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♪ theme music ♪
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(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,
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an in-depth, interactive study
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of the Word of God.
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I'm glad you joined us today.
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In fact, I'm excited as we begin
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a brand new series of studies
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on the book of Daniel.
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This is going to be life-changing,
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and I hope you'll be able to join us
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for the entire series.
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We're always happy to hear
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from our Hope Sabbath School members
around the world.
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Now we're in 220 countries
around the world,
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so we're glad you're part
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of our Hope Sabbath School family;
we welcome you.
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Welcome to the team, by the way,
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glad you're all here.
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And here's a note from Lucy.
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She says, "I'm from Kenya,
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but I'm living and working
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in the Ivory Coast."
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I love this comment; she says,
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"I'm recently married,
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and Hope Sabbath School
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has been a great teaching for me
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as a young wife and mother.
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Thank you so much to the entire team.
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It's important to note the Bible gives us
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guidance on every aspect of life,"
is that right?
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Well, she talks about some things
related to family,
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but she says, "My prayer is for God
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to give me grace to be a virtuous woman,
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even in this day and age
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where sin has dominated the world."
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What do you say?
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) That's powerful, isn't it?
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"Hope Sabbath School teachings
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are a great blessing
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to many all around the world.
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God continue to use you."
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Well, Lucy, thanks for writing
to us from Kenya,
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actually from Ivory Coast, Côte d'Ivoire,
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but a Kenyan living there,
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and we're glad that God is the center
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of your home; that's beautiful.
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Emmanuel writes to us
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from Zambia, a great place,
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lots of Hope Sabbath School members
in Zambia.
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Emmanuel says, "I'm really grateful
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to Hope Sabbath School
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for the good work you're doing.
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It helps me in my study,
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but I'm also a teacher.
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You're helping me to teach my class well."
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) Now, our prayer
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is that Hope Sabbath School
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would be multiplied 10,000 times over,
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so that's wonderful, Emmanuel.
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"The Good Lord always bless you
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as you continue blessing others."
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Well, thanks for writing to us, and greet
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all of our Hope Sabbath School members
there in Zambia.
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Here's a note from a donor in Georgia
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in the United States of America.
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We don't read names
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but a beautiful letter, "I'm so excited
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to be writing this letter."
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This is a real letter, not an email.
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"I've been watching Hope Sabbath School
for a few years.
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After each episode, I tell myself,
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'You need to become a donation disciple.'"
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Well, we call those "sustaining partners."
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We're part of the mission together.
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"A few weeks ago, the Lord blessed me
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with some extra money,
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and this is my gift
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for Hope Sabbath School.
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May God continue to bless this ministry.
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And please tell Jason hello from me,
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and I'm looking forward
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to seeing him lead out again."
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Well, that will happen later
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in the series, right?
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But thanks so much to that donor,
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and a gift of 1220 dollars!
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So, praise God; that's going
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to really help the ministry as we're
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sharing with Hope Sabbath School members
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in now 220 countries around the world,
like Ethiopia.
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Thank you, Thanyang, for writing
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to us from Ethiopia, "I thank Almighty God
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for what you're doing.
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Your message is reaching my heart."
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) He says, "Don't give up.
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The Lord will strengthen you.
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I download Hope Sabbath School
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on YouTube and watch it.
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Thank you very much, from Ethiopia."
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Well, thanks so much
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for writing to us, Thanyang.
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It really is amazing to know
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so many countries are being impacted,
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even the United States of America.
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Here's one from Maryland
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in the United States,
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and Ester writes and says,
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"We," writing with her husband,
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"thank God for Hope Sabbath School.
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We watch you every week,
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and we learn so much!
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Your class members
are connected to God."
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We say?
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) Praise God.
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"My husband and I enjoy
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your practical applications,
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your personal testimonies,
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and the Scripture songs."
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Well, Ester, stay with us
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(and your husband).
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We have a Scripture song
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coming up right now.
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"Singing Scripture helps us
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remember more of the Bible."
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And that is just so true.
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You can go to our website,
hopetv.org/hopess.
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You can download the theme song
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for this series on the book of Daniel.
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It's taken from Daniel, chapter 2,
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verses 20 through 23;
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it's called, "Blessed be the Name of God."
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And I'm actually quite excited today
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because I've asked one
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of our Hope Sabbath School team,
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who is about the same age as Daniel
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at the time that Daniel 2 happened,
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if he'd come and lead the song for us.
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So, Adison, come up here and...
