Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “In Your Faith in God You Should Obey God” (II)

The Church of Almighty God | Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word “In Your Faith in God You Should Obey God” (II)

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Let’s start our meeting. Let’s first read a passage of God’s word, “In Your Faith in God You Should Obey God.”

　　“Why do you believe in God? Most people are confounded by this question. They always have two entirely different viewpoints about the practical God and the God in heaven, which shows that they believe in God not in order to obey, but to receive certain benefits, or to escape the suffering of disaster. Only then are they somewhat obedient, but their obedience is conditional, it is for the sake of their own personal prospects, and forced upon them. So: why do you believe in God? If it is solely for the sake of your prospects, and your fate, then you’d best not believe. Belief such as this is self-deception, self-reassurance, and self-appreciation. If your faith is not built upon the foundation of obedience to God, then you will ultimately be punished as a result of opposing God. All those who do not seek obedience to God in their faith oppose God. God asks that people seek the truth, that they thirst for God’s words, and eat and drink God’s words, and put them into practice, so that they may achieve obedience to God. If your motivations are truly thus, then God will surely raise you up, and will surely be gracious toward you. No one can doubt this, and no one can change it. If your motivations are not for the sake of obedience to God, and you have other aims, then all that you say and do—your prayers before God, and even your every action—will be in opposition to God. You may be soft-spoken and mild-mannered, your every action and expression may look right, you may appear to be one who obeys, but when it comes to your motivations and your views about faith in God, everything you do is in opposition to God, and evil. People who appear as obedient as sheep, but whose hearts harbor evil intentions, are wolves in sheep’s clothing, they directly offend God, and God will not spare a single one of them. The Holy Spirit will reveal every one of them, so all can see that every one of those who are hypocritical will be surely detested and rejected by the Holy Spirit. Don’t worry: God will deal with and resolve each of them in turn.

　　If you are unable to accept the new light of God, and cannot understand all that God does today, and do not seek it, or else doubt it, pass judgment on it, or study and analyze it, then you have no mind to obey. If, when the light of the here and now appears, you still treasure the light of yesterday and oppose God’s new work, then you are nothing more than a joke, you are one of those who deliberately oppose God. Key to obeying God is appreciating the new light, and being able to accept it and put it into practice. Only this is true obedience. Those who do not have the will to thirst for God are incapable of being of a mind to obey God, and can only oppose God as a result of their satisfaction with the status quo. That man cannot obey God is because he is possessed by what came before. The things that came before have given people all manner of conceptions and illusions about God that have become the image of God in their minds. Thus, what they believe in are their own conceptions, and the standards of their own imagination. If you measure the God who does actual work today against the God of your own imagination, then your faith comes from Satan, and is according to your own preferences—and God does not want faith such as this. Regardless of how lofty their credentials, and regardless of their dedication—even if they have devoted a lifetime of efforts to His work, and have martyred themselves—God does not approve of any with faith such as this. He merely shows them a little grace, and allows them to enjoy it for a time. People such as this are incapable of putting the truth into practice, the Holy Spirit does not work within them, and God will eliminate each of them in turn. Regardless of whether they are old or young, those who do not obey God in their faith and have the wrong motivations, are those who oppose and interrupt, and such people will unquestionably be eliminated by God. Those who are without the slightest obedience to God, who merely acknowledge God’s name, and have some sense of God’s dearness and loveliness yet do not keep pace with the steps of the Holy Spirit, and do not obey the present work and words of the Holy Spirit—such people live amid God’s grace, and will not be gained and made perfect by God. God makes people perfect through their obedience, through their eating, drinking, and enjoying of God’s words, and through the suffering and refinement in their lives. Only through faith such as this can people’s dispositions change, only then can they possess the true knowledge of God. Not being satisfied with living amid God’s graces, actively thirsting for the truth, and searching for the truth, and pursuing being gained by God—this is what it means to consciously obey God; this is precisely the kind of faith that God wants. People who do nothing more than enjoy God’s graces cannot be made perfect, or changed, and their obedience, piety, and love and patience are all superficial. Those who only enjoy God’s graces cannot truly know God, and even when they do know God, their knowledge is superficial, and they say things like God loves man, or God is compassionate toward man. This does not represent the life of man, and does not show that people truly know God. If, when God’s words refine them, or when His trials come upon them, people are unable to obey God—if, instead, they become doubtful, and fall down—then they are not in the least bit obedient. Within them, there are many rules and restrictions about faith in God, old experiences that are the result of many years of faith, or various doctrines based upon the Bible. Could people such as this obey God? These people are full of human things—how could they obey God? They all obey according to their personal preferences—could God wish for obedience such as this? This isn’t obeying God, but abiding by doctrine, it is satisfying and consoling yourself. If you say that this is obedience to God, do you not blaspheme against Him? You are an Egyptian Pharaoh, you commit evil, and you expressly engage in the work of opposing God—could God want service such as this? You’d best hurry up and repent and have some self-awareness. If not, you’d be better off going home: that would do more good for you than your service to God, you wouldn’t interrupt and disturb, you’d know your place, and live well—and wouldn’t that be better? That way you’d avoid opposing God and being punished!”

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　　We have already met to fellowship about this passage of God’s words. However, last time we did not look at them in great detail, so this time we must continue our fellowship of them. Why must we fellowship about them again? Because this passage is very important. It deals with man entering into life. It is even more important with regard to man understanding the truth of believing in God.

　　“In Your Faith in God You Should Obey God.” This is the most important truth with regard to believing in God. After reading these words, what issues should we address? First, when we believe in God, why should we obey God? Why do we have to obey God? Second, if, in our faith in God we should obey God, how should we go about realizing such obedience? And what are the principles of such obedience? Third, what kind of people are those who believe in God but cannot obey Him? How will they speak and act? This is very important. And finally, what outcome will there be for those who believe in God but do not obey Him? What punishment will they receive? Today, we will eat and drink these words. And I will communicate these aspects of the truth to you with the main aim of resolving these key issues. Understand? Tell me, are these issues important? You have all said they are. When eating and drinking these words, if we simply read them to the end and don’t try to understand them, don’t listen to the preaching about them, will we receive gains from them? Some people eat and drink God’s words themselves at home. Some of these people are even quite devout. They eat and drink a passage of God’s words each day. Such people can be considered ones who truly love the truth; however, if they cannot really experience and practice God’s words and cannot get to grips with the principles, and if they don’t listen to sermons and preaching, can they obtain the truth? Their gains will be meager. They will only gain a little. One who reads a passage of God’s words each day is one who pursues the truth and will receive some gains. But, is it OK to go on without a shepherd to guide the flock, to provide for them and water them? Some people say no, why not? Don’t those who supply and water others, communicate the truth after reading God’s words? You also try to obtain the truth through God’s words, and you, like them, read God’s words, then why do you need nurturing, provision and shepherding from others? Why is this? Some arrogant people don’t accept this. They say, “You have received the light from God’s words. I can do the same. I am more educated than you. My mind is better than yours. If you can read God’s words and communicate some things from within them, then I can do the same.” What is the problem here? This kind of person is extremely arrogant, conceited and self-righteous. So, what is the difference? Don’t forget, those who are worked on by the Holy Spirit, those who have real experience, these people can communicate things which you, as one who has not yet had real experience, could never hope to achieve. They are things which, even if you were to continue your spiritual devotion, you could not hope to realize. This is how it is, is it not? Reading God’s words is not the same as reading a novel or article. God’s words embody the truth and mystery. If you read a normal book, then after finishing it you can explain and understand it. But after you read God’s words, then try to show us what they mean, let everyone listen, and you will find you cannot explain so easily. There are so many pastors within the religious community who are graduates from seminary schools. They preach for a life time, but can they preach anything of value? Compared to that which God achieves this day, and compared to the enlightenment and insight of a person who has experienced God’s work of the last days and who has been worked upon by the Holy Spirit, the difference is very great. Those who believe for five or six years and who are part of God’s house, those on whom the Holy Spirit works, they achieve more than any religious pastor. Do you believe this? The preachers of God’s house and all its leaders at any level can communicate real things, which those of the religious community can never communicate. It is beyond them. Some ask, “Is it really like this? Then, how can I be convinced?” Aren’t the workings of the Hole Spirit above that which man can see and comprehend? The enlightenment which the Holy Spirit confers on people and the fruits which man gains from experiencing God’s work through guidance from the Holy Spirit are not things which just anyone can understand or which just anyone can achieve. Things come from the Holy Spirit, especially those things a person perfected by Him communicates through chatting or talking, it may take days or even years of experience before you can truly understand them. That’s to say, belief in God is a subtle thing. Although you may have believed in God in the religion for a while and become a pastor, you are nothing in the eyes of God, and you are nothing before the truth. So, when believing in God, you must pursue the truth. To pursue the truth, you must eat and drink the words of God. When eating and drinking the words of God, do not be arrogant. You should receive enlightenment from the Holy Spirit, and accept guidance and the shepherding from God’s house. Only then will your life progress. Blind arrogance is meaningless. Once you get over it, who will you have dug a hole for? Yourself. You’ll be in hell. If your faith in God is not up to standard, if you do not know the reality of the truth and are not qualified to survive the end, then when the disasters rain down you will die just like non-believers. Now, there are those who do not pursue the truth. No matter what you say to them, they will not pursue the truth. Some say, “Now, the disasters will rain down, for the four blood moons have appeared.” “I’m not so sure, the sun continues to rise in the East, it hasn’t changed.” What kind of person is this? Does this person even have a brain? This is brainless! The end of the world is accepted even by non-believers. The end of the world is coming. Humanity really will soon be destroyed, wiped out. Now, people are worried about the extinction of animals, but man will also become extinct! If it wasn’t for God’s kindness, His pity, if it wasn’t for the fact He saved us, then man would have been wiped out long ago. Isn’t this the way it is? In the last days, God has become flesh and delivered us His great salvation, His complete salvation. So, those who accept the Almighty’s work for the last days are the luckiest of all mankind. Some cannot see it. They ask, “How are we lucky? We must accept judgment and chastisement, trials and refinement, and we must tolerate much suffering. Is this lucky?” You who say such a thing do not know the true meaning and value of such suffering. You cannot see it. You are too short-sighted. Do you think that enjoying a little of God’s kindness and blessing is what luck is? Does this make your life a lucky one? Those in the religious community think so. But what will happen to them in the end? When disaster rains down on the earth they will be left in the middle of it, weeping and gnashing their teeth.

　　God said, “In your faith in God you should obey God.” This is truth. Every word which God speaks is truth, and these words are no different. They are truth. “In your faith in God you should obey God.” Are these words worthy enough for us to ponder? They are very much worth it, for within them, they contain God’s will. Some people ask, “Why, in believing in God, should I obey God?” They like asking “why.” “Why should I obey?” To what does this question refer? Why exactly do you believe in God? If you merely believe in Him to “eat of the loaves,” then you need not obey Him, you can believe in Him as you wish. If you believe in Him merely to make the most of His kindness, you need not obey, you can believe in Him as you wish, pray to Him as you please. If you believe in God merely for happiness in this life, then you need not obey. Do as you will, you can believe in Him as you wish. But, if you believe in God so as to be saved, to be cleansed, to be perfected and to obtain the truth and live forever, then you must obey Him. Why? Unless you obey Him, you will not obtain these things. Unless you experience His work, you will not obtain the truth. If you do not obtain the truth, then you have no life. And without life, you are not qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, if you wish to enter the kingdom of heaven, you must obey God. If you do not obey Him, you are blind, you are ignorant and foolish; your belief in Him is futile! Within the religious community, do most people understand God’s truth? They do not. They do not understand how God’s work will save man. And when God carries out a stage of His work, they do not understand the fruits which it will bring to mankind. They cannot comprehend these things, so they are not ones who pursue the truth, and they are not ones who search for how to obey Him. So, as they believe in God but do not pursue the truth and do not look for how to obey Him, how exactly do they go about believing in Him? They pursue only His grace and pray to Him. In the end, in the hope of entering the kingdom of heaven they work for Him; they work hard; they spread the gospel; they do not deny His name. They do this for the sake of entering the kingdom of heaven. Isn’t this how those who believe in God but do not obey believe? They simply do some things for the Lord. They suffer a little, behave well, do some good things, show concern for matters involving the church and work hard, all for the sake of earning God’s praise and entering the kingdom of heaven. Is this in conformity with God’s will? Isn’t this a far too simplified version of what faith in God is? This is an expression of man’s ignorance! Religious pastors assume that, “I have spoken on behalf of God my entire life, preached the Bible for my entire life. When I get old, I will have earned a place in the kingdom of heaven.” Are these words in conformity with God’s will? Does one who speaks such words understand the truth of believing in God? Is one who speaks these words one who obeys God? Does the one who speaks these words know God? Does the one who speaks these words understand the Bible? Now you can all understand the answers to these questions.

