Do you know what kind of people God ultimately gives up on? (Those who are continuously intransigent and do not repent before God.) What is the specific state of these kinds of people? (When performing their duties they are always perfunctory, and when faced with problems they do not seek the truth to find a resolution. They are not earnest about how they should practice the truth, and handle everything in a sloppy manner. They are merely satisfied with not doing evil or bad things, and they do not strive for the truth.) Perfunctory behavior depends on the situation. Some people do it because they do not understand the truth, and they even think that it is normal to be perfunctory. Some people are intentionally perfunctory, deliberately choosing to act in such a way. They act this way when they don’t understand the truth, and even after they do understand, they do not improve their behavior. They do not practice the truth, consistently acting this way without the slightest amount of change. They do not listen when anyone criticizes them, nor accept being pruned. Instead, they obstinately stand their ground to the end. What is this called? This is called intransigence. Everyone knows that “intransigence” is a negative term, a derogatory term. It is not a good word. So what would you say someone’s outcome would be if the term “intransigent” is applied to them, and they fit the description? (They are spurned and set aside by God.) Let Me tell you, what God despises the most and wants to give up on are these kinds of intransigent people. They are fully aware of their wrongdoings but do not repent, they never admit their faults and always make excuses and arguments to justify themselves and deflect blame, and they try to find smooth and evasive ways around the issue, shielding their actions from others’ eyes, and making continuous mistakes without the slightest degree of repentance or confession in their hearts. Such a person is very troublesome, and it is not easy for them to achieve salvation. They are the very people that God wants to abandon. Why would God abandon such people? (Because they do not accept the truth at all, and their conscience has become numb.) Such people cannot be saved. God does not save these people; He does not do such useless work. Outwardly it looks like God does not save them, and does not want them, but in fact there is a practical reason, which is that these people do not accept God’s salvation; they reject and resist God’s salvation. They think, “What do I gain from submitting to You, accepting the truth, and practicing the truth? What advantage is there? I will only do it if there is a benefit for me. If there is no benefit then I won’t.” What kind of people are these? They are people driven by self-interest, and those who do not love the truth are all driven by self-interest. People driven by self-interest cannot accept the truth. If you try to fellowship on the truth with someone driven by self-interest, and ask them to know themselves and admit their wrongs, how will they respond? “What benefit do I gain from admitting my wrongs? If you make me admit I did something wrong, and make me confess my sins and repent, what blessings will I receive? My reputation and interests will be damaged. I will suffer losses. Who will compensate me?” This is their mentality. They only seek personal gain, and feel that acting in a certain way in order to receive God’s blessings is very vague. They simply don’t believe it’s possible; they only believe what they see with their own eyes. Such people are driven by self-interest, and they live by the satanic philosophy that “Every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost.” That is their nature essence. In their hearts, acknowledging God and acknowledging the truth means they believe in God. Not doing evil is acceptable to them, but they must receive benefits and absolutely not suffer loss. Only when their interests are not affected will they talk about practicing the truth and submitting to God. If their interests are damaged, they cannot practice the truth or submit to God. Asking them to expend themselves, suffer, or pay a price for God is even more impossible. People like this are not true believers. They live for their own interests, merely seeking blessings and benefits, and are unwilling to endure suffering or pay a price, yet they still want a place in God’s house to escape the outcome of death. Such people do not accept the least bit of truth and cannot be saved by God. Can God still save them? God will certainly spurn and eliminate them. Does that mean God does not save them? They have abandoned themselves. They do not strive toward the truth, pray to God, or rely on God, so how can God save them? The only course is to give up on them, put them aside, and let them reflect on themselves. If people want to be saved, the only way is for them to accept the truth, know themselves, practice repentance, and live out the truth reality. In this way, they can obtain God’s approval. They must practice the truth so that they are able to submit to and fear God, which is the ultimate goal of salvation. Submission to and fear of God must be embodied in people and in how they live out their life. If you do not walk the path of pursuing the truth, there is no second path you can choose. If a person does not walk this path, it can only be said that they do not believe the truth can save them. They do not believe that all of the words God spoke can transform them and make them become a genuine person. Furthermore, they fundamentally do not believe that God is the truth, nor do they believe in the fact that the truth can change and save people. Therefore, no matter how you dissect it, such a person’s heart is too intransigent. They refuse to accept the truth no matter what, and cannot be saved.

