The religious pastors and elders often preach to believers that any preaching that says the Lord has come in the flesh is false. They base this on the Bible verses: “Then if any man shall say to you, See, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Mat 24:23-24). We now have no idea how we should discern the true Christ from false ones, so please answer this question.

Answer:

The Lord Jesus did indeed foretell that there would be false Christs and false prophets in the last days. This is a fact. But the Lord Jesus also clearly prophesied many times that He would come back. Don’t we believe this? When examining the prophecies of the Lord Jesus’ return, many people give priority to being wary of false Christs and false prophets, and spare no thought to how to welcome the arrival of the Bridegroom, and how to hear the voice of the Bridegroom. What’s the issue here? Isn’t it a case of not eating for fear of choking, of being penny-wise and pound-foolish? In fact, no matter how we guard against false Christs and false prophets, if we do not welcome the return of the Lord, and we cannot be taken before God’s throne, we are foolish virgins who are eliminated and forsaken by God, and our belief in the Lord is an utter failure! Key to whether or not we can welcome the return of the Lord is whether or not we are able to hear the voice of God. As long as we recognize that Christ is the truth, the way, and the life, we will have no difficulty in identifying the voice of God. If we can’t discern what is the truth, and only focus on the signs and wonders, then we will surely be deceived by false Christs and false prophets. If we do not seek and examine the true way, then we will never be able to hear the voice of God. Are we not waiting for death, and bringing about our own destruction? We believe in the words of the Lord: God’s sheep hear the voice of God.

You say that the Lord Jesus has returned, so why haven’t we seen Him? Seeing is believing. If we haven’t seen Him, then that must mean He hasn’t returned yet; I will believe it when I see Him. You say that the Lord Jesus has returned, so where is He now? What work is He doing? What words has the Lord spoken? I will believe it when you testify clearly to these things.

Answer:

“The Lord Jesus has returned to the flesh”: this good news has already spread across the Chinese mainland. The name of Christ of the last days Almighty God has spread to every home in China, reached every household. Everybody knows. Now it spreads around the world, openly testifying that Almighty God is the second coming of the Savior, the one true God appearing to men. The truth that is issued by Almighty God faces the searching examination of all of humanity. This has become an open fact! But some brothers and sisters, since they have not seen God incarnate with their own eyes, still hesitate. They say, “If we haven’t seen Him then the Lord has not come back. If I could see Him I would believe.” People who can maintain such a viewpoint, such a perspective, mainly do not have a clear path toward knowing God incarnate, and do not know how they should search for the appearance of God, how to follow God’s footsteps. It does not hurt to recall why we first started believing in the Lord Jesus. Can it be we believed because we saw the flesh of the Lord Jesus with our own eyes? Of course not! We all believed in Him for the grace He bestowed and the work of being crucified for our redemption and the words that He uttered. Let us look at those people who saw the Lord Jesus in the flesh at the time He was working in person. Did they believe in Him by really recognizing that the Lord Jesus was the coming Messiah, the appearance of God, or by just seeing the Lord Jesus? At that time when the Lord Jesus was with the twelve disciples, He asked the disciples: “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” Some said John the Baptist, some said Elijah, some said Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

Speaking of the return of the Lord, it is written in Matthew 24:36: “But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” No one can know when the Lord Jesus will return, so how do you know that the Lord Jesus has returned already? It really seems inconceivable to us!

Lord Jesus

Answer:

The Bible reads: “But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Mat 24:36). Some brothers and sisters take this to mean that the Lord has not come back. They don’t believe the Lord now has already come back. Actually, such reasoning doesn’t make sense. For the Lord comes to save man. If the Lord does not let man know of His coming, then how can men follow Him and believe in Him? How can God accomplish His work of salvation? If we always hold to this statement, then won’t we be waiting forever for the second coming of the Lord? So, what does this verse really say? In fact, when we read this verse together with the preceding few verses, it becomes clear.

You testify that God has incarnated and become the Son of man to do the work of judgment in the last days, and yet the majority of religious pastors and elders affirm that the Lord will return coming with clouds, and they base this primarily on the Bible verses: “This same Jesus … shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven” (Act 1:11). “Behold, he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him” (Rev 1:7). And furthermore, the religious pastors and elders also instruct us that any Lord Jesus who does not come with clouds is false and must be abandoned. So we’re not sure whether or not this view conforms to the Bible; is it correct to take this as truth or not?

