Christian Bible Publishers Slain in Turkey

They are the TRUE martyrs! MALATYA, Turkey - Three employees of a publishing house that distributes Bibles have been murdered in Turkey, the latest in a series of attacks on the countrys Christian minority. Assailants boun...

They are the TRUE martyrs! MALATYA, Turkey - Three employees of a publishing house that distributes Bibles have been murdered in Turkey, the latest in a series of attacks on the countrys Christian minority. Assailants bound the hands and legs of the three Christian men and then slit their throats. The German and two Turks were killed at the Bible publishing house in the eastern Turkish city of Malatya. They were members of Turkeys tiny Foursquare Protestant Church. CBN News April 18, 2007 WARNING THIS REPORT CONTAINS A GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF THE MARTYRDOM OF THREE CHRISTIAN MEN. From a letter released through Voice of the Martyrs The letter describes the work Geske, 46, was doing on a new Turkish Study Bible. That morning, he went to the offices of Zirve Publishing, which produces and distributes Christian literature to Malatya and other parts of eastern Turkey, for a Bible study. Pastor Necati Aydin, the father of two, also left for the same office, as did Ugur Yuksel. None of these three men knew that what awaited them at the Bible study was the ultimate testing and application of their faith, which would conclude with their entrance into glory to receive their crown of righteousness from Christ, the letter said. Also heading to the Bible study were five men thought to be seekers who had been guests of Pastor Necati at an invitation-only evangelistic service earlier. No one knows what happened in the hearts of those men as they listened to the gospel. Were they touched by the Holy Spirit? Were they convicted of sin? Did they hear the gospel in their heart of hearts? Today we only have the beginning of their story, the letter said. The young men got guns, bread knives, ropes and towels ready for their final act of service to Allah. They knew there would be a lot of blood. They arrived in time for the Bible study, around 10 oclock, the letter said. Reportedly, after Necati read a chapter from the Bible the assault began. The boys tied Ugur, Necati, and Tilmans hands and feet to chairs and as they videoed their work on their cellphones, they tortured our brothers for almost three hours. The letter included the following graphic details of the torture Tilman was stabbed 156 times, Necati 99 times and Ugurs stabs were too numerous to count. They were disemboweled, and their intestines sliced up in front of their eyes. They were emasculated and watched as those body parts were destroyed. Fingers were chopped off, their noses and mouths and anuses were sliced open. Possibly the worst part was watching as their brothers were likewise tortured. Finally, their throats were sliced from ear to ear, heads practically decapitated. The letter released by Voice of the Martyrs said neighbors thought the noise was a domestic argument so they did not respond. Another believer, Gokhan, arrived about 1230, but couldnt get in, so he called. Ugur answered his phone. We are not at the office. Go to the hotel meeting. We are there. We will come there, he said cryptically. As Ugur spoke Gokhan heard in the telephones background weeping and a strange snarling sound, the letter said. He called police. When officers entered, they found, Tilman and Necati had been slaughtered, practically decapitated with their necks slit from ear to ear. Ugurs throat was likewise slit and he was barely alive, the letter said. Several assailants were caught in the room, and two nearby, including one who apparently tried to jump out a window to flee and was seriously hurt. The letter said persecution of Christians bombings, physical attacks, verbal and written abuse as well as media propaganda.