Question & Answer – Explain “first love” and “first works” in Revelation 2:4, 5.

“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works …” (Revelation 2:4, 5). [Emphasis added.]

“Thine is a decay, a declension in holy zeal—not forsaken is the object of it, but lost is the fervor. The first affection of the convert to Christ is deep, full, and ardent. It is not necessary that this love should become less as knowledge increases, as the more and increased light shines upon him. That love should become more fervent as he becomes better acquainted with his Lord.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 956.

“The first experience of the Ephesus church led to good works. God took delight in the fact that His church reflected the light of heaven by revealing the spirit of Christ in tenderness and compassion. The love that dwelt in the heart of Christ; the love that caused Him to give Himself a sacrifice for humanity, and to suffer with forbearance the reproach of men, even to the extent of being called a devil; the love that prompted Him to perform mighty works of healing during His ministry—this was the love that was to be revealed in the lives of His disciples.

“But they neglected to cherish Christ’s compassion and tenderness. Self, as manifested in hereditary traits of character, spoiled the principles of the grand, good works that identified the members of the Ephesus church as Christians. … The love that constrained the Saviour to die for us, was not revealed in its fullness in their lives; and hence they were unable to bring honor to the name of the Redeemer. …” Ibid., 956.

“The losing of the first love is specified as a moral fall. The loss of this love is represented as something that will affect the entire religious life. Of those who have lost this love, God says that unless they repent, He will come to them, and remove their candlestick out of its place.” Ibid., 957.

“It is our work to know our special failings and sins, which cause darkness and spiritual feebleness, and quenched our first love.” Ibid., 957.

“The loss of the first love has opened the door to a great amount of selfishness, evil surmising, evil speaking, envy, jealousy, hard-heartedness. This is the fruit borne when the fervor of the first love has grown cold. There has been but little restraint upon the tongue, for prayer has been neglected. A Pharisaical righteousness has been cherished; there is deadness of spirituality, and a lack of spiritual eye-sight is the result.” Special Testimony to our Ministers, 2a, 27.

“With the loss of love for God there has come the loss of love for the brethren. The church may meet all the description that is given of the Ephesian church, and yet fail in vital godliness.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 387.

Q & A – What does it mean to ” succor ” (Hebrews 2:18)?

“ Succor ” means to relieve; it is help rendered in danger, difficulty, or distress.

“In the wilderness, when all means of sustenance failed, God sent His people manna from heaven; and a sufficient and constant supply was given. … The Saviour now practiced the lesson He had taught to Israel. By the word of God succour had been given to the Hebrew host, and by the same word it would be given to Jesus. He awaited God’s time to bring relief. He was in the wilderness in obedience to God, and He would not obtain food by following the suggestions of Satan. In the presence of the witnessing universe, He testified that it is a less calamity to suffer whatever may befall than to depart in any manner from the will of God.” The Desire of Ages, 121.

“In all ages, God has wrought through holy angels for the succor and deliverance of His people. Celestial beings have taken an active part in the affairs of men. They have appeared clothed in garments that shone as the lightning; they have come as men in the garb of wayfarers. Angels have appeared in human form to men of God. They have rested, as if weary, under the oaks at noon. They have accepted the hospitalities of human homes. They have acted as guides to benighted travelers. They have, with their own hands, kindled the fires at the altar. They have opened prison doors and set free the servants of the Lord. Clothed with the panoply of heaven, they came to roll away the stone from the Saviour’s tomb.” The Great Controversy, 631.

Here is an illustration of the effects of being succored by the Lord.

“Violent storms were encountered on the passage, and John Wesley, brought face to face with death, felt that he had not the assurance of peace with God. The Germans, on the contrary, manifested a calmness and trust to which he was a stranger.

“ ‘I had long before,’ he says, ‘observed the great seriousness of their behavior. Of their humility they had given a continual proof, by performing those servile offices for the other passengers which none of the English would undertake; for which they desired and would receive no pay, saying it was good for their proud hearts, and their loving Saviour had done more for them. And every day had given them occasion of showing a meekness which no injury could move. If they were pushed, struck, or thrown about, they rose again and went away; but no complaint was found in their mouth. There was now an opportunity of trying whether they were delivered from the spirit of fear, as well as from that of pride, anger, and revenge. In the midst of the psalm wherewith their service began, the sea broke over, split the mainsail in pieces, covered the ship, and poured in between the decks as if the great deep had already swallowed us up. A terrible screaming began among the English. The Germans calmly sang on. I asked one of them afterwards, “Were you not afraid?” He answered, “I thank God, no.” I asked, “But were not your women and children afraid?” He replied mildly, “No; our women and children are not afraid to die.” ’ ” Ibid., 255.

