The SDA Church in North America issues a statement on shooting deaths

July 08, 2016 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States

Daniel R. Jackson and G. Alexander Bryant, the president and executive secretary of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America, issued the following joint statement on July 8, 2016. The statement is in response to this week’s shooting deaths in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Falcon Heights, Minnesota, and Dallas, Texas:  

“We are heartbroken and disturbed by the tragic and brutal shooting deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and five Dallas police officers.*  We extend our deepest condolences and prayers for the seven people killed this week, the seven officers and two civilians wounded in Dallas, their families, loved ones, and friends. We also pray for the communities of Baton Rouge, Falcon Heights, and Dallas, and the heartache they are experiencing as a result of this tragedy.

“This week has been an extremely difficult week as we wrestle with the senseless loss of life. It is past time for our society to engage in open, honest, civil, and constructive conversation about the rights and equality of every member of our community. Having an open discussion means talking about difficult topics in a productive manner.   However, we must move beyond the talking stage and begin to actually develop practical ways of dealing with racial intolerance in all of its forms — whether subtle or overt.

“This week we continue the struggle with what it means to fear for your life because of the color of your skin. We struggle with the pain that the African-American community feels. Last night we struggled seeing a hate so evil, so intense, that it led to the murder of those who were attempting to protect the right of American citizens to peacefully protest. 

“We were deeply troubled by the shooting deaths of two African-American men by police officers this week. This brings the total number of blacks shot to death by police in the United States to 123 so far in 2016, according to press reports. We are equally troubled that five Dallas police officers were killed by a gunman filled with hate who, in his words, wanted to “kill white people and especially white police.”

“Let us be clear: the violent death of any human being is wrong. The deaths of these seven people in these three events are equally tragic and agonizing for God. While so many in our country are angry and frightened, hate and revenge are never the answer. 

“We find wisdom and comfort in the life of Jesus. Human experience illustrates that hatred breeds more hatred. Jesus lived a life that demonstrated love in the face of hatred, and peace in the place of anger. Evil cannot be eliminated with evil; it must be overwhelmed with peace, love, and goodness. We know that there is growing anger, frustration, and alienation throughout our division. These emotions are accompanied by a growing distrust and fear. 

“How will we personally and corporately respond? We believe that . . . 

·      Now is the time to listen, to hear, and to understand the cry of those living in fear.

·      Now is the time for the men and women of the North American Division to stand up and link arms together, in peace and love, to say “NO” to racial inequality; and demonstrate that love is stronger than hate.

·      Now is the time for our local congregations, for our state and regional conferences, for our educational and medical institutions to pray together, to engage in creative thinking together, and then to work together to strengthen what we have in common and bring the hope and healing compassion of Jesus to our communities. 

 “We pray for peace and compassion to guide our way forward as we acknowledge and seek to heal the hurt and fear that pervades this country. We pray, once again, for the day when all of God’s children, of all races, treat each other with love and respect rather than bias and hate. 

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28, NIV).       Adventist News

Note:
"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." 1 Thessalonians 5:3

UN condemns this week's deadly gun violence in US

8 July 2016 – United Nations officials today spoke out against recent violence in the United States which has left several people dead, expressing both outrage and condemnation over the killings, and highlighting the need for more to be done to fight discrimination.

Earlier this week, two African-American men were shot dead by US police in the states of Minnesota and Louisiana. On Thursday, five police officers were killed in the Texan city of Dallas at a rally over the earlier killings.

“The Working Group [of Experts on People of African Descent] is outraged and strongly condemns the new police killings of two African-American men,” the Group’s Chairman, Ricardo A. Sunga III, said in a statement today, in which he also noted that the incidents demonstrate “a high level of structural and institutional racism.”

“These killings, which were captured on video, cannot be ignored. We call for prompt independent investigations to ensure the perpetrators are prosecuted and punished,” he added.

Also today, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Mr. Ban condemned the killing of the police officers in Dallas.

“There is no justification for such violence. Those responsible compounded the suffering that many in the United States feel following the killing of two African-American men over two days. Those killings must be the subject of a thorough and impartial investigation,” the spokesman said, adding that the killings once again put the focus on the need to address discrimination, including racial disparities in law enforcement, in a comprehensive manner.

The UN chief extended his condolences to the families and colleagues of the victims, as well as the Police Department of Dallas, according to the spokesperson.

For its part, the Working Group stated that excessive use of force by the police against African-Americans in the US is a “regular” occurrence, with African-Americans reportedly shot at more than twice the rate of white people.

The Working Group is monitoring the situation and has repeatedly expressed its concern to the US Government about police killings of African-Americans and called for justice, and is convinced that the root of the problem lies in the lack of accountability for perpetrators of such killings despite the evidence.

“The killings also demonstrate a high level of structural and institutional racism. The United States is far from recognizing the same rights for all its citizens. Existing measures to address racist crimes motivated by prejudice are insufficient and have failed to stop the killings,” the human rights expert said. “It is time, now, for the US Government to strongly assert that Black lives matter and prevent any further killings as a matter of national priority.”

He also condemned yesterday's sniper attacks on police officers in downtown Dallas during a protest over the killings of African-American men in other cities, calling for the perpetrators to be held accountable.

According to media reports, at least one sniper killed five officers and wounded seven others at the rally on Thursday night. The sniper was killed, and three other people are in custody.

Independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. They serve in their personal capacity and are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.      UN

Attacks on Cops Hurt Push for Racial Justice: Obama

By Reuters On 7/10/16 at 12:12 PM 

U.S. President Barack Obama has warned that attacks on police over racial bias would hurt the anti-racism Black Lives Matter movement, days after a sniper killed five police officers in Dallas in apparent revenge for police shootings of black people.

Obama said although most activists from the Black Lives Matter movement wanted to see better relations between communities and law enforcement, violence and overly broad criticism against police undermined the protest movement.

"I want to say to everyone concerned about.. racial bias in the criminal justice system that maintaining a truthful, serious and respectful tone is going to help mobilize American society to bring about real change," Obama said.

Micah Johnson, a black U.S. military veteran of the Afghan war, opened fire on police officers on Thursday during a protest in Dallas against the fatal shootings of two black men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota the previous day.

Johnson wanted to "kill white people, especially white officers," Dallas Police Chief David Brown said after the attack on Thursday night.

The Black Lives Matter group said on Friday it advocated dignity, not murder, in response to the shooting that also left seven other police officers and two civilians wounded.

Obama said there was legitimate criticism to be made of the criminal justice system and that citizens should continue to protest against it.

