The Gospel of Jesus Christ | Gospel for Today
What is the rapture? When will the rapture take place? You can find the answers here and know more about the rapture and other related topics.
Based on 1 Thessalonians 4:17, some people believe that when the Lord returns, His believers will be raptured into the air to meet Him. But is this really the case? Read to learn more.
Disasters occur frequently. Prophecies of the Lord’s return have basically come true. How can we find the true church which will be raptured before the tribulation and welcome the Lord? Read to learn more.
Bible Verses for Reference: “Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Mat 6:9–10). “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Rev 21:2–3). “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev 11:15). “And no man has ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven” (Jhn 3:13). Relevant Words of God: “Being caught up” is not being taken from a low place to a high place as people imagine. This is a huge mistake. Being caught up is referring to My predestining and selecting. It is targeted at all those I have predestined and chosen. Those who have gained the status of firstborn son, the status of sons, or people, are all those who have been caught up. This is most incompatible with people’s notions. Those who have a share in My house in the future are all people who have been caught up before Me. This is absolutely true, never-changing, and cannot be refuted by anybody. This is the counterattack against Satan. Anyone I predestined shall be caught up before Me. from “Chapter 104” of Utterances of Christ in the Beginning in The Word Appears in the Flesh Entering into rest does not mean that all things will cease to move, or that all things will cease to develop, nor does it mean that God will cease to work or man will cease to live. The sign of entering into rest is as thus: Satan has been destroyed; those wicked people who join Satan in its evildoing have been punished and wiped out; all forces hostile to God cease to exist. God entering into rest means that He will no longer carry out His work of humanity’s salvation. Humanity entering into rest means that all of humanity will live within God’s light and under His blessings; there will be none of Satan’s corruption, nor will any unrighteous things occur. Humanity will live normally upon earth, and they will live under God’s care. When God and man enter into rest together, it will mean that humanity has been saved and that Satan has been destroyed, that God’s work in man has finished entirely. God will no longer continue to work in man, and man will no longer live under Satan’s domain. Therefore, God will no longer be busy, and man will no longer rush about; God and man will enter into rest simultaneously. God will return to His original position, and each person will return to his or her respective place. These are the destinations that God and man will respectively reside in after the end of God’s entire management. God has God’s destination, and man has man’s destination. While resting, God will continue to guide all of humanity in their lives upon earth. While in God’s light, man will worship the one true God in heaven. God will no longer live among humanity, and man will also be unable to live with God in God’s destination. God and man cannot live within the same realm; rather, both have their own respective manners of living. God is the One who guides all of humanity, while all of humanity is the crystallization of God’s management work. It is humanity who is led; in regard to essence, humanity is not similar to God. To rest means to return to one’s original place. Therefore, when God enters into rest, it means that God returns to His original place. God will no longer live upon the earth or share in humanity’s joy and suffering while among humanity. When humanity enters into rest, it means that man has become a true creation; humanity will worship God from upon the earth and have normal human lives. People will no longer be disobedient to God or resist God; they will return to the original life of Adam and Eve. These are the respective lives and destinations of God and humanity after they enter into rest. Satan’s defeat is an inevitable trend in the war between God and Satan. In this way, God’s entering into rest after the completion of His management work and man’s complete salvation and entrance into rest likewise become inevitable trends. Man’s place of rest is on earth, and God’s place of rest is in heaven. While man worships God in rest, he will live upon earth, and while God leads the remaining portion of humanity in rest, He will lead them from heaven, not from earth. God will still be the Spirit, while man will still be flesh. God and man both have their different respective manners of resting. While God rests, He will come and appear among man; while man rests, he will be led by God to visit heaven and also to enjoy life in heaven. After God and man enter into rest, Satan will no longer exist, and like Satan, those wicked people will also no longer exist. Before God and man enter into rest, those wicked individuals who once persecuted God upon earth and the enemies who were disobedient to Him upon earth will have already been destroyed; they will have been destroyed by the great disasters of the last days. After those wicked individuals have been completely destroyed, earth will never again know Satan’s harassment. Humanity will obtain complete salvation, and it will only be then that God’s work ends completely. These are the prerequisites for God and man to enter into rest. from “God and Man Will Enter…
Many believers all wait to be raptured into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord returns. So what kind of people will be raptured? What are the criteria for entering the kingdom of heaven?
