Praise God, almighty and wise, He has defeated Satan.
Praise God, His righteous disposition has been completely revealed.
All come to praise Almighty God, the lovely and practical God.
We praise God, humble and hidden, He is so lovely!
Praise You, Almighty God (praise God)! All come to praise You (praise You)!
The tenets of Christianity originate from the Bible, and the tenets of the Church of Almighty God originate from all of the truths that have been expressed by God since the time of creation during the work of the Age of Law, Age of Grace, and Age of Kingdom. That is to say, the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Bible of the Age of Kingdom—The Word Appears in the Flesh—expressed by the returned Lord Jesus of the last days, Almighty God, are the basic beliefs and the tenets of the Church of Almighty God. The Old Testament records Jehovah God’s work of decreeing laws and commandments and guiding the life of man during the Age of Law; the New Testament records the work of redemption carried out by the Lord Jesus during the Age of Grace; and The Word Appears in the Flesh is all of the truths for the purification and salvation of mankind expressed by Almighty God during the Age of Kingdom, as well as an account of God’s work of judgment during the last days. The true Bible is all of God’s utterances during the three stages of work, and the fundamental beliefs of the Church of Almighty God are all of God’s utterances during the three stages of work, that is, all of the truths expressed by God during these three stages of work. The three Holy Scriptures are the basic beliefs and the tenets of the Church of Almighty God.
Christianity was born of the work of the Lord Jesus in the Age of Grace, but the Lord Jesus Christ it believes in only did the work of redemption in the Age of Grace. Because the incarnate Lord Jesus was crucified and served as man’s sin offering, delivering man from the hands of Satan and releasing him from the condemnation and imprecation of the law, man had but to come before God and confess his sins and repent to be forgiven his sins and enjoy the bounteous grace and blessings bestowed by God. This was the work of redemption carried out by the Lord Jesus. Although man’s sins were forgiven by the redemption of the Lord Jesus, man was not expunged of his sinful nature, he was still bound and controlled by it, and could not help but commit sin and resist God by being arrogant and conceited, striving for fame and gain, being jealous and disputatious, lying and deceiving people, following the wicked trends of the world, and so on. Man had not broken free from the bondage of sin and become holy, and thus the Lord Jesus prophesied many times that He would come again to carry out the work of judgment of the last days, saying: “And, behold, I come quickly” (Rev 22:12). “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). It is also written in the First Epistle of Peter that “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (1Pe 4:17). Almighty God, Christ of the last days, is the returned Lord Jesus. He has expressed all of the truths for the purification and salvation of man, has carried out the work of judgment beginning at the house of God, and has fully accomplished the prophecies of the Bible. The Word Appears in the Flesh expressed by Almighty God is “” (Rev 2:7) prophesied in the Book of Revelation, and is an account of God’s work of judgment in the last days. The work of judgment done by Almighty God is the final stage of work of God’s salvation for mankind, and is also its most fundamental and crucial stage. If man wishes to be saved by God and enter the kingdom of heaven, he must accept God’s work of judgment, and in this have been fulfilled the words of the Lord Jesus: “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him” (Mat 25:6). “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20). Only if man accepts and experiences the judgment and chastisement of God’s words can he know the holiness and righteousness of God, know the substance and nature of man’s corruption by Satan and its true fact, truly repent before God, rid himself of all the sin, achieve holiness, become one who obeys God and worships God, and be gained by God. Only then will he be qualified to inherit God’s promises and blessings, and gain the beautiful destination.
The tenets of the Church of Almighty God originate from all of the truths expressed by God in His three stages of work, which means that they originate from the words of God recorded in the Bible and from The Word Appears in the Flesh. God began the work of saving mankind following His creation of the world, and His management plan for the salvation of man will not be completed until He finishes the work of judgment beginning at the house of God during the last days. From the words and all the truths God has expressed in the three stages of work, we are entirely able to see that, whether it be God’s work done by using man in the beginning during the Age of Law, or His work during the two times He was incarnated in the Age of Grace and the Age of Kingdom, all are the utterances and the expression of the truth of one Spirit; in substance, it is one God that speaks and works. Therefore, the tenets of the Church of Almighty God originate from the Bible and from The Word Appears in the Flesh.
(2) About The Word Appears in the Flesh
The Word Appears in the Flesh is the personal utterances of Almighty God, Christ of the last days, and is all the truths that God has expressed to purify and save man during His work of judgment of the last days. These truths are the direct expression of the Holy Spirit, the revelation of God’s life and substance, and the expression of God’s disposition and what He has and is. They are the only path through which man can know God and be purified and saved. The words expressed by Almighty God are the supreme principle of man’s actions and conduct, and there are no higher aphorisms for the life of man.
The Christians of the Church of Almighty God read God’s words in The Word Appears in the Flesh every day, just as the Christians of Christianity read the Bible. All Christians take the words of God as their life’s guide and as the highest of all life’s aphorisms. In the Age of Grace, Christians all read the Bible and listened to the preachings of the Bible. Changes gradually occurred in people’s behavior, and they committed fewer and fewer sins. Likewise, through the reading of the words of Almighty God and the fellowship of the words of God, Christians of the Church of Almighty God gradually understand the truth and break free from the bondage of sin, no longer commit sins and resist God, and become compatible with God. Facts prove that only by reading God’s words can man be purified and transformed and live out the image of the real man. These are facts that no one can deny. The words of God recorded in the Bible were expressed as God worked in the Age of Law and the Age of Grace, while The Word Appears in the Flesh is the words expressed by God in the work of the last days. The source of both is from the Holy Spirit. Almighty God’s words and work have totally fulfilled the prophecies in the Bible, and Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus, just as the Lord Jesus said: “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come” (Jhn 16:12-13). So, too, is it prophesied in the Book of Revelation that, “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 2:7). “And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. … behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof” (Rev 5:1, 5).
Today, we have all seen one fact: All of the words expressed by Almighty God are the truth, and they have authority and power—they are the voice of God. No one can deny or change this. The Word Appears in the Flesh is freely available on the Internet for people of all countries and territories to seek out and investigate. No one dares to deny that they are the words of God, or that they are the truth. God’s words are driving the whole of mankind onward, people have begun to gradually awaken amid the words of God, and they are gradually progressing toward acceptance of the truth and knowledge of the truth. The Age of Kingdom is the age when Almighty God’s words rule on earth. Each and every one of God’s words will be accomplished and fulfilled. Just as all believers in God acknowledge the Bible today, people who believe in God will acknowledge in the near future that The Word Appears in the Flesh is God’s utterances in the last days. Today, The Word Appears in the Flesh is the basis of the beliefs of the Church of Almighty God, and it will surely become the foundation of existence for the whole of mankind in the next age.
(3) About the Names of God and the Three Stages of God’s Work
Following his corruption by Satan, man lives under the domain of Satan and his corruption has grown ever deeper. Man cannot save himself, and needs the salvation of God. In accordance with the needs of corrupt mankind, God has done three stages of work in the Age of Law, in the Age of Grace, and in the Age of Kingdom. In the Age of Law, God did the work of decreeing laws and commandments and guiding the life of man. In the Age of Grace, God became flesh and, upon the basis of His work in the Age of Law, carried out the work of crucifixion and redeemed man from sin. In the Age of Kingdom, God has once more become flesh and, upon the basis of the work of redemption of the Age of Grace, carries out the work of judgment beginning at the house of God, expresses all of the truths for the purification and salvation of man, and brings us the only way for the pursuit of purification and salvation. Only if we gain the reality of the truth as our life, becoming those who obey and worship God, will we be qualified to be led into the kingdom of God and receive God’s promises and blessings. The three stages of work of God’s salvation of man are closely connected, each stage is indispensable, each goes higher and deeper than the last, they are all the work of one God, and only the three stages of God’s work are the complete work of mankind’s salvation.
The three names—Jehovah, Jesus, and Almighty God—are the different names God has taken in the Age of Law, the Age of Grace, and the Age of Kingdom. God takes different names because His work varies in different ages. God uses a new name to start a new age and represent the work of that age. God’s name was Jehovah in the Age of Law, and Jesus in the Age of Grace. God uses a new name—Almighty God—in the Age of Kingdom, fulfilling the prophecies in the Book of Revelation: “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write…. Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God: and I will write on him my new name” (Rev 3:7, 12). “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, said the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Rev 1:8). Although God’s names and work in the three ages are different, there is only one God in substance, and the source is the same.
