Newsletter 132 Summer 2019

A World in Rebellion

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”  2 Timothy 3: 1 – 5

In this edition:

LGBT at Argos and Sainsbury

Why I do not celebrate Gay Pride

Apostasy not Inactivity

Huawei

Christ as Protector

Revelations of Jesus Christ

Peace to Prosperity

No to prosperity

We are watching you

Freedom

31st October

‘LGBT at Argos and Sainsburys’.

The other week my wife on visiting our local supermarket was confronted by a banner with the words ‘We are proud to support LGBT – Argos at Sainsburys’. It prompted a letter to the manager explaining why we are not proud to support LGBT.

Gay Liberation

From the very early days of the Gay Liberation Front, LGBT has been a destructive force within society. As Christians we recognise that the God given structure for a secure stable society is the family. A family in which a husband and wife are committed to each other and their children. It provides the safe place in which children can grow up to become mature members of their community.

The London Gay Liberation Front Manifest of 1971, revised 1978, made clear that the movement’s intention was to end discrimination against queers and straights. They saw the family as the prime oppressor of those who wanted to adopt a queer lifestyle, as illustrated by the following quote from the manifesto: “The oppression of gay people starts in the most basic unit of society, the family, consisting of the man in charge, a slave as his wife and their children on whom they force themselves as ideal models. The very form of the family works against the homosexual”.

It is worth rereading the Manifesto, which is available on line1, to reflect on how far they have succeeded in achieving their objectives. They set out to transform society and although few in number, have largely succeeded in their objectives. They were aided in the attack on society by the women’s liberation movement and what has now come to be known as Cultural Marxism.

1 [https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/pwh/glf-london.asp]

Why I Do Not Celebrate Gay Pride

In an article headed ‘Why I Do Not Celebrate Gay Pride’, Dr Michael Brown gave three reasons why it was not a matter for celebration.

“First, I do not accept the categories of LGBT as fixed and definite categories, worthy of special recognition. Put another way, why should there be a special month to celebrate people based on their sexual desires and romantic attractions? Or based on their gender identity perceptions?”

“Second, if I’m convinced that homosexual practice is contrary to God’s design, why should I celebrate it?”

“Third, and finally, I do not celebrate LGBT pride because there is an agenda attached to it. In other words, this is not just a matter of me appreciating LGBT people as people, or recognizing their accomplishments for the sake of their accomplishments. Instead, to celebrate LGBT pride is to recognize and embrace a larger cultural agenda.”

The full article can be read at:https://stream.org/not-celebrate-gay-pride/

Apostasy not Inactivity

Over several decades there have been those who have cried out that the church has been asleep allowing all this to happen. Having been asleep themselves they imagine that everyone else has likewise been slumbering. During this time the remnant true church in Britain has in fact been punching far above its weight in opposing the destruction of society. The failure to win the day has not been due to inactivity but due to swimming against the tide of end time apostasy.

Those who believe in a great end time revival which will bring in the Kingdom of God, find this difficult to understand. To talk about an apostasy and falling away is for them defeatist. Defeatist or not, it is scriptural. “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” Matthew 24: 12. “for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy about the terrible times which will come in the last days (2 Timothy 3: 1 – 9). We are living in those days.

Trumpet Sounds believes that a strong defence against allowing ourselves to become part of the falling away is an understanding of scriptural teaching on the end times. Our expectations need to be rooted in the Word of God not the fanciful ideas of men.

In these days, battles are having to be fought in order to protect Christian liberty. We must defend such liberty as we can, while we can. However the true church is fighting a rear guard action. It is like an army valiantly defending a piece of territory. The Commander in Chief has planned a counter offensive which will crush the enemy. We do not know when that attack will come. Our orders are to hold on to what ground we can until that time comes. In holding that ground we trust that it will allow many to escape from the clutches of the enemy to come over to our side.

As the return of our Lord draws closer the battle will intensify. There will be some victories but also many defeats. For a time the kingdom of this world will appear to triumph. All witness for Christ will be silenced. At that time the world will celebrate. At last they are rid of the Christian conscience (Revelation 11: 10). The celebrations will be very short lived. They will be cut short by the return of Jesus Christ, to claim His throne as ruler of this world. 

What can the righteous do?

In past editions of Trumpet Sounds we have featured the advice of Corrie Ten Boon on how to prepare to face suffering for Christ. She gave four recommendations. 1). Feed on the Word of God, read it, digest it, memorise it. 2). Develop our personal relationship with Christ. 3). Be filled with the Holy Spirit. 4). Develop strong relationships with one another. An article by Corrie Ten Boon which develops this theme can be read at:

David Wilkerson also encouraged people to prepare for the times when the whole world is shaken. At these times we are to make God our hiding place. “come my people enter your chambers, and shut the door behind you; hide yourselves, as it were for a little time until the indignation is past.” Isaiah 26: 20. This is not hiding from the world but hiding ourselves in God.

David Wilkerson explains, “The prophet says it is possible to find a place of comfort and composure during volatile times of His wrath. When you are distressed, when you feel overwhelmed with fear, laid low by great affliction, troubled by concerns for your future, God says there is a secret hiding place. It is a place of comfort where we find composure for our souls. This secret hiding place is a chamber in your mind. Isaiah describes it this way: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” Isaiah 26:3. When God tells us, “Shut the doors,” this is what he means. He is showing us the need to shut out the many troubling voices in our heads. We are to close the door to all thoughts about tomorrow, about world events. Jesus told us, “Give no thought about tomorrow.” The Lord who has faithfully brought us this far will not fail us in the days ahead.”

The full article can be read at: https://worldchallenge.org/content/if-foundations-are-destroyed-what-can-righteous-do

Huawei

What role if any should a Chinese company play in the construction of the fifth generation of mobile network? Our government, keen to trade with China, has been prepared to open the door to the Chinese company Huawei. This is despite warnings of the security risks this would create.

There is a salutary tale which should remind us of the risk. In 2015 Amazon bought the video streaming company Elemental. As part of the pre-purchase audit Amazon employees examined the servers used by Elemental.

Although these servers were designed in the USA, they were manufactured in China. In principle, there is nothing strange in this as almost 90% of the PCs and their components are manufactured in that country.

The Amazon inspection found that an additional component had been added to the motherboard. No bigger than a grain of rice and hidden between other components it was clearly hoped that it would go unnoticed in a visual inspection. The component was designed to intercept data traffic on its journey from system memory to processor.

Huawei as with most Chinese companies is ultimately under the control of the government. They are not in a position to refuse instructions to include hidden components in their equipment. It is foreseeable that any equipment manufactured in China could include unauthorised components which enable China to both spy on and control what is transmitted over the network.

Christ as Protector

This is the seventh article in the series ‘12 Revelations of Jesus Christ’ from the book of Revelation. In the previous article we looked at Christ and Israel. He still loves the Jews and will protect those who obey Him in these last days. We also saw how that the martyrs for Christ contribute to the downfall of Satan.

In this article we will cover the final years leading up to the return of Jesus Christ. For a very brief period at the close of the age, a trinity of evil will be allowed to counterfeit the work of God in order to deceive men. This vision ends with a special group of people whom Christ has redeemed and protected throughout the time of trouble. They are seen, with Him, triumphant over the kingdom of this world.

Woe to the earth

As this age draws to a close Satan will be cast out of heaven. That victory in heaven is at least in part attributed to the faithful witness of the saints on earth. Of them is it said: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Revelation 12: 11. Through being faithful when persecuted or facing martyrdom they prove Satan a liar.

Heaven rejoices at Satan’s overthrow, but for the earth it heralds a time of woe. Satan is full of wrath at his defeat and knows that he has only a limited time left. What follows in Revelation chapter 13 is Satan’s last desperate attempt to re-assert his authority on this earth. He is enraged so he turns his hatred against those who caused his downfall; the saints who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.

The beast

In Revelation chapter 13 the beast is both an empire and a person. The empire with seven heads and ten horns is the image of Satan. It is intriguing that this imagery seems to be one Satan accepts. In South East Asia there are many representations of seven headed dragons. Often the dragon heads surround the Buddha.

Another characteristic of this empire is an association with previous empires. The leopard, bear and lion refer back to the kingdoms described in Daniel 7. Later in Revelation we learn that the seven heads also represent a succession of seven kings or empires. Perhaps most significant of all is that one of the heads received a mortal wound from which it has been healed. In Revelation chapter 17 we learn that the beast empire is a revival of one of the former empires. This revived empire becomes the eighth and final empire of the beast. The answer to the question which of the seven former empires received a fatal wound and yet in our time has recovered, helps identify this final beast empire. This identity will be explained in a future article

The world is astonished at the empire’s recovery. It causes people to worship this empire and ask who can make war with it or perhaps also to be understood as, who can resist it.

