Waiting for The City That Is to Come

The devastation of the Sendai earthquake/tsunami has stirred deep feelings of sorrow, empathy and fear in the hearts of many throughout the world. How this tragedy, which is now threatening to turn into a nuclear meltdown, will unravel and what it means for the Japanese people is certainly going to affect not only the economy of the world (Japan is the 3rd largest economy and the second largest consumer market after the US), but also our everyday lives.

Earthquakes are occurring with increasing frequency in recent years and this acceleration in natural disasters is attributed to a wide range of factors from global warming to man's pollution of the earth. The Bible quotes Jesus as saying that these are the signs of the end times when God returns to earth to rescue his bride (the church) from the tribulations (escalation of human violence and natural calamities) and his final reappearance to battle the Antichrist and the armies of the world in what is called the Apocalypse.

In Matthew 24 verse 7, Jesus said: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places."

Looking at the pictures and videos of devastation in Japan, I pray that the Japanese can turn to the one true God, the Lord Jesus in their hour of darkness and loss. Already, the admirable response of the Japanese people in the wake of the disaster may be a sign that Japan may see a revival if not in spirit, then in her national psyche after prolonged years of economic and spiritual stagnation. For God has said:

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

In Hebrews 13, the apostle Paul wrote:"The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here, we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come."

Yes, the whole earth groans for the new earth to be borned where the eternal city of God will descend and crown the new world. Deep in the hearts of mankind, whether Christian believers or non-believers, we are seeking for an eternal peace, a rock of stability where there is no death, no tears, no earthquakes and tsunamis to shake our lives. That city is the city that is to come. Amen.