God’s work of saving man primarily includes three stages of work. He has used a different name in each age, but God’s substance never changes. The three stages of work are done by one God; thus, Jehovah, Jesus, and Almighty God are the same one God. Jesus was the appearance of Jehovah, and Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus, and so Almighty God is the one true God who created the heavens and the earth and all things, commands all things, and holds sovereignty over everything, and He is the everlasting and one and only Creator.
In the three stages of the work of saving man, God has revealed His entire disposition to man, allowing us to see that God’s disposition is not only mercy and love, but also righteousness, majesty, and wrath, that His substance is holiness and righteousness, and is truth and love, and that God’s disposition and God’s authority and power are not possessed by any created or non-created being. We believe that all the words God has said from the time of creation to the end of the world are the truth. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but God’s words shall never disappear, and each and every one of them shall be accomplished!
29. The Lord Jesus has promised us that, “whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” How will God accomplish what He has said?
The 6,000 years of work of God’s management are divided into three stages: the Age of Law, the Age of Grace, and the Age of Kingdom. These three stages of work are all for the sake of mankind’s salvation, which is to say, they are for the salvation of a mankind that has been severely corrupted by Satan. At the same time, however, they are also so that God may do battle with Satan. Thus, just as the work of salvation is divided into three stages, so the battle with Satan is also divided into three stages, and these two aspects of God’s work are conducted simultaneously. The battle with Satan is actually for the sake of mankind’s salvation, and because the work of mankind’s salvation is not something that can be successfully completed in a single stage, the battle with Satan is also divided into phases and periods, and war is waged upon Satan in accordance with the needs of man and the extent of Satan’s corruption of him. … In the work of man’s salvation, three stages have been carried out, which is to say that the battle with Satan has been split into three stages prior to the complete defeat of Satan. Yet the inner truth of the entire work of the battle with Satan is that its effects are achieved through bestowing grace upon man, and becoming a sin offering of man, forgiving the sins of man, conquering man, and making man perfect. As a matter of fact, the battle with Satan is not the taking up of arms against Satan, but the salvation of man, the working of the life of man, and the changing of man’s disposition so that he may bear testimony to God. This is how Satan is defeated. Satan is defeated through changing the corrupt disposition of man. When Satan has been defeated, that is, when man has been completely saved, then the ashamed Satan will be completely bound, and in this way, man will have been completely saved. And so, the substance of man’s salvation is the battle with Satan, and the war with Satan is primarily reflected in the salvation of man. The stage of the last days, in which man is to be conquered, is the last stage in the battle with Satan, and also the work of man’s complete salvation from the domain of Satan. The inner meaning of man’s conquest is the return of the embodiment of Satan, man who has been corrupted by Satan, to the Creator following his conquest, through which he will forsake Satan and completely return to God. In this way, man will have been completely saved. And so, the work of conquest is the last work in the battle against Satan, and the final stage in God’s management for the sake of Satan’s defeat. Without this work, the full salvation of man would ultimately be impossible, the utter defeat of Satan would also be impossible, and mankind would never be able to enter the wonderful destination, or get free from Satan’s influence.
from “Restoring the Normal Life of Man and Taking Him to a Wonderful Destination” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
Once the work of conquest has been completed, man will be brought into a beautiful world. This life will, of course, still be on earth, but it will be totally unlike man’s life today. It is the life that mankind will have after the whole of mankind has been conquered, it will be a new beginning for man on earth, and for mankind to have such a life will be proof that mankind has entered a new and beautiful realm. It will be the beginning of the life of man and God on earth. The premise of such a beautiful life must be that, after man has been purified and conquered, he submits before the Creator. And so, the work of conquest is the last stage of God’s work before mankind enters the wonderful destination. Such a life is man’s future life on earth, it is the most beautiful life on earth, the kind of life that man longs for, the kind that man has never before achieved in the history of the world. It is the final outcome of the 6,000 years of work of management, it is what mankind yearns for most, and it is also God’s promise to man. But this promise cannot come to pass immediately: Man will enter the future destination only once the work of the last days has been completed and he has been completely conquered, that is, once Satan has been utterly defeated. Man will be without a sinful nature after he has been refined, because God will have defeated Satan, which means that there will be no encroachment by hostile forces, and no hostile forces that can attack the flesh of man. And so man will be free, and holy—he will have entered eternity. Only if the hostile forces of darkness are bound will man be free wherever he goes, and without rebelliousness or opposition. Satan has but to be bound for man to be okay; today, he is not okay because[a] Satan still stirs up trouble everywhere on earth, and because the entire work of God’s management has yet to reach its end. Once Satan has been defeated, man will be completely liberated; when man gains God and comes out from under the domain of Satan, he will behold the sun of righteousness.
from “Restoring the Normal Life of Man and Taking Him to a Wonderful Destination” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
God Himself is life, and the truth, and His life and truth coexist. Those who are incapable of gaining the truth shall never gain life. Without the guidance, support, and provision of the truth, you shall only gain letters, doctrines, and, moreover, death. God’s life is ever-present, and His truth and life coexist. If you cannot find the source of truth, then you will not gain the nourishment of life; if you cannot gain the provision of life, then you will surely have no truth, and so apart from imaginations and conceptions, the entirety of your body shall be nothing but flesh, your stinking flesh. …
…………
Christ of the last days brings life, and brings the enduring and everlasting way of truth. This truth is the path through which man shall gain life, and the only path by which man shall know God and be approved by God. If you do not seek the way of life provided by Christ of the last days, then you shall never gain the approval of Jesus, and shall never be qualified to enter the gate of the kingdom of heaven, for you are both a puppet and prisoner of history. …
… Christ is man’s gateway to the kingdom during the last days, which none may bypass. None may be perfected by God except through Christ. You believe in God, and so you must accept His words and obey His way. You must not just think of gaining blessings without receiving the truth, or accepting the provision of life. Christ comes during the last days so that all those who truly believe in Him may be provided with life. His work is for the sake of concluding the old age and entering the new one, and is the path that must be taken by all those who would enter the new age. If you are incapable of acknowledging Him, and instead condemn, blaspheme or even persecute Him, then you are bound to burn for eternity, and shall never enter the kingdom of God.
from “Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
Footnotes:
a. The original text reads “today, it is because.”
Why can the “Eastern Lightning” spread all over Mainland China despite bitter opposition?
When it comes to the Eastern Lightning, many brothers and sisters in the Lord will look upset and feel afraid. Yet most of them have such doubt in the heart: why has the Eastern Lightning spread all over Mainland China like mightily overwhelming surging waves rather than falling into desolation and decay even despite the strong defense and condemnation and rejection against it from all denominations and sects? The fact completely baffles the religious people. Actually, the reason is very simple. The Eastern Lightning, called by all denominations and sects, is no other than the Savior Lord Jesus returning upon a white cloud in the last days, the real and true God Himself who has become flesh again. Almighty God—Christ of the last days—has brought the work of judgment by which to change man’s disposition and purify, save, and perfect man, and expressed the truth that can be new life of man. Therefore, even if all denominations and sects in the whole world oppose, attack, persecute, blaspheme, and condemn the incarnate God of the last days and His work, what God wishes to achieve can never be thwarted or oppressed by anyone. God’s almightiness and wisdom can never be surpassed by any forces of Satan.
