Cult Eastern Lightning
Cult Eastern Lightning
Here is an article from Asia Harvest on the demonic cult Eastern
Lightning:
By Paul Hattaway
A few years ago I had the privilege of speaking to house
church leaders in a meeting on the outskirts of the huge city of Xian in China.
As the morning passed into afternoon I noticed one young lady in her early 20s
who was attending the meeting. During the meal times and breaks she hobbled
around the room, painfully dragging her crippled right leg behind her. Her face
was gaunt, void of the expressions of deep joy that permeated the faces of the
other Christians in the meeting.
At the end of the day’s training the brother who
organized the meeting asked my coworker and I if we would pray for some of the
leaders. Of course we agreed, and the very first believer to come up to us was
the partially-crippled young woman. Thinking she would ask for prayer for her
injuries, I asked, “What happened to your leg?” She immediately looked down at
the floor as tears welled up in her eyes.
“Pastor,” she quietly explained, “Several months ago I
was deceived into joining the Eastern Lightning cult. When I realized they
didn’t believe the Bible and weren’t believers in Jesus, I tried to leave, but
they wouldn’t let me go. To prevent my escape they severely beat my legs with an
iron bar. With the help of another Christian sister I was finally able to flee,
but the Eastern Lightning have sent agents to find and murder me. My left leg is
almost back to normal now, but my right leg is badly damaged and it gives me
great pain.”
After taking a deep breath she continued, “Please pray
for me, not only that God would restore my leg but also my mind. The cult
brainwashed and tortured me for weeks. I am still struggling to regain God’s
peace in my life that I had previously. Please also pray the Lord would hide me
from those who wish to take my life.”
For years I’d been receiving reports about the terrible
influence of the Eastern Lightning Cult upon Christians in China, but now
suddenly it seemed much more real to me.
The second Christian requesting prayer had a similar
experience of being trapped by the Eastern Lightning, as had two or three others
in our meeting that day.
Later, over a bowl of watery rice noodles, I asked the
main regional house church leader how their work was going. Usually China’s
house churches experience phenomenal growth and have hours of God-glorifying
testimonies to tell. This time, the brother in charge of the group’s work in
northwest China said, “We are not doing well. Last year we had more than 520
churches. Now we have about 450. In the past year many of our leaders were
targeted by the Eastern Lightning cult. Some were attracted by their financial
inducements and joined them. Later, when they discovered what they’d joined was
not Biblical, they were not permitted to leave. Dozens of our believers are
missing, dozens more crippled. Some who have managed to escape the cult’s
clutches are in hiding, fearing for their lives. At least two of our people have
been murdered. Others have simply vanished.”
“Brother Paul,” he continued, “please tell Christians
around the world to pray for us, and to pray against the powerful demonic forces
behind the Eastern Lightning that threaten to decimate us. In the past many of
us suffered torture and great hardship in prison at the hands of the
authorities, but we survived with our faith intact. Some leaders have even told
me it would be a relief if they were in prison again compared to the trial they
are undergoing now at the hands of this wicked cult. The threat of the Eastern
Lightning is much worse than anything the Communists can do to us.”
With this brother’s request still ringing in my ears,
news has come from China (April 19, 2002) of the kidnapping of 33 top leaders of
the China Gospel Fellowship house church network by the Eastern Lightning.
With thousands of Christians around the world deeply concerned about the plight
of our Chinese brothers and sisters, yet with few people knowing anything about
the Eastern Lightning, I have decided to write this paper examining the
background, theology and practices of the Eastern Lightning., It is my hope that
Christians around the world will fervently pray for the severe trial the Chinese
house churches are going through.
“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose
them.”
(Ephesians
5:11)
Who are the Eastern
Lightning?
“The satanic cult ‘Eastern Lightning’ is one of the
most evil and deceitful cults I have ever seen in China. They are positively
sheep in wolves’ clothing; they attack Jesus Christ, twist and defraud the
Bible, destroy families and lives, causing great hurt and destruction to
Christians who have been bought by the precious blood of the Saviour! They are
devils dressed as ministers of light, workers of Satan, and false prophets after
the ways of Balaam. May the Lord have mercy upon the elect that they may be able
to discern, to reject all lies and the deceitful words from Satan. May our
brethren be on the alert! May the deceived quickly repent and return!”
- Rev. Pang K.H., Chinese
Christian Church of Saipan, 20 September, 2000.
Eastern Lightning, or Dongfang Shandian in
Chinese, was founded by Zhao Weishan in Acheng City, Heilongjiang Province, in
1989. Zhao was an unhappy member of the Shouters sect. He rejected many of the
Shouters’ teachings and broke away with several other church members to start a
new group which they called ‘Church of the Everlasting Fountain.’ Zhao began to
call himself “Powerful Lord.”
They grew rapidly, and somehow managed to receive
substantial financial support that enabled them to set up an underground
printing house, producing tens of thousands of booklets and tracts outlining
their views. By 1991, when the group was declared illegal and the printing press
was shut down, they already had thousands of followers.
Zhao and his leading coworkers fled from the authorities
in Heilongjiang and restarted their activities in Henan Province. In 1993 Zhao
changed the name of the cult to “Real God” and said he had received divine
revelation on the verse “For as lightning that comes the east is visible
even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:27).
This is how they came to be commonly known as the “Eastern Lightning,” or
“Lightning from the East.”
Zhao sent his main leaders, Yi Haitao, Zhang Xindong and
Zhang Hongzhen, throughout Henan Province, spreading their influence among
thousands. Many of the deceived who joined their group were illiterate rural
house church members, who had little Bible training and so were susceptible to
the group’s influence. They also target educated university students who have an
unstable grounding in the Bible.
Eastern Lightning quickly spread to neighboring Anhui,
Shaanxi and Jiangsu, and then to most parts of China. Today the Eastern
Lightning (EL) has grown with remarkable speed to at least 22 of China’s
provinces, and they are believed to number in the millions of members. A
November 2001 article in Time Magazine said the EL claim just 300,000
followers across China, (1) but that number is almost certainly a
deliberate underestimation, especially considering the Chinese government
concedes the EL have infiltrated more than 20 provinces throughout the nation.
The EL are highly organized and secretive. Their structure is hierarchal,
ranking from “the person used by the Holy Spirit” (Zhao), to provincial leaders,
district leaders, section leaders, and cell group leaders. Each member is given
responsibility for tasks he or she must carry out.
The Eastern Lightning are known to have a special
emphasis on publishing literature. According to a speech by Bi Rongsheng, deputy
director of the Shijiazhuang Public Security Bureau, the cult printed a total of
870,000 books between 1989 and 1999. (2)
Instead of trying to convert unbelievers to their
group, the Eastern Lightning appears to have decided it is better to deceive
existing Christians. They do not mind targeting nominal believers, but it’s
clear their chief goal is to attack church leaders and those with the most
influence. Their methods have included financial inducement, beatings and
torture, sexual seduction, and brainwashing.
In 1997, Tianfeng, the official magazine of the
Three Self Patriotic Movement (China’s government-sanctioned church) were so
alarmed at the inroads Eastern Lightning were making among their congregations
that they wrote several articles exposing the cult, warning readers how to
defend themselves against it. The magazine noted, “The [Eastern Lightning]
missionaries scurry to every part of the country, making a beeline especially
for the responsible persons and preachers in other religions, those who have
been preaching for many years, and when someone of a definite status has been
trapped he becomes their tool and their accomplice in crime.” (3)
Even the Catholic Church has seen many of their top
leaders lured over to the Eastern Lightning. According to an official Chinese
government report, “This cult is hastening its efforts to infiltrate underground
Catholic churches so as to increase its strength by uniting with other
underground powers. Tangshan Public Security authority [in Hebei Province]
discovered that underground Catholics in areas such as Zunhua, Fengnan and
Qianan have joined hands with this cult.” (4)
The founder of the Eastern Lightning, Zhao Weishan, was
granted refugee status in the United States in 2000, on the ground of being
persecuted for his religious beliefs. He continues to command the cult’s
activities inside China and around the world from his American base.
In recent years the Eastern Lightning are believed to
have won over leading Communist Party figures in various localities. After
indoctrinating them and being sure of their allegiance, the cult then persuades
the officials to use their influence to protect cult members, and to create ways
for the group to multiply. Although the Eastern Lightning are number two on
Beijing’s “Cult Hit List,” ranking only after the Falungong, (5)
efforts to crush the EL appear to have been sidetracked by local government
officials around the country who have been converted to, or bought off, by the
cult.
Although we have seen the EL have targeted government
officials, Catholics, and Three Self Church leaders, there is no doubt the main
focus for the cult is the unregistered Protestant house church churches,
believed to number between 50 and 70 million adherents throughout the country.
What the Eastern
Lightning Believe
Eastern Lightning theology appears to evolve year by
year, but according to respected China church expert Tony Lambert, it can be
broken down into three or four main categories. This information is taken from
one of the cult’s own books, summarized from Tony Lambert’s, “Lightning from
the East a New Cult,” China Insight, OMF International, March-April 1998.
All quotes from the next three points are taken from Lambert’s valuable
essay.
(1) The Female Messiah
The cult believes God has appeared in three different
eras throughout history, using different names. The first era was the Age of
the Law, when God’s name was Jehovah. “He did not possess all the attributes
of God, as there were some things He did not know.... When the Law of Moses was
given, his work was done.”
Next was the Age of Grace. Lambert notes that
during this second era, the EL believe “God changed His name to Jesus. Eastern
Lightning denies the deity of Christ, stating that ‘Jesus is a created being’”
and that the Trinity is “an ancient falsehood.”
The Third Age is the present “age of the Kingdom,”
and God has changed His name yet again, this time to “Lightning.” In this Age,
the cult claims there is “only judgment and punishment, without any grace.” This
age is superior to the others. Only those who believe in the female messiah of
the Third Age can be saved. Lambert notes, “Blasphemously they assert that ‘now
that we have entered the Kingdom Age all the words spoken by Jesus are
worthless.’”
The Eastern Lightning twists Scripture to “prove” that
Jesus Christ has already returned, as a 30-year-old plain-looking Chinese woman
living in Henan Province! They claim Christ already returned “as a thief in the
night” in 1990, and entered the churches of China with great power. Ironically,
the identity and location of the Eastern Lightning’s new messiah is unknown by
members of the cult. It seems this woman named Lightning is only a fictional
character rather than an actual person alive in China today.
(2) The Five Kinds of People
Eastern Lightning (EL) divides all of mankind into five
categories.
The Many Elder Sons are those
who come from God. They were somehow “born of God before creation.” They have
the same nature as God and have the power to judge, punish and curse. In the Age
of the Kingdom they will judge the nations.
The Many Sons were originally sinners, but they
readily accepted the female messiah when they heard about her. They are believed
to have now attained ten standards, including having a pure understanding, a
sensitive conscience, a willing submission, and a deep love for God. They “spend
all their good” and “expend all their energy” for the female messiah.
The “People” are a category of the earth’s
inhabitants who heard the proclamation of the Word of God (EL style), converted,
and are actively seeking to attain the ten standards.
The “Servants” are those who only believe in Jesus
and resist the female messiah. “All the apostles and prophets down the ages are
in this category. These people are the children of Satan.... None will receive a
portion in the Kingdom. After death they will be reborn [reincarnated] and only
then will become effective servants of God.” It seems all Christians who refuse
to join this cult would fall under this category.
Finally, the fifth category of people the EL believes
exists are The Damned. They will never believe in the female messiah,
strongly oppose her teaching, and will be thrown into the lake of fire to suffer
eternal damnation.
(3) Attacks on the Bible
Like all cults, the EL refuses to accept the authority of
the Bible, and attack it at every opportunity. They claim the Scriptures were
dreamed up by Moses and other Old Testament writers who were not inspired by the
Holy Spirit. Lambert notes, “They deride the Scripture, so beloved by Chinese
believers. [The EL states] ‘No one has the qualifications to study Scripture. No
one can understand that book. All who follow the female Christ must throw aside
the Bible.’”
Now that we have read about some of the beliefs of the
Eastern Lightning, you may be wondering how they have managed to convince so
many Chinese Christians to join them. Surely most believers in China are not so
Biblically illiterate to be sucked into this obvious trap? The EL themselves
discovered that the great majority of Christians would not join their movement
and could easily see through their deception, so around 1996 they launched a new
phase. They turned to violence to convert believers to their ways.
What’s in the Eastern
Lightning Handbook?
One of the books written by the
EL is an “insider handbook,” instructing members how to ruin a church, gather
information, win the trust of leaders, convert pastors, and even how to bring an
entire congregation under the influence of EL. The book is divided into three
chapters. Here is a summary of direct quotes from the EL handbook:
1. Spying is making use of various connections and methods to gain access to the
inner workings of churches, winning their trust and confidence, and
understanding their structure and plans.
2. Do not speak in such a way as to make others suspicious of you. Be sober and
normal, leaving a good impression. Let proper and orderly patterns govern your
speech, sleeping, and eating. Be well mannered, dress neatly and normally....
3. You must have some basic knowledge of the Bible. Take special note on what
Jesus said in the New Testament, the epistles of Paul, and passages in
Revelation concerning saving grace....
4. Know some of the church’s methods of training and indoctrination.
5. Do not spy out these denominations: San Zi (Three-Self
Church), Catholics, Dong Zhen (Eastern Orthodox), Buddhists, Taoists,
Muslims, Beiliwang (Established King Church), Hongyi Liya (New
Testament Church), etc... [Note: the last two groups mentioned are
pseudo-Christian cults. Interestingly, the instruction to avoid spying out
Three-Self and Catholic churches is contrary to reports from both organizations
that the EL has infiltrated their midst and won many converts.]
6.
You should spy out the following: Those who believe in Jesus, pray to Jesus, who
thirst for God’s revelation; Real believers who truly love God, those with
no serious physical disability and a sane mind.
7. How to get the most out of spying: (a) You must try our best not to let
people know you are lying, even as we for the sake of our work speak not the
truth. (b) During your first few times in a new church speak little and ask many
questions. (c) Try to understand the situation, what they emphasize, so that
your actions can fall in with theirs, and not raise objections to your presence.