Do any of you have an intransigent state? (Yes.) Then are you all intransigent people? What is the difference between having an intransigent state and being an intransigent person? The two should be distinguished as they are different matters. Having an intransigent state means having this kind of corrupt disposition. If you can accept the truth you can achieve salvation, but if you are an intransigent person, you will have trouble. Intransigent people do not accept the truth at all; they will be unable to achieve salvation. That is the difference between these two types of people. Those with an intransigent state show some rebellious behavior, and reveal some corruption in themselves. However, during the process of revealing corruption, they continually confess their sins and repent before God, and continuously accept God’s judgment, chastisement and chastening. No matter how many times they experience failure or stumble, they can reflect on themselves, solve problems, get back up, and continue to follow God. Through this journey, they gain a true understanding of their corrupt disposition and realize that experiencing God’s judgment and chastisement is indeed a form of salvation, and that they cannot do without God’s judgment and chastisement. Through constant repentance, unceasing confession, and continuously accepting God’s judgment and chastisement, their lives progressively grow, and their spiritual state continuously changes. In this process, the corrupt disposition of a person can gradually be cast off, and they experience growth and transformation. Judging from their rebellious behavior, it may seem that such people are also quite intransigent, and they sometimes have an intransigent state, but they are not that kind of person. Since they are not that kind of person, then they certainly show positive behaviors and progress. Such people can be saved. Which kind of person are you? (We recognize when we have done wrong, and are willing to repent to God and correct our mistakes.) If you are conscious of your wrongdoings, your rebelliousness, and the corrupt dispositions you reveal, and you feel remorse and regret in your heart, then this is good and there is hope for salvation. However, if you subjectively do not have the slightest awareness of your rebelliousness or corruption, and when someone points it out, you remain obstinate and unaccepting, even resorting to sophistry and self-justification, then you will be in trouble, and it will not be easy for you to be saved. If you have believed in God for a short time, say, within three to five years, and you still don’t understand much about faith, it is because your stature is too small. However, if you have been a believer for over ten years and still do not know yourself, or accept being pruned, then you are in trouble. This is a person with an intransigent disposition who refuses to accept the truth. When it comes to those who do not understand the truth and lack reality, you have to look at what point of time they are at. Some people have good caliber, enter into truth quickly, and after only one or two years of believing, already understand what life entry is about. It is also possible that they have contact with people who have done well with life entry, have the truth reality, and understand many truths. The new believers also yearn for these things, so they listen a lot, and receive much, thus entering into life quickly. Some people are of poor caliber, and even if they are in contact with those who are of good caliber, their progress is slow. Some people have an inherent dislike for the truth, and no matter how many years they believe, they will not practice the truth, nor will they make progress in their life. Some people just like to be doing things and are very enthusiastic, but are not willing to strive toward the truth. They are busy every day, but they do not make progress in life. People who believe in God can be in all kinds of situations. However, only those who love the truth can practice the truth, obtain the truth, and achieve salvation. The biggest concerns for believers are having an intransigent disposition and not accepting the truth. Such people are the most troublesome and it is a problem with their nature. They may accept doctrine, but they refuse to accept the truth. These are the people who are the least likely to achieve salvation. The only thing that can be done with people who do not love the truth and are averse to the truth, is to abandon them.

Let Me give two examples of lying. There are two types of people who are capable of lying. You need to distinguish which people are intransigent and irredeemable. You also need to distinguish which can be saved. Although those that can be saved often reveal corruption, as long as they can accept the truth and reflect on and know themselves, there is still hope. In the first example, there is a person who frequently told lies. However, after understanding the truth, their reaction was different the next time they told a lie. They felt deep pain and torment, and they pondered, “I lied again. Why can’t I change? This time, no matter what, I must expose this matter, casting myself wide open to reveal and dissect my true self. I need to be clear about the fact that I was lying for the sake of saving face.” After opening up and fellowshipping, they felt at ease and realized, “It turns out lying is so painful, while being an honest person is so relaxing and wonderful! God requires people be honest; this is the likeness people should have.” After experiencing this bit of well-being, from then on, they were mindful about lying less, not telling lies as much as possible, speaking when they had something to say, speaking honestly, doing honest deeds, and being an honest person. However, when faced with a situation that involved their own pride, they naturally lied and later regretted it. Then, when they found themselves in a situation where they could make themselves look good, they lied again. They hated themselves inside, thinking, “Why can’t I control my mouth? Could this be a problem with my nature? Am I too deceitful?” They realized that this problem must be resolved; otherwise, God would spurn and eliminate them. They prayed to God, asking to be disciplined if they lied again, and were willing to accept punishment. They gathered the courage to dissect themselves in gatherings, and said, “When I told lies in these situations, it was because I had selfish motives and was controlled by my intent. As I reflected on myself, I realized that every time I lie, it is for the sake of vanity or for my own personal gain. I see it clearly now: I live for my pride and personal interests, which is what led me to lie all the time about everything.” While dissecting their own lies, they also exposed their intent and discovered the problem of their corrupt disposition. It’s a win-win situation; they can practice being an honest person and at the same time obtain enlightenment and recognize their corrupt disposition. Afterward, they contemplated, “I need to change! I just discovered I have this problem. It’s true enlightenment from God. People who practice the truth are blessed by God!” They also experienced a bit of the sweet taste of practicing the truth. However, one day the person unwittingly told a lie again. They once again prayed to God, seeking His discipline. Moreover, they reflected on why they always have hidden intent when speaking, and why they always consider their own vanity and pride instead of God’s intentions. After reflecting, they gained some understanding of their corrupt disposition and began to detest themselves. They continued in this way to seek and strive toward the truth. After three to five years, their lies indeed became fewer and fewer, and the number of times they said what they thought and conducted themselves honestly increased. Their heart gradually became purer and contained increasingly more peace and joy. They spent more and more time living in the presence of God and their state became more and more normal. This is the real state of a person who often lied when they experience being an honest person. So, does this person still lie now? Are they still capable of lying? Are they truly an honest person? It cannot be said that they are an honest person. It can only be said that they can practice the truth of being an honest person, and are in the process of practicing being an honest person, but they have not yet completely transformed into an honest person. In other words, this is a person who is willing to practice the truth. Can a person who is willing to practice the truth be said to be a person who loves the truth? They have practiced the truth and the facts have been revealed, so isn’t it natural to define them as a person who loves the truth? Of course, while they were practicing being an honest person, they were not immediately able to practice pure and open fellowship, or expose everything hidden within themselves without reservation. They still kept some things back and cautiously tried to move forward. However, through their attempts and experiences, they realized that the more they live honestly, the better they feel, the more peace of mind they have, the easier it becomes to practice the truth, without any major difficulties. It is only then that they tasted the sweetness of being an honest person, and their faith in God increased. By experiencing what it is to be an honest person, they not only become able to practice the truth, but also experience peace and joy in their heart. At the same time, they gain a clearer understanding of the path of practicing honesty. They feel that being an honest person is not too difficult. They see that God’s requirements for people are reasonable and attainable, and they gain some understanding of God’s work. All of this is not an extra benefit, but rather, it is what a person should gain in their journey of life entry, and they are capable of gaining it.

The second example is about a person who loves to lie—it’s in their nature. It’s alright when they don’t speak, but as soon as they open their mouth their speech is filled with many adulterations. Whether they do this intentionally or not, in short, the majority of what they say cannot be trusted. One day, after telling a lie, they pondered, “It’s wrong to tell a lie and it displeases God. If people were to find out that I lied I would be disgraced! But it seems as though someone has noticed that I lied. Well, I can easily manage that. I’ll find another subject, and use different wording to lower their guard, mislead them, and make them unable to see through my lies. Now isn’t that even more clever?” They then told an even bigger lie to cover up their previous lie and patch up the holes, which successfully misled people. They felt smug and self-satisfied, thinking, “Look at how smart I am! I told a lie without any holes, and even if there are some holes, I can just lie again to cover them up. Most people can’t see through me. Telling lies takes skill!” Some people say, “It’s hard work telling lies. After telling one lie you have to tell many more to cover it up. It takes a lot of thought and effort.” However, this master liar didn’t feel that way. In this instance, their lies weren’t exposed. They successfully told a lie to deceive others, then when they were afraid of being exposed, they lied again to cover up the previous lie. They felt proud, and there was no guilt or self-reproach in their heart. Their conscience was completely unaffected. How is this possible? They are unaware of how harmful lying is for them. They believe that using lies to cover up previous lies allowed them to improve their image and gain benefits. Despite the hardship and fatigue, they think it’s worth it. They believe it’s more valuable than understanding the truth, and practicing the truth. Why do they often lie without feeling guilty? Because they don’t have love for the truth in their heart. They value their vanity, reputation, and status. They never open up their heart in fellowship to others; instead, they use false appearances and guises to conceal their lies. That’s how they interact and engage with people. No matter how many lies they tell, how many lies they cover up, or how many selfish and base intentions they hide, they feel no guilt or discomfort in their heart. Generally speaking, people with some conscience and some humanity would feel uneasy after telling a lie, and would have a hard time reconciling themselves with it. They would have a sense of shame; but this person doesn’t think this way. After telling a lie they feel self-satisfied, saying, “I told another lie today and fooled that idiot. I was sweating bullets, but they somehow didn’t even notice!” Aren’t they tired of this life of constantly lying and covering lies up? What kind of nature is this? It is the nature of a devil. Devils lie every day. They live a life of lies without any feeling of discomfort or pain. If they did feel discomfort or pain they would change, but they cannot feel pain because lying is their life—it’s in their nature. When they express themselves naturally, they show no restraint and do not engage in any self-reflection. No matter how many lies they tell or deceptions they commit they feel no guilt in their heart, and no nagging in their conscience. They are unaware that God scrutinizes the depths of people’s hearts; they fail to realize the responsibility they bear and the retribution they will receive after telling lies and acting deceitfully. Their greatest fear is that someone will expose their deceitful schemes, so they resort to telling even more lies to cover their schemes up, and at the same time exhaust themselves trying to find some way, some means to conceal their lies and the truth about who they are. Has such a person repented at all during the entire process? Do they feel any blame or sadness? Do they have any desire to turn themselves around? No. They think it’s not a sin to tell lies or cover lies up, that most people live like this, and they have no intention to change. As for being an honest person, in their heart they think, “Why should I be an honest person, speak from the heart, and tell the truth? I don’t do that. That’s for fools and I’m not that foolish. If I lie and am afraid of being exposed, I’ll just find other reasons and excuses to cover it up. I’m not the sort of person who can speak honestly. If I did I’d be a complete idiot!” They do not accept or acknowledge the truth. People who do not acknowledge the truth cannot love the truth. What is the state of such a person from the beginning to the end? (They are unwilling to turn themselves around.) Their unwillingness to turn things around is evident from an objective standpoint, but what is their true state? They fundamentally deny that being an honest person is the right path in life. They also deny the existence of truth, God’s judgment of mankind in the last days, and that God determines the final outcome of man and the individual retribution for one’s deeds. This is undiscerning, foolish and stubborn. Such thinking gives rise to their intransigent state, actions and behaviors. These things arise from one’s nature essence. That is the kind of person they are—a genuinely deceitful person—and they cannot change. Some people may find it inconceivable when they see such people refuse to accept the truth, and cannot understand it. In reality, people like this lack normal humanity and their conscience is not functioning. Moreover, they lack the reason of normal humanity. Upon hearing the truth and the words of judgment, a person with normal humanity and reason would at least reflect upon themselves and genuinely repent, but this person shows no response after hearing the true way. They still insist on living according to the philosophy of Satan, without the slightest change in their faith in God over the years. Such a person lacks the reason of normal humanity, and it is difficult for such a person to be saved.

