The Lord Jesus’ redemptive work has spread to the ends of the earth, reached every home and become a household name, and it is also because of the Lord Jesus’ redemption that mankind has survived until today. There are many brothers and sisters who back up the viewpoint of “once saved, always saved,” with the words of the apostle Paul, “For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation” (Romans 10:10). They think: Since the Lord Jesus redeemed us through crucifixion, we have already been absolved of all our sins and saved by our faith, and once saved, we are always saved, and so long as we endure until the end, we will be directly raptured into the heavenly kingdom when the Lord returns. However, some other brothers and sisters can’t help but question: “Is it really so easy for us to be saved? Can we attain salvation and enter into the kingdom of heaven through faith alone?”
Question 6: You say that the Lord has come to do the work of judgment and purification in the last days, but the Lord Jesus said: “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (Jhn 16:8). The Lord Jesus’ words and work have already achieved having people recriminate themselves for their sins, for righteousness, and for judgment. By confessing our sins to the Lord and repenting, we have already undergone His judgment, so what really is the difference between what you say is the work of judgment in the last days and the work of the Lord Jesus?
Answer: The Lord Jesus said, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send him to you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (Jhn 16:7-8). Many religious people believe that these words refer to the work of the Holy Spirit in the Age of Grace. They believe that in the Age of Grace, the Lord Jesus did the work of redemption; the process of people accepting the Lord Jesus and confessing and repenting in front of the Lord was that the Holy Spirit came, told the people of the world to reproach themselves for their sins, for righteousness, for judgment, and had people confess and repent to the Lord. This was God’s judgment. As people see it, this perspective is very much in line with their notions, but we must be clear that what the Lord Jesus did was the work of redemption, and all He gave to mankind was a way for repentance. Just as the Lord Jesus said: “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mat 4:17). He did not do the work of judging and purifying people; His words that carry the essence of judgment were able to have people acknowledge in front of the Lord the sins they committed and repent. However, the outcome that His work and words achieved was just to have people confess and repent; it did not achieve judgment and complete purification of mankind. So to put it accurately, when the Lord Jesus said “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of, and of judgment,” this referred to the Lord returning in the last days and doing the work of judgment. Just as the Lord Jesus said: “And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (Jhn 12:47-48). God’s work of judgment in the last days is not just having people confess and repent, but it is to resolve the source of mankind’s sins, which is people’s satanic natures and dispositions, so that they can entirely cast off the influence of Satan and achieve holiness. It is the work of saving, purifying, and perfecting mankind. It is also the work of rewarding good and punishing evil, and of ending the age. So we cannot say that the Lord Jesus’ work of redemption was the work of judgment, and we particularly cannot take the Holy Spirit’s work in the Age of Grace to be God’s work of judgment in the last days.
The Lord Jesus said, "But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14). The Lord Jesus is the fountainhead of the living water of life, He is the way of eternal life, but, as witnessed by the Eastern Lightning, only Christ of the last days—Almighty God can give people the way of eternal life. So, do Almighty God and the Lord Jesus come from the same source? Are Their works carried out by one God? Why can only Christ of the last days bestow on us the way of eternal life?
When I was 12, I began believing in the Lord Jesus and became a Christian. After I began believing, I actively and persistently participated in Sunday worship and Bible study groups. At Bible study meetings, we often discussed 2 Timothy 4:7–8, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: From now on there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.” We thought that, as Christians, we should imitate Paul and strive to run around and do works, because the Lord would bestow crowns of righteousness upon us. Our pastor also often encouraged us by saying the kingdom of heaven is entered through effort, and as long as we make efforts to pursue and diligently do the Lord’s work, when the Lord returns, He would rapture us up to the kingdom of heaven. These teachings became the cornerstone of my belief in God, and I swore to myself that I would do all in my power to participate in church service work so that I could accrue enough “value” to satisfy God, so that when He came, I could be raptured up into the kingdom of heaven.