Picture of The Church of Almighty God

Answer:

When it comes to waiting for the Lord to descend with the clouds, we must not rely on man’s notions and imaginations! The Pharisees committed a huge mistake in waiting for the arrival of the Messiah. They precisely used man’s notions and imaginations to measure the Lord Jesus who had already arrived. In the end, they nailed the Lord Jesus to the cross. Is this not a fact? Is waiting for the Lord’s arrival as simple as we think? If the Lord returns and works among mankind like the way the Lord Jesus in the flesh had done, and none of us recognizes Him, then would we also judge and condemn Him as the Pharisees had done and crucify Him once again? Is this a possibility? The Lord Jesus prophesied that He shall return and said many words about it, but we only hold on to the prophecy that the Lord will descend with the clouds and don’t seek or investigate other more important prophecies spoken by the Lord. This makes it easy to walk down the wrong path and be abandoned by the Lord! There is actually not just the “descend with the clouds” prophecy in the Bible.

What will the outcome of the CCP government and the religious world be after they madly condemn and resist God?

Bible Verses for Reference:

“All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven to men. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come” (Matthew 12:31-32).

How does God treat those who believe Satan’s rumors and turn their backs on Him?

Bible Verses for Reference:

And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die: For God does know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as God, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to her husband with her; and he did eat. … Therefore Jehovah God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from from where he was taken (Genesis 3:4-6, 23).

What is the nature of the issue of believing the rumors of the CCP government and the religious world?

Relevant Words of God:

Those who do not understand the truth always follow others: If people say that this is the work of the Holy Spirit, then you, too, say it is the work of the Holy Spirit; if people say it is the work of an evil spirit, then you, too, become doubtful, or also say it is the work of an evil spirit. You always parrot the words of others, and are incapable of distinguishing anything by yourself, nor are you able to think for yourself. This is someone without a position, who is unable to differentiate—such a person is a worthless wretch! You always repeat the words of others: Today it is said that this is the work of the Holy Spirit, but chances are one day someone will say it isn’t the work of the Holy Spirit, and nothing but the deeds of man—yet you can’t discern this, and when you witness it said by others, you say the same thing. It is actually the work of the Holy Spirit, but you say it is the work of man; have you not become one of those who blaspheme against the work of the Holy Spirit? In this, have you not opposed God because you cannot differentiate? Who knows, maybe one day some nitwit will appear who says that “this is the work of an evil spirit,” and when you hear these words you’ll be at a loss, and once again bound up by the words of others. Every time someone stirs up disturbance you’re incapable of standing by your position, and this is all because you do not possess the truth.

from “Only Those Who Know God and His Work Can Satisfy God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

What wisdom and omnipotence of God is revealed in His using the service of the CCP government and the religious world? (2)

Sermon and Fellowship Excerpts for Reference:

The great red dragon blasphemes and slanders God so much; is it not, as a foil, rendering service to Him? What results are achieved through the service rendered by this foil? For those who do not love the truth, it overthrows and binds them and blocks their path to the entrance of the kingdom of heaven. For those who love the truth, it allows them to be perfected. The more that the great red dragon judges, resists, discredits and blasphemes Christ, the more those who love the truth will pursue the truth and the more they will dispose of their notions, thereby ultimately becoming more compatible with Christ. Is this not the function that the great red dragon has as a foil? In the Book of Revelation, it is said: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still … and he that is holy, let him be holy still” (Rev 22:11). When the great red dragon does this or that, he that is unjust gives up his faith and he eliminates himself. For those who love the truth, the more they see the great red dragon blasphemes, slanders and attacks Christ, the more they hate the great red dragon and the more they seek the truth; ultimately the effect that will be achieved is that they will be completely compatible with Christ, without a single notion about Him.

What wisdom and omnipotence of God is revealed in His using the service of the CCP government and the religious world? (1)

Relevant Words of God:

My entire management plan, a plan that spans six thousand years, consists of three stages, or three ages: the Age of Law in the beginning; the Age of Grace (which is also the Age of Redemption); and the Age of Kingdom in the last days. My work in these three ages differs in content according to the nature of each age, but at each stage it accords with man’s needs—or, to be more precise, it is done according to the tricks that Satan employs in the war that I wage against it. The purpose of My work is to defeat Satan, to make manifest My wisdom and omnipotence, to expose all of Satan’s tricks, and thereby to save the entire human race, which lives under its domain. It is to show My wisdom and omnipotence while at the same time revealing the unbearable hideousness of Satan. Even more, it is to teach My creations to discriminate between good and evil, to know that I am the Ruler of all things, to see clearly that Satan is humanity’s foe, the lowest of the low, the evil one, and to tell, with absolute certainty, the difference between good and evil, truth and falsehood, holiness and filth, and what is great and what is ignoble. This way, ignorant humanity will become able to bear witness to Me that it is not I who corrupt humanity, and only I—the Lord of creation—can save humanity, can bestow upon man things for their enjoyment; and they will come to know that I am the Ruler of all things and Satan is merely one of the beings that I created and that later turned against Me.

