Bible Verses for Reference:

“Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and dig a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to farmers, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the farmers, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the farmers took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did to them likewise. But last of all he sent to them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the farmers saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him” (Matthew 21:33-39).

“Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man does many miracles. If we let Him thus alone, all men will believe on Him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. … Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put Him to death” (John 11:47-48, 53).

Relevant Words of God:

How intriguing! Why has the incarnation of God always been rejected and reviled by people? Why don’t people ever have any understanding of God’s incarnation? Could it be that God has come at the wrong time? Could it be that God has come to the wrong place? Could it be that this happens because God has acted alone, without man’s “signature”? Could it be because God made up His own mind without man’s permission? … People ate what was provided from His mouth, they drank His blood, they enjoyed the graces He bestowed upon them, yet they also opposed Him, for they had never known who had given them their lives. Ultimately, they nailed Him upon the cross, yet still He made no sound. Even today, He remains silent. People eat His flesh, they eat the food He makes for them, they walk the way that He has opened up for them, and they drink His blood, yet they still intend to reject Him, they actually treat the God who has given them their lives as the enemy, and instead treat those who are slaves just like them as the heavenly Father. In this, do they not deliberately oppose Him? … Man knows not where his light and life came from, and does nothing but secretly plan how to once more crucify the Jesus of two thousand years ago, who has experienced the pain among man. Does Jesus really inspire such hate? Has all that He did long been forgotten? The hate that coalesced for thousands of years will finally shoot outward. You, the ilk of Jews! When has Jesus ever been hostile to you, that you should hate Him so much? He has done so much, and spoken so much—is none of it to your benefit? He has given His life to you without asking for anything in return, He has given you His entirety—do you really still want to eat Him alive? … There is nowhere that the “Jews” are not found, and today they still do the same work, they still carry out the same work of opposing God, and yet believe they are holding God up high. How could man’s own eyes know God? How could man, who lives in the flesh, treat as God the God incarnate who has come from the Spirit? Who among man could know Him? Where is the truth among man? Where is true righteousness? Who is able to know the disposition of God? Who can compete with the God in heaven? No wonder that, when He has come among man, no one has known God, and He has been rejected. How can man tolerate the existence of God? How can he allow the light to drive out darkness of the world? Is this all not of the honorable devotion of man? Is this not the upright entry of man?

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Work and Entry (10)

Do you wish to know the root of why the Pharisees opposed Jesus? Do you wish to know the substance of the Pharisees? They were full of fantasies about the Messiah. What’s more, they believed only that the Messiah would come, yet did not seek the truth of life. And so, even today they still await the Messiah, for they have no knowledge of the way of life, and do not know what the way of truth is. How, say you, could such foolish, stubborn and ignorant people gain God’s blessing? How could they behold the Messiah? They opposed Jesus because they did not know the direction of the Holy Spirit’s work, because they did not know the way of truth spoken by Jesus, and, furthermore, because they did not understand the Messiah. And since they had never seen the Messiah, and had never been in the company of the Messiah, they made the mistake of paying empty tribute to the name of the Messiah while opposing the substance of the Messiah by any means. These Pharisees in substance were stubborn, arrogant, and did not obey the truth. The principle of their belief in God is: No matter how profound Your preaching, no matter how high Your authority, You are not Christ unless You are called the Messiah. Are these views not preposterous and ridiculous? I ask you again: Is it not extremely easy for you to commit the mistakes of the earliest Pharisees, given that you have not the slightest understanding of Jesus? Are you able to discern the way of truth? Can you truly guarantee that you will not oppose Christ? Are you able to follow the work of the Holy Spirit? If you do not know whether you will oppose Christ, then I say that you are already living on the brink of death. Those who did not know the Messiah were all capable of opposing Jesus, of rejecting Jesus, of slandering Him. People who do not understand Jesus are all capable of denying Him, and reviling Him. Moreover, they are capable of seeing the return of Jesus as the deceit of Satan, and more people shall condemn Jesus returned to flesh. Does not all of this make you afraid? What you face shall be blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, the ruination of the words of the Holy Spirit to the churches, and the spurning of all that is expressed by Jesus. What can you gain from Jesus if you are so befuddled?

