By Gu Wenqing, China

I became a Christian in 1990. There was a church leader who used to say, “The Bible is the foundation of our faith, and as believers, we have to follow the Bible.” Those words really took root in my heart, and I thought to myself, “I need to read the Bible a lot, and as long as I understand it, I’ll have a path in my faith.” So I read the Scriptures over and over and often went to my spiritual elders for advice. I remember one of those elders gave me these words of encouragement: “With your passion for the Bible, the Lord is sure to have an important use for you someday.” Hearing these words really excited me. It also made me worship the Bible even more. From then on, I started getting up at 4 a.m. every morning to read the Scriptures, and I had various Bible verses posted all over my house. Whenever I had a moment free, I was either reading or memorizing Bible passages. When I slept at night, I’d even put a Bible by my pillow, thinking that if the Lord came back in the night, I could go greet Him with a Bible in my arms. In short, I just couldn’t stand to be apart from my Bible. After a few years, I was one of the main co-workers of the Charismatics in our city, responsible for over 300 gathering sites. As I was so in love with the Bible, I was always telling the brothers and sisters, “The Lord Jesus said: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’ (Matthew 4:4). All of God’s words are in the Bible, so reading the Bible is as important as our daily meals. The Bible is the foundation of our faith, so we have to follow it no matter what. This is what it means to be a true believer.”

In 1997, a lot of churches in Northeastern China had members accepting Almighty God’s work of the last days, one after another. One of the upper leaders rushed to convene a meeting of co-workers where he showed us a bunch of propaganda smearing and condemning Eastern Lightning and told us, “There’s a Church now called Eastern Lightning. They say the Lord Jesus has returned in the flesh as Almighty God and that He’s uttered new words and opened the scroll. They say the Bible is now out of date, and that reading Almighty God’s words is the only way to gain sustenance. How could this be? For thousands of years, all believers in the Lord have been reading the Bible. All of God’s words are in the Bible, and nothing outside of the Bible is God’s word. No matter what, we must always stay true to the Bible. Departing from the Bible is a betrayal of the Lord, and when He comes, He won’t save you.” I was in complete agreement with him, and I thought, “Right. Everything in our faith is based in the Bible. People in Eastern Lightning don’t even read it, so don’t they stray from the way of the Lord? I must lead brothers and sisters to uphold the Bible and never stray from it.” This upper leader convened three days of meetings like this, talking about how to guard against and oppose Eastern Lightning. After those meetings, I felt like my responsibility was greater than ever. To protect the church, I went to great lengths along with other co-workers to seal it off and resist Eastern Lightning. At every gathering, we talked about how to guard against and resist it. I even urged brothers and sisters to fast and pray, and to ask the Lord to stop Eastern Lightning from stealing our church’s sheep.

One day, a sister told me that a co-worker believed in Eastern Lightning now, and that the most enthusiastic members of her gathering site had gone along with him. Hearing this made me so anxious that I rushed right over to his place without eating and saw that a gathering of about 40 people was missing 19. Most notably, those 19 were the most devout members in that gathering site. Seeing that those good sheep had been stolen by Eastern Lightning really upset me. I thought to myself, “Eastern Lightning must be really formidable to have stolen those good sheep after just a few days’ work.” So I rushed to visit those brothers and sisters to dissuade them, and I said, “Followers of Eastern Lightning claim the Lord has returned and uttered new words, but this is just an attempt to mislead people. All of God’s words are in the Bible, and anything else is a departure from the way of the Lord. These people won’t be raised into the kingdom when the Lord comes. Then won’t all those years of faith in the Lord have been in vain? You must repent to the Lord right away.” I thought that they would listen to me, but surprisingly, one of the sisters said to me, “Sister Gu, your claim that all of God’s words are in the Bible isn’t factual. It says in John 21:25, ‘And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.’ This verse shows us that the things the Lord Jesus said and the work He did weren’t fully recorded in the Bible. Furthermore, Revelation prophesies that when the Lord returns, He’ll open the scroll and break the seven seals, and speak to the churches. Clearly, God’s new words for the last days couldn’t possibly have been written in the Bible beforehand, so your claim that all of God’s words are in the Bible doesn’t hold water.” I really didn’t know how to refute this. I thought, “Right. That Bible verse was really clear, so why haven’t I ever thought about it before?” Then the sister went on to say, “Almighty God is the Lord Jesus returned. He’s expressed all truths that judge, cleanse, and save mankind. These truths are the Holy Spirit’s words to the churches. This is the opening of the scroll prophesied in Revelation. Believing in Almighty God isn’t betraying the Lord, rather it is hearing God’s voice and following the Lamb’s footsteps. Just like it says in Revelation, ‘These are they which follow the Lamb wherever He goes’ (Revelation 14:4). You should read Almighty God’s words too. Humbly seeking is the only way to hear God’s voice and welcome the Lord’s return!” I really didn’t want to hear what they had to say, and so I just picked up a Bible, waved it, and said, “I understand the Bible—I don’t need to seek! Anything outside of the Bible is heresy, and you won’t be saved!” I went every day for a week, trying to change their minds. But no matter what I said, they were all determined to follow Almighty God. I didn’t end up getting a single one of the 19 back. No matter how much I thought the matter through, I remained puzzled, and asked myself, “Once they read the book of Eastern Lightning, why couldn’t their minds be changed, no matter what? Was it really like the upper leader told us that there was some sort of drug in their book? But they seemed totally normal, not at all disoriented, and they were all so energetic and full of faith. Their fellowship was also so insightful and couldn’t be refuted.” I was so confused. I wanted to see exactly what was written in that Eastern Lightning book. But I thought that to stray from the Bible was betraying the Lord, and I wouldn’t be saved, so I didn’t dare give it another thought. Later on, I expelled those 19 people from the church and urged everyone else not to have anything to do with them. I particularly urged the co-workers to keep a close eye on their flocks, and to immediately expel anyone who accepted Eastern Lightning.

