"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is
the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many
there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is
the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matthew 7:13-14
"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer." I Peter 4:7
In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we
will candidly and factually examine the events of our time which show
that the people of this world are moving further away from God and
toward catastrophe. When we consider the widespread upheaval, economic
uncertainty, natural disasters, threats of conflict, deadly diseases,
shifting ideology, and the religious confusion now at work, it becomes
abundantly clear that humanity is moving ever closer to "the end of all
things" as spoken of by the Apostle Peter in his first epistle.
For those who care to read news reports these
days, you might notice that the scenarios they describe sound like the
end of the world. For example, a headline from November 6, 2019,
informs,
"11,000 scientists worldwide warn of untold suffering due to climate crisis."
(1) In a move meant to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the very
first World Climate Conference, a letter was released which states in
part,
"We declare, with more than 11,000 scientist signatories from around
the world, clearly and unequivocally that planet Earth is facing a
climate emergency." The letter further goes on to say,
"To secure a sustainable future, we must change how we live, in ways
that improve the vital signs summarized by our graphs. Economic and
population growth are among the most important drivers of increases in
CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion; therefore, we need bold and
drastic transformations regarding economic and population policies." (2) The story was covered by numerous media outlets, including Bloomberg News, which wrote in their headline,
"Earth Needs Fewer People to Beat the Climate Crisis, Scientists Say." (3)
The cries for population control are only growing
louder, and if the United States soon finds itself under the leadership
of radical progressives, most of which would heed the words of these
scientists, it is not inconceivable that new policies meant to curb
population growth could be put in place. Such leadership would likely
encourage more abortion and a greater embrace of homosexuality since
both of these sins hamper procreation.
Ironically, the aforementioned Bloomberg News,
published a different story on October 30, 2019, less than one week
before covering the population control story cited above. The article
from October is simply titled
"The Global Fertility Crash" and goes on to explain in great
detail how much of the world's population is actually shrinking because
people are not having enough children. The article begins by noting that
the global fertility rate has fallen from five live births per woman in
the 1960s to just 2.43 live births per woman in 2017. It then goes on
to state,
"While the world is expected to add more than 3 billion people by
2100, according to the United Nations, that'll likely be the high point.
Falling fertility rates and aging populations will mean serious
challenges that will be felt more acutely in some places than others."
It is strange that we now see dueling contradictory catastrophes
reported by the same source. It should be noted that Bloomberg also
reported that in 2017, nearly one-half of all countries in the world
have seen their fertility rates drop to below replacement levels. (4)
While scientists fret over global population
growth, the actual sad reality is that the human race is starting to die
out. The fact that there are a growing number of guilt-ridden,
self-loathing young people pledging to never have children is only
making the problem worse. Amazingly enough, a small but growing movement
has emerged with people despising their lives so much that they wish
they had never been born. They call themselves "anti-natalists." (5)
This trend was reported by The Guardian on November 14, 2019, in a story
that chronicles the philosophy of a twenty-something Indian man who
attempted to file a lawsuit against his parents simply because they
brought him into the world. Speaking of the anti-natalist movement, the
man was quoted as saying,
"It was not our decision to be born. Human existence is totally pointless." While his lawsuit was quickly thrown out of court in India, the man further stated that his intent in filing it was
"to instill that fear among parents in general. Because now parents don't think before having a child." (6) The report also cites anti-natalist philosopher David Benatar who wrote,
"it would be better if humans (and other species) became extinct." (7) The absurd core tenet of anti-natalism is that "creating new life is always wrong." (8)
The prevailing societal angst is palpable. In
fact, a word that has found its way into popular vocabulary is
"apocalypse." A cursory search of the news will reveal a variety of
stories about various apocalyptic scenarios, but oddly enough, the
apocalypses they present are secular with no mention of God or His
judgment on sinful man at all. As an example, a piece published by The
Guardian on November 13, 2019, ominously announces in its headline,
"Insect apocalypse poses risk to all life on Earth, conservationists warn."
The story goes on to tell how bees, butterflies, and other insects are
dying off in record numbers, including twenty-three species of bees and
wasps that went extinct in the 1900s. Furthermore, the article cites
data which claims that 50 percent of all insects have been lost since
1970, while 40 percent of known insect species today are facing
extinction, too. (9) Regarding the crisis, Professor Dave Goulson of the
University of Sussex in the United Kingdom was quoted as saying,
"We can't be sure, but in terms of numbers, we may have lost 50
percent or more of our insects since 1970 - it could be much more. We
just don't know which is scary. If we don't stop the decline of our
insects, there will be profound consequences for all life on earth [and]
for humans." (10) Bees and butterflies play a crucial role in the
pollination of crops. Thirty-five percent of all crops require
pollination to grow. (11)
The constant barrage of alarming stories have
left throngs of people with a very gloomy outlook on life. This is
evident in an article written by reporter Cara Buckley for the New York
Times. In her November 15, 2019, piece, which is entitled "Apocalypse
Got You Down? Maybe This Will Help," Buckley writes,
"The barrage of cataclysmic planetary news, the galloping wildfires,
the smack of 90-degree New York autumn days all felt so at odds with
the regular tickings of human life that I often felt quite mad. I felt
complicit by merely existing. After all, I belonged to the species that
was taking most of the other ones down." In seeking a remedy for guilt-infused angst, Buckley then encourages her readers to
"embrace the pain, but don't stop there. Seek out a spiritual path to forge gratitude, compassion, and acceptance…"
(12) The author mentions Buddhism but neglects to disclose the real
solution that can truly help people who are feeling lost and hopeless.
The solution is faith in Jesus Christ. Yes, the world is going to end
someday, and many people are now starting to catch on to this plain
fact. What should we do? Jesus instructs us in Luke 21:28,
"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." More
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