What type of book is the Bible exactly? | The Church of Almighty God

How did the Bible take shape?
What type of book is the Bible exactly?

The answer from God’s word:

The things recorded in the Old Testament are Jehovah’s work in Israel, and that which is recorded in the New Testament is the work of Jesus during the Age of Grace; they document the work done by God in two different ages. The Old Testament documents the work of God during the Age of Law, and thus the Old Testament is a historical book, while the New Testament is the product of the work of the Age of Grace. When the new work began, these books became out of date—and thus, the New Testament is also a historical book. Of course, the New Testament is not as systematic as the Old Testament, nor does it record as many things.

from “Concerning the Bible (1)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

    In ancient times, prior to the Age of Grace people read the Bible, but at that time there was only the Old Testament; there was no New Testament. Since there was the Old Testament of the Bible, people began reading the holy scriptures. After Jehovah’s guidance of him had finished, Moses wrote Genesis, Exodus, and Deuteronomy…. He recalled Jehovah’s work at the time, and wrote it down. The Bible is a book of history. Of course, it also contains some of the foretellings of prophets, and of course, these foretellings are by no means history. The Bible includes several parts—there is not just prophecy, or only the work of Jehovah, nor are there only the Pauline epistles. You must know how many parts the Bible includes; the Old Testament contains Genesis, Exodus…, and there are also the books of prophecy that they wrote. At the end, the Old Testament finishes with the Book of Malachi. It records the work of the Age of Law, which was led by Jehovah; from Genesis to the Book of Malachi, it is a comprehensive record of all the work of the Age of Law. Which is to say, the Old Testament records all that was experienced by the people who were guided by Jehovah in the Age of Law. During the Old Testament Age of Law, the great number of prophets raised up by Jehovah spoke prophecy for Him, they gave instructions to various tribes and nations, and foretold the work that Jehovah would do. These people who had been raised up had all been given the Spirit of prophecy by Jehovah: They were able to see the visions from Jehovah, and hear His voice, and thus they were inspired by Him and wrote prophecy. The work they did was the expression of the voice of Jehovah, it was the work of prophecy that they did on behalf of Jehovah, and Jehovah’s work at the time was simply to guide people using the Spirit; He did not become flesh, and people saw nothing of His face. Thus, He raised up many prophets to do His work, and gave them oracles that they passed on to every tribe and clan of Israel. Their work was to speak prophecy, and some of them wrote down Jehovah’s instructions to them to show to others. Jehovah raised these people up to speak prophecy, to foretell the work of the future or the work still to be done during that time, so that people could behold the wondrousness and wisdom of Jehovah. These books of prophecy were quite different from the other books of the Bible; they were words spoken or written by those who had been given the Spirit of prophecy—by those who had gained the visions or voice from Jehovah.
    Apart from the books of prophecy, everything else in the Old Testament is records made by people after Jehovah had finished His work. These books can’t stand in for the foretellings spoken by the prophets raised up by Jehovah, just as Genesis and Exodus can’t be compared to the Book of Isaiah and the Book of Daniel. The prophecies were spoken before the work had been carried out; the other books, meanwhile, were written after it had been finished, which was what people were capable of. The prophets of that time were inspired by Jehovah and spoke some prophecy, they spoke many words, and they prophesied the things of the Age of Grace, as well as the destruction of the world in the last days—the work that Jehovah planned to do. The remaining books all record the work done by Jehovah in Israel. Thus, when you read the Bible, you’re mainly reading about what Jehovah did in Israel; the Bible’s Old Testament primarily records Jehovah’s work of guiding Israel, His use of Moses to guide the Israelites out of Egypt, who rid them of the Pharaoh’s shackles, and took them out into the wild, after which they entered Canaan and everything following this was their life in Canaan. All apart from this is records of Jehovah’s work throughout Israel. Everything recorded in the Old Testament is Jehovah’s work in Israel, it is the work Jehovah did in the land in which He made Adam and Eve. From when God officially began to lead the people on earth after Noah, all that is recorded in the Old Testament is the work of Israel. And why is there not recorded any work beyond Israel? Because the land of Israel is the cradle of mankind. In the beginning, there were no other countries apart from Israel, and Jehovah did not work in any other places. In this way, what is recorded in the Bible is purely the work in Israel at that time. The words spoken by the prophets, by Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel … their words foretell His other work on earth, they foretell the work of Jehovah God Himself. All this came from God, it was the work of the Holy Spirit, and apart from these books of the prophets, everything else is a record of people’s experiences of Jehovah’s work at the time.

from “Concerning the Bible (1)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

What kind of book is the Bible? The Old Testament is the work of God during the Age of Law. The Old Testament of the Bible records all the work of Jehovah during the Age of Law and His work of creation. All of it records the work done by Jehovah, and it ultimately ends the accounts of Jehovah’s work with the Book of Malachi. The Old Testament records two pieces of work done by God: One is the work of the creation, and one is decreeing of the law. Both were the work done by Jehovah. The Age of Law represents God’s work under the name of Jehovah; it is the entirety of the work carried out primarily under the name of Jehovah. Thus, the Old Testament records the work of Jehovah, and the New Testament records the work of Jesus, work which was carried out primarily under the name of Jesus. Most of the significance of Jesus’ name and the work He did are recorded in the New Testament. In the time of the Old Testament, Jehovah built the temple and the altar in Israel, He guided the life of the Israelites on earth, proving that they were His chosen people, the first group of people that He selected on earth and who were after His own heart, the first group that He had personally led; which is to say, the twelve tribes of Israel were Jehovah’s first chosen ones, and so God always worked in them, right up until the work of Jehovah of the Age of Law was concluded. The second stage of work was the work of the Age of Grace of the New Testament, and it was carried out among the tribe of Judah, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. That the scope of the work was smaller was because Jesus was God become flesh. Jesus worked only throughout the land of Judea, and only did three-and-a-half years of work; thus, what is recorded in the New Testament is far from able to surpass the amount of work recorded in the Old Testament. The work of Jesus of the Age of Grace is primarily recorded in the Four Gospels. The path walked by the people of the Age of Grace was that of the most superficial changes in their life disposition, most of which is recorded in the epistles.

from “Concerning the Bible (1)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

At the time, Jesus had done much work that was incomprehensible to His disciples, and had not provided any explanation. After He left, the disciples began to preach and work everywhere, and for the sake of that stage of work, they began writing the epistles and the books of gospel. The books of gospel of the New Testament were recorded twenty to thirty years after Jesus was crucified. Before, the people of Israel only read the Old Testament. That is to say, in the Age of Grace people read the Old Testament. The New Testament only appeared during the Age of Grace. The New Testament didn’t exist when Jesus worked; the people after He was resurrected and ascended to heaven recorded His work. Only then were there the Four Gospels, in addition to which were also the epistles of Paul and Peter, as well as the Book of Revelation. Only over three hundred years after Jesus ascended to heaven, when subsequent generations collated their records, was there the New Testament. Only after this work had been completed was there the New Testament; it had not existed previously. God had done all that work, the apostle Paul had done all that work, and afterward the epistles of Paul and Peter combined, and the greatest vision recorded by John in the island of Patmos was put the last, for it prophesied the work of the last days. These were all the arrangements of later generations, and they are different to the utterances of today. … What they recorded, it can be said, was according to their level of education and human caliber. What they recorded was the experiences of men, and each had their own means of recording and knowing, and each record was different. Thus, if you worship the Bible as God you are extremely ignorant and stupid!

from “Concerning the Bible (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

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Can Buddhists and Taoists achieve salvation? |The Church of Almighty God

Buddhists and Taoists have religious practices wherein they separate themselves from worldly affairs and practice asceticism,
can that achieve salvation?

Bible Reference:

“Why should the heathen say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens: he has done whatever he has pleased. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like to them; so is every one that trusts in them. O Israel, trust you in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. You that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield. The LORD has been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great. The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children. You are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth. The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s: but the earth has he given to the children of men. The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence. But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for ever more. Praise the LORD” (Psm 115:2-18).

