Almighty God's Word | God's Utterance "God Himself, the Unique X God Is the Source of Life for All Things (IV)" (Part One)

God's Utterance "God Himself, the Unique X God Is the Source of Life for All Things (IV)" (Part One)

Today, we are communing a special topic. For each and every one of you, there are only two main things that you need to know, experience and understand—and what are these two things? The first is people’s personal entry into life, and the second relates to knowing God. Today I give you a choice: Choose one. Would you like to hear about a topic that relates to people’s personal life experience, or would you like to hear one about knowing God Himself? And why do I give you such a choice? Because, today, I have in mind to commune some new things to you about knowing God. But, irrespective, I’ll first let you choose between the two things that I just spoke of. (I choose the one about knowing God.) (We think that communing the knowledge of God is better, too.) Do you think what we’ve been communing recently about knowing God is attainable? (When God held the first communion, we didn’t feel it was. After that, God held several more communions, and when we went back over the first communion, in the environments created by God, the brothers and sisters paid attention to experiencing in this area.) It’s fair to say that it is beyond most people’s reach. You might not be convinced by these words. Why do I say this? Because when you were listening to what I was saying before, regardless of how I said it, or with what words, when you heard it, literally and theoretically you were aware of what I was saying, but a very serious issue with you was, you didn’t understand why I said these things, why I spoke of these topics. This is the crux of the issue. And so, though hearing these things added to and enriched your understanding of God and His deeds, why are you still having trouble knowing God? The reason is this: After hearing what I said, most of you don’t understand why I said this, and what connection it has to knowing God. Is this not so? What does your inability to understand its connection to knowing God relate to? Have you ever thought about this? Perhaps you haven’t. The reason you don’t understand these things is because your life experience is too superficial. If people’s knowledge and experience of God’s words remain at a very shallow level, then most of their knowledge of God will be vague and abstract—it will be rudimental, doctrinal, and theoretical. In theory, it appears or sounds logical and reasonable, but the knowledge of God that comes out of most people’s mouths is empty. And why do I say that it is empty? Because, in fact, in your hearts you are not clear about whether the words about knowing God that come from your mouths are right or not, whether they are accurate or not. And so, even though most people have heard a lot of information and topics about knowing God, their knowledge of God has yet to go beyond theory and vague and abstract doctrine.

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Almighty God's Word | "God Himself, the Unique VII God Is the Source of Life for All Things (II)" (Part Two)

(II) God Is the Source of Life for All Things

Today I will fellowship about a new topic with you. What will the topic be? The title of the topic will be “God Is the Source of Life for All Things.” Isn’t this a fairly large topic to discuss? Does it feel like something that might be a little out of reach? God being the source of life for all things might seem like a topic that people feel detached from, but all who follow God must understand it. This is because this subject is inextricably linked with each person knowing God, being able to satisfy Him, and revere Him. Therefore, this topic must be communicated. Some people may have a basic understanding of this topic, or perhaps some people are aware of it: They may have a simplistic knowledge of it in their hearts, just a superficial understanding. Others may have a special familiarity with it; due to their unique experiences, in their hearts they have a profound understanding of it. But whether knowledge of this is deep or superficial, for you it is one-sided and not sufficiently specific. So, this topic must be communicated, the purpose of which is to give you a more specific and deeper understanding; this is very crucial. I will use a special method to fellowship about this topic with you, a method we have not used before and one that you may find a bit unusual, or a bit uncomfortable. Nonetheless, after you hear it you will know it, whatever the method may be. Do you like listening to stories? (We do.) What type of story do you like to hear? Fairy tales, fables or science fiction? (Fables.) (A story about God and man.) Are there stories about God and man? (Yes.) There are stories about God and man that happen near you every day. Do I even need to mention them? Whoever likes stories please raise your hands, and then I can see how many people like to hear stories. It seems that I was right to choose the method of telling a story. You all like to hear stories. OK then, let’s begin! You don’t need to write this down in your notes. I ask that you be calm, and not fidget. You may close your eyes if you feel that having your eyes open would cause you to be distracted by your surroundings or the people around you. I have a wonderful little story to tell you. It is a story about a seed, the earth, a tree, the sunlight, the songbirds, and man. Don’t fall asleep. Do you hear Me? The story I am going to tell has what main characters in it? (A seed, the earth, a tree, the sunlight, the songbirds, and man.) Will God be in it? (No.) You haven’t heard it, right? But I am sure that after the story is told you will feel relaxed and content. Alright then, you may listen quietly.

