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  • Hey, see that? The devil's back.

  • Oh no, why are they here?

  • What's going on?

  • Again?

  • All right,

  • anyone see a man in his forties run by here just now?

  • No, we didn't. No, sorry.

  • Listen here.

  • The man we seek has been preaching illegally.

  • He believes in Almighty God.

  • Whoever knows something, tell me!

  • He's wanted. There's a bounty.

  • We've been here a long while and haven't seen anything.

  • Right. Nothing.

  • If you know something and don't report it, you'll all be in trouble!

  • Understand?

  • Keep your eyes peeled.

  • If you learn anything, report it.

  • Why do they always arrest people who believe in God?

  • Yeah. It's absurd.

  • They're really preoccupied with this.

  • Let's go home.

  • I don't understand it.

  • They're really evil.

  • Quick! Move, move!

  • Come on, let's go!

  • Over there!

  • Mark my words.

  • If I catch this guy, I'll kill him.

  • Hurry! We have to find him!

  • Look over there!

  • Over there! Go!

  • Right there!

  • Hurry! We see him!

  • Catch him! He's done for now! Get over here!

  • Come on, he's up ahead!

  • I heard something over here.

  • Where'd he go?

  • Come on! Where is this punk?

  • Check over there! Go!

  • Let's go!

  • Hey, you hear something? (Yeah.)

  • I'll go look.

  • Hey, how'd you get down there?

  • Uh, I wasn't careful and I fell.

  • Okay. Let me help you. (Thanks.)

  • Grab this.

  • Hey, thank you so much. (No worries.)

  • You okay? (I'm fine. Thank you, sir.)

  • That's good.

  • Thank the Lord.

  • I heard the police were looking for a preacher.

  • Was it you they were trying to arrest by any chance?

  • Yes.

  • It's the Lord's protection!

  • Brother, we believe in the Lord too. (Yes.)

  • Oh. Thanks be to God.

  • It's not safe here. Quick, let's go! (Okay.)

  • So you got away from the cops.

  • It's really a narrow escape.

  • It's due to God's protection.

  • Yes.

  • Don't worry, Brother Yu, the police are long gone by now.

  • Stay here for now. Don't go back down the mountain.

  • Well, you'll be safe here.

  • I'll make other arrangements.

  • Thanks be to God.

  • The CCP is cracking down on house churches more than ever.

  • We gathered on this mountain out of desperation.

  • We never thought we'd run into you.

  • It must be the will of God! (Yeah!)

  • Praise God!

  • You know the police want me, but you took the risk of hiding me.

  • This really is the love of God.

  • It's made me realize everything is really in God's hands.

  • We are brothers in the Lord, one family. (Yes.)

  • You've been persecuted by the CCP for preaching the gospel,

  • for righteousness' sake. (That's right.)

  • It is our responsibility to receive you. (Yes.)

  • Thanks be to God.

  • If we lacked compassion after this many years,

  • we wouldn't be Christians. (Yeah.)

  • It's the right thing to do, to take you in.

  • Praise God!

  • I thank you both.

  • Let me introduce you.

  • Brother Yu was being hunted by the CCP.

  • We've only just met.

  • Nice to meet you.

  • This is Brother Wang and Brother Fang.

  • Hi! (Hello!)

  • It was the Lord's protection that let you evade the police. (Yes.)

  • Well, let's sit down. (Okay.)

  • Have a seat.

  • Things are only getting worse around here.

  • It's hard for us to believe in God in China.

  • Every time we gather, we're at risk for getting arrested.

  • That's right. Absolutely.

  • If we didn't have faith or wouldn't give up our lives for the Lord,

  • this path would be hard.

  • We need to pay a high price for following the Lord.

  • I was arrested for preaching the gospel. I served three years in prison.

  • So I know all about this stuff.

  • The CCP is still wantonly persecuting believers in God.

  • Christians don't have homes to return to. It's broken up families.

  • Countless Christians have been arrested, imprisoned, and tortured.

  • Yeah. Right.

  • Many have even been put to death.

  • Yes. It's despicable.

  • Their evildoings really fill people with rage.

  • Yes. Yeah.

  • But in the Bible Paul says we should obey the authorities.

  • I just don't understand.

  • How should we treat the CCP regime?

  • Yeah. I've struggled with this for a long time as well.

  • If we put Paul's words into practice,

  • then we should always follow the ruling authority.

  • Yeah.

  • But the atheist CCP always persecutes religious people and is an enemy of God.

  • They don't just forbid us from believing,

  • they persecute those who spread the gospel.

  • True. That's true. Right.

  • If we do what they want and don't believe or spread the gospel,

  • aren't we siding with Satan and betraying the Lord?

  • Of course. Yes, that's true.

  • Won't we become those destined to perish? (Right. Indeed.)

  • I agree.

  • I really don't understand.

  • How do we treat the ruling authority?

  • How do we make sure we're in accordance with the Lord's will? (Yeah.)

  • Hey, Brother Yu, you're a preacher. (Yes?)

  • You should have a unique perspective on this.

  • Please tell us what you think.

  • Yes, this issue is one that we've never understood.

  • Brother Yu, tell us about it.

  • Yes, tell us. (Sure. Okay.)

  • What don't you understand?

  • Paul said,

  • This proves the governing regimes of the world have been ordained by God.

  • So I think that obeying the regimes is obeying the Lord.

  • If we follow Paul's words in the Bible,

  • isn't that obeying God?

  • The Bible is the word of God.

  • Betraying the Bible is betraying God's words.

  • How can we be wrong if we follow the Bible?

  • No one would dare condemn us.

  • Yeah.

  • I think Brother Hou is right.

  • We should abide by the Bible.

  • Brother Hou,

  • according to your opinion,

  • obeying the regime is obeying the Lord.

  • But the evil CCP persecutes believers.

  • They ban us from believing in the Lord and from spreading the Lord's gospel.

  • You would still obey them?

  • The CCP called the Bible the book of an evil cult.

  • This is a direct attack on God's words.

  • You would really listen to that?

  • The demonic CCP denies God, the existence of the Lord.

  • They condemn the Lord and take God as their enemy.

  • If you obey them, do you still believe in the Lord?

  • Are you not serving as an antichrist and Satan?

  • I think you're wrong about this. I just don't agree.

  • Me neither.

  • In the Bible, Paul says to obey the higher powers,

  • but that's only Paul's opinion.

  • The Lord Jesus never said that.

  • So I think we must view Paul's words objectively.

  • The ruling party of every government is different.

  • We can't make a blanket rule for all of them.

  • And some countries allow religious freedom;

  • they don't restrict people's faith.

  • This is true for democratic countries.

  • They have freedom to believe in God. (That's right.)

  • If people don't break the law,

  • the state will not interfere with them.

  • That's right.

  • But the CCP regime is just too evil.

  • They won't let people believe in God.

  • They openly arrest and persecute Christians. (True.)

  • This is a commonly known fact.

  • She's completely right.

  • I believe we should not obey the CCP, this atheistic regime,

  • because it resists God too much!

  • Yeah. Right.

  • They're an enemy of God.

  • If we obey them, won't we also be resisting God?

  • That's right.

  • We can obey most ruling regimes,

  • but with the CCP, we just can't obey them.

  • That's how I see it.

  • Brother Yu, what are your thoughts on the matter? (Yes?)

  • We'd love to hear them.

  • Yes, please tell us. Yeah, that would be great. (Okay.)

  • Well, let me give you my thoughts on this. (Great.)

  • In the Bible, Paul says to obey the authorities.

  • His words are these:

  • Because of Paul's words,

  • many people who believe in the Lord think the ruling authority has been ordained by God,

  • and that obeying the regime is obeying God.

  • Some people even think

  • that even though the authorities restrict us from believing in God,

  • they should be obeyed.

  • They say resisting the government is resisting God.

  • But are these views really correct or in accordance with God's will?

  • Then what should we really think on this matter?

  • Actually, from the Age of Law to the Age of Grace,

  • God never said that we should obey the authorities.

  • Look at the Age of Law.

  • The enemy of the Israelites, the Egyptian Pharaoh,

  • he was a ruler, right? (Yes.)

  • And how did God treat him?

  • He forbade the Israelites leaving Egypt, so God sent disasters.

  • If he hadn't let the Israelites go, God would've destroyed him.

  • When the Egyptian army chased the Israelites, the Red Sea opened up.

  • The Egyptian soldiers who chased them were drowned.

  • Yes. Sure.

  • In the Age of Law,

  • the devilish rulers who resisted God were destroyed by Him.

  • True.

  • Let's look at the Age of Grace.

  • Why didn't the Lord Jesus preach at the synagogue?

  • Why did the Lord Jesus preach in the wilderness and among common people?

  • Because the ruling regime and religious leaders were resisting God.

  • They took the Lord as their enemy.

  • That's why He could only preach among the common people and in wilderness.

  • If the Lord Jesus' disciples had obeyed the authorities,

  • then could they have continued to follow Him?

  • No.

  • Could they have earned the Lord Jesus' praise?

  • No, I don't think so. Definitely not.

  • Based on this,

  • every true believer in the Lord should be able to tell

  • how we should treat the CCP in accordance with God's will.

  • Yes.

  • If someone's a longtime believer

  • but still cannot see the ruling regime is God's enemy,

  • then do they really understand the Bible?

  • Do they really know the Lord?

  • They don't know the Lord.

  • Their faith is confused.

  • Many people don't discriminate. They can't see through this.

  • Because they read these words of Paul in the Bible,

  • they don't know what to do.

  • Some even think obeying the ruling regime is obeying the Lord,

  • and resisting the regime is opposing God's ordinance and asking for punishment.

  • But tell me, isn't this idea actually wrong and harmful?

  • Yeah, it is wrong.

  • Isn't it a serious misunderstanding and resistance of God?

  • I think it is.

  • This misguided view deceives and harms people.

  • We all know the CCP is atheistic.

  • Atheists are in power, so Satan is in power. (Right.)

  • The CCP sees God as the enemy.

  • When they see Christ appear and do His work,

  • they send out armed forces and stop at nothing to ban it.

  • They want to crucify Christ. (That's right.)

  • Ever since the CCP came to power,

  • they've been publicly denying God, condemning God and blaspheming.

  • They label Christianity as a cult,

  • and the Bible they label as an evil book to confiscate and burn.

  • They declare religious groups as cults and subject them to oppression and persecution.

  • Yes, it's bad.

  • Especially toward the Christians who believe in and testify to the true God,

  • the CCP suppresses, captures, and persecutes them.

  • They commit inhuman torture and savage harm.

  • It really is ruthless and unwarranted killing.

  • Yeah.

  • There are countless Christians they've maimed or killed.

  • This is a commonly known fact. (Right.)

  • The CCP resists Heaven and God's will.

  • Their evil behaviors are countless and in defiance of God. (Right.)

  • It shows the CCP is an enemy of God, a satanic force.

  • Yeah.

  • But why do they persecute those who believe in the true God?

  • What is the point of their hate?

  • They fear the Chinese people will start following God.

  • They fear we will pursue the truth and gain salvation.

  • 'Cause then no one would be enslaved by the CCP anymore.

  • Yeah. Right.

  • So then the CCP devil persecutes Christians by any means.

  • The CCP wants to ban God's work and Christianity

  • and turn China into a godless land

  • to secure its place as the dictator of China for thousands of generations.

  • His words are right on point. (Indeed.)

  • That is enough to show

  • the CCP is a satanic regime that hates truth and God the most.

  • They're devils and resist God. (That's right. I agree. Exactly.)

  • The CCP's rule is Satan's rule.

  • Don't you all agree? (Of course, I agree. Yes.)

  • That's right!

  • The CCP's reign is Satan's reign.

  • Their resistance of God is a terrible sin. (Awful.)

  • That's very true.

  • It's abhorrent.

  • They're the worst.

  • When you said that, my heart felt bright, clear.

  • This is great.

  • Thanks be to God.

  • The CCP arrests and persecutes believers wantonly

  • to slaughter Christians to wipe them out entirely,

  • to make China atheistic.

  • They seek to control China forever,

  • keeping the people submissive in every sense. (True.)

  • These are the evil ambitions of the Chinese Communist Party. (Yes.)

  • They expose their perverse, heretical, and reactionary substance.

  • That's right.

  • If we obey them, we're digging our own graves.

  • I agree. He's so right.

  • The Three-Self Church submits to the CCP by Paul's words.

  • They're under its control on Satan's side.

  • God must really hate the Three-Self Church!

  • Yes. Of course.

  • I have believed in the Lord for years and was persecuted by the CCP,

  • but never knew their essence of hating the truth and resisting God.

  • Brother Yu, your talk here today has allowed us to see this.

  • Yes. Praise God.

  • The CCP is a devilish group

  • that hates the truth and resists God.

  • Correct. You're right. Yes, it's so clear.

  • If Christians let themselves be controlled by it,

  • they will be forsaken by the Lord! (Right.)

  • Now I understand this.

  • Praise God!

  • Thank the Lord. My heart feels so liberated.

  • Before I didn't know the truth or see the God-opposing nature of the CCP.

  • Yeah.

  • No matter how much they persecuted Christians,

  • I didn't dare condemn them.

  • I even prayed for them.

  • I thought the ruling government was ordained by the Lord,

  • and failing to obey them was rebelling against the Lord.

  • We couldn't tell the difference between good and evil. (True.)

  • Yeah. We really are in quite a dilemma, aren't we?

  • We can't truly obey and worship the Lord,

  • and we still worship Satan's power.

  • We constantly pray for CCP officials.

  • We pray that people can liberate themselves from poverty.

  • We pray for harmony in our country.

  • We pray to end disasters and wars,

  • and we pray for world peace too. (Yeah.)

  • We pray that all corrupt men can enter God's kingdom and gain eternal life.

  • The more I think about it now,

  • I think we've been on the side of Satan.

  • We've been praying for Satan's evil forces to be blessed. (Yes. Yeah.)

  • But that is rebelling against God, right? (It is.)

