The movement to ignore sect lines and bring the true people of God into unity is not based upon a mere interpretation of prophecy, however.  The necessity of such a work is being felt by the true people of God everywhere, even those who make no particular claims to knowledge of prophetic interpretation.  Knowledge that the ecclesiastical systems of the present day do not represent the real church outlined in the New Testament is all that is absolutely necessary in order to stir the heart for reformatory action.  Departure from the truth of God carries with it responsibility on the part of all those who become awakened to that departure—­responsibility to return to the Bible standard.  A final reformation there must and would be even if it had never been predicted by the prophets of old; for Christ, the great ever-living head of the church, would at the proper time pour out upon his servants the spirit of judgment against all unscriptural systems and forms of worship and demand the restoration of the pure church of the morning time of our era.

[Sidenote:  The future prospect]

The work of God in the latter days is to be more extensive, however, than simply calling God’s people together from their scattered condition in sect Babylon.  There are indications in the prophecy already cited that the “everlasting gospel” is to be carried to the ends of the earth.  The movement is to be world-wide.  In our consideration of parallel prophecies in Daniel, we saw that the kingdom is represented in two phases—­first as a stone, under which symbol it broke down the kingdoms of heathen darkness; and then as a mountain, when it is to fill the whole earth.  And again, after describing the 1,260-year reign of the papacy, Daniel said:  “But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.  And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey HIM” (Dan. 7:  26, 27).

There is abundant evidence to be seen by the careful observer that there are now at work in the Christian world forces that are preparing for great changes.  Christian charity is refusing to be confined by sectarian barriers.  The Christian consciousness is becoming aroused to the evils of sectarianism and sectarian systems as it has never been aroused in any past age.  There is a longing among spiritual people everywhere to escape from the blighting effect of a divided Christianity.  Evangelism is becoming more and more detached from organized denominations, and the denominational lines are being ignored in a way that would have astonished the people of a century ago.  Numerous attempts are being made to unite the various denominations on the mission fields and in the homeland.  While many of these efforts are mere blind groping for a