By Senen, India

I was born in a Christian family, and from a young age I followed my parents in believing in the Lord. I also often went to church gatherings and participated in various church activities. One day in March of 2020, I met a sister on Facebook. We talked about belief in the Lord, and I felt the things this sister talked about were very novel. For example, she asked me if I knew the criteria for entering the kingdom of heaven, and this topic instantly piqued my curiosity. I thought, “I have believed in the Lord for so long, but the pastors and elders have never discussed the criteria for entering the kingdom of heaven. I have also never thought if we can truly enter the kingdom of heaven by believing as we do.” This was the first time I had heard about this topic, and I was curious to know the answer. Later, by attending gatherings and reading the words of Almighty God, I understood after being corrupted by Satan, we have sinful natures within us, and that we often sin. If we don’t remove this sinful nature, we can’t escape from sin. Those who are filthy and corrupt in this way aren’t qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven, because God is righteous and holy, and people can’t see God without being holy. She also told me, “The Lord Jesus has returned as Almighty God, to express the many truths, and to do the work of judging and purifying people. He does this to remove our sinful natures and completely save us from sin. Only by accepting God’s work of judgment in the last days and being purified of our corruption are we qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven.” She also read Almighty God’s words to me: “You only know that Jesus shall descend during the last days, but how exactly will He descend? A sinner such as you, who has just been redeemed, and has not been changed, or been perfected by God, can you be in line with God’s intentions? For you, you who are still of your old self, it is true that you were saved by Jesus, and that you are not counted as a sinner because of the salvation of God, but this does not prove that you are not sinful, and are not impure. How can you be saintly if you have not been changed? Within, you are beset by impurity, selfish and mean, yet you still wish to descend with Jesus—you should be so lucky! You have missed a step in your belief in God: You have merely been redeemed, but you have not been changed. For you to be in line with God’s intentions, God must personally do the work of changing and cleansing you; if you are only redeemed, you will be incapable of attaining sanctity. In this way you will be unqualified to share in the good blessings of God, for you have missed out a step in God’s work of managing man, which is the key step of changing and perfecting. You, a sinner who has just been redeemed, are therefore incapable of directly inheriting God’s inheritance” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Concerning Appellations and Identity). “Though Jesus did much work among man, He only completed the redemption of all mankind and became man’s sin offering; He did not rid man of all his corrupt disposition. Fully saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to become the sin offering and bear the sins of man, but it also required God to do even greater work to rid man completely of his satanically corrupted disposition. And so, now that man has been forgiven of his sins, God has returned to the flesh to lead man into the new age, and begun the work of chastisement and judgment. This work has brought man into a higher realm. All those who submit under His dominion shall enjoy higher truth and receive greater blessings. They shall truly live in the light, and they shall gain the truth, the way, and the life” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Preface). The sister also fellowshipped with me about her understanding of God’s words. After listening to this, I thought about the deeds and conduct of myself and my brothers and sisters. I had to admit that in our belief in the Lord, our sins had been absolved, that we enjoyed the abundant grace of the Lord, that we did some good deeds, that we were kind, and that we didn’t hit or scold others, but we could still often tell lies and commit sins, we were arrogant and looked down on others, we vied with others for name and gain, and we still envied and hated others. We all lived trapped in a cycle of sinning and confessing, and we constantly struggled with sin. Only after reading the words of Almighty God, did I understand that this was because the sinful natures in us had not been removed. From Almighty God’s words, I also found the way to escape from sin and be saved by God. That is, we must accept Almighty God’s work of judgment in the last days. Only once our corrupt dispositions have been cleansed are we qualified to enter God’s kingdom. I thought Almighty God’s words were very good and practical. His words brightened my heart and made me understand some truths I had never heard before. After that, I diligently read Almighty God’s words, actively attended online gatherings, fellowshipped with the brothers and sisters on the knowledge and understanding of God’s word, and every time we met, I found it very rewarding and enjoyable. After a period of time, I knew many truths and mysteries that I hadn’t previously known in my belief in the Lord and reading of the Bible, such as what the incarnation is, how to discern the true Christ from false ones, the mystery of God’s name, the purpose of God’s management plan, how Satan corrupts mankind, how God works step by step to save humankind, how God’s kingdom is realized on earth, and so on. In Almighty God’s words, I also gained answers to many of the things in the Bible that had confused me before. I realized these truths and mysteries could only be revealed by God Himself and that no human could have the power to open up these mysteries. I therefore determined that Almighty God’s word is the truth and the voice of God, and that Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus! I was very excited. I told many friends the good news of the Lord’s return, and told them to also look into the work of Almighty God in the last days.

