Volume 42 Issue Seven July 2023
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
Life In The Danger Zone
“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”
Romans 8:22
“And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
Mark 7:20-23
When the Apostle Paul wrote his epistle to the Romans, he made a remarkable statement in chapter 8, verse 22. In this verse, we read, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” Although these words were written nearly two thousand years ago, Paul understood even back then that we live in a troubled world straining under the weight of sin. As a crucial part of the early Christian church, he was certainly no stranger to trouble. In fact, in II Corinthians 4:8, he wrote that “we are troubled on every side.” He would later warn in II Timothy 3:13, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” If the whole creation was groaning in travail in Paul’s day, and he fully expected the condition of the world to worsen in the days to come, it is a logical conclusion that our modern world is in an even more desperate condition today. Interestingly enough, a report published by The Associated Press on May 31, 2023, quotes Professor Joyeeta Gupta of the University of Amsterdam who asserts, “The earth is really quite sick right now and it is sick in terms of many different areas or systems and this sickness is also affecting the people living on earth.” (1) Kristie Ebi, who is a professor of climate and public health at the University of Washington, expressed a similar sentiment, stating, “We are in a danger zone for most of the earth system boundaries.” (2)
When scientists talk about the earth being “sick,” they are primarily referring to climate change. However, we must understand that this planet we occupy has been ravaged by sin for thousands of years. Thus, the world is spiritually unwell, and this sickness often presents real-world consequences. Why is there a war in Ukraine that has destroyed thousands upon thousands of lives? Sin. Why is violence so rampant on the streets of America’s largest cities such as St. Louis, Missouri; Chicago, Illinois; Baltimore, Maryland; Los Angeles, California; and New York City? Sin. Why have there been more than 260 mass shootings in the United States this year? (3) Sin. Why is the city of Beijing, China, so polluted that smog sometimes darkens the sky in the middle of the day? Sin. Why is there a patch of garbage twice the size of the state of Texas floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? (4) Sin. Why is one out of every six adults worldwide affected by infertility? (5) Sin. Why is inflation so high and everything we buy so expensive? Sin. Why do we have a dysfunctional federal government in Washington, D.C.? Sin.
The world is indeed sick. Is there a cure? I firmly believe that if everyone in the world would embrace God’s Word and the teachings of Jesus Christ, most of our world’s problems would be solved. In fact, simply following Christ’s teachings from the Sermon on the Mount would put an end to murder, theft, greed, violence, lying, and adultery. While the world as a whole will never embrace God’s Word, the good news is that you can as an individual. God’s grace transforms lives. If you have not yet repented of your sins and dedicated your life to God, I urge you to do so now.
Radical Solutions
I’ve heard about climate change for decades. It is a topic of frequent discussion on mainstream news, and there is no question that the steady stream of alarming headlines has had a detrimental impact on the physical and mental well-being of the masses. According to researchers at Yale University, a growing number of Americans are suffering from debilitating “climate anxiety.” “Climate anxiety is fundamentally distress about climate change and its impacts on the landscape and human existence. That can manifest as intrusive thoughts or feelings of distress about future disasters or the long-term future of human existence and the world including one’s own descendants. There is a physiological component that would include heart racing and shortness of breath, and a behavioral component: when climate anxiety gets in the way of one’s social relationships or functioning at work or school,” explained Sarah Lowe, an associate professor at the Yale School of Public Health. (6) In other words, some folks are so wound up about climate change that they are unable to live normal lives.
As desperation regarding climate change grows, we are already seeing radical solutions proposed. It is widely believed that farm animals, especially cows, are contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and worsening climate change. Consequently, a recent news report published in June 2023 indicates that the government of Ireland is considering a plan to cull about 200,000 cows from Irish farms over the next three years. (7) Meanwhile, the United States Department of Agriculture has officially approved the sale of lab-grown chicken in the United States. The “meat,” which will eventually be sold by a company known as Upside Foods, is cultivated from chicken cells without the need for live animals. "I'm thrilled to share that cultivated meat will now be available for consumers in the U.S. This approval will fundamentally change how meat makes it to our table. It's a giant step forward towards a more sustainable future - one that preserves choice and life. We are excited to launch with our signature, whole-textured Upside chicken and can't wait for consumers to taste the future," said Dr. Uma Valeti, CEO and Founder of Upside Foods. (8) I distinctly recall an urban legend that was circulating when I was a young man. The claim was that Kentucky Fried Chicken was using meat grown in a laboratory and harvested from headless chickens. Although this bizarre story was not true at the time, strangely enough, it seems that the legend was merely ahead of its time. In the future, you might not know if the meat you buy at the grocery store came from a real animal or if it was grown in a laboratory. These are truly strange days!
