I

Man has walked through all these different periods following God, yet they know not that God holds sovereignty over the fate of all things and living beings, nor do they know how God orchestrates and directs all things. This has eluded man of the present day and even man of time immemorial. As for why, it's not because God's deeds are too hidden, nor because the plan of God has yet to be realized, but because the heart and spirit of man are too distant from God, to the point where man remains in the service of Satan even as they follow God—and still doesn't know it.

II

No one actively seeks out God's footsteps and His appearance, and no one is willing to exist in the care and protection of God. Instead, they're willing to rely on the corrosion of Satan, the evil one, to adapt to this world, and to adapt to the rules of existence that this evil mankind follows. At this point, the heart and spirit of man become the tribute that man offers to Satan and become the foodstuff of Satan. Even more, the human heart and spirit become a place in which Satan resides, as well as its rightful playground.

III

Man unknowingly loses their understanding of the principles of being human, and of the value and significance of human existence. The laws of God and the covenant between God and man gradually become hazy in man's heart, and they cease to look for or pay heed to God. With the passage of time, man has lost their understanding of the significance of God creating them, nor do they understand the words from the mouth of God and all that comes from God. Man then begins to resist the laws and statutes of God, and their heart and spirit become numb…. God loses the man that He created in the beginning, and man loses the root they originally had: This is the tragedy of this human race.

from The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God Is the Source of Man's Life