The Age of Grace: The Aim and Significance of God’s Work

Classic Words of God:

In the Age of Grace, man had already undergone Satan’s corruption, and so the work of redeeming all humanity required an abundance of grace, infinite forbearance and patience, and even more, an offering sufficient to atone for humanity’s sins, in order to arrive at its effect. What humanity saw in the Age of Grace was merely My offering of atonement for the sins of humanity, that is, Jesus. All they knew was that God could be merciful and forbearing, and all they saw was Jesus’ mercy and lovingkindness. This was entirely because they lived in the Age of Grace. And so, before they could be redeemed, they had to enjoy the many kinds of grace that Jesus bestowed on them; only this was beneficial to them. This way, they could be forgiven of their sins through their enjoyment of grace, and could also have the chance to be redeemed through enjoying Jesus’ forbearance and patience. Only through Jesus’ forbearance and patience did they win the right to receive forgiveness and enjoy the abundance of grace bestowed by Jesus—just as Jesus said, “I have come to redeem not the righteous but sinners, to allow sinners to be forgiven of their sins.”If Jesus had been incarnated with the disposition of judgment, curse, and intolerance of man’s offenses, then man would never have had the chance to be redeemed, and would then have remained forever sinful. Had this been so, the six-thousand-year management plan would have come to a stop in the Age of Law, and the Age of Law would have been prolonged for six thousand years. Man’s sins would only have grown more numerous and more grievous, and the creation of humanity would have been for naught. Men would only have been able to serve Jehovah under the law, but their sins would have exceeded those of the first created humans. The more Jesus loved mankind, forgiving them their sins and bringing unto them enough mercy and lovingkindness, the more mankind gained the capacity to be saved, to be called the lost lambs that Jesus bought back at a great price. Satan could not meddle in this work, because Jesus treated His followers as a loving mother treats the infant in her bosom. He did not grow angry at them or despise them, but was full of consolation; He never flew into a rage in their midst, but forbore with their sins and turned a blind eye to their foolishness and ignorance, to the point of saying, “Forgive others seventy times seven times.” So His heart transformed the hearts of others. It was in this way that the people received forgiveness of sins through His forbearance.

The Necessary Understanding of God’s Work in the Age of Law

If we can earnestly ponder Almighty God’s words revealing the significance and essence of His work in the Age of Law, we will be fully able to recognize that God’s work in the Age of Law was His initial work of guiding mankind after creating man. Jehovah was the eternal, one-and-only true God in the Age of Law who appeared to the Israelites, who first led them out from under the control and slavery by the king of Egypt, and then He issued the laws and commandments to the Israelites, thus initiating God’s personal guidance of mankind’s lives. In the Age of Law, God issued many laws and commandments that mankind must abide by, and among them, the three most important kinds were: First were the Ten Commandments; second was the Sabbath; third were sacrifices, which were primarily sin offerings, peace offerings, and burnt offerings. These three requirements put forward by God were His primary work in the Age of Law, and the essential significances of His three requirements were the primary indications for guiding the Israelites of the time in how to live on the earth. Next, we’ll speak about some understanding of the essential significance of these three basic requirements of God during the Age of Law.

The Age of Law: The Content and Result of God’s Work

Jehovah | The Church of Almighty God

Relevant Words of God:

After the creation of mankind in the beginning, it was the Israelites who served as the basis of work, and the whole of Israel was the base of Jehovah’s work on earth. The work of Jehovah was to directly lead and shepherd man through setting forth the laws so that man could live a normal life and worship Jehovah in a normal manner on earth. God in the Age of Law was One who could neither be seen nor touched by man. He was merely leading men first corrupted by Satan, and He was there to instruct and shepherd these men, so the words He spoke were only of statutes, ordinances, and common knowledge of living life as a man, and not at all of truths that supply the life of man. The Israelites under His leadership were not those deeply corrupted by Satan. His work of law was only the very first stage in the work of salvation, the very beginning of the work of salvation, and had practically nothing to do with the changes in the life disposition of man.

The Age of Law: The Aim and Significance of God’s Work

Relevant Words of God:

The significance, purpose, and step of Jehovah’s work in Israel were to begin His work on the whole earth, gradually spreading to Gentile nations from its center in Israel. This is the principle according to which He works throughout the universe—to establish a model, then broaden it until all people in the universe have accepted His gospel. The first Israelites were the descendants of Noah. These people only had the breath of Jehovah, and could take care of the basic necessities of life, but they did not know what kind of a God Jehovah was, nor did they know His will for man, much less how they should revere the Lord of all creation. Adam’s descendants did not know what rules and laws they must obey, or what work the created must do for the Creator. All they knew was that the husband must sweat and labor to provide for his family, and that the wife must submit to her husband and perpetuate the race of humans that Jehovah created.

