I believed in the Lord Jesus with my family from childhood. Because China is under the control of the atheistic government, all those who believe in God are persecuted. Due to the fact that my father believed in the Lord Jesus, he was imposed on a charge of “counter-revolutionary rightist,” and then was tortured to death by the CCP. Thereupon, we had no choice but to cautiously have gatherings and spread the gospel.

In 1980, I became a teacher in an elementary school. When the headmaster knew I believed in the Lord Jesus, he talked to me and let me believe in the CCP instead of the Lord. Then I could not but secretly go to church every week. Later on, because of my faith in the Lord Jesus, I was always faced with various stresses from school. I had no choice but to pray and read the Bible at home. From then on, I seldom joined gatherings.

In the fall of 2008, I passed the exam and came to South Korea. When I saw there are churches in every street, I was shocked: There are even so many churches in such a small country. I thought to myself: Now, I can be set free to go to the church to believe in God properly and need not to be restricted like in China. I thanked God from the bottom of my heart and privately established a resolution: I must pursue with all my heart and soul.

Soon, I found a church that could hold 2000 people. However, having gone there for several times, I discovered: When believers prayed, they neglected the will of God, didn’t pray for God’s gospel spreading to the ends of the earth or for the revival of the church, but prayed for getting more blessings and grace, for their health and their families’ peace and for their children’s studies, marriages, and work; their living out in daily life weren’t different from worldly people’s, and they all lived in the vicious circle of sinning in the day and confessing at night; many believers in the church prayed in a very loud unknown tongue, and affected others’ prayers, so that many people avoided them when praying; furthermore, the pastors always preached about donation, saying that only offering much could we be graced with great blessings in the kingdom of heaven. I became more and more tired of this church, and then found another one. However, the situation of the churches was almost similar except slight differences and the pastors preached the same old platitudes, having no new light in their sermons, and my life couldn’t receive any provision. So having listened for a while, I was unwilling to attend meetings. Walking on the street, I saw so many churches, but I didn’t know which one I could go to. I, just like a sheep that was lost in the wilderness, felt thirsty, helpless, and confused.

Thereafter, I didn’t go to the church for a long time. To resolve my spiritual emptiness, I went to climb mountains, went to the sea, the park, or played mahjong with my friends every weekend. I started to follow the lifestyle and trends of unbelievers. On the surface, I was enjoying life, but happiness was temporary, and the emptiness in my heart couldn’t be filled at all. Sometimes I was self-reproachful within: I am a Christian, how can I follow social trends and live in a world only concerned with eating, drinking, and the pursuit of pleasure like an unbeliever? But I didn’t know the reason why I was unable to command over myself. I felt empty in my heart every day and couldn’t sense the happiness of life.

Not going to the church, I was always troubled in my heart and felt indebted to the Lord. I knew that it is the last days now and the Lord would come. I remembered the Revelation says, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot: I would you were cold or hot. So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15–16). Thinking of this, I felt somewhat frightened. If I continued to keep far away from the Lord and pursue worldly pleasures, I must be detested and rejected by Him. I couldn’t continue degenerating in such a way and wanted to find a church to serve the Lord well. Then I found a church and began to do good deeds: giving financial assistance to African children, offering more, frequently preaching the gospel. As long as the church gave me a commission to execute, I would treat it seriously. In this way, I had worked hard for several years, but my heart still had no peace, and felt a kind of emptiness as before. My spirit still felt thirsty and helpless and I still lived in the vicious circle of committing sins in the day and confessing at night. But I didn’t know how this happened and how to solve such a situation. I could not but pray that the Lord could guide me out of this situation.

In November, 2017, on the introduction of a preacher in our church, I met a sister. Once, when I visited her, I happened to meet a few guests of her who believed in the Lord. We unwittingly talked about our own situation and the circumstance of the church. I said, “Though I have believed in the Lord Jesus for a long time and have gone to a few churches after I came to South Korea, I feel the churches don’t have the work of the Holy Spirit. The pastors’ sermons are the same old commonplace, having no new light. There isn’t enjoyment in the meetings, and there is nothing moving in my prayers. I don’t get any supply at gatherings, my spirit is dark and dry, and my enthusiasm also decreases.”

