The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust to the day of judgment to be punished:
Archives for 9 月 2020
Bible Verse–Matthew 18:3
26 9 月, 2020 by Leave a Comment
And said, Truly I say to you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Bible Verse–Matthew 11:12
22 9 月, 2020 by Leave a Comment
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
How the 12-Year-Old Christian Can Get Along Well With Her Grandmother
20 9 月, 2020 by Leave a Comment
“Grandma, you just can’t type in such a simple word. What did you learn in your primary school? You’re too stupid!” Linlin, a sixth-grade student, said to her grandmother impatiently.
Her grandmother, sitting on the chair, said nothing but sighed. Not asking Linlin anymore, she continued to look at the computer screen again, and hit the keyboard with her two index fingers clumsily, while repeating the word that she was going to type in.
Seeing her grandmother like this, Linlin just realized that she disdained her grandmother once again. She felt a little sad, thinking: I have already known I’m young, brash and arrogant, and determined that I would no longer treat grandma in that way. But why did I once more fall into my old ways today? Linlin felt quite depressed. She silently went back to her room, sat on the bedside, opened her diary, and read the stories that had happened between her grandmother and her recently.
May 10, 2018, Thursday, Sunny
Because my dad and mom have been working in another place, I have lived with my grandma since kindergarten. She took very good care of me, washing my clothes and cooking for me. At that time, I felt my grandma was really capable and could do any housework. But as I gradually grew up and learned more and more things, I felt she was outdated. She even didn’t know how to use the smartphone or the computer, and also she couldn’t understand the fashionable words that I spoke. So sometimes when she asked me some words that she couldn’t recognize, but I thought they were very simple, I would just say without thinking, “Grandma, you even don’t know such simple words. You’re really stupid.” Seeing I took such an attitude, grandma said, “I’m old and my memory is poor. I just forgot some words, and you said I’m stupid. How could you speak like that?” But no matter what grandma said, I still thought she was stupid and looked down on everything she did.
May 13, 2018, Sunday, Sunny
Today, I went shopping with grandma and once again I saw she took her cellphone for old people. I said to her, “Grandma, don’t take that cellphone anymore. It even can’t take photos. It’s so shameful!” After I pleaded with her again and again, she finally bought a smartphone. However, she didn’t know how to use it and let me teach her. I gave her a demonstration for several times, and then I let her operate it by herself. But when I asked her to press the right key she pressed the left key. I became extremely angry and shouted: “Grandma, I asked you to press the right key but you pressed the left key. Didn’t you see how I press them? You’re so stupid!” Grandma said: “You pressed so quickly that I didn’t see clearly. Besides, I’m very old. How can I match you?” Then I impatiently taught her another several times, but she didn’t remember it yet. Seeing that I was impatient, she was also unhappy, saying: “I don’t want to learn!” I thought: When I first learned it, I didn’t have so much difficulty as you did. I have taught you so many times but you can’t remember it and even get angry with me. Humph, it’s better that you don’t want to learn. I have taught you quite a while, but you still don’t know how to operate it. It’s just a waste of time even if I teach you again.
May 18, 2018, Friday, Cloudy
Today, when I just stepped into the house after school, I heard grandma said to herself: “Did the computer crash? Why did it not react no matter how I move the mouse?” So I went to her and wanted to know what had happened. At first I didn’t understand why either, but after I read the instructions I found that she didn’t plug the mouse receiver into the computer, so I blurted: “Grandma, can’t you read the instructions? The computer will be broken by you sooner or later.” Then I saw that she even didn’t know how to use the mouse and wanted to help her, but when I saw she couldn’t part her index and middle finger, I felt she was laughable and stupid. I said impatiently: “Grandma, you’re so stupid.” Because I always treated grandma like that, she was somewhat unhappy and said to me: “If you look down on me again, hurry to take your things to your own home and live by yourself, so that you can try a taste of living independently.” Hearing that, I felt sad in my heart: It’s not easy for grandma to take care of me every day, but I have no patience with her. I really felt that I was not sensible, but whenever I saw grandma learned something slowly, I would look down on her in spite of myself though I didn’t want to be like this.