But not long after, the church I belonged to—the Baptist Church in Northeast India—began to spread documents among the believers that were fabricated by religious pastors to condemn The Church of Almighty God. These documents were full of the CCP’s slander and smears of the Church, and they forbade followers from attending gatherings of the Church. The content was also broadcast on major TV stations in India. As soon as you turned on the TV or computer and watched the news, you could see this kind of negative propaganda. It soon spread to the whole country. Seeing these pastors and leaders of the religious world blatantly distorting the facts, spreading rumors and fallacies to slander and condemn Almighty God made me very angry and very sad. At that time, many of those who investigated God’s work of the last days with me withdrew from the gathering groups because they were misled. Some even tried to dissuade me, saying, “This is a church condemned by the CCP, and shouldn’t be believed.” I was disappointed to see them give up the true way and felt sorry for them. The CCP is an atheist regime. It doesn’t believe in God at all, and it constantly persecutes religious beliefs. Why did these people prefer to believe in the CCP, an atheist political party, instead of listening to God’s voice or investigating God’s work? How could they be so foolish? Just at that moment, a friend of mine in my hometown saw my WhatsApp feed saying, “The Lord has returned, and the kingdom of Christ has come to earth,” and he asked me if I had attended gatherings of The Church of Almighty God. I said, “Yes.” He told me I shouldn’t believe in it. He also sent me slanderous remarks and fallacies about The Church of Almighty God, and said, “The pastor warned us not to follow Almighty God. The Lord’s return in the last days couldn’t possibly be as incarnate flesh, so we can’t attend gatherings of The Church of Almighty God.” I was unshaken by his words because by that time, the brothers and sisters of The Church of Almighty God had fellowshipped the truth of the incarnation with me, that the Lord would return in the last days as incarnate flesh, which was planned by God long ago, and is proved by the prophecies of the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus said: “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). “For as the lightning, that lightens out of the one part under heaven, shines to the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in His day. But first must He suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation” (Luke 17:24–25). “Therefore be you also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes” (Matthew 24:44). When the Lord Jesus prophesied His return in the last days, He mentioned many times “the coming of the Son of man,” “the Son of man comes,” and “the Son of man be in His day.” Here, “the Son of man” refers to the incarnate flesh. Almighty God has come in the last days and has expressed many truths. He is the coming of the Son of man, the appearance of the Savior, which fulfills the prophecies of the Lord Jesus. I also knew that only God is the truth, the way, and the life. If a person can express the truth and the word of God, and can do the work of judgment and purification in the last days, then this person must be God incarnate. No matter how ordinary His appearance, or whether He has status or power, His words and work are the most important things. This is the best way to prove His identity and status. I told my friend what I understood and said to him, “God is the Lord of Creation, God can do whatever He wants. What we humans should do is seek, not judge and delineate God. The gatherings of The Church of Almighty God are highly beneficial to me, and help me understand many truths, so I won’t stop going to them. When we believe in God, we should listen to God’s voice, not blindly listen to people. The Bible says: ‘We ought to obey God rather than men’ (Acts 5:29).” My friend then said to me very seriously, “If you continue to believe in Almighty God, when you return to your hometown, the Supreme Council will question you. The pastor won’t let you believe in this, and the villagers will reject you. Have you thought about these things?” I said, “Being rejected by people isn’t frightening. What’s scary is failing to keep up with God’s footsteps and being forsaken by God. Have you considered that if Almighty God truly is the return of the Lord Jesus, and we don’t accept it, we will fall into the disaster, and be left weeping and gnashing our teeth? The Lord’s return is a major matter, so why don’t you seek and look into this?” But he still refused my advice.

