstborn sons, they represent creation. This is the reason why they have been asked to prepare oil in the last days. (The creation does not possess My quality; if they want to make wise ones then they need to prepare oil, and thus they need to be equipped with My words.) The five wise virgins represent My sons and My people among the humans that I created. Addressing them[a] “virgins” is because although they are born on earth, they are still gained by Me; one can say they have become holy, so they are called “virgins.” The aforementioned “five” represents the number of My sons and My people that I have predestined. “Five foolish virgins” refers to the service-doers. They do service for Me without placing the slightest degree of importance on life, only pursuing external things (because they do not have My quality, no matter what they do it is an external thing), and they are unable to be My capable helpers, so they are called “foolish virgins.” The aforementioned “five” represents Satan, and their being called[b] “virgins” means that they have been conquered by Me and are able to do service for Me, but this kind of person is not holy, so they are called service-doers.

from Utterances and Testimonies of Christ in the Beginning

Today, all those who follow the present words of God are in the stream of the Holy Spirit; those who are strangers to the words of God today are outside of the stream of the Holy Spirit, and such people are not commended by God. … “Following the work of the Holy Spirit” means understanding the will of God today, being able to act in accordance with the present requirements of God, being able to obey and follow the God of today, and entering in accordance with the newest utterances of God. Only this is someone who follows the work of the Holy Spirit and is in the stream of the Holy Spirit. Such people are not only capable of receiving God’s praise and seeing God, but can also know God’s disposition from the latest work of God, and can know man’s conceptions and disobedience, and man’s nature and substance, from His latest work; furthermore, they are able to gradually achieve changes in their disposition during their service. Only people such as this are those who are able to gain God, and who have genuinely found the true way. Those who are eliminated by the work of the Holy Spirit are people who are incapable of following the latest work of God, and who rebel against the latest work of God. That such people openly oppose God is because God has done new work, and because the image of God is not the same as that in their conceptions—as a result of which they openly oppose God and pass judgment upon God, leading to their loathing and rejection by God. Possessing the knowledge of the latest work of God is no easy matter, but if people can intentionally obey the work of God and seek the work of God, then they will have the chance to see God, and will have the chance to gain the newest guidance of the Holy Spirit. Those who intentionally oppose the work of God cannot receive the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit or the guidance of God; thus, whether or not people can receive the latest work of God depends on the grace of God, it depends on their pursuit, and it depends on their intentions.

All who are able to obey the present utterances of the Holy Spirit are blessed. It does not matter how they used to be, or how the Holy Spirit used to work within them—those who have gained the latest work are the most blessed, and those who are unable to follow the latest work today are eliminated. God wants those who are able to accept the new light, and He wants those who accept and know His latest work. Why is it said that you must be a chaste virgin? A chaste virgin is able to seek the work of the Holy Spirit and understand the new things, and moreover, able to put aside old conceptions, and obey the work of God today. This group of people, who accept the newest work of today, were predestined by God before the ages, and are the most blessed of people. You hear the voice of God directly, and behold the appearance of God, and so, throughout heaven and earth, and throughout the ages, none have been more blessed than you, this group of people.

from “Know the Newest Work of God and Follow the Footsteps of God” 

in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Those who belong to Satan do not understand the words of God, and those who belong to God can hear the voice of God. All those who realize and understand the words I speak are the ones who will be saved, and bear testimony to God; all those who do not understand the words that I speak cannot bear testimony to God, and are the ones who will be eliminated.

from “Knowing the Three Stages of God’s Work Is the Path to Knowing God”

 in The Word Appears in the Flesh

You are not devout in facing the truth, much less do you yearn for the truth. You merely study blindly and wait nonchalantly. What can you gain from studying and waiting like this? Can you receive the personal guidance of God? If you cannot discern the utterances of God, how are you qualified to witness the appearance of God? Where God appears, there is the expression of the truth, and there is the voice of God. Only those who can accept the truth can hear the voice of God, and only such people are qualified to witness the appearance of God.

from “The Appearance of God Has Brought a New Age”