May 20, 2018, Sunday, Sunny
This afternoon, Aunt Yu in the church came to look for grandma, but grandma just went out. I then told her what happened between grandma and me. Having heard this, Aunt Yu read a passage of God’s words to me: “Because the people in this age group are inexperienced in the matters of the world and have little understanding of the affairs of human life, when they just begin to come into contact with the affairs of the world and of human life, they think, ‘I understand. I understand thoroughly. I know it all! I can understand what adults talk about and I can keep up with all the fashionable things in society. Now mobile phones are developing quickly, with functions that are so complicated—I know how to use it all! You bunch of old women don’t understand anything. You even can’t turn on the TV, and if you do manage to turn it on, you can’t switch it off again.’ There are some young people, when their grandmothers speak to them and say: ‘Do this for granny,’ who reply: ‘Humph, you can’t even do this. Old people really are useless!’ What kind of way is that to talk? Don’t forget, you will also grow old one day. Can being able to do some things like this be considered a skill? Can it be considered an ability? People may say no, but when they encounter some issue, they will express this kind of disposition. What is this? This is what is meant by ‘the young are brash and arrogant.’ This is what people express.”
Having heard God’s word, I felt it revealed exactly my situation. I had learned to operate computer at school, so it was easy for me to use the smartphone and computer when I accessed to them; even if I was unfamiliar with some operation, I made it after I read the instructions. So I felt that I was clever, and capable of everything. When I saw grandma couldn’t do these things, and even couldn’t remember or learned slowly what I taught her, I disdained her and said that she was stupid. In fact, grandma isn’t so stupid as I said. It is just because there were not these things during her time that she didn’t have a chance to learn. Besides, grandma is old; her brain is slower than young men’s, and her hands and feet are not so agile, so it’s normal for her to learn something with difficulty. However, I took the little skill that I have learned as my strong point and my capital to laugh at her. I’m really too brash and arrogant, without any likeness of a little Christian. At this time, I felt reproached in my heart. I made up my mind: In future, I mustn’t treat grandma like this anymore. I must have a change.
Closing her diary, Linlin was annoyed that she hadn’t changed her attitude to her grandmother yet.
At that night, Aunt Yu came to look for her grandmother again, Linlin told her trouble to Aunt Yu.
“Aunt, I know that I’m arrogant and I always disdain my grandma. I really want to have a change, but why can’t I change? Aunt, you say, what should I do to not disdain my grandma and to change my attitude toward her?”
Aunt Yu said: “It’s not enough to just have some knowledge about our arrogant nature. In daily life, we must take practical action, betray this nature and treat others fairly.” Then she read two passages in the Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life: “You should take practical action. Then what to do? Treating others with love, helping others, being able to get along with others equally and harmoniously and loving each other—these are counted as true repentance.” “Find others’ strong points, and compare them to your shortcomings. Learn to respect others and draw on others’ strengths to make up for your deficiencies. Don’t always compare your strong points to others’ shortcomings. Don’t always look down on others.”
Aunt Yu continued saying: “The fellowship is very clear. If you want to have a change and no longer disdain your grandmother, you should treat her fairly, see more her strong points, and don’t compare your strong points to her shortcomings. Because everyone has his own shortcomings and insufficiencies. Just as God’s word says: ‘No matter how capable people are, how astute they are, or how talented they are, there’ll always be something that’s beyond them, something they’re incapable of understanding. It’s like on people’s backs, isn’t there a spot that they can’t reach? In the place it’s itching you say, “Mom, give me a scratch here.” These words are the most real, they are the words in your heart. In the areas that are beyond you, you always need the support and help of others. So your parents are the ones that nurture you, but they’re also your helpers. What’s best is when you can make them your friends, intimates, and confidants. They help you, you help them, you support each other, and make up for one another’s shortcomings, and in this way the relationship between you becomes normal.’”
After reading God’s words, Aunt Yu fellowshiped some more. Linlin saw the light after hearing these words. She said: “From God’s words, I know that although I knew how to use some electronic products, in life, I know nothing about how to wash clothes, cook or brush shoes. It’s grandma who helps me do these things and takes care of me in my daily life. Grandma and I have our own strong points and shortcomings. There is nothing for me to be arrogant about even if I have learned something new. I should try to help grandma instead of comparing my strong points to her shortcomings. Grandma doesn’t disdain me because I don’t know how to deal with some daily chores. I’m particularly not qualified to disdain her. Now, not only should I help grandma with love and patience, but also I should learn from her strong points.”
At that night, Linlin prayed to God again: “God, I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t treat my grandma like that. In future, I will speak to my grandma calmly. If she asks me something she doesn’t understand, I will teach her carefully. God! I have an arrogant disposition, but I’m willing to betray it, treat my grandma fairly, see more her strong points, and not treat her based on my corrupt disposition.” After prayer, Linlin felt peaceful in her heart.
