God’s Words From the Bible

“They be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:14).

“For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed” (Isaiah 9:16).

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).

Words of Almighty God of the Last Days

There are those who read the Bible in grand churches and recite it all day long, yet not one among them understands the purpose of God’s work. Not one among them is able to know God; still less can any one among them accord with God’s will. They are all worthless, vile people, each standing on high to lecture God. They willfully oppose God even as they carry His banner. Claiming faith in God, still they eat the flesh and drink the blood of man. All such people are devils that devour the soul of man, head demons that deliberately disturb those trying to step onto the right path, and stumbling blocks impeding those who seek God. They may appear of “sound constitution,” but how are their followers to know that they are none other than antichrists who lead people to stand against God? How are their followers to know that they are living devils dedicated to the devouring of human souls? Those who hold themselves in high esteem in God’s presence are the most abject of men, while those who think themselves lowly are the most honored. And those who think they know the work of God and who are, moreover, capable of proclaiming the work of God to others with great fanfare even as they look directly at Him—these are the most ignorant of men. Such people are without the testimony of God, arrogant and full of conceit.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. All People Who Do Not Know God Are People Who Oppose God

Those Jewish Pharisees, head priests, and scribes of the Age of Law nominally believed in God, but they turned their backs on His way, and even crucified the incarnate God. Could their belief, then, have gained God’s approval? (No.) God had already designated them as people of the Jewish faith, as members of a religious group. And God likewise sees those today who believe in Jesus as members of a religious group, in that He does not acknowledge them as members of His church or as believers in Him. Why would God condemn the religious world so? Because all members of religious groups, especially the high-level leaders of various denominations, lack a God-fearing heart, nor are they followers of God’s will. They are all nonbelievers. They do not believe in the incarnation, much less accept the truth. They never seek, ask after, examine, or accept God’s work in the last days or the truths He expresses, instead going straight to condemning and blaspheming the work of God’s incarnation in the last days. One can see clearly in this that they may nominally believe in God, but God does not acknowledge them as believers in Him; He says that they are evildoers, that none of what they do has the least relation to His work of salvation, that they are unbelievers who are outside of His words. If you believe in God as you do now, will the day not come when you, too, are reduced to religious adherents? Belief in God from within religion cannot attain salvation—why is this, exactly? If you cannot tell why this is, it shows that you understand neither the truth nor God’s will in the least. The most tragic thing that can happen to belief in God is its reduction to religion and its being cast out by God. This is an unimaginable thing to man, and those who do not understand the truth can never see this matter clearly. Tell Me, when a church has gradually turned into a religion in God’s eyes and become a denomination over the many long years since its inception, are the people in it candidates for God’s salvation? Are they members of His family? (No.) They are not. What road is it they walk, these people who nominally believe in the true God, yet are thought by Him to be religious people? The road they walk is one on which they bear the banner of belief in God yet never follow His way; it is one on which they believe in Him yet do not worship Him, and even forsake Him; it is one on which they claim to believe in God yet resist Him, nominally believing in the name of God, in the true God, yet worshiping Satan the devil, and engaging in human operations, and establishing an independent, human kingdom. That is the road they walk. To look at the road they walk, it is apparent that they are a bunch of nonbelievers, a gang of antichrists, a group of Satans and devils that set out explicitly to resist God and disrupt His work. That is the essence of the religious world. Does a group of such people have anything to do with God’s management plan for the salvation of man? (No.) Once believers in God, however many they may be, have their mode of faith defined by God as a denomination or a group, then they, too, are defined by God as those who cannot be saved. Why do I say this? A group without God’s work or guidance that does not submit to Him or worship Him at all may nominally believe in God, but it is the priests and elders of religion whom they follow and obey, and the priests and elders of religion are by their essence satanic and hypocritical. Therefore, what those people follow and obey are Satan and devils. In their hearts, they are practicing belief in God, but in fact, they are being manipulated by man, subject to human orchestrations and mastery. So, in essential terms, what they follow and obey is Satan, and devils, and forces of evil which resist God, and the enemies of God. Would God save a gang of people like this? (No.) Why not? Well, are such people capable of repentance? No; they will not repent. They engage in human operations and human enterprises under the banner of faith in God, running counter to God’s management plan for the salvation of man, with the ultimate outcome being that they will meet with God’s detestation and rejection. It is impossible that God would save these people; they are incapable of repentance, and as they have been carried off by Satan, God hands them over to it. … It does not matter how many sermons you have heard or how many truths you have understood—if you still follow man, if you still follow Satan, and you are not able to follow God’s way in the end, nor able to fear Him and shun evil, then such people are those whom God detests and rejects. People in religion may be able to preach a great deal of biblical knowledge, and they may understand some spiritual doctrine, but they cannot submit to God’s work, or practice and experience His words, or worship Him truly, nor can they fear Him and shun evil. They are all hypocrites, not people who truly submit to God. In God’s eyes, such people are defined as belonging to a denomination, to a human group, to a human gang, as Satan’s lodging. Collectively, they are Satan’s gang, the kingdom of antichrists, and God detests and rejects them entirely.

