HSS_2020_Q1_EP09

♪ theme music ♪

(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,

an in-depth, interactive study

of the Word of God.

We are in the middle

of an amazing series of studies

on the book of Daniel.

I am learning so much,

and I'm sure you are, too.

And if you've missed any in this series,

you don't have to just look sad;

you can go to our website,

hopetv.org/hopess; the entire series

on the book of Daniel is there.

You can also download

our theme song and the outline.

It will be a great blessing for you.

And we also want to tell you

about a series of Bible studies,

that builds on what we're studying
in this series,

on Daniel and Revelation,

chapter by chapter

because they're so connected together.

You can go to our HopeBibleStudy.org,

HopeBibleStudy.org, and you can

sign up for free Bible studies

that will compare Daniel

and Revelation together.

It will be an amazing journey.

Keep studying; the Word of God

is a lamp to our feet
and light to our path.

So, welcome, and to our team, welcome.

What a great series this is.

And you know, I'm just praying

as we study an important topic today,

From Contamination to Purification,

the whole cleansing of the sanctuary,

what that means and what it means

for our lives today,

that the Holy Spirit

would bless us in amazing ways.

And for each one of you,

we're just glad you're part

of our Hope Sabbath School family.

We are now in more than 200 countries
around the world,

and if you haven't downloaded our app,

Hope Channel app, free from the App Store,

that's a great tool

for accessing the program.

Here are some emails,

one from Leslie-Anne

in Trinidad and Tobago.

Now, that's two separate islands, right,

but it's one country, Trinidad and Tobago.

Anyone have Trinidad roots?

We've got some Caribbean roots, right,

but not from Trinidad and Tobago.

Well, I know we have lots

of Hope Sabbath School members

in Trinidad and Tobago.

Thanks for writing, Leslie-Anne,

"I write to you from the lovely islands

of Trinidad and Tobago.

I'm 25 years old, and I was
recently re-baptized,

and reconsecrated my life to Jesus."

(Team) Amen!

(Derek) "I had emptiness that partying

and drinking could not satisfy,

but, praise God, that it was

just the right size for Jesus to fill.

I tune into Hope Sabbath School
every week

to get a better insight

into the Word of God.

Being a visual learner, it helps me a bit,

gives me some motivation

to study the Bible for myself.

I praise God for your ministry.

I pray you never stop, in Jesus' name,

for I know you are touching many lives

and helping the gospel

reach all around the world - Leslie-Anne."

Well, thanks for writing to us.
Isn't that beautiful?

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) We are so glad, Leslie-Anne,

you did not wait until you were 85

to re-commit your life to Jesus,

25 years old, God bless you.

And invite your friends to join us

there in Trinidad and Tobago

to watch Hope Sabbath School.

Nwachukwu writes from Nigeria.

I probably didn't say that right, did I?

"For the second week running now,

I've been following Hope Sabbath School."

Do you notice people

are always joining?

It's like our family's growing.

"I'm watching via internet,

and I'm richly blessed.

Your interactive style has drawn me

to make it a task

that I must do every every week.

Continue your life-changing
Sabbath School.

And to all the members and crew,

God will bless you and use you

to transform lives around the world."
Amen?

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) It sounds like

God's blessing Nwachukwu in Nigeria.

Thanks so much for writing to us,

and God bless you, too.

Here's a note from a donor

in New York State in the United States
of America.

And the donor writes and says, "Greetings

to the Hope Sabbath School team!"

(Team) Greetings!

(Derek) "The program, I've been

watching it for nearly two years now.

I enjoy the songs and discussions.

I grew up in the church from a young age,

but later in life I had problems
and lost my way.

But I'm back, and I love

Hope Sabbath School, and I learn a lot.

And enclosed is a donation.

May the Lord always bless you,"

and a gift of 220 dollars to help

the ministry of Hope Sabbath School.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) So, thank you, thank you,

but most of all, we're glad you're back.

And w're glad that you're

experiencing the grace of God

through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Here's a note from Kate in Illinois.

Kate writes and says, "My boyfriend and I

have been watching Hope Sabbath School

faithfully since we started dating."

What do you think about that?

That's a good thing, isn't it?

"It has become an integral part

of our Sabbath time together

and our relationship."

Well, the Bible says,

"Unless the Lord builds the house,

they labor in vain who build it,"

so that would mean,

if the Lord is in the middle of the house,

that's a good thing, isn't it?

Kate continues, "May the Lord

continue to bless your work."

And we say, Kate, whatever is happening

in your relationship with your boyfriend,

you keep God at the center.

Whether you'll be lifelong friends

and marry someone else,

or you'll end up having

a Christian home together,

where God is at the center
of relationships,

people are always blessed.

So thanks for writing to us

from Illinois in the United States.

One last note, just a short one,

from Edwin in Bolivia,

and Edwin writes from, "La Paz, Bolivia,

a high-altitude city.

I watch Hope Sabbath School

every Friday on YouTube.

God bless you all and blessings

to the whole class."

Well, Edwin, I don't know

what the altitude is there in La Paz;

I'm sure someone will send me

an email and tell me,

but wherever it is in the altitude,

I know there are people

who need to know about Jesus.

