♪ theme music ♪
(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,
an in-depth, interactive study
of the Word of God.
I'm so excited about this series,
Isaiah, the Gospel Prophet.
We are learning so much together,
and we're glad you're with us today,
and welcome to the team.
Take a look at the team;
there are just five people.
We're still on restriction,
but we've discovered that God
can work with many or with few.
We call this Gideon's band.
But I'm also excited
because one of our team, Christian,
is going to be teaching today.
Christian, we're excited;
this is such an important topic,
the topic, Playing God.
It's an incredible revelation
given to the prophet Isaiah,
but there is good news
because the light of the world
can dispel the darkness.
And so, we're looking forward
to a powerful study today.
We've also got a special gift for you.
If you've been with us, you already know,
but maybe you haven't written to us yet.
We've got a digital audiobook
we'd like to send called Radical Evidence.
We'd like to send you a copy.
All you have to do is write
to our regular email address,
sshope@hopetv.org,
and in the subject line,
just put "Free Offer," "Free Offer."
We'll send you a link
so you can download the audiobook,
digital audiobook, Radical Evidence.
You'll learn about the prophecies of Isaiah,
but other prophecies
from the Old Testament Scriptures
all pointing to Jesus as the true Messiah.
You'll also see some powerful stories,
or listen to them, in the audiobook
of lives today being transformed
as they learn the truth about Jesus.
So, don't forget, sshope@hopetv.org,
and by the way, when you write,
share with us how God's blessing you
through this study together.
We're always happy to hear from you.
Here's one, Cheryl writes
from Papua New Guinea.
It's a long way away,
Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby,
"Every day I look forward
to hearing the Word of God."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) "Amazing group of people
making time to share the Word of God.
I will continue to pray for this program
and give thanks to the Lord
and call upon His name."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) The theme songs are amazing
and enjoy singing with you every time.
God bless you all.
Keep doing what you're doing.
Every time I feel low
in daily business operation,
I turn to Hope Sabbath School for comfort.
And I'm encouraged because I know
God's Word is true." Amen?
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) We want to meet you, Cheryl.
We sense that you're
an anointed woman of God.
"By the way," she says,
"it's 5:49 in the morning,
and I've been watching
Hope Sabbath School since 5 a.m."
God bless you, and God bless
all of our Hope Sabbath School members
there in Papua New Guinea.
We're so glad that you wrote to us.
Don't forget to write
for that free digital download
of the audiobook Radical Evidence.
Here's a note from a refugee camp in Ethiopia.
"Warm greetings from an Ethiopian refugee camp,"
writes Lam, L-A-M, Lam.
"I'm really happy to attend
Hope Sabbath School
on my mobile data internet."
He's accessing, on his phone,
Hope Sabbath School
in an Ethiopian refugee camp!
Someone say, "Hallelujah!
(Team) Hallelujah!
(Derek) I mean, isn't it amazing
what God is doing,
more than 220 countries around the world,
and that app, which you can download
onto your smartphone, Hope Channel,
you can, not only access
Hope Sabbath School,
but all of the other programs,
and even different languages, you can access.
And that's what Lam's doing.
"I cannot imagine or describe
how much of a blessing it is to me
and my family, my local church
here in the refugee camp.
May God bless Hope Channel
and its team abundantly. Sincerely, Lam."
Well, Lam, thanks for writing.
We wouldn't have imagined, would we,
there in a refugee camp; praise God
for the media of Hope Channel.
Here's a note from a donor
in Dayton, Tennessee,
in the United States of America,
"Dear friends on Hope Sabbath School,
I love you, my brothers
and sisters, in Jesus,
as I daily worship with you at 10 a.m.
on DirecTV, channel 368.
I love to sing, pray and study the Bible.
Thanks so much; don't ever stop
Hope Sabbath School.
At one time, my donation
was 80 dollars a month,
but I've increased it
to 100 dollars a month.
Please start accepting this donation immediately
with no stop date."
Isn't that enthusiastic?
"Very important to me to help missions
and the expenses of Hope Channel.
I'm a disabled, young senior citizen.
If we never meet on this earth,
I look forward to Heaven
when we will all come together
and praise and worship
our Lord and Savior and Friend.
I love you all."
Well, you know who you are there in Dayton.
Thank you so much,
and thanks to all
of our donors around the world.
You know we're a donor-supported ministry.
But, that's a blessing, isn't it, to see
that kind of partnership in mission.
Here is one last note, I think... Oh, there are two.
One short note from the United Arab Emirates,
Chipo, who is from Zimbabwe,
in the United Arab Emirates writes,
"Thank you for such a powerful program.
Thank you for sharing your testimonies.
May God bless you as we share Jesus
with those around us.
May I know how I can
become a donor of Hope Sabbath School?
How can I send my donation? God bless you."
