II. Despising the Flesh in Which God Is Incarnate

In the last fellowship, we fellowshipped about the second sub-topic of the tenth manifestation of antichrists—despising the flesh in which God is incarnate. Where did we leave off in our fellowship? (How antichrists treat Christ depending on their mood.) We reached the item of “how they treat Christ depends on their mood.” Let’s first review what aspects were fellowshipped. How many situations were dissected regarding “depending on their mood”? (There were five situations: their behavior when confronted with being pruned, their behavior toward Christ when He was being hunted, when they engender notions about God incarnate, when they are promoted or dismissed, and when confronted with different environments.) That’s more or less it. When you listen to the content of these aspects, do you merely hear about the events within, or do you match them against yourselves, gaining and understanding the truth through these events? With what perspective do you listen? (When God exposes and dissects these states and manifestations, I can match them with myself. Sometimes, my behavior may not be completely the same as the manifestations of antichrists, but the revealed disposition and nature essence are the same.) The states, manifestations, and essences exposed exist to varying degrees in everyone. When people first come to believe in God, it’s hard for them to notice the manifestations of these corrupt dispositions in themselves, but as their experience of believing in God gradually deepens, they unconsciously become aware of certain dispositions and behaviors. Therefore, regardless of whether the specific manifestations touched upon by the content we discuss currently relate to you or whether you’ve engaged in such behaviors in the past, this does not mean these issues are unrelated to you; it doesn’t mean you won’t do such things in the future, nor does it mean you don’t possess such dispositions and behaviors. We’ve been fellowshipping and exposing the various manifestations of antichrists for over a year now. Spending over a year fellowshipping a topic and still not having finished, do you think the content of our fellowship is specific and thorough? (It is thorough.) It is extremely specific and thorough! Despite the fellowship reaching this level, many people still exhibit their original behaviors, not changing in the slightest. That is, the words spoken and the states, dispositions, and essences exposed don’t help them even a little bit. During this period, there are still some who continue to engage in reckless and unscrupulous behavior, act arbitrarily and dictatorially, and behave willfully and capriciously. They remain as they were before, or even become more rampant after gaining status, revealing themselves even more thoroughly. In addition, there are always some people being replaced and cleared out—what’s going on here? (It’s because these people have never accepted the truth; they’ve heard so many sermons but haven’t taken them to heart.) One of the reasons is that these people never accept the truth; they are averse to the truth and do not love positive things. Another reason is that they inherently possess the essence of antichrists, unable to accept the truth or positive things. Therefore, even though I have fellowshipped on and exposed the various essences and manifestations of antichrists with such specificity, these antichrists and evil people still act unbridled and without fear, doing whatever they wish. Isn’t this determined by their essence? It is truly impossible for these people to change their nature; they remain unaffected by sermons no matter how many they hear, and unrepentant as well. Judging from their daily lives, their attitude toward doing their duties, and the manner in which they do them, they don’t accept the truth at all and their dispositions haven’t changed in the slightest; these words are like preaching to the deaf—utterly ineffective. These words don’t affect antichrists, but have they had a certain inhibiting effect on you? Have they served to restrain certain behaviors and elevate the standards of your conscience and morality? (Somewhat.) If they haven’t had this effect on someone, then are they still human? They are not; they are devils. Of course, after hearing these words, most people have gained some discernment of the various dispositions and essences of antichrists, and have developed a hatred for antichrists’ dispositions from deep within, while also gaining some understanding and knowledge of their own corrupt dispositions and essences. This is a good sign, a good thing. But are there people who become increasingly negative the more they listen? Upon hearing these words, they think, “It’s over. Every time the manifestations, states, and dispositions of antichrists are exposed, they completely match up with mine. Not once are they irrelevant to me. When can I completely dissociate myself from the disposition of antichrists? When can I show some manifestations of God’s people, of God’s beloved sons?” The more they listen, the more negative they become, the more they feel they have no path to follow. Is this reaction normal? (No.) Do you feel negative? (No.) Every time you hear Me expose these manifestations and events of antichrists, does it sting or cause discomfort? Do you feel ashamed? (It stings, we feel ashamed.) Regardless of what feelings you have, the fact that it doesn’t lead to negativity is good; you have stood firm. However, not being negative isn’t enough; it doesn’t achieve the purpose, it’s not the ultimate goal. You need to reach knowledge of yourselves through these words. It’s not about understanding one aspect of behavior but knowing your own disposition and essence. This understanding should enable you to find the way to practice in life and in the process of doing your duty, knowing what actions are in line with antichrists’ behavior, what actions reveal an antichrist’s disposition, and what actions are principled. If you can achieve this, then you haven’t listened to these words in vain; they have had an effect on you. Next, we’ll continue to fellowship about the fourth manifestation of how antichrists treat God incarnate—merely listening to that which Christ says, but neither obeying nor submitting.

D. Merely Listening to That Which Christ Says, but Neither Obeying nor Submitting

Antichrists merely listen to that which Christ says, but neither obey nor submit; so, how do they listen? This phrase essentially summarizes the attitude with which they listen: There’s no compliance, no genuine submission; they don’t accept from the heart, but merely listen with their ears, not listening or apprehending with their hearts. Looking at it literally, the behavior and disposition of antichrists in this respect can be summarized by these basic elements. From the perspective of the disposition and essence of antichrists, such people neither obey nor yield to anything that comes from God or anything considered good and positive by God or humans, and anything that conforms to natural laws; instead they look down on such things, and have their own perspectives and views. Are their perspectives in line with the rules and laws of positive things? No. Their perspectives boil down to two aspects: One is the laws of Satan, and the other is in line with Satan’s interests and Satan’s nature essence. Therefore, concerning the flesh in which God is incarnate, the perspectives and attitudes of antichrists essentially boil down to two things: One is the logic and laws of Satan, and the other is the disposition and essence of Satan. Christ is the spokesperson for God as He performs a stage of work on earth, He is the expression and incarnation of God as He performs a stage of work on earth. For such a role, antichrists, apart from curiosity, a liking for scrutiny, and treating Him as they would a person of status to fawn over and flatter, have no genuine belief and following in their hearts, much less real love and submission. Regarding Christ, a figure who seems insignificant in the eyes of corrupt humankind, His appearance is ordinary and normal; His speech, behavior, and bearing, as well as all aspects of His humanity, are also ordinary and normal. Even more so, the form, manner, and method of the work He does appear extremely ordinary, normal, and practical in the eyes of everyone. They are not supernatural, not hollow, not vague, and not detached from real life. In short, from the outside, Christ doesn’t appear lofty. His speech, actions, and bearing are not profound or abstract. Observing through human eyes, no mysteries are seen, nor anything incomprehensible; He is just too practical, too normal. Before we discuss the essence and nature of all the work carried out by God incarnate, let’s consider all that is outwardly visible to people about this role of God incarnate: His speech, behavior, bearing, everyday routine, personality, interests, educational level, the issues He cares about and discusses, His way of treating and interacting with people, as well as the things He articulates knowledge about, and so on. All these, in man’s view, are not supernatural, lofty, or hollow, but are especially practical. All these aspects are a test for everyone who follows Christ; but for those who truly believe in God, who have conscience and reason, once they understand some truths, they summarize all these normal and practical manifestations of Christ on the outside under the category of God incarnate to understand, comprehend, and submit. However, only antichrists don’t do this; they can’t do it. Deep in their hearts, such an exceedingly ordinary figure as Christ seems to them to lack something. What exactly is missing? Deep inside, antichrists often feel that such an ordinary person doesn’t quite seem like God. They also frequently demand that such an ordinary person should speak, act, and behave in a way that, to them, would befit a true God, the Christ of their imagination. Therefore, looking deep into the hearts of antichrists, they are unwilling to accept such an ordinary person as their Lord, as their God. The more normal, practical, and ordinary an aspect of Christ is, the more it is despised, scorned, and even regarded with hostility by antichrists. Thus, regarding any aspect of Christ’s behavior, including His words, antichrists deep down cannot accept them, and are even resistant to them.

What does Christ’s speech include? Sometimes it’s about making work arrangements, sometimes pointing out someone’s deficiencies, sometimes exposing the corrupt essence of a certain type of person, sometimes analyzing the essence and all the details of an issue to dissect the problems involved, sometimes judging the right and wrong of a matter, sometimes determining the outcome for a certain type of person, sometimes promoting some people, sometimes dismissing some people, sometimes pruning some people, and sometimes comforting and exhorting some people. Of course, in addition to the truths related to people’s life disposition that Christ speaks of during His work, He also frequently touches upon all manner of things, as well as some topics related to human knowledge and various professional fields. Christ is a normal and practical person; He does not live in a vacuum. He has thoughts and viewpoints on all matters concerning human existence and life, and He approaches these matters with principles. If these principles relate to the topics of people’s survival, people’s life entry, worship of God, can it be said that they are all truths? (Yes.) The words concerning human knowledge, philosophy, and some professional matters that Christ speaks of cannot be directly called the truth, but they differ in viewpoint, attitude, and principle from what humans know on these topics. For example, humans might adopt a reverential attitude toward a piece of knowledge, living by it, whereas Christ can dissect and discern all kinds of knowledge and treat them correctly. Take for instance your expertise in a certain profession and your mastery of the related knowledge. What can you achieve with your application of this knowledge? How do you apply this knowledge in the process of doing your duty? Are there any truth principles involved? If you don’t understand the truth, then there are no principles, and you rely solely on knowledge in doing your duty. Although I might not be an expert in that profession or have a deep understanding of that knowledge, only grasping the general idea and knowing some fundamentals, I know how to apply this knowledge in a way and with principles that enable it to serve God’s work effectively. This is the difference. Antichrists, because they do not accept the truth, will never see this point and will never understand what the essence of Christ really is. Christ possesses God’s essence—where exactly is this statement actualized and manifested, how should people treat it, and what benefits and gains do people receive from it? Antichrists will never see this aspect. Why is that? There’s a most important reason: No matter how antichrists look at the flesh in which God is incarnate, they see only a person. They measure from a human perspective, using human knowledge, experience, intellect, scheming, and trickery to look, but no matter how they look, they can’t see anything special in this person, nor can they discern that He has God’s essence. Tell Me, can they see it with the naked eye? (No.) What if they use a microscope or an X-ray? They’d be even less likely to see it then. Some people ask: “If it can’t be seen with the naked eye or a microscope, can those who are in contact with the spiritual realm see it?” (No.) Those in contact with the spiritual realm can see into that realm and perceive spirits, so why can’t they discern God incarnate? Do you think Satan can see God in the spiritual realm? (Yes.) Like God, Satan exists in the spiritual realm, but does it acknowledge God as God? (No.) Does it follow or believe in God? (No.) Satan can see God every day, yet it neither believes in nor follows Him. So, even if those in contact with the spiritual realm could see God’s Spirit, would they acknowledge this Spirit as God? (No.) Does this explanation resolve the root of the issue? (Yes.) What is the root here? (They don’t acknowledge God and don’t fear Him.) Deep down, antichrists don’t acknowledge God. Their ancestors, their very roots, didn’t acknowledge God. Even with God right before their eyes, they neither acknowledge nor worship Him. Then, how could they worship God incarnate, who appears so ordinary and insignificant? They absolutely could not. Therefore, regardless of what means antichrists use to see, it’s futile. From the time God began His work until now, God has spoken so many words and done such great work. Isn’t this the greatest sign and wonder in the human world? If antichrists could acknowledge it, they would have believed long ago; they wouldn’t have waited until now. Do some people think, “Antichrists just haven’t seen enough of God’s actual deeds, so they remain unconvinced; if God were to show some signs and wonders, let them see what the spiritual realm is really like, and if they saw God’s real person and that all His words were fulfilled, then they would acknowledge and follow God”? Is that how it is? Having contended with God in the spiritual realm for so many years without being convinced, would antichrists suddenly submit in just a few years? That’s impossible; their nature essence is unchangeable. God incarnate has done so much work and spoken so many words, yet none of this can conquer them, nor can they acknowledge God’s identity and essence. This is their innate nature. What does this nature indicate? It means that such people as antichrists will forever wage war against God, the truth, and positive things, fighting to the bitter end, never ceasing until death. Aren’t they the rightful targets of destruction? What does “never ceasing until death” mean? It means they’d rather die than acknowledge God’s words as the truth, they’d rather die than submit to God. This is deserving of death.

