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@love-god-forever
God made mountains by the seashore, drawing boundaries for the sea. Without God's permission, no matter how great the wind and waves are, they are unable to exceed the boundaries.
God’s Wonderful Creation: Who Is Managing the Sea?
Worship Hymn "No One Can Fathom God's Authority and Power" (Lyrics): Once the words of God are uttered, His authority takes commandand what He has promised becomes true step by step...
2019 Christian Worship Hymn “No One Can Fathom God’s Authority and Power” (Lyrics)
From this verse we can see that Noah was absolutely obedient to God. No matter what God said, he did it accordingly without reservation. That was why God saved Noah.
Noah Was Praised by God Because of His Absolute Obedience to God. A Commentary on Genesis 6:22
In the past, when I read this verse, I only knew that the people of Noah's time were too evil and corrupt so they were destroyed by God. Not until I read a passage of words in a gospel book did I understand that the destruction of the world by the flood contains God's disposition.
Knowing God’s Unoffendable Disposition From His Flooding the World. A Commentary on Genesis 6:13
Jesus saved us and forgave our sins, but it can't be denied that we still live in a state of sinning and confessing. How can we get rid of sin and be cleansed?
How Can We Get Rid of the Bondage of Sin and Achieve Cleanness?
All Christians believe in the Lord and read the Bible. Why are there so many different Christian Denominations? This article will tell you the answer.
All Christians believe in the Lord and read the Bible. Why are there so many different Christian Denominations? This article will tell you the answer.
Matthew 7:13-14: "Enter you in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because narrow is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it."
How Can We Enter the Narrow Gate? Commentary on Matthew 7:13–14
"Kingdom Anthem: The Kingdom Descends on the World" (Stage Version): he people cheer God, the people praise God; all mouths name the one true God, all people raise their eyes to watch God's deeds.
The Word of God “Kingdom Anthem: The Kingdom Descends on the World” (Stage Version)
Word of Christ of the Last Days "God Himself, the Unique I: God's Authority (I)" (Excerpt 1): God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared.
Word of Christ of the Last Days "God Himself, the Unique I: God's Authority (I)" (Excerpt 1): God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared.
I was addicted to bet on horse races. I had no goals in life, and even more so my heart was empty and tormented. Finally, it was God who helped me end my 20+ year career of betting on the horses.
God Helped Him End His 20+ Year Career of Betting on the Horses
Where Will Jesus Return and Appear and Work?
By Chen Hui
The breeze of spring gently blew. Zhong Hui sat at her desk holding the Bible, deep in thought: “Nowadays disasters are growing ever worse, the world is in a state of constant upheaval and turmoil with wars on the rise, and the four blood moons have already appeared—many of the prophecies about the Lord’s return have been fulfilled. It seems that the Lord’s day is upon us. Yet not only haven’t I received the Lord, but my spirit is becoming ever darker and the church is growing more and more desolate.” Thinking of this, she became even more anxious, so she prayed earnestly to the Lord …
Surprised to Hear That the Lord Has Come Back in China to Do His Work
One day, Zhong Hui heard someone knocking at the door and she hastily went to open it. It turned out to be Sister Wang, whom she hadn’t seen in years. “Sister Wang?” asked Zhong Hui in surprise. “When did you come to Hong Kong?”
Smilingly, Sister Wang replied, “I moved here two years ago with my husband. A couple of days ago, I heard from Sister Zhang that you had also come here from the inland, so I came to visit you today.” They talked and talked, and soon came around to the topic of the return of the Lord.
Sister Wang said excitedly, “Sister Zhong, today I came here to tell you some good news. The Lord Jesus whom we have longed for for so long has returned as the incarnated Almighty God. He is expressing the truth and performing a stage of work of judging and purifying people in China. This just fulfills what is written in the Bible: ‘Judgment must begin at the house of God’ (1 Peter 4:17). Now the kingdom gospel has already spread to many nations of the world. You can visit The Church of Almighty God’s website to seek and investigate.”
Zhong Hui was shocked by this news. She immediately turned on her computer and found there was actually the website of The Church of Almighty God. They then watched the musical Every Nation Worships the Practical God produced by The Church of Almighty God together, and as she saw all the brothers and sisters praising and worshiping God, Zhong Hui felt incomparable excitement. The bridegroom has come? The Lord Jesus has really returned?
God Not Doing His Work of the Last Days in Israel Is to Prevent People From Delimiting Him Based on Their Notions
But when she thought of what Sister Wang said, that God was doing His work of the last days in China, Zhong Hui felt it inconceivable. Confused, she asked, “How could the Lord Jesus come back in China to do His work? Only the Israelites are God’s chosen people, and both Jehovah God and the Lord Jesus performed their work in Israel, so the Lord’s return in the last days should also be in Israel. Besides, it was long ago prophesied in the Bible: ‘And His feet shall stand in that day on the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall split in the middle thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south’ (Zechariah 14:4). Based on this verse, when the Lord Jesus comes back, He should descend on Israel’s Mount of Olives. He cannot come to China!”
Sister Wang replied calmly, “There are mysteries hidden within the prophecies, so we cannot rely on our notions or the literal meaning of the scriptures to understand them. Only when the prophecies are fulfilled and accomplished through the facts of God’s work can we understand the true meaning of them. When the Lord Jesus came to do His work, for example, this was actually the fulfillment of the prophecies in Scriptures, but the Pharisees relied on their own will and imaginings as well as the literal meaning of the prophecies to delimit God, believing that when God came His name would be Messiah and He would be born of a virgin. As a result, when they saw that the Lord Jesus wasn’t called Messiah and that He had a mother and a father, they didn’t admit that the Lord Jesus was God, and even condemned and blasphemed Him, and in the end nailed Him to the cross, ending up being cursed by God. Today, in the great matter of the Lord’s return, we should learn a lesson from the Pharisees, seek and investigate more, and not blindly pass judgment.
“In fact, the Bible does have prophecies about God doing His work in China in the last days. For example, ‘Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to His foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings?’ (Isaiah 41:2). ‘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’ (Matthew 24:27). ‘For from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same My name shall be great among the Gentiles; … said Jehovah of hosts’ (Malachi 1:11). These verses clearly tell us that the Son of man will descend in the East when He returns. We all know that the sun rises in the east, and that China is the East of the world and also an atheist nation. Therefore, God doing His work of the last days in China just fulfills His prophecy that ‘My name shall be great among the Gentiles.’”
Zhong Hui paged through the Bible as she listened to Sister Wang’s fellowship, and she thought: “What the sister said is very reasonable. We cannot only rely on the literal interpretations of the Bible to welcome the Lord, but should also look at the fact of God’s work. The Bible indeed says the coming of the Son of man is in the East and that God’s name will be great among Gentile nations, so it is possible that God is appearing and doing His work in China in the last days. How come I never realized this?”
Sister Wang continued, “God is the Lord of creation. He is not the God of the Israelites only, but also the God of Gentiles, and the whole of mankind is His creation. Therefore, both the Israelites and Gentiles are the object of God’s salvation. Let’s read two passages of Almighty God’s words together.
“God’s words say: ‘When the Savior arrives during the last days, if He were still called Jesus, and were once again born in Judea, and did His work in Judea, then this would prove that I only created the people of Israel and only redeemed the people of Israel, and that I have nothing to do with the Gentiles. Would this not contradict My words that “I am the Lord who created the heavens and earth and all things”? I left Judea and do My work among the Gentiles because I am not merely the God of the people of Israel, but the God of all creatures. I appear among the Gentiles during the last days because I am not only Jehovah, the God of the people of Israel, but, moreover, because I am the Creator of all My chosen ones among the Gentiles. I not only created Israel, Egypt, and Lebanon, but also created all the Gentile nations beyond Israel. And because of this, I am the Lord of all creatures. I merely used Israel as the starting point for My work, employed Judea and Galilee as the strongholds of My work of redemption, and use the Gentile nations as the base from which I will bring the entire age to an end.’
