It came to be accepted by the movement, and refers to a passage in Matthew 24:27: For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. This lighting that comes from the east, according to the Church, is Jesus Christ returning as Almighty God, from a country in the east, China, to inaugurate the third age of humanity. Some Chinese media attributed the crime to members of the Church of Almighty God. Although the sinful nature of humans justified Gods wrath, from the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden to the Flood and beyond, God also revealed and manifested his love. With Jesus sacrifice on the cross, the sins of humans were forgiven, but their sinful nature was not eradicated. The religious world and the satanic CCP regime have teamed up together and through the internet and media, they spread rumors about and smear the name of the Church of Almighty God without restraint in order to deceive those who do not have the truth or cannot distinguish. The beliefs of the Church of Almighty God derive from The Word Appears in the Flesh, first published in 1997, which is a collection of the utterances of Almighty God, amounting to more than 1,000,000 words, considered by the Church as normative and including what the Spirit saith unto the churches (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17; 3:12) and the truths to be expressed by the Spirit of truth (John 16:13) in the last days, as prophesied in the Bible (The Church of Almighty God 2017a). In the mid-1990s, a harsh repression targeted both the Shouters and the Church of Almighty God, whose theological differences were not necessarily clear to the Chinese authorities. Tagged: The testimony and the strenuous activities of the followers of Almighty God are in themselves beautiful (The Church of Almighty God 2017a: 9). The Republican and Communist governments inherited this old notion and policy. The Scroll Has Been Opened! The return to Heaven of Almighty God would mean that the purification work had come to an end. He believed to be a good and effective Christian pastor, yet after years of service to his church he still looked on himself as a sinful and less than perfect human being, who easily lost his temper with his family. A Churchs video about family life and worship. Almighty God does not announce the end of the world, but its transformation. If you like, I can invite her to have a meeting and fellowship with us about it as well as how the little scroll prophesied in Revelation is opened. Interestingly, and following a pattern repeated in other stories of conversions by Westerners, fellowshipping with the more experienced believer, Sister Flora, also took place on Facebook. My family has no money, should I start making money? Among those converted to the message and the person of Almighty God was Zhao Weishan (b. In the Last Days, he learned, under the guidance of Gods words, more and more people are able to distinguish the evil forces that originate from Satan. Then I lost not a moment in preaching the gospel to my family; both my mother and husband have come before God. Since then, they have lived and directed the movement from New York. When people give great praise before Me, Almighty God revealed, I am exalted among all things, and thus the flowers on earth grow more beautiful beneath the hot sun, the grass becomes more verdant, and the clouds in the sky seem more blue (The Church of Almighty God 2017a: 121). Almost by coincidence, when performing a different search on the Web, he found a Web site of the Church of Almighty God, became interested in the Churchs theology, and wrote seeking a contact. In the same year, the person identified by the movement as Almighty God formally entered the House Church movement. For example, Christianity as a whole was classified as a xie jiao in 1725, but taken out of the list in 1842, due to Western political and military pressure. They answer the criticisms by claiming that, in fact, the teachings make them better Christians and better family men and women, and help them learn how to treat their family and relatives more appropriately. And this will not occur before the work of Almighty God on Earth is completed. Dunn, Emily (2015b) Lightning from the East: Heterodoxy and Christianity in Contemporary China, Leiden: Brill. In this section, we present one of them through a video, and then discuss four personal stories of conversion. Almighty God came to inaugurate the third age of humanity, the Age of Kingdom, which follows the Age of Law, i.e. In the Age of the Millennial Kingdom, people will have already been made perfect and the corrupt disposition within them will have been made pure. However, an examination of available sources supports the conclusion that the crime was perpetrated by Guo Bins aunt, a mentally disturbed person who later committed suicide, and had nothing to do with the Church of Almighty God. According to the Book of Genesis (3:21), God made them with his own hands. Do you know? It is not willing to be defeated. http://en.people.cn/n/2014/0603/c90882-8735801.html, https://wrldrels.org/2016/10/08/church-of-almighty-god/, http://cesnur.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/tjoc_1_2_5_folk.pdf, http://cesnur.