Our man in Japan

His awesome work.. Isaiah 28:21 Do you love your job? I actually do, even if I barely make a living from it. Teaching is a privilege, it should never be about the money anyway. I can't claim to be an awesome teacher though. Some people light up a room in a good way, my Religious Studies teacher at VI Form was like that. (Here's your shout out, Mr Cole!) He was pretty much universally loved by his students. He was an evangelical Anglican, a Jewish convert no less. His students converted him! But even he would be the first to say God is the one whose work is truly Awesome. Just look at His Creation for details, let alone His Saving Work at Easter. 

The earth will also disclose her blood.. Isaiah 26:21  Over a hundred thousand unborn babies were murdered in the UK during lockdown. But the bloodthirsty feminists want more. England votes today on a measure to restrict the radical new abortion "emergency" rules for COVID, that should never have been passed in the first place.  

The strong people will glorify you.. Isaiah 25:3

For the Lord of Hosts has purposed, And who will annul it?  Isaiah 14:27 Jamaica wants to be a Republic. Prince Will got short shrift when he visited this month. If that's what they want, so be it, but I hope the woke leaders calling for this understand that God as Head of Planet is much much harder to get rid of: in fact, impossible. As for me, it seems a little much that Will, a lad born in 1982, who doesn't set Tory or Labour policy, gets the blame for things far outside his reach. How is jettisoning the Commonwealth actually going to solve Jamaican social issues? Except symbolically? It probably won't help your football team, who just got embarrassed by the Canadians 0-4. 

Then Simon Peter came, following him.. John 20:6 St Peter's, a small Jesuit school in New Jersey, is pulling off remarkable & historic wins in the March Madness, the National US intercollegiate basketball 🏀 tourney. The New York Post headline yesterday was "Miracle!" when they beat Purdue, a higher ranked school, this being their 3rd upset. I love to see it! No 15th ranked team has ever reached the Elite 8 before! 

After you were illuminated.. Hebrews 10:32 Buddhists talk about enlightenment. The word here is illuminated, though some translations do actually use the word enlightened, and I'm told that is very close to the original Greek.   Converting to Christianity is a meeting with Christ Himself, and thus to be illuminated or enlightened with His own light, for God is light, and Christ is the Light of the World. However, Christians are not made perfect immediately, and so we still struggle with our own inner darkness in one form or another such as pride, anger, sloth or lust until our dying day. But often when a man does convert, the difference, the illumination, is immediately apparent. You would have to ask those around me in 1981, when I converted, whether that was the case. My own feeling is that it may have been less obvious than when some drug addict immediately gives up crack for Christ, but the fact that my liberal nominally Christian dad was willing to shell out for an top of...

The Lord, & his weapons of indignation.. Isaiah 13:5 Japan's PM is very upset about North Korea's latest missile which landed in seas that seem to belong to Japan. He says it is 'unforgivable' according to NHK. To be fair, it was reckless, as they could have killed some fishermen. But they didn't. So maybe it isn't wise to dial the reaction up to 11 when no one was hurt? Kishida can't stand it because Kim just reminded him of his impotence on this issue. Yesterday Zelensky told Japan that it was "leading Asia", & the missile is a swift reality check.  Meanwhile, in my country, at a church school, 5 years olds were taught to sing a song thanking their mums for cleaning & shopping in time for Mother's Day. Feminists are outraged. And truly it is outrageous. Surely they should have have been taught to twerk & dress gender inappropriately? I mean come on, it is 2022, for goodness sakes. Being nice to your mum is so Edwardian. The fe...

The Philistines towards the West.. Isaiah 11:14 It is hard to support Boris sending 6000 missiles to help Ukraine when his government is also pushing for yet more LGBT+ "rights". Don't get me wrong, Labour is worse, but I can't support Russian soldiers being killed by my government. What has Russia seriously ever done to the UK apart from helping save us from Hitler in WW2? 

I have removed the boundaries of the people,  And have robbed their treasuries; So I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man .. Isaiah 10:13 Who do you think of when you read this?  Seems to me it describes both Trudeau,  Putin & the governments of Myanmar, China & North Korea rather well.  Note on English usage: Valiant is a positive word meaning courageous, but to use it about yourself is not a good look: Isaiah (or his translator) is using it ironically.   

Wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. Luke 21:15 Christianity has never been successfully rebutted in 2000 years. Which is why its enemies tend to kill Christians or have them silenced on platforms like Twitter rather than debate them. 

Prince of Peace.. Isaiah 9:6 At the end of the day, it seems neither Putin or Zelensky really understand who Jesus is.  

It was necessary for the Christ to suffer & to rise from the dead.. Luke 24:46 The Jewish establishment in Jerusalem were convinced that they had got rid of their Jesus problem by getting the Romans to execute Him. The authorities in early modern Japan were convinced that they had got rid of their Christian problem by exiling or killing them. Countries like North Korea today still think the best way to deal with the church is to put it in prison camps. It didn't work in the USSR and it won't work now. Similarly, illiberal secularists like Trudeau will soon pass, while the church in Canada will continue long after he has been kicked out. 

Hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.. Hebrew 3:13 So many people do not even believe in sin these days, so how can they understand its ill effects on our consciousness & conscience? To take an extreme case, it is often said, & I believe it, that the first murder is the hardest. Once you have killed someone, (and remember many "respectable" people have killed an unborn child) it is far easier to kill again, as you have already crossed that terrible moral threshold. But every sin is like this: addictive, wearing down our moral consciousness, leading us into darker & darker paths of moral grey, so that we can no longer see clearly the light that is in Christ. 

Pekah, the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against it, but could not prevail against it.  Isaiah 7:1 Is Putin done? I don't know. God wins whatever happens, because nothing that happens can be outside his will. That's not to say God wanted the invasion of Ukraine. God allows evil, but always for our good. 