One afternoon, her grandmother learned from Linlin how to type once more. At first, when her grandmother asked her, she could teach her patiently. Later on, when her grandmother asked her some simple words, Linlin started to mutter in her heart: Alas, my grandma. These words are so simple and I have told you before. Why do you forget them again? When she was going to disdain her grandmother, she thought of God’s words and the resolution she made before God. Then she felt ashamed in her heart and saw that she was too arrogant. So she prayed to God in her heart: “God, my arrogant nature is going to expose again. I have said that I would teach my grandma patiently, but I can’t control my arrogant disposition. God, please lead me to practice the truth.” After prayer, Linlin thought of God’s words: “Don’t forget, you will also grow old one day.” “They help you, you help them, you support each other, and make up for one another’s shortcomings, and in this way the relationship between you becomes normal.” That’s right! I will also grow old one day. As the age develops more and more rapidly, maybe I can’t match grandma when at her age. These words are strange to her, so it’s normal that she can’t remember them for the moment. I can’t help her with other things but can do such a small thing for her. At this thought, Linlin was liberated in her heart and started to teach her grandmother patiently. As soon as Linlin saw that her grandmother typed in a wrong way, she taught her hand over hand. When her grandmother saw this, a gratified smile appeared on her face.
In the following days when Linlin got along with her grandmother, her grandmother still didn’t understand many things and Linlin also revealed arrogance now and then, but she would pray to God and rely on God so that she could forsake herself and help her grandmother with love according to God’s will. At the same time, Linlin also thanked God for His leading, which made her not disdain her grandmother but could respect and get along well with her. All the glory be to God!
Bible Verses–Romans 5:4-5
19 9 月, 2020 by Leave a Comment
And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope makes not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us.
Bible Verse–Psalm 147:11
15 9 月, 2020 by Leave a Comment
The LORD takes pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.
Bible Verse–Mark 13:32
12 9 月, 2020 by Leave a Comment
But of that day and that hour knows no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
Who Is My Rock in Times of Life and Death?
10 9 月, 2020 by Leave a Comment
My name is Liu Mei and I’m 62. Earlier this year, a sudden illness affected me and made me quite helpless. In that life-and-death crisis, I had no family by my side and I could only pray to God and rely on Him to save me. Through the experience, I saw that life and death are in God’s hands and God is our only rock.
At about midnight on February 10, 2018, my blood pressure increased suddenly, which caused a cerebral thrombosis. At that moment, my heart palpitated violently, and I felt panicked. Also, I felt so much tightness in my chest that I almost couldn’t breathe. In this condition, I felt I could die at any time. I was so afraid, and I wanted to call my daughter and son-in-law for help, but I couldn’t voice any words. I lay on the bed, unable to move at all as I was so weak. I thought, “What can I do? I’ve been suddenly struck by an illness and neither of them knows. It’s a long time before dawn. If I die, no one will know. …” The more I thought of this, the more I was afraid. So I hurriedly prayed to God, “O God! Now I don’t have the ability to move or call my family. I can only rely on You. Whether I will die or survive this night, I’m willing to commit it into Your hands and let You rule over and arrange everything.” After praying, I remembered God’s words, “Almighty God is an all-powerful physician! To dwell in sickness is to be sick, but to dwell in the spirit is to be well. If you have but one breath, God will not let you die.” God’s words gave me faith. Though my daughter wasn’t by my side, I thought, “The One I believe in is Almighty God. My life is in God’s hands, and so whether I will die or not is decided by God.” Thinking of this, I wasn’t so afraid, and I lay there without knowing for how long until I slowly fell unconscious.
The next morning, my daughter saw that I still wasn’t out of my room at about 8 o’clock, so she came into my room to wake me. When she saw me lying coma-like with an ashen face she was very frightened and cried loudly, “Mom, what’s going on? Mom! What’s wrong with you? …” Then I faintly heard my daughter crying and my son-in-law speaking, and thereupon I gradually came to my senses and feebly opened my eyes. On seeing me awake, my daughter lifted me up quickly. However, my mind was unclear. Furthermore, my tongue was stiff, so I couldn’t say a word, and my eyes were so blurred that I could not see them clearly. In a daze, I heard them say they were going to send me to the hospital. Then I blacked out again.
