B. How Antichrists Treat the Normality and Practicality of Christ

Just now, we fellowshipped and dissected the first manifestation of antichrists denying the essence of Christ, which is how antichrists treat Christ’s origin, what views and understandings they harbor, and what actions they take. We dissected the various manifestations of antichrists in order to identify the essence of such people. Regarding another aspect of Christ—His normality and practicality, what views do antichrists hold, what actions do they take, and what dispositions and essences do they exhibit? Next, we will dissect the second manifestation of antichrists denying the essence of Christ, which is how antichrists treat the normality and practicality of Christ. When it comes to normality and practicality, most people should have certain ideas and understandings. For example, not drinking water or eating for three days, but not feeling hungry or thirsty, and actually feeling physically stronger and more energized than before—does this count as normality and practicality? Normal people feel tired after walking four or five kilometers; if Christ does not feel tired even after walking 40 kilometers, and His feet do not hurt, and He is even lighter than air, feeling more energized, can this be considered normal and practical? If Christ does not catch a cold when exposed to cold, and never gets sick under any circumstances, if His eyes can emit a light that’s several dozen times stronger than whatever strong lights they are exposed to, and His eyes do not feel tired or become shortsighted no matter how long He looks at a computer, if He does not find the light of the sun glaring no matter how long He looks at it, and does not need a flashlight when walking at night, though others do, and His eyes get brighter as the day goes on—are these considered normality and practicality? None of these are, this is common knowledge that people often come into contact with. Normality and practicality means feeling thirsty after not drinking water for a long time, feeling tired after talking a lot, feeling foot pain after walking a lot, and feeling sad and shedding tears upon hearing sad and heartbreaking news—this is normality and practicality. So, what exactly is the precise definition of normality and practicality? That which conforms to the normal needs and instincts of the flesh, and does not exceed this range is the definition of normality and practicality. That which conforms to the capabilities and scope of normal humanity, the rationality of normal humanity, and the emotions of normal humanity, such as happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy, falls within the scope of normality and practicality. Christ is the flesh worn by God on earth; He, like any normal person, has normal speech and behavior, a normal life routine and schedule. If He does not sleep for three days and nights, He will feel sleepy, and wish to sleep even while standing; if He does not eat all day, He will feel hungry; and if He walks for a long time, He will be fatigued, and would like nothing more than to rest soon. For example, I also feel tired after gathering and fellowshipping with you for three or four hours, and I also need to rest. This is the normality and practicality of the flesh, it completely conforms to the characteristics of the flesh and to the various manifestations and instincts of normal humanity, it is not supernatural at all. Therefore, such a flesh has many manifestations and revelations of humanity, and the external lifestyle and life routine of the humanity of this flesh are no different from what every ordinary, normal person manifests and reveals, they are exactly the same. God created mankind, and the incarnate flesh of God possesses the same characteristics and normal, practical life instincts as mankind, He is not supernatural at all. Humans cannot go through walls or closed doors, and God incarnate is the same. Some people say, “Aren’t you god incarnate? Aren’t you christ? Don’t you possess the essence of god? Can you really be confined by a locked door? You should be able to pass through closed doors. People feel tired after walking five kilometers, but you should not feel tired even after walking 40 kilometers; people eat three meals a day, but you should be able to not eat for 30 days, only eating a meal when you feel like it, and not eating when you don’t, and still be able to preach at gatherings, and live more spiritedly than others. Getting sick is a part of human life, but you should not. Because you are christ, you should have a side of you that’s different from ordinary people, only then would you be worthy of being called christ, only this would prove that you possess the essence of god.” Is this correct? (No.) How is it incorrect? These are human notions and imaginings, not the truth.

God’s incarnate flesh is normal and practical—all activities undertaken by His normal humanity, and His daily life, speech, and demeanor, are all the realities of positive things. From the beginning when God created humans, He endowed them with these normal, practical instincts; so, the incarnated flesh of God would likewise never contravene these laws. This is the reason and basis for why Christ’s normality and practicality are positive things. God created humanity, and made all of their manifestations and instincts exactly to His wishes. God gave man these instincts, and these are the laws of man’s daily life—would God make His incarnate flesh contravene these laws of normality and practicality? Clearly, God would not. God created mankind, and He is also the essence of the incarnate flesh—they come from the same source, so the principles and purposes of their actions are also the same. Because of Christ’s manifestations of normality and practicality, He naturally appears to be an exceedingly ordinary person in the eyes of the masses. In many things, He lacks the powers of foreknowledge and foresight that people imagine Him to possess, and He cannot make things disappear or appear, as people imagine, and even less can He surpass ordinary people, exceed the capabilities and instincts of the flesh, or go beyond the normal thinking of humans to do some things that no person can do, like people imagine. Contrary to these imaginings, to the naked eye of man, this ordinary person has not revealed or manifested a single hint of God from the start of His work to the present. To the naked eye of man, aside from His speech and work, no hints of God or revelations of the identity and essence of God can be observed in any of His normal human activities. No matter how people look at Him, He always appears like an ordinary person to them. Why? The reason is singular: What man sees is correct; the incarnate flesh of God is genuinely a normal, practical person, a normal, practical flesh. Such an outwardly normal and practical flesh experiences the persecution and pursuit of the great red dragon just like other people, without any place to lay His head, or anywhere to rest. In this, He is no different from any other human, and He is not an exception. While experiencing such persecution, He also hides Himself wherever He can; He cannot turn Himself invisible or flee underground, He does not possess supernatural powers to evade these dangers. The only thing He can do is to obtain information about them in advance, and then hurry to escape. When faced with dangerous situations, people feel nervous and afraid, do you think that Christ feels afraid? Do you think He feels nervous? (Yes.) You’re correct; how do you know? (Any normal person would feel nervous in that situation.) That’s right. You’ve put this very well. You truly understand normality and practicality, you have understood this perfectly. Christ will also feel nervous and afraid in these situations, but will He show cowardice? Will He feel terrified of the ruling party? Will He compromise with it? No. He will only feel nervous and afraid, and wish to escape this den of demons quickly. All these are manifestations of Christ’s normality and practicality. Of course, there are quite a few more manifestations of Christ’s normality and practicality, such as sometimes being forgetful, forgetting people’s names after not seeing them for a long time, and so on. Normality and practicality are merely characteristics, instincts, signs, and markers of a normal, ordinary person. It is precisely because Christ possesses normal, practical humanity, survival instincts, and all characteristics of the flesh that He can speak and work normally, interact with people normally, lead people in a normal and practical way, and also guide and assist people in undertaking the work of their duties in a normal and practical manner. It is precisely because of Christ’s normality and practicality that all created humans feel the practicality of God’s work more, benefit from this work, and receive more tangible and advantageous gains from it. Christ’s normality and practicality are marks of normal humanity, they’re necessary for His incarnate flesh to engage in all normal work, activities, and human life, and even more so, they’re something that all who follow God need. However, antichrists do not understand Christ’s normality and practicality in this way. Antichrists believe Christ to be just an ordinary person because He is normal and practical, and too similar to man—which means that He is unworthy of being called a son of god, the embodiment of god among men, or christ, because He is too normal and practical, practical to the point where people cannot see any hint or essence of god in Him. Antichrists say, “Can such a god save people? Is such a god worthy of being called christ? This god is too unlike god! He lacks several elements of man’s notions of god: firstly, being supernatural, extraordinary, and mysterious; secondly, having superpowers, and the capacity to display mighty power; thirdly, an appearance resembling god, possessing god’s identity, dignity, and essence, and so on. If none of these elements can be seen in him, how can he be god? Does him speaking those few words and doing that bit of work mean that he is god? Then, becoming god is too easy, isn’t it? How can an ordinary, normal flesh be god?” This is something that antichrists can never accept.

