III. Antichrists’ Disposition Essence

A. Wickedness

2. What Antichrists Do Toward God

During the last gathering we primarily fellowshipped and summarized an antichrist’s disposition essence, selecting three traits from the six dispositions of corrupt humanity to dissect. These three traits are being averse to the truth, viciousness, and wickedness. We fellowshipped about wickedness last time, and through a dissection of the wicked manifestations of antichrists, namely, that their thoughts are filled with evil all day long, we identified antichrists and confirmed their wicked disposition essence through these manifestations. We are dissecting the fact that their thoughts are filled with evil all day long from two aspects: first, what is in their thoughts when they treat others, what approaches and manifestations they reveal in their corrupt essence; second, what is in their thoughts about God. We finished fellowshipping about how they treat people. As for what ideas, notions, viewpoints, and motivations antichrists have, and even the predetermined actions in their minds, toward God, we partially fellowshipped about this last time: for example, doubt, scrutiny, and what else? (Suspicion and guardedness.) Doubt, scrutiny, suspicion, and guardedness. Now, let’s fellowship about antichrists testing God.

e. Testing

What are the manifestations of testing? Which approaches or thoughts manifest a state or essence of testing? (If I have committed a transgression or done something evil, I always want to probe God, demand a clear answer, and see if I will have a good outcome or destination.) This has to do with thoughts; so, generally, when one speaks or acts, or when they face something, which of their manifestations is testing? If someone has committed a transgression and feels that God might remember or condemn their transgression, and they themselves are uncertain, not knowing whether God will actually condemn them or not, they come up with a way to test it, to see what God’s attitude really is. They start by praying, and if there is no illumination or enlightenment, they think about completely breaking off their previous methods of pursuit. Previously, they always did things in a perfunctory manner, spending only 30% of their effort where they could use 50%, or 10% where they could use 30%. Now, if they can use 50% of their effort, they will. They take on dirty or tiring work that others avoid, always doing it before others, and making sure the majority of brothers and sisters see it. More importantly, they want to see how God views this matter and if their transgression can be redeemed. When faced with difficulties or things most people cannot overcome, they want to see what God will do, whether He will enlighten and guide them. If they can feel God’s presence and His special favor, they believe that God has not remembered or condemned their transgression, proving that it can be forgiven. If they expend themselves like this and pay such a price, if their attitude changes significantly but they still don’t feel God’s presence, and they certainly don’t feel any discernible difference from before, then it’s possible that God has condemned their previous transgression and doesn’t want them anymore. Since God doesn’t want them, they won’t put in as much effort in the future when they do their duty. If God still wants them, doesn’t condemn them, and there’s still hope for them to receive blessings, they will put some sincerity into doing their duty. Are these manifestations and ideas a form of testing? Is this a specific approach? (Yes.) Just now, you only mentioned one theoretical aspect, but you didn’t specifically get into the detailed manifestation of testing God and what concrete approaches and plans they have in their hearts toward this matter, or expose what the viewpoints and states of antichrists are when they engage in this activity.

Some people constantly lack any knowledge or experience of God’s almightiness and His scrutiny of the depths of the human heart. They also lack a genuine perception of God’s scrutiny of the human heart, so naturally, they are filled with doubt about this matter. Although in their subjective wishes they want to believe that God scrutinizes the depths of the human heart, they lack conclusive evidence. Consequently, they plan certain things in their hearts and simultaneously begin to execute and implement them. As they implement them, they continually observe whether God truly knows about these, whether the matters will be exposed, and if they remain silent, whether anyone can figure it out, or if God can reveal it through a certain environment. Of course, ordinary people may have some uncertainties more or less about God’s almightiness and His scrutiny of the depths of the human heart, but antichrists are not simply uncertain—they are filled with doubt and fully guarded against God at the same time. Therefore, they develop many approaches to test God. Because they doubt God’s scrutiny of the human heart and, even more, deny the fact that God scrutinizes it, they often think about certain matters. Then, with a bit of fear or some inexplicable feeling of horror, they secretly spread these thoughts around in private, misleading certain people. Meanwhile, they continually expose their arguments and ideas bit by bit. As they expose them, they watch whether God will hinder or expose this behavior of theirs. If He exposes or defines it, they quickly retreat, changing to another approach. If it seems that nobody knows about it, and nobody can see through them or into them, they become even more completely convinced in their hearts that their intuition is correct, and their knowledge of God is correct. In their view, God’s scrutiny of the human heart is basically nonexistent. What kind of approach is this? This is the approach of testing.

Antichrists, due to their inherently wicked disposition, never speak or act straightforwardly. They do not handle things with an honest attitude and sincerity, or speak using honest words and act with a heartfelt attitude. Nothing they say or do is forthright but rather circuitous and furtive, and they never directly express their thoughts or motivations. Because they believe that if they express them, they would be fully understood and seen through, their ambitions and desires would be exposed in the light, and they would not be seen among other people as high or noble, or be looked up to and worshiped by others; hence, they always try to conceal and hide their disreputable motives and desires. So, how do they go about speaking and acting? They employ various methods. Just as there is a saying among nonbelievers, “sounding out a situation,” antichrists adopt a similar approach. When they want to do something and they hold a certain viewpoint or attitude, they never express it directly; rather they use certain methods such as subtle or inquiring methods or worming things out of people to gather the information they seek. Because of their wicked disposition, antichrists never seek the truth, nor do they want to understand it. Their sole concern is their own fame, gain, and status. They engage in activities that can give them fame, gain, and status, avoiding those that offer no such things. They eagerly undertake activities related to reputation, status, standing out, and glory, while avoiding things that safeguard the work of the church or may offend others. Therefore, antichrists do not approach anything with an attitude of seeking; rather, they use the method of testing to sound things out, and then decide whether to proceed—antichrists are just this cunning and wicked. For instance, when they want to know what kind of person they are in the eyes of God, they don’t assess themselves through God’s words by coming to know themselves. Instead, they inquire around and listen for implied speech, observing the tone and attitude of leaders and the Above, and looking in God’s words to see how God determines the outcomes of people like them. They use these paths and methods to see where they belong within the house of God and find out what their future outcome will be. Doesn’t this involve some nature of testing? After some people are pruned, for example, instead of examining why they were pruned, examining the corrupt dispositions and mistakes they revealed in the course of their actions, and what aspects of the truth they should seek to know themselves and rectify their former faults, they give others a false impression, using indirect means to find out the real attitude of the Above toward them. For instance, after being pruned, they quickly bring up an insignificant issue with which to seek the Above, to see what kind of tone the Above has, whether they are patient, whether the questions they are seeking will be answered seriously, whether they will adopt a softer attitude toward them, whether they will entrust them with tasks, whether they will still regard them highly, and what the Above really thinks about the mistakes they committed previously. All these approaches are a kind of testing. In short, when they face such situations and exhibit these manifestations, do people know in their hearts? (Yes, they do.) So, when you know and you want to do these things, how do you handle it? Firstly, at the simplest level, can you rebel against yourself? Some people find it challenging to rebel against themselves when the time comes; they think it over, “Forget it, this time it has to do with my blessings and outcome. I can’t rebel against myself. Next time.” When the next time comes, and they meet again with an issue involving their blessings and outcome, they still find themselves unable to rebel against themselves. Such individuals have a sense of conscience, and although they don’t possess an antichrist’s disposition essence, it’s still quite troublesome and dangerous for them. On the other hand, antichrists often entertain these thoughts and live in such a state, but they never rebel against themselves, because they lack a sense of conscience. Even if someone exposes and prunes them, pointing out their state, they persist and absolutely won’t rebel against themselves, nor will they hate themselves because of it or let go of and resolve this state. After some antichrists are dismissed, they think, “Being dismissed seems like a normal thing, but it feels somewhat disgraceful. Though it’s not a significant matter, there’s one crucial thing I can’t let go of. If I’m dismissed, does that mean the house of god will no longer cultivate me? Then what kind of person will I be in god’s eyes? Will I still have hope? Will I still be useful at all in the house of god?” They contemplate this and come up with a plan, “I have ten thousand yuan on hand, and now is the time to use it. I’ll offer this ten thousand yuan as an offering, and see if the above’s attitude toward me can change a bit, and if they can show some favor toward me. If the house of god accepts the money, it means I still have hope. If it rejects the money, that proves I have no hope, and I’ll make other plans.” What kind of approach is this? This is testing. In short, testing is a relatively apparent manifestation of the wicked disposition essence. People use various means to obtain the information they desire, gain certainty, and then achieve peace of mind. There are multiple ways to test, such as using words to worm things out of God, using things to test Him, thinking and mulling things over in their minds. What is the most common way you test God? (Sometimes, when praying to God, I check God’s attitude toward me and see if I have peace in my heart. I use this method to test God.) This method is used quite commonly. Another method is seeing if one has anything to say during the fellowship at the gathering, if God provides enlightenment or illumination, and using it to test whether God is still with them, whether He still loves them. Also, over the course of doing their duty, seeing if God enlightens or guides them, if they have any special thoughts, ideas, or insights—using these to test what kind of attitude God has toward them. All of these methods are quite common. Anything else? (If I have made a resolution to God in prayer but fail to fulfill it, I observe whether God will treat me according to the oath I made.) This is also one kind. No matter what method people use to treat God, if they have a guilty conscience about it, and then gain knowledge about these actions and dispositions and can promptly turn them around, then the problem isn’t that significant—this is a normal corrupt disposition. However, if someone can consistently and stubbornly do this, even if they know that it is wrong and detested by God, but persist in it, never rebelling against it or giving it up, this is the essence of an antichrist. The disposition essence of an antichrist is different from ordinary people, in that they never reflect on themselves or seek the truth, but consistently and stubbornly use various methods to test God, His attitude toward people, His conclusion regarding an individual, and what His thoughts and ideas are about a person’s past, present, and future. They never seek God’s intentions, the truth, and especially not how to submit to the truth to achieve a change in their disposition. The purpose behind all their actions is to probe into God’s thoughts and ideas—this is an antichrist. This disposition of antichrists is clearly wicked. When they engage in these actions and exhibit these manifestations, there is not a trace of guilt or remorse. Even if they link themselves to these things, they show no repentance or intention to stop, but still persist in their ways. In their treatment of God, their attitude, and their approach, it is evident that they regard God as their adversary. In their thoughts and viewpoints, there is no idea or attitude of knowing God, loving God, submitting to God, or fearing God; they simply want to obtain the information they want from God and use their own methods and means to ascertain God’s precise attitude toward them and definition of them. What’s more serious is that, even though they align their own approaches with God’s words of revelation, even if there is the slightest awareness that this behavior is detested by God and not what a person should do, they will never give it up.

