Breaking News

With the news of war in Israel, I felt a chill. One verse circled my brain. Revelation 16:16.

After studying Revelation for almost exactly two years, with excursions through Exodus, the prophets, and the gospels, I felt I had a better grasp on the book. I set out not to decode the mark of the beast or when Armageddon would hit, but because someone invited me to join her in a study. A day or two before war broke out, I read, “They gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16). Then I heard, “Breaking News.” Pfffttt.

Coincidence? Warning? I can tell you I spent a fair amount of time that weekend with the texts—again.

I’m sure many of you are also wondering. What time is it—spiritually speaking? As we discern the times, and pray, I thought it would be helpful to share notes from my growing pile of Revelation books and notebooks. I’m only an armchair theologian, but I hope you’ll find what I found—strength, encouragement, and comfort. As the book promises. 

But today I’d like to share yesterday’s breaking news—one of the most redemptive stories yet to emerge from horror in the Middle East. 

YocheveD Lifshitz

“Dressed in black, 85 year old Yocheved Lifshitz was wheeled out of a medical center in Tel Aviv early this morning. The grandmother, one of two elderly Israeli hostages, now free, telling reporters about the moment she was taken by Hamas. A frail looking Lifshitz also describing her journey into a spiderweb of tunnels in Gaza. A video released by Hamas earlier shows Lifshitz shaking the hand of a masked gunman and saying Shalom before being handed over to the Red Cross under cover of night.”—Reuters, October 24, 2023

You can watch the video here. I watched and listened several times and read several sources. It could turn out to be misinformation, but it seems solid. In any case, it represents a story of God’s redemptive work in catastrophe. Let’s look for more as the weeks unfold. We’ll need them. They bring us hope.