Antichrists, when it comes to Christ, this ordinary person, scrutinize Him not only from the outside but also from within. Thus, when Christ speaks and acts, antichrists exhibit a variety of behaviors. Let’s expose their nature essence through the various manifestations antichrists exhibit in response to Christ’s speech and actions. For instance, when Christ fellowships about work and the truth principles with people, He mentions some specific practices. These involve how people should specifically carry out and implement a task during the process of doing their duty. Generally, no task is just about discussing theory, shouting slogans, pepping everyone up, and then having everyone take an oath and it’s done; every task related to duty is complex and involves certain details. For example: How to choose the right person; how to handle and treat various people’s different states; how to handle various problems that arise during the process of doing duty according to principles; how to achieve harmonious cooperation among people without acting arbitrarily and dictatorially, or behaving willfully and capriciously; and so on, covering various topics. When Christ fellowships about specific work that needs to be implemented and which needs someone to be in charge, it’s possible for individuals to encounter difficulties. Shouting slogans and preaching doctrines are easy, but actual implementation is not so simple. At the very least, people need to expend effort, pay a price, and spend time to actually go and carry out these tasks. This involves, in one regard, finding suitable individuals, and, in another, learning about the profession involved, researching the common knowledge and theories related to various professional aspects, and the specific methods and approaches of operation. Additionally, they might encounter some challenging issues. Generally, normal people feel a bit daunted upon hearing about these difficulties, feeling some pressure, but those who are loyal and submissive to God, when faced with difficulties and feeling pressured, will silently pray in their hearts, asking God for guidance, to increase their faith, for enlightenment and assistance, and also asking for protection against making mistakes, so that they can fulfill their loyalty and exert their utmost effort so as to achieve a clear conscience. However, people such as antichrists are not like this. When they hear about specific arrangements in work from Christ that they need to implement and that the work has some difficulties, they start feeling resistant internally, and are unwilling to proceed. What does this unwillingness look like? They say: “Why do good things never come my way? Why am I always given problems and demands? Am I considered idle or a slave to be ordered around? I’m not that easy to manipulate! You say it so lightly, why don’t You try doing it Yourself!” Is this submission? Is this an attitude of acceptance? What are they doing? (Resisting, opposing.) How does this resistance and opposition arise? For instance, if told, “Go buy a few pounds of meat and cook a meal of braised pork for everyone,” would they oppose this? (No.) But if told, “Today, go and till that land, and while tilling, you need to finish removing the stones first before you can have your meal,” they would become unwilling. Once it involves physical hardship, difficulty, or pressure, their resentment surfaces, and they become unwilling to proceed; they start to resist and complain: “Why don’t good things happen to me? When it’s time for easy or light tasks, why am I overlooked? Why am I chosen for the hard, tiring, or dirty work? Is it because I seem guileless and easy to push around?” This is where the internal resistance begins. Why are they so resistant? What “dirty and tiring work”? What “difficulties”? Aren’t these all part of their duty? Whoever is assigned should do it; what’s there to pick and choose about? Is it about deliberately making things difficult for them? (No.) But they believe it is deliberately making things difficult for them, putting them on the spot, so they don’t accept this duty from God and are unwilling to accept it. What is going on here? Is it that when they face difficulties, need to endure physical hardship, and can no longer live in comfort, they become resistant? Is this unconditional, complaint-free submission? They become unwilling at the slightest difficulty. Anything they don’t want to do, any work they perceive as difficult, undesirable, demeaning, or looked down upon by others, they fiercely resist, object to, and refuse, showing not the slightest bit of submission. The first reaction of antichrists when faced with Christ’s words, commands, or the principles He fellowships about—as soon as it causes them difficulties or requires them to suffer or pay a price—is resistance and refusal, feeling repulsion in their hearts. However, when it comes to things they are willing to do or that benefit them, their attitude is not the same. Antichrists desire to indulge in comfort and stand out, but are they delighted and happily willing to accept when they face the suffering of the flesh, the need to pay a price, or even risk offending others? Can they achieve absolute submission then? Not in the slightest; their attitude is entirely one of disobedience and recalcitrance. When people such as antichrists are faced with things they don’t want to do, things that don’t align with their preferences, tastes, or self-interests, their attitude toward Christ’s words becomes one of absolute refusal and resistance, without a trace of submission.

Some people, while listening to Christ speak, start to form thoughts: “Why does Christ say this? How could He treat this matter with this view? How could He hold such an opinion, how could He define something this way? Is this also the truth? Are these also God’s words? I don’t think so. The way God speaks in the Bible is recorded differently, with a certain kind of rationality, without going into these detailed and trivial matters. Why does Christ speak like this? It’s always about details and dissecting details; can God really speak like this?” They don’t have notions each time they read God’s words, and what they think is, “These are God’s words; I must rely on them to obtain life, salvation, and blessings.” However, when they actually interact with Christ and hear His views, comments, and attitudes on some matters, as well as His ways of handling certain people, they start to form opinions, which can be considered as human notions. When antichrists engender notions in their hearts, will they pray to God to prune their notions? Absolutely not. They continually measure Christ’s words by their own notions without a trace of a heart of submission. Thus, when they develop notions about Christ, they start feeling resistant inside and gradually become antagonistic toward Christ. When such antagonism arises, do antichrists still plan to submit? Do they still plan to accept? In their hearts, they begin to resist, thinking, “Hmph, now I’ve got some leverage over You. Aren’t You supposed to be God? Aren’t all Your words the truth? It turns out You also reason logically when You do things, and You judge matters based on what You see with Your eyes. Your actions don’t align with God’s essence!” They start to feel disobedience inside. When this disobedience arises, it is revealed on the outside. They might say, “What You say seems right, but I need to check God’s words to see what He says about that. I need to pray to God to see how He leads me. I need to wait and seek, to see how God guides and enlightens me. As for what You’ve said, it’s no longer within my consideration, and it can’t be the basis for my actions.” What manifestation is this? (Denying Christ.) They deny Christ, but why do they still read The Word Appears in the Flesh? (God, I think they only acknowledge a vague God in heaven and outright deny Christ on earth.) Antichrists consistently live within hollow words and doctrines, revering a lofty, invisible God. Therefore, they highly revere and esteem the written words that are the recorded sayings of Christ, yet regard Christ, who is as ordinary as one can be, as having no status in their hearts whatsoever. Isn’t this contradictory? When they harbor notions about Christ, they say, “I need to pray and seek to see what God’s words say.” Acknowledging only God’s words but not Christ, who are they? (Antichrists.) No matter how significant or profound their notions about Christ’s words may be, once those words are printed, their notions disappear. Once the words become text, they worship them as God. Isn’t this the same error made by Pharisees and those in religious circles? Failing to understand the truth makes it easy for these manifestations and notions to arise. After antichrists develop notions, their hearts cannot submit; there is no submission, only resistance.

Under what circumstances do ordinary people develop notions, or, what kind of people are prone to developing notions? One kind is those who do not understand God’s words, and another is those who do not have spiritual understanding and do not accept the truth; they are prone to developing notions. Once notions arise, they begin to resist in their hearts. For instance, I might tell people to do something a certain way based on the background, environment, and human needs at that time. Later, as time passes and situations change, the way and method of handling the matter might also change. However, this change gives antichrists an opportunity to develop notions: “You previously said this, declaring it as the truth and telling people to practice it that way. We finally understood and were able to practice and adhere to it, thinking we had hope for blessings, and now You’re telling us to do it differently—what does this mean? Aren’t You tormenting us? Aren’t You treating us as less than human? What exactly is the right way to do it?” Any change in method, approach, or statement can infuriate some people—these individuals are those who do not understand the truth at all and cannot comprehend it. They measure all that God does with old viewpoints, old theories, some human moral standards, standards of conscience, and even some logical thinking and human knowledge. When all this contradicts what Christ has said or when discrepancies arise in the middle, they don’t know how to handle it. When unsure of how to proceed, normal people should be able to calm down and accept first, then gradually seek to understand. However, antichrists aren’t like this. They first resist and then pray before a vague God, appearing like they are practicing the truth and loving God very much. What’s the purpose of their prayer? It’s to find sufficient evidence to deny Christ’s words, to condemn and criticize what Christ has said, to achieve peace of mind. This is how they resolve their notions. Can this resolve their notions? (No.) Why not? (Because they don’t accept the truth. They aren’t seeking the truth from God’s words but are trying to deny God.) Exactly, they aren’t resolving their notions with an attitude of accepting the truth or in a manner that accepts the truth. Their notions aren’t cast aside; they persist in their hearts. Therefore, such an approach will never resolve their notions, will never allow them to let go of their notions. Instead, these notions accumulate over time; as time goes on and the years of their belief in God increase, so do their notions and imaginings. Consequently, their attitude toward Christ, toward this ordinary person, inevitably becomes increasingly weighed down with notions. At the same time, the barrier in their hearts toward Christ and their resentment toward Him also grows. Carrying these barriers and notions while doing their duties, attending gatherings, and eating and drinking God’s words, what can they ultimately gain? Apart from their desires for blessings increasing day by day, they gain nothing.

