♪ theme music ♪

(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,

an in-depth, interactive study

of the Word of God.

I'm glad you joined us today.

In fact, I'm excited as we begin

a brand new series of studies

on the book of <i>Daniel.</i>

This is going to be life-changing,

and I hope you'll be able to join us

for the entire series.

We're always happy to hear

from our Hope Sabbath School members
around the world.

Now we're in 220 countries
around the world,

so we're glad you're part

of our Hope Sabbath School family;
we welcome you.

Welcome to the team, by the way,

glad you're all here.

And here's a note from Lucy.

She says, "I'm from Kenya,

but I'm living and working

in the Ivory Coast."

I love this comment; she says,

"I'm recently married,

and Hope Sabbath School

has been a great teaching for me

as a young wife and mother.

Thank you so much to the entire team.

It's important to note the Bible gives us

guidance on every aspect of life,"
is that right?

Well, she talks about some things
related to family,

but she says, "My prayer is for God

to give me grace to be a virtuous woman,

even in this day and age

where sin has dominated the world."

What do you say?

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) That's powerful, isn't it?

"Hope Sabbath School teachings

are a great blessing

to many all around the world.

God continue to use you."

Well, Lucy, thanks for writing
to us from Kenya,

actually from Ivory Coast, Côte d'Ivoire,

but a Kenyan living there,

and we're glad that God is the center

of your home; that's beautiful.

Emmanuel writes to us

from Zambia, a great place,

lots of Hope Sabbath School members
in Zambia.

Emmanuel says, "I'm really grateful

to Hope Sabbath School

for the good work you're doing.

It helps me in my study,

but I'm also a teacher.

You're helping me to teach my class well."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Now, our prayer

is that Hope Sabbath School

would be multiplied 10,000 times over,

so that's wonderful, Emmanuel.

"The Good Lord always bless you

as you continue blessing others."

Well, thanks for writing to us, and greet

all of our Hope Sabbath School members
there in Zambia.

Here's a note from a donor in Georgia

in the United States of America.

We don't read names

but a beautiful letter, "I'm so excited

to be writing this letter."

This is a real letter, not an email.

"I've been watching Hope Sabbath School
for a few years.

After each episode, I tell myself,

'You need to become a donation disciple.'"

Well, we call those "sustaining partners."

We're part of the mission together.

"A few weeks ago, the Lord blessed me

with some extra money,

and this is my gift

for Hope Sabbath School.

May God continue to bless this ministry.

And please tell Jason hello from me,

and I'm looking forward

to seeing him lead out again."

Well, that will happen later

in the series, right?

But thanks so much to that donor,

and a gift of 1220 dollars!

So, praise God; that's going

to really help the ministry as we're

sharing with Hope Sabbath School members

in now 220 countries around the world,
like Ethiopia.

Thank you, Thanyang, for writing

to us from Ethiopia, "I thank Almighty God

for what you're doing.

Your message is reaching my heart."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) He says, "Don't give up.

The Lord will strengthen you.

I download Hope Sabbath School

on YouTube and watch it.

Thank you very much, from Ethiopia."

Well, thanks so much

for writing to us, Thanyang.

It really is amazing to know

so many countries are being impacted,

even the United States of America.

Here's one from Maryland

in the United States,

and Ester writes and says,

"We," writing with her husband,

"thank God for Hope Sabbath School.

We watch you every week,

and we learn so much!

Your class members
are connected to God."

We say?

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Praise God.

"My husband and I enjoy

your practical applications,

your personal testimonies,

and the Scripture songs."

Well, Ester, stay with us

(and your husband).

We have a Scripture song

coming up right now.

"Singing Scripture helps us

remember more of the Bible."

And that is just so true.

You can go to our website,
hopetv.org/hopess.

You can download the theme song

for this series on the book of <i>Daniel.</i>

It's taken from Daniel, chapter 2,

verses 20 through 23;

it's called, "Blessed be the Name of God."

And I'm actually quite excited today

because I've asked one

of our Hope Sabbath School team,

who is about the same age as Daniel

at the time that Daniel 2 happened,

if he'd come and lead the song for us.

So, Adison, come up here and...

Yeah, it's amazing to realize, Adison,

Daniel was just a young man,

in his early twenties.

And Adison is going to sing

the song through once

so we can learn it

and then invite us to all sing together.

♪ music ♪

(Derek) Amen. Let's pray together

that the Holy Spirit of God would guide us

in this sacred book, the book of Daniel,

inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Our Father in Heaven,

You sealed up this book, You said,

until the time of the end,

but now is the time

that we need to understand,

more fully than ever before,
the revelation

given to the prophet Daniel.

And so we pray in the name of Jesus

that You would guide

our Hope Sabbath School family
around the world,

and as we engage in this in-depth,
interactive study.

And I pray as Daniel prayed

that You, God of wisdom and might,

would give us wisdom as we study

and give us strength, not only physically

but mentally and spiritually

to be all that You've called us to be

in these last days of Earth's history.

We thank You and we praise You

for hearing our prayer.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) We're going to start

in our first study,

<i>From Reading to Understanding.</i>

It's kind of a background

to studying any Bible prophecy

or any book of the Bible,

moving from just reading the words

to actually understanding.

