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Does the Trinity Exist?

It was only after the truth of Jesus become flesh came to be that man realized this: It is not only the Father in heaven, but also the Son, and even the Spirit. This is the conventional notion man holds, that there is a God such as this in heaven: a Trinity that is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all in one. All mankind has these notions: God is one God, but comprises three parts, what all those grievously entrenched in conventional notions deem to be the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Only those three parts made one is all of God. Without the Holy Father, God would not be whole. Similarly, neither would God be whole without the Son or the Holy Spirit. In their notions, they believe that neither the Father alone nor the Son alone can be deemed God. Only the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit together can be deemed God Himself. Now, all religious believers, including each and every follower among you, hold this belief. Yet, as for whether this belief is correct, none can explain, for you are always in a fog of confusion about the matters of God Himself. Though these are notions, you do not know whether they are right or wrong, for you have become too grievously infected by religious notions. You have accepted too deeply these conventional notions of religion, and this poison has seeped too deep within you. Therefore, so too in this matter have you succumbed to this pernicious influence, for the Trinity simply does not exist. That is, the Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit simply does not exist. These are all conventional notions of man, and the fallacious beliefs of man. Throughout many centuries, man has believed in this Trinity, conjured up by notions in the mind of man, fabricated by man, and never before seen by man. Throughout these many years, there have been many spiritual greats who have explained the “true meaning” of the Trinity, but such explanations of the Trinity as three distinct consubstantial persons have been vague and unclear, and all are befuddled by the “construct” of God. No great man has ever been able to offer a thorough explanation; most explanations pass muster in terms of reasoning and on paper, but not a single man has a fully clear understanding of its meaning. This is because this great Trinity man holds in the heart simply does not exist. For none have ever seen the true countenance of God or have any been fortunate enough to ascend to the abode of God for a visit so as to examine what items are present in the place where God lies, to determine exactly how many tens of thousands or hundreds of millions of generations are in the “house of God” or to investigate just how many parts compose the inherent construct of God. What mainly needs to be examined is: the age of the Father and the Son, as well as the Holy Spirit; the respective appearances of each person; exactly how is it that They split up, and how is it that They are made one. Unfortunately, in all these many years, not a single man has been able to determine the truth of these matters. They all simply conjecture, for not a single man has ever ascended to heaven for a visit and returned with an “investigative report” for all mankind in order to report on the truth of the matter to all those fervent and devout religious believers concerned about the Trinity. Of course, the blame cannot be put on man for forming such notions, for why did Jehovah the Father not have Jesus the Son accompany Him when He created mankind? If, in the beginning, all had gone by the name of Jehovah, it would have been better. If blame must be put, let it be put on the momentary lapse of Jehovah God, who did not call the Son and the Holy Spirit before Him in the time of creation, but rather carried out His work alone. If They had all worked simultaneously, then would They not have become one? If, from the very beginning until the end, there was only the name Jehovah and not the name of Jesus from the Age of Grace, or if He had then still been called Jehovah, then would God not have been spared the suffering of this division by mankind? To be sure, Jehovah cannot be lamented for this all; if blame must be put, let it be put on the Holy Spirit, who for thousands of years continued His work by the name of Jehovah, of Jesus, and even of the Holy Spirit, befuddling and confusing man such that man could not know who exactly is God. If the Holy Spirit Himself had worked without form or image, and moreover, without a name such as Jesus, and man could neither touch nor see Him, only hearing the sounds of thunder, then would not this kind of work have been of more benefit to mankind? So what can be done now? The notions of man have amassed high as a mountain and wide as the sea, to the extent that the God of present day can no longer endure them and is at a complete loss. In the past when it was only Jehovah, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in between the two, man was already at a loss as to how to cope, and now there is the addition of the Almighty, who is even said to also be a part of God. Who knows who He is and in which person of the Trinity He has been intermingled with or hidden within for however many years? How can man bear this? The Trinity alone was enough to take man a lifetime to explain, but now there is “one God in four persons.” How can this be explained? Can you explain it? Brothers and sisters! How have you believed in such a God until this day? I take My hat off to you. The Trinity was already enough to bear, and yet now you continue to have such unshakable faith in this one God in four persons. You’ve been urged to get out, yet you refuse. How inconceivable! You are really something! A person can actually go so far as to believe in four Gods and make nothing of it; do you not think this is a miracle? I could not tell that you are able to work such a great miracle! Let Me tell you that, in truth, the Trinity does not exist anywhere in this universe. God has no Father and no Son, much less is there the concept of an instrument jointly used by the Father and the Son: the Holy Spirit. All of this is the greatest fallacy and simply does not exist in this world! Yet even such a fallacy has its origin and is not entirely without basis, for your minds are not so simple, and your thoughts are not without reason. Rather, they are quite appropriate and ingenious, so much so that they are impregnable even to any Satan. The pity is that these thoughts are all fallacies and simply do not exist! You have not seen the real truth at all; you are merely making conjectures and conceptions, then fabricating it all into a story to deceitfully gain others’ trust and to gain dominance over those most foolish of men without wit or reason, so that they believe in your great and renowned “expert teachings.” Is this truth? Is this the way of life that man should receive? It is all nonsense! Not a single word is appropriate! Throughout these many years, God has been split by you in this way, being split finer and finer with each generation, to the extent that one God has been openly split into three Gods. And now it is simply impossible for man to rejoin God as one, for you have split Him up too finely! If not for My prompt work before it was too late, it is hard to say how long you would have brazenly continued this way! To continue splitting God in this way, how can He still be your God? Would you still recognize God? Would you still return to Him? If I had arrived any later, it is likely that you would have sent the “Father and Son,” Jehovah and Jesus back to Israel and claimed that you yourselves are a part of God. Fortunately, it is now the last days. Finally, this day I have long awaited has come, and only after I carried out this stage of work by My own hand has your splitting of God Himself been halted. If not for this, you would have escalated, even placing all the Satans among you onto altars for worship. This is your artifice! Your means of splitting God! Will you continue to do so now? Let Me ask you: How many Gods are there? Which God will bring you salvation? Is it the first God, the second, or the third that you always pray to? Which of Them do you always believe in? Is it the Father? Or the Son? Or is it the Spirit? Tell Me who it is that you believe in. Though with every word you say you believe in God, what you actually believe is your own brain! You simply do not have God in your heart! And yet in your minds are a number of such “Trinities”! Do you not agree?