Well, I just want to say
thank you very much.
That came as an unexpected note
from the United Arab Emirates.
You can go to hopetv.org/donate.
It's that simple, hopetv.org/donate,
but, you know, pray for us.
Someone might say, I've had some people say,
"I don't have anything I can give."
You can give: You can give your prayers.
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) You can pray
that God would touch hearts
and that lives would be transformed.
Oh, here's one last note,
from Stuart and Davina in the UK,
"We've watched Hope Sabbath School
for many years, so long we can't remember
how we first were introduced to it,
possibly someone at church mentioned it.
But we found it to be a great source
of inspiration, especially
when it's my time to teach a class.
We've enjoyed the lively discussions,
the openness of the participants,
and the enthusiasm of the presenter."
Now, you know, we have many team teachers
because we believe God
can use us all. Amen?
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) And so, that's really exciting.
"We've been watching
over the last few months,
wondering when the social distancing would kick in."
Well, we film six months ahead,
so you didn't see it right away,
but take a look, folks,
at the team right now, and you'll notice
that seven people are missing - right.
It's not because we fired them
or told them to go home.
We're only allowed to have five
because of the distances,
but God is able to work
even with a small group. Amen?
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) "Hopefully," Stuart and Davina write,
"things will improve, and we can have
a full class again before too long.
Please pass on our thanks to the team."
Well, it's just so encouraging
to hear from you.
I want to thank you for sharing
how God is blessing your life.
Right now I need your help
because we're not allowed to sing
here in the studio,
but we do have a beautiful theme song.
You can download it from our website,
hopetv.org/hopess; download the MP3 file.
"Seek the Lord while He may be found,
call upon Him while He is near"; let's sing together.
♪ music ♪
(Derek) What a powerful message,
and I believe it's a timely message,
"Seek the Lord while He may be found."
And, Christian, I'm excited
about our study today
as we talk about the danger of Playing God.
Please lead us in prayer.
(Christian) Sure, let's begin
with a word of prayer.
Our Father in Heaven, how thankful we are
for the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures
and thank You for giving us a mind
to be able to understand.
And as we begin our study today,
we pray that the Holy Spirit
would be given to us.
Anoint us, Lord, so that we can
truly and fully understand the message
of hope that You have for us today.
And we thank You, in Jesus' name. Amen.
(Derek, Team) Amen.
(Christian) So, I look at our team,
and they have their Bibles,
and I'm glad they do.
And for those who are viewing,
I hope you have your Bibles, too.
If you don't, this would be a good time
to grab your Bibles as we continue
our study on the book of Isaiah.
It's been quite a tremendous quarter so far
as we have studied various chapters,
and now we're going to dive
into yet another one.
Now, this week, as we continue
this spiritual journey on the book of Isaiah,
Isaiah is regarded as one
of the greatest of biblical prophets.
And, just to recap, we don't want to spend
too much time looking at previous studies,
but let's do a short recap
of the studies that we have had recently.
Now, we looked at the prophetic call
to trust in God, to trust Him
with all your heart,
and with all your soul
and with all your might.
And we also studied how we must not rely
on political maneuvers or alliances,
and there was a king
that unfortunately did just that.
What was the name of that king?
(Jason) King Ahaz.
(Christian) King Ahaz, that's right,
and we know the consequences of his conduct.
And, for that reason, we see
that God, in His mercy, calls on prophets
to come and speak judgment
against this kind of behavior.
And so, throughout the book of Isaiah,
we find various oracles
of judgment and salvation,
messages of judgment given to us from God.
And some judgments are directed
toward God's people, okay?
Other judgments are directed
toward other nations as well.
And one in particular is Babylon.
Babylon received a judgment from God.
And I want to take us
to our first passage here today
by going to the book of Isaiah,
chapter 13, Isaiah, chapter 13.
And I'm going to ask Jason
to read to us chapter 13, verse 1,
and then let's jump over
to verses 17 to 22, Isaiah, chapter 13,
verses 1 and 17 to 22.
(Jason) Alright, and I have
the New King James Version here.
It says, Isaiah, chapter 13, verse 1:
Now, verses 17 through 22, verse 17:
(Christian) Thank you, Jason.
Wow, what a strong judgment
against the nation of Babylon.
But, what I find very interesting
is that, during Isaiah's day, Babylon
was really no threat to Judah.
In fact, during Isaiah's time,
there is little mention of Babylon, okay?
But, we come to this passage early on
in the book of Isaiah,
and Isaiah's prophecy here against Babylon
is actually a judgment
that would be fulfilled 200 years,
approximately, 200 years later.
When I think about that,
I can't help but wonder
how is it possible, I mean, really,
for Isaiah to make this prophecy
long before Babylon became a super power
and before they took
the people of Judah into captivity?
