The Great Controversy The Storm is Coming

by Ellen Gould White

Since the beginning of this earth's history there has been two supernatural powers contending for supremacy of the one seeking to stablish a kingdom built on laws of love and the other, on the laws of selfishness and deception...

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

In brief, Ellen Gould Harmon White was a woman of remarkable spiritual gifts who lived most of her life during the nineteenth century (1827-1915), yet through her writings she is still making a revolutionary impact on millions of people around the world. During her lifetime she wrote more than 5,000 periodical articles and 40 books; but today, including compilations from her 50,000 pages of manuscript, more than 100 titles are available in English. She is the most translated woman writer in the entire history of literature, and the most translated American author of either gender. Her writings cover a broad range of subjects, including religion, education, social relationships, evangelism, prophecy, publishing, nutrition, and management. Her life-changing masterpiece on successful Christian living, Steps to Christ, has been published in more than 140 languages. Seventh-day Adventists believe that Mrs. White was more than a gifted writer; they believe she was appointed by God as a special messenger to draw the world's attention to the Holy Scriptures and help prepare people for Christ's second advent. From the time she was 17 years old until she died 70 years later, God gave her approximately 2,000 visions and dreams. The visions varied in length from less than a minute to nearly four hours. The knowledge and counsel received through these revelations she wrote out to be shared with others. Thus her special writings are accepted by Seventh-day Adventists as inspired, and their exceptional quality is recognized even by casual readers. As stated in Seventh-day Adventists Believe ... , “The writings of Ellen White are not a substitute for Scripture. They cannot be placed on the same level. The Holy Scriptures stand alone, the unique standard by which her and all other writings must be judged and to which they must be subject” (Seventh-day Adventists Believe ... , Ministerial Association, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Washington D.C., 1988, p. 227). Yet, as Ellen White herself noted, “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” (The Great Controversy, p. vii). The following is a more detailed account of the life and work of this remarkable woman who, meeting all the tests of a true prophet as set forth in the Holy Scriptures, helped found the Seventh-day Adventist church.

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note: I received this book in the mail unsolicited and skimmed through it. This book was apparently originally published in 1888. The authorship of at least the version I have is anonymous. While well written, it seems rather verbose and I think the message could have been communicated much more concisely. The book is propaganda in that it has a clear bias and agenda. That said, there doesn't seem to be a clear call to action as I expected. Instead, the book apparently desires to convince the reader of the author's theology.

The book begins with a brief look at early Christianity before jumping to and spending an extended amount of time on the protestant reformation. Again, the writer is highly biased and states that every event and movement which does not agree with them was the work of satan, while that which does agree is the result of those who heroically hold to the true gospel. In the middle of the book it finally becomes clear that the author is an Adventist. In addition to attempting to persuade the reader of Adventism, a related goal of the book is responding to the "Great Disappointment" of 1844. So while the first half of the book reviews Christian history, the second half of the book is essentially a theological review of Adventism along with an explanation of why the events predicted for 1844 did not come to pass.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Dad has read this and I was curious why he kept it. He was always seeking to learn more about spirituality and religion. I didn’t agree or get all that was written but keeping my eyes open and be willing to look at other views is part of the journey.

[Jedidiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs. White was a very talented, spiritual writer. While I cannot say I agree with her about every minor point in this book, I must highly recommend this book for the spiritual seeker.

[Tina Hites · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good but has so much information it takes a very long time to read