THE GREAT CONTROVERSY by ELLEN G. WHITE

This is a public domain book, published in 1911.  The author 
Ellen G. White was one of the early women writer in the history
of America.  The raw etext was provided by the Trustees of
Ellen G. White Publications, 12501 Old Columbia Pike,
Silver Springs, Maryland 20904.

May 8, 1994.
contact: seewei@orion.cc.andrews.edu (See-Wei Toh)

This text is in the public domain, posted to wiretap MAY 1994.

                                                                      (iii)
                              PREFACE


THIS BOOK, READER, IS NOT PUBLISHED TO TELL US THAT THERE IS SIN AND WOE AND
MISERY IN THIS WORLD. WE KNOW IT ALL TOO WELL. THIS BOOK IS NOT PUBLISHED TO
TELL US THAT THERE IS AN IRRECONCILABLE CONTROVERSY BETWEEN DARKNESS AND
LIGHT, SIN AND RIGHTEOUSNESS, WRONG AND RIGHT, DEATH AND LIFE. IN OUR HEART
OF HEARTS WE KNOW IT, AND KNOW THAT WE ARE PARTICIPATORS, ACTORS, IN THE
CONFLICT.

BUT TO EVERY ONE OF US COMES AT TIMES A LONGING TO KNOW MORE OF THE GREAT
CONTROVERSY. HOW DID THE CONTROVERSY BEGIN? OR WAS IT ALWAYS HERE? WHAT
ELEMENTS ENTER INTO ITS AWFULLY COMPLEX ASPECT? HOW AM I RELATED TO IT? WHAT
IS MY RESPONSIBILITY? I FIND MYSELF IN THIS WORLD BY NO CHOICE OF MY OWN?
DOES THAT MEAN TO ME EVIL OR GOOD?

WHAT ARE THE GREAT PRINCIPLES INVOLVED? HOW LONG WILL THE CONTROVERSY
CONTINUE? WHAT WILL BE ITS ENDING? WILL THIS EARTH SINK, AS SOME SCIENTISTS
SAY, INTO THE DEPTHS OF A SUNLESS, FROZEN, ETERNAL NIGHT? OR IS THERE A
BETTER FUTURE?

THE QUESTION COMES CLOSER STILL: HOW MAY THE CONTROVERSY IN MY OWN HEART,
THE STRIFE BETWEEN INFLOWING SELFISHNESS AND OUTGOING LOVE, BE SETTLED IN
THE VICTORY OF GOOD, AND SETTLED FOREVER? WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? WHAT HAS
GOD TO TEACH US ABOUT THIS ETERNALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION?

IT IS THE AIM OF THIS BOOK, READER, TO HELP THE TROUBLED SOUL TO A RIGHT
SOLUTION OF ALL THESE PROBLEMS. IT IS WRITTEN BY ONE WHO HAS TASTED AND
FOUND THAT GOD IS GOOD, AND WHO HAS LEARNED IN COMMUNION WITH GOD AND THE
STUDY OF HIS WORD THAT THE SECRET OF THE LORD IS WITH THEM THAT FEAR HIM,
AND THAT HE WILL SHOW THEM HIS COVENANT.

THAT WE MAY BETTER UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE ALL-IMPORTANT
CONTROVERSY, IN WHICH THE LIFE OF A UNIVERSE IS INVOLVED, THE AUTHOR HAS SET
IT BEFORE US IN GREAT, CONCRETE OBJECT LESSONS OF THE LAST TWENTY CENTURIES.

THE BOOK OPENS WITH THE SAD CLOSING SCENES OF JERUSALEM'S HISTORY, THE CITY
OF GOD'S CHOSEN, AFTER HER REJECTION OF THE
         
iv

MAN OF CALVARY, WHO CAME TO SAVE. THENCE ONWARD ALONG THE GREAT HIGHWAY OF
THE NATIONS, IT POINTS US TO THE PERSECUTIONS OF GOD'S CHILDREN IN THE FIRST
CENTURIES; THE GREAT APOSTASY WHICH FOLLOWED IN HIS CHURCH; THE
WORLD-AWAKENING OF THE REFORMATION, IN WHICH SOME OF THE GREAT PRINCIPLES OF
THE CONTROVERSY ARE CLEARLY MANIFEST; THE AWFUL LESSON OF THE REJECTION OF
RIGHT PRINCIPLES BY FRANCE; THE REVIVAL AND EXALTATION OF THE SCRIPTURES,
AND THEIR BENEFICENT, LIFE-SAVING INFLUENCE; THE RELIGIOUS AWAKENING OF THE
LAST DAYS; THE UNSEALING OF THE RADIANT FOUNTAIN OF GOD'S WORD, WITH ITS
WONDERFUL REVELATIONS OF LIGHT AND KNOWLEDGE TO MEET THE BALEFUL UPSPRINGING
OF EVERY DELUSION OF DARKNESS.

THE PRESENT IMPENDING CONFLICT, WITH THE VITAL PRINCIPLES INVOLVED, IN WHICH
NO ONE CAN BE NEUTRAL, IS SIMPLY, LUCIDLY, STRONGLY, SET FORTH.

