Daily Words of God  Excerpt 166

Do you know what knowledge is the key to understanding God’s righteous disposition? There is much that may be said from experience on this topic, but first there are a few main points that I must tell you. To understand God’s righteous disposition, one must first understand God’s feelings: what He hates, what He loathes, what He loves, to whom He is tolerant and merciful, and on what type of person He bestows that mercy. This is one main point. One must also understand that no matter how loving God is, no matter how much mercy and love He has for people, God does not tolerate anyone offending His status and position, nor does He tolerate anyone offending His dignity. Even though God loves people, He does not pamper them. He gives people His love, His mercy, and His tolerance, but He has never coddled them; God has His principles and His limits. Regardless of how much of God’s love you have felt, regardless of how deep that love may be, you must never treat God as you would treat another person. While it is true that God treats people with the utmost intimacy, if a person views God as just another person, as if He were just another created being, like a friend or an object of worship, then God will hide His face from them and forsake them. This is His disposition, and people must not take this issue thoughtlessly. So, we often see words such as this spoken by God about His disposition: It does not matter how many roads you have traveled, how much work you have done or how much suffering you have endured, once you offend God’s disposition, He will repay each of you based on what you have done. What this means is that God treats people with the utmost intimacy, yet people must not treat God as a friend or a relative. Do not call God your “pal.” No matter how much love you have received from Him, no matter how much tolerance He has given you, you must never treat God as your friend. This is God’s righteous disposition. Do you understand? Do I need to say more about this? Do you have any prior understanding of this matter? Generally speaking, this is the easiest mistake for people to make, regardless of whether they understand the doctrines or if they have never before contemplated this issue. When people offend God, it might not be because of one event or one thing they said, but rather because of an attitude they hold and a state they are in. This is a very frightening thing. Some people believe that they have an understanding of God, that they have some knowledge of Him, and they might even do some things that satisfy God. They begin to feel equal to God and that they have cleverly maneuvered themselves into a friendship with God. These types of feelings are terribly wrong. If you do not have a deep understanding of this—if you do not understand this clearly—then you will very easily offend God and offend His righteous disposition. You understand this now, yes? Is not God’s righteous disposition unique? Could it ever be the equivalent of the character or the moral standing of a man? It never could. So, you must not forget that, no matter how God treats people nor how He thinks of people, God’s position, authority, and status do not ever change. For mankind, God is always the Lord of all things and the Creator.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique VII

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 167

Story 1: A Seed, the Earth, a Tree, the Sunlight, the Birds, and Man

A small seed fell to the earth. A great rain fell, and the seed grew a tender sprout, while its roots delved slowly into the soil below. The sprout grew tall in time, enduring cruel winds and harsh rains, witnessing the changing of the seasons as the moon waxed and waned. In the summer, the earth brought forth gifts of water so that the sprout might endure the season’s scorching heat. And because of the earth, the sprout was not overwhelmed by heat, and thus the worst of the summer heat passed. When winter came, the earth enveloped the sprout in its warm embrace, and earth and sprout held one another tightly. The earth warmed the sprout, and thus it survived the season’s bitter cold, unharmed by wintry gales and snowstorms. Sheltered by the earth, the sprout grew brave and happy; nurtured selflessly by the earth, it grew healthy and strong. Happily it grew, singing in the rain, dancing and swaying in the wind. The sprout and the earth depend on one another …

Years passed, and the sprout grew into a towering tree. It stood strong upon the earth, with stout branches tipped with countless leaves. The tree’s roots still dug into the earth as they had before, and they now plunged deep into the soil below. The earth, which had once protected the tiny sprout, was now the foundation for a mighty tree.

A ray of sunlight shone down on the tree. The tree swayed its body and stretched its arms out wide and breathed deeply of the sunlit air. The ground below breathed in time with the tree, and the earth felt renewed. Just then, a fresh breeze blew forth from among the branches, and the tree trembled in delight, rippling with energy. The tree and the sunlight depend on one another …

People sat in the cool shade of the tree and basked in the brisk, fragrant air. The air cleansed their hearts and lungs, and it cleansed the blood within them, and their bodies were no longer torpid or constrained. People and the tree depend on one another …

A flock of little chirping birds alighted on the branches of the tree. Perhaps they landed there to evade a predator, or to breed and raise their young, or perhaps they were just resting for a while. Birds and the tree depend on one another …

The roots of the tree, twisted and tangled, dug deep into the earth. With its trunk, it sheltered the earth from the wind and rain, and it stretched out its limbs to protect the earth beneath its feet. The tree did so because the earth was its mother. They strengthen each other and rely on each other, and they shall never part …

…………

Everything I just spoke of is a thing you have seen before. Seeds, for instance—they grow into trees, and though you may not be able to see every detail of the process, you know that it happens, do you not? You know, too, about the earth and the sunlight. The image of birds perched on a tree is something everyone has seen, yes? And the image of people cooling themselves in the shade of a tree—this is something you have all seen, yes? (Yes.) So, when all of these things are in a single image, what feeling does that image produce? (A feeling of harmony.) Does each of the things in such an image come from God? (Yes.) Since they come from God, God knows the value and significance of the earthly existence of all these different things. When God created all things, when He planned and created each thing, He did so with intent; and when He created those things, each was imbued with life. The environment He created for the existence of mankind, as just described in our story, is one where seeds and the earth depend on each other, where the earth can nourish seeds and seeds are bound to the earth. This relationship was ordained by God at the very beginning of His creation. A scene of a tree, sunlight, birds, and humans is a depiction of the living environment God created for mankind. First, the tree cannot leave the earth, nor can it be without sunlight. So, what was God’s purpose in creating the tree? Can we say that it is only meant for the earth? Can we say that it is only meant for the birds? Can we say that it is only meant for people? (No.) What is the relationship between them? The relationship between them is one of mutual strengthening, interdependence and inseparability. That is to say, the earth, the tree, the sunlight, the birds and people rely on one another for existence and nurture one another. The tree protects the earth, and the earth nurtures the tree; the sunlight provides for the tree, while the tree gains fresh air from the sunlight and lessens the scorching heat of the sun upon the earth. Who benefits from this in the end? It is mankind, is it not? This is one of the principles that underlies the environment in which mankind lives, which God created; it is how God intended it to be from the first. Even though this image is a simple one, we can see within it God’s wisdom and His intention. Mankind cannot live without the earth, or without trees, much less without the birds and the sunlight. Is this not so? Though this is just a story, what it portrays is a microcosm of God’s creation of the heavens and earth and all things and His gift of an environment in which mankind may live.

It was for mankind that God created the heavens and earth and all things, as well as an environment to inhabit. First, the main point our story addressed is the mutual strengthening, the interdependence, and the coexistence of all things. Under this principle, the environment of mankind’s existence is protected; it can exist and be sustained. Because of this, mankind can thrive and reproduce. The image we saw was one of a tree, the earth, sunlight, birds, and people together. Was God in this image? One did not see Him there. But one did see the rule of mutual strengthening and interdependence between the things in the scene; in this rule, one can see the existence and sovereignty of God. God uses such a principle and such a rule to preserve the life and existence of all things. In this way, He provides for all things and for mankind. Is this story connected to our main theme? On the surface, it seems not to be, but in reality, the rule with which God created all things and His mastery over all things are intimately related to His being the source of life for all things. These facts are inseparable. Now you are beginning to learn something!

God commands the rules that govern the operation of all things; He commands the rules that govern the survival of all things; He controls all things, and sets them to both reinforce and depend on each other, so that they do not perish or disappear. Only thus can mankind live on; only thus can they live under God’s guidance in such an environment. God is the master of these rules of operation, and no one can interfere with them, nor can they change them. Only God Himself knows these rules and only God Himself manages them. When the trees will sprout; when it will rain; how much water and how many nutrients the earth will give to the plants; in what season the leaves will fall; in what season the trees will bear fruit; how many nutrients the sunlight will give to the trees; what the trees will exhale after having been fed by the sunlight—all these things were preordained by God when He created all things, as rules that no one can break. The things that God created, whether living or, in the eyes of man, non-living, sit in His hand, where He controls them and reigns over them. No one can change or break these rules. This is to say, when God created all things, He predetermined that without the earth, the tree could not set down roots, sprout, and grow; that if the earth had no trees, then it would dry out; that the tree should become the home of the birds and a place where they may shelter from the wind. Can a tree live without the earth? Absolutely not. Could it live without the sun or rain? It could not, either. All of these things are for mankind, for mankind’s survival. From the tree, man receives fresh air, and man lives upon the earth, which is protected by the tree. Man cannot live without sunlight or various living beings. Though these relationships are complex, you must remember that God created the rules that govern all things so that they may strengthen each other, depend on each other, and exist together. In other words, every single thing He created has value and significance. If God created something without significance, God would have it disappear. This is one of the methods God uses to provide for all things. What do the words “provide for” refer to in this story? Does God water the tree every day? Does the tree need God’s help to breathe? (No.) “Provide for” refers here to God’s management of all things after their creation; it is enough for God to manage them after establishing the rules that govern them. Once a seed is planted in the earth, the tree grows by itself. The conditions for its growth were all created by God. God made the sunlight, the water, the soil, the air, and the surrounding environment; God made the wind, frost, snow, and rain and the four seasons. These are the conditions that the tree needs in order to grow, and these are things that God prepared. So, is God the source of this living environment? (Yes.) Does God have to count each leaf on the trees every day? No! Nor does God need to help the tree breathe or to wake up the sunlight every day, saying, “It is time to shine on the trees now.” He does not have to do that. The sunlight shines on its own when it is time for it to shine, in accordance with the rules; it appears and shines on the tree and the tree absorbs the sunlight when it needs to, and when it does not, the tree still lives within the rules. You may not be able to explain this phenomenon clearly, but it is nonetheless a fact, which everyone can see and acknowledge. All you need to do is recognize that the rules that govern the existence of all things come from God, and know that God is sovereign over the growth and survival of all things.

Now, does this story contain what people refer to as a “metaphor”? Is it a personification? (No.) I have told a true story. Every sort of living thing, everything that has life, is ruled over by God; each living thing was imbued with life by God when it was created; the life of every living thing comes from God and follows the course and laws that direct it. This does not require man to alter it, nor does it require man’s help; it is one of the ways in which God provides for all things. You understand, do you not? Do you think it is necessary for people to recognize this? (Yes.) So, does this story have anything to do with biology? Is it related in some way to a field of knowledge or a branch of learning? We are not discussing biology, and we certainly are not conducting biological research. What is the main idea of our talk? (God is the source of life for all things.) What have you seen within creation? Have you seen trees? Have you seen the earth? (Yes.) You have seen the sunlight, have you not? Have you seen birds perched in the trees? (We have.) Is mankind happy to live in such an environment? (Yes.) That is to say, God uses all things—the things He created—to maintain and protect mankind’s home, their life environment. In this way, God provides for mankind and for all things.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique VII

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 168

Story 2: A Great Mountain, a Little Stream, a Fierce Wind, and a Gigantic Wave

There was a little stream that meandered to and fro, finally arriving at the foot of a great mountain. The mountain blocked the tiny stream’s path, so the stream said to the mountain in its weak, little voice, “Please let me pass. You are standing in my way and blocking my path forward.” “Where are you going?” the mountain asked. “I am looking for my home,” the stream responded. “Alright, go ahead and flow right over me!” But the tiny stream was too weak and too young, so it had no way to flow over such a great mountain. It could only continue to flow there against the foot of the mountain …

A fierce wind swept by, carrying sand and detritus to where the mountain stood. The wind bellowed at the mountain, “Let me pass!” “Where are you going?” the mountain asked. “I want to go over to the other side of the mountain,” howled the wind in response. “Alright, if you can break through my waist, then you can go!” The fierce wind howled this way and that, but no matter how furiously it blew, it could not break through the mountain’s waist. The wind grew tired and stopped to rest—and on the other side of the mountain, a breeze began to blow, pleasing the people there. This was the mountain’s greeting to the people …

At the seashore, the ocean spray rolled gently against the rocky shore. Suddenly, a gigantic wave arose and roared its way toward the mountain. “Move over!” shouted the gigantic wave. “Where are you going?” the mountain asked. Unable to stop its advance, the wave bellowed, “I am expanding my territory! I want to stretch out my arms!” “Alright, if you can pass over my peak, I will let you through.” The great wave retreated some distance, then once again surged toward the mountain. But no matter how hard it tried, it could not get over the mountain’s peak. The wave could only roll slowly back out to sea …

For thousands of years, the little stream trickled gently around the foot of the mountain. Following the mountain’s directions, the little stream made its way back home, where it joined a river, which in turn joined the sea. Under the mountain’s care, the little stream never lost its way. The stream and the mountain reinforced each other and depended on each other; they strengthened each other, counteracted each other, and existed together.

For thousands of years, the fierce wind howled, as was its habit. It still came often to “visit” the mountain, with great swirls of sand spun into its gusts. It threatened the mountain, but never broke through its waist. The wind and the mountain reinforced each other and depended on each other; they strengthened each other, counteracted each other, and existed together.

For thousands of years, the gigantic wave never stopped to rest, and it marched relentlessly forward, continuously expanding its territory. It roared and surged time and again toward the mountain, yet the mountain never moved an inch. The mountain watched over the sea, and in this way, the creatures in the sea multiplied and thrived. The wave and the mountain reinforced each other and depended on each other; they strengthened each other, counteracted each other, and existed together.

So our story ends. First, tell Me, what was this story about? To begin, there were a great mountain, a little stream, a fierce wind, and a gigantic wave. What happened in the first passage, with the little stream and the great mountain? Why have I chosen to talk about a stream and a mountain? (Under the mountain’s care, the stream never lost its way. They relied on each other.) Would you say the mountain protected or obstructed the little stream? (It protected it.) But did it not obstruct it? It and the stream watched out for each other; the mountain protected the stream and obstructed it, too. The mountain protected the stream as it joined the river, but obstructed it to keep it from flowing where it would, causing floods and bringing disaster to the people. Is this not what the passage was about? By protecting the stream and by blocking it, the mountain safeguarded the homes of the people. The little stream then joined the river at the foot of the mountain and flowed on into the sea. Is this not the rule that governs the stream’s existence? What enabled the stream to join the river and the sea? Was it not the mountain? The stream relied on the mountain’s protection and its obstruction. So, is this not the main point? Do you see in this the importance of mountains to water? Did God have His purpose in making every mountain, great and small? (Yes.) This short passage, with nothing but a little stream and a great mountain, lets us see the value and significance of God’s creation of those two things; it shows us, too, the wisdom and purpose in His rule over them. Is that not so?

What was the story’s second passage about? (A fierce wind and the great mountain.) Is wind a good thing? (Yes.) Not necessarily—sometimes the wind is too strong and causes disaster. How would you feel if you were made to stand in the fierce wind? It depends on its strength. If it were a level three or four wind, it would be tolerable. At most, a person might have trouble keeping their eyes open. But if the wind fiercened and became a hurricane, would you be able to withstand it? You would not. So, it is wrong for people to say that the wind is always good, or that it is always bad, because this depends on its strength. Now, what is the mountain’s function here? Is its function not to filter the wind? What does the mountain reduce the fierce wind to? (A breeze.) Now, in the environment that humans inhabit, do most people experience gales or breezes? (Breezes.) Was this not one of God’s purposes, one of His intentions in creating mountains? How would it be if people lived in an environment where sand flew wildly in the wind, unimpeded and unfiltered? Might it be that a land beset by flying sand and stone would be uninhabitable? The stones might strike people, and the sand might blind them. The wind might sweep people off their feet or carry them into the air. Houses might be destroyed, and all manner of disasters would happen. Yet is there value in the existence of fierce wind? I said it was bad, so one might feel it has no value, but is that so? Does it not have value once it has turned into a breeze? What do people need most when the weather is humid or stifling? They need a light breeze, to blow on them gently, to refresh them and clear their heads, to sharpen their thinking, to repair and improve their state of mind. Now, for example, you all sit in a room with many people and stuffy air—what do you need most? (A light breeze.) Going to a place where the air is turbid and filthy can slow one’s thinking, reduce one’s circulation, and diminish one’s clarity of mind. However, a bit of movement and circulation freshen the air, and people feel differently in fresh air. Though the little stream could cause disaster, though the fierce wind could cause disaster, as long as the mountain is there, it will turn that danger into a force that benefits people. Is that not so?

What was the story’s third passage about? (The great mountain and the gigantic wave.) The great mountain and the gigantic wave. This passage is set at the seashore at the foot of the mountain. We see the mountain, the ocean spray, and a huge wave. What is the mountain to the wave in this instance? (A protector and a barrier.) It is both a protector and a barrier. As a protector, it keeps the sea from disappearing, so that the creatures that live in it may multiply and thrive. As a barrier, the mountain keeps the sea’s waters from overflowing and causing disaster, from causing harm and destroying people’s homes. So, we can say that the mountain is both a protector and a barrier.

This is the significance of the interconnection between the great mountain and the little stream, the great mountain and the fierce wind, and the great mountain and the gigantic wave; this is the significance of their strengthening and counteracting each other, and of their coexistence. These things, which God created, are governed in their existence by a rule and a law. So, what deeds of God did you see in this story? Has God been ignoring all things since He created them? Did He create rules and design the ways that all things function, only to ignore them after that? Is that what happened? (No.) Then what did happen? God is still in control. He controls the water, the wind, and the waves. He does not let them run rampant, nor does He let them cause harm or destroy the homes people live in. Because of this, people can live on and multiply and thrive on the land. This means that when He created all things, God had already planned their rules for existence. When God made each thing, He ensured it would benefit mankind, and He took control over it, so that it might not trouble mankind or cause him disaster. Were it not for God’s management, would the waters not flow without restraint? Would the wind not blow without restraint? Do the water and the wind follow rules? If God did not manage them, no rules would govern them, and the wind would howl and the waters would be unrestrained and cause floods. If the wave had been higher than the mountain, would the sea be able to exist? It would not. If the mountain were not as high as the wave, the sea would not exist, and the mountain would lose its value and significance.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique VII

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 169

God created everything that exists, and He is sovereign of everything that exists; He manages all of it and He makes provision for all of it, and within all things, He sees and scrutinizes every word and action of everything that exists. So, too, does God see and scrutinize every corner of human life. Thus, God knows intimately each detail of everything that exists within His creation, from each thing’s function, its nature, and its rules for survival to the significance of its life and the value of its existence, all of this is known to God in its entirety. God created all things—do you think He needs to study the rules that govern them? Does God need to study human knowledge or science to learn about and understand them? (No.) Is there one among mankind with the learning and erudition to understand all things as God does? There is not, right? Are there any astronomers or biologists who truly understand the rules by which all things live and grow? Can they truly understand the value of the existence of each thing? (No, they cannot.) This is because all things were created by God, and no matter how much or how deeply mankind studies this knowledge, or how long they endeavor to learn it, they will never be able to fathom the mystery or the purpose of God’s creation of all things. Is that not the case? Now, from our discussion thus far, do you feel that you have gained a partial understanding of the true meaning of the phrase: “God Is the Source of Life for All Things”? (Yes.) I knew that when I discussed this topic—God Is the Source of Life for All Things—many people would immediately think of another phrase: “God is truth, and God uses His word to provide for us,” and nothing beyond that level of the topic’s meaning. Some might even feel that God’s provision of human life, of daily food and drink and every daily necessity does not count as His providing for man. Are there not some who feel this way? Yet, is not God’s intent in His creation obvious—to allow mankind to exist and live normally? God maintains the environment in which people live and He provides all of the things needed by mankind for their survival. Furthermore, He manages and holds sovereignty over all things. All of this allows mankind to live and thrive and multiply normally; it is in this way that God provides for all of creation and for mankind. Is it not true that people need to recognize and understand these things? Perhaps some may say, “This topic is too far from our knowledge of the true God Himself, and we do not want to know this because we do not live by bread alone, but instead live by the word of God.” Is this understanding correct? (No.) Why is it incorrect? Can you have a complete understanding of God if you only have knowledge of the things God has said? If you only accept God’s work and accept God’s judgment and chastisement, can you have a complete understanding of God? If you only know a small part of God’s disposition, a small part of God’s authority, would you consider that enough to achieve an understanding of God? (No.) God’s actions began with His creation of all things, and they continue today—God’s actions are apparent at all times, from moment to moment. If one believes God exists only because He has chosen a group of people to perform His work upon and to save, and that nothing else has anything to do with God, neither His authority, His status, nor His actions, then can one be considered to have a true knowledge of God? People who have this so-called “knowledge of God” have only a one-sided understanding, according to which they confine His deeds to one group of people. Is this a true knowledge of God? Are people with this kind of knowledge not denying God’s creation of all things and His sovereignty over them? Some people do not wish to engage with this point, instead thinking to themselves: “I haven’t seen God’s sovereignty over all things. The idea is so removed, and I don’t care to understand it. God does what He wants, and it has nothing to do with me. I only accept God’s leadership and His word so that I can be saved and made perfect by God. Nothing else matters to me. The rules God made when He created all things and what He does to provide for all things and for mankind have nothing to do with me.” What kind of talk is this? Is this not an act of rebellion? Are there any among you with an understanding like this? I know, even without your saying so, that a great many of you here do. By-the-book people like this look at everything from their own “spiritual” point of view. They want only to limit God to the Bible, limit God by the words He has spoken, to the sense derived from the literal written word. They do not wish to know God more and they do not want God to split His attention by doing other things. This type of thinking is childish, and it is also excessively religious. Can people who hold these views know God? It would be very difficult for them to know God. Today I have told two stories, each addressing a different aspect. You might feel, having just come into contact with them, that they are profound or a bit abstract, difficult to comprehend and understand. It might be difficult to connect them with God’s actions and God Himself. However, all of God’s actions and all He has done within creation and among mankind should be known, clearly and accurately, by every person, by everyone who seeks to know God. This knowledge will give you surety in your belief in the true existence of God. It will also give you accurate knowledge of God’s wisdom, His power, and the manner by which He provides for all things. It will allow you to clearly conceive God’s true existence and see that His existence is not fictional, not a myth, not vague, not a theory, and certainly not a sort of spiritual consolation, but a real existence. Furthermore, it will allow people to know that God has always provided for all creation and for mankind; God does this in His own way and in accordance with His own rhythm. So, it is because God created all things and gave them rules that they are each able, under His preordination, to perform their allotted tasks, fulfill their responsibilities, and perform their own roles; under His preordination, each thing has its own use in service of mankind and the space and environment mankind inhabits. If God had not done so and mankind had no such environment to inhabit, then believing in God or following Him would be impossible for mankind; it would all amount to nothing more than empty talk. Is that not so?

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique VII

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 170

The Basic Environment for Life That God Creates for Mankind (Selected passages)

We have discussed many topics and much content relating to the words “God is the source of life for all things,” but do you know in your hearts what things God bestows on mankind, apart from providing you with His word and performing on you His work of chastisement and judgment? Some people might say, “God bestows on me grace and blessings; He gives me discipline and comfort, and He gives me care and protection in every possible way.” Others will say, “God bestows on me daily food and drink,” while some will even say, “God has bestowed everything on me.” You might respond to those issues people encounter in their daily lives in a way that relates to the scope of your own, fleshly life experience. God bestows many things on each person, though what we are discussing here is not limited only to the scope of people’s daily needs, but is meant to expand each person’s field of view and let you see things from a macro perspective. Since God is the source of life for all things, how does He maintain the life of all things? In other words, what does God give to all things of His creation to maintain their existence and the laws underpinning it, so that they may continue to exist? That is the main point of our discussion today. … I hope you can connect this topic and what I will say to God’s deeds, rather than to any knowledge, human culture, or research. I am talking only about God, about God Himself. This is My suggestion to you. I am sure you understand, right?

God has bestowed many things on mankind. I will begin by talking about what people can see, that is, what they can feel. These are things people can accept and understand in their hearts. So first, let us begin by talking about what God has provided to mankind with a discussion of the material world.

a. Air

First, God created air so that man may breathe. Air is a substance with which humans can make daily contact and it is a thing on which humans rely from moment to moment, even as they sleep. The air that God created is monumentally important for humankind: It is essential to their every breath and to life itself. This substance, which can only be felt but not seen, was God’s first gift to all the things of His creation. But after creating air, did God stop, considering His work finished? Or did He consider how dense air would be? Did He consider what air would contain? What was God thinking when He made air? Why did God make air, and what was His reasoning? Humans need air—they need to breathe. Firstly, the density of air should be fit for human lungs. Does anyone know the density of air? In truth, there is no particular need for people to know the answer to this question in terms of numbers or data, and indeed, it is quite unnecessary to know the answer—it is perfectly adequate to have only a general idea. God made air with a density that would be most suitable for human lungs to breathe. That is, He made air so that it may readily enter human bodies through their breath, and so that it will not do harm to the body as it breathes. These were God’s considerations when He made air. Next, we will talk about what air contains. Its contents are not poisonous to humans and will not damage the lungs or any part of the body. God had to consider all of this. God had to consider that the air humans breathe should enter and exit the body smoothly, and that, after being inhaled, the nature and quantity of the substances within air should be such that the blood, as well as the waste air in the lungs and the body as a whole, would be properly metabolized. Moreover, He had to consider that the air should not contain any poisonous substances. My aim in telling you about these two standards for air is not to feed you any particular knowledge, but to show you that God created every single thing within His creation in accordance with His own considerations, and everything He created is the best it could be. Furthermore, as for the amount of dust in the air; and the amount of dust, sand and dirt upon the earth; as well as the amount of dust that drifts down to the earth from the sky—God has His ways for managing these things, too, ways of clearing them away or causing them to disintegrate. While there is a certain quantity of dust, God made it so that dust would not harm man’s body or endanger man’s breathing, and He made the dust particles of a size that would not be harmful to the body. Was God’s creation of the air not a mystery? Was it a simple thing, like blowing a breath of air from His mouth? (No.) Even in His creation of the simplest things, God’s mystery, the workings of His mind, His way of thinking, and His wisdom are all apparent. Is God not practical? (Yes, He is.) What this means is that even in creating simple things, God was thinking of humanity. Firstly, the air humans breathe is clean, and its contents are suitable for humans to breathe, not poisonous and causing no harm to humans; in the same way, the density of air is suited for human breathing. This air, which humans constantly inhale and exhale, is essential to the human body, the human flesh. This is why humans may breathe freely, without constraint or worry. They can thus breathe normally. Air is that which God created in the beginning, and that which is indispensable for human breathing.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique VIII

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 171

The Basic Environment for Life That God Creates for Mankind (Selected passages)

b. Temperature

The second thing we will discuss is temperature. Everybody knows what temperature is. Temperature is something that is essential to an environment suitable for human survival. If the temperature is too high—for example, supposing the temperature were higher than forty degrees Celsius—would this not be very draining for humans? Would it not be exhausting for humans to live in such conditions? And what if the temperature were too low? Supposing the temperature were to reach negative forty degrees Celsius—humans could not withstand these conditions, either. Therefore, God was very particular in setting the range of temperatures, that being the temperature range to which the human body can adapt, which falls, more or less, between negative thirty degrees Celsius and forty degrees Celsius. Temperatures in lands from north to south essentially fall within this range. In frigid regions, temperatures can drop to perhaps negative fifty or sixty degrees Celsius. God would not have men live in such regions. So, why do these freezing regions exist? God has His own wisdom, and He has His own intentions for this. He would not have you go near those places. Places that are too hot and too cold are protected by God, meaning He did not plan for man to live there. These places are not for mankind. But why would God have such places exist on earth? If these are places where God would not have man dwell or even survive, then why would God create them? Therein lies God’s wisdom. That is, God has reasonably calibrated the temperature range of the environment in which humans survive. There is also a natural law at work here. God created certain things to maintain and control the temperature. What are they? First, the sun can bring people warmth, but are people able to endure this warmth when it is too great? Is there anyone who dares approach the sun? Is there any scientific instrument on earth that can approach the sun? (No.) Why not? The sun is too hot. Anything that comes too close will melt. Therefore, God worked specifically to set the sun’s height above mankind and its distance from him in accordance with His meticulous calculations and with His standards. Then, there are the earth’s two poles, south and north. These regions are entirely frozen and glacial. Can mankind live in glacial regions? Are such places suited to human survival? No, so people do not go to these places. Since people do not go to the South and North Poles, their glaciers are preserved and are able to serve their purpose, which is to control temperature. You understand, yes? If there were no South Pole and no North Pole, then the sun’s constant heat would cause the people on the earth to perish. But does God keep the temperature within a range suited to human survival through these two things alone? No. There are also all sorts of living things, such as the grass in the fields, the various types of trees, and all kinds of plants in the forests that absorb the sun’s heat and, in doing so, neutralize the sun’s thermal energy in a way that regulates the temperature of the environment in which mankind lives. There are also sources of water, such as rivers and lakes. No one can decide the area that rivers and lakes cover. No one can control how much water there is on earth, nor where that water flows, the direction of its flow, its volume, or its speed. Only God knows. These various sources of water, from groundwater to the visible rivers and lakes above ground, can also regulate the temperature of the environment in which man lives. Aside from water sources, there are also all kinds of geographical formations, such as mountains, plains, canyons, and wetlands, that all regulate temperatures to an extent proportionate to their geographical scope and area. For instance, if a mountain has a circumference of one hundred kilometers, then those hundred kilometers will contribute a hundred kilometers’ worth of usefulness. As for just how many such mountain ranges and canyons God has created on earth, this is a number God has considered. In other words, behind the existence of every single thing created by God, there is a story, and each thing contains God’s wisdom and plans. Consider, for example, forests and all the various kinds of vegetation—the range and extent of the area in which they exist and grow is beyond the control of any human, and no one has a say over these things. Likewise, no human can control how much water they absorb, nor how much thermal energy they absorb from the sun. All of these things fall within the scope of the plan God made when He created all things.

It is only due to God’s careful planning, consideration, and arrangement in all regards that man can live in an environment with such a suitable temperature. Therefore, every single thing man sees with his eyes, such as the sun, the South and North Poles that people so often hear about, as well as the various living things on and below the ground and in the water, and the amount of space covered by forests and other sorts of vegetation, and water sources, various bodies of water, quantities of seawater and freshwater, and different geographical environments—these are all things God uses to maintain normal temperatures for man’s survival. This is absolute. It is only because God has thought deeply about all of this that man is able to live in an environment with such suitable temperatures. It must be neither too cold nor too hot: Places that are too hot, where temperatures exceed what the human body can adapt to are certainly not put aside for you by God. Places that are too cold, where temperatures are too low, where, after arriving there, humans would thoroughly freeze in just a few minutes, such that they cannot speak, their brains freeze, they are unable to think, and soon they suffer asphyxiation—such places are also not set aside by God for mankind. No matter what kind of research humans want to carry out, nor whether they want to innovate or break through such limitations—whatever thoughts people have, they will never be able to exceed the limits of what the human body can adapt to. They will never be able to cast off these limitations God created for man. This is because God created human beings, and God knows best what temperatures the human body can adapt to. But humans themselves do not know. Why do I say humans do not know? What foolish things have humans done? Have many people not constantly attempted to challenge the North and South Poles? Such people have always wanted to go to those places to occupy the land, so they can put down roots there. It would be an act of absurdity. Even if you have thoroughly researched the poles, then what? Even if you can adapt to the temperatures and are able to live there, would it benefit mankind in any way if you were to “improve” the current environment for life of the South and North Poles? Mankind has an environment in which it can survive, yet men do not remain there quietly and amenably, but instead insist on venturing to places where they cannot survive. What is the meaning of this? They have grown bored and impatient with life in this suitable temperature, and have enjoyed too many blessings. Besides, this regular environment for life has been almost completely destroyed by mankind, so now they think they might as well go to the South Pole and the North Pole to do more damage or pursue some sort of “cause,” that they can find some way of “blazing a new trail.” Is this not foolish? That is to say, under the leadership of their forebear Satan, this mankind continues to do one absurd thing after another, recklessly and wantonly destroying the beautiful home God created for them. This is the doing of Satan. Further, seeing that mankind’s survival on earth is somewhat imperiled, many people seek ways to visit the moon, wanting to establish a way to survive there. But ultimately, the moon lacks oxygen. Can human beings survive without oxygen? Since the moon lacks oxygen, it is not a place where man can stay, yet man persists in his desire to go there. What should this behavior be called? It is also self-destruction. The moon is a place without air, and its temperature is not suitable for human survival—therefore, it is not a place put aside by God for man.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique VIII

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 172

The Basic Environment for Life That God Creates for Mankind (Selected passages)

c. Sound

What is the third thing? It is also something that is an essential part of the normal environment of human existence, something for which God had to make arrangements when He created all things. It is very important to God and to each and every human being. If God had not taken care of this thing, it would have greatly interfered with the survival of mankind, meaning it would have had such a significant impact on the life of man and his fleshly body that mankind would not have been able to survive in such an environment. It could be said that no living thing could have survived in such an environment. So, what is this thing I speak of? I am speaking about sound. God created everything, and everything lives within God’s hands. All of the things of God’s creation are living and turning in constant motion within His sight. What I mean by this is that each thing God created has value and meaning in its existence; that is, there is something essential about the existence of each and every thing. In God’s eyes, each thing is alive, and, since all things are alive, each of them produces sound. For instance, the earth is constantly turning, the sun is constantly turning, and the moon, too, is constantly turning. As all things propagate, develop, and move, they are constantly emitting sound. All of the things of God’s creation that exist on earth are in constant propagation, development, and motion. For example, the bases of mountains are moving and shifting, and all the living things in the depths of the seas are swimming and moving about. This means that these living things, all things in the sight of God, are in constant, regular motion, in accordance with established patterns. So, what is it that is brought into being by all of these things that propagate and develop in darkness and move in secrecy? Sounds—great, powerful sounds. Beyond planet Earth, all kinds of planets are also in constant motion, and living things and organisms on these planets are also constantly propagating, developing, and moving. That is, all things with life and without life are constantly moving forward in the sight of God, and, as they do, each of them is also emitting sound. God has also made arrangements for these sounds, and I believe you already know His reason for this, do you not? When you get close to an airplane, what effect does the roar of its engine have on you? If you stay near it too long, your ears will be deafened. What about your heart—will it be able to withstand such an ordeal? Some people with weak hearts would not. Of course, even those with strong hearts will not be able to withstand it for too long. That is to say, the effect of sound on the human body, whether it be the ears or the heart, is extremely significant for every human being, and sounds that are too loud will harm people. Therefore, when God created all things and after they had begun to function normally, God made appropriate arrangements for these sounds, the sounds of all things in motion. This, too, is one of the issues God had to consider when creating an environment for mankind.

First, the height of the atmosphere above the earth’s surface has an effect on sound. In addition, the size of gaps in the soil will also manipulate and affect sound. Then there are various geographical environments whose confluence also affects sound. That is to say, God uses certain methods to eliminate some sounds, so that humans may survive in an environment that their ears and hearts can withstand. Otherwise, sounds would present a massive obstacle to mankind’s survival, becoming a great nuisance in their lives and posing a serious problem for them. This means that God was very particular in His creation of land, the atmosphere, and the various kinds of geographical environment, and contained within each of these is God’s wisdom. Mankind’s understanding of this need not be too detailed—it is enough for people to know that God’s actions are contained therein. Now you tell Me, this work that God did—precisely calibrating sound in order to maintain mankind’s living environment and their normal lives—was it necessary? (Yes.) Since this work was necessary, then from this perspective, can it be said that God used this work as a way to provide for all things? God created such a quiet environment for the provision of mankind so that the human body could live quite normally within it, without suffering any interference, and so that mankind would be able to exist and live normally. Is this, then, not one of the ways in which God provides for mankind? Was this not a very important thing God did? (Yes.) There was great need of it. So how do you appreciate this? Though you cannot feel that this was God’s action, nor do you know how God performed this action at the time, can you still sense the necessity of God having done this thing? Can you feel God’s wisdom and the care and thought He put into it? (Yes, we can.) If you are able to feel this, then that is enough. There are many actions God has performed among the things of His creation that people can neither feel nor see. I raise this simply to inform you about God’s actions, so that you may come to know God. These are clues that can better enable you to know and understand God.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique VIII

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 173

The Basic Environment for Life That God Creates for Mankind (Selected passages)

d. Light

The fourth thing concerns people’s eyes: light. This too is very important. When you see a bright light, and its brightness reaches a certain strength, it is capable of blinding human eyes. After all, human eyes are eyes of the flesh. They cannot bear irritation. Does anyone dare to stare directly into the sun? Some people have tried it, and if they are wearing sunglasses, it works just fine—but that requires the use of a tool. Without tools, man’s naked eyes have no ability to face the sun and stare directly at it. However, God created the sun to bring light to mankind, and this light, too, is something He took care of. God did not simply finish creating the sun, put it somewhere, and then ignore it; that is not how God does things. He is very careful in His actions, and thoroughly thinks them through. God created eyes for mankind so that they may see, and He also set in advance the parameters of light with which man sees things. It would be no good if the light were too dim. When it is so dark that people cannot see their fingers in front of them, then their eyes have lost their function and serve no use. But light that is too bright renders human eyes equally unable to see things, because the brightness is intolerable. Therefore, God has furnished the environment of mankind’s existence with an appropriate amount of light for human eyes—an amount that will not hurt or damage people’s eyes, let alone cause them to lose their function. This is why God added layers of clouds around the sun and the earth, and why the density of the air is able to properly filter out types of light that can hurt people’s eyes or skin—these are commensurate. In addition, the colors of the earth that God created reflect sunlight and all other kinds of light, and are able to eliminate the sorts of light that are too bright for human eyes to adapt to. Thus, people are able to walk outside and lead their lives without needing constantly to wear very dark sunglasses. Under normal circumstances, human eyes can see things within their field of vision without being bothered by the light. That is to say, it would be no good if the light were too piercing, nor if it were too dim. If it were too dim, people’s eyes would be damaged, and, after brief use, ruined; if it were too bright, people’s eyes would be unable to withstand it. This very light that people have must be suitable for human eyes to see, and God has, through various methods, minimized the damage caused to human eyes by light; and though this light may benefit or afflict human eyes, it suffices to let people reach the end of their lives while maintaining use of their eyes. Was God not thorough in considering this? Yet the devil, Satan, acts without such considerations ever passing through its mind. With Satan, the light is always either too bright or too dim. This is how Satan acts.