I tried my best to seal off the church, but more and more brothers and sisters kept joining Eastern Lightning. There was someone else nearly every day—I just couldn’t stop it. I was entirely consumed with this. I was working really long hours every single day trying to get them to turn back, but I didn’t convince a single one. What really surprised me was that before long, even Brother Wang Mingyi, who’d worked alongside me, joined Eastern Lightning. This was really unexpected. Mingyi had started out just like me, always talking about how to guard against and resist Eastern Lightning. I never thought that he’d end up joining them. I went to his home to grill him. I said, “You’re well aware that Eastern Lightning is a departure from the Bible. How can you believe in it?” His response was, “Sister Gu, I listened to the leader before, too, and didn’t seek or look into the teaching of Eastern Lightning at all. I even blindly resisted and condemned it. But after reading Almighty God’s words, I saw that they unveil so many of the Bible’s mysteries, and give us a path to be cleansed of sin. Almighty God’s words are the truth, and the voice of God. He is the Lord Jesus returned. You should read His words too! …” At that point, I just cut him off, saying, “That’s enough! You’ve been misled—don’t try to do the same to me. I don’t care what you say to me. There’s no way I’m reading that Eastern Lightning book!” I slammed the door and left in a huff. Later I heard Co-worker Liu say that another church had had over 100 members taken by Eastern Lightning, and lots of other co-workers were saying that in their areas, good sheep were being stolen by Eastern Lightning every day, and they couldn’t get any of them back. Hearing these things came as such a huge shock to me. I wondered, “How can Eastern Lightning be so formidable? Could it really be that the Lord has returned? Why would so many people accept it, and have such faith in it otherwise?”

In September of 1997, Brother Li Zhi, one of the main co-workers in our church, joined Eastern Lightning along with his wife. When I heard the news, I grabbed my Bible and gathered up four other co-workers to go see them. When we got there, without letting them say a word, I just yelled at them, “Don’t you even have a conscience? The Lord Jesus has graced you so much—have you forgotten that? How could you believe in Almighty God? What did they give you? How much did they pay you?” Surprisingly, Li Zhi smiled and said, “They gave us the truth and life, not money.” This made me even angrier, and I responded, “How could they give you life? Anything outside of the Bible is betraying the Lord. What truth and life?” Unexpectedly, he asked me a question in response, “Would you say that truth and life come from God, or from the Bible? What did the Lord Jesus say when He rebuked the Pharisees? ‘Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me. And you will not come to Me, that you might have life’ (John 5:39–40). His words were very clear. The Bible bears witness to God, but it doesn’t contain eternal life. Looking for eternal life inside the Bible is a mistake. Only Christ is the truth, the way, and the life, and only by following Christ and submitting to His work and words can we gain the truth and eternal life.” I truly didn’t know how to answer back when I heard the brother’s fellowship. I felt kind of embarrassed. I thought to myself, “You always used to listen to me preach, so why are you explaining things to me now, refuting me? After all my years reading the Bible, how could you know more about faith in the Lord than me?” I just responded with something really unreasonable, saying, “I don’t care what you say. Anyone who doesn’t read the Bible is going to hell.” Then the other four co-workers tried to convince them with both the carrot and the stick, but no matter what we said, Li Zhi and his wife remained steadfast in their faith in Almighty God. When I got home, I thought to myself, “I used to know much more about the Bible than those other people who’ve joined Eastern Lightning. Before, they’d listen to my sermons, but just a few days after accepting Eastern Lightning, they were able to render me tongue-tied with just a few words. What is going on? Could it be that Eastern Lightning really is the true way?” But I quickly discarded that thought, telling myself, “That can’t be! Anything outside the Bible is a betrayal of the Lord. I’ll stick to the Bible and wait for the Lord to return and take me into heaven.”

