Western Scholars Gather in Seoul for The Church of Almighty God’s Premiering Photo Exhibit

October 24, 2018, The Church of Almighty God held its first photo exhibition in Seoul, South Korea with the theme of “The Origin and Development of The Church of Almighty God,” drawing eleven experts and scholars from seven countries including the USA, Canada, England, France, and Italy to attend and explore the exhibit. Massimo Introvigne, who is an Italian sociologist and the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), France’s Bernadette Rigal-Cellard, professor of North American Studies at the University of Bordeaux Montaigne, Canadian sociologist and author Susan Jean Palmer, and others raised questions on Almighty God’s work of the last days, and several Christians who accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days in its early period provided detailed answers to each one of them. They also shared their feelings and understandings from undergoing Almighty God’s work and words with the guests.

The photo exhibition displayed the course of development over the several stages of The Church of Almighty God’s birth and development, including the background of Almighty God’s appearance and work, Almighty God uttering words and providing sustenance in house churches, Almighty God officially beginning the work of judgment beginning at the house of God, and the expansion of the gospel of the kingdom. Image after image vividly portrayed true-to-life scenes of the course of the Church’s development.

Experts and scholars from countries including the USA, Canada, England, France, and Italy listening to a Christian of The Church of Almighty God describing the history of the Church’s development

Background of the Appearance and Work of Almighty God—The Son of man Incarnate

In the early 1980s, just as China’s reform and opening-up was beginning, there was a corresponding revival in religious beliefs. House churches, brutally persecuted by the Chinese Communist government, experienced rapid development and Christians sprung up all over China like wildflowers. When the development of house churches reached its peaks, just according to official figures, members of local churches (the Shouters denomination) had reached 200,000 by 1983, leading to great panic within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The government carried out multiple nationwide campaigns to suppress house churches in 1983 and 1987, but these Christians, true believers in the Lord, were not scared off by the CCP’s mad suppression and arrests. Some Christians in local churches (Shouters) continued to hold gatherings and read the Bible, weeping and praying to the Lord, imploring Him to return so they could be taken up to the kingdom of heaven. It was within these kinds of local churches that the Son of man incarnate began to utter words and work in secret.

Almighty God Speaks and Commences the Work of Judgment Beginning With the House of God in the Age of Kingdom

On February 11, 1991, when the Son of man incarnate began uttering words, some saw that these words were really new and moving, and that they weren’t just average words, so they shared them with their upper-level leader. This leader saw that those words really were the voice of the Holy Spirit, and so rushed to get them printed and sent to all the churches so that God’s chosen people could read them and have fellowship. Almighty God later uttered more and more words, thus Christians of The Church of Almighty God began frequently reading His practical words.

In February 1992, there was a new starting point in Almighty God’s utterances. God began to speak to the whole universe using the identity and status of the Creator; this was God formally commencing the work of judgment beginning with the house of God in the Age of Kingdom. Then the Son of man incarnate, Almighty God, went from church to church, meeting and speaking with people, expressing truths to water and sustain people any place, any time in accordance with their states and deficiencies. He directed people toward the path of practice to enter into life, such as what perspectives people of faith should have, how to establish a proper relationship with God, how to experience and obey God’s work, how to serve in accordance with God’s will, and more. His words also revealed many truths and mysteries, such as the mysteries of God’s six-thousand-year management plan; the inside story and the aims of God’s three stages of work in the Age of Law, Age of Grace, and the Age of Kingdom; the mysteries of incarnation; the difference between being saved and attaining full salvation; the mysteries of the Age of Millennial Kingdom; the outcome and final destination of every type of person. He also revealed the true essence of mankind’s deep corruption by Satan and all sorts of satanic natures, the motivations and adulteration behind people’s faith in God and their absurd methods of practice. Almighty God has bestowed the corrupt mankind all the truth that they must understand in order to attain salvation and perfection, entirely fulfilling the prophecy in the Bible: “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” (John 16:12–13).

