We listen to and obey the pastors and the elders in everything. Is this obeying God? Can we be saved by believing in God this way?

We listen to and obey the pastors and the elders in everything. Is this obeying God? Can we be saved by believing in God this way?

believing in Almighty God.

The answer from Almighty God’s word:

     “People who believe in God should obey God and worship Him. You should not exalt or look up to any person; you ought not to give first place to God, second place to the people you look up to, and third place to yourself. No person should hold a place in your heart, and you should not consider people—particularly those you venerate—to be on a par with God, to be His equal. This is intolerable to God.”

from “The Ten Administrative Decrees That Must Be Obeyed by God’s Chosen People in the Age of Kingdom” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

It is written in Revelation, “If any man shall add to these things, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” How is God’s work of the last days related to the prophecies in Revelation? Has it fully fulfilled the prophecies in Revelation?

It is written in Revelation, “If any man shall add to these things, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” How is God’s work of the last days related to the prophecies in Revelation? Has it fully fulfilled the prophecies in Revelation?

Revelation of Almighty God.

The answer from Almighty God’s word:

“When you have finished reading this book, when you have experienced each step of the work of God incarnate in the Age of Kingdom, you will feel that the hopes of many years have finally been realized. You will feel that only now have you truly seen God face-to-face; only now have you gazed upon the face of God, heard the personal utterance of God, appreciated the wisdom of God’s work, and truly sensed how real and almighty God is. You will sense that you have gained many things that people of times past have never seen or possessed. At this time, you will clearly know what it is to believe in God, and what it is to be after God’s heart. Of course, if you cling to views of the past, and reject or deny the fact of the second incarnation of God, then you shall remain empty-handed and acquire nothing, and ultimately be guilty of opposing God.

How did the Bible come into being? What kind of book is the Bible?

Bible and Almighty God.

The answer from Almighty God’s word:

     “The things recorded in the Old Testament are Jehovah’s work in Israel, and that which is recorded in the New Testament is the work of Jesus during the Age of Grace; they document the work done by God in two different ages. The Old Testament documents the work of God during the Age of Law, and thus the Old Testament is a historical book, while the New Testament is the product of the work of the Age of Grace. When the new work began, these books became out of date—and thus, the New Testament is also a historical book. Of course, the New Testament is not as systematic as the Old Testament, nor does it record as many things.”

from “Concerning the Bible (1)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Why do people always use the Bible to define God? Why is it wrong to define God within the Bible?

Bible and Almighty God

The answer from Almighty God’s word:

     “The Bible has been accompanying man for several thousand years of history, and people all treat it as God, and in the last days people even replace God’s place with the Bible, which is a thing greatly loathed by God. So, in His leisure time, God has to make clear both the inside truth and the origin of the Bible. If not, in man’s heart the Bible can still take the place of God, and people will still condemn and measure God’s doings with the letters of the Bible. By explaining the substance and structure of the Bible and the flaws in it, God is not denying the existence of the Bible or condemning the Bible, but giving a proper and appropriate statement about it and showing what the Bible really is, correcting people’s erroneous knowledge about the Bible, so that they all can have an accurate view about the Bible, no longer worship the Bible, and no longer lose the direction—considering blindly believing in the Bible as believing in God and worshiping God, and even daring not to face the true background of the Bible and the flaws in it. After people all have a pure knowledge of the Bible, they will cast it off without any misgiving and accept God’s new word boldly. … Here, the truth God wants to tell man is that no theory or fact can replace God’s practical work and word, and no thing can take the place of God. If one cannot break away from the trapping of the Bible, then he can never possibly come before God. If one wants to come before God, he needs to first sweep away all the things in his heart that can replace God. Thus God will be satisfied. Although here God only gives explanations about the Bible, you should not forget that apart from the Bible, there are many other erroneous things that man truly worships, and that the only things that man does not worship are those truly from God. God just takes the Bible as an example to remind everyone: Do not take the wrong way, and do not go to extremes and fall into confusion again while you believe in God and receive God’s word.”

What is the relationship between God’s work and the Bible? Which comes first, God’s work or the Bible?

Almighty God and Bible.

The answer from Almighty God’s word:

     “… it is nothing more than a historical record of God’s work, and a testament to the previous two stages of God’s work, and offers you no understanding of the aims of God’s work. Everyone who has read the Bible knows that it documents the two stages of God’s work during the Age of Law and the Age of Grace. The Old Testament chronicles the history of Israel and Jehovah’s work from the time of creation until the end of the Age of Law. The New Testament records Jesus’ work on earth, which is in the Four Gospels, as well as the work of Paul; are they not historical records? … By reading the Bible, at most you’ll understand a little of the history of Israel, you’ll learn about the lives of Abraham, David, and Moses, you’ll find out about how they revered Jehovah, how Jehovah burned those who opposed Him, and how He spoke to the people of that age. You’ll only find out about God’s work in the past. The records of the Bible relate to how the early people of Israel revered God and lived under the guidance of Jehovah. Because the Israelites were God’s chosen people, in the Old Testament you can see all the people of Israel’s loyalty to Jehovah, how all those who obeyed Jehovah were cared for and blessed by Him, you can learn that when God worked in Israel He was full of mercy and compassion, as well as possessed of consuming flames, and that all the Israelites, from the lowly to the mighty, revered Jehovah, and so the whole country was blessed by God. Such is the history of Israel recorded in the Old Testament.”

Are there any prophecies about God’s work of the last days in the Bible? Why is it that nobody can unlock the Bible?

Almighty God and prophecies.

The answer from Almighty God’s word:

     “… let us not verify each statement. Instead, let us look at how the Holy Spirit works. Let us compare against the truth to see whether the path we walk is in line with the work of the Holy Spirit, and use the work of the Holy Spirit to check whether such path is correct. As for whether this statement or that statement has come to pass, we humans should not interfere. It is better for us to instead speak of the work of the Holy Spirit and the latest work that God is doing now. The Bible comprises the words of God told by the prophets and the words written by the men God used at the time; only God Himself can explain those words, only the Holy Spirit can make known the meaning of those words, and only God Himself can break the seven seals and open the scroll. You are not God, and neither am I, so who dares to explain at will the words of God? Do you dare explain those words? Even if the prophets Jeremiah, John and Elijah were here, they would not dare to, for they are not the Lamb. Only the Lamb can break the seven seals and open the scroll, and none other can explain His words. …

Why does God do the work of the last days in China instead of in Israel?

Why does God do the work of the last days in China instead of in Israel?

Almighty God and Israel.

The answer from Almighty God’s word:

“Why is the work of the last days done in China, the darkest and the most backward place? It is for revealing God’s holiness and righteousness. In a word, the darker a place is, the better God’s holiness can be revealed. Actually doing so is all for the sake of God’s work. Now you have known that the God in heaven has descended to earth and stood among you and has been set off by your filthiness and disobedience, and thus you have had knowledge of God. Isn’t this a great uplifting?”

from “How Does the Second Step of the Conquering Work Achieve the Results” in The Word Appears in the Flesh