Although some people believe in God, their hearts are still in the secular world; they may perform their duties, but they still dream of becoming rich. Their hearts remain restless and dissatisfied, and sometimes they want to leave God’s house, but they fear they will not receive blessings and that they will fall into the disasters, so all they can do is perform their duties in a perfunctory manner. At times they may spread negativity and complain a little, and although they have not done a great deal of evil, they do not play a positive role. Is God aware of this behavior of theirs? (He is.) Are people aware? Oftentimes, people do not see it. They feel that such people are good, that in performing their duties, they are early to rise and late to bed, and that they are able to endure hardships and pay a price, but they just occasionally experience weakness and do not like to interact with others. But God knows what these people think in their hearts and how they act, and He has suitable arrangements. When the time comes, He allows illness to befall them, and once they are sick, they cannot perform their duties. What does this mean? It means that they are removed from the ranks of those who perform duties. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? (A bad thing.) All of you are willing to perform your duties loyally, you do not want to face tribulations, sickness, or pain, and you feel that these delay the performance of your duties. But those who do not want to do their duties will feel that it is a good thing if they face tribulations or sickness, and they think, “This time I’ve found a reason, an excuse; I don’t need to perform my duty anymore.” In fact, this is a bad thing: It means that God no longer wants them, that they no longer count, and this is God’s way of removing them. After being removed, their illnesses may unexpectedly clear up, and once they are better, they will go to work and earn money, living their lives and making their fortunes. God does not want this kind of person—what does it mean when God no longer wants someone? It means that this person has no outcome; they have disappeared from God’s sight, and they no longer have any chance at receiving salvation. God predestined and chose them but henceforth detests and rejects them; He decides not to save this kind of person, but to eradicate them from His house. This kind of person will never be saved by God. From this moment on, they have lost any chance of salvation. No matter what they do or how they behave, God no longer wants them. If God no longer wants someone, is that the end of it? This person’s story is not over yet. Before God chooses a person, they live under Satan’s power. After God chooses them, they come to God’s house and live under God’s care and protection. When they resist and betray God, and God cuts them off, where do they return to? (To Satan’s power.) They return to being under Satan’s power once again. This signifies that God has delivered them back to Satan, meaning, “I no longer want this person. They do not accept the truth; I give them to you,” and Satan takes them. That person returns to Satan and no longer has any chance of salvation. What does a person lose when God gives them back to Satan? What consequences and end will come upon them? You should be clear on this. To be cast out by God is no simple matter, and it is certainly not because of a person’s momentary transgression, for God saves people to the greatest extent possible and does not cast them out lightly. When a person is chosen by God, what does that person gain from Him? (The chance to be saved.) What else? (They gain the truth.) Yes, naturally they must obtain the truth in order to receive God’s salvation. When God chooses a person and leads them from Satan’s power into His house, does Satan dare lay out any conditions for God? It doesn’t dare lay out any conditions, nor does it dare say anything. If God says, “This person is Mine, you are no longer permitted to touch them,” then Satan obediently surrenders that person. This person’s food, clothing, lodging, transportation, and every move are under God’s care and eyes, and without God’s permission, Satan will not dare to touch that person again. What does this imply? It means that the person lives completely under God’s care and protection, with neither interference nor encroachment from outside forces, and that their day-to-day joy, sorrow, and pain are all under the scrutiny of God’s eyes, and under His care and protection. Should some disaster or calamity occur, God will let that person avoid it, and they will be fine; while the unbelievers and those whom God has not chosen will have whatever fate they deserve. If they should die, they will die; if they should suffer disaster, they will suffer disaster. No person can change this, and no person can save anyone else. When calamities strike, they befall many people; but how is it that these disasters do not befall you? This is God’s protection. Neither Satan, nor the little devils, nor the evil spirits dare touch you. When they come before you, it is as if they were blocked by a restricted area ahead of them, as if they were seeing the words, “Do not touch this person,” or as if they were glimpsing a decree of heaven, and they do not dare touch you, and you are protected. You have led a very good life over these years, everything has gone well, and you have been able to fulfill your duty normally—this is someone being protected by the hands of God. However, after the person I just mentioned receives God’s protection, they neither feel it nor are they conscious of it. They say, “It’s probably because of luck or good fortune that I’ve lived in peace all these years, and that Satan and those little devils have stayed far away from me.” This person does not say that this was God’s protection, nor do they know to repay God’s love and grace. They do not perform their duty well, and instead they cause disruptions and disturbances, and they only do bad things. God sees their consistent behavior, examines their innermost being, and gives them time and opportunity for many years, yet they still do not repent. So, God says that this person cannot be saved, and finally decides to give them back to Satan. This person is a worthless thing, and God no longer wants them. Who is happiest when God casts out this person? Satan is happiest, and says, “How wonderful it is to have another little demon in my camp, another accomplice!” That person, who is simple-minded and does not know to be afraid, returns to Satan’s embrace in this way. What things will Satan do to them? (It will trample and harm them.) Satan is so good at harming people that some become possessed by demons, some develop strange illnesses, and some suddenly behave abnormally, revealing their demonic appearance as though they were insane. Satan often harms and devours people in this way. This is the nature of Satan’s actions: It relies on trickery and wickedness, and uses various methods to lure people into submission, to harm and devour them. Are Satan’s methods of harming people limited to these? Definitely not. Satan does not just corrupt people by harming, ruining, and ravaging them, like people say. It has many more insidious and vicious means, all of which are experienced firsthand by corrupt mankind. After people are given over to Satan, some of them suddenly become particularly clever and adept at employing tricks; all of a sudden, their career paths become remarkably smooth, and they get promoted and become wealthy. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? (A bad thing.) This is a good thing in the eyes of man, so how can it be considered a bad thing? (These people have fallen for Satan’s tricks and they will become increasingly separated from God.) They get promoted and become wealthy, and everything goes well for them; before long, they become tycoons, with money, status, and renown. They live very well and completely return to the secular world. Can they still think of God at this time? Do they still want to believe in God? Do they still have God in their hearts? (No.) They have entirely distanced themselves from God and turned away from the true way, and they have been completely taken captive by Satan. They are no longer members of God’s house; they have become unbelievers, and in that way they are utterly ruined. Can such people still enjoy God’s protection? (They cannot.) What condition are they in, living in the secular world and under the power of Satan? Every day, they do not know whether they will live or die; whenever they go out, they do not know whether they will encounter some misfortune; they know neither peace nor joy; and their hearts are full of terror, unease, and fear. They know what the consequences of betraying God are, so they are in a state of anxiety all day long, and they do not know when disaster will strike them, and when they will be punished. This is what it feels like in people’s hearts when God detests and rejects them: They are trapped in the darkness with no way out, every step they take is so difficult and frightening, and their lives are so painful. Do you think that these people live painful lives because they are chasing after fame and fortune, pursuing the secular world, living a life of comfort, and following the path of the unbelievers? No. It is because once God has forsaken them, He no longer cares about them. Without God’s protection and care, they become people under Satan’s power and they immediately fall into the darkness. The first thing people feel when they fall into the darkness is that their hearts are no longer at peace, and they no longer feel the presence of God. They feel that the world is full of terror, traps, deception, and danger, and that life is even harder. Does it matter what their status is in the world? Does it matter how capable or powerful they are? No. All those who do not believe in God or who are cast out by Him will end with this outcome, falling into a living hell, which is so painful. All sorts of living ghosts will harm you every day there. It is unlivable; it is simply a life worse than death.

When people are under God’s protection, they feel secure, at peace, and joyful. They can live as humans and engage in all the activities of normal humanity; everything about them is regular and as it should be, and their hearts are free and relaxed. When people lose the care and protection of God, those feelings disappear, so they respond to all the people, events, and things around them with their own skills, abilities, thoughts, and life philosophies, and also with their own hotheadedness. What are all these people, events, and things around them? They are all the bad people, the evil people, the greater and smaller demons, and evil spirits. Will people’s lives be good if they are in such a place of unclean spirits without God’s protection? (No.) That is why people cannot enjoy a single good day after leaving God; living becomes just that difficult for them. When people live under God’s care and protection, they do not know to cherish it and they do not take it seriously; once God forsakes them, it is too late for regret, and that really is a catastrophe of immense proportions! Only when people live under God’s orchestration, care, and protection can they know true happiness, peace, and joy, which is the peace and joy felt deep within one’s heart that comes from God. Once people lose God’s care and protection, the pain, worry, anxiety, unease, and dread that lie deep within their hearts begin to gradually increase. The suffering in their hearts grows, and it is difficult for them to extricate themselves from it; they cannot break free. How great can a person’s skills and strengths be? What is it that you face alone? You face all kinds of unclean and evil spirits! Outwardly, they look like people: They have shapes, forms, flesh, and blood. But these people are all of Satan, and it is Satan and every kind of evil and unclean spirit that manipulates them. How capable can one person be, in the face of these things? Can they be unafraid? Can they enjoy peace and joy? No matter how great of a figure they are, no matter how capable or how fierce they may be, how will they feel when they are living under Satan’s power, and in this world? Once they are alone and have calmed down, they will think about the people, events, and things around them and how difficult it is for them to deal with every single thing that comes their way; they must rack their brains in order to handle all of them. What an ordeal it is, for them to use human’s strength and means to settle all of these things! That’s how hard it is for them to live; that’s how painful it is. Some people say that great figures do not suffer such pains, but in fact, they suffer more. Ordinary people face a small circle of life, whereas great figures face a bigger circle of life and greater suffering and torment. Do they know happiness? (They don’t.) So, once people have lost God’s care and protection, and have been forsaken by Him, what kind of life will they face? They will face all of those unclean and evil spirits single-handedly and alone—that makes for an unendurable life! They may die at any time under fire from their adversaries or as a result of their schemes, and they lead exhausting, painful, and tormented lives. Some people are foolish and think it is tedious to believe in God, constantly pursuing the truth, and always focusing on submitting to God and on listening to God’s words; they think that it is worldly people who are free, and feel that believing in God is meaningless, so they do not want to believe anymore. They always think in this way, but one day they will learn what the consequences of this are.

In the hands of the Creator, people enjoy endless peace, joy, blessings, protection, and care, while those who lack humanity and have no conscience will not experience these things. However, once a person has been forsaken by God, they will immediately feel the pain of darkness descend upon them, and at that time they will understand completely how happy and joyful it used to be believing in God, performing their duties, and living in God’s house and in His presence, but it will already be too late. You may say, “I regret leaving God. Can I start afresh believing in Him?” Does God give such opportunities? (He does not.) If you no longer want God, can God still want you? Do you not love Satan? You love Satan in your heart, but you still want to follow God to obtain some blessings. Could God agree to this? (He could not.) That is how it is. Therefore, people must come into God’s presence often to ponder and think through these things: what true happiness is; how to live in order to have true happiness, joy, and peace; and what things are most valuable and worthy of being cherished in people’s lives. These things must be pondered. The more you ponder on the proper things and on the truth, the more God will enlighten and guide you, and let you understand, know, and see, and the more enlightened and illuminated you will become in terms of practicing and entering into the truth—will your faith not then become greater and greater? If you are always lazy and defiant, always averse to and not liking the truth; if you never want to come into God’s presence and are always thinking of being dissolute and of straying from God; and if you accept neither His guidance, His care, nor His protection, then can God compel you? If this is your attitude, God will certainly not enlighten you, so you will have little faith. The longer you believe, the less energy you will have, and then you will complain, spread your notions and negativity, and in time, you will cause trouble. Once you have caused trouble and disturbed the work of the church, God’s house will no longer treat you so kindly, and it will clear you out or expel you, and you will come to the end of your path of belief in God. Who will be to blame for this? (The person themselves.) This is the end that comes to people who believe in God, but do not pursue the truth. As the saying goes, “Three feet of ice cannot freeze in a single day.” If you have believed in God for several years but have not pursued the truth, and you have chosen the path of the world, and to follow Satan instead of God, then God will forsake and abandon you. God does not force people. God’s salvation, His word, and His truth and life are freely given to man; He does not ask you for money or make deals with you. If you not only refuse to accept the truth but also complain to God and disturb the work of the church, are you not asking for trouble? What will God do then? He will certainly abandon you, and this will be your comeuppance. If you reject God’s great salvation when it is at hand, and still feel wronged and wish to make a deal with God, this is truly unreasonable! If that’s the case, then you should go back to the muddy pit of the world and get by however you wish! God will no longer care, and in this your end will be decided. Some say, “If people no longer want God, why doesn’t He let them die?” Are there not those who think like this? (There are.) Some people are cruel and say, “If a person doesn’t follow God, God should curse them, punish them, and then destroy them!” Do you think that this is the disposition of God? (No, it is not.) God does not do that; He does not force people. What a person’s life will be like is already determined by God, and God does not work in haphazard ways. That person’s fate, destination, and ending have been predetermined by God, and if they do not follow God, then God will still let them live in that way naturally according to their original destiny. God will hand them over to Satan, and that will be the end of it; their outcome will ultimately be determined by God at the time that it ought to be, at the end of their life. God will not upset all these laws. In the words of man, God acts in a particularly rational way, unlike the insidiousness and viciousness of the antichrists, who say: “If you do not follow me, I’ll kill you!” What kind of disposition is that? It is that of a bandit, it is the disposition of a brigand, of a rogue. God does not behave in this way. God says, “If you do not follow Me, then return to Satan, and henceforth all ties between us will be cut off. You will enjoy neither My protection nor My care; you will have no share in this blessing. Live as you like; it is up to you to choose!” God is tolerant of people and He does not force them, unlike Satan, who always wants to control and hold on to you, forever, even if that is not what you wish. God does not do that. God has His own principles for doing things; He asks people to follow Him, but He never forces them. As a created being, if you cannot accept the truth, if you cannot perform the duties of a created being, you will never obtain God’s blessing.

November 7, 2017