Two Kinds Of Pollution In This Modern Age! by Samuel David Meyer

Volume XXXIV      Issue IX      September 2015
Last Trumpet Ministries, PO Box 806, Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Phone: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org

Two Kinds Of Pollution In This Modern Age! 

"And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

Genesis 1:31

"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."

James 1:13-15

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity."

Isaiah 59:1-5

"Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."

II Timothy 2:19

In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we will scrutinize the devastating manner in which our earth has become polluted in this modern age. As with many topics, there is both a physical and a spiritual perspective to consider, and we will consider both perspectives in this newsletter.

In Genesis 1:31 we read, "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." We learn from this verse that in the very beginning, when time was new and the earth had just been created, God looked upon the work of his hands and saw that it was "very good!" In other words, the creation was perfect. However, our world has changed in a strikingly profound manner since that time as the consequences of mankind's sin have ravaged the planet.

Without question, pollution has become a horrendous problem in many areas of the world. This is particularly true in the nation of China. In fact, pollution in the Chinese capital city of Beijing is so severe that simply breathing the air for one hour reduces one's life expectancy by twenty minutes. "When I was last in Beijing, pollution was at the hazardous level; every hour of exposure reduced my life expectancy by twenty minutes. It's as if every man, woman, and child smoked 1.5 cigarettes each hour," stated physicist Richard Muller of the University of California in Berkeley. (1) Pollution in China is so widespread that it affects 97 percent of the country's citizens, being responsible for an estimated 1.6 million deaths each year or about 4,000 deaths each day. (2) Polluted water has also become a serious problem in China. A report published by the Chinese government in January 2015 indicates that 60 percent of the nation's underground water supply is so tainted that it is unfit for human contact, much less consumption. One third of China's surface water is also unsuitable for usage by humans. (3) The struggle for clean air and water in China prompted the country's Environment Minister, Chen Jining, to say, "We are fighting a protracted uphill battle." (4)

Water contamination is not just a problem in China, however. A recent study published by the University of Nebraska in Lincoln has reported that two major aquifers in the United States are highly contaminated with natural uranium. This includes our nation's largest aquifer, which is known as the High Plains Aquifer and provides water to eight states for consumption by humans and irrigation purposes. (5) The Central Valley aquifer in California also contains high levels of uranium, according to the report. (6) "It needs to be recognized that uranium is a widespread contaminant. And we are creating this problem by producing a primary contaminant that leads to a secondary one," said Karrie Weber, an assistant professor of biological, Earth, and atmospheric sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, who co-authored the study. She later went on to say, "When you start thinking about how much water is drawn from these aquifers, it's substantial relative to anywhere else in the world. These two aquifers are economically important - they play a significant role in feeding the nation - but they're also important for health. What's the point of having water if you can't drink it or use it for irrigation?" (7)

In the United States we have a government agency known as the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, which is tasked with protecting the American people from pollution and environmental contaminants. Yet, this group sometimes does the opposite of what it's supposed to do and causes great devastation and harm. Such was the case on August 5, 2015, when the EPA, along with its contract workers, spilled three million gallons of contaminated wastewater taken from the now defunct Gold King Mine in Silverton, Colorado, into a tributary of the Animas River. The toxic waste, which turned the river a bright orangish yellow color resembling orange juice, contained high levels of toxic substances such as arsenic, lead, and mercury. (8) Naturally, the spill has been a cause for great concern. "Among the most basic and simple questions that Coloradans wanted answered after the Gold King Mine spill are, 'What is in the water?" and "Is it safe?" said Senator Michael Bennett, a Democrat from Colorado. (9) The spill had a far-reaching impact, insomuch that it affected numerous rivers in the states of Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. (10)

As would be expected, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy apologized for the incident. "EPA's mission is to protect public health and the environment. We couldn't be more sorry," McCarthy said. (11) Yet, reports indicate that this is not the first time the EPA has released toxic waste from mines. According to mine owner Todd Hennis, the EPA secretly dumped 15,000 tons of toxic material into one of his mines without his permission in 2005. The toxic substances, which included poisons such as arsenic and lead, eventually made their way to the small town of Leadville, Colorado. "I have been battling the EPA for 10 years and they have done nothing but create pollution," Mr. Hennis declared. (12)

