The Winner No More
The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.
Japan’s government is taking new form after voters stripped the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of its majority in the Lower House. The LDP has been in the majority for all but a handful of years since 1955, but now opposition parties are working in coalition to shape the government and the legislature’s agenda. The election result surprised many observers and is likely to have a variety of impacts worldwide, as Japan is the world’s fourth-largest economy.
Analysis and eternal perspective: This story will be overshadowed by the U.S. election in many ways, but it serves as yet another clear reminder that governments of men are fleeting. Certainly, the LDP may soon return to power in Japan, but no party in any country has more than a temporary hold on earthly power. Furthermore, all the kingdoms of this Earth are themselves fleeting while the Kingdom of God will endure forever (Ps. 145:13, Heb. 1:8, Lk. 1:33, Dan. 2:44, Rev. 11:15).
As a Jesus follower, this should motivate you to invest in your forever home. The Kingdom of God is everlasting, both now and forevermore. It is in many ways easier to think about that Kingdom having no end than it is to grasp that it has always been. We serve a God who is bigger than space and time, and who simply was before our world began (Gen. 1:1). As a result, your everlasting home includes the here and now. This is a concept none of us can fully grasp, but it can and should give us certainty of purpose while governments all around the world wax and wane.