﻿I've gotta ask, do you know what's going on in China?
What's going on?
Every where you look blockades and security cameras.
I know about the cameras.
The CCP has put them all over,
so as to control all the common people.
That's correct.
But those blockades, what about them?
What about them?
You merely have to walk around any of the streets of China
and look all about.
What will you see?
All sorts of slogans, all sorts of banners too.
Will you get to the point?
What'd the slogans and banners say?
Hey, I can't even say.
What is it?
On this wall one says,
"All underground house churches must be banned at once."
On that tree one says,
"Strike hard and firm at illegal religious activities."
And that one there says,
"The Eastern Lightning must be eradicated!
Troops won't be withdrawn till the purge is completed."
Well, the CCP government has always persecuted and suppressed religious faith.
Be it urban communities or remote village streets, (Yeah?)
these anti-religion banners can be found all over the place now.
It's way more than just that.
Now even in small villages,
there are patrols and ID card checkpoints,
and they go door to door and do surprise inspections.
Christians are hemmed in and blocked at every turn.
We have to go through an obstacle course just to share the gospel.
That sounds like a village lockdown to me.
It certainly is!
Last week, I went to share the gospel with my aunt,
every three miles, there were "mine zones" all around the entire village!
Mine zones?
They're not minefields.
Let's just say that village is watched extremely closely by the government.
I get off the bus, and I see a big sign off in the distance.
Oh, what does it say?
"Dragon and Tiger."
Hey! Dragon and Tiger Village.
That name sounds too ferocious!
I look up and see
a high-resolution camera mounted on a swivel,
that's pointed directly at me!
Every village has those now.
Yeah, but once I step into the village, it takes a 3D image of me.
Now, now, here is the thing.
At least the person you're preaching to is your aunt.
It's visiting family.
You can go confidently!
That's exactly what I think!
So I confidently step forward and enter the village.
Oh, what is it you see now?
The sign says "Temporary Manned Checkpoint" here.
Rotten luck!
Hey, where are you going?
Aren't you on your way to your aunt's place?
But I'm carrying a book of the words of God!
We know China's law enforcement doesn't care about the actual law. (That's right!)
They'll search anyone at any time.
There would be big trouble if they searched your bag.
To play it safe, go another way.
Right, I'll take another route.
I walk through many fields and go over slopes.
I ford many creeks and make my way through the groves
to reach the east entrance.
You finally got around the checkpoint.
Yes, I make it, but I feel on edge!
You need to be on your guard!
Go on. ('Kay.)
At once, two people come around the corner and begin to yell:
Stop there!
What's inside that bag?
Just hand over all your valuables—(No, no, no.)
That's not how it goes.
So then they're not robbers?
Who are you? Where do you come from?
Why are you here? Huh?
I'm visiting family.
What family?
What are their names? Where do they live?
Those are specific questions.
Whose house you visiting?
What are you going to say?
All I can do is mention my aunt's name, only then'll they let me go. (Yes.)
Hold on, who exactly is questioning you now?
First I thought they were checking residence permits
but then I saw every one of them had on red armbands.
They're the village patrol.
That explains all those questions!
I've a relative who works for the government,
and he told me that the government ordered nationwide investigations to arrest Christians.
So patrols are set up all over the place
specifically to keep an eye on all strangers.
That's extraordinarily evil.
When these people see a stranger,
they question them, then follow them.
They maintain a constant eagle eye on them.
That's certainly a strict investigation.
Once they discover you're a Christian,
they make a report.
There's no need for formalities, the police just go and arrest you.
It seems the government wants to get all Christians in one clean sweep.
They certainly do!
So I look around.
What is it?
Patrols are posted at every intersection.
The place is just crawling with them!
Lucky for me, I am going to my aunt's.
Hurry up and go then!
So I'm walking when, huh?
What's that?
Why are so many people at that bulletin board?
What's … what's going on there?
I try to hear, there's some sort of lively discussion going on.
Huh? What are they saying?
There's an older man who's wearing a straw hat.
He pushes past the crowd.
There's a big reward for those people who report believers in God.
It's yet another attack against religious beliefs.
