According to mankind’s inherent traits, that is, mankind’s true face, being able to carry on until now has truly not been an easy thing, and it is only through this that God’s great power has become apparent. Based on the essence of the flesh as well as the corruption of the great red dragon thus far, if not for the guidance of the Spirit of God, how could man still stand today? Man is not worthy to come before God, but He loves mankind for the sake of His management and so that His great work may be accomplished before too long. In truth, no man can repay God’s love for mankind within their lifetime. Perhaps some wish to repay God’s grace by sacrificing their lives, but I tell you: Man is unworthy of dying before God, and so the death of man is in vain. Because to God the death of a man is not even worthy of mention, nor is it worth a penny, and it is like the death of an ant on earth. I advise people not to think yourselves to be so precious, and not to think that dying for God carries the weight of a great mountain. In truth, the death of a man is a matter as light as a feather. It is not worthy of note. But then again, the flesh of man is doomed to die by nature, and so in the end, the physical body has to end on the earth. This is the honest truth, and none can deny it. This is a “law of nature” that is summed up from all human life experience by Me. And so unwittingly, God’s end for man is defined as such. Do you understand? No wonder God says “I despise mankind’s disobedience. I do not know why. It seems I have hated man since the beginning, and yet I feel deep sympathy for them. And so man looks upon Me with two hearts, for I love man, and I also hate man.”
Who does not praise God for His presence or His appearance? At this time, it’s as if I have completely forgotten the impurity and unrighteousness within man. Mankind’s self-rightness, self-importance, disobedience, defiance, and all of his rebelliousness—I push all of this into the back of My mind to forget it. God is not constrained because of such being of mankind. Since God and I “share this same affliction,” I will also free Myself from this puzzle lest I be further constrained by man. Why bother with that? Since man is not willing to join God’s household along with Me, how can I use My power to suppress them? I do not do things to impose My power upon them, and no wonder, because I was born in the family of God, of course man and I are always different. This has led to today’s crushing defeat. But I continue to shun the weaknesses of man; what choice do I have? I am to blame for being powerless. No wonder God wishes to “retire” from the “agency” of mankind, and wants His “pension.” I speak from the perspective of a man, and man does not listen, but when I speak as God, do they not still disobey? Perhaps the day will come when God will truly suddenly “retire” from the “agency” of mankind, and when that time comes, God’s word will become even more fierce. Today, it may be because of Me that God speaks this way, and if that day comes, God will no longer be like Me, patiently “telling stories to the kids at a nursery school.” Perhaps what I say does not hit the mark. Only for the sake of God incarnate is God willing to loosen His hold on man a bit, otherwise, it would be too horrible to contemplate. Just as God said, “I loosened My grip on them to a certain extent, allowing them to indulge in their fleshly desires, and so they dared to be unbridled, without restraint, and it can be seen that they did not truly love Me, as they lived in the flesh.” Why does God say here “indulge in their desires,” and “lived in the flesh”? Truthfully, this wording does not require My interpretation, and it can be understood naturally. Perhaps some people say they don’t understand, but I will say that you know the truth, and simply feign ignorance. I remind you: Why does God say “I only ask for man to cooperate with Me”? Why does God say that human nature is difficult to change? Why does God despise human nature? And what exactly is the nature of man? What is not the nature of man? Who has contemplated these questions? Perhaps this is a new subject to man, but regardless, I implore man to give it much consideration, otherwise you will always offend God because of words like “human nature is immutable.” What good is it to act against Him in that way? Is it not ultimately just asking for trouble? Is it not, in the end, just like hurling an egg against a stone? In truth, all the trials and temptations that come upon man are lessons that God requires of man. According to God’s original intention, even if man resigns himself to parting with something he loves, it can still be achieved. The problem is just that man always loves himself, so he fails to truly cooperate with God. God does not ask much of man. All that God asks of man is meant to be achieved easily and happily; it is just that man is unwilling to suffer hardships. Like children, they could live frugally to come up with a few pennies to honor their parents and fulfill the duty they ought to fulfill. Yet they fear that they won’t eat well enough and that their clothing will be too plain, so for one reason or another, they take their parents’ love and care and cast it far out into the clouds, as if they will start to do this after earning a great deal of money. But I can see from this that men do not have the filial piety of loving their parents—they are unfilial sons. Perhaps this is too extreme, but I can’t spout nonsense contrary to the facts. I cannot “emulate others” to resist God for satisfying Myself. It is only because no one on earth is filial that God said: “In heaven, Satan is My enemy, on earth, man is My foe. Because of the union between the heaven and earth, nine generations of theirs should be considered guilty by association.” Satan is an enemy of God; the reason I say that is because it does not repay God for His great favor and kindness, but rather “paddles against the current,” and in doing so does not fulfill its “filial piety” to God. Aren’t people also this way? They show no filial respect to their “parents” and never return the nurture and support of their “parents.” This is adequate to show that the people of earth are the kin of Satan in heaven. Man and Satan are of one heart and mind against God, and so it is no wonder God implicates nine generations as guilty by association and none may be pardoned. In the past, God had a prostrate servant in heaven who He called upon to manage mankind, but it didn’t listen, and acted based on its own temperament to rebel against Him. Aren’t rebellious humans also striding forward toward this path? No matter how much God tightens the “reins,” people simply never waver and cannot turn around. In My view, if man continues on this way, they will be ruined, and perhaps it is at this time that you will understand the true meaning of these words: “man cannot be disentangled from their old nature.” God has reminded man on many occasions: “Because of man’s disobedience, I have left him.” Why does God say this over and over? Could God really be so heartless? Why does God also say “I simply am not human”? Over so many idle days, who has really scrutinized these detailed issues? I urge mankind to put more effort into the words of God and to not treat it lightly; this has no benefit for you, or for others. It’s better to not say that which does not need to be said, and to not think of that which does not need to be contemplated. Isn’t that simpler? What wrong can come of this? Before God proclaims the end of His work on earth, no one shall stop “moving”; no one shall wash their hands of their duty. Now is not the time; do not act as guide for God, or a vanguard. I think it is too early to stop now and cease moving forward—what do you think? God brings man into chastisement, and He brings them into an atmosphere of death, but on the other hand, what does God want man to do on earth? To act as a wardrobe at home? It cannot be eaten or worn, but only looked at. If so, why employ so many complex processes, making people suffer so much in the flesh? God says, “I escort them to the ‘execution ground,’ as mankind’s guilt is enough to merit My chastisement.” At this time, does God have people walk to the execution ground themselves? Why does no one beg forgiveness for them? Then how should man cooperate? Can man truly do things without being colored by emotion, as God makes His judgments? The effectiveness of these words mainly depends on the actions of man. As a father earns money, if afterward the mother does not know how to cooperate, not knowing how to manage the household, then what state would that home be in? Look at the state of the church now; what will you as leaders think? You could hold a meeting where everyone can talk about their personal impressions. The mother makes a mess of the things in the home, so what will the children of this family be like? Orphans? Beggars? No wonder God said: “People all think that I am divinity that lacks ‘quality of intellect,’ but who can understand that I am able to see through everything in humanity?” As for such an obvious situation, there is no need to speak from His divinity. Just as God says, “there is no need to hit a nail with a sledgehammer.” At this time, perhaps there are people who have some practical experience with God’s maxim of: “Among men, there are none who love Me.” At this point, it is just as God said: “People all reluctantly bow their heads because of the current situation, but their hearts remain unconvinced.” These words are like a telescope. In the near future, man will go into another situation. This is called being incorrigible. Do you understand? That is the answer to these two questions of God: “Don’t people refrain from sin only because they fear I will go away? Is it not true that they do not complain only because they fear chastisement?” In fact, now people are a little bit slack and seem overly weary, and they are completely disinterested in heeding God’s work, and solely concerned with the arrangements and plans for their flesh. Is this not the case? source: Interpretation of the Thirty-eighth Utterance in The Word Appears in the Flesh recommend: Worship God in Spirit and in Truth | "The Heart's Voice of a Created Being" Christian Music Video Best Christian Family Movie "Where Is My Home" | God Gave Me a Happy Family What Is Incarnation? What Is the Essence of Incarnation?
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![]() Throughout the ages, all people have followed the same laws of existence; from their first words to when their hair turns grey, they spend their whole lives rushing about, until they finally turn to dust … Almighty God says, "God created this world and brought man, a living being unto which He bestowed life, into it. In turn, man came to have parents and kin and was no longer alone. Ever since man first laid eyes on this material world, he was destined to exist within the ordination of God. It is the breath of life from God that supports each living being throughout his growth into adulthood. During this process, none believe that man lives and grows up under the care of God. Rather, they hold that man grows up under the love and care of his parents, and that his growth is governed by the instinct of life. This is because man knows not who bestowed life or from whence it came, much less how the instinct of life creates miracles. Man knows only that food is the basis of the continuation of life, that perseverance is the source of existence of life, and that the belief in his mind is the wealth of his survival. Man does not feel the grace and provision from God. Man then squanders the life bestowed upon him by God. … Not one man whom God looks upon day and night takes the initiative to worship Him. God continues to work as He has planned on man for whom He holds no expectations. He does so in the hope that one day, man will awaken from his dream and suddenly comprehend the value and purpose of life, understand the cost at which God has given man everything, and know how fervently God longs for man to turn back to Him. None have ever considered the secrets to the origin and continuation of man’s life. And yet, only God who understands all of this silently endures the hurt and blows from man, who has received everything from God but is not thankful. Man takes for granted all that life brings, and “as a matter of course,” God is betrayed, forgotten, and extorted by man. Is the plan of God truly of such importance? Is man, the living being that came from the hand of God, truly of such importance? The plan of God is of absolute importance; however, the living being created by the hand of God exists for His plan. Therefore, God cannot lay waste to His plan out of hatred for this mankind. It is for the sake of His plan and the breath He exhaled that God endures all torment, not for the flesh of man but for the life of man. He wishes to take back not the flesh of man but the life He breathed out. This is His plan." Eastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared. ![]() God says: “among all things and in the heavens there is but One from everlasting to everlasting who holds sovereignty over everything.” Those who die take with them the stories of the living, and those who are living repeat the same tragic history of those who have died. And so mankind can’t help but ask itself: Why do we live? And why do we have to die? Who is in command of this world? And who created this mankind? Was mankind really created by Mother Nature? Is mankind really in control of its own fate?” Eastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared. It is said that God has now begun to chastise man, but no one can say for sure, no one can give a clear answer as to whether the original intention of this chastisement has befallen man. For God says, “Man has never discovered anything in My chastisement, for he does nothing but grasp the yoke around his neck with both hands, both eyes fixed on Me, as if keeping an eye on an enemy—and only at this moment do I sense how emaciated he is. It is because of this that I say ‘none has ever stood firm amid trials.’” God tells man of the facts of the chastisement that has yet to befall him, and He does so in great detail, without missing anything out. It is as if they have entered chastisement and are truly unable to stand firm—and God provides a vivid, lifelike depiction of the ugly features of man, which makes them feel under pressure: Since God says that man has never stood firm amid trials, how could I be the one to break the world record, to be accepted despite convention? At this moment, they begin to reflect. In reality, it is just as God says: “Have I brought them to the end of the road?” Indeed, God has brought all people to the end of the road, and so, in their consciousness, people always believe that God is cruel and inhumane. God has fished all people out of the sea of worldly affliction, after which, “to prevent any accidents, I killed all the fish that had been caught, after which the fish became obedient, and had not the slightest complaint.” Is this not fact? God has pulled all people from the bitter sea of death into another abyss of death, He has dragged all of them onto the executioner’s block, He has forced them to the end of the road—why does He not do this to the other sons and people of God? What is His intention in carrying out such work in the country of the great red dragon? Why is the hand of God so malicious? No wonder “When I need man, he is always hidden. It is as if he’s never seen astonishing scenes, as if he was born in the countryside and knows nothing of city matters.” In fact, inside themselves people ask: “What is God’s plan in doing this? Does He not put us to death? And what is the point? Why do the steps of His work come thick and fast, and why is He not the slightest bit lenient toward us?” Yet people don’t dare to say this, and because God’s words cause them to cast away such thoughts, stripping them of the chance to think further, they have no choice but to put aside any more such thoughts. It’s just that God reveals all of man’s conceptions, and so people force back their conceptions, not allowing them to come forth. It was previously said that these people are the progeny of the great red dragon. In fact, to be clear, they are the embodiment of the great red dragon. When God forces them to the end of the road and slaughters them, then—without a doubt—the spirit of the great red dragon has no further chance to work in them. In this way, when people walk to the end of the road is also when the great red dragon ends up dead. It can be said that it is using death to repay God’s “great kindness”—which is the aim of God’s work in the nation of the great red dragon. When people are ready to sacrifice their lives, everything becomes trifling, and no one can get the better of them. What could be more important than life? Thus, Satan becomes incapable of doing any more in people, there’s nothing it can do with man. Although, in the definition of the “flesh” it is said that the flesh is corrupted by Satan, if people truly give themselves over, and are not driven by Satan, then no one can get the better of them—and at this moment, the flesh will perform its another function, and begin to officially receive the direction of the Spirit of God. This is a necessary process, it must happen step-by-step; if not, God would have no means of working in the stubborn flesh. Such is the wisdom of God. In this way, all people have unconsciously entered the circumstances of today. And is it not God who has led man to the “end of the road”? Could it be a new road opened up by man? Looking at your experiences, it appears that in you, God employs methods of the utmost cruelty, from which can be seen God’s righteousness. How could you not give praise? What God does in you allows people to behold the righteous disposition of God; does this not merit your admiration of God? Today, at the crossroads when the old era still exists and the new era has yet to materialize, how do you bear testimony to God? Is such a serious issue not worthy of deep consideration? Do you still contemplate other, extraneous matters? Why does God say “Although people once cried ‘Long live the understanding,’ no one has spent much time analyzing the word ‘understanding,’ showing that people have no desire to love Me”? If God did not say such things, could you not try to understand God’s heart of your own volition?