How is it that Isaiah
could declare these things? Stephanie?
(Stephanie) He was anointed.
The Holy Spirit was leading him,
and God was guiding him
as he was writing these things down.
And it makes me think of a verse
in Isaiah 46, actually two verses,
verses 9 and 10; can I read that?
(Christian) Please read...
(Stephanie) Would that be okay?
(Christian) Isaiah, chapter 46?
(Stephanie) And verses 9 and 10, yes. I'll be reading
from the King James Version:
And I think a friend of mine often says,
"Just let God be God."
And that's truly...That's who He is.
He's God; He knows
the end from the beginning,
and He was leading.
(Christian) He knows the end
from the beginning, yes.
(Derek) I think we have two choices, like Stephanie said.
The liberal scholars will say,
"Well, this this must have been written after it happened
and supposedly predicting it."
For example, the prophecy of Jesus
about the fall of Jerusalem,
they say, "Well, Matthew must actually
have been written after 70 A.D.
because how would they know
what was going to happen 40 years,
almost 40 years later?"
So, we have a choice to make.
Either they're all lying to us,
and it's all fabricated,
or there is a God in Heaven who can reveal
things that have not yet happened, with prophets.
I think that's a key issue
in the book of Isaiah.
(Christian) Absolutely, and not just Isaiah,
but other prophets of God spoke of God
being the one true God.
And what made Him so distinct?
That He knew the end from the beginning.
Is there another verse that comes to mind
where another prophet affirms
what Isaiah has done?
Does another verse come to mind?
(Travis) Amos, chapter 3, verse 7?
(Christian) Okay, would you
read that for us, Travis?
Amos, chapter 3, verse 7,
what does that say about God's ability
to foresee the future?
(Travis) And I'll be reading
from the New King James Version:
(Christian) Is that a God you can trust?
(Jason) Yes.
(Christian) I mean, isn't that a God
that we can approach
and believe that, you know,
I can give my life to a God
who is not going to be a God
who catches me off guard?
He is not a God
who is going to lead me into the unknown
and then leave me there
to figure things out.
He is a God who says, "I will
reveal to you things to come,
so you don't have to be afraid."
And so, Isaiah, indeed, is inspired
by the Holy Spirit
and given the ability
to write these prophecies
because God is a God who knows
the end from the beginning. Yes.
(Derek) I met an Orthodox Muslim
who became a follower of Jesus
who was startled by this prophecy,
"How could it be?"
That would be like saying a great city
like Rome would be desolate and never inhabited.
They always rebuilt the cities that God devastated.
But Babylon, no, it was fulfilled
exactly as you said, [predicted] 200 years
before it even happened,
and that's caused many people,
when they look with an open mind at the Scriptures,
to say, "There is a God
who knows the future."
(Christian) Amen. So, in 587 B.C.,
Babylon comes and utterly destroys Jerusalem,
and Judah is taken captive
until about 539 B.C.
And this was when Babylon was conquered itself.
Now, what prophet comes to mind
who wrote in detail
about the conquest of Babylon?
Does a prophet come to mind
who received a vision from God
that Babylon would not last forever.
Now, King Nebuchadnezzar would have
never admitted that his kingdom
would ever come to an end, but God did.
What prophet comes to mind?
(Team) Daniel.
(Christian) Daniel, that's right.
What chapter in Daniel speaks specifically
about the overthrow of the kingdom of Babylon?
(Travis) Well, there are actually two,
Daniel, chapter 2 and Daniel, chapter 5.
(Christian) Daniel, chapter 2 and 5, that's true, twice.
In fact, one could say that Daniel 2
is the prophecy itself that foresaw
the fall of Babylon,
and in Daniel, chapter 5,
we see its fulfillment.
Daniel, chapter 5, that's right.
(Derek) But even the handwriting
on the wall is still a prophecy.
It will be fulfilled a few hours later,
but I don't think the people in Babylon
believed it would be fulfilled, you know?
But just before that day's over
and that night is over, Belshazzar's dead.
(Christian) Unbelievable.
(Derek) So, you know,
whether it's 200 years before or 4 hours before,
it's still a God who knows the future.
(Christian) And that's interesting
you should say that,
because in Daniel 5, verse 1,
it mentions specifically that Darius
was planning a great party that night.
Boy, it was going to be a long night...
(Derek) Belshazzar, you mean.
(Christian) Belshazzar, that's right.
Thank you, you're keeping me in line here,
keeping me in line.
Belshazzar was planning
a party that night,
but then, as you said, within hours Babylon is overtaken.
Jason, I saw your hand go up.
(Jason) Yes, because I think
this is kind of fascinating,
as Derek was referencing,
that God's prophecies can come true
whether it's hundreds of years or it's hours,
and it's neat here because Daniel
is another prophet of God,
kind of like Isaiah,
that God is working through.