While experiencing the persecution of the great red dragon in mainland China, I, along with several of the brothers and sisters, often had to hide wherever we went, lacking any personal freedom. Sometimes, upon hearing news of danger, we would have to quickly run. Under these circumstances, none of the people with Me became weak. What was the reason for this? Were they foolish? Were they simple-minded? No, it was because they had firmly recognized the essence of God incarnate. They not only held no notions or condemnations about the normality and practicality of Christ, but also showed consideration and understanding toward these qualities, and comprehended them in the correct way. Whatever suffering Christ endured, they endured it along with Him, and no matter what persecution and pursuit Christ experienced, they still followed Him without complaint, never becoming weak due to these circumstances. It was only when I went to certain places, that there were some individuals who—knowing I had fled in haste to avoid dangerous environments, and that there might well be nowhere else for Me to stay, and no one else who would put Me up—thought to themselves: “Humph! You claim to be christ, god’s incarnate flesh, yet look at the sorry state you’re in. How are you fit to be christ? In what way do you look like god? You think that you can save others? You ought to hurry up and save yourself first! Can following you bring blessings? That seems impossible! If your words can save others, then why can’t they save you? Look at you now, you don’t even have a place to rest your head, and you have to seek help from us humans, from powerful people. If you’re god, you should not be so pitiable. If you’re god’s incarnate flesh, you should not be without a place to call home!” So, such people can never wrap their minds around this matter. If one day they see the gospel of the kingdom being spread abroad, with many people in various countries accepting it, and they see that the great red dragon has fallen, that God’s followers are holding their heads high, and no longer being persecuted, and that they are ruling and wielding power without anyone daring to bully them, they would surely completely change their typical attitude, and no longer harbor notions about God reigning in the flesh. Why would there be such a sudden change? These individuals rely solely on what they see with their eyes; they do not believe that God’s words are the truth, that He is almighty, or that everything He says will come to pass. Do such people believe in God? What do they believe in? (Power.) Does Christ have power? Among corrupted mankind, Christ has no power. Some people say, “Doesn’t god have authority? If christ’s essence is god, then why doesn’t he possess god’s authority? Authority is much greater than power, so shouldn’t he have power too?” What is the aim of the work of God incarnate? What is the duty of the incarnate God? Is it to brandish power? (No.) Therefore, like any normal person, He suffers rejection, insults, slander, and hostility from this world—Christ must endure all of these things, He is not exempt from them.

Those who genuinely pursue the truth not only have no notions about Christ’s normality and practicality—on the contrary, they also see God’s loveliness in these qualities more, and gain a better understanding of the true essence of God and the true essence of the Creator through them. Their understanding of God becomes deeper, more practical, more genuine, and more accurate. By contrast, antichrists often feel unwilling to follow a Christ like this because of all His normality and practicality, thinking He lacks supernatural abilities and does not stand out from ordinary people, and furthermore experiences the same living environments as mankind. Antichrists are not only unable to happily accept all of this, and understand God’s disposition from it, they also condemn and guard against it, and even more so make accusations about it. For instance, when someone does something that goes against the principles, if I don’t ask about it and no one tells Me about it, then I won’t know about it—isn’t this a manifestation that falls within the scope of normality and practicality? (Yes.) Those who possess a correct understanding and normal humanity would explain the matter to Me clearly and thoroughly, and then allow Me to deal with them however I see fit. Antichrists do quite the opposite; they observe Me with their eyes, and they test Me by means of worming things out of Me. Then they think to themselves, “Since you don’t know about this matter, that makes it easy to handle—I had a scheme to deal with you in case you did know about it, and I had another scheme to deal with you in case you didn’t; for a major issue, I’d make it sound like a small issue, and then reduce it to nothing at all, keeping you completely in the dark, and allowing this matter to blow over—since you’re unaware of this issue, you don’t need to or have to know about it going forward. I’ll take charge of it. When you find out about it one day, it will have already unfolded as I intend it to, and what will you be able to do to me then?” Which people treat Christ in this manner? Are they good people? Are they people who pursue the truth? Do they possess humanity and integrity? (No.) There were some leaders who did certain things; they promoted individuals in the church arbitrarily, they squandered