The Heavenly Man (7 page)

I thank God for his grace and calling to me. What great power he has for those who believe in him!

Despite the terrible season of persecution that was raging across China, Deling and I prepared to travel north. Together we sang a song based on the Apostle Paul’s courageous declaration in Acts 20:22–24,

We continued meeting with believers, encouraging them and seeking the Lord for guidance. During one prayer time
a servant of the Lord suddenly spoke a prophecy to us: “This time, when you and your wife go north, you will encounter danger. But no matter what happens, the Lord will be with you.”

The next morning, before the sun rose, Deling and I took the bus towards Wuyang County in the north. We passed through many bus stations displaying posters with my name and picture, announcing that I was a dangerous criminal, a counter-revolutionary. The posters accused me of being the leader of an anti-government organization that stirred people up against state religious policies.

At one town we had to change our bus. I was wearing sunglasses to hide my eyes. Many people at the station had seen my picture and we overheard them discussing it. One man said, “The person who helps catch this fugitive will receive a great reward from the government.”

My wife and I had an unspoken joy inside because we knew the Lord was our refuge. We felt so honoured to be wanted criminals as we walked hand-in-hand together for Jesus. It’s a great honour to be humiliated for the name of the Lord.

We found the Christians in Henan were totally different from those in Hubei. They were all willing to risk their lives for us and to welcome us “criminals” into their homes. The more tense the situation, the more they earnestly desired to show their love and respect to God’s servants.

Onward we marched. A meeting was arranged at a certain village. We were led by the Holy Spirit to sing a powerful song called
Martyrs for the Lord:

When we finished singing the whole meeting place was shaken. There was a great sound of weeping. I stood up to speak about suffering for the Lord. The Holy Spirit fell upon us and we earnestly interceded for our nation. We re-dedicated ourselves to fight for the Lord.

After the meeting brother Zhen, a humble and faithful brother, knelt down in the courtyard after everyone else had gone to sleep, and continued to pray for our nation. The Holy Spirit clearly told him, “Within three days there are people among you who will be bound and beaten for me. Some will even lay down their lives for me.”

After he told me this I felt the Lord was speaking to me personally. I whispered a prayer, “O Father, I’m willing to suffer for your Name.”

My wife and I prayed together and we felt she needed to return home to comfort the families of our many workers who had been imprisoned. I waved goodbye to her as the local believers took her to the bus station.

For all three days of our meeting the snow kept falling. Some of the older homes in the village collapsed from the weight of the snow on their roofs. The whole village was blanketed with ice and snow, but everyone in the meeting was on fire for the Lord.

At midnight on the third day, 17 December 1983, the meeting concluded. The hosts had prepared warm water to wash everyone’s feet. I washed my co-workers’ feet with my tears. Then they urged me to sit down. They took off my socks and washed my feet with their tears, before gently putting my shoes back on again. Our meeting was in a place called “The Village of Love”. How true it had turned out to be!

We split up to go to the homes of different believers to rest. Before we left, Brother Zhang took off his big winter scarf and gave it to me.

Just after we left the meeting place about a dozen men carrying flashlights confronted us at the outskirts of the village. They shouted, “Who are you? What is your business here?” Our co-workers knew something was wrong so they turned around and ran. I also turned to run but it was too late.

One man, wielding an electric baton, ran to me and shocked me with hundreds of volts of electricity. I was immediately thrown backwards into the snow. Excruciating pain surged through my entire body.

They kicked me with their steel-capped boots and struck me with their pistol handles. Another four brothers were arrested with me. At that moment I heard a gentle voice from above that simply said two words to me, “I know!”

I realized this was the familiar voice of my Lord Jesus, who many centuries before had told the persecuted believers in Smyrna,
“I know your afflictions and your poverty – yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:9–10.

My Lord knew what I was going through and he knew everything I would have to endure. I was greatly encouraged!

Brother Zhen’s prophecy came into my mind, and all the pain left me. One officer demanded, “What is your name? Where are you from? How many workers do you have? Where are they? Speak now! Tell the truth!” He leaned forward and spoke more threateningly than before, “Tell me the truth. If you lie, I’ll skin you alive!”

