Almighty God-Understand the 3 Main Paths to Welcoming the Lord’s Return

Almighty God-Understand the 3 Main Paths to Welcoming the Lord’s Return

By Yanjin

Being able to welcome the second coming of the Lord Jesus is the greatest wish of those who truly believe in the Lord. So how can we welcome the Lord Jesus? What follows is fellowship on the three main paths so that we may welcome the Lord’s return together.

1. Don’t Rely on Notions and Imaginings, Have a God-fearing Heart

God says, “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 should all know that people, who are of the flesh, have all been corrupted by Satan. It is their nature to oppose God, and they are not on a parity with God, much less can they offer counsel for the work of God. How God guides man is the work of God Himself. Man should submit, and should not hold such and such a view, for man is but dust” (“Only He Who Experiences the Work of God Truly Believes in God”). God is the Lord of creation, and His work and words reveal His authority, power, wondrousness, and wisdom. Whether or not God’s deeds are in line with our notions and whether we can understand them, as He is the Creator, we should all seek, accept, and submit with a God-fearing heart. This is the kind of reason that we as humans should possess. If we are arrogant, relying on our own notions and imaginings to delimit God’s work, if we always hold on to many of our own ideas regarding the Lord’s return, demanding that God do this or that, we will be prone to doing things that oppose God. Just like when the Lord Jesus came to work—the Pharisees entirely lacked hearts of reverence for God, so they didn’t engage in seeking regarding His work. They well knew that the words the Lord Jesus uttered possessed authority and power, but they still haughtily took their own notions and imaginings as the truth, believing that when God came His name would be Messiah, and He would be born into an aristocratic line to be the King of the Jews. But when God came, His name was Jesus and He was born into an average family. He didn’t act as their king, either, so the Pharisees passed judgment, thinking that the Lord Jesus wasn’t the Messiah and He wasn’t God. And based on what they imagined, the Pharisees believed that when the Messiah came, He would first enlighten them and reveal Himself to them, and that He would work from within the temple. They didn’t think He would be working and preaching among such lowly people as harlots, publicans, and fishermen; they believed He would continue guiding them to keep the laws of the Old Testament. But in the Lord Jesus’ work, He came out from the temple and frequently sat down to break bread with sinners. He preached and worked among the common people, He worked on the Sabbath, He allowed His disciples to pluck and eat grain on the Sabbath day, and He required that His followers keep to the teachings of the new age, and so on. But the Pharisees arrogantly, stubbornly clung to their own notions and imaginings, resisting, condemning, judging, and blaspheming the Lord Jesus with all their might. Ultimately, they colluded with the Roman government to crucify Him; this seriously offended God’s disposition and they suffered God’s righteous punishment. The failure of the Pharisees clearly shows us that relying on our own notions and imaginings in our approach to God’s words and work makes us likely to resist God and offend His disposition. This leads to being rejected and punished by God. So, in welcoming the coming of the Lord, we absolutely cannot delimit or judge God’s coming based on our own notions and imaginings. Instead, we must let go of those things, maintain a heart of reverence for God, and seek the truth with an open mind based on the Lord’s words. This is the only way we’ll be able to welcome the return of the Lord. Just as the Lord Jesus said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. … Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:3, 6).

