About the Way in Which the Lord Returns | The Church of Almighty God

Ⅱ Questions and Answers About the Way in Which the Lord Returns

Question 1: The Lord said He will come back and take us to the kingdom of heaven. However, what you’re saying is that the Lord has become flesh to do the work of judgment in the last days. It is said right in the Bible that the Lord will come upon a cloud all in glory. But you’re saying that the Lord has become flesh in secret. That sounds a lot different.

Answer: The Lord will come and take us to the kingdom of heaven. That is definite. Our Lord is faithful indeed. And so His promises will surely come true. But first we need to know the work of judgment in the last days the Lord does in His second incarnation. It relates directly to how man is raptured into the kingdom of heaven. If we study the Bible carefully, it’s easy to find that the Lord will return through incarnation, as many verses in the Bible have clearly prophesied. For example, “Be you therefore ready also: for the Son of man comes at an hour when you think not” (Luke 12:40). “For as the lightning, that lightens out of the one part under heaven, shines to the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation” (Luke 17:24-25). Many have mentioned that “the Son of man comes,” or “the Son of man descends.” When we talk about the “Son of man,” it refers to a person born to a human and with normal humanity. So the Spirit can’t be called the “Son of man.” For instance, Jehovah God is the Spirit. We can’t call Him the “Son of man.” The angels people saw are spirit entities. They can’t be called the “Son of man.” Any spiritual being that looks like a human also isn’t the “Son of man.” The Lord Jesus incarnate was called the “Son of man,” and “Christ,” because He was the incarnate flesh of God’s Spirit, becoming an ordinary and normal man who just lived among man. So then, when the Lord Jesus said “the Son of man comes,” “the Son of man descends,” He meant in the last days He would become flesh again. Especially the words “But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation” better prove that the Lord would come through incarnation. If God didn’t become flesh but appeared in a spiritual body, He wouldn’t suffer as much, much less be rejected by this generation again, which is beyond doubt. Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ will become flesh when He comes back and He will do the work of judgment in the last days.

People do question: Hasn’t the Lord promised to rapture us to the kingdom of heaven when He comes again? And why will He come to do the work of “judgment beginning with the house of God”? Actually, the judgment work of God is to make overcomers, that is, to take the saints. Let’s see why God does the work of judgment in the last days. There is evidence in the Bible. The Bible mentions about God’s judgment in the last days. It’s a lot, at least two hundred verses. Many verses have also prophesied the Lord will do the work of judgment in the flesh. For example, “And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people” (Isaiah 2:4). “… for he comes to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity” (Psalms 98:9). “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come” (Revelation 14:7). “Because he has appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained …” (Acts 17:31). “And has given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man” (John 5:27). “For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son …” (John 5:22). “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” (John 12:48). “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17). etc. All these verses mention “he shall judge among the nations” “for he comes to judge the earth” “because he is the Son of man” “has committed all judgment to the Son” “judgment must begin at the house of God,” which clearly show us that God will surely become flesh to do the work of judgment among men during the last days.

When God becomes flesh in the last days, He just judges, purifies, and saves man through expressing the words. Whoever seeks and accepts the Lord after hearing His voice at His return, is indeed a wise virgin attending the feast with the Lord. This just fulfills the prophecy of the Lord Jesus, “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6). The wise virgins hear the Lord’s voice and go out to meet Him. Unknowingly, they’re taken up before the throne to meet the Lord, and accept God’s judgment, purification, and perfection in the last days. Finally, their corrupt disposition will be cleansed through God’s judgment by the word and they will become overcomers who love God, obey God, and worship God, and be qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven. Obviously, if we want to receive the Lord’s promise, we must first come before Almighty God, Christ of the last days. We must accept and experience God’s judgment and chastisement in the last days and be purified and perfected by Him. Otherwise, we won’t be qualified into the kingdom of heaven. Let’s read a passage of Almighty God’s words. Almighty God says, “You only know that Jesus shall descend during the last days, but how exactly will He descend? A sinner such as you, who has just been redeemed, and has not been changed, or been perfected by God, can you be after God’s heart? For you, you who are still of your old self, it is true that you were saved by Jesus, and that you are not counted as sinners because of the salvation of God, but this does not prove that you are not sinful, and are not impure. How can you be saintly if you have not been changed? Within, you are beset by impurity, selfish and mean, yet you still wish to descend with Jesus—you should be so lucky! You have missed a step in your belief in God: You have merely been redeemed, but have not been changed. For you to be after God’s heart, God must personally do the work of changing and cleansing you; if you are only redeemed, you will be incapable of attaining sanctity. In this way you will be unqualified to share in the good blessings of God, for you have missed out a step in God’s work of managing man, which is the key step of changing and perfecting. And so you, a sinner who has just been redeemed, are incapable of directly inheriting God’s inheritance” (“Concerning Appellations and Identity” in The Word Appears in the 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” (“Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “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” (“Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Almighty God’s words have shown us the way to the kingdom of heaven. Christ of the last days is the gateway to the kingdom of heaven. If we don’t experience the work of judgment done by Christ of the last days, we won’t attain purification or perfection and will never enter the kingdom of God. This is the authority manifested by the incarnate God. It’s sufficient to prove the Lord will definitely return through incarnation to do the work of judgment in the last days, which is a fact fulfilled by God already. If one wants to be taken into the kingdom of heaven directly without experiencing God’s work in the last days, he still lives in his imagination and notion which will never come true.

Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life

Some ask, “If the Lord really comes through incarnation, then how to explain the many prophecies in the Bible that the Lord will arrive on clouds, and that every single eye shall witness Him?” The Bible prophesies in many places that the Lord will come upon a cloud with power and great glory. This is a fact. However, there are more prophecies in the Bible mentioning the Lord will come in secret. For example, “I come as a thief” (Revelation 16:15), “for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes” (Matthew 24:44), and “But of that day and that hour knows no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32). Apparently, the Lord’s return will be in two different ways. One way will be in secret. The other will be in public. That is, the Lord is incarnated in the last days and descends in a hidden way to do the work of judging, purifying, and saving man. When a group of overcomers are made, God’s work in secret will be finished, and the disasters will come. God will send disasters to reward the good and punish the wicked. And after the disasters, God will appear to all nations and all peoples publicly upon a white cloud. Almighty God’s work of judgment in the last days, which we testify today, is the Lord’s work when He comes in secret. Because the incarnate God comes to the world as a man, looking ordinary and normal, it is secret for all humanity. No one recognizes Him as God, nor does anyone know His true identity. After the Son of man works and speaks, only those capable of recognizing His voice start to know Him. Yet those who can’t discern His voice will treat Him as just an ordinary man so as to deny and reject Him. For example, when the Lord Jesus did His work in the flesh, He was like an ordinary man outwardly. So people denied, rejected, and condemned Him. But some people, through the Lord Jesus’ work and word, recognized Him as the incarnate Christ, the appearance of God. Now is when Almighty God is working in secret to save man. He is expressing His words to judge, purify, and perfect us. During this time, people can’t see the scene of the Lord coming on clouds in public. Not until He has made a group of overcomers will His hidden work of incarnation come to an end. And then great disasters fall. The good is rewarded, and the evil is punished. He will openly appear to all nations. At that point, the prophecy of the Lord’s public descent will be fulfilled. “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). “Behold, he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him” (Revelation 1:7). When people see the Lord publicly appear to them on clouds, they should be wild with joy as we can imagine. But right here it says that all kindreds of the earth shall wail. So why is that, we wonder? That’s because when God appears to the public, His hidden work of salvation in His incarnate flesh will have been finished. Then God will reward the good and punish the wicked. And then, all those who refused to accept God’s hidden work will thoroughly lose the chance to be saved. Those who pierced Him, that is, those who resisted and condemned Christ of the last days, Almighty God, will see Almighty God whom they resisted and condemned is exactly the returned Lord Jesus. How could they not beat upon their breasts and weep unceasingly? So then, at that moment the scene “all kindreds of the earth shall wail” will appear. Let’s read some words from Almighty God.

