2. Selling Books of God’s Words for Personal Profit

Next, we will fellowship the second aspect, which is the actual behavior and approach of antichrists treating God’s words as commodities. This approach involves this type of antichrist treating various kinds of books of God’s words as commodities. When they obtain these books of God’s words, they believe they have acquired the capital to earn money, possessing the assets needed to do so. These books, printed with God’s words, become their assets, the commodities they intend to sell, and the objects they use to make excessive profits. Antichrists withhold these books, not distributing them according to the principle required by God’s house but rather seeking to improperly gain profit based on their own intentions. What is the principle of distributing books in God’s house? It is to distribute them to all who love to read God’s words and who thirst for the truth, and to do so for free. Regardless of how many people receive them or how many books are distributed, it is always free of charge. When believing in God in Christianity, the Bible isn’t free; it must be bought. But now, these words of God and these books are freely distributed by God’s house, which is a key point. However, the problem arises when antichrists get hold of these books and fail to distribute them for free, according to the principle. Under normal circumstances, those with a bit of a God-fearing heart would distribute these books for free according to the principle, without charging money or seeking to improperly gain excessive profits. However, only antichrists, upon obtaining these books, think that a business opportunity has arrived. Their ambition and greed thus emerge: “To give away such thick, fine books for free—isn’t that a loss? Isn’t it stupid not to make some money from them? What’s more, these books can’t be bought elsewhere, and most people who believe in god would want to read them, no matter the cost.” Once they apprehend that people have this mentality, antichrists start to develop certain thoughts: “I can’t miss this opportunity to make money; such opportunities are hard to come by. When distributing the books, I should divide people into grades, charging more from the wealthy, a moderate price from the average, less from the poor or not distributing to them at all, giving a discount to those who flatter me, and charging more from those who don’t get along with me.” Is this in accordance with the regulations of God’s house for distributing books? (No.) This is doing business. Antichrists develop these kinds of ideas; setting aside whether they distribute the books according to the regulations and principles of God’s house, let’s first talk about how they treat God’s words. Once the books of God’s words are in their hands, do they treasure them? (No.) They are not interested in the way of life or the truth spoken of in God’s words; they don’t value them and are not even slightly curious about them. They just skim through the books superficially, casually flipping through and glancing at the pages: “It’s just talking about how god does the work of judging people, how he’s conquered a group of people, and how he gives people a good destination. As for the future of humankind, these details are not there, so this book isn’t that interesting. Although the book isn’t very interesting, many people are willing to read it. This is good; I can profit from it.” When books of God’s words fall into their hands, they become commodities, implying that many people, at least a portion of people, will have to spend money to buy these books. Antichrists, under the guise of believing in God, doing the work of God’s house, and being in charge of distributing books of God’s words, cut in and turn the free distribution of these books by God’s house into a transaction, into buying and selling. With God, His spoken words are supplied gratuitously to everyone who listens attentively to His words; they are free, requiring no exchange of anything. What is required of people is only to accept, practice, and experience, to achieve submission to God’s words, and to become a person who fears God and shuns evil. Then God is satisfied, His goal is achieved, and His words have not been spoken in vain. He finds comfort in this. This is God’s wish and also the aim of His six-thousand-year management work carried out upon man, the most beautiful desire of the Creator for created beings. God supplies His words, what He has and is, and His intentions gratuitously and continuously to those who follow Him. This is such a clean, holy act, such a magnificent deed; there is no transaction involved here. For every person who listens attentively to and yearns for God’s words, every sentence God speaks is priceless. People receive from God the truth and His words for free, and deep within their hearts, what they want to do for God is repay Him, satisfy His intentions, allow Him to feel comforted, and help hasten the completion of His great work. This is the tacit understanding that should exist between the Creator and created humankind. However, antichrists turn this matter into a transaction. They exploit the opportunity of God speaking and working, as well as people’s need for the provision of God’s words, to seek personal gain, obtaining money and benefits they should not obtain. Doesn’t such behavior make one deserve being cursed? From which of God’s statements have you seen or heard that God speaks to humankind in exchange for compensation? How much for a sentence, how much for a passage, for a sermon, for a book, or for one instance of pruning, or judgment and chastisement, or refinement, or life provision? Has God ever spoken such words? (No.) God has never said such things. Every sentence, passage, and piece issued by God, every instance of being pruned, chastised and judged, and tried and refined that people receive from God, as well as the supply and nourishment of God’s words, and so on—all of these, which of them can be measured by money? Which of them can be obtained by humans in exchange for money or material things, or by paying a fleshly price? None of them. Everything that God does, all the truths that God expresses, are priceless. Precisely because they are priceless, because there aren’t any money or material things that people could exchange for God’s possessions and being, God says He supplies His words to people free of charge. Yet, antichrists cannot see the priceless and precious nature of the truths and what God has and is which He expresses; instead, they seek to improperly obtain excessive profits from them, which is utterly shameful!

Some antichrists, in order to torment people, to establish their own reputation and prestige, and to make others feel their terror and power, withhold God’s words, not distributing them to the brothers and sisters under them. Thus, in some churches where such evil people and antichrists hold power, the brothers and sisters find themselves without God’s words to read or God’s sermons to listen to. Aren’t such people curse-worthy? What have they treated God’s words as? As their private property. God’s words are given by God to those who sincerely believe in and follow God; they are not bestowed upon any one individual, and they certainly are not any individual’s private property. God’s words are spoken to all humankind, and no one can withhold God’s speaking for any reason or excuse. Yet, antichrists exactly play such a role, breaking the norm to do this. Some antichrists, after receiving the latest sermon recordings, listen to them first and, discovering some new light and that there is some content they were unaware of, decide not to distribute this sermon series to those in their charge. Without anyone else’s knowledge, they withhold the sermon recordings. What is the purpose of withholding? The purpose is to show off during gatherings, which equates to engaging in sales. Through this act of showing off, when the people under them hear content they have never heard before, all of it new, they come to regard the antichrists highly, and in this way the antichrists’ goal is achieved. It’s undeniable that in churches everywhere, there definitely are some people who do not timely or completely distribute sermons of fellowship or recordings; such individuals absolutely exist. Furthermore, some antichrists distribute books of God’s words based on people’s attitudes toward them, giving them to those who cozy up to or flatter them. Even though the books are free, not everyone can easily receive them; the principle of free and timely distribution is compromised in the antichrists’ hands, subject to different conditions. They might grudgingly give the books to those who are with them or who listen to them, but not necessarily in a timely manner; as for those who disagree with their views or even oppose them, the antichrists might give them the books selectively or even not at all. Antichrists not only seek to improperly obtain excessive profits in the distribution of books of God’s words, but also use it as a means to draw people in, win people over, as well as to suppress and torment others—they are capable of all sorts of wrongdoing. They can even threaten people, saying that if someone speaks ill of them, doesn’t elect them, or votes against them, they might withhold God’s words as a means of taking action against that person. Therefore, some people, out of fear of not being able to timely receive books of God’s words or sermon recordings, are terrified of these antichrists. Even if the antichrists do evil and they themselves suffer unfair treatment, they dare not report them, fearing being suppressed and tormented by the antichrists, losing contact with the Above, and missing out on the watering and supply from the Above. Are there such people? Absolutely, one hundred percent. Antichrists engage in all kinds of bad deeds; not only do they fight for power and profit, form cliques, and create their own independent kingdoms, but they also make no exception when it comes to distributing God’s words. Anything that can enable them to improperly gain benefits, and obtain their status and power, is exploited by them; they spare nothing, including God’s words. Have these things happened in your church, around you? Some antichrists threaten those below them, saying, “If you don’t elect me, if you report me to the above, if you don’t take a liking to me, if you snitch and I find out, then you won’t get any more sermon recordings. I’ll cut off your supply, leave you without nourishment, thirst you to death, starve you!” Isn’t the disposition of antichrists vicious? It’s extremely vicious! They are capable of doing all manner of bad things.