If the three stages of work are assessed in accordance with this concept of the Trinity, then there must be three Gods as the work carried out by each is not the same. If any among you says that the Trinity indeed exists, then explain what exactly is this one God in three persons. What is the Holy Father? What is the Son? What is the Holy Spirit? Is Jehovah the Holy Father? Is Jesus the Son? Then what of the Holy Spirit? Is not the Father a Spirit? Is not the substance of the Son also a Spirit? Was not the work of Jesus the work of the Holy Spirit? Was not the work of Jehovah at the time carried out by a Spirit the same as Jesus’? How many Spirits can God have? According to your explanation, the three persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one; if so, there are three Spirits, but to have three Spirits means there are three Gods. This means that there is no one true God; how can this kind of God still have the inherent substance of God? If you accept that there is only one God, then how can He have a son and be a father? Are these not all simply your notions? There is only one God, only one person in this God, and only one Spirit of God, much as it is written down in the Bible that “There is only one Holy Spirit and only one God.” Regardless of whether the Father and the Son of which you speak exist, there is only one God after all, and the substance of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit you believe in is the substance of the Holy Spirit. In other words, God is a Spirit, but He is able to become flesh and live among men, as well as to be above all things. His Spirit is all-inclusive and omnipresent. He can simultaneously be in the flesh and throughout the universe. Since all people say that God is the only one true God, then there is a single God, divisible at will by none! God is only one Spirit, and only one person; and that is the Spirit of God. If it is as you say, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, then are They not three Gods? The Holy Spirit is one matter, the Son another, and the Father yet another. They are distinct persons of different substances, so how then can They each be part of a single God? The Holy Spirit is a Spirit; this is easy for man to understand. If so, then the Father is even more so a Spirit. He has never descended onto earth and has never become flesh; He is Jehovah God in the heart of man, and He is certainly a Spirit as well. Then what is the relationship between Him and the Holy Spirit? Is it the relationship between Father and Son? Or is it the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of the Father? Is the substance of each Spirit the same? Or is the Holy Spirit an instrument of the Father? How can this be explained? And then what is the relationship between the Son and the Holy Spirit? Is it a relationship between two Spirits or the relationship between a man and a Spirit? These are all matters that can have no explanation! If They are all one Spirit, then there can be no talk of three persons, for They are possessed of a single Spirit. If They were distinct persons, then Their Spirits would vary in strength, and simply They could not be one single Spirit. This concept of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is most absurd! This segments God and splits Him into three persons, each with a status and Spirit; how then can He still be one Spirit and one God? Tell Me, were the heavens and earth, and all things within it created by the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit? Some say that They created it all together. Then who redeemed mankind? Was it the Holy Spirit, the Son, or the Father? Some say it was the Son who redeemed mankind. Then who is the Son in substance? Is He not the incarnation of the Spirit of God? The incarnation calls God in heaven by the name of Father from the perspective of a created man. Are you not aware that Jesus was born from the conception through the Holy Spirit? Within Him is the Holy Spirit; whatever you say, He is still one with God in heaven, for He is the incarnation of the Spirit of God. This idea of the Son simply is untrue. It is one Spirit who carries out all of the work; only God Himself, that is, the Spirit of God carries out His work. Who is the Spirit of God? Is it not the Holy Spirit? Is it not the Holy Spirit who works in Jesus? If the work had not been carried out by the Holy Spirit (that is, the Spirit of God), then could His work represent God Himself? When Jesus called God in heaven by the name of Father as He prayed, this was done only from the perspective of a created man, only because the Spirit of God had clothed Himself as an ordinary and normal man and had the exterior cover of a created being. Even if within Him was the Spirit of God, His exterior appearance was still that of an ordinary man; in other words, He had become the “Son of man” of which all men, including Jesus Himself, spoke. Given that He is called the Son of man, He is a person (whether man or woman, in any case one with the exterior shell of a human being) born into a normal family of ordinary people. Therefore, Jesus calling God in heaven by the name of Father was the same as how you at first called Him Father; He did so from the perspective of a man of creation. Do you still remember the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus taught you to memorize? “Our Father in heaven….” He asked all man to call God in heaven by the name of Father. And since He too called Him Father, He did so from the perspective of one who stands on an equal footing with you all. Since you called God in heaven by the name of Father, this shows that Jesus saw Himself to be on equal footing with you, and as a man on earth chosen by God (that is, the Son of God). If you call God “Father,” is this not because you are a created being? However great the authority of Jesus on earth, prior to the crucifixion, He was merely a Son of man, governed by the Holy Spirit (that is, God), and one of the earth’s created beings, for He had yet to complete His work. Therefore, His calling God in heaven Father was solely His humility and obedience. His addressing God (that is, the Spirit in heaven) in such a manner, however, does not prove that He is the Son of the Spirit of God in heaven. Rather, it is simply that His perspective is different, not that He is a different person. The existence of distinct persons is a fallacy! Prior to His crucifixion, Jesus was a Son of man bound by the limitations of the flesh, and He did not fully possess the authority of the Spirit. That is why He could only seek the will of God the Father from the perspective of a created being. It is as He thrice prayed in Gethsemane: “Not as I will, but as you will.” Before He was laid on the cross, He was but the King of the Jews; He was Christ, the Son of man, and not a body of glory. That is why, from the standpoint of a created being, He called God Father. Now, you cannot say that all who call God Father are the Son. If this were so, then would you not have all become the Son once Jesus taught you the Lord’s Prayer? If you are still not convinced, then tell Me, who is the one that you call Father? If you are referring to Jesus, then who is the Father of Jesus to you? After Jesus went away, this idea of the Father and the Son was no longer. This idea was only appropriate for the years when Jesus became flesh; under all other circumstances, the relationship is one between the Lord of creation and a created being when you call God Father. There is no time at which this idea of the Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit can stand; it is a fallacy rarely seen through the ages and does not exist!

This may call to mind for most people the words of God from Genesis: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Given that God says let “us” make man in “our” image, then “us” indicates two or more; since He stated “us,” then there is not just one God. In this way, man began to think in the abstract of distinct persons, and from these words arose the idea of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. What then is the Father like? What is the Son like? And what is the Holy Spirit like? Could it possibly be that the mankind of today was made in the image of one joined together from three? Then is the image of man like that of the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit? Which of the persons of God is man in the image of? This idea of man’s is simply incorrect and nonsensical! It can only split one God into several Gods. At the time that Moses wrote Genesis, it was after mankind was created following the creation of the world. In the very beginning, when the world began, Moses did not exist. And it was not until much later that Moses wrote the Bible, so how could he have possibly known what it was that God in heaven spoke? He had not an inkling of how God created the world. In the Old Testament of the Bible, there is no mention of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, only of the one true God, Jehovah, carrying out His work in Israel. He is called by different names as the age changes, but this cannot prove that each name refers to a different person. If this were so, then would there not be innumerable persons in God? What is written in the Old Testament is the work of Jehovah, a stage of work of God Himself for commencement in the Age of Law. It was the work of God, where as He spoke, it was, and as He commanded, it stood. At no time did Jehovah say that He was the Father come to carry out work, or did He ever prophesy the Son coming to redeem mankind. When it came to the time of Jesus, it was only said that God had become flesh to redeem all mankind, not that it was the Son who had come. Because the ages are not alike and the work that God Himself does also differs, He needs to carry out His work within different realms. In this way, the identity He represents also differs. Man believes that Jehovah is the Father of Jesus, but this was actually not acknowledged by Jesus, who said: “We were never distinguished as Father and Son; I and the Father in heaven are one. The Father is in Me and I am in the Father; when man sees the Son, they are seeing the heavenly Father.” When all has been said, be it the Father or the Son, They are one Spirit, not divided into separate persons. Once man attempts to explain, matters are complicated with the idea of distinct persons, as well as the relationship between Father, Son, and Spirit. When man speaks of separate persons, does this not materialize God? Man even ranks the persons as first, second, and third; these are all but the conceptions of man, not worthy of reference, and utterly unrealistic! If you asked him: “How many Gods are there?” he would say that God is the Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: the one true God. If you asked again: “Who is the Father?” he would say: “The Father is the Spirit of God in heaven; He is in charge of all, and is the Master of heaven.” “Then is Jehovah the Spirit?” He would say: “Yes!” If you then asked him, “Who is the Son?” he would say that Jesus is the Son, of course. “Then what is the story of Jesus? From whence did He come?” He would say: “Jesus was born to Mary through the conception of the Holy Spirit.” “Then is His substance not the Spirit as well? Is not His work also representative of the Holy Spirit? Jehovah is the Spirit, and so too is the substance of Jesus. Now in the last days, needless to say it is still the Spirit at work;[a] how could They be different persons? Is it not simply the Spirit of God carrying out the work of the Spirit from different perspectives?” As such, there is no distinction between persons. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and indubitably, His work was precisely that of the Holy Spirit. In the first stage of work carried out by Jehovah, He neither became flesh nor appeared to man. So man never saw His appearance. No matter how great and how tall He was, He was still the Spirit, God Himself who first created man. That is, He was the Spirit of God. When He spoke to man from among the clouds, He was merely a Spirit. None witnessed His appearance; only in the Age of Grace when the Spirit of God came into the flesh and was incarnated in Judea did man see for the first time the image of the incarnation as a Jew. The feeling of Jehovah could not be sensed. However, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, that is, conceived by the Spirit of Jehovah Himself, and Jesus was still born as the embodiment of the Spirit of God. What man first saw was the Holy Spirit descending like a dove upon Jesus; it was not the Spirit exclusive to Jesus, but rather the Holy Spirit. Then can the Spirit of Jesus be separated from the Holy Spirit? If Jesus is Jesus, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit, then how could They be one? The work could not be carried out if so. The Spirit within Jesus, the Spirit in heaven, and the Spirit of Jehovah are all one. It can be called the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the sevenfold intensified Spirit, and the all-inclusive Spirit. The Spirit of God alone can carry out much work. He is able to create the world and destroy it by flooding the earth; He can redeem all mankind, and moreover, conquer and destroy all mankind. This work is all carried out by God Himself and cannot have been done by any other of the persons of God in His stead. His Spirit can be called by the name of Jehovah and Jesus, as well as the Almighty. He is the Lord, and Christ. He can also become the Son of man. He is in the heavens and also on the earth; He is on high above the universes and among the multitude. He is the only Master of the heavens and earth! From the time of creation until now, this work has been carried out by the Spirit of God Himself. Be it the work in the heavens or in the flesh, all is carried out by His own Spirit. All creatures, whether in heaven or on earth, are in the palm of His almighty hand; all of this is the work of God Himself and can be done by no other in His stead. In the heavens, He is the Spirit but also God Himself; among men, He is flesh but remains God Himself. Though He may be called by hundreds of thousands of names, He is still Himself, and all the work[b] is the direct expression of His Spirit. The redemption of all mankind through His crucifixion was the direct work of His Spirit, and so too is the proclamation unto all nations and all lands during the last days. At all times, God can only be called the almighty and one true God, the all-inclusive God Himself. The distinct persons do not exist, much less this idea of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! There is only one God in heaven and on earth!

The management plan of God spans six thousand years and is divided into three ages based on the differences in His work: The first age is the Old Testament Age of Law; the second is the Age of Grace; and the third is that which belongs to the last days—the Age of Kingdom. In each age a different identity is represented. This is only because of the difference in the work, that is, the requirements of the work. The first stage of work was carried out in Israel, and the second stage of concluding the work of redemption was carried out in Judea. For the work of redemption, Jesus was born from the conception through the Holy Spirit and as the only Son. All of this was owing to the requirements of the work. In the last days, God wishes to expand His work into the Gentile nations and conquer the people there, so that His name may be great among them. He wishes to guide man in understanding all the right ways of human life, as well as all truth and the way of life. All of this work is carried out by one Spirit. Though He may do so from different standpoints, the nature and principles of the work remain the same. Once you observe the principles and nature of the work They have carried out, then you will know that it is all by the hand of a single Spirit. Still some may say: The Father is the Father; the Son is the Son; the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit, and in the end, They will be made one. Then how should you make Them one? How can the Father and the Holy Spirit be made one? If They were inherently two, then no matter how They are joined together, would They not remain two parts? When you say making Them one, isn’t that simply joining two separate parts to make one whole? But were They not two parts before being made whole? Each Spirit has a distinct substance, and two Spirits cannot be made into a single one. The Spirit is not a material object and is unlike anything else in the material world. As men see it, the Father is one Spirit, the Son another, and the Holy Spirit yet another, then the three Spirits mix like three glasses of water into one whole. Is not that then the three made one? This is an erroneous explanation! Is this not splitting up God? How can the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all be made one? Are They not three parts each of different natures? There are still those who say, did not God expressly state that Jesus was His beloved Son? “Jesus is the beloved Son of God, in whom He is well pleased” was certainly spoken by God Himself. That was God bearing witness to Himself, but merely from a different perspective, that of the Spirit in heaven bearing witness to His own incarnation. Jesus is His incarnation, not His Son in heaven. Do you understand? Do not the words of Jesus, “The Father is in Me and I am in the Father,” indicate that They are one Spirit? And is it not because of the incarnation that They were separated between heaven and earth? In reality, They are still one; no matter what, it is simply God bearing witness to Himself. Owing to the change in ages, requirements of the work, and the differing stages of His management plan, the name by which man calls Him also differs. When He came to carry out the first stage of work, He could only be called Jehovah, shepherd of the Israelites. In the second stage, the incarnate God could only be called Lord, and Christ. But at that time, the Spirit in heaven stated only that He was the beloved Son of God, and made no mention of His being the only Son of God. This simply did not happen. How could God have an only child? Then would God not have become man? Because He was the incarnation, He was called the beloved Son of God, and, from this, came the relationship between Father and Son. It was simply because of the separation between heaven and earth. Jesus prayed from the perspective of the flesh. Since He had put on a flesh of such normal humanity, it is from the perspective of the flesh that He said: My outer shell is that of a created being. Since I put on a flesh to come to this earth, I am now a long, long way from heaven. For this reason, He could only pray to God the Father from the perspective of the flesh. This was His duty, and that which the incarnate Spirit of God should be furnished with. It cannot be said that He is not God simply because He prays to the Father from the perspective of the flesh. Though He is called the beloved Son of God, He is still God Himself, for He is but the incarnation of the Spirit, and His substance is still the Spirit. As man sees it, they wonder why He prays if He is God Himself. This is because He is the incarnate God, God living within the flesh, and not the Spirit in heaven. As man sees it, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all God. Only the three all made as one can be deemed the one true God, and, in this way, is His power exceptionally great. There are still those who say that only in this way is He the sevenfold intensified Spirit. When the Son prayed after His coming, that is the Spirit to whom He prayed. In reality, He was praying from the perspective of a created being. For the flesh is not whole, and He was not whole and had many weaknesses when He came into the flesh. Thus was He much troubled as He carried out His work in the flesh. That is why He thrice prayed to God the Father prior to His crucifixion, as well as many times even before that. He prayed among His disciples; He prayed alone upon a mountain; He prayed aboard the fishing boat; He prayed among a multitude of people; He prayed when breaking bread; and He prayed when blessing others. Why did He do so? It was the Spirit to whom He prayed; He was praying to the Spirit, to God in heaven, from the perspective of the flesh. Therefore, from man’s standpoint, Jesus became the Son in that stage of work. In this stage, however, He does not pray. Why is this? This is because what He brings forth is the work of the word, and the judgment and chastisement of the word. He has no need for prayers, for His ministry is to speak. He is not put upon the cross, and He is not turned over by man to those in power. He simply carries out His work and all is set. At the time when Jesus prayed, He was praying to God the Father for the descent of the kingdom of heaven, for the will of the Father to be done, and for the work to come. In this stage, the kingdom of heaven has already descended, so does He still have need to pray? His work is to bring the age to an end, and there are no more new ages, so is there a need to pray for the next stage? I’m afraid there is not!

