Y2K AND BIBLE PROPHECY

Y2K AND BIBLE PROPHECY

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December 12, 1998 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - A few weeks ago I published my thoughts about the Y2K frenzy. I have received a constant stream of questions about this matter, and though I don't personally consider the matter very important, I finally felt constrained to reply. The article was titled "The Y2K Hysteria," and I made the following conclusion:

"The Year 2000 Bug will cause problems but not severe ones. There should be no hysteria about this. I have no survivalist plans. I do not plan to pull my money out of the bank or stockpile food and water. I do not believe planes will fall out of the sky or the electric grid will fail or the water system will cease to flow or the banking system will collapse or the military will dissolve into confusion. I would not be afraid to be on a commercial flight in the air at midnight on December 31. I might be wrong, but I believe that is a bunch of nonsense, to be blunt. I believe there will be problems and glitches which will have to be worked out as we move through the month of January 2000, and they will be worked out in a reasonable and timely fashion. That is what I believe about Y2K" (D.W. Cloud, "The Y2K Hysteria," October 11, 1998).

I have since been mocked and maligned for this position by Y2K hystericists, but I stand by my conclusion on this matter. After writing the aforementioned article I had an opportunity to view the Jack Van Impe television program and the Hal Lindsey program the same evening. Both were focusing on Y2K. Both hinted strongly that Y2K might signal the beginning of the tribulation or might in some other way be associated with end time prophecy. Both of these men are "Chicken Little" (the sky is falling) experts of long standing. They have made large sums of money feeding the religious community's gluttonous appetite for wild-eyed prophetic speculation. Believe it or not, the Hal Lindsey program stated that there is a strong possibility that the Russian nuclear missiles will be launched because of the Y2K problem and there might be nothing the Russians can do to stop that from happening. I say, first of all, if that is the case, there is absolutely nothing we can do about it except proclaim, "Goodbye sorry world and Heaven here we come!" I say further, though, that this is nonsense of the highest caliber. The Russian nuclear missiles will not be launched by the Y2K bug. It's as simple as that. Lots of horrible things are in store for this wicked old world in coming days, and there might very well be nuclear warfare of a limited scope at some point, but Y2K will not be the determining factor. The Jack Van Impe announcer informed the viewing audience that their two all-time most popular video presentations are the one on Pope John Paul II (in which Van Impe proclaimed the pope a defender of the faith) and the one he has produced on Y2K. That means these are his biggest sellers. He has made a lot of money by praising the pope and feeding the Y2K frenzy.

I have no confidence in the opinions of prophecy speculators. Our job today is not to speculate about current events; it is to get the Gospel to every creature, to build strong New Testament churches for the discipleship of God's people, and to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. That is Christ's Great Commission (Matt. 24:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:44-48; John 20:20; Acts 1:8).

The following excellent article by Dave Hunt is from the November 1998 issue of The Berean Call (P.O. Box 7019, Bend, Oregon 97708) --

Y2K AND BIBLE PROPHECY
By Dave Hunt

Y2K means "Year 2000," and has come to symbolize the worldwide computer-related chaos and disaster we are being assured will inevitably occur one nanosecond into the new millennium. This event bears no relationship to Bible prophecy (in spite of some attempts to make it fit) and was not a subject The Berean Call has cared to address. However, the many letters and phone calls we've received, asking for counsel in response to Y2K warnings, cause us to respond.

What is the problem? Years ago memory was very expensive; to save space, computer programmers used only two digits to indicate the year. Thus 65 meant 1965, etc. The digits 00 coming up January 1, 2000 would therefore mean 1900 to many computers and supposedly create all manner of chaos. Computer expert Michael S. Hyatt writes:

"12:01 AM January 1, 2000: Your electricity goes off. Phones aren't working. The computer at your local bank crashes. Police and 911 are nowhere to be found. ... Social security checks will stop coming. Planes ... will be grounded. Credit card charges will be rejected. Military defense systems will fail. ... The Federal Reserve will be unable to clear checks ... your employer will go out of business" (Hyatt, The Millennium Bug: How to Survive the Coming Chaos, outside front/back jacket cover).

