A Dissection of Antichrists’ Devious, Arbitrary and Dictatorial Behavior and How They Force People to Obey Them

I. A Dissection of Antichrists’ Devious Behavior

Last time we fellowshipped about the fifth item of the manifestations of antichrists—they mislead, draw in, threaten, and control people. Today we will fellowship about item six—they behave in devious ways, they are arbitrary and dictatorial, they never fellowship with others, and they force others to obey them. Is there a difference between this item and item five? In terms of disposition, there’s no major difference; the actions of both are all about seizing power and acting arbitrarily and dictatorially. The dispositions are both wicked, arrogant, intransigent, and vicious; the dispositions are the same. However, item six highlights another prominent manifestation of antichrists, which is that their actions are devious—this pertains to the nature of antichrists’ actions. Now, first let’s discuss the word “devious.” On the surface, is “devious” a derogatory or commendatory word? If someone does something devious, is that thing good or bad? (Bad.) If someone is said to act deviously, is this person good or bad? Clearly, people’s impressions and feelings are that someone who acts deviously is a good-for-nothing jerk. If someone encounters something devious, is it a cause for happiness or does it give them the creeps? (It’s creepy.) This is simply not a good thing. In short, on its surface, “devious” is a derogatory term, whether describing an action itself or a person’s way of acting, none of it is positive; it is certainly negative. Now, let’s first explain what the manifestations of deviousness are. Why is it called devious and not deceitful? What special implication does the word “devious” have here? Deviousness is deeper than deceitfulness. Does it not take longer and is it not more difficult for people to see through someone who acts deviously? (Yes.) This much is obvious. So, use words you can all comprehend to explain the term “devious.” Here, “devious” means sinister and cunning, and it refers to abnormal behavior. This abnormality refers to being deeply hidden and impenetrable to the average person, who can’t see what such people are thinking or doing. In other words, the methods, motives, and starting points of this type of person’s actions are particularly difficult to fathom, and sometimes their behavior is also sneaky and furtive. In short, there is a term that can describe the actual manifestation and state of a person’s deviousness, which is “a lack of transparency,” making them unfathomable and incomprehensible to others. The actions of antichrists have this nature—that is, when you realize and sense that their intentions for doing something are not straightforward, you find it quite terrifying, yet in the short term or for some reason, you still cannot see through their motives and intentions, and you just unconsciously feel that their actions are devious. Why do they give you this kind of feeling? In one respect, it’s because no one can get a feel for what they say or do. Another is that they often talk in a roundabout manner, misdirecting you, eventually making you unsure which of their statements are true and which are false, and what their words actually mean. When they lie, you think it’s the truth; you don’t know which statement is true or false, and you often feel that you’ve been fooled and tricked. Why does this feeling arise? It is because such people never act transparently; you cannot see clearly what they are doing or what they are busy with, inevitably making you suspicious of them. In the end, you see that their disposition is deceitful, sinister, and also wicked. The word “devious” is abstruse and sounds quite unusual to people, but why explain it with such a simple phrase as “a lack of transparency”? There is an implied meaning in this phrase. What is this implied meaning? It’s that antichrists often show you a false image when they want to do something, making it hard for you to see through them. For example, if an antichrist wants to slap your left cheek, they will aim their blow at your right cheek. When you dodge to protect your right cheek, they successfully land the slap on your left cheek, thus achieving their goal. This is deviousness, and being full of schemes—everyone who interacts and has dealings with them is within their calculations. Why are they always calculating? Apart from wanting to control people and occupy a place in their hearts, they also want to reap benefits from everyone. Additionally, you can also discover a kind of wicked disposition in such people: They particularly enjoy exploiting others or leveraging their own strengths to poke fun at others’ weaknesses, and they take pleasure in toying with people. This is a manifestation of their wickedness. In worldly terms, such people are considered shrewd. Ordinary people think, “Only older people can be shrewd. Young people have no experience or worldly wisdom, so how can they be shrewd?” Is this statement correct? No, it’s not. The wicked disposition of antichrists does not depend on age; they are born with this disposition. It’s just that when they are younger and less experienced, their engaging in such machinations may be more elementary and less refined. As they get older, they become watertight, like those old devil kings whose actions are tightly sealed and wholly inscrutable to most people.

