In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we will once again examine the current events of our time and how they relate to the personal freedom and liberty of the American people and the rest of the world in these last days. The United States has a rich heritage of freedom and has been known throughout its short history as the "land of the free and the home of the brave." Yet, the freedom which we've enjoyed for so many years is slowly being taken from us, little by little in a gradual manner, difficult to detect by a preoccupied and distracted population.
We live in a constantly changing world. Every year we see new rules and regulations used to burden and entangle the citizens of the United States. There are literally dozens of taxes that we are forced to pay among other fees, surcharges, permits, and licenses. My father always used to define a free man as "one who is able to enjoy the fruits of his labor." Therefore, if you're paying sixty percent of your income for various taxes, you are really sixty percent slave and forty percent free. If you think this isn't true, just try not paying your taxes for a while and see how long it takes for you to be sent to prison.
In like manner, if you work hard for much of your life and eventually pay off the mortgage on your real estate, you might think that you finally own your home. Yet, if you fail to pay your property taxes, your home will be taken away from you despite the fulfillment of your obligations to the bank or financial institution which issued your mortgage. As if that's not bad enough, if the state decides it wants your property, the authorities can come along and force you to sell it to them based on the law of eminent domain.
The government even considers your minor children to be their property. If at any time the state deems you an unfit parent, they can send a social worker over to collect your child or children, and there's very little you can do about it except to try to regain custody in a court of law.
Folks, there's nothing we have today that couldn't be taken away tomorrow. However, we serve an Almighty God, and ultimately He is in control. No one can take your spiritual freedom that you have with the Lord Jesus Christ. No one can take away your prayers. No one can take away your treasures in Heaven. No one can take away the Scriptures hidden in your heart. If you have not yet dedicated your life to Jesus Christ, I encourage you to do so now. Repent of your sins, give your heart to God, and you will have salvation, liberty, freedom, and a peace that passes all understanding.
A Diluted Money Supply!
In a move that has sparked anger around the world and has caused economists to express concern over the possibility of inflation spiraling out of control in the United States, Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke recently made the decision to pump $600 billion into the U.S. economy through the purchase of treasury bonds. (1) This procedure, which is known as "quantitative easing," will lower the overall value of the U.S. dollar while theoretically providing banks with more money to extend credit and make loans to companies and consumers.
The real goal of the Federal Reserve, however, is to raise the rate of inflation in the United States. Finance experts are divided over whether or not this is a good idea with some saying America needs a little inflation to shake Americans loose from their money. Others predict the Federal Reserve will lose control of inflation, which will cause the cost of goods and services to spike immensely. Al Niemi, the dean at Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business in Dallas, Texas, has this to say, "American households lost $14 trillion in their net worth in the recession because of the drastic fall in home prices and the decline in the value of their 401(k)s. Households are not spending because they are scared and trying to replenish some of their losses. Companies are not hiring because people are not spending." (2) Kyle Bass, chief investment officer at Hayman Advisors LP, stated, "Unfortunately, the debt of the United States is going to grow north of 90 percent of GDP this year. The interest expense is growing exponentially. We're going to have a much, much greater problem down the road. And unfortunately down the road is not that far away." He later went on to say, "In my household, when I spend twice what I make, I have to dial my spending back. But in this crazy world that we live in, when the U.S. is spending $3.6 trillion a year and we're only bringing in $2.2 [trillion], we decide to spend more and fund it by printing money." (3)
Numerous officials around the world were quick to criticize this latest round of quantitative easing. Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said, "They owe us some explanation. I've seen much concern about the impact of this policy on financial stability in other countries." (4) German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble stated while addressing a conference, "With all due respect, U.S. policy is clueless. (The problem) is not a shortage of liquidity. It's not that the Americans haven't pumped enough liquidity into the market, and now to say let's pump more into the market is not going to solve their problems." (5) Officials from France, South Africa, and other countries around the world have also voiced their displeasure.
Meanwhile, the cost of many commodities, such as grain and cotton, have been rising as well as the cost of precious metals. In fact, the price of gold rose above $1400 per ounce for the first time ever in early November 2010. In regard to the record-setting price of gold, IG Markets CEO Dan Cook said, "People are really concerned again and so I think we're seeing safe-haven buying. Whether you're holding dollars or euros or whatever you're holding, gold is that on kind of go-to product, a commodity as well as a currency of trade. Nobody seems to be that willing to sell out of it." (6)
The Growing Threat Of Bankruptcy!
