July 13, 2023 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Ted N.C. Wilson, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Hello, friends. Today we will conclude our study on the French Revolution in the book The Great Controversy by Ellen White. In this chapter, we have seen how the suppression of the Scriptures led to tremendous violence, culminating in what became known as the St. Bartholomew Massacre, where 70,000 Protestants across France were put to death for their faith in God and His Word.
The Bible tells us clearly in Galatians 6:7, “God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” This Scripture came to life, when on the very spot in Paris where the first martyrs to the Protestant faith were burned, the first victims of the French Revolution were guillotined 200 years later.
During that revolutionary uprising, “Jesus Christ was declared to be an impostor, and the rallying cry of the French infidels was, ‘Crush the Wretch,’ meaning Christ” (The Great Controversy, p. 273). The worship of God was abolished by the National Assembly. Bibles were collected and publicly burned with scorn.
Soon, the country descended completely into idolatry, by the worship of a decadent young woman they crowned the “Goddess of Reason.” This so-called “Goddess of Reason” was brought into the National Assembly with great pomp and ceremony, where she was unveiled and placed on the right of the president. The speaker took her by the hand and proclaimed, “‘Mortals, cease to tremble before the powerless thunders of a God whom your fears have created. Henceforth acknowledge no divinity but Reason. I offer you its noblest and purest image. . .” (The Great Controversy, p. 276).
From there, the goddess was mounted on a magnificent carriage and paraded through the streets of Paris to the cathedral of Notre Dame, where she would take the place of Deity. The Goddess of Reason was carried up to the high altar and received the adoration of everyone present at that blasphemous occasion.
Sadly, what the people didn’t know was that “The spirit of liberty went with the Bible. Wherever the gospel was received, the minds of the people were awakened” (The Great Controversy, p. 277). The social inequality, economic hardships, and political discontent leading up to the revolution might have been avoided had the Bible not been suppressed for so long. “The teaching of the Bible would have implanted in the minds and hearts of the people those principles of justice, temperance, truth, equity, and benevolence which are the very cornerstone of a nation’s prosperity,” wrote Ellen White (The Great Controversy, p. 277).
But without the Bible to guide them, the country was thrown into a terrible upheaval and reign of terror that saw the streets of Paris flowing with blood. “Peace and happiness were banished from the home and hearts of men,” wrote Ellen White. “No one was secure. He who triumphed today was suspected, condemned, tomorrow. Violence and lust held undisputed sway” (The Great Controversy, p. 282).
It was in 1793 that the French National Assembly passed the decree to abolish the Christian religion and set aside the Bible. And just as prophecy predicted, three and a half years later, a resolution rescinding those decrees, granting toleration for the Scriptures, was adopted by that same National Assembly.
After France made war upon God’s two witnesses–the Old and New Testament–the Bible has been honored as never before. In 1804 the British and Foreign Bible Society was organized. This was followed by similar Bible organizations being organized across Europe. In 1816 the American Bible Society was founded. In 1804 the Bible was available in fifty languages—today the complete Bible has been translated into approximately 700 languages, and the New Testament alone has been translated into well over 1,500 languages. And at least one part of the Bible has been translated into 3,312 languages, giving most of the world access to at least a portion of God’s precious word.
Again and again, through suppression, sophistry, or violence, human beings have sought to destroy God and His Word. But, as the Scripture testifies, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8). Friends, God’s Word, filled with His promises, prophecies, guidance, and hope, is rock solid. We can completely depend upon it. What God says will happen, will happen, and He is coming soon. Let’s share this good news far and wide as we eagerly wait for His return.
I invite you to pray with me just now.
Father, thank you for the wonderful word of God. The Word of God, which is as solid as a rock. It comes directly from the throne room of heaven, given through inspired prophets for us to be able to understand better not only prophecies for the future, but instruction for daily living today. Lord, help us to stand firmly for your word. Thank you for the Word of God, the Holy Bible. Thank you for allowing it to be translated into so many languages. Now, Lord, help us not only to share that word, but to live that word all through the power of the Holy Spirit. We ask this in Jesus name, Amen.