—The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Only With Fear of God Can One Tread Upon the Path of Salvation

Those who do not accept the new work of God are bereft of the presence of God, and, moreover, devoid of the blessings and protection of God. Most of their words and actions hold to the past requirements of the Holy Spirit’s work; they are doctrine, not truth. Such doctrine and regulation are sufficient to prove that the gathering together of these people is nothing but religion; they are not the chosen ones, or the objects of God’s work. The assembly of all those among them can only be called a grand congress of religion, and cannot be called a church. This is an unalterable fact. They do not have the Holy Spirit’s new work; what they do seems redolent of religion, what they live out seems replete with religion; they do not possess the presence and work of the Holy Spirit, much less are they eligible to receive the discipline or enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. These people are all lifeless corpses, and maggots that are devoid of spirituality. They have no knowledge of man’s rebelliousness and opposition, have no knowledge of all of man’s evildoing, much less do they know all of God’s work and God’s present will. They are all ignorant, base people, and they are scum that are unfit to be called believers! Nothing they do has any bearing on the management of God, much less can it impair God’s plans. Their words and actions are too disgusting, too pathetic, and simply unworthy of mention. Nothing done by those who are not within the stream of the Holy Spirit has anything to do with the new work of the Holy Spirit. Because of this, no matter what they do, they are without the discipline of the Holy Spirit, and, moreover, without the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. For they are all people who have no love for the truth, and who have been detested and rejected by the Holy Spirit. They are called evildoers because they walk in the flesh and do whatever pleases them under the signboard of God. While God works, they are deliberately hostile to Him, and run in the opposite direction to Him. Man’s failure to cooperate with God is supremely rebellious in itself, so will not those people who deliberately run counter to God particularly receive their just retribution?

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God’s Work and Man’s Practice

Some people do not rejoice in the truth, much less judgment. Instead, they rejoice in power and riches; such people are called power seekers. They search only for those denominations in the world with influence, and they search only for pastors and teachers that come from seminaries. Though they have accepted the way of truth, they are only half-believing; they are incapable of giving all of their hearts and minds, their mouths speak words of expending themselves for God, but their eyes are focused on the great pastors and teachers, and they do not spare Christ a second glance. Their hearts are fixated upon fame, fortune, and glory. They think it out of the question that such a meager person could be capable of conquering so many, that one so unremarkable could perfect man. They think it out of the question that these nobodies among the dust and dunghills are the people chosen by God. They believe that if such people were the objects of God’s salvation, then heaven and earth would be turned upside down, and all people would laugh themselves silly. They believe that if God chose such nobodies to be perfected, then those great men would become God Himself. Their perspectives are tainted with unbelief; more than not believing, they are simply preposterous beasts. For they value only status, prestige, and power, and they esteem only large groups and denominations. They have not the slightest regard for those led by Christ; they are simply traitors who have turned their backs on Christ, on truth, and on life.