I’ve just given a rough explanation of the word “devious,” so now let’s fellowship on the specific states and manifestations of deviousness. Is this not worth fellowshipping? If we don’t fellowship on it, will you be able to discern them? Can you see through them? (No.) It’s not that you absolutely can’t discern or see through them; sometimes you’ll also feel that some particular person is really crafty—so crafty that you end up doing their bidding even after they’ve betrayed you—and that you have to be wary of them. So, what things do antichrists do, and what speech and actions do they reveal in their treatment of brothers and sisters and the people around them that show that they do things in a devious manner and with a wicked disposition? This is worth fellowshipping. When only the word “devious” is explained, people generally find it quite simple; checking the dictionary is probably enough to understand its meaning. But when it comes to which of people’s actions, behaviors, and dispositions are associated with this word and are concrete manifestations and states of this word, it becomes more strenuous and difficult to understand, doesn’t it? First, think about the people, or specific antichrists, that you’ve met and encountered. What actions of theirs made you feel that the nature of this action was related to deviousness, or what everyday words, actions, and behaviors of theirs were related to this? (I once encountered an antichrist who clearly wanted to vie for status and be a leader, but told the brothers and sisters, “We need to report on false leaders and false workers. Only by doing this can we have the work of the holy spirit. If we don’t report on and expose false leaders, we cannot obtain the work of the holy spirit. We must stand up to jointly safeguard the church’s work.” Acting under the banner of safeguarding the church’s work, he sought ways to gain leverage over the leaders and workers, making a big fuss over minor issues and inciting the brothers and sisters to report on the leaders and workers. His goal was to bring down the leaders and workers so that he would have a chance to become a leader himself. Many brothers and sisters did not discern this and were misled by him. Instead of discerning the problem based on the principles, they seized upon some minor issues and revealed corruptions of the leaders and workers to condemn them, label them, and blow things out of proportion, sending the church into chaos.) Tell Me, is this deviousness? (Yes.) It is exactly that. Why is it devious? He waved the banner of justice to achieve his undisclosed goals, at the same time encouraging others to act while he did not show himself and stayed hidden to observe the outcomes. If things worked out, all the better, and if they didn’t, no one would have seen through him, as he was deeply hidden. This is deviousness—this is one form of its manifestations. He wouldn’t let you know his true thoughts deep down, and if you could guess even a little, he hastily came up with various excuses and arguments to cover them up and defend himself at all costs, fearing that people would see through to the truth. He deliberately complicated matters; this is deviousness. Anyone else? (A few years ago, a band of antichrists emerged in our church and took control, leaving the church’s work in disarray. The Above sent someone to take over the work, but this band of antichrists acted under a guise, saying, “We have our leaders, and we do not accept leaders transferred from other places; we can handle the work ourselves.” As a result, many were misled and listened to the antichrists, refusing to accept the leader arranged by the Above. These antichrists even confined the leader sent by the Above to one place, prohibiting them from interacting with the brothers and sisters and making it impossible for them to lend a hand to the church’s work or to implement any work.) This was awfully devious of the antichrists—what was their hidden motive? They wanted to control the church and establish their own independent kingdom. This is devious; this is the kind of thing that antichrists do.

