HSS2402006

♪ theme music ♪

(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,

an in-depth, interactive study

of the Word of God.

We are in the middle of an amazing series

on The Cosmic Conflict,

the great battle between good and evil.

It started in Heaven,

impacting planet Earth

down through the centuries

and how it will conclude

with the glorious climax

of the return of Jesus.

Jesus wins, that's the end

of the great conflict.

If you've missed any

in this series, friend,

go to our website, hopetv.org/hopess.

You can watch the entire series.

You can go to our YouTube channel,

Hope Sabbath School YouTube channel,

join 100,000 other people

getting access to the Word of God.

This may be the most important
Bible study series.

And we're just so glad

you're with us today as we continue

to study an important topic,

The Two Witnesses.

You say, "Who are they?"

Well, stay tuned, you'll find out.

Welcome to our team,

good to be together.

Are you learning some things

in this series?

And we've heard some powerful testimonies
as well.

We've got some remote team members
with us.

Heide, great to have you back,

always good to have you with us.

Zaria, good to have you with us again.

And Travis, good to have you with us.

You know, people write to me,

and they say, "We love the remotes

that come in," because we can bring people

that maybe couldn't be

right here in the studio.

And every once in a while, like Rodney,

who is one of our faithful remotes,

they actually make the big trip,

and they come into the studio.

And it's great to see them, too.

It's also wonderful to hear from you,

our Hope Sabbath School members

around the world.

We're just really thankful

for each one of you.

And when you write to us,

it brings great joy to our hearts.

And we share these emails

so that you can be encouraged, too.

So Lorelai, thanks for writing to us

from the beautiful island of Trinidad,

I guess Trinidad

and Tobago together, "Greetings

to my lovely Hope Sabbath School team."

(Team) Greetings.

(Derek) "Thank you

for allowing me to join," you see,

she's not a passive observer, is she?

She's joining the in-depth,
interactive study.

"The studies," she writes,

"are so fruitful.

May God continue

to favor your platform daily.

Waiting to study it with you all again."

Well, Lorelai, we hope you're here today

as we're studying an important topic

from the Scriptures, The Two Witnesses.

Here's a note; I had

to look up "Munyaradzi"

from the University of Cape Town.

I thought, I wonder

what Munyaradzi means, and it means

"Comforter" in the Shona language.

What a great name

to name someone, "Comforter."

And Munya (shortened), Munya writes

and says, "This email

has been long overdue.

I found my way to Hope Sabbath School

during the hard lockdown period in 2020.

It quickly became

my Sabbath worship at home.

I appreciated, and still do,

the diverse perspectives from team members

and their willingness to testify

about God's working in their lives."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) "Now the pandemic is over,

I still try to make time

to check out Hope Sabbath School

and share with people

when opportunities avail themselves.

We thank God for your ministry,"
Munya writes.

"May He continue to add His blessing

to each of your lives."

What a beautiful note.

Thank you, Munyaradzi (Comforter),

from South Africa.

Here's a hand-written note,

and this is from a donor in New York.

Now, sometimes people around the world,

when you say New York, they assume

it's New York City, but it may not be.

It may be another city in New York State.

But the donor writes and says, "Blessings

to everyone participating on Hope Channel.

It's been a blessing to me

to attend Hope Sabbath School and get

each person's ideas and experiences."

And then the person quotes, "'The signs

that show His coming near,

are fast fulfilling, year by year.'

Let's continue to pray

for each other," the donor writes.

"Be faithful until Jesus comes

to take us home," and we say?

(Team) Amen!

(Derek) And the donor sent a gift

of 200 dollars to bless

the global ministry, and you know

we're donor-supported,

so you're part of the ministry.

You know if you wrote this note,

but to each one of you, I want

to say thank you because you're part

of the great miracle.

You can go to hopetv.org/hopess,

click on the Donate button,

and we say, "Hallelujah."

Thank you for your support.

Well, one last note, from Gloria,

Gloria on our YouTube channel.

You know, we passed 100,000 subscribers

on our YouTube channel.

And I was talking to a colleague;

he said, "The next place is a million."

I said, "Hallelujah!"

Gloria writes on our YouTube channel,

and she says, "Praise our heavenly Father

for encouraging us through His Word."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) "We're truly blessed daily,

and it's a joy to trust

in God's precious promises

through His Word."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Gloria concludes, "And I love

the Scripture songs and look forward

to singing along with the team."

Well, we're going to ask you to do that

here in just a moment.

I think I missed one, didn't I?

No, I think I've got everybody.

Well, I just want to say, Gloria,

we need you to sing with us

right after I tell you

about that valuable resource

we're offering in this series

on The Cosmic Conflict.

