Month: December 2025

It’s All Of Him

/ Kay Loke / Leave a comment

Content and Encounter

As 2025 draws to a close, I revisited a draft from earlier this year, marking my progress through studying the second half of the Book of Revelation.

I did the entire book study in 2015, when BSF first made the Chinese version of the study available. It was also a completely new experience for me to rely on the Chinese version of the Bible for my study. Many chapters are challenging due to their visions of conflict and apocalyptic themes, and I found them more challenging to read through both versions of the biblical texts.

After the book of John, the 2024-2025 BSF returned to the book of Revelation again. Early this year (2025), I was looking forward to resuming the second half of the book after the holiday break. As the study became more timely due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the situation in Gaza. Together with other global concerns, although I managed to complete my homework and contribute to group discussions in class, week after week, I know that I was distracted.

Encounters Along the Way

In March, our church launched the theme, ‘His Life For Mine’, to celebrate the Resurrection Sunday.  BSF class concluded the study on Revelation 19, dated Thursday, April 17 2025. Little did I know the word ‘Hallelujah’ appears four times in the entire New Testament, and all in this very chapter. I was moved to tears on Sunday, April 2025, when the worship team sang “Hallelujah” for several minutes, leading us in worship. On the same Sunday evening, our local time, Pope Francis delivered his final Easter Message from the Vatican, and was promoted to heaven the next day, according to CNN. His passing resonated deeply, reminiscent of Psalm 116:15, which states, ‘Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His Saints.’ I only found out that 2025 is a Jubilee, a Holy Year, marked by Pilgrimages as is Catholic tradition.

I felt a deep connection to his passing, having seen him twice in person from the legendary balcony at St. Peter’s  Square. The first was in 2013, when my husband and I travelled to Rome for Christmas. We couldn’t believe it – only by my dear God’s grace were we able to find seats in the Square for the midnight Mass.  Pope Francis was newly elected and, for the first time, leading the service earlier than planned due to illness. The next day, we saw him in person on that legendary balcony as the Swiss Guard paraded below. We heard the new Pope’s first Easter Message to the world as Pontiff. On our ride to Rome, the taxi driver said to us, ‘We finally have a people’s Pope.’

Ten years later, in 2023, we promised to visit our friend in Florence after spending Christmas Eve in Rome. It was a freezing night, no Jingle Bells, no Christmas carols, no flashing neon lights – only the solemn toll of church bells and stars shimmering in the deep, dark-blue sky. Perhaps that was the most authentic Christmas spirit I’ve ever experienced. Early the next morning,  we made our way to the Square. This time, we found seats closer to the Balcony. It was heart-wrenching to witness Pope Francis’ frailty, yet moving to feel the palpable presence of God’s sustaining power as it carried him through the blessing. Just before my first tear fell, reminding me of 2 Timothy 2:21, that God always equips those He calls to do the good work. I hadn’t realised how much Pope Francis’ pastoral presence meant in my spiritual life. I walked with a different heart and stirred emotions; I was still searching for the Word. Has anything changed? Or had I?

In August 2024, the BSF kicked off the book of Revelation. In September, the Pope visited Singapore for the first time, leading a Papal Mass for over 50,000 local people and participating in ‘interfaith dialogue’. I saw him on local news and felt that something special was happening. I was emotional, as if his journey were a part of my own life. In 2024, for Christmas, we didn’t travel, and it’s definitely not a coincidence that we watched the movie ‘Conclave ‘, a gripping film about the election of the new Pope.

Anchor in the Word

The 29-week, in-depth, verse-by-verse study concluded in May 2025. There are twenty-two chapters, and a little over 400 passages of scripture according to the King James Version. Homeletically, the content of the Revelation unveils  Jesus Christ, who entrusted John to testify  to what must take place  (Rev. 1:1-2) before HE proclaims His soon return (Rev. 22:20).

One heated discussion in class was on why Jesus’s robe was stained with Blood. Later, the lecture explained that the blood represents the sacrifice on the Cross for Jesus, the Son of  Man, and our redemption. It also symbolises God’s judgment, avenged upon her for the blood of His servants'(Rev. 19:2; 18:24 & 11:7). The footnote referenced Isaiah 63:1-6, which was added for scriptural understanding.

In Doubt or In Debt

I admit that I am constantly weak in spirit and shallow in knowledge of God and His Word. Doubting, I wonder how I can be fit to meet my King on that day. My dear friend Ann sent me a link to an old hymn from 1883 – ‘I Know Whom I Have Believed’ sung in Cantonese with Chinese and English subtitles. I must have listened to it more than ten times, weeping through it, raising a silent Hallelujah.

Then one quiet morning, Romans 1:14 came and stirred my spirit. ‘I am a debtor to the Greeks, and to …both to the wise and the unwise.’  In completing the study of the book of Revelation, I shared Paul’s indebtedness to Jesus, sharing the good news during his time, and I felt a sense of urgency and responsibility to live out my faith and share the love of Jesus with others, for we are in the beginning of the final time frame.

Connectivity vs Communion

/ Kay Loke / Leave a comment

It is hard to comprehend, over a feature story that covered one of China’s Maga Infrastructural projects- The Belt and Road Initiative, in a foreign newspaper I wasn’t subscribed to. And I was totally indifferent to the project’s progress from the beginning. Evidently, the project aimed to boost China’s connectivity to the world, economic growth, and global influence. However, if China’s Ancient Silk Road were first placed on its construction drawing board, or if the most economical/practical approach were to resurrect this ancient corridor, I would envision that the best philosophical reading of the doctrine of Yin/Yang should be the RBI. As a Christian, BRI can testify that my Lord, Jesus, is the “God of Time and Space.“

From draft to draft, it seemed that I couldn’t find a way to share my thoughts. Suddenly, an invitation to join a brief family trip (12-18/December)to China opened. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make rash decisions because of concerns for our health. Finally, we decided to exercise our faith to make travel plans. And three family members are celebrating birthdays in December. In the peak season, in the last minutes, scoring two seats required a miracle. Finally, we had two open seats, but no guarantee we’d sit together until we reached the airport check-in counter, three hours before take-off. We both had peace. As my husband travels in a wheelchair, we were sure that we would be able to win a sympathy vote for a change of seats, but it was God’s faithfulness that prevailed.

We have family members from three countries were planning to go to Shanghai, all of whom are arriving around the same time. Airport transfers and hotel check-ins were smooth as silk. Immediately, I realised we’d taken one piece of luggage that didn’t belong to us. That’s an unpardonable oversight on my account. We didn’t lose our cool, but the excuse was that I couldn’t find the luggage key during a rush pack at home. It left me no choice but to ask the check-in staff to wrap the small suitcases in a giant plastic bag. The wheelchair attendant graciously took our bags while I held the wheelchair. We spent less than 30 minutes making reports. And decided to have dinner first. It was ‘in His time,’ HE made our bag with the hotel Bell captain, before we returned from our dinner.

There are more impossible journeys that follow. The mapped out itineraries were for seven of us travelling by rapid trains, with stops in Hongzhou and Nanjing. In peak season, for local travel to secure seven point-to-point, direct, fast-rapid-train tickets requires another miracle. In the end, we had all the tickets; the trade-off was paying more. My husband and I were first in Hongzhou and Nanjing twenty years ago; there was no fast-train access. The changes in these two cities are beyond recognition now. In 2015, we took an impressive, high-speed train from Beijing to Xi’an that felt like a modernised version of the Tokyo bullet train. Ten years later, both the interior and exterior of all trains that we rode on were in mint condition. The services, punctuality, and wheelchair access were impeccable. The waiting lounge offers many thoughtful features and comforts. The arrival meeting areas are as large as some airport arrival halls.

God was gracious enough to give me more than I could dream of: a fast train ride in China as part of the BRI encounters. On the day we left Shanghai, I felt deeply as we bade farewell to my loved ones. Every family reunion became more critical as we grew older. I followed wherever the wheelchair attendant led my husband; in a few minutes, we were at the front of the lane. As I looked up, it read “Belt and Road Lane.” I knew I wasn’t allowed to take a photo in a restricted area, but I knew I was allowed to weep discreetly with heartfelt thanksgiving. Hardly know how to describe my five-and-a-half-hour flight home, no mood to catch any in-flight movies, and spilt a whole cup of tea on myself. It was a full flight. I was blessed to use the front-cabin toilet for my casualty.

The next day,19 December, is the day for my husband’s medical review after six months of KIV (keep in view) of his condition. I was at peace; the specialist didn’t say a word, for we didn’t seek his green light to travel. After the examination, he confirmed the condition is still in its early stages and that there is no need to increase his medication dosage. The first time, I didn’t immediately unpack our things after a trip; I didn’t have the bare minimum of Christmasy decorations set up in our place, except to find a way or a timeframe to work on my latest draft. I had the framework in mind, thinking of all sorts of ways to bring it to a close.

Twice, my work suddenly disappeared from my eyes’ watch. I was frustrated and panicked, so I called tech support to recover my piece, only to be told it was a tech problem. Tech problem? I wonder if I did something right that displeased the evil one? Immediately  1 John 4:4 came to mind. I paused because what if it were divine intervention. In the meantime, I went shopping for flowers, groceries, and a wreath made of natural pine, holy, and other festive elements. And the next morning, 21 December, we left our place at seven to attend the Church Christmas Celebration (Peral Of Great Price – http://www.newcreation.org.sg). All the extraordinary song selections, particularly the one with lyrics, ‘Love Has Come Down,’ brought tears to my eyes for days that followed. In devotion, in prayers and in chewing on His word that gave me the peace to share my view of ‘Onnectivity-BRI’ on Christmas Day, 2025. From glory to glory, my family reunion trip and rapid train rides in China gave me the boldness to share my communion with my dear Lord, Jesus, on the last Sunday, 28, December 2025.