Sunday, October 30, 2016

True And False Peace In A Troubled World

Image result for perilous times
“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. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.”
I Thessalonians 5:1-6
“And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.”
Genesis 11:6
“Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.”
Obadiah 1:4
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
John 14:27

In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we will conduct another sobering study on today’s current events. The world as we know it today is filled with great turbulence, disorder, and uproar. We see a world that despite its amazing advancements seems to be deteriorating at a rapid pace. This downward spiral continues even as institutions such as the United Nations promise the world peace and safety.
On September 21, 2016, the United Nations observed the 35th annual International Day of Peace. In the days leading up to this event, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, urged the world to adopt its 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development insisting that these ambitious goals, which essentially amount to the establishment of a one world government, are the “building blocks” for peace. (1) “Sustainable development is essential for lasting peace, and both depend on respect for human rights. All of us can be sustainable development advocates,” Mr. Ban declared. He further went on to say, “On this International Day of Peace, express your commitment to peace by becoming a champion for the SDGs. (Sustainable Development Goals.)” (2)
Meanwhile, soon to be outgoing, American President Barack Obama gave his final address before the United Nations on September 20, 2016. In this speech, Obama urged the world to embrace a globalist agenda. “And so I believe that at this moment we all face a choice. We can choose to press forward with a better model of cooperation and integration. Or we can retreat into a world sharply divided, and ultimately in conflict, along age-old lines of nation and tribe and race and religion,” Obama said. He later went on to say, “We can only eliminate extreme poverty if the sustainable development goals that we have set are more than words on paper. Human ingenuity now gives us the capacity to feed the hungry and give all of our children – including our girls – the education that is the foundation for opportunity in our world. But we have to put our money where our mouths are. And we can only realize the promise of this institution’s founding – to replace the ravages of war with cooperation – if powerful nations like my own accept constraints.” In another portion of the speech, Obama told his audience that “young people need a global education in order to thrive.” (3) It is interesting to note that rumors have circulated in recent months that claim Barack Obama would like to be the next Secretary-General of the United Nations. Perhaps this speech by Obama was an audition for the part. His goals certainly align with the United Nations, and we know that the UN is continually working to establish a global government.
As it turns out, Barack Obama was not the only notable figure who was busy on September 20, 2016. On this day, Pope Francis joined other religious leaders in the town of Assisi, Italy, to take part in an event called the World Day of Prayer for Peace. The event was also attended by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of the Eastern Orthodox religion, and Justin Welby, who is the Archbishop of Canterbury. (4) Also present at the assembly were leaders of Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism. (5) At this event, the pope declared that “the world thirsts for peace.” (6)
From what I have seen and heard of Pope Francis, I do believe that he is a man who is determined to unite the religions of the world. Yet, religious leaders have been gathering each year in Assisi for the last thirty years, and there is still a profound lack of peace in the world. The United Nations has been observing an International Day of Peace for thirty-five years and still has not wrought peace in the world. There is no peace in Syria, there is no peace in Iraq, there is no peace in Israel, there is no peace in Afghanistan, there is no peace in numerous regions of Africa, there is no peace in Venezuela, and there is not even peace in the United States right now. How can we have peace? Uniting the religions of the world is not the answer, nor is establishing a one world government. Yet, there is a genuine peace of God that is unlike the highly sought after peace of the world. In John 14:27, Jesus tells us, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” If you have not yet found this peace, I urge you to turn to God, repent of your sins, and dedicate your life to Him.

