HSS_2023_Q2_EP08

♪ theme music ♪

(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,

an in-depth, interactive study

of the Word of God.

Welcome back to a series

on Three Cosmic Messages,

a vitally important topic

for these last days of Earth's history

from Revelation, chapter 14.

If you've missed anything in the series,

go to our website, hopetv.org/hopess,

watch the entire series.

You can download the outline

we'll be using today.

I know that you'll be blessed.

Our topic today, The Sabbath and the End,

so welcome to Hope Sabbath School.

Welcome to the team,

good to be back together again.

I'm excited today because one of our team,

Sabina, is going to be leading us
in our study,

and it's going to be a great study

of the Word of God.

We've also got some remote team members
joining us.

Good to see Jason with us today.

Jason, we're glad you're with us.

And let's see who else we have.

Shaina, good to see you with us today.

And, Tricia Lee, always good

to have you with us.

It's going to be a great study,

and we're glad you're with us today

as we study the Word of God.

We've got Hope Sabbath School members

in about 200 countries around the world,

and we'd love to hear from you.

Write to us: [e-mail].

You say, "Derek, you don't need

to hear from me," but, actually,

we would love to hear from you and to see

how you're blessed through a study

of the Word of God.

Thank you, Mary, for writing to us.

Mary is a Zambian living in the UK.

"My name is Mary, living

in the UK, from Zambia.

I watch your program on Friday evenings

as I have no one in my home

who believes in Christ."

That's what we call a lifeline, isn't it?

Mary, we're so glad you're part

of our Hope Sabbath School family.

"You help me understand

the Word of God and its meaning

for our lives, thank you.

I also want to thank

all of the beautiful ladies on the team

who let their natural beauty
shine through.

I love to see your smiling faces,"

and she notes, "especially Shaina,"

Shaina, maybe we can

put you up on the wall;

you're with us remotely today,

"especially Shaina, who lets

the love of God shine on her face."

Shaina, thanks for being part of our team.

"Bless you all, and not to forget

the men folks," she says,

"I love to see the intensity

of your love for God

when you talk about Him. Amen.

Praise God for His mercy to us.

I long to meet each one of you

at the feet of Jesus in Heaven."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) "Till then, keep up your ministry.

You are helping the world

to find Jesus." Amen?

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Mary, thank you so much

for writing to us

from my homeland, the UK,

originally from Zambia.

By the way, we have lots

of Hope Sabbath School members in Zambia,

I'm sure you know that,

and thank you for being a witness

there in the UK.

Amos writes to us from the DRC,

the Democratic Republic of the Congo,

"Hello, Hope Sabbath School!"
Got the wave.

"My name is Amos, and I watch

Hope Sabbath School

here at my house; it blesses me."

Well, I know what he means, God

blesses him through the program, right?

"It gives me more hope than ever!

It's my pleasure to be by your side.

May God bless you. Amen."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) Thanks so much

for writing to us, Amos, from the DRC.

Here's a handwritten note

from a donor in Canada,

and the donor says, "My husband and I

have been watching Hope Sabbath School,

and we love the interaction

that goes on with the team.

I love that I can do my study

along with your program.

Being able to fast forward and rewind

helps me so much when I'm trying to answer

the questions in the Bible study,"

and a donation of 100 dollars.

Thank you, Donor; you know

who you are, there in Canada.

Thank you for being part

of this Impact Movement.

We're a donor-supported ministry,

and thanks to each one of you

who are part of this ministry.

You can go to hopetv.org/donate,

or go to our website,

click on the Donate button and say,

"I want to be part of impacting

the world for Christ."

We thank you very much.

One last note, from Daniel in Romania,

and Daniel writes and says, "My wife and I

are so blessed with Hope Sabbath School

where the Word of God is lifted up."

(Team) Amen.

(Derek) "Every time I'm encouraged

to go further as a teacher of the Bible.

Sometimes I get discouraged

when I look at people,

but when I see how passionate

the team is on this program,

how natural and enthusiastic you are

in studying the Word of God,

I get up and start again with courage."

(Team) Amen!

(Derek) Well, praise God.

Daniel, we're so glad

we're an encouragement to you.

"I'm always inspired by the practical way

you carry out the study,

and I have a strong desire

to tell others the good news.

May God keep you

physically and spiritually healthy."

Well, Daniel, it meant a great deal to us

that you took time to write to us

and share how God is blessing you

and using you to share

His Word with others.

We'd love to hear from each one of you.

Please write to us: [e-mail]

Isn't it encouraging to hear

what God is doing around the world?

Well, before we sing our theme song,

taken from Revelation 15,

I have to remind you about an amazing gift

we have for you just during this series.