　　So, with regard to God’s words “In your faith in God you should obey God,” through your careful contemplation you can understand their true meaning. With your careful contemplation, you can understand why we must obey God. If you reflect further, then you will truly be able to understand God’s will. If you understand that which God allows those who believe in Him to obtain and that which He wishes to achieve in believers, then you also understand the words “In your faith in God you should obey God.” You, therefore, understand what these words really mean. Aren’t the words very subtle in their meaning? They are subtle indeed! Some say, “Today, you say this is the meaning, so I understand that this is truly what these words mean.” If you are able to say such things, then that shows you have made progress. But I dare not say such a thing. I fear that after believing for a few years I will once again find myself shamed because my understanding is too superficial. What little you have come to understand makes you assume you have obtained the truth. After believing for a few more years you will look back on this moment and think, “Oh, when I said those words, I thought I had obtained the truth. Now when I look at it, I was ignorant and foolish, and childish too.” Isn’t belief in God like this? Some say, “You have achieved holiness.” I reply, “I have not.” I do not dare speak of my own holiness, I cannot say this of myself. Were I to say I have achieved holiness, a few days later God would reveal more of my corruption to me and I would feel ashamed. Some ask, “Has your disposition changed? If you are made perfect, then hasn’t it changed?” I respond, “It has changed somewhat, but I feel that I am still a long way from satisfying God’s requirements.” Isn’t this a good way of explaining this? Explaining in such a way will avoid embarrassment later. Although God’s requirements for man are not that tough, no matter how man changes, can he achieve the level of holiness? Only God is worthy of the term true holiness. No matter how corrupt man strives for the truth, no matter if he believes in God for a hundred years and obtains purity, you still would not dare use the word holiness to describe him. You could only say that his disposition has changed. This is an objective truth. You could not use the word “holiness,” because mankind is not worthy of such even without sin. Just after their creation, Adam and Eve were without sin. They had not committed a single one, but would you say that they were holy? Some would say you could not. Why? They could be corrupted by Satan, and if you can be corrupted by Satan, then you are not of holiness. So, what is holiness? In precise terms, it means to have the truth. God is the truth and God is righteousness. Therefore, it is God who is holy. If we understand a bit of the truth, then what portion of God’s life does this constitute? One tenth? One hundredth? One in ten thousandth? Or one in a trillionth? We can only say that it is one in one trillionth. God is the truth and so only He has the essence of holiness. God is the truth and so only He is righteous. God has expressed this truth and although when you see it you can say that, “Oh, this is all the truth which will save mankind and which will purify mankind,” can you say that these truths are all that God can reveal and that He has finished expressing His truth? Would you dare say such a thing? To say such a thing would be to make another mistake like those made by members of the religious community. Those in the religious community say, “The Bible in full, that is all God’s words. That which does not come from the Bible is not the words of God. God has finished speaking, it is all within the Bible.” What kind of theory is this? Isn’t this a fallacy? It is ridiculous! They think that God is like this: He can only speak these words, express these truths and that’s all. Do you think that God is so simple? Is one who speaks like this deliberately resisting and judging God? Are they defining God? And isn’t defining God blasphemy? But if you say this to someone in the religious community, they cannot grasp its meaning. What is the nature of defining God? You define Him. You believe that there are only some things which God can or should do, and that after He comes He should simply be nailed to the cross for the sake of humanity. He should be nailed to it forever. If He isn’t being crucified, then He is not God. Isn’t this blaspheming against God? God has only saved humanity once, has only atoned for our sins once. How can He be forever nailed to the cross? When God comes again, will He be nailed to a cross? When He comes again, He will express the truth to purify people and perfect them. Then, He will crucify upside down all those in the universe to punish evil mankind! Did you think that crucifying God was the end of it? God will express His wrath, He will rain down disasters for seven years, He will destroy the world and mankind! Man thinks that it is easy to bully God and that He will still treat them with love and mercy. If you do not understand God’s disposition, your faith is wasted however long you believe in God. Isn’t this how it is?

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　　God said, “In Your Faith in God You Should Obey God.” sWhy must we obey Him? Isn’t it somewhat clearer now? So, what does it mean “to obey God”? We can say that it refers to obeying God’s work. If you obey God incarnate, the real God who has come to earth, then you have to obey His work, obey His words, obey His judgment and chastisement. This is the true meaning of obeying God. Later, in the world of eternal life, the Millennial Kingdom, when the work of God incarnate has finished, then the manner in which we must obey God will change again. Then, God will lead humanity as a whole for a thousand years with His words. Mankind will mainly obey God’s words, and progress forward with God’s words. So, at different stages in history the manner we obey God will not be entirely the ame. Today, God incarnate is carrying out His work of judgment, so our obedience should be focused on accepting the judgment and chastisement of His word. If you do not practice this within your faith, if you do not accept God’s judgment and chastisement, then you are not a person who obeys God. If you do not obey God’s judgment and chastisement, then do you actually believe in God? God does not recognize you as a believer. If God does not recognize you as a believer, what will happen? He will cast you in disasters to be punished and ultimately destroyed. Previously, God has repeatedly stated that this is the final stage in the salvation of mankind. During this stage, if you have truly obtained truth, truly experienced it, then you will be qualified to enter the kingdom. When catastrophe comes, you will survive to move on to the next era—the Age of Millennial Kingdom of Christ.

　　During the work in the last days, if you have not experienced God’s judgment and chastisement, have not been able to accept and obey it, if after reading these words you push them to the back of your mind and continue to believe in God as you deem fit, then you are doomed. You are totally doomed. God says you are an unbeliever. You merely acknowledge that God has become flesh, God’s name is Almighty God, you say, “I accept, I acknowledge one hundred percent,” but you do not accept the judgment and chastisement of His words, then you are an unbeliever. What does “an unbeliever” refer to? Do you understand it now? Putting it in the simplest term, what does “an unbeliever” refer to? Those who believe in Almighty God but do not accept His judgment and chastisement are unbelievers. Some people ask, “Is what you say based on God’s words?” Is it based on God’s words? Can someone tell me whether it is based on God’s words? Which of God’s words is it based on? Let us say the words so people will be convinced. Some people say God said, “All those who do not esteem the truth are all unbelievers.” This is one such sentence that establishes the point we are making. Let’s add another. God said, “All those with a false understanding of God’s words are unbelievers. They do not have any real knowledge, much less any real stature; they are ignorant people without reality. That is, all those who live outside of the substance of God’s words are unbelievers.” If you do not accept the judgment and chastisement of God’s word, then you are outside God’s words. In the eyes of God, those who are outside His words are worldly people. God says, “You do not believe in God, you are worldly people.” Worldly people are even more unbelievers. I have witnessed many people, especially those who are new to the faith, who, on seeing the severity of God’s words feel hurt in their hearts, particularly with regard to the phrases, “Satan’s types,” “Satan’s offspring,” “beasts,” “devils,” “resistors of God,” “devoid of humanity,” “scions of the great red dragon,” and “descendants of Moab.” They weep after reading. They cannot accept it. They say, “I have believed in God all these years. After accepting this stage of work, how do I end up like this? I’ve become a descendant of Moab, a scion of the great red dragon, offspring of Satan, a beast, inhuman, unreasonable, I cannot accept it!” Some who cannot accept it pray, “God, I cannot accept this!” Sobbing, they continue, “God, am I really a beast? Are you talking about me?” And God responds, “I am talking about you. It includes you and all of vile mankind.” “Oh no, I am not vile! I am the exception!” People of other ethnicities may say, “You, God’s chosen people from China, are descendants of the great red dragon. But I’m not Chinese, I’m not a descendant of the great red dragon, I’m not included.” This is what they said to me. I replied, “You are not a descendant of the great red dragon, but you are a descendant of Satan, isn’t that the same? Aren’t you unbelievers living under the domain of Satan? You have been corrupted deeply by Satan, so aren’t you also its offspring? What are Satan’s offspring? Aren’t they Satan’s descendants? In essence they are the same, it is simply the manner of speaking which is different.” Isn’t this the way it is? If you cannot accept God’s judgment and chastisement, then what can be done? Can you say that God’s words are not the truth? Can you say that God’s words are not consistent with the fact? Do you dare say such things? Pray to Him, pray to Him and see. Do you dare pray that way? Do you dare to debate such things with God?

　　Some people who come before God go through great length to put on an act. They vividly playact their nature and essence of the great red dragon, exposing their ugliness. They do this so as to obtain God’s rewards, His appreciation and His blessing. They do not understand how God views them in His heart. He says that you are a devil, a classic example of a devil shrouded in a stench. Don’t you realize this? You are brash and shameless. You do not realize how much God detests you, how much He despises you! You do not accept God’s judgment and chastisement, and you still want to ingratiate yourself with Him, to make Him raise you up? To make Him elevate you? How do you qualify? Aren’t you just a pest that lands on someone’s shoe? And you expect God to exalt you to heaven? When God is angered, He will kick you down to hell. You are just a worthless pest, aren’t you? Does this kind of person have any sense of self-awareness? He even thinks he has put on a convincing act! God examines the innermost heart of man. In doing this stage of work, He has come across many diverse types of people, people of different natures and traits. In the end, God summed it up in a few words. He said to me, “Now, I do not wish to see anyone. Most of these people have no humanity. They are disgusting! They are so disgusting! It agonizes Me to look at them. When I see such people, if I remain silent to them, they will say that God has no love. If I were to speak to them, I would have no common language with them.” What God says is the truth. He does not speak falsehoods as men do. He does not engage in empty pleasantries or idle chit chat with you. God does not entertain such talks. When God speaks, He speaks only of what is real, what is true. So, it is agonizing for God to cope with such people. But these people aren’t aware of it. They think of themselves as something wonderful. They feel that they have been wronged when they don’t see God. They think that it is God’s unfairness if He does not bless them. It is like an ugly ghost coloring the cheeks with rouge—shameless. When they are judged and chastised they complain, they complain and blame God and they try to argue with Him. Isn’t this what Satan’s type would behave? I have been a leader in the church for more than thirty years. Have I seen all types of people? I have traveled everywhere to visit churches, I have been to many different provinces, and I have seen all kinds of people. People found me when they had their own reasons, when they needed fellowship about their problems, or when they wanted me to communicate the truth to them. Could I refuse to see them? No, I had to see them. So, I have come in contact with all kinds of people. No matter which type of people they are, after I met with them I could recognize which type they were. After spending a day with some people, I could tell they were no good, they were beasts. With some others, after spending three to five days with them, I could tell they were hypocrites, they were in fact crooked and crafty. With some others, after ten days or more, I could see, despite their good performance and enthusiasm, they did not even practice a shred of truth. So, man should not think so highly of themselves by assuming that others are so stupid and cannot see through them. They assume, “I will simply carry out the usual acts of deceit, and everyone will be fooled. No one will find out!” Isn’t this foolish? Have you seen as many different kinds of people as I? I do this job as a profession. I am a professional leader, a preacher; I specially engage in shepherding, watering, and supplying people; I resolve all the problems in the church of God’s chosen people. Have I not come across many different kinds of people? Do you think there is any problem I haven’t seen before? Or any type of person I haven’t seen before? You, with your petty tricks, feeble minds, shallow knowledge, and knuckleheads, don’t amount to anything even when ten of you are put together. You are far off! You have no truth whatsoever, yet you even show off like this. One look at you and I am disgusted.