Many people believe that the way condemned by most people is surely not the true way. Does it accord with the truth? Let’s look back to the Age of Grace when God became flesh in Judea and carried out new work. From the beginning, the Judaists persecuted, blasphemed, condemned Jesus and tried every possible means to put Him to death. In the end, they, in collusion with the Roman authorities, arrested the merciful Lord Jesus and nailed Him to the cross. Even after the resurrection and ascent of the Lord Jesus, they spread rumors and slandered and accused John, Paul, and other apostles as the Nazarenes, cultists, and also made every effort to persecute, hunt, and afflict them. However, the work of Jesus could never be thwarted or destroyed by Satan, for God’s wisdom is always exercised based on Satan’s plots. It was because the wanton persecution and banishment of the Roman Empire forced the apostles to leave their homes and flee abroad that Jesus’ salvation was spread throughout the world and to the ends of the earth. Brothers and sisters, let’s consider this: Why was the way of Jesus resisted and opposed by so many people? Was it not the true way? Could it be that what Jesus’ apostles preached was not the salvation of God? Could it be that the way rejected and resisted is not the way of God? Could the number of its supporters be taken as the standard for judging whether it is the true way? Don’t think that the way resisted by most people is not the true way. As long as it is the work of God, even if all the people in the world oppose and reject it, the true way brought by God can never be denied. This is absolutely true. If one who believes in and follows God for many years doesn’t know God’s work and can easily be deceived and bound by Satan’s specious fallacies and rumors and become a person who believes in God yet follows Satan and who serves God yet opposes God, isn’t it distressing and regrettable? Many people don’t investigate and seek the true way with a humble heart, but follow others and buy into their ideas. They blindly follow others in judging and attacking God and His work and parrot their remarks. It’s very dangerous to do so. If they persist in their mistaken way, it will lead them onto a path of no return in the end. When the Jews opposed the Jesus’ apostles preaching the gospel in the temple, Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, said to them, “And now I say to you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nothing: But if it be of God, you cannot overthrow it; lest haply you be found even to fight against God.” (Acts 5:38-39) Shouldn’t his words be a warning to every believer in God today? Today, God became flesh again and came to China—the staunch bastion of atheism, the lair of the great red dragon—to carry out the work of judging and purifying man in the Age of Kingdom. His purpose is to fully save corrupt mankind from the dark influence of Satan and bring them into His kingdom so that they can enter into rest together with Him. However, the tragedy of history that the Jews opposed Jesus is repeated. As the work of God in the last days goes against the notions of the religious people in all denominations and sects, they not only don’t welcome the returned Jesus but instead spread various fallacies and rumors to slander the incarnate God and His work. They condemn the work of the incarnate God in the last days as a heresy, a cult, and even join hands with China’s ruling party to persecute and hunt the incarnate God. Their deeds are no different from the evil doings of the Judaists who framed and persecuted Jesus. Nevertheless, the true way is the true way, and God’s work is God’s work; regardless of their resistance and condemnation against God’s work of the last days, the kingdom gospel of God has still spread all over Mainland China and shocked the whole religious world.
Since it is the true way, why is it opposed by so many believers in God? The reason lies in two aspects. One is because man doesn’t know the direction of the Holy Spirit, that is, they don’t know that the work of God is always progressing forward. They don’t know how to seek the present work of God as a believer in God, but instead they know only to check God’s new work against His former work. Once they find any inconsistencies, they condemn the new work as a heresy, a cult. The other is because man is too arrogant and self-right to humbly seek the new work of God, and they hold fast to their ideas, taking their own thoughts as God’s thoughts, and refuse to accept any truth. From this, we can see that when God opens a new age, His new work is opposed by most people, not because God’s way is wrong but because man doesn’t know God’s work and refuses to seek the truth on account of their disposition of arrogance and self-right. If one thinks that the new work of God isn’t the true way because it is opposed by most people, it shows that he is absurd and preposterous. If one loses God’s salvation of the last days because of this, that would undoubtedly be an eternal loss.
How do we distinguish between the true way and the false way? God’s word tells us the principles for this. Almighty God says, “Knowing the work of God is no simple matter: you should have standards and an objective in your pursuit, you should know how to seek the true way, and how to measure whether or not it is the true way, and whether or not it is the work of God. What is the most basic principle in seeking the true way? You have to look at whether or not there is the work of the Holy Spirit, whether or not these words are the expression of the truth, who is testified, and what it can bring you. Distinguishing between the true way and the false way requires several aspects of basic knowledge, the most fundamental of which is to tell whether or not there is the work of the Holy Spirit. For the substance of man’s belief in God is the belief in the Spirit of God. Even his belief in God incarnate is because this flesh is the embodiment of the Spirit of God, which means that such belief is still the belief in the Spirit. There are differences between the Spirit and the flesh, but because this flesh comes from the Spirit, and is the Word become flesh, thus what man believes in is still the inherent substance of God. And so, in distinguishing whether or not it is the true way, above all you must look at whether or not there is the work of the Holy Spirit, after which you must look at whether or not there is the truth in this way. This truth is the life disposition of normal humanity, which is to say, that which was required of man when God created him in the beginning, namely, all of normal humanity (including human sense, insight, wisdom, and the basic knowledge of being man). That is, you need to look at whether or not this way takes man into a life of normal humanity, whether or not the truth that is spoken of is required according to the reality of normal humanity, whether or not this truth is practical and real, and whether or not it is most timely. If there is truth, then it is able to take man into normal and real experiences; man, furthermore, becomes ever more normal, man’s human sense becomes ever more complete, man’s life in the flesh and the spiritual life become ever more orderly, and man’s emotions become ever more normal. This is the second principle. There is one other principle, which is whether or not man has an increasing knowledge of God, whether or not experiencing such work and truth can inspire a love of God in him, and bring him ever closer to God. In this can be measured whether or not it is the true way. Most fundamental is whether this way is realistic rather than supernatural, and whether or not it is able to provide the life of man. If it conforms to these principles, the conclusion can be drawn that this way is the true way.” (from “Only Those Who Know God and His Work Can Satisfy God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) The words of Almighty God show us that we can discern the true way from the following three aspects. First, we must see whether there is the work of the Holy Spirit. This is very important. Since it is the true way, it is surely the work of God Himself, and will surely be accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit, upheld by the Holy Spirit. People believe in the incarnate God because He is the flesh in which God’s Spirit is embodied. All of His work is the work of the Holy Spirit, and it is also validated by the Holy Spirit. So people believe in Him and follow Him. For example, when Jesus was doing His work, though He appeared to be an ordinary, normal man, people could see that His work and word was accompanied and upheld by the Holy Spirit, because they see that His work and word were full of authority and power. He made the blind see, the lame walk, and the leper healed, fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fishes, and even raised the dead. He searched man’s hearts and minds and revealed man’s hidden things of darkness. And He also spoke the mysteries in heaven. People would feel peace and joy in their heart after following Him. At that time people followed the Lord Jesus and recognized Him as the coming Messiah all because they saw that all of His work was done by the Holy Spirit. This shows us that if it is the true way, there must be the work of the Holy Spirit. So, to judge whether it is the true way, we should first discern whether there is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Second, we should discern whether there is the truth expressed in it and whether man’s life disposition can be gradually changed and his humanity can become more and more normal. As we all know, God is the truth, the way, and the life. Each time God does a new stage of work, He will express the truth and thereby show man the ways of practice in the new age and give man the supply of life, so that man will live out a more and more normal humanity and gradually restore the original likeness that man had when he was created by God. This is an obvious characteristic of the true way. For example, when the Lord Jesus began the work of the Age of Grace, He expressed many truths for people at that time to practice. He taught them to love their neighbor as themselves, bear the cross, deny themselves, forgive others seventy times seven times, worship God in spirit and in truth, and so on. All those who truly believed in God underwent some changes in outward actions thanks to the teachings of the Lord Jesus, and they could be humble and patient as required by Him and lived out the likeness of normal man in some measure. So, if it is the true way, there must be the truth expressed in it, and it will make man’s humanity more and more normal and make them more and more like a real man.
Third, we can judge it by whether it can bring man more and more knowledge of God and whether it can arouse their love for God and draw them ever closer to God. As is known to all, the true way is the work of God’s own and can bring man to God, and by experiencing such work, man will gradually gain true knowledge of God and develop a love for God. For example, in the Age of Law, Jehovah decreed laws to guide man’s life on earth, and by experiencing His work, they knew that Jehovah alone was the only true God. They also knew that His disposition was majesty and curse and could not be offended, and thereby they had fear of God. In the Age of Grace, God was incarnated into the world and did the work of redemption of mankind, and people knew by experiencing the work of Jesus that God’s disposition was love and mercy and saw that God was not only Spirit but could become flesh and humble Himself to be a man and perform signs and wonders, healing the sick and casting out demons…. All the work Jesus did brought man a new knowledge of God and aroused more of their love for God. Therefore, if it is the true way, it can bring man more knowledge of God and His disposition.
Although God’s work is always progressing forward, as long as it is the work done by God Himself and the true way, it must meet the three conditions above. That is, there must be the work of the Holy Spirit, there must be the truth expressed in it, and it must bring man more and more knowledge of God and draw them ever closer to God. If we discern the true way by these three standards, we will tell true from false and keep pace with the present work of God and receive the truth, the way, and the life and greater promises and blessings from God.
