Man falls down in the midst of My light, and stands fast because of My salvation. When I bring salvation to the entire universe, man tries to find ways to enter among the flow of My restoration, yet there are many who are washed away without trace by this torrent of restoration; there are many who are drowned and engulfed by the torrential waters; and there are many, too, who stand fast amid the torrent, who have never lost their sense of direction, and who have thus followed the torrent until today. I advance in step with man, yet still, man has never known Me; he knows only the clothes that I wear on the outside, but is ignorant of the riches hidden within Me. Though I provide to man and give to him each day, he is incapable of true acceptance, is unable to receive all the riches given by Me. Nothing of man’s corruption escapes My notice; to Me, his inner world is as clear as the bright moon on the water. I do not treat man in a slipshod manner, nor go through the motions with him; it is just that man is unable to take responsibility for himself, and thus the whole of mankind has always been depraved, and even today remains incapable of extricating itself from such depravity. Poor, pitiable mankind! Why is it that man loves Me, but is unable to follow the intentions of My Spirit? Have I really not revealed Myself to mankind? Has mankind really never seen My face? Could it be that I have shown too little mercy toward mankind? Oh the rebels of all mankind! They must be crushed beneath My feet; they must vanish amid My chastisement, and they must, on the day on which My great enterprise is completed, be cast out from among mankind, so that the whole of mankind knows their ugly face. The fact that man rarely sees My face or hears My voice is because the whole world is too turbid, and its clamor is too great, and thus man is too lazy to search for My face and to try to understand My heart. Is this not the cause of man’s corruption? Is this not why man is in need? The whole of mankind has always been among My provision; if it were not so, if I were not merciful, who would have survived until today? The riches in Me are without equal, yet all disaster is also held within My hands—and who is able to escape from disaster whenever they please? Do the prayers of man, or the weeping within his heart allow him to do so? Man has never truly prayed to Me, and so among all of mankind, no one has ever lived their entire life amid true light; people only live in light that flickers fitfully in and out of appearance. It is this that has led to mankind’s deficiency today.

Everyone is chomping at the bit, willing to go all out for Me in order to get something from Me, and so, in keeping with man’s psychology, I give him promises to inspire true love in him. Is it really man’s true love that gives him strength? Is it man’s loyalty to Me that has moved My Spirit in heaven? Heaven has never been the slightest bit affected by the actions of man, and if My treatment of man were based on his every action, then the whole of mankind would live amid My chastisement. I have seen many people with tears coursing down their cheeks, and I have seen many people offer up their hearts in exchange for My riches. Despite such “piousness,” I have never freely given My all to man as a result of his sudden urges, for man has never been gladly willing to devote himself before Me. I have plucked off the masks of all people and thrown these masks into the lake of fire, and as a result, man’s supposed loyalty and pleas have never held firm before Me. Man is like a cloud in the sky: When the wind howls, he fears the mightiness of its force and so floats hurriedly after it, deeply fearful that he will be struck down for his rebellion. Is this not the ugly face of man? Is this not the so-called submission of man? Is this not the “true feeling” and phony goodwill of man? Many people refuse to be convinced by all the utterances that issue from My mouth, and many do not accept My evaluation, and hence their words and actions reveal their intent to betray Me. Is what I speak of contrary to the old nature of man? Have I not given man a fitting definition according to the “laws of nature”? Man does not truly submit to Me; if he truly searched for Me, I would not have to say so much. Man is worthless trash, and I must use My chastisement to force him onward; if I did not do so, how—even though the promises I give him are sufficient for his enjoyment—could his heart be moved? Man has always lived amid painful struggle for many years; he has, it can be said, always lived in despair. As a result, he has been left despondent, and physically and mentally exhausted, and so he does not joyfully accept the riches that I give him. Even today, no one is able to accept all the sweetness of the spirit from Me. People can only remain poor, and await the last day.

Many people wish to truly love Me, but because their hearts are not their own, they have no control over themselves; many people truly love Me as they experience the trials given by Me, yet they are incapable of grasping that I really exist, and merely love Me in emptiness, and not because of My actual existence; many people lay their hearts before Me and then pay no attention to their hearts, and thus their hearts are snatched away by Satan whenever it gets the chance, and then they leave Me; many people genuinely love Me when I provide My words, yet do not cherish My words in their spirits, instead casually using them like public property and tossing them back to where they came from whenever they feel like it. Man searches for Me amidst pain, and he looks unto Me among trials. During times of peace he enjoys Me, when in peril he denies Me, when he is busy he forgets Me, and when he is idle he goes through the motions for Me—yet never has anyone loved Me throughout their whole life. I wish for man to be earnest before Me: I do not ask that he give Me anything, but only that all people take Me seriously, that, instead of wheedling Me, they allow Me to bring back the sincerity of man. My enlightenment, illumination, and the cost of My efforts pervade all people, yet so too does the true fact of man’s every action pervade all people, as does their deception of Me. It is as if the ingredients of man’s deception have been with him since the womb, as if he has possessed these special skills of trickery since birth. Furthermore, he has never given the game away; no one has ever seen through to the source of these deceitful skills. As a result, man lives amid deception without realizing it, and it is as if he forgives himself, as if it is the arrangements of God rather than his deliberate deception of Me. Is this not the very source of man’s deception of Me? Is this not his cunning scheme? Never have I been befuddled by the blandishments and chicanery of man, for I figured out his substance long ago. Who knows how much impurity is in his blood, and how much of Satan’s venom is within his marrow? Man grows more accustomed to it with each passing day, such that he does not feel the harm done by Satan, and thus has no interest in finding out the “art of a healthy existence.”

When man is distant from Me, and when he tests Me, I hide Myself from him among the clouds. As a result, he is unable to find any trace of Me, and lives only by the hand of the evil, doing all that they ask. When man is close to Me, I appear to him and I do not hide My face from him, and at this time, man sees My kind countenance. He suddenly comes to his senses, and though he does not realize it, in him is born love for Me. In his heart, he suddenly feels an incomparable sweetness, and wonders how he could not have known of My existence in the universe. Thus man has a greater sense of My loveliness, and, moreover, of My preciousness. As a result, he wishes to never leave Me again, he sees Me as the light of his survival, and, deeply fearful that I will leave him, he hugs Me tight. I am not moved by man’s zeal, but am merciful to him because of his love. At this time, man instantly lives amid My trials. My face disappears from his heart, and he immediately feels that his life is empty, and his thoughts turn to escaping. At this moment, man’s heart is laid bare. He does not embrace Me because of My disposition, but asks that I protect him because of My love. Yet when My love hits back at man, he immediately changes his mind; he tears up his covenant with Me and breaks away from My judgment, unwilling to look upon My merciful face ever again, and so he changes his view of Me, and says that I have never saved man. Does true love really involve nothing but mercy? Does man only love Me if he lives beneath My shining light? He looks back to yesterday but lives in today—is this not the human condition? Will you really still be like this tomorrow? What I want is for man to have a heart that yearns for Me in its very depths, not one that satisfies Me with superficialities.

March 21, 1992