By Li Chen, China

In the wee hours one day in July 2018, a sister and I were at our host’s home wrapping up a work discussion and about to go to bed, when we suddenly heard prying at the door and the bark of a dog—this made me a little nervous. Right then, seven or eight police officers burst into the bedroom and cuffed our hands behind our backs. Without showing any papers, they started turning the place upside down in a search. They ultimately found over 7,000 yuan in cash and a receipt for 350,000 yuan of the church’s money. I was scared—having found the receipt, the police were sure to demand the whereabouts of the money. I didn’t know how they’d torture me or if they’d beat me to death. I quickly said a prayer in my heart, asking God for strength and for His protection, so I didn’t become a Judas and betray Him. Then a hymn “Life’s Testimony” came to mind: “One day I may be captured and persecuted for bearing witness to God. This suffering is for the sake of righteousness, which I know in my heart. If my life is gone like a spark in the blink of an eye, I will still feel proud that I can follow Christ and bear witness to Him in this life” (Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs). That’s true. Having faith is a just thing, so no matter what sort of brutal torture I was to face, it would be suffering for the sake of righteousness. I couldn’t be timid or fearful—I had to get through this by leaning on God. With this in mind, I gradually calmed down.

That afternoon, the police took the two of us to a hotel for separate interrogation. An officer by the name of Liu shouted, “Come on, spill the truth about these religious matters! What’s the deal with that receipt for 350,000 yuan?” I thought, “That money belongs to the church—it has nothing to do with them. Why would I tell them anything?” So I kept quiet. Then Officer Liu slapped me angrily across the face, leaving my face burning with pain. He pressed really hard on the pressure points around my neck, but I gritted my teeth in pain and didn’t say a word. Then, an overweight officer said, “Here, I’ll help you get some exercise.” He grabbed my hair and yanked it up and down, making me do squats. After doing so fifty or sixty times, my scalp was smarting and my hair had been ripped out all over the place. Then they brought a chair over and put it behind me with its back against my back. They put my handcuffed arms through a gap in the backrest so they were resting on the seat of the chair. I was sitting on the ground with my legs extended straight out in front of me. They kept demanding information about the 350,000 yuan; when they saw I wouldn’t talk, they continued to torment me. After a while, my shoulder joints were in terrible pain from the strain and my back felt like it had been snapped. The latches of the handcuffs were digging deep into my flesh. Trembling all over from the pain, sweating nonstop, I felt like I really couldn’t take it any longer. I kept praying in my heart, asking God to give me strength and watch over me so I could stand strong. Just then, I thought of a passage of God’s words: “When you face suffering, you must be able to lay aside concern for the flesh and to not make complaints against God. When God hides Himself from you, you must be able to have the faith to follow Him, to maintain your previous love without allowing it to falter or dissipate. No matter what God does, you must submit to His design and be prepared to curse your own flesh rather than make complaints against Him. When you are faced with trials, you must satisfy God, though you may weep bitterly or feel reluctant to part with some beloved object. Only this is true love and faith” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Those Who Are to Be Made Perfect Must Undergo Refinement). From God’s words, I knew that He was allowing Satan to persecute me in order to perfect my faith and love, and to see if I could stay firm in my testimony and satisfy God throughout my suffering. Satan was tormenting me physically to get me to betray God, and I couldn’t give in to it. Once I understood God’s intention, I gained internal strength and, before I knew it, I was able to withstand the pain.

