III. Despising the Words of God

Today we continue to fellowship on the tenth item of the various manifestations of antichrists: “They despise the truth, brazenly flout principles, and ignore the arrangements of God’s house,” focusing on the third part, that they despise the words of God. At the last gathering, we fellowshipped two aspects of this part. Which two were they? (The first was that antichrists arbitrarily tamper with and interpret the words of God. The other was that antichrists disclaim God’s words when they do not accord with their notions.) Both aspects relate to antichrists despising God’s words. Antichrists despising God’s words is evident in many ways; it’s connected to their essence, their attitude toward God, and how they treat all aspects related to God. God’s words encompass a wide range of content, so antichrists despising God’s words isn’t a simple attitude they have toward His words. The reasons for them despising His words are multifaceted, not singular. At the last gathering, we fellowshipped two specific manifestations of how antichrists despise God’s words. Today, we will fellowship another manifestation.

C. Antichrists Pry Into Whether God’s Words Come True

Antichrists despise God’s words—do they have true belief in what God says, in all the content spoken by God? (No.) There is actual evidence of this. They don’t truly believe, so what is their attitude toward whether all the words spoken by God correspond with reality, whether they can come true, or whether they are factual? Do they truly believe, or do they doubt and hesitantly observe in their hearts? They are firmly doubting and hesitantly observing in their hearts. Today, we will fellowship on this manifestation of antichrists: They pry into whether God’s words come true. What does “pry into” mean? Why use the phrase “pry into”? (God, prying into means secretly observing, peeping.) This explanation is basically correct. Everyone understands the meaning of “pry into” now; it’s to watch and hesitantly observe in secret, to look covertly without being detected by others, to act in the shadows, not out in the open or allowing others to see; it’s a petty maneuver. Clearly, the person performing this maneuver is not doing so in public but secretly. So, from these manifestations and explanations, what kind of behavior is it when antichrists pry into God’s words? (Despising the truth.) What makes it evident that it’s despising the truth? Why can’t antichrists just read God’s words candidly, justifiably, and publicly? Why do they pry? Is prying really a type of action? From its explanation, it’s clear that prying is not something done overtly; it’s not something that can be discerned from outward appearances, expressions, or actions. Instead, all these thoughts are hidden, kept within the heart, imperceptible to others, and it’s hard to discern what they are thinking from their expressions and actions—this is called prying. This is an attitude toward God’s words that cannot appear openly in public; it is clearly an incorrect one. It’s an attitude of treating God’s words from the perspective of a third party, from a hostile viewpoint, from a viewpoint of hesitant observance, scrutiny, doubt, and opposition. From these behaviors, can it be said that antichrists prying into whether God’s words will come true is a manifestation of despising God’s words that is serious in nature? (Yes.) Antichrists prying into whether God’s words will come true reflects their disposition and their true attitude toward God’s words, revealed in their hearts, thoughts, and secretly held opinions.

Which of God’s words do antichrists pry into? In their view, which of God’s words are worth their secretive, in-depth scrutiny and analysis? That is, which specific contents spoken by God are antichrists particularly interested in, while at the same time often doubting and hesitantly observing them in their hearts? Which of God’s words do antichrists believe are worth spending time and energy on prying into in their hearts? (Some of God’s prophecies, mysteries, and words related to the prospects, destiny, and destination of humans.) Prophecies, destinations, mysteries—these are things most people are concerned about and even more so what antichrists can never let go of in the depths of their hearts. Specifically, which of God’s words do antichrists relatively concern themselves with and often pry into in their hearts? Since it involves whether these words will come true, whether they will be realized, whether they will see their actual accomplishment as facts, what antichrists are concerned about are definitely the promises God made to humankind, right? (Right.) Also, words related to God cursing and punishing people, punishing evil people, punishing all who go against God’s words. And then there are prophecies of disasters—isn’t this also an area of antichrists’ concern? (Yes.) What else? (The words about when God will depart the earth.) When God will depart the earth, when God will be glorified, when God’s great work will be done, when God will end this humankind, right? (Right.) How many items are there in total? (Four.) The first is God’s words of promises and blessings to man. The second is God’s words of curses and punishment to man. The third is God’s words that prophesy disaster. The fourth is God’s words about when He will depart the earth and His great work be done. And there’s another, most important item, a category of God’s words that antichrists are especially keen to pry into, and that is God’s words about His disposition, His identity, and His essence. Why add this last one? Antichrists don’t believe God’s words will come true; they often pry into God’s words, so what mainly arouses their doubts, leading them to pry into God’s words? Their main disbelief is in God. Fundamentally, antichrists are disbelievers, they are devils; they doubt God’s existence, don’t believe there is a God in this world, don’t believe in the existence of God, nor in everything God does. So, they are utterly doubtful of God’s disposition, identity, and essence. Given their doubt, what will they do? If they can doubt God’s identity and essence, then when it comes to words involving God’s disposition, identity, and essence, will they just read them without perception or reaction? Can they firmly believe and accept these words? (No.) For instance, if someone always suspects they were adopted, can they believe that their parents are their biological parents? Can they believe that their parents’ love, protection, and all the sacrifices made for their prospects are genuine? (No.) When they doubt and disbelieve all this, won’t they do some things in secret? For example, sometimes they might eavesdrop on their parents’ conversations to see if they are discussing their origin. They will also usually pay close attention and constantly interrogate their parents about where they were born, who delivered them, and how much they weighed at birth—they’ll always be asking about these things. If their parents strike or discipline them, their suspicions will only deepen. No matter what their parents do, they will always be on guard and doubting. No matter how well their parents treat them, they can’t let go of the wariness in their heart. So, isn’t all this wariness, all these internal activities, thoughts, and attitudes happening secretly? Once they doubt whether their parents are their biological ones, they are bound to do some things behind the scenes. Therefore, since the essence of antichrists is that of disbelievers, they certainly do not believe in, acknowledge, or accept God’s disposition, identity, and essence. With this attitude of disbelief, non-acknowledgment, and non-acceptance, do they truly believe and accept in their hearts the words concerning God’s disposition, identity, and essence? Certainly not. As long as it involves words about God’s disposition, identity, and essence, they harbor doubt, opposition, and hesitant observance in their hearts. Let’s not go into detail about this aspect for now.

The five manifestations of antichrists prying into God’s words that were just discussed are basically quite comprehensive and representative. There is specific content and focus of the words of God that antichrists pry into. As for many words related to life entry, words in which God comforts people, explains some mysteries or exposes man’s corrupt disposition, and so on, do antichrists care about these words? (No.) To them, these words are insignificant. Why? Because antichrists do not love the truth, do not believe God’s words are the truth, and they do not intend to accept God’s judgment and chastisement or God’s salvation. They have no such plans, so they consider words related to changes in human disposition and life entry as unimportant, as not worth reading, thinking about, or taking to heart. They have no interest in these words. They think, “What do those words have to do with our prospects and destiny? What do they have to do with our destination? Those words are about trivial matters, not worth reading or listening to. If one is truly upset, with no other solution available, they could just temporarily read those words to fill the emptiness in the heart, or to overcome some especially challenging obstacles and solve some intractable difficulties—that’s all. To say those words can change one’s disposition, how could it be that simple?” They fundamentally have no intention of having their disposition changed, no plan to accept God’s words as the life, the way, or the truth. What they want is their prospects and destination, as well as power. So, they don’t take such words seriously, nor do they take them to heart. The implication, from the perspective of antichrists, is that these words are simply not worth their scrutiny, and even less worth their time to analyze and investigate whether they are the truth or whether they can change people. For antichrists, any words related to their destiny and destination, their own identity, status, all their personal interests, and so on, are significant, they are of utmost importance. Some people say: “Since antichrists regard these parts of God’s words as so important and give them such attention, how can it be said that they are prying into God’s words? Isn’t this a bit of a wrongful accusation? Isn’t this a bit far-fetched and not quite fitting?” (No. Antichrists do not believe that God’s words will surely come true and be accomplished, they do not believe that God means what He says, and what He says shall be done. They do not read God’s words with a mindset of belief and acknowledgment but are observing whether God’s words can indeed come true.) Is this the case? (Yes.) Antichrists value these words because they can satisfy their desires. Moreover, if these words are accomplished, it would satisfy their ambitions. If they grasp these words and hold onto them, then once these words come true, they’ve bet on the right thing, and following God will have been the right move for them. However, their valuing these words does not mean they can accept them as the truth from deep within, as coming from God, nor can it be said that they accept these words as God’s words in their hearts. On the contrary, while they value these words, in their hearts they harbor doubts about them, they are just hesitantly observing. It can also be said that these words can become evidence and leverage for them to deny God and deny this stage of God’s work at any moment, at any time and place. They are constantly and intently observing to see whether during each step of God’s work and every period God leads people through these words are being realized and accomplished. Clearly, antichrists are perpetually focused on whether God’s words come true. During this period, their attitude of hostility toward God, resistance to God, and scrutiny and analysis of God has never changed. They are hostile toward and scrutinize God, always prying into every action and word of God in their hearts; at the same time, they also attempt to condemn God and God’s work. Isn’t this a consistent manifestation of antichrists resisting God? (Yes.) From these manifestations of antichrists, is there any hint of acceptance toward God’s words? Any hint of submission? Any bit of treating God as God? (No.) Next, we will fellowship on these items one by one.

