Question 4: You say that the Lord Jesus has returned, so why haven’t we seen Him? Seeing is believing. If we haven’t seen Him, then that must mean He hasn’t returned yet; I will believe it when I see Him. You say that the Lord Jesus has returned, so where is He now? What work is He doing? What words has the Lord spoken? I will believe it when you testify clearly to these things.

Eastern Lightning| The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven

Answer:

“The Lord Jesus has returned to the flesh”: this good news has already spread across the Chinese mainland. The name of Christ of the last days Almighty God has spread to every home in China, reached every household. Everybody knows. Now it spreads around the world, openly testifying that Almighty God is the second coming of the Savior, the one true God appearing to men. The truth that is issued by Almighty God faces the searching examination of all of humanity. This has become an open fact! But some brothers and sisters, since they have not seen God incarnate with their own eyes, still hesitate. They say, “If we haven’t seen Him then the Lord has not come back. If I could see Him I would believe.” People who can maintain such a viewpoint, such a perspective, mainly do not have a clear path toward knowing God incarnate, and do not know how they should search for the appearance of God, how to follow God’s footsteps. It does not hurt to recall why we first started believing in the Lord Jesus. Can it be we believed because we saw the flesh of the Lord Jesus with our own eyes? Of course not! We all believed in Him for the grace He bestowed and the work of being crucified for our redemption and the words that He uttered. Let us look at those people who saw the Lord Jesus in the flesh at the time He was working in person. Did they believe in Him by really recognizing that the Lord Jesus was the coming Messiah, the appearance of God, or by just seeing the Lord Jesus? At that time when the Lord Jesus was with the twelve disciples, He asked the disciples: “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” Some said John the Baptist, some said Elijah, some said Jeremiah or one of the prophets. The Lord Jesus then asked: “But whom say you that I am?” Simon Peter answered: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (see Mat 16:13-16). Here we see, people of that time saw the Lord Jesus or interacted with Him, the twelve disciples were even with Him day and night, but only Peter recognized the identity of the Lord Jesus under the direction of the Father (see Mat 16:17), other people seeing the Lord Jesus with their own eyes did not recognize He was God incarnate Himself. Disciple Judas, who had followed the Lord Jesus for years, actually sold out the Lord Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. If he had known the Lord Jesus was the Messiah, would he have dared to do this? And the chief priests, the scribes, the Pharisees, didn’t they also see the Savior Jesus? But did they recognize that the Lord Jesus was the Messiah? The facts that they beat and cursed the Lord Jesus, humiliated, resisted, and condemned the Lord Jesus, ultimately nailing Him to the cross, totally prove that although they often saw the Lord Jesus, they still did not recognize that the Lord Jesus was God. From this we see, people know God not from seeing the face of God incarnate. The image of God incarnate is not the path for men to know God. The key to knowing God is to know God’s essence, meaning to know God’s work, words, and disposition. That is to say, whether a person can believe in God, follow God, depends not on whether he has seen God incarnate, or how he understands God’s incarnate image, but it depends on whether a person has a heart that seeks God, whether he has a heart that fears and obeys God. If a person has a seeking, obedient heart, he must be able to know God through His work and words. For the work that God does cannot be done by man, and the words that God speaks cannot be spoken by man. From the first time God became flesh—we see that the appearance of the Lord Jesus was no different from that of common men. But His work of crucifixion no man could do for Him, and all the words that He said could not be spoken by any man. So, in knowing God we should not overlook God’s work and words, and especially should not examine God’s incarnate image as the path to knowing God. Almighty God says: “God is the greatest in the entire universe, so could He fully explain Himself using the image of a flesh? God puts on the flesh in order to do a stage of His work. There is no significance to the image of the flesh…. His appearance in the flesh has no bearing on His management, and is merely for the sake of His work at the time. Yet it is impossible for God incarnate to have no particular appearance, and so He chooses the appropriate family to determine His appearance. If the appearance of God has representative significance, then all those who possess similar facial features to Him also represent God. Is that not an egregious error?” (“The Vision of God’s Work (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). From Almighty God’s words, we know that the image of God’s flesh is unremarkable. It has no representative meaning. Of course it is even less capable of indicating God’s essence, so we cannot know God’s identity by judging from His image in the flesh. In sum, our belief that “We haven’t seen Him so the Lord has not come back; if I could see Him then I would believe” is a mistaken point of view. It does not conform to the truth, and does not conform to objective fact.

Eastern Lightning | What is the difference between the work of those used by God and the work of religious leaders?

　　Bible Verses for Reference:

“And he said, Hear now my words: … My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all my house” (Num 12:6-7).

“Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat, and you clothe you with the wool, you kill them that are fed: but you feed not the flock. The diseased have you not strengthened, neither have you healed that which was sick, neither have you bound up that which was broken, neither have you brought again that which was driven away, neither have you sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have you ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill: yes, my flock was scattered on all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them” (Eze 34:2-6).

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer you them that are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayer: therefore you shall receive the greater damnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves” (Mat 23:13-15).

Question 3: Speaking of the return of the Lord, it is written in Matthew 24:36: “But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” No one can know when the Lord Jesus will return, so how do you know that the Lord Jesus has returned already? It really seems inconceivable to us!

