Question 1: We believe that the return of the Lord will mean that believers are raised directly up into the kingdom of heaven, for it is written in the Bible: “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1Ts 4:17). You testify that the Lord Jesus has returned, so why are we now on earth and not yet raptured?

Answer:

We should hope for the Lord’s return based on the prophecies that He Himself spoke. That is the most standard way of waiting for the Lord’s return. Who are you quoting, really? Are you quoting the Lord’s words or the words of men? “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air,” who said that? Are those the Lord Jesus’ words? The Lord Jesus never said anything like that. The Holy Spirit never said that, either. The words you believe in and quote are Paul’s words. Do Paul’s words represent the Lord Jesus’ words? Can he represent God? Only God knows the answer to this mystery. If we corrupt humans dare to make blind interpretations and judgments like this, we are committing a heinous sin. Paul was not Christ. He was only an ordinary corrupt person. His writings are full of impure human ideas and imaginings. His words are not the truth, so we cannot use them as proof. All proof should be based on God’s words in the Bible. That is in line with the truth. It’s wrong to investigate the rapture and entry into the kingdom of heaven based on the words of people in the Bible, especially Paul, and not based on the Lord Jesus’ words, because only the Lord Jesus’ words are the truth; only His words have authority. Only the Lord Jesus is Christ, the King of the heavenly kingdom. Why don’t you search in the Lord Jesus’ words for the truth and God’s will? Why do you use the words of men as the basis of your search instead? Is this in accordance with the Lord’s will? This makes you prone to following man and walking down your own path. God made mankind out of clay. He tasked them with doing their duty on earth and managing the rest of His creations. He demanded that they obey, worship, and honor Him, and mandated that their place was on the earth, not in heaven. Moreover, God told us long ago that He would establish His kingdom on earth. Besides, He will dwell with us humans on earth and the kingdoms of earth must be transformed into kingdoms ruled by Christ. Therefore, God’s kingdom will eventually be established on earth, not in heaven. Many people are always looking to be raised into heaven. That is their own conception and imaginings, their own fanciful desire. It is not at all in accordance with the truth or the fact of God’s work.

How can one know the divine essence of Christ?

　　Bible Verses for Reference:

　　“Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life” “The words that I speak to you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwells in me, he does the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake” (Jhn 14:6, 10-11).

　Relevant Words of God:

　To study such a thing is not difficult, but requires each of us to know this truth: He who is God’s incarnation shall hold the substance of God, and He who is God’s incarnation shall hold the expression of God. Since God becomes flesh, He shall bring forth the work He must do, and since God becomes flesh, He shall express what He is, and shall be able to bring the truth to man, bestow life upon man, and show man the way. Flesh that does not contain the substance of God is surely not the incarnate God; of this there is no doubt. To investigate whether it is God’s incarnate flesh, man must determine this from the disposition He expresses and the words He speaks. Which is to say, whether or not it is God’s incarnate flesh, and whether or not it is the true way, must be judged from His substance. And so, in determining[a]

Is Christ really the Son of God or is He God Himself?

Bible Verses for Reference:

“Philip said to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it suffices us. Jesus said to him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet have you not known me, Philip? he that has seen me has seen the Father; and how say you then, Show us the Father? Believe you not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak to you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwells in me, he does the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake” (Jhn 14:8-11).

“I and my Father are one” (Jhn 10:30).