There are many contradictions in the explanations of man. Indeed, these are all the notions of man; without further scrutiny, you would all believe they are correct. Do you not know that this idea of God as a Trinity is but the notion of man? No knowledge of man is full and thorough. There are always impurities, and man has too many ideas; this demonstrates that a created being simply cannot explain the work of God. There is too much in the mind of man, all coming from logic and thought, that conflicts with the truth. Can your logic thoroughly dissect the work of God? Can you gain an insight into all the work of Jehovah? Is it you as a man who can see through it all, or is it God Himself who is able to see from everlasting to everlasting? Is it you who can see from everlasting long ago to the everlasting to come, or is it God who can do so? What do you say? How are you worthy to explain God? On what basis is your explanation? Are you God? The heavens and earth, and all things in it were created by God Himself. It was not you who did this, so why are you giving incorrect explanations? Now, do you continue to believe in the Trinity? Do you not think it is too burdensome this way? It would be best for you to believe in one God, not in three. It is best to be light, for “the burden of the Lord is light.”

Footnotes:

a. The original text omits “at work.”

b. The original text omits “the work.”

May 28, 2003

from The Word Appears in the Flesh

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Are Almighty God and the Lord Jesus One God?

When mankind was corrupted by Satan, God began His management plan for the salvation of mankind. God has carried out three stages of work for the salvation of mankind. During the Age of Law, Jehovah God issued the laws and guided the life of mankind, making people know that they should worship God, and making them know what sin is. But with the arrival of the final stages of the Age of Law, mankind’s corruption became ever more profound, and people often violated the laws and sinned against Jehovah. They faced the risk of being condemned and put to death because of their violations. Thus, in answer to the needs of mankind, during the Age of Grace God assumed human form and became the Lord Jesus. He was nailed to the cross for the sake of mankind, and redeemed man from sin, enabling people to come before God and pray to God, confess and repent, be forgiven for their sins, and live under the riches of God’s grace and blessings. But because people’s sinful nature had yet to be resolved, and they still often sinned and opposed God, in the Age of Kingdom God once more became flesh, using the name of Almighty God to express all truths for the salvation and purification of mankind upon the foundation of the Lord Jesus’ work of redemption, expunging mankind’s sinful nature, causing mankind to cease its disobedience to God and opposition to God, allowing people to truly obey God and worship God, and ultimately leading mankind to a beautiful destination. Even though the work God has done in the Age of Law, Age of Grace, and Age of Kingdom has been different, and the names He has taken and disposition He has displayed have been different, the substance and aims of His work are the same—all are in order to save mankind, and all the work is done by God Himself. As Almighty God said, “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” (“The Vision of God’s Work (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

For thousands of years, few people have truly known that the Lord Jesus Christ is God Himself, that He is the appearance of God, and that the Lord Jesus is the incarnation of Jehovah. In fact, the Bible had long since prophesied this clearly. In the Book of Isaiah, it was said that “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief: when you shall make his soul an offering for sin (or: when he shall render himself as an offering for sin)” (Isa 53:10). From this passage of the Bible it can be seen that for the Lord Jesus to serve as a sin offering means that Jehovah offered Himself as a sin offering, and that the Lord Jesus was Jehovah. The Lord Jesus also said, “he that has seen me has seen the Father” (Jhn 14:9). “the Father is in me, and I in him” (Jhn 10:38). “I and my Father are one” (Jhn 10:30). When the Lord Jesus said that “I and my Father are one,” He was saying that He and Jehovah are one Spirit. The words uttered by the Lord Jesus and those uttered by Jehovah are the same—they are both the truth, they are the utterances of one Spirit, and their source is the same; that is, the Lord Jesus and Jehovah are one God. Likewise, the source of the words expressed by Almighty God of the last days and those by the Lord Jesus is the same, they are the utterances of the Holy Spirit, they are the truth, and they are the voice of God. Those who believe in the Lord all know that greater number of prophecies in the Bible concern the return of the Lord and the work of judgment of God of the last days. As the Lord Jesus said, “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” (Jhn 14:3). “And, behold, I come quickly” (Rev 22:12). “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luk 21:27). “Behold, I come as a thief” (Rev 16:15). “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 12:48). In the First Epistle of Peter it was also said that, “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (1Pe 4:17). It was spoken very clearly in these scriptures that the Lord Jesus would return during the last days, and would express words and do the work of judgment. When Almighty God arrives during the last days, He does the work of judgment beginning from the house of God upon the foundation of the work of redemption of the Lord Jesus, and expresses all truths for the purification and salvation of mankind. Although the work of Almighty God and that of the Lord Jesus are different, their source is the same—the one God! This completely fulfills the prophecy of the Lord Jesus: “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come” (Jhn 16:12-13). The incarnate Almighty God of the last days is the embodiment of the Spirit of truth; Almighty God is the return of the Lord Jesus.

