Fellowship From the Brother Above – January 21, 2025 (Part Four)

Time waits for no one! Look at how God’s house arranges gospel work every day, and how it arranges church life for the churches around the world, preparing hymns, dances, and all kinds of books. How long can this go on for? Forever? (No.) There is not much time left, and even if you wanted it to last longer, it cannot. It is now 2025, and prophets in every country have prophesied that this is the year when the great catastrophes begin. The past few years have been a preparation. From the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, everyone in the world has entered into trials, and no one has had an easy time. Everyone in the world is being tried. But after 2025, these will no longer be ordinary trials, and the disasters will escalate. What is meant by “escalate” here? It means that many more people will die. It is said that a great pandemic may break out. Prophets say that this pandemic is spread through the air, that you will be infected even if you stay indoors, and that it will have a mortality rate of up to fifty percent. Once a person is infected, they will likely die. Is this not a great catastrophe? (Yes.) Great earthquakes will also come soon, followed by tsunamis, and at the same time, there will be more severe volcanic eruptions, and plagues of insects, droughts, waterlogging, floods, and extreme climatic events will also strike. From these things, many more people will die. So will those who have not accepted this stage of work still have a chance? It’s hard to say, right? (Yes.) If you accept the work of Almighty God and have the resolve to pursue the truth, and you say, “I want to pursue the truth, I must attain salvation,” then God will give you a chance and protect you so that you may live on. If you stubbornly refuse to accept it, and you do not accept it even after being given several chances, then there is no knowing when you will fall into disaster, and your outcome will be death. Therefore, when the great catastrophes arrive, those who have not accepted the work of Almighty God will be in great danger. Why is it said that they will be in great danger? There is a statement in God’s administrative decrees: “Of the human beings within the universe, all those who are of the devil will be annihilated. All who worship Satan will fall down amid My burning fire—that is, except for those now within the stream, all will be turned to ashes” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God’s Words to the Entire Universe, Chapter 26). How should this statement be explained? (Only those who accept this stage of work can be protected. Those who do not accept this stage of work will all suffer God’s punishment.) Indeed. There are still some matters of detail in this. Which people will die in which disaster, and which people will die in which year, which month, and at what time, are all matters ordained by God. As the saying goes, “When your time’s up, your time’s up.” In short, if you do not accept Almighty God, there’s no telling when you will die, and your life is not guaranteed. There is God’s will and God’s arrangement in the coming of every disaster. In fact, behind a disaster, there is a spirit that is sent to do this thing, and who is sovereign over this spirit that is sent to carry out this disaster? God is. Therefore, some nonbelievers say, “Disasters have eyes,” and they aren’t wrong in this. Disasters do not close their eyes and let everyone die together; they find those who are destined to die, and those who aren’t destined to die do not die. The statement “Disasters have eyes” is well said; there is some real insight in this statement. That is, the One who initiates this disaster is God, the God who is sovereign over all things. The spirit that is sent carries out this disaster, and with this disaster, it destroys people. It finds those who are to be destroyed by this disaster, and when it finds them, it wipes them out, avoiding those who are not meant to die. Behind all of this is God’s sovereignty. This is real. Tell me, when Job’s trials came upon him, who was it that was doing things? It was a kind of spirit. Satan received permission from God, and then arranged for its subordinates to do things. It arranged what things of Job were to be taken away the first time and what things were to be done to Job the second time. After these things were arranged, that spirit came and did them, and a gang of robbers and bandits came. Tell me, why did the robbers and bandits have to rob Job? Job had been a wealthy man in the east for many years, so why did they not rob him before, and only came to rob him at this point in time? Was this not with God’s permission? But Job had knowledge of God. Which statement of Job’s proves that he had knowledge of God? (“Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah” (Job 1:21).) These are the words recorded in the Bible. In fact, Job’s original words had this tone. He said to his wife and friends, “All the property I have is a gift from God, and what has happened today is God taking it away from me. I will still praise God!” This is what it means in terms of his everyday language. Is this not right? (It is.) Though it was refined when it was written in the Bible, the meaning did not change. You see, the way people express themselves in real life is with a tone, but sometimes when it is written in a book, it becomes rigid and formulaic. Job had knowledge of this matter. Some people said to him, “Let’s round up some people to go and find that gang of robbers and get revenge on them and take back your property.” But Job just waved his hand and said, “No need. This is permitted by God, and it is God who is