Are religious pastors and elders really all established by God? Can an acceptance of and obedience to religious pastors and elders represent one’s obedience to and following of God?

Are religious pastors and elders really all established by God? Can an acceptance of and obedience to religious pastors and elders represent one’s obedience to and following of God?

　Bible Verses for Reference:

　“Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come to me: and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt” (Exo 3:9-10).

　“Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, love you me more than these? … He said to him, Feed my lambs. He said to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, love you me? … He said to him, Feed my sheep” (Jhn 21:15-16).

　“And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mat 16:19).

　“We ought to obey God rather than men” (Act 5:29).

What is the truth? What is Bible knowledge and doctrine?

What is the truth? What is Bible knowledge and doctrine?

　Bible Verses for Reference:

　“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelled among us, … full of grace and truth” (Jhn 1:1, 14).

　“I am the way, the truth, and the life” (Jhn 14:6).

　“Sanctify them through your truth: your word is truth” (Jhn 17:17).

　“He answered and said to them, Well has Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. However, in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things you do. And he said to them, Full well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition. … Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which you have delivered: and many such like things do you” (Mak 7:6-9, 13).

　Relevant Words of God:

　God is the truth, the way, and the life.

from “The Appearance of God Has Brought a New Age” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Eastern Lightning | "The Moment of Change" | The Path of the Wise Virgins Toward Rapture (Trailer)

Eastern Lightning | "The Moment of Change" | The Path of the Wise Virgins Toward Rapture (Trailer)

　　Su Mingyue is a preacher of a house church in mainland China. Over the years, she has been a devout servant of the Lord who insists on doing preaching work for the Lord and bearing the burden of work for the church. She goes by Paul's word in the Bible, feeling that merely believing in the Lord is enough to be called righteous and be saved by grace. Although man still sins constantly, his sins have been forgiven by the Lord, his image will be changed instantly to become holy and he will be raised into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord arrives. However, in recent years, the church has become increasingly desolate, the believers have been negative and weak in general, their faith and love have cooled. Some co-workers go by the Lord's word: "Not everyone that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven." They question the notion that "When the Lord comes, He will instantly change the image of man and raise him into the kingdom of heaven." They feel that since we still sin constantly, fail to attain holiness by far and disobey God's will, how can we be raised into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord comes? After communicating and debating, Su Mingyue feels that, there are some contradictions between the Lord's word and Paul's idea of instantly changing the image of man when the Lord comes. Which idea is correct after all? Su Mingyue is dilemmatic and confused at heart. In order to find a church with the work of the Holy Spirit to solve her practical confusion, so as not to be abandoned by the Lord, Su Mingyue decides to study the Eastern Lightning. Through debating and communicating with the preachers of the Church of Almighty God, Su Mingyue and others finally understand the only path to enter the kingdom of heaven …

Gospel Movie clip "Break the Spell" (4) - Is Faith in the Bible Equivalent to Faith in the Lord?

Eastern Lightning | Gospel Movie clip "Break the Spell" (4) - Is Faith in the Bible Equivalent to Faith in the Lord?

Most pastors and elders of the religious world believe that the Bible represents the Lord, and that believing in the Lord is believing in the Bible, and believing in the Bible is believing in the Lord. They believe that if one departs from the Bible then he cannot be called a believer, and that one can be saved and can enter the kingdom of heaven so long as he clings to the Bible. Can the Bible really represent the Lord? What exactly is the relationship between the Bible and the Lord? The Lord Jesus said, "Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me, that you might have life" (John 5:39-40). Almighty God says, "After all, which is greater: God or the Bible? Why must God's work be according to the Bible? Could it be that God has no right to exceed the Bible? Can God not depart from the Bible and do other work? Why did Jesus and His disciples not keep the Sabbath? ... You should know which came first, God or the Bible! Being the Lord of the Sabbath, could He not also be the Lord of the Bible?" (The Word Appears in the Flesh).