Seeing more and more people accepting Eastern Lightning, I wasn’t even delivering sermons at gatherings anymore. I was just using a bunch of materials that opposed Eastern Lightning and went on about those in co-workers’ meetings and Sunday services instead. I also threatened everyone so they wouldn’t dare look into Eastern Lightning, and I even worked with leaders and co-workers from other churches to fight it together. If I heard about someone trying to convert a church member to Eastern Lightning, I’d rush right over and chase them off. Sometimes I was afraid riding my bike would be too slow, so I’d take a taxi all the way across town to chase off Eastern Lightning members. I thought I was safeguarding the way of the Lord and protecting the flock, and I was even willing to put my life on the line for it. But what I couldn’t understand was why it was that the harder I fought against it, the more incidents in the church there were. In August 1999, while we were doing a group baptism, quite a few people were arrested and taken to the police station. Then in August 2000, I was arrested along with three important co-workers while performing baptisms. My home was also searched and all of the church’s offerings were taken by the police. While in custody, I couldn’t stop thinking through everything that had happened in the church those last few years. The elders who always used to invite me to share sermons and evangelize, Sister Jiang Ru and Brother Wu Yong, were trying to protect their flock, so they’d isolated their church to resist Eastern Lightning. They were extremely devout Christians, but shockingly, they both got cancer and died agonizing deaths. One time in 1998 in a big meeting with over 200 key church co-workers, one co-worker was suddenly possessed by a demon, and no one could drive it out, no matter how everyone prayed for him. Incident after incident kept going through my mind, and I just couldn’t figure out why the church was so troubled. I thought about how over my years of following the Lord, I’d given up my job and my family to work hard for the Lord. I stayed on top of all sorts of tasks in the church and worked hard to safeguard the way of the Lord and protect the flock. Why wasn’t the Lord protecting or blessing me? Why was it that the more I fought Eastern Lightning, the more I suffered and was left in a constant state of anxiety? Could it be that resisting Eastern Lightning was a mistake? Had the Lord really returned? Over my seven days in custody, I hardly slept. I was utterly miserable. I prayed to the Lord, saying, “Lord, so much has happened in the church. What’s the real reason behind it all? What exactly am I doing wrong? …” When I was released from custody, I saw that the church was becoming increasingly desolate—it was heartbreaking. I said another prayer to the Lord: “Lord! Why is the church in this state? The church is built thanks to Your precious blood, so why are You neglecting it? Oh Lord! I’m really suffering. The flock is scattering, and the more I fight Eastern Lightning, the more disorder there is in the church. I don’t know how to salvage all of this and revive the church. Lord, please open up a path for me!” But no matter how I prayed, the church remained in disarray. The co-workers had scattered to the winds and were hiding out of fear of being arrested. The church was in chaos and attendance was dropping. I didn’t know what to preach on and dreaded Wednesday and Sunday sermons. Brothers and sisters would nod off while I talked, and I couldn’t do anything about it. I didn’t know what to pray about and my faith was waning. Suddenly, I found I didn’t have my earlier resolve, that I’d keep my faith and love for the Lord even if no one else did. I was slowly sinking into depravity. I started watching TV and movies, and even learned to play mahjong and poker. I was living in sin and couldn’t extricate myself. I often found myself sitting in my doorway, clutching my Bible, feeling incredibly miserable and lost. I truly had no idea how to carry on. During that period of time, I was on my knees a lot, crying out to the Lord, begging Him, saying, “Lord Jesus, where are You? I feel like I’m about to die. Lord, I’m begging You, please save me, and save the church! …”

In 2002, just when I was at my weakest, Brother Zhou Zheng from Southern China called me up and asked me to visit him for some devotional studies. I gave heartfelt thanks to God when I heard this and I was eager to take advantage of this opportunity to regain my strength. When I got there, I saw that the brothers and sisters there were all doing even better than the last time I’d been two years before. Their faith was stronger. When they saw me, they were comforting and encouraging, and felt just like family. I was really moved. The next day, Zhou Zheng asked me how things were going in general for me, which hit me right where it hurt. I told him about what was going on with the church, without holding anything back. After I was done speaking, he shared this fellowship: “It’s not just your church losing its vitality right now. This is happening in churches all over the place. Believers’ faith and love are cooling, and they’re not disciplined for their sins. Co-workers have nothing to preach about and are engaged in jealous battles and infighting. Churches are splintering—they haven’t had the Lord’s presence for a long time.” He also told me about why all the churches were becoming so desolate. He read me Chapter 8, Verse 11 from the Book of Amos. Jehovah God said: “The days come … that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Jehovah.” Then he said, “We can see from this verse that one reason for this desolation in the churches is that people aren’t practicing God’s words. It’s like late in the Age of Law, when the Jewish chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees were only upholding human traditions, not the law of Jehovah. They were making subpar sacrifices, and openly selling livestock and trading money in the temple, turning it into a den of thieves, so God was disgusted and abandoned it. Once it no longer had God’s work, people did whatever they wanted and weren’t disciplined for their sins. The temple became barren. The primary reason for this was that religious leaders weren’t keeping Jehovah’s commandments and had strayed from the Lord’s way. Another reason for this desolation within the churches was that God was doing a new stage of work, so the Holy Spirit’s work had shifted. The Lord Jesus was working and leading people outside of the temple, ushering in the Age of Grace, and the people who followed Him could gain watering and sustenance. As long as they prayed and confessed to the Lord, their sins were forgiven and they could enjoy all the grace, peace and joy bestowed by the Lord. But the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees who refused to accept His work, resisting and condemning Him, and those in the temples who insisted on going along with them, were naturally abandoned and eliminated by God’s work, falling into darkness and desolation.” I felt really illuminated by the brother’s fellowship, but I was also confused, thinking, “I’ve read all of that countless times in the Bible, so why have I never gained this illumination from my readings? How did they figure this out? I’d better listen to them.” Zhou Zheng then went on to say, “Just like the reason for the temple’s decline in the Age of Law, today’s churches are in this desolate state because God is doing a new stage of work.” When I heard him say this, my heart skipped a beat and it occurred to me that they might be with Eastern Lightning. Everyone said what they taught was really formidable—what if I was misled, too? I started feeling really nervous and conflicted: Should I hear them out, or not? I ended up deciding to stay and continue listening because I really wanted to resolve the problem in the church. Over all those years, none of the pastors or elders, from China or abroad, could help at all; no matter how they expounded the Bible, fasted, or prayed, none of the solutions they came up with worked. The church just kept deteriorating. But those brothers and sisters were full of faith and love, and their fellowship was illuminating. No one could be doing so well unless they had the Holy Spirit’s work and guidance. If I could find the way to revive the church through their fellowship, then there was hope for us yet. I wanted to seize this chance, and even if they were with Eastern Lightning, I didn’t have to be afraid, because I knew the Bible and couldn’t be misled. So I started listening while looking through the Bible to verify what they said, to see if it accorded with the Bible.

