Dear Brethren and Co-workers with Christ,
Many of you are old enough to remember the mini-panic over Y2K (Year 2000), when many feared computers were not prepared for the turn of the century and chaos would reign. Yet, our programmers somehow muddled through it all. There was a lot of hype, but we all woke up to a new day and a new century with the sun still shining. (I know that technically a new century would not begin for another year, but I’ll leave that for others to debate.) The point is, here we are a quarter-century later. How many of us envisioned where we would be today? Time does have a way of getting away from us.
For any who were not alive when the clock reached midnight and wonder what all the fuss was about, Britannica.com explains.
Until the 1990s many computer programs (especially those written in the early days of computers) were designed to abbreviate four-digit years as two digits in order to save memory space. These computers could recognize “98” as “1998” but would be unable to recognize “00” as “2000,” perhaps interpreting it to mean 1900. Many feared that when the clocks struck midnight on January 1, 2000, many affected computers would be using an incorrect date and thus fail to operate properly unless the computers’ software was repaired or replaced before that date. Other computer programs that projected budgets or debts into the future could begin malfunctioning in 1999 when they made projections into 2000.
There have been many predictions of doom down through time and the turn of each century seems to bring out one or more dire predictions, so I suppose we can wait another 75 years for the next big one. Of course, few if any of us will be around to greet the year 2100 in mortal bodies. This is all speaking with a little bit of humor, but we do not have to wait another three quarters of a century for the next crisis. Indeed, our world is heading into a time of trouble far worse than anything it has ever seen—so the Bible foretells—and it will not be a false alarm.
Some believe America will experience a gilded age and drag other countries along to their own golden age. However, there are a few problems with that. There was a conflict between Israel and Syria in the days of Ahab, the King of Israel. Syrian king Ben-Hadad mustered a numerically superior force against Israel that would make any carnal ruler confident of victory, but it is God who decides such matters. The Bible records Ahab’s response to Ben Hadad: “So the king of Israel answered and said, ‘Tell him, “Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off”’” (1 Kings 20:11).
It is evident that Ben-Hadad was filled with pride. He looked at his many horses and chariots and 32 allied kings and believed he was invincible. Sadly for him, he did not understand the mind of God. If he had ever read or heard of the proverbs in the Bible, he never got the point. “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I [God] hate” (Proverbs 8:13). Or, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).
Before one boasts of the future, he should recognize that it is God who controls it, and while He is incredibly patient with us, His patience is not without limits. Patriotism is not the same as repentance from sin, nor will arrogant boasting determine the future. It is God and His recorded prophecies that will rule the day.
I hope all of you are watching what is happening in Europe. Logically, it makes sense for the United States to expect the Europeans to carry their weight in their own defense, something they have failed to do, even though several U.S. presidents have demanded this of them. However, we must remember that NATO was formed for two reasons: to keep Russia out and Germany down. If the U.S. fails to follow through on its NATO obligations to come to the aid of any NATO member who is attacked, and European leaders believe this could very well be the case, they must “up their game” significantly, and that is exactly what the Bible tells us will happen.
We here at Tomorrow’s World have proclaimed for decades that Germany will lead an economically and militarily strong European combine of nations that will challenge the world order as it is today. We have telecasts proclaiming this, articles explaining this, and whole booklets containing this information as foretold in the Scriptures. Skeptics have criticized us as being out of touch with reality, but are we? Let me share with you a preview of information I am gathering for a Tomorrow’s World magazine article.
A significant shift from pacifism to recognition of the need to build a strong military was pronounced by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz within days of Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine. That was a startling declaration considering how Germany has, since the end of the last world war, run from its militaristic past, focusing instead on peace and a strong economy. Germany was not the only European country to receive a wake-up call from the Russian president. Other continental countries have also ramped up military spending, but arming European states has so far come slowly.
Then came another wake-up call with the election of President Trump. Europeans now realize they must stand on their own in defense against a potential threat from the East. While Chancellor Scholz called for a Zeitenwende—an epochal turning point in people’s minds—within weeks of the inauguration of Mr. Trump came this March 4 report from the prestigious German-Foreign-Policy.com explaining what is needed from the new German government with this headline: “All or nothing: German foreign policy advisors and experts urge massive rearmament and much higher troop numbers. They warn: Germany will otherwise lose influence and the EU will disintegrate.” The article goes on to report:
BERLIN – In Berlin, government advisors and foreign policy experts are calling for a massive increase in the military budget, drastic cuts in social spending and the vigorous indoctrination (“change of mentality”) of the population. Rapid militarisation is, they argue, the task of the next German government. These demands are spelled out in the current issue of Internationale Politik (IP), a journal published by the influential German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). Its cover story is entitled: “What the world expects from Germany after the [German] election [on February 23].” One contributor writes, for example, that the next government must prepare society “for Germany to become the leading European power, diplomatically and militarily.”
A professor at the Bundeswehr University in Munich recently called for a 1 to 1.5 percent tax on income to cover the massive funding needed to bring this about. And there are voices calling for compulsory military service for both men and women. What Friedrich Merz, the incoming German Chancellor, and his yet-to-be-formed coalition government will do remains to be seen, but such talk by serious and influential voices was unheard of a few years ago.
Y2K was never a serious threat to the world order, but what we now see happening geopolitically is. Not because Germany or other European countries are evil, but because our world has refused to look to God and instead looks for human saviors. Yes, some leaders are better than others, but there is only One Savior who will bring order from the greatest time of trouble the world has ever experienced or ever will experience (Matthew 24:21-22; Daniel 12:1; Jeremiah 30:7). There will be ups and downs, but pride goes before destruction, and disaster will come at a time not expected. “For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
Members and co-workers, we do not have 75 years to preach the true Gospel and warn this troubled world before destruction strikes. The fact that you are reading this indicates you have an understanding that few on earth today possess. We must do our part while there is still time. Prophetic events are speeding up, and I believe you see that. I sincerely thank you for what you have done in support of this Work and for what you will do in response to this letter. Let us work together while it is still called today (Hebrews 3:13).
Sincerely, in Christ’s service,
Gerald E. Weston