♪ 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, life-changing series
of studies

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

Today we're studying Daniel, chapter 9,

and the topic, <i>From Confession
to Consolation.</i>

I'm excited because Stephanie

is going to be leading our study.

I know it's going to be a great blessing.

So, welcome to you

and welcome to our team.

We're always happy to hear from you.

What's been the greatest blessing
in this series?

(Nicole) Victories in Jesus.

(Derek) Yes, just realizing

that Jesus is at the center,

the Messiah, the One who is to come,

the Prince of the host,

and we've discovered that Jesus wins.

That's good news, isn't it?

We're always happy to hear from you,

our Hope Sabbath School viewers.

Leila writes to us

from British Columbia in Canada;

thanks for writing to us.

"Hello, Hope Sabbath School members."

(Team) Hello.

(Derek) "Just wanted to say

that every week I'm watching

Hope Sabbath School;

sometimes I watch it twice.

God bless you all.

I'd also like to share with you

that I accepted Jesus about one year ago."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Isn't that awesome?!

And I just want to affirm you, Leila,

for studying the Word of God

to help you grow strong in the Lord.

I love what it says next,

"Since that day, I have
found peace in my life."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) "Peace in God is an experience

that no one and nothing

can take away from me.

This is an amazing experience

I never had before.

I thank God for His unconditional love

and saving me, no matter

how far I was from Him."

This is powerful, isn't it?

"The first thing that made me curious

about the Seventh-day Adventist Church

was hearing the word 'Sabbath'
from a friend,

and the conversation

led me to search for God.

At that time, I was being accused,

insulted and rejected by my loved one,

was feeling hopeless and desperate,

but God who created me and loved me
has saved me."

(Team) Amen!

(Derek) I think that's a preacher
right there.

"I am a precious child of God."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Well, thank you so much

for writing to us Leila;

that is so powerful.

I am praying someone heard your testimony

and said, "Oh, Lord, do You

feel that way about me, too?"

and what's the answer?

(Team) Yes.

(Derek) Absolutely. Absolutely.

Here's a short note from Franck

in Massachusetts in the United States
of America,

"Good job, brothers and sisters in Christ.

Keep up the good work until Jesus returns,

and you will all be rewarded.

I would love to join you one day.

May the Lord bless you all."

What is our reward when Jesus comes?

(Travis) Jesus.

(Derek) Just being with Jesus. Absolutely.

Thanks for writing to us.

Here is another note

from Trinidad and Tobago.

We had one of those just recently.

Garnet writes to us, "Hi,

Hope Sabbath School members."

(Team) Hi.

(Derek) "Just letting you know

that the lessons have been
a blessing to me

and to my Sabbath School class
in Trinidad.

We also have a link to the weekly study

on our church website,

so anyone visiting our church website

can click on Hope Sabbath School."

What a great idea.

"Thanks for making a difference

in our study of the Bible," praise God.

Here's a note from a donor in Georgia.

I want to just say thank you

to all of our donors;

it's a donor-supported ministry.

Here's a note that says, "We have been

contributing 25 dollars a month

to Hope Channel; we love Hope

and particularly like Hope Sabbath School.

God bless you all."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) You know, we are all part

of a great miracle, aren't we?

And I'm just thankful

to each of our donors.

To this couple in Georgia,

thank you for being part

of this great miracle of God.

And one from the other side of the world,

from Patrick in Vanuatu,

way over in the South Pacific,

"Hi, Hope Sabbath School team."

(Team) Hi!

(Derek) I think they say that

just so that we'll smile

and wave at them, right?

"I've learned about your program

for the past two years;

I started downloading the series to watch.

I never get tired of repeating

the same series for the week.

I watch it over and over again."

That's a great way to learn, isn't it?

"I wish we would follow the same outline

in our Sabbath School class at church."

Well, I've got good news for you, Patrick.

You can go to our website,

hopetv.org/hopess;

you can download the outline.

We do that at the small church

that I attend each week,

and we give a copy

to everyone who is participating.

So, think about that.

"Lives are transformed,

and I personally understand
the Bible better

than studying by myself.

I praise God for the lovely members,

and most of all for our great teacher,
the Holy Spirit."

(Team) Amen!

(Derek) We were hoping

he'd say that, right? Absolutely.

We're part of the team,

but He's the Great Teacher.

"Keep witnessing for the Lord
until He comes."

Well, Patrick, thanks for writing

to us from Vanuatu.

We've got Hope Sabbath School members

in over 200 countries

around the world now,

and we are glad that you're part

of our Hope Sabbath School family,

and we're going to ask you

to sing a song with us now.

You can download it from our website,

but you probably have already learned it.

