Let us sing a hymn: All Creation Must Come Under God’s Dominion

God created all things, and so He makes all creation come under His dominion and submit to His dominion; He will command all things, so that all things are in His hands. All of God’s creation, including animals, plants, mankind, the mountains and rivers, and the lakes—all must come under His dominion. All things in the skies and on the ground must come under His dominion. They cannot have any choice and must all submit to His orchestrations. This was decreed by God, and it is the authority of God.

God commands everything, and orders and ranks all things, with each classed according to kind, and allotted their own position, according to God’s will. No matter how great it is, no thing can surpass God, all things serve the mankind created by God, and no thing dares to disobey God or make any demands of God. Therefore man, as a created being, must also fulfill the duty of man. Regardless of whether he is the lord or caretaker of all things, no matter how high man’s status among all things, still he is but a small human being under the dominion of God, and is no more than an insignificant human being, a created being, and he will never be above God.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Success or Failure Depends on the Path That Man Walks

What is the truth in the hymn “All Creation Must Come Under God’s Dominion”? Which line is the truth? (All of the lines are the truth.) What does the last line say? (“No matter how high man’s status among all things, still he is but a small human being under the dominion of God, and is no more than an insignificant human being, a created being, and he will never be above God.”) Man can never be above God, created beings can never be above God; all aside from God are created beings. Man can never be above God; this is the truth. Can this truth change? Will it change at the end of time? (No.) This is the truth. Who can tell Me what the truth is? (The truth is the criterion for man’s comportment, actions, and worship of God.) We have fellowshipped twice about the topic of “what the truth is,” so let us talk about what criteria are. What is important here is the criteria. (The criteria are the standard, accurate principles, laws, and rules. The basis of the criteria is God’s words.) Who else wants to continue? (The criteria are the most standard, most accurate principles, laws, and rules that are derived from God’s words.) The word “most” has been added here, but is this “most” necessary? What is the difference between adding the word “most” and not adding it? With the “most,” there is a second most, a third most, and so on. What do you think about adding “most”? (It’s not suitable, because the truth is the only standard. Once “most” is added, it suggests a kind of relativity, with other things being secondary and tertiary to it.) Is this explanation accurate? (Yes.) It is also reasonable. If you have an accurate view and understanding of the definition of “what the truth is,” and you understand clearly that God is the truth, then you can understand whether the word “most” should be added, whether adding it is right, what difference adding it makes, what it means to not add it, and what it means if you do add it. Now, it’s confirmed that not adding “most” is correct. What mistake has the person who added this word made? He thought that, no matter what aspect of God is being described, the word “most” should be added. Where did he go wrong in making this comparison? Which of God’s statements, which truth, has been contradicted? (Created beings can never be above God; adding the word “most” seems to suggest that there are secondary and tertiary rankings between created beings and God.) Is this correct? (Yes.) It makes some sense; it can be explained in that way. Are there any other statements that can verify that adding the word “most” in front is incorrect? (I recall something, which is that the truth can only come from God, only God is the truth, so there can be no relative expressions of second most, third most, and so on.) This is also correct. (The truth is the criterion for man’s comportment, actions, and worship of God. Since laws, rules, and criteria can only come from God, people do not have criteria or laws for their actions, nor can they establish rules for them, so there is no need to add the word “most.”) This explanation is a bit more practical. Anything else? (God’s authority and God’s essence are unique. God’s essence is the truth, and nothing can compare to it. Adding the word “most” makes it seem like the truth isn’t unique anymore.) How is this statement? (Good.) What’s good about it? (It points out that God is unique.) “Unique”—you all forgot this term. God is unique. Can the criteria conveyed in each sentence spoken by God, as well as each of God’s requirements for man, be found among humankind? (No.) Does humankind’s knowledge, traditional culture, or thoughts contain these things? (No.) Can they generate the truth? No, they cannot. Therefore, adding “most” suggests secondary and tertiary ranks, differentiating high, low, and even lower, and dividing things into first level, second level, third level…. It means that all correct things can become a criterion according to a certain sequence. Can it be understood this way? (Yes.) So, what is the problem with adding the word “most”? It changes God’s words, God’s truth, into something relative, only slightly higher than the knowledge, philosophies, and other correct things among the humans He has created. This divides the truth into ranks. As a result, the correct things among corrupt humans also become the truth. Moreover, such things also become the criteria for man’s actions and comportment—just at a relatively lower level. For example, things like being civilized, being polite, human kindness, and some of the good things that people are born with all become criteria—what does this imply that they have become? (The truth.) They have become the truth. Look, the addition of the word “most” changes the nature of this criterion. Once the nature of the criterion changes, does the definition of God change as well? (Yes.) What does the definition of God become? In this definition, God is not unique; God’s authority, power, and essence are not unique. God is simply the highest-ranking role with power and authority among mankind. Any individual among mankind with ability and prestige can be considered on par with God and be discussed on equal terms with Him, just not as high or as great as Him. Those relatively positive figures and leaders among mankind can be ranked right behind God, becoming the second, third, fourth in command…, with God being the boss. Doesn’t such an interpretation completely change the identity and essence of God? With just a single word “most,” the essence of God changes completely. Is this a problem? (Yes.) Then, what makes these words correct without adding the word “most”? (They state a fact.) What is this fact? (It is that God is the truth, principle, standard, and criterion.) It is that God is the origin of all these criteria. There are no such criteria among corrupt humans, among created beings. God is the only source that expresses these criteria. Only God possesses this essence. The reality of all positive things and the criteria can only come from God. If a person knows something of the principles for man’s comportment, actions, and worship of God, knows something of the criteria, and understands some of the truth, can they become God? (No.) Are they the source of the truth? The expresser of all truths? (No.) Then can they be called God? No. This is the essential difference. Do you understand? (Yes.) Though I have talked about the topic of “what the truth is” twice now, your answers still contain such a huge error, turning God into one among the created beings, making created beings God’s equals, leveling the relationship between the two. This changes the nature of the issue, which is the same as denying God. God is the Creator, humans are created beings—these two are not roles of the same rank. But what happens when you add the word “most”? They become the same in terms of essence and rank, differing only in terms of superiority or inferiority. When I asked you about this in detail, you thought to yourselves, “Isn’t this underestimating us? We are all educated people, how could we forget these few words? We can speak about this effortlessly without even having to look at our notes.” The problem was exposed as soon as you opened your mouths. After I spoke, you read it several times and still couldn’t repeat it accurately. What is the reason for this? You still don’t understand the truth in this regard. Someone added the word “most” and thought, “None of you added ‘most;’ you don’t have much faith in God, huh? Look at me, I added ‘most.’ That shows I’m educated—my time in college wasn’t wasted!” After he added “most,” the majority of you didn’t notice the problem. A few of you felt something was off, but couldn’t explain why. After others explained it, you understood it in theory, and you knew that the explanation was correct. But did you understand it in terms of the truth? (No.) I fellowshipped about why it is wrong to add the word “most,” and you understood it, but did you truly understand the essence of the issue? (No.) You didn’t see it clearly. Why is that? (We don’t understand the truth.) And why don’t you understand the truth? Didn’t you understand what I said? If you did understand, how can you still not understand the truth? How many chapters are there on the topic of “God Himself, the Unique”? How many times have you read them? Do you truly understand these words? (No.) You don’t understand, so you made fools of yourselves today. These words have exposed you. Isn’t that right? (Yes.) Have you learned anything from this? Will you still think yourselves so clever the next time you encounter something like this? You wouldn’t dare, right? If a person doesn’t understand the truth, no amount of education or knowledge will be useful. If you’re uneducated and do not know how to use this word, you might not add the word “most,” and this problem might not have arisen. At the very least, you wouldn’t have made this mistake and made a fool of yourself. But since you are educated and understand the meaning and usage of certain words, you applied them to God. As a result, you’ve caused a problem to arise, turning cleverness into clumsiness. If you apply it to a person, it’s merely idolization and flattery, which is at most just disgusting. But if you apply it to God, the problem becomes serious. It becomes denying God, resisting God, and condemning God’s words. This is the mistake that corrupt humans who lack the truth are most liable to make. In the future, be careful not to carelessly add adverbs or adjectives. Why? Because that which concerns God’s identity, essence, words, and disposition are the areas where corrupt humans are most lacking, and where their understanding is shallowest and most scarce. Therefore, people who do not understand the truth must be careful not to act recklessly; it is better to be prudent.

I. A Dissection of the Idea of “Neither Doubting Those You Employ nor Employing Those You Doubt”

Some people just explained the definition and concept of the truth. You understand the definition and concept of the truth, but do you really understand what the truth is? I need to test you on this. How will I test you? I will use your strengths to test you. And what are your strengths? You are familiar with learning, words, and vocabulary; with the various philosophies and approaches to worldly dealings that people in every crowd possess; and with human traditional cultures, as well as their notions and imaginings. You are also familiar with the various laws and notions that people of all races, ethnicities, and nationalities live by. Are these not your strengths? Among these some are relatively fixed idioms, some are proverbs, and some are sayings; some are catchy colloquialisms commonly used by ordinary folk. Ask yourselves, what are the things on which people frequently have profound thoughts and views that they turn into an idiom? Let’s first dissect a few sayings, idioms, and laws, as well as people’s approach to worldly dealings and their traditional notions, so that we can understand exactly what the truth is. We’ll discuss what the truth actually is from a negative perspective. Is this a good approach? (Yes.) So, give us one to start with. (Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.) Is this statement correct? (No.) “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.” Let’s start fellowshipping about this one first. Go ahead and explain what this saying means. (It means that you should trust those who you employ without being guarded toward them. If you don’t trust someone, then don’t employ them.) This is the literal interpretation. First, tell Me, do most people in the world agree or disagree with this saying? (Agree.) They agree with it. It is fair to say that most people in this society adhere to the saying, “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt,” as a principle in matters of employing others and treat people according to this principle. So, is any aspect of this saying correct? (No.) Why, then, do most unbelievers hold this saying to be correct and accept and apply it without reservation? What is their motivation for doing so? Why do they say it? Some people say: “If you are going to employ someone, then you cannot doubt them; you must trust them. You must trust that they have the talent and character to get the job done, and that they will be loyal to you. If you doubt them, then don’t employ them. As the saying goes, ‘Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.’ This saying is correct.” Actually, this saying is nothing but misleading devilish talk. Where does it come from? What is its intent? What is its scheme? (God, I remember that during the last fellowship, it was mentioned that some people, if they didn’t want others to interfere in their work, would say, “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.” What they mean is, “Since you gave me this job and are making use of me, then you should not interfere in my work—you should not meddle with what I do.”) What kind of disposition do people who use this saying have? (The disposition of an antichrist, arbitrary and being a law unto themselves.) This is indeed their disposition. Those who use or came up with this saying, are they the ones who employ or the ones who are employed? Whom does this saying benefit the most? (Those who are employed.) How do those who are employed benefit from this saying? If they repeatedly emphasize this saying to their employer, they are instilling a certain kind of thought in them; it has the nature of inculcation or indoctrination. This is tantamount to saying to the employer: Once you employ someone, you must trust that they will be loyal to you. You must trust that they will do the job well, that they have this capability. You must not doubt them, as doubting them would be to your own detriment. If you’re always of two minds, if you’re always looking to replace them with someone else, this may affect their loyalty toward you. Upon hearing this, would the employer be easily influenced or misled by this saying? (Yes.) And once the employer has been influenced or misled, the one who is employed will benefit. If the employer accepts this kind of thinking, they will have no doubts or suspicions about the person they employ; they will not supervise or inquire about the work that person has done, whether that person is loyal to the employer, or whether that person has the ability to do these things. The person being employed can thereby evade the supervision and oversight of this employer and subsequently do whatever they like without following the wishes of their employer. Tell Me, when an employee uses this saying, do they truly have the character to be absolutely loyal to their employer? Do they absolutely not need to be supervised? (No.) Why do we say that? It’s a universally acknowledged fact from ancient times to the present that human beings are deeply corrupt, they have corrupt dispositions, and they are especially sly and deceitful; there are no honest people and even fools tell lies. This causes great difficulty when it comes to employing other people, and it is next to impossible to find someone who is worthy of trust, let alone someone who is completely dependable. Finding a few relatively employable people is at best the most one can hope for. Since there are no people worthy of trust, how, then, is it possible to “neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt”? It isn’t, because no one is dependable. So, how, then, should we utilize those who are relatively employable? We can only do so through supervision and guidance. Unbelievers send informants and spies to monitor the person in their employ in order to feel relatively reassured. Thus, people in ancient times were deluding themselves when they said, “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.” The one who coined this term, “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt,” did not actually apply this saying themselves. If they truly did, then they would have been a thoughtless individual, a first-rate fool who could only be deceived and cheated. Is this not a fact? Let’s talk about where the most significant flaw in “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” lies. What is the foundation for “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt”? It must be that the person employed is completely dependable, and is loyal and responsible. There must be 100% certainty that the employee is such a person in order for the employer to apply the saying “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.” Nowadays, such trustworthy individuals cannot be found; they are almost nonexistent, making this statement, “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt,” nonsense. If you choose an untrustworthy person and then apply the saying “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” in order to restrain your doubts about that person, are you not deluding yourself? Is the person being employed capable of being trustworthy and doing things in a loyal and responsible manner simply because you do not doubt them? In reality, they will continue to conduct themselves according to the kind of person they are regardless of your doubt. If they are a deceitful person, then they will continue to do deceitful things; if they are guileless, then they will continue to do things lacking guile. This is not contingent on whether or not you harbor doubts about them. Say, for instance, that you employ a deceitful person. You know in your heart that this person is deceitful, yet you say to them, “I don’t doubt you, so go ahead and do your job confidently”; will that person then become a guileless person who does things without guile merely because you do not doubt them? Is that possible? Conversely, if you employ a guileless person, will they turn into a deceitful person because you doubt or do not understand them? No, they will not. Therefore, the saying “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” is purely a fool’s attempt at peace of mind, it is self-deceiving nonsense. What is the extent of mankind’s corruption? The pursuit of status and power has caused fathers and sons, as well as brothers, to turn against and kill one another; it has made mothers and daughters hate one another. Who can trust anyone? There is no person who is absolutely dependable, only relatively employable ones. Regardless of who you employ, the only way to prevent mistakes is by watching or supervising them. Thus, “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” is a self-deluding saying. It’s nonsense, a fallacy, and doesn’t hold water at all. Why does God express the truth and do the work of judgment to cleanse and save mankind in the last days? It’s because mankind has been deeply corrupted. There is no one who truly submits to God, and there is no one fit for God’s use. Thus, God repeatedly demands that people be honest. It’s also because human beings are too deceitful, they are filled with Satan’s corrupt disposition and have the nature of Satan. They cannot help themselves from sinning and doing evil, and they are capable of resisting and betraying God anywhere and at any time. There is no one among corrupt humans who is able to be made use of or trustworthy. It is indeed difficult to choose and make use of someone from among mankind! First of all, it’s impossible for people to truly understand someone; second, people cannot see through others; third, under special circumstances, it’s even more impossible to rein in or manage people. Against this backdrop, finding someone to make use of is the most difficult thing to do. The saying “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” is therefore highly erroneous and not practical in the least. Choosing and making use of someone on the basis of this saying is just asking to be deceived. Anyone who considers this saying to be correct and to be the truth is the most foolish of people. Can this saying really resolve the difficulty of using others? Not at all. It is merely a way of comforting oneself, engaging in self-deception and deluding oneself.

At this point in our fellowship, do you have a basic understanding of whether the saying “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” is correct? Is this saying the truth? (No.) Then what is it? (Satan’s philosophy.) More specifically, this saying serves as an excuse for someone who wishes to break through or break free from another’s supervision or oversight; it’s also a smokescreen that all evil people spread in order to protect their own interests and achieve their own goals. This saying is a pretext for those who harbor ulterior motives to do whatever they please. It is also a fallacy propagated by such people to justifiably break away from the supervision, oversight, and condemnation of morality and conscience. Now, however, there are some people who believe the saying “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” to be practical and correct. Do such people have discernment? Do they understand the truth? Are the thoughts and views of such people problematic? If someone within the church propagates this saying, they do so with a motive, they are trying to mislead others. They are attempting to use the saying “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” to dispel others’ misgivings or doubts about them. Implicitly, this means that they want others to trust they can do work, to trust that they are someone who can be made use of. Isn’t this their intent and goal? It must be. They think to themselves, “You never trust me and always doubt me. At some point, you’ll probably find some slight problem with me and dismiss me. How am I supposed to work if this is always on my mind?” So they propagate this view so that God’s house will trust them without doubt and leave them to work freely, thus achieving their goal. If someone is truly pursuing the truth, they should properly treat God’s house’s supervision over their work when they see it, knowing that this is for their own protection and, more importantly, that it’s also being responsible for the work of God’s house. Though they may reveal their corruption, they can pray to God to ask for God to scrutinize and protect them, or swear to God that they will accept His punishment if they do evil. Would this not put their mind at peace? Why propagate a fallacy to mislead people and achieve one’s own purpose? Some leaders and workers always have an attitude of resistance toward the supervision of God’s chosen people or the efforts of upper leaders and workers to understand their work. What do they think? “‘Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.’ Why are you always supervising me? Why do you make use of me if you don’t trust me?” If you ask them about their work or inquire about its progress and then ask about their personal state, they will become even more defensive: “This work has been entrusted to me; it falls within my purview. Why are you interfering in my work?” Though not daring to say it outright, they will insinuate, “As the saying goes, ‘Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.’ Why are you such a doubtful person?” They will even condemn and label you. And what if you do not understand the truth and have no discernment? After hearing their insinuation, you would say, “Am I doubtful? Then I am wrong. I am deceitful! You’re right: Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.” Haven’t you thus been misled? Does the saying “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” accord with the truth? No, it’s nonsense! These wicked people are insidious and deceitful; they present this saying as the truth to mislead muddleheaded people. A muddleheaded person, upon hearing this saying, becomes truly misled, and they become confused, thinking: “He’s right, I’ve wronged this person. He said it himself: ‘Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.’ How could I have doubted him? Work cannot be done this way. I must encourage him without prying into his work. Since I’m using him, I need to trust him and let him work freely without constraining him. I need to give him space to perform. He has the ability to do the job. And even if he doesn’t have the ability, there’s still the Holy Spirit working!” What sort of logic is this? Does any of it accord with the truth? (No.) These words all sound correct. “We cannot constrain others”; “People can’t do anything; it’s the Holy Spirit that does everything. The Holy Spirit scrutinizes everything. We do not need to doubt because God is fully in charge.” But what kind of words are these? Aren’t the people who speak them muddleheaded? They can’t see through even this much and are misled by just one sentence. It’s safe to say most people consider the phrase “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” as the truth, and they are misled and bound by it. They are disturbed and influenced by it when selecting or using people, and even let it dictate their actions. As a result, many leaders and workers always have difficulties and misgivings whenever they check up on church work and promote and use people. Ultimately, all they can do is comfort themselves with the words “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.” Whenever they inspect or inquire about the work, they think, “‘Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.’ I should trust my brothers and sisters, and after all, the Holy Spirit scrutinizes people, so I shouldn’t always doubt and supervise others.” They have been influenced by this phrase, haven’t they? What are the consequences brought about by the influence of this phrase? First of all, if someone subscribes to this idea of “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt,” will they inspect and guide others’ work? Will they supervise and keep up with people’s work? If this person trusts everyone they use and never inspects or guides them in their work, and never supervises them, are they doing their duty loyally? Can they carry out the work of the church in a competent manner and complete God’s commission? Are they being loyal to God’s commission? Second, this is not merely a failure to keep to God’s word and your duties, this is taking Satan’s schemes and philosophy for worldly dealings as if they were the truth, and following and practicing them. You are obeying Satan and living by a satanic philosophy, aren’t you? You are not a person who submits to God, much less a person who abides by God’s words. You are a complete scoundrel. Putting God’s words aside, and instead taking a satanic phrase and practicing it as the truth, is betraying the truth and God! You work in God’s house, yet the principles for your actions are satanic logic and philosophy for worldly dealings, what kind of person are you? This is someone who betrays God and someone who gravely shames God. What is the essence of this act? Openly condemning God and openly denying the truth. Isn’t that the essence of it? (It is.) In addition to not following God’s will, you are allowing one of Satan’s devilish sayings and satanic philosophies for worldly dealings to run rampant in the church. In doing this, you become Satan’s accomplice, assist Satan in carrying out its activities within the church, and disturb and disrupt church work. The essence of this problem is very serious, isn’t it?

