Introduction

Good morning. Today, we will continue our study of the Book of Lamentations. Why are we examining Lamentations? Because we have never thoroughly studied this book over the years. I am using this Sunday time to complete our study of Lamentations. We have a dream to go through the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, covering both the Old and New Testaments. Over the past years, we have been very diligent in studying God's Word in the Bible.

Recently, we have been studying Lamentations, and this week we will cover Chapter 2, "The Lord has done what he purposed." What does this mean? Jerusalem was trampled by enemies, by the iron hooves of Babylon. The Babylonian cavalry was formidable, besieging the city for one year and four months, during which time the city ran out of food.

Do you know what happened after the food ran out? It was tragic. People would say, "I gave you my son, and you ate him like pork. I will give you my son, and you eat my son." It was that terrible. Why? Because people wanted to survive. Who doesn't want to survive? Even the wild dogs on the African plains behave this way. People lived like dogs.

When the Babylonians entered the city, they killed many people. The Japanese invasion of Nanjing was similar to the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem. The war was brutal. Jeremiah wrote the Book of Lamentations, specifically Chapter 2, during this time. Was he gloating? No.

Jeremiah was a weeping prophet. He cried every day, constantly weeping. Why? Because he watched God's curse come upon them, watched God turn His anger into wrath and pour it out on Jerusalem. What was accomplished? The curse that the Lord had purposed was fulfilled. It was tragic, hence the name Lamentations.

There are no natural disasters in this world, only man-made disasters. Everything is man-made, isn't it? Where are the natural disasters? Natural disasters are God's wrath. Does God's wrath still exist? It is there every day. We see it in the news. Once, while waiting for a flight at the airport, I saw news footage of a plane crashing into a building. Then another plane came and crashed. People in the planes died, and people in the buildings died.

Think about how many tons of aviation fuel those large planes carry. Boom! Then the two towers collapsed. It was shocking. I was also waiting for a flight. If my flight had coincided with the 9/11 attacks, I would have disappeared into the blue sky. It would have been a terrible tragedy.

Those people were happy, their stocks had risen 20% that day. Many financial professionals were in those buildings in the financial district. They were fine one moment, and then gone. Where were they? Where were their bones? They were gone. The stocks were still there, but the people were gone. It makes you think about how fragile life is.

It was tragic. Why did it happen to them? The terrorists orchestrated it, but who orchestrated the terrorists? God did. It was God's wrath. When God's wrath comes upon people, we think it is a natural disaster, but it is actually a man-made disaster.

Then there was the tsunami in Southeast Asia. Everything looked like matchboxes. The buildings, the industrial complexes, were huge, but in the face of the tsunami, they looked like matchboxes on camera. The cars were tossed around. Who orchestrated it? God did.

Many people try to explain God, saying, "Our God is not like that." But I tell you, we see one disaster after another. People cannot see the truth. Why? Because God wants to awaken people. Your life is short. You can be gone in an instant.

After the tsunami in Southeast Asia, there was the tsunami in Japan. Can you imagine people playing on the beach, having fun, and then suddenly disappearing? Living people turned into pieces of meat. And then there were the Tangshan and Sichuan earthquakes. I tell you, God accomplished what He purposed. Do not try to explain God.

Everything under heaven is under God's control. Why are there so many natural and man-made disasters? God has ordained it since ancient times. You think a person is good, but they are gone. Do you think you are good? Have you asked God if He thinks you are good?

In the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, the Israelites were the same. We often ask why, but there is no why. It is because people live in a worldly system of logic. What God has purposed will surely be accomplished. We should have more reverence in our hearts.

Every day, people are diagnosed with terminal illnesses, and every day, people die. It is ordained by God, yet people are confused. Why me? Do not be surprised. Later, in my ministry, I began to summarize a pattern. The more severe a person's illness, the dirtier their heart. You need to ponder this.

The other night, a sister had a bowel obstruction and was in great pain. The small group leader I oversee was ministering to her. This confirms what I said: whether you can eat, defecate, or urinate is not up to you. My small group leader was ministering to her. I felt compassion and came in. I led her in prayer and ministry. My ministry always starts with cognitive prayer.

