HSS_2023_Q2_EP01

♪ theme music ♪

(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,

an in-depth, interactive study

of the Word of God.

I'm excited today; we are beginning

a brand new series

entitled Three Cosmic Messages,

a last-day message to a hurting world

before the coming of Jesus

from the book of Revelation.

We're glad you joined us

for Hope Sabbath School.

And welcome to the team,

good to be together.

I'm sensing, I guess, a sense of destiny

in studying this series

from the book of Revelation

on the three angels' messages.

We call it Three Cosmic Messages.

So, we're glad you're here, and we've got

some remote team members joining us.

I think Shaina's joining us;

we're glad you're with us, Shaina,

joining us from New England;

we're glad you're here,

welcome to Hope Sabbath School.

We've also got Travis joining us.

Good to see you, Travis,

up there in Michigan.

And I think Adison's joining us, too,

all the way from Texas, grad school.

Good to see you, Adison, always good

to have you on our study together.

We're glad you joined us, too,

wherever you are around the world.

We always are happy to hear from you.

In fact, I'd like to appeal to you

right now to send us a message

at [e-mail],

because when we hear how God

is blessing your life,

it brings joy to our entire team

and to our media team as well

because we're all part

of this great miracle of God.

So, don't forget, [e-mail],

let us know how God's blessing your life.

Well, thank you, Muumbe,

who writes from Zambia,

and Muumbe says, "Oftentimes

when I can't really get

the meaning of the Bible,

I switch to Hope Sabbath School,

and it helps me teach at my local church."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Isn't that awesome?

"Even at my place of work

where we belong to different churches,

I deliberately raise the theme

of Hope Sabbath School for the week,

and we discuss it.

Thank you, Hope Sabbath School." Amen?

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Muumbe, thanks for writing

to us from Zambia; that's exciting.

Karen writes to us from New Zealand

and says, "I watch Hope Sabbath School

so that I can get

a better understanding of the Bible.

Such a happy, pleasant group of people

on the panel who truly love Jesus." Amen?

That's our prayer, isn't it?

That's why it's important that we smile,

and share the love of Jesus.

Here is a beautiful note from a donor

in Maryland in the United States,

and the donor writes, "Greetings

in the name of the Lord Jesus

our Savior. Amen."

(Team) Greetings.

(Derek) "I'm truly grateful

to be able to listen

to Hope Sabbath School for years.

I've written to you

twice before many years ago.

I enjoy listening to the letters

from different countries.

I am from Venezuela, South America,

but currently I'm living

in the United States.

I think you are excellent teachers."

By the way, we've got

12 teachers in this series

on the Three Cosmic Messages.

It's going to be really exciting.

"You bring out the best in the group.

I like the way that you say, 'Help me,'

helping each other to share together.

I'm also grateful for the Scripture songs.

May God bless Sister Morris,"

that's my wife, by the way,

"as she blesses others

with her Scripture songs.

I am visually impaired due to glaucoma,

so my daughter had to type this letter.

Many blessings to all of the students

around the world, to each one of you,"

and a gift of 500 dollars to bless

the ministry of Hope Sabbath School.

Thank you, you know who you are.

Thank you for your joining with us

in this life-changing ministry.

And thanks to each one of you

who partners with us.

You can go to hopetv.org/donate,

or go to our website, hopetv.org/hopess,

and you can be part

of the great miracle of God.

We really appreciate your support.

One last note, from Chris

on our Facebook page.

We've got about 180,000 followers

on our Facebook page.

I was impressed by his simple message,

"Hope Sabbath School

is such a blessing to me.

Your words of wisdom," team,

"are food for my soul."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Well, that's our prayer,

and we're just so thankful

that you can be part of our family,

global Hope Sabbath School family.

I need to tell you we have

a special gift for you,

and then we're going to sing

our new theme song for this series

on Three Cosmic Messages.

Pastor Mark Finley and Hart Books

are generously offering a digital copy

of Pastor Finley's book,

Three Cosmic Messages, as a gift

to all Hope Sabbath School members

who go to our website,

hopetv.org/hopess.

Click on the Free Gift button,

and you can receive a free digital copy.

Now, if you want, you can go

to Amazon and pay for one,

or you could order a hard copy somewhere,

but they are offering a free gift to you

as one of our Hope Sabbath School family.

Isn't that beautiful?

So, go to our website, hopetv.org/hopess,

click on the Free Gift button,

and learn how you can receive

a digital copy of a powerful book

by Pastor Mark Finley

entitled Three Cosmic Messages.

But right now, we want

to sing our theme song.

Our theme song is taken

from the book of Revelation

that we'll be studying.