Read more: Is Eastern Lightning the Return of the Lord Jesus?

                    The origin of the Church of Almighty God

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The Church of Almighty God | A Surprising Gain From Receiving a Stranger – Return of Jesus

A Surprising Gain From Receiving a Stranger – Return of Jesus

Feng ying

I used to be a preacher of a house church. One day in a co-worker meeting, Pastor Chen read a passage of the Bible, “I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ to another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:6-7). And then he said, “Co-workers, now the Eastern Lightning followers say that the Lord Jesus has returned to do the work of judgment. And many good sheep in other churches have been stolen by them. How can we give an account to the Lord in the future if we fail to look after His flock well? So I decide that in order to protect the flock, no one is allowed to receive any stranger. And if anyone accepts the Eastern Lightning, he will be expelled from the church.” I was greatly shocked by his words, thinking, “Why have so many true believers in the Lord accepted the Eastern Lightning? How could that be? From now on I must be cautious and never receive strangers.”

In the following days, I went to every meeting place to communicate Pastor Chen’s words and asked the believers to obey them. After that, I breathed a sigh of relief, believing acting this way was devotion to the Lord. One day, an elderly sister came to my home in a fluster and said, “Fengying, a stranger came to preach the Eastern Lightning, and she said the Lord Jesus has already come back to express the truth …” “Where is she?” I immediately interrupted her. “I’ll go and have a look.” As soon as I got to the elderly sister’s house with her, I quickly walked up to the sister who came to preach the gospel and said, “You are the one preaching the Eastern Lightning?” “Yes, auntie,” She said with a smile. “The Eastern Lightning is the Jehovah God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus.” “Which verse of the Bible records that the Eastern Lightning is the Jehovah God?” I asked. “You’d better go now. We won’t believe whatever you are preaching.” Then she replied peacefully, “Auntie, have you forgotten that the Bible says, ‘Ask you of the LORD rain in the time of the latter rain’ (Zechariah 10:1). Isn’t the LORD the God who makes the lightning?” Her words made me speechless, like giving me a head-on blow. In order to save my face, I fought back, “You can preach to those unbelievers if you will. Besides, we don’t know you. And the pastors and elders forbid us to receive strangers. Go now!” A sister said, “Right! We don’t know you. Go away!” But she said calmly, “Actually, we believers in the Lord should listen to the Lord’s word. The Lord Jesus has never said that no one is allowed to receive strangers; instead He said, ‘Whoever shall receive this child in my name receives me: and whoever shall receive me receives him that sent me’ (Luke 9:48). The Lord said that whoever receives the messengers that preach the gospel receives Him. But your pastors and elders don’t allow you to receive strangers, aren’t they disobeying the Lord’s teachings?” Another one said hastily, “If you don’t leave, I’ll call 110 and then you’ll go.” Everyone present attacked or threatened her, and she was driven away.

After the sister left, I couldn’t help thinking: This stranger’s words don’t depart from the Bible. And she is rather devout and doesn’t look like a bad woman. At night, my heart beat violently and I felt very uncomfortable. So I examined in what way I had offended the Lord. Then I remembered how I rejected the people who preached the Eastern Lightning in the past. Was my doing so against the Lord’s will? Thinking of this, I felt it hard to calm down. Recalling that the Lord Jesus taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves in the Bible, I got even more confused. So I prayed, “O Lord, I have worked, preached, and protected the flock for You. Why am I having a heart attack? Is it wrong for me not to receive the stranger? O Lord, I am so confused and don’t know what should I do to be after Your heart. O Lord, please guide me.” After the prayer, the words in the Bible that young sister said occurred to me, “Whoever shall receive this child in my name receives me: and whoever shall receive me receives him that sent me” (Luke 9:48). I pondered: Right! The Lord Jesus said we should even receive a child, and He never said not to receive strangers. So, is it wrong for me to reject that sister? Then I recalled what the pastors and elders said, thinking: They don’t allow us to receive strangers for the sake of the sheep’s life. They’ve done no wrong. I was really confused at the moment. So I prayed many times and entrusted the Lord with this matter, asking Him to guide me to understand His will.

A few days later, that young sister came to my home. I said, “These days there are many people preaching the Eastern Lightning, and our pastors and elders repeatedly ask us not to contact strangers. You are a stranger, and I don’t know you.” Then she said quietly, “Auntie, as a preacher, you should know that in the Bible there were many people who obtained unexpected blessing unawares just because they received strangers.

The Bible records: Abraham received three strangers, and then he had a son when he was one hundred years old. Lot received strangers, and when Sodom was destroyed, he and his two daughters survived. Rahab the harlot received strangers, and she and the others in her house were spared. The poor widow from Zarephath received a stranger, the prophet Elijah, and then the bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry; and when the son of the widow was seriously sick and there was no breath left in him, Elijah prayed to God and cured him. All of those who received strangers obtained God’s grace unawares. Just as the Lord Jesus said, ‘He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward’ (Matthew 10:41). These are the Lord’s teachings to us, and we should put them into practice. Auntie, is what I said true?” I replied, “Yes. We also frequently preach these at gatherings.” Then she said, “Auntie, if we merely talk about them without practicing them, we won’t gain the truth. Just like the Lord Jesus said, ‘Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, which built his house on a rock’ (Matthew 7:24). From these examples recorded in the Bible, we can see that if we receive strangers, not only won’t we be deceived, but instead we will gain God’s protection and blessings. The Bible also says, ‘Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares’ (Hebrews 13:2). If no one had received the strangers just as what the pastors and elders said, then how could the gospel of Jesus Christ be spread from the western countries to our country? Do we know those missionaries from the West? The Lord Jesus said, ‘Go you into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature’ (Mark 16:15). Since those people went to all nations to preach the gospel, there must be lots of people who didn’t know them. Just like when the Lord Jesus’ disciples and Paul were spreading the Lord’s gospel everywhere, how could many people know them? So, is it in line with the Lord’s teachings that the pastors and elders said not to receive strangers? If we blindly believe those religious leaders’ words and refuse to receive strangers, aren’t we disobeying the Lord’s word and being foolish? Then how can we enter the kingdom of heaven if we just believe in the Lord but don’t obey His word? Isn’t it so, auntie?”

