Signs that the Redemption is near?

January, 2013

For years, the American magazine, Sports Illustrated, has run a weekly mini-report entitled, “Signs of the Apocalypse” (or something like that).  It is a one-or-two sentence announcement that features some weekly occurrence in the Sports world. Typically, it focuses on someone doing something really stupid. It highlights how incredibly awful highly-paid or famous people can be. Such   behaviour by those we honour, the piece suggests, is surely a sign that our world must soon end.

Mostly, these incidents entertain.

That magazine comes from America. We live in Israel, which follows a different religious and cultural orientation. So if someone in America thinks about a Christian-inspired Apocalypse, we might think about a Jewish-inspired Final Redemption.

Starting today, you will see (near the end of each month) recent examples from the news that, in some way—humorous and not so humorous-- might suggest that the world might be preparing for something New.

Here are some suggestive headlines from January, 2013:

- Israel Planning to Build Holy Temple, Claims PA (Palestinian  Authority) Official

- Earthquake Hits Greece, Turkey

-Childhood Friends Unite Soccer, Religion

 

- Water Now Drinkable near Dead Sea

 --Assad: I can win the war if I destroy Damascus

- End Near? Doomsday Clock Holds at 5 'Til Midnight

-Israel’s national elections: Left and Right blocs face off as majority of votes counted (with 99% of votes tallied, Right and Left blocs tie with 60 seats each)

-North Korea plans to conduct nuclear test

-Chicken Wing Prices (in America) Reach Record High

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Do these headlines signal that a ‘change’ is coming?

Should we believe that the lowly chicken wing can predict trouble for the world’s most powerful nation?  If chicken wings inflate, will America’s consumer price index really fly?

Maybe these headlines are meaningless. Perhaps we needn’t worry about these things. After all, who cares if North Korea develops nuclear bombs and intercontinental ballistic missiles?

What do you think?