God has these prophets.
You know, as Travis read there in Amos,
God is not going to do anything
unless He reveals these secrets to His servants.
In this case, it's interesting
because at first He actually reveals...
Well, He shows the king
the handwriting on the wall.
The king doesn't know it, though,
so he actually has to go to God's prophet,
the one who God has revealed
what's going to happen.
So, sometimes God will give us messages
we may not fully understand,
which is why we need
to be connected with God,
because the people who are connected with God,
His prophets, the ones working through Him,
they will be able to know
what's going to happen.
(Christian) Amen. Yes, Travis.
(Travis) So, I agree with that,
and I agree with Derek,
that I see the love of God here
because He's giving a prophecy
through Isaiah, then through Daniel
in Daniel, chapter 2,
and then again in Daniel 5
with the handwriting on the wall.
What a merciful God
that keeps relentlessly letting them know
what is going to happen.
And then, as you had mentioned, Derek,
he thought it must have been a joke,
and we read about this earlier,
there was a prophecy in the story of Lot,
that his sons-in-law, future sons-in-law,
thought it was going to be a joke,
but it's not a joke.
God's Word is...I mean, when He says
something's going to happen,
it's going to happen.
And it just makes me think, you know,
when God says something
that's going to happen, in the Bible,
we can really take this seriously.
(Derek) Amen.
(Christian) And, Travis, you
brought up a really good point,
how there were multiple revelations
of this event, okay?
And it's interesting to me
that in Daniel, chapter 5, verse 22,
it mentions just that.
It says, "But you his son, Belshazzar,
have not humbled your heart,
although you knew all this."
"You knew all this."
If Belshazzar had truly humbled himself
and just tuned his mind
to meditate on and ponder
the prophecies that had been told,
not once, not just twice,
but now three times,
maybe the outcome would have been a little different.
But instead, judgment comes upon Babylon,
and, of course, Medo-Persia comes
and overtakes Babylon in a single night.
What an amazing, amazing revelation
of God's ability to foresee
the end from the beginning -
relying on God's Word.
When I think about prophecy,
I can't help but to realize that prophecy
is one of those things
that can really give me confidence
in a God that I can trust.
You know, there's such an attack
on the character of God
leading people to conclude,
"Can I trust God?"
or, "Can I trust Him with my life?"
But doesn't prophecy have a way
to be able to present to us a God
that we can trust and not be afraid?
And when you think about prophecy,
you know, we're all here Bible students,
can you think of the time when you came
to be convicted that Bible prophecy is,
indeed, a reliable revelation from God?
And how did that impact
your spiritual journey with God,
or your spiritual growth with God?
Did that make a significant difference? Billy.
(Billy) So, going back to Daniel,
I was comparing the prophecy of Daniel
in the days that were given about Babylon
and then Medes and Persians,
so I said, "Okay, that's nice.
Let me check out the internet."
So, I went on the internet, Wikipedia,
and I'm looking at the dates,
and I said, "Wait, that is so accurate,"
because it's telling of the kingdoms that will happen,
and what got me was
there was a prophecy, I think,
about the ten kingdoms
that would succeed Rome,
and I said, "Wow, that's very interesting.
Let me go online,"
And, indeed, I'm finding out
these ten kingdoms and the relationship between them,
and I think that further convicted me
that this is real; this is real.
(Christian) Amen.
(Derek) What convicted me, Christian,
was the story in Luke 24 of Jesus
giving a Bible study to two disciples,
and it says their hearts
burned within them, you know.
And I thought, "If Jesus
has such confidence in the Scriptures,
and the prophecies particularly
that pointed to Him as Messiah,
I need to have confidence, too,"
because Jesus healed the sick,
He cast out the demons,
He was the Son of God,
and He trusted that Word of God.
In fact, He said, "Man
shall not live by bread alone but every word..."
So, to me, His unshakable confidence in the Scriptures,
including the prophecies,
was the thing that really impacted me the most.
(Christian) Amen. And, let's take a moment
to maybe share a specific prophecy
that has impacted your life
in a significant way.
Can you think of a particular prophecy
that just opened up your eyes
in such a way that you truly felt
fire in your bones, you know,
because your faith was rekindled
when you studied that prophecy?
Does any prophecy come to mind? Yes, Liza.
(Liza) I think about Matthew 24,
and this is Jesus' prophecy of the end time,
and He gets very specific
on the kind of world
that we'll be living in.
We're living in that world right now.
And so, when we see these things that are unstable,
and when we see things falling apart,
Jesus prophesied that, and so we need
to not be disturbed or anxious about these things.
Christ forewarned us, and as believers
we need to be firm in the faith
and the prophecies that God speaks about us.
(Christian) Amen. And what a prophecy
to be studying in these days.