Know the Purpose of the Three Stages of Work of God’s Management of Mankind.

The Church of Almighty God | God's work

Relevant Words of God:

My entire management plan, a plan that spans six thousand years, consists of three stages, or three ages: the Age of Law in the beginning; the Age of Grace (which is also the Age of Redemption); and the Age of Kingdom in the last days. My work in these three ages differs in content according to the nature of each age, but at each stage it accords with man’s needs—or, to be more precise, it is done according to the tricks that Satan employs in the war that I wage against it. The purpose of My work is to defeat Satan, to make manifest My wisdom and omnipotence, to expose all of Satan’s tricks, and thereby to save the entire human race, which lives under its domain. It is to show My wisdom and omnipotence while at the same time revealing the unbearable hideousness of Satan.

Why Does God Want to Save Mankind?

Relevant Words of God:

In the beginning, God was resting. There were no humans or anything else upon the earth at that time, and God had not done any work whatsoever. God only began His management work once humanity existed and once humanity had been corrupted. From this point on, God no longer rested but instead began to busy Himself among humanity. It was because of humanity’s corruption that God was taken from His rest, and it was also because of the archangel’s rebellion that God was taken from His rest. If God does not defeat Satan and save humanity, which has been corrupted, God will never again be able to enter into rest. As man lacks rest, so does God. When God once again enters into rest, man will also enter into rest. The life in rest is one without war, without filth, without persisting unrighteousness. This is to say that it lacks Satan’s harassment (here “Satan” refers to hostile forces), Satan’s corruption, as well as the invasion of any force opposed to God. Everything follows its own kind and worships the Lord of creation. Heaven and earth are entirely tranquil. This is humanity’s restful life. When God enters into rest, no more unrighteousness will persist upon the earth, and there will be no more invasion of any hostile forces. Humanity will also enter a new realm; they will no longer be a humanity corrupted by Satan, but rather a humanity that has been saved after having been corrupted by Satan. Humanity’s day of rest is also God’s day of rest. God lost His rest due to humanity’s inability to enter into rest; it was not that He was originally unable to rest.

Now we believe in the Lord Jesus, and suffer a lot and sacrifice all to preach His name. We are doing the heavenly Father’s will. That means we’re already holy. Our Lord will surely bring us into the kingdom of heaven!

the bible | The Church of Almighty God

Answer: Concerning who can enter the kingdom of heaven, the Lord Jesus said, “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). The Lord Jesus’ words tell us clearly that only those who do the will of the heavenly Father can enter the kingdom of heaven. Brothers and sisters, although people can suffer and sacrifice for spreading the name of the Lord, it’s undeniable that they still often sin. That people sin shows that they still belong to Satan, that they are filthy and corrupt, and that they can still resist and betray God. This proves no man is truly pure. If they take power, they can still oppose God and build separate kingdoms. This is proof that no one has been truly purified to become holy. How could those who resist God be qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven? People can sacrifice for the Lord, spread the gospel, build churches, and support believers. These are all their good behaviors. If their good behaviors are done for loving God, for truly working for God, and for obeying and satisfying God, without any thought of personal gain, these are truly good deeds that will be remembered and be blessed by God.

The Lord Jesus has already returned and has a new name. He is Almighty God. The Word Appears in the Flesh expressed by Almighty God is the voice of the bridegroom. Yet many brothers and sisters are still unable to discern the voice of God. Today we have invited the preachers from The Church of Almighty God to fellowship with us about how to identify the voice of God. So we’ll know how to ascertain that Almighty God is the return of the Lord Jesus.

