Why does accepting God’s salvation and perfection require enduring so many hardships?

The Answer from God’s Word:

How do you learn how to love God? Without torment and refinement, without painful trials—and if, furthermore, all that God gave man were grace, love, and mercy—would you be able to attain the true love of God? On one hand, during God’s trials man comes to know his deficiencies, and sees that he is insignificant, contemptible, and lowly, that he has nothing, and is nothing; on the other hand, during His trials God creates different environments for man that make man more able to experience the loveliness of God. Although the pain is great, and sometimes insurmountable—and it even reaches the level of crushing grief—having experienced it, man sees how lovely is God’s work in him, and only upon this foundation is there born in man the true love of God. Today man sees that with the grace, love, and mercy of God alone, he is incapable of truly knowing himself, much less is he able to know the essence of man. Only through both the refinement and judgment of God, only during such refinement can you know your deficiencies, and know that you have nothing. Thus, man’s love of God is built upon the foundation of the refinement and judgment of God. If you only enjoy the grace of God, with a peaceful family life or material blessings, then you have not gained God, and your belief in God has failed. God has already carried out one stage of the work of grace in the flesh, and has already bestowed material blessings upon man—but man cannot be made perfect with grace, love, and mercy alone. In man’s experiences he encounters some of God’s love, and sees the love and mercy of God, yet having experienced for a period of time, he sees that God’s grace and His love and mercy are incapable of making man perfect, and incapable of revealing that which is corrupt within man, nor are they able to rid man of his corrupt disposition, or make perfect his love and faith. God’s work of grace was the work of one period, and man cannot rely on enjoying the grace of God in order to know God.

Why is it that believers must pursue the truth to achieve salvation and be perfected?

The Answer from God’s Word:

Many people say: “I believe in God and I follow in this way, so I’m bound to obtain something. I do not seek the truth but I follow until the end, and I use all my strength to expend effort and to abandon things in the course of my duties. Even if I commit some transgressions, I can still obtain something.” They do not know what they are saying.

The Awakening of a Deceived Spirit (Part 1)

By Yuanzhi, Brazil

I was born in a small city in Northern China and in 2010, followed relatives to Brazil. Here in Brazil, I got acquainted with a Christian friend who brought me to church to listen to some sermons, after three visits I still hadn’t absorbed anything. I got really busy with work after that, so I didn’t go back to church again until one day in June, 2015, when my friend brought me to church once more. That time, I finally gained some understanding of the Lord Jesus as the Redeemer through what the brothers and sisters shared. In particular, when I first read Genesis, I realized that man was actually created by God, that God had created all things, and I felt that the Creator is truly wondrous. When I was in school all the textbooks had taught me that man evolved from primates, and all the things in the world were formed naturally—it turned out that I had been deceived for over two decades. Only after reading the Bible did I fully awaken, and from that point on, I believed in the Lord Jesus.

How should one submit to and experience God’s work of the last days in order to achieve salvation?

The Answer from God’s Word:

The work of the Holy Spirit changes from day to day, rising higher with each step; the revelation of tomorrow is even higher than today’s, step by step climbing ever higher. Such is the work by which God perfects man.

What is engaging in religious ceremony?

Relevant Words of God:

A normal spiritual life is not limited to prayer, song, church life, eating and drinking the words of God, and other such practices, but it means to live a spiritual life that is fresh and lively. It’s not about the method, but the result. Most people think that in order to have a normal spiritual life one must pray, sing, eat and drink the words of God, or try to figure out the words of God. No matter whether there is any result, or whether there is a true understanding, these people just focus on going through the motions on the outside, and do not focus on the result—they are people living within the rituals of religion, and are not people living within the church, and even less are they people of the kingdom. This kind of person’s prayers, singing, and eating and drinking of the words of God are all abiding by the rules, they are compelled to do them, and they are done in keeping with trends; they are not done willingly or done from the heart. No matter how much these people pray or sing, there will be no result at all, because all they practice are religious rules and rituals, and they are not practicing the word of God.

We have determined that Almighty God is the second coming of the Lord Jesus. Then may we ask, can those religious believers who died before Almighty God does the judgment work of the last days be able to enter the kingdom of heaven and have eternal life?

Relevant Words of God:

Mankind’s existence is predicated upon the incarnation of soul in turn. In other words, each person gains a human life of the flesh upon the incarnation of their soul. After a person’s body is born, that life continues until the greatest limit of the flesh, that is, the final moment when the soul leaves its shell. This process repeats again and again with a person’s soul coming and going, and coming and going, thus maintaining the existence of all mankind. The life of flesh is also the life of man’s soul, and man’s soul supports the existence of man’s flesh. That is to say, each person’s life comes from their soul; it is not their flesh that originally had life. Therefore, man’s nature comes from their soul, not from their flesh.

Understanding the Mystery of the Names of God From a Movie

By Kom, India

Editor’s Note: Many Christians believe that God’s name is eternally unchanging and that the only path to salvation is through the name of Jesus. That’s because the Bible says: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). But is God’s name really eternally unchanging? Brother Kom came to understand the true meaning of “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” and the mystery of God’s names from a movie and was able to welcome the returned Lord Jesus. Let’s take a look at his experience.

I Found the True Light

Qiuhe, Japan

I was born in a Catholic family. Since I was little, I attended Mass at church with my grandparents. Due to the influence of my environment and my belief in God, I learned to chant many different scriptures and practice various rituals.

We have seen online many speeches by the Chinese Communist government and the religious world that malign, slander, attack and discredit the Church of Almighty God (such as the “5.28” incident in Zhaoyuan, Shandong province). We also know that the CCP is best at telling lies and falsehoods and skewing facts to deceive the people, as well as being best at maligning, attacking and judging those nations it is hostile to, so any word the CCP says must absolutely not be believed. But many of the things said by religious pastors and elders are the same as the things the CCP says, so exactly how should we discern the slanderous, discrediting words that come from the CCP and the religious world?

Answer:

Why are Satan’s evil forces attacking God’s work in such a way, judging God’s work so? Why are the evil forces of the great red dragon frenziedly attacking and condemning God, and oppressing the church of God? Why do all evil forces belonging to Satan, including the antichrist communities within the religious circle, condemn Almighty God? That is because Satan knows that its end is near, that God has already secured His kingdom and has arrived, and that Satan shall immediately perish if it does not engage in a decisive battle with God. Have you grasped this fact? (Yes.)

You have only believed in God for a little more than a decade. You are still a rookie. I have lived the better part of my life and studied religions for decades. I can tell you responsibly, there is no God in this world, and there has never been any Savior. The whole affair of believing in God is too vague. It is completely impractical. We are both knowledgeable people; we should look at matters according to the facts and science. We should believe in scientific theories such as materialism and Darwinism. Why do you have to believe in God? We communists only believe in atheism and the theory of evolution. You need to know that Darwin's theory of evolution is one of the most important scientific theories in the history of science for mankind. According to the theory of evolution, we can be sure that everything was created by the work of nature. Man is the accidental product of nature's biological evolution process. Man had evolved from the ape. This has a sufficient theoretical basis. This shows that man was not created by God. The words written in the Bible are myths and legends that cannot be taken seriously. I advise you to learn more about materialism and Darwinism. These are very practical theories that can resolve doubts. I believe that when you see it clearly, you will have a correct understanding of religious beliefs and come out from the illusory faith. Only by following the CCP will you have a future.

Answer: The CCP is an atheistic party. It naturally believes in materialism and Darwinism. But what is the result? Materialism and Darwinism have been denied and rejected by most people. More and more people are accepting God and returning to God. More and more people believe that God’s word is the truth. Now the world has reached the end of the last days. God's work has come to the final step. God will show all His deeds, so that people in the last days will see that all things in heaven and on earth were created by God, and God rules over everything. Just as Almighty God says, “How many creatures are there living and reproducing in the vast expanse of the universe, following the law of life over and over, adhering to one constant rule.

You’ve testified that when the Lord returns in the last days, He will first become flesh and arrive in secret, and after making a group of overcomers, publicly descend with the clouds to appear before all people. Such a communication makes sense. But for 2,000 years, most believers in the Lord have all been waiting for Him to descend with the clouds. Religious pastors and elders also often say so. How could we possibly be wrong by waiting in accordance with the Bible’s prophecy? This is definitely impossible!

Answer: What kind of basis do you have for saying something like that? Is what you have said in line with the words of the Lord Jesus? Are they based on God’s words? If what you are saying is completely based on man’s notions and imaginations, that would be resisting the Lord! Let’s see how the Pharisees waited for the arrival of the Messiah and why they nailed the Lord Jesus to the cross. Initially, the Jewish Pharisees were full of notions and imaginations when it came to the Messiah.

Although pastors and elders hold the power in the religious world and they walk the path of the hypocritical Pharisees, we believe in the Lord Jesus, not in pastors and elders, so how can you say that we also walk the path of the Pharisees? Can we really not be saved through believing in God within religion?

Answer:

There are a lot of people in religion who blindly believe in and worship and follow Pharisees. So whether the path they walk is the path of the Pharisees is obvious once we think about it. You dare say you worship and protect Pharisees in your heart but have nothing to do with their sins? You dare say you follow hypocritical Pharisees, but aren’t like them, a person who resists God? Can we still not see through such a simple question? The type of person we follow is the type of path we walk. If we follow the Pharisees then we are on the Pharisees’ path. If we walk the path of the Pharisees then we are naturally the same type of person as the Pharisees. Whom we follow and what path we choose is all directly related to our nature. Whoever follows the Pharisees has the same nature and essence as the Pharisees. This is an undeniable truth! The essence of Pharisees was hypocrisy. They believed in God but didn’t love the truth or seek life.

