What is the nature of the issue of believing the rumors of the CCP government and the religious world? | Eastern Lightning

9. What is the nature of the issue of believing the rumors of the CCP government and the religious world?

Relevant Words of God:

Those who shake their heads when they hear the truth, who smile widely when they hear talk of death are the offspring of Satan, and they are all objects to be eliminated. There exist in the church many people who have no discernment, and when something deceptive happens they just stand by Satan’s side. When they are called Satan’s lackeys they feel so wronged. And someone might say they have no discernment, but they always stand on the side without truth. There has not been a single critical time when they have stood on the side of truth, not a single time when they have stood up and argued for the truth, so are they really without discernment? Why do they always stand by Satan’s side? Why do they never say one word that is fair or reasonable for the truth? Is this situation really created by their momentary confusion? The less discernment someone has, the less able they are to stand on the side of truth. What does this show? Does it not show that those without discernment love evil? Does it not show that those without discernment are the loyal offspring of Satan? Why is it that they are always able to stand on the side of Satan and speak the same language as it? Their every word and deed, and their expressions prove amply that they are not any kind of lover of the truth, but rather that they are people who detest the truth. That they can stand on the side of Satan proves amply that Satan really loves these petty devils who fight for Satan’s sake all their lives. Are all these facts not abundantly clear?

from “A Warning to Those Who Do Not Practice the Truth” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

Those who do not understand the truth always follow others: If people say that this is the work of the Holy Spirit, then you, too, say it is the work of the Holy Spirit; if people say it is the work of an evil spirit, then you, too, become doubtful, or also say it is the work of an evil spirit. You always parrot the words of others, and are incapable of distinguishing anything by yourself, nor are you able to think for yourself. This is someone without a position, who is unable to differentiate—such a person is a worthless wretch! Such people always repeat the words of others: Today it is said that this is the work of the Holy Spirit, but chances are one day someone will say it isn’t the work of the Holy Spirit, and nothing but the deeds of man—yet you can’t see through this, and when you witness it said by others, you say the same thing. It is actually the work of the Holy Spirit, but you say it is the work of man; have you not become one of those who blaspheme against the work of the Holy Spirit? In this, have you not opposed God because you cannot differentiate? Who knows, maybe one day some nitwit will appear who says that “this is the work of an evil spirit,” and when you hear these words you’ll be at a loss, and once again bound up by the words of others. Every time someone stirs up disturbance you’re incapable of standing by your position, and this is all because you do not possess the truth.

from “Only Those Who Know God and His Work Can Satisfy God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh

For example, what is the first reaction of some people when they hear some rumor or slander about God? Their first reaction is: I don’t know if this rumor is true or not, whether it exists or not, so I’ll wait and see. Then they start to ponder: There’s no way to verify this; does it exist? Is this rumor true or not? Though this person is not showing it on the surface, their heart has already started to doubt, already started to deny God. What is the essence of this kind of attitude, this kind of viewpoint? Is it not betrayal? Before they are faced with the matter, you can’t see what this person’s viewpoint is—it seems like they don’t conflict with God, like they don’t regard God as an enemy. However, as soon as they’re faced with it, they immediately stand with Satan and oppose God. What does this suggest? It suggests that man and God are opposed! It’s not that God regards man as an enemy, but that the very essence of man itself is hostile toward God. Regardless of how long someone follows God, how much they pay; regardless of how someone praises God, how they keep themselves from resisting God, even urging themselves to love God, they can never manage to treat God as God. Is this not determined by man’s essence? If you treat Him as God, you truly believe that He is God, can you still have any doubt toward Him? Can there still be any question marks concerning Him in your heart? There can’t. The trends of this world are so evil, this human race is so evil—how is it that you don’t have any conceptions about them? You yourself are so wicked—how is it that you don’t have any conceptions about that? Yet just a few rumors, some slander, can produce such big conceptions about God, can produce so many ideas, which shows just how immature your stature is! Just the “buzzing” of a few mosquitos, a few repulsive flies, that’s all it takes to deceive you? What kind of person is this?