offerings, and made excessive, indiscriminate purchases, and no matter how much money was spent, or what significant issues arose, they didn’t say a word about it. I went there many times, and they never consulted Me or asked Me about these things, they just made decisions on their own; they didn’t let Me carry out any checks either, and I had to pry information out of them. They treated Me like an outsider: “Since you’re here, we’ll just report to you and tell you about what you can see before you. As for the things we’ve done behind your back, you’d better not think of trying to find out about any of them. We won’t permit you to step in or make inquiries.” No matter how many times I visited, they never allowed Me to make any inquiries. Fearing that I might begin to ask questions, they deliberately concealed the truth with false, nice-sounding words, engaging in trickery. They colluded together, reached a consensus, and exchanged meaningful looks with each other; they maintained a united front, and did not report each other’s problems, shielding one another. When I found out about the things they were doing behind My back and wanted to hold them accountable, they continued shielding each other, not saying who was responsible, acting dumb, and playing word games with Me. What error did they commit? They thought, “Aside from his normal, simple thinking, and ordinary, normal humanity, christ—this ordinary person—has nothing worth boasting about, and no supernatural powers. Since that’s the case, we can make some little moves behind your back, and feel at ease engaging in our own enterprises. We control the church’s money, so we’ll just buy whatever we want. We don’t need to seek at all when a signature is required, we can just sign off on the purchases arbitrarily, without needing them to be reviewed, and spend money in a casual manner. Isn’t christ god? Can you keep a handle on these things? We’ll do as we please; aside from when you’re around, the rest of the time this is all our domain!” How did they treat Christ’s normality and practicality? Didn’t they regard Him as someone who is easy to bully? They thought, “As long as you possess normal humanity, we’re not afraid to bully you. If you don’t possess supernatural humanity, we’re not afraid of you.” What kind of people were they? If judged in terms of their humanity, would they be considered good people? Would they be considered people who possess morals and humanity? Would they be considered people who possess noble integrity? What were they really? Weren’t they a group of miscreants? Whom did these people represent when they worked in God’s house? They didn’t even represent man, they represented Satan. They did things for Satan, they were its lackeys and accomplices; they were here to disturb and destroy the work of God’s house, they were not performing their duties but committing evil. How was this group of Satan’s accomplices different from the great red dragon that captures, persecutes, and abuses God’s chosen people? The great red dragon sees that God’s incarnated flesh is just an ordinary person, that He isn’t frightening at all, so it arbitrarily tries to capture Him, and once it has caught Him, it will try to kill Him. Didn’t these accomplices of Satan, these antichrists, treat Christ in the same way? Isn’t their essence the same? (Yes.) What did they regard Christ as in their belief? Did they believe in Him as God or as a human? If they regarded Christ as God, would they treat Him this way? (No.) There’s only one explanation: They saw Christ as a human, as someone they could casually judge, trick, toy with, scorn, and treat as they wished; this means that they were very bold. If we categorize such audacious people, can they be put in the category and group of created beings, God’s chosen people, His followers, people who can be perfected by Him, and people who can be saved by Him? (No.) Where should such trash be placed? In Satan’s camp. The people in this group are classified as antichrists. They treated Christ like an ordinary person, and acted willfully and recklessly and wielded absolute power within the scope of their influence, thinking, “No matter what the issue is, as long as I don’t seek from you or inform you about it, you have no right to interfere, and you’ll never know about it.” Tell Me, does Christ have the right to deal with them? (Yes.) What would be an appropriate way to do this? (Expel them from the church.) This is how one must deal with antichrists and Satans; one must not show them leniency. When people like this believe in God, regardless of what God does, how He provides people with the truth, or what work He does, they pay this no heed. If they lack power, they think of ways to obtain it, and once they’re in power, they seek to stand on equal footing with Christ, to divide the world with Him, to compete to see who is superior and contest for status with Him. Within the scope of their influence, they want to challenge Christ, saying, “I want to see whose word carries more weight, yours or mine. This church is my turf; I’ll spend the church’s money however I wish, buy whatever I desire, and handle matters as I please. Whoever I decide is no good is no good. I’ll use whoever I want to, and no one is permitted to touch the people I choose to use. If anyone does, I’ll never let the matter drop—even if god says he wants to, I won’t stand for it!” Isn’t this courting death?