Almighty God says, “Many people may not care what I say, but I still want to tell every so-called saint who follows Jesus that, when you see Jesus descend from the heaven upon a white cloud with your own eyes, this will be the public appearance of the Sun of righteousness. Perhaps that will be a time of great excitement for you, yet you should know that the time when you witness Jesus descend from the heaven is also the time when you go down to hell to be punished. It will herald the end of God’s management plan, and will be when God rewards the good and punishes the wicked. For the judgment of God will have ended before man sees signs, when there is only the expression of truth. Those who accept the truth and do not seek signs, and thus have been purified, shall have returned before the throne of God and entered the Creator’s embrace. Only those who persist in the belief that ‘The Jesus who does not ride upon a white cloud is a false Christ’ shall be subjected to everlasting punishment, for they only believe in the Jesus who exhibits signs, but do not acknowledge the Jesus who proclaims severe judgment and releases the true way of life. And so it can only be that Jesus deals with them when He openly returns upon a white cloud. … The return of Jesus is a great salvation for those who are capable of accepting the truth, but for those who are unable to accept the truth it is a sign of condemnation. You should choose your own path, and should not blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and reject the truth. You should not be an ignorant and arrogant person, but someone who obeys the guidance of the Holy Spirit and longs for and seeks the truth; only in this way will you benefit” (“When You Behold the Spiritual Body of Jesus Will Be When God Has Made Anew Heaven and Earth” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

From Almighty God’s word we can see that God’s hidden work in His incarnate flesh in the last days is the most crucial part to perfect man. This is also an extremely rare opportunity for us to be perfected in God’s six-thousand-year management plan. All those who accept God’s hidden work and are perfected have God’s special grace and are the most blessed ones. If we don’t cherish this once in a lifetime chance, and miss God’s work of making overcomers, we will only end up mourning and sorely regretting.

from the movie script of The Mystery of Godliness

Recommendation: Eastern Lightning,  The origin of the Church of Almighty God

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I Found the True Light | The Church of Almighty God

Qiuhe    Japan

I was born in a Catholic family. Since I was little, I attended Mass at church with my grandparents. Due to the influence of my environment and my belief in God, I learned to chant many different scriptures and practice various rituals.

In 2009, I arrived in Japan to study. One time, in a fellow student’s dorm room, I met by chance a Christian small group leader who had come to spread the gospel. I thought: Protestants and Catholics believe in the same God. They both believe in the Lord Jesus. As a result, I accepted the small group leader’s invitation to join him at the church. After listening to the pastors preach and hearing some brothers and sisters talk about the Bible, I had some understanding about the Lord Jesus’ life. This caused me to have more faith in the Lord. 

However, after a few months, the pastors and the preachers asked us to donate tithe every week. Also, each week, we were to hand out pamphlets to spread the gospel. Sometimes, we were so tired that we would snooze during Sunday service. We no longer had a normal routine in our life. At that time, some of us were both working and studying. Not only did we have to make money to pay for our studies, but we also needed money for our everyday expenses. Our lives were already quite difficult, but they still wanted us to give them our money and our energy. We were under a lot of stress and pain. Gradually, I discovered that the pastors and the preachers were not truly people that served the Lord. Normally, since they were those who shepherded the church, they should have been helping us grow in our spiritual lives. However, they did not care about our lives. They did not think at all about our practical problems. Instead, they wanted our energy and our money. Everything they did was to help expand their church and consolidate their status and their influence. At this time, we felt like we had been deceived. Consequently, a few of my brothers and I left the church.

After leaving the church, I found a Catholic church that was situated at the top of a mountain. The people in the church were Japanese. I attended Mass a few times but I felt that it did not benefit me spiritually. Additionally, it was inconvenient to attend fellowship, so I left the church also. In this way, I led a muddleheaded and empty life devoid of direction and a sense of purpose. … This happened all the way until October, 2016. Sister Liang, who I had met in the Protestant church in the past, suddenly contacted me, asked how I was doing and invited me to see her. I thought about how disappointing my experience with the Protestant church in that one year had been and as a result, I rejected Sister Liang’s invitation. However, Sister Liang invited me again and again and out of respect for her feelings, I decided to meet her.

Through Sister Liang, I met Sister Ma and Sister Fang. One day, they spoke to me about a lot of the prophecies of the Bible. They told me about the work of Jehovah God and the Lord Jesus. Their understanding was very fresh and they talked about things that I had never heard before. I told them about the dark situation that I witnessed in the church and how I was so frustrated with my inability to obtain spiritual nourishment from the church that I was no longer willing to attend meetings. Sister Fang said: We have also experienced what you have experienced. Presently, the entire religious world is in a dark and desolate situation. Within this, there is God’s intentions and truth to seek. Presently, we are in the world’s final times. The Lord Jesus predicted: “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Mat 24:12). Iniquity is more and more prevalent in the religious world these days. The pastors and the elders do not follow the Lord’s teachings and they do not obey His commands. They only preach and work for their status. They always exalt themselves and bear witness to themselves so that other people will look up to them and worship them. They make other people donate and spread the gospel. Nominally, they say their purpose is to save people’s souls, but in reality, they do not lead people to experience the Lord’s words nor do they help people put the Lord’s words into action. They only want other people to obey them. They are itching to have other people treat them as God. Long ago they started walking on the path of the antichrist which is hostile to God. They have lost the Holy Spirit’s work and they have been abandoned by God. Think back to the late period during the Age of Law when the temple was desolated and had become a den of thieves. Priests made inferior offerings while the common people exchanged money and sold oxen, sheep and doves within the temple. But God’s discipline and punishment did not fall upon them. Why is this? The chief priests, scribes and Pharisees who served God did not obey the law, were hypocritical and deceived people, and had led God’s chosen people onto the path of resisting God. This led to God detesting and rejecting them and the temple losing the work of the Holy Spirit and becoming a den of thieves. In order to save people from being convicted to death by the law, God was incarnated for the first time, did the work of redemption under the name of Jesus, started the Age of Grace and concluded the Age of Law. The work of the Holy Spirit thereupon shifted onto the people who accepted the Lord Jesus. The temple no longer had the Holy Spirit’s work. In present times, the Lord Jesus has returned as predicted. He has already come back in the flesh. He is Almighty God, Christ in the last days and has started to express the truth and do the work of judgment starting with God’s family. The Holy Spirit’s work has shifted onto those who have accepted the work of God of the last days. Since the religious world has not kept pace with God’s work and many pastors and elders convict and resist God’s new work, this has led to God hating and cursing them. This is the source of the religious world’s darkness and desolation.

Afterward, the sisters read a passage of God’s words so that I would have a clear understanding. Precisely because God has once again done new work, the Holy Spirit’s work has shifted. All the sects that do not have the Holy Spirit’s work become more and more dark and desolate. Almighty God said: “His work in other places will cease, and people will be forced to seek the true way. It will be like Joseph: Everyone came to him for food, and bowed down to him, for he had things to eat. In order to avoid famine people will be forced to seek the true way. The entire religious community is starving, and only the God of today is the wellspring of living water, possessed of the ever-flowing wellspring provided for the enjoyment of man, and people will come and depend on Him. That will be the time when the deeds of God are revealed, and God is glorified; all people throughout the universe will worship this unremarkable ‘man.’ Will this not be the day of God’s glory?” (“The Millennial Kingdom Has Arrived” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). When I recalled the situation that I saw in Protestantism and Catholicism, it was further confirmed in my heart that the words of Almighty God spoke of the actual situation. His words are very realistic and true. The Holy Spirit’s work has indeed shifted. Regardless if it was in Protestantism or Catholicism, what I had felt was just people’s external passion. What I learnt was just scriptural knowledge and theological theories. There basically was no new light nor did I feel any spiritual supply of life. Among people who genuinely follow God, who hasn’t wanted to obtain spiritual nourishment? I saw that the words of Almighty God are capable of breaking my shackles and opening up the mysteries of the Bible. His words illuminated my heart. My heart was no longer bewildered. I have truly gained many benefits!

After that, Sister Ma brought out a copy of the book The Word Appears in the Flesh and read some other passages: “The work of managing mankind is divided into three stages, which means that the work of saving mankind is divided into three stages. These three stages do not include the work of creating the world, but are rather the three stages of the work of the Age of Law, the Age of Grace, and the Age of Kingdom” (“Knowing the Three Stages of God’s Work Is the Path to Knowing God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “From the work of Jehovah to that of Jesus, and from the work of Jesus to that of this current stage, these three stages cover the entire breadth of God’s management, and are all the work of one Spirit. From when He created the world, God has always been managing mankind. He is the Beginning and the End, He is the First and the Last, and He is the One who begins an age and the One who brings the age to an end” (“The Vision of God’s Work (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “The work done at present has pushed forward the work of the Age of Grace; that is, the work in the entire six-thousand-year management plan has moved forward. Though the Age of Grace has ended, the work of God has progressed further. Why do I say time and again that this stage of work builds upon the Age of Grace and the Age of Law? This means that the work of this day is a continuation of the work done in the Age of Grace and an uplifting of that done in the Age of Law. The three stages are closely interconnected and linked one to the next. … Only the combination of the three stages of work can be deemed the six-thousand-year management plan” (“The Two Incarnations Complete the Significance of the Incarnation” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). After she finished reading Almighty God’s words, she said, “From Almighty God’s words, we see that since mankind was corrupted by Satan, God started doing the work of saving mankind. This work has been separated into three stages: Jehovah God’s work in the Age of Law, the Lord Jesus’ work in the Age of Grace and Almighty God’s work in the Age of Kingdom of the last days. During the Age of Law, Jehovah God issued laws so that man would be aware of his sins. During the Age of Grace, the Lord Jesus was nailed to cross to redeem man. Now, in the Age of Kingdom of the last days, Almighty God has done the work of judgment through His words upon the foundation of the Lord Jesus’ redemption work in order to resolve our sinful nature, eliminate our sins and thoroughly cleanse and save us. The proof confirms that Almighty God is the appearance of Jehovah God who issued the laws and guided man’s life. He is the second coming of the Lord Jesus who redeemed mankind by being nailed to the cross. Within these three stages of work, no matter how God’s name and work have changed, the purpose of God’s work, which is the intention to save mankind, has never changed. God’s essence will never change. Each of these three stages of work has been built upon the foundation of the preceding stage. Each stage is deeper and higher than the last. God’s work has been done in accordance with the development of the ages. It has been done based on the needs of mankind so that He could better save and obtain us. In other words, the work of law of Jehovah God, the redemption work of the Lord Jesus and the work of judgment starting with the house of God done by Almighty God in the last days are different kinds of work performed in different ages by the same God. According to His own plans and according to the needs of mankind, God is saving us stage by stage.”

At this point, I felt that God’s work was very fantastic, almighty and wise. I also felt the care and thought God had put into saving mankind who has been corrupted deeply by Satan and God’s great love for us! Almighty God’s words shed light on these truths and mysteries that I had never heard of. My horizons were truly expanded and I gained a lot. I decided to examine carefully Almighty God’s work of the last days.

Since it was quite late by that time, we decided to continue the fellowship the next time we met. Before they left, Sister Ma gave me a copy of Classic Words of God on the Gospel of the Kingdom so that I would be able to examine carefully God’s work of the last days when I went back home. After I went back, out of curiosity, I searched for “the Church of Almighty God” on the internet. I never thought that I would see so much negative propaganda from the CCP government and the religious world resisting and convicting Almighty God and His Church. When I saw this content, I was even more certain that the Church of Almighty God is the church that truly has the Holy Spirit’s work and that Almighty God is the God who has appeared and works in the last days. This is because, since ancient times, the true way has always been suppressed! When I went to the gatherings with my grandparents in China, I also suffered the persecution from the CCP government. We had to be secretive when we attended these gatherings. The CCP government is truly evil! They are an atheistic regime. They hate the truth and God the most. So, what they oppose and suppress perhaps is the true way and the true church. Later on during a gathering, I told this to Sister Fang and the others. She let me see a marvelous episode, Awaken from Deception, in the gospel video entitled Break Through the Snare. The main character was seeking, “…But I don’t understand, if the Eastern Lightning is the true way, then why would it be strongly opposed by the CCP government? Why would religious leaders also furiously condemn it?”

In the video, one of the brothers responded, “The Bible says, ‘the whole world lies in wickedness’ (1Jn 5:19). The Lord Jesus also said: ‘This is an evil generation’ (Luk 11: 29). In that case, to what extent is the world dark and evil? During the Age of Grace, in order to redeem mankind, the Lord Jesus incarnate was nailed to the cross by the religious world and rulers of that time. Almighty God of the last days who has come to express the truth and judge mankind also faces the conviction and resistance of the religious world and the political regime of the great red dragon and is rejected by this age. This fulfills the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘For as the lightning, that lightens out of the one part under heaven, shines to the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation’ (Luk 17:24-25). This prediction of the Lord Jesus has finally been fulfilled. Each and every person who thirsts for the appearance of God should see clearly that the Lord has already come back a long time ago and is in the process of doing the judgment work of the last days. The Lord Jesus’ prediction has already been fulfilled. Could it be that we do not see the truth clearly?”

Another witness continued to speak: “Brothers and sisters, this atheistic political regime and the majority of the leaders of the religious world are satanic forces that hate God and the truth. This has already been confirmed by the fact that the Lord Jesus was nailed to the cross. That is why the true way will always face the rejection and conviction of atheistic political regime and the religious world. Moreover, all those who spread the true way and put the truth into practice will be framed and coerced by them as well. This is just as the Lord Jesus said, ‘If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love his own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you’ (Jhn 15:18-19). It is for this very reason that throughout generations, those who can accept the true way and follow the true God are only a very small minority who love the truth and pursue the truth. However, the majority of people do not dare examine the true way and as a result, lose the opportunity of God’s salvation because they follow Satan’s force or are afraid of being persecuted. That is why the Lord Jesus warned previously: ‘Enter you in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it’ (Mat 7:13-14).” When I saw these things in the video, I felt even more certain that what the CCP government persecutes and convicts is in fact the true way. This is for sure.

After a period of gathering and investigation, I had a deeper understanding of God’s judgment work of the last days from Almighty God’s words and the sharing and communication of the brothers and sisters. I also gained an understanding of the truth concerning incarnation, salvation and full salvation, God’s purpose of managing mankind, mankind’s end and destination and the originals of the way of eternal life. The truths that Almighty God has expressed are very abundant. From within my heart, I believed firmly that Almighty God is indeed the second coming of the Lord Jesus. I cheerfully accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days.

