Volume 39     Issue Eleven      November 2020
Last Trumpet Ministries, PO Box 806, Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Phone: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org

Uncertainty In A Stricken World

"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. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords."

"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever."

"Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? And the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them. Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? Ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any."

The United States of America and the entire world face an extraordinary amount of uncertainty in the weeks and months that lie ahead. This present year of 2020 has already been unlike any other period of time in recent memory, even as we see dramatic changes sweeping the globe. In this issue of the Last Trumpet, we will explore pressing issues relevant to the time in which we live.

The American people will endure a combative election in just a few short days from the time I now write this newsletter on October 29, 2020. By the time this newsletter reaches your mailbox, Election Day will likely have passed, and we might know who has been selected as the 46th President of the United States. However, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike are very worried that it might take longer to determine who has been declared the winner. According to Pew Research, a poll involving 11,929 American adults found that 76 percent of those who support Democrat Joe Biden for President believe that the election results will be known on Election Day even after the votes are counted. For supporters of the incumbent candidate, Donald Trump, only 55 percent of respondents said they believe there will be a clear winner after all the votes are counted. (1) Another poll, this one conducted by YouGov, found that 47 percent of respondents do not believe that the 2020 election "is likely to be fair and honest." (2) One thing is certain, regardless of who is proclaimed to be the winner, there will be a large segment of the American population deeply dissatisfied with the result.

The palpable anxiety regarding the election is further stoked by reports from the mainstream news media. For example, a story published by USA Today proclaims in its headline, "The country's lost its mind: Polls warning of civil war, violence shows deep partisan chasm over election." (3) The article cites a poll that found that 4 out of 10 respondents "strongly agree" that the United States is "on the verge of a civil war." The results of the study prompted Rich Thau, who is president of the research firm known as Engagious, to opine, "This is the single most frightening poll result I've ever been associated with." He later went on to say, "People are girding themselves for something awful to happen." (4) As we look at other reports, we can get a fuller picture of the rift in this country today. An article by the Associated Press published on October 16, 2020, claims that 85 percent of registered voters say the American people are "greatly divided" while only 15 percent of respondents who were queried say that "democracy is working extremely or very well." (5) In reference to the upcoming election, Politico published a piece on October 9, 2020, that states, "Americans increasingly believe violence is justified if the other side wins." (6)

With the American people on edge due to the coronavirus pandemic, civil unrest in large cities, and the looming election, firearm sales have been surging. Background checks performed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on citizens looking to purchase guns increased by 41 percent throughout the first nine months of 2020 compared to the same period last year. It is estimated that 40 percent of all firearm purchases were to customers who had previously never owned a gun. (7) Ammunition for these weapons is in extremely short supply. "We used to get it by the pallet, and now we get a couple boxes here and there," said one gun shop owner. "Everybody's buying it, and the suppliers can't keep up with production," he complained. (8) Sales to civilians of protective gear and military-style equipment have also skyrocketed in recent days. "It doesn't matter who gets elected. They think that no matter who wins, Biden or Trump, there are going to be people who are upset about the result," said a shop owner in Austin, Texas. (9) While the stereotype for gun owners in the United States is that conservatives usually own guns, a Politico report dated October 25, 2020, indicates that many of the folks who are purchasing firearms are actually left-leaning liberals. "They're afraid. They're buying guns. But they're not voting for Trump," the headline informs. (10)

Business owners in some of the country's large cities, including Chicago, Illinois; Miami, Florida; Portland, Oregon; and the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., are incredibly nervous about the potential for unrest on and around election day. Many establishments have already suffered considerable setbacks this year from the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns and the violent riots which brought destructive fires and looting. "Some of these very small businesses, especially those that have been hurt by the pandemic and were involved in the prior looting, might not have the money to take precautions that are necessary. Businesses are struggling right now, and every hit that they take, whether through the pandemic or through looting, puts them in an even worse situation," lamented Elliot Richardson, president of the Small Business Advisory Council in Chicago. (11)

Government agencies around the nation are taking steps to curtail any election-related turmoil. In the state of Texas, it has been announced that 1,000 national guard troops will be deployed on Election Day to lend support to local law enforcement. (12) Additionally, National Guard troops in the state of Washington are undergoing additional training to deal with civil unrest. (13) In the states of Alabama and Arizona, three hundred National Guard troops will be on alert and ready to deploy within twenty-four hours if necessary. (14)

I certainly hope the United States will manage to remain unmarred by election chaos in the coming weeks. However, even if the proceedings go smoothly on November 3, 2020, there is still a great danger of unrest for other reasons. Consider what recently happened in the state of Michigan. On October 8, 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or FBI, arrested thirteen men who had devised plans to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The elaborate scheme called for the usage of explosives to divert police forces and leave the governor vulnerable. The group then planned to move her to the state of Wisconsin where they would put her on trial. (15) Early news reports immediately attempted to link these men to Donald Trump, but recent revelations show that they are, in fact, anarchists. When the FBI investigated the Facebook page of one of the conspirators, they found that while he hates Governor Whitmer, he also hates President Trump and even went as far as to threaten the President's life. (16) With so much anger boiling over in the United States, it would be naïve to think this group is the only one with such inclinations.

The month of October also saw further racial discord. On the afternoon of October 26, 2020, police officers in Philadelphia fatally shot a 27-year-old black man by the name of Walter Wallace. The man was reportedly wielding a knife and was told by police officers several times to drop the weapon, but he refused to comply. Instead, the man followed the officers while brandishing the weapon. As such, it is quite easy to determine that the officers were justified in their actions; however, a riot broke out anyway. The rioting was so intense that at least thirty police officers were injured on the first night. (17) As was the case in other riots, the angry mob looted, pillaged, and destroyed property. The frenzy became so bad on the night of October 27 that eleven people were shot even as looters shot and robbed other looters! (18)

Even as violence continues to flare on the streets of American cities, liberal mayors and city officials are hard at work trying to defund the police. This development has had a catastrophic impact on New York City where shootings have increased by an astonishing 127 percent. New York City councilman Robert Holden, who is a Democrat, is not pleased. "Defunding the police is perhaps the worst idea in NYC government history," he said. He further went on to say, "We have had well over 1,000 shootings this year. The deadly combination of closing Rikers, getting rid of cash bail, defunding the police and putting them under the fear of going to jail if they need to apprehend a violent suspect are all part of a pro-crime atmosphere that emboldens violent criminals." (19) While it is disheartening to see our country unraveling in such a dramatic fashion, it is not surprising to those who study God's Word. As was the case in the days of Noah, violence has filled the earth, and this is one of the hallmarks of the end times.

The Freedom Of Speech Abridged

The people of the United States have long been accustomed to the notion that they have certain inalienable rights. These rights are guaranteed by a document known as the Constitution of the United States. The first ten amendments of this remarkable document have come to be known as The Bill of Rights. The first amendment, which is perhaps the most crucial and essential of them all, states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." (20)

When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in March 2020 and states around the country enacted onerous restrictions, it was painfully clear that the Constitution was no longer in full force. In fact, many churches were forced to shut down or drastically limit the number of people allowed in attendance at services, which in effect infringed on the rights of the American people to assemble peaceably. Now we see another portion of the First Amendment is under attack: the freedom of speech.

Recent weeks have brought censorship of Orwellian proportions - the likes of which have never been seen before - forced upon the American people. Most of this is being done by social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. While these are private companies who legally have the right to allow or disallow whatever content they choose as long as it does not violate any laws, it would generally be expected that these organizations would want to model their policies after the Constitution. This is most assuredly not the case.

