Lessons Learned from the Japan Earthquake

A fire rages at the Cosmo Oil refinery
in Japan following the earthquake.

As the nation of Japan comes to grip with the destruction caused by the unprecedented 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami, and as heroic engineers work tirelessly to prevent a core meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, much discussion has ensued about emergency preparedness and safety.

Over the past few days, I have heard claims that this quake was nature's way of telling us that she's in control, and the ridiculous claim that the earthquake was Mother Earth's way of telling us that "nuclear power is wrong."

All kinds of ideas and agenda's are being extrapolated from this tragedy, from a push to stop nuclear plant construction, to plans to upgrade emergency preparedness. With all of these things on the table, it is interesting that few people are discussing the glaring lessons that should be obvious to the evangelical Christian.

1. God is STILL in control - Over the past several decades, technology has propelled man to new heights. From the large amounts of power generated from nuclear power, to the internet, to on-demand publishing, to high-powered personal computers, to a global communications network which links every one together via the voice and data capabilities of their smart-phones. We have learned to tap renewable energy sources, have made transportation more fuel efficient, and have globalized our market place. Our buildings have safer construction, our highways are more efficient, and commercial airliners can virtually fly themselves. These advances, along with medical advances, political advances and educational advances have moved mankind beyond his imagination.

However, we should be reminded that in spite of all of our advances, our destinies still lie in the hands of the almighty God. There is no technology that he can't put down. There are no medical advances that will keep Him from calling His saints home. There is no predicting His movements upon the earth, or when the next big event will take place. Therefore, we need to place our faith in Him, not our technology.

2. Get Right with God - It's amazing to me how many people flooded the church buildings of America on the Sunday following September 11, 2001. The brazen attack on American soil was bound to spark an American war in the Middle East, and many feared the end was near. No doubt, people wanted to know if the end was here and wanted to be in the right place if it was.

The truth is the end is always near. Hebrews 9:27 says, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." We never know when it is our turn to go. Thousands of people were going about their lives in Japan when the quake struck, and the tsunami followed seconds later. Many had approximately a minute to react to the coming flood waters. Many were unable to escape. The fallacy in the thinking of many people is that life goes on as normal, and we can see death coming. The truth is that death can hit you in an instant, with no warning. So repent of your sins now, and trust Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Don't wait for a major event, or a sign that you might be dying.

3. Don't be selfish - One of the remarkable things about watching events unfold in Japan is how the people are all handling the tragedy. They are banding together, conducting themselves in an orderly fashion. Looting and rioting are non-existent. Contrast that from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. What's the difference? Culture.

Japanese culture is one of being polite, and one of doing your part. American culture is one of pursuing your own dreams and ambitions and only pitching in if you can get something in return. Granted, not everyone in America thinks this way, but by and large we have a greedy culture. That sort of self-centeredness is not a Godly virtue. How many times does scripture warn against covetousness.

I wonder what would happen in American companies if workers did their jobs as if they owned the place, as if their performance directly impacted the business health of the company. I wonder what would happen in American churches if the members came seeking how they could serve the Lord, and not what they could get out of services. I wonder what would happen in American communities if people actually cared about their communities instead of expecting someone else to make the difference. We have case studies in each of those scenarios where everyone brought something to the table, and the entire group was better as a result.

In conclusion, I would like to offer my prayers to the people of Japan, and I would like them to know that I am pulling for them to be able to make a speedy recovery from this disaster. Also, I would like to set everyone's mind at ease. The Fukushima plant will not destroy the world... we have many more prophecies to see fulfilled before that takes place.

Why You Should Pay Attention to the Middle East Protests and Uprisings

When protests gave way to an uprising in Egypt, the bigger picture of civil unrest in the Middle East became front page news. While the media tends to zoom in on one country at a time (right now, all eyes are on Libya), uprisings have taken place all across the Middle East and North Africa. From peaceful protests in Morocco, to the flight of the Tunisian president to Saudi Arabia, to protests against the King of Jordan, to uprisings in Bahrain and Yemen, uprisings are becoming so numerous it is difficult to keep track of them all.

When the departure of Hosni Mubarak became apparent in Egypt, talk in U.S. media centered around the Muslim Brotherhood, a political organization operating in many Middle Eastern countries. Conservative pundits like Sean Hannity began to compare the ouster of Mubarak to the Ayatollahs returning to Iran. Many feared that the Muslim Brotherhood would install an anti-American, pro-terror government in Egypt. The Israeli-Palestinian peace process is now in question and many fear war.

During times like these, it is important to avoid hysteria. Still, one needs to be informed about what is going on. Whether the Muslim Brotherhood will install an Anti-American, pro-terror regime in Egypt is still in question. (The Egyptian military is still in control of the country.) However, even if the Muslim Brotherhood installs a relatively peaceful government, there is still cause for concern.

The Muslim Brotherhood's Wikipedia page describes the group as non-violent, however the book Milestones, written by prominent brotherhood member Sayyid Qutb, is often cited by those who advocate for jihad.

The Muslim Brotherhood's goals include establishing the Qur'an as the sole reference point for ordering the life of the individual, family and state. One of the primary goals is the reinstatement of the caliphate.

Referencing the book, Milestones, the Muslim Brotherhood believes that Western civilization is in decline because of its moral decline, and the Brotherhood seeks to build Islam as the lead civilization in the world.

All of these factors should be an eye opener for the Christian who is well studied in end-times prophecy. Imagine, a religious movement that rides the back of, and helps prop up a world government. That religion would be the most powerful religion in the world. It would be able to persecute other religions with little or no consequence.

That scenario matches up with Revelation 17:3-6. That passage depicts a woman riding on the back of a beast. The beast is identified as the Antichrist and his one-world government, while the woman is identified in Revelation 17:8 as being the city of Babylon. However, it is also worthy to note that scripture uses women as symbols of religious movements in apocolyptic passages like Revelation 17. So the woman is not just representative of the city (as in buildings and streets) but also of the religious nature of the city. Babylon will be home to the one-world religion, which will not be any form of Christianity.

Over the years, end times scholars have tried to forecast which players on their respective world stages would eventually be players in the end times. More often than not, these forecasts are wrong. However, I believe that it is entirely possible the dominant world religion in the Tribulation period will be some form of Islam. If indeed the Muslim Brotherhood is successful in taking control of the governments of the Middle East, you could see the foundations being laid to shift the center of power from the Judeo-Christian West to the Islamic East.

We may still have decades before the Tribulation begins. Still, we need to be mindful of how the groundwork is being laid today to usher in that time period. We should be obedient to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who said, "Watch, and pray."