Some Thoughts on Man's Best Friend by Aaron Hecht

Brothers and sisters, I hope you can have some patience with me this week. There's so many terrible, frightening, disgusting, hideous, awful things going on in this world that deserve to have a blog written about them, but I am just overwhelmed by it all. I don't even know where to start or what to say.

So, with your permission, I'm going to take a break from commenting on the decay and imminent collapse of civilization this week and talk instead about one of the greatest gifts that God gave the Human Race so that we can cope with all the problems we encounter during our time in this mortal plain.

I'm not talking about the Holy Spirit, who Jesus calls the "Helper" in John 14:26. I'm talking about a visible, tangible, "helper" that I believe God specifically appointed to be the companion, teammate, sidekick, and many other things to the Human Race.

I am talking about the dog.

The word "dog" appears 40 times in the Bible and almost every one of these instances comes in a negative context of contempt or even evil. Perhaps the best known of these verses is Proverbs 26:11; As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

Then there are some of the words of Yeshua Himself, such as Matthew 7:6 where He says “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

Also notable in this context is Matthew 15:26: But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

On the other hand, the Bible also gives us several passages which tell us of how we can see evidence of God's plans and purposes in the natural world. For instance, Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

Psalm 19:1–2 “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.”

But my personal favorite is Job 12:7–9 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you… or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you.”

In other words, God's creation contains many clues as to what He was thinking when He created it, and if we apply this principle to canines, we can see amazing love He has for us, that he created and appointed these marvelous, wonderful, snuggly, adorable, loyal, loving and above all useful creatures to be ever by our side.

(The Far Side, by Gary Larsen)

The Science Behind my Theory

Scientists have demonstrated that dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) possess genetic characteristics that no other animals have which make them uniquely suited to be companions for human beings. 

This includes the saliva and microbes found in their mouths and digestive tracts which make them able to digest grains, rice and vegetables. I believe God did that so that humans and their dogs could eat together, which is one of the most powerful ways that humans bond.

Dogs also have unique characteristics in their adrenal glands, jaw size, ear cartilage, coat pigmentation and many other things which no other species of animals have, including wolves, coyotes, foxes and other wild animals that otherwise share much of the same genes dogs have. I believe God did that so that dogs would play with their human companions and have coats that were soft enough for humans to pet and snuggle with them, and ears that would make us laugh when the dogs moved them in certain ways.

Dogs also have smaller larynxes then wolves or other canine species, so they make noises that their human companions think are cute and funny and endearing instead of scary, like the howling of wolves or the yapping of coyotes and the cackling laugh of jackals.

But for me, the most convincing proof that God created and appointed dogs to be a special companion for human beings is what biologists call the "Human–dog oxytocin bonding loop."

In simple language, the brains of dogs and humans secrete the chemical oxytocin, which is a bonding hormone, while interacting with each other, just like human infants and their parents do.

That is NOT an accident!

That is NOT evolution!

That is evidence that even before God so loved the world that he sent His only begotten son so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life, He so loved the world that He sent us dogs.

Why is Aaron Talking About This Now?

I recently watched a movie called "Heart of the Beast" which stars Brad Pitt and literally only has two other human actors in it, both for just a few minutes and a few rather unremarkable lines of dialogue. The majority of the movie is about interactions between Brad and his dog, whose name is "Odin" but who he affectionately calls "Odie" which reminds us of the dog from the Garfield comics.

I won't ruin the movie by telling you too much about it but just suffice it to say I commend this movie to you. You won't regret watching it. It will remind you why you love your dog so much if you already have one and I hope it also inspires you to get a dog if you don't have one already.

(Official Movie Poster for Heart of the Beast)

My Personal Story

"I want a dog."

This simple, four-word sentence changed my life, and the life of my family. It was the first complete sentence in the English language that my eldest son ever spoke to me and he said it at the prompting of his mother, who told him that it was time to let me know what he wanted for his upcoming birthday.