These dedicated Christians had peace in calm as well as in trials having no fear, content in their lot knowing they were succored by the Lord Who is in charge of every situation.

Question & Answer – How Does the Salt Lose its “flavor” (Matthew 5:13)?

“The savor [flavor] of the salt represents the vital power of the Christian—the love of Jesus in the heart, the righteousness of Christ pervading the life. The love of Christ is diffusive and aggressive. If it is dwelling in us, it will flow out to others. We shall come close to them till their hearts are warmed by our unselfish interest and love. The sincere believers diffuse vital energy, which is penetrating and imparts new moral power to the souls for whom they labor. It is not the power of the man himself, but the power of the Holy Spirit that does the transforming work.

“Jesus added the solemn warning: ‘If the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men’ (Luke 14:34).

“… the people could see the white salt glistening in the pathways where it had been cast out because it had lost its savor and was therefore useless. … It represents the life of every soul from whom the power of the grace of God has departed and who has become cold and Christless. Whatever may be his profession, such a one is looked upon by men and angels as insipid and disagreeable. It is to such that Christ says: ‘I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth’ (Revelation 3:15, 16). …” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 36.

“When love fills the heart, it will flow out to others, not because of favors received from them, but because love is the principle of action. Love modifies the character, governs the impulses, subdues enmity, and ennobles the affections. This love is as broad as the universe, and is in harmony with that of the angel workers. Cherished in the heart, it sweetens the entire life and sheds its blessing upon all around. It is this, and this only, that can make us the salt of the earth.” Ibid., 38.

Question & answer – Who are the two witnesses in Revelation 11:3, 4?

The two witnesses refer to the Old and New Testaments—the Bible.

“Concerning the two witnesses the prophet declares further: ‘These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.’ ‘Thy word,’ said the psalmist, ‘is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path’ (Revelation 11:4; Psalm 119:105). The two witnesses represent the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament. Both are important testimonies to the origin and perpetuity of the law of God. Both are witnesses also to the plan of salvation. The types, sacrifices, and prophecies of the Old Testament point forward to a Saviour to come. The Gospels and Epistles of the New Testament tell of a Saviour Who has come in the exact manner foretold by type and prophecy.

“ ‘They shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and three-score days, clothed in sackcloth’ (Revelation 11:3). During the greater part of this period, God’s witnesses remained in a state of obscurity. The papal power sought to hide from the people the word of truth, and set before them false witnesses to contradict its testimony. When the Bible was proscribed by religious and secular authority; when its testimony was perverted, and every effort made that men and demons could invent to turn the minds of the people from it; when those who dared proclaim its sacred truths were hunted, betrayed, tortured, buried in dungeon cells, martyred for their faith, or compelled to flee to mountain fastnesses, and to dens and caves of the earth—then the faithful witnesses prophesied in sackcloth. Yet they continued their testimony throughout the entire period of 1260 years. In the darkest times there were faithful men who loved God’s word and were jealous for His honor. To these loyal servants were given wisdom, power, and authority to declare His truth during the whole of this time.” The Great Controversy, 267, 268.

“According to the words of the prophet, then, a little before the year 1798 some power of Satanic origin and character would rise to make war upon the Bible. And in the land where the testimony of God’s two witnesses should thus be silenced, there would be manifest the atheism of the Pharaoh, and the licentiousness of Sodom.” Ibid., 269.

Question & Answer – How is the third hour of the day determined in Mark 15:25, Acts 2:15?

And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him” (Mark 15:25); “For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day” (Acts 2:15). [Emphasis supplied.]

“The Jewish people divided the twenty-four-hour day into two great divisions—the day, the light part, and the night, the dark part. The light part was subdivided into four sections; namely, the third hour, the sixth hour, the ninth hour, and the evening. The light part of the day began at six o’clock in the morning. The third hour of the day would be 9 a.m.” Messiah in His Sanctuary, F.C. Gilbert, 105.

The third hour of the day would be three hours past 6:00 a.m. which was the beginning of the Jewish day. Further information on this subject is as follows:

“Day. A term used variously to mean:

  1. The period of daylight in contrast to the night. In postexilic [relating to the Jewish history following the Babylonian captivity] and NT times it was divided into twelve hours (John 11:9; Matthew 20:1–12), between approximately sunrise and sunset, or dawn and dark. Thus the sixth hour was at noon. In this system, the hours were longer in the summer than in the winter.
  2. The period of a day and a night, approximately the time of one rotation of the earth on its axis.
  • The calendar day was reckoned by the Hebrews from evening to evening (Leviticus 23:27, 32; cf. Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, etc.), that is, from sunset to sunset (Leviticus 22:6, 7; cf. Mark 1:32).
  • The Babylonians began the day likewise with sunset, but
  • the Egyptians [began the day] with sunrise; and
  • the Romans began it with midnight, whence we derive the custom. …” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, Revised Edition, 275, 276. The Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1979.