Jesus Christ | voice of God 

Answer: This question is of the utmost importance. To accept God’s work of the last days and behold the appearance of God, we must know how to identify the voice of God. In fact, identifying the voice of God means recognizing the words and utterances of God and recognizing the characteristics of the Creator’s words. Regardless of whether they are the words of God become flesh, or the utterances of the Spirit of God, they are all words spoken by God to mankind from up high. Such are the tone and characteristics of God’s words. The authority and identity of God are clearly manifested. It can also be said the unique means by which the Creator speaks. God’s utterances each time He becomes flesh surely cover many areas. They primarily relate to God’s requirements and admonitions of man, the words of God’s administrative decrees and commandments. His words of judgment and chastisement, and His revelation of corrupt mankind. There are also words of prophecies and God’s promises to mankind and so on. These words are all the expression of the truth, the way, and the life. They are all the revelation of the substance of God’s life. They represent God’s disposition and all that God has and is. Man is able to see from the words expressed by God that God’s words are the truth, and they have authority, and power. Thus, if you wish to determine whether the words expressed by Almighty God are the voice of God, you can look at the words of the Lord Jesus and the words of Almighty God. You can compare them, and see whether they are the words expressed by one Spirit, and whether they are the work done by one God. If their source is the same, then this proves that Almighty God’s words are God’s utterances, and that Almighty God is the appearance of God. Let us look at the words spoken by Jehovah during the Age of Law, and the words of Jesus in the Age of Grace. They were both the direct expression of the Holy Spirit, and, moreover, were the work of one God. This proves that the Lord Jesus was the appearance of Jehovah, the appearance of the Creator. God’s sheep hear His voice. When it comes to how to specifically identify the voice of God, all will become clear if we look at the words of the Lord Jesus. Those who have read the Bible all know that in the words expressed by the Lord Jesus during the Age of Grace, there were words of admonitions, words of God’s requirements of man, and words that touched upon God’s administrative decrees. There are words of many prophecies and promises too. These words were one complete stage of work carried out by God during the Age of Grace.

Sermons and Fellowship: Why Are Foolish Virgins Exposed and Eliminated?

The so-called ‘wise virgins’ represent those that can recognize God’s voice and hear the voice of the ‘Bridegroom’ and who can therefore accept and submit to Christ, thereby taking home the practical God. And because the ‘foolish virgins’ do not know the voice of the ‘Bridegroom’ and cannot recognize God’s voice, they reject Christ. They still hope for the vague God, so they are abandoned and eliminated. So we can see that it is very difficult to accept Christ without real faith in believing in God. Those that refuse to accept Christ will miss the ‘wedding feast of the Beloved,’ and they cannot be taken by the Lord back into their home in the kingdom of heaven, and they cannot enter the place that God has prepared for mankind. So, whether people can accept Christ of the last days and submit to His work is a crucial factor in deciding whether people succeed or fail in their faith in God.

The Consequence and the Outcome of Rejecting God’s Work of Judgment in the Last Days

All people who have experienced God’s last days work can clearly see that only when deeply corrupted mankind experiences God’s judgment and chastisement will they be able to attain true knowledge of God’s righteous disposition, and obtain changes in life disposition. Only in this way can mankind follow the will of the heavenly Father, exert all their effort for the utmost expansion of the kingdom gospel, and have a share in the adversities, kingdom and patience of Christ. Only in this way can mankind be eligible to enter the kingdom of heaven. The backwardness and corruption of all those believers in the Lord Jesus who have not accepted God’s judgment and chastisement of the last daysand remain in the Age of Grace are mainly expressed in the following ten aspects:

1. Although they believe in their heart that there is a God, admit that all people have sin, and often pray and confess their guilt, they do not have true repentance or change.

The Lord has appeared in the last days and uttered words to do the work of judgment that begins with the house of God. This completely fulfills the biblical prophecies: “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 2:7). “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (1Pe 4:17). Only wise virgins can hear the voice of the Lord and welcome Him.

I. The Lord has appeared in the last days and uttered words to do the work of judgment that begins with the house of God. This completely fulfills the biblical prophecies: “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 2:7). “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (1Pe 4:17). Only wise virgins can hear the voice of the Lord and welcome Him.

Bible Verses for Reference:

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20).

“He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 2:7).

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (Jhn 10:27).

What Truly Are the Wise Virgins?

Bible Verses for Reference:

“shall the kingdom of heaven be likened to ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. … But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. … And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. … and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut” (Mat 25: 1, 4, 6-7, 10).

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (Jhn 10:27).

“These are they which follow the Lamb wherever he goes” (Rev 14:4).

“For the Lamb which is in the middle of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them to living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Rev 7:17).

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you” (Mat 7:7).

How Does God Carry Out His Work of Judgment and Chastisement in the Age of Kingdom?

Let us look at how God carries out His work of judgment and chastisement in the Age of Kingdom; here it is necessary to quote Almighty God’s words to testify to God’s last days work.

Almighty God says: “When God becomes flesh this time, His work is to express His disposition, primarily through chastisement and judgment. Using this as the foundation, He brings more truth to man, shows more ways of practice, and so achieves His objective of conquering man and saving man from his corrupt disposition. This is what lies behind the work of God in the Age of Kingdom.”

from “Only He Who Experiences the Work of God Truly Believes in God”

When the Lord Jesus was crucified He said, “It is finished,” which shows that God’s salvation work for mankind was complete. So how can you say that God has done a further stage of work to judge, cleanse, and save mankind?

The Answer from God’s Word:

When Jesus came, He also did part of God’s work, and spoke some words—but what was the main work He accomplished? What He mainly accomplished was the work of crucifixion. He became the likeness of sinful flesh to complete the work of crucifixion and redeem all mankind, and it was for the sake of all mankind’s sin that He served as a sin offering. This is the main work He accomplished.

from “All Is Achieved by the Word of God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Someone asks: The Lord Jesus already redeemed mankind in the Age of Grace, and people’s sins that have been forgiven no longer count as sin. Why would God undertake judgment and cleansing work in the last days?

The Church of Almighty God | Prayer  

Bible Verses for Reference:

“You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Lev 11:45).

“… holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Heb 12:14)

“And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (Jhn 12:47-48).

You testified that the Lord has returned and does His work of judgment beginning at the house of God in the last days. This is different from the great white throne judgment in the Book of Revelation. What most people in religion think is that the great white throne judgment is targeted at the non-believers that belong to the devil Satan. When the Lord comes, the believers will be taken up into heaven, and then He will send disaster to destroy the non-believers. That’s the judgment before the great white throne. You testify to the start of God’s judgment in the last days, but we haven’t seen God bring disaster to destroy the non-believers. Then how could it be the great white throne judgment?

Answer:

All those who truly understand the Bible know that the great white throne judgment prophesied in the Book of Revelation is a vision of God’s judgment work in the last days. The incarnate Almighty Godcame to express the truth and do His judgment work in the last days, starting to cleanse and save corrupt mankind. This means the great white throne judgment has already begun. Judgment starts from the house of God. God will first make a group of overcomers before the disaster. Then, God will bring down the great disasters and start to reward good and punish evil, until this evil era has been destroyed. God’s great white throne judgment in the last days will then be thoroughly complete. Then God will openly appear to begin a new era. We can all see it very clearly right now. The omen of the great disasters—four consecutive blood moons—has already appeared. The great disasters are near. When the great disasters come, anyone who resists God, judges God, or opposes God, and the ilk of the devil Satan will be destroyed in the disasters. Isn’t that precisely the great white throne judgment? We can see from the Bible’s prophecies that the Lord’s return is separated into the two stages of secret arrival and open arrival. At first, the Lord comes like a thief, which means God incarnate arrives secretly to express the truth and perform His judgment work in the last days. The main purpose is to make a group of overcomers. This fulfills the “judgment must begin at the house of God” prophecy. God’s judgment work in the last days already began when God incarnate secretly arrived to express the truth and judge all of mankind. The first part of the work is to begin judgment at the house of God. With that, God cleanses and saves those who hear His voice and are brought before Him, making them into overcomers. God’s great work is thus accomplished. Then the great disasters begin. God will use disaster to punish and destroy this old world. God’s judgment work in the last days thus reaches its climax. When God appears openly on the clouds, His judgment work will have been thoroughly complete. The kingdom of God will subsequently appear. This thus fulfills the prophecy of the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven. Just as Almighty God says, “One aspect of God’s work is to conquer all of mankind and gain the chosen people through His words. Another aspect is to conquer all sons of rebellion through various disasters. This is one part of God’s large-scale work. It is only this way that the kingdom on earth that God wants can be fully achieved, and this is the part of God’s work that is like fine gold” (“Interpretation of the Seventeenth Utterance” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Almighty God’s words sum up His judgment work in the last days very accurately. We can understand it very easily. Almighty God’s judgment in the last days is the great white throne judgment prophesied in the Book of Revelation. According to the facts of Almighty God’s judgment work in the last days, we can also understand what the Revelation prophecy regarding the opening of books to judge the dead and the opening of the book of life is all about. Actually, the opening of books to judge the dead is God’s judgment of all unbelievers and all those who deny and resist Him. This judgment is their condemnation, their punishment, and their destruction. And opening the book of life refers to the judgment that begins at the house of God, that is, Almighty God, Christ of the last days, expressing the truth to judge and cleanse all those brought before His throne. These chosen people of God who accept Almighty God’s judgment work in the last days and are brought before Him are all objects of God’s judgment, cleansing, and salvation. The judgment that begins at the house of God is to perfect this group of people before the disaster. Only this group of people are the wise virgins, people whose names are recorded in the book of life, the 144,000 overcomers prophesied by the Book of Revelation, the people who will ultimately enter the kingdom of heaven to inherit eternal life. This fulfills what was prophesied in Revelation: “And I looked, and, see, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God” (Rev 14:1-5).

