What Is the Difference Between God's Judgment Work in the Last Days and the Work of the Lord Jesus?

Introduction

Some people believe that after the Lord Jesus resurrected and ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit descended to work on man on the day of Pentecost. He reproved the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. When we receive the work of the Holy Spirit and repent to the Lord for our sins, we are experiencing the Lord's judgment. The work done by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost should be the judgment work of God in the last days. Are we correct in the way we receive it? What is the difference between the work of the Lord Jesus and the judgment work of Almighty God in the last days?

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

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God is forever unchanging, so why would the Lord Jesus change His name to Almighty God?

19. God is forever unchanging, so why would the Lord Jesus change His name to Almighty God?

The Answer from God’s Word:

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.

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What Are the Aims of the Church of Almighty God?

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What Are the Aims of the Church of Almighty God?

The Church of Almighty God waters and shepherds its believers in complete accordance with the words of God in the Bible and The Word Appears in the Flesh expressed by Almighty God, so that every believer can, under the guidance, provision, watering, and shepherding of the words of Almighty God, understand all of the truths in God’s words, possess the right outlook on life and values, have the right goals to pursue, follow the way of God, hold on to God’s commissions, glorify God by being the light of the world and salt of the earth, be praised by God, and be qualified to inherit God’s promises.

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Why can the “Eastern Lightning” spread all over Mainland China despite bitter opposition?

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Why can the “Eastern Lightning” spread all over Mainland China despite bitter opposition?

When it comes to the Eastern Lightning, many brothers and sisters in the Lord will look upset and feel afraid. Yet most of them have such doubt in the heart: why has the Eastern Lightning spread all over Mainland China like mightily overwhelming surging waves rather than falling into desolation and decay even despite the strong defense and condemnation and rejection against it from all denominations and sects? The fact completely baffles the religious people. Actually, the reason is very simple. The Eastern Lightning, called by all denominations and sects, is no other than the Savior Lord Jesus returning upon a white cloud in the last days, the real and true God Himself who has become flesh again. Almighty God—Christ of the last days—has brought the work of judgment by which to change man’s disposition and purify, save, and perfect man, and expressed the truth that can be new life of man. Therefore, even if all denominations and sects in the whole world oppose, attack, persecute, blaspheme, and condemn the incarnate God of the last days and His work, what God wishes to achieve can never be thwarted or oppressed by anyone. God’s almightiness and wisdom can never be surpassed by any forces of Satan.

Many people believe that the way condemned by most people is surely not the true way. Does it accord with the truth? Let’s look back to the Age of Grace when God became flesh in Judea and carried out new work. From the beginning, the Judaists persecuted, blasphemed, condemned Jesus and tried every possible means to put Him to death. In the end, they, in collusion with the Roman authorities, arrested the merciful Lord Jesus and nailed Him to the cross. Even after the resurrection and ascent of the Lord Jesus, they spread rumors and slandered and accused John, Paul, and other apostles as the Nazarenes, cultists, and also made every effort to persecute, hunt, and afflict them. However, the work of Jesus could never be thwarted or destroyed by Satan, for God’s wisdom is always exercised based on Satan’s plots. It was because the wanton persecution and banishment of the Roman Empire forced the apostles to leave their homes and flee abroad that Jesus’ salvation was spread throughout the world and to the ends of the earth. Brothers and sisters, let’s consider this: Why was the way of Jesus resisted and opposed by so many people? Was it not the true way? Could it be that what Jesus’ apostles preached was not the salvation of God? Could it be that the way rejected and resisted is not the way of God? Could the number of its supporters be taken as the standard for judging whether it is the true way? Don’t think that the way resisted by most people is not the true way. As long as it is the work of God, even if all the people in the world oppose and reject it, the true way brought by God can never be denied. This is absolutely true. If one who believes in and follows God for many years doesn’t know God’s work and can easily be deceived and bound by Satan’s specious fallacies and rumors and become a person who believes in God yet follows Satan and who serves God yet opposes God, isn’t it distressing and regrettable? Many people don’t investigate and seek the true way with a humble heart, but follow others and buy into their ideas. They blindly follow others in judging and attacking God and His work and parrot their remarks. It’s very dangerous to do so. If they persist in their mistaken way, it will lead them onto a path of no return in the end. When the Jews opposed the Jesus’ apostles preaching the gospel in the temple, Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, said to them, “And now I say to you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nothing: But if it be of God, you cannot overthrow it; lest haply you be found even to fight against God.” (Acts 5:38-39) Shouldn’t his words be a warning to every believer in God today? Today, God became flesh again and came to China—the staunch bastion of atheism, the lair of the great red dragon—to carry out the work of judging and purifying man in the Age of Kingdom. His purpose is to fully save corrupt mankind from the dark influence of Satan and bring them into His kingdom so that they can enter into rest together with Him. However, the tragedy of history that the Jews opposed Jesus is repeated. As the work of God in the last days goes against the notions of the religious people in all denominations and sects, they not only don’t welcome the returned Jesus but instead spread various fallacies and rumors to slander the incarnate God and His work. They condemn the work of the incarnate God in the last days as a heresy, a cult, and even join hands with China’s ruling party to persecute and hunt the incarnate God. Their deeds are no different from the evil doings of the Judaists who framed and persecuted Jesus. Nevertheless, the true way is the true way, and God’s work is God’s work; regardless of their resistance and condemnation against God’s work of the last days, the kingdom gospel of God has still spread all over Mainland China and shocked the whole religious world.