On October 14, 2020, The Guardian reported that YouTube had banned all videos that they believe promote "misinformation about COVID-19 vaccinations." "A COVID-19 vaccine may be imminent; therefore, we're ensuring we have the right policies in place to be able to remove misinformation related to a COVID-19 vaccine from the platform. Any content that includes claims about COVID-19 vaccinations that contradicts expert consensus from local health authorities or the World Health Organization (WHO) will be removed from YouTube," a spokesperson for the company said. "To date, we have removed over 200,000 videos related to dangerous or misleading COVID-19 information since early February," the statement continued. This announcement came just days after Facebook enacted a similar policy. (21) To make matters worse, YouTube then announced that it was banning all content that contains conspiracy theories "against an individual or group." (22) I fully understand that many conspiracy theories are false. However, these policies set a dangerous precedent. We, the people, should have the right to watch or not watch such content and decide for ourselves on its validity. In the future, these companies, and perhaps even the government, may simply label content they do not like as "misinformation" or a "conspiracy theory," even if it is the truth. Here let it be noted that a government committee known as the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence convened on October 15, 2020, for the sole purpose of discussing how to stop the dissemination of misinformation and conspiracy theories online. (23) Are the days of free speech numbered?

It has also become evident that media outlets and social media companies are intentionally suppressing information that could be damaging to the campaign of Presidential candidate Joe Biden. When the New York Post published a story alleging that Joe Biden's son Hunter had unsavory dealings with a company in Ukraine, both Facebook and Twitter blocked the information from being shared on their platforms. (24) I cannot say with absolute certainty whether the story is true or not, but the fact that it was so quickly suppressed is a cause for great alarm. Furthermore, the famous journalist known as Glenn Greenwald, who is best known for his work on the story of whistleblower Edward Snowden, has now resigned from his position at The Intercept after the publication refused to publish a piece that is critical of Biden. This censorship happened even though Greenwald, who is not a conservative, co-founded the company for which he was writing. "The Intercept's editors, in violation of my contractual right of editorial freedom, censored an article I wrote this week, refusing to publish it unless I remove all sections critical of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, the candidate vehemently supported by all New York-based Intercept editors involved in this effort at suppression," Greenwald wrote. (25) We have seen time and time again that the news we are given on the Internet, in newspapers, and on television is highly manipulated. This story is another example of this widespread problem. Furthermore, the censorship we are experiencing at this present time does not bode well for the future of this country and the constitutional rights we have previously enjoyed.

The Coronavirus Nightmare Continues

Coronavirus - will it ever go away? As we enter the month of November, there are no indicators that Coronavirus Disease, or COVID, will go away any time soon. The world has grappled with this disease since March of this year, and by now, the masses are weary of dealing with it. Yet, the news declares that more cases are being diagnosed than ever before, and the hospitals are starting to fill up again. My home state of Wisconsin is presently one of the worst hotspots in the United States where a record number of COVID-19 deaths, hospitalizations, and cases were reported on October 27, 2020. (26) I personally know numerous people who have fought or are fighting this disease, including one of my sisters, a nephew, an aunt, and a cousin. On a national level, more than nine million infections and more than 229,000 deaths have been reported. "Today, we now have one person being diagnosed (with) coronavirus every second. We have one American dying of coronavirus every two minutes, and the number is increasing," lamented former Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen. (27)

Although it was generally believed that Europe had done a better job of containing the coronavirus than the United States, the virus is surging there, too. Numerous countries are once again enacting strict lockdowns for its citizens. In Belgium, a nationwide lockdown goes into effect on November 1, 2020, and will last at least until December 13 of this year. The lockdown stipulates that most non-essential businesses are to close, while indoor gatherings are no longer permitted, and outdoor gatherings can have no more than four people. (28) Similarly, French President Emmanuel Macron has declared a national lockdown in France until December 1, 2020. "The virus is circulating at a speed that not even the most pessimistic forecasts had anticipated. Like all our neighbors, we are submerged by the sudden acceleration," President Macron said. (29) New restrictions have also been enacted in Germany where Chancellor Angela Merkel told her citizens, "We must act, and now, to avoid an acute national health emergency. If we wait until the ICUs (intensive care units) are full, then it will be too late." (30) Additionally, a strict lockdown has been announced in the United Kingdom. Cases have dramatically spiked in Russia too, and although there is no lockdown there at this time, a nationwide face mask mandate has been declared by President Vladimir Putin's administration. (31)

