Introduction

Good morning. Today, we begin a new series entitled The Words of the Preacher. What are the words of the preacher? They are what a preacher says. If a preacher has no Dao (道, the Way), what Dao can he preach? The most profound preacher understands: Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. This is the language of a preacher. Without the vanity of vanities, there is no Dao.

Why embark on this topic? Because I long to lead you into blessings. I witness brothers and sisters enduring hardship, afflicted with sickness, debt, poverty, conflict, and complex interpersonal relationships. It truly is arduous, and I share in that burden. I ask myself, When can I, as a preacher, deliver these brothers and sisters from this suffering? Each time I see brothers and sisters in pain, I feel the same pain.

In the realm of healing and deliverance ministries, we have indeed excelled. And I say this not out of pride, but those who come to us, be it with cancer or depression, find their illnesses healed. Repentance is the key; the real challenge lies in those who refuse to repent.

Now, we begin the first sermon in The Words of the Preacher series: Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. This is crucial for receiving blessings. Indeed, I hope that you will improve tomorrow, and I believe you share this desire, correct?

However, we must discern who receives blessings and who is under a curse. Understanding blessings and curses is paramount in life. That's why I delve deeply into this subject, exhausting myself in the process. Some say, Teacher, may you find rest. A kind sentiment. I research incessantly, striving to liberate those living under curses. What a noble endeavor!

Recent research has yielded new insights, which I will now share with you. Some brothers and sisters might say, Teacher, dispense with the superfluous words; talk is expensive. Just tell me what to do. Enough with the vanity of vanities; I cannot be empty. Very well, today I will instruct you on how to proceed. I am aware that talk is expensive, and I wish to minimize frivolous talk, but if you lack comprehension, I must elaborate further.

Think as Abraham thought, see as Abraham saw, act as Abraham acted, believe as Abraham believed. These are powerful words! Abraham pioneered a path to blessings for us. You might say, Teacher, I lack the time to study the Bible; I cannot grasp Abraham. If you lack the time, then live as you will. Some find the time to be sick, but not to be healed; some find the time to be cursed, but not to be blessed. Do you not find this odd? I find it very strange.

What was Abraham contemplating? What did he believe? I will explain. Abraham had a brother whom he loved deeply. Suddenly, one day, his brother died. The manner of his death is not recorded; the Bible did not see fit to record it. He loved his brother deeply, and his brother's death brought him immense sorrow.

Abraham witnessed his brother's entire life. We cannot truly know what his brother thought. What conclusions could Abraham draw from witnessing his brother's life? Truly, it is vanity. Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. Upon death, it is all over; nothing remains. His love, his hate, all enter the coffin together. What is the purpose of living? How does one simply die? Generations come and generations go, and the earth abides forever. The sun also rises.

Before his death, his brother spoke of investments, investing in this and that. How do I know? Like father, like son. Lot was his son, and we see Lot was a shrewd investor, with great vision, investing in Sodom. Before his death, he spoke of investments, of worldly love, worldly hate, worldly wisdom, competition, and how to succeed in this world, how to run the business well. As a result of these worldly affairs, before he completed them， he died.

Thus, Abraham felt that life was meaningless. If you seek meaning, you will not find it. If you are in debt, you will find it even less. Because you live constantly in debt, this is the vanity of vanities. As a result, Abraham began to seek.

Remember, if you do not acknowledge that living is, in this small matter, the vanity of vanities, it is difficult to receive blessings. Applying to university brings pressure; attending university brings pressure; finding a job brings pressure; holding a job brings pressure; even conducting research brings pressure. You might as well be called pressure. As a result of Abraham’s quest, it was amazing for us，he pioneered the way of blessings. God revealed to him, saying, I will bless you. This is wonderful, clarifying the matter immediately. Therefore, I say that the vanity of vanities comes before Abraham’s pursuit of blessings, and this is the key.

My recent research involves studying God’s word, and I discovered that Ecclesiastes should predate Genesis, though it was written after Genesis. In Genesis chapter 5, it records who begat whom, and after begetting, lived so many years and died. Who begat whom and lived so many years. They all died. What is the purpose of recording this? To tell us that they all died. To tell us that living is the vanity of vanities. But sometimes you will see people working diligently. Two old men competing for a job, isn't that interesting?

Genesis chapter 11 also records who begat whom, then lived and died. Today, people live under a curse because they live too seriously and insist, grasping tightly to these vain things. As a result, they become entangled, living in suffering, sickness, borrowing money, debts, repaying debts, and seeking treatment. It is exhausting to witness. Truly, few are willing to believe that this is the vanity of vanities. If they believed in the vanity of vanities, they would not behave this way. If it is all vanity, why pursue it?

Some might ask, Teacher, are you not afraid that we will become passive if you speak this way? No. I assure you, the path pioneered by Abraham is meaningful. On one hand, he acknowledges the vanity of vanities, so he has no pressure; on the other hand, he diligently does his work. Why? Because Ecclesiastes is the words of the preacher, speaking of rejoicing in labor throughout life. Thus, you will find that Abraham possesses two natures. On one hand, he acknowledges that this is the vanity of vanities, and whatever happens, it is the vanity of vanities. On the other hand, he does what he should do and does it well.

It is difficult to deceive someone who sees everything as the vanity of vanities. Someone might say, Abraham, I have a great opportunity. Give me one million, and by the end of the year, I will give you three million. Abraham would reply, This is the vanity of vanities. Can you deceive such a person? I cannot; I cannot manipulate this old man. Is this not the case? Therefore, few are willing to believe in the vanity of vanities. This is the root of the problem.

These are not frivolous words. Spending some money on data is acceptable. It is because of this that I thought of preaching on Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes speaks of the vanity of vanities, for these are the words of the preacher. Can everyone comprehend this today? I specialize in researching the matter of human life. I have observed many phenomena and many people living under a curse, yet believing they are gaining an advantage. People who do not revere God do not recognize the laws set by God. Through careful observation, I discovered this principle.

After I believed in the Lord, I discovered that this God is extraordinary. Later, I read in Ecclesiastes, The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God. Revering God is wonderful. Some may not know God, but their actions demonstrate reverence. Take my mother, for example. I admire her greatly. It is difficult to find a daughter-in-law like my mother in this world. My mother came to our home when my grandfather was over 60 years old, impoverished, and in dire straits. My mother saw my grandfather, dressed like a beggar, extremely dirty. So, she spent money to replace all his clothes, making him clean and tidy.

Soon after, my grandfather fell ill, and my mother used all her strength to care for him until his death. For the six months before his death, he was bedridden. My mother was only in her twenties, a young girl. To treat my grandfather, my mother borrowed two thousand RMB, a large sum at the time, difficult to repay in a lifetime. Yet, my mother was inexplicably blessed. The following year, I was born.

After my grandfather passed away, my mother cleaned him, found a barber, and carried my grandfather's body to get a haircut, handling everything cleanly and neatly. I truly believe my mother is blessed because she gave birth to me the following year. Without me, she might have suffered more. Having me as her son is a great blessing. Later, I realized that many people do not recognize this as a blessing, and their relationships with their in-laws are always tense.

And one of the sisters among us. I found that she was not very smart, but she was blessed. Confusedly, she sold the house, and at a high price. I later learned that the sister's husband was having an affair, and the two divorced. Later, her husband's parents, the grandparents of her children, are in their 80s’ or 90s, and she still takes care of them. What kind of person is she? It looks a little silly, but I tell you, for no reason she are blessed. Because the Ten Commandments says that revering parents will be blessed.

Observing the people among us, I noticed that some encounter misfortune in everything they do. Upon closer examination, it turns out that they either have conflicts with their mothers or with their mothers-in-law. Anyway, they just can't get along. Who is to blame if they are unlucky? Brothers and sisters must ponder this matter slowly.

There is a sister among us who is a bit foolish. The person she served had a history of depression. I asked her to serve, and after a period of service, the person's depression relapsed. I quickly took over the service and said, Sister, if I give you another patient with depression, can you serve her until she relapses again? She said, I will not, I will definitely not. I said, How will you not? Have you summarized where you went wrong and where you were right? She said, I will not, anyway, I will not.

A few days later, she went back to her mother's house, and after two or three days, she quarreled with her mother, packed her bags, left home, and returned to her own home. I said, Didn't you say that if you encountered a patient with depression again, you would definitely serve him well? Now your relationship with your mother is like this, whose relationship can you get along with?

The moment I mentioned her mother, her face contorted, full of impatience, feeling that her mother was simply the most foolish person in the world. I was wondering. Her mom must be thinking. Why didn’t I strangle her when she was born? How could such a jerk be raised? I feel that, how could she not be unlucky? This life will definitely be unlucky, or a good hand of cards can play badly. Brothers and sisters must be careful.

There is another person who sees that his mother's house is good and wants to get it by any means. As a result, before the house was in his hands, he died. Before he died, he also arranged for his wife to stay in the house. You tell me what kind of person this is. I carefully observed those who are not filial, whether to their in-laws or to their parents, this matter is really fatal.

That sister said to her husband: Husband, I treat your mother the same as I treat my own mother. As a result, her husband said: You are like that with your mother, you still treat my mother as your mother, stop it. She doesn't speak well to her own mother. Either they never communicate, or they fight as soon as they meet. I sighed. This curse is so powerful that nothing is accomplished.

Later, I followed this pattern to observe and checked off one by one. This person is unsuccessful in everything he does. What is the reason? Upon investigation, it is indeed unfilial. But these people all think they are very filial. Why is it that all can be done like this? Strive for, live too seriously. Do you understand? If living is the vanity of vanities, would you still covet your mother's house? If the life you live is the vanity of vanities, would you still fight with your mother? Will you still compete? Will the relationship still be very bad? Do you still think you are very good?

Later I found that everyone has their own reason. Brothers and sisters you have to know that the Chinese Mingding Destiny is a theology of filial piety to parents. Because this is what the Ten Commandments tell us. Tremble because of God's words, have you trembled? It's useless for you to think you're filial; you're only filial if God says you're filial. It is very evil to discern good and evil with parents. If you discern good and evil with your parents, you will definitely suffer losses, because you are not qualified.

Recently, a sister came. She was sick at the age of seventeen, and now she is in her thirties. This life is about borrowing money to see a doctor and getting sick. She has a very serious illness. This person does not seem to be a bad person, so why is this? Because she lives outside of Abraham. If a person does not see through the matter of living, living is really too difficult.

Once there was a person whose daughter was twenty-seven or eight years old and got cancer. Then this father was very emotional, weeping and saying, how could my daughter get cancer? I didn't even have a passionate love affair. What you hear is not like the word vanity of vanities. Later his daughter died. After death, did he see through the vanity? no. Did you revere God? no. Still value living, still live so seriously, that you can't pull it out.

Later, I carefully observed why people living is the vanity of vanities. One day I was watching a bunch of ants working there, dragging a little insect into their hole. I feel that this ant has lived and died. When dragging this worm, drag it so carefully. I was very emotional, reflecting, am I like this?

Later, I went to observe a pack of wolves fighting over an animal carcass, fighting so seriously. In the end, they all died. Let's talk about it. Whether it is a group of ants or a group of wolves, what is the significance of this? There is no point. It's just living, living and dying. This is vanity. How is man any different? One generation passes and another comes, continuing to compete and fight, eventually dying.

Everyone should listen to the preacher's words. The road to blessings is here. Those who lived under a curse in the past and were eager to be blessed must know that the vanity of vanities, everything is vanity, all is vanity. This is a blessing. The premise. Under the sun, living in this world is vanity of vanities. The overall intention is to revere God. Why respect God? Because you know you can't do it. You can't even control when you are born and when you die. There are too many spiritual things you don't know.

Some time ago, a celebrity fell and died in the hospital after eight days. A brother's mother had a shadow in her lung. I said: Go back and see her quickly. Serve those who can be served. You must tell your mother about the spiritual world and let her know that there is a God and ghosts in this world.