from “How to Know God’s Disposition and the Result of His Work” in Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh

There are some people who are always thinking: “Where does God live? What kind of place does He live in? How big is the house? I’ve heard that … I don’t know if that rumor started by the Chinese Communist Party that He lives in a big house, in a mansion is true. If I could get the address …” Then one day they get the address, and think: “I’ve got the address. It’s easy to check it out now. I’ll look it up online by the satellite location and I’ll be able to see it right away. I’ll locate it, I’ll take a look.” They check it out and think: “Wow, that’s not a small place! What the CCP said was true! He lives in a big house? Where is that place? What place is it? Is it far from the city? I’ll take another look.” “Found it—it’s an hour’s drive from the city, and half an hour from the mountainous rural areas.” They keep looking to see how far it is from the Chinese area, and it’s two or three hours. “That’s really far! Is living there, and grocery shopping convenient?” Is that kind of worrying thorough? Some people say that’s not worrying, nor is it vile, that it should be called curiosity. They attribute it to curiosity. “He lives so far away; is it convenient? Are there any Chinese people around? Is there a Chinese supermarket? If not, is it easy to get food? How does He get there? Isn’t it necessary to drive?” See, they think about it more and more and they can’t stop worrying about it! What can be done about this? They ponder it: “Drive? I bet it’s too far for a bicycle, so it’s necessary to drive. How long does it take to drive to a supermarket? I’ll take another look.” They look into it in more and more detail and their curiosity is satisfied. God is disgusted, and says, “You are so nauseating! You’re investigating Me, aren’t you? What’s that about? You lack faith in Me? If so, why believe in Me at all?” You’ve heard so many truths—so many have been spoken of—so why do you have to look into God? You’re always looking into Him; what does this represent? (Evil.) It’s so evil! What’s even more serious, what’s even beyond that is that after getting this piece of gossip, they have some capital: “I know where God lives, do you?” The person replies: “I don’t know, and I don’t want to inquire.” “I’m telling you, you have to know. I have to tell you—you definitely must know.” What happens in the end? (It makes God disgusted.) God is disgusted, He’s nauseated. What kind of person is this? Can this be called a person? Isn’t it a living devil? It is a living devil! This is no believer in God! They are always thinking along evil lines, as if the more gossip they know the more a part of the house of God they are, the more they will be someone who understands the truth. Is this someone who believes in God? (No.)

from “Six Aspects of Corrupt Dispositions Must Be Understood for a Change in Disposition” in Records of Christ’s Talks

The Man’s Fellowship:

Nowadays, the great red dragon, the devil has been making a lot of rumors, smearing, and saying a lot of hostile and blasphemous words against Christ. What position did you take? Did you stand on the side of Christ to repudiate this nonsense of the great red dragon Satan or did you accept it? If you accepted the great red dragon’s nonsense and fallacy and generated some notions about Christ, what kind of problem would this be? Are people like these compatible with Christ? Everyone says no. Why are they not compatible? What events exposed them? Had the great red dragon not said these hostile, blasphemous and smearing words, these people would not have any notions. Would they be compatible with Christ in this case? Of course not! Now when the great red dragon is saying these fallacious, hostile, smearing and blasphemous things against Christ, they accept them. They have soaked them all up and generated notions and conflicts, and began to deny Christ. What kind of problems are these? Isn’t the nature of this more serious than that of Eve accepting Satan’s nonsense? Eve was bewildered because she did not have the books of God’s words on seeking the true way and distinguishing right from wrong at that time, as she had only heard one statement from God. The moment Satan came to test her, she fell for Satan’s trick and accepted its suggestion by assuming what Satan said was correct and reasonable. But it is quite different in the last days. The great red dragon is none other than the ancient serpent, which has transformed into the great red dragon in the last days. The great red dragon directly expresses the words that attack and blaspheme God. Regardless of how much work God performs, the great red dragon resists, blasphemes and judges all of it. The great red dragon’s nature has not changed but become worse since Genesis. In the last days, man accepts the nonsense of the great red dragon, and then begins to doubt and judge Christ and generate many notions about Him. What kind of problem is this? This sufficiently demonstrates that man does not love the truth, so he disbelieves God’s word. Instead, he believes the great red dragon’s word because he loves evil. In the last days God has spoken so many words, a hundred times more, even ten thousand times more than the lies of the great red dragon, so why doesn’t man believe in any of God’s word? On the other hand, he believed in the very first nonsense that came out of the great red dragon’s mouth. What was this all about? Doesn’t that show man’s satanic nature that prefers evil? He does not believe in the word of God because he loves evil.

