God said: “Your faith is indeed commendable, but you do not have much steadfastness.” Why do you not have much steadfastness? Because you don’t have the truth and you don’t understand God, and so you use a deceitful and limited form of expenditure for God. Therefore, your steadfastness is short-lived and you don’t have much steadfastness. Now what is the duration of this steadfastness, the persistence of this steadfastness related to? What does it have to do with the intentions of man? Also, what does it have to do with the faith of man? What does it have to do with man’s submission toward God? They are all related. It has more to do with man’s understanding of God. The steadfastness of a person is not a simple thing; it involves many aspects of the reality of truth! Here God said, “but you do not have much steadfastness,” which conceals many issues. If one’s expenditure for God is not sincere, can he have great steadfastness? Can he have enduring steadfastness? Of course not. He is not in true submission to Christ and has not attained true compatibility with Him. Can he have true devotion for Christ? Can he follow Christ to the end? Certainly not.
Let’s continue reading God’s words: “When you truly live with Christ, your self-rightness and self-importance will be slowly exposed by your words and actions, and so shall your excessive desires and disobedience and discontent be spontaneously revealed.
Finally, your arrogance will become ever greater, and when you become as incompatible with Christ as water is with fire, then your nature will be entirely exposed.” This is the entire process of man’s nature being exposed in God’s presence, it deepens and becomes worse little by little until it is completely exposed. It is not that in one day it is completely exposed. Some people are exposed in one day as enemies and as devils. That kind of person’s nature is too wicked, and it is so obvious; one look at their outer appearance and you can tell they are not good. Some have the outer appearances of good people, but in fact their inner substance is not fond of truth—this requires some time to expose. Some human natures are more crafty and more treacherous. This kind of person requires even more time to be exposed. Some people are more simple and open, and it does not take long for them to be exposed. Some people hide their natures deep inside and are more introverted. This kind of person takes longer and has to be exposed through all manner of events. Therefore, the durations needed for exposing people’s natures are all different; it is determined by the substance of the person’s nature and their temperament.
Finally, your arrogance will become ever greater, and when you become as incompatible with Christ as water is with fire, then your nature will be entirely exposed.” This is the entire process of man’s nature being exposed in God’s presence, it deepens and becomes worse little by little until it is completely exposed. It is not that in one day it is completely exposed. Some people are exposed in one day as enemies and as devils. That kind of person’s nature is too wicked, and it is so obvious; one look at their outer appearance and you can tell they are not good. Some have the outer appearances of good people, but in fact their inner substance is not fond of truth—this requires some time to expose. Some human natures are more crafty and more treacherous. This kind of person requires even more time to be exposed. Some people are more simple and open, and it does not take long for them to be exposed. Some people hide their natures deep inside and are more introverted. This kind of person takes longer and has to be exposed through all manner of events. Therefore, the durations needed for exposing people’s natures are all different; it is determined by the substance of the person’s nature and their temperament.
God said: “At that time, your notions can no longer be veiled. Your complaints, too, will spontaneously be expressed, and your vile humanity will be entirely exposed. However, you continue to disavow your own rebellion. And you believe that a Christ such as this is not easy to accept and He is overly stringent with man, and you would wholly submit if He were a different, kinder Christ.” Is there this kind of person? There is. Why is this? He rebels so much and after he is exposed, he murmurs against Christ, saying that Christ has driven him to do so and saying that if Christ were kinder, more gentle, and more loving, then he wouldn’t be exposed that much. Is this not preposterous reasoning? This is preposterous reasoning! What idiom can describe people who speak fallaciously? It is they are “beyond reason.” Can people who are beyond reason seek the truth? They won’t seek it; they are not fond of truth, and because they are not fond of truth, they speak fallaciously and always argue speciously. “And you believe that a Christ such as this is not easy to accept and He is overly stringent with man….” Whether or not Christ is easy to accept has nothing to do with whether or not the substance of people’s natures are exposed. Right? If Christ was difficult to accept, then would that mean the things exposed in the substance of your nature are fake? Are they not real? If Christ were kinder, and some of your corruption was not exposed, then would it mean that by not exposing your corruptness you don’t have that corruption? Is your nature good? Can it prove this? It cannot. Then tell me, regardless of what kind of Christ there is, would it be better to allow your rebellious nature to be exposed, or would it be better to hide it? All think it is better to be exposed. Why is it better to be exposed? It makes it easy for you to understand yourself; your corruption can be cured and cleansed! If it wasn’t exposed, then you would never come to understand yourself, you would never see through the reality of your corruption, and your corruption would never be able to be cured. Isn’t this right? Then what kind of Christ is better and more beneficial for our salvation? The Christ that is able to lure the tiger down the mountain and the wolf out of the cave is better, right? If He was a lofty Christ who was able to perform miracles, then would your corruption, rebelliousness and resistance be able to be exposed? It would not be able to be exposed! Could exposing rebellious natures be advantageous for God’s judgment work and for saving man and cleansing man? All say that is.
