Spiritual Warfare

“See what you’re believing in?” said my husband, brandishing his cell phone to show me the online information.
“I believe in Almighty God, the one, true God, the One who holds sovereignty over all things, and the God who expresses the truth and guides us along the right path in life!”
……

Satan harassed her time and again after she welcomed the Lord’s return. Then how did she relied on God and stand firm in the faith amidst Satan’s temptations?

Two thousand years ago, when the Lord Jesus worked, the Pharisees fabricated many rumors about Him to deceive and confuse Jewish believers and prevent them from seeking the true way. Now, in the last days, Satan fabricates even more rumors about the returned Lord Jesus.

By Xiaoling, Italy In February 2018, the brothers and sisters of The Church of Almighty God testified to me of God’s work of the last days, and also communicated to me about the inside story and background of God’s three-stage work, and the mystery behind God’s name. I gained more from their communion than I did in all the ten years I believed in the Lord. So I decided to investigate the work of Almighty God. But unexpectedly, a spiritual war erupted … After hearing that I was studying Almighty God’s work, the pastor and his wife started to question and disturb me. After learning that I was examining the work of Almighty God, my husband told that to the sisters in our Bible study class, and he also threatened me, saying, “If you keep on investigating, I’ll tell it to the pastor’s wife ( It’s an unwritten rule of our church. If brothers are weak, the pastor will go to see them; if sisters have problems, the pastor’s wife will go to resolve them).” I thought, “My seeking the true way is my business. It has nothing to do with anyone else. If you don’t want to seek, that’s fine, but at least don’t prevent me from seeking.” The day after was Sunday and I went to our church early as usual. As soon as I entered the side hall, one of my co-workers told me that the pastor was looking for me. After we met, with a stern expression on his face, the pastor questioned me, saying, “Who have you been interacting with? Where do they live?” At that time, the pastor’s wife and my co-workers also came, and the pastor’s wife then asked, “What did they talk with you?” They kept on asking me who preached the gospel of Almighty God to me as if they were interrogating a criminal, and they also said, “If you convert to Eastern Lightning, you’ll be expelled from the church.” Hearing all this, I felt oppressed: Why are the pastor and his wife trying to obstruct me from investigating Almighty God’s work of the last days? Sitting in the church hall, I prayed to God with tears in my eyes, “God! Now both the pastor and his wife are trying to stop me, so I’m very weak. God, may You help me stand firm in my position and lead me to act according to Your intentions. Amen!” After the prayer, my heart became somewhat peaceful. One Sunday evening shortly after 8 p.m., when my family and I were about to have dinner, the pastor’s wife and 4 or 5 co-workers came to my house. After they sat down, the pastor’s wife smiled and said, “Xiaoling, why haven’t you gone to our church recently? Are you still investigating Eastern Lightning? We’ve believed in the Lord Jesus for generations, so how could you believe in Almighty God? If you don’t believe in the name of the Lord Jesus, you’ll be shut outside the kingdom of heaven.” I said to her, “Actually, God’s name changes along with His work. In the Age of Law, God’s name was Jehovah; in the Age of Grace, God’s name was Jesus, and the Book of Revelation prophesied that in the last days God would have yet another new name. Just as the Bible says, ‘To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows saving he that receives it’ (Revelation 2:17). ‘LORD God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come’ (Revelation 4:8). God’s new name prophesied in the Book of Revelation is the Almighty, namely, Almighty God. So, Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus.” After hearing me say this, they looked at each other and then the pastor’s wife said in surprise, “Where did you hear that? Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus? How could it be possible?” I replied, “This is recorded in the Scriptures, and also is the mystery opened up by the Lord’s work of the last days. Recently, through reading Almighty God’s words, I’ve gained some understanding of God’s work and will. My heart really is brightened. Almighty God’s work and words fulfill the prophecies in Revelation, ‘He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’ (Revelation 2-3). If we want to welcome the Lord’s return, we should read Almighty God’s word more and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.” However, they simply did not listen to anything I said. The pastor’s wife said, “Galatians 1:6–8 say, ‘I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ to another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed.’ All those who depart from the Lord Jesus and accept any other gospel commit apostasy and will be cursed.” And they also said all sorts of things opposing and condemning Almighty God. After they left, I felt physically and mentally exhausted and my heart was weak. So I hurried to pray to God, “O Almighty God! Because of their harassment, my heart feels very disturbed right now. They said that I believe in another gospel. I don’t understand this aspect of the truth. I beg You to help me and lead me so that I won’t stray from Your way.” I understood the true meaning of “another gospel” and saw through Satan’s tricks. The following day, I asked Sister Lin of The Church of Almighty God the question about “another gospel.” She fellowshiped this with me, “The words in Galatians 1:6-8 are Paul’s words, and there is a background to these words. We all know that the…

By Fang Ci’en, Taiwan She used to really idolize her pastor, because her pastor was good at expounding the Bible and he had much theological knowledge. After she accepted God’s work of the last days and experienced two attempts by the pastor to disrupt her, however, she finally saw the pastor’s true colors, and she came to understand that, just because someone is good at expounding on the Bible, it doesn’t mean they know God. Not long after I started believing in the Lord, I was made a co-worker in my church. Seeing my pastor expound on the Bible so well and have such theological knowledge, I idolized him a lot, and I hoped to one day be as well-versed in the Bible as him. After several years, however, the pastor was just preaching the same old things, co-workers were scheming against each other, brothers and sisters were splitting into different offshoot groups and the church was in a total state of chaos. My spirit was also not being provided for, and so I left the church. I floundered around for a while and found two churches which were basically exactly the same, and I became very disheartened; all I could do was beseech the Lord Jesus to return as soon as possible. In September 2018, I met Sister Zhang online and she showed me some movies and videos produced by The Church of Almighty God. Through our meetings and by fellowshiping the words of Almighty God, I recognized that Almighty God was the Lord Jesus returned, and I very quickly accepted God’s work of the last days. When Preacher Liu found out that I had begun to believe in Almighty God, he sent me a message warning me to leave my church immediately and telling me that I was not permitted to have any contact with brothers and sisters from my church again, and he stated that I was expelled from the church. In the wake of that message, my pastor began to harass me … My Pastor Purposefully Comes to Talk With Me Because I Have Accepted the True Way One day, Sister Zhao called me out of the blue and said, “The pastor wants a word with you.” I was very surprised by this, and I thought to myself: “You lot expelled me from your church and were so unfeeling toward me. What do you want to talk to me now for? Do you want to stop me from believing in Almighty God?” Just then, I thought of two movies I’d watched before, “Deadly Ignorance” and “Break Through the Snare.” These movies talked about pastors and elders disrupting the faithful from accepting the work of Almighty God. At that time, I had still had my doubts, and I’d believed that, because the pastor was well-versed in the Bible and had a lot of theological knowledge, he surely wouldn’t do anything that would defy God, much less obstruct anyone from accepting the true way. Now, however, because I had accepted the work of the returned Lord, I had not only been expelled from the church, but the pastor also wanted to have a word with me, and I couldn’t help but begin to feel a little worried. I thought to myself: “My stature is so small, and I understand too few truths. If I’m without discernment and I end up deceived, then I’ll be in great danger.” I immediately refused to speak with the pastor, but Sister Zhao kept on trying to get me to meet with him. If I didn’t go, I would lose face, and if I did go, I’d be worried that I wouldn’t be able to cope with his questions—what was I to do? In my helpless state, all I could do was pray to God. After praying, I thought of when, in the movie “Break Through the Snare,” the brothers and sisters were faced with the deception and harassment of the Chinese government and the religious world. Not only did they not cower down but, on the contrary, they relied on God to face their situation and, under the guidance of God’s words, they stood firm in their testimony. Now, all I had to deal with was that the pastor wanted to talk with me, so I should be much more able to rely on God to face this situation and I should believe that God would guide me. Just then, I found my confidence and I decided to go meet the pastor so that I could make my position clear. The First Conversation: The Pastor Tries to Use the Views of the CCP and the Religious World to Make Me Give Up the True Way The next day, I went to a church meeting. As soon as I walked in, I saw the pastor sitting straight-backed on a chair looking very imposing. I couldn’t help feeling nervous as I tried to guess what he might say. The pastor then cordially poured me a glass of water and, smiling, he said in a soft voice, “Sister Fang, how have you been lately? How are you coping with being expelled from the church?” I thought to myself: “He’s being so considerate toward me—what’s he up to?” Because I couldn’t figure out his intent, I didn’t want to answer him. Seeing that I stayed silent, he went on. “Actually, Preacher Liu expelled you from the church so that you would come back to us, and it was done with your best interests in mind. You were a co-worker in our church, chosen by the deaconry. You are highly respected, and the church has been intentionally training you. But you’ve disappointed us so much, now that you’ve gone off to believe in Almighty God.” I listened to him but didn’t respond. Just then, Sister Zhao, who was standing to one side, said to me with a sad look on her face, “See how good the pastor is being to you. He’s so concerned about you…

By Yingying, Malaysia A pilgrim’s path is perilous. A Christian’s road of following God on the right path is full of difficulties and obstacles—all sorts of Satan’s tests emerge one after another. Aside from having faith in God, Christians must also learn discernment. This is the only way to see through Satan’s trickery and stand witness when Satan’s test befalls you. Now, I’d like to share my own personal story with everyone. Wonderful News—The Lord Has Returned! In early September 2017, one of my Facebook friends bore witness to me of Almighty God’s work of the last days. She fellowshiped on God’s three stages of work, the significance of His names, His management plan for saving mankind, and the mysteries of the Bible. This helped me understand that in the work performed by God in the Age of Law, the Age of Grace, and the Age of Kingdom, although the names and the works of Jehovah, the Lord Jesus, and Almighty God have all been different, they are all from the same source. It is all one God working, speaking, and saving us. Almighty God appearing and working in the last days fulfills what the Lord Jesus prophesied: “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 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). I realized that Almighty God is the return of the Lord Jesus. After that, I attended gatherings with brothers and sisters from The Church of Almighty God, and through gatherings and fellowship I came to understand more and more truths. Each day was happier than the last; I felt fulfilled within my soul. Some time later, a brother from my previous church learned that I had been in contact with members of The Church of Almighty God and angrily questioned me, “Why are you in contact with them?” He also told me I should turn my back on them. I replied: “They’re all believers; we’re all one family. Why would I turn my back on them? Besides, they’ve shared many truths with me in fellowship so that I have a better understanding of God!” At the time, I was thinking to myself: “Through gatherings and fellowship on God’s words with these brothers and sisters with The Church of Almighty God, I’ve understood a number of truths that I had never gotten before  when reading the Bible. I’ve understood that the truth Almighty God expresses to judge and cleanse us is so that we may attain salvation and enter into God’s kingdom. You haven’t bothered to look into it, but are just arbitrarily condemning and rejecting it. That’s really arrogant.” So, I didn’t listen to him and continued to contact those brothers and sisters online. The Pastor Spreads Lies and I See the Truth Behind Them One day when I went to the church to worship, Pastor Li was on the podium saying all sorts of things opposing, condemning, and blaspheming Almighty God. He even played a video by the Chinese Communist Party condemning The Church of Almighty God that said that those spreading the gospel of Almighty God don’t care about their families. Hearing them say that I was somewhat concerned, thinking: “They don’t care about their families? What can they do if they can’t go home because they’re spreading the gospel?” I turned this question over and over in my head, and I felt really downcast. After going home I sought out a sister to talk over my worries and concerns. This is what she said to me in fellowship: “Sister, if it weren’t for the persecution of the CCP, how is it possible that our brothers and sisters would have homes they couldn’t go back to? The CCP is an atheistic government that doesn’t allow its people to believe in or follow God. It particularly doesn’t allow people to spread the gospel or bear witness to God. They do everything to arrest and persecute people of faith. So many brothers and sisters have been arrested and persecuted by the CCP—some have been sentenced to prison time and have suffered brutal torture; some have even been harmed to the point of death. There have also been many who have been terrorized to the point that they cannot return to their homes. These are all facts that are plain to see. But the CCP fabricates rumors and slander, saying that these Christians don’t care about their families. Isn’t this distorting the facts, upending right and wrong?” “The Lord Jesus said, ‘Go you into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature’ (Mark 16:15). God’s commission for us is to spread the gospel and bear witness to God. It is also the bounden duty of all Christians. For generations, there have been so many saints and missionaries who have given up their own families to spread the gospel of the Lord Jesus, crossing oceans to bring the gospel to every corner of the world. It’s only because of this that we have received the grace of the Lord’s salvation. Could we really claim that spreading the gospel is wrong? God Himself has now become flesh and come to earth, doing the work of judging and cleansing mankind to thoroughly save us from Satan’s influence. Our brothers and sisters have understood God’s urgent will to save humanity and they are completely willing to give up everything to share the gospel of God’s salvation for mankind with more people who long for God to appear. This is an upright thing. But the CCP’s atheistic government is on the wrong side of history; it will not allow…

