Arrogance and Conceit Has Become a Stumbling Block to My Seeking the Truth——The Church of Almighty God

Arrogance and Conceit Has Become a Stumbling Block to My Seeking the Truth

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Zhang Xiaobo

Qing’an County, Heilongjiang Province

I was formerly a dedicated team co-worker of the Wilderness Church in Qing’an County, Heilongjiang Province. In 1994, I believed in the Lord through grace. Inspired by the Lord’s love, I pursued very hard, and several months later, I began to preach. Only one year later, I began to formally lead the brothers’ meeting and the youth meeting. From then on, I studied the Bible even harder, and I gave up my prosperous business to dedicate and expend myself for the Lord with all my heart and strength. As time went by, all these became my capital for pride. I became more and more arrogant and self-contained, smugly believing that I was the one with whom God is most pleased.

Pay Attention to Entering into the Truth Concerning the “Service in Harmonious Coordination”——The Church of Almighty God

 Pay Attention to Entering into the Truth Concerning the “Service in Harmonious Coordination”

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Xinyu    Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province

We all know that being able to serve in harmonious coordination is God’s requirement for us, but we seldom enter into it according to God’s requirement in our service in coordination. For example, in doing the work, we leaders just take charge of the work by ourselves and feel that our assistants do not play an important role.

Rise Up in the Dark Oppression——The Church of Almighty God

Rise Up in the Dark Oppression

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Mo Zhijian    Guangdong Province

I was born in a poor remote mountain village. People there burned incense and worshiped Buddha for generations. Temples were everywhere, and each household burned incense. No one believed in God. In 1995, my wife and I believed in the Lord Jesus in another place. After returning home, we began to preach the gospel. Later, the number of the believers gradually increased to over one hundred. Because more and more people believed in God, the local government was alarmed. One day in 1997, the police asked me to go to the local police station. The director of the County Public Security Bureau, the director of the County Bureau for State Security, the director of the County Administration of Religious Affairs, the chief of the local police station, and some policemen had already been waiting there.

God’s Word Is My Real Life——The Church of Almighty God

God’s Word Is My Real Life

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Xu Zhigang    Tianjin City

In the past, I was deeply influenced by Chinese traditional concepts and regarded purchasing property for my children as my life goal. Therefore, I devoted myself to studying car repairing technique and opened up a garage. The business was doing very well. At that time, I thought that man’s destiny was in his own hand. When my wife’s elder sister preached the gospel of Jesus to me, I refused and mocked at her. However, good times didn’t last long. The profits of my garage decreased day by day. No matter how hard I tried, it was in vain. As a result, I was tormented so much that I was exhausted physically and mentally and felt extremely miserable. Every day I sought solace in drink. Once, due to my distraction, I had an accident when driving. The car was badly smashed, but I survived miraculously.

God’s Love Strengthened My Heart——The Church of Almighty God

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God’s Love Strengthened My Heart

Xiao Li    Liaoning Province

I had a harmonious family. My husband cared for and looked after me and our son was sensible and obedient, and moreover, our family was well-off. By rights, I should be very happy, but the fact was not so. No matter how good my husband and son were to me, and no matter how well-off my family was, it couldn’t make me happy. That was because I had lung disease, arthritis, and serious insomnia. I couldn’t sleep the whole night, my brain was lack of blood supply, and my limbs were weak. I felt very distressed but was unable to be free from them. The pressure in my business and the tortures of the illnesses caused me to suffer unspeakably. Those illnesses even more made me feel extremely miserable. To get free from those sufferings, I tried many ways, but in vain.

In March, 1999, a friend of mine preached Almighty God’s end-time gospel to me. Through reading God’s word every day and having meetings and fellowshipping with the brothers and sisters constantly, I understood many truths and knew many mysteries that I had never heard, and I was certain that Almighty God is indeed the returned Jesus, so I was very excited. Every day, I read God’s word thirstily. I also attended the church life, and often had meetings, prayed, and sang hymns and danced to praise God with the brothers and sisters. My heart was full of peace and joy, and my mental outlook got better and better. Unknowingly, I recovered from my diseases little by little. I often offered my thanks and praises to God for that, really hoping that all people would come to enjoy God’s love and salvation. Not long afterward, the church assigned me to take charge of the gospel work, and I threw myself into it with full enthusiasm. However, I had never expected that….

On the evening of December 15, 2012, four sisters and I were discussing matters of preaching the gospel in a host home, when suddenly there were hurried footsteps from outside. Our hearts immediately flew into our mouths. We simultaneously thought: Is it the policemen coming? Many brothers and sisters were already arrested and put in prison by the police before because of preaching the gospel. So, we hurried to hide the books of God’s word and other related items. But before we had finished, we heard the door kicked open with a bang. Seven or eight undercover cops broke in and shouted at us, “Nobody move! Hands up! …” Without showing any credentials, they forcibly searched us and took away my ID card and a receipt of the Church’s money for seventy thousand yuan. Seeing the receipt, they became excited immediately. They pushed and dragged us into a police car and took us to the police station. At the station, the vicious policemen carefully searched us all over again and confiscated all our mobile phones. At that time, they considered a sister and me the church leaders. So, they transferred us to the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Municipal Public Security Bureau that very night.

There, the policemen interrogated us separately. They handcuffed my hands to an iron chair. A vicious policeman shouted harshly at me, “What is the seventy thousand yuan for? Who sent the money? Where is it now? Who are your church leaders?” At that moment, I kept praying in my heart, “God, the vicious policemen force me to sell out the church leaders and tell them about the Church’s money. I mustn’t be a Judas to betray you. God, I’m willing to commit myself into your hand. May you give me faith, courage, and wisdom. No matter how the vicious policemen interrogate me by torture, I’m willing to stand testimony for you.” Then, I said to them resolutely, “I don’t know!” Hearing it, a vicious policeman, in exasperation, picked up a slipper and hit my face and head violently. While hitting me, he said ferociously, “How dare you not confess! How dare you believe in Almighty God! I’ll see whether you’ll believe or not.” My face was painfully hot and soon became swollen. My head became swollen and painful too. To force me to speak out the whereabouts of the money, four or five vicious policemen took turns beating me. One kicked my legs. One gripped me by the hair, shaking and tearing violently back and forth. One slapped my face. Blood streamed from my mouth. After wiping off the blood, they continued to beat me. They also wildly poked my body with electric batons. As they beat me, they demanded, “Speak up or not? Speak up!” Seeing that I still said nothing, they jabbed my private parts and my chest with the electric baton. I ached half dead. My heart beat violently, and I could hardly breathe. I just huddled trembling, feeling as if death was approaching me step by step. Though I clenched my teeth and didn’t utter a sound, I was very weak in my heart and felt that I could barely hold on, fearing that the vicious policemen’s cruel torture would come upon me once again. In agony, I prayed to God unceasingly, “God! Although I have the will to satisfy you, my flesh is weak and feeble. May you give me strength so that I can stand testimony.” Then I thought of the scene of the Lord Jesus being cruelly beaten by the soldiers before he was crucified: His muscles were ruptured, he was badly mangled and had wounds all over…. But he didn’t say a word. God is holy and innocent. However, for the sake of redeeming mankind, he endured all kinds of humiliations and sufferings and was willing to be crucified. God could sacrifice his life for saving corrupt mankind. So I should also suffer for repaying God’s love. Under the encouragement of God’s love, I had courage in my heart and made a resolution before God, “God, the sufferings you underwent I should also undergo. The bitter cup you drank I should also drink. I’ll give up my life to stand testimony for you.”

