2019年1月31日星期四
2017年8月29日星期二
The Church of Almighty God | Rise Up in the Dark Oppression | The Overcomers’ Testimonies
Rise Up in the Dark Oppression
Mo Zhijian Guangdong Province
I was born in a poor remote mountain village. People there burned incense and worshiped Buddha for generations. Temples were everywhere, and each household burned incense. No one believed in God. In 1995, my wife and I believed in the Lord Jesus in another place. After returning home, we began to preach the gospel. Later, the number of the believers gradually increased to over one hundred. Because more and more people believed in God, the local government was alarmed. One day in 1997, the police asked me to go to the local police station. The director of the County Public Security Bureau, the director of the County Bureau for State Security, the director of the County Administration of Religious Affairs, the chief of the local police station, and some policemen had already been waiting there. The director of the County Public Security Bureau questioned me, “Why do you believe in God? Who do you get in touch with? Where do you get the Bibles? Why don’t you go to the church to have meetings?” I answered, “The constitution stipulates explicitly that the citizens enjoy freedom of belief. Why don’t you allow us to believe in God freely?” The director of the County Administration of Religious Affairs said, “There is a scope for the freedom of religious belief. It’s just like a bird in a cage. Although its wings and feet are not bound, it can only move around in the cage.” Hearing his fallacy, I was very indignant. I said angrily, “Then the government is deceiving the common people!” Hearing my word, they knew they were in the wrong, so they had nothing to say and could only let me go home. At that time I had no knowledge of the CCP government’s substance of persecuting people in believing in God. In 1999, I accepted Almighty God’s end-time work. Only through reading God’s word and experiencing the crueler persecution of the CCP government did I see clearly that it is exactly the embodiment of satan the evil spirit and is God’s enemy. It is just as the Bible says, “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world.” (Revelation 12:9)
At past 5 a.m. of June 28, 2002, several brothers and sisters and I were about to have a meeting. Suddenly we heard “bam bam bam” from the door. We hurriedly hid the books of God’s word and then opened the door. Unexpectedly, a dozen or so policemen rushed in as soon as the door was opened. With electric batons and guns in hands, they shoved us together, ordering us all to squat down with our hands holding our heads. After they got us under control, they, like the bandits entering a village, rummaged through every corner of each room, throwing our sheets and clothes all over the floor. I had only seen the scene of the underworld thugs and bandits robbing on TV, but never had I expected that the “people’s police” were the same as the bandits on TV. At that time, I was very afraid, fearing that they might search out the books of God’s word, so I kept praying to God in my heart, asking God to care for and keep us. After praying, I saw God’s wonderful deed. They ransacked the whole house and searched out all of our belongings and confiscated them, but they didn’t find the books of God’s word. I deeply knew that it was God’s almightiness and keeping. Knowing that God was with us, I had more faith in God. After that, they took us to the police station. In the evening, they transferred us to the detention jail. Three days later, each of us was fined 300 yuan and then we were set free. Seeing that the CCP government was so arbitrary and unreasonable, robbed by force, and deprived people of their freedom of belief, I was full of indignation and thought of these words of God, “The filthy land of thousands of years is so sordid that it is unbearable to the eye and miserable states are everywhere. Ghosts run amuck everywhere, swindle and bluff, make groundless accusations, and strike vicious blows mercilessly, so that this fortress of demons is trodden so severely that corpses are everywhere and the rotten smell fills the air over the whole land, and it is heavily guarded. Who can see the world outside the sky? … The freedom of religious belief, the legal rights and interests of citizens, and whatever are all the tricks to cover up its crimes!” (from “Work and Entering In (8)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) In China, this fortress of demons, China’s ruling party frenziedly persecutes God and arrests and persecutes the followers of God under the cover of “everyone enjoys freedom of belief and freedom of human rights,” not allowing us to believe in God and walk the right way of human life. And it even wishes to catch all of us at one swoop. We don’t act against the law or do anything wrong. We just preach the gospel to people so that they can come to know and worship God and break away from the dark and miserable life, but the CCP police arrest, detain, and fine us. However, to those vicious ones who prostitute or whore, murder or commit arson, swindle or bluff, they pay no heed and let them go scot-free. In the face of the facts, I saw that the CCP government is a group of devils that resist God, blind people, and deceive people, and is exactly God’s enemy.
On November 28 of the same year, several brothers and sisters and I were preaching the gospel to a denominational leader. Because of a wicked person’s report, a dozen or so policemen surrounded the building where we stayed and then they broke in. With guns and electric batons in hands, they shouted, “Nobody move! Hands up!” Then they searched us, taking away more than 5000 yuan and the things we had on us, and ordered us to squat down facing the wall with our hands holding our heads. Two young sisters were kind of afraid, so I said to them, “We’ve done nothing wrong. Don’t be afraid of them!” I had barely finished the words when several evil policemen came up to punch and kick me. Then and there I was beaten to the ground. They tore all the rooms apart, turning the house into a mess. They were more savage and ferocious than bandits who enter a village and pillage. A sister didn’t come out of the room. An evil policeman rushed in and forcefully pulled her out. Another one saw that the sister was beautiful, so he molested her, feeling her all over. The sister was unable to resist and could only cry loudly. Luckily, the landlord arrived in time and stopped him, so that the sister escaped the disaster. Then, I saw clearly that the words such as “the people’s police work for the people, and ask the police for help if in trouble” and “the police is the guard of the people” are all lies. These evil policemen were sheerly a gang of ruffians and hoodlums! Afterward, they forced us into the car and took us to the police station. There, they handcuffed us in the corridor for two days and nights, giving us nothing to eat or drink. I could only pray to God unceasingly in my heart, asking God to guide us and give us faith and strength so that we could stand testimony in such circumstance. Later, when a brother was interrogated, because of being dissatisfied with his answers, several evil policemen pressed him down on the floor, and one of them forcibly stuck dog poop into his mouth. The brother was severely shocked mentally. Seeing that miserable scene, I felt heartbroken, and anger spontaneously arose. How I wished to rush forward and fight against them! But God’s words guided me within, “I have some sympathy for the brothers and sisters who live in this filthy place with me, so I have hatred for the great red dragon. … We all are its victims, so I hate its guts, wishing to destroy it right away. But on the second thought, doing so is to no avail, and will only bring trouble to God. Therefore, still that word—to make a firm resolve to carry out God’s will—to love God … live out a meaningful and bright and brilliant life. … Are you willing to do so? Are you one who has such a resolution?” (from “The Way… (2)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) God’s words calmed me down. Pondering God’s words, I understood God’s will. God hates this gang of devils to the extreme and wishes to destroy them all right away. But in order to complete the end-time work and perfect us, God needs to use satan as a serving object. Through its persecution, God makes us have discernment, so that we can completely see through the ugly face and the devilish substance of the CCP government, and thus reject it and thoroughly break with it, and fully turn a genuine heart to God. For the purpose that his work can achieve better results, God has been enduring being crazily hunted by the CCP in power. Isn’t it nothing for me, a created being, to suffer this for being saved? God’s revelation gave me faith and strength. I’ll imitate Christ, resolving to carry out God’s will—pursuing to love God! At that time, I only hoped that God would guide and keep us so that we could stand testimony for God in satan’s persecution and counterattack satan’s scheme with the reality of loving God, putting it to shame and defeating it.
