By Xiangwang, Malaysia

“God become flesh is called Christ, and so the Christ that can give people the truth is called God. There is nothing excessive about this, for He possesses the substance of God, He possesses the substance of God, and possesses God’s disposition, and wisdom in His work, that are unattainable by man. Those who call themselves Christ, yet cannot do the work of God, yet cannot do the work of God, are frauds. Christ is not merely the manifestation of God on earth, but also the particular flesh assumed by God as He carries out and completes His work among man. This flesh cannot be supplanted by just any man, but is a flesh that can adequately bear God’s work on earth, and express the disposition of God, and well represent God, and provide man with life, provide man with life” (Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs). God’s words reveal what the incarnation is and how to discern the true Christ from false Christs. I didn’t understand this truth when I was following the Lord and didn’t know how to recognize false Christs. I just listened to the pastor and elders. I was afraid of being misled, so guarding against false Christs was my first priority in faith. I was cutting off my nose to spite my face. I didn’t dare seek God’s appearance and work. I nearly missed out on God’s salvation of the last days. Now I see it was a close call.

I went to church and read the Bible with my mom since I was little, and joined the youth group when I got a little older. Our pastor had a doctorate in theology and he always said being a pastor was hard, that you needed to be moved by the Holy Spirit to keep going. We really looked up to him. We thought he’d been moved by the Holy Spirit and that he delighted the Lord. There was a Scripture verse he’d quote a lot: “Then if any man shall say to you, See, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:23–24). He always told us there would be false Christs deceiving people in the last days, so we had to be careful. Especially for those of us shaky in Bible knowledge with small stature, he told us not to listen to, read, or look into things from other denominations so we weren’t misled. The clergy also had lots of negative things to say about Eastern Lightning and told us to keep our distance. He said we just had to read the Bible, confess and repent to the Lord every day, and always stay alert to be taken into His kingdom when the Lord comes. I totally believed this at the time and didn’t dare go to other churches. I did whatever the pastor said. I thought by doing that I was safely waiting for the Lord’s coming.

One day Brother Hu from the church found me at school and said my mom and sister seemed to have joined Eastern Lightning. I was shocked to hear this. I thought, “Isn’t the pastor always telling us to stay away from Eastern Lightning? How could my mom join them?” Then Brother Hu told me some terrible rumors about Eastern Lightning. I became more afraid. I felt panicked. Brother Hu asked me to go home and record myself asking my mom if it was true and then send the recording to him. I agreed, afraid my mom might be going astray.

Sure enough, when I got home my mom told me the Lord Jesus had returned as Almighty God, that He’s expressing truths and doing the work of judgment starting with God’s house to cleanse and change people, and fully save us from sin. She wanted me to read Almighty God’s words right away and investigate His work of the last days. Hearing her say this made me think of the bad things the pastor had said about Eastern Lightning. I was really resistant, but since I was recording her, I restrained myself and heard her out.

She urged me to look into Almighty God’s work again the next day. At the time my head was filled with the bad things the pastor had said about it. I wasn’t really listening. I advised her, “The pastor and elders always say not to listen to Eastern Lightning. Stay away from them!” She responded patiently, “Why would they stand in our way of investigating God’s work of the last days? Is that in line with the Lord’s teachings? The Lord Jesus told us: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 5:3). ‘And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him’ (Matthew 25:6). God wants us to seek humbly. Eastern Lightning testifies that the Lord has returned, so we should look into it. But the pastor wants to stop us from welcoming the Lord. Doesn’t that go against the Lord’s teachings? We should listen to the Lord, not blindly listen to the pastor. In the Lord’s day, the Jewish faithful didn’t listen to His voice, but instead went along with the lies of the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees, condemning and resisting the Lord. They colluded in crucifying the Lord Jesus and were punished by God. We have to learn from their lesson! There’s a prophecy in Revelation: ‘He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’ (Revelation Chapters 2, 3). It means that the Lord will speak more when He returns. If we want to welcome Him, we have to learn to recognize God’s voice. See for yourself if Almighty God’s words are God’s voice and you’ll know if He’s the Lord Jesus returned.” As she spoke, she picked up a book, Utterances of Christ of the Last Days. Upset by this, I went into my room.

I calmed down and thought back on what my mom had said. Learning to recognize God’s voice and seeking humbly to welcome the Lord are in line with the Lord’s teachings. Since Eastern Lightning was testifying that the Lord had returned and expressed truths, blindly listening to the pastor without reading Almighty God’s words felt a little premature. I figured if Almighty God was the returned Lord Jesus and I didn’t accept Him, wouldn’t I miss my chance to welcome the Lord? But then I remembered the pastor telling us repeatedly that false Christs would appear in the last days. Wouldn’t my faith be in vain if I now went astray? My thoughts were a mess, and I didn’t know who to listen to, so I came before the Lord in prayer, asking Him to enlighten and guide me.

Later, my mom advised me again to listen to fellowship from The Church of Almighty God. I hesitated for a moment, then agreed. At first I wasn’t taking anything in, but when they mentioned truths about the mysteries of God’s management plan for salvation and His three stages of work, I was quickly drawn in. It all seemed so new. I’d been in lots of Bible study groups but I’d never heard anything like that. I had a change of heart after the gathering. I decided to look into God’s work of the last days and delete that recording of my mom.

In the second gathering, Brother Zhang talked about the wise and foolish virgins. He said, “Wise virgins are wise because they long for God’s appearance and can listen for His voice. When they hear the Lord has come, they actively seek and investigate. They’re not constrained by others, and they don’t cling to their own notions. Once they confirm it’s God’s voice, they welcome and follow Him without turning back. That kind of person won’t be misled by false Christs. Foolish virgins lack discernment and don’t love the truth. They don’t try to listen for the Lord’s voice to welcome Him, but adore status and power, listening to pastors and elders like everyone else. No matter how the Lord knocks, they cover their ears and close their doors. They are ignorant. Some people do recognize God’s voice but don’t dare follow Him, afraid that people will reject them and their churches will kick them out. They don’t seek the truth at all, so how could they welcome the Lord’s return?”

Hearing this woke me up. I saw that I’d just been listening to the pastor and elders for a long time, not daring to seek Almighty God’s work of the last days. If Almighty God really was the returned Lord Jesus and I didn’t accept Him, wouldn’t I be exposed as a foolish virgin? The Lord Jesus told us: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). I hoped to welcome the Lord. With Eastern Lightning testifying He’s returned, I should be a wise virgin who seeks and investigates. That is God’s will! So, I shared my confusion with them. “The Lord Jesus said, ‘Then if any man shall say to you, See, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect’ (Matthew 24:23–24). Pastors and elders use these verses to warn us against false Christs in the last days, saying any news of the Lord’s coming is false. We don’t dare investigate the Lord’s coming, afraid of being misled, but it looks like this isn’t the right practice. Then how should we understand what the Lord said? How can we avoid being misled by false Christs and welcome the Lord?”

This was Brother Zhang’s fellowship: “People who’ve read the Bible know that there will be false Christs and false prophets who deceive people when the Lord returns. Especially since clergy always use this Scripture to have them watch out for false Christs and false prophets, most people see this as something critical in their faith. They think all news of the Lord’s coming is fake. But is that in line with the real meaning of the Lord Jesus’ words? The Lord Jesus said, ‘Then if any man shall say to you, See, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect’ (Matthew 24:23–24). This shows us that the Lord Jesus just told us false Christs and prophets would appear in the last days, that they would show great signs and wonders to deceive people, so we should be discerning. He never said that all news of the returned Lord would be false. We can’t forget that the Lord Jesus also said He would come again, so by saying any news of the Lord’s return is false, aren’t the clergy denying His return, brazenly denying the Lord’s words and condemning God’s appearance and work? Aren’t they misguiding people and openly contradicting the Lord? If we take these verses out of context and misconstrue the Lord’s meaning, delimiting such news as false, wouldn’t that be condemning God’s appearance and work? Then how could we welcome the Lord’s return?”

Hearing his fellowship opened my eyes. Those verses do say that false Christs will show great signs and wonders in the last days to deceive people. Pastors and elders know the Bible well, so why hadn’t they seen this about discerning false Christs? Brother Zhang then read a couple passages of Almighty God’s words: “If, during the present day, there is to emerge a person who is able to display signs and wonders, cast out demons, heal the sick, and perform many miracles, and if this person claims that they are Jesus who has come, then this would be a counterfeit produced by evil spirits which imitate Jesus. Remember this! God does not repeat the same work. Jesus’ stage of work has already been completed, and God will never again undertake that stage of work. … If, during the last days, God still displayed signs and wonders, and still cast out demons and healed the sick—if He did exactly the same as Jesus—then God would be repeating the same work, and the work of Jesus would have no significance or value. Thus, God carries out one stage of work in every age. Once each stage of His work has been completed, it is soon imitated by evil spirits, and after Satan begins to follow on the heels of God, God changes to a different method. Once God has completed a stage of His work, it is imitated by evil spirits. You must be clear about this.” “If, during the last days, a ‘God’ the same as Jesus appeared, one who healed the sick, cast out demons, and was crucified for man, that ‘God,’ though identical to the description of God in the Bible and easy for man to accept, would not, in its essence, be the flesh worn by the Spirit of God, but by an evil spirit. For it is the principle of God’s work never to repeat what He has already completed” (The Word Appears in the Flesh).

After reading this, he shared this fellowship: “God is always new and never old. He doesn’t repeat His work. Every time God begins a new stage of work, He utters new words and leads people onto a new path of practice. For example, when the Lord Jesus came, He didn’t issue the law and commandments again, but did the work of redemption on the foundation of that previous work. He expressed the way of repentance, teaching people to confess and repent, love their enemies, be forgiving, love each other, and more. He was ultimately crucified as a sin offering for man. In the last days, Almighty God doesn’t show signs or wonders, or heal the sick and cast out demons. Instead, He does the work of judging and cleansing, building on the work of redemption. He expresses truths, exposes man’s corrupt dispositions and satanic nature, and He judges their unrighteousness. He gives them all truths they need to be cleansed and fully saved, completely saving them from Satan’s dark influence and their corruption so they’re gained by God. This is how God’s work to save mankind completely comes to a close. God’s work is more elevated with every stage and it never repeats. If the Lord came back showing signs and wonders, healing the sick and casting out demons, God’s work would be repeated. It would be meaningless. But some people claim that God can only show signs and wonders, heal the sick, and cast out demons. They delimit God and think His work can’t advance. That’s why God would never repeat His work and anyone who does all those things would definitely be a false Christ. Most of false Christs are possessed by evil spirits. They can’t express the truth, much less start a new age and end the old one. All they can do is imitate the Lord Jesus’ work and show simple wonders to deceive people. But what the Lord Jesus did, like the miracles of resurrection and feeding the 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes, can’t be imitated by false Christs. Only God has that kind of power and authority, not false Christs. If someone can’t express truth, but shows little signs and wonders and calls themselves Christ, they’re definitely not the real thing. We can discern false Christs from the true Christ with this principle.”

I learned from Brother Zhang’s fellowship that God’s work is always new and never old, that He never does the same work twice. False Christs can’t do God’s work. They just imitate His old work and show some wonders to deceive people. This is one principle for discerning false Christs. It’s just like all the counterfeit stuff in the world that’s made to look like the real thing, but they’re still fake at the end of the day. False Christs are the same. This was enlightening for me.

Brother Zhang continued his fellowship: “Most important for discerning false Christs is knowing Christ’s essence. This is the most basic and critical part.” Then he read two passages of Almighty God’s words: “He who is God incarnate shall possess the essence of God, and He who is God incarnate shall possess the expression of God. Since God becomes flesh, He shall bring forth the work He intends to do, and since God becomes flesh, He shall express what He is, and shall be able to bring the truth to man, bestow life upon him, and point the way for him. Flesh that does not have the essence of God is decidedly not the incarnate God; of this there is no doubt. If man intends to inquire into whether it is God’s incarnate flesh, then he must corroborate this from the disposition He expresses and the words He speaks. Which is to say, to corroborate whether or not it is God’s incarnate flesh, and whether or not it is the true way, one must discriminate on the basis of His essence. And so, in determining whether it is the flesh of God incarnate, the key lies in His essence (His work, His utterances, His disposition, and many other aspects), rather than external appearance. If man scrutinizes only His external appearance, and as a result overlooks His essence, this shows that man is benighted and ignorant” “God become flesh is called Christ, and so the Christ that can give people the truth is called God. There is nothing excessive about this, for He possesses the substance of God, and possesses God’s disposition, and wisdom in His work, that are unattainable by man. Those who call themselves Christ, yet cannot do the work of God, are frauds. Christ is not merely the manifestation of God on earth, but also the particular flesh assumed by God as He carries out and completes His work among man. This flesh cannot be supplanted by just any man, but is a flesh that can adequately bear God’s work on earth, and express the disposition of God, and well represent God, and provide man with life. Sooner or later, those who impersonate Christ will all fall, for although they claim to be Christ, they possess none of the substance of Christ. And so I say that the authenticity of Christ cannot be defined by man, but is answered and decided by God Himself” (The Word Appears in the Flesh).