Suddenly I felt tense inside as I realized many brothers and sisters still in the meeting place were in danger of being found. The only thought I had in my mind was how I could raise an alarm so they would know trouble was at their door.

The Holy Spirit immediately reminded me of the story when King David feigned insanity when he met Abimelech.

I shouted in a loud voice, “I am a heavenly man! I live in Gospel village! People call me Morning Star! My father’s name is Abundant Blessing! My mother’s name is Faith, Hope, Love!”

The officers kicked me violently then dragged me to my feet. They shouted, “What nonsense are you shouting? We asked you where you’re from and who your co-workers are!”

At that moment I was facing the east. I told them, “They’re in that village over there.” I shouted again with a loud voice, “I’ve been caught by the Security Police!”

The officers shoved me and ordered me to take them to find my co-workers. “Take us. If you’re lying we’ll skin you alive!” they grimly threatened.

I walked ahead of them and shouted in a loud voice, “I’ve been arrested by the Security Police! I don’t know where the meetings took place because I’m a heavenly man! I’m not from this earth!”

I shouted louder and louder, hoping my co-workers would hear my voice and escape before they too were arrested.

From that day to now, completely unknown to me at the time, I was given the nickname “the heavenly man” by believers in China. As you can see, I didn’t ask for this name, for I’m just a weak human vessel, but this is how I came to be known by this nickname.

Instead of fleeing when they heard my shouting, many of the brothers and sisters came out to see what was going on! They were more concerned for me than for their own safety.

I led the officers through the snow, towards the village to the east. They grabbed me and demanded, “Quickly, tell us which house! Take us in!”

I pretended to be confused and shouted, “Oh, it’s not this village. I’m mistaken! My co-workers are in another village!”

They threw me to the ground, beating and kicking me. Again the baton was used to electrocute me. I would surely have died if the Lord had not protected me.

Some brothers and sisters were silently following us at a distance. When they saw the punishment I was given they were filled with grief and started to pray. The officers noticed them.

I didn’t want to place the believers at risk so I shouted again, “I’m a heavenly man. I don’t know where the meeting was. I don’t know any of you who are following us. The heavenly man will never become a Judas! I only know the Master from heaven!”

The brothers and sisters realized I was warning them. They turned around and fled.

The officers were furious because I had tricked them. The four co-workers and I were pushed into the back of a tractor that had been brought to transport us to Wuyang City. We were tied together with one rope like cattle going to slaughter. Standing in the back of the tractor, I sang in a loud voice:

The five of us were placed in a prison cell inside the police station. The temperature was well below freezing. There was no heating at all, and they had taken my coat and thrown it in the snow. We shivered and our limbs turned blue. We
almost fell unconscious. Our frozen handcuffs cut like knives into our swollen wrists.

I used the handcuffs to knock on the door and the iron windows. As I looked around I saw a broken wooden box in the corner of the cell. Inside was an old drum. I beat the drum with my handcuffs and made a loud noise. At the top of my voice I sang Psalm 150:

The more I sang the more I was filled with joy. I stood up and praised the Lord. Gradually my frozen hands and feet regained feeling and I wasn’t cold any more. The four brothers knelt down on the floor and earnestly prayed for China. The piercing wind whistled loudly outside, but inside our cell weeping and the groans of intercessory prayers were heard.

The guards were greatly incensed by my drumming and singing, but they didn’t want to get out of their warm beds to stop me. The five of us encouraged and strengthened one
another throughout the night. Just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, we learned that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, whether in a freezing prison cell or a fiery furnace. Hallelujah!

The next morning the guards opened the cell door and took us out into the yard. There was a thick layer of snow on the ground. They released the handcuffs from my four brothers. They told them, “You must clear all the snow in the yard. But this crazy ‘heavenly man’ will not have his handcuffs removed. Last night he created an uproar and kept us awake with his singing and drumming.”

The chief guard waved his electric baton in front of my face and said, “Now is the time for you to wake up!” He ordered me to kneel down before him. I loudly protested, “I will not kneel down before you. I will only kneel down before my God!”

He arrogantly stated, “I am your Lord! I am your God! If you kneel down before me I can release you immediately.”

I spoke angrily to him, “In the name of Jesus, you are not my God! You are just an earthly officer. My Lord is in heaven. I am a heavenly man.”