Volume 40 Issue Nine September 2021

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

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

“For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” I Cor. 14:8

A Broken World

“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”

Revelation 21:3-5

Each and every day the news reports we see and hear barrage the masses with bad news. In California, videos and pictures of wildfires evoke apocalyptic imagery. Reports from the United Nations promulgate dire predictions about climate change. Gut-wrenching reports from a devastating flood in Tennessee prompts feelings of deep sorrow. All across the western United States, the ground is dried and cracking as a historic drought refuses to relinquish its stranglehold on a huge portion of our country. The coronavirus pandemic drags on and on with no end in sight, causing people to grow restless and hostile. A poorly executed withdrawal of the United States military forces from Afghanistan presents us with heartbreaking scenes as throngs of people desperately try to escape the brutality of the Taliban even as Isis launched a gruesome terrorist attack at the airport in the Afghan city of Kabul. An earthquake pummeled Haiti, leaving death and destruction in its wake. Hurricane Henri brought heavy winds and rainfall to the New England portion of the United States, and Hurricane Ida slammed into the state of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.

These are the events of just the past month of August 2021. So much is happening, and we have come to expect one tragic event after another in this modern world. Consequently, this prevailing trend is having a profound impact on the hearts and minds of the people. On August 22, 2021, The Atlantic published a piece with the headline, “All these simultaneous disasters are messing with our brains.” The article cites a researcher from Palo Alto University by the name of Joe Ruzek. According to Ruzek, people have begun to lose their ability to cope with a constant string of disasters. “There is a sense in which people’s coping reserves are sort of finite entities. So if you have to cope a whole lot, you can kind of diminish your resources.” (1) For some, the current events of our day are a cause for despair, while others have become increasingly desensitized. People “are just burned out. They’ve had enough atrocity and stress for the time being, and they just don’t want to hear any more of that,” said psychologist Steven Taylor of the University of British Columbia in Canada. “My concern is that many people are just tuning this stuff out,” he said. (2) Thus, we see an increasing number of people are losing their ability to empathize and care for others. Remarkably, this trend corresponds with Bible prophecy. In II Timothy, chapter 3, the Apostle Paul describes the “perilous times” of the “last days.” One of the characteristics of the people during this period of time is that they would be “without natural affection.” (II Timothy 3:3) Furthermore, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ warned of the events that would precede his coming. In Matthew 24:12, Jesus declares, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” As iniquity continues to abound in our world, violence and hostility have become firmly entrenched in the United States of America.

The Fabric Of Society Fraying At The Seams

America has a violence problem. Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has tested the patience of the American people, a troubling trend has emerged. The uptick in crime was big news last year, and unfortunately, the problem only continues to intensify in 2021. A report from the Council on Criminal Justice published on July 29, 2021, found that homicides in the United States during the first six months of 2021 increased by 16 percent from the same period of time last year and increased a whopping 42 percent in comparison to the same time period in 2019. (3)

In recent years, Chicago, Illinois, has gained a reputation as one of the most violent cities in the United States. Unfortunately, recent events indicate that this reputation is not undeserved. The NBC affiliate in Chicago reported on August 1, 2021, that 614 people were shot in just the month of July 2021, and 105 people were murdered. At the time of the article’s publication, 2,471 people had been shot within the city of Chicago in 2021. (4) It has become a common occurrence for many shootings to occur in Chicago on weekends. Such was the case on the weekend of August 21, 2021, when seven people were killed and an additional thirty-nine were wounded by gunfire. (5) Just one week prior, the weekend of July 14, fifty-six people were shot and eight were killed. (6)

Meanwhile, violent crime in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has increased so much that activist Stanley Crawford has called on the mayor of the city to call up the National Guard to restore order. “Bring them in and use them strategically. They have the data and the statistics to know where the violence is occurring. Put the National Guard there. It doesn’t have to be for a long period of time. Just until you stabilize the murders and shootings,” said Crawford, who is the co-founder of the Families of Unsolved Murder Victims Project. (7) As of August 18, 2021, 339 people have been murdered in Philadelphia this year, a 25 percent increase over the same time period last year. (8)