Later, my friend told my parents about my belief in Almighty God. For a whole week after that, my parents called and berated me every day, saying, “The pastor keeps telling us to stop you going to the gatherings of The Church of Almighty God. You have to stop going to those gatherings and leave that Church!” I told them, “The Church of Almighty God is not like what the pastor says. Attending their gatherings has allowed me to understand many truths I didn’t understand before. This is the true way, and I have not gone astray.” I wanted to testify Almighty God’s work in the last days to them, but they were so misled by the rumors that they didn’t let me say more. Later, because of the epidemic, I returned home from school. When my parents saw that I often attended gatherings of The Church of Almighty God online, they tried to restrict me. The neighbors also talked about me, saying that I had gone crazy for believing in Almighty God and ignoring the pastor. My parents were even angrier when they heard these things. They scolded me when they came home, “Do you know what the villagers say about you? Will you disregard what we tell you and still go to those gatherings?” I said, “Yes, I will still attend the gatherings.” My parents were very angry, and tried even harder to stop me. They often interrupted me during gatherings, making it difficult to attend in peace. Once, I was praying after a gathering, and when I opened my eyes, I suddenly saw my father standing next to me, staring at me, which shocked me and set my heart racing. Then he shouted angrily, “Cut off the internet and leave your gathering group right now!” I told my parents, “The Lord Jesus has really returned as Almighty God and is already performing new work. If we don’t keep up with God’s footsteps and accept God’s work of judgment in the last days, we can’t escape from sin, or be saved and enter God’s kingdom, and in the end, we will fall into disaster and be punished.” But they didn’t listen to what I said at all and repeated the rumors and fallacies preached by the pastor. They said it’s impossible that God has incarnated as a woman. I thought, “How can I fellowship with them?” Then I thought of a passage of Almighty God’s word the brothers and sisters from The Church of Almighty God had read to me: “Each stage of work done by God has its own practical significance. Back then, when Jesus came, He came in male form, and when God comes this time, His form is female. From this, you can see that God’s creation of both men and women can be of use in His work, and with Him there is no distinction of gender. When His Spirit comes, He can take on any flesh He pleases, 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 that 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 each stage has its significance; neither stage of work is repeated, nor does it conflict with the other” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Two Incarnations Complete the Significance of the Incarnation). I remember they fellowshipped that God’s incarnation is when God’s Spirit wears flesh and becomes a regular Son of man, so no matter if this person is male or female, He is God Himself, and He can express the truth and do God’s work. The Lord Jesus was male. He was crucified for humankind and bore people’s sins, thereby completing the work of redeeming humankind. In the last days, God comes incarnate as female, and on the foundation of the Lord Jesus’ work, expresses all truth required to save mankind, and performs the work of judging and purifying people. Therefore, whether the incarnate God is male or female, He can express the truth and do the work of redeeming and saving humankind. If God had incarnated both times as a male, people would delimit God, thinking that He could only incarnate as a male, not as a female. Then wouldn’t women face even more discrimination and bias? God is a righteous God. He created both men and women. The first time God incarnated as a male, and in the last days He has become flesh again, as a female, meaning He’s fair to both men and women. If God had incarnated as a male both times, that would be unfair to women, so God became flesh as a female in the last days. That shows God’s righteousness, and it shows that God created man and woman, and men and women are equal before God. It’s really meaningful! Thinking of this, I said to my parents, “God created male and female in His own image, so the incarnate God can naturally be male or female. His physical appearance doesn’t matter. What matters is that since He can express the truth to save humankind, then He is the incarnation of God’s Spirit, God Himself.” My parents couldn’t refute my words, so they said, “You say Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus, but we don’t believe this. We will accept it when the pastors and elders accept it. The pastor says Almighty God is an ordinary person born into an ordinary family, so this can’t be the incarnation of God.” In response to this, I told them, “When the Lord Jesus came to work, the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees of Judaism did not recognize Him as God because of the ordinary birth and appearance. They denied the Lord Jesus, saying, ‘Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary?’ These Pharisees only looked at the appearance of the Lord Jesus. They did not investigate whether His words and work came from God. They judged with their arrogant dispositions that He was an ordinary man and not God. They also fabricated rumors, slandered, and condemned the Lord Jesus. The believers of Judaism worshiped and obeyed them, and so followed them in crucifying the Lord. In the end, they lost God’s salvation and were punished. It’s the same today. These pastors and elders don’t investigate whether the words expressed by Almighty God are the truth and the voice of God. They just blindly judge and condemn Almighty God, saying that Almighty God is an ordinary person, and questioning His origin and family background. Isn’t this the same as when the Pharisees condemned the Lord Jesus?” I remembered a passage of God’s words my brothers and sisters had read to me: “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” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Preface). I said to my parents, “Our determination of whether the flesh of Almighty God is God’s incarnate flesh should be based on whether He can express the truth and do the work of saving humankind, not on whether His appearance is ordinary. Think about it, do we believe in the Lord Jesus because of His image in the flesh? No. We believed the Lord Jesus to be Christ incarnate because we read His words in the Bible, and saw that His words have authority, and He can redeem mankind, absolve man’s sins, and because we enjoyed a lot of the Lord’s grace. I believe in Almighty God today because I saw that the words expressed by Almighty God are the truth. They have authority and power, and are the voice of God. Only then did I believe that He is the incarnate God, the returned Lord Jesus. You should also read the words of Almighty God. Don’t blindly listen to the pastors’ words and believe what the pastors say! If they take the wrong path, resist God, and condemn God, will you follow them in resisting and condemning God?” When my parents heard me say this, they were very angry. They scolded me, saying, “If you dare to oppose the pastors and elders, you will be driven out by the villagers. You’re not even an adult yet, where would you go? We won’t be able to help you if that happens! Stop talking about these things, and don’t testify Almighty God to others. When the pastors and elders accept it, we will accept it. For now, don’t make trouble for yourself.” No matter how I fellowshipped with them, they wouldn’t listen at all, and they rebuked me harshly. They said, “We spent so much money on your schooling, on your food and clothes, but you are so disobedient. You’re a disappointment to us.” At the time, my two brothers were also on my parents’ side. No one in my family listened to my advice. I tried to tell them that Almighty God has expressed many truths, and tried to share what I have gained with them, but no matter what I said, they still wouldn’t listen. My parents and the villagers had treated me very well in the past, but now, just because I believed in Almighty God, their attitudes toward me had changed. I had become a villain in their eyes and an outcast. Even at home, I couldn’t feel my family’s concern for me. I felt lonely and miserable. But I knew I couldn’t give up attending gatherings no matter what, because I knew that if I didn’t attend the gatherings and equip myself with the truth, it would be impossible to withstand such an environment. Later, in order to avoid unnecessary conflicts, I had to hide from them and go to gatherings in secret. I couldn’t talk and fellowship. I could only communicate silently with my brothers and sisters in text.

One night, the pastor and a co-worker of his suddenly came to my house. The neighbors and some villagers also came to watch. The pastor asked me, “What do you talk about at the gatherings of The Church of Almighty God?” I said, “The Church of Almighty God testifies that the Lord Jesus has returned, and is the incarnate Almighty God who does the work of judgment in the last days. We also fellowship on what kind of people can enter the kingdom of heaven, how to pursue to gain salvation, and other issues.” The pastor then asked in a scornful tone, “Then tell me what kind of people can enter the kingdom of heaven.” I answered him, “The Bible says: ‘Not every one that said to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that follows the will of My Father which is in heaven’ (Matthew 7:21). ‘You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy’ (Leviticus 11:45). From these verses, we can see if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must escape from sin and be cleansed of our corrupt dispositions, and become people who follow the will of God. We currently all still live in sin. We often lie and sin, and we fail to practice God’s words, so we can’t enter God’s kingdom. I used to be confused about why we are trapped in a constant cycle of sinning, confessing, and sinning again. Why can’t we escape the bondage of sin? Only after reading Almighty God’s words did I understand that when we believe in the Lord, our sins are absolved, but our sinful nature, the root of our sin, has not been eliminated, so we still cannot help but keep lying and sinning. The Bible says: ‘Without holiness no man shall see the Lord’ (Hebrews 12:14). The Lord is holy, so if we still sin and resist God, we cannot enter God’s kingdom. Now the Lord Jesus has returned to do the work of judgment in the last days. He expresses all the truths that purify and save mankind, fulfilling the prophecy of the Lord Jesus: ‘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’ (John 16:12–13). Almighty God has expressed many truths. Not only does He reveal the mystery of God’s management plan, He also reveals the root cause of mankind’s sin, judges and reveals people’s satanic nature and corrupt disposition, such as arrogance, deceit, evil, and so on. He also reveals the various adulterations in our belief in God and our wrong intentions and views, such as believing in God only to enter the kingdom of heaven. The brothers and sisters in The Church of Almighty God experience the judgment and chastisement of God’s words, gradually realize the truth of their own satanic natures and corruption, produce genuine repentance, and are finally able to escape the bonds of sin and purify their corrupt dispositions. This is the effect achieved by God’s word in the Age of Kingdom. If we want to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must accept Almighty God’s work of judgment in the last days, and only after our corruption is cleansed are we qualified to enter God’s kingdom.” After I finished, the pastor said, “I know you long for the truth, but you are still too young. You do not have much understanding of the Bible, so you are easily misled. Right now you need to stop following Almighty God, confess your sins to the Lord, repent, and stop attending their gatherings!” The pastor saw that I was ignoring him and said, “You are my sheep. How dare you not obey me? You must repent right now, withdraw from The Church of Almighty God, and stop praying in the name of Almighty God.” I told him insistently, “I will never stop following Almighty God.” He was very angry, and warned me, “The Supreme Council of the church appointed me to ‘look after’ you. If you persist in your belief in Almighty God, you will be taken before the Supreme Council for questioning. You should know, once this happens, not only will your studies be affected, you will also have a bad reputation in the church. You might not even be able to find a job in the future. Why go through the trouble?” Hearing the pastor say this, I felt a lot of pressure, because I knew that once I was questioned by the Supreme Council of the church, they would never leave me alone. If I didn’t stop following Almighty God, when I needed a certificate issued in the future, the village head wouldn’t sign it for me, and I might not even be able to find a job. My parents sent me to college so that I could find a good job after graduating. If I couldn’t find a job, my parents would definitely hinder me even more from believing in Almighty God. Besides, I had just started believing in Almighty God, and I still understood little of the truth. If I were brought in by them for questioning, and faced with a group of people attacking me, could I withstand it? If I insisted on believing in Almighty God, would they expel me from school? Would they ask all the other believers to reject me? Thinking of this, I was very worried, so I silently prayed to God, asking Him to lead me, and saying I wished to stand firm in testimony for Him. After I prayed, I thought of Almighty God’s word: “You must be awake and waiting at all times, and you must pray before Me more. You must recognize the various plots and cunning schemes of Satan, recognize the spirits, know people, and be able to discern all kinds of people, events, and things” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Utterances of Christ in the Beginning, Chapter 17). “Satan is ever present devouring the knowledge of Me in people’s hearts, gnashing its teeth and flexing its claws in its final death throes. Do you wish to fall prey to its cunning schemes at this time? Do you wish to ruin your life at the time when My work is finally completed?” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God’s Words to the Entire Universe, Chapter 6). I understood from God’s word that these things happening to me were Satan’s tricks. Satan used people around me to disturb and hinder me from following God. Although my stature was small and I knew little truth, I was willing to rely on God to stand firm and humiliate Satan. So, I told the pastor, “I will not stop attending gatherings. I will continue to follow Almighty God.” My parents were very angry when I didn’t listen to the pastor. My dad glared at me and shouted, “How dare you say ‘no’? Before the pastor leaves, you need to swear you’ll stop believing in Almighty God!” The pastor also threatened me, saying if I didn’t stop attending gatherings within a week, he would have to take me to the Supreme Council for questioning. However, I felt no regret, because I knew very well that my choice was right. Before I accepted the work of Almighty God in the last days, I believed in God, but I didn’t understand the requirements to enter the kingdom of heaven. Sometimes, my mind was full of fantasies, and sometimes, because I often sinned and didn’t know if I could enter the kingdom, I was confused. Now, I finally understood. Only the words of Almighty God allowed me to see this evil world clearly, and to understand how Satan corrupts mankind. If I hadn’t read the words of Almighty God, I wouldn’t have known at all how to escape the bonds of sin or how to escape from Satan’s corruption. So, no matter how they hindered me, I would never give up following Almighty God. The pastor saw that I had no intention of giving up, so he left angrily.

My parents were also very angry that I rejected the pastor, and they told me furiously, “You dared to deny the pastor and do something forbidden by the church. By custom, you must be expelled from the village. If the villagers reject you, when you need a certificate issued in the future, the village head will not sign it for you. You won’t be able to find a job either. Have you thought about these consequences? Where will you go then? You are just a student. You have no place to stay, and you won’t be able to work. How will you survive?” My father also said he felt ashamed to have a son like me. He said I brought them great shame, and that I wouldn’t be his son in the future. In all my life, it was the first time I heard my father scold me like this. He even said heartlessly that I was no longer his son. I couldn’t believe my parents would say such things. I was so sad that I didn’t say anything. My father went on to say, “I’ll tell you again, if you continue to believe in Almighty God, you’d better pay me back all the money I spent on raising you!” When my father said that in front of the villagers, I was very humiliated and very sad. My parents had treated me well in the past. Among their ten children, my parents liked me best and had the highest expectations of me. They had never said something so ruthless to me, but now their attitude had completely changed. I missed my parents’ kindness to me, and I didn’t want to be in trouble with them. I felt very weak, and I didn’t know what to do, so I prayed to God, asking Him to lead me in facing this environment. Later, I thought of a passage of God’s words: “You must suffer hardship for the truth, you must give yourself to the truth, you must endure humiliation for the truth, and to gain more of the truth you must undergo more suffering. This is what you should do. You must not throw away the truth for the sake of a peaceful family life, and you must not lose your life’s dignity and integrity for the sake of momentary enjoyment. You should pursue all that is beautiful and good, and you should pursue a path in life that is more meaningful. If you lead such a vulgar life, and do not pursue any objectives, do you not waste your life? What can you gain from such a life? You should forsake all enjoyments of the flesh for the sake of one truth, and should not throw away all truths for the sake of a little enjoyment. People like this have no integrity or dignity; there is no meaning to their existence!” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Experiences of Peter: His Knowledge of Chastisement and Judgment). God’s word inspired me. I understood that I should suffer to gain the truth. Although my family opposed me, the pastor hindered me, and the villagers judged me, and I felt tormented and a little weak, no matter what they said, I couldn’t give up following Almighty God. By reading Almighty God’s words and listening to the fellowship of the brothers and sisters in gatherings, I understood many truths and mysteries, and had already confirmed in my heart that Almighty God is the Lord Jesus who has returned, Christ of the last days, so I couldn’t stop going to gatherings. I knew that if I stopped attending gatherings, things would calm down. My family would no longer oppose me and would treat me as well as they did before, and no one would laugh at me anymore, but I would lose the chance to gain the truth and be saved by God. I told myself I couldn’t give up the truth, and I couldn’t betray God because of my family’s disapproval. Almighty God’s words are the truth. Only Almighty God can tell us how Satan corrupts humankind, and only He has pointed out the way for us to escape from sin and be saved by God. That I was able to suffer today to gain the truth was worth it. So, I resolved to not suffer the constraints of my family. Even if they no longer paid my tuition, even if I was kicked out of the village and life became difficult, I wouldn’t give up believing in God and pursuing the truth.

For the next week, the pastor arranged for two co-workers to come to our house every night. They repeated the same words every day to make me stop attending gatherings. No matter what they said, I continued going to gatherings. In those days, I often prayed to God, asking Him to quiet my heart and keep me from these disturbances. Later, my uncle was afraid my family would be ridiculed if the matter became too widely known, so he went to the pastor to discuss a new strategy. They took me to a theologian who was a doctor of theology and was very familiar with the Bible. After we met, the theologian questioned me, “Why do you believe in Almighty God? Do you realize that Almighty God is just an ordinary person? Why should you believe in a person?” I retorted, “Almighty God is God incarnate. He appears to be an ordinary person, but He has God’s Spirit within Him, and He is the incarnation of God’s Spirit. He not only has normal humanity, but also complete divinity. Just like the Lord Jesus; in appearance He was an ordinary man, but He was actually the incarnate Son of man, God Himself. He could express the truth and do the work of redeeming and saving mankind. Almighty God has come in the last days and has expressed many truths. He has revealed various mysteries of truth, such as God’s six-thousand-year management plan, the mystery of the incarnation, and how God does the work of judgment in the last days to purify and save people. He has also revealed the root cause of why mankind sins. If He were an ordinary person, would He be able to express so many truths? God is the Lord of Creation, He is the source of truth, only God can express truths, no famous person or great man in the world can express truths! Only God Himself can express these truths. No one but God can do it. All the truths expressed by Almighty God are enough to prove that He is God incarnate, God Himself.” As soon as I said these things, the doctor of theology interrupted me and said, “You are wrong to say that. All of God’s words are in the Bible, and there can be no new words outside the Bible. The words of Almighty God simply can’t be the new words of God.” I refuted him by saying, “Do you have any biblical basis for this? Is there proof in the Lord Jesus’ word? The Lord Jesus 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’ (John 16:12–13). The Bible prophesies that the Lamb will open the scroll in the last days. These all show that God will speak when He returns in the last days. If, as you say, God speaks no new words outside the Bible, isn’t that denying all the words and work of the Lord’s return?” Wearing an impatient expression, he didn’t listen at all. He said some things to condemn Almighty God and repeatedly asked me to stop listening to the sermons of Eastern Lightning. Then he started showing off how lofty his theology degree was, how much he suffered to preach for the Lord, and so on. He said that I was still too young to understand the Bible and should listen to him, and he told me to stop gathering with people from The Church of Almighty God. My uncle joined in and said: “We shouldn’t believe in what the religious circles condemn. This theologian is well known for his biblical knowledge, and you are lucky to have the chance to speak to him. I hope you will listen to him and stop going to gatherings.” I told them, “I used to be confused about living in sin. I couldn’t find the reason why people can’t get rid of sin. I didn’t understand until I read the words of Almighty God that it’s all because of the sinful nature within us. If our sinful nature is not eliminated, we will never be free from the bondage of sin.” I also testified to them about the truth of the incarnation. After I said that, the theologian said he was inspired by what I shared. He said it was very good, and he hoped to have the chance to discuss it with me in the future, but he insisted that I shouldn’t accept Almighty God. I saw that although this theologian was familiar with the Bible, had a lot of theological knowledge, and had a good reputation, in reality he was spiritually poor and didn’t understand any truth. He was also very arrogant, was unable to accept the truth, and had no interest in seeking or investigating God’s work. Just like the Pharisees who resisted the Lord Jesus, he kept condemning the appearance and work of God in the last days. That conversation did not change my determination to follow Almighty God. On the contrary, it gave me discernment of the pastors, elders, and theologians in the religious world. I stopped looking up to and admiring them. And through attending gatherings and reading Almighty God’s word during this period, I also gained some discernment of the fallacies in the religious world. This made me even more certain that Almighty God’s word is the truth and that Almighty God is the appearance of the one true God.

During a gathering, I talked with the brothers and sisters about my recent circumstances, and they shared some of God’s words with me that gave me some discernment of the false shepherds and antichrists. The Lord Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer you them that are entering to go in” (Matthew 23:13). “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves” (Matthew 23:15). After reading God’s words and hearing their fellowship, my heart felt much brighter. I saw that these pastors and leaders in the religious world are just like those hypocritical Pharisees. They resist and condemn Almighty God’s work of the last days and do everything to prevent people from hearing God’s voice and welcoming the Lord. They are stumbling blocks for people to enter God’s kingdom. They not only don’t enter God’s kingdom themselves, they also block others from doing so. They are truly vicious! The words of Almighty God say: “There are those who read the Bible in grand churches and recite it all day long, yet not one among them understands the purpose of God’s work. Not one among them is able to know God; still less can any one among them accord with God’s intentions. They are all worthless, vile people, each standing on high to lecture God. They willfully oppose God even as they carry His banner. Claiming faith in God, still they eat the flesh and drink the blood of man. All such people are devils that devour the soul of man, head demons that deliberately disturb those trying to step onto the right path, and stumbling blocks impeding those who seek God. They may appear of ‘sound constitution,’ but how are their followers to know that they are none other than antichrists who lead people to stand against God? How are their followers to know that they are living devils dedicated to the devouring of human souls?” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. All People Who Do Not Know God Are People Who Oppose God). “Look at the leaders of each religion and each denomination—they are all arrogant and self-righteous, and their interpretations of the Bible lack context and are guided by their own notions and imaginings. They all rely on gifts and knowledge to do their work. If they could not preach at all, would people follow them? They do, after all, possess some knowledge and can preach some doctrines, or they know how to win others over and make use of some tricks. They use these things to deceive people, and to bring people before themselves. Nominally, those people believe in God, but in reality, they follow these leaders. When they encounter someone preaching the true way, some of them say, ‘We have to consult our leader about matters of faith.’ See how people need the agreement and approval of others when it comes to believing in God and accepting the true way—is this not a problem? What have those leaders become, then? Have they not become Pharisees, false shepherds, antichrists, and stumbling blocks to people’s acceptance of the true way? Such people are of the same kind as Paul” (The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three). God clearly reveals religious leaders’ essence of hating the truth and resisting God. Almighty God has appeared and expressed so much truth, but they don’t seek at all. Instead of listening to God’s voice, they listen to the rumors of the CCP, the atheist party, condemn the appearance and work of Almighty God, and spread falsities to mislead believers and stop us from hearing the Lord’s voice and welcoming Him. It’s ruining our chance to be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven! Although these pastors and leaders often explain the Bible to people in the church, they don’t have the slightest knowledge of God and His work. They also have no God-fearing hearts. Their nature essence is the same as that of the Pharisees. They are all antichrists who hate the truth and resist God. Then I remembered how the believers in Judaism blindly worshiped religious leaders, and followed the Pharisees in resisting the Lord Jesus, and as a result, lost God’s salvation. My parents also worshiped the pastors and elders. Although they believed in the Lord for many years, they had no place for God in their hearts. They didn’t understand the truth and lacked discernment. They thought those who obeyed pastors and elders were submitting to and following the Lord. No matter what the pastors and elders said, my parents listened. In a matter as important as welcoming the Lord, they lacked all discernment and blindly listened to the pastor, yet when I testified to them about Almighty God’s words, they didn’t listen at all, and repeated the words of the pastor and the doctor of theology to condemn Almighty God. They even said, “Even if this is the true way, we won’t accept it unless the pastors and elders do.” I saw my parents were very pitiable. How were they believing in the Lord? Weren’t they just believing in the pastors and elders? I told my parents, “If you were born in the Age of Grace, when the Lord Jesus appeared to work, you would be the same as those believers in Judaism in the past and follow the Pharisees in resisting and condemning the Lord Jesus, because you only listen to the pastors and elders. If the pastors and elders condemn something as false, you say the same, but you yourselves don’t investigate the true way at all, nor do you seek to hear God’s voice. Isn’t this the same as those who followed the Pharisees and resisted the Lord Jesus? Can you get good results by believing in the Lord like this?” Over the course of the events of those days, I had a little discernment of my parents, and I no longer felt constrained and made up my mind to stand firm in witness for God.

