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Dear Friend,

We love God and have something very precious to share with you. But, first, we want you to know we are not writing with political motives. We affirm the secular government of Turkey and have no desire to undermine or change it. We earnestly pray that God will bless your nation, guide your leaders, and protect your freedoms.

The subject we are writing about is very important for all of us, including you and your loved ones. So, we hope you will consider it carefully.

In the Holy Bible, two sides of the Almighty’s character are shown to us. He is perfect and unchanging in both. In symbol, these are presented as “the two hands of God.”

The left hand of the Most High is pictured as a fist and represents His justice and anger. Because God is perfect and holy, He must judge and punish all evil – even wrong things done in ignorance.

The Holy Word tells us that Adam, the first man and the father of all mankind, disobeyed God. In doing so, he brought the curse of death upon himself, his descendants, and all the creation the Almighty had placed under him. By God’s decree, this curse has passed from father to child ever since.

The Holy Scriptures say that, like our father Adam, all of us have done wrong and fallen short of God’s glory. If we are honest with ourselves, we know that we have sinned in both our actions and our thoughts. If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves. And it is sad but true that none of our own deeds can erase the evils we have done. God tells us our own efforts to earn His forgiveness and acceptance are like filthy rags.

The writings of the prophets reveal that death and separation from God’s mercy are the just penalty for our corrupt ways. So, the fist is a picture of the terror, shame and rejection belonging to all of us who have earned God’s anger.

The right hand of God is very different. It is open and inviting, because it is the hand of His mercy and forgiveness. It represents the Almighty’s love, acceptance and protection. It is the hand of favor and eternal life.

It is important for us to know that God is perfect in mercy, just as He is perfect in justice. And He yearns to show His kindness to us. The New Testament tells us that God is full of love for mankind.

But, this poses a dilemma. If all of us have done wrong and offended our Creator, how can He shower us with mercy and still be perfect in justice? His perfect and unchanging character requires that all of our misdeeds be judged and punished. And He has already revealed that the punishment is disgrace, torment and death.

The wonderful thing is that God’s mercy has made a provision for another person to take our punishment for us. But, to take our place this person must be one of us. To bear our curse, he himself must be free from the curse. He must also be pure and holy, totally sinless.

But how can this be? To be one of us, our sin-bearer must be a descendant of Adam. Yet, because God commanded that the curse of death pass from father to child this seems impossible. How can any person fulfil these requirements?

There is only one way. In the Book of Genesis, God reveals the coming of a man called the “seed of woman” (Gen. 3:15). In the writings of the prophets, we learn that this unique person must be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). Since the curse of death passes from father to child, only a virgin-born man can be a descendant of Adam without Adam’s curse. And only such a man can bear the judgment of God for us.

Is there such a man? And, if so, is he sinless? Is it possible He would be willing to die for us?

The amazing answer to all of these questions is, Yes!

Consider Jesus Christ. Unlike other prophets, He alone has been born of a virgin. The New Testament records his sinless life and calls him the Lamb of God. God sent him into the world to be a holy sacrifice in place of all that put their trust in Him.

The fact is, He has already taken the fist of God’s judgment for us. Two thousand years ago, he suffered disgrace, torment and death at the hands of evildoers. This was in the very manner the great prophet King David had foretold ten centuries before.

Satan and corrupt religious and political leaders thought the death of Jesus was entirely their doing. But, it was the Almighty who allowed it. He chose the time and place of Jesus’ death. The New Testament tells us Jesus gave His life willingly, knowing He could have called thousands of angels to intervene.

The Word of God tells us that, three days following His great sacrifice for us, God raised Jesus from the dead. His early followers met with Him and witnessed this fact. He was then received into Heaven, where He lives today. This sets Him apart from all other prophets. And although He is a prophet, He is much more. At God’s appointed time, He will return to judge and rule the world.

Jesus has become the Bridge between the two hands of God. No one else has the right to say, “I am the way.” Because of His death in our place, God’s justice has been fulfilled. This means the shame of our wrongdoings can be removed and the gift of forgiveness and eternal life can be ours.

But, such mercy can never be purchased through our own efforts. To think our own deeds can make us worthy is an insult to God and His Holy Sacrifice.

How, then, do we receive this wonderful gift from God?

The Bridge from death to life is of no benefit to us unless we choose to pass from one side to the other. For this living Savior to be our own, we must place our trust in Him and what He has done for us. We must then confess our faith in Jesus to God and ask Him to forgive our sins because of Jesus’ death in our place.

When we do this with our whole heart, God begins to change us from within. We are then able to accept His help in turning from any immorality or wrongdoing in our lives. After we have come to God in this way, Jesus tells us to complete our commitment by being baptized.

If you want to talk with others about these things, the notice on the back of this letter gives information that will help you do so.

~ God bless you! ~

At the close of the letter in Turkish, we advertise a prayer line in three cities of Turkey that the reader can contact by telephone, e-mail
or post to share prayer needs or questions. He or she is also invited to request a free “New Testament” and a free “Jesus” video or CD about the life of Christ. Every week since it was first advertised, numbers of Turks have committed their lives to the Savior through the outreach of this prayer line. For those who desire to follow Christ or to learn more, there is a follow-up program with the Turkish churches. On the very last page, we also include an ad about Christian radio broadcasts in Turkish that can be heard throughout Turkey. These programs are aired from a powerful AM station in Krasnodar, Russia, that formerly broadcast communist propaganda to the Turks.

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