If people come to understand God’s loveliness more and gain a clearer and more accurate understanding of God’s practicality and essence through the normal and practical humanity of God incarnate, then they are people who pursue the truth and those who possess humanity. However, some people do not regard Christ as God due to His normal, practical side. They act more impudent and bold before Him, they are more emboldened to act freely, and they become more possessed of thoughts of surpassing Christ and controlling God’s chosen people. They feel that they have capital with which to disdain and compete with Christ, and evidence upon which to regard Christ as a human. They think that after they obtain this evidence, they don’t have to be afraid of Christ, and that they can criticize Him freely, casually converse and laugh with Him and put themselves on equal footing with Him, and discuss their domestic affairs and personal worries with Him. Some even say, “I’ve shared my inner thoughts, weaknesses, and corrupt dispositions with you, so tell me about your state. I’ve told you about my experiences before and after coming to believe in god, and I’ve told you about how I accepted god’s work, so share your experiences with me.” What are they attempting to do? Don’t they see God incarnate as too ordinary and normal, and wish to turn Him into a family member, a buddy, a friend, or a neighbor? Regardless of how normal and practical Christ is, His essence will never change. No matter His age, where He was born, or how His qualifications and experience compare to yours, whether He appears lofty or insignificant to you, never forget that He will always be different from you. Why is this so? He is God living in an outwardly normal and practical flesh; His essence is eternally different from yours; His essence is that of the supreme God who is forever and always above all mankind. Do not forget this. On the surface, He appears to be an ordinary and normal person, He is called Christ, and He has the identity of Christ, but if you regard Him to be a human in your belief, and view Him as an ordinary person, as a member of corrupt mankind, you are in danger. Christ’s identity and essence never change, His essence is the essence of God, and His identity is always that of God. The fact that He lives within the shell of a normal, practical flesh, does not mean that He is a member of corrupt mankind, nor does it mean that humans can manipulate or control Him, or that they can be equals with Him or vie with Him for power. As long as people see Him as human, and measure Him using human ways and perspectives, and try to turn Him into a friend, peer, colleague, or senior officer, they are placing themselves in a dangerous position. Why is it dangerous? If you see Christ as an ordinary, normal human, your corrupt dispositions will begin to emerge. From the moment you regard Christ as human, your evil deeds will start to be exposed. Isn’t this the dangerous part? As long as people see Christ as human, and think that He is normal and practical, that He is easy to trick, and that He is just like mankind, they are not afraid of God, and at this time their relationship with God changes. What does this relationship turn into? Their relationship is no longer that of a created human being and the Creator, it is no longer that of a follower and Christ, and it is no longer that of an object of salvation and God, instead it becomes the relationship of Satan and the Sovereign of all things. People stand opposed to God, and become His enemies. When you view Christ as human, you also change your own identity before God, and your value in His eyes; you completely destroy your prospects and destiny with your self-indulgence, rebelliousness, wickedness, and arrogance. God will only acknowledge, guide, and bestow life and the chance to attain salvation upon you, on the basis that you are a created being, a follower of Christ, and a person who has accepted God’s salvation. Otherwise, your relationship with God will change. When people regard God, Christ, as a person, are they not making a joke? People typically do not see this as problematic, they think, “Christ said that he’s an ordinary and normal person, so what’s wrong with treating him like a person?” Actually, there’s nothing wrong with this, but there are serious consequences to it. Treating Christ like a person has many benefits for you. In one respect, it elevates your standing, in another, it narrows the distance between you and God, and besides that, you won’t be so reserved in God’s presence, you will feel relaxed and free. You will possess your human rights, freedom, and a sense of the value of your existence, and feel a sense of your own presence—isn’t that good? There’s nothing wrong with treating a real person this way, it shows that you have dignity and integrity. A man should not bow down easily; people should not kneel, yield, or admit their inferiority to any person lightly—aren’t these the laws of human survival and man’s game rules? Many apply these laws and game rules to their interactions with Christ. This means trouble, and it is very likely to offend God’s disposition. This is because the nature essence of all members of mankind, regardless of race, is the same. Only Christ is different from mankind. Though Christ has the appearance of normality and practicality, and possesses the lifestyles and routines of normal, practical humanity, His essence is unlike that of any corrupted human. It is precisely because of this that He is qualified to demand that His followers treat Him in the way that He requires. Apart from Christ, no other person is qualified to use these methods and standards to make requirements of people. Why? Because Christ’s essence is God Himself, and because Christ, this ordinary, normal person, is a normal flesh that God is clothed in, and God’s incarnation among humans. Just based on this alone, seeing Christ as a person is incorrect, treating Him like a person is even more incorrect, and tricking Him, toying with Him, and fighting against Him as though He were a person is even worse. Antichrists, this gang of wicked individuals who detest the truth, remain forever oblivious of this significant problem and clear mistake. Why is this? Because their nature essence is the essence of an antichrist. They fight with God in the spiritual realm, vying with Him for status, never addressing Him as God or treating Him as such. In God’s house, they repeat this behavior, treating Christ in the same manner. Their ancestor treated God in this way, so it’s no surprise that they can’t help but act in this way. Since they can’t help but act in this way, and their nature essence has been ascertained, can such people still be saved by God? Are they not to be cleared out and expelled from God’s house? Are they not to be rejected by all of God’s chosen people? (Yes.) Do you still have notions about God’s house condemning, clearing out, and eliminating such individuals? (No.) Are they pitiable? (No.) Why are they not pitiable? They are hateful and detestable, so they are not pitiable.