A Dissection of How Antichrists Are Wicked, Insidious, and Deceitful

Last time we fellowshipped about the seventh manifestation of antichrists—they are wicked, insidious, and deceitful. This item has been fellowshipped about twice. The first discussion was on the wicked nature of antichrists—what was the emphasis of that discussion? (Being hostile toward and detesting the truth.) Antichrists are hostile toward and detest the truth, hating all positive things that are aligned with the truth and with God, which is the first and primary manifestation of antichrists’ wickedness. The first discussion was about what antichrists detest. Ordinary people detest negative things and wicked forces; they detest things that are filthy, dark, and wicked. However, contrary to this, the strongest evidence of the first manifestation of an antichrist’s wicked nature, is that they do not detest negative things but detest all positive things related to the truth and to God, which is the first strong piece of evidence concerning their wickedness. Our second discussion was on the second strong piece of evidence concerning the manifestations of an antichrist’s wickedness. If they detest positive things, what do they love? (Negative things.) What do people with normal humanity love? They love justice, kindness, and beauty, along with love, patience, and tolerance related to humanity, as well as common sense and knowledge that is positive and beneficial to people, and all positive things from God, including the laws and rules established by God for all things, God’s laws and administrative decrees, and all the truths and ways of life expressed by God, as well as other things related to God. The wicked nature of an antichrist runs contrary to this; they do not like these things—what do they like? (Lies and trickery.) Right, they like lies and trickery, along with conspiracies, and schemes, various means for worldly dealings, flattering people, boot-licking, as well as strife, status, and authority. They love all of these negative things that go against the truth and positive things, which precisely demonstrates the wicked nature of antichrists. Aren’t these pieces of evidence compelling? (Yes.) Although these pieces of evidence are all compelling, there are only two parts which cannot yet be considered complete. Today we will continue to discuss the third part of how antichrists are wicked, insidious, and deceitful. This third part is certainly different from the first and second parts, but it is related to them. How is it related? All three parts discuss this essence—the antichrist’s wicked nature. How is it different? In this part, what their wicked nature loves and needs, as well as what things they hate, are different from what the previous two parts discussed—the content is different. This difference is not to say that antichrists also like certain positive things or that they also hate some negative things; rather it consists of another part, which is not just about what they love or need, but is elevated to what this wicked force of antichrists esteems—to put it another way, what they worship or admire. Some people may say, “Terms like ‘esteem,’ ‘worship,’ and ‘admire’ should be used for interpretations of positive things, so how can they be applied to antichrists? Are these terms appropriate?” These terms are neither commendatory nor derogatory—they are neutral. Therefore, using them here does not violate any principles and is permissible.

III. A Dissection of the Things Antichrists Worship and Admire

What do antichrists worship and admire? First of all, it is certain that they do not worship the truth, God, or anything beautiful or good related to God. So, what exactly do they worship? Can you think of anything? Let Me give you a hint. Those people in religion who believe in the Lord, how did they sink into Christianity? Why are they now characterized as a religion, as a sect, and not as the church of God, the house of God, or the object of God’s work? They have religious teachings; they compile the work that God once did and the words that God once spoke into a book, into teaching materials, and then they open schools, and recruit and train various theologians. What do these theologians study? Is it the truth? (No.) What then do they study? (Theological knowledge.) They study theological knowledge and theories, which have nothing to do with the work of God or the truth spoken by God. They replace the words of God and the work of the Holy Spirit with theological knowledge, and that’s how they sink into Christianity or Catholicism. What is esteemed in religion? If you go to a church, and someone asks how long you have believed in God, and you say you just started believing, they won’t pay any attention to you. But if you go in with a Bible and say, “I just graduated from such-and-such theological seminary,” they will invite you to take a seat of honor. If you are a lay believer, unless you have a prominent social status, they won’t bother with you. This is Christianity, and that’s how the religious world is. Those in churches who preach and have status, position, and prestige are a group of people trained in theological seminaries to possess theological knowledge and theories, and they are essentially the main body holding up Christianity. Christianity trains such people to get on stage and preach, to spread the gospel and do work everywhere. They believe that with talents such as these theology students, preaching pastors, and theologians, the existence of Christianity is ensured to this day, and these people become the value and capital of Christianity’s existence. If a church’s pastor is a graduate of a theological seminary, discusses the Bible well, has read some spiritual books, and has some knowledge and eloquence, then that church’s attendance will flourish and it will become much more famous than other churches. What do these people in Christianity esteem? Knowledge, theological knowledge. Where does this knowledge come from? Isn’t it passed down from ancient times? There have been scriptures since ancient times, passed down from generation to generation, and that’s how everyone reads and learns them to this day. People divide the Bible into various sections, compile different versions, and encourage study and learning, but their study of the Bible is not to understand the truth in order to know God, nor is it to understand God’s intentions in order to fear God and shun evil; rather it is to study the knowledge and mysteries of the Bible, to figure out which events at what times have fulfilled which prophecy of Revelation, and when the great disasters and the millennium will come—they study these. Does their study relate to the truth? (No, it doesn’t.) Why do they study things that have nothing to do with the truth? It is because the more they study, the more they feel they understand, and the more words and doctrines they are equipped with, the higher their qualifications become. The higher their qualifications, the greater they feel their abilities are, and the more they believe that they will finally be blessed in their faith, that they will go to heaven after death, or that the living will be caught up in the air to meet the Lord. These are their religious notions, which are not at all in line with God’s words.

