2. What it truly is to be caught up, and how one can be raised before God’s throne

Relevant Words of God:

The church of Philadelphia has taken shape, which is entirely due to the grace and mercy of God. Love for God arises in the hearts of the myriad saints, who do not waver on their spiritual journey. They hold fast to their belief that the one true God has become flesh, that He is the Head of the universe, who commands all things: This is confirmed by the Holy Spirit, it is as immovable as the mountains! And it shall never change!

Oh, Almighty God! Today it is You who have opened our spiritual eyes, allowing the blind to see, the lame to walk, and lepers to be healed. It is You who have opened the window to heaven, allowing us to perceive the mysteries of the spiritual realm. Being permeated by Your holy words and saved from our humanity, which was corrupted by Satan—such is Your inestimably great work and Your inestimably great mercy. We are Your witnesses!

Long have You remained hidden, humbly and silently. You have undergone resurrection from death, the suffering of crucifixion, the joys and sorrows of human life, and persecution and adversity; You have experienced and tasted the pain of the human world, and You have been forsaken by the age. God incarnate is God Himself. For the sake of God’s will, You have saved us from the dunghill, holding us up with Your right hand, and freely giving us Your grace. Sparing no pains, You have wrought Your life into us; the price You have paid with Your blood, sweat, and tears is crystallized upon the saints. We are the product of[a] Your painstaking efforts; we are the price You have paid.

Oh, Almighty God! It is because of Your lovingkindness and mercy, Your righteousness and majesty, Your holiness and humility that all peoples shall bow down before You and worship You for all eternity.

Today You have made complete all churches—the church of Philadelphia—and thus fulfilled Your 6,000-year management plan. The saints can humbly submit themselves before You, connected in spirit and following along in love, joined to the source of the fountain. The living water of life runs without cease, washing away and purging all the mud and filthy water in the church, once again purifying Your temple. We have come to know the practical true God, walked within His words, recognized our own functions and duties, and done everything that we can to expend ourselves for the sake of the church. Ever quiet before You, we must heed the work of the Holy Spirit, lest Your will be obstructed in us. Among the saints there is mutual love, and the strengths of some will compensate for the failings of others. They are able to walk in the spirit at all times, enlightened and illuminated by the Holy Spirit. They put the truth into practice immediately upon understanding it. They keep pace with the new light, and follow God’s footsteps.

Actively cooperate with God; letting Him take control is to walk with Him. All of our own ideas, notions, opinions, and secular entanglements vanish into thin air like smoke. We let God reign supreme in our spirits, walk with Him and so gain transcendence, overcoming the world, and our spirits fly free and attain release: This is the outcome when Almighty God becomes King. How can we not dance and sing in praise, offering up our praises, offering up new hymns?

There truly are many ways to praise God: calling out His name, drawing near to Him, thinking of Him, pray-reading, engaging in fellowship, contemplating and pondering, prayer, and songs of praise. In these kinds of praise there is enjoyment, and there is anointment; there is power in praise, and there is also a burden. There is faith in praise, and there is new insight.

Actively cooperate with God, coordinate in service and become one, fulfill Almighty God’s intentions, hasten to become a holy spiritual body, trample over Satan, and put an end to Satan’s fate. The church of Philadelphia has been raptured into God’s presence and is made manifest in His glory.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Utterances of Christ in the Beginning, Chapter 2

God’s appearance has already arisen in all churches. It is the Spirit that speaks; He is a raging fire, bears majesty, and is judging. He is the Son of man, clothed with a garment that hangs down to His feet, and a golden belt is tied around His chest. His head and hair are white like wool, and His eyes are like flames; His feet are akin to fine brass, as if they had been wrought in a furnace, and His voice is like the sound of many waters. He holds in His right hand seven stars and in His mouth, a sharp double-edged sword, and His countenance shines fiercely like the burning sun!