I have persevered in praying daily and reading God’s words. Now and then, I also listened to the sermons and fellowship on entry into life and hymns of God’s words and I watched gospel videos. Every week, I gathered with my brothers and sisters and proactively spread the gospel and bore witness to God together with them. I feel that my life right now is very rich and my spiritual life has been nourished and is enjoyable. Finally, I have returned to the true church and I have found my true “family.” In the past, the churches that I used to go to had pastors and priests that needed to be addressed. However, in the Church of Almighty God, my brothers, sisters, and I all honor God as great. Our relationship with one another is not differentiated according to status. Everyone is equal. There are also no regulations or religious rituals during these gatherings. You can attend according to your own needs and time. Nobody will restrict you or force you. What everyone communicates about is how to seek to become an honest person, how to seek for a change in one’s disposition to obtain cleansing and salvation, how to fulfill one’s duties in order to repay God’s love and to satisfy God, etc. Unconsciously, under the guidance of God’s words, I also started to seek a change in my disposition and view things according to God’s words; I also had some understanding of and knew how to distinguish the evil essence of society’s tide and the methods and ways that Satan corrupts man. From then on, I no longer played video games nor did I waste time by going to KTV. When I had time, I would read God’s words or I would gather with my brothers and sisters for fellowship where we would sing and praise God. Each day was abundant. I no longer felt empty and helpless. Moreover, I was clear about my life goals. I knew that meaning was to be found through fulfilling one’s own duties before God and living for God as one of His creations. I am thankful to Almighty God for guiding me to walk upon the proper path of life. I am willing to place all the authority, glory and praise at the feet of the one true God, from now until forever. Amen!

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Almighty God Is the Returned Jesus.

Pictures of the Church of Almighty God

Chapter 1 You Must Know That Only Almighty God Is the One True God Who Created the Heavens and the Earth and Everything in Them

2. Almighty God Is the Returned Jesus.

Relevant Words of God:

God is incarnated in the Chinese mainland, what the compatriots in Hong Kong and Taiwan call the inland. When God came from above to the earth, no one in heaven and earth knew about it, for this is the true meaning of God returning in a concealed fashion. He has been in the flesh working and living for a long time, yet no one has known about it. Even to this day, no one recognizes it. Perhaps this will remain an eternal riddle. God’s coming into flesh this time is not something anyone is able to be aware of. No matter how large-scale and powerful the Spirit’s work, God always stays composed, never giving Himself away. One can say that it is as if this stage of His work is taking place in the heavenly realm. Even though it is perfectly obvious to everyone, no one recognizes it. When God finishes this stage of His work, everyone will awake from their long dream and reverse their past attitude.[a] I remember God once saying, “Coming into flesh this time is like falling into the tiger’s den.” What this means is that because this round of God’s work has God coming into flesh and being born in the dwelling place of the great red dragon, His coming to earth this time is accompanied even more so with extreme dangers. What He faces are knives and guns and clubs; what He faces is temptation; what He faces are crowds wearing murderous looks. He risks being killed at any moment. God did come with wrath. However, He came in order to do the work of perfection, meaning to do the second part of His work that continues after redemption work. For the sake of this stage of His work, God has devoted utmost thought and care and is using every conceivable means to avoid the assaults of temptation, concealing Himself humbly and never flaunting His identity. In rescuing man off the cross, Jesus was only completing redemption work; He was not doing perfection work. Thus only half of God’s work was being done, and finishing the redemption work was only half of His whole plan. As the new age was about to begin and the old one about to recede, God the Father began to deliberate the second part of His work and started preparing for it. In the past, this incarnation in the last days may not have been prophesied, and therefore that laid a foundation for the increased secrecy surrounding God’s coming into flesh this time. At the break of dawn, unbeknownst to any, God came to earth and began His life in the flesh. People were unaware of this moment. Maybe they were all fast asleep, maybe many who were watchfully awake were waiting, and maybe many were praying silently to God in heaven. Yet among all these many people, not one knew that God had already arrived on earth. God worked like this so as to more smoothly carry out His work and achieve better results, and it was also to avoid more temptations. As man’s spring slumber breaks, God’s work will have long been finished and He shall depart, bringing to a close His life of roaming and sojourning on earth. Because God’s work requires God to act and speak personally, and because there is no way for man to help, God has endured extreme pain to come to earth to do the work Himself. Man is unable to stand in for God’s work. Therefore God risked dangers several thousand times greater than those during the Age of Grace to come down to where the great red dragon dwells to do His own work, to put all His thinking and care into redeeming this group of impoverished people, redeeming this group of people mired in a heap of manure. Even though no one knows of God’s existence, God is not troubled because it greatly benefits God’s work. Everyone is atrociously evil, so how can anyone tolerate God’s existence? That is why on earth God is always silent. No matter how excessively cruel man is, God does not take any of it to heart, but just keeps doing the work He needs to do so as to fulfill the greater commission that the heavenly Father gave Him. Who among you has recognized God’s loveliness? Who shows more consideration for God the Father’s burden than His Son does? Who is able to understand the will of God the Father? God the Father’s Spirit in heaven is often troubled, and His Son on earth prays frequently over God the Father’s will, worrying His heart to pieces. Is there anyone who knows of God the Father’s love for His Son? Is there anyone who knows how the beloved Son misses God the Father? Torn between heaven and earth, the two are constantly gazing after each other from afar, side by side in Spirit. O mankind! When will you be considerate of God’s heart? When will you understand God’s intention? Father and Son have always depended on each other. Why then should They be separated, one in heaven above and one on earth below? The Father loves His Son as the Son loves His Father. Why then should He have to wait with such longing and long with such anxiety? Although They have not been separated for long, does anyone know that the Father has already been anxiously yearning for so many days and nights and has long been looking forward to His beloved Son’s quick return? He observes, He sits in silence, He waits. It is all for His beloved Son’s quick return. When will He again be with the Son who is wandering on earth? Even though once together, They will be together for eternity, how can He endure the thousands of days and nights of separation, one in heaven above and one on earth below? Tens of years on earth are like thousands of years in heaven. How could God the Father not worry? When God comes to earth, He experiences the many vicissitudes of the human world just as man does. God Himself is innocent, so why let God suffer the same pain as man? No wonder God the Father longs so urgently for His Son; who can understand God’s heart? God gives man too much; how can man adequately repay God’s heart? Yet man gives God too little; how could God not therefore be worried?

Scarcely one among men understands God’s urgent heart because people’s caliber is too low and their spiritual sensitivity quite dull, and because they all neither notice nor heed what God is doing. So God keeps worrying about man, as if man’s beastly nature could break out at any moment. This further shows that God’s coming to earth is accompanied by great temptations. But for the sake of completing a group of people, God, laden with glory, told man of His every intention, hiding nothing. He has firmly resolved to complete this group of people. Therefore, come hardship or temptation, He looks away and ignores it all. He only quietly does His own work, firmly believing that one day when God has gained glory, man will know God, and believing that when man has been completed by God, he will fully understand God’s heart. Right now there may be people tempting God or misunderstanding God or blaming God; God takes none of that to heart. When God descends into glory, people will all understand that everything God does is for the well-being of mankind, and people will all understand that everything God does is so that mankind can better survive. God’s coming is accompanied by temptations, and God also comes with majesty and wrath. By the time God leaves man, He will have already gained glory, and He will leave fully laden with glory and with the joy of return. The God working on earth does not take things to heart no matter how people reject Him. He is just doing His work. God’s creation of the world goes back thousands of years, He has come to earth to do an immeasurable amount of work, and He has fully experienced the human world’s rejection and slander. No one welcomes God’s arrival; everyone merely regards Him with a cold eye. In the course of these several thousand years’ worth of hardships, man’s conduct has long ago shattered God’s heart. He no longer pays attention to people’s rebellion, but is instead making a separate plan to transform and cleanse man. The derision, the slander, the persecution, the tribulation, the suffering of crucifixion, the exclusion by man, and so on that God has experienced in the flesh—God has tasted enough of these. God in the flesh has thoroughly suffered the miseries of the human world. The Spirit of God the Father in heaven long ago found such sights unbearable and threw His head back and shut His eyes, waiting for His beloved Son to return. All He wishes for is that people all listen and obey, are able to feel great shame before His flesh, and not rebel against Him. All He wishes for is that people all believe that God exists. He long ago stopped making greater demands of man because God has paid too high a price, yet man is resting easy,[b] not at all taking God’s work to heart.