Since it is the true way, why is it opposed by so many believers in God? The reason lies in two aspects. One is because man doesn’t know the direction of the Holy Spirit, that is, they don’t know that the work of God is always progressing forward. They don’t know how to seek the present work of God as a believer in God, but instead they know only to check God’s new work against His former work. Once they find any inconsistencies, they condemn the new work as a heresy, a cult. The other is because man is too arrogant and self-right to humbly seek the new work of God, and they hold fast to their ideas, taking their own thoughts as God’s thoughts, and refuse to accept any truth. From this, we can see that when God opens a new age, His new work is opposed by most people, not because God’s way is wrong but because man doesn’t know God’s work and refuses to seek the truth on account of their disposition of arrogance and self-right. If one thinks that the new work of God isn’t the true way because it is opposed by most people, it shows that he is absurd and preposterous. If one loses God’s salvation of the last days because of this, that would undoubtedly be an eternal loss.

How do we distinguish between the true way and the false way? God’s word tells us the principles for this. Almighty God says, “Knowing the work of God is no simple matter: you should have standards and an objective in your pursuit, you should know how to seek the true way, and how to measure whether or not it is the true way, and whether or not it is the work of God. What is the most basic principle in seeking the true way? You have to look at whether or not there is the work of the Holy Spirit, whether or not these words are the expression of the truth, who is testified, and what it can bring you. Distinguishing between the true way and the false way requires several aspects of basic knowledge, the most fundamental of which is to tell whether or not there is the work of the Holy Spirit. For the substance of man’s belief in God is the belief in the Spirit of God. Even his belief in God incarnate is because this flesh is the embodiment of the Spirit of God, which means that such belief is still the belief in the Spirit. There are differences between the Spirit and the flesh, but because this flesh comes from the Spirit, and is the Word become flesh, thus what man believes in is still the inherent substance of God. And so, in distinguishing whether or not it is the true way, above all you must look at whether or not there is the work of the Holy Spirit, after which you must look at whether or not there is the truth in this way. This truth is the life disposition of normal humanity, which is to say, that which was required of man when God created him in the beginning, namely, all of normal humanity (including human sense, insight, wisdom, and the basic knowledge of being man). That is, you need to look at whether or not this way takes man into a life of normal humanity, whether or not the truth that is spoken of is required according to the reality of normal humanity, whether or not this truth is practical and real, and whether or not it is most timely. If there is truth, then it is able to take man into normal and real experiences; man, furthermore, becomes ever more normal, man’s human sense becomes ever more complete, man’s life in the flesh and the spiritual life become ever more orderly, and man’s emotions become ever more normal. This is the second principle. There is one other principle, which is whether or not man has an increasing knowledge of God, whether or not experiencing such work and truth can inspire a love of God in him, and bring him ever closer to God. In this can be measured whether or not it is the true way. Most fundamental is whether this way is realistic rather than supernatural, and whether or not it is able to provide the life of man. If it conforms to these principles, the conclusion can be drawn that this way is the true way.” (from “Only Those Who Know God and His Work Can Satisfy God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) The words of Almighty God show us that we can discern the true way from the following three aspects.
First, we must see whether there is the work of the Holy Spirit. This is very important. Since it is the true way, it is surely the work of God Himself, and will surely be accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit, upheld by the Holy Spirit. People believe in the incarnate God because He is the flesh in which God’s Spirit is embodied. All of His work is the work of the Holy Spirit, and it is also validated by the Holy Spirit. So people believe in Him and follow Him. For example, when Jesus was doing His work, though He appeared to be an ordinary, normal man, people could see that His work and word was accompanied and upheld by the Holy Spirit, because they see that His work and word were full of authority and power. He made the blind see, the lame walk, and the leper healed, fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fishes, and even raised the dead. He searched man’s hearts and minds and revealed man’s hidden things of darkness. And He also spoke the mysteries in heaven. People would feel peace and joy in their heart after following Him. At that time people followed the Lord Jesus and recognized Him as the coming Messiah all because they saw that all of His work was done by the Holy Spirit. This shows us that if it is the true way, there must be the work of the Holy Spirit. So, to judge whether it is the true way, we should first discern whether there is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Second, we should discern whether there is the truth expressed in it and whether man’s life disposition can be gradually changed and his humanity can become more and more normal. As we all know, God is the truth, the way, and the life. Each time God does a new stage of work, He will express the truth and thereby show man the ways of practice in the new age and give man the supply of life, so that man will live out a more and more normal humanity and gradually restore the original likeness that man had when he was created by God. This is an obvious characteristic of the true way. For example, when the Lord Jesus began the work of the Age of Grace, He expressed many truths for people at that time to practice. He taught them to love their neighbor as themselves, bear the cross, deny themselves, forgive others seventy times seven times, worship God in spirit and in truth, and so on. All those who truly believed in God underwent some changes in outward actions thanks to the teachings of the Lord Jesus, and they could be humble and patient as required by Him and lived out the likeness of normal man in some measure. So, if it is the true way, there must be the truth expressed in it, and it will make man’s humanity more and more normal and make them more and more like a real man.

Third, we can judge it by whether it can bring man more and more knowledge of God and whether it can arouse their love for God and draw them ever closer to God. As is known to all, the true way is the work of God’s own and can bring man to God, and by experiencing such work, man will gradually gain true knowledge of God and develop a love for God. For example, in the Age of Law, Jehovah decreed laws to guide man’s life on earth, and by experiencing His work, they knew that Jehovah alone was the only true God. They also knew that His disposition was majesty and curse and could not be offended, and thereby they had fear of God. In the Age of Grace, God was incarnated into the world and did the work of redemption of mankind, and people knew by experiencing the work of Jesus that God’s disposition was love and mercy and saw that God was not only Spirit but could become flesh and humble Himself to be a man and perform signs and wonders, healing the sick and casting out demons…. All the work Jesus did brought man a new knowledge of God and aroused more of their love for God. Therefore, if it is the true way, it can bring man more knowledge of God and His disposition.

Although God’s work is always progressing forward, as long as it is the work done by God Himself and the true way, it must meet the three conditions above. That is, there must be the work of the Holy Spirit, there must be the truth expressed in it, and it must bring man more and more knowledge of God and draw them ever closer to God. If we discern the true way by these three standards, we will tell true from false and keep pace with the present work of God and receive the truth, the way, and the life and greater promises and blessings from God.

Today, in the last days, God has new work, that is, He speaks words to judge and purify the corrupt mankind. This is a newer and higher work that God does as planned, based on the work of the Lord Jesus and according to the actual need of the mankind in the last days. If you calm down and seek and investigate it carefully, you will see that the new work is not only accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit but also possessed of the truth and that it can bring you a more true, practical, and full knowledge of God. Let me share our experience and knowledge of God’s work of the last days according to the three standards.

Firstly, if it is the true way, it is accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit. Almighty God has opened the Age of Kingdom and conducted new work. He has expressed words to judge and purify man and brought man new provision of life. Those true believers of God in all denominations and sects have all gradually come under the name of Almighty God. No matter how people oppose and what force stands in the way, God’s gospel of the last days, like mightily surging waves, has spread all over Mainland China, and a gratifying scene has appeared where all people are streaming to the holy mountain. Although we are from different denominations or sects, we get along well with and help each other. There is no division among us, and the church life is full of vitality. The brothers and sisters never weary of meetings. We take delight in singing hymns and receive enlightenment in prayers. In every meeting, we derive new supply from the word of Almighty God, know more of what we lack, and find the ways of practice from His word. We are fully confident, and are responsible and faithful for God’s commission. Our corrupt disposition has been changed in different degrees, and we can act by God’s word and love each other when we are together. When there arise different opinions, we can deny ourselves and listen to others’, letting the truth of God’s word reign in the church. In this stage of work, although God does not repeat the work of the Age of Grace, no longer healing the sick or casting out demons, we see the authority and power of His word from His work. As long as we accept and obey the work and word of Almighty God, we will be enlightened and illuminated by the Holy Spirit and free from passiveness or weakness, and perform our duty as a created being actively to care for God’s will. This is why the brothers and sisters in the Church of Almighty God are able to give up their fleshly enjoyment and do their best to preach God’s kingdom gospel everywhere. Regardless of whether they are refused, persecuted, cursed, or struck by the believers of other denominations and sects, they endure all these hardships willingly and never stop preaching God’s gospel of the last days to carry out God’s will. From these facts, we can see that Almighty God is full of authority and power and His work is accompanied and upheld by the Holy Spirit. However, the churches of all denominations and sects, which fail to follow God’s new work, are full of jealousy, strife, and divisions, and people work together in a different pace, walk together with a different mind. This is proof enough that there isn’t the work of the Holy Spirit in these churches. The Church of Almighty God is in vitality as it is accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit, while the churches of all denominations and sects are stagnant and desolate because they have lost the work of the Holy Spirit. The sharp contrast shows us clearly which is the true way and which is outdated.

