America - A Nation In Crisis

Volume 39 Issue Ten October 2020

Last Trumpet Ministries, PO Box 806, Beaver Dam, WI 53916

Phone: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God."

Psalm 42:11

"Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God."

II Corinthians 1:3-4

As the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2020, revelry and mirth were seen and heard all around the world. A new year is often said to be a fresh start brimming with hope and new possibilities. Adding further to the excitement is the fact that this year is the beginning of an entire new decade, which only amplified the anticipation of good things to come. However, few could have predicted the distressing events in store for the world in 2020. Did all of these things just happen to happen, or is there an unseen force at play working to weaken and transform the United States? Even as the new year began, the Democratic Party had already set in motion an attempt to impeach American President Donald Trump. Democrats pursued these efforts despite knowing that their gambit would likely fail since the Republicans controlled the Senate and were unlikely to evict their party's leader from his residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. While politicians busied themselves with partisan projects and the President was distracted and obsessed with crafting his defense, a new virus was spreading in China, seemingly under the radar of almost everyone.

The New York Times published its very first article about the disease, now known as COVID-19, on January 6, 2020, less than one week into the new year. It hardly seemed a reason for concern at the time with the article informing its readers that "59 people in the central city of Wuhan have been sickened by a pneumonia-like illness." (1) By January 21, 2020, the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the United States was reported by government officials in the state of Washington. (2) The rest, as they say, is history, and these circumstances feel as if they took place years ago.

We now come to the tenth month of 2020. The months since the pandemic began have brought lockdowns, restrictions, and regulations. The world has dramatically changed so much that it is now unusual to see a bare face in public as most folks are compelled to wear face coverings. People are constantly reminded to observe social distancing and stay six feet apart from other people who do not live in the same household. Businesses have failed. Restaurants have closed, and many of them will never reopen. In fact, the business rating and review website known as Yelp reported in September 2020 that 163,735 businesses that they list have now closed, with an astonishing 97,966 of these closures being permanent. (3)

Many American people are suffering right now. A report dated September 9, 2020, indicates that more than half of all households in four of the United States' largest cities - New York City, New York; Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Houston, Texas - have struggled financially during the coronavirus pandemic. (4) Further complicating matters, numerous states are set to end moratoriums on utility shutoffs, meaning that millions of Americans could soon be without power, water, and sewer service. "Every utility in the country is facing the same situation. It's rather unprecedented. We have to balance the needs of customers with what makes the most sense to keep the lights on," said Chris Eck, a spokesman for the energy provider known as FirstEnergy. (5) Another report from September 2020 claims that one-tenth of American households have struggled to put food on the table in recent months. (6) Furthermore, a study by Pew Research found that 52 percent of young adults aged 18-29 are presently living with their parents. This is the largest share of this demographic to do so since the time of the Great Depression. (7) "Essentially we saw about a little over 3 million more people moving home… with their parents or grandparents, from a year ago. That's up about 9 percent," informed Cheryl Young, a senior economist at the real estate database company known as Zillow. (8)

To help struggling Americans, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March 2020. The mammoth bill, which was quickly signed by President Trump, allowed for the disbursement of 2.2. trillion dollars, and amongst other features, provided most tax-paying Americans with a check for 1,200 dollars. (9) Since that time, there has been ongoing talk of passing more stimulus, and many Americans could certainly use some financial help, but it has not materialized. While Democrats and Republicans claim they cannot agree on the finer points of a new stimulus package, part of the reason for the reticence, at least for some lawmakers, might be the fact that the American national debt has exploded to absolutely historic levels. As of this writing, the national debt now exceeds 26.7 trillion dollars. (10) Clearly, the accrual of debt has taken on great speed in recent decades. The national debt first hit one trillion dollars in October 1981. By 2017, just three years ago, the debt topped 20 trillion for the first time. (11)

Even as the American government continues to pile on trillions of dollars worth of debt, the Congressional Budget Office has sounded the alarm in a recent report stating, "The fiscal path over the coming decades is unsustainable." (12) This is a serious warning, and unless significant policy changes are implemented, the United States could face a financial disaster in the not-to-distant future. In fact, it is predicted that four important government trust funds, including two Social Security funds, Medicare's hospital insurance fund, and the Highway Trust Fund, could be completely exhausted by the year 2031. (13) In other words, the government might be unable to make social security payments in a little over a decade.