Which of these two types of people do you think God saves? (The first type, because although they lie, they can accept the truth and become honest.) People may see this and ask, “How can the people whom God saves still always lie and do wrong? Aren’t they still corrupt people? They are not perfect people!” They used the word “perfect” here. What do you think about that? These are the words of a person who does not understand the normal process of life’s growth. God saves people who have been corrupted by Satan and have corrupt dispositions, not perfect people without flaws or those who live in a vacuum. Some people, upon revealing a little corruption, think, “I have resisted God again. I have believed in God for many years and still haven’t changed. Surely God doesn’t want me anymore!” They then resign themselves to hopelessness and become unwilling to pursue the truth. What do you think of this attitude? They themselves have given up on the truth, and believe that God no longer wants them. Isn’t this a misunderstanding of God? Such negativity is the easiest way to be exploited by Satan. Satan mocks them, saying, “You fool! God wants to save you, but you are still suffering like this! So, just give up! If you give up, God will eliminate you, which is just like Him handing you over to me. I will torment you to death!” Once Satan succeeds, the consequences will be unthinkable. Consequently, no matter what difficulties or negativity a person faces, they must not give up. They should seek the truth for solutions, and they must not passively wait. During the process of life’s growth and the course of human salvation, people may sometimes take the wrong path, deviate, or have times where they exhibit states and behaviors of immaturity in life. They may have times of weakness and negativity, times when they say the wrong things, stumble, or experience failure. All of this is normal in the eyes of God. He does not hold it against them. Some people think their corruption is too deep, and that they can never satisfy God, so they feel sorrowful and despise themselves. Those who have a repentant heart like this are precisely the ones that God saves. On the other hand, those who believe they do not need God’s salvation, who think they are good people and there is nothing wrong with them, usually are not the ones God saves. What is the meaning behind what I’m telling you? Whoever understands, speak up. (To properly handle your own revelations of corruption, focus on practicing the truth, and you will receive God’s salvation. If you consistently misunderstand God, you will easily resign yourself to hopelessness.) You must have faith and say, “Though I am weak now, and I have stumbled and failed. I will grow, and one day I will understand the truth, satisfy God, and achieve salvation.” You must have this resolve. No matter what setbacks, difficulties, failures, or trip-ups you encounter, you must not be negative. You must know what kind of people God saves. Moreover, if you feel that you are not yet qualified to be saved by God, or if there are occasions where you are in states which God loathes or is displeased with, or there are times you behave poorly, and God doesn’t accept you, or God spurns you, it doesn’t matter. Now you know, and it is not too late. As long as you repent, God will give you a chance.

What is most important when believing in God? (Understanding the truth and having life entry.) That’s right, life entry is the most important thing—it comes first. No matter what duties you do, no matter how old you are, how long you have believed in God, and no matter how much truth you understand, life entry comes first. Don’t think, “Some people have believed in God for twenty years, but I’ve only believed for five years. I’m so far behind them. Is there still hope for me to be saved? Am I lagging too far behind?” It’s not a big problem to believe a few years late. If you are someone who pursues the truth, you can still catch up to those who believed in God earlier. Doesn’t the Bible say, “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first” (Matthew 19:30)? If a person always finds reasons and excuses for not pursuing the truth, then even if they believe their whole life, it will be in vain, and they will gain nothing. In God’s house, there are many people who believed in God for twenty or thirty years, but did not do their duties up to standard, and were eliminated. There are many people who always pursue fame, gain, and status, and become false leaders and antichrists, and are eliminated. There are many disbelievers who stubbornly refuse to accept the truth and have all been eliminated. Is this a fact? (Yes.) Furthermore, there are some who can speak about their experiential testimonies after believing for only three to five years. Their testimonies and faith far surpass those who have believed in God for many years. These people have received God’s blessings. There are many people who have believed in God for many years who did not pursue the truth at all and have been eliminated. This makes one fact clear to people: that God is righteous and fair to everyone. God doesn’t look at how you were before or at your current stature, He looks at whether you pursue the truth and whether you walk the path of pursuing the truth. You must never misunderstand God and say, “Why can those who can be saved by God still lie and reveal corruption? God should save those who don’t lie.” Isn’t this a fallacy? Are there any among corrupt mankind who do not lie? Do people who do not lie still need God’s salvation? Mankind, who has been corrupted by Satan, is who God saves. If you can’t even understand this fact clearly, then you are ignorant and foolish. Just as God said, “There are no righteous upon this earth, the righteous are not in this world.” It is precisely because mankind has been corrupted by Satan that God became incarnate on earth to save these corrupted humans. Why doesn’t God say anything about saving angels? It’s because angels are in