In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in May 2020, many protestors called on municipal governments around the country to “defund the police.” Some cities unwisely heeded this call and took steps to redirect funds away from police departments and toward social services. However, in light of the surging violence in large cities, some liberal municipal governments have reversed this course and are now allocating more money to fund police departments. In response to multiple deadly shootings in Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser asked the city council for 11 million dollars to hire 170 police officers in July 2021. She was granted funding to hire 40 officers. As for New York City, the local government decreased funding for its police department by almost one billion dollars last year. This year they reversed their decision and increased the police budget by 200 million dollars. The city of Oakland, California, had planned to slash its police budget by 150 million dollars, but due to a surge in crime, the budget was increased by 38 million dollars instead. (9)

As for Portland, Oregon, the city was besieged by rioters and Antifa insurgents for much of last year. A report dated June 19, 2020, indicates that the embroiled city was suffering its 22nd consecutive day of protests at the time. (10) We were told that the demonstrations happening there were to protest racial injustice and the killing of George Floyd, but Mayor Ted Wheeler disagreed with this notion. “It no longer feels like sincere mourning for the death of George Floyd and many other black men and women in this country. This behavior we’ve seen for the second night is blatant lawlessness and selfish violence,” Mayor Wheeler said in June 2020. Damage from looting and violence that took place in 2020 has reportedly cost the city of Portland millions of dollars. (11)

Amazingly enough, demonstrations in Portland have continued well into the current year. In just the past month of August 2021, hundreds of demonstrators from the far-left brawled in the streets with demonstrators from the far-right. (12) Predictably, the embattled city is having great difficulty recruiting new law enforcement officers. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, there were fourteen job openings for new police officers in May 2021. As of August 2, 2021, only four people had applied for the positions. According to those familiar with the situation, fewer people want to work for the police force in Portland because it has become such a hostile environment. “They’re demonizing and vilifying you, and then they want to put you in a unit where you’re under an even bigger microscope,” said Daryl Turner, head of the Portland Police Department union. (13) The Portland City Council voted to reduce funding to their police department last year. Not surprisingly, homicides are on pace to set a new all-time record for the city in 2021. (14)

As violence spreads and police departments around the country shrink in size, the American people are clearly on edge. What happens when people feel like they cannot count on their police departments to be there if they need them? Throughout the course of the coronavirus pandemic, which began in March 2020, gun sales have skyrocketed. An estimated twenty million guns were sold in the United States last year with eight million of them being purchased by first-time buyers. (15) As a consequence, it has become exceedingly difficult for gun owners to procure ammunition. There seem to be shortages everywhere. “Early on in the pandemic, we saw people hoarding toilet paper, disinfectant, and now it’s ammo,” said Ari Freilich from the Gifford Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. He was also quoted as saying, “Where there is an increased sense of instability, fear, and insecurity, more people will purchase guns.” (16) The fabric of society in the United States appears to be fraying at the seams.

They Thought They Would Be Free

It is amazing how much things can change in just a few months. Earlier this year, we were told that the United States was finally winning its fight against the disease commonly referred to as Covid-19. After all, three vaccines had been approved under an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, and people were told that if they would just get the vaccines, the pandemic would finally end. But it did not end. Instead, the Delta variant of the coronavirus is surging all over the world, including in the United States.

Anthony Fauci, who is President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor, claims that the surge in cases is because too many people have refused to receive the Covid-19 inoculations. “We’re looking not, I believe, to lockdown but we’re looking to some pain and suffering in the future because we’re seeing the cases go up, which is the reason why we keep saying over and over again: The solution is get vaccinated and this would not be happening.” (17)

