I

The appearance of God refers to God personally coming to earth to work, descending among mankind to conduct the work of initiating an age and ending an age with His own identity and disposition, and in the way that is innate to Him. This kind of appearance is not a sort of ceremony. It is not a sign, a picture, a miracle, or a kind of grand vision, and even less is it a kind of religious process. Rather, it is a real and actual fact that can be touched and beheld by anyone. This kind of appearance isn't for the sake of going through the motions, or for the sake of a kind of short-term work. Instead, it's for the sake of a stage of work in God's management plan.

II

The appearance of God is always meaningful and always has some relation to His management plan. What is called "appearance" here is absolutely different from the kind of "appearance" in which God guides, leads, and enlightens man. Every time God appears, He carries out a stage of His great work. This work is different from that of any other age. It's unimaginable to man, and has never been experienced by man before. It's work that starts a new age and concludes the old age, and it's a newer and higher stage of work for the salvation of mankind; even more so, it is work that leads mankind into the new age. This is the significance of the appearance of God.

from The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Appendix 1: The Appearance of God Has Ushered in a New Age