I

Pharisees are people who are hypocritical,

completely fake, and put on an act in everything they do.

They pretend to be good, kind, and positive,

they pretend to be good, kind, and positive.

Everything that is manifested and revealed in them is false;

it is all pretense, it is all pretense—

it is not their true face, it is not their true face.

Their true face is hidden deep within their hearts,

never to be seen by others.

Everything on the outside is an act, it is all fake,

but they can only fool people; they cannot fool God.

If people don’t pursue the truth,

and don’t practice and experience God’s words,

then they cannot truly understand the truth,

and so no matter how nice-sounding their words are,

these words are not the truth reality; instead they are words and doctrines.

II

Some people only focus on parroting words and doctrines,

they ape whoever preaches the highest sermons.

As a result, in just a few years

their recital of words and doctrines grows more advanced,

and they are admired and venerated by many people,

after which they start to camouflage themselves,

and pay great attention to what they say and do,

showing themselves to be especially pious and spiritual.

They use these so-called spiritual theories to camouflage themselves.

This is all they talk about wherever they go;

it’s all specious things that fit with people’s notions,

but which lack any of the truth reality, lack any of the truth reality.

Through preaching these things that are in line with people’s notions,

they mislead many people.

III

To others, such people seem very devout and humble,

but it’s actually fake, it’s actually fake;

they seem tolerant, forbearing, and loving, but it is actually a pretense;

they say they love God, but it is actually an act.

Others think such people holy, but it’s actually fake.

It is all fake. It’s all an act, a pretense.

It’s all an act, a pretense.

On the outside, they appear loyal to God,

but they are actually just performing for others to see.

When no one is looking, they are not the slightest bit loyal,

and everything they do is perfunctory.

Superficially, they expend themselves for God

and have given up their families and careers.

In secret they are conducting their own enterprise

and running their own operation in the church,

profiting from the church and stealing offerings secretly

under the guise of working for God….

These people are the modern hypocritical Pharisees.

These people are the modern hypocritical Pharisees.

from The Word, Vol. 3. The Discourses of Christ of the Last Days. Six Indicators of Life Growth