Would Covid-19 really go away if everyone got vaccinated? Is the solution really that simple? Multiple reports have surfaced in recent days which indicate that the current Covid vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson now being distributed in the United States are not nearly as effective as people had hoped. Consider what is now happening in the State of Israel. When the Covid-19 vaccines became available in December 2020, Israel was one of the first countries to aggressively vaccinate as many of their citizens as they possibly could. Eighty percent of the country’s population aged twelve and older has been fully vaccinated against Covid. (18) Yet, despite the fact that the majority of Israeli citizens have received the vaccine, Covid-19 is surging there, too. “I don’t want to frighten you. But this is the data. Unfortunately, the numbers don’t lie,” said Israel’s coronavirus czar Dr. Salman Zarka as he addressed the Israeli parliament. (19) When asked why Covid cases are surging in Israel despite the high inoculation rate, Professor Galia Rahav of the Sheba Hospital was quoted as saying, “I think we’re dealing with a very nasty virus. This is the main problem -- and we’re learning the hard way,” she lamented. She further went on to say, “It is a combination of waning immunity, so that inoculated people get reinfected, and at the same time the very transmissible Delta variant. But it’s not an Israeli problem. It is everywhere.” (20)

Within the United States, a growing number of Americans who have been fully vaccinated against Covid are still contracting the disease. A report from Reuters News Service dated August 24, 2021, indicates that about 25 percent of all Covid infections within Los Angeles County, California, between the month of May 2021 through July 25, 2021, infected fully vaccinated people. (21) Furthermore, an article from Axios cites data that shows that the Pfizer vaccine was only 42 percent effective against coronavirus infection in the month of July 2021. This result prompted an unnamed Biden Administration official to say, “If that’s not a wakeup call, I don’t know what is.” (22) Not only do the vaccines appear to be less effective against the Delta variant, but researchers from the United Kingdom’s ZOE Ltd. found that purported protection against Covid wanes just six months after a recipient is fully vaccinated. Research at Oxford University produced even poorer results, finding that protection begins to fade after three months when a recipient is inoculated with the vaccines from Pfizer and AstraZeneca. (23) In an effort to combat the disappointing performance of the Covid vaccines, officials in the United States have outlined plans to begin distributing Covid-19 booster shots starting the week of September 20, 2021. (24)

When the Covid vaccines were first distributed in the United States, most recipients probably thought they would not have to worry about a Covid infection anymore. They thought they would be able to go out in public without masks. They thought they would be free. Yet, we find that not only does the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that vaccinated individuals continue wearing face coverings, but now they are being told that they need to receive a third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. What if the third dose is not enough? Will there be a fourth shot and a fifth shot? Interestingly enough, the Swedish publication known as Aftonbladet cited vaccine researcher Matti Sallberg who claims that people may ultimately need as many as five doses of the Covid vaccines. (25)

Even as health experts fret over the spread of the Delta variant, another variant is already spreading in South America. The variant, which originated in Peru, has been named Lambda, and researchers say the vaccines are even less effective against this variant than they are against Delta. (26) To make matters worse, the Jerusalem Post reported on August 29, 2021, that yet another variant has emerged in South Africa. It is known as C.1.2 and is said to be the “most mutated variant so far.” (27)

Meanwhile, the segregation of the American people between those who are vaccinated and unvaccinated has continued unabated over the course of the last month. Those who refuse the vaccines have received sharp criticism. For example, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy lashed out at vaccine refusers, saying, “These folks have lost their minds -- you’ve lost your minds. You are the ultimate knuckleheads. And because of what you are saying and standing for, people are losing their life,” Murphy angrily ranted. (28)

New mandates have been put in place that are forcing large groups of the American people to receive the Covid vaccinations. In New York City, the unvaccinated are now banned from many public places including restaurants. Upon announcement of the new restrictions, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was quoted as saying, “It’s time for people to see vaccinations as literally necessary to living a good, full, and healthy life. If you’re unvaccinated, unfortunately, you will not be able to participate in many things.” He further went on to say, “If you want to participate in our society fully, you’ve got to get vaccinated.” (29) It is likely that other cities around the country will follow New York’s lead and implement similar restrictions. Additionally, members of the United States military will be forced to receive the Covid shots by mid-September 2021. (30) All federal workers are also required to attest that they have been vaccinated against Covid or submit to frequent Covid testing. (31)

