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Continuing our discussion from part two, as many Christians already know, Satan and his followers are outright liars and vile deceivers. However, because they are so crafty in using God's Word, in quoting the Bible, and in perverting the true meaning of the Scriptures, they can often trick people into believing that they are angels of light who speak the truth. Such vile deceivers will seem to be righteous people, good people, and people who really love the Lord. Through their smooth words, they will induce others to drink their bitter doctrinal poison, and they will give them spiritual darkness instead of God's true light. Sadly, this is clearly what has happened with my neighbor and friend, and this is how he now views Eastern Lightning. However, consider what the Prophet Isaiah and the Apostles Paul and James had to say regarding this issue:

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"


"This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish."


"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."


If you carefully study the New Testament, you will quickly discover that both Jesus and the Apostles repeatedly warned the First Century Church to beware of deceivers and false brethren who would pervert the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the Gospels, Jesus referred to them as wolves in sheep's clothing, and as evil tares which grow right along side the good wheat, as we see by the following group of verses:

"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly THEY ARE RAVENING WOLVES. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."


"Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as LAMBS AMONG WOLVES."


"Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn."


"He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."


Following are some additional Bible verses which are found in the New Testament which warn us to beware of these very same tares, wolves, deceivers and false brethren who either sneak into our midst in order to cause division, or who try to draw away people from the true Body of Christ:

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall GRIEVOUS WOLVES ENTER IN AMONG YOU, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them."


"And that because of FALSE BRETHREN unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:"


"Beware of dogs, BEWARE OF EVIL WORKERS, beware of the concision."


"Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."


As I told you earlier, we must be like the Jews at Berea who carefully examined what Paul and Silas shared with them, and searched the Scriptures to see if what Paul and Silas told them was true. The Bereans did not just blindly accept their words at face value. So too, rather than listen to Satan and the false brethren who try to deceive us with their false doctrines and damnable heresies, we are instructed to resist the Devil, and to NOT be carried about by every wind of strange doctrine which comes along, as we can determine by the following group of verses:

"Neither give place to the devil."


"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."


"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:"


As you may already know, when Jesus was confronted by some of the unbelieving Jews of His day, He did not mince His words. He just outright exposed them for the lying hypocrites that they were, and He let them have it with both barrels. He told them exactly who controlled their thoughts and actions, as we can determine by the following group of verses:

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves . . . Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity . . . Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"


"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."


So as I mentioned at the beginning of this series, this is also why I felt compelled to write this series. The Church of Almighty God -- a.k.a. Eastern Lightning -- cult needs to be exposed for the liars, false brethren and deceivers that they truly are. Sadly, I already know that not everyone will accept the things which I have written here, particularly if they already happen to belong to this Chinese cult, or have embraced any of their strange doctrines as being true. But if that is the case, please understand that if we knowingly reject the truth of God's Word, He will in fact allow us to be deceived, if that is what we truly want. This truth is made evident by verses such as the following:

"I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not."


". . . because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:"


As I pointed out in part two of this series, not only are members of the Eastern Lightning cult personally deceived, but in the process of being deceived, they are likewise deceiving many other people as well. The way in which they twist and pervert the meaning of different verses defies belief. Allow me to give you another example. As I explain in the seven-part series entitled "Jesus Christ's Return: Have We Been Deceived?", throughout the Gospels, the Lord frequently uses the phrase "this generation". If we read enough verses which contain that phrase, we come to see that Jesus was specifically referring to the generation which was alive at that particular time in Jewish history.

More specifically, Jesus said that He would be rejected by that generation due to their unbelief. One instance of this verse comes right after Jesus saying that His Return would be quick and unexpected, just like a streak of lightning which flashes across the sky. Consider the following two verses where this is mentioned:

"For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto 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."


In fact, Jesus being rejected by the unbelieving Jews during the early First Century is clearly prophesied and mentioned multiple times in both the Old and the New Testaments, as is made abundantly clear by the following group of verses:

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."


"The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes."


"Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?"


"And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again."


"And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?"


"Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day."


"But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation."


"He came unto his own, and his own received him not."


"This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner."


"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."


"To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed [that is disapproved, rejected, repudiated] indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed."


