I. Noah Built the Ark

Today I’m going to start off by telling you several stories. Listen to the topic I’ll be speaking of, and see if it has any connection to the themes we covered previously. These stories are not profound, you should probably all understand them. We have told these stories before, they are old stories. First up is the story of Noah. During the time of Noah, humankind was extremely corrupt: People worshiped idols, resisted God, and committed all manner of evil acts. Their evildoing was seen by God’s eyes, the words they spoke reached God’s ears, and God determined that He would destroy this human race with a flood, that He would obliterate this world. So were all people to be eradicated, not a single one to remain? No. One man was fortunate, he was favored by God, and would not be the target of God’s destruction: This man was Noah. Noah would remain after God had destroyed the world by flood. After determining that He would end this era and destroy this human race, God did something. What was it? One day, God called out to Noah from the sky. He said, “Noah, the evil of this human race has reached My ears, and I have determined to destroy this world by flood. You are to build an ark from gopher wood. I will give you the dimensions of the ark, and you must assemble every kind of living creature to place within the ark. When the ark is completed and a male and a female of every living creature created by God have been collected within, God’s day will come. At that time, I shall give you a signal.” After uttering these words, God departed. And after hearing God’s words, Noah began carrying out every single task that God had said, without omission. What did he do? He searched for the gopher wood of which God spoke, and the various materials necessary for building the ark. He also prepared for the gathering and nurturing of every kind of living creature. Both of these great undertakings were etched upon his heart. From when God entrusted the construction of the ark to Noah, at no point did Noah think to himself, “When is God going to destroy the world? When is He going to give me the signal that He will do so?” Rather than pondering such matters, Noah earnestly took each thing that God had told him to heart, and then carried each one out. After accepting what was entrusted to him by God, Noah set about carrying out and accomplishing the construction of the ark spoken of by God as the most important thing in his life, without the slightest hint of carelessness. Days passed, years went by, day after day, year after year. God was never supervising Noah, spurring him on, but throughout all this time, Noah persevered in the important task entrusted to him by God. Every word and phrase that God had uttered was inscribed on Noah’s heart like words carved upon a stone tablet. Heedless of the changes in the outside world, of the ridicule of those around him, of the hardship involved, or of the difficulties he encountered, he persevered, throughout, in what had been entrusted to him by God, never despairing or thinking of giving up. God’s words were inscribed upon Noah’s heart, and they had become his everyday reality. Noah prepared each of the materials needed for building the ark, and the form and specifications for the ark commanded by God gradually took shape with each careful strike of Noah’s hammer and chisel. Throughout wind and rain, and regardless of how people mocked or slandered him, Noah’s life proceeded in this manner, year after year. God secretly watched Noah’s every action, without ever uttering another word to him, and His heart was touched by Noah. Noah, however, neither knew nor felt this; from start to finish, he simply built the ark, and assembled every kind of living creature, in unwavering fealty to God’s words. In Noah’s heart, there was no higher instruction that he ought to follow and carry out: God’s words were his lifelong direction and goal. So, no matter what God said to him, no matter what God asked him to do, commanded him to do, Noah completely accepted it, and took it to heart; he regarded it as the most important thing in his life, and handled it accordingly. He not only did not forget, he not only kept it in his heart, but also realized it in his daily life, using his life to accept and carry out God’s commission. And in this way, plank by plank, the ark was built. Noah’s every move, his every day, were dedicated to the words and commandments of God. It might not have seemed that Noah was performing a momentous undertaking, but in the eyes of God, everything Noah did, even every step he took to achieve something, every labor performed by his hand—they were all precious, and deserving of commemoration, and worthy of emulation by this mankind. Noah adhered to what had been entrusted to him by God. He was unwavering in his belief that every word uttered by God was true; of this, he had no doubt. And as a result, the ark came to completion, and every manner of living creature was able to live upon it. Before God destroyed the world, He gave Noah a signal, which told Noah the flood was imminent, and that he should board the ark without delay. Noah did exactly as God said. When Noah boarded the ark, when a great torrent poured from the skies, Noah saw that God’s words had come true, that His words had been fulfilled: God’s wrath had befallen the world, and no one could change all this.

How many years did it take Noah to build the ark? (120 years.) What does 120 years represent for the people of today? It is longer than a normal person’s lifetime. Longer, perhaps, than even two people’s lifetimes. And yet for these 120 years, Noah did one thing, and he did the same thing every day. In that pre-industrial time, in that era before information communication, in that age where everything relied on people’s two hands and physical labors, Noah did the same thing every day. For 120 years, he did not give up or stop. One hundred twenty years: how can we conceptualize this? Could anyone else in the human race have remained committed to doing one thing for 120 years? (No.) That no one could remain committed to doing one thing for 120 years is no surprise. And yet there was one man who, for 120 years, persevered, without alteration, in what God had entrusted to him, never complaining or giving up, impervious to any external environment, and ultimately completing it exactly as God had said. What kind of matter was this? In the human race, this was rare, uncommon—unique, even. In the long tide of human history, among all the human races that had followed God, this was entirely without analog. In terms of the immensity and difficulty of the engineering involved, the level of physicality and exertion it required, and the duration it entailed, this was no easy venture, which is why, when Noah did this thing, it was unique among mankind, and he is a model and exemplar to all who follow God. Noah had heard but a few messages, and at that time God had not expressed many words, and so there is no question that Noah did not understand many truths. He did not comprehend modern science or modern knowledge. He was an exceedingly ordinary man, an unremarkable member of the human race. Yet in one respect, he was unlike anyone else: He knew to obey God’s words, he knew how to follow and abide by God’s words, he knew what man’s station was, and he was able to truly believe and submit to God’s words—nothing more. These few simple tenets were sufficient to allow Noah to accomplish all that God had entrusted to him, and he persevered in this for not just a few months, nor several years, nor several decades, but for over a century. Isn’t this number astonishing? Who could have done this but Noah? (No one.) And why not? Some people say it is due to not understanding the truth—but that is not in accordance with fact. How many truths did Noah understand? Why was Noah capable of all this? The believers of today have read many of God’s words, they understand some truth—so why is it that they are incapable of this? Others say it is because of people’s corrupt dispositions—but did Noah not have a corrupt disposition? Why was Noah able to achieve this, but the people of today are not? (Because the people of today do not believe God’s words, they neither treat nor abide by them as the truth.) And why are they unable to treat God’s words as the truth? Why are they incapable of abiding by God’s words? (They do not have a God-fearing heart.) So when people have no understanding of the truth, and have not heard many truths, how does a God-fearing heart arise in them? (They must have humanity and conscience.) That’s right. In people’s humanity, two most precious things of all must be present: The first is conscience, and the second is reason of normal humanity. The possession of conscience and reason of normal humanity is the minimum standard for being a person; it is the minimum, most basic standard for measuring a person. But this is absent from the people of today, and so no matter how many truths they hear and understand, possessing a God-fearing heart is beyond them. So what is the essential difference between people today and Noah? (They have no humanity.) And what is the essence of this lack of humanity? (They are beasts and demons.) “Beasts and demons” doesn’t sound very nice, but this is in line with the facts; a more polite way to put it would be that they have no humanity. People without humanity and reason are not humans, they are beneath even beasts. That Noah was able to complete God’s commission was because when Noah heard God’s words, he was able to firmly keep them in his heart; for him, God’s commission was a lifelong undertaking, his faith was unwavering, his will unaltered for a hundred years. It was because he had a God-fearing heart, he was a real person, and he had the utmost reason that God entrusted the building of the ark to him. People with as much humanity and reason as Noah are very rare, it would be very hard to find another.

