By Richard, USA

I was born into a Catholic family and at 13 I began to study the catechism and was baptized, officially joining Catholicism. After that, I resolved to become a priest to serve God. I went to a monastery when I was 22 where I studied theology and the Scriptures and took some other courses. But some time passed and I still didn’t feel any closer to God, and my desire to get married and have a family kept cropping up. I prayed and prayed, but I still couldn’t keep it at bay. I’d sworn myself to chastity before God so that I could enter the kingdom of heaven but I wanted to forsake that commitment. Wasn’t I sinning and lying to God? How could I get into God’s kingdom? I was at the monastery for 10 years. After I graduated, I went to a monastery in Indonesia for another year but I kept having impure thoughts from time to time. I was really discouraged. After finishing my studies, I decided to become a regular parishioner. I went home and got married. But in day-to-day life, I’d often argue with my wife over petty household things and I wasn’t very patient. Sometimes I’d lie to protect my own interests. I frequently came before God to confess and repent for these things but then I’d just keep doing them. I wanted to repair my relationship with God by going to Mass and saying prayers more, but that didn’t fix my problems.

Then I came to the US in 2014. I met Li and Liu, a couple other parishioners at Mass. Whenever I had the chance I’d discuss matters of faith with them. I remember once when we were sharing Scripture, Liu said that he knew a devout deacon who was well-versed in the Bible who believed in Eastern Lightning. He said a couple of other fervent church members joined it, too. He wondered what kind of church Eastern Lightning was and why so many avid believers had joined it. I was confused by this, too, because I’d also known a devout deacon who had joined Eastern Lightning. I didn’t know what Eastern Lightning preached or why it drew in so many pious believers. Could it be inspired by the Holy Spirit? I figured I should check it out and see what was so special about what that church preached. I wondered if it could help me with my devotionals and with knowing God. At this thought, I told Li and Liu that I wanted to go check out The Church of Almighty God. They agreed to go with me.

When we went, a sister played a video for us, The Origin and Development of The Church of Almighty God. From this, I learned that the Lord Jesus had returned, just as I’d long hoped for. He is Almighty God in the flesh who is expressing truths to do the work of judgment in the last days. That’s why people from all denominations who love the truth and long for God’s appearance read Almighty God’s words, see that they’re the truth and God’s voice, and accept Almighty God. Also, Almighty God’s gospel has spread from China in the East to many western countries, fulfilling the Lord Jesus’ prophecy: “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). I was really surprised that that is how this prophecy is fulfilled. I’d read it all those years without understanding it. Then a brother played a gospel movie called The Bible and God. This one moved me even more deeply and I saw there are a great deal of mysteries in the Bible. I’d read so many spiritual books but never found any theologian or Bible expositor who had ever so clearly explained the truth behind the Bible, how it came to be, and its relationship to God. I gained so much from that movie. I could see why so many enthusiastic believers accepted Almighty God after hearing His words. I decided to look into Almighty God’s work of the last days.

In our discussions, brothers and sisters from The Church of Almighty God said that in the last days, Almighty God expresses truths to do the work of judgment beginning with God’s house to cleanse and save mankind once and for all. I was confused to hear this, because the Lord Jesus said “It is consummated” on the cross. That should mean that God’s work to save mankind was finished, so why would God need to judge mankind to purify and save us? I wanted to find out but it was getting late, so I arranged to come back the next day. I felt excited on the way home. I’d learned quite a bit from that day’s fellowship and felt like I’d become closer to the Lord. It seemed likely that Almighty God’s work was indeed the Lord’s work in the last days. It would be incredible if the Lord really had returned and I could live alongside Him just like Peter did. This thought was really exciting and made me look forward to the next day’s gathering even more.

As soon as I got off work the next day, I rushed to our gathering place and lost no time asking the sister, “You say that the Lord Jesus has returned and expresses truths to do the work of judgment of the last days. How can that be? On the cross, He said ‘It is consummated.’ That means God’s work to save mankind was completed. Our sins are forgiven through our faith—we’re justified and saved by faith, and when the Lord comes in the last days He can take us straight up into His kingdom. Why would He do more salvation work?”

The sister said, “The Lord Jesus said ‘It is consummated’ because His redemption work was complete. It didn’t mean that all of God’s work to save mankind had been finished. If we determine that God’s work to save mankind is done because the Lord Jesus said ‘It is consummated’ and that He won’t do new work when He returns, why would the Lord Jesus speak these prophecies? The Lord 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 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). There’s also 1 Peter 4:17: ‘For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.’ These prophecies show that in the last days, when the Lord returns, He will express more truths and do the work of judgment, in order to fully cleanse and save mankind. If we go by human notions and say that God’s salvation work is completely finished, then how would these prophecies be fulfilled? The Bible also prophesies that in the last days, the Lord will return to separate the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the tares, the wise virgins from the foolish, and the good servants from the evil, sorting each according to their kind. It’s just as the Lord Jesus said: ‘He that sows the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who has ears to hear, let him hear’ (Matthew 13:37–43). Revelation also prophesies that God will make a group of overcomers in the last days and that His kingdom will come to earth. This is all work the Lord does in the last days. If we follow the human understanding that the Lord Jesus saying ‘It is consummated’ means that God’s work to save mankind is totally finished, then how would those prophecies be fulfilled? So this understanding of the Lord’s words is clearly incorrect, and totally out of line with the Lord’s meaning and the reality of God’s work.”

I was completely convinced by this sister’s fellowship, and I nodded my head as I listened. Why hadn’t I ever seen something so obvious? She went on to read several passages of Almighty God’s words: “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 mankind sin in the day only to confess in the evening. This way, even though 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, for man still has a corrupt disposition” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)). “Though Jesus did much work among man, He only completed the redemption of all mankind and became man’s sin offering; He did not rid man of all his corrupt disposition. Fully saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to become the sin offering and bear the sins of man, but it also required God to do even greater work to rid man completely of his satanically corrupted disposition. And so, now that man has been forgiven of his sins, God has returned to the flesh to lead man into the new age, and begun the work of chastisement and judgment. 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 they shall gain the truth, the way, and the life” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Preface). “The purpose of God’s work of chastisement and judgment is in essence meant to purify humanity, for the sake of the ultimate rest; without such cleansing, none of humanity could be classified into different categories according to kind, or enter into rest. This work is humanity’s only path to enter into rest. Only God’s work of purification will cleanse humans of their unrighteousness, and only His work of chastisement and judgment will bring to light those disobedient elements of humanity, thereby separating those who can be saved from those who cannot, and those who will remain from those who will not. When this work ends, those people who are allowed to remain will all be cleansed and enter a higher state of humanity in which they will enjoy a more wonderful second human life upon the earth; in other words, they will commence their human day of rest, and coexist with God. After those who are not allowed to remain have been chastised and judged, their true colors will be entirely exposed, after which they will all be destroyed and, like Satan, will no longer be permitted to survive upon the earth. The humanity of the future will no longer include any of this type of people; such people are not fit to enter the land of the ultimate rest, nor are they fit to join in the day of rest that God and humanity will share, for they are the targets of punishment and are wicked, unrighteous people. … The entire purpose behind God’s ultimate work of punishing evil and rewarding good is to thoroughly purify all humans so that He may bring a purely holy humanity into eternal rest. This stage of His work is the most crucial; it is the final stage of the whole of His work of management” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God and Man Will Enter Into Rest Together).

After reading these words of Almighty God, the sister shared this fellowship: “The Lord Jesus did the work of redemption in the Age of Grace, redeeming mankind of their sins. As long as we believe in Him, pray, confess, and repent, our sins are forgiven. We can enjoy the Lord’s grace, and won’t be condemned and punished under the law for our sins. This is the real meaning of ‘saved by faith’ and it’s what the Lord Jesus’ work of redemption achieved. Our sins are forgiven by the Lord Jesus and we don’t commit obvious sins anymore; sometimes we do good things. But we’re still not free from sin. We still lie and deceive for our own interests, we’re greedy, jealous, hateful, and harbor evil thoughts. We can’t resist the temptation of worldly trends, we long for money and love vanity. We condescendingly reproach people who do things we don’t like. We’re full of satanic dispositions like arrogance, deceitfulness, being sick of the truth, and more. These satanic dispositions are deeper and more entrenched than outward sins. They’re instilled in us by Satan and are the root of sinning and resisting God. Until these things are resolved, we still can’t help but sin and we can’t be free of sin’s bonds. The Bible says: ‘Be you holy; for I am holy’ (1 Peter 1:16). God is holy and so is His kingdom. He can’t allow filthy human beings in. Those of us who sin every day are servants of sin, so how could we be fit to enter God’s kingdom? The Lord Jesus’ work of redemption was just one part of God’s work to save mankind, not all of it. Our sins have just been forgiven but we haven’t been freed from sin or cast off Satan’s influence. God has yet to completely gain mankind. Almighty God has come in the last days. He expresses truths and does the work of judgment to cleanse our corrupt dispositions and resolve our sinful satanic nature in opposition to God, so we can totally cast off the shackles of sin, be fully saved, and enter God’s kingdom. Almighty God’s appearance and work also reveals good and evil servants, sheep and goats, wheat and tares, wise and foolish virgins. Those who refuse to hear God’s voice, who deny and condemn Almighty God’s work of the last days are the foolish virgins, the tares, the evil servants who’ll ultimately fall into disaster, weeping and gnashing their teeth. Those who recognize God’s voice in Almighty God’s words and accept His work of the last days are the wise virgins, the wheat, and the sheep. They undergo God’s judgment of the last days, are purified, and ultimately brought into God’s kingdom. This completely fulfills the prophecies in Revelation. So when God’s work of judgment in the last days comes to a close, God’s management work to save mankind will be fully completed.”

Her fellowship was eye-opening for me. I realized that the Lord Jesus only did the work of redemption and only Almighty God’s judgment work in the last days can fully cleanse and save mankind. We’re redeemed of our sins because of our faith, but our sinful nature is still deeply entrenched, which is why we live in a state of constantly sinning and confessing. All I could do before was force myself not to sin, read the Scriptures, and follow the monastery’s rules, but this couldn’t stop me from sinning. Then I understood that the only way to resolve the problem of sinfulness is to be judged and cleansed by God in the last days. I eagerly asked this sister how Almighty God performs the work of judgment to cleanse people. She played a video of a reading of God’s words. Almighty God says: “Christ of the last days uses a variety of truths to teach man, to expose the substance of man, and to dissect the words and deeds of man. These words comprise various truths, such as man’s duty, how man should obey God, how man should be loyal to God, how man ought to live out normal humanity, as well as the wisdom and the disposition of God, and so on. These words are all directed at the substance of man and his corrupt disposition. In particular, the words that expose how man spurns God are spoken in regard to how man is an embodiment of Satan, and an enemy force against God. In undertaking His work of judgment, God does not simply make clear the nature of man with a few words; He exposes, deals with, and prunes over the long term. All these different methods of exposure, dealing, and pruning cannot be substituted with ordinary words, but with the truth of which man is utterly bereft. Only methods such as these can be called judgment; only through judgment of this kind can man be subdued and thoroughly convinced about God, and moreover gain true knowledge of God. What the work of judgment brings about is man’s understanding of the true face of God and the truth about his own rebelliousness. The work of judgment allows man to gain much understanding of the will of God, of the purpose of God’s work, and of the mysteries that are incomprehensible to him. It also allows man to recognize and know his corrupt essence and the roots of his corruption, as well as to discover the ugliness of man. These effects are all brought about by the work of judgment, for the essence of this work is actually the work of opening up the truth, the way, and the life of God to all those who have faith in Him. This work is the work of judgment done by God” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Christ Does the Work of Judgment With the Truth). She continued her fellowship after we watched the video. “Almighty God expresses truths in the last days to judge and cleanse people. He expresses all the truths corrupt mankind needs to understand and enter into to be cleansed and fully saved. He has revealed the mysteries of His 6,000-year management plan, and unveiled the mysteries of God’s work in the flesh, the mysteries of His judgment work in the last days and of His names. He also exposes the root of why mankind sins and opposes God and the truth of our corruption by Satan and all sorts of corrupt states. On top of that, He reveals God’s holy, righteous, unoffendable disposition and tells us who pleases Him, who disgusts Him, who can enter God’s kingdom and who will be punished, and the destination and outcome for each type of person. He also gives us the path to transform our life dispositions. God’s chosen people are now undergoing the judgment and chastisement of God’s words, and are finally seeing how deeply Satan has corrupted us, that we’re full of satanic dispositions, like arrogance and deceitfulness. We don’t remotely live out a human likeness. We also see God’s righteous disposition that tolerates no offense and have a God-fearing heart, start to truly repent and hate ourselves, and become willing to forsake the flesh and practice the truth. Then our corrupt dispositions are gradually changed and we’re no longer so rebellious and defiant toward God, but we gain some submission for Him.” After her fellowship she played a testimonial video for me called The True Light Appears. The main character has some small talent that he lords over others, and he looks down on everyone. He’s haughty and condescending and wants everyone to listen to him. He’s a believer and he prays and confesses a lot, but he can’t help but lose his temper and reprimand others. All his colleagues keep their distance and his wife and daughter are afraid of him. He doesn’t have a single confidant. Living in sin, he suffers terribly. After he accepts Almighty God’s work of the last days, the judgment and revelation of God’s words shows him that always putting himself first, being self-aggrandizing, and demanding others’ obedience is because he’s arrogant and unreasonable, and that these are expressions of satanic dispositions. This is disgusting to God and alienating for others. Once he realizes this, he genuinely hates himself and is filled with regret. Then he takes a softer approach toward others and when faced with a problem, he forsakes the flesh, seeks the truth, and listens to others. He’s gradually become less arrogant than before.

Watching this video was exciting for me. I saw that Almighty God’s words are the truth, that they really can cleanse and transform people. I started reading Almighty God’s words every chance I got and watching gospel movies and hymn videos from The Church of Almighty God. The more I watched, the clearer I felt in my heart. I became certain that Almighty God’s words are the truth and the voice of the Holy Spirit, that Almighty God is the returned Lord. I accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days. Thank God.