Words of Almighty God of the Last Days

How does God characterize antichrists? As those who hate the truth and oppose God—they are God’s enemies! Opposing the truth, hating God, and hating all positive things—this is not the momentary weakness or foolishness found in ordinary people, nor is it the revelation of incorrect thoughts and viewpoints that arise from a moment’s distorted comprehension; this is not the problem. The problem is that they are antichrists, the enemies of God, hating all positive things and all truth; they are characters who hate and oppose God. How does God view such characters? God does not save them! These people despise and hate the truth, they have the nature essence of antichrists. Do you understand this? What is being exposed here is wickedness, viciousness, and hatred of the truth. It’s the most severe of satanic dispositions among corrupt dispositions, representing Satan’s most typical and substantial characteristics, not the corrupt dispositions revealed by ordinary corrupted mankind. Antichrists are a force inimical to God. They can disturb and control the church, and they have the capacity to dismantle and disrupt God’s management work. This is not something that ordinary people with corrupt dispositions can do; only antichrists are capable of such actions. Do not underestimate this matter.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Six

In the time when God had not yet become flesh, the measure of whether man opposed God was based on whether man worshiped and looked up to the invisible God in heaven. The way in which opposition to God was defined at that time was not all that practical, for man could not see God, nor did he know what the image of God was like, or how He worked and spoke. Man had no notions about God whatsoever, and he believed in God vaguely, because God had not yet appeared to man. Therefore, no matter how man believed in God in his imagination, God did not condemn man or make overly high demands of him, because man was completely unable to see God. When God becomes flesh and comes to work among men, all behold Him and hear His words, and all see the deeds that God works from within His body of flesh. At that moment, all man’s notions become foam. As for those who have seen God appearing in the flesh, they shall not be condemned if they willingly submit to Him, whereas those who purposefully stand against Him shall be deemed an opponent of God. Such people are antichrists, enemies who willfully stand against God.

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

If you have believed in God for many years, and yet have never submitted to Him, and do not accept the entirety of His words, and instead ask that God submit to you and act according to your notions, then you are the most rebellious of all, you are a disbeliever. How could such people be able to submit to the work and words of God that do not conform to the notions of man? Most rebellious of all are those who intentionally defy and resist God. They are the enemies of God, the antichrists. Theirs is always an attitude of hostility toward the new work of God; they never have the slightest inclination to submit, nor have they ever gladly submitted or humbled themselves. They exalt themselves before others and never submit to anyone. Before God, they consider themselves the best at preaching the word, and the most skillful in working on others. Never do they discard the “treasures” in their possession, but treat them as family heirlooms for worship, for preaching about to others, and they use them to lecture those fools who idolize them. There are indeed a certain number of people like this in the church. It can be said that they are “indomitable heroes,” generation after generation sojourning in the house of God. They take preaching the word (doctrine) to be their highest duty. Year after year, generation after generation, they go about vigorously enforcing their “sacred and inviolable” duty. None dare touch them; not a single person dares openly reproach them. They become “kings” in the house of God, running rampant as they tyrannize others from age to age. This pack of demons seeks to join hands and demolish My work; how can I allow these living devils to exist before My eyes? Even those who are only half submissive cannot carry on until the end, much less these tyrants without the slightest submission in their hearts! The work of God is not easily gained by man. Even using all the strength they have, people can only gain a mere portion of it, ultimately allowing them to be made perfect. What, then, of the children of the archangel, who seek to destroy the work of God? Do they not have even less hope of being gained by God?

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Those Who Submit to God With a True Heart Shall Surely Be Gained by God

There are those who read the Bible in grand churches and recite it all day long, yet not one among them understands the purpose of God’s work. Not one among them is able to know God; still less can any one among them accord with God’s intentions. They are all worthless, vile people, each standing on high to lecture God. They willfully oppose God even as they carry His banner. Claiming faith in God, still they eat the flesh and drink the blood of man. All such people are devils that devour the soul of man, head demons that deliberately disturb those trying to step onto the right path, and stumbling blocks impeding those who seek God. They may appear of “sound constitution,” but how are their followers to know that they are none other than antichrists who lead people to stand against God? How are their followers to know that they are living devils dedicated to the devouring of human souls?

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

Look at the leaders of each religion and each denomination—they are all arrogant and self-righteous, and their interpretations of the Bible lack context and are guided by their own notions and imaginings. They all rely on gifts and knowledge to do their work. If they could not preach at all, would people follow them? They do, after all, possess some knowledge and can preach some doctrines, or they know how to win others over and make use of some tricks. They use these things to deceive people, and to bring people before themselves. Nominally, those people believe in God, but in reality, they follow these leaders. When they encounter someone preaching the true way, some of them say, “We have to consult our leader about matters of faith.” See how people need the agreement and approval of others when it comes to believing in God and accepting the true way—is this 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? Such people are of the same kind as Paul.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three