Though, in recent times, some people may have come to know a little of the aims and point of God’s incarnation, I can say for sure that if God did not speak plainly to man, no one would be able to guess the aims and point of God’s incarnation. This is absolute. Is it still not clear to you? Everything God does in people is part of His management plan—yet they are incapable of accurately grasping God’s will. This is the deficiency of man, but God does not require that people be capable of doing anything, He merely asks that they listen to the “doctor’s admonishments.” This is God’s requirement. He asks all people to know true human life, for “in their hearts, the words ‘human life’ don’t exist, they have no regard for them, and merely despise My words, as if I have become a rambling old lady.” In people’s eyes, God’s words are like an everyday utensil, they don’t treat them as important at all. Thus, people cannot put God’s words into practice—they have become miserable wretches who are aware of the truth but don’t put it into practice. This fault of man alone is therefore sufficient to cause disgust in God for a period of time, and thus He says multiple times that people pay no heed to His words. Yet in their conceptions, people think the following: “Each day we study and analyze God’s words, how could it be said we pay them no heed? Is this not doing us an injustice?” But let Me dissect a little for you—people will be red-faced. When they read God’s words, they nod their heads, they bow and scrape, like a pug slavering to the words of its master. Thus, at this moment, people feel unfit, tears stream down their faces, it is as if they wish to repent and start anew—but once this time has passed, their sheepishness immediately disappears, to be replaced by wolfishness, they put God’s words to one side, and always believe that their own affairs take precedence, that matters of God come last, and because of these actions of theirs, they are never able to put God’s words into action. When the facts arrive, they stretch their elbows outward[a]—this is double-crossing their own people—no wonder God says, “he ‘runs the other way’ while relying on Me for sustenance.” Only from this can it be seen that there is not the slightest falsehood in God’s words, they are entirely true, and contain not the slightest exaggeration, yet they do seem to have been understated somewhat, for man’s stature is too small, he is incapable of acceptance. God’s words have already provided a crystal clear depiction of the things of man, both inside and out, they have etched them with utter clarity, portraying a vivid likeness that is exactly the original face of Satan. It’s just that in the present stage, people have yet to see everything clearly, and thus it is said that they have not come to know themselves. It is because of this that I say this lesson must continue, it cannot stop. When people have come to know themselves will be when God is glorified. This is easy to understand—there’s no need for Me to go into detail. There is, however, one thing that I’ll remind you of, though first must be read these words of God: “In today’s times, people have never treasured Me, I have no place in their hearts. Could they show a true love for Me in the days of suffering to come?” What is the meaning of these words? God is saying that chastisement has yet to befall man, which shows that there is yet an inner meaning to the words “knowing yourself”—did you see this? Without undergoing hardship and refinement, how can people know themselves? Are these not empty words? Do you really trust in all that is spoken by God? Are you able to discern God’s words? Why does God repeatedly say things like “Seeing man’s actions, My only choice is to leave,” and also says “Only when the mountains topple and the earth is rent asunder do people think of My words, only then are they awoken from their dreams, but the time has already come, they are engulfed in the great flood, their corpses floating on the surface of the water”? Why does God say, “people think of” and not “people obey My words”? Is it true that the mountains topple and the earth is rent asunder? People pay no heed to such words, they let them slip by, and so they suffer much “hardship” in God’s words. This is because they are too thoughtless. Because of this failing of man, God says “I, this ‘freak’ without tear ducts, have cried many tears for man. Man, however, knows nothing of this.” Because people pay no attention to God’s words, God uses this means to remind them and get their “help.” For now, I shall not prophesy about world developments, but will foretell something of man’s fate. Have I not asked that people know themselves? How can this be explained? How should people know themselves? When God torments people so much that they hover between life and death, they begin to understand something of the meaning of human life, and they detest human life, believing that a person’s entire life is nothing more than a dream. They believe that man’s life is one of anguish, that they will die without ever having achieved anything, that their life is pointless and without worth. Human life is but a dream, a dream in which grief and happiness come and go. Today, people live for God, but because they live in the world of man, their daily lives remain empty and without worth, causing all people to know that the enjoyment of God is but a passing comfort—but if, when they don’t enjoy God, they still live in the flesh even though they believe in God, what’s the point? In the flesh, all is empty for man. Having experienced the vicissitudes of human life, with the arrival of old age man’s hair turns white, his face is full of wrinkles, his hands are covered with callouses. Although he has paid a great price, he has gained practically nothing. Thus, My words go a step further: Everything is empty for those who live in the flesh. This is beyond doubt, and there is no need for you to examine this in detail. This is the original face of human life that God has talked of time and time again. God does not eschew these words as a result of man’s weakness, but simply acts according to His original plan. Perhaps, some words provide support and understanding to people, and perhaps some do precisely the opposite, deliberately causing people to live in an atmosphere of death—and it is precisely because of this that they suffer. Thus, perhaps God sets out the “empty city strategy” to deliberately confuse people, but they can’t see this at all, they remain in the dark. And yet, all is in God’s hands, and even though people know this, how could they guard against it? Thus, no one is able to escape from the threat of chastisement—what could they do? They can but submit to God’s arrangements—and isn’t that because God has grabbed them and won’t let them go? Only under God’s threats are all people able to follow nature’s course—is this not the case? If not for the arrangements of God, how could people willingly admit defeat? Wouldn’t that be a joke? Although human life is empty, who is willing, when their lives are comfortable, to silently leave behind the world of man and try to satisfy God? People die amid helplessness—who has ever died amid abundance, when they have all they could want? Only a “star” that descended from the sky would be an exception to this. Compared to the life of the third heaven it enjoyed, life on earth would be like living in hell—only under such a circumstance might it be willing to die. Yet who today is a star in heaven? I, too, am “unclear” about this. Let us search around and see if we can find one. If he is found, I ask people to help Me inquire if he is willing to act according to My words above. Yet I have a warning for each of you: None of you must play the “hero” and volunteer to die, do you understand? Footnotes: a. “Stretch one’s elbow outward” is a Chinese idiom, which means a person is helping others at the expense of people close to that person, for example parents, children, relatives or siblings. source: Interpretation of the Thirty-sixth Utterance in The Word Appears in the Flesh Eastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared. Nowadays, all humans, to differing degrees, have entered a state of chastisement. Just as God said, “I go forth with humans side by side.” This is absolutely true, but people still are unable to thoroughly understand this point. As a result, part of the work they have done has been unnecessary. God said, “I support and provide for them in accordance with their stature. Because humans are the protagonists of My entire management plan, I devote more guidance to those in this role of ‘humanity’ so that they may play it wholeheartedly and to the best of their ability,” as well as, “However, I refuse to criticize their consciences directly; rather, I continue to guide them patiently and systematically. After all, humans are weak, and unable to carry out any work.” God’s thinking is this: Even if He ends up exterminating all these humans, His work on earth will still continue in accordance with His original plan. God is not doing useless work; everything He does is good. As Peter said, “Even if God were playing with humans like they were toys, how would humans be able to complain? What right would they have?” Is this not what God has wished to achieve with humanity today?[a] Can humans really have this view? Why was the Peter of a couple thousand years ago able to say such a thing, while “Peters” in the high-tech, modernized era of today cannot? I am unable to say for sure whether history is progressing or regressing. Whether science has taken a step forward or backward is, so far, still a question no one can answer. Everything God has done in humanity has been to make them positive and allow them to grow up in life. Can people not comprehend this? Everything that causes you to be negative is a weak point of yours; it is a vital point of vulnerability, open to Satan’s attacks. Do you understand this? Why did God speak this way? “I am imploring them in all earnestness and sincerity. Are they truly unable to do what I ask?” What do these words mean? Why did God ask this question? It shows that there are too many negative aspects of humanity, and just one kind of negative factor is enough to cause humans to stumble. You might as well have a look and see what continuing in your negative ways will bring you. All that God does goes toward perfecting humanity. Does this require any further explanation? I don’t think so! The point can be made that humans have been possessed by Satan, but it would be much better to say that humans have been possessed by negativity. This is a way humans express themselves; it is an appendage of their flesh. Therefore, they have all unconsciously fallen into negativity, and along with it, chastisement. This is a trap prepared for humanity by God, and this is when humans find things most upsetting. Because people dwell in negativity, it is difficult for them to break away from chastisement. Is this not exactly how things are these days? But how can humans ignore God’s words: “Nowadays, Satan is rampant to the extreme. Why do I not take this opportunity to show off the focus of My work in order to reveal My power?” As soon as I say something to remind them, people from the churches immediately fall into chastisement. This is because after two months of God’s work, people still do not undergo any significant transformation within. They simply analyze God’s words with their own minds. However, in actual fact, their states have not changed at all; they are still negative. This being the case, when God mentions that the times of chastisement are at hand, people immediately grow distressed, thinking:[b] “I don’t know whether or not I am predestined by God, nor do I know if I can stand firm under this chastisement. It is even harder to know what methods God will use to chastise people.” Humans are all terrified of chastisement, yet are unable to change. They just suffer in silence, but are also afraid that they won’t be able to stand firm. In this absence of chastisement and torture of words, humans have all unconsciously slipped into chastisement. Thus, they are all nervous and unsettled. This is called “reaping what they have sown,” because humans do not understand God’s work at all. Actually, God does not have the inclination to waste any further words on these people; it seems God has adopted a different way of dealing with them that is not true chastisement. It’s like when a person catches a chick and picks it up to see if it’s a hen or a rooster; this might not seem like a big deal, but the little chick will be so frightened it will struggle to get free, as if terrified the human is going to kill it and eat its meat, because the chick has no knowledge of itself. How can someone kill and eat a chick that only weighs a few ounces? Wouldn’t that be nonsense? It’s exactly as God said: “Why, then, do people constantly avoid Me? Is it because I will treat them like baby chicks, to be killed as soon as they are caught?” Therefore, human suffering is all “selfless” devotion, and can be said to be a useless price to pay. It is because they do not know themselves that they feel afraid; as a result, they cannot throw all caution to the wind. This is humanity’s weakness. Are the words spoken by God, “In the end, let humans know themselves. This is My final goal,” out of date? Who really knows themselves? If one does not know themselves, then what gives them the right to be chastised? Take lambs for example. How can they be slaughtered if they have not grown into sheep? How can a tree that has not borne fruit be enjoyed by humans? Everyone places too much importance on “vaccination.” Thus, people are all doing the work of fasting, and then are hungry. This is an example of reaping what they have sown; they are being self-destructive. It is not that God is brutal or inhumane. If one day humans suddenly know themselves and tremble in fear before God, then God will begin to chastise them. Only this way will humans submissively and willingly embrace hardship. What about today, though? People all receive chastisement against their will, like children being made to cook a meal. How can people like that not feel uncomfortable? Everyone thinks, “Oh well! As long as I’m being chastised, I might as well bow my head and plead guilty! What can I do? Even if I’m crying, I still have to satisfy God, so what can I do? Who told me to walk straight into this path? Oh well! I’ll just consider myself unlucky!” Isn’t this how people think?
As God said, “Everyone is well-behaved, and there is no one who dares to resist. All are under My guidance, doing their tasks which I assigned to them.” Evidently, not a single human willingly receives chastisement, and furthermore, this comes from God, because humans all want to live in leisure rather than turmoil and chaos. God said, “Who is unafraid of death? Are people truly willing to sacrifice themselves?” This is absolutely right; everyone is afraid to die unless, of course, when consumed with anger or despair. This is human substance, and is the most difficult to get around. Today God has come precisely to resolve this predicament. Humans are all powerless, so God has gone out of His way to come among them to set up a specialist hospital to cure them of this sort of disease. People cannot extricate themselves from this entangling illness, which is why they are all so anxious they develop mouth inflammation, and their bellies expand. Over time the volume of gas they contain grows, resulting in an increase of pressure. Finally, their stomachs rupture and they all die. Therefore, at that point, God has treated this serious human ailment, because everyone has died. Isn’t this curing the human condition? God has deliberately come to do this work. Because people are overly afraid of death, God Himself has come to partake of the same job as humans; because they have so little courage, He has started by giving a demonstration for them to watch. Only after seeing this precedent does anyone become willing to obey. For this reason, God said, “Because no one could carry out My work, I have set foot upon the battleground in person to engage in a struggle of life and death with Satan.” This is a decisive battle, so either the fish dies or the net breaks.[c] This is certain. Because the spirit will triumph in the end, the flesh must be the target of death. Do you understand the implications of this? However, don’t be oversensitive. Maybe this sentence is simple, or maybe it is complex. Regardless, humans still cannot fathom it. This is for certain. Humans can, from within their suffering, accept the refinement of God’s word; then one could say this is their good fortune. Yet it could also be said to be unfortunate for them. I still would like to remind everyone, however, that God’s intention is correct, after all—unlike the intentions of humans, which are always about making plans and arrangements for themselves. You should be clear about this, and not sink into unending contemplation. Is this not precisely a weakness of humans? They are all like this; rather than loving God to a certain degree, they love themselves to a certain degree. Because He is a God that is jealous of humans, He always places demands on them. The more people love themselves, the more God requires them to love Him, and the stricter His requirements of them become. It’s as if God is intentionally teasing people. If people truly love Him, then it seems He does not care about it. Because of this, people are all scratching their heads and tweaking their ears as they fall into contemplation. This is a narrative of God’s disposition, just a brief mention of one or two things. This is God’s will. It is what God requires people to know; it is imperative. It is a new task that requires you people to be able to work hard to break through and make some new progress. Do you understand this? Do you need Me to say more on the subject? As for previous eras, God said, “not a single person was ever chosen by Me; everyone was turned down by My silence. This is because those people in the past did not serve Me with single-minded devotion; I therefore did not love them exclusively, either. They had taken Satan’s ‘presents’ and then turned around and offered them to Me; in doing so, was this not slanderous against Me?” How can these words be explained? It’s as God said: “All gifts originate from Satan.” Past generations of apostles and prophets were entirely reliant on their gifts while doing their work, and down through the ages, God has used their gifts to conduct His work. This is why it is said that the service of all people with gifts comes from Satan. However, as God says,[d] “I use Satan’s ruse as My foil,” due to His wisdom. Thus, God has named the service of people with gifts as presents from Satan. Because they belong to Satan, God calls them slanderous. This is not a baseless accusation against humans; it is a well-founded and appropriate explanation. For this reason, He said, “I did not reveal My disgust; rather, I tried to turn their scheme to My own use by adding these ‘presents’ to the materials being used in My management. Later, once they had been processed by machine, I would burn off all the resulting waste.” This is what is so wonderful about God’s work. This point is least in line with human notions, because no one would think that those reign as kings are not people with gifts, they are the gift-less people whom God loves. As can be seen, the ideas or hopes of Witness Lee and Watchman Nee have all turned to ash—and gift-bearing people in the present day are no exception. Now God has begun this work, and He is gradually taking back all the work of the Holy Spirit in humans who serve as a foil to His work. When God’s work is completely finished, these people will all return to their original place. However, I urge humans not to act recklessly as a result of what I have said. You should go with the flow, following the steps of God’s work so as to avoid interrupting it. Do you understand this point? Because this is the step and method of God’s work. When God “processes” these “presents” into “finished products,” all of His intentions will become obvious, and the presents that render service for Him will all be eliminated; however, God will have the finished products to enjoy. Do you understand this? What God wants is finished products, not rich presents offered by humans. Only when everyone has taken a seat according to their ticket number, meaning when God has returned to His original position and the devil, too, has sat in its own seat, so have the angels, without exception—only then will a gratified smile appear on God’s face, because His intentions will have been satisfied, His goal achieved. God will no longer seek “assistance” from the “devil,” because God’s intentions will have been openly revealed to humans, and humans will never again be made to convey them. At this time, their fleshly bodies will become one with their spirits. This is what God reveals to humans; it is the final destination of the spirit, soul, and body. It is a summarization of the original idea of “humanity.” This does not need to be researched in detail; it is enough to know one or two things about it. Do you understand? Footnotes: a. The original text reads “Is this not what God achieves with humanity today?” b. The original text omits “thinking.” c. Either the fish dies or the net breaks: a Chinese idiom, meaning “a life and death struggle.” d. The original text omits “as God says.” source: Interpretation of the Thirty-fifth Utterance in The Word Appears in the Flesh Eastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared. In truth, based on what God has done in people, and given them, as well as that which people are possessed of, it can be said that His requirements of people are not excessive, that He does not ask much of them. How, then, could they not try to satisfy God? God gives one hundred percent to man, yet He only requires a fraction of a percent of people—is this asking too much? Is God making trouble out of nothing? Often, people do not know themselves, they do not examine themselves before God, and so there are often times when they become ensnared—how could this be considered cooperating with God? If there were ever a time when God did not place a heavy burden upon people, they would crumble like mud, and would not take it upon themselves to find things to do. That’s what people are like, either passive or negative, ever incapable of actively cooperating with God, always looking for a negative reason to give in to themselves. Are you truly someone who does everything not for themselves, but to satisfy God? Are you truly someone who does not fulfill the needs of God’s work by virtue of their own emotions or preferences? “Why do they always try to bargain with Me? Am I the general manager of a trade center? Why is it that I wholeheartedly fulfill what people demand of Me, yet what I ask of man comes to nothing?” Why does God ask such things several times in succession? Why does He cry out in dismay thus? God has gained nothing in people, all He sees is the work that they pick and choose. Why does God say, “yet what I ask of man comes to nothing”? Ask yourselves: From start to finish, who can do the work of their duty without any choice? Who does not act by virtue of the feelings within their hearts? People give free rein to their characters, fishing for three days and leaving the nets to dry for two. They are by turns hot and cold: When they’re hot, they’re able to incinerate all things on earth, and when they’re cold, they’re capable of freezing all waters on earth. This is not the function of man, but is the most appropriate analogy about man’s state. Is this not fact? Perhaps I have “conceptions” of people, perhaps I am vilifying them—but regardless, “With the truth you’ll walk the entire world; without the truth, you’ll get nowhere.” Though this is a human aphorism, I think it’s apt to use here. I am not deliberately pouring cold water on people and denying their doings. Let Me consult you on some questions: Who sees God’s work as the work of their own duty? Who can say, “As long as I am able to satisfy God, I will give my all”? Who is able to say, “Regardless of others, I will do all that God needs, and no matter whether the length of God’s work is long or short, I shall fulfill my duty; bringing His work to an end is God’s business, it’s not something I think about”? Who is capable of such knowledge? It matters not what you think—maybe you have higher insights, in which case I acquiesce, I admit defeat—yet I must tell you what God wants is a loyal heart that is sincere and passionate, not a wolf’s heart that is ungrateful. What do you know of this “bargaining”? From beginning to end, you have “traveled the world.” One moment you’re in “Kunming,” with its eternal spring, and in the blink of an eye you’ve arrived in the oppressively cold, snow-covered “South Pole.” Who has never gone back on themselves? What God asks for is a spirit of “No rest unto death,” what He wants is one in which people “do not turn back until they hit the south wall.” Naturally, God’s intention is not for people to take the wrong path, but to adopt such a spirit. Just as God says, “When I compare the ‘gifts’ they have given to My things, people instantly recognize My preciousness, and only then do they see My immeasurability.” How can these words be explained? Perhaps, reading the words above gives you some knowledge, for God takes out the whole of man’s heart for dissection, at which time people come to know these words. But because of the profound inner meaning of God’s words, people remain unclear about the old flesh, for they haven’t studied at a medical university, nor are they archaeologists, and so they feel that this new term is incomprehensible—and only then do they yield a little. For people are powerless before the old flesh; though it is not like a ferocious beast, nor capable of obliterating mankind like an atomic bomb, they don’t know what to do with it, as if they are powerless. But to Me, there are ways of dealing with the old flesh. Man’s never making effort to think of a countermeasure has led to the various oddities of man flashing constantly before My eyes; just as God said: “When I show My entirety to them, they look upon Me with wide eyes, standing before Me motionless, like a pillar of salt. And when I behold their oddness I can hardly stop Myself from laughing. Because they are reaching out to ask for things from Me, I give them the things in My hand, and they hold them to their breast, cherishing them like a newborn baby, a motion they do but momentarily.” Are these not the actions of the old flesh? Since, today, people understand, why do they not relinquish, and instead still keep on? In fact, part of God’s requirements are not unattainable by man, yet people pay them no heed, for “I do not chastise man lightly. It is for this reason that people have always given free rein to their flesh. They do not observe My will, but have ever deceived Me before My judgment seat.” Is this not the stature of man? It is not that God is deliberately nitpicking, but that this is reality—must God explain this? Just as God says, “It is because people’s faith is so great that they are ‘admirable.’” For this reason, I obey God’s arrangements, and so I do not say much of this; because of people’s faith, I seize on this, making use of their faith to cause them to perform their function without Me reminding them. Is it wrong to do this? Is this not precisely what God needs? Perhaps, upon hearing such words, some people might feel fed up—so I’ll speak of something else, to cut them a little slack. When all of God’s chosen people beneath the universe pass through chastisement, and when the state within man is rectified, people will secretly rejoice in their hearts, as if they have escaped tribulation. At this moment, people will no longer choose for themselves, for this is exactly the effect achieved during God’s final work. With His steps having progressed unto today, God’s sons and people have all entered chastisement, and the Israelites, too, cannot escape this phase, for people are tainted by impurity inside, and so God leads all people to enter the great smelting furnace for refinement, which is a necessary path. Once this has passed, people will be resurrected from death, which is precisely what God foretold in “the utterances of the sevenfold Spirit.” I shall speak no more of this, so as not to antagonize people. Because God’s work is wondrous, the prophecies spoken from God’s mouth must ultimately be achieved; when God asks that people speak of their conceptions once again, they are dumbfounded, and so no one should get worried or anxious. Just as I said, “Of all My work, was there ever a step carried out by the hands of man?” Do you understand the substance of these words?
source: Interpretation of the Thirty-third Utterance in The Word Appears in the FleshEastern Lightning | The Church of Almighty God came into being because of the work of the returned Lord Jesus—Almighty God, Christ of the last days in China, and it isn't established by any person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. After reading God’s word, you will see that God has appeared. God’s words leave people scratching their heads; it is as if, when He speaks, God is shunning man and speaking to the air, as if He has no thought at all to pay any more attention to man’s deeds, and is totally heedless of man’s stature, as if the words He speaks are not directed at people’s conceptions, but shun man, as was God’s original intention. For myriad reasons, God’s words are ungraspable and impenetrable to man. This is no surprise. The original aim of all God’s words is not for people to gain know-how or knack from them; instead, they are one of the means by which God has worked from the start until today. Of course, from God’s words people do gain things related to mysteries, or things concerning Peter, Paul, and Job—but this is what they ought to attain, and what they are capable of attaining, and, as befits their stature, this has already reached its peak. Why is it that the effect that God asks to be achieved is not high, yet He has spoken so many words? This is connected to the chastisement of which He speaks, and naturally, it is all achieved without people realizing. Today, people endure greater suffering under the attacks of God’s words. Superficially, none of them seem to have been dealt with, people have begun to be set free in doing their work, and the service-doers have been elevated to the people of God—and in this, it appears to people that they have entered into enjoyment. In fact, the reality is that, from refinement, they have all entered into more severe chastisement. Just as God says, “The steps of My work are closely linked one to the next, each one ever higher.” God has raised the service-doers out of the bottomless pit and cast them into the lake of fire and brimstone, where chastisement is more grievous. Thus, they suffer even greater hardship, from which they are barely able to escape. Is such chastisement not more grievous? Having entered a higher realm, why is it that people feel sorrow rather than any happiness? Why is it said that having been delivered from the hands of Satan, they are given to the great red dragon? Do you remember when God said, “The last part of the work is completed in the home of the great red dragon”? Do you recall when God said, “The final hardship is bearing strong, resounding testimony for God before the great red dragon”? If people are not given to the great red dragon, how could they bear testimony before it? Who has ever said words such as “I have defeated the devil” after killing themselves? Committing suicide after regarding their flesh as the enemy—where’s the actual significance of this? Why did God speak thus? “I do not look at people’s scars, but at the part of them that is unscarred, and from this I am gratified.” If God wished for those who are without scars to be His expression, why has He patiently and earnestly spoken so many words from the perspective of man to strike back against people’s conceptions? Why would He bother with that? Why would He take the trouble to do such a thing? Thus it shows that there is real significance to God’s incarnation, that He would not “write off” the flesh after becoming flesh and completing His work. Why is it said that “gold can’t be pure and man can’t be perfect”? How can these words be explained? What is the meaning when God speaks of man’s essence? To people’s naked eyes, the flesh appears incapable of anything, or else too lacking. To God’s eyes, this is not important at all—yet to people, it is a huge issue. It is as if they are utterly incapable of resolving this and it must be personally handled by a heavenly body—is this not people’s conception? “In people’s eyes, I am but a ‘little star’ that has descended from the sky, a little star in heaven, and My arrival on earth today was commissioned by God. As a result, people have come up with more interpretations of the words ‘Me’ and ‘God.’” Since humans amount to nothing, why does God reveal their conceptions from different perspectives? Could this also be the wisdom of God? Are such words not ridiculous? As God says, “Although there is a place I have established in people’s hearts, they do not require that I reside there. Instead, they wait for the ‘Holy One’ in their hearts to suddenly arrive. Because My identity is too lowly, I do not match up to people’s demands and am thus eliminated by them.” Because people’s estimation of God is “too high,” many things are “unattainable” to God, which puts Him “in difficulty.” Little do people know that what they ask of God to be capable of is their conceptions. And is this not the actual meaning of “A clever person may become the victim of his own ingenuity”? This is truly a case of “smart as a rule, but this time a fool”! In your preaching, you ask that people dispense with the God of their conceptions, and has the God of your conceptions gone away? How can God’s words that “I do not ask much of man” be interpreted? They are not to make people negative and dissolute, but to give them a pure understanding of God’s words—do you understand? Is God incarnate really the “‘Me’ that is high and mighty” as people imagine?
