How Should We Treat Biblical Prophecies About the Second Coming? – Bible Study

　　By Chenyan, Shandong

　　There are a lot of prophecies of the Lord’s return in the Bible. Every Christian is familiar with them. Especially we who are anxiously expecting the Lord’s return even want to properly understand and know the prophecies of the Lord’s return, so that we can meet the returned Lord and realize the desire of entering into the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, it is very important how we treat the prophecy, which will directly involve whether we can meet the returned Lord.

　　I recalled when the Lord Jesus came to do His work, the Israelites of that time had been waiting eagerly for the Messiah’s coming according to the prophecies of the Old Testament. They saw the prophecies in the Bible, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given: and the government shall be on his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, on the throne of David, and on his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9: 6-7). “But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, though you be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall he come forth to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). According to the letters of the prophecies in the Bible, and their imaginations and inferences concerning the coming of the Messiah, they defined that the Lord’s name was Messiah when He came and He would definitely be born in the imperial palace, looking majestic, imposing and extraordinary. And He would come to lead them to break away from the rule of the Roman government as the king of Israel, like David.

All of Mankind, Come to Worship God

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Lightning flashes from East to West.

Christ of the last days has appeared,

working in China.

His true light shines forth,

people go in search.

Oh Almighty God!

Full of power and glory.

His chosen ones

come before His throne.

God has appeared in the world

to carry out His work.

All of mankind,

come worship and revere Him.

Worship and revere Him. Oh, yeah.

Questions and Answers on the Conditions for Entering the Kingdom of Heaven (4)

Question 4: All of us have believed in the Lord for many years, and have always followed the example of Paul in our work for the Lord. We have been faithful to the name and way of the Lord, and the crown of righteousness surely awaits us. Today, we need only focus on working hard for the Lord, and watching for His return. Only thus, can we be taken into the kingdom of heaven. That’s because in the Bible it is said that “for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me” (Isa 49:23). We believe the Lord’s promise: He will take us into the kingdom of heaven at His return. Could there really be anything wrong with practicing in this way?

Answer: In watching for the arrival of the Lord, most people believe that they need only work hard for the Lord, and follow the example of Paul, in order to be directly taken into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord arrives. To them, it seems right to practice in this way, and no one disagrees. Yet we who believe in God should seek the truth in all things. Though practicing in that way is in keeping with people's conceptions, is it in keeping with God's wishes? I think we should know: God's words are the principles of our actions, they are the standard by which all people, things, and matters are measured. If we practice according to the words of God, we will surely receive God's approval. If we go against the words of God, and practice according to our own conceptions and imaginings, then we will surely be detested and rejected by God. Can we really be directly taken into the kingdom of heaven by watching and waiting and working hard for the Lord? Let us look at what the Lord Jesus said “Not every one 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. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity” (Mat 7:21-23). In the words of the Lord Jesus we see that the Lord Jesus only said “but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.” He did not say that all those who are faithful to the Lord Jesus’ name and work hard for the Lord will be rewarded, and enter into the kingdom of heaven. Is this not fact? The Lord Jesus didn’t say that people need only work hard for the Lord to enter into the kingdom of heaven. To me, these are our conceptions and imaginings. If, as in our conceptions, all those who keep the Lord’s name and work hard for Him will enter into the kingdom of heaven, why were some of those who preached and cast out devils in the Lord Jesus’ name condemned as evildoers by the Lord? This shows that working hard for the Lord is not necessarily the same as doing the will of God. And why is that? Because many people work hard for the Lord so that they might be blessed, and not for truly obeying God. Their satanic disposition is still there. They still have conceptions about God, and still disobey, oppose, and condemn Him. Some even hate the truth, like the Pharisees. No matter how hard they work for the Lord, how could such people do the will of God? In nature, such people oppose God. To enter into the kingdom of heaven simply by working hard for the Lord, this is intolerable to Heaven! Don’t you all agree?

Christian Variety Show "Community 'Scouts'" (2018 Short Sketch)

Understanding:

In order to get the rewards, the community director did the work of monitoring and guarding very considerately, and the HD cameras were installed in the community. Outwardly, people living here were quite safe, but the cameras were used not to arrest the thieves and the evil. Instead, they used to monitor the believers in God. The community director asked residents to report the believers as soon as they found by promising to give them the reward. From Lin Min’s family in the following video, you will see how these sisters escaped from the arrest of the Chinese police and from the video, you will also see the true color of the CCP of attempting to abolish the religious belief.

The Chinese Communist Party, to eradicate religious faith, uses neighborhood and village committees and various random people to closely monitor Christians and institutes a "reward for reporting" system in an attempt to round up every Christian. The skit Community "Scouts" examines how the Christian Lin Min, because of a reputation for believing in God, is secretly monitored by neighborhood committee personnel. One day, two sisters go to her home, and after the neighborhood committee director investigates through multiple channels, she immediately calls the CCP police. In the face of such adverse circumstances, how does Lin Min rely on God and cope? In the end, can she and her two sisters escape the CCP police?