Today, in the last days, God has new work, that is, He speaks words to judge and purify the corrupt mankind. This is a newer and higher work that God does as planned, based on the work of the Lord Jesus and according to the actual need of the mankind in the last days. If you calm down and seek and investigate it carefully, you will see that the new work is not only accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit but also possessed of the truth and that it can bring you a more true, practical, and full knowledge of God. Let me share our experience and knowledge of God’s work of the last days according to the three standards.
Firstly, if it is the true way, it is accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit. Almighty God has opened the Age of Kingdom and conducted new work. He has expressed words to judge and purify man and brought man new provision of life. Those true believers of God in all denominations and sects have all gradually come under the name of Almighty God. No matter how people oppose and what force stands in the way, God’s gospel of the last days, like mightily surging waves, has spread all over Mainland China, and a gratifying scene has appeared where all people are streaming to the holy mountain. Although we are from different denominations or sects, we get along well with and help each other. There is no division among us, and the church life is full of vitality. The brothers and sisters never weary of meetings. We take delight in singing hymns and receive enlightenment in prayers. In every meeting, we derive new supply from the word of Almighty God, know more of what we lack, and find the ways of practice from His word. We are fully confident, and are responsible and faithful for God’s commission. Our corrupt disposition has been changed in different degrees, and we can act by God’s word and love each other when we are together. When there arise different opinions, we can deny ourselves and listen to others’, letting the truth of God’s word reign in the church. In this stage of work, although God does not repeat the work of the Age of Grace, no longer healing the sick or casting out demons, we see the authority and power of His word from His work. As long as we accept and obey the work and word of Almighty God, we will be enlightened and illuminated by the Holy Spirit and free from passiveness or weakness, and perform our duty as a created being actively to care for God’s will. This is why the brothers and sisters in the Church of Almighty God are able to give up their fleshly enjoyment and do their best to preach God’s kingdom gospel everywhere. Regardless of whether they are refused, persecuted, cursed, or struck by the believers of other denominations and sects, they endure all these hardships willingly and never stop preaching God’s gospel of the last days to carry out God’s will. From these facts, we can see that Almighty God is full of authority and power and His work is accompanied and upheld by the Holy Spirit. However, the churches of all denominations and sects, which fail to follow God’s new work, are full of jealousy, strife, and divisions, and people work together in a different pace, walk together with a different mind. This is proof enough that there isn’t the work of the Holy Spirit in these churches. The Church of Almighty God is in vitality as it is accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit, while the churches of all denominations and sects are stagnant and desolate because they have lost the work of the Holy Spirit. The sharp contrast shows us clearly which is the true way and which is outdated.
Secondly, if it is the true way, there must exist the truth, and it can show man the ways of practice for the new age, bring man new provision of life, and man will be increasingly transformed in life disposition and their humanity will become more and more normal. In the work of the last days, Almighty God has expressed a great variety of truths. There are truths concerning the work of God and truths concerning the practice and the entry for man in the new age, such as the purpose of God’s management, the principles of God’s work, the inside truth behind the works of the Age of Law and the Age of Grace, how God conducts His work of judgment, what the significance of God’s incarnation is, how mankind has developed until today, what the destination of mankind will be, what viewpoint believers ought to hold, what believers should pursue, why believers must submit to God, why only loving God is truly believing in God, what service is after God’s heart, and so forth. These truths allow us to gain much understanding of God’s will and much knowledge of the substance of our nature and the true condition of our corruption, and they also show us clearly the way to change our disposition. Through experiencing the work and word of Almighty God, we have known the impurities in our former belief in God: Although we were redeemed by God and received the abundance of grace, in our heart we were calculating every day how to gain more fleshly enjoyment and material blessings and gain our longed-for blessings from God. We journeyed to and fro for God’s work in order to gain blessings, crown, fame, and benefits, not for the sake of fulfilling our duty as a created being. Regardless of the abundance of grace from God, once God did something discordant with our notions, we would immediately resist and complain about God and even be in enmity to God openly or leave God. The original conscience and sense that man ought to have before God couldn’t be found in us, and we had been corrupted by Satan so much that we no longer had the likeness of humans. From the truths expressed by Almighty God, we gain true knowledge of the truth of our corruption and see that we are selfish and contemptible and without humanity. And we also understand the meaning of the work of God’s salvation for us and appreciate God’s devotion to saving mankind. In this way, our spirits are revived little by little and our conscience and sense are gradually restored. We no longer seek to satisfy our flesh but only pursue to devote ourselves to fulfilling God’s will, so we gradually have a normal relationship with God, a relationship between created beings and the Creator, have more and more love, obedience, and worship for God, and live more and more like a real man. In short, Almighty God has brought us the truths badly needed for the people of the last days, showed us the direction ahead in the new age, and given us the most actual provision of life. These facts are sufficient proof that the way of Almighty God is the true way.
Thirdly, if it is the true way, it brings man a new knowledge of God. Brothers and sisters, if you read the word of Almighty God personally and come into real contact with the brothers and sisters in the Church of Almighty God, you will find that they have gained a new knowledge of God by pursuing the truth expressed by Almighty God. They have known from their experiences of His work and word the righteous disposition of God and seen that God’s inherent disposition encompasses not only love and mercy but even majesty, wrath, and intolerance of man’s offense. Through experiencing the work and word of Almighty God, we have seen how God saves man by steps and how He vanquishes Satan with His wisdom, and we have truly known that God is almighty, wise, wondrous, and unfathomable and gained a truer understanding of His devotion to saving mankind, His true love for mankind, and His essence of goodness and beauty. In experiencing the work and word of Almighty God, we have corrected our former fallacious knowledge of God. For example, we have known that God is not only the God of the Israelites but also the God of all Gentile nations, He is the God of all creation, His work is always new and never old and follows no doctrines, and so on. All this shows that the work and word of Almighty God have increased man’s knowledge of God and made man gain a more real and full knowledge of God than they did in the Age of Grace. Only when God Himself does the work can it achieve such results. There is no doubt that the way of Almighty God is the true way.
As such, the conclusion can be drawn that Almighty God, who is condemned by the religious world, is the God Himself returning to flesh in the last days. Therefore, regardless of the opposition and attack from all denominations and sects and the slander and condemnation of all Satan’s forces, the spreading of God’s work of the last days has not been thwarted in the slightest. During the dozen years, the kingdom gospel has expanded all over Mainland China, and God’s name and God’s word have been spread to hundreds of millions of families. Those believers in all denominations and sects who pursue the truth and truly want God have returned to Almighty God. Millions of people are enjoying God’s words, experiencing God’s work and salvation, and praising God’s wondrous deeds. God has made a group of overcomers in China who are of one mind with Him. God’s work has eventually concluded with His glorification, and God will appear publicly to all nations and all lands soon. Spiritual siblings, remove your timidity and doubts and come to God with your sincere heart. Almighty God is watching, awaiting your return all along!
Could you tell us what the difference is between believing in Jesus and believing in God?