Several minutes later, I fainted with pain. When I woke up, I found someone was pouring cold water on my face. I was already drenched through and shivered with cold. Seeing that I woke up, that gang of beasts said venomously to me, “How dare you be tight-lipped! We can fix you to death here and no one will know it!” I didn’t respond to them. Then a vicious policeman forcefully stuck the sunflower seed shells they had cracked into my fingernails. The pain was so unbearable that my fingers trembled incessantly. Then they sprayed water on my face and poured water down my neck. All my muscles contracted because of the icy cold water, and I felt painful to the extreme. That night, I prayed to God ceaselessly for fear that I couldn’t live if I left God. God was with me all the time and his words constantly encouraged me, “When man gives up his life completely, nothing is difficult. …” (from “The Interpretation of the Thirty-sixth Piece of Word” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) “Just hold your head up! Do not be afraid. With me, your father, backing you up…. As long as you ask and pray more before me, I will bestow to you all the faith. Those in power look ferocious in appearance, but do not be afraid. That is because you have little faith. As long as your faith rises, nothing will be difficult.” (from “The Seventy-fifth Piece of Word” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) God’s words gave me boundless strength. Yes! God rules over all things. All matters and all things are in his hand. Even if the devils torture my flesh to death, my soul is in God’s hand. With God as my reliance, I was no longer afraid of satan, much less was I willing to be a betrayer because of caring for my flesh and for an ignoble existence. So, I prayed to God and made a resolution, “God! Although the devils torture my flesh, I’m willing to satisfy you and commit my whole being into your hand. Even if I have to die, I’ll stand testimony and never yield to satan!” Under the leading of God’s words, I had greater and greater faith. Although the devils afflicted and tortured my flesh and my endurance had already reached its limit, I felt less pain with the support of God’s words.

The next morning, the vicious policemen continued to interrogate me and threatened me, “If you don’t say it today, we’ll hand you over to the SWAT team. There are various kinds of torture devices waiting for you there….” Hearing that they would hand me over to the SWAT team, I instinctively felt afraid in my heart: The SWAT team must be even fiercer than they are. If they really use various torture devices on me, can I get out alive? Just when I was in panic, God’s words resounded in my ears, “What are the overcomers? The good soldiers of Christ should be brave, get strong in spirit by relying on me, strive to be valiant warriors, and fight satan to the death.” (from “The Twelfth Piece of Word” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) God’s words calmed down my panic-stricken heart quickly. I realized that it was a war in the spiritual realm and it was the time God asked me to bear testimony. With God as my rear guard, no matter what malicious means the devils may use, I’ll rely on God and be a good soldier of Christ, and fight satan to the death and never yield to it.

In the afternoon, two policemen in charge of the religious affairs from the Municipal Public Security Bureau came to interrogate me, asking, “Who are your church leaders?” I said, “I don’t know.” Seeing that I didn’t tell, they adopted hard and soft means. One of them punched my shoulder hard. The other tried to talk me into believing his fallacies that deny God, “The heavens and the earth and all things came into being naturally. Man has to be realistic. Believing in God can’t help you resolve your problems in life. You still have to resolve them by your own efforts. We can find jobs for you and your son….” I drew near to God in my heart the whole time, and I thought of these words of God, “You must watch and wait at any moment, and be before me more. See through all kinds of intrigues and schemes of satan, know the spirit and people, and know how to discern various kinds of people, matters, and things. …” (from “The Seventeenth Piece of Word” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) God’s words inspired me in a timely manner and made me see through satan’s schemes. The vicious policemen attempted to deceive me with fallacies and buy me off with petty favors. I could by no means be deceived by satan, much less betray God and be a Judas. Due to God’s revelation, I saw through the vicious policemen’s sinister intentions. After that, no matter what soft and hard means they tried, I didn’t respond to them. In the evening, I heard that some other people would come to interrogate me, and they mentioned that I had a previous conviction. Then, I was at a loss, not knowing what would happen at night and how I should deal with it. I could only call to God in my heart for his leading so that I wouldn’t betray God no matter what persecution or affliction came upon me. After a while, when I went to the washroom, I suddenly had a heart attack, which hadn’t occurred for years. Feeling that my heart beat faster and a fit of dizziness came over me, I fell to the ground. Hearing the sound, the vicious policemen hurriedly gathered around me. I heard someone say venomously, “Take her to the crematorium and be done with her.” Later, being afraid that I would die, they called an ambulance and sent me to the city hospital for an examination. There, I was diagnosed with chronic myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease. Unable to interrogate me anymore, they put me into the detention house. Seeing the hopeless look of the vicious policemen, I was very happy in my heart, for God made a way out for me and I could be free from the interrogation for the time being. Having escaped that affliction, I saw God’s deeds, and I uttered thanks and praises to God from my heart!

In the ten-plus days that followed, I thought that they wouldn’t give up before getting the whereabouts of the Church’s money from me. So I prayed to God every day, asking God to keep my mouth and my heart so that I could stand on God’s side in any case and would never betray God or forsake the true way. One day, after I prayed, God inspired me to think of this hymn of God’s word, “No matter what God requires, just exert all your strength. I wish you to be faithful to God the last time, to be faithful to God the last time in his presence. As long as you can see God reveal a gratified smile on the throne, even if it is just the time of your death, you should, should give laughter and reveal a smile when you close your eyes. You should perform your last duty for God in your remaining days. You should perform your last duty for God in your remaining days. In the past Peter was crucified upside down for God, while you should satisfy God in the end and exhaust all your energies for God. … No matter what God requires, just exert all your strength. I wish you to be faithful to God the last time in his presence, to be faithful to God the last time, to be faithful to God the last time.” (from “A Created Being Should Submit to God’s Manipulation” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs) I sang and pondered it in my heart over and over again. In God’s words, I understood God’s requirement and expectation of me. In the heavens and the earth there are so many living beings living under God’s sovereignty, and among mankind there are so many people following God, yet there are very few who can truly bear testimony for God before satan. Today, I have the honor to encounter such an environment, which is truly God’s exceptional uplifting and a special favor to me. God says, “In the past Peter was crucified upside down for God, while you should satisfy God in the end and exhaust all your energies for God. …” (from “The Interpretation of Forty-first Piece of Word” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) These words especially encouraged me greatly. I couldn’t help praying to God, “Almighty God! In the past Peter could be crucified upside down for you and bore testimony of loving God for you before satan. Today, I’m arrested by the CCP in power. There is your good purpose in it. Although my stature is too small and I can’t match Peter, it’s my honor that I can have the opportunity to bear testimony for you. I’m willing to commit my life to you and bear testimony for you with my death so that you can gain some comfort from me.”

On the morning of December 30, the policemen from the Municipal Public Security Bureau came to interrogate me. Right after I entered the interrogation room, a vicious policeman asked me to take off my cotton jacket and pants and said to me, “Your younger sister and your son are also arrested now. You are a nest of believers in God. We’ve been to your husband’s work unit and known that you began to believe in Almighty God in 2008….” His words hit my vitals and disturbed my mind. I had never expected that they would also arrest my son and my younger sister. Driven by family affection, I began to worry about them. Unknowingly, I felt far from God in my heart. I kept thinking, “Will they be beaten? Can my son endure it?” Just then, God’s words guided me within, “How many sufferings each person should undergo and how long a way he should walk have been predestined by God. No one can help anyone else. …” (from “Way… (6)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) God’s word led me out of family affection in time and made me realize that everyone’s way of believing in God is ordained by God and everyone should bear testimony for God before satan. If they can stand testimony for God before satan, isn’t it their blessing? Thinking of that, I was no longer worried about them and was willing to commit them to God and let God rule over and arrange them. Right then, a vicious policeman mentioned a few sisters’ names and asked me whether I knew them. I said no. He jumped to his feet and dragged me to the iron chair beside the window in exasperation and handcuffed me. Then he thrust the window open and let the cold wind blow against me. He also poured cold water on me and shouted obscenities at me at the same time. After that, he hit my face with the sole of a slipper dozens of times. I saw stars, my ears buzzed, and blood streamed from the corners of my mouth.

