By Meng’ai, Taiwan

Almighty God says, “When Jesus came into the world of man, He ushered in the Age of Grace and ended the Age of Law. During the last days, God once more became flesh, and with this incarnation He ended the Age of Grace and ushered in the Age of Kingdom. All those who are able to accept the second incarnation of God will be led into the Age of Kingdom, and will moreover become able to personally accept the guidance of God. 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 Appears in the Flesh). God’s words are very clear. The Lord Jesus did the work of redemption, which was just forgiving mankind’s sins. He did not rid us of our sinful natures. We still need the Lord to return in the last days to do the work of judgment and purification, to give us more truths and resolve our sinful nature so that we can fully cast off the bonds of sin. Then we’ll no longer sin or resist God, and we’ll become people who obey and fear God. That’s the only way we’ll be fit to enter God’s kingdom. I didn’t understand God’s work before. I thought that the Lord had forgiven our sins, so we’re justified by faith and could get into heaven. But after more than 10 years of faith, I still sinned all the time and couldn’t practice the Lord’s words. God is holy, and no one unholy can see God, so could someone living in sin like me really be raptured into God’s kingdom when the Lord comes? I was bewildered. I couldn’t figure it out. Only after reading Almighty God’s words did I understand that I lacked experience in the most crucial step of God’s work—the work of judgment in the last days beginning with the house of God. In our faith, we have to undergo God’s judgment in the last days so our corrupt dispositions can be cleansed. It’s the only way to be saved and get into the kingdom. I’d like to share my own experience with this.

I grew up going to church with my parents. I loved listening to brothers and sisters fellowship on the Lord’s words. After I got married, my husband and I still put the church’s work first. We were actively engaged in the church’s services, both large and small. But over time, I realized that the pastor’s sermons were really dry, that he just spoke in platitudes, and was always encouraging us to give offerings. He was much more concerned about finances than our lives. The pastors and elders would argue over the podium and their positions and engage in intrigues with each other. Fewer and fewer brothers and sisters attended services, and when they did, they’d engage in small talk, or talk about physical pleasures, and would fall asleep through sermons. I myself couldn’t feel the Lord’s guidance, and participating in church services was really tiring. I couldn’t practice the Lord’s words, and was living in a state of sinning then confessing. And when I saw my husband come home from work, then just bury himself in online games without doing anything else, I couldn’t help but nag and scold him, telling him to do this or that in a commanding tone. He wouldn’t listen to me, and I’d get even more riled up. Even seeing him doing something slowly was unbearable to me, and I’d criticize him for doing things inefficiently. He was always criticizing me too, saying, “You haven’t changed a bit all these years as a believer.” I did feel guilty, and I’d think of the Lord Jesus’ words: “And why behold you the mote that is in your brother’s eye, but consider not the beam that is in your own eye? Or how will you say to your brother, Let me pull out the mote out of your eye; and, behold, a beam is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3–4). The Lord taught us that we shouldn’t always look at other people’s shortcomings, but examine our own faults more. But when my husband said or did something I didn’t like, I had no tolerance for him. I was always losing my temper and picking fights with him. Our relationship was deteriorating, and I was really suffering. God said: “You shall be holy; for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44). God is holy, and anyone unholy cannot see the Lord. But I couldn’t keep the Lord’s teachings or practice His words. I was constantly sinning, unable to escape the bonds of sin. How could someone like me get into the kingdom of heaven? This thought left me feeling unsettled.

One time after a service, I asked the pastor about my quandary. He said, “Don’t worry. Even though we sin frequently, the Lord Jesus has forgiven all of our sins. As long as we keep praying and confessing to the Lord, when He comes, He’ll bring us up into the kingdom of heaven.” What he said didn’t resolve my confusion. It says in the Bible, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:26). It is clearly written that if we don’t practice the Lord’s words, if we willfully sin, there will be no more sacrifice for sins. So could people who are constantly sinning really be raptured into heaven? I didn’t know how to stop sinning, so I worked hard on the tolerance and forgiveness the Lord taught, but I just couldn’t put it into practice. In my pain, I sought out the pastor again. He shook his head helplessly and said, “I don’t have a solution for the problem of sinning then confessing, either. Even Paul said, ‘For to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do’ (Romans 7:18–19). We can’t help but sin, so just repent and confess to the Lord more, and I’ll pray more for you, too.” Hearing this from the pastor was really discouraging. In my pain, I prayed to the Lord: “Oh Lord! I don’t want to sin, but I really can’t help myself. Living in sin is really painful for me but I don’t know how to escape it. I’m afraid You’ll abandon me if this continues. Lord, please save me.”

