3. Prying Into God’s Words That Prophesy Disaster

Just now, we fellowshipped about two items concerning antichrists prying into whether God’s words come true: One item involved the words of God’s promises and blessings, and the other was the words of God’s curses and punishment to people. Next, let’s look at the third item, the words of God that prophesy disaster. Like the previous two items, antichrists’ attitude toward these kinds of words is the same: They are curious, wanting to scrutinize, to understand, and also to see the day when these words come true, to witness the emergence of the facts. In treating these kinds of words, antichrists also plot in the depths of their hearts, pondering countermeasures and engendering various doubts. They observe and test whether these kinds of words come true to develop corresponding countermeasures. When antichrists read these words prophesying disasters, their hearts are filled with expectation for the day of the disasters’ fulfillment, and they are full of various imaginings. They hope that God’s words will come true and also hope that the advent of the disasters will expand their horizons, satisfying their wishes and desires. Why is this so? Because the disasters prophesied by God are all related to God’s great work being accomplished, the day of God’s glorification, the saints being raptured, humankind entering into a wonderful destination, and so on. Therefore, antichrists are even more filled with anticipation and curiosity about this part of God’s words prophesying disasters. Compared to the first two items, antichrists are even more interested in these kinds of words. In the hearts of antichrists, they believe that if someone can bring about a disaster, such as an earthquake, plague, insect infestation, flood, mudslide, or other natural disasters, then that entity is a very powerful being, possessing great ability, and is worthy of their following, worship, and trust. Therefore, similarly, antichrists also regard whether such words as God’s prophecies of disasters come true as a standard to measure whether God is indeed God. They hold this kind of logical thinking, idea, and viewpoint in their hearts to the very letter, believing that this viewpoint is correct, valid, and a wise move. Thus, from the day they started following God, from the moment they saw the words of God prophesying disasters, antichrists have been preoccupied with this in their hearts. They are concerned about what is said in God’s words—when the last days come, when God’s great work is accomplished, how God will chastise humankind, what kinds of disasters God will bring to punish and destroy humankind, what method God will use to make humankind fall into disasters, and how only those who follow God and who earn His approval will be able to avoid and escape such disasters, and will not have to suffer the torments of such disasters. Antichrists regard the words of God prophesying disasters as very important, analyzing them in their hearts and memorizing and reciting them in their minds. They remember every word related to disasters, and also imagine when and how a certain disaster will come true. They ponder what they will do if it comes true, what kind of disaster a certain prophecy foretells, and how they should react if it does come true. Since seeing these prophecies, antichrists seem to have found something to strive for, a direction and a goal, in their belief in God. While waiting for the disasters to strike, they also prepare themselves in every way. In order to be protected by God when the great disasters come, they spread the gospel, forsaking their jobs and families. At the same time, in order to survive when the disasters strike, they often pray humbly to God, hoping that God’s words will come true soon, that all God intends to achieve will be accomplished quickly, that God will gain glory and enjoy rest soon, and that they may soon enjoy the blessings of the kingdom of heaven. From all these viewpoints of antichrists, from the words and prayers they often utter, it seems that antichrists are eagerly looking forward to the accomplishment of God’s great work and God’s early rest. However, unbeknownst to people, behind these hopes lie antichrists’ sinister intentions. They hope that through such prayers and false appearances, they can avoid disasters and make God their refuge. While they are preparing for all this, they also hope that the disasters will come quickly and that the words of God prophesying disasters will come true soon. Within the limits of what they can bear, they continue to pay a price, expend themselves, suffer, and endure as before, wracking their brains to put on a good performance for all to see. They want everyone to acknowledge how great a price they have paid to spread the gospel, how much discrimination and persecution they have endured, and the great cost they have paid in waiting for this day. They hope that God, seeing the suffering they have endured and the price they have paid, will spare them from any disaster when it strikes. At the same time, because of the price they have paid, they hope to be fortunate enough to become one of those who will have a good destination and be blessed after the disaster. Deep inside, antichrists silently and imperceptibly calculate all of this. Finally, one day, due to a minor incident, antichrists experience a setback, and their actions and behaviors seem to be condemned. This means that their hopes and fantasies are about to be shattered, their desires are about to be unfulfilled. At this moment, what is the first thought that arises in