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

Antichrists act in an arbitrary and dictatorial manner, never fellowshipping or conferring with others, doing however they please, and forcing others to obey them. It can be said that no matter what antichrists do, whatever arrangements they make or decisions they take, they do not fellowship with others, do not reach a consensus, do not seek the truth to resolve problems, and do not seek the principles that should be applied in doing their duties. Moreover, they do not allow people to understand why they are doing things in a certain way, leaving people confused and obligated to listen to them. If someone does not understand and asks them about it, the antichrist is unwilling to fellowship or explain. What status does the antichrist want to maintain in this matter? No one is allowed to know the details; no one has the right to be informed. They do whatever they want, and what they think is right must be implemented thoroughly. Others have no right to question, much less are they qualified to work in coordination with them; they only have the role of obeying and submitting. How does the antichrist view this? “Since you chose me as a leader, you are under my management and must listen to me. If you don’t want to listen to me, then you shouldn’t have chosen me. If you choose me, you have to listen to me. I have the final say in everything!” In their eyes, what is the relationship between them and the brothers and sisters? They are the one who gives orders. The brothers and sisters cannot analyze right from wrong, cannot inquire, and are not allowed to accuse, discern, question, or doubt them; all of these are forbidden. The antichrist only needs to propose plans, statements, and methods, and everyone must applaud and agree without questioning. Isn’t this a bit coercive? What kind of tactic is this? It’s arbitrary and dictatorial. What kind of disposition is this? (Vicious.) On the surface, “arbitrary” refers to making decisions alone, having the final say; and “dictatorial” means that after making a judgment or decision on one’s own, everyone else must execute it without the right to have differing opinions or statements, nor even to ask questions. Being arbitrary and dictatorial means that when faced with a situation, they ponder and consider it themselves before making a decision on what to do. They independently make decisions behind the scenes about how to do things, without anyone else’s input; even their own co-workers, collaborators or higher-level leaders cannot intervene—this is what it means to be arbitrary and dictatorial. No matter what situation they face, those who act in this manner consistently proceed by mulling things over in their minds and racking their brains in deliberation, never conferring with others. They think this way and that in their heads, but what they are actually thinking, no one knows. Why does no one know? Because they don’t say. Some people might think it’s just because they are not talkative, but is that really the case? This isn’t a matter of personality; it’s an intentional choice to keep others in the dark. They want to do things on their own, they have their own calculations. What are they calculating? Their calculations revolve around their own interests, status, fame, gain, and prestige. They ponder how to act in their own favor, how to protect their status and reputation from harm, how to act without letting others see through them, and crucially, how to conceal their actions from the Above, hoping to eventually receive benefit without revealing any flaws to anyone. They think, “If I have a momentary slip-up and say something wrong, everyone will see through me. If someone speaks out of turn and reports me to the above, the above might replace me, and I will lose my status. Besides, if I always fellowship with others, won’t my limited abilities be evident to all? Might others look down on me?” Now, tell Me, if they were really seen through, would that be good or bad? Actually, for those who pursue the truth, for honest people, being seen through and losing some face or reputation doesn’t matter much. They don’t seem very concerned with these things; they seem to be less overtly conscious of them and don’t place too much stock in them. But antichrists are the exact opposite; they don’t pursue the truth, and they regard their status and others’ perceptions and attitudes toward them as more important than life itself. Asking them to speak their minds or the truth is exceedingly difficult; even offering many benefits might not suffice. If they were asked to reveal their secrets or private matters, that would be even harder—they might not even do it at the cost of their life. What kind of nature is this? Can such a person accept the truth? Can they be saved? Definitely not. After all, “A leopard can’t change its spots.”