Secondly, if it is the true way, there must exist the truth, and it can show man the ways of practice for the new age, bring man new provision of life, and man will be increasingly transformed in life disposition and their humanity will become more and more normal. In the work of the last days, Almighty God has expressed a great variety of truths. There are truths concerning the work of God and truths concerning the practice and the entry for man in the new age, such as the purpose of God’s management, the principles of God’s work, the inside truth behind the works of the Age of Law and the Age of Grace, how God conducts His work of judgment, what the significance of God’s incarnation is, how mankind has developed until today, what the destination of mankind will be, what viewpoint believers ought to hold, what believers should pursue, why believers must submit to God, why only loving God is truly believing in God, what service is after God’s heart, and so forth. These truths allow us to gain much understanding of God’s will and much knowledge of the substance of our nature and the true condition of our corruption, and they also show us clearly the way to change our disposition. Through experiencing the work and word of Almighty God, we have known the impurities in our former belief in God: Although we were redeemed by God and received the abundance of grace, in our heart we were calculating every day how to gain more fleshly enjoyment and material blessings and gain our longed-for blessings from God. We journeyed to and fro for God’s work in order to gain blessings, crown, fame, and benefits, not for the sake of fulfilling our duty as a created being. Regardless of the abundance of grace from God, once God did something discordant with our notions, we would immediately resist and complain about God and even be in enmity to God openly or leave God. The original conscience and sense that man ought to have before God couldn’t be found in us, and we had been corrupted by Satan so much that we no longer had the likeness of humans. From the truths expressed by Almighty God, we gain true knowledge of the truth of our corruption and see that we are selfish and contemptible and without humanity. And we also understand the meaning of the work of God’s salvation for us and appreciate God’s devotion to saving mankind. In this way, our spirits are revived little by little and our conscience and sense are gradually restored. We no longer seek to satisfy our flesh but only pursue to devote ourselves to fulfilling God’s will, so we gradually have a normal relationship with God, a relationship between created beings and the Creator, have more and more love, obedience, and worship for God, and live more and more like a real man. In short, Almighty God has brought us the truths badly needed for the people of the last days, showed us the direction ahead in the new age, and given us the most actual provision of life. These facts are sufficient proof that the way of Almighty God is the true way.

Thirdly, if it is the true way, it brings man a new knowledge of God. Brothers and sisters, if you read the word of Almighty God personally and come into real contact with the brothers and sisters in the Church of Almighty God, you will find that they have gained a new knowledge of God by pursuing the truth expressed by Almighty God. They have known from their experiences of His work and word the righteous disposition of God and seen that God’s inherent disposition encompasses not only love and mercy but even majesty, wrath, and intolerance of man’s offense. Through experiencing the work and word of Almighty God, we have seen how God saves man by steps and how He vanquishes Satan with His wisdom, and we have truly known that God is almighty, wise, wondrous, and unfathomable and gained a truer understanding of His devotion to saving mankind, His true love for mankind, and His essence of goodness and beauty. In experiencing the work and word of Almighty God, we have corrected our former fallacious knowledge of God. For example, we have known that God is not only the God of the Israelites but also the God of all Gentile nations, He is the God of all creation, His work is always new and never old and follows no doctrines, and so on. All this shows that the work and word of Almighty God have increased man’s knowledge of God and made man gain a more real and full knowledge of God than they did in the Age of Grace. Only when God Himself does the work can it achieve such results. There is no doubt that the way of Almighty God is the true way.

As such, the conclusion can be drawn that Almighty God, who is condemned by the religious world, is the God Himself returning to flesh in the last days. Therefore, regardless of the opposition and attack from all denominations and sects and the slander and condemnation of all Satan’s forces, the spreading of God’s work of the last days has not been thwarted in the slightest. During the dozen years, the kingdom gospel has expanded all over Mainland China, and God’s name and God’s word have been spread to hundreds of millions of families. Those believers in all denominations and sects who pursue the truth and truly want God have returned to Almighty God. Millions of people are enjoying God’s words, experiencing God’s work and salvation, and praising God’s wondrous deeds. God has made a group of overcomers in China who are of one mind with Him. God’s work has eventually concluded with His glorification, and God will appear publicly to all nations and all lands soon. Spiritual siblings, remove your timidity and doubts and come to God with your sincere heart. Almighty God is watching, awaiting your return all along!

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Is Eastern Lightning the Return of the Lord Jesus?

Lord Jesus has come, He has knock the door.