The following day, the police kept asking me about the church’s money. I still wouldn’t talk, so one of them took out a bottle of lacrimator—a liquid that makes you tear up. He shook it in my face, saying, “If this stuff is sprayed on your face, your eyes and nose won’t stop running. It hurts like hell. We’ll use it on you if you still won’t talk.” Officer Liu said, infuriated, “Use chili water on her—that’ll show her!” After that, they brought a tiger chair in and threatened me, saying, “We’re going to put you on this if you don’t speak up, and we’ll electrocute you to death!” That really scared me—if they really did torture me that way, could I endure it? Then God’s words came to mind: “Do not fear, the Almighty God of hosts will surely be with you; He stands behind you and He is your shield” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Utterances of Christ in the Beginning, Chapter 26). God’s words helped me calm down. It was true—I wasn’t going through this oppression and hardship alone, but God was by my side; God had my back. No matter how the police tortured me, God would guide me and help me through this difficult time. With God accompanying me, I had nothing to fear. Seeing I still wouldn’t talk, the officers took the lacrimator and a plastic bag, and dragged me into the restroom. I could tell they were going to put the plastic bag over my head, so right before they could, I took a big breath of air and held it in. About 40 seconds later, they took the bag off, and immediately sprayed the lacrimator on my face. Because I was still holding my breath, I didn’t get choked by it. The two officers got some of it instead, and started coughing. So they put the plastic bag back over my head, this time for a minute or so. When they sprayed the lacrimator again, it was even more than the first time. Incredibly, however, I merely felt a burning sensation on my neck and face—there was no other effect. The police had no choice but to take me back into the room. I was really moved. I’d truly seen God’s work and I felt that God was by my side helping me. After that, they slapped me across the face and pressed on my pressure points. They made me do squats by yanking on my hair, and forced my arms onto the seat of the chair again. They tormented me like that over and over; I stayed strong by continuing my prayers.

By noon on the fourth day, seeing I still wasn’t telling them anything, Officer Liu pinched my chin hard, saying viciously, “There’s no time limit on interrogation for cases like yours. The national government has decreed that you lot will either be killed, locked up, or forced to repent. We have plenty of time. If you don’t open your mouth, we’ll really show you this afternoon!” My heart started pounding, not knowing what kind of torture they had in store for me then. I was increasingly nervous. I prayed to God silently and ceaselessly, asking Him to give me faith and strength. Then I remembered His words: “You will surely, under the guidance of My light, break through the stranglehold of the forces of darkness. You will surely not, in the midst of darkness, lose the guidance of My light. You will surely be the masters of all creation. You will surely be overcomers before Satan. You will surely, at the downfall of the kingdom of the great red dragon, stand up amid the myriad throngs as proof of My victory. You will surely stand firm and unwavering in the land of Sinim. Through the sufferings you endure, you will inherit My blessings, and will surely radiate My glory throughout the entire universe” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. God’s Words to the Entire Universe, Chapter 19). God’s words gave me strength. God will perfect a group of overcomers in the midst of the great red dragon’s savage persecution, and no matter what pain and hardship these overcomers face, they will be able to submit to God and be devoted to Him, to the very end. No matter how brutal it is, the great red dragon is also in God’s hands; it is merely rendering service for God to perfect His chosen people. Whatever horrific torture the police subjected me to, I only had to genuinely rely on God, and trust that He would lead me to prevail over Satan’s persecution. Thanks to the guidance of God’s words, I no longer felt so anxious or afraid.