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Yeah, it's amazing to realize, Adison,
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Daniel was just a young man,
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in his early twenties.
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And Adison is going to sing
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the song through once
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so we can learn it
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and then invite us to all sing together.
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♪ music ♪
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(Derek) Amen. Let's pray together
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that the Holy Spirit of God would guide us
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in this sacred book, the book of Daniel,
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inspired by the Holy Spirit.
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Our Father in Heaven,
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You sealed up this book, You said,
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until the time of the end,
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but now is the time
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that we need to understand,
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more fully than ever before,
the revelation
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given to the prophet Daniel.
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And so we pray in the name of Jesus
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that You would guide
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our Hope Sabbath School family
around the world,
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and as we engage in this in-depth,
interactive study.
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And I pray as Daniel prayed
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that You, God of wisdom and might,
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would give us wisdom as we study
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and give us strength, not only physically
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but mentally and spiritually
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to be all that You've called us to be
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in these last days of Earth's history.
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We thank You and we praise You
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for hearing our prayer.
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In the name of Jesus. Amen.
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(Team) Amen.
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(Derek) We're going to start
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in our first study,
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From Reading to Understanding.
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It's kind of a background
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to studying any Bible prophecy
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or any book of the Bible,
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moving from just reading the words
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to actually understanding.
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And I'd like to begin
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with a basic presupposition
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which Jesus gave us in Luke, chapter 24,
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and that is that Jesus Christ
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is the center of Scripture,
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which means He's the center
of the book of...?
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(Derek, Team) Daniel.
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(Derek) So let's begin.
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Jason, would you read for us
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in Luke 24, verses 25 to 27.
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Jesus is just kind of about to give
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a Bible study, actually, to two disciples
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on the Emmaus road,
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and let's hear what he says.
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(Jason) I'll be reading
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from the New King James Version,
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Luke, chapter 24, verses 25 through 27:
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(Derek) So we could conclude, Stephanie,
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from that, at least that Jesus Christ
is revealed...?
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(Stephanie) In Daniel.
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(Derek) Well, Moses, at least,
right, and the...?
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(Derek, Team) Prophets.
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(Derek) And Daniel, you're saying,
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is one of the prophets.
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So we're going to go there and look.
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But Jesus will actually go beyond that.
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Someone said He mentions
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the Psalms, which He does,
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when He says this again
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at the end of Luke 24.
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But look in John 5, Daisy, verse 39,
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John, chapter 5, verse 39.
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Not just saying, "I'm revealed in Moses,
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and I'm revealed in the prophets,"
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but He makes an even broader statement.
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What does Jesus say in John 5
and verse 39?
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(Daisy) I'll be reading
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from the New Living Translation:
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(Derek) Period. How much
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of the Scriptures point to Jesus?
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(Team) All.
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(Derek) So now, we would say
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that some of the Scriptures
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are more explicit, right, more direct.
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We're going to look at some prophecies
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that are very direct
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about where Messiah will be born,
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things that will happen to Him.
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Some are less direct,
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but He's the center of it all.
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So with that in mind,
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Travis, would you take us to Daniel 7?
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(Travis) Sure.
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(Derek) Verses 13 and 14,
it's one example,
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and then I'd like you all
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to just do a little computer search.
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We're just doing an introduction here.
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Where else from your study
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of the book of Daniel
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do you see Jesus clearly revealed?
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But let's look at Daniel 7:13-14.
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(Travis) And I'll be reading
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from the New King James Version:
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(Derek) "Son of Man," where else
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do you hear that term anywhere
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in the Bible, "Son of Man"?
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In the Gospels, right?
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It's referring to Messiah,
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also in the book of Revelation.
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So very clearly here in Daniel 7,
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it's speaking about the Son of God
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who will, what, 600 years later,
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come into humanity, in the Person
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of Jesus of Nazareth.
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We call Him Jesus Christ
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because His beginning
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is from eternity past, right?
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"In the beginning was that Word,
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and the Word was with God,
and the Word..."?
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(Derek, Team) Was God.
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(Derek) "And the Word became flesh
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and dwelt among us."
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Where else in Daniel, though, anybody?
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Tricia Lee, Gary, yeah, what do you think?
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We don't need to read the text,
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just give me a few ideas.
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(Gary) Okay, the 490-day prophecy?
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(Derek) Okay, yeah, you're
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in Daniel, chapter 9,
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where it actually talks
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about what's going to happen,
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the baptism of Jesus, or His anointing,
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and in the midst of the week,
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three-and-a-half years into His ministry,
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Messiah will be cut off?