2. Actively Seek and Investigate the True Way

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). This verse shows that the Lord Jesus requires us to be wise virgins; as long as someone cries out that the Bridegroom has come, that is, in the last days if someone is preaching that the Lord has returned, we should actively seek and investigate it. We must focus on hearing the voice of God. This is the only way we’ll be able to welcome the Lord and be raptured up before His throne. However, some brothers and sisters have disregarded this important requirement of the Lord. They just listen to what the pastors and elders have to say, and believe that as long as they hold fast to the name of the Lord, pray and read the Bible frequently, and diligently do the work of the Lord, when He comes they’ll be able to welcome Him—they won’t need to go out to seek and investigate. There are even some pastors and elders who tell brothers and sisters that we are in the last days, so there are more and more false Christs and antichrists, so they shouldn’t listen to, watch, or come into contact with anyone at all who spreads news of the Lord’s return. They say that’s the only way they won’t be deceived. I see that compared to the Lord Jesus’ requirement of us, our way of thinking is not in line with the truth or with the Lord’s will. In that crucial time when the Lord comes, if we hear someone testify that the Lord Jesus has returned but we continue to passively wait instead of proactively seeking and investigating, how could we welcome the Lord? If we just shut the true Christ out because we’re afraid of being misled by false Christs, isn’t that just cutting off our nose to spite our face? Wouldn’t we then be very likely to miss out on our chance to welcome the Lord’s coming? The Lord Jesus made us a promise: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). And it says in the Bible: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). We can see from this that only if we actively listen to sermons and focus on seeking and investigating will we be able to gain God’s guidance. Particularly when it comes to welcoming the Lord’s coming, we should sincerely pray to the Lord and when we hear news of His coming, actively seek; that way we will gain the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment and guidance, and welcome the return of the Lord. Just like Peter in the Age of Grace, before he was called on by the Lord, he heard about the deeds of the Lord Jesus and longed to see Him who shared the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. When he heard his brother Andrew say, “We have found the Messias” (John 1:41), Peter took the initiative to follow Andrew to go see the Lord Jesus, and through His work and words, determined the He was the Messiah. Ultimately, he gave up everything to follow the Lord Jesus and received His salvation. This is why engaging in active seeking and investigation when we hear someone sharing news of the Lord Jesus’ return is critical.

3. Focus on Hearing God’s Voice

The Lord Jesus clearly told us: “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). “My sheep hear My voice” (John 10:27). This was also prophesied multiple times in Revelation chapters 2 and 3: “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” And in chapter 3, verse 20, it said: “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.” We can determine from the Lord Jesus’ words and the prophecies in Revelation that when the Lord Jesus returns in the last days, He will utter more words to water and sustain us, telling us the truths we do not understand. When we hear the news of the Lord’s return and recognize the voice of God from His utterances, we can follow the footsteps of the Lord and attend the feast of the Lamb. This is why focusing on hearing the voice of God in order to welcome the return of the Lord Jesus is so important.

So how can we discern the voice of God? That does not depend on how great our caliber is or how long we’ve been believers, but it depends on our intuition, the sense within our spirit, that shared feeling within our hearts. Anyone with a heart and spirit can absolutely feel it. Just as Jehovah said: “Visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me, And showing mercy to thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments” (Deuteronomy 5:9–10). When Jehovah God made a promise to Abraham, He said: “And I will make of you a great nation…. And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you: and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:2–3). And the Lord Jesus said this: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake” (Matthew 5:10–11). Also, when the Lord Jesus cursed the Pharisees, He said: “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matthew 23:13). “You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33). By reading God’s words, all of us can see that they are the truth, that they possess power and authority and are things that could not come from any human mouth. God’s words open up mysteries and tell us of God’s management plan, which we have never known of before. God’s words get straight to the heart of human beings’ corrupt essence and can even expose the corruption hidden deepest within our hearts. This allows us to see the nature and essence of all sorts of people. In addition, God’s words provide sustenance for our lives, pointing out a specific path of practice for us and resolving our practical difficulties, just as the Lord Jesus spoke on truths such as how to treat others and how to approach our enemies. That gave us a clear path of practice in our interactions with others and then we knew how to treat other people. These are the principles of how to discern whether something is the voice of God or not.

In fact, the disciples who followed the Lord Jesus in the Age of Grace such as Peter, John, and James were all people who heard Him speak and preach and felt that His words were full of authority and power, that they possessed the truth. They felt that it was God speaking, and this is why they recognized that the Lord Jesus was the coming of the Messiah, so they followed the Lord and gained His salvation. And there was Nathanael, who knew within his heart that the Lord Jesus was the Son of God when he heard the Lord say to him: “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” (John 1:47). “Before that Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you” (John 1:48). He knew then that the Lord was the King of the Israelites, because even though the Lord Jesus had never met him before, He still knew that he was praying silently, and said that he was without artifice. It occurred to Nathanael that only God can examine man’s hearts; common people entirely lack that ability, that authority. This is why, when we encounter the words uttered by the Lord in the last days, as long as we genuinely and carefully ponder them and listen with our hearts, we will be able to recognize the voice of God. All those who are able to hear the voice of God, and who accept and submit to Him, will welcome the return of the Lord and be raptured up before God’s throne to attend the wedding feast of the Lamb. All of these people are wise virgins and are the most blessed of all.

