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Not all Protestants, however, accepted that these events suggested the imminent return of Christ, nor would some of the previous interpretations of the Bible be abandoned quickly. Many remained ardent proponents of the post-millennial theory. Consequently, numerous books took up this subject for debate. Perhaps one of the most noteworthy and influential nineteenth-century books in this debate was Dr David Brown's Christ's Second Coming, Will it be Premillennial? (1876). (178:3) While Christian scholars and ministers continued to dispute these issues, they also continued to preach about prophecies in general. It was a time in which people everywhere were filled with anticipation. The belief that they were living in the end times dominated popular religious thought. These beliefs were reinforced during the early 1800s by the extraordinary changes and developments that were occurring. The European nations were expanding both technologically and intellectually. Through the use of this new technology and learning, these nations sought, and were able to secure, other parts of the world as colonies. Explorers sought new territories for their monarchs, and missionaries sought new souls to convert from among the so-called 'heathen' races. As this process of colonization grew, a few European nations envisioned control of the whole world.
(178:4)
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