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. When You Behold the Spiritual Body of Jesus Will Be When God Has Made Anew Heaven and Earth

Just look at the leaders of every denomination—they are all arrogant and self-righteous, and they interpret the Bible out of context and according to their own imagination. They all rely on gifts and erudition to do their work. If they were incapable of preaching anything, would those people follow them? They do, after all, possess some knowledge, and can preach on some doctrine, or know how to win over others and how to use some artifices. They use these to bring people before themselves and deceive them. Nominally, those people believe in God, but in reality they follow their leaders. If they encounter someone preaching the true way, some of them say, “We have to consult our leader about our faith.” Their faith has to go through a human being; is that not a problem? What have those leaders become, then? Have they not become Pharisees, false shepherds, antichrists, and stumbling blocks to people’s acceptance of the true way?

from “Only the Pursuit of the Truth Is the True Belief in God” in Records of Christ’s Talks

Those who read the Bible in grand churches recite the Bible every day, yet not one understands the purpose of God’s work. Not one is able to know God; moreover, not one is in accord with the heart of God. They are all worthless, vile men, each standing on high to teach God. Though they brandish the name of God, they willfully oppose Him. Though they label themselves believers of God, they are ones who eat the flesh and drink the blood of man. All such men are devils who devour the soul of man, head demons who purposefully disturb those who try to step onto the right path, and stumbling blocks that impede the path of those who seek God. Though they are of “robust flesh,” how are their followers to know that they are antichrists who lead man in opposition to God? How are they to know that they are living devils who specially seek souls to devour?

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. All People Who Do Not Know God Are People Who Oppose God

How many seek the truth and follow righteousness? They are all beasts like pigs and dogs, leading a gang of stink flies in a dung heap to wag their heads and incite disorder.^[1] They believe that their king of hell is the most superior of kings, without realizing that they are nothing more than flies on rot. Not only that, they make slanderous remarks against the existence of God by relying on their pigs and dogs of parents. The minuscule flies think their parents to be as large as a toothed whale.^[2] Do they not realize that they are diminutive, yet their parents are unclean pigs and dogs a billion times larger than themselves? Unaware of their own lowliness, they run amok on the basis of the putrid odor of those pigs and dogs and have the delusional idea to procreate future generations. That is absolutely shameless! With green wings upon their backs (this refers to their claiming to believe in God), they begin to become conceited and boast everywhere of their own beauty and attractiveness, secretly casting away their impurities onto man. And they are even smug, as if a pair of rainbow-colored wings could conceal their own impurities, and thus they persecute the existence of the true God (this refers to the inside story of the religious world). Little does man know that, though the wings of the fly are beautiful and enchanting, it is after all no more than a minuscule fly that is full of filth and covered with germs. On the strength of their pigs and dogs of parents, they run amok across the land (this refers to the religious officials who persecute God on the basis of strong support from the country betraying the true God and the truth) with overwhelming ferocity. It is as if the ghosts of the Jewish Pharisees have returned along with God to the nation of the great red dragon, back to their old nest. They have again begun their work of persecution, continuing their work spanning several thousand years. This group of degenerates is sure to perish on earth in the end! It appears that, after several millennia, the unclean spirits have become even more crafty and sly. They constantly think of ways to secretly undermine the work of God. They are wily and cunning and wish to replay in their homeland the tragedy of several thousand years ago. This almost goads God into giving out a loud cry, and He can hardly keep Himself from returning to the third heaven to annihilate them.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Work and Entry (7)

Sermon and Fellowship Excerpts for Reference:

Why does the religious world serve God, yet also resist Him? The truth has already come out! It is because they only believe in the vague God up in heaven, but they do not acknowledge the practical God incarnate, which is why they have been exposed as the enemies of God. Even more, it’s because they are unable to accept the truths expressed by God incarnate and they hold on to hostility and hatred, which is why they are able to deny, condemn, and resist Christ. This also exposes the satanic nature and essence that antichrists possess of hating the truth. It is also because the truths expressed by Christ hold enormous power and authority and can awaken and save mankind, and allow them to break away from all forces of Satan and turn toward God that the leaders in the religious world are capable of nailing Christ to the cross in order to maintain their own status and fame and gain. This is the real truth of the religious world serving God while also resisting Him, and it fully reveals the truth and essence of their resistance against God.

from “Why the Religious World Has Always Resisted God While Serving Him” in Collection of Sermons—Supply for Life