An empire cannot speak, but a man who heads an empire can. This man speaks great things and blasphemies. In Daniel 7: 8 he is given the title the little horn. In 2 Thessalonians 2: 3 – 4 he is called the man of sin. It is the same person in each instance. Most often he is referred to as the Antichrist.

In Revelation 13: 5 we read that he was given authority for forty two months. The word ‘given’ should be underlined. ‘Given’ emphasises that he has no authority unless it is given by God. He speaks great things, boasting of his self-importance but he can only do what God permits. In all that happens God remains sovereign.

War on the Saints

God’s sovereignty is again emphasised in verse 7 where we read, “It was granted to him”. The beast is, for a time, allowed to make war on the followers of Christ. Daniel 7: 21 warns that for a time the faithful will be overcome by the little horn/beast.

Revelation opens with letters to seven churches. Each letter has an exhortation “to him who overcomes”, followed by a promise. The purpose of Revelation is to encourage us to overcome. There is a clear warning that in this final time many will be martyred or imprisoned. We are called on to persevere and promised that if we do we will be blessed. As Christians we must be prepared to suffer for our Lord, while at the same time living in the expectant blessed hope of Christ’s return.

“if anyone has ears to hear let him hear”  is a reference to the most frequently quoted prophecy in the Bible found in Isaiah 6: 9, 10. The people of Israel were condemned for having ears but not listening. Therefore they lacked understanding and didn’t return to the Lord. We must not to be like them. We need to listen to the prophecy so that we are prepared and not deceived.

A trinity of evil

The first beast is joined by another beast. We now have a trinity of evil. The dragon, Satan, imitates the Father claiming equality with God. The beast imitates the Son, being the visible expression of his father the Devil. The false prophet counterfeits the work of the Holy Spirit.

This second beast performs great signs in order to deceive the world. In 2 Thessalonians 2: 9 the man of sin is allowed to use all the power of Satan, to perform signs and lying wonders. Satan’s prime tactic in these last days is deception. We are to be on our guard. Something may appear to be supernatural, but appearances do not ensure that it is from God.

The Mark

The Christian bears the seal of God, 2 Corinthians 1: 22, Ephesians 4: 30. That seal declares that we are Christ’s. The mark is Satan’s counterfeit of the seal of God. By accepting the name, mark or number we acknowledge Satan’s ownership. As we will see in the next article in this series those who accept Satan’s ownership will share his fate.

The preserved of Israel

We come to the ultimate outcome of the reign of the beast. Satan’s last desperate attempt to reassert his authority has led to a people separated out to be with the Lord. This has been God’s purpose in allowing all that has happened.

The reign of the beast ends on a glorious note. The seventh trumpet has sounded. The redeemed have been gathered to be with their Lord. They return with Him as the armies of heaven to defeat the beast.

In chapter 7 we read about 144,000 sealed from the tribes of Israel. A symbolic number which emphasises a large number and completeness. The precise numbering emphasises that God is watching over His people.

It is a sound principle of interpretation that once we have determined the meaning of a symbol, within a book of the Bible, we do not change that meaning when the symbol is repeated later in the book.

Therefore it is the same 144,000 that are described in Revelation 14: 1 – 5. They are now seen praising God. None of those whom God has sealed will be lost. In contrast to the mark, name and number of the beast, the 144,000 all bear the name of the Father on their foreheads. They refused the mark of the beast. For that reason they are counted as pure.

They are seen standing on Mount Zion. This is the place to which our Lord will return, with all His saints, to fight for and rescue Israel. On that day the remnant of Israel will repent and come to faith in their Messiah.

Amos 9: 9, 10 speaks of a time when Israel will be sifted and saved. The sifting will divide the sinners from the faithful. The 144,000 are the faithful. As their protector, Jesus will bring them all through the final time of trial.Out of rebellious Israel a new nation is born.

The song that they sing comes from that special and unique relationship Israel has with God. It is between them and Jesus. They are said not to be defiled with women. The Lord warned Israel that following other gods was in His eyes adultery. The enticements of the beast did not trap them. Therefore they are described as virgins.

A nation born in a day

The reign of the beast will be a time of separation. It is the plan of God to use it to call out the few who stand faithful to Him from the many who will be deceived. In Romans we read that a time will come when the full number of gentiles has come in. That number will be completed during the final three and a half years of the beast’s reign.

Once the number of the gentiles is complete, “a deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” Romans 11: 26. According to Zechariah it will be on the day that the Lord comes to the defence of Israel that they will recognise their Messiah. On that day the remnant of the nation which has been protected and preserved during the time of trouble will repent.

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Revelations of Jesus Christ

-From the book of Revelation.

The above article is from the series, ‘12 Revelations of Jesus Christ’. The series has now been expanded and put into a book. The following is taken from the introduction and explains how the book is presented:

About this book

Hebrew names of God

Each chapter is headed by a Hebrew name of God. The names are given to summarise the character of Christ as revealed in the chapter which follows. They emphasise that the character of Christ is unchanged from the Old Testament to the New. The names remind us that Revelation concludes not just the New Testament but the whole Bible.

Structure

There are numerous ways in which people understand the structure of the book of Revelation. Some see it a consecutive summary of end time events. Others explain it as a series of parallel visions. In this study it is treated as a series of snap shots each revealing an aspect of the character of Christ.

The Boxes

The boxes are given at the beginning of each chapter to frame each snap shot. They give the portion of the book being studied, the main revelation of Christ being considered and the time frame which the portion covers.

An Introduction

There is a brief introduction to each chapter. It is often in the form of the question which the snap shot answers.

The Text

The main text of the chapter follows. This book can be read as a whole or as a series of individual studies. The short chapters lend themselves to personal study and reflection on the greatness of Jesus the Christ our Saviour.

The Preface summarises why the book has been written:

The main purpose in preparing these studies is to glorify Jesus. It aims to inspire greater love for Him as our Messiah and encourage us to be ready for His return.

‘Revelations of Jesus Christ’ is available from either:

Christian Publications International or Trumpet Sounds

Cost of £8.00 plus p&p £2.00.

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Peace to Prosperity

– A new vision for the Palestinian People and the broader Middle East.

The following quote is from the White House briefing on the plan to bring peace to the Middle East.

“Peace to Prosperity” is a vision to empower the Palestinian people to build a prosperous and vibrant Palestinian society. It consists of three initiatives that will support distinct pillars of the Palestinian society: the economy, the people, and the government.”

“With the potential to facilitate more than $50 billion in new investment over ten years,Peace to Prosperity represents the most ambitious and comprehensive international effort for the Palestinian people to date. It has the ability to fundamentally transform the West Bank and Gaza and to open a new chapter in Palestinian history, one defined not by adversity and loss, but by freedom and dignity.”

The plan is based on the belief that if the Arabs in Gaza and the West Bank were to be lifted out of poverty their desire to fight Israel would disappear. It hardly need be said that before details of the plan were released it had been rejected by Mahmoud Abbas as leader of the Palestinian Authority. He insisted that a political solution must come before the plan was discussed.

In March, while the world’s attention was focused on the Gaza border, protestors within Gaza were being brutally beaten by Hamas Security forces. They were protesting over the poverty suffered by the majority while the privileged few prospered. One protestor described Hamas officials driving jeeps, barbequing chicken, and sending their children to private schools while he could not give his children pocket money or pay his son’s university fees.

Aid money has been poured into Gaza and the West Bank. There has been more than sufficient to lift the territories out of poverty. It has been known for decades that the ordinary people gain little benefit. Most of the money disappears through corruption and yet the donor countries do not seem to care.

The Kushner, ‘Peace to Prosperity’ plan might well work for the ordinary people. I believe that most would grab the opportunity to live in peace and prosperity. From the time of the inception of the State of Israel there have been moderate Arab spokesmen who recognised that peace with Israel would bring prosperity to the whole region.

There is no chance of the peace plan succeeding while the current leadership of both Hamas and Fatah remain in power. They use the poverty of the majority to keep the anger against Israel alive and with it the flow of foreign currency.

[Note: according to Time, Yasser Arafat at one time controlled a financial empire worth £3 billion].

No to Prosperity

To emphasise how little the current Palestinian leadership care about the wellbeing of the ordinary people we quote from a story by Bassam Tawil writing for the Gatestone Institute:

“Ashraf Jabari is a 45-year-old businessman from the West Bank city of Hebron. Jabari believes in economic cooperation and peaceful coexistence with his Jewish neighbours, including settlers living in the West Bank.

Earlier this year, Jabari and some of his Jewish friends launched a new economic initiative to advance joint entrepreneurship between Israelis and Palestinians there.

“We are working on taking down borders, and both Israelis and Palestinians need to take part in this,” Jabari explained. “We need to breach this wall. We must first create good links and good relationships not just in the West Bank, but all over Israel so we can achieve our desired goal.”

