Dear children of the Turkish nation. This action is a coup against the nation, commandeering armored vehicles and weapons in Ankara and Istanbul, behaving as if it were the 1970s. Honorable Turkish nation, claim democracy and peace: I am calling you to the streets against this action of a narrow cadre that has fallen against the Turkish nation. Claim the state, claim the nation.

While it's not clear how influential the text message was, many Turkish civilians took to the streets, as the government had hoped.

Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan returned to the country this morning from an undisclosed location, where he said that those involved in the uprising would pay a "heavy price," and announced that his government was moving quickly to arrest those involved.

Others reported getting variations of the message:

"We are expecting all our ppl to squares to defend national will."

"Stand up and fight for democracy."

The government also addressed citizens through other means. Yesterday, President Erdogan used Apple FaceTime to address the ongoing coup, stating that, "There is no power higher than the power of the people."