Words of Almighty God of the Last Days

A person who has only the disposition of an antichrist cannot be classified as being, in essence, an antichrist. Only those who have the nature essence of antichrists are genuine antichrists. To be sure, there are differences in the humanity of the two, and under the governance of different sorts of humanity, the attitudes those people harbor toward the truth are likewise not the same—and when the attitudes that people harbor toward the truth are not the same, the roads they choose are different; and when the roads people choose are different, the resulting principles and consequences of their actions also have their differences. Because a person with only the disposition of an antichrist has a conscience at work, and has reason and a sense of honor, and, relatively speaking, loves the truth, when they reveal their corrupt disposition, there is reproval for it in their heart. At such times, they can reflect on themselves and know themselves, and they can admit to their corrupt disposition and their revelation of corruption, thus enabling them to rebel against the flesh and their corrupt disposition, and come to practice the truth and submit to God. With an antichrist, however, this is not the case. Because they have no conscience at work or conscientious awareness, and less still do they have a sense of honor, when they reveal their corrupt disposition, they do not measure according to God’s words whether their revelation is right or wrong, or whether theirs is a corrupt disposition or a normal humanity, or whether it accords with the truth. They never reflect on these things. So, how do they behave? They invariably maintain that the corrupt disposition they reveal and the road they choose are the right ones. They think whatever they do is right, that whatever they say is right; they are bent on holding to their own views. And so, however great a wrong they may do, however severe the corrupt disposition they may reveal, they will not recognize the gravity of the matter, and they certainly will not understand the corrupt disposition they have revealed. Neither, of course, will they put their desires aside, rebel against their ambition or their corrupt disposition in favor of choosing such a path as that of submission to God and the truth. One can see from these two different outcomes that if a person with an antichrist’s disposition loves the truth in their heart, they have a chance to attain an understanding of it and to practice it, and to attain salvation, whereas the sort of person with the essence of an antichrist cannot understand the truth or put it into practice, nor can they attain salvation. That is the difference between the two.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Excursus Five: Summarizing the Character of Antichrists and Their Disposition Essence (Part Two)

Which is a mortal sickness: Having an antichrist’s essence or an antichrist’s disposition? (Having an antichrist’s essence.) Is it? (Yes.) Think about it carefully, and then answer again. (Having an antichrist’s essence and having an antichrist’s disposition are both mortal sicknesses.) Why is that? (Because people with the essence of an antichrist won’t pursue the truth, and the same goes for people with the disposition of an antichrist. No matter what issue they encounter, people with the disposition of an antichrist never focus on pursuing the truth, and they don’t even have the bare minimum of humanity and reason; people like this are incapable of gaining the truth, and they cannot attain salvation either—this is also a mortal sickness.) Who else would like to speak? (My understanding is that neither of these two is mortal sickness, but if someone doesn’t pursue the truth, then that is the mortal sickness.) This is a good take on it. However, there is a precondition to this, which is the essence of an antichrist—those people who possess the essence of an antichrist simply do not pursue the truth, they are disbelievers—possessing the essence of an antichrist is the most dangerous thing. What is meant by an antichrist’s essence? It means that these people simply don’t pursue the truth; they pursue only status, they are inherently the enemies of God, they are antichrists, they are the embodiment of Satan, they are devils from birth, they are without humanity, they are materialists, they are standard disbelievers, and such people are averse to the truth. What does “averse to the truth” mean? It means that they don’t believe God is the truth, they don’t acknowledge the fact that God is the Creator, much less do they acknowledge the fact that God holds sovereignty over all things and everything. So, when such people are given the chance to pursue the truth, can they do it? (No.) Because they can’t pursue the truth, and because they are forever the enemies of the truth and the enemies of God, they will never be able to gain the truth. To be forever unable to gain the truth is a mortal sickness. And all those who possess an antichrist’s disposition share, in terms of disposition, similarities with those who possess an antichrist’s essence: They display the same manifestations, the same revelations, and even the way they display these manifestations and revelations, their mode of thinking, and their notions and imaginings about God are all the same. However, for the people who possess an antichrist’s disposition, regardless of whether they can accept the truth and acknowledge the fact that God is the Creator, so long as they don’t pursue the truth, then their antichrist’s disposition becomes a mortal sickness, and it is because of this that their outcome will be the same as those with an antichrist’s essence. Yet there are luckily some among those with an antichrist’s disposition who possess humanity, reason, conscience, and a sense of shame, who love positive things, and who possess the conditions to be saved by God. Because they pursue the truth, these people achieve dispositional change, cast off their corrupt dispositions, and cast off their antichrist’s disposition, so their antichrist’s disposition is no longer a mortal sickness for