Although there are those who have read all the words spoken by God and can provide a general outline of them, who is able to speak of what God’s ultimate aim is? This is what mankind lacks. Regardless of from what perspective God speaks, His overall aim is to make people know the God in the flesh. If there were nothing of humanity—if all He has were the flavor of the God in heaven—then there would be no need for God to say so much. It can be said that what people lack serves as first-hand materials that correlate with God’s words. Which is to say, what is manifested in man is the background to what God says about people’s conceptions, and thus, people serve the utterances of God. Naturally, this is based on what God says about people’s conceptions—only in this way can this be said to be the combination of theory and reality, only then can people more effectively be made to be serious about knowing themselves. What would be the point if the God in the flesh were compatible with people’s conceptions and God also testified to Him? It is precisely because of this that God works from the negative side, using people’s conceptions to highlight His great power. Is this not the wisdom of God? All that God does for everyone is good—so why not give praise at this time? If things got to a certain point, or the day came, would you, like Peter, be able to utter prayers from deep within yourself amid trials? Only if, like Peter, you are still able to praise God when in Satan’s hands will there be the true meaning of “being released from Satan’s bondage, overcoming the flesh, and overcoming Satan.” Is this not a more real testimony for God? Only this is the effect achieved by “divinity coming forth to act and the sevenfold intensified Spirit working in man,” and so, too, is it the effect achieved by “the Spirit coming out from the flesh.” Are such actions not real? You used to pay attention to reality, but do you have true knowledge of reality today? “I do not ask much of man, yet people believe otherwise. Thus, their ‘humility’ is revealed in their every move. They are always liable to walk before Me leading the way for Me, profoundly afraid that I will get lost, terrified that I will wander into the ancient forests deep within the mountains. As a result, people have always led Me onward, deeply fearful that I will walk into the dungeon.” What is your knowledge of these simple words—are you truly able to grasp the roots of God’s words in them? Have you paid attention to which of your conceptions God has spoken such words about? Is your attention each day on this key point? In the first sentence of the next part, which follows closely after, God says, “Yet people are unknowing of My will and keep praying for things from Me, as if what I have bestowed upon them is incapable of meeting their requirements, as if demand outstrips supply.” In this sentence can be seen what the conceptions within you are. God does not remember or investigate what you did in times gone by, so think no more of matters of the past. Of greater importance is whether you are able to create “the spirit of Peter in the final age” in the path of the future—do you have the faith to attain this? What God asks of man is nothing more than the emulation of Peter, that people might ultimately forge a path to bring shame upon the great red dragon. It is because of this that God says, “I hope only that people have the resolve to cooperate with Me. I do not ask that they cook Me nice food, or arrange somewhere suitable for Me to lay My head….” In the world, people are asked to have the “spirit of Lei Feng” in the 1990s, but in the house of God, God asks that you create “the unique style of Peter.” Do you understand God’s will? Are you truly able to strive for this? “I move above the universes, and as I walk I observe the people of the entire universe. Amongst the throngs of people on earth, never have there been any who are suitable for My work or who truly love Me. Thus, at this moment I sigh in dismay, and people immediately disperse, to assemble no more, deeply fearful that I will ‘catch them all in one net.’” Most people, perhaps, find these words very difficult to understand. They ask why God does not ask much of man, yet He sighs in dismay because there are none who are fit for His work. Is there a contradiction here? Literally speaking, there is—but in reality, there is no contradiction. Perhaps you can still recall when God said, “All of My words shall have the effect that I desire.” When God works in the flesh, people fixate upon His every action to see what exactly He is going to do. When God carries out His new work toward Satan in the spiritual realm, there are, in other words, produced all manner of conceptions among the people on earth because of the God in the flesh. When God sighs in dismay, that is, when He speaks of all man’s conceptions, people try their utmost to deal with them, and there are even those who believe they are without hope, for God says that all those who have conceptions about Him are His enemies—and so how could people not “disperse” because of this? Particularly today, when chastisement has arrived, people are even more fearful that God will wipe them away. They believe that after they are chastised, God will “catch them all in one net.” Yet the facts are not thus: As God says, “I wish not to ‘detain’ people amid chastisement, never to escape. Because My management lacks the deeds of man, it is not possible to successfully complete My work, which prevents My work from proceeding effectively.” God’s will is not for His work to end once all people are put to death—what would be the point of that? By working in people and chastising them, God then makes plain His deeds through them. Because people have never grasped that there is already chastisement in the tone of God’s words, they have never had any entry in their consciousness. People are incapable of expressing their resolve, and thus God cannot say anything before Satan, which stops God’s work from moving forward. Thus God says, “I once invited man as a guest to My house, yet he ran hither and thither because of My calls—as if, rather than inviting him as a guest, I had brought him to the execution ground. Thus, My house is left empty, for man has always shunned Me, and has always been on his guard against Me. This has left Me with no means of carrying out part of My work.” It is because of man’s mistakes in his work that God clearly puts forward His requirements of man. And it is because people fail to accomplish this step of work that God adds more utterances—which is precisely the “another part of work on man” that God speaks of. But I won’t go into the “catching them all in one net” of which God speaks, because this has little bearing on the work of today. Naturally, in God’s utterances to the entire universe, many of His words deal with man—but people must understand God’s will; regardless of what He says, His intentions are always good. It can be said that because the means by which God speaks are so many, people are not one hundred percent certain about God’s words, and believe that most of God’s words are spoken because of the necessities of His work, and contain little that is real, which leaves them addled and weighed down by their thoughts—for in their conceptions, God is so wise, He is totally beyond their reach, it is as if they know nothing, and they are clueless as about how to eat God’s words. People make God’s words abstract and complex—as God says, “people always wish to add flavoring to My utterances.” Because their ideas are too complicated, and “barely attainable” by God, part of God’s words are constrained by man, leaving Him no choice but to speak in a manner that is straightforward and plain-dealing. Because people’s demands are “too high,” and because their imagination is too rich—as if they are able to cross over into the spiritual realm to behold the deeds of Satan—this has lessened God’s words, for the more that God says, the more melancholy people’s faces grow. Why can’t they simply obey, instead of contemplating their end? Where’s the benefit in this? source: Interpretation of the Thirty-second Utterance in The Word Appears in the Flesh The disposition of God runs through all of God’s utterances, but the main thread of His words is revealing the rebellion of all mankind and exposing things such as their disobedience, insubordination, unfairness, unrighteousness, and inability to truly love God. It is such that, God’s words have reached the point that He says every pore in people’s bodies contains opposition to God, that even their capillaries contain defiance to God. If people do not try to examine this, they will always be incapable of knowing them, and will never be able to cast them aside. Which is to say, the virus of opposition to God will spread in them and ultimately, it will be as if their white blood cells have devoured their red blood cells, leaving their entire body devoid of red blood cells; in the end, they’ll die from leukemia. This is the real state of man, and no one can deny it. Having been born in the land in which the great red dragon lies coiled, in all people there is at least one thing that typifies and exemplifies the great red dragon’s venom. Thus, in this stage of work, the main thread throughout God’s words has been knowing oneself, denying oneself, forsaking oneself, and slaying oneself. It can be said that this is God’s primary work during the last days, and that this round of work is the most comprehensive and thorough of all—which shows that God is planning to bring the age to an end. No one expected this, but it is also something that they have anticipated in their senses. Although God did not say so explicitly, people’s senses are highly acute—they always feel that time is short. I can say that the more a person feels this, the more he has a clear knowledge of the age. It is not the case that he has seen that the world is normal, and thus denies God’s words; instead, because of the means by which God works he has come to know what is contained within God’s work, which is determined by the tone of God’s words. There is a secret to the tone of God’s utterances, which no one has discovered and is also precisely what is most difficult for people to enter into. The crux of why people cannot understand God’s words is that they remain ignorant of the tone with which God speaks—and if they master this secret, they will be capable of some knowledge of God’s words. God’s words have always followed one principle: causing people to know that God’s words are everything, and resolving all man’s difficulties through God’s words. From the perspective of the Spirit, God makes plain His deeds, from the perspective of man, He exposes people’s conceptions, from the perspective of the Spirit, He says man is not mindful of His will, and from the perspective of man, He says He has tasted the sweet, sour, bitter, and pungent flavors of human experience, that amid the wind and rain, He has experienced the persecution of family, and has experienced the ups and downs of life. These are words spoken from different perspectives. When He speaks to the people of God, it is like a housekeeper telling off slaves, or like a comedy sketch; His words leave people red-faced, with nowhere to hide from shame, as if they have been detained by the feudal authorities to give a confession under severe torture. When He speaks to the people of God, God is as unrestrained as protesting university students exposing the scandals within the central government. If all of God’s words were mocking, they would be harder for people to accept; thus, the words spoken by God are straightforward, they do not contain ciphers for man, but point out the actual state of man directly—which shows that God’s love of man is not just words, but real. Though people value realness, there is nothing real about their love for God. This is what is lacking in man. If people’s love for God is not real, then the entirety of everything will be empty and illusionary, as if all would disappear because of this. If their love of God surpasses the universes, then so too will their status and identity, and even these words, be real, and not empty—do you see this? Have you seen God’s requirements for man? Man should not merely enjoy the blessings of status, but live out the reality of status. This is what God asks of the people of God, and of all of man, and is not some great empty theory.
Why does God say this type of words: “as if all I do is an attempt to please them, as a result of which they are always disgusted by My doings”? Are you able to speak of the real manifestations of man’s loathing of God? In people’s conceptions, man and God are “passionately in love,” and today, people’s yearning for God’s words has reached the point that they eagerly wish to swallow God in one gulp—yet God says the following kind of words: “Man despises Me. Why has My love been repaid with man’s hate?” Is this not the mineral deposit within people? Is this not what should be dug out? This is the defect with people’s pursuit, it is a major issue that ought to be solved, and it is the lion that stands in the way of man’s knowledge of God and which must be dispelled for man—is this not what ought to be done? Because, like a pig, man has no memory, and always covets pleasures, God gives man the medicine for amnesia—He speaks more, says more, and He grabs people by the ears and makes them listen closely, and fits them with hearing aids. As for some of His words, speaking only once cannot solve the problem; they must be said over and over again, for “people always suffer forgetfulness in their lives, and the days of the lives of all mankind are in disarray.” In this way, people can be saved from the state in which “they read when they have time, listen when they are free, and leave them alone when they don’t have time; if the words are spoken today, they pay attention, but they will put them to the back of their minds, if they are not spoken tomorrow.” As far as people’s nature is concerned, if today God spoke of their real state and they came to have a thorough knowledge of it, then they would be filled with regret—but afterward, they would go back to their old ways, casting God’s words to the winds and replaying the above when reminded. Thus, when you work or speak, do not forget this essence of man; it would be a mistake to cast aside this essence while working. In doing all work, it is especially important to speak in light of people’s conceptions. In particular, you should add your own insights to God’s words and commune them. This is the path of providing to people and allowing them to know themselves. In providing to people based on the content of God’s words, it will inevitably become possible to grasp their real state. In God’s words, it is enough to grasp man’s real state and thus provide to them—and as such, I shall say no more of God’s words pointing out that “God accepted the invitation to sit at a banquet table on earth.” source: Interpretation of the Thirty-first Utterance in The Word Appears in the Flesh Eastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared. Some people may have a little insight into God’s words, but none of them trust their feelings; they are deeply afraid of falling into negativity. Thus, they have always alternated between joy and sorrow. It is fair to say that the lives of all people are filled with grief; to take this a step further, there is refinement in the daily lives of all people, yet I can say that no one gains any release in their spirits each day, and it is as if three great mountains are pressing down on their heads. Not one of their lives are happy and joyous all the time—and even when they are a little happy, they are simply trying to keep up appearances. In their hearts, people always have a sense of something unfinished. Thus, they are not steadfast in their hearts; in life, things feel empty and unfair, and when it comes to the belief in God, they are busy and are short on time, or else they don’t have the time to eat and drink God’s words, or are incapable of eating and drinking God’s words. Not one of them is at peace, and lucid, and steadfast in their hearts. It is as if they have always lived beneath an overcast sky, as if they live in a space without oxygen, and this has led to the confusion in their lives. God always speaks straight to people’s weaknesses, He always strikes them at their Achilles’ heel—have you not clearly seen the tone with which He has spoken throughout? God has never given people the opportunity to repent, and He makes all people live on the “moon” without oxygen. From the beginning until today, the surface of God’s words has exposed the nature of man, yet no one has clearly seen the substance of these words. It appears that by exposing the essence of man, people come to know themselves and thus come to know God, yet this is not the path in substance. The tone and greater depth of God’s words show a clear difference between God and man. In their feelings, this makes people unconsciously believe that God is unreachable and unapproachable; God brings everything out into the open, and it seems that no one is capable of returning the relationship between God and man to how it used to be. It is not hard to see that the aim of all God’s utterances is to use words to topple all people, thereby accomplishing His work. This is a step of God’s work. Yet this is not what people believe in their minds. They believe that God’s work is approaching its climax, that it is approaching its most discernible effect so as to conquer the great red dragon, which is to say, making the churches thrive, and no one having conceptions about God incarnate, or else all people knowing God. Yet let us read what God says: “In people’s minds, God is God, and is not easily engaged with, while man is man, and should not easily become dissolute … and as a result, they are always humble and patient before Me; they are incapable of being compatible with Me, for they have too many conceptions.” From this can be seen that, regardless of what God says or what man does, people are totally incapable of knowing God; because of the role played by their essence, no matter what, they are, at the end of the day, incapable of knowing God. Thus, God’s work will end when people see themselves as the sons of hell. There is no need for God to unleash His wrath on people, or to condemn them directly, or to ultimately sentence them to death in order to conclude His entire management. He merely shoots the breeze at His own pace, as if the completion of His work is incidental, something accomplished in His spare time without the slightest effort. From the outside, there appears to be some urgency to God’s work—yet God hasn’t done anything, He does nothing but speak. The work among the churches is not of the same great scale as in times gone by: God does not add people, or expel them, or lay them bare—such work is too trivial. It seems as if God is of no mind to do such work. He merely says a little of what He ought to, after which He turns around and disappears without trace—which, naturally, is the scene of the completion of His utterances. And when this moment arrives, all people shall awake from their slumber. Mankind has slumbered for thousands of years, he has been in a sopor throughout. And for many years, people have been rushing hither and thither in their dreams, and they even cry out in their dreams, incapable of speaking of the injustice within their hearts. Thus, they “feel a little melancholy in their hearts”—but when they awaken, they shall discover the true facts, and exclaim: “So this is what’s going on!” Thus it is said that “Today, most people are still fast asleep. Only when the kingdom anthem sounds do they open their sleepy eyes and feel a little melancholy in their hearts.”
No one’s spirit has ever been liberated, never has anyone’s spirit been carefree and happy. When God’s work is completely finished, people’s spirits will be liberated, for each will have been classed according to kind, and thus they will all be steadfast in their hearts. It is as if people are on some far-flung voyage and their hearts become steadfast when they return home. Upon arriving home, people will no longer feel that the world is empty and unfair, but will live in peace in their homes. Such will be the circumstances among all mankind. Thus, God says that people “have never been able to free themselves from Satan’s bondage.” No one is able to extricate themselves from this state whilst in the flesh. For the moment, let us put aside what God says about the various actual states of man, and talk only of the mysteries that God has yet to reveal to man. “Countless times have people looked at Me with mocking eyes, as if My body were covered in thorns and loathsome to them, and thus people abhor Me, and believe that I am without worth.” Contrariwise, in substance, man’s true colors are revealed in God’s words: He is covered in quills, there is nothing pleasing about him, and thus God’s hatred for man increases, for man is nothing but a spine-covered hedgehog that has nothing enjoyable about it. Superficially, these words appear to describe man’s conceptions toward God[a]—but in reality, God is painting a picture of man based on his “image.” These words are God’s delineation of man, and it is as if God has sprayed a fixative upon the image of man; thus, man’s image stands tall throughout the universe, and even astonishes people. From when He began to speak, God has been positioning His forces for a great battle with man. He is like a university algebra professor laying out the facts for man, and what is proved by the facts that He lists—the evidence and counter evidence—makes all people utterly convinced. This is the aim of all God’s words, and it is because of this that God casually tosses these mystifying words at man: “I am, in sum, utterly without value in man’s heart, I am a dispensable household item.” After reading these words, people can’t help but say a prayer in their hearts, and they come to know their indebtedness to God, which makes them condemn themselves, makes them believe that man ought to die, and is without the slightest worth. God says, “it is because of this that I find Myself in the situation I am in today,” which, when connected to the actual circumstances of today, causes people to condemn themselves. Is this not fact? If you were made to know yourself, could words like “I truly should die!” come from your mouth? Such are the true circumstances of man, and this is not worth thinking about too much—it is merely a fitting example. In one sense, when God begs for man’s forgiveness and tolerance, people see that God is making fun of them, and in another sense, they also behold their own rebelliousness—they are just waiting for God to exert Himself to the utmost for man. Besides, speaking of people’s conceptions, God says He is not proficient in the life philosophy or the language of man. Thus, in one regard this makes people compare these words to the practical God, and in another, they see God’s intention in His words—God is mocking them, for they understand that God is revealing the true face of man, and He is not really telling people about the true circumstances of God. The inherent meaning of God’s words is suffused with mockery, ridicule, laughter, and hatred toward man. It is as if, in all he does, man is perverting the law and taking bribes; people are whores, and when God opens His mouth to speak, they tremble in terror, profoundly afraid that the truth about them will be thoroughly exposed, leaving them too ashamed to face anybody. But facts are facts. God does not cease His utterances because of man’s “repentance”; the more unspeakably ashamed and embarrassed beyond words people become, the more God fixes His burning gaze upon their faces. The words from His mouth lay all of man’s ugly deeds on the table—only this is being just and impartial, only this is called Qingtian,[b] only this is judgment from the highest court of the people. Thus, when people read God’s words, they are suddenly struck by a heart attack, their blood pressure rises, it is as if they are suffering from coronary heart disease, as if a cerebral hemorrhage is about to send them back to the western paradise to meet with their ancestors—this is the reaction when they read God’s words. Man is made infirm by years of hard labor, he is sick inside and out, all of him is ill, from his heart to his blood vessels, large intestine, small intestine, stomach, lungs, kidneys, and so on. Nothing in his entire body is healthy. Thus, God’s work does not reach a level unattainable to man, but causes people to know themselves. Because man’s body is beset by viruses, and because he has grown old, the day of his death draws near, and there is no way back. But this is only part of the story; the inner meaning has yet to be revealed, for the source of man’s illness is being sought. In reality, the time when the entirety of God’s work is completed is not the time when His work on earth is completed, for once this step of work is finished, there will be no way of carrying out the work of the future in the flesh, and the Spirit of God will be required to complete it. Thus, God says, “When I formally open the scroll is when people throughout the universe are chastised, the time when My work reaches its climax, when people all over the world are subjected to trials.” The time when the work in the flesh is finished is not when God’s work reaches its climax—the climax of this time merely refers to the work during this stage, and is not the climax of the entire management plan. Thus, God’s requirements of man are not high. He merely asks that people know themselves, thus serving the next step of work, in which God’s will shall have been achieved. As God’s[c]work changes, people’s[d] “work unit” alters. Today is the stage of God’s work on earth, and thus they must work at the grassroots. In the future, it will be necessary to administer the nation, and thus they will be reassigned to the Central Committee. If they visit abroad, they will have to deal with procedures for going overseas. At such times they will be overseas, far from their homeland—but this will still be because of the requirements of God’s work. As people have said, “We will lay down our lives for God when necessary”—is this not the path that shall be walked in the future? Who has ever enjoyed such a life? One can travel all over, visit overseas, provide guidance in the countryside, assimilate themselves among the common people, and they can also talk of the important matters of the nation with members of high-level organizations; and when necessary, they can personally taste life in hell, after which they can return and still be able to enjoy the heavenly blessings—are these not the blessings of man? Who has ever compared to God? Who has ever traveled throughout all nations? In fact, people would be able to understand a little of some of God’s words without any pointers or explanations—it’s just that they have no faith in themselves, which is what has stretched God’s work out until today. Because people lack too much—as God said, “they have nothing”—the work of today poses tremendous difficulties to them; what’s more, their weakness has, naturally, constrained God’s mouth—and are these things not precisely what is hindering God’s work? Can you still not see this? There is hidden meaning in all that God says. When God speaks, He seizes upon the issue at hand, and like a fable, all of the words He speaks contain profound message. These simple words contain profound meaning, and thus explain important questions—is this not what God’s words are best at? Do you know this? source: Interpretation of the Thirtieth Utterance in The Word Appears in the Flesh Footnotes: a. The original text reads “this appears to be man’s conceptions toward God.” b. Qingtian: This term is used to refer to a righteous judge in the imperial time. c. The original text omits “God’s.” d. The original text omits “people’s.” Eastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared. Of the work done by people, some of it is carried out with direct instruction from God, but for part of it God does not provide overt instructions, sufficiently showing that what is done by God has, today, yet to be completely revealed—which is to say, much remains hidden and has yet to become public. But some things need to be made public, and there are some that need to leave people puzzled and confused; this is what is required by God’s work. For example, God’s arrival from heaven among man: how He arrived, at what second He arrived, or whether the heavens and earth and all things underwent changes or not—these things require people to be confused. This is also based on actual circumstances, for human flesh itself is incapable of directly entering the spiritual realm. Thus, even if God clearly states how He came from heaven to earth, or when He says, “On the day that all things were resurrected, I came among man, and I have spent wonderful days and nights with him,” such words are like someone talking to a tree trunk—there is not the slightest reaction, because people are ignorant of the steps of God’s work. Even when they are truly aware, they believe that God flew down to earth from heaven like a fairy and was reborn among man. This is what’s attained by the thoughts of man. It is because the essence of man is that he is unable to understand the substance of God, and is unable to understand the reality of the spiritual realm. By their essence alone, people would be incapable of acting as an exemplar for others, because people are inherently the same, and not different. Thus, asking that people set an example for others to follow or serve as an exemplar becomes a bubble, it becomes steam rising from water. Whereas when God says, “he gains some knowledge of what I have and am,” these words are merely addressed at the manifestation of the work God does in the flesh; in other words, they are directed at God’s true face—divinity, which primarily refers to His divine disposition. That is to say, people are asked to understand things such as why God works in this way, what things are to be accomplished by God’s words, what God wishes to achieve on earth, what He wishes to gain among man, the methods by which God speaks, and what God’s attitude toward man is. It can be said that there is nothing boast-worthy in man, that is, there is nothing in him that can set an example for others to follow.
It is precisely because of the normalness of God in the flesh, because of the dissimilarity of God in heaven and God in the flesh, who does not seem to be born of God in heaven, that God says, “Many years have I passed among man, yet he has always remained unaware, and has never known Me.” God also says, “When My footsteps tread across the ends of the universe, man will begin to reflect upon himself, and all people will come to Me and bow down before Me and worship Me. This will be the day of My glorification, the day of My return, and also the day of My departure.” Only this is the day when God’s true face is shown to man. Yet God does not delay His work as a result, and He simply does the work that ought to be done. When He judges, He condemns according to people’s attitude toward God in the flesh. This is one of the main threads of God’s utterances during this period. For example, God says, “I have formally embarked, throughout the entire universe, upon the finale of My management plan. From this moment onward, any who are not cautious are liable to be plunged amid merciless chastisement at any moment.” This is the content of God’s plan, and it is neither odd nor strange, but all the step of the work. The people and sons of God abroad, meanwhile, are judged by God according to all that they do in the churches, and thus God says, “As I work, all angels embark upon the decisive battle with Me and resolve to fulfill My wishes in the final stage, so that the people on earth yield before Me like the angels, and have no desire to oppose Me, and do nothing that rebels against Me. These are the dynamics of My work throughout the universe.” This is the difference in the work God carries out throughout the earth; He employs different measures according to who they are directed at. Today, the people of the churches all have a yearning heart, and they have begun to eat and drink the words of God—which is enough to show that God’s work is approaching its end. Looking down from the sky is akin to once more looking upon dreary scenes of withered branches and fallen leaves, of loess blown by the autumn wind, it feels like an apocalypse is about to occur among man, as if all is about to be turned to desolation. Maybe it is because of the sensitivity of the Spirit, there is always a sense of unhappiness in the heart, with a sliver of tranquil comfort, yet this is also mixed with some sorrow. This may be the depiction of God’s words that “man is awakening, everything on earth is in order, and the days of survival of the earth are no more, for I have arrived!” People may become somewhat negative after hearing these words, or they may be a little disappointed with God’s work, or they may focus much on the feeling in their spirit. But prior to the completion of His work on earth, God could not possibly be so foolish as to give people such an illusion. If you truly have such feelings, then it shows you pay too much attention to your feelings, that you are someone who does as they please, and does not love God; it shows that such people focus on the supernatural too much, and pay no heed to God at all. Because of the hand of God, no matter how people try to get away, they are incapable of escaping this circumstance. Who can escape the hand of God? When have your status and circumstances not been arranged by God? Whether you suffer or are blessed, how could you sneak away from the hand of God? This is not a human matter, it is entirely God’s need—who would not obey because of this? “I will use chastisement to spread My work among the Gentiles, which is to say, I will use force against all those who are Gentiles. Naturally, this work will be carried out at the same time as My work among the chosen ones.” With the utterance of these words, God embarks upon this work throughout the universe, and it is a step of God’s work, which has already progressed to this point; no one can turn things around. Catastrophe will solve one portion of mankind, causing them to perish with the world. When the universe is officially chastised, God officially appears to all peoples. And because of His appearance, people are chastised. What’s more, God also said, “When I formally open the scroll is when people throughout the universe are chastised, when people all over the world are subjected to trials.” From this can be seen clearly that the content of the seven seals is the content of the chastisement, which is to say, there is catastrophe in the seven seals. Thus, today, the seven seals have yet to be opened; the “trials” referred to here are the chastisement suffered by man, and amidst this chastisement a group of people will be gained who officially accept the “certificate” issued by God, and thus they will be the people in God’s kingdom. These are the origins of the sons and people of God, and today they have yet to be decided, and are merely laying the foundation for future experiences. If someone has the true life, they will be able to stand firm during trials, and if they are without the life, then this sufficiently proves that God’s work has had no effect on them, that they fish in troubled waters, and do not focus on God’s words. Because this is the work of the last days, which is to bring this age to an end instead of carrying on the work, thus God says, “In other words, it is the life that man has never experienced from the time of creation until the present day, and so I say that I do work that has never been done before,” and He also says, “Because My day draws near to all mankind, because it does not appear distant, but is right before man’s eyes.” In times past, God personally destroyed several cities, yet none of them were razed in the same way as in the final time. Although, in the past, God destroyed Sodom, the Sodom of today is not to be treated as in times past—it is not to be destroyed directly, but to be first conquered and then judged, and, ultimately, subjected to everlasting punishment. These are the steps of the work, and in the end, the Sodom of today shall be annihilated in the same sequence as the past destruction of the world—which is God’s plan. The day on which God appears is the day of official condemnation of it, and it is not to save it by means of His appearance. Thus, God says, “I appear to the holy kingdom, and hide Myself from the land of filth.” Because the Sodom of today is impure, God does not truly appear to it, but uses this means to chastise it—have you not seen this clearly? It can be said that no one on earth is capable of seeing God’s true face. God has never appeared to man, and no one knows in which level of heaven God is. This is what has allowed the people of today to be in this circumstance. If they were to behold the face of God, that would surely be the time in which their end is revealed, the time when each is classed according to kind. Today, the words in divinity are directly shown to people, which foretells that the last days of mankind have arrived, and will not last for much longer. This is one of the signs of people’s subjection to trials at the time when God appears to all people. Thus, although people enjoy God’s words, they always have an ominous feeling, as if a great calamity is about to befall them. The people of today are like sparrows in frozen lands, on whom it is as if death forces a debt and leaves them with no way to survive. Because of the debt of death owed by man, people all feel that their last days have arrived. This is what is happening in the hearts of people across the universe, and although it is not revealed on their faces, what is in their hearts is incapable of hiding from My eyes—this is the reality of man. Perhaps, many of the words are somewhat poorly chosen—but it is these very words that are sufficient to show the problem. Every one of the words spoken from God’s mouth shall be fulfilled, whether they be of the past or the present; they shall make the facts appear before people, a feast for their eyes, at which time they will become dazzled and confused. Have you still not clearly seen what age it is today? source: Interpretation of the Twenty-ninth Utterance in The Word Appears in the Flesh Eastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared. People’s state is that the less they understand of God’s words, the more skeptical they are of God’s current means of working. But this has no effect on God’s work; when His words reach a certain point, people’s hearts will naturally come around. In their lives, everyone fixates upon God’s words, and they also begin to yearn for His words—and because of God’s continuous exposure, they begin to despise themselves. Yet God has also uttered many of the following type of words: “When he has thoroughly grasped all of My words, man’s stature is commensurate with My wishes, and his pleas are fruitful, and not in vain or futile; I bless the pleas of mankind that are sincere, and not a pretense.” In fact, people are incapable of completely grasping God’s words, they can merely grasp the surface. God merely uses these words to give them an objective to pursue, to make them feel that God does not do things lightly, but is serious about His work, and only then will they have the faith to pursue. And because all people only plead for their own sakes, not for the will of God, but God does not blow hot and cold, His words have always been directed at man’s nature. Although most people today plead, they are not sincere—it is just a pretense. The state of all people is that they “consider My mouth a cornucopia. All people wish to acquire something from My mouth. Whether it be the secrets of state, or the mysteries of heaven, or the dynamics of the spiritual world, or the destination of mankind.” Because of their curiosity, people are all willing to search for these things, and don’t wish to gain anything of the provision of life from God’s words. Thus God says, “Too much is lacking within man: He requires not just ‘nutritional supplements,’ but even more ‘mental support’ and a ‘spiritual supply.’” It is the conceptions in people that have led to the negativity of today, and it is because their physical eyes are too “feudal” that there is no vigor to what they say and do, and they are perfunctory and slapdash in all things. Are these not the conditions of people? Shouldn’t people hurry up and rectify this, rather than carrying on as they are? What benefit does knowing the future have for man? Why do people have a reaction after reading some of God’s words, but the remainder of His words have no effect? When God says, for example, “I provide a cure for man’s sickness in order that better effects may be achieved, so that all may be restored to health, and so that, thanks to My cure, they may return to normality,” how is it that these words have no effect in people? Is everything done by God not that which ought to be attained by man? God has work to do—why do people not have a path to walk? In this, do they not deviate from God? There is actually much work that people ought to do—for example, how much do they know of the “great red dragon” in the words “Do you truly hate the great red dragon”? God’s words of “Why have I asked you so many times?” show that people are still ignorant of the nature of the great red dragon’s, that they remain incapable of going deeper. Is this not the very work that man ought to do? How can it be said that man has no work? If that were the case, what would be the significance of God’s incarnation? Is God being slapdash and perfunctory for the sake of going through the motions? Can the great red dragon be defeated in this way?