What are the primary manifestations of antichrists acting deviously? One is a lack of transparency, and another is that they secretly entertain unmentionable schemes. If they were to disclose their plans and intentions to everyone, would they be able to realize them? Certainly not. Why do people who use devious methods do things this way? What is the purpose behind these actions? Up to now, what you have thought of is only control over the church, but some matters do not involve controlling the church or controlling everyone. Misleading the people of a church or of a region is a relatively major matter, so what is the purpose behind the more minor behaviors and actions of antichrists in ordinary times? It is to exploit people and make people expend effort for them to satisfy their interests and for their own ends. While God orchestrates people and rules over their fates, antichrists also wish to dictate people’s fates and manipulate them. But if they were to directly say that they wish to manipulate you, would you agree to it? If they said that they wish to order you around as a slave, would you agree? If they said that they are the leader and you must listen to them, would you agree? You would certainly not agree. Therefore, they have to resort to some unconventional methods so that you unwittingly get exploited by them; this is called being devious. For example, the great red dragon operates in a devious manner, using seemingly legitimate pretexts to mislead people. How did it go about confiscating the assets of landlords and capitalists? Did it establish in writing a policy stating that all assets over a certain amount must be turned over to the state? Would it have worked if it declared this openly? (It wouldn’t have.) Since that wouldn’t have worked, what did it do? It had to find a way that everyone believed to be correct to justifiably confiscate and seize the assets of landlords and capitalists. This disempowered the landlords and capitalists, enriched the state, and consolidated its rule. How did the great red dragon do that? (By attacking landlords and redistributing land.) It waved the banners of “attacking landlords and redistributing land” and “equality for all,” and then concocted stories like “The White-Haired Girl” to frame and condemn all the landlords and capitalists. It used the power of public opinion and propaganda to indoctrinate people with these fallacious ideas, making all those who were uninformed think that landlords and capitalists were bad and not equal to the working masses, that now the people were the masters of their own country, that the state belonged to the people, that these few individuals shouldn’t own so much wealth, and that it should be confiscated and redistributed to everyone. Under the incitement of such so-called good, correct, and pro-poor ideologies and theories, people were misled and blinded, and they started combatting local tycoons and attacking landlords and capitalists. And what was the final outcome? Some of these landlords and capitalists were beaten to death, some were maimed, and some fled far away. In short, the end result was that the great red dragon got its way. These foolish and ignorant masses were gradually guided under such scams to achieve the goals that these devils wanted. Similarly, antichrists also adopt such devious methods when they do things. For instance, when an antichrist is paired with someone in a leadership role, and sees that this person has a sense of justice, understands the truth, and can discern them, they start to feel uncertain: “Could this guy undermine me behind my back? Is he up to something behind the scenes? Why can’t I pin him down? Is he on my side or not? Could he report me to the above?” With these thoughts in mind, they start to worry that their status is not safe, don’t they? So what do they do next? Do they directly punish that person? Some antichrists would take action against that kind of person openly, but the more devious sort would not do it directly. Instead, they would start by talking to a few relatively weaker, muddleheaded, and undiscerning brothers and sisters, questioning them and probing them discreetly: “So-and-so has been a believer for over a decade, so his faith should have some foundation, right?” Someone might reply: “He does have quite a foundation. In all those years of believing in God, he’s forsaken his family and his career; his faith is greater than ours. Pairing with him should be quite good for you.” The antichrist would say: “Yeah, it’s pretty good, but he never mingles with the other brothers and sisters. He doesn’t seem very sociable.” Another person might add: “That’s not the case—he pursues the truth more than we do. We often chat together, but he mostly spends his time reading God’s words, listening to sermons, and learning hymns, and when he’s with us he fellowships God’s words.” Hearing these favorable and approving comments about this person, the antichrist feels that they can’t say much more, so they shift the topic, saying: “He has believed in god for many years and has more experience than us. We should interact more with him in the future and not isolate him.” Hearing this, the others still don’t discern anything. Seeing that the majority of people speak highly of that individual, the antichrist, unable to achieve their motives, says no more on the subject. Later, the antichrist finds another group of people and asks: “Do you ever see so-and-so reading god’s words? I get the impression he’s always fellowshipping with others and looking busy on the surface; why doesn’t he ever read god’s words?” This group is more perceptive, and they catch the undertone and think, “Seems like there’s discord between these two; they’re trying to get us to undermine that person and exclude him.” So, they reply: “Yeah, he’s always busy with unimportant tasks, always reading too much into people and things. He rarely reads god’s words, and on the occasion that he does, he just ends up falling asleep; I’ve noticed it quite a few times.” From their talks with the first group of people and the second, what kind of disposition is present in the antichrist’s words? Isn’t it wicked? (Yes.) What are the nature and means of their actions? They are devious. The first group of people didn’t realize what the antichrist was trying to do, while the second group caught a glimpse of what was going on, and then went along with what they said. Seeing that the second group followed what they said and could be drawn in, the antichrist wants to use this group to get rid of their partner. This train of thought is devious. After all sorts of persuading, the second group is misled and drawn in, and says: “Since that person doesn’t meet the principles and conditions for being a church leader, I suppose we shouldn’t vote for him as leader next time, right?” This group is quite treacherous, and after