The Startling Developments Of Our Day

Volume XXXVI Issue XII December 2017
Last Trumpet Ministries, PO Box 806, Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Phone: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org

"Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh."

James 5:7-8

"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."

II Peter 3:8-10

"Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."

Matthew 24:44

In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we will examine the startling developments of our day which show that we are ever closer to the return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The expectation of Christ's return has been ongoing since His departure. After Jesus ascended into heaven in Acts, chapter 1, His disciples stood gazing into the sky until two angels appeared and asked the men in Acts 1:11, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." By the time the Apostle Peter wrote his second epistle, doubts had arisen in the Christian church regarding Christ's return, which prompted Peter to write in II Peter 3:8-9, "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." In like manner, we are admonished in James 5:7, "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain."

As God's children, we can sense in our spirits that the day of the Lord is getting closer with each passing hour. Yet, we understand that God's timeline is unknown to mankind, and no man or woman will ever determine when the end time events spoken of in Scripture will come to pass. Jesus told us plainly that His return will be at a moment when no one is expecting it. In Matthew 24:44 we are told by Jesus, "Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." Despite these clear instructions from our Saviour, many men and women have made predictions regarding the end of the world. For example, Pope Sylvester II believed the world would end on January 1, 1000 AD. (1) Pope Innocent III predicted that the world would end 666 years after the rise of Islam in the year 1284. (2) Christopher Columbus, the man who accidentally stumbled across North America on a quest to reach India, first predicted the world would end in 1656 and then later in 1658. (3) Charles Taze Russell, founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses, taught that Jesus would return in 1874. (4) Panic ensued in 1988 when a former NASA engineer by the name of Edgar Whisenant wrote a book entitled "88 Reasons Why the Rapture Could be in 1988." The book, of which 3.2 million copies were printed, predicted that Jesus would return to perform a rapture sometime during September 11-13, 1988, at the time of the Jewish observance of Rosh-Hashanah. Thousands were impacted by this prediction with some people even going so far as to quit their jobs. (5) Radio preacher Harold Camping also made headlines in 2011 when he predicted there would be a rapture first on May 21, 2011, and later on October 21, 2011 after his first prediction failed. (6) Amazingly enough, Camping had made predictions in this manner a total of twelve times dating back to 1978. (7) On September 15, 2017, Fox News reported that a man they referred to as a "Christian numerologist" by the name of David Meade had predicted that the world would end on September 23, 2017, when the mysterious Planet X would supposedly collide with the earth. (8) In an article published by the Washington Post, Meade, who claimed he is a researcher and not a numerologist, sought to clarify his position. "The world is not ending, but the world as we know it is ending," Meade stated. He further went on to say, "A major part of the world will not be the same the beginning of October." (9)

Setting dates for end time events is a foolhardy endeavor. While it may be a good way to sell books or to achieve short-term fame, it does nothing to edify the Christian people. In reality, such predictions are counterproductive and often cause God's people to be viewed as a laughingstock. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that Jesus is coming, and it could be a lot sooner than most people think. One thing is certain, no one knows the day or the hour of our Lord's return. Yet, when our Saviour does come, it will be the greatest surprise and the biggest interruption our world has ever experienced.





The Doomsday Prophets Of Science

Oddly enough, even as Christian people are often derided for believing this world will end someday, scientists are lauded for believing the same thing. Furthermore, while people laugh at the failed predictions regarding Christ's return, liberals and the media have a tendency to ignore the false predictions of scientists regarding climate change.

On November 13, 2017, a document entitled "World Scientists' Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice" was published by the Bioscience journal of the Oxford University Press. This warning, which is intended to be a follow-up to a similar publication in 1992, was signed by more than 15,000 scientists from around the world. (10) The message of this urgent document is that the human race and the planet we live on is close to running out of time due to global warming and climate change. As such, we are told that human behavior must be altered immediately. The required changes that humans supposedly must make include "promoting dietary shifts towards mostly plant-based foods," "further reducing fertility rates by ensuring that women and men have access to education and voluntary family-planning services," "divesting of monetary investments and purchases to encourage positive environmental change," and "estimating a scientifically defensible, sustainable human population size for the long term while rallying nations and leaders to support that vital goal." (11)