Written by the prophet Daniel,

a little tune by my wife

to help us to memorize it.

Let's sing it together.

♪ music ♪

(Derek) That song just makes us

want to praise God, doesn't it?

Stephanie, why don't you lead us in prayer

as we begin our study today.

(Stephanie) It does make us

want to praise God; let's pray.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord, thank You so much

that You are the source

of wisdom and knowledge.

We ask that You would be with us today;

teach us from Your Word, that we would

not only have a head knowledge,

but our hearts would be energized

for who You are and what You've done

and what You will be doing.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

(Derek, Team) Amen.

(Stephanie) Our study today

is in Daniel, chapter 9,

and I'd like us to start out in verse 1.

John, if you would be prepared

to read that for us,

Daniel, chapter 9, verse 1.

And as we're listening to this verse,

keep in mind, or think about,

what the setting is for Daniel, chapter 9.

(John) All right, reading

from the King James Version,

Daniel 9, verse 1, says:

(Stephanie) All right.
What have you learned

in just that first verse?

(Gladys) It was not Babylon anymore;

it had just moved to the Medes
and the Persians.

(Stephanie) So it's not Babylon.

(Travis) We've passed chapter 5

in the chronological order

in the book of Daniel.

(Stephanie) That's right, so let's

kind of do a quick review of chapter 5.

What happened in chapter 5?

Babylon was still in reign, right?
Who was the king?

(Gladys) Belshazzar.

(Stephanie) Belshazzar, and he has a feast

in Daniel, chapter 5.

Then there's, what, writing on the wall?

Okay, and who came

to give the interpretation?

(Team) Daniel.

(Stephanie) Daniel, okay.

And then, that interpretation,
was it fulfilled?

(Team) Yes.

(Stephanie) It was, so what happened
that night?

(Derek, Stephanie, Team) Babylon fell.

(Stephanie) The beginning

of Daniel, chapter 6, what do we see?

(Team Member) Darius as king.

(Stephanie) We see Darius, right?

And he comes to the throne,

and he is setting up his kingdom.

And who does he set on top?

(Stephanie, Team) Daniel.

(Stephanie) What does that do
to the others?

(Team) Jealousy.

(Stephanie) Some jealousy.

What happens as a result of that?

(Team) A plot.

(Stephanie) There's a plot,

but there's a decree, right?

(Team) Yes.

(Stephanie) What is
the decree, specifically?

(Gladys) Worship, whoever worships

anybody besides the king.

(Stephanie) Worship, but what aspect
of worship?

(Team) Prayer.

(Stephanie) Prayer and supplication.

"Do not make any other supplication

to anyone other than King Darius."

This is about the same time frame

as we look at Daniel, chapter 9, okay?

Daniel, chapter 9, let's go back

and look at verses 2 and 3.

And, Nicole, would you read that for us?

Daniel, chapter 9, verses 2 and 3,

what does the Bible say?

(Nicole) The New King James Version says:

(Stephanie) All right, what is
Daniel doing here?

(Gladys) He's humbling himself.

(Stephanie) He's humbling himself.

He's studying the Word of God with prayer.

What was it that he was
studying in Jeremiah?

Let's turn over to Jeremiah, chapter 25,

and look at verses 11 and 12. Derek.

(Derek) While they are about to read that,

I think a crucial lesson,

and it relates to Hope Sabbath School,

even though he's receiving

special revelations from God,

he's still wanting to study,

both the Hebrew Scriptures
that are existing

and even a contemporary prophet.

Jeremiah is receiving messages

from the Lord, too.

So it tells me, we all

have more to learn, right?

And he's got a teachable spirit.

(Stephanie) Amen. Thank you.

Jeremiah 25, looking at verses 11 and 12,

and, Gladys, would you read that for us?

(Gladys) Sure.

(Stephanie) As Gladys is reading,

let's ask ourselves the question,

what is that revelation

that is being revealed to Daniel?

(Gladys) I'll be reading

from the book of Jeremiah,

in the New International Version,

chapter 25, verses 11 and 12:

(Stephanie) All right, and let's

move over to Jeremiah 29, verse 10,

and, Evelyn, would you read that for us?

Jeremiah 29, verse 10.

(Evelyn) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Stephanie) That was
a beautiful promise, wasn't it?

So, what is it that was revealed
to Jeremiah

that Daniel was studying,

that it was becoming clear to him?

(John) The number of years that Jerusalem

would be captives in Babylon.

(Stephanie) All right, what value

was that to him at that time?

Can you tell me the time frame?

(Derek) Well, it's about the end
of that 70 years.