God did these things to all aspects of the human body—to its vision, hearing, taste, breathing, feelings, and so on—in order to maximize mankind’s survival adaptability, so they can live normally and continue to do so. In other words, the current environment for life, created by God, is the environment most suitable and beneficial for the survival of mankind. Some people may think that this does not matter a great deal, that it is all a very ordinary thing. Sound, light, and air are things that people feel are their birthright, which they have enjoyed from the moment they were born. But behind these things that you are able to enjoy, God has been at work; this is something humans need to understand, something they need to know. No matter if you feel there is no need to understand these things or to know them, in short, when God created them, He gave much thought to them, He had a plan, He had certain ideas. He did not frivolously or simply put mankind into such an environment for life, without giving the matter a second thought. You may think I have spoken too grandly about each of these small things, but in My view, each thing that God provided for mankind is necessary for the survival of humanity. There is God’s action in this.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique VIII

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 174

The Basic Environment for Life That God Creates for Mankind (Selected passages)

e. Airflow

What is the fifth thing? This thing is closely related to each day of every person’s life. So close is its relation to human life that the human body could not live in this material world without it. This thing is airflow. Perhaps anyone could understand the noun “airflow” having just heard it. So, what is airflow? You could say that “airflow” is simply the flowing movement of air. Airflow is a wind that the human eye cannot see. It is also one way in which gases move. Yet, in this talk, to what does “airflow” primarily refer? As soon as I say it, you will understand. The earth carries the mountains, the seas, and all the things of creation as it turns, and when it turns, it turns with speed. Though you do not feel any of this spinning, the rotation of the earth exists nonetheless. What does its rotation engender? When you run, does wind not arise and rush past your ears? If wind can be generated when you run, how can there not be wind when the earth rotates? When the earth rotates, all things are in motion. The earth itself is in motion and rotating at a certain speed, while all things on it are also constantly propagating and developing. Therefore, movement at a certain speed will naturally give rise to airflow. This is what I mean by “airflow.” Does this airflow not affect the human body to a certain extent? Consider typhoons: Normal typhoons are not particularly powerful, but when they strike, people cannot even stand steadily, and it is difficult for them to walk in the wind. Even a single step is arduous, and some people may even be pushed against something by the wind, unable to move. This is one of the ways airflow can affect mankind. If the entire earth were covered in plains, then, when the earth and all things rotated, the human body would be entirely unable to withstand the airflow thereby generated. It would be extremely difficult to respond to such a situation. If this were really the case, such airflow would not only bring harm to mankind, but total destruction. Humans would be unable to survive in such an environment. This is why God made different geographical environments to resolve such airflows—in different environments, airflows grow weaker, change their direction, change their speed, and change their force. That is why people can see different geographical features, such as mountains, great mountain ranges, plains, hills, basins, valleys, plateaus, and great rivers. With these different geographical features, God changes an airflow’s speed, direction, and force. This is the method He uses to reduce or manipulate airflow into wind whose speed, direction, and force are appropriate, so that humans may have a normal environment in which to live. Is there need of this? (Yes.) Doing something like this seems difficult for humans, but it is easy for God, because He observes all things. For Him, it could not be simpler or easier to create an environment with a suitable airflow for mankind. Therefore, in such an environment created by God, each thing within all of His creation is indispensable. There is value and necessity in the existence of each and every thing. However, this principle is not understood by Satan or by mankind who has been corrupted. They continue destroying and developing and exploiting, with vain dreams of turning mountains into flat land, filling in canyons, and building skyscrapers on flat land to create concrete jungles. It is God’s hope that mankind can live happily, grow happily, and spend each day happily in this most suitable environment, which He has prepared for them. That is why God has never been careless in how He treats the environment in which mankind lives. From temperature to air, from sound to light, God has made intricate plans and arrangements, so that the bodies of men and their living environment would not be subject to any interference from natural conditions, and that instead, mankind would be able to live and multiply normally, and live normally with all things in harmonious coexistence. All of this is provided by God to all things and to mankind.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique VIII

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 175

Have you now become aware of the greatest difference between God and mankind? Ultimately, who is the master of all things? Is it man? (No.) Then what is the difference between how God and humans treat all creation? (God rules over and arranges all things, while man enjoys them.) Do you agree with this? The greatest difference between God and mankind is that God rules over and provides for all creation. He is the source of everything, and while God provides for all creation, mankind enjoys it. That is to say, man enjoys all the things of creation when he accepts the life that God bestows on all things. God is the Master, and mankind enjoys the fruits of God’s creation of all things. What, then, from the perspective of all the things of God’s creation, is the difference between God and mankind? God can see clearly the laws of how all things grow, and He controls and dominates these laws. That is, all things are within God’s sight and within the scope of His scrutiny. Can mankind see all things? What mankind can see is limited to what is directly in front of them. If you climb a mountain, then what you see is just that mountain. You cannot see what is on the other side of the mountain. If you go to the shore, then what you see is just one side of the ocean, and you cannot know what the other side of the ocean is like. If you go into a forest, you can see the vegetation in front of you and around you, but you cannot see what lies farther ahead. Humans cannot see places that are higher, farther, deeper. All that they can see is what is directly in front of them, within their field of vision. Even if humans know the law that dictates the four seasons of the year, or the laws of how all things grow, they are still unable to manage or dictate all things. Yet the way God sees all of creation is just as He would see a machine that He built Himself. He is deeply familiar with every component and every connection, what their principles are, what their patterns are, and what their purposes are—God knows all of this with the highest degree of clarity. Hence God is God, and man is man! Though man may go deep in his research of science and the laws that govern all things, that research is limited in scope, whereas God controls everything, which, to man, is an infinite control. A man could spend his entire life researching God’s smallest deed without achieving any true results. This is why, if you use just knowledge and what you have learned to study God, you will never be able to know God or understand Him. But if you choose the way of seeking the truth and seeking God, and look at God from the perspective of coming to know Him, then, one day, you will recognize that God’s actions and wisdom are everywhere at once, and you will know why God is called the Master of all things and the source of life for all things. The more you gain such understanding, the more you will understand why God is called the Master of all things. All things and everything, including you, are constantly receiving the steady flow of God’s provision. You will also be able to clearly sense that in this world, and among this mankind, there is no one apart from God who could have the ability and the essence with which He rules over, manages, and maintains the existence of all things. When you arrive at this understanding, you will truly recognize that God is your God. When you reach this point, you will have truly accepted God and allowed Him to be your God and your Master. When you have obtained such an understanding and your life has reached such a point, God will no longer test you and judge you, nor will He make any demands of you, because you will understand God, will know His heart, and will have truly accepted God in your heart. This is an important reason to fellowship on these topics of God’s domination and management of all things. Doing so is meant to give people more knowledge and understanding—not merely to have you acknowledge, but to have you know and understand God’s actions in a more practical way.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique VIII

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 176

The Daily Food and Drink God Prepares for Mankind (Selected passages)

Grains, fruits and vegetables, and all types of nuts—these are all vegetarian foods. They contain nutrients sufficient to satisfy the needs of the human body, even though they are vegetarian foods. However, God did not say: “I will give just these foods to mankind. Let them eat only these things!” God did not stop there, but went on to prepare for mankind many more foods that are even more delicious. What are these foods? They are the various kinds of meat and fish that most of you are able to see and eat. He prepared for man many, many kinds of both meat and fish. Fish live in the water, and the flesh of the fish of the water is different in substance from the flesh of land-dwelling animals, and it can provide man with different nutrients. Fish also have properties that can regulate cold and heat in the human body, which is of great benefit to man. But delicious food must not be eaten to excess. As I have already said, God bestows on mankind the right quantity at the right time, so that people can properly enjoy His bestowal in a normal way and in accordance with the season and time. Now, what kinds of foods are included in the category of poultry? Chicken, quail, pigeon, and so on and so forth. Many people also eat duck and goose. Though God has provided all these kinds of meat, He made certain requirements of His chosen people and put specific limits on their diet during the Age of Law. These days, these limits are based on individual taste and personal interpretation. These various meats provide the human body with diverse nutrients, replenishing protein and iron, enriching the blood, fortifying muscles and bones, and building bodily strength. Regardless of how people cook and eat them, these meats can help people improve the flavor of their food and bolster their appetite, while also satisfying their stomachs. Most importantly, these foods can supply the human body with its daily nutritional needs. This was God’s consideration when He made food ready for mankind. There are vegetables, there is meat—is this not an abundance? But people should understand what God’s intention was when He prepared all foods for mankind. Was it to have mankind overindulge in these foods? What happens when man becomes trapped in attempting to satisfy these material desires? Does he not become over-nourished? Does too much nourishment not afflict the human body in many ways? (Yes.) That is why God apportions the right quantity at the right time and has people enjoy different foods in accordance with different time periods and seasons. For example, after a very hot summer, people accumulate much heat in their bodies, as well as pathogenic dryness and dampness. When autumn arrives, many kinds of fruit ripen, and when people eat these fruits, the dampness in their bodies is expelled. At this time, cattle and sheep have also grown strong, so this is when people should eat more meat for nourishment. By eating various kinds of meat, people’s bodies gain energy and warmth to help them withstand the cold of the winter, and they are able to pass the winter safely and healthily as a result. With utmost care and precision, God controls and coordinates what to provide mankind, and when; and when He will have different things grow, bear fruit, and ripen. This relates to “How God prepares the food man needs in his daily life.” In addition to many kinds of food, God also provides mankind with sources of water. After eating, people still need to drink water. Would fruit alone suffice? People could not live on fruit alone, and besides, there is no fruit in some seasons. So, how can mankind’s water problem be solved? God has solved it by preparing many water sources above and below the ground, including lakes, rivers, and springs. These water sources are potable as long as there is no contamination, and as long as people have not manipulated or damaged them. In other words, in terms of food sources that sustain the lives of mankind’s physical bodies, God has made very precise, very accurate, and very appropriate preparations, so that people’s lives are rich and plentiful and not lacking in anything. This is something that people can feel and see.

Additionally, God created among all things some plants, animals, and various herbs that are specifically meant to heal injuries or treat illness in the human body. What should someone do, for instance, if they are burned, or accidentally scald themselves? Can you just rinse the burn with water? Can you just wrap it up with any old piece of cloth? If you do that, the wound might fill with pus or become infected. If someone gets a fever, for instance, or catches a cold; suffers an injury while working; develops a stomach ailment from eating the wrong thing; or develops certain diseases caused by lifestyle factors or emotional issues, including vascular diseases, psychological conditions, or diseases of the internal organs, then there are corresponding plants that cure their conditions. There are plants that improve blood circulation and remove stagnation, relieve pain, stanch bleeding, provide anesthesia, help heal the skin and return it to a normal condition, and disperse stagnant blood and eliminate toxins from the body—in short, these plants have uses in daily life. People can use them, and they have been prepared by God for the human body in case of need. God allowed man to discover some of them by happenstance, while others were discovered by people whom God chose to do so, or as a result of special phenomena He orchestrated. Following the discovery of these plants, mankind would pass them down, and many people would come to know about them. God’s creation of these plants thus has value and meaning. In summary, these things are all from God, prepared and planted by Him when He created mankind’s living environment. They are essential. Are God’s thought processes more thorough than those of mankind? When you see all that God has done, do you have a sense of God’s practical side? God works in secret. God created all of this when man had not yet come into this world, when He had had no contact with mankind. Everything was done with mankind in mind, for the sake of man’s existence and with thought for their survival, so that mankind may live happily in this rich and plentiful material world that God prepared for them, free from worry about food or clothes, lacking nothing. In such an environment, mankind can continue to reproduce and survive.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique VIII

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 177

We began by talking about the environment mankind inhabits and what God did for that environment and the preparations He made. We discussed what He arranged; the relationships between the things of creation, which God prepared for mankind; and how God arranged these relationships to prevent the things of His creation from harming mankind. God also mitigated the harm that many different factors within His creation may have had on mankind’s environment, allowing all things to serve their highest purpose, and bring mankind a beneficial environment with beneficial elements, thus enabling mankind to adapt to such an environment and steadily continue the cycle of life and reproduction. Next, we talked about the food the human body needs—mankind’s daily food and drink. This is also a necessary condition for mankind’s survival. That is to say, the human body cannot live by breathing alone, with just sunlight for sustenance, or wind, or suitable temperatures. Human beings also need to fill their stomachs, and God prepared for mankind, without overlooking anything, the sources of the things with which they might do so, those being the sources of mankind’s food. When you have seen such rich and bountiful produce—the sources of mankind’s food and drink—can you say that God is the source of the supply for mankind and for all the things of His creation? If, during the time of creation, God had only created trees and grass or any number of other living things, and if these various living things and plants were all for cows and sheep to eat, or were for zebras, deer, and various other kinds of animals, for instance, lions were to eat things such as zebras and deer, and tigers were to eat things such as sheep and pigs—but there were not a single thing suitable for humans to eat, would that have worked? It would not. Mankind would not have been able to survive for long. What if humans only ate leaves? Would that have worked? Could humans eat the grass meant for sheep? It might not hurt if they tried a bit, but if they ate such things for a long time, their stomachs would not be able to tolerate it, and people would not have lived for long. There are even things that animals can eat but are poisonous to humans—animals eat them without consequence, but it is not so for humans. This is to say that God created human beings, so God knows best the principles and structure of the human body and what humans need. God knows with perfect clarity the body’s composition and content, its needs and the functioning of its internal organs, and how they absorb, eliminate and metabolize various substances. Humans do not; sometimes, they eat imprudently, or engage in reckless self-care, too much of which causes an imbalance. If you eat and enjoy the things that God prepared for you in a normal way, then you will have no health problems. Even if you sometimes experience bad moods and you have stagnation of the blood, this poses no problem at all. You simply need to eat a certain type of plant, and the stagnation will clear up. God has made preparations for all of these things. So, in God’s eyes, mankind is far above any other living thing. God prepared an environment for each kind of plant, and He prepared food and an environment for each kind of animal, but mankind has the most stringent needs of its environment, and those needs cannot be overlooked in the slightest way; if they were, mankind would not be able to continue developing and living and reproducing in a normal way. It is God who knows this best, in His heart. When God did this, He placed more importance on it than on anything else. Perhaps you are unable to sense the importance of some unremarkable thing you can see and enjoy in your life, or something you see and enjoy that you have had since birth, but God has already made preparations for you long ago or in secret. To the greatest possible extent, God has removed and mitigated all negative elements that are unfavorable to mankind and might harm the human body. What does this show? Does it show the attitude God had toward mankind when He created them this time? What was that attitude? God’s attitude was careful and earnest, and it brooked no interference by any enemy forces or external factors or conditions not of Him. In this can be seen God’s attitude in creating and managing mankind this time. And what is God’s attitude? Through the environment for survival and life that mankind enjoys, as well as in their daily food and drink and daily needs, we can see God’s attitude of responsibility toward mankind, which He has held since He created man, as well as His determination to save mankind at this time. Is God’s authenticity visible in these things? Is His wondrousness? His unfathomability? His omnipotence? God uses His wise and almighty ways to provide for all of mankind, as well as to provision all the things of His creation. Now that I have said so much to you, can you say that God is the source of life for all things? (Yes.) That is certainly so. Do you have any doubts? (No.) God’s provision for all things suffices to show that He is the source of life for all things, because He is the source of the provision that has enabled all things to exist, live, reproduce, and continue on, and there is no source except for God Himself. God provides for all the needs of all things and all the needs of mankind, whether those be people’s most basic environmental needs, the needs of their daily lives, or the need for the truth that He provides to people’s spirits. In every way, God’s identity and His status are of great importance to mankind; only God Himself is the source of life for all things. That is to say, God is the Ruler, the Master, and Provider of this world, this world that people can see and feel. For mankind, is this not God’s identity? There is nothing false in this. So when you see birds flying in the sky, you should know that God created everything that can fly. There are living things that swim in the water, and they have their own ways of surviving. The trees and the plants that live in the soil bud and sprout in spring and bear fruit and shed leaves in autumn, and by winter all the leaves have fallen as those plants prepare to weather the winter. That is their way of survival. God created all things, and each lives in different forms and different ways and uses different methods to exhibit its life force and the form in which it lives. No matter how things go about living, they are all under God’s rule. What is the purpose of God ruling over all the different forms of life and living beings? Is it for the sake of mankind’s survival? He controls all the laws of life, all for the sake of mankind’s survival. This shows just how important mankind’s survival is to God.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique VIII

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 178

God is not just the God of His chosen people. You currently follow God, and He is your God, but is He the God of those who do not follow Him? Is God the God of all those people who do not follow Him? Is God the God of all things? (Yes.) Then are God’s work and actions limited in scope merely to those who follow Him? (No.) What is the scope of His work and actions? At the smallest level, the scope of His work and actions encompasses all of mankind and all the things of creation. At the highest level it encompasses the entire universe, which people cannot see. So, we may say that God does His work and performs His actions among all mankind, and this suffices to allow people to come to know God Himself in His entirety. If you want to know God, to know Him truly, to understand Him truly, then do not restrict yourself merely to the three stages of God’s work, or to stories of the work He performed in the past. If you try to know Him in that way, then you are placing limitations on God, confining Him. You are seeing God as something very small. How would doing so affect people? You would never be able to know God’s wondrousness and supremacy, nor His power and omnipotence and the scope of His authority. Such an understanding would have an impact on your ability to accept the truth that God is the Ruler of all things, as well as your knowledge of God’s true identity and status. In other words, if your understanding of God is limited in scope, then what you can receive is also limited. This is why you must broaden your scope and expand your horizons. You should seek to understand all of it—the scope of God’s work, His management, His rule, and all the things He manages and over which He rules. It is through these things that you should come to understand God’s actions. With such an understanding, you will come to feel, without realizing it, that God rules, manages, and provides for all things among them, and you will also truly feel that you are a part and a member of all things. As God provides for all things, you are also accepting God’s rule and provision. This is a fact that no one can deny. All things are subject to their own laws under God’s rule, and under God’s rule, all things have their own rules for survival. Mankind’s fate and needs are also bound together with God’s rule and provision. That is why, under God’s dominion and rule, mankind and all things are interconnected, interdependent, and interwoven. This is the purpose and value of God’s creation of all things.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique VIII

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 179

Ever since God created all things, they have been functioning and continuing to progress in an orderly way and in accordance with the laws that He prescribed. Under His gaze, under His rule, mankind has survived, and all the while all things have been developing in an orderly way. There is nothing that can change or destroy these laws. It is because of God’s rule that all beings can multiply, and it is because of His rule and management that all beings can survive. This is to say that under God’s rule all beings come into existence, thrive, disappear, and reincarnate in an orderly fashion. When spring arrives, drizzling rain brings the feeling of the fresh season and wets the earth. The ground begins to thaw, and grass pushes its way up through the soil and begins to sprout, while the trees gradually turn green. All these living things bring fresh vitality to the earth. This is what it looks like when all beings are coming into existence and thriving. All sorts of animals come out of their burrows to feel the warmth of spring and start a new year. All beings bask in the heat during the summer and enjoy the warmth brought by the season. They grow rapidly. Trees, grass, and all types of plants are growing with great speed, until they finally bloom and bear fruit. All beings are busy during the summer, including humans. In the fall, rains bring autumn’s coolness, and all types of living beings start to sense the arrival of the harvest season. All beings bear fruit, and humans begin to harvest these various kinds of fruits in order to have food in preparation for winter. In the winter, all beings gradually begin to settle down in quietness and rest as the cold weather sets in, and people also take a break during this season. From season to season, transitioning from spring to summer to fall to winter—these changes all occur according to the laws established by God. He leads all things and mankind using these laws and has devised for mankind a rich and colorful way of life, preparing an environment for survival that has varying temperatures and seasons. Hence, within this kind of orderly environment for survival, humans can survive and multiply in an orderly way. Humans cannot change these laws and no person or being can break them. Though countless changes have occurred—seas have become fields, while fields have become seas—these laws continue to exist. They exist because God exists, and because of His rule and His management. With this type of orderly, large-scale environment, people’s lives proceed within these laws and rules. Under these laws were raised generation after generation of people, and generation after generation of people have survived under them. People have enjoyed this orderly environment for survival as well as all of the many things created by God for generation after generation. Even though people feel that these types of laws are innate and contemptuously take them for granted, and even though they cannot feel that God is orchestrating these laws, that God is ruling over these laws, no matter what, God is always engaged in this unchanging work. His purpose in this unchanging work is the survival of mankind, and so that mankind may live on.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique IX

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 180

God Sets Boundaries for All Things so as to Nurture All of Mankind (Selected passages)

Today I am going to speak on the topic of how it is that these types of laws that God has brought to all things nurture all of mankind. This is a rather large topic, so we can divide it into several parts and discuss them one at a time so that they can be clearly delineated for you. This way it will be easier for you to grasp and you can gradually understand it.

The First Part: God Sets Boundaries for Each Sort of Terrain

So, let us begin with the first part. When God created all things, He drew boundaries for mountains, plains, deserts, hills, rivers, and lakes. On the earth there are mountains, plains, deserts and hills, as well as various bodies of water. These constitute different types of terrain, do they not? Between them, God drew boundaries. When we speak of drawing boundaries, it means that mountains have their delineations, plains have their own delineations, deserts have certain limits, and hills have a fixed area. There is also a fixed quantity of bodies of water such as rivers and lakes. That is, when God created all things, He divided everything very clearly. God has already determined how many kilometers the radius of any given mountain should be and what its scope is. He has also determined how many kilometers the radius of any given plain should be and what its scope is. When creating all things, He also determined the limits of the deserts as well as the range of the hills and their proportions, and what they are bordered by—all of this was determined by Him. He determined the range of rivers and lakes during the act of creating them—they all have their boundaries. So what does it mean when we talk about “boundaries”? We just talked about how God rules over all things by establishing laws for all things. That is, the range and boundaries of mountains will not expand or decrease because of the rotation of the earth or the passing of time. They are fixed, unchanging, and it is God who dictates their unchangeability. As for the areas of the plains, what their range is, what they are bounded by—this has been set by God. They have their boundaries, and as such it would be impossible for a mound of earth to rise up at random from the ground of a plain. The plain cannot suddenly turn into a mountain—this would be impossible. This is the meaning of the laws and boundaries we just talked about. As for the deserts, we will not mention the specific functions of the deserts or any other type of terrain or geographical location here, only their boundaries. Under God’s rule, the limits of the desert will not expand either. This is because God has given it its law, its limits. How large its area is and what its function is, what it is bounded by, and where it is located—this has already been set by God. It will not exceed its limits or shift its position, and its area will not expand arbitrarily. Although the flows of waters such as rivers and lakes are all orderly and continuous, they will never move outside of their range or beyond their boundaries. They all flow in one direction, the direction in which they are supposed to flow, in an orderly way. So under the laws of God’s rule, no river or lake will dry up arbitrarily or arbitrarily change the direction or quantity of its flow due to the rotation of the earth or the passing of time. All this is within God’s control. That is to say, all things created by God in the midst of this mankind have their set places, areas, and limits. That is, when God created all things, their boundaries were established, and they cannot be arbitrarily altered, renewed, or changed. What does “arbitrarily” mean? It means that they will not randomly shift, expand, or change their original form due to the weather, temperature, or the rotational speed of the earth. For example, a mountain is of a certain height, its base is of a certain area, it has a certain altitude, and it has a certain amount of vegetation. This is all planned and calculated by God and it will not be arbitrarily changed. As for plains, the majority of humans reside in the plains, and no shifts in the climate will impact their areas or the value of their existence. Not even the things contained within these various terrains and geographical environments that were created by God will be arbitrarily changed. For example, the composition of the desert, types of underground mineral deposits, the amount of sand a desert contains and its color, the thickness of the desert—these will not arbitrarily change. Why is it that they will not arbitrarily change? It is because of God’s rule and His management. Within all of these different terrains and geographical environments created by God, He is managing everything in a planned and orderly way. So all of these geographical environments still exist and are still performing their functions thousands and even tens of thousands of years after they were created by God. Although there are certain periods when volcanoes erupt, and periods when earthquakes occur, and there are major shifts of the land, God absolutely will not allow any type of terrain to lose its original function. It is only because of this management by God, His rule and control over these laws, that all of this—all of this which is seen and enjoyed by mankind—can survive on the earth in an orderly way. So why does God manage all these various terrains that exist on the earth in this way? His purpose is so that the living things that survive in various geographical environments will all have a stable environment, and so that they are able to continue to live and multiply within that stable environment. All of these things—ones that are mobile and those that are immobile, those that breathe through their nostrils and those that do not—make up a unique environment for the survival of mankind. Only this kind of environment is able to nurture generation after generation of humans, and only this kind of environment can allow humans to continue to peacefully survive, generation after generation.

What I have just talked about is rather a large topic, so perhaps it seems somewhat removed from your lives, but I trust you can all understand it. That is to say, God’s laws in His dominion over all things are very important—very important indeed! What is the precondition for the growth of all beings under these laws? It is because of God’s rule. It is because of His rule that all things carry out their own functions within His rule. For example, the mountains nurture the forests and the forests in turn nurture and protect the various birds and beasts that live within them. The plains are a platform prepared for humans to plant crops as well as for various birds and beasts. They allow the majority of mankind to live on flat land and provide convenience in people’s lives. And the plains also include the grasslands—huge swaths of grassland. The grasslands provide plant cover for the earth’s floor. They protect the soil and nurture the cattle, sheep and horses that live on the grasslands. The desert also carries out its own function. It is not a place for humans to live; its role is to make humid climates drier. The flows of the rivers and lakes bring people drinking water in a convenient way. Wherever they flow, people will have water to drink and the needs of all things for water will be conveniently satisfied. These are the boundaries drawn by God for the various terrains.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique IX

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 181

God Sets Boundaries for All Things so as to Nurture All of Mankind (Selected passages)

The Second Part: God Sets Boundaries for Each Form of Life

Because of these boundaries that God has drawn, various terrains have produced different environments for survival, and these environments for survival have been convenient for various kinds of birds and beasts and have also given them space to survive. From this the boundaries for the environments for survival of the various living beings have been developed. This is the second part we are going to talk about next. First of all, where do the birds and the beasts and the insects live? Do they live in forests and groves? These are their home. So, aside from establishing boundaries for the various geographical environments, God also drew boundaries and established laws for the various birds and beasts, fish, insects, and all the plants. Because of the differences between various geographical environments and because of the existence of different geographical environments, different types of birds and beasts, fish, insects, and plants have different environments for survival. The birds and the beasts and the insects live amongst the various plants, the fish live in the water, and the plants grow on the land. The land includes various zones such as mountains, plains, and hills. Once the birds and the beasts have their own set home, they will not wander around, going any which way. Their homes are the forests and the mountains. If, one day, their homes were destroyed, this order would be thrown into chaos. As soon as the order is thrown into chaos, what are the consequences? Who are the first to be hurt? It is mankind. Within these laws and limits that God has established, have you seen any peculiar phenomena? For example, elephants walking in the desert. Have you seen anything like that? If this really happened it would be a very strange phenomenon, because elephants live in the forest, and that is the environment for survival that God prepared for them. They have their own environment for survival and their own set home, so why would they go running around? Has anyone seen lions or tigers walking by the ocean shore? No, you have not. The home of the lions and tigers is the forest and the mountains. Has anyone seen the whales or sharks of the ocean swimming through the desert? No, you have not. Whales and sharks make their homes in the ocean. In humans’ living environment, are there people who live alongside brown bears? Are there people who are always surrounded by peacocks or other birds, inside and outside of their homes? Has anyone seen eagles or wild geese playing with monkeys? (No.) These would all be peculiar phenomena. The reason I speak of these things that seem so peculiar to your ears is to have you understand that all things created by God—no matter if they are fixed in one place or whether they can breathe through their nostrils—have their own laws for survival. Long before God created these living beings, He had already prepared for them their own homes and their own environments for survival. These living beings had their own fixed environments for survival, their own food and their own fixed homes, and they had their own fixed places suitable for their survival, places with temperatures suitable for their survival. Thus, they would not wander around any which way or undermine mankind’s survival or impact people’s lives. This is how God manages all things, providing for mankind the best environment for survival. The living beings within all things each have their own life-sustaining food within their own environments for survival. With that food, they are attached to their native environment for survival. In that kind of environment, they continue to survive, multiply, and move forward in accordance with the laws God has established for them. Because of these types of laws, because of God’s predestination, all things live in harmony with mankind, and mankind coexists together in interdependence with all things.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique IX

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 182

God Sets Boundaries for All Things so as to Nurture All of Mankind (Selected passages)

The Third Part: God Sustains the Environment and Ecology to Nurture Mankind

God created all things and established boundaries for them; among them He nurtured all kinds of living things. Meanwhile, He also prepared different means of survival for mankind, so you can see that human beings do not just have one way to survive, nor do they have just one type of environment for survival. We talked before about God preparing various types of food and water sources for humans, which is critical for allowing mankind’s life in the flesh to continue. However, among this mankind, not all people subsist on grains. People have different means of survival due to differences in geographical environments and terrains. These means of survival have all been prepared by God. So not all humans are primarily engaged in farming. That is, not all people get their food from growing crops. This is the third part that we are going to talk about: Boundaries have arisen due to mankind’s various different lifestyles. So what other types of lifestyles do humans have? In terms of different food sources, what other kinds of people are there? There are several primary types.

The first is a hunting lifestyle. Everyone knows what that is. What do people who live by hunting eat? (Game.) They eat the birds and the beasts of the forest. “Game” is a modern word. Hunters do not think of it as game; they think of it as food, as their daily sustenance. For example, they get a deer. When they get this deer, it is just like a farmer obtaining food from the soil. A farmer gets food from the soil, and when he sees this food, he is happy and feels at ease. The family will not be hungry with crops to eat. The farmer’s heart is free from anxiety and he feels satisfied. A hunter also feels at ease and satisfied when looking at what he has caught because he does not have to worry about food anymore. There is something to eat for the next meal and there is no need to go hungry. This is someone who hunts for a living. The majority of those who subsist on hunting live in the mountain forests. They do not farm. It is not easy to find arable land there, so they survive on various living things, various types of prey. This is the first kind of lifestyle that is different from ordinary people.

The second type is a herder’s way of life. Do people who herd animals for a living also farm the land? (No.) So what do they do? How do they live? (For the most part, they herd cattle and sheep for a living, and in the winter they slaughter and eat their livestock. Their staple food is beef and mutton, and they drink milk tea. Although herders are busy all four seasons, they eat well. They have plenty of milk, dairy products, and meat.) People who herd animals for a living primarily eat beef and mutton, drink sheep’s milk and cows’ milk, and ride cattle and horses to herd their animals in the field with the wind in their hair and the sun on their faces. They do not face the stresses of modern life. They gaze all day at broad expanses of blue skies and grassy plains. The great majority of people who subsist on herding live on grasslands, and they have been able to continue their nomadic way of life for generations. Although life on the grasslands is a little lonely, it is also a very happy life. It is not a bad way of life!

The third type is the fishing way of life. A small portion of humanity lives by the ocean or on small islands. They are surrounded by water, facing the ocean. These people fish for a living. What is the source of food for those who fish for a living? Their food sources include all types of fish, seafood, and other products of the sea. People who fish for a living do not farm the land, but instead spend every day fishing. Their staple food consists of various types of fish and products of the sea. They occasionally trade these things for rice, flour, and daily necessities. This is a different lifestyle led by people who live near the water. Living close to water, they rely on it for their food, and make their living from fishing. Fishing gives them not only a source of food, but also a means to a livelihood.

Aside from farming the land, humanity lives for the most part according to the three ways of life mentioned above. However, the great majority of people farm for a living, with only a few groups of people who live by herding animals, fishing, and hunting. And what do people who live by farming need? What they need is land. Generation after generation, they live by planting crops in the ground, and whether they plant vegetables, fruits, or grains, it is from the earth that they obtain their food and their daily necessities.

What are the basic conditions underpinning these different human lifestyles? Is it not absolutely necessary that the environments in which they are able to survive be preserved on a basic level? That is, if those who subsist on hunting were to lose the mountain forests or the birds and the beasts, the source of their livelihood would be gone. The direction in which this ethnicity and this sort of people should go would become uncertain, and they might even disappear. And what of those who herd animals for their livelihood? What do they rely upon? What they truly depend on is not their livestock, but the environment in which their livestock are able to survive—the grasslands. If there were no grasslands, where would the herders graze their livestock? What would the cattle and sheep eat? Without the livestock, these nomadic peoples would have no livelihood. Without a source for their livelihood, where would these peoples go? It would become very difficult for them to continue to survive; they would not have a future. If there were no sources of water, and rivers and lakes completely dried up, would all those fish, which depend on water to live, still exist? They would not. Would these people who depend on the water and the fish for their livelihood continue to survive? When they no longer have food, when they no longer have the source of their livelihood, these peoples would not be able to continue to survive. That is, if any given ethnicity should ever run into a problem with their livelihood or their survival, then that ethnicity would no longer continue, and they could disappear from the face of the earth and become extinct. And if those who farm for a living lost their land, if they could not cultivate all kinds of plants and derive food from those plants, then what would the outcome be? Without food, would people not starve to death? If people are starving to death, would that race of human beings not be wiped out? So this is God’s purpose in maintaining different kinds of environment. God only has one purpose in maintaining different environments and ecosystems and all the different living beings within them—and that is to nurture all kinds of people, to nurture people who live in different geographical environments.

If all the things of creation lost their own laws, they would no longer exist; if the laws of all things were lost, then the living beings amongst all things would not be able to continue. Humanity would also lose their environments upon which they depend for survival. If humanity lost all of that, they would not be able to continue, as they have been doing, to thrive and multiply generation after generation. The reason human beings have survived until now is because God has supplied them with all the things of creation to nurture them, to nurture mankind in different ways. It is only because God nurtures mankind in different ways that mankind has survived until now, the present day. With a fixed environment for survival that is favorable and in which the natural laws are in good order, all the different kinds of people of the earth, all the different races, can survive within their own prescribed areas. No one can go beyond these areas or the boundaries between them because it is God who has delineated them. Why would God delineate boundaries in this way? This is a matter of great importance for all of mankind—truly of great importance!

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique IX

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 183

God Sets Boundaries for All Things so as to Nurture All of Mankind (Selected passages)

The Fourth Part: God Draws Boundaries Between Different Races

Fourth, God drew boundaries between different races. On earth there are white people, black people, brown people, and yellow people. These are the different types of people. God also fixed a scope for the lives of these different types of people, and without being aware of it, people live within their appropriate environment for survival under God’s management. No one can step outside of this. For example, let us consider white people. What is the geographical range in which most of them live? Most live in Europe and America. The geographical range in which black people primarily live is Africa. Brown people primarily live in Southeast Asia and South Asia, in countries such as Thailand, India, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Laos. Yellow people live primarily in Asia, that is, in countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea. God has appropriately distributed all these different types of races so that these different races are distributed across different parts of the world. In these different parts of the world, God long ago prepared an environment for survival suitable for each different race of human beings. Within these survival environments, God has prepared for them soils of varying color and makeup. In other words, the components making up white people’s bodies are not the same as those that make up black people’s bodies, and they are also different from the components that make up the bodies of people of other races. When God created all things, He had already prepared an environment for survival for that race. His purpose in doing so was that when that type of people started to multiply, and to increase in number, they could be fixed within a certain range. Before God created human beings, He had already thought it all out—He would reserve Europe and America for white people to allow them to develop and survive. So when God was creating the earth He already had a plan, He had a goal and a purpose in putting what He put into that piece of land, and in nurturing what He nurtured on that piece of land. For example, what mountains, how many plains, how many water sources, what kinds of birds and beasts, what fish, and what plants would be on that land, God had prepared them all long ago. When preparing an environment for survival for a given type of human being, for a given race, God needed to consider many issues from all sorts of angles: the geographical environment, the makeup of the soil, the different species of birds and beasts, the size of the different types of fish, the components making up the bodies of fish, differences in water quality, as well as all the different types of plants…. God had long ago prepared all of that. That kind of environment is an environment for survival that God created and prepared for white people and that inherently belongs to them. Have you seen that when God created all things He put a lot of thought into it and acted with a plan? (Yes, we have seen that God’s considerations for various types of people were very thoughtful. For the environment for survival that He created for different types of humans, what kinds of birds and beasts and fish, how many mountains and how many plains He would prepare, He considered with the utmost thoughtfulness and precision.) Take white people for example. What foods do white people primarily eat? The foods that white people eat are very different from the foods that Asian people eat. The staple foods that white people eat consist mainly of meat, eggs, milk, and poultry. Grains such as bread and rice are generally supplementary foods that are put on the side of the plate. Even when eating vegetable salad, they tend to put in a few pieces of roast beef or chicken, and even when eating wheat-based foods, they tend to add cheese, eggs, or meat. That is to say, their staple foods do not consist primarily of wheat-based foods or rice; they eat a large amount of meat and cheese. They often drink ice water because the foods they eat are very high in calories. So, white people are exceptionally robust. Such is the source of their livelihood and the living environments prepared for them by God, which allow them to have this way of life, one that is different from the lifestyles of people of other races. There is no right or wrong in this way of life—it is innate, predestined by God, and it arises from God’s dictates and His arrangements. That this race has this way of life and these sources for their livelihood is because of their race, and because of the environment for survival prepared for them by God. You could say that the environment for survival God prepared for white people, and the daily sustenance they derive from that environment, is rich and plentiful.

