By Wen Jin, United States
Editor’s Note: The Lord Jesus prophesied that He would return in the last days, and so where He will appear and perform His work has become a topic which greatly concerns brothers and sisters. Basing their belief on the Book of Zechariah 14:4, many brothers and sisters believe that the Lord will return in the last days to appear and work in Israel, and therefore when they hear that the Lord has appeared and is performing His work in China in the last days, they are not entirely able to accept it. This was something which confused Sister Wen Jin, but after a period of seeking, she came to understand the meaning behind God appearing and working in China, and she gained some knowledge of the omnipotence and wisdom of God. Would you like to welcome the return of the Lord and understand the meaning of the Lord’s appearance? Then let’s read together the experiences of Sister Wen Jin.
Contents
Saved at My Lowest Ebb
The Lord Has Actually Appeared and Is Performing His Work in China
It Turns Out That the Bible Long Ago Prophesied That God Would Work in China in the Last Days
There Is Actually Tremendous Meaning Behind God Choosing to Appear and Work in China
I Recognize God’s Omnipotence and Wisdom and Joyfully Welcome the Lord’s Return
In 2005, my young husband’s life was taken away by a sudden car accident, leaving me and my small son behind. In my distress and despair, the Lord’s salvation came to me, and it was the Lord’s words which guided me through that dark and hopeless time. Afterward, I always attended gatherings at a house church, and I preached the gospel along with my brothers and sisters. Even when I was too busy with work and had no time to attend gatherings, I would still read the Bible at home.
In 2011, I emigrated to the US and began attending gatherings at a Chinese church near where I lived. Because I’d opened a shop in my home that I couldn’t leave, I didn’t return to China for several years, but just spoke to my parents over the phone. Several times, my parents would call me and urge me to take a trip back to China, and so I returned back to my hometown in August 2018.
The Lord Has Actually Appeared and Is Performing His Work in China
When I got home, my father said cheerfully to me, “Wen Jin, your mother and I asked you to come home so we could tell you some good news. The Lord Jesus, whom we have yearned for, has now returned as the incarnated Almighty God. God appeared and began His work in China long ago, and He is performing the work of the Age of Kingdom….” When he said this, I was incredulous, and said, “Mom, dad, did you say the Lord has returned, and that He has appeared and is performing His work in China? How could that be? China is an atheist nation and anyone who believes in the Lord is subject to persecution, arrest and curtailments on their freedom at the hands of the CCP. How could the second coming of Jesus be working in China?” My father said anxiously, “Wen Jin, God’s work is wondrous and unfathomable, and it is brimming with wisdom. How could we human beings possibly fathom it? Don’t delimit God’s work straight off the bat. If we don’t understand it, then we have to seek the truth, and then God will guide us. Tomorrow, I’ll ask the brothers and sisters to come and give you fellowship. Once you hear what they have to say, then you’ll understand.” Although I felt entirely puzzled by this news, when I looked at my parents and saw how earnest they appeared, I agreed to meet with the brothers and sisters.
It Turns Out That the Bible Long Ago Prophesied That God Would Work in China in the Last Days
The next day, two sisters from The Church of Almighty God came to our house to preach the gospel to me. After they had fellowshiped for a while, I asked them, “You say that the Lord Jesus has returned and that He has appeared and is working in China. But it says in the Bible: ‘And His feet shall stand in that day on the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east’ (Zechariah 14:4). The Mount of Olives is in Israel, so the return of the Lord Jesus should be that He appears and works in Israel. How could it happen in China? Is there a biblical basis for what you are saying?”
The sisters laughed good-naturedly, and one of them said, “The Bible long ago prophesied that God would incarnate to appear and work in China in the last days. Jehovah God said, ‘For from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same My name shall be great among the Gentiles’ (Malachi 1:11). The Lord Jesus said, ‘For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be’ (Matthew 24:27). We can see from these verses that God incarnate will come in the last days into the East of the world and that He shall make His name great among the Gentiles. Furthermore, God’s salvation of the last days will spread from the East of the world into the West. We all know that China is in the East of the world and that it is the famous land where the sun rises. It is also a nation governed by an atheist regime, and so God incarnating in China in the last days, performing the work of judgment beginning in God’s house and expressing all truths to purify and save mankind is akin to a great light appearing in the East of the world. In just the short space of time of more than two decades, God’s work of the last days has extended across all of the Chinese mainland, God’s kingdom gospel has spread into the West, the words expressed by Almighty God have been published in newspapers and magazines in many western nations, and they have also been published online for people of all nations who yearn for the appearance of God to seek and investigate. This wholly fulfills the prophecy, ‘For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west.’ We can see from all this that God’s appearance and work in China in the last days is entirely in line with biblical prophecy.