Noah was actually only able to do one thing. It was very simple: After hearing God’s words, he carried them out, and did so without compromise. He never had any doubts, nor did he ever give up. He kept doing whatever God asked him to do, he executed and implemented it in the way God told him to do it without compromise, without any consideration of why, or of his own profit or loss. He remembered God’s words: “God is going to destroy the world. You must build an ark without delay, and when it is completed and the floodwaters come, you shall all board the ark, and those who have not boarded the ark shall all perish.” He did not know when what God had spoken of would come to fruition, just that what is spoken of by God must be fulfilled, that all of God’s words are true, without a single false word among them, and that as to when they shall come to fruition, at what time they will materialize, that is up to God. He knew that his only task at that time was to firmly keep everything God had said in his heart, and then waste no time carrying it out. Such were Noah’s thoughts. This is what he thought, and this is what he did, and these are the facts. So, what is the essential difference between you and Noah? (When we hear the word of God, we do not go on to practice it.) This is behavior, what is the essential difference? (We lack humanity.) It is that Noah possessed the two things that are the very minimum that man should possess—the conscience and reason of normal humanity. You do not possess these things. Is it fair to say that Noah can be called a human being, and that you do not deserve to be called one? (Yes.) Why do I say this? The facts are right there: In terms of what Noah did, forget half, you couldn’t even do one tiny portion of it. Noah was able to persist for 120 years. How many years could you persist for? 100? 50? 10? Five? Two? Half a year? Who of you could persist for half a year? Going out and looking for the wood God spoke of, cutting it down, stripping the bark off, drying the wood, then cutting it into various shapes and sizes—could you keep that up for half a year? Most of you are shaking your heads—you couldn’t even manage half a year. So, what about three months? Some people say, “I think three months would be hard, too. I’m small and delicate. There are mosquitoes and other bugs in the woods, ants and fleas too. I couldn’t bear it if they all bit me. What’s more, chopping down wood every day, doing that dirty, tiring work, outside with the sun beating down and the wind whipping around, it wouldn’t take two days before I got sunburned. That’s not the kind of work I want to do—is there something easier I can be commanded to do?” Can you choose what God commands you to do? (No.) If you can’t keep it up for three months, do you have true submission? Do you possess the reality of submission? (No.) You couldn’t last three months. So, are there any who could last half a month? Some people say, “I can’t recognize gopher wood or chop down trees. I don’t even know which way the tree will fall when I cut it down—what if it falls on me? Besides, after cutting down the trees, at most I could carry one or two tree trunks. Any more and that would be the end of my back and shoulders, right?” You can’t even manage half a month. So, what can you do? What can you achieve when you are asked to obey God’s words, to submit to God’s words, to implement His words? Apart from using computers and giving orders, what are you capable of doing? If this were the time of Noah, would you be the one God called upon? Absolutely not! You would not be the one that God called upon; you would not be the one that God favored. Why? Because you are not someone who is able to submit after hearing God’s words. And if that’s not the kind of person you are, do you deserve to live? When the flood comes, do you deserve to survive? (No.) If you do not, then you will be destroyed. What kind of person are you, if you can’t even manage to implement God’s words for half a month? Are you someone who truly believes in God? If, after hearing God’s words, you are incapable of carrying them out, if you can’t last half a month, can’t even stand two weeks of hardship, what effect is that little bit of truth you understand having on you? If it doesn’t even have a bit of an effect of holding you in check, then for you, the truth is just some words, and it is of absolutely no use. What kind of person are you if you understand all those truths, yet when you are asked to implement God’s words and to suffer 15 days of hardship, you can’t stand it? In God’s eyes, are you a qualified created being? (No.) Considering Noah’s suffering and 120 years of perseverance, there’s more than just a small distance between you—there is no comparison. The reason God called upon Noah and entrusted all that He wished done to him was because, in God’s view, Noah was able to obey His words, he was a man who could be entrusted with a great undertaking, he was trustworthy, and someone who could make what God wished done a reality; in God’s eyes, this was a true person. And you? You cannot achieve any of these things. It is not hard to imagine what all of you are in God’s eyes. Are you human beings? Are you fit to be called human beings? The answer is clear: You are not! I shortened the time as much as possible, to 15 days, just two weeks, and not one of you said you could do it. What does this show? That your faith, loyalty, and submission all amount to nothing. What you believe to be faith, loyalty, and submission I see as nothing! You boast that you’re quite good, but in My view you are utterly lacking!

One of the things in the story of Noah that is most incredible, most admirable, most worthy of emulation, is his 120 years of perseverance, his 120 years of submission and loyalty. See, was God mistaken in His choice of person? (No.) God is the God who observes man’s innermost being. Amidst that vast sea of people, He chose Noah, He called upon Noah, and God was not mistaken in His choice: Noah lived up to His expectations, he successfully completed that which God had entrusted to him. This is testimony. This is what God wanted, this is testimony! But in you, is there any hint or suggestion of this? There is not. Clearly, such testimony is absent in you. What is revealed in you, what God sees, is the mark of shame; there is not one thing there that, when spoken of, can move people to tears. In regard to Noah’s various manifestations, especially his firm belief in God’s words that was without doubt or change for a century, and his perseverance to build the ark that did not waver for a century, and in regard to this faith and willpower of his, no one in modern times can compare, no one is a match for him. And yet, nobody gives two hoots about Noah’s loyalty and submission, no one believes that there is anything in this that is worthy of people’s cherishment and emulation. What, instead, is more important to people now? Repeating slogans and speaking of doctrines. They appear to understand many truths, and to have gained the truth—but compared to Noah, they have not achieved one hundredth, one thousandth, of what he did. How lacking they are! There’s a world of difference. From Noah’s building of the ark, have you discovered what kind of people are beloved by God? Just what kind of quality, heart, and integrity is found in those beloved by God? Do you possess all the things Noah did? If you feel that you have Noah’s faith and character, then it would be somewhat pardonable for you to lay down conditions with God, and to try and bargain with Him. If you feel that they are totally absent in you, then I’ll tell you the truth: Don’t flatter yourself—you’re nothing. In God’s eyes, you’re less than a maggot. And yet you still have the nerve to try to lay down conditions and bargain with God? Some people say, “If I’m less than a maggot, how about I serve as a dog in the house of God?” No, you are not fit for this. Why? You couldn’t even keep a good watch over the door of God’s house, so in My eyes, you are not even the equal of a guard dog. Are these words hurtful to you? Is hearing this unpleasant for you? This is not intended to hurt your self-esteem; it is a fact-based statement, an evidence-based assertion, and not in the least bit false. This is exactly how you act, exactly what is exhibited in you; this is exactly how you treat God, and it is also how you treat all that God entrusts to you. Everything I have said is true and comes from the heart. We’ll finish discussing the story of Noah here.

II. Abraham Offered Isaac Up

There is another story worth telling: the story of Abraham. One day, two messengers came to the home of Abraham, who received them enthusiastically. The messengers had been tasked with telling Abraham that God was to bestow him with a son. As soon as he heard this, Abraham was overjoyed: “Thanks be to my Lord!” But behind them, Abraham’s wife Sarah snickered to herself. Her snicker meant, “That’s impossible, I’m old—how could I produce a child? That I would be given a son, what a joke!” Sarah did not believe it. Did the messengers hear Sarah’s laughter? (They did.) Of course they did, and God saw this too. And what did God do? Unseen, God was watching. Sarah, that ignorant woman, did not believe it—but does that which God determines to do suffer the disturbance of humans? (No.) It does not suffer the disturbance of any human being. When God determines to do something, some people might say, “I do not believe it, I am opposed, I refuse, I object, I have a problem with this.” Do their words hold water? (No.) So when God sees that there are those who disagree, who have something to say, who do not believe, does He need to offer them an explanation? Does He need to explain to them the hows and whys of what He does? Does God do that? He does not. He pays no heed to what these ignorant people do and say, He does not care what their attitude is. In His heart, what God has determined to do has long been set in stone: This is what He is to do. All things and events are under the control and sovereignty of God’s hands, including when someone has a child, and what kind of child they are—it goes without saying that this, too, is in the hands of God. When God sent the messengers to tell Abraham that He would give him a son, God had, in fact, long since planned the many things that He would do later. What responsibilities the son would undertake, what kind of life he would have, what his descendants would be like—God had long planned all of this, and there would be no errors or alterations. And so, could the snickering of some foolish woman change anything? It could change nothing. And when the time came, God did as He had planned, and all of this was fulfilled as God had spoken and determined.

When Abraham was 100 years old, God gave him a son. Having lived 100 years without a son, Abraham’s days had been humdrum and lonely. How does a 100-year-old man without children, especially without a son, feel? “Something’s missing in my life. God has not given me a son, and my life has felt a little lonely, a little regretful.” But what was Abraham’s mood when God sent the messengers to tell him that he was to be given a son? (Delight.) Aside from brimming with joy, he was also filled with anticipation. He thanked God for His grace, for allowing him to raise a child in the years left to him. What a wonderful thing this was, and such was how it occurred. So, what things did he have to be happy about? (He had descendants, his family line would continue.) That’s one thing. There was another most joyous thing, too—what was it? (This child was personally bestowed by God.) That’s right. When an ordinary person is to bear a child, does God come and tell them? Does He say, “I personally bestow you with this child that I promised you”? Is this what God does? No. So what was special about this child? God sent messengers to personally tell Abraham, “At the age of 100, you shall receive a child, one that is personally bestowed by God.” This is what was special about the child: He was told of by God, and personally given by God. What a joyous thing this was! And isn’t the special significance of this child cause for thoughts to throng through people’s minds? How did Abraham feel when he witnessed the birth of this child? “I finally have a child. God’s words have been fulfilled; God said He would give me a child, and He truly did!” When this child was born and he held it in his own arms, the first thing he felt was, “This child I have not received from human hands, but from the hands of God. The child’s arrival is so timely. He was bestowed by God, and I must raise him well, and educate him well, and make him worship God and obey God’s words, for he comes from God.” Did he cherish this child considerably? (Yes.) This was a special child. Add to that Abraham’s age, and it is not hard to imagine just how much he cherished this boy. A normal person’s adoration, tenderness, and affection toward their child were all found in Abraham, too. Abraham believed the words spoken by God, and had witnessed, with his own eyes, the fulfillment of His words. He had also been a witness to these words from their utterance to fulfillment. He felt how authoritative God’s words are, how miraculous His deeds are, and, most importantly, how much God cares for man. Though, looking at the child, Abraham felt a complex and intense set of emotions, in his heart he only had one thing to say to God. Tell Me, what do you think he said? (Thanks be to God!) “Thanks be to my Lord!” Abraham was grateful, and also offered his profound thanks and praise to God. To God and Abraham, this child was of extraordinary significance. That is because, from the moment God said He would give Abraham a child, God had planned and determined that He would accomplish something: There were important matters, great matters, that He wished to achieve through this child. Such was the child’s significance for God. And for Abraham, because of God’s special grace toward him, because God had bestowed upon him a child, in the course of the history of the entire human race, and in terms of all mankind, the value and significance of his existence was extraordinary, it was beyond ordinary. And is that the end of the story? It is not. The crucial part has yet to begin.