In the past, there was a regulation in God’s house: Regarding those who had been expelled or cleared out, if they manifested true repentance afterward, and persisted in reading God’s words, spreading the gospel, and bearing witness for God, truly repenting, they could be readmitted into the church. There happened to be someone who met these criteria after being cleared out, and the church sent someone to find him, fellowship with him, and tell him that he had been admitted back to the church. Upon hearing this, he was quite pleased, but he pondered, “Is the acceptance genuine, or is there some idea behind it? Has god truly seen my repentance? Has he truly shown me mercy and forgiven me? Have my past actions really been disregarded?” He didn’t believe it, and he thought, “Even though they want me back, I should be restrained and not immediately agree, I should not act as if I had suffered greatly and been so pitiful during these years after being expelled. I need to act a bit reserved and not inquire right after I’m admitted back about where I can participate in church life or what duties I can do. I can’t appear too enthusiastic. Although I feel particularly happy inside, I need to stay calm and see whether god’s house genuinely wants me back or is just being insincere in order to use me for certain tasks.” With this in mind, he said, “During the time after I was expelled, I reflected and realized that the mistakes I made were too significant. The losses I caused to the interests of god’s house were immense, and I can never make up for them. I am truly a devil and a Satan cursed by god. However, my self-reflection is still incomplete. Since god’s house wants to bring me back, I need to eat and drink even more of god’s words and reflect and know myself more. At present, I am not worthy to return to god’s house, not worthy to do my duty in god’s house, not worthy to meet with my brothers and sisters, and I am certainly too ashamed to face god. I will return to the church only when I feel that my self-knowledge and reflection are sufficient, so that everyone may validate me.” While saying this, he was also on edge, thinking, “I am just pretending to say this. What if the leaders agree not to let me back into the church? Wouldn’t I be finished?” In reality, he was quite anxious, but he still had to speak in this way and pretend like he wasn’t too eager to return to the church. What did he mean by saying these things? (He was testing whether the church would truly accept him back.) Is this necessary? Isn’t this something Satans and devils would do? Would a normal person behave this way? (No, they wouldn’t.) A normal person wouldn’t. Given such a wonderful opportunity, that he could take such a step is wicked. Being readmitted to the church is an expression of God’s love and mercy, and he should reflect on and know his own corruption and deficiencies, seeking ways to make up for past debts. If someone can still test God in this way and treat God’s mercy in this manner, then they truly fail to appreciate His kindness! That people develop such ideas and approaches is brought about by their wicked essence. Essentially, when people test God, what they manifest and reveal theoretically always pertain to testing God’s thoughts as well as His views and definitions of people, among other things. If people seek the truth, they will rebel against and let go of such practices, acting and behaving according to the truth principles. However, individuals with the disposition essence of an antichrist not only cannot relinquish such practices and do not find them hateful, but they often appreciate themselves for possessing such means and methods. They may think, “Look at how clever I am. I’m not like you fools who only know to submit to and obey god and the truth—I’m not like you at all! I try to use means and methods to find out these things. Even if I have to submit and obey, I’m still going to get to the bottom of things. Don’t think you can hide anything from me or deceive and fool me.” This is their thought and viewpoint. Antichrists never exhibit submission, fear, or sincerity, and much less any loyalty in their treatment of God incarnate. This concludes our discussion on manifestations related to testing.

f. Making Demands

The next item is that antichrists make demands of God, and there are more specific manifestations of this. Antichrists can be described by what nonbelievers call “never lifting a finger without a reward.” What else? (They “don’t release the hawk until they’ve seen the hare.”) They don’t release the hawk until they’ve seen the hare—if there is profit, they’ll go for it, but if there’s no profit, they won’t. Regardless of the situation, they have to weigh it in their minds, thinking, “How great of an advantage can I gain from doing this? How much profit can I obtain? Is it worth paying such a high price for this? If I pay a large price but others end up with the advantage, and I don’t get to showcase myself, then I definitely won’t do it!” Isn’t this the attitude of antichrists toward God’s commission and requirements? If they put forth a little bit of effort in the performance of their duties, but do not gain any benefits, and endure some suffering without receiving grace, they immediately react inwardly, saying, “I put in so much effort—why didn’t I gain any benefit? Is my family business profitable or not?” If they calculate and find that their income is more than the previous month, they continue to go out and spread the gospel, unafraid despite the risks involved. But once there is a problem with the family business, and their profits are noticeably lower than the previous month, they immediately complain about and doubt God in their hearts, thinking, “God, I did my duty without being lazy or cunning, nor did I do it in a perfunctory manner. This month, I traveled more and did more work than the previous month. Why aren’t you blessing my family? Why isn’t my family business doing well?” Their attitude toward God and God’s commission immediately changes, and they think, “If you don’t bless my family, then don’t blame me for doing my duty in a perfunctory manner. Next month, I won’t put in as much effort. If I’m supposed to get up at five, I’ll get up at six. If I’m supposed to leave at eight, I’ll leave at ten. In the past, I could convert five gospel recipients in a month; this time, I’ll only convert two. That should be enough!” What are they calculating? It’s whether what they invest and contribute is equivalent to what God gives them. Moreover, they only find it economical and worth suffering and paying a price for if what God gives them is several times what they ask for and desire. Otherwise, regardless of the task or duty assigned to them by the house of God, they treat them all the same way—acting in a perfunctory manner, getting by when they can, going through the motions when they can, and absolutely never offering a bit of sincerity. This manifestation is both making demands and making a deal; people make demands only when there is a deal to be made, and without a deal, they have no demands.

Antichrists have never harbored the slightest sincerity or loyalty in their hearts toward God’s commission, the work of God’s house, or their own duties. They merely utilize their own intellect, energy, time, and the physical suffering and price they pay in exchange for satisfying their desires for blessings, the rewards they want to receive, and, of course, for peace, joy, inner stability, family happiness in this lifetime, and even smoothness in their surrounding environment, along with other people’s esteem, admiration, and positive appraisal. In short, antichrists never do their duties sincerely in the house of God, and they absolutely won’t offer even a bit of loyalty. Whether enduring hardships and paying a price or perfunctorily getting by, their ultimate goal is to demand from God what they want in order to satisfy their own desires. Hence, whenever they encounter adversity, pruning, or people, events, and things they find disagreeable, they immediately think, “Is the arrival of these things affecting my interests? Will they impact my reputation? Will they influence my prospects and future development?” Regardless of whether their manifestations are positive or negative in the course of doing their duties, in any case, they never operate according to the truth principles. Their minds are filled with transactions, evaluating the worth of what they pay and offer like a businessperson, assessing how large a profit their costs can yield. Some may say, “We believe in God to gain the truth and life, in order to attain salvation.” Antichrists, however, think, “How much is salvation worth? How about understanding the truth? These things are not worth anything. What is truly valuable is gaining a hundredfold in this life and eternal life in the world to come. In this life, being held up and esteemed by others, being honored as great in the house of god, and in the world to come, having authority over all nations—this is a truly substantial profit.” This is the ambition of antichrists, a calculation they make deep within their hearts behind their performance of duty. This calculation is filled with transactions and demands. Their meager “sincerity” toward their duty and toward God is solely to ensure that God grants them eternal life, preserves them from disaster, gives them blessings and grace, and satisfies all their desires. Therefore, antichrists’ hearts are filled with various demands toward God, collectively termed as making demands. Apart from not wanting the truth, antichrists desire everything else—both material and non-material things.

There are some antichrists who once made a small contribution to the brothers and sisters or to the church. For example, they may have taken on certain risky tasks in the church or hosted brothers and sisters who couldn’t return home. Adding on the relatively long duration of their faith in God, most people consider them to be meritorious and qualified individuals. At the same time, they themselves feel a sense of superiority and advantage. They rely on their seniority and boast about it, saying, “I have believed in god for so many years and made some contributions to the house of god. Shouldn’t god give me special treatment? For instance, going abroad is a blessing that people enjoy. Considering people’s seniority, shouldn’t I have priority? Because I have made a contribution to the house of god, I should be given priority and special care, and I should not be assessed based on principles.” Some people have even been imprisoned, and finding themselves homeless after their release, feel that the house of God should provide them with special care: For example, it should allocate some money to help them buy a house, take responsibility for their livelihood in the latter half of their lives, or should meet all of the material needs that they put forward. If they have the need, the house of God should provide them with a car. If they have some health issues, the house of God should buy them health supplements. Aren’t they presuming upon their seniority and flaunting their qualifications? These individuals believe that they made contributions, so they shamelessly and openly make demands of God. They ask for cars, houses, and a luxurious lifestyle. They even ask the brothers and sisters to handle things and run errands for them for free, becoming their servants or slaves. Have they not turned into someone who lives off the church? Your faith in God is actually for your own sake, and you go to prison for your own sake. Whatever duty you do is your responsibility. When you do your duty and gain the truth, it is for your own sake. Your belief in God is voluntary, no one is forcing you. Obtaining life is for your own sake, it’s not for others. Even if you have taken on some risky tasks for the house of God or the church, does that count as merit? It is not merit; it is what you should do. It is God lifting you up and giving you such an opportunity; it is a blessing from God. It is not for you to use as capital for living off the church. So, are these people antichrists? In particular, these people cannot fellowship any truth reality, and when they are with brothers and sisters who have believed for less time and are younger, they only fellowship about their old experiences and flaunt their qualifications; they are devoid of any fellowship or knowledge about valuable life experiences. They don’t edify others, but instead put on airs and act high and mighty. They are unable to take on any substantial work in the house of God, nor can they do any real duties properly. Yet, they still live off the church, and stretch out their hands to make demands of God. Isn’t this shameless? If we talk about qualifications, am I not more qualified than you? Have I put on airs with you? Have I asked anything from you? (No.) Then why can antichrists do such things? It is because they are shameless. When they accept their duties, their minds are filled with transactions. When they do their duties, they lack the correct viewpoint and do not consider it as their duty or obligation, something a created being should do. Although they may do some duty, endure some suffering, and pay a price, what are they thinking in their hearts? “This task is something no one else can do. If I do it, I will become famous in the house of god, esteemed wherever I go, and qualified to enjoy the best everywhere. I will be a big shot in the house of god, able to have whatever I want, and no one would dare to say anything because I have qualifications!” Based on their character, antichrists cannot possibly treat God, His commission, or the work of God’s house with the slightest sincerity or willingness. Even if they outwardly appear willing and capable of enduring suffering and paying a price, immediately after this, they are ready to stretch out their hands to make demands and ask for rewards from God, trying to live off the church and take advantage everywhere. Therefore, judging by their approaches, it is most fitting to define their antichrist disposition essence as wicked. The thoughts and viewpoints they harbor regarding their duties and God’s commission are wicked, not in line with the truth, and certainly not in line with the standard of conscience.

In any duty they do, antichrists follow their own wishes, seeking personal fame and status. They never seek the truth or reflect on themselves. In the face of any deviations or issues arising in their work, their attitude is to neither seek nor accept the truth. Instead, they always strive to conceal the facts, preserve their face and vain glory, and showcase themselves in every aspect, winning people’s esteem. In short, their hearts are filled with wickedness, with the philosophy of Satan and with human notions and imaginings, without anything that is in line with the truth. Antichrists never seek the truth in any duty they do, and they never intend to submit to the work arrangements of the house of God. They always stick to their own way of doing things, and act according to their own preferences. Regardless of the task at hand, they calculate in their hearts how they can benefit themselves. They only measure what duties to do that can win them fame, gain and status, other people’s esteem, and a bit of honor. Once they do their duties, they hope to have their achievements recorded in God’s record book, keeping a mental account of them and ensuring that every contribution is well recorded and nothing is overlooked. They believe that the more work they do and the greater their contributions, the more hope they have of entering the kingdom and receiving rewards and crowns. The attitudes and viewpoints that antichrists harbor toward their duties are just like this. Their minds are filled with transactions and demands—doesn’t this clearly expose their nature essence? Why are their minds filled with transactions and demands of God? The reason is that their disposition essence is wicked—this is absolutely true. It can be seen through the ideas and viewpoints that antichrists harbor regarding their duties—these fully confirm that their disposition essence is wicked. Regardless of how much truth is fellowshipped or how people’s corrupt dispositions are exposed and dissected, antichrists show no knowledge of their disposition essence. Not only do they refuse to accept the truth, they also develop resentment in their hearts. When they feel that their hopes of receiving blessings and rewards are shattered, they believe God is cheating, thinking that God’s exposure and dissection is a deliberate attempt to withhold rewards, causing people to expend themselves for God in vain without gaining anything in the end. Their hearts not only lack a positive comprehension of God’s work and the truth, they even develop notions and misunderstandings, intensifying their resistance against God. Therefore, the more the satanic disposition and essence of corrupt humankind are dissected, and the more Satan’s schemes, motivations, and purposes are exposed, the more antichrists are averse to the truth and harbor hatred toward it. Why does this happen? They believe that the more the truth is fellowshipped, the dimmer their hope becomes of receiving blessings. The more the truth is fellowshipped, the more they feel that the path of exchanging suffering and paying a price for rewards and crowns is not viable, leading them to believe that they have no hope of receiving blessings. The more the truth is fellowshipped in this manner and the more this kind of exposure takes place, the less interested antichrists become in their faith in God. Seeing that nothing of what God says mentions how much suffering and price-paying can get them an equivalent reward, and that He has said nothing about entering the kingdom of heaven based solely on hard work, they feel as if their path of making transactions with God has reached the end. They sense deep down that they are the very objects God is determined to punish, experiencing an unsettling fear and feeling that their days are numbered, as if the end times are upon them. How do you feel after listening to sermon after sermon exposing antichrists? I see that you are all hanging your heads; do you have a somewhat disheartened feeling? Have you realized that you’re walking down the path of antichrists? Are your thoughts also filled with these wicked ideas of bargaining with God? Do you have any perception now? Can you quickly turn things around? (I am also thinking that I need to turn things around quickly; I can’t go on living with these antichrist dispositions.) Although you all have the dispositions of antichrists and the intention to bargain with God and receive blessings, you are not yet antichrists. Therefore, you should promptly seek the truth for resolution, pull yourselves back from the brink of the precipice, and embark on the path of pursuing the truth. Isn’t the problem then solved? Having the disposition of antichrists and walking down their path is a problem that can be easily resolved. As long as you can accept the truth, reflect on yourself, know the corrupt disposition within yourself, understand the essence of the problem of pursuing fame, gain, and status, and then abandon this erroneous method of pursuit, relinquish the mistaken viewpoint of faith in God, discard the intention to receive blessings, and only believe in God for the sake of pursuing the truth and for the purpose of becoming a new person, and only pursue becoming a person who submits to God, and only worship God, without idolizing or following humans, then your state will gradually normalize. You will step onto the path of pursuing the truth—there is no doubt about it. What should be feared is if you do not accept the truth, if you are averse to the truth, and if you, knowing that bargaining with God is wrong and so is pursuing fame, gain, and status, still remain stubborn and never repent. In such a case, you have the nature essence of an antichrist and must be eliminated. If you do many evil things, you will face punishment.

The difference between antichrists and ordinary corrupt humans lies in the fact that the pursuit of fame, gain, status, and blessings and making transactions with God is not just a temporary or occasional manifestation for antichrists—they live by these things. They only choose one path, which is the path of antichrists, living according to the nature of antichrists and satanic philosophies. Ordinary corrupt humans can arrive at a second choice and walk the path of pursuing the truth, but antichrists do not like the truth and do not have this need. Their nature is filled with satanic philosophies, and they will not make the correct choice. Antichrists will never accept the truth; they will persist in their wrongs to the end, never reversing course or repenting. They know that they are full of deals to make with God, testing and antagonizing Him at every turn. However, they have their reasons, and they think, “What’s wrong with it? Making demands of god for some material blessings and enjoying some of the benefits of status are not shameful acts. I haven’t committed murder and arson, nor have I publicly resisted god. Sure, I’ve been working to establish an independent kingdom and acted somewhat arbitrarily, but I haven’t harmed or hurt anyone, nor have I affected or caused losses for the work of god’s house.” Isn’t this irredeemable? No matter how God’s house fellowships about the truth or exposes and prunes them, they refuse to admit their mistakes—it is irredeemable. This is the essence of antichrists. If you say they are evil or wicked, they don’t care, and they will persist in their evil and wickedness. This shows that antichrists are staunchly unrepentant individuals. Would you still fellowship about the truth with such people? They don’t even know which things are positive and which are negative; what can you say to them? There is nothing to say. Antichrists are filled with a wicked disposition essence, and they live within this disposition. Testing God and making transactions with Him is their inherent nature, and no one can change them—they remain unchanged in every situation. Why don’t they change? They don’t change because regardless of how many truths are fellowshipped to them, no matter how understandable and thoroughly exposing the words are, they are not aware of the real issue. They cannot understand the truth and do not know what is the truth and what are negative things; that’s the reason.

Antichrists make transactions with God and make demands of Him in various matters. Of course, they make demands for a multitude of things—tangible and intangible, material and non-material, present and future. As long as they can imagine it, as long as they believe they deserve it, and as long as it is something they desire, they unabashedly make demands of God, hoping He will grant it to them. For instance, when they are performing a certain duty, in order to stand out and become an exceptional figure, to have a chance to be in the spotlight and obtain their desired status along with the esteem of more people, they hope that God will give them some special abilities. They pray to Him, saying, “God, I am willing to loyally perform my duty. After accepting this duty from you, every day I think about how to perform it well. I am willing to dedicate a lifetime of energy to this, to offer you my youth and offer you everything I have; I am willing to endure hardship for this. Please grant me words to speak, grant me intelligence and wisdom, and let me improve my professional skills and my abilities during the performance of this duty.” After expressing their loyalty and stating their viewpoint, antichrists reach right out to God to ask for these things. Although these things are intangible, and people believe it is reasonable to ask God for them, does this not constitute a form of making transactions and demands? (Yes, it does.) What is the focus of this transaction? What is the essence we are dissecting? Antichrists have no sincerity whatsoever for the duties entrusted to them by God, nor do they intend to be loyal in this matter. Before doing it, their thoughts revolve around how to seize this opportunity to display their talents and gain fame among people, rather than using this chance to perform their duty well and to seek the truths they should understand and the principles they should seek in the performance of it. So, when antichrists come before God to pray, they first reach out for and request things that will benefit their reputation and status, such as intelligence, wisdom, unique insights, outstanding skills, having their spiritual eyes opened, and so on. They want these things not in order to understand the truth or to offer their sincerity and perform their duties well. Clearly, these requests are filled with deal-making and demands, and yet they still feel themselves to be justified. When it comes to this kind of prayer and these kinds of transactions that people make, even if people suffer and pay a price in the performance of their duty, and even if they spend some amount of time and energy, will God accept it? From God’s perspective, He will absolutely not accept such performance of one’s duty, because there is no sincerity, no loyalty, and certainly no genuine submission within such people. Based on this aspect, what they subjectively wish to pursue is status and fame and the esteem and admiration of others, yet over the course of performing their duties, there has been no improvement in their life entry or in their dispositional change.

When matters befall them, antichrists immediately begin scheming, calculating, and planning in their hearts. They are like accountants, making transactions with God in everything, wanting many things and making many demands of God. In short, all these requirements are unreasonable in God’s eyes; they are not what God intends to give to people, nor are they what people should receive, because these things do not bring the slightest shred of benefit to people’s pursuit of dispositional change or the attainment of salvation. Even if, during the course of performing your duties, God gives you some light or some new ideas regarding your profession, it is not to satisfy your desire to make demands of God, much less is it to boost your popularity or the prestige you have among people. After receiving such light and enlightenment from God, a normal person applies them to their duty, performing their duty better, making themselves grasp the principles more accurately, and gradually experiencing firsthand how they receive much enlightenment, illumination, and grace from God during the performance of their duties—all of this is done by God. The more they experience, the more they feel that what God does is great, and the more they realize that they have nothing to boast about, that it’s all God’s grace and guidance. This is something a normal person can feel and be aware of. However, antichrists are different, and regardless of how much enlightenment and illumination God gives them, they attribute all of it to themselves. One day, when they make a tally of their contributions and reach out to God to demand rewards, when they settle accounts with God, He withdraws His enlightenment and illumination, and the antichrists are revealed. Before, everything they were able to do was due to the Holy Spirit’s work and God’s guidance. They are no different from other people: Without God’s enlightenment and illumination, they lose their gifts, intelligence, wisdom, good ideas, and good thoughts—they become good-for-nothings and fools. When antichrists encounter such things and go this far, they are still oblivious to the fact that their path is wrong, and unaware that they’ve been making transactions with God and unreasonably making demands of Him. They still think they are competent and capable of anything, deserving to be held in high esteem, admired, respected, supported, and exalted by others. If they don’t receive these things, they see the situation as hopeless and act even more recklessly, becoming full of resentment both against God and against the brothers and sisters. They swear at and complain about God in their hearts, saying God is unrighteous, cursing the brothers and sisters for lacking a conscience and for burning bridges once they’ve crossed them, and even accusing God’s house of trying to get rid of them after it’s done using them. What is this? A shameless person! Aren’t all antichrists like this? Don’t they often say such things? They say, “When I was useful and put in an important position, everybody orbited around me. Now that I’m no longer in an important position, no one pays attention to me, everyone looks down on me, and you all give me attitude when talking to me.” Where do these words come from? Are they not rooted in the wicked disposition of antichrists? Their wicked disposition is full of deal-making with people and God, making requirements of God and of people, as if saying, “I take care of things for you, I expend myself, pay a price, and worry on your behalf, so you must approach me with respect and speak to me politely. Whether I have status or not, you must always remember all that I’ve done, keep me in your minds forever, and never forget me—forgetting me means that you lack conscience. Whenever you eat or use good things, you must think of me, and I must always have priority.” Don’t antichrists often make such requirements? (Yes, they do.) You may have encountered people like this, who say, “Who printed the books of god’s words that you read? Who delivered them into your hands? If it wasn’t for me taking risks and facing the dangers of being arrested, imprisoned or sentenced to death, would you be able to read these books? If it wasn’t for me enduring hardship and paying a price to water you, would you be able to have a church life? If it wasn’t for me enduring suffering and paying a price to spread the gospel, could the church gain so many people? If it wasn’t for me fellowshipping god’s words to you all day, would you have such great faith? If it wasn’t for me running around to provide logistical support for you, could you do your duties peacefully now? If it wasn’t for me leading the charge, could the church’s work have developed to the extent that it has now?” Listening to this, it seems as if without them, the work of God’s house could not progress, and the earth would stop turning. Isn’t this the mentality of antichrists? What is their purpose in shouting out these words? Are they taking credit for things or lamenting and complaining? They believe that God’s house now no longer needs them, that the brothers and sisters have neglected them, that God’s house is unfair to people, that God’s house is not providing for them, respecting them, or letting them grow old there. Isn’t there also an element of cursing in their shouting? They are cursing at others, saying they lack a conscience. What service do antichrists actually render? Everything they do is disturbing and disruptive, and everything they say is misleading. They lack humanity; they are devils. Why should anyone exercise conscience toward them? Is doing this useful? (No.) Why isn’t it useful? Can one understand the truth by following them? (No.) What does everyone who worships and follows antichrists gain? They all betray God along with these antichrists and are led to hell by them. What do antichrists see themselves as? (They see themselves as God.) This is a shameless thought. People should have a conscience toward God, but God never requires people to do so; He only requires people to understand the truth, to be able to practice the truth and attain salvation, and to be qualified created beings. When have I ever asked you to think of Me and save some for Me when you’re eating good food, or to think of Me when you’re staying in a nice place? When you are eating well, living well, and happy, when have I ever felt jealous? When have I ever said that you have no conscience? Yet antichrists are capable of saying such things and cursing people for having no conscience—isn’t this shameless? When God’s house dismisses them, when the brothers and sisters are no longer as enthusiastic toward them as before, they are capable of saying such things, crying about their grievances, and cursing at people and God. All sorts of things can come out of their mouths, and their demonic nature is completely exposed. These are the various manifestations revealed by the wicked disposition of antichrists. Because their hearts are full of deals to make with God, this leads to making various requirements and demands of Him. When antichrists are promoted or dismissed, when God’s house puts them in an important position or doesn’t, all of the various manifestations that emerge from them pertain to their wicked essence—this is entirely true.

g. Denial, Condemnation, Passing Judgment, and Blasphemy

Next, let’s fellowship about the terms of denial, condemnation, passing judgment, and blasphemy. Due to being filled with doubts about God, antichrists show no interest in any truths expressed by God. Their hearts are filled with aversion and hatred, and they never acknowledge that Christ is the truth, let alone show any submission. Because they often doubt and suspect God in their hearts, frequently forming notions and various ideas about God’s actions, they constantly and involuntarily make evaluations, thinking, “Does god really exist? What does he mean by what he says? If they are evaluated from the viewpoints of knowledge and doctrine, how should these words be understood? What does god mean by saying these things? What does he mean by using this term? Whom is he addressing?” They research and research, and after years of such investigation, they still cannot see the most crucial truth in the words God expresses and the work He does: that God is the truth, the life, and the way—they cannot understand or see this. When people say that all of God’s words are the truth, antichrists ponder and think, “All his words are the truth? Aren’t they just some ordinary words? Just some conventional statements? There’s nothing profound about them.” Looking at God’s work, they think, “I don’t see the aura of god from what he does in the church or among his chosen ones. They say that god is sovereign over all, but I can’t see it. No matter if I look through a magnifying glass or an astronomical telescope, I can’t see the form of god, and no matter how I look, I can’t discover his deeds. So, at present I am unable to confirm 100% whether god really exists. But if I say that god doesn’t exist, I’ve heard about the existence of some weird and paranormal things in the world; so in that case, god ought to exist. But what does god actually look like? How does god act? I don’t know. The simplest way is to see what god does in and says to those who follow him.” Through observation, they see that God’s house often prunes people, frequently promotes and dismisses people, and often engages in fellowship, discussion, exchange, and more with people about various duties and about work related to various professions. They think, “Aren’t these all things that people do? None of them are supernatural; they’re all very normal, and I can’t see or feel how the spirit of god is working. If I can’t feel it, couldn’t it be said that the work of the holy spirit doesn’t exist? Isn’t it all imagined in people’s consciousness and in their minds? If the work of the holy spirit doesn’t exist, then does the spirit of god actually exist? Seems like that is also questionable. If the spirit of god doesn’t exist, then does god actually exist? It’s hard to say.” After five years of experience, they can’t reach a confirmation, and after ten or even fifteen years of experience, they still can’t. What kind of people are these? They have been revealed—they are disbelievers. These disbelievers bum around God’s house like this, just going with the flow. If others are spreading the gospel, they do it too; if others are doing their duties, they do so as well. If they meet with an opportunity for promotion, they think they can “hold office” in God’s house, and for the sake of status, they are capable of putting forth some effort. At the same time, they can also recklessly commit misdeeds, causing disruptions and disturbances; if they are ordinary church members without any status, they can find ways to cut corners, doing some work for show. This is what it means to bum around. Why do I say “bum around”? In their hearts, they harbor doubts and denial toward God, maintaining an attitude of denial toward God’s existence and essence, which leads them to do their duties reluctantly in God’s house. They do not comprehend and are always thinking to themselves, “What’s the point of doing my duty and following god in this way? I’m not earning money at a job or living a normal life. Some young people even dedicate their entire lives to expending themselves for god, but what will they gain? So, I’ll observe first. If I can truly get to the bottom of things and see the hope of receiving blessings, it won’t be in vain to put in effort and expend myself. If I can’t receive god’s accurate words or get to the bottom of things, then it’s not a loss to bum around. After all, I won’t be exhausted, and I won’t have given too much.” Isn’t this just bumming around? They aren’t sincere in anything they do, they can’t sustain or excel in anything, and they can’t genuinely pay the price. This is what it means to bum around. Even though they are bumming around, their thoughts are not idle—they’re very busy. They are full of notions and ideas about many things that God does, and for many things that don’t align with their own notions, they evaluate them in their hearts using knowledge, laws, social morals, traditional culture, and so on. Despite all their evaluation, they not only fail to see the truth through assessment or find the principles of practicing the truth, they end up instead coming up with all kinds of condemnations, judgments and even blasphemies toward God and His work. What do antichrists pass judgment on first? They say, “The work of god’s house is all decided by people; it’s all done by humans. I can’t see god working or the holy spirit leading and guiding whatsoever.” Isn’t this the statement of disbelievers? Claiming that everything is done by people reveals many issues. For example, if God’s house elects and cultivates someone not to their liking, their hearts become unyielding. Can antichrists truly submit? (No, they can’t.) So, what will they do? They will try to undermine it. If undermining it fails, and none of the brothers and sisters listens to them or supports them, they will start condemning it, saying, “God’s house is unfair and lacks principles in how it deals with people. There are many swift horses in the world, but no one who can recognize them.” What does this mean? It implies that they are swift horses, but unfortunately, God’s house lacks someone who can recognize them. After condemning this matter done by God’s house that doesn’t align with their notions, they will start to spread things such as rumors, notions, and negativity. Of course, all of their words will be harsh. Some might even say, “These folks are educated, good-looking, smartly dressed, and from the city; we are rural folk, we have some talent but we’re not able to express ourselves, or to communicate with the above—it’s not easy for us to be promoted. Those who are promoted in god’s house are all eloquent, good at flattery, and have strategies. I, on the other hand, am not articulate or eloquent, and merely having inner talents is useless. So, in god’s house, the saying ‘There are many swift horses, but few who can recognize them’ applies just as it does in the world.” What does this statement mean? Isn’t it passing judgment? They pass judgment on the work of God’s house and spread their judgments behind the scenes. In their approach to God, His work, His expressions, His words, His disposition, and His various ways of working, antichrists use knowledge and philosophy to assess, research, and reason about them. Ultimately, they arrive at an erroneous conclusion. Therefore, they never seriously accept, comprehend, or ponder any of the words spoken by God in their hearts. Instead, they treat God’s words as merely a kind of theory or a sort of nice-sounding words. When matters arise, they don’t take God’s words as the foundation and principle for how they view, define, and measure each matter. Instead, they use human perspectives and Satan’s philosophy and theories to judge these matters. The conclusions they draw are that nothing is in line with their own notions, and every word that God expresses and every action He takes are not to their liking. In the end, from the perspective of antichrists, everything God does is condemned.

Some antichrists always desire to hold power in God’s house, but they lack caliber and special skills, so they inevitably end up doing some trivial tasks in God’s house, such as cleaning, distributing items, and other simple, routine tasks. In short, people of this sort definitely cannot become church leaders, preachers, or the like. However, they are not content with being ordinary followers or with doing what they consider to be mediocre work, because they are filled with ambition. How is being full of ambition manifested? They want to inquire, ask about, be in the know, and especially interfere in every large or small matter in God’s house. If there’s some work that requires labor of them, they are always inquiring, “How is the printing of books for our house of god going? How is the selection of our church’s film director? Who is the current director? Who is writing the scripts? Who is the district leader here, and what are they like?” What do they mean asking about these things? Should they inquire or get involved in these matters? (No, they shouldn’t.) These are all general affairs unrelated to the truth. Why are these “well-meaning people” always asking around? Is it out of genuine concern, or do they just have nothing better to do? Neither—it’s because they have ambitions and want to climb the ranks and take power. Can they realize that this is ambition and a desire to take power? No, they cannot; they lack that reason. Due to their abominable humanity and poor caliber, they can’t accomplish anything or perform even the simplest duty well. Throughout the performance of their duties, they consistently behave poorly, are idle, prone to leisure, and even ask around about various matters. In the end, they are cleared out because of these manifestations. Is it right for God’s house to clear them out? (Yes.) Are they cleared out because they were overly concerned and inquisitive? (No.) It was because they did not tend to proper matters and wanted to constantly freeload in God’s house that they were sent away and not allowed to bum around. They couldn’t do anything well, so keeping them was not worth the trouble—aren’t they disbelievers? Shouldn’t they be cleared out? When it came time for them to be cleared out, they became anxious and only then did they seek the truth principles, asking, “I have to seek what the principles actually are for god’s house to clear people out and expel them: On what basis am I being cleared out?” You should respond to them: “Someone like you, who loves leisure and hates work, causes disturbances and destruction in everything they do, completely fits the principles for clearing out.” Doesn’t it seem quite ridiculous for them to seek the principles of clearing people out after doing so many bad things without understanding what kind of person they are? (Yes, it does.) Some people like this have been cleared out, while others have been sent to ordinary churches. They are not suitable for doing duties in God’s house and lack the conditions to do their duties. Can individuals of this kind realize that what God has done is in line with the truth? I dare say that antichrists will never realize it, because they are disbelievers, and they condemn and pass judgment on any positive thing that aligns with the truth. The antichrist, who is always eager to ask around, full of ambition, and constantly seeks to climb higher, while lacking any sincerity and loyalty toward doing their own duties, sits on the ground and wails loudly when they are sent away. They say, “No one understands my well-meaning heart, my sincerity and loyalty. Why am I being sent away? I’ve been wronged, and I’m not willing! No one is this concerned for god, and no one is as loyal in god’s house. My great zealousness and great kindness are being taken for ill intent—god is so unfair!” Is this not a plea of innocence? Are any of their words something that people should say? Are any of them in line with the true facts? (No.) They are all unreasonable, absurd, disbelievers’ words, full of complaints, grievances, and condemnation. This is them being revealed. If they were not sent away, they would continue their pretense and aspire to be the master of God’s house. Would a master act like this? Would a master throw tantrums like this? Would a master manage God’s house like this? They were asked to clean, but they milled about everywhere and didn’t do any work. They were asked to make meals, but they weren’t willing to make meals for even two people. They were afraid of getting tired and thought it was low-class—so what else can they do? Are they capable of anything apart from being leaders and issuing orders? Isn’t it reasonable for God’s house to clear them out? (Yes.) It’s entirely reasonable, yet they continue to curse behind the scenes, throwing tantrums and behaving like unruly women. Aren’t these antichrists? This is the manifestation of the disposition essence of an antichrist. When faced with matters that do not align with their interests or preferences, when confronted with things that do not satisfy their wishes or desires, do they submit in the slightest? Can they seek the truth? Can they calm down, confess their sins, and repent? No, they can’t. Their immediate reaction is to rise up and clamor against God, full of words of condemnation, judgment, blasphemy, and curse. They think, “If god’s house doesn’t want me, fine. You show no mercy, so don’t blame me for being heartless. Let’s take the gloves off and see who is more ruthless!” Is this a manifestation of seeking the truth? Is it a manifestation that a normal created being should possess? (No, it isn’t.) Then what kind of manifestation is this? How should those who genuinely believe in and follow God treat Him? They must truly and unconditionally submit to God. Only the enemies of God—Satan and devils—would deny, condemn, pass judgment, blaspheme, and curse God, going so far as to clamor against and oppose Him. Even if you cannot accept this fact right now and can come up with a hundred reasons claiming that God’s house has treated you unfairly, if you have rationality, humanity, and even the slightest fear of God, can you treat God this way? Absolutely not! If someone can do that, do they have even a shred of conscience? Do they possess any humanity? Do they have any fear of God? (No, they don’t.) Clearly, they are not one of God’s sheep. They have never treated God as their Master; they never regarded God as their God. In their hearts, God is their enemy, not their God. The enemies of God are antichrists and Satan; conversely, antichrists are God’s enemies—they are Satans and devils. Antichrists will never accept anything that God does and will never say amen to any word spoken by God. This is the essence of God’s enemy—Satan—and this is the inherent essence of antichrists. Without reason, they are hostile to God, and without reason, they are capable of condemning God. Isn’t this wickedness? This is out-and-out wickedness.

These dispositions of an antichrist are present to varying degrees in every person, but through the revelation of these dispositions and the path chosen by people when they believe, can you judge who is an antichrist, who is a laborer, and who is one of God’s chosen people who can be saved? (While they all reveal an antichrist disposition, some people, after revealing their corrupt disposition, have a sense of conscience, they feel guilty, they can repent, and can practice the truth—these are the ones who can be saved. However, those without a sense of conscience, who think they are right even after making mistakes, stubbornly refuse to repent, and reject the truth entirely—these people are antichrists and have no chance at salvation.) Are these two statements correct? (Yes.) What was just said is basically correct, but it isn’t specific enough. Though they also possess an antichrist’s disposition, when some people are faced with situations, they are capable of seeking the truth, rebelling against the flesh, feeling regret after recognizing their corrupt disposition, feeling indebtedness, turning back, practicing in accordance with the truth principles, choosing the right path, choosing to practice the truth, and ultimately gaining an understanding of the truth and entering into the truth reality, achieving submission to God. Such people can be saved and are God’s chosen people. There is another type of person who knows they have an antichrist’s disposition, but they do not examine themselves when faced with situations. When they discover they’ve done something wrong, they do not have any genuine understanding, cannot develop a strong sense of indebtedness inside themselves, are incapable of any repentance or turning back, and are muddled about the truth and salvation. In God’s house, they are ready and willing to labor, they can do whatever is asked of them, yet they do not take it seriously; at times, they may cause disruptions and disturbances, but they are not evil people. They can accept pruning, but they never proactively seek the truth when doing things or follow the truth principles when handling matters. They show no interest in eating and drinking God’s words and in the truth. While they can put effort into their duties passably, they lack enthusiasm when it comes to pursuing the truth and have no interest in doing this. They don’t show any loyalty in the performance of their duty; they comparatively exhibit some willingness and sincerity. They can know various corrupt dispositions, but they never reflect on themselves when faced with situations, and do not pursue becoming someone who can understand the truth and put it into practice. These are the laborers. The last category consists of antichrists. They are enemies of God, the truth, and positive things. Their hearts are filled with wickedness, clamoring against God, opposition to God, and condemnation, judgment, and blasphemy against justice, positive things, and the truth. They do not believe in God’s existence, in His sovereignty over all things, and are even more unwilling to let God be sovereign over the fate of humanity. They never understand themselves, and regardless of how many mistakes or transgressions they commit, they never admit to them, repent, or turn back. They lack any remorse in their hearts, and they completely reject the truth. These are antichrists. Evaluating whether someone has an attitude of acceptance toward the truth is generally accurate in determining what category of person they are. Which category do you belong to? Are you among God’s chosen people who can be saved, or are you an antichrist, or a laborer? Are you transitioning toward the first category, or do you not fall into any of these categories? There is no one who doesn’t fall into any of these categories: Everyone belongs to one of the three. Evil people who lack humanity are those with the essence of antichrists; those who have some humanity, who have conscience and reason, as well as relatively good character, who can pursue the truth, love positive things, and love the truth, and who fear God and can submit to Him, can be saved—they are God’s chosen people. Those with a character that is average, neither particularly good nor particularly bad, who lack any interest in the truth and are not at all willing to pursue it, but perform their duties with some sincerity, are the laborers. This is the standard for evaluation. Can an antichrist become a laborer? (No.) Then is there a category of people among the laborers that can become God’s chosen people? (Yes.) What is the space for change here? (They need to pursue the truth.) Perhaps, with more years of faith, more experiences and encounters, and an understanding of more truths, they gradually move from the laboring stage to being God’s chosen people. Because right now their understanding of the truth is small and their faith in God is particularly small, they have little interest in doing their duties and practicing the truth. They lack the stature to pursue the truth and cannot let go of their ambitions and desires, among other various needs of the flesh. Therefore, they can only remain in the laboring stage for now. However, relatively speaking, these people have a conscience and love positive things; as they gradually come to understand the truth, their environment changes, they believe in God for longer, have deeper experiences, and they develop genuine faith in God, they also gradually come to see the truth and positive things more clearly, the path they ought to pursue becomes clearer, they develop an interest in the truth, and they love the truth more and more. Such people can gradually start out on the path of salvation and become God’s chosen people; they have the space for improvement and change. On the other hand, to say that those with the essence of antichrists can become God’s chosen people and be saved is not valid, because the essence of antichrists is that of devils and enemies of God—antichrists can never change.

We have just been fellowshipping about the denial, condemnation, passing judgment, and blasphemy from their wicked disposition essence they reveal in how they treat God and His work. Whenever something contradicts their notions or harms their interests, antichrists’ immediate response is to stand up, resist, and condemn it, saying: “This is wrong, this is done by people, and I won’t yield to it. I’ll file a complaint and find evidence to clarify this matter. I’ll declare my position, defend myself, unravel the ins and outs of this matter, and see who is the troublemaker in the midst, the one ruining my good reputation and the good things I’ve got going on.” The phrase “God’s good intentions are in all things” becomes an empty statement in the hearts of antichrists, unable to guide or change their means, methods, and principles of acting. Conversely, they rely on what’s natural to them when they meet with any situation, thinking of every method and employing all their abilities and strategies to act. Undoubtedly, what they do is condemnation, judgment, and blasphemy against God. People’s thoughts are saturated with Satan’s logic and ideas, without any truth to speak of. Therefore, when faced with such matters, the manifestations of antichrists mirror that of Satan: However Satan treats God, antichrists treat Him the same way, and whatever means or words Satan employs toward God, antichrists use the same. This way, the wicked essence of antichrists being enemies of God goes without saying. Even if it is someone who has believed in God for only one or two days, do they understand the difference between humans and God in their normal human thinking and rationality? (Yes, they do.) As an adult with normal humanity, do they know in their heart how to treat God? (Yes.) Is there a standard in human rationality for the most appropriate and best way to treat a person one worships? (Yes.) People tend to bow and scrape, tickle their ears, and ingratiate themselves; even if that person beats or curses them, they find a way to be pliant and obedient. So, when it comes to their parents, do people know how to show respect and love, and what behavior is harm and hatred? Is there a standard for evaluating this? (Yes.) This proves that humans, living creatures covered in human skin, are distinct from animals and higher than them. You know how to respect and love your parents, so why don’t you know how to treat God with love and respect? How can you treat God like this? Casually condemning and passing judgment, daring to casually blaspheme and curse—is that what normal people do? (No.) Even animals don’t behave this way. If a person raises an animal, even a wild one, and spends some time with it, as long as it recognizes who its owner is, it will always be respectful to that owner, treating the owner as a relative, as a family member, differently from how it treats other animals or people. Suppose you used to be its owner: After going through two or three other households, when you meet it again, it has only to smell your scent and it will immediately become affectionate to you. Even if it is a fierce animal, it won’t eat you. Its fierceness is inherent, stemming from God’s creation and predestination. It is a survival instinct given to it by God, not a vicious or wicked disposition—it is distinct from the evil of antichrists. There were two people who adopted a young lion cub. As the lion grew up, it became challenging to afford its meat-based diet, so when it turned one year old, they released it back into its natural environment. Three years later, they encountered the lion again. From a distance, the lion saw them and eagerly ran toward them. They felt worried at first, thinking, “Won’t it eat us? It’s a lion.” As it turns out, the lion approached, embraced them like friends, and they hugged and petted the lion in return. The lion then introduced its family members to them, and when they had to leave it was reluctant to part ways. You can see this kind of scene when this most ferocious of wild animals, a carnivore, interacts with humans. Isn’t it rather touching? (Yes, it is.) Even in fierce animals, people can see their friendly side, but this is absent in antichrists. Because antichrists possess Satan’s disposition and are people with the satanic disposition essence, consequently, they can pass judgment, condemn, and blaspheme against God. Such attitudes lead to corresponding manifestations and especially approaches. Are antichrists not worse than animals? People know how to show respect and loving care to those they worship and to their closest relatives and their parents, and they know which of their actions can hurt and harm them. They can assess these things. However, antichrists are capable of displaying such behaviors toward God, which is really infuriating. It indicates that the inherent nature of such individuals is the essence of antichrists. To be precise, these individuals are the embodiments of Satan, they are living Satans and devils—they are not God’s sheep. Would God’s sheep curse Him? Would God’s sheep condemn Him? (No.) Why not? (Because they listen to God and submit to Him.) They listen and submit—that’s one aspect. The key is their genuine belief in God. If you truly believe in God’s identity, status, and essence, then regardless of what God does or how He does it, even if it causes harm, you won’t condemn Him. Only those who genuinely believe in God, who have true belief in Him, place themselves in the position of a created being, always treating God as God. This is a fact.

We have already fellowshipped antichrists cursing, opposing, and clamoring against God. Some openly oppose Him, establish factions, form alliances, and create independent kingdoms. Others secretly curse Him behind closed doors, some curse Him in their hearts, and oppose and clamor against Him in their hearts. Whether they curse Him openly or in secret, they are all antichrists; they are not God’s sheep. They belong to Satan’s ilk, and they are without a doubt not normal people or qualified created beings. When most people face situations that don’t align with their own notions or encounter God’s judgment and chastisement, they merely feel upset, confused, and unable to accept it. They express grievances, or display intransigence; they might even become negative or slack off, but they don’t escalate to the point of opposing and clamoring. Over time, through prayer, reading God’s words, the help of brothers and sisters, and the enlightenment, guidance, and discipline of the Holy Spirit, they can gradually turn around. This is the manifestation of ordinary corrupt humans when things befall them. Antichrists, on the other hand, lack these positive manifestations, and they won’t change their course. If a situation doesn’t align with their desires, they curse. If the next situation still doesn’t align with their desires, they curse too. Cursing goes hand in hand with opposition and clamoring. Some antichrists even say, “If people like me can’t be saved, then who can be?” Is this not clamoring? Is it not opposition? (Yes, it is.) This is opposition. They have no trace of submission, and they dare to clamor against and oppose God—these are Satans. Let’s end our fellowship on the various manifestations of a wicked disposition here.

B. Being Averse to the Truth

Next, we will fellowship on the second item of the disposition essence of antichrists—being averse to the truth. We have fellowshipped before on quite a few details about this item of being averse to the truth, but here we will primarily classify antichrists by dissecting their disposition essence that is averse to the truth. The main dispositional characteristic of how antichrists approach the truth is aversion rather than merely being disinterested. Disinterest is just a relatively mild attitude toward the truth that has not escalated to the level of hostility, condemnation, or opposition. It’s just lacking interest in the truth, not wanting to pay attention to it, and saying, “What positive things, what truth? Even if I gain these things, what of it? Will they improve my life or enhance my abilities?” They are uninterested in these things, and so they do not bother with them, but this falls short of aversion. Aversion indicates a certain attitude. What kind of attitude? As soon as they hear about any positive thing and anything related to the truth, they feel hatred, repulsion, resistance, and an unwillingness to listen. They may even try to find evidence to condemn and denigrate the truth. This is their disposition essence of being averse to the truth.

Just like other people, antichrists can read God’s words, hear what God says, and experience the work of God. On the surface, it seems they can also understand the literal meaning of God’s words, know what God has said, and know that these words enable people to take the right path and be good people. However, these things remain merely theoretical to them. What does it mean that they remain theoretical? It’s similar to how some people might believe that a certain theory in a book is good, but when they compare it to real life, and think about the evil trends, human corruption, and the various needs of all humankind, they find the theory to be impractical and disconnected from real life, and they realize that it cannot help people adapt to or follow after these evil trends and this evil society. Hence, they feel that this theory is good, but that it is only something to be spoken about, to satisfy humankind’s wishes and fantasies for beautiful things. For instance, if someone likes status, and they wish to be an official, and to be exalted and worshiped among people, they must rely on abnormal methods like lying, showcasing themselves, and stepping on others, and so on, to achieve this goal. However, these things are exactly what the truth condemns. It condemns and denies these desires and ambitions of humans. In real life, people think that distinguishing themselves is a legitimate thing to do, but such demands are condemned by God and the truth. Therefore, these demands are not accepted in God’s house, there is no room for them to be brought into play, and there is no space for them to be realized. But will antichrists give them up? (They won’t give them up.) Right, they won’t give them up. As soon as antichrists see this, they think, “I understand now. So, the truth requires people to be selfless, to sacrifice themselves, to be tolerant and generous, to lose their egos and live for others. This is the truth.” Once they define the truth in this way, do they become interested in or repulsed by the truth? They become repulsed by it, and repulsed by God, saying, “God always speaks the truth, he always exposes impure things like human desires and ambitions, and he always exposes that which lies at the bottom of human souls. It seems god fellowships about the truth with the aim of depriving people of their pursuit of status, desires, and ambitions. Initially, I thought god could satisfy people’s desires, fulfill their wishes and dreams, and give people what they want. I didn’t expect that god was this kind of god. He doesn’t seem that great. I’m filled with ambitions and desires: Can god like a person such as me? Judging from what god has always said, and reading between the lines of his words, it seems that god doesn’t like people such as me, nor can he get along with someone like me. It seems like I can’t get along with this kind of practical god. The words he speaks, the work he does, the principles for his actions, and his disposition—why do I find them so disagreeable? God asks people to be honest, to have a conscience, to seek, obey, and fear god when things befall them, and to let go of their ambitions and desires—these are things I cannot do! What god demands is not only incompatible with human notions, it is also insensitive to human feelings. How can I believe in him?” After turning things over in their minds like this, do they develop a good feeling toward God or grow distant from Him? (They grow distant.) After a period of experience, antichrists increasingly feel that people like them, who have ambitions and desires, and are full of aspirations, won’t be welcome in God’s house, that there’s no place here for them to use their skills, and that they cannot give free play to their aspirations here. They think, “In god’s house, I can’t reveal my exceptional talent. I’ll never have the chance to excel. They say I lack spiritual understanding, that I don’t understand the truth, and that I have an antichrist’s disposition. Not only have I not been promoted or placed in an important position, I’ve also been condemned. What’s wrong with establishing my own independent kingdom? What’s wrong with me punishing others? Since I have power, I should act like this! Who wouldn’t act like this if they had power? So what’s wrong with me engaging in some foul play and cheating during elections? Don’t all nonbelievers do the same? Why isn’t it allowed in god’s house? They even say that this is shameless. How can it be considered shameless? Man struggles upward; water flows downward. This is proper! God’s house isn’t fun. But people in this world are pretty vicious, and not easy to get along with. By comparison, the people in god’s house are a bit better behaved. If there were no god, hanging around here would be wonderful; if there were no god and no truth governing people, I would be the boss in god’s house, the master, and the king.” As they do their duties in God’s house, they constantly experience various things, they are continually pruned, and they change to various different duties, and they finally realize something, saying, “In god’s house, anything that happens is measured and resolved using the truth. The truth is always emphasized, and god is always talking about it. I cannot give free play to my aspirations here!” Having reached this point in their experiences, they become increasingly averse to the truth, toward the truth reigning, toward everything God does being the truth, and toward seeking the truth. To what extent do they feel averse toward these things? They don’t even want to acknowledge or accept the doctrines of the truths they acknowledged in the very beginning, and they feel extreme revulsion in their hearts. Therefore, as soon as it’s time for a gathering, they become drowsy and anxious. Why are they anxious? They think, “These gatherings go on for three or four hours at a time—when will this be over? I don’t want to listen anymore!” There is a phrase that can describe their mood, which is “sitting on pins and needles.” They realize that as long as the truth reigns in God’s house, they will never have a chance to excel, but will always be restricted, condemned, and rejected by everyone, and that no matter how capable they are, they won’t be given important roles. Consequently, their loathing of the truth and God intensifies. Someone might ask, “Why didn’t they feel loathing from the beginning?” Indeed, they did feel loathing from the beginning, but at that time, everything in God’s house was unfamiliar to them. They had no concept of it, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t feel loathing or aversion. In reality, they felt averse toward the truth within their nature essence, they just hadn’t realized it themselves. These people’s nature essence is undoubtedly averse to the truth. Why do I say this? They inherently love injustice, wickedness, power, evil trends, being in charge, controlling people, and all negative things like this. Judging by these things which they love, it is beyond doubt that antichrists feel averse toward the truth. Furthermore, in terms of what they strive for, they strive for status, they strive to distinguish themselves, they strive to put a halo on their head, they strive to be a leader among people, to be imposing and powerful, to have prestige and strength wherever they speak and act, along with the ability to control people—they strive for these things. This is also a manifestation of feeling aversion toward the truth. Judging furthermore by their attitude toward the truth, no matter how much of it these individuals hear, it will be of no avail. Some might ask, “Is it because they have a bad memory?” No, it’s not. Some antichrists have excellent memories, they are especially eloquent, and they can apply and show off what they learn immediately. Those lacking discernment consequently think these individuals possess good caliber and have the Holy Spirit working in them. However, discerning people can recognize at once that what they speak is all doctrines and empty words, that it is devoid of any truth realities, and intended to mislead people. Antichrists are people like this: They particularly like to preach lofty sermons, discuss spiritual theories in an empty way, and pour forth a torrent of words, which, once it has begun, is off-topic and rambling. Many people cannot understand them, and antichrists say, “This is the language of the third heaven; how could you understand it?” The primary manifestation of antichrists being averse to the truth is seen in their attitude toward it, and, of course, it also manifests in their usual daily lives and activities, especially in how they do their duties. They display several manifestations. First, they never seek the truth, even when they clearly know they should. Second, they never practice the truth. Since they don’t seek the truth, how can they practice it? Only through seeking can there be understanding, and only understanding can lead to practice; they don’t seek, nor do they take the truth principles to heart at all. They even disdain them, feel averse toward them, and view them with hostility. Consequently, they never even touch on the practice of the truth, and even if they understand the truth at times, they don’t practice it. For instance, when something befalls them, and others suggest a good course of action, they might retort, “What’s good about that? If I do that, won’t my own ideas be wasted?” Some may say, “God’s house will suffer losses if we do things your way; we must act according to the principles.” They respond, “What principles! My way is the principle; whatever I think is the principle!” Isn’t this not practicing the truth? (Yes.) Another of their primary manifestations is that they never read God’s words or engage in spiritual devotions. When some people are busy with work and cannot find time to read God’s words, they silently contemplate or sing a few hymns, and if they go many days without reading God’s words, they feel a sense of emptiness. In the midst of their busyness, they steal a moment to read a passage and replenish themselves, pondering until they can sense God’s presence, and their hearts become steady. Such people are not far from God. On the other hand, antichrists don’t feel distressed if they go a day without reading God’s words. Even if they don’t read God’s words for 10 days, they feel nothing. They can still live quite well without reading God’s words for a year, and they can even go three years without reading God’s words, and feel nothing—they do not feel afraid or empty in their hearts, and they continue to live comfortably. They must feel an intense aversion toward God’s words! A person can go a day without reading God’s words due to busyness, or perhaps 10 days for the same reason. However, if someone can go a whole month without reading God’s words and still feel nothing, then there is a problem. If a year passes without a person reading God’s words, they do not just lack a yearning for God’s words—they have an aversion toward the truth.