the depths of antichrists’ hearts? “I have given so much, I have suffered so much, I have endured for so many days, I have believed for so many years, yet I haven’t seen any of god’s words prophesying disasters come true. Will god actually bring disasters? Will what we have prayed for and waited for ever be fulfilled by god? Where exactly is god? Will he actually save us or not? Do the disasters god spoke of even exist? If they don’t exist, we should all just get out of here. This god cannot be believed in, there is no god!” This is the limit of antichrists. A minor setback, perhaps an unintentional word of condemnation and exposure from someone else, touches their sore spot, and then they erupt in anger, unable to hold back or pretend any longer. The first thing they do is to burst out furiously, pointing at God’s words and saying: “If your words do not come true, if the disasters you spoke of do not occur, I will no longer believe in you. Originally, it was only because of these words prophesying disasters that I preached the gospel, paid the price, and did my duty. Without these words, I wouldn’t believe in you at all! It was because of these words, because of the impending disasters, that I believed you are god. But now, after suffering so much, the disasters you spoke of haven’t come. There are so many among the nonbelievers who do evil, and yet none of them have been punished—not a single one of them has fallen into disaster. They still live in sin, enjoying their lives, while I have been making concessions for so many years, just waiting for the day when your words prophesying disasters come true. But what have you done, god? You have never, out of consideration for our eager anticipation, shown any signs or wonders, never bringing down any disasters, to let us see, to strengthen our faith, to fortify our loyalty. Why don’t you do such things? Aren’t you god? Is it so difficult to bring down disasters to punish this evil world, this evil humankind? We just want to solidify our faith through the fulfillment of these things, but you just don’t act. If you don’t act, then we can’t believe in god anymore; we won’t be able to gain anything, and there’s no point in believing in god. There’s no need to believe anymore, no need to do our duties, no need to spread the gospel.” Upon encountering a small setback, facing a bit of adversity or dissatisfaction in life, the true colors and innermost thoughts of antichrists can be laid bare at any time and place, which is quite terrifying. When disasters will strike, whether God’s words prophesying disasters will come true, how and when they will come true, these are all determined by God. When God tells people about these things, it is to give them face, to treat them as humans—it is not to use these words as a means for people to gain leverage over and judge God. Antichrists mistakenly believe that since God has spoken these words, He should allow people to see them come true within their lifetimes; otherwise, God’s words would be void. The god whose words can become void should not be considered god, is not worthy of being god, and is not worthy of being their god; this is the logic of antichrists.

From beginning to end, antichrists merely wanted to exploit these words of God prophesying disaster. These words inspired them, leading them to think of using good human behaviors and all their sacrifices and the sufferings of the flesh to exchange for the blessing of avoiding disasters. Throughout, their sole aim was to avoid disasters and obtain blessings. They never truly regarded the One who expressed these words as God. From start to finish, antichrists have always stood in opposition to God, constantly testing and measuring God as a way to pry into God’s words. If God’s words come true and broaden their horizons, coming true in accordance with their taste, viewpoints, and needs, then they regard God as God. But if it goes against their wishes, viewpoints, and needs, then the One who spoke these words is not considered God to them. This is the viewpoint antichrists hold. Clearly, deep down, they have never acknowledged that God is the Creator, nor have they recognized the fact that God is sovereign over all things. After going through a series of struggles, enduring patiently, and undergoing a battle of thoughts, antichrists learned a lesson: “One must not flippantly delimit god’s words, nor can one flippantly and frivolously use the fulfillment of god’s words as a standard to measure his identity and essence. We haven’t been tempered enough and still need to continue enduring, to broaden our minds. As the sayings go, ‘A prime minister’s heart is big enough to sail a boat in’; ‘Where there is life there is hope.’ What does it matter if these words don’t come true? No big deal. I’ve toughed it out all these years; perhaps if I endure a few more, god’s words will come true, and I will gain something. I’ll just bear it a little longer, I’ll take another gamble. I can’t get angry; otherwise, all my previous efforts will have been wasted, and all the suffering I endured will have been in vain. That would be such a loss! If I lay my thoughts bare now, standing up to deny, question, and accuse god, that would not be a smart move. I must continue to pay the price, endure hardship, and keep on enduring. The phrase ‘He who endures to the end shall be saved’ must not be forgotten. This saying holds true at all times and remains the supreme truth. I must uphold this saying and constantly keep it engraved in my heart.” After a period of negativity and silence, antichrists finally “stood up” again.