A brother fellowshiped, “This situation you said is a widespread phenomenon. Now the desolation is widespread across the entire religious world. The pastors and elders have no sermons to preach, and believers are weak and cold in their faith and love, losing the work of the Holy Spirit. This just fulfilled the prophecy in Amos 8:11, ‘Behold, the days come, said the Lord Jehovah, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Jehovah.’ We all know that at the Age of Law, Jehovah God issued the laws and established commandments to constrain man so that man cannot commit sin. At that time, mankind revered God in his heart, and the temple was full of the glory of Jehovah God. However, in the late period of the Age of Law, mankind lost the heart that revered God, and committed more and more sins, so that they didn’t have enough sin offerings, and finally even sacrificed blind or lame animals to God. Furthermore, priests sacrificed inferior offerings, kept man’s tradition instead of abiding by God’s laws and commandments. They totally deviated from His way that the temple also became a house of merchandise which sold cattle, sheep, and doves. In this way, how could God not detest this? This is the main reason causing the desolation of the temple. The other reason is because God’s work had already transferred and the incarnate Lord Jesus carried out the work of redemption in the Age of Grace outside the temple. On the basis of the Age of Law, His work moved forward and the core of His work transferred into the work of redemption in the Age of Grace. Those who followed the work of the Lord Jesus had the work of the Holy Spirit, while those who still stubbornly stayed at the temple were eliminated or abandoned by the stream of the Holy Spirit’s work. This is the other reason why the temple became desolate. Look at the religious world nowadays: The pastors and elders primarily preach biblical knowledge and theological theory, and show off themselves in this way to let others worship. They don’t abide by the Lord Jesus’ word and commandments or keep His way. What’s more, they seldom expound the Lord’s words, never lead us to practice or experience His words to attain understanding of the truth and knowledge of the Lord. As a result, all believers stray from the Lord’s way. Even if we have believed in Him for years, we only understand the biblical knowledge and theological theories, have no knowledge of the Lord, let alone reverence and submission. We become the one who believes in the Lord but doesn’t know Him. Finally, we lost the work of the Holy Spirit and His blessings. We can say that this is the major reason why the religious world becomes desolate. The other reason is that God has done a new stage of work and the work of the Holy Spirit has transferred. That’s to say, the Lord Jesus has returned, is the incarnate Almighty God. He does the work of judgment starting from the House of God on the foundation of the redemption work of the Lord Jesus, opens up the Age of Kingdom, and ends the Age of Grace. The core of the work of the Holy Spirit has been transferred into those who accept God’s work of judgment in the last days. But those who still remain in the Age of Grace and don’t follow God’s new work will be eliminated and abandoned by the stream of the Holy Spirit’s work. This is the other reason why the current churches become desolate.”

Having heard that the brother said the Lord Jesus has returned, I was surprised, because no one had fellowshiped the truth of this aspect with me. I thought to myself: It is the greatest event that the Lord has returned, and I should treat it seriously. And then I decided to listen to their fellowships carefully.

At this moment, the brother read a paragraph of God’s word, “God will accomplish this fact: He will make all people throughout the universe come before Him and worship the God on earth, and His work in other places will cease, and people will be forced to seek the true way. It will be like Joseph: Everyone came to him for food, and bowed down to him, for he had things to eat. In order to avoid famine, people will be forced to seek the true way. The entire religious community will suffer severe famine, and only the God of today is the wellspring of living water, possessed of the ever-flowing wellspring provided for the enjoyment of man, and people will come and depend on Him.”

The brother fellowshiped, “God is the wellspring of living water of life, and only God can provide our life. So only if we accept His new work can we have the work of the Holy Spirit and enjoy the provision of living water of life which flows forth from the throne. On the contrary, those who don’t keep pace with God’s work can’t receive the nourishment and supply of living water of life. How can’t they be dark and dry in their spirit? Yet, God’s intention is to force those who truly believe in the Lord to seek for the way which is able to give the supply in their heart so that they can live before the presence of God through the desolation of the church. In fact, God has come to the earth and worked for years among man. He has chosen and obtained a group of men in China, and now the work of gospel there has already been nearing the end. Under the leadership of God, His chosen people have spread the gospel to all countries in the world. The word of Almighty God has been translated into more than ten languages and is published on the Internet for people who yearn for and seek the appearance of God to investigate. Now, many people who can listen to the voice of God have recognized His voice and then have one by one returned before His throne and enjoyed the leading and supply of His word. Therefore, if we want to get rid of the situation of darkness and dryness in our spirit, we should follow the present work of the Holy Spirit, accept the guidance, supply, and shepherding of Almighty God’s word, or else not only will we not resolve the darkness and dryness in our spirit, but also we will be detested and rejected by God.”