The Bible prophesies that when the disasters come in the last days, we Christians will be raptured. But what on earth is being raptured before the disasters? How can we become overcomers?
Now the prophecies of the Lord’s return have basically come true, but why haven’t the rapture of the church taken place? The co-workers’ discussion will bring you the answer.
Now in the last days, God has appeared and has begun to work, that is, the incarnate Almighty God has started His work of judgment for the last days; therefore those who can accept the work of Almighty God are the most blessed. Some religious people hear this and disapprove, they don’t acknowledge this sentence, they say: “Our Lord Jesus is the real God, the Lord Jesus is Christ. We don’t need to believe in Almighty God to enter the kingdom of heaven.” Do all religious people think in this way? Does this conform to God’s intentions? The Lord Jesus never said that if you believe in Him you can enter the kingdom of heaven, He didn’t say that. He didn’t say that if you accept the redemptive work He will forgive your sins and allow you entry into the kingdom of heaven. Nor did He say that if you stick to the name of the Lord Jesus, these three words, you can enter the kingdom of heaven. He didn’t say that. He said that in the last days, all those who hear the coming of the bridegroom and receive him and feast with him are the blessed. These people will be raptured and have the opportunity to enter the kingdom of heaven. The wise virgins can accept the return of the Lord; the foolish virgins will not welcome the return of the Lord. What is the outcome of the foolish virgins? They will be abandoned, eliminated! So, of those who believe in the Lord, only the wise virgins can accept the work of God in the last days, can recognize the voice of God from the truth expressed by Almighty God, and can see the certainty of the return of God. These types of people, the Lord is with them. They will sup with the Lord, eventually being purified, being saved and brought into the kingdom of heaven. from Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (Series 131) The salvation of mankind comes mainly in two stages: First, God incarnate did the redemptive work, performing the sin offering. Second, God incarnate judges, chastises and purifies man. This is the true witness to God’s work of salvation for mankind. If you can only accept the first stage, which is only accepting the sin offering, but cannot accept God’s judgment and chastisement in the last days, then the sin offering holds no meaning. The sin offering does not purify man; it cannot do so. Only judgment and chastisement can purify man. So, what is the sin offering? It gives you eligibility. If you accept it and accept the Lord Jesus’ name, your sins will be forgiven, and you qualify to pray to God, to come before Him and to accept His work. Is this not a kind of eligibility? Some say, “That is wrong. As soon as we accept the Lord Jesus, our sins are forgiven. How can you say this is just a kind of eligibility?” Is this the correct way of thinking? Does this argument stand? Is the forgiving of sin equal to being purified? It is not. Thus, forgiving your sin is God’s grace, the bestowing of His grace upon you. God will disregard your sins, but this does not mean you are without sin, and it certainly does not mean you will not commit sins. Therefore, believers whose sins are forgiven can still commit them; they can still lie and cheat like before and remain stuck in a cycle of committing sins and then confessing sins. Isn’t this true? If you look at it from the perspective of this truth, does the sin offering then represent purification of man? Is it the work of purification? It just gives man eligibility. Once you have this eligibility, you can pray to God and enjoy His grace. So, what is God’s grace? It is to pardon you, but it doesn’t mean you are purified. It is simply a pardon. In the Age of Grace after the sin offering was made, did man become eligible to enter the kingdom of heaven? They did not. What proof do we have? The Lord Jesus said, “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Mat 7:21). If you say, “Lord, Lord,” then are your sins not pardoned? Why can’t you enter the kingdom of heaven? According to these words, you still cannot enter the kingdom of heaven even though your sins are pardoned. It does not give you the eligibility to enter the kingdom; it merely gives you the right to pray to God, and to come before Him. Why, then, did God perform the sin offering for man? God is holy. If you are a sinner, one who commits sins, and if you are Satan’s type, you are not eligible to witness God. You are neither worthy of witnessing Him nor praying to Him. Were you to pray to Him, you would bring shame to Him and sully His name. So, God made the sin offering. He pardoned your sins. He disregarded them and He pardoned you so that you are eligible to pray to Him. The Lord Jesus’ work opened the way for the judgment and chastisement in the last days. He performed the sin offering, and through this, man is eligible to receive Jesus’ second coming and to accept God’s judgment and chastisement in the last days. This was what the work of the sin offering was about. from Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (Series 136) What kind of work is God’s judgment and chastisement of man in the last days? It is the work of saving and perfecting mankind; it is the work of bringing salvation to these people and taking them into God’s kingdom. One must be judged and chastised to be raptured into the kingdom of heaven. To experience the judgment and chastisement of…