By this point, we understand that both the United States and China have areas that are greatly polluted. It may come as a surprise to some, however, to learn that the Pacific Ocean has become littered with an enormous volume of garbage. In fact, a vast area of the Pacific has become known as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch." It is estimated that this stretch of ocean is twice the size of the American state of Texas. (13) After returning from a recent expedition to study the garbage patch, marine biologist Serena Cunsolo was quoted as saying, "We were surrounded by an endless layer of garbage. It was devastating to see." (14) The Great Pacific Garbage Patch was first discovered by Captain Charles Moore in 1997. (15) In an article published in 2003, Captain Moore described what his discovery was like. "As I gazed from the deck at the surface of what ought to have been a pristine ocean, I was confronted, as far as the eye could see, with the sight of plastic. It seemed unbelievable, but I never found a clear spot. In the week it took to cross the subtropical high, no matter what time of day I looked, plastic debris were floating everywhere: bottles, bottle caps, wrappers, fragments." (16)

I am by no means an environmentalist, yet I do think it is sad to see how polluted the world has become. I do not expect that any efforts to rectify the situation will be successful, but rather, the destructive nature of man will continue to cause havoc right up until the time when God destroys this planet for good. I suspect that when the time comes, there will not be much left for God to destroy, but we are promised in the Scriptures that God will give us a new heavens and a new earth. For as we read in II Peter 3:13, "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."

The Destructive Nature Of Lust!

In 1 John 2:15-17 we find the following admonishment: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." Lust has been a problem in this world since the fall of man, and with the advanced inventions of mankind have come new methods for men, women, and even children to gorge themselves on their sinful desires. We no longer live in a world where so-called "adult entertainment" is confined to the seedy backrooms in the video store or top shelves of the magazine racks out of view from the prying eyes of children. Because of the proliferation of the Internet, pornography is now easily accessible to all, and sadly, this includes children. According to a report published by The Christian Post in July 2015, the addictive nature of pornography is now being compared to crack cocaine, and young children have become addicted to it. The report indicates that the average age of exposure to pornographic materials is age 12, while one third of 10-year-olds and 53 percent of children ages 12 to 15 have accessed pornography online. (17)

According to researchers, early exposure to pornography can have detrimental effects on the mental well-being of children. "I found that the increasing use of pornography is related to higher psychopathy scores. Is Internet pornography teaching our boys to act like psychopaths?" wondered Marie Anne Layden, the director at the Sexual Trauma and Psychopathic Program Center for Cognitive Therapy. (18) Dawn Hawkins, the Executive Director of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, also warned that childhood exposure to pornography leads to violent behavior. "Research, and sadly, real life experiences show that adults and children are developing lifelong addictions and thanks to our pornified culture, sex trafficking, child exploitation, and sexual violence are on the rise. We must not stand for corporate or government policies which contribute to and facilitate this exploitation," Hawkins declared. (19)

Unfortunately, sin often leads to more sin, and the Internet has also made it easier for married individuals to commit adultery. The scope of this problem became more pronounced after a website known as AshleyMadison.com was hacked. The website, which serves as a matchmaker for those looking to commit adultery, features a tagline which declares, "Life is short. Have an affair." (20) Apparently, millions of individuals in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere liked such an idea and signed up for accounts on the filthy website. When the hackers of the website released the records which they stole in the cyber-attack, the identities of thirty-three million users were made known. (21) The Associated Press reported that hundreds of these people are employees of the United States government and work at the White House, Congress, and law enforcement agencies. (22) Sadly, the exposure of their identities led some users to commit suicide. (23) Just how much damage did this website cause? After a careful examination of the records, it was revealed that only three zip codes in the United States have no Ashley Madison account holders. The zip codes are 99691 for Nikolai, Alaska; 99648 for Perryville, Alaska; and 87828 for Polvadera, New Mexico. Each of these communities have a population of less than 300 people. (24)

The devastating consequences of unbridled lust are evident throughout Scripture, and James 1:13-15 gives a sobering warning to those who give in to temptation. In these verses we read, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." We would all do well to heed the admonition we find in II Timothy 2:19, "…let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."

America - A Land Polluted With Blood!

Throughout the Old Testament, we can read of many occasions when God was angry with the nation of Israel. One of their sins that made God greatly angry was the fact that the people sacrificed their own children to the so-called gods of their heathen neighbors. In Psalm 106:37-38 we read, "Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood." Sadly, we live in a period of time when the slaughter of innocent babies is performed continually in the United States of America. When we consider the fact that about one million babies are killed each year in this country, it becomes obvious that America has become a nation polluted with blood.

In last month's issue of this newsletter, I wrote about two shocking undercover videos which expose Planned Parenthood and its participation in the illegal sale of aborted baby parts. Since that time, six more videos have been released by the Center for Medical Progress, which reveal the coldhearted and evil nature of workers at Planned Parenthood and the companies they partner with. (25) In one video, a former worker for a company called StemExpress described some of her experiences working as a technician who processed aborted babies for Planned Parenthood. "The moment I see it, I am just flabbergasted. This is the most gestated fetus, the closest thing to a baby I have ever seen. She (her co-worker) is like, 'Okay, I want to show you something.' She has one of her instruments and she just taps the heart and it starts beating. I am sitting here just looking at this fetus and its heart is beating and I don't know what to think," said former technician Holly O'Donnell. The technicians then went on to harvest parts from the baby, including the brain. (26) In another video, the eighth overall to be released, StemExpress CEO Cate Dyer bragged that the sale of fetal body parts has been "profitable" for abortion providers. (27) Dyer also described the terrifying impact working on aborted babies can have on its technicians. "If you have intact cases, which we've done a lot, we sometimes ship those back to our lab in its entirety. Tell the lab it's coming, so they don't open the box and… their lab techs freak out and have meltdowns." She further went on to say, "Academic labs cannot fly like that, they are just not capable. It's almost like they don't want to know where it comes from. I can see that." Dyer also explained her company's eagerness to get their hands on more aborted babies. "We're working with almost like triple digit number of clinics and we still need more. Planned Parenthood has volume, because they are a volume institution," Dyer said. (28)

After great public outcry, StemExpress announced it was cutting ties with Planned Parenthood though it seems obvious that they would gladly maintain their relationship with the evil organization if it did not threaten to tarnish their image. (29) Additionally, other companies, such as Coca-Cola, Ford, and Xerox, have asked to be removed from the Planned Parenthood donor list. "We are making sure that Ford Motor Company is not listed as a Planned Parenthood contributor on their website," a Ford representative stated. Xerox denied ever contributing to Planned Parenthood. "We checked our files for the last 20 years and have no record of Xerox Corp. contributing to Planned Parenthood," said a Xerox representative. (30)

Meanwhile, officials in numerous states, including Louisiana, Alabama, Utah, and New Hampshire, have moved to cut government funding to Planned Parenthood in their states. (31) Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's office made an announcement on August 3, 2015, which declares, "Governor Jindal and DHH (Department of Health and Hospitals) decided to give the required 30-day notice to terminate the Planned Parenthood Medicaid provider contract because Planned Parenthood does not represent the values of the State of Louisiana in regards to respecting human life. Pending the ongoing investigation, DHH reserves the right to amend the cancellation notice and terminate the provider agreement immediately should cause be determined." (32) In like manner, Governor Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas announced similar plans and said in a statement on August 13, 2015: "It is apparent that after the recent revelations on the actions of Planned Parenthood, that this organization does not represent the values of the people of our state and Arkansas is better served by terminating any and all existing contracts with them. This includes their affiliated organization, Planned Parenthood of Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma." (33)