Someone says, “Didn’t these people fall for the great red dragon’s trick because they had no truth, thus no discernment?” Is this a valid statement? Not at all! Why not? If they didn’t understand the truth, why didn’t they seek the truth by reading God’s word? Why didn’t they accept God’s word but Satan’s word instead? This exposed their evil nature, didn’t it? Their nature is evil. That’s why they believe in the nonsense of Satan instead of God’s word.

from Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (Series 139)

There are many people in the religious world who always listen to the great red dragon upon examining the true way instead of listening to the word of God. If you don’t listen to the word of God, how can you ascertain God’s work and appearance? Can it be the word of the great red dragon that bears witness for God to you? Does the great red dragon have the truth? Is the great red dragon right? Can it bear witness for God? Can it recognize God? Since the creation of the world, has there ever been a time when the devil Satan recognized God, a time when it recognized the word of God as the truth? Has Satan ever said anything like this? Look at the ruling parties in the world, does any one of them say that the word expressed by Almighty God is the truth, or the word said by the Lord Jesus is the truth and so the people of their entire country should accept this truth? Which ruling party has borne witness for God like this? Which God has the great red dragon recognized as the true God? They don’t even see through what kind of creature the great red dragon is, but they believe its word. According to the word of God, whoever believes the nonsense of the great red dragon is its pious scion. If you believe the nonsense of the great red dragon, will God acknowledge you as a believer of His? God will absolutely not acknowledge the scions of the great red dragon as those belonging to Him. God says you belong to the great red dragon. The great red dragon is your master, your god. You are a doer of evil. Therefore, what breeds are the ones who can generate notions about God in the word of the great red dragon? They are all scions of the great red dragon, the worshipers of the great red dragon, and the followers of the great red dragon. They are not fit to meet Christ! These people are certainly antichrists. They are resistors of God! There is not a good person among those who believe the nonsense of the great red dragon!

from Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (Series 139)