What the Jewish chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees did in the temple two thousand years ago was exactly the same as what the pastors and elders of the religious world are doing today. … For example, some religious pastors secretly read the words of Almighty God, secretly look at the website of the house of God. After reading these things, they incorporate the words of the truth and the meaning of the truth and use them in their sermons in order to maintain their own status, their livelihood. Does a person like that acknowledge that the words of Almighty God are the truth, and the true way? If he didn’t acknowledge it then he wouldn’t steal them, right? Then why does he acknowledge it in his heart but will not accept the true way? It’s because he can’t bear to part with his status and his livelihood. In some churches, there are three to five hundred people, or five or six hundred people who idolize just him, and provide for his eating, drinking, and entertainment. That is a kind of enjoyment. Strutting around and showing himself off in front of hundreds or thousands of people can feed his vanity! It’s like a popular singer with tens of thousands of fans in front of the stage waving their hands and cheering for him. He performs for people on stage, and that is a kind of enjoyment. When he’s done with his performance, when everyone has dispersed, he still can’t bear to walk away from the stage. He says: “That was such a great atmosphere. It would be so wonderful if it could always be like that! Why did they all leave?” And the religious pastor also can’t bear to leave the church, where he can still enjoy the happiness from his vanity and status. He says: “I’m currently a pastor leading hundreds of people. If I accept Almighty God, could He bring me this kind of enjoyment? Would Almighty God provide me with this kind of church so that I could continue to be a pastor? Definitely not! The second I entered The Church of Almighty God I would just be a regular believer. I would have nothing, and that’s why I cannot accept it!” Does that kind of thing happen? There are a lot of things like that! If you don’t believe it, find one of them and tell him: “If you accept Almighty God, you can still be a pastor in this church and these believers will be yours to shepherd. Their offerings and their contributions will all be yours.” He would accept it immediately. Why did the chief priests and Pharisees of Judaism in the Age of Grace nail the Lord Jesus to the cross? They said: “If we let Him thus alone, all men will believe on Him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation” (Jhn 11:48). That means, “The way of the Lord Jesus is too lofty, too formidable! If He continues to preach the gospel for a few more years, there will be no one left in the synagogues. They will all go with Him, so where would we go to enjoy the blessings of our status? That’s why He must be gotten rid of!” They weren’t afraid of one robber, or ten robbers, or a hundred robbers—they were only afraid of one Lord Jesus. That is why they preferred to let a robber go and get rid of the Lord Jesus.

from “Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word ‘God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself III’ (IX)” in Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life XI

From the attitude that most pastors in the religious world have toward the appearance of Almighty God and all of the truths that He expresses, we can see that the majority of them do not love the truth, and they do not accept the truth. All of the words expressed by Almighty God are the truth, they are all to save mankind and bestow life upon people, and they are all the reality of the truth that God’s chosen people must enter into. But why are they opposed and condemned by most of the pastors and leaders of the religious world? Why do they hate and deny the truth so much? Why are they capable of struggling with God for His chosen people and always trying to keep God’s sheep in control in their own hands, as if they were their private property? Why do they block people from accepting Christ and turning toward God, even fabricating all kinds of rumors to condemn God’s work in the last days and persecute Christ? This fully reveals their satanic nature and essence of hating the truth and being hostile to Christ. This has already completely exposed their true face of the antichrist demons who gang up with Satan. This makes people think of the reason the chief priests and the scribes of the Age of Grace pursued and persecuted the Lord Jesus, which was entirely to retain their own status and their livelihoods. They were utterly afraid that the Israelites would accept and obey Christ and reject them, so they treated the Lord Jesus as an enemy and nailed Christ to the cross. God’s appearance and working in the flesh in the last days has now ushered in the Age of Kingdom, and His chosen people have come into the churches to spread the gospel and bear witness to Him, yet they have been subjected to mad resistance, blockades, and restrictions from the pastors and leaders of the religious world. This shows that they hate the truth and are enemies of Christ, just as the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees were in the Age of Grace. God thoroughly reveals them through appearing in the flesh. It’s clear that the belief in God on the part of the leaders and pastors of the religious world is for the sake of their status and livelihoods, and among them, the majority are not people who pursue the truth. They certainly do not expend themselves genuinely for God, and what they most fear is that the people in the church will see the appearance of God, accept the true way, turn toward God, and reject them. That is why they madly resist Him, are His enemies, and do all kinds of evil. They do not hesitate to fabricate and disseminate all kinds of rumors to deceive people, and to do their utmost to attack, judge, and condemn God’s work. The facts are adequate to reveal that the pastors and elders of the religious world are working and “serving God” for the sake of their status and livelihoods, to have people adore and follow them as if they were God. They are secretly enjoying God’s offerings and stealing God’s glory. They absolutely are not people who fear God! Aren’t those unbelievers within the religion who are in power exactly the genuine antichrists? Aren’t they precisely Satan’s minions? Could it be that people truly cannot clearly see the truth and the essence of them serving God while also resisting Him? Could it be that believers in God are so willing to be deceived and controlled by them that they will become their sacrificial objects? You can see that if those who believe in God are deceived and controlled by the antichrists of the religious world to the point that they cannot experience God’s work and achieve salvation, that truly is grievous!

