The Awakening of a Deceived Spirit (Part 1)

December 7, 20170

Yuan Zhi, Brazil

　Summoned by the Lord’s Grace Tasting the Lord’s Love

　I was born in a small city in Northern China. In 2010, I followed my relatives to Brazil. In Brazil, I got acquainted with a Christian friend. He brought me to church to listen to sermons. But though I went three times, I never absorbed it. Afterward, because my job was keeping me busy, I didn’t go to church again until one day in June, 2015, when my friend brought me to church once more. This time, through what brothers and sisters shared, I had some understanding that the Lord Jesus is the Redeemer. Especially, when I first read Genesis, I felt that the Creator is truly wondrous. In school, the textbooks had taught me that man evolved from apes and monkeys and all the things in the world were formed naturally. That day, when I read Genesis, I understood that in fact, man was created by God and that God had created all things. Suddenly, I felt that, for more than twenty years, I had been deceived. That day, I suddenly and completely awakened. From that point on, I believed in the Lord Jesus.

　At the end of 2015, I went back to China and after 5 months, I returned to Brazil. This time, I decided to find a steady job and settle down properly. But things sometimes turned out contrary to one’s wishes. Both my work and my personal life did not go smoothly. This made me feel very agitated and anxious. One night, I phoned that Christian friend to complain. He told me, “Quiet yourself and pray to God. See how the Lord has arranged everything for you.” So, I quieted my heart and prayed to the Lord, “Lord Jesus! Presently, I am encountering difficulties at work. I do not know what to do. Lord, I hope I can receive your help.” I didn’t expect that four days later, my boss would call me and ask me to come back to work. I was ecstatic and thankful that the Lord Jesus heard my prayers. Afterward, I received more of the Lord’s grace. In order to repay the Lord’s love, I attended gatherings every week. I went and participated even if I had to take leave from work.

Question 11: You testified that the Lord has returned and does His work of judgment beginning at the house of God in the last days. Is this the same as the great white throne judgment in the Book of Revelation?

　　Answers:

　　All those who truly understand the Bible know that the great white throne judgment prophesied in the Book of Revelation is a vision of God’s judgment work in the last days. The incarnate Almighty God came to express the truth and do His judgment work in the last days, starting to cleanse and save corrupt mankind. This means the great white throne judgment has already begun. Judgment starts from the house of God. God will first make a group of overcomers before the disaster. Then, God will bring down the great disasters and start to reward good and punish evil, until this evil era has been destroyed. God’s great white throne judgment in the last days will then be thoroughly complete. Then God will openly appear to begin a new era. We can all see it very clearly right now. The omen of the great disasters—four consecutive blood moons—has already appeared. The celestial stars have also shown that the great disasters are near. Even the entire human race admits that the end of the world is coming. When the disaster comes, anyone who resists God, judges God, or opposes God, and the ilk of the devil Satan will be destroyed in the disaster. Isn’t that precisely the great white throne judgment? We can see from the Bible’s prophecies that the Lord’s return is separated into the two stages of secret arrival and open arrival. At first, the Lord comes like a thief, which means God incarnate arrives secretly to express the truth and perform His judgment work in the last days. The main purpose is to make a group of overcomers. This fulfills the “judgment begins with the house of God” prophecy. God’s judgment work in the last days already began when God incarnate secretly arrived to express the truth and judge all of mankind. The first part of the work is to begin judgment at the house of God. With that, God cleanses and saves those who hear His voice and are brought before Him, making them into overcomers. Then God returns to Zion, and the great disasters begin. God will use disaster to punish and destroy this old world. God’s judgment work in the last days thus reaches its climax. When God appears openly on the clouds, His judgment work will be thoroughly complete. The kingdom of God will subsequently appear. This thus fulfills the prophecy of the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven. Just as Almighty God says, “One aspect of God’s work is to conquer all of mankind and gain the chosen people through His words. Another aspect is to conquer all sons of rebellion through various disasters. This is one part of God’s large-scale work. It is only this way that the kingdom on earth that God wants can be fully achieved, and this is the part of God’s work that is like fine gold” (“Interpretation of the Seventeenth Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Almighty God’s words sum up His judgment work in the last days very accurately. We can understand it very easily. Almighty God’s judgment in the last days is the great white throne judgment prophesied in the Book of Revelation. According to the facts of Almighty God’s judgment work in the last days, we can also understand what the Revelation prophecy regarding the opening of books to judge the dead and the opening the book of life is all about. Actually, the opening of books to judge the dead is God’s judgment of all unbelievers and all those who deny and resist Him. This judgment is their condemnation, their punishment, their destruction. And opening the book of life refers to the judgment that begins at the house of God, that is, Almighty God, Christ of the last days, expressing the truth to judge and cleanse all those brought before His throne. These chosen people of God who accept Almighty God’s judgment work and are brought before Him are all objects of God’s judgment, cleansing, and salvation. The judgment that begins at the house of God is to perfect this group of people before the disaster. Only this group of people are the wise virgins, people whose names are recorded in the book of life, the 144,000 overcomers prophesied by the Book of Revelation, the people who will ultimately enter the kingdom of heaven to inherit eternal life. This fulfills what was prophesied in Revelation 14:1-5: “And I looked, and, see, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God” (Rev 14:1-5).