If you encounter such antichrists, how would you handle them? Do you dare to report them to the Above? Do you dare to unite and reject them? (Yes.) You say yes now, but when you’re actually faced with them, you might not dare; you’d shrink back, thinking, “I’m of small stature, I’m young, I’m weak and alone. If the antichrists really gang up to bully me, wouldn’t I be finished? Where is God? Who would listen to my grievances? Who would redress my grievances and avenge me? Who would stand up for me?” Why is your faith so small? You become timid when faced with an antichrist, but what if Satan threatened you in person—would you then stop believing in God? What would you do if an antichrist didn’t distribute God’s words to you? What if they made you pay money for the books of God’s words? What if every time the antichrist distributed books of God’s words to you, they made it difficult for you and spoke harshly? Is this situation easy to handle? Let Me tell you a clever strategy: Whenever it’s almost time for the distribution of the books, you should stand aside with the antichrist, energetically speaking sweet words, vigorously praising and complimenting them to gain their trust. Once they distribute the books of God’s words and sermon recordings to you, then find an opportunity to report them to the Above. If there’s no avenue to report them to the Above, look for a chance to unite with discerning brothers and sisters to restrict and bind the antichrist. This is truly eliminating harm for the church and most aligns with God’s intentions. Some may ask, what if the antichrist discovers this plan? If you’re not confident this time, then wait for the next opportunity. When you have the courage and the conditions are right, that’s when you take action. In short, if you’re afraid that the antichrist will cut off your nourishment, then don’t make a big show of things at first. Don’t expose yourself or let the antichrist see through you. When you have gained enough stature, when you have suitable people, right people, and more people, who can stand with you in opposition to the antichrist, who can discern and reject the antichrist, that’s when you can break with the antichrist. How does this strategy sound? (Good.) Some might say, “Isn’t this deceiving others? Doesn’t God want us to be honest people? This doesn’t seem honest.” Is this deceiving others? (No.) This is toying with a devil. Any method is acceptable when dealing with an antichrist, who is a devil.

Are you afraid of antichrists? Suppose there really is an antichrist around you, in your own church. You’ve noticed them; they have power and status, and many people support them. They have a clique, a few staunch followers. Would you be afraid of them? Some say they would be. Is it correct to be afraid? There’s at least one good and correct aspect to this fear. Why do I say that? If you fear them, it at least shows that in your heart you believe they are evil, that they can torment you and harm you, that they are not a good person or someone who pursues the truth—you at least have this understanding and discernment about them in your heart. Although you may not be able to label them as an antichrist or discern that they are an antichrist, at the very least you know they are not a good person, someone who pursues the truth, an upright or kind person, or an honest person, so you fear them. What kind of people do normal and ordinary or guileless people usually fear, apart from demons? (Evil people.) Everyone is afraid of evil people. At the very least, you know in your heart that this person is evil. On this basis, observe their attitude toward God’s words and the truth principles; see if they practice the truth, and discern their various behaviors, and come to understand and discern their essence through their behaviors. Ultimately, if you can determine that they are an antichrist, then your fear will include another component—discernment toward them. Although you may fear them in your heart, you will not be on their side, and you will reject them in your heart—is this a good or bad thing? (A good thing.) If they ask you to join them in doing evil, will you agree? Will you have discernment toward this in your heart? If they ask you to join them in hurling abuse at God or judging Him, will you agree? If they ask you to collaborate with them in tormenting others, and not distributing books of God’s words to certain individuals, will you agree? Although you may not be 100% sure that you won’t agree to do these things, at the very least you will have discernment about their actions in your heart. You may do some things with them reluctantly and under coercion, but it will only be because you were forced to do so, and it won’t be voluntary; at least you won’t be the main perpetrator, at most, you’ll be an accessory to their crimes. Though you may not expose or provoke them in person, you will also not act as their follower or accomplice. This is, to a certain extent, rejecting the antichrist. Most people, due to their fear of evil people and antichrists, are only able to make concessions to protect themselves, so you managing to do this as a temporary, stopgap measure, is already pretty good. But does reaching this level count as standing firm in your testimony? Does it count as upholding the truth principles? Does it count as overcoming Satan? In God’s eyes, it doesn’t. So, how can you come to stand firm in your testimony? You all lack a path, and just make concessions to protect yourselves: “They do evil, but I dare not join them in doing evil; I fear being punished. They are evil people; they do bad things to torment people. But anyway, it’s fine as long as I myself haven’t tormented anyone. That evil won’t get blamed on me.” If, at most, you can do this, that’s already pretty good; you’re merely being a people pleaser and sticking to a middle-of-the-road approach, and you are not able to bear witness. What should be done, then, to bear witness? Doctrinally speaking, you ought to reject evil people, reject and expose antichrists, and prevent antichrists from running amok doing bad things in God’s house and causing losses to God’s house. But do you know specifically how to do this? (Report and tell the Above about it.) Is that the extent of the responsibilities and obligations that you can fulfill? Is that all the witness you can stand firm in, all the stature you have? Apart from reporting an antichrist, what else can you do? (We can first gather together the facts of the antichrist’s consistent behavior and evildoing, and then fellowship about discerning the antichrist with the brothers and sisters based on these facts. Once the brothers and sisters have developed discernment toward the antichrist, they can all take action to expose the antichrist, and afterward, we can expel them from the church.) The steps and procedures are correct, but what about some special cases? You’re speaking from the position of a leader, but what if an ordinary believer encounters an antichrist? Isn’t that like an egg hitting a rock? What would you do in such situations? Let Me tell you a story related to registering