  • Isn't this directly contradicting God?

  • Yes.

  • We wake up early and pray for them every day, resisting God without knowing it.

  • Yes, we've been foolish. (Yes.)

  • Thanks be to God.

  • God's enlightenment allows us to see things like this.

  • Praise the Lord!

  • Now we see it clearly.

  • During the CCP's rule, they rebel against God and persecute His chosen.

  • Haven't they committed countless sins? (Yes. Right.)

  • They really have.

  • The CCP uses all kinds of methods to hurt and kill countless Christians.

  • Have they not brought disaster upon countless Christian households?

  • Yes. That's true.

  • According to this,

  • we can confirm that the CCP is the world's most evil satanic regime,

  • a group of devils who rebel against God.

  • Don't you all agree?

  • That's right. Yes. What he says is true.

  • So we turn our backs on them.

  • Isn't that in accordance with God's will?

  • We must reject them. Yes.

  • The Lord Jesus revealed this long ago:

  • The Bible also says,

  • The Lord Jesus reveals the truth and root of this world's evil darkness.

  • All humanity lives under Satan's influence.

  • There is no space for God or the truth to exist.

  • In religious world,

  • no one dares to openly bear witness to God's incarnation in the church.

  • No one would dare to testify in the church or in public about the truth Christ expresses.

  • If anyone is found testifying about the incarnate Christ, they'll be condemned.

  • They will be driven out of the church and maybe even handed over to the government.

  • Tell me, isn't this mankind just as evil as it can get?

  • This humanity is too corrupt and evil.

  • The whole earth is full of the sounds of denying God,

  • denying truth or condemning Christ.

  • Isn't this because the world has been ruled by those evil satanic forces that resist God?

  • Yes, it is. That's right. Yeah.

  • Two thousand years ago,

  • when the Lord Jesus incarnate was born,

  • He was hunted by the Roman government.

  • When He preached and did His work,

  • He was crucified on the cross by Jewish leaders and Roman officials.

  • When the Lord Jesus' gospel came to China,

  • it was met with condemnation and resistance by the Chinese government.

  • We don't even know how many missionaries were afflicted or slaughtered.

  • Since the CCP took power,

  • it's even harder to know the number of Christians killed or captured.

  • That's right.

  • Why is this important? What does this prove?

  • Why does the CCP hate believers?

  • Why have Christians been persecuted so much throughout history?

  • Why do humans choose to reject and condemn the truth all the time?

  • Why can't the will of God be carried out on the earth and throughout all countries?

  • Because Satan is controlling humanity.

  • It is because the whole world lies under the domain of Satan.

  • That's right.

  • Because the earth is ruled by Satan's evil forces, (Indeed.)

  • and atheistic regimes that resist God!

  • The CCP regime is an example of Satan's evil forces.

  • That's the reason humanity is filled with dark and evil.

  • Isn't this a commonly accepted fact?

  • He's so right. Indeed.

  • Yes, that's the truth.

  • But some people still follow Paul's words,

  • They think that obeying those in authority is obeying God.

  • But the CCP prevents us from believing in or worshiping God.

  • Do we have to obey them as well?

  • We can't obey them!

  • The CCP persecutes Christians. It forces us to write confessions.

  • It forces us to deny, reject, and betray God.

  • It compels Christians to curse and blaspheme God.

  • Can we obey a regime that acts like that?

  • We cannot obey them. No, we cannot.

  • There's no way that we can.

  • The CCP forbids us from evangelizing,

  • forces us to sell out the Lord, makes us serve as their accomplices.

  • So how can we obey them?

  • No, we should not obey them.

  • Obeying them will lead to our destruction.

  • If we obey the devilish CCP,

  • then aren't we standing on Satan's side, resisting and betraying God?

  • Yes. That's right.

  • We can't obey this satanic regime.

  • To do so is to stand on the side of Satan,

  • to resist and betray God! (Yeah!)

  • Everyone, now let's look at what Paul said,

  • Can we put these words in practice? Are they in line with truth?

  • Those words are fallacies.

  • Right. We can't follow them.

  • Paul said,

  • Now if we look at Paul's words here,

  • they're very problematic and questionable.

  • Yes.

  • How could Paul not see through the age of evil and darkness?

  • Paul was arrested for spreading the gospel.

  • Logically, he should have greater insight into the evil essence of a satanic regime. (Yes.)

  • But Paul's words really boggle the mind.

  • They really just don't make sense.

  • Many people in the religious communities have been misled by Paul's words.

  • This is so true for the Three-Self Church.

  • They obey the authorities according to Paul's words.

  • They've chosen to side with Satan's regime.

  • They do whatever the CCP tells them.

  • Yes.

  • They even follow the CCP's "love country, love church, honor God and benefit man."

  • All the church meetings, Bible study, spreading gospel are all restricted by the CCP.

  • How are they believing in the Lord?

  • Isn't this worshiping Satan and betraying the Lord?

  • Absolutely. Yes, it is.

  • Paul's words are just really misleading.

  • They have misled and they've ruined many pious believers who don't understand the truth.

  • Paul's words are so harmful. (I agree.)

  • Everyone, we all know that

  • God allows Satan to rule on earth and corrupt humanity.

  • This is all part of God's wisdom and planning.

  • Wisdom?

  • God's wisdom?

  • Yes. The point of God saving humanity is to defeat Satan,

  • to make the corrupted mankind into those who obey and worship God.

  • This is the only way to fully defeat and humiliate Satan

  • and seal its fate.

  • Amen. God is so wise. Thanks be to God.

  • That's great.

  • So that's why God allows Satan to rule and corrupt man.

  • He wants to let humans discern for themselves, to see Satan's essence.

  • God wants mankind to hate and forsake Satan,

  • and God never said that man should obey Satan.

  • He never said rebelling against Satan's regime deserves punishment.

  • Think about it, isn't this the truth? (Yes. It is.)

  • Right. God never said that.

  • Right, now I understand.

  • According to Paul's view,

  • those saints who were persecuted by satanic regimes or martyred for the Lord

  • were asking for it because they rebelled against the ruling authority.

  • Really? (No! Definitely not! Of course not.)

  • The saints even did time in prison.

  • Isn't that a beautiful testimony to the Lord?

  • Of course. Of course it is.

  • But according to Paul's words,

  • the persecution of these saints did not constitute testimony for the Lord.

  • They were asking for punishment as they resisted the power.

  • The same way,

  • Paul himself was jailed for spreading the gospel.

  • Is that not futile?

  • Then why did Paul use his own suffering as testimony when he talked to other people?

  • Isn't that a contradiction?

  • Yes. How didn't we realize this?

  • Yes, he's truly right.

  • We believe in the Lord; we spread the gospel of the Lord.

  • This is a mandate from Heaven. (Amen.)

  • But satanic regimes stop at nothing to persecute Christians.

  • They resist spreading the gospel and carrying out God's will.

  • They're exposed as haters of the truth

  • and enemies of God in essence. (Yes. That's right.)

  • People are persecuted by satanic regimes

  • because they adhere to the true way and spread the Lord's gospel.

  • They're persecuted for righteousness.

  • It's most approved by the Lord. (Amen.)

  • How can we say they're asking for punishment?

  • Paul was really wrong. (Yeah.)

  • The Lord Jesus clearly said:

  • Amen.

  • Did Paul not know what the Lord Jesus said?

  • He must have. He spread the gospel for so many years.

  • See, the Lord Jesus' words and Paul's words obviously contradict.

  • Yes, they do.

  • So in this matter,

  • should we listen to Paul's words or obey the Lord?

  • Obey the Lord, of course! Obviously, obey the Lord.

  • Right.

  • Those were Paul's words, not the Lord Jesus'.

  • Paul's words don't speak for the Lord Jesus.

  • The Lord Jesus never said obeying the authorities is obeying God.

  • Yeah, the Lord Jesus never said that.

  • Hey, I just realized.

  • Regarding taxes,

  • Amen.

  • The Lord Jesus said that we have to obey authorities in terms of taxes.

  • But He never said we had to obey all their orders.

  • Yes. That's right.

  • He definitely never said rebelling against them is opposing God's ordinance.

  • Yes, indeed.

  • So then, what Paul said is not in line with what the Lord Jesus said. (Right.)

  • It's not in line with truth. (I agree.)

  • We can't let it guide our behavior.

  • Amen!

  • We were created by God, belong to God. (Right.)

  • We should listen to God's words and obey His authority.

  • This is righteous and just!

  • Amen.

  • Since we believe in the Lord,

  • we must listen to His words and obey Him.

  • Whether it's the authorities or famous people,

  • if what they say doesn't conform to the Lord's words,

  • we will not listen. (Right.)

  • As it says in the Bible,

  • Amen.

  • Praise the Lord.

  • Listening to Brother Yu commune here, I feel so enlightened.

  • Praise God.

  • We've resolved so much confusion. (Yes.)

  • We've gained more just today than years of listening to our pastor.

  • Yes. It's true.

  • Brother Yu coming here today is truly the Lord's grace and plan.

  • Yes. Praise the Lord.

  • I knew there's God's good intention.

  • Thank God for His guidance. Today's fellowship has been wonderful.

  • Praise the Lord.

  • Brother Yu, your fellowship has enlightened us. (Yes.)

  • Hurry.

  • Dad, what's wrong?

  • What's going on?

  • It's from Brother Lu.

  • Since the police haven't caught Brother Yu,

  • they'll keep searching the mountain.

  • It's not safe for us here.

  • Let's head home. I will keep you all updated.

  • Okay. Good.

  • Let's hurry.

  • Brother Yu, we'll make the arrangements.

  • Brother Fang,

  • cover Brother Yu as he goes down the mountain to Brother Zhang's house.

  • Got it.

  • Brother Yu, come with me.

  • Take care!

  • Tell me, was Elder Sun so anxious to gather us all

  • because he knew we were listening to Brother Yu preach?

  • It's likely.

  • I wonder if they already know Brother Yu believes in Almighty God.

  • I was thinking the same thing.

  • Elder Sun has been resisting this whole time …

  • Why was Elder Sun so anxious to get everyone together?

  • I don't know.

  • Everyone,

  • what Brother Yu fellowshiped these past few days was profound.

  • But I worry he believes in the Eastern Lightning.

  • Brother Yu's from the Eastern Lightning?

  • No wonder his fellowship is so profound.

  • Don't forget,

  • the Eastern Lightning has been condemned by the religious world and the CCP government.

  • If we accept their preachings and believe in the Eastern Lightning,

  • we're in for a lot of trouble.

  • Yes.

  • Why do we believe in God?

  • Isn't it so we can have peace?

  • Won't it be shameful to be captured, jailed by the CCP?

  • Indeed.

  • I don't agree. It's persecution for righteousness' sake.

  • Elder Sun called us here today to commune on this.

  • No wonder Brother Yu's communion is so enlightening.

  • He believes in Almighty God.

  • Yeah, no wonder.

  • I heard the Eastern Lightning's preaching is lofty and practical.

  • Now I know it's true.

  • Yeah.

  • The Eastern Lightning may be profound, but listening to them is dangerous.

  • We risk arrest by the CCP and we might be expelled by the pastor. (Yes.)

  • We can't listen to the Eastern Lightning anymore. (Why?)

  • What he says has some truth. Why can't we listen?

  • Yeah.

  • I've gained a lot of insight from Brother Yu's fellowship recently.

  • Me too.

  • I understand many more truths than I did before.

  • The Eastern Lightning has the Holy Spirit's work. (Yes.)

  • Why can't we seek and accept it? (Yeah.)

  • Sister Zhen is right.

  • His fellowship is so great.

  • Everyone, now is the time when the Lord will arrive.

  • False prophets and false Christs are out to deceive man.

  • Yes.

  • At our gatherings, we have repeatedly stressed that we can't receive any strangers.

  • The Eastern Lightning especially, we can't listen to them at all.

  • Why won't you listen to me?

  • Aren't you afraid of being deceived?

  • I know there are good sheep, head sheep even from all sects

  • who've read the Eastern Lightning's books and heard their sermons.

  • They believe in the Eastern Lightning.

  • They cannot be brought back no matter what.

  • That's right.

  • Why have so many people accepted it?

  • The Eastern Lightning's preaching is powerful.

  • It's shocking the very core of the religious community.

  • Yeah.

  • So we all have to remember,

  • no matter what happens, we'll hold onto the Bible and the Lord's name.

  • Amen!

  • We can't listen to the Eastern Lightning's preaching any longer.

  • To believe in the Eastern Lightning is to abandon the Lord's way, to betray the Lord.

  • Yeah. You'll probably lose the Lord's salvation.

  • You must drive this Eastern Lightning person away immediately. (Right.)

  • This follows the Lord's will and shows true loyalty.

  • Isn't that what we want?

  • How can he say that?

  • Our belief in God is to follow the Bible and cling to it.

  • The Lord's words and work are in the Bible.

  • Departing from it, that's heretical. (Right.)

  • The Eastern Lightning goes beyond the Bible.

  • We must condemn and reject it. (Amen.)

  • Elder Sun wants us to send away the Eastern Lightning preacher.

  • That's in line with the Lord's will. (Yes.)

  • It can't be the Lord's will.

  • Yeah, how can we send him away? (That's right.)

  • I agree. Elder Sun is right.

  • If everyone listens to the Eastern Lightning,

  • who listens to the pastors interpret the Bible?

  • And then,

  • the church Elder Sun painstakingly built will be destroyed.

  • Who would Elder Sun be an elder to?

  • We're all human. We have a conscience, right?

  • We've all heard preaching from the Eastern Lightning

  • and it's too great.

  • Whoever hears it would be convinced.

  • The Eastern Lightning, isn't it shaking up the religious community?

  • Haven't you heard this before?

  • If we don't drive them away,

  • then they will steal all the good sheep from our church.

  • You can't say you haven't thought of this before?

  • I don't agree with what you're saying.

  • Do you know why the Eastern Lightning caused a shock to the religious world?