Is judging God’s work and spreading notions about God a serious transgression? It is a transgression that violates administrative decrees and is serious. You see some people always brazenly want to research God and inquire everywhere about Christ’s address and Christ’s family. They also check on the websites of the great red dragon and religious websites and specifically inquire about what is going on with Christ, what is going on with the man whom the Holy Spirit uses and always want to get involved with matters of God’s family. What kind of person is this? (Nonbeliever.) What else? This is called cherishing sinister intentions! This person is evil and heretical and not someone who seeks the truth. Normally people who truly love and pursue the truth do not interfere in other people’s family matters nor do they bother themselves with what the great red dragon says outside or how they discuss and comment. They do not inquire about these personal matters. Some people always inquire about these things. Is there some intention or purpose? What is their intention or purpose? What is their purpose in grasping this? They are researching “Are you really God or not? If you are not God then I will not believe or I will spread and disseminate your personal matters and have a hold on you.” Isn’t this the purpose? Is this intentional purpose not a sinister intention? It is also mean and sinister. Does this offend God’s disposition? Is this a transgression? (Yes.) Will God hate such people? (Yes.) Would you hate it if people inquired about your private business? Everyone would hate it. If people truly love the truth, then as soon as they see the words uttered by God and God’s work they would see that it is the incarnation of God and then just pursue the truth well. Why do some people not pursue the truth? Why do they always study those matters? Can they grow in life by researching those things? Can they get the truth? (They cannot.) Such people are very disgusting. In the words of nonbelievers, “This person is meddlesome and a meddlesome wretch.” After they have researched these things and got some information, can they still love God in their hearts? Can they still pursue the truth? (They cannot.) The more they research, the more they doubt and the more they doubt, the more they see Him as unlike God. They will certainly ponder, “I have to find a chance to retreat. I must reap a profit and then retreat. I cannot afford to lose.” Is this not a nonbeliever revealing their true colors? Tell me, are the things that Satan and the great red dragon spread not a little slanderous, disparaging and defamatory? Can they evaluate people fairly? The devil will not evaluate people fairly. He is always somewhat defamatory and disparaging and makes people reject you. Some people say: “I will see what kind of person the man whom the Holy Spirit uses really is. Is this person someone who pursues the truth? Is this someone who has had changes to his disposition? Is there the reality of the truth in what he says? Can he lead me? Can he provide for me? Can he benefit my life growth? If he possesses all of these things, then I see this person as being testified to by God and someone whom God raises up. That is true. So we shall obey. No matter how the great red dragon and the religious community slander and judge, I want to accept this person’s leadership and shepherding.” How is this view? It is legitimate. Some people cover their eyes and do not see these things and especially listen to the words of evil spirits, demons and Satan. Is this not evil? Isn’t this kind of situation a transgression? Does it offend God’s disposition? (Yes.) Judging God is a serious transgression. If you intentionally judge God and do not confess and repent, then the Holy Spirit shall not do work in you and you shall not be perfected. If you are God’s enemy, can God still perfect you? If you judge the man whom God testifies to (that is the person whom God uses), then this is also a violation of the administrative decrees. Do these things count as big transgressions? (Yes, they do.) What are the consequences of you not resolving these two types of transgressions? One dare not imagine. God defends His work. Once you violate God’s administrative decrees, the Holy Spirit will not work in you and God shall hate you and be disgusted with you from His heart. Is God’s disposition like this? (Yes.) It is a righteous disposition. God is a God who hates evil. If you have evilness, you are heretical, He will not do work in you and He will abandon you. You see if people are neither cold nor hot, but like lukewarm water, then God will spit them out. What water are you? Sewage water, evil water. So God will certainly spit you out and eliminate you! Is it not troublesome if you do not confess and repent transgressions that can make God feel hatred, disgust and utter detest? Can these transgressions take people to hell? This is serious! You always research, but what are you researching? Why do you believe in Satan and the great red dragon’s lies? Why do you not believe the word of God? This shows that people are crooked. Can such people be saved by God? (They cannot.)

from “Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word ‘Transgressions Will Take Man to Hell’”in Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (XIII)

We do not say, to believe in God for one year or two years, we say to have already believed in God. They have eaten and drunk so many of God’s words but do not recognize that God is the truth. When the great red dragon attacks God and frames and discredits God’s family, they immediately say blasphemous words about God and believe that what the great red dragon says is correct. They immediately stand on the great red dragon’s side, speak for the great red dragon and immediately attack God. What is this problem? Is this an enemy of God? (Yes.) … If blasphemous words have already been said, then what problem does this illustrate? That their hearts are God-resisting. What are they in their bones, when they do not recognize the truth after having read so many words of God and immediately say blasphemous words about God having heard one word of the great red dragon’s rumors, slander and defamatory words? The great red dragon and evil spirits are in their bones.

from “Sermons and Fellowship About God’s Word ‘God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself I’ (II)” in Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (X)

Do you know what is called Satan? The name Satan is spoken of so often. But I am asking you what is called Satan? Just answer me this question. Satan is being able to create all kinds of lies to attack God. Are you Satan if you can believe Satan’s lies to resist God? People cannot say this fact. People who can believe that Satan’s lies are true and resist God are also Satan. Satan only follows Satan. Satan and Satan together is a gang. So Satan believes Satan the most. ... What type of person most believes Satan’s words and does not believe God’s? They believe whatever Satan says and whatever God says seems to be theories and high-sounding words. What kind of people are in this situation? They do not have a God-revering heart and have no truths at all and they believe Satan. Their believing in negative things triumphs over believing in positive things. Is such people’s elimination revealed?

from “Only People Who Stand Witness Have the Reality of the Truth” in Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life (IX)

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