After reading this he fellowshiped: “Christ is God in the flesh. He is God’s Spirit clothed in the flesh of a regular person, with normal humanity, and with full divinity. Christ looks very ordinary, but His essence is divine, so He can express the truth and God’s righteous disposition and begin a new age and end an old one. He can redeem and save humanity, and He can express truth to sustain and shepherd people at any point. There’s no one who could take His place. The Lord Jesus was Christ, God incarnate. He looked like a regular person, but He ended the Age of Law and started the Age of Grace and gave to man the way of repentance. He had the authority to forgive sins and His crucifixion redeemed everyone’s sins. He showed lots of signs and wonders like calming a storm, the five loaves and two fishes, and bringing people back from the dead. He displayed God’s power and authority. He also preached far and wide and expressed truths to sustain and shepherd people based on their needs at the time. The Lord Jesus’ work and words showed us that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and His work and words utterly proved that He was God incarnate and mankind’s Redeemer. Almighty God has come in the last days, ending the Age of Grace and starting the Age of Kingdom and working to judge and cleanse people in the last days. He expresses His righteous disposition that tolerates no offense. His words not only unveil the mysteries of His 6,000-year management plan but also expose and judge the root of why man sins and resists God, and their corrupt dispositions, and very clearly state all the truths they need to be purified and fully saved. This includes how God judges and purifies man, how they should obey and believe in God, who pleases Him, who He detests and eliminates, what pursuit can lead to being purified and perfected, mankind’s outcome and destinations, and more. Through God’s words’ judgment and chastisement, we saw the truth of our corruption by Satan and knew God’s righteous, holy, unoffendable disposition. We prostrated ourselves before God and repented. We began to fear and submit to God and our life disposition began to change. Almighty God’s work and words prove that He is God in the flesh, the appearance of Christ in the last days. False Christs are essentially evil spirits. They can’t express the truth, much less save mankind. They just spout spurious lies and fallacies to mislead and harm people. Anyone following a false Christ can’t gain life sustenance or the Holy Spirit’s work. No matter how long they believe, they’ll never understand God or the truth and their life disposition will never change. In fact, following a false Christ is following an evil spirit, a demon. Anyone who calls themselves God or Christ but can’t express the truth is definitely a false Christ, a deceitful evil spirit. False Christs can’t express the truth or do God’s work. No matter how much they say they’re God or Christ, they’re not. True and false are worlds apart. Saying someone is Christ doesn’t make it so. It’s determined by His essence and the work He does. Only Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. Christ expresses the truth and God’s righteousness, and does God’s own work. It’s determined by His essence. Anything from God will flourish. No matter how people resist, condemn, and deny God’s work, no person or power can stop it. Christ’s essence cannot be denied by anyone. He is and always will be Christ. When the Lord Jesus worked, the Jewish leaders and Roman government condemned and opposed Him, and had Him nailed to the cross. He was rejected by that generation, but now 2,000 years later His gospel has spread to every corner of the world and the entire religious world acknowledges He is Christ. Now in the last days, Almighty God is madly opposed and condemned by the CCP and religious circles, but the true way and the truth will always stand. No one can deny them! Almighty God’s words have been online for a while bearing witness to the whole world. More people are recognizing God’s voice in Almighty God’s words, seeing that He’s the Lord Jesus returned, and turning to Him. False Christs lack the truth. They can’t conquer people. Their words and deeds can’t be out in the open and they’d never dare go online for everyone to seek and investigate because false Christs are dark and evil, and cannot bear the light. They just show some little signs and wonders and spout spurious lies, misleading ignorant and foolish people from the shadows. Nothing from a false Christ or an evil spirit can last. They’ll scatter and disappear before long.”

This fellowship showed me the truth about discerning false Christs and the true Christ. I was thrilled. Only Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. Only He can express the truth and do God’s own work. Anyone who claims to be Christ but can’t express the truth or save mankind is a false Christ. Knowing this was wonderful! I used to blindly adore the pastor and always believed what he said. Afraid of being misled by a false Christ, I didn’t dare seek Almighty God’s work of the last days. I thought sticking to my church and my pastor would be a safe bet and then I’d get into His kingdom when the Lord came. The clergy always said any news of the Lord’s coming was false and kept us from investigating the true way. Now I see that they’re the deceivers, the blind guides. I was foolish, too. I didn’t listen out for the Lord’s voice but just believed them unquestioningly. I cut off my nose to spite my face and closed my door, and nearly missed my chance to welcome the Lord. That was a close call!

I read more of Almighty God’s words after that and learned more about the mystery of the incarnation, the difference between God’s and man’s work, and the inside story of the Bible. This was really enlightening. I became certain that Almighty God is the Lord Jesus returned and I accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days.