A reproduction of a real scene of God’s chosen people hand copying and binding volume after volume of Almighty God’s words strongly drew the audience’s interest

The Expansion of Almighty God’s Gospel of the Kingdom

In 1995, Almighty God’s gospel of the kingdom began to expand to various Christian denominations in mainland China. From 1997 to 1999, the gospel of the kingdom expanded rapidly throughout many provinces including Henan, Shandong, Anhui, and those in Northeastern China. Many believers within the Justification by Faith Church, Praise Church, Seventh-day Adventist Church and other Churches who longed for God’s appearance heard His voice in Almighty God’s words and turned toward Him, thus driving the expansion of the gospel to a peak. In 2002, the gospel of the kingdom officially spread to the south of China as well as its border and ethnic minority areas; by 2005 it had reached every corner of the Chinese mainland. By 2012 it had become a household name, known by everyone.

Since its establishment, The Church of Almighty God has been subjected to nonstop brutal suppression and persecution by the Chinese Communist Party, which has issued multiple confidential and top-secret documents to deploy armed police units, initiating round after round of special arrest operations targeting The Church of Almighty God. However, Almighty God’s words possess authority and power, and as soon as those who love the truth hear them, they recognize the voice of God and accept Almighty God’s work of the last days. Over just a little more than a dozen years, Almighty God’s words had conquered millions of people and they turned toward His throne, and the gospel of the kingdom had spread to every corner of mainland China. Today, it is spreading throughout the Western world, entirely fulfilling this prophecy in the Bible: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of Jehovah’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it” (Isaiah 2:2).

Western Scholars Praise The Church of Almighty God’s Photo Exhibit

Professor Bernadette Rigal-Cellard said with feeling: “I had not realized last year the link you [The Church of Almighty God] had with Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, so here it’s very clearly presented, so that I can see the origins of your Church. … Also it’s very important for us to see the people how they worshiped in the beginning, how they met, but also afterward the persecution started. … But at the same time it shows you have the truth.”

Professor Massimo Introvigne also said: “I believe the exhibition is very useful particularly because scholars were allowed to visit the exhibition with brothers and sisters who were there since 1991, because some details were already known, but some other details are new. So the exhibition is very useful to gain a better knowledge of the origins of The Church of Almighty God, particularly of the crucial years, 1991 and 1992, which are extremely important for understanding how The Church of Almighty God came into being. … The rest of the exhibition, what happens particularly after 1995, is largely the history of phenomenal growth and persecution. … I believe that’s a very worthy work.”

Professor Holly Folk expressed, “This is a really, really wonderful exhibition.” She also said: “I’m a scholar of religion, and I do comparative work and so what is important for me is understanding the consistency of The Church of Almighty God with a broader Christian tradition, and so I am sometimes cautious and saying The Church of Almighty God is Christian because I’m aware this being a new age, and I’m aware of the fact that some people are not necessarily comfortable carrying over terminology from the Age of Grace, but as a historian and as somebody who does comparative religion work, I see The Church of Almighty God is very embedded within Christianity. It is definitely part of Christianity. … To say that The Church of Almighty God is the true Christianity, that’s a professional statement. … My job is to try to understand religions and communicate them, but I will say very, very firmly that I see The Church of Almighty God as a Christian tradition.”