I asked her what happened. She said she had ovarian cancer in 2021. How did she get it? From being angry with her husband. I tell you, diseases of the female reproductive system are always related to family issues. I asked, "Is it because your husband is having affairs, and you are angry at home?" I have always had trouble understanding this. Why is she angry at home when her husband is enjoying himself outside?

I said, "Your husband was born to his mother, and you were born to your mother. What does it have to do with you? He is having fun outside, and you are getting angry at home, to the point of getting ovarian cancer. Is that meaningful?" I said, "Are you maintaining this family for the sake of your children having both parents?" She said, "Yes." I said, "Do you think you are very noble?" Then you got cancer, noble to the point of getting cancer.

She still thinks she is a kind person, even with cancer. Later, she developed a bowel obstruction, had a hole cut in her abdomen, and had a section of her intestine removed. Now, three or four years later, it has recurred. This sister has bad relationships with her parents, colleagues, and everyone else. Why? Because she discerns good and evil. How can she get better?

Adam ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She eats basket after basket of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Can what God has purposed be accomplished? Of course. It is tragic. I have ministered to several critically ill patients, all of the most severe cases. A few years ago, a sister was buried. I happened to be there because I had ministered to her. She was in an urn. Her husband was having fun outside, and she was angry at home, to the point of getting stomach cancer.

After the stomach cancer was healed through prayer, her husband went back to having fun outside, and she got angry at home again, and the cancer recurred. I was puzzled. What is going on? He was born to his mother, and you were born to your mother. You have nothing to do with each other. He is not yours, and you are not his. Why are you angry?

After she died, her family bought her a burial plot. She was kept at the crematorium for a while. I happened to be in the area, so I went there. They cared a lot about this. I am not afraid of the living, but I am afraid of the dead. The funeral was done with Christian rites. The eulogy was like a song, sung like a song, and it was very heavy.

If we can understand this in our hearts and sing more of the Book of Lamentations, and understand more, then we will have fewer tumors, less stomach cancer, and less suffering. It is heavy.

The history of the Israelites fulfilled what God had purposed. The Lord has done what he purposed. Does this shake something inside us? There are many things inside us that need to be shaken. That is why I like to attend funerals. Every time I attend a funeral, it is a wake-up call. The things I cared about, I no longer care about. The things I could not let go of, I let go of.

When we had a physical church, I almost put a coffin on the stage. Why? Because many people could not see through things. They lived for money, for this, for that, but not for God.

The history of the Israelites was tragic. The iron hooves of Babylon trampled Jerusalem. That was God's will. The things in the Temple of Jerusalem were emptied. That was God's will. Do you think God really cared about those things? God did not care about those things. God destroyed the Temple. God did that.

The Israelites were miserable. What did God ordain? You are uncomfortable, this is wrong, that is wrong. You need to know that God is sending you signals. God has sent you many signals. We hold on to too many things. You have to let go. If you do not let go, God will add some "spice" to your life, adding more of His wrath.

In the time of Adam and Eve, God said, "You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." You say, "That's strange. It says we can't eat it, but it looks edible." Eve looked at the tree, and it looked good. She smelled it, and it smelled fragrant, even better than Da Hong Pao tea. It looked good. The serpent said, "After you eat it, you will have wisdom and be able to distinguish good and evil." That sounds good.

They forgot that they would certainly die if they ate it. It looked good, smelled fragrant, and tasted sweet. But after eating it, they died. Eve ate it, and Adam watched. "She's still breathing. God is lying. What does 'certainly die' mean? I didn't see her foaming at the mouth or rolling her eyes. She looks fine after eating it."

Eve gave the fruit to Adam. Adam looked at it and said, "God is lying." Are we thinking wrongly now, or did God lie? We still often think God is lying. Adam took a bite, and that is how the apple came to be. Who bit the apple? Adam bit it. And then the Apple company was founded. By the way, the person who founded Apple died. That bite created a trillion-dollar company.