Things aren't looking good for the United States' economy. The federal budget deficit for 2010 exceeded one trillion dollars for the second straight year. (7) The U.S. national debt has risen over three trillion dollars since Obama took office in 2009. (8) Now former chairman and CEO of BB&T, the nation's tenth largest bank, John Allison has stated that the bankruptcy of the United States is a "mathematical certainty" unless drastic action is taken. Mr. Allison told CNS News in an interview published on November 4, 2010, "If you run the numbers, on all those numbers that you just talked about, which I think are accurate, very accurate, in 20 or 25 years, the United States goes bankrupt. It's a mathematic certainty." He further went on to say, "Now countries don't go bankrupt the way companies do. They don't file bankruptcy. They usually hyper-inflate. They print a bunch of paper money, or they become Third World economies like Argentina -- unless we change direction. So, we absolutely have to change direction." (9)
The bankruptcy of the United States would likely have a gigantic impact on the global economy. In fact, the economies from the various countries around the world are so intertwined, and they interact with each other so much that such a catastrophe could very easily bankrupt other nations as well. The simultaneous collapse of multiple major world economies would fit nicely into Satan's plans for a one-world government. After all, it would facilitate the need for a new global currency, which would almost certainly be a cashless monetary system. There has already been some chatter about a new global currency, and it was French President Nicolas Sarkozy who stated in October 2010, "We must have the courage to imagine together, through coordination, how we can create the basis for a new international monetary system." (10)
There are many financially troubled countries in the world right now, particularly in Europe. While some of the nations in the European Union lie on the verge of insolvency, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has suggested that instead of intervening with bailouts (as was done previously), they should just allow countries to go bankrupt. (11) Without financial intervention it shouldn't take long for the nations' economies to fail. Greece's debt is predicted to hit 150% of their gross domestic product, or GDP, by 2013. (12)
In an effort to stave off financial collapse, the British government announced a new austerity program in October 2010. The program will result in cuts to welfare benefits, a raising of the retirement age, and a loss of 490,000 public-sector jobs. Britain's top finance minister, George Osborne stated, "Today is the day when Britain steps back from the brink. It's a hard road but it leads to a better future." (13)
I know the economic data we see these days is troubling. I am sure that many of you who are reading this newsletter are suffering from financial hardships. I want to remind you all that God is a very present help in trouble, and He does answer prayer. If you need a job, if you're having trouble making your house payment, or if there are any other financial hardships you're struggling with, I encourage you to cry out to God and seek His guidance. Our prayer teams here at Last Trumpet Ministries would be more than happy to lift you up in prayer as well; so do not feel shy about sending us your prayer requests!
The Call For Globalization!
One of the reasons the United States is in so much trouble today is because of the expansion of economic globalization. It has resulted in an ever-growing trade deficit with countries such as China while they siphon off massive amounts of wealth from the United States and use it to prop up their own economy. The United States continues to import massive amounts of Chinese goods while exporting far, far less. This has had a devastating impact on the amount of U.S. debt while causing factories all over America to shut down as the manufacturing sector shrinks to ever smaller levels as time goes by.
During his recent visit to Mumbai, Barack Obama called for new partnerships with India as he unabashedly promoted what he deems to be the benefits of globalization. Speaking at a meeting in Mumbai, Obama said, "I do think that one of the challenges that we are going to face in the U.S. at a time when we are still recovering from the financial crisis is, how do we respond to some of the challenges of globalization? The fact of the matter is that for most of my lifetime - and I'll turn fifty next year - the U.S. was such an enormously dominant economic power, we were such a large market, our industry, our technology, our manufacturing was so significant that we always met the rest of the world economically on our terms. And now because of the incredible rise of India and China and Brazil and other countries, the U.S. remains the largest economy and the largest market, but there is real competition." Obama further went on to say, "There is going to be a tug-of-war within the U.S. between those who see globalization as a threat and those who accept we live in an open integrated world, which has challenges and opportunities." (14)
In another interesting twist, European Union president Herman Van Rompuy recently made the statement, "In every member state, there are people who believe their country can survive alone in the globalized world. It is more than an illusion - it is a lie." (15) We are seeing outright attacks by world leaders criticizing those who wish their countries to maintain their sovereignty. One can't help but wonder how long it will be until they try to unite the entire world as one nation under the control of an antichrist beast system.
Privacy - On The Verge Of Extinction!
These days I often come across news stories so unbelievable that my first thought is, "This can't possibly be true." And yet the facts are there, plain as day in mainstream news sources. The truth is our privacy has been attacked for so long that we now have very little left. Some of the things now popping up in the news sound very much like science fiction.
