How Should We Welcome the Lord When He Knocks on the Door?

By Xiao Fei

“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” (Revelation 3:20). This is a prophecy in the Book of Revelation which predicts that the Lord Jesus will knock on the door when He returns, and every true believer in the Lord longs to welcome the Lord soon. But how will the Lord Jesus knock on the door when He comes? When the Lord Jesus knocks on the door, what should we do to welcome Him? This is something everyone who believes in the Lord should ponder deeply.

When the Lord Jesus came to do the work of redemption in the Age of Grace, news of the miracles wrought by the Lord and the word of the Lord spread throughout the land of Judea. His name also caused a great stir in all the Jewish lands and, for the people of that time, the Lord Jesus leading His disciples to preach the gospel of the heavenly kingdom wherever they went was the Lord knocking at their door. The Lord Jesus said: “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). The Lord hopes that people will come before Him to repent and confess their sins. In so doing, their sins will be absolved, and man will break free from the curse and condemnation of the law and be redeemed by God. At the time, many Jewish people witnessed the miracles performed by the Lord Jesus. They also noticed the authority and power in the word of the Lord, such that the Lord Jesus was able to feed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. With a single word, the Lord Jesus was also able to calm the wind and the sea, as well as to cause Lazarus to emerge from his tomb after being dead for four days…. Whatever the Lord Jesus spoke was accomplished and fulfilled, and this allows us to see the authority and power in the Lord’s word. The words the Lord Jesus used to teach people and the words He used to rebuke the Pharisees were the truth and were not words we human beings are capable of uttering. The words spoken by the Lord Jesus and the things He did revealed the disposition of God and what God has and is. They manifested the authority and power of God and caused men’s hearts to quake. It may be said that the Jewish people at that time had already heard the sound of the Lord Jesus knocking on the door, but how did they treat the Lord?

The Jewish priests, scribes and Pharisees at the time knew clearly that the words spoken by the Lord Jesus and the miracles He performed all came from God, but they did not at all have hearts that revered God. They did not seek or investigate the work of the Lord Jesus, but instead just clung blindly to the words of the biblical prophecies, believing that the one who was to come would be called Emmanuel or Messiah, and would be born of a virgin. When they saw that Mary had a husband, they concluded that the Lord Jesus was not the immaculate conception of the Holy Spirit, and that He was not born of a virgin. They also made arbitrary judgments and said that the Lord Jesus was the son of a carpenter and was just a completely ordinary person. They used these judgments to deny and condemn the Lord Jesus. They even went as far as to blaspheme against the Lord Jesus and say that He relied on Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons, to cast out demons. In the end, they colluded with the Roman government to crucify Him. Most Jewish people believed that the Lord Jesus should have been born in a palace, and that He would be their king and would lead them to throw off Roman rule. When the Pharisees were spreading rumors and slander and condemning the Lord Jesus, they were just being blindly obedient without any discernment at all. Between the salvation of the Lord Jesus and the slanderous words said by the Pharisees, they chose to listen to the falsehoods and outright lies of the Pharisees, and rejected the way preached by the Lord Jesus. When the Lord Jesus knocked on their door, they closed their hearts off to the Lord. It was just as the Lord Jesus said: “And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which said, By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive. For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them” (Matthew 13:14–15). Because they refused to listen to the Lord’s voice and did not accept the Lord’s work of redemption, these Jewish people missed their chance to follow the Lord Jesus. As a result of resisting God, they met with God’s punishment, leading to two millennia of national subjugation for Israel. In contrast, the disciples who followed the Lord Jesus at the time, such as Peter, John, James, and Nathanael had hearts that loved the truth. They did not rely on their own notions and imaginings in how they treated the word and the work of the Lord Jesus, but sought conscientiously, studied them carefully and obtained the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. They heard the voice of God and recognized that the Lord Jesus was the Messiah to come, and thus they kept pace with the footsteps of the Lord and received His salvation. We can see that the failure of the Pharisees and the Jewish people lay in the fact that they only relied on the literal meaning of biblical prophecies to understand and recognize the manifestation and work of God. This led them to be people who believed in God but resisted God. From this, we can see that, if people who believe in God treat God’s new work on the basis of their own notions and imaginings, not only will they not be able to welcome God’s arrival, but they will also very easily become people who believe in God and yet resist Him. How lamentable would that be?

Similarly, when the Lord comes again in the last days, properly treating the Lord Jesus knocking on the door is extremely important. Today, the prophecies of the Lord’s second coming in the last days have fundamentally been fulfilled. We must be more vigilant and prepared, take heed of God’s voice, and have hearts that seek and thirst for righteousness to await the Lord Jesus’ knocking on our door, which could come at any time. Only in this way can we welcome the second coming of the Lord. The Lord Jesus said: “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:12–13). And in chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, it is prophesied many times that: “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” We see in the Bible that when the Lord Jesus returns, He will express His word and do new work. This is the Lord Jesus knocking on the door, and it is the Lord using His word to knock on the doors of our hearts. All who hear the words spoken by the Lord and actively seek and listen attentively to the voice of the Lord are the wise virgins. Once they recognize the Lord’s voice, they are then able to welcome the return of the Lord and accept the watering and supply of the word of God. This fulfills the word of God: “And also on the servants and on the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit” (Joel 2:29). The Lord is faithful and He will surely allow all those who yearn for and seek Him to hear His voice in this time. However, God’s wisdom is difficult for us humans to fathom, and the way the Lord Jesus will knock on the door when He returns will not be as it seems in our notions and imaginings. It could be someone calling “the Lord has returned!” to us, just as the Lord Jesus warned us: “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6). We may also hear God’s voice from the churches that spread the gospel of the Lord’s return, or from the Internet, radio, Facebook, or elsewhere and see God speaking to all the churches. Still, no matter what way the Lord Jesus knocks on our door, we absolutely must not treat the Lord Jesus knocking on our door like the Jewish people did. We must not decline to seek or investigate His knocking based on our notions and imaginings, much less blindly listen to and believe lies and rumors. By doing so, we would be rejecting the Lord’s call and would miss our chance to welcome the Lord and be raised up into the heavenly kingdom. It is prophesied in Revelation: “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” (Revelation 3:20). The Lord Jesus says: “Seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).

Source: Walk in the Light 

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By Achieving One Thing, the Wise Virgins Can Welcome the Lord

Now the disaster is getting ever-more serious, and the prophecy regarding the Lord’s return has pretty much been fulfilled. Having not seen the Lord’s coming upon clouds, some brothers and sisters think the Lord may come amidst or after the great tribulation. In reality, before the great tribulation, the Lord has secretly come among men by becoming flesh. Let us look at a few verses in the Bible together. For example, "Be you therefore ready also: for the Son of man comes at an hour when you think not" (Luk 12:40). "For as the lightning, that lightens out of the one part under heaven, shines to the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in His day. But first must He suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation" (Luk 17:24-25).

All of these prophecies speak of the Son of man or the Son of man comes. This phrase the Son of man refers to One who is born to a human and has normal humanity. So the Spirit can’t be called the Son of man. For instance, because Jehovah God is Spirit, He cannot be called the Son of man. So when the Lord Jesus said the Son of man and the Son of man comes, He was referring to God’s coming through incarnation in the last days. Especially when He said, “first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.” If He openly descends upon clouds, all people will see, greatly fear God and dare not resist Him; thus, He certainly wouldn’t experience any suffering and certainly wouldn’t be rejected by this generation. Obviously, in the last days, the Lord will come by becoming flesh as the Son of man.

