· 

Can You Discern the True Christ from False Ones?

By Liang Chen

 

Because of my illness I believed in the Lord Jesus and joined a church house, and not long after that, I recovered from it. I thought I found the true God, so my faith increased greatly. From then on, I read the Bible and attended meetings fervently. At that time, preachers often told us, “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. Behold, I have told you before. Why if they shall say to you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not” (Matthew 24:24-26). And then they explained, “It’s full of confusion in the last days, for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets to deceive man. You don’t understand the Bible and have no discernment, so don’t listen to sermons without permission, and then you won’t be deceived.” I thought their fellowship made great sense, which was for our good, so I kept their words in mind. Later, when I began to preach in the church, I often talked about these verses as well.

 

One day, Sister Ma brought her cousin Bai Jie to our church. After an introduction, I learned that Bai Jie had believed in Jesus for ten years and pursued actively. Seeing she was common in appearance, I said to her with a casual tone, “You’re welcome to attend services here. But there is a rule in our church: People from other places can only listen to sermons but can’t give sermons.” Sister Bai nodded. That day, it was my turn to preach, and as usual I talked about Matthew 24:24, “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.” Just then, I heard Sister Wang who sat in the front row whispered to Sister Qiu, “We’re taught to ‘guard against false Christs’ every time. They’ve really talked my ear off. Except that, they have nothing new to preach. The more I hear, the more I feel bored, so I really don’t want to hear anymore. Listen, Brother Lin is snoring again.” “Yeah, they always let us guard against false Christs. But we still don’t know how to discern. Who are false Christs? Where are they? Although we listen every day, we still have no way to go.” On hearing that, I felt embarrassed. Casting a look at Bai Jie, I then justified myself, “Brothers and sisters, do not feel impatient. We fellowship about guarding against the false Christs every day; isn’t it all for your good, lest you be deceived? Now is the last days. If you’re deceived, will not all your sacrifice over these years in believing in Jesus be for naught?”… After the meeting, I was distracted: “How could those two sisters treat me like that in front of a stranger? They simply didn’t show any respect to me!” But on second thought, “What Sister Qiu said is a problem. Although I read and preach this verse often, I indeed don’t know how to discern false Christs. After so many years of guarding against false Christs, will we really recognize them when they come? I truly have no idea.” When I realized it, my heart became heavy….

 

Then, a period of time passed, in which co-worker Sister Zhang preached about “how to guard against false Christs” again. Sister Qiu couldn’t help asking, “Sister Zhang, could you specifically talk about what false Christ is? I have believed in the Lord for so many years, and have heard many sermons about guarding against false Christs. But I still don’t know what false Christ is now? If this continues, will we discern them when they come? I don’t dare to say. Then, is it an empty word to guard against false Christs?” Sister Wang echoed, “Yeah, please tell us what false Christ is.” Then brothers and sisters talked in great confusion. Sister Zhang kept a stiff upper lip and gestured silence, and said, “The Bible says clearly, ‘For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders.’ So it can be seen that those who can show great signs and wonders are false Christs.” Sister Qiu retorted upon her immediately, “The Lord Jesus did a lot of signs and wonders. How could you say that those who can show great signs and wonders are false Christs? No one’s signs are mightier than the Lord Jesus’. Surely we don’t guard against the Lord Jesus?”

 

