1. Man’s life originates from God, the existence of the heaven is because of God, and the existence of the earth stems from the power of God’s life. No object possessed of vitality can transcend the sovereignty of God, and no thing with vigor can break away from the ambit of God’s authority. In this way, regardless of who they are, everyone must submit under the dominion of God, everyone must live under God’s command, and no one can escape from His control.
from “Only Christ of the Last Days Can Give Man the Way of Eternal Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
2. God created all things, and so He makes all creation come under His dominion, and submit to His dominion; He will command all things, so that all things are in His hands. All creation of God, including animals, plants, mankind, the mountains and rivers, and the lakes—all must come under His dominion. All things in the skies and on the ground must come under His dominion. They cannot have any choice, and must all submit to His orchestrations. This was decreed by God, and is the authority of God.
from “Success or Failure Depends on the Path That Man Walks” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
3. God commands everything, and orders and ranks all things, with each classed according to kind, and allotted their own position, according to God’s will. No matter how great it is, no thing can surpass God, and all things serve the mankind created by God, and no thing dares to disobey God or make any demands of God. And so man, as a creature of God, must also perform the duty of man. Regardless of whether he is the lord or ruler of all things, no matter how high man’s status among all things, still he is but a small human being under the dominion of God, and is no more than an insignificant human being, a creature of God, and he will never be above God.
from “Success or Failure Depends on the Path That Man Walks” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
4. 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.
from “God Is the Source of Man’s Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
5. 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.
from “God Is the Source of Man’s Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
6. Regardless of whether you are able to recognize the deed of God, and irrespective of whether you believe in the existence of God, there is no doubt that your fate lies within the ordination of God, and there is no doubt that God will always hold sovereignty over all things. His existence and authority are not predicated upon whether or not they can be recognized and comprehended by man. Only He knows man’s past, present and future, and only He can determine the fate of mankind. Regardless of whether you are able to accept this fact, it will not be long before mankind witnesses all of this with his own eyes, and this is the fact that God will soon bring to bear. Mankind lives and dies under the eyes of God. Mankind lives for the management of God, and when his eyes close for the final time, that is also for the very same management. Over and over again, man comes and goes, back and forth. Without exception, it is all part of the sovereignty and designs of God.
from “Man Can Only Be Saved Amidst the Management of God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
7. God created this world, He created this mankind, and moreover He was the architect of ancient Greek culture and human civilization. Only God consoles this mankind, and only God cares for this mankind night and day. Human development and progress is inseparable from the sovereignty of God, and the history and future of mankind are inextricable from the designs of God.
from “God Presides Over the Fate of All Mankind” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
8. God is forever supreme and ever honorable, while man is forever base, forever worthless. This is because God is forever making sacrifices and devoting Himself to mankind; man, however, forever takes and strives only for himself. God is forever taking pains for mankind’s survival, yet man never contributes anything for the sake of the light or for righteousness. Even if man makes an effort for a time, it is so weak that it cannot withstand a single blow, for the effort of man is always for his own sake and not for others. Man is always selfish, while God is forever selfless. God is the source of all that is just, good, and beautiful, while man is he who succeeds to and makes manifest all ugliness and evil. God will never alter His substance of righteousness and beauty, yet man is perfectly capable, at any time and in any situation, of betraying righteousness and straying far from God.
from “It Is Very Important to Understand God’s Disposition” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
9. God is what He is and He has what He has. All that He expresses and reveals are representations of His substance and of His identity. What He is and what He has, as well as His substance and identity, are things that cannot be replaced by any man. His disposition encompasses His love for mankind, solace of mankind, hatred of mankind, and even more, a thorough understanding of mankind. The personality of man, however, may be optimistic, lively, or unfeeling. The disposition of God is one that belongs to the Ruler of the living beings among all things, to the Lord of all creation. His disposition represents honor, power, nobility, greatness, and most of all, supremacy. His disposition is the symbol of authority, the symbol of all that is righteous, the symbol of all that is beautiful and good. More than this, it is a symbol of Him who cannot be[a]
overcome or invaded by the darkness and any enemy force, as well as a symbol of Him who cannot be offended (nor will He tolerate being offended)[b] by any created being. His disposition is the symbol of the highest power. No person or persons can or may disturb His work or His disposition. But the personality of man is no more than a mere symbol of the slight superiority of man over beast. Man in and of himself has no authority, no autonomy, and no ability to transcend the self, but is in his substance one who cowers at the mercy of all manner of people, events, and things.
from “It Is Very Important to Understand God’s Disposition” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
10. What God is and has is forever inexhaustible and limitless. God is the source of life and all things. God cannot be fathomed by any created being.
from Afterword to The Word Appears in the Flesh
11. 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.
from “God Is the Source of Man’s Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
12. God does not partake in the politics of man, yet the fate of a country or nation is controlled by God. God controls this world and the entire universe. The fate of man and the plan of God are intimately connected, and no man, country or nation is exempt from the sovereignty of God. If man wishes to know his fate, then he must come before God. God shall cause those who follow and worship Him to prosper, and shall bring decline and extinction upon those who resist and reject Him.
from “God Presides Over the Fate of All Mankind” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
13. Of everything that occurs in the universe, there is nothing that I do not have the final say in. What exists that is not in My hands? All that I say goes, and among men, who is there who can change My mind?
from “The First Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh
14. The kingdom is expanding in humanity’s midst, it is forming in humanity’s midst, it is standing up in humanity’s midst; there is no force that can destroy My kingdom.
from “The Nineteenth Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh
15. With Me, everything shall be steady and secure; with Me, all shall be done appropriately and properly, without consuming the slightest effort. I speak and it is established; I speak and it is done.
from Utterances and Testimonies of Christ in the Beginning
16. I am the Beginning, and I am the End. I am the resurrected and complete one true God. I speak My words before you, and you must firmly believe what I say. Heaven and earth may pass away but not one letter or one stroke of what I say will ever pass away. Remember this! Remember this!
from Utterances and Testimonies of Christ in the Beginning
17. All that is in this world is fast changing with the Almighty’s thoughts, under His eyes. Things mankind has never heard of can abruptly arrive. And yet, what mankind has always owned can unknowingly slip away. No one can fathom the Almighty’s whereabouts, and further, no one can feel the transcendence and greatness of the Almighty’s life power. His transcendence lies in how He can perceive what humans cannot. His greatness lies in how He is the One who is renounced by mankind yet saves mankind. He knows the meaning of life and death. Moreover, He knows the rules of living for mankind, whom He created. He is the basis for human existence and the Redeemer for mankind to resurrect again. He weighs down happy hearts with distress and lifts up sorrowful hearts with happiness. This is all for His work, and His plan.
from “The Sighing of the Almighty” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
18. 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.
from “God Is the Source of Man’s Life” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
19. The fate of man is controlled by the hands of God. You are incapable of controlling yourself: Despite always rushing and busying about for himself, man remains incapable of controlling himself. If you could know your own prospects, if you could control your own fate, would you still be a creature? In short, regardless of how God works, all His work is for the sake of man. Take, for example, the heavens and earth and all things that God created to serve man: The moon, the sun, and the stars that He made for man, the animals and plants, spring, summer, autumn and winter, and so on—all are for the sake of man’s existence. And so, regardless of how He chastises and judges man, it is all for the sake of man’s salvation. Even though He strips man of his fleshly hopes, it is for the sake of purifying man, and the purification of man is for the sake of his existence. The destination of man is in the hands of the Creator, so how could man control himself?
from “Restoring the Normal Life of Man and Taking Him to a Wonderful Destination” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
20. Since the creation of the world I have begun to predestine and select this group of people, namely, you today. Your temperament, caliber, appearance, stature, family in which you were born, your job and your marriage, the entirety of you, even the color of your hair and your skin, and the time of your birth were all arranged by My hands. Even the things you do and the people you meet every single day are arranged by My hands, not to mention the fact that bringing you into My presence today is actually My arrangement.
from Utterances and Testimonies of Christ in the Beginning
21. Who survives except by the words in My mouth? Who does not lie under My watchful eye? As I carry out My new work on the whole earth, who has ever been able to escape from it? Could it be that the mountains are able to evade it by means of their height? Could it be that the waters, by their multitudinous vastness, are able to fend it off? In My plan, I have never lightly let any thing go, and so there has never been any person, or any thing, that has eluded the grasp of My hands.
from “The Twenty-third Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh
22. Not only have I made a new beginning in the dwelling place of the great red dragon, I have also embarked on new work in the universe. Soon the kingdoms of the earth will become My kingdom; soon the kingdoms of the earth will forever cease to exist because of My kingdom, because I have already achieved victory, because I have returned triumphant. The great red dragon has exhausted every conceivable means to disrupt My plan, hoping to erase My work on the earth, but can I grow disheartened on account of its deceitful stratagems? Can I be frightened into losing confidence by its threats? There has never been a single being in either heaven or earth that I do not hold in the palm of My hand; how much the more is this true of the great red dragon, this device that serves as a foil to Me? Is it not also an object to be manipulated with My hands?
from “The Twelfth Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh
23. God is not bound by time; His work and His glory come first. Therefore, however long it takes, He will not spare any sacrifice if it is His work. This is the disposition of God: He will not rest until His work is achieved. Only when the time comes that He obtains the second part of His glory can His work be drawn to a close.
from “Is the Work of God So Simple as Man Imagines?” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
24. The disposition of God is a subject that seems very abstract to everyone and is moreover one that is not easy for everyone to accept, for His disposition is unlike a human being’s personality. God, too, has His own emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, but these emotions differ from those of man. … The joy of God is due to the existence and emergence of righteousness and light; because of the destruction of darkness and evil. He takes delight because He has brought the light and a good life to mankind; His joy is a righteous joy, a symbol of the existence of all that is positive and, even more, a symbol of auspiciousness. The anger of God is due to the existence of injustice and the disturbance it causes that are harming His mankind; because of the existence of evil and darkness, because of the existence of things that drive out the truth, and even more because of the existence of things that oppose what is good and beautiful. His anger is a symbol that all things negative no longer exist and, even more, is a symbol of His holiness. His sorrow is due to mankind, for whom He has hopes but who has fallen into darkness, because the work He does on man does not come up to His expectations, and because the mankind He loves cannot all live in the light. He feels sorrow for the innocent mankind, for the honest but ignorant man, and for the man who is good but lacking in his own views. His sorrow is a symbol of His goodness and of His mercy, a symbol of beauty and of kindness. His happiness, of course, comes from defeating His enemies and gaining the good faith of man. More than this, it arises from the expulsion and destruction of all enemy forces, and because mankind receives a good and peaceful life. The happiness of God is unlike the joy of man; rather, it is the feeling of garnering good fruits, a feeling even greater than joy. His happiness is a symbol of mankind breaking free of suffering from this time forth, and a symbol of mankind entering a world of light. The emotions of mankind, on the other hand, all arise for the sake of his own interests, not for righteousness, light, or what is beautiful, and least of all for the grace bestowed by Heaven. The emotions of mankind are selfish and belong to the world of darkness. They do not exist for the sake of the will, much less for the plan of God, and so man and God can never be spoken of in the same breath.
from “It Is Very Important to Understand God’s Disposition” in The Word Appears in the Flesh
25. His heart leaps and aches at every one of man’s actions: He is angered, distressed and grieved over man’s evil and corruption; He is pleased, joyful, forgiving and jubilant for man’s repentance and belief; every single one of His thoughts and ideas exist for and revolve around mankind; what He is and has is expressed entirely for mankind’s sake; the entirety of His emotions are intertwined with mankind’s existence. For mankind’s sake, He travels and rushes about; He silently gives forth every bit of His life; He dedicates every minute and second of His life…. He has never known how to pity His own life, yet He has always pitied and cherished the mankind He Himself created…. He gives all that He has to this humanity…. He grants His mercy and tolerance unconditionally and without expectation of recompense. He does this only so that mankind can continue to survive before His eyes, receiving His provision of life; He does this only so that mankind may one day submit before Him and recognize that He is the One who nourishes man’s existence and supplies the life of all creation.
from “God Himself, the Unique II” in Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh
26. When lightning issues forth from the East—which is also precisely the moment that I begin to speak—at the moment the lightning comes forth, the whole empyrean is illuminated, and all the stars begin to transform. … Once again, My day is pressing close upon the human race, once again arousing the human race, giving humanity a point from which to make a new beginning. My heart beats and, following the rhythms of My heartbeat, the mountains leap for joy, the waters dance with joy, and the waves, keeping time, beat upon the rocky reefs. It is difficult to express what is in My heart. I want all unclean things to burn up into ashes under My gaze, I want all the sons of disobedience to disappear from before My eyes, never more to linger on in existence.
from “The Twelfth Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh
27. I have embarked upon My work across the universe; the people of the universe suddenly awaken, and move around a core, which is My work, and when I “travel” within them, all escape Satan’s bondage, and are not tormented amid Satan’s affliction. Because of the arrival of My day, people are filled with happiness, the sorrow within their hearts vanishes, the clouds of sadness in the sky turn to oxygen in the air and float there, and at this moment, I enjoy the happiness of togetherness with man. Man’s actions give Me something to savor, and thus I am no longer aggrieved.
from “The Thirty-third Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh
28. As My voice deepens in intensity, I am also observing the state of the universe. Through My words, the myriad things of creation are all made new. Heaven changes, and earth too changes. Humanity is exposed in their original form and, slowly, each according to their kind, men find their way unawares back into the bosom of their families. At this, I will be greatly pleased. I am free from disruption, and My great work becomes complete, all unawares, the myriad things of creation are transformed, all unawares. … Ah, unclean old world! You shall surely fall down under My words! You shall surely be reduced to nothingness by My plan! Ah, the myriad things of creation! You will all gain new life within My words, you now have a Sovereign Lord! Ah, pure and unblemished new world! You shall surely revive within My glory! Ah, Mount Zion! Be silent no more. I have returned in triumph! From the midst of creation, I scrutinize the whole earth. On earth, mankind has begun a new life, has won new hope. Ah, My people! How can you not come back to life within My light? How can you not jump for joy under My guidance? The lands are shouting in jubilation, the waters are cacophonous with gleeful laughter! Ah, the resurrected Israel! How can you not feel pride on account of My predestination? Who has wept? Who has wailed? The Israel of old has ceased to be, and today’s Israel has risen up, erect and towering, in the world, has stood up in the hearts of all humanity. Today’s Israel shall surely attain the source of existence through My people!
from “The Twenty-sixth Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh
29. So many times, seeing the human race corrupted by My enemy, I have given up placing My hopes in mankind. So many times, seeing man come before Me in tears to sue for pardon, but on account of his lack of self-respect, his stubborn incorrigibility, I have closed My eyes to his action in anger, even when his heart is genuine and his intentions sincere. So many times, I see man capable of having faith to cooperate with Me, and how, before Me, he seems to be lying in My embrace, tasting the warmth of My embrace. So many times, seeing the innocence, liveliness, and loveliness of My chosen people, in My heart I have always taken pleasure on account of these things.
from “The Fifteenth Utterance” of God’s Utterances to the Entire Universe in The Word Appears in the Flesh
30. When the Lord Jesus was baptized and officially began His work to fulfill His ministry, God’s heart was overwhelmed with joy because after so many years of waiting and preparation, He could finally wear the flesh of an average man and begin His new work in the form of a man of flesh and blood that people could see and touch. He could finally speak face-to-face and heart-to-heart with people through the identity of a man. God could finally be face to face with mankind in human language, in a human way; He could provide for mankind, enlighten them, and help them using human language; He could eat at the same table and live in the same space with them. He could also see human beings, see things, and see everything the way humans did and even through their own eyes. For God, this was already His first victory of His work in the flesh. It could also be said that it was an accomplishment of a great work—this of course was what God was happiest about.
from “God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself III” in Continuation of The Word Appears in the Flesh
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