What’s Wrong With Electric Cars?
Electric cars are another solution being offered to mitigate the effects of climate change. As such, we are about to see drastic changes made to the automobile industry in the United States. American President Joe Biden has made it a goal of the United States government to ensure that half of all new car sales in America are electric vehicles by the year 2030. (9) Meanwhile, the state of California has enacted the Advanced Clean Cars II rule. This new law stipulates that 35 percent of all new cars and light trucks sold in the state must be electric vehicles by the year 2026. The law further requires 68 percent of new cars and light trucks sold in the state to be electric by the year 2030. Finally, by 2035, the sale of new gasoline-powered cars and light trucks will be banned entirely in California. (10) Six other states - Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Washington – have decided to follow California’s lead and will enforce identical requirements regarding the sale of new cars. (11)
I believe it is prudent to consider all of the potential pitfalls of these cars before purchasing one. While many drivers love their electric vehicles, or EVs, there are certainly valid reasons to avoid buying them. On average, electric vehicles cost about $30,000 more than conventional gasoline-powered vehicles. (12) EVs also have a limited driving range. According to a report from Car and Driver Magazine published in March 2023, several of the top-rated EVs can travel just over 300 miles on a full battery charge. (13) It can take forty to fifty hours to charge an empty electric car battery to 80 percent on a standard household electrical outlet. If you have an upgraded outlet, it can take between four and ten hours to get an 80 percent charge. Even rapid charging stations, which are being installed throughout the country, take twenty minutes to an hour to charge an electric car battery to 80 percent. (14) Performance is also greatly diminished in cold weather. According to a blog post from Blink Charging, a company that operates EV charging stations, the battery range for electric cars can drop by 12 percent in cold weather. If you have to use your car heater, performance can drop by a whopping 41 percent. (15) Consequently, a long road trip in an electric vehicle requires careful planning. People often get grumpy if they forget to charge their mobile phones. Imagine how you would feel if you forgot to charge your car!
To make matters worse, electric cars are significantly more expensive to insure than conventional cars. “Insurance on an electric vehicle is costly. You’re basically driving a large PC (personal computer) around with an electric motor. So, if anything goes wrong with your electric vehicle… programming issue, modules can go bad, if the electric motor goes bad, your batteries fail, all those are expensive repairs,” said Edgar Barron, a service manager at Long-Lewis Ford in Alabama. He also warned that the cost is quite significant if you have to buy a new battery. “You’re looking at anywhere from $10,000 and way up because prices for rechargeable batteries are really expensive,” he said. (16)
EVs present privacy concerns. Since electric cars are really computers with motors and wheels, they can be hacked just like other computers. The Wall Street Journal warned readers of this very fact in an article published on February 14, 2023. “Imagine the cars start driving erratically. That is well within the realm of feasibility,” said Professor Stuart Madnick, a cybersecurity expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management. How big of a concern is this potential security threat? Here let it be noted that officials from the White House held a closed-door meeting with EV makers in October 2022 to discuss the security concerns of electric vehicles. (17) If they weren’t worried they wouldn’t be having secret meetings.
Why does all of this matter? Rules are already put in place that will begin to affect car buyers in seven states in just three years' time. Although electric vehicles may get cheaper in the years to come, and the technology that runs them will likely improve, there are genuine and valid concerns about these vehicles today, and forcing consumers to purchase them could prove to be a hardship for many families. Furthermore, state governments take in massive amounts of tax revenue at the fuel pumps. With the transition to EVs looming large, states will look for new ways to replace the revenue that is lost from slumping fuel sales. A report from the Associated Press published in June 2023 suggests the most likely solution to this cash flow problem will be new programs from state governments that charge drivers for every mile they drive on public roads. Naturally, this mileage tax would require drivers to install tracking devices in their cars. (18) What will they do if you don’t pay your mileage fees? Will they disable your car remotely and prevent you from driving it? It’s quite possible.