Sister Zhang was speechless. And brothers and sisters talked more loudly, “Surely we don’t guard against the Lord Jesus?” “Yeah, how does it explain?” At that time, I took a look at Sister Bai Jie, who only listened to sermons all the time, and thought, “Now that no one in our church can solve this problem, I may as well ask her.” So I said to her, “Sister Bai Jie, how do you understand this verse? Please give a talk!” Everyone turned their gaze on Sister Bai. Sister Bai nodded, stood up calmly, ran her eyes over brothers and sisters, and said, “Brothers and sisters, let’s think it over. Since the Lord Jesus commanded us that in the last days there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, will He still show great signs and wonders when He returns? In actuality, the Lord Jesus has long implied to us that when He returns He won’t show great signs and wonders. If He still does these things when He returns, and so do those false, then isn’t it difficult to distinguish between the true Christ and false Christs? Let me recite a passage of words I read from a book, ‘If, during the present day, there is to emerge a person who is able to display signs and wonders, cast out demons, heal the sick, and perform many miracles, and if this person claims that they are Jesus who has come, then this would be a counterfeit produced by evil spirits which imitate Jesus. Remember this! God does not repeat the same work. Jesus’ stage of work has already been completed, and God will never again undertake that stage of work. The work of God is irreconcilable with the notions of man; for example, the Old Testament foretold the coming of a Messiah, and the result of this prophecy was Jesus’ coming. This having already happened, it would be wrong for another Messiah to come again. … If, during the last days, God still displayed signs and wonders, and still cast out demons and healed the sick—if He did exactly the same as Jesus—then God would be repeating the same work, and the work of Jesus would have no significance or value. Thus, God carries out one stage of work in every age. Once each stage of His work has been completed, it is soon imitated by evil spirits, and after Satan begins to follow on the heels of God, God changes to a different method. Once God has completed a stage of His work, it is imitated by evil spirits. You must be clear about this’ (The Word Appears in the Flesh). These words tell us plainly that God’s work is always new and never old, and God does not repeat His work. So, if in the future there appears a man who can perform signs and wonders and claims he is the returned Lord Jesus, then he must be a false Christ. This is a symbol of false Christ. In that way, don’t we distinguish the true Christ from false ones? That’s all I want to say.” Sister Bai smiled and sat down. Immediately, everyone eyed Sister Bai with admiration and nodded in agreement. I also smiled on her and thought her understanding was extraordinary. Sister Zhang said nothing more at the sight of such a scene.

 

Sister Zhang finally had an opportunity to extricate herself from the awkward situation, and hastened to say, “Sister Bai, what you say is quite right. Then, what is Christ? We shall first know what Christ is. In Acts 4: 26, it says that Christ is the anointed one.” Just as she finished speaking, I said, “In the Old Testament, Jehovah anointed David through Prophet Samuel; Palms mentions that Aaron was anointed from his beard down to the skirts of his garments by God through Moses. Both Aaron and David were anointed. Could it be said that they are Christs? We only say “Jesus Christ,” but never “David Christ” or “Aaron Christ.” Obviously, your explanation doesn’t make sense.” Sister Zhang asked me, “Then, what is Christ?” I replied, “About this question, I have studied the Bible recently. In Luke 2:11, it says, ‘For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.’ So I suppose that Christ is born by promise but of man.” Sister Zhang was recalcitrant and rebutted, “Luke 1:13 says, ‘But the angel said to him, Fear not, Zacharias: for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elisabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.’ From this verse we know that John was also born by promise. Based on what you're saying, John was also Christ. But John 1:20 says, ‘And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.’ John said that he was not Christ. How do you explain it?” I was stunned, and thought to myself, “Yeah, they were both born by promise. But why is Jesus Christ while John isn’t?”

 

Just as I didn’t know how to respond, Bai Jie said, “Let me recite two more passages of words to you, ‘The incarnate God is called Christ, and Christ is the flesh donned by the Spirit of God. This flesh is unlike any man that is of the flesh. This difference is because Christ is not of flesh and blood; He is the incarnation of the Spirit. He has both a normal humanity and a complete divinity. His divinity is not possessed by any man. His normal humanity sustains all His normal activities in the flesh, while His divinity carries out the work of God Himself. Be it His humanity or divinity, both submit to the will of the heavenly Father. The essence of Christ is the Spirit, that is, the divinity. Therefore, His essence is that of God Himself.’ ‘Because He is a man with the essence of God, He is above all created humans, above any man who can perform God’s work. And so, among all those with a human shell like His, among all those who possess humanity, only He is the incarnate God Himself—all others are created humans. Though they all have humanity, created humans have nothing but humanity, while God incarnate is different: In His flesh He not only has humanity but, more importantly, divinity’ (The Word Appears in the Flesh). Although John and Jesus were both born by promise and it seemed there was no difference in outward appearance, yet Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit, was the incarnate flesh of God and the embodiment of God’s Spirit. He not only had normal humanity, but also had complete divinity. This is the true meaning of ‘Christ.’ As for the anointed ones such as John, Aaron, and David whom we spoke of just now, they had normal humanity but didn’t possess divinity. And so, only the Lord Jesus is Christ. This is the unique identity and status of the Lord Jesus.”

