Carol, thank you so much for your reply.  

You are absolutely right, the Japanese need THE Almighty in their lives; they need to know Him. The Soverign YHWH does nothing without purpose--so I am sure He is using this tragedy to bring some of the Japanese to know Him.

However, as I wrote in my post,  I believe that many of the Japanese have the spirit of YHWH in their hearts without even knowing it--just as Romans 2:14-15 says.  By their actions through this terrible crisis, they are showing fruit of the spirit--and by their fruits we are to know them (Matt 7:20). (How many of us in America would be like that in similar circumstances?)

I don't believe the ones that died in the tsunami will necessary be burned up in hell....YHWH's mercy endures forever and He tells us that at the Great White Throne Judgment, the rest of the dead will be judged according to their works/deeds (Revelation 20:12-13).

I believe that this terrible calamity is a call for all to get our spiritual houses in order.  I have witnessed Christians condemning the Japanese for their pagan practices--and I think we need to look at our own personal worship and take the beam out of our own eyes.

The Japanese are mostly pagan in worship, but they don't pretend to be anything else.  Many Christians are mixing the pagan with the holy (lukewarm) in their worship. YHWH hates the mixing of worship which the Christian Church has been doing for centuries.   We as Christians make ourselves out to be such saints when we have much lacking.  You don't have to look very far to identity the pagan practices in Christianity-a quick google search will show that--but so few are willing to act on what they find--or are afraid of what they will find.

Yes, Carol, we do need to surrender our lives to the Master.  We need to all ask ourselves if we are really doing that?  I think one of the most sobering scriptures is in Matthew 7:

Not everyone who says to Me, Master, Master, will enter into the kingdom of Heaven, but the ones who do the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Master, Master, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many works of power? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; "depart from Me, those working lawlessness!" (Mat 7:21-23)

May He Bless you Abundantly,

Mary Ames