Tang Jiaqi
Shenyang City, Liaoning Province
In 1992, I believed in Jesus because my father got cancer. Through prayer, the Lord not only healed my father but also healed my heart disease. Three years after I turned to the Lord, I turned from the Three-Self sect to a house church and became a leader. Then, I pursued more actively, and my faith became greater and greater. The number in the house church I was in grew from several to over two hundred. The church was greatly revived.
In 1998, when I arrived at a host home, the sister of the host family told me, “Someone preaches that God has come and has been incarnated as a female…” I immediately said, “If such a person comes again, don’t receive him. Ignore such heresy.” After I said that, I no longer cared about it. One day, I received a leaflet distributed from above, which said, “‘The Eastern Lightning’ is a cult organization and an end-time false christ. …”At this moment, I suddenly thought of a co-worker of our church who had been “captured.” Only then did I realize the “seriousness” of the matter, and thus I suddenly developed hatred toward “the Eastern Lightning.” Holding the leaflet, I immediately went with another co-worker to the home of that co-worker who had been “captured” by “the Eastern Lightning.” I directly handed her the leaflet for her to read and exhorted her, “You have believed in the Lord for so many years. You must not go astray. ‘The Eastern Lightning’ has been determined to be a ‘cult.’ Besides, it’s not written in the Bible that God is a female. Now is the end time, and all religious circles have become more and more complicated. If you follow a wrong belief, won’t you have believed in vain? Turn back now!” But no matter what I said, she was not swayed. Later, we went to persuade her many times, but she still did not turn back. This made me hate “the Eastern Lightning” all the more. At each meeting, I would wildly preach, “‘The Eastern Lightning’ is a cult and is an end-time false christ. Once you join it, you will not be able to withdraw. The Bible clearly says that the Lord is the Christ and is the Son of the living God, but they say that God is a female. The Bible clearly says that there is only one name under heaven given to men, that only Jesus Christ is our Savior, and that salvation is found in no one else. How could God’s name change? So, we must be careful not to be deceived. …”
Though I desperately sealed the church, still people were accepting the Almighty God’s new work. One day, a sister brought a book of God’s word and asked me to help discern it. I turned the pages disdainfully and cursed as I read it, “How dare she pose as Christ. …” I picked up a pen and made remarks and lines in the book, locating the places contrary to my notions one by one. Then, I took these “fruits” to the church and announced them. And I warned the brothers and sisters, “I have read the book of ‘the Eastern Lightning.’ It is purely to deceive people. The Lord already told us long ago that false christs would come out to deceive people in the end time. Hasn’t it fulfilled? Everyone must be on guard and not contact them. No one is allowed to receive them. …” Later, I managed to drag back the sister who brought the book for me to read. By that time, I had hated “the Eastern Lightning” with all my soul. I made up my mind to oppose “the Eastern Lightning” to the end and pledge my life to defend the “truth” and guard the flock properly.
But somehow, the more we resisted “the Eastern Lightning,” the more desolate our church became; the more we guarded the flock, the fewer the sheep became. The faith and love of the brothers and sisters gradually grew cold, and they were dropping out by twos and threes. At that time, I also felt powerless when preaching and every time I tried to hold up. The sister of the host family fell ill and got worse and worse, and in the end she even became bedridden. … Seeing these things, I had a very heavy heart. “How come the once so revived and zealous church has got into such a plight?” At a loss, I racked my brains for the reason: “Is it because I have not put effort into preaching?” Then, I began to rush about from place to place. Whenever I heard there was a good preaching somewhere, I rushed there to listen regardless of anything. I also read and studied many spiritual books, intending to absorb the essence of every denomination to enrich my knowledge of the Bible. I thought I could revive the church by doing so, yet things did not go as I wished. The condition of the church increasingly deteriorated, and all the efforts I had made came to naught. I could not help thinking of the situations of other denominations that I had been to: All the churches, big and small, were desolate. The believers were generally weak; many churches had fallen apart from within; and the co-workers intrigued against each other. Seeing that all denominations were like this, we could do nothing but cling to the belief that “he who endures to the end will be saved,” believing that some day the Lord would make the church prosperous again as long as we persevered to the end. During that period, we preached the gospel to everyone we met with the intention of “rallying forces,” waiting for “the Lord to do the work of revival.”
At the end of July 2002, introduced by two sisters, a co-worker and I went to preach the gospel to a brother of the Catholic Church. It happened that the brother’s aunt and uncle came. They were also believers in the Lord. Since it was late, pressed by them to stay, we could not but accept their warm hospitality. After the dinner, we began to fellowship together. They fellowshipped from the Old Testament to the New Testament and to Revelation. When the brother said that “God has done a new work,” I immediately realized in my heart, “This is ‘the Eastern Lightning’!” So, I became alert instantly. I kept praying in my heart, asking the Lord to seal their mouths, and I also hinted to the co-worker that she should pray at once too. Then, I called the several brothers and sisters out one by one and told them, “What they preach is a ‘cult.’ It’s ‘the Eastern Lightning.’ Don’t believe!” I also told that brother, “Your aunt and uncle you can entertain as you should, but you must not believe in the way they preach.” Then, I began to deliberately disturb the conversation. I cut them off frequently, found fault, and asked them difficult questions. But they were always patient and courteous and did not mind, and they also answered all my questions. I could not stump them at all. So, I repeatedly emphasized, “Jesus has accomplished the redemption. Since he said ‘It is finished’ on the cross, that means man has been completely saved.” The brother said, “This word of Jesus means that the redemptive work is accomplished. This is like a person who is bought back after committing a capital crime. Though he will not be put to death, he is still sinful. Similarly, although we have been redeemed by Jesus and have been forgiven of our sins, we still have corrupt nature within. So, in the end time God still needs to do a stage of work, that is, purifying and saving man thoroughly with his word, so that man can get rid of his corrupt nature and become holy, for without holiness no one will see the Lord. Only when this stage of work is accomplished will God’s work be crowned with complete success. This is the real meaning of ‘It is done’ in Revelation. …” In the course of this six or seven hour fellowship, no matter how clear and how reasonable their fellowship was, I always denied and interrupted it unreasonably. However, they did not get angry at all but fellowshipped amiably and patiently from beginning to end. In the end, I simply told them, “I definitely will not believe what you have said. Apart from Jesus, there is no other name by which we must be saved.” Then we left.
After I got home, without knowing why, I always thought of the words they two had said—“God is an ever-new God and does not do repeating work,” “the three stages of works are done by one God,” “the age of Jesus has passed, and God no longer works in the churches of the Age of the Grace, so they have become desolate,” and so on. These words kept running through my mind. After I pondered carefully, I felt what they had said was not unreasonable. Besides, those two people were so honest and sincere to others and were so natural, composed, and sober in their every act and move, which was by no means pretended. They did not look like believers in a cult at all, much less like underworld men. However, once I thought they said that God had come as a female and was not called Jesus, I started to have a war in my heart again. So, I knelt down and prayed, “O Lord, if you have really come, please tell me through any surrounding person, matter, or thing or give me a revelation so that I can know and understand. …”
Not long afterward, I was on my way home from work. It was raining, the road was very muddy, and I was pushing my bicycle. When I had just stepped on a spot where there was no water, it sank suddenly. I hastily cried out, “Lord Jesus!” However, my foot sank deeper and deeper as if there was a magnet under it. At the time, my mind went blank. I felt as if I had stepped into a marsh, my heart full of fear. Suddenly I had an revelation and immediately cried out, “Almighty God!” Unexpectedly, my foot was pulled out at once. I felt very surprised. Then I remembered my prayer and thought to myself, “Has the age of Jesus really passed? Is the Almighty God the true God?”
On September 3, 2002, at the home of the cousin of a friend, I met a sister who preached the Almighty God’s new work. The sister gave me a detailed fellowship about God’s end-time work, and then she opened the book of God’s word and read to me. As I listened, I felt those words were so gripping, so touching, and so genial. I was puzzled in my heart. “These genial words are so holy and sweet, but how come last time when I read them I didn’t find that at all but got so angry?” The sister seemed to have read my mind. She said, “God’s word is the Spirit and is the life. It is different from the word of an ordinary person. To understand the meaning of God’s word, it requires the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when reading God’s word, only if one sets his mentality right and receives God’s word from the standpoint of the truth can he receive the working of the Holy Spirit. If he reads God’s word with a heart that resists and tries to get something on it, God will not inspire him, and he will naturally have many critical views and notions. For example, when Jesus worked and spoke, Peter had a seeking heart, so he received the guidance of the Holy Spirit and knew that the words Jesus spoke were the way of eternal life. Those teachers of the law and Pharisees, however, had a heart to get something on and tempt Jesus, so they did not receive the revelation of the Holy Spirit, but on the contrary, had more and more notions. Eventually, they became the foremost of sinners who nailed the Lord onto the cross and became ones who resisted God, and were punished by God. Therefore, as the mentalities of men were different, the results produced were also totally contrary.” After saying that, the sister passed me the book of God’s word. Feeling as if I had found a priceless treasure, I opened it and read these words: “Among men, I am originally the Spirit they cannot see and cannot contact. Because of the three stages of my work on earth (the creation of the world, the redemption, and the destruction), I have appeared (never publicly) to men at different times to do my work among them.” “Every stage of work done by God has practical significance. At that time when Jesus came, he was a male. This time when God comes, he is a female. From this you can see that God’s creating both man and woman can be for his work and with God there is no gender. When his Spirit comes, he can put on any flesh as he wants, and this flesh can represent him. Whether this flesh is a male or a female, he can represent God as long as he is God’s incarnated flesh.” “People believe in their notions that he who is a sin offering is God’s only begotten Son and that he who assumes power for God and redeems the whole mankind is God’s only begotten Son. Some others believe that he who comes as a male can be called God’s only begotten Son, that is, can represent God. Still others even say that Jesus is Jehovah’s Son and his only begotten Son. Aren’t these very fallacious notions of man? If God had not come to do this stage of work in the final age, the whole mankind would have a shadow over God. In that case, men would consider themselves superior to women, and women could never raise their head. Then no woman could be saved. People always believe that God is a man and that God always loathes women and will never save women. If that were the case, wouldn’t all women who were created by Jehovah and who have also been corrupted never have the opportunity to be saved? Then wouldn’t it have been meaningless for Jehovah to create woman, Eve? Wouldn’t women perish eternally?”
After reading the words of God, I felt as if awakening from a dream and understood this: God is originally the Spirit people cannot see, and with him there are no gender differences at all. It is only for saving mankind that God has been incarnated twice and taken different genders, so that people can know that both God’s creating man and woman have practical significance. He is not only the God of men but also the God of women, so he can put on any flesh as he wants, to do his work, and people have no right to interfere. Yet I actually concluded that God could not be a female. I was really too foolish and too arrogant! Then, I turned ahead to another page and read these words of God: “In each age and in each stage of work, my name has representative meaning and is not groundless. That is, each name represents one age. ‘Jehovah’ represents the Age of the Law and is a respectful address by which the Israelites call the God they worship. ‘Jesus’ represents the Age of the Grace and is the name of the God of all those who were redeemed in the Age of the Grace. If in the end time people still expect that the Savior Jesus will come and come still in his image in Judea, then the entire six-thousand-year management plan would stop in the Age of the Redemption and could not advance any further, and the end time would never come and the age would never end. This is because ‘Jesus the Savior’ is only the One who redeemed and saved mankind, and I took the name ‘Jesus’ only for the sake of all the sinners in the Age of the Grace, not for the purpose of ending the whole mankind. Although Jehovah, Jesus, and Messiah represent my Spirit, these several names only represent the different ages in my management plan and do not represent my everything. The names by which people on earth call me cannot fully express all my nature and all that I am. They are only different names by which people call me in the different ages. So when the final age, the last age comes, my name will still change. I will not be called Jehovah or Jesus, much less Messiah, but the powerful Almighty God Godself. I will end the entire age with this name.” “Some people say that God is unchanging. That is also right, but it means that God’s nature and God’s substance are unchanging. When his name and work change, it does not prove that his substance changes. In other words, God is forever God, and this is unchanging.” “One day, God will not be called Jehovah, Jesus, or Messiah, and he will just be the ‘Creator.’ At that time, all the names he has taken on earth will end, because his work on earth will have ended. Then his name will be no more. When all things have become subject under the authority of the Creator, will he still be called by a very appropriate but incomplete name? Now, do you still study God’s name? Do you still dare to say that God is just called Jehovah? Do you still dare to say that God can only be called Jesus? Could you bear the guilt of blaspheming God? You should know that God did not have a name originally, but only because he had to do the work and manage mankind, he has taken a name, two names, or more names. Isn’t it up to himself what name he will take? Does he need you, a created being, to decide it?”