And I'd like to begin

with a basic presupposition

which Jesus gave us in Luke, chapter 24,

and that is that Jesus Christ

is the center of Scripture,

which means He's the center
of the book of...?

(Derek, Team) Daniel.

(Derek) So let's begin.

Jason, would you read for us

in Luke 24, verses 25 to 27.

Jesus is just kind of about to give

a Bible study, actually, to two disciples

on the Emmaus road,

and let's hear what he says.

(Jason) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

Luke, chapter 24, verses 25 through 27:

(Derek) So we could conclude, Stephanie,

from that, at least that Jesus Christ
is revealed...?

(Stephanie) In Daniel.

(Derek) Well, Moses, at least,
right, and the...?

(Derek, Team) Prophets.

(Derek) And Daniel, you're saying,

is one of the prophets.

So we're going to go there and look.

But Jesus will actually go beyond that.

Someone said He mentions

the Psalms, which He does,

when He says this again

at the end of Luke 24.

But look in John 5, Daisy, verse 39,

John, chapter 5, verse 39.

Not just saying, "I'm revealed in Moses,

and I'm revealed in the prophets,"

but He makes an even broader statement.

What does Jesus say in John 5
and verse 39?

(Daisy) I'll be reading

from the New Living Translation:

(Derek) Period. How much

of the Scriptures point to Jesus?

(Team) All.

(Derek) So now, we would say

that some of the Scriptures

are more explicit, right, more direct.

We're going to look at some prophecies

that are very direct

about where Messiah will be born,

things that will happen to Him.

Some are less direct,

but He's the center of it all.

So with that in mind,

Travis, would you take us to Daniel 7?

(Travis) Sure.

(Derek) Verses 13 and 14,
it's one example,

and then I'd like you all

to just do a little computer search.

We're just doing an introduction here.

Where else from your study

of the book of Daniel

do you see Jesus clearly revealed?

But let's look at Daniel 7:13-14.

(Travis) And I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) "Son of Man," where else

do you hear that term anywhere

in the Bible, "Son of Man"?

In the Gospels, right?

It's referring to Messiah,

also in the book of Revelation.

So very clearly here in Daniel 7,

it's speaking about the Son of God

who will, what, 600 years later,

come into humanity, in the Person

of Jesus of Nazareth.

We call Him Jesus Christ

because His beginning

is from eternity past, right?

"In the beginning was that Word,

and the Word was with God,
and the Word..."?

(Derek, Team) Was God.

(Derek) "And the Word became flesh

and dwelt among us."

Where else in Daniel, though, anybody?

Tricia Lee, Gary, yeah, what do you think?

We don't need to read the text,

just give me a few ideas.

(Gary) Okay, the 490-day prophecy?

(Derek) Okay, yeah, you're

in Daniel, chapter 9,

where it actually talks

about what's going to happen,

the baptism of Jesus, or His anointing,

and in the midst of the week,

three-and-a-half years into His ministry,

Messiah will be cut off?

So that's a powerful reference.
Tricia Lee?

(Tricia Lee) There's a reference

with the famous story of the fiery furnace

where the king looks in, and he says,

"I see one like the Son of God,"
the Son of Man, "in the midst."

(Derek) It's interesting, someone

asked the translation.

Someone translations say,

"One like the son of the gods."

One other says, "like the Son of God."

The bottom line is Nebuchadnezzar

looked in and said,

"There's a divine Being
in there with them."

Another place in the book of Daniel

where you see a reference
to Jesus, Adison?

(Adison) Throughout Daniel 8,

I see Christ depicted as a high priest...

(Derek) Okay.

(Adison) ...in the sanctuary.

(Derek) All right, anybody else? Travis?

(Travis) In Daniel, chapter 12, Michael,

when He stands up.

(Derek) "One who is like God," right,

"stands up," to deliver His people.

Nobody mentioned Daniel 2.

Where's Jesus in Daniel 2? Jason?

(Jason) At the end of Daniel 2,

when the statue is destroyed,

there's a kingdom; God sets up a kingdom,

and Jesus is the One

who's given the Kingdom.

(Derek) "And on this Rock," yeah,

so Jesus is the Rock; He's the foundation,

but He's also the rock cut out
without human hands.

So, you say, "Wow, we just took

kind of a fast flight

through the whole book, but Jesus,

this is a foundational principle,

we want to see Jesus

in the book of Daniel, because He's there.

We want to see the Son of God
revealed there.

So I have a question

before we move on into the details.

Why is that foundation important?

Why is it important that we always say,

"Where is Jesus here?"

What do you think?

Why is that important? Yes, Adison?

(Adison) Just as Jesus is

the center of Daniel and the whole Bible,

He wants to be the center of our own life.

(Derek) Ahh! So it's not just information,
but it's what?

(Adison) Translated

into a personal relationship.

(Derek) A personal relationship
with God, right?

It's very personal; Jesus says,

"Come to Me; I will give you rest,"

not just hear some information,
right? Travis?

(Travis) I think it's important, too,

because then we begin to develop

an understanding of His character.

And if it's just about ordinances

and different things like that,

and rules and laws and all that...

(Derek) And even fulfillments
of prophecy, right?

(Travis) But it's revealing His character.

(Derek) Beautiful.