I'm sure Daniel is thinking,

"I get to go home," because he was

a teenager when he was taken

as a prisoner of war.

As it is, God has another special work

for him to do in the next kingdom.

But I can imagine on a personal level

that he was thinking, "We get to go home,"

after all of this time.

(Stephanie) So he knew

that the time was coming

for them to be able to go back

or go out of captivity.

Why is it that prayer is important

when we are seeking to understand

God's Word and His will?

Because that's what Daniel was doing.

He was praying, in addition
to studying. Alex.

(Alex) I think a lot of times,

when we think of stuff without praying,

our personal desires come into play.

I could even think

that I'm acting on my own

or acting on what is right,

but without taking it to prayer,

I really may not be in line

with what God wants for me.

(Stephanie) So, putting us

in alignment with God's will

and understanding it? Gladys?

(Gladys) Well, this is God's Word,

and He's the better Translator.

There are a lot of things that we are

not going to be able to understand,

but this is His Word.

So it's best to go back to Him and say,

"What is the message

that I need to understand right now?"

(Stephanie) Yes, Shaina?

(Shaina) So, praying is communicating

with the One who knows all things,

the Omniscient One,

so it's like fact-checking

to make sure that my steps are ordered,

I am going in the right way.

(Stephanie) So it sounds like Daniel

was on the right track, right?

(Derek) Absolutely.

(Stephanie) Travis.

(Travis) We just read in Jeremiah,

Jeremiah had wrote that God had said,

"You'll find Me if you search for Me

with all your heart.

I will be found by you,"

So Daniel in his innocence

is just claiming the promises

that Jeremiah had written.

So he's claiming Scripture, the promise,

"Lord, You said You would restore us."

(Stephanie) So, Daniel...

This is not the first time

Daniel is about to pray, right,

but this is the longest prayer

that's recorded for Daniel.

Where else have you seen Daniel praying

and making supplication? Rodney.

(Rodney) In Daniel 2.

(Stephanie) Daniel, chapter 2,

what was happening then?

(Rodney) His life was about to be ended

among many other...

(Team Member) Wise men.

(Rodney) ....wise men.

And when the news came to him

that, "Okay, it's time for you to die,"

he asked for more time.

And he went to his friends, and said,

"Friends, please pray with me

so that the Lord will reveal the vision

so that I can report back to the king."

(Stephanie) And after he receives that
in the night,

what does he do?

He praises the Lord, exactly.

John, did you have a comment?

(John) No, that was it.

(Stephanie) All right. Very good.

So, where else do we see? Yes, Kim.

(Kim) In Daniel, chapter 6,

as we just spoke about earlier.

When the king sets out the decree

for nobody to petition to any god

or any person but him,

Daniel still goes to his window and prays.

(Stephanie) That is faith

and trust in God, isn't it?

(Derek) And it happens

all the way back in chapter 1

when he purposes in his heart

that he will not defile himself.

And you know that before he asks
the steward,

because he gets turned down

by the chief of the eunuchs, right?

When he asks the steward,

you know he's praying,

because, "God, I want to honor You

but I need divine help."

So I see him even as a teenager,

and like Kim said,

all the way up to now, he's older,

but he's developed this life practice

of staying in communication with God.

(Stephanie) This is a way of life.

What can we learn from <i>that?</i>

(Gladys) More prayer, more power.

(Stephanie) More prayer,
more power. Evelyn?

(Evelyn) I think also something admirable
about Daniel

is that he's praising God
even when he's facing

a really scary or devastating situation.

I mean, I know that's not easy to do,

to say, "Thank You, God.

Even though something bad

is going to happen,

or this bad situation is going on,

I praise You for what You have done

and what You're going to do for me."

(Derek) Amen.

(Stephanie) Notice in verse 3,
he prayed with...

How does it describe his prayer?

(Gladys) Fasting, sackcloth...

(Stephanie) With fasting,
sackcloth, ashes.

What is the significance
of that? Kenneth.

(Kenneth) Humbling himself before God

and not thinking that somehow

he has a righteousness of his own

to stand before God and to boast.

But going down, humbling himself,

and allowing God to do what He does best.

(Stephanie) Yes, thank you, Kenneth.
Gladys.

(Gladys) In the past,

whenever they used a sackcloth
and the ashes,

that was a sign of pain and suffering,

and kind of like stripping yourself

from anything that would be self.

More like, relying completely on God.

(Derek) I think it's important

to realize, Stephanie, that it's

not like some kind of self-punishment

or flagellation or something,

where, you think with Jonah and Nineveh,

it's a sign of true repentance.

When you repent with sackcloth and ashes,

it's not like, "Dear God,

help me to have a nice day. Amen."