1. Prying Into God’s Words of Promises and Blessings to Man

The first item is that antichrists pry into God’s words of promises and blessings. Since God began His work and spoke, He has told humankind, His chosen people, and those who listen to His words much about which blessings and grace He will bestow upon people, what blessings He promises to people, and so on. In different periods, occasions, or contexts, God tells His followers about blessings and promises, informing them that if they achieve certain things, God will bless them in specific ways, and they will receive certain blessings and promises, and so forth. Regardless of the period when God spoke these words or to whom God gave such promises, these words were spoken under certain contexts and in a certain environment. Moreover, the promises and blessings God bestows on people are related to their positive manifestations, such as pursuing the truth, changes in disposition, and true submission to God. Implicitly, God’s promises and blessings to people are conditional. People don’t have the final say in these conditions, nor are they determined according to human notions and imaginings; rather, they are determined according to God’s standards and requirements, involving certain principles and rules. Regarding how God’s words come true, are realized, and are accomplished in different people, it’s absolutely not done haphazardly by God—rather, there is a basis for it. The same deed done by different people can result in different treatments from God. For instance, there might be two people who each lead a church; one frequently receives enlightenment and illumination and often endures discipline, leading to rapid growth in stature. In contrast, the other might be relatively numb and slow to respond, leading to slower progress. From a human perspective, these two people who perform the same work and exhibit similar behaviors should receive the same blessings and treatment from God. However, in terms of the life entry they experience and gain in doing their duties and in their lives, or the external grace they receive, there will be definite differences. These “definite differences” are, of course, not inevitable. So, how does God allocate these so-called blessings and different treatments, or enlightenment, illumination, and other benefits people gain from God? God has different ways of dealing with different people. Some people are lazy, vain, competitive, and envious, and while they are willing to expend themselves and endure some hardships on the surface, they just can’t accept or practice the truth. On the other hand, some people are diligent; even though they have the same corrupt dispositions, they are relatively honest and humble. They can accept the truth and accept being pruned. They earnestly accept and apprehend everything God says and every environment God sets for them, while also treating it with earnestness. Thus, outwardly, two people might be doing the same work and the amount of work might be similar, but God will bestow different blessings and different enlightenments and illuminations based on their different dispositions and pursuits. From the surface, the person who receives enlightenment and illumination might suffer more and often endure discipline, but their gain is also greater. In contrast, the numb and dull-witted person faces much less discipline, suffers much less, and thus their life growth is slower and they gain less. Essentially, which person truly receives God’s blessings and promises? (The one who suffers more and often receives discipline.) It may appear that the person who receives God’s promises and blessings gets disciplined, frequently faces setbacks, reveals corruption, and gets exposed, but they often receive God’s enlightenment and illumination. On the other hand, the person who doesn’t get disciplined lives a comfortable, joyful, and free life. When they are lazy, they don’t face discipline; when they are envious, they don’t face discipline; when they are irresponsible in their work, they don’t face discipline—they even indulge in the benefits of status and live quite contentedly. Whom do people who have spiritual understanding, who comprehend things purely, and who love positive things prefer? They prefer the person who endures being disciplined, often faces setbacks, and can receive enlightenment and illumination; they consider such a person to be truly blessed by God. Those who pursue the truth desire to be such a person. They are willing to live constantly before God, even if it means often receiving God’s discipline and chastening. They believe this is God’s blessing and truly God’s promise. Having these experiences and gains confirms the existence of the blessings and promises spoken by God. But how do antichrists view this? Antichrists do not measure God’s promises and blessings based on how much truth a person understands, how much truth they have gained, or how many positive gains they have received. Instead, they measure how much has been gained from the perspective of fleshly benefits and material interests. Which person do you think antichrists envy? (The person who doesn’t endure discipline.) Antichrists envy the person who is lazy and disloyal, who doesn’t face any discipline and enjoys the benefits of status. That antichrists envy such individuals proves there is a problem with the way they view things; this is determined by their nature essence.

How do antichrists pry into whether God’s words of promises and blessings to man come true? When God’s words state whom He blesses, who receives His promises, and who can receive promises from God, how do antichrists observe this? They say, “People who pay a price for god receive enlightenment and illumination, have god’s discipline and guidance, and that’s considered receiving blessings? Being disciplined is god’s blessing? Only fools would think so! Isn’t that taking a loss? Isn’t that damaging one’s reputation? And that’s called god’s blessing? Is that how god’s words come true and are realized? If that’s the case, then I don’t want to be such a person, I don’t want to pursue suffering and paying a price. I don’t accept this way of god working; what kind of truth is this? How could that be considered saving people?” Opposition arises in their hearts; they do not accept God blessing and leading people in this way, do not accept God granting life to people in this manner, and do not accept God working the truth into people in this way. Of course, there might also be such people around antichrists who, since believing in God, have had flourishing businesses, earned more money, bought cars and houses, and their material life has improved, becoming wealthy. Upon seeing this, antichrists think, “After believing in god, they received blessings and enjoyed god’s grace. From these facts, it seems that god’s promises and blessings to man are realized in such people; god’s words have come true. It seems that god’s words do carry authority; accepting this stage of god’s work is right, and one can receive great blessings, everything will go smoothly, and one can receive grace from god.” After witnessing such facts, in their hearts, antichrists temporarily have a bit of acknowledgment and belief in God’s promises and blessings. Of course, this acknowledgment and belief should come with a parenthetical note stating “subject to further verification.” In their daily lives, antichrists continuously observe and gather various pieces of evidence to verify that God’s blessings and promises are coming true and being realized in many people. While observing, these antichrists are collecting this evidence, trying to see which people have received God’s blessings and promises, what these people have done, their attitudes toward God, how they follow God, and their viewpoints. Of course, during this period of continuous observation and gathering evidence, antichrists also attempt to imitate the behavior, actions, and viewpoints of those who have received God’s blessings and promises. If they themselves receive some material blessings, treatment, and enjoyment, they internally concede: “God’s blessings and promises are not empty words; they can be realized. It seems that this god is indeed god, he really has some capability. He can bestow blessings and promises on people, bring some benefits, and satisfy some of their needs for certain interests. It looks like I should continue to believe and follow him; I mustn’t fall behind or slacken.” From beginning to end, antichrists are hesitantly observing. But does anyone notice when they do this? Do they hesitantly observe out in the open, telling everyone, “I don’t believe in these blessings and promises of god”? (No.) On the surface, you can’t tell. You see them among the ranks of everyone else, forsaking their jobs, marriage, families, and so on, and also doing their duties alongside everyone else, getting up early and going to bed late, enduring hardship and paying a price. They don’t speak words that cause disturbances or negative words, don’t express judgments, don’t do bad things, and don’t cause disturbances. However, there’s still one thing: No matter how covertly they act on the outside, their inner viewpoints and thoughts dominate and influence their behavior. Deep inside, their hesitant observance and prying into God’s words cannot be hidden from God. So what aspects of antichrists can be hidden from people but not God? People only see the behavior of others, they only see what others reveal—God, on the other hand, not only looks at these but, most importantly, observes people’s hearts and innermost thoughts. The behaviors and revelations of a person are relatively superficial, but the depths of a person’s heart are an imperceptible realm, within which are hidden their deeper thoughts and many elements of their nature. When antichrists pry into such words of God as His promises and blessings, outwardly they may dedicate their time and pay a physical price, but their hearts are not fully devoted to God. What are the concrete manifestations of not fully devoting their hearts to God? No matter what they do or what duty they perform, they don’t put all their energy into it and do it without reservation, but only aim to ensure that there are no apparent faults and the basic direction of the overall process is correct. Why can they do this? Deep in their hearts, in their innermost being, they harbor a thought: “Whether god’s words come true or not determines whether god can save me and whether he is indeed my god. If this question isn’t answered, even the realness of god’s identity and essence is worth questioning.” With such thoughts deep inside, can they still have a true heart toward God? These deep-seated thoughts in their hearts impede them, constantly warning them: Don’t give your true heart to god, don’t go all out, just go through the motions in whatever you do, and don’t be foolish; keep something back from god, make sure to leave yourself an out, and don’t entrust your life or your most important things to this still-unknown god. This is how they think in their hearts. Have you noticed this? (No.) These antichrists, during gatherings and in interactions with others, can outwardly be kind, have normal associations, and even fellowship about some of their own insights, understandings, and experiences and they can exhibit outward, shallow, basic behaviors and manifestations that a believer should have; however, there is no growth or improvement in their fear of God or sincerity toward Him. Regardless of how these people pay a price or how many years they do their duty in God’s house, one thing is certain: Their life does not grow—they have no life. In what areas does this lack of life manifest? When faced with situations, they don’t seek principles at all; they are just content if the work at hand continues, they never take the principles spoken by God as their standard for practice, only superficially accepting supervision, oversight, and leadership from other people, and not accepting God’s scrutiny. This means that until they have clearly affirmed for whom God’s promises and blessings are genuinely coming true, for which group of people they are being realized, and until they have confirmed that they themselves can truly receive from God the promises and blessings God gives to man, their principles and methods of action, as well as their attitude toward God’s words, will not change. In one sense, they are constantly reminding themselves, while also internally plotting out their argument with God. What is the focus of their argument with God? They think: “Your promises and blessings haven’t been realized. I haven’t seen them be realized, and I can’t see how you work, so I can’t confirm your identity. If I can’t confirm your identity, then how can I regard these words of yours as the truth, as god’s words?” Aren’t they internally disputing this matter with God? They say, “If the blessings you promise to bestow upon people, and all the various contents of your promises to people cannot be verified by me, then my faith in you cannot be one hundred percent. There will always be some adulterations within it, and I cannot fully believe.” This is the attitude of antichrists. Is such an attitude frightening? (Yes.) This type of attitude is somewhat similar in nature to the saying among nonbelievers, “Don’t release the hawk until you’ve seen the hare.” They say: “You are god, you should have the power to realize your promises and blessings. If what you say cannot be realized, and people believing in you cannot enjoy great blessings, cannot enjoy glory, wealth, and honor, cannot enjoy grace, and cannot receive your shelter, then why should people follow you?” In the eyes of antichrists, and in their thoughts and views, there must be some benefits in following God; they will not bother to move without benefits. If there is no fame, gain, or status that can be enjoyed, if none of the work they do or the duties they perform earn them the admiration of others, then there is no point in believing in God and doing their duties. The first benefits they must gain are the promises and blessings spoken of in the words of God, and they must also enjoy fame, gain, and status within the church. Antichrists think that in believing in God, one must be superior to others, one must be admired, one must be special—at the very least, believers in God must enjoy these things. If they do not, there is some question over whether this God they’re believing in is the true God. Is antichrists’ logic not that they take the words “Those who believe in god must enjoy the blessings and grace of god” as the truth? Have a go at analyzing these words: Are they the truth? (They aren’t.) Now it is clear that these words are not the truth, they are a fallacy, they are the logic of Satan, and they bear no relation to the truth. Has God ever said, “If people believe in Me, they will surely be blessed, and will never suffer adversity”? Which line of God’s words talks about this? God has never said words like that or done this. When it comes to blessings and adversities, there is a truth to be sought. What is the wise saying that people should adhere to? Job said, “Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive adversity?” (Job 2:10). Are these words the truth? These are the words of a man; they cannot be elevated to the heights of the truth, though they do conform to the truth in some way. In what way do they conform to the truth? Whether people are blessed or suffer adversity is all in the hands of God, it is all under the sovereignty of God. This is the truth. Do antichrists believe this? No, they don’t. They don’t acknowledge this. Why do they not believe or acknowledge this? (Their belief in God is in order to be blessed—they only want to be blessed.) (Because they are too selfish, and only pursue the interests of the flesh.) In their belief, antichrists only wish to be blessed, and they do not want to suffer adversity. When they see someone who is blessed, who has benefited, who has been graced, and who has received more material enjoyments, great advantages, they believe that this is done by God; and if they do not receive such material blessings, then this is not the action of God. The implication is, “If you really are god, then you can only bless people; you should avert people’s adversity and not allow them to meet with suffering. Only then is there a value and a point to people believing in you. If, after following you, people are still beset by adversity, if they still suffer, then what is the point of believing in you?” They do not admit that all things and events are in the hands of God, that God holds sovereignty over all. And why don’t they admit this? Because antichrists are afraid of suffering adversity. They want only to benefit, to take advantage, to enjoy blessings; they wish not to accept God’s sovereignty or orchestration, but only to receive benefits from God. This is the selfish and despicable point of view of antichrists. This is a series of manifestations displayed by antichrists concerning such words of God as His promises and blessings. Overall, these manifestations primarily involve antichrists’ viewpoints toward their pursuit, as well as their views, evaluations, and understanding of this type of thing God does for people. Although they may not overtly slander or oppose God’s words outwardly, deep inside, their approach toward these types of words from God and toward the method by which God does this type of thing is one of slander, doubt, condemnation, and selectiveness. When the words of God’s promises and blessings come true in some people, they praise God’s might and extol His name and His love. However, when what God does doesn’t align with their notions and imaginings of promises and blessings, antichrists immediately deny God’s existence in their hearts, as well as the correctness of all that God does, and even more so they deny God’s sovereignty and the fact that He orchestrates and arranges human fate. All these manifestations of antichrists might not be revealed outwardly, and they might not spread their views using explicit language, but the perspective with which they hesitantly observe and pry into these words from God in their hearts does not change. No matter how others fellowship about matters of life entry or how people can be saved, antichrists’ mentality and attitude of prying into whether such words of God as His promises and blessings will come true and how they will be realized won’t be set aside. Antichrists might clap jubilantly and cheer, praising God’s might when God’s promises and blessings are realized. But quickly, when God’s promises and blessings are not realized or do not come true according to their notions, they secretly curse and abuse God in their hearts, and slander His name. Therefore, in everyday life, even when everything is peaceful and trouble-free, some people’s states fluctuate wildly. When they are happy, they can be in seventh heaven, but when they are down, they can sink into hellish despair. Their moods are fickle and unpredictable, leaving others baffled about what is going on. When they are happy, they say, “God truly is god. God is so great, god’s authority really exists, god loves people so much!” But when they are unhappy, it becomes extremely difficult for them to even utter the word “god.” The same person who loudly praises God’s name is also the one who slanders, denies, blasphemes, abuses, and curses God in their heart. They get up early and go to bed late to do their duties, paying a price that most others cannot, but they are also the one who vents their frustrations through their duties, betrays the interests of God’s house, deliberately disturbs the work, and handles their duties and work with purposeful neglect. Outwardly, this is all the same person, but judging from their behaviors, and dispositions, such contrasting manifestations make it seem like two different people are involved. This presents a problem. From these manifestations of antichrists, it’s evident that they fundamentally don’t accept God’s words as the truth or as the words of God. Furthermore, judging from the essence of antichrists, they will never regard God’s words as the truth, nor as the truth principles to be upheld throughout their lives. This is the first item of antichrists prying into whether God’s words come true—they pry into God’s words of promises and blessings. For antichrists, God’s promises and blessings are inseparably linked to the material treatment, spiritual treatment, living environment, and other such things they enjoy in this life, which is why they pay special attention to this aspect. They use the fulfillment of God’s words of promises and blessings as a standard to measure the extent of God’s power and the authenticity of God’s identity. They ponder and think about this secretly—this is what is meant by prying. Antichrists show no interest in the various truths about life entry as spoken by God. However, as soon as God’s words of promises and blessings are mentioned, their eyes light up with covetousness, their desire rearing its head. On the surface, they say, “We should expend ourselves for god unconditionally, we should do our duties according to god’s requirements,” but where are their eyes actually focused? They are fixed on such words of God as His promises and blessings. Once they seize onto these, they don’t let go. This is how antichrists behave toward God’s words of promises and blessings to man.

