With the twentieth century now behind us, it is hard to imagine that the world is becoming a better and brighter place, with the gospel triumphing more and more. Two world wars dashed a lot of the optimism of earlier postmillennialists, and we can safely say that little has happened in the secular world in the decades since to lead serious Bible students to believe we are in a golden age of Christian ascendancy and triumph. On the contrary, the witness of Scripture is, “In the last days there will come times of difficulty” (2 Tim. 3:1).