Two years previously, I had taken my family on a short vacation to a kibbutz up in the Galilee. A few moments after we got to the cabin where we would be staying during this trip, as we were unpacking our suitcases and putting clothes in the closets, a friendly golden lab casually approached the cabin door and announced her arrival with a simple "WOOF" which prompted my sons to squeal with delight and open the door so the dog could come in. For the four days we were at this kibbutz, that dog was never more than two feet away from my sons. She followed us around everywhere, wagging her tail, curling up at my sons' feet when they sat down to eat, or watch TV, sleeping on the floor in between their beds in their room at the cabin, etc.

On our last day there, as we were walking towards the bus stop to leave the kibbutz, she went with us and sat down on the ground next to my sons so they could pet her a little more as they sat on the bench and waited for the bus. After the bus arrived and we all got on board, the dog stayed in her spot at the bus stop, calmly watching us. My sons both waved goodbye to her as the bus drove away and she slowly faded out of sight.

In subsequent emails I told my friends who lived on that kibbutz about this golden lab, but none of them had ever noticed such a dog on the kibbutz before and didn't know if there were any golden labs there now. That was somewhat puzzling to me, as I compared it to my experience of living on a kibbutz in the Negev many years ago and working in the dairy farm with a man who owned a black and white border collie named Bessie. Years later I happened to spend a few hours on that kibbutz, just passing through on my way to something else, but while I was there I asked a random person I met there if Bessie was still around and this person said of course she was and led me straight to the dairy farm so I could say hello. My old boss was still there, but he didn't remember me at all, which was only fair since I'd also forgotten his name. But I remembered Bessie, and she remembered me, and she was very happy to see me.

All of that is to say, I always figured that friendly dogs would be well known on any kibbutz they were part of, but this golden lab apparently wasn't. That, and they way she'd acted while we were there, made me wonder if she was real, or if we'd imagined her, or if she was an angel, or what.

In any case, this dog made an even bigger impression on my sons than she'd made on me. In fact, without telling me, my wife encouraged my sons to pray that I would let them get a dog of their own, and they continued praying that prayer every night for the next two years. My wife never told me about that and she assumed that I would say no to the idea of getting a dog because I didn't like her sister's dog and had been very annoyed when that dog had come over to our apartment for a visit once. I had also commented on that occasion that I didn't think our landlord would be happy having a dog in the apartment, which my wife took to mean that I wouldn't be willing to even ask our landlord if we could have a dog of our own.

But then, after two years of praying and hoping, my wife decided that if my son was ever going to get the dog he wanted so badly, he had better ask me for it and she promised to help him convince me to say yes.

In the event, that's exactly what happened.

He asked me, in English, for a dog, and a few moments later, she told me that he'd been praying for a dog for two years. If that wasn't enough to convince me to say yes, she added that the counselor at school had said having a pet would be good for the emotional development of both of our children.

I took a deep breath, and promised my wife to try and convince the landlord to let us get a dog.

In the event, our landlord had no problem with the idea, so I had no more excuses.

The only question at that point was what kind of dog we'd get. After discussing a few different options, I told my wife that I'd had a Corgi when I was a kid and that was probably the only kind of dog I'd be comfortable with. She'd had a different idea but she asked my son if a Corgi would fit the bill and he said yes. A few days later, my sister-in-law saw some Corgi puppies for sale Facebook marketplace. My son took one look at the pictures and declared that he couldn't live without the one that had red fur.

A purebred corgi puppy costs NIS 8,000 and that includes a bunch of inoculations and certifications and whatnot. I had some severe sticker shock when my wife told me that, but she assured me that we could afford it and in any case, this far into the process, we had no choice. My son would be deeply traumatized if he didn't get this puppy he'd already fallen in love with and he'd be angry at me, and God, for the rest of his life. I knew my wife was right about all that, so I took another deep breath and gave the final okay.

The breeder was up in Herzliya, so my wife and son took the bus up there a couple of days later to bring the puppy home.

They came back that evening and the look on my son's face as he came in the door was simply radiant with joy. A few moments later, my wife walked in with the puppy in her arms, and I saw her for the first time and my heart melted like butter in the microwave. I forgot all about the NIS 8,000 this puppy had cost us and how I wasn't looking forward to housetraining (that part took longer and was messier than I was anticipating, but we got there eventually) and all the other nonsense.

That first evening she was home with us, I got an overwhelming feeling that I had absolutely done the right thing and that this would end up being one of the parenting decisions I would absolutely not regret. As time went on, this feeling was confirmed as this amazing little Corgi became my furry little four legged daughter and the source of immense joy and fun for my entire family.

She is "our" dog in a cosmic, eternal sense. It is no accident that she's the dog we ended up getting, and every time I look at her, I see a manifestation of God's love for us.

Conclusion

As I said at the beginning of this blog, there's a lot going on in this world which is scary, ugly, awful and absurd. But God has given us signs that He is still on the Throne and we can be confident of His love for us, His awareness of our needs, His intention to provide for those needs and His ultimate plans and purposes for our provision and our good.

Dogs are one of those signs, and I believe we should be very grateful for them.

That's what I've got for you this week brothers and sisters. I hope it blessed someone.

Some thoughts on Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's Upcoming Election by Aaron Hecht

Brothers and sisters, the Feast of Tabernacles is over, and we can't avoid difficult and unhappy subjects any longer.

It's time to talk about Israeli politics.

I have not been looking forward to writing this blog because the subject is kind of depressing, even by the standards of the decade we're in, which started with a pandemic and has also included the biggest land war in Europe since WWII and a massive, seemingly endless conflict here in the Middle East which might flare up again in a big way at any moment.

But there's a Knesset election coming up on October 27th and there's a lot riding on it, so here we go.

First, let's go over some basics.

For many years, Israel's supporters have repeated the mantra that it is "the only democracy in the Middle East" and that is still true. But it is also true, and no one should even try to deny it, that Israel's democratic institutions are in very bad shape. There are also many ways in which the ordinary people of this country have been made to feel like they are not being heard by their elected officials. If you've ever wondered why there's so many street demonstrations in Israel, that feeling of being unheard is a big part of the reason.

Every single one of the 120 MKs are "at large" and thus, not specifically beholden to anyone in particular. It's not like in America, Canada, or most European countries where members of Congress or Parliament come from designated districts or wards and the voters in those districts or wards can call a number and speak to someone who will brief their elected officials on what the phone call was about.

Another difference between Israel and most other Western democracies is that there is also no such thing as absentee ballots in Israel. Every voting age citizen is informed a few weeks in advance of the elections where their assigned polling place is. Often times it is the school where their children attend, which is usually within a short distance of their home address. If a citizen wants to vote, they have to come to that room, in that building, and put an actual paper ballot in an actual designated cardboard box.

If a person is out of the country on the day of an election, or even out of town (for instance, on vacation in Eilat when they live in Tiberius) they don't get to vote. It's that simple.

This old-fashioned method of voting has been ridiculed and criticized by some, but defended by others as being "unhackable" which is not an unimportant consideration in this day and age.

With all that in mind, and despite all the problems, voter turnout in Israel's national elections tends to be robust, and the election that will be held on October 27th will probably follow this pattern.

However, this coming election will be, just as the last several elections in Israel have been, a mandate on whether or not Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu should continue to be this country's Prime Minister. That is almost the only issue that's really on the ballot. There is a certain percentage of this country's voting age population who believe that no matter what issues, challenges, problems, opportunities, etc. this country faces, as long as Bibi is Prime Minister, he'll figure out how to deal with it all.

Literally, any time I try to have a conversation with any politically right of center person in this country, and I try to ask a question about any problem you can imagine, from relations with America and the EU to environmental issues, water, questions of war and peace, relations between different demographic groups in the country (Israel is VERY tribal), education, healthcare, housing, or anything else, the answer is always the same. It follows the pattern that these are indeed serious issues that require serious consideration but at the end of the day, "Bibi knows what to do about it" and that's all there is to it.