It's the book The Great Controversy.

God's used it to impact many lives.

What I'm excited about, because we

talked about the Bible being

in a language you can understand

but even valuable study resources,

if they're in a language

you don't understand...

But this book is available

in more than 100 languages.

All you need to do is go

to our website, hopetv.org/hopess,

click on the Free Resource tab,

and you can choose the language

that's best for you.

Or, you say, "I have a friend,

and she speaks," you give me the language,

"Finnish," or, "she speaks Norwegian,

and I'd like to provide it

in the language for her or for him.

You can choose the language there.

It's a book that will be a blessing.

It's a free resource to you.

Just go to our website.

But right now, Gloria, you said

you liked the songs, we need you

to sing with us our theme song,

Isaiah, chapter 55:6,7.

It's one that's precious to my heart

and, I pray, to you, "Seek the Lord

while He may be found."

Let's sing together.

♪ music ♪

(Derek) I'm here and I'm

hearing you sing, and I know we

never thought we'd sing on television

all around the world,

because most of us aren't vocalists.

A few of you have beautiful voices.

I won't name which ones.

But it's great to see

our remotes singing, too.

They're in different parts of the country

joining us, and it's great

to have you, Gloria, and the rest

of our Hope Sabbath School family

singing, to "Seek the Lord

while He may be found."

This cosmic conflict is almost over,

and it's time to seek the Lord.

Let's pray together.

Father in Heaven, as we study

about the two witnesses today,

I pray that light would dawn,

that we would understand

not only who the two witnesses are

but what the message is that they bring.

And I pray that You would guide us

even as we testify.

May hearts be blessed

because of Your presence.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Well, we're going to Revelation,

chapter 11, beginning with verse 3.

Revelation, chapter 11, John, I'm going

to ask you to start our study today.

I have to tell you, I had

to really study this.

There's not everything in Scripture

that's easy to understand,

and I'm still learning, too.

And we learned in a previous study

that the Bible is accessible, though.

That's why the Reformers said,

"We need it in the language

people can understand."

But we also need the help of...?

(Derek, Team) The Holy Spirit...

(Derek) ...Jesus said will

guide us into all truth.

So, we pray Holy Spirit to guide us,

John, as you read Revelation,

chapter 11, verses 3 to 6.

(John) Revelation, chapter 11,
verses 3 to 6,

in the English Standard Version reads:

(Derek) So, here is some symbolism,

but without even trying to identify

who the two witnesses are,

what can we learn about the two witnesses

from this passage?

What are some things

that Scriptures tell us?

We're praying as we're reading.
Yes, Sabina.

(Sabina) It says here in verse 3

that they will be given power,

so there's power in those witnesses.

(Derek) Okay, they're given power.

Another key word comes right after power;

in fact, before it, too,

about these witnesses. Geoffrey?

(Geoffrey) Prophesy.

(Derek) They're going to prophesy.

Are there false prophets

and true prophets?

There certainly are; Jesus said some

will say, "We prophesied in Your name."

John, that's in Matthew 7, isn't it?

And Jesus says, "I never knew you," okay?

But these are not false prophets.

How do I know that?

Back to the text, yes, Nancy.

(Nancy) It says, "I will give power."

(Derek) And...? "I will give power to..."?

(Nancy) "...my two witnesses."

(Derek) To what?

(Derek, Team) "My."

(Derek) "My witnesses," okay.

So, they have power, they prophesy,

the Lord gives them power,

and they're His witnesses.

Are we here so far? Pedro?

(Pedro) I see there's a curse

against those who come against

these two witnesses here.

(Derek) So they're not only His witnesses,

but He will guard them?

And we're going to discover

some bad things can happen

to the two witnesses.

But the Lord says, "I'll be with them.

My blessing is over them, and those

who oppose them will fall," right?

Well, you say, "Well, I don't know.

I still don't know who they are." Jason?

(Jason) As I glance at verse 6,

it kind of brings references

to two prophets that we know about,

Elijah and Moses.

(Derek) Yes, it does;

it's clearly related to the Bible.

And in fact, if you can hold

that thought for just a moment,

some people will name them

based on what you read in verse 6,

but we'll come to that in just a moment.

Let's go to another passage, because it

speaks about they are also called

two olive trees and two lampstands.

Let's go back to Zechariah the prophet.

Gladys, do you have Zechariah?

Chapter 4, verses 1 through 6,

speaks here about two olive trees,

which is referenced in the passage

in Revelation 11.

We're in Zechariah 4

beginning with verse 1.

(Gladys) I'm reading

from the New International Version,

Zechariah, chapter 4, verses 1 through 6:

(Derek) So, we've got two witnesses.

When you think "witness," you think?

