I

Among humankind, two kinds of things prevail at the same time,

one of which comes from Satan, while the other comes from God.

But in the end, throughout human society

and the entire history of humankind’s development,

the words spoken by God,

and all the positive things that He teaches and elucidates to humankind

cannot be revered by the entire human race,

and cannot even become the mainstream among humankind,

nor bring about correct thoughts in people,

nor guide them to live normally among all the things created by God.

People unconsciously exist under the guidance

of Satan’s various remarks, ideas, and concepts,

and live under the guidance of these erroneous views,

the guidance of these erroneous views.

In living this way, they do so not passively, but actively.

II

Judging from the different attitudes of humankind

toward the negative things from Satan

and toward the various positive things from God,

the entire human race lies under the hands of the evil one.

People’s thoughts, ways of thinking,

and ways of dealing with people, events, and things

are all controlled, swayed, and manipulated

by Satan’s various ideas and views, and even confined by them.

Throughout the history of human development,

no matter in what stage or period

and whatever the region, nationality, or group of people,

humankind’s modes and foundations of existence,

and views for how to deal with people, events, and things

are all based on the various ideas instilled in people by Satan,

rather than on the words of God.

This is a very lamentable thing. This is a very lamentable thing.

III

God comes to do His work and save humankind

in a situation in which humans have been so profoundly corrupted by Satan,

and in which their thoughts and viewpoints,

as well as their ways of looking at all kinds of people, events, and things,

and their ways of living and dealing with the world,

have been completely confined by the ideas of Satan.

How tough and difficult

God’s work of saving humankind is within such a context.

God wants such people who have been imbued with and confined by satanic ideas

to come to recognize anew and distinguish

between positive and negative things,

beauty and ugliness, right and wrong, truth and evil fallacy,

and finally reach the point

where they can detest and reject all the various ideas

and fallacies instilled by Satan from the bottom of their hearts,

and thereby accept all the correct views

and correct ways of living that come from God.

This is the specific meaning of God’s salvation,

God’s salvation of humankind.

from The Word, Vol. 6. On the Pursuit of the Truth I. What It Means to Pursue the Truth (13)