them, and there is a possibility of them being saved. In what circumstance can it be said that possessing an antichrist’s disposition is a mortal sickness? There is a prerequisite to this, which is that although these people acknowledge God’s existence, believe in God’s sovereignty, believe in and acknowledge everything God says, and can do their duties, there is one thing amiss: They never practice the truth or pursue the truth. So their antichrist’s disposition becomes fatal for them, and it can take their life. When it comes to people with an antichrist’s essence, regardless of the circumstances, it is not possible for these people to love the truth or accept the truth, and they can never gain the truth. Do you understand? (Yes.) You understand. Repeat it back to Me. (People with an antichrist’s essence are inherently the enemies of God. They are absolutely not people who love and can accept the truth, and it is impossible for them to ever gain the truth, and so for them their antichrist’s disposition is a mortal sickness. Whereas for certain people who possess an antichrist’s disposition, with the prerequisite that they possess humanity, reason, conscience, and a sense of shame, and love positive things and pursue the truth, and then achieve dispositional change through pursuing the truth, they are following the right path, and for them their antichrist’s disposition is not a mortal sickness. This is all decided by these people’s essence and the path they follow.) That is to say, it is not possible for people with an antichrist’s essence to ever pursue the truth, and they can never attain salvation, whereas people with an antichrist’s disposition can be classified into two kinds: One kind pursues the truth and can attain salvation, and one kind does not pursue the truth at all and cannot attain salvation. Those who cannot attain salvation are all laborers; certain loyal laborers can remain, and it is possible that they may meet with a different result.

Why can’t people with an antichrist’s essence attain salvation? It’s because these people don’t acknowledge the truth, nor do they acknowledge that God is the truth. These people don’t acknowledge that there are positive things, and they don’t love positive things. Instead, they love wicked things and negative things; they are the embodiment of all things wicked and negative, and they are the expressers of all things negative and wicked, and that’s why they’re averse to the truth, hostile to the truth, and hate the truth. Can they pursue the truth with such an essence? (No.) Therefore, it is impossible to get these people to pursue the truth. Is it possible to turn an animal into another kind of animal? For instance, is it possible to turn a cat into a dog or a mouse? (No.) A mouse will always be a mouse, often hiding in holes and living in the shadows. A cat will always be the natural enemy of a mouse, and this cannot be changed—this can never be changed. Yet there are some among those with an antichrist’s disposition who love the truth and positive things, who are willing to exert everything to practice and pursue the truth; they practice whatever God says, they follow no matter how God leads them, they do whatever God asks, the path they follow is entirely in accordance with the path that God requires, and they pursue in accordance with the direction and objectives indicated by God. As for the others, apart from the fact that they don’t pursue the truth, they also follow the antichrist’s path, and it doesn’t take much to realize what these people’s outcome will be. Not only will they not gain the truth, but they will also lose the chance to be saved—how pitiful these people are! God gives them chances and also supplies them with the truth and life, but they don’t cherish these things, and they don’t follow the path to being made perfect. It’s not that God favors some people over others and doesn’t give these people chances, but rather it’s because they don’t cherish these chances or act as God requires that they lose the opportunity to be saved. Therefore, their antichrist’s disposition becomes fatal and causes them to lose their lives. They think that understanding some doctrines and exhibiting some external actions and good behavior means that God won’t look into the matter of their antichrist’s disposition, that they can conceal it, and that consequently they naturally do not need to practice the truth and can do whatever they want, and can act in accordance with their own understanding, methods, and wishes. In the end, no matter what chances God gives them, they persist in clinging to their own course, they follow the path of an antichrist, and they become the enemies of God. They don’t become the enemies of God because God defined them as such right from the start—God gave them no definition at first, because in God’s eyes they were not His enemies or people with an antichrist’s essence, but were rather just people with satanic, corrupt dispositions. No matter how many truths God expresses, they still don’t strive for the truth in their pursuit. They cannot set foot on the path to salvation, and they instead follow the path of an antichrist, and eventually lose their chance to be saved. Isn’t that a shame? It’s such a shame! These people are so pitiful. Why are they pitiful? They understand a few words and doctrines and think they understand the truth; they pay a bit of a price and exhibit some good behavior while doing their duty and think they are practicing the truth; they have some talent, caliber, and gifts, and can speak some words and doctrines, do some work, do some special duties, and they think they’ve gained life; they can endure a little suffering and pay a bit of a price and they mistakenly think that they can submit to God and give everything up for God. They use their external good behavior, their gifts, and the words and doctrines they’ve equipped themselves with to supplant practicing the truth—this is their biggest problem, their fatal flaw. It makes them mistakenly believe that they’ve already embarked upon the path to salvation, and that they already possess stature and life. In any case, if these people aren’t able to attain salvation in the end, then they have no one to blame but themselves; it is because they themselves aren’t focusing on the truth, aren’t pursuing the truth, and are more than willing to follow the path of antichrists.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Nine (Part Four)

All who walk the path of antichrists are people with an antichrist’s disposition, and what people with an antichrist’s disposition walk is the path of antichrists—yet there’s a bit of a difference between people with an antichrist’s disposition and antichrists. If someone has an antichrist’s disposition and would walk the path of antichrists, that doesn’t necessarily indicate that they’re an antichrist. But if they don’t repent and can’t accept the truth, they could develop into an antichrist. There’s still a hope and a chance for people who walk the path of antichrists to repent, because they haven’t become antichrists yet. If they do evil things of many sorts and are classified as an antichrist, and are thus cleared out and expelled straight away, they won’t have a chance to repent anymore. If someone who walks the path of antichrists hasn’t yet done a lot of evil things, this at least shows that they’re not an evil person yet. If they can accept the truth, there’s a glimmer of hope for them. If they won’t accept the truth, come what may, then they’ll have a very hard time being saved, even if they haven’t done all sorts of evil. Why can’t an antichrist be saved? Because they don’t accept the truth in the least. However God’s house fellowships about being an honest person—about how one must be open and candid, come out and say what one has to say, and not engage in deceit—they just can’t accept it. They constantly feel that people lose out by being honest and that it’s foolish to speak the truth. They’re dead set on not being an honest person. This is the nature of antichrists, which is averse to the truth and hates it. How can someone be saved if they don’t accept the truth in the least? If someone who walks the path of antichrists can accept the truth, there’s a clear difference between them and an antichrist. All antichrists are people who don’t accept one bit of the truth. No matter how many wrong or evil things they’ve done, no matter how great the losses they’ve incurred to the work of the church and the interests of God’s house, they’ll never reflect on and know themselves. Even if they are pruned, they don’t accept any truth at all; that’s why the church classifies them as evil people, as antichrists. An antichrist, at the very most, will admit only that their actions violate the principles and aren’t in line with the truth, yet they’ll absolutely never admit that they do evil on purpose, or resist God on purpose. They’ll just admit to mistakes, but they won’t accept the truth; and afterward, they’ll go on doing evil as before, without practicing any truth whatsoever. From the fact that an antichrist never accepts the truth, it can be seen that the nature essence of antichrists is that of being averse to the truth and hating it. They remain people who resist God as always, no matter how many years they’ve believed in Him. Ordinary, corrupt mankind, on the other hand, may all have an antichrist’s disposition, but there’s a difference between them and antichrists. There’re a number of people who can commit God’s words of judgment and exposure to heart after they’ve heard them, and ponder them repeatedly, and reflect on themselves. They may then realize, “So this is an antichrist’s disposition, then; this is what it is to walk the path of antichrists. What a serious issue! I have those states and behaviors; I have that sort of essence—I am that sort of person!” They then consider how they may cast off that antichrist’s disposition and truly repent, and with that, they can set their will on not walking the path of antichrists. In their work and life, in their attitude toward people, events, and things and toward God’s commission, they can reflect on their own actions and behavior, on why they can’t submit to God, why they’re always living by a satanic disposition, why they can’t rebel against the flesh and Satan. And so, they’ll pray to God, and accept His judgment and chastisement, and implore God to save them from their corrupt disposition and from Satan’s influence. That they have the resolve to do this proves that they can accept the truth. They likewise reveal a corrupt disposition, and act on their own will; the difference is that an antichrist doesn’t just have ambitions and desires to establish an independent kingdom—they also won’t accept the truth, no matter what. This is an antichrist’s Achilles’ heel. If, on the other hand, a person with an antichrist’s disposition can accept the truth, and pray to God and rely on Him, and if they wish to cast off the corrupt disposition of Satan, and to walk the path of pursuing the truth, then in what ways will that prayer and that resolve be of benefit to their life entry? It will at least cause them to reflect on themselves and know themselves as they do their duty, and to use the truth to resolve problems, such that they may come to do their duty satisfactorily. That’s one way it will benefit them. Beyond that, with the training that doing their duty affords them, they’ll be able to set off on the path of pursuing the truth. Whatever difficulties they encounter, they’ll be able to seek the truth, to focus on accepting the truth and practicing it; they’ll be able gradually to cast off their satanic disposition, and come to submit to God and worship Him. They can achieve God’s salvation with practice like that. People with an antichrist’s disposition may reveal corruption on occasion, and they may still speak and act in the interest of their fame, gain, and status, despite themselves, and they may still work off of their own will—but as soon as they realize that they’re revealing their corrupt disposition, they’ll feel remorse, and pray to God. This proves that they’re someone who can accept the truth, who submits to God’s work; it proves that they’re pursuing life entry. No