“‘It is so that, in this final era, My name may be magnified among the Gentile nations, so that My deeds may be seen by the Gentiles and they will call Me the Almighty on account of My deeds, and so that My words may soon come to pass. I will make all people know that I am not only the God of the Israelites, but also the God of all the nations of the Gentiles, even those that I have cursed. I will let all people see that I am the God of all creation. This is My greatest work, the purpose of My work plan for the last days, and the only work to be fulfilled in the last days.’
“God’s words make it clear. God not only created the Israelites, He also created the Gentiles. He is not only God of the Israelites, but also God of the Gentiles, God of all created beings. Israel is the birthplace of God’s work, where God carried out His work, and He then did the work of redemption in Judea and Galilee, but in the last days, God has chosen a Gentile nation to perform the work of concluding the age. From this we can see that God choosing different places to do His work contains His wisdom, that is, He wants to prevent us from forming the notions that ‘God is just God of the Israelites,’ or ‘God can only do work in Israel.’ In our minds we think that God is God of the Israelites, not God of the Gentiles, because He did His two stages of the work of the Age of Law and the Age of Grace in Israel. This is our delineation about God. If, in the last days, God is still working in Israel according to our notions, then the prophecies about God’s name being magnified among Gentile nations won’t be able to come to pass, and moreover, the Israelites will even more think that God is only their God and the Gentiles will think that God is not their God. Wouldn’t that be denying the fact that ‘God is the God of all creation’? God is the God of all mankind. He not only created the Israelites, but also created people in all other nations. Both the Israelites and the Gentiles are the descendants of Adam and Eve, and God treats them equally. As long as we are willing to seek the truth, God won’t give up salvation on us because of our identity as Gentiles or cursed people. Instead, God does the utmost to save people, which is decided by His righteous disposition. This time God chooses to do work in China, which just fulfills what Jehovah God said that ‘My name shall be great among the Gentiles,’ allowing all people to know that God is the God of all creation, so that all of the created beings will come to worship God, submit before Him and exalt His name. This is the plan God shall accomplish in the last days.”
Zhong Hui suddenly had a realization and said, “That’s right! Just because the first two stages of God’s work were done in Israel, I believed that God only likes Israelites and doesn’t like Gentiles. If, in the last days, God again carried out His work in Israel, I really would think that God is just God of the Israelites, not God of Gentiles, and that God only saves the Israelites while cursing the Gentiles forever. This way, I would delimit God’s work and not be able to see God’s righteous and good substance. God not working in Israel in the last days is to tell us that God is the God of all mankind. This is so meaningful!”
God Chose to Work in Israel Based on the Needs of His Work
After understanding this, Zhong Hui continued to ask, “We can indeed see God’s love for all mankind from His leaving Israel to spread His work among the Gentile nations. But the Chinese people are low-born and of poor caliber and the CCP government is doing its utmost to persecute those who have faith in God. Back then, when the Lord Jesus’ gospel came to China, it was met with lots of difficulties and obstacles. So why didn’t God choose a nation that is less resistant to Him to perform His work? Wouldn’t that be more beneficial to the unfolding of His work? Sister Wang, I don’t understand this aspect of the truth. Can you give me a detailed fellowship on this?”
Sister Wang nodded her head and said, “OK! In fact, God chooses which country to do His work not based on whether this country defies God or worships God, or whether it is rich or poor, or whether its people are of high or low caliber, but according to the needs of His work of managing mankind. To clarify this issue, let’s first talk about why the Lord Jesus did His work in Israel.”
Zhong Hui listened in all earnestness.
Sister Wang continued, “As we all know, the Lord Jesus did the work of redeeming mankind through crucifixion in Israel. The Israelites were God’s chosen people, who were the least corrupt of all mankind at that time. They had a heart that revered and feared God and knew to make sin offerings after committing sins, fearing being punished by God, so they yearned for the coming of the Messiah most. Clearly, doing work amongst them, it was easiest for God to create a group of models and specimens to worship God. God first performed His work in one place and then broadened it to the entire universe. In other words, first the Lord Jesus redeemed the people of Israel, then the Lord’s gospel was spread by them to other nations, finally reaching all nations (and people) throughout the world, thus all of mankind received His redemption. Therefore, it was based on the needs of managing mankind and the results His work aimed to achieve that God chose to do His work in Judea.”
“With this fellowship, now I understand,” said Zhong Hui. “The Lord Jesus chose to perform the work of redemption in Israel because the Israelites were the least corrupted, who, after committing sins, were eagerly yearning for the Messiah to lead them to break free from the condemnation of the law. Therefore, the Lord Jesus working among them could achieve good results and was more beneficial to the gospel spreading to the Gentile nations. God performing His work in Israel is truly meaningful. Sister Wang, now please fellowship with me about why God is working in China, a country that resists Him.”
It Is Based on the Needs of the Work of Conquest That God Performs His Work in China, a Country That Resists Him the Most
Sister Wang replied, “OK. To figure out this question, we should first be clear on what kind of work the returned Lord is doing in the last days. Just now we mentioned that when the Lord returns He mainly expresses the truth to do the work of judging and purifying man, thoroughly saving us from Satan’s dominion, freeing us from the binds and restrictions of sin and ultimately bringing us into a beautiful destination. Chinese people are the archetype of people who are the most filthy and the most rebellious to God in the world. By conquering and making complete these people who are rebellious and resistant, God is better able to thoroughly defeat Satan and shame Satan—this is God’s almightiness and wisdom. In regard to this aspect, let’s see what God’s words say. Almighty God says, ‘Working now on the descendants of Moab is saving those who have fallen into the most darkness. Although they were cursed, God is willing to gain glory from them. This is because initially, they were all people who lacked God in their hearts—only making them into those who obey and love Him is true conquest, and such fruit of work is the most valuable and the most convincing. Only this is gaining glory—this is the glory that God wants to gain in the last days.’
“‘China embodies all forces of darkness, and the people of China represent all those who are of the flesh, of Satan, and of flesh and blood. It is the Chinese people who have been most corrupted by the great red dragon, who have the strongest opposition to God, whose humanity is most base and impure, and so they are the archetype of all corrupt humanity. … Why have I always said that you are an adjunct to My management plan? It is in the people of China that corruption, impurity, unrighteousness, opposition, and rebelliousness are manifested most completely and revealed in all their varied forms. On the one hand, they are of poor caliber, and on the other, their lives and mindset are backward, and their habits, social environment, family of birth—all are poor and the most backward. Their status, too, is low. The work in this place is symbolic, and after this test work has been carried out in its entirety, His subsequent work will go much better. If this step of work can be completed, then the subsequent work goes without saying. Once this step of work has been accomplished, great success will have been fully achieved, and the work of conquest throughout the entire universe will have come to a complete end. In fact, once the work among you has been successful, this will be equivalent to the success throughout the entire universe.’
“From God’s words, we can see that the work God is doing in the last days is the work of judging, purifying and perfecting man, and is also the final work of His management plan to save mankind. By working in a place that is most backward and dark, and by gaining a group of people who are of one heart and one mind with Him, who can testify Him, obey Him and love Him among those who most resist Him, God is better able to attain glory. We all know that Chinese people are the descendants of Moab, who are born lowly and of promiscuity; we are the typical representatives of the atheists, who are deeply influenced by the atheistic education and don’t acknowledge the existence of God; inundated with the poisons of the great red dragon, we uphold satanic views like ‘I am my own lord throughout heaven and earth,’ and ‘I am lawless, and I am a law onto myself’ and lack all humanity and reason, we do not yearn for light and refuse to accept the truth even if we clearly know it; besides, with feudal thoughts deeply rooted in our hearts, our thoughts are rotten and backward and we are tightly bound by the feudal ethics and don’t have a shred of human likeness…. It can be said that China is a country that is most filthy and dark in the world and that Chinese people have become the embodiment of Satan, in whom all of mankind’s corruption and impurity are manifested most completely. We are the archetype of all corrupt humanity, in whom all of the opposition, rebelliousness, and unrighteousness can be found. Therefore, once we, who are saturated with atheist thoughts are made into those who obey and love God, who cast off all kinds of corrupt dispositions and become new people, God’s great work will be accomplished, and by then, God will gain full glory and Satan will utterly admit defeat. After God’s test work in China has been accomplished, the next step of spreading the work to the entire universe will go much better. It can be seen that, God chose to work in China in the last days not because China is good, but because of the needs of His management work. The fact that God perfects a group of people in a country that is most resistant to Him will make more people see His almightiness and wisdom, appreciate that He won’t easily give up on any deeply corrupted human being but rather hopes that all people could gain His salvation in the last days—this even more reveals God’s righteous and good essence.”