It is the song of Moses and the Lamb

from Revelation 15, verses 3 and 4,

"Great and marvelous are Your works,

Lord God Almighty!"

Let's sing it together.

♪ music ♪

(Derek) And I say, "Amen."

In fact, the whole reason for this series

on Three Cosmic Messages is so that all

of our Hope Sabbath School family

and tens of thousands more

will gather and sing that song.

I don't know, it may be a different tune,

but it is the song of Moses and the Lamb

that the redeemed will sing,

"Great and marvelous are Your [ways],

Lord God Almighty!"

What a day that will be.

Today, in our introductory study

to the series on Three Cosmic Messages,

we want to look at the broad theme,

and our title, Jesus Wins - Satan Loses,

a cosmic battle in the book of Revelation.

And we may not capture all of the details,

but we see clearly

that there's a real battle

and that Jesus, Son of God,

our Savior Messiah, wins the battle,

and the redeemed will enjoy

eternity with God.

Let's pray as we begin our study.

Our Father in Heaven,

we bless Your name today.

We thank You for the revelation given

to the Apostle John

recorded, guided by the Holy Spirit,

preserved through the ages

so that we can study,

particularly the message

for this last time in Earth's history.

And I pray in the name of Jesus

that the Holy Spirit would bless

not only our team here

but our Hope Sabbath School family,

maybe some joining

for the first time today

with a life-changing word from You.

And I thank You,

in the name of Jesus. Amen.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) You know, many people wonder

what's going on in the world?

There seems to be a great battle

between good and evil,

and that's difficult for people

who have been taught

that there's no God.

But what is happening in the world,

and why is evil seeming

to become more and more rampant
in the world?

And we will find the answer

to that question in our study today,

but I don't want people to leave,

I don't want you to leave and say,

"Well, there's a lot

of evil in the world,"

I want us to leave saying,

"Jesus wins the battle."

So, let's begin in Revelation, chapter 12,

and, Rodney, would you begin

our study today in Revelation 12,

verses 7 through 9?

Now, some of you as Bible students

may have read this many times,

but imagine someone hearing it

for the first time,

a revelation given from God

about what's happening in the world.

Let's hear what the Bible says.

(Rodney) And I'm reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) Now, that makes our heads spin.

How is it possible

that there would be a war in Heaven?

By the way, the word used for war,

we get the English word polemic,

but as I looked in the New Testament,

that's used both for verbal argument

and for real conflict.

How could that happen

in a perfect environment?

Help me, someone. Yes, Harold.

(Harold) Well, the thing is

that God is love, and where there is love,

there are no strings attached.

So, you have the freedom

to choose either for love or against love.

(Derek) So, we don't know

how many angels there were,

but apparently there was a rupture

in the angelic forces

led by an angel once called Lucifer,

according to Scripture.

Now, he's referred to

as that old dragon, right,

the devil and Satan,

who leads, Revelation tells us,

about how many in that rebellion?

About a third of the angels, it tells us,

in that rebellion.

Again, how is that possible?

Maybe it's called "the mystery

of iniquity" for a reason.

But you're saying the angels

had a free choice.

Will we choose to follow God out of love,

or will we rebel against Him?

Why is it crucially important

to understand what we've just read

in terms of what's happening

in the world today? Jason?

(Jason) Well, we can get very confused

if we don't understand,

because when you see evil,

you could even think,

"Oh, maybe God caused this,"

or, "This is God's responsibility."

And we need to recognize

that God is good,

and God is not the author of evil,

is not the author of suffering.

(Derek) Anybody else, why do you think

this is such an important message? Sabina.

(Sabina) And just going along

with what Jason is sharing,

definitely we look around, and there

is so much evil happening.

And definitely a person

who goes through evil themselves

may be suffering because of a disease

or maybe they see violence

toward someone in their family,

and they may wonder

if this is caused by God.

And if there is a God out there,

why is it that God

is not stopping it from happening.

So, I think that's a good way

for us to start and consider

that God is love, and He cares about us.

(Derek) So, this Revelation

is really important, isn't it?

Now, Travis, you're joining us remotely,

why do you think this

is such an important message?

(Travis) Well, Derek, there are

two reasons for me as I read these verses

that I feel it's important.

It's important, number one,

to realize that we're in a battle

between good and evil.

And the second thing I get

from reading these verses

is that Jesus wins.

And so, I know on which side

to place my banner

because I want to stand

on the side of victory.

(Derek) Alright, thank you, Travis.

If you read the text,

where is that rebellious angel

and the angels that join him,

to where are they cast out?

(Team) The earth.

(Derek) They're cast out to the earth.

So, let's see how the battle

continues on planet Earth.

Revelation, chapter 12, Brittany,

could you read for us verses 3 and 4?

(Brittany) I'll be reading

from the New Living Translation,

Revelation, chapter 12, verses 3 and 4:

(Derek) So, who is this Child,

your translation says Baby,

who is this Child, Nancy,

that this dragon - we know

who the dragon is now,

the rebellious angel who leads

a rebellion against God -

who is he wanting to destroy

as soon as the Child is born?

(Nancy) Jesus, and I see

that the word Child, the C is capitalized,

so that gives us a clue.

(Derek) That does give us a clue,

though I'm not sure

it's that way in the original language.

But certainly those who translated it

from the Greek say, "This is

not just any child."

In fact, can someone think

of a Scripture passage

that shows that Satan

actually tried to do that? Rodney?

(Rodney) Yes, we can find that

in Matthew 2, verses 13 to 18.

(Derek) And I'm so thankful

that we have four Gospels,

because actually without Matthew's Gospel,

we wouldn't know this part

of the story of Jesus.

But Matthew records an important event,

and it very much validates

what the prophecy told in Revelation.

Would your read that for us?

(Rodney) Yes, and I'm reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) Now, as we read our Bibles,

we know that God uses people

to accomplish His work, right?

Give me the names of some people

that God used to accomplish His work.

(Team) Abraham, Mary...

(Derek) Mary, beautiful example.

(Team) Joseph, Daniel.

(Derek) Daniel, we could think of many,

but I want you to notice

that Satan, the fallen angel,

and his evil forces also use people

to try to accomplish their goals.

Who is Satan using in this story?

(Team) King Herod.

(Derek) King Herod, it's interesting,

he was very angry

when he felt he was deceived,

but he was actually the one

trying to deceive.

Remember what he said to the wise men?

"I want to come and worship Him, too."

He had no intention

of worshiping Jesus the Christ Child.

But Satan is using King Herod

just as we had read in the prophecy.

Now, the attack on Jesus

even as an infant, the attack

is not the only attack

in the life of Jesus, right?

As you scan, you've read

the gospel record, Adison, can you think

of another time when the forces

of darkness, Satan and his evil angels,

sought to destroy Jesus?

(Adison) Derek, just two chapters later

we read in Matthew, chapter 4,

about the temptations that Jesus faced

in the wilderness after His anointing,

and after His baptism.

And each time, even though He was

hungry and thirsty and tired,

He was able to overcome those temptations

with a, "Thus saith the Lord."

(Derek) I remember I was teaching

the Bible to one of my grandchildren,

and she read the text, "No, no, Satan!

It says in the Scriptures...,"

and I thought, "Wow, that's

a lesson to learn, isn't it?"

But that was a great illustration, Adison,

during what we call the temptations.

But, Harold, those weren't

the only challenges, were they?

Can you think of another time

when Satan launches

an intense attack against Jesus?

(Harold) Yeah, there was one occasion

where He was about to be stoned

because He was accused of blasphemy.

And actually there was

even another occasion where He was

about to be pushed over a cliff.

And even in Gethsemane as well,

there was lots of pressure from Satan

because he was, I mean, it was like

Him with all of the weight

of the sins of the world

and then Satan trying to dissuade Him

from going to the cross.

(Derek) So, you're listing

quite a few events,

in Nazareth where they take Him out

and want to throw Him off the cliff,

where they want to stone Him

when He says, "Before Abraham was, I AM,"

John, chapter 8. Sabina?

(Sabina) I'm also thinking of Judas.

He was a close disciple to Jesus, a person

who knew Jesus very closely and well,

and yet he was used by the devil

to not only try to deceive Jesus

but to deceive us all.

(Derek) So, that's interesting,

another example like King Herod,

of someone Satan was using

to try to accomplish his purpose. Nancy?

(Nancy) I'm thinking of the time

when Peter was, well, Jesus was

telling His disciples that He was

going to suffer and die,

and Peter didn't want to hear that.

So, he said, "No, no, no, that can't be!"

And Jesus said to Peter,

"Get thee behind Me, Satan."

So, even in that, Peter thought

he was doing something nice for Jesus

by telling Him, "No, we don't want that

to happen to You," but actually it was
Satan who was...

(Derek) Thank you

for that great illustration.

We know that Jesus

wasn't calling Peter Satan.

He was recognizing that Satan was trying

to use Peter's good intentions,

but to derail Him or to turn Him aside

from the will of God and the plan of God.

And obviously the greatest attack
happened when?

(Team) Cross.

(Derek) On the cross, that's right,

when they're mocking and saying,

"You've saved others, save Yourself,"

spitting on Him, you know.

What is Satan trying to do there?