Antichrists are openly antagonistic toward the truth and God; they vie with God for His chosen people, His position, and people’s hearts, and they even do various things around God’s chosen people to win over their hearts, and to mislead and paralyze them. In short, the nature of antichrists’ actions and behavior, whether open or secret, is always antagonistic toward God. Why do I say it is antagonistic toward God? It’s because they know perfectly well that God’s words are the truth and that He is God, yet they still oppose Him and don’t accept the truth no matter how it is fellowshipped on. For instance, some antichrists rope in some people and mislead and control them. They make these people obey them and follow them, and then they fraudulently obtain all kinds of books and materials from the church, and set up their own churches and establish their own kingdoms, so that they can enjoy being followed and worshiped by their followers, after which they start to profit from the church. This kind of behavior is clearly them vying with God for His chosen people—is this not a characteristic of antichrists? Is it unjust to define these people as antichrists based on this obvious characteristic? It isn’t unjust at all—this definition is very accurate! There are also some antichrists who form cliques within the church and dismantle the church. They constantly cultivate their own forces within the church, and exclude those who disagree with them. Then they keep those who listen to and follow them by their sides to form their own forces and make everyone do what they say. Isn’t this them establishing their own kingdoms? Regardless of what work arrangements or requirements the Above has, they refuse to carry them out and instead act in their own way, leading their followers to openly oppose the Above. For instance, God’s house requires that leaders and workers who are not capable of performing real work be promptly replaced. An antichrist, however, will think: “Though some leaders and workers aren’t capable of performing real work, they support and approve of me, and I have been cultivating them. There’s no way that the above is replacing these people, unless they remove me first.” Tell Me, isn’t that church under the control of that antichrist? The work arrangements of God’s house do not get by the antichrist and cannot be carried out. When the work arrangements have been issued for a long time, and every church has reported back on how they have been carried out, for example, who has been reassigned to another duty or replaced due to what circumstances, the antichrist never reports anything back and never reassigns anyone. Some people are always perfunctory in their duties, which seriously impacts the work of the church, but the antichrist doesn’t reassign them. Even when the Above tells the antichrist directly to replace these people, a long time passes without their reply. Isn’t there a problem here? When the Above asks them to implement work arrangements or tries to inquire about something, they reach a dead end with the antichrist. The brothers and sisters in the church know nothing about it, they receive no messages, and they are disconnected from the Above—the church is totally under that one person’s control. What is the nature of an antichrist acting in this way? This is the antichrist taking over a church. Antichrists form cliques in the church, they establish their own kingdoms, they oppose God’s house, and they harm God’s chosen people. People lose the work of the Holy Spirit, they cannot feel God’s presence, there is no peace or joy, they lose faith in God, and they no longer perform their duties energetically. They even become negative and depraved, and their lives stagnate. All of these are results of antichrists misleading and controlling people.

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

There is another manifestation of antichrists in their treatment of God incarnate: They say, “As soon as I saw christ was an ordinary person, notions formed in my mind. The Word Appears in the Flesh is an expression of god; it is the truth, and I admit it. I have a copy of The Word Appears in the Flesh, and that’s enough. I don’t need to have contact with christ. If I have notions, negativity, or weakness, I can resolve them just by reading god’s word. It is easy to form notions if I have contact with god incarnate, and this will show I am too deeply corrupted. If I happen to be condemned by god, I will have no hope of salvation. So, it’s better if I just read god’s word on my own. It is god in heaven who can save people.” It is God’s present words and fellowship, especially those words that expose antichrists’ disposition and essence, that most sting antichrists’ hearts and are the most painful to them. These are the words antichrists are the least willing to read. Therefore, antichrists wish in their hearts that God would leave the earth soon, so that they can rule by dint of their own power on earth. They believe that the flesh in which God is incarnate, this ordinary person, is superfluous to them. They always ponder, “Before listening to christ’s sermons, I felt I understood everything, and was fine in all regards, but after listening to christ’s sermons, it’s different. I now feel as if I have nothing, I feel I am so insignificant and pitiable.” Therefore, they determine that Christ’s words are not exposing them but others, and think there’s no need to listen to Christ’s sermons, that reading The Word Appears in the Flesh is enough. In the hearts of antichrists, their main intention is to deny the fact of God becoming flesh, to deny the fact that Christ expresses the truth, thinking that in this way there is hope for them to be saved through their belief in God, and they can reign as kings in the church, thus satisfying their initial intention in believing in God. Antichrists have an inborn nature of resistance to God; they are as incompatible with the incarnate God as fire and water, in eternal disaccord. They think that every day Christ exists is a day on which it will be hard for them to shine, and that they are in danger of being condemned, eliminated, destroyed, and punished. So long as Christ does not speak and does not work, and so long as God’s chosen people do not look up to Christ, then antichrists’ opportunity is upon them. They have a chance to demonstrate their abilities. With a wave of the hand, masses of people will defect to their side, and antichrists can reign as kings. The nature essence of antichrists is to be averse to the truth and hateful toward Christ. They compete with Christ over who is more talented or who is more capable; they compete with Christ over whose words carry more power and whose abilities are greater. As they are doing the same thing as Christ, they are out to make others see that although they and He alike are human, Christ’s abilities and scholarship are no better than an ordinary person’s. Antichrists compete with Christ in every way, contesting who is better, and trying to deny from every angle the fact that Christ is God, that He is the embodiment of God’s Spirit, and that He is the embodiment of truth. They also think of various ways and means in every area to prevent Christ from holding power among God’s chosen people, to prevent Christ’s words from being spread or implemented among God’s chosen people, and even to prevent the things Christ does and His demands of, and hopes for, people from being realized among God’s chosen ones. It is as if when Christ is present, they are snubbed, and are condemned and rejected by the church—a group of people put in a dark corner. We can see in the various manifestations of antichrists that by essence and disposition, they are irreconcilable with Christ—they cannot be under the same sky as Him! Antichrists have been inimical to God since they were born; they are out specifically to resist God, and they want to defeat and vanquish Christ. They want all the work Christ does to be in vain and for nothing, so that in the end, Christ will not gain many people, and so that no matter where He does work, He will get no results. Only then will antichrists be happy. If Christ expresses truths, and people are thirsty for them, seek them, gladly accept them, are willing to expend themselves for Christ, to forsake everything and spread Christ’s gospel, then antichrists grow despondent and feel there is no hope for tomorrow, that there will never be a chance for them to shine, as though they were cast into hell. To look at these manifestations of antichrists, is this essence of theirs to fight God and regard Him with hostility inculcated in them by someone else? It absolutely is not; they are born with it. Therefore, antichrists are a type of person that, from birth, is the reincarnation of the devil, the devil come to earth. They can never possibly accept the truth, and will never accept Christ, exalt Christ, or bear witness to Christ. Although by appearances, you will not see them publicly judge or condemn Christ, and although they can compliantly exert some effort and pay a price, as soon as they have a chance, when the moment is ripe, antichrists’ irreconcilability with God will show itself. The fact that antichrists fight God and establish an independent kingdom will become public. All of these things have happened before in places where there are antichrists, and they have been especially frequent in these years when God does His work of judgment of the last days; many people have experienced and observed them.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Ten: They Despise the Truth, Brazenly Flout Principles, and Ignore the Arrangements of God’s House (Part Four)