I did not know how much time passed before I recovered my senses again. I realized I was in an ambulance. But I still couldn’t move, and I was suffocating and unable to speak, as if I was dying. I could do nothing but pray to God silently, “Dear God! Please save me. God! Only You can save me.” After a short while, I fainted again.
The next time I came around and opened my eyes, I saw my son-in-law keeping watch by my bedside. I asked him with great difficulty, “Where am I?” Seeing me awake from my coma, he was so happy and answered me quickly, “Mom, you’ve finally come round. We are in the hospital and you have been in a coma for three days.” At that time, my head was still dizzy, and I felt as if I had slept for a long time. I was limp and weak all over, and was unable to move. And when I spoke, I had great difficulty in breathing and was inarticulate because of my stiff tongue. But at least my mind was clear.
When I heard what my son-in-law said, my first thought was that God was beside me watching over and protecting me. It was because God had listened to my prayer and saved me that I repeatedly came out of the coma during those three days. Thinking of this, I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down my face, and I continually thanked God in my heart. That afternoon, I felt a little better and I could turn my body over.
Later, the doctor came and said to my son-in-law, “Your mother’s mouth is crooked and she’s speaking with a lisp. These are the signs of a stroke. Maybe she will suffer from Alzheimer’s disease in the future.” Hearing this, my son-in-law didn’t speak for a long time. I couldn’t help worrying myself by thinking, “Alzheimer’s disease? Doesn’t that mean I will be an imbecile? What will I do if that happens?” The more I thought of this, the more scared I was and the more awful I felt. But then I thought of God’s words, “Of everything that occurs in the universe, there is nothing that I do not have the final say in. What exists that is not in My hands?” God’s words calmed me down. I prayed to God silently, “O God! Hearing what the doctor said, I felt a bit scared. But I believe all things are in Your hands, as is my fate. I’m willing to entrust my life to You.” After the prayer, I became less afraid than before. To my surprise, my condition improved quickly. On the fourth day of my hospitalization, I could get up and walk around by myself.
The next day just happened to be Chinese New Year’s Eve. Seeing my condition had improved, my son-in-law didn’t want me to spend the New Year in the hospital, so he asked the doctor to prescribe medication for me for a week so that I could take it at home during that time. The doctor said, “Her condition is serious and she is just getting a little better. She won’t have any safety net at home.” Finally, because of the repeated requests of my son-in-law, the doctor agreed to prescribe me medicine for five days and asked me to definitely come back to the hospital on the sixth day.
After I got back home, my younger daughter came from her home far away to look after me. At about 1:00 a.m. on the second day after I got home, my heart began thumping wildly again. I was afraid that I would have a relapse, so I asked my younger daughter to fetch the medicine for me. However, when she was getting out of the bed to get the medicine, she suddenly sat down motionless on the edge of the bed. Her face was very pale and there was sweat all over her head. I felt something was wrong, so I called my elder daughter on the phone quickly. After a short while, my elder daughter and my son-in-law rushed into my room and then took my younger daughter to the hospital in a hurry.
At that time, they were so flustered that they forgot that I was also a patient. After they left, I quickly prayed to God, “O God! Now there is no one to take care of me. Whether I will relapse is in Your hands. I can only depend on You. And I’m willing to entrust my daughter’s illness into Your hands.” After the prayer, I calmed down slowly, but I was still worried about my daughter’s condition, so I couldn’t sleep. I had no choice but to call out to God, and then I remembered God’s words, “Who is able to protect themselves? Are people able to provide for themselves? Who are the strong ones in life? Who is able to leave Me and live on their own?” From God’s words, I understood that everything in our lives is dominated by God. In the past, I always thought that we could only rely on family in a crisis. However, when I was very ill, and was on the brink of death, my family was not beside me and no one could save me. But after I called out to God, God protected me secretly all the while. Even though my younger daughter returned to look after me, she also unexpectedly fell ill. As a result, not only did she fail to take care of me, but she also needed to be taken care of. Not until then did I truly experience that only God was my support, and that we human beings can’t even control ourselves, much less can we control others. Thinking of this, I prayed to God in my heart, “God! I’m willing to entrust my illness into Your hands. How my condition will develop is ruled over and arranged by You. I’m willing to obey You. My daughter’s illness is also in Your hands, so my anxiety about her is in vain. I’m willing to entrust everything to You.” After this prayer, I no longer felt so anxious. That morning, my younger daughter phoned me to tell me that she’d got better. That afternoon she was discharged from hospital.
