We've all believed in the Lord for many years and maintained His name. (Correct! Right!)
… and sacrifice everything to work for the Lord.
Are we not practicing the Lord's words?
Aren't we following His way? (Correct!)
If we didn't truly believe in the Lord,
could we have withstood all of that suffering,
borne our crosses and followed the Lord?
Is believing in God truly as easy as people think?
If people believe in God like this,
can they really obtain God's approval?
The Pharisees who were all denounced and condemned by the Lord Jesus,
isn't that the way they believed in God too?
Then why has their faith failed to gain the Lord's approval
and incurred His condemnation and curses instead?
Praise the Lord!
Hearing your testimony to Almighty God's word,
I understand that I have learned nothing from my years of faith in the Lord.
I failed to see the difference between belief in the Bible and the Lord.
I even used my own bit of knowledge about the Bible to constrain God's work.
I followed pastors and elders in resisting Almighty God.
Long ago I took the Pharisees' path in resisting God and didn't know it.
I'm far too arrogant and unwise.
When I look at my behavior,
I don't resemble a believer in the Lord!
My faith in the Lord had no reality;
I was basically an unbeliever!
Hey, Sister Jiang, how can you say that?
Right! Yeah!
We've all believed in the Lord for many years and maintained His name. (Correct! Right!)
We all read the Bible, pray, and confess our sins to the Lord;
we're humble, patient, and loving toward others.
We perform charity and donate
and sacrifice everything to work for the Lord. (That's all true.)
We spread the gospel. (Correct!)
Are we not practicing the Lord's words?
Aren't we following His way? (Correct!)
How can you say we had no reality of faith in the Lord and are unbelievers?
Right. How can you say that?
We all know Paul said in the Bible,
Amen!
Therefore, I think our faith in the Lord will obtain His praise. (Yes.)
When the Lord comes, He'll bring us to the kingdom of heaven. (Amen!)
Tell me, do you think I'm right? (Amen!)
What Sister Ma says makes sense. (I agree.)
If we didn't have real faith in the Lord,
how could we all sacrifice our work and youth for Him? (Yes!)
How could we suffer so much to spread His gospel and witness Him?
If we didn't truly believe in the Lord,
could we have withstood all of that suffering,
borne our crosses and followed the Lord? (Right.)
Would we rather suffer in jail than ever deny the Lord's name and betray Him?
Isn't this evidence that we all really believe in the Lord?
Indeed!
Isn't this how saints believed in the Lord throughout time? (Yes.)
How can you say this is not true faith in the Lord?
What say you to all these issues?
Yeah, explain to us!
Sister Miao, please sit down.
These issues,
let's let Brother Yu and Brother Zhao talk to us about them.
Good!
Yes, talk to us about them.
Do, please!
I'll listen to you.
Many believers think as long as they keep the Lord's name and read the Bible,
pray and gather frequently,
are willing to sacrifice everything for the Lord, and labor for Him,
then they're indeed true believers.
They think so long as they believe in the Lord in this way,
they'll be lifted into the kingdom of heaven when He returns.
Is believing in God truly as easy as people think?
If people believe in God like this,
can they really obtain God's approval?
The Pharisees who were all denounced and condemned by the Lord Jesus,
isn't that the way they believed in God too?
They also often prayed and worked very hard
and even traveled to the ends of the earth to spread the gospel.
Then why has their faith failed to gain the Lord's approval
and incurred His condemnation and curses instead?
Ah! I really don't know.
Yes, I've never thought about that problem before.
Those who've read the Bible understand
that although the Pharisees read the Bible, frequently prayed,
dutifully spread God's work, suffered immensely, and loved others,
though on the outside they appeared to be very devout, true believers,
in reality, God had no place in their hearts and they failed to magnify God.
In their faith,
they didn't focus on seeking the truth in God's words or understanding His will,
nor did they try to practice His words and follow His commandments.
They only focused on spreading knowledge about the Bible and theological theory,
on observing religious ceremonies and following rules to aggrandize themselves
so they might be worshiped by others.
For years, that's how they believed and they had no true knowledge of God.
They definitely were not obedient and reverent toward God.
Therefore, when the Lord Jesus was doing His work,
they never once searched for the truth.
They measured the Lord Jesus based on their conceptions and imaginings.
Regardless of how profound the preaching of the Lord Jesus was
or how much authority and power His work had,
they didn't search for or study them.
They fanatically resisted and condemned Him,
then crucified the Lord Jesus on the cross.
They were punished and they were cursed.
Everyone, please tell me, can the faith of the Pharisees be called true faith in God?
It can't. No.
Can God acknowledge the faith of the Pharisees?
Certainly not.
Correct! The Lord Jesus never did approve them.
Not only that, He condemned and cursed them, saying,
Isn't this true?
Yes, this is the truth!
The Pharisees only trusted their conceptions and imaginings;
they believed in the vague God in heaven.
They did not believe in the Lord Jesus incarnate who indeed expressed the truth.
They were all bored with the truth and hated the truth.