God says, “I have already begun, and I will commence the first step of My work of chastisement in the dwelling place of the great red dragon.” These words are directed at the work in divinity; the people of today have already entered chastisement in advance, and thus God says this is the first step of His work. He is not making people endure the chastisement of disasters, but that of words. Because, when the tone of God’s words changes, people become totally ignorant, after that they all enter chastisement. And once they have undergone chastisement, it is just as God says[a] “Hence you will formally perform your duty, and will formally praise Me throughout the lands, forever and ever!” This is a step of God’s work—it is His plan. Moreover, these people of God shall personally behold the methods by which the great red dragon is chastised, so catastrophe officially begins in their outer world. This is one of the means by which God saves people: Internally they are chastised, and externally catastrophe befalls—which is to say, God’s words are fulfilled. Thus, people would prefer to undergo chastisement over catastrophe, and it is because of this that they remain. On the one hand, this is the point that God’s work has come to; on the other, it is so that people may all know God’s disposition. Thus God says, “The time that My people enjoy Me is when the great red dragon is chastised. Causing the people of the great red dragon to rise up and revolt against it is My plan, and the method by which I make perfect My people, and is a great opportunity for all My people to grow in life.” Why is it that God speaks these words yet they do not attract people’s attention? Countries are in great chaos, because God’s rod has begun to play its role on earth. God’s work can be seen in the state of the earth. When God says “the waters will roar, the mountains will topple, the great rivers will disintegrate,” this is the rod’s initial work on earth, with the result that “All households upon earth will be torn apart; no more will mother and son meet again, never again will there be the coming together of father and daughter. All that used to be on earth will be smashed by Me.” Such will be the general state of families on earth. Naturally, it could not possibly be the state of all of them, but it is the state of most of them. On the other hand, it is referring to the circumstances experienced by the people of this stream in the future. It foretells that, once they have undergone the chastisement of words and the unbelievers have been subjected to catastrophe, there will no longer be familial relations among the people on earth; they will all be the people of Sinim, and will all be faithful in God’s kingdom. Thus, gone will be the days of the reunion between husband and wife, no more will mother and son meet again, never again will there be the coming together of father and daughter. And so, the families of people on earth will be torn apart, ripped to pieces, and this will be the final work that God does in man. And because God shall spread this work throughout the universe, He takes the opportunity to clarify the word “emotion” for people, thus allowing them to see that God’s will is to tear apart all people’s families, and showing that God uses chastisement to resolve all the family disputes among mankind. If not, there would be no way of bringing the final part of God’s work on earth to a close. The final part of God’s words lays bare mankind’s greatest weakness—they all live in emotion—and so God does not avoid a single one of them, and exposes the secrets hidden in the hearts of all mankind. Why is it so hard for people to separate themselves from emotion? Is it higher than the standards of conscience? Can conscience accomplish God’s will? Can emotion help people through adversity? In God’s eyes, emotion is His enemy—has this not been clearly stated in God’s words? Footnotes: a. The original text omits “it is just as God says.” source: Interpretation of the Twenty-eighth Utterance in The Word Appears in the FleshEastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared. Today, God’s words have reached their pinnacle, which is to say, the second part of the era of judgment has reached its peak. But it is not the highest peak. At this time, God’s tone has changed, it is neither mocking nor humorous, and does not strike or curse; God has alleviated the tone of His words. Now, God begins to “wax nostalgic” with man. God is both continuing the work of the era of judgment and opening up the path of the next section of work, so that all sections of His work are entwined with each other. On the one hand, He speaks of “man’s stubbornness and recidivism,” and on the other, He says “In My joys and sorrows, My separation and being reunited with man”—both of which provoke a reaction in people’s hearts, and move even the most callous of them. God’s aim in saying these words is primarily to make all people fall down before God, without a whisper, at the very end, and only then “do My actions become apparent, letting everyone, in their own failure, come to know Me.” The people of this period’s knowledge of God remains entirely superficial, it is not true knowledge. Though they try as hard as they can, they are incapable of attaining God’s will; today, God’s words have reached their zenith, but people remain in the early stages, and are thus incapable of entering into the utterances of the here and now—which shows that God and man are as different as chalk and cheese. Based on this, when the words of God come to an end people will only be capable of attaining the lowest standards of God. This is the means by which God works in these people who have been utterly corrupted by the great red dragon, and God must work thus in order to achieve the optimal effect. The people of the churches pay a little more attention to God’s words, but God’s intention is that they might know God in His words—is there not a difference? However, as things stand, God is no longer mindful of man’s weakness, and carries on speaking regardless of whether people are able to accept His words or not. As is His intention, when His words end will be when His work on earth is completed. But this work is unlike the past. When God’s utterances come to an end, no one will know; when God’s work comes to an end, no one will know; and when God’s form changes, no one will know. Such is the wisdom of God. To avoid any accusations from Satan and any interference from hostile forces, God works without anyone knowing, and at this time there is no reaction among the people of earth. Though the signs of God’s transfiguration were once spoken of, no one is able to perceive it, for man has forgotten this matter, and he pays no attention to it. And because of the attacks from both inside and out—the disasters of the external world and the burning and cleansing of God’s words—people are no longer willing to toil for God, because they’re too busy with their own business. When all people deny the knowledge and pursuit of the past, when all people have seen themselves clearly, they will fail and their own self will no longer have a place in their hearts. Only then will people sincerely long for the words of God, only then will God’s words truly have a place in their hearts, and only then will these words have become the source of their existence—and at this moment, God’s will shall have been fulfilled. But the people of today are a long way off that. Some of them have barely moved an inch, and thus God says this is “recidivism.”
All of God’s words contain many questions. Why does God keep asking such questions? “Why can’t they repent and be born again? Why are people forever willing to live in the swamp instead of a place free of mud? …” In the past, God worked by means of directly pointing things out or direct exposure. But after people had suffered tremendous pain, God did not speak thus directly. On one hand, people see their own deficiencies in these questions, and on the other, they grasp the path to practice. Because people all like to enjoy the fruits of others’ labor, God speaks as befits their requirements, providing them with topics to ponder, so that they can ponder them. This is one aspect of the significance of God’s questions. Naturally, this is not the significance of some of His questions, for example: Could it be that I have mistreated them? Could it be that I have led them astray? Could it be that I lead them to hell? Questions like these point out the conceptions in the depths of people’s hearts. Although their mouths don’t say it, there is doubt within most of their hearts, and they believe that God’s words portray them as good for nothing. Naturally, such people don’t know themselves, but ultimately, they will admit defeat by God’s words—this is inevitable. Following these questions, God also says “I will shatter all the nations, not to mention the families.” When people accept the name of God, all nations will shake as a result, people will gradually change their mentality, and in families the relationships between father and son, mother and daughter or husband and wife shall cease to exist. What’s more, the relationships between people in families will become ever more estranged; they will join the great family, and the regularity of the lives of almost all families shall be torn apart. And because of this, the concept of family in people’s hearts will become increasingly hazy. Why, in God’s words of today, has so much been devoted to “waxing nostalgic” with people? Naturally, this is also in order to achieve a concrete effect: showing how God’s heart is filled with anxiety. God says, “when I am sad, who can comfort Me with their hearts?” God says these words because His heart is overcome with grief. Because people are incapable of giving every care to God’s will, and they are always dissolute, and can’t hold themselves in check—they do as they please; because they are too lowly, and they always forgive themselves, and are not mindful of God’s will. But because people have been corrupted by Satan right up until today, and are incapable of freeing themselves, God says: “how can they escape from the mouth of the ravenous wolf? How can they free themselves from its threat and temptation?” People live in the flesh—in the mouth of the ravenous wolf. Because of this, and because people have no self-awareness and are always indulging themselves and giving in to debauchery, God cannot help but feel anxious. The more God reminds people thus, the better they feel in their hearts, and the more they become willing to engage with God. Only then will man and God get along, without any separation or distance between them. Today, all mankind awaits the arrival of God’s day, and so mankind has never moved forward. Yet God says: “When the Sun of righteousness appears, the East will be illuminated, and then it will illuminate the whole universe, reaching everyone.” In other words, when God changes His form, the East will be illuminated first and the country of the East will be the first to be supplanted, after which the remaining countries shall be renewed from south to north. This is the order, and all will be in accordance with God’s words, and once this phase has finished all people shall see. It is according to this order that God works. When they behold this day, people will be overjoyed. It can be seen from God’s urgent intention that this day is not far off. In the words of today, the second and third parts provoke tears of anguish in all those who love God. Their hearts are immediately shrouded in shadow, and from this time onward all people are filled with tremendous sorrow because of God’s heart—only after God finishes His work on earth, they will feel at ease. This is the general trend. “Anger rises within My heart, accompanied by a surging feeling of sorrow. When My eyes behold people’s deeds and their every word and action as filthy, My rage wells up, and in My heart there is a greater sense of the injustices of the human world, which makes Me more sorrowful; I long to end man’s flesh right away. I know not why man is incapable of cleansing himself in the flesh, why man cannot love himself in the flesh. Could it be that the ‘function’ of the flesh is so great?” In God’s words today, God has publicly disclosed all of the anxiety within His heart to man without holding anything back. When the angels of the third heaven play music and percussion for Him, God still feels attached to the people on earth, and it is because of this that He says “When the angels play music and percussion in praise to Me, I cannot help but have My sympathy evoked for man. I suddenly feel extremely sad in My heart, and it is difficult to rid Myself of this painful emotion.” It is for this reason that God says the words: “I want to correct the injustices of the human world. I will do My work personally throughout the entire world, forbidding Satan from harming My people again, forbidding the enemy from doing whatever they please again. I will become King on earth and move My throne there, making all the enemy fall to the ground and confess their crimes before Me.” God’s sadness increases His hate toward devils, and thus He reveals their end to the masses in advance. This is the work of God. God has always wished to be reunited with all people and bring the old age to a close. All people throughout the universe are beginning to move—which is to say, all people beneath the cosmos are entering the guidance of God. As a result, their thoughts turn to revolting against their emperors. Before long, the people of the world will erupt into chaos and the heads of all countries will flee in every direction, ultimately being pushed onto the guillotine by their people. This is the final end of the kings of devils; ultimately, no one will be able to escape, all must pass through it. Today, those who are “clever” have begun to step back. Seeing that things aren’t looking good, they use this opportunity to back down and escape the hardship of catastrophe. But I say plainly, the work that God does during the last days is chiefly the chastisement of man, so how could these people be capable of escaping? Today is the first step. One day, all throughout the universe shall fall into the tumult of war, the people of earth will never again have leaders, the whole world will be like a pile of loose sand, governed by no one, and people will care only for their own lives, heedless of anyone else, for everything is controlled by God’s hand—which is why God says, “all the people split the nations according to My will.” The “trumpet of the angel” of which God speaks now is a sign, it is ringing the alarm bell for man, and when the trumpet sounds once again, the world’s last day will have arrived. At that time, God’s entire chastisement will befall earth in its entirety; this will be heartless judgment, and the official start of the times of chastisement. Among the Israelites, there will often be God’s voice to lead them through different environments, and so too will the angels appear to them. The Israelites will be made complete in just a few months, because they will not have to undergo the step of dispelling the great red dragon’s venom, it will be easy for them to enter onto the right track under various kinds of guidance. From the developments in Israel can be seen the state of the entire universe, and this shows just how quick the steps of God’s work are. “The time has come! I will put My work in motion, I will reign supreme among man!” In the past, God only reigned in heaven. Today, He reigns on earth; God has taken back all of His authority, and so it is foretold that all mankind shall never again have the normal human life, for God shall reorder heaven and earth, and no man is allowed to interfere. Thus, God often reminds man that “The time has come.” When the Israelites have all returned to their country—on the day that the country of Israel has been entirely recovered—God’s great work will be complete. Without anyone realizing, people across the universe will revolt, and countries throughout the universe will fall like the stars in heaven; in an instant, they will become a pile of rubble. And after dealing with them, God shall build the kingdom beloved of His heart. source: Interpretation of the Twenty-seventh Utterance in The Word Appears in the Flesh Eastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared. From