  • Why do so many good sheep and head sheep turn to the Eastern Lightning?

  • It's because the Eastern Lightning's preaching has the truth and is convincing.

  • Yes. That's right. Yeah.

  • These past few days, we've heard Brother Yu preach and know many truths.

  • After we listen, we understand the Lord's will

  • and can see the real essence of problems. (Yes.)

  • Our hearts have been enlightened.

  • We've resolved all the confusion we felt

  • and we have a way to practice.

  • We've restored our faith in the Lord.

  • Amen! Praise the Lord!

  • Before, when we listened to pastors and elders preach, it didn't solve problems.

  • Our church is becoming desolate.

  • If you compare them,

  • who really has the truth, the Holy Spirit's work, isn't it obvious?

  • That's right. It's clear.

  • Elder Sun, why do you always condemn the Eastern Lightning?

  • You condemn the Eastern Lightning, but do you know the truth?

  • Can you fix the church's problems?

  • That's right.

  • Can you lead us to hear the Lord's voice and into His kingdom?

  • Yeah.

  • Besides, what Brother Yu says is practical and has truth, with solutions to our problems.

  • Why would you try to drive him away?

  • Yeah, why would you? It's wrong to drive him out.

  • After hearing him,

  • we've obtained the watering and supply of life.

  • You should feel happy for everyone.

  • That's right. Yeah.

  • You don't want us to live in darkness and starve, right?

  • We've been hearing you interpret the Bible all these years,

  • and what do we get?

  • Even now we still don't understand the truth.

  • We just have Bible knowledge and theological theory.

  • But we can't solve our problems.

  • We don't even know how to treat Satan's regime.

  • Don't you think that's pathetic?

  • As a church elder,

  • you should take responsibility for our life.

  • That's right. I agree.

  • Elder Sun, the church is so desolate now.

  • The faith of our brothers and sisters has grown cold and weak.

  • You must know this by now.

  • If what the Eastern Lightning preaches is so powerful,

  • and so many good sheep from all denominations have accepted Almighty God,

  • this should prove the Eastern Lightning really holds the truth and is from God. (Right.)

  • You should lead everyone to investigate it more

  • if you're a good servant of the Lord.

  • That's right. She's right.

  • Instead, you restrict and hinder us

  • and say we should condemn the Eastern Lightning.

  • Does this accord with the Lord's will?

  • Are you a seeker of the truth?

  • The Eastern Lightning has truth.

  • Why won't you let us study it?

  • Why do you insist on condemning it?

  • That's right! Yeah. Why?

  • Makes me wonder,

  • are you a good servant or are you just an evil servant?

  • I really don't understand you.

  • We must learn to discern. (Yeah.)

  • In the past, we didn't hear the Eastern Lightning's preaching.

  • We didn't see the truth and we blindly believed you all.

  • We too resisted the Eastern Lightning with you. What did it do?

  • The more we resisted the Eastern Lightning, the worse our spirits felt.

  • We didn't know what was going on.

  • Right. Indeed. That's how it went.

  • Now we all understand.

  • The Eastern Lightning is the work from the Holy Spirit. (Amen.)

  • If not, why would our spirits grow darker the more we resisted?

  • She's right.

  • How could we not have the presence of the Lord? (Right.)

  • Now we're already certain.

  • The Eastern Lightning has communed so many truths.

  • I know this means it comes from God.

  • Absolutely. Amen. That's right.

  • We must study as soon as possible. We can't listen to the elders any more.

  • Do you all agree?

  • Yes. For sure.

  • We didn't understand before. We let them harm us.

  • This is definitely the Lord's will. (Yes.)

  • Yes, we have to seek the true way.

  • We can't let pastors and elders restrict us. (Agreed.)

  • We can't blindly listen to them anymore.

  • We've been in the dark for so long. We can't do it any more.

  • I understand how you feel.

  • As an elder of the church, I did not shepherd you well.

  • It's my fault, my responsibility.

  • But still, how could you listen to the Eastern Lightning?

  • Don't you know this?

  • The Lord's words are all in the Bible.

  • Our faith is based on the Bible.

  • Leaving it, we're betraying the Lord. (Amen.)

  • But you don't hold on to the Bible or the Lord's way,

  • you listen to the Eastern Lightning instead.

  • You're betraying the Bible and betraying the Lord!

  • I won't let you study the Eastern Lightning.

  • It's my responsibility for you.

  • Isn't this in the best interest of you all?

  • So why? Why don't you understand?

  • As a church elder, I must protect you all.

  • I can't let you leave the Lord's way and betray the Bible.

  • Am I wrong for doing this?

  • No, you're right.

  • Elder Sun is right!

  • In our belief, we should hold firm to the Bible and the Lord's name.

  • We can't listen to the Eastern Lightning.

  • We should only listen to the pastors and elders. (Amen.)

  • Obeying them is obeying the Lord.

  • That's right.

  • Elder Sun won't let us listen to the Eastern Lightning

  • because he's responsible for our lives.

  • We should understand where he's coming from.

  • Elder Sun,

  • it seems that you're saying this out of concern for us.

  • You worry we'd leave the Lord's way.

  • I think that I understand.

  • But you say hearing the Eastern Lightning is betraying the Bible and the Lord.

  • Have you heard what the Eastern Lightning preaches?

  • Oh yeah.

  • Have you investigated Almighty God's word?

  • If you've never heard it,

  • then how can you judge and condemn it?

  • He's right.

  • What if the Eastern Lightning really is the work of the Lord?

  • You're not afraid of resisting the Lord?

  • That would be terrible.

  • That's true.

  • Elder Sun, you know the Bible so well.

  • You should understand the severity of this.

  • You often say that people believe in the Lord to obtain life.

  • That person who can communicate the truth to us,

  • make us understand the truth and the Lord's will,

  • and solve our practical problems,

  • that's the person we should trust and receive.

  • Am I wrong?

  • No. You're right. Yeah, I get it. That's right.

  • The Eastern Lightning preacher communes the truth and reality,

  • allows us to know the truth and enjoy the Holy Spirit's work,

  • and can solve all our problems.

  • So I think that we should receive him and hear him out.

  • Right. We should welcome him.

  • Yes, it's the right thing to do. I agree.

  • If our pastors and elders could communicate the truth and allow us edification and provision,

  • would we need anybody else?

  • Don't you agree that this is the case?

  • Yeah, I agree. I do. It's true.

  • Pastors and elders only talk about the doctrines in the Bible.

  • They can't supply us with life or communicate reality of the truth. (Yeah.)

  • So we looked for another path

  • and took in the Eastern Lightning person.

  • This is our freedom and our right.

  • Why would you interfere with us?

  • She's right.

  • You don't want to see us trapped to death here in this religion, do you?

  • Of course not.

  • Then why would you stop us from studying the true way?

  • Yes, why?

  • By doing that, you're harming all of us. (You are.)

  • How can you say you're protecting us?

  • Your words may sound righteous,

  • but your deeds are base and vile! (Yeah!)

  • How are you different from the ancient Pharisees?

  • He's not different at all.

  • By doing this, aren't you betraying the Bible?

  • Aren't you betraying the Lord's will? (Yeah.)

  • You're boxing us in and controlling us.

  • Why not let us seek the truth and the true way freely?

  • Yeah!

  • Is there another motive here?

  • It's not us who need self-reflection.

  • It's you pastors and elders.

  • Why do they restrict us like this?

  • We should just believe in God.

  • We shouldn't be restricted. We should just believe in God.

  • If the Eastern Lightning's preaching offers you provision and understanding of the truth,

  • you can continue.

  • I won't object.

  • I'm not completely unreasonable.

  • It's just … if you listen to the Eastern Lightning,

  • please be careful.

  • Nowadays,

  • most religious pastors and elders are condemning the Eastern Lightning.

  • What does this mean?

  • It means the Eastern Lightning can't be the true way.

  • Amen.

  • If the CCP and religious leaders accepted it,

  • that would prove it's the true way. (Amen.)

  • Am I wrong? Do you all agree?

  • I do!

  • If the Lord Jesus returned to do God's work of judgment in the last days,

  • it would be advocated by the religious communities.

  • Right.

  • How could that be opposed and condemned by religious leaders at all?

  • Yeah, how could that be?

  • Would God let the religious communities resist and condemn His work?

  • Right. God wouldn't allow it. (Yeah.)

  • Besides, religious leaders often interpret the Bible.

  • They know it well.

  • You could say they understand the Bible the best.

  • Amen. Right.

  • So if they resist the Eastern Lightning,

  • they probably aren't wrong.

  • Right. They can't be wrong!

  • Are you saying that none of the religious pastors and elders have the truth at all?

  • How could you dare condemn all elders as the hypocritical Pharisees?

  • I wouldn't dare say that.

  • I think that

  • we should continue to follow the religious community.

  • Amen.

  • I don't want you listening to the Eastern Lightning's preaching.

  • Is this not in your best interests?

  • He's going around in circles, but we still can't listen?

  • Elder Sun is right.

  • If it's condemned by the CCP and religious world, it can't be the true way.

  • We should follow religious trends and stick to the Bible.

  • That can't be wrong!

  • The Lord wouldn't forsake the whole religious world.

  • The Lord is compassionate.

  • I don't believe the Lord would ever forsake us. (Amen.)

  • I don't think you should listen to the Eastern Lightning either.

  • Me neither.

  • If the Eastern Lightning is the return of the Lord Jesus,

  • how come we're not raptured yet?

  • I don't care if it's the true way.

  • If I can't get to the kingdom of heaven, I don't want it.

  • I'll stick to the Bible.

  • I'll follow religious trends. There's no way I'm wrong.

  • Even if the Eastern Lightning is the true way, I don't want it.

  • Get me into the kingdom of heaven, then I'll believe.

  • How can he say that?

  • He's an unbeliever.

  • That is the voice of Satan. (Exactly!)

  • That's completely absurd. (Awful.)

  • I have something to say.

  • If only pastors and elders know the true way as you say,

  • where are the facts to back this up?

  • Is it in line with the truth?

  • Do the Lord Jesus' words support this?

  • The Lord Jesus didn't say anything like that. (Yeah.)

  • When the Lord Jesus did His work,

  • He received fierce condemnation from the Jewish religious world.

  • And in the end,

  • He was crucified on the cross by Jewish leaders and the Roman government.

  • Isn't this true?

  • It is.

  • Would you dare say the Lord Jesus isn't the true God and His work not the true way?

  • No one would dare. No, nobody would say that.

  • According to you, aren't you condemning the Lord Jesus' work?

  • Right. They definitely are.

  • Elder Sun, what do you say to that?

  • That's how it is.

  • If you had lived in the Lord Jesus' time,

  • I don't know whether you would follow religious leaders and resist the Lord Jesus

  • or follow the Lord Jesus.

  • Yeah. That's right.

  • When you try to figure out whether it's the true way,

  • it's not based on the Lord's words nor the Holy Spirit's work.

  • You base it on religious leaders' and the government's acceptance.

  • Judging based on this criteria, does this accord with the truth?

  • Is it in line with the Bible?

  • No, it's against the Bible and the truth.

  • When the Lord Jesus appeared and did His work,

  • many people condemned His work based on their own conceptions and imaginings.

  • Yeah.

  • What was the result?

  • They resisted and condemned the Lord. They were cursed by God.

  • That's right.

  • How is your attitude toward the Eastern Lightning

  • different from the ancient Pharisees' attitude toward the Lord Jesus?

  • Exactly the same.

  • Don't you think such views are absurd and ridiculous?

  • Indeed. Yes. It's true. He's right.

  • If the Eastern Lightning is the appearance of God,

  • then the religious pastors and elders who condemn it

  • are the modern-day Pharisees.

  • Yeah.

  • Some even call the cops and have the Eastern Lightning preachers arrested.

  • Isn't this standing on the side of Satan's regime resisting God?

  • That's true.

  • Their resistance of the Eastern Lightning

  • makes me wonder if they're God-fearing people at all.

  • They don't seek the true way or consider the life of us.

  • How can they restrict us from seeking the true way?

  • Correct. Yeah. That's right.

  • I think I fully understand.

  • They're no better than the Pharisees.

  • They're hypocrites.

  • They only care for their own status. (Yeah. You're right.)

  • Based on how they've dealt with the Eastern Lightning,

  • I now understand they are evil servants, false shepherds. (Right! Yeah!)

  • Elder Sun, recently we've already started seeking.

  • We've found the Eastern Lightning has the truth and comes from God.

  • That's right. Definitely.

  • If you want to be responsible for our life,

  • then you should study the Eastern Lightning

  • and listen to their sermons, (Agreed.)

  • and see if the Eastern Lightning has truth or not. (That's right.)

  • Then, you can confirm whether the Eastern Lightning is God's work.

  • Right. Yes. That's a good plan. I agree.

  • If the Eastern Lightning didn't have the Holy Spirit's work,

  • and was just man's group,

  • we could condemn it however we want.

  • But you haven't looked into it. You're just blindly condemning.

  • You're even believing the CCP's lies.

  • That's of a different nature entirely.

  • Absolutely. It's offensive to God.

  • We're believers in the Lord.

  • We must be responsible for our actions. (Yes. Right.)

  • If you're wrong,

  • how will you explain it to us? (That's right.)

  • If you ruin our future prospects,

  • how will you compensate us?

  • Yeah. Very true. That's right.

  • If you're really considerate of us,

  • why don't you search for the true way?

  • How can you still say irresponsible things? (Yes! Yeah!)

  • Elder Sun, you're wrong to do this.

  • If you had compassion,

  • you wouldn't stop us from seeking the true way. (Yeah! Yes!)

  • You're the elder, so why don't you let us choose for ourselves?

  • Why? Yeah. She's right.

  • Yes. We're now able to understand some truth.

  • That's a good thing. (Yeah. Yes.)

  • You don't have to be happy for us,

  • but why condemn the Eastern Lightning? (Yeah!)

  • Is that still love?

  • There's no love. None at all.