On the third evening, the evil policemen transferred us to the County Public Security Bureau and interrogated us that very night. A deputy director first coaxed me, “Speak it out. Your wife, kids, and parents need your care. Tell us and you can go home!” Hearing these, I was kind of shaky, thinking: If I say something unimportant and get out, I won’t have to suffer here. Then God’s words suddenly warned me, “To those who were not faithful to me in the least in the tribulation, I will show no more mercy, because my mercy only goes so far. Moreover, I do not like anyone who has ever betrayed me, much less like to associate with a person who sells out the interests of his friends, which is my disposition, no matter who he is.” (from “You Should Prepare Enough Good Deeds for the Sake of Your Destination” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) In God’s majestic words, I seemed to see that he was watching me and waiting for my answer. Then I forsook the thought at once and said solemnly with justice, “Since I’ve come here, I haven’t expected to get out!” The evil policemen saw that the soft tactic didn’t work, so they showed their true devil face. The deputy director lifted a bucket of swill above my head, wanting to pour it. I said to him, “You’re interrogating me by tortures.” After hearing it, he suddenly stopped and put down the bucket. Another evil policeman stomped savagely on my big toe with his heel and ground it with force. The fierce pain swept over me. I couldn’t help crying out, and my clothes were soaked with sweat. But the evil policeman kept stomping and grinding heavily while gnashing his teeth, and he didn’t stop until my big toenail fell off. At that time, my foot was already bloody. In anguish, I called on God in my heart desperately, asking him to keep my heart, so that I wouldn’t yield to satan and could stand testimony for him. The devils were far more ferocious than that. I saw that when a brother was back from interrogation, he had been tormented within an inch of his life. Wounded all over, he was dying. The evil policemen were afraid that he might die, so they had to release him. Afterward, they transferred a brother, a sister, and me to the Municipal SWAT team to be interrogated.
After we were taken there, the evil policemen forced us to strip naked, handcuffed and fettered us, and had us jump three rounds in the yard to humiliate us. Then, they put us into separate cells. The prisoners there were all murderers, looking ferocious. The evil policemen told them to torture me. Because of God’s keeping, they not only didn’t bully me, but they took care of me instead. Four days later, the evil policemen forced me to betray God and sell out the brothers and sisters. I refused, so they dragged a brother and me to the yard, handcuffed and fettered us, covered our heads with black bags, and hung us to a big tree in the middle of the yard. Moreover, with viciousness they put many ants in the tree. The ants continuously crawled all over our bodies and bit us wildly. Being gnawed by the ants, I felt as if I were being pierced by countless arrows, which was really worse than death. I could only cry to God desperately, asking him to keep my heart and my spirit and give me the will and strength to endure the suffering, so that I wouldn’t do things of betraying him. At that time, God’s words came into my mind, “…for my glory to manifest throughout the expanse, everyone should undergo the last ‘suffering’ for me. Do you understand my will? This is my last requirement for people. In other words, I hope everyone can bear a strong and resounding testimony for me before the great red dragon, offer up yourselves for me for the last time, and meet my requirement for the last time. Can you really achieve this? In the past you could not satisfy my heart; can you ‘break with convention’ at the last time?” (from “The Thirty-fourth Piece of Word” of God’s Utterance to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh) God’s words made me full of strength within. In order to save us, God has been hunted by the CCP government in every possible way, having no place to lay his head and no place to stay. Today I can suffer with Christ, and this is God’s love for me, much more God’s uplifting of me. As long as God can gain glory, I’m perfectly willing even if I’ll have to die. Like that, I spent every miserable second by relying on God’s words. I was hung to the tree for two days and nights. On the third day, I really couldn’t bear anymore. It was early winter and was raining. I only wore a thin layer of clothing and was hung to the tree with bare feet, and I had not eaten or drunk anything. The mixed feelings of cold and hunger and unbearable pain caused me to feel extremely miserable. The only thing I could do was to pray desperately, for the fear that I couldn’t stand the torment due to the weakness of the flesh and would become a Judas and betray God. In pain, I thought of the apostle Stephen in the Age of the Grace. Because of preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus, he was stoned to death. Before his last breath, he asked God to receive his soul. So I prayed to God, “God, the function of my flesh is too little. Now I really cannot bear the suffering. May you take my soul as well. I would rather die than betray you.” After the prayer, an unexpected miracle happened. My soul went out of my body. I went to a vast grassland. Green grass was everywhere and cattle and sheep were all over the field. I was especially happy and couldn’t help praising God aloud, “Praise Almighty God aloud. All things in heaven and on earth praise you, praise you. Let all praise you. Let all your angels praise you. Let all your hosts praise you. The universe and the expanse praise you—Almighty God! The shining stars praise you. The heavens and the earth and the waters praise you, praise you. Let all praise you. Let the mountains and hills praise Almighty God. Let the waves and billows praise you. Praise you—Almighty God, in the highest place! Praise Almighty God in the Most Holy Place. Praise you, praise you with tambourines and dances. Praise you aloud! Praise Almighty God with musical instruments and the sounding of trumpet. Let all the holy people in Zion praise you. Let all the peoples praise you—Almighty God! Praise you aloud, Almighty God! The loud peals of thunder praise you, praise you. Praise you aloud! The mighty expanse praises Almighty God. Let everything that has breath praise you. The singing of praising shakes the ends of the earth. Praise God!” (from “Praise Almighty God Aloud” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs) I was completely immersed in that incomparable joy and living in a free realm. The pain of being hung to the tree and the hunger and cold and the painful feeling of being gnawed by numerous ants totally disappeared. When I woke up, it was the third night. The evil policemen took me down from the tree. Hung for three days, I not only wasn’t dead, but I was spirited instead. That was really God’s almightiness and wonderful keeping! I thanked and praised God from my heart.