Thankfully, there are still individuals in this country who are willing to stand up and oppose the evil practice of abortion. In fact, thousands of protestors gathered around approximately 320 abortion clinics in the United States on August 21, 2015. (34) Oddly enough, Planned Parenthood found an ally that most groups would not want to be associated with - the Satanic Temple of Detroit. Even as people gathered around the country to protest Planned Parenthood, Satanists in Detroit, Michigan, launched a counter-protest of their own. At this event, priests of the satanic religion poured gallons of milk on some of their female members who appeared to be bound with rope. As these women were drenched in the white liquid, another woman held up a sign which read, "America is not a theocracy. End forced motherhood." To further explain their actions, the group issued a statement which declared, "The Satanic Temple strongly opposes the promotion of misinformation and believes that all people are entitled to make informed decisions about their health, family, and future without coercion. We will not remain voiceless when the philosophical and religious opinions of those in power are utilized to legislate morality. The attempt to do so violates American foundational values of freedom and liberty." (35) It is revealing to note that a statement authored by Satanists sounds very much like a statement that could have been authored by Planned Parenthood itself. In fact, a very similar tone can be perceived in a statement issued by Planned Parenthood vice president Eric Ferrero regarding the protestors. "These rallies are meant to intimidate and harass our patients, who rely on our non-profit health centers for basic, preventive healthcare. The people behind these protests have a clear political agenda: They want to ban abortion, and block women and men from accessing basic reproductive healthcare," Ferrero stated. (36) The reason for such unison is the fact that Satan loves to slaughter babies, and the same type of evil spirits are operating in both groups. Needless to say, you would have to be completely devoid of any Christian discernment to support Planned Parenthood.

A Chaotic Time For Financial Markets!

In recent days, the performance of global financial markets have been something akin to a rollercoaster ride. While we are told over and over again that globalism is a wonderful thing, the fact that the economies of the world are so interconnected in this modern age means that if one economy is troubled, it has the potential to wreak havoc all over the world. The current volatility we are seeing in financial markets today has been spurred by a slowing economy in China. On August 11, 2015, China made a surprising decision to devalue its currency known as the yuan. This action eventually sent the Chinese financial markets tumbling, which in turn caused financial markets elsewhere to tumble. "The fog of fear over the state of the Chinese economy is only thickening, and with little in the way of non-Chinese news to come this Monday, the markets are going to struggle to escape today without some fairly ugly scars," said financial analyst Connor Campbell. (37) The day being mentioned in the aforementioned quote was August 24, 2015, which has become known as "China's Black Monday." (38) On this day, China's Shanghai Composite Index suffered their biggest decline in eight years after falling 8.5 percent. On the following day, Chinese markets fell again, losing another 4.3 percent. (39)

However, the erratic behavior we are seeing in global markets is not caused solely by China, according to experts. "Weakness… is not limited to China. The Brazilian economy is in shambles, while the latest data from Russia showed the economy falling further into recession in the second quarter," said analysts from Oxford Economics. (40)

The performance of the American stock market has been chaotic to say the least. On August 20, 2015, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stock index fell by 358 points. (41) On the following day, August 21, 2015, Dow Jones plunged by 531 points. (42) Within the opening moments of the business day on August 24, 2015, the Dow Jones Industrial Average quickly shed 1,089 points before finishing the day with an overall loss of 588 points. (43) On August 25, 2015, the Dow Jones initially surged, rising by 488 points. However, by the close of the trading day, it had suffered a 205 point loss overall. (44) It was a different story entirely on August 26, 2015. On this day the Dow Jones surged 619 points, which is the third biggest gain ever for the index. (45) This just demonstrates how uncertain the global economy is today and serves as a warning of how quickly things can change. In fact, the United States stock market managed to lose 2.1 trillion dollars in just six days. (46)

In closing, it is obvious that we are living in a polluted world. This can be applied in both a spiritual and physical perspective; yet, we serve a mighty God who can cleanse us and wash away our sins. In Psalm 119:9-10 we find the following verses: "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments." How can we be cleansed? The answer comes by embracing God's Word and seeking Him with our whole hearts. If you have not yet fully dedicated your life to God and given Him your heart, I urge you to do so now.

Thank you all for your kind support of this ministry. We are thankful to have this opportunity to serve you, and we pray that this newsletter and everything we publish is a blessing to you. If you have any prayer requests, we are here and ready to take your petitions before the throne of the Almighty. We always give every prayer request individual attention. Grace and peace be unto you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Samuel David Meyer