We all know that the Lord Jesus had promised His disciples before He left: Surely I come quickly. Over thousands of years, countless Christians have held on to the promise of the Lord and expected His return all their life. They felt pity that they did not meet the return of the Lord Jesus before death. Many people are puzzled: The prophecy of the return of the Lord Jesus has already been fulfilled, but why is it that we haven’t seen the appearance of the Lord yet? In fact, the Lord Jesus has already returned to flesh as the Son of man and done the work in secret among people for many years. Christ of the last days—Almighty God is the return of the Lord Jesus!

When the disciples asked about the signs of His return on the Mount of Olives, the Lord Jesus prophesied from His own mouth, “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.” (Mat 24:27) And He also prophesied, “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) Both of these scriptures mention “the Son of man,” who is born of man and has the normal humanity. The Spirit cannot be called as “the Son of man,” and only God incarnate can be called so. This is sufficient to prove that when the Lord returns in the last days, He will still become flesh. The prophecy says “But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.” So the Son of man will suffer many things and be rejected; it also refers to God’s return to flesh. If God returned as the Spirit, would He suffer so much and be rejected by men?

During about 20 years, the Church of Almighty God has been testifying that Eastern Lightning is Christ of the last days, Almighty God who becomes flesh, and the return of the Lord Jesus, and that millions of words of truth Almighty God expresses is the light to save man. However, the elders and pasators of the whole religious world not only didn’t seek or investigate it, but instead frenziedly judged, condemned, resisted, and blasphemed the Eastern Lightning. They even colluded with the atheistic CCP government to deceive common people and instigate them to oppose and resist the Eastern Lightning. Even so, they still failed to stop the steps of God’s work. The clever virgins, who believe in God sincerely and can recognize the voice of God, return before Almighty God’s throne from all sects and denominations one after another. The scene of joy “All peoples will surely stream to this mountain” has appeared. Under Almighty God’s personal leading, God’s chosen people have broken through the suppression of the forces of darkness, and they keep practicing the truth and never lose the testimony. Almighty God has already made a group of overcomers in Mainland China. Today, the gospel of Almighty God has spread from China, the East, to all other countries in the world, without dramatic effect. These ironclad facts are the complete fulfillments of the prophecies concerning the return of the Lord. Like what Jesus suffered in His first incarnation, Almighty God, Eastern Lightning and Christ of the last days, also suffers the rejection from the world today. But He has still accomplished the work what He wants to do, not restricted by anything.

Almighty God says, “Only when the light of the East gradually turns white will the darkness across the earth begin to turn to light, and only then will men find that I have long ago gone from Israel and am rising anew in the East. I cannot still be ‘born’ in Israel after I have ‘descended’ to Israel and then left from Israel, for My work leads all of the universe and the lightning flashes from the East to the West. This is the reason I have descended in the East and brought Canaan to the people of the East. … I gave My glory to Israel then moved it away from there, bringing the Israelites to the East, and bringing all men to the East. I have led them all to the ‘light’ so that they may be reunited and have association with it, and no longer have to search for it. I will let all who are in search see the light again and see the glory I had in Israel; I will let them see that I have long ago come down upon a white cloud among men, and see the countless clouds of white and clusters of fruit, and moreover, Jehovah God of Israel. I will let them see the ‘Master’ of the Jews, the longed-for Messiah, and the full appearance of Me who have been persecuted by kings throughout the ages. I will do the work of the entire universe and perform great works, revealing all My glory and all My deeds to man in the last days. I shall show My full countenance of glory to those who have awaited Me for many years, to those who have longed for Me to come upon a white cloud, to Israel that has longed for Me to once again appear, and to all mankind who persecute Me, so that all will know that I have long ago taken away My glory and brought it to the East. It is not in Judea, for the last days have already come!” (from The Word Appears in the Flesh) All these facts fully prove that Eastern Lightning is the return of the Lord Jesus in the last days and God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.

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Worship God in Spirit and in Truth | "The Heart's Voice of a Created Being" Christian Music Video

Worship God in Spirit and in Truth

The Heart’s Voice of a Created Being

I

I wanted to cry, but no place felt right.

I wanted to sing, but no song was found.

I wanted to express the love of a created being.

Searching high and low, but no words could say, could say just how I feel.

Practical and true God, the love inside my heart.

I lift my hands in praise, I rejoice that You came into this world.

II

Man came from dust, and God gave him life.

Satan came down to corrupt mankind.

Lost are their humanity and reason.

Generation after generation, fallen since that day.

But You are … the practical and true God, the love inside my heart.

I am dust but I can see Your face. How can I not worship?

The practical and true God, the love inside my heart.

I am dust but I can see Your face. How can I not worship You?

III

God created man and loves him so, that He became flesh again,

bore good and bad, adversity and sorrow,

saving us and bringing us to a beautiful place.

We will always thank You.

The practical and true God, the love inside my heart.

Corrupt, but You have saved me! How can I not worship?

The practical and true God, the love inside my heart.

Corrupt, but You have saved me! How can I not worship You?

How can I not worship You? How can I not worship You?

from Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs

Eastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared.

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Do You Know the Deeper Meanings of the Lord Jesus’ Resurrection?

Lord Jesus’ Resurrection

In Scripture it is written about the Lord Jesus’ resurrection: “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said to the women, Fear not you: for I know that you seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goes before you into Galilee; there shall you see him: see, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulcher with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. … Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All power is given to me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:1-9, 16-18). These verses record the facts of the Lord Jesus’ resurrection three days after His crucifixion. It is because He was crucified and redeemed mankind that mankind is no longer condemned by the law and freed from the bondage of the decrees and regulations. Thanks be to the Lord! His resurrection is too important to every one of our brothers and sisters in Him, for it is through His resurrection that we are made certain that He is God Himself and is the One that we should truly trust. The Bible says, “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; you are yet in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). Without the Lord Jesus’ resurrection, even if we have faith in Him, we would not be saved. Without His redemption, we sinners would still be bound by the law. Just because of His resurrection, we have a hope of salvation.

The Lord Jesus’ resurrection to mankind is undoubtedly important. How could we not be excited about it? In joy and excitement, let us calm down and think about these two questions: What deeper meanings does the Lord Jesus’ resurrection have? What are the Lord’s intentions when He taught His disciples after His resurrection and appearance?

1. The Meanings of the Lord Jesus’ Resurrection

I prayed to the Lord in puzzlement. And then, when I was studying related materials, I saw these words in a spiritual book: “The scripture contains the following line describing the Lord Jesus after the resurrection: ‘then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the middle, and said, Peace be to you.’ It’s very clear that the Lord Jesus at that time was no longer a flesh, but a spiritual body. This was because He had transcended the limitations of the flesh, and when the door was closed He could still come into the midst of the people and allow them to see Him. This is the greatest difference between the Lord Jesus after the resurrection and the Lord Jesus living in the flesh before the resurrection. Even though there was no difference between the appearance of the spiritual body of that moment and the appearance of the Lord Jesus from before, Jesus in that moment had become a Jesus that felt like a stranger to the people, because He had become a spiritual body after being resurrected from the dead, and compared to His previous flesh, this spiritual body was more puzzling and confusing for people. It also created more distance between the Lord Jesus and the people, and people felt in their hearts that the Lord Jesus in that moment had become more mysterious. … the first thing that the Lord Jesus did after His resurrection was to allow everyone to see Him, to confirm that He exists, and to confirm the fact of His resurrection. In addition, it restored His relationship with the people to the relationship He had with them when He was working in the flesh, and He was the Christ they could see and touch. This way, one outcome is that the people had no doubt that the Lord Jesus had been resurrected from death after being nailed to the cross, and there was no doubt in the Lord Jesus’ work to redeem mankind. And another outcome is that the fact of the Lord Jesus appearing to people after His resurrection and allowing people to see and touch Him firmly secured mankind in the Age of Grace. From this time on, people could not return to the previous age, the Age of Law, because of the Lord Jesus’ ‘disappearance’ or ‘desertion,’ but they would continue forward, following the Lord Jesus’ teachings and the work He had done. Thus, a new phase in the work in the Age of Grace was formally opened up, and the people who had been under the law formally came out from the law from then on, and entered into a new era, with a new beginning. These are the manifold meanings of the Lord Jesus’ appearance to mankind after the resurrection.” After reading these words, I had gained some understanding. Before the Lord Jesus was resurrected, He was in the flesh. After the resurrection, He appeared to man in a spiritual body with the image of the flesh. At that time, the Lord Jesus had transcended the limitations of the flesh, and could come among His disciples and appear to them when the door was closed. Although His outward image didn’t change, He had become a spiritual body. Facing the spiritual body of the Lord Jesus, the disciples felt that it was mysterious, and there was also confusion and distance growing inside them. The Lord Jesus was clear about man’s mentality and need. So, after the resurrection, He appeared to man for forty days, and ate bread and fish and explained the scriptures to His disciples. So that man could see that He was still the same Lord Jesus, tangible with flesh and bones, and would no longer think that the resurrected Lord Jesus was a spiritual body that they couldn’t touch or approach. In addition, they could see His existence and recognize Him, with no more doubt but confirmation of His resurrection. In this way, the relationship between man and God would be restored to their relationship before the crucifixion. They would say, “The Lord has risen from dead! He is the same as before. He loves us the same way He used to. He cares about us, He doesn’t leave us, and He is still with us, still on earth.” Besides, through His resurrection and appearance to man, the Lord Jesus opened up a phase of the work in the Age of Grace, and led man to come out from the law and enter into the new age. All the followers of Him knew that He is Christ, the incarnated God, and God Himself, and their faith was thus strengthened. Later, His disciples took His resurrection as the greatest vision, and began to testify about Him, telling people the facts of His work, and to preach the gospel, which has been spread across the world today. So, the meanings of the Lord Jesus’ resurrection can be seen from above.