The answer from God’s word:

At the end of this work, all denominations will become one, all creatures will return under the dominion of the Creator, all creatures will worship the one true God, and all cults will come to nothing, never to appear again.

… There are several major religions in the world, and each has its own head, or leader, and the followers are spread across different countries and regions all over the world; every country, be it large or small, has different religions within it. However, regardless of how many religions there are across the world, all people within the universe ultimately exist under the guidance of one God, and their existence is not guided by religious heads or leaders. Which is to say that mankind is not guided by a particular religious head or leader; instead the whole of mankind is led by the Creator, who created the heavens and earth, and all things, and also created mankind—and this is a fact. Although the world has several major religions, regardless of how great they are, they all exist under the dominion of the Creator, and none of them can exceed the scope of this dominion. The development of mankind, social progress, the development of natural sciences—each is inseparable from the arrangements of the Creator, and this work is not something that can be done by a particular religious head. Religious heads are merely the leaders of a particular religion, and cannot represent God, or the One who created the heavens and earth and all things. Religious heads can lead all those within the entire religion, but cannot command all creatures beneath the heavens—this is a universally acknowledged fact. Religious heads are mere leaders, and cannot stand equal to God (the Creator). All things are in the hands of the Creator, and in the end they will all return to the hands of the Creator. Mankind was originally made by God, and regardless of the religion, every person will return under the dominion of God—this is inevitable. Only God is the Most High among all things, and the highest ruler among all creatures must also return under His dominion. No matter how high the status of man, he cannot take mankind to a suitable destination, and no one is able to class all things according to kind. Jehovah Himself created mankind and classed each according to kind, and when the end time arrives He will still do His own work Himself, classing all things according to kind—and this cannot be done by any apart from God. … for throughout the entire universe there only exists this one God, and there are no other religions. He who is incapable of creating the world will be incapable of bringing it to an end, whereas He who created the world will surely bring it to an end, and so if one is unable to bring the age to an end and is merely to help man cultivate his mind, then he will surely not be God, and will surely not be the Lord of mankind. He will be incapable of doing such great work; there is only one who can carry out such work, and all that are unable to do this work are surely the enemies other than God. If they are cults, then they are incompatible with God, and if they are incompatible with God, then they are the enemies of God. All work is done by this one true God, and the entire universe is commanded by this one God.

from “Knowing the Three Stages of God’s Work Is the Path to Knowing God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

The standard by which man judges man is based on his behavior; one whose conduct is good is a righteous person, and one whose conduct is abominable is wicked. The standard by which God judges man is based on whether one’s essence obeys Him; one who obeys God is a righteous person, and one who does not obey God is an enemy and a wicked person, regardless of whether this person’s behavior is good or bad, and regardless of whether this person’s speech is correct or incorrect. Some people wish to use good deeds to obtain a good destination of the future, and some people wish to use good speech to purchase a good destination. People falsely believe that God determines man’s outcome according to his behavior or speech, and therefore many people will seek to use this to gain a temporary favor through deceit.

from “God and Man Will Enter Into Rest Together” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

    But so long as the old world continues to exist, I will hurl forth My rage upon its nations, openly promulgating My administrative decrees throughout the universe, and visit chastisement on whomever violates them:

As I turn My face to the universe to speak, all mankind hears My voice, and thereupon sees all the works I have wrought throughout the universe. Those who go contrary to My will, that is to say, who oppose Me with the deeds of man, will fall down under My chastisement. I will take the multitudinous stars in the heavens and make them anew, and thanks to Me the sun and the moon will be renewed—the skies will no longer be as they were; the myriad things on the earth will be renewed. All will become complete through My words. The many nations within the universe will be partitioned afresh and replaced by My nation, so that the nations upon the earth will disappear forever and become a nation that worships Me; all the nations of the earth will be destroyed, and will cease to exist. Of the human beings within the universe, all those belonging to the devil will be exterminated; all who worship Satan will be laid low by My burning fire—that is, except for those now within the stream, the rest will be turned to ashes. …