Now we’ve gained an understanding of the three main paths to welcoming the Lord’s coming. One is to not rely on notions and imaginings, and to have a God-fearing heart. Two, actively seek and investigate the true way. Three, focus on hearing God’s voice. I believe that as long as we practice in accordance with these three paths we will certainly be able to welcome the return of the Lord Jesus.

May the Lord be with us, Amen!

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Eastern Lightning-Learning to Pray: Resolving 3 Issues Teaches Us How to Pray

Eastern Lightning-Learning to Pray: Resolving 3 Issues Teaches Us How to Pray

By Zhang Liang

As Christians, prayer is an indispensable part of our everyday lives, and the most direct way to draw close to God. We all hope that our prayers may be heard by the Lord, but we often do not receive God’s response or feel His presence, leaving us at a loss: Why is this? Why isn’t God listening to our prayers? What sorts of prayers are in line with God’s will? Let’s have fellowship on this today and by resolving these three issues, our prayers may be heard by God.

1. In Prayer, Do You Speak to God Openly, Confiding in Him Your True Thoughts?

Much of the time, we pay attention to details such as the length of our prayers or our wording, or we even attempt to display our resolve to God through pleasant-sounding words, but we seldom truly open our hearts to God. For example, we commonly say: “God, I will love You, expend myself for You, and no matter how great the dangers or adversities I undergo, I will not give up. I will follow You for my entire lifetime!” Or, “God, Your words are the lamp before me, the light on my path, I will adhere to Your word in everything that I do, and meet Your will!” However, when met with adversities and setbacks, or difficulties crop up at home, we are often unable to put God’s word into practice and we lack the desire to fulfill His wishes. We even misunderstand God, complain about God, become demotivated, as well as betray and walk away from Him. That we behave this way in practical situations testifies to our lack of sincerity in our prayers to God, instead just talking big and spouting empty, nice-sounding words in an attempt to please God. It is also to have others think highly of us, to have God and others see that we love God and are faithful to Him, but in reality, our prayers are filled with hypocrisy and deceit. They are, in essence, an attempt to fool and deceive God. How can we expect God to listen to these sorts of prayers? Jesus once told this parable: “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank You, that I am not as other men are, extortionists, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but smote on his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalts himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:10–14). It is not difficult to see that the Pharisee prayed in a hubristic manner, seemingly unaware of his own sins, parading himself under the premise of his ostensible good behavior. He was self-servingly bragging of his loyalty to God, saying nice-sounding things to God, exhibiting himself before God while belittling the publican (the tax collector). Such a hypocritical prayer could never be commended by God. The publican’s prayer was sincere, openly admitting his sins to God, acknowledging that he was a sinner, and expressing remorse. He also displayed a willingness to repent to God, and begged for God’s mercy. Seeing sincerity in it, Jesus commended the publican’s prayer.

Jesus’ parable tells us that God detests the use of bragging, empty words, or words pleasing to the ear to ingratiate ourselves with God or to trick Him. God wishes for us to lay our hearts bare and speak our actual thoughts, speak the truth, communicating with God sincerely. 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). And another passage of God’s words is: “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”). From this we can see that we must be open and sincere with God, tell Him our innermost thoughts and the truth, tell God of our true state and troubles, and seek God’s guidance. Only then will God hear our prayers. When we pray, we can tell God of the difficulties and suffering we face in our lives, and seek God’s will. Or we can come before God and open ourselves up to Him about our transgressions or whatever corruption we’ve revealed each day. This is having a sincere dialogue with God in all matters. Like when we often become infatuated with the world and yearn to follow the trends of society, becoming obsessed with worldly pleasures and we cannot bring our mind to peace before God, we can pray to God: “God! I find that I do not love the truth within my heart, but am always thinking of the dazzling world outside. Even when in a gathering, in prayer, or reading Your words, I cannot settle my mind. I want to forsake the flesh, but I find myself powerless to do so. God! May Your spirit move my numbed heart, providing me with faith and strength to prevail over Satan’s temptation and bring my heart to peace before You.” After several sincere prayers like this, the Holy Spirit will guide and lead us to see that following societal trends will cause us to live in sin and grow ever more distant from God. The Holy Spirit will also touch us, and provide us with a heart of love for the truth. We will then be able to forsake the flesh in practical ways, and overcome Satan’s temptation and seduction—this is the outcome we can achieve by speaking from the heart in prayer with God. However, if we do not open our heart to God in prayer, instead attempting to ingratiate ourselves with God and trick Him by using words that are pleasing to the ear, God will not hear our prayer and will not touch our hearts. We will be unable to discern or overcome Satan’s temptation and will inevitably follow evil trends, becoming further distanced from God and harmed by Satan. Therefore, if we wish for our prayers to be heard by God, we must be open and truthful before Him. This is the first step we must take.

