Falwell: January 1, 2000 a 'Fateful Day in the History of the World'
Falwell Preached That God 'May Be Preparing' to Jam Communications on January 1, 2000. The Phones Worked
In an August 1998 sermon he said 'January 1, 2000, will be a fateful day in the history of the world,' and that God may 'jam our communications' and judge us.
What was said
“We are hearing from many sources that January 1, 2000, will be a fateful day in the history of the world.”
— Jerry Falwell (televangelist, Old Time Gospel Hour, Lynchburg, Virginia) · said Aug 1998 · due Saturday, January 1, 2000
January 1, 2000 was a Saturday, and the communications stayed unjammed. The Y2K bug's own entry has the rest of the non-event.
The fine print
Christianity Today reported that in an August sermon broadcast on his Old Time Gospel Hour from Lynchburg, Virginia, Falwell 'predicted God's wrath on January 1, 2000': 'He may be preparing to confound our language, to jam our communications, scatter our efforts, and judge us for our sin and rebellion against his lordship.' The same article says Y2K videos from Falwell and Jack Van Impe were 'hot sellers'. The 'may be' is the hedge; the date was not. The Post's round-up of retreating Y2K prophets also quoted Grant Jeffrey ('It's not a January problem') and Left Behind authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.
Later spin
By New Year's Day 2000 the Washington Post reported that 'the Rev. Jerry Falwell say[s] they have read the Y2K compliance reports and found them soothing,' and that 'all are expecting a humdrum New Year's Eve.'
As of Oct 9, 2026
since it didn't happen
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