He's been in charge for so long, and things have continued to go reasonably well for most of that time, that many people simply can't imagine a problem he won't be able to solve or a challenge he won't be able to overcome. 

So all we have to do is keep voting for Likud, or one of the other Right-of-Center parties that are always willing to be part of a coalition government led by Netanyahu, and he'll take care of the rest. According to this line of thinking, we don't need to do any serious thinking or problem solving of our own, because he's got it covered.

The worst part is, that among this group, it is also generally believed that Bibi will live forever and he'll axiomatically also continue to be Israel's leader forever.

Even to the degree that I personally agree with the first part of this mentality, I obviously don't agree with that last part, and I've been telling everyone who will listen for several years now that the leadership of the Body of Messiah in Israel needs to make a plan for what we'll do on that inevitable morning when we wake up and Netanyahu is no longer with us.

He will be celebrating his 77th birthday in a few days, and he has had three surgeries in the past two years that have been publicly reported on and he has also been treated for prostate cancer. I have no proof of it but my guts tell me he's had other health issues that are being kept secret from the public, and it's hard to even blame him for that. He knows that he must appear physically strong or Israel's enemies will think the country is weak, and they'll pounce on us. He also knows that many of his own supporters have stuck with him for so long because they think he's invincible and that could change very quickly if his physical health began to noticeably deteriorate.

Still, there's no hiding his age, and that fact that he's been working 80-hours a week, week in and week out, with hardly any breaks, for many years now. Most people half his age would struggle to keep that kind of schedule up for very long. I know I couldn't do it.

But somehow he does, and he has not given us any reasons whatsoever to suspect that he's thinking about retirement.

Therefore, my personal conviction regarding Benjamin Netanyahu is that he'll be a fact of life until his physical frame gives out, and that might happen any day between tomorrow and ten years from now, or even longer. But someday it WILL happen, and I believe that when it does, a lot of things will change very quickly, for better and for worse, in Israel and all over the world.

Some of the most radical and rapid changes will come in the Knesset, which brings us back to the topic of this blog.

If Benjamin Netanyahu is still leading the Likud Party on the 27th of this month, it is very likely to win at least 25 seats in the upcoming Knesset, possibly as many as 30. It is very unclear at this point if the other Right of Center parties which are running will win enough seats to make an automatic parliamentary majority. It is also difficult to see a path towards a coalition of Left of Center parties without including the Arab parties.

That would be a hard sell to the Israeli public since these parties are unashamedly disloyal to the State of Israel as it currently exists. There is much more that could be said about this topic, but it's all outside the scope of this blog.

The bottom line is that according to the latest polls and projections, any potential coalition of Centrist and Left-of-Center parties would have a very difficult time forming a governing coalition, while Netanyahu might also have a very difficult time putting together a governing coalition with the current constellation of Right of Center parties. 

The wild card in all this is the Ultra-Orthodox parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism. Shas is the party of the Sephardi Ultra-Orthodox Jews and UTJ is the party of the Ashkenazi Ultra-Orthodox Jews.

The Ultra-Orthodox parties have been, for a very long time, Netanyahu's favorite coalition partners because all he has to promise them in order to get them to join his coalition is large budgets for the schools, Yeshivas and other institutions that their communities rely on. After he gives them these things, they barely ever ask for anything else, just loyally vote for whatever he wants them to vote for and otherwise leaves the governing of the country to him.

However, in recent years, another issue has become more and more prominent and that's the IDF draft deferments that Ultra-Orthodox young men have been getting, almost as a matter of routine, for most of the past 78 years that Israel has been a modern nation state. Until about 20 years ago, give or take, this issue was an irritant for many people, but it wasn't urgent enough to cause serious problems for anyone. But starting around the mid-2000s, the unfairness of it really began to bother a lot of people and as the years went by, the practical implications of it began to also become more and more apparent. The IDF began to say that it did not have enough soldiers to carry out all the missions it was being asked to carry out, and the only large source of potentially available additional manpower is the Ultra-Orthodox community.

The steadfast refusal of the haredi rabbis to agree to a change in the status quo which would see large numbers of the young men in their community being drafted into the IDF has led to increasing anger in the non-haredi Jewish public, especially in the last three years that Israel has been in what almost everyone agrees is an existential war for survival. Tens of thousands of non-haredi Jewish men, and many women, have served for long months in the reserves, away from their families and jobs. Not a small number of them have been killed or wounded in action, and even those who were not killed or wounded suffered immense hardship, as did their families.

With this going on, it is very difficult to understand, or have much sympathy for, the continued refusal of the haredi rabbis to change their position on this matter.

Many people outside Israel, including Christian supporters of this country, have a difficult time understanding where they're coming from as well. In case you've ever wondered about it, I can recommend you read this blog. I don't endorse the author in any way, shape or form. But this particular blog explains a lot of things regarding this situation in a way that a non-haredi Israeli like myself can understand, so maybe you will find it of benefit as well.

The bottom line is that the haredi parties which Netanyahu has long relied upon to form his governing coalitions are not as safe a bet for him as they used to be and there is even a remote possibility that they will not agree to join his coalition after the coming elections unless he agrees to promise them that a bill to enshrine the IDF draft deferments of Haredi young men into law will be brought for a vote in the first few weeks of the new Knesset.

Never mind the obvious fact that the High Court of Justice has already made it very clear that such a law would immediately be voided if it is ever passed, and even if it's not voided, it will be deeply unpopular among Israeli voters, even many traditional Likud voters. That's one reason why the haredi parties are eager to assist in the neutering of the judiciary, what has in the past been referred to as "judicial reform."

Remember that term brothers and sisters, because you'll be hearing it again.

But even before that, Haredi draft evasion was an issue in previous elections, but it is likely to be a much bigger issue in the coming elections and the fact that Netanyahu will almost certainly not be able to form a governing coalition with the haredi parties will likely be a factor in how many people cast their vote.

Something that will almost certainly NOT be a factor anyone considers when they cast their ballot, is corruption.

I don't want to get too deeply into this topic because it's incredibly depressing, but the simple fact is that there are several people who are running for Knesset in the upcoming election who, at a minimum, should not be eligible to run for political office.

I don't even have to name names here. You can just ask your favorite search engine "have any Members of Israel's Knesset ever been in prison and if so, for what" and you'll see what I mean. If you want a bonus, you can ask the search engine if any of those who spent time in prison ever expressed any remorse or apologized for the crimes they committed and were convicted of.

Needless to say, Netanyahu is also on trial on several counts of fraud, corruption and breach of trust. This trial has dragged on for years. He's been testifying in his own trial for much of the last few years and he keeps having to excuse himself for urgent matters of state. It's become a running joke. I have no idea if it will have any effect on the upcoming election or not, but it might.

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, I will end this blog as I started it, lamenting the deeply dysfunctional nature of Israel's democracy. I haven't even talked about local elections for mayor and city council in this blog, which is another deeply problematic ball of wax.

There is a great deal more I could tell you about the upcoming elections which would probably be of interest to regular readers of this blog, but I think I've given you enough to get some general ideas.

If you're reading this blog I assume you pray for Israel and to be absolutely candid with you, that's just about all any of us can do at this point. I will be fulfilling my civic duty by casting a ballot in this upcoming election but I haven't made up my mind yet who I'll be voting for. I've ruled out a few possibilities, and I might rule out more before getting up early on election day, as I always do, and taking the short walk to my youngest son's school so I can get it over with and get on with the business of enjoying a paid day off from work. There's always sales on election day and several of my favorite stores are also within walking distance of my home, so I plan on seeing if I can find some bargains. Maybe it'll cheer me up a little.