Thanks to Pastor Mark Finley
and Hart Books,

we are able to offer you a digital copy

of Pastor Finley's book

Three Cosmic Messages,

a great resource, companion study

to our series here on Hope Sabbath School.

And it's yours absolutely free,

a digital copy delivered to you.

All you have to do is go to our website,

hopetv.org/hopess,

click on the Free Gift tab

in the middle of the screen,

and you'll receive instructions

on how you can receive a free digital copy

of Three Cosmic Messages

by Pastor Mark Finley.

Take advantage of that generous offer.

We want to thank Pastor Finley

and Hart Books for making that gift

available to each one of you.

But right now, we're going

to sing our theme song.

Oh, I love this song.

It's the song of Moses and the Lamb.

I don't know what the tune will be

in the Kingdom of Heaven,

but I thank my wife

for giving us the tune right now,

and I invite all

of our Hope Sabbath School members,

wherever you are, to sing

this beautiful song with us.

♪ music ♪

(Derek) Amen. It was almost as if we

could hear our Hope Sabbath School members

all around the world singing.

Well, Sabina, why don't you pray with us

as we begin our study.

(Sabina) Yes, let's pray

as we start this very amazing study.

Wonderful Father, we are

so thankful, Lord, to call You

not only our God and Savior

but also our Friend.

As we gather here in this studio,

and as we gather with all our listeners

that will be watching this video,

we pray that Your Holy Spirit

will be upon us, impressing us of truth,

guiding us, Lord, into knowing

more about You, who You are,

and also who You want us to be.

I pray in a special way

that You anoint our lips,

and that every word we say now

will be, Lord, said in power

of Your Holy Spirit.

And I pray all those things

in Your wonderful name, Jesus. Amen.

(Derek, Team) Amen.

(Sabina) Okay, as we gather here

to continue our sessions

on the Three Cosmic Messages,

we are going to go a little bit deeper

than our last lesson,

which was a lesson

when we discussed how worship

is so related to the messages

that God has for us

in these end times.

Okay, so we started last time,

and our friend Stephanie was leading us,

and we discussed worship,

and today we are going to look

at how the Sabbath and its connection

with worship to our God are also central

to the Three Cosmic Messages

that God has for us, okay?

So, as we start, I'm going

to invite Brittany, would you turn

with us to Revelation 14:6,7,

which has been our key text,

and let's start off the study there.

(Brittany) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

Revelation 14, verse 6, says:

(Sabina) Thank you so much.

So, how is God described here?

What do you see? Yes, Harold.

(Harold) I see Him being described

as the Creator, because it says,

"Worship Him who made the heaven, earth,

sea and springs of water."

(Sabina) Okay, wonderful.

And so, as we look into this text,

and as we consider that it is teaching us

about God as our Creator,

we also are led into thinking

about another passage in Scripture,

very famous, also, for defining God

with the same attributes.

If anyone will turn for us, here,

let's say Jason, if you'll lead us

into Exodus 20:8-11, and we'll be looking

at some similarities that we have

between those two passages. Jason.

(Jason) The New King James Version says

in Exodus, chapter 20,

verses 8 through 11:

(Sabina) Thank you, Jason.

So, what are the similarities

that you see between those two texts?

What is in there? Yes, John.

(John) Right here in verse 11, we find

that same concept of God being the Creator

of heaven and Earth

and everything there is.

And so, it's calling us to worship God

on the Sabbath as a sign

that He is the Creator,

and we are the created.

(Sabina) Wonderful. Yes, Jason.

(Jason) The Bible even uses

some of the same language,

heavens and earth and sea,

so it's not even just like a similarity;

it's almost the exact same language
you see there.

(Sabina) Same language, exactly,

so an attentive reader of the Bible

would probably consider that God impressed

the apostle who wrote this letter

maybe, just maybe to make

some reference to Exodus. Yes, Harold.

(Harold) And I also want to highlight

that the commandment

starts with "remember,"

so it's easy to forget.

And it's interesting that the angel

that is bringing the message

is proclaiming that, probably because we

have forgotten who God is.

So, like, bringing it to remembrance,

"Hey, remember who made you.

Remember where you come from,

because the hour of His judgment has come,

and He's coming very soon."

So, we need to go back to our Creator.

(Sabina) Yes, so much well said, Harold.

And this leads us to our next question,

because I'm wondering here if we are

seeing from Scripture

that the Sabbath is so important,

that it's such a special moment

for us to turn to God

and be reminded of His creative power.

Why is it that you think

that so many people nowadays

have forgotten about the Sabbath?

What's wrong? Yes, Lilica.

(Lilica) As we see the worship theme,

it's not just about the end times,

it's from the beginning,

the fight about who should be worshiped,

and the Sabbath shows us who created us

and whom we should worship.

My favorite author says

if we were to keep the Sabbath, there

wouldn't be any idolaters or atheists.