At her words, I thought: Right. People who believe in the Lord should obey the word of the Lord. Since the Lord Jesus never asked us not to receive strangers, is what the pastors and elders said wrong? Then I thought: No! The pastors and elders told us not to receive strangers in case we follow any other gospel. And what they said is for our good. Thinking of this, I said, “The Bible says, ‘I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ to another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ’ (Galatians 1:6-7). Thus the reason why we don’t receive strangers is that we fear to follow another gospel.” She smiled and said, “Auntie, a lot of people in the religious world don’t at all understand the verse of the Bible you mentioned. It is from an epistle that Paul wrote to the Galatian churches. But many people think it’s a teaching to the believers in the Lord in the last days. So they never have a proper attitude toward these words. At that time, Paul was preaching the gospel in another place, and he learned that many brothers and sisters in the Galatian churches had left the way of the Lord Jesus Christ and returned to the temple and continued to worship Jehovah and keep the laws. Paul was concerned about the churches, but he couldn’t go back to the Galatian churches immediately. So he wrote this epistle to exhort and remind the brothers and sisters in the churches. Just like he said, ‘O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you?’ (Galatians 3:1). The leaders, chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees of Judaism disturbed and deceived the Galatians, and asked them to deny the word of Jesus Christ. So Paul wrote an epistle, saying, ‘I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ to another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.’ In that age, there were two groups of people preaching the gospel. One preached the old way of God, the gospel of believing in Jehovah God and keeping the law; the other preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore, there were some who troubled the Galatians, trying to pervert the gospel of Jesus Christ, and make them go back to keep the law. So Paul said in the epistle, ‘… preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed’” (Galatians 1:8).

After her fellowship, I felt brightened in my heart: So, this is what happened. How do the pastors and elders not know that? Since we all believe in the Lord, how could she know so much? And where does she get these? So I asked quizzically, “Sister Zhang, you are right. But how do you know all of these? The book in your hand is…” “Auntie, how could man know these things? I learned all of them from this book. This book is particularly different from any other book in the world, because the words in it are expressed by the second incarnate God Himself. It explains everything that man doesn’t understand and all the mysteries in the Bible, including what you don’t understand.” Her words reminded me of some believers who love the Lord in other churches. They had believed in the Lord for many years, yet easily accepted the Eastern Lightning, and no one could bring them back. It seemed that the Eastern Lightning really had the truth. Therefore, I received the book.

Then she fellowshiped a lot with me, such as the truth of the three stages of God’s work, the prophecies about the “Eastern Lightning,” and so on. I thought: What this young sister said is well-founded and illuminating, and I enjoyed it and learnt from it so much. I’m also a preacher, yet why do I not understand these? Before leaving, she left several tapes of the recitals of Almighty God’s words to me. I turned on the player from which a pleasing sound came, “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. … Those who wish to gain life without relying on the truth spoken by Christ are the most ridiculous people on earth, and those who do not accept the way of life brought by Christ are lost in fantasy. And so I say that the people who do not accept Christ of the last days shall forever be despised by God. 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.” Hearing this, I felt both joy and sorrow with tears in my eyes, thinking: These words with authority can only be expressed by God Himself. The Lord Jesus also said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me’ (John 14:6). This is indeed God’s voice. At that time, the scene of my rejecting the brothers and sisters who came to preach the gospel to me time after time rose before my eyes. I was very distressed: How foolish and ignorant I am! During my years of belief, I have listened to what the pastors and elders said more than the Lord’s word, so that I didn’t dare to receive any stranger who preached the Eastern Lightning. Besides, not only did I not seek or investigate the true way, but I hindered my brothers and sisters doing that, thinking that this was devotion to the Lord. Never did I think that I was in opposition to God. However, God didn’t give up on me because of that, and instead He arranged for a sister to preach the gospel to me once more, giving me another opportunity to repent. When I received the sister, a stranger, God blessed me, and so I received the Lord and welcomed His return unawares. I thank God for His salvation of me, and I am willing to cooperate with Him to bring my brothers and sisters before Him to comfort His heart.

Not long after, I began to live the church life. Having meetings and performing my duty with my brothers and sisters, I was filled with joy. Thank God for His guidance. Later, I cooperated with some brothers and sisters and brought those who truly believe in the Lord in my former church before God. All the glory be to Almighty God!

Read more: The brief introduction of the Church of Almighty God

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The Church of Almighty God | Behold! The Scroll Has Been Opened!

Ann, United States

When I was still an eight-year-old child, I had joined the Jehovah’s Witnesses with my mother. There I heard many stories, such as that of Jonah, Job, Jeremiah, Noah, and Abraham…. Fascinated by these stories about God and man, I had a wonderful yearning for God in my young heart, which laid the foundation of my faith.


Every week, we attended meetings regularly and shared scriptures in our church, learning how to live out a good humanity, how to love one another, and so on. Also, to learn more God’s words, my mom and I would fellowship together at home at least once a week. In this way, I was able to memorize many Bible verses that I liked, and what impressed me most was the vision John saw in Revelation, which says, “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. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders said to me, Weep not: 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” (Revelation 5:1-5). When reading these words, I couldn’t help wondering: What is the scroll that would be opened by God? Since it is recorded in Revelation, it shall happen in the last days; since it was sealed with seven seals, it was unknown to man; since here mentions that the Lamb alone is worthy to open it, this can only be done by Christ. Then how would the scroll be opened? And what’s written in it? In addition, I often heard people talk about the judgment of the last days in the church, then how would God judge man in the last days? Though unable to clearly tell the inner meaning of the verses, I always had an idea that in the last days something great would happen, and a sealed little scroll would be opened to us.

Through the years, I saw that the disasters across the world became ever more frequent and the people increasingly panicked and corrupt. In light of the great disasters and various signs of the last days mentioned in Revelation, I was more convinced in my heart that the last days have arrived, and the little scroll shall have been opened now. But how is it opened? If we are ignorant of its content as well as what God is doing now, then how can we prepare ourselves to face God’s judgment of mankind in the last days? To these questions, I then asked the brothers and sisters in the church. Their answers were: The little scroll will be opened bit by bit, as it has been sealed with seven seals. But as for what’s happened to it now, no one can tell clearly. Besides, in the last days, God will bind Satan for a thousand years to transform us, and then for another thousand years, He will release it to test us, and this is the judgment. Still, such replies could not solve my questions. Moreover, I saw that the believers all lived helplessly in the cycle of committing and confessing sins. One married pastor even had affairs with some sisters of our church for 10 years, which was eventually fully exposed. I couldn’t help but sigh: Why was the pastor also living such a fallen life? All the efforts that we made to study the Bible, and to practice loving others as ourselves and living out the normal humanity, how could they not stop us from sinning? Thinking back, two thousand years ago, the Lord Jesus had successfully fulfilled His work of redeeming us by being nailed to the cross. Two thousand years later, however, we are still living in sin, unable to extricate ourselves. The day of the Lord being near at hand, will we go meet Him so? Something seemed to be amiss in that; yet I myself could not make it clear.

