An Ungodly Transformation Of Our World!
"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye
have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that
the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they
shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them,
as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye,
brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a
thief."
I Thessalonians 5:1-4
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of
heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom
shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and
consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever."
Daniel 2:44
"And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth,
and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on
the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him
the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he
deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that
worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire
burning with brimstone."
Revelation 19:19-20
In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we will
consider the nature and the means by which an ungodly transformation of
our world is now in progress. At this present time, there are forces at
work which are seeking to unite the entire world under a global
government. At the forefront of such ambitions is an organization which
is known as the United Nations. In August 2015 it was announced that the
193 member states of the United Nations, or UN, had reached a new
agreement by which they hope to transform the entire world by the year
2030. (1) Since that time the details of the United Nations' agenda has
been released in a report titled "Transforming our World: the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development." Although most people are likely
unaware of this document, the implications of it affect every country in
the world as well as every man, woman, and child. The preamble of the
document states, "This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and
prosperity. It also seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger
freedom. We recognize that eradicating poverty in all its forms and
dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge
and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development.
All countries and all stakeholders, acting in collaborative partnership, will implement this plan." (2)
The lengthy document then tells us exactly what the
United Nations plans to do, and while some of their goals sound
innocuous or even good, a careful study of their words reveals this plan
is about the universal control of the world's population. In the
agenda's introduction, we are informed, "This is an Agenda of
unprecedented scope and significance. It is accepted by all countries
and is applicable to all, taking into account different national
realities, capacities, and levels of development and respecting national
policies and priorities. These are universal goals and targets which
involve the entire world, developed and developing countries alike. They
are integrated and indivisible and balance the three dimensions of
sustainable development." (3)
In the United Nations' vision for the future, all
people from every country must be a part of their universal education
system. "We commit to providing inclusive and equitable quality
education at all levels - early childhood, primary, secondary, tertiary,
technical and vocational training. All people, irrespective of sex,
age, race, ethnicity, and persons with disabilities, migrants,
indigenous peoples, children and youth, especially those in vulnerable
situations, should have access to life-long learning opportunities that
help them acquire the knowledge and skills needed to exploit
opportunities and to participate fully in society," the agenda declares.
(4) While it may sound like a noble goal to provide every man, woman,
and child with an education, we must remember that the curriculum would
likely be formulated by the UN, and the main goal of such an educational
system is to indoctrinate the people to conform to their specifications
of a global citizen.
The agenda also calls for an overhaul of the world's
economic system, which would put an end to capitalism and implement
socialism on a global scale. "We will seek to build strong economic
foundations for all our countries. Sustained, inclusive and sustainable
economic growth is essential for prosperity. This will only be possible
if wealth is shared and income inequality is addressed," states the
agenda. (5) Apparently, the United Nations intends to take what you have
and give it to other people whether you like it or not.
In addition to everything else, the United Nations
also intends to implement a universal healthcare system. By universal,
they mean a system that encompasses the entire world. "To promote
physical and mental health and well-being, and to extend life expectancy
for all, we much achieve universal health coverage and access to
quality health care. No one must be left behind," the UN document
declares. The document also discloses the United Nations' commitment to
universal access to abortion and goes on to say, "We are committed to
ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health care
services, including for family planning, information and education." (6)
Predictably, the United Nations has also declared
itself to be the authority on the world's climate change policies. "We
acknowledge that the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change) is the primary international, intergovernmental forum
for negotiating the global response to climate change. We are determined
to address decisively the threat posed by climate change and
environmental degradation. The global nature of climate change calls for
the widest possible international cooperation aimed at accelerating the
reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions and addressing adaption to
the adverse impacts of climate change," the document asserts. (7) As I
have said in the past, I believe the call we are now seeing for action
against climate change is the mechanism by which the powers that be
intend to corral the people and force them into submission. They will
enact rules and regulations that are far-reaching and oppressive, but we
will be told that if we do not capitulate, the planet we now occupy
will die.