Prophesy, right, Geoffrey? Prophesy.

When you think "lampstand," you think?

(Team) Light.

(Derek) Light.

When you think "olive trees"...?

(Team) Olive oil.

(Derek) You think of oil.

When you heard about these lamps

in Zechariah, did it remind you

of anything else in Scripture?

(Gladys) The sanctuary.

(Derek) Sanctuary, right,

the seven-branched lampstand.

And from our study of the sanctuary,

that lamp burns with oil, olive oil.

You say, "Okay, there's some connection."

And what does that light represent?

Well, that's a complicated question.

We know what the oil represents.

(Team) Holy Spirit.

(Derek) The Holy Spirit.

What about the light? Yes, Puia.

(Puia) Well, Jesus Himself said,

"I am the light," the light of the world.

(Derek) By the way, you say, "I thought,

'the Bible is a lamp to our feet

and a light to our path.'"

And Jesus said, "These are they
that testify..."?

(Derek, Team) "...of Me."

(Derek) So, we learn about the light

of the world by coming

to the light of God's Word.

There may be a clue there

regarding these two witnesses.

Let's look at one other passage

in Psalm 119; we actually read this

in a previous study.

And Heide, if you could take us

to Psalm 119; maybe someone's joining us

for this study that missed a previous one.

We discovered Psalm 119

is all about the Word of God, isn't it,

including hiding it in our hearts

and including it being a lamp to our feet

and a light to our path.

But Heide, could you read

the first five verses

of this ancient Scripture song?

(Heide) Absolutely, and I will be reading

from the New King James Version;
it says:

(Derek) And could you, while you're

still there, Heide, read verse 130,

one hundred and thirty?

It's the longest psalm in the book
of Psalms.

This is really important.

(Derek) The importance of the Word,

"The entrance of Your words bring," what?

(Team) Light.

(Derek) Light; it brings...?

(Team) Understanding.

(Derek) "...understanding to the simple."

I'm like, "Thank You, God." That's me!

But the Word brings light.

Well, just thinking about that,

we now ask the question,

who are these two witnesses?

And there are several interpretations

that have been given.

Some people mentioned, well,

we've got bringing fire down

and turning blood, maybe they are

Elijah and Moses; maybe they

are the two witnesses.

Other people say, no, Elijah and Enoch,

maybe they're the two witnesses.

Some people say, no, they are two leaders

who will come in the future, real people.

Some say they are going to come

from the leadership of our church,

not the church that you belong to,

but a group would say, "From our group

these two witnesses will arise."

So the question is, are these

real individuals, or are they a voice?

I want to propose to you today

that those two witnesses

that "testify of Me," what did Jesus say?

Travis, "These are they that testify..."?

(Travis) "...of Me," yeah, "These are they

that testify of Me."

Derek, I wanted to just mention

that there is a time prophecy attached,

1,260 years, so Elijah didn't

live for 1,260 years.

I mean, so this isn't just attached

to some human being.

And I would like to say, actually the Word

of God has always been,

I believe this is the Word of God,

and it didn't just exist for 1,260 years,

it existed before,

and it's still existing today.

But in Revelation, chapter 11,

it's talking about something that happened

to the Word of God

over that period of time,

because the Word of God

has always been and always will be.

(Derek) So those two witnesses,

we might consider then what we call

the Old Testament or the Hebrew Scriptures

and the New Testament.

And we're going to look,

thank you, Travis, for reminding us.

We're going to go back

to that time prophecy when these witnesses

are dressed in sackcloth.

What did that mean?

And then that they're actually going

to be killed, and then they're

going to be raised to life again,

that it's not talking about individuals,

but it's talking about the Word
of God. John?

(John) The verse in John,
Chapter 5 and verse 39,

in the English Standard...

(Derek) Would you like to read it?

I think I kind of paraphrased it,

didn't I, but let's go there, John,

chapter 5, and verse 39.

(John) John, chapter 5, verse 39,

in the English Standard Version reads:

(Derek) Ah, so you have

the word "witness."

My Bible I think said "testify."

So you're right there; they bear witness.

So these witnesses, we're going to go

on now to the timeframe

because apparently during 1,260
prophetic days

they're dressed in sackcloth.

What's that all about? Puia?

(Puia) Before I answer that, I just want

to comment on the idea

that these two witnesses

could be the Old Testament

and the New Testament, and it makes sense

because they do testify about the Person

that the Scripture wants to bring us to,

that is Jesus Himself.

In a sense, from Genesis to Malachi,

the Hebrew Scriptures point forward

to a Savior or a Messiah who is coming.

And if we look at the New Testament

from Matthew to Revelation,

it's the account of the Messiah
who came, so...