Many respected authorities seem to agree. William McDonough, president, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, warns, "The failure to get [Y2K] right will affect the integrity of the payment system, financial markets, and ... the domestic and the global economies" ("Zap! How the Year 2000 Bug will hurt the economy," Business Week, March 2, 1998). Arthur Gross, chief information officer for the IRS, has said, "Failure to achieve compliance with the year 2000 will jeopardize our way of life on this planet for some time to come."

London's Sunday Times of August 3, 1997, declared, "This is not a prediction, it is a certainty--there will be a serious disruption in the world's financial services...[and] a millennium-induced crash of the world's stock markets around the middle of 1999." Early in 1998, Ed Yardeni, chief economic forecaster for an international investment banking firm, declared, "The Y2K virus has infected all the vital organs of our global body. A failure in one system could corrupt other systems. ... there is no silver bullet" (The McAlvany Intelligence Advisor, Feb. 1998). Yardeni warns that in the stock market crash which he sees coming, investors "easily could lose $1 trillion..." ("Jonathan Marshall on economics," San Francisco Chronicle, July 20, 1998, D2).

Newsweek for June 2, 1997, had a Y2K feature article titled, "The Day the World Shut Down." Nearly a year later Newsweek was still pessimistic, declaring that "Unless the Bug is purged, the air-traffic-control system will do a total Cinderella on New Year's Eve [1999] ... transform[ing] the friendly skies to the lonely skies" (Steven Levy, "Will the Bug bite the bull," Newsweek, May 4, 1998). Jack Van Impe has advised his TV viewers not to fly at that time.

Like Van Impe, many noted Christian writers and speakers are sounding Y2K alarms. All agree that the most difficult and potentially dangerous problem is program-embedded computer chips. Donald S. McAlvany has been in the forefront of alerting Christians to the Y2K problem. In his February 1998 The McAlvany Intelligence Advisor he writes:

"[N]o one knows how many non-compliant chips there are ... and it is estimated that 8 to 20 billion [embedded] chips are presently in use throughout the industrialized western world. ... All chips must be tested. ... This is not possible between now and 12/31/99 ... [T]he coming computer crisis... could trigger...the onset of the biggest global depression since the 1930s. ... The national power grid ... is completely computer dependent and may be the most important system at risk ... giving us the 'mother of all electrical blackouts."

In a special 1997 report, Gary North issued this grim portent: "On January 1, 2000, the world's computers will either shut down or go haywire. So will everything dependent on them. ... In 1999, depositors all over the world will figure this out and will pull their money out of the banks. ... The mother of all bank runs...will bankrupt banks all over the world..."

Chuck Missler informs us that one company involved in doing deeply classified government work has a two-day training course for all of its employees, instructing them that they should prepare for a national power blackout--not a brownout--of up to 90 days due to Y2K..." (Chuck Missler, K-Ration Intelligence Report, June 23, 1998). As late as August 1998, White House Y2K czar John Koskinen "admitted that not everything will be fixed and that his goal is to keep disruptions down to a manageable level" ("Y2K, the storm," World, Aug. 8, 1998, p. 9). Manageable? North warns:

"Panic...will happen, on a scale unimaginable, beginning sporadically at least one year before 2000. ... The millennium clock keeps ticking. There is nothing we can do to delay it. This disaster is programmed. If you think to yourself, 'This just won't happen,' ask yourself this question: 'Exactly what is going to prevent it...?' Time is running out. Don't sit there immobilized, like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck" (promotional ad for North's Remnant Review early in 1998).

Jerry Falwell's National Liberty Journal for October reports that "many technology experts believe that computers could begin to show signs of breakdown as early as January 1, 1999. ... It behooves all Americans to prepare now for what appears to be ... inevitable..." the article continues:

"If you live in downtown New York [or other large city], you should probably make plans not to be there January 1, 2000. ... The nation's inner cities could face major looting and violence. ... Be sure to put away enough food and provisions to include neighbors, Christian brothers and sisters and the poor around your family dinner table. ... Pastors, begin to educate your flock now on the Y2K computer problem so each family can ... be prepared to help those in your community who face problems caused by Y2K. The church that can amass a large clothes closet and food supply can use Y2K to share God's love and act as servants."

