We Can’t Only Wait for Jesus to Come Upon a Cloud

Pictures of The Church of Almighty God 

By Wen Zhong, China

     I was formerly an ordinary believer in Born Again Movement. Like most believers in the Lord, I had been longing to welcome the Lord’s arrival while I was alive, inherit His promises and blessings, and stay with Him forever. If my longings could be realized, what a happy thing it would be! I had imagined many scenes of meeting with the Lord,
but never had I imagined that the Lord has already come back quietly when I didn’t expect it, and that when the Lord knocked on my door, I should have welcomed Him in such a way …

    I enjoyed reading the Bible, and often read these verses: “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” (Acts 1:11). “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2–3). Every time I read these words, I couldn’t help imagining the scene of the Lord’s second coming. He left to prepare a place for us and after He prepared a place for us, He would surely return on a cloud with great glory to receive us. … Every time thinking of this, I felt very happy and lucky to have believed in the Lord. Because of this expectation, no matter what suffering, trails, and tribulations I encountered on the path to faith in the Lord, I could stand testimony for Him and glorify His name by praying to Him and asking Him to give me faith and strength.

    Slowly, I saw many signs of the Lord’s second coming in the last days appearing: Various nations around the world are volatile and unstable; wars are occurring between nations; people are harming and oppressing each other; famines, earthquakes, plagues, floods, storms, etc., are appearing here and there. All of these are fulfilling the prophecies of the Lord Jesus’ return: “And when you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, be you not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows” (Mark 13:7–8). So I always felt in my heart that the Lord would come soon. Thereafter, every day I prayed to the Lord more sincerely, asking Him not to forsake me when He comes back. Sometimes when I was walking outside and humming hymns, I would look up at the sky every now and then, longing to see the Lord descending with a certain cloud. In a word, those days I was completely in a mixed state of excitement and nervousness. And the preacher, brothers, and sisters in our church were also unable to restrain their excitement, just like me. Together we often discussed the scene of the Lord taking us back to His home in heaven. In the later years, I had been watchfully waiting for the Lord to return like this, deeply fearing to be abandoned by the Lord.

    Just as I was eagerly longing for the Lord’s coming with clouds, a sister, who is my best friend I hadn’t seen for more than a year, came to my home. She said to me happily: “The Lord Jesus has come back. He becomes flesh and expresses the words to do a stage of work of judging, chastising, and saving man….” She also told me: “The Lord’s appearance is not His descending with a certain cloud to receive us as we imagined, but His becoming flesh on earth and expressing words to save us humans, and in the end to make us utterly clean and bring us to a beautiful destination….” Hearing her say that the Lord has returned and done a stage of new work, I immediately refuted her: “The Bible clearly records that the Lord will come as He departed. He left upon a white cloud, so He will surely return upon a white cloud. How can He become flesh again?” Afterward, no matter what she said to me, I wouldn’t take anything in. Before she left, she gave me a copy of The Scroll Opened by the Lamb and told me to read it.