So, the Sabbath is way bigger than...

(Sabina) So, I'm hearing you saying

that one of the reasons why people

are disregarding the Sabbath

is because there is

a cosmic conflict going on,

so there are influences of evil forces

that will make people forget

or turn to other things. Yes, Brittany.

(Brittany) I think a lot of people

are told that the Sabbath

is a Jewish tradition, that it's something

that was made for the Jews

because they had been in slavery,

and they needed to be told what to do.

And so, people will go back

to the Old Testament and say

that was part of the old law

or the old ways of doing things.

And then they say, "But I'm living

in the New Testament times,

and those things are done away with."

And that's what a lot

of people are taught,

that's it's just a Jewish tradition.

(Sabina) Okay, thank you so much.

So, we're listening here that there is

an issue with this cosmic conflict,

but there is also, alongside with it,

wrong teaching, right,

or maybe lack of information.

Someone may just have misunderstood

or is not quite there.

I think all of us are subject

to that type of ignorance,

right, Pastor Derek?

(Derek) And I think there are

a lot of people that just don't know.

They've just not heard

that God has blessed a day,

actually for our blessing,

it's made for us, and so maybe part

of this program is just to let people know

a truth that's been hidden from them.

(Sabina) Exactly, yes.

Thank you so much.

And also, Shaina, you have your hand up.

(Shaina) Yes, and in addition

to everything that everyone else has said,

as humans we tend to do

what's convenient and comfortable for us.

And for many people,

work falls on the Sabbath,

so they may not know that the Sabbath

should be observed, should be hallowed,

and so they work on the Sabbath or choose

to do leisurely things on the Sabbath,

what's comfortable and convenient.

(Sabina) Okay, so we also have an issue

not only of ignorance or wrong teaching,

but also convenience.

Maybe someone knows about it,

but doesn't really want to know about it.

There are certain things we learn about

but we prefer to ignore,

because it's not very convenient.

And I also think, as I look around,

considering the ways in which our world

"benefits" (quote/unquote benefits,

I would say, just with the quote/unquote,

because it's not really a benefit),

that people that are greedy,

people who are not really willing

to see others on the same page as them,

because the Sabbath has an element

of equalizing us, right?

It puts us in a space where we are free,

in peace with each other, where there are

no strings or holds attached.

And some people "benefit" (quote/unquote)

from this type of system, unfortunately,

right, Pastor Derek.

So, yes, I agree with you, Shaina,

sometimes people know about it,

but just prefer not to put it in practice.

So, this leads us into our next question,

and that's a consideration that there are

some examples of people in Scripture also,

that knew about the Sabbath, they thought

they were observing the Sabbath properly

as a legal requirement,

but they failed to worship

the Creator in spirit and truth.

Can you think of an example?

What occurs to you? Yes, Harold.

(Harold) I think one example

is in Matthew, chapter 12,

where Jesus' disciples were hungry,

and they were eating, I think, grain.

And then the Pharisees accused them,

"Hey, you're not supposed

to do that on the Sabbath."

But then Jesus asks them,

"Well, do you know what David did,

that he ate the Bread of the Presence

from the sanctuary that was not

supposed to be for him?

But he ate it because he was hungry,"

and so and so on.

And then He tells further in Matthew 15,

He says, "These people

worship Me with their mouth

and honor Me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from Me,

teaching as [doctrines]

the commandments of men."

So, they totally forgot the true spirit

of Sabbath or anything

about God and truth,

and He called them out.

(Sabina) Yes, that's unfortunate, right?

And I know which passage

you were talking about.

That's also in [Mark], chapter 2,

the end of that chapter, and it's

really, indeed, a beautiful passage,

because it leads us to think

about how important it is

that we also look to ourselves

as we consider things around us

and see if we are not also

on that same page with the Pharisees,

that we think that we

have the information,

that we have this legal treatment
of the Sabbath,

and our hearts may be far

from God, right, Harold.

Hope, I see you had your hand up.

(Hope) It just made me think

of when Jesus, I think he was

talking to the Pharisees, said two things.

He said, "It's lawful

to do good on the Sabbath,"

and He says, "The Sabbath

was made for man."

So, I think sometimes we get

into the mindset that, "Oh,

we have to do this and not do this,"

but the Sabbath was made

as a gift to us, not as a burden.

(Sabina) Yes, thank you so much.

Shaina, do you want to share something?

(Shaina) Yes, so I'm thinking

of a passage in Luke 6

where Jesus had entered the synagogue.

He went to church,

and there was someone there

who had a withered hand.

And the verse specifically says

they were watching Him,

the scribes and Pharisees

were watching Him, to see

if He would heal on the Sabbath.

And so they came with bad intentions,

and it said Jesus knew their thoughts,

and He asked them, "Is it lawful

to do good or evil on the Sabbath?"

