The European Union in Prophecy The EU in Prophecy I | Page 225

The European Union in Prophecy
similar organizations, with numerous branches, upon the continent of Europe. In
1816 the American Bible Society was founded. When the British Society was formed,
the Bible had been printed and circulated in fifty tongues. It has since been translated
into many hundreds of languages and dialects. (See Appendix.)
For the fifty years preceding 1792, little attention was given to the work of
foreign missions. No new societies were formed, and there were but few churches that
made any effort for the spread of Christianity in heathen lands. But toward the close
of the eighteenth century a great change took place. Men became dissatisfied with the
results of rationalism and realized the necessity of divine revelation and experimental
religion. From this time the work of foreign missions attained an unprecedented
growth. (See Appendix.)
The improvements in printing have given an impetus to the work of circulating
the Bible. The increased facilities for communication between different countries, the
breaking down of ancient barriers of prejudice and national exclusiveness, and the
loss of secular power by the pontiff of Rome have opened the way for the entrance of
the word of God. For some years the Bible has been sold without restraint in the
streets of Rome, and it has now been carried to every part of the habitable globe.
The