The Trumpet Herald

Giving the trumpet a certain sound

May 2009

Violent Crime Onslaught

Recent news items detailed multiple instances of violent crime.

Reporting from Oakland -- In the neighborhood where four Oakland police officers were killed last weekend, a large makeshift memorial still adorns a sidewalk with flowers, notes and photographs of the slain police. Across the street lies another, smaller sidewalk memorial -- this one for the parolee who killed the officers.

A cluster of African American women in front of the police memorial argued last week about a candlelight vigil planned for the felon, whom police had just linked by DNA to the rape of a 12-year-old ("Oakland has been defined by violence, but its true identity is more complicated," Los Angeles Times (latimes.com), Mar. 29, 2009).

PITTSBURGH - A gunman wearing a bulletproof vest and "lying in wait" opened fire on officers responding to a domestic disturbance call Saturday, killing three of them and turning a quiet Pittsburgh street into a battlefield, police said.

Police Chief Nate Harper said the motive for the shooting isn't clear, but friends said the gunman recently had been upset about losing his job and feared the Obama administration was poised to ban guns ("Police: 3 officers killed in Pa. shooting," The Associated Press on MSNBC.com, Apr. 4, 2009).

GRAHAM, Wash. – A man who fatally shot his five children and killed himself had just discovered his wife was leaving him for another man, authorities said Sunday.

The bodies of James Harrison's children, ages 7 to 16, were found with multiple gunshot wounds Saturday in the family's mobile home, most of them in their beds. Harrison's body had been found earlier in the day with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, behind the wheel of his idling car ("Police: Dad killed kids because wife was leaving," The Associated Press on news.Yahoo.com, April 5, 2009).

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- The receptionist who was badly wounded but still managed to call police when a gunman opened fire in an immigrant center remains fearful and rolls her eyes at being called a hero, her brother said Monday.

Shirley DeLucia continues to recover in a Binghamton hospital from gunshot wounds to the abdomen suffered when 41-year-old Jiverly Wong burst into the American Civic Association Friday morning and started shooting. Wong killed 13 people before taking his own life ("Pain, grief, questions in NY shootings aftermath," The Associated Press in www.washingtonpost.com, April 6, 2009).

Inspired commentary

While the immediacy of news availability worldwide contributes to seeming trends that may in fact be somewhat isolated incidents, it does seem that the current economic stress may be pushing some over the edge. Christ's second coming will end such violence.

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD (Genesis 6:5-8).

In the days of Noah the overwhelming majority was opposed to the truth, and enamored with a tissue of falsehoods. The land was filled with violence. War, crime, murder, was the order of the day. Just so will it be before Christ's second coming (MS 24, 1891). (Bible Commentary, v. 1, p. 1090)

Islamic-Christian Virgin Mary Celebration

A joint Islamic-Christian celebration honoring the Virgin Mary reportedly will feature the erection of a statue of Mary surrounded by a crescent in a square in front of the Lebanon's national museum.

Beirut (AsiaNews) – Tomorrow 25 March will be the first " Day" in honour of the Virgin Mary, L' Jour reports today in an article signed by Fady Noun, who notes that the new festivity will fall on the Feast of the Annunciation of Mary according to the Christian liturgical calendar.

"Together around Mary, Our Lady," is the title chosen for the celebration, which will be more of a national event than a religious one. At present it is not a statutory holiday but it could become one in the "near future, in addition to traditional celebrations of the Annunciation."

"It will make the Virgin Mary, who is revered by Muslims and Christians alike, a factor of unity among Lebanese of every faith," the French-language daily wrote ("Islamic-Christian celebration to honour the Virgin Mary, symbol of national unity," www.asianews.it, Mar. 24, 2009).

Inspired commentary

Bible prophecy indicates that a certain "beast" power will command great influence in the closing times of earth's history. Reverence for the Virgin Mary will likely play a prominent role. Those interested in unity and power will find a way to accomplish their goal -- to a point at least.

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. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months (Revelation 13:3-5).

The Word of God plainly declares that His law is to be scorned, trampled upon, by the world; there will be an extraordinary prevalence of iniquity. The professed Protestant world will form a confederacy with the man of sin, and the church and the world will be in corrupt harmony. (Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 975)

Homosexual Rights vs. Conscience

While gay rights groups push to defend what they say are their rights, some religious groups are working to expand conscience clauses to cover commercial businesses and their employees, according to a recent article in The Washington Post.

Faith organizations and individuals who view homosexuality as sinful and refuse to provide services to gay people are losing a growing number of legal battles that they say are costing them their religious freedom.

The lawsuits have resulted from states and communities that have banned discrimination based on sexual orientation. Those laws have created a clash between the right to be free from discrimination and the right to freedom of religion, religious groups said, with faith losing ("Faith Groups Increasingly Lose Gay Rights Fights," www.washingtonpost.com, Apr. 10, 2009).

The article goes on to give several recent examples that included a photographer in New Mexico, a psychologist in Georgia, fertility doctors in California, and a University of California student group. In each of these cases, the conscientious objector lost in court.

Inspired commentary

As the history of the earth nears the climax of Christ's second coming, the Bible predicts that the sin problem will intensify.

But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit (Jude 17-19).