The secular year 2001 began on a quite high note of promise. George W. Bush, former governor of Texas, had just been declared the winner of the 2000 U. S. presidential election. After a hard-fought contest the election hinged upon a mere several hundred votes in the state of Florida. The decision regarding the close Florida election was taken into the courts, whereupon the U. S. Supreme Court eventually ruled that George W. Bush had been duly elected. Significantly, it appears that every type of investigation that has been launched by the media since then, to determine the accurate winner of the Florida elections, has indicated that Bush was indeed the winner, sometimes by as few as around 300 votes, sometimes upwards of 500 to 700 votes. None of these investigations gave the election to the opponent Democratic challenger, Al Gore.

After a tumultuous eight years in office, President Bill Clinton was finally sent into private life on January 20. His wife Hillary, however, had been elected United States senator from the state of New York. His last words were that he will still be around. Nevertheless, the inaugural day atmosphere changed remarkably from the scandalous Clinton regime to the much more reserved atmosphere portrayed by the new president George W. Bush and his wife, Laura.

The American stock market meanwhile, also began showing signs of weakness and throughout the year drifted continually lower. The Nasdaq (over-the-counter market) fell to approximately one-third of its highest value. The Dow Jones average fell by approximately 35 percent during the year 2001

The defining moment of the past year was obviously 9-11 (September 11). This was the time when two hijacked airplanes struck the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. Very soon after these planes were deliberately flown into the twin towers, another hijacked plane out of Dulles International Airport near Washington, was deliberately crashed into the Pentagon building. Still another hijacked plane out of Newark Airport was eventually retaken by some of the passengers and crashed near Somerset, Pennsylvania, so that it could not be used as a weapon. According to the best information, the hijackers intended to crash it into the United States Capitol building or even into the White House.

In the world, evil men and seducers shall grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived, as the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:13. The world will not get any better—it will only grow worse.

Where will you be when the next common year changes? Will you be preparing diligently to meet Yahshua the Messiah in the air when He returns? How soon will this great event take place? No one knows, except Almighty Yahweh, our father in Heaven. We must be prepared at all times because we do not know how rapidly end-time prophecy will be fulfilled. Therefore, let us be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of Yahweh, 1 Corinthians 15:58.