Do you have any notions about Christ? People’s demands of God shape their notions about Christ. Where do these demands come from? They arise from people’s ambitions, desires, notions, and imaginings. So, what kind of notions do people develop? They believe Christ should say this or that, that He should speak and act in certain ways. For instance, when someone feels negative and weak, they might think, “Isn’t God love? God is like a loving mother, like a compassionate father; God should provide comfort to people. Forget about the God in heaven; He’s unreachable. Now that God has come to earth, people have this convenient access. Since I’m feeling negative, I need to go before God and pour out my heart.” And while pouring out their heart, they shed tears, talk about their difficulties, weaknesses, and openly discuss their corrupt disposition. What are people really seeking in their hearts? They want to be comforted, they want to hear pleasant words, they want God to say words that will alleviate their sadness, cheer them up, bring comfort, and stop them from feeling negative. Isn’t that the case? Especially for a certain type of person, they harbor this imagining: “For humans, weakness and negativity are just that, but for God, just a single sentence can leave a person entirely refreshed, all troubles and sorrows in their heart vanishing instantly. Weakness and negativity will dissipate like smoke, and they can be strong in the face of anything, no longer weak or mired in negativity, standing firm in their testimony. Well then, let Christ speak!” Tell Me, what should I say when faced with such a situation? For one thing, I need to figure out why this person is feeling negative and what duty they are doing; for another, I should fellowship about the principles one should uphold in the process of doing their duty. Isn’t this putting it clearly? For some who are foolish and stubborn and don’t accept the truth, it’s necessary to say something disciplinary to stimulate them, to encourage them. At the same time, it’s also necessary to expose the nature essence of this type of person, so they understand what always being negative is about and why they are perpetually negative. If I say that those who are always negative are people who don’t accept the truth, who don’t love the truth, can they find comfort after hearing this? (No.) Suppose I said this: “Being constantly negative is normal. It’s a childlike manifestation; it’s like a child bearing the burdens of an adult, becoming perpetually negative due to the weight. You are of small stature, young, and haven’t experienced much, so you need to learn gradually. Moreover, your parents also have a responsibility; they haven’t taught you well, so it’s not your fault.” They might then ask, “So what is this corrupt disposition of mine?” “This isn’t a corrupt disposition; it’s just that you’re too young and come from a good family environment; you’re spoiled and pampered. In a couple years, as you grow up, it’ll get better.” Would they feel comforted upon hearing this? If I added a big hug and transmitted some positive energy, wouldn’t they feel warm inside? This way, they would feel they have experienced God’s love and warmth. But Christ usually doesn’t act like this. He might actually do so for older children as a form of comfort, but for every adult, He wouldn’t act this way; that would be called deceiving a fool. Instead, He will speak to the point, show you a path, clarify what’s really going on, and let you freely choose. What kind of person you are determines the path you walk. Looking at the essence of everything Christ does, He isn’t deceiving or toying with people, but they can’t accept this. They don’t face the facts, yet this is Christ’s very essence; He can only act this way. If people can’t accept this, doesn’t this create a conflict between people and God? If they can’t achieve their goal and also don’t accept the truth, doesn’t this create a barrier? (Yes.) This gets lodged in people’s hearts. People originally thought God was very loving, gentle like a mother or grandmother. But now, seeing things aren’t that way and not feeling even a bit of warmth, they feel disheartened. Can their imagining that “just one sentence from Christ can pull me out of negativity” be fulfilled? “As long as Christ comes to solve my problems, I guarantee I’ll feel warm inside instantly, and I’ll never be negative again; everything will become clear, and a path will open up.” Is this imagining realistic? Can this goal be achieved? (No.) Therefore, in this matter, if people always rely on their notions and imaginings, it won’t work; they must seek the truth to resolve the issue.

Some people do certain things behind the scenes, and when they meet Me, they tell Me, “I committed the sin of unchastity when I was in my teens.” I say, “Please don’t tell Me about this. Pray sincerely in private and truly repent, then the problem will be resolved, and God will not remember it. You don’t need to tell Me face to face; I don’t delve into these things.” When I stop them from speaking, they start having thoughts: “Are You really God? My heart is so sincere, a heart on fire, and You’ve doused it with a bucket of cold water. I just wanted to have a heart-to-heart with You, why won’t You listen? It would be good if You listened; I have more details to tell.” I say, “The ultimate goal of confessing your sins is to repent, not to recount numerous details. If you have truly repented deep in your heart, the form doesn’t matter; going through this process is useless. Clarifying all the details and circumstances to Me doesn’t mean you have repented. If you’ve truly repented, even if you don’t say anything, you’ve still repented. And if you haven’t repented, it would be futile even if you do speak about it.” Some people don’t understand, thinking I want to hear everything, such as them being unchaste, stealing, or condemning and framing others before they came to believe in God. They think I’m willing to listen to all these personal life matters, that I want to know and perceive everyone’s deepest thoughts and all the actions they’ve taken, good or bad. Isn’t this a human notion? They are mistaken. I only need to know about people’s corrupt dispositions, their essence, and the path they walk; this is enough to address the significant matter of their salvation. There’s no need to know about each person’s present life or future life; there’s no need for such details. People assume: “You’re also normal and practical. There are some things You don’t know, so perhaps You want to understand every individual’s family background, the environment from which they’ve grown, and these special experiences during growth, to know them thoroughly for work purposes, to gain leverage with which to judge and expose them.” Is this how it is? (No.) Some people, carrying these notions and imaginings, always want to share with Me their past deeds when they meet Me, saying, “Oh, You don’t know, my family used to be like this....” I say, “Don’t talk about your family’s matters; share some experiences about believing in God.” Others say, “Oh, You don’t know, I’ve had so many partners before,” or, “You don’t know who I’ve framed before.” Is it useful to say these things? (No.) They think God incarnate is really willing to know these matters, is eager to understand all the disgraceful behaviors among people and the various detailed aspects of people’s fallen lives. When encountering such people, I tell them, “If you want to confess and repent, pray before God in private, don’t tell Me. I’m only responsible for teaching you how to do your duty well and how to worship God in real life, to help you achieve salvation. We can talk about anything related to these when we meet, but it’s best not to mention unrelated matters.” Upon hearing this, some people start thinking, “God really lacks love, God is not tolerant.” In their view, what kind of person has love? A neighborhood committee director, someone who specifically handles other people’s daily trivial matters. Am I supposed to handle such things? I don’t care about those matters at all! How you live your life, what you eat and wear, how you earn money, your economic situation, how you get along with your neighbors—I don’t interfere with any of that. This is the attitude people have toward Christ when they harbor notions. Especially when they develop notions toward Christ’s words or when Christ’s words entirely contradict their own notions, antichrists don’t let go of their notions or comprehend the truth, nor do they dissect their notions or seek the truth; instead, they cling to their notions and secretly condemn what Christ says in their hearts.

In this last period, God is carrying out the work of judgment in the last days. As God’s gospel of the kingdom expands, quite a few work tasks related to different professions have emerged in God’s house, such as those related to music, writing, film, and so forth. In the course of these work tasks, Christ has also been involved in some tasks related to these professions, of course mainly by providing guidance and determining the direction of various tasks; He works within this scope. It’s inevitable that Christ might not be familiar with some knowledge or general information related to these fields, and there might be some things He doesn’t understand. Isn’t this very normal? To most people, this seems perfectly normal and is not a big deal because everyone is in the process of learning, and under God’s guidance, all kinds of work can only get better and better, with more and more finished products and high-quality outputs being produced. But for antichrists, this is not a small matter. They say, “You’re entirely unfamiliar with a certain field, even ignorant. What right do You have to get involved, to direct and guide us? Why should Your word be final? Why should we all listen to You? Is listening to You necessarily right? We won’t take the wrong path or make mistakes in our work if we listen to You? I’m not so sure about that.” When Christ provides guidance in work, some people approach it with a skeptical attitude: “Let’s first see if what He says makes sense and is within the proper scope of expertise, and if it’s superior to our own ideas. If it is, we’ll accept it and follow His guidance; if not, we’ll make another choice, find another way.” However, antichrists internally harbor a mentality of complete disobedience: “We are professionals, having worked in this field for many years. We could complete this task with our eyes closed. Following Your guidance would just be going through the motions, wouldn’t it? Why should we listen to You? Aren’t Your suggestions just official talk? If we listened to You, wouldn’t that just make us appear incompetent? But now everyone is listening, and I can’t stand up and object to You, as this might lead to me being dealt with as an antichrist. So, I’ll pretend for a while, feign that I’m listening, go through the motions, and later, continue as usual without impacting anything.” So no matter how Christ fellowships the truth principles, no matter how clearly He explains things, antichrists always have their own set ideas and always believe they understand the profession, that they’re experts in the field, and thus they fail to understand what the truth principles Christ is fellowshipping about are. Whenever Christ provides guidance on work related to their professions, it becomes a moment for antichrists to compare their abilities and talents with Christ. Even worse, sometimes, when Christ speaks about matters related to their professions, antichrists see it as Christ showing ignorance, and they secretly mock and despise Christ, feeling in spite of themselves even more resistant and averse to Christ’s guidance in their work. They are thoroughly unconvinced in their hearts, saying, “You tell us to do this and that, but what do You know? Do You even understand the various steps involved in these fields? Do You know the specific details of how they work? When You guide us in filmmaking, do You know how to act authentically or how to record sound?” Whenever faced with these matters, antichrists don’t earnestly listen to the truth principles involved in each profession in their hearts. Instead, they secretly contend with Christ internally, even standing as onlookers to ridicule and mock Christ, their hearts filled with disobedience. When they go to carry out their work, they superficially go through the process, first reviewing the notes of God’s fellowship to see what God said, and then they just start working, doing things the same old way. Some might say, “God didn’t say that, why are you doing it like this?” to which they reply, “God didn’t say it, but does God know the actual situation? Aren’t we the ones who have to actually get it done? What does God know? God just provided a principle, but we have to handle it according to the actual situation. Even if God were here, we would still have to handle it this way. We listen to God’s words when they involve the truth, but when it’s about professional work and doesn’t involve the truth, we call the shots.” They listened to the truth principles fellowshipped by God, and took notes on them, and everyone has gone through the process and reviewed the notes, but when it comes to how things should be done, who has the final say? In their case, it’s not the truth that holds power, much less does it have anything to do with Christ holding power. So, who is holding power? An antichrist is holding power; it’s a human who has the final say. In their perspective, the truth is like air, just doctrines and slogans that are casually mentioned and then done with—people still do whatever they need to do, however they want to do it. At the time, they agreed very nicely, and their attitude seemed exceptionally sincere, but once it comes to real life, everything changes; it’s not as it seemed.

Antichrists, because they constantly harbor notions and resistance to God incarnate and are inwardly unconvinced, fundamentally do not acknowledge God incarnate in their hearts; they only believe in the God in heaven. They’re just like Paul: He wasn’t genuinely convinced by the incarnate Jesus, but was instead full of notions. That’s why in all the letters he wrote, he never testified to Jesus, never testified to Jesus’ words as the truth, and never discussed whether he had any love for Jesus. These are things that people can see; Paul is a true antichrist. Now you all can recognize that Paul is a classic example of an antichrist. Even if those who belong to the category of antichrists acknowledge that the words expressed by God are the truth, can they accept the truth? Can they submit to Christ? Can they testify to Christ? That’s a different matter. Can they submit to all that Christ does? If Christ arranges or assigns work, guiding people on how to do it, can antichrists obey? This matter reveals people most clearly. Antichrists cannot obey; they disregard and trivialize Christ’s words. Therefore, no matter what specific guidance Christ provides or tasks He assigns for any work, antichrists will never implement them. Antichrists are simply unwilling to submit to Christ. Regardless of how He arranges the work, they are unwilling to carry it out, always believing their own ideas are wiser and thinking it’s best to follow their own plans. If you tell them, “When faced with situations, you should collaborate with three or four others, confer together, fellowship more about the truth principles, and act according to those principles without violating them,” will they listen? They don’t listen at all; they’ve long since discarded these words to the back of their mind and want to have the final say themselves. You tell them, “If there’s an issue that can’t be resolved, you can seek from the Above,” but when there really is a problem and everyone thinks about seeking from the Above, antichrists say, “Why ask about such a trivial matter? It’ll only bother the Above. We can handle it ourselves, there’s no need to ask! I have the final say, and I’ll bear the consequences if anything goes wrong!” How nice these words sound, but can they really bear the consequences when something actually goes wrong? If the church’s work suffers a loss, can they bear the aftermath? For instance, if, because leaders and workers were careless in arranging gatherings, the brothers and sisters got arrested during a gathering, leading some to become negative and weak and to falter, who can bear such responsibility? Are antichrists responsible in their words? They are utterly irresponsible! This is the attitude antichrists have toward work. Tell Me, can antichrists truly accept and submit to the words Christ speaks? (No.) In the hearts of the antichrists, what is their attitude toward practicing the truth and submitting to Christ? One word: opposition. They keep opposing. And what is the disposition contained within this opposition? What gives rise to it? Disobedience is what gives rise to it. In terms of disposition, this is aversion to the truth, it is having disobedience in their hearts, it is them not wanting to submit. And so, what do the antichrists think, in their hearts, when the house of God asks that leaders and workers learn to work together in harmony, instead of one person calling all the shots, that they learn how to discuss with others? “It’s too much trouble discussing everything with people! I can make the decisions about these things. Working with others, talking it over with them, doing things according to principle—how wimpy, how embarrassing!” The antichrists think that they understand the truth, that everything is clear to them, that they have their own insights and ways of doing things, and so they are incapable of collaborating with others, they don’t discuss anything with people, they do everything their own way, and don’t yield to anyone else! Although the antichrists verbally declare that they are willing to submit and are willing to collaborate with others, no matter how good their answers appear on the outside, how nice-sounding their words, they are unable to change their rebellious state, are unable to change their satanic dispositions. Inside, however, they are ferociously oppositional—to what extent? If explained in the language of knowledge, this is a phenomenon that occurs when two things of different natures are put together: repulsion, which we can interpret as “opposition.” This is precisely the disposition of antichrists: opposition to the Above. They like to oppose the Above and they obey no one.