What you admire is not the humility of Christ, but those false shepherds of prominent standing. You do not adore the loveliness or wisdom of Christ, but those libertines who wallow in the filth of the world. You laugh at the pain of Christ who has no place to lay His head, but you admire those corpses that hunt for offerings and live in debauchery. You are not willing to suffer alongside Christ, but you gladly throw yourself into the arms of those reckless antichrists, though they only supply you with flesh, words, and control. Even now, your heart still turns toward them, toward their reputation, toward their status, toward their influence. And yet you continue to hold an attitude whereby you find the work of Christ hard to swallow and you are unwilling to accept it. This is why I say that you lack the faith to acknowledge Christ. The reason you have followed Him to this day is only because you had no other option. A series of lofty images are forever towering in your heart; you cannot forget their every word and deed, nor their influential words and hands. They are, in your heart, forever supreme and forever heroes. But this is not so for the Christ of today. He is forever insignificant in your heart, and forever undeserving of fear. For He is far too ordinary, has far too little influence, and is far from lofty.

In any case, I say that all those who do not value the truth are nonbelievers and traitors to the truth. Such men shall never receive the approval of Christ. Have you now identified how much unbelief is within you, and how much betrayal of Christ you have? I exhort you thus: Since you have chosen the way of truth, then you should devote yourself wholeheartedly; do not be ambivalent or half-hearted. You should understand that God does not belong to the world nor any one person, but to all those who truly believe in Him, all those who worship Him, and all those who are devoted and faithful to Him.

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Are You a True Believer in God?

How should God’s chosen people treat antichrists? They must discern them, expose them, report them, and spurn them. Only then can following God to the very end and entering onto the right track of faith in God be assured. Antichrists are not your leaders, no matter how they beguiled their way into leadership. Don’t acknowledge them, and don’t accept their leadership—you must discern them and spurn them, because they can’t help you understand the truth, nor can they support you or provide for you. These are the facts. If they cannot lead you into the truth reality, they are not fit to be leaders or workers. If they cannot lead you to understanding the truth and experiencing the work of God, they are those who oppose God, and you should discern them, expose them, and spurn them. Everything they do is in order to dupe you into following them, and to make you join their group to undermine and disturb the work of the church, to rope you into taking the path of antichrists, as they do. They want to drag you to hell! If you cannot tell them for what they are, and believe that since they are your leaders, you should submit to them, and make concessions to them, then you are someone who betrays both the truth and God—and such people cannot be saved. If you wish to be saved, not only must you surpass the hurdle of the great red dragon, and not only must you be able to discern the great red dragon, to see through to its hideous countenance and forsake it utterly—there is also the hurdle of the antichrists for you to surpass. In the church, an antichrist is not only the enemy of God, but also the enemy of God’s chosen people. If you cannot discern an antichrist, you are liable to be deceived and won over, walk the antichrist’s path, and be cursed and punished by God. If that happens, your faith in God has completely failed. What must people possess to be granted salvation? First, they must understand many truths, and be able to discern the essence, disposition, and path of an antichrist. This is the only way to ensure not worshiping or following people while believing in God, and the only way to follow God to the very end. Only people who are able to discern an antichrist can truly believe in, follow, and bear witness for God. Some will then say, “What do I do if I don’t currently have the truth for that?” You must equip yourself with the truth with all haste; you must learn to see into people and things. Discerning an antichrist is no simple matter, and requires the ability to clearly see their essence, and see through the plots, tricks, intentions and goals behind everything they do. That way you will not be deceived or controlled by them, and you can stand firm, safely and securely pursue the truth, and be steadfast on the path of pursuing the truth and attaining salvation. If you cannot surpass the hurdle of the antichrists, then it can be said that you are in great danger, and you are liable to be deceived and captured by an antichrist and come to live under Satan’s influence. It is possible that there are some among you who hinder and trip people who pursue the truth, and they are those people’s enemies. Do you accept this? There are some who do not dare to face this fact, nor do they dare to accept it as fact. But the deception of antichrists really does happen in the churches, and happens often; it is just that people cannot discern it. If you cannot pass this test—the test of antichrists, then you are either deceived and controlled by antichrists or made to suffer, tortured, pushed out, suppressed, and abused by them. Ultimately, your measly little life will not withstand for long, and will wither; you will no longer have faith in God, and you will say, “God isn’t even righteous! Where is God? There is no righteousness or light in this world, and there’s no such thing as God’s salvation of humanity. We might as well pass our days going to work and making money!” You deny God, you stray from God, and no longer believe that He exists; any hope that you will obtain salvation is entirely gone. So, if you want to get to where you can be granted salvation, the first test you must pass is one of being able to perceive and see through Satan, and you must also have the courage to stand up and expose and forsake Satan. Where, then, is Satan? Satan is at your side and all around you; it might even be living inside your heart. If you are living within Satan’s disposition, it can be said that you belong to Satan. You cannot see or touch the Satan and evil spirits of the spiritual world, but the Satan and living devils that exist in real life are everywhere. Any person who is sick of the truth is evil, and any leader or worker who does not accept the truth is an antichrist or false leader. Are such people not Satans and living devils? These people might be the very ones you worship and look up to; they could be the people who lead you or the people you have long admired, trusted, relied upon, and hoped for in your heart. In fact, however, they are roadblocks standing in your way and hindering you from pursuing the truth and obtaining salvation; they are false leaders and antichrists. They can take control of your life and the path you walk, and they can ruin your chance to be granted salvation. If you fail to discern them and see through them, then at any moment, you could be deceived and captured. Thus, you are in great danger. If you cannot extricate yourself from this danger, you are Satan’s sacrificial victim. Anyway, people who are deceived and controlled, and become the followers of an antichrist can never, ever attain salvation. Because they do not love or pursue the truth, it is an inevitable result that they are deceived and follow an antichrist.

Some people think they are someone who pursues the truth and say they are able to discern antichrists. They are overestimating themselves, are they not? If you encounter an obvious antichrist, one that bears their fangs, has poor humanity and has committed some evil deeds, you are naturally able to recognize them. But if you encounter an antichrist who seems pious, who is very soft-spoken, and seems like a nice person—an antichrist that conforms to people’s notions—are you still bold enough to claim that you can tell them for what they really are? Do you dare to label them as an antichrist? If you are incapable of discerning them, you are bound to admire them and to be well-disposed toward them, in which case their behavior, their opinions and views, their actions—even their understanding of the truth—will be sure to influence you. To what extent will these things influence you? You will envy the antichrist, imitate them, emulate them, follow them, which will affect your life entry; it will affect your pursuit of the truth and entry into reality, it will affect your attitude toward God, and it will affect whether or not you truly obey God and follow God to the very end. Ultimately the antichrist will become your idol, they will have a place in your heart, and you won’t be able to escape them. When you have been duped to this extent, you have only a very slender hope of being saved, because your relationship with God has been shattered, you have lost the normal relationship with God, and are on the verge of danger. And is this a disaster or a blessing for you? Of course it is a disaster; it is absolutely not a blessing. Although, in small matters, some antichrists are able to help you, and to be of benefit to you, or else are able to preach words and doctrines to enlighten you, once you have been duped by them, worship them, and follow them, you’re in trouble. You’ll have brought ruin on yourself, and lost your chance at salvation. Some people say, “They are not Satan or an evil person, they seem like someone spiritual, someone who pursues the truth.” Do these words hold true? (No.) Why not? With anyone who genuinely pursues the truth, the guidance, help, and provision they give you, or their influence on you or benefit to you, brings you before God so that you may seek His words and the truth, and you come before God and learn to rely on Him and seek Him, and your relationship with Him grows closer and closer. Conversely, what will come of it if your relationship with an antichrist grows closer and closer, until you’re at their beck and call? You’ll stray off onto the wrong path and bring ruin on yourself. When you have a close relationship with an antichrist, your relationship with God becomes distant. And what is the consequence of this? They will lead you before them, and you will distance yourself from God. If you have an idol in your heart, once you start having notions about the words and work of God, or when God’s words expose your idol, you will immediately rebel against God, and might even oppose and betray God; you will stand on the side of your idol and oppose God. This often happens. When some false leaders and antichrists are replaced or expelled, their accomplices and minions start sticking up for them and complaining; some even become negative and stop believing in God. This is common, is it not? And why is it that they stop believing? They say, “Our leader has been replaced and expelled, so what hope do I, an ordinary believer, have?” Isn’t this nonsense? Their words indicate that they follow the antichrist, that they have been completely duped by the antichrist. And what is the consequence of them being duped? The antichrist has become the idol that they worship; the antichrist has become like their ancestor: How could they not leave, as their ancestor was expelled? They only listen to the antichrist, and they are under the complete control of the antichrist. They think that everything the antichrist says and does is correct, and should be accepted and obeyed as truth, and so they do not tolerate anyone in the house of God exposing and