Western experts and scholars speaking with a Christian of The Church of Almighty God at the photo exhibit

The photo exhibition covered a number of topics, but it was far from being able to display the entire progression of The Church of Almighty God’s birth and development. It is necessary to carefully read the words expressed by Almighty God, Christ of the last days, in order to truly understand the Church. Almighty God has now uttered millions of words, most of which are included in the book The Word Appears in the Flesh, which has been translated into more than 20 languages and published online so that people all over the world may seek and look into them. Almighty God has now made a group of overcomers in mainland China and His work in the last days of secretly coming to the earth and working is on the verge of concluding. God is going to return to Zion. After the disaster prophesied in the Book of Revelation befalls, God will appear to all peoples with ten thousand of saints, which will fulfill the prophecy of the Lord Jesus coming on a cloud: “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints” (Jude 1:14). “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27). “Behold, he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him” (Revelation 1:7). At that time, all who have refused to accept God’s hidden work, who still resist and oppose Almighty God, Christ of the last days, will only be able to weep and gnash their teeth amidst disasters. They will lose their chance at God’s salvation for eternity. But those who hear God’s voice, accept Almighty God’s work of judgment in the last days, and gain purification will be led into God’s kingdom, receiving God’s promise and blessings.

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"Red Re-Education at Home" (6) - The CCP Sees Christ as a Regular Person: Where Is Their Mistake?

When the Lord Jesus became flesh in the Age of Grace, He looked like a human being from the outside, but He did the work of being crucified and redeeming all of mankind. In the last days, Almighty God incarnate has expressed all the truths to purify and save mankind and has done the work of judgment beginning with the house of God. This shows that the Lord Jesus and Almighty God are both Christ in the flesh, and they are God Himself. So why does the CCP define the Lord Jesus and Almighty God as average people and deny Christ's divine essence? Isn't the CCP incredibly absurd and preposterous?

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Where Does This Voice Come From?

Where Does This Voice Come From? (Audio Article)

Shiyin, China

I was born in a religious family, and I have many relatives who are preachers. From the time I was young, I followed my parents in believing in the Lord. After I grew up, I addressed to the Lord in prayer: If I could find a husband who believed in the Lord, I would offer myself up together with him in service to the Lord. After I got married, my husband really did believe in the Lord, and in fact became a full time devoted preacher. In order for my husband to feel at ease in his work for the sake of the Lord, and to be able to fulfill his commitment in the presence of the Lord, I actively undertook the burdens of running a household. Although it was a little bit difficult and tiring, my heart was filled with joy and peace no matter how much suffering I endured because I had the Lord as my support.

After 1997, I discovered that my husband no longer had much light he used to have in his preaching. When I got him to do some housework, he would always make excuses about being busy with his preaching work, and would often become enraged with me because of a few little things. I was resentful of my husband’s behavior and was no longer as perfectly happy to do the housework as I had been before. The difficult burdens of household life and the darkness of my spirit caused me to live in agony, but there was no one who I could turn to tell what I was feeling. All I could do was come into the presence of God and pray in the dead of night when everyone was asleep, and ask the Lord to give me more faith and strength. At the same time, I yearned for the Lord to return quickly.

