I wonder if in Heaven we will learn about all those who suffered and died for the cause of Christ. Or will we be so focused on the Lord and His blessings that such matters will not be discussed. If not then, at least now, we need to be stirred by the sufferings of our forefathers and mothers.
On this day in 1558 officials of the state broke into a room where a group of Anabaptists were gathered to worship the Saviour. The place was Aachen on the Rhine. Often only the men were arrested, but on this occasion five men, six women and one baby in a cradle were taken into custody. All the adults were tortured for eight months, during time which one of the men recanted. At times their joints were torn apart on the rack, and at other times they were suspended from the ground with heavy weights on their feet. They were detained in individual cells. Whenever possible they sang hymns at the top of their lungs to encourage one another. Pastor Hans Schmidt even composed some hymns during this period. The women were eventually flogged and exiled, but all of the men were strangled and their bodies were burned in October of that year.