"I would hope that police organizations are also respectful of the frustrations that people in these communities feel and not just dismiss these protests as political correctness or politics or attacks on police," he said.      Newsweek

Pit burials in the first Philistine graveyard found in Israel, in ancient Ashkelon

 

A huge Philistine cemetery some 3000-years-old has been found in the Mediterranean seaport of Ashkelon. The manner of the burials proves, for the first time, that the Philistines had to have come from the Aegean Sea region, and that they had very close ties with the Phoenician world.

“Ninety-nine percent of the chapters and articles written about Philistine burial customs should be revised or ignored now that we have the first and only Philistine cemetery,” says Lawrence E. Stager, Dorot Professor of the Archaeology of Israel, Emeritus, at Harvard University.

The cemetery was found just outside the city walls of Tel Ashkelon, one of the Philistines' five primary cities in ancient Israel.

The cemetery was found to have more then 150 individual burials dating from the 11th to 8th century BCE. The undisturbed graves have shed fresh light on a mystery bedeviling archaeologists for decades: the Philistines' real origins.
US anthropologist and pathologist, Sherry Fox shows a skull discovered at the excavation site of the first Philistine cemetery ever found in Ashkelon, on June 28, 2016. Menahem Kahana, AFP

“The basic question we want to know is where this people are from," said Dr. Sherry Fox, a physical anthropologist who is sampling the bones for analysis, including for DNA studies, and radiocarbon and biological distance studies.

How the Philistines lived: Not like Canaanites

The unprecedented discovery of the Philistine cemetery allows the archaeologists not only to study Philistine burial practices for the first time, but also to gain insights on Philistine characteristics and lifestyle. With this discovery, the archaeologists finally have a data set not on one or two individuals but a whole population, explains Daniel M. Master, professor of Wheaton College and co-director of the Leon Levy Expedition. That in turn will enable them to talk about what’s typical and what’s not typical, he explains.

“This forms a baseline for what 'Philistine' is. We can already say that the cultural practices we see here are substantially different from the Canaanites and the highlanders in the east," Master says.
Archaeologists investigating the first unmistakably Philistine burial ground found in Israel, in Ashkelon. Philippe Bohstrom

The bodies can also provide information about Philistine dietary habits, lifestyle and morbidity.

One conclusion the archaeologists have already reached is that these particular individuals seemed to have been spared from strife.

“There is no evidence of any kind of trauma on the bones, from war on inter-personal violence,” Fox told Haaretz.

Unlike the typical burial practice in the region - family burials or multiple burials, where the deceased were laid on raised platforms or benches - the practice in Ashkelon was markedly different.

The deceased were, for the most part, buried in oval pits. Four out of the 150 were cremated and some other bodies were deposited in ashlar burial chamber tombs. These are burial practices well known from the Aegean cultural sphere - but certainly not from the Canaanite one.
Artifacts found with the skeletons in the Philistine graveyard in Ashkelon are indicative of Philistine culture, not Canaanite. Philippe Bohstrom

A peaceful lot

Other finds that accompanied the deceased typically included storage jars, bowls and juglets, and in some rare cases fine jewelry - as well as arrowheads and spear points.

A hoard of iron arrowheads was discovered by the pelvis of one man, the amount one would expect to find in a quiver.

“The same arrow was not repeated, but a variety of forms and sizes, which is interesting," Dr. Adam Aja, assistant director of the excavation, told Haaretz, and added, “Perhaps the archer could choose the arrows he needed to penetrate flesh, armor or wood.”

Spear-points and some jewelry were also found next to the Philistine bowman.
Pottery artifacts found in the Philistine graveyard in Ashkelon, dating back c. 3000 years. Philippe Bohstrom

In other instances, small vials that had contained perfume were found next to the deceased (probably an olive oil based with different fragrances) . In two cases the bottle was found at the nostril, pointing to the nose, presumably so that the deceased could smell perfume throughout eternity.

In addition to the 150 individual pit graves found at the cemetery, six burial chambers with multiple bodies were found (when the bodies were found at all). A magnificent rectangular burial chamber was discovered inside the cemetery, built with perfectly hewn sandstones.  But the large stone door that once stood at its entrance evidently could not hinder grave robbers from looting the tomb of its treasure and its occupants' skeletal remains.

When the chamber was built and used is anybody’s guess. “The latest pottery is trash from the 7th century BCE, but the chamber might have been built and used somewhat earlier,” Master told Haaretz.
The roughly 3000-year old skeletons found in the Philistine graveyard in Ashkelon have clear hallmarks of Aegean customs, not Canaanite. Philippe Bohstrom

Linen, papyrus and slaves

Ashkelon became a flourishing trading hub during the Bronze Age because of its location on the Mediterranean Sea and its proximity to Egypt. It was through Ashkelon, which was situated just north of Gaza, that Egypt sold linen and papyrus – and also slaves – to the rest of the ancient world.

Other goods distributed through Ashkelon during the Iron Age (ca. 1185-604 BCE) included wine and textile. There is also evidence of grain imports from Judah, again attesting to the Philistine city as an important gateway between the East and the West.

Ashkelon would remain a key trading center up to Crusader times. But it was destroyed by the Mamluk sultan Baibars in 1270 CE, a blow from which it never recovered.

The Philistines execute a pincer maneuver

According to the Bible, the island of Crete (usually held to be identical with Caphtor Jeremiah 47:4; Amos 9:7), though not necessarily the original home of the Philistines, was the place from which they migrated to the Canaan coast.

That the Philistines were not indigenous to Canaan is indicated by ceramics, architecture, burial customs, and pottery remains with writing – in non-Semitic languages (several inscribed stamp handles, as well as a pottery sherd with a Cypro-Minoan script, all dating to around 1150-1000 BCE).
Pottery sherd with Cypro-Minoan writing, found on the floor of a house in Philistine Ashkelon, dated to the 11th century BCE. Zev Radovan, courtesy of the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon

The ancient DNA-analysis may be the final nail in the coffin that settles the debate of the Philistines origins.

Meanwhile, Lawrence E. Stager of Harvard has long been convinced that the Philistines came by ship, sailing from the Aegean area, perhaps Cyprus, to the South Canaan coast, and established themselves there before their great assault on Egypt.

One of the earliest references to the Philistines is Ramesses III´s mortuary relief at Medinet Habu. The relief portrays the Battle of the Delta, the grand struggle between the Egyptians and the Sea Peoples that took place at the mouth of the Nile during the early 12th century BCE (1176-75 BCE).

Since the relief depicts oxcarts, chariots and ships, some scholars assume the Philistines came overland from Anatolia to Egypt. Stager is skeptical. “There is no way you can come with oxcarts from Anatolia, down through all the hills," he explains. "It makes much more sense if they came with ships, loading and offloading these vehicles."

He also points out that the Battle of the Delta was the one known epic battle between the Egyptians and Philistines or Sea Peoples. There weren't two. If the Philistines attacked the Egyptians, they would likely have sent a navy down the Mediterranean - and an army of land troops, effectively creating a pincer maneuver against Ramesses III, Stager speculates.