In the beginning, God’s original intention in creating men is that men can believe in him, obey him, worship him, live in the light, and enjoy his riches on earth. But after being tempted by satan, men fell and lived under satan’s authority and in sufferings and darkness. God sorrowed over the falling of mankind created by himself, so he began the six-thousand-year management plan of saving mankind. In the whole management plan, God does three stages of works in three different ages according to the extent of mankind’s being corrupted, and in the end he will save men completely from satan’s authority and recover the likeness of men created by God in the beginning. Almighty God says, “The work of saving mankind began only after mankind was corrupted, so the work of managing mankind also began only after mankind was corrupted. That is to say, the ‘management’ came into being because of the start of the work of salvation but not with the work of creating the world, and the management work came into being only after mankind had corrupt disposition. So, the work of managing mankind only includes three parts, not four stages or four ages. It is right to say it this way. By the end of the final age, the management work has completely ended. When the management work ends, it means that the work of saving all mankind has completely ended. Then mankind comes to the end of a stage. If there were not the work of saving all mankind, there would not be the management work or the three stages of works. Because mankind fell and badly needed to be saved, Jehovah ended the work of creating the world and started the work of the Age of the Law. Thus, the work of managing mankind started, that is, the work of saving mankind started. The inner meaning of ‘managing mankind’ is not to lead the men who had just been created (that is, who had not been corrupted) to live on earth, but to save the mankind who had been corrupted by satan, that is, to transform the mankind who had been corrupted. This is the inner meaning of ‘managing mankind.’” “God was incarnated the first time through the conception of the Holy Spirit. This had to do with the work he would do. The Age of the Grace began with the name of Jesus. When Jesus began to perform his ministry, the Holy Spirit began to testify the name of Jesus; the name of Jehovah was no longer mentioned, and the Holy Spirit did a new work mainly with the name of Jesus instead. The testimonies his believers bore were borne for Jesus Christ, and the works they did were also for Jesus Christ. The end of the Old Testament Age of the Law meant that the work done mainly with the name Jehovah ended. From then on, God’s name was no longer Jehovah but Jesus, and the Holy Spirit began to do the work mainly with the name Jesus.” “So, God has to take a different name in a different age, using his name to change the age and using his name to represent the age. For no name can fully represent God Godself and it can only represent God’s disposition typical of the age, and it is proper as long as it can represent his work. So, God can choose any name that suits his disposition to represent a whole age. Whether it was the age of Jehovah or the age of Jesus, God used his name to represent the age. The Age of the Grace has ended and the final age has come, and Jesus has come. How could he still be called Jesus? How could he come among men still in the image of Jesus?” “So when the final age, that is, the last age, comes, my name will still change. I will not be called Jehovah or Jesus, much less Messiah, but the powerful Almighty God Godself, with which name I will end the entire age. I was once called Jehovah and was also once called Messiah by people, and people also once called me the Savior Jesus out of love and esteem for me. Today, I am no longer Jehovah or Jesus whom people knew before but the God who has returned in the end time and who will end the age and the God Godself who arises in the ends of the earth, laden with all my disposition and full of authority, honor, and glory.” (from The Word Appears in the Flesh) Almighty God’s words tell us clearly that God didn’t simply do a stage of work but did three stages of works in his management plan. In other words, he worked with different names by three ages, that is, the Age of the Law, the Age of the Grace, and the Age of the Kingdom in the final age. In the end, he will save men from sins completely and bring them into a pleasant destination. In each age, God uses a fitting name to represent the work in this age. One’s believing in God is exactly believing in God’s name in this age. But as God’s work in each age is not everlasting, God’s name changes with the age. That is to say, when an age ends, the work God does with the name of that age will end accordingly. Then if one still holds on to God’s name in that age, he is not believing in God; only those who accept God’s work and God’s name in the new age are believing in God. For example, in the Age of the Law, the name Jehovah represented the work in the Age of the Law, and there was no God except Jehovah. Thus, one’s believing in God was believing in Jehovah, and the believers in Jehovah were the ones who believed in God. In the Age of the Grace, God’s name was Jesus, and the age in which God was called Jehovah ended. There was no Savior except Jesus. At that time, only if one believed in Jesus, he was believing in God; those who held on to the name of Jehovah yet didn’t believe in Jesus were not believing in God. In the Age of the Kingdom at the end time, God’s name is Almighty God, and the age in which God was called Jesus ended. Only those who accept Almighty God’s work and believe in Almighty God are truly believing in God and can be brought into the eternal destination by God. Thus, man’s believing in God is believing in Almighty God, and only those who believe in Almighty God are the ones who believe in God truly. The name of Jesus only represents the Age of the Grace but doesn’t represent the Age of the Law or the Age of the Kingdom, because Jesus only did the redemptive work but didn’t do the work of the Age of the Law or the work of the Age of the Kingdom. So, the saying that “believing in Jesus is believing in God and believing in God is believing in Jesus” is only applicable to the Age of the Grace, and it is correct to say so in the Age of the Grace. However, if we say “believing in Jesus is believing in God and believing in God is believing in Jesus” in any age other than the Age of the Grace, it will be wrong. This is because in the ages other than the Age of the Grace, God’s names are not Jesus, and God’s works are not the redemptive work. We should know that God’s work is continuously progressing forward, and that as God’s work is constantly deepening and advancing and continuously progresses forward, people grow in life, have their disposition transformed, and are eventually purified by God. Only if we closely keep up with the pace of God’s work can we be completely saved by God.
When Almighty God began to do the work of the Age of the Kingdom, it means that the work God did mainly with the name Jesus ended. From then on, God was no longer called Jesus but called Almighty God. This is just as when Jesus began to do the work of the Age of the Grace, the work of the Age of the Law God did mainly with the name Jehovah ended, and from then on people should believe in Jesus and keep Jesus’ way. If people didn’t believe in Jesus or obey Jesus’ teachings but still believed in Jehovah and kept the law, they were not believing in God but were resisting God, and they would be cursed by God. (cf. Galatians 3:10; 5:4) Since we believe in God, we should keep up with God’s footsteps, accept God’s work and word of the new age, believe in whatever name God takes, and accept whatever work God does; otherwise, we are not believing in God, but instead, we will be cast away and eliminated by God’s work. Almighty God admonishes us, “Those who cannot closely follow God’s footsteps will not be able to have such kind of life. They all will fall into darkness, weeping and gnashing their teeth. They all are ones who believe in God but do not follow God and ones who believe in God but do not obey any of God’s work. Since one believes in God, he should closely follow God’s every footstep and should ‘follow the Lamb wherever he goes.’ Only such a person is one who truly seeks the true way and one who knows the work of the Holy Spirit. Those who rigidly observe letters and doctrines are all the ones eliminated by the work of the Holy Spirit. In each age God will carry out a new work, and in each age he will make a new start among men. If one only holds on to such truths as, ‘Jehovah is God’ or ‘Jesus is Christ,’ which are only applicable in one age, he will never be able to keep up with the work of the Holy Spirit and will never receive the work of the Holy Spirit. No matter what work God does, if one follows it without any doubt and follows it closely, then how could he be eliminated by the Holy Spirit?” (from The Word Appears in the Flesh) From Almighty God’s words, we understand that it’s really very important whether we can follow God’s footsteps in believing in God. This is a matter concerning our life and death! Today, if we still hold on to Jesus’ name and the Lord Jesus’ work in the Age of the Grace but reject God’s work and word of the new age, then we not only cannot be considered as believers in God but will be condemned by Almighty God of today.
From the above fellowship, we can see that there is a difference between believing in Jesus and believing in God. “Jesus” was only God’s name in the Age of the Grace. That is to say, in the Age of the Grace, it was right for us to say “believing in Jesus is believing in God and believing in God is believing in Jesus.” But today, the Age of the Grace has ended, the Age of the Kingdom has arrived, and God has done a new work and taken a new name, “Almighty God.” At this time, if we still stick to Jesus’ name, it cannot be called “believing in God.” Only believing in Almighty God and accepting Almighty God’s work is believing in God. If we refuse to accept God’s new work or the new name God takes, Almighty God, but stick to the work and the name of Jesus, we will be condemned by God. As the work of God’s saving mankind cannot be completed in one stage, man should follow wherever God’s work leads. God takes different names and does different works in different ages. When an old age ends, there will be a new age to replace it. If we still stick to the name “Jesus” in the Age of the Kingdom at the end time, saying that “believing in Jesus is believing in God and believing in God is believing in Jesus,” it will be too erroneous, too conservative, and not after God’s heart. Since God is always leading all mankind to keep going forward, man should closely follow the pace of God’s working and follow God’s footsteps. Only by believing in God this way can we be after God’s heart and eventually be saved by God.
Can We Truly Be Saved by Believing in God in the Heart and Confessing Him With the Mouth?
Liang liang
Question: The Bible says, “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.
75. Exactly what work will Jesus do when He returns?
The answer from God’s word:
Though Jesus did much work among man, He only completed the redemption of all mankind and became man’s sin offering, and did not rid man of all his corrupt disposition. Fully saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to take on the sins of man as the sin offering, but also required God to do greater work to completely rid man of his disposition, which has been corrupted by Satan. And so, after man was forgiven his sins, God has returned to flesh to lead man into the new age, and begun the work of chastisement and judgment, and this work has brought man into a higher realm. All those who submit under His dominion shall enjoy higher truth and receive greater blessings. They shall truly live in the light, and shall gain the truth, the way, and the life.
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… when God becomes flesh this time, His work is to express His disposition, primarily through chastisement and judgment. Using this as the foundation, He brings more truth to man, shows more ways of practice, and so achieves His objective of conquering man and saving man from his corrupt disposition. This is what lies behind the work of God in the Age of Kingdom.
from Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh
The work in the last days is to speak words. Great changes can be effected in man through the words. The changes now effected in these people on acceptance of these words are much greater than that of people in the Age of Grace on acceptance of those signs and wonders. For, in the Age of Grace, the demons went away from man with the laying on of hands and prayer, but the corrupt dispositions within man still remained. Man was healed of his sickness and forgiven his sins, but the work for just how the corrupt satanic dispositions within man could be cast away was not done in him. Man was only saved and forgiven his sins for his faith, but the sinful nature of man was not taken away and still remained within him. The sins of man were forgiven through God incarnate, but it does not mean that man has no sin within him. The sins of man could be forgiven through the sin offering, but man has been unable to resolve the issue of just how he can no longer sin and how his sinful nature can be cast away completely and be transformed. The sins of man were forgiven because of the work of God’s crucifixion, but man continued to live in the old, corrupt satanic disposition. As such, man must be completely saved from the corrupt satanic disposition so that the sinful nature of man is completely cast away and never again develops, thus allowing the disposition of man to be changed. This requires man to understand the path of growth in life, the way of life, and the way to change his disposition. It also needs man to act in accordance with this path so that the disposition of man can gradually be changed and he can live under the shining of the light, and that he can do all things in accord with the will of God, cast away the corrupt satanic disposition, and break free from Satan’s influence of darkness, thereby emerging fully from sin. Only then will man receive complete salvation. When Jesus was doing His work, man’s knowledge of Him was still vague and unclear. Man always believed that He was the son of David and proclaimed Him to be a great prophet and the benevolent Lord who redeemed man’s sins. Some, based on faith, became healed just by touching the edge of His garment; the blind could see and even the dead could be restored to life. However, man could not discover the corrupt satanic disposition deeply rooted within him and neither did man know how to cast it away. Man received much grace, such as the peace and happiness of the flesh, the blessing of the entire family upon the faith of one, and the healing of sicknesses, and so on. The rest were the good deeds of man and their godly appearance; if man could live based on such, he was considered a good believer. Only such believers could enter heaven after death, which means that they were saved. But, in their lifetime, they did not understand at all the way of life. They merely committed sins, then made confession in a constant cycle without any path toward a changed disposition; such was the condition of man in the Age of Grace. Has man received complete salvation? No! Therefore, after that stage was complete, there is still the work of judgment and chastisement. This stage makes man pure through the word so as to give man a path to follow. This stage would not be fruitful or meaningful if it continued with the casting out of demons, for the sinful nature of man would not be cast away and man would only stop upon the forgiveness of sins. Through the sin offering, man has been forgiven his sins, for the work of the crucifixion has already come to an end and God has prevailed over Satan. But the corrupt disposition of man still remains within them and man can still sin and resist God; God has not gained mankind. That is why in this stage of work God uses the word to reveal the corrupt disposition of man and asks man to practice in accordance with the right path. This stage is more meaningful than the previous one and more fruitful as well, for now it is the word that directly supplies man’s life and enables the disposition of man to be completely renewed; it is a stage of work more thorough. Therefore, the incarnation in the last days has completed the significance of God’s incarnation and completely finished God’s management plan for the salvation of man.
… Therefore, man cannot be fully saved from his sins by the healing of sickness and casting out of demons and cannot be fully made complete by the manifestation of signs and wonders. The authority to heal and cast out demons only gives man grace, but the flesh of man still belongs to Satan and the corrupt satanic disposition still remains within man. In other words, that which has not been made clean still belongs to sin and filth. Only after man has been made clean through words can he be gained by God and become sanctified. If no more is done than casting out the demons within man and redeeming him, that is only seizing him from the hands of Satan and returning him to God. However, he has not been made clean or changed by God, and he remains corrupt. Within man still exists filth, opposition and rebelliousness; man has only returned to God through redemption, but man has no knowledge of Him and still resists and betrays God. Before man was redeemed, many of Satan’s poisons were already planted within him. After thousands of years of Satan’s corruption, man already has within him a nature that resists God. Therefore, when man has been redeemed, it is nothing more than redemption, where man is bought at a high price, but the poisonous nature within has not been eliminated. Man that is so defiled must undergo a change before being worthy to serve God. Through this work of judgment and chastisement, man will fully come to know the filthy and corrupt substance within him, and he will be able to completely change and become clean. Only in this way can man be worthy to return before the throne of God. All the work done this day is so that man can be made clean and be changed; through judgment and chastisement by the word, as well as refinement, man can cast away his corruption and be made pure. Rather than deeming this stage of work to be that of salvation, it would be more apt to say it is the work of purification. In truth, this stage is that of conquest as well as the second stage of salvation. Man is gained by God through judgment and chastisement by the word; through the use of the word to refine, judge and disclose, all of the impurities, notions, motives, and individual hopes within man’s heart are completely revealed. Though man has been redeemed and forgiven of his sins, it is only considered as God not remembering the transgressions of man and not treating man in accordance with man’s transgressions. However, when man lives in the flesh and he has not been set free from sin, he can only continue to sin, endlessly revealing the corrupt satanic disposition. This is the life that man leads, an endless cycle of sin and forgiveness. The majority of men sin in the day only to confess in the evening. As such, even if the sin offering is forever effective for man, it would not be able to save man from sin. Only half the work of salvation has been completed, for man still has corrupt disposition. … it runs deeper than sin, planted by Satan and deeply rooted within man. It is not easy for man to become aware of his sins; man is unable to recognize his own deeply rooted nature. Only through judgment by the word can such effects be achieved. Only thus can man gradually be changed from that point onward.
from “The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
Do you know what is judgment and how God does the work of judgment and purification in the last days? This film clip will share with you the fellowship about this!
Once Satan has been defeated, that is to say, once man has been completely conquered, man will comprehend that all of this work is for the sake of salvation, and that the means of this salvation is to regain from the hands of Satan. The 6,000 years of work of God’s management are divided into three stages: the Age of Law, the Age of Grace, and the Age of Kingdom. These three stages of work are all for the sake of mankind’s salvation, which is to say, they are for the salvation of a mankind that has been severely corrupted by Satan. At the same time, however, they are also so that God may do battle with Satan. Thus, just as the work of salvation is divided into three stages, so the battle with Satan is also divided into three stages, and these two aspects of God’s work are conducted simultaneously. The battle with Satan is actually for the sake of mankind’s salvation, and because the work of mankind’s salvation is not something that can be successfully completed in a single stage, the battle with Satan is also divided into phases and periods, and war is waged upon Satan in accordance with the needs of man and the extent of Satan’s corruption of him. Perhaps, in man’s imagination, he believes that in this battle God will take up arms against Satan, in the same way that two armies would fight each other. This is only something that man’s intellect is capable of imagining, and is a supremely vague and unrealistic idea, yet it is what man believes. And because I say here that the means of man’s salvation is through the battle with Satan, man imagines that this is how the battle is conducted. In the work of man’s salvation, three stages have been carried out, which is to say that the battle with Satan has been split into three stages prior to the complete defeat of Satan. Yet the inner truth of the entire work of the battle with Satan is that its effects are achieved through bestowing grace upon man, and becoming a sin offering of man, forgiving the sins of man, conquering man, and making man perfect. As a matter of fact, the battle with Satan is not the taking up of arms against Satan, but the salvation of man, the working of the life of man, and the changing of man’s disposition so that he may bear testimony to God. This is how Satan is defeated. Satan is defeated through changing the corrupt disposition of man. When Satan has been defeated, that is, when man has been completely saved, then the ashamed Satan will be completely bound, and in this way, man will have been completely saved. And so, the substance of man’s salvation is the battle with Satan, and the war with Satan is primarily reflected in the salvation of man. The stage of the last days, in which man is to be conquered, is the last stage in the battle with Satan, and also the work of man’s complete salvation from the domain of Satan. The inner meaning of man’s conquest is the return of the embodiment of Satan, man who has been corrupted by Satan, to the Creator following his conquest, through which he will forsake Satan and completely return to God. In this way, man will have been completely saved. And so, the work of conquest is the last work in the battle against Satan, and the final stage in God’s management for the sake of Satan’s defeat. Without this work, the full salvation of man would ultimately be impossible, the utter defeat of Satan would also be impossible, and mankind would never be able to enter the wonderful destination, or get free from Satan’s influence. Consequently, the work of salvation of man cannot be concluded before the battle with Satan is concluded, for the core of the work of God’s management is for the sake of mankind’s salvation. Earliest mankind was in the hands of God, but because of Satan’s temptation and corruption, man was bound up by Satan and fell in the hands of the evil one. Thus, Satan became the object to be defeated in the work of God’s management. Because Satan took possession of man, and because man is the stock of all God’s management, if man is to be saved, then he must be snatched back from the hands of Satan, which is to say that man must be taken back after having been held captive by Satan. Satan is defeated through changes in man’s old disposition that restore his original sense, and in this way, man, who has been taken captive, can be snatched back from the hands of Satan. If man is freed from the influence and bondage of Satan, Satan will be shamed, man will ultimately be taken back, and Satan will be defeated. And because man has been freed from the dark influence of Satan, man will become the spoils of all of this battle, and Satan will become the object that will be punished once this battle has finished, after which the entire work of mankind’s salvation will have been completed.
