Admonition 1: Do Not Be Like This Temple That Was Destroyed

Why was the temple destroyed? Because people pursued things that were not in line with God's will. In fact, God does not care about the temple itself; God cares about the people in the temple. So in the end, the temple was destroyed, and not one stone was left on another that was not torn down. The reason for the destruction was very simple: people turned away from God. They had the form of worship but not the substance of worship. Whether you are in the aviation industry or a Christian, you must be genuine. If Christians are not genuine, just like the destruction of the temple, doing superficial work is useless. You cannot have the external form of a temple without its substance.

The place where the temple was originally built is now a Muslim shrine, and underneath it is a wall called the Wailing Wall, where many people weep to God. Do you know what God requires of you? A humble prayer, seeking God's face; doing justice, loving mercy. In fact, God does not need much, nor is it difficult to do. In this chapter, we can see that if you cannot do these things, God will destroy you.

Admonition 2: Be Alert to Those Who Deceive

In fact, verse 23 speaks again about deceiving people. If we are deceived by the devil, who is responsible? You yourself. Because you can choose not to be deceived. The Bible mentions that there will be false Christs in the future. How do you distinguish them? I will tell you a very simple way: rely on the Holy Spirit.

Now there is a church called Eastern Lightning that is very rampant, and so are other cults. How do you distinguish them? Later, some people formed a group of more than 10,000 people, many of whom were family members of victims. They put a lot of legal reports, police contact information, and so on in the group. After reading it, I felt very sad, because can those things stop cults? It is easy for a person to be deceived. But if a person has the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will surely guide them so that they do not fall into deception. That is why we must often read the Bible and often pray. Only the Holy Spirit can help you resist cults. Behind cults is the operation of evil spirits. You will find that after a person is brainwashed, their mind thinks very strangely. They will no longer plant the land, take care of their family, and leave for half a year. The damage caused by this is so serious. Why are people deceived? First, because they do not have the Holy Spirit; second, they are not vigilant. It is really sad for a person to be deceived and lose God's grace!

Admonition 3: Do Not Be Alarmed When You See Disasters

Panic is originally a manifestation of not being vigilant. Someone once said that when an earthquake or other natural disaster occurs, many people actually have a long time to escape, and the possibility of dying is not high. When people panic, they easily become unvigilant. We must be vigilant at all times. Panic and fear can lead to being taken away by the devil, and the cowardly will also be thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur to be burned. Some of our brothers and sisters in the church are cowardly and dare not persevere. Once there is persecution, they dare not gather. In fact, you don't need to be afraid. If you persist, you will overcome. I have never seen anyone who persevered screw things up. We have a sister in our church whose parents sat at the door to smash the church, but nothing happened afterwards. You must be strong and courageous, and your family will surely be transformed.

Admonition 4: How to Face Persecution

The previous admonitions were about natural and man-made disasters: nation will rise against nation, and there will be earthquakes in various places, and people will rise against people. This admonition is about facing persecution. Even if someone hands you over to the court or even subjects you to flogging, you don't need to be afraid. You don't need to rack your brains to think about how to defend yourself. The Holy Spirit will surely give you words. At that time, you should pay attention to the revelation the Holy Spirit gives you, not be afraid. Today I will tell you one thing: dying at twenty, dying at forty, dying at eighty, it's all the same in eternity. If you want to lay down your life for God, do not be stingy, do not care. Even if you lay down your life for God, you still live. The difference between death in the Bible and death in our human concept is too great.

Some people go to the doctor, and the doctor says there is a medicine that costs $500,000 and can extend life by one year, and people with serious illnesses will spend that $500,000. In fact, there is no need for that. When a person is born and when they die are all determined; when they are born and when they die, how they are born and how they die, it doesn't matter. What matters is that while we are alive, we should be vigilant and never lose the exceedingly great and eternal glory that God has prepared for us.

Last night when I was leading everyone in prayer, I suddenly had a new understanding. Remember what Jesus said:

Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. (Matthew 10:34)

I suddenly understood that God's intention is not for us to live a miserable life in this world. Jesus came to let us wage war in this world. This waging war is not about others forcing you with a sword, but about you also picking up a sword to fight, picking up spiritual weapons to fight. Later, I discovered that those who are strong and courageous are more likely to have their families transformed. Although we are very gentle, we are uncompromising; although we have love, we absolutely do not indulge the flesh.

The way to become a family blessing is to fight a bloody path. If you want to become a blessing to your family, you really can't do without this concept of wielding a sword. A few days ago, someone asked me online: Why does God say that the land of Israel is a land flowing with milk and honey, but the Israelites entered it and blood flowed like a river? I told him: You are reading the Bible with a carnal perspective. You must read the Bible with a spiritual perspective. Then he replied with a sentence that made me feel guilty for a long time. He said: Is it appropriate for you to say this to someone who is about to read the Bible? I said: It couldn't be more appropriate. If you say it after this time, you have already formed a habit, and it will be too late to say it again.

Everyone must develop the habit of reading the Bible with a spiritual perspective, and never read the Bible with a carnal perspective. That place is where blood flowed like a river, but that place is still a land flowing with milk and honey. If we do not fight a bloody path, we cannot become a blessing to that land. If you want to become a blessing to your family today, you must be strong and courageous, and transform your family even if you die. You must have this attitude. If you are not strong, after they die, God will demand their death from you.