As we see the world
just completely in chaos,
we come to Matthew 24, and the mere fact
that Jesus saw this coming,
and He said, "Watch and pray,"
we are able to draw near to the future
with a sense of confidence,
knowing what to expect,
and that just ignites
a renewed faith in God. Yes.
(Travis) So, for me, it's a personal prophecy.
You know, there are prophecies about kingdoms,
but Paul wrote in the Philippians,
in Philippians 1:6, that He promised,
that God promises to finish
the work He started in us.
And as a Christian
who falls occasionally and makes mistakes,
I think, "He said Babylon would fall,
and it did, but He also said He
would finish the work
that He started in me."
(Christian) Amen.
(Travis) And it's not a joke.
(Derek) Praise God.
(Travis) I can rest in the fact
that, if I lean on Jesus,
stay close to Him,
I may not be perfect now,
but I won't look back...
The Apostle Paul said, "I don't look back,
I keep looking ahead."
And I just rest in Jesus,
and He will finish that work.
So, that's been a lifesaver for me.
(Christian) Powerful. Yes, Stephanie.
(Stephanie) Somewhat along those same lines,
I think it builds...
Seeing the fulfillment of prophecy
has built faith in me
to trust God regardless,
and especially when I see something different.
And that is something that is...
That's what we have to do now
and in the time ahead.
We have to be able to say,
"You know what, I don't see
the fulfillment of God's promise
that He has guaranteed in His Word,
but I know He guaranteed it,
and I can trust Him."
(Christian) Amen. And when we
take matters into our own hands, okay,
then that's when life
gets even more complicated
because we're departing from a God
who already has the future in His hands.
And, like you said, we can trust Him.
We can trust Him.
You know, one prophecy that made
an impact in my life
is actually found in Isaiah, chapter 14.
I'd like us to go to Isaiah, chapter 14.
Isaiah, chapter 14, it made an impact
in my life if only because it exposes
the enemy of God.
You know, when you think
about your journey of faith, okay,
wouldn't you agree
that your journey of faith can
actually gain strength when you are aware
of the tactics of the enemy?
When you know how the enemy will attack,
when you know the character of the enemy,
it places you on ground
which can actually prove
to be a wonderful thing.
Now, Isaiah, chapter 14, verses 12 to 15,
has a few verses there
that actually give us an insight
on the character of Lucifer.
Now, we know something about Lucifer.
Before we go to the passage,
what do we know about Lucifer - who was Lucifer?
Who would like to be able to just give us
a snapshot of this Lucifer?
Who was Lucifer, Jason?
(Jason) So, Lucifer was one
of the head angels, if you will,
that was in the throne room of God,
and he was there literally right next
to Jesus, the Son of God.
He was a created being;
he was still an angel,
but he was very close to God,
and he was in charge of leading all the angels.
And he had a lot of special talents;
he was very good at music;
he was very good with his words,
and God had really blessed him,
which, that's great; there were also some problems, though.
I don't know how far you want me to go,
but he had some pride issues
that became problematic later on.
(Christian) Okay, so you're right.
He was a created being, an angel.
Of course, we could
even then call him a fallen angel
because he would go from an exalted place,
a covering cherub, to a fallen state.
And here in Isaiah, Isaiah, chapter 14,
verses 12 to 15, we find a description
of what was going on in his mind.
So, let's take a look at this passage,
and, Billy, could you read that for us?
Isaiah, chapter 14, verses 12 to 15.
What was going on inside Lucifer's mind?
(Billy) I'll be reading
from the New King James Version:
(Christian) So, here's a fallen angel who is coveting.
What is he coveting?
What is he hungry for?
What is he thirsty for?
(Stephanie) Power, position.
(Christian) Power, position,
but not just any power
or just any position,
but whose power and whose position?
(Jason) God. He literally wants to be God.
(Christian) He is coveting God's authority
or God's position, okay,
and so here we see in Isaiah
a contrast of sorts
because Isaiah refers to Lucifer
as the son of the morning.
But we also know that Christ Himself
is known as the bright morning star.
And so, we begin to see a contrast
between this fallen angel
and the Messiah King. Yes.
(Derek) The difference is,
that created angel, while he was faithful,
the light which shone from his presence
was a reflection of the Son of God,
because after he rebels,
Jesus never calls him Lucifer.
(Christian) Prince of Darkness.
(Derek) He's called the Prince of Darkness;
he's called Satan, which means "the Opposer,"
and diabolos or devil, Jesus calls him,
which is the Accuser,
and that Old Serpent, right?
So, all of the light
that he thought was his
was gone when he separated himself
from the glory of God.
(Christian) Wow, wow, wow,
what a powerful insight.
