♪ theme music ♪

(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,

an in-depth, interactive study

of the Word of God.

We're in the middle

of an amazing series of studies:

<i>Preparation for the End Time,</i>

how we can know Jesus today,

so that whatever day He comes,
we're ready.

The topic today, <i>End Time Deceptions</i>,
is important,

not so that we'll focus on the enemy,

but we'll know how to stay focused
on Jesus.

So I'm glad you're with us.

What a great series of studies
this has been,

and I'm glad you're here,

because we bring different ideas
and different testimonies,

and you're here, too,

as part of our Hope Sabbath School team.

We're always happy to hear from you.

You can write to us at sshope@hopetv.org

John writes from Indiana

in the United States

and says, "A number of years ago

God called me to be

an adult teacher at my church.

I'd never taught adults before,

and I didn't feel capable of doing it,

but the Lord led me

to Hope Sabbath School."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) "I've been using the outlines

to teach my class.

I feel like I know the class members,
watching so often,

hope to meet you someday,
here or in Heaven.

Keep up the good work."

Well, John, I'm glad

you found the outlines.

I've got mine in my Bible here.

You can go to our website;

you can download the outline;

it's the one that we all use.

In fact, when I teach in a local church,

I give everyone the outline,

because it's a good road map

for people to follow along.

So thanks for being part

of our Hope Sabbath School,

not just as a participant,
but as a teacher.

Here's a note - oh, my.

I get some interesting names, right?

This is Lalduhawmi from Myanmar,

but living in Dubai; global network.

And Lalduhawmi writes and says,

"I'm from Myanmar, currently
working in Dubai.

I've been watching Hope
Sabbath School videos

for a couple of years now

and forwarding them to my friends
and family."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) "I grew up being a good girl

as a Methodist Christian.

I didn't know anything about Sabbath.

I used to read the Bible

but not really understand.

I made a decision to become

a Seventh-day Adventist when I was

studying in Mizoram, India.

It was my summer break at home.

My dad noticed I'd stopped

going to church on Sunday

and realized I had become
a Seventh-day Adventist.

He told me, 'Either stop being

a Seventh-day Adventist or you'll never

go back to India and study.'"

What should she do?

"Well I answered," I'm sure respectfully
to her father,

"and said, 'I will stop going to study

if you want me to,

but I will not give up my faith.'"

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) "I went through so many

hard situations during my school
and college years,

but God was always with me,

and He always gives me a way out.

I got detained in my college for one year,

because my exams fell on Sabbath,

but I was always blessed
in different ways.

I got a job with an airline
before I graduated.

Now I can say that God

has blessed my life.

I have every Sabbath

to worship my Creator...,"

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) "...and somehow still

I feel like something is missing.

I always say if only I could experience

the full peace of God,

but it's difficult to stay connected

to God all the time,

and I miss the joy I used to have

when I was in Mizoram."

Can anybody relate to that?

Sometimes there are ups,

and sometimes there are downs, right,
that's real life.

"I would like to request

that the Hope Sabbath School team

remember me in prayer.

I also admire to see you getting involved

in this global ministry.

I feel like you're already in Heaven."

Well, we're not quite there yet, are we?

In fact we would tell you, Lalduhawmi,

that we're on the same journey as you,

and your testimony inspired us.

We want to honor God in all things. Amen?

(Team) Amen.

Laurie writes from Alberta in Canada.

Any Canadians here? No?

Someone's been to Canada, I'm sure.

"Hope Sabbath School team,

I'm emailing you to let you know

how truly blessed we all are

by the hope-filled studies.

I'm not a member of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church,

but I love your program

and watch the archives

as well as the new programs.

I've been encouraged greatly

in my faith with our Lord." Amen?

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) People ask me,

"Who's Hope Sabbath School for?"

I say it's for everybody.

It's an in-depth, interactive study

of the Word of God.

And Laurie, I'm glad

as a fellow Christian. you're saying,

"I want to study the Word of God

and follow Jesus wherever He leads me."

Well, here's a note from Florida

from a donor who sent a gift
of 50 dollars

and said, "There's so much

going on in the world right now,

I feel like I need to spend

more time on my knees,

more time kneeling than standing.

Thank you for your commitment

to helping me focus on the Lord."

We don't read names of donors,

but I just want to say thank you,

because we're all part of the team,
aren't we?

Helping people prepare for the soon-coming
of Jesus.

Here's one last note

from Ken in Australia.

No Australians, but Travis,

you've been to Australia, right?

I watch Hope Sabbath School

every week from Sydney, Australia.

My brother in New Zealand

told me about Hope Sabbath School app."

So he's got a smartphone,
downloaded the app,

and by the way, if you have a smartphone,

whether it's an Apple device

or an Android device,

we have an app called Hope Sabbath School.

It's being used in 150 countries

around the world, including Australia.

"At the end of June, I told myself
after the end

of the last Sabbath School I watched,

it was time for me to find

a local church in my area."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) "I've been attending

the Ashfield Church for six months now,
studying the Bible,

and I'm planning to be baptized soon."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Ken, thanks for writing to us.

Send us a picture of your baptism,

and we're just glad

that you're growing in the Lord.

You know it's not just about broadcasts,

it's following Jesus all the way

to baptism and beyond, isn't it,
as we prepare

for the soon-coming of Jesus.

Well, it's going to be a great study

on <i>End Time Deceptions</i> as we focus

on our strong Deliverer,

but before we start, we've got to sing

our theme song, don't we?

It's taken from Revelation 15,
verses 3 and 4.

You can download it from the website.

I know many of you

have already learned it,

so let's sing it together.

♪ music ♪

(Derek) There are some songs

that angels can't even sing,

the songs of the redeemed,

but I don't know, I think they could sing

"just and true are Your ways,

King of the saints," don't you?

So it may sound even better

when we have the angels singing with us.

But right now, I want to pray

for special guidance of the Holy Spirit,

because just as the enemy wants to lead us

into error and deception,

Jesus promised the Spirit

will lead us into...?

(Derek, Team) ...all truth.

(Derek) I want to invite you
to pray with us

as we open God's Word.

Father in Heaven, we're focusing

on <i>End Time Deceptions</i>

as we prepare for the End Time,

and I just want to thank You

that while we need to be informed,

we do not need to be distracted

by the deceptions of the enemy.

We can stay focused on Jesus,

our perfect Savior and soon-coming King.

So guide us by Your Spirit

in our study today.

I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) We're going to start

in the book of Revelation,

noticing that the enemy is real.

You know there are some people,

they say, "Ah, I don't believe

there's a devil; that's some kind

of Middle Ages idea."

But if we don't know the enemy,
we're defenseless.

We don't know how to react
to his deceptions.

So we're starting in Revelation,
chapter 2,

and Liza, I'm going to ask you
if you'd begin

and read verse 13 and verse 24.

(Liza) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

And verse 24:

(Derek) Now just when those first messages

to the churches there in Asia Minor,

which also of course represent

ages in the Christian church,

Satan appears to be a very real foe.

Now they could say,

"That's just talking symbolically."

Well, let's keep reading and see

what we can learn, here, in Revelation.

Revelation, chapter 12, Laurel,

if you could read verse 3, 7-9 for us.

(Laurel) I'll be reading

from the New American Standard Bible,

Revelation 12:3 and then 7-9:

Verses 7 through 9:

(Derek) And one last verse in Revelation

in chapter 20, verse 2

(verses I should say), verses 2, 7 and 10.

And Kyle, if you could read

in Revelation 20:2, 7, and 10,

and then let's think about
what we're hearing.

This is a book of revelation
of Jesus Christ

as we prepare for the End Time.

(Kyle) Revelation, chapter 20,
verses 2, 7, and 10,

I'll be reading from the New
King James Version:

Verse 7:

And going down to verse 10:

(Derek) Now that last part
is pretty challenging,

because people go, "Wait a minute, Derek,

I'm confused because the Bible tells us

God so loved the world

that He gave His only Son

that whoever believes in Him
should not..."?

(Team) ...perish.

(Derek) Death is the final end.

In fact, doesn't it say in Romans

the wages of sin is...?

(Team) Death.

(Derek) So I don't know

how long that fire will burn,

but eventually...

it says fire came down from Heaven,

in the previous verse, and devoured them,

so I've told fellow Christians

who may have different views

on how long hellfire burns,

can we all agree we don't
want to be there?

(Team) Yes.

(Derek) It's prepared for the devil
and his angels,

but here in the book of Revelation,

the devil is presented as a very real foe,

so I'm just going to take a moment,

can anybody share from your experience

that you have seen that in your own life,

that the adversary, the devil,

is a very real foe?

Anybody have that testimony

that you would share? Travis?

(Travis) I just know, I've taught

or preached sermons in different churches

all over or gave meetings,

and the weeks leading up,

it just seemed like anything

that could go wrong, or you know?

You could just feel...

(Derek) Like you feel you're under attack?

(Travis) Yes, like you're under attack
prior to that,

and praise God that I've learned

to counter that with prayer

and just cling to Jesus,

but it's real; it's real.

(Derek) Has anyone else,

maybe in a ministry setting,

seen the reality of this adversary?
Lourdes?

(Lourdes) I remember when we went
to Zambia,

we were preaching there,

and that time we were

going to talk about God

convicting us of our sins, and I remember

when calling people for baptism

the light went off.

But it was weird, because it was
only our setting.

Other places like the clubs

and every other place had lights,

but we didn't have lights.

We had a thousand people there, waiting...

(Derek) A thousand people were listening
to the Word of God...

(Lourdes) ...and the lights went off.

Yeah, it was complete darkness

because we were in the middle...

(Derek) Could just be coincidence, right?

Yes? Could just be coincidence,

or it could be a specific attack.

I can share my own experience,

just as a little boy,

that I experienced the attacks

of the devil in a very real way.

I didn't know, Brittany,

that my grandparents had been involved
with the occult.

I didn't know what happened in their home,

but the sins of the father

are to the children, you know,

to the third and fourth generation.

It was very real to me that there was

some dark supernatural force,

but I would have known that,

even without my experience,

if I'd gone to Matthew, chapter 4,

which is where I want us to go next,

because when Jesus came into His ministry

...let me say this more clearly.

The Son of God didn't begin

His existence in Nazareth.

The pre-incarnate Son of God

is the Creator of the world,

John, chapter 1, verses 1 to 3, right,

the Word who became flesh.

When He came into humanity

to work God's Plan of Salvation,
He immediately came

under the devil's attack,

even before He was old enough
to protect Himself.

God had to send supernatural protection

when Herod the Great tried

to kill all the babies, remember that?

But now He's about to begin His ministry,

and I'm going to ask Nicole if you'd read

in Matthew, chapter 4,
verses 1 through 11.

We could take the whole hour

talking about different ways
Satan tempts us,

but what we're focusing on here

is that the enemy is very real.

Let's see the reality

of his attacks on Jesus.

(Nicole) Matthew 4:1-11 in the New
International Version says:

(Derek) Does that sound

just like a parable

or does it sound like a real encounter?

(Team) A real encounter.

(Derek) Now do you have any questions?

Why didn't Satan push Him off the temple?

Kill Him right there? Brittany?

Did he want to?

(Nicole) Probably.

(Derek) Absolutely He wanted to;

he'd been trying to kill Him all along.

Why didn't he just do that, Liza?

(Liza) I think the first verse

talks about the Spirit taking Him
into the wilderness,

which means that it's very clear

that God has put boundaries

as to Satan's power and his work.

So, yes, he is a real foe,

and, yes, he's powerful,

but nothing is beyond the control of God,

and God has His protective hand, still.

(Derek) Beautiful. With God all things
are possible, right?

So this is protection.

You would think that this fallen angel

would finally understand who's in charge,

because there are boundaries set,
absolutely.

He would have gladly killed Jesus
in the wilderness,

but he wasn't able to,

but he was certainly tempting Him;

the temptation is real, isn't it?

So if the Bible's so clear

that the enemy is real -

we've read here in Matthew

and the book of Revelation -

why do so many people

just not believe that he exists?

What do you think? Jason?

(Jason) I've got a Scripture we can go to.

(Derek) Okay.

(Jason) It's 1 Corinthians,
the second chapter

and the fourteenth verse.

(Derek) All right, give us a moment
to find that,

1 Corinthians, second chapter

and the fourteenth verse.

So you're going to answer the question,

why do some people say,

"I just don't believe he's real,"

when we see so much evidence
of evil forces?

Would you read that for us?

(Jason) Yes, and I'm reading

from the King James Version,

and the Word of God says:

So it's spiritually discerned.

You know, the Bible tells us

which are spiritual things of God,

so it's foolishness to them

who don't believe in the Word of God.

And they will look at Satan

as being some type of fairy tale

or some Greek mythology.

(Derek) Okay, I remember

someone telling me, spiritual things
are spirituality discerned,

so if they've discounted all of that,
they can't comprehend

what's actually going on.
Yes, Kyle?

(Kyle) The other thing I think of is,

to be effective, Satan wants
to conceal himself.

He knows that if we really

saw him for who he was,

that no one would want to follow him.

So he really tries to make people

believe he doesn't exist

and confuse people that way.

I think that's one of the reasons

a lot of people don't believe he exists.

(Derek) So let's look at some

of his deceptive work, together.

Thank you for sharing.

2 Corinthians, chapter 11,
verses 13 through 15,

and 2 Thessalonians 2, verses 9 and 10.

Let's look at some of that work.

Jason, would you read for us,

in the back row there,

2 Corinthians 11, verses 13 to 15?

(Jason) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

2 Corinthians, chapter 11,
verses 13 through 15:

(Derek) That's a troubling description,
isn't it?

In fact, how did Satan appear

to Jesus at first, in the wilderness?

(Team) As an angel.

(Derek) But there's a red flag, right?

There's a warning sign that this
doesn't sound...

By the end, we know

it's not an angel sent from God,

because he said, "Bow down
and worship me,"

and an angel from God would say,

"Don't do that; worship God."

(Nicole) He says "if," as if there's

a question about who
that Person really is.

(Derek) Questioning the identity of Jesus.
Travis.

(Travis) I'd just like to say,

in the texts in Matthew,

but then Satan reveals his real character

and his real purpose.

He says, "If you bow down and worship me."

His true character comes out.

(Derek) Right, which reinforces

the prophecy that he said, "I will be..."

(Team) "...like the Most High."

(Derek) Like the Most High, right?

So Satan doesn't always come,
looking evil.

He could come, looking religious,
good. Kenneth?

(Kenneth) In fact, that seems to be

the most dangerous part of his schemes,

because most of us in this day and age

will not want to worship like the way

our forefathers worshiped idols,

but he allows us to worship ourselves,

worship some thing that somehow
looks appealing,

but somehow it is replacing God.

(Derek) What a powerful thought.

You don't have to bow down

and worship some strange idol,

you can just look in the mirror, right?

You can worship yourself.

So his deceptions are very real.

2 Thessalonians, chapter 2,
verses 9 and 10, Brittany.

(Brittany) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

2 Thessalonians, chapter 2,
verses 9 and 10:

(Derek) So what is the best way
to prepare yourself

so you will not be deceived?

(Brittany) Accept the truth.

(Derek) Accept the truth?

(Brittany) Because Satan's doing
the counterfeit of the truth,

so when you accept the love of God...

(Derek) You want to go beyond
"accept the truth"?

(Team Member) You have to <i>know</i> the truth.

(Derek) Know the truth?

(Travis) "I am the Way, the Truth."

(Nicole) Know Jesus.

(Derek) Didn't it say, "Love the truth"?

And walk in it, and that comes
in the context

of a daily relationship. Liza?

(Liza) I like what Paul says.

He talks about arming ourselves,

like putting on the armor of God.

(Derek) Ephesians 6.

(Liza) We can't just go out there and say,
"Okay, I can take down the devil,"

but you have to arm yourself
with the Word of God,

and Scripture gives us some of those tools
that we can use.

(Derek) That's beautiful.

The best way we protect ourselves...

You know, in another passage

besides Ephesians 6,

in Romans 13 it says, "Clothe yourselves

with the armor of light,"

and then in verse 14 of chapter 13,

it says, "Clothe yourself

with the Lord Jesus Christ."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) I like what you said;

when Jesus went into the wilderness,

He didn't go without the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit was with Him.

Otherwise He would have been careless

in the battle, right? Kyle.

(Kyle) I'm not a banker,

but the bankers will tell you

that to find counterfeit money

you have to study the real thing

to know what's counterfeit.

And so the same is true
in spiritual things.

We have to know what's true.

We have to focus on what's true.

That way we'll know what's not true.

And I think that's what God

is calling us to do.

(Derek) And to love the truth.

(Kyle) And to love the truth.

(Derek) And by the way, who is the Truth?

(Team) Jesus.

(Derek) Right? When we love Him, He says,

"I will not leave you comfortless;

I will come to you,

and the Spirit will guide you into..."?

(Team) "...all truth."

(Derek) Yeah, so it's just
that relationship

is so important, isn't it
in the conflict.

Well, let's go back to Genesis,

to Satan beginning his deception
on planet Earth.

We're in Genesis, chapter 3.

We could read the whole chapter;

I'm going to focus on verse 4.

Someone told me today

that Satan's lying from the first time

he opens his mouth, in chapter 3, verse 1,

questioning, "Did God say that?"

But he comes out

with a bold-faced lie in verse 4,

and Jason, I'm wondering

if you could read that for us

in Genesis 3, verse 4.

It's a bold-faced lie.

And the reason I'm mentioning this

is because this whole confusion

about what happens when we die

is a deception Satan's been continuing,

on and on.

(Jason) Genesis, the third chapter
and fourth verse,

and I'm reading from the King James
Version:

(Derek) Now go back to chapter 2,
verse 17, someone,

still in Genesis. Nicole, Genesis 2:17.

Satan has just said,

"You will not surely die."

Now that's either a wonder word of hope

or a bold-faced lie, right?

I mean, if Jesus tells me,

"You will not surely die,"

I'm going to say, "Praise God.

I'm going to trust in You,
and I won't die."

But this is the deceiver.

What had God just said
in chapter 2, verse 17, Nicole?

(Nicole) The New International
Version states:

(Derek) I imagine the devil,

I don't know what it looked like

there on that tree,

but I imagine that serpent,

who is the disguise of the evil one,

chomping on some of the fruit.

I mean, after all, he was mocking

the authority of God already

and saying, "I'm not dead."

Deception: "I'm not dead."

But this whole issue -

we could take a lot of time with that

and the whole Plan of Salvation -

but I want to talk about this lie

that you won't die.

And do you know from that day on

there are people who've taught

that when you die, you're not really dead.

That you have an eternally immortal
something that continues,

whether you were good or bad,

or you can come back in some other form,

and I think as we prepare

for the End Times,

we need to avoid the deceptions
of the enemy.

So we need to go,

and we need to ask ourselves,

"What does the Bible teach

about what happens when you die?"

Before we do that,

is there anyone that can testify
that growing up

you didn't really understand

what happens when we die?

Or did you all grow up

with a clear understanding? Lourdes?

(Lourdes) In my country - I'm from Peru -

I remember growing up,

and when someone passed away

they would tell me their spirit

would actually come back and say good-bye

to the people that they loved.

And once they said good-bye to everybody,

then they would go to Heaven.

But just having that window,

that once a person is supposedly dead

that the spirit will come,
is so dangerous.

(Derek) But that was popular?

(Lourdes) It's still popular.

(Derek) It's still popular
in your culture.

Anyone else grow up

with some confused ideas

or in your culture some confused ideas

about what happens when you die? Kenneth?

(Kenneth) I come from Ghana.

They believe when you die,

you transition to the spirit world,

and you become an ancestor

or in another term, a saint.

And they have various rites and rituals

that are dedicated for a funeral
for the dead.

It took a while, because the family

that I came from,

my parents were Christians,

but the larger family was not,

so you always have to struggle.

And there were some manifestations

of spiritual world activities in the home

so that it will convince you to believe

that actually the person lives on.

Some even will pay or add money

to the person being buried,

because they believe the person

is going to use that money

in the other world.

(Derek) So embedded in the culture,
whether in Ghana,

in many other countries, right, Peru,

is this idea of the spirit coming back.

I met a lady from the Philippines;

she believed, in her culture -

kind of a mixture of Christianity
and spiritualism -

that her loved one

would come back for 40 days.

So right before he died, she said to him,

"I don't want you to come back."

And she said for about a week

everything was quiet;
relatives were there.

But when everybody left, she started

hearing rapping in the room where he died
[softly knocking].

Now this lady had a PhD

from a reputable university;

she was an educated lady,

but she was terrified [softly knocking].

So I got a phone call saying,

"Would you come and bless this house?"

I said I don't bless houses,

but I pray blessings for people

in the name of Jesus.

So I came, and I shared some Bible texts

that we're going to read.

I said, "This is what the Bible

says happens when you die.

So whatever that is,
that's not your husband,

and you call upon the name of Jesus."

In fact, I gave her some

of my wife's Scripture songs to play.

I said, "Play them loud in the house."

It's kind of like having the Holy Spirit

right alongside, armor of God.

"Let everybody know this house
belongs to God."

And I walked out of that house.

I thought, "God, now it's up to You"

because it's deeply embedded

in the culture, right?

I said, "God, it's up to You."

She called me the next day;

we talked on the phone.

She said, "The rapping is gone."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) So let's see

what the Bible teaches, shall we?

Because this, from the very beginning,

was one of Satan's major deceptions.

Ecclesiastes, Eric, do you have
Ecclesiastes?

Chapter 9, verses 5, 6 and 10,

if you'd read those three verses for us.

(Eric) Chapter 9, verses 5, 6, and 10,
and I'll read

from the New Living Translation:

Verse 10:

(Derek) In other words,

it's being practical there,

"If you're going to do it, do it now."

You can't do it after you die.

In fact, the living, they know

they're going to die,

and I think everybody would say,
"Well, that's true."

We know, unless Jesus comes back -

for some of us, pretty soon -

we're going to fall asleep in death.

We want to understand that.

But it says the living know they'll die,
the dead...?

(Team) Know nothing.

(Derek) That's what the Bible teaches.

Psalm 115 and verse 17,

Laurel, would you read that for us?

(Laurel) Psalm 115:17, and I'll be reading

from the New American Standard Bible:

(Derek) Now if, when I was dead,
I knew everything...

Or maybe I should ask you,

if when you were dead

and you knew everything,

wouldn't you want to praise the Lord?

Why don't the dead praise the Lord?

(Team) Because they don't know anything.

(Derek) Well, Jesus will answer

that question, actually.

He says, "Death is like a sleep," right?

The dead, they don't work,

they don't know anything,
they're not conscious,

they don't praise the Lord.

Someone have Psalm 146?

Travis, Psalm 146 and verse 4.

(Travis) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) Another translation has,

"In that very day, his thoughts...",

thoughts and his plans

and everything else, right? Yes.

(Kyle) I think it's important
to note, too,

that when the Bible says spirit,

it doesn't mean like his spirit

comes out of his body and goes to God.

It means his breath departs.

So it's the difference

between, you know, some people believe

your spirit goes out and goes back to God.

(Derek) Like a separate conscious entity.

(Kyle) Like a separate entity,

but it's really just the breath.

The breath that God gave me goes back.

(Derek) Kyle, how does that tie in

with the creation of man in Genesis 2:7?

(Kyle) Right, well that's a good point

because the Bible says

that when God created us

He breathed into Adam's nostrils

the breath of life...

(Derek) And it says, "Man..."?

(Team) "...became a living soul."

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

He doesn't say, "I'm going to give you
an immortal soul, too."

No, he became a living soul

because of the breath of God,

and what happens when we die

according to the Psalm?

(Kyle) The breath of God goes back to Him,

and the body is laid in the earth.

(Derek) Right? Jason.

(Jason) I just wanted to give context
to that Scripture

that he's referring to, Kyle.

It's in the book of Job,

it's the twenty-seventh chapter
and third verse.

(Derek) Okay, give us a moment,

Job 27 and verse 3?

All right, we'll be right there.

Right before the Psalms, right?
Job...?

(Jason) Twenty-seventh chapter
and third verse.

(Derek) Twenty-seventh chapter
and third verse.

And you'll be reading

from the King James?

(Jason) Yes, sir, and the Bible says:

Of course, going back to Genesis.

(Derek) Okay, and it's interesting,

from what you said, Kyle,

Jason reads in the King James,

"The Spirit of God is in my nostrils,"

and my Bible translates,

"The breath of God is in my nostrils."

God gives me breath, and I live.

The breath goes back to Him,

and I perish, right?

I'm dead. Yes, Travis.

(Travis) I'm a pilot, and we have

to file flight plans,

and so when we're flying someplace,

I've got to file a flight plan.

And when I fill it out,

the question is asked,

"How many souls are on board?"

So a soul is a person;

it's not something that's

floating out there; we are souls.

(Derek) And by the way,

that's reinforced in Acts where it says

so many souls were saved, right,

or souls added to the church;

it's talking about people.

We've got to move on,

because there's another deception
that Satan brings,

but I want to look

at a couple of other texts,

specifically in the words of Jesus

in John 11, verses 11 to 14.

And Liza, if you could

read that for us in John 11,

and I'll have someone else read

verses 23 and 24 of the same chapter.

In fact, I'll just share this

if you're watching today, which you are,

and studying this important topic,

if I just had one chapter in the Bible

to tell me what happens when we die,

it would be John 11,
because it's so clear.

It's so clear; it includes

both what happens in death

and the beauty of the resurrection.

It's all there, in John 11,

but let's look at verses 11 through 14
of John 11.

(Liza) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) So Jesus very simply
describes death as...?

(Team) Sleep.

(Derek) ...a sleep, but now I want someone

to read verses 23 and 24.

Lourdes, do you have that?

Still in John 11, let's see

what this tells us,

helps us to understand,

and it exposes Satan's deception
about that.

(Lourdes) I'll be reading

from the English Standard Version,
verse 23 and 24:

(Derek) See, Martha had been

listening carefully to the teaching
of Jesus.

In fact, I'd like someone to read

that teaching in John 5, verses 27 and 28,

because she knew that while death
is a sleep,

that those who believe in Jesus

don't stay sleeping forever, right?

Nicole, do you have that, in John 5:27,28?

I wish you could read 23, 24 and 25,

but we don't have time; 27 and 28,

what does Jesus tell us?

(Nicole) The New International Version
of John 5:27,28 says:

(Derek) Talking about the resurrection,

talking about it more in Revelation,

the first resurrection of the blessed,

and then there's the second resurrection
unto condemnation, right?

We could study a lot about that,

but I want to come up in the first
or blessed resurrection.

Actually, I'd kind of like

to be living when Jesus comes,

and the Bible talks about, we're changed.

How long does that take?

(Team) In the blink of an eye.

(Derek) A moment, a twinkling of an eye
we're changed,

but many of our loved ones

may fall asleep in death,

and we need to understand

what the Bible teaches

so we're not deceived.

So I have a question for you.

What about all of these stories

people have about a dead loved one,

Kenneth, you even mentioned it,

a dead loved one coming back,

and they felt their presence,

they just know whatever the Bible teaches,

whatever you say, they just know
there in Peru,

that that's what happens.

How do you address

that deception do you think? Jamie?

(Jamie) One of the things we have
to keep in mind

is that we're not fighting

against flesh and blood,
but principalities

and that includes evil angels,

fallen angels and demons,

and they can trick and deceive you.

And it's in their best interest

to make you question

the status of the dead,

which could possibly cause you to question

the character of God.

So they're here to deceive us,

and they will do any means possible
to do that.

(Derek) So it shouldn't surprise us

that "spirits" show up.

The question is, "Is it
your grandpa?" right?

Or is it your loved one?

So what counsel would you give?

I mean, it's very real

to these people, right?

And they may feel very vulnerable

at that time, too. Jason?

(Jason) I would actually show them

in the Bible where it talks
about spiritualism

in the book of Samuel,

the twenty-eighth chapter,

the thirty-fifth verse,

the witch of Endor.

(Derek) So you'd warn them
about that deception.

Okay, anybody else, what would you do?
Nicole?

(Nicole) It happened to me

at my mom's funeral.

Someone came to me and said,

"Oh, you should be happy
she's in Heaven."

And my response was, "Actually

my belief is that she is not;

she actually lying in the ground

waiting for Jesus to return."

So I think also just letting them
know your truth,

hopefully the Spirit will then
talk to them

and deal with their heart

to understand what true death is.

(Derek) But someone says,

"But I had a near-death experience myself,

and I felt like I was

going through a tunnel of light,

and you know..."