Zhou Zheng then read from Amos 4:7–8: “And also I have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain on one city, and caused it not to rain on another city: one piece was rained on, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered to one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have you not returned to Me, said Jehovah.” He explained this, saying, “This verse mentions one city having rain while another has drought. This ‘rain’ refers to the Holy Spirit’s work. God takes the Holy Spirit’s work from all places and moves it to those people who accept His new work. Those who keep up with God’s footsteps have the watering and sustenance of the Holy Spirit’s current words and gain His work. But those who don’t accept God’s new work are naturally abandoned and eliminated in the course of God’s work, and live in darkness.” At this point in his fellowship it started making more sense to me, and I thought to myself, “So the reason the church is barren is because God is doing new work, so the Holy Spirit’s work has shifted. No wonder I haven’t felt God’s presence all these years, and I’ve felt such spiritual darkness, as if I’d fallen into a bottomless pit without a shred of hope, and I have been living in utter misery.” At the thought of catching up with God’s footsteps and enjoying the Holy Spirit’s work and guidance again, I eagerly asked Zhou Zheng, “How can someone keep up with the Lamb’s footsteps and gain the Holy Spirit’s work?” He told me, “It’s prophesied seven times in Revelation, ‘He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’ (Revelation Chapters 2, 3). This prophecy tells us that God will speak to the churches in the last days, and everyone who recognizes God’s voice will keep up with God’s footsteps and attend the Lamb’s wedding feast.” Then he got out a book and went on, “This book contains the Holy Spirit’s words to the churches. Read this and you’ll understand everything.” I took it and saw The Word Appears in the Flesh. Wasn’t that Eastern Lightning’s book? I was stunned for a moment and thought, “I’ve been going head-to-head with them for five years, but I’ve never really been face-to-face with them until now.” I thought of all those brothers and sisters who couldn’t be convinced otherwise once they’d listened to Eastern Lightning. I was so nervous that I felt like my heart was in my throat. I said a prayer, “Lord, please, please protect me. I can’t stray from the Bible, I can’t stray from Your way no matter what.” So I asked, “How could this book contain God’s words? God’s words are all in the Bible, and nothing else is the word of God. Departing from the Bible is heresy—it’s betraying the Lord.” I couldn’t sit there any longer, and I stood up in a huff and refused to hear another word. Seeing how resistant I was and that I’d stopped listening, they all got on their knees and prayed for me, in tears, asking God to enlighten me and have me know God’s work. I was standing off to the side, and hearing their heartfelt prayers really moved me. I thought to myself, “Without the Holy Spirit’s work, who could possibly be so loving?” At this point, I started to slowly calm down and let go of some of my resistance.

After they finished praying, Zhou Zheng shared some of his experience with me. He said, “I understand how you feel. I was just like you at first—I too resisted God’s work of the last days. I went along with the pastors and elders in fabricating rumors about The Church of Almighty God, and I authored materials against it. I even intimidated brothers and sisters to keep them from believing in Almighty God. I did so many things to resist and blaspheme God, thinking I was safeguarding the Lord’s way and being devoted. I believed in God but didn’t know Him, and I was intransigent and arrogant. If it hadn’t been for God punishing and disciplining me, for His authoritative and soul-touching words, I never would have submitted.” He also said he’d always thought that all of God’s words were in the Bible, and that nothing else was the word of God, so departing from the Bible was heresy. Then he read some of Almighty God’s words and understood that this doesn’t hold water, and that it’s not in line with the facts. At first, I was really confused and wondered how it wasn’t factual. Then he said, “You know the Bible well, so you should know that it was compiled by people years after the Lord finished working, so that means inevitably some of the content was omitted or cut out. Some of the prophets’ words from God weren’t recorded in the Old Testament in their entirety, but were put into the Apocrypha, such as Ezra’s prophecies.” He also said, “In the Age of Grace the Lord Jesus’ work and words weren’t all documented in the Scriptures. He was officially working for three and a half years, and who knows how much He said, how many sermons He delivered during that time. If we add up all of the Lord Jesus’ words from the Four Gospels, that would just be a few hours of speaking for Him. Compared to how much He must have said over those three and a half years, we see it’s very limited! It also says in John, ‘And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written’ (John 21:25). Could it really be true that nothing outside of the Bible is the word of God? Is that accurate? It’s prophesied a number of times in Revelation, ‘He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’ (Revelation Chapters 2, 3). This proves that the Lord has more to say to the churches in the last days. How could those words for the last days be written in the Bible ahead of time? Revelation also prophesies that the Lamb will open the scroll, which started out sealed, and only the Lamb can break the seals. Could the content of that scroll already be documented in the Bible? Definitely not. So does the pastors’ claim that ‘all of God’s words are in the Bible’ stand to reason? Isn’t that denying and condemning God’s own words?” At that point I was totally convinced. I thought to myself, “It’s true, Revelation clearly prophesied that the Lamb would open the scroll, breaking the seven seals in the last days. So how could that specific content already be recorded in the Bible? By insisting there were no words of God outside the Bible, I’ve been wrong.” Zhou Zheng told me, “The Bible is just a historical record of God’s work, and both the Old and the New Testament were put together and edited by human beings after God had finished a stage of work. God doesn’t work according to the Bible, nor is He limited by it. God works according to His own management plan and mankind’s needs. When the Lord Jesus came to work, He didn’t work according to the Old Testament, instead He went beyond the Scriptures of the time, preaching on the way of repentance, healing the sick and casting out demons, telling people to forgive others seventy times seven, not keeping the Sabbath, etc. In the end, He was crucified, concluding the work of redemption. But none of this could be found in the Old Testament. Some of it even seemed to contradict the laws of the Old Testament. If we go by what pastors say, that ‘anything outside the Scriptures is heresy,’ wouldn’t that be condemning the Lord Jesus’ work, too? God is the Creator, and His abundance encompasses everything. So could it be true that He can only perform the limited work recorded in the Bible? Is it true that God can’t do new work or utter new words outside of the Bible? Wouldn’t that be delimiting and blaspheming God? The Pharisees used the Old Testament to condemn the Lord Jesus’ work, saying that it went outside the Scriptures, that it was heresy. They denied and condemned the truths He expressed, and ultimately had Him crucified, and they were damned and punished by God. Now Almighty God has come and expressed all truths that cleanse and save mankind. These are the Holy Spirit’s words to the churches, and this is God giving us the way of eternal life in the last days. If we don’t listen, read, or seek, and just blindly cling to the Bible, resisting and condemning God’s work and words in the last days, isn’t that making the same mistake as the Pharisees? That will get us abandoned and eliminated by God’s work!” Hearing this fellowship from him did leave me feeling afraid, and something the Lord Jesus said came to mind: “And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but to him that blasphemes against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven” (Luke 12:10). Thinking of myself in this light, I thought, “If Almighty God’s words really are from God, then they are the Holy Spirit’s words, and if I call His work and words heresy, isn’t that blaspheming the Holy Spirit? This would mean I can’t be forgiven in this life or the world to come. I can’t keep opposing and condemning this. I must try hard to seek and investigate it.”