On the fourth day, the evil policemen interrogated me again, forcing me to sell out the brothers and sisters and acknowledge what I believed in was a cult, trying to make me betray God and forsake the true way. Inspired by God, I thought of God’s words, “When you are experiencing trials, whether you are weak or are passive within, or whether you do not understand God’s will or are not very clear about the ways of practice, it is normal. But in any case you should have faith in God’s work and not deny God as Job did not.” (from “All Those to Be Perfected Have to Undergo Refining” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) God’s words gave me the courage to practice the truth and testify God. No matter what, I couldn’t do things of resisting God or blaspheming God. So I said justly, “I believe in Almighty God, who is the only true God ruling over all things! I’m not a cultist. You are confusing right and wrong and framing me!” Hearing these, an evil policeman flew into a rage. He took a bench and struck me frantically, seemingly wishing to beat me to death. I spit out blood and collapsed on the floor and fainted. Seeing that, they poured cold water to sober me, and then dragged me up and beat me again. Beaten by the devils in such a brutal and inhuman way, I became purple-black in my chest and back and was seriously injured internally. A week later, I pissed blood, and my right kidney was seriously damaged. (Even now it often hurts.) A month later, the evil policemen didn’t find any evidence. So they forged a document and forced me to sign on it. Then they put me in the city detention house. Three months later, on the charge of “disrupting the society and the enforcement of the law,” they put me into one year of hard labor. In the labor camp, I lived an inhuman life. I never had a full meal, but had to labor for more than ten hours every day. The prison guards often bullied and insulted me, either beating me with the electric baton or locking me up in a small dark room. If not for God’s care and keeping, I would have long been tormented to death by that gang of devils. On November 7, 2003, I was released and finally got out of that hell on earth.
After undergoing the cruel persecution, I finally saw clearly that the slogans proclaimed by the CCP government such as “the Communist Party is great, glorious and correct” and “in China everyone enjoys freedom of belief” are actually the tricks to deceive the world to build up its fame and fool the people. I hate bitterly this old devil from my heart. It speaks every fine word but does every evil thing. In order to abolish God’s end-time work and make China a region without God, it tries every possible means to hunt and torture believers in God. The means are cruel to the utmost and heinous! In retrospect, I was endlessly interrogated by severe tortures and cruelly tormented and fainted several times. Without God’s keeping, I would have long been devoured by the devils. When I was most weak, Almighty God’s words constantly encouraged me, “Have you ever accepted the blessings for you? Have you ever pursued the promises to you? You will surely break through the suppression of the forces of darkness under the guidance of my light, will surely not lose the guidance of the light in darkness, will surely be the master among all things, will surely be overcomers before satan, and will surely stand among all men and be the proof of my overcoming when the country of the great red dragon collapses. In the land of Sinim you will surely be strong and unwavering, and you will inherit the blessings from me because of the sufferings you undergo and will surely shine forth my glory in the entire universe.” (from “The Nineteenth Piece of Word” of God’s Utterance to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh) God’s words were my solid support! And I received the revelation and guidance of God’s words in agony and weakness, so that I could pass through that darkest and lengthy period. Though I was arrested and persecuted by the CCP government several times and suffered ruthless damage and torment in the flesh, I understood many truths I hadn’t understood before, saw clearly the Chinese government’s devilish substance of being reactionary and evil, tasted Almighty God’s true love for me, and experienced God’s almightiness and wisdom and wonderful deeds, which even more stirred up my heart to pursue to love God and satisfy God. Now, I’m still performing my duty in the church as before, following God and walking the right way of human life, and pursuing the truth and pursuing to live out a meaningful life.
2017年8月28日星期一
The Church of Almighty God | God Led Me to Overcome the Devil’s Affliction | The Overcomers’ Testimonies
God Led Me to Overcome the Devil’s Affliction
Wang Hua Henan Province
My daughter and I are the Christians of the Church of Almighty God. In following God, we two were arrested together and sentenced to hard labor by the CCP government. I was sentenced to three years and my daughter was sentenced to one year. Although I underwent the brutal and inhuman persecution and affliction of the CCP government, every time I was in despair and danger, it was Almighty God’s word that gave me the courage and power to live on and led me to go through the cruel tortures and the three-year hellish prison life victoriously. In that tribulation, I saw the love and salvation of Almighty God and tasted the authority and power of God’s word, and made a firm resolution to unswervingly follow God to walk the right way of human life….
2017年8月27日星期日
The Church of Almighty God | God’s Word Is My Real Life | The Overcomers’ Testimonies
God’s Word Is My Real Life
Xu Zhigang Tianjin City
In the past, I was deeply influenced by Chinese traditional concepts and regarded purchasing property for my children as my life goal. Therefore, I devoted myself to studying car repairing technique and opened up a garage. The business was doing very well. At that time, I thought that man’s destiny was in his own hand. When my wife’s elder sister preached the gospel of Jesus to me, I refused and mocked at her. However, good times didn’t last long. The profits of my garage decreased day by day. No matter how hard I tried, it was in vain. As a result, I was tormented so much that I was exhausted physically and mentally and felt extremely miserable. Every day I sought solace in drink. Once, due to my distraction, I had an accident when driving. The car was badly smashed, but I survived miraculously.