In the evening, several vicious policemen put me into a coldest room. Its windows were all covered with ice. They forcibly stripped my clothes, making me sit on the iron chair beside the window with nothing on, and handcuffed my hands to the back of the chair, so that I couldn’t move at all. A vicious policeman said coldly and viciously, “There is no gender difference in our interrogations….” While saying that, he pulled the window open. The biting cold wind blew on me, cutting like a knife, and I trembled all over. I said shakily, “I have postpartum tetany. I can’t be frozen like this.” He said venomously, “This specially cures your postpartum tetany. I’ll let you have rheumatism, diabetes, and nephrosis at the same time. No doctor will be able to cure your diseases!” After these words, he had someone bring a basin of cold water and forcibly pressed my feet into it to soak them and ordered, “Don’t spill any water from the basin!” Then he poured cold water on my back and fanned me from behind with a paperboard. The temperature then was more than 20 degrees below zero. Chilled by the biting cold water, I instinctively pulled my feet out of the basin. A policeman immediately seized my legs and pressed my feet into the water, not allowing me to pull them out. I huddled myself up from the cold, trembling incessantly. It seemed that my blood had congealed with cold. Seeing that, they were extremely happy. While laughing viciously, they said sarcastically, “The beat of your ‘dancing’ is not bad!” Facing those bestial devils, I hated them bitterly within and couldn’t help thinking of those demons in hell that take delight in afflicting man and take man’s sufferings as enjoyment on TV. They have neither feeling nor humanity but only cruelty and affliction. These vicious policemen had no difference with the demons in hell at all and they went even beyond them. In order to force me to turn in the Church’s money, they slapped me in the face countless times that day and night. When my face became swollen, they reduced the swelling with ice and then continued slapping me. If it were not for God’s keeping, I would have long died. Seeing that I still didn’t confess, they jabbed my thighs and private parts many times with an electric baton. Every time I got shocked, my whole body convulsed and twisted in pain. As I was handcuffed to the iron chair, I couldn’t even dodge and could only be beaten, trampled, and humiliated by them as they wished. The painful feeling was beyond description. However, they laughed wildly. More hatefully, a young vicious policeman came up to me and gripped my nipple with a pair of chopsticks and squeezed hard. It was so painful that I kept screaming. And they placed a frozen bottle of water between my inner thighs and poured mustard water into my nose. Immediately my nasal cavities were burning and the pungency instantly rushed to my brain so that I dared not breathe. A vicious policeman took a deep draw on his cigarette and blew the smoke into my nostrils, which made me cough incessantly. Before I got my breath back, another one placed a wooden stool upside down and inserted my legs into it so that the soles of my feet were off the ground. Then, he brought an iron stick and beat the arches of my feet heavily dozens of times each. My feet ached as if they were broken and the pain pierced me so much that I kept screaming. Only after a while, the arches of my feet became red and swelled up badly. The vicious policemen kept torturing me so that my heart beat violently. I felt I was going to die. Then they had me take heart medicine. Just when I got my breath back, they continued to beat me. While beating me, they threatened, “If you don’t tell, today we will freeze and beat you to death. Anyway, no one will know it. If you don’t tell today, we’ll keep you company for three or five days. Let’s see who can hold to the end. We’ll have your husband and child come to see what you are like now. If you still refuse to tell, we’ll have your husband and your son dismissed from work.” They also dug at and mocked me, “Don’t you believe in God? Why doesn’t your God come to save you? Your God doesn’t work.” Facing this gang of ferocious beasts, I hated them bitterly within. I couldn’t bear the cruel torture of these devils and beasts, much less their slander against God. So, I called to God earnestly in my heart, asking God to keep me and give me faith, strength, and the will to suffer so that I could stand firm. At that time, God’s words rang in my ears, “…in the last days, you should bear testimony for God. No matter how great the sufferings, you should walk to the end. Even if you have just one breath left, you should be faithful to God and submit to God’s manipulation. This is truly loving God, and this is a strong and resounding testimony.” (from “Only After Experiencing Painful Trials Will One Know that God Is Lovely” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) Yes! God’s intention is for me to bear testimony for him before satan. I should endure all sufferings and humiliations for satisfying God. Even if I have only one breath left, I’ll be faithful to God. Only this is a strong and resounding testimony and can shame the old devil. Under the guidance of God’s words, I had faith and courage in my heart and was willing to break through the influence of darkness and satisfy God once even if I should die. I also remembered this hymn of life experience, “I will offer the sweetest to God, and leave the bitterest to myself; I will firmly stand God’s testimony, and never again yield to satan. Ah! Head can be cut off and blood can be shed, but the backbone of God’s people cannot be bent; God’s charge is on my mind. I resolve to shame the old satan. Let tears shed in my heart; I’d rather endure great humiliations than cause God’s heart to be worried.” (from “I Wish to See the Day God Gains Glory” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs) Yes! I shouldn’t care for my own flesh. As long as I can shame satan and comfort God’s heart, I’m willing to offer up my life to God. After I made a firm resolution, no matter how the devils tortured me or carried out schemes, I always relied on God in my heart. God’s word also inspired and guided me within, giving me faith and strength so that I overcame the weakness of my flesh. Then, the vicious policemen continued to freeze me. They rubbed my body with ice. I shook with cold as if in an icehouse. My teeth chattered and I was black and blue all over. By a little past 2 a.m., I had been tortured so much that I felt worse than death. Unknowingly, I became weak in my heart again, not knowing when such sufferings would come to an end. I could only keep crying to God within, “God! My flesh is too weak. I can hardly endure it. May you save me.” I thanked God that he heard my prayer. Just when I could hardly hold on, the vicious policemen stopped interrogating me because they couldn’t get a result.

At past 2 p.m. on December 31, the vicious policemen dragged me back to the cell. At that time, I was wounded all over. My hands became so swollen like steamed buns, and they were black. My face became so swollen that it was one third larger than before, and it was blue. It was hard to the touch, without any feeling. There were many scorched parts on my private parts, which were wounded by the electric shock. At that time, there were over twenty people in the cell. Seeing that I was tortured by the devils like that, they all shed tears. Some prisoners even dared not look at me. A young Party member said, “I’ll withdraw from the Party as soon as I get out of here.” A corporate executive asked me, “Which police station is the guy who beat you from? What’s his name? Tell me. I’ll post him on the foreign websites after I get out. They claim that China is humanized, but where is the humanity? It’s simply bestialized!” My experience stirred the anger of many prisoners. They said angrily, “We have never expected that the Communist Party would be so cruel that it laid such violent hands on you. Isn’t it a good thing to believe in Heaven? Then people will commit no crime. Don’t they claim that they allow freedom of belief? There isn’t any freedom of belief at all! In China, you’ll have everything if you have power and money. The real criminals are all outside the jail, and no one dares to arrest them. The criminals on death row can be released after they give money to the officials. No fairness and justice can be found in this country….” Then, I couldn’t help thinking of these words of God, “Now is the time. People have long readied all their strength to consecrate all the effort and all the price to this, tearing up the ugly face of this devil, and causing those who are blinded and suffer hardships and afflictions to rise up from the miseries and rebel against this old devil!” (from “Work and Entering In (8)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) “Do you truly hate the great red dragon? Do you really hate it from the heart? Why do I ask you like this many times? Why do I repeat such questions again and again? How is the image of the great red dragon in your heart? Has it truly been removed? Do you truly not regard it as ‘father’? Everyone should see my intention from my questions. It is not to arouse people’s indignation, to let them revolt, or to let them ‘find a way out themselves,’ but to let all people be released from its bondage.” (from “The Twenty-eighth Piece of Word” of God’s Utterance to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh) God’s words comforted me greatly. I had never expected that the CCP government’s devilish essence of being cruel and malicious would be exposed through the cruel tortures I underwent, so that even unbelievers saw its true face and all rose up to hate and rebel against this old devil. At the same time the reality of the truth of God’s word was set off. It was really God’s wisdom and almightiness. In the past, I regarded the CCP as the red sun and people’s great savior. Through the CCP government’s inhuman persecution and affliction, I have completely changed my knowledge of it. I have truly seen that it is exactly an evil spirit which treats human life as straw, afflicts God’s people, acts against Heaven, and commits monstrous crimes, and it is the devil incarnate and the devil that resists God! God is the Creator, and men are created beings. It is right and proper for men to believe in God and worship God. However, the CCP government trumps up charges and frenziedly hunts and afflicts the believers in God, only wishing to capture all believers in God in one net. It has completely revealed its devilish face of hating God and being hostile to God. By its contrast on the negative side, I have seen more clearly God’s substance of beauty and good and love. Incarnated twice, God has undergone all kinds of persecutions and tribulations and the hunting of the devils. But God has been silently enduring all the blows and sufferings and doing the work to save man. God really loves man so much. Now I really regret that I didn’t do my best to pursue the truth and perform my duty properly to repay God’s love before. If one day I can get out alive, I’ll perform my duty more faithfully and let God gain my heart.

Later, the vicious policemen interrogated me another four times. As they couldn’t get any result, they imposed on me a charge of “disturbing the social order,” and I would be released upon bail pending trial for one year on payment of 5000 yuan. On January 22, 2013, after my family paid the bail, I was released. At home, when I saw ice on the window, my heart would beat faster. Besides, my eyesight became obviously worse and my rheumatism got more serious. I also got a problem with my kidney and always felt cold all over. My heart often palpitated, and my hands often got numb. The skin peeled off my face. My inner thighs often ached unbearably, and I was even woken up by pain from sleep. All these are the evidences of the devils’ afflicting me.

Inhumanly persecuted by the CCP government, I underwent all kinds of tortures in the flesh, but I have had a closer relationship with God and have gained a more practical knowledge of God’s wisdom and almightiness and God’s love and salvation. My will to follow Almighty God has also become resolute. I have made a resolution that I’ll follow God all my life and pursue to be one who loves God. For in the CCP government’s cruel persecution, I have personally experienced God’s love and care and keeping. If it hadn’t been God’s word leading me step by step and giving me faith and strength, I couldn’t have overcome those savage afflictions and tortures at all. After experiencing this special environment, I have seen clearly the CCP government is exactly satan the devil that resists God and is hostile to God. In order to turn China into a region without God and achieve its purpose of ruling the whole world, it actually does its utmost to banish God’s coming by every possible means and frenziedly hunts and persecutes the followers of God, attempting to capture them in one net and kill them all, and thus abolish God’s work. The CCP government is really too vicious! It is indeed the devil and beast that devours people and the dark force that pushes reactionary policies, acts against Heaven, fights justice, and advocates evil. In China, there are so many villains who do all kinds of evil things and bully and oppress the kind people, but it turns a blind eye to them and even lets them be in power and enforce the law. As for those hoodlums and gangsters who do prostitution and whoring and gambling and drug trafficking, it wallows in the mire with them to seek pleasures, and even acts as their protective umbrella. However, it simply treats those who follow God and walk the right way of human life as enemies and frenziedly hunts and cruelly persecutes them. As a result, many believers in God have a broken family, are separated from their spouses and children, are unable to go back home, and have no fixed residence and live a wandering life outside all year round; so many people, because of believing in God, undergo the brutal and inhuman tortures, and some are even maimed or beaten to death…. It can be seen that the CCP government is indeed satan the devil that destroys humanity and slaughters mankind. Its crimes will never escape God’s righteous punishment, for Almighty God has said, “The ‘den’ of the devils will surely be demolished by God. You stand on God’s side and are people who belong to God. You do not belong to this slavery kingdom. God has long since harbored a bitter hatred for this dark society and gnashed his teeth in anger. He only wishes to tread his feet on this old ancient serpent guilty of heinous crimes, making it never rise again, not allowing it to harm people any more, not tolerating its past, and not allowing it to deceive people any more. Its crimes throughout the generations will be dealt with one by one. God will never let off this arch-criminal and will exterminate it thoroughly.” (from “Work and Entering In (8)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) God’s righteousness is worthy of praise, satan’s kingdom will surely be destroyed and abolished by God, God’s kingdom will surely be established on earth, and God’s glory will surely fill the universe and expanse!

From in :God’s Love Strengthened My Heart

Recommendation:The brief introduction of the Church of Almighty God

                            :Eastern Lightning

God’s Word Led Me to Forge Testimony——The Church of Almighty God

 

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God’s Word Led Me to Forge Testimony

Xiao Min    Shandong Province

I was born in a poor and backward village, and lived in poverty from childhood. After I got married, to make my little life become rich as soon as possible, I worked and labored like crazy. In the end, I fell sick from overwork. The previously healthy me got many illnesses. Since then, I lived in the affliction of illnesses and began to see doctors and seek remedies everywhere. I spent a lot of money, but my illnesses never got better. In the spring of 1999, two sisters preached Almighty God’s end-time work to me.

Regretless Youth——The Church of Almighty God

Regretless Youth

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Xiaowen    Chongqing City

“‘Love’ means a pure and unblemished affection, to love with the heart, to feel with the heart, and to care with the heart; in ‘love’ there is no condition, no barrier, and no distance; in ‘love’ there is no suspicion; in ‘love’ there is no cheat, no deal, and no cunning; in ‘love’ there is no choice; and in ‘love’ there is not any mixture.” (from “Pure and Unblemished Love” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs) This hymn of God’s word accompanied me through the long and painful seven years and four months of prison life. The CCP government deprived me of the best years of my youth, yet from Almighty God I got the most precious and practical truths. So I have no regrets!

A Mystery Puzzling the Religious World | Gospel Movie "Ironclad Proofs—Exploration of the 'Trinity'"——The Church of Almighty God

Ironclad Proofs—Exploration of the 'Trinity

    He was a leader of a house church in China. For many years, he had been exploring the mystery of the “Triune God”: What’s the relationship between the three Spirits, the Holy Father, the Holy Son, and the Holy Spirit? What’s the difference of them? The Bible says that there is only one Spirit. If there is only one Spirit, why is it said that there are three? If there are three Spirits, how can they be one? One day, the words expressed by God who reappeared finally unlocked the mystery of the “Triune God,” which had puzzled him many years and puzzled the religious world for two thousand years….

 From in :The Church of Almighty God

Recommendation:The Utterances of Almighty God

                              Eastern Lightning

Soul Searching | Gospel Movie “Stinging Memories”——The Church of Almighty Gof

Fan Guoyi was an elder of a house church in China. In his over twenty years of service, he always emulated Paul, sacrificing for the Lord zealously and working hard. He firmly believed that he was doing the will of the heavenly Father by pursuing that way and he would surely be raptured to the kingdom of heaven at the return of the Lord. However, when Almighty God’s salvation of the last days came upon him, he clung to his notions, rejecting, resisting, and condemning it time and time again…. Later, after several debates with the preachers from the Church of Almighty God, Fan Guoyi finally woke up. He truly understood the meaning of doing the will of the heavenly Father and the way of pursuing to be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven….

At every thought of the past, the memories were stinging in his heart….

