"not put on two coats" - Syriac Orthodox Church

A Tokyo Railway View

Syriac Orthodox Church

The last phase of the Greatest Change in 2000 years must come or start from Jerusalem, as Christ Jesus concentrated His most efforts there, sacrificing His life.  But if it is not yet the last phase and it is the second last phase, where will a sign be given telling the Second Coming of Christ Jesus?

Few Christian denominations can claim the antiquity of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, whose foundations can be traced back to the very dawn of Christianity. The Church justifiably prides itself as being one of the earliest established apostolic churches. It was in Antioch, after all, that the followers of Jesus were called Christians as we are told in the New Testament, “The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” (Acts 11:26). 

According to ecclesiastical tradition, the Church of Antioch is the second established church in Christendom after Jerusalem, and the prominence of its Apostolic See is well documented. In hisChronicon (I, 2), the church historian Eusebius of Caesarea tells us that St. Peter the Apostle established a bishopric in Antioch and became its first bishop. He also tells us that St. Peter was succeeded by Evodius. In another historical work, Historia Ecclesiastica, Eusebius tells us that Ignatius the Illuminator, “a name of note to most men, [was] the second after Peter to the bishopric of Antioch” (III, 36).

http://sor.cua.edu/Intro/index.html

So, the civil war now being fought in Syria is really symbolic.  The victims in Syria of today must be especially taken care of by God.

Anyway, the situation in Syria today is linked with the history of these 2000 years.  It cannot be easily solved.

In the south of Syria, there is Israel; in the west of Syria, there is the EU; in the north of Syria, there is Russia; and in the east of Syria, there are major Islamic countries.

Libya associated with the ancient Roman Empire was somehow settled with the death of Muammar al-Gaddafi.  Egypt associated with  Cleopatra and Caesar was somehow settled with the arrest of Mr. Mubarak.  But, as Syria is more associated with the early Christianity, it looks more die-hard.

http://www.truthbook.com/index.cfm?linkID=888

So, to solve the Syrian tragedy, peoples in the world must learn the history of these 2000 years with expectation of the Second Coming of Christ.


*** *** *** ***



Mar 6:9 But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats.

"grace in the eyes of the LORD" - Suicide Attacks

In the West of Tokyo

Suicide Attacks

The drone attack is not a suicide attack.  But, against this high-tech operation by Christian Americans, some Islamic Afghans and Pakistanis are launching suicide bombing attacks, so tragically and unbelievably.

May 18, 2010
Pakistani Patriot has analyzed the number of Drone attacks on Pakistan versus the Suicide bombings in Pakistan. There seems to be a direct correlation between the attacks in FATA and the Suicide attacks in Pakistan.

The CIA's site The Long War has published some astonishing statistics of drone strikes on Pakistan. It promises to update the site  after the latest strike. http://www.longwarjournal.org/pakistan-strikes.php 

The Pakistanis count their dead differently. 

The author of the Pakistani site Pakistan Body Count says: "Whether it is a Suicide Bombing or an Attack by a Flying Drone, For Me it's the Same, A Pakistani Got Killed" 

The website ( http://pakistanbodycount.org/index.php) provides a complete history and time-line of Suicide Bombing and Drone attacks in Pakistan. Data is collected from media reports, hospitals, and internet. All data is publicly available and there is no classified data here. This is an effort to show the world the intensity of Suicide Bombing and Drone attacks in Pakistan. 

Suicide Bombing Victims
Dead = 3607, Injured = 9189, Total = 12796 and Counting  

Drone Attacks Victims
Dead = 1296, Injured = 445, Total = 1741 and Counting  

Success Rate of Drone Attacks against Al-Qaeeda ~ 2.5%

http://www.uruknet.de/?p=m66117

In the 21st century when everybody can enjoy i-Pad and so on, how can people kill themselves as a means of war.

Conversely, in what situations will Americans launch suicide bombing attacks to any enemy?