heaven, and have not been corrupted by Satan. God has always said from the beginning, that “The mankind that I save is the mankind that has been corrupted by Satan, the mankind that has been taken back from the hands of Satan, the mankind that possesses Satan’s corrupt disposition, the mankind that opposes Me, that resists Me and rebels against Me.” Then why don’t people face this fact? Do they not misunderstand God? Misunderstanding God is the easiest path to resistance against Him and must be resolved immediately. Failing to resolve this issue is very dangerous as it could easily result in you being set aside by God. People’s misunderstandings are rooted in their notions and imaginings. If they always cling to their notions and imaginings, then they are most likely to refuse to accept the truth. When you misunderstand God, if you don’t seek the truth for resolution, you know the consequences. God allows you to stumble, to fail, and to make mistakes. God will give you opportunities and time to understand the truth, practice the truth, gradually understand His intentions, do everything in accordance with His intentions, truly submit to God, and achieve the truth reality that God requires people to possess. However, who is the person that God loathes the most? It is the one who, despite knowing the truth in their heart, refuses to accept it, let alone put it into practice. Instead, they still live by Satan’s philosophies, yet consider themselves to be pretty good and submissive to God while also seeking to mislead others and gain a position in God’s house. God loathes this kind of person the most, they are antichrists. Although everyone has a corrupt disposition, these actions are of a different nature. It is no ordinary corrupt disposition nor a normal revelation of corruption; rather, you consciously and stubbornly resist God to the end. You know that God exists, you believe in God, yet you deliberately choose to resist Him. This is not having notions about God and a problem of misunderstanding; instead you deliberately resist God to the end. Can God save someone like this? God does not save you. You are an enemy of God, therefore you are a devil. Can God still save devils?

How do you feel about My fellowship today? Did you understand it? (Yes, we understand.) If you understand something you will gain something, and you will gain some entry into the truth. If you enter into truth your life will grow, but if you do not enter into truth your life will not grow. It’s like a sprouting seed that needs to be watered, fertilized, and exposed to sunlight. If you don’t cultivate it carefully, it won’t grow and eventually it will wither and die. What does it mean when I say this? That just verbally confessing and believing in your hearts in the incarnation of God is not enough to know God and be qualified to enter His kingdom. It is not assured; it’s only an elementary step. You have not yet achieved salvation, you have not been transformed, and you still have a long way to go. In the last days, God proclaims the truth to save mankind completely. When you embark on the path of believing in God, you already have the opportunity to be saved by God from the very beginning. This is a tremendous blessing! This cannot be given up. God saving and perfecting humanity in the last days is an extremely rare opportunity. Mankind has lived for thousands of generations, but no one has had this opportunity before. It is a huge thing to be saved; you must not miss this opportunity. Your generation has encountered God incarnate; this is a blessing! This blessing is invisible to the secular world, but you have seen it and enjoyed it, and this is God’s blessing. Perhaps some people are still unclear about the visions; they only understand some doctrines, but they don’t have genuine faith. They just feel that believing in God is good, and reading God’s words brightens their hearts, so they believe it is the right path in life and their hearts have strength. They are determined not to follow the path of destruction of nonbelievers, nor the path of religious people who resist God. They are determined to only follow God, pursue the truth, attain purity, achieve salvation, and only walk the path of following God. It is good for people to have such resolution, and it means there is hope. Following God comes with God’s protection. At least now, in this life, they will be happy. They will no longer be harmed by Satan, society, or mankind, and they will live completely and genuinely under God’s dominion. This is an honorable thing and a happiness that can be felt in this lifetime. Now, what about the world to come? God has made a promise. Besides granting you salvation and providing you with truth and life, He also promises to give you a hundredfold in this life and grant you eternal life in the world to come. Therefore, do not underestimate this matter. The price you pay and the suffering you endure to obtain the truth and receive salvation are temporary. In the future, when people understand the truth and possess it, the happiness, joy, and blessings they enjoy may be indescribable. That is to say, only when you understand and obtain the truth will you be qualified to receive God’s promise. God freely grants you all the truth and provisions of life. It is true that God can save you, but whether you ultimately attain the life and truth depends on whether you choose the path of pursuing truth. Is the decision to make this choice in your own hands? (Yes.) In other words, whether you can attain the life and truth, whether you qualify to receive God’s promise, and whether you can receive the blessing, this benediction of “a hundredfold in this life and eternal life in the world to come,” is an opportunity which rests in your hands. No one else can influence you, help you, or restrict you. You have this right; God has already granted it to you. It depends on whether you ultimately choose to walk the path of pursuing truth. This is the most crucial matter.

November 9, 2016