Title: Trumpets Is a Day of Hope 

Subject: Our Hope Is In God
Summary: John Ritenbaugh, reflecting on the writings of Malachi Martin, suggests that as the Catholic College of Cardinals have a large number of prudent agnostics within their ranks, we also have a great many fence sitters within the church of God, demonstrating an alarming deficit of faith. In times of intense stress and uncertainty, many become extremely apathetic, unwilling to persevere, unwilling to work at overcoming. We are on the threshold of the greatest period of testing ever to come upon mankind. We need to be developing a sense of internal hope and faith through the motivating power of God's Holy Spirit, striving to keep our focus on our calling (God sought us out purposefully), passionately striving for goodness. The apostle Peter wrote an entire epistle (I Peter) on the subject of hope--stressing that what we really need, God will not hold back--including shaping trials. Thankfully, we are not left without resources.

Keywords: Alarm, Anticipating Christ's return, Apathy, Committed loyalists, Earnest expectation, Enduring, Falling away, Fence sitters, Foreknowledge, Hammer analogy, The Final Conclave, Hebrews, Hedging our bets, Holy Spirit, Hope, Hopelessness, Human nature, Justification by faith, Kingdom of God, Law and grace, Living hope, Losing hope, Malachi Martin, Mystery of iniquity, Predestination, Presumptuousness, Priorities, Prophecy, Prudent agnostics, Return of Christ, Sanctification, Second coming of Christ, Siege of Jerusalem, Tribulation