That afternoon, the police continued their torture. Officer Liu had been slapping me nonstop, leaving my ears ringing. He took a little pinch of the hair on my temples and yanked it back and forth, then pressed down really hard on the pressure points around my neck, ears, and collarbones. The pain made me break out in a sweat. Another officer took my hair and forced me into squats. He did that 90 times, at least. I’d never imagined that I’d be able to withstand so much, but my legs didn’t even go numb. Officer Liu forcefully pressed on the pressure points around my neck, and though it hurt at first, after some time I was able to take it. Exasperated, he said, “You have a hardy constitution!” I thanked God over and over when he said that. It wasn’t that I had a hardy constitution, but it was entirely God’s protection. After that, they put my arms onto the seat of the chair again. I don’t know how much time passed, but the pain in my arms became unbearable, and my whole body was shaking nonstop. Just then, Officer Liu pressed a foot to my face, preventing me from moving. He lifted my face with his foot, put his shoe inside my mouth, and said, “If you still refuse to talk, I’ll take off my socks and stuff them into your mouth. And my feet smell terrible.” His evil grin infuriated me. I was just a believer—I hadn’t done anything illegal, but this gang of demons was torturing and toying with me. I hated them with every fiber of my being. Silently and ceaselessly I prayed to God, asking Him to give me strength and watch over me so I could stand strong. Gradually, the pain in my arms faded and I was able to sit calmly on the floor. I was incredibly moved—I had experienced once again God’s mercy for me. I was so grateful to God, I couldn’t hold my tears back. Later on, seeing they weren’t going to get any information about the money out of me, they tried to force me to sign a letter of repentance. They said that I’d do prison time if I didn’t sign it, and threatened me: “The misery you’ll face in prison is pretty rough. There’s daily labor, you’ll be beaten and scolded, and the food isn’t fit for humans. It’ll be too late then for any regrets! You’d better give it some good thought. There’s still time for you to sign.” I thought, “My faith isn’t breaking any laws, so I won’t sign their letter. To do so would be to betray and shame God. No matter how rough things are in prison, I’m ready to lean on God and persevere.” So I responded, “I’m not signing.” Furious, they said, “Fine! If you want to suffer, go ahead,” then walked out.

In early August, I was transferred to the local public security authorities in my hometown. The police took me straight to a hotel for questioning. I remember there were six officers who split up into pairs, watching me in shifts and making sure I didn’t sleep. They call this “exhausting an eagle”—not letting people sleep for long periods of time to break their spirits, then interrogating them and demanding a confession when they’re in a confused condition. This is a common form of torture used by the police. At first they mainly tried to brainwash me, talking about atheism and evolution, and telling me all sorts of heresies and fallacies that denied and resisted God. Sometimes they played videos for me that blasphemed God and smeared The Church of Almighty God—it was so nauseating. I argued with them in the beginning, but later on I realized that they were anti-God demons, enemies of God, so no matter how much I said, I was just wasting my breath. From then on, I ignored them. One of the officers brought something over for me to read that was just blaspheming God. When I refused to read it, he smacked me hard and threatened me with a perverse grin: “If you don’t read this, we’ll take off all your clothing and stick this blasphemy all over your body.” I deeply detested those demons, using such a vile and dirty tactic in their efforts to force me to betray God. I set my resolve, swearing on my life that I would never blaspheme against God. I turned my face to the side and ignored them. While I was in there, the moment I started to nod off, an officer would shout, “No sleeping!” In those moments, I would say a prayer in my heart, silently recite some of God’s words, or sing a hymn to myself, and before I knew it I didn’t even feel sleepy anymore. The longer it went on the more energy I had; the cops, on the other hand, were reaching their breaking point—some of them even became ill. In this way, I made it through eight days of “exhausting an eagle” by leaning on God’s words. I was really moved by this. On my own, there’s no way I would have had any energy after going so many days without sleep. I knew this was entirely God’s work, and I was so grateful for God’s protection. This also strengthened my confidence that I could stand firm in my testimony to God through any further interrogation. Seeing I still wasn’t talking, one of them slapped me angrily, dragged me out of the chair, grabbed my hair, and slammed me into the floor and the wall. Then he grabbed hold of me firmly and pressed his foot down hard on my left leg so I couldn’t move, while another officer kicked my right leg back, forcing me into the splits, with my legs forced apart to about 120 degrees. I cried out from the pain. A whole minute passed before they released me, and one of them threatened me: “If you keep silent, we’ll strip you naked, hang you up, and beat the crap out of you! In China, believing in God is a political crime. In the past you’d have been killed by firing squad, but now we can treat you like a beast. We can do anything we want to you!” I was so angry when he said that, but also quite worried. I didn’t know how those demons would torture and humiliate me next. What if they really did take all my clothing off and hang me up? In the midst of my pain, I prayed to God incessantly, asking Him to give me strength and protect me so I could stand firm. After praying, I remembered a hymn—“The Kingdom”:

…………

2  … God is my support, what is there to fear? I pledge my life to fight with Satan till the end. God lifts us up, we should leave everything behind and fight to bear witness for Christ. God will carry out His will on earth. I’ll prepare my love and loyalty and devote them all to God. I will joyfully welcome God’s return when He descends in glory, and meet with Him again when the kingdom of Christ is realized.

