Many people in the computer industry are worried about the year 2000 problem. This problem occurs because many computers only store the date as two digits. Therefore, when January 1, 2000 rolls around, computers that are not Y2K compliant will think that it is January 1, 1900.
It is simple to deal with your personal computers and the Y2K problem. MacIntosh computers are Y2K compliant, almost all Wintel computers that you buy in the store today are as well. You may be thinking, this won't affect me because my PC will keep on running. But you will be affected in many other ways.
We could start by describing things in the home that might be affected. Will your VCR still work? Your TV? Maybe your digital watch stores the year as two digits. Your microwave? Coffee pot? What about the computer that controls many of the functions in your automobile? I doubt that manufacturers of these products were all thinking of the year 2000 when they built them, especially if they are a few years old. Some of them, yes. But you can probably count on a few of your home products to start acting screwy or not at all when the clock strikes midnight.
But this is only the start. Many power plants are not Y2K compliant. How about your bank? Some credit card scanners will not work for cards that expire after the year 2000. Will there be problems at the airport? The stock market? You get the idea.
I've heard a couple of people already talk about how they will take all their money out of the banks before this happens. Since banks loan most of their money out, not everybody can do this. When people were afraid for the economy during the great depression and ran to take out all of their money, many banks had to close. Will we start to see this in November and December of 1999? Will this spark another depression?
I believe that this is a highly likely scenario. If people take out their money from the banks and liquidate their stocks, if computers of other countries are not Y2K compliant, disaster could strike. Our world is so interconnected, so dependent on computers, that when our calendars have three zeros at the end, the world might not be the same as we know it today.
So what does all this have to do with the Bible? The Bible says that a world leader will rise upon the scene someday. He will perform miraculous signs (Revelation 13:12), and will be likely to solve many of the world's problems. The world is likely to have a heckuva lot of problems to solve once 2000 rolls around. Maybe these problems will be solved by this antichrist, who will be given power by Satan (Revelation 13:4, 12:9).
Again, I'm not saying that this is an accurate prediction. It's just speculation. But shouldn't you start getting ready? Shouldn't you start walking with the Lord today? For whether the antichrist rears his head in the months and years following the year 2000, or if he shows up at some other time, we need to be ready. For we do not know when the Lord will come back, but if we did, wouldn't we stand guard? (Matthew 25:42-44) Believe me, you do not want to be caught off guard when the Lord comes back.
