The very first thing I did after getting to the States was find a Chinese church in New York’s Chinatown, and after that I attended service every Sunday.
Setting the Stage for Welcoming Jesus’ Return: A Great Harvest From Happenstance
One day about a year later, I heard the pastor say, “We are living in the last days and the Lord Jesus could return at any moment and rapture us into the kingdom of heaven. We must vigilantly await Him. The Eastern Lightning is giving testimony that the Lord has already returned in the flesh, and that He is a woman. This simply isn’t possible! The Bible says, ‘He that has the bride is the bridegroom’ (John 3:29). When the Lord returns the ‘bridegroom’ will take the ‘bride’ in marriage, so this reference to the bridegroom means that when the Lord returns He will certainly be a man. How could He possibly be female?” The pastor then went on to say other things condemning Eastern Lightning and emphasized over and over again that we shouldn’t listen to them; he urged us to be on our guard with strangers. When he said this I nodded very earnestly, and after that whenever someone I didn’t know approached me in the church, I refused to talk to them.
By happenstance, I met Brother Zhao along with Sister Tina, who I knew pretty well, at the home of one of her friends. When I learned that Brother Zhao was a preacher I immediately got my guard up and asked him probingly, “Brother, I’ve heard that you go all over the place spreading the gospel and shepherding churches. Are you familiar with Eastern Lightning? They bear witness that the Lord has already returned, that He’s Almighty God in the flesh. They also say that He was incarnated as a woman. What’s your take on this?” Brother Zhao smiled and said, “the term ‘Eastern Lightning’ comes from one of the Lord’s prophecies in the Bible, ‘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). So it certainly has something to do with the coming in the last days of the Son of man. We don’t really have a good understanding of Eastern Lightning, but as believers we must have reverence for God, and we can’t just arbitrarily express our own opinions. James 4:12 says, ‘There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who are you that judge another?’ And Proverbs 13:3 says, ‘He that keeps his mouth keeps his life: but he that opens wide his lips shall have destruction.’ These verses very clearly remind us to very carefully guard our words so that we don’t arbitrarily pass judgment and offend God. We are created beings so before the Creator, we must possess reason and a heart of reverence for God. God’s plan is within however He carries out His work; we can’t rely on our own notions and imaginings to delimit how we think the Lord should work. If we just randomly spout off about God’s work, we very well may offend His disposition and suffer His displeasure, bringing ruin upon ourselves.”
Brother Zhao’s very reasonable words left me feeling abashed. I thought of how I had no understanding whatsoever of Eastern Lightning and had just taken in hearsay and parroted, but still arbitrarily judged it. Isn’t that really unreasonable? Isn’t it a problem to wantonly say things that offend God, without a heart of reverence for Him? Thinking through this, I didn’t say anything more but started listening to Brother Zhao’s fellowship in earnest. He integrated some Bible passages into his fellowship on aspects of the truth such as what true faith is, the difference between believing in God and believing in a person, how to look at the return of the Lord Jesus in the last days, and how the wise virgins discern the Lord’s voice. His fellowship was full of the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit; hearing it made my heart light up and I gained understanding of many truths I had never understood before. It occurred to me that the church pastors and elders only talk about the literal meaning of the Bible and some theoretical biblical knowledge; it’s all dull and lifeless and brings no enjoyment. There’s no sustenance for my soul, and in every gathering I can’t keep from nodding off. That day having fellowship with Brother Zhao was the first time I had a truly rewarding experience. I felt I gained more in that one gathering than I had over my previous several years of faith—I was happy and looking forward to our next meeting.
My Battle in Welcoming Jesus’ Return: So That Was Eastern Lightning—What Now?
