The Political Quake That Is Shaking Germany— and All of Europe COVER September’S Federal Elections in Germany Revealed a NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2017 | VOL
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NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2017 | THETRUMPET.COM Las Vegas massacre: problem, cause—solution Is God answering America’s prayers? Avoid chronic disease Transgendered children? Lessons from Weinstein The political quake that is shaking Germany— and all of Europe COVER September’s federal elections in Germany revealed a NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2017 | VOL. 28, NO. 10 | CIRC. 246,769 divided country yearning for a strongman. (GARY DORNING/TRUMPET) UNDER FIRE People flee at a country music festival in Las Vegas after a gunman fires on the crowd on October 1. (DAVID BECKER/GETTY IMAGES) FEATURES DEPARTMENTS 1 FROM THE EDITOR 13 Wanted: A Leader for Europe! 28 WORLDWATCH Las Vegas Massacre: Problem, 31 SOCIETYWATCH Cause—and Solution 16 A Religious Revival in Europe? 27 The Vatican’s Political Rise 33 PRINCIPLES OF LIVING 2 Is God Answering America’s Civilize Your Children Prayers? 18 INFOGRAPHIC 34 DISCUSSION BOARD 4 God Has Responded to Past National Combined Might Days of Prayer 35 COMMENTARY 6 A Second Civil War 20 Lighting the Latin Fuse What the Weinstein Scandal Teaches Us About America 7 Repentance Toward God 23 How to Avoid Chronic Disease 36 THE KEY OF DAVID TELEVISION LOG 8 Encouraging Gender Fluidity 24 Buying Black Gold Without Is Child Abuse Greenbacks 10 COVER STORY The Election That Shook Germany Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Trumpet executive editor Stephen News and analysis Regular news updates and alerts Flurry’s weekly television program Flurry’s television program updated daily from our website to your inbox theTrumpet.com/keyofdavid theTrumpet.com/trumpet_daily theTrumpet.com theTrumpet.com/go/brief FROM THE EDITOR Las Vegas Massacre: Problem, Cause—and Investigators are looking for a motive. Here is what they need to understand. he modern world broadly denies the existence of simply to not watch too much of it. Get your mind off it and the spiritual. It wants only material explanations. move on with your life. Is that really a solution? That might T But you cannot understand what happened in Las help a little bit for a short time, but you cannot ignore the bad Vegas on the night of October 1 that way. news for long. It is filling the world more and more! For 10 long, horrifying minutes, Stephen Paddock rained We need a much better solution than that. bullets on an open-air crowd of concertgoers from his room Ignorance doesn’t solve anything. We must seek under- on the 32nd floor of a nearby hotel. He standing and truth. The truth actually provides genuine hope. killed 58 people and injured 546 more Jesus Christ gave understanding about the real cause of in the deadliest mass shooting in Amer- tragedies like the Las Vegas massacre. He spoke explicitly ican history. Then he shot himself. about an evil spirit being, “the devil,” who “was a murderer Investigators are beside themselves from the beginning” (John 8:44). He called him “the prince trying to figure out why this man would of this world”—acknowledging his widespread malevolent commit such a bloody act. influence (John 14:30). He knew that He Himself would be bru- Pure evil is baffling to people, even talized and murdered by this “power of darkness” (Luke 22:53). GERALD FLURRY when they are looking right at it. How much do you know about this dangerous being? The As the media try to make sense of this, Apostle Paul warned that if we are ignorant of him, he will they focus on a few basic themes. One is that they all seem to “get an advantage of us” (2 Corinthians 2:11). agree how good the people were who were targeted, and how Scripture reveals that Satan is not alone: He rules over good the people were who helped them, and how good Amer- millions of demons. It also shows that in this end time, he and ica is for being resilient in the face of such evil. They also want his demons have been confined to this Earth, which brings to blame this tragedy on Congress and on poor gun control. terrible woe on all of us who live here! (Revelation 12:9, 12). None of these responses will prevent more tragedies like Think on the blood- and tear-soaked streets of the Las this. In fact, it is all a distraction that prevents us from deal- Vegas Strip to get an idea of the fathomless woe these diaboli- ing with the deeper sickness in our country. cal spirits can cause! Nightmares like this are part of the curses on our lawless society. The Prophet Isaiah wrote, “[T]heir works are works None of these responses will prevent more