McAlvany agrees: "If you have the financial means ... doesn't it make sense to acquire extra dehydrated/freeze-fried food for relatives, friends, people in your church, or associates who cannot afford to do so. ... Think about it!" (McAlvany Intelligence Advisor, Aug. 1998, p. 26).

Yes, THINK about it. How wealthy would one have to be to provide for all of one's family and special friends who can't afford to stock up for themselves? And where will all of that freeze-dried food come from when no supplier in that small and specialized industry has the production capacity to meet such demand? (Others advise Christians to arm themselves to protect their hoard.)

We are being told to take other urgent measures "while there is still time," such as moving out of cities into select locations complete with water well, acquiring a diesel generator for power, a wood stove, stacks of wood, etc., etc. How many families are able to do that? Furthermore, chaos and panic would result if millions of people all tried to follow such instructions!

As with the Gulf War, Y2K is being tied in with Bible prophecy by some--but it simply isn't there. Ron Reese of Maranatha Ministries published a tract in mid-1998 which said in part:

"In short ... you do not have much time to prepare for ... THE GREATEST SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND FINANCIAL CRISIS MANKIND HAS FACED...!!! The Bible prophesies SEVERAL MAJOR MILITARY CONFLICTS during the final seven years of Tribulation. ... MORE THAN HALF OF THE POPULATION OF THE WORLD WILL DIE...!!! Could this computer Y2K crisis play a MAJOR role in bringing about these horrible wars...?!!" [emphasis in the original] ("Danger! Worldwide Depression!," Maranatha Ministries).

The Bend Ministerial Association (BMA) in the small town of Bend, Oregon (about 35,000 population) already has a Y2K committee which meets weekly. The committee chairman says, "We've read enough to convince us this could be a serious problem..." In October, a special speaker at the BMA painted a scenario of total disaster, computers crashing everywhere, no power, no water, no food on the market shelves. Pastors were urged to alert their members to buy wood stoves and generators, to stock up on wood, food, water and to have enough to share it all with unsaved neighbors who would be caught unprepared. Christians, like Joseph in Egypt, could preserve those around them and as a result win them to Christ. Pastors were also cautioned that Clinton could very well use the crisis to declare martial law, suspend elections and take complete control. And even if the United States Defense Department got its computers fixed in time (not likely, they say), for sure the Russians would not, and on January 1, 2000, their missiles, already pointed at our cities, could launch by mistake. Local pastors were urged to get together to plan for the rescue of Bend; and, by the way, since the Mormons already had their food and water storage perfected, we should work with and learn from them.

Let's make a calm appraisal. Bend's Christian community is neither large enough nor wealthy enough to supply the entire city, nor do missiles launch at a computer glitch. Predictions that the shelves in grocery stores will be bare and therefore we ought to stock up right now could themselves trigger hoarding that could cause the shortages. Logically, computers have nothing to do with growing wheat or apples or chickens or anything else. Nor will supermarket trucks stop running because of a computer problem, thereby letting a competitor gain an advantage! You may be certain that AT&T and the major banks and Wall Street firms and industrial giants who are in this for the money are not going to allow themselves to lose a dime because of Y2K! Many people already have credit cards expiring beyond 2000, as will many mortgages, etc.

Computer failures are nothing new. We have learned to live with and somehow to work around them. Surely most, if not all, of the Y2K glitches that will arise on January 1, 2000, will be recognized for what they are and dealt with relatively quickly and painlessly.

FURTHERMORE, MANY AUTHORITIES PREDICT NO DISASTER.