matter how many years a person has experienced for, nor how much corruption they reveal, they’ll ultimately be able to accept the truth, and to enter the truth reality. They’re someone who submits to God’s work. And as they do all this, it demonstrates that they’ve already laid their foundation on the true way. But some who walk the path of antichrists can’t accept the truth. For them, salvation will be as difficult to come by as it is for antichrists. Such people feel nothing when they hear God’s words that expose antichrists, but are indifferent and unmoved. When fellowship turns to the topic of antichrist’s disposition, they’ll admit that they have an antichrist’s disposition and that they’re walking the path of antichrists. They’ll speak quite well on it. But when it comes time to practice the truth, they’ll still refuse to do so; still, they’ll act on their own will, in reliance on their antichrist’s disposition. If you ask them, “Do you struggle at heart when you reveal an antichrist’s disposition? Do you feel self-reproach when you speak in order to safeguard your status? Do you reflect on and come to know yourself when you reveal an antichrist’s disposition? Are you remorseful at heart once you’ve learned of your corrupt disposition? Do you repent or change at all afterward?” they’re sure to have no answer, because they haven’t had any such experiences and encounters. They’ll be unable to say anything. Are people like this capable of true repentance? Surely, it won’t be easy. Those who truly do pursue the truth will be pained by any revelation of an antichrist’s disposition in themselves, and become anxious; they’ll get to thinking: “Why can’t I just cast off this satanic disposition? Why am I always revealing a corrupt disposition? Why is this corrupt disposition of mine so stubborn and inextricable? Why’s it so hard to enter the truth reality?” This shows that their life experience is shallow, and that their corrupt disposition hasn’t been resolved much at all. That’s why the battle in their heart rages so fiercely when something befalls them, and why they also bear the brunt of that torment. Although they have the resolve to cast off their satanic disposition, they assuredly can’t go without that battle against it in their heart—and that embattled state intensifies by the day. And as their knowledge of themselves grows deeper, and they see how deeply corrupt they are, they long even more to gain the truth, and treasure it even more, and they’ll be able to accept and practice the truth uninterruptedly over the course of knowing themselves and their corrupt disposition. They’ll gradually grow in stature, and their life disposition will begin to truly change. If they keep trying to experience in this way, their situation will get better and better, year by year, and in the end, they’ll be able to overcome the flesh and cast off their corruption, to practice the truth frequently, and to achieve submission to God. Life entry isn’t easy! It’s just like resuscitating someone who’s about to die: The responsibility one can fulfill is that of fellowshipping the truth, supporting them, providing for them, or pruning them. If they can accept it and submit, there’s hope for them; they may be lucky enough to escape, and things will stop short of death. But if they refuse to accept the truth, and know nothing at all about themselves, then they’re in danger. Some antichrists go one or two years after being eliminated without knowing themselves, and don’t acknowledge their mistakes. In such a case, there’s no sign of life left in them, and that’s proof that they have no more hope of being saved. Can you accept the truth when you’re pruned? (Yes.) There’s hope, then—that’s a good thing! If you can accept the truth, you have a hope of being saved.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Eight: They Would Have Others Submit Only to Them, Not the Truth or God (Part Two)

Some leaders and workers have, in the past, often revealed an antichrist’s dispositions: They were wanton and arbitrary, and it was always their way or the highway. But they didn’t commit any obvious evils and their humanity was not terrible. Through being pruned, through brothers and sisters helping them, through being transferred or replaced, by being negative for a time, they finally become aware that what they revealed before were corrupt dispositions, they become willing to repent, and think, “What is most important is to persist in doing my duty, no matter what. Though I was walking the path of an antichrist, I wasn’t classed as one. This is God’s mercy, so I must work hard in my belief and my pursuit. There’s nothing wrong with the path of pursuing the truth.” Bit by bit, they turn themselves around, and then they repent. There are good manifestations in them, they are able to seek the truth principles when doing their duty, and they seek the truth principles when engaging with others, too. In every regard, they are entering in a positive direction. Have they not then changed? They have turned from walking the path of antichrists to walking the path of practicing and pursuing the truth. There is hope and a chance for them to attain salvation. Can you class such people as antichrists because they once exhibited some manifestations of an antichrist or walked the path of antichrists? No. Antichrists would rather die than repent. They have no sense of shame; besides that, they are vicious and wicked of disposition, and they are averse to the truth in the extreme. Can someone who is so averse to the truth put it into practice, or repent? That would be impossible. That they are so absolutely averse to the truth means that they will never repent. There is one thing certain about people who are able to repent, and it is that they have made mistakes but are able to accept the judgment and chastisement of God’s words, are able to accept the truth, and are able to try as hard as they can to cooperate when doing their duties, taking the words of God as their personal maxims, and making God’s words into the reality of their lives. They accept the truth, and deep down, they are not averse