LAST OF ALL, WE ARE TOLD OF THE ETERNAL AND GLORIOUS VICTORY OF GOOD OVER
EVIL, RIGHT OVER WRONG, LIGHT OVER DARKNESS, JOY OVER SORROW, HOPE OVER
DESPAIR, GLORY OVER SHAME, LIFE OVER DEATH, AND EVERLASTING, LONG-SUFFERING
LOVE OVER VINDICTIVE HATE.

BEGINNING WITH ITS FIRST EDITION (1888), FOLLOWED BY AN AUTHOR'S REVISION
(1911), THIS OUTSTANDING WORK HAS ACHIEVED WORLDWIDE CIRCULATION THROUGH
MANY EDITIONS AND TRANSLATIONS. THE READER WILL FIND THAT THE AUTHOR WRITES
FRANKLY AND VIGOROUSLY, POINTING OUT ERRORS AND SUGGESTING SOLUTIONS BASED
ON THE INFALLIBLE WORD OF GOD. AND EVEN THOUGH THE LAST FEW DECADES HAVE
WITNESSED SHIFTS AND ADJUSTMENTS IN THE SOCIORELIGIOUS WORLD, THE MAIN
SCHEME AND THE FUTURE PROJECTIONS PRESENTED IN THIS BOOK MAINTAIN TODAY FULL
TIMELINESS AND ABSORBING INTEREST.

FORMER EDITIONS OF THIS BOOK HAVE BROUGHT MANY SOULS TO THE TRUE SHEPHERD;
IT IS THE PRAYER OF THE PUBLISHER THAT THIS EDITION MAY BE EVEN MORE
FRUITFUL OF ETERNAL GOOD.

                                             THE PUBLISHERS.
                              Introduction

Before the entrance of sin, Adam enjoyed open communion with his Maker; but
since man separated himself from God by transgression, the human race has
been cut off from this high privilege. By the plan of redemption, however, a
way has been opened whereby the inhabitants of the earth may still have
connection with heaven. God has communicated with men by His Spirit, and
divine light has been imparted to the world by revelations to His chosen
servants. "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2
Peter 1:21.

During the first twenty-five hundred years of human history, there was no
written revelation. Those who had been taught of God, communicated their
knowledge to others, and it was handed down from father to son, through
successive generations. The preparation of the written word began in the
time of Moses. Inspired revelations were then embodied in an inspired book.
This work continued during the long period of sixteen hundred years--from
Moses, the historian of creation and the law, to John, the recorder of the
most sublime truths of the gospel.

The Bible points to God as its author; yet it was written by human hands;
and in the varied style of its different books it presents the
characteristics of the several writers. The truths revealed are all "given
by inspiration of God" (2 Timothy 3:16); yet they are expressed in the words
of men. The Infinite One by His Holy Spirit has shed light into the minds
and hearts of His servants. He has given dreams and visions, symbols and
figures; and those to whom the truth was thus revealed have themselves
embodied the thought in human language.

The Ten Commandments were spoken by God Himself, and were written by His own
hand. They are of divine,
         
vi

and not of human composition. But the Bible, with its God-given truths
expressed in the language of men, presents a union of the divine and the
human. Such a union existed in the nature of Christ, who was the Son of God
and the Son of man. Thus it is true of the Bible, as it was of Christ, that
"the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." John 1:14.

Written in different ages, by men who differed widely in rank and
occupation, and in mental and spiritual endowments, the books of the Bible
present a wide contrast in style, as well as a diversity in the nature of
the subjects unfolded. Different forms of expression are employed by
different writers; often the same truth is more strikingly presented by one
than by another. And as several writers present a subject under varied
aspects and relations, there may appear, to the superficial, careless, or
prejudiced reader, to be discrepancy or contradiction, where the thoughtful,
reverent student, with clearer insight, discerns the underlying harmony.

As presented through different individuals, the truth is brought out in its
varied aspects. One writer is more strongly impressed with one phase of the
subject; he grasps those points that harmonize with his experience or with
his power of perception and appreciation; another seizes upon a different
phase; and each, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, presents what is
most forcibly impressed upon his own mind--a different aspect of the truth
in each, but a perfect harmony through all. And the truths thus revealed
unite to form a perfect whole, adapted to meet the wants of men in all the
circumstances and experiences of life.

God has been pleased to communicate His truth to the world by human
agencies, and He Himself, by His Holy Spirit, qualified men and enabled them
to do this work. He guided the mind in the selection of what to speak and
what to write. The treasure was entrusted to earthen vessels, yet it is,
nonetheless, from Heaven. The testimony is
          
                                                                      vii

conveyed through the imperfect expression of human language, yet it is the
testimony of God; and the obedient, believing child of God beholds in it the
glory of a divine power, full of grace and truth.

In His word, God has committed to men the knowledge necessary for salvation.
The Holy Scriptures are to be accepted as an authoritative, infallible
revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the revealer of
doctrines, and the test of experience. "Every scripture inspired of God is
also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
which is in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, furnished
completely unto every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, R.V.