Where man ends, God begins. I met Sister Susan online one day in May 2018. We fellowshiped on the Bible a lot. She had unique insight into the Bible and her fellowship was really enlightening, so I shared my concerns and my quandary with her in seeking. I said, “I’ve believed in the Lord for years, but I can’t even practice forgiveness and tolerance. I sin all the time. I’m worried I won’t get into the kingdom of heaven. Our pastor says the Lord Jesus has forgiven all of our sins, and as long as we often pray and confess to the Lord, He’ll take us into heaven when He comes. But I’m still confused at heart. What’s your take on this?” Sister Susan said, “It’s true that the Lord Jesus has forgiven our sins, but that doesn’t mean we’ve been cleansed, or that we’re free from sin. The Lord Jesus said, ‘Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin. And the servant stays not in the house for ever: but the son stays ever’ (John 8:34–35). ‘Not every one that said to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven’ (Matthew 7:21). The Lord Jesus never said we’d get into heaven just because our sins were forgiven, and He very clearly told us that only those who do the will of the Father can enter the kingdom of heaven. We can see that getting into God’s kingdom because our sins are forgiven is just human notions and imaginings. There’s no basis for it in God’s words. We’ve seen one thing for sure in our years of faith: After people gain faith and are forgiven of sins, they continue to live in a state of sinning then confessing, confessing then sinning. This shows that believing in the Lord and being forgiven of sins isn’t the same as casting off the bonds and strictures of sin, and it certainly doesn’t mean that we’ve been cleansed. God is holy. He would never let someone into His kingdom who could still sin and resist Him. Only those who can obey God and do His will can enter the kingdom of heaven.” Hearing her fellowship, I thought, “That’s it. If God let us, who are always sinning, into the kingdom of heaven, how could His holiness be expressed?”

She went on with her fellowship. “Even though we pray and confess to the Lord and try hard to practice His teachings, no matter how hard we try, we’re still constrained by sin. What’s the real reason behind this?” Then she read some passages of God’s words. “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.” “For all that man may have been redeemed and forgiven of his sins, it can only be considered as God not remembering the transgressions of man and not treating man in accordance with his transgressions. However, when man, who lives in a body of flesh, has not been set free from sin, he can only continue to sin, endlessly revealing his corrupt satanic disposition. This is the life that man leads, an endless cycle of sinning and being forgiven. The majority of mankind sin in the day only to confess in the evening. This way, even though the sin offering is forever effective for man, it will not be able to save man from sin. Only half the work of salvation has been completed, for man still has a corrupt disposition. … It is not easy for man to become aware of his sins; he has no way of recognizing his own deeply rooted nature, and he must rely on judgment by the word in order to achieve this result. Only thus can man gradually be changed from this point onward.” “By means of this work of judgment and chastisement, man will fully come to know the filthy and corrupt substance 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” (The Word Appears in the Flesh).