From in:The Church of Almighty God

Recommendation: Eastern Lightning

Questions and Answers About Requirements for Entry Into the Kingdom of Heaven——Eastern Lightning

The picture is from The Church of Almighty God

Question 6: We can set aside all things to spread the gospel and shepherd the church. Such toil and labor is doing the will of our heavenly Father. Is there any wrong in the way we carry this out?

Questions and Answers About Requirements for Entry Into the Kingdom of Heaven——Eastern Lightning

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Question 4: All of us have believed in the Lord for many years, and have always followed the example of Paul in our work for the Lord. We have been faithful to the name and way of the Lord, and the crown of righteousness surely awaits us. Today, we need only focus on working hard for the Lord, and watching for His return. Only thus, can we be taken into the kingdom of heaven. Because it is said in the Bible, “for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me” (Isaiah 49:23). We believe the Lord’s promise: He will take us into the kingdom of heaven at His return. Could there really be anything wrong with practicing in this way?

The Cowardly Cannot Enter the Kingdom of Heaven | "The Three-Self Church Is My Umbrella"——The Church of Almighty God

    One time, the Chinese Communist government captured many Christians of the Church of Almighty God from a particular location late at night. This matter caused a huge commotion locally. It triggered discussions amongst the members of the Three-Self Church. Some people believed that the Eastern Lightning has suffered the Chinese Communist government's cruel suppression and persecution. It is too dangerous to believe in the Eastern Lightning, and it is safest to believe in the Three-Self Church. They will not suffer hardships and they will be able to enter the heavenly kingdom. Other people believed that the Eastern Lightning is indeed the true way, but the persecution and arrest it faces is too severe. If they were to believe, they thought that it is better to believe in secret. Once the Chinese Communist government topples, they can believe openly in Almighty God. Some people had investigated the Eastern Lightning and yet, they believed that the Eastern Lightning spreads the gospel and bears witness to the Lord with no regard to life or death and that they are praised by God. They thought that the people who hide inside the Three-Self Church are cowardly people who drift through life without purpose and that they are not worthy to enter into the heavenly kingdom. … After this heated discussion, was everyone able to know what kind of people are praised by the Lord and whether the fearful can enter into the heavenly kingdom?

From in:The Church of Almighty God

It Was Too Late for Him to Repent on His Deathbed——The Church of Almighty God

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Zhu Honghong

Haiyang City, Shandong Province

Almighty God says: “… if man has a heart that truly yearns for God, then he will not be abandoned by God. Man fails to gain God not because God has emotion, or because God is unwilling to be gained by man, but because man does not want to gain God, and because man does not urgently seek God. How could one of those who truly seeks God be cursed by God? How could one of sound sense and sensitive conscience be cursed by God? How could one who truly worships and serves God be consumed by the fires of His wrath? How could one who is happy to obey God be kicked out of God’s house? How could one who could not love God enough live in God’s punishment?” “Those who willfully stand against the incarnate God shall be punished for their disobedience. Their willful opposition to God stems from their conceptions of Him, which result in their disturbance to the work of God. Such men knowingly resist and destroy the work of God. Not merely do they have conceptions of God, but they do that which disturbs His work, and it is for this reason that such manner of men shall be condemned.”

How I Prostrated Myself Before Almighty God

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Zhang Tiyuan

Zaozhuang City, Shandong Province

In December, 1989, I believed in Jesus because of my wife’s illness. After I was called, I began to read the Bible every day and couldn’t tear myself away from it, and the Bible became my spiritual anchor. I regarded the Bible as God, and without it, I would feel as if I had lost my life. Because of my belief in God, I was once arrested by the government and educated in the study classes held by it, and I was also once sentenced to three years of hard labor. Having gone through these hardships, I felt that my foundation had been laid on the rock and that I was a man faithful to the Lord. All the sisters and brothers for miles around looked up to me very much and considered me as a first-rate preacher and even more a man gained by God. At that time I was already carried away by fame and position and got a swelled head.

How I Accepted Almighty God

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Dao Ming

Donghai County, Jiangsu Province

I was formerly a believer in the “Three-Self Church,” and I had followed Jesus for over twenty years. Like other brothers and sisters, I had also been awaiting the day when I would be raptured and meet God in the air. But later, everything I did was against this wish. Thinking back to that now, I really regret very much…

Once So Foolish, I Have Finally Woken Up Today | The Church of Almighty God

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Chen Xing
Nanyang City, Henan Province
I was formerly a preacher of the “Praise Church.” Since May 1999, I had often heard the elders say, “The ‘Eastern Lightning’ is a cult. Those people are together committing adultery. If you don’t obey them, they will cut off your ears, gouge out your eyes, or even cut your flesh into pieces. They will also trick you into going somewhere outside the town and shut you into a basement… These people are very crafty. They specially go to deceive people in various churches. If any stranger comes to our church, we must inspect him and verify his identity. If there is any flaw in it, he must be from the ‘Eastern Lightning.’ Then drive him away immediately…” So, I kept the elders’ “good words” in mind and went around telling the brothers and sisters not to accept the “Eastern Lightning,” and I also told them that it was the deception of Satan. When I myself met the preachers of the “Eastern Lightning,” I refused them all relentlessly, and I even told the brothers and sisters in what harsh ways I treated those preachers and how I drove them away so that they could learn from me. I, being so foolish, did many things resisting Almighty God. In the end, it was under Almighty God’s enlightenment and illumination that I woke up.

Returning Justice to the Truth——The Church of Almighty God

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Pan Jie
Taiyuan City, Shaanxi Province

    I was formerly an elder of the Local Church. Because I held on to my arrogant and erroneous views and because I was deceived by the rumors, I developed a great hatred for the Almighty God and collected materials to attack the work of God many times. However, God did not remember my monstrous sins, but spared me with his great patience and love and led me onto the right path of human life. Thinking back to what I did in the past, I feel extremely ashamed, regretful, and grieved, and abhor myself for being so conscienceless and treasonous. Even if I dedicate my life today, I cannot repay the almighty true God’s salvation. In order that more brothers and sisters who are deceived by the rumors can turn to the Almighty God as soon as possible, here I am willing to truly “expose” my evil deeds of resisting God, so as to return justice to the truth.

    In December 1997, when I was in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, I received a letter from my family unexpectedly. It said, “On the evening of the fourteenth when we were having a meeting, in came old Sister Wang of our church together with several unfamiliar sisters. At first we didn’t know they were of ‘the Eastern Lightning,’ but when they spoke, they showed their true colors. They said that Jesus had already returned on the white cloud, with the name of the Almighty God and as a female. They also said that the Bible was outdated and asked us to read their book, The Word Appears in the Flesh. …” After I read the letter, a wave of anger surged up in my heart. “I have heard that this ‘cult’ is best at deceiving people. If anyone doesn’t believe in their God, they will cut off his ears, gouge out his eyes, or break his legs. I have never thought that this heresy or cult should have been preached to our church today. ‘When a wolf comes, the shepherd has the duty to protect the flock.’ I have to hurry home to seal the church, set it in order, and eliminate the poisonous influences of ‘the Eastern Lightning.’ This is the crucial time the Lord Jesus tests me and is also the time for me to be faithful to him and dedicate my love to him!” Thinking of that, I “devoutly” bowed my head and prayed to Jesus Christ, “O loving Savior! We expect you to come on the white cloud every day, but why does there appear a female christ who comes not on the white cloud? He who comes not on the white cloud is false and is counterfeit. Lord! Curse those people of ‘the Eastern Lightning’ and protect your pure church. …”

    On the morning of December 17, I could not wait to take a train back home. When I got home, the first thing I did was to find out the details of “the Eastern Lightning” disturbing our church and ask for the whereabouts of those three women who were driven out of the church that night. I was determined to investigate “the Eastern Lightning” thoroughly and destroy its “base.” At that time, Sister Li of our church vividly told me in detail about what had happened after those three were driven out of the church. She said, “After they were driven out of the church by us, they sneaked into Sister Xiao’s home. Learning that, we got very angry. So we seven or eight people went to Xiao’s home together. At that time, it was about twelve o’clock at night. They had all gone to bed, and the door was propped shut with a stick. Brother Jiao ‘loved’ the Lord very much. Even though he was over seventy, he kicked the door open with a crash. Then we swarmed into the room. I turned on the light, and saw the three in their underwear. We rushed at them recklessly and pulled them off the kang. But they were quite obstinate and did not beg us for mercy. Brother Jiao poked their noses with his finger and burst out, ‘Cheek! You are satans and devils. What you preach is heresy. You are fierce wolves in sheep’s clothing.’ They were all thick-skinned and simply refused to say a word. However, I saw that their eyes reddened a bit and their tears almost fell. Pooh! Satans also could cry. Who would pity them? Who would feel sympathy for them? They got what they deserved. They shouldn’t have preached ‘the Eastern Lightning’ at such a young age. …” At this, I sighed with emotion: “I really admire Brother Jiao for his ‘absolute sincerity’ and ‘faithfulness’ to Jesus and his being able to stand the testimony for the Lord at the crucial moment. It’s really hard to find such a person who loves the Lord so much. Our church needs more people like him.” At this moment, I could not but feel very proud that our church had such a person.

“What happened then?” I asked eagerly.

“Brother Jiao’s anger was still not slaked after he cursed them. Thus he roared at them, ‘Get out! You satans and devils, get out!’ We echoed his words loudly. So, they had no choice but to leave in tears. …”

    Hearing that those three preachers of “the Eastern Lightning” came to such an end, I felt very pleased and satisfied. I also asked the Lord to curse them, so that they would get out of our church and never come to disturb us again.

    After New Year’s Day in 1998, I sped up sealing the churches. Whenever I went to a church to preach, I emphasized these five steps: Jesus’ birth, death, resurrection, ascension, and coming again. And I especially stressed that when the Lord came the second time, he would come down from heaven on a white cloud and that the believers would be caught up in the air to meet him. I proclaimed, “‘The Eastern Lightning’ says that Jesus has returned in the flesh and has published a book to judge the churches. Obviously, it runs counter to the Bible, denies Jesus’ coming again, and rebels against Jesus. We can never accept these ridiculous arguments outside the Bible. …” I also frightened the brothers and sisters by saying, “Do not listen to that stuff of ‘the Eastern Lightning’ or fellowship with them. If you don’t believe me, you can have a try. After you fellowship with them or listen to their preaching for an hour, you will forget the Bible, hymns, and Jesus completely. Just as an ET alien brainwashes the people on earth, so they will make you forget everything and even become a vegetable. Because this is the ‘work of an evil spirit,’ you will then believe in their God in spite of yourself.”

    In March 1998, I went to Chengdu City with a brother, but I still did not forget to attack “the Eastern Lightning” there. One day, I found in Heavenly Wind an article that attacked “the Eastern Lightning.” Although I did not like the publications from China Christian Council and Three-Self Patriotic Committee, this article was quite to my liking. It said that the little scroll of “the Eastern Lightning” was full of wrong characters, which even ran to over four hundred in one piece. That surprised me very much and even more strengthened my confidence to resist “the Eastern Lightning.” From then on, I was convinced that the people of “the Eastern Lightning” must be some uneducated inferiors and that “the Eastern Lightning” could only deceive those vulgar and ignorant ones.

    Several days later, I got acquainted with old Brother Hatch, an American who was teaching in Chengdu City. He served as a temporary elder in a church there. In our conversation, we spoke of the issue about Jesus’ return. Because I was certain about the conclusion that “Jesus will definitely come on the cloud when he returns,” I talked an awful lot about it. However, Brother Hatch just looked at me, shook his head contemptuously, and smiled. I was very surprised. “Doesn’t he believe in the Bible? Could he also be of ‘the Eastern Lightning’?” He seemed to have read my mind. He said calmly and seriously, “In the U.S., our pastor told us that when Jesus returned, he would come down from heaven on a big white horse together with the armies of heaven.” I was unconvinced and asked in return, “Is there any biblical basis for it?” “Yes!” he said unhurriedly. “It’s recorded clearly in Revelation 19:11-16. We Americans believe it and are waiting for Jesus to come the second time on a big white horse. …” Only then did I remember those verses in Revelation. For a moment, I did not know how to answer him. I involuntarily sighed with feeling, “With such a little Bible knowledge and so few ideas which I considered ‘brilliant,’ I even want to journey north and south.” I couldn’t help blushing up to my ears. That conversation left a deep impression on my mind and also taught me a lesson. After that, the final conclusion that “Jesus will definitely come on the cloud when he returns” began to sway in my heart.

    After I went back home, I paid special attention to collecting the picture books on Jesus’ second coming and also studied the Bible in detail, trying to get from them the right answer to in what way Jesus would come again. Shortly afterward, I saw in a “picture-story book” a colored picture of Jesus’ second coming. In the picture, Jesus sat on the throne with a golden crown on his head and came in blazing fire. On the bottom were some small words: “This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 2 Thessalonians 1:7…” Then, I became even more confused. “When Jesus comes the second time, will he come on the cloud, return on a white horse, or appear in blazing fire? There is only one Jesus; how could there be so many different ways in which he will come? Every believer has the same Bible, and every way has its biblical basis. Which way is correct? Which viewpoint should I hold on to?” The more I studied, the more confused I became. I fell into a dilemma and seemed to have entered into a maze. I tried to free myself from this distress through studying the Bible, but such distress was exactly caused by the several different statements in the Bible. How could the Bible console me? Although I did not give up the hope of seeing the white cloud, the belief that “Jesus will definitely come on the cloud when he returns,” which had been unassailable in my heart for more than twenty years, was very shaky now. However, I did not give up resisting and counterattacking “the Eastern Lightning” because of that. Although I did not know what was written in the little scroll of “the Eastern Lightning,” I firmly believed that they were purely a “cult” and were Jesus’ “enemies” and “betrayers.”

    During the two years between 1998 and 2000, I not only resisted and excluded “the Eastern Lightning” in the churches, but also collected the materials everywhere that slandered “the Eastern Lightning.” I thought that once I had those materials, I would gain an insight into that “cult” through them. Of the materials I collected, some refuted “the Eastern Lightning” from the angle of the Bible, and some were written by those who had withdrawn from “the Eastern Lightning.” However, after I finished reading and examining those materials, I was disappointed, because I found that the adverse material written by one who had withdrawn from “the Eastern Lightning” was a sheer “counterfeit.” It simply put the instances of sin and the doctrines of the false christ “the Established King” on “the Eastern Lightning.” Those various slanderous materials contradicted each other, gave different versions of events, and were full of holes. For example, of the two materials brought by Wang X from Chendu City, one said that so-and-so was in Shandong Province, and the other said in Henan Province. Besides, of another two materials, one said that this way was spread to China from the U.S. and was a trick with an ulterior motive, and that there was no such a person at all, and the other said that The Word Appears in the Flesh was concocted by over ten authors who lived in different countries in the world and that their purpose was to play to the gallery and to fool Chinese people. Of these materials that gave different versions of events and that contradicted each other, which one should I believe? I blamed in my heart those who printed and distributed the materials, thinking, “How can they treat the ‘cult’ so lightly and carelessly?” I really hoped that one day I could read a material that exposed the true face of “the Eastern Lightning.”

    In August 2000, I went to Xi’an to preach the “sound truth” of our Local Church to the Holy Spirit Work Church. Elder Yu there together with other eight co-workers listened to my preaching. I preached mainly on how to build up the “Local Church,” and it lasted for two days altogether. Those brothers and sisters all listened very carefully and also took detailed notes. I felt very satisfied. On that day, there came a sister surnamed Zhang. She was the relative of one of the co-workers and often preached and shepherded the churches in other places. She was willing to attend our meeting at that time. We were all very happy, and I in particular was more than happy. Because I had finished what I wanted to preach, I pushed the boat with the current and asked this new comer Sister Zhang to preach about something. The brothers and sisters agreed with me and kept asking her to fellowship a little about her new light. Then she began to preach. To my surprise, her interpretation of the Bible was so specific, clear, and accurate, and included some rare originalities. For example, she summarized what was called “Christ” in just one sentence. I remembered that when teacher Kim from Korea (who had graduated from a theological school in the U.S., studied theology for seven years, and obtained a master’s degree in theology) gave lectures to us in Xi’an, he quoted over ten verses from the New and Old Testaments and fellowshipped for quite a while but still did not make clear what was called “Christ.” But the sister made it clear in just one sentence. She said, “God’s incarnated flesh is called Christ.” For another example, when the power of God, that of satan, and that of man were spoken of, my interpretation of them was lengthy though I had some knowledge of them, but she summarized them in just one sentence again. She said, “God is almighty, satan is mighty, and man is powerless.” She preached far better than I did. I admired her, but also envied her. I really wondered who her teacher was.

    The more she preached, the deeper her preaching went. A string of new words came out of her mouth: the direction of the Holy Spirit’s working, man is the embodiment of satan, God’s six-thousand-year management plan, God has laid bare his holy arms to mankind, and corrupt mankind needs the salvation of God…. These words and sentences were what I had never heard before and were so exciting. As she preached, my heart leaped, rejoiced, or thrilled. Even the “soundest theology” was much inferior to the way she preached, and it was something that could not be found in any ancient and modern theological textbook.

    However, on the third day of her preaching, I suddenly realized that she was of “the Eastern Lightning,” because she said that Jesus had returned in the flesh the second time and had judged the churches, opened the little scroll, and started the third stage of God’s work. It was really that enemies were bound to meet on a narrow road! I had never thought that I would meet “the Eastern Lightning” I hated most on such an occasion. I could by no means believe that such a high way and such incisive views came from “the Eastern Lightning.” How could the low and vulgar “little scroll,” which was full of wrong characters, have such high-level words? I doubted if there was something wrong with my auditory nerves. “Have I heard wrong? No, I haven’t. She clearly repeats that God has been incarnated the second time as a female and has begun his work of judgment in Mainland China.” Instantly, all those most powerful “weapons” that were used to resist “the Eastern Lightning” in ordinary days, such as those “well-rounded” materials that refuted “the Eastern Lightning,” those rumors that said “the Eastern Lightning” was vulgar and coarse, and my notion that “the Eastern Lightning” could only fool those ignorant and uneducated people, and so on, turned into a pile of rubbish. I realized that it was no easy task to confute “the Eastern Lightning.” I had to give it further consideration. Otherwise, I would only end up with a fiasco. Without broad and profound theological theory, Bible knowledge, and literary attainments, I could not confute “the Eastern Lightning.” At this time, I saw that other brothers and sisters had every intention of accepting “the Eastern Lightning,” because they listened attentively and raised questions from time to time, and Sister Zhang answered them all. “Alas! They shouldn’t be blamed. On such an occasion, even the heart of a stone man will be melted somewhat, and even I myself have been attracted by what she has preached. I should blame myself for not listening to Brother Li of the Praise Church in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province. He said that at no time should we listen to the way of ‘the Eastern Lightning,’ and that if we did so, we would become vegetables and believe in their God. To say that we would become vegetables is a lie, but to say that we would believe in their God is a fact.” Seeing that those brothers and sisters were about to be drawn in by “the Eastern Lightning,” I felt extremely grieved and prayed to the Lord Jesus secretly in tears, asking him to keep them. If it had been in the past, I would have called Sister Zhang a devil or a satan, but now I found it so hard to open my mouth. And I knew that to do so could only court defeat, because the brothers and sisters would not take sides with me, but would say that I was an unreasonable barbarian. Thus, I not only could not save their lives, but on the contrary, I would do them harm and cause them to be better disposed to “the Eastern Lightning” and accept this “cult.” “Since ‘the Eastern Lightning’ can preach such a high doctrine, I absolutely cannot look down upon them. Now I should be refined in manner and convince them by reasoning. I have to wait until I find some mistakes in Sister Zhang’s preaching before I retort upon her on just grounds. Then I can succeed at one stroke and rescue these brothers and sisters so that they will follow the Lord Jesus Christ with conviction in heart and in mouth and not be taken in by ‘the Eastern Lightning’ anymore.”

    However, my plan came to nothing. Sister Zhang’s preaching was simply perfect and unassailable, without any hole or handle for me to grasp. And she asked me from time to time whether there was anything in her preaching that needed to be corrected or supplemented. I hemmed and hawed and could not give anything, yet I was still unconvinced and my face looked very unpleasant. However, she did not mind my reaction in the slightest and just continued her preaching. As she preached, my heart went up and down. Sometimes I was extremely moved, and sometimes I shed tears of sorrow…. Suddenly, I woke up and caught my breath. “How can I sit here meekly and listen to her preaching without saying a word? What she preaches is ‘the Eastern Lightning,’ purely a ‘cult’! Besides, how can I, a dignified man, allow myself to be defeated by a weak woman?” I was unwilling to be defeated in this way, but I found it hard to refute her, because she had more and richer knowledge than me. The way she preached was not somewhat higher than the “way” I preached, but they were as far apart as heaven and earth. Seeing that other brothers and sisters had all been “bewitched” by her preaching and had turned to “the Eastern Lightning,” I hit upon a plan: “Why not pretend to accept the way and cheat her out of the little scroll—The Word Appears in the Flesh—which she mentioned in her preaching? Then I can follow the vine to get the melon. I will from this book know more about “the Eastern Lightning,” and search for contradictions, grasp handles, and use them as breakthrough points in refuting ‘the Eastern Lightning.’ I can certainly gain more conclusive and reliable evidence by doing so than by reading those false materials attacking ‘the Eastern Lightning,’ which are full of holes and in which one thing is confused with another. Perhaps one day I can write a ‘true material’ that exposes the true face of ‘the Eastern Lightning’ through my on-site investigation, so as to save those who have been ‘deceived’ and arouse the churches.” Thinking of that, I was even more eager to get The Word Appears in the Flesh. I thought to myself, “It is this book that has taken so many souls and lives. Now I’d like to see what ‘treasures’ are hidden in this book.” At this time, the conversation I had with old Brother Hatch in Chengdu City, the rumors and slanders that attacked “the Eastern Lightning” from various sects and denominations, a pile of materials that confusingly attacked “the Eastern Lightning,” in which way Jesus would come the second time, and so on, flashed before my eyes. I had not found the answers to them in three years. Although I was “fascinated” by the Bible, I was still like a lost sheep and could not find a practical way. Now three years had passed; these problems should be brought to an end. So, I pretended to accept the way Sister Zhang preached with other brothers and sisters. I thought to myself, “When the time is ripe, I will make use of the mistakes of ‘the Eastern Lightning’ to strike back at her, so that ‘the Eastern Lightning’ will fall into my trap.” But Sister Zhang in no way knew that I was “playacting.” After her preaching, she handed to me with both hands a book called The Word Appears in the Flesh. Then, she left.