(Lourdes) A lack of oxygen.

(Derek) Lourdes says that's a lack
of oxygen.

You know, I think it's possible,

people watch these movies.

"Where did you get that?"

They said, "I saw it on a movie."

You get these thought patterns

put in your mind.

We can't trust just our feeling
or our senses,

we have to ask, "What does
the Bible teach?"

We could spend a lot of time...

Maybe someone's watching today,

and you say, "I have a lot of questions

about what happens when you die."

Send us an email: sshope@hopetv.org.

We'll send you some resources,

because this is a crucial topic.

In fact, just talking

with my wife recently,

she said, "I think this

is a key deception of the enemy

that can easily lead you, as Jamie said,

to distrust the character of God

and to be confused and vulnerable

to the enemy's attack.

He's got another attack,

which I didn't really understand at first,

and that is that there's

no Creator at all.

We'll come to that after your comment.

(Kyle) I just wanted to say

that somebody might listen to this,

and they might get afraid

when you think about spirits

and principalities and powers,

but just remember Jesus is more powerful

than anything the devil can throw at us.

And so if you are ever afraid or if you

ever feel like you're being deceived,

just say the name of Jesus,

speak the truth, and the devil will flee.

Jesus is more powerful.

(Derek) Thank you.

I remember a young adult

who saw two demons materialize,

and they were coming towards her,

and she remembered what she
had been taught.

And boldly she said,

"You cannot touch me;

only Jesus can touch me."

(Team) Wow. Praise God.

(Derek) But it's real, and you know

a lot of people don't talk about it,

because it's a bit troubling,

and some people would say,

"You'll think I'm crazy."

But the battle is real, the enemy is real,

and the lies about death are real.

But let's look at the other
major deception,

and that is, there is no Creator.

You're just here as a result
of a cosmic accident.

And by the way, if that's true,

then there's no ultimate good or evil,

there's no judge, you can do
whatever you want;

the strongest will survive.

But let's look at what the Bible says

in Genesis, chapter 1, just a couple
of verses,

the first verse of the first book,

Genesis 1, verse 1, and 26 through 31.

Jamie, would you read that for us?

And then I want to ask

why Satan is trying to undermine

the authority of the Creator.

(Jamie) The New Living Translation says:

Then verses 26 through 31 say:

(Derek) It's very clear

at the beginning of the creation

that God is the Creator

and that He created us with a purpose.

He wanted to have a relationship with us.

So Satan comes, the Bible is clear,

created being, he's an angel,

he's a created being.

Why would it be so important for him

to try to undermine the truth

that we have a Creator

and just make us think

we're just here by accident?

Why would that be

such an important goal for him? Yes?

(Jason) It leads us to feel

that we can live the way we want to live,

you know, with no consequences.

(Derek) Let's reinforce that

in Romans, chapter 1,
verses 20 through 23.

If there's no Creator,

then we're not accountable
to anybody, right?

All right, who would like

to read that for us? Jason?

Let's see what it says, Romans 1:20-23.

(Jason) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

Romans, chapter 1, verses 20 to 23:

(Derek) So if there's no Creator God,

I can make anything and worship it,

even myself and worship myself.

What's the next step after that?

Well, you just have to read on

in the text what happens.

If there's no God, there's no?

(Travis) There's no law;
there's no anything.

(Derek) There's no good, there's no evil,

everyone will just do

what they want to do.

It says they gave themselves over, right,

to corrupt things, because there's no God.

How would that support Satan's plan?

(Brittany) He wants everyone to be lost.

(Derek) Exactly, he wants everyone

to deface the image of God. Eric.

(Eric) I think we are created

to have a relationship with God,

and if you can convince someone

that there is no God,

then you eliminate that relationship
altogether.

(Derek) It's not even
a possibility, right?

(Kyle) And it reduces their value.

We read earlier we are created

in the image of God,

and if Satan can get us to distrust

that we and everybody around us

are made in the image of God

then we don't value others,
we don't love them,

and we don't love God.

So it takes away the foundation

of everything we believe,

if we don't believe He's our Creator.

(Derek) Liza.

(Liza) I was going to add on

to what Kyle said.

I think the creation story

is the most beautiful story,

because it says that we are created
in the image of God,

so we have value as human beings.

But if you take away that creation story,

then I can treat anyone how I want to,

because they're just cells and atoms,

and I can treat them like I treat animals.

I can treat them like I treat leaves.

But the respect of human life,

that's what creation tells us.

(Derek) And isn't it interesting,

at the end of that creation work,

that God sets aside a day,

and the Bible says He rested,

and He blessed a day,

and He sanctified it.

Isn't it interesting that the Sabbath

becomes so important in the End Time?

Because it's remembering our Creator,

but it's also remembering, love God,

and also the sanctity of human life.

(Nicole) It just occurred to me

when everyone was talking,

that Satan can't create anything.

God created us to worship Him,

and Satan wants what God created us for,

which is to worship.