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So that's a powerful reference.
Tricia Lee?
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(Tricia Lee) There's a reference
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with the famous story of the fiery furnace
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where the king looks in, and he says,
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"I see one like the Son of God,"
the Son of Man, "in the midst."
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(Derek) It's interesting, someone
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asked the translation.
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Someone translations say,
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"One like the son of the gods."
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One other says, "like the Son of God."
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The bottom line is Nebuchadnezzar
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looked in and said,
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"There's a divine Being
in there with them."
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Another place in the book of Daniel
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where you see a reference
to Jesus, Adison?
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(Adison) Throughout Daniel 8,
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I see Christ depicted as a high priest...
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(Derek) Okay.
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(Adison) ...in the sanctuary.
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(Derek) All right, anybody else? Travis?
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(Travis) In Daniel, chapter 12, Michael,
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when He stands up.
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(Derek) "One who is like God," right,
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"stands up," to deliver His people.
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Nobody mentioned Daniel 2.
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Where's Jesus in Daniel 2? Jason?
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(Jason) At the end of Daniel 2,
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when the statue is destroyed,
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there's a kingdom; God sets up a kingdom,
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and Jesus is the One
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who's given the Kingdom.
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(Derek) "And on this Rock," yeah,
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so Jesus is the Rock; He's the foundation,
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but He's also the rock cut out
without human hands.
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So, you say, "Wow, we just took
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kind of a fast flight
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through the whole book, but Jesus,
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this is a foundational principle,
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we want to see Jesus
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in the book of Daniel, because He's there.
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We want to see the Son of God
revealed there.
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So I have a question
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before we move on into the details.
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Why is that foundation important?
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Why is it important that we always say,
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"Where is Jesus here?"
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What do you think?
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Why is that important? Yes, Adison?
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(Adison) Just as Jesus is
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the center of Daniel and the whole Bible,
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He wants to be the center of our own life.
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(Derek) Ahh! So it's not just information,
but it's what?
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(Adison) Translated
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into a personal relationship.
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(Derek) A personal relationship
with God, right?
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It's very personal; Jesus says,
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"Come to Me; I will give you rest,"
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not just hear some information,
right? Travis?
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(Travis) I think it's important, too,
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because then we begin to develop
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an understanding of His character.
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And if it's just about ordinances
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and different things like that,
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and rules and laws and all that...
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(Derek) And even fulfillments
of prophecy, right?
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(Travis) But it's revealing His character.
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(Derek) Beautiful.
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So with that foundation,
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we're going to go into the structure
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of the book of Daniel.
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Now, here is where all kinds
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of Bible scholars come in,
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and they have things
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that they call chiasms;
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that's kind of like a triangle, you know?
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I'm not an expert in Old Testament
theology,
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but they have chiasms,
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and at the center is, like,
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what's really important, right?
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So, if you take a look at the big picture,
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the book of Daniel begins with a prophecy.
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of, well, it first starts
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with Daniel himself, right,
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but then the prophecy is about what?
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Four kingdoms, right?
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That's in chapter 2, right?
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If I had six hands, this would help me,
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but let's start with the four kingdoms.
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Daniel 3 is about...? A trial, right?
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And God's people are faithful, right?
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Daniel, chapter 4...?
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It's about a judgment of someone, who?
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Of King Nebuchadnezzar,
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who is filled with pride.
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Now, praise God, stay with us
in the series
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because he's going
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to give his heart to God,
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and we're going to see Nebuchadnezzar
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in the Kingdom of Heaven.
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That's amazing, because he did
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a lot of bad things in the past, right?
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I mean, he didn't have
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a great reputation, right?
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Then Daniel, chapter 5...
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Here's the judgment, by the way,
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four kingdoms, faithful people delivered,
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judgment on Nebuchadnezzar.
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Chapter 5 is judgment on...?
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(Derek, Team) Babylon.
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(Derek) So, judgment, and that's
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where, of course, Daniel 7
will come in, too.
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Judgment of God's people
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who are also going to be vindicated.
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And then what's in Daniel,
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chapters 7, 8 and 9?
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Excuse me, Daniel 6, first,
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is deliverance, just like the three
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in the furnace, right?
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And then 7, 8, and 9
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and on through the end of the book is...?
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The four kingdoms again, right?
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So there's like this triangle.
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Now, I want to give you one Bible text.
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You say, "Derek, that's, like,
really complicated,"
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but I want to suggest to you
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the Holy Spirit not only guided Daniel
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in what he wrote,
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but the Holy Spirit also guided him
how he wrote.