What are they really telling us? For one thing, they want everyone to become a vegan, or one who uses no animal products whatsoever. This requirement, of course, would result in a government mandated diet wherein people are told what they may eat. "Reducing fertility rates" obviously means reducing the number of babies being born. ("Family-planning services" is a euphemism for abortion.) "Divesting of monetary investments and purchases" speaks of a new global economic system which would likely be socialistic in nature. Most disturbing of all is their desire to find a "sustainable human population size." Such a goal would without a doubt call for a massive reduction in the world's population. These diabolical aspirations of the scientific community would deprive human beings of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, yet these scientists and the elitists believe this is what is necessary to save their goddess that they call "Mother Earth." In fact, Prince William, who is second in line to the British throne, gave a speech on November 3, 2017, wherein he insisted that there are too many people in the world. "Africa's rapidly growing human population is predicted to more than double by 2050 - a staggering increase of three and a half million people per month. There is no question that this increase puts wildlife and habitats under enormous pressure. Urbanization, infrastructure development, cultivation - all good things in themselves, but they will have a terrible impact unless we begin to plan and take measures now," Prince William declared. (12)

The doomsday prophets of science bear a striking similarity to end times date setters. For example, biologist Professor Paul Ehrlich, who is known for his book from 1968 entitled "The Population Bomb," once predicted that "England will not exist in the year 2000." He also told the world in 1970, "Sometime in the next 15 years, the end will come," further stating that there will be "an utter breakdown of the capacity of the planet to support humanity." (13) Incidentally, the repulsive Dr. Ehrlich once stated that allowing women to have an unlimited amount of children is like letting people "throw as much of their garbage into their neighbor's backyard as they want." (14) Not surprisingly, Dr. Ehrlich was one of the more than 15,000 signatories of the letter referenced previously. (15)

Sadly, views similar to Ehrlich's are now being espoused at a growing frequency. On November 15, 2017, NBC News published an editorial by Travis Rieder, a research scholar from the Berman Institute of Bioethics. The headline of this article declares, "Science proves kids are bad for Earth. Morality suggests we stop having them." (16) In this nauseating piece, the bloviating Dr. Rieder compares releasing a murderer from prison with having children. "If I release a murderer from prison, knowing full well that he intends to kill innocent people, then I bear some responsibility for those deaths - even though the killer is also fully responsible. My having released him doesn't make him less responsible. (he did it!) But his doing it doesn't eliminate my responsibility either. Something similar is true, I think, when it comes to having children: Once my daughter is an autonomous agent, she will be responsible for her emissions. But that doesn't negate my responsibility," Rieder wrote. He then went on to write, "If you buy this view of responsibility, you might eventually admit that having many children is wrong, or at least morally suspect for standard environmental reasons." (17) As I have written before, this attitude now so common within the scientific community is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. In Luke 23:29 Jesus warns us, "For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck." Those days are no longer coming, they are here.

In any case, the doomsday prophets of science are frequently wrong. In 2009, former American Vice President Al Gore warned, "There is a 75 percent chance that the entire north polar ice cap during some of the summer months could be completely ice free within the next five to seven years." (18) We are now reaching the conclusion of 2017, and Gore's prediction has not come to fruition. Similarly, a man named Jim Hansen, who is sometimes referred to as "the father of climate change awareness," predicted in 1988 that portions of New York City would be underwater in twenty years. (19) It is now obvious that this prediction will prove to be incorrect, and Hansen has backtracked, claiming rather that the devastation of climate change will be felt within the next 50 to 150 years. "Will the full-fledged consequences be in 50 years, 100 years, 150 years? I can't imagine it will be greater than that range," Hansen said in 2016. (20)

I marvel at the beliefs of these climate change alarmists. Sadly, the vast majority of people continue to go along with their environmentalist agenda, never stopping to think that when these scientists talk about reducing the population of the world, they are never talking about themselves or the elite class. The men, women, and children that they believe must be eliminated are the common people. As it stands, there are more people in the world than can be realistically controlled by a one world government, and that is the real reason they are so frantic to reduce the peoples of the world to "a scientifically defensible, sustainable human population."

The Dawning Age Of Artificial Intelligence

When one thinks of artificial intelligence, memories of science fiction movies and television programs might come to mind. It is a concept so strongly associated with fictional stories and fantasy that it is difficult to imagine a world where robots and artificial intelligence exist. Yet, artificial intelligence exists already in many forms. In fact, you can purchase gadgets from Amazon.com which feature an artificial intelligence system known as "Alexa." Alexa lives in many devices nowadays, including the heavily advertised Amazon Echo. The Echo can be placed in rooms throughout your home, and it is always listening to your every word. You can even ask Alexa to perform tasks for you, such as play music, order items from Amazon's online store, or control appliances throughout the house. Alexa will happily answer any questions you may have, although she does not claim to know everything yet. It is almost as if Alexa is a little goddess who can hear your prayers and do your bidding. The proliferation of these devices show that a growing number of people are completely comfortable living alongside artificial intelligence.

In Exodus 32 we find a very sad story regarding the children of Israel. Growing impatient as they awaited the return of Moses who had gone to the top of Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, they demanded that Moses' brother Aaron make gods for them. In Exodus 32:1 we read, "And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him." The chapter then goes on to tell us that Aaron relented and made the people a golden calf to worship. These actions led to the wrath of God being poured out upon these disobedient Israelites.

