I want to thank each of you again for your prayers and financial support for Japan! As you know they are not out if the woods yet. There are many difficulties still.
We are still raising finances for Japan if you want to help. You can use paypal or wire the money.
Here is some info from intercessors and people doing spiritual mapping
God is Sovereign and not capricious about his judgements.
Shalom Clint
Tokugawa Leyasu assumed control over Japan in 1600. Like Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he disliked Christian activities in Japan. Tokugawa shogunate finally decided to ban Catholicism, in 1614 and in the
mid-17th century it demanded the expulsion of all European missionaries and the execution of all converts. This marked the end of open Christianity in
Japan. The Shimabara Rebellion, led by a young Japanese Christian boy named Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, took place in 1637. After the Hara Castle fell, the shogunate's forces beheaded an estimated 37,000 rebels and sympathizers. Amakusa severed head was taken to Nagasaki for public display, and the entire complex at Hara Castle was burned to the ground and buried together with the bodies of all the dead.
Many of the Christians in Japan continued for two centuries to maintain their religion as Kakure Kirishitan, or hidden Christians, without any priests or pastors. Some of those who were killed for their Faith are venerated as the Martyrs of Japan by the Catholic Church, Anglican Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Episcopal Church.
Although Christianity was later allowed during the Meiji era, Christians were
again persecuted during the period of State Shinto.
Notice that NAGASIKI and HIROSHIMA were cities that persacuted christians !!! THEY
were hit with atomic bombs !!!
and now Fukashima.
Among the places that Father Carvalho visited were Oshu, Sendai, Dewa, Hirosaki, Tsugaru, Akita and Mizusawa. He also ventured out into the settlement of Matsumae on the island of Hokkaido in 1620, sometime after Father de Angelis had left the settlement. Father Carvalho was finally martyred in Sendai in 1624.
these martyrs bodies were cut into pieces and thrown into the HIROSE RIVER..... This is the SAME river that the 3-11-11 TSUNAMI traveled up to
destroy that area!!
There was also a time when Christianity was big under the Nestorians in areas of Japan, China and elsewhere as you probably know already.
Unlike some, I do not write off all Nestorians as those who are against the divinity of Christ, etc. as there is evidence that they were not as portrayed and there is a lot of religio-politically motivated stuff going on in the background that has little to do with the facts. As with most all missions during the 3rd-19th Centuries there was lots of goofy people at many levels of every group and some who were really true followers and noble before the Lord. I won't go into that but thought I'd mention I am not unaware of that particular view.
I say all that to say that Japan has had opportunity via the Nestorians and have seen slide of on site excavations from people who have worked in missions over there for up to 50+ years. There is a Nestorian website at:
http://www.nestorian.org/christianity_arrived_in_Japan_.html and links more info in case you might be interested and have a moment to research it. As later I have read where there was some kind of massive purge of believers around the 10th or 11th Centuries mostly due to polititions and Warlords of the day (some things don't change very much)
Please click the link below as well. |