If the economic system in the United States collapses, I strongly suspect it will be replaced with a new cashless monetary system. This country, and, indeed, many other countries around the world, have been trending towards a cashless society for quite some time. This trend has only accelerated amid the global pandemic. According to an article published by Fortune Magazine in August 2020, 54 percent of Americans surveyed are afraid to touch cash because of coronavirus, while 60 percent said they plan to use cashless payments on a permanent basis going forward. (14) All of the issues at hand are greatly weakening the United States. Is it a coincidence that all of this happening just ten years before the United Nations wants to establish its one world government?

Based on news headlines, it seems unlikely that life will get easier any time soon. Experts are predicting that COVID-19 is about to surge even more in the United States as we enter autumn and approach the winter. John Hopkins University claims that the virus is rapidly spreading in twenty-four states at this present time, and the University of Washington projects that the United States could suffer three thousand deaths per day by late December. (15) These developments are very troubling. Yet, projections regarding coronavirus have been wrong before, sometimes drastically so, and they certainly could be wrong again. Scientists are fallible men and women; only God knows what the future holds. Thankfully, God saw all of the events of this modern age long before they happened, and He saw our struggles, too. The Scriptures assure us that even in times of trouble and tribulation, God is able to comfort His people. II Corinthians 1:3-4 declares, "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." In like manner, Jesus promised in John 14:18, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." As always, I urge every reader of this newsletter to put your faith, trust, and hope in God.

2020: An American Nightmare

Most people when asked about the year 2020 are likely to recoil in disgust and not just because of the coronavirus pandemic. In this tumultuous year, the Atlantic Ocean has been churning out tropical storms at a record-breaking pace. As of September 21, 2020, twenty-three named tropical storms have formed in the Atlantic, eight have become hurricanes, and nine storms in total have made landfall in the United States. (16) A record-breaking ten named storms formed in just the month of September 2020, and on September 14, there were five active tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean. On September 18, three named storms formed in just six hours. The only other date in which three storms are recorded to have formed on the same day was August 15, 1893. (17) There have been so many tropical storms this year that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, ran out of names! On September 18, tropical storm Wilfred claimed the final name on the official list, which then forced NOAA to move to the Greek Alphabet. "This is only the second time the Greek alphabet has been used to name storms," NOAA said. "The first was during the 2005 hurricane season, where the last named storm was Zeta." (18)

Further compounding misery, the Western United States have been plagued by disastrous wildfires this summer. In the states of Washington, Oregon, and California, more than five million acres have burned. "We've broken almost every record there is to break," lamented Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California-Los Angeles. (19) The August Complex Fire, which has burned more than 850,000 acres, is the largest fire ever recorded in the state of California. (20) 2020 has been such a bad year for fires that the Los Angeles Times called it "the worst fire season ever" in an article published on September 12, 2020. (21) Even as I write this newsletter on September 28, 2020, new fires are burning. The Weather Channel reported today that new fires in the Napa Valley region have forced more than 50,000 people to flee. (22)

As if the natural disasters wreaking havoc were not enough, violence and rioting have taken a horrific toll on America. A recent report from Axios states that protests, which took place in 140 cities around the country, were "mostly peaceful." Yet, the damage caused by "arson, vandalism, and looting" will cost the insurance industry between one and two billion dollars. Already the most expensive riots in insurance history, the report warns that it could get worse. "It's not just happening in one city or state - it's all over the country. And this is still happening, so the losses could be significantly more," cautioned Loretta L. Worters of the Insurance Information Institute. (23) At this present time, we are just weeks away from what could very easily become the most contentious presidential election in American history. As such, insurance experts are bracing for the possibility of more riots in the days to come. In reference to the election set to take place on November 3, 2020, Tom Johansmeyer, who is head of Property Claim Services, in reference to the upcoming election was quoted as saying, "There could be riots that lead to significant losses…" (24)