In our present time, something similar is happening again. In November 2017, Wired Magazine published an article detailing the formation of a new religion. This new religion, which is known as "The Way of the Future," is being founded by an engineer named Anthony Levandowski, who is seeking to develop artificial intelligence which he and the followers of his new religion will then worship as a god. According to documents filed with the Internal Revenue Service, the purpose of this new religion is "the realization, acceptance, and worship of a godhead based on artificial intelligence (AI) developed through computer hardware and software." Further explaining his belief system, Levandowski was quoted as saying, "What is going to be created will effectively be a god. It's not a god in the sense that it makes lightning or causes hurricanes. But if there is something a billion times smarter than the smartest human, what else are you going to call it?" He later went on to say, "We're in the process of raising a god. So let's make sure we think through the right way to do that. It's a tremendous opportunity." (21)

Is the development of artificial intelligence really a wise endeavor of mankind? In November 2017, a reporter from the Khaleej Times interviewed a robot named Sophia. One of the questions asked by the reporter was, "Do you see yourself interacting with humans more commonly in the future?" Sophia the robot then responded by saying, "I foresee massive and unimaginable change in the future. Either creativity will rain on us, inventing machines spiraling into transcendental super intelligence or civilization collapses. There are only two options and which one will happen is not determined. Which one were you striving for?" (22) Is it any wonder that Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, recently declared that there is only "a five to ten percent chance of success" of making artificial intelligence safe? (23)

Meanwhile, there is growing concern that robots will be developed as autonomous weapons that can kill and destroy without any human intervention. This possibility prompted a United Nations' gathering of the Convention on Conventional Weapons in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting, which lasted five days, took place in November 2017. Speaking at the gathering, India's disarmament ambassador, Amandeep Gill, downplayed the threat of so-called "killer robots." "Ladies and gentlemen, I have news for you: the robots are not taking over the world. Humans are still in charge," Gill insisted. However, Toby Walsh, an artificial intelligence specialist at the University of New South Wales in Australia, said that these robotic weapons pose a serious risk to humanity. "These will be weapons of mass destruction," Walsh declared. He further went on to say, "I am actually quite confident that we will ban these weapons… My only concern is whether [countries] have the courage of conviction to do it now, or whether we will have to wait for people to die first." (24) At this point, I think it would be good to just stop and ponder this stunning reality for a moment - representatives from countries around the world gathered at a United Nations' meeting to determine whether or not to allow the development of autonomous robotic weapons. Is this not insanity?

The Future Of Microchips

As we reach the end of 2017, we can see that our world is approaching a rather unpleasant future. One of the biggest stories of the year broke in July 2017 when it was announced that a Wisconsin company would soon be giving its employees microchip implants. Over half of the company's staff received these implants at a "chip party" in August and the rest is history. But what does the future hold? Will more people be receiving microchip implants? I have before me an article published by USA Today in August 2017 which declares matter-of-factly, "You will get chipped - eventually." This rather presumptuous article quotes Noelle Chesley, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. "It will happen to everybody. But not this year, and not in 2018. Maybe not my generation, but certainly that of my kids." (25) If Professor Chesley's prediction proves to be true, it would mean that the current generation of young adults will be the last one to experience any semblance of freedom. It also shows how close we are to the rise of a one world government antichrist system.

Here let it be noted that Mike Miller, the chief executive at the World Olympians Association, has called for the microchipping of professional athletes as a means to deter drug abuse. "Some people say we shouldn't do this to people. Well, we're a nation of dog lovers, we're prepared to chip our dogs and it doesn't seem to harm them, so why aren't we prepared to chip ourselves?" Miller wondered. He later went on to say, "In order to stop doping, we need to chip our athletes where the latest technology is there. Some people say it's an invasion of privacy, well, sport is a club and people don't have to join the club if they don't want to, if they can't follow the rules." (26) I believe this will be a major strategy in compelling people to receive a microchip implant. People will be told at first that they don't have to receive a microchip, but if they fail to do so, they will lose their jobs. Eventually, it could very easily get to a point where although you are not legally required to receive a microchip implant, you cannot buy or sell if you refuse. It is truly amazing to watch this plot unfold before our very eyes.

The Weakened State Of Christendom

As we see the signs of the times unfolding all around us, it should be obvious to God's people that it is of the utmost importance for the church of God to be stronger than ever. Yet, we see in the various religious structures of man a tendency to compromise in an effort to appeal to the world. In recent years, numerous churches have proclaimed that they are now "affirming" places that openly welcome members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) community. As such, we see ministers around the world who are in outright defiance of the Word of God. One such minister is a man named Andrew Hammond, who is a chaplain at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. "I've been ordained for ten years," Hammond said. "But I've spoken freely in any context except in the pulpit about how I think the teaching should change, particularly on sexuality and gender identity." Hammond then went on to say, "I finally decided to nail my colors to the mast at the beginning of this term. It's the quality of the love that matters between people, not the gender of the lovers." In an act of outright defiance against God, Hammond has been holding special services for homosexuals. One such service apparently involved "sitting on rugs on the floor and listening to trendy relaxing music in a bid to break with tradition." (27)

Elsewhere in the world, it was announced in June 2017 that the United Methodist Church had commissioned its very first non-binary transgender deacon. This terribly confused individual, who identifies as neither male nor female, goes by the name of M. Barclay. Speaking of Barclay's ordination, the Bishop Sally Dyck was quoted as saying, "While M's journey over the last few years has included gender identity, all of those who were commissioned or ordained on Sunday have been on some kind of journey that has brought them to new places of faith, life and relationships. Likewise, I hope the church will find itself at a new place in the near future when it comes to full inclusion." (28)

Meanwhile, the Church of Sweden has adopted a new policy wherein it is urging its clergy members to refrain from referring to God as "He" or "Lord," and to instead use gender neutral language. (29) Presumably, this new mandate will also preclude referencing our "Heavenly Father." Without a doubt, many religious institutions in this world have become watered down and compromised. The truth is that the church of God is not instructed to be "inclusive." Rather, the opposite is true. In II Corinthians 6:17 we read, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you."

In closing, I urge every reader of this newsletter to heed the words of the Apostle Paul which we find in I Timothy 6:12: "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." We all face challenges and struggles in this life, but if we fight that good fight and endure to the end, we have the promise of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. If you have not yet repented of your sins and dedicated your life to God, I encourage you to do so now.

As always, we are here and ready to pray for you and any needs you may have. Please do not hesitate to send us your prayer requests. We always give every request individual attention. Please note that this is the final issue of the Last Trumpet for the year 2017. If you receive this newsletter through the mail, please remember to fill out and return your renewal form to us. Doing so will ensure that you receive every issue of this newsletter in 2018 the Lord willing. Thank you all for your kind support. Grace and peace be unto you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Samuel David Meyer

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Acknowledgments

01. Wikipedia, http://wikipedia.org.
02. Ibid.
03. Ibid.
04. Ibid.
05. Christian Research Institute, 1988, By Dean C. Halverson, http://equip.org/article/88-reasons-what-went-wrong/
06. ABC News, October 22, 2011, By ABC News, http://abcnews.go.com.
07. Ibid.
08. Fox News, September 15, 2017, By Fox News, http://foxnews.com.
09. The Washington Post, September 17, 2017, By Kristine Phillips, http://washingtonpost.com.
10. Oxford University Press, November 13, 2017, By William J. Ripple, Christopher Wolf, Thomas M. Newsome, Mauro Galetti, Mohammad Alamgir, Eileen Crist, Mahmoud I. Mahmoud, and William F. Laurance, http://academic.oup.com.
11. Ibid.
12. Newsweek Magazine, November 3, 2017, By Josh Lowe, http://newsweek.com.
13. The New York Times, May 31, 2015, By Clyde Haberman, http://nytimes.com.
14. Ibid.
15. Oxford University Press, November 13, 2017, By William J. Ripple, Christopher Wolf, Thomas M. Newsome, Mauro Galetti, Mohammad Alamgir, Eileen Crist, Mahmoud I. Mahmoud, and William F. Laurance, http://academic.oup.com.
16. NBC News, November 15, 2017, By Travis Rieder, http://nbcnews.com.
17. Ibid.
18. The Washington Free Beacon, November 17, 2017, By Elizabeth Harrington, http://freebeacon.com.
19. Ibid.
20. Ibid.
21. Wired Magazine, November 15, 2017, By Mark Harris, http://wired.com.
22. Khaleej Times, November 22, 2017, By Sarwat Nasir, http://khaleejtimes.com.
23. The Daily Mail, November 23, 2017, By Shivali Best, http://dailymail.co.uk.
24. The Guardian, November 17, 2017, By Agence France-Presse, http://theguardian.com.
25. USA Today, August 9, 2017, By Jefferson Graham, http://usatoday.com.
26. The Guardian, October 10, 2017, By Martha Kelner, http://theguardian.com.
27. The Gospel Herald, November 27, 2017, By Leah Marieann Klett, http://gospelherald.com.
28. The United Methodist Church, June 5, 2017, By Heather Hahn, http://umc.org.
29. The Telegraph, November 24, 2017, By Foreign Staff, http://telegraph.co.uk.

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