And what does the antichrist do after setting up their own domain? Are they terribly anxious about how the church’s gospel work is going? Are they concerned about it, or do they inquire after it? They only make an inspection tour, going through the motions, getting by perfunctorily with a few words and nothing more. What is the aim of their inspection tour? To what end do they embark on these wide-ranging travels to see how the brothers and sisters are doing? Is it because they care about how their life entry is going? No. They are looking to see whether anyone within their scope of influence has an intention of resisting them, whether there is anyone who looks at them askance, or dares to say “no” to them, or dares to not yield and not do as they say; they have to see with their own eyes, they have to personally be acquainted with the situation. That’s one aspect. What’s more, after the antichrist establishes their domain, they make themselves the rightful king—and if you say they’re a tyrant, the town bully, the bandit leader, they don’t care, as long as they have status and power. Within their sphere of influence, inside their domain, all the power is in their hands, they alone call the shots. At the same time, they also enjoy the worship, admiration, and esteem of their clique, as well as their flattery, flummery, and even all those feelings of superiority and special treatments they give them. Do you think when the antichrist monopolizes their power it is just in order to speak from a high position? Is it merely to satisfy such a desire? No. They want something more substantial: all of the treatment that comes with the status and power they enjoy in their domain. Once the antichrist establishes their domain, once they have their diehard followers, their days are passed in greater comfort than the ancient emperors. They don’t have to do anything: With a word, their wish is done; with a word, the things they want are brought to them. For example, the antichrist says, “It’s fine weather today; why do I feel like eating chicken so much?” Before noon, someone has already made chicken stew. During lunch at noon, the antichrist says, “We believers in god can’t drink alcohol, but how about some refreshments?” Hearing their leader’s words, the antichrist’s followers have someone rush off to buy refreshments. Doesn’t he get whatever he wants? He has but to reach out his hand, to open his mouth, and things will be brought to him and all his wishes come true. His days are passed in great comfort. Then the antichrist says, “It’s cold today. Last year’s cardigan had a hole eaten in it by moths, it’s unseemly when I wear it—not a good look. I don’t know where this year’s cardigan is.” When someone offers to buy him several cardigans, he says that they shouldn’t buy them casually, he must conform to the propriety of saints, and the money must be spent according to principle. Soon after saying this, someone buys him several cardigans. After they arrive, the antichrist feels that if he says nothing, this will all seem deliberate, so he says: “Who bought these? Isn’t this a violation of the principles? Wouldn’t this put me in the wrong? Who bought them? I’ll give them the money.” He asks his wife to take some money out of church offerings first, and says that he’ll pay it back later when he has money. In reality, he says this casually; he has absolutely no plans of paying it back. The antichrist truly gets whatever he wishes, enjoying everything ready-made. And in his heart, does he have any sense of recrimination after enjoying these things? Does he feel accused by his conscience? (No.) How could he feel accused? This is precisely what he’s after, it is what he has longed for day and night—how could he refuse it? This advantage can’t be wasted, if he doesn’t take advantage of it then it will expire and be for nothing; once it is taken advantage of, he will still say something nice-sounding, so that the person spending the money does so willingly, and doesn’t dare think anything of it.

In their own domain, antichrists not only receive various special treatments and services provided by their subordinates but also train those in their domain to obey them absolutely. For instance, if an antichrist asks everyone to wake up at 5 a.m., everybody must be up before 5 a.m. Those who wake up late will face pruning—they have to watch the antichrist’s looks. During meals, no one dares to sit at the table until they sit down, and before they begin to use chopsticks nobody else dares to do so. Whatever they decide to do, it must be done; however they decide to do something, others must follow, and disobedience is not tolerated. In their domain, they are the leader, the king, and their word is final—whoever fails to comply will be punished. Their subordinates are trained to unquestioningly follow their orders, not daring to go against them in the slightest, and believing that whatever they command is justified and worth it—it is their duty and obligation. Under the banner of believing in God and doing their duties, the antichrist’s subordinates unquestionably obey them, carrying them in the palms of their hands and treating them as their king and master. If anyone has thoughts or opinions about the antichrist, if they have viewpoints that differ from the antichrist’s, they will spare no effort to refute, belittle, dissect, pass judgment on, condemn, and suppress them, resting only when the person completely obeys them. The antichrist thrives in their domain, where it is wonderfully comfortable. The money that the brothers and sisters offer all goes to the antichrist, and anything the antichrist lacks must be provided by them. The brothers and sisters must promptly fulfill the antichrist’s needs to keep them satisfied and make them happy. The antichrist has trained these people into virtual slaves. Their most frequent preaching revolves around how they suffered and were loyal, emphasizing how people should understand and obey them in order to please God and be in accordance with the truth principles. The antichrist preaches lofty sermons, chants slogans, and presents doctrines that completely align with human notions and imaginings, earning the worship and admiration of others. Simultaneously, they effectively prevent any suspicion, doubt, or discernment from arising against them, and also prevent people from having the thoughts of exposing or discerning them or having their own thoughts of betrayal. This ensures that their power will go on forever, that it will be consolidated in the church