Then Zhou Zheng read a couple passages of Almighty God’s words for me: “Many people believe that understanding and being able to interpret the Bible is the same as finding the true way—but in fact, are things really so simple? No one knows the reality of the Bible: that it is nothing more than a historical record of God’s work, and a testament to the previous two stages of God’s work, and that it offers you no understanding of the aims of God’s work. Everyone who has read the Bible knows that it documents the two stages of God’s work during the Age of Law and the Age of Grace. The Old Testament chronicles the history of Israel and Jehovah’s work from the time of creation until the end of the Age of Law. The New Testament records Jesus’ work on earth, which is in the Four Gospels, as well as the work of Paul—are these not historical records? Bringing up the things of the past today makes them history, and no matter how true or real they might be, they are still history—and history cannot address the present, for God does not look back on history! And so, if you only understand the Bible, and understand nothing of the work God intends to do today, and if you believe in God but do not seek the work of the Holy Spirit, then you do not understand what it means to seek God. If you read the Bible in order to study the history of Israel, to research the history of God’s creation of all the heavens and earth, then you do not believe in God. But today, since you believe in God, and pursue life, since you pursue the knowledge of God, and do not pursue dead words and doctrines or an understanding of history, you must seek God’s intentions of today, and you must look for the direction of the Holy Spirit’s work. If you were an archeologist you could read the Bible—but you are not, you are one of those who believe in God, and you had best seek God’s intentions of today” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Concerning the Bible (4)). “During the time of Jesus, Jesus led the Jews and all those who followed Him according to the Holy Spirit’s work in Him at the time. He did not take the Bible as the basis of what He did, but spoke according to His work; He paid no heed to what the Bible said, nor did He search in the Bible for a path to lead His followers. Right from when He began to work, He spread the way of repentance—a word of which there was absolutely no mention in the prophecies of the Old Testament. Not only did He not act according to the Bible, but He also led a new path, and did new work. Never did He refer to the Bible when He preached. During the Age of Law, no one had ever been able to perform His miracles of healing the sick and casting out demons. So, too, were His work, His teachings, and the authority and power of His words beyond any man in the Age of Law. Jesus simply did His newer work, and even though many people condemned Him using the Bible—and even used the Old Testament to crucify Him—His work surpassed the Old Testament; if this were not so, why did people nail Him to the cross? Was it not because it said nothing in the Old Testament of His teaching, and His ability to heal the sick and cast out demons? His work was done to lead a new path, it was not to deliberately pick a fight against the Bible, or to deliberately dispense with the Old Testament. He simply came to perform His ministry, to bring the new work to those who yearned for and sought Him. … To people, it appeared as if His work had no basis, and there was much of it that was at odds with the records of the Old Testament. Was this not man’s fallaciousness? Do regulations need to be applied to the work of God? And must God work according to the foretelling of prophets? After all, which is greater: God or the Bible? Why must God work according to the Bible? Could it be that God has no right to exceed the Bible? Can God not depart from the Bible and do other work? Why did Jesus and His disciples not keep the Sabbath? If He were to practice in light of the Sabbath and according to the commandments of the Old Testament, why did Jesus not keep the Sabbath after He came, but instead washed feet, covered head, broke bread, and drank wine? Is this not all absent from the commandments of the Old Testament? If Jesus honored the Old Testament, why did He break with these regulations? You should know which came first, God or the Bible! Being the Lord of the Sabbath, could He not also be the Lord of the Bible?” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Concerning the Bible (1)). When I heard these words, I felt like they were really authoritative. Over all my years of faith, I’d heard plenty of sermons from both foreign and Chinese clergy, and I’d read some books on spirituality, but I’d never seen anyone reveal the inside story of the Bible so clearly and thoroughly. It was really enlightening for me. I thought to myself, “It’s true, the Bible is just a historical record of God’s work, and it came after God did that work. But I’ve been limiting God to the scope of the Bible, thinking that He shouldn’t do any work or utter new words outside of that. I’ve been so foolish! I see now that Almighty God’s words really have come from God, they are the Holy Spirit speaking and I need to do some seeking, otherwise I’ll miss my chance to welcome the Lord, and my regrets will come too late.” So I said an urgent prayer, asking for the Lord to guide me.

But I still had some confusion. The Lord Jesus had clearly prophesied that He would return on a cloud and appear openly to all people, but I still hadn’t seen that happen. They were saying He’d already come back and He was in the flesh, uttering new words. So were there any biblical prophecies about the Lord’s second coming being in the flesh? I asked Zhou Zheng about this. He told me, “There are some biblical prophecies about the Lord coming on a cloud and openly appearing to everyone, but there are also quite a few prophecies about Him coming in secret, and in the flesh. The Lord Jesus said: ‘Behold, I come as a thief’ (Revelation 16:15). ‘As the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be’ (Matthew 24:37). ‘Therefore be you also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes’ (Matthew 24:44). ‘For as the lightning, that lightens out of the one part under heaven, shines to the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in His day. But first must He suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation’ (Luke 17:24–25). These verses all mention the Son of man coming, and the Son of man means born of a person, of flesh and blood, with normal humanity. If He came in spiritual form on a cloud, appearing to all people, everyone would be afraid when they saw Him and would rush to prostrate themselves. Who would dare resist or reject Him? Would He suffer a lot, and be rejected by this generation when He returns? Definitely not. So the Lord Jesus prophesied that He would return in two different ways. First, He’d come in secret in the flesh as the Son of man to express truths and do the work of judgment beginning with the house of God, making a group of overcomers before the disasters. Then after the disasters, the Lord will come on a cloud and openly appear to everyone. If we just wait to see the Lord Jesus on a cloud without accepting God’s work and words when He comes secretly in the flesh, we could easily be rejected by the Lord!” His fellowship was a major awakening for me. I finally realized that the Son of man refers to God in the flesh. I had talked about those Bible verses a lot with others over the years, saying that the Lord would come like a thief, telling them to be vigilant and pray, waiting for the Lord, but I didn’t see that they prophesied the Lord coming in secret.

I asked Zhou Zheng another question after that. I said, “The Lord Jesus was crucified as a sin offering for mankind, and He’s taken on our sins. As believers in the Lord, our sins are forgiven, so we should be taken straight up into the kingdom of heaven when He comes. Why would God need to do another stage of work for salvation?” In response, he asked me, “You say believers can get into the kingdom because their sins are forgiven, but is there any basis for this in the Lord’s words? He just forgave us of our sins, but He never said that we could get into the kingdom because our sins were forgiven. This is just a human notion and imagining. Our sins being forgiven just means He doesn’t see us as sinners anymore, but it doesn’t mean we’re free from sin. It especially doesn’t mean we’re pure, or that we no longer sin or resist God. As for who can get into the kingdom, the Lord Jesus clearly stated: ‘Not every one that said to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that follows the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and in Your name have cast out devils, and in Your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from Me, you that work iniquity’ (Matthew 7:21–23). Weren’t those people who prophesied and cast out devils in the Lord’s name also forgiven of their sins? So why would the Lord say He never knew them, and condemn them as evildoers? These words show that all those who live in sin, even if they work and expend themselves in the name of the Lord, will ultimately be condemned and that they are unworthy of God’s kingdom.” Then Zhou Zheng read some of Almighty God’s words to answer my question: “A sinner such as you, who has just been redeemed, and has not been changed, or been perfected by God, can you be in line with God’s intentions? For you, you who are still of your old self, it is true that you were saved by Jesus, and that you are not counted as a sinner because of the salvation of God, but this does not prove that you are not sinful, and are not impure. How can you be saintly if you have not been changed? Within, you are beset by impurity, selfish and mean, yet you still wish to descend with Jesus—you should be so lucky! You have missed a step in your belief in God: You have merely been redeemed, but you have not been changed. For you to be in line with God’s intentions, God must personally do the work of changing and cleansing you; if you are only redeemed, you will be incapable of attaining sanctity. In this way you will be unqualified to share in the good blessings of God, for you have missed out a step in God’s work of managing man, which is the key step of changing and perfecting. You, a sinner who has just been redeemed, are therefore incapable of directly inheriting God’s inheritance” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Concerning Appellations and Identity). “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). “Before man was redeemed, many of Satan’s poisons had already been planted within him and, after thousands of years of being corrupted by Satan, he has within him an established nature that resists God. Therefore, when man has been redeemed, it is nothing more than a case of redemption in which man is bought at a high price, but the poisonous nature within him has not been eliminated. Man that is so defiled must undergo a change before becoming worthy to serve God. By means of this work of judgment and chastisement, man will fully come to know the filthy and corrupt essence within his own self, and he will be able to change completely and become clean. Only in this way can man become worthy to return before the throne of God. All the work done this day is so that man can be made clean and be changed; through judgment and chastisement by the word, as well as through refinement, man can purge away his corruption and be made pure. Rather than deeming this stage of work to be that of salvation, it would be more apt to say it is the work of purification. In truth, this stage is that of conquest as well as the second stage in the work of salvation” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)). Then he fellowshipped, “As longstanding believers, we’re all clear on one thing. After gaining faith, when we sin, we can be forgiven by confessing and repenting to the Lord. But what we can’t deny is that we can’t help but keep lying and sinning all the time. We live in a cycle of sinning by day, confessing by night, and we can’t escape these bonds of sin. Because the Lord Jesus just did the work of redemption, but not the work of judgment and purification for the last days, our sins are forgiven, but we still have a sinful nature. Our satanic nature and dispositions haven’t been resolved, and those things are more entrenched than the sins themselves. They are the root of our sins and resistance to God.” Zhou Zheng also gave a few examples, saying, “We’re arrogant, deceitful, and wicked, and we live by these satanic dispositions, so we’re always lying and cheating, and showing off. We fight over name and gain, and we’re jealous and hateful. When we’re facing disaster or we have problems at home, we misunderstand and blame God, sometimes even denying and betraying Him. Especially when God’s work doesn’t line up with our notions, we resist and condemn God willfully. Now the Lord Jesus has returned in the flesh and expressed truths, doing the judgment work of the last days, lots of long-time believers are delimiting Him according to their own notions and imaginings, saying that He wouldn’t utter new words outside of the Bible or come to work in the flesh. They have no interest in seeking or in submitting to God’s work, and they’re totally lacking a heart that fears God. Instead, they just resist and condemn it, stubbornly and arrogantly going against God. God is holy, so how could He let those who resist Him, who are of Satan, into His kingdom? Therefore, based on mankind’s needs, God is doing a stage of work to rid us of sin on the foundation of the Lord Jesus’ redemption work, expressing truths to judge and cleanse our corrupt dispositions. In the Age of Kingdom, Almighty God is expressing all truths that cleanse and save man, and He’s revealed all the mysteries of His management plan, like the aims of His six-thousand-year management plan, the inside story of His three stages of work, the mysteries behind the incarnations, the truth about the Bible, and people’s future destinations. He’s also exposed the truth of mankind’s corruption and the root of our sinfulness and resistance to God, showing us the way to change our dispositions and truly repent. This fulfills the Lord Jesus’ prophecy: ‘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). Almighty God has expressed these truths to resolve our sinful nature. All those who can accept the judgment of His words and be cleansed will be protected by God through the disasters and enter His kingdom.”