Questions and Answers on the Name of God

Question 1: It is clearly written in the Bible: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Heb 13:8). So the name of the Lord does not change, but you say that the name of the Lord Jesus will change in the last days. How can you explain that?

Answer: Brothers and sisters, the Bible says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Heb 13:8). This refers to the fact that God’s disposition and His essence are eternal and unchanging. It does not mean that His name will not change. Let’s take a look at the words of Almighty God.

Christian Movie Trailer "I Am a Good Person!" | The Church of Almighty God

Understanding:

I always thought that when others had difficulties, I could think for others and not to talk about things even if I found some problems of others. By doing this,  I thought we would still be good friends. I thought I was a good guy because I only said good things about people and did not make them upset or angry. My thinking is the same as the leading actor's in the trailer, but after some things happen, after she read God's words, she realizes that she is not a good person. I am also looking forward to knowing what an actual good person is. I hope I can see the feature film soon.

Yang Huixin, a Christian, has loved being a good person since she was little. She doesn't like to offend others. She believes herself to be a good person because she is kind and agreeable with others. But only after she accepts God's gospel of the last days and undergoes the judgment and chastisement of God's words does she have an awakening, and realize that she's not a true good person. Rather, she lives based on satanic philosophies, and is a very selfish, cunning "nice guy." She resolves in her heart to seek the truth and become a good person who is honest and upright…. What experiences did Yang Huixin go through that allowed her to undergo such a transformation?

Questions and Answers on the Way of the Lord’s Arrival (Secret and Open)

Question 2: I’ve believed in the Lord for over half my life. I’ve worked tirelessly for the Lord and have been on constant lookout for His second coming. If the Lord came, why didn’t I receive His revelation? Has He cast me aside? This has left me very confused. How do you explain this?

Answer: Man thinks that if he believes in the Lord for half his life, works hard for the Lord, and vigilantly awaits His second coming, when the Lord comes again He will give revelation to them. This is man’s conception and imagination and is not in keeping with the fact of God’s work. The Jewish Pharisees compassed land and sea spreading the way of God. Did the Lord Jesus ever give them any revelation when He came? As for the disciples that followed the Lord Jesus, which among them followed the Lord Jesus because they had been given revelation? Not one of them! You might argue that Peter received God’s revelation and recognized that the Lord Jesus is Christ, the Son of God, but that was after Peter had been following the Lord Jesus for some time and had heard Him preach for some time and had some knowledge of Him in his heart. Only then did he receive a revelation from the Holy Spirit and was able to recognize the Lord Jesus’ true identity. Certainly Peter did not receive any revelations prior to following the Lord Jesus, this is fact. Those that followed the Lord Jesus were only able to recognize that the Lord Jesus was the coming Messiah after hearing Him preach for some time. They didn’t follow Him because they had received a revelation in advance that allowed them to recognize who the Lord Jesus was. In the last days, Almighty God has descended secretly among man to do the work of judgment. Millions of people have accepted and followed Almighty God, but not one of them does so because they received a revelation from the Holy Spirit. We follow Almighty God because we recognized God’s voice in our reading of Almighty God’s word and communing on the truth. These facts prove that when God is incarnated to do His work, He certainly does not give revelations to any man to believe in and follow Him. Not to mention, in the last days God expresses truth to do the work of judgment. God’s utterance of His word to the whole universe is His work of the last days. All can hear God’s voice. God’s speech in the last days represents the first time since God’s creation of the world that God has proclaimed His word to all of humanity and to the entire universe. In Revelation, God said many times “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to the churches.” In the last days, God works through utterance of His word and expression of the truth to find His sheep. God’s sheep can hear God’s voice. All those that hear and understand God’s voice are God’s sheep, are the wise virgins. Those that do not understand God’s voice must be the foolish virgins. In this all men are distinguished each unto his own kind. This shows how wise and righteous God is!

Praise and Worship Song "God's Love Brings Us Close Together" (Male Solo)

Impression after watching:

Seeing that brothers and sisters sang the hymns of praising God and played with different instruments. The big smile on their faces reminds me the happy life in God's house. There are lyrics sing like this "Only with God there is love, only with love there is family. All who love God one family." My brothers and sisters all come from different countries. We are not from the same family. It is God's words' calling and election, which let us come to His home from all over the world. It also gives us opportunity to experience the purifying and judgement of God's words, which help us start to mature in life and transform disposition gradually. We are worshiping God together in a family full of love.

Though separated by countless seas and mountains,

we are one people, with no boundaries between us,

with different colored skin and speaking different tongues.

Because Almighty God’s words call to us,

we are raised up before God’s throne.

I

Though separated by countless seas and mountains,

we are one people, with no boundaries between us,

with different colored skin and speaking different tongues.

Because Almighty God’s words call to us,

we are raised up before God’s throne.

There is the elderly, with hair all white,

and the young, bright and radiant.

Hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder,

we walk on together through wind and rain, encouraging each other in adversity.

With one mind we fulfill our duty.

Our hearts are connected, we become confidants in life.

God’s love brings us closer together.