Adam took a bite of the apple, and nothing happened. He lived for over nine hundred years. Did God's word come true? God's word came true. The Lord has done what he purposed. You think nine hundred years is long, but to God, nine hundred years is like a day. I wonder why it was over nine hundred years, not one thousand nine hundred years. In God's eyes, they died that day. God's word is powerful.

God said to Cain, "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door." Cain went out and looked, "Where is it? I don't see it." He didn't see it. God didn't lie. Cain killed Abel. God said, "Can I let you off easy? I won't let you die, but I will make you suffer, living in a state of mental illness for the rest of your life."

What is the most painful thing? Mental illness is the most painful. Cain sat in his house, and his head would ring, and he would tremble. It was extremely painful. Later, this disease was passed on to Lamech, who lived in constant pain.

Brothers and sisters, you must know that Cain killed Abel, and living was painful. What are you living for? Many people are desperately climbing, climbing, climbing, and they end up with a mental illness. The Tower of Babel is full of mentally ill people. People do not understand. You killed Abel, how can God let you live? Shouldn't you be sentenced to death? This is worse than a death sentence.

God's word will surely come true. The world became full of mentally ill people. By the time of Noah, everyone was mentally ill, full of Lamechs, full of violence. When the flood came, did God's word come true? It came true.

Teacher, can you talk about something good? When you talk about this, I get scared. That's right, I want you to be scared. If you are not scared, you will become like Cain and Lamech. I tell you, we should truly fear God.

Finally, there was a wise man named Abraham, who finally proved God's word. The Israelites, from Moses to Jeremiah, lived under God's wrath. It was tragic. The Israelites became God's word. The Lord has done what he purposed. This is comparable to the time of Adam and Eve and Noah.

Later, in Jeremiah's time, what Moses wrote in Deuteronomy was fulfilled. What did Moses write in Deuteronomy? He said that the people of Israel would be scattered among all nations. I must tell you, whether being God's chosen people is a blessing is really a question mark. Israel became God's chosen people, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but ended up being scattered among all nations. It was too tragic, too tragic. God said: Everything written in the Book of the Law will be fulfilled, not one thing will be left out, not one thing will be left out.

So until now, what has fulfilled such a thing? What has made the Israelites a model of curse? What has made God's people a model of curse? The worldly logic system. This worldly logic system is too powerful. During Jeremiah's time, he actually watched the Israelites running in this worldly logic system.

A person is born without having to do anything, and naturally is under God's wrath, born as a fleshly, worldly being. So the Israelites in the era when Jeremiah wrote Lamentations could not figure it out no matter how they thought. What did I do? What did I do? Everyone, if you were in that situation, you wouldn't understand either. Whether you understand it or not, what God said will still be fulfilled.

Then who made you not understand, right? If you don't understand, you're out of luck, who do you blame? Who made you walk the path of Adam and Eve? Who made you walk the path of Cain and Lamech? Right? Who made you so stubbornly hold onto the worldly logic system, who made you live so seriously, who made you take living so seriously, isn't that the case?

God has set two paths, one is to carefully observe and follow, and the other is not to carefully observe and follow. Those who carefully observe and follow will surely be blessed, and those who do not carefully observe and follow will be cursed, but whether you carefully observe and follow or not, it is closely related to the logic system inside people. You won't do what you think is wrong! You won't do what you yourself think is wrong! Everything you do, you think is very reasonable, very reasonable.

So where did these Israelites die? The Israelites died in their own worldly logic system. Just hearing it, you know that Jeremiah's Lamentations was an era of great curse outbreak. For example, in human history, the Japanese occupied Taiwan and killed many people, now forgotten. The Mongols occupied China and killed many people. The Japanese occupied Nanjing and killed many people. Babylon occupied Judah and Jerusalem and killed many people. You say, God, why don't you care?

