A bloody massacre in Turkey

A bloody massacre in Turkey

Dear friends, last week filled us with sadness over the loss that met us.Many of you have heard of the events in Malatyi, in one Turkish province 300 miles northeast of Antioch.It is known that believers from the city of Antioch were the first to be called Christians.(Acts 11,26) on Wednesday, 18.April 2007 in the morning, the forty -six -year -old German missionary and the father of three children Tilman Geske was going to the office.My wife gave a farewell kiss and hugged his son with words that he never forgets: "See you my son, I love you".Tilman rented from the publishing house "Zirve Publishing" office room where he worked on notes of new Turkish study Bible.There is also the office "Malatya evangelist Church".The Zirve publishing house is printed by Christian literature, which is spreading to the Malatye Corps in the neighboring cities of East Turkey.In another part of the city, the 35 -year -old Pastor Necati Aydin, the father of two children and his wife, said goodbye and set out on a journey to the office for the morning prayer moment and studying the Bible, which participated in several believers from the city.Also Ugur Yuksel went on a journey to visit the biblical hour.None of these three men knew what he would meet.The biblical hour was to become the hardest test and at the same time by the certificate of their faith, which was supposed to end with the entry into God's fame and receiving the crown of justice, which Jesus granted to all of his saints in the presence of the living God.Meanwhile, 10 young men were preparing, none of them were older than twenty years old, the highest act of faith they wanted to prove their love for Allah and hatred of "unbelieving" who, in their opinion, undermine their activities.Five of these youngsters were attended by Easter Monday by the Evangelization Assembly organized by Pastor Neptati and his collaborators in the conference hall of one city hotel.Invited youngsters were a congregation and believers known as "seeking".No one knew what was happening in their hearts when they listened to the words of the Gospel.Will the Holy Spirit touches them?Will they come to know their sins?Will they accept the gospel into their heart?We don't know what was happening in them, but today we know what happened.Young men, one of them is the son of the mayor of the Malatya region, belonged to the "Tarikat", a group of faithful Islamists.Membership in the "tarikat" is something like a fraternity and has high public recognition.It is said that no one who is not a member of a tarikat will not get a place in public services.All 10 youngsters lived on student dorms where they were preparing for entrance exams for university.They armed with weapons, knives, ropes and towels, ready for their, even the last service for Allah.Well they knew they would flow a lot of blood.Around ten in the morning came to the biblical hour.The assembly began shortly after their arrival.Apparently they attacked after the Necati read the chapter from the Bible.Tied Ugura, Necati and Tilman and tied them hands and legs to chairs.For three hours they tortured brothers and filmed everything on mobile phones.Tilman has been stabbed 156 times, not cathy 99 times, and Ugurs's body was directly dotted with countless stab wounds.They watched helplessly as they unraveled them with a knife, ejected the intestines and they cut.They did the same with her genital organs after they were shunned.They cut off their fingers on their hands, unraveling their nasal and oral cavities and rectum.The worst thing for them was to see how they dealt with their brothers the same.Eventually they cut them from ear to ear throat, which is nothing but execution by cutting off the head.The official reaction of the Turkish Interior Minister on television to attack against our brothers was words accompanied by a smile: “We hope you have learned your lesson.We don't want to have any Christians here.“Hundreds of Turkish Christians and dozens of pastors have arrived or arrived as quickly as possible to participate in the funeral while encouraging a small Christian choir in Malatyi.When Susanne Tilman wished her husband be buried in Malatyi, he tried to prevent the governor of all the strength.And when he saw that he wouldn't succeed, he spread the city around the city, "that it was a sin, dig a grave for a Christian".Finally, Christians from Adan (near Tarsu) took the shovel to dig up their grave to their executed brother in an old Armenian cemetery that no one has taken over for more than 100 years.On the front pages of the largest Turkish newspapers, an interview with Susanne Tilman, who told reporters that she would not seek retribution, on the contrary, forgive the reporters that she was not looking for retribution."God, forgive them, for they don't know what she does," she said in Jesus' words.(Lk.23,34) In the ground like Turkey, where retaliation of blood for blood is something as obvious as air, these words aroused attention not only with journalists.One of the journalists commented on the statement with.Tilmans words: “She said one sentence what 1000 missionaries in 1000 years did not do."Missionaries from Malatye are likely to leave because their families have become the target of enemy accusation in the city.The remaining 10 believers have hidden.What happens to this small choir, light in the dark?Will probably go underground.Pastor Fikret Bocek encourages, "Please pray for the Church in Turkey.Pray to endure at the time of persecution."Translation: Jiří Sečka, Christian Center Oase, Nachod, http: // www.Oase.quinques.cz

Source: from a letter of the Protestant Corps in Smyrna, addressed to all churches of the world (shortened)

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