Hope from Prophecy in Times of Crisis

More than 700 attendees took part in last year’s large-scale prophecy conference. A report on the experience.

The October 7th Hamas terrorist attack against Israel, also had an impact on the prophecy conference that was hosted by Chamada (Midnight Call Brazil), in Águas de Lindóia just over a week later. Meno Kalisher, one of the scheduled speakers, was unable to travel from Jerusalem, so he gave his message digitally. It also meant that the traditional Friday evening gathering focused on Israel had to be reorganized, since Meno has historically hosted this special event along with his daughter Jael and Irit Iffert. Roger Liebi gave the address, while Jael and Irrit were able to appear as planned (they had traveled from the US). Roger Liebi classified and explained the situation in Israel and Gaza from the Bible, in a way that was both impressive and helpful. He was able to convey hope through God’s Word in the face of all the suffering and hatred.

The major theme of the conference was the hope that biblical prophecy offers in different circumstances. Michael Kotsch spoke of hope on the basis of Church history, and Roger Liebi referred to hope in another lecture, where he provided an exegesis of Isaiah 53. The various speakers, which included Philipp Ottenburg and local pastor Daniel Lima, complemented each other well in their respective areas of expertise.

Markus Steiger and the Chamada team, along with many helpers from the São Paolo region, put together an impressive conference that was  superbly organized. The large conference hotel (actually, a Brazilian vacation resort) was reserved exclusively for the participants and the Chamada team. It was in the mountains surrounding São Paolo, about three hours from the airport, and was not inexpensive. Yet a good 700 attended, most of them using vacation time to come. There is a great hunger for the prophetic Word among Brazilians, and they purchased about 90% of the items at the expansive book table. Because people were purchasing so many books, cardboard boxes had to be provided instead of bags to transport them home.

The conference was a wonderful and encouraging experience for us. At its end, the 2024 conference was announced. Norbert Lieth, Fredy Peter, Jeff Kinley, and others will headline under the theme, “God’s Greatness in Fulfilled Prophecies.”

Midnight Call - 05/2024