Antichrists, when faced with Christ’s words, have only one attitude: disobedience; and their only approach is opposition. For example, I say, “Our yard is quite large and lacks shade. In winter, the sun shines throughout, allowing people to bask in the sunlight, but it gets a bit hot in the summer. Let’s buy some trees, ones that grow quickly and will provide ample shade in the future, and that are relatively clean and aesthetically pleasing.” How many principles are there here? (Three.) One is that the trees grow quickly, another is that the trees are clean and relatively good-looking, and another is that they will provide ample shade in the future, meaning they must have dense branches and leaves. People only have to implement these three principles; as for how many to buy, where to plant them, and what species of trees, I also informed them. Is this task easy to implement? (Yes.) Is this considered a difficult task? (No.) It’s not a difficult task. Why is it not difficult? There are places that sell trees, God’s house provides the funds, and the basic conditions for buying trees are all met. What’s left is just for people to carry it out; there’s nothing difficult about this task. But for an antichrist, there’s a difficulty: “What? Buy trees? Spend money just for shade and to make the environment prettier? Isn’t that indulging in fleshly comfort? That money is an offering to God, can it be spent so carelessly? What’s wrong with a bit of heat? The sun was created by God; will basking in the sun kill you? That’s called taking in sunshine and enjoying the rain. If you don’t want to be in the sun, stay inside. And now you want to spend money for this comfort—you must be dreaming!” They ponder: “I don’t have the final say in this matter on my own; if I directly oppose it, that wouldn’t be good. I could be condemned, and others might not agree. So, I’ll report this to the decision-making group. Also, it would be best to let the brothers and sisters express their opinions too. If the decision-making group approves, then we’ll buy the trees; if they don’t, then we won’t buy them, even if the brothers and sisters agree.” They gather everyone together, mention the matter, and then let everyone discuss and express their opinions. Everyone says, “Buying trees is a good thing; everyone benefits.” The antichrist hears this and says, “How is it a good thing? Can it be okay just because everyone benefits? Whose money is everyone benefiting from? That’s spending God’s money; isn’t that squandering offerings? Is this in line with principles?” Everyone ponders: “Squandering offerings for everyone’s benefit, for people’s interests, does seem somewhat inappropriate.” After discussing back and forth, the final decision is not to buy the trees. The money must be saved; no matter who commands it, it can’t be done. After such a discussion, a conclusion is reached. What’s the conclusion? “Regarding Christ’s command this time, our final resolution is to oppose it; we won’t spend the offerings or waste a cent of the money of God’s house. Speaking concretely, this means that we won’t buy the trees, we won’t greenify the yard.” This is the decision made. Some days later, I notice the trees haven’t been bought yet, so I ask, “Why haven’t you bought the trees?” “Oh, we’ll do it soon.” When the season arrives and others’ trees have sprouted leaves, why have they still not bought any? Upon inquiring, I find out that after discussing it, they didn’t agree to buy the trees; My words were in vain. After conferring, discussing, and analyzing, everyone collectively decided to reject My command, implying: “We call the shots here. You stand aside. This is our house, it has nothing to do with You.” What kind of approach is this? Isn’t this opposition? To what extent are they opposing? They have a basis, claiming not to waste a penny of God’s house’s money, not to spend God’s offerings. What do you think of this basis? Are these words correct? (No.) Often, those who squander and misuse offerings are these very antichrists. They want to have the final say, so they come up with this set of theories to mislead those who are foolish, ignorant, and lack discernment. And indeed, some people fall for it and act according to their words, while the words of Christ are disturbed and sabotaged by antichrists, causing delays in implementation. What’s the root of this problem? The key lies in God’s chosen people not seeing through the antichrists’ hypocrisy, always being misled by the superficial aspect of matters, failing to perceive the essence of things. Antichrists tyrannically cause obstructions among these people, leading some of the undiscerning among God’s chosen people to often be misled and controlled by them.

In every specific work arrangement and command Christ makes in the church, if there are no antichrists causing disturbances, they can be quickly implemented. However, once an antichrist interferes, the task becomes delayed and cannot be implemented. Sometimes the arrangements and commands Christ intends for people to carry out are outright rejected by antichrists under some pretext. In doing so, they adopt a form of decision-making involving everyone, saying, “This was passed by the vote of the brothers and sisters; it’s the result of a collective decision, not just my say.” What does this imply? It suggests that the resolutions of the brothers and sisters are in accordance with the truth, and that when an issue arises, the collective decision of the brothers and sisters means the truth is holding power. But when an antichrist in charge opposes what Christ says, is this the truth holding power? Clearly, this is actually the antichrist holding power. Is it not absurd and deceitful to say that the truth is holding power when an antichrist is controlling the whole situation? Antichrists are indeed skilled in disguise! When Christ asks them to implement something, and it’s made known to everyone that it is God’s doing, that He’s acting out of consideration for everyone, and everyone is grateful for God’s grace, it displeases and discomforts antichrists. They then rack their brains looking for ways to disturb and sabotage. However, if the initiative is theirs and ends with everyone being deeply grateful and appreciative of them, they implement it more actively than anyone, willing to endure any suffering. Aren’t such people as antichrists disgusting? (Yes.) What kind of disposition is this? (A wicked disposition.) Antichrists are capable of disguising themselves, pretending to be good people to mislead and draw others in, even pretending they are practicing the truth. This is wickedness. What truth are you practicing? You reject the words and commands given by Christ, unable to submit and implement them. Where is the truth you claim to practice? Are you a believer in God? Do you treat God as God? The God you believe in is not your colleague, not your coworker, not your friend; He is Christ, He is God! Don’t you recognize this? Always analyzing and scrutinizing Christ’s words, trying to discern their correctness, weighing the pros and cons—aren’t you assuming the wrong position? Antichrists are adept at scrutinizing and analyzing people’s words, and they end up applying this ceaseless scrutiny to Christ. Scrutinizing and treating Christ in this manner—are they followers of God? Aren’t they just nonbelievers? They always scrutinize Christ, but can they understand Christ’s divine essence? The more they scrutinize Christ, the more doubtful they become, eventually deeming Christ to be an ordinary person. Is there any true faith or submission left in them? Not at all. In the heart of an antichrist, Christ is regarded merely as an ordinary person. Treating Christ as a human seems natural to them, so they feel they can disregard Christ’s words and commands, not taking them to heart but merely bringing them up for discussion and scrutiny during gatherings. Ultimately, the one who decides how things are done is the antichrist, not God. What have they reduced Christ to? They see Him as just an ordinary leader, not treating Christ as God at all. Isn’t this of the same nature as Paul’s faith in God? Paul never treated the Lord Jesus as God, never ate and drank His words, nor sought to submit to the Lord Jesus. He always thought that for him to live was Christ, attempting to replace the Lord Jesus, and consequently, he received God’s punishment. Since you have accepted that Christ is God incarnate, you should submit to Christ. Regardless of what Christ says, you should accept and submit, not scrutinize and discuss whether God’s words are correct or align with the truth. God’s words are not meant for you to analyze and scrutinize but to submit to and implement. How to go about doing things and how to determine the steps for implementation—that is the scope of your fellowship and discussion. Because, in their hearts, antichrists always doubt the divine essence of Christ, and always have a disobedient disposition, when Christ asks them to do things, they always scrutinize and discuss them, and ask people to determine whether they are right or wrong. Is this a grievous problem? (Yes.) They are not approaching these things from the perspective of submission to the truth; instead, they approach them in opposition to God. This is the disposition of the antichrists. When they hear the commands and work arrangements of Christ, they do not accept and submit to them, but start to discuss. And what is it they discuss? Do they discuss how to practice submission? (No.) They discuss whether the words and commands of Christ are right or wrong, and examine whether or not they should be carried out. Is their attitude one of actually wanting to carry these things out? No—they want to encourage more people to be like them, to not do these things. And is not doing them practicing the truth of submission? Obviously not. So what are they doing? (Opposing.) Not only are they themselves opposing God, they’re looking for collective opposition, too. This is the nature of their actions, is it not? Collective opposition: making everyone the same as them, making everyone think the same as them, say the same as them, decide the same as them, collectively opposing Christ’s decision and commands. This is the modus operandi of the antichrists. The antichrists’ belief is, “It’s not a crime if everyone does it,” and so they urge others to oppose God together with him, thinking that with this being the case, there’ll be nothing the house of God can do to them. Isn’t this stupid? The antichrists’ own ability to oppose God is extremely limited, they’re all alone. So they try to recruit people to collectively oppose God, thinking in their hearts that “I’ll mislead a group of people, and make them think and act in the same way I do. Together, we will reject the words of Christ, and impede the words of God, and stop them coming to fruition. And when someone comes to check my work, I’ll say that everyone decided to do it like this—and then we’ll see how You handle that. I’m not going to do it for You, I’m not going to carry this out—and let’s see what You do to me!” They think they have power, that God’s house can’t do anything to handle them, and neither can Christ. What do you think, is such a person easy to handle? How should this type of person be handled? The simplest method is to dismiss and investigate them. Once a devil reveals itself, cast it out with a single kick, and that’s the end of it. God’s house allows you to be a leader, but you don’t submit and even dare to oppose God; are you not a devil? God’s house assigns you to lead so you can do actual work, so you submit to the work arrangements of God’s house, and so you can do your duty well. You should accept and submit to God’s words; whatever God says, you should accept and implement His words, not oppose Him. You’ve taken opposing God as your duty—well then, sorry, but dismissing you is the simplest solution. God’s house has the authority to use you and also the authority to dismiss you. Some people say, “I was doing just fine as a leader, why was I dismissed? Isn’t this just killing the donkey as soon as it’s done grinding the grain?” Were you really doing just fine when you were dismissed? A donkey that kicks and bites erratically, and doesn’t focus on proper tasks no matter how it’s trained, will indeed have to be killed once “it’s done grinding the grain.” As for when to kill it, that depends on its performance. Tell Me, would anyone willingly get rid of a good donkey? During grinding, the donkey is the most crucial and important helper. When it’s most needed, would anyone be foolish enough to kill the donkey, stop the grinding, and rather go without grain? Does anyone do that? (No.) There’s only one situation where this would happen: The donkey won’t heed training and continues to kick and bite wildly, making it impossible to grind anything. That’s when you’d have to stop the grinding and kill the donkey, right? (Yes.) Those with discernment regarding this matter can see it clearly. So, how should antichrists who are disobedient, recalcitrant, and fail to implement any work be handled? The simplest method is to first dismiss them from their positions. Some people ask, “Is dismissal the end of it?” What’s the rush? Observe their behavior. Once they are dismissed and lose their power, if they can still render service in God’s house, they won’t be expelled. However, if they do not render service and instead further aggravate things by spreading notions, doing evil, and creating disturbances everywhere, then, according to the principles, they must be expelled. All in all, are these things that are manifested in the antichrists not hateful? (They are extremely hateful.) And what makes them hateful? These antichrists wish to seize power in the house of God; the words of Christ cannot be implemented by them, they will not carry them out. Of course, another kind of situation could also be involved when people are unable to submit to Christ’s words: Some people are of poor caliber, they can’t understand God’s words when they hear them, and do not know how to carry them out; even if you teach them how to, they still can’t. This is a different matter. The topic we’re fellowshipping right now is the essence of antichrists, which doesn’t relate to whether people are capable of doing things, or what their caliber is like; it relates to the disposition and essence of the antichrists. They are completely opposing Christ, the work arrangements of the house of God, and the truth principles. They have no submission, only opposition. This is what an antichrist is.