God’s Judgment Work in the Last Days Realizes and Fulfills the Prophecies of the Bible

  What is most predicted within the Scriptures is God’s work of judgment and chastisement in the last days. The Scriptures mention God enacting judgment in at least two hundred places; one can say they all predicted that God will carry out His work of judgment and chastisement in the last days. Hereto using just a small portion of the scriptures is enough to prove that God enacting His work of judgment and chastisement is an inevitable step of His last days work. God’s last days work is to use the method of judgment and chastisement to purify, save and perfect mankind; it is the work of classifying each person according to their own kind through judgment and chastisement to finish the age and finally build the kingdom of Christ–God’s beloved kingdom. This is the crystallization of God’s three-stage work of saving mankind and a glorious symbol of His triumph over Satan. Thus, everywhere in the Scriptures we can see writing of prophecies of God’s judgment work in the last days. If someone reads the Scriptures for many years and from start to finish fails to see God’s work of judgment and chastisement that is necessary in His last days work, then that is someone who does not understand the Scriptures in the slightest; it is certainly not a person who knows the work of God. Below is only a small part of obvious writings from the Scriptures to prove that God’s last days work is the work of judgment and chastisement:

Almighty God's Word "Knowing the Three Stages of God's Work Is the Path to Knowing God" (Part Two)

Almighty God's Word "Knowing the Three Stages of God's Work Is the Path to Knowing God" (Part Two)

 Introduction:

 Almighty God says, "The three stages of work are at the heart of God's entire management, and in them are expressed the disposition of God and what He is. Those who do not know of the three stages of God's work are incapable of realizing how God expresses His disposition, nor do they know the wisdom of God's work, and they remain ignorant of the many ways in which He saves mankind, and His will for the whole of mankind. The three stages of work are the full expression of the work of saving mankind. Those who do not know the three stages of work will be ignorant of the various methods and principles of the Holy Spirit's work; those who only rigidly stick to doctrine that remains from one stage of work are people who limit God to doctrine, and whose belief in God is vague and uncertain. Such people will never receive God’s salvation."

Almighty God's Word "Knowing the Three Stages of God's Work Is the Path to Knowing God" (Part One)

  Almighty God's Word "Knowing the Three Stages of God's Work Is the Path to Knowing God" (Part One)

 Introduction ：

Almighty God says, "The three stages of work are at the heart of God's entire management, and in them are expressed the disposition of God and what He is. Those who do not know of the three stages of God's work are incapable of realizing how God expresses His disposition, nor do they know the wisdom of God's work, and they remain ignorant of the many ways in which He saves mankind, and His will for the whole of mankind. The three stages of work are the full expression of the work of saving mankind. Those who do not know the three stages of work will be ignorant of the various methods and principles of the Holy Spirit's work; those who only rigidly stick to doctrine that remains from one stage of work are people who limit God to doctrine, and whose belief in God is vague and uncertain. Such people will never receive God’s salvation.

Almighty God's Word "The Work in the Age of Law"

  Almighty God's Word "The Work in the Age of Law"

 Introduction :

Almighty God says, "During the Age of Law, Jehovah laid down many commandments for Moses to pass on to the Israelites who followed him out of Egypt. Jehovah gave these commandments to the Israelites, which were unrelated to the Egyptians, and they were meant to restrain the Israelites, and were His requirements for them. Whether one observed the Sabbath, whether one respected one’s parents, whether one worshiped idols, and so forth, these were the principles by which one was judged sinful or righteous. Whether one was struck by Jehovah’s fire, or stoned to death, or received Jehovah’s blessing, was determined according to whether one obeyed these commandments. Those who did not observe the Sabbath were stoned to death. Those priests who did not observe the Sabbath were smitten by Jehovah’s fire. Those who did not respect their parents were also stoned to death. This was all commended by Jehovah. Jehovah established His commandments and laws so that as He led their lives, the people would listen to and obey His word and not rebel against Him. He used these laws to control the newborn human race, to lay the foundation for His work to come. And so, because of the work that Jehovah did, the first age was called the Age of Law"