Christian Documentary Movie | Chronicles of Religious Persecution in China | "To the Brink and Back"

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During the last days,
God has once again become flesh in the East—China.
In 1991,
Almighty God, Christ of the last days, formally took up His ministry.
Since then, Almighty God has expressed millions of words
and carried out the work of judgment beginning from the house of God.
God's sheep hear His voice.
The people of various sects and denominations
who loved the truth and yearned for God's appearance,
have recognized that Almighty God's words are the truth,
and that this is the voice of God.
They believed that Almighty God was the return of the Lord Jesus,
and one by one they came before Almighty God.
The appearance and work of Almighty God sparked panic in the CCP.
The CCP issued numerous secret documents
and mobilized the armed police and army
to maniacally oppress and eradicate the Church.
The whole of mainland China rained blood,
dark clouds descended,
and there was universal outrage and indignation.
Today, the Christians of all the house churches,
particularly those of The Church of Almighty God,
are experiencing even more brutal and bloody persecution by the CCP government.
These Christians' bloodshed and loss of life
are like a song of victory over the forces of Satan,
and tell the grisly tale of Chinese Christians' persecution.
This early summer day,
June 22, 2013 in Dalian was cloudy and dreary.
There was an odd feeling of anxiety and restlessness in the air
with a hint of tension.
That day,
the Chinese police carried out nationally coordinated arrests
of members from The Church of Almighty God.
Large numbers of church leaders and Christians were arrested,
and an enormous sum from the Church's coffers was seized.
Chen Wenzhong, a Christian with The Church of Almighty God,
was in the midst of preparations to go abroad.
He was also arrested.
Because police officers from a number of different departments were working together
and they weren't familiar with everyone,
when they saw Chen Wenzhong dressed in camouflage
they thought he was one of them.
Just as the police were interrogating other Christians,
Chen Wenzhong seized the opportunity and escaped.
For years, the Chinese Communist government
has madly persecuted Christian house churches,
especially The Church of Almighty God.
Chen Wenzhong's duty in the Church was very important,
so he was one of the Chinese police's most wanted men.
He had been running from place to place for over 10 years,
faced with the risk of being imprisoned or even losing his life at any time.
He was left with no choice
but to flee China to escape from this persecution.
He never thought that such a harrowing scene would be played out
the very day he was to leave the country.
Although Chen Wenzhong had miraculously escaped from the tiger's mouth,
his plan to flee the country had to be shelved.
He ran to another city and went into hiding.
He called on favors from everyone he possibly could
and once again got the formalities to go abroad taken care of.
Seeing this happy family,
many feelings welled up inside of him.
He couldn't help but think about the fact
that he had also once had a happy, wonderful home.
Chen Wenzhong, a college graduate,
was working in a fairly large state-owned enterprise
in the city of Changchun in Jilin Province.
After just a few short years he became responsible for several branches of the company,
and took the position of general manager.
He was named as a model worker for both the province and the city
because of his outstanding professional achievements.
He was a locally famous young entrepreneur.
In the 1990s,
when China's national economy was not as developed,
Chen Wenzhong had already developed a successful career,
and his personal assets were in the millions.
After getting married, he had a happy family that was full of joy.
His wife worked as a nurse.
She was a tender, virtuous person who was educated and cultured.
His son was smart and adorable,
and very talented in calligraphy and painting.
Chen Wenzhong deeply loved his son and was always proud of him.
He wanted his son to grow up healthy and happy.
Chen Wenzhong's family believed in the Lord,
so he had been a believer since he was little.
He was a devout Christian.
In 1999, when he read the words of Almighty God,
he recognized that Almighty God's word is all the truth,
and is the voice of God.
Then he concluded that Almighty God is the return of the Lord Jesus.
So, he made up his mind to follow Almighty God
and was very active in his duty in the Church.
He even bought a house just as a gathering place for the Church.
In July of 2002,
the Changchun police got a hold of information on some of the church leaders
through their monitoring,
and arrested them.