God also prepared the necessary environments for the survival for other races. There are also black people—where are black people located? They are primarily located in central and southern Africa. What did God prepare for them in that kind of environment for living? Tropical rainforests, all sorts of birds and beasts, and also deserts, and all kinds of plants that live alongside the people. They have sources for water, their livelihoods, and food. God was not biased against them. No matter what they have ever done, their survival has never been an issue. They too occupy a certain location and a certain area in a part of the world.

Now, let us talk about yellow people. Yellow people are primarily located in the East of the earth. What are the differences between the environments and geographical positions of the East and the West? In the East, the majority of the land is fertile, and rich in materials and mineral deposits. That is, all sorts of above-ground and underground resources are plentiful. And for this group of people, for this race, God also prepared the corresponding soil, climate, and the various geographical environments that are suitable for them. Although there are great differences between that geographical environment and the environment in the West, people’s necessary food, livelihoods, and sources for survival were also prepared by God. It is just a different environment for living than white people have in the West. But what is the one thing that I need to tell you? The number of people of the Eastern race is relatively large, so God added a lot of elements in that part of the earth that are different from the West. There, He added many different landscapes and all kinds of abundant materials. Natural resources there are very abundant; the terrain is also varied and diverse, adequate for nurturing the enormous number of people of the Eastern race. What differentiates the East from the West is that in the East—from south to north, east to west—the climate is better than the West. The four seasons are clearly distinct, temperatures are suitable, natural resources are abundant, and the natural scenery and types of terrain are much better than in the West. Why did God do this? God created a very rational balance between white people and yellow people. What does this mean? It means that all aspects of white people’s food, the things that they use, and the things provided for their enjoyment are far better than what yellow people are able to enjoy. However, God is not biased against any race. God gave yellow people a more beautiful and better environment for survival. This is the balance.

God has preordained which types of people should live in which part of the world; can humans go beyond these limits? (No, they cannot.) What a wondrous thing! Even if there are wars or encroachments during different eras or in extraordinary times, these wars and encroachments absolutely cannot destroy the environments for survival that God has predestined for each race. That is, God has fixed a certain type of people in a certain part of the world and they cannot go beyond those limits. Even if people have some kind of ambition to change or expand their territory, without God’s permission, this will be very difficult to achieve. It will be very difficult for them to succeed. For example, white people wanted to expand their territory and they colonized some other countries. The Germans invaded some countries, and Britain once occupied India. What was the outcome? In the end, they failed. What do we see from their failure? What God has predestined is not permitted to be destroyed. So, no matter how great the momentum you may have seen in Britain’s expansion, ultimately they still had to withdraw, leaving the land still belonging to India. Those who live on that land are still Indians, not the British, because God would not allow it. Some of those who research history or politics have provided theses on this. They give reasons for why Britain failed, saying that it could be because a certain ethnicity could not be conquered, or it could be for some other human reason…. These are not real reasons. The real reason is because of God—He would not allow it! God lets an ethnicity live on a certain piece of land and settles them there, and if God does not allow them to move from that land, they will never be able to move. If God allots a defined area for them, they will live within that area. Mankind cannot break free or extricate themselves from these defined areas. This is certain. No matter how great the forces of the encroachers, or how weak those who are being encroached upon, the invaders’ success is ultimately for God to decide. It is already predestined by Him, and no one can change it.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique IX

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 184

God Rules Over All and Provides for All, He Is the God of All Things (Selected passages)

Looking from the perspective of the laws determined by God for the growth of all things, is not all of mankind, in all its variety, provided for and nurtured by God? If these laws were destroyed or if God had not established these laws for mankind, what would mankind’s prospects be? After humans lost their basic environments for survival, would they have any source of food? It is possible that food sources would become a problem. If people lost their sources of food, that is, if they could not get anything to eat, how many days would they be able to carry on? Possibly they would not last for even a single month, and their very survival would become a problem. So every single thing that God does for people’s survival, for their continuing existence, reproduction, and subsistence is very important. Every single thing that God does among the things of His creation is closely related to and inseparable from the survival of mankind. If mankind’s survival became a problem, could God’s management continue? Would God’s management still exist? God’s management coexists with the survival of all mankind whom He nurtures, so no matter what preparations God makes for all things of His creation and what He does for humans, this is all necessary for Him, and it is critical for mankind’s survival. If these laws that God determined for all things were departed from, if these laws were broken or disrupted, all things would no longer be able to exist, mankind’s environment for survival would not continue to exist, nor their daily sustenance, nor mankind itself. For this reason, God’s management of mankind’s salvation would also cease to exist.

Everything that we have discussed, every single thing, every item is intimately linked to the survival of every single person. You might say, “What You are talking about is too big, it is not something that we can see,” and perhaps there are people who would say, “What You are talking about has nothing to do with me.” However, do not forget that you are living as just a part of all things; you are one among all the things of creation under God’s rule. The things of God’s creation cannot be separated from His rule, and not a single person can separate themselves from His rule. Losing His rule and losing His provision would mean that people’s lives, people’s fleshly lives, would disappear. This is the importance of God establishing environments for survival for mankind. It does not matter what race you belong to or what piece of land you live on, be it in the West or the East—you cannot separate yourself from the environment for survival that God has established for mankind, and you cannot separate yourself from the nurture and provisions of the environment for survival He has established for humans. No matter what your livelihood is, what you rely on to live, and what you rely on to sustain your life in the flesh, you cannot separate yourself from God’s rule and His management. Some people say: “I am not a farmer; I don’t plant crops for a living. I don’t rely on the heavens for my food, so my survival is not taking place within the environment for survival established by God. I have not been given anything from that kind of environment.” Is that right? You say that you do not plant crops for your living, but do you not eat grains? Do you not eat meat and eggs? And do you not eat vegetables and fruit? Everything that you eat, all of these things that you need, are inseparable from the environment for survival established by God for mankind. And the source of everything that mankind requires cannot be separated from all the things created by God, which in their totality constitute your environments for survival. The water you drink, the clothing you wear and all the things that you use—which of these is not obtained from among the things of God’s creation? Some people say: “There are some items that are not obtained from the things of God’s creation. You see, plastic is one of those items. It is a chemical thing, a man-made thing.” Is that right? Plastic is indeed man-made, and it is a chemical thing, but where did the original components of plastic come from? The original components were obtained from materials created by God. The things that you see and enjoy, every single thing that you use, it is all obtained from the things which God created. That is to say, no matter what race a person might belong to, no matter what livelihood, or in what type of environment for survival they might live, they cannot separate themselves from what God has provided.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique IX

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 185

God Rules Over All and Provides for All, He Is the God of All Things (Selected passages)

However much understanding of God there is in people’s hearts, that is also the extent of the position He holds in their hearts. However great the degree of knowledge of God is in their hearts, that is how great God is in their hearts. If the God that you know is empty and vague, then the God you believe in is also empty and vague. The God that you know is limited to the scope of your own personal life, and has nothing to do with the true God Himself. Thus, knowing God’s practical actions, knowing the reality of God and His omnipotence, knowing the true identity of God Himself, knowing what He has and is, knowing the actions that He has manifested among all the things of His creation—these things are very important to every single person who pursues knowledge of God. They have a direct bearing on whether people can enter into the reality of the truth. If you limit your understanding of God to just words, if you limit it to your own little experiences, to what you figure to be God’s grace, or your little testimonies to God, then I say that the God you believe in is absolutely not the true God Himself. Not only that, but it can also be said that the God you believe in is an imaginary God, not the true God. This is because the true God is the One that rules over everything, that walks among everything, that manages everything. He is the One that holds the fate of all of mankind and of everything in His hands. The work and actions of the God that I am talking about are not just limited to a small portion of people. That is, they are not limited to just the people who currently follow Him. His deeds are manifested among all things, in the survival of all things, and in the laws of change of all things. If you cannot see or recognize any deeds of God among all the things of His creation, then you cannot bear witness to any of His deeds. If you cannot bear witness for God, if you continue to speak of the small so-called “God” that you know, that God who is limited to your own ideas and exists only within the narrow confines of your mind, if you continue to speak of that kind of God, then God will never praise your faith. When you bear witness for God, if you do so only in terms of how you enjoy God’s grace, how you accept God’s discipline and His chastening, and how you enjoy His blessings in your witness for Him, then that is nowhere near enough and not even close to satisfying Him. If you want to bear witness for God in a way that accords with His will, to bear witness for the true God Himself, then you must see what God has and is from His actions. You must see God’s authority from His control of everything, and see the truth of how He provides for all of mankind. If you only acknowledge that your daily sustenance and your necessities in life come from God, but you fail to see the truth that God has taken all the things of His creation for the provision of all of mankind, and that, by ruling over all things, He is leading all of mankind, then you will never be able to bear witness for God. What is My purpose in saying all of this? It is so that you do not take this lightly, so that you do not mistakenly believe that these topics I have spoken about are irrelevant to your own personal entry into life, and so that you do not take these topics as being just a type of knowledge or doctrine. If you listen to what I am saying with that kind of attitude, then you will not gain a single thing. You will lose this great opportunity to know God.

What is My goal in talking about all of these things? My goal is to have people know God, to have people understand God’s practical actions. Once you understand God and you know His actions, only then do you have the opportunity or the possibility to know Him. If, for example, you want to understand a person, how would you come to understand them? Would it be through looking at their outward appearance? Would it be through looking at what they wear and how they dress? Would it be through looking at how they walk? Would it be through looking at the scope of their knowledge? (No.) So how do you understand a person? You make judgments based on a person’s speech and behavior, their thoughts and the things they express and reveal about themselves. This is how you get to know a person, how you understand a person. Likewise, if you want to know God, if you want to understand His practical side, His true side, you must know Him through His deeds and through every single practical thing He does. This is the best way, and it is the only way.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique IX

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 186

God Balances the Relationships Between All Things to Give Mankind a Stable Environment for Survival (Selected passage)

When God created all things, He used all sorts of methods and ways to balance them, to balance the living conditions of the mountains and lakes, of the plants and all kinds of animals, birds, and insects. His goal was to allow all kinds of living beings to live and multiply under the laws that He had established. None of the things of creation can go outside of these laws, and the laws cannot be broken. Only within this type of basic environment can humans safely survive and multiply, generation after generation. If any living creature goes beyond the quantity or scope established by God, or if it exceeds the growth rate, reproduction frequency, or number dictated by Him, mankind’s environment for survival would suffer varying degrees of destruction. And at the same time, mankind’s survival would be threatened. If one type of living creature is too great in number, it will rob people of their food, destroy people’s water sources, and ruin their homelands. That way, mankind’s reproduction or state of survival would be immediately impacted. For example, water is very important for all things. If there are too many mice, ants, locusts, frogs, or any kind of other animal, they will drink more water. As the amount of water they drink increases, people’s drinking water and water sources within the fixed scope of sources of drinking water and aqueous areas will be reduced and they will experience water shortages. If people’s drinking water is destroyed, contaminated, or is cut off because all kinds of animals have increased in number, under that kind of harsh environment for survival, mankind’s survival will be seriously threatened. If just one type or several types of living beings exceed their appropriate number, then the air, temperature, humidity, and even the composition of the air within mankind’s space for survival will be poisoned and destroyed to varying degrees. Under these circumstances, humans’ survival and fate will also be subject to the threats posed by these ecological factors. So, if these balances are lost, the air that people breathe will be ruined, the water that they drink will be contaminated, and the temperatures that they require will also change and be impacted to varying degrees. If that happens, the environments for survival that inherently belong to mankind will be subject to enormous impacts and challenges. In this type of scenario where humans’ basic environments for survival have been destroyed, what would mankind’s fate and prospects be? This is a very serious problem! Because God knows for what reason each of the things of creation exists for the sake of mankind, what the role is of every type of thing that He created, what kind of impact each thing has on mankind, and to what degree it benefits mankind, because in God’s heart there is a plan for all of this and He manages every single aspect of all the things that He created, that is why every single thing that He does is so important and necessary for mankind. So from now on, whenever you observe some ecological phenomenon among the things of God’s creation, or some natural law at play among the things of God’s creation, you will no longer be doubtful of the necessity of every single thing created by God. You will no longer use ignorant words to make arbitrary judgments on God’s arrangements of all things and His various ways of providing for mankind. Nor will you come to arbitrary conclusions about God’s laws for all the things of His creation.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique IX

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 187

How God Rules and Administers the Spiritual World

For the material world, whenever people do not understand certain things or phenomena, they can search for relevant information or use various channels to find out those things’ origins and background. But when it comes to the other world about which we are talking today—the spiritual world, which exists outside of the material world—people have absolutely no means or channels by which to learn anything about it. Why do I say this? I say it because, in the world of mankind, everything of the material world is inseparable from the physical existence of man, and because people feel that everything of the material world is inseparable from their physical living and physical lives, most people are only aware of, or see, the material things before their eyes that are visible to them. However, when it comes to the spiritual world—which is to say, everything that is of that other world—it would be fair to say that most people do not believe. Because people cannot see it, and believe there is no need to understand it or to know anything about it, to say nothing of how the spiritual world is a completely different world to the material world and, from God’s point of view, is open—although, for humans, it is secret and closed—people therefore have a very difficult time finding a path to understanding the various aspects of this world. The different aspects of the spiritual world about which I am going to speak only concern God’s administration and sovereignty; I am not revealing any mysteries, nor am I telling you any of the secrets that you wish to learn. Because this concerns God’s sovereignty, God’s administration, and God’s provision, I therefore shall only speak of the part that it is necessary for you to know.

First, let Me ask you a question: In your mind, what is the spiritual world? Broadly speaking, it is a world outside the material world, one that is both invisible and intangible to people. In your imagination, though, what kind of world should the spiritual world be? Perhaps, as a result of not being able to see it, you are incapable of thinking about it. However, when you hear some legends, you are still thinking about it, and you can’t stop thinking about it. Why do I say this? There is something that happens to a lot of people when they are young: When someone tells them a frightening story—about ghosts, or souls—they feel terrified out of their wits. Why exactly are they scared? It is because they are imagining those things; even though they cannot see them, they feel that they are all around their rooms, in some hidden or dark corner, and they are so frightened that they do not dare go to sleep. Especially at night, they feel too afraid to be alone in their rooms or to venture alone into their courtyards. That is the spiritual world of your imagination, and it is a world that people think is frightening. The fact is that everyone imagines it to some extent, and everyone can feel it a little.

Let us begin with talking about the spiritual world. What is it? Let Me give you a short and simple explanation: The spiritual world is an important place, one that is different from the material world. Why do I say that it is important? We are going to discuss this in detail. The existence of the spiritual world is inextricably linked to the material world of mankind. It plays a major role in the cycle of human life and death in God’s dominion over all things; this is its role, and this is one of the reasons that its existence is important. Because it is a place that is indiscernible to the five senses, no one can accurately judge whether the spiritual world exists or not. Its various dynamics are intimately connected to human existence, as a result of which the order of life of mankind is also hugely influenced by the spiritual world. Does this involve God’s sovereignty or not? It does. When I say this, you understand why I am discussing this topic: It is because it concerns God’s sovereignty, as well as His administration. In a world such as this—one that is invisible to people—its every heavenly edict, decree, and administrative system is far above the laws and systems of any nation of the material world, and no being living in this world would dare to contravene or violate them. Does this relate to God’s sovereignty and administration? In the spiritual world, there are clear administrative decrees, clear heavenly edicts, and clear statutes. At different levels and in various areas, attendants strictly abide by their duties and observe rules and regulations, for they know what the consequence of violating a heavenly edict is; they are clearly aware of how God punishes evil and rewards good, and of how He administers and rules over all things. Moreover, they clearly see how He carries out His heavenly edicts and statutes. Are these different from the material world inhabited by mankind? They are indeed enormously different. The spiritual world is a world that is completely different to the material world. Since there are heavenly edicts and statutes, this touches upon God’s sovereignty, administration and, moreover, His disposition, as well as what He has and is. Having heard this, do you not feel that it is highly necessary for Me to speak of this topic? Do you not wish to learn the secrets inherent to it? (Yes, we do.) Such is the concept of the spiritual world. Although it coexists with the material world, and is simultaneously subject to God’s administration and sovereignty, God’s administration and sovereignty of this world are far stricter than those of the material world.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique X

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 188

Among mankind, I categorize all people into three types. The first are the unbelievers, who are those without religious beliefs. They are called unbelievers. The overwhelming majority of unbelievers only have faith in money; they only uphold their own interests, are materialistic, and only believe in the material world—they do not believe in the cycle of life and death, or in anything said about deities and ghosts. I categorize these people as unbelievers, and they are the first type. The second type includes the various people of faith apart from the unbelievers. Among mankind, I divide these people of faith into several major groups: The first are Jewish, the second are Catholic, the third are Christian, the fourth are Muslim, and the fifth are Buddhist; there are five kinds. These are the various kinds of people of faith. The third type includes those who believe in God, and this includes you. Such believers are those who follow God today. These people are divided into two kinds: God’s chosen people, and the service-doers. These main types have been clearly differentiated. Thus, you are now able to clearly differentiate in your minds between the types and rankings of humans, are you not? The first type is comprised of unbelievers, and I have said what they are. Do those who have faith in the Old Man in the Sky count as unbelievers? Many unbelievers only believe in the Old Man in the Sky; they believe that the wind, rain, thunder, and so on are all controlled by this entity on whom they rely for the planting of crops and the harvest—yet when belief in God is mentioned, they are unwilling to believe in Him. Can this be called having faith? Such people are included among the unbelievers. You understand this, right? Do not mistake these categories. The second type includes people of faith, and the third type are those who are currently following God. Why, then, have I divided all humans into these types? (Because the various types of people have different ends and destinations.) That is one aspect of it. When these various races and types of people return to the spiritual world, they will each have a different place to go and will be subject to various laws of the cycle of life and death, so that is why I have categorized humans into these major types.

The Cycle of Life and Death of the Unbelievers (Selected passages)

Let us begin with the cycle of life and death of the unbelievers. After dying, a person is taken away by an attendant from the spiritual world. Exactly what of a person is taken away? Not one’s flesh, but one’s soul. When one’s soul is taken away, one arrives at a place that is an agency of the spiritual world that specially receives the souls of people who have just died. That is the first place anyone goes after dying, which is strange to the soul. When they are taken to this place, an official carries out the first checks, confirming their name, address, age, and all their experiences. Everything they did while they were alive is recorded in a book and verified for accuracy. After it has all been checked, the person’s behavior and actions throughout their life are used to determine whether they will be punished or continue being reincarnated as a human, which is the first stage. Is this first stage frightening? It is not too frightening, because the only thing that has happened is the person has arrived at a dark and unfamiliar place.