By Kemu, Myanmar Editor’s Note: Two thousand years ago the Jewish commoners didn’t beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and were deceived by their heretical fallacies, and  thus followed them in resisting the Lord Jesus, losing God’s salvation and receiving God’s punishment. Today, at the crucial moment of the Lord Jesus’ return, how should we learn from the failures of those in the past and beware of the leaven of the modern Pharisees? Sister Kemu has first-hand knowledge of this. How did she beware of the leaven of today’s Pharisees and welcome the return of the Lord Jesus? Let’s read her story together. I once had a serious illness that was beyond cure, so I went to a church for help. When the pastor preached that the Lord Jesus was crucified to redeem us mankind, I was touched by the great love of the Lord. After the pastor prayed for me several times, my illness was miraculously gone. From then on, I was sure that the Lord Jesus is the only true God, who bestows life on us. So, in order to repay the Lord’s love, I often drove Pastor E, who was famous in our local area, everywhere to spread the gospel and bear witness. In addition, I gave him my monthly tithe. Seeing that Pastor E had forsaken his family and career to work and expend for the Lord, I frequently paid his travel expenses. Every time he came to visit our church, he stayed at my home, and in the evenings, he read the scriptures and preached to my whole family. We were as close as family. At the time, I thought Pastor E was a good servant loyal to the Lord; many believers worshiped and looked up to him; as long as I cooperated well with Pastor E’s work and did my utmost to expend myself for the Lord, I would be praised by the Lord; and it was certainly not wrong to follow him along the path of believing in the Lord. In February 2018, I had the fortune to hear Almighty God’s gospel in the last days. Through reading Almighty God’s words, I understood the mystery of God’s six-thousand-year management plan and knew that God’s salvation work for mankind is divided into three stages: the Age of Law, the Age of Grace, and the Age of Kingdom. In the Age of Law, Jehovah God issued laws and commandments through Moses so that people would know what sin is, how to prevent themselves from violating the laws, how to get on with people, how to worship God, and so on. In the Age of Grace, the Lord Jesus brought the way of repentance and did the work of redeeming humanity. People would be forgiven of their sins on the condition that they repented to the Lord for their sins. And in the Age of Kingdom, Almighty God does the judgment work by expressing words to root out our sinful nature. When we experience the judgment and chastisement of the words of Almighty God, our corrupt disposition can be purified little by little, and eventually we can gain God’s salvation and perfection and be qualified to receive God’s blessings and promises. These three stages of work complement each other and each stage goes higher and deeper than the last and is carried out on the foundation of the last. If we only accept the redemption of the Lord Jesus but don’t accept the judgment work of Almighty God in the last days, we will be unable to get rid of our sinful nature, and we will continue to commit sins and resist God despite ourselves. In that case, no matter how much we have sacrificed for the Lord, or how much we have suffered, we won’t be eligible to enter the kingdom of heaven. Only by receiving Almighty God’s work in the last days and experiencing His judgment and chastisement so as to break free of our corrupt disposition and be thoroughly transformed and cleansed, can we enter the kingdom of heaven. I was grateful to God for selecting me and giving me the opportunity to be saved, and later I spread the gospel to my family. Afterward, I wanted to tell the great news that the Lord has returned to those brothers and sisters in my original church who sincerely believed in the Lord. I thought of Pastor E. I said to myself: “If Pastor E accepts God’s work in the last days and brings the brothers and sisters back to Almighty God, everyone will receive blessings and benefit from it. But, Pastor E told us many times in the past that we mustn’t investigate Eastern Lightning or contact brothers and sisters from The Church of Almighty God. Will he accept it when I preach the gospel to him?” At this thought, I was somewhat worried. But then I thought: “Pastor E has believed in the Lord for many years. Isn’t his work and expenditure in order to welcome the return of the Lord? If I preach to him clearly, he should be able to accept.” So, I began to pray for this. In March, Pastor E came and stayed in my home. I didn’t tell him about my accepting God’s work of the last days, for fear that he would not accept God’s gospel of the last days but obstruct me. Instead, I attended online gatherings with the brothers and sisters from The Church of Almighty God every day. On the fifth night, he asked me why I didn’t seek for fellowship with him about contents of the Bible as before. I thought: “He’ll leave tomorrow and I won’t be seeing him for a while. If I don’t take this chance to tell him about God’s work in the last days, that will delay the brothers and sisters from seeking and investigating it.” Therefore, I said to him: “Pastor E, Luke 17:24–25 says that ‘For as the lightning, that lightens out of…

By Anna, Italy In the course of following God, we will inevitably encounter various kinds of disruptions and temptations of Satan. If we fail to see through Satan’s plots and overcome its temptations, we will be captured by it and lose the chance of gaining God’s salvation and entering the kingdom of heaven. So it is of great importance for each of us Christians to stand witness for God through persecutions and tribulations of Satan. Before, I also encountered Satan’s temptations, and it was God who led me to stand testimony under siege by Satan. In December of 2016, I accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days and later preached the gospel to my daughter-in-law. We often read God’s words and watched videos from The Church of Almighty God together. However, just when I was enjoying God’s love, Satan’s disruptions came upon me quietly. The May 28 Murder Case brought about a storm at home. One night, I was reading God’s words sitting on the sofa in the living room, when my son came back home from work. Upon seeing me, he said, stony-faced, “You are reading God’s words again? Can’t you read them less?” Hearing this, I felt very perplexed: “I have believed in God for a long time, and he never opposed me. But why did he say such words today?” The next evening, my daughter-in-law said to me, “Mom, a few days ago, your son showed me lots of negative information made up online by the Chinese Communist Party to frame The Church of Almighty God. Mom, is the God we believe in really the one true God?” Hearing her say this, I felt upset, thinking, “Never did I expect that my son would oppose my belief in God.” At this thought, I immediately came before God, praying, “O Almighty God! Now I feel very upset inside. May You quiet my heart. I know the negative information online is false. I’m sure that You are the true God, but I feel this environment around me is insurmountable. May You give me cleverness and wisdom, and guide me to experience this environment.” After praying, I remembered God’s words, “In every step of work that God does within people, externally it appears to be interactions between people, as if born of human arrangements, or from human interference. But behind the scenes, every step of work, and everything that happens, is a wager made by Satan before God, and requires people to stand firm in their testimony to God.” From God’s words, I understood this: The environment that I’m in appears on the outside to be my son obstructing me from believing in God, but, behind the scenes, it is Satan disrupting me to make me give up the true way. I can’t fall for its tricks. I should persist in believing in God and stand firm in my testimony to God. After understanding God’s will, I had the power to face the environment calmly. Later I walked to my son with my daughter-in-law. Upon seeing me, my son quickly took out his cellphone and showed me the news about May 28 Zhaoyuan Murder Case, saying with anxiety, “This is reported by the news media, so how could it not be true?” Seeing that the CCP brought false charges against The Church of Almighty God, I was filled with righteous indignation, saying, “These are all rumors and absolutely go against fact! It is reported by the news media—but so what? The ‘Tiananmen Square self-immolation’ incident was also reported by the news media, but wasn’t it also fabricated by the CCP? When the court heard the May 28 Zhaoyuan Case, Zhang Fan said, ‘I never had contact with The Church of Almighty God because they are very secretive.’ Lyu Yingchun said, ‘What the state cracks down on is the Almighty God that Zhao Weishan believes in, not the Almighty God that we believe in.’ They themselves said they were not members of The Church of Almighty God, but the CCP insisted that they were. This is not in line with the fact at all. Anyone with a discerning eye can easily see that this is the CCP trying to frame The Church of Almighty God. Its purpose is to persecute against religious beliefs. Besides, the kingdom’s administrative decrees promulgated by Almighty God clearly stipulate, ‘Kin who are not of the faith (your children, your husband or wife, your sisters or your parents, and so on) should not be forced into the church. God’s household is not short of members, and there is no need to make up its numbers with people who have no use. All those who do not believe gladly must not be led into the church. This decree is directed at all people. In this matter you should check, monitor and remind each other, and no one may violate it. Even when kin who are not of the faith do reluctantly enter the church, they must not be issued books or given a new name; such people are not of God’s household, and their entry into the church must be put a stop to by any means necessary.’ God’s words have clearly told us to preach the gospel based on the principle: ‘All those who do not believe gladly must not be led into the church.’ God’s disposition does not tolerate man’s offense, so all believers in God preach the gospel with a heart that fears God. However, it was reported that when Zhang Lidong and his gang preached gospel to Ms. Wu, they asked her for her phone number, and even killed her just because of her refusal. The way they preached the gospel was not at all in accordance with God’s words or the principle of The Church of Almighty God in transmitting the gospel. So obviously, Zhang Lidong and his gang are not members of The Church of Almighty God. As we all know, the CCP resists God and has been using textbooks…

Since the pastor—my son’s mother-in-law—found out that I’d accepted the gospel of the Lord’s return, she tried to disrupt me several times, and even instigated my family to try and stop me. After repeated battles, I saw through the essence of the false pastor.

Sanctified from the world, Christians are inevitably disrupted and opposed by satanic forces. This journal of a Christian tells you about the spiritual warfare in her family.

She is a Christian who has just accepted the work of God in the last days. Because her husband listens to the rumors condemning God’s work in the last days spread by the CCP and the religious world, he continually tries to prevent her from believing in God……

Her true experience tells us that Satan uses rumors to deceive people, only if we see through its rumors can we avoid missing the chance to be saved by God.