Two church leaders who lived in Chen Wenzhong's home were arrested,
and he also was put on the CCP government's blacklist.
Since Chen Wenzhong's duty in the Church was very important and wide-ranging,
the police attempted to arrest him as well
and get information out of him on the church leaders and the Church's funds.
Once he learned this, he knew the situation was very serious,
and he rushed to ask friends to inquire further.
Chen Wenzhong learned from his friend who was in law enforcement
that the case was being jointly managed
by the 610 Office and the Ministry of State Security.
The 610 Office was referred to as "Jiang Zemin's imperial guards"
and the "spy organization of Zhongnanhai."
One can imagine
what being blacklisted by the 610 Office and the Ministry of State Security would mean.
Chen Wenzhong was facing arrest and persecution by the CCP government.
He had no choice but to leave home, to escape from Changchun.
He ended up in Shenyang, staying in the home of a brother.
Because Chen Wenzhong was wanted by the CCP government,
that brother and sister risked arrest and imprisonment by hosting him.
They took care of him as if he were one of their own,
and Chen Wenzhong really experienced the love of God.
A cold, bleak ray of moonlight shone outside the window
making the long night seem even lonelier, even more desolate.
Chen Wenzhong tossed and turned through a sleepless night.
His mind was in a whirl from this sudden turn of events.
He had no idea when he could go back home,
and he was worried
whether his gentle wife could handle so much stress without him there.
Xiaoyu, his son, was just 8 years old.
Would his self-esteem suffer without the care of a father?
And how could his elderly mother bear such a huge blow,
learning that her son was wanted?
As he looked at the photo,
his family's safety weighed greatest on his heart …
Drizzling rain pattering against the window
awoke Chen Wenzhong from his beautiful revery.
He was forced to leave his family behind and uproot himself
because of the CCP government's persecution of Christians.
Overnight, someone who had received widespread admiration,
an entrepreneur with limitless opportunities in front of him,
suddenly became a wanted man.
Thinking of what had befallen him,
Chen Wenzhong was filled with indignation and hatred.
All of his loved ones were implicated
after he was forced to leave home.
In order to arrest Chen Wenzhong,
the Chinese police did everything in their power to harass and follow his loved ones.
They even refused to let his 8-year-old son go.
In September 2002,
Chen Wenzhong's brother-in-law drove Chen's car to and from work,
so he was arrested by the police and brutally beaten.
The police even confiscated Chen Wenzhong's car
and removed all of the family's valuables from their home.
When his younger brother went to inquire about Chen Wenzhong's property,
he was also arrested by the national security brigade.
The police also spread rumors all over the place,
saying that Chen Wenzhong was a fugitive.
For a moment, everyone who knew him was saying all sorts of things.
The Chinese police skulked around like ghosts,
often popping up in front of Xiaoyu.
This was terrifying and stressful for him.
He became more and more anxious,
and was always afraid that the police would take him away,
and he'd never see his parents again.
The threats and intimidation by his teacher and the police
were a serious trauma for Xiaoyu's tender young mind.
He was constantly living in fear.
His classmates' mocking and insults made Xiaoyu more and more withdrawn,
and damaged his self-esteem.
He shouldered his pain alone,
not wanting to tell his mother,
afraid of hurting her feelings.
The police often threatened Yao Shuzhen
that if she didn't disclose her husband's whereabouts,
they would get her fired
and her child wouldn't even be able to go to school.
The police couldn't get any information about Chen Wenzhong from Yao Shuzhen.
They just put pressure on her boss,
demanding that they have someone monitor her at work.
Year after year,
their monitoring and summons of Yao Shuzhen and her son,
became more and more frequent,
and their methods became even more sinister.
Young Xiaoyu was unable to withstand their open threats
and their shameless intimidation.
He would often start awake from nightmares in the middle of the night,
his face covered with tears.
The CCP government extended the punishment to Chen Wenzhong's entire family,
oppressing his loved ones and allowing them no peace in their home.
Because the CCP was monitoring their phone calls,
Chen Wenzhong never dared to call home,
afraid that he would reveal his whereabouts.
But thoughts of his family tormented him,
and he was very concerned about their safety.
He wanted to know how they were doing,
so he rashly went somewhere far away to call them.
That phone call, lasting just a few minutes,
ignited in Chen Wenzhong the urge to go back home.
Hearing the wail of a passing police car's sirens quelled that feeling.
He thought of many Christians who had been arrested and sentenced
just because they believed in God and were doing their duty.
Some had even been persecuted to death.
He was well aware
that although a murderer could buy his way out of trouble,
a wanted Christian like him was seen by the state as a political criminal,
and no amount of money would get him out of this.
If he were to go home
his family would only be dragged into it even more,
and being arrested would just bring more troubles
to the Church and his brothers and sisters.
His hands were tied.
All he could do was give up the idea of going back home.
To avoid being monitored and hunted down by the CCP government,
Chen Wenzhong went from Dalian to Anshan to Fuxin and other places.
He found brothers' and sisters' homes to stay at.
As the CCP government's oppression of Christians ramped up,
Chen Wenzhong's hopes of returning home became even slimmer.
In November 2006,
Chen Wenzhong found out from a brother
that his mother and his younger brother and sister-in-law
had all left home and fled to Shuangyang County in Changchun,
so Chen Wenzhong rushed to get there.
Over the years they hadn't seen each other,
his mother's hair had grayed, and her face looked gaunt.
She had aged quite a bit.
She looked like a totally different person.
Heartache and guilt welled up in Chen Wenzhong's heart.
What Chen Wenzhong saw was utterly shocking.
He never could have imagined
that his mom, who had never had to worry about food and clothing,
would be forced to live in such a remote place
because of the government's persecution,
and her life had become so difficult, so poor.
Chen Wenzhong felt a burst of sadness.
Chen Wenzhong's brother and sister-in-law
were also Christians with The Church of Almighty God.
Because of the Chinese police's unceasing threats and intimidation,
they were unable to lead normal lives and worship God,
so they had no choice but to flee.
His mother had been leading an itinerant life along with them.
His mother was scared for Chen Wenzhong every single day,
and she really missed her grandson.
Her health was getting worse and worse,
and she was afflicted with illness.
Chen Wenzhong's heart ached.
He thought of his father's death when he was just 16.
It was his mother who endured all sorts of hardships
to raise him and his brother and sister.
From the time he was little,
he had always wanted to give his mother a good life,
but because of the CCP government's persecution,
his family had been torn apart,
and his old mother was forced to go on the run.
Chen Wenzhong didn't want to tear himself away.
He really wanted to throw caution to the wind and stay by his mother's side,
so he could look after her.
He didn't want her to suffer any more,
but because of the CCP government's oppression, he had no choice but to leave.
Seeing his mother putting on a strong face,
he felt incredibly guilty.
His mother had fallen into such miserable circumstances,
and he, her son, was unable to take care of her.
Chen Wenzhong's heart ached so much he felt like he was about to suffocate.
He knew that after he said goodbye this time,
there was no telling when they might meet again …
During the many years he was on the run,
Chen Wenzhong continued to resolutely perform his duty.
He completely devoted himself to spreading the gospel of the kingdom
and bearing witness to the appearance and work of Almighty God.
However,
as the CCP government's oppression of Christians grew,
the risk of being arrested followed Chen Wenzhong at every turn.
But spurred on by the words of God,
his faith in following God never weakened.
One day in February of 2012,
Chen Wenzhong unexpectedly received a letter from his brother
that shared his wife's whereabouts.
He rushed back to his hometown.
Right after the Chinese New Year,
snow enveloped Changchun like a silver dress.
It was frigid and windy.
Chen Wenzhong was anxiously waiting for his wife
in the woods on the outskirts of town.
He hadn't seen her for 10 years.
In spite of the bitter cold,
Chen Wenzhong's heart was on fire,
and he could hardly contain his excitement.