May God bless you as you share

about Hope Sabbath School

and most of all about the love of Jesus,

and today, about the fact

that things are wrapping up.

There's a judgment, a cleansing

of the heavenly sanctuary.

There is a glorious return of Jesus

just on the horizon,

and we want everyone

to hear the good news.

And how many does Jesus

want to be ready for His coming?

(Team) All.

(Derek) By His grace, He would like

everyone to have an opportunity

and to choose to be ready.

Right now we want to sing
a Scripture song.

The words are written

by the prophet Daniel.

My wife wrote a tune

to help us memorize it.

If you haven't learned it yet,

download it from our website,

but many of you have learned it already,

so let's sing it together.

♪ music ♪

(Derek) That's a beautiful prayer,

especially as we come

to these challenging, prophetic portions

of the book of Daniel.

We know there's a promise of blessing

as we study diligently, right?

But we need wisdom,

and wisdom belongs to God,

but he says, "Blessed be the name of God,"

because He's given us wisdom

and might, when we...?

When we ask, right, yes.

When we ask, He wants to give us wisdom.

Let's pray; wherever you are
around the world,

join us in prayer that God will
give us wisdom,

as we study Daniel, chapter 8,

From Contamination to Purification.

Let's pray; Father in Heaven,

thank You so much that You

not only have wisdom and strength,

but You offer wisdom and strength

to Your people when we
call out to You

and say, "God, guide us in our study

that we may see the light of Your truth

and follow the light of Your truth."

Thank You, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) We're in Daniel, chapter 8, now.

We've gone from a metal image

to four different, kind of,
composite beasts.

And now we've got another revelation,

and, Stephanie, would you begin our study

in chapter 8, verses 1 through 8;

we find another vision, two years later,

right in the third year

of the reign of King Belshazzar.

Let's see what the text tells us.

(Stephanie) And I'll be reading

from the King James Version:

(Derek) Now before we unpack the vision,

let's go back as we did

in our previous study in chapter 7

and notice the preliminary words

in verses 1 and 2 of Daniel, chapter 8.

What's important about what Daniel's
sharing there? Harold?

(Harold) It's just saying the third year,

so it's giving us another
historical reference.

(Derek) All right,

so a couple of years have passed.

This is still prior to the story

in Daniel 5, right?

So it's not all chronological
in the chapters.

Chapter 5 is the fall

of Belshazzar's kingdom,

so this is still during his kingdom

in the third year. Yes, Brittany?

(Brittany) He also said this one

came after the one he had had before,

so it gives us the timeline

that it came after the one in Daniel 7.

So it's the next vision

God revealed to Him.

(Derek) Okay, and one thing

that we pointed out is,

unlike the first vision,

which was given in Daniel 2,

first to King Nebuchadnezzar

and then to Daniel and interpreting.

In Daniel 7 and 8, it's given...?

(Team) To Daniel.

(Derek) Directly to Daniel, okay.

A lot of information, where he's located,

it's like this is not, "Oh, I think

I had a dream one day," no.

It's anchored in history, isn't it?

What about the dream itself?

Jonathan, do you want

to reflect on the background
or the dream itself?

(Jonathan) It just seems like that it's

kind of building on the previous vision,
and it's kind of expanding again.

(Derek) That's an interesting concept,
it's building,

because when we begin to unpack

we notice that one

of the kingdoms is missing.

Which one's missing?

(Team) Babylon.

(Derek) Babylon's missing,

which was the head of gold

and the winged lion,

but now it goes straight to the second,

which was paralleled

by the chest of silver and the bear

with the ribs, right?

Why do you think in this vision

Babylon's omitted? Yes, Travis.

(Travis) Because by the time

this writing "hits the press,"

I mean, Babylon's going to be conquered.

It's going to be gone.

(Derek) So, it's kind of waxing

to the end of the Babylonian Kingdom.

We want to focus on what's happening next.

Does that make sense?

(Team) Yes.

(Derek) So, what about this ram

with the two horns

causes you to say, "I think

we're starting with Medo-Persia,"

Brittany, "rather than with Babylon"?

(Brittany) It said that one side

of the bear was higher than the other...

(Derek) That's in chapter 7.

(Brittany) Daniel, chapter 7.

and here it says that one horn
is higher than the other...

(Derek) And the bigger horn comes up...?

(Team) Last.

(Derek) Right, so that's Persia, right?

Anything else that would make you say,

"I think we've skipped Babylon;

we're on to Medo-Persia"? Yes, Travis?

(Travis) The bear had three ribs
in its mouth,

and here we see it's pushing

three different directions.

(Derek) Okay. By the way,

this is obviously a power

with global influence, an empire,

not just talking about a little country
somewhere, right?

It's got a broad impact. Harold?

(Harold) I wanted to add

that it referenced Shushan, the citadel,

which was a prominent town.

I believe it was the capital

of the kingdom of Persia,

if I'm not mistaken.

(Derek) So that would be another...

The fact that it was revealed

in that location? Okay.

So, here it is, and it's

kind of impacting the whole world;
it becomes great,

and while Daniel's watching,
what does he see?

(Team) A goat.

(Derek) An airborne goat, right?

Doesn't it say his feet

didn't even touch the ground?

(Team) Yes.

(Derek) So, back to Brittany's parallel
to chapter 7,

because the metals, they don't

have any, like, personality, right?

