“For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” Verses 2-5. 5. Are things to grow better or worse before the Lord comes? “_But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse_, deceiving, and being deceived.” Verse 13. NOTE.—“Even to the end of time there will still be occasion for the same complaint; the world will grow no better, no, not when it is drawing toward its period. Bad it is, and bad it will be, and _worst of all_ just before Christ’s coming.”—_Matthew Henry, on Luke 18:8._ 6. According to the parable of the wheat and the tares, how long are the good and bad to remain together? “The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil.” “_Let both grow together until the harvest_: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them.” Matt. 13:38, 39, 30. 7. When does the harvest come? “The harvest is _the end of the world_.” Verse 39. NOTES.—Thus it is plain that the wicked (the tares) live with the righteous (the wheat) till the end of the world. There is, then, no time before Christ’s coming for a sinless state, in which all men will be converted and turn to God. Harper’s “Book of Facts,” edition 1906, article “Religion,” classifies the population of the globe religiously as follows:— Non-Christian Christian Buddhists 400,000,000 Roman 175,000,000 Catholics Brahmans 250,000,000 Protestants 110,000,000 Mohammedans 180,000,000 Greek Church 90,000,000 Fetish-worshipers 150,000,000 Various 25,000,000 Jews 8,000,000 Various 62,000,000 1,050,000,000 400,000,000 From this it will be seen that only about one fourth of the world’s population are even nominal Christians. 8. For what purpose did Christ say the gospel was to be preached in all the world? “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world _for a witness unto all nations_; and then shall the end come.” Matt. 24:14. NOTES.—He did not say that all would _receive_ the gospel, but that the gospel was to be _preached_ in all the world _for a witness_ unto all nations, and that _then_ the end would come.