So with that foundation,

we're going to go into the structure

of the book of Daniel.

Now, here is where all kinds

of Bible scholars come in,

and they have things

that they call chiasms;

that's kind of like a triangle, you know?

I'm not an expert in Old Testament
theology,

but they have chiasms,

and at the center is, like,

what's really important, right?

So, if you take a look at the big picture,

the book of Daniel begins with a prophecy.

of, well, it first starts

with Daniel himself, right,

but then the prophecy is about what?

Four kingdoms, right?

That's in chapter 2, right?

If I had six hands, this would help me,

but let's start with the four kingdoms.

Daniel 3 is about...? A trial, right?

And God's people are faithful, right?

Daniel, chapter 4...?

It's about a judgment of someone, who?

Of King Nebuchadnezzar,

who is filled with pride.

Now, praise God, stay with us
in the series

because he's going

to give his heart to God,

and we're going to see Nebuchadnezzar

in the Kingdom of Heaven.

That's amazing, because he did

a lot of bad things in the past, right?

I mean, he didn't have

a great reputation, right?

Then Daniel, chapter 5...

Here's the judgment, by the way,

four kingdoms, faithful people delivered,

judgment on Nebuchadnezzar.

Chapter 5 is judgment on...?

(Derek, Team) Babylon.

(Derek) So, judgment, and that's

where, of course, Daniel 7
will come in, too.

Judgment of God's people

who are also going to be vindicated.

And then what's in Daniel,

chapters 7, 8 and 9?

Excuse me, Daniel 6, first,

is deliverance, just like the three

in the furnace, right?

And then 7, 8, and 9

and on through the end of the book is...?

The four kingdoms again, right?

So there's like this triangle.

Now, I want to give you one Bible text.

You say, "Derek, that's, like,
really complicated,"

but I want to suggest to you

the Holy Spirit not only guided Daniel

in <i>what</i> he wrote,

but the Holy Spirit also guided him
<i>how</i> he wrote.

Think about that - how he wrote.

I added a verse here,

and, Charity, if you'd read it for us.

It's in 2 Peter; I added a verse 
to our study.

I was praying this morning,

and I was just impressed

we need to hear this verse again.

Second Peter, if you're following
in your Bible,

chapter 1, verses 19 through 21,

because it reinforces something

that's so important for all of us,

especially as Hope Sabbath School members
around the world,

and that is that this is not

human words about God.

This is the Word of God

to the human family.

So, Charity, 2 Peter, chapter 1,

beginning with verse 19

and down through verse 21,

how does that read in your Bible?

(Charity) All right, and I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

2 Peter, chapter 1, verses 19 to 21:

(Derek) That's a powerful text , isn't it?

By the way, did you see that Jesus
is the center even there?

(Team) Yes.

(Derek) Where? What did you hear?

The morning star rising

in your hearts, right?

It's all about Him,

but we see that the Holy Spirit
is guiding Daniel,

not only giving him a message,

but even guiding him

in how to share that message.

And the judgment is at the very heart.

Now, typically when we think of judgment,

do we have positive or negative thoughts,

Michael, what do you think - judgment?

(Michael) Usually negative.

(Derek) Negative thoughts.

So why would the judgment

be a positive thought

for the saints of the Most High God,

as they called it in the book of Daniel?

Why would that be a good thing?

Elise, the judgment.

(Elise) Because that's when God

vindicates His people,

especially in the context of in times

when they were in captivity;

they would look forward

to something changing.

(Derek) Liberation, freedom? A new day?

So, the judgment is in favor

of the saints, right?

It's a vindication, so it actually

becomes good news for us.

Now, I have another question.

We're just looking broad picture,

then we're going to get into the text.

If you've studied Daniel 2,

it appears that in Daniel 7, in Daniel 8,

in Daniel 9, it's kind of repeated,

like, four kingdoms, four kingdoms.

By the way, you'll find the reference

in Revelation, too, to these kingdoms.

Why do you think, Daisy,

they're, like, repeated?

Why don't they just have the one

of the metal man, which shows...

By the way, what does it show

when it shows this sequence of kingdoms?

What does that show?

Really important, what does it show
about God?

(Derek, Team) He knows the end
from the beginning.

(Derek) By the way, these prophecies

in the books of Daniel and Revelation

have caused skeptics to become believers.

Yeah, and, by the way,

I will just pause for a second.

I'm going to speak

to our Hope Sabbath School family.

We have a chapter-by-chapter Bible study

on Daniel <i>and</i> Revelation.

If you go to Hopebiblestudy.org

because we're not going

to learn it all in this series,

but Hopebiblestudy.org.

I'm praying hundreds of people

would keep studying in depth

because this is a crucial message

for these last days, right?

So, why is it repeated over
and over again?

(Daisy) Because it's important.

(Derek) It's important.

(Travis) Clarification.

(Derek) Clarification.

(Travis) Make sure we get it right.

(Derek) Make sure we get it right.

Are new things added? More details?

Okay, so you've got

the broad picture. Stephanie?

(Stephanie) I was thinking

repetition deepens impression,

but also what he does

is he repeats and expands.

(Derek) Okay, spoken as a teacher, right?

Repetition deepens impression,

but it's not just repetition,

it's repetition and expansion,

so, greater details.