2017年8月26日星期六
The Church of Almighty God | The Fourth Utterance | The Word Appears in the Flesh
The Fourth Utterance
All of My people who serve before Me should think back on the past: Was your love for Me tainted by impurity? Was your loyalty to Me pure and wholehearted? Was your knowledge of Me true? How much of a place did I hold within your hearts? Did I fill their entirety? How much did My words accomplish within you? Don’t take Me for a fool! These things are perfectly clear to Me! Today, as the voice of My salvation is uttered forth, has there been some increase in your love for Me? Has part of your loyalty to Me become pure? Has your knowledge of Me deepened? Did the praise of the past lay a solid foundation for your knowledge today? How much of your inside is occupied by My Spirit? How much of a place does My image hold within you? Have My utterances struck you at your Achilles’ heel? Do you truly feel that you have nowhere to hide your shame? Do you truly believe that you are unqualified to be My people? If you are completely oblivious to the questions above, then this shows that you are fishing in murky waters, that you are only there to make up the numbers, and at the time preordained by Me, you will surely be eliminated and cast into the bottomless pit for a second time. These are My words of warning, and any who take them lightly will be struck by My judgment, and, at the appointed time, will be assailed by disaster. Is this not so? Do I still need to provide examples to illustrate this? Must I speak more plainly to provide a benchmark for you? From the time of creation until today, many people have disobeyed My words and thus been cast out and eliminated from My stream of recovery; ultimately, their bodies perish and their spirits are cast into Hades, and even today they are still subjected to grievous punishment. Many people have followed My words, but they have gone against My enlightenment and illumination, and have thus been kicked aside by Me, falling under the domain of Satan and becoming those who oppose Me. (Today all those who directly oppose Me obey only the superficialities of My words, and disobey the substance of My words.) There have been many, too, who have merely listened to the words I spoke yesterday, who have held on to the junk of the past and not treasured the produce of the present day. These people have not only been taken captive by Satan, but have become eternal sinners and become My enemies, and they directly oppose Me. Such people are the objects of My judgment at the height of My wrath, and today they are still blind, still within the dark dungeons (which is to say, such people are rotten, benumbed corpses that are controlled by Satan; because their eyes have been veiled by Me, I say that they are blind). It would be well to provide an example for your reference, so that you can learn from it:
At the mention of Paul, you will think of his history, and of some of the stories about him that are inaccurate and out of line with reality. He was taught by his parents from a young age, and received My life, and as a result of My predestination he was possessed of the caliber that I require. At the age of 19, he read various books about life; thus I do not need to go into detail about how, because of his caliber, and because of My enlightenment and illumination, he could not only speak with some insight about spiritual matters, but was also able to grasp My intentions. Of course, this does not exclude the combination of internal and external factors. Nevertheless, his one imperfection was that, because of his talents, he would often be glib and boastful. As a result, due to his disobedience, part of which directly represented the archangel, when I became flesh for the first time, he made every effort to defy Me. He was one of those who do not know My words, and My place in his heart had already vanished. Such people directly oppose My divinity, and are struck down by Me, and only bow down and confess their sins at the very end. Hence, after I had utilized his strong points—which is to say, after he had worked for Me for a period of time—he once more fell into his old ways, and although he did not disobey My words directly, he disobeyed My inner guidance and enlightenment, and thus all that he had done in the past was futile; in other words, the crown of glory he spoke of had become empty words, a product of his own imagination, for even today he is still subjected to My judgment amid My bonds.
2017年8月25日星期五
The Church of Almighty God | The Third Utterance | The Word Appears in the Flesh
The Third Utterance
Since you are called My people, things are not as they used to be; you should listen to and obey the utterances of My Spirit, closely follow My work, and may not separate My Spirit and My flesh, for We are inherently one, and are not apart. Whosoever divides the Spirit and the man, cherishing either the man or the Spirit, shall suffer loss, and will only be able to drink from their own bitter cup—and that’s all there is to say. Only those who are able to look upon the Spirit and the man as an inseparable whole shall have an ample knowledge of Me, and only then can changes gradually occur in the life contained within them. So that the next step of My work may proceed smoothly and without hindrance, I employ the refinement of words to test all those who are in My house, using the method of working to test those who follow Me. Under these circumstances, it is fair to say that they all lose hope; as people, there is not one among them whose conditions are not negative and passive, as if their entire space has changed. Some people rail against Heaven and earth; some, in their despair, still bite the bullet and accept the test of My words; some look to the skies and sigh deeply, tears filling their eyes, as if distraught by the untimely demise of a newborn infant; some even feel there is shame in living thus, and pray for God to take them away soon; some spend all day in a daze, as if they’ve just been seriously ill and have yet to come to their senses; some, after complaining, quietly leave; and some still praise Me from their own place, yet are still a little negative. Today, when all has been revealed, I need speak no more of the past; of greater importance is that you should still be capable of the utmost loyalty from the place I give you today, so that all you do meets My approval, and all you say is the product of My enlightenment and illumination, and ultimately what you live out is My image, is completely the manifestation of Me.
My words are released and expressed at any time or place, and so, too, should you know yourselves before Me at all times. For today is, after all, unlike what came before, and you can no longer accomplish whatever you wish. Instead, you must, under the guidance of My words, be capable of subduing your body, you must use My words as a mainstay, and must not act recklessly. All the paths to real practice for the church can be found in My words. Those who do not act according to My words directly offend My Spirit, and I shall destroy them. Since things have come as far as today, you need not feel too aggrieved and regretful about your deeds and actions of the past. My magnanimity is as boundless as the seas and the sky—could it be that the extent of man’s actions and knowledge of Me is not as familiar to Me as the back of My own hand? Who among man is not in My hands? Do you think I know nothing of how great your stature is, do you believe Me totally ignorant of this? That is impossible! Thus, when all people are at their most despairing, when they can wait no longer and wish to start anew, when they want to ask Me what is going on, when some indulge in dissipation and some want to revolt, when some are still loyally doing service, I begin the second part of the era of judgment: purifying and judging My people. Which is to say, I officially begin to train My people, allowing you to not only bear beautiful testimony to Me, but, moreover, to achieve beautiful victory in battle for Me from the seat of My people.
