III. Despising the Words of God

Today we continue to fellowship on the tenth item of the various manifestations of antichrists: “They despise the truth, brazenly flout principles, and ignore the arrangements of God’s house,” focusing on the third part, that they despise the words of God. At the last gathering, we fellowshipped two aspects of this part. Which two were they? (The first was that antichrists arbitrarily tamper with and interpret the words of God. The other was that antichrists disclaim God’s words when they do not accord with their notions.) Both aspects relate to antichrists despising God’s words. Antichrists despising God’s words is evident in many ways; it’s connected to their essence, their attitude toward God, and how they treat all aspects related to God. God’s words encompass a wide range of content, so antichrists despising God’s words isn’t a simple attitude they have toward His words. The reasons for them despising His words are multifaceted, not singular. At the last gathering, we fellowshipped two specific manifestations of how antichrists despise God’s words. Today, we will fellowship another manifestation.

C. Antichrists Pry Into Whether God’s Words Come True

Antichrists despise God’s words—do they have true belief in what God says, in all the content spoken by God? (No.) There is actual evidence of this. They don’t truly believe, so what is their attitude toward whether all the words spoken by God correspond with reality, whether they can come true, or whether they are factual? Do they truly believe, or do they doubt and hesitantly observe in their hearts? They are firmly doubting and hesitantly observing in their hearts. Today, we will fellowship on this manifestation of antichrists: They pry into whether God’s words come true. What does “pry into” mean? Why use the phrase “pry into”? (God, prying into means secretly observing, peeping.) This explanation is basically correct. Everyone understands the meaning of “pry into” now; it’s to watch and hesitantly observe in secret, to look covertly without being detected by others, to act in the shadows, not out in the open or allowing others to see; it’s a petty maneuver. Clearly, the person performing this maneuver is not doing so in public but secretly. So, from these manifestations and explanations, what kind of behavior is it when antichrists pry into God’s words? (Despising the truth.) What makes it evident that it’s despising the truth? Why can’t antichrists just read God’s words candidly, justifiably, and publicly? Why do they pry? Is prying really a type of action? From its explanation, it’s clear that prying is not something done overtly; it’s not something that can be discerned from outward appearances, expressions, or actions. Instead, all these thoughts are hidden, kept within the heart, imperceptible to others, and it’s hard to discern what they are thinking from their expressions and actions—this is called prying. This is an attitude toward God’s words that cannot appear openly in public; it is clearly an incorrect one. It’s an attitude of treating God’s words from the perspective of a third party, from a hostile viewpoint, from a viewpoint of hesitant observance, scrutiny, doubt, and opposition. From these behaviors, can it be said that antichrists prying into whether God’s words will come true is a manifestation of despising God’s words that is serious in nature? (Yes.) Antichrists prying into whether God’s words will come true reflects their disposition and their true attitude toward God’s words, revealed in their hearts, thoughts, and secretly held opinions.

Which of God’s words do antichrists pry into? In their view, which of God’s words are worth their secretive, in-depth scrutiny and analysis? That is, which specific contents spoken by God are antichrists particularly interested in, while at the same time often doubting and hesitantly observing them in their hearts? Which of God’s words do antichrists believe are worth spending time and energy on prying into in their hearts? (Some of God’s prophecies, mysteries, and words related to the prospects, destiny, and destination of humans.) Prophecies, destinations, mysteries—these are things most people are concerned about and even more so what antichrists can never let go of in the depths of their hearts. Specifically, which of God’s words do antichrists relatively concern themselves with and often pry into in their hearts? Since it involves whether these words will come true, whether they will be realized, whether they will see their actual accomplishment as facts, what antichrists are concerned about are definitely the promises God made to humankind, right? (Right.) Also, words related to God cursing and punishing people, punishing evil people, punishing all who go against God’s words. And then there are prophecies of disasters—isn’t this also an area of antichrists’ concern? (Yes.) What else? (The words about when God will depart the earth.) When God will depart the earth, when God will be glorified, when God’s great work will be done, when God will end this humankind, right? (Right.) How many items are there in total? (Four.) The first is God’s words of promises and blessings to man. The second is God’s words of curses and punishment to man. The third is God’s words that prophesy disaster. The fourth is God’s words about when He will depart the earth and His great work be done. And there’s another, most important item, a category of God’s words that antichrists are especially keen to pry into, and that is God’s words about His disposition, His identity, and His essence. Why add this last one? Antichrists don’t believe God’s words will come true; they often pry into God’s words, so what mainly arouses their doubts, leading them to pry into God’s words? Their main disbelief is in God. Fundamentally, antichrists are disbelievers, they are devils; they doubt God’s existence, don’t believe there is a God in this world, don’t believe in the existence of God, nor in everything God does. So, they are utterly doubtful of God’s disposition, identity, and essence. Given their doubt, what will they do? If they can doubt God’s identity and essence, then when