I understood this much better after Zhou Zheng’s fellowship. In the Age of Grace, the Lord Jesus just did the work of redemption, redeeming mankind of sin. The Age of Kingdom of the last days is when Almighty God expresses truths for His judgment work, and this is what will resolve our sinful nature, fully saving us from sin and cleansing us. I thought about how I really was still shackled by sin, even after all those years as a believer. Especially in recent years, I’d become more depraved, on par with a nonbeliever. I was watching TV and movies, and I learned to play mahjong. I was trapped living in sin and couldn’t extricate myself. I saw that I was truly unworthy of entering God’s kingdom. Those days of living in sin were really painful, and I didn’t know how to escape it. I finally saw that I had to accept God’s judgment work of the last days to be freed from the bonds of sin, cleansed, and saved. Almighty God’s words clearly reveal the root of sinning and show us the inside story of God’s work, revealing the path to be cleansed and enter the kingdom. Only God could explain His work so clearly, and only God could save mankind from the bonds of sin. I felt more certain that Almighty God’s words were the truth, and the voice of God.

Over the next few days, I hungrily devoured God’s words every day, and I quickly became sure that Almighty God is the Lord Jesus returned. Being able to welcome the Lord in His return really excited me, but at the same time, I was full of regret. I would absolutely never have imagined that the Almighty God I’d been opposing and condemning all those years was actually the Lord Jesus I’d been longing for, and that The Word Appears in the Flesh I’d been condemning was God’s words. I hated myself for being so foolish and blind, and for taking so long to see the light. I held The Word Appears in the Flesh in my arms and sobbed. I’d been believing in the Lord but didn’t know Him, I’d been arrogant and rebellious, delimiting Him because of my own notions and imaginings, and I hadn’t believed that God would return to work in the flesh. But even worse, I’d used blasphemous materials to mislead brothers and sisters, to stop them from investigating God’s work of the last days. Based on all the things I’d done, I really deserved God’s curse. But God pitied me and He allowed me to hear His voice and gain His salvation of the last days. His love really is immense!