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Almighty God's Word | God's Utterance "God Himself, the Unique VII" (Part One) | The Church of Almighty God

God's Utterance "God Himself, the Unique VII" (Part One) | The Church of Almighty God

(I) An Overview of God’s Authority, God’s Righteous Disposition, and God’s Holiness

When you have finished your prayers, do your hearts feel calm in the presence of God? (Yes.) If a person’s heart can be calmed, they will be able to hear and understand the word of God and they will be able to hear and understand the truth. If your heart is unable to be calmed, if your heart is always adrift, or always thinking of other things, it will affect your coming together to hear the word of God. So, what is at the heart of what we are discussing at this time? Let us all think back a little on the main point. Regarding knowing God Himself, the unique, what is the first part that we discussed? (God’s authority.) What was the second? (God’s righteous disposition.) And the third? (God’s holiness.) How often have we discussed God’s authority? Has it had an impact? (Twice.) What about God’s righteous disposition? (Once.) The number of times we have discussed God’s holiness has probably left an impression on you, but has the specific content we discussed each time had an impact? On the first part “God’s authority,” what left the deepest impression on you, what part had the most impact for you? (The authority of the word of God and God as the Ruler of all things.) Talk about the important points. (First, God communicated the authority and might of the word of God; God is as good as His word and His word shall become true. This is the very essence of God.) (God’s authority lies in His creation of the heavens and earth and all within it. No man can alter God’s authority. God is the Ruler of all things and He controls all things.) (God utilizes the rainbow and covenants with man.) This is the specific content. Was there anything else? (God’s commands to Satan that it may tempt Job, but may not take his life. From this we see the authority of God’s word.) This is an understanding you gained after hearing the fellowship, right? Is there anything else to add? (We mainly recognize that God’s authority represents God’s unique status and position, and none of the created or non-created beings may possess His authority.) (God speaks to make a covenant with man and He speaks to put His blessings upon man, these are all examples of the authority of God’s word.) (We see the authority of God in the creation of the heavens and earth and all things through His word, and from God incarnate we see His word also carries the authority of God, these are both symbols of God’s uniqueness. We see it when the Lord Jesus commanded Lazarus to walk out from his tomb: Life and death are under God’s control, which Satan has no power to control; whether God’s work is done in flesh or in Spirit, His authority is unique.) Do you have anything else to add? (We see that the six junctures of life are dictated by God.) Very good! What else? (God’s blessings toward man also represent His authority.) When we talk about God’s authority, what is your understanding of the word “authority”? Within the scope of God’s authority, in what God does and reveals, what do people see? (We see God’s almightiness and wisdom.) (We see that God’s authority is ever-present and that it truly, truly exists.) (We see God’s authority on the large scale in His dominion over the universe, and we see it on the small scale as He takes control of human life. From the six junctures of life we see that God actually plans and controls every aspect of our lives.) (Furthermore, we see that God’s authority represents God Himself, the unique, and none of the created or non-created beings may possess it. God’s authority symbolizes His status.) “Symbols of God’s status and God’s position,” you seem to have a doctrinal understanding of these words. What question did I just ask you, can you repeat it? (In what God does and reveals, what do we see?) What do you see? Could it be that you only see God’s authority? Did you only feel God’s authority? (We see the reality of God, the trueness of God, the faithfulness of God.) (We see God’s wisdom.) The faithfulness of God, the trueness of God, and some said the wisdom of God. What else is there? (God’s omnipotence.) (Seeing the righteousness and goodness of God.) You haven’t quite hit the nail on the head yet, so think a bit more. (The authority and power of God are revealed and reflected in His taking charge, leading, and management of mankind. This is very real and true. He is always doing His work and none of the created or non-created beings may possess this authority and power.) Are you all looking at your notes? Do you really have any knowledge of God’s authority? Have any of you truly comprehended His authority? (God has watched over us and protected us since we were young, and we see God’s authority in that. We didn’t always understand the situations that befell us, but God was always protecting us behind the scenes; this is also God’s authority.) Very good, well said!

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Almighty God's Word | God Himself, the Unique III God’s Authority (II) Part Five

God’s Authority (II)   Part Five

Do Not Miss the Opportunity to Know the Creator’s Sovereignty

The six junctures described above are crucial phases laid out by the Creator that every normal person must undergo in his or her life. Every one of these junctures is real; none of them can be circumvented, and all bear a relationship to the Creator’s predestination and His sovereignty. So for a human being, each of these junctures is an important checkpoint, and how to pass through each of them smoothly is a very serious question that all of you now face.

The handful of decades that make up a human life are neither long nor short. The twenty-odd years between birth and coming of age pass in an eyeblink, and though at this point in life a person is considered an adult, people in this age group know close to nothing about human life and human fate. As they gain more experience, they stride gradually into middle age. People in their thirties and forties acquire a nascent experience of life and fate, but their ideas about these things are still very foggy. It is not till age forty that some people begin to understand mankind and the universe, which were created by God, to grasp what human life is all about, what human fate is all about. Some people, though they have long been followers of God and are now middle-aged, still do not possess an accurate knowledge and definition of God’s sovereignty, much less true submission. Some people care about nothing other than seeking to receive blessings, and though they have lived for many years, they do not know or understand in the least the fact of the Creator’s sovereignty over human fate, and so have not entered into a bit of the practical lesson of submitting to God’s orchestrations and arrangements. Such people are thoroughly foolish; such people live their lives in vain.

If a human life is divided up according to one’s degree of life experience and one’s knowledge of human fate, it will roughly break down into three phases. The first phase is youth, the years between birth and middle age, or from birth till thirty. The second phase is maturation, from middle age to old age, or from thirty till sixty. And the third phase is one’s mature period, from old age, beginning at sixty, till one departs from the world. In other words, from birth to middle age, most people’s knowledge of fate and life is limited to parroting others’ ideas; it has almost no real, practical substance. During this period, one’s outlook on life and how one makes one’s way in the world are all very superficial and naive. This is one’s juvenile period. Only after one has tasted all the joys and sorrows of life does one gain a real understanding of fate, does one—subconsciously, deep in one’s heart—gradually come to appreciate the irreversibility of fate, and slowly realize that the Creator’s sovereignty over human fate truly exists. This is one’s maturation period. When one has ceased to struggle against fate, and when one is no longer willing to be drawn into strifes, but knows one’s lot, submits to Heaven’s will, sums up one’s own achievements and errors in life, and is awaiting the Creator’s judgment on one’s life—this is one’s mature period. Considering the different kinds of experiences and gains that people obtain during these three periods, under normal circumstances one’s window of opportunity to know the Creator’s sovereignty is not very large. If one lives to be sixty, one has only thirty years or so to know God’s sovereignty; if one wants a longer period of time, that is only possible if one’s life is long enough, if one is able to live a century. So I say, according to the normal laws of human existence, though it is a very long process from when one first encounters the subject of knowing the Creator’s sovereignty to when one is able to recognize the fact of the Creator’s sovereignty, and from then till the point when one is able to submit to it, if one actually counts up the years, there are no more than thirty or forty during which one has the chance to gain these rewards. And often, people get carried away by their desires and their ambitions to receive blessings; they cannot discern where the essence of human life lies, do not grasp the importance of knowing the Creator’s sovereignty, and so they do not cherish this precious opportunity to enter into the human world to experience human life, experience the Creator’s sovereignty, and do not realize how invaluable it is for a created being to receive the Creator’s personal guidance. So I say, those people who want God’s work to end quickly, who wish God would arrange man’s end as soon as possible, so that they could immediately behold His real person and soon be blessed, are guilty of the worst kind of disobedience and foolish in the extreme. And those who desire, during their limited time, to grasp this unique opportunity to know the Creator’s sovereignty, are the wise people, the brilliant ones. These two different desires expose two vastly different outlooks and pursuits: Those who seek blessings are selfish and base; they show no consideration for God’s will, never seek to know God’s sovereignty, never desire to submit to it, simply want to live as they please. They are blithe degenerates; they are the ones to be destroyed. Those who seek to know God are able to set aside their desires, are willing to submit to God’s sovereignty and God’s arrangements; they try to be the kind of people who are submissive to God’s authority and satisfy God’s desire. Such people live in light, live in the midst of God’s blessings; they will surely be commended by God. No matter what, human choice is useless, humans have no say in how long God’s work will take. It is better for people to put themselves at the mercy of God, to submit to His sovereignty. If you do not put yourself at His mercy, what can you do? Will God suffer a loss? If you do not put yourself at His mercy, if you try to be in charge, you are making a foolish choice, and you are the only one who will suffer a loss in the end. Only if people cooperate with God as soon as possible, only if they make haste to accept His orchestrations, know His authority, and understand all He has done for them, will they have hope, will their lives not be lived in vain, will they attain salvation.

No One Can Change the Fact That God Holds Sovereignty Over Human Fate

After listening to everything I have just said, has your idea of fate changed? How do you understand the fact of God’s sovereignty over human fate? To put it simply, under God’s authority every person actively or passively accepts His sovereignty and His arrangements, and no matter how one struggles in the course of one’s life, no matter how many crooked paths one walks, in the end one will return to the orbit of fate that the Creator has traced out for him or her. This is the insuperability of the Creator’s authority, the manner in which His authority controls and governs the universe. It is this insuperability, this form of control and governance, that are responsible for the laws that dictate the lives of all things, that allow humans to transmigrate again and again without interference, that make the world turn regularly and move forward, day after day, year after year. You have witnessed all these facts and you understand them, whether superficially or deeply; the depth of your understanding depends upon your experience and knowledge of the truth, and your knowledge of God. How well you know the reality of the truth, how much you have experienced God’s words, how well you know God’s substance and disposition—this represents the depth of your understanding of God’s sovereignty and arrangements. Is the existence of God’s sovereignty and arrangements dependent upon whether human beings submit to them? Is the fact that God possesses this authority determined by whether humanity submits to it? God’s authority exists regardless of the circumstances; in all situations, God dictates and arranges every human fate and all things in accordance with His thoughts, His wishes. This will not change because humans change, and it is independent of man’s will, cannot be altered by any changes in time, space, and geography, for God’s authority is His very substance. Whether man is able to know and accept God’s sovereignty, and whether man is able to submit to it, does not in the slightest way change the fact of God’s sovereignty over human fate. That is to say, no matter what attitude man takes toward God’s sovereignty, it simply cannot change the fact that God holds sovereignty over human fate and over all things. Even if you do not submit to God’s sovereignty, He still commands your fate; even if you cannot know His sovereignty, His authority still exists. God’s authority and the fact of God’s sovereignty over human fate are independent of human will, do not change in accordance with man’s preferences and choices. God’s authority is everywhere, at every hour, at every instant. If heaven and earth were to pass away, His authority would never pass away, for He is God Himself, He possesses the unique authority, and His authority is not restricted or limited by people, events, or things, by space or by geography. At all times God wields His authority, shows His might, continues His management work as always; at all times He rules all things, provides for all things, orchestrates all things, just as He always did. No one can change this. It is fact; it has been the unchanging truth since time immemorial!

The Proper Attitude and Practice for One Who Wishes to Submit to God’s Authority

With what attitude should man now know and regard God’s authority, the fact of God’s sovereignty over human fate? This is a real problem that stands before every person. When confronting real-life problems, how should you know and understand God’s authority and His sovereignty? When you do not know how to understand, handle, and experience these problems, what attitude should you adopt to show your intention, your desire, and your reality of submitting to God’s sovereignty and arrangements? First you must learn to wait; then you must learn to seek; then you must learn to submit. “Waiting” means waiting for the time of God, awaiting the people, events, and things that He has arranged for you, waiting for His will to gradually reveal itself to you. “Seeking” means observing and understanding God’s thoughtful intentions for you through the people, events, and things that He has laid out, understanding the truth through them, understanding what humans must accomplish and the ways they must keep, understanding what results God means to achieve in humans and what accomplishments He means to attain in them. “Submitting,” of course, refers to accepting the people, events, and things that God has orchestrated, accepting His sovereignty and, through it, coming to know how the Creator dictates man’s fate, how He supplies man with His life, how He works the truth into man. All things under God’s arrangements and sovereignty obey natural laws, and if you resolve to let God arrange and dictate everything for you, you should learn to wait, you should learn to seek, you should learn to submit. This is the attitude that every person who wants to submit to God’s authority must take, the basic quality that every person who wants to accept God’s sovereignty and arrangements must possess. To hold such an attitude, to possess such a quality, you must work harder; and only thus can you enter into the true reality.

Accepting God as Your Unique Master Is the First Step in Attaining Salvation

The truths regarding God’s authority are truths that every person must regard seriously, must experience and understand with their heart; for these truths have a bearing on every person’s life, on every person’s past, present, and future, on the crucial junctures that every person must pass in life, on man’s knowledge of God’s sovereignty and the attitude with which he should face God’s authority, and naturally, on every person’s final destination. So it takes a lifetime’s worth of energy to know and understand them. When you take God’s authority seriously, when you accept God’s sovereignty, you will gradually come to realize and understand that God’s authority truly exists. But if you never recognize God’s authority, never accept His sovereignty, then no matter how many years you live, you will not gain the slightest knowledge of God’s sovereignty. If you do not truly know and understand God’s authority, then when you reach the end of the road, even if you have believed in God for decades, you will have nothing to show for your life, your knowledge of God’s sovereignty over human fate will inevitably be zero. Is this not a very sad thing? So no matter how far you have walked in life, no matter how old you are now, no matter how long the rest of your journey is, first you must recognize God’s authority and take it seriously, accept the fact that God is your unique Master. Attaining clear, accurate knowledge and understanding of these truths regarding God’s sovereignty over human fate is a mandatory lesson for everyone, is the key to knowing human life and attaining the truth, is the daily life and basic lesson of knowing God that everyone faces, and which no one can evade. If some of you wish to take shortcuts to reach this goal, then I say to you, that is impossible! If some of you want to escape God’s sovereignty, that is even more impossible! God is man’s only Lord, God is the only Master of human fate, and so it is impossible for man to dictate his own fate, impossible for him to surpass it. No matter how great one’s abilities, one cannot influence, much less orchestrate, arrange, control, or change the fates of others. Only the unique God Himself dictates all things for man, for only He possesses the unique authority that holds sovereignty over human fate; and so only the Creator is man’s unique Master. God’s authority holds sovereignty not only over created humanity, but over non-created beings that no human can see, over the stars, over the cosmos. This is an indisputable fact, a fact that truly exists, which no human or thing can change. If some of you are still dissatisfied with things as they stand, believing that you have some special skill or ability, and still thinking you can get lucky and change your present circumstances or else escape them; if you attempt to change your own fate by means of human effort, and thereby stand out from others and win fame and fortune; then I say to you, you are making things hard for yourself, you are only asking for trouble, you are digging your own grave! One day, sooner or later, you will discover that you made the wrong choice, that your efforts were wasted. Your ambition, your desire to struggle against fate, and your own egregious conduct, will lead you down a road of no return, and for this you will pay a bitter price. Though right now you do not see the severity of the consequence, as you experience and appreciate more and more deeply the truth that God is the Master of human fate, you will slowly come to realize what I am talking about today and its real implications. Whether you truly have a heart and a spirit, whether you are a person who loves the truth, depends on what kind of attitude you take toward God’s sovereignty and toward the truth. And naturally, this determines whether you can truly know and understand God’s authority. If you have never in your life sensed God’s sovereignty and His arrangements, much less recognize and accept God’s authority, then you will be utterly worthless, you will be without a doubt the object of God’s detestation and rejection, thanks to the path you have taken and the choice you have made. But those who, in God’s work, can accept His trial, accept His sovereignty, submit to His authority, and gradually gain real experience of His words, will have attained real knowledge of God’s authority, real understanding of His sovereignty, and will have truly become subject to the Creator. Only such people will have truly been saved. Because they have known God’s sovereignty, because they have accepted it, their appreciation of and submission to the fact of God’s sovereignty over human fate is real and accurate. When they face death they will be able, like Job, to have a mind undaunted by death, to submit to God’s orchestrations and arrangements in all things, with no individual choice, with no individual desire. Only such a person will be able to return to the Creator’s side as a true created human being.

March 26, 2015

from: "God Himself, the Unique III" in Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh

Recommendation: Eastern Lightning , The Church of Almighty God was founded by Almighty God personally

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Almighty God's Word | God Himself, the Unique (III) God’s Authority (II) Part Three

God’s Authority (II)   Part Three

Progeny: The Fifth Juncture

After marrying, one begins to nurture the next generation. One has no say in how many and what kind of children one has; this too is determined by a person’s fate, predestined by the Creator. This is the fifth juncture through which a person must pass.

If one is born in order to fill the role of another’s child, then one rears the next generation in order to fill the role of another’s parent. This shift of roles makes one experience different phases of life from different perspectives. It also gives one different sets of life experiences, in which one comes to know the same sovereignty of the Creator, as well as the fact that no one can overstep or alter the predestination of the Creator.

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Almighty God's Word | God Himself, the Unique (II) God’s Righteous Disposition (Part Five)

God’s Righteous Disposition   Part Five

(III) Five Types of People

For the time being, I will leave our fellowship about God’s righteous disposition finished at that. Next I will classify God’s followers into several categories, according to their understanding of God and their understanding and experience with His righteous disposition, so that you may know the stage you currently belong to as well as your current stature. In terms of their knowledge of God and their understanding of His righteous disposition, the different stages and statures which people occupy can generally be separated into five types. This topic is predicated on the basis of knowing the unique God and His righteous disposition; therefore, as you read the following content, you should carefully attempt to figure out exactly how much understanding and knowledge you have regarding God’s uniqueness and His righteous disposition, and then use this to judge which stage you truly belong to, how large your stature truly is, and which type of person you truly are.

The first type is known as the “infant in swaddling clothes” stage.

What is an infant in swaddling clothes? An infant in swaddling clothes is an infant who has just come into this world, a newborn. It is when people are at their smallest and most immature.

People at this stage essentially possess no awareness or consciousness of matters of belief in God. They are bewildered and ignorant toward everything. These people may have believed in God for a long time or for not a very long time at all, but their bewildered and ignorant state and their true stature place them within the stage of an infant in swaddling clothes. The precise definition of the situation of an infant in swaddling clothes is as such: No matter how long this kind of person has believed in God, he will always be muddle-headed, confused and simple-minded; he does not know why he believes in God, nor does he know who God is or who is God. Although he follows God, there is no exact definition of God in his heart, and he cannot determine whether whom he follows is God, let alone whether he truly should believe in God and follow Him. These are the true circumstances of this type of person. These people’s thoughts are clouded, and simply put, their belief is one of confusion. They always exist in a state of bewilderment and blankness; muddle-headedness, confusion and simple-mindedness summarize their circumstances. They have never seen nor felt God’s existence, and therefore, talking to them about knowing God is as much use as making them read a book written in hieroglyphics; they will neither understand nor accept it. For them, knowing God is the same as hearing a fantastical tale. While their thoughts may be clouded, they actually firmly believe that knowing God is an utter waste of time and effort. This is the first type of person: an infant in swaddling clothes.

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The Church of Almighty God | God Himself, the Unique I (Part Three)

God Himself, the Unique I  (Part Three)

2. God Uses His Words to Establish a Covenant With Man

(Gen 9:11-13) And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

After He Makes All Things, the Authority of the Creator Is Confirmed and Shown Forth Once More in the “Rainbow Covenant”

The authority of the Creator is ever shown forth and exerted amongst all creatures, and He not only rules the fate of all things, but also rules mankind, the special creature which He created with His own hands, and which is possessed of a different life structure and exists in a different life form. After making all things, the Creator did not cease to express His authority and power; for Him, the authority with which He held sovereignty over all things and the fate of the whole of mankind, formally began only once mankind was truly born from His hand. He intended to manage mankind, and rule mankind, He intended to save mankind, intended to truly gain mankind, to gain a mankind that could govern all things, and He intended to make such a mankind live under His authority, and know His authority, and obey His authority. Thus, God began to officially express His authority among man using His words, and began to use His authority to realize His words. Of course, God’s authority was shown forth in all places during this process; I have merely picked out some specific, well-known examples from which you may understand and know the uniqueness of God, and understand and know the unique authority of God.

There is a similarity between the passage in Genesis 9:11-13 and the passages above concerning the record of God’s creation of the world, yet there is also a difference. What is the similarity? The similarity lies in God’s use of words to do that which He intended, and the difference is that this passage is God’s discourse with man, in which He established a covenant with man, and told man of that which was contained within the covenant. This exertion of God’s authority was achieved during His dialogue with man, which is to say that, prior to the creation of mankind, God’s words were instructions, and orders, which were issued to the creatures that He intended to create. But now there was someone to hear the words of God, and so His words were both a dialogue with man, and also an exhortation and admonishment to man, and moreover, were commandments delivered to all things that bore His authority.

What action of God is recorded in this passage? It records the covenant that God established with man after His destruction of the world with a flood, it tells man that God would not wreak such destruction upon the world again, and that, to this end, God created a sign—and what was this sign? In the Scriptures it is said that “I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.” These are the original words spoken by the Creator to mankind. As He said these words, a rainbow appeared before the eyes of man, where it has remained until today. Everyone has seen such a rainbow, and when you see it, do you know how it appears? Science is incapable of proving it, or of locating its source, or identifying its whereabouts. That is because the rainbow is a sign of the covenant established between the Creator and man; it requires no scientific basis, it was not made by man, nor is man capable of altering it. It is a continuation of the Creator’s authority after He spoke His words. The Creator used His own particular method to abide by His covenant with man and His promise, and so His use of the rainbow as a sign of the covenant that He had established is a heavenly edict and law that shall remain forever unchanged, whether in regard to the Creator or the created mankind. Yet this immutable law is, it must be said, another true manifestation of the Creator’s authority following His creation of all things, and it must be said that the authority and power of the Creator are limitless; His use of the rainbow as a sign is a continuation and extension of the Creator’s authority. This was another act performed by God using His words, and was a sign of the covenant that God had established with man using words. He told man of that which He resolved to bring about, and with what manner it would be fulfilled and achieved, and in this way the matter was fulfilled according to the words from God’s mouth. Only God is possessed of such power, and today, several thousand years after He spoke these words, man can still look upon the rainbow spoken from the mouth of God. Because of those words uttered by God, this thing has remained unaltered and unchanged right up until today. None can remove this rainbow, none can change its laws, and it exists solely for the words of God. This is precisely the authority of God. “God is as good as His word, and His word shall be accomplished, and that which is accomplished lasts forever.” Such words are clearly manifested here, and it is a clear sign and characteristic of the authority and power of God. Such a sign or characteristic is not possessed by or seen in any of the created beings, nor is it seen in any of the non-created beings. It belongs only to the unique God, and distinguishes the identity and substance possessed only by the Creator from that of the creatures. At the same time, it is also a sign and characteristic that, apart from God Himself, can never be surpassed by any created or non-created being.

God’s establishment of His covenant with man was an act of great importance, and one that He intended to use to communicate a fact to man and tell man His will, and to this end He employed a unique method, using a special sign to establish a covenant with man, a sign which was a promise of the covenant that He had established with man. So, was the establishment of this covenant a great event? And just how great was it? This is exactly what is so special about the covenant: It is not a covenant established between one man and another, or one group and another, or one country and another, but a covenant established between the Creator and the whole of mankind, and it shall remain valid until the day that the Creator abolishes all things. The executor of this covenant is the Creator, and its maintainer is also the Creator. In short, the entirety of the “rainbow covenant” established with mankind was fulfilled and achieved according to the dialogue between the Creator and mankind, and has remained so right up until today. What else can the creatures do apart from submitting to, and obeying, and believing, and appreciating, and witnessing, and praising the authority of the Creator? For none but the unique God is possessed of the power to establish such a covenant. The appearance of the rainbow, time and time again, announces to mankind and calls his attention to the covenant between the Creator and mankind. In the continual appearances of the covenant between the Creator and mankind, what is demonstrated to mankind is not a rainbow or the covenant itself, but the immutable authority of the Creator. The appearance of the rainbow, time and time again, demonstrates the tremendous and miraculous deeds of the Creator in hidden places, and, at the same time, is a vital reflection of the Creator’s authority that shall never fade away, and shall never change. Is this not a display of another aspect of the Creator’s unique authority?

3. The Blessings of God

1) (Gen 17:4-6) As for me, behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. Neither shall your name any more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made you. And I will make you exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come out of you.

2) (Gen 18:18-19) Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him.

3) (Gen 22:16-18) … By myself have I sworn, said the LORD, for because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son: That in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is on the sea shore; and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you have obeyed my voice.

4) (Job 42:12) So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.

The Unique Manner and Characteristics of the Creator’s Utterances Are a Symbol of the Unique Identity and Authority of the Creator

Many wish to seek, and gain, the blessings of God, but not everyone can gain these blessings, for God has His own principles, and blesses man in His own way. The promises that God makes to man, and the amount of grace that He bestows upon man, are allocated based on the thoughts and actions of man. And so what is shown by the blessings of God? What do they tell us? At this point, let us put aside discussion of what kinds of people God blesses, or the principles of God’s blessing of man. Instead, let us look at God’s blessing of man with the objective of knowing the authority of God, from the perspective of knowing the authority of God.

The four passages of scripture above are all records about God’s blessing of man. They provide a detailed description of the recipients of God’s blessings, such as Abraham and Job, as well as of the reasons why God bestowed His blessings, and of what was contained within these blessings. The tone and manner of God’s utterances, and the perspective and position from which He spoke, allow us to appreciate that the One who bestows blessings and the recipient of such blessings are of a distinctly different identity, status and substance. The tone and manner of these utterances, and the position from which they were spoken, are unique to God, who possesses the identity of the Creator. He has authority and might, as well as honor of the Creator, and majesty that brooks no doubt from any man.

First let us look at Gen 17:4-6: “As for me, behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. Neither shall your name any more be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made you. And I will make you exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come out of you.” These words were the covenant that God established with Abraham, as well as God’s blessing of Abraham: God would make Abraham the father of nations, would make him exceedingly fruitful, and would make nations of him, and kings would come of him. Do you see the authority of God in these words? And how do you see such authority? Which aspect of the substance of God’s authority do you see? From a close reading of these words, it isn’t hard to discover that the authority and identity of God are clearly revealed in the wording of God’s utterances. For example, when God says “my covenant is with you, and you shall … have I made you … I will make you …,” phrases such as “you shall” and “I will,” whose wording bears the affirmation of God’s identity and authority, are, in one respect, an indication of the Creator’s faithfulness; in another respect, they are special words used by God, who possesses the identity of the Creator—as well as being part of conventional vocabulary. If someone says they hope another person will be exceeding fruitful, that nations will be made from them, and that kings shall come from them, then that is undoubtedly a kind of wish, and is not a promise or a blessing. And so, they dare not say “I will make you such and such, you shall such and such…,” for they know that they do not possess such power; it is not up to them, and even if they say such things, their words would be empty, and nonsense, driven by their desire and ambition. Does anyone dare to speak in such a grand tone if they feel that they cannot accomplish their wishes? Everyone wishes well for their descendants, and hopes that they will excel and enjoy great success. What great fortune it would be for one of them to become emperor! If one were to be a governor that would be good, too—just as long as they’re someone important! These are all people’s wishes, but people can only wish blessings upon their descendants, and cannot fulfill or make any of their promises come true. In their hearts, everyone clearly knows that they do not possess the power to achieve such things, for their everything is beyond their control, and so how could they command the fate of others? Whereas the reason why God can say words like these is because God possesses such authority, and is capable of accomplishing and realizing all the promises that He makes to man, and of making all the blessings that He bestows upon man come true. Man was created by God, and for God to make someone exceedingly fruitful would be child’s play; to make someone’s descendants prosperous would require but a word from Him. He would never have to work Himself into a sweat for such a thing, or task His mind, or tie Himself in knots over it; this is the very power of God, the very authority of God.

After reading “Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him” in Genesis 18:18, can you feel the authority of God? Can you sense the extraordinariness of the Creator? Can you sense the supremacy of the Creator? The words of God are certain. God does not say such words because of, or in representation of, His confidence in success; they are, instead, proof of the authority of God’s utterances, and are a commandment that fulfills the words of God. There are two expressions that you should pay attention to here. When God says “Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him,” is there any element of ambiguity in these words? Is there any element of concern? Is there any element of fear? Because of the words “shall surely” and “shall be” in God’s utterances, these elements, which are particular to man and often exhibited in him, have never borne any relation to the Creator. No one would dare to use such words when wishing others well, no one would dare to bless another with a great and mighty nation with such certainty, or promise that all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. The more certain the words of God, the more that they prove something—and what is that something? They prove that God has such authority, that His authority can accomplish these things, and that their accomplishment is inevitable. God was certain in His heart, without the slightest hesitation, of all that He blessed Abraham with. Furthermore, the entirety of this would be accomplished in accordance with His words, and no force would be able to alter, obstruct, impair, or disturb its fulfillment. Regardless of what happened, nothing could abrogate or influence the fulfillment and accomplishment of God’s words. This is the very might of the words uttered from the mouth of the Creator, and the authority of the Creator that does not brook the denial of man! Having read these words, do you still feel doubt? These words were spoken from the mouth of God, and there is power, majesty, and authority in the words of God. Such might and authority, and the inevitability of the accomplishment of fact, are unattainable by any created or non-created being, and unsurpassable by any created or non-created being. Only the Creator can converse with mankind with such a tone and intonation, and facts have proven that His promises are not empty words, or idle boasts, but are the expression of the unique authority that is unsurpassable by any person, thing, or object.

What is the difference between the words spoken by God and the words spoken by man? When you read these words spoken by God, you sense the might of God’s words, and the authority of God. How do you feel when you hear people saying such words? Do you think they are extremely arrogant, and boastful, and making a show of themselves? For they do not have this power, they do not possess such authority, and so they are completely incapable of achieving such things. That they are so sure of their promises only shows the carelessness of their remarks. If someone says such words, then they would undoubtedly be arrogant, and overconfident, and revealing themselves as a classic example of the archangel’s disposition. These words came from the mouth of God; do you sense any element of arrogance here? Do you feel that God’s words are just a joke? The words of God are authority, the words of God are fact, and before the words are uttered from His mouth, which is to say, when He makes the decision to do something, then that thing has already been accomplished. It can be said that all which God said to Abraham was a covenant that God established with Abraham, and a promise made by God to Abraham. This promise was an established fact, as well as an accomplished fact, and these facts were gradually fulfilled in God’s thoughts according to God’s plan. And so, for God to say such words does not mean that He has an arrogant disposition, for God is able to achieve such things. He has such power and authority, and is fully capable of achieving these acts, and their accomplishment is entirely within the range of His ability. When words like these are uttered from the mouth of God, they are a revelation and expression of God’s true disposition, a perfect revelation and manifestation of the substance and authority of God, and there is nothing which is more appropriate and suitable as proof of the Creator’s identity. The manner, tone, and wording of such utterances are precisely the mark of the Creator’s identity, and correspond perfectly to the expression of God’s own identity, and in them there is no pretense, or impurity; they are, completely and utterly, the perfect demonstration of the substance and authority of the Creator. As for the creatures, they possess neither this authority, nor this substance, much less do they possess the power given by God. If man betrays such behavior, then it would most certainly be the fulmination of his corrupt disposition, and it would be down to the meddling impact of man’s arrogance and wild ambition, and the exposure of the malicious intentions of none other than the devil, Satan, who wishes to deceive people and entice them to betray God. And how does God regard that which is revealed by such language? God would say that you wish to usurp His place and that you wish to impersonate and replace Him. When you imitate the tone of God’s utterances, your intention is to replace God’s place in people’s hearts, to appropriate the mankind that rightfully belongs to God. This is Satan, pure and simple; these are the actions of the descendants of the archangel, intolerable to Heaven! Amongst you, are there any who have ever imitated God in a certain way by speaking a few words, with the intention of misleading and deceiving people, and making them feel as if the words and actions of this person carried the authority and might of God, as if this person’s substance and identity were unique, and even as if the tone of this person’s words was similar to God’s? Have you ever done something like this? Have you ever imitated the tone of God in your speech, with gestures that purportedly represent the disposition of God, with the supposed might and authority? Do most of you often act, or plan to act, in such a way? Now, when you truly see, perceive and know the authority of the Creator, and look back upon what you used to do, and used to reveal of yourselves, do you feel sickened? Do you recognize your ignobility and shamelessness? Having dissected the disposition and substance of such people, could it be said that they are the accursed spawn of hell? Could it be said that everyone who does such things is bringing humiliation upon themselves? Do you recognize the seriousness of its nature? And just how serious is it? The intention of people who act in this way is to imitate God. They want to be God, and make people worship them as God. They want to abolish God’s place in people’s hearts, and get rid of the God who works among man, in order to achieve the aim of controlling people, and devouring people, and taking possession of them. Everyone has such subconscious desires and ambitions, and everyone lives in such a corrupt satanic substance and lives in such a satanic nature in which they are in enmity with God, and betray God, and wish to become God. Following My fellowship on the topic of God’s authority, do you still wish or aspire to impersonate God, or imitate God? And do you still desire to be God? Do you still wish to become God? The authority of God cannot be imitated by man, and the identity and status of God cannot be impersonated by man. Though you are capable of imitating the tone with which God speaks, you cannot imitate the substance of God. Though you are able to stand in God’s place and impersonate God, you will never be able to do that which God intends to do, and will never be able to rule and command all things. In the eyes of God, you shall forever be a small creature, and regardless of how great your skills and ability are, regardless of how many gifts you have, the entirety of you is under the dominion of the Creator. Though you are capable of saying some brash words, it can neither show that you have the substance of the Creator, nor represent that you possess the authority of the Creator. The authority and power of God are the substance of God Himself. They were not learned, or added externally, but are the inherent substance of God Himself. And so the relationship between the Creator and the creatures can never be altered. As one of the creatures, man must keep his own position, and behave conscientiously, and dutifully guard that which is entrusted to him by the Creator. And man must not act out of line, or do things beyond his range of ability or do things that are loathsome to God. Man must not try to be great, or exceptional, or above others, nor seek to become God. This is how people should not desire to be. Seeking to become great or exceptional is absurd. Seeking to become God is even more disgraceful; it is disgusting, and despicable. What is commendable, and what the creatures should hold to more than anything else, is to become a true creature; this is the only goal that all people should pursue.

from: "God Himself, the Unique I" in Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh

Recommendation: Eastern Lightning , Know more of the Church of Almighty God

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