After Abraham received Isaac from God, he raised Isaac as commanded and asked for by God. In his daily life throughout those unremarkable years, Abraham led Isaac to sacrifice, and told Isaac stories of God in heaven. Little by little, Isaac came to understand things. He learned how to give thanks to God, and to give praise to God, and he learned how to obey, and to give offerings. He knew when offerings were given, and where the altar was. Next, we get to the key point of the story. One day, at a time when Isaac started to understand things but had yet to reach maturity, God said to Abraham, “I do not want a lamb for this sacrifice. Offer Isaac instead.” For someone like Abraham, who so cherished Isaac, were God’s words like a bolt from the blue? Never mind Abraham, who was of such an old age—how many people in the prime of their lives—people in their 30s and 40s—could bear to hear this news? Could anyone? (No.) And what was Abraham’s reaction after hearing God’s words? “Ah? Was God mistaken in what He said? God is never mistaken, so is it the case that my old ears misheard? I’ll check again.” He asked, “God, are You asking me to offer Isaac? Is Isaac the sacrifice You want?” God said, “Yes, that’s right!” After confirming, Abraham knew that God’s words were not wrong, nor would they change. It was exactly what God had meant. And was it hard for Abraham to hear this? (It was.) How hard? In his mind, Abraham thought, “After all these years, my child has finally started to grow up. If he is offered as a living sacrifice, that means he will be butchered on the altar like a lamb to the slaughter. To be butchered means he will be killed, and his being killed means that from today onward, I will be without this child….” With his thoughts having gotten to this point, dare Abraham think any further? (No.) Why not? To think further would bring even greater pain, like a knife to the heart. To think any further would not mean thinking of happy things—it would mean agony. The child was not going to be taken away, unseen for a few days or years, but still there; it was not like Abraham would constantly think about him, and then meet the child again at some opportune moment once he had grown up. That was not the case. Once the child was offered upon the altar, he would be no more, he was never to be seen again, he would have been sacrificed to God, and he would have returned to God. Things would be as they had been before. Prior to the child, life was lonely. And would it have been painful if things had carried on like that, him never having a child? (It wouldn’t have been very painful.) To have a child and then lose him—that is enormously painful. It is a devastating thing! Returning this child to God would mean that from then onward, the child would never be seen again, his voice would never be heard again, Abraham would never watch him playing again, would not be able to raise him, would not be able to make him laugh, would not see him growing up, would not be able to enjoy all of the familial joys that came with his presence. All that remained would be pain and longing. The more Abraham thought about it, the harder it got. But no matter how hard it was, one thing was clear in his heart: “What God said and what God is going to do was not a joke, it could not be wrong, much less could it change. Moreover, the child has come from God, so it is perfectly natural and justified that he be offered unto God, and when God wishes it, I am duty-bound to return him unto God, without compromise. The past decade of familial joy has been a special gift, one that I have enjoyed in abundance; I should give thanks to God, and not make unreasonable demands of God. This child belongs to God, I should not claim him for my own, he is not my personal property. All people come from God. Even if I am asked to offer my own life, I should not try to reason with God or dictate terms, to say nothing of when the child has been personally told of and bestowed by God. If God says to offer him, then I shall!”

Minute by minute, second by second, time passed in this way, the moment of sacrifice drawing ever closer. But instead of growing ever more miserable, Abraham felt increasingly calm. What calmed him? What allowed Abraham to escape the pain and have the correct attitude toward what was to happen? He believed that one’s attitude toward all that God has done should only be that of submission, and not that of trying to reason with God. His thoughts having reached this point, he was pained no longer. Carrying the young Isaac, he advanced, step by step, toward the side of the altar. Upon the altar there was nothing—not like usually, when a lamb would already be there waiting. “Father, have you yet to prepare today’s sacrifice?” asked Isaac. “If not, then what will be sacrificed today?” What did Abraham feel when Isaac asked this? Is it possible he felt happy? (No.) So what did he do? In his heart, did he hate God? Did he complain to God? Did he resist? (No.) None of these. What shows this? From everything that happened next, it is clear that Abraham truly did not think such things. He put the firewood that he was going to light on the altar, and called Isaac over. And at the sight of Abraham calling Isaac to the altar, at that moment, what do people think? “What a heartless old man you are. You have no humanity. You’re not human! He’s your son, can you truly bear to do this? Can you really do it? Are you really that cruel? Do you even have a heart?” Isn’t that what they think? And did Abraham think these things? (No.) He called Isaac to his side and, unable to say a word, took out the rope he had prepared and bound Isaac’s hands and feet. Do these actions suggest that this offering was going to be real or fake? It was to be real, unadulterated, not for show. He hoisted Isaac onto his shoulders, and no matter how the young child struggled and cried out, Abraham did not ever consider giving up. He resolutely placed his own young son upon the firewood, to be burned at the altar. Isaac cried, screamed, struggled—but Abraham was performing the actions for sacrificing to God, preparing everything for the sacrifice. After placing Isaac upon the altar, Abraham took out a knife usually used to slaughter lambs, and held it firmly in both hands, as he raised the knife above his head, and pointed it at Isaac. He closed his eyes, and as the knife was about to descend, God spoke to Abraham. What did God say? “Abraham, stay your hand!” Abraham would never have imagined that God could say such a thing as he was about to return Isaac to Him. It was not something he had dared think. And yet, one by one, God’s words slammed into his heart. Thus was Isaac saved. That day, the sacrifice that would really be given to God was behind Abraham; it was a lamb. This had been prepared by God long in advance, but God had given no prior indication to Abraham, instead telling him to stop just as he had the knife raised and was ready to bring it down. No one could have imagined this, not Abraham, nor Isaac. By looking at Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, did Abraham truly intend to sacrifice his son, or was he pretending? (He truly intended to do this.) He truly intended to do this. His actions were pure, there was no deception involved.

Abraham offered his own flesh and blood as a sacrifice to God—and when God had him make this offering, Abraham did not try to reason with Him by saying, “Can’t we use someone else? I’ll do, or any other person.” Rather than say such things, Abraham gave his most cherished and precious son to God. And how was this offering made? He had heard what God said, and then just went ahead and did it. Would it make sense to people if God gave Abraham a child, and after the child grew up, He asked Abraham to give the child back, and wanted to take the child away? (It would not.) From a human perspective, would that not have been completely unreasonable? Would it not have seemed as though God were toying with Abraham? God gave Abraham this child one day, and just a few years later, He wanted to take him away. If God wanted the child, He should have just taken him; there was no need to cause that person such suffering by asking that he sacrifice the child on the altar. What did the child being offered on the altar mean? That Abraham had to slaughter him and then burn him with his own two hands. Is this something a person could bear to do? (No.) What did God mean when He asked for this sacrifice? That Abraham should personally do these things: personally tie his son up, personally place him upon the altar, personally kill him with a knife, and then personally burn him as an offering to God. To humans, none of this would seem to be considerate of man’s feelings; not one of these things would make sense according to their notions, mindset, ethical philosophy, or morality and customs. Abraham did not live in a vacuum, nor did he live in a fantasy world; he lived in the world of man. He had human thoughts and human views. And what did he think when all of this befell him? In addition to his suffering, and apart from certain things that had him puzzled, was there rebellion or rejection in him? Did he verbally attack and abuse God? Not at all. Precisely the opposite: from the moment God commanded him to do this thing, Abraham dared not treat this lightly; rather, he began preparing right away. And what was his mood as he began these preparations? Was he glad, joyful, and happy? Or was he pained, sorrowful, and heavy-hearted? (He was pained and sorrowful.) He was pained! His every step was heavy. After becoming aware of this matter, and after having heard God’s words, each day felt like a year to Abraham; he was miserable, incapable of joy, and he had a heavy heart. What, however, was his one and only conviction? (That he must obey the words of God.) That’s right, it was that he must obey the words of God. He said to himself, “Blessed be the name of my Lord Jehovah; I am one of God’s people, and should obey God’s words. Regardless of whether what God says is right or wrong, and regardless of how Isaac came to me, if God asks, then I must give; such is the reason and attitude that must be found in man.” Abraham was not free from pain or difficulty after accepting God’s words; he felt pained and had his own difficulties, and these were not easy to overcome! Nevertheless, what happened in the end? As God had wished, Abraham brought his own son, a young child, to the altar, and everything he did was seen by God. As God had watched Noah, so had He watched Abraham’s every move, and He was touched by everything he did. Though things did not end up as anyone thought they would, what Abraham did was unique among all humankind. Should he serve as an example for all those who follow God? (Yes.) He is a model for all among mankind who follow God. Why do I say that he is a model for mankind? Abraham did not understand many truths, nor had he heard any truths or sermons uttered by God to him personally. He had merely believed, acknowledged, and obeyed. What did his humanity possess that was so unique? (The reason of a created being.) Which words reflect this? (He said, “Blessed be the name of my Lord Jehovah; I should obey the words of God, and whether they correspond to man’s notions or not, I must submit.”) In this, Abraham possessed the reason of normal humanity. What’s more, they showed that he also possessed the conscience of normal humanity. And where was this conscience reflected? Abraham knew that Isaac had been bestowed by God, that he was a thing of God, that he belonged to God, and that Abraham should return him unto God when He asked, rather than always clinging to him; such is the conscience that man should possess.