Chen Wenzhong hadn't expected that this person was his wife!
Once young and beautiful, she had become old and gaunt.
She had certainly undergone great suffering and hardships.
Thinking of this was like being stabbed through the heart.
His heart fluttered from the intense pain.
The Chinese police's harassment of Chen Wenzhong's family never stopped.
At first, the national security brigade
would go to his house every three to five days,
bring Yao Shuzhen to the police station,
and interrogate her on his whereabouts.
When she could no longer bear their harassment,
she moved several times,
but they always found her
and had her report to the police station regularly.
Hearing about the torture his family had endured,
Chen Wenzhong felt as if his own heart was bleeding.
He rushed to ask about their son.
Upon mention of their son,
Yao Shuzhen burst into tears and sobbed.
She was inconsolable.
Ever since Chen Wenzhong had left home,
his son Xiaoyu had frequently cried and said that he wanted to find his dad.
This put Yao Shuzhen in a difficult position.
Once Xiaoyu saw how devastated his mother was,
he became more and more thoughtful,
and from then on he hardly ever brought him up in front of her.
Every day when he got out of school
and he saw the other kids' fathers coming to pick them up,
he really missed his own dad,
and wished so much he could be at his side right then.
These four years,
Xiaoyu has not only been enduring the pain of missing his father,
but he has also suffered from the threats and intimidation of the demonic police.
Even an adult cannot cope with that kind of psychological stress.
How could a young child bear it?
Xiaoyu was trembling from fear
when he saw the officer's ferocious, twisted expression.
The toy dog his father had sent him had been ripped in two.
This was terrifying for little Xiaoyu,
and he was trembling from head to toe.
One day in October 2006,
Yao Shuzhen didn't see her son when she went to meet him after school.
She hurried back home as fast as she could.
12-year-old Xiaoyu was no longer able to bear the torture of the Chinese police,
so he hanged himself at home,
bringing an end to his short life.
Learning of his son's death was a terrible blow for Chen Wenzhong.
The pain went into his bones.
He was absolutely overcome with grief.
After Xiaoyu's death,
Yao Shuzhen was completely unable to withstand the blow of losing her son,
and she started to think of ending her own life.
Only with her mother's comfort and caring did she finally get over it.
But the national security brigade still didn't loosen their grasp on her.
They still continued to summon her for questioning.
In order to escape from their web,
in 2007,
Yao Shuzhen furnished an application for declaration of Chen Wenzhong's death to the court,
and made a public announcement.
She then married someone else.
Another blow of terrible news hit Chen Wenzhong like a hammer.
He felt as if his heart had been hollowed out.
He was in a daze
and didn't even know how he had left the woods.
After returning,
Chen Wenzhong shut himself up in his room
and couldn't sleep for several days and nights.
All he could think about was his son's sweet face when he was little.
He thought about what his face looked like when he was singing,
when he was drawing,
and when his son was playing with him …
He wished so much that his son were still alive,
to hear him call him Dad.
Just on the brink of despair,
it was the guidance of God's words and the support of brothers and sisters
that led him back out of the abyss of pain.
Thinking back on over a decade of wandering as a vagrant and living as a fugitive
as well as the suffering his family had endured,
Chen Wenzhong was overcome with emotion.
All he had done was believe in God, fulfill his duty,
follow God, and take the correct path in life.
But the CCP government had forced him to leave his wife and child,
and destroyed his family.
He deeply felt the hardship of being a believer in China,
and clearly saw the truth
that the CCP government strikes out against justice and tramples on human rights.
He also had a deep understanding that
if it hadn't been for the faith and the strength given to him by God,
he would not be able to continue on,
and if it hadn't been for God's care and protection,
he wouldn't have been able to escape from peril time after time.
In August of 2013,
after many twists and turns and many efforts to use his connections,
Chen Wenzhong once again handled the formalities to go abroad,
and he boarded an international flight all alone,
risking arrest by the CCP government.
He has been in exile overseas since that day.