Then carrying all my confusion, I left the Jehovah’s Witnesses for a church of Pentecost. The pastors here would collect offerings two or three times in each worship service on the Lord’s day, and often invented various items to collect money. All the believers focused on pursuing material blessings, seeing signs and wonders, and receiving the so-called “Holy Spirit” as well as the spiritual gifts of tongues, prophecy, etc. A pastor wanted to lay his hand upon and pray for me, saying that he could give me the “Holy Spirit,” and that I would be cleansed once I received it. However, I saw that many of them who had gained the so-called “Holy Spirit” still sinned inevitably, for example, stealing offerings, developing an extramarital affair. Even those pastors with many so-called spiritual gifts also had illicit affairs with some sisters in the church. Therefore, I declined him. But anyway, I still asked him the questions that puzzled me, “Pastor, it’s now already the last days when, as the Bible mentions, the scroll is opened and God comes to judge man. So, what are they all about?” He replied, “The Lord’s coming to judge man means that when the Lord returns in the last days, all men will come before Him; then He will call the roll, and judge and test us one by one according to our actions and deeds.” His answer sounded somewhat unrealistic to me, because for my part, the judgment shouldn’t be that simple. While I had no idea of its true meaning either, I still felt that there must be a deeper meaning within it. Consider the fact that all people are now deeply caught up in sin; based on such actions, who can withstand God’s judgment? I was bewildered. Then, the pastor was kind of impatient and said, “These are all mysteries, and you don’t have to know.” So I raised no more questions, thinking: Truly, these are mysteries. But it is the last days now. If we still do not seek these great things God will do, then how can we prepare ourselves and face the judgment God shall do? At last, I left the church disappointed and then returned to the Jehovah’s Witnesses; still, there was no answer all the time.

Afterward, I got a publication of the Jehovah’s Witnesses specifically on Revelation. I had ever tried to read and comprehend the book. However, at least 4 years had passed and I found myself still unable to get the answers from it, because even though they had summed up some verses, they could not explain their implied meanings. Seeing that the prophecies concerning the last days being fulfilled, yet I failed to learn what God is doing and how I should prepare myself, my heart was in so much pain and fraught with anxiety. I knew that there was no Holy Spirit’s work in the church and I was just observing church services. I went there empty and returned again empty, with nothing to fill my heart. I felt myself walking in circles all along, and no answer was found. Later, I no longer went to the church persistently but occasionally just to keep my family and children aware of God’s existence. We could listen to their talk about believing in God there, but received no supply at all. I felt totally worn out. I could only cry to God constantly, “O God! Where are You? What are You doing now? Today, I can see, is already the last days. I know the scroll has been opened since so many prophecies in Revelation have been fulfilled. But God, the churches have become ever more chaotic and we are still committing sins. Besides, I have so many questions and confusion. O God! I don’t know what to say … I just have a deep sensation that I need You so badly. Please help me! Help me! I don’t wanna get lost and I cannot but seek You.…”

When I turned to God and sought for His help, I called to mind the word in the Bible, “seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). I was confirmed in my heart that God had prepared the way for me. Before, I once posted on my page of Facebook the word, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). One day in June, 2016, I found on Facebook that a brother named Danny liked my post, and sent me a friend request. In order to find out who he was, I hence opened his timeline. No sooner had I read his posts than I sighed, “Oh, my God! I seem to have found the truth.” I had no idea of what had happened; it was like having found what I had been seeking all my life. What he posted was totally different from those messages of other churches which provided no light; rather, these words have much truth and light within to be sought, fresh and new. They are all about what are happening presently and what God is doing now, rather than history. I was shocked. Thus I accepted his friend request, and later learned that he was a preacher of God’s kingdom gospel of the last days. Then we fellowshiped about how some prophecies concerning the last days had been fulfilled. He also sent me some hymns and words, such as “God Is Seeking Your Heart and Your Spirit” and “If I Were Not Saved by God.” I couldn’t refrain from sighing, “O my God! These words and hymns are my spiritual bread. They are exactly what I’ve been always seeking.”

Since the moment I started discussing with Brother Danny, I had realized that the words he sent over are full of authority and power, some of them with God’s majesty and righteousness, and some with God’s blessings and promises to us. I was excited and joyful, and couldn’t help asking, “Brother, Thank you so much! These words are so good. Where are they from?” He said, “They are the utterances of God Himself.” What he said greatly excited me: God’s utterances? What’s going on? God speaks? What else has He spoken? I felt a wave of amazement and expectation, as if I had seen the light. Then he added, “Thank God for enlightening you! God has come to do His work on earth and expressed the words to judge and purify man in the last days. I know a sister who has more knowledge of God’s work of the last days. If you like, I can invite her to have a meeting and fellowship with us about it as well as how the little scroll prophesied in Revelation is opened.” I agreed gladly, as these were what I had been seeking. Moreover, from the words I had read so far, I knew there are more truths here worthwhile to seek.