At all times, My people must be on guard against the cunning schemes of Satan, protecting the gate of My house for Me, able to support each other and provide to each other, which will stop you falling into Satan’s trap, at which time it will be too late for regrets. Why am I training you with such urgency? Why do I tell you the facts of the spiritual world? Why do I remind and exhort you time and time again? Have you ever given this any thought? Have you ever figured it out? Thus, you not only need to be able to become seasoned based upon the foundation of the past, but, moreover, to expel the impurities within you under the guidance of the words of today, allowing each of My words to take root and blossom within your spirits, and more importantly, to bear more fruit. That’s because what I ask for is not bright, lush flowers, but bounteous fruit—fruit, what’s more, that does not go bad. Do you understand the true meaning of My words? Although the flowers in a greenhouse are as innumerable as the stars, and draw all the tourists, once they have wilted, they become as tattered as the deceitful schemes of Satan, and no one shows any interest in them. But for those who have been buffeted by the winds and scorched by the sun and bear testimony to Me, although these flowers are not pretty, once they have withered there comes fruit, for this is My requirement. When I speak these words, how much do you understand? Once the flowers have wilted and borne fruit, and once all of this fruit can be provided for My enjoyment, I shall conclude all of My work on earth, and shall begin enjoying the crystallization of My wisdom!
February 22, 1992
2017年8月24日星期四
The Church of Almighty God | God’s Light Led Me in the Tribulation | The Overcomers’ Testimonies
God’s Light Led Me in the Tribulation
Zhao Xin Sichuan Province
From childhood, I lived in the mountain. I didn’t see much of the world or have higher expectations. After I got married and had children, both my sons were sensible and obedient and my husband was hardworking. Although our family wasn’t very well-off, we lived together harmoniously, feeling very happy and satisfied. In 1996, I suddenly had a serious illness, so I began to believe in Jesus. From then on, I often read the Bible and actively attended meetings. Unexpectedly, my illness got better gradually. Since then, I had greater faith in following Jesus.
Out of my expectation, in 1999, because of believing in Jesus, I was arrested by the police and was detained for a whole day. Moreover, I was fined 240 yuan. The money, though little, was a small fortune for us farmers living in the poor mountainous area. To scrape together enough for the fine, I sold one Chinese acre of peanuts that I worked hard to plant. What puzzled me more was that the CCP imposed on me a charge of “taking part in a counterrevolutionary organization,” and they threatened my whole family, saying that as long as I believed in God, my son wouldn’t be offered a job in the future even if he entered the university and graduated. Just because of that word, my husband, parents, relatives, and friends all began to attack me and persecute me. I became a guilty person in my family. They asked me to do all the hard and tiring work and I had to endure it silently.
In 2003, I fortunately accepted Almighty God’s end-time work. From God’s word, I was certain that Almighty God is the returned Jesus. I was very excited in my heart, feeling it was indeed a great blessing that I could meet God again in my life. However, from then on, I suffered greater persecutions from the government and my family. Facing such an environment, I made a resolution to God, “I’ll follow God to the end no matter how hard and difficult it is!” Later, the CCP evil cops came to my house and scolded me, “Do you know? You have broken the law by believing in God! You’re opposing the state and the government! If you continue believing, you’ll be sentenced and imprisoned!” After my husband heard those words, he persecuted me more and more fiercely. He often beat and scolded me and even didn’t allow me to go back home. Because of that, I was very distressed in my heart, thinking, “Why doesn’t my husband understand me? Won’t I be able to go back home?” Having no choice, I could only bear the pain in my heart and leave my home to perform duty so as to escape the government’s persecution and arrest. At that time, I only hated my family for not understanding me, but had no knowledge of the vicious one behind the scenes that caused my family to reject me. It was not until after personally experiencing a prison life that I had the true knowledge of the CCP government’s reactionary substance of going against Heaven and saw clearly that it is the root of all kinds of evil that ruins people’s happy family and brings them so many disasters!
On December 16, 2012, when five brothers and sisters and I were preaching the gospel, we were forcibly arrested by four cops who drove there suddenly. At the police station, after an evil cop handcuffed me, he cursed, “I tell you, whether you steal or rob, murder or commit arson, or prostitute yourself, we don’t care. But only believing in God is not allowed. You’re opposing the CCP by doing so. You deserve a beating!” While saying that, he slapped my face hard and kicked me fiercely. After a fierce beating, I felt that I could hardly hold on. So I kept calling to God in my heart, “O God, I don’t know how long these devils will torture me. I can hardly hold on. But I’d rather die than be a Judas and betray you. May you care for and keep me and lead me.” After the prayer, I made a firm resolution inwardly, “Even if I have one breath left, I’ll be faithful to God, fight against satan to the end, and stand testimony to satisfy God once.” Afterward, one evil cop searched out 230 yuan from me. He grinned hideously, saying, “This is stolen money and should be confiscated.” While saying that, he stuffed the money into his pocket and kept it for himself. Soon afterward, the evil cops began to interrogate us, “Where are you from? What’re your names? Who sent you here?” After learning my name and address, they soon found out the information about my whole family on the computer. Except for my basic information, I refused to answer their questions about the church matters.