taking from me. If you do this, you will not have submission to or fear of God. We will not do this.” You see, it wasn’t that Job could not find people to stand up for him. He had lived in that place for decades, so surely he must have had some connections, right? Could he not have rounded up dozens of people to take back his possessions from the robbers? He was more than capable of doing so, but he did not agree to do it. What does this prove? (That Job had a God-fearing heart.) Job feared God and shunned evil, and he was a perfect man. If we’d been in his place, we would not have been willing to accept this, we would not have been able to stomach such an insult, and we would have gone to find a few people to go and find those robbers and take back our possessions. Right? (Right.) Therefore, the statement that “Job feared God and shunned evil, and was a perfect man” is very appropriate, and very accurate. From the beginning to the end of this event, God was scrutinizing and watching Job. Satan, the angels, and even the nonbelievers were watching. Everyone was watching. What were they watching for? “Job, I will see what you do. Did you not fear God and shun evil before? Let’s see, will you do evil this time?” Satan also said, “Job, God says you fear God and shun evil, but I don’t think this is true. I’ll see what you do this time.” God was also watching. God had long seen that Job feared God and shunned evil and that he was a perfect man, but through this trial, God gave Job a chance to bear witness, and in the end, Job bore a resounding testimony that shamed Satan. Not long after, God’s blessings came upon Job again, and Job lived for another one hundred and forty years. He was seventy years old when he was tried; he lived to be two hundred and ten years old, and finally, he died after his days were full. You see, Job had knowledge of God. Can you come to fear God and shun evil as Job did? What truth must one possess to achieve this? In the Age of Law, God did not express many truths, yet Job was able to bear such testimony. He was indeed the best person in the Age of Law. Among the saints of all ages, Job bore such resounding testimony, and Abraham also bore resounding testimony. Their testimonies were the most resounding. It was useless for Satan to accuse them, and after accusing them, it was shamed. What did it say? It said, “I am convinced by Abraham, and I am also convinced by Job. Only these two have convinced me.” Look, Abraham and Job’s submission to God and fear of God and shunning of evil reached the utmost point. So how did they achieve this? This was undoubtedly achieved through the pursuit of the truth. To this, some people ask, “How did people in that age pursue the truth?” The Old Testament only had the Pentateuch and the books of the prophets. There were no other truths. Those truths were enough, and they were sufficient in making people fear God and shun evil. It just depended on whether people truly pursued the truth. If they truly pursued the truth, they too could receive God’s enlightenment from the Old Testament and fear God and shun evil. In the Age of Grace, God only approved of Peter. Though He did not approve of the other apostles, there were among them some whom God liked. It’s just that their testimonies were a level below Peter’s. In the Age of Grace, why did God entrust the great responsibility of preaching the gospel to the apostle Paul, but the heavy burden of shepherding the church to Peter? At that time, many of the apostles and disciples remained unconvinced, but God scrutinizes the human heart, and God knows who is able to fear and submit to Him. God knows people’s true stature, and God knows whether the path people walk in their belief in God is right or wrong. The Lord Jesus chose Peter to shepherd the church and let Paul be an apostle. Everyone saw the path that Paul ultimately walked, which was that of seeking rewards and a crown. From the beginning to the end, he did not love the Lord Jesus. This can be proven from a single matter. In the thirteen epistles written by Paul in the Bible, did he quote a single word spoken by the Lord Jesus? (No.) Did he propagate the words of the Lord Jesus? He did not propagate the words of the Lord Jesus when he preached the gospel. Did he talk about his experience of knowing the Lord Jesus? He did not. He did not propagate the words of the Lord Jesus, so who wrote these words of the Lord Jesus into the New Testament? The authors of the four Gospels, that is, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It is said that others also wrote gospels, such as Thomas, who also wrote a gospel, but at the apostolic council in the third century A.D., religious leaders debated, and some did not agree to include the gospel written by Thomas in the Bible, saying that Thomas had some problems, so his gospel was removed, and only the four Gospels came to be adopted into the Bible. You see, more than three hundred years after Christ, people knew about Thomas’s character, faith, and his attitude toward and knowledge of the Lord Jesus. Those things about him were widely known. The gospel written by Thomas was indeed not very good. I have read it. Though he wrote out the original words spoken by the Lord Jesus, he did not introduce the background of the words. He did not write out the background in which the Lord Jesus spoke such words. If the background is not introduced and the words spoken by God are given to people to read out of context, it is not easy for people to fully understand God’s intention. If words have no background, people cannot understand them, right? (Right.) Therefore, the gospel written by Thomas was not approved, and it was not included in the New Testament.

There are many absurd people in the religious world—those who resist, doubt, and question God. They are making a great fuss, judging, condemning, and denying Almighty God. In the end, all of these people will be punished, so it is crucial to know the incarnate God. As of this day, Almighty God has expressed so many truths. If people still cannot see that He is the Lord Jesus returned, are they not utterly blind and foolish? They are the ancestors of the blind, are they not? Almighty God has expressed so many truths, unfolding and fully revealing to mankind God’s management plan, all of God’s mysteries, and what results God’s work will ultimately achieve. This is equivalent to God’s public appearance. If people still refuse to acknowledge that He is the God who has appeared and is working, then are such people not beyond saving? The Lord Jesus certainly said many things, but what is recorded in the four Gospels is very limited. This is because there was no modern recording equipment, and everything was compiled from memory, so naturally, many words were left out. The background of God’s work in this stage in the last days is different. When God fellowships and preaches, these things are recorded, and after they are recorded, people compile them, and after compiling them, they are immediately printed. This is a whole process, so this time, basically none of the words spoken by God in His work have been omitted. Let’s think back to the Age of Grace. The Lord Jesus worked and preached for three years, so He must have said a lot of things. If all the things He said were to have been compiled, they would fill books of at least the size of one or two volumes of The Word Appears in the Flesh. What’s important to know is that the people did not compile all these things He said. They could only rely on their minds to remember what had been said, and those four apostles only recorded these scant few words in the four Gospels. There were some words that people had an impression of but could not express, so of the many words that the Lord Jesus spoke, what is recorded in the Bible can be said to be only the tip of the iceberg. Is the phrase “tip of the iceberg” used appropriately here? (Yes.) There is a fallacy within the religious world, “God’s words and work are all in the Bible, and outside the Bible, there are no more of God’s words and work.” Is this not a typical fallacy of the religious world? (It is.) Then what kind of people in the religious world believe such devilish words? (Foolish and ignorant people.) They are foolish and ignorant, that much is certain. Tell me, are there no words of God left out of the Old Testament? We know the most famous prophet Ezra, and none of the words of God in all his epistles are recorded in the Old Testament. In addition, does the Book of Isaiah contain only the words recorded in the Bible, and nothing more? Every prophet said a lot of things, so the words of God recorded in the Old Testament are limited. The words spoken by the Lord Jesus recorded in the New Testament are also just the tip of the iceberg. Outside the Bible, in fact, many of God’s words have been left out. Can we say this? (Yes.) Then why are the people of the religious world unable to see this fact? They cannot see it! They are blind! They are utterly absurd and naive! There is another problem. Are the words of the Lord Jesus recorded in the Old Testament? (No.) Then if the people of Judaism say, “The words of the Lord Jesus are not recorded in the Bible, so we do not believe that the Lord Jesus is the Lord,” is this statement valid? (No.) The words of the Lord Jesus are not recorded in the Old Testament. The Old Testament records God’s words and work in the Age of Law. The words and work of God in the Age of Grace are recorded in the New Testament. The New Testament and the Old Testament are two books. Judaism abides by the Old Testament and does not believe in the New Testament, while those who accept the Lord Jesus believe that what is recorded in both the Old Testament and the New Testament is God’s work. Since the people of the Age of Grace knew that the words of the Lord Jesus were not recorded in the Old Testament, when they preached the gospel to the people of Judaism and the people of Judaism said, “The words of Jesus are not recorded in the Bible, so we do not believe that the words of Jesus are the words of God,” they must have refuted such a view, right? (Right.) They most certainly did. Then why is it that now that Almighty God has come and expressed new words, they also say, “The words of Almighty God are not recorded in the Bible, so we do not acknowledge that the words of Almighty God are the truth or that they come from God”? Is this not as absurd as Judaism? Then tell me, are these pastors and elders not the same as the Pharisees? (They are.) They condemn Almighty God and repeat the mistakes of the Pharisees. They all deny and resist God. The most important thing is that they do not see or acknowledge the many truths expressed by Almighty God. The seven volumes of