without any variables. Isn’t the antichrist thinking quite far ahead? So then, what is the purpose behind all of these actions? One word—power. Whether it’s those within their domain or those outside, whether it’s their diehard followers or the brothers and sisters who discern them, what does the antichrist fear and worry about the most? It’s that these individuals may understand the truth, come before God, discern them, and reject them. This is what they fear the most. Once everyone rejects them, they become a commander without an army, losing their status and prestige, and having their power stripped away. Therefore, they believe that only by securing their domain, locking down their diehard followers, harshly misleading and controlling those who follow them, keeping them firmly in their grasp, can they consolidate their power. This way, they firmly hold onto the special treatment that their power brings them. Some antichrists are particularly astute in their self-conduct and dealings, adept at winning people over. Within the domain they manage, there are those who run errands for them, those who supply their material needs, and those who gather information or smooth things over for them—a variety of different individuals. Within the antichrist’s sphere of influence, if there is no one with good caliber, no one pursuing the truth, and no one upholding the truth principles, the antichrist can maintain long-term control over the church, and the people within this church will be thoroughly corroded and misled to an irreparable degree. Even if someone is sent by the Above to investigate the work, it would be in vain. The church has become impervious and impenetrable under the control of the antichrist—their sturdy fortress. Regardless of who exposes and dissects the antichrist, or who fellowships the truth principles, those who have been misled won’t listen to them. Instead, they will stand on the side of the antichrist, opposing the truth and condemning the exposure and dissection of the antichrist.

The antichrist, their diehard followers, and the members of their domain are always discussing and examining the matters of God’s house: Who has been transferred where? Who has been replaced? The Above has issued another fellowship and sermon about exposing such and such—should we release it? And how will we release it? Who will it be released to first, and who after that? Do we need to intervene and make some redactions or edits? Who has recently been in contact with outsiders? Has anyone been sent down by the Above? Have any of those people had contact with our people lower down? They frequently discuss such things together; they often collude and conspire, discussing countermeasures, schemes, and means to respond to all of the Above’s work arrangements; so, too, do they frequently discuss and examine the circumstances of brothers and sisters below them. The antichrist and the members of their domain spend all day conspiring together, thick as thieves. When they are together, they don’t fellowship the truth, or the intentions of God, much less the work of the church, or how to fulfill their duty, advance the work of the church, or guide the brothers’ and sisters’ entry to the reality of God’s words, or how to respond to external situations. They never fellowship about these proper things, but examine who is getting closer to whom, who these people talk about when they’re together, whether they have been talking about the leaders behind their back; and they pay attention to whose family is rich, and whether they have made any offerings. These are the things they go on about in private, they are always passing judgment on the brothers and sisters, and on the work arrangements of the Above—they are always doing everything they can to finesse the brothers and sisters and the Above. What they do in private is disgraceful: If it is not harmful to the church, it is harmful to the brothers and sisters; they are always plotting or making a fuss about the brothers and sisters who are of good caliber and pursue the truth, they are always trying to bring good people down or blacken their name. Whenever antichrists do anything, they always discuss it with people in their camp—there are plots and schemes involved here. Nothing said by the antichrist’s gang holds up to analysis; if a careful analysis is made, problems are found in all of it. With people outside the domain, they hold back and are guarded; within the antichrist’s domain, nothing is off limits: They pass judgment on the brothers and sisters, on the work of God’s house, on upper leaders—even on God. Everything is fair game. But when someone from outside the domain is present, they conceal their words, clam up, hold back, and even speak in a secret language that outsiders cannot understand. They have a look that has a certain meaning, a devious smile that means something, even a snort and a cough that means something—these are all their secret codes. Sometimes they scratch their head, sometimes they tug their ears, sometimes they stamp their feet, sometimes they rub their hands together; they all mean something. These are the common manifestations of the antichrist’s gang, the various behaviors they manifest once they have monopolized power in the church. Judging by their various behaviors and manifestations, and dissecting them from the perspective of their humanity, what are these people? Aren’t they the acolytes of deceitfulness and wickedness? (Yes.) And do these people have any sense of justice? Do they have any conscience or morality? Are they honest? No. These people have no shame. They consume what the brothers and sisters offer up, and think it their due; at the same time, they take liberties and run wild in the house of God, bringing harm to the brothers and sisters—and they don’t just live off the church temporarily, but do so every day, for generation after generation. Are these not devils who eat man’s flesh and drink man’s blood? They have no shame! Together, the antichrist and their gang are always discussing “national affairs.” But are their discussions behind closed doors disgraceful? (Yes.) What do they talk about? Do they fellowship the work of the church? Do they feel burdened by the work of the church? In some places, the church is under supervision and the brothers and sisters are being stalked and monitored by the great red dragon, the government, and even most of the brothers and sisters are put under government control and face the dangers of arrest and imprisonment. Do they care? Do they try to come up with a way to protect the brothers and sisters, to help them avoid persecution and suffering in prison? In private, do they discuss how to safeguard the church’s books, belongings, and so on, to protect the church from suffering loss? If a Judas appears in the church, do they react promptly, quickly arranging a safe place for the affected brothers and sisters in order to protect them? Would they do such things? (No.) When people have power, they can do good things and they can also do bad things. So, what does the antichrist do when they have power? (Bad things.) What bad things do they do? (They find ways to punish anyone who doesn’t listen to them. When God’s house sends some leaders and workers to ask about the work, they will find a way to avoid them, or a way to get leverage and pass judgment on them, condemn them, and find reasons to drive them away, to stop them asking about the work and finding issues with them.) Some antichrists do the exact opposite: Fearing that the brothers and sisters will report their issues, they keep a watch on the leaders sent from the Above, treating them to good food and drink, and stopping them coming into contact with the brothers and sisters lower down. When the leaders ask after the brothers and sisters, they reply, “They’re all good. At the moment our gospel work is progressing smoothly. We’ve resolved all those issues that arose from the adverse environment, and expelled the Judases who sold us out; we’ve handled those who tried to disturb the work of the church, and cleared them all out, and the books of god’s words have been distributed as normal. There aren’t any problems at all.” Saying this, they also report a few things about other people. When the Above sends someone to investigate them, if they think someone has reported them—they will intentionally report that person’s issues to misdirect the upper leaders and make them think that the person who reported the antichrist has issues, to stop the leaders from being able to tell what’s actually going on with the church’s work, and from discovering the antichrist’s issues, so that ultimately, they are not replaced, and are no longer in danger. The antichrist’s aim in protecting their domain is to consolidate their power and make it effective, and so they cultivate many adherents, minions, diehard followers, and cronies. Their aim in cultivating such people is to thoroughly monopolize power, to stop it from being weakened or stripped from them.

Antichrists treat the house of God like their own personal domain, and the first thing they do after assuming leadership is to monopolize power. Have you thought of any instances regarding antichrists monopolizing power? (Previously, there was a church leader who was an antichrist. Whenever someone pointed out his issues or exposed him, he would suppress that person and confiscate their books of God’s words. I went to some gathering groups at his churches to find out more about the situation. That antichrist, fearing that his evil deeds may come to light, tried to drive me away and seized the opportunity to accuse me of secretly attending gatherings without his permission. Later, the upper leaders sent someone to investigate, and the antichrist slandered me, spoke ill of me, and even placed me under house arrest, instructing brothers and sisters not to associate with me. At that time, this antichrist, in collaboration with a leader and a worker, controlled eight churches. Finally, after several months of fellowship and discernment, the brothers and sisters finally banished this group of antichrists.) This is how antichrists operate. Whatever they do in the church, it is aimed at laying their grasp on power and controlling people. They are especially sensitive to anyone who poses a threat to their status and power. Their nose for such matters is extremely keen, and they immediately realize that these matters are unfavorable to them and threaten their position. Isn’t this wicked? Why are antichrists so sensitive to such matters? Why don’t others perceive it? This is related to their nature; only antichrists can be aware of these things. This confirms one point: Antichrists have this kind of essence. Their desire for power is extraordinary, and they possess a unique craving. When someone comes to the church where they are in charge, they will study them, thinking, “Does this person pose a threat to my status and prestige? Are they here to promote me or to dismiss me? Are they here to investigate my issues or to fellowship normally about the work?” They first try to find out these things. They are especially sensitive to such matters because they have a special affection and desire for status and power; they live for power and status. They think that if they lose power, have fewer adherents, and become a commander without an army, life will have lost its meaning. Therefore, concerning the status and power they have obtained, whether they are in charge of three churches, five churches, or ten churches, antichrists believe the more, the better. They absolutely won’t yield their power up to other people. They think it is rightfully theirs, something they fought for, something they obtained through revolution and strategy. If others want to get it, they must be prepared to give their lives in exchange for it. It’s like the great red dragon—if someone suggested democratic change to end its dictatorship, urging the Communist Party to conduct fair elections, what would the great red dragon say? “Democracy? You’d have to exchange it for the heads of twenty million people! The Communist Party obtained its power through the blood of countless individuals. If you want to seize power, you’ll have to exchange it with the blood and lives of that many people!” Antichrists are the same. If you want them to relinquish power, it’s not enough to fellowship the truth for them to concede; they will contend and fight with you. No matter how despicable their methods or means, they must safeguard their power. Unless God’s chosen people all wake up and unite to expose and remove them, they won’t do it. Aren’t antichrists just too wicked? This fully confirms and exemplifies the wicked and vicious disposition of antichrists. Regardless of whether the controlled subjects are willing or not, whether they genuinely yield or not, whether they are willing to obey and follow, antichrists don’t care about this. They forcefully use their power to suppress and control people. No one may disobey: Anyone who does not yield will be sanctioned. These are antichrists.

