Dear....
And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him:for they know his voice.
John 10:4
I
believe I heard God right. And in faith, I responded and make my first
property investment in the land of onsens, cherry blossoms and
earthquakes.
As an investment, the 12% net rental yield is
exceptionally attractive, and the capital investments small and
ridiculously cheap for a developed economy, at 1/8 of an equivalent in
Singapore.
But if it was purely a secular investment, one has to be
very cognizant that the Mother of all earthquakes is possibly looming in
Watanabe
land.
Japan is a very hard ground that has been plowed over in
significant ways. From the the distinction of being the one and only
country to be embellished by hell's fire ( two atomic bombs in Nagasaki
and Hiroshima), to the Kobe earthquake and the recent wash over by the
tsunami cum nuclear fallout.
These things said he:and after that
he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may
awake him out of sleep.
John 11:11
The
American victors, led by General MacArthur were benevolent
administrators of the defeated Japanese after the end of WW2. The
Japanese economic Phoenix not only rose from the ashes, but reached its
zenith right to the early 1990s. But in exchange, the samurai spirit was
suppressed and few Japanese of the post war generation truly know their
history nor appreciate their wealth of exquisite art.
Fast
forward today, the once colossal post war Japanese economy has been in
malaise for the past two decades. Yet, though rudimentary, it is
stirring. But of greater omnipotence is the rising tide of nationalism.
We are witnessing the spiritual reawakening of a once compliant post war Japan.
Will
it be the resurgent nationalism of the past, that brutal beast that
once threatened the world and brought untold misery to its Asian
neighbors or can it be possible that God wants to bring about a final
liberation of the darkness that has hovered over this nation for eons?
It
is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants
thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a
curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
Isaiah 40:22
Tectonic
shift, a term used to describe a strong and widespread impact. Like
President Obama, who
mistakenly use the word, "Teutonic," instead of tectonic," I did make
the same gaffe when I first titled this sharing. But in all things, if
our hearts are right, God will turn a wrong into right. And perhaps,
"Teutonic," is an apt follow through from my thoughts on the resurgent
Japanese. For Teutonic refers to the Germanic race, whose core, the Nazi
Germans of Adolf Hitler were bedfellows with the Imperial Japanese army
in their efforts to subjugate the world during WWII. And much as
Germany lost the war, today they are increasingly the kingmaker in the
aftermath of the ongoing European debt crisis.
And the ten horns
which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet;
but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind,
and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Revelation 17:12-13
What
seems
implausible has become reality. I did not realize that the British, the
nemesis of Hitler's all conquering military, were of Germanic blood as
well. And who would imagine the Biblical proclamation of an united
Europe ever coming to fruition. Today,the seemingly impregnable Iron
Curtain separating capitalist Western Europe from communist Eastern
Europe has long fallen. And paradoxically, the economic malaise in
Europe has made the integration of One Europe a compelling reality. And
just yesterday, the powers to be in Europe are pushing for one
individual to be the economic tsar rather than shared amongst a
committee.
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was:and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Ecclesiastes 12:7
In
the midst of the above major seismic shifts, there is an unobtrusive
but creeping reality that none can avert, which is mortal death. For
most it is a matter of when, not whether.
But with death will come eternity, and it is imperative to be made ready for it.
Today
the lovely cities of Central Europe like Prague and Budapest are at
risk of being flooded over, not just by the ongoing debt crisis, but by
the physical elements.
Like the majestic Hungarian Parliament House
with its lovely lighted hues that so enthralled me a couple of years
back, but now at great risks of being washed over. We have a joyful life
that God has given but not many appreciate. Are the tides of this
difficult world lapping increasingly upon your life?
It is good to
ponder upon and respond to the omnipresent God while He is still
available for us. For when Christ returns, there is no more room for
shifting allegiances, but judgment.
And hath made of one blood
all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath
determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their
habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel
after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
Acts 17:26-27
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:Fear God, and keep his commandments:for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
God blesses
Eng Hieang
11th June 2013
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