No. If the last days are understood to be the same as the "time of the end," then the last days have definitely not begun. The scripture you have alluded to is Daniel 12:4, which reads: "And as for you, O Daniel, make secret the words and seal up the book, until the time of the end. Many will rove about, and the true knowledge will become abundant."

The expression "time of the end" is used 6 times in the book of Daniel and refers to the period of the denunciation—or judgment. According to Daniel 11:40, the time of the end commences when the pushing between two rival kings erupts into an all-out invasion by the king of the north, so that the king of the north finally subjugates his rival. In other words, the time of the end begins with a bang! More than likely it will be recognized at the time as World War Three.

It is during that time when the book of Daniel is officially unsealed and the truth becomes abundant. Interestingly, the expression "many will rove about" is presently understood by the brothers to mean that those with the true knowledge gain it by roving about in study of the Scriptures. However, the prophet Amos uses the term roving about in a negative way to mean searching in vain for the truth. Amos 8:11-13 reads: "'Look! There are days coming,' is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, 'and I will send a famine into the land, a famine, not for bread, and a thirst, not for water, but for hearing the words of Jehovah. And they will certainly stagger from sea all the way to sea, and from north even to the sunrise. They will keep roving about while searching for the word of Jehovah, but they will not find it. In that day the pretty virgins will swoon away, also the young men, because of the thirst.'"

So, what Daniel 12:4 may be foretelling is the final separation; what Christ referred to as the harvest, which is the actual conclusion of the system of things, during which time there will be many who rove about in vain searching for the truth while Jehovah opens up a new channel for those who love the truth. That is apparently what the preceding verse in Daniel is foretelling, which says: "And the ones having insight will shine like the brightness of the expanse; and those who are bringing the many to righteousness, like the stars to time indefinite, even forever."

Those who have insight that "will shine like the brightness of the expanse" are the sons of God, who will at that time have been sealed and revealed in a glorious manifestation of Christ's invisible presence. Consider more closely the overlapping account in Matthew 13:40-43: "Therefore, just as the weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be in the conclusion of the system of things. The Son of man will send forth his angels, and they will collect out from his kingdom all things that cause stumbling and persons who are doing lawlessness, and they will pitch them into the fiery furnace. There is where their weeping and the gnashing of their teeth will be. At that time the righteous ones will shine as brightly as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let him that has ears listen."

As explained in the essay on the time of the end, the harvest and the time of the end are the same thing. That is when Jehovah's angels weed out the phony sons of God and all the stumbling blocks from among Christ's true disciples. According to Jesus, "at that time the righteous ones will shine as brightly as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." That is in harmony with Daniel's prophecy about the ones having insight shining like the stars of heaven. What we may expect, then, is that during a time of tumult and tribulation the Watchtower Society is going to go down and that the individual sons of the kingdom will then provide new leadership in some unforeseeable way—that's when the true knowledge becomes abundant.

That depends upon the individual. The stock market used to be a fairly boring place where investors actually invested with the idea of purchasing a share in a company with the expectation of sharing in that company's dividend profit over the long term. It was no different than putting money in the bank in order to earn interest. That's still the way some investors operate. Even Jesus recognized the legitimate use of money in that way, evidenced by the master's rebuke of the sluggish slave at Matthew 25:27, which reads: "Well, then, you ought to have deposited my silver monies with the bankers, and on my arrival I would be receiving what is mine with interest."

However, in recent years the traded shares of companies have become more valued than the dividend the companies pay out or even hope to pay out to their shareholders in the future. In fact, companies that are losing money are often highly valued by speculators for no other reason than someone else is willing to buy those shares at inflated values. There have always been periodic episodes of speculative excesses and market manias, which appeal to the get-rich-quick greed in people who ordinarily would not be inclined to get involved in the stock market. We are in such a period right now. Especially in the last 6-8 years, the financial markets have come to resemble casinos rather than legitimate forms of investing. Alan Greenspan coined the term a few years back, "irrational exuberance," to describe the phenomenon.

So, yes, the lure of making the big money in the market appeals to the same greed that motivates people to buy a lotto ticket in hopes of striking it rich.

There is a saying on Wall Street that the markets are governed by two instincts: Fear and greed. Right now, greed seems to be the dominating force, as more and more people are lured into wanting a piece of the action. Even though in recent years over 3 trillion dollars of investor capital was erased in the market downturn, in the past few months the markets have stabilized and the financial media are once again urging the small investor to get back in the game. And many people are doing just that. But, what happens when greed is replaced by fear in a big way? What happens in the case of another 9-11 or when some other unforeseen calamity spooks the markets?