3  … Out of adversity come many victorious good soldiers. We are victorious with God and become God’s testimony. Look to the day God gains glory, it comes with irresistible force. All peoples flow to this mountain, walking in God’s light. The unparalleled splendor of the kingdom must manifest throughout the world. …

—Follow the Lamb and Sing New Songs

This hymn really stirred up some feelings for me. Experiencing such oppression and hardship in my faith, and having the chance to bear witness to God before Satan, was an honor for me. I thought of back when the Lord Jesus was working; His apostles and disciples endured persecution in their efforts to spread His gospel. Some were stoned to death, some were drawn and quartered, but they all bore resounding witness for God, triumphing over Satan. In the last days, God has become flesh and come to work, to fully save humanity from sin and bring us to a beautiful destination. But the Communist Party is an evil party that resists and hates God. It doesn’t allow people to have faith and worship God, and madly suppresses and persecutes Christians. So many brothers and sisters have been tortured mercilessly after being arrested, but by leaning on God they were able to bear beautiful testimony. I knew I had to follow their example, that I couldn’t be afraid of physical suffering and humiliation, but had to stand firm in my testimony and bring shame to Satan.

The police resumed their interrogation a few days later, trying to force me to sell out my brothers and sisters and tell them about the church’s money. I wouldn’t tell them anything, so they made me sit with my back pressed up against the wall and forced me to do the splits. One officer held my left leg next to the wall and held my arms so I couldn’t move, while another kicked my right leg viciously to get it up against the wall on the other side. Sharp bursts of pain were shooting through me. They tortured me nonstop from about 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. I don’t remember how many times they did this to me. Finally, they got my right leg against the wall at 180 degrees while I was slumped on the floor, utterly sapped of strength. When the sun rose, I saw that both of my legs were extremely swollen and purple. My inner right thigh in particular was completely purple and even standing up to go use the bathroom was incredibly taxing. Someone had to help me sit down on the toilet. An officer said, trying to scare me, “With your legs like this, if we keep torturing you, it’ll be twice as bad as yesterday. It’ll hurt more every time. Just confess already!” Seeing I wasn’t telling them anything, another officer viciously pulled my legs apart to force me into the splits, and I felt a sharp pain right as they went past 90 degrees. I cried out, unable to take it. He said, “Only that far, and it hurts that much? I’ll level with you. This torture is used especially for female special agents. Can your body take it? Give it some thought.” Another overweight officer said, “The people I’ve questioned before have all been murderers. In the end, they all confessed, crying for their mommies and daddies. They were ready to die before taking that kind of suffering.” This was a scary thing for me to hear. Criminals preferred death over his punishment—it must be some horrible torture! The thought of being tortured to the point that I’d be better off dead made my heart start pounding. I was saying one silent prayer to God after another. Just then, I remembered something the Lord Jesus said: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Also, the words of Almighty God: “When people are ready to sacrifice their lives, everything becomes trifling, and no one can get the better of them. What could be more important than life? Thus, Satan becomes incapable of doing any more in people, there is nothing it can do with man” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Interpretations of the Mysteries of “God’s Words to the Entire Universe,” Chapter 36). God’s words bolstered my strength. The police could brutally torture me, but they could only strip me of my fleshly existence. They couldn’t touch my soul. If I betrayed God because I feared physical hardship, I would drag out an ignoble existence as a Judas, and in the end my soul, spirit, and body would all be punished. Satan was using my fleshly weakness to get me to betray God, and I couldn’t fall for its tricks. No matter how the police tortured me, even if I was beaten to death, I was determined to stand firm in my testimony and humiliate Satan.