(Derek) And who's coming back again
in glory, right?

(Puia) So it makes sense

that both the Old Testament

and the New Testament witness

for that Person, where Jesus says,

"I am the One that the Scriptures

are talking about."

(Derek) I'm going to ask Zaria

to read for us a passage

in Luke, chapter 24.

Some people (and your point

is well taken, Puia) say, "Well, you know,

I follow the New Testament;

I'm a New Testament Christian.

I don't follow the Old Testament

or the Hebrew Scriptures."

But, John, you just read that Jesus said,

"Those testify of Me," right?

So, they are also a valuable witness.

I'm going to ask Zaria to read for us

from Luke 24, verses 25 to 27,

which, when Jesus was sharing

about Scripture, the only Scriptures

He had available were

the Hebrew Scriptures, right?

As Puia pointed out,

the New Testament Scriptures are written

as a testimony about Jesus

and the early church, right?

Zaria, read for us, if you would,

from Luke 24, verses 25 to 27.

(Zaria) Yes, and I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

verses 25 through 27:

(Derek) Moses, Pentateuch,

all of the prophets, later He meets

in the upper room,

and it says "and the Psalms."

In other words, He covered everything

in the sacred Scriptures

they had at that time.

And He showed that they were

a witness about Him.

Now, there's one other text,

and, Pedro, if you could turn

to 2 Timothy for us,

because I think this now is a testimony

in the New Testament, 2 Timothy 3,

verses 16 and 17, actually writing

to Timothy who's been taught

the Scriptures from childhood.

But I want you to notice

how it begins there in verses 16

and 17 of 2 Timothy.

(Pedro) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

2 Timothy 3:16,17:

(Derek) How much Scripture is given
by inspiration of God?

(Team) All.

(Derek) And Peter says holy men of God

spake as they were moved

by the Holy Spirit, right?

Well, let's go now, Travis,

you alluded to a time period,

and, Nancy, if you could read again,

we read it, but let's read it again

in Revelation 11 and verse 3.

What is the time period

that is referred to?

Revelation 11 and verse 3.

(Nancy) I'm reading

from the New King James Version,
and it reads:

(Derek) One thousand two hundred
and sixty days,

how long is that?

Well, if it's literal days,

it's about what?

Three years or so?

A little over three years?

But if it's speaking

about prophetic time...

Let's look at another passage, Puia,

in Revelation 12, verses 5 and 6.

(Puia) Revelation 12, verses 5 and 6,

and I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) And then one more,

if you could stay in that passage for us

and go to verses 14 and 15

of Revelation 12.

(Puia) Verses 14 and 15 read:

(Derek) So what is this describing?

This period of time, when does it happen?

Maybe we need to go back to Daniel,

chapter 7 and verse 25.

Travis, could you read that for us?

Daniel helps us to understand

the prophecy in Revelation.

Daniel 7 and verse 25, this is not

just a few years.

This is a fairly lengthy period of time

that the church is being

harassed and persecuted.

and by the way, whoever is persecuting,

behind that persecution is...?

(Derek, Team) Satan.

(Derek) Yeah, this cosmic conflict, right,

trying to destroy the Christ Child

as soon as He's born, making war

against the saints of the Most High.

Travis, how does Daniel 7:25 read?

(Travis) And I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) The "time, times and half a time"

and the "42 months"

and the "1,260 days" are the same.

It's 1,260 years of time,

during that time of papal domination,

which began in the year 538

when civil power was given

to the bishop of Rome

as well as religious authority

which he already claimed.

And that goes to 1798.

What happened in 1798 -

in fact, in that time period,

because it's during that time period

the witnesses will also be killed?

What happened in 1798, Puia?

(Puia) Around that time was

the French Revolution

under the leadership of Napoleon.

He sent his general to go to Rome

and take over the leadership at Rome,

including the church and the state.

And so with that, the power

of the papal authority was taken away.

So with that, you could see

the prophecy being fulfilled

about 1,260 years (during that time

when the Dark Ages was happening).

(Derek) Now, the Bible was still available

during that time, wasn't it?

In fact, the Reformation

was already underway.

What does it mean that during that time

they were testifying in sackcloth?

Anybody, what do you think? Nancy?

(Nancy) Well, it wasn't easy.

For example, I think of the Waldenses

and how they would share Scripture

by sewing it into their clothing,

and they would share Scriptures

that brought light to those

who were in darkness

because the church had kept

the Scriptures locked away

and untranslated, unavailable.

And so it had just started

to become translated at that time.

(Derek) So you're saying

while the Scriptures were in existence,

they weren't readily available.

And maybe they weren't valued.

Pedro, what's implied

by wearing sackcloth?