And, you know, this leads me
to a question, though,
a question that is quite intriguing to me:
why would Isaiah embed this prophecy,
this prophetic revelation, about Lucifer
right in the smack middle
of a prophecy against judgment
on the enemies of God's people?
I mean, it seems like...
What's his intention here?
What's going on, Travis?
(Travis) I think God is giving us
a glimpse of the heart
of the kings of Babylon.
(Christian) Wow, okay.
(Travis) He's giving us...I remember,
I'm studying Daniel, and when Daniel
(chapter 2) tells the king that, "You've
been given this prophecy
so your heart would be revealed."
And so here we're given
a glimpse of Lucifer so we can see
that the hearts kind of align
with Lucifer's - it's all selfish.
First Corinthians, chapter 13,
I think in verse 5 it says
that love does not seek its own.
So, it's this self-seeking thing,
and love is others-centered,
and that's God, the character of God.
Others, He's always worried about others.
And now, here are these kings and Lucifer
all worried about trying
to exalt themselves, kind of like
the Tower of Babel, "Let us
make a name for ourselves."
And so, we're getting a glimpse here
into what these kingdoms were looking like
and how their leaders were leading.
(Christian) Wow, because these leaders that are leading,
there is a long list of leaders
that were prideful, arrogant, right?
And what I hear you say, Travis,
is that, as we look at this lineage
of kings that were
rebellious and prideful,
that this prophecy actually, while it
exposes the mind of Satan,
it actually reveals the very nature of sin,
which is found in each one of us
when we depart from a relationship,
an abiding relationship with Christ.
What we see here described as Lucifer
is in fact the very nature of sin,
which seeks to exalt itself
and wants to be like God or wants
to be in control of my own life. Yes, Stephanie?
(Stephanie) Christian, I think
it's a warning; it's a warning call, too.
And it's so the heart of God,
that we see that thread throughout.
It's a warning: Don't go down that path.
Do not follow what has happened before,
and so many others
have fallen as a result.
(Christian) Wow. Yes.
(Derek) I think it's a message
of warning for our day
when people don't even believe
that the adversary exists.
But Paul says, "We don't wrestle
against flesh and blood,
but against principalities and powers
in the heavenly realms."
So, these are supernatural forces
that have rebelled against God.
And what I see in this prophecy,
and again with Jesus
in the wilderness and so on,
this is a real being that rebelled.
And if we read Revelation,
other angels rebelled with him,
so this is confederation of evil.
I'm so thankful for the Bible
because it tells me
that God's Kingdom is victorious.
But it is a real battle.
(Christian) Amen. Absolutely.
He's actually pulling back the curtains
and exposing the unseen realm,
which is very much, very much alive and well today.
Yes, Liza, you had your hand up?
(Liza) Absolutely, what Pastor said.
Everything that we see here in the natural
is a reflection of the supernatural.
And that's why he's showing us
a picture of worldly events,
but he's saying, "They're spiritual,"
as Pastor Derek said,
these spiritual forces are trying
to establish themselves upon the earth,
and so we have to be careful.
As was said, we're not wrestling
against flesh and blood,
or one kingdom against another;
it's God's holiness and all
these evil beings that are trying
to bring themselves upon the earth.
And so, we need to be guarded,
and I think that's where we're going here,
about being careful and not putting
our trust in what we
may not understand fully.
(Christian) Yes. So, Isaiah, chapter 14,
gives us an inside look
into the mind of Lucifer.
Is there another prophet
and another passage that adds
additional information about what was
going on with Lucifer.
What were his motives?
What was he trying to get to?
Does another passage in the Old Testament
come to mind? Yes, Jason?
(Jason) So, I think of Ezekiel, another prophet.
Would I be able to go ahead and read? Ezekiel, chapter 28?
(Christian) Take us to Ezekiel, chapter 28.
Why don't you read verses 13 to 15?
(Jason) Alright, I've got
the New King James Version here,
and it says, Ezekiel 28, verses 13 to 15:
(Christian) You know what grabs my attention?
Just three words: You were created.
We're dealing with a created being,
a created being that wanted
to be like the Most High,
when you take the passage there from Isaiah.
So, think about this.
Here's a created being
who wants to be like the Most High,
created being, or creature,
wanting to be like the Most High.
Is that beginning to ring a bell?
Does it sound awfully familiar
to a conversation that happened in the beginning?
We have a woman; what's her name?
(Team) Eve.
(Christian) Eve, created by God,
and Satan, Lucifer, now Satan
in the form of a serpent,
comes to this created being
and whispers into her ear,
"You can be like God."
Do you see how Lucifer's character,
his motives, have not changed one iota?
They have not changed at all.
He continues to reveal his true character,
which is to cause us to distrust God,
to look towards ourselves and convince us
that we can manage
our life just fine without God,
that, "You can do just fine.
You be your own judge.