it comes to words involving God’s disposition, identity, and essence, will they just read them without perception or reaction? Can they firmly believe and accept these words? (No.) For instance, if someone always suspects they were adopted, can they believe that their parents are their biological parents? Can they believe that their parents’ love, protection, and all the sacrifices made for their prospects are genuine? (No.) When they doubt and disbelieve all this, won’t they do some things in secret? For example, sometimes they might eavesdrop on their parents’ conversations to see if they are discussing their origin. They will also usually pay close attention and constantly interrogate their parents about where they were born, who delivered them, and how much they weighed at birth—they’ll always be asking about these things. If their parents strike or discipline them, their suspicions will only deepen. No matter what their parents do, they will always be on guard and doubting. No matter how well their parents treat them, they can’t let go of the wariness in their heart. So, isn’t all this wariness, all these internal activities, thoughts, and attitudes happening secretly? Once they doubt whether their parents are their biological ones, they are bound to do some things behind the scenes. Therefore, since the essence of antichrists is that of disbelievers, they certainly do not believe in, acknowledge, or accept God’s disposition, identity, and essence. With this attitude of disbelief, non-acknowledgment, and non-acceptance, do they truly believe and accept in their hearts the words concerning God’s disposition, identity, and essence? Certainly not. As long as it involves words about God’s disposition, identity, and essence, they harbor doubt, opposition, and hesitant observance in their hearts. Let’s not go into detail about this aspect for now.

The five manifestations of antichrists prying into God’s words that were just discussed are basically quite comprehensive and representative. There is specific content and focus of the words of God that antichrists pry into. As for many words related to life entry, words in which God comforts people, explains some mysteries or exposes man’s corrupt disposition, and so on, do antichrists care about these words? (No.) To them, these words are insignificant. Why? Because antichrists do not love the truth, do not believe God’s words are the truth, and they do not intend to accept God’s judgment and chastisement or God’s salvation. They have no such plans, so they consider words related to changes in human disposition and life entry as unimportant, as not worth reading, thinking about, or taking to heart. They have no interest in these words. They think, “What do those words have to do with our prospects and destiny? What do they have to do with our destination? Those words are about trivial matters, not worth reading or listening to. If one is truly upset, with no other solution available, they could just temporarily read those words to fill the emptiness in the heart, or to overcome some especially challenging obstacles and solve some intractable difficulties—that’s all. To say those words can change one’s disposition, how could it be that simple?” They fundamentally have no intention of having their disposition changed, no plan to accept God’s words as the life, the way, or the truth. What they want is their prospects and destination, as well as power. So, they don’t take such words seriously, nor do they take them to heart. The implication, from the perspective of antichrists, is that these words are simply not worth their scrutiny, and even less worth their time to analyze and investigate whether they are the truth or whether they can change people. For antichrists, any words related to their destiny and destination, their own identity, status, all their personal interests, and so on, are significant, they are of utmost importance. Some people say: “Since antichrists regard these parts of God’s words as so important and give them such attention, how can it be said that they are prying into God’s words? Isn’t this a bit of a wrongful accusation? Isn’t this a bit far-fetched and not quite fitting?” (No. Antichrists do not believe that God’s words will surely come true and be accomplished, they do not believe that God means what He says, and what He says shall be done. They do not read God’s words with a mindset of belief and acknowledgment but are observing whether God’s words can indeed come true.) Is this the case? (Yes.) Antichrists value these words because they can satisfy their desires. Moreover, if these words are accomplished, it would satisfy their ambitions. If they grasp these words and hold onto them, then once these words come true, they’ve bet on the right thing, and following God will have been the right move for them. However, their valuing these words does not mean they can accept them as the truth from deep within, as coming from God, nor can it be said that they accept these words as God’s words in their hearts. On the contrary, while they value these words, in their hearts they harbor doubts about them, they are just hesitantly observing. It can also be said that these words can become evidence and leverage for them to deny God and deny this stage of God’s work at any moment, at any time and place. They are constantly and intently observing to see whether during each step of God’s work and every period God leads people through these words are being realized and accomplished. Clearly, antichrists are perpetually focused on whether God’s words come true. During this period, their attitude of hostility toward God, resistance to God, and scrutiny and analysis of God has never changed. They are hostile toward and scrutinize God, always prying into every action and word of God in their hearts; at the same time, they also attempt to condemn God and God’s work. Isn’t this a consistent manifestation of antichrists resisting God? (Yes.) From these manifestations of antichrists, is there any hint of acceptance toward God’s words? Any hint of submission? Any bit of treating God as God? (No.) Next, we will fellowship on these items one by one.