Are the people of today possessed of conscience and reason? (No.) In what things is this reflected? No matter how much grace God bestows upon people, and no matter how many blessings or how much grace they enjoy, what is their attitude when they are asked to repay God’s love? (Resistance, and sometimes fearing hardship and fatigue.) Fearing hardship and fatigue is a concrete manifestation of a lack of conscience and reason. People these days make excuses, try to dictate terms and strike bargains—yes or no? (Yes.) They also complain, do things in a perfunctory and slippery manner, and covet the comforts of the flesh—these are all concrete manifestations. People today possess no conscience, yet still they often praise the grace of God, and count up all such graces, and are moved to tears as they count them. However, after they’ve finished counting, that is the end of it; they still keep being perfunctory, keep going through the motions, they keep being deceptive, and they keep being sly and slacking off, without any particular manifestations of repentance. What, then, was the point of your counting? This is a manifestation of a lack of conscience. So, how is a lack of reason manifested? When God prunes you, you complain, your feelings are hurt, and you then no longer wish to do your duty and say that God has no love; when you suffer a little whilst doing your duty, or when the environment that God sets out for you is a little difficult, a little challenging, or a little hard, you no longer wish to do it; and in none of the various environments set out by God are you able to seek to submit, you are considerate only of the flesh, and you wish only to cut loose and run wild. Is this, or is it not, being bereft of reason? You do not wish to accept the sovereignty and arrangements of God, and you just want to gain benefits from Him. When you implement a little work and suffer a bit, you assert your qualifications, think yourself above others while you enjoy the benefits of status, and start to put on the airs of an official. You have no desire to do any real work, nor are you capable of implementing any real work—you wish only to give orders and be an official. You want to be a law unto yourself, to do whatever you want, and to recklessly commit misdeeds. Apart from cutting loose and running wild, nothing else is manifested in you. Is this possessing reason? (No.) If God gave you a good child, and later told you bluntly that He was going to take the child away, what would your attitude be? Could you harbor the same attitude as Abraham? (No.) Some people would say, “How could I not? My son is twenty years old, and I offered him up to the house of God, where he now does a duty!” Is this a sacrifice? At best, you have simply led your child onto the right path—but you also have an ulterior motive: You are afraid your child might otherwise perish amid disaster. Is this not so? What you are doing is not called making a sacrifice; it is not at all the same as Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac. There is simply no comparison. When Abraham heard what God commanded of him, how difficult would this instruction have been for him—or for any other member of humankind—to carry out? It would have been the hardest thing in the world; there is nothing harder. This was not offering up something like a lamb or a little money, and it was not a worldly possession or material object, nor was it an animal that had no connection to the person making the offering. Those are things that a person can offer up with a fleeting burst of effort—whereas the sacrifice that God asked of Abraham was of another person’s life. It was of Abraham’s own flesh and blood. How difficult that must have been! The child also had a special background, in that he had been granted by God. What was God’s goal in bestowing a child upon him? It was so that Abraham would have a son that would be raised into adulthood, get married and produce children, thus carrying on the family name. And now, however, this child was to be returned unto God before he had reached adulthood, and those things would never happen. So, what was the point in God’s having granted Abraham a child? Could an observer make any sense of this? In light of people’s notions, it makes no sense. Corrupt mankind is selfish; no one could make sense of this. Abraham could not work it out, either; he did not know what, ultimately, God wanted to do, other than that He had asked him to sacrifice Isaac. Thus, what choice did Abraham make? What was his attitude? Though he was unable to figure all this out, he was still able to do as God commanded; he obeyed God’s words and submitted to every word of what He asked without resisting or asking for a choice, much less trying to dictate terms or reason with God. Before Abraham was able to make sense of everything that was happening, he was able to obey and submit—which is absolutely rare and commendable, and beyond the ability of any of you sitting here. Abraham did not know what was going on, and God had not told him the whole story; nevertheless, he took it all seriously, believing that people should submit to whatever God wants to do, and that they should not ask questions, that if God says nothing more, then it is not something people need to understand. Some people say, “You’ve got to get to the bottom of it, though, surely, right? Even if it involves dying, you’ve got to know why.” Is this the attitude that a created being ought to have? When God has not allowed you to understand, should you understand? When you are asked to do something, you do it. Why make things so complicated? If God wished for you to understand, He would already have explained it to you; given that He has not, there is no need for you to understand. When you are not required to understand, and when you are incapable of understanding, everything depends on how you act and whether you can submit to God. This is hard for you, is it not? In such circumstances, you do not submit, and you have nothing left in you but complaining, misinterpretation, and resistance. Abraham was the exact opposite of what is exhibited in you. Like you, he did not know what God was going to do, nor did he know the reasoning behind God’s actions; he did not understand. Did he want to ask? Did he want to know what was going on? He did, but if God had not told him, where else could he go to ask? Whom could he ask? Matters of God are a mystery; who can answer questions about matters of God? Who can understand them? Humans cannot stand in God’s stead. Ask someone else, and they won’t understand, either. You can think it over, but you won’t figure it out, it will be incomprehensible to you. So, if you do not understand something, then does that mean you do not have to do as God says? If you do not understand something, can you simply observe, procrastinate, wait for an opportunity, and look for some other option? If you cannot understand something—if it is incomprehensible to you—does that mean you do not have to submit? Does it mean you can cling to your human rights and say, “I have human rights; I am an independent person, so what entitles You to make me do silly things? I tower between heaven and earth—I can disobey You”? Is this what Abraham did? (No.) Because he believed he was just an ordinary and unremarkable created being, a person under God’s sovereignty, he chose to obey and submit, to not treat any of God’s words lightly, but practice them in their entirety. Whatever God says, and whatever God tells them to do, people have no other choice; they must listen, and after listening, they should go and put it into practice. Moreover, when putting it into practice, people should submit thoroughly and with peace of mind. If you acknowledge that God is your God, then you should obey His words, keep a place for Him in your heart, and put His words into practice. If God is your God, then you should not try to analyze what He says to you; whatever He says goes, and it does not matter that you do not understand or comprehend. The important thing is that you should accept and submit to what He says. This was the attitude Abraham had when it came to God’s words. It was precisely because Abraham possessed this attitude that he was able to obey God’s words, was able to submit to what God commanded him to do, and could become someone who was righteous and perfect in the eyes of God. This was despite the fact that, in the eyes of all those haughty and supercilious people, Abraham appeared foolish and muddled by disregarding the life of his own son for the sake of his faith, and casually placing him upon the altar to be slaughtered. What an irresponsible act that was, they thought; what an incompetent and heartless father he was, and how selfish he was to do such a thing for the sake of his faith! This was how Abraham was viewed in the eyes of all people. However, was that how God saw him? No. How did God see him? Abraham was able to obey and submit to what God said. To what extent was he able to submit? He did so without compromise. When God asked for what was most precious to him, Abraham returned the child to God, sacrificing him for God. Abraham obeyed and submitted to everything that God asked of him. Whether viewed through the lens of the notions of man or through the eyes of the corrupt, God’s request appeared highly unreasonable, yet Abraham was still able to submit; this came down to his integrity, which was characterized by true faith and submission to God. How was this true faith and submission reflected? In just two words: his obedience. Nothing is more precious or valuable for a true created being to possess, and nothing is rarer and more commendable. It is precisely this most precious, rare, and commendable thing that is so absent in followers of God today.

People today are educated and knowledgeable. They understand modern science, and have been profoundly infected, conditioned, and influenced by traditional culture and depraved social mores; their minds swirl, they have labyrinthine notions, and inwardly, they are in utter disarray. Having listened to sermons for many years, and whilst acknowledging and trusting that God is the Sovereign of all things, they still possess a dismissive and insouciant attitude toward each of God’s words. Their attitude toward these words is to ignore them; it is to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to them. What kind of person is this? They ask “why” about everything; they feel a need to figure everything out and thoroughly understand everything. They seem to be very serious about the truth; on the outside, their behavior, the price they pay, and the things they give up suggest an indomitable attitude toward faith and belief in God. However, ask yourself this: Have you held to God’s word and to His every instruction? Have you implemented them all? Are you someone obedient? If, in your heart, you keep answering these questions with “no” and “I have not,” then just what sort of belief do you have? To what end do you actually believe in God? Just what have you gained from your faith in Him? Are these things worth exploring? Are they worth digging into? (Yes.) All of you wear glasses; you are modern, civilized people. What about you is really modern? What about you is civilized? Does being “modern” and “civilized” prove that you are someone who obeys God’s words? Such things mean nothing. Some people say, “I am highly educated, and I have studied theology.” Some say, “I’ve read the classical Bible several times, and I speak Hebrew.” Some say, “I’ve been to Israel a bunch, and have personally touched the cross that was carried by the Lord Jesus.” Some say, “I have been to Mount Ararat and seen the remains of the ark.” Some say, “I have seen God,” and “I have been raised up before God.” What use is all this? God doesn’t ask anything demanding of you, just that you obey His words in earnest. If this is beyond you, then forget everything else; nothing you say will be of any use. You all know the stories of Noah and Abraham, but simply knowing the stories by itself is useless. Have you ever thought about what was most rare and commendable in those two men? Do you wish to be like them? (Yes.) How much do you wish this? Some people say, “I so wish to be like them; I think about it whenever I’m eating, dreaming, doing my duty, reading God’s words, and learning hymns. I’ve prayed for it so many times, and have even written a vow. May God curse me if I do not obey His words. It’s just that I don’t know when God is speaking to me; it’s not like He tells me with thunder in the sky.” What use is all this? What does it mean when you say, “I so wish”? (It is just wishful thinking; it is a mere aspiration.) Of what use is an aspiration? It is like a gambler who goes to the casino every day; even when they’ve lost everything, they still want to gamble. Sometimes they might think, “Just one more try, and then I promise I’ll quit and never gamble again.” They think the same thing whether they are dreaming or eating, but after thinking about it, they still go back to the casino. Each time they gamble, they say it will be their last time; and each time they leave the doors of the casino, they say they’ll never come back—with the result that after a lifetime of trying, they still never manage to quit. Are you like that gambler? You frequently resolve to do things and then deny your resolutions, it is second nature for you to deceive God, and this is not easy to change.