2. Prying Into God’s Words of Curses and Punishment to Man

The second item is that antichrists pry into God’s words of curses and punishment to man. Antichrists hold the same view and stance toward the curses and punishment mentioned in God’s words as they do toward the first item. How do they pry into these kinds of words? When they see which type of people God’s words are meant to curse and which type they’re meant to punish, what words God has said to curse such people, what manner God uses to punish such people, as well as what method and words God uses to curse which type of people, they begin observing in their daily life, watching out for how these words of God are realized, and if they have been realized yet. For example, there is a church leader who embezzles the funds of God’s house, arbitrarily punishes and suppresses the brothers and sisters, acts tyrannically and recklessly in the church, operates without principles, does not seek God’s intentions, and does not harmoniously cooperate with others. God’s words state that there are curses and punishment for this type of person. An antichrist observes: “God does not love such people, he spurns them. But how is he spurning this person? The person lives quite comfortably every day and oppresses the brothers and sisters without being reproached; the brothers and sisters just have to bear it. So how are these words of god coming true? I don’t see how they could come true; maybe god’s cursing of such people is just a saying. God’s words should carry authority, and after god speaks, people’s hearts should feel uncomfortable and reproached. I need to observe and see if he is feeling uneasy in his heart, I need to have a chat with him and sound him out.” So, the antichrist asks the person, “How have you been experiencing things recently?” “Pretty good. God is leading us. Church life is not bad, the brothers and sisters have all entered onto the right track, they all love to read god’s words, and the gospel work is also progressing well.” “When the work doesn’t progress smoothly, don’t you feel distressed? Don’t you get negative? Does god discipline you? Do you feel reproached inside?” “No, why should I feel any reproach when the work is done so well? If anything, god is blessing me.” The antichrist thinks, “God hasn’t cursed such a person, so the words god said about cursing evil people, cursing those who resist god, have not been realized! This leader has committed such obvious acts of resisting god and disrupting the church’s work; god’s curses should have come upon him. How come it hasn’t happened? It’s hard to say whether god’s words of curses against people can be realized or not, so I will continue to observe.” There is a phrase in God’s words: “Resistance leads to death!” In the eyes of the antichrist, there are many people who resist God. For example, some people, when they first came into contact with this stage of God’s work and did not understand the truth, spoke some blasphemous and slanderous words against God, rejecting this stage of God’s work. The antichrist thinks to themselves, “Are these people who resist god? If they are, then according to god’s words, resistance leads to death. But after so many years, it seems none of these people have died; god’s words haven’t come true! Even if they don’t die, at the very least, these people should have broken arms or missing legs, or suffer some calamities at home, like a family member dying, or their house collapsing, or being in a car accident. None of these misfortunes have happened, so how can it be said that resistance leads to death? It might be that our ability to understand is poor and we still don’t know how god’s words come true and are realized. Whether god’s words will come true or not, people don’t know; it’s hard to say.” The antichrist, through these observable facts and their own mental analysis, and from their “unique” perspective, views whether or not these words of God come true and how they come true. They always put a huge question mark on this matter; they do not know the ultimate outcome of this matter, how to explain these events, or how to perceive these phenomena. Of course, they often pray about this: “Oh god, please enlighten me, let me understand how you curse and punish people, and how your words come true, so that I can develop a heart that fears you, so that I am afraid of you and do not do things that resist you.” Is this prayer useful? Will God lend His ear? (No.) God doesn’t even bother with it; He regards these prayers like the senseless buzzing of flies and bugs. Why doesn’t God lend His ear to such prayers? Because every sentence the antichrist utters is filled with test, provocation, slander, and blasphemy. For such a person, although God has not openly struck them down or condemned them, everything they do, their thoughts, views, and stance, are condemned in God’s eyes. These manifestations of the antichrist are all hidden in the heart; they do these things covertly and pry into these things in secrecy. Of course, God also condemns and curses them in His heart.