Eastern Lightning | Almighty God Rescued Me from the Desperate Situations

Eastern Lightning | Almighty God Rescued Me from the Desperate Situations

Wang Cheng    Hebei Province

When I believed in Jesus, I was persecuted by the CCP government. It often obstructed and suppressed me on the “charge” of “believing in Jesus,” and asked the village cadres to go to my home at intervals to investigate me on believing in God. In 1998, I accepted Almighty God’s end-time work. Hearing the Creator’s personal utterance, I felt unspeakably excited. Under the encouragement of God’s love, I made a firm resolution: Whatever happens, I’ll follow Almighty God to the end. At that time, I was very active in attending meetings and preaching the gospel. Therefore, I caught the CCP government’s attention again. It persecuted me more severely, so that I couldn’t believe in God normally at home and had to leave home to perform duty.

In 2006, I was in charge of the work of printing books on believing in God in the church. Once, on the way of transporting books, the brothers and sisters who escorted books and the driver of the printing factory we hired were unfortunately arrested by the CCP police. At that time, ten thousand books of The Word Appears in the Flesh in the van were all confiscated. Later, because the driver sold out, a dozen or so brothers and sisters were arrested in succession. This incident created a great stir in two provinces, and the Central Committee directly supervised the handling of the case. Learning that I was a leader, the CCP government spared no expenses to send armed police to investigate the area where I worked. Moreover, it confiscated two cars and one van of the printing factory we cooperated with and took away 65,500 yuan from the factory. And it also robbed our escorts of over 3,000 yuan. Not only so, the police searched my house twice. Each time, they broke in and smashed and broke everything they could, turning my house into a complete mess. They were even worse than robbers and thieves! Afterward, because of failing to catch me, the CCP government arrested my neighbors and those who were related to me, forcing them to tell my whereabouts.

Eastern Lightning | Kingdom Praise Musical Drama—Every Nation Worships the Practical God

Eastern Lightning | Kingdom Praise Musical Drama—Every Nation Worships the Practical God

Under a starry, quiet and peaceful night sky, a group of Christians earnestly awaiting the return of the Savior sing and dance to cheerful music. When they hear the joyful news “God has returned” and “God has uttered new words”, they are surprised and excited. They think: “God has returned? He has already appeared?!” With curiosity and uncertainty, one after another, they step into the journey of seeking God’s new words. In their arduous seeking, some people are questioning while others simply accept it. Some people look on without comment, while others make suggestions and search for answers in the Bible—they look but in the end it is fruitless…. Just when they become discouraged, a witness brings them a copy of the Bible of the Age of Kingdom, and they are deeply attracted to the words in the book. What kind of book is this really? Have they actually found the new words that God has uttered in that book? Have they welcomed the appearance of God?

Eastern Lightning | Kingdom Praise Musical Drama—Every Nation Worships the Practical God

Eastern Lightning | Kingdom Praise Musical Drama—Every Nation Worships the Practical God

　　Under a starry, quiet and peaceful night sky, a group of Christians earnestly awaiting the return of the Savior sing and dance to cheerful music. When they hear the joyful news “God has returned” and “God has uttered new words”, they are surprised and excited. They think: “God has returned? He has already appeared?!” With curiosity and uncertainty, one after another, they step into the journey of seeking God’s new words. In their arduous seeking, some people are questioning while others simply accept it. Some people look on without comment, while others make suggestions and search for answers in the Bible—they look but in the end it is fruitless…. Just when they become discouraged, a witness brings them a copy of the Age of the Kingdom Bible, and they are deeply attracted to the words in the book. What kind of book is this really? Have they actually found the new words that God has uttered in that book? Have they welcomed the appearance of God?

The Church of Almighty God | God’s Light Led Me in the Tribulation

The Church of Almighty God | God’s Light Led Me in the Tribulation

Zhao Xin    Sichuan Province

From childhood, I lived in the mountain. I didn’t see much of the world or have higher expectations. After I got married and had children, both my sons were sensible and obedient and my husband was hardworking. Although our family wasn’t very well-off, we lived together harmoniously, feeling very happy and satisfied. In 1996, I suddenly had a serious illness, so I began to believe in Jesus. From then on, I often read the Bible and actively attended meetings. Unexpectedly, my illness got better gradually. Since then, I had greater faith in following Jesus.