 

I admired Sister Bai inwardly, and thought, “So Christ is the incarnate flesh of God. He possesses both normal humanity and complete divinity. His substance is God Himself. Hmm, what Sister Bai fellowships has the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.” I couldn’t help feeling envious of her, and wondered, “We both believe in the Lord for many years, but why don’t I have such understanding? I don’t know where those words she recites come from. I should find an opportunity to ask her.” At that time, Sister Qiu said, “What Sister Bai talks is quite reasonable and makes me have a clear understanding of the point that no one could articulate. Now I know what Christ is. So Christ is God’s Spirit becoming a man, an unique man. His substance is God Himself.” Sister Bai nodded toward me, in agreement. I felt I had great enjoyment in today’s meeting, so I unconsciously had a liking for Sister Bai.

 

Later, more and more brothers and sisters asked Sister Bai to preach. Though a little embarrassed, I also wanted to listen to her sermons more. So I prayed to the Lord, “O Lord, brothers and sisters are dry in spirit now. If Sister Bai can preach something new to provide and benefit brothers and sisters, I’m willing to obey Your arrangement.” Therefore, we exclusively arranged a meeting for Sister Bai to give a sermon.

 

On that morning, Sister Bai stood up from her seat, smiled and said, “Brothers and sisters, peace to you in the Lord! Thanks the Lord for preparing an opportunity for us. Today, we will continue to fellowship about the truth concerning ‘how to discern the true Christ from false Christs.’ If you have any questions, please feel free to ask, and then we seek together. The Lord Jesus said, ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you: For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened’ (Matthew 7:7-8). I believe God will enlighten and guide us to understand this aspect of truth.” After hearing her words, I felt Sister Bai was kind, and then asked her, “Sister, I’d like to ask you a question first. Now that the Lord Jesus is God Himself, why did He call the God in heaven Father? Yet in John 10:30, He said, ‘I and my Father are one.’ What is all this about?” Sister Bai replied, “Let me read a passage of words to you.” Then, she took out a book from her bag, and opened it and read, “When Jesus called God in heaven by the name of Father as He prayed, this was done only from the perspective of a created man, only because the Spirit of God had put on an ordinary and normal flesh and had the exterior cover of a created being. Even if within Him was the Spirit of God, His exterior appearance was still that of a normal man; in other words, He had become the ‘Son of man’ of which all men, including Jesus Himself, spoke. Given that He is called the Son of man, He is a person (whether man or woman, in any case one with the exterior shell of a human being) born into a normal family of ordinary people. Therefore, Jesus calling God in heaven by the name of Father was the same as how you at first called Him Father; He did so from the perspective of a created man. Do you still remember the Lord’s Prayer that Jesus taught you to memorize? ‘Our Father in heaven….’ He asked all man to call God in heaven by the name of Father. And since He too called Him Father, He did so from the perspective of one who stands on an equal footing with you all. Since you called God in heaven by the name of Father, this shows that Jesus saw Himself to be on equal footing with you, and as a man on earth chosen by God (that is, the Son of God). If you call God Father, is this not because you are a created being? However great the authority of Jesus on earth, prior to the crucifixion, He was merely a Son of man, governed by the Holy Spirit (that is, God), and one of the earth’s created beings, for He had yet to complete His work. Therefore, His calling God in heaven Father was solely His humility and obedience” (The Word Appears in the Flesh). With regard to the question raised by Sister Liang, the following is my understanding according to this passage of words: When Jesus called the God in heaven Father, He did it just in the position of a created man. That was because God’s Spirit assumed an ordinary and normal flesh. Although in Him was God’s Spirit, outwardly He was still a normal man, that is, He became the ‘Son of man.’ So, He called the God in heaven Father in a position equal to ours. Christ’s humbleness, hiddenness, and submission are the natural expressions of His divine substance. Meanwhile, Christ personally taught us how to pray to God. Just like we, as parents, taught children to call us dad and mom when they were young and understood nothing. But as a matter of fact, we are their dad and mom. We said that way just in order to teach them to speak, so did Jesus say that in order to teach us.” Brothers and sisters were suddenly enlightened, “Ah! That’s how it is!”

