♪ 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 Daniel.
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 Daniel.
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,
From Reading to Understanding.
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 what he wrote,
but the Holy Spirit also guided him how 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 and 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 like 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 and 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 Your 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 in 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 Daniel.
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 ♪