and reporting income and expenditures. There was someone in charge of keeping accounts, one for external use and one for internal use. One day, there was a discrepancy of two hundred dollars in the internal account. Later on, the supervisor came to check the accounts and saw the discrepancy; they said, “Tear up the internal account. Just keep the external one, so that there will be no evidence.” One of the individuals there disagreed, saying, “This is an offering. No matter how much money it is, it’s God’s money; you can’t do this.” The supervisor didn’t say anything, while another person commented: “What’s two hundred dollars? When antichrists embezzle, it’s tens of thousands at a time.” And so those people resolved the matter in that way. However, afterward, one person felt that this approach was wrong and reported it upward to the decision-making group. The group said that two hundred dollars was not a significant amount, and that they were too busy to deal with it. When it was reported to the church leaders, they also didn’t address it and they all ignored the matter. The person who reported the issue felt upset, saying, “How can these people all be like this? How can they be so irresponsible toward God’s offerings? They even dare to engage in deception so blatantly!” They were upset about this. One day, when I visited those people, that person reported this issue to Me, saying that the person doing the accounting was careless, that they’d made a mess of the account, and that there had ultimately been a discrepancy. Although this issue wasn’t too major, the attitudes of each person involved were different. These so-called supervisors and leaders did not address the issue. Not only did they not send the person doing the accounting away, but they also found an excuse to protect them. The person who reported the issue kept reporting it; however, they were excluded by many people. Tell Me, what kind of mentality did this person have when they reported the issue? If they had the same attitude as the other person—the one who said, “It’s just two hundred dollars, why are you making such a fuss about it? When antichrists embezzle, it’s tens of thousands at a time”—would they still have reported it? They wouldn’t have. If they said, “It’s not my money; let whoever wants to embezzle it do so—they will be responsible for it. Anyway, I haven’t embezzled anything, so I don’t need to bear this responsibility”; or “I’ve already reported it to the decision-making group and the church leaders, and they all ignored me, so I’ve done my part and need not bother further”—if they had this attitude, could they still have persisted in reporting it so relentlessly? Definitely not; most people would, at most, stop after reporting it to the decision-making group. But just when this person made their report to the decision-making group, they heard My fellowship about the stories of Noah and Abraham. After listening, they were moved, thinking, “After hearing God’s words, Noah adhered to them for so many years without backing out. Yet I encounter this minor difficulty and can’t persist—this isn’t what a person should do!” So, they persisted in reporting until it finally reached the Above, and the Above addressed the issue. Do you think many such people exist among you? If you encountered such a situation, how many of you would persist like this person did? Would you also believe that two hundred dollars isn’t a lot, that it’s not a big deal, and consequently think that there’s no need to adhere so firmly to the principles or to be so serious, and that you can wait until there’s a big discrepancy to make a report? Would you think, “In any case, I’ve fulfilled my responsibility. Whether it’s addressed or not is up to the leaders. I’m just an ordinary believer, I only have so much power, I can only do so much. I’ve reported it, I’ve fulfilled my obligation; the rest is not my concern”? Isn’t this how you would think? And if someone were to suppress you, wouldn’t you dare not report it? This person faced suppression during the process of reporting the issue, with some people pointing fingers and condemning them, and always looking to torment them. How malicious these people must be! I remember these few individuals—why do I remember them? They ate the food of God’s house and enjoyed all the truths supplied by God, yet they had such an attitude toward God’s offerings. Can they be considered as people of God’s house? They are not worthy! They weren’t required to stand firm in their testimony, as they did not have this character. But since they couldn’t even do what they were supposed to do, did they still deserve to stay in God’s house? Should such people be remembered? Do you like such people? (No.) Then what kind of people do you like? (Those who adhere to the principles, those who persist in protecting the interests of God’s house to the end.) I’m disgusted by those good-for-nothings who get scared at the sight of the formidable but grow a spine in front of guileless people. I’m also disgusted by those who bite the hand that feeds them, those who have no interest in the truth, and especially those who have listened to sermons for many years but haven’t understood the truth at all, or changed in the slightest, and still resist and guard against God deep in their hearts. If there aren’t cases of such people clearly doing evil, they may not be labeled as antichrists, but I’m disgusted by them. How disgusted? Just as much as with the antichrists. Why? Antichrists treat the word of God as a commodity to sell, trade, and exchange, profiting from it. While this type of person may not profit from God’s words, we can extrapolate from the attitude with which they treat God’s words that they are just like antichrists, that they do not follow God’s way, or even possess the simple and most basic attitude that they ought to have toward God’s offerings, and that they bite the hand that feeds them. What sort of things are they? They are Judases, who sell out the Lord and their friends. After hearing this story, what are your thoughts? Can you adhere to principles and stick to your stance in such situations? If you are a good-for-nothing, always shrinking back, always afraid of the force of antichrists, scared of being tormented by them, scared of their force harming you, and you’re always afraid in your heart, and you lack wisdom to respond to this, always making concessions to antichrists, not daring to report or expose them, or to find others to unite with you to reject them, then you are not someone who can stand firm in your testimony to God—you are a good-for-nothing, a thing biting at the hand that feeds it. When antichrists treat God’s words as commodities, using them to improperly obtain excessive profits for themselves, to threaten you, and cut off your nourishment, if you still cannot reject them in such situations, are you an overcomer? Do you deserve to be a follower of Christ? If you even lack the ability to obtain the words and the spiritual nourishment that God freely gives to you, and cannot even eat, drink, or enjoy these things, how worthless does that make you?