　　What type of people does God like? Those who obey Him. If you flatter, fawn and utter niceties without putting the truth into practice, without revering God in your heart, then God will see through you easily. It takes no time for God to see what you really are. If you practice and seek the truth; if you practice the truth once you understand it, or if you revere God in your heart and do not speak anything to hurt Him, then God will think highly of you, and He will be willing to contact you. What kind of people does God like? Those who obey Him. Those who, regardless of His judgment and chastisement, regardless of whether His words are pleasant or unpleasant, can accept and obey Him, and can reflect on themselves. When God sees this, He knows, “This person truly believes in God. This person can be saved. Though this person has revealed a bit of corruption, I will overlook it.” However, if someone is the total embodiment of Satan the devil; one who has secret designs; one who has their own contemptible plans, aggrandizing themselves while deprecating others as scum, then God will see them and know, “This is a hypocritical devil! Even if such a person believed for a hundred years, he still would not be saved. He will certainly be sent to hell!” Could you spot out such people? Aren’t they the types who are doomed for destruction? They do not practice even a scintilla of truth, yet they still wish to receive God’s blessing. They show themselves off before God. Their petty acts make one feel repulsed and disgusted! What does this show us? Those who believe in God but do not obey Him are not fit to meet Him.

　　Those of us who once believed in the Lord Jesus can all see a particular truth in the Bible. What was the Lord Jesus’ response to those who did not like the truth? One response was to remove them, to shake them off. Another was to ignore them, to avoid them. In particular, with regard to the event of “feeding five thousand people with five loaves and two fish,” we can see that the Lord Jesus ignored the presence of those five thousand people. While they were eating the loaves and fish, the Lord Jesus led His disciples up the hill, circumventing and ignoring them. Can you see the truth to which I am referring? There is one other thing. To some people, the Lord Jesus said, “Follow me!” To others, after the Lord Jesus had spoken, He then ignored them. He didn’t say, “You follow me!” He didn’t demand that they follow God. There is the truth and mystery in this, is there not? In the New Testament, there was one particular incident, a famous story. When John’s mother saw the Lord Jesus, what did she say to Him? She said, “Lord, when You come into Your kingdom, may one of my sons be at Your left, and one at Your right?” When the Lord Jesus replied, what did He say? “What is the meaning of your wishing one of your sons to be at My left and another at the right? Your wishful desire is inordinate!” To raise one’s family up so high, with one son on the left and the other on the right of the Lord. What about the mother? Would she be the empress? What kind of a person would say such a thing? Aren’t such people selfish and contemptible? But what did those present think of the old woman? “This old woman is mad, a crazy hag. She’s totally irrational!” Finally, the Lord Jesus said, “but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not my to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father” (Mat 20:23). This was the Lord Jesus’ response. From the various ways in which the Lord spoke of different people, the way He treated people, and the words He spoke, we can see that He is the truth, the way and the life. He is God who appeared, and all that He said is the truth. Those who believe in God but do not obey are full of egos, desires and carnal concerns. Isn’t this absurd? So how can their corrupt disposition be resolved? They must accept God’s judgment and chastisement. They want to rule as king with God, to enter the kingdom and occupy the throne. However, when they are faced with God’s judgment and chastisement, they can’t accept it. When they hear God’s judgment, they still try to reason with Him, they try to beat Him with their arguments. What is the meaning of such actions? They want God to show obedience to them, to apologize and make amends to them. Isn’t this what Satan’s type would do? This is the devil! How is this obeying God? This is not an expression of obedience to God, and certainly not an expression of accepting God’s judgment and chastisement. What is the meaning of my speaking these words? When believing in God, man must thoroughly resolve the desires for blessing in their hearts, or they will be unfit to meet God. You are bound to lock horn with God when you see Him, bound to resist Him. That is because you want to make a deal with God when you meet Him. You want to exploit Him, to trick Him. You think you can trick God? You do not treat Him as God! You prostrate before the unbelieving devils, the great red dragon’s types and the holders of power. You admire them. But for God you do not even have any admiration or respect. Aren’t you the devil’s type? In your heart, you look down on God and belittle Him. You regard Him as nothing. Aren’t you the antichrist’s type?

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　　Some people believe in God, but they dare not admit to believing in Almighty God because they think this is shameful. What kind of person is this? Can such a person love God with all their heart? Is this person worthy of belief in God? Aren’t you being too arrogant! You dare not admit to believing in Almighty God, or admit that He is your God. You think that He is not worthy? That He is too insignificant? You are worshiping Satan then. Satan is the greatest and highest in your eyes. Does this sound like someone who obeys God? How do those who are kind express themselves before God? They are considerate toward God; they love God, obey Him and look up to Him. Such is a person who is kind and who has humanity. There are shrews and undisciplined people whose words are caustic and venomous. One look and I can see that they belong with the devil! Do you think that such people will be able to receive God’s blessings and enter the kingdom of heaven if they do not accept His judgment and chastisement? Will it be so easy for them? Not so. I speak without mercy against such people who belong with Satan the devil. I hold nothing back. What kind of words do I use? “Devil!” “Antichrist!” “Inhumane, beast!” And what of such words? Do they not fit the reality? Reality is such. Some people say I am cursing others, and they spread this around. “The brother curses people when he preaches! The brother curses at people!” What kind of a person is this? Will they be able to accept God’s judgment and chastisement? If they see that God says, “These beasts! Satan’s offspring!”, they will most certainly claim that God is cursing at people, won’t they? No matter how hurtful the words of God are, they are the truth; they conform to the reality. Aren’t those without humanity beasts? Some people lack a human spirit and so they are the incarnations of beasts. What is an incarnation of a beast? They were a dog, or a turtle, or a cow or horse in their previous lives. In other words, they were animals. Today, they are reincarnated as a human being. So, regardless of the teaching they received, can such a person have humanity? Humanity comes from the spirit. Only by having a human spirit can one have humanity. Without a human spirit, one cannot have humanity. So, the kind of person they are depends on their disposition. It will not come from education. Knowledge will not change them. What does it mean that knowledge will not change people? That is to say, it cannot change the true essence of a person. It cannot change their nature. That is what it means. Knowledge can, at best, help man earn a living. It is a tool. It cannot, however, change a person’s destiny. Neither can it change a person’s disposition. Can knowledge enable a devil to become human? Can knowledge make a person quit drugs? Can knowledge enable an evil, wicked person to turn good? It cannot. There is plenty of evidence to show that this is true. On earth, in general, many of the demons in power and the demons who do evil are intellectuals. The more knowledgeable one is, the more one resists God. The more knowledgeable one is, the more one becomes a devil, and the more one is able to confuse people. Do you see intellectuals who worship God, who believe in Him of their own accord, whose disposition changes on its own, who prostrate themselves before God and worship Him, and who obey Him, exalt Him? Does this type of reality exist? No. So, the more knowledgeable one is, the more reactionary one becomes. The more knowledgeable one is, the more one resists God. The more knowledgeable one is, the more of Satan’s nature one possesses. Why were the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees of Judaism always at odds with the Lord Jesus? Was it not the study of theology that had created this brood of Satan and caused them to resist God? Theological theories always create people who resist God and who are antichrists, don’t they?

　　There was a pastor who said in his later years, “I have served God all these years and realized one thing. No matter how many theological theories you have grasped, they are useless in the end! Only those the Holy Spirit has worked in have real experiences and can speak humanly and witness God. Those who the Holy Spirit has not worked in have wasted their time no matter what theology they study!” His words are very true, and they come from his experience. Isn’t that the case? Does it work that I communicated it to you this way? Do you understand? Are any of you angry upon hearing these words? Angry and then despondent, wanting to back away? If someone says, “Your words have hurt me. I do not want to continue my belief!” What kind of person is this? They do not accept truth, do they? They neither accept the truth nor obey God. Their belief in God is for their own ends. They do not accept God’s work in order to be saved and live out the likeness of man. They accept it so that they can receive His blessing. They want to enter the kingdom of heaven. “If I am able to enter the kingdom of heaven as soon as I recognize God’s name, then I believe in God! But you make me experience judgment and chastisement. Won’t I suffer loss of face? My self-respect, my level of education, my knowledge and my dignity, what about these?” Are there such people out there? What is wrong with such a person? They are purely the types of Satan, are they not? Their corrupt disposition has not been dealt with or broken even in the slightest. They are Satan, the old devil, without any change, but they still demand respect and dignity? Who are they trying to fool?! What respect do you have? You’re a fool! You are so vain. You are particular about “appearance” like the unbelievers. What “appearance” do you have? You are inferior to an animal, a beast. What “appearance” do you have to speak of? Do these words sound pleasant? Some say, “Such words do not exist within religion. People there have love and compassion. Their words are comforting to hear.” Then go and believe in your religion. You would still not have received the truth after having believed in your religion in eight lifetimes! You would still have received nothing after having believed in your religion in eight lifetimes. You would only end up resisting God and trying to strike a deal with Him, harboring your own selfish ends. “If the Lord Jesus does not take me up to heaven this time, I will rise up to heaven myself and have it out with Him! I will file a lawsuit against Him! God’s word is not credible!” Isn’t this the attitude of those who have believed in their religion for a long time? “Lord, if You do not raise me up, I will sue You. I will not obey! You have hurt me. I believed in You my entire life and have gained nothing!” Aren’t there a lot of people who hold such views within the religious community? You would all agree that there are. So, what voice is it that these people are uttering? Is it not the call of Satan? Is it not the voice of an antichrist? It is the voice of an antichrist, the call of Satan! To believe in God for many years and then eventually say such a thing; this is a most shameful act. It proves that you have received nothing and that your faith is in vain! You know nothing, nothing at all, of God’s disposition, His righteousness, His will and of whom He will save. And you think you understand the Bible? You understand nothing of it, not even a single word. So why are you interpreting the Bible blindly? We do not study the Bible; can we say that we understand it? Some say we can. Why? We understand that the aim of God’s work is to save humanity. Most importantly, we know how He saves humanity, and how He changes and purifies them. We understand His will and expectations for humanity. These are the most basic of things, and the most basic of truths which we have already grasped. These things are the purpose and essence of the Bible. If you do not understand these things, it makes no difference no matter how many letters and doctrines you have understood, for they are empty and are not real. Isn’t this the case? Some people spend their life studying the Book of Revelation, but they still don’t know what it is saying. Does the Book of Revelation not speak of the appearance of Christ’s kingdom on earth? God’s judgment and chastisement in the last days embodies the words of the Spirit to the churches. Revelation starts from this. Then, it tells how, in the Age of Kingdom, God will lead His chosen people into war against Satan, how Satan’s demons, those in power, those who resist God and those who persecute God’s chosen people will do service. And then disasters will come and Christ’s kingdom will appear. Eventually, a new heaven and earth will appear, and God’s tabernacle will eventually appear among man. It is then finished. The Book of Revelation begins with God’s work for the last days. If they cannot even see this, then what are they doing studying the Book of Revelation? Now tell me, are the prophets of the religious community who explain the Book of Revelation all false prophets? Aren’t they confusing people? Look at the well-known prophets of the religious community. Do they witness God? Do they exalt Him? Do they have prophecies about the last days? Is God working through them? Are the visions they see real? Do they come from Satan or God? Most of these people are false prophets and even evil spirits. Do not believe them! I am sure that you can understand this. Those who do not have the truth are false. Only Christ is the truth, the way and the life. So, within the religious world, be it in the East or West, those prophets who strive to explain the Book of Revelation, who explain the prophecies, they are false prophets. Remember this! Some say, “Can you be so certain?” Pretty much. If you don’t believe me, just wait and see. Do I speak without reason? I only speak of that which is true.