Nowadays, most leaders and workers harbor Satan’s poison in their hearts and still live by satanic philosophies, and there are few of God’s words that hold power in their hearts. The work of many leaders and workers is problematic in that they never inspect or supervise the work after making work arrangements, even though they actually know in their hearts that some people cannot do the work and that problems will certainly arise. However, not knowing how to resolve this problem, they simply adopt a view of “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” and muddle through, even having peace of mind. This leads to some people being unable to do real work, and they merely busy themselves with general affairs, going through the motions. As a result, they make a mess of the church’s work, and in some places, even the offerings to God get stolen. God’s chosen people, unable to stand the sight of this, report the matter to the Above. The false leader, upon becoming aware of this, is dumbfounded and feels as though disaster is approaching. The Above then questions him: “Why didn’t you inspect the work? Why did you use the wrong person?” To which the false leader answers: “I have no insight into a person’s essence, so I simply follow the principle of ‘Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.’ I never expected to use the wrong person and cause such a disaster.” Do you believe the view “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” is correct? Is this phrase the truth? Why would he use this phrase in the work of God’s house and in doing his duty? What is the problem here? “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” are clearly the words of the unbelievers, words that come from Satan—so why does he treat them as the truth? Why can’t he tell if these words are right or wrong? These are patently the words of man, the words of corrupt humankind, they are simply not the truth, they are utterly at odds with the words of God, and should not serve as the criterion for people’s actions, comportment, and worship of God. So how should this phrase be approached? If you are truly capable of discernment, what kind of truth principle should you use in its place to serve as your principle of practice? It should be to “perform your duty with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” To act with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind is to be constrained by no one; it is to be of a single heart and mind, and no more. This is your responsibility and your duty, and you should perform it well, as doing this is perfectly natural and justified. Whatever problems you encounter, you should act according to the principles. Handle them however you ought to; if pruning is called for, so be it, and if dismissal is called for, so be it. Act based on God’s words and on the truth. Isn’t this the principle? Is this not the exact opposite of the phrase “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt”? What does it mean to neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt? It means that if you have employed a person, you should not doubt them, you should let go of the reins, not supervise them, and let them do as they please; and if you doubt them, then you should not employ them. Is this not what it means? This is terribly wrong. Humankind has been deeply corrupted by Satan. Every person has a satanic disposition, and is capable of betraying God and resisting God. You could say that no one is reliable. Even if a person swears to the end of the earth, it is of no use because people are constrained by their corrupted dispositions and cannot control themselves. They must accept God’s judgment and chastisement before they can resolve the problem of their corrupt disposition, and thoroughly resolve the problem of them resisting and betraying God—resolve the root of people’s sins. All those who have not gone through God’s judgment and purification and achieved salvation are not reliable. They are not worthy of trust. Therefore, when you use someone, you must supervise, direct, prune them, and frequently fellowship on the truth, and only in this way will you be able to see clearly whether they can continue to be used. If there are some people who can accept the truth, accept pruning, are able to perform their duty loyally, and who have continual progress in their life, then only these people are truly usable. Those who are truly usable have the confirmation of the Holy Spirit’s work. People who do not have the work of the Holy Spirit are not reliable; they are service-doers and temporary laborers. When it comes to selecting leaders and workers, a relatively high proportion of them, at least more than half, are cast out, while only a small minority are deemed usable or fit for use—this is a fact. Some church leaders never supervise or check others’ work, and pay no heed to the work once they finish fellowshipping or making work arrangements. Rather, they go by the phrase “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt,” even saying to themselves, “Let God do the rest.” They then begin to indulge in comfort and ease, not inquiring into the matter and ignoring it. By working in this way, aren’t they being perfunctory? Do they have any sense of responsibility? Are such people not false leaders? God demands that people perform their duties with all their heart, all their soul, all their mind, and all their strength. What God demands of people—that is the truth. If leaders and workers comply with the words of devils and Satan rather than the words of God when working or doing their duties, is this not a manifestation of resisting and betraying God? Why must God’s house select only those leaders and workers who are able to accept the truth and choose only good people who have a conscience and reason, are of good caliber, and are capable of taking on the work? It is because humankind is deeply corrupted and almost no one is usable. Unless someone has years of training and cultivation, they do things terribly inefficiently and have much difficulty performing their duties well, and they must be judged, chastised, and pruned numerous times before they become fit for use. A majority of people are revealed and cast out in the course of their training, and leaders and workers are cast out at considerably high rates. Why is this? It is because humankind has been too deeply corrupted by Satan. Most people do not love the truth, nor do they meet the standard of conscience and reason. So most of them are not usable. They must believe in God for several years and understand a bit of the truth in order to be able to do some duties. This is the reality of corrupt humankind. So, based on this, we can conclude that the phrase “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” is completely wrong and has absolutely no practical value, and that the person who coined it was simply a devil. We can say with certainty that “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” is a heresy and fallacy; it is a devilish saying, a satanic philosophy, and such a characterization is wholly appropriate. God has never said anything to the effect of, “Corrupt humankind can be trusted.” He has always demanded that people be honest, proving that there are very few honest people among all of mankind, that all are capable of lying and cheating, and that all have a deceitful disposition. Moreover, God said the likelihood that corrupt mankind will betray God is one hundred percent. Even if God uses a person, that person must go through years of being pruned, and even while being used, they must experience many years of judgment and chastisement in order to be purified. Now, you tell Me, is there really anyone who is reliable? No one dares to say so. And what does it prove that no one dares? It proves that all people are unreliable. So, let’s go back to the phrase “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.” In what way is it incorrect? What is absurd about it? Is it not self-explanatory? If anyone still believes that this saying is in any way correct or applicable, then they are surely someone who lacks the truth and are certainly an absurd person. Today, you are able to notice the problem with this phrase and determine it to be a fallacy, and this is entirely because you have experienced God’s work and are now able to see more clearly and gain clearer insights into the essence of corrupt humankind. It is only because of this that you are able to utterly repudiate this evil phrase, this heresy and fallacy. Were it not for God’s work of salvation, you too would be misled by this devilish saying of Satan and even use it as though it were a standard dictum or a motto. How pitiful that would be—you would have no truth reality at all.

The phrase “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” is one that most people have heard before. Do you believe this phrase to be correct or incorrect? (Incorrect.) Since you believe it to be incorrect, why is it still able to influence you in real life? When these sorts of matters befall you, this view will emerge. It will disturb you to some extent, and once it disturbs you, your work will be compromised. So, if you believe it to be incorrect and have determined that it is incorrect, then why are you still influenced by it and why do you still use it to comfort yourself? (Because people do not understand the truth and fall short of practicing according to God’s words, they will take Satan’s philosophy for worldly dealings as their principle or criterion for practicing.) This is one of the reasons. Are there others? (Because this phrase is relatively in line with people’s fleshly interests, and they will naturally act according to this phrase when they don’t understand the truth.) People are not only like this when they don’t understand the truth; even when they do understand the truth, they might not be able to practice according to the truth. It is correct that this phrase is “relatively in line with people’s fleshly interests.” People would rather follow a cunning trick or a satanic philosophy for worldly dealings to protect their own fleshly interests than practice the truth. Besides, they have a basis for doing this. What is this basis? It is that this phrase is broadly accepted by the masses as being right. When they do things in accordance with this phrase, their actions can be valid in front of all others and they can be free from criticism. Whether viewed from a moral or legal perspective, or from the perspective of traditional notions, it is a view and practice that holds water. Thus, when you are unwilling to practice the truth or when you do not understand it, you would rather offend God, violate the truth, and retreat to a place that doesn’t cross a moral bottom line. And what is this place? It is the bottom line that you “neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.” Retreating to this place and acting in accordance with this phrase will give you peace of mind. Why does it give you peace of mind? It is because everyone else also thinks this way. Moreover, your heart also harbors the notion that the law cannot be enforced when everyone is an offender, and you think, “Everyone thinks this way. If I practice according to this phrase, it doesn’t matter if God condemns me. In any case, I cannot see God, nor can I touch the Holy Spirit. At least in the eyes of others, I am seen as a person with human traits, someone with a bit of conscience.” You choose to betray the truth for the sake of these “human traits,” for the sake of having people look upon you without hostility in their eyes. Everyone will then think good of you, you won’t be criticized, and you’ll live a comfortable life and have peace of mind—what you seek is peace of mind. Is this peace of mind a manifestation of a person’s love for the truth? (No, it is not.) So, what kind of disposition is this? Does it harbor deceitfulness? Yes, there is deceitfulness in it. You have given it some thought, and you know that the phrase “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” is not correct, that it is not the truth. Why, then, when you reach an impasse, do you still not choose the truth, but instead abide by a philosophical phrase derived from traditional culture, one to which people are most receptive? Why do you choose this? This is related to people’s complex thoughts, and once there are complex thoughts, what kind of disposition is involved? (Wickedness.) Apart from wickedness, there is another aspect at play here. You don’t fully recognize the phrase as being correct, yet you are still able to adhere to it and you let it sway and control you. There is one thing certain here: You are averse to the truth, and you are not someone who loves the truth. Is this not the disposition? (Yes, it is.) This much is certain. People are influenced by many views when they do things, and while you, in fact, do not necessarily believe in your heart that such views are correct, you nevertheless are able to abide by and stick to them, which is driven by a certain disposition. Even though you believe these views to be incorrect, you can still be influenced, swayed, and manipulated by them. This is a wicked disposition. For example, some people use drugs or gamble while also saying that drug use and gambling are bad and even advising others not to do such things, lest they potentially lose everything. They believe such things to be wrong, that they are negative things, but can they give them up and quit them? (No.) They will never be able to stop themselves, and they even openly say, “Gambling is also a way to make money, so it can turn into a profession.” Aren’t they just beautifying it? In reality, they think to themselves, “What kind of profession is this? I’ve pawned everything of value I own and lost all the money I made from it. In the end, not a single gambler can lead a normal life.” So why do they still beautify it like that? Because they cannot quit. And why are they unable to quit? Because it is in their nature; it has already taken root there. They need this thing and cannot rebel against it—it is their nature. We have more or less fellowshipped enough about the phrase “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.” Is a person influenced by this phrase because they had a temporary impulse to accept such a view, or is it because Satan, taking advantage of a moment of carelessness, instilled such a view in this person, leading them to act accordingly? (No.) This involves the person’s corrupt nature; they choose such a path because this thing is in their nature. Having dissected the phrase “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” in this way, you now basically understand it. This phrase is characterized as Satan’s philosophy for worldly dealings—it is in no way the truth. Does it have any connection with the truth? (No.) It has absolutely no connection with the truth, and it is condemned by God. It is not the truth; it comes from Satan, not from God. It can be said with certainty that this phrase has nothing at all to do with the truth or with the criterion for how believers in God should act, comport themselves, and worship God. This phrase has been completely condemned. The fallacious qualities of this phrase are comparatively quite evident, making it easy for you to discern whether or not it is correct.

II. A Dissection of the Idea of “Sleeping on Brushwood and Licking Gall”

Let’s talk about another saying, “sleeping on brushwood and licking gall.” Who can explain what this means? (In the saying “sleeping on brushwood and licking gall,” brushwood refers to firewood, and gall refers to a gallbladder. It is talking about how Goujian, king of the Kingdom of Yue, slept on a pile of firewood and licked a gallbladder every day, and how he wanted to get revenge, rise from the ashes of his defeat, and restore his kingdom.) You have explained the background of this saying, which is what story this saying comes from. Usually when explaining a saying, apart from explaining the background, you have to explain the extended meaning of the saying—what it is a metaphor for when people use it in modern times. Explain it again. (It’s a metaphor for a person who puts their nose to the grindstone, and who fights and works hard to accomplish their goals and wishes.) Then, how should “brushwood” and “gallbladder” be explained in this context? You didn’t explain these two aspects of meaning. Looking at the words, “brushwood” refers to a type of firewood with thorns; he lay down on firewood with thorns to sleep, then frequently reminded himself of his circumstances and dishonor, and frequently reminded himself of the mission he shouldered. In addition, he hung a gallbladder from the ceiling and licked it every day. What do people taste when they lick a gallbladder? (Bitterness.) It would be so bitter! He used this feeling to remind himself not to forget his hatred, not to forget his mission, and not to forget his wish. What was his wish? The great task of restoring his kingdom. What is sleeping on brushwood and licking gall usually a metaphor for? It is usually a metaphor for a person who is in unfortunate circumstances, but who does not forget their mission and wish, and who is capable of paying a price for their wishes, ideals, and mission. This is more or less what it means. In the eyes of secular people, is the saying “sleeping on brushwood and licking gall” a positive one or a negative one? (A positive one.) Why is it seen as a positive saying? It can motivate people in the midst of hardship to not forget their hatred, not forget their dishonor, and make them work hard and strive to become stronger. It is a relatively inspiring saying. In the eyes of secular people, this is undoubtedly a positive saying. If people act according to this saying, then there is no doubt that what they do, their motivation for doing things, the way they do things, and the principles they adhere to are right and are positive. By saying this, there is fundamentally nothing wrong with this saying, so what is it we want to dissect by bringing this saying up? What is it we want to say? (We want to dissect the ways in which this saying runs contrary to the truth.) That’s right, we want to discern whether or not it is the truth. Since this saying is so “right,” it is worth us dissecting and verifying in exactly which ways it is “right.” Then, we will have an accurate definition of it, and can look at whether or not it is actually the truth. This is the ultimate result we want to achieve. The saying “sleeping on brushwood and licking gall” is a law of survival that people in special circumstances hold on to. Let’s first be certain—is this saying the truth? (No.) Let’s not start by saying whether or not it is the truth. From its literal meaning that people can see, this saying does not have a negative meaning. So, what positive meaning does it have? It can motivate people, give them resolve, make them fight on, not retreat, not be discouraged, and not be cowards. There is an aspect in which it has a positive use. However, in what circumstances is it necessary for people to uphold the principles of comportment and action contained in this saying? Is there a connection between the principles this saying upholds and belief in God? Is there a connection with practicing the truth? Is there a connection with doing one’s duty? Is there a connection with following God’s way? (No.) You’ve come to a conclusion so quickly? How do you know there is no connection? (God’s words do not say that.) That is overly simplistic and an irresponsible thing to say. When you don’t understand and say, “Anyway, it’s not in God’s words and I don’t know what this saying means, so I won’t listen to it. People can say what they want, but I won’t believe it,” this is an irresponsible thing to say. You must approach it seriously. Once you have approached it seriously, thoroughly understand it and have true discernment over it, you will never treat this saying as the truth. Right now, I am not making you deny the correctness of this saying; rather, I am making you understand that this saying is not the truth, and understand what the truth is and how you should uphold the truth in the same circumstances. Do you understand? So, tell Me what your understanding is. (Sleeping on brushwood and licking gall is about how people should practice in times of misfortune, but in God’s house the term “misfortune” does not exist. When God exposes people or puts them through trials, it is all part of God’s process of perfecting them—this is not misfortune. This saying tells people they must remember the hardship they suffered at this time, and win back some ground in the future. This saying does not hold water in the house of God. I will give an example that is a bit improper: After being replaced, some leaders use the phrase “sleeping on brushwood and licking gall” to motivate themselves, saying, “I will learn from Goujian, king of the Kingdom of Yue, and sleep on brushwood and lick gall. There will come a time when I resume my old position and become a leader again. You’ll see! Now you criticize me, saying that I’m bad in this regard and bad in that regard. One day I will regain what I have lost and make you see what I’m really made of. There will for sure come a day when the humiliation I have suffered now will be washed away clean!”) This is a very good example. Has it enlightened you? Do you ever have times when you want to sleep on brushwood and lick gall? Do you ever think about regaining lost ground? (Yes. I have these thoughts when people negate my views. For example, when I am discussing some things with brothers and sisters and they question the views I put forward, in my heart I feel defiant, and I think, “One day I must do a good job and show you.” Then, I go and work hard to learn that area of work, but this is the wrong mentality.) This is not an attitude of accepting the truth, seeking the truth, or practicing the truth, but one of recalcitrance and of wanting to prove something to others—it is an attitude of not conceding defeat. This sort of attitude is considered positive among humankind. Never conceding defeat is a good temperament of sorts; it means a person has tenacity, so why is it said that this is not practicing the truth? It is because their attitude when doing things, and the principles and motivations behind what they do, are not based on the truth; rather, they are based on the saying in traditional culture, “sleeping on brushwood and licking gall.” Although one can say that this person has a strong presence, and their mindset and attitude of wanting to win and not conceding defeat garners respect from people in the secular world, in the face of the truth what is a mindset and temperament like this? They are minuscule and extremely awful; they are loathed by God. Who else has something to share? (When I do a duty, because I am not familiar with that area of work, I think people don’t take me seriously. So, in my heart I secretly rally myself, “I need to study this area of work well and make you guys see that I am actually capable.” Sometimes, when people point out shortcomings in my duty, I put effort into changing; I withstand hardship and pay a price to learn the work, and no matter how much hardship I suffer I swallow it, but I am not seeking how to do my duty well; rather, I want there to be a day when I can make others look up to me and can gain others’ respect. I have a sort of state of sleeping on brushwood and licking gall.) From what you all have shared, I noticed a problem. You have believed in God for no small number of years, forsaken your families and careers, and suffered no small amount of hardship, yet have reaped so little. You are also capable of withstanding hardship and expending yourselves in your duties, and are capable of paying a price, but why do you never progress in the truth? How is it that the truths you understand are so few and so shallow? The reason is that you do not put emphasis on the truth. You always want to sleep on brushwood and lick gall, and your hearts are filled to the brim with the drive to prove yourselves. Sleeping on brushwood and licking gall is a “big boil”—do you think this is a good thing? What is the ultimate result of sleeping on brushwood and licking gall? When a person wants to prove that they are capable and competent, that they are not inferior to others, and cannot lose to anyone, they will sleep on brushwood and lick gall. In other words, they will “endure great suffering in order to come out on top.” So in what ways does sleeping on brushwood and licking gall manifest itself? The first way it manifests is in not conceding defeat. The second, is in enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden. You may not use any words to debate things with others, rebut them, or defend yourself, but you secretly put in effort. What sort of effort? It could be the price you pay: burning the midnight oil, getting up early in the morning, or reading God’s words and learning about your area of work while others are off having fun, and putting in extra effort. Is this suffering hardship? This is called sleeping on brushwood and licking gall. What is the third way it manifests? It manifests in people having a sort of great ambition inside them, and not complaining about their troubles because of this great ambition. They want to uphold the goals which they have set and want to achieve, and want to maintain this will to fight. What is this will to fight? For example, if you want to become a leader or accomplish some task, you must always maintain this state of mind inside; you must never forget your resolve, your mission, your aspirations and ideals. How would you describe this in one sentence? (Don’t lose sight of your initial motivation for doing something.) Not losing sight of your initial motivation for doing something is right, but not quite strong enough. (Hold a great ambition in your heart.) That’s better. There’s a bit of that feeling to it. How can you say these words in a more accurate and concise way? (A will to fight and aspirations.) How would you say this in more complete terms? Many battles and many losses, but growing more courageous the longer you fight. It is a “never-say-die” will to fight. It is like how some people say, “You got discouraged after being replaced? I’ve been replaced lots of times but have never gotten discouraged. Whenever I fail at something, I just get back on the horse. We need to have the will to fight!” From their perspective, this will to fight is a positive thing. They do not think it is a bad thing when people have aspirations, ideals, and a will to fight. How do they treat the ambitions and desires produced by the corrupt disposition of arrogance? They treat it as something positive. So they think being able to suffer the hardship of sleeping on brushwood and licking gall to accomplish the goal they are fighting toward and the goal they think is right is the correct thing to do, that people look upon it favorably, and that it should be the truth. These are three manifestations of sleeping on brushwood and licking gall. Can these three manifestations explain the meaning contained in sleeping on brushwood and licking gall? (Yes, they can.) Then I’ll fellowship in detail on these three manifestations.