 

At that moment, Sister Qiu eagerly asked Bai Jie, “Sister, last time, you fellowshipped with us that the characteristic of false Christs is to show great signs and wonders in the name of God to deceive man, so the Lord won’t perform miracles when He returns. But why? Is it just for us to discern the true Christ from false Christs? Tell us quickly, please!” Sister Bai went on, “Surely it’s not merely because of this. We have mentioned before that God has a principle in His working, that is, He does not repeat His work. This can be seen from the previous works done by God: God destroyed the world by flood, yet destroyed Sodom by fire; God issued the laws in the Old Testament Age of Law, and He no longer did this in the Age of Grace. Likewise, since the Lord Jesus said that He would surely return, when He returns He will no longer do the work of healing the sick and casting out demons, and performing miracles. So, if we come to know the principle—God does not duplicate His work, we’ll recognize the ones who show great signs and wonders as false Christs. This is unquestionable. Besides, God does a different work in every stage; behind it there lies a deeper meaning. Let’s read another passage of words, ‘In each age, God makes plain different deeds. In each age, He makes plain part of the deeds of God, and the work of each age represents one part of the disposition of God, and one part of the deeds of God. The deeds that He makes plain vary with the age in which He works, but they all give man a knowledge of God that is deeper, a belief in God that is truer and more down-to-earth. Man believes in God because of all of the deeds of God, because God is so wondrous, so great, because He is almighty and unfathomable. If you believe in God because He is able to perform signs and wonders and can heal the sick and cast out demons, then your view is wrong, and some people will say to you, “Are not evil spirits also able to do such things?” Does this not constitute confusing the image of God with the image of Satan? Today, man’s belief in God is because of His many deeds and the great amount of work He does and the many ways in which He speaks. God uses His utterances to conquer man and make him perfect. Man believes in God because of His many deeds, not because He is able to show signs and wonders; people only get to know God by witnessing His deeds. Only by knowing the actual deeds of God, how He works, what wise methods He uses, how He speaks, and how He makes man perfect—only by knowing these aspects—can you comprehend the reality of God and understand His disposition’ (The Word Appears in the Flesh). From these words we can see that God’s being is so bountiful. In each stage, God does a different work to manifest His deeds and His disposition so that we can have a more real and practical faith in Him. The Lord will do a greater work when He returns, which will surely be a work beyond the capability of any false Christs.” I asked, “Ah, I get a little understanding now. But how can we recognize the Lord when He returns? What work will He do?”

 

Sister Bai responded calmly, “Sister, we can investigate further from the Bible about how to discern the substances of the true Christ and false Christs. If we are clear about this vision, we’ll easily recognize the Lord when He comes back. Let’s first read Luke 9:18-20, ‘And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again. He said to them, But whom say you that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.’ These verses show that we can discern it from Christ’s being. The Lord Jesus performed so many miracles and healed so many sick people, but He never showed His identity. From this we can see that Christ’s substance is humbleness and hiddenness. In Christ, there is no arrogance and conceit, and He never shows off Himself. He did such great work, but except Peter who got the enlightenment from God, no one recognized that the Lord Jesus is Christ. Let’s read another two passages of words, and we’ll be clearer, ‘There are some who are possessed by evil spirits and cry out vociferously, “I am God!” Yet, in the end, they are revealed, for they are wrong in what they represent. They represent Satan, and the Holy Spirit pays them no heed. However highly you exalt yourself or however strongly you cry out, you are still a created being and one that belongs to Satan. I never cry out, “I am God, I am the beloved Son of God!” But the work I do is God’s work. Need I shout? There is no need for exaltation. God does His own work Himself and does not need man to accord Him a status or give Him an honorific title: His work represents His identity and status.’ ‘Apart from Christ, those who falsely claim to be Christ do not possess His qualities. When juxtaposed against the arrogant and self-exalting disposition of those false Christs, it becomes apparent what manner of flesh is truly Christ. The falser they are, the more such false Christs flaunt themselves, and the more capable they are of working signs and wonders to deceive man. False Christs do not have the qualities of God; Christ is not tainted by any element belonging to false Christs. God becomes flesh only to complete the work of the flesh, not to merely allow men to see Him. Rather, He lets His work affirm His identity, and lets that which He reveals attest to His essence. His essence is not baseless; His identity was not seized by His hand; it is determined by His work and His essence’” (The Word Appears in the Flesh).