Some people do not have God-fearing hearts at all. They believe that the work arrangements are written by man, that they come from man, and wherever they do not accord with these people’s notions, they change them as they will. Do you know which of God’s administrative decrees this violates? (7. “In work and matters of the church, apart from submitting to God, follow the instructions of the man who is used by the Holy Spirit in everything. Even the slightest infraction is unacceptable. Be absolute in your compliance, and do not analyze right or wrong; what is right or wrong has nothing to do with you. You must concern yourself only with total submission” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Ten Administrative Decrees That Must Be Obeyed by God’s Chosen People in the Age of Kingdom).) Things that violate the administrative decrees are things that offend God’s disposition. Can’t you see that clearly? Some people are exceedingly cavalier in their attitudes toward the Above’s work arrangements. They believe, “The Above makes the work arrangements, and we do the work in the church. Some words and affairs can be implemented flexibly. It’s up to us how, specifically, they’re to be done. The Above just speaks and makes the work arrangements; we’re the ones taking practical action. So, after the Above hands the work off to us, we can do it as we like. It’s fine, however it gets done. No one has the right to interfere.” The principles they act on are as follows: They listen to what they believe is right and ignore what they believe is wrong, they consider their beliefs to be the truth and the principles, they resist whatever does not accord with their will, and they are extremely antagonistic toward you regarding those things. When the Above’s words do not accord with their will, they go ahead and change them, and only pass them down once they meet with their agreement. Without their agreement, they do not permit them to be passed down. While in other areas, the Above’s work arrangements are passed down as they are, these people pass their altered versions of the work arrangements onto the churches under their charge. Such people always wish to put God off to the side; they are eager to get everyone to believe in them, and follow them, and submit to them. In their minds, there are some areas in which God does not measure up to them—they ought to be God themselves, and others ought to believe in them. That is the nature of it. If you understood this, would you still weep when they are dismissed? Would you still feel sorry for them? Would you still think, “The Above acted inappropriately. They treat people unfairly. How could they dismiss such a hardworking person?” Those who say this are undiscerning. For whose sake are they hardworking? For the sake of God? For the sake of the church work? They work hard in order to consolidate their status; they are hardworking in order to establish independent kingdoms. Are they serving God? Are they performing their duties? Are they loyal and submissive to God? They are purely the lackeys of Satan, and when they work, it is the devil that reigns. They damage God’s management plan and disturb God’s work. They are bona fide antichrists!

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Part Three

Antichrists’ cherishment of their reputation and status goes beyond that of normal people, and is something within their disposition essence; it is not a temporary interest, or the transient effect of their surroundings—it is something within their life, their bones, and so it is their essence. This is to say that in everything antichrists do, their first consideration is their own reputation and status, nothing else. For antichrists, reputation and status are their life, and their lifelong goal. In all they do, their first consideration is: “What will happen to my status? And to my reputation? Will doing this give me a good reputation? Will it elevate my status in people’s minds?” That is the first thing they think about, which is ample proof that they have the disposition and essence of antichrists; they would not consider these problems otherwise. It can be said that for antichrists, reputation and status are not some additional requirement, much less something extraneous that they could do without. They are part of the nature of antichrists, they are in their bones, in their blood, they are innate to them. Antichrists are not indifferent toward whether they possess reputation and status; this is not their attitude. Then, what is their attitude? Reputation and status are intimately connected to their daily lives, to their daily state, to what they pursue on a daily basis. And so for antichrists, status and reputation are their life. No matter how they live, no matter what environment they live in, no matter what work they do, no matter what they pursue, what their goals are, what their life’s direction is, it all revolves around having a good reputation and a high status. And this aim does not change; they can never put aside such things. This is the true face of antichrists, and their essence. You could put them in a primeval forest deep in the mountains, and still they would not put aside their pursuit of reputation and status. You can put them among any group of people, and all they can think about is still reputation and status. Although antichrists also believe in God, they see the pursuit of reputation and status as equivalent to faith in God and give it equal weight. Which is to say, as they walk the path of faith in God, they also pursue their own reputation and status. It can be said that in antichrists’ hearts, they believe that pursuit of the truth in their faith in God is the pursuit of reputation and status; the pursuit of reputation and status is also the pursuit of the truth, and to gain reputation and status is to gain the truth and life. If they feel that they have no reputation, gains, or status, that no one admires them, or esteems them, or follows them, then they are very disappointed, they believe there is no point in believing in God, no value to it, and they say to themselves, “Is such faith in god a failure? Is it hopeless?” They often deliberate such things in their hearts, they deliberate how they can carve a place out for themselves in the house of God, how they can have a lofty reputation in the church, so that people listen when they talk, and support them when they act, and follow them wherever they go; so that they have the final say in the church, and fame, gain, and status—they really focus on such things in their hearts. These are what such people pursue. Why are they always thinking about such things? After reading the words of God, after hearing sermons, do they really not understand all this, are they really not able to discern all this? Are the words of God and the truth really not able to change their notions, ideas, and opinions? That is not the case at all. The problem lies in them, it is wholly because they do not love the truth, because, in their hearts, they are averse to the truth, and as a result, they are utterly unreceptive to the truth—which is determined by their nature essence.