III. Exposing How the People of Today Treat God’s Words

What was the subject area of the stories I just told? (About attitudes toward God and about how we can obey God’s word and submit to God when things happen.) What was the main thing these two stories taught you? (To obey and submit, and to act according to the requirements of God’s word.) It is important to learn to obey, and to practice obeying God’s words. You say that you are God’s follower, that you are a created being, that you are a human being in God’s eyes. However, in what you live out and manifest, there is no sign of the submission or practice that comes after hearing God’s words. So, should there be question marks following the terms “a created being,” “someone who follows God” and “a human being in the eyes of God” when they are applied to you? And given these question marks, just how great a hope of salvation do you have? This is unknown, the chances are slim, and you yourself dare not say. Previously, I told two classic tales about how to obey God’s words. Anyone who has read the Bible and followed God for many years is already familiar with these two stories. But from reading these stories, no one has gleaned one of the most important truths of all: obeying God’s words. Now that we’ve heard stories of how to obey God’s words, let us turn to stories about people disobeying God’s words. As disobeying God’s words was mentioned, these must be stories about the people of today. Some of what I say may be uncomfortable to hear, and it might hurt your pride and self-esteem, and you will be shown to be lacking in integrity and dignity.

There is a piece of land that I asked some people to plant vegetables on. This was so that people doing their duty could have some organic food, and wouldn’t have to buy inorganic vegetables treated with pesticides. This was a good thing, right? In one respect, everyone lives together, like a big family, and everyone is able to believe in God together, keeping a distance from the trends and strife of society. Creating such an environment allows everyone to settle down to fulfill their duties. That’s from a small-scale perspective. From a larger-scale perspective, planting vegetables to be eaten by those who do their duty, and playing a part in spreading God’s gospel is also suitable. When I say, “Plant some vegetables for people doing their duty nearby to eat,” are these words not quite easy to understand? When I asked a particular person to do this, he understood, and planted some commonly eaten vegetables. I think that something such as planting vegetables is simple. All ordinary people can do it. It’s not as hard as spreading the gospel or the various items of church work. So I didn’t pay too much attention to it. Some time later, I went there and saw that they were all eating the vegetables they had planted themselves, and heard that sometimes there were some left over, which they fed to the chickens. I said, “You planted all those vegetables, and had a good yield. Have you been sending any to the churches? Have people in the other churches gotten to eat the vegetables we planted?” Some people said they didn’t know. Some said people in other places bought their own vegetables, and didn’t eat the ones from here. Everyone said something different. No one cared about this; as long as they themselves had some vegetables to eat, they felt there wasn’t a problem. Isn’t this odious? I subsequently said to the person in charge, “It’s completely reasonable for you to eat what you grow, but other people have to eat, too. Is it right that you planted so much and couldn’t eat it all, while other places still have to buy their vegetables? Did I not tell you that these vegetables aren’t only being planted for you to eat—you have to send them to the other nearby churches as well?” Do you think I should have to keep telling them what to do and making explicit rules when it comes to this small matter? Did I need to make a great fanfare about it, calling everyone together for assembly and holding a sermon? (No.) I don’t think so, either. Is it possible that people could lack this tiny bit of consideration? If they did, they wouldn’t be human. So I told that person again, “Hurry up and send them to the other churches. Go and get it done.” “Okay,” he said, “I’ll see.” This was the attitude he had. Some time later, I went there again, and saw a large expanse of vegetables in the field, of every kind imaginable. I asked the people who had planted them if they had a big harvest. They said there were so many they couldn’t eat them all, and some had gone rotten. I asked again if they had sent any to the nearby churches. They replied that they didn’t know, that they weren’t sure. They said this in a very vague and perfunctory way. It was clear that no one had taken this matter seriously. As long as they had food to eat, they didn’t care about anyone else. Once again, I went looking for the person in charge. I asked him if they had sent out any vegetables. He said they had. I asked how the delivery had gone. He said they’d been delivered. At this point, does it sound to you like there was a problem? The attitude of these people wasn’t right. They didn’t have an attitude of loyalty and responsibility when they did their duty, which is odious—but what was to come was even more odious. Later, I asked the brothers and sisters at the nearby churches if they had received any vegetable deliveries. “They were sent,” they replied, “but they were in a worse state than the vegetables you’d find thrown on the ground of a market. There was nothing but rotten leaves mixed with sand and grit. They were inedible.” How does hearing this make you feel? Is there rage in your heart? Are you furious? (Yes.) And if all of you are furious, do you think I would have been angry? They begrudgingly sent some vegetables, but they did a poor job. And who was the cause of this poor performance? There was an evil person in that place, who stopped them from being sent out. What did he say after I ordered the vegetables to be delivered? “Since you’re telling me to do this, I’ll put together some rotten leaves and vegetables that we don’t want to eat to send to them. That counts as a delivery, doesn’t it?” Upon learning this, I ordered that this demonic piece of trash be thrown out. What kind of place was this, that he would dare to act like a tyrant here? This is the house of God. It is not society, and it is not a free market. If you throw tantrums and act like a tyrant here, then you’re not welcome here, and I can’t bear to have you under My nose, hurry up and get lost! Get as far away from Me as you can, go back to where you came from! Do you think it was right for Me to handle it like this? (Yes.) Why? (This kind of person is too lacking in humanity.) So why have some people who lack humanity not been sent away? Some people have no conscience or reason, and don’t pursue the truth, but they don’t do evil things, disturb church work, influence other people’s performance of duties, or influence church life. This kind of person should be kept on for now to render service, but when they commit evil and cause disruptions and disturbances, then it is not too late to show them the door. So why did I have to throw out this piece of trash? He wanted to act like a tyrant and call the shots in the house of God. He impacted the normal lives of the brothers and sisters, and affected the work of the house of God. Some people said he was too selfish, too lazy, that he did his duty perfunctorily. Was that the case? He wanted to pit himself against all of the brothers and sisters, against all of those who do a duty, and against God. He wanted to take over the house of God. He wanted to call the shots in the house of God. If he wanted to call the shots, then he should have done something good. But he didn’t do anything good. Everything he did harmed the interests of the house of God and hurt God’s chosen people. Could you tolerate someone like this? (No.) And if none of you could, do you think I could? There are people today who are still unhappy about the fact that the evil person was cleared out. They can’t see through him, and still square off against Me in their minds. There are people today who, at the mention of that person, still don’t think I handled this matter appropriately, who think that the house of God is not righteous. What kind of gang is this? Do you know how this person picked the bok choy they had grown? Normally, you pull the whole stalk out to eat, right? Does anyone just tear the leaves off? (No.) Well, this bizarre guy didn’t allow others to pull the whole plant out by the stalk; he told them to just tear the leaves off. This was the first time I’d ever come across such a thing. Why do you think he did this? Why didn’t he allow the others to pull out the whole plant? Because if they pulled out the whole plant, then the field would be empty, and would have to be turned over and planted again. To save the trouble, he asked others to tear off the leaves. When he told people to do this, no one dared oppose him. They were like his slaves—they did everything he said. He called the shots there. So do you think it would have been acceptable to not get rid of him? (No.) Allowing a person like this to stay would be a scourge. When he does occasionally exhibit something good, that is because it doesn’t involve his own interests. Look closely at everything he does: There is not a single thing that does not disturb and damage the interests of others, not one thing that does not harm the interests of the house of God. This person was born a demon, he sets himself against God, and he is an antichrist. Can such a person be permitted to remain in the house of God? Does he deserve to do a duty? (No.) And still some people try to defend someone like this. Just how muddled are they? Is this not odious? Are you trying to show that you have love? If you have love, then you provide for him; if you have love, let him harm you—but don’t let him harm the interests of the house of God! If you have love, then when he’s cleansed away, go with him—what are you doing still hanging around here? Are these people obedient and submissive? (No.) They were born a gang of demons. That person disobeyed everything I said. If I’d said west, he’d head east, and if I’d said east, he’d head west. He insisted on opposing Me in everything. Why was it so hard for him to obey Me a little? Did Me asking him to send vegetables to the other brothers and sisters mean he would be deprived of his share? Was I depriving him of the right to eat these vegetables? (No.) So why didn’t he send them? He didn’t have to carry them himself, it wouldn’t have taken any effort on his part. But not only did he not give others any of the good ones, he gave them the rotten ones. Just how bad must he be to do this? Can he be considered a person? I told him to send vegetables, not garbage. Something so simple, so easy, just a matter of moving his arms, yet he couldn’t even do it. Is this a person? If even something like this is beyond you, how can you claim submission to God? You butt horns, you fight back, and yet still you try to freeload at the house of God. Could that ever happen? Even today, there are those who haven’t forgotten: “You once hurt our feelings. You once kicked several of us out, but we didn’t agree; we wanted them to stay, but you wouldn’t give them a chance. Are you a righteous god?” Do you think demons would ever say God is righteous? (Never.) Their mouths may say that God is righteous, but when God acts, it doesn’t sit well with them; they cannot bring themselves to praise God’s righteousness. These are demons and hypocrites.