Not just discourage Him.

(Brittany) Keep the plan of salvation
from being fulfilled.

(Derek) Keep the plan of salvation
from being fulfilled.

He would like the story to end,

"Jesus loses, Satan wins."

Now, I want to go back

to the book of Revelation, if I can,

because in verse 5

of Revelation, chapter 12,

we find also a beautiful reference

to Christ's faithfulness

in the plan of salvation.

And, Jason, I see you ready there.

How does your Bible read

in Revelation 12 and verse 5?

(Jason) The New King James Version says,

Revelation, chapter 12, verse 5:

(Derek) When did that happen, anyone?

Shaina, when was the Child

caught up to God and to His throne?

(Shaina) Well, I would think

that ultimately after the plan

of salvation was fulfilled,

and He ascended to Heaven

to be one with God.

(Derek) Absolutely, He was raised
from the dead

and ascended to Heaven.

Let's look at a couple of passages.

Remember, someone may be led

to Hope Sabbath School today,

and they've never heard this story.

But Jesus dies for our sins,

the Scripture says,

according to the Scriptures,

but He didn't stay in the grave, did He?

Lilica, could you go to Luke, chapter 24,

and read for us what Doctor Luke says.

Now, Doctor Luke was not

one of the twelve disciples, right?

He was a Christian who traveled,

a physician who traveled

with the Apostle Paul,

and the Holy Spirit impressed him

to write an account

along with Matthew and Mark and John.

How does he record Luke,

chapter 24, verses 1 to 7?

(Lilica) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) Amen. I don't know

if you could see Lilica's face,

but when she said, "He's not here,

He is risen," she smiled

because there's the victory

over the grave, not just for Jesus

but for all of us, the plan of salvation.

And that same Doctor Luke

who wrote the Gospel,

in the book of Acts also gives

a beautiful revelation.

Stephanie, if you could read

in Acts, chapter 1, and let's read

verses 9 through 11.

Here again, this is what the Revelation

is speaking about when it says

that Child was caught up to God

and to His throne.

(Stephanie) And I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) So, He's caught up to God

and to His throne.

He's even now at the right hand

of the Father ministering on our behalf,

but we want to go back

to the book of Revelation now,

because even though Satan lost

in the battle when Messiah came -

tried to kill Him as a child,

tried to kill Him

during His earthly ministry,

tried to crush Him on the cross

but was defeated,

Christ rose again and ascended

to His Father in Heaven -

Satan still continues the battle

on planet Earth, doesn't he?

Harold, could you read for us

in Revelation 12, verses 10, [11],

and the first part of verse 12,

because we want to hear a little more

about this battle and the victory

that Jesus offers us.

(Harold) Yes, and I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) By the way, if the text
ended there...

Now, I want you read on,

but if the text ended there, we'd go,

"Oh, that's awesome, rejoice," you know,

right, because victory is ours in Christ.

And by the way, if we

don't remember anything else,

let's remember, in this battle Jesus...?

(Team) Wins.

(Derek) And Satan...?

(Team) Loses.

(Derek) So, we know which side

we want to stand on.

But let's read the next little part
of verse 12.

(Harold) Okay, and it says:

(Derek) Now, I have a question.

Shaina, maybe you could help us with this.

If Satan was defeated when Christ came

and worked the plan of salvation,

why is he still fighting?

What do you think?

(Shaina) He's delusional.

He probably still has some idea

that he can still win.

We see in another part of Revelation

that once Christ does come

and redeem His people,

that he's still trying to fight.

He's still trying to overtake the city

that Christ and all

His inhabitants are with.

And so, the devil, I don't know,

he has this perception that he's

still powerful enough to win.

And because he's tempted so many people

who have chosen the losing side,

he thinks he has the power,

but he's still a loser.

(Derek) I think that's a good point.

He may think he wins,

and there may be another reason,

and I see several hands raised.

Brittany, Shaina, what do you think?

(Brittany) Well, there is this battle

that's still playing out, and we still,

as human beings, get to choose

which side we're going to be on.

So, he's trying to get as many people

as possible to fall for his deceptions

and follow him because he knows

that that hurts God.

That hurts God's heart.

(Derek) So, maybe delusionally thinks
he might win,

but even if he's going to lose,

he wants to hurt the heart of God? Sabina?

(Sabina) Very much that's what I had

in my heart also to share,

that up until now,

even though he is defeated, Jesus has won,

the plan of salvation is available

for us all to be winners with Christ,

but still we have the decision to make.

And Satan has the plan of taking

as many people as he can to death,

to the end of this journey without Jesus.

(Derek) I see a couple of hands raised

from our remotes, too.

Travis, you see that.