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

One of the most obvious characteristics of the essence of an antichrist is that they monopolize power and run their own dictatorships: They do not listen to anyone, they do not respect anyone, and regardless of people’s strengths, or what correct views or wise opinions they may express, or what suitable methods they might put forward, they pay them no heed; it is as if no one is qualified to cooperate with them, or to take part in anything they do. This is the kind of disposition antichrists have. Some people say this is being of bad humanity—but how could it be commonplace bad humanity? This is an entirely satanic disposition, and such a disposition is supremely vicious. Why do I say that their disposition is supremely vicious? Antichrists expropriate everything from the house of God and the property of the church, and treat them as their personal property, all of which is to be managed by them, and they do not permit anyone else to intervene in this. The only things they think about when doing the work of the church are their own interests, their own status, and their own pride. They do not allow anyone to harm their interests, much less do they allow anyone of caliber or anyone who is able to speak of their experiential testimony to threaten their reputation and status. And so, they try to suppress and exclude as competitors those who are able to speak of experiential testimony, and who can fellowship the truth and provide for God’s chosen people, and they desperately try to isolate those people completely from everyone else, to drag their names thoroughly through the mud, and to bring them down. Only then will the antichrists feel at peace. If these people are never negative, and are able to carry on doing their duty, speaking of their testimony, and supporting others, then the antichrists will turn to their last resort, which is to find faults with them and condemn them, or to frame them and fabricate reasons to torment and punish them, until they get them cleared out of the church. Only then will the antichrists completely relax. This is what is most insidious and malicious about the antichrists. What causes them the most fear and anxiety is the people who pursue the truth and are possessed of true experiential testimony, because people with such testimony are the ones whom God’s chosen people approve of and support the most, rather than those who blather on emptily about words and doctrines. Antichrists do not possess true experiential testimony, nor are they capable of practicing the truth; at best, they are capable of doing a few good deeds to curry favor with people. But no matter how many good deeds they do or how many nice-sounding things they say, these are still incomparable to the benefits and advantages that a good experiential testimony can bring to people. Nothing is a substitute for the effects of the provision and watering provided to God’s chosen people by those who are able to speak of their experiential testimony. And so, when antichrists see someone speaking of their experiential testimony, their gaze becomes a dagger. Rage ignites in their hearts, hatred rises up, and they are champing at the bit to shut the speaker up and stop them from saying any more. If they carry on talking, the antichrists’ reputation will be completely ruined, their ugly faces completely exposed for all to see, so the antichrists find a pretext to disturb the person who is speaking testimony, and to suppress them. Antichrists permit only themselves to mislead people with words and doctrines; they do not allow God’s chosen people to glorify God by speaking of their experiential testimony, which indicates what kind of people the antichrists hate and fear the most. When someone distinguishes themselves with a little work, or when someone is able to speak of true experiential testimony, and God’s chosen people receive benefits, edification, and support from it, and it earns great praise from everyone, envy and hate grows in the hearts of the antichrists, and they try to exclude and suppress that person. They do not, under any circumstances, allow such people to undertake any work, in order to prevent them from threatening their status. People with the truth reality serve to accentuate and highlight the poverty, wretchedness, ugliness, and wickedness of antichrists when they’re in their presence, so when the antichrists choose a partner or co-worker, they never select people with the truth reality, they never select people who can speak of their experiential testimony, and they never select honest people or people who are able to practice the truth. These are the people the antichrists envy and hate the most, and they are a thorn in the side of the antichrists. No matter how much these people who practice the truth do that is good or of benefit to the work of God’s house, the antichrists will try their hardest to cover these deeds up. They will even twist the facts to claim the credit for good things while shifting the blame for bad things onto others, as a means to elevate themselves and belittle other people. Antichrists have a great jealousy and hatred toward those who pursue the truth and are able to speak of their experiential testimony. They are fearful that these people will threaten their own status, and so they do all they can to attack and exclude them. They prohibit the brothers and sisters from contacting them or getting close to them, or from supporting or praising these people who are able to speak of their experiential testimony. This is what most reveals the satanic nature of antichrists, which is averse to the truth and hates God. And so, too, does it prove that the antichrists are an evil countercurrent in the church, that they are the ones to blame for the disturbance to church work and impedance of God’s will. What’s more, the antichrists often fabricate lies and twist facts among the brothers and sisters, belittling and condemning people who can speak of their experiential testimony. No matter what work those