Anyway, as it has entered this phase of the War, the meaning of the War on Terror must be changed.  It must be more important to stop this kind of war operation than to simply protect the US, if it is viewed from a viewpoint of dignity of mankind.  The US is just one nation, but the suicide bombing attack poses an issue that is related to all the mankind in the context concerning its history.  Put simply, for mankind it is more important to stop suicide bombing attacks than to protect American interest.

Accordingly, the US should withdraw from the Islamic world so that there will be no more suicide bombing attacks by Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The US is a super-rich country.  It can continue to be a rich country if it withdraws all the military, business, financial, and cultural operations from the Middle East and other Islamic regions.

And, if there is no US presence in their countries and regions, no Muslims would dare fight the US, taking the suicide bombing attack strategy.


*** *** *** ***




Gen 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

"when he had opened the fourth seal" - Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

A Tokyo River...

Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

It was Japanese Naval Marshal General and the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet Isoroku Yamamoto that planned the Pearl Harbor Attack in 1941.

Most of generals and admirals of the Imperial Navy were against the idea of attacking US bases in the Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  It looked too risky to take 12 days for an Imperial Navy feet, including six aircraft carriers, to sail over the North Pacific Ocean from Japan to Hawaii.  Leaders of the Imperial Navy intended to prepare for the long haul in the war with the US.  They did not want to use the main carrier battle group for such a dangerous mission.  However, admiral Yamamoto said to top leaders of the Imperial Navy that he would resign as the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet to which carrier battle groups belonged if his strategy was not adopted.

So, the Pearl Harbor Attack was carried out while most of Japanese Navy admirals and generals doubted whether the operation could really show successful results.  But as the Imperial Navy had no other persuasive plans to attack the US Navy, they reluctantly supported Yamamoto's idea.  The Imperial Navy of Japan had been built to fight US naval fleets invading the Japanese seas.  It was expected that Japanese naval fleets would counter US naval fleets on the seas around Japan, since the US then had a colony of the Philippines.  But Yamamoto opted for a sudden attack on the major part of the US naval power in the Pacific region that was stationed in Hawaii as many US ships were moved from San Diego, California.

Admiral Yamamoto had good knowledge about the US.  He knew that the Imperial Navy would be overwhelmed by the US Navy as time went by.  GDP of the US was at the time ten times larger than Japan's GDP.  The US would build ten aircraft carriers and 1000 war planes while the Empire of Japan would produce one aircraft carrier and 100 war planes.  So, it is still a mystery how Admiral Yamamoto  planned to end the war against the US though it was started with the successful Pearl Harbor Attack.

Nevertheless, Yamamoto accepted the reality of impending war and planned for a quick victory by destroying the US fleet at Pearl Harbor while simultaneously thrusting into the oil and rubber resource rich areas of Southeast Asia, especially the Dutch East Indies, Borneo and Malaya...
...
On the morning of 18 April, despite urgings by local commanders to cancel the trip for fear of ambush, Yamamoto's two Mitsubishi G4M fast transport aircraft left Rabaul as scheduled for the 315 mi (507 km) trip. Sixteen Lightnings intercepted the flight over Bougainville and a dogfight ensued between them and the six escorting Mitsubishi A6M Zeroes. First Lieutenant Rex T. Barber engaged the first of the two Japanese transports which turned out to be Yamamoto's plane. He targeted the aircraft with gunfire until it began to spew smoke from its left engine. Barber turned away to attack the other transport as Yamamoto's plane crashed into the jungle....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoroku_Yamamoto#Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor







*** *** *** ***




Rev 6:7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
Rev 6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

"because of their unbelief" - God and Time

Around Tokyo Imperial Palace Plaza

God and Time

If somebody has ability to stop and restart time of the universe at his will, we cannot conceive it.

And, if that somebody has no intention to interfere with any phenomena in the universe while he has stopped and restarted time of the universe, we cannot see any influences of his action.