The evil cops used a trick. They got more than ten unbelievers from the street and told them that I preached the heresy, and asked them to allege it. Those people sneered at me and slandered and insulted me. I felt badly mistreated, not knowing how to experience that environment. So, I just kept crying to God in my heart, asking him to give me faith and strength. Then, a passage from a hymn of God’s word came into my mind, “The God in the flesh suffers the ridicule, abuse, judgment, and condemnation of all sorts of people, the hunting by the devil, and the rejection and hostility of the religious world. The wound in his heart cannot be remedied by anyone! He saves corrupt mankind with great endurance, and he loves man with wounds, loves man with wounds. This is the most painful work. Mankind’s fierceness and resistance, condemnation and slander, framing and persecution, and hunting and slaughter, make God’s flesh take a great risk to do this work. Who understands his sufferings and can comfort him?” (from “God Loves Man with Wounds” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs) In the past, I only had some superficial understanding of God’s suffering for saving mankind. Today, in such a practical environment, I experienced a bit that the sufferings God undergoes are so great! The righteous and holy God is incarnated and lives with us, the filthy and corrupt men. He endures the ridicule, abuse, condemnation, slander, hunting, and slaughter of all sorts of people to save us. Even we believers in God often don’t understand God, or even misunderstand and complain against God. These various kinds of blows hurt God’s heart so greatly. However, God still loves man with wounds. God’s disposition is so great and so honorable! Before, I read these words in the Bible, “For as the lightning, that lightens out of the one part under heaven, shines to the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.” (Luke 17: 24-25) Today I saw that these words were indeed being fulfilled! Thinking of that, I was very distressed in my heart. I felt remorseful for not caring for God’s will before…. Before I came to myself, the evil cops hung a sign around my neck, on which was written “cultist,” and took photos of me. Then, they ordered me to squat down and point my finger at the gospel materials and took some photos. My legs were unbearably painful and I simply couldn’t squat down. At that time, my cell phone suddenly rang. I was startled, “It must be from the brothers and sisters. I mustn’t get them into trouble.” So I grabbed the phone and threw it hard on the floor. The phone broke. My action immediately infuriated those evil cops. They seized me by the collar like mad and lifted me up and slapped my face violently several times. Instantly, my face ached as if being burned by fire. My ears buzzed for a while and then couldn’t hear anything. Then, they kicked my legs hard. The evil cops still felt dissatisfied. They dragged me into a dark room, had me stand against the wall, and slapped my face violently. After that, they kicked and struck me. At that time, I forcibly held back my tears and prayed to God silently, “O Almighty God, I believe that there is your good purpose in all this. All that you do is good. No matter how you manipulate, I’m willing to obey. This suffering is what I should undergo. May your will be done!” Unexpectedly, after I prayed, my ears suddenly could hear. I heard an evil cop saying, “This woman is too stubborn. She hasn’t dropped a single tear or let out a cry. We haven’t fixed her hard enough for her to feel the pain. Bring an electric baton. Let’s see if she cries!” Another evil cop jabbed my thighs violently with the electric baton. Instantly, the sharp pain pierced my heart. I ached so badly that I fell to the floor and banged my head against the wall. Blood immediately streamed down from my head. Those evil cops pointed at me and roared, “Drop the act. Get up! You have three minutes. If you don’t get up, we’ll go on beating you. You wanna play dead?” However, no matter how they shouted, I really couldn’t move. In the end, they stopped after kicking me savagely for a while.
Facing the evil cops’ inhuman tortures, I really couldn’t hold on. So I prayed to God earnestly, “Almighty God, I can hardly hold on. May you give me faith and strength.” When I was extremely distressed, a hymn of God’s word rang in my ears, “Since you believe in God, you should present your heart before God. If you offer up your heart and present it before God, then you will surely not deny God in refining. … One day when God’s trial suddenly comes upon you, you will not only be able to stand on God’s side, but will also be able to bear testimony for God. At that time, you will be like Job and like Peter. As you have borne testimony for God, you will be a person who truly loves God and a person who willingly lays down his life, and you will be God’s witness. Only a refined love will be strong, not fragile. No matter when and how God tries you, if you can give no thought to your life and willingly give up everything for God and endure everything for God, your love will be pure and your belief will have reality. Only at that time will you be a person truly loved by God and a person truly perfected by God, a person perfected by God.” (from “Since You Believe in God, You Have to Put Your Heart Before God” in Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs) God’s revelation made me understand his will. Then, I prayed to God, “O God! I believe that today everything I encounter is out of your permission. Now I see clearly that the law enforcement agency under the CCP system is an agency of violence. I’m willing to give my heart to you and present it before you. O God, I know that only after I experience such a trial and refining can my heart of loving you be stronger. If today satan puts me to death, I’ll make no complaint. It’s my honor that I, a created being, can bear testimony for you. In the past, I didn’t perform my duty properly and was indebted to you too much. It’s most meaningful that I can have the opportunity to die for you today. I’m willing to obey.” After the prayer, I was greatly moved in my heart, feeling that it was so meaningful for me to suffer this for following God, and that even if I died, it was worthy. God’s words gave me infinite faith and strength.
About over ten minutes later, a female cop came over and got me up, and said hypocritically, “You’re at such an age. Your child has been in college. Is it worthwhile to suffer this? If you tell, you can get out immediately. You see, you dress like a poor beggar. What good is it?” Seeing that I didn’t have any reaction, she continued, “As a mother, you should think for your son. This matter will influence several generations of your family: your parents, your husband, your son, and your grandchildren. In the future, not to mention joining the army, rising as a cadre, or being a public servant, even being a security guard is impossible. Do you want your son to labor hard and do odd jobs living a poor life like you when he grows up?” Just when satan was carrying out its scheme, God’s words flashed within me, “Everything in the whole universe, without exception, is decided by me. Is there anything that is not in my hand? I’ll accomplish as I say. Among men, who can change my will?” (from “The First Piece of Word” of God’s Utterance to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh) God’s words made me see through satan’s scheme. I knew that they were threatening me with my child’s future. But I knew that man’s destiny is not in his own hand, nor in their hands, but in God’s hand. I wasn’t in the least restrained by them in my heart. The guidance of God’s words made me truly feel that God was with me and was keeping me. I had a firmer trust in God. Then I turned my head aside and kept silent. The female cop abused me and then went away angrily.