What does even such a minor matter as delivering vegetables show? Is it easy for people to submit to God and obey God’s words? (No.) People eat food provided by God, they live in houses provided by God, they use things provided by God, but when God asks them to share their surplus vegetables with others, are they submissive? Can these words come to fruition in them? In people, they can. They can be carried out. But in devils, Satans, and antichrists, they will never come to fruition. That person thought to himself, “If I send out these vegetables, will anyone remember this good deed of mine? If others eat these vegetables and say it is the grace of god, that god asked me to do it, if they all give thanks to god, who will thank me? I am the hero behind the scenes, I was the one who toiled. It was I who planted the vegetables. You should thank me. And if you don’t, if you don’t know it was I who did this, then you’re dreaming if you think you can eat the vegetables I grew!” Was this not what he thought? And is this not evil? It is so evil! How could an evil person possibly practice the truth and obey the words of God? This person was born a devil and a Satan. He stands opposed to God, he resists the truth, and he despises the truth. He is incapable of obeying God’s words, so is there any need for him to obey them? No. So how should such a matter be handled? Kick him out, and find someone who can obey to take his place. That’s it, it’s that simple. Is handling things in this way suitable or not? (It is suitable.) I think so too. If he doesn’t go, he’ll cause trouble, and harm everyone else. Some people say, “Is it that You’re dissatisfied because he didn’t obey Your words? All he did was disobey You—was it that serious? You sent him away for something so trivial, but he didn’t actually do anything bad. He just sent out some rotten vegetables, and there were a couple of times when he didn’t send anything and didn’t obey You. It’s just a minor matter, isn’t it?” Is that the case? (No.) So how do you think I view this? He couldn’t even obey when it came to something so minor, yet he tried to obstruct things in an unreasonable way here. This is the house of God, nothing here belonged to him. Every blade of grass, every tree, every hillock, every body of water here—he had no authority to control or call the shots over any of these things. He tried to call the shots, to obstruct things in an unreasonable manner. What was he? Nothing of his would have been taken or used, nor would anything belonging to him have been sent out; all he was asked to do was move his arms and fulfill the responsibilities that he was supposed to, yet he couldn’t even do that. Since he couldn’t do that, I did not acknowledge him as a believer, and he had to get out of the house of God, he had to be cleared out! Was it reasonable for Me to do this? (Yes.) These are the administrative decrees of the house of God. If I were to come upon such an evil person doing evil and not cleanse them away, if I didn’t express any attitude toward them, then how many people do you think would be harmed? Would this not throw the house of God into disarray? And would the administrative decrees of the house of God not become empty words? So what is stipulated by the administrative decrees of the house of God with regard to these disobedient demons and antichrists who cause disturbances, unreasonably obstruct things, and act shamelessly? Clear them out and expel them from the house of God. Cleanse them from the ranks of the brothers and sisters. They don’t count as members of God’s house. What do you think of dealing with them like this? Once these sorts of people have been cleansed away, then all work will proceed smoothly. Devils and Satans seek to exploit even something as minor as eating vegetables. Even with this, they try to call the shots, and do what they want. Everything we’ve talked about is a minor thing, but be that as it may, it touches upon the most elemental of all truths. The most elemental of truths is obeying God’s words. What is the disposition of those who can’t even do that? Do they possess the conscience and reason of normal people? Not at all. These are people who lack humanity.

As well as vegetables, people must also consume meat and eggs in their daily lives. So I told some people to keep a few chickens, and to feed these chickens grain, vegetables and the like. They should be free range. That way, they would lay better eggs than the ones sold in the markets. The chicken meat itself would be organic, too; at the very least it wouldn’t have any hormones in it, and wouldn’t be harmful to people when they ate it. The chickens might not produce a great deal of eggs or meat, but the quality would be guaranteed. Do you understand what I mean by this? (Yes.) Then tell Me, how many pieces of information are contained in what I just said? Firstly, raising chickens this way would give us some organic eggs to eat. Regardless of how many we could eat, at the very least, we wouldn’t have to eat eggs that contained antibiotics. That was what was required of the eggs. Secondly, what was required of the meat was that it didn’t contain hormones, so people wouldn’t have any qualms about eating it. Were either of these much to ask? (No.) The requests I put forward were not only not excessive, but they were also practical, right? (Yes.) Later, the chicks were bought and fed. When they started laying, we ate the eggs; however, there was a faint taste of antibiotics, much like in eggs bought at the supermarket. I gave it some thought: Had they been giving them feed that contained antibiotics? Later, I asked the people who looked after the chickens what feed the chickens had been eating, and they said bone powder. “We don’t need to get these chickens to lay early. Feed them using normal organic, free-range methods. Let them lay eggs normally,” I said. “We’re not keeping them to get lots of eggs, just so that we can eat organic eggs. This is all that’s required.” What did I mean when I said this? I was telling them not to feed the chickens anything that contained antibiotics, hormones, and the like. The chickens were to be given different feed to what chickens ate elsewhere. Elsewhere, chickens are fully grown after just three months, they lay eggs every day, and they are used as egg-laying machines right up until the day they’re slaughtered. Does this produce good eggs? And is the meat tasty? (No.) I asked that the chickens be free range, that they be allowed to forage outside, eating insects and weeds, and then be fed some cereals, grains, and the like. Though this would produce fewer eggs, the quality would be better; it would be good for the chickens and for humans. Was what I asked easy to achieve? (It was.) And was it easy to understand? Was there any difficulty in obeying what I said? (It was easy to understand. This was not difficult.) I didn’t feel there was any difficulty involved. It was easy. I didn’t make any demands about the number of eggs produced, just their quality. People with normal reason and a normal way of thinking would have understood this as soon as they heard it. They would have felt that this was simple, that it was doable, and soon after they would have carried it out. This is called being obedient. So is this what the people raising the chickens did? Were they capable of this? To be able to do this would mean possessing the reason of normal humanity. To not be able to do this would mean there was a problem. Soon after I’d said this, the weather turned cold. Based on the normal laws of nature, this would cause the chickens to stop laying. But there was something very telling: When it became colder, the chickens did not lay fewer eggs, they laid more. There were eggs to eat every day, but the yolks weren’t as yellow as they used to be, and the whites were becoming harder and harder. The eggs were getting less and less tasty. What was going on? I said: “What on earth is going on? It’s already hard enough for these chickens to get through the winter, what are you doing trying to get them to lay eggs for people now? That’s a bit cruel!” When I went and asked later, I discovered the chickens were still being given feed that had been purchased elsewhere—feed which guaranteed they kept laying no matter whether it was spring, summer, autumn, or winter. “Normally chickens don’t lay during this season. We can go without eggs. Just keep looking after them. Come spring they’ll start laying eggs again, and they’ll be good-quality ones,” I said. “Don’t be gluttonous. I didn’t ask you to make them constantly lay eggs, nor that you still provide eggs in winter. Since I didn’t ask this of you, why did you keep giving them that feed you bought? You are forbidden from feeding them that again.” Did I make Myself clear? Firstly, I didn’t demand that there absolutely had to be eggs to eat no matter what the season. Secondly, I told them not to give the chickens that feed, not to speed up the egg-laying process. Was this small request hard to achieve? (No.) But the result was, some time later I ate some eggs our chickens had laid again. I said to Myself: How muddled this lot is, how is it they didn’t obey what I said? The chickens were still laying eggs, so they definitely hadn’t changed the feed—this was what was going on.

What can you discern from what happened with the chicken rearing? (That people do not submit to or obey God’s words.) Some people said, “Obeying god’s words—that means following god’s will. We must obey when it comes to great and lofty matters, those are the ones that concern god’s will, the execution of god’s work, and his major work. Everything you’ve been talking about relates to trivial matters from everyday life, which has nothing to do with following god’s will—so we don’t have to do as you say. What you’re talking about isn’t related to our duty, nor to our submission and obedience to god’s words, so we are justified in opposing you, in choosing whether we obey or not. What’s more, what do you know of normal human life, of family affairs? You don’t understand, so you have no right to speak. Don’t spout nonsense to us—we don’t have to obey you in this.” Isn’t this what they were thinking? And was it right to think thus? (No.) Where was the mistake? (Following God’s will does not differentiate between matters that are large or small. As long as they are God’s words, people should obey, and they should submit and put them into practice.) Some people said, “I obey the words of god that are the truth. I don’t need to obey the ones that aren’t the truth. I only submit to the truth. ‘Following god’s way’ means following, obeying, and submitting to that part of the words from god’s mouth which are the truth. Words that concern people’s lives, and that are unrelated to the truth, can be ignored.” Is such an understanding correct? (No.) So how do you regard the truth, and the words of God? Didn’t they make a distinction between the words of God and the truth? And didn’t this turn the truth into a mere figurehead? Didn’t they regard the truth as being very hollow? God’s creation of all things, the shapes and colors of the leaves on the trees, the shapes and colors of the flowers, the existence and propagation of all things—does all this have anything to do with the truth? Does it have anything to do with man’s salvation? Is the structure of the human body connected to the truth? None of these are connected to the truth, but they all come from God. If none of these concern the truth, can you not admit their correctness? Can you deny their correctness? Can you destroy the laws of God’s creation as you please? (No.) So what should your attitude be? You must abide by its laws. When there are things you don’t understand, it is right to trust in what is spoken from the mouth of God. You need not study them, or try to understand them too deeply—you need only to not contravene their laws. This is what it means to trust and submit. When it comes to the habits, common sense, and rules of daily life, and so on, that God requires in people’s day-to-day lives, which do not touch on man’s salvation, though these might not be at the same level or grade as the truth, they are all positive things. All positive things come from God, so people should accept them—these words are right. In addition, being people, what reason and conscience should be found in them? Number one is they should learn how to obey. To obey whose words? To obey the words of devils and Satan? To obey the words of people? To obey the words of great people, outstanding people? To obey the words of antichrists? None of these. They should obey the words of God. What are the principles and specific practices of obeying God’s words? You need not analyze whether they are right or wrong, and you need not ask why. You need not wait until you understand them before putting them into practice. Instead, you should first listen, implement, execute, and adhere, which should also be your first attitude. Only then will you be a created being, and a fit and proper human being. If even these most elemental standards of comportment are beyond you, and God does not acknowledge that you are human, can you then come before Him? Are you worthy of hearing God’s words? Are you worthy of hearing the truth? Are you worthy of salvation? You are not qualified for any of these things.

Did the people I just spoke about involved with the chickens and eggs obey and submit? (No.) What did they treat God’s words as? As a breeze blowing past their ears, and in their minds they had a certain view: “You say what you’ve got to say, and I’ll do what I’ve got to do. I don’t care about your requirements! It’s enough that I supply you with eggs to eat—who cares what eggs you eat. You want to eat organic eggs? Fat chance. Dream on! You asked me to raise chickens, and this is how I raise them, but you’re adding your own demands on top of that—do you have the right to speak about this?” Are these people who obey and submit? (No.) What are they trying to do? They are trying to revolt! God’s house is the place where God speaks and works, and a place where the truth reigns—if, when God said something to their face, these people did not obey, did not submit, can they practice God’s word behind His back? That’s even more unlikely! From unlikely to even less likely: in view of these two things, is God their God? (No.) So who is their god? (Themselves.) That’s right—they treat themselves as a god, they believe in themselves. In which case, what are they doing still hanging around here? Since they are their own god, what are they doing waving the banner of belief in God? Is this not tricking other people? Are they not tricking themselves? If this is the attitude such people have toward God, are they able to obey? (Absolutely not.) Even with something so minor, they can’t obey God’s word or submit to God, God’s words don’t have an effect on them, and they don’t take them in and cannot submit to them. Can such people be saved? (No.) So how far are they from salvation? Too far, not even close! Inwardly, is God willing to save those who do not obey His words, who pit themselves against Him? Definitely not. Even people, measuring this based on their own thoughts, would not be willing to do this. If devils and Satans like this took a stand against you, to pit themselves against you in all respects, would you save them? Impossible. No one wants to save such people. No one wants to befriend such people. In the matter of the chickens rearing—something so minor—people’s nature was exposed; in something so minor, people were incapable of obeying what I said. Isn’t this a serious problem?

Next let us talk of a matter involving sheep. Of course, it still relates to people. Spring had arrived. The weather was warm and the flowers were in bloom. The greenery was flourishing, the grass was green. Everything was beginning to radiate with life. The sheep had been eating hay all winter, and didn’t want to eat it anymore, so they had been looking forward to when the grass grew green and they could eat fresh grass. It happened that this was also when the ewes gave birth to lambs, which meant it was even more necessary for them to eat green grass. The higher the quality of the grass, and the more there was of it, the more milk they would produce, and the faster the lambs would grow; people would also be happy to see this, it was something to look forward to: a nice fat lamb to eat by the arrival of autumn. And given that people had something to look forward to, should they have come up with ways to give the lambs more good grass to eat, to feed them up so they were strong and fat? Shouldn’t they have pondered, “The grass in the field isn’t good at the moment. The lambs will grow slowly if they eat it. Where is there good grass?” Shouldn’t they have put a little effort into this? But who knows what the person looking after the sheep was thinking. One day I went to see the sheep. I saw that the lambs were doing well, and they jumped up at the sight of people, putting their front legs on people’s shins to reach up, wanting to talk to them. Some of the lambs had grown horns, so I held onto their little horns and played with them. Those lambs were doing well, but they were very thin and dry. I thought about how lambs are soft and their wool is not thick, but they are still warm, and I thought about how it would be better if they were fattened up a little. Thinking to Myself about this, I asked the person rearing the sheep, “Is this grass of poor quality? Is there not enough in the field for the sheep to eat? Should the earth be turned over and some new grass planted, so they have enough to eat?” He said, “There’s not enough green grass to eat. At the moment, the sheep are still eating hay.” Upon hearing this, I said, “Don’t you know what season it is? Why are you still making them eat hay? The ewes have given birth to lambs, they should be eating nice green grass. Why are you still making them eat hay? Have you thought of a solution to this?” He came out with a bunch of excuses. When I told him to turn the field over, he said he couldn’t—if he did, the sheep wouldn’t have anything to eat now. What do you think after hearing all this? Do you feel any sense of burden? (I would have thought of ways to find a good field of grass, or mowed some grass elsewhere.) That’s one way to solve it. You have to think of a solution. Don’t just fill your belly and forget everything else—the sheep need to eat their fill, too. Later, I said to a few other people, “Can this field be turned over? Even if you plant in autumn, the sheep will be able to eat green grass next year. What’s more, other places have two fields, can the sheep be herded over there every day to eat fresh grass? If the two fields are rotated, would the sheep not be able to eat fresh grass?” Was what I said easy to do? (It was.) Some people said, “That’s easier said than done. You’re always saying things are easy to do—how is it so easy? There are so many sheep, and when they’re running around, they aren’t easy to herd at all.” Just herding the sheep was so onerous for them, they had so many excuses and difficulties, but in the end they agreed. Several days later I went to look again. The grass had grown so much that it was almost at waist height. I wondered how it could have gotten so high when the sheep were eating it. After asking some questions, I found out: The sheep hadn’t been put out to pasture here at all. The people had an excuse, too: “There’s no shed in that field, the sheep were getting too hot.” I said, “So why not just build them a shed? There are only a few sheep. What are you meant to be doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be handling these simple matters?” They replied, “We can’t find anyone to build it.” I said, “There are people to do other things, why is there no one to do this? Have you looked for someone? All you care about is eating the sheep, not raising them. How could you be so selfish? You want to eat lamb but you don’t let them eat any green grass—how could you be so unethical!” Once they’d been forced to, the shed was built and the sheep got to eat green grass. Was it easy for them to eat a little fresh grass? Something so simple was so hard for these people to carry out. At every step, they came out with excuses. When they had an excuse, when there were any difficulties involved, they gave up and waited for Me to come and sort it out. I always had to keep track of what was going on, I always had to keep an eye on this, I always had to put pressure on them—I couldn’t not put pressure on them. Why should I have to worry over something as trivial as feeding the sheep? I prepare everything for you, so why does it take so much effort to make you obey a few of My words? Am I asking you to climb a mountain of knives or swim in a sea of fire? Or is it too difficult to implement? Isn’t this your responsibility? This is all within your power to achieve, it is within the scope of your abilities. It is not too much to ask. How is it that you are not able to accomplish this? Where does the problem lie? Did I ask you to build an ark? (No.) So how great is the difference between what you were asked to do, and building an ark? It’s huge. The task you were asked to carry out would only take one or two days. All it would take was a few words. It was achievable. Building the ark was a massive undertaking, a 100-year undertaking. I dare say that if you had been born in the same era as Noah, not one of you would have been capable of obeying God’s words. When Noah obeyed God’s words, when he built the ark, bit by bit, as commanded by God, you would be the people standing to one side, holding Noah back, making fun of him, mocking him, and laughing at him. You absolutely are that kind of person. You are utterly devoid of the attitude of obeying and submitting. On the contrary, you demand that God shows you particular grace, and particularly blesses and enlightens you. How can you be so shameless? What do you say, which of the things that I just talked about is My responsibility? Which one do I have to do? (None of them.) All of these things are human matters. They are not My business. I should be able to leave you alone. So why do I have to get involved? I don’t do this because it is My obligation, but for your own good. None of you are concerned about this, none of you has undertaken this responsibility, none of you has these good intentions—so I have to take more pains regarding this. All that is needed is for you to obey and cooperate, it’s very simple—but you can’t even do that. Are you even human?

There was also another more severe incident. There was a place where a building was being constructed. The building was quite tall and covered a fairly large area. A relatively large number of furnishings were set up inside, and for it to be convenient to move them, a set of double doors would be required at the very least, and they would have had to be at least eight feet high. Normal people would have thought about all of this. But someone insisted on installing a single, six-foot door. He ignored everyone else’s suggestions, no matter who they came from. Was this person muddleheaded? He was an out-and-out scoundrel. Later, when someone told Me about this, I said to that person, “You have to install double doors, and they need to be higher.” He reluctantly agreed. Well, ostensibly he agreed, but what did he say in private? “What’s the point in having them so high? What’s wrong with them being lower?” Later, I went to look again. Just an extra door had been added, but the height was the same. And why was the height the same? Was it impossible to build a higher door? Or would the door end up touching the ceiling? What was the matter? The matter was that he didn’t want to obey. What he was really thinking was, “Is it up to you? I’m the boss around here, I call the shots. Other people do as I say, not the other way around. What do you know? Do you understand construction?” Does not understanding construction mean I couldn’t see what the proportions looked like? With such a low door in such a tall building, when someone over 6’2” tall walked through it, if they didn’t stoop over they would crack their head on the frame. What kind of door was this? I didn’t need to understand construction—tell Me, was My take on this reasonable? Was it practical? But such practicality was incomprehensible to that person. All that he knew was following regulations, saying: “The doors where I’m from all are like this. Why should I have made it as high as you said? You asked me to do it, and this is how I made it. If you have no use for me, forget it! This is the way that I do things, and I’m not going to obey you!” What kind of thing was this person? Do you think he could still be used by the house of God? (No.) So what should be done since he could not be used? Though such people make some token effort in the house of God, and are not kicked out right away, and though the brothers and sisters are able to tolerate them, and I am able to tolerate them, when it comes to their humanity—let’s forget whether or not they understand the truth—working and living in an environment such as the house of God, are they likely to stick around? (No.) Do we need to kick them out? (No.) Are they likely to stay in the church for the long term? (No.) Why not? Let’s put aside whether they can understand what they are told. Their disposition being what it is, after making some token effort, they start putting on airs, and trying to call the shots. Can this cut it in the house of God? They’re nothing, yet they think they’re pretty good, that they are a pillar and a mainstay in the house of God, where they recklessly commit misdeeds, and try to call the shots. They are bound to run into problems, and they will not stay long. With people such as this, even if the house of God doesn’t kick them out, once they’ve been here a while they’ll notice that in the house of God, people are always talking about the truth, about principle; they have no interest in this, their modus operandi has no use here. No matter where they go and what they’re doing, they are incapable of cooperating with others, and they always want to call the shots. But it doesn’t work, and they find themselves limited in every respect. As time goes on, most of the brothers and sisters come to understand the truth and principles; while these people try to do as they please, try to be the boss and call the shots, and don’t act according to principle, many people cast disdainful glances at them—are they able to stand this? When that time comes, they will sense that they are incompatible with these people, that they naturally do not belong here, that they are in the wrong place: “How did I accidentally stumble into the house of god? My thinking was too simplistic. I thought that if I put in a little effort, I could avoid disaster, and would be blessed. It never occurred to me that this wouldn’t be the case!” They naturally don’t belong in God’s house; after staying a while, they lose interest, they become indifferent, and there’s no need to kick them out—they slip away by themselves.