Pride Everywhere
Pride is on full display in this modern age. Is pride good? What does the Bible say about pride? It is interesting to note that the word pride occurs forty-nine times in the King James Bible. In all forty-nine instances, pride is never presented as a good thing! For example, Proverbs 16:18 proclaims, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” In similar fashion, Psalm 10:4 declares, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.” Psalm 59:12 also speaks of pride, stating, “For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.” Ezekiel 16:49 even associates pride with the city of Sodom, declaring, “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.” Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ also mentions pride and even goes so far as to call it something evil that defiles a man. Mark 7:20-23 tells us, “And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” If society tells us pride is good and Jesus Christ tells us pride is evil, I am going to side with Jesus Christ every time.
As I write this newsletter, the month of June 2023 is drawing to a close. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve most likely seen a lot of rainbows in recent weeks and perhaps have heard some folks proclaim “Happy pride!” There is no question that homosexuality and transgenderism have become mainstream in today’s society. Those who consider themselves lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) proudly proclaim their “identity” as they celebrate life choices that two decades ago would not have been so widely accepted. When I was growing up in the 1990s, it was considered a scandal by many people when they found out someone was a homosexual. Many kept it hidden, and were considered to be “in the closet.” Everything began to change in the 2000s, culminating in the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States on June 26, 2015. Society would never be the same after that day. Now companies around the country participate in “Pride Month” every June. There are parades and festivals with throngs of homosexuals, bisexuals, and transgenders celebrating in the streets of our American cities. Even my hometown of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, held its second annual Pride Fest on June 24, 2023. “It was great – very happy that so many families came out to celebrate. We plan to continue to grow our committee so we can grow next year,” said a member of the Beaver Dam Pride Committee. (19) Pictures from the local newspaper show that young children were on hand to participate in the festivities. The celebration ended with a drag show at a local tavern. (20)
The world is extraordinarily confusing today. Were you born a male but now want to be a female? Society says you can be a woman. Were you born a female and now want to be a male? Society says you can be a transman. What if you don’t want to be either gender? Society says you can be non-binary or even make up your own term for gender. In fact, an article written by Dr. Shaziya Allarakha and published by MedicineNet in February 2022 claims there are seventy-two genders besides male and female. This list includes terms such as “bigender,” which means “having two gender identities at the same or different times;” “exgender,” which means “the denial to identify with any gender on the gender spectrum;” “genderfuzz,” which means “more than one gender is blurred together;” and “gender witched,” which means “the person is inclined toward the notion of having one gender but does not know which.” (21) Feeling confused? You’re not alone. There is no reasonable expectation that anyone should be able keep up with seventy-two genders.
There is also a tremendous amount of confusion regarding sexual orientation. A report published by The Hill in May 2023 reveals that searches on Google questioning sexual orientation and gender identity have increased by 1,300 percent since 2004! These include searches such as “am I gay,” “am I lesbian,” and “how to come out.” (22)
Reporter Ben Kawaller, who identifies as gay, was quite surprised by his recent experience at L.A. Pride in Los Angeles, California. In a piece dated June 24, 2023, Kawaller took special note of how young some of the attendees were. “I met a gay eleven-year old boy who had to contend not with being routinely bullied, but with the fact that the two other gay boys in his class were dating each other and not him.” He further reported, “I met a ten-year-old who told me she was nonbinary and pansexual. Or rather, they were nonbinary and pansexual.” (23) For those who do not know, the term “pansexual” refers to someone who is attracted to people of any gender. Where are children learning terms such as “pansexual?” I suspect they are learning about these topics on the Internet and television, and at public schools.