Tony Hampel, group manager for Year 2000 Marketing, Sun Microsystems, Inc., says, "Year 2000 is an annoyance, a speed bump. We're overassessing the end-of-the-world aspect of the Year 2000 problem" ("Danger! Worldwide Depression!" Maranatha Ministries). Alex Patelis, economist, advised the international investment firm of Goldman, Sachs, "We view Y2K as a tremor, not a quake..." (Jonathan Marshall, "Doomsayers rant, but Year 2000 may not be Armageddon," San Francisco Chronicle, July 20, 1998, D2). Rick Egelton of Harris Bank/Bank of Montreal, has said of Y2K, "The impact would be similar to the economic effects of a snowstorm" (Ibid.).

On July 13, 1998, Wall Street held a series of Y2K tests and there were no glitches (Michael Diamond, "Wall St. passes Y2K test wtihout a glitch," USA Today, July 14, 1998, 1A). AT&T, Sprint, and MCI all expect to be ready and the Federal Communications Commission estimated that 98 percent of the nation's 1,400 regional carriers upon which the big three's transmissions depend would be "complaint by mid-1999."

Sally Katzen, administrator of Office of Management and Budget, told Congress July 10, 1997, "We are confident that ... the year 2000 computer problem will be a nonevent" (testimony of Sally Katzen before U.S. House of Rep. Subcommittee on Gov. Management, Information and Technology of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight July 10, 1997). Vice President Al Gore stated a few weeks ago, "We have set a deadline of March 31, 1999, for the Federal Government to be in full compliance..." (CSPA television interview broadcast, July 2, 1998). On July 14, 1998, addressing the National Academy of Sciences, the President said, "The American people have a right to expect uninterrupted service from government..." He said the Social Security Administration was already more than 90 percent read--undermining predictions that Social Security checks wouldn't be in the mail.

For those companies unable to complete full Y2K compliance, THERE ARE VIABLE ALTERNATIVES. The preferred method, being adopted around the world, is called "windowing," which delays needed corrections as far into the future ad A.D. 2050. Rich Hoffman of the U.S. Army Materiel Command's Year 2000 team says, "It buys you time" (William G. Phillips, "The Year 2000 problem," Popular Science, Oct. 1998, pp. 92-93). In September Hoffman said the army's systems were about 80 percent Y2K compliant and "on schedule to be completely fixed by the end of this year [1998]." Anything left hanging would be "windowed" and taken care of later. Windowing effectively prevents the predicted chaos.

AN INQUIRY TO ANY BANK PROVIDES ALL OF THE INFORMATION NECESSARY TO LAY Y2K RUMORS TO REST. Members of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which insures all accounts, have on hand copies of an FDIC brochure titled "The Year 2000 Date Change: What ... [It] Means to You and Your Insured Financial Institution." It explains that "Four federal regulatory agencies ... are closely monitoring the progress made by banks and savings associations in completing critical steps required by their Year 2000 plans..."

AS FOR THE PREDICTED AIR TRAFFIC CHAOS, Boeing and Airbus say their aircraft have no Year 2000 safety issues. And though only one-third of the FAA's critical computer systems had been fixed as of late September 1998, administrator Jane Garvey insisted the organization would be ready and announced personal plans to fly commercially across the country shortly after midnight January 1, 2000.

In our opinion, there will be problems, but not nearly of the magnitude we are hearing. Fear can easily sidetrack Christians from the real tasks in these last days. Y2K has not been foretold in God's Word. This is not prophecy from an Agabus who "signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world" (Acts 11:28). It's an electronic problem with electronic solutions that are now in process.

We are not to be anxious for tomorrow but to trust in our Lord for we do not know (nor do the "pundits") what a day may bring forth (Prov. 27:1; Phil. 4:6-7; James 4:13-15). It is only prudent always to have extra food and water, flashlights, medical supplies and other items on hand that could be helpful in any emergency. Beyond that, Christ gave very specific commands and promises in Matthew 6:25-34. We suggest meditating upon that passage and obeying it. (Dave Hunt, "Y2K and Bible Prophecy," The Berean Call, November 1998, P.O. Box 7019, Bend, OR 97708).