Some people say, “Is there nothing You don’t stick Your nose into? You’re a busybody, aren’t You? You just establish Your prestige, make Your presence felt, and let people know of Your omnipotence by meddling in others’ affairs, don’t You?” Tell Me, would it be alright if I didn’t take care of these things? In reality, I don’t want to take care of these things, they are the responsibility of leaders and workers, but if I didn’t, there’d be trouble, and the work to come would be affected. Would I have to involve Myself in such matters if you were able to solve them, if you did as I asked? If I didn’t concern Myself with you, you would not live out any human semblance, nor would you live well. You wouldn’t be able to do anything yourself. And even with that being the case, you still do not obey Me. I will talk to you about something extremely simple: the incredibly minor matter of hygiene and taking care of your living environment. How do you act with regard to this matter? If I go somewhere and don’t inform you in advance, it will be extraordinarily untidy, and you’ll have to clean it up there and then, which will make you feel upset and ill at ease. If I told you in advance that I was coming, then the situation wouldn’t be so bad—but do you think I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes? These are all minor matters, some of the simplest and most basic points of normal humanity. But you’re lazy like this. Are you really able to do your duty well? I stayed in some places in mainland China for ten years, teaching people there how to fold quilts and dry them in the sun, how to clean homes, and how to light stoves in homes. But after ten years of teaching, I wasn’t able to teach them. Is it that I am incapable of teaching? No, these people are just too scummy. I later stopped teaching. When I went somewhere and came across a quilt that wasn’t folded, I would just turn around and leave. Why would I do this? I found it smelly and disgusting. Why should I stay in a place that is worse than a pigsty? I refuse to do that. Even these small problems are very hard to change. Were I to take it up a notch to following the way of God, and the will of God, frankly speaking, you wouldn’t get anywhere close. What is the main point I’m making today? Obeying God’s words is very important, and you must not disregard it. Obeying God’s words does not mean you should analyze, study, discuss, or probe into God’s words, or that you should investigate the reasons behind them, and try to come up with a wherefore; instead, you should implement His words and carry them out. When God speaks to you, when He commands you to carry out a task or entrusts you with something, what God wishes to see next is you taking action, and how you implement this, step by step. God doesn’t care whether you understand this matter or not, nor does He care whether, in your heart, you are curious about this, or have any doubts about it. What God looks at is whether you do it, whether you have the attitude of obeying and submitting.

By chance, I was talking with some people about the costumes for shows. The primary principle was that the color and style of the costumes were to be decent, dignified, tasteful, and elegant. They were not to look like bizarre outfits. What’s more, there was no need to spend too much money. They didn’t have to come from a particular designer, much less was there any need to go to high-end brand-name stores to buy them. My view was that the costumes should make the performers look elegant, decent, and dignified, that they should be presentable. There were no limitations on color, other than avoiding anything that looked too dull or dark on stage. Most other colors were fine: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet—there were no regulations for this. Why this principle? God’s creation contains every color. Flowers appear in color, as do trees, plants, and birds. So we must not have any notions or rules about color. After saying this, I was afraid they wouldn’t understand. I questioned them again, and was only reassured when those who heard Me all said they understood. The remainder could be implemented according to the principle I had spoken of. Was this a simple matter? Was it something major? Was it a bigger or a smaller undertaking than building an ark? (Smaller.) Compared to Abraham’s offering up of Isaac, was it difficult? (No.) There was absolutely no difficulty involved, and it was simple—just a matter of clothing. People are exposed to clothing from the moment they’re born; it was not a difficult matter. Things were even easier for people to carry out when I defined a certain principle. What’s key was whether they obeyed, and whether they were willing to do it. After some time, when a few shows and films had been produced, I saw that all of the lead characters’ costumes were blue. I gave it some thought: “Is there a problem with the minds of the people producing these shows? I was very clear in what I said. I did not make a rule that the costumes had to be blue, and that anyone not wearing blue wouldn’t be allowed on stage. What is wrong with these people? What was instigating and dominating them? Have trends in the outside world changed, and people only wear blue now? No. The outside world has no rules about colors and styles, people wear all sorts of colors. So it is odd that such a situation should occur in our church. Who is doing the final checks of the costumes? Who is in control of this matter? Is there someone pulling the strings?” There was indeed someone pulling the strings; as a result, regardless of the style, all of the costumes were, without exception, blue. What I said made no difference. They had already determined that all the clothing must be blue—people would wear nothing but blue. Blue represented spirituality, and holiness; it was the trademark color of the house of God. If their costumes weren’t blue, then they wouldn’t allow the show to be performed, and wouldn’t dare to do so. I said these people were done for. This was such a simple thing, I explained each point very clearly, and made sure that they understood after I had done so; only once we’d all agreed did I close the topic. And what was the end result? What I said may as well have been air. No one treated it as important. They still did and practiced as they wished; no one carried out what I said, no one fulfilled it. What did they really mean when they said they had understood? These people were humoring Me. They gossiped all day long like those middle-aged ladies on the street. This was also the way they were talking to Me and the attitude they had. So I had a feeling in My heart: The attitude these people had toward Christ was their attitude toward God, and it was a very worrying attitude, a dangerous sign, a bad signal. Do you want to know what it signals? You ought to know. I must tell you this, and you must listen carefully: Judging from what is exhibited in you, from your attitude toward God’s words, many of you will be plunged into disaster; some of you will be plunged into disaster to be punished, and some to be refined, and disaster cannot be avoided. Those who are punished will immediately die, they will perish. However, for those who are refined in the disaster, if it makes them able to obey and submit, and able to stand firm, and they come to possess testimony, then the hardest test will be over; otherwise, there is no hope for them in the future, they’ll be in danger, and they will have no more chances. Do you hear Me clearly? (Yes.) Does this seem like something good for you? In short, to Me, it does not bode well. I feel it is a bad sign. I’ve given you the facts; the choice you make is up to you. I shall say no more about this, I will not repeat Myself, I will not bring it up again.

The topic I’ve been fellowshipping today is how to treat God’s words. Obeying and submitting to God’s words is very important. Being able to execute, implement, and put them into practice is very important. Some people say, “Even today, we still don’t know just how to treat Christ.” How to treat Christ is very simple: Your attitude toward Christ is your attitude toward God. In God’s eyes, your attitude toward God is your attitude toward Christ. Of course, the attitude you have toward Christ is the attitude you have toward God in heaven. Your attitude toward Christ is the most real of all—it can be seen, and it is exactly what God scrutinizes. People wish to understand how to treat God in the manner that God wishes, and this is simple. There are three points: The first is being sincere; the second is respect, learning how to respect Christ; and the third—and this is the most important point—is obeying His words. Obeying His words: does this mean listening with your ears, or with something else? (With our hearts.) Do you have a heart? If you have a heart, then listen with it. Only if you listen with your heart will you understand, and be able to put what you hear into practice. Each of these three points is very simple. Their literal meaning should be easy to understand, and logically speaking, they should be easy to carry out—but how you carry them out, and whether you are able to, is up to you; I will explain no further. Some people say, “You’re just an ordinary person. Why should we be sincere with you? Why should we respect you? Why should we obey your words?” I have My reasons. There are also three of them. Listen closely and see if what I say makes sense. If it does, you should accept it; if you feel it doesn’t, you do not have to accept it, and you can look for another path. Reason number one is that, ever since you accepted this stage of God’s work, you have been eating, drinking, enjoying, and pray-reading every word I have said. Number two is that you yourself acknowledge that you are a follower of Almighty God, that you are one of His believers. So can it be said that you acknowledge that you are a follower of the ordinary flesh in which God is incarnated? It can. In sum, number two is that you acknowledge that you are a follower of Almighty God. Reason number three is most important of all: Among all mankind, only I see you as people. Is this point important? (It is.) Which of these three points are you unable to accept? What do you say, are any of these points of which I have just spoken untrue, not objective, not factual? (No.) So altogether there are six points. I will not go into detail about each one of them; ponder them on your own. I have already spoken at length about these topics, so you should be able to understand.

July 4, 2020