Consider and discern which of the previously mentioned manifestations of antichrists the following situation falls under. There was a leader who worked every day from dawn to dusk, appearing quite responsible. Yet, he was seldom seen, giving the impression he was very busy with work and presumably not idle, seemingly paying the price to do his duty. Later, when there was work to be done in their living quarters and yard, we arranged for someone to guide them in the work. When we weren’t around, he should have stepped up to help guide and be responsible for the work; he should have taken the initiative. Isn’t this reasonable and appropriate? Should I always be there to oversee these domestic chores and tasks? (No.) Most of the time, these kinds of laborious tasks don’t really touch upon the truth. People only have to work diligently, not engage in destructive actions, be compliant, and do what is asked—it’s simple and easy to accomplish. Later, when the tasks in that area were essentially completed, but ongoing management was still needed, I handed the responsibility over to this leader. I told him to maintain the cleanliness of the area, ensuring that everything that needed maintenance was well cared for. There were mainly two things: First, keep all the fixed spaces and rooms inside and out clean and tidy. Second, take good care of the plants; for example, water the newly planted ones so they don’t die, prune them as necessary according to the season and their growth, and fertilize when needed. Just these two tasks—do you think that’s a lot? Could it be tiring? (No.) These two tasks aren’t much; one could finish them just by taking a post-meal stroll. Besides, don’t you also have to take care of your own living environment? This is just how it is living as a human; these kinds of tasks are essential to normal human life. You need to manage your own living environment. If you don’t, you’re no different from animals. Could you still be called human then? Animals don’t manage their surroundings; they don’t have designated places for their bodily needs, nor do they have fixed places for eating and sleeping. Humans are superior to animals in this regard; humans manage their environment, care about cleanliness, and have standards for their surroundings. So, My asking this of him wasn’t excessive, right? (Right.) After assigning these tasks, I left for another place, and the leader was supposed to carry out the specific work. One day, I went to check on how the environment was being managed, and along the way, I felt heartache, irritation, and anger! What do you think happened? What could cause these kinds of emotions? (He didn’t carry out God’s commands and arrangements.) Exactly, that’s the only way to put it—he didn’t implement them. During the period I was away, the weather wasn’t particularly dry, but many of the newly planted saplings had yellowing leaves, some even falling off. What was infuriating was that the leaves of two famous flowering trees had turned from lush green to purplish-red, almost yellowing. Does hearing this make you angry? Even more infuriating, the clean cement platform at the entrance was littered with baskets, plastic bags, trash, wood chips from completed work, nails, tools—everything was scattered about, creating a dirty and disorderly mess! Who wouldn’t be angry seeing such a scene? There’s only one kind of person that wouldn’t—those who amount to animals, with no standards or sensitivity to their surroundings, indifferent to smell, cleanliness, or comfort, and utterly unaware of what’s good or bad. Anyone with normal humanity, who has standards for their environment and the ability to think, would be angered upon seeing such a condition. A large group of people lived there, yet they couldn’t handle even this minor task. What kind of people are they? After I gave instructions, this is how they treated the place, this is what they did to it. Managing the environment here and taking care of these few things isn’t exhausting, is it? It doesn’t hinder any of your activities, does it? It doesn’t affect your gatherings, prayers, or reading of God’s word, does it? So why can’t it be done? When I’m around, overseeing and watching, these people do some work, but as soon as I leave, they stop; no one takes responsibility. What’s going on here? Do they consider this place their home? (No.) They still say the kingdom of Christ is their warm home, but is that what they really think? Is that how they really act? No. They don’t even manage the environment they live in. Even after I instructed them, nobody takes responsibility, and nobody cares. When told to work, they do a bit, but after finishing, they carelessly throw the tools aside, thinking, “Whoever cares should deal with it, it’s not my business. As long as I have food and shelter, I’m fine.” What kind of humanity is this? What kind of morality? Does such a person even possess a shred of normal humanity? To have believed in God for so many years without any change is truly inconceivable! I put so much effort into doing these things for you, arranging everything so well. I don’t live here, I don’t enjoy any of it—it’s all for you. You don’t need to be grateful; just manage your own living environment and that’s fine—why is it so hard to do? Later, I realized there was a reason for this behavior. People come to God’s house, whether they have left their families and careers behind or given up their studies and future prospects, to do their duty, not to be long-term laborers for Me. Why? They don’t receive a penny, so why should they listen to Me? Why should they manage the environment for Me? Why should they expend this effort for Me? This is how they think. They feel that doing their own work well and fulfilling their duties is enough, that attending to matters within their scope of work completes their responsibilities. Anything else I ask for, as long as it pertains to their duties and professions, they might consider, but the rest I should find someone else to do. The implied message is, “We are people of the kingdom; how can we do such dirty and tiring work? We are superior humans; always having us do lowly and demeaning work harms our image! We are people of a certain identity, why do You keep making things difficult for us?” After understanding this, I gained some insight into why most people are averse to, resistant to, and unwilling to work, why they compare themselves to others and resort to trickery to shirk their duties when they do work—it’s because most don’t pursue the truth. Not pursuing the truth is a common saying, but in reality, many people are naturally disposed to love ease and despise work. Coupled with their being controlled by a mindset of just getting by, they believe that pursuing the truth means sitting together, talking, and discussing, just like in the nation of the great red dragon where people constantly have meetings, read newspapers, and sip tea—that, they think, is believing in God and doing their duty. As soon as the topic of working and laboring like farmers comes up, many think living like this has nothing to do with us Christians. A Christian’s life is one removed from “lowly pleasures.” Implicitly, they believe they are above the mundane tasks of the world—cleaning, pest control, farming, pruning, planting flowers, and so on are all unrelated to them; they have long transcended such lowly ways of life. Isn’t this the state of most people? (Yes.) Is this kind of state easy to rectify? Some people, when asked to learn to operate machinery, don’t take it seriously and even deliberately misuse it, damaging the machine in just a few days. Newly bought machines are broken, and the cost of repair is not cheap. They think: “Didn’t you ask me to learn? Now that I’ve broken the machine and there’s no machine left, I have an excuse to rest, right? I don’t have to work anymore, do I? You kept asking me to learn, and this is the result. Is this what you wanted to see?” The cost of repairing some machines is almost as much as buying new ones. Some people don’t feel bad or guilty at all after making such mistakes. When you compare this with the previously mentioned notion of “not spending a cent of God’s house’s money, because it’s an offering to God,” which statement is spoken genuinely, and which behavior is the reality? They wreck the machinery, and the cost of a couple repairs is enough to buy a new machine. This wasteful behavior is the reality, while the statement about not squandering the offerings is false, deceitful, and misleading. Referring to the example discussed earlier, if we were to categorize it under the disposition or essence of an antichrist, which aspect of today’s discussion would it relate to? Which aspect would it be listed under? They say, “I’m here to do my duty, not to be Your long-term laborer.” Is this statement correct? You are here to do your duty, but who has defined what that duty does and does not entail? Aren’t these tasks part of what you should be doing? Just like in everyday life, going out to earn money to support your family is your responsibility. If you want vegetables and decide to grow them yourself, that’s your choice, but does that mean other household tasks aren’t your responsibility? The statement that you’re here to do your duty is correct, but saying you’re not here to be a long-term laborer is problematic. What does “long-term laborer” mean? Who’s treating you as one? No one is considering you a long-term laborer, and doing these tasks or expending a bit of effort doesn’t make you one. I don’t see you as a long-term laborer, nor does God’s house use you as one. You carry out the work that is your responsibility; these are all within the scope of your duty. On a smaller scale, this is about maintaining your daily life, ensuring your physical well-being and normal physiological functions, ensuring you live well. On a larger scale, every task is related to the expansion of God’s work. So why are you willing to do some of these tasks but not the others? Why do you pick and choose? Why do you consider expending a bit of effort, doing some cleaning, and managing the environment as the work of a long-term laborer, as menial labor? Here lies a reason: When it comes to Christ’s commands and all of His requirements, people consider the tasks they are willing to do as part of their duty, while those they are unwilling or resistant to doing are deemed as the tasks of a long-term laborer. Isn’t this a skewing of the facts? This represents a biased understanding. What causes this biased understanding? It’s people’s preferences. And what do these preferences lean toward? They depend on whether the flesh suffers. If the flesh can’t enjoy comfort, if it endures hardship or fatigue, people become resistant. The tasks they are willing to do, those that are glamorous and respectable, are reluctantly accepted and considered as doing their duty. Can this attitude be categorized as opposing Christ? People firmly oppose and refuse to do tasks they are unwilling to do; no matter how well you argue, they simply refuse and oppose. Are these states and problems of people easy to resolve? It all depends on how much a person loves the truth. If someone doesn’t love the truth at all and is averse to it, then they will never change. However, if you have the will to suffer, can rebel against the flesh, and possess genuine submission and an attitude of submission, then these issues can be easily turned around, right? (Right.) In one’s life, there’s no such thing as not doing any work. Some people say, “Emperors in the past didn’t do any work.” Is that really true? Most emperors didn’t spend all their days enjoying the palace life. Some started studying poetry and literature at a young age, working from dawn till dusk. After taking the throne, they would make incognito visits to understand the people’s woes, and during times of national crisis, some even went to the battlefield. Although there weren’t many emperors like this, there were indeed some. Even if there were emperors who did little to nothing, as some people say, they were very few. A person who doesn’t engage in any proper activity but still dreams of enjoying only the best is merely fantasizing.