(d) Say what they want to hear. Be sincere in prayer, mention some moving, sad
things, and ask for more blessings for their families and the church. (e) For
those sheep more selfish, or those with families, observe their behavior and
make use of their weak points to maintain contact. For example, oblige people if
they want to take you as their mentor or confidant. (f) Some believe crying is
important in churches, so you should also cry with sadness and bitterness, thus
moving their hearts and winning their trust. (g) Others believe a Christian
should be outwardly suffering, or persecuted. Therefore you should act with a
greater degree of seriousness in order to satisfy such people. (h) Do not, at
anytime, preach during this spy stage. Only share some personal experiences or
short testimonies, so that people have a good impression of you.
8.
How to remove suspicion during spying: Many denominations do not swear oaths
before God, so make sure you do not do so. When necessary, weep or kneel to
pray, speak sincerely, cry as though it is from the heart and not faked.
9. Bridge building occurs after you have laid a good network of contacts. You
will then be able to change people’s perspectives, picking on ideas or thoughts
which will easily disrupt God’s work, changing them one by one. In other words,
the work of bridge building is to introduce your new teachings that will spark
in them “interest,” “appetite,” and “a heart of desire.”
Who is Behind the Eastern
Lightning?
Several
house church leaders over the past few years told me, without offering any
evidence, that they believe the EL is funded and operated by Satanists in
America. Judging from the cult’s stated beliefs and plans, this sounds a very
feasible possibility. The instructions we have just read from their handbook
very closely mirror the stated aims of Satanists, and their efforts to destroy
churches by targeting leaders are almost identical to methods employed against
effective churches in the West. The EL’s own admissions show that their main
motive is to defame God and try to destroy His children. Their stated goals
include to “disrupt God’s work,” and to “spy out…those who thirst for God’s
revelation; those who truly love God.” They even admit they are liars when they
stated, “we for the sake of our work speak not the truth.”
Whether Satanists in the West and the
Eastern Lightning are directly connected or not, the one thing we do know is
that they share the same father. Jesus said, “You belong to your father, the
devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from
the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he
lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
(John 8:44)
Violence
It is no exaggeration to say that thousands of Christians
across China have been physically beaten, tortured, or poisoned by the EL.
Hundreds of believers are missing. Although most of those missing may have ended
up changing sides and joining the cult, there are dozens of known deaths caused
by the brutality of the EL.
Let’s read the words of a house church pastor from
Shandong Province as he tells what happened when his church was targeted by the
EL. (6) “I know brethren from Henan, Gansu, Hebei, etc. and not a few of
them have fallen victim to violence at the hands of the EL. In this phase, the
cult will first try to trick the victim. They will call them as though they are
a family member, invite them to pray, etc. After the victim is tricked and
brought somewhere else, the EL turns violent. Nearly all of them carry a cudgel,
which they use to hit the victim’s vital parts, such as their four limbs and/or
his head, until he becomes unconscious. Then the believer is taken to a
prearranged place where the EL indoctrinate him with the teachings of the cult.
If the subject refuses to accept the teachings, they will turn to more violent
methods. Friends tell me of such cruel methods as cutting off an ear, breaking
legs, and there was even an old sister who had her neck broken because she would
not accept the teachings of the cult or their “lady Jesus.”
“During this violent phase one of my father’s colleagues
was deceived into going with them, and poison [acid?] was thrown at him. Another
colleague of mine had his water poisoned. My aunt’s neighbor was poisoned to
death. These are accounts of which I personally know. The victims are always
church members who are more influential.”
Sexual and Monetary
Enticement
Although China is experiencing
rapid economic growth, the house church believers in the countryside are among
the poorest segments of China’s population. They have nothing at all by the
world’s standards, yet they give God all they have. If you placed an offering
bag in front of them, they would get into it themselves.
When I spoke with the leader of one house church network
in northwest China, he told me the EL has made inroads into his team of leaders
primarily through monetary enticement. This church group is only able to support
their evangelists 2.5 RMB (30 U.S. cents) per meal for a sister and 1.5 RMB (18
cents) for a brother. When a leader needs to travel to minister, the church will
try to cover his bus fare if they have any cash available at the time. The
evangelist is always hosted in believer’s homes. Practically no house church
leaders receive regular income. If they are married, often their families remain
home living in abject poverty. The house church believers have Jesus, and little
else.
Taking advantage of the believers’ financial hardship,
the EL has slyly offered extraordinary sums of money to house church leaders if
they will convert. Nanyang County in southwest Henan Province is one of the
centers of China’s revival. Elders of the Nanyang Church were offered 150,000
RMB (more than US$ 18,000) to join the EL, plus the promise of two or three
mistresses. By appealing to these two basic sinful desires of mankind, greed and
lust, the faith of some has been shipwrecked.
This situation leads us to consider the financial sources
of the Eastern Lightning. The huge sums mentioned above are not only offered,
but actually paid, to those who convert. There has been some speculation from
house church leaders, but nobody is sure where the EL gets their seemingly
endless supply of money. Some of the speculation told to me includes the
existence of corporations in Singapore and China itself which operate solely to
fund the activities of EL. One house church pastor told me he believes the EL is
funded by Satanists in America. Whatever the truth, it is clear that the poorly
financed house churches cannot compete financially with the EL.
Often after kidnapping victims, the EL employs sexual
temptation in a bid to destroy the reputations of their victims. The EL use
sexual enticement on both men and women captives.
One house church leader in Anhui Province told about one
woman who had been a convert of EL for five years: “This woman is very pretty,
but she has already lost her chastity. EL has used her to lure many leaders into
fornication. Two coworkers in Anhui were confined by the EL for 14 days,
brainwashed and worn down, until they gave in and committed fornication with the
woman. Photographs were taken of them at appropriate embarrassing moments. Their
tactic was to use the photograph to blackmail the brothers to accept the
teachings of the cult. If they refuse to convert, a man will appear in their
churches or when they are with a group of believers, pretending that the girl in
the picture is his fiancé (or cousin), and threaten to sue the pastor.” (7)
Not all Christian leaders fall into sexual temptation of
course, but this does not seem to stop the EL. They have been known to drug
their victims, and then take video and photographs of the drugged brother with a
naked EL woman. The EL then feels they “own” a pastor for life, even if they are
unable to convert him. If he ever attempts to enter a leadership role in the
church again, the EL will invariably slip into the church, and wait for an
opportune time to spread rumors of the pastor’s immorality, backed with
photographic “evidence.”
The Testimony of a
House Church Sister
To inflict physical and psychological violence on
Christians, the Eastern Lightning needs to entice the believers away from their
home church environment. To achieve their goals, several years ago they started
kidnapping church leaders. Their diabolic strategy usually involves coaxing the
leader to come to another city with the promise of ministry opportunities.
Following is a condensed testimony from a house church
sister in northwest China who was kidnapped by the Eastern Lightning recently.
It has been adapted from a paper written by the Chinese Christian Church of
Saipan (Guam), entitled “China’s Cult of Satan Lightning of the East.”
Although even the condensed testimony is quite lengthy, it is well worth reading
to gain an understanding of the incredible evil that our brothers and sisters in
the faith are facing in China at the present time. How we wish this was an
isolated incident, but unfortunately this sister’s experience is representative
of hundreds of others throughout China....