God has no malice toward the creatures and wishes only to defeat Satan. All of His work—whether it be chastisement or judgment—is directed at Satan; it is carried out for the sake of mankind’s salvation, is all in order to defeat Satan, and it has one objective: doing battle with Satan to the very end! And God will never rest before He has been victorious over Satan! He will rest only once He has defeated Satan. Because all of the work done by God is directed at Satan, and because those who have been corrupted by Satan are all under the control of Satan’s domain and all live under Satan’s domain, if God did not battle against Satan or cause them to break with it, Satan would not relax its hold on these people, and they could not be gained. If they were not gained, it would prove that Satan has not been defeated, that it has not been vanquished. And so, in God’s 6,000-year management plan, during the first stage He did the work of the law, during the second stage He did the work of the Age of Grace, that is, the work of crucifixion, and during the third stage He did the work of conquering mankind. All this work is directed at the extent to which Satan has corrupted mankind, it is all in order to defeat Satan, and not one of the stages is not for the sake of defeating Satan. The substance of the 6,000-year work of God’s management is the battle against the great red dragon, and the work of managing mankind is also the work of defeating Satan, and the work of doing battle with Satan. God has battled for 6,000 years, and thus worked for 6,000 years, to ultimately bring man into the new realm. When Satan is defeated, man will be completely liberated. Is this not the direction of God’s work today? This is precisely the direction of the work of today: the complete liberation and freeing of man, so that he is not subject to any rules, nor limited by any binds or restrictions. All this work is done in accordance with your stature and in accordance with your needs, meaning that you are provided with whatever you can accomplish. It is not a case of “driving a duck onto a perch,” of forcing you to do things beyond your ability; instead, all this work is carried out in accordance with your actual needs. Each stage of work is in accordance with the actual needs and requirements of man, and is for the sake of defeating Satan. In fact, at the beginning there were no barriers between the Creator and His creatures. They are all caused by Satan. Man has become unable to see or touch anything because of Satan’s disturbance and its corruption. Man is the victim, the one who has been deceived. Once Satan has been defeated, the creatures will behold the Creator, and the Creator will look upon the creatures and be able to personally lead them. Only this is the life that man should have on earth. And so, God’s work is primarily in order to defeat Satan, and once Satan has been defeated, everything will be solved. Today, you have seen that it really is something for God to come among man. He has not come to spend each day finding fault in you, to say this and that, or to simply allow you to see what He looks like, and how He speaks and lives. God has not become flesh merely to allow you to look upon Him, or to open your eyes, or to allow you to hear the mysteries He has spoken of and the seven seals that He has opened. Rather, He has become flesh to defeat Satan. He has personally come among man in the flesh to save man, to do battle with Satan, and this is the significance of His incarnation. If it were not in order to defeat Satan, then He would not personally do this work. God has come to earth to do His work among man, to personally reveal Himself to man and allow man to behold Him; is this a small matter? It really is something! It is not as man imagines that God has come so that man may look upon Him, so that man may understand that God is real and not vague or hollow, and that God is lofty but also humble. Could it be that simple? It is precisely because Satan has corrupted the flesh of man, and man is the one who God intends to save, that God must assume the flesh to do battle with Satan and to personally shepherd man. Only this is beneficial to His work. The two incarnate fleshes of God have existed in order to defeat Satan, and have also existed in order to better save man. That is because the one doing the battle with Satan can only be God, whether it be the Spirit of God or the incarnate flesh of God. In short, the one doing the battle with Satan cannot be the angels, much less can it be man, who has been corrupted by Satan. The angels are powerless to do it, and man is even more impotent. As such, if God wishes to work the life of man, if He wishes to personally come to earth to work man, then He must personally become flesh, that is, He must personally put on the flesh, and with His inherent identity and the work that He must do, come among man and personally save man. If not, if it were the Spirit of God or man that did this work, then this battle would forever fail to achieve its effect, and would never end. Only when God becomes flesh to personally go to war against Satan among man does man have a chance of salvation. Furthermore, only then is Satan shamed, and left without any opportunities to exploit or any plans to execute. The work done by God incarnate is unachievable by the Spirit of God, and even more incapable of being done on God’s behalf by any fleshly man, for the work that He does is for the sake of the life of man, and in order to change the corrupt disposition of man. Were man to participate in this battle, he would only flee in woeful disarray, and would simply be incapable of changing the corrupt disposition of man. He would be incapable of saving man from the cross, or of conquering all of rebellious mankind, but only be able to do a little old work according to principle, or else work that is unrelated to the defeat of Satan. So why bother? What is the significance of work that cannot gain mankind, much less defeat Satan? And so, the battle with Satan can only be carried out by God Himself, and is simply incapable of being done by man. Man’s duty is to obey and to follow, for man is unable to do the work of opening up a new epoch, nor, moreover, can he carry out the work of battling Satan. Man can only satisfy the Creator under the leadership of God Himself, through which Satan is defeated; this is the only thing that man can do. And so, every time a new battle commences, which is to say, every time the work of the new age begins, this work is personally done by God Himself, through which He leads the entire age, and opens up a new path for the whole of mankind. The dawn of each new age is a new start in the battle with Satan, through which man enters a newer, more beautiful realm and a new age that is personally led by God Himself. Man is the master of all things, but those who have been gained will become the fruits of all battles with Satan. Satan is the corrupter of all things, it is the loser at the end of all battles, and is also the one which will be punished following these battles. Among God, man and Satan, only Satan is the one which will be detested and rejected. Those who were gained by Satan but are not taken back by God, meanwhile, become the ones who will receive punishment in behalf of Satan. Of these three, only God should be worshiped by all things. Those who were corrupted by Satan but are taken back by God and who follow the way of God, meanwhile, become the ones who will receive God’s promise and judge the evil ones for God. God will surely be victorious and Satan will surely be defeated, but among man there are those who will win and those who will lose. Those who win will belong to the Victor, and those who lose will belong to the loser; this is the classification of each according to kind, it is the final outcome of all God’s work, it is also the aim of all God’s work, and it will never change. The core of the main work of God’s management plan is focused on the salvation of man, and God becomes flesh primarily for the sake of this core, for the sake of this work, and in order to defeat Satan. The first time God became flesh was also in order to defeat Satan: He personally became flesh, and was personally nailed to the cross, in order to complete the work of the first battle, which was the work of mankind’s redemption. Likewise, this stage of work is also personally done by God, who has become flesh to do His work among man, to personally speak His word and allow man to see Him. Of course, it is inevitable that He also does some other work along the way, but the main reason He carries out His work personally is in order to defeat Satan, to conquer the whole of mankind, and to gain these people. And so, the work of God’s incarnation really is something. If His purpose were only to show man that God is humble and hidden, and that God is real, if it were only for the sake of doing this work, then there would be no need to become flesh. Even if God did not become flesh, He could reveal His humbleness and hiddenness, His greatness and holiness, to man directly, but such things have nothing to do with the work of managing mankind. They are incapable of saving man or making him complete, much less can they defeat Satan. If the defeat of Satan only involved the Spirit doing battle against a spirit, then such work would have even less practical value; it would be incapable of gaining man and would ruin the fate and prospects of man. As such, God’s work today is of profound significance. It is not only so that man may see Him, or so that man’s eyes may be opened, or in order to provide him with a little moving and encouragement; such work has no significance. If you can only speak of this kind of knowledge, then it proves that you do not know the true significance of God’s incarnation.