from “Work and Entry (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The first time that God became flesh was through conception by the Holy Spirit, and it was related to the work He intended to do. Jesus’ name marked the start of the Age of Grace. When Jesus began to perform His ministry, the Holy Spirit began to testify to the name of Jesus, and the name of Jehovah was no longer spoken of, and instead the Holy Spirit began the new work principally under the name of Jesus. The testimony of those who believed in Him was borne for Jesus Christ, and the work they did was also for Jesus Christ. The conclusion of the Old Testament Age of Law meant that the work principally conducted under the name of Jehovah had come to an end. After this, the name of God was no longer Jehovah; instead He was called Jesus, and from here on the Holy Spirit began the work principally under the name of Jesus. So today, when you still eat and drink the words of Jehovah, and still apply the work of the Age of Law, are you not following regulation? Are you not stuck in the past? Today, you know that the last days have arrived. When Jesus comes, will He still be called Jesus? Jehovah told the people of Israel that a Messiah would come, yet when He arrived, He was not called Messiah but Jesus. Jesus said that He would come again, and that He would arrive as He had departed. These were the words of Jesus, but did you witness how Jesus departed? Jesus left on a white cloud, but would He really personally return among man on a white cloud? If that were so, would He not still be called Jesus? When Jesus comes again, the age will have already changed, so could He still be called Jesus? Is God only known by the name of Jesus? Could He not be called by a new name in a new age? Can the image of one person and one particular name represent God in His entirety? In each age, God does new work and is called by a new name; how could He do the same work in different ages? How could He cling to the old? The name of Jesus was taken for the work of redemption, so would He still be called by the same name when He returns in the last days? Would He still do the work of redemption? Why is it that Jehovah and Jesus are one, yet They are called by different names in different ages? Is it not because Their work in these ages is different? Could a single name represent God in His entirety? In this way, God must be called by a different name in a different age, must use the name to change the age and represent the age, for no one name can fully represent God Himself. And each name can only represent God’s disposition during a certain age and needs only to represent His work. Therefore, God can choose whatever name befits His disposition to represent the entire age. Regardless of whether it is the age of Jehovah, or the age of Jesus, each age is represented by a name. After the Age of Grace, the final age has arrived and Jesus has already come. How could He still be called Jesus? How could He still assume the form of Jesus among man? Have you forgotten that Jesus was just the image of a Nazarene? Have you forgotten that Jesus was only the Redeemer of mankind? How could He take on the work of conquering and perfecting man in the last days? Jesus left on a white cloud, this is fact, but how could He return on a white cloud among man and still be called Jesus? If He really did arrive on a cloud, wouldn’t He be recognized by man? Wouldn’t people all over the world recognize Him? In that case, wouldn’t Jesus alone be God? In that case, the image of God would be the appearance of a Jew, and would be the same forever. Jesus said that He would arrive as He had departed, but do you know the true meaning of His words? Could He really have told you? You only know He will arrive as He left on a cloud, but do you know exactly how God Himself does His work? If you were truly able to see, then how are the words of Jesus to be explained? He said, “When the Son of man comes in the last days, He Himself will not know, the angels will not know, the messengers in heaven will not know, and all of the people will not know. Only the Father will know, that is, only the Spirit shall know.” If you are capable of knowing and seeing, then are these not empty words? Even the Son of man Himself does not know, yet you are able to see and know? If you have seen with your own eyes, were those words not said in vain? And what did Jesus say at the time? “But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. … Therefore be you also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes.” When that day comes, the Son of man Himself will not know it. The Son of man refers to the incarnate flesh of God, who shall be a normal and ordinary person. Even He Himself does not know, so how could you know? Jesus said that He would arrive as He had departed. When He arrives, even He Himself does not know, so could He inform you in advance? Are you able to see His arrival? Is that not a joke? Each time God arrives on earth, He shall change His name, His gender, His image, and His work; He does not repeat His work, and He is always new and never old. When He came before, He was called Jesus; could He still be called Jesus when He comes again this time? When He came before, He was male; could He be male again this time? His work when He came during the Age of Grace was to be nailed to the cross; when He comes again will He still redeem mankind from sin? Will He still be nailed to a cross? Would that not be a repetition of His work? Did you not know that God is always new and never old? There are those who say that God is immutable. That is correct, but it refers to the immutability of God’s disposition and substance. Changes in His name and work do not prove that His substance has altered; in other words, God will always be God, and this will never change. If you say that the work of God always stays the same, then would He be able to finish His six-thousand-year management plan? You merely know that God is forever unchanging, but do you know that God is always new and never old? If the work of God never changed, then could He have brought mankind to today? If God is immutable, then why is it that He has already done the work of two ages? His work is always progressing forward, and so His disposition is gradually revealed to man, and what is revealed is His inherent disposition. In the beginning, God’s disposition was hidden from man, He never openly revealed His disposition to man, and man had no knowledge of Him, so He used His work to gradually reveal His disposition to man, but this does not mean that His disposition changes in each age. It is not the case that God’s disposition is constantly changing because His will is always changing. Rather, because the work of God is carried out in different ages, His inherent disposition in its entirety is gradually revealed to man, so that man is able to know Him. But this is by no means proof that God originally has no particular disposition and His disposition has gradually changed with the passing of the ages—such belief is nonsense. God reveals to man His inherent, particular disposition, what He is, according to the passing of the ages. The work of a single age cannot express the entire disposition of God. And so, the words “God is always new and never old” are in reference to His work, and the words “God is immutable” are in regard to what God inherently has and is. Regardless, you cannot define the six-thousand-year work in one point, or portray it with mere static words. Such is the stupidity of man. God is not as simple as man imagines, and His work will not stop in one age. Jehovah, for example, will not always stand for the name of God; God also does His work under the name of Jesus, which is a symbol of how God’s work is always progressing forward.

