The Relationship Between the Laws and Rules of Survival Created by God for All Things and the Survival of Mankind

Now that we’ve finished discussing human civilization and culture, let’s next talk about the relationship between the survival of this mankind created by God, and the laws and rules of survival created by God for all things. From a macroscopic perspective, the world God created has mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, oceans, land, and deserts, as well as the sun, moon, and stars, and the space on earth, and the cosmos that people cannot see. And what is there from a microscopic perspective? There are tiny molecules, molecules in the air, and various microorganisms. Whether viewed from a macroscopic or microscopic perspective, it all involves God’s creation—the creation by God’s hands and by God’s thoughts. From the perspective of God’s creation, the earth and all the living things on it exist for the purpose of maintaining mankind’s survival on earth, and God wants to gain the created humans He desires from among the people on earth. Therefore, the laws and rules of survival created by God for all things are the most basic conditions for human survival. It can thus be definitively stated that they are positive things, right? (Yes.) What are the most basic conditions for human survival? Water, air, sunlight, food—are these things created by God? (Yes.) Are they positive things? (Yes.) Then why is the existence of these things said to be a positive thing? There is a reason for this: The existence of these things depends on the existence of the laws and rules of survival for all things. What laws and rules of survival are there among all things? The four seasons; day and night; wind, frost, snow, and rain—these are all rules. What else? You think of some too. (There are also the solar terms.) The solar terms are included in the four seasons. What else? The waxing and waning of the moon, the rising and falling of the tides. There’s also, “Big fish eat little fish”—this is a law and rule of survival, and is not a negative thing. People use the phrase, “Big fish eat little fish,” to describe the cutthroat nature of the human world; this is taking the normal phenomenon of a positive thing and calling it a negative thing. There are also many patterns of activity of living things. Think about what that includes. (Does “The strong prey on the weak” count as a law of survival?) No, that is a pejorative way of putting it by people; it should be “survival of the fittest.” (I remember God once fellowshipped that all things strengthen each other, counteract each other, and exist together. Does that count?) Yes, it does. They all strengthen each other, counteract each other, and exist together—this is a very important aspect. “The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind” is another one; this is somewhat related to things strengthening and counteracting each other. (Is birth, aging, sickness, and death one?) Yes, it is. There’s also “Crows feed their aging mothers and lambs kneel to suckle,” which is about a mammal and a bird—this is a phenomenon in the animal kingdom, it is a rule of nature. There are actually many laws and rules of survival for all things: the changing of the four seasons; the appearance of wind, frost, snow, and rain; the cycle of day and night; the waxing and waning of the moon; the rising and falling of the tides; the mutual strengthening, counteracting, and coexistence of all things; as well as the birth, aging, sickness, and death of humans and all other creatures, and the patterns of activity of various creatures. Some creatures sleep during the day and are active at night, while others are active during the day and sleep at night, like humans. Some creatures live in groups, while others are solitary; for example, eagles generally fly alone, while wild geese fly in flocks and are gregarious animals. There is also the phenomenon in the living world of crows feeding their aging mothers and lambs kneeling to suckle. All such things are different kinds of phenomena and manifestations that can be seen and felt in real life. The appearance of all these macroscopic and microscopic phenomena follows the laws and rules established by God. The inception, existence, and continuation of all these laws and rules serve one purpose: to maintain the most basic living environment of the earth, this home of mankind’s survival. With this most basic living environment, mankind has the earth as the home which they rely on for survival, allowing them to continue to reproduce and live on. It also endlessly supplies the basic water, air, sunlight, and food that mankind needs. It is only with this endless supply that the physical life of humans, these beings created by God, can exist, reproduce, and be sustained continuously, and that mankind has the opportunity to come before God and accept His salvation when He carries out His management work, becoming created beings that God accepts. Therefore, among all things created by God, no matter what form any living thing has, no matter what its laws and rules of survival are, and no matter what its relationship with all other things is like, in short, it survives amid the laws and rules created by God. That is to say, every living thing, on the premise of being created by God, abides by the laws and rules He has established, playing their own indispensable role amid them. This is the food chain that is produced through the laws and rules established by God for mankind, and this food chain is of vital importance to mankind. The precondition for the existence of the food chain is that all things must abide by the laws and rules established by God. If they ignore these laws and rules and run amok, the consequence will be that the food chain that exists among all things created by God will break. Once this food chain breaks, the water, air, sunlight, and food mankind depends on for survival will be affected to varying degrees, either gradually or one after another. Therefore, all of the laws and rules for all things established by God, and each living thing created by God, have a vital impact on the food chain. If a problem arises with any of the rules of survival for all things, it will have a knock-on effect on the existence and continuation of the food chain, and so the basic water, air, sunlight, and food that mankind needs will be compromised. Thus, the food chain is a key source and an important indicator of whether mankind can survive. What exactly is this food chain? The food chain involves God’s creation. Among all things created by God, there are tangible things, and there are also some intangible things that are invisible to the naked eye. These tangible things include mountains, rivers, forests, soil, deserts, the North and South Poles, the sun, stars, and moon, as well as various animals and plants, and so on. The intangible things include microorganisms, air, even the ultraviolet rays in sunlight, as well as what humans have researched—so-called atoms and energy, some of the invisible nutrients contained in the air and in water, and so on. All these macroscopic, tangible things, along with the microorganisms and the substances contained within things like sunlight and air that people cannot see—all of these things together form the living environment essential for human survival. If problems arise in this living environment, mankind’s survival and future will face challenges and come under threat. So, the laws and rules of survival for all things are a basic condition necessary for maintaining the food chain, and the existence of the food chain in turn forms a basic condition for mankind’s survival. Thus, whether it’s the laws and rules, the food chain, or water, air, sunlight, and food, if a problem arises with any of these, it will inevitably affect mankind’s survival—that is, it will affect the survival of the physical life of this created being, mankind. So, for God, there must be no problems with the laws and rules of survival for all things, the food chain, water, air, sunlight, and food; they must all be maintained, sustained, and kept going in an orderly manner—only in this way can mankind continue to survive and their physical lives be sustained.

What is the issue that is involved in mankind’s continued survival? Among the laws and rules of survival for all things, the broader aspects—things like day and night, and the four seasons—are necessary. Within these, there basically isn’t anything that people think of as bad according to their imaginings. When it comes to various living things like trees, flowers, and plants, since they don’t have any kind of lethal impact on people, people don’t develop any notions about them. However, there are some poisonous and harmful things in the food chain, such as mosquitoes, that have some negative effects on the human body. These are things that, going by their notions, people dislike—especially some highly venomous living things, such as certain snakes, scorpions, and centipedes. So why did God create these venomous things? What was His purpose in creating them? What role do they play in the food chain? This is crucial. Although judging by their forms or their nature, or by some of the life traits they possess among other living things, it seems that they do not play a positive role, why are they said to be positive things? This must be explained in terms of the food chain. We’re not studying biology—we won’t discuss things from a scientific perspective, but will look at this from the perspective of God’s intention in creating living things like this. For one thing, God gave them a unique skill for ensuring their survival, allowing them to preserve their life in this way. For another, they also play a certain role in the food chain—their way of survival and the venom they secrete can provide necessary nutrients or food sources for other living things. Beyond that, they also provide necessary conditions for the transmission, reproduction, derivation, and evolution of bacteria and the transmission of genes throughout the biosphere, playing a certain role in this regard. Only with the existence of these living things can the biosphere maintain genetic balance and a balance in terms of bacterial diversification, keeping the various types of bacteria in equilibrium. Take mosquitoes and flies, for example. They eat some parasites and also transmit some bacteria. We won’t go into greater depth; it’s just this simple concept. In short, some special living things serve some special purposes for mankind, and also play an indispensable role in the food chain. This indispensable role maintains the existence of the food chain. All things can only survive and carry on in an orderly manner if this food chain exists and is not destroyed. Because all things share a relationship in which they strengthen each other, counteract each other, and exist together, the food chain must not be broken. The existence of the various living things within the food chain must be kept in a state of balance, and their living space and existence must be maintained. Therefore, the laws and rules of survival for all things established by God are of vital importance. Only the existence of the laws and rules of survival created by God for all things can ensure the continuation of the food chain and guarantee that it is not broken. The existence, continuation, and protection of the food chain is a basic guarantee that people will be able to obtain water, air, sunlight, and food. Only when people have this basic guarantee can their physical lives be sustained; only then can they reproduce and live on in this earthly home, a living environment such as this. Only in this way can mankind have a future and have hope.

