Volume XXXI           Issue VIII           August  2012
Last Trumpet Ministries, PO Box 806, Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Fax: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org

America - A Nation Abounding With Iniquity!

"And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."

"Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads. Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass. And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass. O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee."

In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we will once again study the current events of our day and the repercussions which mankind is now facing for his transgressions. As I conducted my research in preparation for this newsletter, I was amazed at the severity of the calamity now facing much of the people in the United States. One of the foremost dangers the American people are now facing is the widespread drought which has plagued a vast portion of the country. We know from studying the Holy Scriptures that God sometimes uses drought as a warning to the people who have turned their backs on Him and no longer regard Him as they go about their day-to-day lives. In fact, it us tells in I Kings chapters, 17 and 18, that God withheld rain from the kingdom of Israel for three years because of their wicked ways. The United States is now in a situation which parallels closely, as much of the country is in its second straight year of pervasive drought.

According to a new map released by the U.S. Drought Monitor on July 19, 2012, nearly every state in the Union has conditions ranging from "abnormally dry" to "exceptional drought." (1) Many regions have also suffered from uncharacteristic heat waves. In fact, a report published by the Weather Channel declared that 4,500 record high temperatures were recorded over a two-week period from late June 2012 into early July 2012. (2) The hot and dry weather has caused significant damage to many of the crops grown in the United States. A report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicates that thirty-eight percent of the nation's corn crops are in "poor to very poor" condition with thirty percent of all soybeans suffering from the same fate. (3) In response to the drought conditions, one thousand counties in twenty-six states have now been declared to be federal disaster areas. According to a report by the Associated Press, it is the largest natural disaster area ever recorded in the United States. (4) The states included in the declaration are California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Delaware, and Hawaii. (5) Unfortunately, the drought is likely to get even worse in some regions of the country, particularly in the Midwest. "There are no sustainable soaking rains in sight. There is some slight relief, but no huge reversal in the drought," stated John Dee, a meteorologist at Global Weather Monitoring. (6) The widespread drought has become particularly worrisome to the United States Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack. "I get on my knees every day, and I'm saying an extra prayer now. If I had a rain prayer, or rain dance I could do, I would do it," Vilsack lamented. (7)

As a consequence to the persistent and widespread drought in the United States, it is likely that the American people will see the cost of food continue to rise over the next several months. Corn for September delivery is now trading at $8.07 per bushel, and soybeans are trading at $17.33 per bushel as of this writing. The current prices for each crop are both all-time high records. (8) According to analysts, the drought conditions have caught many people off-guard. "Production potential looked great and it kind of lulled these end-users into a false sense of security. At that point we were seriously looking at (corn) prices under $5 (per bushel) if weather conditions remained ideal, but now we've rallied sharply higher and never looked back," declared Shawn McCambridge, an analyst for the investment firm known as Jefferies Bache. McCambridge further went on to say, "This to me is a time bomb. I am routinely one of the more bearish people but it wouldn't surprise me if corn traded at $10." (9)

Sadly, the hot and dry environment in many states has presented the ideal climate for wildfires. In fact, several states in the United States have also experienced an outbreak of wildfires, which have caused tremendous amounts of damage, in recent weeks. An article from the Salt Lake Tribune reported that conditions are so dry in the state of Utah that a single spark from ammunition or fireworks is enough to start a fire. "It is as bad as it can possibly be. You can't get any worse than this," said Randy Julander of the Natural Resources Conservation Service. (10) As of July 15, 2012, 394,614 acres in Utah have been burned by wildfires. The expenses incurred to fight nearly thirty of those fires have now exceeded 47 million dollars. (11) The state of Colorado has also suffered from massive wildfires, which have destroyed an estimated six hundred homes and have caused 449.7 million dollars in damage. (12)

When I consider the hot and dry weather which has plagued the United States and wreaked havoc on the nation's food supply, I can't help but think of the Scriptures found in Amos 4:7-8, which read as follows: "And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." Thankfully, we serve a merciful God who is able to sustain us even through the harshest circumstances. If you seek God with your whole heart, He will preserve you in times of drought or famine. Through faith we can hold fast to the promise of God in Hebrews 13:5, which declares, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." If you have not yet fully given your heart to God, I encourage you to do so now.

