I Had a Notion About God’s Severe Words
Just as our gathering was coming to an end, I accidentally saw a passage of words, “Many have a bad feeling about the second incarnation of God, for man finds it difficult to believe that God would become flesh to do the work of judgment. Nevertheless, I must tell you that often the work of God greatly exceeds man’s expectations and is difficult for the minds of men to accept. For men are merely maggots upon the earth, while God is the supreme One that fills the universe; the mind of man is akin to a pit of foul water that gives rise only to maggots, whereas each stage of the work directed by the thoughts of God is the distillation of God’s wisdom. Man constantly wishes to contend with God, to which I say it is self-evident who will suffer loss in the end. I exhort you all not to regard yourselves as more important than gold. If others can accept the judgment of God, then why can you not? How much higher do you stand above others? If others can bow their heads before the truth, why can you not also do so?” I felt these words were very reasonable, but I also had some thoughts about them, especially about the word “maggots” and phrase “a pit of foul water.” I thought to myself: How can God speak so harshly? The Lord Jesus always spoke gently, it’s impossible that God says such harsh things. But since I would have to get up early to go to work the next morning, I left the meeting.
After I got home, my husband asked me why I was so late. I said, “Today I went to The Church of Almighty God to listen to sermons and lost track of time. Their sermons are really profound. I had never heard such a good sermon.” My husband said, “The priest told us not to contact The Church of Almighty God. It’s said that there are many believers who pursue more actively from many sects have believed in Eastern Lightning. Also, they have spread the gospel to every country. You’d better be more cautious in regard to the coming of the Lord.” At his words, I recalled the word “maggots” and phrase “a pit of foul water,” thinking: Maybe I’d better not contact them anymore. However, I always felt an unspeakable pain in my heart.
At night I lay in bed, thinking over and over. What the brothers and sisters of The Church of Almighty God fellowshiped was all in line with the Bible. What’s more, they fellowshiped clearly about some truths that I have never understood after decades of believing in the Lord. Although they met me for the first time, they treated me with sincerity and love, making me feel very warm. Besides, I found Sister Zhang and her husband had gained much more faith and knowledge of God and they became completely different from before, though they haven’t believed in Almighty God for a long time. And I also thought of Sister Xiaoyun’s fellowship which said that after God’s work of salvation finished, He would punish those who forsook Him and resisted Him. So, if Almighty God is truly the return of the Lord Jesus, then won’t I become a person forsaking God? And won’t it be in vain that I’ve believed in the Lord for so many years? So, I decided to continue investigating.
God’s Severe Words Are Said for Cleansing Man
One day after that, I went to The Church of Almighty God again and told my confusion to Sister Xiaoyun. Then she fellowshiped with me, “Weighing whether or not something is the word of God cannot be based on whether it is severe or not, nor should we define that severe words are not God’s words. Actually, God said some severe words both in the Age of Law and in the Age of Grace. For example, Jehovah said to the people of Judea, ‘But draw near here, you sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore’ (Isaiah 57:3). The Lord Jesus said, ‘You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?’ (Matthew 23:33) ‘Give not that which is holy to the dogs, neither cast you your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you’ (Matthew 7:6). From the verses we can see that both Jehovah God and the Lord Jesus not only said some severe words, but they also said many words of blessing and mercy to man. Especially to those followers, the Lord Jesus never got angry, but showed endless compassion and love. Actually, what kind of disposition God expresses or in which tone He speaks in each age are both related to His work. In the Age of Grace, God did the work of redemption, so the Lord Jesus expressed a disposition of love and mercy and spoke gently to man, which was helpful for him to come before God to repent and confess, gaining His salvation. Today, Almighty God does the work of judging and cleansing man. So, based on the need of this work, God expresses a disposition that is primarily one of righteousness, majesty and wrath, because only stern words can achieve the result of transforming man and cleansing man.”
Then Sister Xiaoyun shared two more passages of God’s words with me: “For My work is the work of conquest, and is aimed at your disobedience and old nature. The kind words of Jehovah and Jesus fall far short of the severe words of judgment today. Without such severe words, it would be impossible to conquer you ‘experts,’ who have been disobedient for thousands of years. The laws of the Old Testament lost their power on you long ago, and the judgment of today is far more formidable than the old laws. Most suitable for you is judgment, and not the trifling restrictions of laws, for you are not the mankind of the very beginning, but a mankind that has been corrupt for thousands of years.” “Though My words may be stern, they are all said for man’s salvation, as I am only speaking words and not punishing man’s flesh. These words cause man to live in the light, to know that the light exists, to know that the light is precious, even more so to know how beneficial these words are to man, and to know that God is salvation. Though I have said many words of chastisement and judgment, they have not been done unto you in deed. I have come to do My work, to speak My words and, though My words may be stern, they are spoken in judgment of your corruption and your rebelliousness. The purpose of My doing this remains to save man from Satan’s domain, to use My words to save man; My purpose is not to harm man with My words. My words are stern so that results may be achieved from My work. Only through working in this way can man know themselves and break away from their rebellious disposition.”
