D. Being Inclined Toward Vengeance

Our fellowship on the manifestations of the third type of people—those who are dissolute and unrestrained—has concluded. Aside from people of this type, there are many others who fall under the category of evil people, and the church should discern and clear out all these types of evil people. Next, we shall discuss the fourth type. Of the various evil people that the church should discern and clear out, the fourth type presents a significant challenge and trouble. Who might these be? They are those inclined toward vengeance. By the phrase “inclined toward vengeance,” it is evident these people are not anything good; colloquially speaking, they are bad apples. Judging from the consistent manifestations and revelations of their humanity, as well as their principles of action, their hearts are not kind. As the common saying goes, they are “nasty pieces of work.” We say they are not of the kind sort; more specifically, these individuals are not kind-hearted but carry viciousness, maliciousness, and cruelness. Once someone says or does something that touches upon these individuals’ interests, face, or status, or that offends them, for one thing, they harbor hostility in their hearts. For another, on the basis of this hostility, they act; they act with the objective and direction of venting their hatred and relieving their anger, a behavior known as seeking vengeance. There’s always a portion of individuals like this among people. Whether it’s what people describe as being petty, domineering, or overly sensitive, regardless of the terms used to describe or summarize their humanity, the common manifestation of their interactions with others is that anyone who accidentally or intentionally hurts or offends them must suffer and face the corresponding consequences. It’s like some people say: “Offend them, and you’ll get more than you bargained for. If you trigger or hurt them, don’t think of escaping lightly.” Do such individuals exist among people? (Yes.) They certainly do. Regardless of what happens, whether or not it’s worth being angry or petty about, those inclined toward vengeance put it on their daily agendas, treating it as a matter of utmost importance. Whoever offends them, it is unacceptable, and they demand a corresponding price be paid, which is their principle for treating people, for treating anyone they consider an enemy. For example, in church life, some people fellowship about their state or normally fellowship and share their experiences, discussing their states and corruption. In doing so, they inadvertently involve others’ states and corruption. The speaker may be unintentional, but the listener takes it to heart. After listening, this individual cannot correctly comprehend or approach it, and they are prone to developing a vengeful mentality. If they don’t let this matter go and insist on attacking and seeking vengeance, it will cause trouble for the church’s work, so this matter must be handled promptly. As long as there are evil people in the church, disturbances will inevitably arise, so incidents of evil people disturbing the church must not be taken lightly. Whether intentional or not, as long as you trigger or hurt them, they will not let it go easily. They think to themselves: “You speak of your own corruption, why mention me? You talk about your self-knowledge, why expose me? Exposing my corruption makes me lose face and dignity, puts me on the spot among the brothers and sisters, causes me to lose prestige, and damages my reputation. Well then, I’ll seek vengeance against you; you’ll get more than you bargained for! Don’t think I’m easy to bully, don’t think you can push me around just because my family conditions are poor and my social status is not high. Don’t take me for some pushover; I’m not someone to be trifled with!” Never mind how it is they carry out their vengeance; let’s just consider these people themselves: When they encounter these minor matters—matters which are common in church life—not only can they not treat or comprehend these matters correctly, but they also develop hatred and wait for opportunities to seek vengeance, even resorting to unscrupulous means to carry out their vengeance. What does this say about their humanity? (It’s malicious.) Are they kind people? (No.) The best kind of people are those who can accept the truth. When they hear others fellowship and share their experiences, they ponder: “I also have this corruption. What they describe seems like my state. Whether they are intentionally exposing me or unintentionally speaking about something that happens to resemble my state, I will correctly comprehend it—I will hear how they have experienced it, how they seek the truth to resolve this state, and how they practice and enter.” This is someone who truly accepts the truth. A slightly lesser person upon hearing this might think, “How come the corrupt disposition they recognize is just like my state? Are they talking about me? Well, let them talk. After all, I haven’t suffered any loss, and most people probably don’t know anyway. Maybe they’re just talking about themselves, and it just happens to coincide with my state; we all share the same state.” They don’t take it seriously, harbor no hatred in their heart, and do not foster a vengeful mentality. However, it’s different for the non-kind, evil people. Others would view the same matter as commonplace, handling and treating it accordingly. Of course, good people who accept the truth would resolve it proactively and positively. Ordinary people, although not positively resolving it, do not harbor hatred, much less seek vengeance. But for those non-kind people, such a common and utterly ordinary matter can cause them inner turmoil, making them unable to calm down. The things they produce are not positive or ordinary, but vicious and wicked; they seek vengeance. What is the reason for their vengeance? They believe that people intentionally malign them with malicious remarks, exposing real situations about them, as well as their ugly side and their corruption. They take what people say as intentional, thus considering them their enemies. Then, they feel justified in using revenge to settle the matter, employing various means to achieve their vengeful ends. Is this not a vicious disposition? (Yes.) In church life, when the brothers and sisters talk about their states, most listeners can relate and accept it from God. Only those who are averse to the truth and have a wicked disposition generate hostility and even a vengeful mindset upon hearing it, thoroughly revealing their nature essence. Once the vengeful mindset is generated, a series of vengeful behaviors and actions follow. When acts of seeking vengeance unfold, what becomes of the relationships between people? They are no longer proper. And who is the real victim in this? (The person they seek vengeance against.) Correct. The real victims are those who fellowship their experiential testimony. Those inclined toward vengeance will then judge, attack, and even frame or slander those they perceive as exposing or harboring hostility toward them, using words or actions in various situations. Those inclined toward vengeance do not simply harbor hatred momentarily in their hearts and that’s all; they look for and even create all sorts of opportunities to seek vengeance against those who are the targets of their vengeance, those they are hostile toward, and those they perceive as unfavorable to them. For example, during the election of leaders, if the person they are hostile toward meets the principles for using people within the house of God and is qualified to be elected as a leader, their hostility will cause them to judge, condemn, and attack that person. They might even engage in behind-the-scenes actions or do things detrimental to that person to exact their revenge. In summary, their means of carrying out their vengeance are varied. For instance, they might find things to use as leverage against someone and badmouth them, fabricate rumors about that person via exaggeration and baseless hearsay, or spread dissension between that person and others. They might even falsely accuse that person to the leaders, claiming that the person is disloyal, negative and resistant in doing their duties. These are all actually deliberate fabrications, making something out of nothing. See how, from their suspicions and misunderstandings of that person, so many unwarranted behaviors and actions arise; all of these approaches stem from their vengeful nature. In fact, when that person shared their experiential testimonies, it was not targeted at them at all; there was no malice intended toward them whatsoever. It’s merely because they are averse to the truth and have a vicious disposition inclined toward vengeance that they do not allow others to expose them, nor do they permit discussions about knowing oneself, discussing corrupt dispositions, or talking about one’s satanic nature. When such topics are discussed, they become enraged, assuming they are being targeted and exposed, hence developing and forming a vengeful mindset. The manifestations of this kind of person carrying out their vengeance are not at all limited to just one circumstance. Why do I say so? It’s because such individuals have a vicious nature; none may trigger or provoke them. They inherently possess an aggressiveness toward anyone and anything, akin to a scorpion or centipede. Hence, whether someone triggers or hurts them by speaking intentionally or unintentionally, as long as they feel that their pride or prestige has been lost, they will devise ways to salvage their pride and prestige, leading to a series of vengeful actions.

Next, I will fellowship other manifestations of those inclined toward vengeance. Some are pruned by leaders because they did their duties perfunctorily, causing them to harbor dissatisfaction. Tell Me, is pruning them justified? (Yes.) It’s completely justified and normal. If you do your duty perfunctorily, causing harm to the church’s work, and you do not act in line with principles, and someone stands up to expose and prune you, it’s justified, and you should accept it. However, those inclined toward vengeance not only refuse to accept it but also harbor dissatisfaction. Once the leader leaves, they start hurling abuse: “What are you showing off for? Isn’t it just that you have an official position? If I had such a position, I’d do better than you! Pruning me, who do you think you are? I hate you for pruning me. I curse you to be run over by a car, to choke to death on your drink, to choke to death on your food. I curse you to die miserably! You dare to prune me? There isn’t anyone on earth who dares to prune me!” When that leader is pruned by upper-level leaders because of some matters, they revel in the leader’s misfortune and become extremely happy, humming a tune, thinking to themselves: “How about that? You showed off, and now you’re getting retribution! Whoever prunes me, I will make their life miserable!” What do you think of such people? (They’re malicious.) No matter how justified their being pruned is, they cannot accept it. They persistently argue and defend themselves, and afterward they still continue to do their duties perfunctorily, remaining incorrigible despite repeated admonitions. If you always act in a perfunctory manner, in God’s house, you will just be pruned; if you’re at your job in the secular world and you act perfunctorily, you might end up being fired and lose your livelihood. Most of the time in God’s house, the principle is to fellowship the truth and support with love, allowing most people to pursue the truth and do their duties normally. Actually, among leaders and workers, only the minority may face harsh pruning. Most people act based on faith, awareness, conscience, and reason, accepting God’s scrutiny, and do not make grave mistakes, so they do not face harsh pruning. However, being pruned is a good thing; how many people get to face pruning, especially from the Above? This presents a great opportunity for self-knowledge and life growth. Believers must at least understand the significance of being pruned, recognizing it as something good. Even if the pruning from certain individuals is not entirely in line with principles, mixed with personal inclinations and hotheadedness, you should still examine yourself to see which aspects of your actions do not align with principles and positively accept it; doing this is helpful to you. But, these evil people cannot accept even justified pruning. Even if they do not take action to seek vengeance, their hearts are filled with immense dissatisfaction, and they curse and swear. When those who have pruned them face their own pruning or encounter adversity, they are happier than a child celebrating the New Year. This is the manifestation of evil people. There are also some people who are competitive in doing their duty; they often do not follow principles and act perfunctorily, leading to unfruitful performance of their duties. When the leader fellowships about their issues and prunes them, those inclined toward vengeance cannot treat this matter correctly. Even though they internally admit to their perfunctoriness and lack of principle in doing their duties, they still develop thoughts and actions of seeking vengeance in response to being pruned. Subsequently, they write letters falsely accusing the leader, seizing on some of their practices and their revelations of corruption to exaggerate and report to higher-ups in an attempt to replace the leader. If their objective is not achieved, they undermine and cause disturbances behind the scenes, stubbornly resisting the leader’s arrangements. They do not consider the church’s work, the principles required by God’s house, or the effectiveness of doing their duty; they are only concerned with venting their anger. They refuse to listen to anyone, even rejecting the admonitions of leaders and workers. Although they do not talk back or resist to their face, behind the scenes, they can vent negativity, drop their responsibilities in opposition, and seize upon any leverage to wield against the work arrangements of God’s house or against the leaders and workers. They even spread notions; they themselves are negative and reluctant to do their duty, but they also try to drag more people into being negative and slack and neglecting their duties. What is their principle? “I’m not afraid of dying; I need find someone to drag down with me. The leader prunes me, saying my performance of duty is not up to standard—then I’ll make sure everyone fails to do their duty well. If I’m not doing well, none of you will! The leader prunes me, and you all laugh at me; I’ll make life difficult for all of you!” When they do their duty perfunctorily or against principles, and someone reports this to the leaders, they investigate this matter: “Who reported me? Who told on me to the leaders? Who is in close contact with the leaders? If I find out who reported me to the upper-level leaders, I won’t show any courtesy to that person! I’ll never let it go!” They are not only capable of making harsh statements, but of course, they can also carry out such threats. These individuals have many nasty and underhanded tactics for seeking vengeance, not just by seizing leverage with which to judge and condemn others; some deliberately steal the laptop charger of the person they want to seek vengeance against, leaving them unable to recharge their laptop and hindering their performance of duty. Others intentionally add a lot of salt to someone’s food to make it inedible. These crude means of revenge, common among nonbelievers, are also employed by evil people within the church. Their methods of carrying out their vengeance extend far beyond these, including some unscrupulous tactics we’ve never seen before; we’re merely citing a few simple examples. Among them, some individuals deliberately create trouble, obstacles, and difficulties for others; this is a common occurrence. In every group, under various circumstances and environments, the vicious disposition of those inclined toward vengeance is constantly exposed. The vengeful manifestations of evil people and antichrists are even more evident. As long as there are evil people and antichrists within the church, God’s chosen people, who genuinely believe in Him and pursue the truth, will be disturbed. Each day evil people and antichrists are present is a day the church knows no peace—good people will be attacked and excluded; in particular, those pursuing the truth will face the hostility and vengeance of evil people and antichrists. How do evil people and antichrists torment and carry out their vengeance against others? Firstly, they target those who pursue the truth and adhere to principles. These evil individuals clearly perceive that only those who pursue the truth are most detrimental to them. First of all, people who understand the truth can discern them; so long as they do something bad, they will be seen through by those who understand the truth. Second, with people who understand the truth present, their evil deeds will be somewhat restricted, making it difficult for them to achieve their goals. From this perspective, only those who pursue the truth are protectors of the church’s work. With those who pursue the truth present, antichrists and evil people dare not act tyrannically and must exercise some restraint. Thus, those who pursue the truth are a thorn in the side of antichrists and evil people, a pain in their necks, and that is why they devise ways to carry out their vengeance.

When evil people carry out their vengeance, they exhibit a vicious disposition, being unreasonable and lacking rationality. Those who have spent some time with them and understand them fear them to some degree. Conversing with them requires utmost caution and politeness, demanding an excessive degree of respect. They must constantly appease and accommodate them, and any issues or faults they have cannot be pointed out directly. Instead, they must discuss these issues in a roundabout way, coaxingly, and after speaking, they must also praise them, saying, “Although you have this flaw or deficiency, you learn skills faster than us, your professional capabilities are stronger than others, and your work efficiency is higher than ours. I see your faults as strengths.” They even have to flatter them. Why do they do this? It’s out of fear of their vengeance. This way, these evil individuals become pleased, and they feel mollified in their hearts. To avoid their vengeance, most people are afraid to raise any issues they detect with them face to face, nor do they dare to report these issues. Even when it’s clear that they are harming the interests of God’s house, and that the church’s work is being delayed because of their stubbornness and reckless willfulness, or even when some distortions in their direction and principles are noticed, no one dares to object or report them to higher-ups. Because of their vicious disposition and their humanity which is inclined toward vengeance, others are somewhat scared of them, feeling angry but too afraid to speak out about it. Conversations with them must be particularly polite and tactful, with an exceptionally kind, gentle, and refined attitude shown toward them. When people speak to them with respect and politeness, yielding to them, they feel comfortable inside. However, if someone is straightforward, exposing their issues and offering suggestions, they become repulsed, perceiving it as disrespect, as others having objections or enmity toward them. This prompts them to seek vengeance against the person and torment them; they have to bring them down and disgrace their name. If that person falls into their hands, they will not come to a good end. Are such people fearsome? (Yes.) If you don’t understand them and you do offend them, they will hold a grudge against you, contemplating revenge against you even while eating and sleeping. Once you’re on their radar, trouble is inevitable, as they are determined to seek vengeance. While they may speak to you as before outwardly, the moment they contemplate seeking vengeance, everything you’ve previously done or said to them becomes ammunition for them. They’ll treat you as an enemy, carrying out their vengeance bit by bit until they feel sufficiently avenged and fully satisfied. This is the consequence of associating with evil people.

People who are inclined toward vengeance, based on their various behaviors and on the principles and methods in their actions and in them being a person, pose a threat to nearly everyone, except those who are kind-hearted and amiable to all and who lack principles when dealing with anyone—such individuals are safe around vicious people. However, those with even a slight sense of conscience or justice will, to varying extents and to greater and lesser degrees, feel threatened when in the presence of people inclined toward vengeance. In severe cases, they might face physical harm or even threats to their life, while in milder scenarios, they could be subject to verbal attacks, defamation, or framing. These are among the overall revelations and manifestations of the vicious disposition of people inclined toward vengeance. Based on their overall manifestations, such people also cause disturbances among the brothers and sisters and within the church. Nearly everyone who interacts with these vengeful people becomes a target of their vengeance and, almost invariably, a victim. Those inclined toward vengeance have a vicious disposition, they are ticking time bombs that could go off at any moment. Although they can follow the crowd to do their duties and lead a normal church life, judging from their humanity, they could seek vengeance and pose threats to others at any time, and make people fear and guard against them. Doesn’t this already constitute disturbances for the majority? (Yes.) To avoid offending them, to please them, and to evade their grudges and vengeance, people must always be mindful of their expressions and listen to the implied meanings of their speech, trying to figure out their intentions, goals, and directions when they speak. From this perspective, aren’t most people not only disturbed by them but also controlled by them? (Yes.) Therefore, judging from the nature of this matter, aren’t such vengeful individuals evil people? (Yes.) It is very clear that they should be characterized as evil people. If one tries to understand the situation of such individuals, most are afraid to speak the truth about them, and will brush aside every question about them with noncommittal answers like “It’s okay,” daring neither to report their problems nor to talk about or evaluate them. Isn’t this a troublesome situation? Some say, “Such evil people can seek vengeance anytime and anywhere; who would dare to provoke them? Moreover, they always claim to have connections in both the underworld and legitimate circles, threatening that if anyone offends them, things will not end well for that person, they will teach them a lesson, and make their family die a miserable death. Therefore, no one dares to provoke them. Let them be, and we’ll just hope for the best for ourselves.” You see, such a situation is formed in the church, effectively meaning they have already controlled these people. Due to witnessing their vicious disposition in seeking vengeance, people dare not accuse or prune them, nor dare to speak their true evaluations of them. Conversations have to be navigated around them, for fear of offending them, and even speaking in specifics about their true manifestations behind their back is terrifyingly daunting. What are people afraid of? They fear that their words will reach the ears of the vengeful person, who will seek vengeance against them. After speaking, they smack their foreheads and say, “Oh no, I spoke out of turn today. Just wait, I’m going to suffer for it. Why can’t I keep my mouth shut?” From then on, they live in constant fear and anxiety, tiptoeing around life, always observing when around that person, wondering, “Does he know what I said? Has it reached his ears? Is his attitude toward me the same as before?” The more they ponder, the more unsettled they become, and the longer it goes on, the greater their fear becomes, so they decide it’s better to just avoid him altogether, thinking, “I can’t risk provoking him, but I can at least avoid him. Whether he knows what I’ve said or not, can’t I just stay away from him?” This fear becomes so overwhelming that they dare not even attend gatherings, avoiding any place where this vicious person might be, even if it’s where they must do their duty, feeling scared out of their wits.

How should those evil people who are inclined toward vengeance be handled? (Clear them out.) It’s quite simple: Just three words—clear them out—and it’s done. If they are cleared out and the majority celebrates, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction, then it was the right decision to clear them out. Previously, during gatherings, the presence of evil people meant that most people were constrained while fellowshipping; they feared that a wrong word might offend the evil ones, so they guarded against and avoided them while speaking. There emerged an unspoken rule during gatherings: If someone signaled with their eyes, the topic would swiftly change. This was the state of affairs that emerged. Once those inclined toward vengeance were cleared out, the church was at peace, church life became normal, and the relationships among people also returned to normality. The brothers and sisters could now freely share and pray-read God’s words, and freely share their experiential testimonies, without being controlled by anyone, without fearing anyone, and without having to be mindful of anyone’s expressions. Based on this result, was it correct to clear such evil people out? (Yes.) Absolutely. They should be cleared out. Without clearing them out, life would become unbearable for everyone, and many would be too frightened to attend gatherings. Some timid individuals might even suffer from nightmares, always dreaming of being strangled by evil demons. They would always be overly cautious during gatherings, never daring to speak, unable to feel liberated and free. Since the evil people were cleared out, they have changed completely: They now