from “The Twenty-sixth Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh

    There are now many people who are unable to perceive humanity’s future destination and who also do not believe the words I speak; all those who do not believe, along with those who do not practice truth, are demons! Those who seek and those who do not seek are now two different types of people, and they are two types of people with two different destinations. Those who pursue knowledge of the truth and practice the truth are the people whom God will save. Those who do not know the true way are demons and enemies; they are the descendants of the archangel and will be destroyed. Even the pious believers of a vague God—are they not also demons? People who possess good consciences but do not accept the true way are demons; their essence is one of resistance to God. Those who do not accept the true way are those who resist God, and even if these people endure many hardships, they will still be destroyed. … Anyone who does not believe in God incarnate is demonic; more so, they will be destroyed.

from “God and Man Will Enter Into Rest Together” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

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Wildfires, An Admonition From God

Wildfires, An Admonition From God

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      At least 40 people have died, hundreds are still missing and 3,500 structures are destroyed in California after several days of wildfires that have devastated swathes of countryside and destroyed many homes. It was "one of the greatest tragedies" the state had ever faced, California's governor said.
    What can we learn from this terrible disaster? It reminds me of some Almighty God's words.

    Almighty God, the returned Lord Jesus, says: “On the day that all things were resurrected, I came among man, and I have spent wonderful days and nights with him. Only at this point does man sense a little of My approachability, and as his interaction with Me becomes more frequent, he sees some of what I have and am—and as a result, he gains some knowledge of Me. Among all people, I raise My head and watch, and they all see Me. Yet when disaster befalls the world, they immediately grow anxious, and My image vanishes from their hearts; panic-stricken by the arrival of the disaster, they pay no regard to My exhortations. Many years have I passed among man, yet he has always remained unaware, and has never known Me.
Today I tell to him with My own mouth, and make all people come before Me to receive something from Me, but still they keep their distance from Me, and so they do not know Me. When My footsteps tread across the ends of the universe, man will begin to reflect upon himself, and all people will come to Me and bow down before Me and worship Me. This will be the day of My glorification, the day of My return, and also the day of My departure. Now, I have begun My work among all mankind, have formally embarked, throughout the entire universe, upon the finaleof My management plan. From this moment onward, any who are not cautious are liable to be plunged amid merciless chastisement at any moment. This is not because I am heartless, but is a step of My management plan; all must proceed according to the steps of My plan, and no man can change this. When I formally begin My work, all people move as I move, such that people throughout the universe occupy themselves in step with Me, there is “jubilation” across the universe, and man is spurred onward by Me. ” 
            
    Almighty God says: “The disaster is brought down by Me and of course orchestrated by Me. If you cannot work for good in My presence, then you will not escape suffering the disaster. In times of tribulation, your actions and deeds were not entirely appropriate, for your faith and love were hollow, and you only showed either fear or strength. Regarding this, I will only make a judgment of good or bad. My concern continues to be all for your actions and behavior, on which My determination of your end is based. ”

    Almighty God says: “Today, not only am I descending upon the nation of the great red dragon, I am also turning My face toward the entire universe, so that the whole empyrean is quaking. Is there a single place that does not undergo My judgment? Is there a single place that does not exist under the scourges that I hurl down? Everywhere I go I have scattered seeds of disaster of all kinds. This is one of the ways in which I work, and is without doubt an act of salvation for man, and what I extend to him is still a kind of love. I wish to make even more people come to know Me, be able to see Me, and in this way come to revere God whom they have not seen for so many years but who, today, is real. ”

    Almighty God says: “My mercy is for those who love Me and deny themselves. And the punishment brought upon the wicked is proof of My righteous disposition and much more, testimony to My wrath. When disaster comes, famine and plague will befall all those who oppose Me and they will weep. Those who have committed all kinds of evil during their many years as My follower shall not be guiltless; they too will live in a constant state of panic and fear amidst the disaster that has scarcely been seen through the ages. And all My followers who have been loyal to no other shall rejoice and applaud My might. They will experience ineffable contentment and live in a joy that I have never before bestowed upon mankind. For I treasure the good deeds of men and abhor their evil deeds. Since I first began to lead mankind, I have been hoping for a group of men who are of the same mind with Me. And I have never forgotten those not of the same mind; I have loathed them in My heart, awaiting only the opportunity to see My retribution administered on those wrongdoers and relish in such. My day has finally come and I need no longer wait!”

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God Presides Over the Fate of All Nations | The Church of Almighty God

God Presides Over the Fate of All Nations

    Almighty God says, "God does not partake in the politics of man, yet the fate of a country or nation is controlled by God. God controls this world and the entire universe. The fate of man and the plan of God are intimately connected, and no man, country or nation is exempt from the sovereignty of God. If man wishes to know his fate, then he must come before God. God shall cause those who follow and worship Him to prosper, and shall bring decline and extinction upon those who resist and reject Him.”
                            from The Word Appears in the Flesh

    “The last days have arrived, and countries across the world are in turmoil, there is political disarray, famines, pestilences, floods, and droughts are appearing everywhere, there is catastrophe in the world of man, and Heaven has sent down disaster. These are signs of the last days. But to people, it seems like a world of gaiety and splendor, one that is becoming more and more so. When people look upon the world, their hearts are drawn to it, and many are unable to extricate themselves from it; great numbers will be beguiled by those who engage in trickery and sorcery. If you do not strive for progress, and are without ideals, you will be swept away by this sinful wave."                                             
                                 from The Word Appears in the Flesh

                                                           
    “The last days of mankind must be filled with war, and the destination of man must topple amid violence and conflict. I am unwilling to “share” in the “delight” of the war, I would not accompany the bloodshed and sacrifice of man, for man’s rejection has driven Me to “despondency,” and I haven’t the heart to look upon the wars of man—let man fight to his heart’s content, I wish to rest, I want to sleep, let demons be mankind’s companion during his last days! Who knows My will? Because I am not welcomed by man, and he has never awaited Me, I can only bid him farewell, and I bestow mankind’s destination unto him, leave all My riches to man, sow My life among man, plant the seed of My life in the field of man’s heart, leave him everlasting memories, leave all My love to mankind, and give all that man cherishes in Me to man, as the gift of love with which we long for each other. I would that we love each other forever, that our yesterday is the fine thing we give to each other, for I have already bestowed My entirety upon mankind—what complaints could man have? I have already left the entirety of My life to man, and without a word, have toiled hard to plow the beautiful land of love for mankind; I have never made any equitable demands of man, and have done nothing but simply submit to the arrangements of man and create a more beautiful tomorrow for mankind.”
                                 from The Word Appears in the Flesh

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The Creator has sovereignty over man’s death

“that everything man possesses comes from the Creator and will return to Him some day not far in the future; such a person understands that the Creator arranges man’s birth and has sovereignty over man’s death, and that both life and death are predestined by the Creator’s authority”
    "Today, God has returned to the world to do His work. His first stop is the grand assemblage of dictatorial rulers: China, the staunch bastion of atheism. God has gained a group of people by His wisdom and power. During the period, He is hunted by China’s ruling party in every means and subjected to great suffering, with no place to rest His head and unable to find a shelter. Despite this, God still continues the work He intends to do: He utters His voice and spreads the gospel. None can fathom the almightiness of God. In China, a country that regards God as an enemy, God has never ceased His work. Instead, more people have accepted His work and word, for God does all He can to save each and every member of mankind. We trust that no country or power can stand in the way of what God wishes to achieve. Those that obstruct God’s work, resist the word of God, disturb and impair the plan of God shall ultimately be punished by God. He who defies the work of God shall be sent to hell; any country that defies the work of God shall be destroyed; any nation that rises up to oppose the work of God shall be wiped from this earth, and shall cease to exist. I urge the people of all nations, countries, and even industries to listen to the voice of God, to behold the work of God, to pay attention to the fate of mankind, thus making God the most holy, the most honorable, the highest, and the only object of worship among mankind, and allowing the whole of mankind to live under the blessing of God, just as the descendants of Abraham lived under the promise of Jehovah, and just as Adam and Eve, who were originally made by God, lived in the Garden of Eden.

The work of God is like mightily surging waves. No one can detain Him, and no one can halt His footsteps. Only those who listen carefully to His words, and who seek and thirst for Him, can follow His footsteps and receive His promise. Those who do not shall be subjected to overwhelming disaster and deserved punishment."

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At the Critical Moment, God Demonstrates His Mighty Power – A Christian Testimony

Chengjing

I’m a Christian, who deals in breakfast. I built a cooking range in the backyard. At 5 p.m. on Sept. 24, 2016, I was busy getting ready to fry small fish. I poured about fifteen kilos of cooking oil into the wok of 70cm diameter, turned on the blower and then hastened to prepare other things. After a short while, I suddenly heard a bang from the backyard. Realizing something was wrong with the wok of oil, I rushed to the backyard and saw it on a roaring fire, with flames shooting into the ceiling. Immediately, there was thick black clouds of smoke billowing out from it. Oil buckets and water pipes near it were ignited by splashed flames. The light bulb hanging from the ceiling was on fire as well, and the fire was climbing along the electric wire with a “sputtering” sound. And a great cloud of smoke was flying up the ceiling. … At the scene, I was dumbfounded trembling in legs traitorously. I hurried to call my husband, but he said to me, “As long as you’re all right, nothing is serious. My leaders are in the hospital for an examination now. I’m tied up. Call the fire brigade quickly. …” Before he finished, I flung the phone on the ground angrily. At that moment, my tears instantly rolling down, I felt when the disaster befell me, even my closest relative couldn’t help me. Having no choice, I quickly picked up my phone and called the fire brigade, only to find it broken and unresponsive. I thought to myself: What should I do? Even if they arrive here, it will be at least half an hour later. Then it will be too late. Faced with the emergency, I burned with anxiety and thought: I have to put out the fire quickly. Otherwise, it will spread to the whole building. The consequence will be disastrous.

Seeing that the fire was burning increasingly strong and was going to spread to the other houses along the electric wire, I hastily carried a stool and wanted to turn off the switch. But the fire was so strong that I couldn’t approach it. Seeing that the fire would come to the second floor soon, I thought in my heart: There is a gas pipe by it. If the gas explodes, that will involve human life. I didn’t dare to think further. Watching the roaring fire, I felt as if the death was to come upon me in a second. Dread, helplessness and anxiety occupied my heart with bad thoughts passing through my mind continuously. I thought, “This day next year will probably be my death day. If I die, how shall my child live? …” Then tears burst out of my eyes.

At that time, I heard someone shouting at the gate, “Her house is on fire! Call the fire brigade, now.” Another one said fiercely, “My son is to get married the day after tomorrow. My balcony is filled with fireworks and firecrackers. If something terrible happens, they should take the responsibility. …” Without going outside, I knew there were many people gathering at the gate. I thought: Anyway, I can’t get others into trouble. I have to think quickly and put out the fire to minimize the losses. Then I saw a water tank on a roof and hurriedly ran to the roof. Out of nervousness and fear, I suddenly knelt on the step with trembling before mounting two steps. At that moment, God’s words popped into my mind, “… that everything man possesses comes from the Creator and will return to Him some day not far in the future; such a person understands that the Creator arranges man’s birth and has sovereignty over man’s death, and that both life and death are predestined by the Creator’s authority”. God’s words woke me up all at once: Yes, my life and everything come from God. My life and death are ruled by His hands. Why can’t I defer to the authority and sovereignty of the Creator? Ever since I believed in God, I have been busy making money every day, and I have never been truly considerate of His intentions or fulfilled my duty of a creation well. If my life ends in this way, won’t I miss God’s salvation? Thinking of this, I realized that how precious life is. Kneeling on the step, I prayed to God, “O Almighty God! You are righteous and holy. You control all things in the universe. The calamity has befallen me. I’m willing to hand over everything to You and obey Your arrangement.” When I prayed to God with complete sincerity thus, I found that the “sputtering” sound fell and the smoke almost disappeared. Furthermore, my legs had strength again. I sped down the step and saw: The wok of oil was no longer on fire; the flames spreading to the second floor were out; the air conditioner upstairs was still smoking but seemed not to be dangerous; the gas pipe stood just a few steps away from the flames, blackened but safe. I took a deep breath and kept thanking God for His wonderful deed in my heart.