people do, antichrists find excuses to exclude and suppress them, and are judgmental about them, saying they are arrogant and self-righteous, that they like showing off, and that they harbor ambitions. In fact, these people have some experiential testimony and possess some of the truth reality. They are of relatively good humanity, have conscience and reason, and are able to accept the truth. And though they may have some shortcomings, deficiencies, and occasional revelations of a corrupt disposition, they are capable of reflecting on themselves and repenting. These people are the ones whom God will save, and who have hope of being made perfect by God. In sum, these people are suited to doing a duty. They satisfy the requirements and principles for doing a duty. But the antichrists think to themselves, “There’s no way I’m going to put up with this. You want to have a role in my domain, to compete with me. That’s impossible; don’t even think about it. You’re more educated than me, more articulate than me, more popular than me, and you pursue the truth with greater diligence than I do. If I were to cooperate with you and you stole my thunder, what would I do then?” Do they consider the interests of the house of God? No. What do they think about? They think only of how to hold on to their own status. Though antichrists know themselves to be incapable of doing real work, they do not cultivate or promote people of good caliber who pursue the truth; the only people they promote are those who flatter them, those who are apt to worship others, who approve of and admire them in their hearts, those who are smooth operators, who have no understanding of the truth and are incapable of discernment. The antichrists bring these people up to their side to serve them, to run about for them, and to spend each day orbiting around them. This gives the antichrists power in the church, and it means that many people draw close to them, and follow them, and that no one dares to offend them. All these people whom antichrists cultivate are people who do not pursue the truth. Most of them lack spiritual understanding and know nothing but rule-following. They like to follow trends and the powers that be. They are of the sort that is emboldened by having a powerful master—a gang of muddle-headed people. How does that saying of the nonbelievers go? Better to be a squire to a good man than the worshiped forebear of a bad one. Antichrists do precisely the opposite—they act as the worshiped forebears of such people, and set out to cultivate them as their flag-wavers and cheerers-on. Whenever an antichrist is in power in a church, they will always recruit muddle-headed people and those who blindly fool around as their helpers, while excluding and suppressing those people of caliber who can understand and practice the truth, who can take on work—and especially those leaders and workers who are capable of actual work. In this way, two camps are formed in the church: In one camp are those whose humanity is relatively honest, who do their duty with sincerity, and are people who pursue the truth. The other camp is a gang of people who are muddle-headed and who blindly fool around, led by antichrists. These two camps will continue to battle each other until the antichrists are revealed and eliminated. Antichrists always fight and act against those who do their duty with sincerity and pursue the truth. Does this not severely disturb the church’s work? Does this not disrupt and disturb God’s work? Is this force of antichrists not a stumbling block and an obstacle preventing God’s will from being carried out in the church? Is it not a wicked force opposing God? Why do antichrists act this way? Because, in their minds, it is clear that if these positive characters were to stand up and be leaders and workers, they would be antichrists’ competitors; they would be antichrists’ opposing force, and would absolutely not listen to antichrists’ words or obey them; they would absolutely not follow antichrists’ every bidding. These people would be enough to constitute a threat to the antichrists’ status. When antichrists see these people, hatred rises up in their hearts; their hearts will be without peace and reassurance if they do not exclude and defeat these people and ruin their names. Therefore, they must work quickly to cultivate their own power and strengthen their ranks. This way, they can control more of God’s chosen people, and will never again have to worry about a handful of truth-pursuers threatening their status. Antichrists form their own force in the church, taking those who listen to them, obey them, and are sycophantic toward them, and promoting them to be in charge of every aspect of work. Is doing this beneficial to the work of the house of God? No. Not only is it not beneficial, it also creates disruption and disturbance to the church’s work. If this wicked force has more than half of the people on its side, there is a chance it will topple the church. This is because the number of truth-pursuers in the church constitutes a minority, whereas laborers and disbelievers who are just there to eat their fill of loaves constitute at least half. In this situation, if antichrists focus their strength on misleading and drawing those people over to their side, they will naturally have an upper hand when the church elects leaders. Therefore, the house of God always stresses that during elections, the truth should be fellowshipped on until it is clear. If you are unable to expose and defeat antichrists by fellowshipping on the truth, the antichrists could mislead people and be elected as a leader, seizing and controlling the church. Would that not be a dangerous thing? If one or two antichrists appeared in the church, it would not warrant fear, but if antichrists were to become a force and achieve a certain level of influence, that would warrant fear. Therefore, antichrists must be uprooted and expelled from the church before they achieve that level of influence. This task is of the highest priority, and it is necessary to do.

