I

All those who live under the influence of darkness are those who live amid death, those who are possessed by Satan. Without being saved by God and judged and chastised by God, people are unable to escape the influence of death; they cannot become the living. Dead men like these cannot bear testimony to God, nor can they be used by God, much less enter the kingdom. God wants the testimony of the living, not the dead, and He asks that the living, not the dead, work for Him.

II

“The dead” are those who resist and rebel against God; they’re those who are numb in spirit and don’t understand God’s words; they’re those who do not put the truth into practice and have not the slightest loyalty to God, and they are those who live under the power of Satan and are exploited by Satan. If people wish to become living beings and to bear testimony to God, and to be approved by God, then they must accept God’s salvation; they must gladly submit to His judgment and chastisement and must gladly accept the pruning of God. Only then will they be able to put all of the truths required by God into practice, and only then will they gain God’s salvation and truly become living beings.

III

The living are those who are saved by God; they’ve been judged and chastised by God, they’re willing to devote themselves and are happy to lay down their lives for God, and they would gladly dedicate their whole lives to God. Only when the living bear testimony to God can Satan be shamed; only the living can spread the gospel work of God, only the living are in line with God’s intentions, and only the living are real people.

from The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Are You Someone Who Has Come to Life?