I saw the backyard in a complete mess. I could hardly imagine that the fire, which was roaring just now, was out silently in this way. It was really God’s authority and great power. I remembered these words of God, “Man was created by God, and it is perfectly justified that God rules and arranges everything of man; this is the responsibility of God …”. God’s motherly words comforted my heart. I couldn’t help but pray to Him in tears, “Oh Almighty God! Thanks be to You. You can’t bear to allow me to live under the bondage of money, and to be fooled to death by Satan. You bestowed Your salvation upon me in time, so that I can see clearly money is so insignificant and powerless in the face of disaster. It cannot save my life, but only make me more degenerate, further away from You. Also it can only afflict me, and finally makes me go to hell. O God, I see the authority of Your word and Your almightiness and sovereignty. At that critical moment, no one could save me. It was You who cared and protected me. Thank and praise You for Your mighty power!”

The fire thoroughly awakened my numb heart. From now on, I’m willing to do my best to pursue the truth. No matter how busy I am, I must diligently arm myself with the truth and put them into practice in order to satisfy God. Because I have truly experienced that His word has authority and power and is the supply of my life. He is my only reliance and redemption. I can’t leave Him.

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The Mystery of God’s Gospel in Every Age |The Church of Almighty God

The Mystery of God’s Gospel in Every Age

Xiaoxi

What Is the Meaning of “Gospel”?

“Gospel” is an old English word, which represents “Good news.” So if we translate it literally, its meaning is good news.

Where Does Gospel Come From?

Gospel comes from God, that’s for sure. After the ancestors of our human, Adam and Eve, were tempted into sin by the snake (that is, Satan), God began the management work of saving mankind. God bestows different gospel upon man in different ages based on the needs of mankind. In the time of Noah, God revealed to Noah, asking him to spread the gospel of destroying the world with a flood. Early in the Age of Law, God used Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, which was a great gospel for the Israelites who were slaves in Egypt. In the Age of Law, God raised up many prophets and directly revealed to them to convey His words, which was the gospel for those who heard it. In the Age of Grace, God incarnate came to earth personally to do the redemption work, bringing the gospel of the kingdom of heaven to us mankind….

Preaching of the Gospel

In the time of Noah, men were deeply corrupted, so they lost the blessings, care and protection of God, falling into darkness. As they became increasingly depraved and evil to the extent that God didn’t bear to look, God planned to destroy the world with a flood and then told Noah to build an ark. In that time, Noah was a righteous man. He listened to God’s word, built the ark and spread the gospel for 120 years. Nevertheless, people didn’t believe his word. Eventually, only Noah’s eight family members entered the ark and survived.