And then He healed the man.

He told the man to stretch forth his hand,

and he was healed.

And it said they were filled with rage,

and so they were so focused

on the legal aspect

of "thou shalt not,"

"thou shalt not" on the Sabbath.

But Jesus came and liberated this man

from his ailment on the Sabbath.

And so, that's an example

that I have for this one.

(Sabina) That's a very good example.

Thank you so much, Shaina.

Those two texts that Harold
and you brought,

they really lead us

into our next question then,

that I want to inquire of you.

So, what is it that we need to do

in our hearts to ensure that we are

worshiping our Creator in harmony

with His plan for each Sabbath? Yes, John.

(John) It's important to recognize

that the Son of Man or Jesus

is the Lord of the Sabbath,

so He's the center of the Sabbath.

And also, as Hope said,

Sabbath is a gift for man,

so we need to see Sabbath

not in a legalistic way,

but in a Christ-centered way

where we focus on a relationship with God.

(Sabina) Yes, Jason.

(Jason) One of the things

Jesus did on the Sabbath

was relieve other people's burdens,

whether it was with their health

or endorsed, with His disciples,
their hunger.

And so, one thing we can do

is find ways to relieve

other people's burdens,

whether it's feeding people

or providing them clothing,

helping people who don't have things,
who have a lack,

following Jesus' example.

(Sabina) Amen. Thank you so much, Jason.

So, we are hearing here

that it's important that on the Sabbath

we keep Jesus as the center.

And as a result of that,

we are going to turn to others

to offer them, you know,

to extend a hand of love,

maybe to provide some clothing or food,

something that may be lacking,
even love, right?

And I also see Jason's hand up,

and then I'll get to you, Lilica.

Jason, what is it that you are thinking.?

(Jason) Yes, and I was just thinking

about it being all about love,

as you just said.

Jesus said, "If you love Me, you'll

keep My commandments,"

so that's the bottom line

when it comes to keeping the Sabbath

and the other commandments.

It's all about love

and our relationship with God

through Jesus Christ.

(Sabina) Amen. Thank you so much.

Yes, about love, Jesus

at the center. Lilica.

(Lilica) Yes, Jason said it so well.

Attaching it with the previous question,

it's so easy for us to keep the law

without loving the Lord

who gave the laws.

Jesus said, "The two great commandments,"

which is summarizing the commandments,

"is love God above everything,

and your neighbor."

And in the Sabbath,

we can see that encapsulated.

How? When I was back home,

we would have people working

for us in the house.

And keeping the Sabbath, it says,

neither your servant should be working,

which makes you and your servant

remember that the Lord, here, is God;
it's not you.

So, when we keep the Sabbath

because we love the Lord,

we do it in a right way,

and it takes us to Isaiah 58,

how it shows you the true fasting,

the relationship, the love,

between, you know, love your neighbor
as yourself,

and it tells you the right spirit,

right to the end of Isaiah 58,
of the Sabbath.

(Sabina) Yes, that's a very important
passage, Lilica,

that you brought up, and it leads me

to think that at the heart of the Sabbath

is the heart of justice

that God has, right?

Because that particular passage

you were referring to

talks about the importance

of what Jason was saying,

that we need to look around us

and see those who are suffering,

and that could be a very good thing

to do on your Sabbath,

to care about those

who are suffering. Yes, Brittany.

(Brittany) I think another aspect

of the Sabbath like we've read

in Revelation and then in Exodus,

is about remembering our Creator.

And one way that we remember

who we are and who He is,

is spending time in His creation.

And so, when we spend time

going around, looking at the beauty

of everything that God has made,

even though we're living

in a marred world,

it's not in its perfection,

we still see God's fingerprints, right,

around us in the plants and the animals

and the things that He has made,

the sunsets and the sunrises.

And when we spend time in God's creation,

it rejuvenates us, and it helps us

lift our eyes to Him, the Creator,

and praise His name.

(Sabina) Amen. So it's also a time

when we can find healing, right?

So, we look around, we look to others,

we look to Jesus, and we also

have to stand in awe

in a prayerful spirit

and also in reading His Bible,

and that will be the healing for us also

as we contemplate His creation in nature,

as we look to Scripture.

So, we are going, now, to look

a little further about one aspect

that has been also kind of making people

have wrong understandings

about the Sabbath,

and that is, some people will say
that despite

the teaching of the Bible that God

created the world in literal days,

they kind of try to create some ideas

that maybe it was not

exactly quite like that.

So, let's look to Scripture,

and instead of just sharing here,

we are going to read from Scripture

to see what it is that the Bible

teaches us about how long it took

for God to create this world, okay?