You determine what's right
and what's wrong on your own.
You don't need God
to tell you those things."
And Satan is referred to as a murderer, a liar.
Do you know what passage in the Gospels
we find where Jesus referred
to Satan as a liar?
Can you think of a passage
that comes to mind?
(Stephanie) John 8:44.
(Christian) John 8:44, Stephanie, would you read that for us?
Why don't we go to it, John 8:44,
and here Jesus describes Satan.
And listen as Stephanie reads
at how Jesus seems to just really focus in
on one predominant characteristic of Satan,
and what is that?
(Stephanie) The King James Version says:
(Christian) Do you notice that common theme?
He's called a liar;
there is no truth in him;
Satan is a deceiver. Yes, Billy.
(Billy) So, it's interesting
because sometimes I think,
especially in our world today,
we try to justify lying,
and I guess it begs the question,
should we draw a line
between truth and lie?
The reason why is because I know
some people who would say,
well, there is nothing wrong
with a white lie,
and it's coming from people
who should know better.
But there is that justification
that, yes, little lies should be okay,
and that's the culture
that we live in today,
so am I correct in understanding
that, based on that, anybody who lies
is a follower of Satan?
Or, is there a distinction
between, should we be quick
to judge people who lie and say
that you are of your father, the devil,
or should we give them a free pass?
So, it's a question, I guess for the class.
(Christian) That's an excellent question.
Yes, some insight, yes, Travis.
(Travis) I'm sitting here listening,
and I'm really thankful
for the Holy Spirit.
I'm thankful because I remember, even now
sometimes I'll say something
that, you know, that might not be true,
without even intention,
and that little voice
in the back of my head, "Travis, that wasn't right."
And I'm able either to correct it
or ask for forgiveness.
And so, I'm sitting here thinking,
I'm so thankful for God
who sends His Spirit to remind us,
"Hey," to keep getting us back
onto that narrow path
because the path is wide
that leads to destruction.
And Satan is doing anything
to get us on that path.
So, God's got to exit off that path many,
"Just get back on path,"
and that's the Holy Spirit
to keep whispering in our ear,
"Stay on track, stay on track."
(Christian) Yes, because it was Jesus
who said, "I am the way, the truth..."
(Christian, Team) "...and the life."
(Christian) And now He calls Satan,
he is a liar, the father of lies.
And so, going back to Billy's question,
when I think about our journey,
and our trust in God,
there are going to be times when we feel
that we must find ourselves
out of this difficult situation,
and we're sometimes tempted, the greater good,
because we don't want to find ourselves
in this dangerous, life-threatening situation.
I must get myself out of this situation,
and we're tempted to justify
a mistruth or something
that would bring us out of that.
But you know what I've discovered, Billy,
in my own personal life, and I'm sure
in many of your lives as well,
that when we trust God,
we come to a place in our life
when we can say, "You know, God,
I don't know what is happening,
and I don't know where this is going,
but I will trust in You and put
my full confidence in You and not compromise.
And I will leave the consequences to You."
Because sometimes we're wanting
to manipulate the circumstances,
and that's when compromise takes place.
But if we're true to the Word of God,
He is the way, the truth and the life,
I think we can trust God with consequences
no matter what comes our way.
You know, and when I think
about the Great Controversy,
I think about this intense battle
between good and evil, yes,
God and Satan, of course,
but when you really think about it,
the essence of the Great Controversy
is between truth and deception,
truth and lies, and the battlefield is the mind.
And I wonder, does anyone want to share
maybe an experience where Satan
attacked you with the intention
to cause you to believe one of his lies?
You know, lies about yourself,
lies about God, lies about others.
Can anyone think of a story
that comes to mind, a testimony
of an intense attack from the enemy,
the father of lies?
Anyone have a story they'd like to share?
(Derek) I have a short one, Christian.
Someone, a teacher I greatly respected,
walked away from the church,
and at first I was in a great crisis,
I think a temptation of the enemy:
Do I still belong here,
with this person leaving?
I'm so thankful that the Spirit of God
said, "I didn't call you
to follow that person;
you're called to follow Jesus."
And we need that, what Travis is saying,
we need the Holy Spirit.
Didn't Jesus say the Holy Spirit
will lead you into all truth?
And Jesus is full of grace and truth;
He is the truth, as you said.
But I think you're right.
I think sometimes it catches us unawares, this temptation,
and we have to cry out to God
to ask the Holy Spirit to lead us
away from that alluring deception
and lead us in the way of truth.
(Christian) And I can testify
that, as I look back in my life,
and I think, I recall the times
that the enemy has shown himself
to be powerful in my life,
you know what I've discovered?
That in those moments, there was a lie
that I had come to believe,
concluding that the only power
that the enemy can have in our lives
is the power of the lie!
If he can convince me of his lie,
then he brings me under his control,
and ground is given to the enemy
when we believe his lies.
And so that is why the study of God's Word
and Dr. Morris here
with Hope Sabbath School,
that's what this is all about,
you know, being able to dig deep
into the Word of God
so that we can be grounded in truth, so we can be...
(Derek) Grounded in Jesus.
(Christian) ...grounded in Jesus
who is the way, the truth and the life.
So, you know, Ephesians, chapter 6,
comes to mind when I think about application.
Let's apply the Scriptures here
for a moment in Ephesians,
chapter 6, verses 10 to 18.
In fact, we're not going to take
the time to read it,
but in that passage there
in Ephesians, chapter 6,
we find a special gift
given to the Christian as a protection
against this enemy, this father of lies.
And what is that protection given to us
there in Ephesians, chapter 6, what is it called?
(Christian, Team) The armor of God.
(Christian) And I want to encourage
our viewers to take time
to go to Ephesians, chapter 6,
and study this out,
because truly there is a lot to learn.
But with the moment that we have left,
I'd like us to do a full circle.
You know, we started with Babylon
as a nation that was being judged by God.
And now, as we come back to Revelation,
the prophetic book of the New Testament,
we discover that Babylon
is mentioned once again.
Now, it's interesting to me
that, in Revelation, there are 100,
or, rather, 404 verses.
If you're viewing at home,
you want to take time to count,
you let us know if I'm off by one or two,
but I read 404 verses.
Out of those 404 verses, 278 verses
are a reference or an illusion, direct or indirect,
to the Old Testament,
and that includes the mention of Babylon.
It's mentioned in Revelation, chapter 17.
So, I'd like for us to take a moment
to go to Revelation, chapter 17,
and here we find a description
of a persecuting power
that is also given the name "Babylon."
Revelation, chapter 17, verses 1 to 6,
Travis, could you read that for us?
(Travis) Sure, and I'll be reading
from the New King James Version:
(Christian) Wow, so in the Old Testament,
no doubt we have literal Babylon.
We see this nation
that overtakes Jerusalem, a nation
that is overtaken by Medes and Persians.
It's a literal nation, right?
But here in this passage in Revelation,
and you can correct me if I'm wrong,
but this doesn't sound like a description
of a literal nation named Babylon,
but rather a spiritual perspective or context.
How would you explain that?
Why is Babylon mentioned once again,
apparently in an end-time scenario?
Why the use of Babylon once again?
Is there something significant
about the name "Babylon"
that we might be able to make sense
out of this particular context in Revelation?
What do you think? Billy?
(Billy) I guess just a simple comparison
is the spirit behind Babylon
in Isaiah versus this one.
It ties into Lucifer,
that there is a common denominator
for all of them, that there is
an evil spirit behind them.
And you can easily see a comparison
between how bad they were
in the book of Isaiah and this one, too,
because they carried the same...
Even though it's like different time frames
and they may not be
the exact same kingdoms,
but the spirits are very similar,
the hatred for God's people,
the hatred for truth
and exalting pride and also lies.
It's the same thing
that we're seeing in the end times.
(Christian) Okay, with all those characteristics,
it obviously leads to spiritual confusion.
And so, here we have a scenario
where there is spiritual confusion on Earth.
And you know what?
When I look at the prophecies of Isaiah,
when I look at the context of Babylon
and compare it to spiritual Babylon there in Revelation,
I see a call there in Revelation,
chapter 18, that calls us
to come out of her,
a reference to spiritual Babylon.
But a reference, an invitation
to come to the One who says,
"I am the way, the truth, and the life."
And I think of Jesus' call when He said,
"Come unto Me, come unto Me,
and I will give you rest."
So, our prayer is that God's call
will be a call that invites you
to come to Him, to trust Him,
because He can be trusted.
(Derek) Amen. Thank you, Christian.
And thank you for joining us
for Hope Sabbath School today.
I am moved to say, "Jesus,
lead me in Your truth by the Holy Spirit.
Lead me in Your truth."
No room for deception
when we're following the Holy Spirit
leading us in the way of Jesus.
Are you desiring that in your heart, too?
But, you know, it's more
than that, isn't it?
That God could help us
to help people around us
who are still in confusion
to find the truth as it is in Jesus.
Let's pray that we can
also be witnesses for Jesus today.
Father in Heaven, thank You
for this challenging message,
for exposing, not only the deception,
but pointing us to the truth, Jesus,
who is the truth, full of grace and truth.
And I thank You for the Holy Spirit
who will lead us into the truth as it is in Jesus.
We trust in Jesus, our Savior, today,
and we thank You.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) I'm so thankful for Jesus today, aren't you?
In the midst of all of the confusion,
accept Him, let the Spirit lead you.
And then go out and share His truth
with those around you.
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