to it. Is this not the difference? This is the difference. Antichrists, however, don’t stop at refusing to be pruned—they won’t listen to anyone whose words accord with the truth, and they don’t believe that God’s words are the truth, nor do they acknowledge them to be so. What nature is that of theirs? It’s one of being averse to the truth and hating it, to an extreme degree. When anyone fellowships the truth or speaks of experiential testimony, they’re extremely repulsed by it, and they’re hostile to the person fellowshipping. If someone in the church is spreading various preposterous and evil arguments, saying absurd, preposterous things, it makes them very happy; they’ll get on board at once and wallow in the mire with them, in close collaboration. It’s a case of birds of a feather flocking together, of like seeking out like. If they should hear God’s chosen people fellowshipping the truth or speaking of experiential testimony of their self-knowledge and sincere repentance, it flusters them to exasperation, and they get to considering how to exclude and attack that person. In brief, they don’t look fondly on anyone who pursues the truth. They want to exclude them and be their enemy. Whoever is skilled at showing off by preaching words and doctrines, they like them very much and are quite approving of them, as if they’d found a confidant and fellow traveler. If someone should say, “Whoever does the most work and makes the greatest contribution will be greatly rewarded and crowned, and will reign together with god,” they’ll grow excited to no end, with a rush of hot blood. They’ll feel that they’re head and shoulders above others, that they finally stand out from the crowd, that there’s now space for them to display themselves and exhibit their worth. They’ll be quite satisfied then. Is that not being averse to the truth? Suppose you say to them in fellowship, “God doesn’t like people like Paul, and He’s most disgusted by people who walk the path of antichrists, and those who go around all day saying, ‘Lord, Lord, haven’t I done much work for You?’ He’s disgusted by people who go around all day begging Him for a reward and a crown.” These words are certainly the truth, but what feeling are they left with when they hear such fellowship? Do they say amen to and accept such words? What’s their first reaction? Revulsion at heart and an unwillingness to listen—what they mean is, “How can you be so sure about what you’re saying? Do you have the final say? I don’t believe what you’re saying! I’ll do what I’ll do. I’m going to be like Paul and ask god for a crown. That way, I can be blessed, and have a good destination!” They insist on maintaining the views of Paul. Aren’t they thus fighting against God? Is that not obvious opposition to God? God has exposed and dissected Paul’s essence; He’s said so much on it, and every bit of it is the truth—yet these antichrists don’t accept the truth or the fact that all Paul’s actions and behaviors were in opposition to God. In their mind, they still question: “If you say something, that means it’s right? On what grounds? To me, what Paul said and did looks right. There’s nothing mistaken in it. I’m pursuing a crown and a reward—that’s what I’m capable of! Can you stop me? I’ll pursue doing work; once I’ve done a lot, I’ll have capital—I’ll have made a contribution, and that being so, I’ll be able to enter the kingdom of heaven and be rewarded. There’s nothing wrong there!” That’s how stubborn they are. They don’t accept the truth in the slightest. You can fellowship the truth to them, but it won’t get through to them; they’re averse to it. That’s the attitude of antichrists toward God’s words, the truth, and it’s their attitude toward God, too. So, what feeling do you get when you’ve heard the truth? You feel that you’re not pursuing the truth, and that you don’t understand it. You feel you’re still far short of it, and that you’ll need to strive toward the truth reality. And whenever you hold yourselves up for comparison to God’s words, that’s when you feel that you’re just too deficient, and poor of caliber, and lacking in spiritual understanding—that you’re still perfunctory, and that there’s still wickedness in you. And then, you get negative. Is that not your state? Antichrists, on the other hand, are never negative. They’re always so enthusiastic, never reflecting on themselves or knowing themselves, but thinking they’ve got no major problems. This is how people who are always arrogant and self-righteous are—as soon as they get their hands on power, they turn into antichrists.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Eight: They Would Have Others Submit Only to Them, Not the Truth or God (Part One)

Is there anyone who does not desire power at all? Is there anyone who does not like power? Is there anyone who does not crave the benefits of status? No, there is not. What is the reason for this? It is because people have all been corrupted by Satan; they all have a satanic nature. One thing that all people have in common is that they like power, status, and enjoying the benefits that it brings them. This is a trait that all people share. So then why are some people regarded as antichrists, while others merely reveal an antichrist’s disposition or walk the path of an antichrist? What are the differences between these two groups? First, I will speak about the difference in their humanity. Do antichrists have humanity? What are the differences between the humanity of people who walk the path of antichrists and antichrists themselves? (Antichrists do not have conscience and reason, they do not have humanity, whereas people who walk the path of antichrists still have a little bit of conscience and reason. They can still accept the truth and accept God’s judgment and chastisement, and also show true repentance.) Showing repentance is a point of difference. Do antichrists know to repent? (No, they do not.) Antichrists do not accept the truth in the slightest; even if they run up against a wall, they won’t repent. They will never know themselves. When it comes to humanity, there is another way that people who walk the