Believers are good people and they follow the right path,
so why is the government always so incredibly hard on all of them?
The Communist Party is atheist.
They hate believers more than anything!
A young man comes up and says:
Just reading this makes me angry.
All across China today,
you'll find drinking, gambling, whoring, cheating and thieving,
and yet the government does nothing. (That's true.)
They just work on persecuting Christians.
Are they doing their duties? (Yeah, exactly.)
This country is a real mess!
Could it be any good under CCP reign?
Hey sir, take it easy now.
From the founding of the country till now,
the CCP has done many horrible things like this.
If you want to believe in God and be a good person here,
it simply won't fly.
This old man really understands.
Come on now, sir! (Oh, there is more.)
You can't say things like that just anywhere, right?
If that is passed on to the Party, it will be beyond terrible!
No one dares to be honest. (Okay, okay.)
You nursing women, all of you playing Mahjong,
get out of here quick!
If more than three people are found here,
it could be considered an illegal gathering!
Don't stay here too long. You should get going too!
I want to get going,
but there are two people here staring at me.
In a village this is normal, staring at a stranger.
They're squinting at me, their shoulders down.
They look like trouble, smiling but sinister!
Hold on. Just what does all that mean?
After the announcement, you'll understand.
Hey there. Hello?
Listen up, now.
It's the leader of the village.
If you hear about a Christian family
or strangers here to preach the gospel, report them right away.
There's a reward! Rewards for reports.
No wonder those hooligans are staring at you.
They've been emboldened by that promise of a reward.
Those guys there, they're slyly watching me the whole way to my aunt's.
I stride along boldly and bravely.
Then I jog.
I drop my pace to a slow amble.
I drop my pace to a slow amble too. (I get in a vehicle.)
What the…? How'd you do that so quickly?
Luckily, the brother-in-law of my aunt happens to be driving a large tractor
and comes chugging down the road just then,
and what's more he's even going my way.
So it seems you lost those hooligans at last.
I climb inside, but I still feel just a little bit uncomfortable.
Well, how could you not?
Just to share the gospel with your own aunt,
you need to jump through all those hoops. (It's true.)
It's hard to preach the gospel and believe in China.
As the Lord Jesus said:
It's really so dangerous to preach the gospel in China.
I feel weak within my heart and I think about retreating,
but then, I remind myself of a hymn of God's words:
God's words bring me such encouragement. (Indeed!)
I was chosen by God,
which gives me an opportunity to read His words,
and be personally guided by Him.
Therefore, shouldn't I repay His deep love
and share the gospel with others who are also longing for the Lord's coming?
That is right!
And could I really let myself be scared off by some obstacles on my path?
Thinking of all that
I have a sense of being on a crucial mission.
No matter what dangers or hardships I face,
I must rely on God and break through all barriers
to bear witness to God!
I pledge to uphold my duty! (Amen!)
As devout Christians, we have to always be faithful to God's commission.
That's how we attain dignity as humans!
I get to my aunt's with more than a little effort.
I'm about to knock when I hear a faint little creak.
Oh, your aunt's at the door. Go in quickly!
She's not, it's the neighbor's door opening.
From the doorway, I see a head poke out.
His face is sunburned, and he is as brown as the door.
His two dark eyes circle round and round, and then he looks me up and down.
Oh, it's you, Ming.
Just stopping by seeing your aunt?
The people in that village are really friendly!
How could they not be so?
The CCP does have its Five House System.
Five House System?
Five households per group to keep an eye on one another.
If they learn someone follows Almighty God
or that someone is coming to preach,
they must report it at once, and then they'll be rewarded.
And what if they do not?
All five go down!
It's no wonder.
It really is a village blockade as well as a ban on faith.
It's like some fortress, with defense after defense! (It is.)
Thankfully, you got inside safely.
You're able to breathe a sigh of relief.
My aunt sees me, and she's so excited!
That's right, it's hard to meet in person.
Dear Ming, you're really here at last!
I've thought hard about what you said that last time we spoke.
The more I read His words,
the more certain I am that Almighty God is indeed the Lord Jesus returned.
Thanks be to God!