Sister Wang’s fellowship brightened Zhong Hui’s heart, who said excitedly, “Turns out that God choosing to work in China in the last days is to carry out a step of work of judgment and purification through the darkness and filth of this country. Conquering and gaining a group of people among those who are most resistant to God can even more glorify God and allow people to see God’s might and authority. God is truly so wise!”
“Yes,” said Sister Wang as she nodded. “Jehovah God once said, ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, said Jehovah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts’ (Isaiah 55:8–9). God is an omnipotent and wise God. His thoughts are higher than man’s thoughts and His wisdom is unfathomable to us. God chooses where to perform His work completely according to His management plan, and it all contains His wisdom. God choosing to do work in the last days in China is indeed so meaningful!”
After hearing Sister Wang’s fellowship, Zhong Hui was filled with excitement and she said, “Thank God for His mercy so that I was fortunate to hear the utterances of the returned Lord and understand the significance of God performing His work in China. I’m willing to let go of my notions and seek and investigate God’s work in the last days.”
“Thanks be to God!” said Sister Wang happily.
Does Really No One Know When Jesus Will Return? How Should Christians Welcome Him?
By Huichen
On a new day, sitting at her desk, Zhang Qing began her daily spiritual devotions, opening up the Bible and reading Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour knows no man, not the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but My Father only.” She thought to herself: “If no one knows the day of the Lord’s return, then how should we welcome Him? Now is the end of the last day. The disasters are getting greater. The omens of the Lord’s return have basically all been fulfilled. Maybe one day the Lord will come back, but so far I still haven’t known how to welcome His return.” Thinking of this, Zhang Qing couldn’t help standing up and then paced back and forth in her room. At that point, she thought of how, when visiting her the other day, her sister-in-law said that she went out to listen to a few sermons about the Lord’s coming and that there was light in them. So Zhang Qing decided to seek from her.
After she arrived at her sister-in-law’s house and they exchanged greetings, Zhang Qing spoke out her confusion, and then they two sat down and began to fellowship. Her sister-in-law said, “Based on this Bible verse I always used to think that nobody would know when the Lord returned, but through recent meetings I’ve come to understand this: When the Lord returns He will surely allow some people to know it. If it was unknown, how could we welcome and follow Him? At a meeting, we read several verses where the Lord Jesus says, ‘Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near: So likewise you, when you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Truly I say to you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knows no man, not the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but My Father only’ (Matthew 24:32–36). ‘Be you therefore ready also: for the Son of man comes at an hour when you think not’ (Luke 12:40). At the time, carefully pondering these words, we found that ‘the Son of man’ is mentioned in the verse. It means someone who is born of a human, and the Spirit of God cannot be called the Son of man. These verses clearly told us that it is very likely that in the last days the Lord Jesus will once again come in the flesh. And ‘But of that day and hour knows no man,’ which means that nobody knows about the time and date of the Lord’s birth. Not the angels of heaven, nor even the Son, but only God Himself, But when He officially works and expresses His words to save mankind, He will surely let us know. This is just like when the Lord Jesus appeared and worked. When the Lord was born in a manger, if God did not revealed the year, day and hour of the Lord’s birth, then nobody would know His coming. Even the Lord Jesus Himself didn’t know about His identity before officially doing His work when the Holy Spirit testified about Him—the heaven was opened and a voice said: ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’ (Matthew 3:17). Afterward, the Holy Spirit enlightened Peter, and he testified to the Lord, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), and from then on, the people knew that the Lord Jesus is God, Christ. Similarly, in the last days the moment when the Lord will be born as the Son of man is unknown, but when He utters words once again then some people will be aware that the Lord has come back.”
After hearing her fellowship, Zhang Qing had a sudden flash of insight, thinking: “What she fellowshiped makes a lot of sense. It turns out that ‘that day’ and ‘that hour’ mean no one knows when the Lord will be born in the last days, but when He begins His work, some people will know.” Then she said happily, “Sister-in-law, I understand that the time of the birth of the Lord of the last days is not known by anybody, but when He formally does His work and speaks His words then someone will know. However, is there any basis for this kind of view in the Bible?”
Her sister-in-law answered with a smile, “Thank the Lord! About this problem, the Lord’s words have made it very clear. 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). ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me’ (Revelation 3:20). ‘My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me’ (John 10:27). From these verses, we can see that when the Lord comes back during the last days He will utter more words, and that it’s certain that someone will bear witness to the Lord’s return. Moreover, He has also reminded us that if we hear this, we must listen to the voice of God carefully and seriously, for only in this way is it possible to welcome Him. In other words, when the Lord returns, there are some who will first hear the Lord’s voice, meet Him and recognize His return. Just like in the Age of Grace when the Lord Jesus became flesh and appeared to do His work, in the beginning, Peter, John, and the others first followed and accepted Him, and then His disciples went to testify His words and work in every place. Afterward, there have been more and more people hearing the gospel of the Lord Jesus and receiving Him. These verses say, ‘And at midnight there was a cry made,’ ‘I stand at the door, and knock,’ which are further proof. If nobody first knows the Lord’s return, how will someone cry that the bridegroom has come and tell us to go out to meet him? Thus, after the return of the Lord during the last days, some will accept Him earlier while some will accept Him later, and then those who have accepted first preach to those who have not accepted. Such is the process.”
“Sister-in-law, listening to your fellowshiping, I see that in the matter of welcoming the Lord’s coming, we must pay close attention to listening to the utterance of the Lord, and as long as someone preaches the gospel of the Lord’s return, we should seek humbly. Once we make sure it is God’s utterance, we should welcome Him. Is this right?” asked Zhang Qing, not sure whether her understanding was correct or not.
“Yes, you’re absolutely right. Seeking humbly you mentioned just now is too important. I think of Nathanael in the Bible. When Philip told him that he had met Jesus, the coming One foretold by the prophets, although Nathanael had notions and thought that Messiah couldn’t possibly be born in Nazareth, a small town, he still went to meet the Lord Jesus. Without even seeing Nathanael, the Lord knew that he was under the fig tree, and that there was no cunning in his heart, and so he recognized the Lord Jesus was the Son of God, the King of Israel. The Samaritan woman is another example: When the Lord Jesus gave voice to her darkest secrets, she recognized Him as Christ, and this was because she knew that only God could have a thorough understanding of man. Besides, there were more people who recognized that the Lord Jesus was of God because they had seen the Lord’s power to make the blind see, make the lame walk, heal the lepers, and resurrect the dead. Just as the Bible says, ‘Now when He was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in His name, when they saw the miracles which He did’ (John 2:23). ‘The same came to Jesus by night, and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that You do, except God be with him’ (John 3:2). When the Lord Jesus came to do His work on earth, many people knew that He was the coming Messiah, because they had heard His words and seen His work and words were full of authority and power. From these examples, we can see that, if we want to attain the true way, we must first have a heart of longing for the truth and seek from the Lord Jesus’s words as well as His work. Only thus can we have the opportunity to gain God’s enlightenment to meet the Lord. Just like it says in the Bible, ‘So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God’ (Romans 10:17). This is to say that hearing about the way is prerequisite to believing in the way.”
Hearing this, Zhang Qing was suddenly enlightened, and said gladly, “Yes! You’re absolutely right. At that time those who followed the Lord Jesus followed Him only after hearing His preaching and seeing that His work and words possessed authority and power. God’s work is so practical. Now I have known how to welcome the Lord. That is, as long as we hear someone preaching that the Lord has returned and is uttering words, we should then make haste to seek and investigate. Just as the Lord Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 5:3). ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you’ (Matthew 7:7).”
Hearing Zhang Qing say this, her sister-in-law nodded happily.
Why Didn’t Paul’s teacher, Gamaliel, Gain God’s Salvation?
By Xiaoding
Such an incident is recorded in Acts in the Bible: Around A.D. 35, under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, the apostles of the Lord Jesus preached His salvation everywhere. At that time, through those apostles the Lord performed many signs and wonders, and thus there were more and more people who believed in and returned to the Lord.
Seeing this, the rulers, the scribes, and the high priest bore a grudge against the apostles, and so they sent people to arrest them and were trying to murder them. At this time, there was a person called Gamaliel, who stood up and said, “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). Gamaliel said these words to exhort the rulers, the scribes, and the high priest not to act blindly. He said to them that, what came from God shall increase, what came from man shall decrease, and that if what the apostles did came from God but they blindly resisted and condemned them, then they would probably become people who attacked God. The council listened to him, and did not murder the apostles but let them go.
Gamaliel was a Pharisee, and a prestigious teacher of the law in the council. At that time, the Pharisees and the upper echelons of the religious world were frenziedly resisting and condemning the Lord Jesus. Under such a circumstance, Gamaliel being able to say these words really was commendable. At least from this we can see that he was a reasonable man, because when he couldn’t see through God’s work, he didn’t sin with his mouth, nor did he carelessly judge or resist God. What is regretful, however, is that he never made strides in further seeking or investigating, and never listened to the Lord’s gospel to see whether the Lord Jesus was the arrival of the Messiah. Instead, he was always waiting and seeing, and clinging to the law and verses he was familiar with in the temple, but didn’t follow the Lord Jesus, with the result that he didn’t attain the Lord’s salvation in the end.
At this point, I remember a passage I read on a gospel website recently, “The work of the Holy Spirit changes from day to day, rising higher with each step; the revelation of tomorrow is even higher than today’s, step by step climbing ever higher. Such is the work by which God perfects man. If man cannot keep pace, then he may be left behind at any time. If man does not have an obedient heart, then he cannot follow to the end. … If you submit only to work and words that are simple, and are incapable of accepting any of a deeper intensity, then you are one who keeps to old ways and cannot keep pace with the work of the Holy Spirit. The work done by God differs from period to period. If you show great obedience in one phase, yet in the next phase show less or none at all, then God shall desert you. If you keep pace with God as He ascends this step, then you must continue to keep pace when He ascends the next. Only then are you one who is obedient to the Holy Spirit” (“Those Who Obey God With a True Heart Shall Surely Be Gained by God”).
From these words we can know that God’s work is always moving forward and never stops. God requires all those who believe in Him to obey God’s new words and work and follow closely in the footsteps of the Lamb at every step, and He also requires that no matter how God does, they should investigate with a seeking heart and follow God. It is because only in this way can they be gained by God. Just as Revelation says, “These are they which follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Revelation 14:4). However, though Gamaliel had a devout heart, possessed some rationality, and didn’t speak sinfully or resist God when he couldn’t see through God’s work, yet he just observed the old laws and decrees in the temple, neither knew that God’s work is always moving forward, nor sought or investigated God’s latest work. So, no matter how good his humanity was, no matter how much knowledge of the Bible he possessed, or no matter how detailed his explanation of the laws and decrees was, because he, all the time, neither opposed nor actively sought God’s latest work, but instead was neutral and waited and saw, in the end he missed the perfect time to follow and know the Lord. This is also what all of us Christians should be vigilant with.
Now we are in the last days, and the prophecies of the Lord’s return have been fulfilled one after the other. All brothers and sisters who sincerely believe in the Lord are watching and waiting, and are ready to welcome the Lord’s return. We all remember the Lord Jesus once 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). “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2–3). From the Lord’s words we can see that when the Lord returns, He will express more words to water us, will reveal all mysteries, and will tell us all of the truths that we need. But no one knows when or where the Lord will speak to us, because God’s work is at odds with people’s conceptions. Every time that God appears to work, it is always beyond what we imagined and is something that we cannot fathom by using our heads. Just as God’s words say, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, said Jehovah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8–9).
Through summarizing Gamaliel’s strong and weak points, we understand that if we want to welcome the Lord’s return, we not only should possess reason, but most importantly, we should have clear and sober minds, actively seek the truth, pay close attention to the movements of the Holy Spirit’s work. In addition, no matter what work God does or no matter how little it fits our notions and imaginings, we should actively seek and investigate. If it really is God’s work, we should accept, obey, and follow it without making any excuses or setting any conditions. Just as the Lord Jesus said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. … Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:6, 8). “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you: For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7–8). The original disciples of the Lord Jesus, such as Peter, John, and Nathanael were just like this. Though at that time, the Pharisees and the religious leaders did their utmost to make up rumors, slander, and judge the Lord Jesus, those disciples did not follow the crowd, much less did they make careless judgment. Instead, they remained clear-headed, had a truth-seeking heart, actively studied the Lord’s work, listened to the Lord’s words, thus recognized that the Lord Jesus was the coming Messiah, and finally obtained the Lord’s salvation.
Then, when we hear someone bearing witness to the Holy Spirit’s utterances and the gospel of the Lord’s return for us, what kind of attitude should we have toward it? Should we make strides in actively seeking and investigating like Peter and Nathanael, or should we just passively wait and see and finally miss God’s salvation like Gamaliel? This is a question that each of us who are desperately longing for the Lord Jesus’ return should think deeply about.
Gamaliel’s Warning: The Sense We Should Have in Our Approach to God’s New Work. A Commentary on Acts 5:38-39
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
Thoughts on Today’s Verse…
These verses show me that we believers in God should have a God-fearing heart, especially in the matter of how to treat God’s work. When we don’t understand or cannot see through God’s work, we should be reasonable but not arbitrarily judge, condemn, or resist it. Just like it is recorded in these verses, when the Jewish scribes and the Pharisees crazily resisted and condemned the work of the Lord Jesus, Gamaliel, a teacher of the Jewish law, did not stand on the side of the Pharisees but stood up and said some words to warn the Pharisees when the apostles of the Lord Jesus were captured. From this, it can be seen that he didn’t arbitrarily judge or blindly condemn on the matter he couldn’t see through. Moreover, Gamaliel thought, if it was the work of men, it would come to nothing as the time went by without being restrained by anyone. If the work was from God, no force could stop it. The work of God will prosper more and more no matter what the obstacle is, and be accepted by more and more people. The attitude and practice of Gamaliel toward the work of the Lord Jesus bring some inspiration to us who wait to welcome the Lord’s second coming in the last days: If someone testifies that the Lord has returned and done new work, though we don’t understand or see through it, we cannot arbitrarily judge and blaspheme. Otherwise, we’ll offend the disposition of God and be punished by God like the Pharisees.
So when it comes to our approach to God’s new work, besides being reasonable, we should humbly seek and figure out the basic principle of seeking the true way. Only then can we have a better knowledge of God’s work and follow the footsteps of the Lamb. I’d like to share with you a passage of God’s word, “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 in this way, whether or not these words are the expression of the truth, who is testified to, 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, and 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 can take 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.”