Many people always think of exerting themselves in manual labor as something undignified. Is this view correct? There are also those who see such exertion as rendering service, who believe that only leaders and workers doing church work counts as performing a duty—is this kind of understanding correct? (No.) You must understand this matter in the following way: People are needed to perform all that God requires people to do, and all of the various kinds of work in the house of God—these things all count as people’s duties. No matter what work people do, this is the duty they should perform. Duties cover a very broad scope, and involve many areas, but no matter what duty you perform, to put it simply, it is your obligation and something you should be doing. As long as you strive to perform it well with your heart, God will approve of you, and acknowledge you as someone who truly believes in God. No matter who you are, if you are always trying to avoid or hide from your duty, then there is a problem. To put it mildly, you are too lazy, too slippery, you are idle, and you love leisure and loathe labor. To put it more seriously, you are unwilling to perform your duty, and you have no loyalty or submission. If you can’t even exert yourself physically to shoulder this little bit of work, what can you do? What are you capable of doing properly? If a person truly has loyalty and a sense of responsibility toward their duty, then as long as it is required by God, and as long as it is needed by the house of God, they will do anything they are asked, without making their own choices. Is it not one of the principles of performing a duty to undertake and do well that which one is able and ought to do? (Yes.) Some who do manual labor outside disagree, and say, “You spend all day doing your duty in your room, sheltered from the wind and sun. There is no hardship to that at all, your duty is much cushier than ours. Put yourselves in our shoes, let’s see whether you can stand working outside for several hours, and being out in the wind and rain.” In fact, every duty involves some hardship. Physical labor involves physical hardship, and mental labor involves mental hardship; each has its difficulties. Everything is easier said than done. When people really undertake a task, what’s crucial, in one regard, is their character, and in another regard, is whether they love the truth or not. Let us first speak about character. If a person is of good character, they see the positive side of everything, and are able to accept and comprehend things from a positive perspective and on the basis of the truth; that is, their heart, character, and spirit are upright—this is from the perspective of character. Next, let us talk about another aspect—whether or not one loves the truth. Loving the truth refers to being able to accept the truth, which is to say, regardless of whether or not you comprehend God’s words, and whether or not you understand God’s will, regardless of whether your view, opinion, and perspective on the job, on the duty you are supposed to perform, are in line with the truth, you are still able to accept it from God; if you are submissive and sincere, then this is enough, this qualifies you to perform your duty, and it is the minimum requirement. If you are submissive and sincere, then when you carry out a task, you will not be perfunctory, and you will not slack off, instead you will put all of your heart and strength into it. If a person’s inner state is wrong, and negativity arises in them, they lose their drive and want to be perfunctory; they know full well in their heart that their state is not right, and yet they still do not try to fix this by seeking the truth. People like this have no love for the truth, and are only slightly willing to perform their duty; they are disinclined to make any effort or suffer hardship, and they are always trying to slack off. In fact, God has already scrutinized all of this—so why does He pay no heed to these people? God is just waiting for His chosen people to wake up, discern and expose those people, and cast them out. However, such people still think to themselves, “Look how clever I am. We eat the same food, but after working you are completely exhausted, and I’m not tired at all. I’m the smart one. I don’t work that hard; anyone who works hard is an idiot.” Is it right for them to view honest people in this way? No. In fact, people who work hard when they perform their duty are practicing the truth and satisfying God, so they are the smartest people of all. What makes them smart? They say, “I don’t do anything that God doesn’t ask me to do, and I do everything that He does ask me to. I do whatever He asks, I put my heart and all my energy into it, and I don’t go through the motions at all. I’m not doing this for any person, I’m doing it for God. God loves me so much; I should do this to satisfy God.” This is the right state of mind. As a result, when the church cleanses people away, those who are slippery in performing their duty are all cast out, while those honest people who accept God’s scrutiny remain. The states of those honest people keep improving, and they are protected by God in all that befalls them. And what earns them this protection? It’s because, in their hearts, they are honest. They don’t fear hardship or exhaustion when they perform their duty, and they are not picky about anything that’s handed over to them; they do not ask why, they just do as they are told, they obey, without conducting any investigations or analysis, or taking anything else into consideration. They have no calculations, and are capable of obedience in all things. Their inner state is always very normal. When faced with danger, God protects them, when illness or pestilence befalls them, God also protects them, and in the future they will only enjoy blessings. Some people just can’t see through this matter. When they see honest people willingly enduring hardship and exhaustion in performing their duty, they think these honest people are foolish. Tell Me, is this foolishness? This is sincerity, this is true faith. Without true faith, there are many things that one can never really understand or explain. Only those who understand the truth, those who always live before God and have normal associations with Him, and those who truly submit to and genuinely fear God, know clearest in their hearts what’s really going on. Why do they know while others don’t? It comes from them gaining experience through practicing the truth and being honest people. This experience cannot be given by any person, nor can it be stolen or taken away by anyone. Isn’t this a blessing? Such blessedness cannot be obtained by common people. And why is this so? It’s because people are too deceitful and wicked; they fall short of honesty, they are unable to be honest people, and they lack genuine hearts, so what they receive is limited. As for antichrists, there’s even less need to mention them. Based on their attitudes toward various matters, as well as their nature essence, and especially based on their attitude toward Christ, people like antichrists will never receive this blessing. Why is this? It’s because their hearts are too wicked and cunning! They treat people differently depending on the person, they change their colors like a chameleon, and their thoughts are always in motion, not taking action until they see certain gain, not being sincere toward God, having no submission toward Him, and only making transactions with Him. What is the consequence of such attitudes and essence? It is that, in any matter, they are unable to see through or understand the essence of various people and situations, as well as the truths involved in these situations. God’s words are laid out before them, and they are educated, know how to read and analyze, have intellect, and know how to scrutinize, so why can’t they understand? No matter how old they live to be, even if it’s up to 80 years, they still won’t understand. Why won’t they understand? The most important reason is that their eyes have been blindfolded. Some people say, “But we haven’t seen their eyes get covered.” It’s their hearts that have been covered. What does being covered mean? It means that their hearts are unenlightened; they are perpetually shrouded. Previously, it was said that “people’s heart is waxed gross.” So, who has waxed gross the hearts of the antichrists? In reality, it’s God who has not enlightened them. He does not intend to make them perfect or save them. He merely intervenes at appropriate times, at critical, important moments, to hold them back a bit and prevent the interests of God’s house from being harmed. But most of the time, when it comes to matters of God’s words, the truth, submitting to Him, knowing themselves, and knowing Him, He never enlightens them. Some might say, “That’s not right. How can You say He doesn’t enlighten them? Some who have been classified as antichrists are very clever. After hearing a sermon, if you spoke for three hours, they can speak for six. Isn’t that enlightenment?” No matter how many hours they can speak, even if it’s 30, it’s just a bunch of words and doctrines. Could the Pharisees and scribes speak better than these people? Each one of them was an expert in preaching, and each of them spoke eloquently, but what good did it do? When God arrived, they still resisted and condemned Him. What did this bring them? It brought them destruction, perdition, and great disaster. From the outside, everyone in God’s house appears to be performing their duty, with each person having three meals a day, performing their duties during the day, and resting at night. However, after several years, the differences among various kinds of people become significant, and the outcomes of different types of people are revealed and distinguished. Some people verbally proclaim that they believe in God but do not follow the right path, rushing instead toward hell. Others love the truth and continually strive for it, and so they gradually enter the truth reality. Some always want to live a comfortable life and become increasingly cunning in performing their duties, and are ultimately cast out. Some can accept the truth, become increasingly honest in their hearts, and experience a change in their life disposition, becoming loved by both God and people. Some always focus on preaching words and doctrines, and after all their preaching, they are spurned by God and are thus ruined. Some lack spiritual understanding, and the more they listen to sermons, the more confused, less interested in the truth, and less submissive they become, wanting to act willfully and capriciously, always seeking to satisfy their own desires and aiming for fame, gain, and status—this is dangerous. Some people follow God for several years, and after eating and drinking God’s words and experiencing many things, they come to understand many truths, have more and more faith in God, and earn His approval. All of these people believe in God, live church life, and perform their duties, so why, after eight or ten years, are their results different, each according to their kind? What does this illustrate? Are there not differences in people’s nature essence? (Yes.)

Here’s another matter for you to listen to and consider as to which category it belongs among the manifestations of antichrists we’ve discussed. In some churches, there are clearly evil people acting tyrannically and unreasonably. They can’t do any concrete work, yet they always want to hold power. In whatever work they undertake, they create disturbances and destruction and do not adhere to the principles, and in whichever things they do, they never want to pay the price yet always want others to listen to them. In short, as long as such a person is in a church, many others will be disturbed by them, and the work of God’s house and the order of the church will be affected and damaged. Although such people haven’t committed any overt acts of great evil or harmed the brothers and sisters, when you look at their humanity, their essence, their viewpoints on various matters, as well as their attitudes toward the brothers and sisters, the work of God’s house, and their own duties, they are purely among the ranks of the evil ones. How should I handle such a person if I encounter them before the brothers and sisters have noticed? Should I wait until they make a grave mistake or cause a great disaster to clear them out, sending them away when they “make a big splash”? Is that necessary? (No.) Then what should I do? At the very least, I should dismiss them from their duty. Next, I should isolate them or clear them out, preventing them from doing their duty to avoid affecting others. In the vital work of God’s house, the presence of such evil people is not allowed—is this principle correct? If they haven’t been revealed, then so be it, but once they are revealed, seen clearly, and classified as evil people, is it right to cleanse them away? (Yes.) Some people might say, “That won’t work. You’ve seen through them, but others haven’t. Cleansing them away will affect others. If You just cleanse them away because You’ve seen through them, won’t it mean that You’re making the decision alone? Is that really letting the truth hold power? We should gather and fellowship with the brothers and sisters, dissect with them, do ideological work on them, compile materials and get everyone’s approval before proceeding. You need to follow the procedures, and if You don’t, aren’t You violating the church’s work arrangements? Wouldn’t this be wrong? You Yourself should first abide by the church’s work arrangements; You can’t sabotage them. Moreover, isn’t everything, regardless of what it is, done out of consideration for the brothers and sisters? Since that’s the case, then You need to make all the brothers and sisters fully aware of this and clear about this aspect of the truth. You can’t leave them confused; You need to enable all the brothers and sisters to discern.” If these procedures aren’t followed and I say to clear someone out, how would you proceed? You’d be at a loss, right? That you’d find yourselves jammed up proves that such viewpoints exist among you. What I’m talking about has happened. In a vital work setting, there was a devil with bad humanity, who, while doing his duty, deceitfully slacked off, trying to avoid hardship and exhaustion. He disrupted and disturbed the church’s work at every turn, and when pruned, he became unruly, completely rejecting the truth. He always wanted to hold office and call the shots, while also commanding others, and he never considered the church’s interests or adhered to the principles, acting solely based on his preferences. During his time in charge of the work, he ignored several things I instructed him to do, treating My words as if they were wind in his ears. Besides not doing his tasks, he caused disturbances. The church is an important place of work for doing one’s duties—if he thought he’d come not to do his duty but to live in princely comfort or enjoy an early retirement, then he was mistaken. God’s house is neither a welfare institution nor a shelter. Such scum as this man are not any good wherever they go; they are never loyal in any of their duties, always being perfunctory and just drifting along aimlessly. So, I said to immediately clear him out. Would this have been easy to put into practice? (Yes.) However, for a certain type of person, even such a simple matter is difficult to implement. It was three months after I spoke up that this evil person was finally forcibly sent away. What was the reason for this? After I issued the command to clear this man out, the leader of that church began to “implement” the task. How did they implement it? They called a gathering for everyone to vote on the decision. After much discussion, the majority finally agreed to clear him out, but there was one vote against it, so the matter was put on hold. This leader said that they needed to work on the person who disagreed, to discuss with them and seek their consent. In the meantime, I asked twice if the man had been sent away, and the leader replied that he hadn’t, that they were still gathering and summarizing materials. Behind My back, they also said, “So long as one person disagrees, we cannot clear him out.” Their meaning in saying this was that they didn’t want to clear this man out, so they found this absurd reason. In reality, they were tricking others; they were afraid of offending this man and didn’t dare to clear him out. Finally, an ultimatum came from the Above: “This man must be sent away. If he doesn’t go, then you must go. One of you has to leave; you choose!” When they heard this, they thought, “I can’t leave; I haven’t enjoyed my position long enough!” Only then did they send this devil away. Tell Me, why did this leader protect the devil? Isn’t this the approach of an antichrist? This is precisely the behavior of an antichrist.