　　Those who believe in God but do not obey, who believe but do not recognize God, will all be cast out and punished. This has already been destined. Let us talk now about the specifics. If one believes in God, why must he obey God? It is because God is here to carry out His work, which is the salvation of mankind. The salvation of mankind comes mainly in two stages: First, God incarnate did the redemptive work, performing the sin offering. Second, God incarnate judges, chastises and purifies man. This is the true witness to God’s work of salvation for mankind. If you can only accept the first stage, which is only accepting the sin offering, but cannot accept God’s judgment and chastisement in the last days, then the sin offering holds no meaning. The sin offering does not purify man; it cannot do so. Only judgment and chastisement can purify man. So, what is the sin offering? It gives you eligibility. If you accept it and accept the Lord Jesus’ name, your sins will be forgiven, and you qualify to pray to God, to come before Him and to accept His work. Is this not a kind of eligibility? Some say, “That is wrong. As soon as we accept the Lord Jesus, our sins are forgiven. How can you say this is just a kind of eligibility?” Is this the correct way of thinking? Does this argument stand? Is the forgiving of sin equal to being purified? It is not. Thus, forgiving your sin is God’s grace, the bestowing of His grace upon you. God will disregard your sins, but this does not mean you are without sin, and it certainly does not mean you will not commit sins. Therefore, believers whose sins are forgiven can still commit them; they can still lie and cheat like before and remain stuck in a cycle of committing sins and then confessing sins. Isn’t this true? If you look at it from the perspective of this truth, does the sin offering then represent purification of man? Is it the work of purification? It just gives man eligibility. Once you have this eligibility, you can pray to God and enjoy His grace. So, what is God’s grace? It is to pardon you, but it doesn’t mean you are purified. It is simply a pardon. In the Age of Grace after the sin offering was made, did man become eligible to enter the kingdom of heaven? They did not. What proof do we have? The Lord Jesus said, “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Mat 7:21). If you say, “Lord, Lord,” then are your sins not pardoned? Why can’t you enter the kingdom of heaven? According to these words, you still cannot enter the kingdom of heaven even though your sins are pardoned. It does not give you the eligibility to enter the kingdom; it merely gives you the right to pray to God, and to come before Him. Why, then, did God perform the sin offering for man? God is holy. If you are a sinner, one who commits sins, and if you are Satan’s type, you are not eligible to witness God. You are neither worthy of witnessing Him nor praying to Him. Were you to pray to Him, you would bring shame to Him and sully His name. So, God made the sin offering. He pardoned your sins. He disregarded them and He pardoned you so that you are eligible to pray to Him. The Lord Jesus’ work opened the way for the judgment and chastisement in the last days. He performed the sin offering, and through this, man is eligible to receive Jesus’ second coming and to accept God’s judgment and chastisement in the last days. This was what the work of the sin offering was about. If God had not incarnated in the last days to proclaim the truth to us and reveal these mysteries, who then would have been able to see them? Even now, those people in the Age of Grace are waiting there to be raised up to the kingdom of heaven. They cannot see the ridiculousness of their way of thinking and do not understand what is going on. Without truth, is man not ignorant and foolish?

　　Many people in the Age of Grace want to take issues with the Lord Jesus. They believe in Him in order that they can be saved by grace and can enter the kingdom of heaven by grace. They shamelessly depend on God, “You pardoned my sins and I believed, so You must let me enter the kingdom of heaven! If You do not let me enter, then You are not my Lord!” You can see how shameless they are. What does it mean to “depend”? To depend on you, to cling to you and to hang onto you so that you could not be able to shake the person off even if you wanted to. This is called “dependence.” Will dependence on the Lord Jesus’ grace allow man to enter the kingdom of heaven? Some say no. Why? Because the Lord Jesus came to perform the sin offering. His task was to redeem man. He did not come to carry out judgment and chastisement for the kingdom. To carry out judgment and chastisement for the Age of Kingdom, God would have to become flesh again. In the last days God has again become flesh, using the name “Almighty God.” His work is completely different from that of Jesus’, but is built on the foundation which Jesus’ work laid. Thus, as a believer in God, if you do not accept the Lord Jesus’ second coming or the work of Almighty God for the last days, are you then resisting God? The religious community is cast out because they resist God. If you do not accept the Lord Jesus’ second coming, you are blind and do not recognize God. You still resist God in this way, and so you will be cast out. When disasters befall the earth, there will be a minority who will turn and accept Him, but the vast majority will be destroyed; only a small number will turn themselves around. Some say, “How do you know?” God has spoken of this to me; He has spoken of it several times. In addition, if we look at the people within the religious community, we will see that those who “eat of the loaves” are great in number, and those who are worked upon by evil spirits are great in number, while those who pursue the truth are too few. Based on this fact, we can see the truth, can’t we? Those who can enter the kingdom of heaven and truly be reunited with God make up only a small fraction. Why haven’t the majority of those in the religious community been brought before God? Why are they not eligible to enter the kingdom of heaven? Because although they believe in God, they still resist Him. They believe in God but do not obey Him; they resist Him instead. Does failure to accept God’s work in the last days amount to resisting Him? Does failure to recognize God incarnate amount to resisting God? Isn’t judging and condemning God incarnate also resisting God? Because the religious community resists God it has been cast aside to be punished. In the Bible it says, “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins” (Heb 10:26). Knowing the truth yet sinning willfully, what does it refer to? Does it refer to the everyday expressions of corruption? It refers mainly to the failure to accept God’s work in the last days. If someone clearly understands that what God incarnate expresses in the last days is the truth, but still continues to condemn Him, then they are doomed. Is it good to condemn Christ who expresses the truth? Such an action is to bring perdition upon oneself, to bring destruction upon oneself! Do you see what the outcome is for those who believe in God but do not obey and who resist Him? How does God destroy such people? Some say He will rain disasters upon them. Here, God incarnate has spoken, “I bring burning, bring wrath, bring all disasters.” In His work of the last days God brings the truth, the way and the life. He brings the way to eternal life for His chosen people. For the unbelievers, the religious people and those who resist Him, God brings all disasters to annihilate them. He will annihilate all those who resist Him with all kinds of disasters. There are two parts of the judgment of the last days. Once the judgment work is complete, the great disasters will descend.

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　　What are the main indications that a person believes in God but does not obey God? People must be clear about them. First of all, we can take a look at how the Pharisees and religious pastors are not people who truly obey God, but rather everything that they do is in resistance to God. There are five main aspects of this. First, they only abide by the letters and doctrines of the Bible, and do not seek the truth. They do not seek God’s will, but serve God according to their own will. Isn’t this resisting God? Second, they only place importance on explaining the Bible in order to instruct people, but have no reality of the truth. Further, they do not know God. Their explanations of the Bible are entirely for the sake of showing off and elevating themselves, and isn’t this resisting God? Third, religious pastors and Pharisees only have the godly appearance, but do not have hearts that revere God, even to the extent that they are capable of killing a prophet or resisting and convicting those sent by God. Isn’t this resisting God? Fourth, they only hold on to God’s name, but do not accept the truth or recognize God incarnate. Isn’t this resisting God? Fifth, they only abide by the letter of the Bible and yet convict and deny Christ, and they even crucified Christ. Isn’t this resisting God? These are the five characteristics of how religious pastors and Pharisees resist God. These characteristics all represent the path they follow, and the Pharisees have these five kinds of action. Among these points there is no mention of what is exposed as corrupt, such as lying, committing adultery, or taking bribes. There’s nothing about these things, but all is about the path they follow. People in the religion believe in the Lord, but isn’t the path they follow that of the Pharisees? Isn’t the path of the Pharisees that of resisting God? It certainly is, as these people believe in God without obeying God! They don’t practice and experience the word of God, do not obey the work of the Holy Spirit, do not seek to grasp the will of God, and do not accept the truth delivered by God; they only abide by the Bible and by religious notions, doctrines, and rules, and this is resisting God. Today, in the word of God it is said: “In your faith in God you should obey God.” This doesn’t refer to anything people have that is exposed as corrupt and say that it is in resistance to God, it doesn’t refer to that; it just indicates the path a person follows in believing in God and his attitude in how he treats God. The most important thing is a person’s attitude in how he treats God’s work.

　　People in the religion believe in God but do not obey God, and we have looked at the several points which demonstrate that. Most people only look for enough bread to eat their fill and do not try to seek or obtain the truth. The more grace God gives to them the better they believe in God, and they believe that the more they bear witness of the enjoyment of grace, the more they seem to be blessed and the more they will surely receive great blessing–and these are the notions of religious people. Now that we’ve looked at the notions of religious people, isn’t the path that religious people follow one of resisting God? Today, the word of God says, “In your faith in God you should obey God,” and there are some people who ask, “What is it not to obey God?” Take a look at how religious people believe in the Lord, and try to learn lessons. If you come into the presence of Almighty God today, and the path you follow is still that of religious people, what kind of problem is this? Such a person does not obey God, but resists God. Isn’t this the case? Now, there are many people who accept Almighty God, and there are some people who say, “I’ll just read the word of Almighty God, go to meetings, and pray to God, and that will be that.” They don’t do their duty, they don’t experience God’s work, and they don’t accept the judgment and chastisement of God. Are these people who obey God? What is the nature of the problem if one believes in God but doesn’t do his duty? If a person believes in God but doesn’t do his duty, just thinking “I have accepted the name of God, I’ve gotten hold of the book, and I can pray to God and my name will be recorded in the kingdom of heaven; there will be a number for me in the kingdom of heaven, there will be a seat for me there,” aren’t these the notions and concepts of religious people? Do you think that once you believe in Almighty God, once you pray to Almighty God, there will be a number for you in the kingdom of heaven? There will be a place for you? Where is the place for you? Is your name written in the book of life? If you aren’t included in the book of life, then where will your place be in the kingdom of heaven? There will be no place for you! You have thought wrong; what you thought isn’t the reality. “In the Lamb’s book of life,” who is the Lamb? It is the incarnate Christ! If your name is not in the Lamb’s book of life, then you are done for, and there will be no share for you in the kingdom of heaven! To be precise, what is it that is called “having a share in the Lamb’s book of life”? Who knows? Who can speak accurately about this? I am not sure that what I say is absolutely accurate, and whoever can say one or two things about it has done pretty well. At the very least it is necessary for Christ to acknowledge a person as someone who genuinely believes in Him, and then he will have a share in the Lamb’s book of life. Can this be said to be the case? At the very least the practical God must approve him, and say that this person is seeking the truth, and then he will have a share in the Lamb’s book of life. This is how I understand it. Can you accept this way I understand it? Some people say they can. There are some people who ask me, “Is what you say reliable?” I can’t say that it’s absolutely reliable; I can only say that it’s essentially reliable. It is major trouble for you if Christ does not acknowledge you.