dare to speak during gatherings, they have become more active during fellowship, and they feel liberated and free. Isn’t this a good thing? (Yes.) It is easy to discern such vengeful individuals with a vicious disposition. Generally, after interacting with someone for over six months, everyone should be able to sense and clearly see whether they are that kind of individual; it becomes apparent after spending some time with them. Leaders and workers in the church should not be passive in handling such evil people. What does it mean not to be passive? It means not waiting until they have outraged everyone by misleading some people and committing bad deeds before dealing with them—that would be too passive. So, when is the best time to handle evil people? It is when a small number of people have already been harmed and feel a strong aversion and guardedness toward them, and when they’ve been thoroughly characterized as evil people. At this point, they should be handled and cleared out immediately to prevent more people from being harmed, and to avoid the timid being scared out of wits or made to stumble by them. What is most critical here? If evil people are allowed to cause disturbances within the church for too long, the ultimate result is that they control the church and God’s chosen people. If it reaches this extent, everyone suffers. To avoid harm to everyone, when a portion of people has been harmed, or when some have developed a strong distaste for and have seen through such individuals, identifying them as evil ones inclined toward vengeance, church leaders should then promptly clear them out. They mustn’t wait until the evil people have committed numerous evils and provoked public outrage before deciding to act—that would be too passive; and wouldn’t such church leaders be good-for-nothings? (Yes.) In undertaking such work, church leaders should be particularly sensitive to the states, manifestations, and revelations of such individuals, quickly seeing through their dispositions, and then determining that they are evil people who should be cleared out, handling them as soon as possible. If it’s not possible to make a determination at the beginning, then a focus on observation is necessary, paying close attention to their speech, behavior, and demeanor, understanding their thoughts and the tendencies of their actions. Once it’s discovered that they intend to carry out their vengeance, prompt measures should be taken to clear them out, to prevent more people from being harmed and suffering acts of vengeance.

Some church leaders say, “We’re not afraid of evil people; aside from dreading God, we fear no one. What are evil people to us? We’re not even afraid of Satan, nor do we fear the arrests and persecution by the great red dragon, so why should we fear evil people? An evil person is just a minor demon, why fear them? We’ll just keep them in the church and let the majority of the brothers and sisters suffer harm. After suffering, they’ll grow in discernment, and with discernment, they’ll no longer be bound and constrained by such evil people. That would be great!” Can the majority achieve this stature? (No.) They cannot. Their faith is too weak, the truths they understand are too few, and their stature is too small. They avoid evil people whenever they see them, not daring to offend them. Apart from fearing death and valuing their own lives, most people also protect their various fleshly interests; they are unable to gain discernment or learn lessons from the various things evil people do. Thus, this idea is fundamentally impractical and can’t yield any results. If an evil person appears in a church, when most have recognized and determined that individual to be evil, how many people possess the sense of justice to stand up, break with the evil one, fight against them, and protect the interests of God’s house? What percentage is that? Is it 10%? If not 10%, then is it 5%? (About that.) That means that in a group of twenty, there might be one person who stands up to fight against an evil person, to expose and challenge them with God’s words, engage in debate, and clear them out of the church. Such individuals are the heroes among God’s chosen people, the meritorious figures of the church. Some leaders and workers are afraid to handle evil people. Are such people suited for their roles? Do they qualify to bear witness for God? When they hear of an evil person who needs to be cleared out from the church, they say, “It’s a bit troublesome to clear them out. I used to be quite familiar with them. They know where I live and who in my family believes in God. If I expel them, they will surely seek vengeance against me.” What do you think, do such people deserve to be leaders and workers? (No.) After discovering an evil person who needs to be cleared out, their first thought is of their own interests, fearing the evil person’s vengeance. They fail to consider whether the evil person, knowing some gathering locations and contact information of the brothers and sisters, could sell out the church or the brothers and sisters after being cleared out, as well as how this should be prevented. Their primary concern is not the interests of God’s house but the fear that the evil person, knowing their family situation, might sell out and negatively impact their family. Do such leaders and workers bear witness? (No.) Some leaders and workers see evil people behaving tyrannically and trying to control the church, yet they dare not speak up. Instead, they compromise and evade, not daring to deal with the evil people. When they see evil people, they feel as terrified as if they’d seen an evil demon with three heads and six arms, failing to protect the interests of God’s house. Meanwhile, some ordinary brothers and sisters possess some sense of justice, possessing the courage and faith to stand up and expose the evil ones after detecting them, not fearing that the evil ones will seek vengeance