One day in April of 2000, when I was arranging the clothes, I found my husband’s bag. I noticed that it was bulging, so I pulled open the zipper out of curiosity and saw that there were a Bible and a book of hymn inside. There was also a new book which was bound in an outer cover. I thought to myself: “How have I never seen this book before? It has to be some kind of reference book, or a book containing the experiences of some spiritual person. I have to read it, because it might be of some help to me.” Led along by my curiosity, I saw a title which read, “Those Who Are to Be Made Perfect Must Undergo Refinement.” “What a fresh and uncommon title!” I thought, “Judging by the title, refinement is not a bad thing! I am now in a state of refinement that is beyond my abilities, so I have to read carefully how he experiences refinement and thus I can find the way from within that.” At that, I began to read: “It used to be that people would all make their resolutions in front of God and say: ‘No matter who doesn’t love God, I must love Him.’ But now, you are faced with refinement. It is not in line with your notions, so you lose faith in God. Is this genuine love? You have read many times about the deeds of Job—have you forgotten about them? … When you face sufferings you must be able to not consider the flesh and not complain against God. When God hides Himself from you, you must be able to have the faith to follow Him, to maintain your previous love without allowing it to falter or disappear. No matter what God does, you must submit to His design, and be more willing to curse your own flesh than to complain against Him. When you are faced with trials you must satisfy God in spite of any reluctance to part with something you love, or bitter weeping. Only this can be called true love and faith. No matter what your actual stature is, you must first possess the will to suffer hardship as well as true faith, and you must have the will to forsake the flesh. You should be willing to personally endure hardships and suffer losses to your personal interests in order to satisfy God’s will. You must also have a heart of regretting yourself, that you weren’t able to satisfy God in the past, and be able to regret yourself now. Not a single one of these can be lacking and God will perfect you through these things. If you lack these conditions, you cannot be perfected” (“Those Who Are to Be Made Perfect Must Undergo Refinement” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). I was reading and crying at the same time, as the words were saying exactly my circumstances. Before I had resolved to dedicate myself and my husband to the Lord, and that I would be completely content to do so no matter how painful or exhausting it was. Now, however, because of difficulties at home and my husband’s lack of consideration, I always felt that I have been especially wronged, living in a state of undergoing refinement, and losing the faith and love I had once had. I was unable to maintain the resolution I had made in the presence of God, and would often cry alone in secret. I thought about how Job was able to stand witness to God in the midst of such a great and arduous trial, and not lose faith in God, and had even said, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). How could I have forgotten that? I then felt deeply regretful about all that I had done in the presence of God: Others would rather suffer hardships and lose out on their interests and yet still want to satisfy God. I had believed in the Lord for so many years, but had lost faith in the Lord. I complained to the Lord while enduring refinement, and where did I express any love for the Lord at all? With this in mind, I secretly made the inward determination, that I could no longer be as I had been before, that I should support my husband in the work he was doing for the Lord, and that it was right for me to suffer a bit of hardship.

When I was thinking like this, all of a sudden I felt much better emotionally. I felt these words were very well spoken, and were able to get to the heart of my actual circumstances. I felt they were able to point out the way to me and cause faith and strength to unconsciously arise within me. I thought to myself: “Who was it who said these words? How was his knowledge so lofty? I have read some books written by well-known spiritual people, and although those books have been of benefit to some people, they were not written in as clear and elucidating a way as this book, nor one which possessed truth. Really, who was it who spoke these words?” I was drawn by this book to continue reading on, and the more I read the more I felt that these words were spoken so well. Each and every line spoke directly to my inmost heart. From these words I understood that no matter how great one’s suffering is, he must follow God to the very end. In the face of suffering, one must willingly submit to God. If one becomes weak in the face of trial, he should have faith, and rely on God to stand firm. The more I read, the more I felt illuminated in my heart and the more I had a way to put into practice. It was right then that my husband came home, and I asked him right away, “Where did you get this book?” My husband smiled and said, “I borrowed it from somebody, and I have to give it back to him soon.” I really wanted to keep reading the book, and I said, “I also want to read this book.” My husband said, smiling, “Then pray! God may make it so.”

One day, when I was cooking, I was listening off and on to some hymn my husband had playing, “Who is not adoring? Who doesn’t long to see God? … God once shared joys and sorrows with man, and today He has been reunited with mankind, and shares tales of times gone by with him. After He walked out of Judea, people could find no trace of Him. They yearn to once more meet with God, little knowing that today they have again met with Him, and been reunited with Him. How could this not stir thoughts of yesterday? Two thousand years ago today, Simon Bar-Jonah, the descendant of the Jews, beheld Jesus the Savior, he ate at the same table as Him, and after following Him for many years felt a deeper affection for Him: He loved Him to the bottom of his heart, he loved the Lord Jesus profoundly. How about us today? Today God has been reunited with mankind, and shares tales of times gone by with him” (“Two Thousand Years of Longing” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs). The lyrics of this hymn gave voice to my own thoughts and evoked my feeling of longing for the return of the Lord. I wept as I listened, and thought to myself: “Ever since I first believed in the Lord, I have thought of the Lord Jesus every day, and hoped that He might return more quickly so that I could share tales of times gone by with Him. These lyrics were so genuine and moving, and even more were able to express people’s longing for the Lord.” I then put down what I was working on and listened with full attention, hearing another hymn called “Seek Only a Heart That Loves God.” “I ask for nothing in my life but that my thoughts of love for God and my heart’s desire be accepted by God.” I thought, “Who wrote this hymn? How can his resolution be so great? This hymn is greatly motivating for me, and how pure is the heart that loves God as it says in the line, ‘ask for nothing in my life but that my thoughts of love for God!’” Before, when I believed in the Lord, I did not know to love the Lord, and just want to enjoy the grace, peace, and joy of the Lord. Today, this hymn greatly opened my worldview, and I saw the people who believe in God must love God, and they must not seek anything for themselves and only this kind of love can be pure. This hymn is well expressed. I then secretly resolved in my heart that I too wanted to pursue this goal, and that I would love the Lord no matter who didn’t love Him.

After reading the words in that book, as well as hearing those hymns, I then went to act in accord with those words. When my husband went out to work again and had no time to help with the housework, my heart wasn’t as distressed as it had been before. If the brothers and sisters had any flaws or mistakes in what they said, I could also forgive them for it, because I wanted to make God content. I wanted only to seek a heart that loves God like the hymn had sung about.

In the blink of an eye, the time for planting the fields had come. One evening, my husband was tidying up and said to me, “Tomorrow, I will head out to work in a church in another area.” I said immediately, “Will you be able to come back after a few days?” He said, “I don’t know. I’ll try my best to come back earlier, so you don’t have to worry about the housework.” When I heard what he said, my face darkened, and I thought, “You say don’t worry about it, but how can I not worry? You’re going off without any idea of when you’ll be back, and the fields in other people’s houses have already been sown. Our field has not yet even been plowed, and if the seeds are planted late, in fall there won’t be a good harvest. When that time comes, what will we do? If only my husband would finish sowing his field and then go off to assist the brothers and sisters!” In the evening of that same day, I lay in my bed unable to sleep wracked by great turmoil in my heart: The last time my husband traveled for more than half a month before coming back, but then it hadn’t been the season for farm work. Now, the crucial time for farm work has arrived, and if he is gone for another half a month, what will I do? I might just have to get him to go find his co-worker to do the work and be done with it. But I thought about it again: “That won’t do, as the brothers and sisters are waiting for him to go assist them. If he doesn’t go, won’t that be an offense against the Lord?” In the state of being refined, I came into the presence of God and prayed: “Lord! It isn’t that I am unwilling for my husband to go and assist the brothers and sisters, just that it’s the right time when our household should be working the fields. In my heart, I am enduring quite an intense refining indeed, and I don’t know what to do. Lord! I ask for Your help, to safeguard my heart and not let me be disturbed by these things.” After I prayed, these words occurred very clearly to me in my mind: “No matter what your actual stature is, you must first possess the will to suffer hardship as well as true faith, and you must have the will to forsake the flesh. You should be willing to personally endure hardships and suffer losses to your personal interests in order to satisfy God’s will” (“Those Who Are to Be Made Perfect Must Undergo Refinement” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). These words instantly took hold of my heart, and brought a clarifying light to it: That’s right! If someone wants to satisfy the Lord, he must have the resolution to endure hardship and should rather suffer physically and endure losses in his interests in order to satisfy the will of God! These words gave me faith, and I thought: If the fields are planted a bit late, then so be it! However much we harvest is up to God, and the most important thing is my husband working for the Lord’s sake. With this in mind, I felt light and liberated in my heart, and before I knew it I had fallen asleep. On the morning of the next day, I said to my husband: “Be at ease and go work in the service of the Lord! Whenever you come back, it doesn’t matter. I submit to God’s arrangement.” When I thought about what I was doing was satisfying the Lord, I felt joy and steadiness in my heart.