They believed in God but resisted God as well.
Tell me am I right?
Indeed. Yes. It's true.
They are not true believers in God! It's all true!
We are not the Pharisees.
Let's look at today's religious communities.
Pastors and elders mostly keep the Lord's name;
they pray in His name and read the Bible,
they forsake all for Him and labor for Him.
But when Almighty God expresses truth
and does His work of judgment in the last days,
they define God's work by their conceptions and imaginings.
They think God's words and work are in the Bible
and that anything that exceeds the Bible is heresy.
They know that Almighty God's words are the truth and can conquer men,
yet don't search for or study them.
They still spread rumors and lies to wildly slander, condemn, and blaspheme against Almighty God.
That's true.
They stop at nothing to prevent believers from seeking the true way.
They even report the witnesses of God's work in the last days.
Yes.
Yes, that's true.
Tell me, how are these pastors and elders any different from the Pharisees that resisted the Lord Jesus?
There's no difference. Their essences are the same.
Aren't they all aware of the true way but then resist it nonetheless? (Yes. Yeah.)
Aren't they both enemies of God that hate the truth?
That's right. Yeah. Indeed.
Thus we see that if people believe in and labor for the Lord
but just keep His name and appear devout,
that does not mean they practice the Lord's words or follow His way,
nor does it mean they're true believers that serve the Lord.
Right.
Appearing devout doesn't mean
they can magnify the Lord in their heart, revere Him, or obey Him;
it does not mean they understand truth or know God.
Correct.
What they say is true!
If people believe in the Lord
but don't seek the truth or practice and experience His words,
well then, no matter how many years those people believe in the Lord
or how they labor for Him,
they simply cannot obtain His praise. (Yes.)
This is especially true for pastors and elders in the religious communities.
Although they labor for the Lord's work,
they still fanatically resist and condemn Almighty God, Christ of the last days.
This is enough to prove that they are evildoers that resist God.
They are exposed as antichrists by God's work in the last days.
They'll surely incur God's curses and punishment.
Correct. Right.
This is the righteousness of God.
Yes.
It's just like the Lord Jesus said,
Indeed. Yes.
The words of Almighty God in the last days are clear too.
God's words carry such undeniable majesty.
Isn't this the wrath of God?!
God's words are clearly immutable truths. (Amen!)
Whether believers can gain His praise
doesn't depend on how much they work or how much they suffer;
it just depends on if they practice God's words or obey Him.
It's true. Right.
On the other hand, Paul had said,
These words are Paul's own conceptions and imaginings.
They aren't in accordance with God's words or the truth.
They are the opposite of God's words!
Yes. Indeed. Absolutely.
We all should now be able to see this.
Yes. Indeed. Thanks be to the Lord. Praise God.
After hearing you say all of this,
I can't help but look back at what Paul said.
These are Paul's own conceptions and imaginings; (Indeed.)
they're not in accordance with God's words.
They don't meet the requirements to be raptured into His kingdom.
That's all true. Yes. Correct.
For all these years,
we have been truly misled by Paul's words. (Yes.)
We focused on working for the Lord
and thought that when He returned, we'd attain the rapture.
We didn't try to seek truth or listen to God's voice.
Therefore, we almost missed our chance to greet the Lord.
Indeed. That is all the truth.
Paul's words have just tremendously hurt us.
That's right. Indeed. It's true.
Goudan!
What are you doing here?
Aunt, why have you come here?
I ran back to listen to the preachings.
Please come with me quickly.
What about the hospital?
What is going on?
Why are you panicked and sneaking around, Goudan?
Aunt, you must go. The police are coming for the preachers.
What? The police? How do you know that?
Don't ask. Please let's just go.
No, explain it to me. What happened?
Elder Sun has found out that the Eastern Lightning preachers are here preaching to us.
He's leading the police here to have them arrested!
Elder Sun? How is it Elder Sun knows?
Is it you? Did you send him a message? Tell me now!
Tell the truth!
Alright, Aunt, you know that I've been a bit low on cash lately!
Elder Sun said for each Eastern Lightning preacher I report, I'll get 5,000 yuan!
Two will get me 10,000.
You worthless fool! You're an imbecile!
You're more of a Judas than Judas!
How could you do something like that?
You …
Aunt … stop, please!
Thanks be to God. This fellowship's so clear.
Now it's evident what we originally thought
that believers who keep the Lord's name and labor for Him
will gain His approval and enter His kingdom,
was simply just absurd! (Yes. It's true.)
Hey! Brother Yu, Brother Zhao. (Yes?)
What does it mean to have true faith in God,
and how can we practice faith to gain His approval?
Please talk to us more about this. (OK.)
Thank God. Praise God. Let's.
Hey, what's Sister Wei here for?
Something's wrong! I must speak. (What's going on?)
Goudan has reported us all to Elder Sun.
And now Elder Sun is bringing the police here.
Where are they?
Elder Sun, just what is going on?
Someone must have tipped them off that we were coming!
This water's warm.
We're just too late!
Blast it! I was tricked!