What’s the Origin of Eastern Lightning?

We are now in the last days, the prophecies of the Lord’s return have basically been fulfilled, and thousands upon thousands of pious believers are fervently hoping for the Lord Jesus’ return. At the same time, however, Eastern Lightning has openly given testimony that the Lord Jesus has already returned—that is, Almighty God, the incarnation of the last days—and that He has already done His work of judgment beginning with God’s house. The emergence of Eastern Lightning has shaken the whole religious world as well as all those who sincerely believe in God and thirst for the truth. Through seeking and investigating the words and work of Almighty God, many people confirm that Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus, and one after another they come before Almighty God. This has thrown pastors and elders of the religious world as well as the CCP government into a panic; they collude together to suppress and outlaw Eastern Lightning, fabricating many rumors and savagely condemning and vilifying Eastern Lightning as heresy. They do all they can to obstruct and harass sincere believers who want to seek and investigate the appearance and work of Almighty God in the last days. The historical tragedy of the Jewish religious world allying itself with the Roman government to cruelly oppress the Lord Jesus is being played out again. Opinions vary as to whether or not Eastern Lightning is the return of the Lord Jesus, and whether or not it is God’s work; some people follow along with the pastors and elders of the religious world in their denial and condemnation, but there are also some who believe Eastern Lightning is related to the Lord Jesus’ prophecy in the Bible that says, “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), and that it is connected to the coming of the Son of man in the last days. So what really is the origin of Eastern Lightning? Is it God’s work, and what kind of mysteries does it hold?

Why Does Eastern Lightning Surge Forward With Unstoppable Progress?

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). Since Eastern Lightning—Almighty God, Christ of the last days—appeared in China to perform His work, His kingdom gospel has spread across the whole of mainland China in just more than ten years. Now, it has spread to many western countries and regions, and it has shaken the various denominations to their core and sent ripples throughout the entire world. However, the most perplexing question for the leaders of the religious world is: Why is it that, although the pastors and elders in the religious world have done their utmost to resist, defame and condemn Eastern Lightning, stifle their churches and even gone so far as to collude with the CCP government to arrest and persecute the Christians in The Church of Almighty God, those believers from various denominations who have good humanity and who truly believe in the Lord accept and follow Almighty God one after another? Why is it that, though faced with the frantic resistance and persecution by the two arms of Satan’s forces—the CCP government and the religious world—not only has Eastern Lightning not been broken or worn down, but on the contrary it has continued to flourish and go from strength to strength, like shoots growing after rain, and has surged inexorably and irresistibly onward?

Lifting the Veil: The Truth About the Evil Chinese Communist Party’s Show Trial

On August 21, 2014, the public trial for the May 28 Zhaoyuan Murder Case was held in Yantai, Shandong. In an article published on the Internet about the case, “Zhaoyuan Murder Case Defendants Confess in Court: I am God,” news.qq.com presented a relatively objective, thorough, and detailed report of the defendants’ confessions. But in the CCTV News 1+1 report titled “Almighty God, How Is He ‘God’?”, they passed off fraudulent information as real information, insisting that the psychotic perpetrators from the Zhaoyuan Murder Case were members of the Church of Almighty God. Using this false information, the CCP fabricated a public scandal to justify their thorough suppression of the Church of Almighty God and other underground churches, while also diverting the people’s hatred toward the Church of Almighty God and away from their crisis of faith in the CCP. These sinister motives are truly horrifying. If the CCP can hold a public trial for the homicide case committed by psychotic people，then why won’t it conduct a fair public trial for the June 4 Incident in 1989, in which thousands of innocent students were slaughtered? Over the years, the CCP has conducted all kinds of campaigns, resulting in countless deaths. Why won’t the CCP hold fair public trials? The Chinese people are all waiting for the CCP to hold fair public trials for these stacks of homicide cases, to finally give all the victims and their families an explanation. Why does the CCP refuse to uphold justice and conduct a fair public trial? There are sufficient facts to prove that the CCP had a hidden agenda in holding a public trial for the psychotic perpetrators. It had an ulterior motive! And so this article seeks to uncover the CCP’s malicious intent behind the high-profile public trial of the Zhaoyuan homicide, to clear the names of all those who have been slandered, and give the public a chance to know the true nature of the CCP.

Why Does the CCP So Frantically Suppress and Cruelly Persecute the Church of Almighty God?

On May 28, 2014, the CCP utilized a group of psychotic people to meticulously fabricate the “Shandong Zhaoyuan Murder Case,” and used every large media outlet to wantonly spread propaganda and gain influence, framing and placing the blame on the Church of Almighty God, and publicly declaring it as an “evil cult organization.” They went even as far as to shout wildly: “If the battle is not finished, the troops will not be withdrawn!” Immediately following, the CCP’s Central Leading Group on Dealing With Heretical Religions (The 610 Office) convened a video and phone conference call of the whole country on June 16 to launch the special operation of the “Hundred Days Battle” to quell the Church of Almighty God within the scope of the whole country, regarding the issue of the suppression of the Church of Almighty God as a political mission of “utmost urgency, arduous labor and great importance.” Soon after that, they labeled the Church of Almighty God as an “evil cult organization” and added it to the legal regulations, and sent down a document to every province and city, to attack the Church of Almighty God with a heavy fist. They adopted the tyrannical policies of “lock up one group, kill one group.” The central authorities also transferred tens of millions in funding to offer rewards to units and individuals of outstanding performance as well as the masses for informing on members. They mobilized the masses to inform on and expose Christians of the Church of Almighty God, and induced the populace to rise up in a “people’s war” to lay siege to the Church of Almighty God and religious churches. In August, the evil party of the CCP, with absolute audacity and complete lack of scruple, initiated large-scale mobilization of armed police and regular troops to carry out total seizure, encirclement, and annihilation of Christians of the Church of Almighty God and other household churches.

Someone said, “The Bible was inspired by God. It is absolutely not tainted by man’s will and is entirely the word of God. All the words in the Bible are multi-faceted and foreshadowing, the Bible is absolutely authoritative, there is no other book that can compare, and everyone must admit that the Bible is inerrant. Anyone who says the Bible is tainted by man’s will or contains errors is attacking and denying the Bible, and all such people shall be cursed.”

Response: Many people believe that the Bible was inspired by God, that everything recorded in the Bible is the word of God, completely untainted by man’s will and that the Bible is absolutely authoritative. They even treat the Bible the same as they treat God. They think that anyone who says the Bible is tainted by man’s will is attacking and denying the Bible, and shall be cursed. Does this view conform to the truth? Does it have any basis in God’s words? Jehovah God never gave such testimony about the Bible, and neither did the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit has never given such testimony about the Bible either. Everyone who knows the Bible knows that the Bible was not written by God Himself, but within it are the records of ancient prophets, disciples and apostles about the work God had done, as well as the personal experiences of disciples and apostles and the epistles that they wrote to the churches of that time, and there are also some prophecies about God’s final work. It is a book collected and compiled by later generations that records the historical facts of the work of God, and it was put together by people. Even though it contains details of the work and utterances of Jehovah and Jesus at the time, the Bible was not personally documented by Jehovah and Jesus, and the words were not all personally uttered by Jehovah and Jesus. So how can people say that all the words in the Bible are God’s words and are completely untainted by man’s will, and that the Bible is completely accurate and without errors? Almighty God’s words explain all of this clearly: “Today, people believe the Bible is God, and that God is the Bible. So, too, do they believe that all the words of the Bible were the only words God spoke, and that they were all said by God. Those who believe in God even think that although all of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament were written by people, they were all given by inspiration of God, and a record of the utterances of the Holy Spirit. This is the erroneous interpretation of people, and it does not completely accord with the facts. In fact, apart from the books of prophecy, most of the Old Testament is historical record. Some of the epistles of the New Testament come from people’s experiences, and some come from the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit; the Pauline epistles, for example, arose from the work of a man, they were all the result of the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment, and they were written for the churches, were words of exhortation and encouragement for the brothers and sisters of the churches. They were not words spoken by the Holy Spirit—Paul could not speak on behalf of the Holy Spirit, and neither was he a prophet, much less did he see visions that John beheld. His epistles were written for the churches of Ephesus, Philadelphia, Galatia, and other churches. And thus, the Pauline epistles of the New Testament are epistles that Paul wrote for the churches, and not inspirations from the Holy Spirit, nor are they the direct utterances of the Holy Spirit. … All he said that was edifying and positive to people was right, but it did not represent the utterances of the Holy Spirit, and he could not represent God. It is an egregious understanding, and a tremendous blasphemy, for people to treat the records of a man’s experiences and a man’s epistles as the words spoken by the Holy Spirit to the churches! … His identity was merely that of a working apostle, and he was merely an apostle who was sent by God; he was not a prophet, nor a foreteller. So to him, his own work and the lives of the brothers and sisters were of the utmost importance. Thus, he could not speak on behalf of the Holy Spirit. His words were not the words of the Holy Spirit, much less could they be said to be the words of God, for Paul was nothing more than a creature of God, and was certainly not the incarnation of God” (“Concerning the Bible (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

Fallacy (6): It is said: “God should show people great miracles; He must heal the sick and cast out demons, and He must bestow blessings upon people. If He does not show miracles, if He doesn’t bring any benefit for mankind, then He is not the true God. If this Almighty God you believe in is the true God, why do you still get sick? Why aren’t your homes peaceful? As believers in Jesus, those of us who are sick are cured, and those who are not sick have peace at home.”

Response: There are people who deny that Almighty God is the true God and that He is the returned Lord Jesus because people who believe in Almighty God still get sick and their homes are not at peace. They believe that, if Almighty God is the true God, then He will protect those who believe in Him from getting sick or from encountering any mishap, and that their homes will be at peace. This is entirely man’s misconception and imagining, it is a biased understanding of God and in no way does it conform to God’s will. As everyone knows, Job believed in Jehovah God, but Job’s family suffered robbery, plundering of all their wealth, and the death of their children. Even Job himself suffered illness when his whole body broke out in boils. So if you say that by believing in the true God everything should be peaceful, there should be no sickness and no disasters, then what do you think of what Job experienced? Should we use Job’s experience to deny that Jehovah was the true God? Jesus is the true God, nobody can deny this. But over the course of Peter following the Lord Jesus, he underwent countless difficulties and trials, and his illnesses were never-ending. The Apostle Paul also suffered many adversities—he was flogged and stoned many times, and ran into trouble at sea many times. He also became ill. The other disciples and apostles also suffered through many difficulties. If it’s said that by believing in the true God, one should have peace and health, how can we account for these things that came upon those disciples and apostles who followed the Lord Jesus? Could we actually say that the Lord Jesus is not the true God? It is clear that human understanding is one-dimensional and biased! In reality, we cannot confirm the true God based on whether or not He performs signs and wonders, heals the sick, casts out demons, or gives people peace and material benefits. If people measure the true God solely by whether or not He performs signs and wonders or heals the sick and casts out demons, then this is wrong. Couldn’t the Pharaoh’s sorcerers also turn rods into serpents (see Exodus 7:10–12)? And isn’t it true that Simon, who had long practiced sorcery, was also able to make the people marvel at his miracles and even think that he was God (see Acts 8:9–11)? Couldn’t those witch doctors and the prince of the devils heal the sick and cast out demons? Were they all God too? Clearly, they were not. They were just able to perform some miracles, but they could not create the heavens, the earth, and all things nor create mankind, much less save mankind. Only God Himself can create the heavens, the earth, and all things and create mankind, only He can guide mankind’s life on earth. It is only God Himself who can redeem corrupt mankind from sin and from Satan’s dominion. This is something that Satan or evil spirits cannot achieve. Therefore, whether or not someone can perform miracles, heal the sick and provide some physical benefits are simply not the criteria for determining whether or not they do God’s work. To determine whether or not they do the work of God, one must primarily look at whether or not they can begin a new age and bring an old age to an end, and whether or not they can express the truth and save people from sin and from Satan’s dominion. God can create mankind and guide mankind’s life on earth, God can redeem people who have been corrupted by Satan from sin and, finally, God can thoroughly purify and change mankind who have been redeemed and lead them into His kingdom. These are all works that God has either already completed or that He will complete, and they are works that neither Satan, nor evil spirits, nor any human being could ever perform. Moreover, and most importantly, God is the Creator—He can create all things, rule all things, control all things, and He can also destroy all things. He is the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, the one true God who controls everything in the universe. Even if He did no works and performed no miracles, He would still be God Himself, the unique! This is something no one can deny. Therefore, some people will see those who follow Almighty God sometimes getting sick and occasionally having unpeaceful homes, and they will conclude that Almighty God is not the true God. This is so wrong, and it is the judgment of foolish, ignorant people who know neither God nor His work.

Question 13: All of you believe in God; I believe in Marx and Lenin. My specialty is research of various religious beliefs. Through many years of research, I have discovered a problem. All religious belief holds that there is a God. Yet of all the people who believe in God, none has ever seen God. Their belief is based solely on their own feelings. I therefore have reached a conclusion about religious belief: Religious belief is purely imaginary; it is superstition, and has no basis in science. Modern society is a society in which science is highly developed. Everything must be based on science in order for there to be no mistakes. We Communist Party members believe in Marxism-Leninism. We don’t believe that there is a God. How does The Internationale go? “There has never been any Savior of the world, nor deities, nor emperors on which to depend. To create humankind's happiness, we must entirely depend on ourselves!” The Internationale clearly states “There has never been any Savior of the world.” The reason that the human race in the past believed in God and practiced superstition is mainly because human beings at that time, facing such phenomena of the natural world as the sun, moon, and stars; wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, had no way to produce a scientific explanation. Hence, fear and wonder arose in their minds about supernatural powers. Thus the earliest concepts of religion were formed. Also, when humans could not solve such difficulties as natural disasters, and disease, they hoped to attain spiritual comfort through respectfully making obeisance to God. This is how religion came into being. Obviously, this was not rational, and it was not scientific! Nowadays, the human race has advanced, and science is flourishing. In such fields as the aerospace industry, biotechnology, genetic engineering, and medicine, the human race has made considerable progress. In the past, human beings did not understand, and had no way to solve many problems. Nowadays these problems can all be explained through science, and science can be relied on to provide solutions. In this age of developed science and technology, if people still believe in God, is this not foolish and ignorant? Wouldn’t such people be left behind by this age? The only practical thing is for us to believe in science.

Answer: You say that religious belief is due to humans lagging behind in scientific knowledge, and is formed from fear and wonder in the face of supernatural powers, and that it is superstition. This argument is incorrect, and is unfounded. Religious belief and the feudal superstition of which you speak are two entirely different things. You Communists condemn and ban religious belief under the pretense of opposing feudalistic superstition. This is absurd. Of the main world religions, Judaism, Catholicism, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Christianity believe in God and in the Lord Jesus. Only this is authentic religious belief. Three thousand years ago, the work of God during the Age of Law gave rise to Judaism. A long time ago, the Israelites heard the voice of God, and they knew the name of God. All along, they prayed to Jehovah God, observing all of the laws and commandments proclaimed by Jehovah. They all worshiped Jehovah God. We may therefore ascertain that Judaism came into being because of the work of God during the Age of Law. When the Age of Grace arrived, God became incarnate as the Lord Jesus, and began to work. He accomplished the atonement for the human race when He was crucified. Ever greater numbers of people professed belief in the Lord Jesus, and the church of the Lord Jesus was formed. With the passage of several hundred years, Christianity, Catholicism, and the Eastern Orthodox Church evolved. They are the largest religions in the world. All of them formed because of the Lord Jesus' work of redemption. Almighty God of the last days has expressed truth and done judgment work, and has conquered and saved people of various sects and factions. People who sincerely believe in God have heard the voice of God, and come to pledge allegiance at the throne of God. Thus The Church of Almighty God came into being. These facts suffice to show that religious belief was produced completely from God's appearance and work. God's appearance and work is verified by the life experiences of countless Christians. No force can topple or ban the church of God or God's chosen people. This is fact. Since the beginning of human history, God has been at work guiding human beings, redeeming the human race, and saving the human race. The appearance and work of God leads the entire human race to grow forward. These facts cannot be denied by anyone. You specialize in research of religious belief. You should understand these things. Why do you distort historical facts, saying that religious belief is a product of an ignorant and backward human race? Aren't these statements rather absurd?