Then I said, 'Lord, how long?' And He answered "Until the cities are laid waste.." Isaiah 6:11 The pandemic caused many people to reevaluate their lives, & some came back to Christianity as a result. But still many people think they can ignore God's laws and still prosper. In Ukraine a majority decided to vote for trans "rights". How is that working out for them? 

As the fire devours the stubble, And the flame consumes the chaff, So their root will be as rottenness, And their blossom will ascend like dust; Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 5:24  

Woe to those that rise early in the morning, that they may follow intoxicating drink.. Isaiah 5:11 If you feel the need to drink alcohol before lunch, face it, you are almost certainly an alcoholic & you need help. Try AA. 

He looked for justice, but behold, oppression.. Isaiah 5:7 So Meta has changed its hate speech rules so you can call for violence against Russians on Facebook & Instagram. That's nice. Orwell predicted a daily 2 minute hate. Meanwhile western media talk self righteously about Russian lack of free speech while the West is banning RT & Sputnik. What is Sputnik reporting this morning? An earthquake in the Philippines. Classified info you mustn't know. 😞 Or maybe the whole earthquake thing is "Russian disinformation"🤨? 

Slow of heart to believe.. Luke 24:25 Asia is the least Christian continent. Russia is the largest Christian country on that continent, though in terms of actual numbers of Christian believers the Philippines is a close 2nd and may even be first! Japan still has a tiny 2% or so Christian population but there are quite a few countries in Asia with fewer Christians, as Japan has such a large population overall. The Maldives may be the only country in Asia with no Christians at all. Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia are the largest countries in Asia with insignificant Christian populations, and I think we know why that is.. it is a matter of compulsion.   

Among those born of women, there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he.    Luke 7:28 The lesser of 2 evils is a truism in politics. It is usually what we are faced with at the ballot box, & it applies to Ukraine as well.  Is the fact that Zelenskyy is Jewish a factor? Yes & no.  Zelenskyy seems to be fairly secular in his outlook. Usually, the more pious the Jew, the wiser his worldview, but as Jesus implies in today's quote, there is a limit to the wisdom one can have from merely looking at the OT, as Jews do.  Don't get me wrong, I consider Judaism wiser than any world religion except Christianity. Better our daughters marry Jews than Muslims, Buddhists, atheists, Shintos, or Sikhs.  But clearly I want my daughter to marry a Christian because as Jesus says, even the least wise Christian (who is least wise amongst Biden, Putin & Trump?) has a shot at New Testament insights. ...

They declare their sin as Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves.  Isaiah 3:9 Since 1991, Ukraine has passed 3 pro-LGBT laws. 

In that day, a man will cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which they made each for himself to worship, to the moles & bats.. Isaiah 2:20 Shinto & Buddhism can't save you from thermonuclear missiles. 

Enter into the rock, & hide in the dust,  From the terror of the Lord & the glory of His majesty.  Isaiah 2:10 Whether there is a nuclear war or not, wherever you live, whether it is central London or Tokyo, or a tiny croft in the highlands of Scotland, there is no escaping God's wrath. Except through Jesus.   

Everyone loves bribes.. Isaiah 1:23 Did you know former Japanese PM Abe once tried to give Putin a puppy? He was rejected. Perhaps Putin prefers wolves?  

Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers.. Isaiah 1:4 To me as a Christian this describes every nation: America, Australia, Britain, Canada, China, Ireland, Japan, N Korea, Egypt, Myanmar, Pakistan, ..Zimbabwe. Why Russia should be singled out for sanctions for the actions of one man seems deeply unfair. The so-called international community are breathtakingly hypocritical. 

Delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, & the third day rise again.  Luke 24:7  This is the heart not just of Orthodox Christian faith but all Christian faith. Jesus is alive. Every Sunday is a reminder of Resurrection, particularly in Orthodoxy.  But in this current situation, I see Ukraine as the one being crucified & all those who are calling for it to fight on against overwhelming odds seem to not want it to rise again but want to keep it on the cross. Why? Are they hopelessly naive? Or is there a more sinister agenda at work, one that seeks regime change in Russia by dragging out the war on the backs and over the bodies of the Ukrainian poor? Quite frankly, it seems to me Washington & London regard Ukrainian nationalists as useful idiots at this point. Two weeks ago Boris and the liberal West had no real interest in Kiev, or Kyiv as the politically correct now must call it. I was watching videos about the lavra years ago, because I seriously...

The preaching of Jesus Christ.. Romans 16:25 Shane Warne, one of the greatest cricketers of his generation, has died suddenly at 52 of a heart attack. May he rest in peace. If you have never seen him bowl, I suggest you look him up on YouTube.  But more importantly, make sure you get right with God through Jesus before you die, before it is too late. 

Make for peace.. Zechariah 8:16 "Peace on earth- which man throughout the ages has so longed for & sought after- can never be established, never guaranteed, except by the diligent observance of the divinely established order.." Pacem in Terris, Pope John XXIII, 1963

Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain... Jude 1:11 Cain committed the first ever fratricide. I urge Russians & Ukrainians alike to stop killing each other. Likewise gangs in NY, LA, Chicago, London, Manchester, Birmingham. There is a better Way. 

He has done monstrous things .. Joel 2:20 Mitt Romney is clear Putin is a monster for killing children in Ukraine. Yet he helped defeat Trump in 2020, thus helping Biden & the baby killers gain power. According to the feminists, starting a war is monstrous, but killing your own unborn child is not. I say no to the killing of children, full stop, whether it is Putin or your local abortionist. 

The Lord.. destroyed those who did not believe. Jude 1:5 I don't claim to know how all this will end politically. But the Bible is clear- it won't be Russian Orthodox Christians suffering in the long term.