The End Of Privacy Is Coming Soon!

From the time just prior to the fall of Satan, and even until this time, we know that our adversary the devil has wanted to be like God. In Isaiah 14:12-14 we read, "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." Of course, we understand that only God can see everything that is happening and know every thought and intent of man. Satan does not have such abilities, and instead he has inspired men to develop new technology which he hopes will enable him to truly enslave mankind. He wants the ability to watch you constantly and control not only your actions, but also your mind. We are now seeing technology in development which is so insidious and invasive that I am convinced the source of inspiration for those behind it is straight from the pits of hell.

A recent story published by the technology news website known as Gizmodo matter-of-factly informed its readers that "the end of privacy is coming soon." The story presents the details regarding a new technology being developed by a company known as In-Q-Tel at the behest of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The device is a "molecular-level scanner," which the inventors claim can instantly scan human beings from a distance of 164 feet away and is able to "penetrate clothing and many other organic materials and offers spectroscopic information, especially for materials that impact safety such as explosives and pharmacological substances." The scanner will not only be able to detect explosive substances or drugs, but it will also be able to detect such things as the adrenaline levels of those under surveillance as well as the food they are metabolizing in their bodies. The technology is expected to be available in one to two years and may soon be present at an airport near you. (13)

The Department of Homeland Security has also commissioned a company, known as BRS Labs, to develop and implement an elaborate surveillance system that can track up to 150 people at once. The system is designed to detect suspicious behavior, and if a person under surveillance is behaving in what is perceived to be an abnormal manner, the system automatically sends camera footage to law enforcement personnel along with a text message with more details regarding the situation. This surveillance system is unique, because it reportedly has the ability to learn, and it will be able to refine its parameters for normal and suspicious behavior over time. The new surveillance system has already been installed at such locations as tourist attractions, government buildings, and military bases. The company behind the technology is now installing its equipment on the mass-transit system of San Francisco, California, and it will soon be present on buses, trams, and rapid transit. (14)

According to Popular Science Magazine, another technology now being developed will have the ability to detect fingerprints and scan the iris of a human eye from a distance of twenty feet away. The company behind the technology, which is known as IDair, is hoping their system will someday be used to facilitate the use of biometric data to purchase goods and services instead of using cash or a credit card. (15) In other words, the technology would allow transactions to take place simply by reading a user's fingerprint or scanning the iris of an eye and thus give the user of this technology the capability to buy or sell using his right hand or his forehead.

We are living in a time period where technology continues to advance at a pace never before seen in the history of the world. One of the most prominent companies on the forefront of technological innovation is Google. On July 16, 2012, a rather ominous report was published by CNET entitled "How Google is Becoming an Extension of Your Mind." The article refers to Google as an "an omnipresent digital assistant that figures out what you need and supplies it before you even realize you need it." It has now come to light that Google has developed a pair of glasses which contain an embedded computer, capable of not only broadcasting information from the Internet directly to your eyes, but also have the ability to record everything you hear and everything you see with its built-in camera. Google is hoping this technology will someday be as ubiquitous as mobile phones are today. (16)

The Devastating Impact Of Obama's 'Change'!

Since Barack Obama began occupying the White House in 2009, he has worked hard to transform the United States of America into a nation which conforms to his collectivist ideology. One of his most significant accomplishments in reaching that goal was the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which is commonly known as "Obamacare." This new health care system will require every American to purchase health insurance, and if they refuse to do so, they will be penalized with a tax by the Internal Revenue Service. For the first time in the history of our young nation, the federal government can now force the American people to buy something just because the government believes it to be necessary. This mandate is a decisive blow against personal liberty, and it represents another great loss of freedom in the United States.