God will always be God, and will never become Satan; Satan will always be Satan, and will never become God. God’s wisdom, God’s wondrousness, God’s righteousness, and God’s majesty shall never change. His substance and what He has and is shall never change. His work, however, is always progressing forward, always going deeper, for God is always new and never old. In every age God assumes a new name, in every age He does new work, and in every age He allows the creatures to see His new will and His new disposition. If people do not see the expression of God’s new disposition in the new age, would they not forever nail Him to the cross? And by doing so, would they not define God? If God was only incarnated as a male, people would define Him as male, as the God of men, and would never believe Him to be the God of women. Then, men would believe that God is of the same gender as men, that God is the head of men—and what of women? This is unfair; is it not preferential treatment? If this were the case, then all those whom God saved would be men like Him, and there would be no salvation for women. When God created mankind, He created Adam and He created Eve. He did not create only Adam, but made both male and female in His image. God is not only the God of men, He is also the God of women. God has new work to do during the last days. He shall reveal more of His disposition, and it shall not be the compassion and love of the time of Jesus. Since He has new work, this new work shall be accompanied by new disposition. So if this work is done by the Spirit—if God does not become flesh, and instead the Spirit speaks directly through thunder, so that man has no contact with Him, would man know His disposition? If only the Spirit does the work, then man would have no way of knowing His disposition. People can only behold God’s disposition with their own eyes when He becomes flesh, and reveals His words in the flesh, and expresses His entire disposition through the flesh. God truly lives among man. He is tangible; man can truly engage with His disposition and what He has and is; only in this way can man truly know Him. At the same time, God has also completed the work of God being the God of both men and women, and has achieved the entirety of His work in the flesh. God does not duplicate His work in each new age. Since the last days have arrived, He will do the work of the last days, and reveal His entire disposition in the last days. The last days are a separate age, one in which Jesus said you must suffer disaster, and be subjected to earthquakes, famines, and plagues, which will show that this is a new age, and is no longer the old Age of Grace. If, as people say, God is forever unchanging, His disposition is always compassionate and loving, and He loves man as Himself, and He offers every man salvation and never hates man, then would He ever be able to complete His work? When Jesus came, He was nailed to the cross, and He sacrificed Himself for all sinners by offering Himself upon the altar. He had already completed the work of redemption and already brought the Age of Grace to an end, so what would be the point of repeating the work of that age in the last days? Wouldn’t doing the same thing be a denial of the work of Jesus? If God does not do the work of crucifixion when He comes in this stage, but He remains loving and compassionate, then would He be able to bring the age to an end? Could a loving and compassionate God conclude the age? In His final work of concluding the age, God’s disposition is one of chastisement and judgment, which reveals all that is unrighteous, and publicly judges all peoples, and perfects those who truly love Him. Only a disposition such as this can bring the age to an end. The last days have already arrived. All things will be classed according to kind, and will be divided into different categories based on their nature. This is the time in which God reveals the end and the destination of man. If man does not undergo chastisement and judgment, then there will be no way of revealing the disobedience and unrighteousness of man. Only through chastisement and judgment can the end of all things be revealed. Man only shows his true colors when he is chastised and judged. Evil shall return to evil, good shall return to good, and man shall be classified according to kind. Through chastisement and judgment, the end of all things shall be revealed, so that the evil shall be punished and the good shall be rewarded, and all people shall become subject under the dominion of God. All the work requires righteous chastisement and judgment to be achieved. Because man’s corruption has reached its peak and his disobedience has been too serious, only God’s righteous disposition, which is principally one of chastisement and judgment, and is revealed during the last days, can fully transform and complete man. Only this disposition can expose evil and thus severely punish all the unrighteous. Therefore, a disposition such as this possesses the significance of the age, and the revelation and exhibition of His disposition is for the sake of the work of each new age. God does not reveal His disposition arbitrarily and without significance. If, when the end of man is revealed during the last days, God still bestows upon man inexhaustible compassion and love, if He is still loving toward man, and He does not subject man to righteous judgment, but shows him tolerance, patience, and forgiveness, if He still pardons man no matter what serious sins he commits, without any righteous judgment, then would there ever be an end to all of God’s management? When would a disposition such as this be able to lead mankind into the right destination? Take, for example, a judge who is always loving, kindhearted and gentle. He loves people irrespective of the sins they have committed, and he is loving and tolerant of people whoever they are. Then when will he be able to reach a just verdict? During the last days, only righteous judgment can classify man and bring man into a new realm. In this way, the entire age is brought to an end through God’s righteous disposition of judgment and chastisement.

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

In each age and each stage of work, My name is not baseless, but holds representative significance: Each name represents one age. “Jehovah” represents the Age of Law, and is the honorific for the God worshiped by the people of Israel. “Jesus” represents the Age of Grace, and is the name of the God of all those who were redeemed during the Age of Grace. If man still longs for the arrival of Jesus the Savior during the last days, and still expects Him to arrive in the image He bore in Judea, then the entire six-thousand-year management plan would stop in the Age of Redemption, and would be incapable of progressing any further. The last days, furthermore, would never arrive, and the age would never be brought to an end. That is because Jesus the Savior is only for the redemption and salvation of mankind. I took the name of Jesus for the sake of all the sinners in the Age of Grace, and it is not the name by which I shall bring the whole of mankind to an end. Although Jehovah, Jesus, and the Messiah all represent My Spirit, these names only denote the different ages in My management plan, and do not represent Me in My entirety. The names by which people on earth call Me cannot articulate My entire disposition and all that I am. They are merely different names by which I am called during different ages. And so, when the final age—the age of the last days—arrives, My name shall change again. I shall not be called Jehovah, or Jesus, much less the Messiah, but shall be called the powerful Almighty God Himself, and under this name I shall bring the entire age to an end. I was once known as Jehovah. I was also called the Messiah, and people once called Me Jesus the Savior because they loved and respected Me. But today I am not the Jehovah or Jesus that people knew in times past—I am the God who has returned in the last days, the God who shall bring the age to an end. I am the God Himself that rises up at the ends of the earth, replete with My entire disposition, and full of authority, honor and glory. People have never engaged with Me, have never known Me, and have always been ignorant of My disposition. From the creation of the world until today, not one person has seen Me. This is the God who appears to man during the last days but is hidden among man. He resides among man, true and real, like the burning sun and the flaming fire, filled with power and brimming with authority. There is not a single person or thing that shall not be judged by My words, and not a single person or thing that shall not be purified through the burning of fire. Eventually, all nations shall be blessed because of My words, and also smashed to pieces because of My words. In this way, all people during the last days shall see that I am the Savior returned, I am the Almighty God that conquers all of mankind, and I was once the sin offering for man, but in the last days I also become the flames of the sun that burn all things, as well as the sun of righteousness that reveals all things. Such is My work of the last days. I took this name and am possessed of this disposition so that all people may see that I am a righteous God, and am the burning sun, and the flaming fire. It is so that all may worship Me, the only true God, and so that they may see My true face: I am not only the God of the Israelites, and am not just the Redeemer—I am the God of all creatures throughout heavens and earth and seas.

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

The work done at present has pushed forward the work of the Age of Grace; that is, the work in the entire six-thousand-year management plan has moved forward. Though the Age of Grace has ended, the work of God has progressed further. Why do I say time and again that this stage of work builds upon the Age of Grace and the Age of Law? This means that the work of this day is a continuation of the work done in the Age of Grace and an uplifting of that done in the Age of Law. The three stages are closely interconnected and linked one to the next. Why do I also say that this stage of work builds on that done by Jesus? If this stage did not build on the work done by Jesus, then in this stage the crucifixion, the work of redemption done previously, would still need to be carried out. This would be meaningless. Therefore, it is not that the work has completely finished, but that the age has moved forward, and the work has become even higher than before. It could be said that this stage of work is built on the foundation of the Age of Law and the rock of the work of Jesus. The work is built stage by stage, and this stage is not a new beginning. Only the combination of the three stages of work can be deemed the six-thousand-year management plan. This stage is done on the foundation of the work of the Age of Grace. If these two stages of work are unrelated, why is there no crucifixion in this stage? Why do I not bear the sins of man? I do not come through the conception by the Holy Spirit nor will I be crucified to bear the sins of man. Rather, I am here to directly chastise man. If I did not chastise man following the crucifixion, and now I do not come through the conception by the Holy Spirit, then I would not be qualified to chastise man. It is precisely because I am one with Jesus that I come directly to chastise and judge man. This stage of work builds entirely on the previous stage. This is why only such work can bring man to salvation stage by stage. Jesus and I come from the same Spirit. Though Our fleshes have no relationship, Our Spirits are one; though what We do and the work We bear are not the same, We are alike in essence; Our fleshes take different forms, and this is because of the change in era and the need of Our work; Our ministries are not alike, so the work We bring forth and the disposition We reveal to man are also different. That is why what man sees and receives this day is unlike that of the past; this is so because of the change in era. Though the gender and form of Their fleshes are different, and though They were not born of the same family, much less in the same time period, Their Spirits are one. Though Their fleshes share no blood or physical relationship in any way, this does not deny that They are the incarnate fleshes of God in two different time periods. It is an undeniable truth that They are the incarnate fleshes of God, though They do not share the same bloodline or a common human language (one was a male who spoke the language of the Jews and the other is a female who speaks only Chinese). It is for these reasons that They do the work They ought in different countries, and in different time periods as well. Despite the fact that They are the same Spirit, possessed of the same essence, there are no absolute similarities at all between the outward shells of Their fleshes. They merely share the same humanity, but the appearance and birth of Their fleshes are not alike. These have no impact on Their respective work or the knowledge that man has of Them, for, after all, They are the same Spirit and none can separate Them. Though They are not related by blood, Their entire beings are directed by Their Spirits, so that They undertake different work in different time periods, with Their fleshes not sharing a bloodline. Similarly, the Spirit of Jehovah is not the father of the Spirit of Jesus, much as the Spirit of Jesus is not the son of the Spirit of Jehovah. They are the same Spirit. Just like the incarnate God of this day and Jesus. Though They are not related by blood, They are one; this is because Their Spirits are one.