Some people ask: “The Lord Jesus already pardoned our sins and no longer sees us as sinful. We don’t need to accept God’s work of judgment and purification in the last days. When the Lord comes we can be directly raptured into the kingdom of heaven and attend the feast with the Lord. Isn’t that right?” Bible Verses for Reference: “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” (Jhn 16:12–13). “Sanctify them through your truth: your word is truth” (Jhn 17:17). “You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Lev 11:45). “Who are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1Pe 1:5). Classic Words of God: Though Jesus did much work among man, He only completed the redemption of all mankind and became man’s sin offering, and did not rid man of all his corrupt disposition. Fully saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to take on the sins of man as the sin offering, but also required God to do greater work to completely rid man of his disposition, which has been corrupted by Satan. And so, after man was forgiven his sins, God has returned to flesh to lead man into the new age, and begun the work of chastisement and judgment, and 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 shall gain the truth, the way, and the life. from “Only He Who Experiences the Work of God Truly Believes in God” A sinner such as you, who has just been redeemed, and has not been changed, or been perfected by God, can you be after God’s heart? 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 have not been changed. For you to be after God’s heart, 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. And so you, a sinner who has just been redeemed, are incapable of directly inheriting God’s inheritance. from “Concerning Appellations and Identity” You should see that the will and the work of God are not as simple as the creation of the heavens and earth and all things. For the work of today is to transform those who have been corrupted, who have grown extremely numb, and to purify those who were created then worked on by Satan, not to create Adam or Eve, much less to make the light or create all manner of plants and animals. His work now is to make pure all that has been corrupted by Satan so that they may be regained and become His possession and become His glory. Such work is not as simple as man imagines the creation of the heavens and earth and all things to be, and it is not akin to the work of cursing Satan to the bottomless pit as man imagines. Rather, it is to transform man, to turn that which is negative into the positive and to take into His possession that which does not belong to Him. This is the inside story of this stage of God’s work. You must realize it, and should not oversimplify matters. The work of God is unlike any ordinary work. Its marvel cannot be conceived by the mind of man, and its wisdom cannot be attained by such. from “Is the Work of God So Simple as Man Imagines?” In the work of the last days, the word is mightier than the manifestation of signs and wonders, and the authority of the word surpasses that of signs and wonders. The word exposes all the corrupt dispositions buried deep in the heart of man. You have no way of recognizing them on your own. When they are laid bare before you through the word, you will naturally come to discover them; you will not be able to deny them, and you will be utterly convinced. Is this not the authority of the word? This is the result achieved by the work of the word today. Therefore, it is not through the healing of sickness and casting out of demons that man can be fully saved from his sins, nor can he be fully made complete by the manifestation of signs and wonders. The authority to heal sickness and cast out demons only gives man grace, but the flesh of man still belongs to Satan and the corrupt satanic disposition still remains within man. In other words, that which has not been made clean still belongs to sin and to filth. Only after he has been made clean through the agency of the word can he be gained by God and become a sanctified man. … By means of this work of judgment and chastisement, man will fully come to know the filthy and…