    After my friend left, I thought what she said was incompatible with the Bible; my heart became full of resistance and I didn’t read the book The Scroll Opened by the Lamb. Until one day, I was free. Looking at that book, I felt very curious. I thought to myself: She said the Lord has returned in the flesh and done new work, how could she know these things? But on reflection, she is a high-caliber and ardent believer and an independent thinker in everything, and it was she who spread the Lord’s gospel to me, so, without basis, she would not easily believe it. Besides, despite whether the Lord has returned or not, there is no harm just reading this book about faith in God. I could find out what it actually says, or maybe something that was helpful for me to believe in the Lord. So I opened the book and turned to the Preface: “It is My hope that the brothers and sisters who seek the appearance of God will not repeat the tragedy of history. You must not become the Pharisees of modern times and nail God to the cross again. You should carefully consider how to welcome the return of God, and should have a clear mind of how to be someone who submits to the truth. This is the responsibility of everyone who is waiting for Jesus to return with the clouds. We should rub our spiritual eyes, and not fall prey to the words full of flights of fancy. We should think about the practical work of God, and should take a look at the real side of God. Do not get carried away or lose yourselves in daydreams, always looking forward to the day that the Lord Jesus suddenly descends among you on a cloud to take you who have never known Him or seen Him, and do not know how to do His will. It is better to think upon practical matters!” While reading this passage of words, I was shocked in my heart: How come these words say what I think and desire? What do these words mean “Not fall prey to the words full of flights of fancy,” “Do not get carried away or lose yourselves in daydreams, always looking forward to the day that the Lord Jesus suddenly descends among you on a cloud”? Does the Lord not descend with clouds among us in the last days? The whole religious world is waiting for the Lord to return on a cloud; can it be wrong? But then I thought: Why did the Pharisees fail at that time? Was it not because they stubbornly held on to their own conceptions and imaginations that, whoever was not born to a virgin and not called the Messiah would not be the Savior? At last, they nailed the Lord Jesus to the cross. Thinking back, when I first started believing in the Lord, I often asked myself these questions: If I were born in the era when the Lord Jesus was doing His work, would I condemn and resist Him like the Pharisees? Or could I recognize that the Lord Jesus was the coming Messiah through His words, like Peter and Nathanael? Which kind of person would I be? Unexpectedly, today I am faced with these questions. All these years I have longed for the Lord to descend with clouds to receive me; am I really wrong? I heard from the brothers and sisters that maybe the pastors and elders in our church had read this book too, but they didn’t say the Lord has returned. I have believed in the Lord for only a few years; how could I possibly know more than the pastors and elders do? Nevertheless, I had another thought: Wrong. By telling the parable of the ten virgins, was the Lord not teaching us to be wise virgins having a truth-seeking heart, and not be foolish virgins left out of the door? If the Lord has truly returned, but I reject Him due to not seeking, does it not mean that my life of believing in God will end here? No, it is God whom I believe in, I should not listen to the words of the pastors and elders only. Regardless, the Lord’s coming is a big deal, and I must treat it cautiously. I should seek and investigate it first; I shouldn’t make careless criticisms or jump to conclusions—that is too irrational. If I really resist the Lord and nail Him to the cross again, what shall I do? At this moment, I decided to seek the Lord’s second coming carefully. I believed that the Lord would guide me to know His will. For the Lord once said: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you” (Mat 7:7).

    Then, I went on reading this book with the intention of seeking and observing: “When you see Jesus descend from the heaven upon a white cloud with your own eyes, this will be the public appearance of the Sun of righteousness. Perhaps that will be a time of great excitement for you, yet you should know that the time when you witness Jesus descend from the heaven is also the time when you go down to hell to be punished. It will herald the end of God’s management plan, and will be when God rewards the good and punishes the wicked. For the judgment of God will have ended before man sees signs, when there is only the expression of truth.” Having read these words, I felt they have authority and power, and that they seem to be the voice of God. They made me feel God’s righteousness, majesty, and His unoffendable disposition. But at that time, I doubted. The Bible predicted that the Lord would come as He departed, that is, since the Lord left upon a white cloud, He would surely arrive upon a white cloud. But why does the words say “The time when you witness Jesus descend from the heaven is also the time when you go down to hell to be punished. It will herald the end of God’s management plan, and will be when God rewards the good and punishes the wicked”? I thought: Does the Lord not return to take us up into the kingdom of heaven? Is the time that, the Lord who I have yearned for day and night descends with a cloud, the time I am cast down to hell to be punished? Isn’t He the Lord who has saved mankind? Will He abandon me when He comes? And why? At this moment, I fell down in front of the Lord with puzzlement: “Lord, I don’t understand why it says that when I see Your descending with clouds is when I am cast down to hell to be punished and when God’s work ends. Oh Lord, please guide me. If this truly is Your work, I’m willing to accept and follow.” After prayer, I thought: Next time the sister comes, I must seek to understand it.

    Thank the Lord for listening to my prayers. After a few days, my friend came again. I received her with open arms and told her my recent experience, thoughts, and confusion. She held my hands tightly, and said excitedly, “Thanks be to God. So long as we have a seeking heart, the Lord will appear to us. Regarding your question, let’s read verses of the prophecies of the Bible and then you will understand it.” She found two verses for me to read, “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” (Luke 17:24–25). “For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” She fellowshiped: “Since speaking of the ‘Son of man,’ it refers to God incarnate. If He were a Spirit, He cannot be called the ‘Son of man.’ Just as Jehovah God is a Spirit, so He cannot be called the ‘Son of man.’ The spiritual body of the Lord Jesus after He was resurrected could penetrate walls, fade in and fade out. It was particularly supernatural. So He could not be called the ‘Son of man.’ And the reason why the Lord Jesus was called the ‘Son of man’ and ‘Christ’ was because He was the incarnate flesh of God’s Spirit. The ‘coming of the Son of man’ the Lord Jesus spoke of means that He will come again in the last days in secret as the incarnate God. Just like when the Lord Jesus came to do His work, He became an ordinary and normal man, lived among man, and did His work practically to save mankind. If when the Lord returns, He descends with the clouds to openly appear before all men, He will not suffer or be rejected by this generation, and none dare to resist or condemn Him. Then how can the Lord Jesus’ words—‘but first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation’—be fulfilled? Only if God becomes flesh to do His work as the Son of man, and when people do not recognize Him as Christ incarnate, will people dare to condemn and reject Christ. Don’t you think so?”

