The Trumpet Herald

Giving the trumpet a certain sound

March 2009

Vatican divorces Italy


In a move that has taken the Italian government by surprise, the pope has divorced the Vatican State from Italian national law, effective from January 1. With this move the Vatican State immediately reverts to its pre-1929 status, meaning that the pope now becomes the supreme authority on judging which of those laws enacted by the Italian government the Vatican State will choose to abide by and which it will reject ("Vatican Reverts to Setting Its Own Laws," www.thetrumpet.com, Jan. 1, 2009).

What does this mean? Christianity Today commented:

The Papal office said there were too many laws in the Italian civil and criminal codes and that many of them conflicted with the Church's principles. ...

The decision also applies to international treaties and follows its recent refusal to approve a UN declaration advocating the decriminalisation of homosexuality.

The Roman Catholic Church has in the past spoken out against efforts to legalise same sex civil unions and euthanasia, and the divorce from Italian law could be seen as a bid to protect the Church's position on these and other ethical issues ("Vatican Breaks from Italian Law," www.christianitytoday.com, Jan. 2, 2009).

Inspired commentary

Prophecy indicates that the Papacy will play a dominant role in events with world-wide impact shortly before Jesus returns. Along with independence from Italian and international law, there will likely be impacts on growing the Vatican's influence in society.

And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast (Rev. 13:2, 3).

Fires in Australia


The deadliest wildfires in Australian history have claimed 108 lives as this is being written.

HEALESVILLE, Australia — Entire towns have been razed by wildfires raging through southeastern Australia, burning people in their homes and cars in the deadliest blaze in the country's history. The number of dead Monday stood at 108, a grim toll that rose almost by the hour as officials reached further into the fire zone.

Searing temperatures and wind blasts created a firestorm that swept across a swath of the country's Victoria state, where at least 750 homes were destroyed and all of the victims died. ...

On Sunday temperatures in the area dropped to about 77 F (25 C) but along with cooler conditions came wind changes that officials said could push fires in unpredictable directions.

Thousands of exhausted volunteer firefighters were battling about 30 uncontrolled fires Sunday night in Victoria, officials said, though conditions had eased considerably. It would be days before they were brought under control, even if temperatures stayed down, they said ("Australian wildfires kill 108 people," Associated Press in The Washington Times, Feb. 8, 2009).

Inspired commentary

A loving God is pained at human suffering. Evil, however, seems to triumph, at least temporarily, to instigate suffering. The news report indicated that government research showed that about half of Australia's annual 60,000 fires are deliberately lit. Real security will not come until Jesus does.

In the last scenes of this earth's history war will rage. There will be pestilence, plague and famine. The waters of the deep will overflow their boundaries. Property and life will be destroyed by fire and flood. We should be preparing for the mansions that Christ has gone to prepare for them that love Him (Maranatha, p. 174).

Fatal Job-loss Stress


The unemployment rate in the United States is reaching record numbers as economic activity slows and employers cut their labor expenses.

The economy lost nearly 600,000 jobs in January for the third month in a row, driving the nation's unemployment rate up to 7.6 percent, the Labor Department reported Friday.

No one was spared as the latest job losses affected nearly every sector of the economy and brought the number of jobs eliminated in the past three months to nearly 1.8 million. It was the economy's worst three-month performance since 1945.

Since the recession began a year ago, a record 3.6 million jobs have disappeared ("3-month job losses worst since 1945," www.washingtontimes.com, Feb. 7, 2009).

Such job losses cause great stress on the individuals put out of work. In one widely reported case, job-loss stress appeared to be the major factor in a murder-suicide.

Police say Ervin Lupoe killed his wife Ana, their 8-year-old daughter and two sets of twins, 2-year-old boys and 5-year-old girls, the evening of Jan. 26 before killing himself the following morning. ...

"I found my brother to be a very compassionate, loving father and very loving toward his family," Yolondo Lupoe [sister of the shooter] said. "He was very protective and loving."

She said her older brother never had any mental problems. She blamed his actions on desperation after learning he and his wife were fired from their jobs as hospital technicians at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center. ...

Before he killed himself, Ervin Lupoe faxed a letter to a local TV station saying he had expressed frustrations with a hospital administrator. The couple had been fired after they lied about their income in order to qualify for cheaper child care, police said ("Sister of murder-suicide man calls him 'loving'," www.washingtonpost.com, Feb. 3, 2008).

Inspired commentary

Man's extremity is God's opportunity. While in prosperous times, many have no time for God, difficult times can lead to greater receptivity to the message of God's love and the gospel. God's people should intensify efforts to communicate God's messages when both people's needs and receptivity are intensified.

God has thrust His people into the gap, to make up the hedge, to raise up the foundation of many generations. The heavenly intelligences, angels that excel in strength, are waiting, obedient to His command, to unite with human agencies; and the Lord will interpose when matters have come to such a pass that none but a divine power can counteract the satanic agencies at work. When His people shall be in the greatest danger, seemingly unable to stand against the power of Satan, God will work in their behalf. Man's extremity is God's opportunity. (Selected Messages, vol. 2, p. 373).

Parents Interrogated


A mother and father in New York were subjected by their school district's attorney to a faith "sincerity test," which ultimately ruled their beliefs were too questionable to qualify for a religious exemption to mandatory student immunization.

Ron and Rita Palma filed the exemption with their son's school district in 2006 after coming to the conclusion the year before that the required vaccinations violated their conscience and sense of God's leading for their family ("School interrogates, rejects parent's religion," www.worldnetdaily.com, Feb. 8, 2009).

Inspired commentary

Those who live during the last days of this earth's history will know what it means to be persecuted for the truth's sake. In the courts injustice will prevail. The judges will refuse to listen to the reasons of those who are loyal to the commandments of God because they know the arguments in favor of the fourth commandment are unanswerable (Last Day Events p. 145).





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