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 December 2013:

-Australia is right to challenge the UN’s anti-Israel bias (The Guardian) -Obama health care promise named 'Lie of the Year' (NBCNEWS.com) -More radioactive pigs nabbed in Italian countryside (New York Daily news)    -Watchdog: Cook County fails to track hundreds of convicts (Chicago Tribune) -Kid punches grandma after she won't buy toy(Dayton Daily News) -Could you do your child's homework? (The Guardian) -Labour: We must 'do God’ to fight anti-Christian persecution (The Telegraph) -Adam Sandler’s new film might be worse than diaper rash (The Times of Israel) -Pitt defense aims for a slice of redemption (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) -Voting – what's the point? (The Guardian) -Liberty loses her exceptional grip (The Sunday Times )  -Man fistfights crocodile to save child (Phoenix Arizona News) -This unlucky year's days are numbered - and it's about time (San Francisco Chronicle) -Tired of Eli [Manning]? Want [Tom] Coughlin to retire? Play [New York] Giants Keep 'Em/Dump 'Em now! (New York Daily News) ------

December started out on the right Redemption-foot, then seemed to fall over its own feet. First, the good news: Australia became one of the first nations (in years) to stand up for Israel. Australia spoke up. It refused to remain silent. It challenged the UN’s unrelenting anti-Israel bias. We don’t know where this challenge will lead. But it reminds us that the world is indeed filled with lies—and as those lies are confronted, the world of Truth gets its chance to become visible. That’s a good thing. Thanks, Australia. Even better for us today, the world of lies became a little clearer this month, thanks to US President Barack Obama.   President Obama helps to reveal the world of lies because he won a Redemption-introducing award: someone has judged his ObamaCare to be the year’s biggest lie. ObamaCare may be the year's biggest lie, but it may not be the year’s most famous lie. That honour might go to any number of National Football League teams (the New York Giants?), each of whom promised a winning season--but then couldn’t keep up with the winners. Now, the regular football season has ended. These poor football fans have become ‘the lost’. They can see no Good. They can see no Promising Future. For them, all is Dark. All they can think about is a world of, ‘keep ‘em/dump ‘em’. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. It’s true. By the time December limps to its end, there doesn’t seem to be much to look forward to--not when so many football teams are losers, or when a grandchild punches out his grandma because she won’t buy him a toy, or when the British wonder if the voting booth means anything anymore. That doesn’t sound so good. Do the Brits see something we’ve all missed?  By December, 2013, they seem to have concluded that the American dream—to build a Republic based upon democracy—has lost its grip on mankind’s imagination. December seems like a very bad month: we can’t do our children’s homework. Chicago’s Cook County can’t keep track of its released convicts. Radioactive pigs roam the Italian countryside. Radioactive pigs? What’s the world coming to? It used to be we thought about the world going to the dogs. Now, its radioactive pigs we’ve got to worry about?

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

For example, what do those radioactive pigs really mean—a punishment for European anti-Semitism, a harbinger of Change, a New dawn for Vegetarianism?

Naturally, it’s possible that all these headlines are meaningless. Radioactive pigs could be nothing more than, well, bad ham looking for a market. 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 odd headlines. We read about British politicians calling for us to ‘do G-d’. We hear about a man out-punching a crocodile. We discover that, as bad as this year might have been (listen up, Giants’ fans), this year’s unlucky days are numbered—and it’s about time.

It’s true. It’s about time the bad stuff ends. It’s about time someone calls Hollywood movies, ‘worse than diaper rash’.

Maybe it’s about time we join with Pitt (the University of Pittsburgh) and dream of a slice of Redemption. That sounds appetizing, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s about time we start to dream about something New.

Our world of foolishness envelopes us—just as the month ends. Does December’s end mean that something New is before us?

Keep your eyes open. You might see something interesting!