Since the Lord’s second coming is by incarnation, how should we be wise virgins to welcome His return?
"He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Rev 2:7). "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). "And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him" (Mat 25:6). These verses show that when the Lord Jesus comes back, He will speak more words and use His words to knock on the door of our hearts. When hearing someone bear witness that the Lord's come in the flesh, expressed new words, and carried a new stage of work, the wise virgins are able to seek and investigate actively to hear whether these words are the truth, the voice of God. Once they recognize God's voice they can accept and follow Him, which means they have already welcomed the Lord. On the contrary, the foolish virgins hold onto their own notion rather than listen to God's voice when hearing the Lord's coming in the flesh and uttering new words. Thus, they will eventually lose God's salvation and be eliminated by God.

God says, "The return of Jesus is a great salvation for those who are capable of accepting the truth, but for those who are unable to accept the truth it is a sign of condemnation. You should choose your own path, and should not blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and reject the truth. You should not be an ignorant and arrogant person, but someone who obeys the guidance of the Holy Spirit and longs for and seeks the truth; only in this way will you benefit."

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God has come secretly and made a group of overcomers before the great tribulation. Feel to contact us online to learn more.

What Does “Behold, I Stand at the Door, and Knock” Truly Mean?

By Zhenxi

Editor’s Note: It is prophesied in Revelation 3:20, “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.” How will the Lord Jesus knock on our doors in the last days? Read this article to learn this mystery.

Cheng’en said: “We all thought that the Lord Jesus would return coming with clouds and would knock on our door. Now it’s right before our eyes that disasters are becoming greater and greater—the prophecies of the Lord’s coming have basically been fulfilled, but we have yet to welcome Him. I’m pondering: Maybe He has appeared somewhere, but we just don’t know it. …”

Xiangyang couldn’t even wait for her to finish before cutting in: “That’s so true. This has also been on my mind over these few days. It’s said that in the last days, with great glory the Lord will return with the clouds and that every eye will behold Him. However, since every man will see Him, need He knock at the door? The more I think about it, the more confused I feel. How on earth will He knock?”

Cheng’en said: “None of us were able to figure this out; I only understood after a sister shared fellowship on this during our gatherings over the last few days. All these years, we’ve been looking forward to the Lord’s return with the clouds, and this is in line with His words. But there isn’t just a single kind of prophecy about His return in the last days. Do you remember? He also prophesied: ‘And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him’ (Matthew 25:6). And it is also prophesied in the Book of Revelation: ‘If therefore you shall not watch, I will come on you as a thief, and you shall not know what hour I will come on you’ (Revelation 3:3). ‘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’ (Revelation 3:20). If the Lord really returns in the last days coming with the clouds just as we imagine, then how could these prophecies be fulfilled? How could He stand outside the door and knock?”

Xiangyang nodded again and again: “Yeah, if the Lord returns coming with the clouds and every man beholds Him, how could He come like a thief? But it’s written in chapter 1, verse 7 of the Book of Revelation: ‘Behold, He comes with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.’ How on earth can these words be explained?”

Cheng’en said with a smile: “Actually, these prophecies aren’t contradictory at all. There’s truth to seek from within them. Those scriptures mentioned just now mean that there are two ways in which the Lord returns, that is, in secret and in public. He first returns secretly to work, and will then appear openly after completing a group of overcomers. During the time He is working in secret, if He knocks at our door but we don’t open it or welcome Him, we’ll be the ones who are weeping when He appears openly. Therefore, if we want to open the door and welcome Him when He knocks, first we must understand what is really meant by Him knocking at the door upon His return, and how He knocks. Otherwise, even if He knocks at our door, we’ll shut Him out due to our ignorance. Then we’d be likely to miss the opportunity of welcoming Him and being raptured into the kingdom of heaven!”

