When the church was being built, God did not mention building the kingdom at all. Even when He brought it up, He did so in the manner in which He spoke when the church was being built. Once the Age of Kingdom had arrived, God wrote off the matters and certain practices of church building with a single stroke, and never again uttered even a single word about them. This is precisely the inherent meaning of “God Himself” who is always new and never old. As well as things may have been done in the past, they are, after all, yesterday’s affairs, so God categorizes such past events as having occurred in the time before Christ, whereas the present day is known as the time after Christ. From this it can be seen that the building of the church was a prerequisite for the building of the kingdom; it laid the foundation for God to wield His kingly power in the kingdom. The building of the church is a snapshot of today; God’s work on earth is primarily focused on this part that is the building of the kingdom. Before church building was completed, He had already made preparations for all the work to be done, and when the time was right, He formally began His work. This is why God said: “The Age of Kingdom is, after all, different from times past. It does not concern how humanity acts; rather, I have descended upon the earth to personally carry out My work, which is something that human beings can neither conceive of nor accomplish.” Indeed, this work must be carried out by God personally—no human is capable of such work; they are just not up to it. Who, besides God, could carry out such great work among humanity? Who else is capable of “tormenting” the whole of humankind half to death? Could humans possibly arrange such work? Why is it that He says, “I have descended upon the earth to personally carry out My work”? Could God’s Spirit have truly disappeared from all of space? The line, “I have descended upon the earth to personally carry out My work,” refers both to the fact that God’s Spirit is incarnated in the flesh to do work, and to the fact that God’s Spirit is clearly working upon humankind. By personally carrying out His work, He allows many people to see with their naked eyes that He is God Himself; it is unnecessary for them to search carefully in their spirits. Furthermore, He allows all humans to see the workings of the Spirit with their own eyes, and to see the substantive difference between the flesh of man and that of God. At the same time, throughout all of space, the universe world, the Spirit of God is still at work. All God’s people who are enlightened, having accepted God’s name, see how the Spirit of God works and, thereby, come to know God incarnate even more. As such, only if God’s divinity works directly—that is, if God’s Spirit is able to work without the slightest hindrance—can humanity come to know the practical God Himself. This is what is meant by the substance of kingdom building.

Exactly how many times has God been incarnated in the flesh? Could it be several times? Why is it that God has repeatedly said, “I once descended into the world of humans and experienced and observed their suffering, but did so without fulfilling the purpose of My incarnation”? Is it that God has been incarnated several times, but has never once been known by humanity? That is not what is meant by this statement. The first time God was incarnated, His aim was actually not for humans to know Him; rather, He completed His work and then “disappeared” unnoticed, and people never had the opportunity to know Him. People could not come to know Him fully, nor did He completely possess the significance of the incarnation; as such, He could not be said to have been fully incarnated. In the first incarnation, God merely used a physical body free of a sinful nature to carry out that work; after it was complete, there was no need for further mention. As for those people who have been used by God throughout the ages, they can even less be called God incarnate. Only the practical God Himself today, who is under the cover of a normal humanity, within whom is complete divinity, and through whom people are enabled to know Him, can truly be called God incarnate. The significance of God’s first coming into the world is one part of the significance of the incarnation spoken of today; it does not possess the full meaning of the incarnation. This is why God said: “without fulfilling the significance of My incarnation.” Experiencing and observing humans’ suffering, as God’s words say, refers to God’s Spirit and the two incarnations. For this reason, God said: “Once the building of the kingdom got under way, My incarnate flesh formally began to perform My ministry; that is, the King of the kingdom formally took up His sovereign power.” Though the building of the church was to testify to God’s name, the work had not yet formally begun; only today can it be said to be kingdom building. All that was done previously was just a foretaste; it was not the real thing. Even though it was said that the kingdom had commenced, no work was yet being done within it. Only today, now that work is truly being done within God’s divinity and God Himself has formally begun His work, has humanity finally entered the kingdom. Therefore, the statement, “the descent of the kingdom into the human world doesn’t just have a literal aspect; even more so, it has a practical one, which is part of the significance of the phrase ‘the reality of practice,’” provides a comprehensive summary of all that has been discussed above. Having provided this description, God moves on to summarize the general state of humankind, leaving people in a state of constant busyness. “Throughout the world, everyone exists within My mercy and lovingkindness, but so does all humanity lie under My judgment, and likewise is subject to My trials.” The principles and rules governing the life of all humanity, as arranged by God, are as follows: There will be times of happiness, moments of frustration, and, even more, times of refinement through suffering. Thus, no one will live a life without bitterness or sweetness; every life will have its ups and downs. Throughout all of humanity, people can not only see God’s mercy and lovingkindness, but also see His judgment and the whole of His disposition. It can be said that all humans exist amid God’s trials, can it not? Throughout this vast world, humans are all busy with finding a way out for themselves. They are not sure what role they play, and some even damage or forfeit their lives for the sake of fate. Even Job was no exception: Though he, too, endured God’s trials, nonetheless, he looked for a way out for himself. No one has ever been able to stand fast through God’s trials. Due to human greed and nature, no one is satisfied with their current condition, and no one stands fast through trials; everyone crumbles under God’s judgment. If God were still to be serious with humanity, and if He were still to hold such exacting demands of people, then it would be just as He said: “The entire human race would topple under My burning gaze.”