condemning the antichrist. Once the antichrist is expelled by the house of God, those who follow the antichrist take it upon themselves to leave the church; “The tree falls and the monkeys scatter,” as it were. Such things demonstrate that antichrists and their followers are the servants of Satan, who have come to disrupt and disturb God’s work. Once they are uncovered, exposed, and spurned by God’s chosen people, their faith in God comes to an end. Followers of antichrists all have one clearly discernible feature: No one’s words get through to them; they heed only antichrists. And once they are duped by antichrists, they stop listening to the words of God, and they only recognize the antichrist as their lord. In this, have they not been duped, are they not being controlled? Only the followers of antichrists would try to stick up for the antichrists. When the antichrists are exposed and laid bare, the people who follow them grow anxious for them, they shed tears for them, they complain on their behalf and try to defend them. At such times they have forgotten God, and no longer pray to God or seek the truth; all they do is defend the antichrists and rack their brains for them; they don’t even recognize God anymore. Do they truly believe in God? Who do they actually believe in? This is already patently clear. … You say you are not worried about being duped by an antichrist, that you have no fear of following an antichrist, but there is no use in claiming this. This is a muddled remark. This is because if you do not pursue the truth and always worship and follow people, then without realizing it, you will take the path of antichrists. Believing in God for several years but being devoid of experiential testimony, and not only not having gained the truth and life, but having become someone who opposes God: this is the ultimate consequence of following antichrists, and it is one you cannot rid yourself of, it is an unalterable fact. It’s just as when someone touches an electric current: They’re sure to get shocked. Some may say, “I don’t believe that; I’m not afraid”—but is it a matter of whether you believe it or whether you’re afraid? Touch a current, and zap! You’ll get shocked. It won’t help not to believe it. Not to believe it is ignorance; it’s an irresponsible thing to say. Therefore, whether you’re willing to follow an antichrist or not, if you don’t pursue the truth, and your exertions are always aimed at reputation and status, you’ve already set off on the antichrists’ path. This consequence will show itself bit by bit, like flotsam rising to the surface. This is inevitable. What the antichrists do is to lead people before them, they make them accept their control and manipulation, rather than accept the orchestrations and arrangements of God, or submit to the sovereignty of God. Antichrists want to win people over, they want to gain them, their aim is to control all of God’s chosen people, to control God’s chosen people in their hands; they are traffickers. And what do antichrists use to achieve their aim of controlling people? They use the spiritual doctrine that people worship, they use specious theories, they take advantage of people’s corrupt mentality of worshiping theory to blather and embellish, to dupe people. In short, everything they say is but words and doctrines, empty theory, things that are specious and in contravention of the truth. If people do not understand the truth, they are taken in; at the very least, they are duped for a time before coming to their senses. When they do come to their senses is when the antichrists are unmasked, at which time they feel the utmost regret. People who follow antichrists have long since lost the work of the Holy Spirit; this is because they worship idols in their hearts, follow people, and they are spurned by God, and He has put them to one side to reveal them. So, it is extremely dangerous to follow antichrists; like antichrists, people who follow antichrists are most despised by God.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Three: They Exclude and Attack Those Who Pursue the Truth