Antichrists place special importance on their self-worth, status, face, and anything that can maintain their power. You fellowship with them, saying, “In doing the church’s work, whether it’s external matters or internal administration, personnel adjustments, or anything else, you must fellowship with the brothers and sisters. The first step in learning to cooperate with others is to learn to fellowship. Fellowship isn’t idle talk or solely expressing your own negativity or rebellion against God. You shouldn’t release your negative or rebellious states to influence others. The main point is to fellowship about how to find principles in God’s words and understand the truth.” However, no matter how you fellowship the truth, it cannot move them or make them change their principles and direction in how they operate and conduct themselves. What kind of disposition is this? To put it mildly, it’s intransigence; to put it strongly, it’s viciousness. In fact, calling it vicious is apt. Consider a wolf with a sheep in its jaws, enjoying its prey; if you negotiate with it, saying, “I’ll give you a rabbit instead, and you let the sheep go, okay?” it won’t agree. You say, “I’ll give you a cow, how’s that?” It absolutely won’t agree. It will eat the sheep first, and then go for the cow. It’s not satisfied with just one; it wants both. What kind of disposition is this? (Insatiably greedy and extremely vicious.) It’s all too vicious! Similarly, regarding the extremely vicious disposition of antichrists, fellowshipping the truth, pruning or advising them doesn’t work. None of it can change their deep-seated pursuit of status or their desire to control others, unless you attract them with a higher status or greater benefits. Otherwise, the prey that is already in their mouths, they absolutely will not let go. What does this absolute refusal to let go mean? It means that once they have a certain status, they will use this opportunity to vigorously perform and showcase themselves. Showcase what? Their various talents and gifts, their background, education, worth, and their status in society, boasting and flaunting how capable and skilled they are, how they can toy with and manipulate people, how they can drive people. Those without the truth or discernment, upon hearing this, feel such antichrists are so impressive; they themselves feel inferior, and they willingly submit to the antichrist’s control.

Some antichrists are particularly cunning and deep in their scheming. They adhere to a supreme satanic philosophy, which is to rarely speak up in any situation and to not readily express their stance in any situation they face, speaking only when absolutely compelled to do so. They simply observe everyone’s actions attentively, as if their purpose is to thoroughly understand and see through those around them before speaking or acting. They first identify who can be their prey and become their helper, and who they need to guard against as their “political enemy.” Sometimes they don’t speak or take a stance, remaining silent, yet they are pondering and calculating internally; these individuals are cunning at heart and rarely speak out. Would you say such a person is quite sinister? If they don’t often speak out, how can you discern them? Is it easy to see through them? It is very difficult. Such people’s hearts are completely filled with satanic philosophy. Isn’t this devious? Antichrists believe that if they talk too much, constantly expressing their views and fellowshipping with others, everyone will see through them; they will think the antichrist lacks depth, is just an ordinary person, and won’t respect them. What does losing respect mean to the antichrist? It means the loss of their esteemed status in the hearts of others, appearing mediocre, ignorant, and ordinary. This is what antichrists do not hope to see. Therefore, when they see others in the church always opening up and admitting their negativity, rebellion against God, the mistakes they made yesterday, or the unbearable pain they feel from not being honest today, the antichrist considers these people foolish and naive, as they never admit such things themselves, keeping their thoughts hidden. Some people speak infrequently because of poor caliber or simple-mindedness, a lack of complex thoughts, but when antichrists speak infrequently, it’s not for the same reason; it’s a problem of disposition. They rarely speak when meeting others and don’t readily express their views on matters. Why don’t they express their views? Firstly, they certainly lack the truth and can’t see through things. If they speak, they might make mistakes and be seen through themselves; they fear being looked down upon, so they pretend to be silent and feign profundity, making it hard for others to gauge them, appearing wise and distinguished. With this facade, people dare not underestimate the antichrist, and seeing their seemingly calm and composed exterior, they hold them in even higher regard and dare not slight them. This is the devious and wicked aspect of antichrists. They don’t readily express their views because most of their views are not in line with the truth, but are merely human notions and imaginings, not worthy of being brought out into the open. So, they remain silent. Inside they hope to obtain some light which they can release to gain admiration, but since they lack this, they stay quiet and hidden during fellowship of the truth, lurking in the shadows like a ghost waiting for an opportunity. When they find others speaking forth the light, they figure out ways to make it their own, expressing it in another manner to show off. This is how cunning antichrists are. No matter what they do, they strive to stand out and be superior, as only then do they feel pleased. If they don’t have the opportunity, they first lie low, and keep their views to themselves. This is the cunningness of antichrists. For example, when a sermon