One of the least known and rarely mentioned signs is that of the Gospel being preached in all the world. Here you will witness the spreading of the Gospel, as truly a sign of the last days. Jesus said "...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."
While men sleep the Gospel of the kingdom is going forth to reach a dying world. God has raised up ministries that are going to the uttermost parts of the world to bring this Gospel of the Kingdom. With the rise of technology, such as the Internet, the Gospel can now reach the world at a more rapid pace than ever before, thus bring about the fulfillment of this prophecy of Jesus. Let us now look at some documented evidence to the fact that the Gospel is being preached and published to all the world:
Article
Source: Moody / May 1986
Section: News / Page 100
Title: Bible Translation Figures Increase
"New York - The American Bible Society reports that Bible portions were translated in 21 new languages in 1985, bringing to 1,829 the number of languages in which Bibles or portions of Scripture are available.
In addition, complete Bibles were made available in seven new languages. That means 293 languages now have complete Bibles. The American Bible Society says 1985 translation work brought the Scriptues to an additional 6.5.million
people. About 98 percent of the world's population have the Bible available in a language they can understand.
The translation figures refllect the work of 102 Bible Societies that belong to the United Bible Societies, as well as the work of other translation agencies, including Wycliffe Bible Translators and the World Home Bible League".
Article
Source: Christianity Today / November 9, 1992
Section: World Scene / Page 64
Title: Christianty Is Still World's Top Religion, and Faith Is Growing
"Some say that the golden age of Christianity is over and that the growth of the Christian faith is being usurped by Islam and other beliefs.
But Christianity is not only the world's fastest-growing religion, it is actually growing faster than the world's population, according to the Lausanne Statistics Task Force.
Statics compiled by the group estimate the current ratio of the non-Christians to Bible-believing Christians to be 6.8 to 1, the lowest ratio in histroy.
The Task Force, headed by David Barrett, amassed statistics including world population, the number of people who do not claim to be Christians, the number of people who call themselves Christians, the number of Bible-believing (evangelical) Christians,
and the number of "unreached people groups" in the world in various years between A.D. 100 to 1992. The ratio, estimated in A.D. 100 to be 220 to 1, has decreased throughout history to the current 6.8 to 1 (see graph). The group also concluded that the
evangelical movement worldwide is growing three times faster than the world population.
The statistics are evident that "we are not losing the battle," says Ralph Winter of the United States Center for World Mission. The center supports the AD 2000 movement, which seeks to plant indigenous churches in each of the world's 11,000 remaining people groups that have
not heard the gospel".
Article
Source: Christianity Today / July 11, 1986
Section: Page 17
Title: Where in the World Is the Church Growing
Awed observers
The spectacular growth of the Chinese church in the last five to ten years has awed church observers. In God Reigns in China (OMF) Books), Leslie Lyall, a former missionary to China, estimated that in the three years following 1980, as many as 27,000 people per day may have become Christians.
"The most massive church growth in the world is in China," says C. Peter Wagner, professor at Fuller Seminary School of World Missions in Pasadena, California. "There is a guarter of the world's population, and one of the highest rates of Christian growth that has ever been seen."
Accurate statistics on the numbers of Christians in China are unavailable, and estimates range from 5 million to 100 million. Christian communications Limited of Hong Kong says estimates of 35 million to 50 million are "credible"; and the Chinese Church Research Center in Hong Kong says Christians now constitute nearly 5 percent of the total population of the country.
This may be the most remarkable church-growth phenomenon in recent history, especially given the government's hostility toward the church. It is not, however, an isolated case. "The last ten years has been the most dramatic harvest the world has ever seen," says Patrick J. Johnstone, international research secretary, Worldwide Evangelization Crusade, and author of Operation World (STL Books).
Although in many places all segments of the church are growing, evangelical churches have made especially significant gains.
"The number of evangelical adherents in the world today is probably between 245 to 262 million," he says. "Possibly 5.3 or 5.4 percent of the world's population would be evangelical now, which in the last ten years is an increase of possibly 1 1/2 percent of the world's population. That means there has been enormous church growth- which very few have realized."
Where the growth is
The body of believers is growing fastest outside of the so-called Christian West- North America and Western Europe. Because of the extraordinary growth of the church in China, Johnstone reckons there may now be nearly as many evangelical Christian in Asia as in the West.
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