Regarding God’s words of curses and punishment to man, antichrists do not believe or understand them; they often scrutinize and analyze: “How exactly do these words come true? Can they really come true? For whom will they come true? Do those who are cursed and punished by god truly receive curses and punishment? Can it be seen with the human eye? Shouldn’t god make it all visible to the human eye?” They constantly ponder these matters in their hearts, treating them as significant and important issues in their daily life. Whenever they have the time or opportunity, they ponder them. As long as the environment is right and such events occur, or as long as such topics are involved, their stance and viewpoint are clearly revealed. They are scrutinizing and slandering these words of God, attempting to understand these words from a human perspective and in a human way, while also testing whether these words can be realized, whether they have come true in everyday life and have had practical effects. Why do they do this? Why can they brood over and tirelessly ponder these things in their hearts? Because in the hearts of antichrists, no matter how many truths God expresses, they are not enough to prove God’s identity or essence. The only thing that can prove God’s identity and essence is whether God’s words come true and are realized. In other words, whether God’s words are realized and come true is their only criterion for testing God’s identity and essence. Similarly, whether God’s words of curses and punishment to man come true has also become their criterion to test God’s identity and essence. This is the most important thought and viewpoint of antichrists in measuring God. Antichrists, using human perspectives and methods of understanding, and relying on human intellection, test and evaluate God’s words of curses and punishment to people. When, no matter what, they can’t see the facts and can’t see the spectacle they wish to see, they repeatedly deny God’s identity and essence in their hearts. The less they can see, the more they intensify their denial of God, and the more they doubt whether what they have invested and expended has been worthwhile. However, when antichrists witness some evil people in God’s house who slander God or disturb the work of God’s house, or those who blaspheme and resist God, receiving varying degrees of punishment or curses, and see what becomes of these people, they hold God in awe, suddenly feeling, “God is truly formidable. Whatever he says gets accomplished. That person was fine before and suddenly died, because just yesterday she was verbally abusing god! Another person, who was as strong as an ox, suddenly fell ill because he caused significant losses to the work of god’s house and did not even acknowledge it, earning god’s curses. Someone else, because of committing some wrongdoing and doing some evil deeds in the church, had misfortunes befall her family, and since then, there has been no peace in her home. Another person, who always spoke blasphemously about god, has now gone mad, and claims to be god. This is possession by demons; god handed him over to Satan, placing him in a dwelling place of unclean demons. Making him suffer possession by evil spirits is not something humans can bring about; only god has the authority to do this. God reigns sovereign over all—he handed that person over to the evil spirits, and they possessed him, causing him to lose his mind and sense of shame, making him run naked through the streets. Look at what has become of these people, the punishments and curses they have suffered; what have they all done?” After summarizing, antichrists’ hearts skip a beat: “These people include those who openly verbally abuse god, those who openly blasphemed and judged god, and those who intentionally caused disturbances and disruptions in god’s house. It seems that nothing good comes of going against god! God is truly formidable! If you offend other people, they can’t do much to you, but if you offend god, that’s serious. You have to be responsible for your behavior; the cost is too great! At the least, you might go mad, and god will hand you over to unclean demons, which certainly means going to hell; at worst, god will annul your fleshly existence in this life, destroying you, and in the world to come—it goes without saying—you will have no destination, will not be able to enter the kingdom, and will not receive blessings. Judging from the various ways they resisted god, I need to be more careful and set some principles for myself. First, I must not verbally abuse god openly; if I must, I should do it quietly in my heart. Second, even if I have the desire and ambition to be god, I cannot reveal it or let others know. Third, I must restrain my behavior and movements, not doing anything that causes disruptions. If I cause losses to the work of god’s house and anger god, that would be terrible! In a lighter case, I might lose my life; in a more severe case, I would be cursed and fall into the bottomless pit, and that would be the end of me.” When antichrists see these things happening, they feel that God’s words have come true, and God is so great and formidable. The greatness and formidability of God are realized and recognized by them through these events. Aren’t these all thought processes in antichrists’ hearts, as well as the principles for action they summarized after seeing these things, activities of their inner worlds? All that they do in their hearts toward God is what is known as prying.

Antichrists do not openly say, “God does not curse people, god’s words have not come true,” nor do they openly say, “God has punished So-and-so, god has cursed So-and-so. God’s words have come true, god is truly great.” Instead, they scheme, plan, and contemplate these matters deep in their hearts. What is their goal in contemplating? They think of what to do if God’s words come true, and what to do if God’s words do not come true or are not realized. The purpose of their prying is not to understand God’s actions, not to understand God’s disposition, and even less so to gain the truth and be a qualified created being—rather, it is to deal with all these matters, to confront God’s curses and punishment, using human methods and strategies. This is what antichrists scheme in their hearts. Can this series of thoughts toward God’s words prove that they are hostile to God? Can it prove that they have been constantly slandering and blaspheming God? (Yes.) Absolutely! This is what antichrists do. If God’s words come true, they have countermeasures ready; if His words do not come true, they have countermeasures for that too—their countermeasures change depending on whether God’s words come true or not. If God’s words come true, antichrists behave properly, cautiously engaging in tasks within God’s house, maintaining a low profile, not being presumptuous or insolent, remaining careful not to do anything wrong. If God’s words do not come true, they will blatantly act perfunctorily. In any case, whether God’s words are seen as coming true or not in their eyes, their hearts will never truly regard God as God, their hearts can never be fully given to God. Their duties and actions are not carried out with heart but are done using schemes, tricks, and pretense, with deception, concealment, and covertness. What they think, ponder, and doubt in the depths of their hearts is never openly shared with others or with God. Instead, they stubbornly consider their own thoughts and ideas as the truth, as the correct and good direction and goal to carry out and practice. In the eyes of antichrists, whether God’s words of curses and punishment to man come true is very important, as it determines how they act and behave in daily life, how they treat work, and how they treat the brothers and sisters; it also decides what behaviors they reveal, as well as what actions and manifestations they have. When God’s words come true, antichrists behave properly and guilelessly, restraining their activities, trying not to do anything that causes disturbances or disruptions and trying not to speak words that disrupt or disturb, that slander God’s words, or that slander His work. If these words of God do not come true, they feel free to judge and condemn God’s work without any scruple. In this way, antichrists continuously oppose and clamor against God in the depths of their hearts—would it be possible for them not to be revealed and eliminated? This attitude, disposition, and essence of theirs are that of a true enemy of God. Although antichrists cannot do whatever they want, they do not conceal at all what they think, what they’re planning, what they ponder, or what viewpoints they have in the depths of their hearts, because they are not afraid of God. What is the reason they are not afraid of God? They do not believe in the existence of God, nor do they believe that God observes the innermost heart of man. Therefore, in the logic of antichrists, what they consider the most brilliant strategy for survival is this: “What I do and act out, what is visible to others, can become a standard to measure what kind of person I am. But what I think in my heart, how I plan and intend, what my inner world is like, whether I am slandering and blaspheming god, judging god, or believing in and praising god—if I don’t say it, none of you will know. Good luck condemning me! If I don’t speak, none of you can even hope to know what I think or plan in my heart, or what my attitude and viewpoint toward god is, and no one can accuse me of any sin.” This is the plan of antichrists. They believe this is the highest principle of conduct in living and doing things among people. As long as their behavior is not wrong and there aren’t any faults with their actions, no one can interfere with what they think in their hearts. Aren’t antichrists very clever? (No.) How are they not clever? They disguise themselves so well. When they pray, they do it on the street corners, and the words they say in front of others are all correct, with no faults to be found. The longer they believe, the more spiritual they become. What they really think in their hearts, they only say behind closed doors with their family, and some don’t even tell their family, so nobody can see through them. But they forget one thing: What use is it whether humans can see through them or not? It’s insignificant; no human can determine another person’s fate. Whether humans can see through them or not doesn’t matter; it’s irrelevant and doesn’t decide anything. The important thing is that God does not only look at people’s outward behavior, but He also observes the depths of their hearts. Precisely because antichrists do not believe and do not know that God observes the innermost heart of man, they foolishly and absurdly think, “No one can interfere with what I think in my heart, neither humans nor god.” God can observe the innermost heart of man, so your thoughts are related to God’s definition of you. God not only condemns people based on their outward behavior but more importantly, on their inner thoughts. This is where antichrists are foolish; while they pry into God’s words, they forget an important matter: God is also secretly observing their thoughts. They pry into whether God’s words come true, and the conclusion they come to is that they ought to deny God’s words and His existence. God, observing them in secret, sees the attitude they hold toward God and God’s words deep within their hearts; He sees all the evidence of their slandering and blaspheming God, denying and condemning God, and also observes the outward behavior produced under the control of all these thoughts and viewpoints. Based on their thoughts and behavior, what does God ultimately determine such a person to be? An antichrist, an enemy of God, who can never be saved. This is the result. Are antichrists clever? They are far from clever; they have led themselves to ruin. They believe they are especially capable of thinking, that their thinking is very logical, and that they are particularly adept at scheming. After scheming, they have countermeasures and methods for various unexpected events and for all kinds of things God does, always leading to the best results and gains. They often feel self-satisfied and admire themselves, appreciating their own abilities and skills. They believe they are the smartest person in the world: They can understand what the source of God’s words is, whom they are directed at, the context behind God’s words, what attitude they should adopt after God’s words come true, and what countermeasures they should deploy if God’s words do not come true. They often congratulate themselves for being so clever and perfect, for being more intelligent than the average person. What is it they are congratulating themselves for? They feel that scrutinizing, analyzing, and contending with God and prying into God’s words in the depths of their hearts is very thrilling and something that gives them a great sense of accomplishment. Therefore, they really admire themselves and congratulate themselves for being such people. Aren’t antichrists foolish? Contending with other people might indeed allow you to determine which of you is superior to the other, and might even make you feel your own advantage and sense of existence. But when you contend with God, pry into God’s words, into God’s actions, into everything God does, what is that called? And what are the consequences involved? This is courting death! You can pry into movie stars, singers, celebrities, great figures—anyone, but the one you absolutely must not pry into is God. If you do, you’re choosing the wrong target for your prying. In today’s world of advanced information and diverse tools facilitating the flow of information, prying into another person’s whereabouts, their thoughts and viewpoints, and their daily life might not be considered shameful. However, for a person who believes in and follows God, who holds God’s words up and eats and drinks them every day, to constantly pry into all of God’s actions, all of God’s words, and all of God’s work deep in their heart, this is an outrageous defiance! Humans have corrupt dispositions; when you reveal your corruption before God, God can provide the truth for you to understand and know, giving you time to achieve transformation. God can forgive and won’t remember people’s corruption, transgressions, and sins. The only thing God cannot forgive or tolerate is that antichrists have no heart of submission whatsoever, that they’re always scrutinizing God, as well as their constant, continual prying into God’s work and God’s words at all times and places. What are you trying to do? You want to test the correctness of God? Whom do you think you’re overseeing? You want to analyze the source and motive of why God does these things? Who do you think you are? All this, and you don’t consider yourself an outsider? Can God be the object of your prying? Can God be the object of your scrutinization? You accepting God’s scrutiny, accepting God’s guidance, accepting God’s judgment and chastisement, accepting being pruned by Him, and all such positive practices that involve dispositional change—these are legitimate. Even sometimes when you misunderstand God, when you are weak and negative and complain about God, God does not hold it against you, nor does He condemn you. But there is one thing: You are always prying into God, always trying to discern the correctness of God’s words and God’s work—this is something God will absolutely not forgive or tolerate; this is God’s disposition. Truly corrupt humans are not beasts; they do not oppose God like this, nor do they hold such viewpoints and attitudes, nor do they treat God this way. There is only one thing, one role, that can brazenly and publicly stand in opposition to God, and that is Satan. God does not remember the transgressions and corruption of humans, but Satan’s opposition, confrontation, blasphemy, and slander against God will never be forgiven by God. God only saves corrupt humans, not Satan. Antichrists, unchanging in their nature and possessing the essence of antichrists, can represent Satan, standing in opposition to God in Satan’s stead, prying into God’s words. What is God’s attitude toward them? It is one of curses and condemnation. Antichrists cannot help but act this way, and they are courting death.

