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100 Almighty God’s Word Brought Me Back from the Dead
Xin Sheng
Nanyang City, Henan Province
Since 1996, people had begun to preach God’s new work to me. I had abused, cursed, and driven away the gospel preachers many times. At first, an elderly sister came to preach to me. I didn’t seek or investigate and blindly condemned, saying, “The Lord left on the white cloud, and He will also come with clouds. You say that the Lord has already come back. It’s exactly a cult, a deceptive, false way! …” Later, two sisters came to preach to me many times. I not only didn’t accept it but shouted abuse, “You’re Satans and evil spirits. Out! I will never listen to you! …” What’s more, I wildly spread my “righteous deeds” of resisting God’s new work at the meetings and asked the brothers and sisters to do so. And I often prayed to curse believers in Almighty God, hoping that they all would perish and go to hell…
My evil deeds incurred God’s anger, and soon God’s wrath came upon me. It was soon after I condemned God’s new work that my arthritis, which was cured four years ago, recurred. My legs ached as if being cut by a knife. I prayed to the Lord in tears every day, asking Him to cure my illness. However, the medical treatment cost more than 3,000 yuan, but it didn’t take a turn for the better. I was so numb and not aware that it was God’s discipline upon me. Instead of stopping my evil deeds, I resisted more fiercely. As a result, my illness became worse and worse. It recurred five or six times a year, and each time, its duration was one or two months. When it was worse, my legs were swollen and ached as if being burned by fire. Sometimes I really couldn’t bear it, so I slapped my face hard, banged my legs with my fist, bashed my head against the wall, or gnashed my teeth for pain wishing to bite my tongue off. It was really unbearable! In 2001, after an examination in Henan Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, I was diagnosed with bone canner. It struck me like a thunderbolt. “I’m done! My life will end up like this!” But I thought again, “My arthritis got cured after I believed in the Lord in the past. This time, I will still rely on the Lord. The Lord will surely grant grace to me.” After a few months’ treatment with the most advanced technology, which had cost more than 18,000 yuan, it was of no avail. My family was deeply in debt and couldn’t afford the medical expense anymore. I was really in deep grief, crying bitterly in helplessness…
But, sadly, although I was lying in bed and suffering from illness, I still did my utmost to resist God’s new work and hinder my mother from accepting it. Nevertheless, my mother accepted the true way resolutely in March 2002 despite my objection. She took some sisters to preach to me many times, but I refused them all. Once, a sister persuaded me, “Brother, have a listen! This is truly God’s word!” I was revolted and said fiercely, “Get away from me! You’re all evil spirits. I’d rather die than listen to you! …” To vent my hatred for God’s new work, I secretly tore up my mother’s book of God’s word when she wasn’t in and asked the Lord to have those preachers of Almighty God’s gospel suffer from a serious illness and destroy all their books… I was really like a beast at that time, without any conscience and sense. Almighty God says: “Whose unrighteousness could escape My eyes of chastisement? Whose sins could elude the hands of Me, the Almighty?” (from “None Who Are of the Flesh Can Escape the Day of Wrath” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) That’s right! Afterward, my illness became obviously worse. The bones of my legs ached as if they were broken into pieces and my arms began to suffer constant ache. The more I prayed to the Lord to cure me, the worse it became. In the end, my legs and my left hand were cold and numb without any sensation. On the morning of December 5, 2002, I was at the brink of death. Whenever I saw a person, I wept sadly. My tears, snot, and saliva were all over my face. And I was even incontinent. My family and our neighbors began to discuss how to arrange my funeral affairs. I knew I could only live for a few days. “I’m only just over thirty, and I really don’t want to die…”
It’s true that man’s end is God’s beginning! That afternoon, a sister preached the gospel to me again. She said to me sincerely with tears, “Brother, don’t be stubborn anymore! Please listen to God’s word! Whether it’s the true way or a false way, you can discern it yourself! …” At that time, I got an enlightenment from God. “Her words are right! I’m a goner anyway. Even if it’s a false way, I won’t suffer any loss if I listen to it.” So I nodded my head weakly. The sister read two passages of God’s word to me: “All that man believes are conceptions, and all that man accepts is according to the literal meaning, and is according to his imagination; it is out of line with the principles of the work of the Holy Spirit, and does not conform to the intentions of God. God would not do so; God is not so foolish and stupid, and His work is not so simple as you imagine. According to all that is done and imagined by man, Jesus will arrive on a cloud and will descend among you. You shall behold Him, and, riding a cloud, He shall tell you He is Jesus. You shall also behold the nail marks in His hands, and you shall know Him to be Jesus. And He shall save you again, and shall be your mighty God. He shall save you, bestow upon you a new name, and give each of you a white stone, after which you shall be allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven and be received into paradise. Are such beliefs not the conceptions of man? Does God work according to the conceptions of man, or does He work counter to the conceptions of man? Do not the conceptions of man all come from Satan? Has not all of man been corrupted by Satan? If God did His work according to the conceptions of man, would God not become Satan? Would He not be the same as the creatures? Since the creatures have now been so corrupted by Satan that man has become the embodiment of Satan, if God worked according to the things of Satan, would He not be in league with Satan? How can man fathom the work of God? And so, God does not work according to the conceptions of man, and does not work as you imagine. There are those who say that God Himself said that He would arrive on a cloud. It is true that God said so Himself, but do you know that the mysteries of God are unfathomable to man? Do you know that the words of God cannot be explained by man? Are you so certain that you were enlightened by the Holy Spirit? Did the Holy Spirit show you in so direct a manner? Are these the directions of the Holy Spirit, or are they your conceptions? He said, ‘This was said by God Himself.’ But we cannot use our own conceptions and minds to measure the words of God. As for the words of Isaiah, can you explain his words with complete confidence? Do you dare to explain his words? Since you do not dare to explain the words of Isaiah, why do you dare to explain the words of Jesus? Who is more exalted, Jesus or Isaiah? Since the answer is Jesus, why do you explain the words spoken by Jesus? Would God tell you of His work in advance? No creature can know, not even the messengers in heaven, nor the Son of man, so how could you know?” (from “The Vision of God’s Work (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) “Man believes that, following the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus went back to heaven upon a white cloud, and took His place at the Most High’s right hand. Similarly, man conceives that Jesus shall descend, again upon a white cloud (this cloud refers to the cloud that Jesus rode upon when He returned to heaven), among the mankind who has desperately yearned for Him for thousands of years, and that He shall bear the image and clothes of the Jews. After appearing to man, He shall bestow food upon them, and cause living water to gush forth for them, and shall live among man, full of grace and love, living and real. And so on. Yet Jesus the Savior did not do this; He did the opposite of what man conceived. He did not arrive among those who had yearned for His return, and did not appear to all men while riding upon the ‘white cloud.’ He has already arrived, but man does not know Him, and remains ignorant of His arrival. Man is only aimlessly awaiting Him, unaware that He has already descended upon a white cloud (the cloud which is His Spirit, His words, and His entire disposition and all that He is), and is now among a group of overcomers that He will make during the last days.” (from “The ‘Savior’ Has Already Returned Upon a ‘White Cloud’” in The Word Appears in the Flesh) After hearing these words, I was stunned. “Ah! The ‘white cloud’ doesn’t refer to the ‘white cloud’ in the sky, but God’s Spirit, God’s word, and all God’s disposition and being.” I gasped and thought to myself, “Isn’t Almighty God I have resisted the Savior Lord Jesus who has returned with the white cloud? I condemned God’s work of the last days, cursed and abused the gospel preachers, and tore up what the Spirit says to the churches. Haven’t I committed a monstrous sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit? No wonder I got such an incurable illness. This is because God’s righteous disposition has come upon me. It’s my deserved punishment and retribution! Almighty God’s love is really immeasurable! He sends His messenger to save me even at my last gasp, so that I can hear His personal utterance and see His beautiful countenance. This is truly God’s exceptional uplifting and grace to me.” Thinking of this, I burst into tears and lay prostrate before God, “Almighty God, I’m a son of disobedience who is doomed to perish. I have offended Your disposition. I am stiff-necked and have resisted You for as long as six years. According to my deeds, I really should deserve ten thousand deaths, and even death can’t atone for my crimes! God, today I know I’m a terribly wicked man who has resisted You. It’s me, not others, who should go to perdition and perish in the eighteenth hell. God, I don’t desire to survive but only wish to love You as long as I live! …”
After that, I completely forgot I was a dying man and began to enjoy the nourishment and supply of God’s word every day. I understood more truths a day than I had known in the past over-ten years. And I also truly understood the inner meaning of the word “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” I was really revived and happy! To my greater joy, I could get out of the bed and walk around in less than a month’s time. Before two months had passed, I could walk over ten miles to preach the gospel. From then on, I began to perform my duty. Our villagers were amazed at this and said, “Huh, a goner has completely recovered in such a short time, and it’s really a miracle!” In September 2003, I went to Henan Provincial Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital and Henan Provincial Rehabilitation Hospital for an examination. The experts there looked at me up and down in pleasant surprise. They all exclaimed, “It’s really a miracle! We have made research about this disease for decades and received thousands of its sufferers. Some of them died after the treatment failed, and some lived with disability. You are the first one who has recovered completely. It’s really a miracle!” I well knew that it was Almighty God who brought me back from the dead and gave me a second life. So many times I fell down before God and prayed, “Almighty God! I thank You and praise You! If it were not for Your salvation, I would have long died somewhere. Thank You for pulling me back from the brink of death by smiting and disciplining me sternly. I have deeply experienced that Your disposition doesn’t tolerate man’s offense. And I have seen that Your intention for mankind is to save, not to destroy. Almighty God, Your immense and deep love has melted my heart. For the rest of my life, I will devote my whole being to spreading Your kingdom gospel to repay Your great love and comfort Your heart!”
This is my personal experience. I hope that all brothers and sisters who haven’t yet come before Almighty God will learn a lesson from it. Please don’t blindly resist and condemn God’s new work like me and end up regretting all your life. May brothers and sisters all give up your notions and seek and investigate Almighty God’s work of the last days, and return to God’s throne early!
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