Sister Xiaoyun fellowshiped, “In the last days, God will judge and cleanse man and completely rid us of our corrupt disposition and save us from Satan’s domination. Only through God’s severe words of judgment, can our numb hearts be awakened, and can we understand that we have been deeply corrupted by Satan and that we urgently need God’s salvation. Only from the judgment in God’s words can we recognize God’s majestic, wrathful and righteous disposition, develop a God-fearing heart, and then forsake the flesh to practice the truth. In this way, we can break free from the bondage of sin and live out a likeness of a true man. Just like me, in the past I didn’t understand my corrupt satanic disposition, thinking that I was an honest person. When I saw God’s words reveal that ‘the heart of man is deceitful above all things,’ I outwardly admitted that God’s words are the truth, but I wasn’t able to fully accept the judgment and chastisement of these words. Later, when God arranged environments to reveal me, I saw that in order to protect my own interests as well as my face and vanity, I often acted one way in front of others and another way behind their backs, and often involuntarily lied. Only then did I understand that I was a deceitful person. Afterward, I also saw God’s words say that God hates and detests deceitful people, they can’t be saved; only honest people can be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven. I then had a knowledge of God’s righteousness and holiness and developed some fear of God. I consciously started to forsake myself and practice to be an honest person. Gradually I gained some entry in being honest and now I lied less. All of this was the result that was achieved through the judgment of God’s words. I personally realized that only by experiencing the judgment and chastisement of God’s words could we live out the likeness of a true man. Although some of God’s words sound a little severe and even sometimes they judge and curse us, they are still not done unto our flesh. God speaks severe words only to let us understand our corrupt disposition more deeply so that we can rid ourselves of corruption and be cleansed eventually. So, no matter whether His words are tender or severe, they are God’s salvation and love for us.”
Hearing Sister Xiaoyun’s fellowship, I was very moved and also understood that no matter how severe God’s words are, they are all salvation for us. In the past, I always lived in circumstances where I committed sins and then confessed them, because I thought that the Lord Jesus was always loving and compassionate, He would forgive my sins unconditionally, forsake me and be patient with me. Thus, I had not the least bit of reverence or fear for God, and even when I committed sins, I thought nothing of it. Today I finally know that only severe words of judgment can awaken my numb heart. Though I haven’t understood much, I’m willing to accept the judgment and chastisement of God’s words, no longer willing to hurt God’s heart.
Later on, Sister Xiaoyun gave me a copy of The Scroll Opened by the Lamb so that I could read it at home. Through a period of reading God’s words and having gatherings with my brothers and sisters, I completely confirmed that Almighty God is the second coming of the Lord Jesus.
Concluding Remarks
After accepting God’s work in the last days, I emphasized reading the words of God and accepting the judgment and chastisement of the words. For the various corrupt states of man revealed by God’s words, I accepted and checked them against myself. Gradually I came to have some understanding of my own corrupt disposition. In my life, my relationship with my family also had a subtle change. When they did something that couldn’t conform to my expectations and I wanted to lose my temper with them, I recalled God’s words revealing: “considering yourselves as always right and better than others, being arrogant, and acting savagely like wild animals in mountains.” Then I realized that my willing to fly into a temper was the result of my satanic disposition of arrogance and brutishness, and it was not normal humanity. Therefore, I consciously prayed to God, forsook my flesh and put aside myself. Now my children say that I smile more and my husband also says that I’m not as self-centered as before nor do I lose my temper at any time.
Through my experiences I appreciated that God’s work of judgment can indeed save me from the corrupt satanic disposition. Judgment and chastisement is the truest and most genuine love. Although God’s words of judgment are severe, His will is to use the revelation of words to make me understand my corruption and unrighteousness, so that I can pursue the truth and can be cleansed. Although the judgment of words makes me suffer, it is still the remedy for me to live out the normal humanity. This is just like the Bible says: “Open rebuke is better than secret love” (Proverbs 27:5).
Source From: find the shepherd
Read to learn more: