Notes.—As shown in the reading on “The Kingdom and Work of Antichrist,” page 218, this expression, “a time and times and the dividing of time,” represents 1260 years, which extend from the period 533-538 a.d., the time of the decree of Emperor Justinian recognizing the Pope as head of all the churches and the successful campaign against Arianism, to the period 1793-98, when, as a result of the French Revolution, the papal power received its deadly wound and the Pope was carried into captivity. This, then, locates the beginning of “the time of the end” in 1798. Up to that point the book of Daniel, as a whole, was to be closed up; in other words, not understood by the people. But when the power that had placed this embargo on the Word of God, and had tried to shut it away from the people, was broken, then light of all kinds, Biblical, scientific, inventive, and industrial, began to shine and penetrate in every direction.

It is a singular and striking fact that immediately following the overthrow of the papal power in 1798, Bible societies, tract societies, and Sunday-schools sprang up in large numbers. The London Religious Tract Society was organized in 1799, the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804, the American Bible Society in 1816, and the American Tract Society in 1825. The Bible has now been translated into about four hundred and fifty languages and dialects, and sent to every part of the globe. Before that time access to the Bible was confined to comparatively few. Now the humblest person may possess it, and is as free to read and study it as is the most exalted in the land. A little more than one hundred years ago there was not a Sunday-school in the world, the first one being organized by Robert Raikes, at Gloucester, England, in 1784. Now there are more than 285,000 such schools, with over 28,000,000 officers, teachers, and pupils.

Notes.—“Of a verity, this is the age of invention.”—Scientific American.

“The great facts of the nineteenth century stand out so conspicuously above the achievements of any preceding century that it would be affectation of humility not to recognize and speak of them.”—Union Hand-*book, 1870.

“The most striking characteristic of our times is the rapid strides which the world is making in science, general intelligence, and inventions.”—Chicago Republican, March 14, 1872.

“Never was there such activity of invention within the history of mankind as at the present day.”—Phrenological Journal, April, 1871.

“More has been done, richer and more prolific discoveries have been made, grander achievements have been realized, in the course of the fifty years of our lifetime than in all the previous lifetime of the race.”—London Spectator.