Dear Ming,
I've been waiting for you to come, so you can tell me more!
The CCP makes that village an impregnable fortress.
Coming to visit is difficult.
My dear, I don't understand.
Since we started believing in the Lord,
we have all been persecuted by the CCP government.
The more the true God appears and works, the worse their persecution.
Just how can they be so evil?
You know,
that's not clearly seeing their essence of resisting God and hating truth.
You have to fellowship with her now.
Aunt, do you remember what's written in Revelation Chapter 12 verse 9?
The CCP embodies the great red dragon.
They are all truly Satan, reincarnated fighting God.
That's correct.
China is the great red dragon's den.
It is the worst place for resistance to God.
Since God incarnate in the last days expressed truths to save mankind,
the CCP fears people will all have faith in God
and no longer be government slaves.
That's right!
Then wouldn't its ambition to always have people in shackles fall apart?
It would!
So that's why its eyes go red, and it flies into rage
and locks down the country so neither needle nor drop of water can pass.
Oh, who's that?
The sorority director's here with the patrol!
They're looking ferocious! You need to hide at once!
There's a cellar there, I'll hide right in there.
Quick!
Why hello there ma'am!
I heard your niece came for a visit?
Hey. Do you have business here?
Well,
listen closely ma'am, there's something you really need to understand,
there's no wiggle room in the rules from above.
We must do this to any visitors.
'Cause what if someone came to proselytize illegally?
I've heard that your niece is a believer in God.
Where is she?
Will nothing make you people stop this?
Now ma'am, don't make such a fuss,
after all we're just taking a look around.
Hey, so what exactly is this cellar for?
What … what should I say?
Oh, well you see,
the truth is my mother-in-law had a heart attack and died in this cellar.
We haven't used it since.
Oh wow, that was some quick thinking!
Dammit! That's bad luck.
Let's go.
Listen.
If your niece comes again to preach, report it immediately.
Or else both of you will be taken.
Wow, that was unbelievably close!
Okay, okay. We can at least take a breath now.
What is okay? My aunt is tremendously worried!
Oh, but what could it be?
Dear Ming,
the government always arrests believers.
They use every single trick in the book.
They reward informants, monitor with cameras,
the police come in different disguises for secret visits,
all the neighbors spy, there's the five-household groups.
It's hard to believe and take the right path in China.
Once it gets dark, I'll say goodbye and see you off.
This has to be understood.
No matter how powerful the CCP seems,
it's nothing but a serving object, just a foil in God's hands! (That's right.)
Almighty God's words say:
It seems your aunt's feeling scared and weak.
You must fellowship with her right away.
That's absolutely true.
Aunt, even though the CCP is doing horrible things to stop us from believing,
like locking up churches,
even locking down villages and streets,
strictly surveilling, arresting, and persecuting believers,
brutally torturing, and jailing us,
what's the outcome?
The more they oppress us,
the more we are able to see their essence as satanic demons
who hate the truth and resist God. (It's true.)
What say those who truly love God? (Tell me.)
The more brutal their persecution,
the more resolute we are in our faith in God!
Overcomers are forged from suppression from difficulties just like this.
That is true!
Hey, has your fellowship clarified that for your aunt?
So God uses Satan in order to make overcomers of us believers!
Wow, she completely understands!
Thanks be to God!
In order to make us all complete,
God guides us to never stop battling Satan. (That's right.)
Brothers and sisters have enough faith to bear witness to God.
Thanks be to God!
That said though I've accepted the true way,
I'm affected by the CCP.
My faith is so inadequate, I have no stature.
I'm deeply ashamed of myself.
But don't you understand what's happening?
Indeed. I can't be constrained by their suppression anymore. (That's correct.)
Hey, where are you going off to now?
Brothers and sisters can't wait anymore for the Lord's return!
I have to find everyone immediately to share with them the good news!
That's right!
No matter if we're all in lockdown,
we will bear witness to God and find a way to spread the gospel!
That's correct.
Though Satan's forces are strong,
they'll never be able to stop God's work.
No matter what its means of persecution,
Satan cannot change people's will to pursue truth and aspire to the light!