Does God Listen to Our Prayers? How to Properly Pray to God
By Zhong Cheng
Editor’s note: Many Christians believe that the longer they pray and the more they say in prayer, the more likely their prayer is to be heard. Is this really how it is? The Lord Jesus said, “But when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (Matthew 6:7). These words of the Lord demonstrated clearly that He isn’t pleased with these types of prayers. So how should we properly pray to God? Recently, Wang Fang, through the fellowship of her daughter Rui, has understood how to have her prayers heard by the Lord.
“O dear Abba Father, You are the truth and the way, You are the life, You are the lamp before our feet and the light on our path. … You are the head of our family. We’re willing to obey You, love You, heed Your words and follow Your directives …”
On Saturday mornings, Wang Fang and her granddaughter Tiantian prayed to God together. The day they finished praying and rose up, Tiantian, with her lips pouted, rubbed her legs which had become numb and then said unpleasantly, “Grandma, we again prayed for over an hour today. Our words are too repetitive, and I’m sick of hearing them. Can we have a shorter prayer the next time?”
Wang Fang said with reproach, “We prayed for such a short time, but you’ve gotten impatient. I pray much longer in the prayer meeting.”
At that moment, the doorbell rang. As Tiantian opened the door, she saw her auntie Rui, and said happily, “Auntie, you’re here just in time. Do you know? Every time grandma prays for a long time and says repetitive words.” Then Tiantian parroted Wang Fang’s words of prayer, “O dear Abba Father, You are the lamp before our feet and the light on our path. … You are the head of our family and we will follow Your words.” And she continued, “As soon as Grandma opened her mouth, I knew exactly what was coming next.”
Wang Fang said to Rui, “Tiantian has always said my prayers are long and repetitive. Isn’t this what a prayer like? Don’t the pastors and elders pray in this way? They pray even longer and recite much more scriptures in prayer than I do. My brothers and sisters all admire them a lot. I also prayed like this. How is it inappropriate?”
Rui said with a smile, “It is essential for us believers to pray to God and establish a normal relationship with God. We believe that praying long, spouting nice-sounding words and reciting many scriptures before God is genuine prayer. However, is this the prayer that God requires of us? Do we have real interaction with God when praying this way? Can such prayer enable our spirits to draw close to God? With regard to these questions, let’s look at what the Lord Jesus said, ‘But when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking’ (Matthew 6:7). Mom, from this scripture we can see that God actually doesn’t like our long-winded prayers, nor does He like hearing our repetitive words in prayer. Therefore, our view doesn’t stand that praying long, saying a lot and reciting many scriptures is genuine prayer and God will listen.”
“Ah？It doesn’t stand? I have prayed in this way for over half my life. Could it be that God has never listened at all?” asked Wang Fang.
Rui answered, “Mom, let me give you an example. It’s not exactly the same, but it still may help. If every day, when my dad returns, he always says to you lots of words he said the day before, but never tells you what he thinks of the things which he has encountered on the outside or which has happened between you and him, then will you still be willing to listen to what he says?”
Wang Fang took a look at Rui and said, “Certainly not. I would never hear the end of it.”
Rui smiled and said, “Yes. Similarly, in every day of a year, we will encounter different problems and difficulties and what we experience and gain will also be different, so our prayers to God should be fresh and lively. However, during these years, our daily prayers are the same old and repetitive words. Do you think God would ever be pleased with and listen to our prayers that are not sincere?”
Wang Fang was stunned and then said awkwardly, “This …”
Rui said with certainty, “The Lord Jesus once said: ‘This people draws near to Me with their mouth, and honors Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me’ (Matthew 15:8). From the Lord Jesus’ words, it can be seen that God scrutinizes the bottoms of people’s hearts, and that if we just pray to God with our lips and always say repetitive words and nice-sounding things but never tell God our true thoughts in our hearts, God won’t commend or listen to our prayers. Let’s think about it: When we prayed, we said, ‘Lord, You’re the head of our family and we’re willing to obey You.’ Nevertheless, when faced with anything we still acted as our own master, and we always thought our own views were right, and made others listen to what we said. We prayed every day, ‘Lord, You are the lamp before our feet and the light on our path. We’re willing to listen to Your words and carry out Your will.’ But facing things, we very often forgot the Lord’s words yet blindly listened to the words of the pastors and elders; even sometimes when what they said was out of place, we had no discernment and still listened to them. Besides, we prayed, ‘Lord, we’re willing to love You and satisfy You.’ However, when we encountered natural or man-made disasters or unfortunate events, if we didn’t see God’s protection we would become negative and complain to Him, and would even become unwilling to expend ourselves for Him. So, even though we prayed to God for a long time and said many pleasant-sounding words, they were all false, big and empty. Weren’t our such prayers deceiving God? The Pharisees’ words of prayer were many and sounded good and spiritual, but did God listen to their prayers? Definitely not. God is a true and living God, and so He won’t feel enjoyment when hearing us pray like this year after year. Mom, what do you say, is praying that way worthy of being called a true prayer?”
Wang Fang pondered and said slowly, “What you said is reasonable. I prayed long and said a lot, but my prayers were the same old platitudes and had become jingles. Ah, now I think it over carefully: In reality, every time after I prayed like this, I didn’t feel enjoyment but felt dull and uninspired; what’s more, I didn’t act on what I had prayed. So it seems my prayers were really not accepted by God. Rui, how then should I pray to the Lord so that He will listen? Can you tell me more on this?”
Rui said, “Mom, I have brought you a book today. And the words in it can solve your problem.”
“Is that so? Now take it out and let me read.” Hearing what Rui said, Wang Fang immediately felt invigorated.
Rui took the book out of her bag. Tiantian, sitting next to her, happily said, “Auntie, let me read.”
Taking the book, Tiantian read: “Prayer is not a case of going through the formalities, or following procedure, or reciting the words of God, which is to say, prayer does not mean parroting words and copying others. In prayer, you must give your heart to God, sharing the words in your heart with God so that you may be touched by God.” “The lowest standard that God requires of people is that they be able to open their hearts to Him. If man gives his true heart to God and says what is really within his heart to God, then God is willing to work in man; God does not want the twisted heart of man, but his pure and honest heart. If man does not truly speak his heart to God, then God does not touch man’s heart, or work within him. Thus, the most crucial thing about praying is to speak the words of your true heart to God, telling God of your flaws or rebellious disposition and completely opening yourself up to God. Only then will God be interested in your prayers; if not, then God will hide His face from you” (“Concerning the Practice of Prayer”). After finishing reading, Tiantian said, “Auntie, these words tell us that we must pray to God with an honest heart and speak from our hearts, and only in this way will God hear our prayers. Right?”
Rui nodded and said, “Yes. What you said is correct! God demands that we communicate with Him with an honest heart and say what’s in our hearts, and He doesn’t care that our prayers are long or short. When we lay bare to God our own shortcomings or all kinds of difficulties in our lives and let God see our hearts, God will touch our hearts; this means that our prayers win God’s acceptance. To list just a few examples: When the church arranges a duty for us and we encounter difficulties in doing it, our sinful nature, most of the time, causes us to retreat and to have no heart that cares for God; at this point, we can pray to God, ‘Oh God, thank You for giving this commission to me. Your intention is to let me gain the truth from it to make up for my shortcomings. I’m willing to do all I can to satisfy You, but I am of poor caliber and afraid of hardship, and when I encounter difficulties, I just want to retreat but have no heart that meets the challenge and actively seeks the truth. May You enlighten and guide me and bestow upon me wisdom and the will to endure suffering so that I’m able to fulfill the commission You have given to me to satisfy You.’ When we cannot live in harmony with our families or brothers and sisters and become mired in bitterness and pain because we are bound by sin, we can pray, ‘Oh, God, now I can’t get along with the people around me in harmony. You teach me to learn to be tolerant and patient with others, but as soon as I meet with something which goes against my interests, I’ll be controlled by my corrupt dispositions and get into angry arguments with others. I have seen how corrupted and rebellious I am and how I often violate God’s words, and I feel very distressed. God, please save me from my sinful nature and enable me to become a person with whom You are satisfied.’ When our families encounter some unhappy incidents and we’re miserable and weak, we can pray to God, ‘Oh, God. Now my family encounters this incident. I’m very distressed and weak and don’t know what Your will is. But I believe that any person, event, or thing I encounter contains Your good intentions. May You help me seek the truth and understand Your will in this matter so that I can truly obey You.’ In addition, when some of our brothers and sisters are weak in spirit and we don’t know how to help them, we can pray: ‘God, now Brother X (or Sister X) feels spiritual negativity and weakness and lives in difficulties. I wish to entrust his (or her) difficulties to You, and hope that he (or she) will be able to emerge from his (or her) negative and weak state under Your guidance and leadership. At the same time, I’m willing to shoulder this responsibility and be considerate of Your will to help him (or her). But I am too small of stature and don’t understand enough of the truth, so I don’t know how to help him (or her). God, please enlighten me and guide me toward understanding the truth and helping him (or her).’ These prayers above are the kind centered around our practical difficulties and shortcomings. When we don’t speak polite niceties or repetitive words within our prayers but can practically and earnestly recount to God our true difficulties and innermost thoughts and share our hearts with God, God will listen to our prayers and the Holy Spirit will also enlighten and illuminate us. Just as the Lord Jesus said: ‘When the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth’ (John 4:23–24).”
Wang Fang nodded and said, “Hmm, such prayers are good and very practical. Looking back on my prayers in the past, they were all outward rituals and practices. Only now I see that if we don’t speak from our hearts in our daily prayers but simply say some repetitive and nice-sounding words, these prayers are purely a way to muddle through, merely deceiving God. From now on, I will practice speaking the truth within my heart with God in my prayers.”
…………
Another Saturday morning, the voices of the prayers of Wang Fang and Tiantian emerged from a room, “O Lord, now I finally understand that, when I prayed before, I was just cheating You and treating You perfunctorily. I have prayed to You for so many years but only focused on praying long and saying nice-sounding and repetitive words. Such prayers are the same with the Pharisees’. O Lord, now I’m willing to repent to You and begin to say what is in my heart in prayer …”
Rising up after praying, Tiantian said delightedly, “Grandma, what you pray today are your innermost thoughts. I enjoyed listening to them.”
Hearing this, Wang Fang smiled …
What Does “a Great Sound of a Trumpet” in the Biblical Prophecy Refer To?
By Xiaochen
In the recent several gatherings，how to welcome the Lord’s return had been a hot topic. The Lord Jesus said, “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. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:30–31). Everyone at the meeting had a different understanding of “a great sound of a trumpet” in this verse, and they started a heated discussion.
In the meeting, Brother Wang said with confidence, “The Lord Jesus told us that when He returns, a trumpet will sound in heaven to gather together His elect. When that happens, it means that we believers will be raptured. That day will be a joyful day. Now is the last days, and the Lord will come back soon. So, we should watchfully wait for His return.”
When Brother Wang finished speaking, Brother Chen furrowed his brow and said seriously, “I think there is a mystery in these prophecies, so we can’t interpret them literally, nor can we welcome the Lord’s arrival by waiting for the sound of a trumpet. There are still many passages in the Bible that prophesy the Lord’s return. Just as it is written in the Book of Revelation, ‘Behold, I come as a thief’ (Revelation 16:15). ‘As a thief’ means coming secretly, quietly. If we go by our understanding and say that a trumpet will sound in heaven at the Lord’s return, there must be a big commotion. Then isn’t there a contradiction within these verses? Moreover, we have all been longing for the moment when the trumpet sounds. However, after so many years have passed, disasters are becoming more and more intense, many of the prophecies of the Lord’s second coming have basically been fulfilled, and even the scientists predict that great catastrophes are imminent, so it stands to reason that the Lord should return. But why haven’t we heard the sound of the trumpet? What does ‘the sound of a trumpet’ actually refer to? Is it really the sound made by a trumpet? I can’t understand it.”
After hearing these words, the brothers and sisters jumped into a lively debate, but they couldn’t give clear fellowship. Halfway through the meeting, it just so happened that Brother Lin returned from a trip to hear sermons. After knowing everyone’s confusion, he said with a smile, “Thank the Lord! On this last trip, I was fortunate to discuss this matter with several brothers and sisters, and their fellowship was very enlightening. Let me share my harvest with everyone. These verses you are discussing are what the Lord Jesus told His disciples about what will happen when He returns, that is, they are prophecies. As is known to us all, God’s prophecies are all mysteries and it’s not easy for people to fathom them. So we can’t go by a literal interpretation of them, otherwise we’ll very likely understand them wrongly. Take the Pharisees for example. They made such a mistake in awaiting the Messiah. They saw the biblical prophecies: ‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given: and the government shall be on His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, on the throne of David, and on His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on even for ever’ (Isaiah 9:6–7). And so, based on their understanding of the literal meaning of these prophecies, they believed that since the Messiah would come to power, He would certainly be born to a wealthy family. Further, He would be like David and become the King of Israel, leading them to break away from the rule of the Roman government. However, when the prophecies were fulfilled, the fact is that the Lord Jesus was born in a manger, not a prominent family, and neither did He become the king of the Jewish people to come to power, but instead He lived amongst men as an ordinary Jew. The Pharisees judged and convicted the Lord Jesus’ work based on the literal words of the Bible, and finally crucified the Lord Jesus, thus offending God’s disposition and incurring God’s curses. It can be seen that we must not interpret God’s prophecies literally. Jehovah God said, ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, said Jehovah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts’ (Isaiah 55:8–9). We are just tiny created beings, so how can we fathom God’s wisdom? We should gain enlightenment from the lessons of previous failures—God’s work isn’t in line with our conceptions, and therefore we can’t define God’s arrival within the literal words of the Bible or our imaginings, but instead we should treat God’s work with an attitude of seeking. Only in this way can we welcome the Lord’s coming.”
The brothers and sisters all nodded their heads.
Sister Li said, “Brother Lin, your fellowship is quite illuminating. It’s indeed unreliable to interpret prophecies according to their literal meanings. So what does ‘a great sound of a trumpet’ in the verse actually refer to? Brother Lin, please fellowship with us.”
Brother Lin went on, “With regard to this issue, let’s read this verse carefully, ‘‘And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other’ (Matthew 24:31). Here it says that in the last days God will use a great sound of a trumpet to gather together His elect, that is, they will gather from every direction when the trumpet sounds. But apart from this verse, there are still many places in the Bible that prophesy how the Lord will gather His elect at His return in the last days. For example, the Lord Jesus said, ‘My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me’ (John 10:27). ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me’ (Revelation 3:20). And in the Book of Revelation there are also several mentions that ‘He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’ (Revelation 2–3). The Lord Jesus clearly told us that when He returns in the last days, He will proclaim His word to bring His sheep before Him. In other words, when the Lord comes back and issues forth His voice, His sheep will one by one come before Him because of hearing His voice. Just as when the Lord Jesus came to the world to express the truth, Peter abandoned his fishing nets to follow Him when hearing His calling; because the Lord Jesus revealed her secrets buried in her heart, the Samaritan woman recognized that He was the coming Messiah and thus followed Him. Both of them recognized that the Lord Jesus was the coming Messiah because of what He did and said. Through the above prophecies, we can see that ‘a great sound of a trumpet’ refers to the truth expressed by the Lord when He returns in the last days. So, we have to listen out the Lord’s voice to welcome His appearance and work.”
Hearing this, the brothers and sisters all felt immeasurably excited. Brother Chen said happily, “Thank the Lord! Brother Lin’s fellowship made me think of what the Lord Jesus once 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). We can see from these two verses that, when the Lord Jesus comes back, He will proclaim His word to humankind again. As long as we hear what the Holy Spirit says to the churches, that means we hear ‘a great sound of a trumpet.’ This is a new light. So now we should focus on hearing where the voice of God is, for only by hearing God’s voice can we welcome the Lord’s return.”
Brother Lin said, “Thanks be to God! You’ll understand things better after reading a passage which says: ‘How does one explain the “holy trumpet”? What is your understanding of this? Why is it said to be holy and already sounded? This should be explained from the steps of My work and understood from My work method. The time when My judgment is announced publicly is when My disposition is revealed to all nations and peoples. That is the time the holy trumpet is sounded. That is to say that I often say that My disposition is holy and unoffendable, which is why “holy” is used to describe the “trumpet.” It can be seen from this that “trumpet” refers to My disposition and represents what I am and have. It can also be said that My judgment is in progress every day, My wrath is being released every day, and My curse befalls every single thing that does not accord with My disposition every day. Then it can be said that the time My judgment begins is the time the holy trumpet is sounded, and it is sounding every day, without halting for a moment and without stopping for a minute or second.’
“This passage speaks very clearly about what the ‘holy trumpet’ is. We can see from this that the time when the Lord begins expressing words to do the judgment work in the last days is the time when God’s trumpet is officially sounded. That is, ‘a great sound of a trumpet’ refers to God’s words of judgment in the last days, not the sound made by a trumpet. These years I have been waiting for the sound of the trumpet in heaven, but I haven’t made it. Seeing that the church is increasingly desolate, I’m incredibly anxious and always feel like I have been abandoned by the work of the Holy Spirit. On this last trip, some brothers and sisters testified to me that the Lord has already returned to express the truth and perform the work of judgment, which fulfills the biblical prophecies, ‘For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God’ (1 Peter 4:17). ‘And if any man hear My words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 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 12:47–48). Only then did I know that ‘a great sound of a trumpet’ has started. They also fellowshiped to me that the returned Lord has expressed the truth and revealed the essence and truth of mankind’s corruption. Meanwhile, He has told us how to get rid of our corrupt dispositions, and has made public His will and requirements for man. God’s inherent disposition and what God has and is have been expressed within His words. These words are God’s way of judgment and His words that purify mankind. Hearing God’s voice means hearing the sound of God’s trumpet and seeing God’s appearance. They also read a passage to me. Allow me to read it to everyone! ‘This is the holy trumpet sounding! Lend an ear. That sound, so sweet, is the throne uttering voice, announcing to every nation and people, the time has come, the final end has come. My management plan is finished. My kingdom openly appears on earth. The earthly kingdoms have become My—God’s—kingdom. My seven trumpets sound from the throne, and what wonders will occur! People at the ends of the earth will rush together from every direction with the force of an avalanche and power of thunderbolts….’ ‘I joy to see My people, who hear My voice, and gather from every nation and land. All people, keeping the true God ever in their mouths, praise and jump for joy endlessly! They witness to the world, witnessing the true God with a sound like the sound of thundering waters. All people will crowd into My kingdom.’ Brothers and sisters, this passage mentions that the holy trumpet has already sounded, and that people from every nation and land are gathering together to listen to God’s voice and witness God’s appearance. When hearing them read this passage, I felt that it is the Holy Spirit speaking to us. The Lord really has returned.”
Hearing these words made the brothers and sisters extremely excited. Brother Chen emotionally said, “These words are so authoritative and they are not something that can be spoken by an ordinary person. It turns out that ‘trumpet’ refers to God’s word. In the last days God expresses the truth to cleanse our corruption, and so hearing God’s words in the last days means hearing the sound of the trumpet. We should earnestly seek and investigate.”
Brother Wang suddenly sprang to his feet and said, “Right! Apart from God, who can speak as the Creator? These words are no ordinary words. Brother Lin, where did they come from? Can you tell us about it? I’d also like to investigate.”
The brothers and sisters were all transported with joy and were ready to seek and investigate God’s word and work of the last days with Brother Lin.
Happily Welcoming the Lord’s Return: The Blessing Brought by Browsing Facebook
By Zhihui, United States
It had now been over ten years since I began to follow the Lord Jesus. I was not as passionate as when I believed in the Lord before, and added to that, I had to work many hours in a restaurant and lived far away from the church, with the result that I failed to go to church to give worship very often. Later, my temper changed for the worse: I often argued with others over petty little things at work; especially when I worked harder and more than others but my boss scolded me because there was something wrong with our work, I couldn’t help but lose my temper and quarrel with him.
After that, when I thought of how the Lord requires us to be tolerant, patient, and love others as ourselves, but I not only didn’t bring glory to the Lord but shamed His name, I felt miserable and indebted to Him. Particularly as I saw disasters growing ever worse and that many prophecies of the Lord’s return are basically fulfilled, my heart became filled with fear. I thought: “I sin and confess every day and have lost all semblance of a Christian—the Lord certainly won’t like me. Besides, I don’t attend gatherings now, and as time goes on it’s very easy for me to become sunk into the evil world and controlled by Satan. If things carry on this way, when the Lord returns, won’t I be destroyed in the disasters like the unbelievers?” For this reason, I often prayed to the Lord about my state and read the postings of my friends on Facebook, in the hope that I could have fellowship with the brothers and sisters who pursued the truth on the Internet.
In November 2018, while I was browsing Facebook, I added several believers in the Lord as my friends. After that, whenever we had the time, we would gather together to fellowship on the Bible. Brother Qu from Italy was quite familiar with the Bible and his fellowship was really illuminating, which gave me spiritual pleasure. After a period of gathering with the brothers and sisters, I came to understand such aspects of the truth as what the wise virgins are and what the foolish virgins are, what incarnation is, what Christ is, how to discern the true Christ from the false, and much more. Finally, Brother Qu told us that the Lord Jesus has returned and He is the incarnate Almighty God, and that the truths we had understood were all gained from the words expressed by Almighty God. Hearing what he said made me both surprised and happy. I felt from my heart that Almighty God’s words are the truth and have unveiled the mysteries in the Bible; His words allowed me to understand many truths I hadn’t understood before. Afterward, I started attending online gatherings with them.
Immediately following that, I told the news of the Lord’s returning to perform new work to one of my colleagues. He, however, said with a look of scorn: “That’s impossible! In John 19:30, the Lord Jesus said on the cross ‘It is finished,’ and it indicated that God’s work of saving man was already completed. How can He do any new work? Have you listened to the sermons of Eastern Lightning? What they are saying is wrong….” Hearing his words, I began to have doubts. Thereupon, I immediately sought answers from several prestigious Facebook believers, and they all replied: “The Lord Jesus said Himself: ‘It is finished;’ He could not possibly return to do any new work. Why do you ask this? Are you contacting believers in Almighty God? I heard that they know the Bible very well and even the pastors don’t dare to debate with them. How could you, who don’t understand the Bible, dare to contact them? Leave them right away, do not have any contact with them again.” After seeing these words, I opened the Bible and carefully read the verses. I thought: “Yes, the Lord Jesus did say ‘It is finished’ moments before He took His last breath, so how can He still need to become the Son of man to perform new work? Could what those brothers and sisters say be false? But their fellowships are filled with light, and after gathering together with them for so long, I’ve indeed understood many mysteries about the Bible that I didn’t understand before and I feel great enjoyment within my heart. No, I need to keep gathering with them, look into it and then decide.” However, in the middle of confusions, I didn’t fellowship actively like before during the following gatherings, and didn’t even watch the videos and movies the brothers and sisters sent to me. After the brothers and sisters found that I was not the same as before, they proactively contacted me, and I then told them my confusion.