For every Christian who is waiting devoutly for the return of the Lord, the topic of the believers’ rapture when the Lord returns in the last days is always attractive. None of believers are not expecting to be raptured into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord comes back. However, what on earth is the true meaning of rapture? Does it really mean that the believers are lifted into the air by the Lord in the last days? To understand this aspect of the truth, let’s first read several verses. Acts 8:39-40 says, “And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.” According to man’s thought, since here it is said that Philip was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, he was taken to heaven. Yet, in fact, “Philip was found at Azotus” and he preached the gospel in all cities, doing the Lord’s will on earth. From this we can see that Philip was not taken into heaven but was still on the earth. In addition, the Lord Jesus taught us the Lord’s Prayer, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10). Speaking of “Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven,” it means that man’s future destination is not in heaven but on earth. That is to say, man still lives on earth when the kingdom of God descends. Revelation 21: 2-3 says, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” Revelation 11:15 says, “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” These prophecies address that, “The tabernacle of God is with men,” “new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,” “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ.” All these words indicate that man’s final destination is that mankind will still live on earth rather than be taken into heaven as we imagined. If rapture means to be taken to heaven as man understands, then were not these prophecies spoken in vain? In fact, since God began to manage and save mankind after man was created by God and corrupted by Satan, God’s work of saving man has always been carried out on earth and man has always been living on earth. Finally, God’s will is going to be carried out on earth and His kingdom will be realized among men. So man’s destination is not in heaven but upon the earth, which is the ordination of God. Almighty God says: “God has God’s destination, and man has man’s destination. While resting, God will continue to guide all of humanity in their lives upon earth. While in God’s light, man will worship the one true God in heaven. … When humanity enters into rest, it means that man has become a true creation; humanity will worship God from upon the earth and have normal human lives. People will no longer be disobedient to God or resist God; they will return to the original life of Adam and Eve. These are the respective lives and destinations of God and humanity after they enter into rest. … Man’s place of rest is on earth, and God’s place of rest is in heaven. While man rests, he will worship God and also live upon earth, and while God rests, He will lead the remaining portion of humanity…. After God and man enter into rest, Satan will no longer exist, and like Satan, those wicked people will also no longer exist. Before God and man enter into rest, those wicked individuals who once persecuted God upon earth and the enemies who were disobedient to Him upon earth will have already been destroyed; they will have been destroyed by the great disasters of the last days” (from God and Man Will Enter Into Rest Together ). From God’s words, we know God’s place of rest is in heaven, while man’s place of rest is still on earth. They will enjoy the life that is akin to that in heaven. It is exactly the harmonious and beautiful life that God has prepared for man and is precisely God’s ultimate accomplishment. Since man still lives on earth after being completely saved, what exactly does rapture refer to? Actually, as for the mystery of rapture, Almighty God has already revealed it to us. God’s words say: “‘Being caught up’ is not being taken from a low place to a high place as people imagine. This is a huge mistake. Being caught up is referring to My predetermining and selecting. It is targeted at all those I have preordained and chosen. … Anyone who has a share in My house in the future are all people who have been caught up before Me. This is absolutely true, never-changing, and cannot be refuted by anybody. This is My counterattack against Satan. Anyone I preordained shall be caught up before Me” (from The One Hundred and Fourth Utterance). It turns out that the true meaning of being raptured is keeping pace with the steps of God’s work and accepting the new work of God during the last days. In the Age of Law, man believed in Jehovah God and abode by the laws and commandments. When…