It's just gold, silver, bronze.

But what in Daniel 7, Stephanie,

would parallel this airborne goat?

(Stephanie) That would be the leopard;
it's coming after...

(Derek) The winged leopard, right?

(Rodney) Four wings.

(Derek) With four wings, okay.

So this idea of speed,

and now we've got an airborne goat.

Just imagine that, not even touching
the ground.

What's unique about this goat?
Yes, Rodney.

(Rodney) There's a horn...

(Derek) It says it had a notable horn...

(Derek, Rodney) Between its eyes.

(Derek) Now, before you say,

"Ah, unicorns did exist,"

this again is symbolism, right?

It's a goat, but it's got,

like, this notable horn.

Immediately when we see that,

what do we think of?

(Team) A king.

(Derek) We think of a power

within that kingdom

and an individual, namely...?

(Derek, Team) Alexander the Great.

Right, he basically creates an empire

out of next to nothing.

All he has to offer them

is the greatness of victory.

And he's moving fast,

and in a short amount of time

he conquers the world,

except, what did it tell us

about this goat with the horn?

How did it conclude in verse 8?

(Team) It was broken.

(Derek) The horn was...?

(Kenneth) When he became strong...

(Derek) He becomes strong;

it was't like it broke

and nothing happened.

He becomes strong,

and then the horn breaks,

which is a reference to...?

(Team) His death.

(Derek) The premature death -
how old was he?

(Team) Thirties.

(Derek) Yeah, he was

just right there in his early 30's,

(Kenneth) In the prime of his life.

(Derek) And his power is broken,

and it ends up with, what does it say?

"Four notable ones from the four winds,"

and that reminds us of...?

Going back to Daniel, chapter 7,
right, with the...?

(Derek, Team) Four heads.

(Derek) So, there is clear parallelism,
isn't there?

So far, you say, we're tracking with this.

Now, let's look in verse 8 of Daniel,

chapter 8, and see what it says;
Gladys, verse 8?

(Gladys) Daniel, chapter 8, verse 8,
and I'm reading

from the New International Version:

(Derek) Now I want you to keep reading.

We're going to put verse 9 up

because I want you to see

it's a little different from the way

it reads in Daniel, chapter 7,

because the one's horn's broken,
four come up,

and then what does verse 9 tell us?

(Gladys) Verse 9 says:

(Derek) So, we've got

an interpretation question:

What does the "one of them" relate to?

Is it one of the four horns,

or is it one of the winds?

What do you think, Harold?

(Harold) I believe the winds.

(Derek) One of the four corners.

(Harold) Yeah, one of the four corners

because, I mean, if you look
at the Hebrew,

the words have gender.

Like, the horns is feminine,

but if you look at the winds,

it's actually masculine.

And "out of one of them"

is using the masculine form.

So, if you look at the Hebrew,

you can make that relationship.

(Derek) So, that's deep Bible study
right there, okay?

So, out of one of the corners,

it's going to come from where?

Where is this little horn power
going to come,

if you can position yourself

thinking about Greece.

It's going to come from...?

(Team) From the West.

(Derek) From the west, right?

And this little horn power,

let's keep reading about this power.

It comes toward...Well, it

actually tells us doesn't it?

Toward the south, the east,

and the glorious land, which is...?

The glorious land is reference

to Israel, right? To Palestine.

Okay, let's keep reading now

in verses 10 through 12.

Rick, would you read that for us,

Daniel, chapter 8, verses 10-12.

(Rick) Sure, and I'm reading

from the New King James Version,
Daniel 8:10-12:

(Derek) Now, some people

see this as being fulfilled

with a Syrian king, right,

named Antiochus Epiphanes,

and his desecration of the temple

and the resulting rebellion by the Jews

called the Maccabean Rebellion, right,

in the mid second century, B.C.

What do you think

about that interpretation?

Of course, some would say

that then that is also
the Little Horn power

of Daniel, chapter 7.

What do you think? Yes, Brittany.

(Brittany) Well, it doesn't fit

in the sequence of history.

God has outlined Babylon,

Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome,

and it doesn't fit historically in there,

in the right order.

(Derek) Okay, by the way,

this Little Horn power

will go until the end, right?

Whereas Antiochus got

about three-and-a-half years there

where the desecration is happening,

or however long it happens.

I guess the rebellion by the Jews

in the Maccabean Rebellion. Harold?

(Harold) I just want to add

that if you look in Matthew, chapter 24,

Jesus make a reference

about the "abomination of desolation,"
about Daniel,

but He's pointing to something

more like in the future,

because usually people tie
this desecration

that Antiochus Epiphanes did
with the Jews,

Jesus was referring to that,

but Jesus was talking

about a future event.

(Derek) You're thinking

of the prophecy there in [Matthew] 24,

and that's going to be fulfilled

partially by the pagan Roman Empire

with the fall of Jerusalem,

but also by the Little Horn power

in the future, right?

So, you know, it's interesting.

You say, "Wow, we really need

to study carefully, don't we?"

and say, "Is this consistent

with what we're learning?"

Well, let's keep reading.

Did you notice, in verse 12,

a reference to an attack

on the ministry of Jesus.