Over the next few days, my condition took a turn for the better and I could gradually take care of myself. On the fifth day after I came back home, my daughter was rather worried about my health, so she took me back to the hospital. After examining me, the doctor told me, “You have made a remarkable recovery. Just stay here for a few days, then you can be discharged.” A woman patient in the same ward said to me admiringly, “When I came to the hospital, I was just a little nauseated. And now I can’t get out of bed. Whereas you were sent here in an ambulance and now you are making such good progress toward recovery that you can get out of bed and walk by yourself. You don’t look like a patient at all. It’s really a marvel!” Another patient also said, “In our village, there were two persons suffering from the same illness as you. One ended up having Alzheimer’s and the other never revived from a coma after several days. So you are very lucky.” Hearing these words, I smiled and thanked God in my heart. I then thought of God’s words, “Who of the whole of mankind is not cared for in the eyes of the Almighty? Who does not live in the midst of the Almighty’s predestination? Whose birth and death come from their own choices?” God’s words made me understand that people’s lives, deaths, good fortune and misfortune are all in His hands. Logically speaking, I shouldn’t have survived the illness, but when I called out to God, God protected me through it. It wasn’t because of my good luck, but was because of God’s protection and love for me.
After I left the hospital, my family still worried about my condition, so they took me to have a check-up in a hospital specializing in apoplexy. After checking my case history and my original diagnosis, the attending doctor looked at me in astonishment and said, “You’re really fortunate! Many people can’t speak clearly or walk normally after having a stroke. But you have recovered well, and there are no after-effects.” Hearing this, I thanked God’s love from my heart again.
Afterward, my daughter said to me many times, “The day you got ill it seemed that you were dying, and I was so scared and didn’t know what to do. We sent you to the township hospital, but when the doctors saw you in a coma, they said that your condition was too serious and refused to treat you. They told us to call an ambulance to take you to the county hospital for emergency treatment. After we got to the county hospital, the doctor examined you and said you had a cerebral thrombosis and had the symptoms of a stroke. Who would have thought that you would recover so quickly? It’s really a marvel!” I told her, “All these were God’s wonderful deeds. If I had not relied on Almighty God, maybe I’d be dead. It was Almighty God who allowed me to survive.”
At present, my body has recovered well, so whenever I have time, I listen to recitations of God’s words and hymns and watch various videos produced by The Church of Almighty God at home. I also attend church meetings with my brothers and sisters, and I perform my duty in the church. I feel very happy and peaceful in my heart.
If not for my personal experience, my knowledge of God’s authority and almightiness would still be merely a matter of words and doctrines, without any reality to it. Through this experience, I have truly seen God’s wondrous deeds and felt that God is right by our side controlling our everything and watching over and protecting us at every moment. Just as God’s words say, “He speaks quietly to mankind and all of creation with His silent words: I am in the heavens, and I am amongst My creation. I am keeping watch; I am waiting; I am at your side…. His hands are warm and strong; His footsteps are light; His voice is soft and graceful; His form passes and turns, embracing all of mankind; His countenance is beautiful and gentle. He has never left, nor has He vanished. From dawn to dusk, He is mankind’s constant companion.”
The value of God’s salvation of me is beyond calculation, so I don’t know what I can do to repay God. My only wish is to do my very best to perform the duties that He entrusts me with. Thank God!
Bible Verse–Revelation 1:7
8 9 月, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Behold, he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
What Does “a Great Sound of a Trumpet” in the Biblical Prophecy Refer To?
2 9 月, 2020 by Leave a Comment
By Xiaochen
In the recent several gatherings，how to welcome the Lord’s return had been a hot topic. The Lord Jesus said, “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:30–31). Everyone at the meeting had a different understanding of “a great sound of a trumpet” in this verse, and they started a heated discussion.
In the meeting, Brother Wang said with confidence, “The Lord Jesus told us that when He returns, a trumpet will sound in heaven to gather together His elect. When that happens, it means that we believers will be raptured. That day will be a joyful day. Now is the last days, and the Lord will come back soon. So, we should watchfully wait for His return.”