You know, you're involved

in ministry and sharing.

You see that battle;

Satan has definitely not just said,

"Well, Jesus won, I lost."

(Travis) Derek, if you would allow,

I'd like to read kind of a parent verse
to this question.

(Derek) Okay...

(Travis) Or verses, it's found in John,
chapter 12:31,32.

(Derek) Alright, give us

a moment to find that,

John, chapter 12, verses 31 and 32?

(Travis) Yes, and I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) Alright, why do you think

that's important in terms

of explaining that the battle continues?

(Travis) In the context of the cross,

the accusations against God

are cast out because Jesus wins

the battle on the cross.

And now the world can make a decision

either for evil, for Satan,

or for Jesus and victory.

(Derek) Alright, so the battle lines
are drawn.

I want to go to one more text,

and, Adison, if you could read that for us

in 1 Peter, chapter 5, verse 8.

Then I want to ask you, in fact, I'd like

to ask our Hope Sabbath School team

around the world, how you are seeing,

where you live, the battle intensifying

as we come towards the end
of Earth's history.

But, Adison, read for us if you will,

1 Peter 5 and verse 8.

(Adison) And I'm reading

from the King James Version,

1 Peter 5, verse 8; it says:

(Derek) Alright, roaring lion,

what's the key word there?

How about the word "devour"?

What does devour, what comes

with the idea of devour?

(Team) Death.

(Derek) Yeah, he's out to kill you, right,

not to bite you; he's out to destroy you.

And I think, Brittany,

you're right on target, if all he could do

is hurt the heart of God,

that would be enough.

But maybe Shaina's right,

maybe still there is some kind of delusion

that he can get the majority,

and he can win this battle. Rodney?

(Rodney) The other interesting word

there, Derek, is "seeking."

So, he's not just casually looking; he's

really, really having a maniacal focus,

very intentional, very deliberate,

in trying to persuade us

to go against God.

(Derek) So, maybe someone's joining us

for Hope Sabbath School today,

and they're saying, "I feel like

I am under that attack."

"I feel like the lion, the devil,

the roaring lion, is closing in on me."

That person needs to know,

you need to know, that in the story,

if you trust Jesus, Jesus wins,

and Satan loses. Amen?

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) That's crucially important.

Now, I want to come back to a verse

that actually Harold read

a little bit ahead on verse 11.

I want to go back there.

Nancy, if you could read it for us again.

Maybe, Harold, we needed

to read it twice, right?

Because in the midst of, "Woe

to the earth; Satan's come down.

He knows his time is short,"

embedded in the middle of that

in verse 11 is a word of hope, Nancy.

(Nancy) Revelation 12 and verse 11,
and I'm reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) So, they did what?

(Team) Overcame.

(Derek) Somebody say, "Amen."

Someone say, "Hallelujah!"

Yeah, that's the message

of the book of Revelation,

that when we trust in Christ,

we can overcome the kingdom

of darkness, right?

Christ has already gained that victory.

We're identifying with His victory.

Now, what were those three elements there?

They overcame by...?

What was the first one?

(Derek, Team) The blood of the Lamb.

(Derek) Someone tell me,

what does that mean, to overcome

by the blood of the Lamb"? Yes, Brittany.

(Brittany) Well, Jesus' sacrifice.

He shed His blood for us

so that we can be forgiven and cleansed

and given eternal life.

So, because He died, He took our place.

He was our substitute, and now we have

access to eternal life through Him.

So, the blood of the Lamb means

that I'm claiming and accepting

Jesus' sacrifice for me personally

and accepting that He died for me.

And believing that He

did that for me, I can overcome.

(Derek) Maybe someone

will make that decision today,

that they will stand

under the banner of Jesus, right?

That's what it means, isn't it,

to overcome by the blood of the...

I stand in the victory that Jesus

has already accomplished

over the enemy. Stephanie.

(Stephanie) And I would just take that

one step further and declare it to Satan

when that battle is rough.

(Derek) I remember someone saying,

"Get behind me, Satan,

I belong to Jesus," right?

So, they overcame by the blood

of the Lamb; that's so important.

"Get behind me, Satan; I belong to Jesus."

Now, the worst thing Satan

could do, I suppose,

would be to destroy you, to kill you.

And we know many godly people

in different situations, right,

they suffer attack, martyrs.

But Satan can't take away

their eternal life in God

because they are standing

under the banner of Jesus.

So, they overcame by the blood
of the Lamb.

Nancy, what was the second part?

(Nancy) And the testimony of Jesus.

(Derek) Uh, I think it's...

(Team) "The word of..."

(Derek) "The word

of their testimony," right?

Does anybody want to help me with that?