After a few more gatherings, Brother Zhao gave testimony that the Lord has already returned, and He is Almighty God in the flesh doing the work of judgment beginning with the house of God. When he said that the Lord Jesus has returned and is called Almighty God, I immediately thought of the pastor’s many warnings not to listen to what is preached by Eastern Lightning. I started feeling restless and unsettled. I listened for a bit longer before leaving, but my heart wasn’t in it. When I got home I flopped onto my bed and thought back over the several times I had heard fellowship from Brother Zhao. He always integrated Bible passages into his fellowship on the truth, and what he shared was practical and really contained light. I could feel the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit and nothing seemed off. I had come to understand all sorts of truths I had never understood before and I felt real spiritual sustenance. However, the pastors and elders in religious circles all condemned Eastern Lightning. I was at a loss regarding who I should listen to. I tossed and turned, unable to sleep, feeling more conflicted the more I thought about it. I was really afraid of taking the wrong path and losing salvation for all eternity. This was really a dilemma—on the one hand, I really wanted to walk away from it, but on the other hand, I really wanted to continue seeking and investigating. I told Sister Tina that evening what was on my mind, and after hearing me out she shared this passage: “The return of Jesus is a great salvation for those who are capable of accepting the truth, but for those who are unable to accept the truth it is a sign of condemnation. You should choose your own path, and should not blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and reject the truth. You should not be an ignorant and arrogant person, but someone who obeys the guidance of the Holy Spirit and longs for and seeks the truth; only in this way will you benefit. I advise you to tread the path of belief in God with care. Do not jump to conclusions; what’s more, do not be casual and carefree in your belief in God. You should know that, at the very least, those who believe in God should be humble and reverential” (“When You Behold the Spiritual Body of Jesus Will Be When God Has Made Anew Heaven and Earth” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).
Sister Tina replied, “Brother, welcoming the Lord’s coming is an extremely important matter. We must pray and seek the Lord’s guidance more; if we just blindly listen to what anyone says and randomly pass judgment we could very likely lose God’s salvation!” After hearing her fellowship I read this passage several more times and felt that in my approach to the Lord’s return, I had been judging things based on my own subjective ideas instead of seeking the Lord’s will. Acting like that, I wasn’t worthy of being called a Christian, and I could very easily miss the Lord’s second coming. Since I had heard news of the Lord Jesus’ return, I realized I should pray and seek the Lord’s guidance; if Almighty God really is the returned Lord Jesus and I didn’t accept Him, wouldn’t I miss my chance at being raptured? I wasted no time kneeling down and praying to the Lord, “Oh Lord, is Eastern Lightning Your appearance and work? Right now, I don’t fully understand this and I’m really afraid of taking the wrong path, but I’m also afraid of missing out on Your salvation. Lord, I’m really lost. I beg You to point out the way forward for me and keep me from going the wrong way so that I can welcome Your return.”
On my way to church two days later, a sister told me a story about someone being saved just in the nick of time—I found it really moving. After getting to church, I once again opened up to the Lord about my difficulty in prayer. Surprisingly, the pastor then told a similar story in his sermon. I was really taken aback, and very moved. Unexpectedly, within one day I had heard two people tell stories of someone being saved just in time. Pondering this, I thought, “Could the Lord be using this anecdote to tell me not to miss my chance at His salvation?” I then suddenly understood the Lord’s will and gave thanks for His enlightenment and guidance from my heart. I then decided to continue seeking and looking into Almighty God’s work.
Seeking Jesus’ Return: Why Would God Incarnate of the Last Days Be a Woman?
After that I reached out to Brother Zhao online and told him the source of my confusion. “The Bible says, ‘He that has the bride is the bridegroom’ (John 3:29). And ‘Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready’ (Revelation 19:7). It’s written that the ‘bridegroom’ will marry the ‘bride’, so doesn’t the ‘bridegroom’ refer to the Lord being male when He returns? However, you testify that the Lord has returned as a woman. This is something I don’t understand. Brother, can you share fellowship on this?” Brother Zhao responded, “I used to think that since the Bible says that the bride will adorn herself to welcome the bridegroom, when the Lord returns He will certainly be male and couldn’t possibly be a woman. So is this understanding of the prophecy actually accurate, or not? If it’s as we take it, when God comes He has to be a man, and only a man can be called the ‘bridegroom’ so the ‘bride’ without a doubt refers to a woman, then which of our brothers, who are male, could become a ‘bride’ and attend the wedding banquet of the Lamb? Wouldn’t they all be cast out by the ‘bridegroom’ into the darkness, weeping? God is the God of all creatures; He is the God of all men and all women, so how could He only save women and not men? That is to say, our concept that the ‘bridegroom’ should be a man comes from looking at things from a worldly viewpoint. It’s just a literal understanding of the Bible, our own notions and imaginations. It is not remotely in line with the true meaning of what was prophesied in the Bible, and it is even less in line with the truth.
“In fact, there is symbolism behind the ‘bridegroom’ and the ‘bride’ and they have nothing to do with the two sexes. The ‘bride’ is a symbol for the church, and whether someone is a brother or a sister, we are all one of the ‘brides.’ The ‘bridegroom’ is a symbol for Christ, who is God incarnate, God’s Spirit realized in the flesh. God’s Spirit isn’t confined by sex: When His Spirit comes He can be clothed in the flesh of a man, or He can be clothed in the flesh of a woman. As long as it is God’s Spirit in the flesh, whether it is a man or a woman, it is Christ, and as Christ, He can be called the ‘bridegroom.’ This is evident and beyond doubt.”
Brother Zhao’s fellowship had me utterly convinced. I realized that the “bridegroom” is a symbol for Christ and doesn’t mean that God will come in the form of a man. All that time I had been going by a literal interpretation of the Bible, relying on my own notions and imaginings to delimit what God’s sex would be. It was so arrogant and ignorant!
Brother Zhao later sent me another passage of Almighty God’s words: “Each stage of work done by God has its own practical significance. Back then, when Jesus came, He was male, but when God comes this time, He is female. From this, you can see that God created both male and female for the sake of His work, and with Him there is no distinction of gender. When His Spirit comes, He can take on any kind of flesh at will and that flesh can represent Him. Whether male or female, it can represent God as long as it is His incarnate flesh. If Jesus had appeared as a female when He came, in other words, if an infant girl, and not a boy, had been conceived by the Holy Spirit, that stage of work would have been completed all the same. If such had been the case, then the present stage of work would have to be completed by a male instead, but the work would be completed all the same. The work done in either stage is equally significant; neither stage of work is repeated nor conflicts with the other. At the time, Jesus in doing His work was called the only Son, and ‘Son’ implies the male gender. Then why is the only Son not mentioned in this stage? This is because the requirements of the work have necessitated a change in gender different from that of Jesus. With God there is no distinction of gender. He does His work as He wishes and in doing His work He is not subject to any restrictions, but is especially free. However, every stage of work has its own practical significance. God became flesh twice, and it goes without saying that His incarnation in the last days is the last time. He has come to reveal all His deeds. If in this stage He did not become flesh in order personally to do work for man to witness, man would forever hold on to the notion that God is only male, not female” (“The Two Incarnations Complete the Significance of the Incarnation” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).
Brother Zhao went on to say, “In fact, gender is only something that pertains to created beings. God is inherently a Spirit and is not subject to that delineation. He’s only referred to as male or female because He incarnates and takes on the outer shell of a creature—we cannot deny God because it is not in line with our notions that He has incarnated as a female. The reality is that whether God incarnates as a man or as a woman, it’s for the completion of His work, for the salvation of mankind—it is all significant. The Lord Jesus came in the form of a man and completed the work of redemption; if God incarnated in the form of a man in the last days as well, we would think that God is a man, that He is a God of men and not a God of women. Wouldn’t that be delimiting Him? And even more, wouldn’t that be blaspheming Him? God has incarnated as a woman in the last days, which is really contrary to our notions and dispenses with our past, erroneous understandings of God and makes us realize that God is not just the God of men, but He is the God of women as well; He not only saves men, but saves women just the same. In God’s eyes, men and women are on equal footing: He is the God of all of humanity. We can’t weigh whether He really is God in the flesh based on the gender of His incarnation. Instead, we should determine that based on the disposition expressed through His work and words. At the same time, we must lay importance on examining whether or not Almighty God’s words contain the truth and whether they are the voice of God, and if Almighty God’s work is the true way. This is the only way to determine if Almighty God is God in the flesh. Just as Almighty God Himself said, ‘To investigate whether it is God’s incarnate flesh, man must determine this from the disposition He expresses and the words He speaks. … If man sees only His external appearance, and overlooks His substance, then that shows the ignorance and naivety of man’ (Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh).