they speak, they observe the antichrist’s attitude. The antichrist says: “That won’t do; it would be unfair. This is the house of god, not society!” Upon hearing this, they ask: “That really won’t work? Then what should we do? We’ll vote for him next time, then.” The antichrist immediately says, “Voting for him won’t work either.” See? No matter what they say, it’s not right; this is a problem. In fact, the antichrist just wants to lead these people onto their path, digging a hole for them to fall into. In the end, after listening to this and that, these people figure out the antichrist’s intentions: “Let’s just have a fair election. He doesn’t have much going for him, so he might not be chosen anyway.” The antichrist is pleased. Take a look: Here’s a wolf and some foxes, and they’re banding together to act hand in glove. This is the principle and nature of the actions taken by the antichrist and the forces that follow them in the church; this is their manifestation. The people who follow the antichrists say, “So let’s vote. Besides, he’s not that great; if we vote, he might not even be chosen.” Is something fishy here? Are they planning something? They’ve already detected the clues from each other’s words, but no one directly says what to do; there is a tacit understanding between them, and everyone gets it. On the surface, the antichrist doesn’t directly instruct anyone not to choose their partner, and the people below them also don’t say, “We won’t choose him; we’ll choose you.” Why don’t they say it outright? It’s because neither wants to give the other any leverage. Isn’t this devious? It is sheer wickedness. They listen to the tone of each other’s speech, but no one speaks directly, and in the end, a consensus is reached. This is called a satanic dialogue. Among them, there is one “fool” who, after listening, still doesn’t understand and asks the others whether they will vote for that person or not. How does the antichrist reply? If they say, “Do as you see fit,” it would be too obvious. Such a reply carries a nature of threat and inducement; wicked people don’t speak like this. Instead, they say: “Doesn’t god’s house have work arrangements? Vote for who you should; if someone shouldn’t be chosen, don’t vote for them.” Isn’t this speaking ambiguously? They use a seemingly legitimate pretext, saying: “You must act according to the principles; you can’t listen to me. What I say doesn’t matter. I am not the principles; god’s words are the principles.” The “fool” hears this and thinks, “If we are to act according to the principles, then I’ll vote for him.” Seeing that this person is foolish and could mess up their plans, the group collectively throws them out, not allowing the “fool” to stay among them. In the end, when the “fool” keeps asking whether they should vote for that person or not, someone says: “Let’s talk about it later. We’ll determine it based on his performance.” Is there any decisiveness in these words? Any component of honesty? (No.) Then what is actually in these words? These words convey their wicked disposition, as well as their undisclosed motives, intentions, and objectives. They include the secret conspiracy among themselves—the wolf and the foxes—to get rid of the person who is an eyesore to the antichrist. Why is it that this group of people can act like this? Apart from being governed by their wicked disposition, the reason they can do so is that their higher-up, the antichrist, doesn’t like that person. If they vote for him, and the antichrist finds out, the result will not be good. So, for them, the most urgent and crucial thing to do, the most advantageous thing to do, is to not vote for that person. They all listen to the antichrist; whatever the antichrist says, in whatever direction their words turn, these people follow, casting aside the truth principles and God’s words. You see, as long as an antichrist appears, there will inevitably be those who obey them. As long as an antichrist acts, some people will accompany and follow them—there is no antichrist who acts all alone and in isolation.

What was just discussed was one of the manifestations of how antichrists act deviously. The deviousness mentioned here refers to antichrists having their own purposes and motivations in what they do, but they will not tell you nor let you see it. When you discover it, they will go to great lengths to cover it up, using various means to mislead you, to alter your perception of them. This is the devious aspect of antichrists. If their motives were easily exposed, widely publicized, and shared with everyone, letting people know, would that be devious? That wouldn’t be devious; what would it be? (Foolish.) Not foolish—it would be arrogance to the point of forfeiting reason. Antichrists are devious in their behavior. How are they devious? They behave always in a way that depends on trickery, and their words give nothing away, so it is hard for people to fathom their intentions and goals. That is devious. They do not come easily to conclusions in anything they say or do; they make it so that their subordinates and listeners can sense their intent, and those people, having understood the antichrist, act according to their agenda and motivations and carry out their orders. If a task is completed, the antichrist is happy. If it is not, no one can find anything to hold against them, or fathom the motivations, intentions, or goals behind what they do. The deviousness of what antichrists do lies in hidden plots and secret goals, all meant to deceive, toy with, and control everyone else. This is the essence of devious behavior. Deviousness is not simple lying or doing something bad; instead, it involves bigger intents and goals, which are unfathomable to ordinary people. If you have done something you do not want anyone to know about, and tell a lie, does that count as deviousness? (No.) That is just deceitfulness, and it does not rise to the level of deviousness. What makes deviousness deeper than deceitfulness? (People cannot fathom it.) It is difficult for people to fathom it. That is one part of it. What else? (People do not have anything to hold against a devious person.) That is right. The point is that it is hard for people to find anything to hold against them. Even if some people know that person has done bad things, they cannot determine whether they are a good person or a bad person, an evil person or an antichrist. People cannot see through them, but think they are good, and can be misled by them. That is deviousness. People are prone in general to telling lies and hatching little plots. That is just deceitfulness. But antichrists are more sinister than common deceitful people. They are like the devil kings; no one can fathom what they do. They can do many evil things in the name of justice, and they harm people, but people still sing their praises. This is called deviousness.

There was an incident in the past where a leader, during contact and fellowship with the Above, was informed about some of the work plans of the house of God. At that time, the work arrangement hadn’t been formally issued yet. After returning, he began to show off, but you couldn’t tell it was showing off. He was speaking very seriously during a gathering, and suddenly, in the middle of his fellowship, he said something that no one had heard before: “Up to now, each step of god’s work has been completed, and people have basically stabilized. Starting from next month, we will expand the preaching of the gospel, so we need to establish gospel teams. How should gospel teams be established? There are some details in this….” When others heard this, they thought, “Where did these words come from? The Above hasn’t issued any work arrangements yet. How does he know? He must have foresight!” They were worshiping him, no? People’s attitude toward him changed immediately. All he did was mention establishing gospel teams but he didn’t do any specific work afterward—he just shouted empty slogans. Of course, he had his purpose for shouting empty slogans; he was showing himself off, wanting people to think highly of him, to worship him. Not long after, the work arrangement from the Above was issued. When the brothers and sisters saw it, they were amazed and said, “Incredible! Isn’t this prophetic? How did you know about this? You understand the truth better than us; your stature is greater. Our stature is too small. When it’s time to expand the gospel, you had already told us, while we were numb and unaware. Look, doesn’t what you fellowshipped align with the work arrangement from the Above? It’s a coincidental match, and it’s been verified now.” Through this incident, everyone worshiped him even more, and not ordinarily, but with complete submission, almost to the point of kneeling and bowing before him. Most people didn’t know about this matter; if he didn’t speak of it himself, no one would know, only God knows it. It was such an obvious matter, and he didn’t reveal it to anyone, choosing instead to deceive them so brazenly. Is this behavior considered devious? (Yes.) Why did he deceive others like this? Why could he behave and act in this way? What was he really thinking in his heart? He wanted people to see him as different, to think that he was not an ordinary person. Is this something that should be found in normal humanity? (No.) Such a person’s actions are disgusting and shameless. Would you consider this devious? (Yes.) Besides being devious, it’s also somewhat disgusting.

