You testify that in the last days God does His work of judgment in order to utterly purify and save man, but after reading the words expressed by Almighty God, I find that some of them condemn and curse man. If God condemns and curses man, isn’t man then to suffer punishment? And how can you still say that this kind of judgment purifies and saves mankind?

Picture of The Church of Almighty God

Answer:

God’s work of judgment in the last days is primarily in order to make a group of overcomers, a group of people who are of the same mind with God. This is what God preordained during the creation of the world. You could say that God has already created a group of overcomers, that they have been perfected through God’s judgment and chastisement, that they have come out of the tribulations of the cruel persecution of the Chinese Communist Party. It is a fact that God has already done this, no one can deny it. Some people say that some of God’s words are words that condemn and curse man, and they give rise to conceptions. This is absurd. The judgment of God in the last days is the great white throne judgment as prophesied in Revelation. The righteous, majestic and wrathful disposition revealed by God is completely in order to reveal man, to classify each man according to their kind, and even more so, to wrap up this old age and defeat the ilk of Satan.

You testify that in the last days God expresses the truth and does the work of judging and purifying man, so how exactly does God judge, purify and save man?

Answer:

Currently, all those who seek and study the true way want to know how Almighty God does judgment work in the last days. Pertaining to this aspect of the truth, Almighty God has expressed ample words. Let us look at a few passages of His words:

“When God becomes flesh this time, His work is to express His disposition, primarily through chastisement and judgment. Using this as the foundation, He brings more truth to man, shows more ways of practice, and so achieves His objective of conquering man and saving man from his corrupt disposition. This is what lies behind the work of God in the Age of Kingdom” (Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh).

Some people go by Paul’s word, believing that our image will be changed instantly to become holy when the Lord returns. So why does God still need to become flesh to express the truth and do a stage of work of judgment and purification of man in the last days.

Answer:

Each stage of God’s work is unfathomable to us humans. Nor could humanity decipher God’s prophecies until they are fulfilled. What does it mean to us? It means that God’s wisdom and almightiness is unfathomable. In the Age of Grace when the Lord Jesus appeared to work, no one of us humans could fathom it. In the Age of Kingdom when Almighty God does judgment work in the last days, no one could predict it either. Therefore, God being incarnated to express the truth and do judgment work in the last days is inconceivable to mankind. After the work of God is completed and the great disasters arrive, mankind will feel that God’s words are fulfilled. It will be too late for regrets. They can only mourn and grind their teeth in disasters. Pertaining to how God does the work of judgment in the last days to cleanse and save people, how to make a group of overcomers—the firstfruits, we will understand it much better after reading these passages of the words of Almighty God:

Some people ask: After believing in the Lord, we practice humility and patience, love our enemies, bear our crosses, abandon worldly things and we work and preach for the Lord and so on. We have achieved a little change. So why must we accept God’s work of judgment in the last days before being able to be cleansed and saved?

Answer:

We can love our enemy, bear the cross, overcome our body, and spread the gospel of the Lord. These are positive behaviors coming from our belief in the Lord. Our exhibition of such good behaviors signifies that our faith in the Lord is true. These good behaviors may appear correct to people, as if these are in line with the word of God, but it does not mean that we are practicing God’s word and following the will of the heavenly Father, it doesn’t mean that we have quit our sinful nature and become sanctified. There is a reason why we cannot just look at people’s good behaviors by appearance. We also need to look at their intentions and ultimate purposes. If our intention is to obey God, love God, and satisfy God, this kind of good behavior is practicing the truth and obeying the will of the heavenly Father.

Question 13: We follow the example of Paul and work very hard for the Lord spreading the gospel, bearing witness to the Lord, and shepherding the Lord’s churches, just as Paul did: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2Ti 4:7). Is this not following the will of God? This kind of practice should mean that we are qualified to be raptured and enter into the kingdom of heaven, so why must we accept God’s work of judgment and purification in the last days before we can be brought into the kingdom of heaven?

Answer:

The question is critical. It involves whether we can be brought into the kingdom of heaven. Most believers of the Lord think that emulating Paul by sacrificing everything and working hard for the Lord is tantamount to following the way of the Lord and the eligibility to be brought into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord returns. This opinion has become the conception of most believers in the Lord. But is this opinion based on the Lord’s words? Is this pursuit of ours consistent with the Lord’s intention? By emulating Paul’s hard work, are we really following the way of the Lord? Do we really qualify to enter the kingdom of heaven? The Lord Jesus said, “Not every one that said to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name? and in Your name have cast out devils? and in Your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from Me, you that work iniquity” (Mat 7:21–23). The Lord Jesus spoke very clearly that only the one who follows the will of God will enter into the kingdom of heaven. The Lord Jesus did not say that those who sacrifice everything and work hard for the Lord could enter the kingdom of heaven.

Some people ask: We believe that the Lord has absolved our sins, and that if someone is saved once, then they are forever saved. Why must we accept God’s work of judgment in the last days before being able to be saved and brought into the kingdom of heaven?

Pictures of The Church of Almighty God

Answer:

All believers think: The Lord Jesus redeemed us when He died on the cross, so we have already been absolved of all sin. The Lord no longer sees us as sinners. We have become righteous through our faith, and once saved, we are saved forever. As long as we endure until the end, when the Lord returns, we will be directly raptured into the heavenly kingdom. Well, is that the truth? Did God ever give any evidence in His words to back up this claim? If this viewpoint is not in line with the truth, what will the consequences be? We who believe in the Lord should use His own words as our basis for all things. This is especially true when it comes to the question of how to treat the Lord’s return. Under no circumstances can we treat His return based on man’s conceptions and imaginings. The consequences of such behavior are too serious to even contemplate. It’s the same as when the Pharisees crucified the Lord Jesus on the cross while waiting for the Messiah to come. What would the outcome be? The Lord Jesus has completed the work of redeeming mankind.

When the Lord Jesus was crucified He said, “It is finished,” which shows that God’s salvation work for mankind was complete. So how can you say that God has done a further stage of work to judge, cleanse, and save mankind?

The Answer from God’s Word:

When Jesus came, He also did part of God’s work, and spoke some words—but what was the main work He accomplished? What He mainly accomplished was the work of crucifixion. He became the likeness of sinful flesh to complete the work of crucifixion and redeem all mankind, and it was for the sake of all mankind’s sin that He served as a sin offering. This is the main work He accomplished.

from “All Is Achieved by the Word of God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh