A genuine human being loves and pursues things that align with humanity, conscience, normal human thinking, and real life, that are normal and practical, absent of distortion or oddity, not abstract, not hollow, and not supernatural. With regard to these things, a normal person will be able to cherish, correctly handle, and accept these things customarily, treating them as positive things. On the contrary, some individuals, when confronted with these truths closely related to various aspects of real life, such as eating, dressing, shelter, transportation, behavior, and personal conduct, belittle, ignore, and disregard them. What’s the issue here? It is a problem with their preferences and nature essence. The more positive something is, the more it is something God loves, something He wants, and something He does, and the more it corresponds to what in God’s intentions He hopes that people achieve and accept, the more these people question, study, oppose, and condemn it—isn’t this wicked? It’s exceedingly wicked! Antichrists are quite popular among nonbelievers. If I was among nonbelievers, between antichrists and God incarnate, which would be more readily accepted by nonbelievers? (Antichrists.) Why? Do nonbelievers prefer upright people or wicked people? (Wicked people.) Do they prefer those who flatter and fawn, or those who are honest? (Those who flatter and fawn.) Exactly, they favor such individuals. If you don’t know how to use tactics to manage various interpersonal relationships in a group, and you don’t know how to manipulate or control various people through strategies, can that group accommodate you? If you are too upright, always speak the truth, can see through to the essence of many issues, and then speak out the truths you’ve seen through to and understood, can anyone accept it? No, no one in this world can accept it. In this world, don’t expect to speak the truth—doing so will bring trouble or lead to disaster. Don’t expect to be an honest person; there’s no future in being one. What about antichrists? They excel at telling lies, adeptly disguise and package themselves, packaging themselves as grand, dignified, and virtuous, making people worship them. They excel at these things, and what they enjoy is similar—they enjoy discussing empty knowledge and learning, as well as comparing gifts and strategies. For instance, in a company or a group of people, having the highest knowledge and learning isn’t the primary thing, nor is it the main factor in determining a person’s position in that company. What is the main factor? (Strategies and talent.) Exactly, it’s strategies and talent. Without these, possessing extensive learning is of no use. For example, suppose you’ve returned from overseas, and are completely ignorant of the game rules within this group of people back home. If you apply the rules, regulations, and principles for self-comportment of overseas companies, you’ll hit a wall. Isn’t that how it is? (Yes.) That’s how it is. You have to have strategies, and you have to be evil and wicked to rise to a higher position. It’s just like certain women: Even though they have a husband to provide for them, they are not content. In order to stand out and obtain fame, gain, and status, they resort to any means necessary. They even engage in flattery and, when necessary, provide escort services, all without a trace of embarrassment afterward or feeling guilt or indebtedness to their husbands or families. Could you do that? It sounds disgusting to you, and you can’t do it. So, how can you rise to a higher position among them? There’s no way. All of that is achieved through selling one’s soul and using various wicked methods. Do you like that way of doing things? (No.) You say you don’t like it now, but when you are pushed to a certain limit one day, you will come to like it. If people bully and torment you all day long, make things difficult for you, find fault with you, and want to kick you out, you might have to sell your body in order to keep your job. You will have to learn whatever wicked tricks they use, and in the end, you will become just like them. Right now, you sternly declare, “I don’t like that set of tactics. I don’t want to be that kind of person. I am not that wicked. I don’t want to sell my body. I don’t like money; having enough to eat and wear is sufficient.” What kind of person are you? You are nothing. You are what Satan has corrupted you to be. Do you think you can be master of yourself? People change with the environment, they have a corrupt disposition, and you simply cannot overcome fame, gain, status, money, and all kinds of temptation. If you were in that environment, you would be just as unable to control yourself. The stage for nonbelievers now is like a meat grinder. Once a person is ground in, there is no way to survive. Now, by doing your duty in the house of God, with God’s protection, and without anyone bullying you, you can live peacefully in the presence of God. You are greatly blessed, so enjoy it quietly! If you don’t properly do your duty and face a little pruning, you should not feel wronged. You have obtained great blessings; don’t you know that? (Yes.) Tell Me, what’s it like for nonbelievers to be in the “meat grinder”? They are better off dead. The bit of suffering you endure in the house of God is what people should endure; it’s not at all too painful. However, people aren’t content, and they are unwilling to repent no matter how they are pruned. But when they are sent home, they are unwilling to return to the nonbelievers because they feel they are too evil and bad. When actually facing death, people don’t want to die; everyone cherishes life and follows the principle of “a bad life is better than a good death.” As soon as they see their coffin, they burst into tears. People now know that it’s not easy to survive among the nonbelievers. If you want to live with dignity and earn a living based on your abilities, there is no way to do it. Having abilities alone is not enough; you also have to be wicked, evil, and malevolent enough to be successful. What do you possess? Some people say, “I possess a little wickedness now, but not enough evil.” That’s easy. Put yourself in the “meat grinder,” and in less than a month, you will become evil. If you are a good person, they will want to kill you; you spare them, but they won’t spare you, so you have to fight back in order to survive. Once you turn evil, there is no turning back, and you become a devil too. Wickedness is formed in this way. The world of nonbelievers is so dark and wicked. How can people break free from the satanic influence of darkness and wickedness? They need to understand the truth to attain salvation. Now that you believe in God, if you want to be saved and liberated from Satan’s influence, it’s not a simple matter. You must learn to submit to God, have a God-fearing heart, see through many things, and, furthermore, your principles of conduct must in one respect be wise and in another not offend God. Also, don’t always strive for fame and gain, or constantly seek to enjoy the benefits of status. Just having enough to eat and not starve to death is sufficient. You need to pray to God, asking for the grace to be bestowed in this way, in order to be granted protection. If you always harbor extravagant desires, that isn’t reasonable, and God won’t heed your prayers.

Regarding the wicked nature of antichrists, today we are mainly fellowshipping about the third manifestation, which is what antichrists worship. What do antichrists worship? (Knowledge and learning.) Knowledge and learning, and also one more thing—gifts. What do knowledge and learning include? They include what is found in those books which are studied in the world, the experience gained from engaging in knowledge-related industries, as well as the various restrictions, rules, and regulations preached in society regarding morality, humanity, behavior, and so on. Additionally, they include knowledge from various fields of science. For example, some people do not believe in the reincarnation mentioned in God’s words. But if one day scientific research discovers that humans have a soul because, after death, something leaves the body, and the person’s weight decreases by a certain amount, which could possibly be the weight of the soul, then they might believe it. Regardless of how God speaks, they don’t believe, but as soon as scientists measure something based on weight, they believe it. They only trust science. Some people only believe in the nation, the government, and interpretations of related information, theories, and renowned figures. They only trust these. They don’t take God’s words, teaching, guiding, or utterances seriously. But as soon as they hear a celebrity speak, they immediately accept and even worship them and spread their words. For instance, God said that the manna He dropped for the people each day could not be stored and should not be eaten the next day as it would not be fresh, but they didn’t believe God’s words. They thought, “What if god doesn’t send manna, and we go hungry?” So, they found a way to collect and store it. God sent manna the second day, and they continued to collect it. God sent manna the third day, and they kept collecting. God spoke the same words every day, and they consistently acted in a way that went against what God instructed them. They never believed or listened to God’s words. One day, a scientist did research and said, “If manna is not eaten on the same day and is left for the next day, even if it looks fresh on the outside, it contains bacteria that can cause a stomach illness if consumed.” From that day forward, they stopped collecting. To them, one statement from a scientist outweighs ten statements from God. Isn’t this wicked? (Yes, it is.) They verbally acknowledged that God’s words are the truth, and they acknowledged God, followed God, and wished to receive blessings from God. At the same time, they enjoyed the grace and blessings given by God, relishing God’s care and protection, but apart from that, they didn’t listen to a sentence of what God said, what He instructed, commanded, or commissioned them to do. If a knowledgeable and learned person with authority and position said something or uttered a fallacy, they immediately accepted it, regardless of right or wrong. What’s going on here? This is wicked, too wicked! For example, I told some people not to eat sweet potatoes together with eggs, as it can cause food poisoning. What is My statement based on? I’m not making things up; there have been cases of people getting food poisoning by eating both at the same time. After hearing this, what would a normal person’s reaction be? They would think, “In the future, I won’t eat eggs when I have sweet potatoes, at least not in the next two to three hours.” They’d take it seriously and change their eating habits. However, some people wouldn’t believe it. They’d say, “Food-poisoning from eating eggs and sweet potatoes together? That’s impossible. I will eat them together, and you see if I get food poisoning or not!” What kind of person is this? (Wicked.) I find this person a bit vile! I say this one thing, and they insist on eating them together; isn’t this vile? They specifically oppose, contest, and contend that which is right, correct, and positive—this is wicked. Corrupt humanity esteems wickedness and power. No matter what fallacy devils and Satans put forth, people can unquestionably accept it, while God expresses many truths, but people are unwilling to accept them and even form many notions. Here’s another example. In many rural areas in the United States, there are primitive forests where wild animals often roam. It’s advisable to have company when going out, and it’s best not to go out at night unless necessary. If you need to go out, you have to take precautions, go with someone, or carry weapons of self-defense—better to be safe than sorry. Some people say, “Nothing will happen; God will protect me.” Isn’t this testing God? Taking these precautions is what people should do. You have a head, a heart, and a spirit, so why insist on God’s protection? Don’t test God. Do what you should do. If by chance you encounter a ferocious wild animal that even a group of four or five people can’t deal with, you might still survive—that’s God’s protection. Some people have indeed seen wolves and heard wolves and bears howling, confirming the existence of these wild animals. So, when I say not to go out at night because it’s easy to encounter wild animals, am I just making things up? (No.) I’m not trying to scare people. Some people, after hearing this, say, “I should be more cautious. I’ll find someone to accompany me when going out, or carry a weapon of self-defense, just in case I encounter wild animals.” Some people, after hearing this, take it seriously, believe and accept it, and then proceed to put what I’ve said into practice. This is simple acceptance; it couldn’t be easier. However, there is a certain type of person who refuses to listen. They say, “Why have I never seen a wild animal? Where are they? Let one come out; I’ll confront it and see who’s more fierce. What’s so frightening about wild animals? You all are just timid with little faith. Look at my faith; I’m not afraid of bears!” They intentionally go out alone, just moseying along for no reason. After meals, they have to take a walk outside and insist on going alone. When others suggest finding a companion to go with them, they reply, “No way, why do I need a companion? Having a companion would make me look worthless! I’ll go out by myself!” They have to try it out. What kind of person is this? Let’s not even talk about whether they encounter wild animals or not; isn’t their attitude toward such matters problematic? (Yes, it is.) What’s the problem? (The disposition of such a person is wicked.) You try and talk to them about serious matters, and they treat it like a joke. Is there any point in talking to such people? People like this are worse than beasts; there’s no need to bother with them.

Just now, we talked about the fact that people with the wicked disposition of antichrists are particularly sensitive to knowledge, learning, gifts, and certain special talents; they particularly admire and esteem those with special talents; and they are completely in awe and obedient to what such people say. What is their attitude toward the common knowledge, insights, and genuine learning that are beneficial to people and that those with normal humanity need to possess, or the practical and positive things that are comprehensible within normal human thought? They disdain them, paying no attention to them. Every time these words and truths are fellowshipped about during gatherings, what are they doing? They scratch their heads, some have their eyes half-closed, appear numb and dull-witted, and some seem lost in thought. The more the house of God discusses serious matters, the less interested they become. The more it fellowships about the truth, the more they doze off and feel drowsy. It’s evident that these people have no interest in the truth at all. Aren’t these disbelievers beyond redemption? When they were in religion, some people only enjoyed hearing others speak in tongues or witnessing strange things, and seeing incredible things immediately lifted their spirits. Some people, upon seeing Me, like to say, “I graduated with a bachelor’s degree and majored in philosophy. What did you study?” I say, “I didn’t study any particular subject; I can just understand a few characters and read books.” They say, “Well then, you don’t measure up.” I respond, “Comparing this is useless, but let’s fellowship for a bit—do you have any current difficulties?” How do they respond? “Hmph, what difficulties do I have? I don’t have any difficulties. I’m doing my duties very well!” When fellowshipping about the truth with them, they lose interest, yawning and shedding tears, as if possessed by a ghost. If I go on to expose their corrupt disposition, they simply grab their cup and leave, not wanting to listen anymore. The more I try to get along and converse equally with them, the more they look down on Me. Is this not a failure to appreciate goodwill? There was someone who knew how to drive. I asked, “How many years have you been driving?” He said, “I bought a car after I had been working for two years after graduating from college.” I said, “So, you’ve been driving for quite a few years. I still don’t know how to drive.” Isn’t saying this getting along equally? Isn’t it the conversation of people with normal humanity? (Yes, it is.) After hearing this, he said, “Huh? You still don’t know how to drive? Then what can you do?” I said, “I can’t do much. I just know how to ride in a car.” I asked him, “What duty are you currently doing?” He said, “I work in finance and accounting. My mind is full of numbers. In college, I excelled in mathematics and was strongest in the sciences. I had the potential to attend Tsinghua or Peking University.” I said, “I’m terrible at math. Numbers give Me a headache. I prefer studying words, learning vocabulary, stuff like that.” He said, “Learning that is useless. People who study liberal arts generally have no future.” Look at what he said. Does it possess any normal human reason? (No, it doesn’t.) When I spoke and interacted with him in such a calm and friendly manner, he failed to handle the matter correctly. Instead, he looked down upon Me and belittled Me. If he encountered someone with status or knowledge, it might be different. After spending some time together, he would start feeling, “I’ve become familiar with god, had a chat with him, and had dealings with him.” He would think he had some capital now. Consequently, his tone would change. Once, I asked him, “I heard someone didn’t want to do their duties anymore and wished to go home. Did that person go home?” He replied, “Oh, that person? He never intended to go home!” What kind of tone is this? Did it change? When I first met him, he felt that he couldn’t get a handle on Me: He was respectful and behaved himself, keeping a low profile. Now that he’s more familiar, his tail is up. What kind of tone is this? He carries a bit of defiance, nonchalance, disregard, and a belittling and condescending attitude with him as he talks to Me. What kind of disposition is this? It’s wickedness. Is this someone with normal humanity? (No, it isn’t.) An ordinary, normal person can communicate and converse with you normally—it’s the most normal thing. If they bully you, suppress you, or belittle you, how does it feel? Does treating you like this exhibit any normal humanity in them? Tell Me, if someone like this encounters a world-renowned figure, someone with status and a reputation, or their boss or superior, do they dare to approach them this way? They wouldn’t dare. They would eagerly prostrate themselves, having to take on titles like subordinate, underling, servant, humble man, commoner, or plebeian to refer to themselves and converse with these people. Among the nonbelievers, top officials crush the people beneath them, and being the nobody that you are, who would converse with you in a calm and friendly manner? Even if they talk to you occasionally when they’re happy, they don’t have any regard for you; they treat you as something less than human, kicking you around for no reason. When I speak and chat with that person in a calm and friendly manner, not only do I fail to receive a positive response, but I also face disdain, belittlement, scorn, and mockery. Is it because there’s something wrong with My way of interacting with that person or a problem with their disposition? (It’s because that person’s disposition is too arrogant.) Correct, I’ve been thinking along those lines. I treat everyone the same way, so why do some respond correctly, while others don’t? People can generally be divided into two categories: Those with humanity who know how to respect others, understand their relationship with God, and know who they are, and those who are wicked and arrogant, lacking self-knowledge. Tell Me, what do you call something that wears human skin but doesn’t even know who it is? That is a beast without rationality. Another time, I asked him, “How did the matter I instructed you to handle a few days ago turn out? Did you handle those things?” He replied, “What are you talking about?” I said, “Those few things, did you take care of them? Were they handled?” I reminded him twice, and he finally remembered, “Oh, you’re talking about those things? They were handled a long time ago.” What sort of tone is conveyed by the first word, “Oh”? Again it’s a tone of disdain, his devilish nature emerging once again. His nature remained unchanged; that’s just the kind of wretch he is. I continued to ask him how he handled it, and he replied, “Some people looked it over and handled it like that,” with no further details. If I tried to ask for more specifics, even if I picked at them, I wouldn’t get any. I instructed him to handle a task; don’t I have the right to be informed? (Yes.) So, what was his responsibility? After accepting the task from Me, didn’t he need to report back on how he handled it? (Yes.) But he didn’t report back, and I was unable to get any updates throughout. I could only send someone to inquire about how this matter was handled, but still, there was no response. In My heart, I thought, “Okay, I’ll remember you. You are not trustworthy. I can’t entrust you with anything. You’re too lacking in credibility!” What kind of devil is this? What is the disposition of such a person? Wickedness. When you treat him as an equal, discuss things with him politely, and try to be amicable, how does he perceive it? He sees it as your incompetence and weakness, as you being a pushover. Isn’t this wickedness? (Yes, it is.) It’s pure wickedness. Although this kind of wicked person is not widespread, they exist in every church. Their hearts are hardened, arrogant, averse to the truth, and their dispositions are vicious. It is precisely these dispositions and behaviors that confirm people like this are wicked. Not only do they dislike positive aspects of normal humanity, such as kindness, tolerance, patience, and love, but on the contrary they harbor discrimination and contempt in their hearts. What lies deep within the hearts of such people? Wickedness. They are extremely wicked! This is another manifestation of the wickedness of antichrists.

Today, the content of our fellowship on the wicked manifestations of antichrists is somewhat different from the previous two fellowships, and each emphasizes one aspect. Tell Me, deep within the hearts of antichrists, they esteem knowledge, learning, gifts, and special talents—they feel a deep esteem for these things—so, do they have genuine faith in God? (No, they don’t.) Some might say that over time they might change. Will they change? No, they won’t, they can’t. It’s in their nature to disdain God’s humility and hiddenness, His genuine love, His faithfulness, and His mercy and care for humanity. What else? They disdain the normality and practicality of God living among humans and, even more, despise all the truths that have no relevance to knowledge, learning, science, and gifts. Can such people be saved? (No, they cannot.) Why can’t they be saved? Because this is not a momentary revelation of some corrupt disposition; it’s a revelation of their nature essence. No matter how others advise them or how much truth is fellowshipped to them, none of this can change them. This isn’t a temporary hobby, but a deep-seated need within them for these things. Precisely because they need knowledge, learning, gifts, and special talents, this allows them to esteem these things. What does esteem mean? It means being willing to follow and obtain these things at any cost, that’s what esteem implies. For the sake of obtaining these things, they are willing to endure suffering and pay any price to get them, because these are the things they esteem. Some even say, “Whatever god asks me to do is fine. I can satisfy god, as long as he doesn’t require me to pursue the truth.” They hope for this. These people will never accept God’s words as the truth; even if they sit there calmly listening to sermons and reading God’s words, what they gain from these is not the truth. This is because they always measure God’s words against human notions and imaginings, studying God’s words using theological knowledge, making it impossible for them to obtain the truth. They hope to gain knowledge, learning, and some kind of information or mystery from God’s words—some kind of learning they long for and seek, which is unknown to the masses. After obtaining this learning which is unknown to people, they go around showing it off, vainly hoping to arm and package themselves with this learning and knowledge so that they can live a more respectable and more fulfilling life, have more prestige and more status among people, and make people believe in them more and worship them more. Therefore, they tirelessly boast about certain significant things they have done, things they consider glorious, as well as things they believe are impressive, which they can brag about and use to flaunt their own capability and uniqueness. Wherever they go, they preach the same set of theories. These people, no matter how they read God’s words or attend gatherings and hear sermons, cannot understand the truth. Even if they grasp a bit of the truth, they will absolutely not practice it. This is the essence of such people, and it’s something that cannot be changed by anyone. This is because they are inherently endowed with something others don’t possess, and what they love is related to their wicked essence—this is their fatal flaw. They are destined not to accept the truth, destined to follow the path of Paul, and destined to oppose the truth and God to the end. Why is that? Because they do not love the truth; they will never accept it.

