The gospel has spread across the world and been accepted by many in every nation. The Middle East is alive with revival in Iran, Egypt, and other Muslim majority countries. Asia in contrast has been more difficult. The churches in China thrive despite persecution, South Korea is major hub of Christian teaching, and Singapore is almost entirely Christian. But Japan is a different story. The message of Christ drowns there, much like the Jesuit missionaries who affixed to crosses where drowned in the tides. In fact, only Catholicism had a stint there with Shimabara Rebellion, where Catholic Samurai and peasents defied the Emperor's edict to renounce their faith. While inspiring that they like The Maccabees fought to stop their extinction, unlike the Maccabees they lost. Now only a small percentage of Japanese are truly Christian, I do not count Catholicism because it is giant cult that insults the Spirit of Grace, “Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Spirit of Grace.” (Hebrews 10:29).
But why is Japan so resistant to the gospel? With Seppuku (ritual suicide) on the rise, and the fact indigenous Japanese birthrates have dropped to extinction levels, you’d think they would be open to anything to give them hope and means to restore their nation. I think the answer to why The Former Empire of the Sun is so resistant to the Savior is found in Scripture, “We wanted very much to come to you, and I, Paul, tried again and again, but Satan prevented us.” (1 Thessalonians 2:18). Satan is strong in Japan. There demons are part of their spirituality, you see this in their art (red doors are gates of hell and red dragon is demonic as well), anime (Inuyasha & more), and more. If demons are served, no doubt the prince of demons is too. For in Dragon Ball Z, and Super, there is a character named Mr. Satan, and his daughter Videl is Devil rearranged. In fact, I mentioned how in Trigun Stampede, how Knives plays an organ beneath a devil statue, which is ironic since Satan had oran pipes coming out of his chest, “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.” (Ezekiel 28:13).
To become a Christian, a Japanese person would need to have the boldness to cast much into fire like in the Book of Acts, “A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars.” (Acts 19:19). They would have to cease necromantic worship of ancestors and resort to merely remembering and honoring them as a memory. It would require an entire purging of stuff riddled with demonic meanings, spells, and etc. But it would be worth it! Eternal Life is worth it, to count all lost but Christ, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith (trust in Christ)” (Philippians 3:7-9). Afterall, look at where the Japanese have gotten without Christ, and keeping their pagan customs: high rate of suicides and low birthrates. The only thing that can save Japan is Jesus Christ. To throw off their doctrines of death and worship The One who rose from the dead and conquered death! To stop plunging a blade into their bowels and instead lift up a cross and build families that serve the Author of Life! If Japan is to survive, they must cast the demons, spells, suicidal teachings of the Samurai (that really came from Korea, ironically Korea abandoned it when their ruler saw it decimated his army strength to have a cult of death via suicide), ancestral worship (its ok to remember your ancestors, but do not worship or conjure them in necromancy & soothsaying), and whatever else is destroying them.
This is the critical moment, The Former Empire of the Sun needs the Son of God now! Before its too late! Adopt His Way, believe in Jesus Christ as Lord (God) and that He died for all your mistakes and sins and failures on a cross and that He conquered death when He rose from the dead. Choose to live a life of grace, where you become ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), to be true Samurai, for Samurai means to serve and Jesus said we are to be his servants, “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him,” (John 12:26), and “And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be the servant of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-55). Put aside suicide, and embrace Jesus who wants you to live an abundant life, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Amen.,
Comments
Post a Comment