As the American people juggle multiple crises at the same time, the stress and anxiety of it all have begun to take its toll. This is reflected in a series of rather bleak headlines. On August 13, 2020, Yahoo News published a story with the headline "Pandemic has driven Americans to depression and drinking, CDC says." (25) Shortly thereafter, Forbes Magazine got in on the trend when it published an August 18, 2020, piece declaring, "The pandemic has caused an increase in anxiety, stress, depression, and suicides." (26) McClatchy News also weighed in with an article stating, "Mental health disorders surge among college students returning to campus, survey finds." (27) Not to be outdone, USA Today aired its grievances as well on September 21, 2020, in a headline that pointedly states, "COVID, hurricanes, wildfires, politics: 2020 is an American nightmare that's wearing us out." (28)

Without a doubt, the American people are fighting to cope with all that is happening in this country. A survey published in June found that 72 percent of respondents said this period of time in which we live is "the lowest point in U.S. history that we can remember." (29) Indeed, it feels as if a prevalent spirit of heaviness is at work in the land, but the good news is that we can always turn to God for relief, and we can certainly draw inspiration from His Word. The psalmist reminded himself of this very fact when he wrote in Psalm 42:11, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." Additionally, the prophet Isaiah, under the inspiration of God uttered these inspiring words in Isaiah 40:28-31, "Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."



Is A Coronavirus Vaccine Coming Soon?

As the world's population trudges through a global pandemic, the masses have grown weary as they look for a source of hope and a pathway to normalcy. The longer the pandemic and the other crises facing the world continue, the more likely it becomes that people will accept any solution that is presented if they believe it will put an end to their misery. For the scientific community, the only solution they can seem to muster to end the coronavirus outbreak is the development of one or more vaccines. Will a vaccine really solve the problem? What if there are dangerous side effects? Will the vaccines be mandatory?

First of all, it is important to know that while a large segment of humanity is counting on a vaccine to save the world, there is also a large group of people, especially in the United States, who do not want the coronavirus vaccine. An August 2020 poll of Americans found that 1 out of 3 respondents said they would not take the vaccine even if it were available free of charge. (30) Of course, this percentage could change if the crisis continues on for an extended period of time, but there is also tremendous concern about the possibility of a vaccine being made compulsory. Here let it be noted that in August of this year, the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that getting a coronavirus shot should be "as mandatory as you can possibly make it" when it is ready for distribution. Acknowledging that many Australians would likely be upset regarding his stance on the matter, Morrison remained resolute in his opinion. "We're talking about a pandemic that has destroyed the global economy and taken the lives of hundreds of thousands all around the world," he said. He further went on to say, "We need the most extensive and comprehensive response to this to get Australia back to normal." (31)

After the Australian Prime Minister made his thoughts known, there was renewed concern that a vaccine for COVID-19 could be made mandatory in the United States. Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is considered by many to be the foremost expert on infectious disease and has been serving on President Trump's coronavirus taskforce, was asked about this possibility. "You don't want to mandate and try to force anyone to take a vaccine. We've never done that," Fauci said as he tried to assuage fears. However, he then went on to say, "You can mandate for certain groups of people like health workers, but for the general population you can't." (32) An article published by AFP noted that an assortment of vaccines are already mandatory for public school students, so it is not far-fetched that these children would be forced to take a coronavirus vaccine as well. (33) While I do not know what the future holds, it would not surprise me in the slightest if the government eventually told us that while we do not have to get the shot, we cannot go to work, attend gatherings, or buy and sell in a public space if we do not. It is interesting to note that in China, people are already being vaccinated against their will with unproven vaccines that could have unknown and disastrous side effects. (34)

As it stands, there are presently nine pharmaceutical companies with COVID vaccines in phase 3 trials. Five of them have already been approved for "early and limited use." (35) President Trump seems absolutely determined to get a vaccine released as soon as possible and promised in late September 2020 that a vaccine would be coming "within a matter of weeks." "I'm getting it very soon, within a matter of weeks. I would say that you'll have it long before the end of the year, maybe. Maybe by the end of October." (36) The President obviously wants to have a vaccine available before the November 3rd presidential election. He no doubt believes this would improve his odds of winning a second term as President. However, Dr. Robert Redfield, who is the director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, believes a vaccine will not be available to the general public until sometime next year. "I think there will be a vaccine that will initially be available some time between November and December, but very limited supply, and it will have to be prioritized. If you're asking me when is it going to be generally available to the American public so we an begin to take advantage of vaccine to get back to our regular life, I think we're probably looking at late second quarter, third quarter 2021." (37) In either case, 2021 is not far off.

