All posts tagged: Japan

Video: Lava tsunami turns up the heat on the end times?

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We know from the Bible, that an increase in volcanic activity will be part of the end times’ countdown leading to what the prophet Joel describes as the Day of the Lord (Joel 2:30-31). I recently saw several incredible videos of volcanic activity in October. One involves a lava tsunami in Iceland. The second, a column of smoke associated with the eruption of Mt Aso in Japan on Oct 20, 2021, that sent smoke and ash 3.5 km into the atmosphere: The third involves ash and smoke pouring out of Mt Etna, Sicily, Italy on Oct 23, 2021: And the fourth involves the eruption of the La Palma volcano on Spain’s Canary Islands:

From “Tora, Tora, Tora” to preaching the Gospel, the story of Mitsuo Fuchida

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When the Japanese launched their attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Mitsuo Fuchida who led the first of two waves ordered his navigator to send those famous words, “Tora, Tora, Tora” back to their flag-ship, the carrier Akagi. It was the code used to relay to the Japanese fleet that their attack had not been detected. As leader of the air strike, Fuchida stayed in the air over Pearl Harbor as the second wave of Japanese planes came in for their bombing runs. This unprovoked assault by the Japanese air force numbering 353 fighters, bombers and torpedo planes resulted in the deaths of over 2,500 Americans. Though sixteen American ships were damaged or sunk, most were repaired and returned to service. The attack resulted in the Americans declaring war on Japan the next day. Fuchida continued on as a pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. When he was injured in the battle of Midway, and no longer able to fly, he trained pilots in Japan. Many people are unaware that Fuchida …

Japan’s Christian Voice

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[by Earl Blacklock] Throughout his life, Toyohiko Kagawa was a respected  voice in Japan, representing Christian truth and witness. Born to a concubine, Kagawa was raised by his father’s wife and her mother who, in their indignation, took turns beating the boy until he was old enough to be sent away to school. There he met two missionaries who taught him that all men were created by a God of love, and that any person could accomplish good simply by devoting himself to service. Inspired by their example, he plunged into study for the ministry, only to be struck down by tuberculosis. During his recuperation, he wrote Across the Death Line, a novel that was to play an important role in his life. Impatient with endless discussions about doctrine, Kabawa moved into the slum area of Kobe, where he was to live for 15 years. There, he lived the teachings of Christ, sharing his meagre resources to buy food for his neighbours. Called a fool, he proudly called himself “Christ’s fool”. When one man demanded …

A warning not heeded

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[by Earl Blacklock ] As a young man, Walter Judd attended a youth conference in Lincoln, Nebraska. He remembered little about the conference except the story of the rich young ruler. He saw in the story a choice – to put a Cause before himself, or to be a quitter. He went home and announced to his parents that he had chosen to be a medical missionary. In 1925, after graduating from medical school, Judd went to a mission hospital in China, 12 days inland. After a succession of 46 malarial attacks, he was forced to return to the United States in 1931. What he had seen in China convinced Judd that Japan was preparing for war, and that the U.S. would inevitably be embroiled in it. He tried to convince anyone who would listen that American trade was helping Japan arm. No one took his warnings seriously.

A generous peace

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[by Earl Blacklock] Japan will long be remembered as the perpetrator of the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, followed by years of astonishing cruelty against those it conquered. This made them beyond redemption in the minds of most Americans. An associate of Dulles once called the behavior of the Japanese during the war “unforgiveable”. Dulles’ response? “Christ teaches us that nothing is unforgivable.” John Foster Dulles was born into a devout Christian home, a pastor’s family, in 1888. His grandfather, John Foster, was part of the team that negotiated an end to the Sino-Japanese war in 1895, and served as Secretary of State. His parents wanted him to follow his father into ministry, but his grandfather had other ideas.

The Mikado’s Unseen Interpreter

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[by Earl Blacklock] Prior to 1854, Japan was a reclusive nation ruled by a shogunate that had isolated the nation for 200 years. When Commander Perry sailed into Tokyo harbour aboard the frigate Susquehanna, he demanded a treaty between the two nations that would guarantee the safety of shipwrecked American sailors and allow American ships to refuel on their way to Asian markets. Much has been made of the threat that the American guns posed to the Japanese that day. Less known is the story of the role played by a Japanese man who had returned to Japan after being rescued by American sailors. Nakahama Manjirō was only 14 when, in 1841, he was shipwrecked with four others. They made it to an island where they survived for six months. They were rescued by the American whaler ship John Howland and taken to Honolulu.

The Crown Prince

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[by Earl Blacklock] Elizabeth Gray Vining was an experienced American teacher who, in 1946, had the opportunity of a lifetime – to be the English tutor of the Crown Prince of Japan. Emperor Hirohito had specified the qualifications she was to meet. She was to be a Christian woman, “but not a fanatic”. Japan was recovering from a devastating military defeat; the Emperor had been permitted to remain as a figurehead ruler. Real power, however, rested with the Allied commander General Douglas MacArthur, and the Emperor wanted the Crown Prince readied for this new world. Elizabeth was told her purpose was to open windows to the world outside Prince Akihito’s household and culture. Elizabeth’s influence went beyond her lessons.