After hearing what she had to say, Xiangyang thought: It’s true—knowing how the Lord will knock at the door when He comes is incredibly important. The scriptures said that in order for the wise virgins to welcome the Lord, they would need to prepare sufficient oil. If we just foolishly wait, we’ll miss the opportunity to welcome Him, just as the foolish virgins did. Then we would really be weeping and gnashing our teeth! Xiangyang then said excitedly: “Yes, Cheng’en, you’re right. It’s really a mystery how the Lord will knock at the door when He returns, and there is truth to seek in it. There really is light in your fellowship! Thank the Lord. You didn’t attend those gatherings in vain! Tell me, regarding the Lord’s knocking when He returns, what does it actually mean? How does He knock at our door?”

Cheng’en continued on: “It is prophesied in the Book of Revelation: ‘He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’ (Revelation 2:7). And also chapter 16, verses 12-13 in the Gospel of John: ‘I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come.’ It can be seen from these words that the Lord Jesus hasn’t finished speaking, and that there will be more truth He’s going to utter when He returns in the last days. This is why He reminded us to pay attention and listen for His voice. Going back two thousand years when the Lord Jesus came to work, He often said: ‘Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (Matthew 4:17). He also performed many wonders and miracles, such as calming the wind and sea and allowing the lame to walk with a few words, as well as bringing Lazarus back from the dead…. His words carry authority and power and could not be uttered by any human being. Peter, John, Jacob, the woman of Samaria, Nathanael, and others recognized from the Lord Jesus’ words that He was the promised Messiah, thus they followed His footsteps and received His salvation. The Pharisees and ordinary Jews also heard the Lord Jesus’ words, but because they stubbornly clung to the literal prophecies of Old Testament scripture, they defined Him by their notions and imaginations and also refused to acknowledge that He was the coming Messiah. In the end, they not only lost His salvation but suffered His punishment for nailing Him to the cross and resisting Him—even their descendants were cursed by God. Therefore, we must learn from the failure of the Pharisees, and not measure or define God according to our imaginations. The Lord will not receive us on the clouds, nor will He actually come knock at the doors of our homes. Only if we focus on heeding His words and recognizing His voice can we welcome Him and attend the feast with Him. Just as it is written in the Book of Revelation: ‘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’ (Revelation 3:20).”

While listening, Xiangyang thought all of this over and felt that everything she said was true. When the Lord Jesus was doing His work, the Pharisees and many ordinary Jews heard His words, but not only did they not accept it, but instead they blasphemed and condemned Him. However, Peter, John, and the woman of Samaria listened to His words and recognized that He was the promised Messiah, and so followed Him. They all heard the Lord Jesus’ words and beheld His work; some opened the door and accepted Him, while others sealed the door to their hearts and shut Him out. No wonder the Lord said: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). Xiangyang said excitedly: “Thank the Lord. I didn’t understand this until today’s fellowship. The returned Lord Jesus in the last days knocking at the door refers to His utterances to mankind. He uses His words to knock at the door of man’s heart. This is wonderful—now we’ve learnt how the Lord will knock at the door when He returns, so our hope of opening the door and welcoming Him is greater.”

Cheng’en said: “Yes. The Lord will use His words to knock at the door of our hearts when He returns, so now we really need to focus on listening for His voice. If we hear of someone preaching the words of the Holy Spirit to us, on the internet or on the radio, we should listen closely. Once we recognize the Lord’s voice, we should open the door for Him and accept His return. This is the only way we can be raptured before His throne and attend the feast of the Lamb. When the Lord knocks at the door, if we treat Him based on our own notions and imaginations just like the Pharisees and ordinary Jews, refusing to heed His call, we’ll forever miss the opportunity of welcoming Him and being raptured into the kingdom of heaven.”

Xiangyang nodded again and again …

Source: Walk in the Light

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7 Signs of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ

By Zheng Xun

Now disasters are happening frequently. Many frightening signs have appeared. What warnings do these signs bring us? Read the following article to learn more about the signs of the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Now, it is the end of the last days. Many brothers and sisters, who truly believe in the Lord and wait for His return, must have such questions: The Lord Jesus has said, “And, behold, I come quickly” (Revelation 22:12). He has promised us to return, so has He come back yet? How can we know whether He has returned or not?