　　If a toad jumps onto someone’s foot, how does the person feel about this? When a toad jumps on your foot, it doesn’t bite you; it just disgusts you, right? If a person doesn’t seek the truth, yet still always wants to come closer to God, to get God to like him, and to give him blessings, isn’t that what it means to say “a toad jumping onto your foot”? Aren’t there these kinds of people? There really are. Those who have a share in the Lamb’s book of life must first have Christ acknowledge and approve them. You must have some true manifestations to receive the approval of Christ! Previously, God saw many of the chosen people of God on the Chinese mainland, because at that time God walked among the churches. He often brought those upper level leaders and workers together and fellowshiped with them. Christ traveled to many places, and saw many people, all kinds of people among them. Sometimes, He would look back and recall that time, twenty or more years before. He would recall these earliest believers, the people He knew, what a certain person was like, which people sought the truth, which people did not seek the truth, which people were revealed to be evil. We would often recall, and sometimes wrote letters to every pastoral area to inquire about how these people behaved, and have the leaders send letters explaining it. There were some people who did not seek the truth and who were expelled, some people were still quite well, still seeking the truth, as well as some people who had been doing their duty all the way up to the present though their environment was terrible. God then said which people could enter the kingdom of heaven and which people could not receive salvation; God knows all these things, and God speaks of them often. That is to say, people’s behavior in the presence of God and everything people do, God sees in His eyes and understands in His heart, because in God there is the essence of divinity, and He sees more piercingly than man. As for people, some duration of time is necessary for this experience. There are some clearly evil people whose treachery is conveyed as soon as they speak. As soon as they speak there is a foul odor and the presence of human notions. Once they speak you can see their intents clearly displayed. These things are obvious, and people are able to see them. Among people there is a common saying that “it takes time to know someone’s heart.” There are some people who are too private, and do not speak much, and for them it takes time to know their hearts, and only seeing them a few times you can’t see into their hearts. But with God it is not the same. God met some people, about whom He spoke to me afterward, and said a certain one of them was not good, that he was not kind-hearted. When I saw him he looked ordinary, and I couldn’t see that he was not kind-hearted, but God was able to see it. That is to say that all who meet God cannot possibly escape the gaze of God, nor can they escape God’s inspection. If someone is a good person, when he meets God, God will give him a good assessment, and say that this person’s humanity is acceptable. If this person is truly able to seek the truth, then he can have some hope to receive salvation. Some people disgust God as soon as He sees them, looking as if their faces are all twisted up, ugly and repulsive, and contorted with effort. As soon as He takes a look He sees that their disposition is not good; such people are certainly not the chosen people of God, and will certainly not be the people of the kingdom of heaven. The people whom God saves are those who are good, and God doesn’t save evil people. God does not save evil spirits, and He doesn’t save those people who don’t have any love whatsoever for the truth. God does not save those people. When religious people hear these words, can they accept them? Of course they can’t accept them. They say, “This is impossible; God is love, He is mercy and compassion, so all people receive God’s salvation, the entire world will receive salvation.” What they have not said is that even the devil Satan will receive salvation. They don’t dare to say these words. So, religious people pray for the great red dragon, pray for the countries of the world, pray for world peace, pray for all of humanity to avoid suffering disaster, and you can see that their idea is that God saves everyone. Isn’t this the preposterous view of people in religious circles? They pray for world peace, and God says, “Do you want to be contrary to Me? If I want to let every disaster descend upon and destroy the world, while you still pray for world peace, isn’t this being contrary to Me?” Isn’t this the voice of resisting God? There are even people praying for the Chinese Communist government, praying for the great red dragon, for it to hold power and do practical things for people. God says: I want to destroy the great red dragon, and you still pray for its sake, you are a jerk! When He says “jerk,” is He cursing this kind of person? This is a fact. This person is pretty foolish, isn’t he?

　　Don’t always disguise yourself in the presence of God, and don’t always show off; why are you pretending? You don’t have any truth at all in your belly, so why are you foolishly pretending? Who couldn’t see through the fact that you are poor and pitiable! What principles must people have who live in the presence of God to be able to confirm that they obey God? First, they must have a heart that reveres God, and not talk nonsense to disturb God’s mind or His heart. If you speak nonsense or useless words, God will not be willing to listen, as God likes peace. Second, do not deceive God. God can see through you, and if you are not being deceptive, then God will not detest you; once you act deceptively, God will be disgusted with you, God will loathe you, and in the end God will hate you, and your whole life will be done for. You are doomed to perish because God hates you. If God hates a person, this person will certainly not come to a good end. Even if you believed for eight lifetimes it would be of no use, since you would meet the loathing and hatred of God; God would cause you to be erased from the face of the earth and never to see Him. How can you ultimately receive praise in the presence of God, and cause God to be pleased with you? First, live in the presence of God and have a heart that reveres God. Second, speak what is in your heart, don’t display any treachery. Seek the truth, and afterward, practice the truth. Don’t just search day after day, searching for this or that but not putting anything into practice in the end; if so, God will be disgusted with you. God will say: You search all the time, and what have you understood in all your searching? Have you put any aspect of the truth into practice? How much of the truth have you put into practice? If you haven’t put it into practice, then isn’t it just a kind of deception for you to be seeking this way? Isn’t it just pretending? Isn’t it putting on a false appearance for people? If you pretend to be seeking the truth, do you expect to have God reward you by doing so? To look highly upon you? This is stupidity! Do you not know that God inspects the very depths of people’s hearts? Do you not know that the Holy Spirit dwells within God? That God is the realization of the Spirit? Do you think He is an ordinary person? You flutter your housefly wings a couple times and when people see it they think it is quite beautiful; when God sees this, He will think that your wings are beautiful and charming, but the reeking bacteria on your body disgust people, being so rancid! Don’t blindly show off. If you show off this reeking bacteria to God, God will loathe you even more. Third, you cannot bargain with God in the presence of God, and if you do bargain with God, then He will despise you. Some people do their duty for years and fall sick, then say, “God, I have done my duty for You and have fallen sick, what do I do? How will You compensate me?” In their heart, they think God would say, “It’s alright, you have fallen sick so you are meritorious. It is destined that the kingdom of heaven will have a place for you!” “That’s pretty good, but can I be a king?” Do you have what it takes to be a king? Do you have the truth? A stinking housefly flutters its wings and still wants to be a king. Do you have no shame? Some people spread the gospel, and they say they do it for God, but what they don’t say is that they are doing it for themselves. After running around outside for years and developing a stomach illness, they say, “I developed this stomach illness in spreading the gospel, so God, how will You recompense me?” Some people catch cold after going to a couple meetings, and say, “I have caught a cold because of these meetings, how will You recompense me?” Some people believe in the Lord and do their work, and when they are imprisoned by the great red dragon they say, “Lord, I have been imprisoned for You; would I have been imprisoned if I hadn’t believed in You? I suffered for Your sake, so what reward will You give me? You are certainly a righteous Lord, and it can’t be that I would suffer in vain!” Anyway, no matter what illness they get or whatever suffering they meet through believing in God, they will always complain to God about it. They will always place the blame on God, and is this belief in God? Is this obeying God? They said they don’t look for anyone to get married to all for the Lord’s sake, and so when they have grown old they regret it and complain about it to the Lord. If they have no descendants or posterity they will complain to the Lord about it and will seek compensation from the Lord; isn’t this bargaining with the Lord? You are bargaining with God, so does God still need you to expend for Him? God says, “You do not truly believe in God, so go home, and be quick about it; I do not need you, I do not need people like you, and when I see you it disgusts Me! Do I need you to expend for My sake? Without you, the work of God’s house will continue to operate as usual, and God’s will will be carried out all the same. This is a fact made so by God, and do you think I could not handle it without you, or that it wouldn’t be possible without you? What kind of thing are you!” These are the words from God’s heart, but God doesn’t speak these words. When people are always bargaining in the presence of God, doesn’t this make God loathe and despise them? In the past two years, there have been brothers and sisters who came across this problem, and I said, “If that’s the way it is, then all people who do their duty must sign a letter of guarantee and explain why they are doing their duty, and for whom they are doing their duty. You must write whether, if in doing your duty you meet with disaster or sickness, or forfeit your life, you will dispute this with God or place the blame on the church or on the family of God. You must write these words clearly, sign a letter of guarantee, and afterward you can again do your duty.” Afterward, the chosen people of God all signed this letter, saying, “I am fully willing to expend for the sake of God, and neither the family of God nor any person has compelled me to do this. I believe in God from a genuine heart, and in order to obtain the truth. I am fully willing to expend for the sake of God. If I meet with sickness, tribulation, or death, I will not complain to the family of God, and this matter has nothing to do with the church or any individual.” What do you think of signing this? It is a good thing. In what way is it good? The family of God doesn’t need to trouble itself with this, otherwise if there are some people who meet disaster, they will file suit against the church or settle the account with God. Now the church leadership can also avoid trouble, the family of God even more so can avoid trouble, and God is spared this worry. If you agree, then sign this letter of guarantee, and when the time comes you can use it to bear witness and humiliate Satan and do honor to God. If you don’t dare to sign it, then you must not do your duty, for the family of God will not take any responsibility for you. This is because the family of God has no demands on you, and does not force or compel you to do your duty. If you are willing to do it, then you do it of your own free will, and if you don’t do it, then turn around and walk away. There won’t be anyone dragging you back or forcing you to do anything.

　　Some people did their duty abroad, and the devils in their homes who do not believe tracked them down, and I said, “You sign a letter of guarantee, you should say that in doing your duty the family of God was not compelling you to do so, that you did it willingly. If you don’t sign the letter you are not permitted to do your duty, and this is the rule of the church, because you have not made a guarantee to anyone and, the family of God doesn’t trust you, and empty words with no proof are not acceptable.” Some people signed, and if they signed it, this is acceptable. Some people may say, “It just happens that I don’t want to do my duty!” Then they do not need to sign, in order to avoid trouble, and if you don’t want to do your duty then it’s even simpler. But if you don’t sign, then there will not be a share for you in the Lamb’s book of life, because you do not do your duty, and God will not acknowledge you. Isn’t this the case? There are some people who say, “Do I still have to do my duty if I have just come into the faith?” God has not required this of you, so do not ask about this matter, but act in accordance with your stature. How many years of age do ordinary boys and girls have to reach to be considered adults in their families, to be able to leave home and go to work, and to live on their own? When you have just entered into the faith, you do not understand the truth, so it will be of no use if you do your duty. However, if you have believed for one or two years, have already laid a foundation, have visions, are truly assured in God and God’s work, and are fully willing to seek the truth and to do your duty, then this is acceptable, and you can sign. If you think your stature is too small, then do not sign it, and the church will not force you to do your duty. The church does not compel anyone, no matter how knowledgeable you are, or how much ability or gift you have; the church will not compel you, and without any given person the work of the church will carry on just as before. But there are those people who have a share in the Lamb’s book of life, and there are those that do not. They say, “I too believe, do I not have a share?” You have not done the duty of a created being. There are some people who do their duty without bearing witness, bargaining with God, and always thinking about gaining some blessings from God. There are some people who fall sick and want to settle their account with God. If this sickness is serious, once they die, then you can’t say for sure how much of a lawsuit will be brought about. Isn’t this the case? People who genuinely do good deeds do not let the right hand know what the left hand is doing, and whatever illness they have they do not speak of it. Rather, they say, “I pray to God. Even if I die I will not complain to God, because it will mean that I deserve death. If I resist God or do not have the truth then I should die; I won’t complain to God, nor will I speak of it to anyone.” Only the imbeciles who bargain with God are so shameless, and when they get the least bit sick they say to God, “I became sick like this for Your sake; it’s all because of You.” Now God can’t have contact with any person, because in contact there is always danger, there is always a risk, and a fear that people will try to divert the blame. How terrible is this! People should be less cocky in the presence of God. Do not make God hate you, for once God despises you, you must certainly fall into hell, and your belief will also have been in vain, because in God’s heart He can see through you, and God will despise you. If you don’t have the truth, do not be so blindly pompous! What are you doing, foolishly drawing attention to yourself and showing off? You yourself are of Satan’s type, and are not a good thing within the throngs of people, so what do you have to show off?