What really is the evil essence of the CCP government and the religious world?

Bible Verses for Reference:

“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9).

“You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33).

Relevant Words of God:

The great red dragon I speak of is not a big red dragon; rather it is the evil spirit in opposition to Me, for which the “great red dragon” is a synonym.

from “Chapter 96” of Utterances of Christ in the Beginning in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Analyzing and Discerning the CCP Government’s and the Religious World’s Rumors and Lies (2)

(3) Dissecting the Third Chinese Communist Party and Religious Community Rumor: The Church of Almighty God Was Created by a Person

Relevant Words of God:

Some may wonder, Why must the age be ushered in by God Himself? Cannot a created being stand in His stead? You are all aware that God becomes flesh for the express purpose of ushering in a new age, and, of course, when He ushers in a new age, He will have concluded the former age at the same time. God is the Beginning and the End; it is He Himself who sets His work in motion and so it must be He Himself who concludes the former age. That is the proof that He defeats Satan and conquers the world. Each time He Himself works among man, it is the beginning of a new battle. Without the beginning of new work, there would naturally be no conclusion of the old. And when there is no conclusion of the old, this is proof that the battle with Satan has yet to come to a close.

Analyzing and Discerning the CCP Government’s and the Religious World’s Rumors and Lies (2)

(3) Dissecting the Third Chinese Communist Party and Religious Community Rumor: The Church of Almighty God Was Created by a Person

Relevant Words of God:

Some may wonder, Why must the age be ushered in by God Himself? Cannot a created being stand in His stead? You are all aware that God becomes flesh for the express purpose of ushering in a new age, and, of course, when He ushers in a new age, He will have concluded the former age at the same time. God is the Beginning and the End; it is He Himself who sets His work in motion and so it must be He Himself who concludes the former age. That is the proof that He defeats Satan and conquers the world. Each time He Himself works among man, it is the beginning of a new battle. Without the beginning of new work, there would naturally be no conclusion of the old. And when there is no conclusion of the old, this is proof that the battle with Satan has yet to come to a close. Only if God Himself comes, and carries out new work among man, can man break completely free of the domain of Satan and gain a new life and a new beginning. Otherwise, man shall forever live in the old age and forever live under the old influence of Satan.

Analyzing and Discerning the CCP Government’s and the Religious World’s Rumors and Lies (1)

Sermon and Fellowship Excerpts for Reference:

As for all of Satan’s nonsense, remember that you should maintain an attitude of denial at all times. This is a principle. Why is that? Someone says, “You think that Satan’s words will never be consistent with the facts. Isn’t it stereotyping Satan?” It is not stereotyping; it is a conclusion derived from Satan’s nature. Satan’s words are always adulterated, they always contain its ulterior motives. When Satan speaks of them, things become distorted beyond recognition. What Satan says is just the opposite of fact. It distorts the facts and turns black into white. It creates rumors and fabricates things out of nothing; it pins nonexistent things on you.

Discerning Rumors and Fallacies to Avoid Being Deceived

In the last days, the Lord Jesus returns to appear and work in the world as the incarnate Almighty God, and to express the truth and perform a stage of work whereby mankind is judged and purified. Many people from all denominations who sincerely believe in the Lord and yearn for His appearance have heard God’s voice and have begun to follow Almighty God. This cannot help but elicit extreme panic from the leaders of the religious world; they fear that the believers will all start believing in Almighty God and will no longer worship or follow them, and so they disseminate all kinds of rumors and fallacies to condemn God’s work of the last days, and they bind and restrict brothers and sisters from seeking and studying the true way. Many brothers and sisters are without discernment, they believe these rumors and outright lies and dare not study the true way. They would rather live floundering in darkness without the work or guidance of the Holy Spirit than go forth to seek the Holy Spirit’s new work. Here, we will fellowship about and dissect some of the rumors and fallacies spread by the religious world, so that every brother and sister who has awaited the coming of the Lord can discern them and thereby avoid being deceived by wicked servants, and not lose God’s salvation of the last days. Here below, we list and dissect some rumors and fallacies that are often heard.

Do Those Who Believe in Almighty God Preach the Gospel for Money?

By Wang Li, China

Since I was small, I believed in Jesus along with my parents. After I got married, I went with my husband to Shanghai where we opened a factory. In 1991, we set up a meeting place in our factory and, at that time, more than 30 people attended meetings there. Everyone would sing hymns, pray and read the Bible together. The brothers and sisters all showed each other love, supported each other, and we all felt great enjoyment at our gatherings. Preachers from my home town came twice a year to give us sermons, and we gained sustenance from these visits. By 1997, the church was gradually becoming desolate and no one got any enjoyment from our meetings anymore. The preachers were not preaching any new light, and a few of them were vying amongst each other for power and profit, and they had begun to attack each other, and no one listened to anyone else.

What Does Christianity’s Frenzied Opposition to Christ Show?

Amongst the many Christian denominations, each has their own teachings and understanding, what their believers practice and observe are different, and they each stick to their own views and refuse to give in to each other. However, they happen to hold the same view and speak with one voice on how to treat the second incarnate Christ and God’s work of the last days. They need only hear things like “The Lord Jesus has returned to flesh,” “God has done new work,” or the phrase “the Eastern Lightning” and they will deny, condemn and renounce it without hesitation, calling God’s work of the last days heresy. They frantically oppose and obstruct God’s work, and do their utmost to seal off the churches. Particularly, they do everything possible to make things difficult for, drive away, insult and verbally abuse the brothers and sisters who preach the gospel of the last days, and even beat them up and send them to the hands of those in power. These circumstances are just like how the Pharisees opposed the Lord Jesus, even worse than then.

Christian Sermon: Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted for Righteousness’ Sake

The last days’ gospel of Almighty God is spreading in Mainland China like rolling thunders and surging waves. It has shaken the whole religious community and has at the same time been condemned and rejected by all denominations of the religious community and persecuted by the kings of the world. Many people with ulterior motives disregard the truth. They fabricate rumors as they desire and spread slander against Almighty God to obstruct the spread of the last days’ gospel of Almighty God. Some brothers and sisters who do not know the truth think that since it is the true way it should not be persecuted. Here I will talk about my understanding of the viewpoint “If it is the true way it cannot be persecuted.” I would also like to get guidance from the brothers and sisters from all denominations.

Someone said, “The Bible was inspired by God. It is absolutely not tainted by man’s will and is entirely the word of God. All the words in the Bible are multi-faceted and foreshadowing, the Bible is absolutely authoritative, there is no other book that can compare, and everyone must admit that the Bible is inerrant. Anyone who says the Bible is tainted by man’s will or contains errors is attacking and denying the Bible, and all such people shall be cursed.”

Response: Many people believe that the Bible was inspired by God, that everything recorded in the Bible is the word of God, completely untainted by man’s will and that the Bible is absolutely authoritative. They even treat the Bible the same as they treat God. They think that anyone who says the Bible is tainted by man’s will is attacking and denying the Bible, and shall be cursed. Does this view conform to the truth? Does it have any basis in God’s words? Jehovah God never gave such testimony about the Bible, and neither did the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit has never given such testimony about the Bible either. Everyone who knows the Bible knows that the Bible was not written by God Himself, but within it are the records of ancient prophets, disciples and apostles about the work God had done, as well as the personal experiences of disciples and apostles and the epistles that they wrote to the churches of that time, and there are also some prophecies about God’s final work.

Fallacy (6): It is said: “God should show people great miracles; He must heal the sick and cast out demons, and He must bestow blessings upon people. If He does not show miracles, if He doesn’t bring any benefit for mankind, then He is not the true God. If this Almighty God you believe in is the true God, why do you still get sick? Why aren’t your homes peaceful? As believers in Jesus, those of us who are sick are cured, and those who are not sick have peace at home.”

Response: There are people who deny that Almighty God is the true God and that He is the returned Lord Jesus because people who believe in Almighty God still get sick and their homes are not at peace. They believe that, if Almighty God is the true God, then He will protect those who believe in Him from getting sick or from encountering any mishap, and that their homes will be at peace. This is entirely man’s misconception and imagining, it is a biased understanding of God and in no way does it conform to God’s will. As everyone knows, Job believed in Jehovah God, but Job’s family suffered robbery, plundering of all their wealth, and the death of their children.

The Work and Word of Almighty God in the Last Days Is not an Addition to the Bible

Some people say: The work of Almighty God in the last days goes against the prophesy in the Revelation 22:18-19: “For I testify to every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add to these things, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” They say that this is adding to the book of prophecy in the Bible, and that whoever accepts and follows the work of Almighty God in the last days shall lose their part in the kingdom of heaven. But actually, this word is contrary to the real facts, and it overlooks the context of the Revelation and relies on man’s imagination and notions.