The work of God’s entire management plan is personally done by God Himself. The first stage—the creation of the world—was personally done by God Himself, and if it had not been, then no one would have been capable of creating mankind; the second stage was the redemption of all mankind, and it was also personally done by God Himself; the third stage goes without saying: There is an even greater need for the end of all God’s work to be done by God Himself. The work of redeeming, conquering, gaining, and perfecting the whole of mankind is all personally carried out by God Himself. If He did not personally do this work, then His identity could not be represented by man, or His work done by man. In order to defeat Satan, in order to gain mankind, and in order to give man a normal life on earth, He personally leads man and personally works among man; for the sake of His entire management plan, and for all of His work, He must personally do this work. If man only believes that God came to be seen by him and make him happy, then such beliefs hold no value, they have no significance. Man’s knowledge is too superficial! Only by carrying it out Himself can God do this work thoroughly and completely. Man is incapable of doing it on behalf of God. As he does not have God’s identity or His substance, he is incapable of doing His work, and even if man did, it would not have any effect. The first time God became flesh was for the sake of redemption, to redeem all mankind from sin, to make man capable of being cleansed and of being forgiven for his sins. The work of conquest is also personally done by God among man. If, during this stage, God were only to speak prophecy, then a prophet or someone gifted could be found to take His place; if only prophecy were spoken, man could stand in for God. Yet if man were to personally do the work of God Himself and were to work the life of man, it would be impossible for him to do this work. It must be personally done by God Himself: God must personally become flesh to do this work. In the Age of Word, if only prophecy were spoken, then Isaiah or Elijah the prophet could be found to do this work, and there would be no need for God Himself to do it personally. Because the work done in this stage is not merely the speaking of prophecy, and because it is of greater importance that the work of words is used to conquer man and defeat Satan, this work cannot be done by man, and must be personally done by God Himself. In the Age of Law Jehovah did part of God’s work, after which He spoke some words and did some work through the prophets. That is because man could stand in for the work of Jehovah, and the seers could foretell things and interpret some dreams on His behalf. The work done in the beginning was not the work of directly changing man’s disposition, and was unrelated to the sin of man, and man was required only to abide by the law. So Jehovah did not become flesh and reveal Himself to man; instead He spoke directly to Moses and others, made them speak and work on His behalf, and caused them to work directly among mankind. The first stage of God’s work was the leadership of man. It was the start of the battle with Satan, but this battle had yet to officially begin. The official war with Satan began with the first incarnation of God, and it has continued right up until today. The first instance of this war was when God incarnate was nailed to the cross. The crucifixion of God incarnate defeated Satan, and it was the first successful stage in the war. When God incarnate begins to directly work the life of man, this is the official start of the work of regaining man, and because this is the work of changing man’s old disposition, it is the work of doing battle with Satan. The stage of work done by Jehovah in the beginning was merely the leadership of man’s life on earth. It was the beginning of God’s work, and although it had yet to involve any battle, or any major work, it laid the foundation for the work of the battle to come. Later, the second stage of work during the Age of Grace involved changing man’s old disposition, which means that God Himself wrought the life of man. This had to be personally done by God: It required that God personally become flesh, and if He had not become flesh, no one else could have replaced Him in this stage of work, for it represented the work of fighting directly against Satan. If man had done this work on God’s behalf, when man stood before Satan, Satan would not have submitted and it would have been impossible to defeat it. It had to be God incarnate who came to defeat it, for the substance of God incarnate is still God, He is still the life of man, and He is still the Creator; whatever happens, His identity and substance will not change. And so, He put on the flesh and did the work to cause the complete submission of Satan. During the stage of work of the last days, if man were to do this work and were made to speak the words directly, then he would be unable to speak them, and if prophecy were spoken, then it would be incapable of conquering man. By assuming the flesh, God comes to defeat Satan and cause its complete submission. He utterly defeats Satan, fully conquers man, and completely gains man, after which this stage of work is completed, and success achieved. In God’s management, man cannot stand in for God. In particular, the work of leading the age and launching new work is in even greater need of being personally done by God Himself. Giving man revelation and providing him with prophecy can be done by man, but if it is work that must be personally done by God, work of the battle between God Himself and Satan, then this work cannot be done by man. During the first stage of work, when there was no battle with Satan, Jehovah personally led the people of Israel using the prophecy spoken by the prophets. Afterward, the second stage of work was the battle with Satan, and God Himself personally became flesh, coming into the flesh, to do this work. Anything that involves the battle with Satan also involves the incarnation of God, which means that this battle cannot be waged by man. If man were to do battle, he would be incapable of defeating Satan. How could he have the strength to fight against it whilst still under its domain? Man is in the middle: If you lean toward Satan you belong to Satan, but if you satisfy God you belong to God. Were man to stand in for God in the work of this battle, would he be able to? If he did, would he not have perished long ago? Would he not have entered into the netherworld long ago? And so, man is unable to replace God in His work, which is to say that man does not have the substance of God, and if you did battle with Satan you would be incapable of defeating it. Man can only do some work; he can win some people over, but he cannot stand in for God in the work of God Himself. How could man do battle with Satan? Satan would take you captive before you’d even started. Only God Himself can do battle with Satan, and upon this basis man can follow God and obey Him. Only in this way can man be gained by God and escape from the bonds of Satan. What man can achieve with his own wisdom, authority and abilities is too limited; he is incapable of making man complete, of leading him, and, moreover, of defeating Satan. Man’s intelligence and wisdom are unable to thwart the schemes of Satan, so how could man do battle with it?
All those who are willing to be made perfect have the chance to be made perfect, so everyone must relax: In the future you will all enter the destination. But if you are unwilling to be made perfect, and are unwilling to enter the wonderful realm, then that is your own problem. All those who are willing to be made perfect and are loyal to God, all those who obey, and all those who faithfully perform their function—all such people can be made perfect. Today, all those who do not loyally perform their duty, all those who are not loyal to God, all those who do not submit to God, particularly those who have received the enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit but do not put it into practice—all such people are unable to be made perfect. All those who are willing to be loyal and obey God can be made perfect, even if they are a little ignorant; all those who are willing to pursue can be made perfect. There is no need to worry about this. As long as you are willing to pursue in this direction, you can be made perfect. I am unwilling to forsake or eliminate any of those among you, but if man does not strive to do well, then you are only ruining yourself; it is not Me that eliminates you, but you yourself. If you yourself do not strive to do well—if you are lazy, or do not perform your duty, or are not loyal, or do not pursue the truth, and always do as you please, spending money and having sexual liaisons, then you condemn yourself, and are unworthy of anyone’s pity. My purpose is for all of you to be made perfect, and at the very least be conquered, so that this stage of work may be successfully completed. God’s wish is for every person to be made perfect, to be ultimately gained by Him, to be completely cleansed by Him, and to become one He loves. It matters not whether I say you are backward or of poor caliber—this is all fact. My saying this does not prove that I intend to forsake you, that I have lost hope in you, much less that I am unwilling to save you. Today I have come to do the work of your salvation, which is to say that the work I do is a continuation of the work of salvation. Every person has the chance to be made perfect: Provided that you are willing, provided that you pursue, in the end you will be able to achieve the effects, and not one of you will be forsaken. If you are of poor caliber, My requirements of you will be in accordance with your poor caliber; if you are of high caliber, My requirements of you will be in accordance with your high caliber; if you are ignorant and illiterate, My requirements of you will be in accordance with your illiteracy; if you are literate, My requirements of you will be in accordance with your level of literacy; if you are elderly, My requirements of you will be in accordance with your age; if you are capable of providing hospitality, My requirements of you will be in accordance with this; if you say you cannot offer hospitality, and can only perform a certain function, whether it be spreading the gospel, or taking care of the church, or attending to other general affairs, My perfection of you will be in accordance with the function that you perform. Being loyal, obeying to the very end, and pursuing the supreme love of God—this is what you must accomplish, and there are no better practices than these three things. Ultimately, man is required to achieve these three things, and if he can achieve them he will be made perfect. But, above all, you must truly pursue, you must actively press onward and upward, and not be passive toward that. I have said that every person has the chance to be made perfect, and is capable of being made perfect, and this counts, but if you do not try to be better in your pursuit, if you do not achieve these three criteria, then in the end you must be eliminated. I want everyone to catch up, want everyone to have the work and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, and be able to obey to the very end, because this is the duty that each of you should perform. When you have all performed your duty, you will all have been made perfect, you will also have resounding testimony. All those who have testimony are those who have been victorious over Satan and gained God’s promise, and they are the ones who will remain to live in the wonderful destination.
Footnotes:
a. The original text reads “today, it is because.”
