Re: Y2K
Posted by: restep1 <restep1@...>
It all started New Years Day, 1999. I'm sure you saw it on CNN, NBC, ABC
=
and CBS. News agencies proclaiming doom and disaster is coming to the =
world. CNN was offering advice on products to buy and how to store food
=
and water. There was a minister selling a video on how to prepare for
the =
end of the world and it will only cost you $49.95 to learn his secrets to
=
survival. He is also stocking up on ammunition and food (what he wants =
the ammunition for is up to speculation). There were people on a
national =
Christian radio show promoting a book you could buy on getting ready for
=
the crisis. The government has printed extra currency in case there is a
=
run on the banks. Stores that sell wood burning fireplaces can't keep =
them in stock. A company is selling enough dried food for a family to =
last a year for only $4,000.
What's going on? Why are normal people suddenly hoarding food, water,
and =
wood? Why are people talking about taking all their money out of banks?
=
Blame it all on a little bug: the Y2K bug. It's a bug you and I will =
never see for it lives within our computers. It's something that no one
=
was concerned with or even thought about 10 years ago. Yet today it's
all =
you hear or read about.
What is Y2K? Y2K stands for "Year 2000." The problem is that when =
computers were first made, and right up until recently, their internal =
clocks ran on the MM/DD/YY system. In other words, March 13, 1999 would
=
read 03/13/99. Most computer software programs also ran on the same =
system. The problem arises when the year becomes 2000. March 13, 2000 =
would read 03/13/00. The computer would have a problem because it would
=
think that the date is actually March 13, 1900 (because of the 00). I'm =
sure that those who built the first computers never thought about this =
problem. Or if they did they thought it would have been fixed by now. =
You can see where problems could arise. Suddenly the inventory you kept
=
track of on your computer is 100 years old. You could get a delinquent =
notice on your bills saying they are 100 years past due.
Sounds serious, doesn't it? It starts sounding even more serious when
you =
realize that computers touch every aspect of our lives. From banks to =
planes to hospitals to the U.S. military, computers influence every part
=
of our lives.
So that's why the panic? No, not exactly. You see, for the past few =
years companies all across the country have been working on what is
called =
a "Y2K solution." It's a fancy term that means they are trying to find a
=
solution to their computer problems as far as the year 2000 is concerned.
=
The U.S. government has pumped millions of dollars into companies to help
=
them with the Y2K problem. There have been hearings in Washington to =
determine that businesses, primarily banks, utilities, and aviation are =
doing all they can do to remedy the problem and to get status reports on
=
how they are doing. We are getting ready for the year 2000. Many =
businesses are ready right now.
The panic has arisen from the fact that we are a society that loves a =
"good disaster." We thrive on bad news. We don't want to hear the good,
=
we'd much rather hear the bad. After all, isn't that how newsmagazines,
=
tabloids, newspapers, etc., make their money: reporting scandals? =
Scandals are moneymakers. Everyone knows that more people will buy a =
magazine to read about a scandal than to read about the good someone has
=
done. Y2K is the biggest story to come along in years. Doom and
disaster =
is on its way. There won't be electricity, gas, food, or water. You =
won't be able to get any money from banks. Hospitals will shut down. =
Planes will fall from the sky. It just goes on and on.
This isn't the first time a panic such as this has hit the world. The =
other time was in the year 999. People back then also thought the world
=
was coming to an end. They thought Jesus was coming back and the =
apocalypse would take place on January 1, 1000. I'd say we survived that
=
panic.
The sad part about this, for me anyway, is that so many of our religious
=
leaders are going right along with it. I knew there would be people out
=
there trying to make money off the panic, but I never thought it would =
enter the church. Instead of the church preaching "Jesus is coming
soon", =
they are preaching "get ready and hoard food and water." Instead of the
=
church preaching about "saving lost souls", they are preaching "save =
yourself from the coming crisis."
Let's look at the Bible and see what the Bible says about this. Jesus =
said in Mark 13:7-8 "And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars,
=
be ye not troubled: for such things must need be; but the end shall not
be =
yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
=
and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be =
famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows." This tells
me =
that we are at the end of time but it's not going to be computers that
are =
going to bring the end. The end is coming and will be signified by wars,
=
earthquakes and famines. We have that going on already so we are now,
and =
have been for a while, in "the beginnings of sorrows." =20
You might ask, "Shouldn't we prepare for the sorrows to come?" Jesus
said =
in Matthew 10:7-10 "And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven
is =
at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out =
devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor
=
silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two
=
coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his =
meat." Jesus didn't tell us to hoard food and water, He told us to give
=
it away. We aren't supposed to worry about where our food or clothing =
will come from. If we are doing His work like we are supposed to be
doing =
(as outlined in the first part of the text), then He will provide for us.
=
We are to depend upon Him and not ourselves. Matthew 6:19 is a verse =
about hoarding. Jesus says, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon =
earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through
=
and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither =
moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor =
steal." Those who hoard food and water are going directly against the =
teaching of Jesus. Now this doesn't mean we don't save and prepare for =
the future (i.e. savings plans, retirement plans, etc) because we need to
=
prepare in case Jesus doesn't come back before we die. But when we hoard
=
food and water and make that a priority in our lives, which many people =
are doing, we are no longer putting God first and showing our trust in =
Him. I believe, and I might be wrong, that the minister who is hoarding
=
food and ammunition is saving that ammunition to use against anyone who =
would want to get some of the food he's storing. If martial law breaks =
out after the computers go down he's ready to shoot anyone who would come
=
around trying to get at his food stash. That's being carnally minded.
=20
I guess the bottom line is this: who do you trust? Do you trust a =
minister, who is hoarding food and ammunition, enough to pay him $49.95
to =
prepare you for something that probably won't happen? Or do you trust =
God? You see, God wants us to trust Him. He wants us to not depend on =
ourselves but to depend on Him. Psalm 37:25 reads "I have been young,
and =
now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed =
begging bread." Maybe the problem is that there aren't enough righteous
=
people in the world? (See also Matthew 6:25-34)
What can we expect in the upcoming months? More panic. There will be =
more television shows, magazine articles, and newspaper articles
promoting =
doom and despair. Don't believe it! I can guarantee you that you won't
=
hear anything about how companies are prepared for the year 2000. That =
won't sell newspapers. Look for more self-help books on preparing for
the =
end of the world. There will probably be shortages of bottled water and
=
dried foods, which could hurt efforts to help poor and starving people in
=
the U.S. and in other countries. There might even be a few runs on
banks. =
Don't panic! Trust God! You might even see whole churches or families
=
who move to remote areas and cloister themselves to await doomsday. You
=
will find that those who are convinced of the Y2K myth will be hard to =
convince otherwise.
What about other countries? I do believe that the Y2K problem could, and
=
probably will, arise in other countries. This could have an influence =
here in America because our stock market is tied to foreign markets. For
=
example, if a computer at a foreign broker's office, because of the Y2K =
problem, suddenly starts selling stocks because of a programming problem,
=
if could start other computers to also start selling stock. Most stock =
sells and buys are based upon trends seen by computers that constantly =
monitor market trends. Wall Street has safeguards to prevent bulk sales
=
but some foreign markets might not. This could lead to a huge market
sell =
off and a minor market crash. This could damage our economy and send us
=
into a recession. There are, like I said, safeguards that are supposed
to =
prevent this, but it could happen.
What do you need to do? Don't panic. Don't fall for those who are =
preaching doom. Keep your eyes on Jesus. He's the one we need to depend
=
on. Finally, watch for His coming. He's coming after those who are =
watching for Him.
"Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the
Son =
of man cometh." Matthew 25:13
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