Relevant Words of God:

The incarnate God is called Christ, and Christ is the flesh donned by the Spirit of God. This flesh is unlike any man that is of the flesh. This difference is because Christ is not of flesh and blood but is the incarnation of the Spirit. He has both a normal humanity and a complete divinity. His divinity is not possessed by any man. His normal humanity sustains all His normal activities in the flesh, while His divinity carries out the work of God Himself. Be it His humanity or divinity, both submit to the will of the heavenly Father. The substance of Christ is the Spirit, that is, the divinity. Therefore, His substance is that of God Himself…. Given that God becomes flesh, He realizes His substance within His flesh…. And since God becomes flesh, He works in the identity of His flesh; since He comes in the flesh, He then finishes in the flesh the work that He ought to do. Be it the Spirit of God or be it Christ, both are God Himself, and He does the work that He ought to do and performs the ministry that He ought to perform.

from “The Substance of Christ Is Obedience to the Will of the Heavenly Father” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The Church of Almighty God | "The Truth Exposed Behind the May 28 Zhaoyuan Case"

The Church of Almighty God | "The Truth Exposed Behind the May 28 Zhaoyuan Case"
In 2014, the CCP arbitrarily fabricated the notorious 5/28 Zhaoyuan Incident in Shandong Province to create the basis of public opinion for total suppression of house churches, and propagated falsehood globally to condemn and defame the Church of Almighty God. As a result, some unwitting parties who did not know the truth were deceived by the CCP's propaganda. In this program, several major doubts revolving around this case will be revealed to dissect the lies of the CCP one by one and clarify the facts for you, and utterly expose the truth behind the Shandong Zhaoyuan Incident before the world.

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God Gave Me a Second Life | Christian Movie | "From the Jaws of Death" | A True Christian Story

God Gave Me a Second Life | Christian Movie | "From the Jaws of Death" | A True Christian Story

Liu Zhen, 78 years old, is a typical rural housewife. After believing in God, she felt unparalleled joy from reading His words and singing songs of praise to Him every day, and frequently gathering with her brothers and sisters to fellowship on the truth. … However, good things never last. She is arrested and persecuted by the Chinese Communist government, putting her in a terrible predicament. The police take her to the police station for interrogation three times, and warn her not to believe in God any longer. They monitor her and go to her home to intimidate her. Under the pressure of the Chinese Communist government, her husband, son, and daughter-in-law also oppose and restrict her belief in God. Through this agony, she truly relies on and looks to God, and His words provide her with faith and strength, allowing her to stand strong in the midst of persecution and tribulation. At the height of her suffering when she is completely helpless, she makes an urgent cry to God. He hears her prayer and opens up a path for her. One evening, she suddenly loses consciousness and cannot be woken. The doctor says that she cannot be saved and tells her family to prepare for her passing, but after 18 hours, she miraculously comes to. This miracle of Almighty God astounds those around her and opens up a new path for her. … After this experience, Liu Zhen comes to deeply understand that people’s lives are without certainty, and none of us can control them—only God rules people’s fates and has our lives, deaths, fortunes, and misfortunes in His hands. She also comes to experience that it is only God that has our backs, is always there to help us, and it is only Him we can trust in and rely upon!  

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What is the nature of the problem of man not acknowledging the truth expressed by Christ? What is the consequence of man not treating Christ as God?

　Bible Verses for Reference:

　“Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist” (1Jn 4:2-3).

　“For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” (2Jn 1:7).

　Relevant Words of God:

　Since you believe in God, then you must put faith in all of the words and work of God. That is to say, since you believe in God, you must obey Him. If you are unable to do this, then it matters not whether you believe in God. If you have believed in God for many years, yet never obeyed Him or accepted all of His words, and instead asked God to submit to you and follow your notions, then you are the most rebellious of all, and you are an unbeliever. How is one such as this able to obey the work and words of God that do not conform to the notions of man? The most disobedient person is one that intentionally defies and resists God. He is the enemy of God and is an antichrist. Such a person always retains hostility against the new work of God, shows no intent to submit, and has never gladly obeyed or humbled himself. He exalts himself before others and never submits to another. Before God, he considers himself the most proficient in preaching the word and most skillful in working on others. He never discards the treasures already in his possession, but treats them as family heirlooms to be worshiped, to be preached to others, and used to lecture those fools who adore him. There are indeed some such people in the church. It can be said that they are “indomitable heroes,” generation after generation sojourning in the house of God. They think preaching the word (doctrine) to be their highest duty. One year after another and one generation after the other, they perform their holy and sacred duty. None dare touch them and none dare openly reproach them. They became “king” in the house of God, acting tyrannically through the ages. These demons seek to join hands and together destroy My work; how can I allow these living devils to exist before Me?

from “The Truly Obedient Shall Surely Be Gained by God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

What is knowing God exactly? Can an understanding of Bible knowledge and theological theory be considered as knowing God?