1. Prying Into God’s Words of Promises and Blessings to Man

The first item is that antichrists pry into God’s words of promises and blessings. Since God began His work and spoke, He has told humankind, His chosen people, and those who listen to His words much about which blessings and grace He will bestow upon people, what blessings He promises to people, and so on. In different periods, occasions, or contexts, God tells His followers about blessings and promises, informing them that if they achieve certain things, God will bless them in specific ways, and they will receive certain blessings and promises, and so forth. Regardless of the period when God spoke these words or to whom God gave such promises, these words were spoken under certain contexts and in a certain environment. Moreover, the promises and blessings God bestows on people are related to their positive manifestations, such as pursuing the truth, changes in disposition, and true submission to God. Implicitly, God’s promises and blessings to people are conditional. People don’t have the final say in these conditions, nor are they determined according to human notions and imaginings; rather, they are determined according to God’s standards and requirements, involving certain principles and rules. Regarding how God’s words come true, are realized, and are accomplished in different people, it’s absolutely not done haphazardly by God—rather, there is a basis for it. The same deed done by different people can result in different treatments from God. For instance, there might be two people who each lead a church; one frequently receives enlightenment and illumination and often endures discipline, leading to rapid growth in stature. In contrast, the other might be relatively numb and slow to respond, leading to slower progress. From a human perspective, these two people who perform the same work and exhibit similar behaviors should receive the same blessings and treatment from God. However, in terms of the life entry they experience and gain in doing their duties and in their lives, or the external grace they receive, there will be definite differences. These “definite differences” are, of course, not inevitable. So, how does God allocate these so-called blessings and different treatments, or enlightenment, illumination, and other benefits people gain from God? God has different ways of dealing with different people. Some people are lazy, vain, competitive, and envious, and while they are willing to expend themselves and endure some hardships on the surface, they just can’t accept or practice the truth. On the other hand, some people are diligent; even though they have the same corrupt dispositions, they are relatively honest and humble. They can accept the truth and accept being pruned. They earnestly accept and apprehend everything God says and every environment God sets for them, while also treating it with earnestness. Thus, outwardly, two people might be doing the same work and the amount of work might be similar, but God will bestow different blessings and different enlightenments and illuminations based on their different dispositions and pursuits. From the surface, the person who receives enlightenment and illumination might suffer more and often endure discipline, but their gain is also greater. In contrast, the numb and dull-witted person faces much less discipline, suffers much less, and thus their life growth is slower and they gain less. Essentially, which person truly receives God’s blessings and promises? (The one who suffers more and often receives discipline.) It may appear that the person who receives God’s promises and blessings gets disciplined, frequently faces setbacks, reveals corruption, and gets exposed, but they often receive God’s enlightenment and illumination. On the other hand, the person who doesn’t get disciplined lives a comfortable, joyful, and free life. When they are lazy, they don’t face discipline; when they are envious, they don’t face discipline; when they are irresponsible in their work, they don’t face discipline—they even indulge in the benefits of status and live quite contentedly. Whom do people who have spiritual understanding, who comprehend things purely, and who love positive things prefer? They prefer the person who endures being disciplined, often faces setbacks, and can receive enlightenment and illumination; they consider such a person to be truly blessed by God. Those who pursue the truth desire to be such a person. They are willing to live constantly before God, even if it means often receiving God’s discipline and chastening. They believe this is God’s blessing and truly God’s promise. Having these experiences and gains confirms the existence of the blessings and promises spoken by God. But how do antichrists view this? Antichrists do not measure God’s promises and blessings based on how much truth a person understands, how much truth they have gained, or how many positive gains they have received. Instead, they measure how much has been gained from the perspective of fleshly benefits and material interests. Which person do you think antichrists envy? (The person who doesn’t endure discipline.) Antichrists envy the person who is lazy and disloyal, who doesn’t face any discipline and enjoys the benefits of status. That antichrists envy such individuals proves there is a problem with the way they view things; this is determined by their nature essence.