Let's read that verse again, Nicole,

in chapter 8, verse 12.

(Nicole) The New King James Version says:

(Derek) So, in what way did this power

"cast truth to the ground"

and still prosper? Travis?

(Travis) I believe personally

that that's talking about the mediation
of Jesus

because He's our Mediator.

When we pray to Jesus

(you talked about the ladder

in a previous study),

He takes our prayers

and presents them to the Father,

so we have a Mediator.

And now the Church moves in

and says, "No, no, you will pray to me,"

or, "You will pray to the priest,"

"You'll pray to this," and removes

Jesus, basically, His medation,

right out of the way.

(Derek) And, by the way,

even during the pagan Roman time,

there was also the interference

with the work of the Savior, right,

that you can't pray to the Father

in the name of Jesus;

you have to pray to the Caesar, right
(Caesar is God)?

So, we find even in that early time

this challenge against the truth of God.
Stephanie?

(Stephanie) I'm thinking,

tradition versus truth.

(Derek) Tradition versus truth,

you mean just because something's

been done for a long time

doesn't automatically make it true?

You've got to go back and check

what the Bible says? Jonathan?

(Jonathan) I'm thinking of verse 11

where it says specifically

"daily sacrifices," and then

"the place of His sanctuary."

The daily sacrifices, people would come;

they had this daily

morning and evening sacrifice,

and it was kind of this worshipful time

where you would pray.

And so, something about what this power
is doing

is disrupting that worship,

that daily worship,

and specifically the place
of His sanctuary.

I mean, Christ is said to have ascended

into the presence of the Most High God,

and to just take that place -

if something is changing

and substituting in the place of where we,

instead of us going directly to God

and having this one-on-one

relationship with Him, just intimate,

is now through something,

almost taking the place of that

and drawing our attention

towards what this power is doing.

(Derek) And what were those

daily sacrifices in the temple for?

(Team) Forgiveness of sins.

(Derek) They were pointing

to the Lamb of God

who takes away the sin of the world.

So, by faith before the coming
of the Messiah,

they were pointing forward,

because can a lamb take away -

can the death of an animal take away sin?

(Team) No.

(Derek) The book of Hebrews
says no, it can't.

Except by faith, your trusting

in the Lamb of God who is to come, right?

So this is more than just
religious ritual;

this is interfering with the plan
of salvation

as clearly outlined in the Word
of God. Rodney?

(Rodney) And we studied

in a previous lesson in Daniel 7

that there was something

that was different about the horn
in Daniel 7.

When we come to Daniel 8,

we see that there is something
different as well,

versus the ram and the goat.

It said that in verse 9,

it went "toward the south, the east,

and to the Glorious Land";

that sounds horizontal in nature.

And then it talks about opposing God,
which is vertical.

So there's something different.

(Derek) Okay, so it's

not just conquering territory,
earthly territory,

but it's claiming spiritual authority?

Claiming spiritual authority. Nicole?

(Nicole) Could the casting truth
to the ground

also be in the context of changing laws,

and the power of that power

changing the laws and truth of the Sabbath

and the truth of the things that God
has told us to follow.

They are making changes to that truth

and throwing it to the ground.

(Derek) So, how is it possible

to cast truth to the ground,

and, if I can use the phrase,

"get away with it"?

Because for a long time

truth was cast to the ground. Brittany?

(Brittany) Well, one, is to take the Bible

away from the people

so that they have no knowledge of it,

that it's only amongst the elite

or those who speak

the language of the Bible.

It's not in the common people's language,

so they have no idea.

(Derek) So, by doing that,

you can cast truth to the ground

because they don't know what the truth is?

How else can you

get away with that, Kenneth?

(Kenneth) Systematically you can

institute false systems to replace,

because, for instance,

if you take the Bible, those who have

studied the Bible will still keep it.

But instituting false systems

and then forcing them

on the people for a long time.

(Derek) So, you're introducing
a replacement

but then forcing adherence

to that replacement

because you can get away

with casting truth to the ground,

at least temporarily,

by killing anyone who disagrees.

You start thinking about that,

and you say, "Well, that's

exactly what happened

in Daniel, chapter 7, right, persecuting

the saints of the Most High God.

Now, remember that the people

who were being persecuted

were faithful followers.

They didn't understand

why the Christian Church

was persecuting the saints

of the Most High God.

That didn't make sense, did it?

But apparently this power has moved

from just being purely devoted to God

to having political and military
influence, right? Rick?

(Rick) Yeah, I think it's interesting,

when you study Christian history,

it didn't start off that way.

It was very gradual, over time.

This little power comes out

and then becomes great.

It wasn't like it was instantly great.

And so, the corruption and the way

that the Church and the religious services

kind of usurped the connection to God

and this free gift of salvation,

all of a sudden all these layers

come in to benefit man.

And it even happened with Jesus

with the Pharisees and teachers
of the law.

He said, "Hey, you guys

are kind of hypocrites

on some of these things.

You're standing between God
and the people," you know.

And He cleansed the temple,
and He said, "Make this

a house of prayer," and so, it's

for any religious organization
to get off track.

(Derek) And it's so important to realize

that even if an institution
goes off track,

it doesn't mean there aren't

faithful people who are trusting

God alone to be their Savior.