For example, when you talked

about the 70 weeks

and about Messiah coming,

it's a lot more than in Daniel,

chapter 2, right? Jason?

(Jason) It also provides
more authority as well,

because when you say something just once,

okay, well it's easy to dismiss.

But when you say it five or ten times,

it has an authoritative kind of mark
or seal on it.

(Derek) So, here we've laid a foundation.

Already we're sensing this is important,

and Jesus is at the center of it.

And we're going to discover

many amazing lessons as we study together.

But now I want to talk

about the type of prophecy

that we find in the book of Daniel, okay?

So, the difference

between what we call apocalyptic

(the apocalypse is the end
of things, right),

the apocalyptic prophecy

and regular or classical prophecy.

Let's look at a few classical prophecies,

and then we'll look at some

of the apocalyptic prophecies,

including one from Daniel,

and then you tell me

what's the big difference

that you see, okay?

So, let's start in Jonah, chapter 3.

These are little books.

Wave at me when you find it.

Okay, Rod, would you read Jonah,

chapter 3, and read verses 3 and 4 for us,

verses 3 and 4 of Jonah, chapter 3.

(Rod) I'll be reading

from the King James Version:

(Derek) Is there anything

hard to understand about that?

How many days have you got?

(Team) Forty.

(Derek) Forty days, and what's going

to happen at the end (it's a prophecy)?

(Stephanie, Derek) Destruction.

(Derek) Now, one of the things we'll learn

is that some prophecies are conditional.

What did Nineveh do?

The king led the way. Adison?

(Adison) They repented.

(Derek) They repented.

(Adison) Turned from their wicked ways.

(Derek) They were bad people, too, right?

Of course, all of us were sinners,

but they were known for their ferocity,

and they repented in sackcloth and ashes,

and God accepted their repentance.

But that was a very clear prophecy.

"You've got 40 days to decide,

because after that, judgment is coming."

Let's look at another one.

Micah, it's right after the book of Jonah,
chapter 5.

Let me know if you have it.

Tricia Lee, Micah, chapter 5, and verse 2.

(Tricia Lee) It reads:

(Derek) That would be fulfilled

hundreds of years later

when what happened?

(Derek, Team) When Jesus was born.

(Derek) But He says He's
Jesus of Nazareth,

but where was He born?

(Team) Bethlehem.

(Derek) Born in Bethlehem,

just as the prophecy predicted.

And it took, of course, the decree

for the empire to be taxed

to bring him back to Joseph's home city

of Bethlehem, okay?

Fairly clear, right?

It is talking about something
in the future.

It shows us that God knows

the end from the beginning

as Rod pointed out.

By the way, that is in the Scripture,

"I know the end from the beginning."

That's in Isaiah's book.

But it's fairly clear what it's saying.

Let's look at one more,

a little farther along

in the minor prophets, Zechariah,

chapter 9 and verse 9.

Laurel, do you have Zechariah?

Chapter 9 and verse 9,

this is another prophecy,

what we might call a classical prophecy.

What does it say?

(Laurel) I'll be reading

from the New American Standard Bible:

(Derek) Now, when they hear
about the king,

they go, "Hallelujah" because they think

Messiah is going to be a great Deliverer,

right, overthrow all of the bondage,

but we get a little clue

that it's a different kind of conqueror

because He's humble,

and He's riding on a donkey,

actually, not even a full-sized donkey,

a little donkey, right, fulfilled when?

(Team) Palm Sunday.

(Derek) On what we call Palm Sunday

or the triumphal entry of Jesus

during the end of the ministry of Jesus.

Prediction, by the Holy Spirit,

God knows the end from the beginning,
fulfillment.

Are you with me so far?

(Team) Yes.

(Derek) Now, let's go

to what we call apocalyptic prophecy.

Elise, could you read for us in Daniel,

and let's go to Daniel, chapter 7,

and read the first six verses.

Now, we're not going

to unpack all of this and draw diagrams.

We're just using an illustration here

to see, wow, this apocalyptic prophecy

is different from the classical prophecies
we've been reading.

Same Holy Spirit, same God

who knows the end from the beginning,

but let's take a look at Daniel 7,
verses 1 to 6.

(Elise) I'm reading

from English Standard Version:

(Derek) So, what's the first thing

you notice in verse 1?

How is this revelation given to Daniel?

In visions and a dream.

Now, could classical prophecy

be given in a vision and a dream, too?

Absolutely, so that part

is not necessarily different, right?

But now we start seeing

animals, right, coming up.

What's the first clue that this isn't

just like a regular prophecy?

Are these real animals?

(Adison) Symbols.

(Derek) They're symbols.

How do you know they're symbols

and not a real lion

just walking by the sea, or a real bear?

(Charity) It reads, "like a lion."

(Derek) Oh, it's <i>like</i> a lion because...?

(Stephanie) They're trying to describe it.

(Derek) Right. Rod, what do you see there?

(Rod) It also had wings.

(Derek) It's got wings!

Lions don't have wings, right?

You almost see Daniel, what...?

He's kind of struggling

to describe these beasts there,

and the fourth one's the worst of all.

It's like a nondescript beast, right,

with iron teeth and iron claws

he'll go on in the chapter.