    I looked at the book with scornful eyes. For my own purpose, I opened the book casually, turned to the table of contents, and found a piece of word that I wanted to read: “The ‘Savior’ Has Already Returned on the ‘White Cloud.’” I read it through carefully. Immediately, the doubts in my mind were dispelled by the words in it. God’s word says: “Over thousands of years, people have been expecting that they can see the coming of the Savior, expecting that they can see the Savior Jesus himself come on the white cloud to be among them who have been thirsting after and expecting him for thousands of years. And people have been expecting that the Savior will return and meet with them again, expecting that the Savior Jesus who has been parted with them for thousands of years will return again and still do the redemptive work he did among the Jews, having mercy on man, loving man, forgiving and bearing man’s sins, and even bearing all man’s transgressions and saving man from sins. What people have been expecting is that the Savior Jesus will still be man’s lovable and dear and venerable Savior, never getting angry with man or rebuking man but forgiving and bearing all man’s sins, and even dying on the cross again for man. Since Jesus left, his disciples and all the saints saved through his name have been eagerly longing for him and expecting him like this. All those who are saved by Jesus Christ through grace in the Age of the Grace have been expecting that the Savior Jesus will come among men on the white cloud and appear to all men on a day of great joy in the end time. Of course, this is also what all those who accept the name of Jesus the Savior today are expecting. All those in the entire universe who know the salvation of Jesus the Savior are ‘eagerly expecting’ that Jesus Christ will suddenly come, ‘fulfilling’ the word he said when he was on earth: ‘As I will go, so will I come.’ People all believe this: After Jesus was crucified and resurrected, he returned to the right hand of the Most High in heaven on a white cloud. Likewise, he will come still on the white cloud (the white cloud refers to the cloud on which he returned to heaven), in the Jewish image and in Jewish garment, to be among mankind who have been eagerly expecting him for thousands of years, and after appearing to them he will bestow food to them, pour out the living water to them, and live among them full of grace and love, true and real, all of which are what they believe in their notions. However, Jesus the Savior did not do so. What he did was just contrary to man’s notions. He did not come among those who had been eagerly expecting him to return and did not appear to all men on the ‘white cloud.’ He has already come, but people do not recognize him and do not know that. They are just waiting for him aimlessly. Little do they know that he has already come on the white cloud (the white cloud refers to his Spirit, his word, all his nature, and all that he is) to be among a group of people whom he will make overcomers in the end time!” Then I understood that when Jesus returned the second time, he did not come on the physical white cloud in the sky, nor return on a white horse, even less appear in blazing fire, but returned in the flesh with the words expressed by him, all his nature, and all that he is to judge the churches. My heart was deeply moved by this piece of word. In the book I not only did not find a hole that I wanted to find, but did not even find a wrong character. Instead, I found the answers to many unresolved questions that had hidden in my heart for many years. Then I realized that it was an unusual book. I could hardly believe that even I myself was also “taken in” by “the Eastern Lightning.” The plan that I would wait for the opportunity to turn against it fell through before this piece of word.

    Then I turned to the piece of word “Knowing the Three Stages of Works Is the Way to Know God.” The radiance of life that it emitted lighted up my heart, so that I came out of my limited knowledge area, knew the three stages of works of God’s managing mankind for six thousand years, and knew the mysteries of God’s saving mankind. God’s word says: “The three stages of works are the center of the entire management. God’s nature and God’s being are expressed in the three stages of works. Those who do not know the three stages of God’s work cannot know the ways of God’s expressing his nature, will not know God’s wisdom in working, and will not know the many different ways of his saving man and his intention for all mankind. The three stages of works are a complete expression of the work of saving mankind. Those who do not know the three stages of works will not know the various ways and principles of the Holy Spirit’s working. Those who can only rigidly observe the regulations left from one stage of work are all the ones who restrict God to regulations and who believe in vagueness. Such people are all the ones who cannot receive God’s salvation. Only the three stages of God’s works can fully express all God’s nature, fully express God’s intention of saving all mankind, and express the whole course of saving all mankind. These are the evidence of defeating satan and gaining mankind, the evidence of God’s triumphing, and the expression of all God’s nature. Those who know one of the three stages of works will only know a part of God’s nature. Knowing this only one stage of work, people will easily form regulations in their notions and will easily limit God, replacing all God’s nature with one part of God’s nature and having a lot of human imaginations and rigidly restricting God’s nature, his being, his wisdom, and his principles of working to a limited scope, thinking that God will forever be the same as he was once and can never change for eternity.” “The center of the three stages of works is God’s salvation of man, but the work of salvation includes several ways of working and ways of God’s expressing his nature. This is hardest for people to discover and difficult for them to understand. Such things as the divisions of the ages, the changes in the works, the changes in the places to work in, and the changes in the people to work on are all included in the three stages of works. Especially the different ways of the Holy Spirit’s working and the changes in God’s nature, image, name, and identity, or in other aspects are all in the three stages of works. One stage of work can only represent one part and can only be limited to one scope, and there cannot be the divisions of the ages or the changes in the works, to say nothing of the other aspects. This is a very obvious fact.” After I read those words, I bowed my head. Recalling that I always, from the angle of the work of the Age of the Grace, measured and circumscribed God’s entire work according to one stage of God’s work, I felt that I was really a shortsighted arrogant person. However, I had thought of myself as a profoundly learned, erudite, and well-informed person and thus criticized, judged, attacked, and slandered God’s new work. How foolish and detestable I was! How treasonous I was!

    In the following days, I ate and drank God’s word with great eagerness. I particularly reread through “The Disclosure of Mysteries” twice. God’s word made me convinced in heart and in mouth, and I came to know my vileness and insignificance. It also caused me to involuntarily praise God’s wonderful deeds and unfathomable abundance. My heart was convinced by the truth expressed by the Almighty God, and even I myself could hardly believe that. I read this book originally for the purpose of knowing more about the inside of “the Eastern Lightning” and preparing to write a material to attack it, yet to my great surprise, I not only did not get anything on it, but the truth of life expressed in the book deeply attracted me like a strong magnetic field. Only then did I realize that this book was not written by a human being but was God’s judgment on us in the end time and was what the Holy Spirit said to the churches, because no man could do God’s work in his stead and no man could speak such words. Those words were not miracles but surpassed miracles. I felt extremely excited. “I have never dreamt that my long-expected wish should have finally come true today: Jesus has already returned in the flesh on the white cloud and has sat on the glorious throne, the judgment has begun with the family of God, and God has already begun the third stage of his work of saving mankind!” Then, my hands with which I held the book could not help trembling, and I began to feel how weighty this book was.

    From then on, I loved The Word Appears in the Flesh, the book of the Holy Spirit’s utterance and word, so much that I could not bear to part with it. It took me three months to finish reading it. Every word of God, like a sharp two-edged sword, pierced me to the heart. My corrupt nature of disobedience, that of arrogance, and that of self-rightness were disclosed thoroughly by God’s righteous and majestic words one by one, which made me feel too ashamed to show my face. In the judging and disclosing of God’s word, I saw that this was God’s love for all mankind. After I followed the Almighty God, through three years of my personal experiences, I have not only given up the counterattack dagger-axe completely, but also taken up the “weapon” of the truth to fight the “spiritual warfare” against various rumors and fallacies, because I have seen that God has indeed come to the world and it is only that people do not know him nor accept him. The wish that I wanted to write some materials that reflected the true face of “the Eastern Lightning” three years ago has come true today after my on-site investigation. Here, I only wish to use the facts that I have personally experienced to let those brothers and sisters who have no knowledge of “the Eastern Lightning” know it afresh and see through the shamefulness of those rumors, and to return justice to the truth!

From in:Ironclad Proofs of God’s Words Conquering Denominations’ and Sects’ Leaders