is issued by God’s house, some people say it seems like God’s words, and others think it seems more like a fellowship from the Above. Relatively simple-hearted people speak what’s on their mind, but antichrists, even if they have an opinion about this, keep it hidden. They observe and are prepared to follow the majority view, but in actuality they can’t thoroughly grasp it themselves. Can such slick and crafty people understand the truth or have real discernment? What can someone who doesn’t understand the truth see through? They can’t see through anything. Some people can’t see through things yet pretend to be profound; actually, they lack discernment and fear others will see through them. The correct attitude in such situations is: “We can’t see through this matter. Since we don’t know, we shouldn’t speak carelessly. Speaking incorrectly can have a negative impact. I will wait and see what the Above says.” Isn’t that speaking honestly? It’s such simple language, and yet why don’t antichrists say it? They don’t want to be seen through, knowing their own limitations; but behind this there is also a despicable intention—to be admired. Isn’t this what’s most disgusting? After everyone has spoken, seeing that most say it’s God’s words and a few say it’s not, the antichrist also feels the sermon may not be God’s words, but they don’t state it outright. They say, “I can’t rush to judgment on this matter; I’ll go with the majority.” They don’t admit their lack of insight, instead using this approach to disguise and conceal, all the while thinking that they’re very wise, that their methods are brilliant. Then, two days later, when God’s house announces the sermon was God’s words, the antichrist immediately says, “See, what did I tell you? I knew it was god’s words all along, but I was worried about the weakness of those of you who didn’t recognize them, so I couldn’t say it. If I had said it was god’s words, wouldn’t I have been condemning you? How sad you would have been! Could I be at ease knowing how weak you are? What kind of leader would I be then?” Such a master of disguise! There are intentions and aims behind everything antichrists say; whenever they open their mouths, it’s to boast about themselves, to flaunt their achievements, past good deeds, and past glories. Whenever they speak, it’s about these things. Those who can’t see through them idolize them, while those who can see through them find them extremely insidious and deceitful—the antichrist never admits their shortcomings. Antichrists operate in secrecy and speak equivocally; most of what they say is nonsense, and they are unable to see through anything or understand any truth. Worse, they pretend to understand the truth despite not understanding any and want to be involved in everything, wanting to make decisions and have the final say in all matters, leaving those around them without any right to know. What situation does this ultimately lead to? Everyone who cooperates with them or does duty with them feels that while they seem loyal and willing to pay the price on the surface, it’s not really the case. Even those who have been close to the antichrist for years can’t see through them or know what they’re truly capable of—most people can’t see through them. What they say is all falsehoods and empty words, duplicitous and deceptive words. They want to be involved in everything and make all the decisions, but once they have decided, they don’t take any responsibility for the possible repercussions, and they come up with reasons to excuse this behavior. After deciding, they let others do the work, while they move on to interfere in other matters. As for whether the original matter is followed up on, whether it’s implemented, the effectiveness of the execution, whether most others have any opinions about the approach, whether it harms the interests of God’s house, or whether the brothers and sisters have discernment about it, they don’t care, acting as if it’s not their concern, that it has nothing to do with them—they show not the slightest care. What is the only thing they care about? They care only about matters in which they can show off and gain admiration from others; they never miss opportunities to do so. In their work, they do nothing but give orders and enforce regulations. They are only capable of playing power games and manipulating people, while being self-satisfied and thinking they are accomplished in their work. They are completely unaware of the consequences of their way of working—they are harming God’s chosen people, causing disruptions and disturbances in the church’s work. They are obstructing the carrying out of God’s will, and trying to establish their own independent kingdom.

“Being arbitrary and dictatorial, never fellowshipping with others, and forcing others to obey them”—what primarily does this behavior of antichrists signify? Their disposition is wicked and vicious, and they possess an exceptionally strong desire to control others, exceeding the bounds of normal human rationality. Additionally, what is their understanding or view and attitude toward the duty they perform? How does this differ from those who genuinely perform their duty? Those who genuinely perform their duty seek principles for what they do, which is a fundamental requirement. But how do antichrists apprehend the duty they perform? What disposition and essence are revealed through their performance of duty? They stand in a high position and condescend to those below them. Once they are chosen to lead, they start to see themselves as individuals of status and identity. They don’t accept their duty from God. Upon acquiring a certain position, they feel their status is important, their power great, and their identity unique, allowing them to look down on others from their high position. At the same time, they think that they can issue commands and act according to their own thoughts, and that they don’t even need to have any misgivings about doing this. They think they can use the opportunity to perform duty to satisfy their craving for authority, to satisfy their desire and ambition to rule and lead others with power. It could be said they feel they finally have the chance to be unchallenged in their authority. Some say: “The manifestations of antichrists are being arbitrary and dictatorial, and never fellowshipping with others. Although our leader also has the disposition and revelations of antichrists, they often fellowship with us!” Does that mean they are not an antichrist? Antichrists can sometimes pretend; after a round of fellowshipping with everyone and understanding and grasping everyone’s thoughts—identifying who is aligned with them and who is not—they categorize them. In future matters, they only communicate with those who are in good relations and compatible with them. Those who are not in sync with them are often kept in the dark about most matters, and they may even withhold books of God’s words from them. Have you ever acted in this way, being arbitrary and dictatorial, never fellowshipping with others? Being arbitrary and dictatorial certainly happens, but this is not necessarily the case for never fellowshipping with others; occasionally you may fellowship. However, after fellowshipping, things still proceed as you said. Some people think: “Despite our fellowship, I’ve actually already established a set plan long ago. I fellowship with you just as a formality, just to let you know I have my principles in what I do. Do you think I don’t know your measure? In the end, you will still have to listen to me and follow my way.” In fact, they have already decided in their hearts long ago. They believe, “I have a silver tongue and can twist any argument to my favor; no one can outtalk me, so naturally, the trend will follow my lead.” They have made their calculations far in advance. Does this sort of situation exist? Being arbitrary and dictatorial is not a behavior that is accidentally revealed on occasion; it is controlled by a certain disposition. It may not seem like being arbitrary and dictatorial from their way of speaking or acting, but from their disposition and the nature of their actions, they are indeed arbitrary and dictatorial. They go through formalities and “listen” to others’ opinions, allowing others to speak, making them aware of a situation’s details, discussing what God’s word requires—but they use a certain rhetoric or phrasing to guide others to reach a consensus with them. And what is the final result? Everything develops according to their plan. This is their sinister aspect; this is also called forcing others to obey them, it is a kind of “gentle” compulsion. They think, “You’re not listening, right? You don’t understand, right? Let me explain.” In explaining, they weave and wind their words, leading others into their logic. After leading them around, people listen and think, “What you say is right; we’ll practice as you say, there’s no need to be so earnest anymore,” and the antichrist is pleased. Most people can’t discern their words. Do you have discernment? What should you do when faced with such situations? For instance, when confronted with a matter, you feel there is a problem; you can’t pinpoint the exact problem at the moment, yet you feel you’re being forced to obey. What should you do then? You should look for relevant principles, seek guidance from the Above, or fellowship with the individual in question. Additionally, those who understand the truth can discuss and fellowship about this matter together. Sometimes, the work and guidance of the Holy Spirit will allow you to understand the problems in the proposals or theories put forth by antichrists or those who walk the path of antichrists, and their ulterior motives. Through fellowshipping with each other, you may come to understand. But perhaps you don’t fellowship, instead thinking, “This isn’t a big issue, let him do as he pleases. After all, I’m not primarily responsible, I don’t need to bother with these matters. I won’t be accountable if something goes wrong; he will bear it.” What kind of behavior is this? This is being disloyal to your duty. Isn’t being disloyal to your duty betraying the interests of God’s house? This is like Judas! Many people, when faced with oppressive power, end up compromising and going along with those brandishing this power, which is a manifestation of being disloyal to their duty. Whether you face an antichrist or someone who acts recklessly and forces you to obey them, what principles should you choose to uphold? What path should you follow? If you feel that what you are doing doesn’t conflict or deviate from God’s words and the work arrangements, you must stand firm. Adhering to the truth is correct and approved by God, but bowing and compromising to Satan, to wicked forces, to evil people, is behavior of betrayal, it is an evil deed, hated and cursed by God. When antichrists encounter someone who argues with them, they often say, “I have the final say in this matter, and it must be done my way. If anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility!” What disposition does this statement represent? Can someone who speaks and practices this way have normal humanity? Why do they force others to obey them? Why don’t they seek the truth to resolve issues when they arise? Why can’t they determine the principles of practicing the truth? This proves they lack the truth. Can you discern the problem with this statement? Saying such things is enough to prove they have the disposition of an antichrist; this is the behavior of an antichrist. However, a more cunning antichrist, fearing being discerned by others, must say some things that everyone agrees with and that seem right to achieve their goal of misleading people and gaining a foothold. Then, they will ponder how to control God’s chosen people.