Among the antichrists, there is a type of person who has never been heard saying anything wrong or seen doing anything wrong; what they do and how they act are generally considered good and are approved by everyone. They often wear a smile, with a countenance like a merciful saint, never pruning anyone. No matter what mistakes people make, they always tolerate them with a heart as forgiving as a loving mother’s. They never handle those in the church who violate the administrative decrees, cause disruptions and disturbances, or commit evil deeds. Is it because they can’t see or discern these things? No, it’s neither; they can see and discern them, but in their heart, they believe that if these people were cleansed away and the church became peaceful, filled only with honest people who pursue the truth and sincerely expend themselves for God, then they themselves would be easily discerned and might not be able to have a foothold in the church anymore. Thus, they keep these people around, letting the evildoers continue to do evil, the liars to keep lying, and the disturbers to keep disturbing, ensuring through these disturbances that the church is never at peace, and thereby securing their own status. So, as soon as someone is to be expelled, dealt with, isolated, or removed from their position, what do they say? “We must give people a chance to repent. Who doesn’t have shortcomings or corruption? Who hasn’t made mistakes? We must learn tolerance.” The brothers and sisters ponder this over and say, “We are tolerant of those who truly believe in God and have transgressions or who are foolish and ignorant, but we do not tolerate evil people. He is an evil person.” The antichrist responds, “How is he an evil person? He just occasionally says harsh words; that’s not evil. People who commit murder and arson in the world, they are the real evil people.” But what does the antichrist really think? “He’s an evil person? Is he as evil as me? You haven’t seen what I’ve done, you don’t know what I’m thinking inside. If you did, wouldn’t you cleanse me away? Thinking of cleansing him away? Not a chance! I won’t let you handle him. Whoever tries, I will be furious with them, I will make things very difficult for them! Whoever tries to handle him, I will expel!” But would they say this out loud? No, they wouldn’t. What do they do then? They first calm the situation, stabilizing the state of affairs, appearing capable of leading the church and able to balance various forces, so that the church can’t do without them. In this way, isn’t their position secured? Once their position is secure, isn’t their livelihood preserved? This is what is called being devious. That’s why most people can’t see through such individuals. Why not? They never speak the truth, nor do they act lightly. Whatever the Above asks them to do, they go through the motions; whatever books need to be distributed, they send them out; they maintain the few gatherings a week, and don’t monopolize the fellowship during gatherings. On the surface, everything seems perfect and flawless, leaving no room for criticism. But there’s one thing you can discern: They never handle evil people. On the contrary, they protect them, constantly covering up and defending them. Isn’t this devious? What is the devious aspect of their behavior here, what is the focus? These must be made clear. They never speak the truth, always telling lies to deceive God’s house. They see evil people committing evil but don’t handle them, always smoothing things over and practicing patience and tolerance. What is their motive for doing these things? Is it genuinely to help people complement each other’s strengths and be tolerant of each other? (No.) Then what is their aim? They want to solidify their own influence, to stabilize their status. They know that once evil people are cleansed away, they will be the next one to go; this is what they fear. Therefore, they keep the evil people around; as long as they are there, the antichrist’s status is secure. If the evil people were cleansed away, the antichrist would be finished. Evil people are their protective umbrella, their shield. So, no matter who exposes the evil people or suggests they should be cleansed away, they disagree, saying, “They can still do their duties, they can still offer money; at the very least they can still labor!” They find reasons and excuses to defend the evil people, and, typically, people without discernment can’t see the malicious intent hidden within them, they are unable to discern it.

Are there any other instances where the devious actions of an antichrist left a deep impression on you? Someone share. (There was a sister who was the leader of a gospel team, and every month she managed to gain some people, some of whom were nonbelievers. The antichrist interpreted a work arrangement out of context, saying that preaching the gospel should mainly target denominational people, with nonbelievers being secondary, and that if the main focus was on nonbelievers, it was a serious violation of the work arrangement. He even used God’s words from “A Warning to Those Who Do Not Practice the Truth” to dissect this behavior. Then he had everyone vote, asking, “Can such a person still be in charge?” At that time, many in the church were new believers of just one or two years and couldn’t discern, so they felt that violating the work arrangement was serious and agreed to replace the sister. The sister became very negative at that time; after being dissected and condemned by this antichrist, she felt she was an antichrist herself, would definitely be eliminated by God, and she became extremely negative, not wanting to live. Moreover, this antichrist also withheld some sermons and fellowships from the Above, not letting us listen. He claimed that the fellowship from the Above was very harsh and that we, as new believers with small stature, would develop notions after listening. On the surface, it seemed like he was looking out for us, but in actuality, he was afraid that if we listened to the sermons from the Above, we would be able to discern him, and then he wouldn’t be able to control us. He used these seemingly sensible methods to manipulate and dupe people, making it seem like what he did was logical and according to the work arrangements of God’s house.) This incident can certainly be described as devious. The consistent practices of anyone who is considered an antichrist are always the same, not varying in the slightest, with the same intentions and aimed at the same goals in whatever they do. Doesn’t this prove that antichrists are indeed demons and evil spirits? (Yes.) Absolutely. Describing the actions of antichrists—these demons and evil spirits—as devious is perfectly apt and not at all an exaggeration.