That's what I've got for you this week brothers and sisters. I hope it blessed someone.

Some Thoughts on Why the Nations Rage by Aaron Hecht

 

Brothers and sisters, I am writing this blog shortly before sundown on Friday afternoon. When the sun sets here in Jerusalem, it will bring in the Biblical Feast of Succot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles. This Feast is one of the "moadim" or "appointed times" which God gives us in the Bible, specifically Leviticus 23:33-43.

If you haven't read the entire chapter 23 of Leviticus recently, I encourage you to do so. It'll change your life.

But in this blog, I want to talk about a different passage of Scripture that mentions the Feast of Tabernacles, and that's Zechariah 14:16-17

"And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain."

This passage is referring to the order Jesus will impose on the world during His Millennial Kingdom, after He returns to this Earth for His Second Advent. At that time, the nations of the world will be commanded to come up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. It will not just be a commandment for Jewish people; it will be a commandment for everyone.

As readers of this blog probably know, for many years now there has been a Christian Feast of Tabernacles celebration in Jerusalem, mostly attended by people who want to get a head start on obeying this commandment. The first one was at Christ Church in Jerusalem's Old City in 1979. I am reliably informed by people who attended this event that the number of people who were there was just over 1,000, and in the years since, it has grown significantly.

In the last 6 years or so, since the COVID pandemic and then the Swords of Iron War, those numbers went back down quite a bit because airline tickets became very expensive and some people were also worried about their safety. But representatives from dozens of countries around the world and almost all "nations" of the earth (the words "country" and "nation" don't mean exactly the same thing, in case no one ever explained that to you) will be here in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, in obedience with God's Word.

Contrast that with what happened at the United Nations in New York City on Thursday afternoon, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stage to address the UN General Assembly meeting. Representatives of 77 countries, and I would imagine every nation of the earth, got up and walked out of the chamber before he even started speaking. It was an act of diplomatic theater, and it's something that happens almost every year at the UNGA. But this was the largest number of diplomats to ever walk out on Bibi's speech, and they knew EXACTLY what message their walkout sends to the rest of "the nations" of this world, especially when you contrast it with the respectful silence with which almost all of them listened to the Turkish President while he was using his speech to condemn Israel, not to mention the standing ovation they gave following the address of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

All of this is indicative of how little respect there is among "the nations" of this world for Israel, and by extension to God that chose the Jewish People and established the nation of Israel.

It makes me think of Psalm 2;

Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.”

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure: Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.”

“I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him."

Brothers and sisters, please hear me.

The nations of this world are making some very bad decisions these days. Many of them are "coming against Jerusalem" and against the Anointed One of God although most of them probably don't make the connection because they're too lazy to read the material or else they read it through the prism of Replacement Theology or some other lie from the Pitt of Hell.

A tiny remnant of Bible-Believing Christians is making a different choice, and although there might be some flaws in how some of them are doing it, at least they are obeying their King instead of shamelessly rebelling against him.

If you're reading this blog, you're probably among those who would not have walked out of Bibi's speech at the UNGA.

You are probably among those who are standing with Israel and the Jewish People in this very difficult season of history. You might even be among those who are getting a head start on obeying the command from Zechariah 14:16-17. If you are, I don't want to thank you, I want you to thank yourselves. By showing up for God's will, His plans and purposes, you are making a choice that is as brave as it is correct. I know it is not an easy choice, and I have personally lost friends who I knew since childhood over the last three years that Israel has been in the headlines more than it has at any time in history, and usually not being given fair, much less friendly, coverage.

As the time draws near for the Second Advent of Yeshua (Jesus) to this world (He is prophesied to arrive on the Mount of Olives, just a down the road a bit from where I'm sitting right now) the nations will rage more and more. They will continue to shake their fists at God, and His Anointed, and the Nation He has chosen, until He returns. All we can do is pray for those who God has put on our hearts to make the right choice, and be brave ourselves and above all, remember to look up, for our redemption is coming soon.