against them. However, such individuals are too few in the church. The 5% you all mentioned earlier might be an exaggeration, not a conservative estimate. From this perspective, what is the majority’s attitude toward individuals with a vicious disposition who are inclined toward vengeance? (Most people are self-protective.) Their first thought is to protect themselves, not considering how to stand up and fight against the evil ones to protect the interests of God’s house and the brothers and sisters, focusing only on self-protection. What problem does this self-protection indicate? (Such people are very selfish.) For one thing, it reflects a deeply selfish humanity, and for another, it shows that most people’s faith in God is too weak. They verbally claim, “God holds sovereignty over everything; God is our support,” but when faced with reality, they feel they cannot rely on God and must depend on themselves, prioritizing their own self-protection, which is something they view as the highest wisdom. The implication is: “No one can protect me, not even God is reliable. Where is God? We cannot see Him! Moreover, I don’t know if God will protect me or not. What if He doesn’t protect me?” People’s faith is so pitiful. They constantly proclaim, “God holds sovereignty over everything; God is our support,” but when situations arise, they only seek self-protection, unable to stand up to fight against Satan and stand firm in their witness, lacking even this much faith. People’s faith is so pitiful; it is likewise completely exposed by this matter. Their stature is just that small. Regarding those evil people inclined toward vengeance, if there are a few individuals who want to expose them but feel isolated and powerless and fear being suppressed by the evil ones, they should unite with several leaders and workers or discerning brothers and sisters. After they join forces, they will have absolute confidence in victory. Then, they can expose and dissect the actions and behaviors of such evil people, allowing most people to discern and clearly see the true faces of evil people, so that everyone will be able to unite in heart and mind and jointly clear the evil people out. Earlier, you mentioned that when evil individuals appear, about one in twenty among God’s chosen people might possess a sense of justice to speak justly and dare to stand up and clear out such evil people. One in twenty is a bit too few; if a church only consists of ten people, how would they cleanse away evil individuals? They would not be able to; those ten people would be under the control of the evil ones, and endure mistreatment from them, which is unacceptable. It would be great to aim for one in ten or even one in five people having the courage to stand up and fight against evil people! Constantly seeking to protect oneself not only results in losing witness in front of Satan, but, even worse, losing the opportunity to attain the truth before God. In a church with one evil individual, at least some people will be harmed; if there are two evil individuals, the majority will be harmed; and if an antichrist holds power, with several accomplices and minions beneath them, then all of God’s chosen people in the church will be harmed. Is this the case? (Yes.) One person standing up against the evil ones represents one unit of strength, while ten people standing up against the evil ones represents ten units of strength. So, do you think evil people fear one person or ten people more? (Ten people.) Then, if twenty, thirty, or fifty people all stand up against the evil ones, who will ultimately win? (The brothers and sisters.) In the end, the brothers and sisters will win. Doesn’t that make clearing out evil people much easier? There is strength in numbers—this simple concept should be clear to all of you. Therefore, discerning and clearing out evil people is not solely the responsibility of a certain leader or worker but a collective responsibility of all of God’s chosen people in the church. With the efforts of the leaders and workers, along with the cooperation of God’s chosen people to clear out evil people, everyone can enjoy good days. If evil people are not cleared out and are left in the church in hopes of their repentance, but no improvement is seen after six months or a year, and they continue to cause unbearable disturbance to God’s chosen people, this is the result of showing mercy to the evil. Allowing evil people to behave tyrannically and control the church is equivalent to handing oneself over to the evil ones, as well as delivering the brothers and sisters into their hands, allowing them to freely control and grievously harm God’s chosen people. Is it easy to understand and attain the truth in an environment in which evil people and antichrists hold power? (No.) Time is precious. By clearing out evil people as soon as possible, you can restore peace and enjoy proper church life as soon as possible, and understand more of the truth. If you do not clear out evil people, they will cause disturbance and destruction among people like rabid dogs, saying and doing whatever they wish. This deprives you of the time to attain the truth, meaning your time and your performance of duty are controlled by the evil ones. Is this a good or a bad thing? (A bad thing.) In theory, everyone knows it’s a bad thing, but when faced with evil people disturbing the church, they no longer think this way, focusing only on not being schemed against or grievously harmed by the evil ones. If all of God’s chosen people in a church fear evil people like this, the church will easily fall under the control of evil people and antichrists, and God’s chosen people will be controlled by them as well. Can they be saved by God then? That’s hard to say. If a church does not have two or three people who understand the truth and are of one heart and mind in bearing witness to and serving God, it is a hopeless church, and that is a tragic situation.

