On an early morning of the early spring, the couple, Zhang Haiyu and Wang Qiang, are awfully busy in their steamed bun shop. The business was booming. Their son Wang Xinzhi who was newly married helped as a cashier. And his wife Xiaoying served the customers. After they rushed around for a while, the customers went to work one after another after breakfast. Then the shop was not that busy. And so the four of the family had a rest. Xinzhi took a nap on a bench. Xiaoying cleaned up the shop. Wang Qiang happily counted the money they had earned this morning on a bench. Zhang Haiyu listlessly flipped through the Bible and glanced at the calendar casually: Sunday, August 20, 2017. And then she blankly stared at the benches which were made for brothers and sisters to have meetings. Their business was flourishing as usual, but no brothers and sisters came to attend meetings here anymore. Half a year ago, Co-worker Li living in the same street came and testified the return of the Lord to brothers and sisters. She also said that the Lord comes to do the work of judgment by expressing the truth. Everyone was glad to hear that. Since then, they all went to attend her meetings. However, Zhang Haiyu feared being deceived and dared not accept it. As a result, there were only the four of her family and Co-worker Zheng left, which caused the meetings here to become “family meetings”! And thus the benches became decorations. Zhang Haiyu frowned and wondered: The Lord said clearly, “Then if any man shall say to you, See, here is Christ, or there; believe it not” (Matthew 24:23). Why didn’t they obey the Lord’s words? I must hold on to the Lord’s way even if there is only me left in the church. After that, she turned around and looked at the clock, which said it was 8 o’clock. And then she looks at the bustling crowds in the street. After a while, she smiled when she saw Co-worker Zheng entered the shop hurriedly with great strides, closed the door and put up the closed sign.

When Zheng came in, Wang Qiang took a 20-yuan note out of his pocket. He unfolded and looked at it carefully, and then he said angrily, “One more fake note! It must be from the guys that settled up when I was busiest.” Wang Zhixin sat up and comforted him, “Come on, Dad! You’ve gotten fake 100 and 50. Take it easy. The 20-yuan is a cinch for you.” Xiaoying chuckled at Zhixin’s words and greeted Co-worker Zheng.

It is not unusual for Zhang Haiyu to see fake notes. She didn’t respond to her husband and nodded to Co-worker Zheng. Zheng dragged a chair and sat down, and said sympathetically, “These days, the fakers are getting more sophisticated. It’s not easy to cheat with the fake 100 or 50 yuan, so they begin to make the fake 20-yuan.” Wang Qiang sat there, his head being down and his shoulders drooping. He weakly said, “Why can’t my ability to discern the false money be higher than the fakers’ cheating skills? Alas, forget the money. Let’s begin the meeting!”

Co-worker Zheng looked at everyone and seriously asked: “Now many people say that the Lord has returned. What do you think about it?”

Zhang Haiyu said, “In my opinion, all news preaching that the Lord has returned is false. We can’t hear or contact any of it. We should simply hold on to the Lord’s way.”

After hearing her words, Co-worker Zheng paused and then said, “Well, today let’s check some verses about the Lord’s return!” Everyone agreed and gathered around a table.

Xiaoying actively said, “Let me read the verses: ‘Then if any man shall say to you, See, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect’” (Matthew 24:23–24).

Zhang Haiyu affirmatively said, “See, what the Bible says can’t be wrong. So I think that all who testify the Lord’s return are absolutely false. We needn’t seek or investigate at all.”

Wang Qiang said thoughtfully, “The Lord Jesus did predict that there would be false Christs and false prophets appearing to deceive people in the last days. But He also clearly predicted many times that He would return. If we define all news preaching the Lord has returned is false, is this in accordance with the Lord’s will?”

“Yes! That’s the point!” Co-worker Zheng excitedly said: “Now many people pay great attention to how to guard against false Christs and false prophets instead of how to welcome the Lord when they investigate the prediction of His return. What’s the problem here?”

Everyone looked at each other, and Wang Qiang eagerly asked, “So what’s this?”

Co-worker Zheng seriously said, “In fact, no matter how we try to guard against the false Christs and false prophets, if we can’t welcome the Lord’s return and can’t be caught up before the throne, then we will be eliminated and forsaken by God like the foolish virgins. In that case, we are total failures in our belief in the Lord! The Lord Jesus once said: ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me’ (John 10:27). ‘For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect’ (Matthew 24:24). From these words we can see that whether we can welcome the Lord’s return or not depends on whether or not we can hear His voice. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. We will know Christ if we can hear His voice; while those who only pay attention to the signs and wonders will easily be deceived by false Christs and false prophets. Only when we gain discernment according to the Lord’s words can we not be deceived by false Christs and false prophets. The Lord’s sheep hear His voice. The wise virgins can tell the false Christs and false prophets. That’s for sure. However, the foolish virgins are blindly guarding against false Christs and false prophets and not seeking the truth. As a result, they will never hear God’s voice, sitting and passively awaiting destruction. In the end, they will lose the opportunity of welcoming the returned Lord.”

