The Story of Being Reunited With the Lord: Listening to God’s Voice and Welcoming the Lord
I used to be a preacher in a house church. I have worked for the Lord for many years, and have been looking forward to the return of the Lord Jesus. In 1996, I heard someone say that The Church of Almighty God was bearing witness that the Lord Jesus had returned in the flesh, and was doing the judgment work. However, in my opinion, the Lord should return as His resurrected spiritual body on a cloud, appearing to us openly. Since we haven’t seen anything like that, how could anyone say He’s come back? So, I never listened to the sermons of The Church of Almighty God.
Later, I met two sisters from The Church of Almighty God. Through their fellowship, I understood: There are a number of biblical prophecies about the Lord returning in the flesh. The Lord Jesus said: “For 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). “Be you therefore ready also: for the Son of man comes at an hour when you think not” (Luke 12:40). The Lord’s words mention “the Son of man” and “the coming of the Son of man.” “The Son of man” means One who is born of a human and possesses normal humanity. If He were Spirit or spiritual body, He wouldn’t be called “the Son of man.” The Lord Jesus was called the Son of man and Christ because He was the incarnate flesh of God’s Spirit and was the Son of man possessed of normal humanity. So when the Lord Jesus said “the coming of the Son of man,” it was a reference to the Lord returning in the flesh in the last days.
However, there were still some things I didn’t understand. The Bible really does prophesy the coming of the Son of man, but Revelation says, “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” (Revelation 1:7). I wondered, “Isn’t that a contradiction?” I told them about my confusion.
Then a sister shared this fellowship: “There are a lot of biblical prophecies about the Lord’s return. Besides Him coming on a cloud, there are also prophecies about Him coming in secret. For example, the Lord said, ‘Behold, I come as a thief’ (Revelation 16:15). ‘And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him’ (Matthew 25:6). When the Lord said ‘as a thief,’ ‘at midnight there was a cry made,’ He was talking about returning in secret. So, the Lord comes in two different ways in the last days. He incarnates in secret as the Son of man, and He also comes openly on a cloud. That is, He first comes in the flesh in secret to express the truth and judge and cleanse mankind, and to make a group of overcomers before the disasters. Once He’s finished His work of saving mankind in secret, the great disasters will befall, and He’ll reward the good and punish the evil. Only then will God come openly on a cloud, revealing Himself to all nations and peoples. That’s when that prophecy of the Lord coming openly will be fulfilled. All who accept Almighty God’s work of judgment, who are cleansed of their corrupt dispositions will be protected by God and saved from the disasters. They’ll get into God’s kingdom. But those who reject Almighty God’s work of the last days, who do all they can to oppose and condemn it, will be punished in the disasters, weeping and gnashing their teeth. This will fulfill this prophecy in Revelation: ‘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’ (Revelation 1:7). Just as Almighty God’s says, ‘Many people may not care what I say, but I still want to tell every so-called saint who follows Jesus that, when you see Jesus descend from the heaven upon a white cloud with your own eyes, this will be the public appearance of the Sun of righteousness. Perhaps that will be a time of great excitement for you, yet you should know that the time when you witness Jesus descend from the heaven is also the time when you go down to hell to be punished. That will be the time of the end of God’s management plan and it will be when God rewards the good and punishes the wicked. For the judgment of God will have ended before man sees signs, when there is only the expression of truth.’”
My eyes were suddenly opened. I saw that the Lord’s return happens in stages. First, He becomes flesh and speaks and works in secret, and then He comes openly on a cloud, appearing to all peoples.
Then I continued to ask them some questions such as how to determine that Almighty God is the incarnate God. After several fellowships, I became absolutely certain that Almighty God is the Lord Jesus returned. Later, I shared Almighty God’s work of the last days with over 100 brothers and sisters. When they read His words and heard His voice, they were moved to tears. They turned to Almighty God and accepted His work of the last days, and attended the feast of the Lamb!
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