 

After hearing that, I was a little confused, “Christ is so humble and hidden; then, isn’t it more difficult for us to recognize Him when He comes?” Sister Qiu was more eager to ask her, “Sister, Christ never exhibits Himself or proclaims that He is God Himself; then, isn’t it more difficult for us to recognize Him?” “Yeah, how can we recognize Him?” Brothers and sisters talked in confusion.

 

At that time, Sister Bai said with assurance, “Brothers and sisters, we don’t need to worry about it. As the words I read just now, ‘God becomes flesh only to complete the work of the flesh, not to merely allow men to see Him. Rather, He lets His work affirm His identity, and lets that which He reveals attest to His essence. His essence is not baseless; His identity was not seized by His hand; it is determined by His work and His essence’ (The Word Appears in the Flesh). So, as long as we investigate and seek with an open mind when Christ returns, we’ll recognize His substance and identity from His new work and manifestation. As the Lord Jesus said, ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me’ (John 10:27). Brothers and sisters, how do we hear the voice of God?” Sister Wang replied, “Doesn’t it mean listening to His words?” Sister Bai continued, “Yes, from the Bible, we can figure out that the Lord Jesus will utter His voice when He returns. Let’s continue to read several verses in the Bible, ‘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). ‘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). The word, ‘He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches,’ is also mentioned many times in Revelation. From these verses we can conclude: When the Lord returns, He will do the work of the word, which is to express the truth, and use the truth to judge all nations and all peoples and end the old age. It’s known to us that only the Lord Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life….’ The work Christ returns to do is to supply the truth to man, show the way to man, and bestow the way of eternal life unto man. This is beyond the ability of any man. No matter how strongly false Christs cry out, can they express the truth?” Brothers and sisters replied in chorus, “No!”

 

Sister Bai went on fellowshipping, “It is recorded in Isaiah 41:21-24, ‘Produce your cause, said Jehovah; bring forth your strong reasons, said the King of Jacob. Let them bring them forth, and show us what shall happen: let them show the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods: yes, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together. Behold, you are of nothing, and your work of nothing: an abomination is he that chooses you.’ Besides, I’ll read another passage of words to you, ‘God become flesh is called Christ, and so the Christ that can give people the truth is called God. There is nothing excessive about this, for He possesses the essence of God, and possesses God’s disposition, and wisdom in His work, that are unattainable by man. Those who call themselves Christ, yet cannot do the work of God, are frauds. Christ is not merely the manifestation of God on earth, but also the particular flesh assumed by God as He carries out and completes His work among man. This flesh cannot be supplanted by just any man, but is a flesh that can adequately bear God’s work on earth, and express the disposition of God, and well represent God, and provide man with life. Sooner or later, those who impersonate Christ will all fall, for although they claim to be Christ, they possess none of the essence of Christ. And so I say that the authenticity of Christ cannot be defined by man, but is answered and decided by God Himself’ (The Word Appears in the Flesh). From these words we can see: No matter whether the ones are false gods or false Christs, they are incapable of doing the work of God, for they don’t possess God’s substance. Therefore, they’ll be stunned if you ask them to talk about God’s work of the past, present, and future. Yet, Christ knows the things of the past, present, and future like the palm of His hand, because these works are exactly what He did, does and will do. When we know these, we can distinguish the true Christ from false ones according to the substance of Christ, the works He does, and the disposition He expresses, and then we’ll no longer fear the deceit of false Christs. When one claims himself as Christ, we can take a notebook and a pen, listen to him and make notes of what he says to see whether he can express the truth. The false can’t express even a single word of truth, and nor can he do the work of God. If we are serious with him, he’ll flee in panic.” Brothers and sisters laughed with ease. Sister Bai Jie continued to fellowship, “So, brothers and sisters, there shall arise false Christs in the last days, but it’s not fearful. If we grasp the principles of discernment, we’ll not shut the door on the true Christ for fear of false Christs.” On hearing Sister’s fellowship, I felt brightened in my heart and felt unprecedentedly relaxed. I thought to myself, “Yeah, we have been always guarding against false Christs for these many years, and adopting the method of no listening, no reading, and no receiving. How foolish is this method! If we blindly guard against the false with such practices, we’ll bolt the returned Lord Jesus out; then aren’t we resisting God while believing in Him? Besides, we’ll lose the salvation of the Lord because of our foolish practices.” At that moment, my long-slumbering heart began to awaken. I eagerly wanted to hear more, so I invited Sister Bai to my home to have lunch.