So, maybe if Tricia Lee, if you can turn

with us to Genesis, and, Tricia,

I have a few passages,

if you will read for us.

First of all, Genesis 1, verses 1 to 5.

(Tricia Lee) Reading from the New
King James Version:

(Sabina) And what does

verse 8 say, Tricia?

(Tricia Lee) Verse 8 reads:

(Sabina) What about verse 13, Tricia?

(Tricia Lee) Verse 13 says:

(Sabina) And verse 19.

(Sabina) And just one more

for us to double check or triple check,

what about verse 23?

(Tricia Lee) Verse 23 says:

(Sabina) Thank you so very much.

So, we see here that those texts

are challenging this theory.

Who can tell us what you observe

that is so clear here? Pedro.

(Pedro) We can see here that every day

had an evening and morning,

and we can see the cycle

that we see every day of our lives,

that when the sun sets, a new day starts,

and when the sun rises and sets again,

that's the end of that day.

So, God is giving us a visual aid

of what a day meant for Him

when He created and how we can see today,

as clear as can be, how a day's cycle

is still the same.

(Derek) And I think what's most important

is verse 31 because we might say,

"Well, okay, but in terms

of the evolution of the human species,

that took a vast amount of time."

But, on the sixth day, the text says

the evening and the morning was

also the sixth day when He created

man and woman in His image.

(Sabina) Okay, so, Pastor Derek, maybe

we should turn there

just in case someone has a question,

that's a question

a lot of people have.

So, Stephanie, do you mind

taking us there, then, to verse 31?

(Stephanie) And I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

Genesis, chapter 1, verse 31:

(Sabina) Okay, awesome.

Thank you so much, Stephanie.

Along these same lines,

we can also turn to the New Testament,

because we also have testimony

in Scripture, not only in Genesis,

but all throughout Scripture

that this truth about God's creation
is still valid.

So, maybe, if Hope, you would lead us

to Hebrews 11, verse 3, and then we are

going to see what it is that we can learn

from Scripture there,

Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 3.

(Hope) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version
Hebrews 11:3:

(Sabina) Okay, wonderful.

That's a very important passage, right,
because nowadays

because of so much information

we are exposed to,

we may sometimes question

the truthfulness of God's Word.

And then when we look

to this particular verse that Hope

has led us into reflecting,

we are going to consider

that it takes faith at times

for us to fully grasp,

not only to fully grasp

but to kind of grasp a little bit

of what this magnificent work

of God, creation, meant.

So, more than trusting

in our own understanding,

we should be trusting in God's truth
in His Word.

And this leads us to my next question

to you, which is how is it

that this attack we see at times nowadays

on a literal creation week

also becomes an attack on the Sabbath?
Yes, Lilica.

(Lilica) So, we see that if the world

was not created in six days,

then why why would we worship God

on the seventh day, which is Sabbath?

I read a saying that even the scholars

that do not believe that God created

the world in six days do agree

that the intent of the writer

when he says "the evening

and the morning," meant six literal days.

(Sabina) Okay, so even those

who studied the Bible more in depth,

if there is some question

about the right way to interpret,

they for sure [conclude] that there is

no space for these type of theories.

Yes, Jason, I see your hand up remotely.

(Jason) Yes, thank you, Sabina.

When we read the Bible, we understand

that the Ten Commandments

is God's character in written form,

and so basically the Sabbath

is in the heart of the commandments.

So, when you disregard the Sabbath,

you basically disregard God.

And so, that's an outline, you know,

in dealing with such matters.

It's sad, but it's happening in our world,

but thanks be to God that we have

a message like this that's going forth

and allowing people to know

about God's character and His love fo rus.

(Sabina) Thank you so much, Jason.

And I also see that Tricia Lee

has her hand up remotely.

Let's listen to what you

have to say, Tricia.

(Tricia Lee) So, attacking

the literal creation week,

the order of the days,

it puts into question when the Sabbath is,

because if we don't know which way

in the order of the days,

then how do we know that the seventh day

really is the Sabbath?

But when we go back to the verses

we read in Genesis, those numbers

that were used to describe

each day of creation,

it's not God created one day

and then another day.

The numbers used are

actually ordinal numbers or numbers

that have sequence, and so that's

why it's translated as first,
second, third,

as in, there was not a gap

between when creation

took place on these days,

or there's no way to fit

extra time periods in.

And so, even the actual use of the numbers

in the original Hebrew that's there

records that this is a first, second,

third, fourth, fifth, sixth,

which only leaves room for the seventh

to the be the Sabbath day.

You can look elsewhere

in the New Testament and Old Testament

to establish that the seventh day

actually is the day after Friday

and before Sunday,

but I think it's beautiful

because we have that record

of just even numerically how the text

is written or recorded

that these are ordinal sequential numbers.

These aren't just saying "one day,"

"another day," "a different day,"

"a different day."