Then, through Brother Danny, I got to know Sister Flora and we fellowshiped on Facebook. I asked her, “Based on the various signs we have been given, I have a sense that the last days have come. At this time, as the Bible prophesies, God is going to do great things. However, I’ve asked many people, but none could tell clearly what God will do in the last days.” She answered, “Thank God! Now is indeed the last days. God has come among man to express the truth and done a stage of work of judging, chastising, purifying, and perfecting man.” Surprised, I thought: The work of judgment and chastisement? Purify and perfect man? Although I didn’t quite understand it, I felt her preaching worth seeking. After that, she read me two passages of God’s words, which say, “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. … 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” (“The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)”). “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” (“The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)”). I had never heard these words before. So I said in my heart: All I need to do now is to seek humbly and to know more of God as well as His new work.
Sister Flora continued her fellowship, “The work of judgment God is doing in the last days is based on the need of us mankind. Although we’ve accepted the Lord Jesus’ redemption, and as long as we confess to Him after we sin, we are then forgiven by Him and condemned no more by the law, yet as God hasn’t done the work of purifying man, we still have the corrupt satanic dispositions within us. We are arrogant and conceited, selfish and despicable, crooked and crafty. As a result, we often live in sin, unable to break free of the bondage of sin. The Bible says, ‘holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord’ (Hebrews 12:14). ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin. And the servant stays not in the house for ever: but the Son stays ever’ (John 8:34-35). God is righteous, so how can we, with the sinful nature, be worthy to enter the kingdom of heaven to see the Lord’s face? As such, in the last days, God carries out a stage of work of purifying and perfecting man on the basis of the work of the Age of Grace, so that we man can completely cast off the bonds of sin and in the end be fully purified, saved, and gained by God.” Her words enlightened me: No wonder we still often live helplessly in sin after believing in the Lord for years, as the work of the Lord Jesus was just for redeeming us, rather than delivering us from our sinful nature. According to our present condition, we are certainly unfit to enter the kingdom of heaven to see the Lord’s face, since the Bible says, “Be you holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). I knew this word long ago, and we really need God to do another work. Having no doubts about that, I was ready to accept the words she read for me and her fellowship. I thought to myself: Is this something that I ever felt missing?
I asked her urgently, “Then, sister, how does God carry out His work of judgment?” To answer it, she read more of God’s word for me, which says, “In the last days, Christ uses a variety of truths to teach man, reveal the essence of man, and dissect his words and deeds. These words comprise various truths, such as man’s duty, how man should obey God, how man should be loyal to God, how man ought to live out the normal humanity, as well as the wisdom and disposition of God, and so on. These words are all focused on the essence of man and his corrupt disposition. In particular, those words that reveal how man spurns God are spoken in regard to how man is an embodiment of Satan and an enemy force against God. When God does the work of judgment, He does not simply make clear the nature of man with just a few words, but carries out revelation, dealing, and pruning over the long term. Such manner of revelation, dealing, and pruning cannot be substituted with ordinary words but with the truth that man does not possess at all. Only such manner of work is deemed judgment; only through such judgment can man be persuaded, be thoroughly convinced into submission to God, and gain true knowledge of God. What the work of judgment brings about is man’s understanding of the true face of God and the truth about his rebelliousness. The work of judgment allows man to gain much understanding of the will of God, of the purpose of God’s work, and of the mysteries that could not be understood by man. It also allows man to recognize and know his corrupt substance and the roots of his corruption, as well as to discover the ugliness of man. These effects are all brought about by the work of judgment …” (“Christ Does the Work of Judgment With the Truth”).

After that, she fellowshiped, “When God carries out His work of judgment in the last days, He does it primarily by expressing all aspects of truths to judge and chastise man, and to reveal the corrupt disposition within us and the essence of our satanic nature that opposes God, like deceit, crookedness, selfishness, arrogance, as well as our resistance and disobedience to God, etc. Through this, we become aware of our ugly face resulted from the corruption of Satan; thus we feel utterly ashamed and then fall down before God. Meanwhile, these truths are also the expression of God’s disposition. They enable us to see God’s righteous disposition and His benevolent essence, and thus to develop a sense of longing for Him. Also, they contain many truths that we ought to enter into, and at the same time, show us a direction to transform our disposition. So, by accepting God’s words regarding judgment of the last days, we will be transformed in disposition, thoroughly shed the bonds of sin, and thereby be saved and perfected by God.” Hearing that, I was much brightened. I felt: Her fellowship is so practical, which is quite other than what the pastors preached. And God’s doing His work of judgment in this way is so good and practical, which is totally within the reach of us humans. It is really the pressing need of us, the people who are yearning for God’s return yet still living helplessly in sin. Thank God for allowing me to hear these messages.

Then I raised another question that I was most concerned about, “Sister, since God has come to work, He must, as prophesied in the Bible, have opened the scroll. But where is it then? And how is it opened?” She replied, “Yes, sister, the scroll has been opened. As all the brothers and sisters who have read the words of Almighty God know, the truths He expresses in the last days have disclosed all the mysteries, like God’s six-thousand-year management plan, the true story and substance of the three stages of God’s work, the mystery of the incarnation, and so forth, as well as all aspects of the reality of truth, such as how to be an honest man, how to live out a normal humanity, how to pursue to know and love God, and so much more. After reading these words, all of us release a sigh from deep within: Such truth, such mysteries, can only be expressed by God Himself! This exactly fulfills the prophecy in the Bible, ‘And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon’ (Revelation 5:3). Moreover, those words which reveal man’s satanic nature are so straightforward that while reading, we all stand abashed and even suffer a lot from refinement. After experiencing such judgment and chastisement, we come to know our corrupt nature, begin to loathe and forsake our flesh, and start to seek living by God’s words, thereby getting transformed in our disposition. At this moment, we feel God’s great love and salvation for us, our hearts as sweet as honey, and our mouths filled with words of thanks and praise to God. This exactly fulfills the word, ‘And I went to the angel, and said to him, Give me the little book. And he said to me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make your belly bitter, but it shall be in your mouth sweet as honey’ (Revelation 10:9). The Word Appears in the Flesh expressed by Almighty God in the last days is precisely the little scroll opened by the Lamb mentioned in the Bible. Just as Almighty God says, ‘Almighty God is all-powerful, all-achieving and utterly complete true God! He not only carries the seven stars, bears the seven Spirits, has seven eyes, opens the seven seals and opens the scroll, but more than that He administers the seven plagues and the seven bowls and opens the seven thunders; long ago He has sounded the seven trumpets! All things created and made complete by Him should praise Him, give glory to Him and exalt His throne’ (‘The Thirty-fourth Utterance’). With the scroll opened, people who truly seek God’s appearance have gradually returned before His throne from all sects and denominations and accepted His work of judgment and chastisement. When the work ends, those who are purified, saved by God, and thus left alive will enter into the kingdom and enjoy rest with Him, while those who fail to be purified will all be destroyed by the disasters sent down in the last days. And then, God’s management plan will come to a complete end.” I was beside myself with excitement. So, the little scroll is exactly all the words God expresses in the last days, and the great thing to be done by God in the last days is actually His work of judging, chastising, and saving man. The questions that had bothered me so many years were finally solved, so clearly and thoroughly, as if I were stepping into the sun! I hence accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days, because I had realized that only by receiving the judgment of His words can I be purified and saved by God.

In the days that followed, I read God’s words hungrily, and gathered and fellowshiped with brothers and sisters. In just several months, from Almighty God’s words, I understood much more truth than I did after a few decades in religion. I thought: Is there any other church that I can go and find such truth in this world? I’ve fully ascertained that Almighty God is really the return of the Lord Jesus. He has opened the scroll and revealed all the mysteries. Then I lost not a moment in preaching the gospel to my family; both my mother and husband have come before God. How fortunate we are! Later, I will preach to my daughter and friends, too. I will proclaim God’s words and I want to say my heartfelt word: Behold! The scroll has been opened!

Read more: Eastern Lightning, About the Church of Almighty God

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Could you tell us what the difference is between believing in Jesus and believing in God?

Jesus prays on the mountain

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.

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