Have you experienced the wickedness of antichrists? Do you have people like this around you? Have you had contact with such people? Why have we spent time in several gatherings discussing this topic? Usually, when people talk about knowing themselves, I often hear them mention dispositions of arrogance, self-righteousness, and deceitfulness. However, it’s rare to hear people talk about wickedness. Now, as we fellowship about a wicked disposition, I often hear people say that someone’s disposition is wicked. It seems you have gained some understanding. In the past, when people talked about knowing themselves, they always brought up arrogance. Looking at it now, which disposition is more severe, arrogance or wickedness? (Wickedness.) Correct. In the past, people didn’t recognize the severity of the problem of wickedness. In fact, the disposition and essence of wickedness are more severe than arrogance. If a person’s disposition and nature essence are fiercely wicked, let Me tell you, you must avoid contact with them—keep your distance. Such people will not walk the right path. What benefits can you gain from associating and maintaining contact with wicked people? If there are no benefits, but you have the “antibodies” to resist their wickedness, then you may interact with them. Do you have this assurance? (No.) Why should you avoid interaction with such people if you don’t have this assurance? Because behind wickedness, there are two other things—insidiousness and deceitfulness. Most people who lack an understanding of the truth and lack experience and insight are easily misled. You can only be subdued by them, and in the end, you become their captive. Becoming their captive can happen in two ways: Either you can’t defeat them, and you feel unconvinced in your heart, but out of necessity, you have to submit to them verbally; or, there is another way in which you are completely subdued by them. This is because in the wicked nature of antichrists there is something unknown to people: They can use various means, speeches, methods, strategies, ways, and fallacies to persuade you to listen to them, to make you believe they are right, correct, and positive, and even if they do evil, violate the truth principles, and reveal corrupt dispositions, in the end, they will turn things around and make people think they are right. They have this ability. What is this ability? It is to be highly misleading. This is their wickedness, that they are highly misleading. In their hearts, the things which they like, dislike, are averse to, and esteem and worship are formed by certain distorted viewpoints. These viewpoints carry a set of theories within them, all of which are plausible fallacies that are difficult for ordinary people to refute because they do not accept the truth at all and can even present sophisticated arguments for their own mistakes. Without the truth reality, you cannot convince them by fellowshipping the truth with them. The ultimate result is that they use their hollow theories to refute you, leaving you speechless, gradually succumbing to them. The wickedness of such people lies in the fact that they are highly misleading. Clearly, they are nothing and mess up every duty they do; yet, in the end, they can still mislead some people into worshiping them, “kneeling” at their feet, and make people become obedient to them. This kind of person can turn wrong into right, black into white. They can reverse truth and falsehood, attribute the wrongs they’ve done to others, and take credit for the good deeds of others as if they were their own. Over time, you become confused, not knowing who they truly are. Judging by their words, actions, and appearance, you might think, “This person is extraordinary; we can’t compare to them!” Is this not being misled? The day you fall into deception is the day you fall into danger. Isn’t this kind of person who misleads others just too wicked? Whoever listens to their words can be misled and disturbed, finding it hard to recover for a period of time. Some brothers and sisters can discern them and see that they are misleaders, they can expose and reject them, but others who are misled might even defend them, saying, “No, god’s house is being unfair to him; I must stand up for him.” What is the problem here? Clearly, they are misled, yet they defend and justify the one who misled them. Aren’t these people who believe in God but follow a human being? They claim to believe in God, but why do they worship this person thus and particularly defend them? If they can’t spot such an obvious matter, haven’t they been misled to a certain extent? The antichrist has misled people to the point where they no longer resemble humans or have a mind to follow God; instead, they worship and follow the antichrist. Aren’t these people betraying God? If you believe in God, but He hasn’t gained you, and the antichrist has gained your heart, and you follow them wholeheartedly, it proves that they have taken you away from the house of God. Once you depart from God’s care and protection, from the house of God, the antichrist can manipulate and toy with you as they like. When they’re done playing with you, they won’t want you anymore, and they’ll move on to misleading others. If you continue listening to their words and have value to exploit to them, they might let you follow along for a while longer. However, if they no longer see any value to exploit in you, if they no longer have any regard for you, then they will discard you. Can you still return to believing in God? (No.) Why can’t you believe anymore? Because your initial faith is gone; it has dissipated. This is how antichrists mislead and harm people. They use knowledge and learning that people worship, coupled with their gifts, to mislead and control people, just like Satan misled Adam and Eve. Regardless of the nature essence of antichrists, regardless of what they like, loathe, and esteem in their nature essence, one thing is certain: What they like and what they use to mislead people goes against the truth, has nothing to do with the truth, and is antagonistic to God—this much is certain. Remember this: Antichrists can never be compatible with God.