When Brother Wang finished speaking, Brother Chen furrowed his brow and said seriously, “I think there is a mystery in these prophecies, so we can’t interpret them literally, nor can we welcome the Lord’s arrival by waiting for the sound of a trumpet. There are still many passages in the Bible that prophesy the Lord’s return. Just as it is written in the Book of Revelation, ‘Behold, I come as a thief’ (Revelation 16:15). ‘As a thief’ means coming secretly, quietly. If we go by our understanding and say that a trumpet will sound in heaven at the Lord’s return, there must be a big commotion. Then isn’t there a contradiction within these verses? Moreover, we have all been longing for the moment when the trumpet sounds. However, after so many years have passed, disasters are becoming more and more intense, many of the prophecies of the Lord’s second coming have basically been fulfilled, and even the scientists predict that great catastrophes are imminent, so it stands to reason that the Lord should return. But why haven’t we heard the sound of the trumpet? What does ‘the sound of a trumpet’ actually refer to? Is it really the sound made by a trumpet? I can’t understand it.”
After hearing these words, the brothers and sisters jumped into a lively debate, but they couldn’t give clear fellowship. Halfway through the meeting, it just so happened that Brother Lin returned from a trip to hear sermons. After knowing everyone’s confusion, he said with a smile, “Thank the Lord! On this last trip, I was fortunate to discuss this matter with several brothers and sisters, and their fellowship was very enlightening. Let me share my harvest with everyone. These verses you are discussing are what the Lord Jesus told His disciples about what will happen when He returns, that is, they are prophecies. As is known to us all, God’s prophecies are all mysteries and it’s not easy for people to fathom them. So we can’t go by a literal interpretation of them, otherwise we’ll very likely understand them wrongly. Take the Pharisees for example. They made such a mistake in awaiting the Messiah. They saw the biblical prophecies: ‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given: and the government shall be on His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, on the throne of David, and on His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on even for ever’ (Isaiah 9:6–7). And so, based on their understanding of the literal meaning of these prophecies, they believed that since the Messiah would come to power, He would certainly be born to a wealthy family. Further, He would be like David and become the King of Israel, leading them to break away from the rule of the Roman government. However, when the prophecies were fulfilled, the fact is that the Lord Jesus was born in a manger, not a prominent family, and neither did He become the king of the Jewish people to come to power, but instead He lived amongst men as an ordinary Jew. The Pharisees judged and convicted the Lord Jesus’ work based on the literal words of the Bible, and finally crucified the Lord Jesus, thus offending God’s disposition and incurring God’s curses. It can be seen that we must not interpret God’s prophecies literally. Jehovah God said, ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, said Jehovah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts’ (Isaiah 55:8–9). We are just tiny created beings, so how can we fathom God’s wisdom? We should gain enlightenment from the lessons of previous failures—God’s work isn’t in line with our conceptions, and therefore we can’t define God’s arrival within the literal words of the Bible or our imaginings, but instead we should treat God’s work with an attitude of seeking. Only in this way can we welcome the Lord’s coming.”
The brothers and sisters all nodded their heads.
Sister Li said, “Brother Lin, your fellowship is quite illuminating. It’s indeed unreliable to interpret prophecies according to their literal meanings. So what does ‘a great sound of a trumpet’ in the verse actually refer to? Brother Lin, please fellowship with us.”
Brother Lin went on, “With regard to this issue, let’s read this verse carefully, ‘And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other’ (Matthew 24:31). Here it says that in the last days God will use a great sound of a trumpet to gather together His elect, that is, they will gather from every direction when the trumpet sounds. But apart from this verse, there are still many places in the Bible that prophesy how the Lord will gather His elect at His return in the last days. For example, the Lord Jesus said, ‘My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me’ (John 10:27). ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me’ (Revelation 3:20). And in the Book of Revelation there are also several mentions that ‘He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’ (Revelation 2–3). The Lord Jesus clearly told us that when He returns in the last days, He will proclaim His word to bring His sheep before Him. In other words, when the Lord comes back and issues forth His voice, His sheep will one by one come before Him because of hearing His voice. Just as when the Lord Jesus came to the world to express the truth, Peter abandoned his fishing nets to follow Him when hearing His calling; because the Lord Jesus revealed her secrets buried in her heart, the Samaritan woman recognized that He was the coming Messiah and thus followed Him. Both of them recognized that the Lord Jesus was the coming Messiah because of what He did and said. Through the above prophecies, we can see that ‘a great sound of a trumpet’ refers to the truth expressed by the Lord when He returns in the last days. So, we have to listen out the Lord’s voice to welcome His appearance and work.”
Hearing this, the brothers and sisters all felt immeasurably excited. Brother Chen said happily, “Thank the Lord! Brother Lin’s fellowship made me think of what the Lord Jesus once 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: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come’ (John 16:12–13). We can see from these two verses that, when the Lord Jesus comes back, He will proclaim His word to humankind again. As long as we hear what the Holy Spirit says to the churches, that means we hear ‘a great sound of a trumpet.’ This is a new light. So now we should focus on hearing where the voice of God is, for only by hearing God’s voice can we welcome the Lord’s return.”
Brother Lin said, “Thanks be to God! You’ll understand things better after reading a passage which says: ‘How does one explain the “holy trumpet”? What is your understanding of this? Why is it said to be holy and already sounded? This should be explained from the steps of My work and understood from My work method. The time when My judgment is announced publicly is when My disposition is revealed to all nations and peoples. That is the time the holy trumpet is sounded. That is to say that I often say that My disposition is holy and unoffendable, which is why “holy” is used to describe the “trumpet.” It can be seen from this that “trumpet” refers to My disposition and represents what I am and have. It can also be said that My judgment is in progress every day, My wrath is being released every day, and My curse befalls every single thing that does not accord with My disposition every day. Then it can be said that the time My judgment begins is the time the holy trumpet is sounded, and it is sounding every day, without halting for a moment and without stopping for a minute or second.’
“This passage speaks very clearly about what the ‘holy trumpet’ is. We can see from this that the time when the Lord begins expressing words to do the judgment work in the last days is the time when God’s trumpet is officially sounded. That is, ‘a great sound of a trumpet’ refers to God’s words of judgment in the last days, not the sound made by a trumpet. These years I have been waiting for the sound of the trumpet in heaven, but I haven’t made it. Seeing that the church is increasingly desolate, I’m incredibly anxious and always feel like I have been abandoned by the work of the Holy Spirit. On this last trip, some brothers and sisters testified to me that the Lord has already returned to express the truth and perform the work of judgment, which fulfills the biblical prophecies, ‘For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God’ (1 Peter 4:17). ‘And if any man hear My words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejects Me, and receives not My words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day’ (John 12:47–48). Only then did I know that ‘a great sound of a trumpet’ has started. They also fellowshiped to me that the returned Lord has expressed the truth and revealed the essence and truth of mankind’s corruption. Meanwhile, He has told us how to get rid of our corrupt dispositions, and has made public His will and requirements for man. God’s inherent disposition and what God has and is have been expressed within His words. These words are God’s way of judgment and His words that purify mankind. Hearing God’s voice means hearing the sound of God’s trumpet and seeing God’s appearance. They also read a passage to me. Allow me to read it to everyone! ‘This is the holy trumpet sounding! Lend an ear. That sound, so sweet, is the throne uttering voice, announcing to every nation and people, the time has come, the final end has come. My management plan is finished. My kingdom openly appears on earth. The earthly kingdoms have become My—God’s—kingdom. My seven trumpets sound from the throne, and what wonders will occur! People at the ends of the earth will rush together from every direction with the force of an avalanche and power of thunderbolts….’ ‘I joy to see My people, who hear My voice, and gather from every nation and land. All people, keeping the true God ever in their mouths, praise and jump for joy endlessly! They witness to the world, witnessing the true God with a sound like the sound of thundering waters. All people will crowd into My kingdom.’ Brothers and sisters, this passage mentions that the holy trumpet has already sounded, and that people from every nation and land are gathering together to listen to God’s voice and witness God’s appearance. When hearing them read this passage, I felt that it is the Holy Spirit speaking to us. The Lord really has returned.”
Hearing these words made the brothers and sisters extremely excited. Brother Chen emotionally said, “These words are so authoritative and they are not something that can be spoken by an ordinary person. It turns out that ‘trumpet’ refers to God’s word. In the last days God expresses the truth to cleanse our corruption, and so hearing God’s words in the last days means hearing the sound of the trumpet. We should earnestly seek and investigate.”
Brother Wang suddenly sprang to his feet and said, “Right! Apart from God, who can speak as the Creator? These words are no ordinary words. Brother Lin, where did they come from? Can you tell us about it? I’d also like to investigate.”
The brothers and sisters were all transported with joy and were ready to seek and investigate God’s word and work of the last days with Brother Lin.
Bible Verse–Matthew 17:20
1 9 月, 2020 by Leave a Comment
And Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief: for truly I say to you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you.
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