The Great Controversy Chapter 1: The Destruction of Jerusalem

This week, Pastor Ted Wilson discusses the first chapter of The Great Controversy by Ellen White, entitled "The Destruction of Jerusalem."
Here, we find Jesus on the Mount of Olives, gazing down on Jerusalem and its temple, weeping while saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you, and close you in on every side, and level you and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another because you did not know the time of your visitation" (Luke 19:42-44, NKJV).
Knowing the walls of Jerusalem were high and fortified, how could this destruction be possible?
Forty years after that instance, the prophecy was fulfilled: "It was an appalling spectacle…The whole summit of the hill which commanded the city blazed like a volcano. One after another, the buildings fell in with a tremendous crash and were swallowed up in the fiery abyss. The roofs of cedar were like sheets of flame; the gilded pinnacles shone like spikes of red light; the gate towers sent up tall columns of flame and smoke. The neighboring hills were lit up; dark groups of people were seen watching in horrible anxiety the progress of the destruction…The shouts of the Roman soldiery as they ran to and fro, and the howlings of the insurgents who were perishing in the flames, mingled with the roaring of the conflagration and the thundering sound of falling timbers…all along the walls resounded [with] screams and wailing" (Ellen White, The Great Controversy, page 34).
Amazingly, no Christians died in the destruction. How did they escape?
Christ gave His disciples a warning: "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her" (Luke 21:20-21, NKJV). They believed these words and watched for the promised sign.
Then, under the command of Cestius, the Romans surrounded the city of Jerusalem. But later, they withdrew. "God's merciful providence was directing events for the good of His own people. The promised sign had been given to the waiting Christians, and now an opportunity was offered for all who would, to obey the Saviour's warning" (Ellen White, The Great Controversy, page 30). All who heeded this warning had already fled when the Romans returned under the command of Titus.
These scenes will be repeated in a much bigger way. "The Saviour's prophecy concerning the visitation of judgments upon Jerusalem is to have another fulfillment, of which that terrible desolation was but a faint shadow. In the fate of the chosen city, we may behold the doom of a world that has rejected God's mercy and trampled upon His law…Terrible have been the results of rejecting the authority of Heaven. But a scene yet darker is presented in the revelations of the future," Ellen White continued on page 36.
Nevertheless, we don't have to fear. Jesus "has warned the world of the day of final destruction and has given [us] tokens of its approach, that all who will may flee from the wrath to come" (page 37).
Do you believe the end is near? Do you see the signs of Jesus' second coming? Are you ready for it?
"Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper" (2 Chronicles 20:20, NKJV).
To learn more about the destruction of Jerusalem, read The Great Controversy by Ellen White at greatcontrover....

[@DraKBC]

Help us Lord Jesus and to reach to others. Amen!

[@AdventistOrgChurch]

Let us cling to His words, Dra. KBC. The Lord is faithful to His promises. He will help us in the missions He has entrusted to us.

[@mirigamicheal]

Thanks Pastor Wilson for sharing. May we all be prepared in these last days to obey the instructions of Jesus so that we can escape the destruction that's to come. Believe in Gods word and we shall be saved. Jesus is coming soon. Happy sabbath to everyone.

[@AdventistOrgChurch]

You are welcome, Miriga. Stay blessed and faithful to our God.

[@maryingold1368]

Thanks, Elder Ted Wilson, I needed the reassurance you have been giving me that as long as we are trusting and obeying God's Word we will have His direction and comfort in these last days with all the trouble they are bringing.

[@jejoo4607]

Thank You, Pastor. 🙏🏻 May God bless you and family always.

[@Ladybee-h4x]

Thanks Pastor for sharing this short inspiring message. Let’s shine on til Jesus Comes.

[@AdventistOrgChurch]

Help us spread this message to others as well. May God bless you, Ladybee.

[@user-ze2cv7ye6s]

Thank you Pastor Wilson. To God Almighty be the Glory..

[@charlottechisanga8635]

Dear Lord guide me😭

[@jamesnichiniello8837]

Peace. Shalom. Blessings. Gods grace and mercy for his people. Praise the Lord Jesus. King of kings. Lord of Lords.

[@aml-ph4766]

Watching from Philippines+place order of the "the great controversy" done

[@kukitepahvom5137]

God bless us all.

[@AdventistOrgChurch]

May the Lord bless you too, Kuki.

[@elsiericarte4272]

Amen Thanks for sharing the good news Pastor Ted.

[@bonbalab_]

Amen,praise God Thank you so much Pastor Ted God bless

[@AdventistOrgChurch]

Help us spread the good news by sharing this message of Pastor Ted with others.

[@esausamu5980]

Amen and Amen. May God's Spirit continually speak to His people till we are saved at last. May Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ come and save us in His glory 🙏

[@leemary4833]

Well done. Thankful a simple summary of each chapter to help us read the book. Sharing all over.

[@ToniTonimija]

Thank you and may the Lord be with you.

[@AdventistOrgChurch]

You are welcome, Toni.

[@pr.marianocollado4609]

Amazing job ! Thanks a lot for your ministry !

[@clc7378]

Thank You! I’m Looking Forward To All Your Upcoming Messages On This Journey; The Bible And The Great Controversy! 🙏🏼

[@AdventistOrgChurch]

Thank you for your support and prayers, CLC.

[@jennefercaga-anan6547]

Thank you for notification God bless this program until Jesus come watching from Kuwait

[@AdventistOrgChurch]

Thank you for taking the time to watch our content, Jennefer. God bless you.

[@giftdzoole9721]

Thanks Pr Qm greatly blessed and strongly feel the passion to study it

[@fredsimmons2793]

Pastor can you reconcile that EGWhite leaned heavily on what she stated the the Cathars and Waldensians were used of God to protect and bring forward the Sabbath thru them keeping the seventh day Sabbath.The Waldensians did not keep the Sabbath predomitaly,it was almost a aberration with them to keep the Saturday Sabbath.The Cather's were dualists who believed Satan created everything physical and God was the creater of the spiritual.They believed Jesus did not come in the flesh ,but was a spirit.Futhermore they practiced suicide, did not believe or practice the physical attributes of marriage.Kelloggs was a Eugenisist,and E.G White turned a blind eye to this aspect of his character,that had to have been developing under her upbringing of him.Hitler fed off Kellogg's Eugenisist work and what's revelent in this conversation is the Cathars were noted for their being the keepers of the holy grail ,this is what led Hitler to pursue their origins.This mythology is demonic and at play today in the christain realm.I think EGWhite was grasping at straws trying to justify our Sabbath keeping.I think she got caught up in this christain nationalism that has always clothed the Beast and False Prophet.Theres just something that's not quite right about her using the Cathars as God's instrument , most notably in a positive light.

[@upwardjourney2055]

Hello brother. Let me attempt to address a few of those issues. About the Albigenses (or Cathars; note, EGW did not use the term Cathars), here's a quote from Britannica: "It is exceedingly difficult to form any very precise idea of the Albigensian doctrines because present knowledge of them is derived from their opponents and from the very rare and uninformative Albigensian texts which have come down to us. What is certain is that, above all, they formed an antisacerdotal party in permanent opposition to the Roman church and raised a continued protest against the corruption of the clergy of their time." Article, Albigenses. Retrieved January 13, 2023. Even Wikipedia has an interesting take: "There is academic controversy about whether Catharism was a real and organized movement or whether the medieval Church imagined or exaggerated it. The lack of any central organization among Cathars, regional differences in beliefs and practices, as well as the lack of sources from the Cathars themselves has prompted some scholars to question whether Catharism existed. Other scholars say that there is evidence of the existence of Catharism, and also evidence that the threat of it was exaggerated by its persecutors in the Church." Article, Catharism. Reference: Roach 2018, pp. 396-398. Retrieved January 13, 2023. That said, I am personally setting aside any controversies on the Albigensian question, and we shall know in the light of eternity what was the reality of their existence and beliefs. As for the Waldenses, she did say not all of them kept it. The words "there were Waldenses" (GC 65.2) imply that not all Waldenses, but that some of them did. In a series of books written against the Waldenses (and also against Cathars), Fr. Moneta in his De Sabbato, et De Die Dominico (13th century) defended the Roman church from the Waldensian accusation that those who hold the Roman faith were not keeping the Sabbath. From this series of documents, we know, at least, that certain Waldenses kept the Sabbath. A fifth century manuscript which I cannot discuss here in length observed that the Waldenses, a good number of them, celebrated the Sabbath with the Jews. (Reference: Beiträge zur Sektengeschichte des Mittelalters.) I must note, however, that when the Waldenses met with the French Reformation, they eventually gave up Sabbathkeeping. This happened in the days of Calvin (16th century). God bless you.