3. Prying Into God’s Words That Prophesy Disaster

Just now, we fellowshipped about two items concerning antichrists prying into whether God’s words come true: One item involved the words of God’s promises and blessings, and the other was the words of God’s curses and punishment to people. Next, let’s look at the third item, the words of God that prophesy disaster. Like the previous two items, antichrists’ attitude toward these kinds of words is the same: They are curious, wanting to scrutinize, to understand, and also to see the day when these words come true, to witness the emergence of the facts. In treating these kinds of words, antichrists also plot in the depths of their hearts, pondering countermeasures and engendering various doubts. They observe and test whether these kinds of words come true to develop corresponding countermeasures. When antichrists read these words prophesying disasters, their hearts are filled with expectation for the day of the disasters’ fulfillment, and they are full of various imaginings. They hope that God’s words will come true and also hope that the advent of the disasters will expand their horizons, satisfying their wishes and desires. Why is this so? Because the disasters prophesied by God are all related to God’s great work being accomplished, the day of God’s glorification, the saints being raptured, humankind entering into a wonderful destination, and so on. Therefore, antichrists are even more filled with anticipation and curiosity about this part of God’s words prophesying disasters. Compared to the first two items, antichrists are even more interested in these kinds of words. In the hearts of antichrists, they believe that if someone can bring about a disaster, such as an earthquake, plague, insect infestation, flood, mudslide, or other natural disasters, then that entity is a very powerful being, possessing great ability, and is worthy of their following, worship, and trust. Therefore, similarly, antichrists also regard whether such words as God’s prophecies of disasters come true as a standard to measure whether God is indeed God. They hold this kind of logical thinking, idea, and viewpoint in their hearts to the very letter, believing that this viewpoint is correct, valid, and a wise move. Thus, from the day they started following God, from the moment they saw the words of God prophesying disasters, antichrists have been preoccupied with this in their hearts. They are concerned about what is said in God’s words—when the last days come, when God’s great work is accomplished, how God will chastise humankind, what kinds of disasters God will bring to punish and destroy humankind, what method God will use to make humankind fall into disasters, and how only those who follow God and who earn His approval will be able to avoid and escape such disasters, and will not have to suffer the torments of such disasters. Antichrists regard the words of God prophesying disasters as very important, analyzing them in their hearts and memorizing and reciting them in their minds. They remember every word related to disasters, and also imagine when and how a certain disaster will come true. They ponder what they will do if it comes true, what kind of disaster a certain prophecy foretells, and how they should react if it does come true. Since seeing these prophecies, antichrists seem to have found something to strive for, a direction and a goal, in their belief in God. While waiting for the disasters to strike, they also prepare themselves in every way. In order to be protected by God when the great disasters come, they spread the gospel, forsaking their jobs and families. At the same time, in order to survive when the disasters strike, they often pray humbly to God, hoping that God’s words will come true soon, that all God intends to achieve will be accomplished quickly, that God will gain glory and enjoy rest soon, and that they may soon enjoy the blessings of the kingdom of heaven. From all these viewpoints of antichrists, from the words and prayers they often utter, it seems that antichrists are eagerly looking forward to the accomplishment of God’s great work and God’s early rest. However, unbeknownst to people, behind these hopes lie antichrists’ sinister intentions. They hope that through such prayers and false appearances, they can avoid disasters and make God their refuge. While they are preparing for all this, they also hope that the disasters will come quickly and that the words of God prophesying disasters will come true soon. Within the limits of what they can bear, they continue to pay a price, expend themselves, suffer, and endure as before, wracking their brains to put on a good performance for all to see. They want everyone to acknowledge how great a price they have paid to spread the gospel, how much discrimination and persecution they have endured, and the great cost they have paid in waiting for this day. They hope that God, seeing the suffering they have endured and the price they have paid, will spare them from any disaster when it strikes. At the same time, because of the price they have paid, they hope to be fortunate enough to become one of those who will have a good destination and be blessed after the disaster. Deep inside, antichrists silently and imperceptibly calculate all of this. Finally, one day, due to a minor incident, antichrists experience a setback, and their actions and behaviors seem to be condemned. This means that their hopes and fantasies are about to be shattered, their desires are about to be unfulfilled. At this moment, what is the first thought that arises in the depths of antichrists’ hearts? “I have given so much, I have suffered so much, I have endured for so many days, I have believed for so many years, yet I haven’t seen any of god’s words prophesying disasters come true. Will god actually bring disasters? Will what we have prayed for and waited for ever be fulfilled by god? Where exactly is god? Will he actually save us or not? Do the disasters god spoke of even exist? If they don’t exist, we should all just get out of here. This god cannot be believed in, there is no god!” This is the limit of antichrists. A minor setback, perhaps an unintentional word of condemnation and exposure from someone else, touches their sore spot, and then they erupt in anger, unable to hold back or pretend any longer. The first thing they do is to burst out furiously, pointing at God’s words and saying: “If your words do not come true, if the disasters you spoke of do not occur, I will no longer believe in you. Originally, it was only because of these words prophesying disasters that I preached the gospel, paid the price, and did my duty. Without these words, I wouldn’t believe in you at all! It was because of these words, because of the impending disasters, that I believed you are god. But now, after suffering so much, the disasters you spoke of haven’t come. There are so many among the nonbelievers who do evil, and yet none of them have been punished—not a single one of them has fallen into disaster. They still live in sin, enjoying their lives, while I have been making concessions for so many years, just waiting for the day when your words prophesying disasters come true. But what have you done, god? You have never, out of consideration for our eager anticipation, shown any signs or wonders, never bringing down any disasters, to let us see, to strengthen our faith, to fortify our loyalty. Why don’t you do such things? Aren’t you god? Is it so difficult to bring down disasters to punish this evil world, this evil humankind? We just want to solidify our faith through the fulfillment of these things, but you just don’t act. If you don’t act, then we can’t believe in god anymore; we won’t be able to gain anything, and there’s no point in believing in god. There’s no need to believe anymore, no need to do our duties, no need to spread the gospel.” Upon encountering a small setback, facing a bit of adversity or dissatisfaction in life, the true colors and innermost thoughts of antichrists can be laid bare at any time and place, which is quite terrifying. When disasters will strike, whether God’s words prophesying disasters will come true, how and when they will come true, these are all determined by God. When God tells people about these things, it is to give them face, to treat them as humans—it is not to use these words as a means for people to gain leverage over and judge God. Antichrists mistakenly believe that since God has spoken these words, He should allow people to see them come true within their lifetimes; otherwise, God’s words would be void. The god whose words can become void should not be considered god, is not worthy of being god, and is not worthy of being their god; this is the logic of antichrists.

From beginning to end, antichrists merely wanted to exploit these words of God prophesying disaster. These words inspired them, leading them to think of using good human behaviors and all their sacrifices and the sufferings of the flesh to exchange for the blessing of avoiding disasters. Throughout, their sole aim was to avoid disasters and obtain blessings. They never truly regarded the One who expressed these words as God. From start to finish, antichrists have always stood in opposition to God, constantly testing and measuring God as a way to pry into God’s words. If God’s words come true and broaden their horizons, coming true in accordance with their taste, viewpoints, and needs, then they regard God as God. But if it goes against their wishes, viewpoints, and needs, then the One who spoke these words is not considered God to them. This is the viewpoint antichrists hold. Clearly, deep down, they have never acknowledged that God is the Creator, nor have they recognized the fact that God is sovereign over all things. After going through a series of struggles, enduring patiently, and undergoing a battle of thoughts, antichrists learned a lesson: “One must not flippantly delimit god’s words, nor can one flippantly and frivolously use the fulfillment of god’s words as a standard to measure his identity and essence. We haven’t been tempered enough and still need to continue enduring, to broaden our minds. As the sayings go, ‘A prime minister’s heart is big enough to sail a boat in’; ‘Where there is life there is hope.’ What does it matter if these words don’t come true? No big deal. I’ve toughed it out all these years; perhaps if I endure a few more, god’s words will come true, and I will gain something. I’ll just bear it a little longer, I’ll take another gamble. I can’t get angry; otherwise, all my previous efforts will have been wasted, and all the suffering I endured will have been in vain. That would be such a loss! If I lay my thoughts bare now, standing up to deny, question, and accuse god, that would not be a smart move. I must continue to pay the price, endure hardship, and keep on enduring. The phrase ‘He who endures to the end shall be saved’ must not be forgotten. This saying holds true at all times and remains the supreme truth. I must uphold this saying and constantly keep it engraved in my heart.” After a period of negativity and silence, antichrists finally “stood up” again.