It's a heartfelt, genuine repentance.

And what's interesting is there's

no record of Daniel committing sins.

Now, I'm sure he made mistakes,

but he's actually repenting

for his whole nation,

not just for himself.

(Stephanie) Yes, and we are

going to look at that for sure. Travis.

(Travis) I'm just going to say, too,

there's a mourning, you know,

it's a time of mourning, too,

the way he's praying.

And I've always thought of ashes to be...

it's always mentioned with dust,

and by putting that on their head,

it's like, "Lord, I know

that I'm made of dust."

And so it's just this really incredible
sign of humility,

like, "I know that You're my Creator,"

that, "I only exist because of You."

(Stephanie) And fasting also,

another aspect is, fasting is helpful

to clear our minds so that we're

in tune and focused with God.

Let's go into this prayer,

and we'll look at Daniel, chapter 9,

verse 4 and then verses 5 through 14.

Evelyn, if you would read verse 4,

and then, Nicole, if you would read

verses 5 through 14,

and, Abigail, if you would be prepared

to read 15 through 19.

Let's take a look at this prayer
in segments.

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

from the New King James Version:

(Stephanie) What does that verse

tell you about Daniel?

(Gladys) He praises God,

he's acknowledging who God is.

(Stephanie) He is acknowledging

who God is, absolutely.

Let's go to verses 5 through 14, Nicole?

(Nicole) The New King James Version

of Daniel 9:5-14 says:

(Stephanie) What do you see

Daniel doing in this passage? Rodney.

(Rodney) I'm just blown away
by his humility.

He is saying "we," and from all

that we have read so far,

we have seen that Daniel

has been an upright man.

He wasn't sinless, but he was upright.

And he is saying, "We have sinned,"

and, "We have committed..."

Not they, "They, Lord,

they are the ones that..."

He's including himself because he sees;

he's humbling himself before God

because the same prayer

that he has for his fellowmen

he has for himself; great humility.

(Stephanie) On that note, it does appear

that he's identifying himself
with their sins.

Why? Why would Daniel

ask for forgiveness of sins

that he did not commit?

(Derek) That's a good question, Stephanie,

because when his enemies

put his life under a microscope,

they're unable to find any fault with him

except that he's fully devoted

to the God of Heaven.

But I think he's demonstrating

the humility of saying, "I am

as much in need of a Messiah,
of a Redeemer,

as anyone else," which is true
for all of us.

(Stephanie) Yes, for all of us, exactly.

What else do you see

Daniel doing in this passage?

It's definitely confession, right? John.

(John) He sees himself

as one with God's people,

and that's what you see.

When you do that, just as Christ,

you identify with them,

then you can take upon, you know,

almost the guilt because of that.

And so I see confession,

but he's also pleading

on God's goodness and His mercy.

(Stephanie) We'll get to you, Travis.

Why do you think it's important

to focus on God's mercy and his goodness

instead of our shortcomings,

our sins and our needs?

(Gladys) It gives us hope.

(Stephanie) Gladys? Hope,

It gives us hope. Kim.

(Kim) Sometimes when we focus on our sins,

we can focus too much on the guilt.

But when we focus on God,

we know that He forgives us,

and He can also help us

to overcome sins in our life.

(Stephanie) Amen. Kenneth.

(Kenneth) When we focus on our sins,

we make our sins greater than God,

and, you know, we make God
less of something.

But when we focus on God,

we see, though we have sinned,

we know that in His hand

are mercy and forgiveness, and He is able

to redeem us and forgive us.

(Stephanie) Amen. Derek.

(Derek) I saw Shaina's hand, too,

but I just want to say

there is a place for confession of sin.

The Bible says, "If we confess our sins,

He is faithful and just."

The issue is, is that <i>all</i> we do?

"Oh, I did this sin; I did that sin;
I did..."

I think that's depressing.

I think, by beholding all of that sin,

we stay focused on it.

So it's good to recognize

where we're out of harmony with God.

That's what confession is, right?

But then we turn our eyes toward Jesus,

who is the One who can

forgive us and cleanse us.

Or, of course, he's looking forward

to the Messiah to come.

So, I think, yeah, don't stay there,

but it is important to recognize

where we need forgiveness.

(Stephanie) So he acknowledged

at the very beginning who God was,

and now He's essentially acknowledging
who man is.

They are weak, right?

But he's focusing, again, on God. Travis.

(Travis) Well, I just kind of agree

with everything everyone's been saying,

but he acknowledges, he tells God,

"You said this would happen,

and now it's happened, but You also said

that You would have mercy."

So he's acknowledging

that what God has said

would happen all along,

but at the end of his prayer,

he's just claiming the mercies

that God has also promised.