“Nine months before my nightmare commenced, a man came to
our house church claiming he wanted to know the true God. Of course, we could
not turn him away so we told him the Gospel. He responded warmly and seemed,
over the months, to grow in the grace of God and knowledge of His Word. He
always asked questions that new believers should ask, was baptized, and gained
our confidence. We are still shocked to find that all along this “brother” was a
spy sent from the Eastern Lightning to destroy us.
In March 2000 he approached us saying, ‘I’ve just
returned from Lanzhou [Gansu Province] where my brother lives. There are
hundreds of people there who are in the dark. They have never heard of the way,
the truth, or the light. They are as I was before God opened my eyes. I’ve never
been trained to preach or teach, so I beg you to please go and speak to them.
Bring them out of the darkness! Let them know and understand the truth and
fundamentals of the Gospel.’
We could not refuse such a call. We became excited, threw
away all caution, and started planning our trip. After all, this was a brother
who had been in our church for nine months. He had shown much humility and zeal
for God’s Word. As a result, many hearts were touched and four leaders (two men
and two women) were sent with him. He played a role in selecting which four
should go, saying, “Judging from the abilities of the four of you, the way you
work, the quality of your lives and your knowledge of the Word, I believe as you
work and pray together you’ll be as powerful as a cannon shot! Your words will
ring true, correcting the people’s errors.”
With much sweet talk and flattery he deceived not only
us, but the whole church. It was difficult to see through his lies at the time,
but looking back, it is still unbelievable that we could be so deceived all
along. May the Lord forgive us our stupidity and immaturity!
On the scheduled day of our departure the Lord tried to
prevent us from going, but due to our inexperience we were unable to discern
whether it was from the Lord or the devil. The weather on the morning of our
departure was harsh, with strong winds and sandstorms. One of the four fell down
the stairs and badly hurt his leg. He could hardly move. The EL spy said, “This
is a hindrance from Satan. We should persevere and get on the train, for this
incident is proof that a great work will be done there.” When someone suggested
we delay our trip by a day he protested strongly, saying, “No! We must go today.
If we miss the train, we will take a car.”
When we reached Lanzhou there were three people there to
welcome us. Two said they were “brothers from Lanzhou,” while one was “a brother
from Xian.” In reality they were deceivers sent by EL to trick us. The man from
Xian said, “The Lord gave me a vision that there would be two female disciples
coming from the northwest. He showed me they will come to revive the church in
Xian.”
On the other hand, the man named Paul from Lanzhou asked
one of our brothers, “How many times have you been to Lanzhou?” He replied,
“I’ve been here once before, but this is the first time I have come to serve the
Lord.” Paul shook his hand, saying, “Brother, this is the fourth time we have
met. I have seen you three times before in visions. The Lord told me you really
love Him. I have been earnestly praying you would come and teach us God’s Word,
and have been patiently waiting for your arrival. The Lord really knows our
needs!”
With these words of flattery the cult leaders appealed to
our pride.
The man from Xian then said, “The Lord has brought you
here! Are there not four of you? If all four of you good preachers were to stay
here in Lanzhou it would be a waste. Why don’t two of you stay here, and the
other two follow me back to Xian?”
All four of us objected, “We do not put much trust in
visions. We’ll pray about it, but our first intention was for all four of us to
remain in Lanzhou.” The Xian man answered, “If this is the case, I will respect
your decision. Let’s all pray. I believe God will not forsake His flock. I will
pray God will change your hearts.”
For several hours the three imposters argued among
themselves, making us feel guilty for not wanting to break up and go different
ways. Lies came one after another until finally we were convinced that it was
rude for us not to obey the wishes of our hosts. The Xian man shouted,
“Hallelujah! Thank and praise the Lord! God always remembers His sheep! We shall
leave today.”
This was how the EL successfully split the brethren.
Later, using similar methods, the two brothers in Lanzhou and the two sisters
who went to Xian were convinced to split again.
The two men in Lanzhou were subjected to horrible
torture, beatings and constant round-the-clock brainwashing and sexual
entrapment. Although neither brother gave in to fornication, they were given
“medicine” for their painful injuries. This medicine made one brother even more
ill, and he was unable to sleep. He lost his perspective and willpower. His mind
was in a state of utter confusion. A woman was taken to his room, where they
photographed him in his semi-conscious state with her, to be later used as
“proof” of his sexual immorality.
In Xian, we were introduced to two other women, and were
told they had arranged meetings for us to teach at. They said, “Hurry, our two
congregations are ready and waiting. What should we do? It’s a terrible waste to
keep two good preachers together.” The two women began to argue who should get
us. We felt embarrassed and agreed to split up, the sister going one way and me
another. We did not see or talk with each other for the next five months.
I was taken to Weinan, then to Tongguan, moving
constantly. In my first meeting I was asked to teach. The congregation (all EL
members) unfailingly praised my sermon, saying things like, “Your sermon was the
best we have ever heard, please come to our village to preach.”
On the fourth day I was preaching when two men in the
congregation made a scene. They were specially chosen by the EL to act as though
they were demon possessed. They shouted, “Don’t listen to her!” They rolled
around on the ground, hit people, and broke things. I was totally convinced
these men were truly possessed. Seeing people possessed by a demon naturally
attracted the attention of the congregation. They pleaded with me to cast the
demons out. When I tried to pray over them in Jesus’ Name, these “possessed”
people retaliated, holding me down, sitting on top of me, and beating me. The
more I tried to cast out the devils the more possessed they seemed to become.
One of the men mocked me, “Why do you still pray in
Jesus’ Name? Don’t you know Jesus’ Name became useless long ago?” The
congregation also mocked me, asking “Is Jesus’ name really powerless? Why can’t
you cast out these demons?”
“The cult then moved to their next phase, called “break
the escape.” It is their way of making sure I could not runaway. Somebody
suggested that the two “demon possessed” men be sent to a mental institute for
their own safety. The entire congregation was asked to donate money. They asked
me, “Do you have any money on you? This will probably cost a lot, maybe tens of
thousands.” This was how they removed all my money, more than a thousand RMB
(US$ 120). Now I could not escape, as there was only one bus per day down from
the mountainous area where I was being held, and I couldn’t get on the bus
without any money to pay the fare.
The next day an Eastern Lightning leading “brother” named
Wang Enguang from Zhejiang Province came to the meeting. When the two “demon
possessed” men saw him they immediately fled to a corner of the room, tried to
hide under a table, and shouted, “The Light! It is glaring! I’m afraid!” After
some coughing they became calm, and the demons were presumed to have been cast
out. The congregation all said with one voice, “Hallelujah! This is the truth!”
I felt humiliated and defeated, while “preacher Wang”
took center stage and explained the teachings of the Eastern Lightning. He
quoted many verses from the Bible and systematically explained what they believe
step by step. Then the members of the congregation took turns speaking, trying
to convince me of my erroneous belief in Jesus. My heart became confused, worn
down from lack of sleep and constant pressure. Every night they removed my shoes
and clothing, so that I wouldn’t be able to escape. In addition, there was
always one person watching me as I slept. I was never allowed out of the house.