Sister Susan went on in fellowship after reading this. “Even though we’ve received the Lord Jesus’ redemption and our sins have been forgiven, our satanic natures that drive us to sin have not been resolved. That’s why we can’t help but sin and resist God all the time, and we can’t practice the Lord’s words. In the Age of Grace, the Lord Jesus just did the work of redemption to redeem us from our sins so that we could escape being condemned and bound by the law, be fit to come before God and enjoy the grace and joy He gives us. Even though the Lord Jesus forgave our sins, our satanic dispositions and natures weren’t resolved. We’re still really arrogant, self-important, crooked, selfish, and despicable. We think too much of ourselves, always wanting to have the final say and have others do things our way. When someone does something we don’t like, we scold them and stifle them. Also, we constantly lie and deceive, and our prayers to God are just empty words, empty promises. We talk about obeying and loving God, but in reality, we do everything for our own benefit. We expend ourselves and make sacrifices for God just to be blessed and get into His kingdom. We’re happy when we’re graced by the Lord, but when we face hardships or trials, we’re negative and we complain. We may even deny or betray God. These satanic dispositions are even worse and more entrenched than sin. If they’re not resolved, we’re likely to do evil and oppose God at any moment. We are still of Satan’s ilk. How could we be worthy of God’s kingdom? That’s why the Lord Jesus promised He would return. Almighty God, Christ of the last days, is the Lord Jesus returned. He’s expressed all truths to purify and fully save mankind. He does the work of judgment beginning with the house of God. This is mainly to resolve corrupt mankind’s satanic dispositions and natures, to uproot our problem of constantly sinning and resisting God, and to thoroughly purify and save us, and bring us into the kingdom of heaven. Almighty God’s work and words fulfill these prophecies of the Lord Jesus: ‘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). ‘I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejects Me, and receives not My words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day’ (John 12:47–48). And in 1 Peter it says: ‘For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God’ (1 Peter 4:17). By accepting the judgment of the words of Almighty God, Christ of the last days, we can gain the truth. Our satanic dispositions can be cleansed, and only then can we enter God’s kingdom.”

I saw that Sister Susan’s fellowship was full of light and entirely in line with the Bible. I was utterly convinced. I realized that in the Age of Grace, the Lord Jesus only did the work of redemption, but that wasn’t the work of resolving mankind’s sinful nature. Our faith in the Lord can only bring us forgiveness of our sins, and we have to undergo God’s work of judgment in the last days to resolve the root of our sinfulness, to escape sin, and be cleansed. My eyes were opened. I saw there was a stage of God’s work that I hadn’t experienced in my faith. I heard this sister fellowship that the Lord Jesus had already returned and expressed many truths to do the work of judgment starting with God’s house to purify and save mankind and ultimately bring us into God’s kingdom. I was so excited, I immediately asked Sister Susan in seeking, “How does Almighty God do His work of judgment to purify us?”

She read me a couple of passages of Almighty God’s words. “God’s work in the present incarnation is to express His disposition primarily through chastisement and judgment. Building on this foundation, He brings more truth to man and points out to him more ways of practice, thereby achieving His objective of conquering man and saving him from his own corrupt disposition. This is what lies behind the work of God in the Age of Kingdom.” “In the last days, Christ uses a variety of truths to teach man, to expose the essence of man, and to dissect the words and deeds of man. These words comprise various truths, such as man’s duty, how man should obey God, how man should be loyal to God, how man ought to live out normal humanity, as well as the wisdom and the disposition of God, and so on. These words are all directed at the essence of man and his corrupt disposition. In particular, the words that expose how man spurns God are spoken in regard to how man is an embodiment of Satan, and an enemy force against God. In undertaking His work of judgment, God does not simply make clear the nature of man with a few words; He exposes, deals with, and prunes over the long term. These methods of exposure, dealing, and pruning cannot be substituted with ordinary words, but with the truth of which man is utterly bereft. Only methods such as these can be called judgment; only through judgment of this kind can man be subdued and thoroughly convinced into submission to God, and moreover gain true knowledge of God. What the work of judgment brings about is man’s understanding of the true face of God and the truth about his own rebelliousness. The work of judgment allows man to gain much understanding of the will of God, of the purpose of God’s work, and of the mysteries that are incomprehensible to him. It also allows man to recognize and know his corrupt substance and the roots of his corruption, as well as to discover the ugliness of man. These effects are all brought about by the work of judgment, for the substance of this work is actually the work of opening up the truth, the way, and the life of God to all those who have faith in Him. This work is the work of judgment done by God” (The Word Appears in the Flesh).