Assuming a vaccine is released to the public, will it solve the coronavirus crisis? According to health experts, just because a vaccine exists does not mean COVID-19 is going to go away. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration has stipulated that a vaccine would only need to be 50 percent effective to be approved. (38) Dr. Larry Brilliant, an epidemiologist who used to work for the World Health Organization and is said to have helped eradicate the smallpox virus, believes that COVID-19 will continue to be a problem for years to come. "We will still be chasing the virus four years from now. But it won't be like (today.) It will be like the smallpox eradication program. The polio eradication program. Having yellow fever in some countries and not others," Dr. Brilliant opined. According to USA Today, Dr. Brilliant also believes that travelers will be required to carry a proof of immunization card when traveling. (39)

There are genuine safety concerns about any potential vaccine. In recent weeks it was announced that drugmaker AstralZeneca was forced to pause its clinical trials of a vaccine after some of their test subjects developed a "potentially unexplained illness." (40) Strangely, a group of more than 2,700 prominent evangelical leaders published a letter in August that urges all Christians to take the vaccine. "Get vaccinated against COVID-19 when a safe and effective vaccine is available and as directed by a physician. A large fraction of the population needs to be vaccinated to develop the 'herd immunity' which protects the immuno-compromised and others who cannot be vaccinated. Vaccination is a provision from God that will prevent disease not only for ourselves but for the most vulnerable among us," the letter declares. (41)

A Contentious Election Ahead

As I finalize yet another issue of the Last Trumpet, we are only about four weeks away from the presidential election of November 3, 2020. There are signs all around that this election could be fraught with danger for this country as two sides battle to the bitter end for control of our nation's government. Simply put, the United States government, especially the Congress, has been extraordinarily dysfunctional for years. Throughout the entirety of Trump's presidency so far, they have been able to accomplish very little. The divide between the two sides has only grown sharper in recent months. As the Senate now endeavors to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court to replace the now deceased Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before Election Day, the acrimony has never been more pronounced than it is right now. Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska was quoted as saying, "Both sides have to acknowledge that perhaps we haven't acted with our best manners." (42) Democrat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is furious at the proposition of the Republicans replacing Ginsburg with a pro-life judge on the Supreme Court, did not mince words. "This is how our vaunted traditions of bipartisanship and compromise - on life support before now - end." (43) With each side trading threats to sabotage the other, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, offered a short assessment of the situation, saying, "We are in a place in the Senate that is frankly weird." (44)

As the election grows near, media outlets and Democrats have expressed fear that Trump will be unwilling to vacate the White House if he loses in November. Others fear that if Trump wins, there could be more riots in the streets. Historian Vincent J. Intondi was quoted as saying, "This is one of the few times in my life, as a historian, that I can say: I don't know what's going to happen by looking back at history." (45) A smattering of news stories have surfaced in recent weeks wondering if we could be headed for a second American Civil War. God only knows, but I pray that this country will be able to avoid such an internal conflict.

Perhaps one of the greatest peculiarities of this upcoming election is that many liberals and Democrats do not really want Joe Biden as President of the United States. Their main reason for voting for him is because he is not Donald Trump. I believe the Democratic Party selected Biden because they knew that older Democrats from the Baby Boomer generation would never vote for a Socialist such as Bernie Sanders, or a homosexual such as Pete Buttigieg. Thus, Biden seemed to be the candidate with the best chance of beating Trump. Yet, a survey conducted in August found that about half of all Democrats polled do not believe that Joe Biden will finish his first term as President if he is elected. (46) If that were the case, Kamala Harris would become the President. The independent nonpartisan website known as GovTrack.us, after examining the political career of Harris, declared her to be the most liberal Senator in the United States in 2019. (47)

Regardless of what happens on election night, Jesus Christ is still on the throne and will always be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. No matter what happens, my faith, trust, and confidence is in God. For as it tells us in Psalm 118:8-9, "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes."

