Today’s path is not easy to walk. It could be said to be quite hard to come by, and throughout the ages, it has been extremely rare. However, who would have thought that man’s flesh alone would be enough to ruin him? Today’s work is certainly as precious as a spring rain, and as valuable as God’s kindness toward man. However, if man does not know the purpose of His current work or understand the essence of mankind, then how can its preciousness and valuableness be spoken of? Flesh does not belong to humans themselves, so no one can see clearly where its destination will actually be. Nevertheless, you should know well that the Lord of creation will return mankind, which was created, to their original position, and restore their original image from the time of their creation. He will completely take back the breath He breathed into man, repossessing his bones and flesh and returning all to the Lord of creation. He will completely transform and renew humanity, and take back from man God’s entire inheritance which does not belong to mankind, but belongs to God, and never again hand it over to mankind. This is because none of those things belonged to mankind in the first place. He will take them all back—this is not unfair plundering; rather, it is meant to restore heaven and earth to their original states, as well as to transform and renew man. This is the reasonable destination for man, though perhaps it will not be a re-appropriation of the flesh after it has been chastised, as people might imagine. God does not want the skeletons of the flesh after its destruction; He wants the original elements in man that belonged to God in the beginning. Hence, He will not annihilate humanity or completely eradicate man’s flesh, for man’s flesh is not his private property. Rather, it is the adjunct of God, who manages humanity. How could He annihilate man’s flesh for His “enjoyment”? By now, have you truly let go of the totality of that flesh of yours, which is not even worth a single penny? If you could comprehend thirty percent of the work of the last days (this mere thirty percent means comprehending the work of the Holy Spirit today as well as God’s work of the word in the last days), then you would not continue to “serve” or be “filial” to your flesh—a flesh that has been corrupt for many years—as is the case today. You ought to see clearly that humans have now advanced to an unprecedented state, and will no longer continue to roll forward like the wheels of history. Your moldy flesh has long been covered with flies, so how can it have the power to reverse the wheels of history that God has enabled to continue on to this day? How can it make the mutely ticking clock of the last days tick again, and keep its hands moving clockwise? How can it retransform the world that seems shrouded in dense fog? Can your flesh revive the mountains and rivers? Can your flesh, which has only a little function, really restore the sort of human world for which you have yearned? Can you truly educate your descendants to become “human beings”? Do you understand now? What exactly does your flesh belong to? God’s original intention for saving man, for perfecting man, and for transforming man was not to give you a beautiful homeland or to bring peaceful rest to man’s flesh; it was for the sake of His glory and His testimony, for mankind’s better enjoyment in the future, and so that they would soon be able to rest. Still, it was not for your flesh, for man is the capital of God’s management, and man’s flesh is merely an adjunct. (A man is an object with both spirit and body, whereas flesh is merely an item that decays. This means that flesh is a tool for use in the management plan.) You should know that God’s perfection, completion, and gaining of men bring nothing but swords and smiting upon their flesh, as well as endless suffering, conflagration, merciless judgment, chastisement, and curses, and boundless trials. Such is the inside story and truth of the work of managing man. However, all these things are directed at man’s flesh, and all of the arrows of hostility are mercilessly aimed toward man’s flesh (for man is innocent). All of this is for the sake of His glory and testimony, and for His management. This is because His work is not solely for the sake of mankind, but also for the entire plan, as well as to fulfill His original will when He created mankind. Therefore, perhaps ninety percent of what man experiences involves sufferings and trials of fire, and there are very few, or even none, of the sweet and happy days for which man’s flesh has yearned. Much less is man able to enjoy happy moments in the flesh, spending beautiful times with God. The flesh is filthy, so what man’s flesh sees or enjoys is nothing but God’s chastisement, which man finds unfavorable, as if it were lacking in normal sense. This is because God will manifest His righteous disposition, which is not favored by man, does not tolerate man’s offenses, and loathes enemies. God openly reveals His entire disposition by any means necessary, thereby concluding the work of His six-thousand-year battle with Satan—the work of the salvation of all of mankind, and the destruction of Satan of old!

—The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. The Purpose of Managing Mankind