And it's to that remnant,

if I can use that word,

Revelation 18 says, "Come

out of her, My people," right?

His people, who are

in the midst of some confusion

because it seems that truth

is being cast to the ground.

Well, I want to pause

before we talk about how the Most High God

addresses this truth being cast

to the ground and what's happening,

and just pause and say,

does anyone have a testimony,

and I don't know if you do,

maybe we'll have to ask our team

around the world to send an email in,

but to where you realized, "I think

I've been taught traditions of men

rather than the clear teaching

of the Word of God,"

that revelation comes,

and things have to change if you're

going to be faithful to Scripture? Nancy?

(Nancy) I have a testimony

of a friend of ours who was

part of that system as a priest,

and it dawned on him

that he was saying to people

who came to ask forgiveness of sins,

that he would say, "Ego te absolvo,"

which is Latin for, "I forgive your sins."

And it dawned on him

as he studied the Scriptures

that that's only the role of Jesus,
to forgive sins.

And so he came out of that,

and now he accepts fully the Scriptures
and is a pastor

of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

(Derek) That takes a lot of courage

to do that, doesn't it?

So that was a friend, someone...

Have you met this person?

(Nancy) My parents.

(Derek) Your parents know this person.

Anybody personally had to deal with that?

No? We should probably say,

"Praise God," if we grew up

in an environment where the Bible

was really cherished.

But could we all run a risk

of kind of moving into tradition

rather than the Word of God? Jonathan?

(Jonathan) I was attending a church

that at one point was,

in the environment I was,

was not following...

was putting too much emphasis

in my circles, it seemed to me,

on experience, on things

that seemed to be...on having

this great experience where, okay,

it seemed like God was working

but maybe not taking

all of the beliefs and things

and examining them by the Word of God

and by some of the things,

the prophecy and things.

And so it came to a point where I said,

"Okay, "I've got to go somewhere else."

And so, yeah, I think it happens.

(Derek) So, it was

a religious environment?

(Jonathan) Oh, yeah, it was

the same denomination.

(Derek) A church.

(Jonathan) Sometimes we have
to reexamine where we are.

(Derek) Yeah, is this upholding
the Word of God,

pointing me to Jesus as the only Savior?

Well, let's move on to verses 13 and 14,

this crucial passage which talks

about dealing with the sin problem.

Harold, would you read for us

Daniel 8, verses 13 and 14?

(Harold) Yes, and I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) All right, so how long

is this desecration going to continue?

In other words, when is God

going to do something, right?

And the answer comes: 2,300 days.

Now, how many years is that?

That's about six-and-a-half years

if you're taking literal days;
is that right?

We're going to discover

that it's more than six-and-a-half years

by the reaction of Daniel

to the whole thing,

but it gives a time period,

2,300 evenings and mornings, literally,

and then what's going to happen?

(Team) The sanctuary will be cleansed.

(Derek) There's going to be an event

that deals with the sin problem.

Now, the sanctuary, what sanctuary

is that talking about? Yes, Brittany?

(Brittany) The heavenly sanctuary.

(Derek) How do we know that?

(Brittany) We compare it

with Hebrews and other books,

but also when we look at the timeline,

once we figure out how long

is this 2300 days...

(Derek) Okay, now remember

there was an earthly sanctuary, right?

And how did Moses build it?

How did he know how to build it?

(Team) According to the pattern...

(Derek) According to the pattern

that was shown him on the mountain.

Is that earthly sanctuary,

was it still around in the time of Daniel?

(Team) No.

(Derek) No, it's gone, right?

Eventually someone builds

a physical structure; what was his name?

(Team) Solomon.

(Derek) Solomon, right?

But that was destroyed

at the time of the exile

into Babylon, right?

So it's not talking

about an earthly sanctuary.

What is it talking about?

Well, can we hold our place in Daniel

and go over to the New Testament

to a book that sheds a lot of light

on the heavenly sanctuary?

Hebrews, chapter 8 and chapter 9

is where I'd like to read from,

and, Stephanie, do you have that?

Would you read verses 1 and 2

of Hebrews, chapter 8?

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

from the King James Version:

(Derek) So whatever is going to happen

is something that's going to happen
in Heaven, right?

Back in Hebrews still, chapter 9,

verses 23...Travis, could you read

verses 23 to 28?

It gives us a little more information

about the sanctuary in Heaven.

(Travis) And I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) There was so much in there,
wasn't there?

The word "copy," did you hear that?

Copy, the copy is the earthly sanctuary,

but this is a ministry of Jesus where?

(Team) In Heaven.

(Derek) In Heaven, right?

So this has got something to do

with the plan of salvation.

Now, if we go back to the Old Testament,

in order to understand

the plan of salvation,

what was crucial in the Old Testament
ceremonial system

given by God to Moses on the mountain,

what were the crucial elements

of that system? Yes, Rodney?

(Rodney) Sacrifice.

(Derek) Okay, animals? The sacrifice of..?

(Rodney) Of animals.

(Derek) A spotless animal, okay.

Yes, okay, what else? Yes, Travis?

(Travis) The high priest,

he was the mediator.

(Derek) Okay, so he represents...?

(Team) Jesus.

(Derek) Son of God / Son of Man,
the Savior, right?

