The Heavenly Man (8 page)

He turned on the power switch on his baton and snarled, “If you are a heavenly man then you won’t be afraid of this electric baton. Come! Use your hands to take hold of it!”

Several guards grabbed my arms and forced me to stretch out my hand. In an instant I was stung with hundreds of volts of electric current, like the sting of a scorpion or as if a thousand arrows had pierced my heart. Feeling I was about to pass out, I cried out, “Lord, have mercy on me!”

Immediately the electric baton malfunctioned! They couldn’t get it to work!

I opened my eyes and stared at the guard who’d dared to
call himself “God”. He was terrified. Despite the temperature, he was sweating! He turned and ran away as fast as he could!

The four brothers had witnessed this event and when they saw the guards force my hand on the baton they prayed God would have mercy on me.

The next morning the five of us were shoved into a van. They took us to the prison in Wuyang.

When I entered the prison yard on the way to the cell I knew there must be many Christian brothers inside that prison because of the wave of persecution against the church. In a bid to encourage them I shouted out, “A heavenly man has been sent to prison. I’m not like Judas! I will not betray the Lord!” After we arrived the guard locked me in the same cell as Brother Zhen and ten other men.

Some minutes later I was in my cell when I heard the prison gate open. Some more believers were being brought in. The guard on the gate asked one Christian, “Are you a heavenly man, or are you an earthly man?”

The brother said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The guards wanted to know which of the Christians were like the heavenly man they had just brought in, and which were not.

This brother finally answered, “I’m a man from the earth, not a heavenly man.”

The guard said, “Because you’re just an earthly man, tonight I will put you in the cell of a heavenly man.”

When he entered the cell I was kneeling down in prayer. I stared at him with great intensity. My spirit was so angry because he’d denied being a believer in order to make it easy on himself.

With great fervency I shouted, “You should say No! No! No! to the devil!”

I stood up and continued to shout, “You must say No! No! No! to the devil!”

While he watched, I used my right forefinger to trace the word “No!” on the cement wall. I pressed my finger against the rough wall so hard that it became numb and started to bleed. With the blood from my own finger I wrote this sentence on the wall: “No! No! No! Don’t be afraid! Don’t trust in man, trust only in Jesus.”

When this brother saw these words written with my own blood he felt great shame and conviction for compromising his testimony. He bowed his head and wept tears of repentance. After his release from prison he became a leader of the church in his locality.

Several old Christian women living nearby heard of our arrest. In the night they trudged through the snow to bring us their best blankets and coats. One of the old sisters even hobbled through the snow on her crutches; such was her love for the family of God!

When they arrived at the prison they told the guard they had brought these gifts for the heavenly people. The guard asked, “For whom?”

They replied, “For the heavenly people.”

I was staying in the cell closest to the prison office, so I could hear all of this. My heart was filled with thanksgiving when I heard of their love. I cried out, “I am a heavenly man!” so that those dear sisters could hear my voice.

The next morning the guards had exchanged the old sisters’ gifts. They threw a tattered blanket into my cell and kept the good blankets and clothes for themselves. The women had also brought me a new pair of boots, but a guard stole them for himself. The blanket I received was old and ragged, but those sisters’ love gave me great faith and courage.

There were dozens of Christians in that prison, and we all
endured terrible beatings and torture for the Lord. God granted us special patience and wisdom in dealing with our persecutors.

The prison authorities liked to entice some of the rough prisoners to beat up other prisoners. They offered to make their sentences lighter and bribed them with promises of better meals if they agreed to do their dirty work for them.

At mealtimes we were served a tiny bowl of mouldy, mashed sweet potato paste mixed with radish. Once a week we were given a
mantou
– a small steamed bread bun. All of the prisoners were nearly starving, so this was a real treat.

One evening after I received my precious
mantou
I knelt down, closed my eyes, and gave thanks to the Lord with the
mantou
in my upraised hand. While my eyes were still closed one of the other prisoners came and snatched my bun from me.

One of the guards saw the man take my
mantou
and hide it in his shirt-pocket. The guards beat him mercilessly and ordered the other prisoners to beat him too. They then forced him to kneel down inside the urinal, smearing his head with human waste.

Like brute savages they held the man’s head in the urinal until he nearly drowned.

I felt so guilty! I wept loudly and uncontrollably because of what had happened to my fellow prisoner.

I cried out to the Lord, “O God, have mercy on me! Have mercy on me! Please forgive me!”

The next morning the guards took me out from the cell and practised martial arts on my body. They kicked and punched me to the ground and ordered several other prisoners to stamp on my chest and private parts. Blood gushed
from my mouth. I was dizzy and in great pain. I was sure I was going to die.

Up until that time Brother Zhen and I – though we shared the same cell – pretended we didn’t know each other. If the prison authorities knew two Christians were encouraging each other they would be furious.

But when Brother Zhen saw what had happened to me in the yard, he rushed over to me, cradled my body in his arms, and cried, “Heavenly man, my dear brother!” He used his sleeves to wipe the blood from my nose and mouth.

Brother Zhen served me like an angel. He always encouraged me with words of hope from the Scriptures. All the other prisoners and guards sensed he had a kind and merciful spirit so they liked him.

A few days later the PSB sent a car to collect him and take him back to his home town for sentencing. They shouted, “Zhen, get ready. It’s time for you to leave.”

Brother Zhen hated to leave me. We wept and knelt in prayer together on the floor.

“Leave in peace,” I told him.

This man of God was taken away from our prison and from our lives.

Although Brother Zhen had left, his teaching remained. Some of the prisoners began to say to each other, “We need to believe in Jesus.” As a result, those criminals no longer treated me cruelly.

One young prisoner was an unbeliever, though his mother was a Christian. He stayed in my cell for a few days and found I wasn’t mad like the guards had told him I was. He said to the other prisoners, “Yun is not crazy. He’s a man who has paid a great price for his faith in God.”

He took off his coat and gave it to me out of love and compassion. The next day the young man was released from the
cell and given a job in the kitchen. A little while later he was allowed to go home and he became a committed disciple of Jesus Christ.

During those days in prison I was interrogated many times. They sensed that they had caught a “big fish” but couldn’t find out my true identity. They used every technique they knew to try to find out where I came from, so that they could go after my co-workers. I foiled their plans by refusing to answer their questions. I could never implicate the brothers and sisters in my home church.

Because I wouldn’t reveal my identity, the authorities in Wuyang County sent a letter to every other county in Henan, asking them to come and see if I was from their area. Several PSB officers from other counties came and left disappointed that I wasn’t who they thought I was. The prison telephoned all over the province trying to identify me.

Finally, more than five weeks after my arrest, I was identified. At around 8:30 a.m. on the morning of 25 January 1984, PSB officers from Nanyang County came and immediately recognized me. They were overjoyed. They told me, “You’re good at fooling the police here with your feigned insanity, but you don’t fool us! Even if you lost your skin we’d still be able to recognize you. You’ve escaped from us many times and made us look stupid, but you won’t escape this time!”

They slapped me and handcuffed me behind my back. They said, “Let’s go! We’re taking you back to Nanyang and will deal with you when we get there.”

The Nanyang officers thanked the local PSB for taking care of me and threw me into the back of their van. They handcuffed me to a steel rail above my head that ran down the centre of the van. After closing the doors they beat me with their fists and with batons, severely wounding me.

As they drove throughout the day on the bumpy roads my handcuffs cut into my wrists so that blood splattered everywhere, covering the walls of the van. The handcuffs cut so deep that my wrist bones were exposed. I was in such agony I could hardly breathe. I was about to fall unconscious because of the pain and loss of blood.

I cried out to the Lord and said, “Jesus, I can no longer endure. Why are you allowing me to be tortured like this? Please receive my spirit now.”

The guards travelling in the back of the van switched on an electric baton when they heard me praying and jolted me with shocks. The pain was too severe for me and I felt my heart and my brain were going to literally explode from my body.

Again I cried to the Lord, “God, have mercy on me. Please receive my spirit now.”

The word of the Lord came to me clearly, “The reason you suffer is so you can partake in the fellowship of my suffering. Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.”

In my proud heart I’d been thinking that I was important to the church, that they needed me to lead them. Now, I vividly understood that he is God and I am but a feeble man. I realized that God didn’t need me at all, and that if he ever chose to use me again it would be nothing more than a great privilege.

Suddenly the fear and pain left me.

The police van finally entered the streets of Nanyang, my home town. They slowed down. I could see through the windows that posters had been plastered on every wall along both sides of the street, announcing, “Celebrate and warmly congratulate the Public Security Bureau! The Christian counter-revolutionary Yun, who has clothed his
criminal activities in the cloak of religion, has been apprehended!”

“The arrest of the counter-revolutionary Yun is good news for the people of Nanyang!”

“Down with the reactionary Yun and his fellow workers! Resolutely strike down all illegal Christian meetings led by Yun!”

The guards turned their siren on so they could boast to the people of their great achievement in catching me. The news of my arrest spread quickly and people rushed after the van to see me.

But I was no longer afraid. The Lord had already told me,
“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…Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10.

During my long painful van journey back to Nanyang the Lord continually comforted me by saying,
“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10.

When the police van arrived at the Nanyang prison gate, they took my handcuffs off the steel rail and pushed me out of the back of the van onto the frozen ground. A bitterly cold blizzard was blowing from the north. My face and hair were drenched with blood. My eyes were blackened and my face swollen. I had no shoes on my feet and the handcuffs had cut deeply into my wrists.

They took me into a large interrogation room where a dozen PSB officers were waiting to see what kind of a person I was.

When they first saw my small frame, my swollen bloodied face, and my unkempt hair sticking out, they laughed
loudly at me and mocked, “What? You are the heavenly man?”

The chief officer looked at me with disgust in his eyes. He asked, “Are you Yun? Are you the Yun who’s been running all around the country causing trouble? Today you belong to us. Don’t you dare ever try to escape from us. The law has finally caught up with you!”

The man second in charge of the PSB arrogantly boasted, “We have a net covering the heavens that is without any holes. You could never escape the long arm of our law! Yun, you have lost the fight today. Your co-workers are already in our hands. Even your fellow criminal Mr. XuYongze is under our control. Your church is totally finished. You have completely failed. You are an enemy of our country and an enemy of the Party.”

When I heard these words I felt great anger inside. A spirit of faith spoke from within me, “The gospel grows through hardship and will spread throughout the world. The truth will enter everyone’s heart. Truth is always truth. Nothing and no one can change that. It will always conquer.”

The officers stared at me with total disdain. One man, wearing a sinister smile, leaned forward and whispered, “Yun, haven’t you experienced enough suffering yet? Do you want us to ‘entertain’ you some more?”

I bowed my head and said nothing. He continued, “You should be aware how serious your crimes are. The policy of our government is to treat you well if you confess your crimes openly and honestly. But if you lie and don’t co-operate we’ll treat you harshly!”

In my heart I felt strong. I was determined to obey God and not man. I meditated on the Scripture,
“The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1.

The deputy leader spoke again, “Even though you’ve committed so many serious crimes against our nation, we will have mercy on you and give you a way out. If you honestly report, in detail, about all your work, your co-workers, and the activities of your movement over the years, I guarantee we will release you immediately and you can go home to be with your wife and mother for the New Year festival.”

He thought I was an uneducated peasant, so he tried to trick me with big words and with government policy. It was just seven days before the start of the Lunar New Year holiday.

When the deputy leader spoke, I inwardly wanted to say these words, “You guarantee my release if I confess all my ‘crimes’? I guarantee you will die and go to hell if you don’t repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ.”

However, I held back those words and said the following, “For the last few days I’ve been tortured, beaten, and almost starved to death. Sometimes I couldn’t even breathe because of the pain inflicted on me. I haven’t eaten properly for a long time. Now you want me to tell you everything I’ve done for years. How can I do that in my present condition? Please give me time to think, rest and recuperate. When I’ve finished reflecting on my past I’ll let you know.”

The officers were impressed by my logic. They thought my request was reasonable so they let me go back to the cell to think over my activities. They asked me, “When will you be ready?” I replied, “I’ll let you know the very moment I’m ready.”

I was taken to the number two prison cell, passing through four iron gates. Encircling the prison was a high red-brick wall topped by electric wire. Armed guards closely watched the prisoners from watchtowers at all four corners of the prison wall.

As I settled into my new home the Holy Spirit reminded me of these verses:
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28.

“Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 2 Timothy 3:12.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James 1:2–3.

Again the Lord spoke to me, “Be still and know that I am God.”

I began to understand that the presence of God was my refuge. I knew I was about to face a great fiery trial. There was no way I would ever be like Judas and turn against my brothers and sisters. I’d rather be skinned alive than reveal the names of my precious co-workers.

I decided to lean upon God’s Word and fast and pray in order to face the storm clouds gathering on the horizon. I needed to follow Jesus’ example when he fasted in the desert to overcome the devil’s temptations.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” Romans 8:35.

On my first day in Nanyang prison I concluded that God wanted me to fast and pray for the advance of the gospel, that thousands of souls would experience salvation, and that the house churches throughout China would be victorious.

I started to fast in my cell on the evening of 25 January 1984. Immediately the sense of hunger attacked me. More and more temptation came. I was so hungry I could hardly stand it.

Immediately my commitment was sorely tested. That night
the chief prison warden wanted to show his compassionate side in celebration of the upcoming New Year, so he allowed the prisoners to have better food than their usual rancid meals. Each man was given one
mantou
along with some pork soup and a stick of celery.

To the starving prisoners this was truly a lavish feast. The smell of the food floated down the hallways before we saw it. When it arrived the prisoners gobbled it up like ravenous wolves and literally licked their bowls clean.

The devil reasoned with me, “There’s only one New Year’s holiday each year. You should eat a little bit of good food now while you have the chance.” I very nearly surrendered to the temptation.

From the time of my capture in north-east Henan I’d eaten very little, and had lost weight. I was hungry, bruised and battered. I decided I would eat, but immediately a word from the Lord came to me,
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7.