If I needed to go to the toilet I was given a pail to use. Slowly they were
“changing my perspective” [brainwashing].
At one point I remembered my family and colleagues, and
wanted to bring them in and tell them about the truth of the Eastern Lightning.
I was fighting a losing battle.
I was also subjected to sexual temptation. At one stage
two EL women slept beside me at night, one on each side, so that I couldn’t even
turn over. In the middle of the night they shouted out Bible verses, acting like
they were having a dream or vision from God. One woman claimed she saw a scroll
descend from heaven. On it was written “Ruth 3:7,” the verse that tells when
Ruth slept at the feet of Boaz. She said a voice from above also told her that I
should do as Ruth had done; that I should obediently sleep with Wang. Praise
God, the Lord was still protecting me and I was able to resist all of Wang’s
evil advances.
At first, I didn’t contemplate escape because of the
isolation of where I was being held, and because I had no money. But one day I
realized all freedom had been robbed from me and I had to do something before it
was too late. God helped me slip away through the hills and I begged my way onto
one bus after another until I finally reached Tongguan and Xian. In the end I
was able to call my brother in law who asked a friend to give me a train fare
back home. When I finally saw the faces of my brethren, I wept uncontrollably.”
This dear sister’s pastor concludes this terrible
story....
“Of the four, she was the last to escape. She had been away for about five
months. When she reached home, she did not look human. She believed she was
going to die, and had written two wills, one to her family and one to the
church. In her will to the church she wrote “Dear fellow workers, no matter
when, no matter where, coworkers must not separate.” We all wept when we
read her words.
She had been brainwashed so that her mind was in a state
of total confusion. She couldn’t pray for months. Even one month after her
escape, this sister still didn’t believe the incident with the two
demon-possessed men had been an act, so convincing was their performance.
Many of us fasted and prayed all night for her, asking
her to repeat prayers line by line, renouncing the cult and its false
teachings.... Thank God, for He listened to our prayers, and this sister shined
a little brighter each day.
In October 2000 two Eastern Lightning men came to our
town looking for the four coworkers who had all managed to escape from their
clutches. They secretly met with the sister, but she told me. She also warned me
that they planned to kidnap me, and told me not to stay in my home.
We have other coworkers who’ve been caught by the Eastern
Lightning and never came back. Some are staunchly following their erroneous
doctrines. We had a female coworker named Chen who was invited to Anhui and has
since changed sides and is now working for them. Another brother who initially
really loved God, and was under our guidance for a long time, also changed
sides. He constantly called me and asked me to come to meetings, but I refused.
He was able to get a sister named Han instead. She was lost for 18 days. We
found out later she had been confined in a cave in Gong County. She came back so
badly beaten and bruised that she couldn’t get out of bed.
How can we combat this wicked threat to the church of
Jesus Christ in China? First, we must communicate better. We can never, without
prayer and confirmation, promise to go somewhere for speaking engagements. When
we travel we must never go alone. The worst thing that has happened because of
the Eastern Lightning is that the brethren have now lost mutual trust. We do not
know if one of the members of our own congregations is an EL spy, nor can we
tell if pastors and leaders from other churches are still walking rightly with
God or have come under the EL’s influence.”
The Government’s Response
to Eastern Lightning
I have reached two conclusions while researching the EL
in China. On one hand there is no doubt the Beijing central government have been
trying to crack the EL for a number of years. One source states there are 2,000
EL practitioners presently in prison across China for their crimes. (8)
The EL leadership has publicly declared that the Communist
Party of China is the ‘Great Red Dragon,’ and its officials are the dragon’s
offspring. When the Chinese authorities heard such words they immediately
considered the group a political threat, with aims to overthrow the government,
and they tried to persecute the EL mercilessly.
According to an official government document, the EL’s
“political purpose have become increasingly overt” and it notes “some of its
top-level core members are ‘elites’ of the June 4th
students’ protest movement of 1989.” These educated members “are editing books
and propaganda material. In their conviction to overthrow the power of the
‘Great Red Dragon’ they are actively...drafting work plans in order to recruit
more members.”(9)
As mentioned earlier, however, there seems to be a
mounting body of evidence that points to many local level officials being
protective, or at least sympathetic, to the EL. Some cadres and leading
officials have converted to the cult, while it is likely many other officers
have accepted protection money from the EL. This had led to a breakdown in
Beijing’s efforts to destroy the cult. Many times the Beijing authorities appear
to have been frustrated by the cult’s ability to evade the law, perhaps not
fully realizing that the allegiance of many local officials is with the EL.
The recently published secret government documents from
China’s security sector records some remarkably frank admissions from a speech
by Luo Gan, a member of China’s Central Politburo. Talking specifically about
the government’s program to crush the Eastern Lightning, Luo admits, “We have
not learned much about this cult organization.” (10)
Zhao Shiju, Deputy-secretary of the Hebei Communist Party
Committee, outlined his plan to learn more about the EL: “Manpower should be
mobilized quickly to conduct investigation of the activities and spread of this
cult in our province, to gather intelligence in an effort to round up the whole
gang at one strike. Make sure it is kept in confidence, do your job without
trumpeting.” (11)
Jia Chunwang, the Minister of Public Security, emphasized
“we need to work more and talk less to smash the cult quietly.” (12)
These efforts seem destined to failure, however, for the
very same paper notes that the EL has been able to “infiltrate into the inner
circles of the [Communist] Party, government, and the Three Self Patriotic
Movement.” (13)
The EL operates under an extremely tight blanket of
security; more so, it could be said, than any of the house church networks in
China. Some of the safeguards practiced by the cult include only holding
gatherings that have been organized at short notice; never giving specific
directions to a meeting place, but just the general area, from where the members
will be brought to the meeting; posting security guards at the entrance to the
village or meeting place to prevent access to all outsiders, and immediately
calling the meeting leader’s mobile telephone if there are any signs of police
action. In this way, EL members often completely scatter before the police even
arrive at the door. The EL also insists their members only use mobile phones and
pagers that are registered under false names, only use public phones and never
their home phones, to change their numbers frequently, to never provide lodgings
for members at the same place they have stayed before; and to relocate up to
several times during a single day’s meetings to avoid detection from the
authorities. (14) Even those EL members based in the United States use
the same standards of secrecy as in China, operating clandestinely at every
turn.
All of these factors have added up to a lot of government
frustration at their inability to make serious inroads into the Eastern
Lightning.
Christians, Don’t Lose
Heart!