I started having regular gatherings with those brothers and sisters after that. Everyone sang hymns and praised God together, and fellowshipped on God’s words. That kind of church life allowed me to rediscover the joy that the Holy Spirit’s work brings, and to enjoy the peace that comes with the Lord’s presence. I remember once reading a passage of God’s words that really moved me: “This time around, God comes to do work not in a spiritual body, but in a very ordinary one. Moreover, not only is it the body of God’s second incarnation, it is also the body through which God returns to the flesh. It is a very ordinary flesh. You cannot see anything that makes Him stand out from others, but you can gain from Him previously unheard-of truths. This insignificant flesh is what embodies all the words of truth from God, undertakes God’s work in the last days, and expresses the whole of God’s disposition for man to understand. Do you not desire greatly to see the God in heaven? Do you not desire greatly to understand the God in heaven? Do you not desire greatly to see the destination of mankind? He will tell you all these secrets—secrets that no man has been able to tell you, and He will also tell you of the truths that you do not understand. He is your gate into the kingdom, and your guide into the new age. Such an ordinary flesh holds many unfathomable mysteries. His deeds may be inscrutable to you, but the entire goal of the work He does is sufficient enough to allow you to see that He is not, as people believe, a simple flesh. For He represents the intentions of God and the care shown by God toward mankind in the last days. Though you cannot hear His words seeming to shake the heavens and earth, though you cannot see His eyes as a flame of fire, and though you cannot receive the discipline of His iron rod, nevertheless you can hear from His words that God is wrathful and know that God is showing mercy for mankind; you can see the righteous disposition of God and His wisdom, and, moreover, realize God’s solicitude for all mankind. The work of God in the last days is to allow man to see the God in heaven living among men on earth, and to enable man to know, submit to, fear, and love God. This is why He has returned to the flesh for a second time. Though what man sees this day is a God that is the same as man, a God with a nose and two eyes, and an unremarkable God, in the end, God will show you that if this man did not exist, heaven and earth would undergo a tremendous change; if this man did not exist, the heavens would grow dim, the earth would be plunged into chaos, and all mankind would live amid famine and plagues. He will show you that if God incarnate did not come to save you in the last days, then God would have long ago destroyed all mankind in hell; if this flesh did not exist, then you would forever be arch-sinners, and you would be corpses evermore. You should know that if this flesh did not exist, all mankind would face an ineluctable calamity and find it impossible to escape the even more severe punishment that God metes out to mankind in the last days. Had this ordinary flesh not been born, you would all be in a state where you beg for life without being able to live and pray for death without being able to die; if this flesh did not exist, then you would not be able to gain the truth and come before the throne of God today, but rather, you would be punished by God because of your grievous sins. Did you know that were it not for the return of God to the flesh, none would have a chance at salvation; and were it not for the coming of this flesh, God would have long ago put an end to the age of old? This being so, are you still able to reject the second incarnation of God? Since you can derive so many benefits from this ordinary man, why would you not gladly accept Him?” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Did You Know? God Has Done a Great Thing Among Men). Reading this part was particularly moving: “Had this ordinary flesh not been born, you would all be in a state where you beg for life without being able to live and pray for death without being able to die; if this flesh did not exist, then you would not be able to gain the truth and come before the throne of God today, but rather, you would be punished by God because of your grievous sins.” I thought back on those days when I didn’t have the Lord with me. The church felt barren and brothers’ and sisters’ faith was waning. The co-workers didn’t know what to give sermons on, and there was jealousy and infighting. Everyone was living in sin and couldn’t extricate themselves, and they were all living like the walking dead. Almighty God’s words brought me back to life and brought the joy of having God by my side back to me. I also gained a bit of a basic understanding of God’s work. Without God incarnating and speaking, revealing the mysteries of the Bible and His incarnations, I’m sure I’d still be stubbornly clinging to my notions and imaginings. Who knows how many evils I would have committed against God. God’s incarnation has been so important for us!

Thinking back on those five years, so many brothers and sisters shared fellowship and urged me to seek, but I turned a deaf ear. I not only refused to seek or investigate it, but I resisted and condemned it. I even misled others and stood in their way, making them lose their chance to welcome the Lord. Could I even be considered a believer? Wasn’t I opposing the Lord just like the Pharisees, nailing Him to the cross all over again? I’d enjoyed so much of the Lord’s grace in my years as a believer, but when the Lord returned, I didn’t know Him. I even madly resisted Him for five whole years. For five years, I committed unforgivable transgressions. I’m way too rebellious. Thinking about all my sins, and seeing God’s mercy and tolerance, I felt like I had nowhere to hide, and that I couldn’t face God. I clutched a book of God’s words, kneeled down, and prayed in tears. I said, “Almighty God! You never smote me, even though I’ve been so rebellious and defiant. You gave me the chance to repent. I truly don’t know how to repay Your mercy. Almighty God! I’m not asking for anything except to use the rest of my life to repay Your love, to do everything in my power to bring those people I kept from You, who haven’t yet come before You, back into Your house, so that You may have some comfort.” After this, I actively preached the gospel, and within a month, more than 30 brothers and sisters came to accept God’s work in the last days.

Whenever I think back on all those times I resisted God, I feel a great pain, like a knife to my heart, especially when I read these words: “There are those who read the Bible in grand churches and recite it all day long, yet not one among them understands the purpose of God’s work. Not one among them is able to know God; still less can any one among them accord with God’s intentions. They are all worthless, vile people, each standing on high to lecture God. They willfully oppose God even as they carry His banner. Claiming faith in God, still they eat the flesh and drink the blood of man. All such people are devils that devour the soul of man, head demons that deliberately disturb those trying to step onto the right path, and stumbling blocks impeding those who seek God. They may appear of ‘sound constitution,’ but how are their followers to know that they are none other than antichrists who lead people to stand against God? How are their followers to know that they are living devils dedicated to the devouring of human souls?” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. All People Who Do Not Know God Are People Who Oppose God). God’s words describe me perfectly. I was leading brothers and sisters to follow the literal words of the Bible, to adhere to notions, and not to come before God. I exalted the Bible while resisting God’s work in the last days. Misled by me, brothers and sisters clung irrationally to the literal words of the Bible and didn’t dare accept God’s work of the last days. This was harm done to them, catastrophe wrought by me. The Pharisees clung to their Scriptures and had the Lord nailed to the cross, committing a heinous sin. I had been clinging to the Bible, condemning Almighty God’s work of the last days, essentially crucifying God again. I was playing the part of a modern-day Pharisee. Even if I died a hundred deaths, I could never make up for my sins. All I want now is to do my best to pursue the truth, fulfill my duty, and share the gospel to repay my debt to God.