Barack Obama's health care reform faced numerous legal challenges by opponents who believe the new laws are unconstitutional. This legal battle was taken all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States. On June 28, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is constitutional because the penalty for refusal to purchase health insurance qualifies as a tax, and the United States Congress has the power to enact taxes against the people. (17) When we consider that defining the insurance mandate penalty as a tax was the only way in which the Supreme Court could justify allowing the health care reform, it is interesting to note that Barack Obama formerly made the emphatic claim that the penalty was not a tax. In an interview with George Stephanopoulos, which took place in 2009 on ABC News, Obama declared, "For us to say you've got to take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase." (18) In reality, Obama's health care plan includes twenty new or higher taxes, totaling over 500 billion dollars, which are all set to be fully enacted by the year 2018. (19) Once again, reality stands in stark contrast to the campaign promises of Obama, who once declared, "I can make a firm pledge. Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes." (20)

Here let it be noted that Obama once stood in staunch opposition to a personal health insurance mandate. On February 26, 2008, Obama made the following statement during a debate with Hillary Clinton, "On the point of many adults, we don't want to put in a situation in which on the front end we are mandating them, we are forcing them to purchase insurance, and if the subsidies are inadequate the burden is on them and they will be penalized." (21) He also derided the concept of a health insurance mandate at other times while campaigning, including the statement, "If a mandate was the solution, we could try to solve homelessness by mandating that everybody buy a house." (22)

It often amazes me how the words of Barack Obama from the past now condemn Barack Obama in the present. While campaigning for the office of President in 2008, he chided his predecessor for increasing the national debt by over four trillion dollars. "The problem is that the way Bush has done it in the last eight years is to take out a credit card from the Bank of China in the name of our children, driving up our national debt from $5 trillion from the first 42 presidents. Number 43 added $4 trillion by his lonesome. So we now have over $9 trillion of debt that we are going to have to pay back. $30,000 for every man, woman, and child. That's irresponsible. That's unpatriotic," Obama said. (23) The national debt now exceeds 15.8 trillion dollars. (24) It is unfortunate that Barack Obama does not hold himself to the same standards in which he holds others.

When Barack Obama ran for president, he promised the American people change. We are now seeing what that change is like. He has laid the groundwork to socialize healthcare, and he continues to expand welfare programs to levels never before seen in the United States. Although Obama, his campaign management, and the mainstream news media all forcefully deny that Obama is a socialist, his actions indicate otherwise. Furthermore, evidence indicates that Barack Obama does indeed have ties to socialism. For example, a flyer which announced a meeting to be held by The Democratic Socialists of America in 1996 prominently displayed Barack Obama's name on the roster of speakers. (25)

An Outbreak Of Demonic Activity!

We are living in a day and age when there is an immense amount of spiritual pressure. When this pressure from the spiritual realm spills over into the physical realm, it causes people to commit unthinkable acts. In Revelation 12:12 we find this warning, "…woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." I believe that many of the events which have transpired over the last several months are the result of a demonic frenzy, which is only intensifying as we draw closer to the end of time.

The city of Chicago, Illinois, is now home to 100,000 gang members, which have gone absolutely berserk as they are driven by demonic influence to inflict unconscionable levels of violence. At least 275 people have been killed in 2012 by gangs, and many of the victims were just bystanders who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Instead of a bullet with somebody's name on it, we have a bullet that reads 'to whom it may concern'" said Sergeant Matt Little of Chicago's Gang Enforcement Unit. The victims are sometimes young children or even toddlers. Sergeant Little has likened the gang violence to "tribal warfare." (26)

Demonic spirits often like to incite mobs to action as was recently the case in Jacksonville, Florida. On a fateful night in July 2012, an angry mob of 300 teenagers descended upon a Walmart store where they proceeded to destroy merchandise by recklessly throwing the items around the store in a chaotic manner. Merchandise was also stolen from the store. According to reports, many of the teens involved in the mob attack actually filmed the carnage and posted it on the popular video sharing website known as YouTube. (27)

In May 2012 it was reported that a shocking and savage attack took place in Miami, Florida. A man was so overtaken by evil spirits that he attacked another man and began biting and chewing the flesh from his victim's face. The attacker continued his gruesome assault even after being shot by a police officer, which forced the officer to fire his weapon several more times until the attacker was killed. After the attack, the victim was missing 75 percent of his face. (28) Sadly, there have been other cannibalistic attacks in recent weeks. However, the details of those incidents are too gruesome to report in this newsletter.