I tell you, spiritual matters are real, and worldly matters are illusory; they are just shadows. About the spiritual world, there are too many things people don't know. But these people who don't know about the spiritual world still say we are superstitious when we talk about the spiritual world. I said that this person has a shadow in his lungs, why is he still so arrogant? There are so many things you don't know, you are far behind. I advised the brother to go home and tell his family ghost stories, because the spiritual world is real.

The preacher Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes. This preacher had climbed to the highest point in life and became a king. He had everything he wanted. But looking back, it was the vanity of vanities, meaningless. We must know that people are in high places, so we, the common people, must learn from what Solomon said, brothers and sisters, start now to develop a new habit, know who is a master. You have to know how low your level is.

Scripture

This time the scripture is Ecclesiastes chapter 1, verse 1-2. Everyone can probably guess that next week we will still be talking about Ecclesiastes, and we will study Ecclesiastes again.

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:1-2)

Prayer

God, open our minds today, so that we can understand the vanity of vanities spoken by Solomon, so that we can know Abraham’s logical system, and know how Abraham entered the road to blessing. God, give us wisdom and intelligence today, so that we can run forward along the blessed path of Abraham.

God, may we be able to see these things as your eyes do, so that we can raise our height to the height of your throne, regard all things as dung, and only take Jesus Christ as the greatest treasure. God, may you have mercy on us and be kind to us. Let us know in this life of vanity, how to revere you and live out your glory. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Scripture Background

Solomon's life was very exciting, and the brothers must be envious. Why? Because he married many beautiful wives. Solomon could get whatever he wanted, money, people, power, whatever he wanted. Everyone must never think that after he concluded the vanity of vanities, he married so many wives again. He married so many wives first, and then came to the conclusion that they were all vanity.

Solomon made a summary of his life. In fact, it was God who did an experiment through Solomon. Solomon was very powerful. In the world there are wise men, Solomon is unprecedented and there will be no one in the future. He is too powerful. The words he speaks and the cases he judges, I tell you, are very wise.

People read the story of Solomon, about two women fighting over a child. The real mother said it was her child, and the fake mother also claimed it was hers because her own child had died. When they came to Solomon, he was asked to judge the case. Solomon was so wise that he said to cut the child in half, each woman taking half. Upon hearing this, the real mother quickly said she didn't want it, while the fake mother said to cut it. Solomon immediately knew who was lying, arrested the fake mother, and put her in prison.

The Queen of Sheba came to Solomon with tons of gold. Do you think it was easy to see Solomon? To see him, you had to bring many gifts, just to hear him speak a few words. Now, to hear Solomon's words, we don't need tons of gold; we just need a teachable heart and an ear to listen. Don't let me be talking about vanity of vanities while you're thinking about tomorrow's rent or who will pay your debts. What vanity of vanities?

Let's see what Solomon concluded. Think about it, Solomon was someone who had possessed everything. Someone who has possessed things knows what it's like afterward. You haven't possessed it, so you don't know.

Once, I saw a video of Jack Ma speaking on stage, saying he didn't love money and that money was useless, which stunned the people around him. Later, someone in the audience stood up and said, Jack Ma, stop talking nonsense and just tell me how to make money. He didn't listen to anything Jack Ma said, only thinking about how to make money, completely missing the point.

Now, Solomon wants to speak to us. Three thousand years ago, Solomon was a king who had everything he wanted, full of wisdom, but today he tells us: vanity of vanities. Don't think that vanity of vanities is the end of it. The Book of Ecclesiastes concludes by saying that the whole duty of man is to fear God.

Don't think that Jack Ma is lying when he says he's not interested in money. I tell you, his happiest days were when he earned ninety-one yuan, not when he founded Alibaba. The happiest time was when he earned ninety-one yuan as a teacher and saved enough money to buy a bicycle. In our generation, we saved enough money to buy a bicycle or a watch. Many people don't realize that happiness is the most important thing in life. If you don't consider this world as vanity of vanities, it's hard to be happy.