Stager suspects the Philistines had to have been well entrenched in south Canaan before the Battle of the Delta. Ashkelon would have been one of the first strategic points the Philistines would have settled, securing as sort of “bridgehead”, before they launched their armada and infantry against the Egyptians in the Nile Delta.

“Ramesses III tried to contain them in their five Philistine cities, but obviously he could not control them or drive them out," says Stager.

Daniel Master differs: “I think Egypt was still in control of the region, even Philistia, and that the Philistines settled with Egyptian acquiescence.  This is become a broader consensus over the last few years due to work at Megiddo, Jaffa, and Ashkelon itself, where we find many Egyptian objects from this period,” he told Haaretz.

At this point, we do not know if the Egyptians managed to subdue the Philistines. But we do know that the Philistines did eventually have their comeuppance.

In early December 604 BCE, the Babylonians swept through Philistia, destroying the cities and exiling its inhabitants.  The Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar torched Philistia in early December 604 BCE, yet within the massive destruction, architecture, ceramics and even foods remained, providing the archaeologists with a snapshot of life in a Philistine city during the 7th century BCE.         Haaretz

Why Do We Feel Lonely in an Over-Connected World?

The world has never been so connected as it is now. Communication and internet technologies have made it possible to stay in touch with anyone no matter where they live. Today, it’s probably impossible to find a person who doesn’t use social networks and instant messaging apps, which have become an integral part of our life. Many people can’t even imagine their daily routine without online communication and feel incomplete if they don’t chat with their friends and don’t see their updates in the Facebook feed st least once a day. We are basically never alone and yet, we are lonelier than ever.

This is not just a claim – studies show that the number of people who feel lonely is constantly increasing. For example, a survey by the Mental Health Foundation found that one out of ten people in the UK often feels lonely while 48% of the respondents believe that modern people are getting more and more lonely.

It seems that the feeling of loneliness is a real epidemic of our society. But why do we feel this way while numerous ways of communication with other human beings are available to us at any minute of every day? To answer the question the title of the article asks, first of all, let’s figure out what loneliness actually is. While the dictionary suggests that it’s a state of being alone paired with the feelings of sadness and isolation, loneliness is far more complex than that.

Have you ever been in a company of people you didn’t have much in common with? Or maybe in a company of strangers/acquaintances who were good friends with each other and didn’t pay much attention to you? If you have been in similar situations, you will agree that in those times, you were feeling lonely without being alone.

This is what loneliness really is – a lack of connection and understanding, no matter if you are alone or not. In fact, this feeling may be even more intense when you are among people you don’t resonate with rather than when you are by yourself. Let me cite Robin Williams here: “I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel alone.”

So isn’t it the reason why we are so lonely in an over-connected world we live in today? Popular culture and our excessive reliance on the social media have basically made us believe that human communication is about quantity, not quality.

To demonstrate this contradiction, let me ask you two simple questions: How many friends on Facebook do you have and how many of them do you have a really deep connection with? I bet that most of you have hundreds of Facebook friends and yet can name only a few individuals you are truly close to.

As you see, what we lack in the modern world is a deep and meaningful connection with other people, which inevitably makes us feel lonely. We are constantly surrounded by people (if not physically, then at least virtually) and yet, we rarely feel truly close to someone mentally and emotionally.

If you think about it, it makes sense why human communication has become so superficial, since the entire mainstream culture is based on superficiality and shallowness. We are made to believe that all we need is to satisfy our physical needs and fulfil our selfish desires.

To sum up, remember that the only way to avoid loneliness is not about being and communicating with people all the time. It’s about establishing a deep connection with the right people along with being a self-sufficient individual who doesn’t need approval from others.       The Mind Unleashed

Is Your Heart Being Electromagnetically Distorted by Microwave Radiation?

By Benjamin Nowland
The Power of the Heart

Your heart produces an electromagnetic field 5000 times as powerful as that produced by your brain.[1] This field projects from your physical body to contribute to the circumvent field or aura. 60–65 % of heart cells are neural cells connected to the central nervous system and brain and concomitant with the amygdala, thalamus, hippocampus and cortex.[2]

One way the heart communicates with the brain and the rest of the body is ‘energetically’. If the electromagnetic energetics of the heart are altered so are the resultant communication signals. In fact, heart transplant recipients often show a different personality post-operation, literally having a ‘change in heart’.

The metaphysical phenomena of chakras has also been scientifically verified. In one test visible light was generated from the heart chakra. [3]

The heart is a dynamic, non-linear harmonic oscillator.[4] The heart’s pacemaker cells are biological oscillators that generate an electric field. Simultaneously the heart produces a magnetic field which forms a pattern similar to a standard magnet.[5] This electromagnetic field is a constantly shifting spectrum of frequencies with vast amounts of information contained in each frequency. This field is torus shaped (pictured above), just like the energy field of all living organisms, including the cells of our body, plants and the earth. And, as with a holograph, each segment of the heart’s field holds all information for the whole field.[6]

Entrainment

As a non-linear oscillator, the heart is extremely sensitive to disturbance of its dynamic equilibrium. Heart cells entrain (or synchronise) to beat in unison with adjacent cells.[7] Entrainment occurs in-utero and during infancy. The field of an infant is entrained through the mother’s electromagnetic field. This is the basis for the developmental psychology understanding of the impact of the mother’s emotional state during pregnancy and postnatal period. Depending whether a mother experiences protracted fear or love during pregnancy, her electromagnetic field entrains the vibrational energy field of her child accordingly.

However, as adults our unique signature field can also be entrained — see Frustrated Partner Equivalent below. Today, with increased exposure to microwave radiation (especially from wireless communication technology), we are now overlaid with electromagnetic fields at levels often millions of times higher than two decades ago, which is unnaturally distorting our energy field. With thermal effect limits in place that allow microwave power density levels up to the point of cooking flesh, evidence suggests at least 3–5% of us are experiencing serious symptoms of microwave exposure [8] and 35% of us may be experiencing milder symptoms.[9]

So, if for no apparent reason your health is feeling ‘off’, consider whether microwave radiation exposure may be a contributing environmental factor.

Along with radiation power density levels, the shape of radiation is an important factor for human health. Microwave transmissions can be in the form of pulsed modulated linear-synthetic waveforms [on/off rectangles] which are vastly different to the non-linear fields of our body-mind, which are also found throughout Nature. Exposure to these forms of microwave radiation therefore has a disruptive effect on the body and its electromagnetic field. For instance a decade ago when communications technologies transitioned from 2G (GSM) to 3G (UTMS), scientific research suggested that “UMTS is ten times more damaging to the genes than GSM radiation.”[10] Current 4G (LTE) technology was launched prior to any studies on its physical/energetic effects.