Principles for the Treatment of All Things Created by God

The laws and rules followed by the four seasons, day and night, and wind, frost, snow, and rain—things that exist under the laws and rules created by God—as well as the forms in which they appear, are, by any measure, positive things created by God. As for the various living things—regardless of their forms, their ways of survival, or their manners of hunting or obtaining food—in short, so long as they live within the laws and rules established by God, and so long as they are an essential, indispensable part of the food chain created by God, they are positive things that come from God. People should not judge them based on their own outlooks and preferences. Someone might say, “So are mosquitoes and flies positive things, then? What about venomous snakes, centipedes, and scorpions? And especially toads, which are so ugly—are they positive things, too?” What is the accurate way of putting it? The roles played by these species created by God and the laws and rules they follow are all positive things. And what about their physical forms and appearances—are they positive things? You could call them positive things if you really had to, but they’re not negative things. At the very least, in terms of the rules they follow, the roles these living things play, and their necessity in the food chain, they exist as positive things. Isn’t this way of putting it accurate? (Yes.) To be precise, because such living things follow the laws and rules established by God and fulfill the responsibilities and mission that God has laid out for them—because they live up to their mission, whether it’s spreading bacteria or maintaining the reproductive equilibrium of various microorganisms—looking at it in terms of the roles they play and the significance and purpose of their creation by God, their very existence is a positive thing. If we were to say that the mosquito is a positive thing in itself, this might be a bit difficult to understand or accept. However, judging by God’s intention in creating it, the laws and rules it follows, and the role it plays in the food chain, it is indispensable—and so it is a positive thing. Some people say, “Since mosquitoes are positive things, does that mean we have to accept them, and that we shouldn’t swat them?” If a mosquito is about to bite you, you should still swat it. If a fly is buzzing around you while you’re eating, you can shoo it away or swat it. This is because one or two fewer mosquitoes or flies won’t cause any problems for the food chain, nor will it affect these creatures’ completion of their mission. If such a creature wants to fulfill its mission, it should find the right place to do so. It’s not needed in human living environments, so just drive it away and be done with it—coexist peacefully with it. If it doesn’t coexist peacefully with you and keeps bothering you, then it’s fine to shoo it away or swat it. This is called reasonable management and correct treatment. Some people say, “Mosquitoes always bother me and give me lots of bites. Can I curse them?” That’s not necessary. You can just swat them. You are within your rights to swat them; this is completely in line with the principle for how mankind—the steward of all things—should treat all things. For example, if a venomous snake enters your home, and you see that this is not where it belongs, just drive it into the woods. If you are bitten and poisoned by it, you have to find a way to get medical treatment immediately. There’s no need for you to try to find it to take revenge and kill it. If it harmed you again, wouldn’t that be even more troublesome? So, don’t go tit for tat with it; just learn to guard against it. Being able to learn a lesson from this matter is what an intelligent person would do. What were the three principles we just talked about? (First, be sure that it is a positive thing. Second, if it appears near you and you don’t want to bother with it, then just stay away from it—don’t let it get close, and don’t let it disturb you. Third, have a correct viewpoint toward it. Don’t feel repulsed by it or detest it. Instead, accept and acknowledge it, and then manage it reasonably.) Manage it reasonably and treat it correctly. Don’t complain about God or judge that God was wrong to create it, or that He might have made a mistake just because it has disturbed you or sometimes caused you some trouble, or even bitten and poisoned you—this way of looking at it is incorrect. It might be that you didn’t manage it well, or it might be that it mistakenly entered your home and disturbed you. But if you address it gently, saying, “You’ve gone the wrong way, this isn’t your home. If you have no ill will toward me, I won’t do you any harm. Move along to wherever you’re supposed to be,” and it sees that you won’t harm it, it’ll turn around and leave on its own. You say to it, “Goodbye. Until we meet again! Our meeting this time was meant to be. If we’re meant to meet again, I’ll still let you go.” Upon hearing this, it will think, “Humans are great. They really know how to manage us. They have no malice.” As long as you don’t harm it, it won’t harm you either. Some animals harm people because people are always harming them; they only harm people after developing animosity toward them, doing so because of people’s foolishness and viciousness. In the minds of such creatures, they naturally don’t have any animosity or hostility toward humans. You see, when Noah built the ark, none of the animals harmed anyone, and Noah could even interact with the animals and train them. At that time, humans and animals were friendly with each other. Later, humans grew more and more deeply corrupt, and became utterly vicious, always wanting to hunt animals for their meat, and so animosity between humans and various animals grew. Carnivorous animals, as soon as they catch the scent of a human, feel a tasty meal has been served, and want to eat their fill. Which side caused this? It was caused entirely by the utter viciousness of mankind. Do you understand? (Yes.)