(Pedro) What I see here is

a mourning process because it's

not easily accessible to people.

There was a perspective that the clergy

has the knowledge of the Word,

and if you need to have access

to the Word, you need to come

to a man, not to God.

(Derek) Even to ask for sins
to be forgiven.

(Pedro) Yes.

(Derek) Whereas, the Scripture said we

can pray, "Our Father in Heaven," right,

"forgive us our sins,"

or our trespasses.

(Pedro) And we see here,

the aspect of the clothing,

Jesus gives us our righteousness.

Jesus is our intercessor.

Now, we have here the intercession

of Christ being given by a man

and taking away from people

the righteousness of Christ.

(Derek) So you would describe, Pedro,

that it really is kind of a time

of grieving or mourning?

(Pedro) Yes.

(Derek) Sadness, because while the Bible

is available, it's really restricted.

It's really hindered.
Okay, Gladys?

(Gladys) In Bible times, you know,

when anybody had a loss

or a lot of pain and suffering

like you were saying "mourning,"

they wore sackcloth.

So during this time, there was

so much suffering for the Word of God,

like Nancy was mentioning

about the Waldenses,

many people were killed.

So there was a lot of pain and suffering,

but still the Word was being preached.

(Derek) There was a remnant, right,

of faithful people who chose to seek

the Word of God and to receive

the light of the Word of God.

We want to go back now to Revelation 11,

verses 7 through 9, Revelation 11,

verses 7 through 9, Sabina,

if you could read that for us

as we're trying to understand

these two witnesses

who at least for a lengthy period

seemed really grieving or sad.

What happens next?

(Sabina) So, I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,
and it says:

(Derek) Could you read on

and just read verse 10 also for us?

(Sabina) It says:

(Derek) Apparently, people

who didn't want to hear the truth

of the witnesses rejoice

because the witnesses are put to death.

When did that happen?

What season is that talking about?

Who mentioned to me

about the French Revolution?

Was that you, Puia? Jason?

(Jason) Yes, I was doing some research,

and it shows that in 1793

the French National Assembly

passed a decree in which the worship

of the one true God was abolished.

(Derek) Puia?

(Puia) I also want to add

that it's interesting, when we

look at history, one of the reasons

why many people in Europe

and especially in France

rejected the Scripture

was because the church at that time

abused its power in the name of God

and in the name of Scripture.

And so, from the perspective

of a lot of people,

when they saw the Scripture,

it was a tool of control and manipulation.

That's kind of like the saying, you throw
the baby out with the, was it?

(Derek) Bath water.

(Puia) Bath water, like you just reject

the Scripture with religion itself.

(Derek) And so, in the French Revolution

the Scriptures were rejected,

the bold declaration that there is no God,

and people rejoiced in that freedom

because they had not seen

a clear picture of the character of God

because the Scriptures

were not available to them. Sabina?

(Sabina) And you want to look

at the philosophical precepts that were

backing up the French Revolution.

Because just as Puia was saying,

those leaders were also now,

instead of basing decisions on Scripture

or being willing to seek God,

they had turned away from it

because of the abuse that had been done.

And they were now looking into reason,

so they started building up a philosophy

that we now call Illuminism,

that was later on called Illuminism,

where individuals would be looking

for truth in science and reason

and human philosophy

as opposed to looking to the Word of God.

And that has reverberated up to nowadays,

I think we are still having

echoes of that; even if people have

different philosophies, they still have

a deep-seated belief in their hearts

that there might be something wrong

with trusting in God and that we need

to be looking to material things

that you can prove and test

with our eyes, instead of faith.

(Derek) And so there are still people

trying to kill the two witnesses today.

(Team) Yes.

(Derek) But the good news -

and I'll take your point, Pedro -

the good news is verse 11.

But, Pedro, give us your comment,

and then I'm going to ask Jason

to read verse 11 of Revelation 11.

(Pedro) Thank you, we see here

that the light of God

can bring blessings to the world,

but when it is rejected or oppressed

or removed from people,

a secular mindset comes into place.

We see the two cities here,

Sodom and Egypt, a very secular mindset.

It means the Word of God

is being misused by the church.

The people are now seeking

different ways of life

which cause secularism.

And now God is trying to revive

His witnesses into the beauty of His love

through His Word.

(Derek) And maybe we

should be very patient with people

who drift into secularism or hedonism,

which is just living for pleasure,

because they've seen a distorted picture

of the character of God.

And the Word has been misused.

(Sabina) Right.

(Derek) But there is some good news,
Jason.

Read for us in Revelation 11 and verse 11.