2. Are You Praying to Practice the Lord’s Words and Achieve Life Growth?

Once we’ve been corrupted by Satan, we are full of satanic corrupt dispositions; we are selfish, greedy, crooked, deceitful, and keep only our own interests in mind. In all things we put personal gain above all else and even in our faith we want more and more grace and blessings from God. Most brothers and sisters believe that since we believe in God, He should bless us and grace us, and no matter what we ask of Him He should provide it. We often supplicate and pray to God for fleshly benefits such as recovering from an illness, giving us peace at home, or allowing our children to find a good job. When we do enjoy His grace we very happily praise Him, but when He doesn’t respond to our prayers the way we would wish, we complain about Him. Have you ever given thought to whether constantly praying to God for our own fleshly interests is true communion with God, true worship of Him? The answer is no. These kinds of prayers are just an attempt to get blessings out of God; they are demanding things of Him and trying to get Him to act according to our own wills. It is not treating Him as God. These kinds of prayers can only arouse God’s ire, and He does not listen to them.

As Christians, we shouldn’t just seek the blessings of the flesh or seek to have God bestow more grace and blessings upon us. That’s because these things just allow us to enjoy fleeting, worldly good fortune, but do not remotely help us grow in our lives. Neither can they help us achieve true obedience and fear of God. Our prayers and supplications should focus more around our understanding of the truth, putting God’s words into practice, and growing in our lives. Only this kind of prayer is in line with God’s will. The Lord Jesus said, “And seek not you what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, neither be you of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knows that you have need of these things. But rather seek you the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added to you” (Luke 12:29–31). “It is the spirit that vivifies; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak to you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). God’s will is for us to practice and live out His words, and through His words gain both the truth and life so that we may achieve compatibility with God and ultimately be able to enter into His kingdom. Thus, our prayers should be centered around how to practice and experience His words; this way, He will lead us in undergoing His work, we will continue to understand more and more of the truth, and we will be able to live out the words of God. Think of how all of us frequently tell lies and do deceitful things in order to protect our own face, status, wealth, or interests. We are well aware that these are sins, but we can’t stop ourselves from sinning. Even if we don’t lie with our words, within our hearts we’re calculating what to say to protect our own name, benefit, and position, and what we should do so that our interests aren’t compromised. When we become aware that we have an urge to lie or do something dishonest we should come before God and pray, “Oh God! I’ve seen that I’m unable to achieve the simplicity and honesty of a child, but still can’t stop myself from lying or cheating. If I go on like this You will certainly loathe me. God! I truly need Your salvation—may You lead me to be an honest person, and if I lie or cheat again, may You discipline me.” After offering up prayers like this, when we once again have the desire to lie for the sake of our own interest, we will feel the Holy Spirit’s reproaches inside of us. We will clearly realize that God requires us to be honest people, and He takes joy in and blesses those who are honest. We cannot lie to uphold our own interests, as that is disgusting to God. Once we’ve realized all of this we’ll be able to forsake our crafty motives from the heart, seek truth from the facts, and call a spade a spade. By always practicing this way, before we know it we’ll be lying less and less, and we’ll be able to enter into the reality of the truth of being an honest person, one step at a time. This is the fruit of prayer for growth in life. The Lord Jesus said, “And I say to you, 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” (Luke 11:9–10). Clearly, as long as we pray to God for understanding of the truth and the ability to put the Lord’s words into practice, and we treat entry into the truth with the utmost seriousness, God will guide us to understand the truth and enter into the reality of the truth, and we will be able to grow in our spiritual lives bit by bit.