So, as Derek mentioned,

when we confess our sins,

we're looking to God the whole time,

but we can also claim

the promises that He has,

and we can rejoice

because we have a Savior who loves us

and has promised to redeem us.

(Stephanie) Very true. So, Abigail,

if you would take us to that last portion

that Travis referred to,

verses 15 through 19.

(Abigail) Okay, and I'll be reading

from the New Living Translation:

(Stephanie) What impresses you the most

about this intercessory prayer
of Daniel? Kenneth.

(Kenneth) It's not even about the people,

but because of God's name.

(Stephanie) He's claiming the promises

and provisions, right?

Not just the promises

but the provisions. Rodney.

(Rodney) This sounds like

he knows God very well.

The language that is used;

it's like he's talking

to a Friend, a Father.

It's like, "Please..."

It's just amazing to see

how he goes through and intercedes

on behalf of the people.

And the language, the actual language
used - very personal.

So he had that relationship with his God.

(Stephanie) That is beautiful.
Nicole. Thank you.

(Nicole) It's funny, he's

where we should be.

You can tell that he dislikes sin.

He's like, "This is horrible,

but, Lord, You are who You say You are."

And so, we should be at a point

where, even if we're not involved

in some of the activities of the world,

we despise what's going on around us

so much that we are pleading to God

to please do what only He can do for us,
including ourselves.

(Stephanie) So, that's a great point,
Nicole.

How do we get there, practically speaking?

How do we get to the point

where we detest sin?

We detest it. Someone help me out. Evelyn.

(Evelyn) I think we get to that point

when we love God,

and we know that by sinning,

or transgressing His law,

that separates us from Him.

And just that slight separation from Him

is devastating for us.

(Stephanie) Gladys.

(Gladys) Having a close relationship
with Him,

like Rodney was saying,

that his relationship with God
was so close

that he can say to Him, "Lord, forgive!

Lord, hear! Lord, act!"

because he knows who He's talking about.

It's just that close relationship
with Him.

The more you get closer to God,

the more you're going to shun evil.

(Stephanie) The things of this world...

(Stephanie, Gladys) Grow strangely dim.

(Stephanie) Dark, right? Derek.

(Derek) I imagine tears

running down his cheeks, "Oh, Lord!"

And I'm thinking, we don't
pray like that very much,

because it's not just that he knows God,

but he knows how much

God loves His people.

It's a very intense prayer,

and it's not, you know,

"Thank You for this nice day."

I mean, it's "Oh, Lord!"

And he knows he's not trying

to change God's heart

because God loves all of His people

with an everlasting love.

But it's like it's a heart cry,

and I find myself saying,

"God, I want to know you like that

and pray like that," not just for myself.

(Stephanie) The intercessory prayer,

and, Travis, we're going

to take your point,

but as Travis is going to share,

I'd like you to think

about other intercessory prayers

in the Bible that you recall. Travis.

(Travis) And while this is
an intercessory prayer,

in verses 17 and 18, the focus

really is on Daniel, chapter 8:14,

the restoration of the sanctuary
in Jerusalem.

The thing that made him faint

because he thinks this thing

is not going to be restored.

(Stephanie) Okay, so referring

back to chapter 8 in Daniel.

All right, can anyone share

another intercessory prayer
in the Bible? Alex?

(Alex) I think of Jesus in, I'd say,

in Luke 23, if you want to turn there.

(Stephanie) Would you like
to take us there?

(Alex) Yeah, Luke 23, verse 34.

(Stephanie) Luke 23, verse 34,

and what does the Bible say?

(Alex) Okay, I'll be reading

from the King James Version:

So here's the Son of God,

and He's, you know, they're
crucifying Him;

they're killing Him on the cross,

and He's praying for them

on their behalf, at a time like that.

(Derek) It shows you

that an intercessory prayer

doesn't have to be long.

(Stephanie) Exactly.

(Derek) It's one sentence, right?

But you sense that same intensity
and passion.

(Stephanie) Yes, oh to have <i>that</i>
as we pray. Shaina.

(Shaina) Another intercessory prayer

is in Exodus, chapter 32, verses 11 to 14.

(Stephanie) All right, Exodus,

chapter 32, 11 through 14,

and you're saying that this is

another example of intercessory prayer?

All right, would you like

to read that for us?

(Shaina) Sure, I'll be reading

from the King James Version:

(Stephanie) Again we hear intercession,

"Remember who You are;

this is Your people, God." Abigail.

(Abigail) There is another one;

Moses intercedes for the people

in Numbers 14:17-19.

(Stephanie) All right, let's go there.

Would you read that for us?