Despite the fact that the building of the kingdom has formally begun, the salute to the kingdom has yet to formally ring out; now it is but a prophecy of what is to come. When God’s people have all been made complete and all the countries of the earth become Christ’s kingdom, that will be the time when the seven thunders peal. The current day is a stride toward that stage; the charge has been unleashed toward that day. This is God’s plan, and in the near future it will be realized. However, what God speaks of has all been accomplished by Him already. Thus, it is clear that the countries of earth are but castles in the sand, on the verge of crumbling—the last day is imminent, and the great red dragon will topple beneath God’s word. To ensure that God’s plan is completely successful, the angels have descended into the human world and begun to do their utmost to satisfy God, and the incarnate God is Himself present at the field of battle to wage war against the enemy. Where the incarnate flesh is, that is where the enemy is exterminated. China will be the first to be destroyed; it will be annihilated by the hand of God. God will give it absolutely no quarter. As God’s people grow more mature, it proves that the great red dragon is collapsing further; this is clearly visible to man. The maturation of God’s people is the augury of the enemy’s demise. This is a bit of an explanation of what is meant by “compete.” Thus, God has reminded His people on numerous occasions to bear beautiful witnesses for Him to undo the status held by notions, which are the great red dragon’s ugliness, in the hearts of humans. God uses such reminders to enliven people’s faith and, in so doing, achieves results in His work. This is because God has said: “What exactly are humans capable of doing? Is it not rather that I do it Myself?” All humans are like this; not only are they incapable, but they are also often discouraged and disappointed. For this reason, they cannot know God. God not only revives humanity’s faith; but time and time again, He is secretly imbuing people with strength.

Next, God began speaking to the entire universe. Not only has God commenced His new work in China, but within the whole universe, He has begun doing the new work of today. In this stage of the work, because God intends to reveal all of His deeds throughout the world before ultimately causing all humanity that has betrayed Him to once again surrender before His throne, God’s judgment will still contain His mercy and lovingkindness. As various developments occur throughout the world, causing people to become alarmed, opportunities arise for them to seek God so that they may flow back to be before Him. Thus, God says: “This is one of the ways in which I work, and is without doubt an act of salvation for humanity, and what I extend to them is still a kind of lovingkindness.” In exposing humanity’s true face, God is assured of success, second to none, and encounters no difficulty whatsoever. This leaves people hiding their faces in shame, utterly humiliated. Every time God speaks, He points out, to some extent, people’s ugly state so that, while at ease, people do not forget to know themselves and do not think of knowing themselves as an old subject. According to human nature, if God were to stop pointing people out for even just a moment, they are liable to become dissolute and arrogant. This is why today God also says: “People do not treasure the titles I confer upon them. So many people, on account of the title ‘service-doer,’ harbor complaints in their hearts, and so many, on account of the title ‘My people,’ develop love for Me in their hearts. No one should try to fool Me; with My eyes I scrutinize all things!” As soon as humans read this statement, they immediately feel uncomfortable. They feel that their past actions were far too immature—just the kind of dirty dealing that offends God. Now they want to satisfy God, but while they are more than willing, they lack the power to do so. Truly, they do not know what they ought to do. Without realizing it, the drive in their hearts is stirred up somewhat. This is the effect of reading these words after one has become at ease.

In one respect, God says Satan is insane in the extreme, while in another respect He points out that the old nature of most people has not changed. From this, it is clear that Satan’s actions are still manifested through people. God therefore frequently reminds humans not to be dissolute, lest they be devoured by Satan. This not only prophesies that some humans will rebel; moreover, it is an alarm bell ringing out to warn all people to set aside the past with haste and pursue today. No one wishes to be possessed by demons or taken over by evil spirits, so they all the more take God’s words as a warning. However, when most people exert every effort to focus on God’s words and turn into this extreme, God in turn says: “Most people are waiting for Me to disclose even more mysteries for them to feast their eyes upon. However, even if you came to understand all the mysteries of heaven, what then? Would it increase your love for Me? Would it arouse your love for Me?” From this it is evident that the human condition is not one of using God’s word to know God and love God, but rather to fill the stores of their “little storehouse.” Thus, in response to this extreme in people, God uses such words as “to feast their eyes upon,” which reflects how humans’ love of God is still not entirely pure. If God did not unveil mysteries, humans would not lay much importance on His words, but would rather just give them a cursory glance, glimpsing briefly as if admiring flowers while galloping past on horseback. They would not take the time to carefully reflect upon or mull over God’s words. Most people do not cherish His words. No one goes to great lengths to eat and drink His words; instead, they just skim over them perfunctorily. Why does God speak now in a different way than He did in times past? Why are all His words so difficult for people to understand? Some examples are the word “crown” in “I would never crown them with such labels so casually,” “pure gold” in “Is there anyone who can comprehend the pure gold in My words,” His previous mention of “processing” in “without undergoing any processing by Satan,” and other such phrases. Humans do not understand why God speaks this way, why He speaks in such a jocular, humorous, and provocative manner. It is precisely one of the manifestations of the purpose God seeks to achieve through His words. Ever since the very beginning, humans have always been incapable of comprehending God’s word, and it has seemed as though all of His words are quite serious. By adding the slightest touch of humor and adding a few terms here and there, He lightens the mood with His word and allows humans to relax their muscles somewhat. In so doing, He achieves an even greater effect, enabling every human to ponder over God’s word.