The government in the United Kingdom has announced plans to store every email sent and every website visited by Britons. The UK's Strategic Defence and Security Review stated, "We will introduce a programme to preserve the ability of the security, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies to obtain communication data and to intercept communications within the appropriate legal framework. This programme is required to keep up with changing technology and to maintain capabilities that are vital to the work these agencies do to protect the public." (16)
It came to light last month that the Obama Administration is devising new legislation that would require all Internet service providers to build in back doors to their networks and allow the government easy access for surveillance. If passed, the government would be able to track all of your Internet communications - including Facebook, Twitter, and Skype. (17) There were also reports in October that indicated the U.S. military is working on a system which can scan billions of emails to identify potential threats to national security. The $35 million project was announced by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, which was the group responsible for inventing the Internet. DARPA claimed in a recent statement, "Each time we see an incident like a soldier in good mental health becoming homicidal or suicidal or an innocent bystander becoming malicious, we wonder why we didn't see it coming. When we look through the evidence after the fact, we often find a trail, sometimes even an 'obvious' one. The question is: Can we pick up the trail before the fact, giving us time to intervene and prevent an incident." The project is called "Anomaly Detection at Multiple Scales" or ADAMS. (18) Bruce Schneier, an author of books on security technology, lambasted DARPA's new program. "This is what a police state does -- everyone watching what everyone does and the police watching your every move. And what we learn from history is that police states never work. It is never safer," said Schneier during a CNN interview. (19)
Officials in Europe are now testing a brand new traffic camera in Finland. The camera is so advanced that it can not only check to see if motorists are speeding, but it also knows if the driver has insurance, is wearing a seatbelt, or is driving too closely to other vehicles. The camera can take pictures from up to 150 feet away, and it is linked via satellite to police departments so that prosecutions can begin within seconds of a detected violation. Plans are underway to deploy these advanced traffic cameras all over Europe beginning in 2013. (20)
As the world begins to close in around us and more of privacy is taken, it is starting to feel like the only privacy remaining exists in the confines of our own minds. After all, no one can read our thoughts. However, a team of scientists at the California Institute of Technology are now working on technology that would possibly enable them to read and record a person's dreams and thoughts. Lead scientist, Dr. Moran Cerf stated, "We would like to read people's dreams. It would be wonderful to read people's minds when they cannot communicate, such as people in comas." (21) As wonderful as it would be to communicate with coma patients, it is plainly obvious that such technology could be used for nefarious purposes. Will we someday live in a world where not even our thoughts are private?
The Continued Rise Of Islam!
As more and more stories surface about the torture and cruelty brought about at the hand of Islamic "extremists," we continue to see politicians mollycoddling Islamic officials and touting Islam as a great and peaceful religion. Yet devout Muslims are some of the most volatile people on earth. All you have to do is insult their prophet Mohammad or draw his picture and you'll be guilty of "blasphemy," which is considered a crime punishable by death under Sharia law.
Sharia is the set of laws which governs Islam, and these laws insist that all Muslims must follow and obey them. The specifics of Sharia law can vary depending on which faction of Islam is under consideration. For example, the Sunni and Shia Muslims do not have identical laws. However, these laws are always very strict and very oppressive. One such example of Sharia in action was the recent conviction of a Christian mother of five for the "crime" of blasphemy. Asia Bibi was sentenced to hang by Judge Naveed Iqbal after Muslim women reported her to a local cleric for making derogatory remarks about Mohammad. (22) Here let it be noted that the Islamic group known as the Islamic State of Iraq has recently declared that all of the Christians in their country are "legitimate targets." They claimed in a statement, "All Christian centers, organizations and institutions, leaders and followers, are legitimate targets for the mujahideen [holy warriors.]" (23)
On November 2, 2010, the state of Oklahoma passed Question 755 by a margin of 70%. The referendum was designed to effectively ban Sharia Law from ever taking hold in Oklahoma. An excerpt of the measure reads as follows, "This measure amends the State Constitution. It changes a section that deals with the courts of this state. It would amend Article 7, Section 1. It makes courts rely on federal and state law when deciding cases. It forbids courts from considering or using international law. It forbids courts from considering or using Sharia Law." (24) After the measure passed by an overwhelming majority of votes, a Muslim activist from Oklahoma City, named Muneer Awad, filed a lawsuit against it. On November 9, 2010, the Wall Street Journal reported that Chief Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange issued a temporary restraining order against the measure until she can determine whether or not Question 755 violates the U.S. Constitution. (25) I find it ridiculous that a temporary restraining order was issued, and I pray to God the measure will be enforced. Sharia Law has no right to exist in the United States. It should be banned in every state.