It seems almost certain that there will be more restrictions in the near future. How strict will they be? If some vaccine proponents get what they want, vaccine refusers could be treated similarly to terrorists. Here let it be noted that an article published by The Atlantic on August 3, 2021, urges the Biden Administration to ban all vaccine refusers from flying on airplanes. “... A no-fly list for unvaccinated adults is an obvious step that the federal government should take. It will help limit the risk of transmission at destinations where unvaccinated people travel -- and by setting norms that restrict certain privileges to vaccinated people, will also help raise the stagnant vaccination rates that are keeping both the economy and society from fully recovering,” the article declares. (32) Dr. Leana Wen has gone even farther, calling on the Biden Administration to require nearly all Americans to be vaccinated whether they want to or not. “Yes, everybody who is eligible should be required to get vaccinated if they want to engage with others in public spaces,” she said. The liberal doctor, who is a public health professor at George Washington University, further went on to say, “Vaccination cannot be perceived as an individual choice. Instead, we need to equate it much more so to drunk driving. You can drink in private -- that’s your choice -- but you can’t just decide to get behind the wheel because you feel like it and don’t think you’ll get hurt.” (33) Of course, drunk driving is a crime that often results in the forfeiture of one’s driver’s license, monetary fines, and imprisonment. Thus, if Dr. Wen had her way, those who are unvaccinated could face similar penalties.

While the new mandates being foisted upon the people may compel some Americans to give in, there will always be those who resist. This simple fact was highlighted in a piece published by The Washington Post on July 31, 2021, which declares in the headline, “Vaccine mandates will backfire. People will resist even more.” The article goes on to say, “Americans from all walks of life resist being told what to put into their bodies, and many will resent any politician or institution that makes them get vaccinated…” (34) It should be common sense that people do not like being bullied. One thing is certain, the controversy is far from over, and the days ahead are fraught with danger. A new society is emerging amid the coronavirus pandemic and freedom in the United States is on the verge of extinction.

Ambitions That Could Change The World

Few people alive today are as ambitious as the eccentric billionaire known as Elon Musk. If you have not been paying attention to what this man is doing, you should be, because Musk is a man determined to leave his mark upon the world. He owns a company called SpaceX, which earlier this year won a contract with NASA to build a starship that will travel to the moon. (35) The space company has also become an Internet service provider in recent days after launching a series of Starlink satellites into space that now beams Internet access all over the world. To date, the company has launched 1,740 of these satellites with the goal of adding 30,000 more. (36)

Musk also owns Neuralink, a company that is developing a brain chip that they say will eventually merge man with machine. Reports in April 2021 revealed that not only does Neuralink’s brain chip already exist but it has been implanted in animals, and it works. One of these animals is a monkey named Pager who now has the ability to play video games telepathically with his mind without the use of a controller. (37) According to Musk, human trials of the Neuralink brain-to-computer interface could begin before the end of 2021. (38)

Musk’s most famous company is perhaps Tesla Motors. The electric carmaker uses advanced computer systems in its vehicles, and in August 2021, plans were announced to use these same systems to power humanoid robots that Musk is hoping will dramatically change the world and the human way of life. In fact, he is hoping the forthcoming robots will eliminate the need for most people to work a job. Describing the robot’s capabilities, Musk said you can “talk to it and say, ‘please pick up that bolt and attach it to a car with that wrench’ and it should be able to do that. ‘Please go to the store and get me the following groceries.’ That kind of thing. I think we can do that.” Known as Tesla Bot, the design calls for the robot to be 5 feet 8 inches tall, weigh 125 pounds, and have a screen for a face. For those worried that the Tesla Bot could become hostile to humans, Musk attempted to alleviate those fears by saying the robot is “intended to be friendly.” He further reassured, “You can run away from it and most likely overpower it.” (39)

While the notion of humanoid robots that replace the need for humans to perform any laborious tasks may sound far-fetched, Musk thinks the first prototype could be ready next year. He further suggests that since work will become obsolete for most people, the world will need to adopt a universal basic income for everyone. (40) If these plans come to fruition, the world will never be the same. In fact, you could call it a New World Order featuring a global socialist society.