In the process of doing their duties in God’s house, antichrists undertake all kinds of work while serving in various roles. It seems that there is no change outwardly, but the longer they believe in God, and the longer they follow Him, the more antichrists internally nitpick over God’s words that prophesy disaster. Why is this? The longer they have believed in God, it signifies they have sacrificed more, forsaken more, and they have less of a way back to the secular world. Therefore, regarding these words prophesying disasters, antichrists increasingly and unconsciously think, “I hope all of this is true. All of this must come true.” They regard this “must” and this firm belief as their true faith in God. This so-called true faith drives them to do their duties, to suffer and pay the price, to endure and then endure some more, just as the nonbelievers say: “You’ve got to put everything on the line to win.” While holding onto such a belief, antichrists are prying into the day when God’s words will come true. Finally, that day arrives—disasters and calamities continuously occur in this world, happening in various corners, in different countries and among different ethnic groups. These disasters, big and small, take away many lives, alter many people’s living environments, change the ecological environment, transform many different structures and ways of life in society, and so on. However, no matter what, in the eyes of antichrists, God’s words are still coming true to a small extent, which is the most fulfilling thing in the depths of their hearts. They feel that after all these years, they haven’t endured or waited in vain, and have finally witnessed the day and phase when God’s words are coming true. But they feel they must not be discouraged or give up; they need to continue enduring and waiting. What troubles antichrists most deeply inside, regardless of how much they endure or wait? “Minor disasters have come true; famines, plagues, the disintegration of a few political regimes—these are all coming true to a small extent. But when will the major disasters come true?” On one hand, antichrists believe that part of God’s words are slowly and gradually coming true, while on the other hand, they doubt: “Aren’t these disasters just natural calamities? Disasters have been continuous throughout history. Are the occurrences of these disasters the fulfillment of god’s words? If not, what are they? I shouldn’t think like this; a believer in god should believe in god’s words. But are god’s words that easily fulfilled? How did god do it? Why didn’t I see him do it? Why don’t I know about it? If it is god’s doing, his believers should see it, god should give them visions. But we haven’t seen god’s hand, nor heard god’s voice. Could these events just be coincidences, then? I shouldn’t think like this; such thoughts could make me weak. I still have to believe that all this is the fulfillment of god’s words; I’ll just take it as god’s sovereignty, as god’s words coming true, not coincidences. This way, my heart feels more at ease.” They feel that thinking this way is very clever and that they’ve analyzed the situation well, being able to not doubt God while also stabilizing their own faith, and also calming the overwhelming unease and desires within their hearts. While making temporary concessions and compromises, antichrists wait for the arrival of the great disasters. “When will the great disasters come? When they do, the saints will be raptured into the air, but where exactly will that happen? How does the rapture occur? Will they fly up or be lifted by god’s hand? When the great disasters occur, will people still have their physical bodies? Will they still wear their current clothes? Will all the nonbelievers be dead? What kind of state or situation will that be? It’s unimaginable for humans. I’d better not think about it for now. I’ll just believe that god’s words will surely come true. But can they really come true? When will that day come?” They keep asking themselves these questions internally, repeatedly raising doubts. Since these disasters are closely related and intimately connected to their prospects and destiny, antichrists believe: “I must not relax my pursuit and observance of the fulfillment of disasters at any time. I cannot give up on this matter. So, what should I do? I need to widely spread the gospel, do my duties diligently, avoid causing disruptions or disturbances or making mistakes, and keep a low profile, without acting pompous. As long as I don’t make mistakes and don’t get expelled from the church, that should be enough. I’ll surely be able to make it to the refuge; this is