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/tjoc_1_1_6_introvigne_ter.pdf, https://wrldrels.org/2017/12/04/church-of-almighty-god-eastern-lightning-and-the-visual-arts/, https://wrldrels.org/2017/10/16/lu-yingchun-zhang-fan-group/, https://www.findshepherd.com/behold-the-scroll-has-been-opened.html, https://www.findshepherd.com/a-pastor_s-spiritual-confession.html, https://www.findshepherd.com/no-longer-define.html, Critical Dictionary of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements (CDAMM), Online resources (open-access videos and podcasts), Biblical, early Christian, and early Jewish millenarian and apocalpytic movements, Apocalypticism and related ideas in the Bible, early Judaism and early Christianity, Reformation, early modern and nineteenth century, Waco, David Koresh and the Branch Davidians, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Links to external resources about apocalyticism and millenarianism, The Study of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements Conference 2022, The Study of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements Conference 2021, Video Games and Religion: Apocalypse and Utopia, Apocalypticism and Millenarian Movements in the Ancient World, Virtual Symposium: The Cold War and the End Times, The Study of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements Conference 2020, The Study of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements Conference 2019, Natural Disasters and the Apocalypse (1500 to Present) Sept 13, 2018, Apocalypse in Art: The Creative Unveiling (June 28 and 29, 2018), Apocalypse in Art: The Creative Unveiling (June 2018) media archive, AI and Apocalypse conference (April 2018) media archive, Leila Johnston: CenSAMM Artist in Residence for 'AI and Apocalypse', Michael Takeo Magruder: CenSAMM Artist in Residence for 'Apocalypse in Art: The Creative Unveiling'. The Church of Almighty God is personally led and shepherded by the person it recognizes as Almighty God, while Zhao Weishan is cooperating with the work of Almighty God, and is in charge of the administrative affairs of the Church. In early 2009, He Zhexun, who used to be in charge of the work of the Church in Mainland China, was arrested by the Chinese authorities. Definitions of xie jiao are, however, vague. One of the distinctive characteristics of the new kingdom of God is beauty (The Church of Almighty God 2017a: 46, 88). Believers respond to this divine beauty by producing beauty on Earth. Attempts by the Church of Almighty God to have it removed have been so far unsuccessful. As she grew up, through the years, I saw that the disasters across the world became ever more frequent and the people increasingly panicked and corrupt. While authorities in these countries claim that there is not enough evidence of the fact that asylum seekers have been persecuted, some international experts counter this with the argument that, since the Church of Almighty God is persecuted as a movement, this is sufficient evidence that the members can be viewed as genuine asylum seekers, and decisions unfavorable to applicants are unjustified (oryt 2018). (Christian counter-cult approach): Shen, Xiaoming, and Eugene Bach (2017) Kidnapped by a Cult: A Pastors Stand Against a Murderous Sect, New Kensington, Pennsylvania: Whitaker House. The Church of Almighty God has also been accused of predicting the end of the world for 2012, within the global framework of the 2012 phenomenon, based on prophecies attributed to the Maya civilization, causing riots and even crimes around China. As mentioned earlier, the belief that the world would end in 2012 was inconsistent with the Church of Almighty Gods theology. Later, I will preach to my daughter and friends, too. The McDonalds murder as captured by a surveillance camera. It will become the eternal home of Gods purified followers. It doesnt mean that he has been completely purified. The sinful disposition remains, and is only being eradicated now, by the second appearance of Christ as Almighty God in the Last Days. There is no formal liturgy in the Church of Almighty God, nor sacraments such as baptism or eucharist. This was another justification used by Chinese authorities to arrest a great number of members of the Church. Folk, Holly (2017) Cult Crimes and Fake News: Eye-Gouging in Shanxi, The Journal of CESNUR 1(2):96-109. http://cesnur.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/tjoc_1_2_5_folk.pdf. In the last days, the work of Almighty God has the main aim to eradicate the humans sinful nature. (Journalistic account, largely adopting the anti-cult perspective): Gracie, Carrie (2014) The Chinese Cult That Kills Demons BBC News, August 13, 2014, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-28641008. Max was born in the United States but his parents soon returned with him to their home country, China. Nor do we know exact dates. There, when she asked for details about the Last Days, the pastor answered: These are all mysteries, and you dont have to know. Disappointed again, she returned to the Jehovahs Witnesses. The Church of Almighty God (2017b) Statement: The Church of Almighty God Did Not Kidnap 34 Leaders of China Gospel Fellowship in 2002. First, it led to a globalization of the movement, as non-Chinese started joining it in South Korea, the United States, and elsewhere, although ethnic Chinese still form the majority of the communities in most diaspora countries. http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2014-08- 22/123730728266.shtml. Since 1996, the Church of Almighty God has been severely persecuted in China. When a group of believers will have been made perfect, and the righteous will have been acknowledged and the evildoers exposed, the work of Almighty God will come to an end and God and humans will enter into eternal rest (see below, under Millennial Beliefs.). The Church of Almighty God has appeared in all lists of xie jiao ever since. At this stage, Gods work on the China mainland will come to an end; in other words, when those who were predestined and chosen by God have been made perfect, God will be glorified. The Church does not believe that the person it worships as Almighty God would live on earth forever. The Church defines as its member whoever truly believes in God, has good humanity, and is certain that Almighty God is the returned Jesus in our days from China, a country that, according to the Church, represents at the same time the place where the evil dragon of the Book of Revelation manifested itself in the semblance of the Chinese Communist Party and the place where the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the Eastern Lightning, must manifest himself. Her daughter and husband were originally concerned she spent too much time on her religious activities, and also read on the Web that the Church of Almighty God was a dangerous cult. I will proclaim Gods words and I want to say my heartfelt word: Behold! The Word Appears in the Flesh also mentions the piteous state of those who, remaining outside the new kingdom, are deprived of this beauty, watching the beautiful scenes within the kingdom but unable to enter (The Church of Almighty God 2017a: 166). Accusations include the claim that, in 2002, the Church of Almighty God kidnapped thirty-four leaders of the China Gospel Fellowship, one of the largest House Churches in China, in order to convert them (Shen and Bach 2017). These figures are impossible to verify, but do not appear unbelievable if one considers the frequent references to successful campaigns against the Church of Almighty God in Chinese anti-xie-jiao propaganda and other official sources. A miracle follows: nature itself reacts to the efforts and prayers of the believers and becomes more beautiful. There are only a handful of photographs of both Yang and Zhao, allegedly taken many years ago and whose authenticity cannot be proved. Xie jiao were defined as illegal organizations, which, through fraudulent use of religion, qi gong, or any other name, by deifying and promoting their ringleaders, or by fabricating and spreading superstitious fallacies and other means to confuse and deceive others (), control group members and harm society.. After reading and carefully investigating the words of Almighty God, Ann converted and concluded: Ive fully ascertained that Almighty God is really the return of the Lord Jesus. She discovered the Church of Almighty God on Facebook and started fellowshipping. This name was originally given to the group by outside observers. A video posted on the movements Web site in 2015 distinguishes between the Age of Kingdom, in which we now live, and the Age of the Millennial Kingdom: How do you see the vision of the Millennial Kingdom? Compiled by Yang Feng. When Jesus arrived, He was male, and this time He is female. Christian, Eastern Lightning, Messianic, China, Yang Xiangbin, Zhao Weishan, Book of Revelation. A Declaration Concerning Websites Imitating The Church of Almighty God was issued by the Church denouncing the incident (The Church of Almighty God 2017c). She persuaded Ann that The Word Appears in the Flesh expressed by Almighty God in the last days is precisely the little scroll opened by the Lamb mentioned in the Bible, and includes all the truths we need to know about the Last Days. Introvigne, Massimo (2017b) The Church of Almighty God and the Visual Arts, World Religions and Spirituality Project, December 3, 2017. https://wrldrels.org/2017/12/04/church-of-almighty-god-eastern-lightning-and-the-visual-arts/. Portraits of twelve members and leaders who, according to the Church, were killed during the repression in China. Not all members of the Church of Almighty God will survive the disasters and live forever, only those purified by Gods work. L Yingchun is also God in substance (The Beijing News 2014). With their sinful nature truly eradicated, the saints made perfect by God will live forever in the Kingdom, surrounded by peace and beauty. Sometimes, families and opponents complain that the routine of fellowshipping takes too much time and distracts believers from their secular pursuits. Speaking of God Himself, that is to say, I am God in substance. In fact, the Millennial Kingdom has yet to officially arrive. The most recent attempt to date resulted in Rule 1 of the Interpretations on the Issues Concerning the Application of Laws in Criminal Cases Relating to Organizing and Utilizing Evil Organizations to Destroy Law Enforcement, issued on January 25, 2017, by the Peoples Supreme Court and the Office of the Peoples Supreme Attorney.