Some people constantly proclaim their faith in God, but when events befall them, they seek every brother’s and sister’s opinion while never seeking the opinion of Christ. They don’t inquire about what Christ says, what His conclusion is, why He wants to do this thing, or how people should submit. They have sought every brother’s and sister’s opinion and are able to respect all of their opinions and thoughts, but they don’t accept a single sentence spoken by Christ, showing no intention to submit. What is the nature of this? Aren’t they antichrists? (Yes.) What’s going on in this situation? Why don’t they implement this matter? Why is it so hard for them to implement? There’s a reason for this. They think, “Christ has the truth and God’s essence, but that’s all official talk, just doctrines and slogans. When it comes to the real matters, You can’t see through anyone at all. Your words are just spoken for us to hear, printed in books, and have nothing at all to do with Your actual capabilities. So, if You determine someone to be an evil person or an antichrist, it might not be accurate. Why didn’t I notice that he’s evil or an antichrist? Why don’t I understand this matter?” Isn’t this how they think? They believe, “You’ve only met this person twice, seen him say a few words and do one thing, and You define him as evil. The brothers and sisters don’t think so; how can You? Why should Your words carry so much weight? I haven’t seen any evil deeds from this person, nor do I know what bad things he has done, so I can’t say “amen” to what You say. I have notions and reservations about what You’re doing. But, despite having notions, I can’t express them outright, so I have to resort to indirect methods: I’ll let the brothers and sisters decide this matter through voting. If the brothers and sisters disagree, then there’s nothing to be done—can You really prune all of them too? Besides, You’ve only interacted with this person a few times and then You define him as evil. Why don’t You give him a bit of a chance? Look how tolerant and loving the brothers and sisters are. I can’t be the bad guy; I too must be loving and give people chances—not like You, so quick to make up Your mind about people. Clearing someone out isn’t simple—what if the person becomes weak afterward? When facing issues, Christ should protect the brothers and sisters. He should tolerate any foolishness, rebellion, or ignorance of the brothers and sisters and not be so decisive and unloving. Isn’t God supposed to be abundantly merciful? Where has that mercy gone? To define anyone You don’t like as evil and want to send them away, that doesn’t comply with the rules at all!” These are notions, aren’t they? (Yes.) When Christ does something or makes a decision, if they don’t agree with it, it becomes difficult to implement. They drag their feet, using various excuses and methods to oppose; they simply refuse to implement it or obey. Their intention is: “If I don’t implement this, then Your task won’t be accomplished!” I’ll tell you, if you don’t implement it, then I’ll find someone who can to be leader, and you can go back to where you came from! Shouldn’t this matter be handled this way? (Yes.) I sent them away just like that, straightforward and efficient—there was no need to confer with anyone.

Some people never understand the truth and always have doubts about God’s words. They say, “Is the truth holding power the same as Christ holding power? Christ’s words are not necessarily always right, because He has a human aspect.” They cannot accept Christ holding power. If it was the Spirit of God holding power, they would have no notions. What is the problem here? Such people have not the slightest doubt about the God in heaven but are always doubtful about God incarnate. Christ has expressed so much truth, and yet they do not recognize Him as God incarnate. So can they acknowledge that Christ is the truth, the way, and the life? That is hard to say. Even if such people follow Christ, can they testify for Him? Are they compatible with Christ? There isn’t any definitive answer to these questions. It’s also uncertain whether such people can follow to the end of the path. Some people fully acknowledge in their hearts that in God’s house, the truth holds power. But how do they understand the truth holding power? They think that whatever work is done, as long as it’s related to God’s house, everyone should discuss and decide together. As long as a consensus is reached, no matter the outcome, it should be implemented. That, they believe, is what it means for the truth to hold power. Is this view correct? This is a grievous misconception; it is the most absurd and preposterous statement. Where does the truth come from? It is expressed by Christ. Only Christ is the truth, while corrupt humankind doesn’t possess any truth at all, so how can people produce the truth through deliberation? If people could produce the truth through deliberation, that would imply that corrupt humankind possesses the truth. Isn’t that the most absurd thing? Therefore, the truth holding power means Christ holding power, it means God’s words holding power, not everyone having power or having a say. Gathering together to fellowship about the truth and God’s words is correct; this is church life. But what is the effect of practicing in this way? It is to let everyone understand the truth and know God’s words, to make it so everyone is able to submit to God’s words and work according to them. People gather to fellowship about the truth precisely because they do not understand it. If they understood the truth, they could directly submit to Christ and to God’s words; that would be genuine submission. If one day God’s chosen people all understand the truth, all can directly submit to, exalt, and testify for Christ, it will signify that God’s chosen people have been made complete. Even more so, it will testify that God’s house is ruled by the truth, by Christ. Only such facts and testimonies would prove that God has ruled as king on earth, and the kingdom of Christ has appeared. But how do some antichrists and false leaders understand the truth holding power? In their implementation, the truth holding power means the brothers and sisters holding power. No matter what work they do, if they can thoroughly grasp it, they do it according to their own will; if they can’t, they fellowship with a few people and let the group decide. Can this prove that the truth is being practiced? Does the group’s decision necessarily conform to God’s will? Can such practice bring about the truth holding power? Can it testify that Christ holds power in God’s house? They treat allowing the brothers and sisters to express their opinions, discuss their views, and finally reach a consensus and make decisions as the truth holding power, implying that the brothers and sisters are the spokespeople for the truth, synonymous with the truth itself. Is understanding it this way correct? Clearly, it is not, but some antichrists and false leaders indeed act this way and implement it as such. They think that by doing so, they are practicing democracy, that they are making a democratic decision and it should be done this way regardless of whether it aligns with the truth or not. What is the essence of acting this way? Do matters decided democratically automatically align with the truth? Do they automatically represent God? If democracy were the truth, there would be no need for God to express the truth; wouldn’t it be enough to just let democracy rule? No matter how corrupt humankind practices democracy, it cannot produce the truth through practicing democracy. The truth comes from God, from Christ’s expressions. No matter how much a human method may align with human ideas or tastes, it cannot represent the truth. This is a fact. The essence of the approaches of false leaders and antichrists is, under the guise of the truth holding power, to completely sideline Christ, to replace Christ with democracy, and to replace the rule of Christ with the method of communal fellowshipping and democratic rule. Are the nature and consequences of this easily discernible? Perceptive people should be able to see them. False leaders and antichrists are not those who submit to Christ but those who deny and defy Him. No matter what Christ fellowships in the church, even if they listen and understand, people treat it as just wind blowing past their ears and are unwilling to implement it. Instead, they pay attention to what the false leaders and antichrists say; in the end, it is their words that count. Whether people can practice according to Christ’s words depends on the decisions of these false leaders and antichrists, and most people tend to follow them. Antichrists implement a tight watch over church work, allowing only themselves to make decisions and not letting God have a say or hold power. They think, “Christ is only here to inspect the work. You can say Your piece and arrange the work, but how it’s implemented is up to us. Don’t interfere with our work.” Isn’t this what antichrists do? Antichrists are always saying “all the brothers and sisters have fellowshipped” or “all the brothers and sisters have reached a consensus”—do those who say such things actually understand the truth? Who are the brothers and sisters? Aren’t they just a group of people deeply corrupted by Satan? How much truth do they understand, how much of the truth reality do they possess? Can they represent Christ? Are they the embodiment of the truth? Can they be the spokespeople for the truth? Do they have any relationship with the truth? (No.) Since there is no relationship, why do those who say such things always regard the brothers and sisters as supreme? Why don’t they exalt and testify for God? Why don’t they speak and act according to the truth? Aren’t those who speak in this way absurd people? After reading God’s words and listening to sermons for so many years, they don’t understand any truth and can’t see what true brothers and sisters are. Aren’t they blind? Now, all have been classified according to their kind; many have revealed their true character, they are all Satan’s ilk—they are purely beasts. Can’t you see this clearly? You possess no truth at all! Some people are unwilling to listen to Me dissect antichrists. They say, “Oh, don’t always talk about such a trivial thing as antichrists; it’s embarrassing. Why are You always dissecting antichrists?” Would not dissecting them be okay? They must be dissected in this way to teach people to discern. Otherwise, once antichrists appear, they will unleash many heresies and fallacies, mislead many people, and even control the church and establish their own independent kingdom. Do you see clearly how serious the consequences of this matter are? Just now, we fellowshipped about what the truth holding power is. Through the fellowship, people have seen the absurd methods and preposterous views of antichrists. Antichrists always want to hold power themselves and don’t want Christ to hold power, so they turn the rule of the truth into a democratic form, advocating that everyone conferring together on matters is the truth holding power. Isn’t there Satan’s trickery in this? Is the truth something that everyone can arrive at through deliberation? Truth is expressed by God and originates from God. Why can’t you directly practice God’s words, directly submit to God, and directly submit to God’s arrangements? Why must Christ’s commands be determined through everyone’s deliberation? Isn’t this Satan’s plotting? Antichrists often unleash a set of theories to mislead people, and no matter which work task they implement, they have the final say, completely violating the truth principles. Looking at it from the manifestations of antichrists, what exactly is their disposition? Are they people who love positive things and love the truth? Do they have true submission toward God? (No.) Their essence is one of being averse to and hating the truth. Moreover, they are so arrogant that they lose all rationality, even lacking the basic conscience and reason that people should have. Such people are not worthy to be called human. They can only be said to be those of Satan’s ilk; they are devils. Anyone who doesn’t accept the truth in the slightest is a devil—this is beyond all doubt.