So, Adison, you mentioned,

these are symbols that are
being used. Travis?

(Travis) They're also rising out of a sea;

it's obvious that land animals

can't live in a sea, so, you know...

(Derek) And we'll come to, in a minute,

what the sea represents,

but there's just a lot of symbolism here.

But God is revealing just as He did

in...what was Daniel 2?

What was the vision there?

(Team) Statue.

(Derek) A metal statue,

but it wasn't all one metal, was it?

It was like a composite, all right?

So, we're seeing symbolism.

Let's hyperspace over to the book
of Revelation.

You can keep your place in Daniel,

but let's go to Revelation, chapter 13,

because Daniel and Revelation...

And, Tricia Lee, maybe you could read

Revelation 13 for us.

Again we're not going to unpack it all,

the first nine verses,

but they're kind of paired together,
aren't they.

In fact, the series that I recommended

from Hopebiblestudy.org

is chapter by chapter

on Daniel <i>and</i> Revelation

because they're related,

a great, great study.

Tricia Lee, the first nine verses,

we'd like to answer all of the questions,

but I'd just like you to see

the difference between the kind

of prophecies we read,

which were very straightforward,

and these that have a lot of symbolism.

(Tricia Lee) I'm reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) Sorry, go ahead.

(Derek) Do you see some similarities

between Daniel's prophecy we read
and Revelation?

What do you see?

They're not identical, right?

Stephanie, you talked about expanding.

What do you see there?

(Stephanie) Right, I see the same beasts

except they're in the reverse order.

(Derek) And they're all

kind of composite, aren't they?

It's all kind of put together.

It's like all of the kingdoms.

What else do you see

that's different here?

(Jason) I see another similarity.

(Derek) Okay, similarity.

(Jason) The sea, so something's

coming up out of the sea again.

(Derek) Okay, so you've got that symbolism
of the sea again,

and you've got animals again, right?

What else, Travis?

(Travis) It seems like they all

make up one beast now.

Instead of being separate beasts
in Daniel 7,

now they all make up one beast.

It's like the beast has taken

the attributes of all of this.

(Derek) And they're all

worshiping the dragon,

and people are like, "Wow, that sounds

like something from some kind of movie,
you know?

But the dragon is also a...?

It's a symbol, right, which will bring us

to the principle, which is,

how do we know what the beast represents,

what the sea represents,

what the dragon represents?

But do you see there's

also another element in this prophecy,

and that is the issue of time.

You say, "Forty-two months?"

That's what, three-and-a-half years?

That's not very long

for this power to dominate,

unless, of course, it's longer

than three-and-a-half years.

if there's another key that we need

to understand this power

that will dominate for a vast amount
of time, okay?

So we've got some idea here.

The classical prophecies, pretty simple,

"This is going to happen,

or it won't happen if you repent."

But now we get into symbols.

How do we find the key?

That's the next question

to unlock these apocalyptic

or End-Time prophecies.

How do we find the key?

Help me, someone. What do you think?

(Tricia Lee) Well, the good thing

is that we can use the Bible
to help understand

and interpret the Bible.

And specifically when Daniel,

he has questions that he asks as well,

and literally an angel comes

and explains some of these things to him.

So, in the book of Daniel specifically,

we actually have some

of his questions answered for us.

And in other prophecies

we're able to kind of search
the Scriptures,

and we're actually told

how to unlock some of these things.

(Derek) So, we'll look in the Scripture
to find keys.

Now, what if we get to the place

we don't understand it all?

Well, hold on a second;

we'll get there in just a minute.

There are various approaches

to understanding apocalyptic prophecy.

In our study, we outline them.

The preterist approach,

the futurist approach,

the idealist approach

and the historicist approach.

It's interesting that the Reformers

all followed the historicist approach.

They saw history unfolding,

and they actually saw the apostate church

clearly identified in those prophecies.

By the way, the apostate church
was us, right?

We were the Christian Church,

and the Church had gone away,

and the Reformers were trying

to call our Church, the Christian Church,

back to faithfulness to God.

But they saw clearly

that historical unfolding.

We call that the historicist approach.

But there were some people,

it's interesting, we don't

have time to expand on it,

who wanted to divert that interpretation,

so they came up with other ideas.

The preterist idea was what? Anybody know?

(Elise) It's already happened.

(Derek) Yeah, it was all

something in the past.

It's nothing to do with now.

That takes the heat off,

if prophecy is showing

a power out of harmony,

especially if it's a religious power,

out of harmony with the Word

and the will of God.

Or another thing you could do

to take the heat off of the prophecy

pointing at a problem that's happening

is to put it all...?

(Team) In the future.

(Derek) Right, it's all somewhere

right at the end; it's nothing
to do with now.

We call that the futurist.

So, all in the past, all in the future,

and what about this idealist?

That's a new one. Gary?

(Gary) Everything that is symbolic
is just symbolic.

It doesn't mean anything literally.

(Derek) Okay, so it's maybe...

By the way, people do that

with even the Gospels.

They say, "Well, Jesus wasn't

really tempted in the wilderness.

He didn't talk to Satan.

It's just like a parable

of a struggle between good and evil."

You read the text, and it's literal.

There's a literal conflict.