Thus, through a simple Bible study, we have now established that this is precisely what Jesus was actually talking about. Well, believe it or not, but despite the fact that all of the previous verses clearly describe that evil generation's rejection of Jesus Christ, the Church of Almighty God has appropriated -- or taken for their own -- Luke 17:24-25 as well. In their movie, they claim that not only are those two verses actually referring to Jesus returning in the physical body of Yang Xiangbin in our modern day, but they are also describing how Yang Xiangbin -- a.k.a. Almighty God -- will be rejected by this current generation! You see, they had to find a way to explain why most of the world views them as a dangerous cult and rejects their leader. So they latch on to Luke 17:24-25, and seriously pervert the true meaning of the verses. That is how deceived these folks are! As I said, they purposely distort the meanings of verses over and over again. Another verse which they seriously pervert is the following one:

"Behold, he cometh 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."


Now, personally, I believe that the phrase "and they also which pierced him" is referring to the Romans. After all, aren't they the ones who crucified our Lord after the Jews pressured Pontius Pilate to kill Jesus by instigating a mob to cry out "Crucify him, crucify him!"? Was it not also a Roman soldier who pierced Jesus' side? Following is the exact scene, as described in the Gospel of Luke, along with some supporting verses as well:

"And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him. (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.) And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they [the Jews] required."


"The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear PIERCED HIS SIDE, and forthwith came there out BLOOD AND WATER."


"I AM POURED OUT LIKE WATER, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels."


So as you can see, we have a very clear Scriptural record regarding what the phrase "and they also which pierced him" really means. Tragically, once again, because they are so desperate to find Bible verses which they can knowingly and intentionally misinterpret so as to supposedly legitimize and validate their misguided cult and its wayward doctrines, they latch on to Revelation 1:7 as well. Well, how do they interpret the phrase? Believe it or not, but the following is a verbatim quote from the movie "Break the Spell". Keep in mind that when they say "God Incarnate" and "Almighty God", they are NOT referring to our Heavenly Father or to the real Jesus of the Bible. They are referring to their female leader, Yang Xiangbin, who Zhao Weishan has unwisely declared to be the one true "God" in female form, based on some personal whim over thirty years ago:

----- Begin Quote -----

"In reality, those who pierced him are those who when God Incarnate descends secretly in the last days, do not seek God's voice, and condemn and resist Almighty God."

----- End Quote -----

Have you had enough yet? Are you convinced yet that Eastern Lightning, a.k.a. the Church of Almighty God, is a dangerous cult? Sorry, but we are not done yet. I still have more to share with you, including some additional quotes from this deceptive movie which will shock you!

The second half of the "Break the Spell" film contains much of the same elements as the first half, except that in the second half, the Church of Almighty God attacks organized religion with greater intensity, and casts doubt upon some verses which are found in the Bible. They also reveal a very clear distrust in the words of the Apostle Paul, similar to legalistic Jews, and Zionist Christians who have swallowed Jewish lies, and who hate the Apostle Paul with a passion. In fact, such people view Paul as a false apostle who is responsible for the creation of modern Christianity, which contradicts Jewish legalism. This same general idea comes across in this outrageous movie as well.

In one extended scene, two members of the Church of Almighty God named Brother Li and Brother Chen really attack a small group of church leaders who are present at their meeting. They repeatedly refer to them as Pharisees and antichrists. In fact, at the two hours and thirty minutes mark in this disgusting movie, they refer to church leaders as "worthless vile men". Furthermore, as I mentioned earlier, throughout the entire movie, this cult constantly uses both words -- Pharisees and antichrists -- to describe anyone who rejects the claims of their false christ -- Yang Xiangbin -- and the plethora of misguided beliefs which this cult espouses. For example, following is a direct quote which is found at the 38-minute mark in this blasphemous movie. Please remember again that when they say "Almighty God", they are referring to Yang Xiangbin, and NOT to our Heavenly Father:

----- Begin Quote -----

"Those who cling to the notion that the Lord will descend with the clouds but don't seek God's work in the last days, are in fact foolish virgins. In particular, those who resist and condemn Almighty God are the Pharisees and antichrists, exposed by God's work in the last days. They all have recrucified God, and they shall endure great disasters and be punished."

