We Are Entering the Last Battle of the Controversy

We are now beginning the last great battle of the controversy between truth and error—a battle not between rival churches but between the religion of the Bible and the religions of tradition. God’s Holy Word, handed down to us at so great a cost of suffering and bloodshed, is little valued. Creation as the inspired writers present it, the fall of humanity, the atonement, the eternal nature of the law—these doctrines are practically rejected by a large share of the professedly Christian world. Thousands regard it as weakness to place full confidence in the Bible. They think that spiritualizing and explaining away its most important truths is a proof of learning.RR 220.2

God calls for a revival and a reformation. The words of the Bible alone should be heard from the pulpit. In many sermons today there is not that divine power which awakens the conscience and brings life to the soul. The hearers cannot say, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:32. Let the word of God speak to the heart. Let those who have heard only tradition and human theories hear the voice of Him who can bring renewal that leads to eternal life.RR 220.3

The Reformers, whose protest has given us the name of Protestant, felt that God had called them to give the gospel to the world. To do this they were ready to sacrifice possessions, liberty, even life itself. In the face of persecution and death, they and their followers carried the Word of God to all classes, high and low, rich and poor, learned and ignorant. In this last conflict of the great controversy, are we as faithful as the early Reformers?RR 220.4

“Blow the trumpet in Zion... . Let the priests, who minister to the Lord, weep ...; let them say, ‘Spare Your people, O Lord, and do not give Your heritage to reproach.’” Joel 2:15-17.RR 220.5