In the process of doing their duties in God’s house, antichrists undertake all kinds of work while serving in various roles. It seems that there is no change outwardly, but the longer they believe in God, and the longer they follow Him, the more antichrists internally nitpick over God’s words that prophesy disaster. Why is this? The longer they have believed in God, it signifies they have sacrificed more, forsaken more, and they have less of a way back to the secular world. Therefore, regarding these words prophesying disasters, antichrists increasingly and unconsciously think, “I hope all of this is true. All of this must come true.” They regard this “must” and this firm belief as their true faith in God. This so-called true faith drives them to do their duties, to suffer and pay the price, to endure and then endure some more, just as the nonbelievers say: “You’ve got to put everything on the line to win.” While holding onto such a belief, antichrists are prying into the day when God’s words will come true. Finally, that day arrives—disasters and calamities continuously occur in this world, happening in various corners, in different countries and among different ethnic groups. These disasters, big and small, take away many lives, alter many people’s living environments, change the ecological environment, transform many different structures and ways of life in society, and so on. However, no matter what, in the eyes of antichrists, God’s words are still coming true to a small extent, which is the most fulfilling thing in the depths of their hearts. They feel that after all these years, they haven’t endured or waited in vain, and have finally witnessed the day and phase when God’s words are coming true. But they feel they must not be discouraged or give up; they need to continue enduring and waiting. What troubles antichrists most deeply inside, regardless of how much they endure or wait? “Minor disasters have come true; famines, plagues, the disintegration of a few political regimes—these are all coming true to a small extent. But when will the major disasters come true?” On one hand, antichrists believe that part of God’s words are slowly and gradually coming true, while on the other hand, they doubt: “Aren’t these disasters just natural calamities? Disasters have been continuous throughout history. Are the occurrences of these disasters the fulfillment of god’s words? If not, what are they? I shouldn’t think like this; a believer in god should believe in god’s words. But are god’s words that easily fulfilled? How did god do it? Why didn’t I see him do it? Why don’t I know about it? If it is god’s doing, his believers should see it, god should give them visions. But we haven’t seen god’s hand, nor heard god’s voice. Could these events just be coincidences, then? I shouldn’t think like this; such thoughts could make me weak. I still have to believe that all this is the fulfillment of god’s words; I’ll just take it as god’s sovereignty, as god’s words coming true, not coincidences. This way, my heart feels more at ease.” They feel that thinking this way is very clever and that they’ve analyzed the situation well, being able to not doubt God while also stabilizing their own faith, and also calming the overwhelming unease and desires within their hearts. While making temporary concessions and compromises, antichrists wait for the arrival of the great disasters. “When will the great disasters come? When they do, the saints will be raptured into the air, but where exactly will that happen? How does the rapture occur? Will they fly up or be lifted by god’s hand? When the great disasters occur, will people still have their physical bodies? Will they still wear their current clothes? Will all the nonbelievers be dead? What kind of state or situation will that be? It’s unimaginable for humans. I’d better not think about it for now. I’ll just believe that god’s words will surely come true. But can they really come true? When will that day come?” They keep asking themselves these questions internally, repeatedly raising doubts. Since these disasters are closely related and intimately connected to their prospects and destiny, antichrists believe: “I must not relax my pursuit and observance of the fulfillment of disasters at any time. I cannot give up on this matter. So, what should I do? I need to widely spread the gospel, do my duties diligently, avoid causing disruptions or disturbances or making mistakes, and keep a low profile, without acting pompous. As long as I don’t make mistakes and don’t get expelled from the church, that should be enough. I’ll surely be able to make it to the refuge; this is god’s promise—who could take that away?” When minor disasters gradually descend, and all humankind falls into calamities, antichrists find peace and a measure of tranquility deep inside. At the same time, they look forward to the arrival of the great disasters and the day of the saints being raptured. Regardless, antichrists continue to pry into the words of God prophesying disasters. Such prying, in God’s view, is akin to Satan’s prying. He sees it as doubt, denial, slander, and an analysis of God’s correctness. It is questioning God’s identity, doubting God’s authority and almightiness, and doubting God’s faithfulness. God does not allow such things to happen, nor does He allow such people to exist, and He certainly will not save such people. Antichrists think that their countermeasures, conceived in secrecy and calculated in their hearts, are the smartest and most covert. Little do they know that God sees all their thoughts and condemns them. This is what God says: “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and in Your name have cast out devils, and in Your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from Me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22–23). God quietly tells these people in His heart: Depart from Me, you that work iniquity. You pry into My actions, pry into My words. Such people can never be saved. Antichrists treating whether God’s words prophesying disasters come true as their goal to pursue and as a standard to examine God’s correctness is a terrifying thing; it is also an evil deed.

As for whether certain aspects of God’s words will come true, how they come true, and when and where they come true, God has His own ways. It is only God’s grace that gives humans the great fortune to hear these words from God. The purpose of God saying these words is not for humankind to use them to bind God, to examine God’s correctness, or to confirm God’s identity. God speaks these words just to tell humankind that He is going to do such things, but God has never told anyone, “I will do it this way, to these people, at this time, and in this manner.” In the things God has not told humankind, there is a clear signal: Humankind does not need to know, nor are they qualified to know. Therefore, if humans always try to pry into these matters, always dig deep, always want to use these matters to gain leverage over God, to judge and condemn Him, when these phenomena occur, humankind will imperceptibly be standing in opposition to God. When you stand opposed to God, God no longer regards you as a human being. Then what are you? In God’s eyes, you are a Satan, an enemy, a devil. This is the part of God’s disposition that does not tolerate man’s offense. If people do not understand this and often make an issue out of the words prophesied by God, trying to gain leverage over God, then let Me tell you, this is courting death. At all times, humans should know who they are and in what manner, with what kind of reason, and from what perspective they should treat God and everything about God. Once people lose their identity and position as created beings, their essence changes. If you became an animal, God might ignore you, as you would be an insignificant thing. But if you became a devil or a Satan, then you would be in danger. Becoming a devil or a Satan means becoming an enemy of God, and then you will never have hope of salvation. Therefore, I want to tell everyone here: Do not pry into God’s actions, do not pry into God’s words, do not pry into God’s work, and do not pry into anything related to God. You are a human, a created being, so do not analyze God’s correctness. Do not regard God as an object of your analysis and scrutiny, nor as an object of your prying. You are a created being, a human, so God is your God. Whatever God says is what you should accept. Whatever God tells you, you should accept. As for what God doesn’t tell you, those matters involving mysteries and prophecies, matters regarding God’s identity, one thing is certain: You do not need to know these. Knowing these won’t benefit your life entry. Accept as much as you can understand. Do not let these become obstacles in your pursuit of a change in disposition and the pursuit of salvation. This is the right way. If a person stands in opposition to God and keeps prying into things concerning God, and if they persistently refuse to change, stubbornly holding on, treating God in this manner and with such an attitude, then their hope of being saved becomes very slim. Antichrists pry into God’s words that prophesy disaster—let’s conclude our fellowship of this item here. And let’s move on to the next item now.

4. Prying Into God’s Words About When He Will Depart the Earth and His Great Work Be Done

The fourth item is that antichrists pry into God’s words about when He will depart the earth and when His great work will be done. There is not much about this in God’s words. Among these limited words, if the content is a topic of particular concern to people, no matter how inconspicuous or veiled these words are, they will find them. After finding them, they mark them with a pen, treating them as important words to read. They share and read these words to warn and comfort themselves whenever they get the chance. Of course, for antichrists, their greater concern is not so much about when God will depart the earth or when His great work will be done, but about the facts that God intends to accomplish behind these words. What antichrists most hope for in their hearts is to personally witness the grand spectacle of God departing the earth in their lifetime. This would mean that the God they have followed is the right One, they have not chosen a wrong god, nor have they chosen the wrong object of following. As these are confirmed, they believe their chances of being blessed greatly increase. Additionally, if they can witness the spectacle of God departing the earth and the spectacle of God’s great work being done within their lifetime, it means that their faith will become even more firm, and they will follow God without any misgivings. Seeing this scene would mean that their previous misgivings and incomprehension about God, and the slanders, judgments, and rejections they faced from others, would all be left behind, no longer constraining them. In one regard, antichrists are looking forward to the arrival of this day, and in another, they are watching what God is currently doing on earth, whether His work is nearly complete, whether the words He needs to speak are almost finished, whether the people following Him have true loyalty, and whether they have been made complete. Observing the people who are now following Christ, antichrists notice that most people have weak faith, often make mistakes in doing their duties, and many are frequently pruned because they revealed corrupt dispositions while doing their duties. Some are even sent off to Group B, isolated, or expelled. From these signs, they feel, “The day of god’s great work being done still seems far off, which is very frustrating! But what can one do in impatience? What problem can it solve?” Because antichrists do not believe in God’s words, do not accept the truth, lack spiritual understanding, and don’t understand the truth, they cannot measure whether the effect God’s work has on people is normal or not. They cannot wrap their heads around whether what God has done on people has indeed achieved any effect; whether God’s words can truly save and transform people; whether people, while accepting these words, have undergone change, truly gained anything, or received God’s approval; nor whether these people can enter the kingdom of heaven and receive blessings—and, they cannot understand or explain the facts they observe with their own eyes. Every event they see, every event they think about in their minds, is shrouded in fog, impossible to dispel. “These matters are all elusive and difficult to see through, difficult to comprehend. Do the events of god departing the earth and the completion of god’s great work truly exist? Can they really come true?” On one hand, antichrists force themselves to believe that the God they follow is God, but at the same time, they can’t help but doubt: “Is he god? He’s a human, isn’t he? It’s not good to think this way. Most people believe he is god, so I should too. But no, I can’t bring myself to believe it! Where can I see that he is god? Can he make god’s great work be done? Can he do god’s work? Can he represent god? Can he complete god’s plan? Can he save humankind? Can he lead people into a beautiful destination?” All of these thoughts and more like them become unresolvable, unbreakable locks in the depths of antichrists’ hearts. They think, “What should I do? Still, there’s the highest principle: Wait and endure; he who endures to the end shall be saved. Although I don’t pursue the truth, I have my own rules. If others don’t leave, I won’t leave. If others follow, I will follow. I will go with the flow. If everyone says he is god, then I’ll call him god. If everyone stops believing and rejects god, then I’ll follow suit. The law cannot be enforced when everyone is an offender, right?” When they see the expansion of God’s work reaching its climax, they secretly rejoice in their hearts: “Fortunately, I didn’t leave when I was most doubtful and weak. Look at what my faith has brought now. The day is almost here, and more and more people are following god. Especially overseas, people from various countries are investigating the true way, and the number of believers is increasing. God’s house is producing more and more videos, movies, hymns, and testimonies, attracting more attention. Such results can’t be achieved by any human; only god’s work can accomplish it. This ordinary person is most likely christ, god. Since he is christ, is god, then his words will surely come true. If his words do not come true, then he is not god. According to logical reasoning, this inference makes sense, it’s correct. If he is god, there will be a day when he departs the earth; if he is god, he can have his great work done. Judging from all these signs, the people in the church following god are moving in a positive direction, toward a good goal. Everything is quite ideal, it’s all very positive and constructive. This is better than following worldly trends; there’s no hope in pursuing those, it only leads to suffering mistreatment and ultimately destruction. If one believes in god, and they’re able to witness the day he departs the earth and his great work is done, and can share in god’s glory—what an honor that would be!” Thinking about this, they feel: “How am I so smart? I chose this path; seems I’m the one with a high IQ and a strong intellect.” They don’t attribute it to God’s grace, but to their own intelligence, their own cleverness. What a ludicrous idea this is!

Antichrists think, “The matter of god departing the earth and god’s great work being done is different from such matters as god’s promises and blessings, his curses and punishment, and his prophecies about disasters—this matter can’t be rushed; people need to have 12/10 endurance and 20/10 patience to wait for that day to come. Because when that day arrives, everything will be accomplished. If I can’t endure now, can’t bear the loneliness, and can’t stand this suffering, then I’ll be left out when that day comes. It’s the final stretch now; after suffering so much, I’d be a fool not to endure a little bit more!” So, for antichrists, there is only one way to see the arrival of that day: Wait obediently and patiently, don’t rush, and learn to endure. They think, “Since I’ve chosen to gamble, I should learn to endure, because this endurance is not a small matter. If I endure to the end, once this matter is accomplished, what I gain will be a great blessing! If I don’t endure during this period, then I will face great calamity. This matter can go one of two ways; it can either bring great blessing or great calamity.” You see, antichrists aren’t foolish, are they? They lack spiritual understanding and do not believe in the truth, they are disbelievers—but then how can they analyze this matter so accurately and in such detail? Is this kind of analysis appropriate? (No.) Tell Me, should people have such a “serious” attitude toward God’s words? Some people say: “This is a big matter, involving one’s prospects and destiny, and concerning the completion of god’s great work. It cannot be taken lightly. People must calculate the exact year and month for when god departs the earth. Moreover, the method and scene of god’s departure revealed between the lines of god’s words must be analyzed. If one does not take this seriously and analyze it thoroughly, missing such a good thing would lead to unending regret; such an event would never be seen again. Especially when god’s great work is done, and the day and the moment of god’s glorification arrive, people need to know even more.” To which someone asks, “How can we know if God doesn’t say?” “Then you must pray for god to reveal it to you in a dream, just like John in the Book of Revelation. If you receive a vision, see the day of god’s great work being done in your dream or vision, this will thoroughly strengthen your faith in an instant. Your patience, your waiting, will no longer be a formality or merely something you do; instead, you will willingly wait and endure like this from deep in your heart. That would be so great!” Is this approach acceptable? (No.)

No matter how many years humankind needs God incarnate, there will eventually come a day when His work in the flesh is completed. This means that this person will eventually leave humankind; it’s just a matter of time. The work of God’s six-thousand-year management plan is coming to an end. As for whether this end lasts ten years, twenty years, fifty years, eighty years, or a hundred years, we don’t need to delve into it. This is simply God’s way of speaking. What does it mean to say this is God’s way of speaking? It means how many years God’s concept of “the end” actually is—God’s concept of time is definitely different from that of humans. Is it useful for us to scrutinize exactly how many years it is? No, it’s not. Why not? Because all of this is in God’s hands, it’s not something humans can obtain by asking, nor something that, once people know, can be used by them to restrict God. God does as He wishes. The only thing followers of God should do is pursue the truth, do their duties well, gain life, embark upon the path of fearing God and shunning evil, and become truly qualified created beings. In this way, God’s great work will indeed be completely done, and God will rest. What does God’s rest mean? It means that humankind will have rest. Once humankind has a place of rest, God can rest. God’s rest is the rest of humankind. When humankind has a normal living environment and order, it brings rest to God. As for when humankind will have such a living environment, when they will reach this step, and when God will have His great work done and enter His place of rest, all these are within God’s plan; He has a schedule. What era this schedule of God’s plan falls into, which year, month, hour, and minute, only God Himself knows. Humans don’t need to know, and telling you is of no use. Even if you were told the exact year, month, hour, and minute, could that become your life? Is that life? It cannot replace life. The only thing created beings should do is listen to God’s words, accept God’s words, and submit to God’s words, becoming people who fear God and shun evil. But always wanting to scrutinize God’s words, to pry into whether God’s words come true, to check, analyze, and scrutinize the correctness of God’s words—these are not what created humans should do. Those who insist on walking this path and doing these things are clearly not the created beings that God wants. They don’t act according to His requirements, don’t live according to the rules and regulations God has set for people. In God’s eyes, they are enemies of God; they are devils and Satans, not the objects of God’s salvation. Therefore, regarding when God will depart the earth, when His great work will be done, and when the day of God’s glorification arrives, what should be the correct viewpoint of humankind toward these words of God and this matter? One should believe that these things God has said will surely come true, and at the same time, hope for the completion of God’s great work, for the coming of God’s kingdom, for God to appear in glory to all peoples, and for God to enter into rest early. This is what created humans, those who follow God, should hope and pray for. Doing so is proper and is not prying. However, always using whether God’s words come true as leverage to threaten God, to set conditions with God, that is called prying and it is what God’s enemies do; always deciding whether to pay the price, whether to forsake everything, and whether to do one’s duty based on whether God’s words come true is also what enemies do. True created beings should treat God’s words, God’s identity, and any part of what God says from the perspective of created beings, not from the perspective of Satan, devils, or God’s enemies.

5. Prying Into God’s Words About His Disposition, His Identity, and His Essence

The next item we will fellowship involves God’s words about His disposition, identity, and essence. These words cover a vast range; most of the content of God’s words touches upon His disposition, identity, and essence. In one regard, the manner and tone of God’s speech, as well as the content, allow people to see God’s disposition, to see His identity and essence. In another, God has clear words with which to tell humankind, to disclose to humankind His disposition, identity, and essence. As for these two parts of content, in one regard, from between the lines of God’s words, the content of God’s words, the nature of God’s words, as well as God’s tone and the audience of His speech, one can see God’s disposition, identity, and essence. In another regard, God tells people with clear words what kind of disposition He has, what kind of identity and essence He has. These two parts of content are something that antichrists fundamentally ignore; they will not apprehend God’s disposition, identity, and essence from these, and they certainly won’t believe in all of this related to God. Because they are disbelievers, they do not believe that words spoken from God’s mouth can represent God’s identity and essence. However, there is one point they cannot deny: God’s words have clearly disclosed to people what kind of disposition God has, what kind of identity God has, and what His essence is like—this part of His words they cannot deny. Just because they cannot deny it, does it mean they have true acceptance and genuine acknowledgment? They do not acknowledge these words. On the contrary, regarding the content of God’s disposition—His righteousness, holiness, love, authority, and other qualities involving His possessions and being—that God speaks of, antichrists, apart from showing contempt, disregard, and neglect, also view these words from a perspective of prying. For example, when God says He is righteous, an antichrist will then start to scrutinize: “You are righteous? There hasn’t been anyone in the world who dares to claim they are righteous. Since you dare to say it, then let’s put it to the test. In what ways are you righteous? Which deeds of yours have been righteous? I refuse to be convinced! If this statement is truly realized, if you truly perform some righteous act that makes me convinced, then I will concede that you are righteous. But if what you do leaves me unconvinced, then don’t blame me for being blunt. I absolutely will not admit that you have a righteous disposition!” Finally, the day they have been waiting for arrives: A certain leader, despite having paid a great price and suffered much, was ultimately identified as a false leader and dismissed because he was unable to do actual work. After being dismissed, he became negative, developed misunderstandings, complained, and had a lot of resentful and judgmental things to say. When this matter reaches the ears of the antichrist and is seen by them, the antichrist says, “If even someone like you can be dismissed, then it’s even worse for people like me. If you have no hope of being saved, if you are not in line with god’s intentions, then who can be in line with god’s intentions? Who else can be regarded by god?” In one regard, the antichrist defends and demands justice for the false leader; in another, they are also accepting the resentful and judgmental words issued by the false leader. At the same time, they are secretly contending with God in their heart: “Is god righteous? Then why dismiss someone who has suffered and paid a price for the work of the church? This person is the most loyal to you. I haven’t seen anyone more loyal than him; I haven’t seen anyone who has suffered more or paid a greater price. He gets up early and goes to bed late, endures illness, puts aside his feelings for his family, and puts aside fleshly comfort and the prospects of the flesh, risking his life to work for you. He has even been imprisoned before and did not betray you. And yet you dismiss him just like that, you reveal him just like that—are you really righteous? Where is the evidence of your righteousness? Why can’t I see it?” Finally, the antichrist has seized upon leverage in God’s work with which to question the righteousness of God’s disposition. They think to themselves, “If god is righteous, then most people won’t be able to get by; if god is righteous, then people really need to be careful, and life will become quite difficult. Today, having finally seized leverage in god’s work, I can prove that god is not righteous, which makes things easier.” With this, they secretly rejoice in their heart.