“The heart’s field not only permeates every cell in the body but also radiates outside of us… Just as cell phones and radio stations transmit information via an electromagnetic field, recent research has led some scientists to propose that a similar information transfer process occurs via the electromagnetic field produced by the heart… [which] can be measured up to 10 feet away.”[12]

Radiation Pollution Sickness — The Four E’s

Symptoms of radiation pollution sickness — including anxiety, irritability, insomnia and headaches — may all be examined from the perspective of energy field discordance. Again, if you are suffering from these symptoms, consider whether microwave radiation exposure may be a contributing factor.

When it comes to factors that lead to symptoms of radiation pollution sickness (electromagnetic hypersensitivity), I talk about the four E’s:

1. Empathic factors: A naturally sensitive constitution. (On the flipside sensitivity is a gift.)
2. Exposure factors: Cumulative chronic and acute episodes ‘add up’ to leave us more susceptible to physical decline.
3. Environmental factors: Multiple toxicity factors including mould, chemicals and bacterial infections compound the effects of exposure.
4. Emotional factors: Anxiety, stress and trauma induce the cellular stress response, thus it becomes more difficult for our cells to oxygenate and detoxify the effects of microwave pollution.[11]

Frustrated Partner Equivalent

You are at home and you hear the door opening. Before your partner enters, you know he has had a bad day. Your ‘antennas’ (energy field through the aura and heart especially) picks up his transmission. If your field is weak (low amplitude) it may entrain to the ‘frustration field’ of your partner. Soon the shared field is one of discordance and arguments. I call this phenomenon ‘psychic pollution’. When we pick up the incoherent electromagnetic field of our partner, our emotional state is influenced.

Microwave antenna towers can be considered frustrated partner equivalents. They generate incoherent waveforms at multiple frequencies (overlaying to generate noise). We receive and process these electromagnetic fields in the same way we receive and process (or interact with) the electromagnetic field of our partner.

Disease or disease that was about to develop shows on our unique signature field as jagged incoherent waveforms concentrated in the low and high frequency bands. ‘Deficiency pattern’ diseases such as cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome showed up as incoherent patterns in the high frequencies. ‘Hyperactive pattern’ conditions such as hypertension and skin problems showed as incoherence at low frequencies.[13]

Solutions

Internal

Wellness begins in the energy field! Continue seeking to optimise inner health and harmony (deep happiness) and the result will be a strengthened personal energy field that is less susceptible to entrainment from psychic and electromagnetic pollution. Rather than ‘protect’, focus on the question: “Do I want to take on these energies or do I now decide to radiate my own energies?” Reinforce your decision: “I now decide to radiate my own energies.”[14]

Observe your tendency to want a ‘magic pill’, a device or pendant. You do not need a $400 device claiming to ‘protect’ you from radiation. A mindset shift is required. Your passage with radiation pollution sickness (mild to severe symptoms) is a unique opportunity for inner transformation. Based on experimentation and research, I do not recommend spending thousands of dollars on products, as I did. Follow your inner guidance. Occasionally we are drawn to something intuitively (versus coming from a place of desperation). After trialling many products my preferred support came from a couple of $10 crystals. They were not used to ‘protect’ me from radiation pollution but rather to aid the internal processing of a vibrational stage of my journey (a few months only). Focus on inner health and skip the products unless they really call you.

External 

What if your family switched off all Wi-Fi and other emitting devices and from 8pm to 8am each day? Can you hardwire your internet connection at work, and at home? Can you use an air tube headset with your cell phone, or use the speaker function? (This article offers a number of ideas to help you protect yourself from laptop radiation: How to Protect Yourself from Laptop Radiation.)

If you are very ill, an immediate radiation detox is essential.[15] This may require an upheaval of your life. Seek to see the gifts in the changes you need to make and what initially may feel like a ‘loss of freedom’.

For information on radiation detox, please see the following articles:

• You Really Can Protect Yourself Against Electromagnetic Radiation – Here’s How
• 13 Natural Remedies For Radiation Exposure
• Learn How to Detoxify Electromagnetic Radiation and More with Bentonite Clay

Without Action, Nothing Will Change

As you regain your health you may ask “How can I give back to the consciousness shift I have chosen to be part of?” You will be ‘microwave savvy’ by now, so how can you share your new insights and take action at family, school and community levels? In a visual-sense dominated world, even a five minute chat about your experience with invisible microwave radiation pollution can create a shift in others. Say thanks – I wrote the book Playing GOD: Biological and Spiritual Effects of Electromagnetic Radiation partly to say ‘Thank you for the unique new messages I received on this topic, and here are many of them to assist others on their journey.’

This is a crucial year to demand telcos turn down the ‘volume’ on the antenna tower in your suburb, reject smart meters and share awareness on the topic with local council, state and federal parliamentarians, school parent and teacher groups and friends. We are asking the Australian Medical Association and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency — “the federal government agency charged with responsibility for protecting the health and safety of people, and the environment, from the harmful effects of ionising and non-ionising radiation”[16] — to reduce limits by 100 times as an immediate action – with more to follow. Currently there is no recognition of electromagnetic radiation as a contributing environmental factor in illness, so you will likely be derided by your doctor if you bring it up! Via a change.org petition we are seeking a core knowledge upgrade for medical doctors including:

1. Cumulative effects: Studies have shown cumulative microwave exposure causes a slowdown of subject work function (behavioral decline) and then eventually a complete failure to respond.[17]
2. Chronic illness: Studies of cultures show pathological organisms dominate when exposed to electromagnetic radiation. The ‘mystery’ illnesses such as Lyme-like infections and Ricketts for instance are linked to electromagnetic radiation toxicity. Studies show mould generates far more toxicity when radiation exposed.
3. Genotoxicity: Research shows genotoxicity occurs at minute exposure levels potentially leading to altered cellular function, cancer and cell death.[18]
4. Electromagnetic hypersensitivity has similarities with multiple chemical sensitivity, relating to underlying changes of the nervous system.

I’ve offered to guide doctors to the next level of understanding on this topic and have so far met (mostly) resistance, however alternative health practitioners are embracing new concepts. Change is afoot. Can you talk to a group of doctors and health practitioners in your town?

References:

1. D Childre and H Martin, The HeartMath Solution, 2000, Harper San Francisco, p.33

B Nowland, Playing GOD Biological and Spiritual Effects of Electromagnetic Radiation, Fontaine Press, 2015, p. 132.B Nowland, p. 87.

2. SH Buhner, The Secret Teachings of Plants: The Intelligence of the Heart in the Direct Perception of Nature, Bear and Company, 2004, p. 82. (referencing R McCraty)

B Nowland, p. 87.