(Jason) Alright, I'll be reading

from the New King James Version;
the Bible says:

(Derek) So a short period of time,

a few years prophetically,

where it seems like God's dead,

and of course that's happened

even during the time of Communism

where they said the Bible is dead.

The last Christian will be extinct

by such-and-such a year, right?

People have tried to do that, too.

But these witnesses that appear

to have been killed,

or put to death by those people,
stand up again.

What is that talking about?

What happened in spite

of this fierce rejection

and opposition to the Word of God? Sabina?

(Sabina) So around this time

in the nineteenth century,

there was what we call, nowadays,

a Great Awakening.

So, a number of people, when considering

this philosophical precept

that we were talking about,

realized that actually secularism

and naturalism were not

really leading them anywhere.

There was still a lot of unrest,

even politically, so they start moving

towards a new awakening of the Word of God

in missionary movements

and also new Reformers, people that were

continuing the Protestant Reformation.

They started popping up and leading

this movement, that it was very important.

(Derek) Maybe the enemy was rejoicing

and thinking, "We won."

And all of a sudden, pop, pop,

certain societies popped up.

They were Bible societies.

Why was that important?

(Nancy) The light of God would be spread.

(Derek) That's right!

And the Word of God was now distributed.

Puia, you were sharing with me,

your people back in Mizoram,

were they enemies?

What was the background?

(Puia) My people, Mizo people,

were enemies prior to the missionaries.

The missionaries came to our land;

that was in the late 1800s.

When the missionaries came,

the missionaries brought the idea

of this beautiful picture of God whom you

don't have to worship out of fear,

unlike the spirits

that you have to appease.

And one of the main early objectives

of the missionaries was to create

a writing system for the Mizo people.

(Derek) There was no writing system
prior to that time?

(Puia) ...didn't have

an actual alphabetical system.

It was just oral tradition.

And so the missionaries intruduced

a writing system, and the Bible was

then translated into the Mizo language...

(Derek) He's smiling, just in case
you didn't know.

(Puia) Within one generation,

the Mizo people now had access

to the Word of God.

I mean, I grew up reading the Mizo Bible.

I learned English later.

But a lot of people still today

are learning about God through the work

of the resurrection of these

two witnesses in that period.

(Derek) Wow. What impresses you

about this time?

It's called the Great Awakening,

the Missionary Movement.

This was the time

- I was born in Bristol, England,
you know -

there was a great man of God

named George Müller,

actually from Prussia, who came

and started the orphanages.

I always thought he started

the orphanages to care for orphans,

but he said, "No, that's not why."

He cared for thousands of orphans

through the years.

He said, "I started the orphanages

so people would know

that there is a God in Heaven."

(Team) Amen!

(Derek) And you know how God

answered his prayers, if you've ever read

about George Müller, amazing story!

So all of these awakenings, this witness

that God's not dead, and the witnesses

are not dead, springing up.

Have you read about these periods of time?

I see some hands raised.

What impacts you about this season?

Travis, you know a little bit

about this time of the Great Awakening

and Bible societies and mission societies?

(Travis) Well, it's interesting, Derek,

that this was also prophesied

by the prophet Daniel.

Concerning the prophecies of the Bible,

it was revealed to him that many

would run to and fro

and that knowledge of the Scriptures

and prophecy would increase.

And Daniel asked when it would be,

and he said "at the end of the time,

times and half a time,"

as we've just discussed.

So Daniel was shown that, looking forward,

there were going to be people

running everywhere, to and fro,

and knowledge of the Scriptures,

of these two witnesses,

would be prophesied and revived again.

And, I mean, it was shortly into the 1800s

when the Bible was literally translated

into, like, 1,500 different languages.

And, I mean, you had Bible societies.

I mean, it just spread like wildfire

through the world.

And the Bible has now become available

to more people than ever before

in the history of the Word of God.

(Derek) And isn't it interesting -

and then, Heide, I see your hand;

I'm going to come to you in just
a minute -

Isn't it interesting,

here we've got Puia, right,

from the Mizoram people,

isn't it interesting that some

of the people groups who learned

about the light of God's Word,

learned about salvation

through faith in Jesus alone

during that time,

are now coming as missionaries

to those secular, hedonistic cultures

that are bankrupt because they've

rejected the Word of God.

Missionaries are coming

from those countries to remind us

that we need light in the darkness.

Yes, Heide, I see your hand.

(Heide) Yeah, I think it's amazing,

because you went through the 1,260 years

where the predominant religion

was a false religion,

and then you went through the short period

of no religion, and then you

went through this amazing period

of true religion,

and all these missionaries

came out, as everyone's been mentioning.

And if you study their lives,

like Hudson Taylor who went to China

and William Carey who went to India,

and Adoniram Judson, I think,

who went to Burma, now Myanmar

where Puia is from, it's just incredible

to me because they

were willing to sacrifice.

Like, I went on one mission trip

in my life, and it was

a beautiful and incredible experience.

But I would be lying if I didn't say

that at one point I started

to count down the days,

like, how much is left of this,

because it was not

the most comfortable situation,

you know, the lodging, the food,

not being able to speak the language.

But these people went and said,

"From now on, I dress how you dress;

I eat what you eat; I live where you live,

and I'm learning your language.

And I'm going to do all things,"

kind of like Paul says,

"Become all things to all people

that I might win some."

And that sacrificial spirit of it,

which is the spirit of Christ,

that came to life in that era,

and that impresses me.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Thank you so much

for sharing. John.

(John) We're talking

about the First Great Awakening,

but also there is

a Second Great Awakening.

And what's interesting is

that with the papacy it was the Bible

and tradition, and then came

humanism and the Age of Reason,

which Sabina talked about, where they

looked to science and reason.

But also some Christians were

influenced by that, and for them

it was the Word of God and reason.

But with the Second Great Awakening

it was a revolution, because for them

it was the Word of God alone

that they based their belief in.

And that was a great breakthrough

in the history of this world, actually.

(Derek) I like the expression

"the Radical Reformation,"

that actually the Reformation continues

whenever we come with a prayerful heart

to the Word of God.

And I'm so thankful,

we wouldn't have Puia here today

if the missionaries

hadn't translated, right?

It was through the Word that your father,

am I right, became a follower of Jesus?

(Puia) Right, and I would add

that just like the Samaritans

who told the woman who met Jesus,

where they said, "We now believe,

not because of what you told us,

but because we have heard from Himself."

In the same way, when the Scripture

is translated into the local languages

of the people, the people can now say,

"We now believe in God,

not because of just what you told us

but because we can now read His Word

in our own language."

(Derek) Give me a testimony, Puia,

since we're talking

a little bit about Mizoram.

You went back to your people, right,
in 2018...

(Puia) In 2018 and also 2022,
a couple of times.

(Derek) And you shared that this is

not a large people group,

about 1½ million.

(Puia) Right.

(Derek) What was it like

to go back and to be part

of the two witnesses' mission

in sharing the Word of God back there?

(Puia) The work continues.

It's amazing to see how God

can use the Word to change lives.

Because of, I would say, the influence

of the internet and social media,

the new generation is

is also questioning a lot, even though

it was just a generation or two ago

that our people were given

this message of God.

The young people are now asking

basically the same questions

that a lot of people

in the secular communities are asking.

So being able to bring back the Word

and allowing the Word

to give meaning and purpose for people

was really beautiful for me to see.

Whenever I go back,

not just to my home country and the area

but anywhere in the world

and share the Word,

it gives me joy to see people's lives

transformed through the Word

and finding new meaning

and purpose for their lives.

(Derek) Zaria, I see your hand;

I'll be with you in just one minute.

You know, it's amazing to me to see,

if I'm hearing you correctly,

that the cosmic conflict is there, too.

(Puia) That's right.

(Derek) That the enemy is

constantly trying to - what did it say -

the god of this world, what?

(Team) Blinds.

(Derek) Blinded their eyes.

There's this battle, light,

and the enemy comes in,

but where there's light,

darkness is dispelled, right?

That's why Scripture

is so important. Zaria.

(Zaria) And this reminds me

of when Jesus told Simon that, "The devil

is looking to sift you like wheat,

but I have already prayed for you

so that you will have faith

and that you will go back

and strengthen your brethren."

And for me that's

an important thing that shows

throughout this entire controversy,

that the devil has tried to shake us.

He has tried to get us off our feet.

But with time, as God's Word

is proven right always,

and we are now using it

to strengthen our brethren,

and we're using it to spread the word,

the three angels' messages,

and that's a big part that I'm seeing,

right now, and God is good.

(Derek) Thank you, Zaria.

So, that word to Simon Peter

is also for us.

Nancy, the Lord says, "I prayed for you,

that your faith would fail not."

And afterward you will go back

and strengthen the people

in your circle, whether there in Mizoram

or, I forget where, Colombia,
right, originally.

Yes, of course, you're now in America,

but going back to your people

and sharing with them.

And your people, of course,

are where you are,

your circle of influence.

So I want to close our study

by talking about the testimony

of the two witnesses today.

It's not two people that are

going to come up somewhere.

As Travis said, this is a lengthy period

when the two witnesses wore sackcloth.

They were killed; they came to life again,

the Scriptures testifying.

I want to talk about that mission today,

and I would like to look

at two verses with you,

Revelation 14 and verse 6

and Matthew 24, verse 14.