Relevant Words of God:

What does it mean to know God? It means that man knows God’s gamut of emotions, this is what knowing God is. You say that you have seen God, yet you do not understand God’s gamut of emotions, do not understand His disposition, and do not know His righteousness either. You have no understanding of His mercifulness, and do not know what He loathes. This cannot be called knowledge of God. Therefore, some people are able to follow God, but they do not necessarily believe in God. This is the distinction. If you know Him, you understand Him, if you are able to comprehend and grasp some of what His will is, and you know His heart, then you can truly believe in Him, can truly submit to Him, truly love Him, and truly worship Him. If you do not understand these things, then you are only following along, a person who only runs along and follows the crowd. That cannot be called true submission, and cannot be called true worship. How can true worship be produced? There are none who see God and truly know God who do not worship Him, who do not revere Him. As soon as they see God they are afraid. At present people are in the time of the work of God incarnate. The more that people have understanding of the disposition of God incarnate and of what He has and is, the more people treasure them, and the more they revere God. Often, less understanding means more recklessness, such that God is treated as human. People will fear and tremble if they really know God and really see Him. Why did John say, “the One who is coming after me, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry”? Though his understanding in his heart was not very deep, yet he knew that God is awesome. How many people are able to revere God now? Without knowing the disposition of God, how can one revere Him? If people do not know the essence of Christ, and do not understand the disposition of God, they are even less able to truly worship God. If people see only the ordinary and normal outward appearance of Christ and do not know His essence, it is easy for people to treat Christ as an ordinary man. They can adopt a disrespectful attitude toward Him, can cheat Him, resist Him, disobey Him, cast judgment on Him, and be opinionated. They can take His word as insignificant, can treat His flesh as they please, can harbor conceptions, and can blaspheme. To solve these issues one must know the essence of Christ, the divinity of Christ. This is the main aspect of knowing God; it is what all people who believe in the practical God must enter and achieve.

from “Knowledge of the Incarnation” in Records of Christ’s Talks

How can one know God’s disposition and essence?

Relevant Words of God:

People often say that it is not an easy thing to know God. I, however, say that knowing God is not a difficult matter at all, for God frequently allows man to witness His deeds. God has never ceased His dialogue with mankind; He has never concealed Himself from man, nor has He hidden Himself. His thoughts, His ideas, His words and His deeds are all revealed to mankind. Therefore, so long as man wishes to know God, he can come to understand and know Him through all sorts of means and methods. The reason why man blindly thinks that God has intentionally avoided him, that God has intentionally hidden Himself from humanity, that God has no intention of allowing man to understand and know Him, is that he does not know who God is, nor does he wish to understand God; even more so, he is not concerned with the Creator’s thoughts, words or deeds…. Truthfully speaking, if one only uses their idle time to focus upon and understand the Creator’s words or deeds, and pay a little attention to the Creator’s thoughts and the voice of His heart, it will not be difficult for them to realize that the Creator’s thoughts, words and deeds are visible and transparent. Likewise, it will take little effort to realize that the Creator is among man at all times, that He is always in conversation with man and the entirety of creation, and that He is performing new deeds every day. His substance and disposition are expressed in His dialogue with man; His thoughts and ideas are revealed completely in His deeds; He accompanies and observes mankind at all times. He speaks quietly to mankind and all of creation with His silent words: I am in the heavens, and I am amongst My creation. I am keeping watch; I am waiting; I am at your side….

from “God Himself, the Unique II” in Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh