“Conflict of the Ages” Series

This “mutually supportive cluster” of ideas that marks Adventist eschatology exists today because of the writings of Ellen White. Each book in the five-volume Conflict of the Ages series presents a particular aspect of the Great Controversy Theme. The first, Patriarchs and Prophets, reveals the origin and nature of sin and how it affects the universe as well as planet earth. Prophets and Kings traces the controversy as truth survives even during Israel’s defeats, backslidings, captivity, and reformations; it shows that God’s side of the conflict can still be given during apparent defeat and captivity. The Desire of Ages focuses on the purpose of Christ’s incarnation and why His life and death were the supreme display of God’s love and justice. The Acts of the Apostles unfolds the marvelous manifestation of God’s Spirit in the life of men and women who found in the life and death of Jesus a new power that regenerated and ennobled those who gladly followed His “way.”MOL 271.1

The last book in the series, The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan, answers the great questions of how long the controversy will last, how it will end, and why the questions that started the controversy will be settled forever. The latter part of this volume focuses on the “end-times” and how the destiny of all will be affected by each person’s response to Bible truth. In no book by any other author can be found Ellen White’s “mutually supportive cluster” of ideas, all interdependent. Note how interdependent, unambiguous, relevant, and totally reflective of actual events (excepting those yet to take place on the time-sequence line) are the chapters, “Modern Revivals,” “The Investigative Judgment,” “Snares of Satan,” “Spiritualism,” “Aims of the Papacy,” “The Impending Conflict,” “The Scriptures a Safeguard,” “The Final Warning,” and “The Time of Trouble.”MOL 271.2

This eschatologically focused volume draws together Ellen White’s first forty years of comment on last-day events. In 1851 she wrote: “Such subjects as the sanctuary, in connection with the 2300 days, the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, are perfectly calculated to explain the past Advent movement and show what our present position is, establish the faith of the doubting, and give certainty to the glorious future. These, I have frequently seen, were the principal subjects on which the messengers [Adventist preachers] should dwell.” ^{22Early Writings, 63.}MOL 271.3

But the Adventist emphasis was not to be on mere prophetic interpretation. Ellen White strongly affirmed that the third angel’s message was “the soul-purifying truth for this time.” ^{23Letter 13, 1859 and Letter 18, 1861, cited in Damsteegt, Foundations, p. 216.}MOL 271.4