You have to discern antichrists. If you never take this seriously, you will have no way of knowing in what kind of situation you could be led astray by them. You might even follow an antichrist in a haze of confusion, without knowing what is happening. At that time, you may not realize that anything is wrong, and you might even feel that what the antichrist is saying is right. You will unwittingly have been led astray. Once you have been deceived, it means you will have turned your back on God, and God will no longer be able to save you. Some people who seem to do fine normally are just momentarily taken in by an antichrist, and the church can eventually wrest them back through warning and fellowship. However, some people never come back, no matter the fellowship they receive; instead, they are dead set on following the antichrist. Are they not then thoroughly ruined? They refuse to turn back, so God does no more work on them. Some people who lack discernment feel sorry for people like this, saying, “They’re quite good people. They’ve believed in God for years, and they’ve forsaken things and expended themselves. They’ve performed their duty really loyally; they’ve had a lot of faith in God and they are true believers. Shouldn’t they be given another chance?” Is this view right? Is it in accordance with the truth? People only see what is on the outside of another; they cannot see what is inside others’ hearts. They cannot see exactly what sort of a person someone else is, or what someone’s essence is. They must interact with or observe a person for a period of time, and there must be events that reveal who that person is before they can be seen clearly. You may try to rescue them out of kindness, but they do not turn back, no matter how you fellowship. You may not know the underlying reason, but the fact is that God saw who they are long ago and cast them out. Why did God cast them out? The most straightforward reason is that some antichrists are obviously evil spirits. With those antichrists that can clearly be classified as evil spirits, if people are to follow them, those people will become negative and weak, and they will fall down paralyzed. God abandoned such people long ago. God detests Satan and has a righteous disposition. If people follow Satan and evil spirits, can God still acknowledge them? God is holy and jealous. He does not want those who have followed evil spirits; even if outwardly they are good people, God still does not want them. What does it mean that God is jealous? What does “jealous” indicate? Listen to what I say now, and you will understand. Beginning when God chooses a person, until that person acknowledges that God is truth, righteousness, wisdom, and omnipotence, that He is the one and only—once they have understood these things, and after they have had some experiences, they will have a basic understanding of God’s disposition, essence, and what He has and is, deep within their heart, and this basic understanding will become their faith. It will also motivate them to follow God, expend themselves for God, and perform their duty. Once they have experience, understand the truth, and their understanding of God’s disposition and their knowledge of God have taken root in their heart—when they are in possession of this stature—they will not deny God. But if they do not have true knowledge of Christ, the practical God, and if they are liable to worship and follow an antichrist, then they are still in danger. They may still turn their back on Christ in the flesh to follow an evil antichrist. This would be openly denying Christ and cutting off ties with God. The subtext of this is: “I don’t follow God anymore—I follow Satan. I love Satan and wish to serve it; I want to follow Satan, and no matter how it treats me, how it ruins, tramples, and corrupts me, I am more than willing. No matter how righteous and holy God is, no matter how much truth He expresses, I am not willing to follow Him. I dislike the truth. I like fame, status, rewards, and wearing a crown; even if I can’t obtain them, I like them.” Just like that, they’ve followed a person who has nothing to do with them, they have run off with an antichrist who is opposed to God. Would God still want a person like this? Certainly not. Is it reasonable for God not to want them? Exceedingly so. People know from doctrine that God is a jealous God; He is holy. You understand this doctrine, but do you know how God treats people like this? If God detests and rejects someone, He will abandon them without hesitation. Is what I say not how things are? (It is.) This is how things are. So, does God’s abandoning a person such as this mean that He has a cruel heart? (No.) God is principled in His work. You know who God is, but you do not like to follow Him. You know who Satan is, yet you insist on following it. God will not force you—go ahead and follow Satan forever. Do not come back; God has abandoned you. How can one understand God’s disposition? God’s disposition is righteous and holy, and there is an element in His disposition that is jealous. In other words, if, as a created being, you are willing to be depraved, what else can God say? God never forces people to do things they are not willing to do. He never forces people to accept the truth. If you wish to be depraved, that is your personal choice—ultimately, it is you who will bear the consequences, and you will have only yourself to blame. God’s principles for dealing with people are immutable, so if you are happy with depravity, then your inevitable end is to be punished. It does not matter how many years you may have followed God; if you wish to be depraved, God will not force you to repent. It is you who are willing to follow Satan, to be deceived and ruined by Satan, and so, in the end, it is you who must bear the consequences.

—The Word, Vol. 4. Exposing Antichrists. Item Seven: They Are Evil, Insidious, and Deceitful (Part Two)

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