Then he concludes, what profit has a man from all his labor in which he toils under the sun? All things are wearisome, more than one can express.

A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the streams flow, there they return again.

All things are wearisome, more than one can express. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.

I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is a grievous task that God has given to the children of man to busy themselves with. I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. (Ecclesiastes 1:4-17)

How well said! Did you take it in? If not, let me explain it in detail.

What Profit Has a Man from All His Labor?

We must answer this question: What profit has a man from all his labor? Many people complain about work, saying this company has 996, 007, and that company is brainwashing. When I mention Kazuo Inamori, some people call him a Southeast Asian involution king. But what happens if people don't work? It's actually very uncomfortable not to work. People need to find joy in labor. What's the point of playing all day? All that's left is emptiness.

I don't know how you feel, but I once met a friend who loved to sing karaoke, often taking his wife with him. A large group of people would sing all kinds of sad and happy songs, singing about breakups even when they weren't breaking up, just having a great time at the moment. But when they got home and lay in bed, they suddenly felt a strange, extreme emptiness. Not vanity, but emptiness, a very uncomfortable feeling. Logically, they should feel good after having fun, but they didn't; they felt very uncomfortable.

Then I shared with them that because I like to work, I don't have that feeling. I work every day, and I'm happy when I have the opportunity to work. I tell you, God has really blessed me. How has He blessed me? By allowing me to find joy in labor. This is a gift from God, not something that everyone can obtain.

I really want to tell you this: what profit has a man from all his labor in his life? The benefit is finding joy in labor. Because labor itself, working itself, is a grace. First, working brings money, and second, working definitely creates value. Being poor is definitely not as good as being rich, and having money is definitely better than not having money. But working is not for the sake of money; it's for the sake of finding joy in labor. Once you see through this, you will be joyful.

So Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all worked in this way. When did you ever see Abraham say he was under a lot of stress, or Jacob say he was under immense pressure? There was no such thing in the Bible; they all loved to work. When Joseph was a slave, he worked very diligently, just loving to work. When he worked, he forgot his pain, and he rejoiced. You can all try it.

I think God has really blessed me. I just don't know how to help you receive it. I was happy when I was in school because my parents didn't care about my grades. My mother often said, Don't tire yourself out, child. Getting first or second place didn't make me feel happy; it was just normal. Getting twenty-something place didn't matter either; life went on. I don't know why I have this mentality, but I just feel like it's not that important. Whatever the results, it's all good.

After I started working, I was happy. Do you ask if I have stress? No stress. Even when I'm exhausted, do I have stress? Still no stress. Some people say, You're so exhausted, how can you not have stress? I just focus on doing my job, and focusing on doing my job is good. And after a busy day, covered in dirt, we all go out for supper, order a table of frog porridge, with Kung Pao frog and ginger and scallion frog. It feels so good, it's the greatest enjoyment in life, even better than eating a Manchu Han Imperial Feast. This is joy in labor.

I really think God chose the right person to be a preacher. I will definitely preach this message well. What profit has a man from all his labor? The benefit is that you can eat so heartily, sleep so soundly, and occasionally have a glass of wine. It's really good.

Standing at the Height of Eternity, Looking at the Matter of Living

You know that a generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets, returning to the place where it rises, which is the earth. Have you noticed that the house is still there, but the person is gone? They bought a house with a permanent land title, the house is still there, but the person is gone. Who knows what the land title is for? So, people must stand at the height of eternity to look at the matter of living.

If you sit on a spaceship and go up into eternity, looking from the distant past, let's not talk about Adam and Eve, but at least start from Abraham. Looking from Abraham four thousand years ago, to Solomon three thousand years ago, then to Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul two thousand years ago, and then to me today. Looking at it this way, you understand: how big are my problems? All problems immediately become tiny, have you noticed?

When you view problems with a narrow-minded perspective, only looking at the immediate situation, all problems seem as big as mountains. But when you stand in eternity, in this generation, a generation goes and a generation comes, you will see that your problems are nothing, nothing at all. Then you will conclude that finding joy in labor is real. Of course, some people don't find joy in labor because their eyes are only on money.

We have a sister among us who worked hard to save some money, and when she got older and could retire, she had a house and money. One day, she suddenly took the money to speculate in stocks, and as a result, all the money was gone. If you hadn't speculated in stocks, continued to work, and continued to save money, what would have happened? Nothing would have happened.

The sister went back to square one overnight, still having a house. Then she raised a son, and the son owed debts, so she mortgaged the house to borrow money. Oh my goodness, with all this trouble, the house is about to be gone. Then she asked me, Teacher, what should I do? I said, What do you think you should do? If you hadn't caused trouble in the first place, you wouldn't need to do anything now. What should you do now? If you had said back then, vanity of vanities, all is vanity, would you have had to go through all this trouble? She said, I just wanted to understand stocks. I said, You lost all your money trying to understand stocks. Now, you have immense pressure.

Now I'll tell you what to do: stand in eternity. Five hundred years ago, there were people like you; a thousand years ago, there were also people like you. From five hundred years ago to today, in the four hundred, three hundred, two hundred years in between, there were people like you. In the end, they all became ancient people, and they all passed away like that. So just live like that until you pass away.

If you look at problems from the perspective of eternity, is debt a problem? It's not a problem anymore. Is a house a problem? It's not a problem either. Those are all vanity of vanities. Then just do our jobs well. Isn't it good to live like this? Don't create trouble; don't seek death. Don't ruin the joy of life. People don't live for money; people live for joy.

You must understand what I'm saying. What's the point of living a thousand years without happiness? Living a life full of entanglement, entangled when you're in school, entangled when you're working, entangled when you're in debt. You might as well just be called Entanglement. If your last name is Li, you'd be called Li Entanglement. If your last name is Liu, you'd be called Liu Entanglement. If your last name is Wang, you'd be called Wang Entanglement. Just hearing the name is exhausting.

What's the point of living without happiness? Vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities, all is vanity, because these things are not important. Don't let these things ruin the joy of your life. I tell you, I'm very smart. No one can take away the joy inside me. What your last name is doesn't matter; your name is very important. If it's not Entanglement, it's Worry. I just think it's too tragic if people can't see through the things of this world. The words of the Preacher, vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

I think some of the sisters among us are amazing. They haven't even read the Book of Ecclesiastes, but they can do what the Book of Ecclesiastes says. Some people read the Book of Ecclesiastes but don't follow it. You read it, I preach it, and then it's over.

So when you look from eternity, all problems are small problems. Remember, nothing can take away the joy inside you, because God is taking care of you. In all things, fear God, because God lets you live to let you live joyfully. But if you seek out many schemes, seek out many worries, seek out many entanglements, isn't that just asking for it? So return to God.

No One Remembers You

History books can't even write down so many entanglements. Writing about Qu Yuan's entanglement is enough for us to remember the Dragon Boat Festival. If we write about more, then every day will be the Dragon Boat Festival. Today, we duan one, tomorrow, we duan another. All year long, we're duan-ing. Qu Yuan duan-ed, duan-ing to the Miluo River. No one remembers you. If you want to be remembered, be Qu Yuan. But all of this is meaningless. If Qu Yuan had heard the Book of Ecclesiastes earlier, he would have been a preacher. Would he have jumped into the Miluo River? We could have saved the Dragon Boat Festival thing. So people need to see through things.

In fact, many Chinese people can't see through things. Sometimes we want to pursue fame and leave a mark in history, but in the end, we become blue poop, marked with blue poop. I think it's too upsetting, just wanting people to remember you. It's actually vanity.

Many people hope that people will remember them in the future, but actually, no one remembers them. What's the point of remembering you? Some people pursue fame and fortune, but it's vanity of vanities. Zhuge Liang sought to restore the Han Dynasty, dying with this hope. He was really tired his whole life, laboring in hardship. Whether he rejoiced in labor or not, I don't know.