Whether viewed from a macro or micro perspective, all things created by God are definitely positive things. Whether they’re viewed in terms of God’s original intention in creating them, the laws and rules God created for them, or the purpose and effect ultimately achieved, they all exist for mankind; they’ve all been designed and created for humans in their role as the stewards of all things. Thus, regardless of the forms or appearances of all things created by God, or what their temporary impact on people is, people should treat, manage, and understand them correctly, and accept them from God—this is of utmost importance. First, people must be sure that, as long as something is created by God—irrespective of whether it’s good or bad, beautiful or ugly; regardless of what kind of form it has; and, all the more, regardless of what kind of temporary impact it has on the human flesh—in short, as long as it comes from God, and was created by God’s hand, it has something to contribute to the basic survival of mankind. Based on this, people should accept all things created by God from God, and not arbitrarily or unilaterally choose whether to condemn or accept them based on their own outlooks and preferences. Instead, they should stand from the perspective of a created being in understanding them, learning to manage them and treat them correctly, and—to be even better—learning to get along and interact with them correctly. This is the responsibility and obligation that people—the masters of this earth and the stewards of this world, created by God—should fulfill. It is the role that people should play among all other creatures, and it is also a principle that people, proceeding from the standpoint of humanity, should most adhere to. If you don’t like certain things created by God, you can stay away from them. If you do like them, you can interact with them closely and approach them to learn about and manage them—or, even better, to protect their living environment, treat them kindly, leave them ample living space, and safeguard and properly uphold their right to survive. In fact, all things are weak compared to humans. Although God has given all things survival skills and instincts, no species other than humans can make tools and weapons; none of them have the power to undermine the laws and rules established by God, nor do they take the initiative to do so. Only humans have unending greed—both in their mentality and in their demands—toward various kinds of living things and toward all things. At the same time, only humans conduct scientific research, engage in chemical manufacturing, and make various tools and weapons for the sake of survival or for a better life. And only humans can learn academic knowledge and research or alter the living environments of various living things. However, most of what humans have done regarding the survival of various animals and living things and the laws of the food chain, has been destructive and disruptive, not conducive. So, in the final analysis, only humans can make weapons to slaughter each other and destroy their own basic living environment. Only humans develop industry, especially the chemical industry, producing all kinds of harmful substances that damage and destroy the earth that humankind inhabits—this one and only home of their survival. And only humans themselves have caused the basic water, air, sunlight, and food needed for their survival to be polluted and spoiled. What this means is that it’s humans themselves who’ve ruined their own path to survival; it was not caused by other living things. Therefore, as the masters of all things, how created humans should properly perform the role of managing all things, including all living things, is of vital importance. If humans keep using scientific methods to make weapons or various tools, or engage in chemical manufacturing, it will spell catastrophic disaster, whether it’s for themselves or for other living things. That is to say, humans have personally trodden over the laws and rules of survival for all things with their own hands, and personally destroyed the food chain as well. Of course, it’s humans that have personally ruined the earth, the home on which they depend for survival. This is deeply tragic. Who’s to blame for all these consequences? (People.) They’re due to people’s devastation and destruction of the positive things created by God. In the end, people can only reap what they have sown. If, from the beginning, people had been able to know the various roles played by all things created by God, to respect, cherish, and care for the various living things, to follow the rules and the laws of survival for all things established by God, and to protect the basic environment of the earth, the home on which they depend for survival, then humankind would not have reached the point they have today. So, regarding the topic of all God’s creations being positive things, what people should understand is the significance of the laws and rules of survival created by God for all things, as well as why people must follow them and how they should do so. At the same time, people should know that God’s purpose in creating all this is for the sake of mankind, and so they should cherish and protect it. If you cannot understand the significance of all this, you should at least regard it as a positive thing, as an essential, indispensable positive thing on which your survival depends, and cherish, care for, and manage it. You should treat it correctly and protect it in your capacity and role as master. Only in this way can mankind have a future and hope, and be able to continue living happily, right? (Yes.)