My husband came back after a few days, and I found that he seemed to have changed into another person. He helped me with the housework, and said to me: “You’re working too hard! These last few years have been difficult enough for you, doing everything both inside and outside of the house. I’m aware of this. Before, I would often go out to work, not helping share the burdens of housework with you. In the future, I will do more when I have time.” Hearing his words, I was very moved because my husband had never spoken like this before. I thought to myself: “Ever since my husband read that book, there has been a big transformation in him. Not only does he preach with great light, but his attitude toward me is different than it had been before. Reading the Bible hadn’t resulted in any such changes in him in the past, but after reading that book he had transformed so much in such a short time. It seems the words in this book really have the power to change people!” At the same time I sensed that the words in this book had been of great benefit to me. After reading it, I had faith and strength, and when I acted in accord with the words in that book, the dissatisfaction I felt with my husband went away. After my husband read this book, his attitude toward me also changed, and he understood how to be considerate of me and take care of me. All these changes made me even more think that the words in this book were really powerful and authoritative! But really, who was it who had written the words in this book? I had never found the answer to this.

One day, two months later, my husband said he wanted to take me with him to attend a gathering. I had a feeling that this gathering would be something very special, otherwise my husband wouldn’t take me with him to listen to it. I was filled with anticipation in my heart, and looked forward to seeing that book again. The following day, my husband and I, together with two sisters, were sitting happily in a vehicle on the way to a sister’s house. There were many brothers and sisters taking part in that gathering, among them a sister in her thirties who integrated the Bible and fellowshiped about many truths about God’s work in the last days to us. When I was listening to what the sister fellowshiped about, I felt a special kind of brightness in my heart, and I came to thoroughly understand many passages of the Bible and about God returning to do the work of judgment that I hadn’t understood before. I thought to myself, “How can she fellowship about this so well, and communicate the Bible so clearly? How does she have so much understanding?” Then, the sister, her face filled with a smile, said loudly to us, “I’ll tell brothers and sisters an excellent piece of information that will excite people’s hearts. The Lord Jesus for whom we have long yearned has returned incarnate among us to do His new work, to express the word and open up all the mysteries, to lay bare the three stages of God’s work and His six-thousand-year management plan, as well as the incarnation of God and the mysteries of the Bible. Today, the content of what I fellowship about all comes from the words that have been expressed by God.” The brothers and sisters and I who were sitting heard this great news, and finally understood why the sister had understood so much. It turns out it had all been told to her by the voice of the Lord who had returned. Now we too heard the voice of the Lord, and we all happily embraced each other, shed tears of excitement, and the whole place began to quiver with enthusiasm. I was so happy that I felt like jumping for joy, and thought: All along I have been hoping for the Lord Jesus to return a bit earlier. Two thousand years have passed, but now the Lord really has returned! While I am alive, I am able to welcome the Lord Jesus’s return, and for that I am truly blessed!

Soon, when the time came for us to disperse, the sisters gave each of us a book called Judgment Begins With the House of God. Holding onto the book of the word of God, I suddenly thought of that book from before. Could it be that it is this book? When I got back home, I impatiently asked my husband, “The book that I saw that day—is it the same word of God that the sister mentioned today?” My husband smiled and said, “It is.” At that time, it was like I was waking up from a dream. That voice comes from God after all, is the voice of the incarnation of the returned Lord Jesus, and is the voice of God! No wonder these words could be so moving to me, give me faith and strength, change my corrupt disposition, and take me out of suffering. Then, I blamed my husband, saying, “You have received the new work of God; why did you conceal it from me?” My husband said, “At the time I really wanted to tell you, but most of the people in your family are preachers in the church, and I was afraid that you might not understand when I explained it. I was afraid that your relatives would find out about it, and once they came out to disturb and hinder you, not only would this cause you to lose your opportunity to receive salvation, but also it would have made me become an evil person!” Hearing what my husband said, my misunderstanding of my husband vanished, and I was all the more thankful to God for saving me. I resolved to read this book well.

Through reading the word of Almighty God, my parched spirit obtained nourishment and sustenance…. I never thought that I would be able to hear the word of the returned Lord with my own ears, to be raised up into the presence of God, to meet face-to-face with God, and I felt especially grateful to God for His love and salvation. After over 10 days, my husband and I together with the sisters who spread the gospel got together, and took the brothers and sisters of our church who had true faith in the Lord over to meet Almighty God. All honor and glory be unto God!

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1. What is judgment? | The Church of Almighty God

1. What is judgment?

Relevant Words of God:

The work of judgment is God’s own work, so it should naturally be done by God Himself; it cannot be done by man in His stead. Because judgment is the conquering of the human race through the truth, it is unquestionable that God still appears as the incarnate image to do this work among men. That is to say, in the last days, Christ shall use the truth to teach men around the earth and make all truths known to them. This is God’s work of judgment.

                    from “Christ Does the Work of Judgment With the Truth” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Picture of The Church of Almighty God | What is judgment?

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What Is the Difference Between Christianity and the Church of Almighty God? | Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Difference Between Christianity and the Church of Almighty God?

     Christianity and the Church of Almighty God believe in the same God. People who understand the history of religion know that Judaism in Israel was born of the work that Jehovah God did in the Age of Law. Christianity, Catholicism, and Eastern Orthodoxy were all churches that emerged after the incarnate Lord Jesus did the work of redemption. The Church of Almighty God came to be when God became flesh during the last days to do the work of judgment. Christians in the Age of Grace read the Old and New Testament of the Bible, and Christians of the Church of Almighty God in the Age of Kingdom now read The Word Appears in the Flesh, which was personally spoken by God in the last days. Christianity abides by the work of redemption that the Lord Jesus did in the Age of Grace, and the Church of Almighty God accepts the work of judgment of the last days of the returned Lord Jesus, Almighty God. The difference between Christianity and the Church of Almighty God is that Christianity abides by the work that God did during the Age of Law and the Age of Grace, whereas the Church of Almighty God abides by the work of judgment beginning from the house of God that God has carried out during the last days. The differences between Christianity and the Church of Almighty God are akin to the differences between Christianity and Judaism: During the Age of Grace, the Lord Jesus carried out the work of mankind’s redemption upon the foundation of the work of the Old Testament Age of Law. But the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees of Judaism did not recognize that the Lord Jesus was the incarnation of Jehovah, that He was the Messiah they were waiting for. They stubbornly clung to the laws and commandments of the Old Testament proclaimed by Jehovah God. They also crucified the merciful Lord Jesus, who had saved mankind, thus offending God’s disposition. God then discarded the whole of Judaism, which clung to the laws of the Old Testament, and turned His salvation to the Gentiles—who, after accepting and following the Lord Jesus, formed the churches of the New Testament, which were also called Christianity. Meanwhile, the Jews, who clung only to the work of Jehovah God of the Old Testament Age of Law and rejected the work of redemption of the Lord Jesus, formed what is called Judaism. From this it can be seen that Christianity and the Church of Almighty God believe in the same God—the Lord who created the heavens and the earth and all things. It’s just that the name and work of God people hold to are different: The Church of Almighty God abides by the new name of God during the Age of Kingdom, and accepts the new work carried out by God during the last days, while Christianity holds to the name of God during the Age of Grace, and accepts the old work that God did during previous ages. This is the most important difference between Christianity and the Church of Almighty God. The God that both believe in, however, is the same: The only true God who created the heavens and the earth and all things. This is a fact that no one can distort or deny!

What Is the Difference Between Christianity and the Church of Almighty God?