god’s promise—who could take that away?” When minor disasters gradually descend, and all humankind falls into calamities, antichrists find peace and a measure of tranquility deep inside. At the same time, they look forward to the arrival of the great disasters and the day of the saints being raptured. Regardless, antichrists continue to pry into the words of God prophesying disasters. Such prying, in God’s view, is akin to Satan’s prying. He sees it as doubt, denial, slander, and an analysis of God’s correctness. It is questioning God’s identity, doubting God’s authority and almightiness, and doubting God’s faithfulness. God does not allow such things to happen, nor does He allow such people to exist, and He certainly will not save such people. Antichrists think that their countermeasures, conceived in secrecy and calculated in their hearts, are the smartest and most covert. Little do they know that God sees all their thoughts and condemns them. This is what God says: “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and in Your name have cast out devils, and in Your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from Me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22–23). God quietly tells these people in His heart: Depart from Me, you that work iniquity. You pry into My actions, pry into My words. Such people can never be saved. Antichrists treating whether God’s words prophesying disasters come true as their goal to pursue and as a standard to examine God’s correctness is a terrifying thing; it is also an evil deed.

As for whether certain aspects of God’s words will come true, how they come true, and when and where they come true, God has His own ways. It is only God’s grace that gives humans the great fortune to hear these words from God. The purpose of God saying these words is not for humankind to use them to bind God, to examine God’s correctness, or to confirm God’s identity. God speaks these words just to tell humankind that He is going to do such things, but God has never told anyone, “I will do it this way, to these people, at this time, and in this manner.” In the things God has not told humankind, there is a clear signal: Humankind does not need to know, nor are they qualified to know. Therefore, if humans always try to pry into these matters, always dig deep, always want to use these matters to gain leverage over God, to judge and condemn Him, when these phenomena occur, humankind will imperceptibly be standing in opposition to God. When you stand opposed to God, God no longer regards you as a human being. Then what are you? In God’s eyes, you are Satan, an enemy, a devil. This is the part of God’s disposition that does not tolerate man’s offense. If people do not understand this and often make an issue out of the words prophesied by God, trying to gain leverage over God, then let Me tell you, this is courting death. At all times, humans should know who they are and in what manner, with what kind of reason, and from what perspective they should treat God and everything about God. Once people lose their identity and position as created beings, their essence changes. If you became an animal, God might ignore you, as you would be an insignificant thing. But if you became a devil or Satan, then you would be in danger. Becoming a devil or Satan means becoming an enemy of God, and then you will never have hope of salvation. Therefore, I want to tell everyone here: Do not pry into God’s actions, do not pry into God’s words, do not pry into God’s work, and do not pry into anything related to God. You are a human, a created being, so do not analyze God’s correctness. Do not regard God as an object of your analysis and scrutiny, nor as an object of your prying. You are a created being, a human, so God is your God. Whatever God says is what you should accept. Whatever God tells you, you should accept. As for what God doesn’t tell you, those matters involving mysteries and prophecies, matters regarding God’s identity, one thing is certain: You do not need to know these. Knowing these won’t benefit your life entry. Accept as much as you can understand. Do not let these become obstacles in your pursuit of a change in disposition and the pursuit of salvation. This is the right way. If a person stands in opposition to God and keeps prying into things concerning God, and if they persistently refuse to change, stubbornly holding on, treating God in this manner and with such an attitude, then their hope of being saved becomes very slim. Antichrists pry into God’s words that prophesy disaster—let’s conclude our fellowship of this item here. And let’s move on to the next item now.