Heide, could you read Matthew 24:14,

and, Travis, could you find

Revelation 14 and verse 6?

And let's talk about that the mission

of the two witnesses isn't over.

There is still more that needs to happen.

Travis, could you start for us

in Revelation 14 and verse 6?

(Travis) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) So the angel's bringing

the gospel message.

The angel is bringing the message
of the...?

Two witnesses, right?

It's the eternal gospel,

it's the message of the two witnesses,

"They testify about Me."

And, Heide, Matthew 24, verse 14,

what does it tell us?

(Heide) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,
and it says:

(Derek) So the mission

of the two witnesses will be accomplished.

Everyone will hear,

and then just a short phrase from Jesus,

"Then the end will come,"

but actually let's go back

to Revelation 11, because there

it spells that out, and I'm going

to ask you, Puia, if you would read for us

from Revelation 11, verses 15 to 18.

Because right after this testimony

of the two witnesses back to life,

boldly proclaiming, and people

who opposed are trembling,

let's see what happens next.

(Puia) And I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) That expression, "The kingdoms

of this world have become the kingdoms

of our Lord and of His Christ,"

does that remind you of a prophecy

in the book of Daniel? John?

(John) Daniel, chapter 2, if I remember,

where Nebuchadnezzar sees the statue,

and then at the end of that we see

a supernatural stone that strikes

the image and fills the whole earth,

referring to the Kingdom

of God being established.

(Derek) So that is going to happen.

His Kingdom will be fully established.

The cosmic conflict will finally be over.

In the last couple of minutes we have,

I'd like someone else...

Thank you, Puia, for sharing

about Mizoram; that's beautiful.

Someone else share a time

when you sensed the Lord saying,

"Sabina, I want you to join

in the mission of the two witnesses.

Share the truth of the Word of God,"

and how that impacted you.

Can you think of a time?

(Sabina) So just recently I have been

studying the Bible with a lady;

I will not share her name.

She didn't grow up in a family

where Christianity was part

of her routine, you know.

Actually, as we started studying

the book of Genesis, she did not

even know what the story of creation was.

So, even though she is

already in her forties, her background

is one of absolute darkness

in relation to the Bible.

And the more we study the Scriptures,

the more thirsty she becomes.

So she continually comes back

to the lessons having already read

the material I've given to her,

and it seems as if her complexion

is brightening more and more.

And she recently even asked me

that she would like to be baptized.

It's still this year that she is

convicted of her desire.

She wants to take a little more time

to study because of her desire.

And I just feel humbled to participate

in the work of the Holy Spirit,

because I know this is not

by my might or power.

It's really just witnessing

how God led her thus far,

how she was attracted to connect

with our church community and to me,

and how I get to see her beaming

from just learning

what is written in this Book.

And I praise God for that

and for her decision to come to Jesus.

(Derek) And Sabina is smiling

while she's sharing this because it's

really a miracle of God, isn't it?

Well, I see several hands raised.

I see Zaria's hand raised,

Travis' hand raised.

There are more hands raised

than I can see; everybody's praising God.

I'm going to give a short opportunity,

Zaria, for you to share a time

when you joined the Lord in His witness

and how it impacted you.

(Zaria) A short brief time was when I

had lunch with a co-worker of mine

that was working at the job

I was working at.

And for a week we had lunch,

we were talking about the Bible,

and he wanted to learn

more about the church I went to,

so I invited him,

and then he ended up coming.

And he took a break

away from it afterwards, but when I

had reached out to him

to see how he was doing

two months ago, he said,

"It's a funny thing, you

caught me on a day I was

actually going back to church.

So it's just amazing that you

reached out to me on the day

that I was going right back

to a similar church that you attend."

So God is good, and...

(Derek) He is good, Zaria, and I wish

we could hear the rest of the story,

and we will, but right now

we're out of time.

But what I learned from Zaria's testimony

is that it doesn't have

to be a big project.

What I learned from Sabina,

it may be one person

or it may be a whole people group,

that we can be part of the mission

the two witnesses are given,

to share the light of God's Word,

the immeasurable, unfailing love of God,

the way of salvation through faith in Him,

set people free, the light

shining through the darkness.

Let's pray; Father in Heaven, thank You

that the two witnesses are still alive,

that the truth of God's Word
still is heard.

May we be part of that bold proclamation

of the Word of God as we prepare

for the soon coming of Jesus.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Thanks for joining us
for Hope Sabbath School.

You say, "Derek, we didn't have
enough time."

That's true; maybe in your small group,

you can share how your life's been blessed

as you've shared the truth of God

from His Word with others.

Go out, my friend, be a blessing

to those around you.

♪ theme music ♪