The ‘impossible’ Crisis is trans- The church that The ultimate new space telescope forming Germany ruled the world plan of God SEPTEMBER 2021 THE TYRANNY OF ‘SCIENCE’ The danger in putting faith in a false messiah COVER Scientific experts are dictating the COVID-19 response, and the world is blindly following. (Reese Zoellner/Trumpet) SEPTEMBER 2021 | VOL. 32, NO. 8 | CIRC. 240,596 The Jeroboam bulla FEATURES DEPARTMENTS FROM THE EDITOR 1 Why Is July 4 Suddenly WORLDWATCH 28 A Tiny Artifact Proclaims a Scandalous? 14 31 Powerfully Encouraging Message SOCIETYWATCH ‘At the Verge of Impossible’ 16 PRINCIPLES OF LIVING 33 COVER STORY 2 Beware Our Present-Tense Culture The Tyranny of ‘Science’ INFOGRAPHIC Falsely So Called Preparing to Scrutinze the Stars 18 DISCUSSION BOARD 34 The NHS: Britain’s False Religion 4 The Ultimate Plan of God 20 COMMENTARY 35 Germany: Transformed A Humble Request The Modern King Jeroboam II 23 by Crises 7 THE KEY OF DAVID TELEVISION LOG 36 The Church That Ruled the World 10 DANI MACHLIS/BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY MACHLIS/BEN-GURION DANI Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry’s Trumpet executive editor Stephen Regular news updates and alerts News and analysis weekly television program Flurry’s television program from our website to your inbox updated daily theTrumpet.com/keyofdavid theTrumpet.com/trumpetdaily theTrumpet.com/go/brief theTrumpet.com FROM THE EDITOR GERALD FLURRY A Tiny Artifact Proclaims a Powerfully Encouraging Message “Let the stones speak.” —Dr. Eilat Mazar or more than four years, I have explained that United supervision of Ben-Gurion University Prof. Yuval Goren” (Times States President Donald Trump fulfills a role prophesied of Israel, Dec. 10, 2020). F in the Bible of an end-time “King Jeroboam.” You can find The timing of this announcement was interesting. This bulla this stunning prophecy in Amos 7, which talks extensively has been around for a long time. In fact, it was purchased from about this national leader. a Bedouin antiquities merchant in the 1980s, more than 30 This prophecy is connected to 2 Kings 14, which records the years ago. For years, the man who purchased this tiny artifact history of King Jeroboam ii in the eighth century b.c. As Israel’s assumed it was a forgery. There was no record of where it came longest-serving monarch, this man presided over a remarkable from or how it was discovered. He paid about 10 shekels for national resurgence in the kingdom. Like much of Israel and it—a few cents. Judah’s ancient history, the events in 2 Kings 14 are dual, which About five years ago, Prof. Yuval Goren from Ben-Gurion means there is also an end-time fulfillment. (Read our article University began testing the seal impression. The procedure was explaining this on page 23 of this Trumpet issue.) intense. Professor Goren “followed a protocol he had forged over Amos 7 and 2 Kings 14 are crucial passages to understanding the past decade, which includes a series of overlapping tests from Donald Trump’s presidency, the current political situation in varied scientific disciplines.” Only after five years of scrupulous America, and even broader trends in the world. testing was it announced that the bulla was authentic. The media Even now, with Joe Biden in the White House, I continue in Israel and worldwide published many articles about it. to believe Donald Trump will once again become America’s This wonderful artifact brings King Jeroboam ii to life. But president. The reason is that I understand and believe God’s it also brings to life Amos 7 and 2 Kings 14, two prophecies prophecy in Amos 7. If only more people really believed the about an end-time Jeroboam ii! Bible, they would have so much more understanding and hope! I don’t believe the timing of this announcement was a Right now, the situation may look dire for Mr. Trump, since coincidence. he no longer leads the nation and his enemies are so wide- Faith is “the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). My spread and fierce. Events appear to undermine the prophecy faith is in God’s Word—not in a tiny 2,500-year-old artifact. in Amos 7, yet neither God nor His prophecies have changed— However, such a discovery can be an inspiring miracle that God which means I cannot change my view either. often gives to those who believe His message. That encourages Late last year, as it seemed that evidence disproving this us to build even more faith. As our faith grows, so do the mira- prophecy was piling up, we learned about a very special discov- cles. Then our Bible comes alive as never before! ery in Israel. I believe God had a hand in this discovery. The oval-shaped bulla is small: roughly 3/4 inch tall and 1 inch In the world of archaeology, the discovery and authentication wide. Though tiny, it packs a powerful message! of a seal stamp (bulla) mentioning a biblical king