As time went by, there were more and more people on earth. Satan corrupted man constantly. We mankind strayed far from God once more, degenerated. It is recorded in the Bible: People of Sodom and Gomorrah worshiped idols, engaged in sorcery, were licentious and corrupt and left no evil undone. The two cities became the cities of sin in God’s eyes, with the result that God decided to destroy them. But before the destruction, just as God always did, He gave them chances and sent messengers to arrive there. Yet people of the cities wanted to bring harm down upon the messengers. Finally, only Lot and his family accepted God’s gospel and fled from that city of sin; nevertheless the rest of people were fully exterminated by the brimstone and fire from the heaven. The Nineveh was also a city of sin in God’s eyes. But when God sent Jonah to spread the gospel to the Ninevites, they wore sackcloth and ashes, confessed and repented to God after hearing His word. Just as the Bible records, “yes, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands” (Jonah 3:8). As God saw their genuine repentance from within, He didn’t bring calamity on them. From these historical facts, we can see: When our human sins reached God’s eyes and faced being destroyed, as long as we accept God’s gospel and act according to His word, we can survive in the disaster. Otherwise, we will be destroyed. Furthermore, there are still many such historical events recorded in the Bible. When God’s word was conveyed to people in that time by the prophets, if people accepted and followed His word, they would be preserved by Him; if they didn’t accept His word, even rebelled and resisted, they would suffer God’s punishment and curse. From this we can see that God’s righteous disposition encompasses mercy, lovingkindness, and even more so, majesty and wrath, and that God’s disposition exists everywhere and at all times.

At the end of the Age of Law, people were all entangled by sin, failed to keep the law and committed more and more sin, so that they faced the danger of being condemned and executed by the law. In line with the need of mankind, God ended the work of the Age of Law and started that of the Age of Grace. However, people at that time merely saw “Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every sickness and every disease among the people” (Matthew 9:35). Moreover, it is written in Mark 1, “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent you, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1: 14-15). Here we can see that Jesus Christ brought the gospel of repentance for the people under the law. For two thousand years, only if we mankind accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and pray in the name of Jesus Christ can we gain His salvation and be forgiven of sins by Him. Our sins are not the barrier for us to come to God any more, and Satan has no way in accusing us, for God personally became the sin offering for us mankind and redeemed us from the domain of Satan. Those who have accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ, gain the work of the Holy Spirit, living in peace and joy and enjoying an abundance of grace of God. But the Pharisees were just the opposite. They rejected the gospel, and even resisted the gospel of the kingdom of heaven preached by Jesus Christ. In the end, they not only were condemned by God to suffer “seven woes”, but also punished justly by God.

Gospel Continues Being Spread

God does His work to regain man from the domain of Satan step by step, hence we mankind come closer to Him….

In modern times, we mankind live in a state of being estranged from God once again. Although we believe in Jesus Christ and pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our hearts become more and more distant from God and we all live in the situation of committing sins in the day and confessing them at night, incapable of breaking free from the bondage of sins thoroughly. The Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death” (Roman 6:23). “holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). Therefore, what we mankind need is not the gospel of repentance any more, but the everlasting gospel promised by God.

There’s a prophecy in Revelation, “And I saw another angel fly in the middle of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Revelation 14: 6-7). From this prophecy we know that in the last days, God will preach the final gospel to the people on earth. And this gospel tells that God will execute judgment to purify man completely in order to make man break free from the bondage of sins. We have been corrupted by Satan for thousands of years. What we need is much more than God’s mercy and love, and we are more in need of God’s righteous and majestic judgment and chastisement. It is only this ways that can snatch back us the profoundly corrupt mankind from Satan’s domain. And at that time, we will know our satanic nature, such as arrogance and haughtiness, selfishness and despicableness, treachery and perversion, as well as know our own real identity and status. Also, we will no longer pursue being supermen or great people to let others look up to and admire us, and no longer live by satanic dispositions, but will honestly obey God’s predestination and sovereignty, be grounded and forthright in conducting ourselves and doing things, and pursue being an honest man to live out the manner of a true person, to satisfy God. Just as the prophecy in Revelation goes, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14). So the final gospel is the everlasting gospel, which directly involves whether we can be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven.
Gospel of the Last Days
   Almighty God says, "Today, God has returned to the world to do His work. His first stop is the grand assemblage of dictatorial rulers: China, the staunch bastion of atheism. God has gained a group of people by His wisdom and power. During the period, He is hunted by China’s ruling party in every means and subjected to great suffering, with no place to rest His head and unable to find a shelter. Despite this, God still continues the work He intends to do: He utters His voice and spreads the gospel."

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