3. Do You Pray to Seek Understanding of God’s Will and to Stand Witness for Him?

Sometimes in our lives we encounter issues that aren’t in line with our notions, like problems at work or in the home, or we may even be faced with some sort of catastrophe. When these things occur, most of us ask God to take away these unpleasant environments and give us peace and happiness. Even if we work hard or even give up our relationships and our jobs to serve God, if we encounter something like a major illness we’re unable to calm ourselves and seek God’s will, and pray that we may stand witness and satisfy God. Instead, we pray to God, begging for Him to heal our sickness so that we can be free of the torment of illness as soon as possible. When God accedes to our request, we thank and praise Him, but when He does not make us well, we are disheartened and disappointed in God; we live within negativity, complaining about Him and we may even have the urge to toss our efforts for Him out the window. We can see from this that we are too enamored of our own fleshly interests; in our hearts we do not love or wish to satisfy God. We often make unreasonable requests in our prayers, making demands of Him in selfish and despicable ways to have Him do things according to what we want. We absolutely do not worship the Creator from the proper position of created beings. Why would God heed such prayers? Then how should we pray so we are in line with God’s will? His words direct us onto that path: “When you encounter difficulties, hurry up and pray to God: ‘O God! I wish to satisfy You, I wish to endure the final hardship to satisfy Your heart, and regardless of how great the setbacks I encounter, still I must satisfy You. Even if I have to give up my whole life, still I must satisfy You!’ With this resolve, when you pray thus you will be able to stand firm in your testimony” (“Only Loving God Is Truly Believing in God”). “You hurt inside, and your suffering has reached a certain point, yet you are still willing to come before God and pray, saying: ‘O God! I cannot leave You. Although there is darkness within me, I wish to satisfy You; You know my heart, and I would that You invest more of Your love within me’” (“Only by Experiencing Refinement Can Man Truly Love God”).

When hardships come upon us, we must seek God’s will and pray that we can stand witness and satisfy God. We must also have the resolve to love and satisfy God, and be willing to endure physical suffering if it means standing witness for God rather than praying for our own interests. Only this kind of prayer is in line with God’s will, and this is also having the kind of conscience and reason we as created beings should possess. For example, Job lost all of his possessions and his children through his trials and he himself was afflicted with boils from head to toe; he suffered enormous emotional and physical pain. But he did not moan to God about why He had allowed him to suffer all of this, nor did he ask God to take his suffering away. Instead, he first submitted and prayed to seek God’s will. He recognized that all he owned had not been gained through his own toil, but had been bestowed by God; whether God gives or takes away, as created beings we should naturally submit to God’s rule and arrangements. We should not have any requirements of God, or any complaints. This is the reason we as humans should possess. Job said, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah” (Job 1:21). Job ended up bearing a resounding witness for God by relying on his reverence, obedience, and faith for God. We should learn from Job’s example and when encountering something not in line with our notions, we must first quiet ourselves before God and rush to pray to seek God’s will, and pray that we may stand witness and satisfy God. This is the most critical aspect of our practice. This way, God can guide us; He can give us faith and strength to help us through any passes we may face, so that we may stand firm in our testimony through trials.

These are the three issues we must resolve in our prayer. As long as we practice and enter in according to these principles in our daily lives, I am confident that all of us, brothers and sisters, will reap rewards we never dreamed of.

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Eastern Lightning-Religious Seminar in Australia: Focusing on the Current Situation of Religious Persecution in China

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On April 4, 2018, a seminar was held at the Chapel of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture in Canberra at 3 p.m. local time, the topic of which is Religion and the State in the People’s Republic of China. During the seminar, the current difficulties faced by China’s religious beliefs under the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) dictatorial rule were discussed. Many renowned professors and scholars from the UK, the US and Italy were invited and attended this seminar, and some of them delivered speeches, in which they talked about the current situation of religious persecution in China. Some scholars and professors revealed the facts of the CCP’s brutal persecution of The Church of Almighty God (CAG), and appealed to people to focus on the problems encountered by CAG Christians when they apply for asylum.

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On May 10, 2018, FAITHS IN TUNE Interfaith Music Festival got off to a great start at the Royal Club in Turin, Italy. The music festival lasted for five days and was co-sponsored by the German founding organization of FAITHS IN TUNE, COEXIST Music & Events e.Kfr, along with the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), the Osservatorio sul Pluralismo Religioso of Turin, the International Observatory of Religious Liberty of Refugees (ORLIR) and the Turin International Book Fair. FAITHS IN TUNE aims to provide a platform for people of different cultural and faith backgrounds to share their own music and to engage in mutual exchange.

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On July 23-27 of 2018, the first-ever ministerial focusing on religious freedom was held by the U.S. State Department in Washington D.C. Ministries from over 40 countries and representatives with various religious groups and NGOs from over 80 countries were participating. In addition to the formal meetings, several side events were also listed on the agenda. On July 23, at the Russell Senate Office Building, the opening event was co-organized by Mr. Greg Mitchell, the Co-Chair of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable (IRF) in Washington D.C. and Bitter Winter, an online daily magazine. Discussions in this side event focused on the religious persecution in China. The persecution of The Church of Almighty God held attention of the participants in particular. Some experts and scholars made appeals to the democracies for granting fundamental asylum to the diaspora of Christians. They also urged that the international community unite together to advance the religious  freedom in China.

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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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Human Rights Day: Chinese Christians Abroad Express Support for Persecuted Mainland Groups

Seventy years ago as the gunpowder smoke from the Second World War was just dissipating, from the tragic cost exacted by the war people began to reflect and realize the importance of upholding basic rights for humanity. On December 10, 1948, the United Nations passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, establishing that everyone is equal in dignity and human rights. In spite of the fact that China signed this U.N. declaration, in practice, the Chinese Communist Party has never implemented a single article, all the while proclaiming China’s human rights and freedom of religion as well as doing its utmost to cover up the truth of its persecution of religious beliefs and violations of human rights in order to deceive the people of the world. On December 10, 2018 at the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights across Italy, Christians from The Church of Almighty God, which has been most seriously persecuted by the CCP, expressed their support for all persecuted groups in mainland China.

Some of the material is from:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (https://flic.kr/p/Psf1mG) by UN PhotoCC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/)

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Paris Symposium on Denial of Asylum Requests From The Church of Almighty God Christians

On March 9 of 2018, the Coordination of Associations and Individuals for Freedom of Conscience (CAP LC) organized a special event in Hôtel Château Frontenac in Paris, France. In the event, the denied asylum requests of the members of The Church of Almighty God were discussed as well as the risk of deportation at any time that some Church members are facing after receiving the removal orders. An appeal was also made to the French government for the protection of the human rights of The Church of Almighty God Christians. Professor Massimo Introvigne, a well-known Italian Scholar of new religious movements and Managing Director of CESNUR (Center for Studies on New Religions); Mr. Willy Fautré, Executive Director of HRWF (Human Rights Without Frontiers); Ms. Marie Holzman, French Sinologist and President of the Association Solidarité Chine (Solidarity with China); and Mr. Eric Roux, the President of EIFRF (European Interreligious Forum for Religion Freedom) were all in attendance and delivered speeches. During the event, the organizer played a video of the testimonies of two Church members who suffered persecution at the hands of the authorities of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Those in attendance were moved to tears.

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Human Rights Day: Chinese Christians Abroad Express Support for Persecuted Mainland Groups

Human Rights Day: Chinese Christians Abroad Express Support for Persecuted Mainland Groups

Seventy years ago as the gunpowder smoke from the Second World War was just dissipating, from the tragic cost exacted by the war people began to reflect and realize the importance of upholding basic rights for humanity. On December 10, 1948, the United Nations passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, establishing that everyone is equal in dignity and human rights. In spite of the fact that China signed this U.N. declaration, in practice, the Chinese Communist Party has never implemented a single article, all the while proclaiming China’s human rights and freedom of religion as well as doing its utmost to cover up the truth of its persecution of religious beliefs and violations of human rights in order to deceive the people of the world. On December 10, 2018 at the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights across Italy, Christians from The Church of Almighty God, which has been most seriously persecuted by the CCP, expressed their support for all persecuted groups in mainland China.

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Some of the material is from:

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (https://flic.kr/p/Psf1mG) by UN PhotoCC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/)

Read More