is rare. The last On the front is an image of a roaring lion standing with its time it happened was in 2015, when it was revealed that archae- tail raised. Above the lion is a paleo-Hebrew inscription that ologists had uncovered a bulla mentioning Judah’s King Heze- reads, “l’Shema eved Yerov’am,” which means “Belonging to kiah. Last December was another one of those rare occasions. Shema the servant/minister of Jeroboam.” This bulla didn’t What was the name of the biblical king inscribed on this seal? belong to King Jeroboam personally; it belonged to a servant, It was King Jeroboam ii! or minister, who worked with the king. The word Shema is used many times in the Bible. It means The Lion of Israel hear, or listen. This is the word in Deuteronomy 6:4, where Amanda Borschel-Dan, one of Israel’s finest archaeology God says, “Hear, O Israel ….” The word is used 10 times in the journalists, wrote this about the bulla: “What is arguably the book of Amos, including in chapter 7. “Now therefore hear thou earliest inscribed clay seal impression from the land of Israel— the word of the Lord …” (verse 16). Do you think God might be News and analysis updated daily used at the court of Israelite King Jeroboam ii—has been trying to tell us something with this bulla? I do. theTrumpet.com authenticated after years of strict laboratory testing under the ARTIFACT PAGE 22 u SEPTEMBER 2021 1 THE TYRANNY OF ‘SCIENCE’ FALSELY SO CALLED Society is making sacrifices to a false messiah. BY STEPHEN FLURRY JULIA GODDARD/TRUMPET, LAURA LEZZA/GETTY IMAGES, DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES, CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES, JEENAH MOON/GETTY IMAGES, IMAGES, MOON/GETTY JEENAH IMAGES, SOMODEVILLA/GETTY CHIP IMAGES, ANGERER/GETTY DREW IMAGES, LEZZA/GETTY LAURA GODDARD/TRUMPET, JULIA CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES, LUIS ACOSTA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES, FIONA GOODALL/GETTY IMAGES GOODALL/GETTY FIONA IMAGES, ACOSTA/AFP/GETTY LUIS IMAGES, KHANNA/AFP/GETTY CHANDAN ANAS BABA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES BABA/AFP/GETTY ANAS 2 THE PHILADELPHIA TRUMPET lot of what “15 days to slow the spread,” and later this pandemic. Claiming their deci- you’re seeing as advocated unprecedented lockdowns sions were “backed by science,” health “ attacks on me, for more than a year. He is the man who experts have recommended a labyrinth quite frankly, initially advised that masks were unnec- of contradictory rules and insisted on are attacks on essary, then claimed that he had been phenomenally oppressive measures that science.” That misleading people so that they would have shuttered businesses, devastated is Dr. Anthony leave enough masks for health-care education, upended millions of lives, THE TYRANNY Fauci’s descrip- workers, and still later said that the effec- and created far more grievous problems tion of Dr. tiveness of double masks was “common than they have solved. Anthony Fauci, sense.” He is the man now telling the This is to say nothing of the fact that OF ‘SCIENCE’ from a June world that he has spoken “consistently scientists, including Dr. Fauci himself, interview. “Because all of the things that from the very beginning,” and has, at the almost certainly caused the pandemic. I have spoken about, consistently from same time, “evolved” his advice. One of Dr. Fauci’s many articles was Athe very beginning, have been funda- Some people advance through the published in 2012 by the American Soci- FALSELY SO CALLED mentally based on science. … [I]f you are educational, medical, political or other ety for Microbiology. There he explicitly Society is making sacrifices to a false messiah. trying to, you know, get at me as a public systems of our societies and become wrote that “gain of function” research on BY STEPHEN FLURRY health official and a scientist, you’re what we consider elite, wise, high- bat coronaviruses was worth the risk of a really attacking not only Dr. Anthony Fauci, you’re attacking science.” SOME PEOPLE ADVANCE THROUGH THE EDUCATIONAL, Anthony Fauci is an alumnus of the College of the Holy Cross and a doctor MEDICAL, POLITICAL OR OTHER SYSTEMS OF OUR SOCIETIES of Cornell University Medical College. AND BECOME WHAT WE CONSIDER ELITE, WISE, HIGH-MINDED. He has received 50 honorary doctorates from universities in the United States YET THIS DOES NOT IMMUNIZE THEM FROM BEING WRONG. and other countries. According to a government website, he is the 132nd minded. Yet this does not immunize pandemic if it increases our knowledge of most-cited author of 992,000 authors them from being wrong. diseases. The government nevertheless in general and internal medicine, the The Apostle Paul wrote this about some banned “gain of function” research only 32nd most-cited living researcher, the people in his day: “Professing themselves two years later.