I prayed, “Spirit of hunger, leave me now in the name of Jesus Christ.”

I gave my soup,
mantou,
and celery back to the prison warden and told him, “Please share my portion with all the men in this cell.”

The hunger pains immediately left me.

Food was the god of the criminals in that prison. Because I’d surrendered my portion they began to think well of me and started to treat me nicely. After they finished scoffing down their meal my cell mates wanted to know why I’d been arrested. They asked, “Why is a nice person like you in this place?” I told them it was because I was a chosen vessel of the Lord.

They asked me if I could sing them a song. I began to sing,

All my fellow prisoners loved to listen to this song. Some understood the words and some didn’t. They all believed in fate – that we can’t change what will happen to us during our lives. I told them that God controlled all things, not fate, and that our lives were determined by him and by the choices we make to obey or disobey his Word. I used this opportunity to tell them what the Bible says,
“Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:27–28.

I urged the prisoners to repent and accept Jesus as their Saviour.

After speaking for about half an hour I had great pain in my head and chest because of the beatings I’d received. Even while I was sharing, my head throbbed and my chest felt it would collapse.

I knew the Lord wanted me to rest, so I told my cell mates,
“I’m willing to share more with you about Jesus, but I can’t speak now because I have a great pain in my head and chest. My God has told me I need to rest and be still. From this day on, therefore, I won’t eat any food or drink any water. Instead, I will give my portion to all of you. Please don’t report this to the guards, because if they know they won’t let me give my meals to you.”

Everyone was overjoyed with my offer, because in the prison the men were cruelly treated and the food was horrible. Their stomach was their god, and food their master.

On 29 January 1984, I was taken for interrogation again. The presiding judge said, “We’ve already given you some days to think. We want you to speak now. If you’re honest we will let you go home and you can reunite with your family.”

I told him, “I’ve been involved in so many activities that I haven’t been able to think about them all in these few days. I don’t want to ruin your holiday celebrations by causing you unhappiness, so please give me some more time to think.”

The two main judges looked at each other and told me, “Yun, you’re an understanding person. We’ll let you go back to your cell, but after the New Year festival you’ll have to give us a very clear confession.”

After I returned to my cell the Lord gently told me, “You shall rest. Do not be afraid. Just submit to me. Do not look upon circumstances, do not look upon yourself, and do not look to others. Pray more and you shall see my glory.”

Day and night I meditated on the Word of God, on all that is holy and edifying. I thought of the great men and women of the Bible who had suffered for their faith.

I considered how Jesus had willingly submitted himself to God’s will, and had endured the wrath of sinful men. I thought about Joseph and his experiences in Egypt, Daniel in
the lion’s den, and about Stephen as he was being stoned to death. I meditated on what Paul had written during his times of incarceration, and of Peter’s imprisonment and miraculous escape in the twelfth chapter of Acts. They were like clouds of witnesses surrounding my thoughts. Their example cast away the fears and burdens from my heart.

In those days I was just like a baby sleeping in the arms of his mother, peacefully suckling at his mother’s bosom.

God purified my heart. I held no hatred or malice against those who had treated me so cruelly. I lived in close fellowship with the Lord. I realized that everything that had happened to me was the result of God’s will alone. This enabled me to genuinely love the souls of those bad men who had attacked and tried to destroy me. I felt very meek and gentle. My spirit was full of joy and thanksgiving as I magnified the Lord.

I told the Lord I would not speak a single word to anyone until the day I saw my family again. I didn’t want to speak because the Lord had told me I should rest and trust only in him.

For day after day, week after week, I didn’t eat or drink a thing. The Lord himself was my sustenance. I know that it’s medically impossible to live more than a few days without any water, but
“What is impossible with men is possible with God.” Luke 18:27.

I never stopped to think that the fast was a miracle, and I never knew it would go on so long. All I knew was that God had told me to rest and to meditate on Jesus. This is what my mind and heart was wholly focused on during the fast. After the first few days I didn’t think about food or water again. Day by day my spirit communed closer with Jesus. My own sinfulness diminished as the presence and light of the Lord was magnified in my spirit.

I learned the literal truth of Jesus’ teaching,
“Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4.

For his glory, God had instructed me to fast. It was not merely my idea or something that man could plan. I was able to fast like this, without a crumb of food or a drop of liquid, only because God wanted me to. It was undertaken out of obedience to his command, not as a sacrifice in a bid to please him.
“To obey is better than sacrifice.” 1 Samuel 15:22.

Time quickly passed. On 11 February I was interrogated again. I’d become so weak that I had to be carried into the interrogation room by a fellow prisoner. My eyes were tightly shut and I just lay on the floor, motionless.

The officers asked me several questions but I didn’t open my mouth. They thought I was pretending so started whipping me with a leather whip.