We find a common weakness among corrupt people, that is, the degree in which people’s rebelliousness and corruption is exposed, is the degree to which they are able to understand and admit. If it was not exposed, then they would never admit it and more so would not understand. Isn’t this a common weakness? This only applies to the more reasonable and conscientious people, and you could say that he who is able to do this is a good person and a reasonable person. Without reason, one would still not admit it even when his nature was exposed. He would say that this is an exceptional situation and in a normal situation he wouldn’t have this. This special case was forced upon him and this is not his true form. Therefore, many people who don’t pursue after truth don’t understand what they have exposed and revealed. They think that is something they only do occasionally, when in fact it represents the substance of their natures. People don’t bow their heads until they look at the facts, they refuse to accept the facts until they are faced with the grim reality. This is a common weakness of mankind. This was how I experienced; I admitted and bowed my head only after much of my corruption was exposed. If it wasn’t exposed, then I would think that I was really good and was better than the average person. Isn’t this how you are? All admit it. What do some people say when I deal with and expose them? “Oh, I am a devil, I am Satan, I am an antichrist. I should be expelled and cursed.” I say: “Do you really mean these words you are saying? Are they coming from the heart or are you just speaking bombastically? If it is really coming from the heart, then you are greater than myself and understand more clearly! If you are speaking bombastically, then that is troublesome and you are lying to God! You are disguising yourself and you are hypocritical. You are a Pharisee.” How do some people understand themselves? Once I deal with them and disclose their evil, they slap themselves in the mouth, saying, “I am a devil, I am Satan, I should be cursed.” When people see how this kind of person behave, they say, “Oh, speaking this way is not easy, this is remarkable, he is saying this while slapping himself. This is coming from the bottom of his heart, this is true!” I say: “You are being duped, you are foolish.” They say: “How is this foolish?” I say: “Ask him, in what way is he a devil or Satan, what has he said that is of the devil or Satan? Let him speak, he is guaranteed not to say anything. You ask him: ‘You say you should be cursed, then why should you be cursed? How is your humanity? Are you a person? Do you have humanity? Do you have a conscience?’ Let him talk about this.” Once it involves his humanity, he won’t utter a word, he won’t say that he doesn’t have humanity and he is an animal. He always says “the devil Satan” to lie, to pretend, and to get by. Isn’t this his lying technique? This person is not speaking realistically, he is speaking bombastically and is hiding his substance and truth. If he says “What I did was too immoral and I don’t have humanity. I greatly lack conscience and reason, I am not a person!” These words are more realistic. He is merely saying he is a devil, Satan, to generalize himself, and is not saying whether he is a person or what area of his humanity is most deplorable. So there is deceitfulness in what he is saying. What is the most difficult thing for people to speak about? It involves the most deplorable areas of their humanity. For example, someone who stole money says: “Oh, this matter is deplorable, I can’t talk about this, I can’t open my mouth.” For example, someone who raped someone else says: “Oh, I feel indebted to that person, this can’t be spoken of, this matter can’t be mentioned!” Once people are allowed to examine themselves regarding this kind of mistake and corruptness, then they say, “Oh, I am a devil, I am Satan,” then they are finished speaking. Isn’t this a cover-up? What should they say that is more truthful and realistic? If they said “Today I found out that I don’t have humanity, I am just an animal! I stole money from someone, I raped someone’s daughter, I cheated a widow, I took advantage of a pitiful orphan.” If someone is able to speak about these deplorable matters, and disclose them in front of everyone, then this person’s understanding of himself is honest and sincere. Being open about deplorable and unspeakable matters takes a lot of courage, and I have a lot of admiration for this kind of person. Who are you trying to deceive in speaking of your own corruption, saying “I am a devil, I am Satan”? How are you not able to speak of the most unspeakable things!
Now, do we understand why the flesh God wears during the incarnation is ordinary and normal in appearance? Everyone has some understanding. Then what kind of flesh is most suitable for the judgment work of revealing mankind? Is it a great image, or is it the image of an unremarkable, ordinary person? Which image is better? All say the image of an unremarkable, ordinary person is better. Is a flesh who manifests miracles better, or is a flesh who does not manifest miracles better? All say that a flesh who does not manifest miracles is better. The more ordinary and normal God’s flesh is, the more people despise Him and the more beneficial it is to revealing man. This is God’s wisdom. Not manifesting miracles in the slightest degree reveals God’s wisdom. When you experience to the end, if you are able to see much of what God has and is through Christ, see God’s disposition being revealed and exposed, and see that there is so much to love about God, then that counts as you understanding God. If you are able to see in Christ the three aspects I just spoke about, then you understand God. Finally, when one day you experience to a certain level and see all the words of God—of Christ in the last days—have been fulfilled and achieved, you will persistently praise God. God incarnate is almighty and wise, and has finally completed and gained a group of people! The more people say that you believe in a man, the more your faith is strengthened. The more people say that this is an ordinary person, the more you say that the ordinary person is the most practical God. The more people blaspheme, attack and judge the incarnate Christ, the more you follow Him, show devotion to Him and submit to Him. This proves that you are in compatibility with Christ and that you are of the same heart and mind as God. You stand at God’s side at all times, you haven’t been toppled by Satan or confused by Satan, and you have ultimately broken away from Satan’s influence and from Satan’s corruption. This is a group of people ultimately perfected and obtained through God’s work in the last days.
No comments:
Post a Comment