We must do our best to love others with God's love, and remember that it is not a love that indulges the flesh, nor is it an attitude of compromise. Before we are persecuted, God has already told us that you must bring a sword to the earth. The kingdom of God is won by fighting, won by spiritual warfare. How to fight? God said to Joshua, Be strong and courageous! Without being strong and courageous, there is no way to fight a spiritual battle. As soon as you fight, you indulge the flesh; if you indulge the flesh, you will be defeated, and you will not be able to obtain the promise. Any battle is very hard, but only those who endure to the end will be saved. Because of your faith, your father wants to sever ties with you; you must endure. But this endurance is definitely not passive endurance; you must rise up and put pressure on them, making them feel ashamed. Today we must pay attention to the revelation of the Holy Spirit, and at the same time, we must also be patient in the process of fighting. If the other party does not give in, you do not give in. Others will retreat when they see you like this.

Vigilance Five: Do Not Love the World

But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take anything out of his house: And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. (Mark 13:14-19)

Here, Jesus is telling us to be vigilant and not to love this world; valuable possessions cannot save you. When the one who causes desolation stands in the holy place, standing where he ought not, you should know that the world is coming to an end.

Vigilance Six: God's Prophecy

Take heed; I have foretold you all things. All the revelations of the space program have already been disclosed to you. I have discovered a crucial thing: As long as you do what God says, you will see the results God has foretold. In leading the church these past five years, I have been very excited and deeply moved. I have seen how much Christians owe themselves, and how much churches owe their members!

A few days ago, while having tea, I met an English-speaking Christian and told him about the healings people receive when I lead them in prayer. He said, You have healings happening every day? In our church, we might not see one in ten years. I said, Brother, rise up and do not shortchange yourself. God has foretold us; why aren't we doing it? Where does the Bible tell us to see a doctor when we are sick, yet many Christians today do just that? Isn't our Lord Jesus the greatest physician? The problems I am dealing with now are beyond the reach of doctors. A few days ago, a child had a fever and went to the hospital, but the hospital said they could not treat it. In this generation, many still place their faith in the medical system. The Bible says that the woman with the issue of blood suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse. (See Luke 8:43)

Since there is a time to be born and a time to die, we should be vigilant and hold fast to what God has told us without fear. God has foretold us all things. Many people have time to be busy, but no time to read God's Word; time to be busy, but no time to pay attention to the state of the world. The world has basically not much time left, and it is almost the day that Jesus Christ will return, as God has said. If people were vigilant when they read these words a hundred years ago, should we not be even more vigilant a hundred years later? If they were vigilant when Jesus told them these words more than two thousand years ago, should we not be even more vigilant two thousand years later, now that the day of Jesus' return is truly near?

Vigilance Seven: After the Tribulation, Jesus Comes

Everyone should note that after the tribulation, Jesus comes. The Book of Revelation says that after the two witnesses are killed, the breath of life from God enters them after three and a half days, and they stand on their feet, and then ascend to heaven in a cloud. If you see this scene, you must know that the next moment is the day of Jesus' return. We will immediately be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord. What grace it is! I have longed for this day for a long time. People must understand:

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:29-30)

Vigilance Eight: Heaven and Earth Will Pass Away, but God's Word Will Never Pass Away

Read God's Word; it can allow you to live forever. The Bible says:

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4)

Heaven and earth will pass away, but God's Word will not pass away. This must enter your mind. If God's Word is in you, you will abide with God's Word forever. There is no idle talk in the Bible; you must read it carefully. The Bible is the spiritual food for our spirits. If we constantly read God's Word, our spirits will be vigilant and strong.

Vigilance Nine: Be Watchful and Pray, Always Prepare for the Day of the Lord's Return

Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. (Mark 13:33)

I find God so wonderful, so wonderful that He does not tell us when that time will come. Therefore, you must always be vigilant and always pray, always preparing for the day of Jesus' return. If any of the nine vigilance points are not done well, you will fall. It is just like a spacecraft; the failure of any system will lead to the crash of the spacecraft. Never be careless in spiritual matters; when you are careless, God will come suddenly. If God comes suddenly and you are not vigilant, do not blame God for being too strict; you can only blame yourself for not taking this matter to heart. That is to say, this is the greatest thing in life.

If a person in their lifetime has heard the name of Jesus Christ, and has read the Bible, and knows that Jesus Christ will come again, and then they miss it, for example, they just happen to have bought an ox that day and have to feed their ox, can that ox make them ascend to heaven? These things cannot bring you to God. Only by being vigilant and keeping yourselves, maintaining a very keen spiritual sense, can you ensure that you escape this coming tribulation and come safely into the presence of God.

Even if it were someone a hundred years ago, even if they did not wait for the day of Jesus Christ's return, as long as they kept and followed these nine vigilance points throughout their life, they would surely come into the presence of God when they left the world. Because the day we leave the world and the day the Lord Jesus returns are one and the same day for us individually. Therefore, Jesus said:

And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. (Mark 13:37)

Summary

The nine vigilance points are indispensable; never be careless in spiritual matters.