And what was the sanctuary all about?

(Team) Salvation.

(Derek) It was salvation and...?

As part of that plan of salvation,
dealing with...?

(Derek, Team) Sin.

(Derek) Right? Because the Bible teaches

that the wages of sin is...?

(Team) Death.

(Derek) Is death, so how do we
deal with that?

Well, the Bible says confess your sin,

and so they would confess their sin

on the head of that animal, right?

But how can that take away their sin?

What's the answer?

(Team Members) By faith..it doesn't...
a symbol of god.

(Derek) Well, the animal doesn't
do it, right? Stephanie?

(Stephanie) It pointed to Jesus.

(Derek) It points to the Messiah,
to the Lamb of God.

That wonderful story in Genesis,

the Lord will provide a sacrifice.

Remember Abraham on the mountain, right,

"The Lord will provide."

So this is all how to deal with sin.

Now, once a year there was

a special service that was part

of that ceremonial system called...?

(Derek, Team) "The Day of Atonement."

(Derek) What happened

on the Day of Atonement, anybody? Travis?

(Travis) For 359 days a year,

because the Jewish calendar was 360 days,

sins would come into the sanctuary.

And so the sanctuary was dirty

and polluted with sins.

And on the Day of Atonement,

the sanctuary would be cleansed

of sin once and for all.

(Derek) And how was that accomplished?

Evelyn, do you know?

(Evelyn) The priest would...

(Derek) Which priest?

(Team) The high priest.

(Derek) Ah! That's important, isn't it?

The high priest and only once a year
would do what?

(Evelyn) He would walk

into the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary.

(Derek) And do what?

(Evelyn) He would cleanse it.
He would clean it.

(Derek) Do you know how that happened?

It wasn't, like, with a vacuum cleaner,
right?

This is all symbolism, right?

Rick, how did this high priest...
only once a year, right,

dare not turn his back on...

By the way, what's in the Most Holy Place?

Yeah, there's the Ark of the Covenant,

the very glorious presence of God, right?

The mercy seat, the Ten Commandment Law;
it's all there.

What does he do when he goes in there?

(Rick) They would pick two goats.

And you had one called the Lord's goat

and one called the scapegoat,

and they would sacrifice the Lord's goat

and bring that blood into the Most Holy,

and then he would come out

and lay his hands on the scapegoat,

transferring the sins to that,

or, symbolically, of course,

transferring those sins.

Then they would take that scapegoat

and get him as far away from camp
as they could.

(Derek) Yeah, and, of course,

that scapegoat was not the Savior.

The lamb, whose blood was shed,

is the Savior, pointing to Jesus, right?

But the responsibility for all of that

is laid on the head

of the scapegoat, right?

So this service, what kind of attitude

were the children of Israel

supposed to have, Nicole?

Do you know, on that Day of Atonement?

Was it a time of celebration? Hallelujah?

(Nicole) No, it would be a solemn, somber,
kind of, you know...

It's all in awe of what God is going to do

and what He has done, and just...

It's a somber occasion, actually.

(Derek) Yes, Brittany?

(Brittany) Just to add to that,

they were supposed to humble themselves

and repent of all the sins.

And just, their focus was

on the high priest coming out, and then...

(Derek) Who represents Jesus, right?

(Brittany) And then they knew,

"Now, I'm one with God.

Now there's nothing separating me."

(Derek) By the way, not only is it solemn,

if people didn't participate in that,

what was the consequence?

(Team) They were cut off.

(Derek) And how many does God

want to be cut off?

(Derek, Team) None.

(Derek) But there's this final dealing

with the sin problem.

Now, this is symbolism, isn't it?

We know that the sins

don't actually make the sanctuary dirty,

but it's talking about the fact

that there's a final dealing,

which, by the way, involves a judgment,

right, a final dealing

with the sin problem. Rodney.

(Rodney) And the symbolism
used in Daniel 8

is the same symbols used in the sanctuary.

We're talking about the goat and the ram,

so you can see the connection there.

(Derek) Now, we've got a crucial question,

and I know someone's going to say,

"We've got to wait
until Daniel, chapter 9,"

to get all of the answer to this,

but 2,300 evenings and mornings.

If you put the evenings and mornings

and say, well, that's 1150 days,

that's a little over 3 years, right?

Or, if you say, no, evening and morning,

that means just a day, so 2,300 days,

that's a little more than 6 years.

Is this just a little short time
until this happens?

By the way, this vision is given

in the sixth century, B.C., right?

So, it doesn't make sense

it's just a short period of time.

The Messiah's not going to come

for another, right, 500-and-some years,

right, 550 more years.

What indication is there

that this time period is much longer

than three to six years?

Let's look at a few verses, shall we,
in the chapter.

Daniel, chapter 8, and verse 17,

Evelyn, would you read that for us?

(Evelyn) And I will be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) Who's the "he"

that's telling him, by the way?

It's not just a bystander; who is it?

(Team) Gabriel.

(Derek) It's Gabriel, so we know

he's got it right because there was a time
in the time of Jesus...

actually before Jesus when someone

argued with Gabriel,

and he couldn't speak

until the baby was born, right?

So, here we've got Gabriel saying,

"This is not just some little thing.

This is referring to..."?

(Team) The end.

(Derek) The time of the end.

By the way, that's a technical term
in prophecy, too,

"to the time of the end."

Kenneth, could you read verse 26 for us?

We're showing here that this is not

some little time span

that's being referred to,

but the assurance is

that the plan of salvation

is going to be accomplished, right?

It's going to be worked out.

Verse 26 of Daniel 8.

(Kenneth) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,
and it reads:

(Derek) Seal it up,

many days in the future,

and we're going to see

what Daniel's reaction is.

Now, we have learned a key

for unlocking Bible prophecy.

Stephanie, talk to me about that key.

We know the symbols of water,

and animals are kingdoms,

horn is a king or power.

What other principle have we learned

that's crucial here?

(Stephanie) Prophetic days

are actually years,

so a day is equal to a year.

And we know that from Numbers,
chapter 14,

and also Ezekiel 4 in our study of that.

(Derek) Why don't we read

just one of those verses.

Would you look at Ezekiel 4, verse 6,

just to show that we

didn't make this up, right?

There is a word given to a prophet,

"Let a day be equal to one literal year,"

in Ezekiel, chapter 4, and verse 6.

How does that read, Stephanie,
in your Bible?

(Stephanie) I'll be reading

from the King James Version:

(Derek) Fortunately he didn't

have to lie on his side for 40 years,

but it was symbolism again, wasn't it?

A day for each year, so for the 40 years,

"You're going to lie on your side
for 40 days."

If we take that key

to unlock time prophecy,

that would mean there are

2,300 evenings and mornings,
is how long?

(Team) Twenty-three hundred years.

(Derek) Two thousand three hundred years.

That might explain

Daniel, chapter 8 and verse 27.

Someone look at that for us.

Daniel 8 and verse 27,

would you read that, Gladys?

Thank you, verse 27.

How does Daniel react?

I don't know if he'd fully understand
all of that,

but Ezekiel was his contemporary, right?

Ezekiel is also a prophet, as is Jeremiah.

They're contemporaries, so he's

aware of some of these things.

How does he react to this vision

about 2,300 years and then this part

of the plan of salvation,

the cleansing of the sanctuary?

(Gladys) I'm reading

from the New International Version,

Daniel, chapter 8, verse 27:

(Derek) "Appalled," your Bible says.

Mine says "astonished."

He had enough challenge

trying to describe some of the things

he saw in the vision.

Why do you think

this astonished him so much, Jonathan?

(Jonathan) He was a captive

in a foreign land.

The sanctuary had been destroyed

or contaminated, in that sense.

(Derek) The earthly sanctuary.

(Jonathan) Yeah, his sanctuary
in Jerusalem.

So he must have wondered

or hoped and prayed

that this was not what God was saying,

that this would go on for 2,300 years,

and his people would not go back.

(Derek) So you think he

maybe was still thinking

it was related to the earthly sanctuary

or the temple in Jerusalem? Yes, Harold?

(Harold) Daniel was also aware

of a prophecy made by Jeremiah

that after 70 years,

the land of Jerusalem,

the temple, would be desolate.

But then they should be back

and be able to rebuild it.

So he was wondering,

this is kind of conflicting

because, if the sanctuary

will be cleansed after 2,300 years,

what about this prophecy from Jeremiah?

(Derek) So, let me ask

a practical question: What do we do

when we get to a place

when we're trying to figure something out,

and we're like, "I don't know what to do?"

By the way, Daniel 9

will unlock the prophecy,

but it's still astonishing, isn't it?

It's still startling because it is talking

about a massive amount of time.

But what do we do, Brittany,

when we just go, "I feel sick;

I sense God has revealed something,

but I just don't understand"?

(Brittany) We ask God; we pray

like Daniel does in the next chapter.

We seek Him, and we ask

for the Holy Spirit to reveal to us

what we need to know.

(Derek) And how soon

is that prayer answered?

(Harold) Thirteen years, about.

(Derek) Stephanie?

(Stephanie) Well, we are going to find out

that between chapter 8 and chapter 9

when that is revealed, it's over a decade.

And so, I look at this and say

that, yes, God answered

in chapter 8, "Wait."

In Daniel, chapter 9, "I'm coming again."

Gabriel says, "I'm coming to now..."

(Derek) "...to help you

to understand the vision,"

which is clearly referring back.

So, one of the things

that I would naturally ask

from studying chapter 8

is, when does this prophecy begin?

Because it's 2,300 years,

and then something very significant

is going to happen where?

(Derek, Team) In Heaven.

(Derek) We don't get the answer yet.

So, stay tuned, right, Daniel, chapter 9.

But Brittany said, "if I
find myself studying,"

Travis, Brittany, says, "pray."

Any other suggestion?

(Travis) Keep studying.

(Derek) Keep studying.

(Travis) Keep studying,

just keep studying, and God

will reveal, you know,

as much as you can handle.

He'll just keep revealing it to you.

We learn new things every day.

Even filming, we will learn

new things as we study.

(Derek) You know, I like

one thing that you said,

and I'll come to your point, Rick,

God will reveal as much as we can handle.

Even during the time of Jesus,

He said, "There are many things

I would share with you,

but you can't handle them."

Actually it says, "You cannot
bear them now,"

but that's the same thing, isn't it?