    Hearing her fellowship, I was astonished. I immediately read those verses over and over again, and then I finally understood: If the Lord arrives upon a cloud and all people see Him, they will only bow down to Him and worship Him. Thus, the Lord will not suffer at all, much less be rejected. Only if God is incarnated and does His work practically among men just like the Lord Jesus, will we dare to resist and condemn Him due to our ignorance of Christ. I have read these Bible passages in the past, but why don’t I understand them? What I still don’t understand is: since the Lord has already told us that He would become flesh to save man in the last days, why does the Bible say: “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Mat 24:30)? How should I understand it? So, I told the sister about my confusion.

Pictures of The Church of Almighty God 

    She fellowshiped: “The Lord Jesus prophesied that He shall come again and said many words about it, not just the prophecy of His ‘descend with the clouds,’ but also many prophecies like that He will come as a thief and descend secretly. For example, Revelation 16:15: ‘Behold, I come as a thief,’ Matthew 25:6: ‘And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him,’ and 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.’ From these verses we can see: ‘As a thief’ and ‘at midnight there was a cry made’ mean coming quietly. There is no sound in heaven, and no one knows it; only those who hear God’s voice can welcome the Lord. So, from the Bible’s prophecies, we can see that there are two ways in which the Lord returns: One way is to come in secret as a thief, and the other is appear in public. God incarnate firstly arrives on earth in secret to do His work and speak words to make those who seek the truth and truly want God into overcomers. Once God has made a group of overcomers, His work in secret will conclude. At that time, He will send down the catastrophe to reward the good and punish the evil, and descend on a cloud to openly appear to all nations and all peoples. And also, the prophecy of the Lord’s public descent on earth in Revelation 1:7 will be fulfilled: ‘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.’ When those who have resisted and condemned Christ of the last days—Almighty God, see that the One they have resisted and condemned is exactly the return of the Lord Jesus, how can they not beat their breasts and wail in anguish? That scene will be exactly the fulfillment of God’s words which you have read just now: ‘When you see Jesus descend from the heaven upon a white cloud with your own eyes, this will be the public appearance of the Sun of righteousness. Perhaps that will be a time of great excitement for you, yet you should know that the time when you witness Jesus descend from the heaven is also the time when you go down to hell to be punished. It will herald the end of God’s management plan, and will be when God rewards the good and punishes the wicked. For the judgment of God will have ended before man sees signs, when there is only the expression of truth.’ Now is the stage where God incarnate is working in secret, and the time when God is expressing the truth and doing His work of saving, cleansing, and perfecting man. If we only long to see the Lord descend upon a cloud, but do not seek the God who expresses the truth in the flesh, we will lose the opportunity to attain salvation.”

    When she spoke up to this point, I finally saw the light: Although I have been believing in the Lord for so many years, I have never noticed that there are two kinds of verses which prophesy the Lord’s return. First, God comes and does His work secretly. After having made a group of overcomers, He will openly appear to all nations and all peoples. I often read these Bible verses, but why do I not understand them? It seems that I don’t understand the Bible, or only half understand it. If the sister didn’t tell me these things, I would still be foolishly waiting for the Lord to come openly on clouds; when that day—God’s work of salvation comes to an end—really comes, I would be cast down to hell, wailing in anguish. Later, she fellowshiped about the truths concerning God’s three stages of work, God’s incarnation, and other aspects. After I understood these things, I firmly believed that Almighty God is the return of the Lord Jesus!

    Think about it: For two thousand years, all the believers in the Lord have been longing to welcome the return of the Lord and enjoy wonderful blessings together with Him. Luckily, by the grace of God, I was born in the last days and have welcomed the return of the Lord Jesus during my lifetime; I have heard the Lord’s utterance and enjoyed the water from the river of life that flows from the throne. Now, I’m feeling so excited and regretful, and even more blessed! I had been desperately longing for the return of the Lord, but never had I dreamed that I would meet with Him and welcome Him in such a way. Were it not for God’s grace, I must miss the chance to welcome the Lord’s appearance. If I welcomed the Lord according to my own imagination, maybe I would never welcome the return of the Lord. Thanks be to God. I am willing to perform my duty well to repay God’s love. All the glory and praise be to Almighty God!

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                   The origin of the Church of Almighty God.