The pastors and elders of the religious world are all people who study biblical knowledge and theology; they are hypocritical Pharisees resisting God. So how are they different from antichrists hidden in the church? Next, let’s talk about the connection between the two. Are those in Christianity and Catholicism who study the Bible, theology, and even the history of God’s work truly believers? Are they different from the believers and followers of God about whom He speaks? In God’s eyes, are they believers? No, they study theology, they study God, but they do not follow God or bear witness to Him. Their study of God is the same as those who study history, philosophy, law, biology, or astronomy. It’s just that they don’t like science or other subjects—they specifically like to study theology. What is the outcome of their seeking out bits and pieces of God’s work to study God? Can they discover God’s existence? No, never. Can they understand God’s intentions? (No.) Why? Because they live in words, in knowledge, in philosophy, in the human mind and in human thoughts; they will never see God or be enlightened by the Holy Spirit. How does God classify them? As disbelievers, as nonbelievers. These nonbelievers and disbelievers mingle within the so-called Christian community, acting as believers in God, as Christians, but in reality do they have true worship for God? Do they have true submission? (No.) Why is that? One thing is certain: A considerable number of them do not believe in God’s existence in their hearts; they do not believe that God created the world and is sovereign over all things, and they believe even less that God can become flesh. What does this unbelief mean? It means to doubt and deny. They even adopt an attitude of not hoping that the prophecies spoken by God, especially those concerning disasters, will be fulfilled or come to pass. This is their attitude toward belief in God, and it is the essence and true face of their so-called faith. These people study God because they are particularly interested in the subject and knowledge of theology, and in the historical facts of God’s work; they are purely a group of intellectuals studying theology. These intellectuals do not believe in the existence of God, so how do they react when God comes to work, when God’s words are fulfilled? What is their first reaction when they hear that God has become flesh and started a new work? “Impossible!” Whoever preaches God’s new name and God’s new work, they condemn that person, and they even want to kill or eliminate him. What kind of manifestation is this? Is this not the manifestation of a typical antichrist? What difference is there between them and the Pharisees, chief priests, and scribes of old? They are hostile toward God’s work, toward God’s judgment in the last days, toward God becoming flesh, and even more so, they are hostile to the fulfillment of God’s prophecies. They believe, “If you do not become flesh, if you are in the form of a spiritual body, then you are god; if you are incarnated and become a person, then you are not god, and we do not acknowledge you.” What does this imply? It means that as long as they are here, they will not allow God to become flesh. Isn’t this a typical antichrist? This is a genuine antichrist. Does the religious world engage in this kind of argument? The voice of this argument is loud and very strong, saying, “God becoming flesh is wrong and impossible! If he is incarnate, then he must be false!” There are also people who say, “They clearly believe in a human being; they are just misled!” If they can say this, then if they were present during the time when the Lord Jesus appeared and worked two thousand years ago, they would not believe in the Lord Jesus. Now they believe in the Lord Jesus, but in fact, they only believe in the name of the Lord Jesus, in the two words “Lord Jesus,” and they believe in a vague god in heaven. Therefore, they are not believers in God, they are disbelievers. They do not believe in the existence of God, in the incarnation of God, in the creation work of God, and even less in the work of God’s redemption for all humanity through being crucified on the cross. The theology they study is a kind of religious theory or thesis, nothing more than seemingly plausible fallacies that mislead people. What inevitable connection do these so-called theological intellectuals in Christianity have with the antichrists in our church? What is the connection between their various behaviors and the nature essence of the antichrists we discuss? Why talk about them? Let’s hold off talking about the people in Christianity for now; instead, let’s look at how those classified as antichrists treat the truth, and