Sign of the Second Coming of Jesus (I): The Occurrence of All Sorts of Disasters

One of the signs of the Lord’s return is that disasters will occur all over the world. Just as Matthew 24:6–8 say: “And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that you be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

In recent years, disasters are getting worse and worse all over the world—earthquakes, wildfires, famines, and plagues occur frequently and are widespread; the world is in a state of constant upheaval and turmoil, with wars, violence and terrorist attacks on the rise. For example, the coronavirus-infected pneumonia, which occurred in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019, has spread to many countries around the world, causing a serious situation. The United States saw an outbreak of a deadly flu, which resulted in many deaths. Australia’s bushfires have lasted for several months since September 2019, causing significant damage and loss. East Africa suffered its worst invasion of desert locusts in 25 years, which led to food crisis in many African nations. In November 2019, the worst flood in 50 years hit Venice, Italy, with 80% of the city flooded. At the beginning of 2020, a blizzard rarely seen in a century struck Newfoundland, Canada. Torrential rains flooded Indonesia. There were also earthquakes in Kuril Islands, in Elazig, Turkey, in the Caribbean near Cuba, and in other places.

Sign of the Second Coming of Jesus (II): The Love of Believers Shall Become Cold
Matthew 24:12 records: “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Nowadays, in all religions and denominations, believers in general lust for worldly things and take no thought to working for the Lord. Some of them are engaged in business, and some run factories and are busy with making money. Moreover, some pastors and elders scheme against one another and have jealous disputes with each other. They even form factions, separate into their own cliques, steal offerings, and commit adultery. Followers become colder and colder in their faith and love and churches are becoming more and more desolate now.

Sign of the Second Coming of Jesus (III)): The Return of Israel
Matthew 24:32–33 say: “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near: So likewise you, when you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.” Luke 21:29–32 record: “And He spoke to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, you see and know of your own selves that summer is now near at hand. So likewise you, when you see these things come to pass, know you that the kingdom of God is near at hand. Truly I say to you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.” In May 1948, Israel was restored. Shortly after David Ben-Gurion announced the establishment of Israel in Tel Aviv on May 14, 1948, Soviet Union recognized it quickly and set up an embassy there on May 26, and later supported Israel in many ways. On May 11, 1949, Israel was accepted officially as a member of the United Nations with the support of the Soviet Union and the United States.

Sign of the Second Coming of Jesus (IV): Celestial Phenomena Have Appeared

Matthew 24:29 says: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” Astronomers frequently publish news of stars falling, new stars appearing, and regular sight of meteor crash. At 9:15 a.m. of February 15, 2013, Chelyabinsk, Urals Federal region, Russia, was hit by an asteroid, and a huge shock wave and explosion caused 1,491 people injured and plenty of glass broken. It was said by scientists that the diameter of the asteroid was about 15 meters and that it weighed about 7,000 metric tons. This has fulfilled the prophecy “the stars shall fall from heaven.” On May 17, 2016, a meteor streaked across New England sky, turning night into daylight. In January 2018, a super blue blood moon occurred in the sky. Prior to this, a series of blood moons had appeared. All this has fulfilled the prophecy “fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.”

Sign of the Second Coming of Jesus (V): The Gospel Shall Be Preached to the Ends of the Earth

Matthew 24:14 records: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations; and then shall the end come.” “And this gospel … shall be preached in all the world” means when all nations have heard the gospel of the Lord, He will return. (It doesn’t mean when everyone has heard the gospel or believes in Him.) After the Lord Jesus completed the work of redemption through His crucifixion, the Holy Spirit began to guide God’s chosen people to testify the Lord Jesus. Through radio, the Internet, books, gospel flyers, evangelism, and so on, the Lord’s gospel has been spread more and more widely and finally preached among all nations. Christians have also already been throughout the world, and there are even many people who accept the gospel of the Lord Jesus in China, which is ruled by an atheist political party; the gospel of the Lord Jesus’ redemption has spread to the ends of the universe. Dear brothers and sisters, just think about this: What nation and what region in the world now has never heard the gospel of the Lord Jesus?

