2. You testify that, during the last days, Almighty God expresses the truth and carries out the work of judging and cleansing man. At the very end, He shall gain a group of overcomers, and shall subsequently annihilate this old, wicked age, leading man into a new age. Could you please fellowship in more detail about how God destroys this old, wicked age during the last days?
Relevant Words of God:
When God’s people have all been made complete and all the countries of the earth become Christ’s kingdom, that will be the time when the seven thunders peal. The current day is a stride toward that stage; the charge has been unleashed toward that day. This is God’s plan, and in the near future it will be realized. However, what God speaks of has all been accomplished by Him already. Thus, it is clear that the countries of earth are but castles in the sand, on the verge of crumbling—the last day is imminent, and the great red dragon will topple beneath God’s word. To ensure that God’s plan is completely successful, the angels have descended into the human world and begun to do their utmost to satisfy God, and the incarnate God is Himself present at the field of battle to wage war against the enemy. Where the incarnation is, that is where the enemy is exterminated. China will be the first to be destroyed; it will be annihilated by the hand of God. God will give it absolutely no quarter. As God’s people grow more mature, it proves that the great red dragon is collapsing further; this is clearly visible to man. The maturation of God’s people is the augury of the enemy’s demise. This is a bit of an explanation of what is meant by “compete.”
—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Interpretations of the Mysteries of “God’s Words to the Entire Universe,” Chapter 10
All will be accomplished by My words; no man may partake, and no man can do the work that I will carry out. I will wipe clean the air of all lands and eradicate all trace of the demons on earth. I have already begun, and I will commence the first step of My work of chastisement in the dwelling place of the great red dragon. Thus it can be seen that My chastisement has befallen the entire universe, and that the great red dragon and all kinds of unclean spirits will be powerless to escape My chastisement, for I scrutinize all lands. When My work on earth is completed, that is, when the era of judgment comes to an end, I will formally chastise the great red dragon. My people will surely see My righteous chastisement of the great red dragon, will surely pour forth praise because of My righteousness, and will surely forever extol My holy name because of My righteousness. Hence you will formally perform your duty, and will formally praise Me throughout the lands, forever and ever!
When the era of judgment reaches its peak, I will not hasten to conclude My work, but will integrate into it the evidence of the era of chastisement and allow this evidence to be seen by all My people; in this will be borne greater fruit. This evidence is the means by which I chastise the great red dragon, and I will cause My people to behold it with their own eyes so that they will know more of My disposition. The time when My people enjoy Me is when the great red dragon is chastised. Causing the people of the great red dragon to rise up and revolt against it is My plan, and this is the method by which I make perfect My people, and it is a great opportunity for all My people to grow in life. … Today, I advance together with man into the era of chastisement, going forth with him side by side. I am doing My work, which is to say, I strike down My rod among man and it falls upon that which is rebellious in man. In the eyes of man, My rod seems to have special powers: It comes upon all those who are My enemies and does not easily spare them; among all who oppose Me, the rod performs its inherent function; all those who are in My hands perform their duty according to My intentions, and never have they gone against My intentions or changed their substance. As a result, the waters will roar, the mountains will topple, the great rivers will disintegrate, man will be ever given to change, the sun will grow dim, the moon will darken, man will have no more days of living in peace, there will be no more times of tranquility upon the land, the heavens will never again remain calm and quiet, and will endure no longer. All things will be renewed and will recover their original appearance. All households upon earth will be torn apart, and all countries on earth will be rent asunder; gone will be the days of reunions between husband and wife, no more will mother and son meet again, never again will there be the coming together of father and daughter. All that used to be on earth will be smashed by Me.
—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God’s Words to the Entire Universe, Chapter 28
In His final work of concluding the age, God’s disposition is one of chastisement and judgment, in which He reveals all that is unrighteous, in order to publicly judge the myriad peoples, and to perfect those who sincerely love Him. Only a disposition such as this can bring the age to an end. The last days have already arrived. All things are sorted according to their kind, and divided into different categories based on their different qualities. This is precisely the time when God reveals people’s outcomes and destinations. If people do not experience chastisement and judgment, then their rebelliousness and unrighteousness cannot be exposed. Only through chastisement and judgment can the outcomes of all things be revealed. People only show their true colors when they are chastised and judged. Evil shall be put with evil, good with good, and all people shall be sorted according to their kind. Through chastisement and judgment, the outcomes of all things will be revealed, so that the evil may be punished and the good rewarded, and the myriad people surrender to the dominion of God. All this work must be achieved through righteous chastisement and judgment. Because people’s corruption has reached its peak and their rebelliousness is exceedingly severe, only God’s righteous disposition, one that is principally compounded of chastisement and judgment and is revealed during the last days, can fully transform people and make them complete, and reveal evil, and all the unrighteous will thus be severely punished. Therefore, a disposition such as this is imbued with the significance of the age. God’s disposition is revealed and disclosed for the sake of the work of each new age. It is not that God reveals His disposition arbitrarily and without significance. Suppose that, in the last days of revealing people’s outcomes, God were still to love people with infinite mercy and lovingkindness, and continue to be loving toward them, not subjecting them to righteous judgment but rather showing them tolerance, patience, and forgiveness, and pardoning them no matter how grave their sins were, without any jot of righteous judgment. When then would all of God’s management ever be brought to a close? When would a disposition such as this be able to lead people into mankind’s appropriate destination? Take, for example, a judge who is always loving toward people, a loving judge with a kindly face and a gentle heart. He loves people no matter what crimes they have committed, and he is loving to and forbearing with people no matter who they are. In that case, when will he ever be able to reach a just verdict? During the last days, only righteous judgment can sort people according to their kind and bring them into a new realm. In this way, the entire age is brought to an end through God’s righteous disposition of judgment and chastisement.
—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Vision of God’s Work (3)
All manner of disasters will befall, one after another; all countries and places will experience disasters: Plague, famine, flood, drought, and earthquakes are everywhere. These disasters are not just happening in one or two places, nor will they be over within a day or two; rather, they will expand across a greater and greater area, and become more and more severe. During this time, all manner of insect plagues will arise one after another, and the phenomenon of cannibalism will occur everywhere. This is My judgment upon the myriad countries and peoples.
—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Utterances of Christ in the Beginning, Chapter 65
It can be said that all of today’s utterances prophesy future matters; these utterances are how God makes arrangements for the next step of His work. God has almost finished His work in the people of the church, and afterward He shall appear before all people with rage. As God says, “I shall make the people on earth acknowledge My doings, and My deeds shall be proven before the ‘judgment seat,’ so that they may be acknowledged among people across the earth, who all shall yield.” Did you see anything in these words? In this is the summary of the next part of God’s work. First, God shall make all the guard dogs who wield political power sincerely convinced and He shall make them step back from the stage of history of their own accord, never again to fight for status, and never again to engage in schemes and intrigue. This work must be carried out through God, by raising up various disasters on earth. But it is not at all the case that God will appear. At this time, the country of the great red dragon shall still be a land of filth, and therefore God will not appear, but will merely emerge through chastisement. Such is the righteous disposition of God, from which none can escape. During this time, all who inhabit the country of the great red dragon will suffer calamity, which naturally also includes the kingdom on earth (the church). This is the very time when the facts come forth, and so it is experienced by all people, and none can escape. This has been preordained by God. It is precisely because of this step of work that God says, “Now is the time to carry out grand plans.” Because, in the future, there will be no church on earth, and due to the advent of catastrophe, people will only be capable of thinking about what is in front of them, and will neglect everything else, and it will be difficult for them to enjoy God amidst catastrophe. Thus, people are asked to love God with all their heart during this wonderful time, so that they do not miss the chance. When this fact passes, God will have utterly defeated the great red dragon, and thus the work of God’s people bearing testimony to Him will have come to an end; afterward, God will commence the next step of work, laying waste to the country of the great red dragon, and ultimately nailing people of the entire universe upside down on the cross, after which He shall annihilate all mankind—these are the future steps of God’s work.