The facts I just fellowshipped on are some manifestations of antichrists treating God’s words as commodities. Antichrists do not eat and drink God’s words and they do not accept the truth, they merely skim through and glance at God’s words in order to adorn themselves with them. They treat God’s words as their possessions and private property, so that they can engage in transactions to obtain the money and benefits they desire, and so that they can control the freedom of God’s chosen people to read, eat, and drink God’s words. Such antichrists are evil people, devils, disbelievers; they are the ilk of nonbelievers! Any that appear in God’s house should be expelled, expelled forever! Do you dare to reject such people when you encounter them? Do you dare to unite and expose them? They should be exposed; they should be rejected. God’s house is reigned by the truth. If you don’t possess such stature, it proves that God’s words and the truth have not become life within you. If you are timid, afraid of Satans, afraid of evil people, preferring to make concessions to preserve yourself rather than fighting against antichrists, even if it means not eating and drinking God’s words or gaining them, then you deserve to starve to death, and no one will pity you if you do. If you encounter such situations, how should you choose and practice? You should expose them immediately. God’s words are not commodities; they are provided for all of God’s chosen people, they are not the private property of any individual. No one has the right to withhold or possess God’s words for themselves. God’s words should be distributed for free and without compensation to all the chosen people who follow God. Anyone who withholds them, seeks to improperly obtain excessive profits from them, or has personal plans regarding God’s words is curse-worthy. They are individuals whom God’s chosen people should stand up to expose and reject, and they should be cleared out and cut out.

Do the two items that I fellowshipped today sufficiently illustrate how antichrists despise God’s words? (Yes.) Antichrists never treat God’s words as the truth, nor do they cherish, treasure, or treat them like the words of the Creator. Instead, they display their unspeakable, despicable, sordid intents at every turn. They only wish to use God’s words to achieve their unspeakable goals, and whether in terms of material or immaterial things, they want to use God’s words to improperly obtain profit for themselves, to gain money and material things, or to achieve their goal of making people adulate, look up to, idolize, and follow them. These things are abhorrent to God and should be rejected by people. Whenever anyone discovers such individuals or such things taking place, they should rise to expose and reject them, stopping such individuals from standing firm among God’s chosen people. Some say that they would report it to the Above if they encountered these things, but that is too passive and slow. If you merely report these things to the Above, then you are so worthless! You have eaten and drunk so many of God’s words and heard so many sermons, yet you only know to make reports—this means that your stature is far too small! Surely you have other methods to deal with antichrists? Making a report to the Above is the last resort, a step taken only when absolutely necessary. If you are outnumbered, outmatched, and lack discernment, and are unsure whether someone is an antichrist, you might not dare to expose their various manifestations and actions. But if you are certain that they are an antichrist and still don’t dare to stand up to fight against, reject, and defeat them, aren’t you so worthless? The bit of truth you understand isn’t being put to use. Are you sure that what you understand and hear is the truth? If it is, why don’t you dare to stand up sternly and righteously and fight against the antichrists? It’s not like antichrists are the governing authorities—what are you afraid of them for? Unless there is a situation where they could hand you over to the authorities if you rashly exposed them—under those circumstances, you should be careful, not provoke them, and use wise methods to stealthily criticize and discredit the antichrists, gradually eliminating them. Isn’t it more impressive to quietly eliminate them? (Yes.) Alright, that’s all for today’s fellowship. Goodbye!

September 12, 2020