God’s chosen people, in following God, have always suffered suppression, arrest, and brutal persecution by the great red dragon. In churches everywhere, there are often God’s chosen people who are arrested and persecuted. Frequently, some stumble or betray God and leave the church as a result. However, there are also many who stand firm in their testimony amid arrest and persecution. God utilizes the great red dragon’s service to reveal those disbelievers who infiltrated God’s house seeking blessings, while at the same time perfecting the chosen people who genuinely believe in God. This is God’s almightiness and wisdom. But how do antichrists view this matter? They are always doubtful of God: “Why doesn’t god save his chosen people from the arrest and persecution of the great red dragon?” They doubt God incarnate, always harboring notions about God in their hearts: “Why should god’s chosen people suffer such beatings and torture? It’s because of their faith, because they are unwilling to be Judases. But where is god when they are being tortured? Why doesn’t god save them? Doesn’t god love people? Where is god’s love? Could it be that god can bear to let those who believe in him be so madly humiliated by Satans and demons, and endure excessive torture? Is this god’s love? Where exactly is god’s protection for people? Why can’t I see it? It seems I need to be more careful. Not only can god not keep people from temptation or danger—on the contrary, the more one pursues, the more one has the will, and the more one follows god, then the more they face trials, and the more likely they are to suffer pain and torment. Since this is how god acts, then I also have my countermeasures. These people suffer such treatment because they made sacrifices; if I don’t pay such a price, if I don’t pursue in this way, won’t I avoid these trials? Without these trials, won’t I avoid such suffering? Not suffering like this, won’t I live in comfort? If I receive blessings all the same, why would I be so foolish as to let my flesh suffer all kinds of torment and pain? God says he loves people, but I cannot accept this way of god’s love! You can all interpret it however you like; it’s none of my business, I won’t accept it. I need to lie low, I need to skirt around a bit, I need to be careful and on guard; I can’t let god catch me and put me to work.” Antichrists harbor these things in their hearts, all of which are misunderstandings, opposition, judgment, and resistance against God. They lack any knowledge of God’s work whatsoever. While prying into God’s words, prying into God’s disposition, identity, and essence, they come to such conclusions. Antichrists bury these things deep in their hearts, admonishing themselves: “Caution is the parent of safety; it’s best to fly under the radar; the bird that sticks its neck out is the one that gets shot; and it’s lonely at the top! No matter when, never be that bird sticking its head out, never climb too high; the higher you climb, the harder you fall.” They do not believe that the words of God are the truth, and they do not believe that His disposition is righteous and holy. They regard all this through human notions and imaginings, and they approach the work of God with human perspectives, human thoughts, and human guile, employing the logic and thinking of Satan to delineate God’s disposition, identity, and essence. Obviously, not only do antichrists neither accept nor acknowledge God’s disposition, identity, and essence; on the contrary they are full of notions, opposition, and rebelliousness toward God and have not the least shred of real knowledge of Him. Antichrists’ definition of God’s work, God’s disposition, and God’s love is a question mark—dubiousness, and they are full of skepticism and full of denial and slander for it; so what, then, of His identity? God’s disposition represents His identity; with such a regard of God’s disposition as theirs, their regard of God’s identity is self-evident—direct denial. This is the essence of antichrists.

Regardless of which part of God’s words antichrists approach, regardless of which part of God’s actions they approach, whether it is God’s actions in all things or in specific individuals, they always use human perspectives and Satan’s logic, as well as the methods of knowledge and logic, to infer and judge, instead of approaching them as the truth and in a manner of acceptance. Therefore, regarding the words about God’s disposition, identity, and essence, and regarding the flesh in which God is incarnate and God’s Spirit, the approach of antichrists is actually the same, with no difference. In general, everything that involves God Himself, everything about the Creator, is subject to their prying, and then conjecture, scrutiny, and analysis, ultimately leading to conclusions of denial and slander. No matter from which angle or in what manner antichrists approach these words of God, why are the conclusions they ultimately draw always those of condemnation and slander? Why do they end up with such conclusions? Could it really be the case that among created humankind, there isn’t anyone who can take God’s words as the truth? Is this an inevitable outcome? Is this because of God? (No.) Then what exactly is the reason? (It’s because people have a nature that resists God.) Everyone has a nature that resists God. Why is it that after reading these words, some people can recognize them as the truth and accept what God says, while others can deny, condemn, and slander them? This clearly shows a problem, indicating that the essence within people is different. Antichrists, in their treatment of God’s words, fundamentally and subjectively do not truly accept them. They come with opposition and testing: “You say you are god, then I need to see, in what ways do you resemble god? You say you possess the disposition of god and have divinity, then I need to see which of your words confirm that you possess divinity and that you have the disposition of god, what deeds of yours confirm you have the identity and essence of god. Have you performed signs and wonders, or healed the sick and cast out demons? Have you cursed someone and they died immediately? Have you raised anyone from the dead? What exactly have you done that can confirm you possess the disposition of god, the identity and essence of god?” Antichrists always want to see these things, things beyond the truth, the way, and the life, using these things to confirm God’s identity, to confirm that the One they follow is God. This starting point itself is wrong. What is the most basic thing that can represent the identity and essence of God? (God is the truth, the way, and the life.) This is the most basic thing. Why do antichrists fail to comprehend even this most basic thing? This is the topic we need to discuss. Antichrists despise the truth and positive things; they are averse to the truth and all positive things; they hate the truth and positive things. In all of God’s words, they don’t see which words are the truth or positive things. Can their demonic eyes see this? Without seeing it, can they acknowledge it? Their failure to acknowledge these words as the truth means they cannot acknowledge God’s identity and essence. This is certain. Antichrists, in approaching God’s words about His disposition, identity, and essence, use the same approach as they do with other words of God, calculating, plotting, and pondering in their minds. If something God says from His identity as God immediately comes true, their attitude changes right away; if God, as God, says something or does something that gives them leverage, they also have a corresponding countermeasure, and their attitude changes immediately again. It is they who condemn God, and also they who say God is like God. In their view, as for whether God possesses the disposition, identity, and essence of God, they come to conclusions about this entirely based on what they see with their own eyes and their own mental analysis.

In the past one or two years, the church has made some experiential testimony videos. Different people have given various experiential testimonies, which helped some people with unstable foundations and those who were somewhat doubtful to establish some foundation. Of course, for antichrists, it also played a certain role in stabilizing them. These testifying individuals come from different age groups, different social classes, and some even from different countries and ethnicities. From the experiential testimonies they shared, it’s evident they underwent changes by means of God’s words, gained the truth and life, and through accepting God’s words, through accepting this stage of God’s work, they understood many truths, confirming that the flesh in which God is incarnate possesses God’s identity and essence. Of course, after listening to these experiential testimonies, antichrists also had a bit of secret delight deep inside: “Luckily, I did not publicly judge god. Luckily, I didn’t rush to deny god. Judging from the testimonies of so many people, this way seems correct. This christ, this ordinary person, might be god after all. My bet was perhaps placed correctly. If I continue on this path, and if more people testify about this person, if more people come before this person, and if more people confirm this person’s identity and essence, then my hope and chance of receiving blessings will be greater and greater.” While hesitantly observing, antichrists are still constantly encouraging and spurring themselves on: “Don’t be in a hurry. Stay patient. You’ve just got to endure. He who endures to the end shall be saved. Judging from the current various signs, from the scale and momentum of the church now, more and more people are able to stand up and testify about this god, confirming that this way is correct. So why would I be so foolish, rushing to stand out and deny it? Don’t do that, don’t be foolish. Wait another three to five years. If more people, more prestigious and knowledgeable people, people with social status, provide stronger evidence to confirm this ordinary person as christ, or if more people with worldly renown and status join the church, and if the church’s scale expands more globally, won’t I gain something then? Won’t I then have gained a great advantage? If the church has power, won’t I have power too? I absolutely must not leave! If all of this is right, if this person truly is god, and if I now reject or deny him, then I’ll miss out on all these blessings. I have to bet everything on this person. Who he is in his identity and essence, whom his disposition represents, I don’t care about that. What concerns me is whether more and more people are following him, whether the power and scale of the church are increasing. If it develops in a good direction, and can grow even bigger in normal circumstances, then I don’t need to worry about my prospects. If he really is the flesh in which god is incarnate as prophesied in the Bible, then I will be hugely blessed, greatly advantaged.” Every time they think of this, antichrists find some comfort and joy in their hearts: “How about that? Even without believing that god’s words are the truth, I can still receive blessings. Without believing that all of god’s deeds are righteous, I can still stand firm. Without believing that god can save people, I can still survive. Without believing that god observes the innermost heart of man, I can still do my duties in the church normally. I don’t believe in god’s almightiness and authority, I don’t believe that everything god does is meaningful, and I don’t believe that god reigns sovereign over all things and the fate of all humankind—I don’t believe any of this, and what of it? I don’t believe in god’s identity and essence, yet I can still muddle along in the church. Isn’t god righteous? I’ll just muddle through, I’ll drift along in the church like this, just enduring. Who can do anything to me? Can’t I still endure to the end and certainly be saved?” What do you think, can antichrists’ wishful thinking succeed? (No.) When the day comes that they truly see God’s righteous disposition, where will they be? When they are made to truly acknowledge God’s identity and essence, to admit that God is righteous, when they are shown that God is indeed righteous, where should they be? Can they really be saved? Can their endurance truly be effective? Can they really muddle through? Can their endurance, their compromises, their steadfast enduring of hardships, their shrewd intelligence, really negate their evil deed of prying into whether God’s words come true? Can their wishful thinking, countermeasures, conspiring, plotting, and everything they have planned in their hearts, along with their prying into things concerning God, truly replace their pursuit of the truth? Can these enable them to be saved? (No.) Then, judging from these manifestations, why do antichrists, who are so shrewd and who handle all matters without leaving any loopholes, doing everything in utmost secrecy, ultimately end up like this? There is only one reason: They do not confront God’s words squarely, do not accept God’s words as the truth, do not submit to God’s words, but instead pry into God’s words. This is the reason why antichrists ultimately end up like this. You all understand this, right? Although I haven’t told you how to act or how to treat God’s words, through speaking these facts and dissecting the viewpoints of antichrists and their attitude toward God’s words, you all know what kind of attitude toward God’s words and what kind of attitude for comprehending God’s words are the most correct and the attitudes that a created being should have, and that having these attitudes is what a created being should do.

August 22, 2020