from “Why the Religious World Has Always Resisted God While Serving Him” in Collection of Sermons—Supply for Life

Why do those of the religious world just fly into a rage as soon as we bear witness to the work of Almighty God? Do they know God? They don’t remotely know God, and they have not had any contact with Him. But as soon as they hear the name “Almighty God,” they fight like cornered cats and they wantonly slander and blaspheme Him. What does this elucidate? They really hate God! Some people say: “What they believe in is God in heaven.” It is precisely because what they believe in is the God of their imagination that they hate the true God, that they hate God’s reality and His essence. Does the vague God that they adore and imagine in their hearts exist? (He doesn’t.) Then it is just their love for themselves, and it is their love for their own imaginations. So what is it that they truly detest? It is God’s words, the truths that He expresses, His righteous disposition, and His judgment of them. As soon as they read these words, their hatred rises up. So once we have borne witness to God, they attack, slander, judge and blaspheme. That is how their satanic nature of hating God, of hating His righteous disposition and His essence is exposed.

from “Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word ‘God Himself, the Unique II’ (IV)” in Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life XII

When the Pharisees of Judaism heard the preaching of the Lord Jesus, they openly acknowledged that His words possessed power and authority, and that they originated from God. So why did they still condemn, arrest and crucify the Lord Jesus? By rights, since they discovered that the words of the Lord Jesus were the truth, they should have prayed to God to seek the answer: Is the Lord Jesus the Messiah? God would certainly have enlightened them. But they neither prayed to God nor sought at all, instead just condemning the Lord Jesus for blasphemy. In particular, they repeatedly asked the Lord Jesus, “Are you the Messiah?” When the Lord Jesus directly answered them, they refused to accept it. This adequately shows that the Pharisees were too arrogant and worshiped the Bible too much! They looked down on Christ, who was expressing the truth. Their logic was no matter how much truth the Lord Jesus could express, no matter how authoritative and powerful His words were, as long as He was not called Messiah, they would condemn, resist and even nail the Lord Jesus on the cross. Would you say that those leaders of Judaism were truth-hating demons? If the Lord Jesus had not been able to express the truth, would they have had such hatred for Him? This completely exposed the Pharisees’ truth-hating satanic nature. This was where the roots of the Pharisees’ resistance of the Lord Jesus lay! Just as the Lord Jesus said when He exposed the Pharisees: “But now you seek to kill Me, a man that has told you the truth, which I have heard of God…. And if I say the truth, why do you not believe Me? He that is of God hears God’s words: you therefore hear them not, because you are not of God” (Jhn 8:40, 46-47). Now we have seen clearly why the Jewish leaders resisted and murdered the Lord Jesus, so the reason the religious pastors and elders in the last days frantically resist and condemn Almighty God is not hard to understand. Those of us who have undergone the work of God have some sort of experience that all those who hate the truth will inevitably judge, condemn and resist God. The judgment work of Almighty God in the last days is to cleanse the satanic disposition of man. He judges and cleanses man by expressing the truth. Those who are able to accept the truth will receive cleansing and salvation. The satanic disposition of those who reject the truth cannot be changed. They will still resist and betray God as always. In The Church of Almighty God, some who were weary of and hostile to the truth were completely exposed—those unbelievers and antichrists were purged and expelled. As for the religious pastors and elders, why do they insist on condemning and blaspheming Almighty God? Isn’t it because Almighty God expresses many truths to conquer and save a group of people? The work of Almighty God has exposed them, which is why they hate and condemn God. Their satanic nature has been utterly exposed. Why does God detest and curse these exposed antichrists? It is because they vie with God over His chosen people by firmly controlling the sheep of God within their own hands, and forbidding people to study and accept the true way. They set up their own little kingdoms and become demons that harm and swallow up human lives. They have been condemned and cursed by God for offending His disposition.

from Classic Questions and Answers on the Gospel of the Kingdom

Footnotes:

1. “Incite disorder” refers to how people who are demonic run riot, obstructing and opposing the work of God.

2. “A toothed whale” is used mockingly. It is a metaphor for how flies are so small that pigs and dogs appear as big as whales to them.