----- End Quote -----

Returning to the second half of the movie, while the church leaders do offer a few rebuttals, I was amazed by the way for the most part they just sat there and took whatever the Eastern Lightning members threw at them, and almost seemed to cower in fear. But, of course, this was all part of the movie plot to make them look guilty, while at the same time, making the Church of Almighty God appear to be both right in doctrine, and victorious over organized religion.

What I also find interesting is the fact that each time that an Eastern Lightning cult member speaks, they do not do it in an angry, harsh tone. They are quite calm, collected and authoritative, and they speak matter-of-factly with a lot of confidence, as if they know that they are right, even though they really are not. It is very subtle. They cast darts and slice with verbal knives, never hinting at the least bit of animosity. Their words are as smooth as butter. Wow! I was just reminded of the following powerful verse:

"The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords."


There are just so many things which are terribly wrong with what is preached by the Eastern Lightning members in this film, that I am unable to cover them all in this series. If I were to endeavor to do so, it would surely require many more pages. However, I do want to cover a few more scenes where they purposely cast doubt on the Apostle Paul, on the Bible as a whole -- even though they hypocritically endeavor to use the very same Book to validate their cultish ideas -- and where they openly attack the belief in confirming all things with the Holy Scriptures, and not embracing anything which can be shown to outright contradict the Scriptures.

As I have explained several times now, like many cults, this cult knows the Word of God. In the film, their members quote verse after verse in order to demonstrate their knowledge of the Bible, and to prove their points. BUT, as we have already clearly seen, they purposely manipulate the verses which they quote. As I said, in every scene where a member of the cult speaks, they do so calmly, logically and very confidently. One problem which all cults have to overcome, is to find a way to justify any of their beliefs and practices which fall outside of the written Word of God. The Eastern Lightning cult is no different, and they know this.

So, to overcome this difficulty with several of the house church members who still cling to the Scriptures, and who continue to insist that we must verify all things with the Word of God, the two members of the Church of Almighty God once again embark on a seemingly very logical path through the Scriptures to prove their point. In this case, the goal of these cultists is to prove that what the Apostle Paul wrote in the following verse is not true. In other words, they endeavor to prove that Paul lied when he wrote this:

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"


The tactic they use is actually two-pronged, and once again, they do say some things which are true. Remember, a proper deception involves mixing in some of the truth with all of their lies, so that the gullible sheep will become deceived. Thus, the two cult members in the film have two goals. Their first goal is to prove to the reluctant house church members that not every single word that is found in the Scriptures is the actual word of God. Well, guess what? From a legalistic standpoint, they are absolutely right! Even I know this. What do I mean by this? Have I lost my marbles? Am I likewise a heretic? Relax, my friends. Let me explain.

The fact of the matter -- as the Eastern Lightning cultists clearly point out -- is that in order to truly be classified as the Word of God, something must meet one or more of the following conditions:

1. It was spoken directly by God to a human being, or to a group of human beings, as in the case of God speaking with Moses directly in the Pentateuch, or Torah. This would also include verses such as the following where God speaks from Heaven, as heard by multiple witnesses:

"And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."


"While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."


"And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."


"And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased."


2. It must have been spoken by a Prophet of God who was moved by the Holy Spirit, as in this verse:

"For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."


3. It must have been spoken directly by Jesus in one of the Gospels, or in the Book of Acts where, for example, the Lord spoke directly to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, or else in the Book of Revelation where Jesus speaks directly to the Apostle John.

4. It must have been spoken -- or written -- by an Apostle, under the direct influence of the Holy Spirit.

All four of the previous points define what can truly be called the Word of God in a very narrow sense. Anything else would technically have to be viewed as human words. Thus, as the cult members point out in this evil film, there are many thousands of words in the Bible which are actually endeavors by humans to describe events which they either heard about, or which they personally witnessed, but technically, they are not the Word of God. Please don't become alarmed by what I have written here. I have not taken leave of my senses. As you will learn in part four, there are parts of the equation which the Church of Almighty God is intentionally leaving out.

Please go to part four for the continuation of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

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