  • You're the elder.

  • If you can't lead us to find the true way and the Lord's voice,

  • then you're not qualified!

  • Yeah, that's right. Agreed.

  • Restricting us from studying the true way,

  • do you have a conscience? (Yeah!)

  • I … I have worked so hard for all these years for you all!

  • Not only do you disobey me, you try and tell me what to do!

  • You've let me down! (It's just facts.)

  • You …

  • Elder Sun! Elder Sun!

  • Elder Sun! Elder Sun!

  • How could you all do this to him?

  • You are muddled. You can't see the truth.

  • You can't stick up with the truth.

  • The Eastern Lightning has the truth. We should study it. (Amen.)

  • They've only listened to the Eastern Lightning for a few days,

  • and they're already so incisive and insightful.

  • I didn't expect this.

  • It seems that the Eastern Lightning really does have the truth.

  • Powerful!

  • I can't let our fellow believers listen to it. (Right.)

  • Otherwise,

  • all our believers will turn to the Eastern Lightning.

  • If that happens, our church will shut down!

  • It's true.

  • We need a way to stop them. (Right.)

  • This can't continue.

  • They've only been studying the Eastern Lightning a few days,

  • and they've already changed.

  • If they take even more over to the Eastern Lightning,

  • who will follow us and listen to our preaching?

  • Won't we be left standing alone?

  • That's right.

  • No. It's too dangerous.

  • Well, it doesn't matter if they follow us.

  • But we must protect the flock.

  • I think Zheng Xun and the rest are dead set against changing their opinions.

  • They just want to study the Eastern Lightning.

  • Thank you.

  • What we should do

  • is find that Eastern Lightning preacher and turn him in to the cops.

  • He'll do eight to ten years!

  • Then we'll cast out all of them.

  • We'll make believers reject them, ostracize them.

  • Then we'll keep our church open.

  • Ah! Elder Sun has great ideas.

  • This is the only way that will work.

  • How can you do this?

  • The Eastern Lightning preachers believe in God.

  • Isn't this going a bit too far turning in a believer?

  • How would you even know?

  • If we don't do it, we're in trouble.

  • If none of us resist the Eastern Lightning,

  • our church would have to shut its doors.

  • You know the CCP takes believers and drives them close to death.

  • This is especially true for the Eastern Lightning people.

  • They're treated like the worst criminals.

  • If they are sent to jail,

  • who knows if they'll live or die?

  • Won't you be selling out the Lord and our friends?

  • You'll become like Judas.

  • Won't this offend the Lord?

  • I think sending them to prison is a terrible thing.

  • You're just being short-sighted.

  • If we don't drive the Eastern Lightning preachers to death or to prison,

  • they'll just continue to steal our sheep, all our good sheep.

  • Yes.

  • Could we still maintain the church?

  • They are forcing me to do this.

  • What choice do I have? There's nothing.

  • I'm an elder of the church. Given sermons for years.

  • I know more than you do.

  • I do this to protect the flock. I'm being loyal.

  • Yeah.

  • Yes.

  • In these past few years, Elder Sun has been through a lot for our church,

  • and he's gathered all these sheep himself.

  • That's right.

  • So it's natural that Elder Sun shepherds them.

  • How could he let the Eastern Lightning steal them?

  • They're stealing our sheep.

  • That means they're stealing our meal ticket.

  • We should take a stand against the Eastern Lightning.

  • Yeah. True.

  • How dare the Eastern Lightning steal our flock?

  • They deserve all this. (It's true.)

  • Brother Zheng! Brother Zheng!

  • What happened? (This is bad.)

  • Careful. Take it easy.

  • Elder Sun and some others, they're searching all our homes for Brother Yu!

  • For Brother Yu?!

  • Yes, they said they'll turn him into the police!

  • And they'll expel whoever houses him.

  • Quick, give me the bike. (Here.)

  • We have to hide Brother Yu.

  • Don't worry, Brother Yu.

  • My aunt and uncle are good people.

  • They don't believe in the Lord, but they're good people.

  • You should hide there for a while.

  • After the things settle down, I'll come get you.

  • Okay. It's fine with me.

  • I've put you all through so much.

  • Come on. We're all brothers in the Lord.

  • This is what we're supposed to do.

  • Almighty God!

  • You have used Your miraculous ways to lead me here.

  • I am sure there is Your good will.

  • As soon as the people here began examining Your work,

  • they were disturbed by the antichrist forces in the religious world.

  • The pastors and elders tried many things to stop them from finding the true way.

  • They're taking people searching for me door to door.

  • O God! Now that everything is this bad,

  • I just really don't know what I should do.

  • O God!

  • Please open a path for me, give me faith and strength.

  • Lead me to finish the commission You've given me …

  • You bought these boards?

  • No, we made them ourselves.

  • Wow, really?

  • Who is it?

  • It's me, uncle!

  • Oh, Zheng Xun! Come in, come in!

  • He's in here. (Thank you.)

  • Brother Yu. (Oh, Brother Zheng, how are things going?)

  • Thanks be to the Lord. The Lord has given us a way out.

  • We've found a house we can meet in.

  • Ah, that's great! Thanks be to God.

  • Hey, everybody's there already.

  • You should get your things. We should go while it's still dark out.

  • Sounds good, I'll go now. (Great.)

  • Why did they turn hostile when we talked about the Lord's return? (Yeah.)

  • Brother Yu, come in, please!

  • Oh, Brother Yu! Brother Yu's here! (This is great!)

  • Oh, everyone's here.

  • Brother Yu, you've come!

  • I'm sorry for the wait.

  • How has everyone been?

  • Oh, Brother Yu, you don't know,

  • things in the church are completely chaotic. (Yeah!)

  • Let's sit and talk about it.

  • Please have a seat. Here, sit.

  • Brother Yu, have a seat.

  • I'm so glad Brother Yu's here.

  • Yes, let's ask him what's really going on around here. (Yes.)

  • Sister, please go on.

  • Brother Yu,

  • the pastors found out you've been witnessing Almighty God to us.

  • Yeah.

  • Now they're acting like crazy people,

  • going around spreading heresies and lies, condemning Almighty God. (It's true. Right.)

  • They seal off the church,

  • and have been constraining anyone from hearing your sermons.

  • It's true.

  • And they see us all as thorns in their eyes, the most hated.

  • They also say those who accept Almighty God will be expelled from the church.

  • Yes, it's true.

  • Clearly the church has split into two factions.

  • Some brothers and sisters want to study the true way with us.

  • It's true. Yeah.

  • Others are just following the pastors and elders in resisting the Eastern Lightning.

  • They treat us as though we are their enemies.

  • Why has the church changed so much and only in a few days?

  • Yes, why?

  • Before, we were all brothers and sisters.

  • How can we be enemies today?

  • Why did they go crazy when you bore witness to Almighty God?

  • Yeah. Yeah, why?

  • I never thought something like this could happen.

  • What is really going on here?

  • I agree.

  • This sudden change in the church has everyone confused.

  • It does.

  • Brother Yu, let's talk about it.

  • Yes, please tell us.

  • Yes, let's talk about it.

  • Everyone,

  • what we're going through is no less than a spiritual war.

  • Spiritual war?

  • Why do I say this?

  • Each time God is incarnated to do His work,

  • the evil forces of Satan will resist and condemn Him.

  • Naturally, this leads to a spiritual war.

  • It exposes and divides the religious community.

  • Just like in the Age of Grace,

  • the Lord Jesus' work of redemption shocked the Jewish faith.

  • Many people followed the Lord Jesus because of what He said and did,

  • but what about the Jewish leaders?

  • When they saw the authority of the Lord Jesus' word and work,

  • they became scared,

  • because they knew clearly if they let the Lord Jesus do His work like that,

  • all the believers would follow the Lord Jesus,

  • and the whole of the Jewish faith would soon crumble.

  • Yes.

  • So in order to defend Judaism and secure their positions,

  • they tried to stop believers from accepting the Lord Jesus.

  • When that happened, believers in God split into factions.

  • Some of them hated the truth and resisted God's work;

  • they were enemies of God.

  • Some had no discernment and simply became passive observers.

  • But there were some who had heard God's voice,

  • and they were able to study and accept His work.

  • Those people are the ones who obey the work of God.

  • Now I get it.

  • When the religious world meets the appearance and work of God,

  • a spiritual war will follow.

  • Division will naturally happen.

  • The Lord Jesus' words and work back then smashed the prevailing order of Judaism.

  • At the time they exposed and divided the Judaism.

  • This should be easy for us to see.

  • I see.

  • This is true. Right.

  • It is true now that you mention it.

  • When the Lord Jesus came to do His work,

  • a majority of the religious people stuck to the Old Testament and Judaism.

  • Only a minority loved the truth and accepted the Lord Jesus' work,

  • and they formed Christianity.

  • Yes.

  • That is how Judaism became divided.

  • Yes, you're absolutely right.

  • Therefore,

  • we can see our church's split is another spiritual war.

  • Yes, this is true.

  • Now everyone knows the Lord Jesus has returned,

  • and He is Almighty God incarnate.

  • Almighty God has expressed all truths that can save and cleanse man.

  • He has done His work of judgment starting from God's house,

  • shocking the religious world.

  • Many good sheep from all denominations

  • have seen the words of Almighty God are truth and have power and authority.

  • They recognized God's voice and returned to Almighty God.

  • So the leaders in the religious community are all up in arms.

  • They fear when believers see Almighty God's words, they'll return to Him.

  • This would make them isolated.

  • Therefore, to protect their own status and eternal control over religion,

  • they join together to resist and condemn Almighty God,

  • and stop believers from studying the true way.

  • This ends up leading to another spiritual war.

  • It fulfills the biblical prophecies:

  • So this is how the prophecies are fulfilled! (Yes!)

  • Everyone, while this spiritual war goes on,

  • all of us believers will be given a choice.

  • Those who thirst for the truth and the manifestation of God,

  • have heard God's voice by studying Almighty God's work in the last days,

  • and now know that Almighty God is the Lord Jesus' return.

  • Amen.

  • They have broken free of the control of religious antichrist forces.

  • They've been raptured before God's throne for cleansing, salvation, and to be made perfect.

  • These people are the overcomers that God will make in the last days.

  • Thanks be to God!

  • But those who follow the religious leaders,

  • who reject, resist, and condemn Almighty God,

  • they are the tares and dogs God has exposed in the last days,

  • the antichrists and unbelievers.

  • They have already been forsaken by God and have fallen into darkness.

  • Of course.

  • Almighty God's appearance and work brought great famine to the religious world,

  • and all is revealed.

  • The wheat and tares, sheep and goats,

  • wise and foolish virgins, good and evil servants,

  • have all been categorized, separated in the spiritual war.

  • I see.

  • From this, we can see the wisdom of God's work and the wonder of His deeds. (Of course!)

  • Yes, that's how wheats and tares are separated.

  • God's work is marvelous.

  • God's deeds truly are wonderful. (Thanks be to God.)

  • The manifestation and work of God do expose people. (Yes.)

  • Ah, that's why our church became two factions when Brother Yu bore witness to Almighty God.

  • Right. Of course.

  • We usually believe in the Lord together.

  • We can't tell true from false believers.

  • When we bear witness to Almighty God,

  • the wheat and the tares, the good and evil servants,

  • the lovers and haters of the truth, are all revealed. (Indeed.)

  • The Lord Jesus' prophecies are fulfilled in this way.

  • God is so almighty and wise.

  • Amen.

  • Praise the Lord. We have discernment.

  • Yes, God is so great!

  • That's right. Hearing this today, I understand.

  • Antichrists have long controlled the religious world.

  • So when we examine Almighty God's work,

  • pastors and elders hate us

  • and try to stop us from seeking the true way. (Yeah.)

  • Well, Almighty God's work

  • has exposed the antichrist essence of the religious leaders as truth hating.

  • To protect their jobs and status,

  • the pastors and elders condemn and resist Almighty God.

  • And believers in Almighty God are like their enemies.

  • It's true.

  • They're exactly the same as the Pharisees who opposed the Lord Jesus back in the day. (Right.)

  • They should be cursed!

  • Right!

  • Yes!

  • Now we understand,

  • since Almighty God's judgment work in the last days began,

  • He encountered fanatical resistance and persecution from the CCP regime and the religious world.

  • Among corrupt mankind, there aren't many who truly love the truth.

  • Not many people in the religious world truly yearn for God's appearance.

  • This completely fulfills the prophecy of the Lord Jesus:

  • No matter how much the CCP and religious antichrists condemn and oppose it,

  • what comes from God will triumph.

  • This is a fact. (Amen!)

  • Hear this,

  • in just twenty years,

  • Almighty God's gospel of the last days has spread through mainland China.

  • It's become common knowledge in this country now.

  • Yes, spread throughout the land. God's work is amazing.

  • Almighty God's word, The Word Appears in the Flesh was posted online.

  • More truth lovers all over the world who hunger for the appearance of God

  • go study Almighty God's work in the last days.

  • How great!

  • We can study God's word online. (Yes, we can.)

  • Almighty God's words and work are like the lightning, flashing from the East over to the West.

  • It fulfills the Lord Jesus' words:

  • The words have come true. (Yes.)

  • Almighty God's work is the appearance and work of God in the last days,

  • the work of the returned Lord Jesus. (Amen.)

  • The result of God's appearance and work will improve,

  • with more people accepting it and testifying to it.

  • Time and facts will prove all of this. (Right. Yes.)

  • Thanks be to God.

  • It's like the Lord Jesus' work.

  • In the beginning, no one acknowledged it was God's work,

  • but then, the gospel spread and more people accepted it.

  • By the last days, it's spread everywhere. (Yes.)

  • It's true.

  • Almighty God's work is the same.

  • Now that Almighty God's words have spread around,

  • more people accept them as the words of God.

  • Thank God.

  • It proves God's words are almighty

  • and every sentence will be fulfilled. (Amen.)

  • God's words will accomplish all. (Amen.)

  • We've read the prophecies before, but didn't understand them.