2. Reflections on the Lord Jesus’ Words to Thomas After His Resurrection

The Bible records, “And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the middle, and said, Peace be to you. Then said he to Thomas, Reach here your finger, and behold my hands; and reach here your hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to him, My LORD and my God. Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:26-29). Before when I read these verses, I only knew that the Lord Jesus loved man too much and sympathized with man’s weakness. He knew Thomas’ inner doubt, so He appeared to him to dispel his doubt. But I didn’t understand more of the Lord’s intentions in doing that and speaking those words. My heart lightened immediately when I read the following words.

The words in the book say, “What the Lord Jesus said to Thomas was also very clearly telling every person: The resurrected Lord Jesus is the Lord Jesus that had initially spent thirty-three and a half years working among mankind. Although He had been nailed to the cross and experienced the valley of the shadow of death, and He had experienced resurrection, His every aspect had undergone no changes. Although He now had nail marks on His body, and although He had been resurrected and walked out from the grave, His disposition, His understanding of mankind, and His intentions toward mankind had not changed in the slightest. Also, He was telling people that He had come down off the cross, triumphed over sin, triumphed over hardships, and triumphed over death. The nail marks were just the evidence of His victory over Satan, evidence of being a sin offering to successfully redeem all of mankind. He was telling people that He had already taken on mankind’s sins and He had completed His work of redemption. When He returned to see His disciples, He told them with His appearance: ‘I’m still alive, I still exist; today I am truly standing in front of you so that you can see and touch Me. I will always be with you.’ The Lord Jesus also wanted to use the case of Thomas as a warning for future people: Although you believe in the Lord Jesus, you can neither see nor touch Him, however, you can be blessed by your true faith, and you can see the Lord Jesus through your true faith; this kind of person is blessed.” As it turned out, the Lord Jesus’ words toward Thomas contained God’s intentions. Although the Lord Jesus experienced resurrection, through His words to Thomas, man could see that He was still the Lord Jesus who used to live alongside His disciples day and night, that He is the God who observes the depths of man’s heart, that He is the almighty God, and that He knew the thought and mind of everyone. Before the Lord Jesus was nailed onto the cross, He had known that Thomas did not believe that He is Christ. After the resurrection, He still knew it. So, He specially appeared to Thomas and had him touch His nail marks, making him believe that He is Christ, the incarnated God, so as to remove his doubt about Him and let him see that He was truly resurrected. The Lord Jesus’ resurrection and appearance, this powerful evidence allowed all believers in Him to see such facts: He is the glorious God Himself, He has triumphed over death and Satan, and Christ is with great authority and might. Moreover, the Lord Jesus’ words toward Thomas sent man a message: When you believe in God, don’t be like Thomas, only believing what you can see with your own eyes. The most crucial thing for a follower of God is to have true faith in Him, which directly concerns whether he can be approved by God and enter the kingdom of heaven. People will be blessed because of their true faith in God. However, if they always measure God’s appearance and work based on what they see with their own eyes, rather than know God from His words, they will make the same mistake as Thomas. At this point, I cannot help but think of the Lord’s disciple Peter, who could recognize that the Lord is Christ, the Son of the living God. It was because during the time when he was in the company of the Lord, he saw much of what God has and is in the Lord from His word and work that he realized that the Lord is the incarnated God, Christ.

The Lord said that He would come again. Then, will we be able to know Him when He returns today, in the last days? On what basis shall we know Him? Revelation 2:7 says, “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to the churches.” Does it prophesy that the Lord will utter His words when He comes again? To welcome the Lord’s second coming, shall we be wise virgins and heed His voice? Thanks be to the Lord! May the Lord show mercy to us and open our spiritual eyes, so that we can welcome His return by the true faith! Amen!

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

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Is the Hope of Rapture to meet Jesus Christ Achievable?

Lord Jesus’ second coming 

Is the Hope of Rapture to meet Jesus Christ Achievable?