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

The essence of the behavior of antichrists is to constantly use various means and methods to satisfy their ambitions and desires, to mislead and ensnare people, and to gain high status so that people will follow and worship them. It is possible that in the depths of their hearts they are not deliberately vying over humanity with God, but one thing is certain: Even when they do not vie with God for humans, they still wish to have status and power among them. Even if the day comes when they realize that they are vying with God for status, and they rein themselves in a bit, they still employ different methods to pursue status and reputation; it is clear to them in their hearts that they will secure legitimate status, by winning the approval and admiration of some people. In short, though everything antichrists do appears to comprise a performance of their duties, its consequence is to mislead people, to make them worship and follow them—in which case, performing their duty in this way is exalting and testifying to themselves. Their ambition to control people and to gain status and power in the church will never change. They are out-and-out antichrists. No matter what God says or does, and no matter what He asks of people, antichrists do not do what they should do or perform their duties in a way that befits His words and requirements, nor do they give up their pursuit of power and status as a result of understanding any of the truth. At all times, their ambitions and desires still remain, they still occupy their hearts and control their whole being, directing their behavior and thoughts, and determining the path they walk. They are bona fide antichrists. What is seen most of all in antichrists? Some people say, “Antichrists vie with God to gain people, they do not acknowledge God.” It is not that they do not acknowledge God; in their hearts they do genuinely acknowledge and believe in His existence. They are willing to follow Him and want to pursue the truth, but they can’t help themselves, and so they can do evil. Though they may say many things that sound good, one thing will never change: Their ambition and desire for power and status will never change. They will never give up their pursuit of power and status because of failure or setback, or because God has set them aside or abandoned them. Such is the nature of antichrists. So what do you say, has there ever been an antichrist who changed their ways and began to pursue the truth because they suffered hardship, or came to understand a little of the truth, and acquired a little knowledge of God—do such people exist? We’ve never seen that. The antichrists’ ambition for and pursuit of status and power will never change, and once they seize power, they will never let it go; this determines precisely their nature essence. There is not the slightest inaccuracy in God’s defining such people as antichrists; it has been determined by their very nature essence. Some people, perhaps, believe that antichrists try to vie over humanity with God. However, sometimes antichrists do not necessarily have to vie with Him; their knowledge, understanding, and need for status and power are unlike those of normal people. Normal people can sometimes be vainglorious; they can try to win credit with others, try to make a good impression on them, and try to vie for a good ranking. This is the ambition of normal people. If they are replaced as leaders, losing their status, it will be hard for them, but with a change in their environment, some growth in their stature, some attainment of entry into the truth, or the gaining of a deeper understanding of the truth, their ambition gradually cools. A change occurs in the path they take and the direction they proceed along, and their pursuit of status and power fades. Their desires, too, gradually lessen. Antichrists, however, are different: They could never give up their pursuit of status and power. At any given time, in any environment, and no matter what people they have around them and however old they might be, their ambition and desire will never change. What indicates that their ambition will never change? Say, for example, that they are a church leader. In their hearts, they’re always thinking about how they can control everyone in the church. If they are transferred to another church where they are not the leader, will they gladly be a normal follower? Absolutely not. They will still be thinking about how to gain status, and how to control everyone. No matter where they go, they wish to rule like a king. Even if they were put in a place with no people, in a flock of sheep, they would still want to lead the flock. If they were put with cats and dogs, they would want to be king of the cats and dogs, and rule over the animals. They are consumed with ambition, are they not? Are such people’s dispositions not demonic? Are these not the dispositions of Satan? Satan is just such a thing. In heaven, Satan wanted to stand equal to God, and after being cast to earth, it always tried to control man, to make man worship it and treat it as God. Antichrists always want to control people because they have a satanic nature; they live according to their satanic disposition, which has already gone beyond the bounds of normal people’s reason. Isn’t this a little abnormal? What does this abnormality refer to? It means that their behavior should not be found in normal humanity. So, what is this behavior? What governs it? It is governed by their nature. They have the essence of an evil spirit, and are unlike normal corrupt mankind. This is the difference. That antichrists will stop at nothing in their pursuit of power and status not only exposes their nature essence, but also shows people that their hideous countenance is exactly the face of Satan and demons. Not only do they vie with people for status, they also dare to vie with God for status. They will only be satisfied when they take God’s chosen ones for themselves and have them completely under their control. No matter which church or group of people antichrists are in, they want to gain status, hold power, and make people listen to them. Regardless of whether people are willing or whether they agree, antichrists want to have the final say and have people obey and accept them. Is this not the nature of an antichrist? Are people willing to listen to them? Do they elect them and recommend them? No. But antichrists still want to have the final say. No matter whether people agree or not, antichrists want to speak and act on their behalf, they want to be noticed. They even try to force their ideas on other people, and if people don’t accept it, antichrists will rack their brains trying to make them accept it. What problem is this? This is shamelessness and brazenness. People such as this are bona fide antichrists, and regardless of whether they are leaders or not, they are antichrists all the same. They have the nature essence of an antichrist.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Five: They Mislead, Draw In, Threaten, and Control People

As soon as antichrists become leaders, the first thing they do is try to win over people’s hearts, to make people believe them, trust them, and support them. When their status is secure, they begin to become abnormal. To protect their status and power, they begin to attack and exclude dissenters. Toward dissenters—particularly toward people who pursue the truth—they’ll try anything, using steady, precise and unrelenting methods to suppress and attack them, to torment them. Only when they have brought down and vilified anyone who threatens their status do they feel at ease. Every antichrist is like this. What is their aim in using these myriad tactics to win over and suppress people? Their goal is to gain power, to consolidate their status, to mislead and control people. What do their intentions and motives represent? They wish to establish their own, independent kingdom, they want to stand against God. Such an essence is even more grievous than a corrupt disposition: The ambitions and treacherous schemes of Satan have been completely exposed. This is not solely a problem of the revealing of a corrupt disposition. For example, when people are a little arrogant and self-righteous, or are sometimes a bit deceitful and mendacious, these are merely the revelations of a corrupt disposition. Everything antichrists do, meanwhile, is in order to win over people’s hearts, to attack and exclude dissenters, to consolidate their status, to seize power, and to control people. What is the nature of these actions? Are they practicing the truth? Are they leading God’s chosen people in entering God’s words and coming before God? (No.) So what are they doing? They are vying with God for His chosen people, competing for people’s hearts, and trying to set up their own, independent kingdom. Who should have a place in people’s hearts? God should have a place. But everything the antichrists do is precisely the opposite of this. They do not allow God or the truth to have a place in people’s hearts; instead, they want man, the leader that they are, and Satan to have a place in people’s hearts. As soon as they discover that they do not have a place in someone’s heart, that this person does not treat them like a leader, they are extremely disgruntled, and will probably try to suppress them and torment them. Everything the antichrists do and say revolves around their status and reputation, and is meant to make people think highly of them, to make people envy and worship them—even to make people fear them. They want to make God’s chosen people treat them like God, thinking, “No matter what church I’m in, people must listen to me, they must take their cues from me. No matter who reports what problem to the above, it must go through me, they are only allowed to make reports to me, and not directly to the above. If anyone says ‘no’ to me, I’ll punish them, so that everyone who sees me feels fear, trepidation, and shivers in their heart. What’s more, if I give an order or assert something, no one must dare to disagree; whatever I say, people must fall in line with it. They must listen to me absolutely, they must obey me in all things, and I must be the one calling the shots there.” This is precisely the tone with which antichrists speak, this is the voice of antichrists, this is how antichrists try to lord over the churches. If God’s chosen people do as they say and obey them, do such churches not become the kingdoms of the antichrists? They say, “The work arrangements issued by the above have to be checked over by me, I must take responsibility for you, I must be the one who analyzes right and wrong, the outcome must be decided by me. You don’t have enough stature, and you are not sufficiently qualified. I am the leader of the church and everything is up to me.” Aren’t the people who say these things not being extremely pompous? They truly are so arrogant that they lack any reason! Are they not trying to establish their own, independent kingdom? What kind of people are liable to try to create their own kingdom? Are they not bona fide antichrists? Is not everything antichrists say and do in order to protect their own status? Are they not trying to mislead and control people? Why are they called antichrists? What is the meaning of “anti”? It means antithetic and hatred. It means hostility toward Christ, hostility toward the truth, and hostility toward God. What does “hostility” mean? It means standing on the opposite side, treating you like an enemy, as if one is filled with a great and profound hatred; it means to be in diametric opposition to you. Such is the mentality with which antichrists approach God. What attitude do people like this, who hate God, have toward the truth? Are they able to love the truth? Are they able to accept the truth? Definitely not. Therefore, people who stand in opposition to God are people who hate the truth. The number one thing that is exhibited in them is an aversion toward the truth and hatred of the truth. As soon as they hear the truth or the words of God, there is hatred in their hearts, and when anyone reads the words of God to them, an expression of anger and rage appears on their faces, just like when the words of God are read to a demon when people are spreading the gospel. In their hearts, people who are averse toward the truth and hate the truth feel the utmost aversion toward God’s words and the truth, theirs is an attitude of resistance, and they even go so far as to hate anyone who reads God’s words to them or fellowships the truth to them, they even treat that person as an enemy. They feel extreme aversion toward various truths, and toward positive things. All the truths such as submitting to God, loyally doing one’s duties, being an honest person, seeking the truth in all things, and so on—do they have a little bit of subjective yearning or love? No, not in the slightest. Therefore, given this sort of nature essence that they have, they are already standing in direct opposition to God and the truth. Without a doubt, such people do not, deep down, love the truth or any positive thing; deep down, they even feel averse toward the truth and hate it. For example, people in positions of leadership have to be able to accept the differing opinions of their brothers and sisters, they must be able to open themselves up and lay themselves bare to the brothers and sisters, and be able to accept their reproach, and they must not assert their status. What would an antichrist say of all of these correct ways of practicing? They would say, “If I listened to the brothers’ and sisters’ opinions, then would I still be a leader? Would I still have status and prestige? If I have no prestige, then what work can I do?” This is precisely the kind of disposition possessed by an antichrist; they do not accept the truth in even the most minute way, and the more correct a way of practice is, the more they resist it. They do not accept that acting according to principle is practicing the truth. What do they think that practicing the truth is? They think that they must use plotting, tricks, and violence on everyone, rather than relying on the words of God, the truth, and love. Their every means and path is wicked. All this is wholly representative of the nature essence of the antichrists. The motives, opinions, views, and intentions that they often reveal are all dispositions of aversion to and hatred of the truth, which is the nature essence of the antichrists. What, then, does it mean to stand in opposition to the truth and to God? It means hating the truth and positive things. For example, when somebody says, “As a created being, one should fulfill the duty of a created being. No matter what God might say, people should submit, for we are created beings,” how does an antichrist think? “Submit? It’s not untrue that I am a created being, but when it comes to submitting, that depends on the situation. First and foremost, there has to be some benefit in it for me, I mustn’t be put at a disadvantage, and my interests have to come first. If there are rewards or great blessings to be gained, then I can submit, but without rewards and without a destination, why must I submit? I cannot submit.” This is an attitude of not accepting the truth. Their submission to God is conditional, and if their conditions are not met, not only do they not submit, they are also liable to push back against and resist God. For example, God asks that people be honest, but these antichrists believe that only fools try to be honest, and that clever people do not try to be honest. What is the essence of such an attitude? It is hatred of the truth. Such is the essence of antichrists, and their essence determines what path they walk, and the path they walk determines everything they do. When antichrists have the nature essence of hatred of the truth and of God, what kinds of things are they liable to do? They are liable to try and win over people’s hearts, attack and exclude dissenters, and torment people. The aim they are trying to achieve in doing these things is to wield power, to control God’s chosen people, and to set up their own, independent kingdom. Of this there is no doubt. Any person who, once they have status, is incapable of absolute submission to God, and is not able to follow God or pursue the truth, is an antichrist.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item One: They Try to Win Over People’s Hearts

Antichrists’ archetypal attitude toward pruning is to vehemently refuse to accept or admit it. No matter how much evil they do or how much harm they do to the work of God’s house and the life entry of God’s chosen people, they do not feel the slightest remorse or that they owe anything. From this point of view, do the antichrists have humanity? Absolutely not. They cause all sorts of damage to God’s chosen people and bring harm to the work of the church—God’s chosen people can see this as clear as day, and they can see antichrists’ succession of evil deeds. And yet the antichrists do not accept or acknowledge this fact; they stubbornly refuse to admit that they are in error or that they are responsible. Is this not an indication that they are averse to the truth? Such is the extent to which antichrists are averse to the truth. No matter how much wickedness they commit, they stubbornly refuse to admit it, and they remain unyielding to the end. This sufficiently proves that antichrists never take the work of God’s house seriously or accept the truth. They haven’t come to believe in God; they are minions of Satan, come to disturb and disrupt the work of God’s house. In antichrists’ hearts there are only reputation and status. They believe that if they were to acknowledge their error, then they would have to accept responsibility, and then their status and reputation would be severely compromised. As a result, they resist with the attitude of “deny until you die.” No matter how people expose or dissect them, they do their utmost to deny it. Whether their denial is deliberate or not, in short, in one regard these behaviors expose the antichrists’ nature essence of being averse to and hating the truth. In another regard, it shows how much the antichrists treasure their own status, reputation, and interests. What, meanwhile, is their attitude toward the work and interests of the church? It is one of contempt and irresponsibility. They lack all conscience and reason. Doesn’t the antichrists’ shirking of responsibility demonstrate these issues? In one regard, shirking responsibility proves their nature essence of being averse to and hating the truth, while in another regard, it shows their lack of conscience, reason, and humanity. No matter how much the brothers’ and sisters’ life entry is harmed by their disturbance and evildoing, they feel no reproach and could never be upset by this. What sort of creature is this? Even admission to part of their mistake would count as them having a bit of conscience and reason, but the antichrists do not even have that slight amount of humanity. So what would you say they are? The antichrists are devils in essence. No matter how much damage they do to the interests of the house of God, they do not see it. They are not remotely saddened by it in their hearts, nor do they reproach themselves, much less feel indebted. This is absolutely not what should be seen in normal people. They are devils, and devils are devoid of any conscience or reason. No matter how many bad things they do, and no matter how great losses they bring to the church’s work, they vehemently refuse to acknowledge this. They believe that acknowledging it would mean that they had done something wrong. They think, “Could I do something wrong? I’d never do anything wrong! If I’m made to acknowledge my mistake, wouldn’t that be an insult to my character? Though I was involved in that incident, I didn’t cause it to happen, and I wasn’t the main person in charge. Go look for whoever you want, but you shouldn’t come looking for me. In any case, I can’t acknowledge this mistake. I can’t shoulder this responsibility!” They think that they will be condemned, sentenced to death, and sent down to hell and the lake of fire and brimstone if they acknowledge their mistake. Tell Me, can people like this accept the truth? Can one expect their true repentance? Regardless of how others fellowship on the truth, antichrists still resist it, set themselves against it, and defy it in the depths of their hearts. Even after they are dismissed, they still don’t admit to their mistakes, and they do not show any manifestations of repentance at all. When the matter is mentioned 10 years later, they still don’t know themselves, and don’t admit that they made a mistake. When the matter is brought up 20 years later, they still don’t know themselves, and they still try to justify and defend themselves. And more detestable still, when the matter is mentioned 30 years later, they still don’t know themselves, and they still try to argue for and justify themselves, saying: “I didn’t make a mistake, so I can’t admit to one. It wasn’t my responsibility; I shouldn’t shoulder it.” And to everyone’s surprise, 30 years after they were dismissed, these antichrists still harbor an attitude of resistance toward the way that the church handled them. Even after 30 years, they haven’t changed at all. So, how did they spend those 30 years? Could it be that they didn’t read God’s word or reflect on themselves? Could it be that they didn’t pray to or confide in God? Could it be that they didn’t listen to sermons and fellowship? Could it be that they are mindless, and do not possess the thinking of normal humanity? How they spent those 30 years is truly a mystery. Thirty years after the incident took place, they’re still full of resentment, thinking that the brothers and sisters wronged them, that God doesn’t understand them, that God’s house mistreated them, created problems for them, made things difficult for them, and unjustly blamed them. Tell Me, can people like this change? They absolutely cannot change. Their hearts are filled with hostility toward positive things, and resistance and opposition. They believe that, by exposing their evil deeds and pruning them, other people damaged their characters, dishonored their reputation, and caused immense harm to their reputation and status. They will never come before God to pray, seek, and recognize their own mistakes in this matter, and they will never have an attitude of repentance or acknowledgment of their mistakes. Even less will they accept the judgment and chastisement of God’s words. Today, they still harbor disobedience, dissatisfaction, and grievances as they justify themselves to God, and ask God to redress these wrongs, to reveal this matter, and to judge exactly who was right and who was wrong, to the extent that they even doubt and deny God’s righteousness because of this matter, and doubt and deny the fact that God’s house is ruled by the truth and God. This is the ultimate outcome of antichrists being pruned—do they accept the truth? They do not accept the truth at all; they are dead set against accepting it. From this, we can see that the nature essence of an antichrist is averse to and hates the truth.

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

Antichrists have the highest interest in material things, money, and status. They’re certainly nothing like how they speak on the surface, “I believe in god. I don’t pursue the world, and I don’t covet money.” They’re absolutely not as they say. Why do they pursue and maintain status with all their might? Because they wish to possess, or control and seize, everything they have jurisdiction over—money and material things, in particular. They enjoy this money and these material things as though they were the benefits of their status. They’re genuine descendants of the archangel, with the nature essence of Satan in name and in fact. All who pursue status and value money certainly have a problem with their disposition essence. It’s not so simple as them just having an antichrist’s disposition: They are very ambitious. They want to control the money of God’s house. If they’re made responsible for an item of work, then first of all, they won’t let others intervene, nor will they accept inquiries or supervision from the Above; beyond that, when they’re the supervisors of any item of work, they’ll find ways to show themselves off, safeguard themselves, and elevate themselves. They always wish to come out on top, to become people who rule over and control others. They also wish to wield and vie for higher status, and even to control every part of God’s house—its money, especially. Antichrists have a special love for money. When they see it, their eyes light up; in their minds, they’re always thinking about money and making efforts toward it. These are all signs and signals of antichrists. If you fellowship the truth with them, or try to learn about the brothers’ and sisters’ states, asking such questions as how many of them are weak and negative, what results each of them is getting in their duty, and which of them aren’t suited to their duty, antichrists won’t be interested. But when it comes to God’s offerings—the amount of money, who’s safeguarding it, where it’s being kept, its passcodes, and so on—this is what they care about most. An antichrist has an exceptional command of these things. They know them like the back of their hand. This, too, is a sign of an antichrist. Antichrists are best at speaking nice-sounding words, but they don’t do actual work. Instead, they’re always preoccupied with thoughts of enjoying God’s offerings. Tell Me, aren’t antichrists immoral? They have no humanity at all—they’re devils, through and through.

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

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