Annual Introduction - AM 5982 (25 September 2022 - 13 September 2023)

Shalom Aleichem and welcome to the Issachar B7D Fellowship!

Jews celebrate the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah - “Day of Trumpets”) at sunset today (Sunday, 25 September 2022) by blowing the Shofar (Ram’s horn) to mark the beginning of a Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah - “head of the year”). We are another year closer to the end of the Sixth Millennium (according to the rough estimate used in my study, we are entering the year AM 5982) before Jesus returns to usher in His Millennial Sabbath Rule as symbolized by the Seventh Day of the original Creation account. Until then, we pray for the day when Israel will celebrate this Feast recognizing Jesus as their promised Messiah who will return at the Last Trumpet.

When I started these YouTube podcasts four years ago, it was to keep the flame of God’s Truth alive even as the world grew darker. Indeed, with the information age and rise of social media, we live in an era where the first horseman of the apocalypse rules. He conquers not by might or violence but by overwhelming us with information overload and eroding truth with fake news and deceptive views. You could say this is the first wave of truly global proportions.

Then Covid-19 hit in 2020. Initially, I had thought that this second wave would pass quickly and we would move into a new normal, that this was a “fire-drill” from God to shake us up. I am not so sure today. As the world continues to struggle with the pandemic and prepares for the ultimate “Disease X”, this is looking more and more like the fourth horseman. I am reminded of the words of a good friend - “what if this is not a fire-drill, but the beginning of the end?”

This year, we hear the distant hoofs of the second and third horsemen as the pandemic and Ukraine war aggravate geopolitical tensions and divisions and lead to rising inflation. Russia has threatened a Third World War while many are warning of an imminent global recession of an unprecedented scale. For the first time in human history, we see all four horsemen coming together to wreak havoc in almost every part of the world due to globalisation. The Bible tells us in the verse above that they will be “given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:8b).

As we look forward to our Lord’s soon return, let us keep the faith. Let us run this race of life well. After all, that is all that matters, because we cannot bring any other worldly belonging to heaven. Let us persevere in hope. We know that the world will grow darker and challenges will abound. In fact, some of you may already be facing all sorts of trials. But let us not give up. God is sovereign over all things and will give us the strength to prevail. Lastly, let us love the Body of Christ. God brings fellow believers into our lives as He knows we cannot complete the journey alone. We need to love, support and encourage one another so that when we finally cross the finish line, we can celebrate our victory together in God’s presence. To be honest, both Wei Ling and I are far from being able to accomplish any of these well. We need your love, support and prayers for us even as God equips us through this Fellowship to be a blessing to others both near and far.

God bless you,

Stephen & Wei Ling Lim

Read the e-Book.

B7D Facilitator's Guide

Shalom Aleichem!

Since embarking on our journey to understand the Bible through the 7 Days of Creation (B7D) five years ago, we have endeavoured to share this message in a manner that is as simple and transparent as possible. We have published our full research materials and presented this message in as many ways as possible here - from presentation slides and YouTube videos to blogs and an e-Book - so as to reach out to as many people as possible. Our purpose is for everyone - from Bible scholars to lay believers - to follow the example of the Bereans (Acts 17:11) and examine the Scriptures for themselves with the help of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26, 1 John 2:27) to see if what we have said here is true.

Now, we are pleased to share an additional resource - the B7D Facilitator's Guide. This guide is meant for use in a group study setting by the leader/facilitator as the group goes through the e-Book or Fifty-Session Overview (both in YouTube and blog formats). It is structured into twelve sessions so that an experienced facilitator can go through the B7D materials in as short as three months on a weekly basis.

We pray that you will be blessed by all that is shared here and do let us know if you have any feedback or suggestions for improvement.

Annual Introduction - AM 5981 (6 September 2021 - 25 September 2022)

Shalom Aleichem and welcome to the Issachar B7D Fellowship!

Jews celebrate the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah - “Day of Trumpets”) at sunset today (Monday, 6 September 2021) by blowing the Shofar (Ram’s horn) to mark the beginning of a Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah - “head of the year”). We pray for the day when Israel will celebrate this Feast recognizing Jesus as their promised Messiah who will return at the Last Trumpet.

We are another year closer to the end of the Sixth Millennium (according to the rough estimate used in my study, we are entering the year AM 5981) before Jesus returns to usher in His Millennial Sabbath Rule as symbolized by the Seventh Day of the original Creation account. We say this not to speculate on the exact date of His return, but to awaken us all to the fact that Jesus will certainly return very soon if we understand what the Bible is telling us about the times today. More importantly, the Bible also tells us what to do in times like these.

Last year, we spoke about how, as life slowly returned back to a new normal post COVID-19, mankind would soon forget this ominous sign of the end that awaited them rather than repent before the One True God. But for Christians, may the Lord open our eyes to see this pandemic as a fire drill sent by Him to bring about an awakening in us so that we start preparing ourselves and supporting one another through the coming trials and tribulations that will pave the way for Jesus’ soon return.

Although COVID-19 did not go off earlier than we thought, a new normal will emerge where we will largely go on with our day-to-day lives albeit with a few new measures such as regular vaccinations, wearing masks, social distancing, the periodic lockdowns and disruptions to travel etc. But for us believers, are we to do the same? Are our lives going to settle back to be like those around us, becoming more normal than new in this new normal? Has anything fundamentally new or different impacted us, to change the direction of our remaining days in this world? What’s the point of a fire drill if we do not believe that there will be a real fire in our lifetime?

When Wei Ling and I heeded God’s call to start this blog three years ago, we knew we would be stepping out of the mainstream, even away from among our close believing friends, to embark on a long and often lonely journey to serve as His watchmen. By His divine orchestration, in the midst of COVID-19, we were brought literally to the ends of the earth to perch on the hills of Wellington, looking eastward to await the rising Son. We do not know what lies ahead once our temporary stay here in New Zealand ends. We do not know who will hear, let alone heed, the urgent message that God has put in our hearts. But this we know from the prophet Habakkuk:

I will stand at my watch

and station myself on the ramparts;

I will look to see what he will say to me,

and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

Then the Lord replied:

“Write down the revelation

and make it plain on tablets

so that a herald may run with it.

For the revelation awaits an appointed time;

it speaks of the end

and will not prove false.

Though it linger, wait for it;

it will certainly come

and will not delay.

- Habakkuk 2:1-3

Believing this, we will continue to stand, for God, for ourselves, and for you.

God bless you,

Stephen & Wei Ling Lim

Read the e-Book.