Despite governmental repression, and hostility by some leaders of the mainline Christian churches, the Church of Almighty God grew in China and, according to Chinese official sources, had reached four million members in 2014. This work is final, and there will not be another incarnation of God after the present Almighty God. However, scholars who studied the documents of the subsequent trial, where two of the assassins were sentenced to death, concluded that the group, although using the name Almighty God, was not part of the Church of Almighty God and in fact believed in a different Almighty God, a dual deity incarnated in the two female leaders of the movement: Zhang Fan (19842015), who was executed, and L Yingchun. The return to Heaven of Almighty God would mean that the purification work had come to an end. Return to God. https://www.findshepherd.com/behold-the-scroll-has-been-opened.html. The Church of Almighty God teaches that even today rainbows appear to remind us of Gods love. Dunn, Emily (2015b) Lightning from the East: Heterodoxy and Christianity in Contemporary China, Leiden: Brill. Since the Zhaoyuan McDonald's murder of 2014 (discussed in the Controversies section), the repression in China has intensified, and several thousand members have escaped abroad, where they have founded churches in South Korea, the United States, Italy, Canada, and other countries, in addition to those established in Hong Kong and Taiwan. How fortunate we are! 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.). 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). What is the Millennial Kingdom? What won him was the doctrine of the two stages of salvation, and the idea that saved and purified are different concepts. Some people think about it a lot, and say that the Millennial Kingdom will last for a thousand years on earth, so if the older members of the church are unmarried, do they have to get married? Max (2017) I Will No Longer Define the Gender of the Returned Lord by My Imagination. https://www.findshepherd.com/no-longer-define.html. 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. Although humans sin, God loves them to the point of taking personal care of their clothing. 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. 1973), who was born in northwestern China. The Church of Almighty God believes that this millennial scenario will fulfill the prophecy in the Book of Revelation, And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. The testimony and the strenuous activities of the followers of Almighty God are in themselves beautiful (The Church of Almighty God 2017a: 9). Although some members of the Church of Almighty God developed an interest in the so-called Mayan prophecies predicting the end of the world in 2012 (see below, under Controversies), they were rebuked by the leaders, as their position was not consistent with the theology of the Church. Some have been posted on the Web by independent human rights organizations, which regard them as believable. On July 17, 2009, Ma Suoping (female, 19692009), who took over He Zhexuns role, was also arrested by the Chinese police and died while in custody. 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. 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. Sometimes, families and opponents complain that the routine of fellowshipping takes too much time and distracts believers from their secular pursuits. Tina, however, asked them whether, since she fellowshipped, she had become a better or worse mother and wife. http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2014-08- 22/123730728266.shtml. My family has no money, should I start making money? The claim was also repeated by mainline media in the West. Although Jesus was able to endure every hardship, to be humble and hidden, to be crucified for God, God only gained one part of His glory, and His glory was gained in Israel. The Church of Almighty God has appeared in all lists of xie jiao ever since. Thus, although people saw that God had gained great glory, this was not the entirety of His glory; it was only one part of His glory, which He had gained from Jesus (The Church of Almighty God 2015). Up till now, only my father, my younger brother, my younger sister, L Yingchun, Zhang Qiaolian and me are adherents of the real Almighty God. In 2010, I was the firstborn son of Almighty God. I became God Himself because I obtained the authority from the heaven to kill evil spirits this May [2014]. At that time, the words spoken by God will guide people step by step, and reveal all of the mysteries of Gods work from the time of creation until today, and His words will tell people of Gods actions in every age and every day, how He guides people inside, the work He does in the spiritual realm, and will tell man [sic] of the dynamics of the spiritual realm. The visible sign that the Age of the Millennial Kingdom has arrived will be that all nations will come under Gods name, and all come to read Gods words, a situation obviously not yet realized in the present Age the Kingdom. How was this possible, since he firmly believed he had been saved by Jesus? Before starting his ministry, Jesus was God incarnate in the form of a normal man. His divinity was made manifest only after he formally started his ministry. The Church also maintains that some flyers and brochures depicted in Chinese anti-xie-jiao Web sites as evidence of its 2012 prophecies were in fact either fabricated or derived from alterations with Photoshop and other techniques of existing materials of the Church of Almighty God. The Church of Almighty God (2017c) Declaration Concerning Websites Imitating The Church of Almighty God, February 24, 2017. https://www.holyspiritspeaks.org/solemn-declaration/. 1951), a native of the Heilongjiang Province in China, who was at that time a leader in an independent branch of the Shouters movement. Compiled by Yang Feng. This beauty manifests first in the life itself of the believers. Do you know? In fact, Chinese anti-cult sources started associating the crime with the Church of Almighty God only in June 2014, after the McDonalds murder, and ten months after the local police had closed the case by concluding that the aunt was the sole perpetrator (Folk 2017b). 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. Other controversies concern the denial of refugee status to members of the Church of Almighty God who escaped to South Korea and other countries. Dunn, Emily (2015a) Church of Almighty God / Eastern Lightning, World Religions and Spirituality Project, February 19, 2015. https://wrldrels.org/2016/10/08/church-of-almighty-god/. In the last days, the work of Almighty God has the main aim to eradicate the humans sinful nature. As Almighty God revealed, all that is beautiful and pure in this world will survive: This life, this beauty, from time immemorial and forevermore, will not change. They also see clearly the satanic and demonic essence of the leaders of the [mainline] religious world and the atheistic political regime of the Chinese Communist Party. Beauty is, first, an inherent feature of the words of Almighty God, described as uniformly beautiful and moving (The Church of Almighty God 2017a: 3). Although the movement never mentions her name nor any biographic details, and cautions that any information supplied by outside sources may be wrong, most scholars believe it identifies the incarnated Almighty God with a Chinese woman, Yang Xiangbin (b. Definitions of xie jiao are, however, vague. Testimony of a Church member persecuted in China, presented at a human rights conference in Seoul on October 23, 2017. The figure is disputed by scholars, and the situation in China makes statistics difficult. His mother repeated to Max the words of Almighty God: Each stage of work done by God has a real significance. Planet Earth, however, will not be destroyed. (Documents on the McDonalds murder, from a Chinese governmental source): The Beijing News (2014) : (The Confession of the Defendant of the Murder Case in Zhaoyuan, Shandong: I am God Himself), August 23, 2014. 