Jehovah is not one to be mocked, as Paul warns us. A parasitic system based upon greed and fear cannot last. And Christians who allow themselves to be dominated by greed must eventually pay the price in spiritual currency.

Ironically, the easy money that has fueled the numerous stock, bond, and real estate bubbles in recent years has also doomed the entire global financial system to inevitable collapse. Eventually Jehovah's judgment will overtake the system, which is why James writes to Christians these words: "Come, now, you rich men, weep, howling over your miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted, and your outer garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are rusted away, and their rust will be as a witness against you and will eat your fleshy parts. Something like fire is what you have stored up in the last days."

It is interesting that in high-tech lingo we have what are known as computer viruses. In order to immunize our machines we have certain software programs that have been designed to detect and counteract specific viruses. However, such antivirus programs are not perfect. For example, recently it was found out that the Microsoft(TM) operating system has some design flaws that can be exploited by "worms." But, just because an otherwise brilliantly designed system is flawed in some small way, do we jump to the preposterous conclusion that computers evolved from piles of silicon and baling wire?

So, in the same way, the human immune system is magnificently designed to detect and eliminate harmful foreign invaders, just like a computer antivirus program. But, the human immune system is much more complex, so complex that even after years of research it is still not fully understood. But, we can appreciate that the Creator originally designed our system to be able to catalogue and create specific antibodies for virtually any bacteria, virus, and fungi that may evolve in the natural course.

But, like the Microsoft(TM) platform, the human immune system has some fundamental flaws because we have become imperfect. And we are far removed from the perfect environment of the Garden of Eden. So, needless to say, our immunity, while originally designed by a perfect Designer, has been compromised by long-term repeated exposure to extremely toxic substances introduced into the environment as well as the ravages of malnutrition as a result of depleted soil and unnatural farming techniques. So, whether genetically flawed from previous defective generations, or compromised by environmental degradation, our immune systems cannot deal with what they may have ordinarily been able to deal with.

The fact that microbes adapt and change into other similar forms does not prove that there is no Creator. All of God's Creation is in a dynamic state; subject to all other incalculable forces of the physical universe acting upon it. Far from proving evolution, it is merely another indication of God's highly diverse creative genius in designing into Creation the ability to adapt to constant change.

That is a tempting question, because once you start thinking along those lines it is hard to stop. But, let's give it a go and try to use some self-control.

I would start at the kingdom hall level. First order of business: Bring in some brothers with sledge hammers and knock holes in the walls and put in some windows. Maybe some skylights, too.

Maybe cut down the 5 hours of meetings per week to about 2-3 hours. Get rid of the book study altogether and reformat all meeting programs in order to liven things up a bit. We definitely ought to discourage brothers from getting up on the platform with any sort of notes or outline. Just let brothers get up there and use the Bible and speak from the heart and stop boring us with canned speeches. If they can't cut it on the high-wire act with no net, they shouldn't be up there in the first place. I doubt that the early Christians ever read from anything except the Scriptures. It would certainly force us to know our material and might make for some more lively, if not entertaining, discussions.

On an organizational level, I think we should drop the Awake! Magazine and maybe go to an expanded monthly edition of the Watchtower magazine and make it available online. We ought to use other forms of media like the radio and television and make greater use of the Internet to witness. Also, I would stop using subliminal methods of teaching by means of pictures, which appear in virtually every Watchtower, showing brothers and sisters either earnestly praying, or studying, out in service, or at a meeting. Paul appealed to our love of God and our God-given powers of reason; and so should the Watchtower also appeal to our reason instead of trying to implant suggestive images into our minds. Even if it is intended to move us aright—it is degrading.

We should stop imposing the personal views of a few on the whole organization, such as forbidding brothers with beards from having privileges. We should stop forbidding our children from participating in sports and other extra-curricular school activities, if that's what they want to do; that's up to each family. Definitely stop discouraging young people from going to college and getting an education.  Drop the fixation on monthly field service reports. Make blood transfusions a matter of conscience, if we haven't already. And on a doctrinal level: Scrap the whole 1914 thing and take a fresh look at everything else.

And, good grief, what's with those brothers at conventions standing there in the corridors with signs that say: "keep moving"? And no more convention lapel cards! I had better stop there.

One more thing: Get out of our heads the ridiculous notion that people who are resurrected will not get married.

Do you think adding an espresso bar to the book room at the kingdom hall would be too far over the top? It might give early morning service a boost!