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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
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