So, it has no meaning at all to us living in this universe.  But if that someone has a mission to check everything in this world, he can do it by stopping and restarting time at his will.  He can stop the time of our universe almost forever until he has checked out everything of our universe at a certain point of our time.  In this way, the God might use His angel to check this universe of ours.

But what is the time for the God?

It is beyond our ability to imagine that the God who can create our universe, including time, lives in His own time.  What is the God's time?  Is it akin to our time that flows from the past to the future?

Thinking about the God using concepts the modern science has given us is truly horrible in a sense.  There might be other larger universe outside our universe.  And this sequence can be repeated to infinity.  Yet, the God must be above this sequence generating the infinite of universes.

Nonetheless, we can respect the God more with more awe of the God than those who lived in older days.

However, Christ Jesus did not teach what the modern physics teaches us to His followers.  And His teaching is that we may be admitted into Heaven that is an extension of the best environment we can imagine.  We don't have to know how the God created our universe with time to be eventually saved in Heaven, leaving this world.

Besides, while mankind has discovered so many scientific facts and laws and so much truth, our faith in the God has not increased in proportion to the amount of scientific knowledge.  The more we know the nature and the universe, the more we must be expected to revere the God.  But, modern people have come to have less time for thinking about the God, while enjoying so many products and services our science and technology can now produce.  It is so dangerous.

Finally, we don't know what makes it possible for time to flow without a failure at any moment in this universe.  And, the God must be able to stop it at any moment.  It is truly a terrible story.  But if the God should want to punish mankind or should lose interest in our universe, it must be so simple for him to stop and freeze everything in our world and the universe.  He can have one of His angel simply stop time.

Anyway, if you cannot explain who or what created time in our universe, it is impossible for you to think about the God, at least, in a scientific manner.

Better believe in the God.

http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/God


*** *** *** ***




Mar 6:6 And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.
Mar 6:7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;

"thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are" - Jesus and Poverty

Tokyo Governmental District...

Jesus and Poverty

Poverty in the society is a result of rich men's negligence of Jesus' teaching.

9 Jesus Quotes About The Poor 

Luke 6:20-21 Then he looked up at his disciples and said: 'Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
'Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. 'Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 

Luke 4:16-19 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 
'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.' 

Matthew 25:34-36 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me." 

Mark 10:21-22 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. 

Mark 12:41-44 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." 

Luke 14:12-14 He said also to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." 

Luke 16:19-25 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 
In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. 

Luke 11:39-42 Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? So give for alms those things that are within; and see, everything will be clean for you. "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God. 

Luke 12:16-21 Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."

Jesus never drank beer with His rich friends.

He never made a joke with His rich friends.

It is because He could be richer than any rich man in this world, but He loved the poor and gave a warning to the rich, as their being rich is a result of their negligence of the teaching of the God.

http://www.ourchurch.com/member/g/God-Truth/

*** *** *** ***




Mat 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

"thine alms may be in secret" - New York & Terror

A Paddy Field around Tokyo

New York & Terror

New York has become safer along with diffusion of the Internet, PCs, and cellular phones.

Or does it mean that the number of Christians has drastically increased since 1995?

Or are New Yorkers today far happier than those having lived in New York before 1995?

There must be a key in this trend to understanding special characteristics of this era.  

Now the following figure shows the number of terror incidents (the upper figure) and the number of people killed in terror (the lower figure) in the world.

 http://www2.ttcn.ne.jp/honkawa/9360.html
Light Blue - Western Europe; Red - North America; White - The Middle East; Pink - Latin America; Green - Eurasia; Yellow - Asia; Gray - Africa

Maybe Israel is the closest nation to New York.

Here are statistics for the number of Israelis killed in terror attacks from 1948-2006.

http://israelmatzav.blogspot.jp/2011/02/palestinian-authority-settles-terror.html




*** *** *** ***



Mat 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.