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Sign of the Second Coming of Jesus (VI): The Appearance of False Christs
Matthew 24:23–26 say: “Then if any man shall say to you, See, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Why if they shall say to you, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth: behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not.” As we know, deception from false Christs has now occurred in the religious communities of many countries. For example, in South Korea, many are deceived into following false Christs due to lack of discernment. All false Christs can do is to perform some simple signs and wonders and preach some specious fallacies to deceive others. They simply can’t express the truth to resolve man’s problem of committing sins and then confessing, nor can they save mankind from corruption. According to the prophecies of the Bible, when the Lord Jesus returns to do His work, there will inevitably be many false Christs and deceivers who will appear at the same time trailing and disturbing God’s work. Therefore, when false Christs appear, God has actually already returned and arrived in secret. It’s just that we don’t know it.

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Sign of the Second Coming of Jesus (VII): The Emergence of Heresies

Matthew 24:4-5 says: “And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” Now many heresies and evil cults occur in the religious world of every country. They have no truths at all, can’t supply believers with truth and life, much less bring people any edification or benefit.

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The facts above are enough to show us that the biblical prophecies of the Lord’s return have basically come true, from which we know the Lord has already come back. Many people, however, will surely ask: “Since the Lord has come back, why haven’t we welcomed Him?” Have you ever thought that there could be some deviations in welcoming the return of the Lord? Regarding the return of the Lord, many people take guarding against false Christs as their number one priority. They think any preaching that says the Lord has come is false and they don’t seek how to be wise virgins and welcome the Lord’s return. The Lord Jesus has prophesied, “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come” (John 16:12–13). In Revelation, “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” is mentioned many times, and Revelation also prophesies, “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” (Revelation 3:20). These prophecies show that when the Lord returns, He shall yet speak more words. Therefore, if we wish to welcome the Lord’s appearance and work, we must seek God’s voice. If we hear a particular church testifying that the Lord has returned and uttered new words, we should seek humbly, and if we recognize God’s voice, we should waste no time in accepting it. This way, we won’t miss the opportunity to welcome the Lord’s coming.

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Source: Walk in the Light

God has come secretly and made a group of overcomers before the great tribulation. Feel to contact us online to learn more.

 

How Should We Welcome the Second Coming of Jesus?

Nowadays, all the believers in the Lord are expecting the Lord Jesus’ second coming to bring man into the kingdom of heaven. Especially when people reading the scripture Acts 1:11, “Which also said, You men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven.”, they think that the Lord left on a white cloud, so he will surely return on a white cloud. Thus most people just wait for the second coming of Jesus passively. But over more than two thousand years have passed, man still hasn’t seen the Savior coming with clouds. In recent years, whenever I see the disaster is greater and greater and the church becomes more and more desolate, I couldn’t help looking up to heaven and crying out to the Lord, “O Lord! Nowadays various signs of the last days have already been fulfilled, but why have we still not seen your return?” With the passage of time, I began to doubt: Is it truly after God’s heart that we wait for the second coming of Jesus so passively? Then how shall we welcome the second coming of Jesus?

It is recorded in the Bible when the disciples asked the Lord Jesus how to welcome the second coming of Jesus, the Lord taught them to be the wise virgin and come out to meet Him when hearing the voice of the bridegroom. I remember during the time that Peter spent with Jesus, he saw the Lord Jesus is full of authority and power in His words and actions. Therefore, under the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, he finally recognized that the Lord Jesus is Christ. It was the same with Nathanael, John, Matthew, and so on; they also knew the Lord Jesus was the coming Messiah from His words and work, and then followed Him and thus received the salvation of the Lord. Those facts enlightened me that man must have a heart of thirsting for and seeking God, and only from God’s words and work can we know the second coming of Jesus.