It was getting dark. Seeing that they couldn’t get anything from the sister and me, they could only send us to the county detention jail. But the cops there said that our case was very serious and we should be sent to the city detention house. When we arrived there, it was already past 1 a.m. There was a gate made of lines of iron sticks before our eyes, so ghastly and horrible. After we entered, first we were stripped naked for a search, and all the buttons and zippers on our clothes were cut off. Wearing the torn clothes, I felt that I was just like a beggar. Then we had to receive physical examination. They saw the wounds on my legs from the evil cops’ beating and saw that I even walked with difficulty, yet they made up lies through their teeth, “It’s very normal. It’s not serious.” The prison regulation stipulated clearly that we would be given medicine when we were found to have illness after examination. But actually they didn’t care about my life at all and even mocked me, “Since you believers in Almighty God have God as your protector, just bear it.” Then I was taken to a cell. A prisoner put her head out of the quilt and shouted at me, “Strip!” I begged her not to let me take off my underwear. She laughed insidiously and said, “Since you’re here, you should obey the rules!” Then, the other prisoners all put their heads out of their quilts and uttered various strange sounds. There were eighteen prisoners in the cell over twenty square meters. They were drug traffickers, murderers, embezzlers, and thieves. There, the job of the “boss,” the head of the cell, was to fix us by various means every day and she took delight in torturing us. In the morning, the “number two” in the cell taught me the rules. She ordered me to mop the floor twice every day and kept finding work for me to do. Moreover, I had to make products as many as others’ and even had to do faster.
Otherwise, I would be punished. The prison guards, like beasts, often fixed us without cause. One of the guards even threatened, “I’m the boss. I’m not afraid of your telling on me. If you dare, just do it. I’ll let you suffer enough! …” That gang of evil cops were simply lawless and rampant to the extreme. There, “money makes the mare go.” As long as the prisoners gave money to the guards, they could be beyond the arm of the “law.” An official’s wife who embezzled a huge sum of money often gave money to the guards and bought special dishes to the “boss” every day. So, she didn’t have to do anything all day long and had others wash her bowl and fold her quilt. Living in that hell, I still thanked God, for there were two sisters who believe in Almighty God there and we were like family. In those days, we three sisters would fellowship together once we had the opportunity, and we relied on God all the time, asking him to give us faith and strength. We sustained and helped each other and got through the difficulties together.
There, I was interrogated by the evil cops four times. Once, the interrogators introduced themselves, saying that they were from the City Public Security Bureau and the National Security Team. I thought to myself, “People from the City Public Security Bureau must have better quality and breeding than the ones from the small police station. They should enforce the law impartially.” However the fact countered my imagination. The man from the City Public Security Bureau entered the room and then lay on the chair, with his feet on the table. His whole body shook with smugness. He took a glance at me with scornful eyes, and then stood up and walked over to me. He lit a cigarette and took a deep draw on it and blew the smoke into my face. Seeing his look, I felt it too ridiculous. So, I prayed to God silently, “Almighty God, may you give me wisdom to defeat satan so that I can glorify and testify you.” At that time, the lackey from the National Security Team said, “We’ve known things about you. As long as you cooperate with us, we’ll release you immediately….” I took a look at him and sneered. They thought that I compromised, and said, “You’re willing to cooperate?” I answered, “I’ve long told you all that I can say.” The evil cop immediately became furious and cursed, “You this woman don’t appreciate my kindness. If you don’t say today, I’ll have plenty of time to accompany you. I’ll find your son from his school, making him drop out of the school….” Then, they took out my cell phone and threatened me, “Whose numbers are these in your SIM card? If you don’t speak clearly today, you’ll be sentenced to seven or eight years. We’ll let the prisoners torture you every day and make you feel worse than death.” No matter how he questioned me, I didn’t answer him the whole time. At that time, I didn’t feel afraid, because God’s words inspired me within, “This is because if you want to be saved and left, you have to undergo these sufferings. This is ordained. So it is a blessing that these sufferings come upon you. … The significance in it is very deep and very great. …” (from “He Who Has Lost the Holy Spirit’s Working Is in the Greatest Danger” in Christ’s Talks with Church Leaders and Workers) That interrogation lasted two and a half hours, but it was resultless. Even before they left, they still threatened me.
On January 6, 2013, the cops handling my case asked me to put on prison clothes and handcuffed me and took me back to the police station of my hometown in a prison van. There I learned that those evil cops had already found my son and in-laws, searched my house, and inquired about the information about me in those years. A cop of the local police station said, “We’ve been hunting this woman for years but failed to catch her. When her husband died, she came back and just stayed for one night, making us keep watch for several days in her house in vain. When her son had a heart operation, we went to the hospital and didn’t find her. Because of believing in God, she even abandoned her family. We must fix her hard this time….” Hearing those words, I cried in my heart, “Didn’t I want to go home? My husband’s death made me extremely grieved. When my son had an operation, I was deeply worried. How I wished to stay at his side. It wasn’t that I didn’t miss them, but that the CCP government had been persecuting me and I couldn’t go home!”