Sister Anna said: “Sister, based on the Lord Jesus’ words on the cross ‘It is finished,’ you believe that God’s work to save mankind was finished, that as long as we believers confess our sins and repent to the Lord, then our sins will be absolved and we will immediately be raised up into the heavenly kingdom when the Lord returns, and that He won’t do any new work. Is this in line with the truth? Let’s think about something. If the Lord Jesus’ saying ‘It is finished’ meant that God’s work to save mankind was totally finished, then would the biblical prophecies be fulfilled? ‘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, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come’ (Revelation 14:6–7). ‘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). ‘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). How would they be fulfilled? These prophecies clearly tell us that in the last days the everlasting gospel will be preached to the people of the world, and that the Lord Jesus will come again and express the truth, doing a stage of work to judge and purify mankind. If it was how we think it that God’s work to save mankind was completed and that the Lord would not come to perform new work, wouldn’t these prophecies come to naught? So, such understanding doesn’t tally with the Lord’s words, and doesn’t tally with the reality of God’s work. Let’s read a couple of passages of Almighty God’s words to help clarify this point. Sister, why don’t you read them?”
I read: “To man, God’s crucifixion concluded the work of God’s incarnation, redeemed all of mankind, and allowed Him to seize the key to Hades. Everyone thinks God’s work has been fully accomplished. In actuality, to God, only a small part of His work has been accomplished. He has only redeemed mankind; He has not conquered mankind, let alone changed the ugliness of Satan in man. That is why God says, ‘Although My incarnate flesh went through the pain of death, that was not the whole goal of My incarnation. Jesus is My beloved Son and was nailed to the cross for Me, but He did not fully conclude My work. He only did a portion of it.’” “For all that man may have been redeemed and forgiven of his sins, it can only be considered as God not remembering the transgressions of man and not treating man in accordance with his transgressions. However, when man, who lives in a body of flesh, has not been set free from sin, he can only continue to sin, endlessly revealing his corrupt satanic disposition. This is the life that man leads, an endless cycle of sinning and being forgiven. The majority of men sin in the day only to confess in the evening. This way, even if the sin offering is forever effective for man, it will not be able to save man from sin. Only half the work of salvation has been completed….”
Sister Anna continued her fellowship: “We can know from the words of Almighty God that when the Lord Jesus said, ‘It is finished’ on the cross He meant that His work of redemption in the Age of Grace was finished, and not that the work of God’s salvation of mankind was totally finished. In actuality, the completion of the work of the Age of Grace only meant that a small part of God’s management plan to save mankind was accomplished, because what the Lord Jesus did was the work of redemption. He redeemed mankind from the domain of Satan, so as long as we accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior, confess and repent to Him, then our sins can be forgiven, and we are no longer condemned by the law. This is the true meaning of being saved. However, after we believe in the Lord, though we appear to behave quite well and no longer commit obvious sins, Satan’s corrupt disposition remains deeply rooted within us, and we haven’t completely shaken off the shackles of sin and are still slaves to the cycle of sinning in the daytime and confessing them at night. For example, in our interactions with others we frequently lose our tempers and don’t show tolerance or patience toward them; when someone threatens our interests then we hate them; we also follow social trends, lust for riches and covet carnal pleasure. The list goes on. If we don’t resolve these corrupt dispositions, we will still sin and resist God. We all know God is holy and that those who are not purified cannot see God. So, in order to entirely save mankind from Satan’s grasp and rid us of our corrupt disposition, God has once again incarnated to do the further work of thoroughly judging and purifying mankind.”
Later, Sister Anna sent me some more passages of God’s words for me to read. I read: “Though Jesus did much work among man, He only completed the redemption of all mankind and became man’s sin offering, and did not rid man of all his corrupt disposition. Fully saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to take on the sins of man as the sin offering, but also required God to do greater work to completely rid man of his disposition, which has been corrupted by Satan. And so, after man was forgiven his sins, God has returned to flesh to lead man into the new age, and begun the work of chastisement and judgment, and this work has brought man into a higher realm. All those who submit under His dominion shall enjoy higher truth and receive greater blessings. They shall truly live in the light, and shall gain the truth, the way, and the life.” “By means of this work of judgment and chastisement, man will fully come to know the filthy and corrupt substance within his own self, and he will be able to change completely and become clean. Only in this way can man become worthy to return before the throne of God. All the work done this day is so that man can be made clean and be changed; through judgment and chastisement by the word, as well as through refinement, man can purge away his corruption and be made pure. Rather than deeming this stage of work to be that of salvation, it would be more apt to say it is the work of purification. In truth, this stage is that of conquest as well as the second stage in the work of salvation.”
After I read these words, Sister Anna fellowshiped: “God’s management plan for the salvation of mankind is for the sake of thoroughly saving mankind from Satan’s dominion and allowing us to cast off the bonds of our satanic and corrupt dispositions and be purified so that we will be able to bask in the blessings bestowed by God. Therefore, in order to enable us to achieve full salvation and perfection, Christ of the last days, Almighty God, based on our needs, performs a stage of work of judgment beginning in God’s house on the foundation of the work of redemption of the Lord Jesus, expressing many words that can judge and cleanse us mankind, such as The Mystery of the Incarnation (1) to The Mystery of the Incarnation (4), Concerning the Bible (1) to Concerning the Bible (4), The Work in the Age of Law, The True Story Behind the Work of the Age of Redemption, You Should Know How the Whole of Humanity Has Developed to the Present Day, The Age of Kingdom Is the Age of Word, All Is Achieved by the Word of God, Corrupt Mankind Is More in Need of the Salvation of God Become Flesh, Know the Newest Work of God and Follow the Footsteps of God, etc. These truths are the expression of God’s life, and even more so they are a revelation of His disposition. Through reading these words, we can know the reality that we have been corrupted by Satan, our satanic nature which resists God, and what will be the result of failing to achieve transformation and be cleansed. We can also gain understanding of God’s holy and righteous disposition, what kind of person God loves and what kind of person He hates, so that we begin to despise ourselves and be willing to forsake our flesh and practice the truth. This being so, we can gradually generate true obedience and fear toward God. Only when we are completely free from the bondage and control of sin and achieve dispositional change through God’s judgment and chastisement can we be brought into the heavenly kingdom by God, and that is when God’s work to save mankind is completely finished. This is confirmation of the prophecies in the Book of Revelation: ‘And He that sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said to me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And He said to me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End’ (Revelation 21:5–6).”
Hearing this, my heart was suddenly filled with light. I instantly opened the Bible and saw that these prophecies had already been recorded in the Book of Revelation, which had been fulfilled. I felt enormously excited by all this, saying happily: “These prophecies become true! It turns out that this is how God’s work will be finished. Oh, God’s words truly are authoritative! None of God’s sentences fail to come about, and everything He says will come true. Thank God! Now I’ve understood the meaning of ‘It is finished’ spoken by the Lord Jesus. It only meant that the Lord Jesus’ work of redeeming mankind through crucifixion was finished, but not that God’s entire management plan to save mankind was completed. I think of how I sin a lot now, often haggle or fuss with others, and reveal my hot-headedness in interactions with them, which can’t glorify God. Like this, I indeed fall short of being completely saved by God. It seems that if I want to cast off my corruption I must accept God’s work of judging and purifying mankind in the last days.”
Sister Anna then fellowshiped about some more truths with me, and I happily accepted God’s work of the last days. In the days that followed, every day I read Almighty God’s words and saw all kinds of works that bear witness to God such as films, sketches, crosstalks, musicals, MVs and videos on The Church of Almighty God’s website. The more I saw, the more excited I felt. I marveled that God’s work should have reached an unprecedented event. It is truly that things that come from God must be prosperous! In particular, when I saw the musical Every Nation Worships the Practical God, which ends with all brothers and sisters rising from their seats and shouting loudly: “The kingdom has descended!” and “God has returned,” I felt incredibly excited and overcome with emotion, thinking: “Today I can welcome the Lord Jesus’ return, and accept the work of God’s second incarnation. This truly is a huge blessing! This is really God’s mercy and grace!”
I have now been believing in Almighty God for about six months. I’ve understood some truths by reading Almighty God’s words and experiencing church life, and I’ve known that the best way for me to repay God’s love is preaching the gospel and bringing those who thirst for God’s appearance and long for God’s salvation before God. So, I actively engage myself in preaching the gospel. Thanks be to God.