The Scourge of Y2K

By Ernest L. Martin, Ph.D., 1998

We read in the Holy Scriptures that the wrath of God is going to be poured out on this world at a time not too distant in the future. That wrath is the wrath of Jesus Christ. And believe me, he is angry with certain groups of people on this earth. The verses that introduce the wrath of Jesus are found in Revelation 6:16,17. This is a section of Scripture that should be heeded by each of us who respect the Word of God. Believe me, it is a teaching of judgment that should be held in high esteem by all of us in the world. They are powerful words. Those words are: "Hide us [say the kings, great men, rich men, chief captains, mighty men, slaves and free men] from the face of him that sitteth on the throne [God the Father], and from the wrath of the Lamb [Jesus Christ]: for the great day of his wrath [the wrath of Jesus] is come; and who shall be able to stand?" That time of wrath is destined to occur before the Second Advent of Christ back to this earth. Are we in the world to experience this wrath starting with the year A.D.2000?

Believe me, there are people (and many of them claim to be active and ardent Christian folk) who are prophesying the imminent doom of the world system with those apocalyptic descriptions in the Book of Revelation that they believe will occur starting January 1st, A.D.2000. My dear readers, that is less than fourteen months away! They say that chaos will come on this world because of a computer bug that early designers caused by not programming their beginning software systems to properly operate beyond December 31st, 1999. True, the consequences may be no joke. Let me tell you a fact. It is expected by some of the most conservative and responsible individuals both in government and private business that there will be some disruptions from the normal that could cause some very unpleasant and hardship experiences to all people on earth, and especially to those of us who live in the modernized democratic nations of the world. So serious is this "bug" that people are being warned of its dire consequences even by government agencies.

The Y2K bug is no joking matter. It is a serious problem that will affect all of us in the few months following the introduction of the new millennium (and even in the six months before in certain circumstances). Even those organizations that are what they now call "2000 compliant" (such as A.S.K. who have all our computers fully compliant), can experience breakdowns in communication and upset mailing procedures because we are dependent upon others who ARE NOT compliant (nor will they be) by the year A.D.2000. What this means is the fact that if two-thirds of your neighborhood becomes "compliant" before the deadline of December 31st, A.D.2000, it is the other one-third of your neighbors who failed to update their systems that can help to bring down the whole community (or even the nation, or the whole world system). This is a problem that involves not only the diligent in business activities (who are willing to take the time and money to update their computer systems), but the problem will plague those diligent by the laggards who "couldn't give a fig" (which is an old expression for "couldn't care less about the matter ").

What is sad to see is many Christian economists warning their readers about the coming problem and telling their Christian readers to stock up on food and other supplies and to invest in certain commodities or things that will make them a bundle of cash out of the chaos that the world is about to experience. In other words, instead of telling their Christian readers what they should do to help their neighbor during this time of crisis that is affecting the whole world (especially the western democratic world), they are telling them how to get money and become rich over the chaos that others will have to endure. This is not "Christianity" in action, it is pure selfishness and the attitude of those who love money more than they do God and His divine truths. The fact is, Christians ought to be telling people in the world what they have to do in order to continue with the prosperity that God has allowed us to have at this time just before the Time of the End begins.

The truth is, the only way to avoid the consequence of a potential catastrophic shutdown of our cherished civilization (to put it in mild terms) is to get the whole population to join hands in a concerted and active effort to get all computers "compliant" before December 31st, A.D.2000. In my view, this is in no way God's wrath (or that of Christ Jesus) against the world that is prophesied in Revelation 6:16,17. It is just the opposite. This is a wonderful chance for us who are of Christian persuasion (especially those of us of A.S.K. who love the Holy Scriptures and its teachings) to show what people can do to help one another IF they give up their religious beliefs that separate them and join hands together in working out the problems of the computer bud called Y2K. I personally believe that Christ Jesus has allowed this very "problem" to arise in order to get people to GIVE UP their religious and political peculiarities and nonsense that has plagued them for years and centuries and begin to cooperate together in an effort to save our communities, our nation and nations, and even our entire world.

Look at what can happen. In the Balkans the Muslims and Christians (or Roman Catholics and the Orthodox) will have to team up together to solve this world problem so that all of us can continue having the prosperity that God has presently given us. Look at the Middle East. The Jews and Muslims in Palestine and Israel (along with other Middle Eastern countries) will have to cooperate together to solve the Y2K problem or else all will suffer. In Northern Ireland, the Catholics and the Protestants will have to work together to solve the problem of Y2K. In Canada the Quebec people and the rest of Canada will have to work together to keep things functioning properly. In the United States, all sections of society should help one another, no matter what religion or political party they belong, to solve the problem Y2K so that the United States as a nation can continue to be the leader of the free world in a united and constructive manner.

In short, the Y2K problem (which is a serious one) can be of great benefit in helping people to "wake up" and realize that there are "world problems" out there in this wide world that need solving and that they can all be solved if we reexamine ourselves and our priorities. This is a time of new beginnings. It is a time when not only a century (the twentieth century) will end, and a time when the second millennium will end, but it is a time (just on our doorstep) when a new twenty-first century will emerge and a new third millennium will arrive on the scene. The very fact that we are to experience a new century and a new millennium is because of a baby boy who was born in Bethlehem just 2000 years ago. That baby boy is no longer a baby boy. He has lived a life on this earth. He even died by the rules of God and man who govern on this earth. But God the Father resurrected him from the dead, and that baby boy is now a grown man (indeed, a grown God) now sitting on the right hand of the Father in heaven. This is the time that the world needs to redirect their minds and attention to that baby boy NOW GROWN UP. It is not the time to celebrate a new "Christmas." It is time to celebrate a new Second Advent that is soon to occur. The whole world needs to return its attention to that Son of Man (who is now Son of God) called Jesus Christ.

The Holy Scriptures prophesies that before the wrath of God and Christ are given to this world for their final rebellion against God at the time of the Antichrist, there will be a major return to the understanding of God's divine truths. The event that brings this to pass is described in Zechariah 12:10 through 13:6. It will be a return to God. It will start in Israel and Palestine with the Jews and Arabs of Jerusalem repenting of their ways. But this repentance will then resound around this world, and all people will begin (once again) to see what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about. People will begin to cooperate with one another as never before. They will begin to give up their pagan religious beliefs (now erroneously called "Christian") and they will return to an idolatrous-free society in which the teachings of the Holy Scriptures will reign supreme. This condition will last until the Antichrist appears to destroy this time of cooperation.

So, what do I personally think of Y2K? I believe it is being sent by God the Father and Christ Jesus to get all of us in the world to start thinking in a cooperative way. It is one of the best things that God could give to the world as a lesson in working together, and not against each other. Indeed, the outcome will be good for all in the world. Yes, there may be problems that arise because of the circumstances, but as I have stated in a recent article about the prosperity in the United States, the resilience of the people of the United States to respond to emergencies and come out of them triumphantly will be shown as a fact with the solving of the Y2K bug. It will also show that that the rest of the world will join hands with the United States in solving the problem. And when all is said and done, the world will say (until the coming of the Antichrist) what a joy it is to cooperate with one another. And if the cooperation can be done within the environment of honor and respect for the teachings of the Holy Scriptures, nothing but good can come from the external circumstances brought on by the Y2K bug. What can happen is a beautiful cooperation in solving the problems of Y2K in a cooperative manner. This will again be the case in the time when Christ Jesus sets up his kingdom on this earth. In those days (in the days of the Millennium), the whole world will cooperate again under Christ for the betterment and the prosperity of the entire world. God speed that day. 

Ernest L. Martin