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. The scroll has been opened! (Ann 2017). Folk, Holly (2018) Protestant Continuities in The Church of Almighty God. The Journal of CESNUR 2(1):58-77. http://cesnur.net/wp-content/u Introvigne, Massimo (2017a) Cruel Killing, Brutal Killing, Kill the Beast: Investigating the 2014 McDonalds Cult Murder in Zhaoyuan, The Journal of CESNUR 1:61-73. http://cesnur.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/tjoc_1_1_6_introvigne_ter.pdf. The state labeled Zhao Weishans fake Church of Almighty God as a xie jiao, and we label them as evil spirits. Only Zhang Fan and I, the firstborn sons, could represent the real Church of Almighty God. Zhang Fan and I are the unique spokeswomen for the real Almighty God. The government has been cracking down on the Almighty God that Zhao Weishan believes in, not the Almighty God we mention. It will become the eternal home of Gods purified followers. In fact, the notion of xie jiao was born in the Ming period, and a more correct translation is heterodox teachings. What teachings were heterodox was determined by the Emperor, and lists of xie jiao were based on both theological and political grounds. 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. Then I lost not a moment in preaching the gospel to my family; both my mother and husband have come before God. He was later recognized as the Man Used by the Holy Spirit, and the Priest of the Church of Almighty God. Portraits of twelve members and leaders who, according to the Church, were killed during the repression in China. The Church of Almighty God (2017b) Statement: The Church of Almighty God Did Not Kidnap 34 Leaders of China Gospel Fellowship in 2002. The disasters prophesied in the Book of Revelation will follow, in the shape of earthquakes, wars, and famines. 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). (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. 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. https://www.holyspiritspeaks.org/solemn-declaration/. Its inclusion was also supported by some leaders of both the State-controlled Three Self Church and some House Churches, which regarded the fact that the Church of Almighty God believes that a living person is the Second Coming of Christ as heretical. They are attempting to obtain control over the human race forever. But they will be ultimately defeated (Max 2017). 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/. As happened with Tibetan Buddhism, the persecution in China and the international diaspora of the Church of Almighty God had two unintended consequences. Second, it also caused an unexpected flourishing of artistic activities within the communities outside of mainland China (see Introvigne 2017b). Many Christians in the Chinese House Church movement believed that those words were from the Holy Spirit and started to read them in their gatherings from 1991, when the Church of Almighty God emerged, and subsequently when the person who was the source of these messages was recognized as Christ, the incarnate God and the only one true God. I am so grateful to God for His mercy and salvation upon me. In 1995, both the Shouters and the Church of Almighty God were included in the list. Stay up to date with CenSAMM News and Information, Profiles of Millenarian & Apocalyptic Movements, https://www.holyspiritspeaks.org/statement/. 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. A Declaration Concerning Websites Imitating The Church of Almighty God was issued by the Church denouncing the incident (The Church of Almighty God 2017c). At age 14, he came back to the United States to attend high school there. Now I have beheld the path of achieving purification and reaching the true salvation. Only when the day comes on which people are made perfect by God, and are able to surrender before Him, and can completely obey God, and leave their prospects and fate in the hands of God, then the second part of Gods glory [the first having been achieved by Jesus] will have been entirely gained.. 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. [] Will Satan just do nothing as God comes to do the work of saving man and helping man break away from Satans dark influence? Words of Almighty God about the Millennial Kingdom. After 2014, members of the Church of Almighty God were able to practice their religion freely and openly outside China, and a number of important artistic productions followed. Tina was not religious, but was curious about the future of humanity and the causes of the present troubles. It is not willing to be defeated. 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. Christopher (2016) A Pastors Spiritual Confession. https://www.findshepherd.com/a-pastor_s-spiritual-confession.html. Nor do we know exact dates. Tagged: Some of them entered the circuit of the Christian film festivals, the theology of which is undoubtedly far removed from that of the Church of Almighty God but, nonetheless, they have honored some of the movies, including the musical Xiaozhens Story and the docudrama Chronicles of Religious Persecution in China, with several significant awards. There is no pattern of the religious lifes frequency or duration, which depends on the needs and situations of the members of each local community. 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. One of the distinctive characteristics of the new kingdom of God is beauty (The Church of Almighty God 2017a: 46, 88). As mentioned earlier, the belief that the world would end in 2012 was inconsistent with the Church of Almighty Gods theology. The Church also reports that many of its members were tortured in China, and some died while in custody in suspicious circumstances. Finally, he overcame his doubts through a theological approach. Some Chinese media attributed the crime to members of the Church of Almighty God. 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. Ann, an American convert, was raised as a Jehovahs Witness. The Kidnapping Incident Is Simply a Fabrication, October 18, 2017. https://www.holyspiritspeaks.org/statement/. And this will not occur before the work of Almighty God on Earth is completed. 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. In light of the great disasters and various signs of the last days mentioned in Revelation, I was more convinced in my heart that the last days have arrived, and the little scroll [of Revelation 10:10] shall have been opened now. People are purblind, and suffer a great ordeal. the Protestant churches that are not part of the government-controlled Three Self Church, and are also known as House Churches or Underground Churches).