  • Yeah, today they've been fulfilled,

  • and we understand when we hear witness of God's work. (That's right.)

  • That's how prophecies go.

  • Until they happen, people don't understand. (Yeah.)

  • Everyone, let's watch a video reciting Almighty God's words. (Okay.)

  • Thanks be to God. That will be wonderful.

  • A video of Almighty God's words? Great!

  • Wow!

  • Almighty God's words are ever so moving. They're filled with power and authority!

  • When you hear them, you know they're God's voice.

  • Indeed.

  • Only God's words can shake the whole religious community.

  • God's sheep hear His voice, it is totally genuine. (Yes!)

  • We all are truly blessed to be able to hear God's voice today! (Praise the Lord!)

  • No person could say something like this!

  • Yes!

  • Anyone who has read Almighty God's words will admit

  • Almighty God's words are truth,

  • they're the voice of God. (Amen!)

  • This proves Almighty God is the second coming of the Lord Jesus. (Amen! Yes!)

  • Since we believe in the Lord, we must accept the return of the Lord Jesus.

  • This is what it means to follow the Lamb's footsteps. (Yes!)

  • No matter how long people have believed in the Lord,

  • if they don't accept His return, they will be forsaken.

  • The Lord Jesus' return will indeed reveal people.

  • Only those who listen to the Bridegroom's voice and can accept it are the wise virgins.

  • Only those who attend the Lamb's wedding banquet

  • have the opportunity to obtain God's approval,

  • be cleansed, and enter Christ's kingdom. (Yes!)

  • If people only believe in the name of the Lord Jesus

  • and don't accept His return and the truth Christ of the last days expresses,

  • then how could the Lord Jesus ever acknowledge them?

  • Right.

  • The Lord Jesus will condemn them and say,

  • Yeah.

  • They're just like the Pharisees who only believed in the name of Jehovah God,

  • and didn't accept the Lord Jesus incarnate,

  • and so resisted and condemned the Lord Jesus.

  • Did their belief in God earn His approval?

  • No!

  • Right! No!

  • Not only did God disapprove of them,

  • they also were cursed and punished by Him.

  • It's true. Right.

  • Therefore, believers who only keep the Lord's name and faith in a vague God in heaven,

  • but don't obey God's work in the last days,

  • nor accept the truth uttered by Almighty God, Christ of the last days,

  • they're exactly the same as were the Pharisees, both believe in God in name.

  • In practice, both resist and both betray God.

  • They must all be forsaken by God.

  • It's true. Yes, true.

  • The Lord Jesus' return will expose all men.

  • This is something that all who believe in the Lord should clearly understand! (Yes, we all need to understand.)

  • You're correct!

  • I finally realize that believing in God is not all that simple! (Right.)

  • The Pharisees believed in God just in name.

  • They just kept the Messiah's name,

  • but crucified the Lord Jesus to the cross.

  • They committed a terrible sin.

  • Yes.

  • Not only did their faith in God fail to lead to blessings, it resulted in them suffering curses.

  • Yes.

  • We've believed in the Lord for years, but still don't know Him.

  • We follow pastors to resist and condemn His return.

  • Aren't we behaving just like the Pharisees:

  • believing in the Lord in name while in fact resisting Him? (Yes.)

  • How is this true faith in the Lord?

  • Our faith really is quite muddled!

  • Yes.

  • Believing in the Lord like this while resisting Him, not knowing Him,

  • yet still waiting for Him to rapture us to the kingdom of heaven,

  • isn't this simply daydreaming?

  • Right.

  • Following pastors to believe in the Lord like this is too dangerous!

  • We will be punished by God before we know what's going on!

  • Yes. Aren't pastors and elders leading us to resist God?

  • Tell me, are we not being sold to Satan? (Yes!)

  • And yet we still trust in them. Just how stupid are we?!

  • This is really foolish! (Sure it is!)

  • Right, it's so stupid.

  • Elder Sun,

  • the government is working hard to repress the Church of Almighty God.

  • Your information will help.

  • If the Eastern Lightning preacher's still here,

  • he'll have nowhere to run!

  • We'll increase our police presence and cut off every exit,

  • giving him nowhere to hide!

  • Also, you must work quite closely with us.

  • If you learn anything, you must report it at once!

  • Yes, yes, Captain Huang.

  • I follow the government's wishes.

  • I will work with the government to capture those who believe in the Eastern Lightning.

  • Besides,

  • this will help me to protect and defend our own church! (Yes.)

  • Therefore, we'll definitely cooperate as much as we can.

  • Do not worry, Captain Huang.

  • Right.

  • We believe in the Lord so we always must obey the ruling authorities,

  • because the ruling authority comes straight from God.

  • Captain Huang, if the government requires anything,

  • we'll cooperate no matter what.

  • You must believe us. (Yes.)

  • You're right to work with us.

  • You're indeed pretty smart.

  • Now you—

  • Hello. It's Director Wang.

  • OK, I'll get right on it.

  • Yes, yes, yes, I understand.

  • The national government has made "repressing the Church of Almighty God"

  • one of its utmost important tasks.

  • It seeks to attack the Eastern Lightning.

  • We'll work to apprehend and punish

  • the pillars of the Church of Almighty God. (Yes.)

  • We'll jail one group and kill another.

  • We'll completely ban the Church of Almighty God.

  • As for how you should deal with the Eastern Lightning,

  • if you believers stand on the side of the government,

  • working with us to repress and capture those who believe in the Eastern Lightning,

  • the government will support you.

  • Yes. We understand.

  • Otherwise, even your faith will be banned!

  • Yes, yes, Captain Huang.

  • We will … we will cooperate with the government. (Yes, yes.)

  • When we find the Eastern Lightning followers,

  • we will report them to you.

  • Yes, we'll report to you at once.

  • We'll be on our way. Thank you.

  • Okay. (Bye.)

  • Well, now that Brother Yu has talked so,

  • we finally understand.

  • Those who believe just in the name of the Lord Jesus

  • can't be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven.

  • We all must accept the second coming of the Lord Jesus

  • and obey God's work in the last days to enter the kingdom of heaven!

  • Right!

  • There still are many brothers and sisters who don't understand this.

  • They continue to live in their own illusions.

  • They think if they keep the Lord's name,

  • maintain the Bible, and listen to pastors and elders,

  • when the Lord returns, He'll bring them to the kingdom of heaven.

  • They follow pastors and elders in resisting and condemning the returned Lord,

  • and they don't even know it. (Right.)

  • It seems that what our brothers and sisters most need to learn

  • is how to believe in God so as to gain His approval

  • and be raptured into the kingdom of heaven.

  • Right. Indeed.

  • Hey, Brother Yu, how about this? (Yes.)

  • Tomorrow I'll call the brothers and sisters together, and you can commune with everyone.

  • How does that sound?

  • OK! Wonderful! (That sounds wonderful.)

  • Thank God!

  • Then tomorrow I'll invite another brother and we'll all commune.

  • Okay. That's great.

  • Great! Thanks be to the Lord! I'll gather brothers and sisters from our church to listen …

  • Thanks be to God.

  • Thanks be to the Lord!

  • We are indeed fortunate to feel the work of the Holy Spirit as we do today. (Indeed.)

  • Wow! Many brothers and sisters have come here today! (Yes!)

  • Sister Yang's here. (Sister Yang.)

  • You're all here. (Yes.)

  • Well, these past days,

  • Brother Yu has given us such insightful fellowship. (It's true.)

  • It does seem that the path we have taken in our faith in God strayed a bit.

  • Yes.

  • What's most important in having faith in the Lord is to follow His words and practice them always.

  • This is truly obeying God's work. (Yes.)

  • Yet we seem to only focus on working and preaching for the Lord,

  • and not on practicing and experiencing His words. (Yes!)

  • The pastors and elders that interpret the Bible

  • quote Paul's words the vast majority of the time

  • and then seldom quote the Lord Jesus. (That's right!)

  • In this way,

  • we are unconsciously worshiping Paul and following his example.

  • That is quite true.

  • Inevitably, this strays from the Lord's way.

  • Isn't this a deviation of our faith in God?

  • That's true it is.

  • At last we now understand.

  • We don't believe according to the Lord's words;

  • we blindly follow our pastors and elders.

  • Of course this leads to the wrong path. (Yes!)

  • We're really foolish and ignorant!

  • We are indeed.

  • Hey, sister. I'll take these books over. (Thanks.)

  • Thanks. (Sure.)

  • They even treat Paul's words as God's words.

  • Right!

  • Pastors and elders often quote Paul when they discuss welcoming the Lord's return;

  • they want us to always obey the ruling authority.

  • They've also defined that what is condemned by the authorities is utterly false.

  • As a result,

  • though Almighty God has performed His work for years,

  • we've not pursued or investigated.

  • That's right!

  • Plus, we follow them in resisting Almighty God's work in the last days.

  • We're close to becoming sinners through the ages,

  • incurring God's cursing and punishment.

  • Oh! The consequences are severe!

  • Thinking of that now makes me really scared. (Indeed.)

  • We've listened to them interpret the Bible for years,

  • but instead of knowing the Lord Jesus' words,

  • we just know Paul's.

  • In this way, the Lord Jesus' place in our hearts becomes smaller.

  • Aren't we straying from the Lord's way?

  • That's true.

  • We blindly obey the words of our pastors and elders;

  • we allow them to set standards and control all.

  • Even in studying the true way, we feel the need to ask them.

  • It's true.

  • Isn't it obvious that we're worshiping and following men? (That's true!)

  • Hey! I do not agree with what you're saying!

  • Brother Yu is here! …

  • Welcome!

  • What's his name?

  • Oh, Brother Zhao.

  • Hello, Brother Zhao! (Hello, my brother!)

  • Please, come sit.

  • Hey, everyone please sit!

  • Let's listen carefully. We can't miss this opportunity!

  • Don't believers look forward to the Lord's return? (Yes.)

  • We should seize this chance.

  • We give thanks to God!

  • May God lead us! (Good!)

  • My brothers and sisters, please continue with your discussion.

  • Yes, Sister Ma, please continue.

  • Then I'll continue.

  • I don't agree at all with what you've said.

  • Paul's words are in the Bible,

  • and therefore, they were inspired by God,

  • they are God's words. (Amen!)

  • Pastors and elders may discuss Paul's words the most

  • but even then they're still exalting and bearing witness to the Lord.

  • They don't stray from the Bible or the Lord's words.

  • Amen!

  • Believing in Him's believing in the Bible.

  • Regardless of sect,

  • if it strays from the Bible, then it's heresy! (Amen!)

  • We believe in the Lord and must act according to the Bible;

  • we must keep the words of the Bible. (Yeah.)

  • The Bible's Christianity's canon, the foundation of our faith.

  • Amen!

  • Leaving the Bible's leaving the Lord;

  • we leave it, how can we believe in the Lord?

  • Yeah, there'd be no way to believe in the Lord.

  • The Lord's words are written in the Bible.

  • Where else could we ever find His words?

  • If our faith in the Lord's not based on the Bible,

  • then on what is it based?

  • Right.

  • It's true.

  • The Bible's the foundation of our faith.

  • Haven't Christians based their faith on the Bible for thousands of years? (Yes!)

  • Do you see now? What believers do not retain the Bible?

  • Those without the Bible are simply not Christians.

  • Unbelievers don't have the Bible, because they don't believe in the Lord.

  • Correct!

  • Therefore, to believe in the Lord is to believe in the Bible.

  • We must keep the Bible's words and hold it firm as that's belief in the Lord.

  • This is the truth! (Amen!)

  • Sister Ma,

  • you say that because Paul's words are in the Bible,

  • they were inspired by God, they're God's words.

  • That's not quite proper, is it?

  • Did the Lord Jesus say, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God"?

  • Did the Holy Spirit testify this?

  • The answer's no. Certainly not. No, He didn't.

  • Then how can you say that all the words in the Bible were inspired by God?

  • Anyone familiar with the Bible knows that

  • the words of God conveyed by the prophets are quite clearly marked.

  • It's clear to see which words were inspired by God and are from God

  • and which were spoken by men.

  • Yes!

  • Yet none of the words in Paul's epistles are marked as having been inspired by God and from God.

  • Therefore, how can you say that all of Paul's words are God's words?

  • Right. Yes.

  • Was Paul a prophet? (No.)

  • Does the Bible say that Paul was instructed by God to convey His words?

  • It does not. Certainly not.

  • Right, it doesn't.

  • We know that Paul was just an apostle spreading the gospel.

  • The letters he wrote to each church

  • were simply an attempt to console his brothers and sisters in time of great difficulty.

  • Right!

  • So these words just represent Paul's experiences and knowledge.

  • They're the words of a human.

  • How can we say that those words were inspired by and came from God? (Yes!)

  • There's one point we must be clear about.

  • Only God incarnate can express the words of God,

  • because Christ's substance is God Himself.

  • Amen!

  • Paul is just a man; he is not Christ.

  • Therefore, regardless of whether or not Paul's words are recorded in the Bible,

  • they're just man's words. (Yes.)

  • This is an undeniable fact!

  • Correct. Yes.

  • God's words are God's words; man's words are man's words.

  • Man's words can never become the words of God.

  • Clearly, we cannot treat the words of man as if they were the words of God

  • just because they are in the Bible.

  • Right. Yes, that's right.

  • If we understand that they are man's words,

  • but still want to treat them as if they were the words of God,

  • are we not distorting facts and betraying the truth?

  • Isn't this resisting and blaspheming God? (Yes!)

  • It's an undeniable fact.

  • Brother Zheng is right!

  • Brother Zheng has been listening to the Eastern Lightning just a few months.

  • I'm shocked he already has such insight and has made such progress!

  • Ah! Wonderful!

  • Apparently, the Eastern Lightning really does come from God's work;

  • it clearly has the truth!

  • Yes!

  • Hey, why aren't Brother Liu and Sister Jiang here?

  • Where are they?

  • They won't be coming.