In closing, the events of our day clearly show that we live in a time of great trouble. As we move from one crisis to the next, humanity is growing weary and exhausted. Many men and women are feeling broken in this modern world. In fact, a recent study of 2,000 Americans found that 48 percent of respondents said they think that they’ll “never have a pain-free day again.” (41) Our broken world is filled with pain and sorrow, but the day is coming when that pain will be taken away from God’s people. Revelation 21:3-5 declares, “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” If you have not yet repented of your sins and dedicated your life to God, I urge you to do so now. In so doing, God will give you a precious inheritance. I Peter 1:3-5 tells us, “Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Thank you all for your kind support of this ministry. As always, you are invited to send us your prayer requests. We always give each request individual attention. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

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.

Acknowledgments

01. The Atlantic, August 22, 2021, By Jacob Stern, http://theatlantic.com.

02. Ibid.

03. Council On Criminal Justice, July 29, 2021, http://counciloncj.org.

04. NBC Chicago, August 1, 2021, By NBC Chicago, http://nbcchicago.com.

05. Chicago Sun-Times, August 21, 2021, By Sun-Times Wire, http://chicago.suntimes.com.

06. Chicago Sun-Times, August 16, 2021, By Sun-Times Wire, http://chicago.suntimes.com.

07. The Philadelphia Enquirer, August 18, 2021, By Mensah M. Dean, http://stripes.com.

08. Ibid.

09. Reuters News Service, August 17, 2021, By James Oliphant and Nathan Layne, http://reuters.com.

10. The Oregonian, June 19, 2020, By Jim Ryan, http://oregonlive.com.

11. OPB, June 1, 2020, By Dirk Vanderhart, Jonathan Levinson, Rebecca Ellis, and Donald Orr, http://opb.org.

12. The Guardian, August 23, 2021, By Jason Wilson, http://theguardian.com.

13. The Wall Street Journal, August 2, 2021, By Zusha Elinson, http://wsj.com.

14. Ibid.

15. Associated Press, July 31, 2021, By Martha Bellisle, http://apnews.com.

16. Ibid.

17. The Huffington Post, August 1, 2021, By Nina Golgowski, http://huffpost.com.

18. The Daily Beast, August 24, 2021, By Noga Tamopolsky, http://dailybeast.com.

19. Ibid.

20. Ibid.

21. Reuters News Service, August 24, 2021, By Julie Steenhuysen, http://reuters.com.

22. Axios, August 11, 2021, By Caitlin Owens, http://axios.com.

23. Reuters News Service, August 25, 2021, By William Schomberg and Ludwig Burger, http://reuters.com.

24. CNBC, August 18, 2021, By Berkeley Lovelace Jr., http://cnbc.com.

25. Aftonbladet, August 4, 2021, By Elle Kari Karlsson, http://aftonbladet.se.

26. Reuters News Service, August 2, 2021, By Nancy Lapid, http://reuters.com.

27. Jerusalem Post, August 29, 2021, By Tzvi Jofree, http://jpost.com.

28. NJ.com, August 5, 2021, By Matt Arco, http://nj.com.

29. NBC News, August 3, 2021, By Wilson Wong, http://nbcnews.com.

30. The New York Post, August 9, 2021, By Steven Nelson and Jackie Salo, http://nypost.com.

31. Associated Press, August 12, 2021, By Zeke Miller, http://apnews.com.

32. The Atlantic, August 3, 2021, By Juliette Kayyem, http://theatlantic.com.

33. U.S. News & World Report, August 5, 2021, By U.S. News Staff, http://usnews.com.

34. The Washington Post, July 31, 2021, By Taylor Dotson and Nicolas Tampio, http://washingtonpost.com.

35. Space.com, August 24, 2021, By Elizabeth Howell, http://space.com.

36. CNBC, August 23, 2021, By Lora Kolodny, http://cnbc.com.

37. Forbes Magazine, April 13, 2021, By Sal Balasubramanian, M.D., J.D., http://forbes.com.

38. Business Insider, April 13, 2021, By Grace Kay, http://businessinsider.com.

39. Forbes Magazine, August 20, 2021, By Jack Kelly, http://forbes.com.

40. Ibid.

41. StudyFinds, August 19, 2021, By Chris Melore, http://studyfinds.org.

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.