As I write this paper, just days after the kidnapping of
33 house church leaders by the EL, emotions are still running high. It is always
grievous and deeply painful when a part of the Body of Christ suffers. This
whole situation should remind Christians of a few basic facts:
(a) We are truly combatants in a fierce war. Satan is a very real foe,
determined to do whatever is necessary to destroy the Church that is purchased
by the precious, spotless Blood of Jesus Christ. Unable to injure God, Satan
lashes out at God’s children. Many Western believers feel confused when they
hear of Christians suffering such vile treatment at the hands of evil men,
because of the false theology that pervades many Western churches, that if we
live for God, only good things and blessings will result in our lives. Such
thinking is contrary to Scripture and inconsistent with the experiences of
millions of Christians down through the centuries, who lived wholeheartedly for
God yet were “stoned; they were sawn in two; they were put to death by the
sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,m destitute, persecuted and
mistreated the world was not worthy of them.” (Hebrews 11:37-38)
(b) Christians around the world should immerse ourselves daily in the Word of
God, thereby enriching our fellowship with the living God and helping protect us
from deceptive doctrines. If anything, the incredibly sly tactics of the Eastern
Lightning remind us that “such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen,
masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades
as an angel of light…. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” (2
Corinthians 11:13-15). The Bible warns us to be on guard because “…in latter
times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught
by demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). There is always a Satanic spiritual root behind
all twisting and perverting of the Scriptures. There are numerous destructive
cults around the world, being used by the devil to destroy lives and confuse
minds. If you have read through this whole paper and are thankful you don’t live
in China alongside the Eastern Lightning, think again! EL have already opened
offices and operate printing presses in New York, Toronto, and San Francisco in
North America, have a rapidly growing influence in Singapore, Indonesia,
Malaysia, and other Southeast Asian nations as they implement their worldwide
vision.
(c) We need to understand that Jesus has already conquered Satan. His final
defeat is completely sealed. Jesus has already “disarmed the powers and
authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the
cross.” (Colossians 2:15). Although the end result of our battle is
already certain, there are many trials and struggles for each Christian to
conquer here and now. God has wants us to fight a good fight, and also to rest
in the fact that the Lord was, is, and always will be the victor in the battle
against Satan. “Do not be afraid, I am the First and the Last. I am the
Living One: I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the
keys of death and Hades.” (Revelation 1:17-18)
(d) We should not lose heart. God knows exactly what has gone on, has seen the
pain of His children in China, and will not be mocked forever. He is not only a
mighty God, but the Almighty God. He is not just a King, but the King of Kings!
Call on Him to show His mighty power. Pray as Moses prayed, “Rise up O Lord!
May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you.” (Numbers
10:15)
(e) Understand if God’s children are suffering today it is for a reason
that one day will be completely clear. I’m reminded of past suffering in China,
and the fruit it brought forth in the Chinese Church. In 1900 more than 30,000
Christians in China, including over 200 Western missionaries, were butchered
during the Boxer Rebellion. Countless thousands of Christians drew great
strength from these martyrs, who set a shining “example of patience in the
face of suffering.” (James 5:10) One young Christian man who was inspired
by the martyrs of 1900 was Wang Mingdao, who was interestingly born at the very
time of the carnage in 1900. One year later, in 1901, the mighty evangelist John
Sung was born, and in 1903 Watchman Nee entered this world. All three learned
from the example of the 30,000 Christians killed in 1900. In turn, all three
great leaders of the Chinese Church suffered much for their faith. Wang Mindao,
later to become known as the Father of the House Churches, was subjected to more
than 20 years in prison for the Name of Jesus Christ. Watchman Nee was in prison
25 years, having his tongue cut off because he refused to stop praying and
testifying. Thousands, and now millions, of Chinese believers have been inspired
by these men’s courageous example in the face of extreme suffering. In past 25
years have seen countless thousands of brave Gospel warriors in China. They have
been beaten, humiliated, raped, slandered, maimed and killed. The result is an
active Church in China now more numerous and fervent than anywhere else in the
world. It came at a great price for those believers who spilled their blood on
China’s soil so that the light and the integrity of the Gospel would be
maintained for the next generation. Now we hear horrific stories of Christians
being kidnapped, brainwashed and tortured at the hands of a Satanic cult. The
Church has once again been driven to its knees, throwing itself on God and God
only for its sustenance. If such conditions continue and the Lord tarries, what
will the size of the Church in China be in 20 or 25 years? 300 million? 400
million? Pray that one day the believers from the China Gospel Fellowship who
are being brutalized even as you read these words, will say with the Apostle
Paul “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory
that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17)
How Can You Pray?
As the Chinese Church goes through this fierce new
struggle, they are so grateful to learn they are not standing alone. Please
share some of the burdens of our Chinese brothers and sisters by praying with
them, and against the evil of the Eastern Lightning. Here are some prayer points
you might want to consider lifting up before our Heavenly Father:
(a) Pray God’s Name would be glorified in China, and in the house churches,
that through all of this Jesus’ Name would be lifted up and exalted,
drawing all men to Himself.
(b) Plead with God to protect the 33 leaders of the China Gospel Fellowship
currently being held by the cult in unknown locations. Pray He will reveal their
whereabouts, and help them escape from the snare of the fowler. (Psalm
91:3)
(c) Pray against the demonic filth of the Eastern Lightning cult. Ask God to
bind the dark forces that control it, and to lose its captives. Ask God to be
with the Chinese leaders as He was wit Jeremiah, who was able to say, “The
Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not
prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never
be forgotten.” (Jeremiah 20:11)
(d) Ask God to comfort the families of those who have been kidnapped. Pray
they will experience the near presence and love of the Lord over this time. Pray
practical help such as food and money will reach them.
(e) Pray more Bibles and teaching books would be available to house church
Christians in China, and systematic training would help the Christians be
stronger in the faith and not as susceptible to being deceived by cults like the
Eastern Lightning.
(f) Ask God to give wisdom to those house church leaders who have decided to
work with the government to help crush the Eastern Lightning cult. Pray their
zeal to help their brothers will not play in the hands of the authorities,
resulting in even more persecution for the Chinese Church.
(g) Pray the Church in China will learn and grow through this experience, and
that God will use it to sharpen His people to be more effective witnesses of His
death and resurrection.
How Can You Help?
Already many people have contacted us, asking how
they can practically help the believers in China. In response to this present
crisis, our ministry partners, coworkers inside China, and Asia Harvest have
decided to launch a new project to help counteract the influence of the Eastern
Lightning among the house churches. Last year a Chinese pastor wrote a book
exposing the lies, deception and practices of the Eastern Lightning. The book
includes almost 100 pages of testimonies from believers across China who have
fallen prey to the cult, before God graciously allowed them to be restored.
It was already planned to publish this brother’s book soon, but the present
crisis had made it an immediate priority. We plan to print and distribute
200,000 of these books inside China. We believe this will make a significant
positive impact, helping prevent thousands becoming victims of the Eastern
Lightning. Each book costs just 5 RMB (60 U.S. cents) to print. We
guarantee that 100% of money received for this project will be used directly to
print and distribute these books.
We don’t want to
make a big issue about this project, but simply want to give an opportunity to
those people who feel the Lord leading them to help be involved financially with
the printing of these books. If you would like to find out more details about
how to help, please click
HERE, or email us at
office@asiaharvest.org All donations received
from U.S. supporters are tax-deductible.
Notes
(1)
Forney, Matthew. “Jesus is Back, and She’s Chinese: A Bizarre Religious Sect is
Preying on
China’s Rural Christian Congregations.” Time Magazine, November 5, 2001.
(2) This figure is likely to be too low. It is more likely represents the
number of books that the
authorities know have been printed. The true number distributed may be
many millions. Li &
Fu, Religion and National Security in China, p.79.