How do antichrists pry into whether God’s words of promises and blessings to man come true? When God’s words state whom He blesses, who receives His promises, and who can receive promises from God, how do antichrists observe this? They say, “People who pay a price for god receive enlightenment and illumination, have god’s discipline and guidance, and that’s considered receiving blessings? Being disciplined is god’s blessing? Only fools would think so! Isn’t that taking a loss? Isn’t that damaging one’s reputation? And that’s called god’s blessing? Is that how god’s words come true and are realized? If that’s the case, then I don’t want to be such a person, I don’t want to pursue suffering and paying a price. I don’t accept this way of god working; what kind of truth is this? How could that be considered saving people?” Opposition arises in their hearts; they do not accept God blessing and leading people in this way, do not accept God granting life to people in this manner, and do not accept God working the truth into people in this way. Of course, there might also be such people around antichrists who, since believing in God, have had flourishing businesses, earned more money, bought cars and houses, and their material life has improved, becoming wealthy. Upon seeing this, antichrists think, “After believing in god, they received blessings and enjoyed god’s grace. From these facts, it seems that god’s promises and blessings to man are realized in such people; god’s words have come true. It seems that god’s words do carry authority; accepting this stage of god’s work is right, and one can receive great blessings, everything will go smoothly, and one can receive grace from god.” After witnessing such facts, in their hearts, antichrists temporarily have a bit of acknowledgment and belief in God’s promises and blessings. Of course, this acknowledgment and belief should come with a parenthetical note stating “subject to further verification.” In their daily lives, antichrists continuously observe and gather various pieces of evidence to verify that God’s blessings and promises are coming true and being realized in many people. While observing, these antichrists are collecting this evidence, trying to see which people have received God’s blessings and promises, what these people have done, their attitudes toward God, how they follow God, and their viewpoints. Of course, during this period of continuous observation and gathering evidence, antichrists also attempt to imitate the behavior, actions, and viewpoints of those who have received God’s blessings and promises. If they themselves receive some material blessings, treatment, and enjoyment, they internally concede: “God’s blessings and promises are not empty words; they can be realized. It seems that this god is indeed god, he really has some capability. He can bestow blessings and promises on people, bring some benefits, and satisfy some of their needs for certain interests. It looks like I should continue to believe and follow him; I mustn’t fall behind or slacken.” From beginning to end, antichrists are hesitantly observing. But does anyone notice when they do this? Do they hesitantly observe out in the open, telling everyone, “I don’t believe in these blessings and promises of god”? (No.) On the surface, you can’t tell. You see them among the ranks of everyone else, forsaking their jobs, marriage, families, and so on, and also doing their duties alongside everyone else, getting up early and going to bed late, enduring hardship and paying a price. They don’t speak words that cause disturbances or negative words, don’t express judgments, don’t do bad things, and don’t cause disturbances. However, there’s still one thing: No matter how covertly they act on the outside, their inner viewpoints and thoughts dominate and influence their behavior. Deep inside, their hesitant observance and prying into God’s words cannot be hidden from God. So what aspects of antichrists can be hidden from people but not God? People only see the behavior of others, they only see what others reveal—God, on the other hand, not only looks at these but, most importantly, observes people’s hearts and innermost thoughts. The behaviors and revelations of a person are relatively superficial, but the depths of a person’s heart are an imperceptible realm, within which are hidden their deeper thoughts and many elements of their nature. When antichrists pry into such words of God as His promises and blessings, outwardly they may dedicate their time and pay a physical price, but their hearts are not fully devoted to God. What are the concrete manifestations of not fully devoting their hearts to God? No matter what they do or what duty they perform, they don’t put all their energy into it and do it without reservation, but only aim to ensure that there are no apparent faults and the basic direction of the overall process is correct. Why can they do this? Deep in their hearts, in their innermost being, they harbor a thought: “Whether god’s words come true or not determines whether god can save me and whether he is indeed my god. If this question isn’t answered, even the realness of god’s identity and essence is worth questioning.” With such thoughts deep inside, can they still have a true heart toward God? These deep-seated thoughts in their hearts impede them, constantly warning them: Don’t give your true heart to god, don’t go all out, just go through the motions in whatever you do, and don’t be foolish; keep something back from god, make sure to leave yourself an out, and don’t entrust your life or your most important things to this still-unknown god. This is how they think in their hearts. Have you noticed this? (No.) These antichrists, during gatherings and in interactions with others, can outwardly be kind, have normal associations, and even fellowship about some of their own insights, understandings, and experiences and they can exhibit outward, shallow, basic behaviors and manifestations that a believer should have; however, there is no growth or improvement in their fear of God or sincerity toward Him. Regardless of how these people pay a price or how many years they do their duty in God’s house, one thing is certain: Their life does not grow—they have no life. In what areas does this lack of life manifest? When faced with situations, they don’t seek principles at all; they are just content if the work at hand continues, they never take the principles spoken by God as their standard for practice, only superficially accepting supervision, oversight, and leadership from other people, and not accepting God’s scrutiny. This means that until they have clearly affirmed for whom God’s promises and blessings are genuinely coming true, for which group of people they are being realized, and until they have confirmed that they themselves can truly receive from God the promises and blessings God gives to man, their principles and methods of action, as well as their attitude toward God’s words, will not change. In one sense, they are constantly reminding themselves, while also internally plotting out their argument with God. What is the focus of their argument with God? They think: “Your promises and blessings haven’t been realized. I haven’t seen them be realized, and I can’t see how you work, so I can’t confirm your identity. If I can’t confirm your identity, then how can I regard these words of yours as the truth, as god’s words?” Aren’t they internally disputing this matter with God? They say, “If the blessings you promise to bestow upon people, and all the various contents of your promises to people cannot be verified by me, then my faith in you cannot be one hundred percent. There will always be some adulterations within it, and I cannot fully believe.” This is the attitude of antichrists. Is such an attitude frightening? (Yes.) This type of attitude is somewhat similar in nature to the saying among nonbelievers, “Don’t release the hawk until you’ve seen the hare.” They say: “You are god, you should have the power to realize your promises and blessings. If what you say cannot be realized, and people believing in you cannot enjoy great blessings, cannot enjoy glory, wealth, and honor, cannot enjoy grace, and cannot receive your shelter, then why should people follow you?” In the eyes of antichrists, and in their thoughts and views, there must be some benefits in following God; they will not bother to move without benefits. If there is no fame, gain, or status that can be enjoyed, if none of the work they do or the duties they perform earn them the admiration of others, then there is no point in believing in God and doing their duties. The first benefits they must gain are the promises and blessings spoken of in the words of God, and they must also enjoy fame, gain, and status within the church. Antichrists think that in believing in God, one must be superior to others, one must be admired, one must be special—at the very least, believers in God must enjoy these things. If they do not, there is some question over whether this God they’re believing in is the true God. Is antichrists’ logic not that they take the words “Those who believe in god must enjoy the blessings and grace of god” as the truth? Have a go at analyzing these words: Are they the truth? (They aren’t.) Now it is clear that these words are not the truth, they are a fallacy, they are the logic of Satan, and they bear no relation to the truth. Has God ever said, “If people believe in Me, they will surely be blessed, and will never suffer adversity”? Which line of God’s words talks about this? God has never said words like that or done this. When it comes to blessings and adversities, there is a truth to be sought. What is the wise saying that people should adhere to? Job said, “Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive adversity?” (Job 2:10). Are these words the truth? These are the words of a man; they cannot be elevated to the heights of the truth, though they do conform to the truth in some way. In what way do they conform to the truth? Whether people are blessed or suffer adversity is all in the hands of God, it is all under the sovereignty of God. This is the truth. Do antichrists believe this? No, they don’t. They don’t acknowledge this. Why do they not believe or acknowledge this? (Their belief in God is in order to be blessed—they only want to be blessed.) (Because they are too selfish, and only pursue the interests of the flesh.) In their belief, antichrists only wish to be blessed, and they do not want to suffer adversity. When they see someone who is blessed, who has benefited, who has been graced, and who has received more material enjoyments, great advantages, they believe that this is done by