Once, a classmate asked me a question. I said, ask. Why does God allow the Israelites to kill so many people in Gaza? Did you think I would be confused? Ha! Die at ten, die at twenty, die at fifty, die at a hundred, any way to die is fine, killed and died, treated to death by a doctor, or died on their own, or died in a tsunami, died in an earthquake, it's all the same. Why? Because I have my own views on these things.

I must tell you, people live very seriously in this world, and as a result, they become infamous for leaving a name in history. What's the point? There's no point. The Jews in that generation loved their country, right? They wanted to protect the temple and didn't want to be slaves of a conquered nation, was that wrong? God, I'm here to protect your temple. I can't allow people to take things from the temple. Does God really care about this? He doesn't care.

This time I remind everyone again, if what we care about inside us is what we care about, then there's trouble. If what we care about is what God cares about, then that's right. Does God care about that temple? Does God care about the gold in the temple? He doesn't care, he doesn't care. He never cared. What God cares about is whether there is a heart that loves God inside people. That's what God cares about.

So there are two paths, one is to carefully observe and revere, and the other is not to carefully observe and revere. I tell you, whether you carefully observe and revere or not, Jehovah will surely accomplish what He has determined. Not one thing He has determined will be abolished. You say, then I'll walk this way, then you go that way. You will definitely experience one thing, that is, Jehovah has accomplished what He has determined.

So when we carefully look in the Bible, the disasters that Jehovah has accomplished are more than blessings. When we look back and forth in the Bible, this ratio is too small. God Himself tore down His own temple. God Himself tore down all His festivals and sacrifices. God wants to tear down the temple made by human hands.

So I think what conclusion can we get when we read Lamentations? That conclusion is that fearing God is quite dangerous, we must fear God. Don't wait until Jeremiah writes a lament for you, and you say, God, my eyes are a fountain of tears, I want to pour out my heart to you like water. It's miserable, too miserable, right? Well, it's useless.

What were people doing earlier? Jeremiah was shouting in Jerusalem every day, shouting for decades, did anyone listen? No one listened. There were piles and piles of people who hated Jeremiah. Those people who hated Jeremiah, they were all patriotic generals, generals who loved Jerusalem very much.

Scripture

The Lord has done what he purposed; he has carried out his word, which he commanded long ago. He has thrown down without pity; he has made the enemy rejoice over you and has exalted the horn of your foes. (Lamentations 2:17)

Prayer

Let us have a heart of reverence, and never ask God why, these are all man-made disasters. Let us pray together. God! Give us a heart of reverence now, so that we can completely tear down the worldly logic system inside us. God, let us see clearly what living is all about. Let the path we walk in our lives be the path of living out your glorious image.

Let us live our lives by every word that comes from your mouth, let us have more reverence. Let us learn a lesson from the Israelites. Let us be able to revere you. Let us be able to stay away from your wrath. God, save us from your wrath, save us from your indignation. Let us come before you with a heart of reverence. Completely tear down the worldly logic system, the fleshly logic system inside us.

Let us be able to stand here and declare to this world that this world has nothing in us. We are in this world to live out the image of God. It is to live out the victory that God has given us. May the days on this earth be to be pleasing to you. May your words be fulfilled, may the words you bless be fulfilled in our brothers and sisters. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Scripture Background

Let's continue the story, talking about the background of this scripture, what's going on with Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Judah? This thing is very interesting. Babylon did not completely destroy the Kingdom of Judah. But it was conquered and became a colony. Jeremiah was in this Kingdom of Judah, proclaiming his stuff every day, this is the Book of Jeremiah.

If I have the opportunity, I will definitely take everyone to finish reading the Book of Jeremiah. Then, a king was established for the Jews, this person was called Zedekiah, this king began to manage the place of Judah, that is not a king, in fact, it is a governor. The Babylonians were still very open, allowing them to worship God in this place. They were also allowed to raise an army in this place.

As a result, this Zedekiah was thinking about the restoration of Judah every day, I want independence. Then you be independent, this is called being angry. This Zedekiah was discussing with these generals all day long, and as a result, one day he started to rebel. Then you say he rebelled, thinking from our logic system, do you think it is very great? Does Zedekiah know God? He knows God.