(3) Tianfeng, August 1997
(4) Li & Fu, Religion and National Security in China, p.79
(5) Ibid., p.76
(6) Adapted from a paper written by the Chinese Christian Church of Saipan,
China’s Cult of Satan
Lightning of the East. Unpublished report, Saipan, Guam, September 2000.
(7) Ibid.
(8) Forney, “Jesus is Back, and She’s Chinese,” Time Magazine,
November 5, 2001.
(9) Li & Fu, Religion and National Security in China, p.78-79
(10) Ibid., p.75
(11) Ibid.
(12) Ibid.
(13) Ibid., p.78
(14) Ibid.
Bibliography
Chinese Christian Church of Saipan. “China’s Cult
of Satan Lightning of the East.” Unpublished report, Saipan, Guam, September 2000
Far East Broadcasting International. “Letters from China January 2001.” See
the FEBC website:
www.febc.org/china_letters_0101.html
“Female Christ Sect Spreads Through Rural China,” Maranatha Christian
Journal, August 12, 1999. See
www.mcjonline.com/news/news3322.htm
Forney, Matthew. “Jesus is Back, and She’s Chinese: A
Bizarre Religious Sect is Preying on China’s Rural Christian Congregations.”
Time Magazine, November 5, 2001. See
http://www.time.com/time/asia/news/magazine/0,9754,181681,00.html
Lambert, Tony. “Lightning from the East A New Cult,”
China Insight, OMF International, March- April 1998
Li Shixiong & Xiqiu (Bob) Fu (eds). “Religion and National Security in China:
Secret Documents from China’s Security Sector,” February 11, 2002. See
http://www.religiousfreedomforchina.org/English/docs/Final%20Report.htm
“Malicious Eastern Lightning,” Tianfeng,
August 1997
“Millennial Movements Gain Momentum in China,” Amity News Service,
September-October 1999.
See
http://www.amityfoundation.org/ANS/Articles/ans99/ans99.10/99_10_1.htm
Back to the TOP
Update #1 - April 24, 2002
(revised May 1, 2002)
With a heavy heart we have news from China to share with
you. We earnestly ask for your prayers and action to help our brothers and
sisters in China.
On the evening of April 19th, in the cities of Wuhan, Shanghai, Hefei, Nanjing, Qingdao and in various places
throughout Henan Province, members of the Eastern Lightning satanic cult
kidnapped 35 top leaders of
the China Gospel Fellowship. Two have managed to escape, but the rest have not
been heard of since. The victims include the movement's top leaders. One of the
leaders is partially crippled
after a childhood accident and uses crutches to get around. Several years ago
the police used his own crutches to beat him during an interrogation!
The China Gospel Fellowship (CGF) started in Tanghe County, Henan Province, but
spread rapidly until they now have churches in every part of China. Their
movement contains several million believers. They also have a strong emphasis on
work among China’s unreached minority groups. Because of their highly organized
structure and their uncompromising zeal for the spread of the Gospel, the CGF
has been severely persecuted by the Chinese authorities. Even before the present
incident dozens of their leaders were languishing in prison.
In the late-1990s the Director of the Bureau of Religious Affairs, Ye Xiaowen
(who is an avowed atheist!), condemned the China Gospel Fellowship as an ‘evil
cult’. This decision was based on the fact that they refuse to submit to the
control of the government, rather than any cultic beliefs or practices. In fact,
the CGF are one of the strongest fundamental conservative, evangelical
Bible-based house church networks in all of China.
This kidnapping comes soon after the government's campaign against the South China
Church a few months ago. Two hundred leaders of the South China Church remain in
prison. Coworkers who hired a team of lawyers to defend the Christians tell us
the conditions in prison are inhumane. Some of the believers they met with were
half-dead, having been subjected to severe torture and abuse for weeks. Some
were close to losing their minds, others had their wrist and ankle bones exposed
from the deep cuts of their handcuffs and foot chains.
Please pray. This is probably the best thing you can do to help these brothers
and sisters right now. The Bible commands us to "Remember those in prison
(held captive) as if
you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you
yourselves are suffering." (Hebrews 13:3).
Let's never underestimate the power of prayer. God Almighty hears our prayers
and will answer your cries to Him. Remember these are dear Christians who love
Jesus deeply.
1. Pray God would be glorified and His Kingdom continue to grow in China as a
result of these attacks.
2. Ask God to intervene with His mighty power. Pray only His will would be done
in the lives of those kidnapped.
3. Pray against the Satanic forces behind these brutal attacks. Not able to
damage God, the devil does all he can to smash God's children. Ask God to bind
the demonic forces in Jesus' Name.
4. Ask the Lord to strengthen our brothers and sisters being held, to sustain
them, and to help them overcome whatever trials they face.
5. Pray for mercy for the persecutors, that they may be convicted of sin,
righteousness and judgment and come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Pray
the believers may show them a Christ-like example of patient endurance
in the face of suffering.
"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord
Jesus be with you." (Romans 16:20)
Back to the TOP
Update #2 - May 1, 2002
Last week we
sent out an urgent prayer request with breaking news told to us by reliable
contacts inside China that over 100 house church Christians had been arrested by
the police in six different locations.
Since then (as you may have already heard), more information has come to light,
and the news is worse than originally thought! Compared to what has happened,
it would have been a blessing for the missing brothers and sisters to have been
in the hands of the police!
Thirty three of the top leaders of the China Gospel Fellowship are now
confirmed kidnapped by members of the Eastern Lightning Cult. Thirty five
were originally captured, but two managed to escape. This information comes
directly from the elderly founder of the China Gospel Fellowship, who himself
was not abducted because he is no longer in active leadership within the
movement.
The Eastern Lightning is a Satanic cult that believes Jesus has already
returned, as a 30-year-old woman living in China’s Henan Province! They
specifically target house church Christians with twisted doctrine. If believers
refuse to accept their teaching they often revert to kidnapping, beatings,
torture, drugging, sexual entrapment, and intense brainwashing. There is
credible evidence that dozens of Christians have been murdered by the Eastern
Lightning over the years. Most are poisoned, making it difficult for the
authorities to prove they were murdered. Many more house church Christians have
simply vanished, not known if they converted to the cult or were killed.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, ANOTHER INCIDENT: In our experience, and in
the experience of all our contacts and coworkers inside China, this has been the
most confusing week anyone has had to deal with. Even the number of believers
affected is difficult to ascertain. When we first broke the news, we were told
at least 100 house church Christians had been arrested. It is now confirmed that
63 more Christians, connected to a small Pentecostal house church network
(led by brother Wang Desheng), were arrested on the same day that the China
Gospel Fellowship leaders were kidnapped. The arrests occurred in Jiazhu, north
of Zhengzhou City in Henan Province, yet it now seems unlikely this incident is
connected to the China Gospel Fellowship situation. Thirty of those arrested in
Henan have already been released, after paying fines of between 500 to 2,000 RMB
(US$ 60 to $ 240), but 33 whom the police suspect of being leaders, remain in
custody. Please pray for the 33 under arrest, in addition to the 33 China Gospel
Fellowship leaders who are still kidnapped!
Regarding the kidnapping of the China Gospel Fellowship leaders, here is what is
known and has been confirmed from inside China. This information comes from a
variety of sources, including Brother Mak of the Chinese City Gospel Mission:
(a) This kidnapping was carefully pre-planned by the Eastern Lightning cult.