Another horrific event occurred in Aurora, Colorado, on Friday July 20, 2012. A deranged gunman, also driven by devils, entered a movie theatre which was showing a midnight premiere of the new Batman movie known as "The Dark Knight Rises." The gunman, who was wearing tactical gear and attire modeled after a villain from the Batman franchise known as the Joker, carried in numerous weapons, and after releasing tear gas in the theatre, he began indiscriminately shooting movie goers. In total, twelve people are confirmed to be dead, and fifty-nine more were injured. (29) Eyewitness accounts describe the actions of a man who was clearly under the influence of demonic spirits. "He was just literally massacring anybody that got up that was trying to get away," said one eyewitness. (30)

Yes, Satan is angry, and he has inspired his children to carry out horrific acts of violence in these last days. When we consider these recent events, it becomes abundantly clear that we are living in truly perilous times. Thankfully, the day is coming when our Saviour will return, and our adversary, the devil, will be completely destroyed by God.

A Potentially Enormous Shock!

In recent weeks the mainstream news media has released a steady flow of reports which indicate the American economy is now facing a barrage of threats. Numerous cities around the country have been forced to file for bankruptcy, and poverty has continued to rise steadily. In fact, a recent report from the Associated Press indicates that poverty is now expected to increase to levels not seen since the 1960s. (31)

Remarkably enough, one out of every seven Americans are now receiving food stamps, and the United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, is on a mission to increase participation in their program as much as possible. A new campaign has begun in which Americans are urged to swallow their pride and sign up to receive benefits from their "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program" or SNAP. A recently published document from the USDA makes the following statement, "SNAP is an investment in our future. It offers nutritional benefits to participating clients, supports work, and provides economic benefits to communities. However, too many low-income people who are eligible for the program do not participate and thus forgo nutrition assistance that could stretch their food dollars at the grocery store. Their communities lose out on the benefits provided by new SNAP dollars flowing into local economies." (32) In an effort to encourage more Americans to sign up for food stamps, the USDA has been running radio ads in the states of California, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, and New York. The ads have cost the American taxpayers between 2.5 and 3 million dollars. (33) Jeff Sessions, a Republican Senator, has voiced his displeasure over the efforts of the USDA to expand its program. "I think it's a deep problem when SNAP officials think it is their duty to overcome 'mountain pride' or overcome the American sense of independence and individual responsibility. They seem to think that it is an anachronism and that modern Americans shouldn't have pride and independence. I think it is highly troubling actually," Sessions declared. (34)

Even as government agencies attempt to expand welfare programs such as SNAP, one can only wonder how the United States will be able to absorb the additional expense. According to a report issued by the National Center for Policy Analysis, the federal government of the United States is now facing unfunded liabilities amounting to a mind boggling 84 trillion dollars. The publication warns that if the issue is not addressed soon, the federal government may be forced to raise taxes on the American people by 30 percent. Regarding the potential tax increase, the report states, "The growth of the economy will slow as a result, making it more difficult to meet the federal government's obligations." (35)

The American people may be facing higher taxes as soon as January 2013 when tax cuts introduced by George W. Bush are set to expire. Economists and politicians have expressed worry that the expiration of the tax cuts, as well as automatic cuts to the federal budget totaling 1.2 trillion dollars, will result in the United States hitting a "fiscal cliff." "If we do nothing and barrel through this fiscal cliff at the end of the year, we are going to have about $7 trillion hit this country right in the gut," said Erskine Bowles, chairman of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. (36) Olivier Blanchard, chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, has also warned that if the United States government fails to address these issues, it could result in another painful recession. "We are talking about, potentially, an enormous shock. If it were to happen, it would be a major, major event," Blanchard stated. (37)

In closing, I want to encourage all of you who have read this newsletter to put your hope and your trust in God. It is easy to become discouraged when we read about what is happening in our world, but Jesus admonished us in Matthew 24:12-13, "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." This world has become a hostile place where many evil people do many evil things. Yet, we must hold fast to that precious love which God has instilled in each of us. It is my hope and prayer that all of you will strive to endure until that wonderful moment when you enter eternity and hear our Saviour say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." As usual, we welcome you to send us any prayer requests you may have, whether they be small or great. We take prayer seriously and always give each request individual attention. Grace and peace be unto you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.