The Son of man has been witnessed, and God Himself has been openly revealed. God’s glory has issued forth, shining fiercely like the burning sun! His glorious countenance blazes with dazzling light; whose eyes dare treat Him with resistance? Resistance leads to death! Not the slightest bit of mercy is shown for anything you think in your heart, any word you utter, or anything you do. You will all come to understand and come to see what it is you have obtained—nothing but My judgment! Can I abide it when you do not put your effort into eating and drinking of My words, and instead interrupt arbitrarily and destroy My construction? I will not treat this kind of person gently! If your behavior degenerates more seriously, you will be consumed in flames! The almighty God manifests in a spiritual body, without the slightest bit of flesh or blood connecting head to toe. He transcends the universe world, seated on the glorious throne in the third heaven, administering all things! The universe and all things are within My hands. If I speak it, it will be so. If I ordain it, thus it shall be. Satan is beneath My feet; it is in the bottomless pit! When My voice issues forth, heaven and earth will pass away and come to nothing! All things will be renewed; this is an unalterable truth that is absolutely right. I have overcome the world, as well as all evil ones. I sit here talking to you, and all who have ears should listen and all who are living should accept.

The days will come to an end; all things in this world will come to nothing, and all things will be born anew. Remember this! Do not forget! There can be no ambiguity! Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall remain! Let Me exhort you once again: Do not run in vain! Wake up! Repent, and salvation is at hand! I have already appeared amongst you, and My voice has arisen. My voice has arisen before you; every day it confronts you, face-to-face, and each day it is fresh and new. You see Me and I see you; I speak to you constantly, and am face-to-face with you. Nevertheless, you reject Me and do not know Me. My sheep can hear My voice, yet still you hesitate! You hesitate! Your heart is waxed gross, your eyes have been blinded by Satan, and you cannot see My glorious countenance—how pitiful you are! How pitiful!

The seven Spirits before My throne have been sent to all corners of the earth and I will send My Messenger to speak to the churches. I am righteous and faithful; I am the God that examines the deepest parts of man’s heart. The Holy Spirit speaks to the churches, and it is My words that issue forth from inside My Son; all those who have ears should listen! All those who are living should accept! Simply eat and drink of them, and do not doubt. All those who submit and heed My words will receive great blessings! All those who seek My countenance in earnest will surely have new light, new enlightenment, and new insights; all will be fresh and new. My words will appear to you at any time, and they will open the eyes of your spirit so that you can see all the mysteries of the spiritual realm and see that the kingdom is among man. Enter the refuge, and all grace and blessings will be upon you; famine and plague will not be able to touch you, and wolves, serpents, tigers, and leopards will be unable to harm you. You will go with Me, walk with Me, and enter glory with Me!

Almighty God! His glorious body appears in the open, the holy spiritual body arises, and He is the complete God Himself! The world and the flesh are both changed, and His transfiguration on the mount is the person of God. He wears the golden crown atop His head, His clothing is pure white, across the chest is a golden belt, and the world and all things are His footstool. His eyes are like flames, He holds a sharp double-edged sword in His mouth, and He has the seven stars in His right hand. The way to the kingdom is boundlessly bright, and His glory arises and shines; the mountains are joyful and the waters laugh, and the sun, moon, and stars all revolve in their orderly arrangement, welcoming the unique, true God whose triumphant return heralds the completion of His six-thousand-year management plan. All leap and dance with joy! Cheer! The almighty God sits upon His glorious throne! Sing! The victorious banner of the Almighty is raised high upon the majestic, magnificent Mount Zion! All nations are cheering, all peoples are singing, Mount Zion is laughing joyfully, and the glory of God has arisen! I never even dreamed that I would see God’s countenance, yet today I have seen it. Face-to-face with Him every day, I lay bare my heart to Him. He bountifully provides food and drink. Life, words, actions, thoughts, ideas—His glorious light illuminates them all. He leads every step of the way, and His judgment immediately befalls any rebellious heart.

Eating, residing together, and living together with God, being together with Him, walking together, enjoying together, gaining glory and blessings together, sharing the kingship with Him, and existing together in the kingdom—oh, what a pleasure it is! Oh, how sweet it is! We are face-to-face with Him every day, speaking with Him every day and talking constantly, and being granted new enlightenment and new insights every day. Our spiritual eyes are opened, and we see everything; all the mysteries of the spirit are revealed to us. The holy life really is carefree; run fast and do not stop, and forge onward continuously—there is a more wondrous life ahead. Do not be satisfied with mere sweet taste; seek continuously to enter into God. He is all-encompassing and bountiful, and has all kinds of things that we lack. Cooperate proactively and enter into Him, and nothing will ever be the same again. Our lives will be transcendent, and no person, matter, or thing will be able to disturb us.

Transcendence! Transcendence! True transcendence! God’s transcendent life is within, and all things have become truly relaxed! We transcend the world and worldly things, feeling no attachment to husbands or children. We transcend the control of sickness and environments. Satan dare not disturb us. We completely transcend all disasters. This is allowing God to take the kingship! We trample Satan underfoot, stand witness for the church, and thoroughly expose the ugly face of Satan. The construction of the church is in Christ, and the glorious body has arisen—this is living in rapture!

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Utterances of Christ in the Beginning, Chapter 15

Mountains and rivers change, waters flow along their course, and man’s life does not endure as do the earth and the sky. Only Almighty God is life eternal and resurrected, which continues, generation after generation, forever! All things and all events are in His hands, and Satan is under His foot.

Today, it is by God’s predetermined selection that He delivers us from Satan’s grip. He is truly our Redeemer. The eternal, resurrected life of Christ has indeed been wrought inside us, destining us to connect with God’s life, that we may indeed be able to come face to face with Him, eat Him, drink Him, and enjoy Him. This is the selfless offering that God has made at the price of His heart’s blood.

The seasons come and go, passing through wind and frost, meeting with so many of life’s sufferings, persecutions, and tribulations, so many of the world’s repudiations and calumnies, so many of the government’s false accusations, yet neither God’s faith nor His resolve is diminished in the least. Wholeheartedly dedicated to God’s will, and to God’s management and plan, that they may be accomplished, He sets His own life aside. For all the multitudes of His people, He spares no pains, carefully feeding and watering them. No matter how benighted we are, or how difficult we are, we must only submit before Him, and the resurrected life of Christ will change our old nature…. For all these firstborn sons, He labors tirelessly, forgoing food and rest. How many days and nights, through how much scorching heat and freezing cold, He watches wholeheartedly in Zion.

The world, home, work and all, totally forgone, gladly, willingly, and worldly enjoyments have nothing to do with Him…. The words from His mouth strike into us, exposing things hidden deep in our hearts. How can we not be convinced? Every sentence that comes from His mouth may come true in us at any time. Whatever we do, in His presence or hidden away from Him, there is nothing He does not know, nothing He does not understand. All will indeed be revealed before Him, despite our own plans and arrangements.

Sitting before Him, feeling joy within our spirit, at ease and calm, yet feeling always empty and truly indebted to God: This is a wonder unimaginable and impossible to achieve. The Holy Spirit is sufficient to prove that Almighty God is the one true God! It is proof incontrovertible! We of this group are indescribably blessed! If not for God’s grace and mercy, we could only go to perdition and follow Satan. Only Almighty God can save us!

Ah! Almighty God, the practical God! It is You who have opened our spiritual eyes, allowing us to behold the mysteries of the spiritual world. The prospects of the kingdom are boundless. Let us be watchful as we wait. The day cannot be too far off.

The flames of war swirl, cannon smoke fills the air, the weather turns warm, the climate shifts, a plague will spread, and people can only die, with no hope of survival.

Ah! Almighty God, the practical God! You are our impregnable fortress. You are our refuge. We huddle under Your wings, and calamity cannot reach us. Such is Your divine protection and care.

We all raise our voices in song; we sing in praise, and the sound of our praise rings throughout Zion! Almighty God, the practical God, has prepared for us that glorious destination. Be watchful—oh, be on the watch! As yet, the hour is not too late.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Utterances of Christ in the Beginning, Chapter 5

Almighty true God, the King enthroned, rules the entire universe, facing all nations and all peoples, and everything under heaven shines with God’s glory. All living things in the universe and unto the ends of the earth shall see. The mountains, the rivers, the lakes, the lands, the oceans, and all living beings have drawn open their curtains in the light of the true God’s countenance, and they are revived, as if waking from a dream, as if they were sprouts breaking through the soil!

Ah! The one true God appears before the world. Who dares approach Him with resistance? All tremble with fear. All are utterly convinced, and all beg forgiveness repeatedly. All people fall to their knees before Him, and all mouths worship Him! The continents and oceans, the mountains, the rivers—all things praise Him endlessly! Springtime comes with its warm breezes, bringing fine spring rain. Like all people, the streams’ currents flow with grief and joy, shedding tears of indebtedness and self-reproach. The rivers, the lakes, the surf and the swells all are singing, lauding the true God’s holy name! The sound of praise rings out with such clarity! Old things that were once corrupted by Satan—each and every one of them will be renewed and changed and will enter into an entirely new realm …

This is the holy trumpet, and it has begun to sound! Hearken to it. That sound, so sweet, is the utterance of the throne, announcing to every nation and people that the time has come, that the final end has come. My management plan is finished. My kingdom has appeared openly on earth. The kingdoms of the world have become the kingdom of Mine, who am God. My seven trumpets sound from the throne, and such wondrous things will occur! People at the ends of the earth will rush together from every direction with the force of an avalanche and the power of thunderbolts, some sailing the seas, some flying in planes, some riding in vehicles of every shape and size, some riding on horseback. Look closely. Listen carefully. These riders of horses of every color, spirits roused, mighty and magnificent, as if taking the field of battle, are indifferent to death. Amid the neighing of horses and the clamor of people shouting for the true God, so many men, women, and children will be trampled by their hooves in an instant. Some will be dead, some will be breathing their last, some will be mangled, with no one to tend them, shouting hysterically, howling in pain. Sons of rebellion! Is this not your final outcome?

I look with joy upon My people, who hear My voice and gather from every nation and land. All people, keeping the true God ever in their mouths, praise and jump endlessly for joy! They bear witness to the world, and the sound of their witness to the true God is like the thundering sound of many waters. All people will crowd into My kingdom.

My seven trumpets sound, rousing those who slumber! Get up quickly, it is not too late. Look to your life! Open your eyes and see what time it is now. What is there to seek? What is there to think about? And what is there to cling to? Have you never considered the difference in value between gaining My life and gaining all that you love and cling to? Be no longer willful nor gambol. Do not miss this opportunity. This time will not come again! Stand up right away, practice exercising your spirit, use various tools to see through and thwart Satan’s every plot and trick, and triumph over Satan, so that your life experience may be deepened and you may live out My disposition, so that your life may become mature and seasoned and you may always follow My footsteps. Undaunted, not weak, moving always ahead, step by step, straight until the end of the road!

When the seven trumpets sound again, it will be the call to judgment, judgment of the sons of rebellion, judgment of all nations and all peoples, and each nation will surrender before God. God’s glorious countenance will surely appear before all nations and all peoples. Everyone will be convinced utterly, and shout endlessly to the true God. The almighty God will be more glorious, and My sons and I will share in the glory and share in the kingship, judging all nations and all peoples, punishing the evil, saving and having mercy on those who belong to Me, and making the kingdom strong and stable. Through the sound of the seven trumpets, a great many people will be saved, returning before Me to kneel and worship with constant praise!

When the seven trumpets sound once again, it will be the coda of the age, the trumpet blast of victory over the devil Satan, the salute that heralds the beginning of living openly in the kingdom on earth! How lofty a sound, this sound reverberating around the throne, this trumpet blast shaking heaven and earth, which is the sign of My management plan’s victory, which is Satan’s judgment; it sentences this old world entirely to death, to return to the bottomless pit! This trumpet blast signifies that the gate of grace is about to close, that the kingdom’s life will begin on earth, which is right and proper. God saves those who love Him. Once they return to His kingdom, the people on earth will face famine and pestilence, and God’s seven bowls and seven plagues will take effect in succession. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My word shall not!

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Utterances of Christ in the Beginning, Chapter 36

Since man believes in God, he must closely follow the footsteps of God, step-by-step; he should “follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” Only these are the people who seek the true way, only they are the ones who know the work of the Holy Spirit. People who slavishly follow letters and doctrines are those who have been eliminated by the work of the Holy Spirit. In each period of time, God will begin new work, and in each period, there will be a new beginning among man. If man only abides by the truths that “Jehovah is God” and “Jesus is Christ,” which are truths that only apply to their respective ages, then man will never keep up with the work of the Holy Spirit, and will forever be incapable of gaining the work of the Holy Spirit. Regardless of how God works, man follows without the slightest doubt, and he follows closely. In this way, how could man be eliminated by the Holy Spirit? Regardless of what God does, as long as man is certain that it is the work of the Holy Spirit, and cooperates in the work of the Holy Spirit without any misgivings, and tries to meet the requirements of God, then how could he be punished? The work of God has never ceased, His footsteps have never halted, and prior to the completion of His management work, He has always been busy, and never stops.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God’s Work and Man’s Practice

Since we are searching for the footprints of God, it behooves us to search for God’s will, for the words of God, for His utterances—because wherever there are new words spoken by God, the voice of God is there, and wherever there are the footsteps of God, God’s deeds are there. Wherever there is the expression of God, there God appears, and wherever God appears, there the truth, the way, and the life exist. In seeking God’s footprints, you have ignored the words “God is the truth, the way, and the life.” And so, many people, even when they receive the truth, do not believe that they have found God’s footprints, and still less do they acknowledge the appearance of God. What a grave mistake! The appearance of God cannot be reconciled with man’s notions, still less can God appear at the behest of man. God makes His own choices and His own plans when He does His work; moreover, He has His own objectives and His own methods. Whatever work He does, He has no need to discuss it with man or seek his advice, much less to notify each and every person of His work. This is the disposition of God, which should, moreover, be recognized by everyone. If you desire to witness the appearance of God, to follow God’s footsteps, then you must first walk away from your own notions. You must not demand that God do this or that, much less should you place Him within your own confines and limit Him to your own notions. Instead, you should demand of yourselves how you ought to seek God’s footprints, how you ought to accept God’s appearance, and how you ought to submit to the new work of God: This is what man should do. Since man is not the truth, and is not possessed of the truth, he should seek, accept, and obey.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Appearance of God Has Ushered in a New Age

The aim of God’s appearance, which is not limited to any form or nation, is to enable Him to complete His work as He has planned it. This is just as when God became flesh in Judea: His aim was to complete the work of the crucifixion in redeeming the entire human race. Yet the Jews believed that it was impossible for God to do this, and they thought it impossible that God could become flesh and assume the form of the Lord Jesus. Their “impossible” became the basis on which they condemned and opposed God, and ultimately led to the destruction of Israel. Today, many people have committed a similar error. They proclaim with all their might the imminent appearance of God, yet at the same time condemn His appearance; their “impossible” once more confines the appearance of God within the limits of their imagination. And so I have seen many people break into wild and raucous laughter after coming upon the words of God. But is this laughter any different from the condemnation and blasphemy of the Jews? You are not reverent in the presence of the truth, still less do you possess an attitude of yearning. All you do is study indiscriminately and wait with blithe unconcern. What can you gain from studying and waiting like this? Do you think you will receive personal guidance from God? If you cannot discern God’s utterances, in what way are you qualified to witness the appearance of God? Wherever God appears, there the truth is expressed, and there the voice of God will be. Only those who can accept the truth will be able to hear the voice of God, and only such people are qualified to witness the appearance of God. Let go of your notions! Quiet yourself and give these words a careful reading. If you yearn for the truth, God will enlighten you and you will understand His will and His words. Let go of your opinions about the “impossible”! The more that people believe something is impossible, the more likely it is to occur, because the wisdom of God soars higher than the heavens, God’s thoughts are higher than man’s thoughts, and the work of God transcends the limits of man’s thinking and notions. The more that something is impossible, the more it has truth that can be sought; the more something lies beyond man’s notions and imagination, the more it contains the will of God. This is because, no matter where He reveals Himself, God is still God, and His essence will never change on account of the location or manner of His appearance. The disposition of God remains the same regardless of where His footprints are, and no matter where the footprints of God are, He is the God of all mankind, just as the Lord Jesus is not only the God of the Israelites, but is also the God of all the people of Asia, Europe, and America, and even more than that, He is the one and only God in the entire universe. So let us seek God’s will and discover His appearance in His utterances, and keep pace with His footsteps! God is the truth, the way, and the life. His words and His appearance exist concurrently, and His disposition and footprints are open to mankind at all times.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Appearance of God Has Ushered in a New Age

Footnotes:

a. The original text does not contain the phrase “the product of.”

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