136-B-6

　　“In your faith in God you should obey God.” Aren’t these, as far as all people are concerned, words of great wisdom? This is the intention of God, this is the secret to believing in God. This is a highest maxim for life, it is our motto! “In your faith in God you should obey God.” If you do not have a heart that submits to God, you will not see God, it is best to distance yourself from God, be far from God in order to avoid making God disgusted with you. God has spoken to me about some people, and God said, “When I look at those people I am so disgusted! I will not look at them.” There are some people who wrote letters to the family of God, and God said, “Expel them, ignore them, never meet them, until they go down to hell.” Would you say it is satanic disposition that if corrupt humanity comes into contact with God’s flesh, they look down on Him contemptuously, always want to do harm to God, always want to toy with God, and always want to deceive God? If you don’t have a heart that reveres God, and don’t have a heart that loves God, then why do you want to get near to God? You are two-faced and duplicitous! You entertain things in your heart that are of bad intent! Some people accept God’s work, but once they see that God’s word is unsuited to their notions and they see God’s word of cursing people, “You Satan’s type! You are a parasite, a hindrance, you are someone who gets in the way!” they feel ill at ease, and say, “Are these words about me?” I say, “If you are able to accept them, then treat them as if they are about you, and consider this the judgment from God for you; if you aren’t able to accept them, then say these words are about someone else and impose them on him.” Is this kind of practice good or bad? Some people say it is bad. Why is it bad? It’s left up to individual choice! Whatever words of blessing you see, you are happy. You have come to accept them, and think, “This is talking about me, this is spoken to me.” In your heart you are free and liberated, happy and proud. Whatever words you see that are curses, cursing the devil Satan, you look to see someone who is bad or someone you are unhappy with and then put those words on him, thinking, “These words are about him.” Isn’t this a good trick? There are some people who carry on just like this. What is the practice of some other people? Some people said, “Oh, after finishing reading all of these words I have a sensation inside that is painful to my heart and hard to bear!” There was a naif who said, “This is an easy thing to deal with, we’ll flip through whatever is painful to the heart and difficult to bear, and we’ll find whatever isn’t painful to the heart and just read that. We’ll see where God’s promise and God’s blessing are and pay special attention to that. Once you flip past those words that are painful to the heart it will be all right, and wouldn’t it no longer be difficult to bear?” I say this person really has a good trick! Are there people who practice based on these words? Everyone has done this, and no one can say anything about anyone else. When I began to read the word of God I was also like this; when I had read the word of God once that was difficult to bear, I didn’t read it a second time. At the beginning, God’s words for judging me were more severe, and when I had finished reading I would shed tears. I read them once or twice, and then I did not want to read any more, for I felt ill at ease in my heart. The best medicine has a bitter taste, and who wants to take even more of it? “Take it quickly, there is still some to last several days but when you have taken it all it will be over; you can take it, persevere for a few days.” That medicine is so bitter and hard to swallow, you can’t deal with it even though you know it is good for your illness, and you can’t swallow it. So, if you do not have a heart that obeys God in the presence of God, you cannot accept God’s judgment and chastisement, and it’s better to just depart from God to avoid God cursing you. If God hates you, and curses you, you are finished, and you have believed in vain. When God still has not cursed you, you stay a little farther away from God, and speak seldom, speaking less is for the better! If God curses you, and after that God despises you, can this impression be reversed? Is it easy or not to reverse? How much do you have to do to reverse this bad impression? Even if you cry all day, it’s of no use, and you can’t reverse it.

　　There is a person who was most treacherous, exceedingly treacherous, and I always dealt with and exposed his treachery. I summarized the behavior of treacherous people in several aspects, and when he heard this, he said, “It’s over, he’s talking about me.” He admitted that I was talking about him. After a few days, he asked me, “Brother, there is something I am seeking: How can a treacherous person like me finally be able to change?” I said, “Have you put the truth into practice? Have you trained in speaking the truth?” “I have trained for many months, and those treacherous words and lies have still not been resolved. I now see clearly that every word I say is spoken deliberately, every word I say has some deliberate goal, and this has become an established pattern. There is never a time that I close my eyes and speak words truly from my heart, and every time I see a person I immediately come up with deceptions, and whatever way I have to talk and whatever ways I choose have become established patterns that I can’t reverse. How do I handle this? I’m really suffering, and if I am unable to become an honest person, I will not be saved, so aren’t I believing in vain? What shall I do?” This person had really put forth some effort, this cunning person had exercised to put into practice being an honest person, and it was not easy. But he had not succeeded, and he asked me what to do. I said, “I have a skillful method: There is only one way for someone such as yourself, and that is just to speak the truth that is in your heart when you are praying to God and not to say one word of falsehood, and this is the way you should practice. Don’t worry at first how many lies you tell when you come into contact with people, and speak with people however you want to. You should first practice being able to speak the truth when you are praying to God, to say what the actual situation is, and not to say anything that is false. If, after you have passed this barrier, and you don’t say anything false to God, you don’t say anything deceptive to God, and everything you say to God is the truth, then you will solve the problem of telling lies to people, and I think this is pretty easy.” His eyes lit up, and he said, “That’s right, how did I not think of this?” I said, “Then just go put it into practice this way.” He then went back to practice in this way. It’s been many years since we met, and I don’t know what the result was. What kind of result do you think there could have been? God says, “People like this can never change, they can never change.” God says words such as this. What does all this mean? It means that when a person believes in God, he must place importance on establishing a normal relationship with God. When your relationship with God has become normal, that proves that you have humanity, and that your humanity is up to the standard. When your humanity is up to the standard, is it difficult to establish interpersonal relationships? It isn’t difficult, because rivers form naturally where there are watercourses and it will come about naturally. When a person’s relationship with God is not normal, then his relationship with other people is also not normal, and when his relationship with people is not normal, then his relationship with God is definitely not normal. So, when his relationship with God is normal, his relationship with people will also be normal, and this is how it is. In the course of their belief in God, people who pursue the truth will certainly encounter many difficulties, but when they encounter difficulties, how do they solve them? People who pursue the truth will certainly look up to God and rely on God. Once they practice looking up to God and relying on God, after a while they will see God’s deeds and the occurrence of miracles, they say, “Oh! This is a bit different. How is my condition much better than before after such a short time? How is it better? This good feeling, this feeling of release of inner spirit, where does it come from? Is it produced from within oneself? No, otherwise how had it not been produced before? After just this short amount of time of having prayers to God, having established a normal relationship with God, being able to obey God, and having a heart inside that loves and reveres God, lies have become fewer, crookedness and treachery has also lessened; deceit has become rare, all this has become more and more rare. How did this change occur?” This is the action of God, and when a person’s relationship with God has become normal, when he frequently prays to and appeals to God and allows God to work, he then begins to change. After a person has experienced, they can’t say clearly what has happened, and they don’t know how they have changed. Isn’t this the action of God? People who have heart and spirit are able to know this by experience, and people who are spiritless can’t know it by experience. They will not believe it, and will say, “Not possible! It’s not scientific!” Science does not acknowledge prayer or that God is listening to people’s prayers. Among scientists, there are many Christians, even so, there is not one person who knows God. Isn’t this a fact? Using scientific methods, one will never be able to know God, but by using one’s spirit to communicate with God and experiencing God’s word one can reach knowledge of God. This is the truth, and this is a fact. Have these words been written down? Remember, once I say some essential words, you must be quick to take note of them. Do you know why you must remember them? It makes it easier afterward to attain the truth, doesn’t it? Unwittingly, there are some words that enter into your heart once you hear them, and then you will be able to confirm that they come from the Holy Spirit, isn’t that right? Without the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, could these words be spoken? Find a religious pastor and have him say them to you. He isn’t able to say them whatsoever. He doesn’t have the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, he doesn’t have the work of the Holy Spirit, and so he cannot utter these words, he cannot speak the language of life experience.

　　What criteria must one meet in order to see God? First, a heart that reveres God; second, his heart must love God and care about God; third, he must know the principle of living in the presence of God, and store inside himself a heart that obeys God. Without these three principles, without meeting these three conditions, you will not see God. If you truly see God, speak less, do whatever God wants you to do according to God’s requirements and act in accordance with the rules, then in this way you will have humanity and reason. Not being in accord with or understanding what is upright and honest, it’s easy for a person like this to be irreverent and immoral and to make God detest him. If God detests you, that is major trouble for you, and this bad impression is not easy to reverse. If God is fond of a person, then this person must have strengths, and must have a heart that reveres God, be a person who loves God, and be a person that practices the truth. As for a person whom God loathes, this person certainly has the disposition of Satan, is crooked, treacherous, and false, and deceives God to the utmost. Some people’s hearts are vicious and are devoid of any kindness in their hearts. They chatter maliciously when they talk, and everything that they say is the word of Satan. This kind of person does not deserve to live in the presence of God. So to believe in God is to obey God. If you are unable to obey God, and if you do not seek the truth, then you will never be able to live in the presence of God and you will never deserve to see God. What are the people who enter the kingdom of heaven like? In the Age of Grace, the Lord Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Mat 18:3). What does “you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” mean? You will absolutely not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven; there is no way for it to happen! This is what it means. What does “as little children” mean? It means that a person is not arrogant, has no egotism, and on top of that they are pure and open and completely obedient, and only this kind of person can enter the kingdom of heaven. When we have experienced this up to today, are these words of the Lord Jesus in the Age of Grace clear to us? The words that God said in the Age of Grace have the same source as the words that God says in the Age of Kingdom, and they are all uttered by the Holy Spirit. They all are what God has and is, are the expression of God, and are of one source. Today when God speaks, He does not repeat what the Lord Jesus said. What does God say today? “You must be honest people.” God has said much about becoming honest people, and these words are the best explication of what the Lord Jesus said in the Age of Grace. They are all the words of God. In the last days, God takes what God said in the Age of Grace and the Age of Law and opens up the mysteries within, isn’t that right?

136-B-7

　　Let us fellowship an issue here, how should one obey God in one’s faith in God? First, we must admit that mankind is too deeply corrupted by Satan, and we all have satanic nature and disposition, which is a simple fact, isn’t it? If you admit that this is fact, then what is the first thing that you should put into practice when it comes to God’s words, “In your faith in God you should obey God”? It would be, to accept God’s judgment and chastisement. Your faith is not real if you cannot accept God’s judgment and chastisement. In this case, you are deceiving God—and you are an unbeliever. If you are able to accept God’s judgment and chastisement, then regardless of what God says, regardless of how the word of God cuts straight to the heart, you will be obedient. Some might say, “I am simply unable to obey. It’s fine if God reveals others, but not me.” What kind of person is this? Is this not Satan’s kind? Are you not corrupted? You think too highly of yourself, no wonder you are so arrogant and self-righteous; you actually believe you are without flaw. You have absolutely no awareness of your own nature, so are you able to humble yourself? Are you able to fall to your knees in humility? You are so arrogant! A most corrupted person of Satan’s kind, unable to submit to God’s words, unable to accept, always wanting to argue with God, so what kind of person is this? Is he submissive before God? In my eyes, you are resistant to God, and stiff-necked, always arguing with God. Do you now even want to judge God? Are you qualified to judge God? And do you now even want to condemn God? Man must obey all that God says; you must obey God even if He says that you are the devil. What is the meaning of your faith in God? If you are not here to accept His judgment and chastisement, then why believe in Him? In that case, hurry home, return to the religion. Within the religion, there is no judgment and chastisement, because it has reduced to a desolate field, a wilderness, a barren wasteland, it has become hell itself. If you believe in God, then you must obey God, and obey whatever God says. Some might say, “My stature is small, I am unable to obey.” Then why don’t you go pray? Pray by yourself, then find those of good faith in God to fellowship with, and notice how they are submissive and accepting. If others are able to accept and submit, then why not you? Why are you not able to submit? Is it that you are born with the reality of the truth? Are you not corrupted by Satan? This is pure conceited arrogance on your part; you obviously don’t know yourself in the least, this is the mark of the changeless one, old Satan itself. Is this not the case? The first thing from “In your faith in God you should obey God” is to accept God’s judgment and chastisement, to bow down before God, otherwise you will never receive the work of the Holy Spirit. Second, as a member of God’s family, you must submit to the arrangement of God’s family, and obediently do all the duties or work that God’s family has assigned you. Third, when experiencing God’s work, seek to know yourself, know your own nature and essence. You must examine yourself to see the truth that you have been corrupted by Satan, to see what is your true nature, to see whether you are living out the image of Satan, to see whether you are cast of Satan’s mold, to see whether or not you have even the least bit of humanness. Seek knowledge of yourself, which is the third thing that you must put into practice in obeying God. Fourth, you must accept dealing and pruning. Regardless of how God’s family prunes and deals with you, you must learn to submit to it, you must be able to accept it, then gradually you can become obedient in mind, have the stature to obey, and only then can you truly live out the reality of obedience. And so should you fail to accept His dealing and pruning, would you still believe it possible to bring forth in you the will to obey? When you are pruned and dealt with, if you are ashamed of yourself, and finally curse yourself for being a devil and for being Satan, then it will be alright. You will have attained some fruits, and now you will be able to obey. Admit that you are the devil Satan, admit that you have indeed been deeply corrupted, that you bear no likeness to man, only then will you be able to bow down before God, “God, I see it so clearly now, I have been deeply corrupted by Satan. It is not enough to be only judged and chastised, but not pruned and dealt with. I am truly arrogant and conceited.” If you always want to choose the circumstances or the manner in which you receive God’s judgment and chastisement, then unless you are pruned and dealt with, it is definite that no fruits will come of this. Fifth, you must also do your duty to your utmost as a creature of God. Whatever your strengths and your gifts, whatever role you are fit to perform in God’s house, you should not shirk your duty. Some might say, “I am a parent, I have my wife and children at home, there are several mouths waiting for me to feed, and if I do not work and make a living, there will be no bread on the table.” Then go work and make a living. The “doing your duty to the utmost” does not mean that you must quit your job, or that you are not allowed to work. No one ever said any such thing; you simply need to do your duty to the very best of your ability according to your family situation. But what is it to do your duty? What does it mean? This is the witness and testimony of your true faith in God. If you do not fulfill your duty, then how could you bear a witness for God? Look at some people, they go to work to make a living and feed their family, and then for the rest of their time, they eat, drink and make merry, enjoying the pleasures of the flesh. Is this true faith? This is faith in name only; these people are unbelievers. Therefore, when you do your duty to the best of your ability, it is a testimony, and it proves that God has a place in your heart, that you have a heart that reveres God, that you are a member of God’s family and that you have a rightful place in it. Look at some people who work for a few days out of the week, then spend the rest of their time fulfilling their duties and living a church life, working with the brothers and sisters in spreading the gospel, or fellowshiping the truth to resolve their corruption. You can see their faith in God just by looking at them. To have faith in God, one must obey God, and it will not work without such practice. Sixth, one must also submit to God’s sovereignty and arrangement. Regardless of what you encounter, be it catastrophes, earthquakes, or pandemics and plagues, or suffering and death, always submit to God’s sovereignty and arrangement. Look at Job, with all his property robbed from him, yet he was still obedient to God, “It was from God, He allowed it,” and so Job had no complaints. When you are sick, when you are struck with cancer, pray to God, and do not complain, “This is the punishment that I should receive, for I have sinned, for I resist God, for I do not know God and always sin, therefore I should receive His punishment. I submit, without complaint or condition.” This is the sixth aspect of obedience. That is, to submit to the sovereignty and arrangements of God, and to not blame God regardless of the circumstances. This is not easy to do, but it is the manifestation of your obedience to God. Seventh, to seek truth, to live by the word of God, “The word gives me the mottoes and maxims by which I live my life.” Living by God’s word is the highest level in obedience to God, it is perfect conduct. Following these seven paths is the way that believers should be obedient to God. If you have entered the paths in practicing all these seven aspects, if you have implemented them all, then you are obedient to God; even if you should sometimes reveal your corruption, you will nevertheless be counted as obedient to God. Have you now gotten a good grip on the principles in practicing how to obey God in your faith in God? These principles are critical. Some people say, “I’ve never paid much weight on practicing truth.” Well, as long as you focus on it from now on, then you will be fine. You say, “I used to reveal my corruptions, I’ve believed in God for so many years but I’ve never taken my faith seriously.” But as long as you practice the truth from now on, then it’s not a problem, it’s not too late. But when is it too late? When you get deathly ill and just like that, you’re going to die, well, it’s too late then, it’s the end of the line, and there are no more chances. Hurry and learn obedience to God, hurry and put these truths into practice—do it now while your heart is still beating normally—while you are still strong and healthy! You need to enter into obedience to God, no matter how deep the entry point, and once you do, it will put your mind at ease, and you will have peace and joy. If you don’t, you will have no peace and no joy; even if you believed for a thousand centuries, there would be no comfort for you, and you would not have any self-confidence in your heart. Look at some people who are unconfident in the way they speak. What does it mean to be unconfident? How could a person who feels insecure within ever be self-confident? Right? Only if you truly possess the reality of truth while believing in God, only if you can put many truths into practice, only if there is transformation to your life disposition will you be confident and secure. “I am saved, I can live out some truths, God has done a lot of work on me, and I have some fruits to show for it.” If you are secure in your heart, then you will be confident, and you’ll possess testimony. Now, many people are unconfident when they speak, which is proof that they do not have reality. People without reality are insecure and unconfident when they speak, as they are unsure if what they speak of is congruous with the truth. Isn’t that right? Whether a man has the reality of truth will someday be revealed.

　　Some people who have believed in God for decades still act like scoundrels, they are promiscuous and engage in casual relationships. These people do not engage in their proper duty, wouldn’t you say? If you do not have a significant other at the moment, you can look for one openly, no one from God’s house will stop you; marriage is a personal freedom, everyone has the right to marry and the right to have their own family, God’s family does not restrict anyone in this regard. But how appropriate is it if you have decided not to find a loving partner, but flirt, fool around and even take liberties with members of the opposite sex? Is this edifying? This is pure licentiousness, and that makes you no different from the non-believers. When those who have faith in God see a member of the opposite sex whom they like, and they think to themselves, “This person is really nice, maybe even marriage material, and it would be so great if we could get married,” such thoughts are tolerable still, for it is normal for people to have ideas and thoughts. But do not act on them, because people would think ill of you for it, and this is ungodly. If you are a new convert in your twenties who lacks control, gets a bit wild and you act on your impulses, this is normal, and no one would make you live up to the highest standards of conduct anyway. However, if you have believed for more than one decade and you still behaved in this way, then you’d be done for, wouldn’t you say? Doesn’t this say a lot about the person you really are? A person who has been a believer for decades but still doesn’t pursue truth, and at the end of the day has morals like this; you can see for yourself that he is not godly in the least, fooling around and having liaisons with opposite sex, acting on his desires, running around and going crazy, well, he will meet his demise, that’s for sure.

　　God’s words said that “In your faith in God you should obey God.” In obeying the work of God you will gradually gain the truth; once you have gained more truths, and once you understand them, then you will naturally come to know God; once you have come to know God, you can see your satanic disposition and nature more clearly. You will see the negative things with perfect clarity. You shall be able to discern both positive and negative things, your heart will be clear and your eyes bright, and at that time, it becomes easy to rebel against Satan and forsake the flesh. Therefore, once man has come to know God, his satanic disposition and corruption can very easily be cleansed. Some might say, “How come I can’t keep myself from lying? How come I can’t forsake the desires of my own flesh?” That is because you understand too few truths; once you have understood more of them, you come to see the hateful and filthy things within yourself, and those things will disgust you. Once you become disgusted and appalled at yourself, wouldn’t it be easy to forsake the flesh? When you become disgusted and appalled at yourself, this is the power generated from your heart, this is the power generated from man’s understanding of the truth, and this power is sufficient to allow you to forsake the flesh and turn away from evil. Consequently, once you understand the truth, especially once you have come to understand many truths, once you have come to know God, then you will have cast off almost all of your corruption. At that point, you would feel ashamed even telling a single lie, “I must apologize to that person face to face, to bring my corruption out into the open, I must deal with the flesh so that I no longer feel the urge to lie.” There was once a guy whom I arranged some work for, then after a while, he wrote me a letter of repentance that said, “Brother, there was something untrue in my work report that I have to correct. After I got home that day I had no peace in my heart, God reproached me, and so I got down and prayed to Him. I have to get it off my chest.” I said, This person is good, he really practices the truth, and he is someone who submits to God’s judgment and chastisement. He was tortured for days on end from just a single lie, and he felt compelled to take action to correct it. This is how to get serious about putting God’s word into practice in our life, this is what we call being serious about our faith. If a person takes such a serious attitude in the practice of truth, then what truths cannot be put into practice? What evils cannot be forsaken? Only those not interested in the truth are unable to forsake the flesh, for so long as you truly love the truth, so long as you can sincerely love God, you can forsake the flesh. Because you love God, there is nothing that you cannot forsake. Some might say, “Now, the more I read God’s word, the more I experience God’s words, the more I understand the truth. The more I understand the truth, the more I find it precious, so much so that, when I look back, my spouse seems filthy and corrupt, belonging to Satan, and I can no longer love my spouse. Therefore, I told my spouse, You are so filthy, so evil, you are so crooked and deceitful, how did someone like you ever appeal to me? I can no longer love you. Even if you were not opposed to my faith in God, you and I would have to get a divorce, not to mention the fact that you are opposed to it. I would be heartsick to be with you, because I cannot walk the same path as the devil.” Consequently, some brothers and sisters have divorced their nonbelieving spouses, they have cast their parents who resist God aside, fulfilling their duties without being restrained by them. To say, “one must choose between loyalty and filial piety,” and “to have loyalty one must first have filial piety,” is just complete nonsense. No person or matter should ever take precedence over loyalty and devotion to God, be it parents, children or spouse. If they are not obedient to God, if they do not pursue the truth, then they are all Satan’s kind, and they do not deserve our love. If man would just pursue truth and seek to know God, wouldn’t it be easy to cleanse him of his corrupt disposition? This would be easy. After you have understood some truths, then look back at the mottos, satanic logic and satanic rules from Satan or people of Satan’s kind. These are all absurd, evil and invalid. The ancient saints and prophets of China have said such fallacies, and we used to revere them. Now when we look back, we see that these are all tools used by Satan to corrupt mankind, and that these are all devils. Has this issue now been resolved? Do you still worship Satan? Now all of you can discern, now you no longer revere them. Whatever saints and masters or notables, they are all devils, you must remove their shrines and stop worshiping them. That Confucius from China, he is the devil, through and through, full of lies and deceit, without one word of truth. Listen to the filth being spilled by that Confucius, once you have analyzed and dissected them, you’ll see that there is not one word of truth, that these are all fallacies. Can you see clearly now? Isn’t this the result from understanding more truths? Once you understand the truths, the first thing that you will rebel against would be the various heresies and fallacies from Satan, Satan’s evil forces, Satan’s paths, all those filthy things that are promoted by Satan’s ruling parties. Once you see them, you’ll understand these are all fallacies, then you’ll leave them behind, and follow no longer. You have faith in God and follow God, forsake these things, part ways with them, completely cut yourself off from them. Your spouses, if they belong with Satan and resist God, then leave them! “I will no longer be with you. We share the same bed but dream different dreams. Therefore, let us clearly draw our lines, and never see each other again.” This is the way to go. Who can you get along with? Those who sincerely believe in God, those who understand truths, they are your brothers and sisters, those who obey God’s will are all brothers and sisters. Those Satan’s types who resist God, even if they are your family or relatives, you must still leave them behind, you must still clearly draw your lines with them, as such are people who truly desire God.

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　　Some brothers and sisters have a good heart. They are warmhearted, they honor their parents, they love their family and they are charitable to those who need help. Yet when God has arrived, they do not pursue the truth. Just because they honor their parents, just because of their good deeds and in order to make their family proud, they pass up their opportunity to gain the truth, life, and eternal life. Is it worth it? Some people go back home and look around, “Oh, my poor children. They are still too young. Even though they do not believe in God, since I have brought them into this world, I must support them, I must do my duties as a parent.” In the end, when the children grow up, God’s work will have concluded, the catastrophe will have arrived, and they must also now go to hell. Are there many people like this? Just because of family, just because of their living, just because of honoring their parents, just because of their love for their children, their love for their spouses, they give up this opportunity for God’s work to save and perfect them. Is this worth it? Aren’t these people silly? Is all that they do worth it? I also see some brothers and sisters, they really have good calibers, they also have good characters, and therefore I have this hope in my heart. I say, “A person such as you, if you should expend yourself for God, God’s house will make good use of you and raise you up.” But they won’t do it, they say: “I still have not made enough money. I still am not living in a luxurious house. I still am not driving a luxury car. My children still have not graduated from university and so I must still make more money.” What they say is reasonable, and who can force them? No one can force other people. What they said is reasonable, but such things are only reasonable for man, and not for God. In the end, they have given up the opportunity of a lifetime: God’s salvation of man during the last days. There is only this one opportunity, and how long does this opportunity last? It lasts for twenty or thirty years. Some might say: “How many years is it, really?” “Twenty or thirty years.” “Is it twenty years or thirty years?” “I can’t say for sure. In any case, it is during the time from 1991, when God started carrying out His work, until the day when the catastrophe arrives.” “How many more years until the catastrophe?” “It is soon.” “What is ‘soon’? Is it one year, half a year, or two years, three years?” “I can’t say for sure. It is soon, it won’t be long now.” An expert on the Bible from Israel said that the occurrence of the Blood Moon Tetrad represents the imminent arrival of the catastrophe, but he didn’t dare say in how many years the catastrophe would arrive, for the Bible did not mention this. Therefore, you ask: “How many years is it really?” I don’t know. If I knew which day the catastrophe will arrive, then I would tell you precisely. Now, I do not know the exact time, I only know that it is soon. Do you understand the meaning of this now? It will be within this twenty or thirty-year period. And which prophecy in the Bible will be fulfilled by this? “I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left” (Luk 17:34). The Lord Jesus also said: “And woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!” (Mat 24:19; Mak 13:17, Luk 21:23). What woe is going to befall those women who are with child and those who give suck? Within these twenty to thirty years, if you are pregnant or feed your baby, are you not in trouble? You are delaying things, you are unable to fulfill your duties, you cannot follow God and you shall not be included in the Lamb’s book of life. Aren’t those who are pregnant or feeding their children in trouble? Because you are pregnant or feeding your children, you fail to accept God’s work of the last days; because you want to honor your parents and support your children, you fail to receive God’s work; because you love this world and you love vanity, therefore you fail to receive God’s work. Are you not in trouble then? Because you are young, you feel that you are losing out by not being in love, that you are losing out by not being married and not having a honey moon. Therefore, you fall in love and have your honey moon, and the following ten years or so you give birth to children and support your children, missing out on this opportunity, on God’s salvation of man during the last days. Tell me, falling in love and having a honey moon, are those not empty things? What do people gain after they have fallen in love and had a honey moon? What have they enjoyed? Some say that their desires have now been satisfied. And what will you have gained from satisfying your desires? Do you understand any truths after you have satisfied your desires? Have you gained a transformation in disposition because your desires are now satisfied? Are you able to get rid of your corruption because you have satisfied your desires? You have not gained anything. These are all empty things. Aren’t you delaying things by falling in love and finding a partner? This is a delay to those pursuing the truth; but for the unbelievers, they say that this is no delay, they say that this is the proper thing to do, that nothing such as this can be wrong. Suppose two of those who are pursuing the truth get married. They say, “We must fulfill our duties.” But the wife ends up getting pregnant, they are then unable to fulfill their duties. During this break of two or three years, things have been delayed. Is this not the case? Nowadays, many young people have not been able to overcome the hurdle of love. Sometimes when they meet someone suitable of the opposite sex, their heart, which longs for love, is unable to rest, and they ponder: “Is it okay for me to have this person as my partner? Are we not serving God? Does it count as sinning if we become partners while we are serving God? Does God allow this? If God does not think that this is sinning, then let me go for it, otherwise I will have wasted my life.” Are there those who think like this? Some people are always thinking about finding a partner. When others sit inside reading God’s words, they can’t do it, and so they go outside. Some people look for a partner when carrying out their duties. Some people, when going online, do not look at the important things, they do not fulfill their duties, but they go looking for love instead. Some people fulfill their duties using the computer, but some people use it to play, to entertain themselves, while some people even carry out wicked deeds. Some people say: “Others don’t know what I am doing on my computer. I am doing these things in secret. I made sure no one can see.” Man may not know, but does God know? God’s Spirit observes all. God knows. Who decides your fate? Is it man or God? We all know that it is God, and what use is it for you to fear that others might know? Nothing of consequence will result from whether man knows, for man is unable to decide the fate of man. Once God observes you hiding there, it shows that you are foolish, it shows that you have faith in God yet do not know God. Can you hide from God? Even if you should run to the corner of the world and then do your things on your computer, God would still know even that which you are thinking in your heart. Is this not the case?

　　If you have faith in God, then you may very well offend others, but you had better not offend God, for you will not have any happy days if you do so. You will not end well if you offend God, do you understand? If you cannot love the incarnate, practical God, you should still not discriminate against Him and you should not judge Him, for you do not want to be punished by God. If God should hate a person, whoever the incarnate God should hate, whoever He should curse and loath, it will not end well for that person. Some people show off before God, they do not fear God in their hearts, and they even dare to despise the incarnate God. What is this? Are they looking for trouble? Look at the Israelites who crucified the Lord Jesus, what was their end? The country of Israel was destroyed and the Israelites were cast to the far corners of the world to become slaves to others. God has placed them in the hands of the devil. One such devil, Hitler, killed millions of them. So, you dare to crucify God? You dare to despise Christ? Then you are looking for trouble. You are digging your own grave. You have not the least bit of intelligence or wisdom, you are arrogant, and you are a fool, the biggest fool. Yet you still think that you are cleverer than others. You are deceitful, but this is not being smart or being wise, for those who are deceitful are the most foolish. Look at the Lord Jesus incarnated into flesh, being coerced and persecuted by the Israelites and the chief priests of Judaism. Look at how these people judged and smeared the Lord Jesus, with words that could not even be mentioned; the Bible did not record all that they said, but only a few such words were mentioned. “… casts out devils through the prince of the devils,” these are some of the words. And what happened in the end? They were punished by God. Look at how the Israelites have perished; such a tragedy. They had no good days for these last two thousand years. Is this not their retribution for resisting God? This is their retribution for resisting God, for they have sinned.

　　Some might say: “I don’t dare to resist God but what about resisting man?” It depends on who you are resisting. And if you don’t believe me, try causing harm to God’s people, those who pursue the truth. Try, and you will certainly be digging your own grave. If you don’t believe me, find whoever is a leader in God’s house, whose work always adheres to truth and principles, and who is accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit. Try and cause harm to him, and you shall receive retribution. You might not know at the time, but God has recorded such matters, for this is important. Some people like to go against me, and what happens? If you have the truth, show it, tell us the truths that you have understood, and the reality that you have experienced, see if God’s chosen people accept or agree with them. If God’s chosen people accept and agree with them, then I shall let you off. However, if God’s chosen people should condemn the nonsense that you brag about, if God’s chosen people are repulsed by such things, then the church shall expel you. Is this not a good way of handling such things? You all say good. You can’t go against me, for there is God’s administrative decree. During the Age of Law of the Old Testament, God used Moses to perform His work, and were there any who opposed Moses that did not perish? Those with serious offenses died, while those with mild offenses were punished. Even his sister was not forgiven by God. You cannot resist those people used by God, for it is a grievous sin. You must see this matter clearly. Someone even copied my words. When I said something that condemned Satan the devil, he said that I was cursing. So, I said, “Seek out this person. I am going to see what kind of person he is, and if he is a good person, he should write a repentance letter and I will let him go. However, if brothers and sisters should testify that he is not a good person, that he continues to show a lack of discipline and restraint, and that he is no different from the unbelievers, then he shall be expelled. There will be no appeal. This shall reveal him, this shall be his end and his death.”

　　Those in the religious community that have faith in the Lord yet resist the Lord, have seven particular behaviors. Let us look at how these people have faith in God, yet resist God, and then let us, based on this, see whether we believers in Almighty God have such behaviors of resisting God. The first behavior of those in the religious community who have faith in the Lord but resist Him, is to only accept the name of the Lord Jesus while not accepting all the truths expressed by Him. Second, they only pray for grace and help from the Lord Jesus, to receive His blessing, yet they do not submit to the work of the Lord. Third, they are only satisfied with enjoying the Lord’s grace, only to eat the loaves and have their fill, but they do not put the Lord’s words into practice, and they do not carry out God’s will. Fourth, they only follow the doctrines and rules of the Bible, but they do not seek the truth or life. They keep stubbornly to the Bible, having delusions that they shall be rewarded and crowned. Fifth, they want only the Bible and do not want the Lord. They want only to use the Lord and make deals with Him. Sixth, they have faith in the Lord yet do not know the Lord and they want only to labor for the Lord in exchange for the Lord’s reward, in exchange for the blessings to enter the kingdom of heaven. Seventh, they have a lot of knowledge of the Bible and they are able to labor for the Lord, therefore, they think that they are the ones who love the Lord the most, that they shall certainly be brought into the kingdom of heaven when the Lord arrives. These are the seven ways by which those in the religious community believe in the Lord. Ultimately, all those from the religious community have made a common mistake, which is to only acknowledge the Lord Jesus, to only keep the name of the Lord Jesus, while failing to accept the returned Lord Jesus—Almighty God, and at the same time condemning the incarnate God, crucifying Him once again. These are the facts regarding those religious people having faith in the Lord yet resisting Him.

　　These are the seven types of people from within the religious community. All believers in the Lord fall within the scope of these seven categories. None of them accept all the truths expressed by the Lord who has come again and none of them accept the judgment and chastisement of Almighty God in the last days. Is this not the same path as that trodden by those chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees? This is to have faith in the Lord yet resist the Lord. What does the Lord Jesus have to say regarding these men? The Lord Jesus put it very well, “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity” (Mat 7:21-23). What do these words of the Lord mean? You go to hell! You do not know Me, I also will not acknowledge you. When will these words be fulfilled? On what matter will they be fulfilled? That is, when the Lord comes in the last days, the religious community does not accept Him. Therefore, God says goodbye to them. These words are fulfilled thus, do you understand now? These seven behaviors that I just spoke of, these also represent the seven types of people within the religious community. Isn’t this the truth? With these behaviors of theirs, are they not people who resist God? If you have now seen clearly that they really are people who resist God, can these people still be brought into the kingdom of heaven? There is not the slightest chance. They are still standing there, waiting. Some might say: “Let us investigate the work of Almighty God. There is eighty percent chance that Almighty God is the Lord who is to return.” “That won’t work, we have waited for the Lord to arrive for so many years, and we are only a little time away, we must keep waiting. What if what you suggest is betraying the Lord?” So, they keep on waiting, and then suddenly, the earthquakes will come, the catastrophe will begin, and now they will be crying and regretting amid the destruction, without the work of the Holy Spirit, and so this shall be their end! Those few individuals, devout, practicing the words of the Lord, who haven’t had the chance to hear the true way, or those who have been deceived, they might still have God’s mercy, but they are the minority. Some from the religious community might say: “God will surely have mercy for those from the religious community. He will not leave behind any of those from the religious community. Even though He will not save the unbelievers, He must save those religious people.” Tell me, what is this? These are confused words, fallacies. These are men’s conceptions and imagination, men’s fantasies.

　　Even though there are quite a lot of people who believe in Almighty God, those who do not pursue the truth make up the vast majority. Of these people, once they listen to the fellowship of the truth, some become confused, and may even wish to sleep. Some might say, “I have been certain of Almighty God, I will do whatever He tells me to, but I am weary of listening to the fellowship of the truth. If you want me to labor, I can do the work of two people. If you want me to spread the gospel, I can substitute for two people. I won’t get tired, but just don’t communicate the truth to me.” Are there such people? There are those new believers who get sleepy once we communicate the truth to them. Yet some of them are different, once they listen to the fellowship of the truth and gain light from it, they feel that it is enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and it has reality, and the more they listen the more their eyes shine, “Oh, I have not heard such things in years, this is the real deal, this is no fake, honestly!” The more they listen, the more their heart becomes clear. They now understand everything, they now have a path, they now know how to have faith. They say: “Faith in Almighty God is truly beneficial. Once I started to come to the meetings and listen to the preaching, what I have gained in one day is more than I have gotten in ten years from the religious community. I have understood many things from one day of fellowship, and now, after ten meetings or so, I become clear about all things. I now have full understanding regarding how to believe in God. This time, I finally know what it means to believe in God, I finally know what is the truth, I finally know what is the life, I finally know what is the way to eternal life. This time I become certain of the truth, I no longer need to search high and low for the elixir of eternal life, for the way to eternal life lies in the words of God. The secret to eternal life is the words of God.” Is this not the case? Have you gained the way to eternal life? How do you gain the way to the eternal life? It is gained through obeying God. You gain it through accepting God’s judgment and chastisement, thereby coming to obtain real knowledge of God’s disposition. If you do not know God’s disposition, then what you speak about God is merely your imagination, and it is empty and impractical. If you have experienced God’s judgment and chastisement, if you have come to know God’s disposition and God’s righteousness, then you have gained God, and now you have gained true faith in God.

From Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life

Source from：The Church of Almighty God

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