"The word of their testimony,"
yes, Sabina?

(Sabina) I think that's

where the choice part of it goes

that we were discussing here.

That it's the part of your life

in which you need to demonstrate

by your living faithfully to Jesus

with the help of the Holy Spirit,

that you really belong to Jesus

as you are claiming.

(Derek) And, Brittany,

kind of alluded to that, didn't she,

but I think it's good to say it again.

Jesus is not only the Savior of the world,

He's my Savior, right, my testimony.

Stephanie, you said, "I declare."

Doesn't it say in the Scripture, "Everyone

who calls on the name of the Lord..."?

(Team) "...shall be saved."

(Derek) "...shall be saved."

so, I declare my testimony that I

have decided to follow Jesus. Brittany?

(Brittany) And I think it's important

to remember when we share our testimony,

it impacts others, and then they, too,

can choose to belong to Jesus as well.

So, not only does sharing our testimony

have power in our lives,

it actually impacts those around us

to say, "Wow, if God can do that for you,

He can do that for me, too."

(Derek) So, here we are,

Christ has accomplished the victory.

He's ascended to the right hand
of the Father.

We know from Revelation

He's going to come back in glory

as He promised in John 14:1-3,

and He's going to receive us

to Himself, right?

But between now and then,

there's a war going on.

Let's go back to Revelation, chapter 12.

Shaina, if you could read for us

from Revelation 12, verse 6

and verses 14 to 16,

it talks about a woman in the wilderness.

(Shaina) Sure, and I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

And verses 14 through 16:

(Derek) There is so much

in those few verses, isn't there?

Who is the woman that the dragon

is now attacking? Yes, Rodney.

(Rodney) Clearly this is symbolic language

because we don't have a physical woman

with two wings living,

so it's symbolic language.

And we see in several places in the Bible

where the woman is synonymous

to the church, God's people.

The pure woman, yes.

There are several places in the Gospel,

in Ephesians, 2 Corinthians.

And here it is, we see a depiction

of God's people, His church,

given the opportunity to seek refuge

as there was persecution that was

going on at the time.

And so, God preserved His people.

(Derek) So, there's something
very shocking.

Travis, help us with this.

There's something very shocking,

because remember we said

that Satan can use people, right,

like King Herod, and Judas was mentioned.

But actually, actually during this time,

this 1260 years, Satan actually uses

a religious power to fight

against the saints of the Most High.

Where is that found in the Scriptures

other than in Revelation, do you remember?

(Travis) Well, I think of Revelation 14,

but I also think in Daniel, in Daniel...

(Derek) Chapter 7?

(Travis) Chapter 7, yeah, 21

and 25, I believe.

(Derek) Would you read that
for us, Travis?

Because, by the way, how many years

before the writing

of the book of Revelation

did the prophet Daniel

record his testimony? Anybody?

It's about 600 years approximately, right,

from the writing of Revelation

back to the writing of Daniel,

but what did Daniel prophesy would happen

during those 1260 years, Travis?

(Travis) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

Daniel, chapter 7:21,25:

Verse 25:

(Derek) So, what power did

the dragon use to persecute

the faithful church

during that time period?

You say, "It was

the organized Christian Church,

which was based in Rome."

How could the enemy convince

a religious organization

that professed to be following Jesus

to persecute the faithful followers
of Jesus?

How could that possibly happen? Brittany?

(Brittany) Well, it happened

at the time of Christ.

The Jews, who were professing

to have the truth about God were the ones

that actually caused Jesus to...

They were part of the process

in having Him crucified, you know.

So, Satan's doing the same thing

in different time periods,

trying to use a religious group

to turn against God and deceive them

and making people confused.

(Derek) Alright. This is deep, isn't it?

But I want you to remember

that during the time of Jesus,

while Jewish religious leaders

sought to put Christ to death,

there were faithful Jews, right?

Nicodemus and Mary and Martha

and Lazarus; there were lots.

And during these Dark Ages,

as it's described, there were

faithful followers of Jesus, too. Jason?

(Jason) So, a religious group

is still made up of humans,

and as humans, we can make mistakes,

and we have tendencies to desire power

and even to use force.

And so, sadly, religious leaders

throughout history have used

power and force and abused the good things

that God has given us.

(Derek) Alright. I'm going to go

to Shaina, one of our remote team members.

Shaina, this is

kind of a startling message

that a religious power -

the little horn power is identified

as a religious power - would fight

against the faithful saints

of the Most High.

(Shaina) So, the devil convinced

that religious power of so much error

that they believed that it was truth

and wanted everybody

to be following after that error.

And if you weren't

in compliance with that,

they persecuted those people.

They put them to death

because they were wrong.

