"I Survived Y2K!"
Well, we survived it, didn't we? Y2K came and here we are. Well, of course I am
writing this before the fact. Since we generally get an issue out a few days
before the issue month it could be that you are reading this before the new year
actually begins. In that case, maybe you ought to go on to another article and
come back to this one sometime after January first.
As I write this, I do not know what kinds of glitches may occur. I do not know
if terrorists will be successful at launching an attack on New Year's Eve
revelers or on some more strategic target. I do not know what the year 2000
holds for our nation. Some of the things potentially out there are somewhat
alarming.
I do know that much of what I hear from TV preachers is hogwash. We have just
concluded with the last issue a whole year's series on why so much of it is
nonsense. See last year's series on the Second Coming of Christ for more
information on that. Are you impressed with the messages of the TV preachers? If
you will read the twelve articles in the series, the Scriptures they cite and
think about them, you will be hard pressed to ever look at the "end of the
world" Y2K pronouncements of these TV preachers with the same concern again.
What they say is not what the Bible says.
But suppose stressful times are ahead. What would happen if some of the enemies
of our nation, internal or external, are successful? What does the man or woman
of faith do in turbulent times?
The exact same thing as they have always done. When Habakkuk the prophet learned
from the Lord that his nation, because of its sin, would be punished and that
much suffering would occur in the land, Habakkuk wondered about the faithful in
the midst of all the upheaval. Would they not suffer as well? And were not the
wicked would bring such destruction even worse that those who were being
punished?
The Lord's answer was that he was aware of the wickedness of the enemy, and the
enemy would answer for it in due time. But concerning the few righteous of the
land who would also face hardship, the Lord said, "... But the righteous will
live by his faith." (Habakkuk 2:4).
The year 2000 may bring good times or bad times, or both. But in each and every
circumstance, the righteous will live by faith. We do believe that our Lord will
return one day. We do not know when, but His victory will be with Him, and He
will gladly share it forever with those who live by faith.
By Jon W. Quinn
The Final Page
From Expository Files 7.1; January 2000