Catholic Readings and Reflections: Are Members of the Clergy Appointed by God?

By Ah-dong, Spain

Editor’s Note: Many Catholics believe that members of the clergy are appointed directly by God. They think that by submitting to their priests, they are, in effect, submitting to God. Ah-dong had also espoused this belief, but after a period of investigation and seeking he came to understand the principles guiding how God uses and appoints people. After he had reached this new understanding, his old views on the matter changed and he welcomed the Lord’s return. Want to know how he became reunited with the Lord? Read on to learn more about Ah-dong’s experience.

Religious pastors and elders have a strong knowledge of the Bible, frequently expounding the Bible to people and making them hold to the Bible, so is expounding and elevating the Bible really bearing witness to and exalting the Lord? Why is it said that religious pastors and elders are hypocritical Pharisees? We still can’t figure this out, so please can you answer this for us?

Answer:

To people, explaining the Bible should not be wrong, but at the same time as explaining the Bible, what they actually do are acts that resist God. What kind of people are these? Aren’t they hypocritical Pharisees? Aren’t they God-resisting antichrists? Why is the pastors and elders’ explanation of the Bible resisting God? Why is it condemning God? There are still people who don’t understand and still think that explaining the Bible is exalting and bearing witness to God.

At that time, when the Lord Jesus came to do His work, the Jewish Pharisees wildly defied and condemned Him and nailed Him to the cross. When Almighty God of the last days comes to do His work, the religious pastors and elders also wildly defy Him and condemn Him, nailing God once again to a cross. Why do the Jewish Pharisees and religious pastors and elders hate the truth so and set themselves against Christ in this way? What exactly is their inherent essence?

Answer:

Everyone that believes in the Lord knows the Pharisees resisted the Lord Jesus, but what was the root and the true essence of their resistance? You can say that in the 2000-year history of religion, no one has figured out the answer to this question. Though the Lord Jesus’ cursing of the Pharisees was written in the New Testament, no one has been able to discern the Pharisees’ essence. Is this not the case? When Almighty God arrives in the last days, He reveals the true answer to this question.

The Pharisees frequently expounded the Bible to people in the synagogues, appearing pious and compassionate, and they didn’t appear to do anything obviously unlawful. So why were the Pharisees cursed by the Lord Jesus? How was their hypocrisy manifested? Why is it said that the religious pastors and elders walk the same path as the hypocritical Pharisees?

Answer:

People that believe in the Lord know that the Lord Jesus really hated the Pharisees and cursed them and pronounced seven woes upon them. This is very meaningful in allowing believers in the Lord to discern the hypocritical Pharisees, break away from their bondage and control and obtain God’s salvation. However, it’s a shame that many believers cannot discern the essence of the Pharisees’ hypocrisy. They don’t even understand why the Lord Jesus hated and cursed the Pharisees so much.

How can one obtain the work of the Holy Spirit?

Relevant Words of God:

The work of the Holy Spirit changes from day to day, rising higher with each step; the revelation of tomorrow is even higher than today’s, step by step climbing ever higher. Such is the work by which God perfects man. If man cannot keep pace, then he may be left behind at any time. If man does not have an obedient heart, then he cannot follow to the end. The former age has passed; this is a new age. And in a new age, new work must be done.

What is the difference between a good servant and an evil servant?

Relevant Words of God:

The work of a qualified worker can bring people to the right way and allow them to go deeper into the truth. The work he does can bring people before God. In addition, the work he does can vary from individual to individual and is not bound by rules, allowing people release and freedom. Moreover, they can gradually grow in life, go progressively deeper into the truth. The work of an unqualified worker falls far short; his work is foolish. He can only bring people into rules; what he demands of people does not vary from individual to individual; he does not work according to the actual needs of the people. In this type of work, there are too many rules and too many doctrines, and it cannot bring people into reality or into normal practice of growth in life. It can only enable people to stand by a few worthless rules. This kind of guidance can only lead people astray. He leads you to become what he is like; he can bring you into what he has and is.

What is the difference between the wheat and the tares?

Relevant Words of God:

As I have said, Satan has sent those who do service for Me to interrupt My management. These service-doers are tares, yet wheat does not refer to the firstborn sons, but rather to all the sons and the people who are not the firstborn sons. “Wheat will always be wheat, tares will always be tares”; this means that the nature of those of Satan can never change. So, in short, they remain as Satan. Wheat means the sons and the people, because before the creation of the world I added to these people My quality. Because I have said before man’s nature does not change, wheat will always be wheat.

What is hypocrisy?

Relevant Words of God:

What is the definition of the term “Pharisee”? It is someone who is hypocritical, who is fake and puts on an act in everything they do, pretending to be good, kind, and positive. Is that what they’re actually like? They’re hypocritical, and so everything that is manifested and revealed in them is false, it is all pretense—it is not their true face.