During that time, no matter what I did, my parents watched me. I couldn’t attend gatherings at home in peace. At the time, I had to sneak into a small patch of forest near the edge of the village at night for gatherings. There were a lot of mosquitoes and insects. I was badly bitten by mosquitoes, and couldn’t find a comfortable place to sit. Sometimes, I was still in the woods late at night. To prevent my parents from finding out I was out at gatherings, I had to sneak back into the house to sleep, and I had to wake up in the early morning before them to make them think I had slept well at night. During the day, I had to help my parents in the fields. After a while, I got tired and sleepy. It was utterly exhausting. I began to feel a little weak, and I didn’t know when these days would end. Sometimes I even thought that if I listened to my parents and stopped going to gatherings, I wouldn’t suffer so much, the villagers wouldn’t laugh at me, and it wouldn’t impact my search for a job. Thinking of these things, I was a little shaken. But then I thought that at every gathering, I could understand some truths, and these were truths I had never heard before. I was reluctant to give that up. During that time, there was a hymn of God’s word that gave me great encouragement. It was titled “What God Makes Perfect Is Faith,” and I listened to it many times. It says: “The utmost faith and love are required from us in the work of the last days. We may stumble from the slightest carelessness, for this stage of work is different from all the previous ones: What God is perfecting is mankind’s faith, which is both invisible and intangible. What God does is convert words to faith, to love, and to life. People must reach a point where they have endured hundreds of refinements and possess faith greater than Job’s. They must endure incredible suffering and all manner of torture without ever leaving God. When they are submissive unto death, and have great faith in God, then this stage of God’s work is complete” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Path … (8)). I understood from this song that I can become weak and miserable in times of trouble, but in these times, I should learn to rebel against the flesh. If I followed the flesh, I couldn’t satisfy God. I knew very well that every gathering was beneficial for my understanding of the truth and the truth I heard was a priceless treasure. Although every gathering late at night in the woods was physically tiring and difficult, this was also a test for me, to see if I could suffer to obtain the truth and have true faith in God. My parents wanted me to pursue fame and fortune in the world and find a good job, to give my family a good life and make them proud. This was what they wanted and what they expected of me. But if I listened to my parents and stopped going to gatherings, although I didn’t have to suffer, I wouldn’t gain the truth. I would be the same as I was, only concerned with entertaining myself and pursuits of the flesh, which are meaningless. That I can now accept God’s work of the last days and enjoy God’s supply of so much truth is the greatest blessing. The suffering I endured was nothing next to understanding the truth, and all of it was meaningful. Thinking of this, I was willing to let go of fleshly pleasures and didn’t care what my family said about me. I only hoped to rely on God to overcome these difficulties. Later, by reading Almighty God’s words, my state gradually improved. Slowly, I understood that only in the difficulties of this environment could I seek more of God’s intentions and have firmer faith in God, and for this, I was very grateful to God!

I continued going to gatherings in the woods. Once, while I was at a gathering, someone, I don’t know who, found out and told my parents. At breakfast the next day, my mother said to me, “I thought you stopped attending gatherings after you met the doctor of theology. I didn’t know you were running off to gatherings in the woods at night. Aren’t you afraid?” As she spoke, she started to cry. That was the first time I saw my mother cry in front of me. I didn’t know what to say. Tears were welling up in my eyes. I didn’t want to hurt my parents, but I knew I couldn’t give up following Almighty God. I felt so conflicted. At this time, I remembered a passage of God’s words: “When God works, cares for a person, and looks upon this person, and when He favors and approves this person, Satan trails closely behind, trying to mislead the person and bring them to harm. If God wishes to gain this person, Satan will do everything in its power to obstruct God, using various wicked ploys to tempt, disturb and impair the work of God, in order to achieve its hidden objective. What is this objective? It does not want God to gain anyone; it wants to snatch possession of those whom God wishes to gain, it wants to control them, to take charge of them so they worship it, so they join it in committing evil acts, and resist God. Is this not Satan’s sinister motive? … In warring with God, and trailing along behind Him, Satan’s objective is to demolish all the work God wants to do, to occupy and control those whom God wants to gain, to completely extinguish those whom God wants to gain. If they are not extinguished, then they come to Satan’s possession, to be used by it—this is its objective” (The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique IV). After contemplating God’s words, I understood. God works to save man, while Satan tries its best to use people around us to hinder and stop us from following God and accepting God’s salvation. At this time, I recalled how Job’s wife tempted him to forsake God. This was Satan’s trick. I thought of how during this time, my friends disturbed me, the pastor and my family also hindered and threatened me, pressuring me to stop believing in God. These were all Satan’s temptations and tricks. My parents said they feared I would be driven out of the village and would have nowhere to go. My mother also said she was worried about me. These words sounded like she was concerned, but in reality, it was actually Satan using my family to prevent me from following God. Satan wanted to force me to give up, continue following the pastor, stay in religion, and lose God’s salvation. I couldn’t fall for Satan’s tricks. After that, I continued attending gatherings and reading Almighty God’s word. I know that in the days to come, I may still face many temptations and besiegement by Satan, and I may experience many setbacks, but I know in my heart that Almighty God’s word is the truth. That I can read God’s word, experience God’s work, and gain the truth is deeply meaningful for me. No matter how much I suffer, it is worth it!