The police kept questioning me over the several days that followed, threatening again to make me do the splits. They said they’d take me to a torture chamber and use every manner of cruel torture on me, and that they wouldn’t stop until I told them about the church’s information. I recalled the pain of doing the splits—it was like my legs were being forcefully ripped from my body. I never wanted to bear that agonizing pain ever again. It occurred to me that I’d rather die than bear more of that horrible torture. I went on a hunger strike, refusing several meals in a row. The police screamed at me, furious, saying they’d force-feed me if I refused to eat. Startled, I finally realized that I had to seek God’s intention. Just then I thought of God’s words: “The suffering of some people reaches an extreme, and their thoughts turn to death. This is not true love for God; such people are cowards, they have no perseverance, they are weak and powerless! … Thus, during these last days you must bear testimony to God. No matter how great your suffering, you should walk until the very end, and even at your last breath, still you must be faithful to God and at the mercy of God; only this is truly loving God, and only this is the strong and resounding testimony” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Only by Experiencing Painful Trials Can You Know the Loveliness of God). I saw from God’s words that seeking death out of fear of physical suffering was cowardly. Not only would I bring no glory to God that way, but I’d be Satan’s laughingstock. God hoped for me to bear witness for Him before Satan, be devoted to Him even to my very last breath, and never give in to Satan. That was a strong testimony with which to strike back at Satan. Once I knew God’s intention, I stopped refusing food. But thinking of the prospect of continuing torture at the hands of the police, with no idea when it would all end, I felt some weakness in my heart. Then I remembered a hymn, “Emulate the Lord Jesus”: “On the road to Jerusalem, Jesus was in agony, as if a knife were being twisted in His heart, yet He had not the slightest intention of going back on His word; always there was a powerful force compelling Him onward to where He would be crucified. Ultimately, He was nailed to the cross and became the likeness of sinful flesh, completing the work of the redemption of mankind. He broke free of the shackles of death and Hades. Before Him, mortality, hell, and Hades lost their power, and were vanquished by Him” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. How to Serve in Harmony With God’s Intentions). Pondering God’s words made me think of how, when the Lord Jesus was completing His work of redeeming mankind, He was whipped by the Roman soldiers, had to wear a crown of thorns, and walked step by step in agony to the place of His crucifixion. Ultimately, He shed His very last drop of blood on the cross, enduring unimaginable pain. To save us, God gave up His own life without hesitation—God’s love is so great! But as for me, when I had seen horrible torture that I couldn’t escape, I just didn’t want to suffer any longer. I lost my resolve to bear witness for God. I felt that was really shameful. God was able to sacrifice His life for us, so why couldn’t I offer up myself to repay His love? Sensing God’s love, tears streamed endlessly down my face. I silently prayed, “God, no matter how long or how much I have to suffer, I want to stand firm in my testimony!”