He knows God, and he often asks Jeremiah to discuss national policies. Jeremiah also told him that you can't do this, but this Zedekiah began to rebel. Then the King of Babylon was a very powerful king, and he sent troops to surround the city of Jerusalem three layers inside and three layers outside, airtight, for about a year and a half, and the city was breached. After the city was breached, oh, that miserable look!

Jeremiah was in this city, but the King of Babylon also knew Jeremiah, knew this person Jeremiah, knew that Jeremiah was with the King of Babylon. In fact, Jeremiah was not with your King of Babylon, Jeremiah was with God. It's not that you, King of Babylon, are powerful, it's that God brought you here to destroy this Kingdom of Judah, to destroy this group of people with a worldly logic system in their heads.

So we all need to know that it is not a simple thing for God to destroy a worldly person, is it? Who told you to disobey God's word, you do not serve Jehovah your God with joy and gladness, God will let you serve the enemies who come to attack you. Isn't this what God says? So that's the background.

As a result, Zedekiah's eyes were dug out by the King of Babylon, and later he was taken to Babylon. I'll let you rebel! All those who wanted to rebel were killed. Then this history has been going on for more than ten years, several waves of people were taken to Babylon. Why? Because they don't want the people in this place to rebel, the people in this place always want to rebel.

In fact, I tell you, the restoration of the Jewish state, this thing was not God's will at that time. Destroying Judah was God's will, but people didn't listen. The worldly logic system inside people is too powerful, so God is angry. I have a logic, I have to tell you, that is, don't offend God no matter who you offend. You can offend anyone, but you can't offend God.

But in Judah, from King Zedekiah to the generals below, no one could figure it out. Hey, why did God do this? They were stunned, stunned. I still want to protect our temple, God will definitely help us, we are God's people. You are God's people, God will help you? You are God's people, your heart is not with God at all, it is in the world, and as a result, God destroyed these people in a muddle.

Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, also asked Jeremiah, are you going to Babylon? Or are you staying here? This Jeremiah is quite interesting, I'm staying here. As a result, what did he do later? Those who betrayed the King of Babylon took Jeremiah to Egypt, to a place called Tahpanhes. As a result, Jeremiah was saying words received from God all day long, and they didn't like to hear them, because they had their own set of things inside.

After Zedekiah, a person named Gedaliah was established as the governor of Judah, and as a result, he was killed by these people who wanted to restore the Jewish state. Anyway, these things, people don't think they are doing wrong. Then these people, they all thought they were helping God, but God didn't care. Through Jeremiah, he told these Jews that God didn't care about this.

So after reading the Book of Jeremiah and Lamentations, I have a logic, brothers and sisters, listen carefully. If you are a preacher and you happen to hear me talk about Lamentations, then you have to listen carefully. Remember, God doesn't need your help very much. If you always want to help God inside, I think you will provoke God's anger, be careful, be especially careful.

The lament that Jeremiah wrote, oh, it's too miserable. What's the problem? The problem is that people are filled with a worldly logic system, and they can't figure it out no matter how they try. Later, they didn't know what happened until they died. So I tell you, the most hateful thing about people is living in a worldly logic system. That worldly logic system sounds like it's a matter of course, including patriotism, which country are you loving?

Once I went to Heixiazi Island, which is the Sino-Russian border. In fact, the places on the border were originally part of China. The Russian side erected a statue, saying that this was their Russian national hero. Then on the Chinese side, seeing that statue, they said he was an aggressor. Does everyone understand? To one nation, he is a hero, to another nation, he is a murderer. Does that make sense? This is called a worldly logic system.

So we Chinese say that one general succeeds and ten thousand bones wither, how many people have been killed? Right? So I think our worldly logic system is quite corrupt. That's why there are so many natural and man-made disasters now. Natural and man-made disasters are all caused by the worldly logic system. Later, the Apostle Paul said in his letters that none of the powerful people in this world knew about this gospel. Do you think this is powerful? Very powerful.

