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se~f, and the world is of necessity to a cer tain extent influenced by them. The influence of Christianity is seen in the political, com mercial and social life of the day, and in that sense the world might be said to be growing better. On the other hand, every person who is open-eyed to what is going on in the world to-day, must see that there is what the Scrip ture predicted there would be, the develop ment of the "mystery of lawlessness" (II Thess. 2 :7). There is, it is true, at present some restraining power, but nevertheless the "mystery of lawlessness doth already work," resulting in increasing error and apostasy in the professing church, as well as out of it, and in the growing immorality (for example along the lines of divorce and impurity and immodesty in dress, etc.) and especially by the development of anarchy or "lawlessness" among all classes of society. In this sense the world is growing worse. We should not be at all disheartened by this fact. It is a fulfillment of prophecy. Indeed, the darkest clouds that are gathering are but harbingers of the golden day that is coming when our Lord Himself shall return and take up the reins of government.
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