Perilous Times In America!
When we read or watch the news in the United States, the headlines we see are quite distressing. Indeed, the opening stories for local news broadcasts will often recount numerous murders and acts of violence. In many large cities in this country, violent crime has risen exponentially. This development prompted the New York Times to publish a story on September 9, 2016, which declares, “Murder Rates Rose in a Quarter of the Nation’s 100 Largest Cities.” According to the story, murder rates began trending upward in 2015, with the most drastic increases occurring in Baltimore, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland, Ohio; Houston, Texas; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Nashville, Tennessee; and Washington, D.C. (7)
The aforementioned report indicates that much of the increase in crime is drug related. During the month of April 2015, as the city of Baltimore, Maryland, was suffering from rioting, industrious thieves used the opportunity to steal 315,000 doses of drugs from pharmacies and medical clinics. This flooded the market with illegal drugs, which in turn led to violent crimes as competing factions jockeyed for territory in Baltimore. (8) However, drug use is not just a problem in large cities like Baltimore or Chicago. My hometown of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, which is located just ninety minutes away from Milwaukee, is now suffering the detrimental consequences of heroin abuse. Following the deaths of two people who overdosed on heroin in early 2016 in Beaver Dam, plus two more deaths within the county line, Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt was quoted as saying, “It’s everybody from teens to people in their 50s. We’ve definitely seen an increase. I’ve never seen it this bad.” This ordinarily quiet region of Wisconsin suffered twenty deaths from heroin overdoses in 2015. (9)
Meanwhile, the racial tension in the United States is palpable. This tension has grown worse in the month of September 2016 as two black men were shot and killed by police officers. The first incident occurred on September 16, 2016, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, when a white female police officer inexplicably shot and killed an unarmed 40 year-old black man by the name of Terence Crutcher as his car idled on the road. In the aftermath of this shooting, the police officer, Betty Shelby, has been charged with first degree manslaughter. (10)
The second shooting occurred on September 20, 2016, in Charlotte, North Carolina. According to reports, a 43 year-old black man by the name of Keith Lamont Scott was shot and killed by a black police officer after refusing repeated orders to drop a gun he was carrying. (11) The shooting led to violent rioting and protests in the city of Charlotte that lasted at least three nights. One protestor was reportedly shot by another protestor in Charlotte on September 21, 2016, and eventually died. (12) In response to the uproar, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory activated the National Guard, and riot police were also on hand to stem the violence. (13) “We are going to be a lot more proactive. We made 44 arrests last night because we are not going to tolerate the behavior,” declared Charlotte Chief of Police Kerr Putney. (14)
Sadly, the prevalent racial tension in America is stoking the flames of hatred once again. For example, a man claiming to be the brother of the man who was shot in North Carolina is featured in a video that surfaced on the Internet. In this video, the man is heard to say, “Just know that all white people are (expletive) devils. All white cops are (expletive) devils and white people.” (15) This statement was made despite the fact that the police officer who was involved in the shooting, Brentley Vinson, is a black man. (16)
When Barack Obama became the first black president in the United States, there was an expectation from many people that he would be a leader who unites the country and alleviates racially motivated strife. Oddly enough, since Obama became president in 2009, there have been at least ten race riots in the United States, and it has been increasingly common to see National Guard soldiers patrolling the streets in America’s largest and most volatile cities. In 2016, riots erupted in Charlotte, North Carolina; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and St. Paul, Minnesota. In recent years, there were riots in such places as Baltimore, Maryland, and Ferguson, Missouri. (17) It seems that there are forces behind the scenes that are determined to fracture the United States and reshape the country to their liking. According to a report in the Washington Times, this includes the elitist billionaire George Soros who has been privily funding protests via backchannels dating back to the unrest of Ferguson in 2014. (18) Perhaps it is a scheme to establish order from chaos. In any case, we know that Satan loves to watch people destroy each other, and he is ultimately the driving force behind the hatred that is so common in our world today.