  • They're listening to the Eastern Lightning with Brother Zheng.

  • What?

  • Oh my!

  • If Brother Liu and Sister Jiang also believe in the Eastern Lightning,

  • then we're all in trouble. (Yes. Right.)

  • They've a lot of prestige

  • and will lead others to believe in the Eastern Lightning as well.

  • That's true. That's absolutely right.

  • If this continues,

  • the pillars in the church and other good believers will follow the Eastern Lightning.

  • Our church will not be able to survive!

  • That is so true.

  • Ah! Never once did I think that our best church members would all accept the Eastern Lightning!

  • Yes, they all understand the Bible.

  • The Eastern Lightning is too powerful!

  • We keep trying to prevent them from pursuing it,

  • but we still can't stop them from studying the Eastern Lightning.

  • Yes.

  • The number of true believers in the church is always going down.

  • Elder Sun, please tell us what we should do!

  • Yes, we must figure something out now.

  • I believe expelling Zheng Xun and the rest isn't enough;

  • we must ruin them, we must disgrace them!

  • Right! True!

  • Ideally, we should make our believers pray for the Lord to curse them all.

  • Indeed. They should all be cursed. Yes.

  • Everyone must promise the Lord

  • they won't investigate the Eastern Lightning,

  • nor read the words of Almighty God. (Yes.)

  • This way, no one will investigate the Eastern Lightning any more.

  • Tell me now, what do you think of this?

  • Good! That's we'll do! I fully agree.

  • That's a good plan!

  • Hey, Elder Sun,

  • I think that if we don't want the faithful to listen to the Eastern Lightning,

  • we should tell them that Zheng Xun accepted bribes and was bought off by the Eastern Lightning preacher.

  • Why else would he try so hard to believe in the Eastern Lightning?!

  • That's right. Right.

  • Man's out for his own interests. Man lives just for money.

  • Good point. Yes, that's right.

  • If we say this to them, they'll surely all believe it!

  • Yeah! This is a good idea! We'll do that!

  • Yes! You are right! It is a great idea!

  • Good idea. That should work!

  • The church collected pamphlets from the CCP and the religious communities

  • that resist and condemn the Eastern Lightning.

  • We've arranged them into a small brochure.

  • You must distribute these brochures to every single believer that we know.

  • OK. Will do.

  • That way,

  • the faithful will not listen to the Eastern Lightning any more.

  • Great! That's what we'll go do. It's a good plan!

  • Hey, Elder Sun, by resisting the Eastern Lightning,

  • we're obeying the authorities and in accordance with the Bible. (Right.)

  • But if we spread rumors about the Eastern Lightning,

  • are we not bearing false witness against others? (Yes!)

  • The Lord Jesus forbids us from bearing false witness.

  • Will this offend the Lord? Will we incur His wrath?

  • Ah! I don't feel good about this.

  • What do you know?

  • What should we do?

  • Just let all of the faithful go and believe in the Eastern Lightning?

  • Yeah!

  • We can't hold back when it comes to the Eastern Lightning.

  • By doing this,

  • we are protecting our sheep and our church. (Right.)

  • We are being loyal to the Lord.

  • That's right! Yes. We are.

  • Loyalty to the Lord? Protecting the sheep?

  • That doesn't give the right to spread rumors and to frame people.

  • How could this be framing people?

  • I really do not understand.

  • Your faith's been in vain if you can't even grasp this point!

  • You must see it like this:

  • We must do whatever it takes to protect the church.

  • As long as our intentions are good, then we're not doing evil.

  • Amen! Yes! Indeed!

  • Don't worry about it. Just be sure to get it done.

  • If there're any problems, the responsibility will be all mine.

  • If Elder Sun says that, my mind is at ease.

  • Right now we must all resist the Eastern Lightning. (Right.)

  • If this fails, I've one last resort …

  • Oh, one last resort?

  • We're far too invested in Paul's words.

  • We've treated Paul's words as the Lord's.

  • Brothers and sisters,

  • the problem we just discussed is quite important!

  • Indeed. That's right.

  • This impacts whether our belief in the Lord will gain His approval

  • as well as the rapture into the kingdom of heaven! (Right!)

  • In truth, many believers think, "Belief in the Lord is belief in the Bible,"

  • and that "keeping the Bible is believing in the Lord."

  • Now is this view in accordance with the words of the Lord?

  • Did the Lord Jesus ever say, "Keeping the Bible is believing in the Lord"?

  • Not at all. He did not. The Lord Jesus never said that.

  • According to this view,

  • "Belief in God is belief in the Bible and keeping the Bible is believing in God."

  • Now everyone,

  • think for a moment about the Jewish chief priests, scribes, and the Pharisees.

  • Their faith in God followed the Bible; they kept the Bible, correct?

  • That's right. Correct.

  • What were the results?

  • When the Lord Jesus appeared and did His work,

  • they didn't accept or obey Him.

  • Instead, they judged the Lord Jesus and said

  • His words and work overstepped the law of the Old Testament.

  • What's more, because the Lord expressed the words of God,

  • they actually convicted Him of blasphemy.

  • And as a result, they crucified Him on the cross.

  • That's true.

  • In light of this fact,

  • do we dare still say that belief in the Lord is belief in the Bible

  • and keeping the Bible is believing in the Lord? (No.)

  • When we put the Bible above all else,

  • does that mean we fear and magnify the Lord?

  • When we have blind faith in and keep the Bible,

  • does that mean we obey and worship the Lord?

  • It does not.

  • Does it mean that we follow God's will?

  • No.

  • Some believers only believe in the Bible and keep the Bible;

  • they can't magnify the Lord or practice and experience His words,

  • nor do they seek truth, obey God's work, or follow His footsteps.

  • They even resist and condemn God's work based on the literal words of the Bible.

  • Are they not hypocritical Pharisees?

  • Are they not antichrists who take God as their enemy?

  • Yes!

  • The Lord Jesus once rebuked the Pharisees:

  • The Lord Jesus exposed the Pharisees' flawed method of faith quite clearly.

  • The Pharisees' faith in God was only based upon the Bible.

  • All they did was according to it.

  • They valued the Bible above everything else;

  • they thought that keeping the Bible would give them eternal life.

  • However, they didn't accept the truth expressed by the Lord Jesus.

  • They chose to keep the Bible rather than follow Lord Jesus.

  • They clung to the Bible and used literal interpretations to attack the Lord Jesus.

  • They denied and condemned truths expressed by the Lord.

  • In the end, they crucified the Lord Jesus upon the cross.

  • That is why they were cursed and punished.

  • Yes, this is the truth!

  • Therefore,

  • we can see that if a believer only believes in and worships the Bible,

  • but then denies Christ incarnate and rejects God's work and leadership,

  • they certainly will not be obtaining God's praise.

  • Yes.

  • Is what I say not true? (Yes, it is.)

  • It seems dangerous to continue to keep the Bible. I'm worried.

  • Brothers and sisters,

  • let's read some of Almighty God's words. (OK!)

  • Please turn to page 944.

  • Let's read it together. (OK.)

  • Be honest, don't you think these words refer to us?

  • Almighty God's words are in line with our true conditions.

  • Right!

  • We have believed in the Lord for all these years

  • and really treated the Bible as if it were the Lord. (That's true!)

  • We thought following the Bible was after the Lord's heart,

  • that worshiping the Bible meant the Lord was with us.

  • It's true.

  • As long as I put the Bible near my pillow when I sleep,

  • I feel as if the Lord is protecting and keeping me.

  • My heart is at peace and so I sleep very well.

  • Yes! That's right!

  • In the past, we would often say

  • that we already had all of God's salvation;

  • it was all contained in the Bible.

  • I never realized that by saying that,

  • I was delimiting God only within the Bible.

  • Therefore,

  • I never studied Almighty God's work in the last days.

  • How could we have been so foolish and ignorant?! (Indeed.)

  • Brothers and sisters,

  • Almighty God's words expose the greatest deviations and errors in the religious people's faith in God to us.

  • Right.

  • If we compare it to our own experiences,

  • it seems we've believed in the Lord

  • but never really practiced or experienced His words.

  • We've never searched for the truth in the Lord's words or obtained the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.

  • We've never tried to find the Lord's will within His words.

  • The result is that we have never followed the Lord's way,

  • and we have never really known the Lord.

  • That's right.

  • We thought if we could memorize some biblical passages,

  • God would have a place in our hearts,

  • that if we could explain some of the Bible,

  • it would mean that we did know God.

  • And even we falsely thought

  • that as long as we could explain the Bible and memorize a lot of the text,

  • we would be in accordance with God's will.

  • That's right!

  • All believers place the Bible above everything else.

  • In their hearts, the Bible has already replaced the Lord.

  • Yes.

  • Many think to exalt and keep the Bible is to exalt and bear witness to the Lord.

  • In truth,

  • these actions completely stray from the Lord's way and will.

  • Right.

  • This is especially true during the Lord's appearance and work in the last days.

  • Many still cling to the Bible

  • and wait till they see for themselves the Lord descend with the clouds.

  • They don't search for the Holy Spirit's work and utterance.

  • Even though they've heard the witness of the Church of Almighty God

  • that the Lord has returned and He is Almighty God

  • and is uttering the truth and doing judgment work in the last days,

  • they don't search for God's appearance and work.

  • They even follow religious pastors and elders in denying, judging, and condemning Almighty God.

  • They've become those who believe in yet resist God.

  • They will be forsaken by God, thrown into great disaster and punished.

  • Yes.

  • This happens when people blindly believe in and worship the Bible,

  • confine God within its limits,

  • and unconsciously walk the path of resistance against God.

  • The Pharisees were cursed by God

  • because they clung to the Bible and resisted the Lord Jesus.

  • What lessons can we learn from their failure?

  • It's wrong for believers to keep the words of the Bible.

  • We must practice and experience the Lord's words.

  • We must search for the truth in the Lord's words and gain the Holy Spirit's work.

  • This is especially true when the Lord returns.

  • When we hear someone bear witness to the Lord's arrival,

  • we must search for God's present work and words.

  • This way, we can follow the footprints of God's work;

  • we'll be raptured before God's throne

  • and receive the supply of water of life,

  • obtain truth and salvation, and enter the kingdom of heaven.

  • Amen!

  • Wonderful. We have a path now.

  • Thanks be to God.

  • Almighty God's words are indeed good.

  • What you say is practical and true. (Yes.)

  • Thank God! Praise God!

  • We've believed for years but never grasped how the Lord and the Bible relate.

  • Indeed.

  • We believe in the Lord but fail to magnify Him,

  • emphasizing the Bible instead.

  • We value classic Bible passages above all else.

  • We memorize a few dead Bible passages,

  • but don't obey the Lord, live by and practice His words. (Yes.)

  • This is especially true when it comes to His return.

  • I stubbornly kept the Bible.

  • In no way did I search for the work or for the utterance of the Holy Spirit. (Yes.)

  • When I heard that the Lord's returned as Almighty God

  • who is doing His work of judgment in the last days,

  • I didn't explore it.

  • Instead, I followed my pastors and elders in resisting and condemning.

  • Believing in the Lord like this, how are we different from those hypocritical Pharisees?

  • We believe in Him but don't know we're resisting Him.

  • Yeah.

  • This is the case.

  • Had Almighty God not revealed this,

  • if it were not for His words,

  • nobody would know about their deviations or errors in their faith.

  • In truth, before God spoke or started His new work,

  • our belief in the Lord according to the Bible was not wrong.

  • This is because the Bible is a witness to God;

  • it's a record of God's words and work during the Age of Law and the Age of Grace.

  • Indeed!

  • We who read it become aware of God's existence.

  • We learn about God's almightiness and wisdom,

  • how He created all and rules over all. (Yes.)

  • In addition, we can see what God said and did

  • during the previous two stages of His work,

  • as well as His wishes and demands on all of mankind,

  • His many actions revealed to all of humanity, and so on.

  • Yeah. Correct. Indeed.

  • The Bible specifically contains

  • the Lord Jesus' work of redemption during the Age of Grace,

  • the abundant grace and truth He gave mankind,

  • allowing us to see God's true love and mercy toward humanity.

  • Praise be to God. Yes, thanks be to the Lord.

  • If we did not have the Bible,

  • it would be hard for us to understand God's past work. (Right.)

  • Therefore,

  • the Bible is a necessary and classic book for us believers.

  • The Bible helps us believe in and know God truly,

  • and also to walk the right path of life.

  • Correct! Yeah!

  • However, regardless of how valuable the Bible is or how much it has helped humanity,

  • the Bible does not represent God or replace the work of the Holy Spirit,

  • much less does it stand in for God in the work of salvation.

  • Isn't this true?

  • Yes. It's true. That's quite right!

  • This is a fact! It's certainly is true, don't you agree?

  • God is the Lord of creation, the source of all life.

  • Furthermore,

  • God gives humanity a steady stream of life that is utterly inexhaustible. (Amen!)

  • However, the Bible is just a historical book about God's past work.

  • How could it ever be on par with God?

  • That's true!

  • Yes! It can't be put on the same level as God!

  • The Bible is the Bible. God is God.

  • The Bible and God are different. (Yeah.)

  • Belief in one does not mean belief in the other. (Right.)

  • Everyone, am I right?

  • Yes. That's correct. Indeed.

  • I finally understand.

  • The Bible is merely a limited collection of God's work and words,

  • meanwhile, God is both true and living,

  • God is the source of man's life.

  • Most of all, the Bible in no way compares with God! (Correct.)

  • Hey! That reminds me of a story. I'd like to share it with you all.

  • It doesn't quite fit this situation, but it does illustrate a problem.

  • What story? Tell us!

  • Tell us about it.

  • A father once took the time to write a long letter to his son.

  • And his son held this letter tight and cried rivers of tears every day.

  • He desperately longed for his father to return and be with him.

  • And then one day, his father did return from far, far away.

  • Guess what happened?

  • His son didn't acknowledge him, and he said the letter represented his father.