By Li Huan Just like many other Christian brothers and sisters, I eagerly long for the second coming of the Lord Jesus. We abide by the following passage from the Bible: “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). For this reason, we foolishly look up to the skies longing for the day that Jesus will return and take us up into the clouds so that we can be with the Lord. However, after so many years have passed, the four blood moons have already appeared; earthquakes, famines, plagues and war and all sorts of other disasters are becoming more and more intense. The prophecies of the Lord’s second coming have basically been fulfilled. However, we still have not seen one Christian raptured into heaven. I cannot help but think, “Why does the Lord not come to receive us? The Lord is trustworthy. The Lord promised that He would take us into the heavenly kingdom in the last days. The Lord’s promise certainly will be accomplished and fulfilled. I do not doubt this at all. Yet, how come up until now, we still have not been raptured by the Lord into heaven? Could it be that there are some problems with our longing?” Just when I was feeling very perplexed, a preacher who had done work in foreign areas for many years came back and I received some new light from her. The sister replied directly to my question: “The Bible passage that you referred to was something that Paul said. It was not something that Jesus said. Paul was just an apostle. Even though his words were recorded in the Bible, only some of his words could be described as enlightenment from the Holy Spirit. Even though his words were in accordance with the truth, they were not God’s words and they cannot be mentioned as if they were on equal terms with God’s words. Furthermore, some of what Paul said could not be described as enlightenment from the Holy Spirit. Instead, it was derived from his notions and imaginations and it brings man’s meaning with it. These words are not based on God’s words. Therefore, when it comes to the matter of welcoming the second coming of the Lord, we must not use Paul’s words as a foundation. Instead, we should use the Lord’s words as a foundation and seek His intentions because only the Lord’s words are the truth and 100% accurate.” After I heard this, I thought, “Yes. Jesus indeed never said ‘raptured into heaven.’ These were Paul’s words. Paul was just a man. His words really cannot be equated to God’s words. We must not use Paul’s words as a basis for welcoming the second coming of the Lord. As someone who believes in God, I should use God’s words and God’s work as a basis. This is what is in accordance with God’s intentions!” The sister continued speaking, “Jesus said: ‘And no man has ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven’ (John 3:13). From Jesus’ words, we could see that aside from the Son of man who came down from heaven, who is the incarnate God, nobody else ascended into heaven. Heaven is God’s throne. Only God Himself can ascend to this high place. As human beings, we cannot ascend into this high place to see God. Instead, when God first created man, He predestined that mankind would live on earth. God used the earth to create mankind’s ancestors Adam and Eve and helped them settle in the Garden of Eden. They listened to God’s words, received God’s blessings and managed everything within the garden. Afterward, mankind would also manage everything on the earth but not in heaven. When mankind was corrupted deeply and the earth was full of corruption and violence, God decided to use a flood to destroy the world. God saved Noah a righteous person who worships God but God did not rapture him into heaven so that he would avoid the flood waters. Instead, God made Noah build the ark. When the floods came, Noah’s family of eight took shelter in the ark. After they emerged from the ark, Noah and his family continued to live on earth and multiply. During the Age of Law, the Israelites suffered under enslavement by the hands of Egypt’s Pharaoh. When God led the Israelites out of Egypt and helped them escape the Pharaoh’s hunting, God did not rapture the Israelites into heaven. Instead, God showed His authority on earth by performing all sorts of miracles so that people could witness God’s almightiness and know God’s wisdom and how wonderful He is. Afterward, God issued His laws and commandments through Moses and guided the Israelites on how to live on earth. During the Age of Grace, when mankind was unable to adhere to the laws and faced the dangers of execution, man did not go to heaven to atone for his sins. Instead, God incarnated into the image of Jesus and came down to earth. To save mankind, He was nailed to the cross. This was the only way for man to obtain the Lord’s salvation. Clearly, we, as human beings, belong on the earth. God predestined us to live on the earth. Additionally, Jesus taught us: ‘After this manner therefore pray you: Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven’ (Matthew 6:9–10). The words that the Lord speaks contain His intentions. The Lord wants us to worship Him on earth. Christ’s kingdom will also descend onto the earth. There is a prophecy in the Book of Revelation that reads: ‘And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is…
Many Christians believe that the kingdom of God is in heaven. Is this really the case? Watch this christian video clips to know where is the Kingdom of God.
After Wang Liwen’s marriage failed, the Lord’s salvation came upon her, and God became her reliance. Once, she saw these words in the Bible, “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation” (Romans 10:9–10). “For our conversation is in heaven; from where also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like to his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things to himself” (Philippians 3:20–21). After reading this, she felt that believing in the Lord was truly good and following the Lord was right. She thought as long as she believed in the Lord in her heart and confessed Him with her mouth, she could not only get the Lord’s supreme grace but would be changed instantly and be brought into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord returns. This was a great blessing. From then on, she pursued passionately, worked hard, and sacrificed and expended for the Lord. A few years later, she became an excellent preacher. She usually used Paul’s words to spur herself on and to encourage brothers and sisters. In her heart, she was convinced that she would enter the kingdom of heaven in the end as long as she continued to believe like this. However, after a co-workers meeting, she became for the first time doubtful of her own view … Once after a co-workers meeting, Xiao Jie said with a serious expression, “Now the disasters in different countries are increasingly intense. The prophecies of the Lord’s return have basically been fulfilled. The world has become ever more wicked and dark. Everyone advocates wickedness and violence, coveting money and enjoying the pleasure of sin. People intrigue against and outwit each other, and take advantage of each other. The religious world becomes more and more desolate, and iniquities of all kinds gradually increase. Brothers and sisters become negative and weak. Some follow the wicked social trends, coveting money, pursuing wealth and reputation, and chasing fame and fortune. Though they believe in the Lord on their lips, they don’t practice the Lord’s words. Rather, they ponder how to make money for a better life all day. They are entangled with the worldly affairs. In our preaching, we repeated the same sermons without any new light. We cannot even feel the Holy Spirit’s work at all. And we can neither help brothers and sisters to solve their difficulties and problems nor supply anything to them. At this crucial juncture of the Lord’s return, we are generally in such a condition. If it goes on like this, can we get the Lord’s approval?” After hearing Xiao Jie’s words, some co-workers felt the same. They discussed, with sad looks. Wang Liwen said with a little worry, “These years, in order to seek the work of the Holy Spirit and revive the church, I contacted many pastors and elders. However, what made me sad was that many pastors and elders also follow social trends, coveting money, giving in to vanity, and struggling for fame and gain. They explain biblical knowledge and theological theories to exalt and testify themselves, to draw people to venerate and look up to them, usurp the Lord’s sheep for themselves. Because they indulge in the blessings of status, and don’t care about the believers who are thirsty and hungry in the spirit, many believers are cold in faith and have withdrawn. Alas, in seeking to revive the church, we have used many ways that we can think of but still cannot feel the Lord’s guidance. I don’t know what to do now. But no matter how passive and weak we are, we should keep our faith in the Lord, read the Bible and pray more, and try our best to spread the gospel and bear witness for the Lord. Only in this way can we be brought into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord returns.” Gao Lei was distressed and said, “These times, I often reflect upon myself: I have believed in the Lord for so many years; I often read the Bible and pray, spread the gospel and bear witness for the Lord, but why is my faith and love for the Lord diminishing? Why do I have no place for the Lord and no fear of Him in my heart? I live in sin all day long, sinning and confessing endlessly. When the Lord comes, will He bring such people like me into the kingdom of heaven? I still hope that I could be caught up to the heavenly kingdom when the Lord comes. Isn’t this a dream?” Fan Jianwen said confidently, “Is there any doubt about that? Although we still constantly sin, the Lord has forgiven us. The Lord will not abandon us. We should have faith in Him.” Wang Liwen nodded, saying, “We believers in the Lord usually sin and are controlled and bound by sins. We neither have practiced many of the Lord’s words nor have obeyed His commandments or met His requirements, but we should not be discouraged and disappointed. Let’s see what Paul said in the Bible. Romans 10:9–10 recorded, ‘That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes to righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.’ Chapter 11 Verse 6 recorded, ‘And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace.’ We are the people who are justified by faith. When the Lord comes, we will surely be brought into the kingdom of heaven. There’s no need to worry. Let’s turn to Philippians 3:20–21, and read together, ‘For our conversation is in heaven; from where also we look…