Is the topic of all God’s creations being positive things much clearer now? (Yes.) Let’s confirm one last time the proper way to treat the various objects and living things created by God. Go ahead and repeat the three principles we fellowshipped on just now. (First, as long as something is within the scope of positive things as defined by God, we should be certain in our hearts that it comes from God, that it is a positive thing, and that there’s significance behind God creating it; it’s so people can learn some lessons from it. Second, on the basis of being sure that it is a positive thing, if we don’t like it or don’t want to come into contact with it, we can ignore it. If it interferes with our lives, we can drive it away or stay away from it, and we should also learn some lessons and take some heed from it. Lastly, if it’s created by God, ordained by God, or under God’s sovereignty, we should not feel repulsed by it or detest it, but rather accept and acknowledge it with a correct attitude, and manage it reasonably.) Managing it reasonably is vitally important. If humans do not know how to manage all the things on earth that God has created, it’s likely to have detrimental effects on their survival. If the laws and existence of the food chain are destroyed, then the survival of mankind will be at risk. Isn’t mankind currently in a living environment like this? (Yes.) Mankind has developed industry on a large scale, discharging waste gases, wastewater, and toxic substances that have polluted rivers, lakes, and even groundwater. There is no clean water to drink anymore; people can only drink some recycled water that has been artificially processed, which, although not toxic, has far fewer nutrients. The fish in the rivers, lakes, and seas have also been polluted and are unhealthy. It’s not easy to find any food that hasn’t been contaminated. Isn’t mankind landing itself in dire straits? Isn’t this caused by mankind itself? Not only is drinking water polluted, but the air is also bad; there are many harmful substances in the air, and now, even if you want to breathe a breath of clean air, it’s hard to manage—sometimes people even have to wear masks to protect against viruses. The air quality is terrible, people are wary about eating all kinds of food, and people now get every manner of disease, with some young people also getting cancer or diabetes. Who caused all these consequences? (People.) They were all caused by people. This is how people have managed the earthly home that God created for them, tormenting themselves to the point where they can’t eat or drink properly, yet still feeling very happy. This is what comes of leaving God; there is no happiness to speak of. The only way out for people now is to accept the Creator’s salvation, to pursue the truth and walk the path of fearing God. Only in this way can you be saved, can you gain the hope of living, and can you become a member of the new mankind. It’s that simple; there’s no other way. Eastern people feel that Western civilization is noble, and that Westerners must have a way out. Do they? (No.) Eastern people feel they have suffered greatly, grown deeply hateful, and endured far too much hardship, and need to be saved by Westerners. They always think of the West as a paradise, that going to the West is getting into heaven, that they’ll be free and happy in the West. But Westerners don’t feel they have much happiness. They say, “Although our lives are a bit more affluent than those in the East, we’re hardly any happier.” As long as you are a person on this earth, a member of the human race, you have no happiness on this earth, because, living in this earthly home, everything you accept comes from Satan. Whether it’s human thoughts and viewpoints or laws of survival, whether it’s Eastern or Western education, there isn’t a single thing that can make you live out the likeness of a true human, and there isn’t any kind of social education or thought or viewpoint that can allow you, as a created being, to establish yourself in the world of man. Because this mankind lives under Satan’s power and is controlled by Satan, the only way for people to live on is to accept God’s salvation, accept all the truths that come from God, practice according to God’s words, and attain salvation. Only then can mankind truly return to a world where the laws and rules of survival for all things can operate freely, and truly live in a world with a complete food chain—only in this way can mankind truly play the role of the steward of all things, and fulfill the responsibilities of this role. Apart from this, there is no second way for mankind to take. This is mankind’s only way out, the only way out that can bring hope and happiness to mankind. Do you understand? (Yes.) Once you understand, you’ll have a path to take. Just strive and pursue in this direction, toward this goal. Don’t look back, don’t give up, and never stop!

Let’s end our fellowship here for today. Goodbye!

April 14, 2024