Yet the fact that God has revealed His will to men through His word, has not
rendered needless the continued presence and guiding of the Holy Spirit. On
the contrary, the Spirit was promised by our Saviour, to open the word to
His servants, to illuminate and apply its teachings. And since it was the
Spirit of God that inspired the Bible, it is impossible that the teaching of
the Spirit should ever be contrary to that of the word.

The Spirit was not given--nor can it ever be bestowed-- to supersede the
Bible; for the Scriptures explicitly state that the word of God is the
standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested. Says the
apostle John, "Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they
are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."
1 John 4:1. And Isaiah declares, "To the law and to the
testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is
no light in them." Isaiah 8:20.

Great reproach has been cast upon the work of the Holy Spirit by the errors
of a class that, claiming its enlightenment, profess to have no further need
of guidance from the word of God. They are governed by impressions which
they regard as the voice of God in the soul. But the spirit that controls
them is not the Spirit of God. This following of
           
viii

impressions, to the neglect of the Scriptures, can lead only to confusion,
to deception and ruin. It serves only to further the designs of the evil
one. Since the ministry of the Holy Spirit is of vital importance to the
church of Christ, it is one of the devices of Satan, through the errors of
extremists and fanatics, to cast contempt upon the work of the Spirit and
cause the people of God to neglect this source of strength which our Lord
Himself has provided.

In harmony with the word of God, His Spirit was to continue its work
throughout the period of the gospel dispensation. During the ages while the
Scriptures of both the Old and the New Testament were being given, the Holy
Spirit did not cease to communicate light to individual minds, apart from
the revelations to be embodied in the Sacred Canon. The Bible itself relates
how, through the Holy Spirit, men received warning, reproof, counsel, and
instruction, in matters in no way relating to the giving of the Scriptures.
And mention is made of prophets in different ages, of whose utterances
nothing is recorded. In like manner, after the close of the canon of the
Scripture, the Holy Spirit was still to continue its work, to enlighten,
warn, and comfort the children of God.

Jesus promised His disciples, "The Comforter which is the Holy Ghost, whom
the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring
all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." "When He,
the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: . . . and He
will show you things to come." John 14:26; 16:13. Scripture plainly teaches
that these promises, so far from being limited to apostolic days, extend to
the church of Christ in all ages. The Saviour assures His followers, "I am
with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Matthew 28:20. And Paul
declares that the gifts and manifestations of the Spirit were set in the
church "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the
faith, and
         
                                                                      ix

of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of
the stature of the fullness of Christ." Ephesians 4:12, 13.

For the believers at Ephesus the apostle prayed, "That the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom
and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being
enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and . . .
what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe."
Ephesians 1:17-19. The ministry of the divine Spirit in enlightening the
understanding and opening to the mind the deep things of God's holy word,
was the blessing which Paul thus besought for the Ephesian church.

After the wonderful manifestation of the Holy Spirit on the Day of
Pentecost, Peter exhorted the people to repentance and baptism in the name
of Christ, for the remission of their sins; and he said: "Ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your
children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God
shall call." Acts 2:38, 39.

In immediate connection with the scenes of the great day of God, the Lord by
the prophet Joel has promised a special manifestation of His Spirit. Joel
2:28. This prophecy received a partial fulfillment in the outpouring of the
Spirit on the Day of Pentecost; but it will reach its full accomplishment in
the manifestation of divine grace which will attend the closing work of the
gospel.

The great controversy between good and evil will increase in intensity to
the very close of time. In all ages the wrath of Satan has been manifested
against the church of Christ; and God has bestowed His grace and Spirit upon
His people to strengthen them to stand against the power of the evil one.
When the apostles of Christ were to bear His gospel to the world and to
record it for all future ages, they were especially endowed with the
enlightenment of the Spirit. But as the
        
x

church approaches her final deliverance, Satan is to work with greater
power. He comes down "having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath
but a short time." Revelation 12:12. He will work "with all power and signs
and lying wonders." 2 Thessalonians 2:9. For six thousand years that
mastermind that once was highest among the angels of God has been wholly
bent to the work of deception and ruin. And all the depths of satanic skill
and subtlety acquired, all the cruelty developed, during these struggles of
the ages, will be brought to bear against God's people in the final
conflict. And in this time of peril the followers of Christ are to bear to
the world the warning of the Lord's second advent; and a people are to be
prepared to stand before Him at His coming, "without spot, and blameless." 2
Peter 3:14. At this time the special endowment of divine grace and power is
not less needful to the church than in apostolic days.