Question 5: You testified that God becomes flesh again as the Son of man and does His work of judgment beginning at the house of God. This completely conforms with the Bible’s prophecy, and I can accept it. But I don’t understand whether this is the same as the great white throne judgment in the Book of Revelation. What we think is that the great white throne judgment is targeted at the non-believers that belong to the devil Satan. When the Lord comes, the believers will be taken up into heaven, and then He will send disaster to destroy the non-believers. That’s the judgment before the great white throne. You testify to the start of God’s judgment in the last days, but we haven’t seen God bring disaster to destroy the non-believers. Then how could it be the great white throne judgment? What is God’s judgment in the last days exactly? Please communicate this to us more clearly.
Answer: All those who truly understand the Bible know that the great white throne judgment prophesied in the Book of Revelation is a vision of God’s judgment work in the last days. The incarnate Almighty God came to express the truth and do His judgment work in the last days, starting to cleanse and save corrupt mankind. This means the great white throne judgment has already begun. Judgment must start from the house of God. God will first make a group of overcomers before the disaster. Then, God will bring down the great disasters and start to reward good and punish evil, until this evil era has been destroyed. God’s great white throne judgment in the last days will then be thoroughly complete. Then God will openly appear to begin a new era. We can all see it very clearly right now. The omen of the great disasters—four consecutive blood moons—has already appeared. The great disasters are near. When the great disaster comes, anyone who resists God, judges God, or opposes God, and the brood of the devil Satan will be destroyed in the disaster. Isn’t that precisely the great white throne judgment? We can see from the Bible’s prophecies that the Lord’s return is separated into the two stages of secret arrival and open arrival. At first, the Lord comes like a thief, which means God incarnate arrives secretly to express the truth and perform His judgment work in the last days. The main purpose is to perfect a group of overcomers. This fulfills the “judgment begins with the house of God” prophecy. God’s judgment work in the last days already began when God incarnate secretly arrived to express the truth and judge all of mankind. The first part of the work is to begin judgment at the house of God. With that, God cleanses and saves those who hear His voice and are brought before Him, making them into overcomers. Then God’s great work is accomplished, and the great disasters begin. God will use disaster to punish and destroy this old world. God’s judgment work in the last days thus reaches its climax. When God appears openly on the clouds, His judgment work will be thoroughly complete. The kingdom of God will subsequently appear. This thus fulfills the prophecy of the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven. Just as Almighty God says: “In one regard, God’s work uses words to conquer all mankind and gain the chosen people; in another regard, His work uses all manner of disasters to conquer all children of disobedience. This is part of God’s large-scale work, and only in this way can the kingdom on earth desired by God be achieved without blemish. This is the pure gold of God’s work” (“Interpretation of the Seventeenth Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Almighty God’s words sum up His judgment work in the last days very accurately. We can understand it very easily. Almighty God’s judgment in the last days is the great white throne judgment prophesied in the Book of Revelation. According to Almighty God’s judgment work in the last days, we can also understand what the Revelation prophecy regarding the opening of books to judge the dead and the opening the book of life is all about. Actually, the opening of books to judge the dead is God’s judgment of all those who deny and resist Him. This judgment is their condemnation, their punishment, their destruction. And opening the book of life refers to the judgment that begins at the house of God, that is, Almighty God, Christ of the last days, expressing the truth to judge and cleanse all those brought before His throne. These chosen people of God who accept Almighty God’s judgment and are brought before Him are all objects of God’s judgment, cleansing, and salvation. The judgment that begins at the house of God is to perfect this group of people before the disaster. Only this group of people are the wise virgins, people whose names are recorded in the book of life, the 144,000 overcomers prophesied by the Book of Revelation, the people who will ultimately enter the kingdom of heaven to inherit eternal life. This fulfills what was prophesied in Revelation 14:1-5: “And I looked, and, see, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.”
Christian Film Clip (4) - Why Does God Carry Out the Work of Judgment in the Last Days?
Even though our sins are absolved once we profess our faith in the Lord, we still frequently commit sins. This is a problem that perplexes all believers. Regardless of how many years we have believed in the Lord, and regardless of how we practice the Lord's words or how we rely on our willpower for self-control, all along we are still unable to break free from the control of our sinful nature. In our hearts we are all suffering deeply. What can we do to finally break free from the control of our satanic nature and achieve true salvation? This short video will help you answer that question.
Know more:
What is the work of the Holy Spirit? How is the work of the Holy Spirit manifested?