'It will be too much for you

to process all of that."

But that doesn't mean we don't study.

That doesn't mean we don't pray

because there is a blessing

attached to studying this revelation.
Yes, Rick.

(Rick) I think there are many times

in our personal lives

where we, like Daniel,
are probably confused

by what God is doing.

And God's timetable is not ours,

and for me, I always want

to know right now,

tell me what's going to happen,

what should I do with this and that.

And I think God's after something bigger,

which is this idea of trust and faith,

and just recognizing that when we

just collaborate with Him daily,

He's going to get us to that end.

He's going to work all things to good,

but we might not always get

the answers here at the time

or the place that we want them.

(Derek) And I've got to remember,

and I'm going to ask you

to give me some other texts

that might encourage someone

who says, "Derek, this is like...

This is too much for me.

I just don't understand."

But the Bible does say God knows

the end from the beginning, right?

So He is able to reveal things
that are not yet.

That's why prophecy

is so important, right?

But I like the idea that we have to learn

to be content where we are,

because what does Daniel know for sure?

He knows several things;

tell me what he knows for sure.

There's a Most High God who rules

over the kingdoms of this world, right?

And what else does he know for sure?

(Travis) He knows he can trust God.

(Derek) He knows he can trust God,
and He knows the...?

(Team) End.

(Derek) He knows the end
of the story, right?

I mean, the saints of the Most High God

will possess the kingdom, right?

And it shall last for how long?

(Team) Forever.

(Derek) Forever and ever.

So, he's, like Rick said,

"I'm kind of in no-man's land here.

There's this prophecy,
I feel kind of sick,

I'm astonished by it.

But I do know that God rules,

and I've asked him to rule in my life.

And I know the end of the story."

What other Bible promises

might be an encouragement.

I know you want to read

Daniel 9, verses 20 to 23

because it will help unlock this,

but we'll get to that in the next study.

But a promise, Nicole,

that might be an encouragement to someone

who feels like they're kind of living

a little bit in no-man's land,

like, "I know the Bible's important,

but I need more understanding."

(Nicole) I think it ties in
to what Brittany said,

and what's been said today,

is that, if you ask for wisdom, He'll give
it to you, so James 1:5 comes up.

(Derek) Could you read that for us

because that may be familiar to some,

but others might say, "I need that;
where is that"?

Book of James, chapter 1,

many Bible students believe

this was the stepbrother of Jesus, right?

A son of Joseph, one of the leaders
of the church,

actually leader of the church
in Jerusalem,

and what does he say there

in James 1 and verse 5?

(Nicole) The New King James Version says:

(Derek) I love that verse!

What's encouraging there?

(Derek, Team) Anyone.

(Derek) It's not just like if you're

in a certain level of...

"if anyone lacks wisdom."

What else is encouraging there?

(Team) Ask...

(Derek) That's what we need
to do is ask,

but the encouragement is...

He gives freely or liberally, which means,

"You want a little wisdom,

let Me give you a lot of wisdom," right,
and what else?

(Brittany) Without reproach.

(Derek) What does that mean,

Brittany, without reproach?

(Kenneth) Without condemnation.

(Derek) Thank you, Kenneth.

Without condemnation, like,

"Oh, you need more wisdom again."

God is happy to give us wisdom, isn't He?

No complaining, right,
no reproach, no criticism.

"If you need wisdom, ask,"

We don't have time to read

any more Bible verses,

but maybe you could quote one for me,

another one that would be encouraging

to someone who says, "Derek,

I have so much to learn."

Thank you; I can ask for wisdom.

God will give freely.

Just quote one for me, Kenneth?

(Kenneth) And Jesus said,

"When the Spirit of truth comes,

He will teach you into all truth."

(Derek) Oh, thank you.

That's in John, chapter 16 and verse 13,

"When He, the Spirit of truth, has come,

He will guide you into..."?

(Team) All truth.

(Derek) Maybe we should add,

"All the truth you can handle,"
right? Right?

All the truth you can handle,

and will show you things to come.

You know, this is amazing

to think about this journey.

We're constantly learning and growing,

but don't be distressed.

Don't be overwhelmed if you say,

"Derek, I don't understand
everything here?!"

Remember the basic truths:

There's a God who rules in Heaven.

He wants to be Lord of your life.

He wants to be your Savior

and your Deliverer.

And He's got a Kingdom,

and the saints of the Most High

will possess that Kingdom,

not because we earned it,

not because we paid for it,

not because some human institution

told us to do things

in order to merit it, no.

We'll receive it as a gift of God's grace,

a God who loves us

with an immeasurable and unfailing love.

Isn't that good news?

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Let's pray together.

Father in Heaven, we thank You

for the plan of salvation, every part,

including that Day of Atonement,

including the work of Jesus

in the heavenly sanctuary.

As we continue to study,

may we remember, God,

that You are on the side of Your people.

You want everyone to accept Your grace.

And, God, may we be part

of that redeemed throng by Your grace.

We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Thanks so much for joining us.

You say, "I've got to come back
next time."

We're going to study Daniel, chapter 9,

because there is a starting point

for this great prophecy.

But know God's at work.

His plan of salvation

will be accomplished.

Go out and share that good news

with those around you.

♪ theme music ♪