There's a literal battle,

just as you read in Revelation 12,

a literal war or conflict in Heaven.

So, I think we're safe to say let's

at least see what these great Reformers
through the ages,

how they saw the unfolding of Scripture

and see if it is accurate.

Does it show...By the way, to suggest

that these kingdoms

are not really kingdoms,

that it's just symbolic or...

No, it's a clear revelation

of what's going to happen, right?

An unfolding of Scripture,

one part to another.

So let's go to some keys; are you ready?

Let's look at a few keys together,

and I think Tricia Lee said some of them,

maybe the angel will tell us

what it means, right;

it will be right in the text.

Daniel, chapter 7, and, Daisy,

could you read for us Daniel 7:23-24?

We're laying a foundation

for an exciting series

on the book of Daniel.

We know at the very foundation is...?

(Team) Jesus.

(Derek) Jesus, right, Jesus Christ,

Messiah, Son of God, soon-coming King;

He's at the foundation, all right.

We know that we're

going to see some symbols,

so let's see if we can

unpack some of them.

(Daisy) I'll be reading

from the New Living Translation:

(Derek) There's an overarching principle,

and that is that these symbols...?

(Jason) Mean something?

(Derek) They mean something;
that's right.

It's not just kind of, you know,

"That's a strange story."

These symbols mean something,

and we might have guessed

that the beast is a power or a kingdom.

We might have guessed that,

but the text actually tells us.

We might have guessed that the horns

were also a symbol of power in some way,

but the text tells us

that there are 10 kings, right?

So, we'll find what we can
in the Scripture.

Now, remember I said

that Daniel and Revelation,

they're kind of sister books, right?

There's another key in Revelation,

chapter 17 and verse 15.

We've been talking about the sea.

Revelation, Rod, do you have that?

Chapter 17 of Revelation and verse 15.

(Rod) I'll be reading

from the King James Version:

(Derek) It's right there

because we've seen these animals

coming up out of the sea.

That would mean they're

coming up out of...?

(Team Member) Populated areas.

(Derek) Populated areas.

By the way, we're not doing

a series on Revelation right now,

but in Revelation, we'll see a beast

that comes up out of the earth.

So, what would that mean?

(Team Member) Unpopulated.

(Derek) That there weren't any people.

Well, that doesn't make sense.

How could a superpower

come up out of a place

where there are no people?

Well, if you study history,

you'll discover a superpower

that comes up in a place

where there were no people.

But we know, we've got another key, right?

Letting the Scripture interpret itself.

Beasts are kingdoms;

waters are peoples, nations.

Let's look at one other key.

And I've got two texts to look at here,

Numbers, chapter 14.

This one's important, especially when we

look at 490 days, or we look

at 1260 days, or 2,300 days.

If I'm just looking literally,

that's like somewhere

between three years to six-and-a-half
or something.

But let's look and see

in the writings of the prophets.

Numbers 14, Adison, would you

read verse 34 for us?

(Adison) Reading from the King James
Version:

(Derek) So there's kind of a formula,
I guess, right?

One day equals a year.

Now, that's just one text,

so let's look at another one

in Ezekiel, chapter 4.

Michael, maybe if you can

find Ezekiel for us,

chapter 4, verses 5 and 6.

Again, these are prophets.

I'm not reading this

from some random writing

in China or somewhere.

This is in the Bible,

and there's a principle here,
to interpret.

Ezekiel 4, verses 5 and 6.

(Michael) The New King James Version says:

(Derek) You say, "I wish they

weren't rebellious for so long;

that's a long time

to lie on one side," right?

One day for a year is a principle.

Now, if you apply that

to some of these time prophecies,

1260 days, or in Revelation

it's called, what, 42 months,

how does that affect - or 1200,

or, excuse me, 2,300 days -

how would that affect you

if you were seeing revelations

that involve that kind of time?

Well, let's look in Daniel, chapter 8.

Elise, maybe you could read for us

in Daniel 8 and verse 27.

By the way, did you know Daniel

is one of the prophets

that there's nothing recorded

where he turned away from God?

He always - I love this book -

he always purposed in his heart

that he would honor God.

He was a young man of integrity,

and that's a challenge to us,

young women, young men,

to be people of integrity.

He'd probably be the first to say,

"I wasn't perfect; only God is perfect,"

but a great man of God.

But when he had this revelation,

this was one of the time prophecies,

how did he react, Elise,

in chapter 8, verse 27?

(Derek) That's strong language.

Why was he appalled?

Was it because he saw bad things?

Yes, partly, right?

I mean, there's this power

fighting against the saints

of the Most High God. Gary?

(Gary) Just to go along with that thought,

if he understood, let's say,
these time keys,

then that means that the saints of God

would be under the power of this kingdom

for such a long amount of time.

And that probably made him feel appalled.

(Derek) Yeah, you know, just to get

my mind around that length of time, right,

could make me feel sick.

Now, Tricia Lee, you said earlier

that sometimes angels come to help.

And right after Daniel 8

you've got Daniel 9,

and who shows up to help him,
do you remember?

(Stephanie) Gabriel.

(Derek) The angel Gabriel says,

"By the way, you've been praying,

and I'm here to help," right?

Doesn't change the prophecy,

but at least gives him, what?

What does it do for him?

It doesn't change the prophecy.

(Team Member) Understanding.

(Derek) It gives him some understanding

so that he's like, "Okay,

that's what God wanted to reveal to me."

So, I want to ask a broad question.

Now, we're going to go through this book.

I've studied this book several times,

and I'm studying it again now.

I don't understand everything
in this book,

so this is a disclaimer, right?

I don't understand everything
in this book,

so what do we do when we're coming

to study something with the recognition

that we may not fully understand it?

What are some things we could do?

Maybe some promises in the Bible

or something that comes to your mind,

just a principle, Charity?

Like, "I don't understand all of this!"

(Charity) The Bible says

you can pray and ask for wisdom from God.

(Derek) Yes, that's found

in the book of James, right,

chapter 1, verse 5, "If anyone..."?

(Derek, Team) "...lacks wisdom..."

(Derek) Do what?

(Team) "Let him ask of God."

(Derek) That's prayer, right?

I ask God, and do you know

what it says next?

Some of you apparently have been
reading your Bibles.

"Who gives to all," how?

(Team) Liberally.

(Derek) What does that mean?

Generously, right, "and without..."?

(Team) Reproach.

(Derek) What does that mean?

Without condemnation, like,

[deep voice] "Asking for wisdom again?"

Why is He happy to give us wisdom?

Why was Gabriel happy

to come and give understanding to Daniel?

(Daisy) Because he wants us
to understand.

(Derek) That's why it was given,

that we could understand it, right?

His Word He desires to be a...?

(Team) Lamp.

(Derek) A lamp to our feet and a...?

(Team) Light.

(Derek) Light to our path.

So it's not that He doesn't

want us to understand.

Thank you, Charity; one place we can start

is to pray and ask for wisdom.

Okay, anybody else?

What can I do if I don't

fully understand everything? Elise?

(Elise) In Daniel 1, after Daniel

and his friends had chosen to be healthy,

it said that they were 10 times brighter.

And so, that may be part of why God

continued to teach and give him insight,

was because he was following the light

that he already had.

(Derek) Ah, so you would say,

"If I don't understand everything,

remove any obstacle and follow
the truth that...?

You know. Does that make sense?

(Team) Yes.

(Derek) People are like, "Well,

when I finally know it all, maybe I'll

give my heart to Jesus," no, no.

Follow the light you know.

Is that a good principle?

(Team) Yes.

(Derek) Thank you. And that actually has

very practical implications

for even how I care for my body, right?

Another insight, Travis?

(Travis) I think that when you
study the Bible,

I think God doesn't give you

everything right away.

You just keep coming back for more,

and I think the best thing we can do

is just be patient and keep studying.

And I know as I've been studying
over the years,

every day new light bulbs keep going off,

and God just keeps revealing

more and more and more.

(Derek) Isn't there somewhere

Jesus says, "There are many things

I would share with you,

but you cannot bear them now"?

I mean, what would happen

if He shared everything with us?

(Team Members) Overwhelming; I can faint.

(Derek) You might faint.

You might feel faint or sick, right,

and that wasn't even everything, right?

So be patient, keep studying.

There's a text I'd like someone to read

because it's one I really appreciate.

Stephanie, maybe you

could read from Jeremiah 33.

You know my wife likes

to write Scripture songs, right?

And she does that to help

her husband memorize the Bible

as well as our little ones

when they were growing up.

But this is one of the songs

that she has, in Jeremiah 33 and verse 3.

Incredible promise,

and if you're part of this journey

in the book of Daniel, saying,

"I don't get it all," well, we can

ask for wisdom and we can pray.

But we could claim this promise

in Jeremiah 33 and verse 3.

(Stephanie) And I'll be reading

from the King James Version:

(Derek) So, that's

kind of the prayer thing, right?

And, by the way, I had another text

in 2 Timothy 2 which says,

"Study," or be diligent,

"to show yourself approved,"

which is back to keep on studying, right,

"a worker who doesn't need to be ashamed,

rightly dividing," so keep on studying,
keep on praying.

Realize that God is not

hiding truth from us.

He's wanting, actually,

to reveal truth to us.

Well, we need to move on

to our last section,

which is the relevance

of the book of Daniel for our lives today.

Why is it important, anyone,

for us to study Daniel,

and we might add Revelation because these

are the two apocalyptic books, right,

these apocalyptic prophecies

pointing to the End Time.

Why is it important to study them today?

What do you think? Yes, Tricia Lee.

(Tricia Lee) It wasn't
just a history lesson

for a history lesson's sake.

It was the history of the world

from the lens and perspective

of what's happening to God's people.

And I think that was important
for Daniel then,

but certainly for us now.

We don't have national borders

that define where God's people live;

we're all over the world.

And so, being able to look
at these prophecies

and see where we fit in

is very important for us

to understand how things will unfold

in these particular days

when God's people are scattered all over

all around the world.

(Derek) So Paul said in 2 Timothy 3,

I think it begins in verse 16,

"All Scripture," that would include

the apocalyptic prophecies,

"All Scripture is given by..."?

(Derek, Team) "...inspiration of God."

(Derek) We read, holy men

and women of God, right?

"...by inspiration of God and is..."?

(Derek, Team) "...profitable..."