path of antichrists are different from antichrists, which is the difference between an average good person and an evil person. Good people say and do things with conscience and reason, while evil people do not have conscience and reason. When evil people do something bad and get exposed, they are not compliant: “Hmph, even if everyone knows, is there anything they can do about it? I’ll do whatever I want! I don’t care who exposes or criticizes me. What can anyone really do to me?” No matter how many bad things an evil person does, they do not feel shame. When an ordinary person does something bad, they want to disguise it and cover it up. If someone ends up exposing them, they are too ashamed to face anyone and even do not want to go on living: “Ah, how could I do something like this? I’m truly shameless!” They are extremely remorseful and even curse themselves, swearing that they will never do something like this again. This type of behavior is proof that they have a sense of shame, that they still have some humanity. Someone who is shameless does not have a conscience and reason, and all evil people are shameless. No matter what kind of bad deed an evil person commits, it will not redden their face or quicken their heartbeat, and they will still unscrupulously defend their actions, twisting negative aspects into positive ones, and speaking of bad deeds as though they were good. Does this kind of person have a sense of shame? (No.) If they have this kind of attitude, then will they truly repent in the future? No, they will only keep acting as they have been. This means they are shameless, and shamelessness means having no conscience and reason. People with conscience and reason are too ashamed to face anyone after they are exposed for doing something bad, and they never do this thing again. Why is this? It is because they feel that this was a shameful thing to do and are too full of shame to face anyone; there is a sense of shame in their humanity. Is this not the minimum standard for normal humanity? (It is.) Can someone who does not even feel shame still be called a human? They cannot. Does someone who does not feel shame have a normal mind? (They do not.) They do not have a normal mind, let alone a love of positive things. For them, having a conscience and reason is too high of a standard, one which they fall short of. Now, what is the most basic difference between antichrists and those who walk the path of antichrists? When a person who possesses the essence of an antichrist is exposed by someone else for contending with God for status, they will not think that they have done wrong. Later, not only will they not learn their lessons and turn to God, but instead, as soon as they have the chance to be elected as a leader or worker, they will continue to contend with God for status, carrying on just as before, sooner dying than repenting. Do these people possess any rationality? (They do not.) And do people who have no rationality feel any shame? (They don’t.) Such people have no rationality and no sense of shame. When people who possess normal humanity, conscience and reason hear others say that they are contending with God for status, they will think, “Oh no, this is a serious matter! I’m a follower of God! How could I be contending for status with Him? How shameful to be vying with God for status! How benumbed, how stupid, how unreasonable I have become to do this! How could I have done such a thing?” They will feel embarrassed and ashamed for what they did, and when encountering similar situations, their sense of shame will restrain their behavior. The nature essence of all people is the nature essence of Satan, but those who possess the reason of normal humanity will have a sense of shame, and their behaviors will be restrained. As a person’s comprehension of the truth gradually deepens, and as their knowledge and understanding of God and submission to the truth gain depth, this sense of shame will no longer be the minimum threshold. They will be increasingly restrained by the truth, and by their God-fearing heart. They will continue to improve themselves, and act more and more in line with the truth. However, will antichrists pursue the truth? They absolutely will not. They do not possess normal human reason, do not know what it means to pursue the truth, and are averse to the truth and do not have a shred of love for it, so how could they pursue the truth? Pursuing the truth is a normal human need; only those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will love the truth and pursue it. Those who do not possess normal humanity will never pursue the truth.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Two: They Attack and Exclude Dissenters

For antichrists, if their reputation or status is attacked and taken away, it is a matter even more serious than trying to take their life. No matter how many sermons they listen to or how many of God’s words they read, they will not feel sadness or regret over never having practiced the truth and having taken the path of antichrists, nor over their possession of the nature essence of antichrists. Instead, they are always racking their brains for ways to gain status and increase their reputation. It can be said that everything antichrists do is done to show off in front of others, and is not done before God. Why do I say this? It is because such people are so in love with status that they treat it as their very life, as their lifelong goal. Moreover, because they love status so much, they never believe in the existence of truth, and it can even be said that they harbor absolutely no belief in God’s existence. Thus, no matter how they calculate to gain reputation and status, and no matter how they try to use false appearances to trick people and God, in the depths of their hearts, they have no awareness or reproach, let alone any anxiety. In their consistent pursuit of reputation and status, they also wantonly deny what God has done. Why do I say that? In the depths of antichrists’ hearts, they believe, “All reputation and status are earned through one’s own efforts. Only by gaining a firm foothold