3. N Ozaniec, Chakras – A Beginners Guide, Hodder and Stoughton, 1999, p. ix.

B Nowland, p. 85.

4. SH Buhner, p. 84.
5. , p. 86.
6. , p. 87.
7. SH Buhner, p. 90.
8. Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Public Hearing, European Economic and Social Committee, Brussels, Belgium, 4 November 2014, viewed 23 December 2014, http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.events-and-activities-electromagnetic-hypersensitivity.
9. Electrosensitivity UK News, vol. 11, no. 2, July 2013, viewed 23 December 2014, http://www.es-uk.info/attachments/article/9/esuknewsJun13b2.pdf.

Austrian Medical Association Guidelines for Diagnosing and Treating Patients with Electrohypersensitivity, Consensus paper of the Austrian Medical Association’s EMF Working Group, 3 March 2012.
B Nowland, p. 55.

10. F Adlkofer, Verum-Foundation Press Release, 6 October 2007, viewed 2 December 2014, http://www.next-up.org/pdf/PressReleaseConcernPrFranzAdelkoferVerumFoundation06102007.pdf

B Nowland, p. 99.

11. B Nowland, p. 17 – 19.
12. D Childre and H Martin, p.33.

B Nowland, p. 88.

13. VV Hunt interview with S Barber, ‘The Promise of Bioenergy Fields and the End to All Disease’, The Spirit of Maat, vol.2, 2000, viewed 12 January 2014, http://www.spiritofmaat.com/archive/nov1/vh.htm

B Nowland, p. 89.

14. B Nowland, p. 143.
15. B Nowland, p. 142.
16. B Nowland, p. 152.
17. B Nowland, Reduce Microwave Radiation (Antenna Towers, Wi-Fi, mobile devices) Exposure Limits by a Factor of 100, https://www.change.org/p/prof-brian-owler-president-australian-medical-association-reduce-microwave-radiation-antenna-tower-exposure-limits-by-a-factor-of-100
18. Nowland, Reduce Microwave Radiation (Antenna Towers, Wi-Fi, mobile devices) Exposure Limits by a Factor of 100, https://www.change.org/p/prof-brian-owler-president-australian-medical-association-reduce-microwave-radiation-antenna-tower-exposure-limits-by-a-factor-of-100 
Wake Up

The Vatican has the highest per capita consumption of wine and it has nothing to do with holy mass.

VATICAN CITY — Last month, Pope Francis told a little story during his weekly Catechism lesson about Jesus’s first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana, a well known Biblical passage during which Jesus saves the party by turning water into wine.

In classic Francis form, he ad-libbed the better part of the lesson, explaining that at a certain point in the celebration the wine ran dry. “How is it possible to celebrate the wedding and have a party if you lack what the prophets indicated was a typical element of the messianic banquet?” he asked the crowd.

“Water is necessary to live, but wine expresses the abundance of the feast and the joy of the celebration. And a wedding party which lacks wine—the newlyweds feel ashamed of this. Imagine finishing a wedding party drinking tea—it would be shameful! There is no celebration without wine!”

And who can argue with that?

Apparently, the Catholic Church does practice what it preaches. Vatican City, with a population of just 842 people, has the highest per capita wine consumption in the world, according to the California Wine Institute, an American organization that tracks such trends. They found that each Vatican City resident consumes an average of 74 liters of wine annually, which is twice the per capita consumption in the rest of Italy and seven times the per capita consumption in the United States.

One might automatically assume that the reason for the high quantity of consumption is surely the wine used at holy mass, but the so-called sacramental wine isn’t even part of the equation, according to the Wine Institute. Wine used in mass can be red or white, sweet or dry, but it must be fermented naturally from grapes and not mixed with anything else, which is why the Vatican orders it from a special distributor.

An assistant to Monsignor Jose Avelino Bettencourt, who heads the Vatican’s protocol office, told The Daily Beast that wine used in sacramental ceremonies inside the Vatican city state is not ‘house wine’ or bottled wine, but rather comes in vats that are doled out as necessary, and therefore does not figure into the per capita consumption. “Altar wine and table wine are two different things,” he said. “Sacramental wine is considered holy, table wine is of a different variety.”

The most logical reason for the Vatican’s high consumption of wine is likely demographics. Among those who live inside the fortification walls are families and the population is mostly made of up ageing prelates and nuns, many of whom live communally and dine in mess halls where wine flows freely—quite literally. Wine is one of the most common gifts to the pope, with several vineyards printing special labels and sending cases of various vintages to the Vatican so they can claim the pope drinks their wine, which he regularly shares with Vatican City inhabitants.

Pope Francis’s own grandfather Giovanni Angelo Bergoglio was a winemaker from the Piedmont area of northern Italy, and he was known for making sweet Grignolino wine, which Francis (as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio) regularly had sent to Argentina.  He has also blessed winemakers and his given several private audiences to producers and sommeliers at the Vatican. And when Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi first visited Francis, he brought a selection of Tuscan dessert wines that the pope was said to appreciate.

Bodegas Heras-Cordon, a Rioja Alta winery from Spain, started gifting wine to the Vatican under John Paul II. Now they produce a vintage with the papal seal on it they claim Francis orders and say it is one of his favorite sips.

American winemakers Tim and Steph Busch of Trinita Cellars also make special papal wine that sells for $75 a bottle. In 2014, at their second audience with the pope as part of his blessing of winemakers, they presented the pontiff with bottles of Cabernet FRANCis, a wine named after him, for which he thanked them and then said, “Your wine is augmenting the pope’s vices.”  

As the Busch’s tell the story, the pope’s assistants later called the couple to tell them how much the pope said he enjoyed the wine and asked if they had more with them in Rome. They say they then scrambled and called all the cardinals they had given bottles to and asked for them back to give to the pope. The California couple also made a Zinfandel wine for Pope Benedict XVI they called “RatZINger” and they produce a full list of religiously-inspired wines including “Psalms” and “Rose’ary.”

In the final analysis, of course, it really doesn’t mean much that the Vatican is apparently full of winos. “In vino, veritas, (In wine, truth),” as the Latin saying goes, which may give a window into why the devout are such drinkers. Or, perhaps a better quote came from Pope John XXIII, who also enjoyed a glass of the good stuff. “Men are like wine,” he said. “Some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age.”       The Daily Beast

Together 2016 Christian Event Deception

On Point Preparedness

 

Published on Jul 7, 2016

As we head into fall 2016, things are starting to heat up again.

There is some serious stuff uncovered in this video. You will not want to miss it!

Reset 2016 website - https://reset2016.com/

Another good website documenting the satanic illusion behind this event - https://coercioncode.com/2016/06/13/t...

The Influence Of Evil Forces In This Modern Age

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

Galatians 5:19-21

"There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee."

Deuteronomy 18:10-12

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord."

Acts 3:19

In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we will examine today's current events and mankind's inclination toward evil things. At the heart of every man, woman, and child, there lies an innate desire to have a spiritual connection. While this desire can be a wonderful thing if it results in a man or woman seeking God, it can be disastrous to those who turn elsewhere in an attempt to find spiritual fulfillment. We must remember that Satan is a spiritual being, and as such he operates in a spiritual realm. When people seek to join this realm, they often become practitioners of the occult.

As many readers of this newsletter know, my father, Pastor David J. Meyer, was heavily involved in the occult world before his miraculous deliverance and salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ. As such, he would frequently use this newsletter as a platform to warn others about the occult influences that are so common in this world today. I do not write about such topics as often as he did, but I do feel compelled in this newsletter to warn everyone that witchcraft is still common today, and I believe the influence of occult practices is causing great spiritual damage in our country.

In this modern age, it is often difficult to convince people that witchcraft is any more than fantasy. Sure, they are familiar with the Harry Potter book series, but such material is brushed off as harmless fun. Real witches do not exist today, do they? Yes, witchcraft is real and it is thriving. In fact, if one were to travel to the East Village in Manhattan, New York, you would find the city's oldest witchcraft store. This store, which is known as "Enchantments," has been in operation for thirty-four years and specializes in carved candles used by customers for supposed "good magic" rituals. According to the store's owner, her clients come from many different professions and walks of life. "We get doctors, lawyers, bartenders, people who have been practicing pagans for 20 years and people who have never done any of this before in their life," the store owner said. She further went on to say, "I think with the current economic times people are looking for something that has a much more active feel to it, like, I can make things happen as opposed to some random force in the universe can make things happen." (1)

According to an article published by The Guardian in October 2013, witchcraft has been making a comeback in books, movies, and television programming in recent years. Such material has an especially strong appeal for teenage girls, because in the realm of Wiccan witchcraft, the female is always more powerful than the male. Recalling the trend toward witchcraft in the 1990s, social history professor Owen Davies of the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom was quoted as saying, "When Buffy and Charmed were at their peak, I would get letters from teenage girls, mainly from America, asking for help about where to look for spells. Those shows gave teenage girls a feeling of empowerment; there's something very appealing about magic and witchcraft. There have also been studies of girls who were interested in witch shows in the 1990s, following how many went on to become practicing Wiccans. It's not a huge number, but it's interesting that some of them watched the shows and thought, 'I want to know more.'" (2) Author Ruth Warburton, who has written a novel entitled "Witch Finder," openly admitted her intent to entice young girls into the realm of witchcraft. "Increasingly, we're trying to bring our daughters up to believe they can be the leader; they can have the adventure; they can do the cool stuff, and one thing about witches is that they allow you to explore that moment when girls become teenagers and realize the power they have as women and how exhilarating that can be," Warburton declared. (3)

Hollywood has certainly proven to be a powerful recruitment tool for occult practitioners. In fact, when a motion picture entitled Ouija was released in 2014, the sales of Ouija boards increased by a whopping 300 percent in the months following the film's release. (4)

One of the most significant occult movies to ever be released was a film known as "The Craft." I remember my father warning people regarding the dangers of this film when it was released in 1996, and since that time it has generated a considerable amount of interest in Wiccan witchcraft. In fact, a recently published article by MovieFone declared, "The Craft has been credited as the main influence on the growth of real-life teen interest in Wicca over the past twenty years." (5) The article also notes that at least one of the actresses featured in the film, Fairuza Balk, is a real-life practicing witch. (6) Furthermore, it was noted that unusual happenings occurred during the filming of this movie. For example, during a scene wherein an occult ritual is performed on a beach, a swarm of bats suddenly appeared out of nowhere and lingered. (7) In June 2016, it was announced that plans are underway to make a sequel to The Craft. Speaking of this development, film producer Douglas Wick said, "There will be callbacks to the original movie, so you will see there is a connection between what happened in the days of The Craft and how these young women came across this magic many years later." He further went on to say, "Here are some young women who once again discover the power of magic, and we explore their emotional lives, their wants, their fears, their longings, as they become empowered." (8)

Yes, it has become clear that the occult, whether it be Wiccan witchcraft, Satanism, or other forms, is popular in Hollywood right now. In fact, a horror film known as "The Witch" has been a surprise hit, and has even been endorsed by The Satanic Temple. "The Witch is not only a powerful cinematic experience, but also an impressive presentation of satanic insight that will inform contemporary discussion of religious experience," wrote Jex Blackmore, a spokesman for the group. (9)

You can even find witchcraft on the Hallmark Channel. This network, which is owned by the same company known for its famous line of greeting cards, is generally considered to be a family friendly television network. Yet, it was announced in June 2016 that their program known as "Good Witch" has been renewed for a third season. "Fans are enchanted by the magical adventures of Cassie, Sam, and Grace - charming characters who have inspired our viewers to believe in the magic that can be found in our everyday lives. We're excited to see this captivating adventure continue with a third season," stated Michelle Vicary, who is the Executive Vice President of Programming and Network Publicity at Crown Media Family Networks. (10)

Despite the popular perception of many people, there is no such thing as good witchcraft. It is condemned numerous times in the Scriptures, both in the Old and New Testaments. In Deuteronomy 18:10-12 we find the following warning, "There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee." In like manner, we are told in Galatians 5:19-21, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Any movies, books, or television shows which portray witchcraft in a positive light should not be embraced by God's people. There is no doubt in my mind that this prevalent occult activity unleashes unclean spirits all over the world. This is one of many reasons that the United States of America is in so much trouble today.

The Evil Spirits Of Hillary Clinton!

Amazingly enough, the next President of the United States could be a woman who is actively involved in occult practices. Former First Lady of the United States, Hillary Clinton, who is now the Democratic nominee for President in the 2016 American election, is known to have conversations with the dead. According to reports, Clinton is known to have spoken with the deceased Eleanor Roosevelt in the White House with the assistance of her New Age advisor Jean Houston. (11) Such activity is a form of witchcraft known as necromancy, and it is forbidden in the Scriptures. Although Houston would later try to pass off this activity as a mere "brainstorming" session, Hillary Clinton's obsession with Eleanor Roosevelt is widely known. In fact, a speechwriter by the name of Ted Widmer, who worked for Bill Clinton, recalled, "We talked about history all the time. We felt like Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were friendly spirits." It is also interesting to note that Bill Clinton made a rather bizarre statement at an event in 2012. At this event, Bill told his audience, "As you famously learned when I served as president, my wife, now the Secretary of State, was known to commune with Eleanor on a regular basis. So she called me last night on her way home from Peru to remind me to say that: That Eleanor had talked to her and reminded her that I should say that." Although Bloomberg News made the claim that the former president was merely telling a joke, (12) I suspect that he was being more truthful than people realized.

Hillary Clinton has also expressed great admiration for Margaret Sanger, the woman who founded the organization which eventually became Planned Parenthood. History records that Margaret Sanger despised children. She believed in the purification of races by the process of eugenics and is known to have given speeches to groups affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan. It should be noted that Hillary Clinton was given the Margaret Sanger Award in 2009 for her efforts in furthering abortion. In her acceptance speech, Clinton told the audience, "I admire Margaret Sanger enormously, her courage, her tenacity, her vision. I am really in awe of her, there are a lot of lessons we can learn from her life." (13) Of course, Clinton is proud of her association with Planned Parenthood, and in a recent speech, she dedicated her campaign to the evil organization. "I'm grateful to the entire Planned Parenthood family. You made this campaign your own. It belongs to the staff, the donors, and to the providers," Clinton declared. She later went on to say, "I've been proud to stand with Planned Parenthood for a long time, and as president, I will always have your back." (14)

I suspect that Hillary Clinton is a woman infested with many evil spirits. In fact, former Secret Service agent Gary Byrne has reported in a new book that Clinton is often overtaken by inexplicable fits of rage. "The First Lady had a different sort of liveliness. She once threw a Bible at an agent on her detail, hitting him in the back of the head. He bluntly let her know it wasn't acceptable. He told me that story himself," Byrne wrote in his book, which is entitled Crisis of Character. Byrne further wrote in his book, "Most of us knew to brace for her inevitable eruptions. They didn't happen every day, but behind closed doors we learned about them fast. In public, she was everyone's best friend. Privately, she was her normal self." Additionally, Clinton was known to verbally hurl obscenities for no discernable reason at the agents charged with protecting her. (15)

In review, Hillary Clinton is involved in the occult practice of necromancy. She absolutely loves to see babies slaughtered by the barbaric practice of abortion, claims Margaret Sanger as an inspiration, and is abusive towards people who work for her. Of course, she is also known to be a habitual liar, and I have no doubt in my mind that she is one of the wickedest women alive today, and yet, it is a very real possibility that she could be the next American President.

Will Donald Trump Save America?

By now, we should all be able to see that Hillary Clinton would make an awful president, but what about Donald Trump? At this point, I would like to say that I am well aware that many of our readers support Donald Trump and hope that he will be the next president. I certainly hope that if he is given the presidency that he will bring about positive change to this country, but in all honesty, I have misgivings about the man. For one thing, in the not so distant past, Donald Trump was not only a registered Democrat, but was a very liberal man in word and deed. In 1999, Trump appeared on the television program Meet the Press, and stated that he was "very pro-choice." (16) Since that time, he has claimed to have had a change of heart and says he is now pro-life. If his change of heart is sincere, that is a wonderful thing, as abortion is a very grievous sin which has brought a great curse upon this land. I just hope his conviction is genuine, and that he is not simply saying what conservative audiences want to hear. Also in 1999, he told talk show host Larry King that he was "very liberal when it comes to health care" and further stated that he supports "universal healthcare." (17) Trump has also donated large sums of money in the past to the woman who is now his opponent, Hillary Clinton. They had a very cordial relationship, insomuch that Hillary Clinton and her husband Bill sat in the front row at Trump's wedding in 2005. (18) Donald Trump has switched political parties on more than one occasion. In 1999, he left the Republican Party and became an independent, then switched to the Democratic Party in 2001, and finally switched back to the Republican Party in 2009. (19) Regarding the homosexual lifestyle, Donald Trump has always been in favor of it and still is today. "I live in New York. I know many, many gay people. Tremendous people," he said in 2011. (20) Trump's support for homosexuality recently prompted Gregory T. Angelo, president of the Log Cabin Republicans to say, "He's the most pro-gay nominee that the party has ever had for president." (21)

Donald Trump's lack of understanding on spiritual matters is also troubling, especially since he professes to be a Christian. According to his own words, he has never repented of his sins. In late 2015, when he was asked if he ever asked God for forgiveness, Trump's reply was, "I am not sure I have. I just go on and try to do a better job from there. I don't think so. I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I don't bring God into that picture. I don't." (22) As another reminder of the man's checkered past, a photo taken in June 2016 featured Donald Trump, Jerry Falwell Jr. (the son of the famed evangelical pastor who started Liberty University), and a backdrop with a wall of magazines featuring Donald Trump on the cover. One of the prominently displayed magazines on the wall is none other than Playboy. It has been noted that in the interview featured in this filthy magazine, Trump was quoted as saying that Mother Teresa and Jesus Christ had "far greater egos than you will ever understand." (23) One thing is certain, Donald Trump needs prayer. It would be wonderful if he truly repented of his sins. In Acts 3:19, we are told by the Apostle Peter, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." We should also be mindful of the fact that we have only one Saviour, and He is the Lord Jesus Christ. We must put our faith, hope, and trust in God, and not in a mere mortal man.

Intensifying Violence In The United States!

For those who follow the news, it is easily discerned that we live in a violent world. For example, there is certainly no shortage of violence in the Middle East where multiple conflicts are in progress each and every day. There is always trouble and strife in various regions of Africa. The South American country of Venezuela is also in turmoil where an astounding 87 percent of the population has no money to buy food. (24) As would be expected, this has caused widespread rioting and looting, and sadly, the murder rate has increased exponentially. So what about the United States of America?

The United States is supposed to be a highly developed and civilized nation. Yet, reports have surfaced which indicate that violent crimes are on the rise, and law enforcement officials have no explanation for this development. Regarding the increase in violent crime, FBI Director James Comey was quoted as saying, "It's being reported on at local levels, but in my view, it's not getting the attention at the national level it deserves. I don't know what the answer is, but holy cow, do we have a problem." He later went on to say, "Sometimes people say to me, 'Well, the increases are off historic lows.' How does that make any of us feel any better? A whole lot more people are dying this year than last year, and last year than the year before. And I don't know why for sure." (25) I believe that violent crimes and murder at their very core are the result of demonic activity. When there is an increase in occult activity, such as I wrote about earlier in this newsletter, there is also an increase in demonic activity. Constant exposure to violent content in movies and on television is not helping matters either. In fact, it was reported in early June 2016 that a 19 year-old man was arrested in Indianapolis, Indiana, after he killed three people over the course of four nights. According to an article written by the Associated Press, the young man was inspired to commit these murders after watching a science fiction horror film known as "The Purge." (26)

One of the most violent cities in the United States is Chicago, Illinois, despite the fact that this city has some of the strictest gun control regulations in the country. It seems that every time there is a holiday, people in Chicago get shot. Over Memorial Day weekend in May 2016, six people were shot and killed in Chicago while 56 more were wounded. (27) The Chicago Tribune reported that this was the deadliest month of May the city had seen in 21 years. (28) In June 2016, violence broke out again over Father's Day weekend in Chicago when 13 people were killed and 42 more were injured. This violent weekend increased the total number of shootings in Chicago to 1,780 this year. (29)

The most notable violent event of recent days occurred on June 12, 2016, when a lone gunman entered a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, where he then proceeded to massacre 49 people and injure 53 more. The shooter, Omar Mateen, was also killed that night. (30) The nightclub where this bloody event occurred is known as "Pulse" and is patronized for the most part by homosexuals. According to media accounts, Omar Mateen, who is of Afghani descent, was motivated by his Islamic beliefs and even pledged allegiance to the terrorist organization known as the Islamic State or ISIS. It is interesting to note that Mateen had been investigated twice in the past by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was deemed to not be a threat. In fact, not only was he allowed to purchase weapons, but he also worked as a security guard. (31)

The facts as detailed above are all part of the official story. Nevertheless, there are certain things about this story that do not quite make sense. For one thing, a news report has surfaced which indicates that police officers arrived at the club just shortly after the attack began, but they were specifically told NOT to pursue the shooter for 15 to 20 minutes while they waited for a SWAT team to arrive. "We kept hearing people scream and shots fired," said Officer Brandon Cornwell. He then went on to say, "We just basically stayed there, waited for movement, and we just held our position until SWAT got there. Once SWAT got there they told us to retreat, that they'd take over because we were not really in tactical gear - we were just in our police uniforms." (32)

We have also been told that the shooter was motivated by a hatred for homosexuals and that he pledged allegiance to ISIS. Yet, according to witnesses, Omar Mateen had been seen at the nightclub on numerous other occasions and was known to be a homosexual himself. One witness was quoted as saying, "He'd come in for years, and people knew him." (33) "Sometimes he would go over in the corner and sit and drink by himself, and other times he would get so drunk, he was loud and belligerent" stated another witness. (34) CBS News has also reported that a man claiming to have been one of Mateen's lovers believes the shooting was actually an act of revenge rather than an act of terrorism. "He adored Latinos, gay Latinos, with brown skin, but he felt rejected. He felt used by them. There were moments in the Pulse nightclub that made him feel really bad. Guys used him. That really affected him," the man stated. (35) Obviously, not everything about this event is as it seems.

Of course, the act of murder is never justified, and it is sad that so many people lost their lives. However, this does not change the fact that the homosexual lifestyle is sinful and that God abhors their behavior. This event has already been used by homosexuals to garner sympathy, and as such it will become even more perilous for the Christian people who hold fast to Biblical truth. Even Pope Francis has now said that the Christian people need to apologize to gay people. "I believe that the Church not only should apologize to the person who is gay whom it has offended, but has to apologize to the poor, to exploited women, to children exploited for labor; it has to ask forgiveness for having blessed many weapons," Pope Francis said. He then went on to say, "The church must say it is sorry for not having behaved as it should many times, many times - when I say 'the church,' I mean we Christians because the Church is holy; we are the sinners. We Christians must say we are sorry." (36)

In closing, I know that we are indeed living in perilous times. There are multitudes of people living under the influence of evil forces, and as such, we will face many challenges in the days ahead. Yet, we can draw comfort from the promises of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who assures us in Matthew 24:13, "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." If you have not yet repented of your sins and dedicated your life to God, I urge you to do so now. In so doing, you will find that strength so desperately needed to endure until the end.

Thank you all for your support of this ministry. We at Last Trumpet Ministries are grateful to be able to serve you. It is my hope that God will bless you all mightily in the days ahead. If you have any prayer requests, great or small, we are here and ready to pray for you and whatever your needs may be. We serve an Almighty God with whom nothing is impossible. Grace and peace be unto you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Samuel David Meyer

Acknowledgements
01. The Guardian, June 11, 2016, By Olga Oksman, http://theguardian.com.
02. The Guardian, October 26, 2013, By Sarah Hughes, http://theguardian.com.
03. Ibid.
04. The Daily Mail, November 30, 2014, By Neil Tweedie, http://dailymail.co.uk.
05. Moviefone, May 2, 2016, By Gary Susman, http://moviefone.com.
06. Ibid.
07. Ibid.
08. Entertainment Weekly, May 3, 2016, By Gerrad Hall, http://ew.com.
09. People Magazine, February 17, 2016, By Drew Mackie, http://people.com.
10. Deadline, June 2, 2016, By Denise Petski, http://deadline.com.
11. Bloomberg News, June 13, 2016, By Emily Greenhouse, http://bloomberg.com.
12. Ibid.
13. Life News, September 23, 2014, By Steven Ertelt, http://lifenews.com.
14. Life Site News, June 10, 2016, By Ben Johnson, http://lifesitenews.com.
15. Breitbart News, June 20, 2016, By Matthew Boyle, http://breitbart.com.
16. The Washington Post, July 9, 2015, By Hunter Schwarz, http://washingtonpost.com.
17. Ibid.
18. Ibid.
19. Ibid.
20. New York Times, April 23, 2016, By Maggie Haberman, http://nytimes.com.
21. NBC News, June 18, 2016, By Rob Smith, http://nbcnews.com.
22. Business Insider, January 17, 2016, By Maxwell Tani, http://businessinsider.com.
23. RedState, June 22, 2016, By Ben Howe, http://redstate.com.
24. Breitbart News, June 20, 2016, By Frances Martel, http://breitbart.com.
25. Associated Press, June 5, 2016, By Lisa Marie Pane and Don Babwin, Chicago, IL.
26. Associated Press, June 2, 2016, By Associated Press, Indianapolis, IN.
27. Associated Press, June 5, 2016, By Lisa Marie Pane and Don Babwin, Chicago, IL.
28. The Chicago Tribune, June 2, 2016, By Alexandra Chachkevitch, Rosemary Regina Sobol, and Jeremy Gorner, http://chicagotribune.com.
29. The Atlantic, June 20, 2016, By Matt Vasilogambros, http://theatlantic.com.
30. The New York Times, June 13, 2016, By Mark Mazzetti, Eric Lichtblau, and Alan Blinder, http://nytimes.com.
31. Ibid.
32. The Washington Post, June 21, 2016, By Stephanie McCrummen and Abigail Hauslohner, http://washingtonpost.com.
33. The Orlando Sentinel, June 13, 2016, By Gal Tziperman Lotan, Paul Brinkmann, and Rene Stutzman, http://orlandosentinel.com.
34. Ibid.
35. CBS Local News, June 21, 2016, By CBS Local News, http://newyork.cbslocal.com.
36. National Public Radio, June 26, 2016, By Colin Dwyer, http://npr.org.             Last Trumpet