of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet tragedies. In fact, they prevent us from dealing run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are with the deeper sickness in our country. in their paths” (Isaiah 59:6-7). Our leaders are helpless to stop such attacks. The harder they try, the more violent society Sadly, their lethal, hellish influence is growing, and it is becomes, and the clearer it is that they have no answers. “The going to get even worse! More and more people are inviting way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their demonic presence into their lives. They are saturating goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth their minds in evil entertainment; they are giving in to evil, therein shall not know peace. Therefore is judgment far from us, hateful emotions; they are becoming addicted to prescription neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold drugs in record numbers; they are taking other dangerous obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness” (verses 8-9). mind- altering substances—all of which make it far easier Commentators cannot provide any real context or meaning for demons to manipulate their thinking! The number of behind events like this. “We grope for the wall like the blind, unstable people in this world is growing rapidly. and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as If you let Satan get to you, you can end up doing some abom- in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men” (verse 10). inable things! You simply cannot make sense of it without the orientation In Las Vegas, authorities are looking for motives. This is the provided by the Bible. motive: “for the devil is come down unto you, having great A lot of people are becoming depressed by what is happen- wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time”! ing. One doctor suggested on television that the solution is LAS VEGAS PAGE 36 u NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2017 1 IS GOD ANSWERING AMERICA’S PRAYERS? In the face of recent disasters, national leaders are calling on people to pray. Will these requests make a difference? BY GERALD FLURRY urricane Harvey dropped When we see horrific crises like confrontation in Charlottesville, Vir- a year’s worth of rain on these, we have to honestly ask ourselves ginia, between white nationalist groups the Houston area in just a an important question: Is God answer- and so-called anti-fascist groups. It few days. Texas governor ing our nation’s prayers today? exposed the terrible divisions that are Greg Abbott called it “one If you look in the Bible, you’ll see abso- growing among the American people. I of the largest disasters lute promises from God to answer our wrote about this in my article last month, HAmerica has ever faced.” The National prayers. And if you look at America’s his- “Charlottesville Violence—The Real Dan- Weather Service said, “This event is tory, you see many examples of answered ger Is Invisible” (theTrumpet.com/16251). unprecedented, and all impacts are prayer. This is a historical fact you can In response, U.S. Vice President Mike unknown and beyond anything expe- prove (sidebar, “God Has Responded to Pence quoted a Bible verse. It is a verse rienced” (emphasis mine throughout). Past National Days of Prayer,” page 4). that he has used in multiple interviews, After this devastation, Governor In this case, though, it seems clear in several campaign speeches, in at Abbott called a day of prayer. On Septem- that God did not answer those prayers. least one campaign advertisement and ber 1, President Donald Trump signed Why not? on other occasions since the election. a proclamation for a National Day of If you closely study your Bible, you will Other leaders used it after the hurri- Prayer. Thousands of people, if not mil- see that prayers alone are not enough. canes that devastated parts of America. lions, surely responded to these requests. After disasters, people often say and The verse is 2 Chronicles 7:14. It is the But then, just days later, Hurricane sing, “God bless America.” But is God verse on which the vice president swore Irma crushed the Caribbean islands blessing America? his oath of office: “If my people, which and the East Coast of the United States. are called by my name, shall humble NICHOLAS It was the largest-ever hurricane to A Misquoted Bible Verse themselves, and pray, and seek my face, strike from the Atlantic Ocean. Many in America consider this a religious and turn from their wicked ways; then KAMM / Soon after that, Hurricane Maria nation. When crises arise, people often will I hear from heaven, and will forgive AFP / obliterated Puerto Rico. turn to the Bible and to God for solace.