 

After lunch, my husband said, “Sister Bai, please make a prayer for us, and fellowship more with us.” Sister Bai said humbly, “All right. My knowledge is also limited; let’s fellowship together to complement each other.” Then, Sister Bai began to pray, “The only true God who created the heavens and earth and all things. Thank You for carrying us through the morning. By Your enlightenment and illumination, we have a little knowledge of the truth about ‘how to discern the true Christ from false Christs.’ Because of understanding a little truth, we felt released and relaxed in spirit. May all the glory be to You! And again, You prepared such a fairly good afternoon for us. May You keep leading and guiding us, and supply us with the truth we should understand. May all the glory be to You….” On hearing her prayer, I felt it fresh. She didn’t say much in the prayer, yet without a single empty word. Her prayer was devout and practical, and was true reliance on the Lord and true praise to the Lord. After the prayer, I couldn’t help asking her, “Sister, your fellowship today broadened my horizon, and your prayer is new and fresh to me as well. We believed in God almost the same time. How could you attain these knowledge? Where does the book you read in the morning come from? Have you heard sermons of some spiritual persons? Could you take me to listen? Our church does need such persons to shepherd us.” Sister Bai hastened to say, “We are the same. If it were not for God’s enlightenment, I would speak out nothing. All the glory be to God. In actuality, all my understanding of the truth is from this book.” Then, Sister Bai took out a book titled “The Word Appears in the Flesh” from her bag. My husband and I looked at it with curiosity. At that moment, Sister Bai said, “This morning, we fellowshipped that the Lord Jesus will come to do the work of the word and to express the truth when He returns. In fact, the Lord Jesus has become flesh again amongst man. He is Almighty God, Christ of the last days. Almighty God expresses millions of words of truth to supply and lead mankind, and tells us all the truth that man needs to know and enter into, such as the inside stories and mysteries of the works done by God since the creation, His present work and the work to do, and so on. The words I read these days concerning ‘how to discern the true Christ from false Christs’ are the truth expressed by Almighty God—Christ of the last days.” My husband and I said in stunned surprise, “Ah?! The Lord Jesus really comes back? Then, how can we better recognize that Almighty God is the returned Christ in the last days?” Sister Bai opened the book “The Word Appears in the Flesh” and said, “Sister Liang, let’s read a passage of Almighty God’s words, ‘It is not difficult to inquire into such a thing, but it requires each of us to know this one truth: He who is God incarnate shall possess the essence of God, and He who is God incarnate shall possess the expression of God. Since God becomes flesh, He shall bring forth the work He intends to do, and since God becomes flesh, He shall express what He is, and shall be able to bring the truth to man, bestow life upon him, and point the way for him. Flesh that does not have the essence of God is decidedly not the incarnate God; of this there is no doubt. If man intends to inquire into whether it is God’s incarnate flesh, then he must corroborate this from the disposition He expresses and the words He speaks. Which is to say, to corroborate whether or not it is God’s incarnate flesh, and whether or not it is the true way, one must discriminate on the basis of His essence. And so, in determining whether it is the flesh of God incarnate, the key lies in His essence (His work, His utterances, His disposition, and many other aspects), rather than external appearance’ (The Word Appears in the Flesh). Almighty God’s words make it quite plain: As long as we investigate carefully with our hearts, we’ll recognize that He is the Christ returning to flesh in the last days from many aspects such as His words, works, disposition, and so on.” My husband and I said happily, “These words are great! We’re no longer afraid that we can’t discern the true Christ from false Christs. We should investigate carefully….”

 

Source From: Find the shepherd