There are also some people who adopt a neither humble nor arrogant attitude toward Christ’s words. They neither express complete acceptance nor do they oppose. When Christ speaks, fellowships the truth, discerns an individual, or assigns a work task, on the surface, they appear to be listening and taking notes, showing seriousness and cooperation. They take meticulous notes about everything, jotting down various marks, seemingly very interested in the truth and highly valuing what Christ says, as if they particularly love the truth and are unwaveringly faithful to Christ. But can such people’s attitude toward the truth, their disposition, and their essence be seen from such superficial phenomena? They cannot. Such people seem to be taking notes and listening on the outside, but what are they really thinking in their hearts? When they look at what they’ve noted, they think, “What is all this? Not a single useful line, nothing that looks lofty or aligned with the truth, nor anything that seems logical to me. I might as well tear it up!” Isn’t this a kind of attitude? I’ve seen many people nodding and making various facial expressions while listening to sermons, taking notes at the same time too, but afterward, they don’t take it seriously at all. They don’t remember what they should implement, nor do they keep it in their hearts or act on it. As for practicing what they should, that’s even less likely to happen. What they should implement is related to the work of God’s house and their duty, and what they should enter into pertains to their personal entry. They don’t implement what they should, and even less so do they take their personal entry seriously. They say, “It’s been said that every sentence spoken and expressed by Christ is the truth, is what people should enter into, that it’s all the truth, the way, and the life—but I don’t see any truth or way in what I note down each time, nor do I feel it’s life. So how could the statement that Christ has the essence of God be fulfilled? How could it be realized? How could it match up to what I see? It doesn’t match up easily.” Some people say, “If this is their attitude after listening, then why did they even take notes? They seemed to have a proper, serious, and responsible attitude; what’s going on?” There’s only one reason. If someone who doesn’t love the truth and is extremely averse to it can appear especially earnest and attentive when Christ speaks, their sole intention is nothing more than to just half-heartedly go through the motions, not genuine acceptance. Every time they read God’s words or come into contact with Christ and converse with Him, what they perceive is not the so-called loftiness, unfathomability, or wonder of God but His practicality, normality, and insignificance. Therefore, from their own viewpoint and stance, it’s impossible for them to associate the words of this ordinary person with the truth, the way, or the life. No matter how they look at this person, they just see a human; they can’t regard Him as God or Christ. So, they cannot possibly treat these exceedingly ordinary words as the truth to observe, to practice, and to use as a guide for living, a goal for existence, and so on—they find it distressing. They say, “How come I can’t see any truth in these ordinary words? How can you all see it? Aren’t these just ordinary words? They are human language, human text, human grammar, even using some human phrases and vocabulary, and dissecting some human proverbs and aspects of culture. How can these words contain the truth? Why can’t I see it? Since you all say it’s the truth, then I’ll just follow along and parrot everyone else; I’ll take notes because that’s what everyone else is doing, but while you all regard Him as the truth, I certainly don’t. ‘Truth’ is such a sacred word, it must be something extremely lofty! When it comes to the truth, it involves God, and when it involves God, it can’t be so ordinary, so insignificant, so common. So, no matter how I scrutinize and analyze, I can’t find any hint of God in Him. If there’s no hint of God in Him, how can He save us? It’s impossible. If His words can’t save us or benefit us, why should we follow Him? Why should we implement His words? Why should we live by His words?” Now they’ve shown their true colors as antichrists, haven’t they? From beginning to end, their attitude toward the flesh in which God is incarnate is one of scrutiny. There is neither acceptance nor submission in the way they treat God’s words, much less do they practice, engage with, or experience them. Instead, they treat God’s words with an attitude of resistance, opposition, and rejection. They reluctantly take some notes when Christ is conversing with people, but deep down, they don’t accept a bit of it. After interacting with Christ, some people say, “Speaking and fellowshipping with God face-to-face is truly enjoyable.” The antichrist says, “I’ll give it a try too. I’ll talk face-to-face with Christ and see what Christ’s facial expressions, actions, and speech are really like when He talks to people. I’ll see what one can gain or discover from it, whether it’s beneficial for people to lay down a foundation and affirm their belief in Him as the true God.” With such an attitude toward Christ and His words, can they have any real practice or implementation? No, they can’t. They’re nothing more than spectators come to watch the excitement, they’re not at all here to seek the truth. Do you think the attitude with which these people treat Christ and converse with Him is a bit like a group of neighborhood ladies chatting together on the porch, where speaking to anyone doesn’t require earnestness, and everyone just says what they want? These people treat Christ the same way: “You express Your views, I’ll hold onto mine. Let’s agree to disagree; You don’t expect to persuade me, and I certainly won’t accept what You say.” Isn’t it that kind of attitude? What is this attitude? (Disdainful and irreverent.) These people are strange. Since you don’t acknowledge Christ as the flesh in which God is incarnate, then why do you believe in and follow Him? If you don’t believe, why not just leave and be done with it? Who is forcing you to believe? No one is forcing you to believe in God; it’s your own choice.

When some people listen to My fellowship on a matter, they quickly develop different opinions: “You think of it that way, but I think of it this way. You have Your ideas regarding each matter, and I have mine; everyone has their own ideas.” What sort of creature would say this? When God supplies the truth to people, is it merely a kind of argument? Are God’s words just an academic theory? (No.) Then what are they? (They are the truth.) Be more specific. (They are the principles and direction for human conduct, the necessities for people’s life.) Why do we say God supplies the truth to people? Has it ever been said that He supplies knowledge? (No.) Why do we say that God’s words are for people to eat and drink? God’s words are like people’s food; they can sustain your physical body and allow you to live, and moreover, they allow you to live well, they allow you to live with the semblance of a human. They’re life for a person! God’s words are not a form of knowledge, an argument, or a saying. Knowledge, arguments, and human traditional culture can only corrupt people. People can live with or without them, but if one wishes to live and become an up-to-standard, qualified created being, they cannot do so without the truth. So what exactly is the truth? (It’s the criterion for comporting oneself, for acting, and for worshiping God.) Right, that’s more specific. Do antichrists see it this way? They don’t accept this fact. They object, resist, and condemn this fact, so they cannot gain the truth. In their thoughts and views, they think, “You’re just an ordinary person. You say one thing and other people go practice according to Your words, so why can’t I say something correct and have people go practice it too? Why is it that what You say is always correct and what I say is always wrong? Why are Your words considered the truth while mine are considered knowledge and doctrines?” It’s not based on anything—it’s a fact, and that is determined by essence. Christ is the flesh in which God is incarnate, and His essence is God. No one can deny this; even if antichrists refuse to acknowledge or accept it, they cannot deny it. The moment man turns away from Christ and rejects Him, is the moment of man’s destruction. Without Christ and His words, no one can be saved. Isn’t this a fact? (Yes.) What kind of edification can those words and theories of antichrists bring to people? If people don’t accept them, will they suffer any loss? No, there won’t be any loss. The words of antichrists have no positive influence on anyone, but rather have many negative impacts. If Christ didn’t say a single sentence and just came to live a normal life for however many years before leaving, what would humankind gain? Besides bearing the cross, what else could humankind gain? They would still live in sin, confessing and repenting, inextricably trapped in sin, becoming increasingly depraved, and ultimately, when God’s work ends, they would all be destroyed. That would be what becomes of humankind. But Christ came, expressed all the words God intended to say to man, supplied all the truth man needs, and revealed to man what God has and is. Didn’t this bring about a turning point for man? In other words, didn’t Christ’s words create a turning point for man? (Yes.) What is this turning point? Primarily, it’s the shift from humans facing condemnation and destruction to having the opportunity and hope of being saved. Isn’t that a turning point? People’s hope has arrived; they see the dawn and have the hope of being saved and surviving. When God destroys and punishes humankind, they can avoid destruction and punishment. So, for such a humankind that can survive, are Christ and His words a good or bad thing? (A good thing.) They’re a good thing. For antichrists to be so hostile toward and loathe such a Christ, such an ordinary person, this much, is determined by their essence.

There is another manifestation of antichrists in their treatment of God incarnate: They say, “As soon as I saw Christ was an ordinary person, notions formed in my mind. The Word Appears in the Flesh is an expression of God; it is the truth, and I admit it. I have a copy of The Word Appears in the Flesh, and that’s enough. I don’t need to have contact with Christ. If I have notions, negativity, or weakness, I can resolve them just by reading God’s word. It is easy to form notions if I have contact with God incarnate, and this will show I am too deeply corrupted. If I happen to be condemned by God, I will have no hope of salvation. So, it’s better if I just read God’s word on my own. It is God in heaven who can save people.” It is God’s present words and fellowship, especially those words that expose antichrists’ disposition and essence, that most sting antichrists’ hearts and are the most painful to them. These are the words antichrists are the least willing to read. Therefore, antichrists wish in their hearts that God would leave the earth soon, so that they can rule by dint of their own power on earth. They believe that the flesh in which God is incarnate, this ordinary person, is superfluous to them. They always ponder, “Before listening to Christ’s sermons, I felt I understood everything, and was fine in all regards, but after listening to Christ’s sermons, it’s different. I now feel as if I have nothing, I feel I am so insignificant and pitiable.” Therefore, they determine that Christ’s words are not exposing them but others, and think there’s no need to listen to Christ’s sermons, that reading The Word Appears in the Flesh is enough. In the hearts of antichrists, their main intention is to deny the fact of God becoming flesh, to deny the fact that Christ expresses the truth, thinking that in this way there is hope for them to be saved through their belief in God, and they can reign as kings in the church, thus satisfying their initial intention in believing in God. Antichrists have an inborn nature of resistance to God; they are as incompatible with the incarnate God as fire and water, in eternal disaccord. They think that every day Christ exists is a day on which it will be hard for them to shine, and that they are in danger of being condemned, cast out, destroyed, and punished. So long as Christ does not speak and does not work, and so long as God’s chosen people do not look up to Christ, then antichrists’ opportunity is upon them. They have a chance to demonstrate their abilities. With a wave of the hand, masses of people will defect to their side, and antichrists can reign as kings. The nature essence of antichrists is to be averse to the truth and hateful toward Christ. They compete with Christ over who is more talented or who is more capable; they compete with Christ over whose words carry more power and whose abilities are greater. As they are doing the same thing as Christ, they are out to make others see that although they and He alike are human, Christ’s abilities and scholarship are no better than an ordinary person’s. Antichrists compete with Christ in every way, contesting who is better, and trying to deny from every angle the fact that Christ is God, that He is the embodiment of God’s Spirit, and that He is the embodiment of truth. They also think of various ways and means in every area to prevent Christ from holding power among God’s chosen people, to prevent Christ’s words from being spread or implemented among God’s chosen people, and even to prevent the things Christ does and His demands of, and hopes for, people from being realized among God’s chosen ones. It is as if when Christ is present, they are snubbed, and are condemned and rejected by the church—a group of people put in a dark corner. We can see in the various manifestations of antichrists that by essence and disposition, they are irreconcilable with Christ—they cannot be under the same sky as Him! Antichrists have been inimical to God since they were born; they are out specifically to resist God, and they want to defeat and vanquish Christ. They want all the work Christ does to be in vain and for nothing, so that in the end, Christ will not gain many people, and so that no matter where He does work, He will get no results. Only then will antichrists be happy. If Christ expresses truths, and people are thirsty for them, seek them, gladly accept them, are willing to expend themselves for Christ, to forsake everything and spread Christ’s gospel, then antichrists grow depressed and feel there is no hope for tomorrow, that there will never be a chance for them to shine, as though they were cast into hell. To look at these manifestations of antichrists, is this essence of theirs to fight God and regard Him with hostility inculcated in them by someone else? It absolutely is not; they are born with it. Therefore, antichrists are a type of person that, from birth, is the reincarnation of the devil, the devil come to earth. They can never possibly accept the truth, and will never accept Christ, exalt Christ, or bear witness to Christ. Although by appearances, you will not see them publicly judge or condemn Christ, and although they can compliantly exert some effort and pay a price, as soon as they have a chance, when the moment is ripe, antichrists’ irreconcilability with God will show itself. The fact that antichrists fight God and establish an independent kingdom will become public. All of these things have happened before in places where there are antichrists, and they have been especially frequent in these years when God does His work of judgment of the last days; many people have experienced and observed them.

June 27, 2020