After these examples, you should have gained some insight; have you begun to develop some discernment about the devious actions of antichrists? Anything that involves devious behavior, with hidden intentions and motives, is not the actions of a normal person, not the actions of an honest person, and certainly not the actions of one who pursues the truth. Are the things they do practicing the truth? Are they upholding the interests of God’s house? (No.) So, what are they doing? They are disrupting and dismantling the church’s work, committing evil; they are not following God’s way, nor are they upholding the work of God’s house. What they do is not the church’s work; they are merely using the guise of doing the church’s work to pursue their own agenda, essentially safeguarding their personal interests and those of Satan. Are there any other examples? (In 2015, a work arrangement was issued from the Above, instructing us to use the article from “the Awakened” to fellowship on discerning false leaders and distinguishing between true and false churches. There was a leader in the church who had just been replaced, who said that we were new to believing in God and of small stature, and that we comprehended the Above’s work arrangement too superficially—God’s actions are unfathomable, and the Above issued this arrangement with a deeper meaning. He also said, “Regarding the truths of discerning false leaders and antichrists, the above has previously provided a lot of fellowship and explained it very clearly. If it were simply about discerning false leaders and antichrists, would there be a need to issue another work arrangement?” Afterward, he took sections out of context from past work arrangements, sermons, and fellowships from the Above, compiling tens of thousands of words of material to mislead the brothers and sisters, leading us to discern “the Awakened” instead. At that time, we were misled and did not focus on discerning false leaders and antichrists. Later, this person was revealed as an antichrist. He feared that if everyone started discerning false leaders and antichrists, they would uncover his evil deeds and discern him, so he deliberately misguided us to discern “the Awakened” instead.) This was sleight of hand, a tactic of misdirection, creating a diversion to shift your focus so that no one would pay attention to him. Doesn’t this method sound familiar? When the great red dragon faces a crisis, such as internal turmoil within its political system or the public planning strikes or rebellions, it uses this same tactic—diverting attention. It employs this method often. Whenever a crisis emerges, it incites panic about war, fostering patriotism, then incessantly plays movies about wars of resistance and patriotism, or spreads fake news to stir up nationalist sentiments to divert attention. The great red dragon does these things with ulterior motives, harboring unspoken aims—this is called devious behavior. Who is the forebear of the antichrists? It’s the great red dragon, the devil. The nature of their actions is exactly the same, as if they are in cahoots with each other. Where do the antichrists’ schemes and methods come from? They were taught by their forebears, devils and Satan. Satan dwells within them, so operating in a devious manner is quite normal for them; it fully reveals they have the nature of an antichrist.

(God, I want to share an example. This case of an antichrist occurred in the Jijin pastoral area. It was around the spring of 2012. An antichrist named An spread many fallacies in various churches and even wrote a booklet titled “What God Cares About Most Before Leaving the Earth,” which he distributed privately to all the churches. He claimed that what God cares about most before leaving is whether God’s chosen people will listen to the man used by the Holy Spirit after He leaves, so we should understand God’s intentions; and that now, just reading the sermons, fellowships, and work arrangements of the man used by the Holy Spirit is enough, replacing the need to eat and drink of God’s words. As a result, many brothers and sisters were misled; they stopped eating and drinking of God’s words, which was the goal the antichrist sought to achieve. The insidiousness of the antichrist lay in that, under the guise of bearing witness to the man used by the Holy Spirit, he led people away from God’s words, abandoning the eating and drinking of God’s word, while also making people feel that he deeply understood God’s heart. He had thought of what God cares about before leaving, so people held him in high regard and worshiped him.) Why did he exalt the man used by the Holy Spirit? The man used by the Holy Spirit is human, and so is he. By exalting the man used by the Holy Spirit, he was actually getting people to worship and exalt him; that was his goal. We can’t just judge if what he said was right or wrong; we need to look at the consequences and objectives his words achieved; that is key. So, his purpose in exalting the man used by the Holy Spirit was actually to exalt himself; that was his aim. He knew that exalting the man used by the Holy Spirit would surely not be objected to by anyone, and people would agree with him and exalt him. But if he directly exalted and bore witness to himself, people could expose, discern, and reject him. Therefore, the antichrist employed the tactic of exalting the man used by the Holy Spirit to achieve self-exaltation and self-testimony; this was the insidiousness of the antichrist. The antichrist An’s actions were very devious, people were easily misled by them—this is a typical antichrist incident. God’s chosen people should learn to discern from this antichrist case, understand the devious aspects of antichrists, as well as the common methods and means they use to achieve the consequence of misleading people. Understanding these is greatly beneficial for people to discern antichrists. Who else has an example to share?