The manifestations of antichrists being arbitrary and dictatorial should be numerous, because this kind of behavior, disposition, and quality can be seen in every corrupted person, let alone in antichrists. Can you think of some examples where you were arbitrary and dictatorial? For instance, if someone says you look good with short hair, and you reply, “What’s so good about short hair? I prefer long hair, and I’ll do as I please,” is this arbitrary and dictatorial? (No.) That’s just a personal preference, a part of normal humanity. Some people like to wear glasses even if they are not nearsighted. If some people judge them, saying, “You’re just trying to look good, you don’t actually need glasses!” and they respond, “So what if I am? I’ll wear them anyway!”—is this arbitrary and dictatorial? No, this is a personal preference, at most it’s being willful, and it doesn’t involve any problem of their disposition; they might stop wearing the glasses after a few days if they feel like it. So what mainly constitutes being arbitrary and dictatorial? It mainly involves the path one takes, their disposition, and the principles and motivations behind their actions. For example, in a marriage where the husband likes cars and the family only has 20,000 yuan, and the husband borrows money from wherever he can to needlessly buy a car for 200,000 yuan, leaving the family unable to afford food, and the wife doesn’t even know about the purchase, is this husband being arbitrary and dictatorial? This is indeed being arbitrary and dictatorial. Being arbitrary and dictatorial means not considering the feelings, thoughts, opinions, attitudes, or viewpoints of others, only focusing on oneself. Simply put, in everyday life, it means satisfying one’s fleshly pleasures and desires, satisfying one’s selfishness, and when it involves duty, it refers to satisfying one’s ambition and desire to pursue status and power. Here’s an example: The church had a house, and a road needed to be built next to it. The appropriate width of the road should be determined by the size of the house and yard, aiming for both aesthetics and functionality. Given the large area of this house and yard, the road needed to be at least two meters wide. The person in charge said: “I’ve decided, we’ll make it one meter wide.” Others said, “Many people go in and out every day, and sometimes we have to carry things; one meter simply won’t work, it’s too narrow.” But the one in charge insisted on their own view, and was not open to discussion. After completion, everyone saw that the road was too narrow; it was out of place with the house and yard and impractical—it required redoing, which led to rework. Everyone then complained about this person. In fact, before the road construction began, some people had raised objections, but this person disagreed and insisted on their own view, forcing others to execute according to their wishes, leading to such consequences. Why couldn’t this person accept others’ suggestions? When there were differing opinions, why couldn’t they consider all aspects and find the correct approach? If there was no one to confer with, it’s fine to make one’s own decisions, but now that there were people to confer with and even better suggestions available, why couldn’t they accept them? What kind of disposition is this? There are at least two possibilities: One is that the person is thoughtless, a muddleheaded individual; the other is that their disposition is too arrogant and self-righteous, always feeling they are right, unable to accept what others say no matter how correct it is—this is so arrogant it causes a loss of reason. Such a simple matter revealed their disposition. Excessive arrogance leads to a loss of rationality. What does it mean to lack rationality? What kind of thing lacks rationality? Beasts lack rationality. If a person lacks rationality, they are no different from a beast; their mind lacks the capacity to judge, and it doesn’t have rationality. If a person becomes so arrogant that they lose reason, and they lack rationality, aren’t they similar to beasts? (Yes.) That’s just what they are; lacking human rationality means they are not human. Do antichrists possess such rationality? (No.) Antichrists lack it even more; they are worse than beasts, they are devils. Like when God asked Satan, “From where come you?” God’s question was actually very clear; what message did God convey? (He was asking Satan where it came from.) This sentence obviously ends with a question mark; it’s a question, referring to “Satan” with the subject “you”: “Where have you come from?” The grammar is appropriate, and God’s question is easily understood. How did Satan respond? (“From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it” (Job 1:7).) This is Satan’s famous quote. Does Satan’s answer exhibit any rationality? (No.) It lacks rationality. When God asked it again where it came from, it repeated the same answer, as if it couldn’t understand God’s words. Can people understand what Satan said? Does its speech have any rationality? (No.) It lacks rationality—can it understand the truth then? Even to such a simple question from God, it responded in that way; it is even less capable of understanding the truths that God speaks. It can be said that antichrists also lack rationality; those who act deviously, who cannot understand God’s words or the truth are all irrational. No matter how much you talk about practicing the truth, acting according to principles, and seeking principles and fellowshipping with others while performing one’s duty—to which they say they understand and know—when it comes to taking action, they don’t take your words to heart and do whatever they want. This is a demonic nature! Those with such demonic nature do not understand the truth and lack rationality. What is their most unreasonable and shameless aspect? Humans are created by God, and God selects people and brings them before Him for what purpose? It is to make people heed and understand God’s words, to walk the right path in life as God directs, and ultimately to be able to distinguish right from wrong, positive and negative things. This is what God intends; in this way, those who follow God become increasingly better. And to what extent are antichrists unreasonable? They think, “God, you bring people before you, so I will do the same; you can choose people, and orchestrate and rule over them, so I will do the same; you can have people submit and listen to you, you give direct commands and have them do as you say, so I will do the same.” Isn’t this irrational? (Yes.) Doesn’t being irrational mean they have no sense of shame? (Yes.) Are people yours? Should they follow you? Why should they listen to you? You are merely one of the tiny created beings, how could you aspire to be above everything? Isn’t this irrational? (Yes.)