all of the words spoken by God, it can be seen that the day of God draws closer with every passing day. It is as if this day is right before people’s eyes, as if it will arrive tomorrow. Thus, after reading God’s words, all people are struck with terror, and also have some sense of the world’s desolation. It is as if, as the leaves fall and the drizzle descends, all people have disappeared without trace, as if they have all been wiped from the earth. They all have an ominous feeling. Although they try hard, and wish to satisfy God’s intentions, all using every bit of strength they have to fulfill God’s intentions so that God’s will may proceed smoothly, without obstruction, such a sentiment is always mingled with a sense of ominousness. Take today’s utterances: If they were broadcast to the masses, announced to the whole universe, then all people would bow down and weep, for in the words “I will watch over the whole earth, and, appearing in the East of the world with righteousness, majesty, wrath, and chastisement, I will reveal Myself to the myriad hosts of humanity!” all who understand the spiritual matters see that no one can escape God’s chastisement, that all will follow their own kind after experiencing the suffering of chastisement. Truly, this is a step of God’s work, and no one can change it. When God created the world, when He led mankind, He showed His wisdom and wondrousness, and only when He brings this era to an end do people behold His true righteousness, majesty, wrath, and chastisement. Furthermore, it is only through chastisement that they are able to see His righteousness, majesty, and wrath; this is a path that must be taken, just as, during the last days, God’s incarnation is necessary, and indispensable. After proclaiming the end of all mankind, God shows to man the work that He does today. For example, God says, “The Israel of old has ceased to be, and today’s Israel has risen up, erect and towering, in the world, has stood up in the hearts of all humanity. Today’s Israel shall surely attain the source of existence through My people!” “Ah, hateful Egypt! … How can you not exist within My chastisement?” God deliberately shows people the fruits gained by two antithetical countries from God’s hands, in one sense referring to Israel, which is material, and in another pointing to all of God’s chosen ones—which is to say, to how God’s chosen ones change as Israel changes. When Israel has wholly returned to its original form, all of the chosen ones shall subsequently be made complete—which is to say, Israel is a meaningful symbol of those whom God loves. Egypt, meanwhile, is the convergence of the representatives of those whom God hates. The more decayed it becomes, the more corrupt those who are hated by God become—and Babylon subsequently falls. This forms a clear contrast. By proclaiming the ends of Israel and Egypt, God reveals the destination of all people; thus, when mentioning Israel, God also speaks of Egypt. From this can be seen that the day of Egypt’s destruction is the date of the world’s annihilation, the date upon which God chastises all people. This will happen soon; it is about to be accomplished by God, and is something that is totally invisible to man’s naked eye, yet it is also indispensable, and unalterable by anyone. God says, “all those who stand against Me will surely be chastised by Me for eternity. For I am a jealous God, I will not lightly spare men for all that they have done.” Why does God speak in such absolute terms? And why has He personally become flesh in the nation of the great red dragon? From God’s words can be seen His aim: He has not come to save people, or to be compassionate toward them, or to care for them, or protect them—but to chastise all those who oppose Him. For God says, “None can escape My chastisement.” God lives in the flesh, and, furthermore, He is a normal person—yet He does not forgive people for their weakness in being unable to subjectively know Him; instead, because He is normal, He condemns people for all their sins, He makes all those who behold His flesh those who are chastised, and they thus become victims for those who do not belong to the people of the country of the great red dragon. But this is not one of the primary aims of God’s incarnation. God became flesh chiefly in order to do battle, in the flesh, with the great red dragon, and to bring shame upon it through battle. Because God’s great power is more evidenced by battling the great red dragon in the flesh than in the Spirit, God fights in the flesh to show His deeds and omnipotence. Because of God’s incarnation, innumerable people have been “innocently” condemned, countless people have been thrown into hell, and cast into chastisement, suffering in the flesh. This is the demonstration of God’s righteous disposition, and regardless of how those who oppose God change today, God’s upstanding disposition shall never change. Condemned once, people are condemned forever, and never able to rise again. Man’s disposition is incapable of being like God’s. Toward those who oppose God, people are by turns hot and cold, they waver left and right, they go up and down, they are incapable of staying the same throughout, sometimes hating them to their bones, sometimes holding them close; today’s circumstances have come about because people do not know God’s work. Why does God say words such as, “The angels are, after all, angels; God, after all, is God; the demons are, after all, demons; the unrighteous are still unrighteous; and the holy are still holy”? Can you not comprehend it? Could it be that God has misremembered? Thus, God says, “each according to their kind, men find their way unawares back into the bosom of their families.” From this can be seen that today, God has already classified all things into their families, so that it is no longer an “infinite world,” and people no longer eat from the same big pot, but perform their own duty in their own home, playing their own role. This was God’s original plan at the creation of the world; after being classed according to kind, people would “each eat their own meal”—God would commence judgment. As a result, from God’s mouth came these words: “I will restore the former state of creation, I will restore everything to the way it originally was, profoundly changing everything, so that everything will return into the bosom of My plan.” This is precisely the aim of all God’s work, and it is not hard to understand. God shall complete His work—could man stand in the way of His work? And could God rip up the covenant established between Him and man? Who can alter what is done by the Spirit of God? Could it be any among man?
In the past, people grasped that there was a law to God’s words: As soon as God spoke, the facts were soon accomplished. There is no falsehood in this. Since God has said He shall chastise all people, and, furthermore, since He has issued the administrative decrees, it can be seen that God’s work has been carried out to a certain point. The constitution that was issued forth to all people in the past was aimed at their lives and their attitude toward God. It did not get to the root; it did not say that it was based on God’s predestination, but on man’s behavior at that time. The administrative decrees of today are extraordinary, they speak of how “All of humanity will follow their own kind, and will receive chastisements varying with what they have done.” Without a close reading, no problem can be found in this. Because it is only during the final age that God makes all things follow their own kind, after reading this most people remain puzzled and confused, they are still tepid, they do not see the urgency of the times, and so they do not take this as a warning. Why, at this point, are God’s administrative decrees—which are announced to the whole universe—shown to man? Do these people represent all those throughout the universe? Could it be that, afterward, God further adds compassion toward these people? Have these people grown two heads? When God chastises the people of the entire universe, when all manner of catastrophes strike, as a result of these catastrophes, changes shall occur in the sun and moon, and when these catastrophes end, the sun and moon will have been altered—and this is called the transition. Suffice to say, the disasters of the future shall be grievous. Night might take the place of day, the sun might not appear for a year, there might be several months of searing heat, a waning moon might always face mankind, there might appear the bizarre state of the sun and moon rising together. Following several cyclical changes, ultimately, after the passing of time, they shall be renewed. God pays special attention to the arrangements of those who are of the devil. Thus, He deliberately says, “Of the human beings within the universe, all those belonging to the devil will be exterminated.” When these “people” have yet to show their true colors, God always exploits their service; as a result, He pays no heed to their doings, He gives them no “reward” no matter how well they do, nor does He dock their “wages” no matter how badly they perform. As such, He disregards them, He gives them the cold shoulder. He does not suddenly change because of their “goodness,” for regardless of the time or place, man’s essence does not change, just like the covenant established between God and man, just like, as man says, “there will be no change even if the seas run dry and the rocks crumble.” Thus, God simply classes those people and does not heed them easily. From the time of creation until today, never has the devil comported itself well. It has always interrupted, disturbed, and dissented. When God acts or speaks, it always tries to partake—but God takes no notice. At the mention of the devil, God’s rage flows forth, insuppressible; because it is not of one with the Spirit, there is no connection, only distance and separation. Following the revelation of the seven seals, the state of the earth becomes increasingly compromised, all things “advance shoulder-to-shoulder with the seven seals,” not falling behind in the slightest. Throughout God’s words, people are viewed by God as stupefied, yet they have not awoken at all. To reach a higher point, to bring forth the strength of all people, and moreover, to conclude God’s work at its peak, God asks people a string of questions, as if inflating their bellies, and thus He replenishes all people. Because these people have no real stature, based on the actual circumstances, those who are inflated are goods that are up to standard, and those who are not are useless trash. This is God’s requirement of man, and the aim of the method by which He speaks. In particular, when God says “Could it be that I, when I am on earth, am not the same I that I am in heaven? Could it be that I, when I am in heaven, cannot come down onto the earth? Could it be that I, when I am on earth, am unworthy to be borne up to heaven?” these questions go even further in making people know God. From God’s words they behold God’s urgent will; people are incapable of attaining it, and God repeatedly adds conditions, thus reminding all people to know the heavenly God on earth, and to know the God who is in heaven but lives on earth. From God’s words can be seen the states of man: “All men spend effort on My words, undertaking investigations of their own into My outward semblance, but they all meet with failure, without any results to show, but instead are struck down by My words and dare not get up again.” Who can understand God’s sorrow? Who can comfort God’s heart? Who is after God’s heart in what God asks? When people produce no results, they deny themselves and are truly at the whim of God’s orchestrations. Gradually, as they show their true heart, each follows their own kind, and it is thus seen that the essence of the angels is the pure obedience to God. And so, God says, “Humanity is exposed in their original form.” When God’s work reaches this step, all of God’s work will have been completed. God appears to say nothing of His being an exemplar for His sons and people, instead focusing on making all people display their original form. Do you understand the true meaning of these words? source: Interpretation of the Twenty-sixth Utterance in The Word Appears in the FleshEastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared. Without a close reading, it is impossible to detect anything in the utterances of these two days; in fact, they should have been spoken in one day, yet God divided them across two days. That is to say, the utterances of these two days form a single whole, but to make it easier for people to accept them, God divided them across two days to give people a chance to breathe. Such is God’s consideration for man. In all of God’s work, all people perform their function and their duty in their own place. It is not just the people with the spirit of an angel who cooperate; those with the spirit of a demon also “cooperate,” as do all the spirits of Satan. In God’s utterances are seen God’s will and His requirements of man. The words “My chastisement comes upon all people, yet it also remains distant from all people. The whole life of every person is filled with love and hate toward Me” show that God uses chastisement to threaten all people, causing them to gain knowledge of Him. Because of the corruption of Satan and the frailty of the angels, God employs only words, and not administrative decrees, to chastise people. Since the time of creation until today, this has been the principle of God’s work regarding the angels and all people. Because the angels are of God, one day they shall surely become the people of God’s kingdom, and will be cared for and protected by God. All others, meanwhile, will also be classed according to kind, all of the various evil spirits of Satan will be chastised, and all who are without spirits will be ruled by the sons and people of God. Such is God’s plan. Thus, God once said “Is the arrival of My day really the moment of man’s death? Could I really destroy man at the time when My kingdom is formed?” Though these are two simple questions, they are God’s arrangements for the destination of all mankind. When God arrives is the time when “people throughout the universe are nailed to the cross upside down.” This is the aim that God appears to all people, using chastisement to make them know the existence of God. Because the time that God descends upon earth is the final age, and the time when the countries on earth are at their most turbulent, thus God says “When I come down to earth, it is cloaked in darkness and man is ‘fast asleep.’” As such, today there are but a handful of people who are capable of knowing God incarnate, there are almost none. Because now is the final age, no one has ever truly known the practical God, and people only have a superficial knowledge of God. And it is because of this that people live amid the painful refinement. When people leave refinement is also when they begin to be chastised, it is the time when God appears to all people so that they might personally behold Him. Because of God incarnate, people fall into disaster, and are unable to extricate themselves—which is God’s punishment of the great red dragon, and His administrative decree. When the warmth of spring arrives and the flowers blossom, when all beneath the heavens is covered in green and all things on earth are in place, all people and things shall gradually enter into God’s chastisement, and at that time all of God’s work on earth will end. God shall no longer work or live on earth, for God’s great work will have been accomplished. Are people incapable of putting aside their flesh for this short time? What things can cleave the love between man and God? Who is able to pull apart the love between man and God? Is it parents, husbands, sisters, wives, or painful refinement? Can the feelings of conscience wipe away God’s image within man? Are people’s indebtedness and actions toward each other their own doing? Can they be remedied by man? Who is able to protect themselves? Are people able to provide for themselves? Who are the strong ones in life? Who is able to leave Me and live on their own? Time and time again, why does God ask that all people carry out the work of self-reflection? Why does God say, “whose hardship has been arranged by their own hand?”