A. Not Conceding Defeat

Let’s start by talking about the first manifestation of sleeping on brushwood and licking gall: not conceding defeat. What is not conceding defeat? What manifestations do people usually have which prove they have the mentality of not conceding defeat? What kind of disposition is not conceding defeat? (Arrogance and intransigence.) It contains the two obvious dispositions of arrogance and intransigence. What else? (Wanting to win.) Is this a disposition? This is a manifestation. We are talking about dispositions now. (Being averse to the truth.) Being averse to the truth certainly means they do not accept the truth. For example, if a leader or worker says that what you are doing is in violation of the principles and is delaying the work of God’s house, and they want to replace you, you think, “Humph! I don’t think what I’m doing is wrong. If you want to replace me then go ahead. If you won’t let me do it then I won’t. I’ll submit!” Within this submission there is an attitude of refusing to concede defeat. This is a disposition. Besides arrogance, intransigence, and being averse to the truth, what else is contained within this disposition? Is there a disposition of wanting to rival God? (Yes.) Then what disposition is this? This is viciousness. You can’t even recognize a disposition that is this vicious. Why do I say it is vicious? (Because they want to rival God.) Trying to rival the truth is called vicious—it is too vicious! If they weren’t vicious, they wouldn’t try to rival the truth, and wouldn’t try to rival God or compete with Him. This is a vicious disposition. Within not conceding defeat there is arrogance, intransigence, being averse to the truth, and viciousness. These are the obvious dispositions it is connected to. How does not conceding defeat manifest? What mentalities does it encompass? How do people who do not concede defeat think? What is their attitude? What do they say, what do they think, and what do they reveal when they encounter things like replacement? The most common manifestation is when they do a duty and the Above sees they are not suited to doing this duty and replaces them, they ruminate in their heart, “I am no match for you. I will not argue with you. I have talent. Sooner or later my talent will be recognized, and I am a talented individual no matter where I go! Regardless of what arrangements the Above makes for me I will bear it and listen to them for now.” They also come before God and pray, “God, I ask You to keep me from complaining. I ask You to stay my tongue and make me not judge You or blaspheme against You, and make me able to submit.” But then they ruminate again, “I cannot submit. This is the hardest part. I cannot accept this fact. What should I do? These are the Above’s arrangements; there’s nothing I can do. I am so talented, but why can I never use my talents in God’s house? It looks as though I haven’t read enough of God’s words yet. I must read more of God’s words from now on!” They do not yield and they don’t think they are inferior to others, just that they have believed in God for a bit less time and that this can be made up for. So, they put effort into reading God’s words and listening to sermons. They learn a new hymn and read a chapter of God’s words every day, and practice preaching. Gradually, they become more and more familiar with God’s words, they can preach a lot of spiritual doctrine, and can speak up to fellowship in gatherings. Is there any drive here to not concede defeat? (Yes.) What kind of drive is it? (A wicked drive.) This is troublesome! Why is it that as soon as we dissect it, you immediately label it as a wicked drive? Aren’t these good things? Their spiritual life is normal; they do not participate in secular things; they do not gossip; they are able to recite many chapters of God’s words and sing many hymns from memory. They are “elites”! So why do you say this is a wicked drive? (Their intent is to prove they are capable and not inferior to others.) This is called not conceding defeat. By not conceding defeat, are they truly understanding themselves and acknowledging their problems? (No.) Are they recognizing their corruption and their arrogant disposition? (No.) Then what are they proving by not conceding defeat? They want to prove they are capable and superior; they want to prove they are better than others, and ultimately prove that replacing them was a mistake. Their drive is aimed in this direction. Is this not conceding defeat? (Yes.) This attitude of not conceding defeat produced these actions of theirs of withstanding hardship, paying a price, enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden. On the surface, it looks like they exert a lot of effort, can withstand hardship and pay a price, and finally achieve their goals, but how come God isn’t pleased? Why does He condemn them? Because God scrutinizes the innermost hearts of people and evaluates every person according to the truth. How does God evaluate every person’s behavior, intents, manifestations, and dispositions? All these things are evaluated according to the truth. Then, how does God evaluate this matter and define it? No matter how much hardship you have suffered and how steep a price you have paid, when it comes down to it you do not strive toward the truth; your intent is not to submit to or accept the truth; rather, you use your method of withstanding suffering and paying a price to prove that the way God and God’s house classified and handled you was wrong. What does this imply? You want to prove that you are a person who has never been wrong and who doesn’t have a corrupt disposition. You want to prove that the way God’s house handled you was not in line with the truth, and that the truth and God’s words are sometimes wrong. For example, there was an oversight and a problem when it came to you, and your case proves that God’s words are not the truth and you don’t need to submit. Isn’t this the result? (Yes.) Does God approve of this sort of result or condemn it? (He condemns it.) God condemns it.

Is this attitude that people have of not conceding defeat in line with the truth? (No.) If we say that this attitude is not in accordance with the truth, and that it is miles apart from the truth, would that statement be correct? No, because that attitude is not connected to the truth at all. In the world and among all humankind, is this attitude of not conceding defeat praised or condemned? (It is praised.) In what environments is it praised? (In the workplace and in schools.) For example, if a student gets sixty percent on an exam, they say, “I will not concede defeat. Next time I will get ninety percent!” And when they get ninety percent, they want to get one hundred percent next time. Eventually they achieve this, and their parents think this child is ambitious and has a bright future. Another environment—and the most common one—is in competitions. Some teams lose a competition and have a mark of shame painted on their faces, but they do not concede defeat. Because of this mentality and attitude of not conceding defeat, they put in a lot of hard work and train harder, and in the next competition they beat the other team and make them look bad. In this society and among humankind, not conceding defeat is a sort of mentality. What is a mentality? (It is a way of thinking that supports people psychologically.) That’s correct. It is a driving force that supports people always moving forward bravely, not being defeated, not getting discouraged, not retreating, and achieving their ideals and goals. This is called not conceding defeat. It is a sort of mentality of not conceding defeat. People think that if they do not have this mentality, this “spirit,” then life has no meaning. What is it they rely on in life? Their life relies on a kind of mentality. Where does this mentality come from? It comes from people’s notions and imaginings, as well as from their corrupt dispositions. It is impractical, and people cannot achieve it. From when God created humankind until now, no matter how many years have passed, there are so many positive things, such as the order according to which living things live, the order according to which humankind lives, and the order according to which the heavens and earth and all things and the universe operate, and so on. According to their thoughts and degree of education, people should be able to find an order to adhere to within all this, to take as a principle and a driving force for how they act and comport themselves, or as a foundation for this. However, people do not apply effort in the right direction—in what direction do they apply their strength? They apply their strength in the wrong direction, that is, they violate the order according to which things develop, and they violate the order according to which all things cycle—they always want to destroy these natural orders that God has ordained, and use human methods and means to create happiness. They don’t know how happiness is gained, what mystery there is within it, or what the source is; they do not look for this source. Instead, they try to use a human approach to create happiness, and always want to create miracles, too. They try to use a human approach to change the normal order of all of these things, and then achieve the happiness and goals they want. All of this is abnormal. What is the ultimate result of people relying on themselves to fight for such things, no matter how they fight? This world that God gave to humankind to manage has now been damaged. Who is the biggest victim, now that it has been damaged? (Man.) Humankind is the biggest victim. People have abused the world to this extent, yet they still claim they will never say die. Isn’t there something wrong with their heads? What is the ultimate consequence that never saying die brings? A catastrophic disaster. It is not just losing a competition or two or having a mark of shame painted on their faces. They have destroyed their prospects and cut off their escape routes—they have destroyed themselves! This is what comes from not conceding defeat.

What we are dissecting now is a typical manifestation of Satan’s vicious disposition and arrogant disposition, which is to never say die. Never saying die is a mentality. We critique it, expose it, and condemn it, but if you condemn it in humankind’s midst, will people accept this? (No.) Why not? (Because people all praise this phrase.) They promote this mentality. If a person does not have a smidgen of the mentality of not conceding defeat and never saying die, others will say they are a weakling. If we do not promote these things, are we weaklings? (No, we are not.) People say, “How are you not a weakling? You don’t live life with any fortitude. What use is it for you to live?” Is this statement true? Let’s dissect it first: What kind of attitude is not conceding defeat? Should people with normal reason have this attitude? Actually, if people have normal reason, they should not have this mindset. It is wrong to have this mindset. A person must face reality in order to be someone who possesses reason. As such, not conceding defeat is evidently lacking in reason; it means there is something not quite right with their head, and this attitude is obviously wrong. For believers in God, it is accurate to say they should not have this mindset because an arrogant disposition is inherent within not conceding defeat. Is it easy for people to accept the truth when they have an arrogant disposition? (No.) This is a problem. If you use an arrogant disposition as a foundation from which to pursue the truth, then what are you pursuing? What you are pursuing is certainly not the truth, because this pursuit is inherently not positive, and what you gain will certainly not be the truth; it will certainly be some sort of “mentality” people have imagined up. If people treat a mentality like this as the truth, then they have strayed from the path. So, if we were to correct a mindset of not conceding defeat, what would we say? We would say that people must face real problems and do things according to the truth principles, that they should not have an attitude of not conceding defeat. If they do not concede defeat, who is it they are not conceding to? (God.) They are not conceding to the truth. More specifically, they are not conceding to the true facts of the matter, they are not conceding that they did something wrong and were revealed, and they are not conceding that they have an arrogant disposition. These things are true. So how can you refute these people? The best way to counter them is by using the thing they find the most embarrassing. What thing in the world today does humankind find the most embarrassing? Science. What has science given humankind? (Disaster.) Science, the thing which humankind praises the most and is the proudest of, has brought unprecedented disaster upon it. Now that you have this clue, how should you refute these people so you can shame them? What do you say, should those who are of Satan’s ilk be shamed? (Yes.) If you don’t shame them, they will always look down on the truth, discriminate against those who believe in God, and think that those who believe in God only believe because they are weaklings. How should you refute them? (By saying: “You are just an ordinary person. What do you have that makes you not need to concede defeat? What makes it okay for you not to concede? Even if some people are scientists, so what? No matter how advanced the scientific technology that they develop is, so what? Can scientists solve all the disasters science has brought upon humankind now?”) This is the right way to refute them. Think about it, is this a good way to refute them? You say, “Humankind has lived until the present day, but people don’t even know who their own ancestors are, so how can they not concede? You don’t even know where you came from, so what have you got to be cocky about? You don’t even acknowledge the God who created you, so how can you not concede defeat? God created people, and this is a glorious thing, but you do not acknowledge or accept it; instead, you insist on believing and acknowledging that people evolved from beasts. How lowly are you? God is so mighty and noble; He says He is your Creator, but you don’t acknowledge that you are His created being. How base are you?” What will they retort? “People evolved from monkeys, but we are still higher-level animals.” “Are you not still animals and beasts, then? We do not acknowledge that we are animals. We are people, we are humans created by God. God created people and He acknowledges that you are a person, but you do not want to be a person. You insist on denying the fact that God created people. You insist on being a beast. What use is it for you to live? Are you worthy of living?” Is there strength to these words? (Yes.) This is how we refute these people. No matter whether they acknowledge it or not, or accept it or not, these are facts. I will talk about another point. People never concede defeat, they think they are so capable, that they have advanced technology and all kinds of wisdom, but how do they treat nature? They constantly fight with it and always want to subjugate it. They do not understand at all how to follow nature’s order. What did humankind’s management ultimately do to nature? Is all of this not managed by people who are knowledgeable and understand science? Don’t you refuse to concede defeat? Aren’t you a capable person? Don’t you have no need for God’s sovereignty? Humankind and nature have co-existed for thousands of years, yet incredibly, humankind still doesn’t know how to manage nature. Mankind overdevelops, overconsumes, and severely pollutes nature to the point where now natural resources are in increasingly insufficient supply. In addition, neither the water people drink, nor the food they eat, nor the air they breathe are free of poison. When God first created nature, all living things, food, air, and water were clean and free of poison, but after giving it to humankind to manage, all of these things were poisoned. People have made their bed, and now they must lie in it. So how can people not concede defeat? God created such a beautiful world for humankind and let them manage it, but how did they manage it? Do they know how to manage it? Humankind abused it to the point where it was completely messed up—neither oceans, mountains, land, air, nor even the ozone layer in the sky were spared; they have all been wrecked. Who will ultimately bear the terrible consequences of all this? (People.) It is humankind themselves. People are as stupid as can be, yet they think they are great and do not concede defeat! Why don’t they concede? If humankind is permitted to go on managing things this way, will nature be restored to how it was originally? It never will. If humankind relies on this mentality of not conceding defeat, the world and nature will only become increasingly bad, dire, and dirty under their management. What will the ultimate consequences be? Humankind will die in this environment that they ruined. Then, who can ultimately change all this? God can. If people are capable of doing this, then one of them can step forward and try to change the current state of the world, but is there anyone who dares take on this responsibility? (No.) Then why do people not concede defeat? People can’t even protect the water they drink. Nature wasn’t wrecked by lions or tigers, let alone birds, fish, or insects; rather, it was humans themselves who wrecked and destroyed it. People must ultimately reap what they sow. Is there any way to change things now? It can’t be changed. It can be said with certainty that if God did not come to do all these things, the environment in which all humankind lives would only get worse and worse, and more and more dire; it would not get better. Only God can change all this. Is it okay if humankind does not concede defeat? Can you change this environment? You were given a good environment, but all you can do is wreck it; you do not protect it. What is the food chain of the entire world? Does humankind understand it? No, they don’t. For example, wolves are a vicious animal. If humankind killed all the wolves, they would think they had conquered nature. With this sort of resolve, this sort of valor, and this mentality of rising to a challenge, humankind begins to hunt wolves on a large scale. When they kill off most of the wolves in an area of grasslands, humankind thinks they have conquered nature and conquered the species that is wolves. At the same time, they hang wolf skins in their homes, wear robes made from wolf skin, and wear hats made of wolf skin. They put the skin of a wolf cub on the point of their dagger, take a picture, and tell the whole world, “We conquered this species that was a threat to humankind—wolves!” Isn’t their self-satisfaction a bit premature? With fewer wolves, from the outside it looks like the lives of humans and certain other living things are not threatened, but what consequences will follow? Humankind must pay dearly for this. What price must they pay? When large numbers of wolves are killed, the number of wolves dwindles. Immediately following this, all sorts of rabbits, mice, every other animal in the grasslands that wolves eat begin to proliferate on a huge scale. When there are excessive numbers of these animals, what is the first consequence? (The grass disappears.) There is less and less grass. When there is less grass, there is less and less vegetal ground cover. When there is an excessive number of these animals, they need to eat large amounts of grass, and the rate at which the grass grows is not proportionate to the number of herbivores. When these things are not proportionate, what happens? (Desertification.) Yes, desertification. When land does not have vegetal ground cover, it begins to turn into sand and eventually becomes arid. Most plants do not put down roots or reproduce in sand, so arid lands quickly grow and expand more and more, and ultimately all the grasslands become a desert. After this, the desert will begin to encroach on areas where people live, and what will be the first feeling people have? Maybe when people see the desert’s area has increased they will not know that they should be scared, but when the day comes when a sandstorm hits, what harm will come to humankind? At first, dust will blow around. Then, when the windy season comes, people will not even be able to open their eyes lest the sand scratch them. Their bodies and lips will be covered in sand. In extreme cases, houses, livestock, or people near the desert may be engulfed by sand. Can people stop the sand? (No.) They can’t stop it, so they must move, retreating farther and farther inland. In the end, the grasslands will get smaller and smaller, the desert will get bigger and bigger, and there will be fewer and fewer places where humankind can live. So, will the environment in which people live have gotten better or worse? (Worse.) How did this result they have to bear come about? What triggered it? (Killing the wolves.) It began when they killed the wolves. It was a small unremarkable thing like this. If people do not understand how to follow this order, and do not understand how to protect this order, what consequences will ultimately result? People will be wiped out by the sands. Is this not a catastrophic disaster? Killing wolves is a type of behavior, but what disposition is at the heart of it? What is the essence of this disposition? What is their motivation for doing this? What ways of thinking do people have that give rise to this kind of behavior? (Wanting to subjugate nature.) That’s right, they want to subjugate it. People think that wolves are humankind’s natural enemy. Wolves present a threat to humankind and always eat people. Wolves are not a good thing. Humankind vilifies wolves this way, then tries to subjugate them and wipe them out so that there isn’t even one left. Then, humankind can live comfortably and at ease and will not be threatened at all. It is based on this motivation that people start to kill wolves. What is dictating this? It is dictated by a mentality of not conceding defeat. Humankind does not know how to properly manage or standardize the wolves, and instead they always want to kill them and wipe them out. They want to take this order and turn it into another one. What is the result? People are engulfed by sand. Isn’t this what results? (Yes.) This is what results. Out of the entire human race and the entire world that God created, in a small corner of the planet—which in God’s eyes might be no bigger than a peanut—this small incident happened, but people can’t even see it clearly. They still compete with nature, compete with God, and do not concede defeat! What consequence does not conceding defeat bring about? (Destruction.) They are bringing about their own destruction! This fact is sitting there right now. After this consequence comes about, how should humankind fix it? (They can’t.) They can’t fix it. Some social organizations and people with good hearts who conduct public interest activities stand up and call for people to maintain a balanced ecosystem. Their motivation and reason for doing it is right, and what they are calling for is right, too. Does anyone respond? (No.) The government does not take action, either—no one heeds this issue. People know the cause of the issue, but after they look into it a bit, that’s it. They still kill wolves as before. Someone says, “If you keep killing them like this, one day you will be buried in sand,” but they respond, “So I’ll be buried. It’s not like I’ll be the only one. What’s there to be afraid of?” What disposition is this? One of numbness and a lack of thinking; they do not have humanity. Who isn’t afraid of dying? So how could they say such a flippant thing? They don’t believe something like this will happen. They think, “The earth is huge. Besides deserts there are mountains and forests. Could they all be destroyed so quickly? There’s still plenty of time! We just killed a few wolves and some places turned into a desert—what are you so scared about? If they should be killed, then we must kill them.” Isn’t this dumb? They killed some wolves, and after just twenty or thirty years’ time, a stretch of green grassland was completely changed. If people were to scatter some grass seeds on this land or plant plants which are suited to growing in the desert—if they were able to change this environment, then humankind would be making up for their mistakes and it would not be too late, but is it that simple in reality? The order God has put in place is the best and the most fitting. People must follow this order in order to preserve the existence of the land, and so that these animals, plants, and the human race can continue to live on it, with every being getting along particularly well, and coexisting in a way which is both mutually restricting and symbiotic. If one part of it is destroyed, you may not see any consequences within the space of ten years, but after twenty years when you truly get a sense of the consequences, no one will be able to undo it. What does this imply? That if God does not make massive changes, from that point on the environment in which humankind lives will only get worse and worse; it will not develop in a good direction. This is what the consequence will be. What is the source of this consequence? The source is the mentality of not conceding defeat that humankind praises, which is the first manifestation of sleeping on brushwood and licking gall. The way people see it, sleeping on brushwood and licking gall is a “great” and “sacred” saying, but the first effect the idea it produces has on humankind is to bring such major negative consequences upon them. People think, “Isn’t there an order to the natural world? It doesn’t look like much to me. Don’t people say it is holy and should not be destroyed? Well I’m going to destroy it, and we’ll just see what happens!” The negative consequence humankind is “enjoying” today is the last thing they wanted to see. This is how the consequence of “seeing what happens” came about; it is laid out in front of humankind for them to see. Everyone has seen the signs of the “end times.” Didn’t they get what they deserved? They brought this upon themselves.

The first manifestation of sleeping on brushwood and licking gall is not conceding defeat. What consequences must people bear? A catastrophic disaster; they are reaping the negative consequences of their actions—in common parlance they are getting what they asked for, and getting what they deserve! Now you know whether this phrase is actually right, and whether it is the truth, right? Is this phrase the truth? (No.) It’s not the truth. Suppose that unbelievers say again, “We are people, so we should have some spirit. We should have fortitude!” You mull it over and say, “That’s so true. As believers we always talk about submission. Isn’t that too lacking in autonomy? Isn’t it too weak? We have no fortitude.” Do you think like this? If you accept the things I’ve said today, you would never think this way. On the contrary you would say, “Humankind is a lost cause. No wonder God detests it. Humankind has already passed the point of being reasoned with.” You would not accept that sort of idea. Even if you don’t have a fitting counter-response, or it is not fitting to debate with these people, in your heart you know that their views are absolutely not the truth. No matter how positive people see this sort of idea as being, and no matter how much humans in this world advocate it and talk it up, you will not be influenced by it. On the contrary, you will renounce and scorn it. I have finished fellowshipping on the first manifestation of sleeping on brushwood and licking gall. I started out fellowshipping on the truth, how did I get off topic? What I think is this: If what you take from My fellowship is limited to a definition or concept, you will never understand what is wrong with this sort of idea and what is actually correct. You will just be mixed up—sometimes you will think this sort of idea is right; sometimes you will think this sort of idea is wrong, but you won’t be clear on what is wrong with it, or what is actually right. Plus, you will often practice according to this “principle,” and you will always be muddleheaded. If you can’t see clearly, you will not be able to let this sort of idea go. If you cannot let go of it, can you practice the truth absolutely? Can you worship and follow God’s words as the truth absolutely? No, not absolutely. You will only be able to relatively or occasionally think that God’s words are right or that God’s words are always right, and you uphold this in terms of doctrine. But if you are still affected and disturbed by this so-called knowledge, and by these words that seem true but are actually false, then God’s words will always be relatively correct to you, rather than being the absolute truth.

B. Enduring Humiliation and Bearing a Heavy Burden

The second manifestation of sleeping on brushwood and licking gall is enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden. Enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden is also a form of thinking, a mentality, and an attitude toward things that worldly people advocate. In society and the world, it is a way of thinking which is relatively positive, and which humankind thinks is relatively optimistic, forward-driven, and positive. So what is it we want to dissect? What is bad about enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden? Why is it not the truth? It has fundamentally nothing to do with the truth. What do I mean when I say it has nothing to do with the truth? I mean that if you want to practice the truth, you must do it completely according to the principles of God’s words, and according to the standards and particulars God requires. You should not mix in the attitudes and views toward doing things, and the methods and means of man’s so-called ideologies, mentalities, and integrity. God’s words are the truth, and have nothing to do with these things. Then why is enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden bad? Why do I say it is not the truth? Is this not worth dissecting? (Yes, it is.) Let’s start by explaining the literal meaning of the phrase; then it will be easier to understand. Enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden means being able to endure all shame, pain, and indignity for the sake of your responsibilities, burdens, or the mission you undertake and accept. This is the basic meaning of this phrase. Then, in what environments and situations does one usually use this phrase? If one says that a person is enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden, then is that person currently in a circumstance where their mission is complete, and they have accomplished the goal they wanted to accomplish? (No.) So, usually when one talks about enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden, they are referring to an unimportant person who is in a situation where they have absolutely no status and no halo, let alone any power. They are in a situation like this, yet they still need to bear their responsibilities, bear the mission they need to complete, not be discouraged, not compromise, and not give up. Isn’t this also a type of mentality? What is the emphasis of this mentality? It is on “enduring” and “bearing.” “Enduring” means to be patient and to withstand something. At the same time as enduring something, they must take on and shoulder a heavy burden and responsibility, not fail to live up to everyone’s expectations, and not let the person who entrusted them with this commission down. What sort of mentality is this? (Perseverance.) There is this element of meaning to it, but this is the most basic and shallow level of meaning. What else is there? Let’s analyze it this way. What does “humiliation” mean in “enduring humiliation”? (Indignity and shame.) It is when everyone around this person shames them and makes them feel they have suffered an indignity. Which behaviors in particular shame people and make them feel they have suffered an indignity? (Mocking them, defaming them, and making caustic remarks about them.) That’s right, mocking and defaming them, also making fun of them, playing with them, and making caustic remarks about them. So, what does “heavy burden” mean in “bearing a heavy burden”? (Responsibility and a commission.) What do responsibility and a commission include? They include a kind of mission and heavy burden—this heavy burden can be one that other people have entrusted someone with, or it can be a goal someone is fighting toward, or a mission they think of themselves. What kinds of missions do people think they are undertaking? (Bringing honor to their ancestors, and standing out above the rest.) (Being the cream of the crop.) These are all examples. These are basically people’s own aspirations. In order to achieve and materialize these goals, in their current circumstances, they are able to endure indignities, mockery, defamation, caustic remarks, and even jeering from people around them. What drives them to endure all of this? For example, there is a person who aspires to become a senior army general. Before he gains power, there is a day when a group of thugs humiliates him, saying, “You? An army general? At this point you don’t even have a horse—how can you be a general? If you want to be a general, crawl through my legs, first!” All the people beside them erupt into laughter. He ponders to himself for a moment, “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be an army general. Why do they jeer and make fun of me? But I can’t be reckless and try to show off now. Judging from how things are going today, if I don’t do as they say I will be beaten up, and if things don’t go well I could lose my life. Then how can I be a general? For the sake of my ideals, crawling through a thug’s legs is nothing. I’m still me, am I not?” At this point, he plops down onto his knees, puts both hands on the ground, and crawls through the legs of that thug like a dog. As he crawls, it’s hard for his heart to take and his heart is pained, as though it has been stabbed with a knife—there is hatred in his heart! He thinks, “One day when I actually become a general, I will chop you up into a million pieces!” This is what he thinks in his heart, but on the outside he must endure it—he cannot let others see what he’s thinking. After he crawls through the thug’s legs, the group of thugs are satisfied and spare him, giving him one swift kick out of the way. He gets up, pats the dirt off himself, and even says, “Good kick. I will call you ‘boss’ from now on.” What he thinks on the inside and what he shows on the outside are completely different. How is he capable of doing this? He only has one goal: “I need to continue living. I’m enduring all this so there is a day when I become a general, and become the cream of the crop. It is worth suffering this hardship and humiliation today. Tomorrow I must work even harder, and make efforts to strive to achieve my goal. No matter what difficulties I encounter, and no matter how much suffering and indignity I endure, I must become a general! After I become a general, the first thing I have to do is kill this jerk and make up for how I was humiliated by crawling through his legs!” Regardless of whether he becomes a general in the future, “endurance” is his highest principle at that moment. Are there any strategies or secret schemes inherent in this? (Yes.) There are secret schemes. He endures because there is nothing else he can do; what is it for? It is so that one day he can make up for all this indignity. His endurance is based on sayings such as, “Where there is life there is hope” and “It is never too late for a gentleman to take his revenge”—all of these are schemes. It was these schemes which propelled him to endure the humiliation of crawling through the thug’s legs. From this point on, the desire in his heart to become a general is even greater and more intense; he will absolutely not give up. So, what was the indignity and humiliation he endured for? Was it to maintain a just cause or to maintain true dignity? He did it for the sake of his own ambition. Then is this positive or negative? (Negative.) Judging from this level of meaning, this “endurance” was absolutely propelled by personal interest, desire, and ambition. Is there truth within this endurance? (No.) If there is no truth, then is there normal humanity? (No.) This is not just, nor is it upright, let alone flawless; rather, it is brimming with desire, secret schemes, and calculations—it is not positive.

The sort of thinking and mentality of enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden that is advocated within this wicked human race is basically just like the story I told just now, where if a person wants to accomplish big things, they must necessarily be able to endure what the average person can’t. What does this endurance mainly refer to? (Enduring shame.) No. Are the things which this endurance makes people live out true or false? (False.) This is the important point. The things people live out, the words they say, and the behavior they exhibit for the sake of their ambitions and ideals are all fake; there is no alternative; these things are all driven by the precondition of all these desires, self-interest, and people’s so-called aspirations and goals. These things that people live out are all temporary measures; not one bit is honest or true; not one bit is laid bare, open, or frank; they are all temporary measures. Aren’t these all deceitful plots? Temporary measures are when people temporarily endure something this way; temporarily say pleasant-sounding words, coax, and trick; and cover up their true identity, psyche, thoughts, views, and even hate for the time being, and do not let the other person see it. Rather, they want the other person to see that side of them which is weak and incapable, feeble and timid. They cover up their true face entirely—what do they do this for? They do it so that one day they can build a big cause, become the cream of the crop, control others, and dominate others. What is displayed when people practice and manifest the phrase “enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden”? Do people who do this have an honest attitude? Do they have a true understanding of, and remorse for, themselves? (No.) For example, others say, “Someone like you wants to be a general?” They ponder it, then say, “I can’t do it. I won’t be a general. I was just kidding.” Are the words they say true or false? (False.) What are they thinking in their heart? “It is only someone like me who can become a general!” This is what they think in their heart, but is it okay for them to say this out loud? (No.) Why not? In order to avoid being beaten up, and in order to hide their real capabilities, they say, “I was just kidding. I’m not so bold as to actually want to be a general. You are more like a senior general—you’re a future generalissimo. That’s even higher than a general!” Are these words true? (No.) Where are their true words? (In their heart.) That’s right, they keep their true words in their heart and do not say them out loud. Why don’t they say them out loud? They are scared they’ll be beaten up if they do, so they don’t say them, and do not reveal them; they do not let anyone know, forever hiding their real capabilities. What does it mean to hide one’s real capabilities? It is when a person does not let other people see their true abilities; they cover these abilities up and don’t let them slip, in order to prevent other people from putting their guard up and acting contrary to their interests. Isn’t this also the true meaning of sleeping on brushwood and licking gall? (Yes, it is.) Sleeping on brushwood and licking gall; enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden; never forgetting one’s goals, desires, and hatred; and never letting people see one’s true face and real capabilities. Some capable people do not say much when they are in a group of people; they are quiet and reticent, and even if they say something, they only reveal half of what they’re thinking. Other people are always at a loss to comprehend or understand what they actually want to say, and think, “Why do they talk in such an inscrutable way? Why is it so hard to say something from the heart? What’s going on here?” Actually, they have thoughts in their heart that they are not expressing, and within this lies a corrupt disposition. There are others who do not speak this way, but when they do things they always hide the true extent of their capabilities. What is the goal of them hiding the true extent of their capabilities? They are afraid that if capable people or formidable personages see it, they will get jealous, have it in for them, and harm them. In groups, aren’t people who always compliment others, always speak well of others, and always say that everyone else is better than themselves the most sinister sort of people? (Yes.) You never know what they are truly like on the inside. From the outside, you see they don’t talk about it, so you think they do not have ambitions, but actually you are wrong. Some people like this are people who endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden. It is like in the movies where they often have scenes like this—some people frequently do good things outwardly, the clothes they wear are old and worn, and they are always picked on when they are in groups; this is who they are in front of others. However, once they get home, they go into a secret room. The secret room has a map on the wall, and they have already planted informants to monitor things in eighty percent of the locations on the map. Yet, people who frequently interact with them pick on them and have no idea they have these ambitions, until one day all of the locations on the map are under their control and their goal is fully realized. Then, the people who picked on them will be completely flabbergasted, and say, “It turns out this person is a devil—their ambitions are far too excessive! They pretended for so many years. No one saw them for who they really were.” They say, “What I did was endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden. If I didn’t endure the way I did and keep you off my scent, if I told you everything, would I have been able to achieve such a big undertaking?” What characteristics do those who are evil and those with extreme ambitions have in common? One aspect is that their stamina and perseverance exceed that of regular people. Also, their secret schemes exceed those of regular people and if the average person interacts with them they will be played. What does it mean to be played? It means that nobody sees them clearly. All they can see are the things they say and do on the surface. Don’t think you will be able to find any clues about what they are thinking deep down inside from what they do and say. Isn’t this being played by them? Stamina and perseverance are positive words in and of themselves, but their secret schemes made it so their stamina and perseverance were negative. Also, they have ambitions and desires which are more excessive than regular people. The average person has ambitions and desires, but when they feel they cannot obtain something they give up and are not willing to go through that suffering. Besides, they are always forthcoming about who they want to fight with; they do not have secret schemes. However, evil people of this sort have extreme ambitions, and always carry out secret schemes and deceitful plots. At no point in time will they abandon their ambitions and desires; they will fight right to the end—to the death.

Textbooks tell the story of how Goujian, king of the Kingdom of Yue, slept on brushwood and licked gall. Parents also teach their kids about it. Some kids who hear the story think, “It’s great to be an average person. Why would someone insist on having such excessive ambitions? Who could suffer themselves to sleep on brushwood and lick gall? That is not suffering that regular people can withstand.” Only people with ambitions have the resolve to suffer like that; there is a secret scheme inherent in it. However, humankind advocates a mentality of this sort. For example, there is a phrase which goes, “No matter how much hardship and indignity they suffer, no matter how dire their circumstances, people must never lose sight of their aspirations.” This society advocates ideas like sleeping on brushwood and licking gall, and enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden to spur people on and motivate them to fight for their happiness and goals, so why do we criticize it as being wrong? All humankind is corrupted by Satan. Is there any member of the human race whose goals are aimed toward the truth, and toward the correct direction? (No.) Therefore, the more humankind sleeps on brushwood and licks gall, and the more they endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden, the wilder Satan’s forces will become, the more numerous humankind’s battles and slaughters will become, the more wicked humankind will become, and the darker society will become. On the contrary, if you are able to obey the arrangements of Heaven and align yourself with the natural order of everything, if you are able to take things as they come, respect this order, and wait for the arrangements of Heaven, then you don’t need to endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden. You need to wake up and come to your senses. Being able to obey God’s orchestrations and arrangements is correct. Besides this, in everything they do, people should at least be able to do it according to their conscience, and as a step higher, be able to do it according to the laws God set forth for humankind. Then, do people still need to wear a mask and bear a heavy burden? (No.) No, they don’t. Through this fellowship, do you understand what kind of behavior enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden is, exactly? Is the goal of enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden positive or negative? (Negative.) If one were to say that a person endures humiliation and bears a heavy burden in order to become a leader, or say that a person endures humiliation and bears a burden in order to complete the commission God gave them and be rewarded, or say that a person endures humiliation and bears a heavy burden in order to pursue being perfected—do these words hold water? (No, they don’t.) Enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden are wholly satanic philosophies; there is no truth in this, and as soon as you hear these words it is clear they are distorted. If one says that this person endures humiliation and bears a heavy burden to wait for God’s arrangements and submit to God’s sovereignty, is this a correct thing to say? (No.) How is it not correct? The two do not correspond to each other—God does not need you to endure humiliation, nor does He need you to suffer indignity. What essential difference is there between enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden as talked about here, and people believing in God and submitting to Him? (Enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden is an attempt to cast off God’s orchestrations and arrangements.) Enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden means people have their own plans, aspirations, wishes, and goals they pursue. Are these in line with the standards God requires of people, and the goals to pursue that God gives to people? (No.) No, they are not. What is it that people aim to gain for themselves by enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden? What they aim to gain is self-interest, and that has no connection to the fate God orchestrates and rules sovereign over for man.

Anyone who practices enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden has an intent and a goal. For example, when an undergraduate first arrives at a company to do an internship, the senior staff members say, “Undergrad students who come here have to get coffee for three years.” Inside they think, “Though I’m an undergrad, I won’t yield to you!” They think this inside, but do not dare to express it out loud. On the outside, they still must fake a smile; every day they must follow the rules, be pliant, and bow and scrape, and must endure it when others find fault with them. What is their goal in enduring this? It is so that there is a day when they can give a triumphant snort, become a secretary for the manager or boss, and walk over those who picked on them. Isn’t this what they think? Some people say, “That is how they’re supposed to think and what they’re supposed to do. Otherwise, they’ll be taking crap from people for the rest of their life. Who wants to suffer like that? Plus, how can people manage if they don’t have aspirations? Man struggles upward; water flows downward—this is the way of life. Soldiers who do not want to become a general are not good soldiers.” These words become their motto, but it is all satanic logic. They must endure this way in order to accomplish their goal—day after day, year after year, being courteous and respectful to everyone. One day, their boss says to them, “Your performance has been good these three years. Beginning next week, you will become a salesperson.” When they hear this, their heart is unhappy: “I toiled for three years just to become a salesperson! I thought I would become an executive director of sales!” But they must say thank you for the promotion. They have not yet reached their goal, so they must continue to endure. They continue to endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden, painstakingly following their boss around drinking with him and faking a smile, and when they have endured this for ten years they finally have accomplished their goal. One day, their boss tells them, “You have done your job well. I will promote you to an assistant.” When they hear this, they are especially happy inside—they have finally made it! What result is this? In their eyes, they are now a cut above everyone else. Didn’t they do all of this willingly? (No.) Who did they do all this for? (For themselves.) For themselves. There is nothing about it that is positive or should be adopted, let alone anything which is worthy of praise and extolment. But this sort of mentality is what is advocated in society today—enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden, slinking around with their tail between their legs. Therefore, what kind of phrase is this that people advocate: “enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden”? (A bad one.) How is it bad? People endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden purely because of their own intents and motivations, and to satisfy their own ambitions and desires. It is not for the sake of correct goals. That’s why I say none of it is worth adopting, and none of it is worth adulating or praising, and certainly not worth memorializing. Let’s take another look at what happened in the palace in ancient times. There was an emperor who died. The empress saw that her son was still small and would be completely unable to control the court if he were to ascend the throne, so, in order to make sure her son would actually rule as emperor, she endured humiliation and bore a heavy burden and married the former emperor’s younger brother, and the two of them raised her son together. What was her goal in enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden? It was for her son’s position as emperor. When her son’s position as emperor was secure, her status would be that of dowager empress. This is called enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden. What humiliation was she enduring? She did not remain chaste; as soon as the emperor died, she married his younger brother right away, which gave her a bad reputation. People criticized and judged her behind her back, and even history books do not give her a favorable assessment. Did she care? Actually, before she married her former brother-in-law she thought about the repercussions, so why did she still go through with it? It was to ensure her son’s position as emperor and protect her position as dowager empress. That’s the only reason why she would put up with such ill repute and willingly suffer this hardship. This is called enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden. What did she gain from enduring all this indignity? What she gained was an even bigger benefit. This was her goal in enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden. Once she obtained this big benefit, all that ill repute meant nothing. In exchange for this ill repute she obtained power and status for her and her son. So was her enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden positive or negative? (Negative.) If one looks only at her behavior, she was able to forsake herself, and, from the perspective of her son, there was a selfless side to the indignities and suffering she withstood, so people should commend her and say, “What an outstanding mother!” But when looking at her desires and ambitions, and her true goal, people should criticize her; her actions deserve to be judged.

Do people who believe in God need to endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden? (No.) If people accept God’s words and accept His judgment, chastisement, pruning, trials and refinement, and even accept His curses and condemnation toward people, do they need to endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden? (No.) This is for certain. Using the phrase “enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden” in the context of believers absolutely does not hold water and is condemned. Why is it wrong to use this phrase in this context? How does one prove that this behavior is not right in this context? Just acknowledging verbally and in terms of doctrine that this phrase is wrong is not acceptable; you must know what truths it touches on. Before, you still thought that in order to accept being perfected by God and saved by God, people needed to learn to endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden, to sleep on brushwood and lick gall, to adopt the mentality of Goujian, king of the Kingdom of Yue, and never say die—you were simply a blockhead and did not have the ability to comprehend the truth. Now, after My fellowship, you think, “This phrase is not good. Before, I always used to use this phrase—how could I be so stupid?” You can see you do not understand the truth and your comprehension ability is poor. You must understand what about this phrase is wrong. Once you are truly able to understand what is wrong with it, you will have a thorough understanding of the phrase. If you only see part of the phrase clearly, where you see the negative side of it clearly, but do not see the side that people think is positive and proactive clearly, then it means you do not yet understand the truth. After listening to what I’ve just fellowshipped, will you be able to dissect and analyze these things according to these methods of Mine? Why is the practice of enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden not necessary in the house of God? Why do I say that this method and mentality is condemned by the house of God and does not accord with the truth? (God, my understanding is that in God’s house, accepting the judgment and chastisement of God’s words, and even being replaced or condemned does not constitute enduring humiliation. Rather, it is the way God works to save people, and its purpose is to lead us onto the path of pursuing the truth. This has absolutely nothing to do with enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden. If people can comprehend correctly, they will know this is God’s love and elevation, and that accepting God’s judgment and chastisement is God’s great care and protection, and God’s salvation for people.) Is this statement correct? (Yes.) If you can’t see judgment and chastisement clearly, then opposition and complaints will rise up in your heart, and you will practice the satanic philosophical phrase “enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden,” thinking to yourself, “Oh no, I must endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden, and adopt the mentality of Goujian, king of the Kingdom of Yue.” Then, you will etch the words “endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden” into the top of your table to spur yourself onward and motivate yourself, and you will make it your motto. Doesn’t that spell trouble? Granted, after today’s fellowship you certainly will not do this, but will you make other phrases your mottos, like this phrase that I have not dissected, “Conceal one’s light and gather strength in the dark”? Isn’t the nature of this the same? These things are part of traditional Chinese culture. Are these things Satan’s poisons? They are all Satan’s poisons; they are all Satan’s philosophies for worldly dealings.

In the past, while I was working in the churches in mainland China, which was when I had just started My work, the house of God arranged for some of the brothers and sisters to improve their literacy. What was the situation at that time? There were some people who were advanced in age and some people who lived in more remote areas. Their level of education was relatively low and they could not read well. For example, God’s words talk about “low caliber,” “God’s disposition,” “God’s intention,” and other fixed terms, but they did not understand or know what they meant. Later on, the house of God told the brothers and sisters they could work on their literacy in their spare time, and that they should at least know what some fixed phrases, terminology, and nouns mean. Otherwise, when they read God’s words, they would not even understand the meaning of the words and phrases themselves, so how could they understand God’s words? And if they could not understand God’s words, how could they practice the truth? After this, the brothers and sisters started to put effort into learning these things. This is a good thing, but some people with a distorted comprehension exploited the situation. During gatherings, some leaders talked exclusively about the significance of literacy, how the brothers and sisters should become literate, the benefits of literacy, and what would happen if they were not literate. They talked about a whole bunch of doctrines like these. These things are not the truth, and there is no need to talk too much about them. As soon as someone says these things, people can understand them; there is no need to fellowship on them in gatherings as though they were the truth. Some leaders didn’t just use up a large amount of time during gatherings fellowshipping about these things as though they were the truth, they also came up with a new trick, and specifically tested brothers and sisters on words which are seldom used. If the brothers and sisters couldn’t answer, didn’t that make the leaders appear highly educated? During that period of time there were some false leaders who did not do real work—they did not fellowship on life experiences, the truth, or God’s words, instead, they fellowshipped exclusively on literacy. What is this called? This is called not doing one’s proper job. Isn’t this a problem? (Yes.) Why am I talking about this issue? What use is it to you? Are you capable of doing this sort of thing? Is there anyone who plans on acting like this? If you do act like this, then you are truly muddleheaded people! There are some people who see Me talk about these idioms, and they poise themselves for action and start to ready themselves, saying, “It turns out that fellowshipping on the truth is just this easy. It’s enough to just fellowship on idioms. You can fellowship on idioms, and I will fellowship on two-part witticisms, slang, sayings, and proverbs.” Isn’t this not doing one’s proper job? (Yes.) What kind of people are these? Do they have spiritual understanding? (No.) They do not have spiritual understanding, and they do not understand the truth. What is it they think? “You sit there prattling on when You have nothing to do and fob us off with a couple idioms. If I followed Your methods, I could fellowship too!” People who do not have spiritual understanding only look at the surface of things and blindly imitate others. These leaders should be replaced for imitating this behavior, and anyone who does as they did should be replaced as well. Why am I talking about this? I am drawing your attention to it before you engage in this behavior, so you do not go down the wrong path. I can talk about these things, but if you talk about them can you do it in a comprehensible manner? You cannot. So, why do I talk about these sayings and idioms? On what condition do I talk about them? When people understand the concept and definition of the truth, and then if on that foundation I go deeper and dissect more things that people think are the truth, people cannot grasp this; they do not know how they should ruminate on it, and don’t know what other things they should connect it with. It is because you don’t understand that I told you some stories about idioms. This was necessary. Some people think that they are at a university level when it comes to the truth, and wonder why they are still retaking these elementary school courses. They cannot understand this—to them, this is not an elementary class; it is already a university class. You have not yet graduated to university; you have remained at elementary school all along, but you think you have graduated to university, and you feel good about yourselves. Unfortunately, this feeling is wrong; it is a mistaken feeling—you are still a long way from graduating to university. Therefore, I remind you again: Do not do the things I just talked about. Fellowship honestly on what you understand, and if you do not understand, do not talk rubbish. Fellowshipping on the truth is not prattling; no one has time to waste listening to you prattle on. Do not blindly imitate others, and talk about Goujian, king of the Kingdom of Yue, or about modern history or ancient history, because I talked about sleeping on brushwood and licking gall. What use is it to talk about those things? Are people willing to listen to them? Even if people are willing to listen, those things are not the truth.

Just now, I talked about how people who believe in and follow God do not need to endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden, let alone practice enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden. Why can’t one practice such a “good” phrase and “noble” mentality? Where is the problem? Why can’t one possess the mentality of enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden? Speaking in terms of doctrine, it is because enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden is not the truth; this phrase was not spoken by God; it is not God’s requirement for humankind, nor is it a principle of action that He gave to those who follow Him. Why do I say that this phrase isn’t the truth and isn’t a principle of practice? First, let’s look at the word “humiliation” in enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden. What does “humiliation” refer to? Indignity and being shamed. So when people believe in God and God is sovereign over their destiny, by submitting to God are they being humiliated? Are they enduring indignity? (No.) Do people need to endure, and say, “In order to achieve submission to God, I must suppress the fire in my heart, suppress the anger in my heart, suppress the blame in my heart, and suppress the unwillingness in my heart. I should endure it and not make a sound. To me, doing all these things is humiliation, so I will suppress it”? Are they practicing the truth by doing this? (No.) What are they practicing? Rebelliousness, falseness, and pretense. To achieve the practice of the truth, and to achieve submission to the truth and submission to God’s sovereignty and arrangements, the first thing you must do isn’t to endure any sort of pain, and you do not need to endure any sort of indignity. Are the sovereignty and arrangements God has for you and the requirements He has for you humiliation? (No.) He is not humiliating you. God is not humiliating you by exposing you, judging you, chastising you, trying you, and refining you. Rather, at the same time as He is exposing the revelations of your corrupt dispositions, He is getting you to understand yourself, getting you to cast them off and rebel against them, and then act according to God’s requirements. What effect will this achieve? You will be able to submit to God, understand the truth, become a person who pleases God, and become a person whom God approves of. Therefore, are any of the things you undergo during the process and period of time that you’re achieving these things indignities? Are there any things wherein God is humiliating you? (No.) When God exposes you, for example, when He exposes your arrogance, wickedness, deceitfulness, intransigence, or viciousness, are any of these not facts? (No.) They are all facts. No matter the manner of the words that God exposes you with, that He says to you, they are all facts. Regardless of whether people are able to recognize this, and regardless of how much people are able to understand and accept, these things are all facts. They are not baseless, nor are they exaggerations, and they certainly are not meant to frame you. So are these things meant to humiliate you? (No.) Not only are they not meant to humiliate you, they are meant as a prompt and a warning not to walk the path of evil people, and not to follow Satan, they are meant to make you walk the proper path in life. The result and effect these things have on you is positive. The nature of these actions of God is completely proper. He is doing these things to save you, and they are completely in line with the truth. This is the hardship people should suffer, and the hardship they must suffer in order to cast off their corrupt dispositions, satisfy God’s intentions, and become a true created being. The attitude people should have is to proactively accept this hardship, rather than endure it as an indignity. This hardship is not humiliation, it is not mockery, and it is not a dig at people, let alone is it God teasing people. It arises entirely because people have corrupt dispositions, rebel against God, and do not love the truth. This pain arises in people because of God’s words and God’s requirements for people, so is there any part of this pain that God intentionally gives to people or additionally gives to them, and which people should not have to suffer? There is nothing of that sort. On the contrary, if people suffer too little of this pain, they cannot cast off their corrupt dispositions. No matter how severe people’s rebellious dispositions are, and no matter how much people are able to admit and accept it when God exposes their corrupt dispositions, ultimately, what God gives to people is not humiliation, and what people suffer is not indignity. Rather, it is what people should suffer; it is pain that a person who has been deeply corrupted by Satan should suffer; people should suffer this pain. Why do I say they should suffer it? Because people are so deeply rebellious toward God and have become Satans. If people want to cast off these corrupt dispositions and accept God’s salvation, they must suffer this hardship. This is perfectly right and proper; it is a path that people must go through, and it is a hardship they must suffer. God is not giving them hardship. It’s like when you get an upset stomach after drinking cold water. Who’s to blame? The cold water? (No.) Who brought this hardship upon you? (We did.) You brought it upon yourselves. This result and this process that people suffer are their own doing; there is no indignity or humiliation to speak of in this. Some people do not comprehend it this way; they do not accept the truth. What is it they think? “God’s house let me be a leader; it put me forward for the position, and I have happily carried out my job as a leader. I never thought God’s house would dismiss me for not doing my job well and making mistakes. What have I become? Do I still have integrity and dignity? Do I still have any human freedom? Do I still have autonomy?” They think that people should not submit to God’s orchestrations and arrangements without having any choice in the matter, and that if people submit absolutely, then they are fools and people without dignity, and that they live in an overly weak and aggrieved fashion. Therefore, this type of person thinks that when people accept judgment, chastisement, and pruning, they must suffer humiliation, as the saying goes, “When a person stands under a low eave, they have no choice but to lower their head.” Look, here’s another satanic philosophy. This well-known phrase makes them lower their head. What are they thinking? Are they submitting willingly, or enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden? (The latter.) They think they are enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden. They are not submitting willingly. Their submission is not willing, and it is not pure. Rather, they have no choice but to submit. So they see this lack of choice as a type of humiliation. Since this sort of person can think this way, do they treat practicing submitting to God’s words as practicing the truth? No. They do not treat submitting as the truth. Instead, they treat enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden as the truth. Isn’t the nature of these things different? (It is.) Although people who submit willingly and those who endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden both submit, and although neither of them cause trouble or resist, and on the outside they both seem to be obedient, well-behaved, and good, these things are still different in nature. People who sincerely submit treat submitting as their responsibility, duty, and obligation; they treat it as their bounden duty, and as the truth. Even if those who do not sincerely submit don’t outwardly resist, in their heart they think they are enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden, and in their eyes, enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden is the highest truth. They treat enduring humiliation as practicing the truth, and what do they treat submitting as? They treat it as enduring humiliation, not practicing the truth. Isn’t this the wrong way around? What is this called? (They have it backward.) They have it backward. They treat the truth as a philosophy for worldly dealings; they treat doctrine and man’s philosophies for worldly dealings as the truth. Isn’t this a reversal of black and white? (Yes.) It is a reversal of black and white. Then how should this problem be resolved? People must understand that this hardship they suffer is not humiliation, nor is it someone trying to humiliate them. So what causes the hardship that people suffer? (People’s corrupt dispositions.) That’s right. If you did not have corrupt dispositions, and you understood the truth, could submit to God, could submit completely to God’s sovereignty and arrangements, and could fear God and shun evil, then you would not need to suffer this hardship. Therefore, this humiliation does not exist. You understand, right?

Between hardship and humiliation, which one is positive? Is there a difference between the two? (Yes, there is.) Hardship is positive. If you willingly accept judgment, chastisement, pruning, and willingly suffer this hardship, then your interpretation of this hardship will be, “I should suffer this hardship. No matter what God does, even if I don’t understand it and it is hard for my heart to take, and I am negative and weak, everything He does is right. I have a corrupt disposition and should not reason with God. No matter how hard it is for my heart to take, it has been brought about by my own wrongs. God is not wrong; everything God does is right. I deserve to suffer hardship. Who made me have corrupt disposition? Who made me resist God? Who made me do evil? Those things are not given to people by God; they are propelled by my own nature. I should suffer this hardship.” Then is it a positive thing for people to suffer this hardship? (Yes.) If people understand it in a positive way and understand it from God, then this hardship is positive. However, suppose that they say, “I can submit, but although I submit, I must still explain my reasoning clearly, and I must share what I think inside and what I do clearly. I can’t just submit in such a cowardly and muddled fashion. Otherwise, I will die from keeping things pent up inside.” They always want to explain things clearly and plainly, explain the ins and outs of things clearly, talk about their reasoning, talk about what they think, talk about how they pay a price, and talk about how correct they are. They are not willing to be a person who submits to God, or to refrain from justifying themselves, defending themselves, or talking about their own reasoning. In that case, what do they treat submission as? They treat it as enduring indignity. What do they think inside? “I must endure all this indignity in order to make God approve of me and say that I have submitted.” Does this “humiliation” actually exist? If it does not exist at all, why do they still explain things clearly and plainly in order to cast off this “humiliation”? This is not true submission. Even if the intent with which you do things is right, God wants to orchestrate things this way. You do not need to defend yourself; you do not need to reason. Did Job do things better than you or not? (He did things better.) When Job was tried, if he reasoned and defended himself, would God have listened? No, He wouldn’t have listened. This is a fact. Did Job know that God does not listen to people’s defenses? Job didn’t know, but Job did not defend himself. This was the stature he had; he truly submitted. What bad thing did Job do that God should treat him that way? He didn’t do anything bad. God said Job feared Him and shunned evil, and was a perfect person. Speaking in the context of “humiliation,” God should not have made Job suffer those indignities, and should not have handed him over to Satan and let Satan tempt him and strip him of all his possessions. Looking at it in terms of the logic of people who do not submit, Job suffered hardship and he suffered great indignity, and when he received those trials he was enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden in order to obtain even greater blessings from God after the fact. Was this true in fact? (No.) Was this how Job thought and practiced? (No.) How did he practice? How did he approach these trials? He did not need to endure, nor did he think he was suffering indignity. What did he think? (God gave and He has taken away.) That’s right. People come from God. God gave you life and gave you breath. You are wholly from God, so aren’t all the things you obtain things God gave you? What do you have to brag about? Everything is given by God, so if God wants to take it away, what is there for you to reason about? When He gives something to you, you are happy, and when He does not give something to you, you are unhappy, complain about God, ask for it from God, and fight with God. Whether God gives you something is up to God; there is nothing for people to reason about. Is this how Job acted? (Yes.) This is how Job acted. Was there a sense of injustice in his heart? (No.) No, there wasn’t. Looking at it from the surface, Job had sufficient reason to call out injustice, make rationalizations, defend himself, set himself against God, and explain everything to God clearly and plainly. He was the one who was most worthy of doing these things, but did he do it? No, he didn’t. He didn’t say a word, just did a few things: He tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell down on the ground and worshiped. What kind of person did this series of actions make people see him as? A person who feared God and shunned evil, and a perfect person. What is the definition of a perfect person? Someone who does not pass any judgment on what God does, who instead praises and submits to it, and no matter how great a hardship they suffer, does not say, “I’ve suffered an injustice. This is an indignity.” No matter how great a hardship they suffer, they never display one word of this sort, or say one word of this sort. What is this called? Unbelievers call it “forgoing the self.” Where is the logic here? Is this what it is? (No.) “Forgoing the self” is a mental illness and is nonsense. No matter how big a matter Job encountered, or how painful, he never reasoned with God or fought Him; he just submitted. What was his initial reason for submitting? Fear of God. His ability to submit came from his understanding of God. He believed that everything comes from God, and that everything God does is right.

Some group leaders and supervisors who get replaced cry without end, throw a fit, and get emotional. They think they have suffered an injustice, complain that God is not righteous, and think that the brothers and sisters should feel bad about exposing and reporting them, saying, “You people have no conscience. I was so good to you, and this is how you repay me! God is not righteous, either. I have suffered such a great injustice, yet God did not protect me; they just dismissed me harshly. You all look down on me, and God looks down on me, too!” They think they have been treated very unjustly and throw a fit. Tell Me, can a person like this come to submit? From what I see, it isn’t easy. So isn’t it over for them? What are you throwing a fit for? If you can accept it, then accept it. If you can’t accept the truth, and can’t submit to the truth, then get out of God’s house! Don’t believe in God—no one’s forcing you. What injustice have you been subjected to? What are you throwing a fit for? This is God’s house. If you have what it takes, go throw a fit in society, and go look for Satans and devil kings to throw a fit at. Don’t throw a fit in God’s house. What’s the big deal if you are dismissed as group leader? You can still live if you’re not a group leader, can’t you? You won’t believe in God if you’re not a group leader? Job suffered such great hardship but what did he say? He didn’t voice one word of complaint, and even praised God, saying, “Blessed be the name of Jehovah” (Job 1:21). Did he praise Jehovah’s name because he received an abundance of rewards and benefits? No. That was just how he understood, and how he practiced. Doesn’t this have to do with a person’s character as well? (Yes.) Some people have low integrity, and when they are slightly wronged, they think they have been treated extremely unjustly, and that everyone under the sun should feel guilty about it and ask them for forgiveness. These people are so troublesome! How would you explain the word “indignity”? Suffering indignity is a common occurrence for unbelievers, but in God’s house there is a different way of saying it: Suffering hardship and indignity in order to gain the truth is hardship that people should suffer. No matter whether they are pruned or replaced, people who understand the truth do not think of it as indignity. They think they deserve to suffer hardship, and that people cannot submit to it because they have corrupt dispositions, but that that is not indignity. Who truly suffers indignity? It is God who suffers indignity. God saves humankind, but people do not understand. Look, after God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, they worshiped idols. When they had nothing to eat they complained about God, and God had to send down manna and other food to them. After a couple of good days, they paid no attention to God, but when they encountered difficulties, they sought Him out again. Wouldn’t you say He suffered a great indignity? Doesn’t the incarnate God suffer a great indignity when He is rejected by the ages? People are nothing, and are capable of nothing. They enjoy so much grace given by God, and enjoy so many truths provided by God, but they feel it is especially unjust when they suffer a bit of deserved hardship. What injustice do people suffer? There are some people who usually have quite a bit of mettle, but when they suffer a bit of hardship, brothers and sisters prune them, someone says something unpleasant to them, or no one supports them or flatters them, they feel aggrieved, feel that they have suffered a great hardship, and have been wronged, and complain, “You all look down on me, and no one pays attention to me. I am destined to be mistreated!” What are you throwing a fit for? What use is it to say those things? Do any of those words accord with the truth? (No.) Then what does this amount to—is this humiliation? You are incapable of seeing the hardship you deserve to suffer clearly, and do not accept it. You listen to so many sermons, but do not understand how people should practice the truth, and how they should submit. You don’t know any of this, and still think you have suffered some sort of great indignity. Aren’t you being unreasonable? To people who accept God’s salvation, does this indignity exist? (No.) Even if sometimes brothers and sisters are definitely treating you unjustly, how should you experience it? For example, there is fifty dollars lying somewhere, and after you walk by it, it’s gone, and everybody suspects you took it. What would you do? You would feel aggrieved and frustrated inside: “Even though I’m poor, I still have a moral backbone. I am someone who cares what others think of me. I have never taken anything that belonged to somebody else. My hands are perfectly clean. You guys always look down on me, and I’m the first person you suspect when this happens. God has not clarified things on my behalf. It looks like He doesn’t like me, either!” You throw a fit. Does this count as humiliation? (No.) So what should you do in this situation? If you took it, admit it, and promise you will never take anything again. If you didn’t take it, say, “I didn’t take it. God scrutinizes the innermost hearts of people. Whoever took that money knows it, and God knows it, too. I won’t say another word.” You don’t need to say, “You look down on me. You all want to pick on me.” What use is it to say those things? Is it a good thing to say a lot of those sorts of things? (No.) Why not? If you say a lot of those sorts of things it proves a fact: God is not in your heart; you do not believe in God, and you do not have true faith in God. When you tell the truth of the matter, God knows. He scrutinizes the innermost hearts of people, and scrutinizes everything people say and do. How other people want to see it is up to them. You believe that God knows all these things, and there is no need to say a lot. Do you need to feel aggrieved? No, you don’t. Of what consequence is this matter? You feel you have suffered an injustice when you are defamed and judged for believing in God, but can you talk about it clearly? By single-mindedly defending yourself against them you are delaying the proper issue. This is pointless, isn’t it? What use is it to reason with them? This is not practicing the truth.

People suffer much hardship during the process of experiencing God’s salvation. Is the hardship people suffer indignity? (No.) It certainly is not. Why do I say that? (Because people have corrupt dispositions, people should suffer this hardship.) People have corrupt dispositions—this is part of it. In addition, whichever aspect of the truth you don’t understand, and whatever part inside of you is still negative, you can bring it up and fellowship on it. You do not need to keep it pent up inside. What is the goal of fellowship? (To solve problems.) To seek the truth, come to understand the truth, and resolve the problems that are inside. You don’t need to keep them pent up inside you. You don’t need to suffer indignity. You don’t need to endure, saying, “I don’t understand, yet I’m still being made to submit. I must understand before I submit.” If you don’t understand, you can fellowship. Seeking the truth is the correct path. This is not wrong. When some things are fellowshipped on and explained clearly, people will know what to do. However, when you seek, your view and attitude must first be oriented in the perspective of seeking the truth and wanting to practice the truth; it is only by seeking the truth that one can resolve problems. If you do not understand the truth and just keep things pent up inside, and only practice submitting, ultimately you will still be unable to resolve your problems. Therefore, even if you are required to submit, you are not required to submit in a muddleheaded or unprincipled way. However, there is a most basic principle contained within submission, which is when you don’t understand, you should first submit, have a submissive heart, and a submissive attitude. This is the rationality people should have. After accomplishing this, then slowly seek. This way, you can avoid offending God’s disposition, and can be protected and make it to the end of the road. Are all the words God uses to expose, condemn, and even judge and curse people meant to humiliate people? (No.) Do people need extreme patience to endure all this? (No.) No, they do not. On the contrary, people need extreme faith to accept all this. Only by accepting this can you truly understand what exactly Satan’s corrupt nature is, what exactly people’s corrupt essence is, what exactly the source of people’s antagonism toward God is, and why people are not compatible with God. You must seek the truth in God’s words before you are able to resolve these problems. If you do not accept the truth, and no matter how clearly God’s words state things, you do not accept it, then you will never resolve those problems. Even if you understand that “God’s words do not humiliate us; they just expose us, and are for our own good,” you only acknowledge this in the sense of doctrine; you will never come to understand the true meaning of everything that God says, or what the effect it is meant to achieve. You will also never understand what, exactly, the truth God talks about is. After fellowshipping in this way, isn’t it able, to a certain extent, to make people have a proactive and positive attitude toward accepting being pruned, accepting being replaced, and accepting the work, arrangements, and sovereignty that God carries out which do not accord with people’s notions? (Yes.) At a minimum, people will think that everything God does is right, that they should not understand it in a negative way, and that the attitude they should have first is to actively accept, submit, and then cooperate with it. Everything God does to people does not require strong patience on their part. Meaning, you do not need to endure all of this. What do you need to do? What you need is to accept, seek, and submit. From the moment you hear the term “enduring humiliation” that unbelievers use, you know that is abusive toward people. Nothing God does requires you to endure humiliation. You can practice patience, love, humility, as well as submission, acceptance, honesty, openness, and seeking; these things are relatively positive. So, what is the logic behind what unbelievers are saying? It is satanic philosophy, and satanic lies. In sum, enduring humiliation is not a principle which those who believe in God should observe. It is not the truth; it is a satanic thing. Enduring humiliation is not what God requires people to do, because no humiliation exists here. All of God’s actions toward people are ones of love, salvation, looking after them, and protecting them. The things God says, and the work He does in people are all positive and are all the truth. Not one bit of it is the same as Satan, and there are none of Satan’s methods and means. Only by accepting God’s words can people be purified and be saved.