Through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, the scenes of the
long-continued conflict between good and evil have been opened to the writer
of these pages. From time to time I have been permitted to behold the
working, in different ages, of the great controversy between Christ, the
Prince of life, the Author of our salvation, and Satan, the prince of evil,
the author of sin, the first transgressor of God's holy law. Satan's enmity
against Christ has been manifested against His followers. The same hatred of
the principles of God's law, the same policy of deception, by which error is
made to appear as truth, by which human laws are substituted for the law of
God, and men are led to worship the creature rather than the Creator, may be
traced in all the history of the past. Satan's efforts to misrepresent the
character of God, to cause men to cherish a false conception of the Creator,
and thus to regard Him with fear and hate rather than with love; his
endeavors to set aside the divine law, leading the people to think
themselves free from its requirements; and his persecution of those who dare
to resist his deceptions, have been steadfastly pursued in all ages. They
may be traced
         
                                                                      xi

in the history of patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, of martyrs and
reformers.

In the great final conflict, Satan will employ the same policy, manifest the
same spirit, and work for the same end as in all preceding ages. That which
has been, will be, except that the coming struggle will be marked with a
terrible intensity such as the world has never witnessed. Satan's deceptions
will be more subtle, his assaults more determined. If it were possible, he
would lead astray the elect. Mark 13:22, R.V.

As the Spirit of God has opened to my mind the great truths of His word, and
the scenes of the past and the future, I have been bidden to make known to
others that which has thus been revealed--to trace the history of the
controversy in past ages, and especially so to present it as to shed a light
on the fast-approaching struggle of the future. In pursuance of this
purpose, I have endeavored to select and group together events in the
history of the church in such a manner as to trace the unfolding of the
great testing truths that at different periods have been given to the world,
that have excited the wrath of Satan, and the enmity of a world-loving
church, and that have been maintained by the witness of those who "loved not
their lives unto the death."

In these records we may see a foreshadowing of the conflict before us.
Regarding them in the light of God's word, and by the illumination of His
Spirit, we may see unveiled the devices of the wicked one, and the dangers
which they must shun who would be found "without fault" before the Lord at
His coming.

The great events which have marked the progress of reform in past ages are
matters of history, well known and universally acknowledged by the
Protestant world; they are facts which none can gainsay. This history I have
presented briefly, in accordance with the scope of the book, and the brevity
which must necessarily be observed, the facts having been condensed into as
little space as seemed consistent with
         
xii

a proper understanding of their application. In some cases where a historian
has so grouped together events as to afford, in brief, a comprehensive view
of the subject, or has summarized details in a convenient manner, his words
have been quoted; but in some instances no specific credit has been given,
since the quotations are not given for the purpose of citing that writer as
authority, but because his statement affords a ready and forcible
presentation of the subject. In narrating the experience and views of those
carrying forward the work of reform in our own time, similar use has been
made of their published works.

It is not so much the object of this book to present new truths concerning
the struggles of former times, as to bring out facts and principles which
have a bearing on coming events. Yet viewed as a part of the controversy
between the forces of light and darkness, all these records of the past are
seen to have a new significance; and through them a light is cast upon the
future, illumining the pathway of those who, like the reformers of past
ages, will be called, even at the peril of all earthly good, to witness "for
the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ."

To unfold the scenes of the great controversy between truth and error; to
reveal the wiles of Satan, and the means by which he may be successfully
resisted; to present a satisfactory solution of the great problem of evil,
shedding such a light upon the origin and the final disposition of sin as to
make fully manifest the justice and benevolence of God in all His dealings
with His creatures; and to show the holy, unchanging nature of His law, is
the object of this book. That through its influence souls may be delivered
from the power of darkness, and become "partakers of the inheritance of the
saints in light," to the praise of Him who loved us, and gave Himself for
us, is the earnest prayer of the writer.
                                                   E.G.W.
                                                                      (xiii)
                              Contents

 1. The Destruction of Jerusalem ...................................       17
 2. Persecution in the First Centuries .............................       39
 3. An Era of Spiritual Darkness (The Apostasy) ....................       49
 4. The Waldenses ..................................................       61
 5. John Wycliffe ..................................................       79
 6. Huss and Jerome ................................................       97
 7. Luther's Separation From Rome ..................................      120
 8. Luther Before the Diet .........................................      145
 9. The Swiss Reformer .............................................      171
10. Progress of Reform in Germany ..................................      185
11. Protest of the Princes .........................................      197
12. The French Reformation .........................................      211
13. The Netherlands and Scandinavia ................................      237
14. Later English Reformers ........................................      245
15. The Bible and the French Revolution ............................      265
16. The Pilgrim Fathers ............................................      289
17. Heralds of the Morning .........................................      299
18. An American Reformer ...........................................      317
19. Light Through Darkness .........................................      343
20. A Great Religious Awakening ....................................      355
21. A Warning Rejected .............................................      375
22. Prophecies Fulfilled ...........................................      391
23. What Is the Sanctuary? .........................................      409
24. In the Holy of Holies ..........................................      423
25. God's Law Immutable ............................................      433
26. A Work of Reform ...............................................      451
27. Modern Revivals ................................................      461
28. Facing Life's Record (The Investigative Judgment) ..............      479
29. The Origin of Evil .............................................      492
30. Enmity Between Man and Satan ...................................      505
         
xiv

31. Agency of Evil Spirits .........................................      511
32. Snares of Satan ................................................      518
33. The First Great Deception ......................................      531
34. Can Our Dead Speak to Us? (Spiritualism) .......................      551
35. Liberty of Conscience Threatened (Aims of the Papacy) ..........      563
36. The Impending Conflict .........................................      582
37. The Scriptures a Safeguard .....................................      593
38. The Final Warning ..............................................      603
39. The Time of Trouble ............................................      613
40. God's People Delivered .........................................      635
41. Desolation of the Earth ........................................      653
42. The Controversy Ended ..........................................      662
    Appendix .......................................................      679



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                              Chapter 1

                              The Destruction of Jerusalem


"If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which
belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days
shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and
compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even
with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in
thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy
visitation." Luke 19:42-44.

From the crest of Olivet, Jesus looked upon Jerusalem. Fair and peaceful was
the scene spread out before Him. It was the season of the Passover, and from
all lands the children of Jacob had gathered there to celebrate the great
national festival. In the midst of gardens and vineyards, and green slopes
studded with pilgrims' tents, rose the terraced hills, the stately palaces,
and massive bulwarks of Israel's capital. The daughter of Zion seemed in her
pride to say, I sit a queen and shall see no sorrow; as lovely then, and
deeming herself as secure in Heaven's favor, as when, ages before, the royal
minstrel sang: "Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is
Mount Zion, . . . the city of the great King." Psalm 48:2. In full view were
the magnificent buildings of the temple. The rays of the setting sun lighted
up the snowy whiteness of its marble walls and gleamed from golden gate and
tower and pinnacle. "The perfection of

18

beauty" it stood, the pride of the Jewish nation. What child of Israel could
gaze upon the scene without a thrill of joy and admiration! But far other
thoughts occupied the mind of Jesus. "When He was come near, He beheld the
city, and wept over it." Luke 19:41. Amid the universal rejoicing of the
triumphal entry, while palm branches waved, while glad hosannas awoke the
echoes of the hills, and thousands of voices declared Him king, the world's
Redeemer was overwhelmed with a sudden and mysterious sorrow. He, the Son of
God, the Promised One of Israel, whose power had conquered death and called
its captives from the grave, was in tears, not of ordinary grief, but of
intense, irrepressible agony.

His tears were not for Himself, though He well knew whither His feet were
tending. Before Him lay Gethsemane, the scene of His approaching agony. The
sheepgate also was in sight, through which for centuries the victims for
sacrifice had been led, and which was to open for Him when He should be
"brought as a lamb to the slaughter." Isaiah 53:7. Not far distant was
Calvary, the place of crucifixion. Upon the path which Christ was soon to
tread must fall the horror of great darkness as He should make His soul an
offering for sin. Yet it was not the contemplation of these scenes that cast
the shadow upon Him in this hour of gladness. No foreboding of His own
superhuman anguish clouded that unselfish spirit. He wept for the doomed
thousands of Jerusalem--because of the blindness and impenitence of those
whom He came to bless and to save.

The history of more than a thousand years of God's special favor and
guardian care, manifested to the chosen people, was open to the eye of
Jesus. There was Mount Moriah, where the son of promise, an unresisting
victim, had been bound to the altar--emblem of the offering of the Son of
God. There the covenant of blessing, the glorious Messianic promise, had
been confirmed to the father of the faithful. Genesis 22:9, 16-18. There the
flames of the sacrifice ascending to heaven from the threshing floor of
Ornan had turned

                                                                      19

aside the sword of the destroying angel (1 Chronicles 21)-- fitting symbol
of the Saviour's sacrifice and mediation for guilty men. Jerusalem had been
honored of God above all the earth. The Lord had "chosen Zion," He had
"desired it for His habitation." Psalm 132:13. There, for ages, holy
prophets had uttered their messages of warning. There priests had waved
their censers, and the cloud of incense, with the prayers of the worshipers,
had ascended before God. There daily the blood of slain lambs had been
offered, pointing forward to the Lamb of God. There Jehovah had revealed His
presence in the cloud of glory above the mercy seat. There rested the base
of that mystic ladder connecting earth with heaven (Genesis 28:12; John
1:51)--that ladder upon which angels of God descended and ascended, and
which opened to the world the way into the holiest of all. Had Israel as a
nation preserved her allegiance to Heaven, Jerusalem would have stood
forever, the elect of God. Jeremiah 17:21-25. But the history of that
favored people was a record of backsliding and rebellion. They had resisted
Heaven's grace, abused their privileges, and slighted their opportunities.

Although Israel had "mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words,
and misused His prophets" (2 Chronicles 36:16), He had still manifested
Himself to them, as "the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering,
and abundant in goodness and truth" (Exodus 34:6); notwithstanding repeated
rejections, His mercy had continued its pleadings. With more than a father's
pitying love for the son of his care, God had "sent to them by His
messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because He had compassion on His
people, and on His dwelling place." 2 Chronicles 36:15. When remonstrance,
entreaty, and rebuke had failed, He sent to them the best gift of heaven;
nay, He poured out all heaven in that one Gift.

The Son of God Himself was sent to plead with the impenitent city. It was
Christ that had brought Israel as a goodly vine out of Egypt. Psalm 80:8.
His own hand had cast

20

out the heathen before it. He had planted it "in a very fruitful hill." His
guardian care had hedged it about. His servants had been sent to nurture it.
"What could have been done more to My vineyard," He exclaims, "that I have
not done in it?" Isaiah 5:1-4. Though when He looked that it should bring
forth grapes, it brought forth wild grapes, yet with a still yearning hope
of fruitfulness He came in person to His vineyard, if haply it might be
saved from destruction. He digged about His vine; He pruned and cherished
it. He was unwearied in His efforts to save this vine of His own planting.

For three years the Lord of light and glory had gone in and out among His
people. He "went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of
the devil," binding up the brokenhearted, setting at liberty them that were
bound, restoring sight to the blind, causing the lame to walk and the deaf
to hear, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead, and preaching the gospel to
the poor. Acts 10:38; Luke 4:18; Matthew 11:5. To all classes alike was
addressed the gracious call: "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are
heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28.

Though rewarded with evil for good, and hatred for His love (Psalm 109:5),
He had steadfastly pursued His mission of mercy. Never were those repelled
that sought His grace. A homeless wanderer, reproach and penury His daily
lot, He lived to minister to the needs and lighten the woes of men, to plead
with them to accept the gift of life. The waves of mercy, beaten back by
those stubborn hearts, returned in a stronger tide of pitying, inexpressible
love. But Israel had turned from her best Friend and only Helper. The
pleadings of His love had been despised, His counsels spurned, His warnings
ridiculed.

The hour of hope and pardon was fast passing; the cup of God's long-deferred
wrath was almost full. The cloud that had been gathering through ages of
apostasy and rebellion, now black with woe, was about to burst upon a guilty
people;

                                                                      21

and He who alone could save them from their impending fate had been
slighted, abused, rejected, and was soon to be crucified. When Christ should
hang upon the cross of Calvary, Israel's day as a nation favored and blessed
of God would be ended. The loss of even one soul is a calamity infinitely
outweighing the gains and treasures of a world; but as Christ looked upon
Jerusalem, the doom of a whole city, a whole nation, was before Him--that
city, that nation, which had once been the chosen of God, His peculiar
treasure.

Prophets had wept over the apostasy of Israel and the terrible desolations
by which their sins were visited. Jeremiah wished that his eyes were a
fountain of tears, that he might weep day and night for the slain of the
daughter of his people, for the Lord's flock that was carried away captive.
Jeremiah 9:1; 13:17. What, then, was the grief of Him whose prophetic glance
took in, not years, but ages! He beheld the destroying angel with sword
uplifted against the city which had so long been Jehovah's dwelling place.
From the ridge of Olivet, the very spot afterward occupied by Titus and his
army, He looked across the valley upon the sacred courts and porticoes, and
with tear-dimmed eyes He saw, in awful perspective, the walls surrounded by
alien hosts. He heard the tread of armies marshaling for war. He heard the
voice of mothers and children crying for bread in the besieged city. He saw
her holy and beautiful house, her palaces and towers, given to the flames,
and where once they stood, only a heap of smoldering ruins.

Looking down the ages, He saw the covenant people scattered in every land,
"like wrecks on a desert shore." In the temporal retribution about to fall
upon her children, He saw but the first draft from that cup of wrath which
at the final judgment she must drain to its dregs. Divine pity, yearning
love, found utterance in the mournful words: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou
that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how
often would I

22

have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens
under her wings, and ye would not!" O that thou, a nation favored above
every other, hadst known the time of thy visitation, and the things that
belong unto thy peace! I have stayed the angel of justice, I have called
thee to repentance, but in vain. It is not merely servants, delegates, and
prophets, whom thou hast refused and rejected, but the Holy One of Israel,
thy Redeemer. If thou art destroyed, thou alone art responsible. "Ye will
not come to Me, that ye might have life." Matthew 23:37; John 5:40.

Christ saw in Jerusalem a symbol of the world hardened in unbelief and
rebellion, and hastening on to meet the retributive judgments of God. The
woes of a fallen race, pressing upon His soul, forced from His lips that
exceeding bitter cry. He saw the record of sin traced in human misery,
tears, and blood; His heart was moved with infinite pity for the afflicted
and suffering ones of earth; He yearned to relieve them all. But even His
hand might not turn back the tide of human woe; few would seek their only
Source of help. He was willing to pour out His soul unto death, to bring
salvation within their reach; but few would come to Him that they might have
life.

The Majesty of heaven in tears! the Son of the infinite God troubled in
spirit, bowed down with anguish! The scene filled all heaven with wonder.
That scene reveals to us the exceeding sinfulness of sin; it shows how hard
a task it is, even for Infinite Power, to save the guilty from the
consequences of transgressing the law of God. Jesus, looking down to the
last generation, saw the world involved in a deception similar to that which
caused the destruction of Jerusalem. The great sin of the Jews was their
rejection of Christ; the great sin of the Christian world would be their
rejection of the law of God, the foundation of His government in heaven and
earth. The precepts of Jehovah would be despised and set at nought. Millions
in bondage to sin, slaves of Satan, doomed to suffer the second death, would

                                                                      23

refuse to listen to the words of truth in their day of visitation. Terrible
blindness! strange infatuation!