In the second stage, if this person has done a lot of bad things throughout their life and committed many wicked deeds, then they will be taken to a place of punishment to be dealt with. That will be the place expressly used for the punishment of people. The specifics of how they are punished depend on the sins they have committed, as well as on how many wicked things they did before they died—this is the first situation that occurs in this second stage. Because of the bad things they did and the evil they committed before they died, when they are reincarnated after their punishment—when they are once more born into the material world—some people will continue to be human, while others will become animals. That is to say, after a person returns to the spiritual world, they are punished because of the evil they have committed; moreover, because of the wicked things they have done, in their next reincarnation they probably will not return as a human, but as an animal. The range of animals that they might become includes cows, horses, pigs, and dogs. Some people could be reborn as birds, or ducks or geese…. After they have been reincarnated as animals, when they die again, they will return to the spiritual world. There, as before, based on their behavior prior to their deaths, the spiritual world will decide whether or not they are reincarnated as humans. Most people commit too much evil, and their sins are too grievous, so they have to incarnate as animals seven to twelve times. Seven to twelve times—is that not frightful? (It’s frightful.) What frightens you? A person becoming an animal—that is terrifying. And for a person, what are the most painful things about becoming an animal? Having no language, having only simple thoughts, only being able to do the things that animals do and eat the food that animals eat, having the simple mindset and body language of an animal, not being able to walk upright, not being able to communicate with humans, and the fact that none of the behavior or activities of humans bear any relation to animals. That is, among all things, being an animal makes you the lowest of all living beings and involves a great deal more suffering than does being a human. This is one aspect of the spiritual world’s punishment of those who have done much evil and committed great sins. When it comes to the severity of their punishment, this is decided depending on whatever kind of animal they become. For example, is being a pig better than being a dog? Does a pig live better or worse than a dog? Worse, right? If people become cows or horses, will they live better or worse than they would as pigs? (Better.) Will a person be more comfortable being reborn as a cat? He would be an animal just the same, and being a cat would be much easier than being a cow or horse, because cats get to laze away most of their time in slumber. Becoming a cow or horse is more laborious. Therefore, if a person is reincarnated as a cow or horse, they have to work hard—which is akin to harsh punishment. Becoming a dog would be a little better than becoming a cow or horse, because a dog has a closer relationship with its master. Some dogs, after being pets for several years, are able to understand a lot of what their masters say. Sometimes, a dog can adapt to its master’s mood and requirements and the master treats the dog better, and the dog eats and drinks better, and when it is in pain, it is looked after more. Does the dog not then enjoy a happy life? Thus, being a dog is better than being a cow or horse. In this, the severity of a person’s punishment determines how many times one is reincarnated as an animal, as well as which type.

Because they committed so many sins while they were alive, some people are punished by being reincarnated as animals seven to twelve lifetimes. Having been punished enough times, upon returning to the spiritual world, they are taken somewhere else—a place in which the various souls have already been punished and are of the type who are preparing to be reincarnated as humans. In this location, each soul is categorized by type according to what kind of family they will be born into, what sort of role they will play once they have been reincarnated, and so on. For example, some people will become singers when they come to this world, so are placed among singers; some will become businesspeople when they come to this world, and so they are placed among businesspeople; and if someone is to become a scientific researcher after becoming human, then they are placed among scientific researchers. After they are classified, each is sent out according to a different time and appointed date, just as people send e-mails today. In this will be completed one cycle of life and death. From the day that a person arrives in the spiritual world up until the end of their punishment, or until they have been reincarnated as an animal many times and are preparing to be reincarnated as a human, this process is complete.

As for those who are done being punished and are not reincarnated as animals, will they quickly be sent to the material world to incarnate as humans? Or, how long will it be before they can arrive among humans? What is the frequency with which this can happen? There are temporal restrictions to it. Everything that happens in the spiritual world is subject to the precise temporal restrictions and rules—which, if I explain with numbers, you will understand. For those who are reincarnated within a short period of time, when they die, preparations will already have been made for them to reincarnate as humans. The shortest time in which this can happen is three days. For some people, it takes three months, for some it takes three years, for some it takes thirty years, for some it takes three hundred years, and so on. So, what can be said about these temporal rules, and what are their specifics? They are based on what the material world—the world of man—needs from a soul, and on the role that this soul is meant to play in this world. When people are reincarnated as ordinary humans, most of them are reincarnated very quickly, because the world of man has a pressing need for such ordinary people—and so, three days later, they are sent out again to a family that is completely different from the one they were in before they died. However, there are some who play a special role in this world. “Special” means that there is not a great demand for these people in the world of man; not many people are needed to play such a role, so it may take three hundred years. In other words, this soul will only come once every three hundred years, or even just once every three thousand years. Why is this? It is due to the fact that for either three hundred or three thousand years, such a role is not required in the world of man, so they are kept somewhere in the spiritual world. Take Confucius, for example: He had a profound impact on traditional Chinese culture, and his arrival deeply affected the culture, knowledge, tradition, and ideology of the people of that time. However, a person such as this is not needed in every era, so he had to remain in the spiritual world, waiting there for three hundred or three thousand years before being reincarnated. Because the world of man was not in need of someone like this, he had to wait idly, for there were very few roles such as his, and very little for him to do. As such, he had to be kept somewhere in the spiritual world for most of that time, idle, to be sent out once the world of man had need of him. Such are the spiritual realm’s temporal rules for the frequency with which most people are reincarnated. Whether people are ordinary or special, the spiritual world has appropriate rules and correct practices for processing their reincarnations, and these rules and practices are sent down from God, not decided or controlled by any attendant or being of the spiritual world.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique X

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 189

The Cycle of Life and Death of the Unbelievers (Selected passages)

For any soul, its reincarnation, what its role is in this life, what family it is born into, and what its life is like are closely related to the soul’s previous lifetime. All kinds of people come into the world of man, and the roles they play vary, as do the tasks they carry out. And what tasks are these? Some people have come to repay debts: If they owed others too much money in their past lives, they come to repay those debts in this life. Some people, meanwhile, have come to collect debts: They were scammed out of too many things and too much money in their previous lifetimes; as a result, after they arrive in the spiritual world, it gives them justice and allows them to collect their debts in this lifetime. Some people have come to repay debts of gratitude: During the previous lifetime—that is, their previous reincarnation—someone was kind to them, and due to having been given the great opportunity to be reincarnated in this life, they are reborn to repay those debts of gratitude. Others, meanwhile, have been reborn into this life to claim lives. And whose lives do they claim? They claim that of the people who killed them in their previous lives. In sum, every person’s present life bears a strong connection to their previous lifetimes; this connection is inseverable. That is to say, every person’s present life is hugely affected by the previous one. For example, let us say that before he died, Zhang cheated Li out of a large amount of money. Does Zhang then owe Li a debt? He does, so is it then natural that Li should collect his debt from Zhang? As a result, after they die, there is a debt between them that must be settled. When they are reincarnated and Zhang becomes human, how does Li collect his debt from him? One method is to be reborn as Zhang’s son; Zhang earns a large amount of money, which is then squandered by Li. No matter how much money Zhang earns, his son Li squanders it. No matter how much Zhang earns, it is never enough; and meanwhile, his son, for some reason, always ends up spending his father’s money by various means. Zhang is mystified, wondering, “Why does this son of mine always bring such bad luck? Why is it that other people’s sons are so well-behaved? Why does my own son have no ambition, why is he so useless and incapable of earning any money, and why do I always have to support him? Since I have to support him, I will—but why is it that no matter how much money I give him, he always needs more? Why is he incapable of doing an honest day’s work, and instead does all kinds of things such as loafing around, eating, drinking, whoring, and betting? What on earth is going on?” Zhang then thinks for a while, “It could be that I owe him a debt from a previous lifetime. Well then, I’ll pay it off! This won’t end until I pay it in full!” The day might come when Li really has recouped his debt, and by the time he is in his forties or fifties, he might suddenly come to his senses, realizing, “I haven’t done a single good thing in the entire first half of my life! I’ve squandered all the money my father earned, so I should start being a good person! I’ll steel myself; I’ll be someone who is honest and lives properly, and I will never bring grief to my father again!” Why does he think this? Why does he suddenly change for the better? Is there a reason for this? What is the reason? (It is because Li has collected his debt; Zhang has paid his debt.) In this, there is cause and effect. The story began long, long ago, before their current lifetimes; this story of their past lives has been brought to the present, and neither can blame the other. No matter what Zhang taught his son, his son never listened nor did an honest day’s work. Yet on the day the debt was repaid, there was no need to teach his son—he naturally understood. This is a simple example. Are there many such examples? (Yes, there are.) What does it tell people? (That they should be good and not commit evil.) That they should do no evil, and that there will be retribution for their wrongdoings! Most unbelievers commit much evil, and their wrongdoings are met with retribution, correct? However, is such retribution arbitrary? For every act, there is a background and a reason behind its retribution. Do you think nothing will happen to you after you have cheated someone out of money? Do you think that after having swindled that money away, you will not face any consequences? Such would be impossible; there will indeed be consequences! Regardless of who they are or whether or not they believe that there is a God, all individuals must take responsibility for their own behavior and bear the consequences of their actions. With regard to this simple example—Zhang’s being punished, and Li’s being repaid—is this not fair? When people do such things, this is the sort of result that occurs. It is inseparable from the administration of the spiritual world. Despite their being unbelievers, the existence of those who do not believe in God is subject to these sorts of heavenly edicts and decrees. No one can escape from them, and no one can avoid this reality.

Those who have no faith often believe that everything visible to humans exists, while everything that cannot be seen, or which is very distant from people, does not. They prefer to believe that there is no “cycle of life and death,” and that there is no “punishment”; as such, they sin and commit evil without compunction. Afterward, they are punished, or they reincarnate as animals. Most of the various sorts of people among unbelievers fall into this vicious circle. This is because they do not know that the spiritual world is strict in its administration of all living beings. Whether you believe or not, this fact exists, for not a single person or object can escape the scope of what God observes with His eyes, and not a single person or object can escape the rules and limitations of His heavenly edicts and decrees. Thus, this simple example tells everyone that regardless of whether or not you believe in God, it is unacceptable to sin and commit evil, and that all actions bear consequences. When someone who cheated another out of money is punished, such punishment is fair. Commonly seen behavior such as this is penalized in the spiritual world, and such punishment is delivered by the decrees and heavenly edicts of God. Therefore, grievously criminal and wicked behavior—raping and looting, fraud and deception, theft and robbery, murder and arson, and so on—is even further subject to an array of punishments of varying severity. What do these punishments of varying severity include? Some of them establish the level of severity using time, whereas some do so through differing methodologies; still others do by determining where people go when they are reincarnated. For example, some people are foul-mouthed. What does being “foul-mouthed” refer to? It means frequently swearing at others and using malicious language that curses others. What does malicious language signify? It indicates that the person has a malicious heart. Foul language that curses others often comes from the mouths of such people, and such malicious language brings severe consequences. After these people have died and received the appropriate punishment, they may be reborn as mutes. Some people are very calculating while still alive; they often take advantage of others, their little schemes are particularly well-planned, and they do much harm to people. When they are reborn, it could be as half-wits or people who are mentally disabled. Some people often peer into the private business of others; their eyes see much that they should not have been privy to, and they learn much that they ought not to know. As a result, when they are reborn, they may be blind. Some people are very nimble when they are alive; they often fight and do much that is evil. Because of this, they might be reborn disabled, lame, or missing an arm; otherwise they might reincarnate as hunchbacks or wrynecks, walk with a limp, have one leg shorter than the other, and so on. In these, they have been subjected to various punishments based on the levels of evil they committed while alive. Why do you think some people have lazy eye? Are there many such people? These days there are more than just a few. Some people have lazy eye because in their past lives, they made too much use of their eyes and did too many bad things, so they were born into this life with lazy eye, and in serious cases, they were even born blind. This is retribution! Some people get on well with others before they die; they do many good things for their relatives, friends, colleagues, or the people connected to them. They give charity and care to others, or assist them financially, and people think very highly of them. When such people return to the spiritual world, they are not punished. For an unbeliever to not be punished in any way means they were a very good person. Instead of believing in the existence of God, they only believe in the Old Man in the Sky. Such a person only believes that there is a spirit above them, watching everything they do—that is all this person believes in. The result is that this person is much better-behaved. Such people are kindhearted and charitable, and when they ultimately return to the spiritual world, it will treat them very well, and they will soon be reincarnated. When they are reborn, what sorts of families will they arrive in? Though such families will not be rich, they will be free from any harm, with harmony among their members; there, these reincarnated people will pass safe, happy days, and everyone will be joyous and live good lives. When these people reach adulthood, they will have large, extended families, their children will be talented and enjoy success, and their families will enjoy good fortune—and such an outcome is hugely connected to these people’s past lives. That is, where people go after they die and are reincarnated, whether they are male or female, what their missions are, what they will go through in life, what setbacks they will endure, what blessings they will enjoy, whom they will meet, and what will happen to them—no one can predict these things, avoid them, or hide from them. Which is to say, once your life has been set, whatever happens to you—however you try to avoid it, and by whatever means—you have no way of violating the life course that God set out for you in the spiritual world. For when you are reincarnated, your life’s fate has already been set. Whether it be good or bad, everyone should face up to this and keep moving forward. This is an issue that no one who lives in this world can avoid, and no issue is more real. You have all understood everything I have been saying, right?

Having understood these things, have you now seen that God has very exacting and rigorous checks and administration for the cycle of life and death of unbelievers? Firstly, He has established various heavenly edicts, decrees, and systems in the spiritual realm, and once these have been declared, they are very strictly carried out, as set by God, by beings in various official positions in the spiritual world, and no one would dare violate them. Therefore, in the cycle of life and death of mankind in the world of man, whether someone is reincarnated as an animal or a human, there are laws for both. Because these laws come from God, no one dares to break them, nor is anyone able to break them. It is only due to this sovereignty of God, and because such laws exist, that the material world that people see is regular and orderly; it is only because of this sovereignty of God that humans are able to coexist peacefully with the other world that is completely invisible to them, and able to live in harmony with it—all of which is inextricable from God’s sovereignty. After a person’s fleshly life dies, the soul still has life, and so what would happen if it were not under God’s administration? The soul would wander all over the place, intruding everywhere, and would even harm the living things in the human world. Such harm would not only be done to mankind but could also be done to plants and animals—however, the first to be harmed would be people. Were this to happen—if such a soul were without administration, genuinely harmed people, and actually did wicked things—then this soul would also be properly handled in the spiritual world: If things were serious, the soul would soon cease to exist, and would be destroyed. If possible, it would be placed somewhere and then reincarnated. That is to say, the spiritual world’s administration of various souls is ordered, and is carried out in accordance with steps and rules. It is only because of such administration that the material world of man has not fallen into chaos, that the humans of the material world possess a normal mentality, a normal rationality, and an ordered fleshly life. Only after mankind has such a normal life will those who live in the flesh be able to continue to thrive and reproduce throughout the generations.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique X

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 190

The Cycle of Life and Death of the Unbelievers (Selected passages)

When it comes to unbelievers, is the principle behind God’s actions one of rewarding the good and punishing the wicked? Are there any exceptions? (No.) Do you see that there is a principle behind God’s actions? Unbelievers do not actually believe in God, nor do they submit to His orchestrations. In addition, they are unaware of His sovereignty, much less do they acknowledge Him. More seriously, they profane against God, and curse Him, and are hostile toward those who believe in God. Despite this attitude of theirs toward God, His administration of them still does not deviate from His principles; He administers them in an orderly manner, in accordance with His principles and His disposition. How does He regard their hostility? As ignorance! As a result, He has caused these people—that is, the vast majority of unbelievers—to reincarnate as animals in the past. So, in God’s eyes, what exactly are unbelievers? They are all beasts. God administers beasts as well as mankind, and for such people He has the same principles. Even in His administration of these people, His disposition can still be seen, as can His laws behind His dominion over all things. And so, do you see God’s sovereignty in the principles by which He administers the unbelievers I just mentioned? Do you see God’s righteous disposition? (We do.) In other words, no matter which out of all the things He deals with, God acts according to His own principles and disposition. This is God’s essence; He would never casually break with the decrees or heavenly edicts that He has set just because He regards such people as beasts. God acts on principle, not recklessly in the least, and His actions are totally unaffected by any factor. Everything He does abides by His own principles. This is because God possesses the essence of God Himself; this is an aspect of His essence not possessed by any created being. God is conscientious and responsible in His handling of, approach to, management of, administration of, and ruling over every object, person, and living thing among all the things He created, and in this, He has never been careless. To those who are good, He is gracious and kind; upon those who are wicked, He inflicts remorseless punishment; and for the various living beings, He makes appropriate arrangements in a timely and regular manner according to the varying requirements of the human world at different times, such that these various living beings are reincarnated according to the roles they play in an orderly manner and move between the material world and spiritual world in a methodical way.

The death of a living being—the termination of a physical life—signifies that the living being has passed from the material world into the spiritual world, whereas the birth of a new physical life signifies that a living being has come from the spiritual world into the material world and begun to undertake and play its role. Whether it be the departure or arrival of a being, both are inseparable from the work of the spiritual world. By the time someone comes into the material world, suitable arrangements and definitions have already been formed by God in the spiritual world as to which family that person will go to, the era in which they will arrive, the hour at which they will arrive, and the role they will play. As such, this person’s entire life—the things they do, and the paths they take—will proceed according to the arrangements made in the spiritual world, without the slightest deviation. Furthermore, the time when a physical life terminates and the manner and place in which it ends are clear and discernable to the spiritual world. God rules the material world, and He also rules the spiritual world, and He will not delay a soul’s normal cycle of life and death, nor could He ever commit any errors in the arrangements of that cycle. Each of the attendants in the official posts of the spiritual world carries out their individual tasks, and does that which they ought to do, in accordance with the instructions and rules of God. Thus, in the world of mankind, every material phenomenon beheld by man is in order, and contains no chaos. All of this is due to God’s orderly rule over all things, as well as the fact that His authority rules over everything. His dominion includes the material world that man lives in and, moreover, the invisible spiritual world behind mankind. Therefore, if humans wish to have a good life, and hope to live in nice surroundings, in addition to being provided with the entire visible material world, they must also be provided with the spiritual world, which no one can see, which governs every living being on behalf of mankind, and which is orderly.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique X

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 191

The Cycle of Life and Death of the Various People of Faith

We just discussed the cycle of life and death of people in the first category, the unbelievers. Now, let us discuss that of the second category, the various people of faith. “The cycle of life and death of the various people of faith” is yet another very important topic, and it is highly necessary for you to have some understanding of it. First, let us speak of which faiths the “faith” in “people of faith” refers to: the five major religions of Judaism, Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, and Buddhism. In addition to the unbelievers, the people who believe in these five religions occupy a large proportion of the world’s population. Among these five religions, those who have made a career out of their faith are few, yet these religions have many followers. They will go to a different place when they die. “Different” from whom? From the unbelievers—the people of no faith—whom we were just talking about. After they die, the believers of these five religions go elsewhere, somewhere different from the unbelievers. However, it is still the same process; the spiritual world will likewise judge them based on all that they did before they died, after which they will be processed accordingly. Why, though, are these people sent to a different location to be processed? There is an important reason for this. What is it? I will explain it to you with an example. Before I do, however, you might be thinking to yourselves: “Maybe it’s because they have a little belief in God! They’re not total unbelievers.” However, this is not the reason. There is a very important reason that they are kept apart from others.

Take Buddhism, for example. I will tell you a fact. A Buddhist is, firstly, someone who has converted to Buddhism, and this is a person who knows what their belief is. When Buddhists cut their hair and become monks or nuns, it means that they have separated themselves from the secular world, leaving behind the clamor of the human world. Every day, they recite the sutras and chant the Buddhas’ names, eat only vegetarian food, live ascetic lives, and pass their days accompanied only by the cold, weak light of a butter lamp. They spend their entire lives like this. When a Buddhist’s physical life is over, they will make a summary of their life, but in their heart they will not know where they will go after they die, who they will meet, or what their outcome will be: Deep down, they will not have a clear idea of such things. They will have done nothing more than blindly carry a sort of faith throughout their entire life, after which they depart from the human world along with their blind wishes and ideals. Such is the termination of a Buddhist’s physical life, when they leave the world of the living; after that, they return to their original place in the spiritual world. Whether or not this person is reincarnated to return to earth and continue their self-cultivation depends on their behavior and practice prior to their death. If they did nothing wrong during their lifetime, they will quickly be reincarnated and sent back to earth again, where this person will once more become a monk or nun. That is, they practice self-cultivation during their physical life in line with how they practiced self-cultivation the first time, and then return to the spiritual realm after their physical life is concluded, where they are examined. After that, if no problems are found, they can return once more to the world of man and again convert to Buddhism, thus continuing their practice. After being reincarnated three to seven times, they will once more return to the spiritual world, where they go after each physical life is over. If their various qualifications and behavior in the human world have been in keeping with the heavenly edicts of the spiritual world, then from this point onward, they will remain there; they will no longer be reincarnated as human, nor will there be any risk of them being punished for evildoing on earth. They will never again have to go through this process. Rather, depending on their circumstances, they will take up a position in the spiritual realm. This is what Buddhists refer to as “attaining Buddhahood.” The attainment of Buddhahood chiefly means achieving fruition as an official of the spiritual world and, thereafter, no longer reincarnating or being at risk of being punished. Moreover, it means no longer suffering the afflictions of being human after reincarnation. So, is there still any chance of them being reincarnated as an animal? (No.) This means that they will remain to take up a role in the spiritual world and will no longer be reincarnated. This is one example of attaining the fruition of Buddhahood in Buddhism. As for those who do not attain fruition, upon their return to the spiritual world, they become subject to the examination and verification of the relevant official, who discovers that while still alive, they had not diligently practiced self-cultivation or been conscientious in reciting the sutras and chanting the Buddhas’ names as prescribed by Buddhism, and instead had committed many evil acts and engaged in a lot of wicked behavior. Then, in the spiritual world, a judgment is made about their evildoing, and following that, they are sure to be punished. In this, there are no exceptions. As such, when can such a person attain fruition? In a lifetime in which they commit no evil—when, after returning to the spiritual world, it is seen that they did nothing wrong before they died. They then continue to reincarnate, carrying on with reciting the sutras and chanting the Buddhas’ names, passing their days with the cold, weak light of a butter lamp, refraining from killing any living thing or eating any meat. They do not partake in the world of man, leaving its troubles far behind and having no disputes with others. In the process, if they have committed no evil, then after they return to the spiritual world and all of their actions and behavior have been examined, they are once more sent out into the human realm, in a cycle that continues for three to seven times. If no misconduct is committed during this time, then their attainment of Buddhahood will remain unaffected, and will not be delayed. This is a feature of the cycle of life and death of all people of faith: They are able to “attain fruition,” and to take up a position in the spiritual world; this is what makes them different from unbelievers. Firstly, while they are still living on earth, how do those who are able to assume a position in the spiritual world conduct themselves? They must be sure not to commit any evil at all: They must not murder, commit arson, rape, or plunder; if they engage in fraud, deception, theft, or robbery, then they cannot attain fruition. In other words, if they have any connection or affiliation with evildoing whatsoever, they will not be able to escape punishment meted out to them by the spiritual world. The spiritual world makes suitable arrangements for Buddhists who attain Buddhahood: They may be assigned to administer those who appear to believe in Buddhism, and in the Old Man in the Sky—they may be allocated a jurisdiction. They may also only be in charge of the unbelievers or have positions with very minor duties. Such allocation happens according to the various natures of their souls. This is an example of Buddhism.

Among the five religions of which we have spoken, Christianity is relatively special. What makes Christians so special? These are people who believe in the true God. How can those who believe in the true God be listed here? In saying that Christianity is a kind of faith, it undoubtedly would only have to do with faith; it would merely be a kind of ceremony, a kind of religion, and be a completely different thing from the faith of those who genuinely follow God. The reason I have listed Christianity among the five major religions is that it has been reduced to the same level as Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam. Most people here do not believe there is a God, or that He rules over all things; much less do they believe in His existence. Instead, they merely employ the Scriptures to discuss theology and use theology to teach people to be kind, to endure suffering, and to do good things. That is the kind of religion Christianity has become: It only concentrates on theological theories, bearing absolutely no relation to God’s work of managing and saving man. It has become a religion of people who follow God but who are not actually acknowledged by God. However, God also has a principle in His approach to such people. He does not casually handle or deal with them at will as He does with the unbelievers. He treats them the same as He treats Buddhists: If, while living, a Christian can exercise self-discipline, strictly abide by the Ten Commandments and make demands of their own behavior in accordance with the laws and commandments, and adhere to them their entire lives, then they also must spend the same amount of time going through the cycles of life and death before they can truly attain the so-called “rapture.” After achieving this rapture, they remain in the spiritual world, where they take up a position and become one of its officials. Likewise, if they commit evil on earth—if they are too sinful and commit too many sins—then they will inevitably be punished and disciplined with varying severity. In Buddhism, attaining fruition means passing on to the Pure Land of Utmost Bliss, but what do they call it in Christianity? It is called “entering heaven” and being “raptured.” Those who are truly raptured also go through the cycle of life and death three to seven times, after which, having died, they come to the spiritual world, as if they had fallen asleep. If they are up to standard, they can remain there to take up a position and, unlike the people on earth, will not be reincarnated in a simple way or according to convention.

Among all these religions, the end of which they speak and for which they strive is the same as the attainment of fruition in Buddhism; it is just that this “fruition” is achieved by different means. They are all birds of a feather. For this portion of followers of these religions, who are able to strictly abide by religious precepts in their behavior, God provides a suitable destination, a suitable place to go to, and handles them appropriately. All of this is reasonable, but it is not as people imagine. Now, having heard about what happens to people in Christianity, how do you feel? Do you feel that their plight is unfair? Do you sympathize with them? (A little.) There is nothing that can be done; they have only themselves to blame. Why do I say this? God’s work is true; He is alive and real, and His work is aimed at all mankind and every individual. Why, then, do they not accept this? Why do they so frantically oppose and persecute God? They should consider themselves lucky to even have this sort of outcome, so why do you feel sorry for them? Their being handled in this way shows great tolerance. Given the extent to which they oppose God, they should be destroyed, yet God does not do this; He instead simply handles Christianity the same as any ordinary religion. Thus, is there any need to go into further detail about the other religions? The ethos of all these religions is for people to suffer more hardship, do no evil, do good deeds, not swear at others, not pass judgment on others, distance themselves from disputes, and be good people—most religious teachings are like this. Therefore, if these people of faith—these followers of various religions and denominations—are able to strictly abide by their religious precepts, then they will not commit great errors or sins during the time that they are on earth; and, after being reincarnated for three to seven times, these people—the ones who are able to strictly abide by religious precepts—will, by and large, remain to take up a position in the spiritual world. Are there many such people? (No, there are not.) What do you base your answer on? It is not easy to do good and to abide by religious rules and laws. Buddhism does not allow people to eat meat—could you do that? If you had to wear gray robes and recite sutras and chant the Buddhas’ names in a Buddhist temple all day, could you do it? It would not be easy. Christianity has the Ten Commandments, the commandments and laws; are these easy to abide by? They are not, right? Take not swearing at others, for example: People are simply incapable of abiding by this rule. Unable to stop themselves, they swear—and after swearing, they cannot take those words back, so what do they do? At night, they confess their sins. Sometimes after they swear at others, they still harbor hatred in their hearts, and they even go so far as to plan out a time to do further harm to those people. In short, for those who live among this dead dogma, it is not easy to refrain from sinning or committing evil. Therefore, in every religion, only a handful of people are actually able to attain fruition. Do you assume that because so many people follow these religions, a good portion will be able to remain to take up a role in the spiritual realm? There are not that many; only a few are actually able to achieve this. That is generally it for the cycle of life and death of people of faith. What sets them apart is that they can attain fruition, and this is what sets them apart from unbelievers.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique X

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 192

The Cycle of Life and Death of God’s Followers (Selected passages)

Next, let us speak of the cycle of life and death of those who follow God. This concerns you, so pay attention: First, think about how God’s followers can be categorized. (God’s chosen ones, and the service-doers.) There are indeed two: God’s chosen ones, and the service-doers. First, let us talk about God’s chosen ones, of whom there are but a few. Whom does “God’s chosen ones” refer to? After God created all things and mankind came into existence, God selected a group of people who would follow Him; these are simply referred to as “God’s chosen.” There was a special scope and significance to God’s selection of these people. The scope is special in that it was limited to a select few, who must come when He does important work. And what is the significance? Since they were a group selected by God, the significance is great. That is, God wishes to complete these people, and perfect them, and once His work of management is finished, He will gain these people. Is this significance not great? Thus, these chosen ones are of great importance to God, for they are the ones whom God intends to gain. As for the service-doers, well, let us take a break for a moment from the subject of God’s predestination, and first talk of their origins. A “service-doer” is literally one who serves. Those who serve are transient; they do not do so long-term or forever, but are hired or recruited temporarily. The origin of most of them is that they were selected from among the unbelievers. They came to earth when it was decreed that they would assume the role of service-doers in God’s work. They may have been animals in the previous lifetime, but they may also have been unbelievers. Such are the origins of the service-doers.

Let us talk further of God’s chosen people. When they die, they go to a completely different location from that of the unbelievers and various people of faith. It is a place where they are accompanied by angels and God’s messengers; it is a place that is personally administered by God. Even though God’s chosen people cannot behold God with their own eyes in this place, it is unlike anywhere else in the spiritual realm; this is a different location, where this portion of people go after they die. When they die, they, too, are subject to a stringent investigation by God’s messengers. And what is investigated? God’s messengers investigate the paths these people have taken throughout their lives in their belief in God, whether or not they ever opposed God or cursed Him during that time, and whether or not they committed any grievous sins or evil. This investigation will settle the question of whether a particular person is allowed to stay or must leave. What does “leave” mean? And what does “stay” mean? “Leave” means whether, based on their behavior, they remain among the ranks of God’s chosen ones; being allowed to “stay” means that they can remain among the ones who will be made complete by God during the last days. For those who stay, God has special arrangements. During each period of His work, He will send such people to act as apostles or to do the work of reviving or tending to the churches. However, people who are capable of such work are not reincarnated as frequently as unbelievers, who are reborn generation after generation; rather, they are returned to earth in accordance with the requirements and steps of God’s work, and they are not reincarnated frequently. So are there any rules to when they are reincarnated? Do they come once every few years? Do they come with such frequency? They do not. This is all based on God’s work, on its steps and on His needs, and there are no set rules. The only rule is that when God does the final stage of His work during the last days, these chosen people will all come, and this coming will be their last reincarnation. And why is that? This is based on the outcome to be achieved during God’s last stage of work—for during this last stage of work, God will make these chosen ones entirely complete. What does this mean? If, during this final phase, these people are made complete and perfected, then they will not be reincarnated as before; their process of being human will have come to a complete finish, as will their process of reincarnation. This relates to those who will stay. So where do those who cannot stay go? Those who are not allowed to stay have their own appropriate destination. First of all, as a result of their evildoing, the mistakes they have made, and the sins they have committed, they, too, will be punished. After they have been punished, God will either make arrangements to send them out among the unbelievers as befits the circumstances, or arrange for them to go among the various people of faith. In other words, there are two possible outcomes for them: One is being punished and perhaps living among the people of a certain religion after being reincarnated, and the other is becoming unbelievers. If they become unbelievers, then they will lose all opportunity; however, if they become people of faith—if, for example, they become Christians—then they will still have a chance to return among the ranks of God’s chosen people; there are very complex relationships to this. In short, if one of God’s chosen people does something that offends God, they will be punished just like everybody else. Take Paul, for example, whom we previously talked about. Paul is an example of a person who is being punished. Are you getting an idea of what I am talking about? Is the scope of God’s chosen ones fixed? (It is, mostly.) Most of it is fixed, but a small part of it is not fixed. Why is that? Here I have referred to the most obvious reason: committing evil. When people commit evil, God does not want them, and when God does not want them, He throws them among various races and types of people. This leaves them without hope and makes it difficult for them to return. All of this relates to the cycle of life and death of God’s chosen ones.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique X

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 193

The Cycle of Life and Death of God’s Followers (Selected passages)

This next topic relates to the cycle of life and death of service-doers. We just talked about the origins of service-doers; that is, the fact that they were reincarnated after having been unbelievers and animals in their previous lifetimes. With the arrival of the last stage of work, God has selected from the unbelievers a group of such people, and this group is special. God’s aim in choosing these people is for them to serve His work. “Service” is not a very elegant-sounding word, nor is it in line with everyone’s wishes, but we should look at whom it is aimed at. The existence of God’s service-doers has a special significance. No one else could play their role, for they were chosen by God. And what is the role of these service-doers? It is to serve God’s chosen ones. For the most part, their role is to give service to God’s work, to cooperate with it, and to accommodate God’s completion of His chosen ones. Regardless of whether they are laboring, carrying out some aspect of work, or undertaking certain tasks, what is God’s requirement of these service-doers? Is He very demanding in His requirements of them? (No, He asks only that they be loyal.) Service-doers, too, must be loyal. Regardless of your origins or why God selected you, you must be loyal to God, to any commissions God entrusts to you, and to the work for which you are responsible and the duties you perform. For service-doers who are capable of being loyal and satisfying God, what will their outcomes be? They will be able to remain. Is it a blessing to be a service-doer who remains? What does it mean to remain? What is the significance of this blessing? In status, they seem unlike God’s chosen ones; they seem different. But in fact, is what they enjoy in this life not the same as that of God’s chosen ones? At the very least, it is the same in this lifetime. You do not deny this, do you? God’s utterances, God’s grace, God’s provision, God’s blessings—who does not enjoy these things? Everyone enjoys such abundance. The identity of a service-doer is one who does service, but to God, they are just one among all the things that He created; it is simply that their role is that of service-doer. Being that they are both God’s creatures, is there any difference between a service-doer and one of God’s chosen? In effect, there is not. Nominally speaking, there is a difference; in essence and in terms of the role they play, there is a difference—but God does not treat this group of people unfairly. So why are these people defined as service-doers? You must have some understanding of this! Service-doers come from among the unbelievers. As soon as we mention that they come from among the unbelievers, it is apparent that they share a bad background: They are all atheists, and were so in the past, too; they did not believe in God, and were hostile to Him, to the truth, and to all things positive. They did not believe in God or in His existence. As such, are they capable of understanding God’s words? It is fair to say that to a large extent, they are not. Just as animals are incapable of understanding human words, service-doers cannot understand what God is saying, what He requires, or why He makes such demands. They do not understand; these things are incomprehensible to them, and they remain unenlightened. For this reason, these people do not possess the life of which we have spoken. Without the life, can people understand the truth? Are they equipped with the truth? Do they have experience and knowledge of God’s words? (No.) Such are the origins of service-doers. However, since God makes these people service-doers, there are still standards to His requirements of them; He does not look down upon them, nor is He perfunctory toward them. Even though they do not comprehend His words and are not in possession of the life, God still treats them kindly, and there are still standards when it comes to His requirements of them. You just spoke of these standards: Being loyal to God and doing what He says. In your service, you must serve where needed, and you must serve to the very end. If you can be a loyal service-doer, are able to serve right up to the very end and can fulfill the commission entrusted to you by God, then you will live a life of value. If you can do this, you will be able to remain. If you put in a bit more effort, if you try a bit harder, can redouble your endeavors to know God, can speak a little about knowing God, can bear testimony to Him, and, moreover, if you can understand something of His will, can cooperate in God’s work, and can be somewhat mindful of God’s intentions, then you, as a service-doer, will experience a change in fortune. And what will this change in fortune be? You will no longer simply be able to remain. Depending on your conduct and your personal aspirations and pursuits, God will make you one of the chosen ones. This will be your change in fortune. For service-doers, what is the best thing about this? It is that they can become God’s chosen. If they do so, it means that they will no longer be reincarnated as animals the way unbelievers are. Is that good? It is, and it is also good news: It means that service-doers can be molded. It is not the case that for a service-doer, once God has predestined them to serve, they will do so forever; that is not necessarily so. God will handle them and respond to them in a way that befits this person’s individual conduct.

However, there are service-doers who are unable to serve to the very end; there are those who, during their service, give up halfway and forsake God, as well as people who commit multiple wrongdoings. There are even those who cause tremendous harm and bring tremendous losses to God’s work, and there are even service-doers who curse God and so on. What do these irremediable consequences indicate? Any such evil acts will signify the termination of their services. Because your conduct during your service has been overly poor and because you have gone too far, once God sees that your service is not up to standard, He will strip you of your eligibility to serve. He will no longer allow you to serve; He will remove you from before His very eyes and from the house of God. Is it that you do not want to serve? Are you not constantly wanting to do evil? Are you not consistently unfaithful? Well then, there is an easy solution: You will be stripped of your eligibility to serve. To God, stripping a service-doer of their eligibility to serve means that this service-doer’s end has been proclaimed, and they will no longer be eligible to serve God. God has no further need of this person’s service, and no matter what nice things they might say, those words will be in vain. When things have gotten to this point, the situation will have become irremediable; service-doers like these will have no way back. And how does God deal with service-doers such as this? Does He merely stop them from serving? No. Does He merely prevent them from remaining? Or, does He put them to one side and wait for them to make a turn-around? He does not. God is not so loving when it comes to service-doers, truly. If a person has this kind of attitude in their service to God, God will, as a result of this attitude, strip them of their eligibility to serve, and will once more toss them back among the unbelievers. And what is the fate of a service-doer who has been tossed back among the unbelievers? It is the same as that of the unbelievers: They will be reincarnated as an animal and receive the same punishment in the spiritual world as an unbeliever. Moreover, God will not take any personal interest in this person’s punishment, for such a person no longer has any relevance to God’s work. This is not only the end of their life of faith in God, but also the end of their own fate, as well as the proclamation of their fate. Thus, if service-doers serve poorly, they will have to bear the consequences themselves. If a service-doer is incapable of serving to the very end, or is stripped of their eligibility to serve midway, then they will be thrown among the unbelievers—and if this happens, such a person will be dealt with in the same way as livestock, in the same way as people without intellect or rationality. When I put it like that, you can understand, yes?

The aforementioned is how God handles the cycle of life and death of His chosen ones and the service-doers. After having heard this, how do you feel? Have I ever spoken of this topic before? Have I ever spoken on the subject of God’s chosen ones and the service-doers? I actually have, but you do not remember. God is righteous toward His chosen people and the service-doers. In all regards, He is righteous. Is there anywhere you can find fault in this? Are there not people who will say, “Why is God so tolerant toward the chosen ones? And why is He only a little forbearing toward service-doers?” Does anyone wish to stand up for the service-doers? “Can God give the service-doers more time, and be more forbearing and tolerant toward them?” Is it right to voice such a question? (No, it is not.) And why not? (Because we have actually been shown favor just through the act of being made service-doers.) Service-doers have actually been shown favor simply by being allowed to serve! Without the title of “service-doers,” and without the work they do, where would these people be? They would be among the unbelievers, living and dying with the livestock. What great graces they enjoy today, being allowed to come before God and come to the house of God! This is such a tremendous grace! If God did not give you the opportunity to serve, you would never have the chance to come before Him. To say the least, even if you are someone who is a Buddhist and has attained fruition, at most, you are but a gofer in the spiritual world; you will never meet God, hear His voice or His words, or feel His love and blessings, nor could you ever possibly come face-to-face with Him. The only things Buddhists have before them are simple tasks. They cannot possibly know God, and they just comply and obey, whereas the service-doers gain so much during this stage of work! Firstly, they are able to come face-to-face with God, hear His voice, hear His words, and experience the graces and blessings that He bestows upon people. Furthermore, they are able to enjoy the words and truths bestowed by God. Service-doers truly gain so much! Thus, if, as a service-doer, you cannot even put forth a proper effort, then can God still keep you? He cannot keep you. He does not ask much of you, yet you do nothing that He asks properly; you have not adhered to your duty. As such, without a doubt, God cannot keep you. Such is God’s righteous disposition. God does not mollycoddle you, but neither does He discriminate against you. These are the principles by which God acts. God treats all people and creatures in this manner.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique X

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 194

The Cycle of Life and Death of God’s Followers (Selected passage)

If the various beings in the spiritual world do something wrong or do not do their jobs correctly, God also has corresponding heavenly edicts and decrees with which to deal with them; this is absolute. Therefore, during God’s several-thousand-year management work, some duty-doers who committed wrongdoings have been exterminated, while some—to this very day—are still being detained and punished. This is what must be faced by every being in the spiritual world. If they do something wrong or commit evil, then they are punished—and this is the same as God’s approach to His chosen ones and the service-doers. Thus, in both the spiritual world and the material world, the principles by which God acts do not change. Whether or not you can see God’s actions, their principles do not change. Throughout, God has had the same principles in His approach to everything and in His handling of all things. This is immutable. God will be kind toward those among the unbelievers who live in a relatively proper manner, and will save opportunities for those in each religion who behave well and do no evil, allowing them to play their roles in all the things managed by God and do that which they ought to do. Similarly, among those who follow God, and among His chosen people, God does not discriminate against any person according to these principles of His. He is kind toward everyone who is able to sincerely follow Him, and He loves everyone who sincerely follows Him. It is just that for these several types of people—unbelievers, the various people of faith, and God’s chosen ones—that which He bestows upon them varies. Take the unbelievers, for example: Although they do not believe in God, and God sees them as beasts, among all things each of them has food to eat, a place of their own, and a normal cycle of life and death. Those who do evil are punished, and those who do good are blessed and receive God’s kindness. Is this not how it is? For people of faith, if they are able to strictly abide by their religious precepts through rebirth after rebirth, then after all those reincarnations, God will ultimately make His proclamation to them. Similarly, for you today, whether you are one of God’s chosen or a service-doer, God will likewise bring you into line and determine your outcome in accordance with the regulations and administrative decrees that He has set. Among these types of people, the different types of people of faith—that is, the ones who belong to various religions—has God given them space in which to live? Where are the Jews? Has God interfered in their faith? He has not. And what about Christians? He has not interfered with them, either. He allows them to abide by their own procedures, He does not talk to them or give them any enlightenment and, moreover, He does not reveal anything to them. If you think it is right, then believe in this way. Catholics believe in Mary, and that it was through her that the news was passed on to Jesus; such is their form of belief. Has God ever corrected their faith? He gives them free rein; He pays them no heed and gives them a certain space in which to live. With regard to Muslims and Buddhists, is He not the same? He has set boundaries for them, too, and allows them to have their own living space, without interfering in their respective beliefs. All is well-ordered. And what do you see in all this? That God is possessed of authority, but He does not abuse it. God arranges all things in perfect order and does it in an orderly manner, and herein lies His wisdom and omnipotence.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique X

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 195

The Identity and Status of God Himself

God is the One who rules over all things and administers all things. He created all that there is, He administers all that there is, He rules over all that there is, and He provides for all that there is. This is the status of God, and it is His identity. For all things and all that there is, God’s true identity is the Creator and the Ruler of all of creation. Such is the identity possessed by God, and He is unique among all things. None of God’s creatures—whether they be among mankind or in the spiritual world—can use any means or excuse to impersonate or replace God’s identity and status, for there is only One, among all things, who is possessed of this identity, power, authority, and ability to rule over creation: our unique God Himself. He lives and moves among all things; He can rise to the highest place, above all things. He can humble Himself by becoming human, becoming one among those of flesh and blood, coming face-to-face with people and sharing weal and woe with them, while at the same time, He commands all that there is, deciding the fate of all that there is and in what direction it all moves. Moreover, He guides the fate of all mankind, and steers the direction of mankind. A God such as this should be worshiped, obeyed, and known by all living beings. Thus, regardless of which group or type among mankind you belong to, believing in God, following God, revering God, accepting His rule, and accepting His arrangements for your fate is the only choice—the necessary choice—for any person and for any living being. In God’s uniqueness, people see that His authority, His righteous disposition, His essence, and the means by which He provides to all things are all completely unique; this uniqueness determines the true identity of God Himself, and it also determines His status. Therefore, among all creatures, if any living being in the spiritual world or among mankind wished to stand in God’s stead, success would be impossible, as would be that of any attempt to impersonate God. This is fact. What are the requirements of mankind of a Creator and Ruler such as this, who is possessed of the identity, the power, and the status of God Himself? This should be clear to everyone, and should be remembered by everyone; this is very important to both God and man!

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique X

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 196

Mankind’s Various Attitudes Toward God

How people behave toward God decides their fate, as well as how God will behave toward them and deal with them. At this point, I am going to give some examples of how people behave toward God. Let us listen and see whether the manners and attitudes with which they conduct themselves before God are correct or not. Let us consider the conduct of the following seven types of people.

1) There is a type of person whose attitude toward God is particularly absurd. These people think God is like a Bodhisattva or a holy being of human lore, and needs humans to bow three times whenever they meet each other and light incense after each meal. As a result, whenever they feel extremely thankful for His grace and feel gratitude toward Him, they often have this sort of impulse. They so wish that the God they believe in today can, like the holy being they yearn for in their hearts, accept the way they bow three times upon meeting and light incense after every meal.

2) Some people see God as a living Buddha capable of delivering all the living from suffering and saving them; they see Him as a living Buddha capable of taking them away from the sea of affliction. These people’s belief in God entails worshiping Him as a Buddha. Although they do not light incense, kowtow, or give offerings, deep down, they feel that God is just such a Buddha who only asks that they are kind and charitable, that they kill no living thing, refrain from swearing at others, live a life that appears honest, and commit no wrongdoings. They believe that these things are all that He asks of them; this is the God in their hearts.

3) Some people worship God as though He were someone great or famous. For example, by whatever means this great person likes to speak, with whatever intonation he speaks, what words and vocabulary he uses, his tone, his hand gestures, his opinions and actions, his bearing—they copy all of them, and these are things that they must come to fully engender in the course of their belief in God.

4) Some people see God as a monarch, feeling that He is above all else and that no one dares to offend Him—and that if anyone does, that person will be penalized. They worship such a monarch because monarchs hold a certain place in their hearts. Their thoughts, manner, authority, and nature—even their interests and personal life—all become something these people feel they must understand; they become issues and matters about which they are concerned. As a result, they worship God as a monarch. Such a form of belief is ridiculous.

5) Some people have particular faith in the existence of God, and this faith is profound and unwavering. Because their knowledge of God is so superficial, however, and they do not have much experience of His words, they worship Him as an idol. This idol is the God in their hearts; it is something that they feel they must fear and bow down to, and which they must follow and imitate. They see God as an idol that they must follow their whole life. They copy the tone in which God speaks and, externally, they imitate those whom God likes. They often do things that appear naive, pure, and honest, and they even follow this idol as though it were a partner or companion that they can never part with. Such is their form of belief.

6) There is one type of people who, despite having read many of God’s words and heard much preaching, feel deep down that the only principle behind their behavior toward God is that they should always be obsequious and fawning, or that they should praise God and commend Him in a way that is unrealistic. They believe that God is a God who requires them to behave in such a way. Moreover, they believe that if they do not do so, then at any time they may provoke His anger or stumble into sin against Him, and that as a result of this sinning, God will punish them. Such is the God they keep in their hearts.

7) And then there are the majority of people, who find spiritual sustenance in God. This is because they live in this world, they are without peace or happiness, and nowhere do they find comfort. Once they find God, after they have seen and heard His words, they begin to harbor secret joy and elation in their hearts. This is because they believe that they have finally found a place that will make their spirits happy, and that they have finally found a God who will give them spiritual sustenance. After they have accepted God and begun to follow Him, they become happy, and their lives are fulfilled. They no longer act like the unbelievers, who sleepwalk through life like animals, and they feel they have something to look forward to in life. Thus, they think that this God can hugely satisfy their spiritual needs and bring them great happiness in both mind and spirit. Without realizing it, they become unable to leave this God who gives them such spiritual sustenance, and who brings happiness to their spirits and to all the members of their families. They believe that a belief in God need bring nothing more than spiritual sustenance.

Do any among you possess these various aforementioned attitudes toward God? (Yes.) If, in their belief in God, a person’s heart harbors any of those attitudes, are they able to truly come before God? If someone has any of these attitudes in their heart, do they believe in God? Does such a person believe in the unique God Himself? (No.) Since you do not believe in the unique God Himself, who do you believe in? If what you believe in is not the unique God Himself, then it is possible that you believe in an idol, or a great man, or a Bodhisattva, or that you worship the Buddha that is in your heart. Moreover, it is possible that you believe in an ordinary person. In short, because of people’s various forms of belief and attitudes toward God, they place the God of their own cognitions in their hearts, impose their imagination upon God, place their attitudes and imaginings about God side-by-side with the unique God Himself, and, afterward, hold them up to be consecrated. What does it mean when people have such improper attitudes toward God? It means that they have rejected the true God Himself and are worshiping a false god; it indicates that while believing in God, they are rejecting and opposing Him, and that they are in denial of the existence of the true God. If people keep holding onto such forms of belief, what consequences will they face? With such forms of belief, will they be able to draw ever closer to fulfilling God’s requirements? (No, they will not.) On the contrary, because of their notions and imaginings, they will stray ever farther from God’s way, for the direction they seek is the opposite of the direction God requires them to take. Have you ever heard the story of “going south by driving the chariot north”? This may well be just such a case of going south by driving the chariot north. If people believe in God in such a ludicrous fashion, then the harder you try, the farther you will get from God. As such, I admonish you thusly: Before you get going, you must first discern whether you are actually going in the right direction. Be focused in your efforts, and be sure to ask yourselves, “Is the God I believe in the Ruler of all things? Is the God I believe in merely someone that gives me spiritual sustenance? Is He simply my idol? What does this God I believe in ask of me? Does God approve of everything I do? Are all my actions and pursuits in line with seeking to know God? Do they accord with His requirements of me? Is the path I walk recognized and approved of by God? Is He satisfied with my faith?” You should often and repeatedly ask yourself these questions. If you wish to seek knowledge of God, then you must have a clear consciousness and clear objectives before you can succeed in satisfying Him.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique X

Daily Words of God  Excerpt 197

The Attitude That God Requires Mankind to Have Toward Him

Actually, God is not very demanding of mankind—or, at least, He is not as demanding as people imagine. If God had not uttered any words, and if He had not expressed His disposition or any deeds, then knowing God would be extremely difficult for you, for people would have to infer His intention and will; this would be very hard to do. However, in the final stage of His work, God has spoken many words, done a great amount of work, and made many requirements of man. In His words, and His great amount of work, He has informed people of what He likes, what He loathes, and of what kind of people they should be. After understanding these things, people should have an accurate definition in their hearts of God’s requirements, for they do not believe in God in vagueness and no longer believe in a vague God, nor do they have faith in God amidst vagueness or nothingness. Rather, they are able to hear His utterances, understand the standards of His requirements, and attain them, and God uses the language of mankind to tell them all that they should know and understand. Today, if people still do not know what God is and what He requires of them; if they do not know why one should believe in God, nor how to believe in Him or treat Him—then there is a problem with this. … God’s correct requirements of mankind and those who follow God are as follows. He requires five things of those who follow Him: true belief, loyal following, absolute submission, genuine knowledge, and heartfelt reverence.

In these five things, God requires that people no longer question Him or follow Him using their imaginations or vague and abstract viewpoints; they must not follow God based on any imaginings or notions. He requires that every one of those who follow Him do so loyally, not half-heartedly or without commitment. When God makes any requirements of you, tests you, judges you, deals with you and prunes you, or disciplines and smites you, you should submit to Him absolutely. You should not ask the cause or make conditions, much less should you speak of reasons. Your obedience must be absolute. Knowledge of God is the area in which people are most lacking. They often impose upon God sayings, utterances, and words that are unrelated to Him, believing that such words are the most accurate definition of the knowledge of God. Little do they know that these sayings, which come from the human imagination, their own reasoning, and their own knowledge, bear not the slightest relation to God’s essence. Thus, I want to tell you that, when it comes to the knowledge God desires for people to have, He does not merely ask that you recognize Him and His words, but also that your knowledge of Him is correct. Even if you can only say one sentence, or are only aware of a tiny bit, this tiny bit of awareness is correct and true, and is compatible with the essence of God Himself. This is because God detests any praise or commendation of Him that is unrealistic or ill-considered. More than that, He hates it when people treat Him like air. He hates it when, during discussion of topics about God, people speak with no regard for the facts, talking at will and without hesitation, speaking however they see fit; moreover, He hates those who believe they know God and are boastful about their knowledge of Him, discussing topics related to Him with neither constraint nor reservation. The last of those aforementioned five requirements was heartfelt reverence: This is God’s ultimate requirement of all those who follow Him. When someone possesses a correct and true knowledge of God, they are able to truly revere God and shun evil. This reverence comes from the depths of their heart; this reverence is given willingly, and not a result of pressure from God. God does not ask that you make a gift of any nice attitude, conduct, or outward behavior to Him; rather, He asks that you revere Him and fear Him in the depths of your heart. Such reverence is attained as a result of changes in your life disposition, of gaining knowledge of God and an understanding of God’s deeds, of coming to understand God’s essence, and of your acknowledgment of the fact that you are one of God’s creatures. Therefore, My aim in using the word “heartfelt” to define reverence here is for humans to understand that their reverence for God should come from the bottom of their hearts.

Now consider those five requirements: Are any among you capable of attaining the first three? By this, I am referring to true belief, loyal following, and absolute submission. Are any among you capable of these things? I know that if I said all five, there would unquestionably be none among you who are, but I have reduced the number to three. Have a think about whether you have achieved these things or not. Is “true belief” easy to attain? (No, it is not.) It is not easy, for people often question God. And how about “loyal following”? What does this “loyal” refer to? (Not being half-hearted, but instead being wholehearted.) Not being half-hearted, but wholehearted. You have hit the nail on the head! So, are you capable of achieving this requirement? You have got to try harder, right? At the moment, you have yet to succeed in this requirement. What about “absolute submission”—have you achieved that? (No.) You have not achieved that, either. You are frequently disobedient and rebellious; you often do not listen, do not wish to obey, or do not want to hear. These are the three most fundamental requirements people meet after attaining entry into life, but you have yet to achieve them. Thus, at the moment, do you have great potential? Today, having heard Me say these words, do you feel anxious? (Yes.) It is right that you should feel anxious. Do not try to avoid being anxious. I feel anxious on your behalves. I will not go into the other two requirements; without doubt, no one here is capable of achieving them. You are anxious. So, have you determined your objectives? With what objectives, and in what direction, should you pursue and devote your efforts? Do you have an objective? Let Me speak plainly: Once you have achieved these five requirements, you will have satisfied God. Each of them is an indicator, as well as a final objective, of the maturation of a person’s entry into life. Even if I only picked a single one of these requirements to speak of in detail, and require you to meet it, it would not be easy to achieve; you must endure a certain degree of hardship and put in a certain amount of effort. What sort of mentality should you have? It should be the same as that of a cancer patient waiting to go onto the operating table. Why do I say this? If you wish to believe in God, and if you wish to gain God and gain His satisfaction, then unless you endure a certain degree of pain and put in a certain amount of effort, you will not be able to achieve these things. You have heard much preaching, but simply having heard it does not mean that this sermon is yours; you must absorb it and transform it into something that belongs to you. You must assimilate it into your life and bring it into your existence, allowing these words and preaching to guide the way you live and bring existential value and meaning to your life. When that happens, your hearing these words will have been worth it. If the words I speak do not bring about any upturn in your lives or add any value to your existences, then there is no point in your listening to them. You understand this, right? Having understood it, what happens next is up to you. You must get to work! You must be earnest in all things! Do not be at sixes and sevens; time is flying by! Most among you have already believed in God for more than a decade. Look back on these past ten years: How much have you gained? And how many decades do you have left to live in this lifetime? You do not have long. Forget about whether God’s work awaits you, whether He has left you a chance, or whether He will do the same work again—speak not of these things. Can you reverse the course of the past ten years of your life? With every day that passes, and with every step you take, you have one fewer day. Time waits for no one! You will only gain from your faith in God if you approach it as the greatest thing in your life, more important than even food, clothes, or anything else. If you only believe when you have the time, and are incapable of devoting your entire attention to your faith, and if you are always mired in confusion, then you will gain nothing.

—The Word, Vol. 2. On Knowing God. God Himself, the Unique X