The Great Library

The practices of writing, collecting, and reading manmade documents is as old as man himself. I don’t know if Adam wrote any books but am confident that he had the ability to write. Great scrolls and clay tablets have been found amidst the cultures of Israel, Egypt, Turkey (Hittites), Iran (Persians), Iraq (Babylonians) and many others, including the new world nations.

The Library of Alexandria in Egypt has a mythical image of a scroll that it contained before the building’s destruction, which historians suspect took place between the years 400 and 600 AD. Today the new Alexandria Library is an impressive archeological wonder with a wealth of pictures and other resources. However, it is doubtful that anyone in the world would question the fact that the greatest library on earth now is the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., pictured here. It contains 142 million documents and adds more every day.

A yawn might escape you as you wonder why I am including this fascinating information. The prophet Daniel is our next stop. “But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” (Daniel 12:4)

Two of the signs of the end times are the ability to travel all over the earth and a rapid increase of knowledge. I am writing this blog from my little writing table in my bedroom. I am surrounded by more technology than most nations throughout history possessed. In fact, my grandfather, who died in 1976, would not be able to name or explain half of the items that surround me. I have the history of the universe at my fingertips. As exciting as it is to have all of this knowledge at the touch of a button, I am reminded that the end of the age is at hand. We must return to Daniel’s writing: “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” (Daniel 12:3)

Winning people to Jesus is all that matters! King Solomon states the facts this way:

“The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one Shepherd. Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body. Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:11-14)