Being inclined toward vengeance is a manifestation of evil conduct, and it is one of the behaviors and manifestations produced by a vicious disposition. Such individuals, when they exhibit this specific behavior, should be characterized as evil people. Of course, some people, because they were petty, lacked insight, or were new believers who didn’t understand the truth, always split hairs with others, harbored hatred toward those who were unfavorable to them or had harmed them, or once used some means to carry out their vengeance against certain individuals—but upon hearing that those inclined toward vengeance are evil people and are to be cleared out of the church, they change their thoughts, secretly turn themselves around inside, and exhibit some moderation and restraint in their behavior. Tell Me, are such people considered to be among the ranks of the evil? (No.) What indicates this? (Their ability to turn themselves around.) What does their ability to turn themselves around demonstrate? It demonstrates that they can accept the truth; it is a good phenomenon. Why do we say they can accept the truth? Because, after hearing the truth in this regard and realizing that seeking vengeance is a manifestation of evil people, they reflect on their own corrupt state, admit their corrupt essence, and then repent to God, act according to God’s words, and restrain their behavior. This is a manifestation of accepting the truth. The evil people we speak of here do not accept the truth. No matter how clearly you fellowship the truth to them, they don’t accept it; they remain obstinate, refusing to listen to anyone. Even if you warn them, “Your actions will lead to being cleared out,” they do not care and continue in their ways, unchangeable by anyone. When you expose them, they do not admit to their wrongs. When you tell them that they are someone who is inclined toward vengeance, they are evil, and they should be cleared out, they will still not abandon their evildoing and will definitely not turn around. What kind of people are these? They are those who are averse to the truth. They do not accept the truth at all—no matter how their disposition essence is characterized, how their evil deeds are exposed, or how they are handled, they remain unmoved, will absolutely not bow their heads and admit their faults, and will certainly not let go. This is an inability to turn themselves around. What is the essence of not turning oneself around? It is the refusal to accept the truth. If they could accept even a single correct statement or a single facet of the truth, they would not continue down the wrong path without turning back. They would reverse course, admit their mistakes, and, to some extent, let go of that with which they previously persisted. Because they are evil people, because they are evil individuals with a vicious disposition, after their behavior of seeking vengeance arises from such a disposition, not only do they refuse to accept what is exposed by God’s words, being pruned, or this sort of characterization, but on the contrary they insist on their ways to the end. They do not plan to accept being characterized or exposed, nor do they intend to admit their corruption. Of course, without admitting their corruption, they also do not plan to abandon their behavior and actions of seeking vengeance, nor their principles for how to be a person. They are utterly and thoroughly evil. Are such evil people not devils? (Yes.) They are devils who absolutely possess the essence of Satan. You cannot change them. Why can’t they be changed? The root cause is their absolute refusal to accept the truth. They reject even the slightest truth, any correct statement, positive word, or positive thing. Even if they verbally acknowledge God’s words as the truth and as positive things, their hearts do not accept the truth whatsoever, nor do they plan to practice and experience God’s words to change their ways of being a person and doing things. Sometimes, they might verbally admit that their actions are entirely based on Satan’s philosophy, but they still absolutely will not accept the truth. Anyone who fellowships the truth with them is met with their extreme repulsion, and even their hatred and judgment, and anyone who exposes and discerns them becomes the target of their hatred and vengeance, regardless of who it is—not even their own parents are spared. Are they not beyond redemption? (Yes.) They are beyond redemption. Is it a pity to clear them out? (No.) Such individuals must be cleared out or expelled. These are basically all the manifestations of those inclined toward vengeance; these are their characteristics, their dispositions, their ways and methods of doing things and their thought processes, as well as their attitude toward the truth—this is basically it. The impact they have on the church and on the brothers and sisters has already been discussed, so there’s no need to fellowship it again. This concludes the fellowship on the manifestations of the fourth type of people—those inclined toward vengeance.