“With regards to this issue, we will understand it better after we have read a passage of Almighty God’s words. Almighty God says, ‘Throughout the universe I am doing My work, and in the East, thunderous crashes issue forth endlessly, shaking all nations and denominations. It is My voice that has led all men into the present. I cause all men to be conquered by My voice, to fall into this stream, and submit before Me, for I have long since reclaimed My glory from all the earth and issued it forth anew in the East. Who does not long to see My glory? Who does not anxiously await My return? Who does not thirst for My reappearance? Who does not pine for My loveliness? Who would not come to the light? Who would not look upon the richness of Canaan? Who does not long for the return of the Redeemer? Who does not adore Him who is great in power? My voice shall spread throughout the earth; I will face My chosen people and speak more words to them. Like the mighty thunders that shake the mountains and rivers, I speak My words to the whole universe and to mankind. Hence the words in My mouth have become man’s treasure, and all men cherish My words. The lightning flashes from the East all the way to the West. My words are such that man is loath to give them up and at the same time finds them unfathomable, but rejoices in them all the more. All men are glad and joyful, celebrating My coming, as if an infant had just been born. By means of My voice, I shall bring all men before Me. Thenceforth, I shall formally enter into the race of men so that they will come to worship Me. With the glory that I radiate and the words in My mouth, I shall make it such that all men come before Me and see that the lightning flashes from the East and that I have also descended unto the “Mount of Olives” of the East. They will see that I have already long been on earth, no longer as the Son of the Jews but as the Lightning of the East. For I have long since been resurrected, and have departed from mankind’s midst, and then reappeared with glory among men. I am He who was worshiped countless ages before now, and I am also the infant forsaken by the Israelites countless ages before now. Moreover, I am the all-glorious Almighty God of the present age! Let all come before My throne and see My glorious countenance, hear My voice, and look upon My deeds. This is the entirety of My will; it is the end and the climax of My plan, as well as the purpose of My management: to have every nation worship Me, every tongue acknowledge Me, every man repose his faith in Me, and every people be subject unto Me!’ (“The Seven Thunders Peal—Prophesying That the Gospel of the Kingdom Shall Spread Throughout the Universe” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).”
After she’d finished reading, the sister continued with her fellowship. “Sister Wen Jin, when we hear God’s words, don’t we get a sense of the authority and power they possess? This is God uttering His words openly to all mankind and testifying to His coming into the East of the world, into China. None besides God could speak such words. The incarnate Almighty God has expressed millions of words and has unveiled all truths and mysteries, such as the mystery of God’s six-thousand-year management plan, the mystery of His three stages of work, the mystery of the incarnation, the inside story and substance of the Bible, and the ends and destinations of mankind. God’s words have incisively and wholly exposed the truth of mankind’s corruption by Satan as well as our God-defying satanic nature. At the same time, His words show us many paths of practice, such as how to be honest people, how to obey and love God, how to serve God in line with His will, and how to fear God and shun evil. God has also proclaimed His administrative decrees which are open to the entire universe and the commandments of the new era and so on, and He has wholly unveiled His righteous, majestic and wrathful disposition to mankind. The words Almighty God expresses in the last days are rich and bountiful, they reveal all truths and mysteries, and this wholly fulfills the Lord Jesus’ prophecy when He said, ‘I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come’ (John 16:12–13). There is also this prophecy in Revelation: ‘He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’ (Revelation 2:7). People who truly yearn for the appearance of God in all nations all over the world and in all religions and denominations hear the utterances of God and see that the words of Almighty God are the truth and that they are the voice of God. They are then certain that Almighty God is the return of the Lord Jesus and, one by one, they come back before God’s throne. From this, we can see that the prophecy spoken by God, ‘For from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same My name shall be great among the Gentiles,’ has now been fulfilled and accomplished—Almighty God is the return of the Lord Jesus!”
The sisters’ fellowship did indeed tally with the prophecies in the Bible. Could it be that God’s return in the last days really was that He had appeared and was performing His work in China? I contemplated the words of Almighty God: “I have also descended unto the ‘Mount of Olives’ of the East. They will see that I have already long been on earth, no longer as the Son of the Jews but as the Lightning of the East.” As I did so, I felt that these words definitely possessed authority, as though God were speaking directly to us. I still didn’t understand, however, why God had chosen to appear and work in China, and not in Israel. To allow me to overcome my jet lag, I agreed to meet with the sisters again another time to continue our fellowship.