(Derek) For? A variety of things, right,

"...profitable for...?"

(Team) Doctrine.

(Derek) "Doctrine," what does that mean?

That means understanding the truth
that God wants to reveal.

"For doctrine, for..."?

Reproof, which means...?

"You're out of line."

So, rather than say,

"Well, let's interpret this some other way

and say it all happened...," no, no.

If we're being reproved,

well, what's the next thing, "for...?

"Correction," right, which means

how to change, "and for..."?

(Derek, Team) "Instruction
in righteousness."

(Derek) So, when I believe that...

You say, "Well, this is relevant
for us today,"

but you say, "Some of them
are just stories.

Why are the stories...?

Are they just stories?"

Or do the stories even have,

Gary, do they have relevance, too,

for us in the End Time?

(Gary) I strongly believe that they do.

I mean, Daniel's name, "God is my Judge,"

and we're living in the Laodicean portion
of Earth's history,

a people under judgment...

(Derek) You're using more prophecy

here in Revelation...

(Gary) In Revelation.

(Derek) ...with the church of Laodicea.

So, the End time?

(Gary) Yeah, in the End Time,
which is now,

we are going to have to face

the same type of decisions

Daniel and his friends faced.

Do I worship God or do I

worship something else?

(Derek) So, in Romans,

chapter 15 and verse 4, it says,

"These things were written for our..."?

"...admonition," right?

You may want to write Romans 15:4 down.

But I've got to go to Daniel, chapter 12,

because there's one last thought

in the few minutes left.

Elise, could you read Daniel 12 for us,

beginning with verse 1,

because this is where Michael stands up,

and it talks about a book.

And I want to conclude

our introductory study on this series

to ask how do I get my name in the book,

because that is a really
important question.

So, how does your Bible read,
Daniel 12:1-4?

(Derek) So this book, is it
an earthly book

or is it a heavenly book?

It's not a book in Babylon, right?

It's not a book in Jerusalem.

It's a heavenly book.

Moses talks about that

when he says, "God, if You

can't save my people,

blot my name out of Your book."

It's not their book; it's <i>Your</i> book.

In fact, in Revelation 13,

it talks about a judgment of all of those

whose names are not written,

and it describes this book
as the Lamb's...?

(Derek, Team) Book of Life.

(Derek) Ah, so, see

how Daniel and Revelation connect?

So here's the most important question

of our hour of study,

because this is all

about the history of the earth

and the deliverance of God's people
and judgment, right,

which is good news for the saints, right,

because it's in favor of the saints.

How do I make sure my name

is in the book, the Lamb's Book of Life?

How does my name get written there?
Yes, Travis?

(Travis) Follow the Lamb wherever He goes.

(Derek) Follow the Lamb,

now that's kind of imagery,

but be more specific for me, please;
help me, someone.

Rod, how do I get my name

written in the book?

(Rod) I think we need to serve the Lord

in the same way that Jesus
was on this earth.

You know, ministering and taking care

of sick people, widows.

I think we need to do that.

(Derek) Okay, and I think

that that is an outcome

of that living connection.

But, Stephanie, how do I get
my name <i>in</i> the book?

(Stephanie) Commit your life to Jesus,

accept what He's done for you.

(Derek) "Jesus, save me.

Write my name in Your book."

Do I still have work to do?

(Team) Yes.

(Derek) Do I still have growth

to happen in my life?

(Team) Yes.

(Derek) Absolutely, but, "Write my name
in Your book; save me."

"Everyone," Romans 10:13,

"who calls on the name of the Lord..."

(Team) "...will be saved."

(Derek) Now, I don't want to get
into a big discussion,

but could I at some point,

after my name's been written in the book,

say, "God, I don't want You
to save me anymore;

take my name out of the book,"
could I do that?

(Team) Yes.

(Derek) I have a freedom of choice, right?

But if I choose and say,

"God, write my name; Jesus, save me,"

and it's going to be affecting

the way I live from now on, isn't it...

I'll be praying for wisdom;

I'm going to be praying for might,

back to the song, wisdom and might

to live a life that will honor God.

But my name's been written in the book,

and I don't know when that
happened for you,

and I want to talk

to our Hope Sabbath School family,

I don't know when that happened.

You say, "Pastor Derek,

I don't think I've ever asked
Jesus to save me.

I grew up in a Christian family, but..."

But I want to challenge you

as I challenge each of us,

"Lord, write my name in the book."

And if you said that, as many of us have,

just every day say, "Thank You, God,"
get excited.

"You wrote my name in Your book,

the Lamb's Book of Life,

and I want to live to honor You."

And this book of Daniel wlll

not only tell us what's going to happen

but how to live as we prepare

for the glorious return

of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Let's pray; Father in Heaven,

thank You so much

as we begin this journey

studying the book of Daniel.

And I pray in the name of Jesus

that You would accept us.

Say, "Jesus, save us; let us be part

of the redeemed of all ages."

And guide us as we live and as we grow

and as we learn how to walk

in these last days of Earth's history.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Thanks for joining us

for Hope Sabbath School.

This is an amazing journey,

the book of <i>Daniel.</i>

We are going to discover that God

will show us how to live,

that we can be lights to the world.

Go out and point people to Jesus.

♪ theme music ♪