About a year ago, a lady introduced some Singaporeans to one of the major
leaders of the China Gospel Fellowship, starting the relationship. The
Singaporeans falsely identified themselves with a Bible School based in Singapore,
the Haggai Institute, which has a good reputation. Note; this was a false claim.
The Singaporeans only pretended to be associated with the Haggai Institute. The CGF leader made some
investigations about the school, and when he received good reports he trusted
the Singaporeans from that time on. (1)
(b) A short time ago the CGF was informed that some famous professors from the
Singapore school were coming to China to give them leadership training. Because
the CGF leaders are being hunted by the government, for security reasons it was
decided to split their leaders into six different groups, to go to six different
locations for training. The Singaporeans promised to cover all travel and
accommodation expenses, and to conduct their training in a safe environment.
(c) On April 19th
each group of house church leaders went to the meetings. It is known that at one
location, the organizers greeted the church leaders and immediately requested
they hand over their mobile phones for safe keeping (thus removing their ability
to communicate outside of the room). When some of the brothers refused to
cooperate, the Eastern Lightning beat them to get their phones. This was the
first the believers knew they were in trouble.
(d) One sister, after realizing the Eastern Lightning was behind the whole
thing, asked to go outside to use the toilet, and she managed to escape. Praise
God for this! If she had not escaped nobody would have any idea what had
happened to these house church leaders. They would have simply vanished without
a trace, which was the intention of the cult. When they discovered the sister
had escaped, the Eastern Lightning went to her home. Not finding her there, they
beat up her parents before leaving. According to Bob Fu, Executive Director of
the Committee for Investigation on Persecution of Religion in China, this sister
reported the leaders were already being severely tortured by the time she
escaped.
(e) The escaped sister went to the police and told them what happened. Together
they rushed back to the meeting place, but by the time they arrived the room was
deserted, with no trace of where the house church leaders had been taken. It is
clear, however, that the Eastern Lightning in the past always separate
Christians and spread them in different locations to be brainwashed and beaten
individually. By now, it is likely the 33 Christians are scattered in 33
different places. Two have managed to escape.
(f) Yesterday we received an unconfirmed report from a Chinese church
leader that one of kidnapped pastors was very vocal in witnessing to his
captors, and wouldn’t stop praying loudly to the Lord. Despite threats, he
wouldn’t stop, so the Eastern Lightning cut his tongue out.
(g) From a different location we received a confirmed report that after
being kidnapped, men dressed in police uniforms came and took the believers away
to different places. Should this be found to be true, it could either show local
officials worked together with the Eastern Lightning to stage this incident (a
suspicion that many house church leaders have shared with us in the past, see
the attached file), or else the Eastern Lightning may have impersonated being
police officers as part of their act.
(h) This kidnapping has shaken all house church believers across China. They
have been fighting with infiltration from the Eastern Lightning for more than 10
years, but never before has there been such a coordinated attack launched
against house church leadership. Thousands of believers inside China are fasting
and praying around the clock for God’s intervention. They invite their Western
and Asian brothers and sisters to join them.
(i) Even though most of the kidnapped believers were themselves being hunted by
the government for leading unregistered churches, it has been decided by some
remaining house church leaders that they must take the risk of getting
government involvement in this case. One of the two China Gospel Fellowship
leaders who escaped from the kidnapping traveled to Beijing on Sunday April 28th
where he hired a lawyer to represent them to the Communist authorities. The
government indicated they are willing to cooperate, and that they are willing to
partner with the house churches to crush the Eastern Lightning, who they claim
they’ve been trying to destroy for years with little success.
(j) Please pray the Blood of Jesus will cover this plan, and that the house
church leaders are truly being led by Godly wisdom. Many Christians may question
the wisdom of aligning with an atheistic government in a bid to help the Church,
especially seeing the China Gospel Fellowship and many of the other house church
networks in China are already on the very same “evil cult” list as the Eastern
Lightning! After researching this cult, I’m convinced that even though the
central government in Beijing wants to smash the Eastern Lightning, there is
strong evidence that many local government officials around the country (who are
the organs Beijing must use to do their work locally), have either converted to
or been bought off by the Eastern Lightning. The corrupted local officials use
their influence to protect the cult. For example, when an order comes from
Beijing for action against the Eastern Lightning, it goes first to local
officials. Those who are under the cult’s influence inform the Eastern Lightning
to relocate, thus making the plans of the central government almost impossible
to fulfill. This suspicion of local government complicity with the cult is
confirmed by an official government document, which notes that the Eastern
Lightning has been able to “infiltrate into the inner circles of the [Communist]
Party, the government, and the Three Self Patriotic Movement.” (2)
(k) House church Christians in China are among the strongest and most
effective in the world. Church leaders throughout the country believe they have
entered spiritual warfare at its highest level. This action by the Eastern
Lightning has roused them not only to pray for the release of these 33 leaders,
but to mount a revolution to completely destroy the Eastern Lightning once and
for all. They see this as a spiritual fight and are determined to win at all
costs. One pastor has said, “The worst thing that can happen is the government
will arrest us and send us back to prison, where we can still preach the Gospel,
but this cult needs to be destroyed regardless of the risk of more government
persecution against us.” Unprecedented levels of prayer and communication are
taking place between believers from different groups. Praise God! This is one
sign of good to have already come out of this incident.
Since news of the kidnapping started circulating around the world, many
people have written to me, asking me to shed some light on the Eastern Lightning
cult. Most Christians around the world have never heard of them, while even many
missionaries and Christians working inside China have little clue about what
they believe and why they pose the Church so strongly.
In response, I have spent the last few days compiling a report on the Eastern
Lightning, which I’ve entitled “When China’s Christians Wish They Were in
Prison.” The text of the article appears above. Even though it is a
little long (about 13 pages), we hope you will find the time to read through it.
If you don’t have the time, please at least read the section
“The Testimony of a
House Church Sister,” which aptly describes the practices of the cult and the
tremendous trials our Chinese brothers and sisters are enduring.
We also have setup a feedback form where people can
post a message about this situation, express their feelings, or commit to pray for the
believers in China (click HERE). On our website there are also details of how you can
practically help this situation (click
HERE).
God bless you, and may the Lord protect His flock in China!
Notes
(1) Leaders of the
Haggai Institute confirm they have nothing to do with this situation. In fact,
the Haggai Institute works in China only with the Three-Self Church, and do not
train house church leaders at all. The Singaporeans used the name of the Haggai
Institute only because of its fine reputation.
(2) Li Shixiong & Xiqiu (Bob) Fu (eds),
Religion and National Security in China: Secret Documents
from China’s Security Sector, February 11, 2002, p.78
Back to the TOP
Update #3 - June 5, 2002
Thanks for your
prayers. Many people are asking for an update on this situation. The China
Gospel Fellowship leaders will be releasing a statement about this incident
which we will then post on this website as soon as it is available. In the
meantime, they have asked us and other Christian organizations to refrain from
sharing the latest news about this situation out of concern for the safety of
those still kidnapped. Please continue to pray.
For newest updates see China For Jesus