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

Though the work of the two incarnate fleshes is different, the essence of the fleshes, and the source of Their work, are identical; it is just that They exist to perform two different stages of the work, and arise in two different ages. No matter what, God’s incarnate fleshes share the same essence and the same origin—this is a truth no one can deny.

from “The Essence of the Flesh Inhabited by God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The first time I came among men was during the Age of Redemption. Of course I came among the Jewish family; therefore the first to see God coming to earth were the Jewish people. The reason I did this work personally was because I wanted to use My incarnate flesh as a sin offering in My redemption work. So the first to see Me were the Jews of the Age of Grace. That was the first time I worked in the flesh. In the Age of Kingdom, My work is to conquer and perfect, so I again do shepherding work in the flesh. This is My second time working in the flesh. In the last two stages of work, what people come into contact with is no longer the invisible, untouchable Spirit, but a person who is the Spirit actualized as flesh. Thus in the eyes of man, I again become a person with none of the look and feel of God. Moreover, the God that people see is not only male, but also female, which is most astounding and puzzling to them. Time and time again, My extraordinary work shatters old beliefs held for many, many years. People are stunned! The so-called God is not only the Holy Spirit, that Spirit, the sevenfold intensified Spirit, the all-encompassing Spirit, but also a person, an ordinary person, an exceptionally common person. He is not only male, but also female. They are similar in that They are both born to humans, and dissimilar in that one is conceived by the Holy Spirit and the other is born to a human but derived directly from the Spirit. They are similar in that both incarnate fleshes of God carry out God the Father’s work, and dissimilar in that one does the work of redemption and the other does the work of conquering. Both represent God the Father, but one is the Lord of redemption filled with lovingkindness and mercy, and the other is the God of righteousness filled with wrath and judgment. One is the Supreme Commander to launch the redemption work, and the other is the righteous God to accomplish the work of conquering. One is the Beginning, the other the End. One is sinless flesh, the other is flesh that completes the redemption, continues the work, and is never of sin. Both are the same Spirit, but They dwell in different fleshes and are born in different places. And They are separated by several thousand years. Yet all Their work is mutually complementary, never conflictual, and can be spoken of in the same breath. Both are people, but one is a baby boy and the other is an infant girl.

from “When It Comes to God, What Is Your Understanding” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Not only is God a Spirit but He can also become flesh; moreover, He is a body of glory. Jesus, though you have not seen Him, was witnessed by the Israelites, that is, the Jews at the time. He was at first a flesh, but after He was crucified, He became the body of glory. He is the all-encompassing Spirit and can do work in all places. He could be Jehovah, Jesus and the Messiah; in the end, He can become Almighty God. He is righteousness, judgment, and chastisement, is curse and wrath, but also mercy and lovingkindness. All the work done by Him can represent Him.

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

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

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

I believe that our generation is blessed to be able to take up the path unfinished by the people of previous generations, and to be able to behold the reappearance of God from several thousand years ago—God who is here among us, and also fills all things. You would never have thought that you could walk upon this path: Can you do it? This path is led directly by the Holy Spirit, it is led by the sevenfold intensified Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is the path that has been opened up for you by the God of today. Even in your wildest dream you couldn’t have imagined that the Jesus of several thousand years ago would appear once again before you. Do you not feel gratified? Who is able to come face-to-face with God? I often pray for our group to receive greater blessings from God that we might be favored by God and gained by Him, but there have also been countless times when I have shed bitter tears for us, asking that God enlighten us, and allow us to behold greater revelations.

from “The Path… (7)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Footnotes:

a. “Reverse their past attitude” refers to how people’s conceptions and views about God change once they know God.

b. “Resting easy” indicates that people are unconcerned about God’s work and don’t see it as important.

Recommendation: Eastern Lightning

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Almighty God's Word "Concerning Appellations and Identity" (Part One)

Almighty God says, "Jesus represented the Spirit of God, and was the Spirit of God working directly. He did the work of the new age, the work that no one had done before. He opened up a new way, He represented Jehovah, and He represented God Himself. Whereas with Peter, Paul, and David, regardless of what they were called, they only represented the identity of a creature of God, or were sent by Jesus or Jehovah. So no matter how much work they did, no matter how great the miracles they performed, they were still just creatures of God, and incapable of representing the Spirit of God. They worked in the name of God or after being sent by God; furthermore, they worked in the ages begun by Jesus or Jehovah, and the work they did was not separate. They were, after all, merely creatures of God."

Recommendation: Eastern Lightning, Know more of the Church of Almighty God

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Where Does Eastern Lightning Come From?

Pictures of the Church of Almighty God

Where Does Eastern Lightning Come From?

Most followers of the Lord Jesus Christ hear about the Eastern Lightning from their pastors, elders, or preachers, but in actuality no one knows where the Eastern Lightning came from. When it comes to the origin of the Eastern Lightning, everyone has their own opinion: Some people believe it is nothing more than a new denomination in Christianity, others decry it as “heresy” or an “evil cult.” People have these absurd ideas because they don’t know the work of God.

God’s work is forever moving forward. Man doesn’t recognize the principle that God’s work is always new and never old, nor do they understand the purpose of God’s work is to save man, and what’s more, man has an arrogant and headstrong satanic disposition. That’s why each time God begins new work He will always be met with blasphemy, persecution, and accusations from the religious world that stubbornly clings to the old ways. As for those who accept God’s new work and spread the true way, they are heaped with all manner of groundless accusations and foul names. The New Testament of the Bible recorded this truth: In order to save man from the risk of being punished for not being able to keep the law, God became flesh and began the work of redemption in the Age of Grace. At that time, when the Lord Jesus was doing His work in Judea performing many miracles—healing the sick and driving out demons—He bestowed upon the people bountiful graces and He expressed many truths, doing enough to prove that He was truly and completely God Himself, that He was the Messiah as foretold. But the Jewish chief priests and scribes and the Pharisees wouldn’t believe that He was their long-awaited Messiah, and instead slandered Him, judged Him, and convicted the Lord Jesus’ work as “heresy” and a “cult.” It was in Nazareth that the Lord Jesus was raised and began His work, and that is why they gave Him and all His followers the moniker of the “sect of the Nazarenes,” and accused the apostle Paul of being a ringleader (ref. Act 24:5). What does this tell us? Our brothers and sisters who believe in the Lord know that the Lord Jesus’ work in Judea was carried out wholly according to the management plan of God Himself in order to start the Age of Grace and begin the new work of redeeming man. No matter Jew or Gentile, Zealot or Sadducee, anyone truly thirsting for and seeking the true way could obtain absolution by following the Lord Jesus, the one true God. God never needed to nor did He ever establish any denomination, organization, or sect, let alone this “sect of the Nazarenes.” So, the heresy, that is this “sect of the Nazarenes,” is actually a rumor made up to attack and frame the Lord Jesus and condemn His work—a rumor fabricated by the chief priests and scribes and the Pharisees “serving” Jehovah God in the temple. Finally, it was under the deception and control of these “people serving God” that the entire Jewish people took the Lord Jesus and nailed Him to a cross, offending God’s disposition and incurring God’s punishment, bringing about 2000 years of destruction to Israel.