Incidentally, Islam has become extremely widespread in Europe. In fact, the name "Mohammad" (or its variants) is now the most popular boys' name in Britain, having been giving to 7,549 newborn boys in 2009. (26)
China - A Rising Superpower!
China has been expanding in many different ways over the last few decades. Its economy has grown, its military has expanded, its technology has progressed, and its oppressive tactics against Chinese citizens is an ever-constant part of life. Why is it that the United States of America's largest trade partner is a communist nation? And why is the fact that the Chinese government is communist so often seemingly swept under the rug? We seldom hear them called the "Red Chinese" anymore.
Although I've never been there, I have a feeling that China is not a very pleasant place to live. Information is highly guarded and access to the Internet is stifled by a national firewall controlled by the government. Many Chinese people are employed in what amounts to sweatshop labor, working long hours for little pay at factories producing goods destined for the United States. And if those factors weren't bad enough, they have a strict one child per family policy. Of course, they sometimes allow wealthy or influential families to have more than one child if they can afford to pay the fines. However, if a family cannot afford to pay the fines for having more than one child, the mother is often forced to have an abortion.
I have a report in front of me from October 2010 detailing the gruesome account of a forced abortion upon a Chinese woman who was eight months pregnant. Twelve government officials stormed into the home of Xiao Aiying and began kicking and hitting her in the stomach, presumably to try and force a miscarriage. After a while they dragged her kicking and screaming to the hospital where the woman was forcefully restrained. They then injected the woman with a drug to kill her baby. The woman's husband, Luo Yanquan, is quoted as stating, "They held her hands behind her back and pushed her head against the wall and kicked her in the stomach. I don't know if they were trying to give her a miscarriage. Our ten-year-old daughter has been excited about having a little brother or sister but I don't know how I can explain to her what has happened." (27)
Concern has been growing over what has been perceived as Chinese "bullying" by some nations. Now the United States is making plans with Australia to share a military base there to allow the United States easier access to the region. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates attempted to downplay the idea that China had anything to do with the collaboration with Australia. "It's more about our relationship with the rest of Asia than it is about China," Gates said. However, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton didn't shy away from mentioning China. "We want to see China's rise be successful, bring benefits to the Chinese people but to take on greater responsibility and a rules-based approach towards all of its neighbors," Clinton told reporters. (28)
Hillary Clinton's choice of words, "China's rise," are interesting. Perhaps she wants the rise of an oppressive communist baby-killing nation, which forces thirteen million abortions a year, to be successful, but I assure you that God is looking down in displeasure, and they will be judged for their wickedness someday.
Threats From Iran And North Korea!
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has angered much of the world in recent months with his belligerent tone and inflammatory speeches. Now experts tell us that Iran is getting closer and closer to having nuclear weapons. Mark Fitzpatrick, director of the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Program, is very concerned. Speaking of Iran he stated, "It has produced a stockpile of 3,000 kilograms of low-enriched uranium, which serves no civilian purpose today because Iran receives the fuel for the Bushehr reactor from Russia, and Iran has no capability to take the low-enriched uranium and produce fuel. So what's the purpose?" Fitzpatrick further stated, "I think actually if it gets to the point of having a nuclear weapon, there will be a war."
North Korea already has nuclear weapons, and according to a report by the United Nations, they have been exporting banned nuclear and missile technology to Iran, Syria, and Myanmar. The report states, "The Panel of Experts has reviewed several government assessments, reporters of the International Atomic Energy Agency, research papers and media reports indicting continuing involvement of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in nuclear and ballistic missile related activities in certain countries, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Syrian Arab Republic, and Myanmar (Burma)." (30) According to an Associated Press report, North Korea has now threatened to strengthen their "war deterrent force" by a thousand-fold as long as they believe a U.S. military threat exists. (31) It's also worth noting that one of North Korea's key allies is China.
In closing, I know there are many more things I could write about if not for the space limitations of this newsletter. The volcano in Mount Merapi, Indonesia, has erupted numerous times, resulting in a devastating loss of life and damages estimated in the tens of millions of dollars. (32) Haiti has had an extremely difficult year, contending not only with a massive earthquake early on, but hurricanes also and an outbreak of cholera that has affected thousands of people and has claimed many hundreds of lives so far. (33) We're seeing alarming headlines such as "Global Food Crisis Forecast As Prices Reach Record Highs" (34) and "Food Price Fears As U.S. Warns On Crop Yields." (35) As usual, the earth continues to quake and shake every single day.