among people and gaining reputation and status can they enjoy god’s blessings. Life only has value when people gain absolute power and status. Only this is living like a human. By contrast, it would be useless to live in the way that is spoken of in the word of god—to submit to god’s sovereignty and arrangements in everything, to willingly stand in the position of a created being, and to live like a normal person—no one would look up to a person like that. A person’s status, reputation, and happiness must be won through their own struggles; they must be fought for and seized with a positive and proactive attitude. No one else will give them to you—waiting around passively can only lead to failure.” This is how antichrists calculate. This is the disposition of antichrists. If you hope for antichrists to accept the truth, admit mistakes, and have real repentance, it is impossible—they absolutely cannot do it. Antichrists have the nature essence of Satan, and they hate the truth, so no matter where they go, even if they go to the ends of the earth, their ambition of pursuing reputation and status will never change, and neither will their views on things, or the path that they walk. Some people will say: “There are a few antichrists who can change their views on this.” Is this statement right? If they can truly change, are they still antichrists? Those who have the nature of an antichrist will never change. Those who possess the disposition of an antichrist will only change if they pursue the truth. Some people who walk the path of an antichrist do some evil that disturbs the church’s work, and though they are classified as antichrists, after they get dismissed, they feel true remorse, and they resolve to comport themselves anew, and after a period of reflection, self-knowledge, and repentance, they undergo some real change. In this case, these people cannot be classified as antichrists; they just possess the disposition of an antichrist. If they pursue the truth, they can change. However, it can be definitively said that most of those who are classified as antichrists, cleared out, or expelled by the church will not truly repent or change. If any of them do, they are rare cases. Some people will ask: “Then were those rare cases misclassified?” This is impossible. They did commit some evil, after all, and this cannot be written off. However, if they are able to truly repent, if they are willing to do a duty, and if they possess true testimony of their repentance, the church can still admit them. If these people absolutely refuse to admit fault or to repent after being classified as antichrists, and they keep trying to justify themselves by any means possible, then it is accurate and completely correct to classify them as antichrists. If they had acknowledged their errors and felt true remorse then, how could the church classify them as antichrists? That would be impossible. No matter who they are, no matter how much evil they did, or how serious their errors were, whether a person is determined to be an antichrist or to possess the disposition of an antichrist depends on whether they are able to accept the truth and being pruned, and whether they possess true remorse. If they can accept the truth and accept being pruned, if they possess true remorse, and if they are willing to spend their whole life laboring for God, then this truly indicates a bit of repentance. A person like this cannot be classified as an antichrist. Can those veritable antichrists truly accept the truth? Absolutely not. It is precisely because they do not love the truth, and are averse to the truth, that they will never be able to let go of reputation and status, which are so closely entwined with their whole life. Antichrists firmly believe in their hearts that only with reputation and status do they have dignity and are they true created beings, and that only with status will they be rewarded and crowned, qualify for God’s approval, gain everything, and be a genuine person. What do antichrists see status as? They see it as the truth; they regard it as the highest goal to be pursued by people. Isn’t that a problem? People who can obsess over status in this way are genuine antichrists. They are the same kind of people as Paul. They believe that pursuing the truth, seeking submission to God, and seeking honesty are all processes that lead one to the highest possible status; they are merely processes, not the goal and standard of being human, and that they are done entirely for God to see. This understanding is preposterous and ridiculous! Only the absurd ones who hate the truth could produce such a ridiculous idea.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Nine (Part Three)

Corrupt human beings all possess a wicked disposition, and they all have the revelations and manifestations of a wicked disposition. However, the wicked disposition of ordinary people and the wicked disposition of antichrists are different. Although ordinary people have a wicked disposition, in their hearts they yearn for truth and love truth, and during the process of their faith in God and performing their duties, they are able to accept the truth. Even though the truth they can put into practice is limited, they can still practice some, and so their corrupt dispositions can gradually be purified and truly changed, and finally they are able to basically submit to God and attain salvation. Antichrists, on the other hand, don’t love the truth at all, they never accept the truth, and they never put it into practice. You should try to observe and discern according to what I say here; whether it be a church leader or worker, or an ordinary brother or sister, look to see whether they can put the truths within the scope of what they can understand into practice. For example, say someone understands a truth principle, but when it comes time to put it into practice, they don’t put it into practice at all, and they do whatever they want and act wantonly—this is wickedness and it is hard to save such a person. Some people don’t really understand the truth, but in their hearts they want to seek exactly what to do that