And as Brittany mentioned,

those were the same ideas

that were being promoted in Jesus' day,

and as prophecy tells us

will be the same things that will happen

in the future to the people

who are standing for God's truth.

(Derek) So, you know, some people

hear this and say, "Wait a minute.

That's just so hard for me to understand."

But there were faithful people

who were put to death trying to reform

that religious system

that had gone astray. Rodney?

(Rodney) I just also wanted to point out

that, as Shaina indicated, in Jesus' time,

the Jews partnered with the Romans,
so the state.

In the Dark Ages, the Middle Ages,

the same thing, partnering with the state,

the religious entity.

And so it is going to be in the last days

where there is going

to be a religiopolitical environment
created,

that will persecute the saints of God.

(Derek) So, a careful study

of the book of Revelation and Daniel

will identify this 1260 years.

From that time, the political power

is given to the organized Christian Church
in Rome

to the time when the leader of the Church

is taken captive in 1798, right,

and appears, at least,

to lose all political power,

though that deadly wound

is going to be healed,

according to the prophecy.

Is Satan still using

religious institutions to persecute

the faithful people of God?

Travis, you have your hand raised.

(Travis) Derek, you know

I'm so thankful for the book of Revelation

because in the book of Revelation,

chapters 2 and 3, we're given

a history of the churches.

And this church in the period

we're talking about is found

in the church of Thyatira,

and I think in Revelation 2:21

it talks about this church, and it says

that God gave her time to repent,

but she did not, which means the Church

is continuing in the same manner

as it did even back then.

So, it just adds to what we've
been discussing,

that unfortunately sometimes Satan,

well, he does use people

to try to deceive even the world.

(Derek) Jason.

(Jason) Religious persecution

exists across the world.

In fact, there are

probably Hope Sabbath School members

watching who live in places

where they could potentially be persecuted

or restricted for their beliefs.

(Derek) So, he can use

a lot of different agencies.

We had the organized Christian Church

during the Dark Ages.

We get the history of all of those people

who were martyred, right?

But you're saying it can happen.

Satan will use any organization

that is willing to be used

to accomplish his ends,

and the battle intensifies.

Well, back to Daniel, chapter 7,

there was a little bit

of encouragement in verse 25.

I'm wondering, Adison,

if you could read that again for us

because I don't want us

to leave depressed.

I want us to go and say, "Wow, hallelujah,

I've chosen Jesus as my Savior

and in this great battle," help me now,

"Jesus Wins and Satan..."?

(Derek, Team) "...Loses."

(Derek) What encouragement, Adison,

do you see in Daniel 7, verse 25?

(Adison) And I'll be reading this verse

from the King James Version.

Verse 25, it says:

(Derek) Alright, maybe I'm wanting

the next verse after that.

Where does it say

that they're going to overcome?

Daniel, chapter 7, help me, someone.

(Harold) 27.

(Derek) Oh, it's verse...Is it 26 and 27?

(Harold) Because it says here...

(Derek) Hold on just a minute, Harold.

I need you to read that for me.

What verse is it that we need to read

that shows the end of the story?

(Harold) 26 and 27.

(Derek) Alright, Daniel 7,

verses 26 and 27, this is

an interactive study, right?

So, you're helping fill in

this important piece.

How does that read in your Bible?

(Harold) so, I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,
and it says:

(Derek) So, that's the end of the story.

Jesus and His people...?

(Team) Win.

(Derek) They win because we choose

to stand with Him.

Well, I want to ask

a personal, a practical question,

and you're joining us

for Hope Sabbath School,

maybe you can respond;

write to us: [e-mail].

How do you see the battle intensifying

in your own life?

Here we are, this last-day message
is going out.

We're going to study

about the Three Cosmic Messages
in this series.

How do you see, as you look around,

the battle between good and evil

intensifying? Yes, Adison.

(Adison) I feel like just with the amount

of work and the time it takes,

while it is fulfilling, I find myself

sometimes almost feeling neglectful

of certain components

of my spiritual journey.

The wheels are turning,

but I'm finding at times

moments of challenge to get

that quality time with God

that I've had previously.

And so, it's a continual battle,

but it is 2023; Jesus

is coming very soon,

and I just need to continue prayer

and need to continue to press on

and keep my eyes fixed on Jesus,

because the battle is real sometimes.

(Derek) Thank you

for that honest sharing, Adison.

There's someone else in grad school

or an undergrad or working

in a busy profession who says,

"That's how I feel, Adison," right?

And the battle, Satan will try

to distract us any way he can. Jason?

(Jason) And building off what Adison said,

even those of us who may have

a good amount of time

that do have studying,

we can still get exhausted and overwhelmed

just by what's going on in life,

whether it's in work or in our families.

