Today, since I have led you to this point, I have made fitting arrangements, and have My own aims. If I were to tell you of them today, would you truly be able to know them? I am well acquainted with the thoughts of man’s mind and the wishes of man’s heart: Who has never looked for a way out for themselves? Who has never thought of their own prospects? Yet even though man is possessed of a rich and prismatic intellect, who was able to predict that, following the ages, the present would turn out as it has? Is this really the fruit of your own subjective efforts? Is this the payment for your tireless industry? Is this the beautiful tableau envisaged by your mind? If I did not guide all mankind, who would be able to separate themselves from My arrangements and find another way out? Is it the thoughts and wishes of man that have brought him to today? Many people go their whole lives without having their wishes fulfilled. Is this really because of a fault in their thinking? Many people’s lives are filled with unexpected happiness and satisfaction. Is this really because they expect too little? Who of the whole of mankind is not cared for in the eyes of the Almighty? Who does not live in the midst of the Almighty’s predestination? Whose birth and death come from their own choices? Does man control his own fate? Many people cry out for death, yet it is far away from them; many people want to be those who are strong in life and fear death, yet unbeknownst to them, the day of their demise draws near, plunging them into the abyss of death; many people look to the skies and sigh deeply; many people cry great, wailing sobs; many people fall amidst trials; and many people become the prisoners of temptation. Though I do not appear in person to allow man to behold Me clearly, many people fear seeing My face, deeply afraid that I will strike them down, that I will snuff them out. Does man truly know Me, or does he not? No one can say for sure. Is this not so? You fear both Me and My chastisement, yet you also stand up and openly oppose Me and pass judgment on Me. Is this not the case? That man has never known Me is because he has never seen My face or heard My voice. Thus, even though I am within man’s heart, are there any in whose heart I am not hazy and indistinct? Are there any in whose heart I am perfectly clear? I do not wish for those who are My people to also see Me vaguely and opaquely, and thus I embark upon this great work.

I quietly come among man, and I softly depart. Has anyone ever seen Me? Is the sun able to see Me because of its burning flames? Is the moon able to see Me because of its lustrous clarity? Can the constellations see Me because of their place in the sky? When I come, man does not know, and all things remain ignorant, and when I depart, still man is unaware. Who can bear testimony to Me? Could it be the praise of the people on earth? Could it be the lilies blossoming in the wild? Is it the birds flying in the sky? Is it the lions roaring in the mountains? No one can fully witness Me! No one can do the work that I will do! Even if they did do this work, what effect would it have? Each day I observe every action of many people, and each day I search the hearts and minds of many people; never has anyone escaped My judgment, and never has anyone divested themselves of the reality of My judgment. I stand above the skies and look into the distance: Innumerable people have been struck down by Me, yet so, too, do countless people live amid My mercy and lovingkindness. Do you also not live under such circumstances?

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God’s Words to the Entire Universe, Chapter 11