—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Interpretations of the Mysteries of “God’s Words to the Entire Universe,” Chapter 42
When God lets loose His great wrath, the whole world will experience all sorts of disasters as a result, like a volcano exploding. Standing on high in the sky, it can be seen that on the earth, every manner of calamity approaches all of mankind, closer by the day. Looking down from on high, the earth presents a variety of scenes like those that precede an earthquake. Liquid fire rushes unchecked, lava flows freely, mountains shift, and a cold light glitters over all. The entire world has sunk into fire. This is the scene of God unleashing His wrath, and it is the time of His judgment. All those who are of flesh and blood will be unable to escape. Thus, wars between countries and conflicts between people will not be needed to destroy the entire world; instead, the world will “consciously enjoy itself” within the cradle of God’s chastisement. No one will be able to escape; each and every person must pass through this ordeal, one by one. After that, the entire universe will once again sparkle with holy radiance and all of mankind will once again begin a new life. And God will be at rest above the universe and will bless all of mankind each day.
—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Interpretations of the Mysteries of “God’s Words to the Entire Universe,” Chapter 18
All humanity longs to see My face, but when I descend in person upon the earth, they are all averse to My arrival, and they banish the light’s arrival, as if I were man’s enemy in heaven. Man greets Me with a defensive light in his eyes, and remains constantly alert, deeply afraid that I might have other plans for him. Because human beings regard Me as an unfamiliar friend, they feel as if I harbor the intent of killing them indiscriminately. In man’s eyes, I am a deadly antagonist. Having tasted My warmth in the midst of calamity, man nevertheless remains unaware of My love, and is still bent on fending Me off and defying Me. Far from taking advantage of his condition to take action against him, I enfold man in the warmth of embrace, fill his mouth with sweetness, and put needful food into his stomach. But, when My wrathful ire shakes the mountains and rivers, I will no longer, on account of man’s cowardice, bestow on him these different forms of succor. At this moment, I will wax furious, refusing all living things a chance to repent and, abandoning all My hopes for man, I will mete out the retribution he so richly deserves. At this time, thunder and lightning flash and roar, like the ocean’s waves raging in anger, like tens of thousands of mountains crashing down. For his rebelliousness, man is felled by the thunder and lightning, and other creatures are wiped out in the blasts of thunder and lightning, and the whole universe descends abruptly into chaos, and creation is unable to recover the primal breath of life. The myriad hosts of humanity cannot escape the thunder’s roar; in the midst of flashes of lightning, human beings, horde upon horde, topple over into the swift flow, to be swept away by torrents that cascade down from the mountains. All of a sudden, the world of “men” converges in the place of man’s “destination.” Corpses drift about on the ocean’s surface. All of humanity goes far away from Me on account of My wrath, for man has sinned against the essence of My Spirit, and his rebelliousness has offended Me. But, in the places empty of water, other men still enjoy, amid laughter and song, the promises that I have vouchsafed unto them.
—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God’s Words to the Entire Universe, Chapter 17
While the old world exists, I will hurl forth My wrath upon each country and promulgate the administrative decrees that are made public to the whole universe, and whoever violates them shall be chastised:
When I speak to the whole universe, all people hear My voice, that is, all people see all the deeds I have carried out throughout the universe. Those who go against My intentions, that is to say, who oppose Me with the deeds of man, will fall down amid My chastisement. I will renew the multitudinous stars in the heavens; thanks to Me, the sun and the moon will be renewed, the skies no longer being as they were; and all things on the earth will be renewed—this will all be accomplished because of My words. All the countries within the universe will be partitioned afresh and be replaced by My kingdom, so that the countries upon the earth will disappear forever, and there will only be the kingdom that worships Me; all the countries of the earth will be destroyed and cease to exist. Of the human beings within the universe, all those who are of devils will be annihilated. All who worship Satan will fall down amid My burning fire—that is, except for those now within the stream, all will be turned to ashes. When I chastise each people, religious communities will, to varying extents, return to My kingdom, and be conquered through My deeds, because they will have seen that “the Holy One riding on a white cloud” has already arrived. All people will be sorted according to their kind, and will receive various chastisements commensurate with their actions; all those who have resisted Me will perish, and as for those whose deeds on earth have not involved Me, they will, because of how they have behaved, continue to exist on the earth under the governance of My sons and My people. I will appear to the myriad countries and myriad peoples, and I will express My own voice on earth, proclaiming the completion of My great work, allowing all people to see this with their own eyes.
—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God’s Words to the Entire Universe, Chapter 26