from their attitude toward the truth, let’s see what they actually esteem. First of all, after they grasp some truths, how do they understand these truths? How do they treat these truths? What is their attitude toward accepting these truths? Do they accept these words as their path of practice, or do they equip them as a kind of theory, and then go and preach them to others? (They treat them as a kind of theory to preach.) They treat them as a kind of theory to learn, analyze, and study, and after studying, they learn them in their mind and in their thoughts; they remember them, can discuss them, and speak them fluently, and then they parade them everywhere. No matter how long they keep talking, there is one thing you cannot see, that no matter how much doctrine they speak, no matter how well they can speak, no matter how many people they speak to, how fluently, how much content, or whether it is in accordance with the truth, you cannot see any results from them—you cannot see their practice. What does this indicate? They do not accept the truth. What have they turned the truth into? A tool to flaunt themselves. For example, God tells people to be honest and explains what manifestations an honest person has, how an honest person should speak, act, and do their duty. After listening to this, what is their reaction? What impact do these words have on them? First, they never accept these words. What is their attitude? “I get it: Honest people do not lie, honest people tell the truth to others and can open their hearts, honest people do their duties loyally, not perfunctorily.” They keep these words as a theory in their hearts. Can this kind of theory, once it takes root in their hearts, change them? (No.) Then why do they still remember it? They like the correctness of these words, and they use these correct theories to package themselves, achieving a higher regard from others. What is it that people are regarding highly? It is their ability to speak the right words fluently and at length—that’s what these people want. After hearing these words, have they taken them seriously? (No, they haven’t.) Why not? How can you tell? (They don’t practice them.) Why don’t they practice them? In their hearts, they think, “So these are god’s words? Simple, I remember them after hearing them once. I can recite how an honest person should act after hearing it once; you all still need to take notes and ponder over it, but I don’t!” They consider God’s words a kind of theory or knowledge; they don’t ponder how to be an honest person in their hearts, they don’t compare themselves with this, they don’t examine their actions to see how they fall short of being an honest person or what actions they take that go against the principles of being an honest person, and they never think, “These are God’s words, so they are the truth: people should be honest, so how should one act in order to be an honest person? How can I act in a way that pleases God? What have I done that is dishonest? Which behaviors are not those of an honest person?” Do they think like this? (No, they don’t.) What do they think then? They think, “So this is an honest person? This is the truth? Isn’t this just a theory, a slogan? Just adopt a high moral tone, there’s no need to put it into practice.” Why don’t they put it into practice? They feel, “If I tell others whatever is in my heart, wouldn’t I be exposing myself? If I expose myself and others see through me, will they still think highly of me? If I speak, will others still listen? The meaning of god’s words is that an honest person cannot lie; without lying, wouldn’t there be no privacy left in people’s hearts? Wouldn’t that let others see right through them? Wouldn’t living like that be foolish?” This is their viewpoint. It means that when they accept a theory they consider to be right, they get ideas in their hearts. What are these ideas? Why do I say they are wicked? They first analyze the effects these words can have on them, the advantages and disadvantages they present to them. Once they analyze the words and find that they are not to their advantage, they think, “I can’t practice like this, I won’t do this, I’m not that foolish, I won’t be as foolish and simple as you! No matter when, I must always stick to my own ideas and maintain my own views. You may have a thousand plans, but I have one rule; I can’t expose the scheme in my heart—being an honest person is for fools!” In one respect, they deny that God’s words are the truth; in another, they remember some relatively essential phrases to package themselves, making people view them more like a genuine believer in God, more like a spiritual person. This is what they calculate in their hearts.