  • Tell me, isn't this just the most stupid thing for the son to do? (Yeah.)

  • Doesn't the father just have to scold his son?

  • It's a good analogy, right?

  • It explains the problem! (Yes!)

  • It's clear what we used to think

  • that "the Bible represents the Lord and faith in the Bible is faith in the Lord"

  • is not a valid viewpoint at all.

  • Yes. That's true.

  • Correct! You're absolutely right! Praise God!

  • Our faith in God can't be based just on the Bible.

  • We must base our faith on what God actually says

  • and the work of the Holy Spirit.

  • This is what's most important to faith in God! (Correct. Yes.)

  • If we don't even understand this basic knowledge concerning faith in God,

  • aren't we too foolish and ignorant?

  • It's true. Yes.

  • This is like it was in the Age of Grace when the Lord Jesus came and did His work.

  • Could man obtain the work of the Holy Spirit if all they did was read the Old Testament,

  • but not accept the words and work of the Lord Jesus? (No!)

  • Could they gain the Lord Jesus' salvation? (No. Of course not.)

  • Correct! Obviously not!

  • And so, when the Lord Jesus has returned in the last days as Almighty God,

  • and He is expressing truth and doing His work of judgment,

  • can those of us who only keep the Bible and the Lord Jesus' work,

  • obtain the work of the Holy Spirit and God's salvation of the last days?

  • Of course not!

  • Sister, we cannot continue to keep the Bible like this.

  • Correct!

  • Thus, when Almighty God does His new work in the last days,

  • we must all seek the truth within His words, as well as listen to His voice,

  • follow the footsteps of His work, (That's right.)

  • and undergo the judgment and chastisement of His words.

  • Only by undergoing God's work like this can we obtain truth, (Right.)

  • know God, and gain purification and salvation.

  • This kind of faith is the only way to gain God's praise. (Amen.)

  • Thanks be to God!

  • Now that they've spoken to us, we understand at last!

  • When God does new work, we must follow Him! (Correct!)

  • Captain Huang, do not worry.

  • This time the information is all true.

  • We'll definitely catch the Eastern Lightning preachers.

  • Just wait and see!

  • If we can catch them this time,

  • Elder Sun, it'll be because of you!

  • The government will not treat you badly.

  • That's good!

  • Praise the Lord!

  • Hearing your testimony to Almighty God's word,

  • I understand that I have learned nothing from my years of faith in the Lord.

  • I failed to see the difference between belief in the Bible and the Lord.

  • I even used my own bit of knowledge about the Bible to constrain God's work.

  • I followed pastors and elders in resisting Almighty God.

  • Long ago I took the Pharisees' path in resisting God and didn't know it.

  • I'm far too arrogant and unwise.

  • When I look at my behavior,

  • I don't resemble a believer in the Lord!

  • My faith in the Lord had no reality;

  • I was basically an unbeliever!

  • Hey, Sister Jiang, how can you say that?

  • Right! Yeah!

  • We've all believed in the Lord for many years and maintained His name. (Correct! Right!)

  • We all read the Bible, pray, and confess our sins to the Lord;

  • we're humble, patient, and loving toward others.

  • We perform charity and donate

  • and sacrifice everything to work for the Lord. (That's all true.)

  • We spread the gospel. (Correct!)

  • Are we not practicing the Lord's words?

  • Aren't we following His way? (Correct!)

  • How can you say we had no reality of faith in the Lord and are unbelievers?

  • Right. How can you say that?

  • We all know Paul said in the Bible,

  • Amen!

  • Therefore, I think our faith in the Lord will obtain His praise. (Yes.)

  • When the Lord comes, He'll bring us to the kingdom of heaven. (Amen!)

  • Tell me, do you think I'm right? (Amen!)

  • What Sister Ma says makes sense. (I agree.)

  • If we didn't have real faith in the Lord,

  • how could we all sacrifice our work and youth for Him? (Yes!)

  • How could we suffer so much to spread His gospel and witness Him?

  • If we didn't truly believe in the Lord,

  • could we have withstood all of that suffering,

  • borne our crosses and followed the Lord? (Right.)

  • Would we rather suffer in jail than ever deny the Lord's name and betray Him?

  • Isn't this evidence that we all really believe in the Lord?

  • Indeed!

  • Isn't this how saints believed in the Lord throughout time? (Yes.)

  • How can you say this is not true faith in the Lord?

  • What say you to all these issues?

  • Yeah, explain to us!

  • Sister Miao, please sit down.

  • These issues,

  • let's let Brother Yu and Brother Zhao talk to us about them.

  • Good!

  • Yes, talk to us about them.

  • Do, please!

  • I'll listen to you.

  • Many believers think as long as they keep the Lord's name and read the Bible,

  • pray and gather frequently,

  • are willing to sacrifice everything for the Lord, and labor for Him,

  • then they're indeed true believers.

  • They think so long as they believe in the Lord in this way,

  • they'll be lifted into the kingdom of heaven when He returns.

  • Is believing in God truly as easy as people think?

  • If people believe in God like this,

  • can they really obtain God's approval?

  • The Pharisees who were all denounced and condemned by the Lord Jesus,

  • isn't that the way they believed in God too?

  • They also often prayed and worked very hard

  • and even traveled to the ends of the earth to spread the gospel.

  • Then why has their faith failed to gain the Lord's approval

  • and incurred His condemnation and curses instead?

  • Ah! I really don't know.

  • Yes, I've never thought about that problem before.

  • Those who've read the Bible understand

  • that although the Pharisees read the Bible, frequently prayed,

  • dutifully spread God's work, suffered immensely, and loved others,

  • though on the outside they appeared to be very devout, true believers,

  • in reality, God had no place in their hearts and they failed to magnify God.

  • In their faith,

  • they didn't focus on seeking the truth in God's words or understanding His will,

  • nor did they try to practice His words and follow His commandments.

  • They only focused on spreading knowledge about the Bible and theological theory,

  • on observing religious ceremonies and following rules to aggrandize themselves

  • so they might be worshiped by others.

  • For years, that's how they believed and they had no true knowledge of God.

  • They definitely were not obedient and reverent toward God.

  • Therefore, when the Lord Jesus was doing His work,

  • they never once searched for the truth.

  • They measured the Lord Jesus based on their conceptions and imaginings.

  • Regardless of how profound the preaching of the Lord Jesus was

  • or how much authority and power His work had,

  • they didn't search for or study them.

  • They fanatically resisted and condemned Him,

  • then crucified the Lord Jesus on the cross.

  • They were punished and they were cursed.

  • Everyone, please tell me, can the faith of the Pharisees be called true faith in God?

  • It can't. No.

  • Can God acknowledge the faith of the Pharisees?

  • Certainly not.

  • Correct! The Lord Jesus never did approve them.

  • Not only that, He condemned and cursed them, saying,

  • Isn't this true?

  • Yes, this is the truth!

  • The Pharisees only trusted their conceptions and imaginings;

  • they believed in the vague God in heaven.

  • They did not believe in the Lord Jesus incarnate who indeed expressed the truth.

  • They were all bored with the truth and hated the truth.

  • They believed in God but resisted God as well.

  • Tell me am I right?

  • Indeed. Yes. It's true.

  • They are not true believers in God! It's all true!

  • We are not the Pharisees.

  • Let's look at today's religious communities.

  • Pastors and elders mostly keep the Lord's name;

  • they pray in His name and read the Bible,

  • they forsake all for Him and labor for Him.

  • But when Almighty God expresses truth

  • and does His work of judgment in the last days,

  • they define God's work by their conceptions and imaginings.

  • They think God's words and work are in the Bible

  • and that anything that exceeds the Bible is heresy.

  • They know that Almighty God's words are the truth and can conquer men,

  • yet don't search for or study them.

  • They still spread rumors and lies to wildly slander, condemn, and blaspheme against Almighty God.

  • That's true.

  • They stop at nothing to prevent believers from seeking the true way.

  • They even report the witnesses of God's work in the last days.

  • Yes.

  • Yes, that's true.

  • Tell me, how are these pastors and elders any different from the Pharisees that resisted the Lord Jesus?

  • There's no difference. Their essences are the same.

  • Aren't they all aware of the true way but then resist it nonetheless? (Yes. Yeah.)

  • Aren't they both enemies of God that hate the truth?

  • That's right. Yeah. Indeed.

  • Thus we see that if people believe in and labor for the Lord

  • but just keep His name and appear devout,

  • that does not mean they practice the Lord's words or follow His way,

  • nor does it mean they're true believers that serve the Lord.

  • Right.

  • Appearing devout doesn't mean

  • they can magnify the Lord in their heart, revere Him, or obey Him;

  • it does not mean they understand truth or know God.

  • Correct.

  • What they say is true!

  • If people believe in the Lord

  • but don't seek the truth or practice and experience His words,

  • well then, no matter how many years those people believe in the Lord

  • or how they labor for Him,

  • they simply cannot obtain His praise. (Yes.)

  • This is especially true for pastors and elders in the religious communities.

  • Although they labor for the Lord's work,

  • they still fanatically resist and condemn Almighty God, Christ of the last days.

  • This is enough to prove that they are evildoers that resist God.

  • They are exposed as antichrists by God's work in the last days.

  • They'll surely incur God's curses and punishment.

  • Correct. Right.

  • This is the righteousness of God.

  • Yes.

  • It's just like the Lord Jesus said,

  • Indeed. Yes.

  • The words of Almighty God in the last days are clear too.

  • God's words carry such undeniable majesty.

  • Isn't this the wrath of God?!

  • God's words are clearly immutable truths. (Amen!)

  • Whether believers can gain His praise

  • doesn't depend on how much they work or how much they suffer;

  • it just depends on if they practice God's words or obey Him.

  • It's true. Right.

  • On the other hand, Paul had said,

  • These words are Paul's own conceptions and imaginings.

  • They aren't in accordance with God's words or the truth.

  • They are the opposite of God's words!

  • Yes. Indeed. Absolutely.

  • We all should now be able to see this.

  • Yes. Indeed. Thanks be to the Lord. Praise God.

  • After hearing you say all of this,

  • I can't help but look back at what Paul said.

  • These are Paul's own conceptions and imaginings; (Indeed.)

  • they're not in accordance with God's words.

  • They don't meet the requirements to be raptured into His kingdom.

  • That's all true. Yes. Correct.

  • For all these years,

  • we have been truly misled by Paul's words. (Yes.)

  • We focused on working for the Lord

  • and thought that when He returned, we'd attain the rapture.

  • We didn't try to seek truth or listen to God's voice.

  • Therefore, we almost missed our chance to greet the Lord.

  • Indeed. That is all the truth.

  • Paul's words have just tremendously hurt us.

  • That's right. Indeed. It's true.

  • Goudan!

  • What are you doing here?

  • Aunt, why have you come here?

  • I ran back to listen to the preachings.

  • Please come with me quickly.

  • What about the hospital?

  • What is going on?

  • Why are you panicked and sneaking around, Goudan?

  • Aunt, you must go. The police are coming for the preachers.

  • What? The police? How do you know that?

  • Don't ask. Please let's just go.

  • No, explain it to me. What happened?

  • Elder Sun has found out that the Eastern Lightning preachers are here preaching to us.

  • He's leading the police here to have them arrested!

  • Elder Sun? How is it Elder Sun knows?

  • Is it you? Did you send him a message? Tell me now!

  • Tell the truth!

  • Alright, Aunt, you know that I've been a bit low on cash lately!

  • Elder Sun said for each Eastern Lightning preacher I report, I'll get 5,000 yuan!

  • Two will get me 10,000.

  • You worthless fool! You're an imbecile!

  • You're more of a Judas than Judas!

  • How could you do something like that?

  • You …

  • Aunt … stop, please!

  • Thanks be to God. This fellowship's so clear.

  • Now it's evident what we originally thought

  • that believers who keep the Lord's name and labor for Him

  • will gain His approval and enter His kingdom,

  • was simply just absurd! (Yes. It's true.)

  • Hey! Brother Yu, Brother Zhao. (Yes?)

  • What does it mean to have true faith in God,

  • and how can we practice faith to gain His approval?

  • Please talk to us more about this. (OK.)

  • Thank God. Praise God. Let's.

  • Hey, what's Sister Wei here for?

  • Something's wrong! I must speak. (What's going on?)

  • Goudan has reported us all to Elder Sun.

  • And now Elder Sun is bringing the police here.

  • Where are they?

  • Elder Sun, just what is going on?

  • Someone must have tipped them off that we were coming!

  • This water's warm.

  • We're just too late!

  • Blast it! I was tricked!

  • Ah! Brother Yang, this is quite a well-hidden cave you've found here.

  • Yes. Thanks be to the Lord!

  • This is all part of the Lord's plan.

  • Brother Yu, try this. See if it lights. That raid of our meeting was really a close one!

  • Ah! It lights!

  • Had it not been for the Lord's protection, we'd have been captured!

  • The CCP government is so evil!

  • They're forcing us to resort to new methods each time we want to meet.

  • It's true.

  • The pastors and elders are cooperating with them to capture us all.

  • They don't want us to believe in Almighty God, there is no way! (Indeed.)

  • Hey! Brother Yu, Brother Zhao,

  • when we last met,

  • we mentioned the questions of what it means to have true faith in God

  • and how we can gain His approval.

  • We didn't have time to fully discuss these

  • because the CCP came and broke up our meeting. (Exactly.)

  • Today, please talk to us about those questions. (Okay.)

  • Indeed, please discuss them with us.

  • Thanks be to God!

  • What does it mean to have true faith in God,

  • and how can our faith gain His approval?

  • This question is essential.

  • Absolutely. Yes, indeed.

  • This directly relates to whether our belief in God

  • can earn us salvation and allow us to enter His kingdom.

  • Yes, indeed. All they say is true. Yes.

  • Before, in our faith we only focused on working for the Lord

  • so we could enter His kingdom and be rewarded when He returned. (Yes.)

  • Now everyone realizes that this is the wrong path of faith.

  • Right. Yes, we do.