Sister Susan then continued her fellowship. “In the last days, Almighty God expresses the truth to do the work of judgment. He’s expressed all truths to cleanse and fully save mankind, and unveiled the mysteries of God’s management work. He’s revealed the essence and truth of mankind’s corruption by Satan, and exposed and dissected our satanic nature of resisting God, told us what satanic dispositions and poisons are in our natures, what corrupt states and thinking these satanic poisons give rise to, and how to resolve these things. God’s words also clarify every aspect of the truth, including what submission to God is, what true love for God is, and how to be an honest person. They show us the way to cast off our corrupt dispositions and achieve full salvation. They also reveal God’s holy, righteous, unoffendable disposition to mankind. By going through the judgment and chastisement of God’s words, we can gradually understand the truth, and come to understand the essence and truth of our corruption by Satan. We then come to hate how deeply Satan’s corrupted us, prostrate ourselves before God and repent, and focus on practicing the truth. Our corrupt dispositions can slowly be cleansed and changed, and we can gain some reverence and obedience for God. We then sin and resist God less and less.” Sister Susan shared her personal experience with me, too. She said she’d always thought she was more capable than other people, that she was self-centered in everything and pushed people into accepting her own views. She’d exclude and chide anyone who didn’t go along with her. It was hurtful and stifling for everyone else. Through the judgment and revelations in God’s words, she realized she was living by Satan’s laws and logic of “Only I reign supreme” and “The world revolves around me.” She was incredibly arrogant and wouldn’t bow to anyone, always wanting others to comply with and obey her ideas as if they were the truth. She didn’t have any reverence for God and was totally unreasonable. This disgusted God and repulsed people. She always wanted other people to listen to her, and that is a textbook satanic disposition. Satan is arrogant and conceited, always wanting to be on an equal footing with God. It wants to control people, to have people listen to it and revere it, and so it’s cursed by God. She felt afraid once she realized the nature and consequences of the problem, then she started to hate herself and focus on practicing the truth. She became more modest in her interactions with others. She no longer looked down on them and constrained them like she had before. More often, she could accept it when other people were right, when their ideas were in line with the truth, and she got along with people much better. My heart brightened when I heard her fellowship on Almighty God’s words and her experience. I learned that God is uttering words to judge and cleanse our corrupt dispositions. God working this way to save us is so practical! I’d believed for years, but couldn’t escape the bonds of sin. I’d been living in terrible pain, but I’d finally found the path!

After that, I started reading Almighty God’s words, watching gospel films, and listening to hymns from The Church of Almighty God on a phone app every day. I also joined gatherings with brothers and sisters to fellowship on God’s words. I could really feel the work and guidance of the Holy Spirit. I understood many mysteries and truths I’d never known through years of faith. I was really enjoying it. I knew in my heart that Almighty God is the Lord Jesus returned!

I read more of Almighty God’s words after that and gained some understanding of my arrogant disposition. I saw that I was often condescending and scolded others and that was me revealing my satanic disposition. That’s something that God hates. I prayed to God to repent. I no longer wanted to act based on my satanic disposition or always focus on other people’s problems. That’s so unreasonable. When I saw my husband playing games or doing something else I didn’t like, I would pray for God to quiet my heart so I could speak with him calmly. One day, my husband said to me out of the blue, “You’ve changed! You’ve been different since you started believing in Almighty God. You don’t get angry or reprimand me like you used to, and you can talk things over when something comes up.” I thanked God over and over within my heart. I knew all of that had been achieved in me through God’s words. What really surprised me was that when my husband saw the changes in me, he started reading Almighty God’s words too, and he accepted God’s work of the last days. My husband later realized through God’s words that online games are one of Satan’s ways to lure, control, and corrupt people. He began to understand the essence and the danger of playing online games, and was no longer so mesmerized by them. We don’t argue anymore. We read God’s words together a lot, and fellowship with each other. When we encounter a difficulty or a problem, we seek the truth from God’s words to find a path of resolution. I truly feel that Almighty God’s work of judgment is just what I need, and that it’s crucial to cleanse and fully save us. I’ve finally found the path to being cleansed and entering the kingdom of heaven. Thanks be to Almighty God!