It is important to note that the United Nations
believes that reducing the world's population is a crucial step to
fighting climate change. This is evident in a video found on the video
sharing website known as YouTube. In this video, Greg Dalton, who is the
founder of an organization known as Climate One, is seen to be
interviewing Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC Christiana Figueres.
After being asked by Dalton about "stopping the rise of the population,"
Figueres was recorded as saying, "Obviously less people would exert
less pressure on the natural resources." She then noted that estimates
indicate the world's population will rise to nine billion people by the
year 2050. She further went on to say, "Really, we should make every
effort to change those numbers because we are already, today, already
exceeding the planet's planetary carrying capacity." The video was
recorded in 2013. (8)
For those who doubt that the United Nations really
intends to use a climate change agenda as a means to unite the entire
world, we need look no further than the recent United Nations Climate
Change Conference which took place between November 30, 2015, and
December 12, 2015 in Paris France. Following an announcement that an
agreement had been reached by world leaders, American President Barack
Obama was quoted as saying, "This agreement represents the best chance
we have to save the one planet we've got. I believe this agreement can
be a turning point for the world." He later went on to say, "Together
we've shown what's possible
when the world stands as one." (9)
Yes, even as we enter the new year of 2016, powerful
figures are working to establish a one world government and a new world
order. It is a system they hope to have in place in less than fifteen
years. In reality, that is a very short amount of time. Yet, I do not
believe they will ever be fully successful in establishing a one world
government. We are assured in Scriptures that God has established His
kingdom and it will stand forever. Speaking of the time when Jesus came
to earth, Daniel 2:44 tells us, "And in the days of these kings shall
the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and
the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in
pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." It
is interesting to note, however, that the United Nations seeks to unite
every country in the world, and the 19th chapter of the book of
Revelation warns that the kings of the earth and their armies are joined
together to make war with Jesus Christ. In Revelation 19:19 we read,
"And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies,
gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and
against his army." The fact that the United Nations believes they will
establish their global empire in less than fifteen years is a good
indicator of where we are in time.
A Push To Unite The World's Religions!
Even as the United Nations attempts to unite the world
under global governance, efforts are also being made to unite the
world's religions. The driving force behind this movement is none other
than Pope Francis. In recent months, Pope Francis has endeavored to
forge a bond between those who identify as Christians and those who
embrace the Islamic faith. This is evident in a speech given by Pope
Francis at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan, New York, in September
2015. In the opening remarks of his speech, the Pope said, "I would like
to express two sentiments for my Muslim brothers and sisters: Firstly,
my greetings as they celebrate the feast of sacrifice. I would have
wished my greeting to be warmer. My sentiments of closeness, my
sentiments of closeness in the face of tragedy. The tragedy that they
suffered in Mecca. In this moment, I give assurances of my prayers. I
unite myself with you all. A prayer to almighty god, all merciful." (10)
When we consider this quote, we must ask ourselves which god Pope
Francis is talking about. It should be noted that Muslims often refer to
their god Allah as being "all merciful." To further emphasize the
point, during a visit to the Central African Republic in November 2015,
Pope Francis told a crowd while speaking at a mosque, "Christians and
Muslims are brothers and sisters." (11) The Pope then joined the
mosque's imam in a moment of silence while they both aligned themselves
to the so-called Islamic holy city of Mecca. (12)
In the meantime, more stories have surfaced of public
schools in the United States promoting Islam. This includes the town of
Blaine, Minnesota, which recently held a holiday concert in December
2015. Parents were distressed to learn that one of the songs their
children would be singing was an Arabic song about the Islamic holiday
known as Ramadan. The song includes the phrase "Allahu Akbar," which is
translated as "God is great." (13) In another incident, students at
Riverheads High School in Staunton, Virginia, were given an assignment
which they were told was a lesson in Arabic calligraphy. In reality, the
assignment forced the students to write out the Islamic statement of
faith of which the English translation is "There is no god but Allah.
Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." The students were also given an
opportunity to try on an Islamic head scarf known as a hijab. (14)
Many people in the United States find the
proliferation of Islam around the world to be quite distressing. Yet, it
is important for us to remember that our God is sovereign and He can
even reach Muslims. In fact, a report surfaced in June 2015 which tells
the story of an Islamic State fighter who expressed a desire to follow
Jesus Christ after having a series of dreams. His story was recounted by
Gina Fadely, director of Youth with a Mission Frontier Missions, or
YWAM. "He told this YWAM leader that he had begun having dreams of this
man in white who came to him and said 'You are killing my people.' And
he started to feel really sick and uneasy about what he was doing. The
fighter said just before he killed one Christian, the man said 'I know
you will kill me, but I give to you my Bible.' The Christian was killed
and this ISIS fighter actually took the Bible and began to read it. In
another dream, Jesus asked him to follow him and he was now asking to
become a follower of Christ and to be discipled," Fadely said. (15) This
is certainly a remarkable story. It bears a strong similarity to the
story we find in Acts, chapter 9. Interestingly enough, the story about
Paul took place around the city of Damascus, which is located in Syria.
The Islamic State operates in that same region of the world.
A Cashless Revolution!
As we move into the new year of 2016, we are
witnessing a cashless revolution. It is a transition that has been a
long time in the making, but numerous reports indicate that certain
countries around the world are on the cusp of becoming a fully cashless
society. This is true in the nation of Sweden where a general disdain
for cash is prevalent. In fact, physical currency now represents just 2
percent of Sweden's economy, and only 20 percent of all payments in the
country were made in cash in 2015. (16) Speaking of this trend, former
rock musician Bjorn Ulvaeus, who now operates a museum, was quoted as
saying, "We don't want to be behind the times by taking cash while cash
is dying out." Mr. Ulvaeus became a proponent of a cashless society
after his son's apartment was burglarized. Recalling the burglary, Mr.
Ulvaeus said, "It made me think: What would happen if this was a
cashless society, and the robbers couldn't sell what they stole?" (17)
Even some churches in Sweden have adopted cashless payment systems. This
includes the Filadelphia church in the city of Stockholm where about
1,000 members attend. The church has installed a special "kollektomat"
card machine, which can accept electronic payments. "People give more
money to the church now because it's electronic and easy," said
executive pastor Soren Eskilsson. (18)
The nation of Denmark is also moving towards a
cashless society. According to a December 2015 report, only 25 percent
of Danish citizens still use cash. "We're interested in getting rid of
cash. The handling, security, and everything else is expensive; so,
definitely we want to push digital payments, and that's of course why we
introduced mobile payments to help this process," said IT Director
Thomas Grane of the Danish company known as Matas. (19) While the Danish
government has pledged to continue providing cash to those who want it,
support has been expressed for cashless payments. "We're obliged to
supply the amount of cash the population and businesses demand. But on
the other hand, we think it's important to have an efficient and secure
payment infrastructure, the whole digitalization process is very
important in a country like Denmark," said central bank leader Hugo Frey
Jensen. (20)
Citizens in Australia have also shown a strong
preference for cashless payments. This trend prompted Australian
journalist Rex Jory to write in a December 2015 editorial, "For many
people the cashless society is virtually here. For others, perhaps less
savvy and more suspicious of technology, the transition will take
longer. But watch how quickly the cashless society gains traction during
2016." Amazingly enough, the Australian bank known as Westpac predicts
that Australia will be an entirely cashless society by the year 2022.
(21)
Canada, too, is moving towards a cashless society. In a
recent survey conducted by the payment-processing firm known as
Moneris, 77 percent of Canadians who responded indicated a preference
for debit or credit cards over cash, while 65 percent said they rarely
use any cash at all. "I think we're at a point where you don't need cash
for most of what you need to do today. I do think people will continue
to use cash because it's been around so long… But this growth in
contactless (payments using credit cards or mobile apps) I think is
going to lead towards the end of cash," stated Rob Cameron, the chief
product and marketing officer at Moneris. (22)
Generally speaking, consumers enjoy cashless payment
methods, such as credit cards, debit cards, and smartphone programs,
because they facilitate convenient and fast payments. Governments also
like cashless payment methods because it always leaves a paper trail and
makes it more difficult for people to evade taxes. Naturally, a one
world government beast system would also love a cashless system, for
such a system makes it easier to track, monitor, and control the people.