  • The religious community does not know what true faith in God is,

  • nor how to believe in God to gain His approval.

  • None know how to answer these questions.

  • That's right. Yes.

  • All mysteries of truth and faith

  • have been revealed by Almighty God, Christ of the last days.

  • Almighty God speaks clearly about the question what's true faith in God.

  • Let's read from the words of Almighty God. (OK!)

  • Please turn to page 1.

  • Belief in God isn't that simple.

  • Please turn to page 775.

  • I will read it. (Good.)

  • That's great. Fantastic.

  • We just read the words of Almighty God.

  • Now that you've heard them, how do you feel?

  • Fantastic! I feel enlightened!

  • The words of Almighty God clearly speak the truth of faith in God.

  • Yes, it's true.

  • What I've heard really is convincing! (Praise God.)

  • I've believed for over 20 years,

  • but I still do not know what true faith in God is.

  • Now that we've read Almighty God's words,

  • we understand what faith in God is.

  • This is just wonderful!

  • The words of Almighty God really are the truth!

  • No wonder so many believe in Almighty God after they hear His words.

  • Yes, I agree.

  • Almighty God's revealed the truth and mysteries of faith in God.

  • So do you all understand this now?

  • Yes. We do understand.

  • Many believe in God but still don't understand what true faith in God is,

  • they still do not know God nor His work.

  • This is a muddled kind of faith,

  • a faith that will never earn God's praise.

  • Indeed. It's true.

  • Almighty God clearly specifies what true faith is:

  • Amen. It truly is. This is great.

  • Almighty God speaks very clearly about real faith! (Yes.)

  • People who believe in God should believe in God's words,

  • that is, they should practice His words and experience His work.

  • This is how they'll truly understand truth,

  • and how they will really know God. (Yes.)

  • Now this is real faith in God.

  • Amen! Thanks be to God!

  • When they explain it, we understand. (Indeed.)

  • In the religious community,

  • we focus on suffering and working for the Lord

  • and not on practicing or experiencing His words.

  • Therefore, no matter how long we believe in God,

  • we won't understand truth or know God.

  • If we believe in God like this, how can God acknowledge us!

  • That's true.

  • What did the Lord Jesus say next?

  • Amen!

  • This shows we believers sacrifice for the Lord according to our own will,

  • we don't practice or experience His words.

  • Faith like this does not obtain God's approval and is condemned by God.

  • Yes. Indeed.

  • Back then, though I believed in the Lord Jesus,

  • I didn't try to practice or experience the words of the Lord;

  • I'd only repent after I sinned then beg Him for forgiveness.

  • When in trouble, I prayed to the Lord, asking Him for help.

  • I thought as long as I memorized a few Bible passages,

  • kept the words of the Bible, and followed the rules,

  • I was believing in the Lord.

  • I thought if I just zealously sacrificed and worked for the Lord,

  • I was believing in the Lord well.

  • I thought I loved the Lord and was loyal to Him.

  • I thought when the Lord returned,

  • I'd definitely enter His kingdom.

  • This continued until I accepted Almighty God's work in the last days

  • and saw what He says,

  • Almighty God here reveals the essence of men:

  • They believe in Him to receive blessings.

  • That is they want to make a deal with Him.

  • In time I realized that my motives for my faith were all too impure.

  • I was seeking blessings, grace, rewards,

  • and the rapture into the kingdom of heaven.

  • As long as I could enjoy the blessings of the kingdom of heaven,

  • I would bear any suffering and pay any price,

  • but I didn't practice and experience the Lord's words nor try to know God.

  • So as a result,

  • my life had nothing to do with the truth contained in God's words.

  • I'd believed for years but hadn't the slightest knowledge of the Lord.

  • Yet I thought my faith could obtain the Lord's praise,

  • and that when He returned, I would be lifted into the kingdom of heaven.

  • I was shameless and ignorant.

  • God was incarnated twice to carry out the work of redeeming and saving humanity.

  • He did this to give the truth to mankind.

  • This will allow them to accept God's words as their life,

  • freeing them from the bondage of sin

  • and making them obedient to God. (Amen!)

  • I did not understand God's will;

  • I didn't pursue truth nor seek knowledge of God.

  • I singularly pursued grace and sought rewards.

  • Even if I sacrificed,

  • it would've been only in exchange for the blessings of the kingdom of heaven.

  • How was I believing in God?

  • How was I loving and faithful to God?

  • Clearly, I was trying to make a deal with God;

  • I was trying to use Him and to trick Him.

  • In the judgment of Almighty God's words,

  • I've seen just how deeply I've been corrupted by Satan.

  • I was selfish and crafty. I lacked humanity.

  • I was a despicable villain, only looking out for myself.

  • I wasn't fit to live before God.

  • God's the Creator of all things. Man is His creation.

  • Man should believe in and sacrifice everything for God.

  • That's our responsibility and duty as a created being. (Amen!)

  • Yet I lacked any reason or conscience.

  • When I sacrificed or suffered, it was to make a deal.

  • I wanted God's compensation and blessings.

  • How could my faith through which I tried to trick God not incur His hatred and His loathing?

  • How could God possibly allow a satanic creature like I was to enter His kingdom?

  • Finally, I knelt before God and prayed in true repentance.

  • No matter how God deals with me,

  • no matter what my final outcome will be,

  • I'll willingly obey God's arrangement.

  • Amen! Thanks be to God!

  • Even if I just give service to God, I will pursue the truth.

  • I will do my duty as His creation.

  • Amen!

  • By going through Almighty God's many judgments, chastisements, trials and refinements,

  • my viewpoint of faith in Him has changed.

  • I've started to pursue and practice the truth.

  • At last, I'm on the right track of faith for salvation.

  • Praise God. Great.

  • This is the result of experiencing Almighty God's judgment in the last days! (Amen!)

  • Thank Almighty God for saving me! (Amen!)

  • Praise God!

  • Listen to their experience and knowledge of faith in God.

  • That's what it means to practice God's words and experience His work. (Yes.)

  • Look at how we practiced our faith, how we prayed,

  • how we read the Bible, and how we sacrificed and labored for Him.

  • It was all for rewards and entrance to the heavenly kingdom. (Yes.)

  • We didn't grasp what it meant to practice the Lord's words and experience His work.

  • This clearly isn't true faith in God, it's actually just a muddled faith!

  • That's correct.

  • We in the religious community do believe in the Lord but just keep His name.

  • We just keep the name the Lord Jesus,

  • but we do not search for the truth or accept the return of the Lord Jesus.

  • If we believed like this for 100 years, we couldn't cast off our sin and be cleansed.

  • Right. It's true.

  • When it comes down to it, aren't we just like Satan, remaining unchanged?

  • How can we make it to the kingdom of heaven? (Yes!)

  • This is true.

  • Having gone through the judgment of Almighty God in the last days,

  • I've finally seen that I have been deeply corrupted by Satan;

  • I was too arrogant and lacked reason.

  • On the outside, I looked like I could spread the gospel,

  • do some work, endure suffering,

  • memorize a few passages of the Bible and talk about its words.

  • I thought that I knew God

  • and acted arrogantly and holier-than-thou.

  • In truth, I neither prayed nor searched for truth and principles.

  • I went about according to my own conceptions,

  • especially when it came to my treatment of the Lord's return.

  • I restricted God to the Bible based on my own conceptions.

  • I thought that all of God's words and work were in the Bible

  • and none of His words or work existed outside of it.

  • I stubbornly maintained that those who believe in the Lord must keep the Bible,

  • and that anyone who doesn't keep the Bible couldn't be called a believer in the Lord.

  • The result was

  • when Almighty God's work in the last days touched me,

  • I didn't seek or investigate.

  • I even followed pastors and elders in denying and judging it.

  • I was arrogant and lost all reason before God.

  • Could the way I behaved be called true faith in God?

  • No, it was simply evil!

  • How am I any different from the Pharisees that resisted the Lord Jesus?

  • I saw something Almighty God says,

  • Almighty God's words pricked my heart at that time.

  • His judgment revealed my nature: I believed in God but resisted Him.

  • I could feel God's wrath upon me.

  • I felt His righteous disposition which can't be offended.

  • I trembled with fear.

  • The shame of my evil deeds compelled me to kneel to the ground.

  • I've believed for years,

  • but how am I still so arrogant and so conceited?

  • Why do I still lack true reverence to God?

  • When God's work didn't match my conceptions,

  • I judged and denied it at will.

  • I did not search for the truth or obey God.

  • Am I not arrogant, someone who believes in God yet still resists Him?

  • My behavior offended God's disposition long ago.

  • If not for God's mercy and salvation,

  • I'd have been sent to hell long ago.

  • How could I have the chance to hear God's voice,

  • and accept His judgment and cleansing in the last days?

  • Thank God! Thank God for His mercy.

  • I felt that I really and truly had been saved by God!

  • Amen. Praise God!

  • This time, I hated and cursed myself more than before.

  • I resolved that

  • no matter how God judges or prunes, deals with, tests or refines me,

  • I'll accept it and obey Him.

  • Amen!

  • By often reading Almighty God's words

  • and experiencing His chastisement and judgment,

  • I now understand truths I previously didn't.

  • Thanks be to God.

  • More and more I understand my satanic nature of resisting and betraying God.

  • Thanks be to God.

  • I've gained some knowledge of God's holy essence and righteous disposition

  • which indeed allows no offense.

  • Praise God!

  • I've unconsciously developed a reverence of God and a thirst for the truth.

  • I keep a lower profile than I used to.

  • I'm not as arrogant and I'm not as conceited.

  • When confronted with trials,

  • I can deny myself consciously, search for truth, and practice truth.

  • My life disposition gradually changed.

  • All this results from going through judgment and chastisement by God's word.

  • Amen!

  • Praise God.

  • Now finally I understand what true faith in God is.

  • I grasp the value and meaning of faith in God. (Amen!)

  • This is something that believers never achieved through the Age of Grace.

  • Yes!

  • We believe in the Lord in the religious community.

  • But we have never listened to people talk about how God's judgment had changed their dispositions.

  • That's correct!

  • All that we're discussing is the testimony of grace.

  • When we compare it to theirs, we see how backward we are! (It's true.)

  • In the Age of Grace, most of us believers focused on imitating Paul.

  • We worked for the Lord

  • and preferred to be jailed rather than deny His name.

  • Can this manner of faith in God change our life disposition?

  • No! No, it can't!

  • Can it allow us to really obey God and love Him?

  • No, we can't.

  • In the end, is this faith able to allow us to defeat Satan and satisfy God?

  • Definitely not! Of course not.

  • Why does God express truth do His work on men and ask them to practice His words?

  • He does it to change men's life disposition

  • and save them from Satan's influence.

  • It allows men to know and obey Him.

  • This is what can be achieved by true faith in God.

  • Amen!

  • But most believers think hard work

  • and sacrifice will win the Lord's heart, (Yes, it's true.)

  • and that when He returns, they'll be raptured into the kingdom of heaven.

  • But consider this, (Indeed.)

  • God does His work on us.

  • Does He do this so after we have spread His work, suffering in the process,

  • we can then say to Him:

  • "I've fought the good fight

  • and even finished running down the path.

  • There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness?"

  • No. Not at all.

  • Is this what God truly demands of men?

  • No.

  • Is this truly God's will?

  • Certainly not. Definitely not.

  • If that's how we grasp faith in God, aren't we misunderstanding Him?

  • Indeed. Yes.

  • It seems if we don't experience God's judgment and cleansing in the last days,

  • we won't understand truth, our faith will be muddled.

  • Exactly! Look at their faith in God.

  • They're undergoing judgment and cleansing by God's words and seeking truth and knowledge of God.

  • They've testimony of defeating Satan and changing their disposition. (It's true.)

  • Now look at us.

  • We often sin and confess,

  • but feel no shame asking God for grace and blessings.

  • Where is there any true belief in God? (It's true.)

  • There's no way we could ever compare with them!

  • That's right!

  • Both of us believe in God, but why then are we so far behind? (Indeed.)

  • Believers in God who don't accept Almighty God's judgment and cleansing in the last days

  • will all be forsaken!

  • That's correct!

  • Brother Yu, Brother Zhao,

  • your experiences of the judgment of Almighty God's word have moved me so much!

  • Thanks be to God!

  • I've believed in the Lord for years,

  • but never knew what it is to truly believe in Him or experience His work.

  • Indeed. That's right.

  • I certainly didn't know what kind of person God would obtain through His work in the end.

  • Yes!

  • I was living in my own conceptions and imaginings.

  • I thought if I labored for the Lord,

  • I'd obtain His praise and enter the kingdom of heaven. (Yes.)

  • I did not know that this kind of faith was wrong and hated and condemned by God. (Indeed.)

  • But you've understood the truth

  • by undergoing Almighty God's judgment and chastisement by the word.

  • You clearly see your satanic nature full of arrogance, selfishness, and deceit.

  • You can hate yourselves and repent.

  • I now see that if we don't undergo God's judgment or chastisement in the last days,

  • we will never know truth or God,

  • even if we believe in the Lord our entire lives. (Indeed. That's right.)

  • We won't change our life disposition or achieve purification or salvation! (Amen!)

  • Thanks be to God. Amen. Yes.

  • Thanks be to God!

  • Now that we have said all of this,

  • do you finally understand what true faith in God really is?

  • Yes. We know. We do.

  • Is it fine to believe in God but not undergo His judgment or cleansing in the last days?

  • No, it's not. Not at all.

  • Can we know God if we believe but don't undergo judgment and chastisement of His word?

  • No. No way.

  • Can we understand God's will, obey and worship Him,

  • if we believe in Him but do not practice His words and we don't experience His work?

  • No! Absolutely not!

  • Therefore,

  • if we really want to know God and change our dispositions,

  • accepting and going through Almighty God's work of judgment in the last days is vital! (Yes.)

  • Let's now read more of Almighty God's words. (OK!)

  • Please turn to page 5.

Hey, see that? The devil's back.

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