To advance his goal, Jabari recently announced the establishment of a new party that calls for focusing on economic prosperity for Palestinians:

“The Reform and Development Party”, he said, “seeks to solve the economic problems of the Palestinians, including high unemployment. We have an army of university graduates who are unemployed,” he said. “We’ve reached a situation where a young [Palestinian] man holding a Master’s degree in law has to work as a street vendor because he can’t find work.”

Instead of giving Jabari a chance to carry out his initiative, Palestinians have waged a massive smear campaign against him, with many denouncing him as a “traitor” and “collaborator” with Israel and Jews. Some Palestinians have even gone as far as calling for his arrest or execution.

Judging from the reactions of the Palestinians, they are angry with Jabari mainly for two reasons: engaging in “normalization” with Israelis and promoting the idea of “economic peace.” The Palestinians’ “anti-normalization” movement is strongly opposed to any form of relations with Israel, including sports and cultural events.

Moreover, his talk about “economic prosperity” for Palestinians has turned him into a public enemy. How dare the man discuss seeking ways to improve the living conditions of his people and create jobs for the unemployed?

In the eyes of many Palestinians, the struggle against Israel should be paramount, even if they have to eat and drink that struggle instead of the food they could buy through engaging in economic initiatives such as those proposed by Jabari.”

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14236/palestinians-oppose-economic-prosperity

We are watching you

Previous editions of Trumpet Sounds have included comment on the Chinese social credit system and the use of facial recognition to monitor and control citizens. Everyone in China will receive an identity number which links them to a constantly updated score based on observable behaviours.

Not to be outdone California is developing a “Cradle to Career Data System”. The system will collect the ethnic, economic and educational records of every child in the state. It will track the child’s development into adulthood. Data will be collected from all the state agencies which have any contact with the child from preschool to University, from doctors to childcare providers.

It is claimed that this information is needed to enable the state to provide appropriate interventions and supports to address disparities in opportunities and improve outcomes for all students. This is data collection for those who make the rules. Under the banner of ‘Social Justice’, it will create a world in which bureaucrats will tally the success of each racial and ethnic group and award funding in an effort to create ‘equity’. By which they do not mean ‘equality of opportunity’ but ‘equality of outcome’, which in reality is never equitable.

As in China there is the justifiable fear that any monitoring of an individual will lead to greater control. The file on the child will never go away. If a person steps out of line, they will immediately come to the attention of the authorities and be penalised. For instance, if a parent objects to the LGBT indoctrination at their child’s school, will it become reason for an ‘appropriate intervention’?  If data is collected up to entering the work force, why stop there?

The issues in California are reminiscent of the Scottish Government’s proposed named person’s scheme. In California it is behind the scenes data which is being collected. In Scotland it was proposed to appoint a ‘Named Person’ for every child in Scotland. That person would monitor the welfare of the child. Fortunately after the proposal was opposed, by mainly Christian groups, the UK Supreme Court ruled that it breached the right to privacy and family life under the European Convention on Human Rights.

The further a society moves away from Godly laws, the more its government perceives a need to control its citizens.

Freedom

“If a thing is free to be good, it is also free to be bad. And free will is what made evil possible. Why, then, did God give them free will? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.” Quoted from ‘Mere Christianity’ by C S Lewis.

31st October

A couple of years ago Kelvin Crombie released a DVD that looked at four significant events which all took place on the 31st October. On the 31st October 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg Castle Church. Many take this event as the start of the Reformation. On the 31st October 1898 Kaiser Wilhelm II opened the German Church in Jerusalem. On 31st October 1917 the British War Cabinet agreed to establish a national home for the Jews in Palestine. On that same day the British Egyptian Expeditionary force took Beersheba, opening the way to Jerusalem and the defeat of the Ottoman Empire. These four events were all significant in the lead up to the return of the Jews to their homeland. The return of the Jews is the most significant marker that we are approaching the end of the present age and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Could it be that another momentous 31st October will be added to this list? The new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson has given an absolute guarantee that the nation will leave the European Union on the 31st October. Despite his many flaws Johnson has described himself as a passionate Zionist. He wrote in a 2017 article, “I served a stint on a Kibbutz in my youth and … saw enough to understand the miracle of Israel: the bonds of hard work, self-reliance and an audacious relentless energy that hold together a remarkable country.”

If Zionist Johnson were to take the opportunity, on leaving the anti-Israel EU, to lead a more positively pro-Israel Britain, I believe that the risks to the UK from leaving the EU will be greatly reduced. God does bless those who bless Israel. We n