The car sped on the road to my home. I cried silently in my heart and kept praying to God, “O God! I’ve been away from home for several years. I’ll see my family in a while. I’m afraid that I might be weak at the sight of them and fall into satan’s scheme. May you help me so that I can live out the dignity and backbone of a believer in God before satan and won’t fall into their trap. I only wish that I can stand testimony for you and satisfy you.” After the prayer, I felt much relieved and got released in my heart. I knew that God was giving me strength. When the car was close to my home, the evil cops intentionally parked it on the road, and had me lead them to my home in prison clothes and handcuffs. The neighbors around all stood in the distance looking and pointing at me, and curses and jeers came from behind me…. Entering my house, I saw at once that my son was washing clothes in the yard. Hearing me enter, he even didn’t raise his head. I knew that he hated me in his heart. My in-laws’ hair was already gray. My mother-in-law came out and greeted the evil cops, saying nothing more. The evil cops asked, “Is she your daughter-in-law?” She nodded slightly. Then they began to threaten my in-laws, “If she doesn’t cooperate, her son will be kicked out at once as long as we make a call to his school. And even you old people’s subsistence allowance will be cancelled. All the favorable policies for you will be cancelled!” Threatened by the evil cops, the old couple lost countenance and even shivered when speaking. They hurriedly admitted that I had been believing in God outside in those six or seven years. Then the evil cops shouted at my mother-in-law, “The party and the people have been caring about you so much in these years. Tell me, is the CCP good or not?” She immediately said with fright, “Good.” “Is the policy good now?” “Yes. Yes.” “Aren’t these disasters of your family and your son’s death caused by your daughter-in-law? Isn’t she the ‘bane’ of your family?” My mother-in-law bent her head and nodded slightly. Seeing that their scheme succeeded, the evil cops pulled me into the room and asked me to look at my older son’s various certificates of merit on the wall. And they hypocritically pointed at me and scolded, “I’ve never seen such an inhuman person as you. You have such a good son, and you don’t look after him. What can you get from believing in God?” Looking at my son’s certificates on the wall, I thought, “My husband suddenly died in a car accident; my son denied me because his schooling was affected by my believing in God; my in-laws were frightened and threatened because of me. This family has already fallen apart! But who is the cause of all these? Is it because I believe in God? Isn’t it because of the CCP’s persecution that these disasters come one after another? Isn’t it because of their rumoring and framing that I couldn’t go back home?” At that time, the hatred for those satans the devils in my heart was going to burst out like a volcano about to erupt. I wanted to cry out loudly, “Satan the devil, I hate you! I hate you to my bones and blood! In these years, wasn’t it because you the CCP government persecuted me that I couldn’t go back home? Didn’t I want to stay with my son and give him motherly love and warmth? Didn’t I want to live a harmonious and happy life with my family?” I remembered Almighty God’s words, “… God will cause men who follow and worship him to prosper and cause men who resist and reject him to decline and perish.” (from “God Is Sovereign over the Destiny of All Mankind” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) “If mankind wants to have a good destiny and if a nation wants to have a good destiny, then all mankind has to fall down and worship God, and come before God to repent and confess their sins to God. Otherwise, mankind’s destiny and destination will be an inescapable disaster.” (from “God Is Sovereign over the Destiny of All Mankind” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) Why did my husband die? If he hadn’t believed the CCP’s rumors and hindered me from performing duty, persecuted the brothers and sisters, and frenziedly resisted and blasphemed God, how could he have lost God’s care and keeping? Wasn’t my husband killed by them satans? Today, my family is brought to ruin, broken up, and burdened with debts. Isn’t it caused by you the devilish party? If it isn’t you who use various kinds of tricks and means to deceive my family and cause them to resist God, will they be so poor? Will they lose God’s blessing? God clearly tells us that only if mankind worships God can they receive God’s blessing. Today you satan the devil don’t worship God and instigate my family to resist God! What is more hateful is that you instantly change your tune and play the “positive character” to preach, framing God for the root of my family’s misfortunes and shifting the blame on me. You’re really calling black white and talking nonsense! You gang of evil spirits run counter to right principles and play the trick of a thief crying “Stop thief.” You’re the real bane, scourge, and jinx! If anyone listens to your lies, he will get into trouble and will encounter disasters! You the CCP government are the real chief criminal that causes my family to be ruined! Living in such a country, how can people have happiness? After finishing their performance, the evil cops shouted at me, “Go!” I walked out of the house. I thanked Almighty God for keeping me, so that I saw through satan’s scheme and saw clearly the CCP evil party’s being reactionary and evil and stood testimony!
On January 12, I was interrogated one last time. Two evil cops again forced me to sell out the brothers and sisters. No matter how they intimidated and persecuted me, I said that I knew nothing. They immediately flared up and slapped my face hard and pulled my hair like mad. They pushed me back and forth and kicked my legs hard, and then fiercely struck my head with a copper tobacco pipe. They also cursed, “You think I dare not beat you? I just beat you; so what? I’ll see how tight-lipped you are!” I thanked Almighty God for his keeping. Though they tortured me so badly, I only felt numb all over, but didn’t feel much pain. The two evil cops tortured me for four hours. It was not until they were exhausted and sweated all over their face that they stopped. They sat on the sofa, breathing heavily, and said, “Well, you just wait to be in prison for life. We won’t release you even if you die!” After I heard those words, my heart was very calm, because I had resolved in my heart that I would rather die than yield to the devil. I prayed to God inwardly, “O God! I’m willing to commit myself to you. Even if the evil cops put me in prison for life, I’ll follow you to the end! Even if I’m put in hell, I’ll praise you!” Back to the cell, I just waited to be imprisoned for the rest of my life. Unexpectedly, God made a way out for me. On the afternoon of January 16, to my surprise, I was acquitted and released by the evil cops.
That deeply ingrained experience, like a nightmare, made me unable to recall. I had never dreamed that an ordinary woman like me, who lives in the mountain and even didn’t finish primary school, was regarded as an enemy by the CCP government and it resolved to put me to death because of my believing in God. I once asked them in an interrogation, “What have I done wrong? What law have I broken? What words of opposing the party and the people have I said? Why did you arrest me?” Those cops had nothing to answer but roared at me, “You can steal, rob, murder, commit arson, or prostitute yourself. We won’t care. Your believing in God is opposing the CCP. You deserve beating!” Those words of being arbitrary and confusing right and wrong are exactly the voice from the devil! It’s right and proper for man to believe in and worship God. But the devil shamelessly says that we act against it. It completely reveals the devil’s substance! The CCP government not only frenziedly resists God’s work and arrests believers in God, but also fabricates rumors to deceive people, so that those who believe its lies all live in God’s curse and punishment because of resisting God, but they’re totally unaware of that. It can be said that all of people’s sufferings are caused by the CCP government, this big bane! After experiencing the devil’s affliction, I completely saw through the CCP’s reactionary substance of being hostile to God and going against Heaven, truly tasted God’s love, and saw that God’s substance is beauty and good. Every time I was most distressed and had the hardest time, God’s word guided and inspired me within, giving me strength and faith, so that I was awakened in my spirit and truly felt God’s accompanying and guidance and got out of the difficulties time and again and stood testimony. God’s love is so great! From now on, I’ll dedicate my everything to repay God’s love, for gaining the truth and even more for living out a meaningful life.