God’s words with authority and power shook my heart and made me understand that God’s name is taken due to his work. Whenever God does a stage of work, he will take a name that suits the work of that age. God opens an age with a name and also uses a name to represent an age. Though God’s name is changed, his substance does not change. I thought that when God came again, he still had to be called Jesus and he who was not called Jesus was not God, just as the Jews in those days, when expecting Messiah, thought that he who was not called Messiah was not God. I only believed in God’s name but did not believe in his substance. I circumscribed God’s name to my notions and used them to attack the Almighty God who had been incarnated the second time. I, a little creature, even dared to use the few inconsiderable things given by God before to attack God. I was really shameful and detestable, blind and ignorant! God’s words had completely resolved my notions. Only then did I understand why that co-worker who had accepted God’s new work did not turn back no matter how hard I tried to persuade her. “She is right. Who is willing to leave after having found the true God and received the truth?” After I got home, I immediately told this great good news to the other co-workers. Through investigation, they all accepted God’s new work and threw themselves into the arms of the Almighty God a week later. Then, over twenty people joined in one after the other as well. Right after that, I also got back the sister who had lent me the book and been dragged back by me.
When I picked up the book of God’s word again to read, every word of God gripped my heart and deeply attracted me, so that I could not tear myself away from it. I read on and on eagerly. For half a month, I spent my days in tears, tears of joy, tears of remorse, and tears of moving mingling together. That was a feeling that I had never had and a moving that I had never had. From God’s word, I saw God’s love, God’s will, and God’s wonder and wisdom. At the same time, from God’s word of judgment and disclosing, which is like a sharp two-edged sword, I saw my satanic ugly self, saw that God knows mankind’s corruption like the back of his hand and has a thorough knowledge of mankind, and realized God’s sincere and loving will of saving man. Facing God’s salvation and great love, I was overwhelmed with sorrow many times. “O Almighty God, for the sake of saving man, you have been incarnated twice willingly. You are so good. However, I believe in you yet do not know you and have arrogantly condemned you and resisted you again and again. I am really the ‘worst’ of arrogant people and am a cruel and malicious person who has stabbed you in the heart with a knife. I am really sinful and evil to the uttermost and deserve to die ten thousand deaths. Yet, God, you have not treated me according to my transgressions but have tolerated me with your extremely great mercy and brought me before you. O God! I am willing to start a new life. I will fully offer up my body and mind to you and let you use me as you wish so as to make up for my past indebtedness.”
Dear brothers and sisters, I hope that you can draw a lesson from my experience. Do not resist as I did anymore. God’s end-time salvation has come upon us, and this is God’s uplifting and salvation. If we refuse to seek the true way for fear of being deceived by false christs, it will only delay our own life. In fact, as long as we are willing to quiet our heart to seek and investigate God’s end-time work, all our notions can be resolved. While believing in God, we have always been looking forward to attending the banquet of the kingdom of heaven with the Lord. Today, this wish has come true before our eyes. We must not miss this golden opportunity! The Almighty God says: “God’s work is advancing with mighty force as surging waves. No one can hold him back, and no one can stop his steps. Only those who listen to his word attentively and seek and thirst after him can follow his footsteps and receive his promises. All the other people will suffer overwhelming disasters and deserved punishments.” Brothers and sisters, follow God’s footsteps and step toward the new age at once and enter into the beautiful new heaven and new earth that God has prepared for man!
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