The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

other with a glad 'here we are at last!' They would smile at the man who should dispute
their conviction, though they may be unable to decide whether it will be five minutes or
ten, or only two or three, before they actually reach their destination. It is a mere question
of minutes and miles; if one platform is not the right one, the next one may be; at any rate,
the long journey lies behind, the desired goal is all but reached. It is easy to be patient, and
not difficult to bear a momentary disappointment, because the main result is certain, and
the end in any case close at hand."
It should also be borne in mind that there are numerous predictions which are not
especially chronological, that are equally, if not more convincing that we are living in the
very closing days of this Gospel dispensation. An angel describes to the aged Prophet
Daniel the particular characteristics of the days that will immediately precede the
establishment of God's Kingdom over this world. He speaks of these days as "the time of
the end": "Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." (Dan. 12:4.) These
words, from whatever standpoint they may be considered, describe a condition that
distinguishes in a most wonderful and marked manner the last century from all other
periods of history since man has lived upon the earth.
"Where one person traveled formerly, ten thousand travel now; universally, incessantly,
and in every corner of the earth, the wheels of locomotion are annihilating distance, and
facilitating the running to and fro of millions, making the inhabitants of the most distant
quarters of the globe almost like next-door neighbors. And never before in the history of
mankind has this or anything like it been the case."
Scarcely had the world time to recover from the wonder and astonishment at the
application of steam to travel, when electricity brought a still greater marvel and surprise.
And now in the more recent past comes the aircraft. On land and sea and in mid-air
human beings are seen moving night and day incessantly. The telegraph, the telephone,
the wireless, the radio--all have come into use within the lifetime of a single man.
"And knowledge shall be increased." The fulfillment of this prediction is closely associated
with the other, and distinguishes these days in a most marked and special way from any
other period of human history. Where one person could read and write a hundred years
ago, hundreds of thousands are fairly educated now. Where one secret of nature was
known to those living a century ago, a thousand are known now and turned to practical
account by the men of our day. To the world this is significant only of man's wonderful
ability and power; to the reverent believer in the Bible as a Divine revelation, it is the
fulfillment of prophecy fraught with solemn significance, and points unmistakably to the
fact that we are in the dawn of the "better day," so long foretold.
Scoffers in the last days
However, among the very many signs that indicate our nearness to the end, perhaps none
is more significant and convincing than the confident conviction that seems universally to
prevail in the great church systems, and in the world, that all things continue as they were
and will so continue. The writer above quoted further says: