Having Known the Meaning of the Names of God, I Welcomed the Lord Jesus’ Return（Part-2）
The Book of Revelation Prophesied God Would Have Another New Name
Brother Yang went on: “God wants to fully save us from Satan’s grasp and bring us into the kingdom, but the work of redemption that the Lord Jesus did in the Age of Grace was just to pardon our sins. Our sinful nature is still rooted deeply, so we still cannot control ourselves from rebelling against the Lord and resisting the Lord.
We live within the vicious cycle of sinning and confessing; we are not yet fit to enter the kingdom of heaven. This is why Almighty God of the last days has done another step of the work of judgment on the foundation of the Lord Jesus’ work to transform and cleanse our corrupt dispositions. This allows us to thoroughly cast off the binds of sin and become people who genuinely obey and love God, who are qualified to enter into God’s kingdom and live with God forever. Sister, God took the name Yahweh in the Age of Law and Jesus in the Age of Grace; God has different names in different ages. Do you think that when God returns in the last days He would still use the name Jesus to represent His new work?”
Hearing his question, I blurted out, “Probably not.”
Brother Yang smiled and said: “That’s right. There is new work in a new age, so God takes on a name that is representative of the age. He represents and switches the age with His names. Let us read Revelation chapter 3, verse 12.”
I hurriedly opened up the Bible and read this verse, “He that shall overcome, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God; and he shall go out no more; and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and my new name.”
Brother Yang said, “This verse clearly states that God will have a new name in the last days. Since it’s a new name, it shouldn’t be Jesus any longer. Then what is the Lord’s new name when He returns? Let’s read Revelation 1:8, ‘I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’”
Hearing this, I had a sudden realization. “Wow, God’s new name Almighty God really is written here. I’ve read the Bible quite a bit but I had never taken note of this verse. I actually thought that I was a devout believer, but it turns out I don’t know anything!”
The Significance of God Taking the Name “Almighty God” in the Last Days
Ms. Fang then went on to say: “We can see from the prophecies in the Book of Revelation that God’s new name in the last days is the Almighty, that is, Almighty God. So do we know why God takes the name Almighty God in the last days? What’s the significance of this name? Let’s read a couple of passages from Almighty God’s words.” Saying this, Ms. Fang opened up the words of Almighty God and read, “The work of God throughout all of His management is perfectly clear: The Age of Grace is the Age of Grace, and the last days are the last days. There are distinct differences between each age, for in each age God does work which is representative of that age. For the work of the last days to be done, there must be burning, judgment, chastisement, wrath, and destruction to bring the age to an end. … Therefore, during the Age of Law Jehovah was the name of God, and in the Age of Grace the name of Jesus represented God. During the last days, His name is Almighty God — the Almighty, who uses His power to guide man, conquer man, and gain man, and in the end, bring the age to its close” (“The Vision of God’s Work (3)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “I was once known as Jehovah. I was also called the Messiah, and people once called Me Jesus the Savior because they loved and respected Me. But today I am not the Jehovah or Jesus that people knew in times past — I am the God who has returned in the last days, the God who shall bring the age to an end. I am the God Himself that rises up at the ends of the earth, replete with My entire disposition, and full of authority, honor and glory. … I took this name and am possessed of this disposition so that all people may see that I am a righteous God, and am the burning sun, and the flaming fire. It is so that all may worship Me, the only true God, and so that they may see My true face: I am not only the God of the Israelites, and am not just the Redeemer — I am the God of all creatures throughout heavens and earth and seas” (“The Savior Has Already Returned Upon a ‘White Cloud’” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).
Ms. Fang went on to share in fellowship: “We, humans, have been so deeply corrupted by Satan; we are full of corrupt dispositions such as arrogance and self-righteousness, crookedness and deceit, selfishness and despicableness, evil and greed. We rebel against and resist God at every turn. In order to change our corrupt dispositions and completely save us from the influence of Satan, God has launched the work of judgment of the Age of Kingdom under the name of Almighty God in the last days. He has appeared to us in His disposition of righteousness, majesty, and wrath, exposing the truth of our corruption by Satan by uttering words while also pointing the way for us to change our dispositions. By undergoing God’s judgment and chastisement, we can know our own natures and essences and see how deeply corrupted by Satan we are, that we lack any human likeness. We can also gain some understanding of God’s righteous disposition which will tolerate no human offense, and see God’s real, living disposition. When we are weak and negative, God’s words comfort and support us; when we are rebellious and resist God, His words judge us, and He arranges environments, and people, events, and things to prune and deal with us. By going through God’s judgment and chastisement multiple times, we gain true understanding of our own corrupt dispositions; we hate ourselves and feel remorse within our hearts and develop a heart of reverence for God, becoming willing to forsake the flesh and put God’s words into practice. Then our corrupt dispositions are gradually cleansed. Finally, God wants us to see that He not only created mankind, can issue laws to guide mankind’s lives on earth, and be crucified to redeem our sins, but He can also utter words to cleanse our sins and thoroughly save us from Satan’s dark forces. This is why God taking the name Almighty God in the last days is so meaningful! In fact, no matter how God’s name may change, His essence does not change, His identity and status do not change — in heaven and earth, there is only this one, unique, true God. Accepting Almighty God’s work of the last days is not betraying the Lord Jesus, but is following the Lamp’s footsteps. But because we don’t recognize God’s work or understand the meaning of Him changing His names in different ages, we rely on our own notions, believing that ‘If God Who has returned in the last days isn’t called Jesus then He’s not God, and accepting Almighty God’s work of the last days is betraying the Lord Jesus.’ This is such a foolish, absurd understanding. It’s not at all in line with the Lord Jesus’ will. If we continue to cling to this notion, we’ll shut the door on the Lord Jesus who has already come, and become people who long for the Lord’s coming but resist Him, people who betray the Lord!”
Ms. Fang’s fellowship was like a sword to my heart — God is the almighty, wise God, but I, a paltry little creature held notions about God’s name. That’s so arrogant! But I also gave thanks to God that through reading God’s words and listening to my brother’s and sister’s fellowship, I recognized how significant the name Almighty God is. This also allowed me to gain greater understanding of God. Beginning a new age, ending an age, being mankind’s sin offering, and judging and chastising man’s corrupt dispositions — all these are God’s intentions under different names in different ages. This is the only way our understanding of God can become more comprehensive and accurate.
Over the next couple of weeks I hungrily devoured the entire book, The Scroll Opened by the Lamb. By reading Almighty God’s words, I came to know that the God Yahweh in the Age of Law gave guidance for mankind’s lives on earth, the Lord Jesus was crucified to redeem us of our sins in the Age of Grace, and Almighty God in the last days has uttered words of judgment and chastisement to cleanse our corrupt dispositions, finally allowing us to thoroughly cast off our corruption and be gained by God. Every new step of God’s work is built upon the foundation of the previous step of work; each of the three steps has been progressively elevated, and although the ages are not the same and God’s names are not the same, it is done by one God, from beginning to end. Understanding God’s will to save us and knowing the significance of God’s names, I realized that accepting God’s new name was not betraying Him, but was welcoming His return. Through a period of seeking and investigation, I accepted Almighty God’s work of the last days and follow the footsteps of the Lamb. Thanks be to God’s leadership!
Source from: find the shepherd.