God; and if they do not receive such material blessings, then this is not the action of God. The implication is, “If you really are god, then you can only bless people; you should avert people’s adversity and not allow them to meet with suffering. Only then is there a value and a point to people believing in you. If, after following you, people are still beset by adversity, if they still suffer, then what is the point of believing in you?” They do not admit that all things and events are in the hands of God, that God holds sovereignty over all. And why don’t they admit this? Because antichrists are afraid of suffering adversity. They want only to benefit, to take advantage, to enjoy blessings; they wish not to accept God’s sovereignty or orchestration, but only to receive benefits from God. This is the selfish and despicable point of view of antichrists. This is a series of manifestations displayed by antichrists concerning such words of God as His promises and blessings. Overall, these manifestations primarily involve antichrists’ viewpoints toward their pursuit, as well as their views, evaluations, and understanding of this type of thing God does for people. Although they may not overtly slander or oppose God’s words outwardly, deep inside, their approach toward these types of words from God and toward the method by which God does this type of thing is one of slander, doubt, condemnation, and selectiveness. When the words of God’s promises and blessings come true in some people, they praise God’s might and extol His name and His love. However, when what God does doesn’t align with their notions and imaginings of promises and blessings, antichrists immediately deny God’s existence in their hearts, as well as the correctness of all that God does, and even more so they deny God’s sovereignty and the fact that He orchestrates and arranges human fate. All these manifestations of antichrists might not be revealed outwardly, and they might not spread their views using explicit language, but the perspective with which they hesitantly observe and pry into these words from God in their hearts does not change. No matter how others fellowship about matters of life entry or how people can be saved, antichrists’ mentality and attitude of prying into whether such words of God as His promises and blessings will come true and how they will be realized won’t be set aside. Antichrists might clap jubilantly and cheer, praising God’s might when God’s promises and blessings are realized. But quickly, when God’s promises and blessings are not realized or do not come true according to their notions, they secretly curse and abuse God in their hearts, and slander His name. Therefore, in everyday life, even when everything is peaceful and trouble-free, some people’s states fluctuate wildly. When they are happy, they can be in seventh heaven, but when they are down, they can sink into hellish despair. Their moods are fickle and unpredictable, leaving others baffled about what is going on. When they are happy, they say, “God truly is god. God is so great, god’s authority really exists, god loves people so much!” But when they are unhappy, it becomes extremely difficult for them to even utter the word “god.” The same person who loudly praises God’s name is also the one who slanders, denies, blasphemes, abuses, and curses God in their heart. They get up early and go to bed late to do their duties, paying a price that most others cannot, but they are also the one who vents their frustrations through their duties, betrays the interests of God’s house, deliberately disturbs the work, and handles their duties and work with purposeful neglect. Outwardly, this is all the same person, but judging from their behaviors, and dispositions, such contrasting manifestations make it seem like two different people are involved. This presents a problem. From these manifestations of antichrists, it’s evident that they fundamentally don’t accept God’s words as the truth or as the words of God. Furthermore, judging from the essence of antichrists, they will never regard God’s words as the truth, nor as the truth principles to be upheld throughout their lives. This is the first item of antichrists prying into whether God’s words come true—they pry into God’s words of promises and blessings. For antichrists, God’s promises and blessings are inseparably linked to the material treatment, spiritual treatment, living environment, and other such things they enjoy in this life, which is why they pay special attention to this aspect. They use the fulfillment of God’s words of promises and blessings as a standard to measure the extent of God’s power and the authenticity of God’s identity. They ponder and think about this secretly—this is what is meant by prying. Antichrists show no interest in the various truths about life entry as spoken by God. However, as soon as God’s words of promises and blessings are mentioned, their eyes light up with covetousness, their desire rearing its head. On the surface, they say, “We should expend ourselves for god unconditionally, we should do our duties according to god’s requirements,” but where are their eyes actually focused? They are fixed on such words of God as His promises and blessings. Once they seize onto these, they don’t let go. This is how antichrists behave toward God’s words of promises and blessings to man.