Sadly, this is the direction our world is heading. A recent report
published by the New York Times quoted a twenty-three year-old student
in Sweden who said, "No one uses cash. I think our generation can live
without it." (23)
A Future Without Privacy!
In this connected generation of today, many people,
especially young people have become accustomed to sharing every detail
of their lives online. This is something they do willingly out of habit
without giving it much thought. It seems as though future generations,
however many there may be, will not know what it was like to live a life
with any semblance of privacy whatsoever. After all, Big Brother is
always watching.
In December 2015 the United States Congress passed new
budget legislation known as the Omnibus Appropriations Bill. (24)
Although this bill was simply supposed to be a required measure to keep
the United States government in operation, House Speaker Paul Ryan, who
is a Republican from Wisconsin, seized the opportunity and inserted what
has come to be known as the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, or
CISA, into the bill. In short, the provisions of this act give American
companies immunity from prosecution and lawsuits when they share private
data with the National Security Agency, or NSA. After the data of the
American people becomes the property of the NSA, it can then be shared
with other government agencies, such as the FBI, and used as a method of
surveillance. Some lawmakers did protest against the bill, including
Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon. Regarding the bill, Wyden was
quoted as saying, "These unacceptable surveillance provisions are a
black mark on a worthy package that contains the biggest tax cut for
working families in decades, an accomplishment I fought for in weeks of
negotiations. Unfortunately, this misguided cyber legislation does
little to protect Americans' security and a great deal more to threaten
our privacy than the flawed Senate version. Americans demand real
solutions that will protect them from foreign hackers, not knee-jerk
responses that allow companies to fork over huge amounts of their
customer's private data with only cursory review." (25)
Ironically, the communist nation of China recently
enacted a counter-terrorism law, which functions similarly to the new
provisions found in CISA. Yet, Western leaders, including Barack Obama,
have been highly critical of China's new rules. China's new law requires
technology companies to hand over data encryption keys and other
information to the government if they are told to do so. "This rule
accords with the actual work need of fighting terrorism and is basically
the same as what other major countries in the world do," stated Li
Shouwei, who is deputy head of the parliament's criminal law division.
(26) Regarding the new law, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei
confessed that they drew upon United States' law for inspiration. "While
formulating our counter terrorism law, we learned from the legislatures
of other countries, including the U.S.," Lei said. (27)
Meanwhile, the government in Great Britain has also
proposed a plan that would give their government more power to conduct
online surveillance. The plan calls for technology companies to install
backdoors in their products which would give the British government
access to sensitive information, while also allowing communications data
to be intercepted. This development caused the technology company known
as Apple, Inc. to speak out against the proposal. "We believe it is
wrong to weaken security for hundreds of millions of law-abiding
customers so that it will also be weaker for the very few who pose a
threat," Apple said. The company also likened the plan to leaving a key
under the doormat. "A key left under the doormat would not just be there
for the good guys. The bad guys would find it too." (28)
In closing, our world is indeed undergoing a
transformation. As a result of this transformation, the young people of
today are embracing a secular world with a different set of values.
According to a recent poll from the Pew Research Center, only 63 percent
of American respondents to their study claimed to be "absolutely
certain" that God exists. This percentage is a stark drop from the year
2007, which was not so long ago, when 71 percent said they were certain
that God exists. (29) Amongst those who still claim to be Christian,
many are now accepting homosexuality. In fact, another Pew Research
study published in December 2015 found that 54 percent of professing
Christians who answered their poll said that homosexuality should be
accepted and encouraged by society. (30) The people of today are being
groomed and conditioned to accept a globalist society, and a one world
government. As we continue to move through time, the Christian people
will face mounting and intensifying pressure to assimilate with the
world. With that thought in mind, let us lay to heart the words we find
in II Thessalonians 2:15-17, "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold
the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our
epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father,
which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good
hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good
word and work." Yes, our hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have
not yet given your heart to God and dedicated your life to Him, I urge
you to do so now.