 in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The return of Jesus is a great salvation for those who are capable of accepting the truth, but for those who are unable to accept the truth it is a sign of condemnation. You should choose your own path, and should not blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and reject the truth. You should not be an ignorant and arrogant person, but someone who obeys the guidance of the Holy Spirit and longs for and seeks the truth; only in this way will you benefit. I advise you to tread the path of belief in God with care. Do not jump to conclusions; what’s more, do not be casual and carefree in your belief in God. You should know that, at the very least, those who believe in God should be humble and reverential. Those who have heard the truth and yet turn their nose up at it are foolish and ignorant. Those who have heard the truth and yet carelessly jump to conclusions or condemn it are beset by arrogance. No one who believes in Jesus is qualified to curse or condemn others. You should all be someone who is rational and accepts the truth. Perhaps, having heard the way of truth and read the word of life, you believe that only one in 10,000 of these words are in line with your convictions and the Bible, and then you should continue to seek in that 10,000th of these words. I still advise you to be humble, to not be over-confident, and to not exalt yourself too highly. With your heart holding such meager reverence for God, you will gain greater light. If you carefully examine and repeatedly contemplate these words, you shall understand whether or not they are the truth, and whether or not they are life. Perhaps, having only read a few sentences, some people will blindly condemn these words, saying, “This is nothing more than some enlightenment of the Holy Spirit,” or, “This is a false Christ come to deceive people.” Those who say such things are blinded by ignorance! You understand too little of the work and wisdom of God, and I advise you to start again from scratch! You must not blindly condemn the words expressed by God because of the appearance of false Christs during the last days, and must not be someone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit because you fear deception. Would that not be a great pity? If, after much examination, you still believe that these words are not the truth, are not the way, and are not the expression of God, then you shall ultimately be punished, and be without blessings. If you cannot accept such truth spoken so plainly and so clearly, then are you not unfit for God’s salvation? Are you not someone who is not fortunate enough to return before the throne of God?

from “When You Behold the Spiritual Body of Jesus Will Be When God Has Made Anew Heaven and Earth” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The Man’s Fellowship:

The so-called “wise virgins” represent those that can recognize God’s voice and hear the voice of the “Bridegroom” and who can therefore accept and submit to Christ, thereby taking home the practical God. And because the “foolish virgins” do not know the voice of the “Bridegroom” and cannot recognize God’s voice, they reject Christ. They still hope for the vague God, so they are abandoned and eliminated. So we can see that it is very difficult to accept Christ without real faith in believing in God. Those that refuse to accept Christ will miss the “wedding feast of the Beloved,” and they cannot be taken by the Lord back into their home in the kingdom of heaven, and they cannot enter the place that God has prepared for mankind. So, whether people can accept Christ of the last days and submit to His work is a crucial factor in deciding whether people succeed or fail in their faith in God.

from “Why the Religious World Has Always Resisted God While Serving Him” 

in Collection of Sermons—Supply for Life

The Lord Jesus predicted in the Bible that at the time of His return there would be two types of people, He used wise virgins and foolish virgins as a parable for all of the believers in the Age of Grace: All who are able to hear the voice of God are wise virgins; all who are not able to hear the voice of God, who listen and still deny and do not believe it, these are the foolish virgins. Do you all think that the foolish virgins can be raptured? (No, they can’t.) So how can these foolish and wise virgins be revealed? By using the word of God. “There’s a book called The Word Appears in the Flesh, look at these words and see what you think, look over it.” After some ordinary believers finish reading it, they say, “Wow, such deep words, these words contain the truth.” “Read it again carefully.” “This is not something that a normal person can talk about, it seems like this has come from God.” “Read it again carefully.” “Wow, this is the voice of God, there’s no way these words come from a man!” You see, this person is blessed, they are a wise virgin. As for the foolish virgins, some are pastors, some are elders, some are preachers, and some are confused believers that only want to eat their fill. How do they feel after they finish reading the word of God? “Hmm, these words do not conform to my conceptions and imagination, I do not accept them.” And after carefully reading over them again: “Hmm, some of the words seem as if they are the truth, but that’s not possible, this could not be the work of God.” So once again it does not conform to their conceptions and imagination. After saying “Hmm” a few more times, they will say: “This is not the word of God, I cannot accept it. This is a counterfeit. A false Christ is trying to confuse people, do not believe it!” What kind of person is this? This is a Pharisee, a foolish virgin, right? How do the wise and foolish virgins get brought to the light? It is the word of God that brings them to light. It is the word of God in the last days that classifies and divides them into the categories they belong to, and then God will start to reward the good and punish the wicked.

from Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (Series 133)

Is it realistic or not for God to act like this today? It is realistic, as it confirms that which the Lord Jesus said in His parable about sheep and goats. How can sheep be separated from goats? This depends upon who recognizes the voice of God and accepts the return of the Lord Jesus. The Lord said, “For I was an hungered, and you gave me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.” These people are saved in the end while those who do not receive the Lord, who believe in the Lord but do not acknowledge Him, will be eliminated. Does this not point to the fact that today the whole religious world is not receiving God’s return? We who have received stand on one side, they stand on the other side. This is how the true believers are separated from the false believers, those who have received the Lord from those who have not, those who acknowledge the voice of God from those who do not. There is great wisdom behind God’s revealing men through the fact of His incarnation and this is what is called God’s omnipotence and His wisdom. One day when these people are protected and enter into the kingdom, if those religious personages and religious pastors make their accusations, how will God respond? He may reply by using the Lord Jesus’ prophetic parable of the five wise virgins and the five foolish virgins; well, how were they set apart? Those who heard the voice of the Bridegroom at midnight were wise, while those who did not hear Him were foolish. Therefore, when God incarnate expresses the word of God in the last days, the wise virgins will be those who hear the voice of God and acknowledge it, and the foolish virgins, those who will be eliminated, will be those who hear the voice of God but do not acknowledge it as the voice of God, as the word of God and refuse to accept. Does this not fulfill what the Lord Jesus said in these prophetic parables? The work of God reveals men to the utmost, the method of God’s work is the wisest. It is only through such work that God’s righteousness is revealed, God’s holiness is revealed, and God’s omnipotence is revealed.

