The “great controversy” theme pervades the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.
This quarter’s lessons, written by Mark Finley, trace this theme through world history from God’s viewpoint, as prophecy reveals it, from the time of Christ down to our day and beyond. God’s love is revealed as the great controversy unfolds.
We see its height and depth most clearly through the Cross, where God’s love was displayed before the entire universe as Christ poured out His life to redeem humanity, and Satan’s ultimate defeat was assured.
This quarter will explore the central issues of the conflict between Christ and Satan. We will see the courage of the Waldenses despite persecution, and the determination of the Reformers to follow Bible truth in the face of torture and martyrdom. The Reformers’ faith in Scripture and assurance of salvation by grace through faith paved the way for the rise of the Advent movement.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church was raised up by God to build on the foundation laid by the Reformers to restore biblical truths that had been lost through the centuries. Central to our mission is proclaiming the three angels’ messages (Rev. 14:6–12), God’s final warning to a world soon to come to an end.
Thus, we will use the book, The Great Controversy, by Ellen G. White, along with the Bible, as our thematic outline to study this tremendous topic. The book chapters on which each lesson is based are noted to facilitate its use as a companion book for further study and sharing, that we all might more fully “know the love of
Christ, which passes knowledge” (Eph. 3:19, NKJV).