And me personally, this is

kind of my situation.

I have to be careful, because I can

easily get exhausted

even from doing good things, and the devil

likes to use that exhaustion,

and he can be very tempting

with that exhaustion.

(Derek) We talked when we were reading

about this little horn power

seeking to change times and laws.

I want to look

at the identifying characteristics

of God's end-time people.

Revelation 12:17, we've been looking

at Revelation 12 in our study

as we're beginning this series

on the Three Cosmic Messages,

and I want to ask Lilica,

you're on your way there, aren't you,

to Revelation 12 and verse 17,

what are the identifying characteristics

of God's faithful people in the end time?

(Lilica) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) So, he's angry

with the Church, right?

The dragon is Satan;

the woman is the Church.

And the rest or remnant,

I'm not a seamstress or a tailor,

but I know a remnant

is the last part, right?

So, this is the last part,

we're in the end time,

and he's fighting, why?

Because he knows what?

(Derek, Team) His time is short.

(Derek) And actually maybe, Shaina,

even though he's a bit delusional,

maybe he really does know that he's lost,

but he's trying to hurt

as many people as possible.

But the remnant are keeping

the commandments of God

and the faith of Jesus.

What commandments does the enemy

particularly want us to transgress?

Or, does it not matter,

just whichever one?

What do you think, Stephanie?

(Stephanie) I think as long as we're

not in alignment with God,

he's happy with that.

(Derek) Yes. As you think

about the temptations in the wilderness,

someone mentioned those three great tests,

what commandment was he wanting Jesus

to break in that time, Rodney?

(Rodney) He wanted Jesus to worship him.

(Derek) Yeah, first commandment.

(Rodney) I couldn't agree more

with Stephanie, which is,

if he gets us to break any one of them,

the Word says that if you break one,

you break them all,

but in particular he wants worship.

And he wants us to not see Jesus

as the Creator, and the Creator

deserves our worship and praise.

So, if he can help us to...

The fourth commandment that talks

specifically about God being the Creator,

that's what he's honing in on.

(Derek) So, yeah, the first commandment,

which is "no other god,"

so don't worship anyone, right,

except the one true God.

And the special sign of His creative power

is the Sabbath, and so the Lord

says, "Remember it."

And Satan says, "Forget it," right?

But maybe he doesn't mind

if you become an adulterer or a murderer

or an extortioner; he just wants you

to step out of God's plan

for your life. Lilica?

(Lilica) I will also agree with them,

but specifically the fourth commandment

you have mentioned.

I think all of the commandments,

when we break them,

we are worshiping something

that is not the real God.

But the fourth commandment here

is the one that is really being attacked.

(Derek) "Fear God and give glory to Him,"

this is one of the messages, right?

"Worship Him who made

the heavens and the earth,"
it's a worship.

We're out of time,

but it's the commandments of God

and the testimony of Jesus.

What's that? Anybody?

They "keep the commandments of God

and have the testimony of Jesus."

Jason, what's the testimony of Jesus?

(Jason) Well, that can be our own story

of what Jesus has done

in our lives, proclaiming it.

(Derek) Alright. Anybody else,

the testimony of Jesus. Adison?

(Adison) I see this as the experience,

our own personal experience

that we're having with Jesus

as day by day we're choosing

the winning side, we're having

an experience with God.

And it's a work in progress

like I shared earlier.

It's a work in progress,

and there's growth,

but it is an experience with Jesus.

(Derek) So, we're out of time,

but we're starting a series

on Three Cosmic Messages.

But maybe your life is the testimony

that Jesus is your Lord and Savior

and your soon-coming King.

Maybe your life, freedom from fear

in the midst of all of this evil and chaos

because you have chosen

to accept Jesus as your Savior.

You can overcome by the blood of the Lamb,

the word of your testimony.

And, yes, you don't even love your life

that you would shrink from death

as long as you're dying

in faithfulness to Jesus.

My friend, this series

is going to be so important.

I want to invite you to stay with us.

Don't forget that free resource.

Go to our website, hopetv.org/hopess.

But I'm going to pray that God

would firmly plant in your heart

that you want to stand with Jesus

the Victor in this Great Controversy.

Father in Heaven, thank You,

as we begin this series

on Three Cosmic Messages,

that we can choose

not only to know that Jesus wins,

but to stand with Jesus in His victory.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Thanks for joining us

on this first episode of our series,

Three Cosmic Messages.

It's going to be such a blessing,

and I pray that you

would trust Jesus today

as your Savior, as your Victor,

and then go out and be a blessing

to those around you.

♪ theme music ♪