“There’s another point we should all understand well. How about we take a look at another passage of Almighty God’s words? Almighty God says, ‘Not ever does the work of God conform to the conceptions of man, for His work is always new and never old. Not ever does He repeat work of old but rather forges ahead with work never before done. As God does not repeat His work and man invariably judges the work of God today based on His work of the past, it is exceedingly difficult for God to carry out each stage of work of the new age. Man presents far too many hindrances! The thinking of man is too hidebound! No man knows the work of God, yet they all define such work’ (‘How Can Man Who Has Delimited God in His Conceptions Receive the Revelations of God?’ in The Word Appears in the Flesh). God is a God who is always new and never old—He never does the same work twice. In order to save mankind, He has become flesh twice: The first time He incarnated as a man, and this time around He has incarnated as a woman. Only by adopting two different genders in His incarnate form has God completed His entire work in the flesh. So when we encounter God’s new work, we can’t apply the rules of the work He’s done in the past or we could easily delimit God and make the mistake of resisting Him.
“In addition, God is the Lord of creation and His wisdom and almightiness are unfathomable. Just as it is written in the Bible, ‘O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!’ (Romans 11:33). We are just insignificant little creatures, so how could we fathom God’s work? We determine that God should be this or that way just on our own notions and imaginings; isn’t that so arrogant and senseless? It’s just like when the Lord Jesus came to work—the Pharisees totally lacked reverence for God and did not seek the truth, but instead relied on their own arrogant nature, stubbornly clinging to their notions and what they imagined. They thought that when God came He would be called ‘Messiah,’ and that He would lead them to escape from the Romans’ rule. The Pharisees delimited God within their own notions, and even when they saw that the Lord Jesus’ work and words possessed power and authority, they did everything they could to resist and condemn them because they weren’t in line with their notions and what they imagined. Ultimately, they nailed the Lord Jesus to the cross and were then punished by God. So in order to avoid following in the footsteps of the Pharisees, we must let go of our own notions and what we imagine in our approach to the Lord’s coming. We must seek the truth in the words expressed by God. As long as we hunger and thirst for righteousness, God will enlighten and guide us so that we may see God’ appearance through His words. Just as the Lord Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 5:3). ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled’ (Matthew 5:6).”
Hearing this fellowship from Brother Zhao left me feeling ashamed and my face grew hot. I thought, “Brother Zhao’s fellowship is so true! God is so wise and has such authority, while I’m just a tiny little creature. How could I be qualified to delimit His work? I’m really too big for my own britches, and so lacking in reason. There’s great significance in God incarnating as a woman in the last days. Not only does it strike back at our notions and imaginings about God, but even more, it shows us that God is the God of all humanity, and how wise His work is!” After understanding this I completely changed my mindset and let go of my own erroneous viewpoints; I began to seek and investigate Almighty God’s words.
Gaining Certainty on Jesus’ Return: Following Almighty God and Never Looking Back
Since then, I’ve been hungrily watching online videos of God’s words, gospel films, choral performances, and hymns all produced by The Church of Almighty God. This has deeply rocked my world, and I’ve seen that The Church of Almighty God truly possesses the work of the Holy Spirit. They also produce a rich array of videos and films which have resolved all sorts of my own notions and issues; they really bolster people’s faith. I also read Almighty God’s words regularly, and through His words I’ve come to understand mysteries of the truth such as God’s 6,000-year management plan for mankind’s salvation, the inside story and essence of the Bible, and significance of God taking on different names, how God cleanses, transforms, and perfects people through His judgment work of the last days, as well as mankind’s future destination and outcome. This has really opened my eyes and fed my soul. Almighty God’s words possess authority and carry power—outside of God Himself, no single person could utter these words. I feel like I’ve come out from the wilderness and into the land of Canaan, where my spirit has enjoyment and a place of rest.
After a period of time of seeking and investigation, I determined from the words uttered by Almighty God that He truly is the return of the Lord Jesus, that He is the appearance of Christ of the last days. The excitement for me was incomparable—I prostrated myself and offered up a prayer of gratitude to God: “Almighty God, I give thanks to You! Just when I wanted to give up on seeking and investigating Your work, You didn’t give up on me, but instead had mercy and tolerance for me. You allowed me to understand the truth and resolve the notions I held—I narrowly escaped missing out on the chance to welcome Your return. Oh God, this lost sheep of Yours has finally been able to welcome Your return and attain Your salvation. This is entirely Your grace and elevation. From this day forward, I only wish to read Your words, seek the truth, and fulfill my duty to repay Your love. Thank You, God!”
Source From: Gospel of The Descent of The Kingdom