At present, there is dark night throughout the universe, and people are numb and dull-witted, but the hour hands always tick onward, the minutes and seconds do not stop, and the revolutions of the earth, sun, and moon grow faster. In their feelings, people believe that the day is not far off, as if their last day is before their eyes. People ceaselessly prepare everything for their own time of death, so that it will serve a purpose at their death; if not, they would have lived in vain, and is that not regrettable? When God annihilates the world, He begins with changes in countries’ domestic affairs, from which there occur coups; thus, God mobilizes the service of people throughout the universe. The land where the great red dragon lies coiled is a demonstration zone. Because, internally, it has been torn apart, its domestic affairs have been thrown into chaos, everyone does the work of self-defense, preparing to escape to the moon—but how could they escape the dominion of God’s hand? Just as God said that people will “drink from their own bitter cup.” The time of domestic strife is precisely when God departs the earth; God will not continue to stay in the country of the great red dragon, and shall immediately end His work on earth. It can be said that time flies, and there is not much left. From the tone of God’s words it can be seen that God has already spoken of the destination of all throughout the universe, that He has nothing else to say for the remainder. This is what God reveals to man. It is because of God’s aim in creating man that He says “In My eyes, man is the ruler of all things. I have given him no small amount of authority, allowing him to manage all things on earth—the grass upon the mountains, the animals among the forests, and the fish in the water.” When God created man, He predestined that man would be the master of all things—yet man was corrupted by Satan, and so he cannot live as he would wish. This has led to the world of today, in which people are no different from beasts, and the mountains have mingled with the rivers, with the result that “His entire life is one of anguish, and rushing about, and fun added to emptiness.” Because there is no meaning to man’s life, and because this was not God’s aim in creating man, the whole world has become turbid. When God puts the entire universe in order, all people shall officially begin to experience human life, and only then will their lives start to have meaning. People will begin to make use of the authority given to them by God, they will officially appear before all things as their master, and they will accept God’s guidance on earth, and will no longer disobey God but obey God. The people of today, however, are a long way off that. All they ever do is “line their pockets” through God, and so God asks a string of questions such as “Is the work I do upon man of no benefit to him?” If God did not ask these questions, nothing would happen; but when He asks such things, some people are unable to stand firm, for there is indebtedness in their consciences, and they are not purely for God, but for themselves. All of everything is empty; thus, these people and “the people of every sect, sphere of society, nation, and denomination all know the emptiness on earth, and they all seek Me and await My return.” All people yearn for God’s return so that He might bring an end to the empty old era, yet they also fear falling into disaster. The entire religious world will immediately be left desolate, and neglected by all; they lack reality, and they will realize that their belief in God is vague and abstract. People of every sphere of society shall also disperse, and every nation and denomination will begin to fall into turmoil. In sum, the regularity of all things shall be torn apart, all will lose its normality, and so, too, will people reveal their true faces. Thus God says, “Many are the times that I have cried out to man, yet has anyone ever felt compassion? Has anyone ever lived in humanity? Man may live in the flesh, but he is without humanity. Was he born in the animal kingdom?” Change is also occurring among man, and because of this change each is classed according to kind. This is God’s work during the last days, and the effect that is to be achieved by the work of the last days. The more clearly God speaks of man’s essence, thus is proven that the end of His work is coming closer, and furthermore that God is more hidden from people, which makes them feel more disconcerted. The less people observe God’s will, the less attention they pay to God’s work of the last days; this stops them from interrupting, and thus God does the work that He intends to do when no one is paying attention. This is one principle of God’s work throughout the ages. The less considerate He is of people’s weaknesses, thus is shown that God’s divinity is more apparent, and so the day of God draws closer. source: Interpretation of the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Utterances in The Word Appears in the Flesh Eastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared. Today, all are willing to grasp God’s will and know God’s disposition, yet none know the reason why they are incapable of following their wishes, they know not why their hearts always betray them, and why they are unable to achieve what they want to. As a result, they are once more beset by crushing desperation, yet they are also fearful. Unable to express these conflicting emotions, they can only hang their heads in sorrow and keep asking themselves: Could it be that God has not enlightened me? Could it be that God has secretly forsaken me? Perhaps everyone else is OK, and God has enlightened all of them except me. Why do I always feel disturbed when I read God’s words, why can’t I ever grasp anything? Though people’s minds think these things, none dare to express them; they merely carry on struggling inside. In fact, no one but God is able to understand His words or grasp His true will. Yet God always asks that people grasp His will—isn’t this like trying to drive a duck onto a perch? Is God ignorant of man’s failings? This is the intersection of God’s work, it is what people don’t understand, and thus God says, “Man lives amid the light, yet he is unaware of the preciousness of the light. He is ignorant of the substance of the light, and of the source of the light, and, moreover, of to whom it belongs.” According to God’s words and what He asks of man, no one will survive, for there is nothing in man’s flesh that is accepting of God’s words, so if people are able to obey God’s words, cherish and yearn for God’s words, and apply the words in God’s utterances that point to the states of man to their own conditions, and so know themselves, then this is the highest standard. When the kingdom is ultimately realized, those who live in the flesh shall still be incapable of grasping God’s will, and will still require the personal guidance of God. It’s just that people will be without Satan’s interference, and shall possess the normal life of man, which is God’s objective in defeating Satan, and is chiefly in order to recover the original essence of man, who was created by God. In God’s mind, the “flesh” refers to the following: the inability to know God’s essence, the inability to see the affairs of the spiritual realm, and, furthermore, the ability to be corrupted by Satan but also be directed by the Spirit of God. This is the substance of the flesh created by God. Naturally, it is also in order to avoid chaos caused by lack of order in the life of mankind. The more God speaks, and the more incisive His words become, the more people understand His words. People unconsciously change, and unconsciously live in the light, and thus “Because of the light, all people are growing, and have left the darkness.” This is the beautiful scene of the kingdom, and is like what was often spoken in the past: “living in the light, departing from death.” When Sinim is realized on earth—when the kingdom is realized—there will be no more war on earth, never again will there be famines, plagues, and earthquakes, people will stop producing weapons, all will live in peace and stability, and both people and countries will interact normally with each other. Yet the present bears no comparison to this. All beneath the heavens is in chaos, coups are gradually beginning to occur in each country. As God utters His voice people are gradually changing, and, internally, every country is slowly being torn apart. The steady foundations of Babylon begin to shake, like a castle reaching into the sky, and as God’s will shifts, tremendous changes occur unnoticed in the world, and all manner of signs appear at any time, showing people that the last day of the world has arrived! This is God’s plan, these are the steps by which He works, and each country will surely be torn to pieces, old Sodom will be annihilated a second time, and thus God says “The world is falling! Babylon is in paralysis!” No one but God Himself is capable of completely understanding this; there is, after all, a limit to people’s awareness. For example, the ministers of internal affairs might know that the present circumstances are unstable and chaotic, but they are incapable of addressing them. They can only ride the current, hoping in their hearts for the day when they can hold their heads high, yearning that a day will come when the sun will once again rise in the east, shining across the land and turning around this miserable state of affairs. Little do they know, however, that when the sun rises a second time, it is not to restore the old order, but to bounce back, and bring about thorough change. Such is God’s plan for the whole universe. He shall bring about a new world, but above all, He will first renew man. Today, bringing people into God’s words is what’s key, not just allowing them to enjoy the blessings of status. Moreover, as God says, “In the kingdom, I am King—but instead of treating Me as its King, man treats Me as the Savior that has descended from heaven. As a result, he longs for Me to give him alms, and does not pursue the knowledge of Me.” Such are the true conditions of all people. Today, what’s crucial is completely dispelling man’s insatiable greed, thus allowing people to know God without asking for anything; no wonder, then, that God says, “So many have cried out before Me like a beggar; so many have opened their ‘sacks’ to Me and implored Me to give them food to survive.” These various states point out people’s greed, and they show that people do not love God but make demands of God, or else try to gain the things they long for. People have the nature of a hungry wolf, they are all cunning and greedy, and thus God makes requirements of them over and over again, forcing them to hand over the greediness in their hearts and love God with sincerity. In reality, to date, people have yet to give all of their hearts to God, they straddle two boats, sometimes depending on themselves, sometimes depending on God without completely relying on God. When God’s work reaches a certain point, all people will live amid true love and faith, and God’s will shall be fulfilled; thus, God’s requirements are not high.
The angels are constantly moving among the sons and people of God, hurrying between heaven and earth and descending to the human world after returning to the spiritual realm each day. This is their duty, and thus each day the sons and people of God are shepherded, and their life gradually changes. On the day that God changes His form, the angels’ work on earth shall officially end and they will return to the realm of heaven. Today, all the sons and people of God are in the same condition. As the seconds go by, all people are changing, and the sons and people of God are gradually becoming more mature. In comparison, all the rebels are also changing before the great red dragon: People are no longer loyal to the great red dragon, and devils no longer follow its arrangements. Instead, all “go about their own business, picking the route that suits them best.” Thus when God says, “How could the countries on earth not perish? How could the countries on earth not fall?” the heavens come pressing down in an instant…. It is as if there is an ominous feeling presaging the end of mankind. The various ominous signs prophesied here are precisely what is occurring in the country of the great red dragon, and none among those on earth are capable of escaping. Such is what is prophesied in God’s words. In people’s premonitions today, they feel that time is short, and they seem to feel that a disaster is about to befall them—yet they have no means of escape, and thus they are all without hope. God says, “As I decorate the ‘inner chamber’ of My kingdom day by day, no one has ever suddenly burst into My ‘workroom’ to disrupt My work.” In fact, the meaning of God’s words does not only lie in making people know God in His words. Above all, they indicate that each day God arranges all manner of developments throughout the universe to serve the next part of His work. The reason why He says “No one has ever suddenly burst into My ‘workroom’ to disrupt My work” is because God works in divinity, and even though people might want to, they are incapable of partaking in His work. I would like to ask: Could you arrange all developments of the entire universe? Could you make the people on earth defy their ancestors? Could you maneuver people throughout the universe to serve God’s will? Can you cause Satan to run riot? Can you make people feel that the world is desolate and empty? People are incapable of such things. In the past, when Satan’s “skills” had yet to be fully brought to bear, Satan would always interfere in each stage of God’s work; in this stage, Satan has run out of tricks, and thus God allows Satan to show its true colors in order that all people may know it. This is the truth of the words “No one has ever disrupted My work.” Each day, the people of the churches read God’s words, each day they are dissected upon the operating table. For example, mocking words such as “losing their position,” “being dismissed,” “their fears allayed and composure restored,” “abandonment,” devoid of “feeling” and so on leave them dumb with shame; it is as if no part of their entire body—from head to toe, from inside out—is approved of by God. Why do God’s words strip people’s lives so bare? Is God deliberately making things difficult for people? It is as if the faces of all people are smeared with mud that can’t be washed off. Their heads bowed, each day they give an account of their sins as if they are scam artists. People have been corrupted by Satan to the extent that they lack a full awareness of their true states. But to God, Satan’s venom is in every part of their bodies, even their bone marrow; as a result, the more profound God’s revelations, the more fearful people become. Thus, all people can know Satan and see Satan in man, for they have been incapable of seeing Satan with their naked eyes. And since all has entered into reality, God exposes man’s nature—which is to say, He exposes the image of Satan—and thus allows man to behold the real, tangible Satan, which is better able to help them know the practical God. God allows man to know Him in the flesh, and gives form to Satan, thus allowing man to know the real, tangible Satan in the flesh of all people. These various states are the manifestation of Satan’s deeds. And so, it is fair to say that all those who are of the flesh are the embodiment of Satan’s image. Because God is incompatible with His enemies, because they are hostile to each other, and are two different forces, demons are demons, God is God, they are as incompatible as fire and water, and are ever as separate as heaven and earth. When God created man, one kind of people were the spirits of the angels; one kind had no spirit, thus they were possessed by the spirits of demons, and so they are called demons. Ultimately, angels are angels, demons are demons—and God is God. This is what is meant by each classed according to kind, and so when the angels reign on earth and enjoy blessings, God returns to His dwelling place, and the rest—the enemies of God—are turned to ashes. In fact, outwardly, all people love God—but the root of it lies in their essence; how can those with the nature of angels escape God’s hand and fall into the bottomless pit? And how can those with the nature of demons ever truly love God? In substance, these people do not truly love God, so how could they ever have the chance to enter the kingdom? All was arranged by God since the creation of the world, just as God says, “I advance amid wind and rain, and have spent year after year among man, and that is followed by the present day. Are these not the steps of My management plan? Who has ever added to My plan? Who can break away from the steps in My plan?” Having become flesh, God must experience the life of man, and is this not the real side of the practical God? God does not hide anything from man because of man’s weakness; instead, He lays bare the truth to man, just as God says, “I have spent year after year among man.” It is because God is God become flesh that He has passed year after year on earth; accordingly, only after undergoing all manner of processes can He be considered to have become flesh, only after which He becomes able to work in the divinity within the flesh. And then, only after revealing all mysteries will He change His form. This is an alternate explanation of “being non-supernatural,” and is directly instructed by God. People must pass the test of each and every one of God’s words, without perfunctoriness—this is God’s commission! source: Interpretation of the Twenty-second and Twenty-third Utterances in The Word Appears in the Flesh Eastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God was created because of the appearance and work of Almighty God, the second coming of the Lord Jesus, Christ of the last days. It is made up of all those who accept Almighty God's work in the last days and are conquered and saved by His words. It was entirely founded by Almighty God personally and is led by Him as the Shepherd. It was definitely not created by a person. Christ is the truth, the way, and the life. God's sheep hear God's voice. As long as you read the words of Almighty God, you will see God has appeared. |
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