(Abigail) Yes, and I'll be reading

from the New Living Translation:

(Stephanie) What do you notice there?

He's referring back to the character
of God? All right.

How is it possible

to offer intercessory prayer with joy,

even though you do not see

the outcome of that prayer? Kenneth.

(Kenneth) I think Daniel says something

in the chapter, verse 4 of chapter 9,

where he says that, "You are

a covenant-keeping God."

God keeps His covenants

because He is the One

who made a covenant, not us with Him.

And He is faithful,

so whenever we seek Him,

and then we ask Him

because we know He is a faithful God,

He will always keep His covenant.

(Stephanie) So the joy is in Jesus,

not in the circumstances

or what we can see?

(Derek) I'm thinking

of the Scripture song, Stephanie,
we've been singing.

When he's going, "Blessed

be the name of God,"

he's not seen any evidence,

apart from the faithfulness of God,

that he's got the right dream

and the right interpretation.

(Stephanie) That's right.

(Derek) He's going to find that out
in just a few minutes

when he goes before the king.

But there's this, like, total confidence

in a God who loves us,

that he's already rejoicing.

And what that illustrates is,

"I know who is in charge

of the outcome - God -

so I'm going to praise Him ahead of time."

(Stephanie) He had a praise session,

and then he went and delivered

the message to the king.

Let's see what the response is

to Daniel's prayer here

in Daniel, chapter 9.

We're going to look at Daniel, chapter 9,

verses 20 through 23,

and, Kim, would you read that for us?

(Kim) Sure, I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

Daniel, chapter 9, verses 20 to 23:

(Stephanie) What encouragement

do you find in Daniel's testimony?

And, by the way, this is a heavenly being

that is having a conversation

with Daniel, all right; go ahead, Nancy.

(Nancy) As soon as he called to God,

the prayer was answered.

He sent Gabriel just like that.

Heaven is listening attentively to us;
God loves us.

(Stephanie) Nicole.

(Nicole) In all the prayers we read

just in the last segment

and just this segment,

it seems like when you have

that fervent desire to know

what God wants you to do,

and you pray to Him in earnest,

He speaks to you right then.

I mean, you don't have to wait...

I mean, some may have to wait a long time,

but in these examples,

right when they were done
with their prayers,

somehow God came and told them

what was needed for that time.

That's true intercession.

(Stephanie) That's awesome. Kenneth.

(Kenneth) There's a key phrase he uses.

It says, "This being was caused

to fly swiftly to reach out to him."

You know, like, it tells you

how much God cares about you.

God doesn't use snail mail,

He uses express mail, you know, immediate.

(Stephanie) "Snail mail" being...

Put a postage stamp on the letter
and send it.

(Kenneth) But immediate...

(Stephanie) Immediate.

God is in the business

of answering prayers.

The question is, why are we

so reluctant to petition

His throne of grace?

That's not a question

to answer here today.

(Derek) You know the word, Stephanie,

"You are greatly beloved,"

and immediately I think,

"God so loved the world."

That's not just the feeling of Heaven

for one man or woman.

But imagine an angel coming to you

and saying, "You're greatly beloved."

You know, I'd just have to use

my favorite Hebrew word.

(Derek, Team) Hallelujah!

(Derek) I mean, that is a breakthrough

for so many people

even watching Hope Sabbath School today,

is to understand how greatly beloved
they are by God.

(Stephanie) Somebody needs to know that.

(Derek) That's right.

(Stephanie) Someone needs to know that.

There is a vision that the Bible speak of

in these verses that Daniel

was seeking to understand.

Can you tell me what that vision was?
Travis.

(Travis) Well, some might say

that it was the vision of Daniel 8,

but actually in Daniel 8,

almost the whole vision was explained,

but it was specifically the 2,300 days

in Daniel, chapter 8, verse 14,

that he didn't have an understanding of.

(Stephanie) All right, so, let's go

to Daniel, chapter 8, verse 14 and 27.

And, Nancy, would you read that for us?

Daniel, chapter 8, verses 14 and 27,

this is the one piece of that vision

that did not receive an interpretation

at the time - go ahead.

(Nancy) I'm reading

from the New King James Version, verse 14:

And then verse 27:

(Stephanie) So, he was astonished why?

(Gladys) Perhaps he had

Jeremiah's prophecy about the 70 years,

and like we said at the beginning,

he was probably thinking

it's about coming to an end.

And then he receives this new meaning,
2,300.

He was like, "What is that?"

Another number, basically, to add.

So he might be a little bit confused,

"What is this all about?"

(Stephanie) So he potentially thought

the captivity time would be extended

instead of the 70 years. Travis.