It was the first time for me to hear that someone could fellowship the present situation of the religious world and the origin of the church’s desolation so clearly, which couldn’t be done by the pastors and elders in any other churches. I thought the fellowship of the brother had light, and that the words he read indeed have authority, and my spirit was well provided for. Thereupon, I was willing to investigate the Church of Almighty God.

However, when I returned home, I recalled my elder sister had ever reminded me not to go to the other church arbitrarily to avoid being trapped into heresy for there are many heresies now. I had some worries about this. What if I picked the wrong church? But if I didn’t investigate, in case the Lord truly returned, wouldn’t I be abandoned by the Lord? I had conflicts in my heart, and could not but come before the Lord to pray, “Lord! Have You already returned? Should I go to this church? You know I am foolish and ignorant. May You guide me.” After praying, I recollected the things that happened these days: I bumped into the sister, and then went to her house, and thus unconsciously got in touch with the brothers and sisters of the Church of Almighty God. They testified Almighty God’s work in the last days to me, saying the Lord Jesus had returned. From the time when I contacted the sister, to the time when I heard the information of the Lord’s return, I felt as if God arranged and guided all these things in the unseen world. I also remembered that in the churches which I went to previously, the pastors all preached about giving more offerings at gatherings, and even some booklets would be charged; however, the Church of Almighty God not only doesn’t encourage donation, but also gives all books away free to us, and the brothers and sisters of the Church of Almighty God freely expend and perform their duties. This is completely different from any other churches. Hearing their fellowships during these days, I felt bright in my heart, and understood the truth that I hadn’t previously understood. I never had those feelings before. Thinking twice, I decided to go to the church to investigate first, and then made a decision. Afterward, I made an appointment with the sister to go to the Church of Almighty God.

When I went to the church, I saw that brothers and sisters were quite enthusiastic and full of love, and their faces were filled with happiness and joy. I sensed that this church was different from the churches I ever went to, and felt there is the work of the Holy Spirit.

In the meeting of that day, a brother first read a paragraph of God’s word, “He wishes to seek, to seek your heart and your spirit, to bring you water and food and to awaken you, that you may no longer be thirsty and hungry. When you are weary and when you begin to feel something of the bleak desolation of this world, do not be lost, do not cry. Almighty God, the Watcher, will embrace your arrival at any time. He is keeping watch by your side, waiting for you to turn back around. He is waiting for the day you suddenly recover your memory: when you realize that you came from God, that, at some unknown time you lost your direction, at some unknown time you lost consciousness on the road, and at some unknown time acquired a ‘father’; when you realize, furthermore, that the Almighty has always been keeping watch, waiting there a very, very long time for your return.” Hearing the words, I was especially moved within and felt the care and love of God for mankind. He knew my spirit was dark and thirsty. He was seeking and waiting for me, who lost my direction, all the time to return before Him, allowing me to receive nourishment and supply from His word to break away from the predicament of emptiness and dryness.

The brother took out a picture written “God’s Six-Thousand-Year Management Plan,” and fellowshiped the truth of God’s three stages of work to me. He said, “God has done three stages of work in His six-thousand-year management plan, which are the work in the Age of Law Jehovah God did, the work in the Age of Grace the Lord Jesus did, and the work in the Age of Kingdom Almighty God does. Each stage of work is more improved and more profound than the previous stage. Though God’s name and His work at every step are different, yet all the work are done by one God.”

He continued reading a few paragraphs of God’s words to us again, “From the work of Jehovah to that of Jesus, and from the work of Jesus to that of this current stage, these three stages cover in a continuous thread the entire gamut of God’s management, and they are all the work of one Spirit. Since the creation of the world, God has always been at work managing mankind. He is the Beginning and the End, He is the First and the Last, and He is the One who begins an age and the One who brings the age to an end. The three stages of work, in different ages and different locations, are unmistakably the work of one Spirit. All those who separate these three stages stand in opposition to God.” “The work of today has pushed forward the work of the Age of Grace; that is, the work under the entire six-thousand-year management plan has moved forward. Though the Age of Grace has ended, there has been progress in God’s work. Why do I say time and again that this stage of work builds upon the Age of Grace and the Age of Law? Because the work of this day is a continuation of the work done in the Age of Grace, and an advance over that done in the Age of Law. The three stages are tightly interconnected, with each link in the chain closely tied to the next. … It can be said that this stage of work is built on the foundation of the Age of Law and upon the rock of Jesus’ work. God’s work is built stage by stage, and this stage is not a new beginning. Only the combination of the three stages of work may be deemed the six-thousand-year management plan.” “Though Jesus did much work among man, He only completed the redemption of all mankind and became man’s sin offering; He did not rid man of all his corrupt disposition. Fully saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to become the sin offering and bear the sins of man, but it also required God to do even greater work to rid man completely of his satanically corrupted disposition. And so, now that man has been forgiven of his sins, God has returned to the flesh to lead man into the new age, and begun the work of chastisement and judgment. 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 they shall gain the truth, the way, and the life.”

He fellowshiped, “During the Old Testament Age of Law, people at the time was quite ignorant and understood nothing. Jehovah God promulgated laws and established commandments, allowing mankind to know which way to do things was committing sins and what punishment they should bear after sinning, thereby restraining mankind. Nevertheless, mankind became more deeply corrupted by Satan. At the end of the Age of Law, mankind committed more and more sins. Without God’s redemption, mankind would be put to death under the law. Therefore, according to corrupt mankind’s needs, God became flesh as the Lord Jesus’ image and did the work of redemption through crucifixion, and then thoroughly redeemed mankind from his sins, coming afresh before God. Although we are not sinful because of Jesus’ redemption, our corrupt satanic disposition is deep-rooted and hasn’t been cast away, such as selfishness, arrogance, craftiness, greediness and so on. We, just like worldly people, pursue pleasures of the flesh, pursue fame, status, and fortune, and are even always deceitful to trick others and God. We are so corrupt, and how can we enter God’s kingdom? The Bible says, ‘Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord’ (Hebrews 12:14). Therefore, God once again becomes flesh, expresses the truth, and does the work of judgment beginning with God’s House. He chastises, reveals our corrupt satanic disposition, and points out the concrete path for practice to make us break from satanic disposition, letting us examine and know our corrupt satanic nature from His word. And then, through practicing God’s word, we’ll gradually break free from the shackles of sins, and become clean. Only in this way can we be qualified to be taken into God’s kingdom. At this time, God’s six-thousand-year management plan will be completely finished.”

Hearing God’s words and the brother’s fellowship, I obtained many benefits. Until then, I knew the mystery of God’s six-thousand-year management plan. Previously, I had believed in the Lord Jesus for several decades’ years, but I only knew the Old Testament and the New Testament, and didn’t know the significance of each stage of God’s work and the relationship between these three stages, and didn’t know why I lived in the situation of sinning and confessing sins all the time. It turned out that all those are mysteries! If God didn’t come revealing these mysteries, who would be capable of knowing the inside story and details of God’s six-thousand-year management plan?

In this gathering, I felt I really gained sustenance from it. Through a period of time of investigating, I was certain that Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus. At that moment, I regretted that I hadn’t investigated God’s work earlier. Then I thought that although I believed in God formerly, without the work of the Holy Spirit, I only followed social trends and abandoned myself to a life of pleasure, and drank, ate, and enjoyed leisure activities with my friends, and even often didn’t sleep for days and nights to play mahjong. Remembering those things, I blamed myself within, and then I repented and confessed before God, and made a resolution: From now on, I will believe in Almighty God with all my heart and soul, start afresh to become a new person, and fulfill my duty to satisfy God.

After accepting Almighty God’s work in the last days, I have enjoyed pleasure, peace, and happiness which I have never felt before. At last I have found the church where my life can be provided for. Although I enthusiastically devoted myself, served and spread the gospel with passion when I believed in the Lord Jesus, I didn’t get the truth and know God, still continued degenerating, living in empty space passing days. I thought back to the past, and it was simply like a nightmare. Today, since I have accepted God’s work of chastisement and judgment in the last days, I no more feel empty and my mental attitude has changed. And now I join meetings and read God’s word together with my brothers and sisters, through which I understand many truths that I didn’t understand in the past, relish the watering and supply of God’s word every day, sated in my spirit. Thank God for leading me to walk out of the wilderness and come into the good land of Canaan. All the glory be to Almighty God!

Extended Reading:

Path of Welcoming the Second Coming