And so if he can make us believe

that we have no Creator,

then he can try and get from us

what he so desperately wants

that we can't give him.

(Derek) So now I want to be practical.

You've got a dear friend,

and she believes, she's been indoctrinated

with a theory that there's no Creator,

that we are here by accident,

that life has no purpose;

in fact, it's an absurd idea to think

that there's some kind
of purpose to existence,

except maybe the survival
of the strongest.

How are you going to reach out
to that person

and introduce them to a radically
different way

of looking at the world?

Certainly we ought not to go and say,

"Only stupid people believe...," right?

Because some of these people
are very bright;

the best minds that have abandoned God
have devoted themselves

to trying to explain how we got here
without God.

How are you going to reach out

to a friend like that, Brittany?

(Brittany) I think it begins with like
what you said,

they have to be a friend.

They have to be somebody that you have
a relationship with,

that you have something in common
that you can relate with,

and then they need to see the purpose
that you have in life

and how God is your purpose

and your fulfillment and your joy.

And when they see that difference in you,

that's different than what they see

around the world or maybe
in their own life,

they see that they have a lack of peace,

then they're going to start
asking you questions.

And that's the best way

to reach someone like that,

because if you just come

and start telling them all these theories,

or you start to try to prove
a point to them,

they're not going to be open,
unless you have that relationship,

and then they see you have something
that they don't have.

(Derek) Agreed? Yes, Jason.

(Jason) You don't want to make it

a battle of the intellects,

because it's a heart matter.

A lot of people are drawn
to that type of doctrine

because they're either hurt or uncertain.

So by you having an ear to hear,

being quicker to hear and slow to speak,

you can draw them in, to listen to them,

and you can get to the root of it.

Kind of like the lion in the [folktale],

that thorn in the paw.

He was angry but nobody knew

he had a little thorn in his paw,

so that sometimes can be the case.

(Derek) So I ought to listen
more than speak,

but I like that drawing close to them

and letting them see

what a view of life that has purpose

looks like, right? Travis.

(Travis) And if you've ever cooked

or if you've ever made something,

and the person was skeptical,

what you generally did was say,

"Well, just have a taste."

And Jesus has asked us, "Just taste Me

and see if I'm good."

(Derek) In fact that's a Psalm, isn't it,
Psalm 34:8?

(Derek, Team) "Taste and see

that the Lord is good."

(Derek) But I would respond,

they wouldn't even want a taste

if you said the Lord's good,

but you don't look good.

I'm not talking physically,

but you don't show them love,

you're critical, you demean them.

Why would they want to taste?

But if they see that evidence...

(Jamie) I was going to add,

in a previous lesson we talked

about how we're supposed to glorify God

by reflecting His character

and speaking love into their lives
through our actions.

Oftentimes our actions can speak
louder than words,

so if you can't have

that discussion with them,

you can love them,

and you can show them the way,

and then maybe you can

find that common ground.

(Derek) Someone told me if they choose

not to spend eternity with God,

at least love them as many days
as they have.

But you're telling me that it may be

the love of God that actually
will win their hearts

or at least give them

an opportunity, Travis, to taste?

One key lesson to take out of our study.

We've got 30 seconds left.

If you could give me one lesson,
Kenneth, what would it be?

(Kenneth) Jesus is attractive,

and He's the light that shines

into all the deceptions of the evil one.

(Derek) All right, so Jesus

is the light of the world,

that darkness can't stand in His presence.

So lift up the light of Jesus,

and not just in words but in life,

and let others be drawn to Jesus.

That is the key, because the darkness
is real.

In fact, some of you have been watching

today, and saying,

"Derek, you have no idea

how much darkness is around me."

In fact, I've had people tell me,

"There are people in my own family

who are connecting with the spirit world,

and it's dark in my home."

I want to pray the light of Jesus

to cover you today.

I want to pray that God's presence

will be so real, the angels so powerful,

that the darkness will be dispelled.

And if there's someone you know

who is struggling with darkness,

that you have a word of hope

to share with them.

Let's pray together.

Father in Heaven,

we know the battle is real,

even before reading Scripture,

but Scripture confirms that the battle
is real,

that darkness oppresses all,

even those who want to follow God.

But I thank You that we can

find hope in Jesus,

that the deceptions of the evil one

about death or about our origin

are dispelled by the truth of God's Word.

Help us to believe that Word

and as Kenneth said,

let the light of Jesus be reflected,

shine out from us,

to dispel the darkness

for the honor of Your name.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Thanks for joining us

for Hope Sabbath School.

When I was a little boy, I learned a song,

"This Little Light of Mine."

Yeah, you don't have to start singing,

but I'm going to let it shine.

And I realized that it's not my light,

I'm just reflecting the light of Jesus.

But I didn't understand

that that light is so powerful

it dispels the darkness.

So let Jesus shine through you

and be a blessing to those around you.

♪ theme music ♪