Thank you all for your kind support of this ministry. If you have any prayer requests, great or small, as always, you are invited to send them our way. We always give each request individual attention, and we know that God hears the cries of His people. Grace and peace be unto you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Samuel David Meyer

This newsletter is made possible by the kind donations of our supporters. If you would like to help us, you may send your contribution to our postal address or donate online at http://lasttrumpetnewsletter.org/donate. Acknowledgements

01. Last Trumpet Newsletter, April 2020, By Samuel David Meyer, http://lasttrumpetnewsletter.org.
02. Ibid.
03. CNBC, September 16, 2020, By Anjali Sundaram, http://cnbc.com.
04. The Week, September 9, 2020, By Tim O'Donnell, http://theweek.com.
05. The Wall Street Journal, September 26, 2020, By Kris Maher, http://wsj.com.
06. The Week, September 2, 2020, By Kathryn Krawczyk, http://theweek.com.
07. CNN, September 4, 2020, By Catherine E. Shoichet, http://cnn.com.
08. Ibid.
09. Wikipedia, CARES Act, http://wikipedia.org.
10. CNBC, September 21, 2020, By Lindsey Jacobson, http://cnbc.com.
11. Politico, October 22, 2017, By Andrew Glass, http://politico.com.
12. The Washington Times, September 21, 2020, By Stephen Dinan, http://washingtontimes.com.
13. Ibid.
14. Fortune Magazine, August 11, 2020, By Jeff John Roberts, http://fortune.com.
15. UPI, September 27, 2020, By Daniel Uria, http://upi.com.
16. The Weather Channel, September 21, 2020, By Chris Dolce, http://weather.com.
17. Ibid.
18. Live Science, September 21, 2020, By Mindy Weisberger, http://livescience.com.
19. The New York Times, September 24, 2020, By Blacki Migliozzi, Scott Reinhard, Nadja Popovich, Tim Wallace, and Allison McCann, http://nytimes.com.
20. Ibid.
21. Los Angeles Times, September 12, 2020, By Priya Krishnakumar and Swetha Kannan, http://latimes.com.
22. The Weather Channel, September 28, 2020, By Ron Brackett, http://weather.com.
23. Axios, September 16, 2020, By Jennifer A. Kingson, http://axios.com.
24. Ibid.
25. Yahoo News, August 13, 2020, By Alexander Nazaryan, http://news.yahoo.com.
26. Forbes Magazine, August 18, 2020, By Jack Kelly, http://forbes.com.
27. McClatchy News, August 20, 2020, By Kate Camaro, http://mcclatchydc.com.
28. USA Today, September 21, 2020, By Alia E. Dastagir, http://usatoday.com.
29. Newsweek, June 19, 2020, By Kashmira Gander, http://newsweek.com.
30. The Hill, August 7, 2020, By Marina Pitofsky, http://thehill.com.
31. AFP, August 18, 2020, By William West, http://afp.com.
32. AFP, August 19, 2020, By Joel Saget, http://afp.com.
33. Ibid.
34.The New York Times, September 26, 2020, By Sui-Lee Wee, http://nytimes.com.
35. CBS News, September 17, 2020, By Audrey McNamara, http://cbsnews.com.
36. Politico, September 21, 2020, By Quint Forgey, http://politico.com.
37. CBS News, September 17, 2020, By Audrey McNamara, http://cbsnews.com.
38. CNBC, August 8, 2020, By Berkeley Lovelace Jr. and Noah Higgins-Dunn, http://cnbc.com.
39. USA Today, August 3, 2020, By Ken Alltucker, http://usatoday.com.
40. Associated Press, September 8, 2020, By Lauran Neergard, http://apnews.com.
41. The Christian Post, August 20, 2020, By Leonardo Blair, http://christianpost.com.
42. The Hill, September 26, 2020, By Jordain Carney, http://thehill.com.
43. Ibid.
44. Ibid.
45. The Washington Post, September 28, 2020, By Dan Zak, http://washingtonpost.com.
46. The Washington Examiner, August 10, 2020, By Paul Bedard, http://washingtonexaminer.com.
47. The Article, August 19, 2020, By Michael Taube, http://thearticle.com.

To learn more about the history of our ministry and our founder, Pastor David J. Meyer, please visit http://pastormeyer.org. If you would like to submit a prayer request, you may send email to prayer@ltmmail.org or mail it to our postal address.

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