Just now, we fellowshipped about certain specific practices and manifestations of how antichrists monopolize power. From these practices and manifestations, can’t we see that antichrists possess a vicious and wicked disposition and essence? Can anyone change them? Whether by reasoning with them, appealing to their emotions, presenting the truth in God’s words, pruning them, or seeking to change them through genuine feelings—can any of these methods make them abandon the practice of monopolizing power? (No.) Some people say, “Antichrists are just people with corrupt dispositions. People have human emotions. If you appeal to them emotionally, explain things logically, and clarify the pros and cons, then when they understand the reasoning, they might not act in such a way. They might admit their mistakes, repent, and stop walking the path of antichrists. They might not establish their own domain within the house of God, draw in their own diehard followers to monopolize power in the house of God, and engage in these actions that are not in line with humanity and morals.” Can antichrists be influenced this way? (No.) Has anyone ever changed an antichrist? Some say, “Maybe they weren’t properly educated by their mother from a young age, they were spoiled. Now, if their mother talks to them or if the person with the highest prestige in their family, or the one who has been a believer for the longest time, reasons with them, they might stop doing the things that antichrists do.” Does this hold true? (No.) Why not? (Reasoning with them doesn’t work; the more you talk, the more they resent it. If you then expose and prune them, they will hate you.) Right. Haven’t they heard God’s words and the truth quite a bit? Some antichrists have believed for ten or twenty years without any change and have read God’s words quite a lot. Why hasn’t there been any change? It’s because their hearts are filled with evil—even God doesn’t save them, can humans change them with what little knowledge and doctrine they have? In human society, countries have education, and there are laws in society, all of which encourages people to learn to be good and avoid committing crimes. But why can’t it change people? Have the national education and systems had any positive impact on society? Do those things promoted by the nation have any educational significance or value for humanity? Have they been effective? (No.) Even the legal departments of each country, such as juvenile correctional facilities and prisons, which are the highest and strictest places for disciplining people, have these changed the essence of people? Take certain rapists, thieves, and thugs—they go in and out of prison so many times that they become habitual offenders—do they eventually change? No, no one can change them. The essence of a person cannot be changed. Similarly, the essence of antichrists cannot be changed either. The practice of monopolizing power represents the essence of antichrists, and this essence cannot be changed. What is God’s attitude toward this unchangeable type of person? Is it one of doing His utmost to change and save them, and then achieve a transformation in their nature? Does God do this work? (No.) Now that you understand that God doesn’t do this kind of work, how should you deal with antichrists? (Reject them.) First, discern and dissect; once you see through them, reject them. Don’t reject someone just based on your notions and imaginings, thinking that they are arrogant and self-righteous and like an antichrist. This won’t do; you can’t be blind. Through contact, investigation and discernment, gradually establish and confirm that someone is an antichrist. First, fellowship and dissect them to everyone, discern them, and then unite with those in the church who pursue the truth and have a sense of justice to reject them. First discern and dissect them, and then reject them—this is the best approach to deal with antichrists. For some antichrists who are good at hypocrisy and are quite cunning, if you, through contact with them, have investigated and discerned them, confirming that they are antichrists, but the brothers and sisters don’t know them well, they still lack real discernment, and when you fellowship and dissect them with the brothers and sisters, they not only don’t believe or acknowledge that they are an antichrist but even say, “You are prejudiced against them; this is your personal opinion”—what should you do? If you say, “Anyway, I have discerned them, I won’t be misled or constrained by them, I won’t listen to what they say, and I certainly won’t obey them. Whether you discern them or not isn’t my concern. I’ve told you about their manifestations and the things that they do, and whether you believe it or not, whether you listen or not, my responsibility is fulfilled either way. If you are misled and controlled by them, if you listen to what they say and follow them, then you deserve the consequences and are unlucky by rights!”—is this approach acceptable? Does this count as fulfilling your responsibility? Does it count as being loyal to God? (No.) Then what should you do? Such things are unavoidable; such matters will definitely arise. Some people, no matter how many sermons they hear, cannot understand the truth, and they are unable to link the manifestations of antichrists to the sermons they’ve heard, or discern them. When it’s clear as day that someone is an antichrist, they just can’t see through them and are still misled. Unless antichrists harm them personally, suppress them themselves, scold them, prune them, or act out right in front of them, they won’t acknowledge that they are an antichrist. Even if others speak the facts or present evidence, they won’t believe it. They have to see with their own eyes what antichrists do and personally experience the abuse of antichrists before they can admit it. What should be done about this situation? (Let them follow antichrists and experience abuse; only after being abused will they wake up.) Isn’t this a bit harsh? (It’s not being harsh on them. Such people cannot understand the truth through fellowship, and they can only gain awareness and wake up by experiencing abuse personally. Therefore, this is the only way to deal with such people.) This is a principle. Some people don’t understand when you talk to them in a positive way; they lack the ability to comprehend it. For instance, if you tell them, “That area is dangerous; if you walk alone at night, you might meet with muggers. This has happened to several people. Don’t go walking at night; come back early!” They don’t believe it and insist on walking alone at night without a companion. In that case, you let them walk alone but secretly protect them, ensuring they don’t actually get into trouble. This is fulfilling your responsibility. When real trouble arises, you can protect them, prevent any trouble from coming to them, and help them learn a lesson and commit it to memory. Eventually, they will believe that what you said was right. Therefore, for those who are misled by antichrists and cannot discern them no matter how the truth is fellowshipped, they have to suffer severe harm, learn a lesson, and commit it to memory in order to develop discernment. Those who are muddleheaded and ignore advice cannot see through the wickedness and viciousness of antichrists, and even treat antichrists as brothers and sisters, interacting with them as such, even helping them with love and treating them sincerely, speaking with them from the heart. As a result, they fall victim to the antichrists. Some people have to be harmed not once, but several times, before they develop discernment. Then when you fellowship with them and support them, they believe you. It’s an effective method, and some people have to suffer in such things. Previously, there was a certain muddleheaded person who lacked discernment and didn’t take it well when the house of God replaced an antichrist. The evil deeds of the antichrist were obvious and they were even classified as such. Everyone acknowledged it but him, and no one could fellowship with him. Eventually, he followed the antichrist out. After a period, having suffered severe harm, he returned in tears, acknowledging that the antichrist was really terrible. In fact, the antichrist had always been that bad, but because he had a good feeling about the antichrist and wanted to curry favor, he tolerated and accommodated everything the antichrist did. When the antichrist lost status, he interacted with the antichrist on equal footing, and started to have opinions about some of the things the antichrist did. His perspective changed, and he started to see the issues. In the end, even if asked to follow the antichrist again, he refused outright—he was willing to die rather than follow the antichrist, because he had suffered great harm and seen through the antichrist. In fact, what he saw through had already been communicated to him earlier, but he refused to concede or acknowledge it. It couldn’t be helped. For such people, they have to take a winding road and endure more hardship—their suffering is deserved. Why do I say it’s deserved? I mean that when you have blessings but refuse to enjoy them, and you insist on suffering—it can’t be helped—you have to endure hardship and suffer first. This is deserved suffering.

When monopolizing power, antichrists primarily entrust important tasks to those who unquestioningly obey them. They then train those individuals who are still wavering, who have malleable minds, bringing them over to their side. Once these individuals are adequately trained and become members of the antichrist’s domain, the antichrist can rest assured. As for the rest of those who can’t be used by them, the antichrist completely abandons them, excluding them from their domain. All those who unquestioningly obey them are considered their diehard followers, faithful members of their domain. They regard these individuals as their followers, adherents, and confidants. Their power holds sway within this group; that is, it is effectively exercised through them. Therefore, it can be said that when antichrists monopolize power, transforming the house of God into their own domain, they invest considerable effort. They undertake various actions and pay a significant price for this, but the result of this price is enmity with God, with the truth, and with all the brothers and sisters who pursue the truth. What is the value and significance of this power? It lies in the fact that antichrists gain capital to contend against God and His house, establish their own strongholds, form independent kingdoms, and wield great power independently.