Another manifestation of antichrists feeling aversion toward the truth is their contempt for Christ. We’ve fellowshipped about their contempt for Christ before. So, what has Christ done for them to hold Him in contempt? Did He hurt or harm them, or do anything contrary to their wishes? Did He harm any of their interests? No. Christ holds no personal grudges against them, and they haven’t even met Him. How, then, could they hold Him in contempt? The root cause lies in the antichrists’ essence of feeling aversion toward the truth. Another manifestation of antichrists feeling averse toward the truth is their contempt toward the reality of all positive things. The reality of all positive things encompasses a wide range of things, such as all things that God created and their laws, various living things and the laws that govern their lives, and primarily, the various laws that govern the lives of these living beings called humans. For example, the matters of birth, age, illness, and death that are closest to human life—normal people’s legs grow feeble as they age, their health declines, their eyes dim, they become hard of hearing, their teeth become loose, and they think that they must reconcile themselves to old age. God is sovereign over all this, and no one can go against this natural law—normal people can acknowledge and accept all these things. However, no matter how long a person lives or the state of their physical health, certain things don’t change, such as the way in which they should do their duty, the position they should take, and the attitude with which they should do their duty. Antichrists, on the other hand, refuse to yield. They say, “Who am I? I can’t grow old. I must be different from ordinary people at all times. Do I look old to you? There are certain things you can’t do at this age, but I can. Your legs may grow feeble in your fifties, but mine remain nimble. I even practice jumping from rooftop to rooftop!” They always want to challenge these normal laws that God ordained, they are constantly trying to break them and show others that they are different, extraordinary, and superior to ordinary people. Why do they do this? They want to challenge God’s words and deny that His words are the truth. Isn’t this a manifestation of antichrists’ essence of feeling aversion toward the truth? (Yes.) There is another aspect, which is that antichrists revere evil trends and dark influences; this further confirms that they are enemies of the truth. Antichrists deeply admire and revere Satan’s regime, and the various abilities, skills, and deeds of evil spirits spoken about in legends, as well as evil trends and dark influences. Their belief in these things is unshakable, and they never doubt them. Their hearts are not only free from aversion but are full of respect, reverence, and envy for them. Even deep in their hearts, they closely follow these things. Antichrists have this kind of attitude deep in their hearts regarding these evil and dark things—doesn’t this mean that they are averse to the truth? Absolutely! How could anyone who loves these wicked and dark things love the truth? These are people that belong to the evil forces and to Satan’s gang. Of course, they unwaveringly believe in the things of Satan, while their hearts are filled with repulsion and disdain for the truth and positive things. We’ll more or less end our summary on the item of aversion toward the truth here.

C. Viciousness

Another part of the disposition essence of antichrists is viciousness. Antichrists can be summed up with one phrase: Antichrists are evil people. When they have status, it is evident that they are antichrists. When they don’t have status, how can you judge whether they are antichrists? You must look at their humanity. If their humanity is malicious, insidious, and venomous, then they are one hundred percent antichrists. If someone has never had status, and never been a leader, and their humanity is not good, how can you determine if they are an antichrist? You have to see whether their humanity is venomous, and whether they are an evil person. If they are an evil person, then even if they do not have status, they are one hundred percent an antichrist. Therefore, another typical aspect of the disposition essence of antichrists is viciousness. Is the vicious disposition of antichrists the same as the viciousness of lions or tigers hunting prey? (No.) Carnivores hunt because of hunger; it is a bodily need and an instinct. But when they are not hungry, they won’t hunt. How is this different from the viciousness of antichrists? Is it the case that antichrists do not become fierce if you don’t provoke them, and only become fierce when they’re provoked? Or is it the case that they won’t control you if you don’t listen to them, but will control you if you do? Or is it the case that they won’t punish you as long as you listen to them, but will punish you if you don’t? (No.) The viciousness of antichrists is a disposition, an essence—it is a genuine satanic essence. It is not an instinct, nor a need of the flesh, but rather a manifestation and characteristic of the disposition of antichrists. So, what are the manifestations, revelations, and approaches of the vicious disposition of antichrists? Which of their actions represent that their disposition is vicious, that they have the essence of evil people? Share your thoughts. (They punish others.) (They suppress and exclude those who are different from them.) (They frame others and set traps for them.) (They control and manipulate people.) (They create cliques and sow discord.) Creating cliques and sowing discord are a bit insidious; these are manifestations of a wicked disposition, but they fall short of viciousness. Spreading notions, establishing independent kingdoms—are these vicious? (Yes.) Opposing work arrangements, disturbing the work of God’s house, seizing hold of God’s offerings, and directly opposing God—are these vicious? (Yes.) Seizing hold of offerings is not just greedy; it is also a manifestation of a vicious disposition. That antichrists can seize hold of offerings indicates an extremely vicious disposition, equal to that of bandits. Restate the items we just summarized. (They punish others, suppress and exclude those who are different from them, frame them and set traps for them, control and manipulate people, spread notions, establish independent kingdoms, oppose work arrangements, attack God, and seize hold of offerings.) Nine items in total. These are more or less the manifestations of the vicious disposition of antichrists. In fact, there are still some specific manifestations, but they are nearly identical to these, so I will not list them in detail. In short, those who employ these approaches and strategies are evil people. In one respect, their approaches are insidious, for example, framing, setting traps, and spreading notions, are all relatively insidious. In another respect, their strategies are quite venomous and fierce, which qualifies them as having a vicious disposition.

Judging from these three aspects of the disposition essence of antichrists, can they be saved? (No, they can’t.) Are they willing to labor in God’s house? (No, they aren’t.) They do not pursue the truth, they do not love the truth, and their hearts are filled with hostility toward God and positive things. They are even unwilling to do the most basic things—laboring and fulfilling their duty in God’s house—that is, they can’t even do what a person should normally do. Not only can they not do it, but on the contrary they disturb, disrupt, and ruin the normal order of brothers and sisters doing their duties, as well as normal church life. At the same time, they disturb the work of God’s house, people’s normal life entry, and God’s normal work in people. And that’s not all, they also want to rule and wield power in God’s house; they wish to mislead, draw in, and control people, to establish their own independent kingdoms and factions in God’s house, and to completely turn those who follow God into their own followers, so that they may achieve their ambition and desire of wielding power and influence, of controlling God’s chosen people, and of putting on a rival show to God. So, is there any value at all to using antichrists in God’s house? Can they serve any good function at all in God’s house? (No.) Judging from their humanity to their pursuits, from their ambitions and desires to the paths they tread, and their attitude toward the truth and God, in God’s house such people can only serve the function of disturbing, disrupting, and ruining the work of God. They cannot serve even the slightest positive function, because they never pursue the truth, and in their nature essence they are averse toward the truth, and filled with hostility toward the truth and God. This is the essence of antichrists.

As of now, we have completely finished fellowshipping on the various manifestations of antichrists. Through what we have fellowshipped about today, are you now able to discern antichrists? To summarize it with the simplest phrase: Evil people are antichrists, and antichrists are all evil people. By putting it like this, haven’t things become much clearer to you? Aren’t they easier to understand now? Over the past two years, we have been continually dissecting the nature essence of antichrists, and you have undergone a lot of refinement, worrying whether you might be an antichrist. Now, the result has finally come out. The process has been quite challenging, but the final result is good: You have the disposition of an antichrist, but you are not an antichrist. How did you come to this understanding? Which line of My fellowships made you realize this? (Last time, through God’s fellowship on the difference between the character and disposition essence of antichrists, and that of other people, we began to understand a little. People with a conscience and reason can repent and change after doing evil, while those who possess the disposition essence of antichrists are staunchly unrepentant, and don’t feel anything no matter how much evil they commit.) People have some revelations of the disposition of antichrists, but these are involuntary and do not come from their proactive will; when these revelations are discovered, people feel discomfort, pain, remorse, and a sense of indebtedness, and then they can gradually reverse their course. When people understand this point, they feel much more at ease, and find that there is still room for them to be saved, and that they are not antichrists. Although they have some relation to the disposition of antichrists, fortunately, they have no relation to the disposition essence of antichrists. As long as you are not an evil person, you are not an antichrist. But does that mean you don’t have the disposition of antichrists? (No, it doesn’t.) When I say now that everyone has the disposition of antichrists, do you feel resistant in your hearts? (I don’t.) You don’t feel resistant; you can accept this fact now. Summarize the manifestations of the disposition essence of antichrists. (Antichrists are averse toward the truth, they hate the truth, and will never accept the truth.) This gets to the essence; antichrists will never accept the truth; they feel averse and hostile toward the truth. Some people do not pursue the truth, but they are not hostile toward it, and they also think that all of what God says is right and good, and they admire and want to pursue it, but they have poor caliber and lack a path. Others have no interest in the truth, but they aren’t hostile toward it either; they are the lukewarm type. However, antichrists are different; they feel averse and hostile toward the truth. The moment the truth or God is mentioned, they feel hatred, and trying to make them accept the truth makes them become abnormal, they feel repulsed in their hearts, never accepting it—this is the essence of antichrists. What else? (Antichrists are staunchly unrepentant no matter what they do wrong, and they will never practice the truth.) They won’t recognize their own mistakes, they never repent, and they will not change over the course of many years. They don’t acknowledge that God is the truth, that God’s words are the truth, so how could they practice the truth? They lack humanity, they are not human, they are devils, Satans, and enemies of God, so they absolutely won’t practice the truth.

December 26, 2020