Answer:

The Bible reads: “But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Mat 24:36). Some brothers and sisters take this to mean that the Lord has not come back. They don’t believe the Lord now has already come back. Actually, such reasoning doesn’t make sense. For the Lord comes to save man. If the Lord does not let man know of His coming, then how can men follow Him and believe in Him? How can God accomplish His work of salvation? If we always hold to this statement, then won’t we be waiting forever for the second coming of the Lord? So, what does this verse really say? In fact, when we read this verse together with the preceding few verses, it becomes clear. Matthew 24:32-36 states: “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near: So likewise you, when you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Truly I say to you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knows no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” We all know these verses speak of the sign of the second coming of the Lord, and from “it is near, even at the doors” we know the Son of man is already at the doors. But when He will enter, the day, the moment He will enter we really do not know. That is to say, “that day and hour” no one knows. Further, no one knows when “the Son of man” (God incarnate) will come among men, meaning that no one knows the day, the moment of God’s arrival. The angels of heaven do not know, man does not know, only the Father (the Spirit) knows. Just as Almighty God says: “At the break of dawn, unbeknownst to any, God came to earth and began His life in the flesh. People were unaware of this moment. Maybe they were all fast asleep, maybe many who were watchfully awake were waiting, and maybe many were praying silently to God in heaven. Yet among all these many people, not one knew that God had already arrived on earth” (“Work and Entry (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

One must recognize the differences between the incarnate Christ and false Christs and false prophets.

June 14, 20170

Bible Verses for Reference:

“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Mat 24:24).

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

Relevant Words of God:

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]

a. The original text reads “as for.”

whether it is the flesh of God incarnate, the key is to pay attention to His substance (His work, His words, His disposition, and many more), rather than external appearance. If man sees only His external appearance, and overlooks His substance, then that shows the ignorance and naivety of man.

from Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh

Question 2: You testify that God has incarnated and become the Son of man to do the work of judgment in the last days, and yet the majority of religious pastors and elders affirm that the Lord will return coming with clouds, and they base this primarily on the Bible verses: “This same Jesus … shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven” (Act 1:11). “Behold, he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him” (Rev 1:7). And furthermore, the religious pastors and elders also instruct us that any Lord Jesus who does not come with clouds is false and must be abandoned. So we’re not sure whether or not this view conforms to the Bible; is it correct to take this as truth or not?

Books of The Church of Almighty God - The Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven

Answer:

When it comes to waiting for the Lord to descend with the clouds, we must not rely on man’s notions and imaginations! The Pharisees committed a huge mistake in waiting for the arrival of the Messiah. They precisely used man’s notions and imaginations to measure the Lord Jesus who had already arrived. In the end, they nailed the Lord Jesus to the cross. Is this not a fact? Is waiting for the Lord’s arrival as simple as we think? If the Lord returns and works among mankind like the way the Lord Jesus in the flesh had done, and none of us recognizes Him, then would we also judge and condemn Him as the Pharisees had done and crucify Him once again? Is this a possibility? The Lord Jesus prophesied that He shall return and said many words about it, but we only hold on to the prophecy that the Lord will descend with the clouds and don’t seek or investigate other more important prophecies spoken by the Lord. This makes it easy to walk down the wrong path and be abandoned by the Lord! There is actually not just the “descend with the clouds” prophecy in the Bible. There are also many prophecies like that the Lord will come as a thief and descend secretly. For instance, Revelation 16:15, “Behold, I come as a thief.” Matthew 25:6, “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him.” And Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” All these prophecies refer to God becoming flesh as the Son of man and descending in secret. “As a thief” means coming quietly, secretly. We won’t know He is God even if we see or hear Him, just as it was back when the Lord Jesus appeared and performed His work during His incarnation as the Son of man. From the outside, the Lord Jesus was just an ordinary Son of man and nobody knew He is God, which is why the Lord Jesus used “as a thief” as an analogy for the Son of man’s appearance and work. This is too befitting! Those who do not love the truth, no matter how God in the flesh speaks or works, or how many truths He expresses, they do not accept. Instead, they treat God in the flesh as a normal person and condemn and abandon Him. That is why the Lord Jesus prophesied that when He returns: “For as the lightning, that lightens out of the one part under heaven, shines to the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation” (Luk 17:24-25). Based on the Lord’s prophecy, His return shall be “the coming of the Son of man.” “Son of man” refers to God in the flesh, not the spiritual body of the resurrected Lord Jesus descending with the clouds to openly appear before all people. Why is that the case? Let’s think about it. If it were the spiritual body of the resurrected Lord Jesus descending publicly with the clouds, it would be incredibly powerful and shock the world. Everyone would drop to the ground and no one would dare resist. In that case, would the returned Lord Jesus still endure a lot of suffering and be rejected by this generation? Definitely not. That is why the Lord Jesus prophesied that His return shall be “the coming of the Son of man” and “as a thief.” In actuality, it is referring to God incarnated as the Son of man arriving in secret.

One who believes in God must be able to discern false shepherds and antichrists to cast off religion and return to God.

Bible Verses for Reference:

“Thus said the Lord GOD to the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat, and you clothe you with the wool, you kill them that are fed: but you feed not the flock. The diseased have you not strengthened, neither have you healed that which was sick, neither have you bound up that which was broken, neither have you brought again that which was driven away, neither have you sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have you ruled them” (Eze 34:2-4).

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (Mat 7:15).

“They be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Mat 15:14).

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]