(Travis) I think the sanctuary service,

what it pointed forward to

meant so much to Daniel,

it was just like being

in the presence of God,
by the sanctuary.

He knew that God came to dwell with him.

We found that out in Moses' day,

that, that's why He had

the sanctuary built,

was so that He could dwell
with His people.

And He just looked so forward

to being close to God

and living with God again.

And all of a sudden, "What?

It's taken away from me?

It's, like, almost here? I want this now."

And I imagine it's like losing

a best friend, "What?!" you know...

(Stephanie) So he's on the brink

of giving the interpretation.

Let's see what the Bible says in verse 24.

And, Rodney, if you

would read that for us.

Daniel, chapter 9, verse 24,

which is really just a continuation

of that interpretation

from Daniel, chapter 8.

(Rodney) I'm reading

from the New King James Version:

(Stephanie) So, Gabriel is bringing in

this time frame of 70 weeks.

According to prophetic time,

how many years is that?

So do some quick calculations.

(Derek, Stephanie) 70 times 7.

(Stephanie, Team) 490 years.

(Stephanie) And it says

that it was determined.

What does that mean literally, determined?

(Gladys) It's been separated;

it has been set apart.

(Stephanie) It's been cut off, right?

Cut off from what?

(Gladys, Rodney) From the larger piece.

(Stephanie) From the larger time period,
which was the...?

(Stephanie, Team) 2,300 years.

(Stephanie) Okay, and this verse

is really giving us somewhat of a summary

of the next three verses, okay?

The next three verses

we're going to break out

some of the details.

So let's go to verses 25 and 26,

and, Travis, if you would
read that for us,

Daniel, chapter 9, verses 25 and 26.

(Travis) And I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Stephanie) All right, so, in verse 24

we talked about the 70 weeks.

In verse 25, we have a starting point

for the 70 weeks, right?

When was that starting point?

(Gladys) When King Darius sent the decree

that the captives will go
back to Jerusalem.

(Stephanie) So, Artaxerxes had a decree

that the Jews would go back

and rebuild Jerusalem.

When was that? 457 BC, all right.

So, if we know the beginning
of the 70 weeks,

we'll know the beginning

of the 2300-day prophecy, right?

(Derek) I think the fact

that that is so important -

Ezra, chapter 4, actually records
the whole decree -

when you see that whole decree,

you think, "There must be something

really significant about this decree."

Because there were some other times

they were given permission to go home,

but with this one, it's like,

the whole thing's written down,

like, "Mark this decree well."

Now, at that time,

certainly not everybody realized

how important it was,

but I think Ezra was obedient,

and he wrote down the details
of the decree

because that's a historical moment.

It's not like, "somewhere, sometime."

A specific king makes a specific decree

in a specific year, and that's crucial

for giving us that starting point

for the 2,300-year prophecy.

(Stephanie) Thank you. Definitely.

Daniel, chapter 9, verses 25 and 26,

in addition to giving us

the time when it starts,

it also broke down

just the first how many weeks?

The first seven plus three score and two,

so, 69 weeks, that's what it's looking at.

So, if I take 69 weeks times 7,

how many years do I get?

We're looking at prophetic time.

(Stephanie, Team) 483 years.

(Stephanie) So, 457 BC,

483 years from there,

what does that take us to? 27 AD.

All right, what happened in 27 AD?

(Team) The baptism of Jesus.

(Stephanie) Jesus was baptized;

what does that signify?

(Travis, Gladys) Anointing.

(Stephanie) The anointing,

and we can see that
in Luke and Acts, right?

(Derek) I'm thinking

a lot of things happen in 27 AD,

but the question is,

what happened related to Messiah?

Because that's what this prophecy

is all about, the plan of salvation.

And it's interesting that Dr. Luke
specifically says,

"It's in the fifteenth year

of the reign of Tiberius," and it's like,

does it really matter to us

what year Jesus was baptized?

Shouldn't we just say,

"Well, He was baptized,

and we should be baptized,
as His followers"?

The answer is, "It does matter,"

because that is a key point
in this prophecy.

And so Luke says specifically,

"Fifteenth year of the reign

of Tiberius Caesar.

(Stephanie) Thank you. Travis.

(Travis) And another key point

is found in Matthew 3:15

when John the Baptist

wants Jesus to baptize him,

and Jesus said, "No, permit it to be so

for righteousness to be fulfilled."

So there's a fulfillment

of time going to happen.

Jesus becomes the Messiah,

the anointed Messiah.

(Derek) He's already the Messiah,

if I can correct that.

He doesn't become Messiah; He is Messiah,

but He begins His work as Messiah.

And, of course, the anointing

of the Spirit at His baptism

is all like you said,

part of the fulfillment

of this great prophecy.

(Stephanie) I'd like us to turn...

I know it's not in your outline,

but let's turn to Galatians,

chapter 4, verses 4 and 5,

because we're talking about the timing

and how detailed the timing was

when events took place.

Galatians, chapter 4, verses 4 and 5,

and, John, would you read that for us?

(John) Sure, from the King James it says:

(Stephanie) "When the fullness

of time had come."

There is no haste nor delay

in what God does; it's always on time.

Going back to Daniel, chapter 9,

our last verse is verse 27,

and, Nicole, do you have that?

Would you read that for us?

(Nicole) The New King James Version

of Daniel 9:27 says:

(Stephanie) All right, so, 25 and 26

talk about the 69 weeks of the 70, right?

Verse 27 talks about that last week.

What's going to happen

in the middle of the week?

(Team) Messiah cut off.

(Stephanie) "The Messiah
shall be cut off."

If we're looking at the middle

of the week, that last week,

that would be AD 31.

What took place in AD 31

as it relates to the Messiah?

(Gladys) Jesus died.

(Stephanie) The cross, Jesus died

right on time, perfect timing.

Three-and-a-half years later,

what took place in AD 34?

(Derek) According to the prophecy,
Stephanie,

the end of this time

for the Jewish people.

So that means, as we see

the book of Acts taking

the gospel to the Gentiles,

and certainly you've got the event

of Stephen being martyred

and the persecution that leads

to the people going everywhere to share,

is clearly a fulfillment of the conclusion

of the 70-week prophecy.

(Stephanie) Yes, beautiful!

Do you see the connection?

No detail is missed.

God is very intentional.

Now, we're just going to recap.

We said that the 2300 days,

it started at the same time

as the 70 weeks, right?

When did it start?

When was that decree? 457 BC.

Twenty-three hundred years after that
takes us to...?

(Stephanie, Team) 1844.

This is the antitypical Day of Atonement

and the cleansing

of the heavenly sanctuary.

And we spoke about that

in a previous lesson already.

What does this prophecy...

Why is that so important to us today?

Does it even impact us today? Travis.

(Travis) Because we're living

in the time of judgment.

Jesus is coming soon,

and we see that in Revelation 14

where it says, "The hour

of His judgment <i>has</i> come,"

and that's the message to the world.

Jesus is coming soon; He loves you

with an unfailing, immeasurable love,

and He is coming back soon for His people.

And He just wants us to come to Him.

(Stephanie) Yes. Evelyn.

(Evelyn) If we wanted any more proof

to know if we're in the Last Times,
this is it.

I mean, the angel told Daniel,

"These will come to happen

in the Last Days."

This last date, 1844,

of the 2,300 years has passed.

So now we know for a fact we are

in the Last Days of Christ's coming.

(Stephanie) What hope,

in the last few seconds

of our study today,

what hope have you found

in this lesson as we've studied?

(Travis) You can trust Jesus.

(Stephanie) You can trust Jesus.

(Abigail) God is always on time,
and He will come back.

(Stephanie) God is always on time,

and He will come back. Gladys.

(Gladys) He is faithful to His Word.

(Stephanie) He's faithful
to His Word. Nicole.

(Nicole) Because of Him,

we're going to win; we're going
to win this battle.

(Stephanie) Amen. We are going to win.

Praise God for His faithfulness.

Aren't you glad we have the Word of God?

(Team) Amen!

(Stephanie) We've got to share it
with more people.

Thank you for studying.

(Derek) Thank you, Stephanie.

And there is so much more
we have to learn.

We're not done with the series.

We've got chapter 10, 11 and 12,

but I hope you've learned

the most important lesson
through this book:

There's a Most High God who rules,

and He will accomplish

His perfect plan of salvation.

And He wants you to be a part of that.

He wants you to make a decision today.

Maybe you've not made that decision yet

to say, "God, will You save me?

Will You forgive my sins?

Will You have a place for me

in Your eternal Kingdom?"

I want to personally invite you

to make that decision today

while there's still time; let's pray.

Father in Heaven, there may be

someone today listening to our prayer

who needs to make that decision,

"God, will you save me?

We're living in the Last Days.

Will You be my Savior

and soon-coming King?"

I thank You that You're touching hearts

right now by Your Holy Spirit.

And we, too, say thank You, Jesus,

that You have saved us,

and for Your amazing plan of salvation,

that You love us with an everlasting love.

May we live a life that would honor You

and be a blessing to those around us.

We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Well, we're not done
with our series,

but take the truths you've learned

and go out now and be a blessing

to those around you.

♪ theme music ♪