Movies of Eastern Lightning | Christian Movie "Who Is the Culprit?" (Official Trailer)

　　Since it came to power in Mainland China in 1949, the Chinese Communist Party has been unceasing in its persecution of religious faith. It has frantically arrested and murdered Christians, expelled and abused missionaries operating in China, confiscated and burned countless copies of the Bible, sealed up and demolished church buildings, and tried to eradicate all house churches. A great number of Christians in house churches have been arrested and persecuted. This documentary describes the real experience of a Chinese Christian, Zhou Haijiang who was arrested by the CCP government, tortured, and died from his mistreatment because of his belief in God and performance of duty. After Zhou Haijiang's death, his family was also monitored, threatened, and terrified by the CCP. They were not only unable to get justice for the deceased, but were thrown into disarray by the CCP's persecution. This exquisitely-shot documentary attempts to recreate what really happened at the time, and provides a profound reflection of the flagrant encroachment of the religious beliefs and human rights of Chinese Christians. It is a window to understanding the true lives of Chinese Christians and Christian families, as well as a reflection—rarely seen in recent years—of the experiences and emotions of Chinese Christians who have been persecuted as a result of their faith.

Eastern Lightning| The Way to Kingdom of Heaven | Gospel Movie "Break the Spell"

　　Fu Jinhua was an elder of a house church in China. Like many other Christians, she enthusiastically dedicated herself to the Lord, and toiled hard in her labor for Him. She was particularly self-confident, and thought herself to be someone who truly loved the Lord. Having followed the Lord for many years, she wholeheartedly believed that the Bible was inspired by God, and that the words in the Bible were all God's words. Therefore, in her mind, she equated believing in the Lord with believing in the Bible. She thought that those who departed from the Bible could not be called followers of the Lord. She also believed that she needed only to adhere to the Bible to be raptured into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord descends with the clouds. So when a bunch of people began to testify to Almighty God's work of the last days, Fu Jinhua believed in the misconceptions of the religious pastors and elders, and never sought to investigate things any further. One day, Fu Jinhua visited Sister He, a fellow member of the church. Sister He spoke about her own confusion: "The prophecies about the Lord's return have basically all come true, and the Lord is supposed to have come back already. So why haven't we beheld the Lord descending with the clouds yet?" Her co-worker Fang Jianjie also mentioned: The four blood moons have appeared, which means that great disasters will soon befall us. According to the prophecies from the books of the prophets and the Book of Revelation, the Church of Philadelphia will be raptured before the great disasters, and God will nourish His servants and handmaids with His Spirit to make complete a group of overcomers before the disasters. If we are not raptured before the disasters, we will most likely perish among these great disasters. But now, "the Eastern Lightning" has testified that the Lord Jesus has already returned, expressed the truth, and made complete a group of overcomers. Does this fulfill the prophecies from the Bible? Is the Eastern Lightning the manifestation of the Lord and His work? After listening to her co-workers, Fu Jinhua fell into deep reflection and began to reassess these matters …

Eastern Lightning | Gospel Movie clip "Waiting" (8) - God's Righteous Disposition Tolerates No Offense

　　Almighty God says, "The return of Jesus is a great salvation for those who are capable of accepting the truth, but for those who are unable to accept the truth it is a sign of condemnation. You should choose your own path, and should not blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and reject the truth. You should not be an ignorant and arrogant person, but someone who obeys the guidance of the Holy Spirit and longs for and seeks the truth; only in this way will you benefit" (The Word Appears in the Flesh). Faced with the second coming of the Lord, there are two kinds of people, with different approaches and endings. Which kind of person do you want to be?

Eastern Lightning | Gospel Movie "Break Through the Snare" (1) - Awakening From Deception

　　See through the rumors, break through the snare, and receive the shepherding of Almighty God’s word to be raptured before God’s throne. 

     Two thousand years ago, when the Lord Jesus did the redemptive work, He suffered the wild slander and condemnation of the Jewish religious world, and was nailed to the cross by the Jewish leaders and the Roman government. In the last days, when Almighty God—the returned Lord Jesus comes to China and does the work of judgment, He again suffers the condemnation, suppression, and persecution of the CCP government and the religious world. The widespread rumors, which judge and slander the Church of Almighty God, are like an invisible snare, covering and controlling numerous believers. The tragedy of history repeats itself…