[@2_witnesses]

@@upwardjourney2055Thank you . Great resources.

[@edithdotson7603]

He Brother, I seems that you may be grasping at straws in trying to reject the inspired messager of God. 2Chronicles 20:20 instructs us to .. ..Believe the Lord our God should shall ye be established; believe His prophets so shall ye prosper. ALSO ever keep in mind that much of history today has be rewritten, with a new spin and a lot of it omitted either purposefully or was lost. Much of history was actually intentionally destroyed.But our dear Father reserved enough of true history for our benefit and this is where Sis. White and some other faithful historians and Bible teachers and preachers come in. ALSO don't forget the Counter Reformation and it purposes. They are still very much actively engaged in their goal to end Protestantism, although we hear hardly a whimper about it in most of apostate Christianity today. Deception is almost at it zenith. Only those who seek vigorously for truth as for hid TREASURE will find it. Even those who pray for a love of truth that sanctifies or makes one holy will find it and receive it gladly and treasure it. May our dear Heavenly Father help US.

[@Snowcrystalsfalling]

​@edithdotson7603 But it has been proven that the Great Controversy was not an original work. Ellen White copied it from her husband, James White, who copied it from J N Andrews. So the author of The Great Controversy was L N Andrews, not Ellen, God and the angel 🤔

[@eveimperio1403]

Praise God

[@hopenavajo1391]

The General Conference of the Seventh Day Adventist next global meeting will be in St. Louis,Mo. July 3-12,2025

[@melissachance5844]

Anyone know where to get the free download? I can't find it

[@talkhubtv2814]

Amen

[@emeegraceebron8383]

AMEN 🙏

[@leemary4833]

Oh good….to do and help 1st timers with the GC.

[@prushrajrajnath9581]

What abouut us sda's today do we know our time of visitation??

[@chapangwamowa7970]

Thank you for sharing ☺️... Now my question is that "could this prophecy be related to country living that when we see these signs we have to flee from the cities OR this prophecy talks about the second coming of Jesus Christ?"

[@kimberleyanyanwu1388]

As the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman armies was the signal for flight to the Judean Christians, so the assumption of power on the part of our nation (America) in the decree enforcing the papal sabbath will be a warning to us. It will then be time to leave the large cities, preparatory to leaving the smaller ones for retired homes in secluded places among the mountains.

[@triplem5038]

Amen 🙏

[@cecwhite4387]

I was following you each but then you stop marking them each day.???You stated out each day marked for that day what happen ???I do hope I hear from you --

[@AdventistOrgChurch]

For general inquiries, please send a brief email (no longer than five sentences) to info(at)contact.adventist.org.

[@davechristensen8299]

Wilson failed to mention that the number of Christians murdered in the first centuries was tiny in comparison to the millions murdered after the Catholic Church buried the Name of the Father and enforced the new Pagan Doctrine of the "Holy" Trinity. Sabbatarians were executed because they believed Jesus' MOST IMPORTANT COMMAND that "God is One". Mark 12:28

[@johnpfeiffer4978]

It is not a good thing to paraphrase the word of Dios

[@Edite47]

Amen