Question & Answer – Any ideas when we are to leave the big cities?

“Be assured that the call is for our people to locate miles away from the large cities. One look at San Francisco as it is today would speak to your intelligent minds, showing you the necessity of getting out of the cities. …

“The Lord calls for His people to locate away from the cities, for in such an hour as ye think not, fire and brimstone will be rained from heaven upon these cities. Proportionate to their sins will be their visitation. When one city is destroyed, let not our people regard this matter as a light affair, and think that they may, if favorable opportunity offers, build themselves homes in that same destroyed city. …” Last Day Events, 95.

“The time is not far distant, when, like the early disciples, we shall be forced to seek a refuge in desolate and solitary places. As the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman armies was the signal for flight to the Judean Christians, so the assumption of power on the part of our nation, in the decree enforcing the papal sabbath, will be a warning to us. It will then be time to leave the large cities, preparatory to leaving the smaller ones for retired homes in secluded places among the mountains.” Christian Service, 161.

“As God’s commandment-keeping people we must leave the cities. As did Enoch, we must work in the cities but not dwell in them.” Last Day Events, 96.

“The cities are to be worked from outposts. Said the messenger of God, ‘Shall not the cities be warned? Yes, not by God’s people living in them but by their visiting them, to warn them of what is coming upon the earth.’ ” Ibid.

Question & Answer – Who received the fragments of the loaves and fishes in John 6:12, 13?

Jesus, His disciples and the people.

“When they were filled, He said unto His disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered [them] together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten” (John 6:12, 13).

“ ‘Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.’ These words meant more than putting the bread into the baskets. The lesson was twofold. Nothing is to be wasted. We are to let slip no temporal advantage. We should neglect nothing that will tend to benefit a human being. Let everything be gathered up that will relieve the necessity of earth’s hungry ones. And there should be the same carefulness in spiritual things. When the baskets of fragments were collected, the people thought of their friends at home. They wanted them to share in the bread that Christ had blessed. The contents of the baskets were distributed among the eager throng, and were carried away into all the region round about. So those who were at the feast were to give to others the bread that comes down from heaven, to satisfy the hunger of the soul. They were to repeat what they had learned of the wonderful things of God. Nothing was to be lost. Not one word that concerned their eternal salvation was to fall useless to the ground. …

“In Christ’s act of supplying the temporal necessities of a hungry multitude is wrapped up a deep spiritual lesson for all His workers. Christ received from the Father; He imparted to the disciples; they imparted to the multitude; and the people to one another. So all who are united to Christ will receive from Him the bread of life, the heavenly food, and impart it to others.

“In full reliance upon God, Jesus took the small store of loaves; and although there was but a small portion for His own family of disciples, He did not invite them to eat, but began to distribute to them, bidding them serve the people. The food multiplied in His hands; and the hands of the disciples, reaching out to Christ Himself the Bread of Life, were never empty. The little store was sufficient for all. After the wants of the people had been supplied, the fragments were gathered up, and Christ and His disciples ate together of the precious, Heaven-supplied food.” The Desire of Ages, 368, 369.

Q & A – What ways do we deny Jesus before others in Matthew 10:33?

“But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 10:33.

To deny Jesus is a very serious thing to do. The following will show us some ways in which denial of Christ is reflected in our lives.

“Jesus continues: As you confess Me before men, so I will confess you before God and the holy angels. You are to be My witnesses upon earth, channels through which My grace can flow for the healing of the world. So I will be your representative in heaven. The Father beholds not your faulty character, but He sees you as clothed in My perfection. I am the medium through which Heaven’s blessings shall come to you. And everyone who confesses Me by sharing My sacrifice for the lost shall be confessed as a sharer in the glory and joy of the redeemed.

“He who would confess Christ must have Christ abiding in him. He cannot communicate that which he has not received. The disciples might speak fluently on doctrines, they might repeat the words of Christ Himself; but unless they possessed Christlike meekness and love, they were not confessing Him.

  • A spirit contrary to the spirit of Christ would deny Him, whatever the profession.
  • Men may deny Christ by evilspeaking,
  • by foolish talking,
  • by words that are untruthful or unkind.
  • They may deny Him by shunning life’s burdens,
  • by the pursuit of sinful pleasure.
  • They may deny Him by conforming to the world,
  • by uncourteous behavior,
  • by the love of their own opinions,
  • by justifying self,
  • by cherishing doubt,
  • borrowing trouble, and dwelling in darkness.