Considering what is happening in Europe, it would not be surprising if there were more lockdowns in the United States. In any case, new restrictions are likely coming to America. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the man who is considered the nation's top infectious disease expert, has now said that a nationwide mask mandate might be appropriate. "Well, if people are not wearing masks, then maybe we should be mandating it," Fauci said. (32) While President Trump has been displeased with Dr. Fauci in recent weeks and is unlikely to implement a national mask mandate, there is a high probability that Joe Biden would, especially since he is well known for saying he would listen to the experts.

The coronavirus pandemic has already changed the United States in significant ways, and some of these changes could be permanent. Furthermore, as the American people continue to struggle with poverty, hunger, and mental disorders due to the pandemic, researchers in the state of Maryland have found that a growing number of citizens have expressed support for more government involvement in their lives. (33) In other words, they are looking to the government to take care of them and supply their needs. This trend could lead to a growing dependency on government handouts and, eventually, the forming of a socialist-style of government.

As I have mentioned in previous issues of this newsletter, the pandemic has caused a significant amount of Americans to reject the usage of physical cash for fear that the virus could contaminate paper bills and coins. An article from Bloomberg News published on October 11, 2020, is likely to stoke further such concerns since the piece claims that coronavirus can remain on paper currency "for weeks." (34) Meanwhile, Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell admitted in a recent interview that the Federal Reserve is researching the possibility of issuing "cross-border digital currency" or a digital dollar. (35) Should this occur, I suspect the digital dollar would eventually replace all physical currency in the United States. Thus we see how a tenacious virus that originated in China could subsequently transform this country even more than it already has.

While much of the world continues to struggle against the coronavirus, China appears to be faring much better. According to the International Monetary Fund, nearly every developed nation in the world will experience negative economic growth in 2020. The only major economy in the world that is expected to grow this year is China's, which is projected to expand by 1.9 percent. (36) Perhaps this is why China did not seem to try very hard to prevent the virus from escaping its borders and reaching other countries.

In closing, there truly is much uncertainty in the world right now, and I know many people are wondering what will happen next. I also realize that some people are deeply afraid of what might happen to the United States if Joe Biden becomes President. Others are terrified of what Trump could do if he remains the President for four more years. Interestingly, a couple of prominent ministers have claimed God revealed that Donald Trump would win the election despite the fact that the polls seem to indicate otherwise. Denise Goulet, who is a minister at the International Church of Las Vegas, reportedly told Trump, "At 4:30, the Lord said to me, I am going to give your president a second win. The Lord said, he is ready for the next four years." (37) In a similar fashion, famed televangelist Pat Robertson was quoted as saying, "First of all, I want to say without question, Trump is going to win the election." He then predicted that an asteroid would hit the earth in "five or more years" and then "maybe the end" will come. His predictions should perhaps be taken with a grain of salt, however. He had previously said the world would end in 1982, and he later predicted that the end of time would occur on April 29, 2007. (38) Needless to say, if the predictions of these ministers prove untrue, they will need to repent. We shall see.

Regardless of who is installed as the 46th President of the United States, Jesus Christ is still King. I Timothy 6:12-15 instructs us, "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. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords." Furthermore, we are informed in Daniel 2:44, "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." This Scripture describes the Kingdom established by our Lord and Saviour, and that Kingdom will always remain. Our God is bigger than every political system in the world. Our God is bigger than every virus, too. I urge every reader of this newsletter to draw near to God. If you have not repented of your sins and dedicated your life to Him, I encourage you to do so now.

Thank you all for your kind support of this ministry. It is an honor to serve you all, and I pray that God strengthens you mightily. If you have any prayer requests, as always, we are here to bring your petitions before the throne of Almighty God. We know that He hears our prayers, and it truly is more critical than ever for God's people to watch and pray. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Samuel David Meyer

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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.