In the same way, in order to let man escape from the cycle of committing sins only to confess them and then to continue on to sin again, completely cast off the corrupt disposition of Satan, dispose of his sinful nature and reach holiness, truly attain God’s salvation, in the last days God has once again become incarnate and has expressed the truth to judge and chastise the corrupt mankind. He is doing a new work of thoroughly cleansing man. Through the judgment, chastisement, trials, and refinement of God’s words, the brothers and sisters who accept God’s gospel of the last days and who keep up with His new work see clearly that the Almighty God who gives these truths in the last days is the return of the Lord Jesus and from deep in their hearts they rejoice and praise, feeling deeply the awesome greatness of being raised up and of His salvation. So, to return God’s love, to allow even more people to be able to follow God’s footsteps and return to the house of God, they go out and tell the good news to all those who have been eagerly awaiting the return of the Lord Jesus. They tell them the Lord Jesus has already become flesh once again and returned to the world, to China in the East, ending the Age of Grace and bringing about the Age of Kingdom. He has begun a new, higher work of judging and cleansing man. They tell them God has now realized chapter 24 verse 27 of the Gospel of Matthew: “For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” The truth God brought this time is even higher than before, uncovering the mysteries of His work from creation to the last days, taking all the truths of the cleansing and salvation of humanity and bestowing it upon man, and our brothers and sisters who truly believe in God, in droves they come to the light. And in the last days the time of God’s harvest work is short, the speed is fast, and, like a bolt of lightning, in the span of just over twenty years the kingdom gospel of God has spread widely across the Chinese mainland and is expanding to all the countries and regions of the world. And yet, faced with God’s new work which does not accord with man’s notions, those arrogant and self-righteous people from various religious sects stubbornly cling to the old ways. They who cannot keep up with God’s new work not only do not seek or investigate the true way, but instead make an issue of the biblical prophecy fellowshiped about by the brothers and sisters who witness God’s work of the last days. They make wild accusations, judging and slandering the Church of Almighty God as the “Eastern Lightning Sect.” And in every way they do exactly as the Judaic religious circles did before, attacking, defaming, and condemning the Lord Jesus’ disciples and apostles as “the sect of the Nazarenes.” That they can oppose and attack God’s work of the last days like this, that they can stop people from following God’s footsteps and obeying His work, is that not exactly just as the Pharisees resisted and condemned Christ before? Is the core of these actions not simply to hate the truth and blaspheme the Holy Spirit?

If Almighty God did not speak His word and unveil the mysteries, then we would never truly understand what is meant by the prophecy “for as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west.” Almighty God says: “When all people take heed, when all things are renewed and revived, when every person submits to God without qualms, and is willing to shoulder the heavy responsibility of God’s burden—this is when the eastern lightning issues forth, illuminating all from the East to the West, terrifying all of earth with the arrival of this light; and at this moment, God once again begins His new life. … Which is to say, in the world’s East, from when testimony to God Himself begins, to when He begins to work, to when divinity begins to wield sovereign power across the earth—this is the glowing shaft of the eastern lightning, which has ever shone out to the whole universe. When the countries on earth become the kingdom of Christ is when the whole universe is illuminated. Now is the time when the eastern lightning issues forth: God incarnate begins to work, and, furthermore, speaks directly in divinity. It can be said that when God begins to speak on earth is when the eastern lightning comes forth. More precisely, when living water flows from the throne—when the utterances from the throne begin—is precisely when the utterances of the sevenfold Spirit formally begin” (“Interpretation of the Twelfth Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “Throughout the universe I am doing My work, and in the East, thunderous crashes issue forth endlessly, shaking all denominations and sects. It is My voice that has brought all men to the present. I let My voice be that which conquers man; they all fall into this stream and all submit before Me, for I have long ago reclaimed My glory from all the earth and issued it forth anew in the East. Who does not long to see My glory? Who does not anxiously await My return? Who does not thirst for My reappearance? Who does not pine for My loveliness? Who would not come to the light? Who would not see the richness of Canaan? Who does not long for the return of the Redeemer? Who does not adore the Great Almighty? My voice must spread throughout all the earth; I wish to speak more to My chosen people. The words I utter shake the mountains and rivers like mighty thunders; I speak to all the universe and to mankind. Hence My words become man’s treasure, and all men cherish them. The lightning flashes from the East even to the West. My words are such that man loathes to give them up and finds them unfathomable, but moreover, man rejoices in them. Like a newborn infant, all men are glad and joyful, celebrating My coming. Because of My voice, I shall bring all men before Me. Thenceforth, I shall formally enter among men so that they come to worship Me. The glory I give forth and My words make it such that all men come before Me and see that the lightning flashes from the East…. For I have long since been resurrected, gone away from among men, then reappeared among men with glory. I am He who was worshiped before the ages, and the ‘infant’ forsaken by the Israelites before the ages. Moreover, I am the all-glorious Almighty God of the present age!” (“The Seven Thunders Peal—Prophesying That the Gospel of the Kingdom Shall Spread Throughout the Universe” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). From the words of Almighty God we can see that God’s work and word of the last days are the lightning that shines forth from the east. The “lightning” is the great light, meaning the word of God, God’s way of judgment and chastisement in the last days. The phrase “comes out of the east” means coming from China, and “shines even to the west” means arriving in the West. Finally, “so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” refers to God becoming flesh and first revealing Himself and starting His work in China in the East. There He makes a group of people who truly know God, and they are the overcomers as seen in the Book of Revelation. Then through these people, the gospel of the last days will spread to the west, so that all may receive God’s salvation of the last days. This has now been achieved and is a fact that can be seen by everyone! The lightning of the East (that is, God’s work of judgment during the last days in China) can allow us to receive all the love and salvation that God bestows upon man, can allow us to know the true face of God, and gives rise in us true reverence and worship of God. Just like a bolt of lightning, God’s word gives man light and hope. All those who accept the lightning of the East—God’s work of the last days—they can all bear witness to this.

Now, reading this, I believe you all have a clear answer to the question of what the origin of the Eastern Lightning is. God is the Creator of the heavens and earth and all things. Because man was corrupted by Satan, God started His work of saving man. God wishes to have all the people in the universe see His deeds, that all faiths will become one, worshiping the Creator. Then He will let all those who truly seek God’s appearance and follow His footsteps achieve purity and attain salvation. He will take these people who are after God’s heart into the kingdom to rest with Him. So, each and every of our brothers and sisters who truly believe in God and eagerly await the Lord Jesus’ return should set aside their religious notions and study the true way. Do not heed rumors, blindly opposing the true way, as it will end in the loss of God’s salvation in the last days. We must keep apace of the steps of God’s work, following God’s footsteps closely. This is the only way we can obtain His salvation in the end and be brought by God into His kingdom.

Recommendation: The brief introduction of the Church of Almighty God

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