When we carefully examine the things of this world, in the change of dynasties, people all want to leave a mark in history. It is said that Qin Shi Huang asked someone to calculate how many generations his descendants would be emperors, but it only lasted to Qin Er Shi, his son, which was just one generation. I am really touched. If you can't see through things, you won't realize that after you die, the things on this earth are still here. What's the point of living then? So people still need to learn the Book of Ecclesiastes.

If these people were enlightened, they would never pursue a legacy for all ages, because it has nothing to do with them. The preacher Solomon said it so well, To whom shall I leave the things I obtained with wisdom? It was given to Rehoboam, that scoundrel. It actually has no meaning. The palaces he built have no meaning. The temple he built later became desolate, and no one came to worship God anymore. Then they were cursed, and the palaces and temples were torn down.

God Causes Man to Experience Grievous Labor

God designed something; God causes man to experience grievous labor. People experience grievous labor because they live in lies. What is God's original intention? God wants you to experience so much hardship in order to see through things. But people experience so much hardship and still can't see through things; they just argue, unable to see through things no matter how much hardship they go through. They live like Yang Bailao, and their daughters become White Haired Girl, but they still can't see through things. I tell you, the more people live at the bottom, the harder it is to see through things. The more people live at the bottom, the more hardship they experience, and the harder it is to see through things. That's strange.

So God causes man to experience grievous labor in order to seek the meaning of life. But how many people seek it? In the time of Abraham, there was only one Abraham. In the time of Isaac, there was only one Isaac. The rest were just arguing, just living like that. To what extent do people argue their whole lives? What's the point? Today, we can easily fall into this system of logic because of comparing ourselves with others.

You know that wealthy people raise their children. If their children are not successful, not smart, not outstanding, they feel ashamed to take them out. They just create things that are not joyful. The things people can boast about in life are those worries and hardships. Actually, how important is happiness! They follow the way of Cain, comparing who is more capable, whose son is more capable. If their son is not capable, they feel ashamed to take him out. Actually, all of this is vanity of vanities. Not knowing vanity in life is the tragedy of life.

What Is Crooked Cannot Be Made Straight, and What Is Lacking Cannot Be Counted.

There are many things in this world that are crooked because God has made them crooked. God has allowed many unjust and unrighteous things in this world. Some cases are wrongly judged and become miscarriages of justice; they are crooked. If some people want to straighten them out, they are arguing with God. God made them crooked.

People's brains are like they've been caught in a door. Actually, they haven't been caught in a door, but have been caught in the tongs in God's hand, so their brains don't work well. Because their brains don't work well, they argue. Then we see these people with non-functioning brains who argue, and we follow them and argue too. All our lives, we do one thing, which is to try to straighten out what God has made crooked, but we never succeed in straightening it out.

For example, the change of dynasties. You can't change it or save it. Did Overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming succeed? No. Did Restore the Han Dynasty succeed? No. Human history is like this, the change of dynasties is like this. No one can solve these problems. Zhuge Liang finally concluded: The will of Heaven cannot be defied. So what is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. Then you must fear God! If people don't fear God, like Pharaoh, they are a crooked seed. Their brains are naturally caught, and they have to be buried at the bottom of the Red Sea before they are willing to give up.

I hope everyone knows that worldly wisdom and knowledge are vanity. Why? Because the more you know, the more uncomfortable you become. Worldly knowledge and worldly wisdom are all trying to straighten what God has made crooked. It's so difficult to make a poor preacher rich. People think these things are very useful, so they study hard, neglecting sleep and food, and then discover that wisdom, madness, and folly are all a striving after wind, all vanity.

What is better? Finding joy in labor, relying on God in blessings, and living a blessed life. So the final summary of the Book of Ecclesiastes is called: The whole duty of man is to fear God. Have you grasped the key? If you have grasped the key but don't agree, if you think living is very real, very real in the years you care about and live in, it will definitely be real to the point of making you uncomfortable.

But if you decide that living is vanity, you will seek God, fear God, see God's beautiful plan in this world, and then enter into God's plan. If you want to enter into God's plan, that is good beyond compare. Amen! May God bless everyone!