Ellen Chat Conversation

# Wars and Rumors of Wars Ellen White addressed the phrase wars and rumors of warsfrom Christ's prophecy in Matthew 24, teaching that it has both historical and end-time applications. She explained that "while these prophecies received a partial fulfillment at the destruction of Jerusalem, they have a more direct application in the last days" (LDE 19). ## Historical Context: Jerusalem's Destruction In her commentary on Christ's Olivet discourse, Ellen White explained the original context: "Prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, men wrestled for the supremacy. Emperors were murdered. Those supposed to be standing next the throne were slain. There were wars and rumors of wars" (DA 628.3). She noted that Christ warned His disciples not to be deceived when the rabbis interpreted these signs as tokens of the Messiah's coming to deliver Israel. Instead, these were "signs of their destruction" (HLv 422.2). ## Application to the Last Days Ellen White consistently applied this prophecy to her own time and beyond, declaring that "the judgments of God are in the land. The wars and rumors of wars, the destruction by fire and flood, say clearly that the time of trouble, which is to increase until the end, is very near at hand" (3TT 286.1). She wrote in 1904 that "the time of trouble which is to increase until the end, is already in the world" (4MR 89.3). ## Signs of Christ's Soon Return She repeatedly emphasized that these signs indicate we are "standing on the threshold of great and solemn events" (PK 536.4). Ellen White taught that everything in our world is in agitationand that "before our eyes is fulfilling the Saviour's prophecy of the events to precede His coming" (Ev 194.1). She described how nation is plotting against nation, and kingdom against kingdomas part of the strange and eventful history being recorded in heaven's books (3MR 313.1). ## The Restraining of Judgment Significantly, Ellen White connected these war preparations to the sealing work: "Although the nations are mustering their forces for war and bloodshed, the command to the angels is still in force that they hold the four winds until the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads" (3MR 313.1). She taught that "while already nation is rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, there is not now a general engagement. As yet the four winds are held" (2TT 369.1). --- 💡 **You might also want to explore:** • What did Ellen White teach about the sealing of God's servants before the final crisis? • How did she describe the "time of trouble" that would increase until the end? • What other signs of the times did she identify as indicating Christ's soon return? --- 📚 **thousands of passages found** containing these search terms — [Explore in Full-Text Search](/advanced-search?q=Wars+Rumors+Wars)