Li Huan

Like many brothers and sisters who truly believe in the Lord, I have been longing for the return of the Lord Jesus, holding to the words in the Bible, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Thus, we have been obsessively looking at the sky, yearning that a day will come when the Lord Jesus will take us into the clouds to meet with Him in the air, and then we can enter the kingdom of heaven and gain eternal life. Many years, however, have passed, and the signs of the second coming of the Lord have basically fulfilled, but we never see a believer be caught up to the heavens. It makes me wonder: Is this hope realistic? Does this word of Paul represent God’s will? If not, then aren’t we imaging it out of thin air? I have looked through the Bible, yet nothing of the kind that the Lord Jesus ever said was found. God is faithful, and He has said, “He is as good as His word, and His word shall be accomplished, and that which is accomplished lasts forever.” What God has promised will definitely be accomplished and fulfilled, as His word is the truth, the way. Now that the Lord Jesus never made such a statement, and man’s words cannot represent words of God, the Lord has His own will and plan on how to collect Christians into His kingdom when He comes back. Yet Paul was merely a man, a gospel-preaching apostle who had ever pursued the Lord Jesus and His disciples, and later was conquered after being blinded by the Lord’s great light. Even though Paul’s words were recorded in the Bible, and part of them were inspired by the Holy Spirit conformed to the truth, they were still not the words of God. What’s more, some of them were not the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit and had no basis in God’s words, but mostly originated from man’s notions and imaginations and were colored by the absurdity of man’s mind. That’s why we cannot take man’s words as the basis for receiving the second coming of Jesus Christ. So, when seeking the issue “whether or not we can be caught up into the air,” we should use God’s words and His work in the Bible as the basis, which is in accord with God’s will.

The Lord Jesus once said, “And no man has ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven” (John 3:13). When we try carefully to figure out the words of the Lord Jesus, we can see His great power and His humility. Only God can both ascend to the highest place and descend to the lowest place, while we humans cannot ascend to a high place to meet God. Moreover, God ordains that we human beings live on earth. He made our mankind’s ancestors Adam and Eve out of clay, and then put them in the Garden of Eden on earth and made them live there. They listened to His words and were blessed by Him, ruling over everything in the garden. Instead of in heaven, the humanity that followed still had dominion over all things on the earth. When the mankind on earth were deeply corrupted by Satan, filled with violence, God decided to destroy the earth with a flood and to save Noah, a righteous man who worshiped God. At that time, He didn’t take Noah to the air to escape the flood, but let him build the ark, so that when the flood came, his family of eight could take shelter there. In the Age of Law, God issued the laws through Moses, leading man to live on earth. In addition, when God rescued the Israelites from the hunting of Pharaoh on their way out of Egypt, He didn’t lift them into the air, but carried out His authority on earth, allowing them to see His guidance and know His power and wisdom. Also, in the Age of Grace, man didn’t go to heaven to obtain the sin offering so as to receive the Lord’s redemption, but instead the Lord Jesus personally became flesh on earth, and redeemed all mankind through His crucifixion. By this way, we man received His salvation, knew His love and mercy, and enjoyed the abundant grace God had bestowed upon us. Then, how will God receive us into the kingdom when He comes back in the last days? With the question, I studied the Bible and read the words of the Lord Jesus, “After this manner therefore pray you: Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10). This is what the Lord said, which contains the will of God: God allows us to worship Him on earth and wait for His kingdom to be established on earth; He will live on earth with man, and make the kingdoms of earth become Christ’s kingdom. Just as Revelation prophesied, “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Revelation 21:3). So we are completely clear. God never said that man would be taken into heaven both in His previous work and in the Lord’s prophecies. So we always believe that the Lord will take us into the air when He returns; is this not our notions and imaginations? We always want to be raptured into heaven; is this not our extravagant thoughts? This is totally not in line with the Lord’s words and His will.

When I repeatedly pondered over how to understand the words that the Lord would bring us into the air to meet Him when He came, I suddenly recalled a prophecy in Revelation, “And I saw another angel fly in the middle of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people” (Revelation 14:6). Then I thought: Now messages about the Lord’s return are spreading widely on the Internet. Why is it like the angels transmitting the gospel through the air? If we people really accept the good news of the Lord’s return through the Internet, are we lifted to heaven to meet with the Lord? Clearly, there must be mysteries in our rapture into heaven to meet with the Lord. The Lord Jesus ever said, “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come” (John 16:12-13). From these words, we can easily understand that when the Lord comes, He will tell us what we don’t know and the future things, and guide us to understand the mystery of the truth. So facing the Lord’s second coming, what we should expect is the Spirit of truth and all of the truths He expresses, for He will guide us to understand the truth and come before God. When we meet the Spirit of truth, are we raised up before God? Isn’t this kind of rapture very real? This is worthy of our deep thought.

The Lord Jesus said, “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6). So, at this crucial moment when the Lord comes again in the last days, whether we can keep up with the Lord’s footsteps and be raptured to His presence depend on whether we can spend more time pondering and seeking after His words, whether we can relate the current news of His return to take heed of such issues as where there is the Holy Spirit’s word to the churches and where there are people testifying God’s newest words and utterances, and whether we can recognize the Lord’s voice and thus welcome His arrival when we seek and investigate actively. These are all the key questions for the wise virgins to pay attention to when investigating and welcoming the returned Lord, and are great matters that relate to our rapture and salvation!

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

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The Alarm of the Last Days Has Struck

Two thousand years ago, when the disciples of the Lord Jesus asked Him what would be the sign of His coming and of the end of the world, the Lord Jesus answered, “And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that you be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:6-8).

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