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Eastern Lightning - The Mystery of Godliness (4) - Only God Incarnate Can Do the Work of Judgment in the Last Days

The Eastern Lightning testifies that God has incarnated in the last days to do the work of judgment Himself. And yet God's work in the Age of Law was done by using Moses. So can't God's work of judgment in the last days be done in the same way, by using people? Why does God need to incarnate and do it Himself ? Almighty God says, "The work of judgment is God's own work, so it must naturally be done by God Himself; it cannot be done by man in His stead. Because judgment is the conquering of man through the truth, it is unquestionable that God still appears as the incarnate image to do this work among men" (The Word Appears in the Flesh).

Storyline:

Lin Bo'en was an elder at a house church in China. During all his years as a believer, he felt honored to suffer for the Lord, and valued the knowledge and attainment of the Lord Jesus Christ above anything else in the world. One fateful day, he went out to preach and heard some shocking news: The Lord Jesus has returned in the flesh, and He is Christ of the last days—Almighty God! Lin Bo'en was puzzled. When the Lord returns, He is supposed to descend with the clouds, so why would He incarnate Himself and do His work in secret? What mysteries were hidden behind God's incarnation? If the Lord has truly returned, why haven't we been raptured? … An intense debate unfolds between Lin Bo'en and his co-workers and the preachers from the Church of Almighty God … Will they finally be able to understand that Almighty God is the return of the Lord Jesus, the appearance of God in the flesh?

Recommendation:    The brief introduction of the Church of Almighty God

Eastern Lightning - The Mystery of Godliness (4) - Only God Incarnate Can Do the Work of Judgment in the Last Days

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Questions and Answers About the Way in Which the Lord Returns (Question 2)

Question 2: I have been a Christian for half of my life. I have worked hard for the Lord all along and waited for His coming again. Why didn’t the Lord reveal to me when He came? The Lord cannot possibly forsake me. I am very confused by that. I would like to know what you think.

       Answer: Since people have followed the Lord half of their life, worked hard, and waited for His return watchfully, they believe that when the Lord comes, they will be given a revelation. This is man’s imagination, incompatible with the fact of God’s work. At that time, the Jewish Pharisees travelled sea and land preaching God’s way. Did the Lord give them a revelation when He came? In addition, did any one of the disciples follow the Lord Jesus because they received revelation from Him? None of them did. Although Peter received God’s revelation and recognized Jesus as Christ, the Son of God, it was just after he followed the Lord for a period of time, heard a lot of His preaching, and knew more about Him that he got the Holy Spirit’s revelation and knew the Lord Jesus’ true identity. It can be seen that Peter didn’t receive the revelation before he followed the Lord Jesus. This is a fact. Whoever followed the Lord Jesus recognized He was the coming Messiah after they had heard a lot of His teachings. It’s not because they were revealed beforehand that they recognized and followed the Lord. In the last days, Almighty God has already arrived secretly to do the work of judgment. There are several millions of people who accept and follow Almighty God. They accepted God not because of receiving the revelation from the Holy Spirit. All of His believers began to follow Almighty God after recognizing His voice by reading His word and fellowshiping the truth. It’s sufficient to prove that when God incarnate comes to work, He will never reveal it to anyone to believe Him and follow Him. Besides, in the last days God does the work of judgment by expressing the truth. The work in the last days is the work that God speaks to the entire universe, so everyone can hear God’s voice. God’s expression in the last days is His first time to speak publicly to the entire universe and to the whole entire human race since the creation of the world. God has mentioned several times in Revelation, “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to the churches.” In the last days, God finds His sheep through expressing all of His words, the truth. God’s sheep hear the voice of God. Those who are able to understand God’s word are God’s sheep. They are the wise virgins. Those who can’t recognize God’s voice are the foolish virgins. This way, men are naturally divided into categories. How wise and righteous God truly is!

The Word of Almighty God

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Questions and Answers About the Way in Which the Lord Returns (Question 1) | The Church of Almighty God

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

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

Jesus and  Almighty God

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