The trends are clear. The United States is not going to return to the way things were before LGBTQ culture became mainstream. A recent Gallup poll found that 64 percent of American respondents said “same-sex relationships are morally acceptable.” Amongst Republicans, 41 percent said same-sex relationships are acceptable while 79 percent of Democrats voiced their approval. (24) As I’ve mentioned in previous newsletters, about 20 percent of people belonging to Generation Z identify as LGBTQ. (25) Interestingly enough, Hollywood actress Marcia Gay Harden recently admitted that all of her children are queer. The 63-year-old film star was quoted as saying, “What drives me is – my children are all queer. My eldest child is nonbinary. My son is gay. My youngest is fluid. And you know, they are my kids and they teach me every day.” (26)
While it is not surprising that Hollywood is filled with homosexuality and transgenderism, I am sad to report that LGBTQ culture is also making its way into America’s religious institutions. In fact, progressive churches and divinity schools are openly embracing what they call “queer theology” and passing it off as Christianity. This includes the First Presbyterian Church in Iowa City, Iowa. In a video posted last year, the church celebrated a “Transgender Day of Visibility” by praying to “the God of Pronouns” whom they referred to as “the Great They/Them.” In another example, the Methodist-affiliated divinity school at Duke University is teaching ministers-in-training how to conduct Pride worship services. At these services they honor the so-called “Great Queer One, Fluid and Ever-becoming one.” In their prayers they say, “You are drag queen and transman and genderfluid, incapable of limiting your vast expression of beauty.” Finally, the Presbyterian News Service is offering teaching materials entitled “Queering the Bible” and “Queering the Prophets.” (27) When I consider this blasphemous trend, the words of the Apostle Paul found in Galatians 6:7 come to mind. This verse declares, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
The earth is indeed quite sick right now. As we see so much confusion and sin in our world today, it is of the utmost importance that we continue to shine the light of the Gospel in this dark world. Paul wrote in II Corinthians 4:3, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.” While many stumble in darkness and confusion, we know there is a better way, and that way is the Lord Jesus Christ. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “...I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” He shows us the way, He gives us the truth, and He promises us eternal life with Him.
Thank you all for your kind support of this ministry. If you have any prayer requests, great or small, please feel free to send them our way. Each request is always given 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. Associated Press, May 31, 2023, By Seth Borenstein, http://apnews.com.
02. Ibid.
03. The New York Times, June 19, 2023, By The New York Times, http://nytimes.com.
04. CNN, April 18, 2023, By Ivana Kottasova, http://cnn.com.
05. Good Morning America, By Haley Yamada, http://goodmorningamerica.com.
06. Yale University, March 13, 2023, http://sustainability.yale.edu.
07. Fox News, June 5, 2023, By Danielle Wallace, http://foxnews.com.
08. PR Newswire, June 21, 2023, By Upside Foods, http://prnewswire.com.
09. CNET, May 4, 2023,, By Dan Avery, http://cnet.com.
10. Ibid.
11. Ibid.
12. WBRC News, May 16, 2022, By Chasity Maxie, http://wbrc.com.
13. Car and Driver Magazine, March 23, 2023, By Nicholas Wallace, Austin Irwin, and Nick Kurczewski, http://caranddriver.com.
14. U.S. Department of Transportation, http://transportation.gov.
15. Blink Charging, January 23, 2020, http://blinkcharging.com.
16. WBRC News, May 16, 2022, By Chasity Maxie, http://wbrc.com.
17. The Wall Street Journal, February 14, 2023, By Bart Ziegler, http://wsj.com.
18. Associated Press, June 24, 2023, By Julie Car Smyth, http://apnews.com.
19. The Daily Citizen, June 26, 2023, By Terri Pederson, http://wiscnews.com.
20. Ibid.
21. MedicineNet, February 2, 2022, By Shaziya Allarkha, http://medicinenet.com.
22. The Hill, May 23, 2023, By Lauren Sforza, http://thehill.com.
23. The Free Press, June 24, 2023, By Ben Kawaller, http://thefp.com.
24. Ibid.
25. Axios, February 19, 2022, By Erin Doherty, http://axios.com.
26. NBC News, May 9, 2023, By Anna Kaplan, http://nbcnews.com.
27. RealClearInvestigations, June 13, 2023, By John Murawski, http://realclearinvestigations.com.
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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