Signs that the Redemption is near?

It’s the end of the month again. That means it’s time to take another look at Redemption.

For years, the American magazine, Sports Illustrated, has run a weekly mini-report entitled, “Signs of the Apocalypse” (or something like that). It contains 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 sports figures 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 spiritual orientation. So if someone in America thinks about Christian-inspired world Destruction, perhaps we can think about something different--a Jewish-inspired New-world Redemption.

Consider now some recent examples from the news that, in some way—humorous and not so humorous—suggest that the world might be preparing for something New. If you don’t see how these headlines might pre-sage a Jewish Redemption, that’s okay. That just means that your ‘Redemption training’ isn’t up-to-date.

For October 2013:

- Nation is churning out new era of school lunch (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

 

-Does Satan worship lower a Las Vegas mansion's value? (Los Angeles Times)

 

- Pilot's miracle survival after his plane crashes upside down (London Evening Standard)

 

- Near-miss in skies over Scotland (The Independent—of London, England)

 

- Starbucks caught in China's crosshairs over posh prices (NBC Newsonline)

 

-Wainwright hopes to atone (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

 

-Arctic temperatures at 44,000-year high (NBC News)

 

-Texan Man Struck by Lightning Twice on the Same Day (ABC News)

 

 

If you were looking for miracles that could provoke you to think about Redemption, October was your month for hope. First, two 747 jumbo jets nearly collided over Scotland—but didn’t. Then, a small plane crashed in England—upside down. The pilot feels that his survival was a miracle.

Then in Texas, a poor soul was struck by lightning not once but twice—just moments apart. He survived with apparently little injury. His reaction? He’s going to become more religious.

If you missed these stories of miraculous survival, you’re probably busy. But ‘busy’ isn’t good. It means you don’t see what’s in front of you!

To support the case for a New World, an October Los Angeles Times story suggested that Satan worship lowered property values. How’s that for proof that sin doesn’t pay?

That Starbucks headline above was a real October eye-opener. Apparently, the Chinese don’t like to pay Starbucks prices for coffee.

That’s important to us because we all know that Redemption brings New Life. But does that New Life also bring lower prices—and will we be led to those better prices by China?

Who knew?

Even the Arctic cold plays a role in October’s Redemption headlines. Look at the arctic temperature headline from NBC News. It’s one thing to talk about ‘a long time’; but 44,000 years?

Who thinks in terms of 44,000 years? You do, when you’re talking about Redemption.

You see, Redemption is forever; or, to be scientific about it, for a period of time that’s greater than 44,000 years.

Then there’s sports. Did you ever think that the world of sports had anything to do with religion? Well, in these pre-Redemption days, we find atonement even in sports: look at how Saint Louis Cardinals baseball player Adam Wainwright speaks openly of atonement. That’s wonderful! The Jewish heritage teaches that atonement and repentance can help speed the Redemptive process. Who knew that the World Series was the place for ‘Saints’ to go for atonement?

Well, maybe Mr Wainwright wasn’t so Saintly after all: as October ended, so did the glory of the Saint Louis Cardinals. They lost the World Series to the Boston Red Sox

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Look around. Our future beckons. The world reveals hints. It is up to us to understand what we see.

Naturally, it’s possible that all these headlines are meaningless. These news stories may have nothing to do with the Jewish Redemption. Perhaps they simply prove that nothing changes—except our perception of Redemption.

But then we see an odd headline about a New Era for school lunches. That has to be miraculous, doesn’t it?

Have you ever eaten a school lunch?    

That could be a sign. It could mean we now stand on the threshold of a wondrous time when going to school won’t give you indigestion. That’s not just a miracle—that’s Redemption.

Has October brought us the beginning of something New?

You tell me.