from “Answers to Questions From Various Places About Spreading the Gospel” in Only by Believing in Almighty God Can One Be Saved

Wise virgins can recognize the voice of the Lord, mainly because wise virgins are people that love the truth and seek the truth. They thirst for the appearance of God, that is why they are able to seek and investigate the coming of the Lord. They are able to distinguish the voice of the Lord. Since foolish virgins do not love the truth, they do not seek or investigate the coming of the Lord. All they can do is obstinately cling to the rules. Some of these people do not accept or investigate unless He is the Lord coming upon a cloud. Other people completely submit to the manipulations of the religious world’s pastors and elders. Whatever the pastors and elders say, they will listen and obey. They only believe in the Lord nominally, but actually, they follow and obey these pastors and elders. They themselves do not investigate the true way and they cannot distinguish the Lord’s voice. Some people are even more foolish. Since there are false Christs that appear in the last days, they do not seek the true Christ. Instead, they deny and condemn Him. Isn’t this not eating for fear of choking? This is also a manifestation of a foolish virgin.

from Answers to Screenplay Questions

 Footnotes:

a. The original text omits “Addressing them.”

b. The original text omits “their being called.”

Listen to the Voice of God and Be Raptured Into the Kingdom of Heaven | "The Moment of Change" | Eastern Lightning

Su Mingyue is a preacher of a house church in mainland China. Over the years, she has been a devout servant of the Lord who insists on doing preaching work for the Lord and bearing the burden of work for the church. She goes by Paul's word in the Bible, feeling that merely believing in the Lord is enough to be called righteous and be saved by grace. Although man still sins constantly, his sins have been forgiven by the Lord, his image will be changed instantly to become holy and he will be raised into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord arrives.

Only by Entering Into the Truth Myself May I Truly Help Others | Eastern Lightning

Du Fan    Jiangsu Province

Recently, a church was holding a vote to select a new leader, but the presiding leader went against the principles of the church, using her own way to carry out the vote. When some other brothers and sisters voiced their opinions, not only did she not acknowledge them, but insisted on upholding her own way. The church was subsequently thrown into confusion by the leader’s actions.

"The City Will be Overthrown" (2) - Why Has Woe Befallen the Hypocritical Pharisees? | Eastern Lightning

It is recorded in the Bible that the Lord Jesus condemned the Pharisees with the seven woes. Nowadays, the path walked by the pastors and elders of the religious world is that of the Pharisees and they similarly suffer God's detestation and rejection. So why did the Lord Jesus condemn and curse the Pharisees? It was primarily because they had a hypocritical essence that defied God, because they only paid attention to performing religious rituals and keeping rules, they only explained the rules and doctrines in the Bible and did not put God's words into practice or follow God's commandments whatsoever, and they even discarded God's commandments. Everything they did completely ran counter to God's will and requirements. This was the hypocritical essence of the Pharisees and it was the primary reason for the Lord Jesus hating and cursing them.

Almighty God's Word "The Appearance of God Has Brought a New Age" | Eastern Lightning

    Almighty God says, "We are searching for the footprints of God. We are not seeking spiritual figures, much less are we following famous figures; we are following the footprints of God. As such, since we are searching for the footprints of God, we must search for God’s will, for the words of God, for the utterances of God—for where there are the new words of God, there is the voice of God, and where there are the footsteps of God, there are the deeds of God. Where there is the expression of God, there is the appearance of God, and where there is the appearance of God, there exists the truth, the way, and the life. While seeking the footprints of God, you ignored the words that 'God is the truth, the way, and the life.'"

Introduction：

Eastern Lightning , The Church of Almighty God came into being because of the work of the returned Lord Jesus—Almighty God, Christ of the last days in China, and it isn't established by any person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. After reading God’s word, you will see that God has appeared.

 Recommended:

hebrief introduction of the Church of Almighty God

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

3. How Can You Tell the Difference Between the True Christ and False Christs?

Relevant Words of God:

God become flesh is called Christ, and so the Christ that can give people the truth is called God. There is nothing excessive about this, for He possesses the substance of God, and possesses God’s disposition, and wisdom in His work, that are unattainable by man. Those who call themselves Christ, yet cannot do the work of God, are frauds. Christ is not merely the manifestation of God on earth, but instead, the particular flesh assumed by God as He carries out and completes His work among man. This flesh is not one that can be replaced by just any man, but one that can adequately bear God’s work on earth, and express the disposition of God, and well represent God, and provide man with life. Sooner or later, those fake Christs will all fall, for although they claim to be Christ, they possess none of the substance of Christ. And so I say that the authenticity of Christ cannot be defined by man, but is answered and decided by God Himself.

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