The Word Appears in the Flesh are now publicly available online, and there are thousands of experiential testimony videos of God’s chosen people of The Church of Almighty God, and there are more than a thousand hymns. Can they not see them? They see them but do not acknowledge them! Tell me, why do they not acknowledge that these words come from God, and that they are the truth? This one point is enough for them to be condemned. This is equivalent to them nailing God to the cross again. Tell me, is their sin not great? (It is.) No matter how many years they have believed in the Lord, how much good behavior they have displayed, how much they have suffered and how much of a price they have paid, because they have condemned Almighty God and rejected the work of Almighty God, they have been eliminated by God, and all that they have done before has been in vain. Tell me, what is the difference between believing in the Lord Jesus and believing in Almighty God? Believing in the Lord Jesus is just having one’s sins forgiven by God. After their sins are forgiven, these people enjoy the peace and joy bestowed by the Holy Spirit and various graces. This is what they have gained. Apart from these things, what else can they gain? Nothing, so the Lord Jesus does not determine people’s outcomes. The disciples of the Lord Jesus asked, “If we believe in You, can we enter the kingdom of heaven?” The Lord Jesus replied: “Whether you can enter the kingdom of heaven depends on whether you can welcome My return.” These are not the Lord’s original words, but that is roughly the meaning. Someone then asked, “Then when will You come, Lord?” The Lord prophesied that the Son of man would appear in the last days. In addition, after the Lord Jesus finished His work, that is, after He was crucified and resurrected and appeared for forty days, He left a promise to people: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3). This means that if you welcome the return of the Lord Jesus, you may be able to receive the blessings of the kingdom of heaven. However, if you cannot welcome the Lord’s return, then your past belief in the Lord will end up having been in vain, and you will gain nothing. Whether you can enter the kingdom of heaven depends on whether you can welcome the Lord. The last days have come, and whoever welcomes the Lord will have a chance to enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who cannot welcome the Lord will be eliminated and perish. Then what must you possess to welcome the Lord? You must be a wise virgin and you must have prepared oil. Then among all the believers in the Age of Grace, whoever is a wise virgin, whoever has prepared oil, and whoever welcomes the Lord may have a good destination and can enter the wonderful homeland they long for—the kingdom of heaven. Those who cannot welcome the Lord will be condemned. In all religions and denominations, there are some who have accepted Almighty God. Most of you probably also came from the religious world, right? Are there many people who have come out of the religious world? There are certainly not many. What did Almighty God say? “When I chastise each people, religious communities will, to varying extents, return to My kingdom” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God’s Words to the Entire Universe, Chapter 26). Those of the religious world will only return to God to varying extents. “Varying extents” means very few, only a small portion. In the Age of Grace, some prophets and exegetes in Christianity received God’s revelation and said that the proportion of people in the religious world who could welcome the Lord was two percent, which is equivalent to two out of every hundred people being able to welcome the Lord. These two people are blessed, and the other ninety-eight are not, right? (Right.) Those in the religious world who will eventually have a good destination and outcome are very few. Most of them are viewed as nonbelievers by God. Those who should be destroyed will be destroyed, and those who should be ruined will be ruined. That is how it is. Therefore, most of the people in the religious world are arrogant, self-righteous, and extremely foolish. No matter how the truth is fellowshipped to them, they refuse to accept it. They are utterly pigheaded. These people are blind and foolish, and they do not have that blessing. In the end, they will all be destroyed. So what kind of people can be saved? Those who can accept and submit to the truth. Those who cannot accept the truth cannot be saved. God Wishes Mankind Will Pursue the Truth and Survive—this song is so important! This was the song personally chosen by God for the New Year’s variety performance showcase in 2025. God said to put this song at the end for everyone to sing together. From this, can you understand God’s intention? God’s intention is to tell you not to think that you can survive just by believing in the name of Almighty God. You must pursue the truth to survive. If you do not pursue the truth, you will not survive. Is that clear? (It is.)