(God, I also have an antichrist case to share. This incident occurred in the Henan pastoral area. Around 2011, the antichrist Yu, a false leader who’d been replaced, was assigned by the church to oversee cleansing work because she had some gifts and work experience. At that time, a work arrangement was issued from the Above to thoroughly expose and abolish false leaders and antichrists. Yu, who was fond of status, saw this as an opportunity for a comeback. Under the guise of implementing the work arrangement, she continuously fellowshipped with the brothers and sisters to follow the stream of the Holy Spirit’s work and focus on discerning false leaders and antichrists. However, she didn’t fellowship the principles for discerning them but instead led us to focus our attention on the leaders and workers. At every gathering, she would ask the brothers and sisters to speak about the performance of the leaders and workers. After we spoke, she would seize upon some deviations and revealed corrupt dispositions in their work, escalating the nature of these issues, directly labeling them as false leaders, and replacing them. Afterward, she would continually testify to the brothers and sisters about how she abolished these false leaders and workers, making them feel she was discerning and capable in her work. In actuality, she aimed to use the dismissal of these leaders and workers as an opportunity to make her comeback and continue as a leader. Misled by Yu, the brothers and sisters, upon seeing the leaders’ and workers’ revealed corruption and deviations in their work, started to wonder if they were false leaders, and even questioned the church’s leaders at all levels, failing to cooperate normally with the work of the leaders and workers. Many leaders and workers of small stature were also greatly constrained, living in a state of passivity and caution, unable to do their duties normally, which led to chaos in the church. At that time, many people worshiped this antichrist, and about a dozen churches were misled and controlled by this antichrist. Even after this antichrist was revealed, some people still couldn’t discern her, believing she was upholding the church’s work, and some even stood up for her.) What happened to those brothers and sisters who were misled later? (Through fellowship and help, some gained discernment of the antichrist and were rescued, while some, no matter how others fellowshipped with them, remained obstinate and determined to follow the antichrist, and these people were eventually eliminated.) Do most people now discern this antichrist? (They do have some discernment now.) Those who remain stubborn and unchangeable deserve to perish; this is the outcome of following an antichrist.

We just fellowshipped about various manifestations of the devious actions of antichrists. Now, let’s do a summary: What is the essence and disposition expressed by such behavior of antichrists? (Wickedness.) It is a disposition primarily characterized by wickedness. Can we then say that people with a wicked disposition usually act deviously, and those who act deviously have a very wicked disposition? (Yes.) Is this logical reasoning? While it seems somewhat like reasoning on the surface, in fact, this is exactly how things are—people with a wicked disposition often operate in devious ways. The nature essence of antichrists acting deviously originates from Satan; it is quite clear they are akin to devils and Satan. By observing how antichrists act, you can understand how devils and Satan operate. The real devils and Satan, the great red dragon, act even more severely than this. Even a mere antichrist can act so deviously, with such clever tactics, speaking without leaving any loopholes, making it impossible for anyone to find a flaw or catch them out. How much more so for the old devils and Satan! When considered from the perspective of the devious behavior of antichrists, ordinary people without status, who rarely communicate or open up to others, who act without transparency and don’t want others to know what they are thinking about or considering doing deep inside and their intentions in acting, who keep themselves deeply hidden and tightly wrapped up—wouldn’t their speech and actions also have a hint of deviousness? If such people are not classified as antichrists, then they are certainly walking the path of an antichrist. This is certain. Those who walk the path of an antichrist, if they do not accept being pruned, nor heed others’ suggestions, and even more so do not accept the truth, once they gain status, will inevitably become antichrists; it’s just a matter of time. If some people have such a wicked disposition and have once walked the path of an antichrist, showing some similarities to an antichrist, but after accepting being pruned, they repent, can accept the truth, abandon their previous path, and can turn around and practice the truth, what will the result be? Such a transformation will distance them further from the path of an antichrist, making it easier for them to enter the right track of believing in God, and they will then have hope of being saved. That’s all for the fellowship on the manifestations of how antichrists act deviously; the next manifestation to fellowship about is how they are arbitrary and dictatorial.