Okay, let's see this, this is the background of this scripture, the background of this scripture. Jeremiah wrote a lament. Why? The iron hooves of Babylon trampled Jerusalem. Jeremiah said at the beginning: How the Lord in his anger has set the daughter of Zion under a cloud! He has cast down from heaven to earth the splendor of Israel and has not remembered his footstool in the day of his anger. The Lord has swallowed up without pity all the habitations of Jacob; in his wrath he has broken down the strongholds of the daughter of Judah; he has brought down to the ground in dishonor the kingdom and its rulers.

Walls and Fortifications Cannot Protect You

You know, people really want to protect themselves with walls. Can walls protect you? Walls can't protect you. Then you say, then why did Nehemiah build the wall? Nehemiah built the wall to build people's hearts. Then everyone has to slowly figure it out, the wall is not important. People's hearts for God are very important.

So in the day of God's anger, he overthrew the strongholds of the daughter of Judah and brought them down to the ground. He dishonored the kingdom and its rulers. Why? Because these things are all called a worldly logic system. The Israeli officers and leaders, and the Israeli king, the king of Judah, they put all their hopes on the walls. Because the walls were very strong, they confronted the Babylonians and lasted for one year and four months.

In that one year and four months, they were quite formidable, but in the end, the Babylonians breached the city walls. How did the Babylonians manage to do that? It was because God was angered and overturned the security of the people of Judah. The city walls were of no use. But in the eyes of the Israelites, the Judeans, those within the city walls, how could the walls be useless? Weren't they quite impressive? We held out against the Babylonians for over a year; without these walls, we would have been finished much sooner.

During this time, Jeremiah advised Zedekiah, the king of Judah, to surrender, saying that surrender would ensure his safety. But he refused. He wanted to surrender but didn't dare. Why? Because the leaders of his army did not want to surrender. It was similar to how the Japanese Emperor wanted to surrender, but the Japanese ministers, the Prime Minister, did not want to. Therefore, the surrender edict had to be carried out in secret.

Zedekiah was bound by the political system, the worldly political system. This illustrates how difficult it is for people living in this world to escape the worldly logic system. It is extremely difficult, especially if you are a politician. Whether you are at the top or lower levels of politics, it is exceedingly challenging. There is a worldly political system that binds people tightly, trapping them so securely that you cannot break free.

Once a person enters that system, it becomes truly impossible to escape. Isn't that so? Ah, people are so weary. You want to rely on God, yet you are still within this worldly logic system; it is too difficult. That is why the worldly old horse, as it calls itself, has hardly ever lost a battle. Why? Because to overcome the old horse, to overcome this world, one must completely dismantle the worldly elements within oneself.

## Your Ability Cannot Preserve You

Your ability cannot preserve you. See how it is said:

**"He has cut off in fierce anger all the horn of Israel; he has drawn back his right hand from before the enemy. He has burned like a flaming fire in Jacob, consuming all around." (Lamentations 2:3)**

The horn represents a person's ability. Even now, the worship of ability is still very prevalent. Do you not admire ability? Look at those who are truly capable, aren't they impressive? When we mention the richest person, we are filled with envy, aren't we? Ah, when they speak, a hundred million is just a small target.

A hundred million is an astronomical figure for us, but for them, it is a small target. Now, they are getting further and further away from their small target. So, I think this world worships ability, but ability cannot preserve people. In Judah, there were many very capable people, many with great martial prowess. But because they relied on these things, they could not rely on God.

You either rely on God or rely on your own ability. Therefore, those who rely on ability will be cursed. Isn't that a powerful thing? Esau's ability was stronger than Jacob's, but Esau carried this worldly logic system, and Esau's entire nation was cursed by God. Esau could run faster than a wild boar. That is not a joke; he was a hunter, and his legs were very strong. But those who worship ability are cursed; that is the worldly logic system.

Is this the kind of thing we have inside us? This system sounds very reasonable, and indeed, there are many very capable people. We might say, "Ah, their artificial intelligence and self-driving cars are truly amazing." Isn't that true? They are truly amazing, but that is still worshipping ability. No matter how capable you are, once you start worshipping human ability, you live under a curse.

As for when this curse will be fulfilled, we do not know; we truly do not know. You see, this world is like the wheel of fortune; you do not know if it will be east of the river in thirty years or west of the river. You will only know when the time comes.

## The Temple, Gatherings, Festivals, and Priests Cannot Preserve

**"He has violently taken away his shelter like that of a garden; he has destroyed his place of meeting. The Lord has caused the appointed feasts and Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and in his fierce indignation has spurned king and priest. The Lord has scorned his altar, has disowned his sanctuary; he has delivered into the hand of the enemy the walls of her palaces. They made a noise in the house of the Lord as on the day of an appointed feast. The Lord determined to lay in ruins the wall of the daughter of Zion; he stretched out the line; he did not restrain his hand from destroying; he caused rampart and wall to lament; they languish together." (Lamentations 2:6-8)**

Ah, this is too tragic. I tell you, before the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, gatherings continued as usual. People prayed there, gathered there, kept the Sabbath there, and there were still priests serving. But what happened? God did not care about any of this. The altar, the sanctuary, and the palace were all scorned by God. Why? Because people carried the worldly logic system.

These things—the Temple, gatherings, festivals, and priests—were merely their political tools. This is also true; they were political tools for Jerusalem. You had to operate within this system, and you had to abide by the rules of this system. But these rules served their politics. Therefore, it was just a political tool.

So, these things are all fake. Remember, once something is tied to politics, there is always some risk. Many things can be said but not done, and many things can be done but not said. Isn't that courting death? It was the same in Jerusalem. It was so tragic that God Himself destroyed it.

Many years ago, I preached a sermon about how God would destroy His own Temple. Why? Because the Temple was not important; what was important was the games that people played in the Temple, the logic system in people's minds. If people are filled with a worldly logic system, what good is it to have a godly appearance? The political struggles in churches today are deadly.

There was a pastor who built his own church. After he built the church, the political struggles within it were intense. The struggles were constant, and everything was manipulated using worldly methods. Then, I tell you, he described these political struggles in the church as a dragon-tiger fight. Weren't you the founder of this church? If you founded this church with a worldly logic system, wouldn't you be overthrown and destroyed?

Later, he contracted COVID-19, and he recovered quickly. I was quite envious because I was also suffering from COVID-19. But what happened? A few days later, he suddenly died. I was very moved. In fact, through COVID-19, I dismantled many of the worldly logic systems within me. Dismantling is necessary; if you don't dismantle them, it will be a serious problem.

God does not like gatherings or sacrifices; He likes people to carefully keep and follow His words. Now, we place our hope in our God. God will surely cause us to prosper in this generation. Here is Lamentations; we often read Lamentations to revive our souls and enable us to walk the path of righteousness through God's word. May God preserve us.

You know, there is something within us that often makes us feel that we have not done things correctly. Why? Because we have cleared some of the larger worldly logic systems within us, and then some of the medium ones, and then some of the smaller ones. This worldly logic system is still quite detestable. It can never be completely cleared, but if you don't clear it, it is still a serious problem.

## The Vision of the Prophets Cannot Preserve

The vision of the prophets cannot preserve. Verse 14: "Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity." I tell you, if the vision of the prophets does not expose people's iniquity, then the vision of the prophets is useless. The vision of the prophets cannot preserve. Why? Because the prophets see visions within the system. Whatever vision the king wants to see, the prophet can see. Do you all understand now?

Once, I took a brother to minister to someone who was in a very bad situation. My brother's methods were not based on learning. He just started looking and said, "Ah, I see Jesus standing behind you." When I looked, I thought, "Good heavens, why didn't I see Jesus standing behind him? I seemed to see a demon standing behind him."

As a result, the young man rolled his eyes and glanced at him with the whites of his eyes. Of course, the brother was still there with his eyes closed, seeing visions. I thought, "Stop it quickly. If Jesus were standing behind him, how could he be living like this, in such a miserable state?" Later, I thought, "People really like to see visions according to people's wishes, especially in front of the powerful."

This is something to be careful about. In the end, all the prophets became court prophets. The visions of court prophets are useless. Why? Court prophets have to speak according to people's preferences; they do not speak what God says. What about Jeremiah? Jeremiah was amazing. Even if you put me in prison, standing in the mud, I will still say what the Lord says. But these prophets, their visions are all nonsense.

So, brothers and sisters, don't engage in these things, don't engage in what prophets see. That stuff is useless. It is best to expose our iniquity. If you have the ability, expose your own iniquity and then repent before God with a pure heart. This is the key to preserving you. What visions of prophets? Jesus is standing behind you, I see Jesus standing beside you. I say, "Stop it quickly." It is better to talk about our iniquity.

How much of what we have is the word of God? How much is based on our own ability, how much is based on our own money, based on our own city walls, based on our own horses, based on our own weapons, based on these religious rituals? None of it is useful. How important is the worldly logic system? If you really dare to say that God has revealed a vision to you, then what the prophet sees must be the exposure of people's iniquity.

So, some people ask me, "Teacher, why did you get COVID-19?" I am a sinner. I am not a model of a saint. I am a model of a sinner. There is much that needs to be repented of, isn't there? I am not the embodiment of truth. Then you say, "What about the Chinese Mingding Doctrine that you founded?" That is not the embodiment of truth either; it is just taking the words from the Bible and talking about them.

The road of humility and repentance is still very long for us. If you want to inherit the Chinese Mingding Doctrine, remember my words: "Ah, this is not quite right, ah, that is not quite right," and then correct them one by one. Don't say, "I have corrected this, I have corrected that." If you have corrected them, so be it. Still, look at the iniquity within us, how much worldly stuff is inside us.

Relying on city walls, relying on weapons, relying on ability, relying on religious behavior, relying on false visions, just not seeing one's own iniquity. If we could see it, we would not have to sing Lamentations, would we? Because of Lamentations, we see our problems, and then we repent before God with humility and contrition.

## Conclusion: Repent with Humility Before the Lord

**"Their heart cried to the Lord. O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears stream down like a torrent day and night! Give yourself no rest, your eyes no respite! Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord! Lift your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint for hunger at the head of every street." (Lamentations 2:18-19)**

This is the best advice I can give you, and it is also the best advice for myself. We really dare not say that we have the truth. We are just constantly climbing the peak of truth. Never be complacent, thinking that you are good; there will surely be disaster. Thinking that you are good, there will surely be calamity. You will see God sing a song of Lamentations for you. Everything that God has said will be fulfilled. God has fulfilled what He has determined.

Careful adherence will surely be blessed, and failure to adhere to the truth will surely be cursed. As for whether our current generation is an era of curse explosion, I guess it is. Is God destroying His Temple? I guess He is. God is destroying many churches. Shouldn't we have a heart of fear and trembling? We should have a heart of fear and trembling. We should not be confident before God, thinking that we have the truth; we should strive to pursue it.

At this time, we come before God with reverence. If we are like the Judeans, God will surely destroy us. We come before God, asking God to take back the worldly things within us, so that this world has nothing in us. Let us, in the blink of an eye, when we become dust, still be pitied and remembered by God.

At this time, do not think that tithing is a great thing. Do not think that giving alms is a great thing. God does not need money; God needs our hearts.

At this time, offer ourselves. If we are to rely on anything, let us rely on our God. God has given you warnings again and again, letting you know that God is no longer pleased. Do not wait until Jerusalem is destroyed. Do not wait until the city walls are destroyed. Do not wait until the Temple is torn down.

Come before God now. What God wants is not sacrifice. What God wants is not offerings, not cattle and sheep; what God wants is our hearts. The days when our hearts are far from God will surely experience God's warnings. Jeremiah has reminded us again and again. If we have heard, do not wait until God is angry; it will be too late. God let the Judeans be taken captive for seventy years before returning. In seventy years, everyone will be dead.

Our sermon ends here. May God bless everyone.