Zheng’s fellowship startled Zhang Haiyu. Many Christians know that the Lord is at the gate. Zhang Haiyu also wanted to welcome the Lord’s return. But she avoided seeing Co-worker Li every time Li came to visit her, just for fear of being deceived by false Christs. She didn’t dare to face, to seek, or to investigate what Co-worker Li had preached about the Lord’s return. But today Co-worker Zheng’s simple and insightful words attracted her so much that she wanted to figure it out.

Then she eagerly asked, “Brother Zheng! Please tell me more about distinguishing between the true Christ and the false ones!”

Co-worker Zheng looked at the verses and seriously said: “In fact, false Christs and false prophets mainly deceive God’s chosen people by signs and wonders. This is the primary manifestation of false Christs’ deception of people. Here we must understand why false Christs and false prophets use signs and wonders to deceive people. The main reason is that false Christs and false prophets have no truth at all. Their nature and substance are the very evil spirits; therefore, they can only deceive people by healing and casting out demons, and performing miracles. We must see through it, otherwise we will be easily deceived. However, the One who can express the truth, the way, and the life is definitely Christ. It is the basic principle of telling true Christ from false Christs. So in regard to welcoming the Lord, we can’t go wrong if we abide by this principle.”

Zhang Haiyu nodded in approval, saying, “We didn’t know it before your fellowship.”

Co-worker Zheng said, “Not yet. Here is one more aspect. We all know that God doesn’t repeat His work because God is always new and never old. For example, when the Lord Jesus came to work, He didn’t repeat the work in the Age of Law. He did the work of redemption on the foundation of the work in the Age of Law. He ended the Age of Law and initiated the Age of Grace. In the last days, the Lord will return and express the truth to do the work of classifying and of judgment beginning with the house of God. This has been shown in the Bible. The Lord has 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). The returned Lord will give us all the truths we need to be saved. He will resolve our corrupt disposition and our sinful nature. He will save us from Satan’s influence so that we can attain a change in our disposition and be gained by Him. In this way, God’s management work of saving man will come to a complete end. It is thus clear that God’s work is always progressing forward and is more elevated and more profound than the last. Besides, none of the steps of His work is repeated. However, false Christs don’t have the substance of God. They can only imitate the Lord’s past work and perform signs and wonders to deceive people. But they will never be able to work such big miracles as resurrecting a dead man or making the blind see. What’s more, they are even less capable of expressing the truth.”

Scratching his head, Wang Qiang said, “Oh, I see what you mean. As long as we know the truth about how to distinguish true Christ from false Christs, we will no longer be afraid to welcome the appearance of God for fear of being deceived by false Christs. Take me as an example, it is no use for me to recognize the fake money. I need to learn to recognize the true one as well. Only in this way can I keep away the fake notes.”

The young couple nodded in approval, too.

Co-worker Zheng continued to commune, “It is an immutable fact that Christ is the truth. When we hear someone testifying the returned Lord, if we don’t contact or seek and investigate it, but merely guard against and avoid it, then we will never meet the return of the Lord!”

Zhang Haiyu excitedly said, “Yes! Just like the woman of Samaria and the disciples of the Lord Jesus in the Bible, they all head the Lord Jesus’ words and preaching with a heart of seeking and investigating when they heard somebody bearing testimony to Him. As a result, they all gained the Lord’s teaching and heard the voice of the truth. These are all facts!”

Co-worker Zheng nodded his head and said, “Yes! Throughout the ages, in the work of God, whether man will be chosen or not depends on if he can seek the truth and accept it. God is fair to everyone. God uses His practical word and work to reveal people who love the truth, who despise the truth, who’re wise, foolish, good servants and evil servants. The Lord said: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you’ (Matthew 7:7). We should seek the truth like the wise virgins in our belief in God. Only in this way can we attend the marriage supper of the Lamb. If we don’t seek and investigate God’s work of the last days, but only be cautious of false Christs, then we will really be eliminated like the foolish virgins.”

After hearing these words, Zhang Haiyu scuffed out in her shoes. Xiaoying curiously asked, “Mom! What are you going to do?” Zhang Haiyu had no time to explain much to her. She waved her hand and said, “Wait! Wait! I’ll go and get Co-worker Li here.”

Seeing Zhang Haiyu’s funny action, people in the room looked at each other and couldn’t help laughing out loud …

Extended Reading:

How to Distinguish the True Christ From the False Ones?