As always, we are here and ready to pray for you and
your needs. If you have any prayer requests, please do not hesitate to
send them our way. We take prayer seriously and every request is always
given individual attention. Thank you all for your support of this
ministry. We appreciate your kindness. Grace and peace be unto you in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Samuel David Meyer
Acknowledgements
01. The United Nations, August 2, 2015, By the United Nations, http://un.org.
02. Transforming Our World: the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development, By the United Nations,
http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org.
03. Ibid.
04. Ibid.
05. Ibid.
06. Ibid.
07. Ibid.
08. YouTube, April 17, 2013, By Climate One, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFGksEgSwk8.
09. NBC News, December 12, 2015, By Elizabeth Chuck and Associated Press, http://nbcnews.com.
10. Reuters News Service/ABC News, September 24, 2015, By Emily Shapiro, http://abcnews.go.com.
11. BBC News, November 30, 2015, By BBC News, http://bbc.com.
12. The Chronicle, December 3, 2015, By News 24, Bangui, Central African Republic, http://chronicle.co.zw.
13. CBS Local News, December 17, 2015, By John Lauritsen, Blaine, MN.
14. MSN News, December 18, 2015, By Emma Brown, http://msn.com.
15. The Christian Post, June 3, 2015, By Nicola Menzie, http://christianpost.com.
16. The New York Times, December 26, 2015, By Liz Alderman, Stockholm, Sweden.
17. Ibid.
18. Ibid.
19. Payment Week, December 23, 2015, By Michael Cheng, http://paymentweek.com.
20. Ibid.
21. The Advertiser, December 27, 2015, By Rex Jory, http://adelaidenow.com.au.
22. Toronto Star, December 25, 2015, By Lauren La Rose, Toronto, Canada.
23. The New York Times, December 26, 2015, By Liz Alderman, Stockholm, Sweden.
24. ARS Technica, December 18, 2015, By David Kravets, http://arstechnica.com.
25. Ibid.
26. Reuters News Service, December 28, 2015, By Ben Blanchard, Beijing, China.
27. AFP, December 23, 2015, By AFP, Beijing, China.
28. Reuters News Service, December 22, 2015, By Paul Sandle, London, England.
29. National Public Radio, November 5, 2015, By Tom Gjelten, http://npr.org.
30. Pew Research Center, December 18, 2015, By Carlyle Murphy, http://pewresearch.org. Last Trumpet
Full
disclosure: Although I live in the land of anime and video games, I
have never played any Pokémon games, watched any of the shows, read any
of the comics or bought any of the toys associated with the franchise. I
don’t know anything about it except for the name of that ubiquitous
yellow Pikachu character. So if you are an out-of-touch fuddy-duddy like
me, you may be surprised to learn that the “Pokémon Go” app, launched
just one week ago, is the hottest thing on the planet right now.
On the more innocuous side, some restaurants and businesses are already trying to cash in
on their proximity to spots with a lot of in-game activity. On the less
innocuous side, robbers are now using “Lures” (which attract Pokémon to
a certain spot) to lure gamers in to be mugged. One 19-year-old hunting for water Pokémon in a rural river ended up uncovering a dead body, one IT executive got fired from his job
after an online Facebook tirade inspired by frustration at the game,
and one YouTuber who was live streaming the game while out Ubering
allegedly saw someone get murdered right in front of him…but that turned out to be a hoax.
The maker of the app? Niantic Labs. Never heard of them? That’s because until last year they were an internal start-up of none other than Google, the NSA-linked Big Brother company.
Even now Google remains one of Niantic’s major backers. Niantic was
founded by John Hanke, who also founded Keyhole, Inc., the mapping
company which was created with seed money from In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s venture capital arm, and which was eventually rolled into Google Maps.