There Is Actually Tremendous Meaning Behind God Choosing to Appear and Work in China
Two days later, a brother and two sisters came to my home. After we’d introduced ourselves, I told them all about the confusion I was feeling. “God has always worked in Israel, so why in the last days would He choose to work in China? It is common knowledge that China is an atheist nation which constantly opposes God’s work, so what is the meaning behind God choosing to perform His work in China?”
Smiling, the brother said, “There are mysteries to the fact that God chooses different locations to perform His work in different ages, and even more so there are truths for us to seek! God’s words have already revealed everything about this matter, so let’s first read two passages of God’s words.”
The brother then opened his book of Almighty God’s words and asked me to read, and this is what I read: “Nothing was more symbolic than the first stage being carried out in Israel: The Israelites were the most holy and least corrupt of all peoples, and so the dawn of the new epoch in this land held the utmost significance. It can be said that mankind’s forefathers came from Israel, and that Israel was the birthplace of God’s work. In the beginning, these people were the most holy, and they all worshiped Jehovah, and God’s work in them was able to yield the greatest results. The entire Bible records the work of two ages: One was the work of the Age of Law, and one was the work of the Age of Grace. The Old Testament records Jehovah’s words to the Israelites and His work in Israel; the New Testament records Jesus’ work in Judea. But why does the Bible not contain any Chinese names? Because the first two parts of God’s work were carried out in Israel, because the people of Israel were the chosen ones—which is to say that they were the first to accept the work of Jehovah. They were the least corrupt of all mankind, and in the beginning, they were of a mind to look up to God and revere Him. They obeyed the words of Jehovah, and always served in the temple, and wore priestly robes or crowns. They were the earliest people to worship God, and the earliest object of His work. These people were the specimens and models for the whole of mankind. They were specimens and models of holiness and righteousness. People such as Job, Abraham, Lot, or Peter and Timothy—they were all Israelites, and the most holy of specimens and models. Israel was the earliest country to worship God among mankind, and more righteous people came from here than anywhere else. God worked in them in order that He could better manage mankind throughout the land in the future. Their achievements and the righteousness of their worship of Jehovah were recorded, so that they could serve as specimens and models to the people beyond Israel during the Age of Grace; and their actions have upheld several thousand years of work, right up until today” (“The Vision of God’s Work (2)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).
“The work of Jehovah was the creation of the world, it was the beginning; this stage of work is the end of work, and it is the conclusion. At the start, God’s work was carried out among the chosen ones of Israel, and it was the dawn of a new epoch in the most holy of all places. The last stage of work is carried out in the most impure of all countries, to judge the world and bring the age to an end. In the first stage, God’s work was done in the brightest of all places, and the last stage is carried out in the darkest of all places, and this darkness will be driven out, the light brought forth, and all the people conquered. When the people of this most impure and darkest of all places have been conquered, and the entire population has acknowledged that there is a God, who is the true God, and every person has been utterly convinced, then this fact will be used to carry out the work of conquest throughout the entire universe. This stage of work is symbolic: Once the work of this age has been finished, the work of six thousand years of management will come to a complete end. Once those in the darkest of all places have been conquered, it goes without saying that it will also be so everywhere else. As such, only the work of conquest in China carries meaningful symbolism. China embodies all forces of darkness, and the people of China represent all those who are of the flesh, of Satan, and of flesh and blood. It is the Chinese people who have been most corrupted by the great red dragon, who have the strongest opposition to God, whose humanity is most base and impure, and so they are the archetype of all corrupt humanity. … It is in the people of China that corruption, impurity, unrighteousness, opposition, and rebelliousness are manifested most completely and revealed in all their varied forms. On the one hand, they are of poor caliber, and on the other, their lives and mindset are backward, and their habits, social environment, family of birth—all are poor and the most backward. Their status, too, is low. The work in this place is symbolic, and after this test work has been carried out in its entirety, God’s subsequent work will go much better. If this step of work can be completed, then the subsequent work goes without saying. Once this step of work has been accomplished, great success will have been fully achieved, and the work of conquest throughout the entire universe will have come to a complete end. In fact, once the work among you has been successful, this will be equivalent to the success throughout the entire universe. This is the significance of why I have you act as a model and a specimen” (“The Vision of God’s Work (2)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).
