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

The Origin and Development of the Church of Almighty God

In the Age of Grace, the Lord Jesus promised to His followers, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3). He also prophesied, “For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:27).

The Origin and Development of the Church of Almighty God

     

In the Age of Grace, the Lord Jesus promised to His followers, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:3) He also prophesied, “For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:27) In the last days, as promised and foretold by Himself, God has again become flesh and descended to the East of the world—China—to do the work of judgment, chastisement, conquest, and salvation using the word, on the foundation of the redemption work of the Lord Jesus. In this, the prophecies of the Bible that “Judgment begins with the house of God” and “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to the churches!” have also been fulfilled. God’s work of the last days has ended the Age of Grace and ushered in the Age of Kingdom. As the gospel of the kingdom of Almighty God spread rapidly in Mainland China, the Church of Almighty God came into being. As proven by facts, the Church of Almighty God came into being entirely as a result of God’s work of the last days, and was not established by any man. This is because the chosen people in the Church of Almighty God pray in the name of Almighty God, obey His work, and accept all the truths expressed by Him. Thus it is evident that these chosen people believe in Christ who is incarnated in the last days, the practical God who is the Spirit realized in the flesh, instead of believing in a man. Outwardly, Almighty God is nothing more than an ordinary Son of man, but in substance He is the embodiment of God’s Spirit and is the truth, the way, and the life. His work and word are the direct expression of the Spirit of God and are the appearance of God in person. Therefore, He is the practical God who is incarnated.

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

Xingwu, France

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eastern Lightning | To Give Credence to Rumor Is to Lose God’s Salvation of the Last Days

Whenever they hear someone talking about Almighty God’s gospel of the last days, many brothers and sisters within the church are unable to listen and don’t dare accept what is said because they have been startled by sensationalized rumor. They might hear someone say: “Those who believe in Almighty God are really something, you’ll be deceived if you get in contact with them. There are many true believers among every religious sect and they have good inner qualities, they are lambs who love the truth but they are being stolen by believers in Almighty God …”

The Church of Almighty God | The Awakening of a Deceived Spirit (Part 2)

The Awakening of a Deceived Spirit (Part 2)

Yuan Zhi, Brazil

Opening Up My Heart and Seeing the Lord’s Face

At night, while I am tossing and turning restlessly in bed, I think, “I must find Sister Yang, whom I have blacklisted. If I can find her, I would definitely be able to find Brother Zhang from The Church of Almighty God. I recall that Sister Yang is someone who truly believes in God. All along, she has investigated the work of Almighty God in the last days. Right now, she should have already understood a lot. I want to know how her investigation is coming along. Through the help of some friends, two days later, with difficulty, I found Sister Yang’s Facebook account. I was glad that she was not angry at me for blocking her. After I contacted her, she told me that she had already investigated things quite clearly. Almighty God is the return of Jesus. She also happily connected me with Brother Zhang.

Eastern Lightning | I Was Saved by Almighty God During My Opposition to Him

Pray to Almighty God

I Was Saved by Almighty God During My Opposition to Him

Shang Hui

Handan City, Hebei Province

I was formerly a worker of the Way of Life Church, and was often sent to various places to preach. Later, I strayed into the way of the Pharisees, the way of opposing God. It was Almighty God who awakened my heart and so I was saved.

The Church of Almighty God | Catholic Beliefs: The Lord Really Has Returned

Catholic Beliefs: The Lord Really Has Returned

By Renshi, USA

My whole family believes in God. I attended mass with my mom from the time I was a little girl and God bestowed so much grace on us—we were full of gratitude toward Him and we were also longing for the Lord’s return. But I never imagined that when the Lord really did return to work and save us, I wouldn’t recognize His work but would instead rely on my arrogant nature and cling to my old notions, nearly missing out on the Lord’s salvation.

Eastern Lightning | The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven | Notions and Truths | Question 21

Question 21: The Lord Jesus was nailed to the cross as a sin offering for man, thereby redeeming us from sin. If we stray from the Lord Jesus and believe in Almighty God, would this not be a betrayal of the Lord Jesus? Would this not be apostasy?

Answer:

In our years of believing in the Lord, each of us has received from the Lord Jesus much grace and blessing, with hearts full of love and thanks to the Lord. And precisely for this reason, when we hear the gospel of Almighty God of the last days, we can’t help but get a kind of concern in our hearts: If we leave the Lord Jesus and put our faith in Almighty God, isn’t that betraying the Lord Jesus?

Brothers and sisters, let us make an analogy. Suppose we lived in the period when the Age of Law turned into the Age of Grace, and it was the time when the Lord Jesus came to earth to work. What would our hearts be like inside? Would we think the believers in the Lord Jesus were betraying Jehovah God? Actually, all the thoughts in our hearts now are the same as those of the devout believers in Jehovah God. Jews of that time must also have thought: To follow the Lord Jesus would be disloyalty to Jehovah God, departure from the way of Jehovah God, and betrayal of Jehovah God. As they saw it, the work of the Lord Jesus was not the same as the work of Jehovah God, and His name was not Messiah, but Jesus. They did not realize that the Lord Jesus and Jehovah God were one, but thought the Lord Jesus and Jehovah God were unrelated, saying the Lord Jesus was misleading people (see Jhn 7:45-48), saying that to believe in the Lord Jesus was heresy (see Act 24:14), which meant betraying Jehovah God. Clearly, the reason those people condemned the work of the Lord Jesus as heresy, as a cult, and condemned departing from the Old Testament law to believe in the Lord Jesus as apostasy, was that they did not know the working principles of God—always new and never old. They were using God’s previous work to measure God’s new work, and they condemned and resisted the new work which they thought didn’t tally with the previous work. They clung to the old! … We all know, God’s work is not unchanging, but, based on mankind’s needs and God’s own management plan, it keeps developing. Only in this way can mankind be saved step by step from Satan’s influence. In fact, the Lord Jesus is Jehovah God’s Spirit incarnate. His work is the continuation of Jehovah God’s work. That is to say, the work of the Age of Grace is a continuation of the work of the Age of Law, and the work done by the Lord Jesus is a furtherance on the basis of Jehovah God’s work. The two stages of work are two kinds of work done in two different ages by one God. Although due to difference of the ages God’s names were not the same and God’s work was not the same, still Jesus and Jehovah are one (see Jhn 10:30). Both are God Himself. Those who accepted God’s new work, the followers of the Lord Jesus, certainly were not betraying Jehovah God, but were following God’s footsteps, were loyal to God, which was completely after God’s heart. And those who thought themselves to be loyal to Jehovah God refused to accept God’s new work and did not leave the temple to follow the Lord Jesus, were the ones resisting God. They not only did not receive God’s approval, but on the contrary became objects of God’s rejection.

The age keeps moving forward and has developed until the last days, which means the time to end the age that God preordained two thousand years ago has arrived, and God will finish the work of the Age of Grace, and do the work of the Age of Kingdom. This work is a new stage of work God does based on the Lord Jesus’ work in the Age of Grace. Of course, this work is also the work of rewarding good and punishing evil that two thousand years ago the Lord predicted would be done on His second coming in the last days. Since the present age is no longer the Age of Grace, then God must choose a new name (see Rev 3:12) to represent His new work. This name representing His new work is Almighty God (see Rev 1:8, 11:16-17, 15:2-3), and Christ of the last days, Almighty God, no longer does the work of redemption, but does the work of judgment (see Rev 14:6-7; Jhn 12:48). It is a higher stage of work based on the work the Lord Jesus did. Just as at that time the Lord Jesus, on the basis of Jehovah God’s work of making man “know sin,” did a stage of work of “redeeming sin,” today, Almighty God on the foundation of “forgiving sin” does a stage of work of “casting out sin.” Jehovah, Jesus, Almighty God: these three are different names chosen by God in different ages based on different work. Although the names are different, and the work is different, still God is one. Just as Almighty God says: “I was once known as Jehovah. I was also called the Messiah, and people once called Me Jesus the Savior because they loved and respected Me. But today I am not the Jehovah or Jesus that people knew in times past—I am the God who has returned in the last days, the God who shall bring the age to an end. I am the God Himself that rises up at the ends of the earth, replete with My entire disposition, and full of authority, honor and glory. People have never engaged with Me, have never known Me, and have always been ignorant of My disposition. From the creation of the world until today, not one person has seen Me. This is the God who appears to man during the last days but is hidden among man. He resides among man, true and real, like the burning sun and the flaming fire, filled with power and brimming with authority. There is not a single person or thing that shall not be judged by My words, and not a single person or thing that shall not be purified through the burning of fire. Eventually, all nations shall be blessed because of My words, and also smashed to pieces because of My words. In this way, all people during the last days shall see that I am the Savior returned, I am the Almighty God that conquers all of mankind, and I was once the sin offering for man, but in the last days I also become the flames of the sun that burn all things, as well as the Sun of righteousness that reveals all things. Such is My work of the last days. I took this name and am possessed of this disposition so that all people may see that I am a righteous God, and am the burning sun, and the flaming fire. It is so that all may worship Me, the only true God, and so that they may see My true face: I am not only the God of the Israelites, and am not just the Redeemer—I am the God of all creatures throughout heavens and earth and seas.”

from “The Savior Has Already Returned Upon a ‘White Cloud’” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

“The work done at present has pushed forward the work of the Age of Grace; that is, the work in the entire six-thousand-year management plan has moved forward. Though the Age of Grace has ended, the work of God has progressed further. Why do I say time and again that this stage of work builds upon the Age of Grace and the Age of Law? This means that the work of this day is a continuation of the work done in the Age of Grace and an uplifting of that done in the Age of Law. The three stages are closely interconnected and linked one to the next. Why do I also say that this stage of work builds on that done by Jesus? If this stage did not build on the work done by Jesus, then in this stage the crucifixion, the work of redemption done previously, would still need to be carried out. This would be meaningless. Therefore, it is not that the work has completely finished, but that the age has moved forward, and the work has become even higher than before. It could be said that this stage of work is built on the foundation of the Age of Law and the rock of the work of Jesus. The work is built stage by stage, and this stage is not a new beginning. Only the combination of the three stages of work can be deemed the six-thousand-year management plan.” 

from “The Two Incarnations Complete the Significance of the Incarnation” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

“Jesus and I come from the same Spirit. Though Our fleshes have no relationship, Our Spirits are one; though what We do and the work We bear are not the same, We are alike in essence; Our fleshes take different forms, and this is because of the change in era and the need of Our work; Our ministries are not alike, so the work We bring forth and the disposition We reveal to man are also different. That is why what man sees and receives this day is unlike that of the past; this is so because of the change in era.” 

from “The Two Incarnations Complete the Significance of the Incarnation” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

“From the work of Jehovah to that of Jesus, and from the work of Jesus to that of this current stage, these three stages cover the entire breadth of God’s management, and are all the work of one Spirit. From when He created the world, God has always been managing mankind. He is the Beginning and the End, He is the First and the Last, and He is the One who begins an age and the One who brings the age to an end. The three stages of work, in different ages and different locations, are surely carried out by one Spirit. All those who separate these three stages oppose God. Now, you must understand that all the work from the first stage until today is the work of one God, the work of one Spirit, of which there is no doubt.” 

from “The Vision of God’s Work (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

“If man can see in the three stages of work that they were carried out by God Himself at different times, in different places, and in different people, then man will see that,[a] although the work is different, it is all done by one God. Since it is work done by one God, then it must be right, and without error, and though it is at odds with the conceptions of man, there is no denying that it is the work of one God. If man can say for sure that it is the work of one God, then the conceptions of man will become mere trifles, unworthy of mention. Because the visions of man are unclear, and man only knows Jehovah as God, and Jesus as the Lord, and is in two minds about the God incarnate of today, many people remain devoted to the work of Jehovah and Jesus, and are beset by conceptions about the work of today, most people are always doubtful, and do not take the work of today seriously.” 

from “Knowing the Three Stages of God’s Work Is the Path to Knowing God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

From what Almighty God has said we know, Almighty God is Jehovah God who promulgated the laws to guide man in their lives and is also the Lord Jesus who was crucified to redeem us humans. No matter how the name of God changes, how the work changes, the purpose of God’s work, that is, His intention of saving man, never changes, God’s essence never changes. God’s three stages of work certainly do not contradict; rather, each stage of work is based upon a previous stage; and each stage of work is a deeper, higher stage than the last. The work of God is done according to the development of the times and mankind’s needs, all for the sake of better saving mankind. That is to say, the work of judgment done by Almighty God in the last days and the work of redemption done by the Lord Jesus and the work of law done by Jehovah God all are the work of one God; God according to His own plan, according to mankind’s needs, saves mankind in stages. We must understand, all that was done by Jehovah God, all that was done by the Lord Jesus, all that is done by Almighty God, are three successive stages of God’s whole management to save mankind. Today, our acceptance of Almighty God’s work in the last days is not ingratitude or betrayal of the Lord Jesus; rather, it is our keeping pace with God’s work, following the Lamb’s footsteps; and he who does so truly has conscience, has loyalty, has insight, and earns God’s approval.

Today, the age has changed, God’s work has changed, so man’s practice must change. Loyalty to the law and to the cross no longer satisfies God’s present will and cannot gain God’s approval. Only those who accept Almighty God’s work in the last days, who follow God to the end, can gain God’s ultimate blessing. Just as Almighty God says: “Only those who follow the footsteps of the Lamb to the very end can gain the final blessing, whereas those ‘clever people,’ who are unable to follow to the very end yet believe they have gained all, are incapable of witnessing the appearance of God. They all believe they are the smartest person on earth, and they cut short the continued development of God’s work for no reason at all, and seem to believe with absolute certainty that God will take them up to heaven, they who ‘have the utmost loyalty to God, follow God, and abide by the words of God.’ … Those who do not follow to the very end, who do not keep up with the work of the Holy Spirit, and who only cleave to the old work have not only failed to achieve loyalty to God, but on the contrary, have become those who oppose God, have become those who are rejected by the new age, and who will be punished. Are there any more pitiable than them? Many even believe that all those who reject the old law and accept the new work are without conscience. These people, who only talk of ‘conscience,’ and do not know the work of the Holy Spirit, will ultimately have their prospects cut short by their own consciences. God’s work does not abide by doctrine, and even though it is His own work, still God does not cling to it. That which should be denied is denied, that which should be eliminated is eliminated. Yet man places himself in enmity of God by holding onto but one small part of the work of God’s management. Is this not the absurdity of man? Is this not the ignorance of man? The more that people are timid and overcautious because they are afraid of not gaining God’s blessings, the more that they are incapable of gaining greater blessings, and of receiving the final blessing. Those people who slavishly abide by the law all display the utmost loyalty toward the law, and the more they display such loyalty toward the law, the more they are rebels who oppose God. For now is the Age of Kingdom and not the Age of Law, and the work of today cannot be held up against the work of the past, and the work of the past cannot be compared to the work of today. The work of God has changed, and the practice of man has also changed; it is not to hold onto the law or bear the cross. So, people’s loyalty toward the law and the cross will not gain God’s approval.” 

from “God’s Work and Man’s Practice” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Brothers and sisters, now do you still think that accepting God’s new work of the last days and following Almighty God means betraying the Lord Jesus? Presumably at this moment you have understood: To believe in Almighty God is to be loyal to the Lord Jesus, is to follow the Lamb’s footsteps, because Almighty God is the second coming of the Lord Jesus.

from Questions and Answers on the Testimony of the Kingdom Gospel

What is the key to believing in God? To believe in God we must accept God’s name and accept His present work. We should experience and obey God’s present work, only then can we be saved by God and receive the praise of God. When the Lord Jesus came, He was given a name, called “Jesus,” and those who believed in the Lord Jesus were saved. This “saved” is what form of salvation? It doesn’t mean to be able to enter into the kingdom of heaven, but rather is to be removed from the condemnation and the curse of the law. If you break the law of Jehovah after believing in Jesus you will not be condemned, and the Lord Jesus can forgive your sins, this is separating yourself from the power of the curse of the law. Your sins will be forgiven. But when your sins have been forgiven by faith in Jesus, can you enter the kingdom of heaven? The Lord Jesus didn’t say that, right? What did the Lord Jesus say? The Lord foretold what type of work He would accomplish when He returns in the last days. When the last days come, if you accept His return, if you can hear His voice and accept His work of the last days, you will be put on the road to the kingdom of heaven. So Almighty God came in the last days and does His work of judgment. What does the work of judgment in the last days bring? It is the perpetual way of life. Why say that Christ of the last days brings us the perpetual way of life? Hasn’t the Lord Jesus also spoken many words when He came to do His work? Why can’t we say that the word of the Lord Jesus is the perpetual way of life? All of those who have believed in the Lord for many years and have experienced the work of the Lord Jesus know that believing in the Lord Jesus can only bring the forgiveness of sins. After being forgiven from our sins, why do we keep sinning? Sinning then confessing our sin and then sinning again? Why can’t we remove ourselves from our fleshly bindings and our sinful nature? Why can’t we detach ourselves from sin, why can’t we live by God’s words, live out the image of the truth? This difficult problem is something that all those who believed in the Lord in the Age of Grace admitted to, isn’t that so? (Yes, it is.) In the last days when the Lord Jesus returns, what work will be done? Does the Lord have any prophecies? The Lord 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). This prophecy has now been fulfilled, fulfilled by the work of Almighty God in the last days. Almighty God has expressed all the truths that believers in God should understand and enter. Then the truth that Almighty God expressed, is it the expression of the Spirit of truth? (Yes.) It is the expression of the Spirit of truth. Almighty God has made known all the truths that God saves man with; these truths are essential to man and they are the perpetual way of life, that is, the way of eternal life.

from Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (Series 131)

Almighty God is Jehovah God, who once proclaimed the law to mankind by which to lead their lives. He is also the Lord Jesus, who was nailed to the cross to redeem mankind. The judgment of Almighty God, the redemption of the Lord Jesus, and the law of Jehovah God are all the work of the same God; according to His own plan and the needs of mankind, God saves man step by step.

Today we accept the name of Almighty God, which does not mean that we are ungrateful to the Lord Jesus and have betrayed Him. It means that we are following the footsteps of the Lamb, staying true to the way of God, and following Him with loyalty, and only thus will we meet with God’s approval. As it says in Revelation 14:4, “These are they which follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits to God and to the Lamb.” Those who insist on the name of Jesus and refuse to accept that of Almighty God just become the betrayers of God, and will be eliminated by Him. In the time when God came to do His work with the name of Jesus, those disciples who accepted God’s new work and followed the Lord Jesus had not abandoned the true way nor betrayed Jehovah God. In fact, they had kept pace with God’s footsteps and were the ones faithful to God, while the Pharisees, who thought themselves faithful to Jehovah God, and insisted on Jehovah’s name alone, rejected the Lord Jesus. The result is that their loyalty did not meet with Jehovah God’s approval, but rather quite the opposite: They were subject to God’s curses and punishment. We must, therefore, learn from the failure of the Pharisees. We must accept the name of Almighty God and keep pace with the footsteps of God’s work. Only thus can we receive God’s salvation.

from Answers to Screenplay Questions

Footnotes:

a. The original text omits “then man will see that.”

Catholic Beliefs: I Have Welcomed the Lord’s Return

Catholic Beliefs: I Have Welcomed the Lord’s Return

By Amy, USA

“Meeting with the Lord is the greatest hope of all believers. By the grace of the Lord, I have welcomed the Lord’s return and I am full of gratitude to Him….” It’s nighttime, and the clear moonlight spills into the room through the window. Under the soft light of her lamp, Amy is quickly typing out her experience of welcoming the Lord’s return. Thinking of God’s love and salvation for her, Amy stands up and softly walks to the window and gazes out at the full moon, reminiscing on the past …

The Church of Almighty God | The Awakening of a Deceived Spirit (Part 1)

The Awakening of a Deceived Spirit (Part 1)

Yuan Zhi, Brazil

Summoned by the Lord’s Grace Tasting the Lord’s Love

I was born in a small city in Northern China. In 2010, I followed my relatives to Brazil. In Brazil, I got acquainted with a Christian friend. He brought me to church to listen to sermons. But though I went three times, I never absorbed it. Afterward, because my job was keeping me busy, I didn’t go to church again until one day in June, 2015, when my friend brought me to church once more. This time, through what brothers and sisters shared, I had some understanding that the Lord Jesus is the Redeemer. Especially, when I first read Genesis, I felt that the Creator is truly wondrous. In school, the textbooks had taught me that man evolved from apes and monkeys and all the things in the world were formed naturally. That day, when I read Genesis, I understood that in fact, man was created by God and that God had created all things. Suddenly, I felt that, for more than twenty years, I had been deceived. That day, I suddenly and completely awakened. From that point on, I believed in the Lord Jesus.

The Origin of the Eastern Lightning’s Prosperity

The Origin of the Eastern Lightning’s Prosperity

The Origin of the Eastern Lightning’s Prosperity

Each and every time the Eastern Lightning is mentioned, many brothers and sisters in the Lord feel perplexed: Why is it that as the religious community as a whole becomes increasingly desolate and degenerate, as each denomination becomes increasingly guarded and conservative in condemning and banishing the Eastern Lightning, not only is the Eastern Lightning not becoming desolate and ebbing, but surging like unstoppable billows, sweeping across mainland China? Now that it has even expanded beyond China’s borders to foreign countries and regions, as it is being accepted by more and more people worldwide?