Yet, for all the trouble in the world we can abide safely and secure in a spiritual haven with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It was the Psalmist who wrote in Psalm 27:5, "For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock." If you want true freedom, give all your burdens, problems, and cares of this life to Jesus. Give Him your sin and let go of it. For to be free from sin is to be free from death. And that is the greatest freedom you could ever have.
I wish to sincerely thank all of you for your outpouring of love, support, and encouragement over these last few months. I still miss my father tremendously and deeply wish he was writing these newsletters instead of me. I had the honor of assisting my father with the publication of over 140 newsletters before the Lord took him home. As we move forward, we at Last Trumpet Ministries will continue to work hard for God as we seek to do His perfect will and provide a timely and accurate report of the current events in the United States and the world in these last days. Thank you to all who have sent news clippings, reports and other resources. Although I am unable to use each one in the newsletter, I do read them all. This December issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter will be the last newsletter of 2010. Please remember to send us your completed renewal form at your earliest convenience so we can ensure you do not miss a single issue in 2011. If you have any prayer requests, please do not hesitate to send them our way. Our teams of intercessors will give each request individual attention and bring your petitions before the throne of the Almighty. Grace and peace be unto you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Samuel David Meyer
Acknowledgements
01. Associated Press, November 5, 2010, By Paul Wiseman, Washington, D.C.
02. Dallas Morning News, November 10, 2010, By Cheryl Hall,
http://dallasnews.com/.
03. Ibid.
04. Reuters News Service, November 5, 2010, By Glenn Somerville and Zhou Xin, Washington D.C./Beijing, China.
05. Ibid.
06. Associated Press, November 8, 2010, By Sandy Shore.
07. Associated Press, October 15, 2010, By Martin Crutsinger, Washington D.C.
08. CBS News, October 18, 2010, By Mark Knoller,
http://cbsnews.com/.
09. CNS News, November 4, 2010, By Terence P. Jeffery,
http://cnsnews.com/.
10. Reuters News Service, October 23, 2010, By Stephanie Nebehay, Montreux, Switzerland.
11. Associated Press, October 28, 2010, By Gabriele Steinhauser, Brussels, Belgium.
12. Ibid.
13. New York Times, October 21, 2010, By New York Times, London, UK.
14. The Times of India, November 8, 2010, By The Times of India, Mumbai, India.
15. The Daily Mail, November 11, 2010, By Daniel Martin,
http://dailymail.co.uk/.
16. The Telegraph, October 20, 2010, By Tom Whitehead,
http://telegraph.co.uk/.
17. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 2, 2010, By Ced Kurtz.
18. CNN, October 27, 2010, By Charley Keyes,
http://cnn.com/.
19. Ibid.
20. The Daily Mail, November 3, 2010, By Luke Salkeld,
http://dailymail.co.uk/.
21. The Daily Mail, October 28, 2010, By Daily Mail Reporter,
http://dailymail.co.uk/.
22. AFP, November 11, 2010, By Waqar Hussain, Lahore, Pakistan.
23. The Christian Science Monitor, November 3, 2010, By Taylor Barnes,
http://csmonitor.com/. 24. Balletopedia,
http://www.ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Oklahoma_%22Sharia_Law_Amendment%22,_State_Question_755_(2010)
25. The Wall Street Journal, November 9, 2010, By Jess Bravin,
jess.bravin@wsj.com.
26. The Daily Mail, October 28, 2010, By Jack Doyle,
http://dailymail.co.uk/.
27. The Daily Mail, October 22, 2010, By Peter Simpson,
http://dailymail.co.uk/.
28. Associated Press, November 7, 2010, By Anne Gearan and Matthew Lee, Melbourne, Australia.
29. Hurriyet Daily News, October, 25, 2010, By Aras Coskuntuncel, Istanbul, Turkey.
30. Fox News, November 10, 2010, By Fox News, United Nations.
31. Associated Press, October 16, 2010, By Kwang-Tae Kim, Seoul, South Korea.
32. Associated Press, November 12, By Slamet Riyadi, Mount Merapi, Indonesia.
33. The Guardian, November 12, 2010, By Rory Carroll, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
34. The Guardian, October 25, 2010, By John Vidal,
http://guardian.co.uk/.
35. Financial Times, November 9, 2010, By Gregory Meyer, Jack Farchy, and Javiar Blas,
http://ft.com/.
http://lasttrumpetministries.org/Special Note: A new tribute website for Pastor David J. Meyer can now be accessed at
http://pastormeyer.org/ .
If you have a comment on this newsletter or would like to suggest future topics, you may send email to
editor@lasttrumpetnewsletter.org.