accords with God’s intentions and conforms with the truth. In their innermost hearts, they wish not to go against the truth. Only because they don’t understand the truth do they speak and act in violation of principles, they make mistakes, and even do things that cause disruptions and disturbances—what is the nature of this? The nature of this does not pertain to doing evil; it is brought about through foolishness and ignorance. They do these things entirely because they don’t understand the truth, because they are not able to attain to the truth principles, and because, according to their notions and imaginings, they think it’s right to do those things, and so they act in that way, and God therefore determines them to be foolish and ignorant, lacking in caliber; it is not the case that they understand the truth and go against it on purpose. As for leaders and workers who always do things by their notions and imaginings and who often disrupt the work of God’s house because they don’t understand the truth, you must practice implementing supervision and restrictions, and practice fellowshipping more on the truth to solve problems. If someone’s caliber is too lacking and they cannot understand the truth principles, then it’s time to dismiss them as a false leader. If they understand the truth yet intentionally go against the truth, then they must be pruned. If they remain unable to accept the truth all the while and express no repentance, then they must be handled as an evil person, and they should be cleared out. However, the nature of antichrists is much more serious than that of evil people or false leaders, because antichrists intentionally disturb church work on purpose. Even if they understand the truth, they don’t practice it, they listen to no one, and if they do listen, they don’t accept what they hear. Even if they appear on the surface to accept it, they resist it in their innermost hearts, and when it comes time to act, they still act in accordance with their own preferences without any consideration to the interests of God’s house at all. When around other people, they speak some human words and have some human likeness, but when they act behind people’s backs, their demonic nature emerges—these are antichrists. When they gain status, some people do all manner of evil and become antichrists. Some people have no status, yet their nature essence is the same as that of antichrists—can you say they are good people? The moment they gain status, they do all manner of evil—they are antichrists.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Seven: They Are Wicked, Insidious, and Deceitful (Part One)

You should all compare yourselves with the various revelations, manifestations, and practices of antichrists which I have exposed; in the course of doing your duties, you will undoubtedly exhibit some of these manifestations, revelations, and practices, but how are you different from antichrists? Can you accept from God the things that befall you? (Yes, we can.) To be able to accept from God what befalls you, this is the rarest thing. Can you turn yourself around if you take the wrong path, do something wrong, do ignorant things, or commit transgressions? Can you repent? (Yes, we can.) To be able to repent and turn yourself around is the most precious and rare thing. But antichrists lack exactly this. Only people who will be saved by God have this. What things are the most important to possess? First is believing that God is the truth; this is the most fundamental thing. Can you do this? (Yes, we can.) Antichrists don’t possess this most fundamental thing. Second is accepting that God’s word is the truth; this can also be considered the most fundamental thing. Third is submitting to God’s orchestration and arrangements. This is absolutely unattainable to antichrists, but this is where it begins to get difficult for you. Fourth is accepting everything from God without disputing, justifying yourself, giving reasons, or complaining. This is absolutely impossible for antichrists. Fifth is repenting after rebelling or committing transgressions. This will just be difficult for you to achieve. It is when, after committing transgressions, people gradually gain some knowledge of their own corrupt dispositions through a period of reflection and seeking, sadness, negativity, and weakness. Of course, this requires time. It could be one or two years, or it could be longer. One can only truly repent after fully understanding their corrupt dispositions and yielding from the heart. Although this is not easy, ultimately manifestations of repentance can be seen in those who pursue the truth, those who can attain God’s salvation. But antichrists do not possess this. Think about it, what antichrist does not dredge up the past three or five years, or even 10 or 20 years, after doing something bad? No matter how much time has passed, after you meet them again, all they talk about are still those arguments of theirs. They still do not recognize or accept their own evil deeds, and they do not even show the slightest bit of remorse. This is the distinction between antichrists and ordinary corrupt people. Why can antichrists not show remorse? What is the root cause? They do not believe that God is the truth, which leads to their inability to accept the truth. This is hopeless, and it is determined by the antichrists’ essence. When you hear Me dissect the various manifestations of antichrists, you think: “I’m done for. I also have the disposition of an antichrist—am I not also an antichrist?” Isn’t this a lack of discernment? It is true that you have the disposition of an antichrist, but where you are different from antichrists is that you still possess positive things. You can accept the truth, confess, repent, and change, and these positive things can enable you to cast off the dispositions of antichrists, and enable your corrupt dispositions to be cleansed, and you to achieve salvation. Doesn’t this mean that you have hope? There is still hope for you!

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Nine (Part Seven)

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