Later, I investigated the end-time work of Almighty God—the second coming of Jesus. I read Almighty God’s words, “Since Jesus departed, the disciples who followed Him, and all of the saints who were saved thanks to His name, have been desperately pining for Him and awaiting Him. All those who were saved by the grace of Jesus Christ during the Age of Grace have been longing for that joyful day during the last days, when Jesus the Savior arrives on a white cloud and appears to all men. Of course, this is also the collective wish of all those who accept the name of Jesus the Savior today. Throughout the universe, all those who know of the salvation of Jesus the Savior have been ‘desperately yearning for’ the sudden arrival of Jesus Christ, to ‘fulfill’ the words of Jesus when on earth: ‘I shall arrive just as I departed.’ 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 Word Appears in the Flesh) From Almighty God’s words I understood that the Lord has already returned “upon a white cloud.” He doesn’t forget us, but instead quietly works among man and utters His words to save man. And I also knew that the “white cloud” doesn’t refer to the white cloud in the eyes of man, but refers to His Spirit, His words, and His entire disposition. It is because people don’t understand the substance of “white cloud” that they just pay empty tribute to the literal meaning of the scriptures. From that we see the thoughts of God are always higher than those of man. What we understand is just from our imagination, and is far from the fact God is to fulfill in His work.

And later I read Almighty God’s words, “The way of life is not something that can be possessed by just anyone, nor is it easily obtainable by all. That is because life can only come from God, which is to say, only God Himself possesses the substance of life, there is no way of life without God Himself, and so only God is the source of life, and the ever-flowing wellspring of living water of life.” “God Himself is life, and the truth, and His life and truth coexist. Those who are incapable of gaining the truth shall never gain life. Without the guidance, support, and provision of the truth, you shall only gain letters, doctrines, and, moreover, death.” “Christ of the last days brings life, and brings the enduring and everlasting way of truth. This truth is the path through which man shall gain life, and the only path by which man shall know God and be approved by God. If you do not seek the way of life provided by Christ of the last days, then you shall never gain the approval of Jesus, and shall never be qualified to enter the gate of the kingdom of heaven….” (from The Word Appears in the Flesh) Almighty God’s words tell us: God is the source of all life and the embodiment of the truth. Man shall not gain life if he is incapable of gaining the truth. This reminded me of the verse in John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.” After investigating carefully, I became certain that the source of Almighty God and the Lord Jesus is the same. Almighty God is actually the second coming of Jesus!

Today facing the news of the second coming of Jesus, many Christians still hold onto the letters of the Bible, and they just blindly and passively wait for the Lord Jesus coming on a white cloud, but not actively seek the voice of the Lord or investigate God’s new utterances and words. Then how can they welcome the second coming of Jesus? And won’t they become the foolish virgin forsaken by the Lord? As a man who truly yearns for the second coming of Jesus, what should he do to welcome the second coming of the Lord? The words of Almighty God also give us the answer.Almighty God says, “…since we are searching for the footprints of God, we must search for God’s will, for the words of God, for the utterances of God—for where there are the new words of God, there is the voice of God, and where there are the footsteps of God, there are the deeds of God. Where there is the expression of God, there is the appearance of God, and where there is the appearance of God, there exists the truth, the way, and the life. … If you desire to witness the appearance of God, if you wish to follow the footprints of God, then you must first transcend your own conceptions. You must not demand that God do this or that, much less should you place Him within your own confines and limit Him to your own conceptions. Instead, you should ask how you should seek the footprints of God, how you should accept the appearance of God, and how you should submit to the new work of God; that is what should be done by man. Since man is not the truth, and is not possessed of the truth, man should seek, accept, and obey.” 

Source: Walk in the Light

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Preparing for the Second Coming of Jesus

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