It's actually 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

(first, second, third, fourth, fifth,

sixth, seventh), so that's beautiful

that's recorded that way.

(Sabina) Thank you so much, Tricia.

That's an excellent observation.

And I also saw Pedro wanted

to say something about it.

That's a hot topic.

(Pedro) I think it's very simple.

I can see every day of the week

God created something,

and I can see in His nature

the beautiful things

that He created on those days.

But when we look into those six days,

we also can see on the seventh day

God created something very special.

And even though I cannot grasp the time,

God has given a time for us to grasp Him

and have a relationship with Him.

As important it is that we

can see each other and say,

"God created man and woman,"

I can also say that God created a day

for us to enjoy and be blessed.

(Sabina) Yes, and, Jason, I see

you're waiting to share before we move on.

(Jason) Yes, so if you look

at the Ten Commandments

back in Exodus 20 there,

and I read 8 through 11 a little bit ago,

the one commandment

that really deals with time

is the fourth commandment

and makes reference

directly back to creation

and to these six days.

So, it's important for us to understand

what time we are talking about,

and that's why the literal time

is so important in talking about worship

and the commandments.

(Sabina) Yes, and, Jason, you are

leading me to my next observation,

because I really wanted us

to look at that in Scripture also.

Maybe if you'll turn first of all

to Genesis, chapter 2, and I'm going

to ask Shaina if you can lead us

to Genesis 2, verses 1 to 3.

(Shaina) And I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Sabina) Wonderful, thank you, Shaina.

And now we are going to turn to Exodus 20,

and we are going to read the verses

that Jason made mention of.

Those are verses 8 to 11,

and maybe, Jason, do you mind

being the one then to read that
for us, please.

(Jason) Alright, the New King James
Version says,

Exodus, chapter 20, verses 8 through 11:

(Sabina) Thank you so much, Jason.

So, as we saw here in these passages,

the fourth commandment,

the commandment that leads us

into this reflection, worship

and spending and separating this holy time

for God and for service to others,

it is based on the understanding

that the days of creation were

literally 1, 2, 3 literal days, up to 7.

So, we are talking about those things.

It's important because there is

a moment that we are living

in which a lot of attacks

are being made on the Sabbath.

So, it is important that we understand

some of those things

that are part of our context.

And we know from Scripture

what is the truth that God teaches,

because then comes our next topic

in this study which is,

why is it then that the Sabbath

and the proper understanding
of the Sabbath

are relevant for us in the context

of end-time events?

We are studying the Three Cosmic Messages,

we are now talking about worship,

about the Sabbath,

why is it so important for us, my friends?

We are going to look again

in Revelation 14 to think

about the answer to my question.

So, maybe if Harold would take us

to Revelation, chapter 14, and then we are

going to read verses 7 and 9.

And as Harold reads these verses,

I would like us all to be considering,
already,

why is it that honoring the Sabbath

is such an important issue

in the last days? Harold.

(Harold) And I'll be reading

from the New King James Version, verse 7:

Verse 9:

(Sabina) Okay, so given this passage

that we just heard

and the discussion that we are having,

what are your thoughts then, my friends?

Why is it that honoring the Sabbath

becomes such an important matter

in these last days?

I see you have your hand up, Brittany.

(Brittany) From those two verses,

we see a contrast.

We have to make a decision:

Are we going to worship the Creator

and follow what He asks us to do

out of that loving relationship with Him?

Or, are we going to worship the beast,

which when we study the beast

we realize is a kingdom

that's contrary to what God says.

And so, we have to choose, and we know

behind it all is really this conflct

between Christ and Satan.

Satan wants us to worship

anything other than the Creator God,

and he wants us to ultimately worship him.

And so, he uses systems and people

and all different things to try to take

our attention off of Christ and onto him.

And so, at the end we have

to make a choice: Are we going

to worship Christ and follow

what He asks us to

in a loving relationship with Him,

or are we going to follow what systems

and people tell us to do

that's contrary to what God has told us.

(Sabina) Yes, thank you so much.
Stephanie.

(Stephanie) I think it's important

because it identifies

who has our allegiance.

(Sabina) Who has our allegiance,
that's wonderful.

Yes, Pedro, I see you're also willing

to share something.

(Pedro) I think Brittany

put it very well here,

but the aspect of worship here,

that word appears in both texts

and is a reminder that the battle

between God and Satan is of worship.

And God is inviting, "You can worship Me,

or you can worship the beast."

And He's asking us to make a decision.

God, who gives us the choice to choose,

He's saying, "Choose Me, but I

still want you to choose."

And He invites us to worship Him.

And the emphasis

on the fourth commandment here

is given by the saying "who created

the heaven and earth,"

which is a reflection

of what we just read in Exodus 20.

(Sabina) Thank you so much. Derek.

(Derek) I think it's really important,

Sabina, to remember we're not saved

by keeping the Sabbath.

We're saved by trusting in Jesus.

Our willingness to follow what He asks us

to do in honoring Him as our Creator

in this weekly cycle is an evidence

of our relationship with Him.

And I think as we look later

in the book of Revelation where He calls

to people in confusion, "Come

out of her, My people,"

that when they see that this is

one of the ways that they express

that they worship the only true God,

Creator and Redeemer,

they will gladly do that.

But it's not a way of earning salvation

or earning God's love.

He already loves us.

It's an evidence, as Stephanie said,

of our allegiance, of our devotion,

to our Creator and Redeemer.

(Sabina) Yes, very well said,
Pastor Derek.

Thank you so much for that reminder,

because as we consider

the relevance of a day and why it is

that it's so important that we

keep the Sabbath and remember God,

we need to be reminded also of God's grace

because that's the center of the Sabbath,

right, Pastor Derek.

Of any commandment in the Bible,

the fourth commandment is the commandment

that reminds us that we depend on Jesus,

and that needs to be remembered
all the time.

And I see, Tricia, you also

have your hand up; you want

to make a comment, right?

(Tricia Lee) Yeah, thank you.

So, Brittany and Pedro reminded us

or pointed out that there is an issue

or tension between two types of worship,

God's worship and then this false worship

that's worship that involves

this beast and an image,

and we'll find out what that is some more.

But if I hear that personally,

it makes me think, "Okay, so there is

God's way to worship, and then there is

a false way to worship,"

that become really important.

So then it makes me want

to think to myself, "Well, then I

should try to find out what is

God's way of worship."

You read through Scripture,

and He talks about, you know, worship

means in spirit and in truth,

and then other passages

you hear about how,

and it's very important that God

prescribes the Sabbath

on this day, at this time.

And so, just kind of working from there,

you can see it's like, if there are

two ways of worship,

one that's God's way and one

that is this false way,

this way that involves a beast

and all these bad things

I don't want to be a part of,

then it makes me think to myself,

"How can I find out how to honor God

and give Him glory by worshiping Him

the way He's asked us to?"

And when you start looking and uncovering,

you realize it's more than just saying

"in spirit and in truth."

The truth of it all includes

that God actually has a day and a time

for us to meet with Him,

and that's why Sabbath

is so important to me

and why understanding the day

and understanding more about it

becomes so important in understanding

how to worship Him the right way

in spirit and in truth.

(Sabina) Thank you so much, Tricia.

And the fact also, my friends, is that

as we look to Scriptures,

we are reminded that Satan is looking

for ways to distract us

from fully worshiping and engaging

in a deep relationship with Jesus,

a saving relationship with Jesus

that is based on grace.

So, the fact that the angels

are announcing this message

that we are talking about,

the Three Cosmic Messages,

that they give emphasis on the need

to turn to Jesus in worship,

it means that at the end times,

things would happen to try to distract us

from true worship,

that would try to keep us from looking

to our gracious Savior and would try

to turn us to relying

on our own works, right?

So, as we consider the events

that are approaching as we look

to the Second Coming of Jesus,

this message here, this first message

from the angel,

is deeply, truly, fully a reminder

that our hearts need

to be abiding in Christ

and depending on His love alone.

So, as we consider that also,

I would like us to turn to Daniel 7,

verse 25, because now I want us

to be alert to some of the ways

in which the devil will try to distract us

from this truth about the Sabbath, okay?

So, maybe if Pedro will read for us

Daniel, chapter 7, verse 25,

and then following Pedro,

if remote Jason will read for us 1 John,

chapter 2, verses 15 to 17.

So, we'll start off here with Daniel,

and then we are going to 1 John.

(Pedro) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,
Daniel 7:25:

(Sabina) Thank you, Pedro.

And now 1 John, chapter 2,

verses 15 [through] 17, Jason.

(Jason) And I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,

and the Bible says:

Verse 16:

(Sabina) Amen. Thank you.

So, my friends, what is it

that you see here in those texts?

How is it that Satan has been trying

to divert our attention

away from the Sabbath? Yes, Pedro.

(Pedro) Looking back on Daniel, chapter 7,

we see here this horn power

trying to change God's laws and times,

and it's interesting that the time

is related to the Law, and the only law

that relates to time is the Sabbath

in the Ten Commandments.

And he's trying to do it in a pompous way,

he's trying to do it in a persuasive way,

to the world around it.

And God is inviting us to not be deceived

by those trickeries.

(Sabina) Okay, thank you so much.
Yes, Hope.

(Hope) I think even those of us

who try to keep the Sabbath

and worship God on that day

can get distracted sometimes

like this verse in 1 John was saying,

like, by the things of the world

that just try to creep in.

And before we know it we have

lost sight of God.

And that's really the true purpose

of worshiping God on Sabbath, is

just to take that time to spend with Him

because we love Him,

as Pastor Derek was saying,

not out of obligation

but because we love Him.

I think it's just important to try

to remember to keep distractions away,

because the devil is going to try

to throw things at us even if we do know

what the true day of worship is.

(Sabina) Yes, thank you

so much for sharing, Hope,

because that's the reality.

Just as we were saying,

the Sabbath is a blessing; it's a way

for us to stay connected with Jesus,

to look to His saving grace.

And the devil is going to try

to change this time, right,

and he is already, as we were discussing.

There are some theories out there

that try to already change and convince us

that, "Well, there's not really

a Sabbath day out there,"

so we need to keep our hearts

open to Jesus, first and foremost.

And then I would like us to have

some sharing time here,

because some of us, most of us here,

at least in this auditorium, we experience

the Sabbath ourselves, right?

So, we've been experiencing the Sabbath,

and I would like us to share, if possible,

how is it that remembering the Sabbath

as a special time to worship

our Creator and Redeemer

has been a blessing in your life

or in your family?

Do you have any testimonies? Yes, Jason.

(Jason) Well, Sabina, it's been
a blessing,

because it really reminds me

that God is mindful of me,

because we all work jobs,

and we hustle and bustle, 24/7,

but God has allowed us a time

to spend to with Him.

And be mindful, He wants

to spend time with us.

And so, it's just a blessing

that the God of the universe

wants to spend time with us.

(Derek, Team) Amen.

(Sabina) Amen. Okay, any other experiences

that you've experienced

in your personal life?

How is it, Lilica, that the Sabbath

has been a blessing to you?

(Lilica) Growing up, there was

a lot of tension in my family.

My mom and I are Seventh-day Adventists.

Later on, some of my family members
got baptized,

but before that it was her and me.

And on the Sabbath, as we

did vespers together,

it was a time of reconciliation.

As we prayed, we worshiped God together,

and it was a time of asking

for forgiveness to each other.

And later on, when I went to the faculty,

I would, on Fridays, before sunset,

leave the school, go home, and take

every book out of my backpack

and put them on the shelf

just to make myself remember

that that is the time to rest.

All my friends were like, "You are crazy.

We have to study; we have exams on Monday,

and you're going home and taking

all your books out of your backpack?"

And then after Sabbath,

I put all the books together.

Just to say one thing

also about the Sabbath,

as Hope was saying, the enemy

always tries to distract us

with so many things,

and naturally now we have no desire

to worship God, to spend time with Him.

But if we cannot spend 24 hours with Him,

will we want to spend Heaven, eternity,
with Him?

(Sabina) Yes, that's a very good question.

And that leads us into the conclusion

of our study, because we now experience

the blessing of the Sabbath,

as you were sharing

and Jason was sharing,

and we can tell the wonderful things

that God has done for us

as we keep this special day,

but I want us to turn to Revelation,

chapter 21, verses 1 to 4.

And maybe, Hope, if you read for us

these four verses, Revelation 21:1-4,

what does it say there?

(Hope) I'll be reading

from the New King James Version:

(Derek) Amen.

(Sabina) Amen. So, we are seeing

that all the suffering

is going to pass away,

but there is something that is

going to be kept in Heaven,

and maybe if we can turn together

to Isaiah, chapter 66, so Isaiah 66,

verses 22 and 23, Harold, would you

please read for us what it iS

that Isaiah is saying.

(Harold) Yes, and I'll be reading

from the New King James Version,
and it says:

(Derek) Amen.

(Sabina) Amen. And that is the good news

we have, my friends,

that soon Jesus is coming, that all

the suffering is going to pass away,

and there is one thing that is going

to remain with His love and care,

which is the opportunity for us,

all together, to worship in eternity.

And you can start that right now

as you keep the Sabbath,

as you guard your heart to Jesus,

and as you rely on His saving grace,

that's what the Sabbath is about.

God bless you.

(Derek) Thank you so much, Sabina,

and thank you to each one

or joining us for our study today.

What a blessing the Sabbath,

a time to commune

with our awesome Creator and Redeemer

and soon coming King,

and we'll celebrate with Him and worship

throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity.

Let's pray together.

Father in Heaven, thank You

for this encouraging word

about the Sabbath and the end time.

And I pray that we would experience

the beauty of a relationship

with You every day

and especially on the Sabbath day.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

(Team) Amen.

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

Three Cosmic Messages,

what a powerful insight

for our lives today in the hour

of the judgment when Jesus is coming soon.

I pray that you would be blessed
each Sabbath day,

and go out and be a blessing

to those around you.

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