Two days before the Passover, when Christ had for the last time departed
from the temple, after denouncing the hypocrisy of the Jewish rulers, He
again went out with His disciples to the Mount of Olives and seated Himself
with them upon the grassy slope overlooking the city. Once more He gazed
upon its walls, its towers, and its palaces. Once more He beheld the temple
in its dazzling splendor, a diadem of beauty crowning the sacred mount.

A thousand years before, the psalmist had magnified God's favor to Israel in
making her holy house His dwelling place: "In Salem also is His tabernacle,
and His dwelling place in Zion." He "chose the tribe of Judah, the Mount
Zion which He loved. And He built His sanctuary like high palaces." Psalms
76:2; 78:68, 69. The first temple had been erected during the most
prosperous period of Israel's history. Vast stores of treasure for this
purpose had been collected by King David, and the plans for its construction
were made by divine inspiration. 1 Chronicles 28:12, 19. Solomon, the wisest
of Israel's monarchs, had completed the work. This temple was the most
magnificent building which the world ever saw. Yet the Lord had declared by
the prophet Haggai, concerning the second temple: "The glory of this latter
house shall be greater than of the former." "I will shake all nations, and
the Desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory,
saith the Lord of hosts." Haggai 2:9, 7.

After the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar it was rebuilt about
five hundred years before the birth of Christ by a people who from a
lifelong captivity had returned to a wasted and almost deserted country.
There were then among them aged men who had seen the glory of Solomon's
temple, and who wept at the foundation of the new building, that it must be
so inferior to the former. The feeling that prevailed is forcibly described
by the prophet: "Who is

24

left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it
now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?" Haggai 2:3;
Ezra 3:12. Then was given the promise that the glory of this latter house
should be greater than that of the former.

But the second temple had not equaled the first in magnificence; nor was it
hallowed by those visible tokens of the divine presence which pertained to
the first temple. There was no manifestation of supernatural power to mark
its dedication. No cloud of glory was seen to fill the newly erected
sanctuary. No fire from heaven descended to consume the sacrifice upon its
altar. The Shekinah no longer abode between the cherubim in the most holy
place; the ark, the mercy seat, and the tables of the testimony were not to
be found therein. No voice sounded from heaven to make known to the
inquiring priest the will of Jehovah.

For centuries the Jews had vainly endeavored to show wherein the promise of
God given by Haggai had been fulfilled; yet pride and unbelief blinded their
minds to the true meaning of the prophet's words. The second temple was not
honored with the cloud of Jehovah's glory, but with the living presence of
One in whom dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily--who was God Himself
manifest in the flesh. The "Desire of all nations" had indeed come to His
temple when the Man of Nazareth taught and healed in the sacred courts. In
the presence of Christ, and in this only, did the second temple exceed the
first in glory. But Israel had put from her the proffered Gift of heaven.
With the humble Teacher who had that day passed out from its golden gate,
the glory had forever departed from the temple. Already were the Saviour's
words fulfilled: "Your house is left unto you desolate." Matthew 23:38.

The disciples had been filled with awe and wonder at Christ's prediction of
the overthrow of the temple, and they desired to understand more fully the
meaning of His words. Wealth, labor, and architectural skill had for more
than forty years been freely expended to enhance its splendors. Herod

                                                                      25

the Great had lavished upon it both Roman wealth and Jewish treasure, and
even the emperor of the world had enriched it with his gifts. Massive blocks
of white marble, of almost fabulous size, forwarded from Rome for this
purpose, formed a part of its structure; and to these the disciples had
called the attention of their Master, saying: "See what manner of stones and
what buildings are here!" Mark 13:1.

To these words, Jesus made the solemn and startling reply: "Verily I say
unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall
not be thrown down." Matthew 24:2.

With the overthrow of Jerusalem the disciples associated the events of
Christ's personal coming in temporal glory to take the throne of universal
empire, to punish the impenitent Jews, and to break from off the nation the
Roman yoke. The Lord had told them that He would come the second time. Hence
at the mention of judgments upon Jerusalem, their minds reverted to that
coming; and as they were gathered about the Saviour upon the Mount of
Olives, they asked: "When shall these things be? and what shall be the sign
of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Verse 3.

The future was mercifully veiled from the disciples. Had they at that time
fully comprehend the two awful facts-- the Redeemer's sufferings and death,
and the destruction of their city and temple--they would have been
overwhelmed with horror. Christ presented before them an outline of the
prominent events to take place before the close of time. His words were not
then fully understood; but their meaning was to be unfolded as His people
should need the instruction therein given. The prophecy which He uttered was
twofold in its meaning; while foreshadowing the destruction of Jerusalem, it
prefigured also the terrors of the last great day.

Jesus declared to the listening disciples the judgments that were to fall
upon apostate Israel, and especially the retributive vengeance that would
come upon them for their rejection and crucifixion of the Messiah.
Unmistakable signs would precede the awful climax. The dreaded hour would
come

26

suddenly and swiftly. And the Saviour warned His followers: "When ye
therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) then
let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains." Matthew 24:15, 16; Luke
21:20, 21. When the idolatrous standards of the Romans should be set up in
the holy ground, which extended some furlongs outside the city walls, then
the followers of Christ were to find safety in flight. When the warning sign
should be seen, those who would escape must make no delay. Throughout the
land of Judea, as well as in Jerusalem itself, the signal for flight must be
immediately obeyed. He who chanced to be upon the housetop must not go down
into his house, even to save his most valued treasures. Those who were
working in the fields or vineyards must not take time to return for the
outer garment laid aside while they should be toiling in the heat of the
day. They must not hesitate a moment, lest they be involved in the general
destruction.

In the reign of Herod, Jerusalem had not only been greatly beautified, but
by the erection of towers, walls, and fortresses, adding to the natural
strength of its situation, it had been rendered apparently impregnable. He
who would at this time have foretold publicly its destruction, would, like
Noah in his day, have been called a crazed alarmist. But Christ had said:
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away."
Matthew 24:35. Because of her sins, wrath had been denounced against
Jerusalem, and her stubborn unbelief rendered her doom certain.

The Lord had declared by the prophet Micah: "Hear this, I pray you, ye heads
of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor
judgment, and pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood, and
Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests
thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will
they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can
come upon us." Micah 3:9-11.

                                                                      27


These words faithfully described the corrupt and self-righteous inhabitants
of Jerusalem. While claiming to observe rigidly the precepts of God's law,
they were transgressing all its principles. They hated Christ because His
purity and holiness revealed their iniquity; and they accused Him of being
the cause of all the troubles which had come upon them in consequence of
their sins. Though they knew Him to be sinless, they had declared that His
death was necessary to their safety as a nation. "If we let Him thus alone,"
said the Jewish leaders, "all men will believe on Him: and the Romans shall
come and take away both our place and nation." John 11:48. If Christ were
sacrificed, they might once more become a strong, united people. Thus they
reasoned, and they concurred in the decision of their high priest, that it
would be better for one man to die than for the whole nation to perish.

Thus the Jewish leaders had built up "Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with
iniquity." Micah 3:10. And yet, while they slew their Saviour because He
reproved their sins, such was their self-righteousness that they regarded
themselves as God's favored people and expected the Lord to deliver them
from their enemies. "Therefore," continued the prophet, "shall Zion for your
sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the
mountain of the house as the high places of the forest." Verse 12.

For nearly forty years after the doom of Jerusalem had been pronounced by
Christ Himself, the Lord delayed His judgments upon the city and the nation.
Wonderful was the long-suffering of God toward the rejectors of His gospel
and the murderers of His Son. The parable of the unfruitful tree represented
God's dealings with the Jewish nation. The command had gone forth, "Cut it
down; why cumbereth it the ground?" (Luke 13:7) but divine mercy had spared
it yet a little longer. There were still many among the Jews who were
ignorant of the character and the work of Christ. And the children had not
enjoyed the opportunities or

28

received the light which their parents had spurned. Through the preaching of
the apostles and their associates, God would cause light to shine upon them;
they would be permitted to see how prophecy had been fulfilled, not only in
the birth and life of Christ, but in His death and resurrection. The
children were not condemned for the sins of the parents; but when, with a
knowledge of all the light given to their parents, the children rejected the
additional light granted to themselves, they became partakers of the
parents' sins, and filled up the measure of their iniquity.

The long-suffering of God toward Jerusalem only confirmed the Jews in their
stubborn impenitence. In their hatred and cruelty toward the disciples of
Jesus they rejected the last offer of mercy. Then God withdrew His
protection from them and removed His restraining power from Satan and his
angels, and the nation was left to the control of the leader she had chosen.
Her children had spurned the grace of Christ, which would have enabled them
to subdue their evil impulses, and now these became the conquerors. Satan
aroused the fiercest and most debased passions of the soul. Men did not
reason; they were beyond reason--controlled by impulse and blind rage. They
became satanic in their cruelty. In the family and in the nation, among the
highest and the lowest classes alike, there was suspicion, envy, hatred,
strife, rebellion, murder. There was no safety anywhere. Friends and kindred
betrayed one another. Parents slew their children, and children their
parents. The rulers of the people had no power to rule themselves.
Uncontrolled passions made them tyrants. The Jews had accepted false
testimony to condemn the innocent Son of God. Now false accusations made
their own lives uncertain. By their actions they had long been saying:
"Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us." Isaiah 30:11. Now
their desire was granted. The fear of God no longer disturbed them. Satan

                                                                      29

was at the head of the nation, and the highest civil and religious
authorities were under his sway.

The leaders of the opposing factions at times united to plunder and torture
their wretched victims, and again they fell upon each other's forces and
slaughtered without mercy. Even the sanctity of the temple could not
restrain their horrible ferocity. The worshipers were stricken do