In what ways does the act of “enduring humiliation” that Satan speaks of manifest in people? It manifests in people in the form of harm, abuse, ravaging, and trampling. In sum, it brings calamity upon you. Regardless of whether you have suffered hardship or suffered indignity, in short, what people ultimately gain from the things that Satan subjects them to is certainly not the truth. What do people gain? Pain. What Satan effects in people is innumerable forms of humiliation and ridicule, as well as abuse and corruption. So what does it achieve in people and make them feel? It gets people to endure grievances and make accommodations in order to preserve themselves, and even makes them become warped inside. People learn to use all sorts of tactics and methods to handle and approach all of this, and learn to butter people up, pretend, and speak falsehoods. When people reveal and manifest all these things, are their hearts willing, happy, and at peace, or angry and in pain? (Angry and in pain.) Does the anger in people’s hearts increase or decrease the more they endure humiliation in this world? (Increase.) Then, do people view humankind in an increasingly hostile way, or an increasingly loving way? (Hostile.) People view humankind in an increasingly hostile way and hate everyone they see. When people are young and have just entered society, they see everything as wonderful, and trust people with particular ease. When they reach their thirties, they do not trust others so much anymore. When they reach their forties, they don’t have trust for most people, and when they reach their fifties, their hearts are full of hatred and they are given to turning around and harming others. Before they become filled with hate, what do people endure? It is all indignity and pain. When you don’t have the capability and power that others do, when others say you are something you must quickly nod your head in acknowledgment, and when they curse you, you must listen. There is nothing you can do, but what do you think on the inside? “One day when I have power, I will kill you with my own bare hands and wipe out three generations of your ancestry!” The hate in your heart grows stronger and stronger. This is the consequence that enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden brings upon corrupt humankind. People think that enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden, which is praised and promoted by society, is a positive thing, and that it is a sort of mentality and way of thinking which enables people to work hard and strive to become stronger. So, why does it ultimately effect anger and hatred in people? (Because it is not the truth.) That’s right. It produces this negative consequence because it is not the truth. What gives rise to generations of resentment and revenge killings in society and in gangs? (After people suffer indignity, the hate in their heart grows and they kill out of revenge.) That’s right, that is how killing out of revenge arises. Each generation brutally kills each other until humankind is destroyed by disaster. This is the consequence. Humankind has lived according to Satan’s philosophies and logic and gradually evolved until the present time under Satan’s power. The relationship between people is increasingly twisted, increasingly distant, increasingly lacking in trust, and increasingly cold. What point has it reached now? It has reached the point where the hearts of two people who have nothing to do with each other are filled with mutual hatred and mutual hostility. In the past, neighbors were in frequent contact and often interacted with each other, but now, a person could be dead for five or six days and their neighbor would not know; no one would check in on them. How did things get to this point? It got to this point because of this mutual hatred. You don’t want others to be hostile to you, yet at the same time, you are hostile to others—this is a vicious cycle. It is a negative consequence and disaster brought upon humankind by Satan’s laws. The views and impressions people have of others in their hearts are increasingly unfavorable, so they get better and better at enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden, and the anger and hatred in their hearts grow, until they finally say, “It would be better if they were all dead and not a single one was living!” Isn’t everyone’s heart full of this sort of hate? They wish this world would be destroyed as soon as possible: “People are all bad to the bone. They deserve to be destroyed!” You say other people are bad to the bone, but what about yourself? Can it be that you have truly changed? That you have attained salvation? At the same time as hating others for being bad to the bone, you should be better than them. If you are just as bad as the people of the world, then you have no reason. When a person with reason sees that humankind is bad to the bone, they should pursue the truth and live out human likeness to satisfy God—this is what is suitable. This way, when God destroys this wicked human race, they will be spared.

Do you hate this wicked human race? (Yes.) Most people who believe in God have some humanity and reason; their hearts are kinder, they yearn for the light, and they yearn for God and the truth to hold power. They do not like wicked things, and do not like things which are unfair. They should be filled with hope, love, and tolerance for humankind, so how can they hate humankind? Some people say, “Thinking back to when I was in school, the teacher picked on me, but I didn’t dare speak up about it; I just had to endure it. So I made up my mind to study hard and get into university in the future. I will show you all what I’m made of, and then I will be the one who picks on you!” Some people say, “Thinking back to when I was working, formidable people in the company always picked on me, and I thought, ‘Just wait until the day I outperform you with my achievements. Then I will make your lives miserable!’” There are others who say, “Thinking back to when I was doing business, the vendor manager always swindled me, and I thought, ‘When the day comes that I make a big fortune, I’ll get back at you!’” No one’s life is easy, and everyone has times when they are picked on—they have people who they hate inside and want to settle the score with them. This is what the world has come to; it is full of hatred and full of hostility. People’s hostility toward each other is too extreme, and they cannot get along harmoniously and are not on amicable terms. This world will be finished soon; it has reached the end of the line. Everyone has heartbreaking stories inside them from back when they were picked on by someone, somewhere, or back when they were picked on, looked down on, tricked, or harmed by others in some company, organization, or group of people. These things happen everywhere. What does this prove? It proves that humankind no longer has any people like Noah among them. Isn’t that the case? (Yes.) Everyone’s heart is full of wickedness, and full of hostility toward the truth, toward positive things, and toward justice. People are already beyond saving. There is no person, no teaching, and no theory which can save humanity—this is the fact of the matter. Some people still hope: “When will there be a world war? After the war, everyone who deserves to die will be dead, and the people who remain can have a fresh start. A new era will begin, and a new country will be established.” Is this possible? No, it’s not. Some people place their hope in all sorts of different religions, but now the sun is setting on every religion and they are breathing their last. Every religion is rotten to the core and has a poor reputation. What do I mean by these words? They are meant to make people understand a fact: If God didn’t use words and the truth to save humanity, the hatred and vicious disposition deep inside humans would only grow worse and worse, and more and more rampant. Ultimately, the only possibility for humankind would be for it to end in self-destruction from people brutally killing each other. At the present time, many people want to avoid this wicked human race and go live alone deep in the mountains and forests, or in a place with no trace of human life. What is the result of this? Humankind will no longer multiply and there will not be a next generation. Humankind will go extinct after the present generation—there will be no descendants. Humankind’s resistance to God is too severe, which stirred His rage early on. They will be finished before long. Why are there so many people who do not get married? Because they are afraid of being tricked, do not believe there are any good people anymore, and are filled with hostility toward marriage. Who should be blamed for this? Blame it on people being too deeply corrupted, blame it on Satan and devils, and blame it on people willingly accepting corruption. You hate others, but are you really better than them? You don’t have the truth, so hating others is of no use. If people don’t have the truth and don’t understand the truth, ultimately they will reach a dead end and fall into disaster and be destroyed. This is the end that they will meet. If God does not save humankind, there will be no one in corrupt humankind who can understand the truth.

What exactly is “humiliation?” Do believers need to endure humiliation? Does this “humiliation” exist? (No, it does not exist.) It does not exist, so is this issue not resolved? The next time you hear someone say, “The first thing you must learn as a believer is to endure. No matter what happens, you must bear it and suppress it inside.” Should you say something to them when you hear them say these words? (Yes.) What should you say? You say: “What are you enduring for? If you are truly enduring indignity, then you are quite pitiful, and it shows that you do not understand the truth. If you understood the truth, this indignity would not exist, and you would willingly and gladly accept all of the circumstances that God orchestrates for you. This is hardship that people should be suffering, not some indignity. This is God elevating you. The fact we can suffer this hardship proves that God is still giving us a chance and making us able to be saved. If we did not even have the opportunity to suffer hardship or were not worthy of it, then we would have no chance of being saved. This is not indignity; you must become clear on that, and look at whether what you’re saying is actually right. This indignity does not exist—we are corrupt people and deserve to suffer this hardship. When you are sick, taking medicine and getting surgery involves suffering a bit of hardship. Does the hardship you suffer to heal your illness count as indignity? That is not indignity; it is done to heal you. Our belief in God and experience of judgment and chastisement is in order to cast off our corrupt dispositions, and to live out human likeness, live according to God’s requirements, submit to God, worship Him, and to live better and live with more dignity. We should suffer this hardship on account of our corrupt dispositions. Suffering this hardship is for the sake of gaining the truth and life. We cannot interpret it as indignity. We should accept it as our responsibility and obligation to fulfill, and as the road we should take. This is God’s elevation, and we must praise God for elevating us, and praise Him for the chance He gives us. Based on all we have done and how we have acted, we are not worthy of suffering this hardship, and we should be destroyed like the people of the world. If we treat the hardship we should suffer and all this grace that God has bestowed upon us as indignity, then we are seriously lacking in conscience and hurting God’s heart! We are not worthy of God’s salvation.” Is this not the case? (Yes.) This bit of doctrine is very simple. Shouldn’t one be able to understand it without it being said? By being enlightened in this way and understanding these things, people’s hearts are more at ease, and they do not act unreasonably when things happen to them. Some people know clearly in their hearts that this is the truth and that they must accept it, but when they speak, they still say it is really unjust, talking and talking until words of judgment against God come out. Do not do things like this. Whenever things happen to you, seek the truth. This is the first crucial thing; do not ever overlook it. If you acknowledge that God is the truth, the way, and the life, then you should not treat any circumstance that God brings about as the work of man. Rather, you should treat every circumstance that God brings about as a chance to transform your disposition and a chance to accept the truth.

I have finished fellowshipping on the meaning of “humiliation.” Next, I will fellowship on the next part, which is what it means to “bear a heavy burden.” Just now we talked about how the heavy burden people bear is a desire and an ambition deep in their hearts, a goal they hope to achieve. When it comes to believers in God being saved by God and accepting God’s leadership, do they need to endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden? Just now, I said that the phrase “enduring humiliation” does not hold water in God’s house. You do not need to endure humiliation; you do not need to feel that you are bearing so much hardship; your heart does not need to feel unfairly treated; and you do not need to endure all this indignity in order to satisfy God, as if you were so noble. You do not need to do these things. So what does it mean to bear a heavy burden? If one were to say that God makes people suffer all this hardship so that they are able to take on greater responsibilities and missions, and receive greater blessings and a better destination, would that statement be sound and reasonable? (No, it’s not sound.) It’s not sound. Then how should we define it? God allows people to be saved and attain fearing God and shunning evil, and makes them live better. Does God do this for people’s sake or for His own sake, exactly? (For people’s sake.) Of course it is for people’s sake. People are the biggest beneficiary. That’s why I say that this has nothing to do with what God gets out of it, let alone what magnitude of blessings people can receive by suffering this hardship. You do not need to endure, and you do not need to have these kinds of “great aspirations,” nor do you need to forgo things in this way. In actuality, you haven’t forgone anything, nor have you thrown anything away. On the contrary, people have ultimately gained the most. For one thing, people have understood all the various criteria for comporting themselves. Plus, people are able to comply with this entire order and all these laws that God has put in place, and live in an orderly manner. How does this way of living compare to the way people are living now? (It’s better.) It is better than how people are living now. Then, out of these two ways of living, which is more blessed, more greatly resembles that of a true created being, and even more so, is the lifestyle humankind should have? (The former.) Of course it is the former. After suffering this hardship, you understand God’s intentions, and at the same time understand many truths, and with an understanding of the truth as a foundation, you learn how to comport yourself, and there is truth which acts as life within your humanity. Does this give you worth? People do not originally have any truth whatsoever. They are just worthless wretches who are lower than ants and do not deserve to live, but now you have understood the truth, and speak and act according to the truth. No matter what God makes you do you are able to listen, and do not do less than what is asked, and no matter what arrangements God makes for you, you are able to submit to them. So, will you still judge God? Will you proactively rebel against Him? If someone tells you to rebel against God, will you do it? (No.) If someone spins lies about God to mislead you, will you believe it? (No.) No, you won’t. So you will not rebel against God, whether in a subjective or objective sense. Humans like this live completely under the dominion of God. So do humans like this still need to withstand the pain of people now? Is there still hate and pain in their hearts? Are there sad and painful things in their hearts? (No.) This pain is not there. In everything they do, people like this are principled and not indiscriminate. Also, when things happen, God has sovereign authority, and Satan cannot harm you; you live as a true person. Would God destroy humans like this? Would humans like this destroy themselves? (No.) No, they wouldn’t. They are a completely different type of people compared to the corrupt humans of today. The hearts of people today are full of hate and pain. They are capable of committing suicide at any time or place, fighting and killing people at any time or place, and doing bad things at any time or place, bringing disaster upon the human world. Whereas, the humans who are saved by God and who have gained the truth as life can coexist peacefully without fighting or hatred. They are able to submit to God’s arrangements, and submit with unified hearts and effort to every word God says. These people all live in the word of God, and work hard in a particular direction. For the sake of making God’s will carried out, you understand the truth, he understands the truth, she understands the truth, and they understand the truth, so when everyone is together will they still have different views? (No.) In this way, they can get to the point where everyone is living in God’s presence, living in His word, living according to the truth, and where people’s hearts are in compatibility. This way, can there still be slaughter and fighting between people? (No.) No. Do people still need to endure pain? There is no pain. Humans like this live a blessed life with no fighting or slaughter. Then how should people manage all things which God entrusted to them? (They should coexist peacefully.) Part of it is that they should coexist peacefully. The other part is that they should manage every thing in accordance with the order and laws God put in place. Which means that this entire order and all these laws and living things belong to humankind, are used by humankind, and create benefits for humankind. How wonderful humankind of this sort is! At that time, humankind’s living environment is given to humans to manage. God puts order and laws in place for this world for humans’ sake, and then God will not interfere in it. If one day you see a wolf eating a rabbit, what would you do? You must let the wolf eat it. You can’t stop a wolf from eating rabbits and make it eat grass. What mistake would you be making? (Going against the natural order of things.) You would be going against the natural order of things. Rabbits eat grass and wolves eat meat, so you must respect their inherent natures and let them develop naturally. There is no need to interfere with their activities and lifestyle in an artificial, additional way. You don’t need to manage these things; God has already set these things the way they should be. If there are some places which get a lot of rain and the climate is not suitable, then animals must migrate. You say, “We must fix this place. How come it always rains so much? It must be so tiring for the animals to always migrate!” Isn’t this foolishness again? (Yes.) How is it foolish? Didn’t God put this climate in place? (Yes.) God put this climate in place and let these animals live in this area. Didn’t God put their migration in place? (Yes.) Then why do you want to get in the way? Why are you blindly acting on good intentions? What is good about migrating? When a large group of animals stays in an area for half a year, the grass is all eaten away. If it doesn’t rain and they are not willing to leave, what then? It will need to rain all the time. When the ground is wet, they cannot stay there and the grass will be soaked in rainwater, so they must leave. This migration makes their bodies fit and gives the grass a chance to regrow. Once they have eaten most of the grass in another place, it will be time for it to snow there and they will once again be kicked out, so to speak, and must quickly migrate. They make their way back to their original place again. It is not raining, the grass has grown, and they can eat it again. In this way, this ecosystem continually maintains balance in a natural way. Some people say, “Wildebeests are always eaten by lions—those poor things! Can’t we make wildebeests smarter?” Why are you blindly acting on good intentions? Are you trying to show that you are kind? Your goodness goes too far. If wildebeests were cunning, the lions would go hungry. Would you be able to stand watching lions go hungry? There are other people who say, “Lions are bad. They bite deer and zebras. It’s so gory and cruel!” If you obliterated the lions, there would be too many zebras and deer. What would the final result be? The grass would all be eaten up, and the grasslands would turn into a desert. Could you take that? Would you still act on these good intentions? So, what should you do? Let them develop naturally. This is how it is with animals. God put this entire order in place long ago, and you must accept it whether you want to or not; everything must proceed as it is ordered. If you go against natural order, life cannot be sustained. Once you understand all these laws, you will respect the laws, and view these things according to the laws. Then you will see the wisdom of God’s sovereignty over everything. In addition, all these laws are inherent to life. How did this come about? (It was destined by God.) It was destined by God. This is how God arranged it. Humans research science, research biology, research all sorts of areas of study. They have conducted so many years of research, but only understand simple doctrine and order; no one sees God’s sovereignty or wisdom in this doctrine and phenomena. Why did this whole ecosystem and food chain emerge to be so intricate and wondrous? Humans just clarify a phenomenon or announce a fact to people in this world, but no one can summarize or see clearly that all of this came from God—it did not come about on its own. If we go along with saying that it came about on its own, then how come no one has ever seen an ape turn into a human in all these years? All of these laws were put in place by God. Do they have anything to do with apes turning into humans? (No.) There is no such thing. God put in place all of these laws and this entire order. If people are lucky enough to remain, then at that time they won’t just respect, maintain and manage this entire order and all these laws, more importantly, they will also become the biggest beneficiary of this entire order and all these laws. God prepared all of this for humanity, and put it in place for people—everything is ready-made for people’s enjoyment. Of everything, the created beings that are people are the most blessed. People have language, thinking, can hear God’s voice, can understand God’s words, have a language with which to communicate with God, and are the most adept at understanding God’s words. The way they are the most blessed is that God gave them the greatest capital with which they can obtain salvation and come before Him. Ultimately, everything God has done, and this entire order and all the laws God put in place will require people to manage, and require people to maintain. Those people who just research, wreck, are detrimental toward, and skew this entire order and all these laws must be wiped out. People have suffered so much hardship. Does the beautiful destination people believe in in their hearts, and which they pursue and long for actually exist? It doesn’t actually exist. It is just a desire and ambition of people’s, and is different from what God wants to give to people. They are two separate things and have nothing to do with each other. So the “bearing a heavy burden” part of enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden does not exist in people. What do I mean it doesn’t exist? That the beautiful destination you believe in, and the ambitions and desires deep in your heart that you want to accomplish do not exist at all. No matter how much hardship you suffer or how much indignity you endure, ultimately the destination you long for, the things you desire to achieve, the person you wish to become, and the degree to which you want to be blessed do not hold any water. Those are not the things God wants to give you. What other problem is there here? Enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden is when people hide their real capabilities by enduring indignity, then suffer indignity in order to achieve their goals. What are these goals? They are the ideals and even desires deep in people’s hearts. Then when believers suffer hardship is it in order to satisfy a desire? (No.) Then what is it for? When believers suffer hardship, is the goal they want to pursue and achieve positive or negative? (Positive.) Is it connected to desire? (No.) Then what is this positive goal? (To cast off their corrupt disposition, become a true person, and be able to live better.) To cast off their corrupt disposition, become a true person, and be able to live better. What else? To become a person who is saved, and to not rebel against God again. Do you want to become someone like Job and Peter? (Yes.) Then isn’t this a goal? (Yes.) Is this goal connected to desire? (No.) Then isn’t this a goal? (Yes.) Is this goal connected to desire? (No.) This goal is a proper pursuit, and is the goal and path God has given to people. This is proper. That’s why I say that the hardship you suffer on account of pursuing this proper goal is not enduring humiliation. Instead, it is what people should be pursuing, and it is the road people should be walking. Can those people who think deep in their hearts that they are someone who endures indignity get onto this road? They cannot, and nor can they achieve this goal.

Looking at it now, is the phrase “enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden” the truth? (No.) It’s not the truth, and it is not a criterion for how people should act, comport themselves, or worship God. Do people need to endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden in order to be saved by God? (No.) Is it right or wrong to say that a person achieved salvation by enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden? (Wrong.) How is it wrong? Enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden is not practicing the truth, so how can they achieve salvation? That is like saying a person killed people, set fire to things and did a lot of bad things, and eventually became a “leader loved by the people.” Isn’t it about the same as saying this? (Yes.) This is what it means. They are obviously on the path of wickedness, yet became a positive person. This is a contradiction. If one were to say that a person endured humiliation and bore a heavy burden, and eventually achieved compatibility with God, or a person endured humiliation and bore a heavy burden, and eventually stood firm during trials, or a person endured humiliation and bore a heavy burden, and eventually completed God’s commission—which of these statements are correct? (None of them are.) None of them are correct. Is it correct to say someone endured humiliation and bore a heavy burden while spreading the gospel across an entire village? (No.) I see some people are unsure, thinking, “Is it correct? I think that statement’s correct, isn’t it? There are many times when people have to endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden while spreading the gospel and testifying to God.” Using this phrase in this context is correct, isn’t it? (No, it’s not.) Why not? Tell Me. (Because the effect achieved by enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden is not positive.) Is this the right application? Analyze how this phrase is wrong. Dissect it. “By enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden while sharing the gospel, they converted a lot of people, bore much fruit, and spread the name of God.” Do you not know whether this statement is correct? If we apply it in line with every statement we’ve fellowshipped on today, it would be incorrect to use this phrase in this situation, but if we think a step further about how when spreading the gospel some people get hit or yelled at by potential recipients and turned away from their doors, does this count as enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden? (No.) Then what is this? (Hardship believers must suffer while spreading the gospel.) That’s right. This is hardship that people must suffer. This is their responsibility, their obligation, and the commission God has given to people. It’s like how childbirth is painful—isn’t this hardship that must be suffered? (Yes.) If a woman says to her child, “I endured humiliation and bore a heavy burden to bring you into the world,” would that be a correct thing to say? (No.) She suffered hardship, so why is it wrong to say? Because this is hardship she must suffer. For example, if a wolf hunted for many hours before catching a rabbit, and said, “I endured humiliation and bore a heavy burden in order to eat a rabbit,” would that be correct? (No.) To eat a rabbit, the wolf must sacrifice something in return. The rabbit is not going to just sit there and wait for the wolf to eat it. What task is that easy? No matter what the task is, one always has to make a certain sacrifice. This is not enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden. Right now, what have we thoroughly categorized the phrase “enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden” as? (Negative.) We have categorized it as a negative and pejorative phrase, and categorized it as Satan’s logic and Satan’s philosophy for worldly dealings. It has nothing to do with faith in God or positive things. If someone says, “I’ve spread the gospel for many years. I have really endured humiliation and borne a heavy burden!” this isn’t appropriate. Spreading the gospel is your responsibility, and is hardship you are supposed to suffer. Even if you don’t spread the gospel, won’t you suffer hardship just by living? This is hardship people are supposed to suffer; it is proper. The phrase “enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden” has basically been eradicated from God’s house. If someone mentions this phrase again, how will you interpret it? If someone says, “I endured humiliation and bore a heavy burden in prison in order to not be a Judas!” is this statement correct? (No.) Why not? “In order to not be a Judas” is a very just goal and just thing to say, so how could it not be enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden? (A believer should not be a Judas.) That’s right. How is it reasonable for a believer to be a Judas? Isn’t it ridiculous to say not being a Judas is enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden? Testifying to God is your mission. This is the testimony in which created beings should stand firm, and the stance in which they should stand firm. Satan is not worthy of praise. God is the One people should be worshiping, and it is perfectly natural and justified to worship God. When Satan tries to bend you to its will, you should stand firm in your testimony for God, forgo your life, and not be a Judas. This does not amount to enduring humiliation and bearing a heavy burden. I have explained this phrase clearly now. If someone says again how they have endured humiliation and borne a heavy burden, how should you handle the matter? They will understand when you let them listen to the sermon I preached today. That is the easiest way.

C. A Never-Say-Die Will to Fight

The third manifestation of sleeping on brushwood and licking gall is a never-say-die will to fight. What sort of disposition is it to never say die? An arrogant disposition. How can people never fail? How can people never do anything wrong, never say anything wrong, or never make any mistakes? You must admit, “I am a regular person, and I am a normal person. I have flaws and shortcomings. I have times when I do the wrong thing and times when I say the wrong thing. I am capable of doing the wrong thing and following the wrong path. I am a regular person.” So what does it mean to never say die? It is when someone fails, encounters setbacks, or strays onto the wrong path, but does not admit it. They just stubbornly keep on going. They fail but are not discouraged, fail but do not admit their mistakes. No matter how many people reprimand or condemn them, they do not turn back. They insist on fighting, working and pursuing in their own direction and toward their own goals, and think nothing of the cost. This is the sort of mentality it refers to. Isn’t this mentality quite good at rallying people? In what situations is “never say die” usually used? Every sort of situation. Wherever corrupt humans exist, this phrase exists; this mentality exists. So what did humans of Satan’s ilk come up with this saying for? So that people never understand themselves, do not recognize their own mistakes, and do not accept their own mistakes. So that people do not just see the side of themselves that is fragile, feeble and inept, but rather see the side of themselves that is capable, and the side of themselves that is mighty and stouthearted, do not underestimate themselves, and think they are competent. So long as you think you are able, you’re able; so long as you think you can be successful, will not fail, and can become the cream of the crop, then you will. So long as you have that determination and resolve, that ambition and desire, then you can accomplish it all. People are not insignificant; they are mighty. Unbelievers have a saying: “Your stage is as big as your heart.” Some people love this saying as soon as they hear it: “Wow, I want a ten-carat diamond, so that means I’ll get it? I want a Mercedes Benz, so that means I’ll get it?” Will what you get match the breadth of your heart’s desire? (No.) This saying is a fallacy. Speaking plainly, the arrogance of those who believe and acknowledge the phrase “never say die” knows no bounds. Which of God’s words does these people’s way of thinking directly contradict? God requires people to understand themselves, and comport themselves in a down-to-earth way. People have corrupt dispositions; they have shortcomings and a disposition which resists God. There are no perfect people among man; no one is perfect; they are just regular people. How did God exhort people to comport themselves? (In a well-behaved manner.) To comport themselves in a well-behaved manner, and hold fast to their place as created beings in a down-to-earth way. Has God ever required people to never say die? (No.) No. Then what does God say about people following the wrong path, or revealing a corrupt disposition? (He says to acknowledge and accept it.) Acknowledge and accept it, then understand it, be able to turn things around, and attain practicing the truth. By contrast, never saying die is when people do not understand their own problems, do not understand their mistakes, do not accept their mistakes, do not turn things around in any case, and do not repent in any case, let alone accept God’s sovereignty or arrangements. Not only do they not seek out what exactly people’s fate is, or what God’s orchestrations and arrangements are—not only do they not seek these things out, but instead, they take their fate into their own hands; they want to have the final say. Also, God requires people to understand themselves, to accurately assess and rate themselves, and to do whatever they can do well in a down-to-earth and well-behaved manner, and with all their heart, mind, and soul, whereas Satan makes people make full use of their arrogant disposition, and give full rein to their arrogant disposition. It makes people be superhuman, be great, and even have super powers—it makes people be things they cannot be. Therefore, what is Satan’s philosophy? It’s that even if you’re wrong, you’re not wrong, and that so long as you have a mentality of not conceding defeat, and so long as you have a never-say-die mentality, sooner or later there will come a day when you become the cream of the crop, and sooner or later there will come a day when your wishes and goals will materialize. So, is there a sense in which never saying die means you will use any means to accomplish something? In order to achieve your goals, you must not acknowledge you are capable of failure, you must not believe that you are a regular person, and you must not believe you are capable of following the wrong path. In addition to this, you must unscrupulously use every sort of method or secret scheme to materialize your ambitions and desires. Is there anything about never saying die wherein people approach their fate with an attitude of waiting and submission? (No.) No. People insist on taking their fate completely into their own hands; they want to control their own fate. No matter whether it is which way they will go, whether they will be blessed or what kind of lifestyle they will have, they must have the final say in everything. Unbelievers have a saying: “Opportunity comes to those who are prepared.” What kind of saying is this? There are many people who spend many years preparing, who spend their whole life preparing, but die without ever getting an opportunity. How does opportunity come about? (From God.) If God does not prepare you, is any amount of preparation on your part of any use? (No.) If God does not plan on giving you something and it is not fated, no matter how many years you spend preparing, what use is it? Will God take pity on you because you spent so many years preparing, and give you an opportunity? Will God do this? (No.) Opportunity will come if God has prepared you, and if God has not prepared you, you will not get an opportunity. Is there any use in never saying die? (No.) Some people say, “I never say die. I take my fate into my own hands!” Their words are fierce, but whether or not they can achieve it is not up to them. For example, there is a woman who wants a son. She gives birth to several children, but it turns out they are all girls. Other people tell her not to have any more children, and say she is not fated to have a son, but she does not yield, and says, “I don’t believe it. I will never say die!” When her tenth child is also a girl, she finally yields: “It looks as though I am not fated to have a son.” Does she still never say die? Does she still have confidence? Does she still dare to have more children? No, she does not dare. When some other person does business, he plans to make five hundred thousand dollars in two years. At the beginning, when he does not make anything for the first half year, he says, “No matter. Not making money in the first half year is of no consequence. I will for sure make money in the latter half.” After more than a year has gone by and he has not made any money, he still does not give in: “I never say die. I believe everything is in man’s hands—what I have is opportunity!” When it has been two years, he has not made fifty thousand, let alone five hundred thousand. He thinks he did not have enough time and did not have enough experience, so he goes and studies for two more years. After four years have passed, not only has he not earned five hundred thousand dollars, but he has lost nearly all of his principal, but still he never says die: “I am fated to have money. How is it I am incapable of earning five hundred thousand dollars?” When it has been nearly ten years, will he still have this goal of earning five hundred thousand dollars? If you ask him again how much he plans to earn this year, he says, “Oh, it’s enough if I can live off of it.” Does he still never say die? He has failed, right? How has he failed? Did he fail because his target for earnings was too high? Is that what it’s about? No. Whether it is people’s assets, children, the hardship they suffer in their lives, or when and where they go, they can’t decide any of it. Some people want to go into public administration, but they never get the opportunity—is a lack of capability to blame for this? They are capable, are calculating, and know how to butter people up, so why is it so difficult for them to become public officials? There are many people who are not as capable as they are who have become officials, and many people they look down on who have become officials. These people are good at talking, they have true talent, and solid educations under their belts, so if they want to become public officials, why is it so hard? When they were young, they never said die, but when they got old and were still just average clerks, they finally gave in, and said, “Man’s fate is determined by Heaven. If it is fated, it will come. If it is not, then it can’t be obtained by striving.” They have resigned themselves to their fate, haven’t they? What happened to their never-say-die mentality? People are humiliated in the face of facts.

What does a never-say-die mentality bring people? It fertilizes their desires and ambitions. What it brings people is not positive influence or guidance; rather, it brings a sort of negative, adverse influence upon them. People themselves know nothing of their place in the universe, know nothing of the fate Heaven has planned for them, and know nothing of God’s sovereignty or arrangements. On top of that, they have acquired this so-called mental crutch. What ultimately happens when people are in a situation where they are only able to be misled? They do a whole lot of work for nothing, and do a lot of useless work. In order to achieve their goals, one thing is that people’s bodies and minds sustain no small amount of loss and trauma, and they also have certainly done much evil in order to accomplish their desires, ambitions and goals. What consequence will this evil bring upon people in their next life? It will bring only punishment. What a corrupt disposition brings people is ambition and desire. Of the things that people’s ambitions and desires make them do, are any of them legitimate? Are any of these things in line with the truth? (No.) What are these things? They are only acts of evil. What does this evil encompass? Being calculating toward others, duping others, harming others, and tricking others. People end up owing others too much, and could be reincarnated as an animal in their next life. Whoever they owe the most, whoever they trick the most, and whoever they dupe the most, that is whose house they will live in as an animal, unable to speak and ordered around by people. Even if they are reincarnated as a person, they will suffer a life of endless hardship; they must pay for what they have done. This is the negative consequence that will result. If they were not directed by the saying “never say die,” their ambitions and desires would not be fertilized, and if their ambitions and desires did not materialize in two or three years’ time, people would likely abandon them, but as soon as Satan fans the flames, their desires grow more and more inflated. The inflation itself isn’t the problem, but it makes them step onto a wicked path. When someone is on a wicked path, can they do good things? Can they do humane things? No, they can’t. They will use any means to accomplish their objectives and goals, swear they will not rest until their goals are accomplished, and are capable of doing any sort of bad thing. Just look, are there cases where children kill their parents in order to acquire their assets? (Yes.) There are too many instances where people kill their friends and loved ones with their own hands for the sake of their own self-interest. When two people encounter the same advantageous opportunity and have to fight each other for it, they use any means they can to get it. What are their beliefs at the most crucial moment? “I never say die. I absolutely cannot fail this time. If I miss out on this opportunity, I may never encounter such a good opportunity again for the rest of my life. So, this time I have to win. I absolutely must get this opportunity. No matter who blocks my path, I will kill them without hesitation!” What ultimately happens? They kill the other person. They may have achieved and satisfied their goal and desire, but they have also done evil, and it has brewed disaster. Their heart may be unsettled for their whole life, it may feel accused, or it may be completely oblivious. However, the fact that they do not perceive it at all does not mean that God has not defined this matter. God has a way of handling it. This person may have accomplished their goal in this life, they may have pulled it off, but in the next life they will have to pay a terrible price for what they did in this life, which was probably something evil. They may have to pay for it in one life, or two lives, three lives, or even an eternity. This price is far too terrible! So how did this consequence come about? It was brought about by a single phrase, a single belief. This person wants to get that opportunity. They do not concede defeat, they do not give up, and they do not allow themselves to fail. They want to seize the opportunity firmly. As a result, it brews disaster. After disaster has brewed, one or two years will not be enough to pay for and make up for the consequences. Isn’t this too steep a price? People’s lives are eighty to ninety years long, and the shorter ones are fifty to sixty years. No matter whether you have acquired personal benefits, status, money, or other material things, you will be conscious of and know to enjoy these things for twenty or thirty years. However, for these twenty or thirty years of enjoyment, you may have to pay a price in every one of your lives, for the rest of eternity. Isn’t this price too steep? (Yes.) People who do not believe in God do not understand the truth, nor do they know that God is sovereign over all these things. They are just capable of doing stupid things for the sake of one selfish desire, a momentary blinding desire for self-interest, under the domination of certain notions or satanic logic, leaving them with eternal regret. “Eternal” does not mean twenty or thirty years in this life, but rather that they must suffer in every life including this one. People who don’t believe in God will not understand these things, and if people who believe in God cannot understand the truth or know God, they will not understand these things either. Some people do not do things which are obviously evil. When you look at them from the outside, they do not kill people or start fires, and do not openly set traps for other people, but they have many secret tactics. In God’s eyes, the character of this evil and the obvious evil are the same. What do I mean they have the same character? I mean that from where God stands, the principles He uses to condemn things like these are the same. He uses the same method and the same item of truth to condemn them. All these things that those people have done are condemned by God, no matter what their motivation was for doing them, and whether they did them in God’s house or out in the world. If you believe in God but still do these things, will the outcome God ultimately gives you be any different from that of unbelievers? Tell Me, will God be lenient with you and change His righteous disposition on account of the fact that you believed in Him for many years and rendered service for the church for many years? Do you think this is possible? It is absolutely not possible. What do I mean when I say this? If you don’t understand the truth, the evil that you do is evil, and when you understand the truth, the evil that you do is still evil. From where God stands, it is all evil. These two types of evil are equivalent to each other. There is no difference between the two. So long as something is not in line with the truth, it is evil. From where God stands, there is no difference in character between the two. As they are both evil, people must pay for the evil they did in both cases—they must pay a price. This is God’s righteous disposition. Whether you doubt it or believe it, this is what God does, and this is how He defines things. What do I mean by saying this? I mean to tell you all a fact: You should not assume, “God chose me, so I have found favor in His eyes. I understand many truths. If I do a little evil God will not define it or condemn it. I can do as I like. I can carry out the evil in my hand under the pretext of suffering hardship for practicing the truth. Then God won’t condemn it, will He?” You are wrong. God’s principles for condemning evil are the same. It doesn’t matter in what setting it takes place, or in which group of people it takes place. God does not differentiate between different races, nor between those He has chosen and those He has not. Whether they are an unbeliever or a believer, God views them in the same light. Do you understand? (Yes, we understand.)

“Never say die” is something people say when they are directed by a satanic disposition, and it is a mentality the satanic world advocates. What do we see this mentality as? (A mental illness.) It is a way of thinking and a principle people have for living and doing things which is advocated by mentally ill people. It abets and motivates people to use any means possible to satisfy their own ambitions and desires, never be discouraged no matter the situation, pursue things according to the principle “stand your ground and never let go,” and not analyze whether their desires and ambitions are proper or not; so long as they have this mentality, it is worthy of extolling. If a person researches something of benefit to humankind, never says die, is not discouraged by failure, keeps developing in a positive direction, and keeps researching so that people can live better lives in the future, then this is somewhat commendable. However, is this the goal humankind pursues in this world? Who selflessly does things like this for the good of humanity? No one. Even if there are some people who outwardly do things under the banner of doing good for humanity, behind that they are doing it for their own reputation and professional accomplishment, so their name will go down in history. These are their goals, and none of these goals are proper. Apart from these things, what does the never-say-die mentality direct people to do? First of all, the never-say-die mentality challenges people’s limits and instincts. For example, on a sports field, a person does three flips in a row and his heart can’t take it, and he says, “I never say die. I must challenge my limits and challenge the Guinness World Record. I will do ten flips!” As a result, when he does his eighth flip, he dies. What if he did not have this mentality motivating him to do this? (He would do his best.) That’s right. What does God require people to do? God requires people to live in normal humanity, and permits people to have weakness. There is a limit to what people’s physical instinct and organs can withstand. People should be clear on what level they can achieve. Was that person clear on the consequences of him doing ten flips in a row? He was not clear on this, and he did it blindly and challenged his limits, so who was to blame for him dying? (He was to blame.) The source of that person trying to do ten flips was that Satan was always motivating him, saying, “You must never say die. Giving up after five flips is pathetic. You have to do eight!” He pondered, “Eight isn’t enough either. I’ll do ten!” As a result, after doing the eighth flip, his heart stopped beating and his breathing ceased. Wasn’t he played by Satan? Of course, we are just using this as an example; there might be someone who can do twenty flips without a problem. When people have this never-say-die will to fight, they fight back and forth and end up throwing their life away. A slightly better scenario is if they just throw their life away, but have not done any evil. Then they may still have a chance of being reincarnated as a person in their next life, and can taste what it’s like to be a person again. However, some people have done great evil and it brewed disaster, so they must pay a terrible price for it for several lifetimes; they must keep making up for it, and suffer hardship in every life. If they do not make up for it all in this life, there is still the next life, and it’s not known how many lives it will take them to make up for it all. This is the result.

When some people fail in spreading the gospel, they refuse to resign themselves to it, and say, “I never say die. I did not convert anyone this time—I failed. Next time I cannot fail. I absolutely must be a witness for God, and be a male child who overcomes!” It is good that people have this resolve, but what about the fact they are capable of saying the words “never say die”? What disposition is this? Is this the disposition of the archangel? Did God make them testify in this way? Do they understand the truth? Is what they are doing testifying for God? What they are doing is humiliating God. What kind of people would you say these are? (Blockheads.) They are blockheads. They do not understand the truth, yet they say they testify for God—it would be good enough if they didn’t humiliate God. What kind of words are “never say die”? What do these words mean? They mean to never admit failure. In actuality, these people have failed, but they think that by not admitting failure they have achieved mental victory. Unbelievers all have high regard for the sort of mentality where people continue to fight after multiple failures, and get increasingly courageous the more setbacks they face. If you used to have this sort of mentality, and relied on this sort of mentality to fight to achieve a goal, then isn’t it disgraceful? Which aspects of people’s corrupt disposition do the words “never say die” mainly display? Which aspects of people’s essence can these words represent? Aren’t people like this—who would rather die than surrender and who would die before they admit defeat—arrogant and lacking in reason? The fact that people can be arrogant to this degree, and would rather die than admit defeat, is not just a problem of lacking reason; they are also somewhat lacking in smarts, like desperados. Some people say, “Isn’t this because they are young and reckless?” There is a connection. There is a popular saying in society: “You will only win if you put everything on the line.” This is representative of young people’s mentality of putting everything on the line, like angry youth. “If you are willing to risk your life, you can accomplish anything”—this is the never-say-die mentality. Do elderly people have this sort of spirit? They do, too. Look, political circles are practically all made up of adults and seniors—the rivalry is fierce! People have corrupt dispositions and live according to their corrupt dispositions. They all have this sort of mentality to a greater or lesser extent. This doesn’t have a lot to do with whether they are old or young, but it is directly connected to their disposition. If you believe in God and understand the truth, you will see this matter clearly, and know that this sort of mentality is not in line with the truth principles, and that it is a corrupt disposition. If you do not understand the truth, you will not be able to see this matter clearly and you will think, “It is good to have a will to fight; it is proper. How can people live if they don’t have a bit of a will to fight? If they don’t have a bit of a will to fight, they will not have any spirit left in them to live on. Then, what meaning is there to living? They resign themselves to every unfavorable situation—how weak and cowardly is that!” People all think they must fight for dignity as long as they’re alive. How do they fight for dignity? By putting emphasis on the word “fight.” No matter what situation they encounter, they try to achieve their goals via fighting. The mentality of never saying die has its origins in the word “fight.” The thing atheists revere the most is a fighting spirit. They fight with Heaven; they fight with earth; they fight with other people—this is the thing that makes them happiest. They think that the more capable of fighting a person is, the more heroic they are—heroes are full of the will to fight. This is where the mentality of never saying die arose; this is the core of fighting. All sorts of satanic demons have never accepted the truth, so what is it they live according to? They live according to the satanic philosophy of fighting. Every day they live, they fight. No matter what they do, they always try to achieve victory by fighting, and flaunt their victory. They try to fight for dignity in everything they do—can they achieve it? What exactly are they competing for and fighting for? All their fighting is for fame, gain, and status; all their fighting is for their own self-interest. Why are they fighting? It is in order to play the hero and be named an elite. However, their fighting must end in death, and they must be punished. There is no question about this. Wherever there are Satans and demons, there is fighting; when they are finally destroyed, the fighting will end, too. This will be the outcome of Satans and demons.

Should the mentality of having a never-say-die will to fight be cultivated and promoted? (No.) Then how should people approach it? (People should abandon it.) People should discern it, condemn it, and abandon it. This phrase is not the truth, and it is not a criterion that people should observe, let alone a requirement God has for humankind. It has no connection to God’s words, and no connection to God’s requirements for people. What does God require of people? God does not need you to have a never-say-die will to fight. What God needs is for people to understand their own corrupt essence, know what sort of person they are, what type of person they are, what they lack, whether their caliber is high or low, what their comprehension ability is, whether they are someone who truly loves God, and whether they are someone who loves the truth. God needs you to accurately understand yourself in these ways, then do what you can according to your own stature and according to the caliber you possess, as best you can. Does this contain the meaning of “fighting”? (No.) You don’t need to fight. Some people say, “Can’t I fight with my corrupt disposition?” Can your corrupt disposition be overcome by fighting? Can it be changed just by fighting? (No.) No, it can’t be changed. Some people say, “Can I fight with Satan’s evil forces? Can I fight with antichrists? Can I fight with evil people, people with wicked dispositions, and people who cause disruptions and disturbances?” This is certainly not okay. Why isn’t it okay? Fighting in and of itself is not practicing the truth. At what time did God’s words say: “fight antichrists,” “fight Pharisees,” “fight hypocrites,” or “fight your corrupt disposition”? Did God say these things? (No.) By contrast, in society, the satanic world has fights against landlords, fights against those who hold power, and fights against intellectuals, as well as fights between the masses, cock fights, dog fights, bullfights, and so on. In any case, none of these are good things. Fighting is a tactic through which Satan harms people and brings calamity upon living things. It does not let humankind coexist peacefully. Rather, it creates divergences between people, and hatred between people, then it makes people fight among themselves and slaughter each other while it watches the entertainment and ruckus from the sidelines. As this is satanic behavior, if some behavior, phenomena, or matters arise in the church and in God’s house which have to do with fighting, how would you view these things? Would you stick your thumbs up in support and approval, or put a stop to it? (Put a stop to it.) You should put a stop to it, explain things to them clearly, make them understand, and tell them that they must do things according to the truth, do things in line with the principles, and act in complete alignment with God’s words. You can also prune them, but pruning, reprimanding, and even disciplining them is not fighting. What does fighting refer to? Fighting is disputing what is and isn’t true about a matter with other people out of impetuousness, arguing with people and being unreasonable, causing a fuss and acting rude, even using secret schemes and deceitful plots, or using man’s tactics, methods and means to beat a person into submission, defeat them, and repeatedly torment them until they capitulate. This is called fighting. Fighting is purely a kind of impetuous behavior and action, and it is also purely a satanic kind of behavior, method and means of doing things. It has nothing to do with the truth. Some people say, “How is it wrong when God’s chosen people rise up and fight with people like false leaders, antichrists, Pharisees and evil people? Isn’t it a good thing to fight with them until they capitulate, or are cleared out? Then won’t God’s house be calm? Then won’t the brothers and sisters be able to go about their church life peacefully? Why are we not allowed to fight these people?” Is it right to fight these people? First of all, one thing is for certain, and that is that fighting is wrong. Why is it wrong? God punishes and condemns evil people, so what does it matter if people fight with them? How is it wrong when people humiliate them, come down on them and torment them when they have nothing better to do, yell at them, pin them down on the ground and criticize them? God sets forth administrative decrees, and in those decrees there are no terms that pertain to fighting. God only stipulates administrative decrees, within which there are methods and principles for handling every sort of person. The decrees tell people which type of people should be expelled, which type of people should be cleared out, which type of people should be replaced, which type of people should be nurtured, which type of people should be used, which type of people should not be used, which type of people can be saved, and which type of people cannot be saved. God only tells people principles. Therefore, as people, how should you interpret these words of God? All of these words of God are the truth. What is the truth? It is that when God does anything or handles any type of person, even if they are an evil person, who has done evil things, causing extreme loss to the work and interests of God’s house, God will still use His methods to handle them; He absolutely will not use any satanic or impetuous methods to handle them. What is this called? This is called treating people fairly. Is there fighting contained within this fairness? No. Is this the truth? (Yes.) No matter how impetuous, how satanic, and how evil this person is, we take God’s words as the highest instruction, and as accurate principles to use to handle them. We do not denounce them, or gang up on them out of impetuousness; we absolutely do not do that sort of thing. This is what is called treating people fairly, and these are the principles that God gave to people.

In Asia, there is the definite phrase “a never-say-die will to fight.” In the Western world, there could be a phrase with the same meaning. So long as they have been corrupted by Satan and live under the power of Satan, every person has a satanic disposition, is particularly arrogant and self-righteous, and yields to no one. When they are propelled by this sort of disposition, a never-say-die mentality and way of thinking will certainly arise in people. People all see this sort of thinking and mentality that humankind promulgates as proper, positive, and as something which is sufficient to support people as they continue to go along their way and continue living. No matter how proper they see this so-called mentality and thinking as being, and how proper they say it is, we all must have discernment toward it. Throughout all of humankind, there is not a single race in which the truth holds power. No matter how high, ancient, or mysterious the ideas or traditional culture a race has produced, or the education that has been received, or the knowledge it possesses, one thing is for sure: None of these things are the truth, or bear any relation to the truth. Some people say, “Some of the morals, or the notions for measuring right and wrong, correct and incorrect, black and white, contained within traditional culture seem pretty close to the truth.” The fact that they may sound the same does not signify that they have the same meaning. Corrupt mankind’s sayings derive from Satan, they are never the truth, whereas only God’s words are the truth. Thus, no matter how close some of mankind’s words may seem to God’s words, they are not the truth and cannot become the truth; this is beyond doubt. They are close in wording and expression only, but in fact, these traditional notions are incompatible with the truths of God’s words. Although there may be some closeness in the literal sense of these words, they do not share the same source. The words of God come from the Creator, whereas the words, ideas, and views of traditional culture come from Satan and the demons. Some people say, “The ideas, views, and famous sayings of traditional culture are universally acknowledged as positive; even if they are lies and fallacies, can they become the truth if people uphold them for several hundred—several thousand—years?” Absolutely not. Such a viewpoint is as ridiculous as saying apes evolved into men. Traditional culture will never become the truth. Culture is culture, and no matter how noble it is, it is still merely something relatively positive produced by corrupt mankind. But being positive is not equivalent to being the truth, being positive does not make it a criterion; it is merely relatively positive, and nothing more. So is it now clear to us whether, behind this “positivity,” the impact of traditional culture on mankind is good or bad? Without a doubt, it has a bad and negative impact on mankind.

Today we dissected the saying “Neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt.” This is a sort of philosophy for worldly dealings. We also dissected the famous idiom with a historical background “sleeping on brushwood and licking gall.” Aren’t these two phrases alone already enough to give you a new understanding of humankind’s traditional culture and philosophies for worldly dealings? What exactly is the essence of traditional culture and philosophies for worldly dealings? First, you can be certain that these things are absolutely not positive. They arise out of people’s corrupt dispositions—Satan is their source. What do they bring to humankind? They mislead, they corrupt, and they bind and constrain humankind. This is certain and without doubt. Everything they bring to humankind is a negative influence and negative effect, so are they the truth? (No.) They are not the truth, yet humankind still consecrates them as the truth. What is going on here? People have been deceived. Because people have not been saved by God, do not understand the truth, and have not heard the accurate things God has to say about phrases and matters of this kind, they ultimately accept the ideas and views that, according to their notions, they think are relatively correct, good, and which match their will. These things entered their heart first and have become dominant there, so people cling to them for hundreds and thousands of years. These satanic philosophies within traditional culture have taken root in people’s hearts, misleading and influencing generation after generation of people. If you do not accept the truth, you will continue to be misled and influenced by these philosophies. Today I dissected and fellowshipped on “neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” and “sleeping on brushwood and licking gall.” One of these phrases is a saying, the other is an idiom. In these two phrases we can see what exactly the satanic culture in the entire world is: It is made up of heresies and fallacies which mislead people, corrupt people, are detrimental toward people, and harm people. If humankind abides by these philosophies of Satan, then as they go through life, people will only get increasingly corrupt and increasingly wicked; they will slaughter each other, fight among themselves, and there will be no end to it. There will be no trust between people, no harmonious coexistence, and no mutual love. In short, what this culture brings to humankind is evil consequences. Under the guidance of these so-called ideas and mentalities, it makes humankind constantly do evil, constantly resist God, constantly challenge people’s moral limits, and use any means to achieve their goals. Ultimately, they will follow the path of destruction and be punished. This is the essence of human culture. Speaking of sayings, what is your view on them? Some people might say, “They are not ideas that are truly advocated by humankind. People in high society who possess a relatively high level of insight do not abide by them.” Just now, we dissected an idiom that people in high society agree with, “sleeping on brushwood and licking gall.” Is this idiom high-level? (No.) It’s not high-level, but this idiom, these ideas and these mentalities are definitely praised and advocated by everyone in every post-secondary school, and in every high-level arena of human society. This is human culture. Humankind has been conditioned, numbed, and corrupted by these aspects of traditional culture. And what is the final result? That humankind is misled, restrained, and bound by traditional culture, and a kind of mentality and theory arises naturally, which humankind advocates and spreads, transmits widely and makes people accept. Ultimately, it captures everyone’s heart, makes everyone endorse this kind of mentality and idea, and everyone is corrupted by this idea. When they have been corrupted to a certain degree, people no longer have any notions about whether it is right or wrong; they no longer want to discern what is justice and what is wickedness, nor are they willing to discern what are positive things and what are negative things anymore. There even comes a day when they are unclear whether they are actually human, and there are many sick people who don’t know whether they are a man or a woman. How far away from destruction is a human race such as this? How does humankind now compare to people in Noah’s time? Aren’t they even more wicked? They have already reached the pinnacle of wickedness, and are so wicked there are some things you are incapable of listening to—after you hear it you are disgusted. People are all sick to a certain degree. From the outside, people’s bodies look human, but the things they think in their heart are actually not what people should be thinking; they are all sick and are incapable of turning things around. What do I mean they are incapable of turning things around? I mean that maybe one or two hundred years ago, more people would be willing to listen to God speak and make utterances. They trusted that justice existed in this world, as well as righteousness and fairness. People were willing to accept a fact like this, and they yearned for it to be realized. Even more so, they hoped there would be a day when the Savior would come who could deliver humankind from the influence of darkness and wickedness. However, one or two hundred years later, there are fewer and fewer people like this. How many people are there who can understand God’s words? How many people are there who can accept the truth? Even if many people received God’s grace, so what? The number of people who truly follow Him is getting increasingly lower. Which is to say, in the human race, there are fewer and fewer people who, after hearing God’s words, are encouraged, capable of loving positive things, yearn for the light, yearn for justice, and yearn for the coming of God’s kingdom, fairness and righteousness. What does this demonstrate? That Satan’s philosophies, laws, ideas, and so-called mentalities have misled and corrupted the entire human race. To what extent have they been misled and corrupted? People have all accepted the fallacies and devilish sayings of Satan as the truth; they all worship Satan and follow Satan, yet do not understand the words of God, the Creator. No matter what the Creator says, how much He says, and how clear and practical His words are, no one understands; no one comprehends. They are all numb and dull-witted, and their thinking and minds are mixed up. How were they mixed up? It is Satan who mixed them up. Satan thoroughly corrupted people. In today’s society, there are all manners of different ideas, ideologies, and statements. People believe in whichever one they choose, and follow whichever one they choose. No one can tell them what to do, nor are they capable of telling them what to do. It is to this extent. So the fact you are able to choose to believe in God is a blessing. Today, you are able to understand what God is saying, you have a bit of the sense of conscience, you believe what God says, long for God’s kingdom to come, and long to live in a kingdom of light, justice, fairness, and righteousness. Is it a rarity for you to have this sincerity? How did you get it? It is through God’s protection and the Holy Spirit working in you to give you clarity that you are able to believe in God and follow Him. If God did not work in you, would you be able to be here now as a believer? Could you have changed in the way you have now? Just look, do those unbelievers still have human likeness now? You may not understand many truths right now, and in many cases your views are still exactly the same as unbelievers’—whatever they think, that is what you think too. Although sometimes you don’t accept some of their views, you have no discernment, and have no other path to take. When the day comes when you understand the truth, you will be able to discern that their views are wrong and wicked, and your heart will be able to reject them. Then, you will see their demonic faces clearly. You will see that they are the living devils, not humans. They are disguised as humans, but don’t do human things. How can you tell this is the case? The words they promulgate are all especially pleasing to the ear and capable of misleading people, but what they do and carry out is extremely wicked and unsightly, and it is simply shameless and unreasonable. The so-called ideas and so-called mentalities they cling to are exceedingly wicked and reactionary, run completely contrary to God’s words and the truth, and are polar opposites of God’s words and the truth, yet these people take these false reasonings and heresies as the truth and promulgate them intensely, vigorously and publicly promoting them to mislead and corrupt humankind, so that they may cover up their various base and shameless crimes and unsightly faces. From this, you can clearly see that they are all demons, as well as beasts and unclean spirits that cannot be reasoned with. You cannot talk sense with them, and cannot speak good or true words with them. When the day comes when you can see with this degree of clarity, you will know that humankind is corrupted too deeply; that you are just as corrupted as other people; that it is only at the present time when you believe in God and understand some truths that you can live out some human likeness, remove yourself from the influence of devils and Satan, and discern them, hate them, and abandon them; that without God’s salvation, you would be just like them—there would be no difference—and that you would be capable of any sort of evil or wicked thing. Now you are pursuing the truth, putting a lot of work and effort into the truth, putting importance on practice, and turning the truth into your own reality. When you understand the truth, can practice the truth, can live out the reality of God’s words, and have real experiential testimony, your heart will be happy and at peace, your mindset and state will be increasingly normal, your relationship with God will get increasingly close and be increasingly normal, and your days will get increasingly better. If you do not practice the truth, always live according to satanic philosophies, and always misunderstand God and are suspicious of Him, then your heart will be increasingly distant from God, your belief in God will be in vain, and you will gain nothing. Even if you have believed in God for many years, understand a lot of words and doctrines, and do not accept the various fallacious thoughts and views of unbelievers, it is of no use. This is because you do not understand the truth and can only talk about some words and doctrines, and you still cannot practice the truth. Because those things that first entered your heart and became dominant there, still have power over you, you are only able to live according to these things. No matter what you want to do, and no matter what situation befalls you, you will not be able to help yourself from being controlled by these satanic philosophies. So, if these satanic philosophies have power over your heart, you will be unable to practice the truth. Some people say, “I do not practice the truth, nor do I follow Satan.” Is this possible? There is no middle road. It is only by accepting the truth, understanding the truth, and then clearing out those satanic things which first entered your heart and became dominant there, that you can achieve doing things according to the truth. When the truth has power over your heart and God’s words have power over your heart, you will naturally be able to practice the truth in what you say and do.

What do people treat Satan’s logic and thoughts, and the mental crutches that control how people live as? Psychological nourishment? Chicken soup for the soul? Actually, these are the things that corrupt people, and if one “eats them up” one will die. If people continuously accept these things and store up satanic things inside, what does it imply? That they have not yet cast off their original corrupt disposition, and have proceeded to accept new corruption from Satan on top of it. This means it’s over for them. It is inevitable that they cannot be saved. You should continuously discern and reject these things, while continuously casting them off, not living according to these things, and accepting God’s words. There are people who say, “I will not accept these things. God’s words will enter me on their own.” This isn’t possible. You must proactively seek the truth and accept the truth, and through the process of understanding the truth, you will naturally gain discernment over false reasonings and heresies, and will slowly let them go. This way, God’s words will gradually become your principles for doing things, and when you do things you will know which way of doing them is in line with God’s intentions, you will practice the truth very naturally, and this aspect of your corrupt disposition will have changed. Do you think this is hard to do, or not? It actually isn’t hard. The only hard thing about it is that people don’t put it into practice. Some people think, “This is really hard—harder than climbing to the heavens! Isn’t this asking the impossible? Isn’t this putting me in a difficult position?” Is that the case? No, it’s not the case. You must approach these matters correctly and have correct discernment over these matters. Today I have spent such a long time fellowshipping and dissecting just a few satanic fallacies, but are these few things the only things that are stored up inside of people? (No.) There are far more than these! Later, I will fellowship on these topics in succession. Before, I hadn’t fellowshipped on this aspect, so did you ever ponder these topics yourselves? You didn’t. If you ponder them, would you get some results? If you had been able to put some effort into the truth, you would have had some discernment over satanic fallacies, you would not be completely ignorant like you are now. Does My fellowship on these topics today seem sudden? Is there anyone who says, “Aren’t we fellowshipping about discerning antichrists? How come we’re suddenly fellowshipping on these topics?” These matters all have to do with Satan’s corrupt disposition. These matters also all have to do with people discerning Satan’s corrupt disposition, and are beneficial to people’s ability to accurately understand the truth. At the very least, after fellowshipping, people will know, “It turns out that this great phrase is not the truth.” From this point on, fallacies such as “sleeping on brushwood and licking gall” and “neither doubt those you employ nor employ those you doubt” might be cleared out of your heart. There might be some of you who can’t clear them out at the moment, but at least you know these phrases are not the truth, and the next time you hear someone say these phrases, you will know that the phrases are misleading, and you won’t accept them. Although your heart feels the phrases are somewhat right, and that they are still good things to do, you also think, “God said these phrases are not the truth. I cannot act according to them.” Isn’t this of benefit to you? (Yes.) What is My goal in saying these things? Why am I dissecting these phrases like this? Believers always say, “We must practice the truth. All of God’s words are the truth. All of God’s words are positive things, and are what we should be practicing.” One day you are pruned, and the phrases “sleeping on brushwood and licking gall” and “when heaven is about to confer great responsibility on a person, their heart must first experience pain” surface in your heart. Are these the truth? Isn’t that a joke? If you were asked to bear witness to God, how would you do so? You say, “Believers must endure humiliation and bear a heavy burden, sleep on brushwood and lick gall, and must have a never-say-die will to fight and mentality.” Is this bearing witness? (No.) By treating satanic logic as God’s words and the truth and bearing witness to it, not only have you not borne witness properly, but you have become a laughing stock for Satan and have humiliated God. What is this you are doing? If God were to condemn you for this, you would think it unjust, and say, “I am ignorant. I don’t understand. God never fellowshipped with me about this.” If He does not condemn you, but the nature of your actions is very severe, what should God do about it? Put you to one side? (No.) Nothing needs to be done. As for Me, I will just make you understand as much as possible, and make you know as much as possible—according to your level of comprehension and according to what I am able to tell you—what exactly the truth is, whether the phrases you think are good and right are connected to the truth, and whether they are the truth. I must make you understand these things. If, after you know these things, you still think the same way, and are still just as insistent, then God will not put you to one side, nor will He ignore you. You deserve to be condemned, and God will act. Why will God do this? If you act in this way while not understanding these things, then God will treat this as you being foolish and ignorant, but if you do know these things and still act in this way, then you are knowingly doing wrong, and God must handle this according to the principles.

December 19, 2019