Is Hillary Clinton’s Health In Question?
For many months, there has been speculation that American presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is suffering from serious health conditions. People have wondered if this is the real reason she has avoided holding press conferences and is often reluctant to speak with reporters. For most of this time, mainstream news sources have not covered these rumors. In fact, one reporter, who formerly wrote for the liberal news outlet known as the Huffington Post, was terminated from his employment in late August 2016 after he wrote two articles which questioned the health of Clinton. “I’ve written hundreds of stories, filed hundreds of stories over my years as a journalist and pundit, and I’ve never had this happen,” said reporter David Seaman. He further went on to say, “A couple of times in the past, I’ve had legal concerns with something I’ve reported on so there was discussion with something I’d reported on… but they didn’t simply delete the articles, make them disappear from the Internet and revoke my access. I’ve honestly never seen anything like this, and this is happening in the United States in 2016. It’s frankly chilling. I’m a little scared.” (19) It certainly was stunning that these reports were squashed so quickly, but it is not surprising considering the penchant of Hillary Clinton to silence all opposing voices by any means necessary.
Events that transpired in September 2016, however, forced the media to report on Clinton’s condition. The first of these events occurred on September 5, 2016, when Hillary Clinton delivered a speech in Cleveland, Ohio. As she began her remarks, Clinton was pestered by a persistent cough that simply would not go away for a lengthy period of time. Clinton blamed her coughing fit on allergies and even told the audience, “Every time I think about (Donald) Trump I get allergic.” Her voice remained shaky and weak for the duration of her speech, and MSNBC news anchor Ari Melber was quoted as saying, “She had quite a coughing fit. That’s one of the worst coughing fits I have seen from her.” ((20) Of course, everyone has a coughing fit from time to time, so the fact that Clinton suffered from one does not necessarily mean she is in poor health. However, less than a week later, Clinton’s health was again called into question when she attended a memorial in New York City on September 11, 2016. According to reports, Clinton had to leave the event early because she was feeling overheated. As Secret Service agents attempted to escort her to a vehicle, she fainted. The agents were then forced to transport her to the vehicle while hoping to avoid unwanted attention, but this entire fiasco was captured on video and widely viewed by audiences all over the world. In the aftermath of Clinton’s fainting episode, her physician, Lisa R. Bardack, issued a statement saying, “Secretary Clinton has been experiencing a cough related to allergies. On Friday, during a follow up evaluation of her prolonged cough, she was diagnosed with pneumonia. She was put on antibiotics, and advised to rest and modify her schedule. While at this morning’s event, she became overheated and dehydrated. I have just examined her and she is now re-hydrated and recovering nicely.” (21) After Clinton’s mishap in New York, the mainstream media finally began to question her health. A headline from the Washington Post that was published on September 11, 2016, declares, “Hillary Clinton’s health just became a real issue in the presidential campaign.” (22) Of course, this was not the first time Clinton has fainted. In late 2012, Clinton fainted, suffered a concussion, and was eventually found to have a serious blood clot. (23) Perhaps the weight of Clinton’s sins and treachery are affecting her health. Without question, attempts have been made by Clinton and her campaign to hide the truth of her condition, but the truth always seems to come out eventually.
“Though Thou Set Thy Nest Among The Stars”
WWe live in a world today that is continually advancing by way of extraordinary technology and amazing capabilities. However, sometimes a society can advance too far. In the eleventh chapter of the book of Genesis, we learn that a one world government once existed. This was an advanced society where everyone spoke the same language, and the people assumed that there was nothing that could stop them. It was at this time that these people decided to build the Tower of Babel which they said would reach the heavens and thus prevent God from destroying them with another flood such as the one He had caused in Noah’s day. It was at this point that God looked down at the endeavors of man, and His reaction is found in Genesis 11:6 which tells us, “And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.” It was at this point that God made the decision to scatter the people by confounding their languages, and then He further emphasized this separation by dividing the land mass of the Earth. We live in a world today where technology is reuniting the world and removing language barriers.
Once again, man is reaching for the stars, so to speak, with the expectation that even the average man or woman will soon be able to visit outer space. In fact, Jeff Bezos, who is the well-known founder of the famous Internet retailer known as Amazon.com, has ambitions that go far beyond selling books, electronics, appliances, groceries, and household items. In addition to Amazon, Mr. Bezos also owns a space exploration company known as Blue Origin. This company has already been launching rockets into space, and plans are underway to develop special transport capsules suitable for space travel that will allow tourists to venture beyond our planet for the first time. Incredibly, it is expected that Blue Origin will have these space vehicles ready by the year 2018. It is the hope of Mr. Bezos that the human race will someday expand beyond the constraints of earth. “I wish there were a trillion humans in the solar system. Think how cool that would be. You’d have a thousand Einsteins at any given moment – and more. There would be so much dynamism with all of that human intelligence. But you can’t do that with the resources on Earth or the energy on Earth. So if you really want to see that kind of dynamic civilization as we expand through the solar system, you have to figure out how to safely move around and use resources that you get in space,” Bezos said. (24) This plan is obviously quite ambitious, and it sounds too fantastical to believe, yet men such as Jeff Bezos believe such plans will really be possible someday. Could this be another attempt by man to outsmart God? Perhaps they think that if the earth is destroyed, they can simply move into space. Considering the inability of the human race to live peacefully on earth, perhaps ambitions to expand into space are not such a good idea. When I ponder this thought, I cannot help but think of the words we find in Obadiah 1:4 which declares, “Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.”

Human Transportation May Soon Change Forever!
In last month’s issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we covered some of the rapid development now occurring in the field of autonomous vehicles or driverless cars. If you read last month’s issue, you are well aware that an autonomous vehicle taxi service is now being tested in Singapore, and the ride service company known as Uber is testing driverless cars in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Just how close are we to such vehicles reaching the mainstream? We are so close to this becoming reality that the federal government of the United States has issued new guidelines for the usage of such vehicles in this country. “We’re saying that when the software is operating the vehicle, that is an area that we intend to regulate. When a human being is operating the vehicle, the traditional laws that have conventionally applied will still apply,” stated Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. The government has promised to expedite requests from vehicle and technology companies for approval and guidance on how to use new autonomous vehicle technology. (25) The iconic Ford Motor Company is planning to use driverless cars to shuttle its employees around its facilities beginning in 2018. They also plan to release such vehicles to the general public in 2021. “Strides in this technology have the potential to improve safety on our roads and reduce congestion in urban areas. We also look forward to collaborating with states on areas that complement this national framework,” Ford said in a statement. (26)
When people hear all this talk of driverless cars, they might think it will just be an unusual novelty that will never really catch on. However, the mainstream news media outlet known as Bloomberg recently published a story with an ominous headline which declares, “Get Ready for Freeways That Ban Human Drivers.” (27) According to the article, it is fully expected that people will be forced to use autonomous vehicles in the future and no longer be allowed to drive! “In city centers, you don’t want non-automated vehicles: they would just ruin the whole point of why you have a smart city. It makes it a dumb city,” opined Kristin Schondorf, a consultant at the professional services company known as EY. (27) It has even been proposed that a 150 mile stretch of Interstate Highway 5 that goes from Seattle, Washington, to Vancouver, British Columbia, ban all human drivers. “Problems with drivers not paying attention or getting sleepy or getting drunk are really ripe for autonomous to do a better job than humans,” declared Ron Medford, who is the safety director at Google’s self-driving car division. (28) His peers echoed this sentiment. “Long term, these vehicles will drive better than any human possibly can. We’re not there yet, but we will get there sooner than we believe,” insisted Danny Shapiro, a senior director at Nvidia Corporation. (29) Finally, Raj Rajhumar, who is co-director of the General-Motors-Carnegie Mellon Autonomous Driving Collaborative Research Lab was quoted as saying, “Behind the wheel, we are only human and we are expected to screw up. There will come a point in time where we should not be allowed to drive.” (30)
A world where human beings are no longer allowed to drive vehicles would be an ideal situation for an oppressive one world government. In essence, people would be surrendering their autonomy to a machine. Whether or not we actually reach our destination would suddenly depend on if we were allowed to go where we wanted to go. It would also certainly be most difficult to live off the grid away from the prying eyes of Big Brother. Yet, this could be the condition of our world very soon.
IIn closing, there are many things happening in this world that cause great anxiety. We live in a troubled world. While I do not know what the future may hold, I do know that ultimately, God is in control. I find great comfort in the words of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. In John 16:33 he tells us, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Note that Jesus warns us that we will have tribulation, but He also tells us that we will have peace at the same time. The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ is not the same peace they talk about at the United Nations. It is a peace that cannot adequately be explained with words. For as it says in Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Thank you all for your continued support of this ministry. We could not do what we do without your help. By the grace of God, we will continue this ministry, which began so many years ago, for as long as we possibly can. If you have any prayer requests, you can send them our way through the mail or email. We always give each prayer request individual attention. We know that God hears us when we call on Him. Grace and peace be unto you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Samuel David Meyer

Acknowledgements

01. UN News Centre, September 16, 2016, By UN News Centre, http://un.org.
02. Ibid.
03. Time Magazine, September 20, 2016, By Katie Reilly, http://time.com.
04. PBS News, September 23, 2016, By PBS News, http://pbs.org.
05. Ibid.
06. AFP, September 20, 2016, By Catherine Marciano and Ella Ide, Assisi, Italy.
07. The New York Times, September 9, 2016, By Haeyoun Park and Josh Katz, http://nytimes.com.
08. Ibid.
09. Fond du Lac Reporter, March 14, 2016, By Nate Beck, http://fdlreporter.com.
10. Associated Press, September 22, 2016, By Associated Press, Tulsa, OK.
11. The Washington Post, September 21, 2016, By Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Derek Hawkins, and Lindsey Bever, http://washingtonpost.com.
12. CBS Local News, September 22, 2016, By CBS Local News, http://newyork.cbslocal.com.
13. ThinkProgress, September 22, 2016, By Alan Pyke, http://thinkprogress.org.
14. AFP, September 21, 2016, By Michael Mathes, Charlotte, NC.
15. The Blaze, September 21, 2016, By Chris Enloe, http://theblaze.com.
16. Charlotte Observer, September 21, 2016, By Langston Wertz Jr., Rick Rothacker, and Maria David, http://charlotteobserver.com.
17. The Daily Caller, September 24, 2016, By Justin Caruso, http://dailycaller.com.
18. The Washington Times, January 14, 2015, By Kelly Riddell, http://washingtontimes.com.
19. The Daily Caller, August 29, 2016, By Christian Datoc, http://dailycaller.com.
20. Real Clear Politics, September 5, 2016, By Ian Schwartz, http://realclearpolitics.com.
21. NBC News, September 11, 2016, By Monica Alba, Kristen Welker, Ali Vitali, and Hasani Gittens, http://nbcnews.com.
22. The Washington Post, September 11, 2016, By Chris Cillizza, http://washingtonpost.com.
23. Ibid.
24. The Washington Post, September 15, 2016, By Christian Davenport, http://washingtonpost.com.
25. The Detroit News, September 20, 2016, By Melissa Nann Burke and Michael Wayland, http://detroitnews.com.
26. Ibid.
27. Bloomberg News, September 22, 2016, By Keith Naughton, http://bloomberg.com.
28. Ibid.
29. Ibid.
30. Ibid.

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