After I’d read God’s words, the brother gave fellowship. “We can understand from God’s words that, each time God performs a stage of work, the location and the targets of His work are chosen according to the needs of His work, and it is all profoundly meaningful. In the Age of Law, Jehovah God worked in Israel; He used Moses to proclaim His laws and decrees so that mankind would know what sin was, so that we would know how to offer sacrifices and how to worship God, and so that we would understand how to live on the earth. In the Age of Grace, God incarnated into the form of the Lord Jesus and appeared and worked in Judea. His sinless flesh was nailed upon the cross, thus redeeming mankind from the conviction and fetters of the Law and qualifying them to come before God to confess and repent their sins. The reason why God chose to work in Israel in both the Age of Law and the Age of Grace was because Israel is the place where God created our earliest ancestors, Adam and Eve. It was because the people of Israel had been the least corrupted and they were the ones who worshiped God the most. By working in their midst, it was the least difficult for God to make a group of people to serve as models and examples for later generations to follow. People such as Abraham, Job, David and Peter all revered God and were devoted to God. They followed God’s way all their lives and, from the records of their righteous deeds, later generations were able to understand what kind of people God loves, what God’s will and requirements are of man, how man should worship God and carry out His word, and thereby they were able to emulate those early models of righteousness. Only in this way could God’s work to save man achieve even better results and enable even more people to attain God’s salvation. Moreover, these two stages of work were to guide the lives of mankind and to redeem us from the fetters of the Law. These two stages of work did not involve changing man’s corrupt dispositions, and so God chose to work in Israel where the people were the least corrupted and where they both believed in and worshiped God; this was done also so as to better spread the gospel. It was therefore most appropriate and meaningful for God to carry out these two stages of work—that of the Age of Law and that of the Age of Grace—in Israel.
“However, the work God performs in the last days is the work of conquest and perfecting, and it is also the work of removing sin—it is the very last stage of work in God’s six-thousand-year management plan. In this stage of work, God primarily uses words to expose and judge our sins and unrighteousness, thus enabling us to know our satanic nature, to thoroughly cast off the bonds and constraints of sin, to have our satanic dispositions purified and changed, and to become people who obey and worship God. The targets of God’s work must therefore be the classic examples of people who have been deeply corrupted by Satan. By conquering those of mankind who have been most deeply corrupted, this is the equivalent to God conquering the whole of mankind, and only in this way can Satan be utterly shamed, and God can gain His glory. In all the world, Chinese people are the ones who have been most deeply corrupted by Satan and we are the ones who most resist God. Those of us who were born in China all know that, ever since the founding of the nation, it has always advocated atheism, materialism and evolutionism, and it has used both education in schools and messages conveyed through the media, as well as the discourses of famous and great people, to indoctrinate us with such heretical fallacies as ‘There has never been any Savior,’ ‘Religion is the opiate of the masses,’ ‘Man can create a pleasant homeland with his own hands,’ ‘Man can conquer nature,’ ‘Men should always strive to be better than their contemporaries,’ ‘Every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost,’ ‘Man will do anything to get rich,’ and ‘Seize the day for pleasure, for life is short.’ By doing so, it has corroded our minds and made us deny and resist God from a young age, always wanting to change our own destiny with our own two hands and create a beautiful future for ourselves. Once we have accepted these wrong ideas, each and every person then takes the pursuit of wealth, fame, fortune and status, as well as the coveting of physical pleasures, as our goals in life. We vie with each other, cheat each other, strive against each other, so much so that some people even turn against their families and siblings murder each other for the sake of personal profit. People become more and more arrogant and conceited, insidious and malicious, wicked and greedy, they lose their conscience and reason, and they live as things that are neither man nor ghost. Moreover, Chinese people are the descendants of Moab and were originally born of promiscuity and were cursed by God. Chinese people possess the lowest status in all the world, our thoughts are rotten, our integrity is non-existent, and we are wicked and depraved. China is the abode of Satan, where the number of people who worship false gods, evil spirits and idols is at its greatest, and where there are the most people who practice witchcraft and sorcery. Chinese people are therefore the classic examples of corrupt mankind, and by incarnating to appear and work in China in the last days, and by conquering these people who are the most corrupted and who most resist God, God is bearing the most powerful testimony to the defeat of Satan. It may be said that God’s work in China in the last days is just testing the waters and is just the beginning, and that when His work in China is complete, then this will be tantamount to God’s management work to save all of mankind reaching its glorious conclusion, and thus God’s omnipotence and wisdom shall be revealed. The appearance and work of God in China in the last days, therefore, is so profoundly meaningful!”
To be continue…
Source From: The Church of Almighty God