From the reaction that antichrists have to the truth after hearing it, it is evident that they are not interested in the truth and do not love it. What do they love? They love correct, fresh, and somewhat more refined theoretical knowledge that can package them more perfectly, more honorably, with more dignity, and make people worship them more. Isn’t this wicked? (Yes.) What about it is wicked? No matter which aspect of the truth an antichrist fellowships about, they can always conjure up a set of seemingly plausible theories or correct words to mislead people and make them follow them, which is just as wicked as Satan. An antichrist’s wickedness is manifested in their wicked schemes, premeditations, and a complete set of plans, wanting to wave the banner of reading God’s words to find a theoretical basis for carrying out their wickedness; this is the antichrist’s wickedness. They quote God’s words out of context solely to mislead people and show themselves off. When they listen to fellowships and sermons and hear a fresh phrase that they can make use of, they immediately note it down. Foolish people see such behavior and think, “How they hunger and thirst for righteousness, taking notes whenever they hear a sermon, and how much spiritual understanding they must have, noting down every crucial point!” Is their way of taking notes the same as that of other people? No, it isn’t. Some people take notes because they think, “This is a good statement. I don’t understand it, so I need to note it down and apply it later in practice, so that I have a path and principles in my practice.” Does the antichrist think this way? What is their motivation? They think, “I noted down an item of truth today that none of you heard, and I won’t tell anyone or fellowship about it with others—I got it, and one day I’ll speak to you all about it and show off to let you know that I really understand the truth, and everyone will show their approval.” You might think that antichrists love and thirst for the truth because they take notes like this and their notes are quite accurate, but what happens after they finish taking notes? They close their notebook, and that’s it. When they become a preacher one day and they don’t know what to preach about, they quickly flip through their notebook, organize the content of their sermon, read it, memorize it, and write it from memory until they have it all clear in their mind. Only then do they feel “sure of themselves,” thinking that they finally have “the truth” and can blow hot air anywhere they go. One characteristic of what these people speak is that it’s all hollow doctrines, arguments, and regulations. When you have specific difficulties or discover issues and seek solutions from them, they still just give you a bunch of doctrines, speaking clearly and logically. If you ask them how to put it into practice, they are at a loss for words. If they cannot articulate it, then there is a serious problem, and it proves that they do not understand the truth. People who do not understand the truth and who do not love the truth often treat it as just a kind of saying or theory. And what happens in the end? After many years of believing in God, when something befalls them, they cannot see through it, they cannot submit, and they do not know how to seek the truth. When someone fellowships with them, they have a “famous saying” with which they respond: “Don’t tell me anything, I understand everything. Back when I was preaching, you hadn’t even learned to walk yet!” This is their “famous saying.” They claim to understand everything, so why do they get stuck whenever issues arise? As someone who understands, why can’t you take any action? Why does this matter hinder and confuse you? Do you understand the truth or not? If you understand it, why can’t you accept it? If you understand it, why can’t you submit? What is the first thing that people should do once they understand the truth? They should submit; there is nothing else. Some people say, “I understand everything—don’t fellowship with me, I don’t need help from others.” It’s fine if they don’t need people to help them, but what’s a pity is that when they are weak, those doctrines they understand are of no use at all. They don’t even want to do their duties, and an evil desire to abandon their belief also emerges in them. After so many years of preaching theological theories, just like that they stop believing, and just like that they walk away—do they have any stature? (No, they don’t.) Without stature, there is no life. If you have life, why can’t you overcome such a small matter? You’re quite eloquent, aren’t you? Then persuade yourself. If you can’t even convince yourself, then what exactly is it that you understand? Is it the truth? The truth can resolve actual difficulties for people, and it can also resolve people’s corrupt dispositions. Why can’t those “truths” that you understand resolve even your own difficulties? What exactly is it that you understand? It’s just doctrines.

Regarding the seventh manifestation of antichrists—that they are wicked, insidious, and deceitful—I just spoke about the third part of this manifestation: They esteem knowledge and scholarship. Antichrists esteem knowledge and scholarship—what about this can illustrate their wicked disposition? Why is it said that esteeming knowledge and scholarship means that they have a wicked essence? We must certainly talk about the facts here, as if we discussed only empty words or theories, people might adopt a one-sided and less thorough understanding of this. First, let’s start with something further back in history. While I speak, hold up My words to the actions and behaviors of antichrists, and hold them up to antichrists’ manifestations and essence. Let’s first talk about the Pharisees from two thousand years ago. At that time, the Pharisees were hypocritical people. When the incarnate God revealed Himself and worked for the first time, not only did the Pharisees not accept a single shred of the truth, they even fervently condemned and resisted the Lord Jesus, and thus were cursed by God. This can confirm that the Pharisees are a classic representative of antichrists. “Antichrists” has become another name for the Pharisees, and in essence, the Pharisees are the same type of people as antichrists. Therefore, starting with the Pharisees to dissect the wicked nature of antichrists is a shortcut. So, what did the Pharisees do that showed people that they possessed an antichrist’s wicked nature? Just now I mentioned that antichrists esteem knowledge and scholarship; to which people are knowledge and scholarship closely related? Who are the personifications of these? Do they refer to master’s and doctoral students? No, that would be straying too far—they refer to the Pharisees. The reason why the Pharisees are hypocritical, the reason they are wicked, is that they are averse to the truth but love knowledge, so they only study the Scripture and pursue scriptural knowledge yet never accept the truth or God’s words. They do not pray to God when reading His words, nor do they seek or fellowship on the truth. Instead, they study God’s words, studying what God has said and done, thereby turning God’s words into a theory, a doctrine to teach to others, which is called scholarly study. Why do they engage in scholarly study? What are they studying? In their eyes, this is not God’s words or God’s expression, and even less so the truth. Rather, it is a type of scholarship, or one could even say it is theological knowledge. In their view, to propagate this knowledge, this scholarship, is to spread God’s way, to spread the gospel—this is what they call preaching, but all they preach is theological knowledge.