In all these ways they declare that Christ is not in them. And ‘whosoever shall deny Me before men,’ He says, ‘him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.’ ” The Desire of Ages, 357.

Q & A – Who is represented by the Mother of Harlots in Revelation 17:5?

Babylon is said to be ‘the mother of harlots’ (Revelation 17:5). By her daughters must be symbolized churches that cling to her doctrines and traditions, and follow her example of sacrificing the truth and the approval of God, in order to form an unlawful alliance with the world. The message of Revelation 14, announcing the fall of Babylon must apply to religious bodies that were once pure and have become corrupt. Since this message follows the warning of the judgment, it must be given in the last days; therefore it cannot refer to the Roman Church alone, for that church has been in a fallen condition for many centuries. Furthermore, in the eighteenth chapter of the Revelation the people of God are called upon to come out of Babylon. According to this scripture, many of God’s people must still be in Babylon. And in what religious bodies are the greater part of the followers of Christ now to be found? Without doubt, in the various churches professing the Protestant faith. At the time of their rise these churches took a noble stand for God and the truth, and His blessing was with them. Even the unbelieving world was constrained to acknowledge the beneficent results that followed an acceptance of the principles of the gospel. … But they fell by the same desire which was the curse and ruin of Israel—the desire of imitating the practices and courting the friendship of the ungodly. ‘Thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown.’ Ezekiel 16:14, 15.” The Great Controversy, 382, 383. [Emphasis author’s.]

“The fallen denominational churches are Babylon. Babylon has been fostering poisonous doctrines, the wine of error. This wine of error is made up of false doctrines, such as the natural immortality of the soul, the eternal torment of the wicked, the denial of the pre-existence of Christ prior to His birth in Bethlehem, and advocating and exalting the first day of the week above God’s holy and sanctified day. These and kindred errors are presented to the world by the various churches, and thus the Scriptures are fulfilled that say, ‘For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication’ (Revelation 18:3). It is a wrath which is created by false doctrines, and when kings and presidents drink this wine of the wrath of her fornication, they are stirred with anger against those who will not come into harmony with the false and satanic heresies which exalt the false sabbath, and lead men to trample underfoot God’s memorial.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 61, 62.

Q & A – Why did Ahithophel, one of David’s top counselors, turn traitor and defect to Absalom (2 Samuel 15)?

Question & Answer – Why did Ahithophel, one of David’s top counselors, turn traitor and defect to Absalom (2 Samuel 15)?
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Again David was forced to recognize in his calamities the results of his own sin. The defection of Ahithophel, the ablest and most wily of political leaders, was prompted by revenge for the family disgrace involved in the wrong to Bathsheba, who was his granddaughter.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 735.

“Upon arriving at Hebron, Absalom immediately summoned Ahithophel, one of the chief counselors of David, a man in high repute for wisdom, whose opinion was thought to be as safe and wise as that of an oracle. Ahithophel joined the conspirators, and his support made the cause of Absalom appear certain of success, attracting to his standard many influential men from all parts of the land.” Ibid., 730, 731.

“Ahithophel had been held in high esteem for his wisdom, but he was destitute of the enlightenment which comes from God.” Ibid., 739.

“Ahithophel urged upon Absalom the necessity of immediate action against David. … This plan was approved by the king’s counselors. Had it been followed, David would surely have been slain, unless the Lord had directly interposed to save him. But a wisdom higher than that of the renowned Ahithophel was directing events. …

“… Hushai (sent by David as a spy) saw that if the proposed plan were followed, David would be lost. And he said, ‘The counsel that Ahithophel hath given is not good at this time’ (2 Samuel 17:7) … He suggested a plan attractive to a vain and selfish nature, fond of the show of power. … ‘And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel’ (verse 14). But there was one who was not deceived—one who clearly foresaw the result of this fatal mistake of Absalom’s.

“Ahithophel knew that the cause of the rebels was lost. And he knew that whatever might be the fate of the prince, there was no hope for the counselor who had instigated his greatest crimes. Ahithophel had encouraged Absalom in rebellion; he had counseled him to the most abominable wickedness, to the dishonor of his father; he had advised the slaying of David and had planned its accomplishment; he had cut off the last possibility of his own reconciliation with the king; and now another was preferred before him, even by Absalom.

“Jealous, angry, and desperate, Ahithophel ‘gat him home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died’ (verse 23). Such was the result of the wisdom of one, who, with all his high endowments, did not make God his counselor.” Conflict and Courage, 183.