From the moment you come crying into this world, you begin to perform your duty. You assume your role in the plan of God and in the ordination of God. You begin the journey of life. Whatever your background and whatever the journey ahead of you, none can escape the orchestration and arrangement that Heaven has in store, and none are in control of their destiny, for only He who rules over all things is capable of such work. Since the day man came into existence, God has been steady in His work, managing this universe and directing the change and movement of all things. Like all things, man quietly and unknowingly receives the nourishment of the sweetness and rain and dew from God. Like all things, man unknowingly lives under the orchestration of God’s hand. The heart and spirit of man are held in the hand of God, and all the life of man is beheld in the eyes of God. Regardless of whether or not you believe this, any and all things, living or dead, will shift, change, renew, and disappear according to God’s thoughts. This is how God rules over all things.
As the night creeps in, man remains unaware, for the heart of man cannot perceive how the darkness approaches or from whence it comes. As the night quietly slips away, man welcomes the light of day, yet the heart of man is even less clear or aware from whence the light has come and how it has driven away the darkness of the night. Such recurrent alternations of day and night take man into one period after another, moving through the times, while also ensuring that the work of God and His plan are carried out during each period and through all times. Man walked through the ages with God, yet man knows not that God rules the fate of all things and living beings or how God orchestrates and directs all things. This is something that has eluded man since time immemorial to the present day. As for the reason why, it is not because the ways of God are too elusive, or because the plan of God has yet to be realized, but because the heart and spirit of man are too distant from God. Therefore, even as man follows God, he unknowingly remains in the service of Satan. None actively seek out the footsteps or appearance of God, and none wish to exist in the care and keeping of God. Rather, they are willing to rely on the corrosion of Satan and the evil one in order to adapt to this world and to the rules of life the wicked mankind follows. At this point, the heart and spirit of man are sacrificed to Satan and become its sustenance. Moreover, the human heart and spirit become a place in which Satan can reside and a fitting playground for it. In this way, man unknowingly loses his understanding of the principles of being human, and of the worth and purpose of human existence. The laws from God and the covenant between God and man gradually fade away in man’s heart until man no longer seeks or pays heed to God. As time passes, man no longer understands why God created man, nor does he understand the words that come from the mouth of God or realize all that is from God. Man begins to resist the laws and decrees from God; the heart and spirit of man become deadened. … God loses the man of His original creation, and man loses the root of his beginning. This is the sorrow of this mankind. In actuality, from the very beginning until now, God has staged a tragedy for mankind in which man is both the protagonist and the victim, and none can answer as to who is the director of this tragedy.
In the vast world, countless changes have occurred, over and over. None are able to lead and guide this mankind except for He who rules over all things in the universe. There is no mighty one to labor or make preparations for this mankind, much less a person who is able to lead this mankind toward the destination of light and the liberation from earthly injustices. God laments the future of mankind, and grieves the fall of mankind. He feels sorrow for mankind’s slow march toward decline and the path of no return. Mankind has broken the heart of God and renounced Him to seek the evil one. None has ever given thought to the direction in which a mankind such as this will move. It is precisely for this reason that none sense the anger of God. None seek a way to please God or try to become closer to God. Moreover, none seek to comprehend the sorrow and pain of God. Even after hearing the voice of God, man continues on his path away from God, evading the grace and care of God, and shunning the truth of God, and he would rather sell himself to Satan, the enemy of God. And who has given any thought as to how God will act toward an unrepentant man who has dismissed Him? None know that the repeated reminders and exhortations of God are because He holds in His hands an unprecedented disaster that He has prepared, one that will be unbearable for the flesh and soul of man. This disaster is not merely a punishment of the flesh but of the soul as well. You must know this: When the plan of God is made void and when His reminders and exhortations beget no response, what anger will He unleash? This will be like nothing that has heretofore been experienced or heard by any creation. And so I say, this disaster is unprecedented and will never be repeated. This is because only one creation and one salvation are within the plan of God. This is the first time and also the last. Therefore, none can comprehend the kind intention and fervent anticipation of God for mankind’s salvation.
God created this world and brought man, a living being unto which He bestowed life, into it. In turn, man came to have parents and kin and was no longer alone. Ever since man first laid eyes on this material world, he was destined to exist within the ordination of God. It is the breath of life from God that supports each living being throughout his growth into adulthood. During this process, none believe that man lives and grows up under the care of God. Rather, they hold that man grows up under the love and care of his parents, and that his growth is governed by the instinct of life. This is because man knows not who bestowed life or from whence it came, much less how the instinct of life creates miracles. Man knows only that food is the basis of the continuation of life, that perseverance is the source of existence of life, and that the belief in his mind is the wealth of his survival. Man does not feel the grace and provision from God. Man then squanders the life bestowed upon him by God. … Not one man whom God looks upon day and night takes the initiative to worship Him. God continues to work as He has planned on man for whom He holds no expectations. He does so in the hope that one day, man will awaken from his dream and suddenly comprehend the value and purpose of life, understand the cost at which God has given man everything, and know how fervently God longs for man to turn back to Him. None have ever considered the secrets to the origin and continuation of man’s life. And yet, only God who understands all of this silently endures the hurt and blows from man, who has received everything from God but is not thankful. Man takes for granted all that life brings, and “as a matter of course,” God is betrayed, forgotten, and extorted by man. Is the plan of God truly of such importance? Is man, the living being that came from the hand of God, truly of such importance? The plan of God is of absolute importance; however, the living being created by the hand of God exists for His plan. Therefore, God cannot lay waste to His plan out of hatred for this mankind. It is for the sake of His plan and the breath He exhaled that God endures all torment, not for the flesh of man but for the life of man. He wishes to take back not the flesh of man but the life He breathed out. This is His plan.
All who come into this world must experience life and death, and many have experienced the cycle of death and rebirth. Those living will soon die and the dead soon return. All of this is the course of life arranged by God for each living being. However, this course and cycle are the truth that God wishes for man to see, that the life bestowed upon man by God is endless and unfettered by flesh, time, or space. This is the mystery of life bestowed upon man by God and proof that life came from Him. Though many may not believe that life came from God, man inevitably enjoys all that comes from God, whether they believe in or deny His existence. Should God one day have a sudden change of heart and wish to reclaim all that exists in the world and to take back the life He has given, then all shall be no more. God uses His life to supply all things both living and lifeless, bringing all to good order by virtue of His power and authority. This is a truth which none can conceive or easily comprehend, and these incomprehensible truths are the very manifestation of and testament to the life force of God. Now let Me tell you a secret: The greatness and power of the life of God cannot be fathomed by any creature. It is thus now, was thus then, and will be thus in time to come. The second secret I shall impart is this: The source of life comes from God, for all creation, whatever the difference in form or structure. Whatever kind of living being you are, you cannot move counter to the path of life that God has set. In any case, all I wish is for man to understand that without the care, keeping, and provision of God, man cannot receive all that he was meant to receive, no matter how great the effort or struggle. Without the supply of life from God, man loses the sense of value in living and loses the sense of purpose in life. How could God allow a man who wastes the value of His life to be so carefree? Then again, do not forget that God is the source of your life. If man fails to cherish all that God has bestowed, not only will God take back all that was given, but more than that, man shall pay twofold to make reparation for all that God has spent.
May 26, 2003
from The Word Appears in the Flesh
