The Presence of Christ
I have seen many beautiful things, but never have I seen the beauties which I have seen in the dark cell beneath the earth. Never have I heard such beautiful music as on that day. The King of kings, Jesus, was with us. We saw His understanding, loving eyes. He wiped our tears away. He sent us words of love and words of forgiveness. We knew that everything which had been evil in our lives had passed away, had been forgotten by God. Now there came wonderful days; the bride was in the arms of the bridegroom – we were with Christ. We didn’t know we were in prison.
Sometimes when we were beaten and tortured, we were like St. Stephen, who while they threw stones at him, did not see his murderers, did not see the stones, but saw heaven open and Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father.
In the same way, we didn’t see the Communist torturers. We didn’t see that we were in prison.
We were surrounded by angels; we were with God.
We no longer believed about God and Christ and angels because Bible verses said it. We didn’t remember Bible verses anymore. We remembered about God because we experienced it. With great humility we can say with the apostles, “What we have seen with our eyes, what we have heard with our ears, what we have touched with our own fingers, this we tell to you.”
Torture and Brainwashing
After years of solitary confinement, we were put together in huge cells, sometimes with 200 to 300 prisoners in each cell. I will not tell you the whole truth, because you could not bear to hear it. But this I will tell. Christian prisoners were beaten, then tied on crosses for four days and four nights without interruption. The Communists then stood around them, jeering and mocking, “Look at your Christ, how beautiful He is, what fragrances He brings from heaven.”
Then they kicked the other prisoners, forcing them to kneel down and to adore and worship this besmeared living crucifix.
Then worse times came, the times of brainwashing. Anyone who has not passed through brainwashing can’t understand what torture it is. From five in the morning until ten in the evening, seventeen hours a day, we had to sit perfectly straight. We were not allowed to lean or rest our head. To close our eyes was a crime.
Seventeen hours a day we had to hear, “Communism is good, Communism is good, Communism is good. Christianity is stupid, Christianity is stupid, Christianity is stupid. Nobody believes in Christ anymore, nobody believes in Christ anymore. Give up, give up, give up!” For days, weeks, and years, we had to listen to this.
Finally, the worst came. Communists torture those who believe in God. With red-hot iron pokers, with rubber truncheons, with sticks, with all kinds of methods, Christians were tortured by the Communists.
And then the miracle happened…
To Be Continued…
Date: 22nd July 2023
Martyr: Richard Wurmbrand
Location: Romania 1945
Source: Jesus Freaks
Author: DC Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs
Suffering Saturday 049
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