Sitting up from the floor that evening, I felt strength throughout my entire body and I was in much better spirits. One of the police kept interrogating me for information on the church. I told him resolutely, “I’m not going to tell you anything.” He stalked off in anger, slamming the door. Not long after, the police brought in a brand-new interrogation chair, handcuffed me into it, and said the next day would be terrible for me. Late that night I noticed that both of the officers keeping watch over me had fallen asleep, so I decided to try and see if I could slip out of the handcuffs. Surprisingly, they were pretty loose and my hands came right out. I prayed in my heart, “God, is this You opening up a way out for me? I have no idea what’s outside of this room or where I can run to. I’m putting myself in Your hands—please guide me!” After praying I slipped out of the interrogation chair and got myself to the door. I gently opened it and ran for the hotel entrance. To my surprise, the guards at the door were also bent over a table sleeping, so I left the hotel without incident and made a break for an alleyway. My legs had been pretty badly injured, but in that moment, incredibly, they didn’t hurt at all. I just ran for dear life. I was really nervous, afraid that the police would catch up to me and take me back. I didn’t know where to go, and I didn’t dare go to my brothers or sisters, for fear of putting them in danger. I remembered a house my family had bought recently that the police probably didn’t know about yet. I wanted to go there and hide out for a bit, so I quickly ran for home. I wasn’t there long before my mom came back. She said nervously, “The police are out there with your photo, asking about you all over the place. You can’t stay here—you have to leave right away.” This made me really nervous, and my heart was pounding. I quickly kneeled down and prayed, “God, I don’t know where to go. Please guide me. I don’t know if this escape will be successful, but I’m leaving everything in Your hands, leaving it up to Your arrangements. If I can’t get away, I’m ready to give up my life to stand firm in my witness.” I gradually calmed down after praying. After that, my dad took me out on his electric scooter. Right when we were approaching the back gate of the apartment complex, I saw the police who had been interrogating me not far away, holding a photo and asking questions to passersby. My heart leapt into my throat and I broke out into a full-body sweat. While they weren’t paying attention, I got off the scooter and dashed into a nearby building to hide. My dad rode onward, feigning composure. I was praying to God ceaselessly, asking for His guidance. My dad came back to get me before long, saying the police had left. No one was watching the apartment complex’s back gate, so I used that opportunity to slip out. After some setbacks, with the help of my brothers and sisters, I found a relatively safe place to hide.

Later I heard that, the very same day, shortly after I’d left my parents’ place, lots of police cars had come and surrounded the apartment complex. They had spent days searching from door to door. They’d turned my parents’ place upside down after they found it, and took my dad to the police station to question him about my whereabouts. Not only that, but they’d installed a high-definition camera on the building directly opposite my parents’. The police also conducted a thorough search for me around my grandmother’s place. When an older lady living next-door said something quietly to someone standing next to her, the police ordered her to hand me over, then took her to the police station and kept her there overnight. After that they detained my aunt and questioned her about my whereabouts. All of my relatives were under police surveillance. I was so angry when I heard about this. The Communist Party truly is insane—my faith didn’t break any laws, but they still wouldn’t stop at anything in their attempt to apprehend me. I remembered this from God’s words: “Forefathers of the ancient? Beloved leaders? They all oppose God! Their meddling has left all beneath heaven in a state of darkness and chaos! Religious freedom? The legitimate rights and interests of citizens? They are all tricks for covering up sin! … Thousands of years of hate are concentrated in the heart, millennia of sinfulness are inscribed upon the heart—how could this not inspire loathing? Avenge God, completely snuff out His enemy, do not allow it to run rampant any longer, and do not permit it to rule as a tyrant! Now is the time: Man has long since gathered all his strength, he has devoted all his efforts and paid every price for this, to tear off the hideous face of this devil and allow people, who have been blinded, and who have endured every manner of suffering and hardship, to rise up from their pain and rebel against this evil old devil” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Work and Entry (8)). God has become flesh in the last days and is expressing truths to save humanity. He has brought us the gospel to be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven, but the Communist Party doesn’t allow people to have faith and follow God. It madly arrests and persecutes Christians, cruelly torturing us, sentencing us to prison, and even leaving us disabled or dead. The Communist Party is an evil demon of the underworld! The more it ramps up its oppression, the more clearly I see its demonic essence, and the more I hate it and rebel against it from the heart. I swear on my life to keep following God.

This experience of being arrested and persecuted showed me God’s almighty rule and His wondrous deeds. In the midst of crisis, God watched over me so that I could triumph over Satan’s brutality. It was also God’s words that repeatedly gave me strength and faith. I truly experienced the power and authority of His words, and felt His love and protection for me. I’m grateful to God and praise Him from the bottom of my heart!