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Think about that - how he wrote.
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I added a verse here,
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and, Charity, if you'd read it for us.
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It's in 2 Peter; I added a verse
to our study.
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I was praying this morning,
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and I was just impressed
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we need to hear this verse again.
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Second Peter, if you're following
in your Bible,
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chapter 1, verses 19 through 21,
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because it reinforces something
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that's so important for all of us,
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especially as Hope Sabbath School members
around the world,
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and that is that this is not
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human words about God.
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This is the Word of God
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to the human family.
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So, Charity, 2 Peter, chapter 1,
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beginning with verse 19
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and down through verse 21,
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how does that read in your Bible?
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(Charity) All right, and I'll be reading
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from the New King James Version,
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2 Peter, chapter 1, verses 19 to 21:
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(Derek) That's a powerful text , isn't it?
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By the way, did you see that Jesus
is the center even there?
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(Team) Yes.
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(Derek) Where? What did you hear?
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The morning star rising
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in your hearts, right?
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It's all about Him,
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but we see that the Holy Spirit
is guiding Daniel,
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not only giving him a message,
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but even guiding him
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in how to share that message.
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And the judgment is at the very heart.
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Now, typically when we think of judgment,
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do we have positive or negative thoughts,
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Michael, what do you think - judgment?
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(Michael) Usually negative.
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(Derek) Negative thoughts.
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So why would the judgment
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be a positive thought
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for the saints of the Most High God,
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as they called it in the book of Daniel?
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Why would that be a good thing?
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Elise, the judgment.
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(Elise) Because that's when God
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vindicates His people,
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especially in the context of in times
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when they were in captivity;
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they would look forward
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to something changing.
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(Derek) Liberation, freedom? A new day?
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So, the judgment is in favor
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of the saints, right?
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It's a vindication, so it actually
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becomes good news for us.
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Now, I have another question.
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We're just looking broad picture,
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then we're going to get into the text.
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If you've studied Daniel 2,
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it appears that in Daniel 7, in Daniel 8,
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in Daniel 9, it's kind of repeated,
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like, four kingdoms, four kingdoms.
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By the way, you'll find the reference
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in Revelation, too, to these kingdoms.
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Why do you think, Daisy,
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they're, like, repeated?
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Why don't they just have the one
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of the metal man, which shows...
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By the way, what does it show
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when it shows this sequence of kingdoms?
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What does that show?
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Really important, what does it show
about God?
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(Derek, Team) He knows the end
from the beginning.
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(Derek) By the way, these prophecies
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in the books of Daniel and Revelation
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have caused skeptics to become believers.
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Yeah, and, by the way,
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I will just pause for a second.
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I'm going to speak
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to our Hope Sabbath School family.
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We have a chapter-by-chapter Bible study
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on Daniel and Revelation.
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If you go to Hopebiblestudy.org
-
because we're not going
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to learn it all in this series,
-
but Hopebiblestudy.org.
-
I'm praying hundreds of people
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would keep studying in depth
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because this is a crucial message
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for these last days, right?
-
So, why is it repeated over
and over again?
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(Daisy) Because it's important.
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(Derek) It's important.
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(Travis) Clarification.
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(Derek) Clarification.
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(Travis) Make sure we get it right.
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(Derek) Make sure we get it right.
-
Are new things added? More details?
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Okay, so you've got
-
the broad picture. Stephanie?
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(Stephanie) I was thinking
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repetition deepens impression,
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but also what he does
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is he repeats and expands.
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(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?
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(Jason) It also provides
more authority as well,
-
because when you say something just once,
-
okay, well it's easy to dismiss.
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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.
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These are little books.
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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.
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(Rod) I'll be reading
-
from the King James Version:
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(Derek) Is there anything
-
hard to understand about that?
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How many days have you got?
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(Team) Forty.
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(Derek) Forty days, and what's going
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to happen at the end (it's a prophecy)?
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(Stephanie, Derek) Destruction.
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(Derek) Now, one of the things we'll learn
-
is that some prophecies are conditional.
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What did Nineveh do?
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The king led the way. Adison?
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(Adison) They repented.
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(Derek) They repented.
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(Adison) Turned from their wicked ways.
-
(Derek) They were bad people, too, right?
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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.
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Micah, it's right after the book of Jonah,
chapter 5.
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Let me know if you have it.
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Tricia Lee, Micah, chapter 5, and verse 2.
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(Tricia Lee) It reads:
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(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.
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(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:
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(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 ♪