Hello
Friends!
Welcome
back
to our Encouraging Concepts Bible
study series focused on the powerfully PROPHETIC picture portrayed in the Old Testament book
of Daniel painted as a panoramic
landscape of World History in FIVE successions “written” in
ardent ADVANCE some 2,600 years ago…
“The Book of Daniel: Prophecy PAST, PRESENT
& FUTURE!”
The Book of Daniel: Prophecy PAST,
PRESENT & FUTURE (Chapter 3: Verses 26-30)
26 Then
Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake,
and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God,
come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth
of the midst of the fire. 27 And the princes, governors, and
captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men,
upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed,
neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. 28 Then
Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in
him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they
might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. 29 Therefore
I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak anything
amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in
pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other
God that can deliver after this sort. 30 Then the king promoted
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon – Daniel 3:26-30
OPENING POINTS TO PONDER: Whenever we find ourselves
in a SERIOUS situation where we too must DECIDE to
take a strong STAND for our great “God
in heaven” and it is the unpopular thing to
do, as we begin receiving fall-out fostered FROM others,
we can still eagerly ENJOY
an absolute tremendous sense of DIVINE companionship.
And when “we” as true “Christians” go directly through
personal PERSECUTION in life, the sweet “Spirit
of grace” and His grand “glory”
rightly rests WITHIN each of “us”
with an overwhelming sense of STRENGTH stoked within our fickle “fiery” foundry. And here in these powerful
“passages” we find that “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego” were
soundly SECURE within this “fiery
furnace” as they communed with their “own God” through – Divine COMPANIONSHIP!
OUT of the FIRE!
At
this “study” point in our joyous
journey, it is NOW quite obvious that “King Nebuchadnezzar” had indeed FINALLY met his maniacal
match! And as
he had carefully “came near” to the open “mouth” of this besetting “burning fiery furnace” by his own
making, he confoundedly CALLS out to “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego” in a HURRIED haste:
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to
the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither.
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire – Daniel 3:26
We
have to assume that “King Nebuchadnezzar”
was rubbing his bewildered eyes in utter AMAZEMENT throughout
this ENTIRE ordeal! And as a RESULT
he swiftly “spake” unto the
these “three” young lads exclaiming
that they “come forth” and “come hither” unto him as the SUBMITTED sound
“servants” of the “most high God” Himself. Thus, they did
indeed “come forth” from
within the “midst of the fire”
ensued – OUT of the FIRE!
THEOLOGICAL THOUGHTS: But HOW
did the nimble “Nebuchadnezzar”
know that THIS marvelous manifestation
was indeed the “most high God”
Himself? And is this pious PROCLAMATION pivotal proof of a spiritual CONVERSION in the “heart”
held at this particular point in the “king’s” lamenting life? – NO!
WHY?
Because the “King Nebuchadnezzar” is simply acknowledging
what theologians call Henotheism
of which is the beguiled belief that certain “people” and “nations” have their OWN personal “gods”
to worship. Therefore, in a Henotheistic
way, “King Nebuchadnezzar” has
plenty of room in his RELIGIOUS
worldview of polytheism for the ONE true
“God in heaven” of the “Hebrew” trio “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego” in kind.
In fact, he is even willing to go so far as to “say” that this particular
distant deity is the “most High God”
placed OVER all the OTHER lame little “g”
goofy “gods” in general. And
although “Nebuchadnezzar” has
absolutely NO problem what so ever being on the GOOD side of the glorious “God” of Whom boldly BLESSES His overtly OBEDIENT observers, this is indeed a FAR cry from “believing” that this
great “God” Himself IS indeed the – ONLY God!
Therefore,
“King Nebuchadnezzar” is
actually NOT at all
actually ABANDONING his pious Polytheism
proclaimed. Rather, he is simply stacking this ETERNALLY grand “God” on the top of
his pragmatic “god” pile! And
he is definitely NOT
admitting (yet!) that THIS grandiose “God”
is his PERSONAL one true “God”
as such. He simply seems to be surmising that this entity must
be the SUPREME gracious “God” of the granted “gods” and that is ALL the confused “king” is reflecting
upon here. WHY? Because at this
point in our joy-filled journey, he is merely MAINTAINING his
torrid tradition of a pathetic Polytheism within
his partial PROCLAMATION
of a pious PANTHEON
supported by his mundanely mandated theory admixed via a myriad
of – MANY gods!
No FIRE Power!
“And” then the “princes, governors, and
captains, and counsellors” had BOLDLY brought “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego” up from the “burning fiery furnace” inferno:
And the princes, governors, and
captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men,
upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed,
neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them – Daniel 3:27
This
pragmatic proconsul of the careless “king’s” court were “gathered together” to performed an OFFICAL investigation
of the situation at hand. And these caustic “counsellors” found that the “fire had no power” over the PHYSICAL buoyant “bodies” belonging to “these men” of the true “God in heaven” proclaimed. And not ONLY that,
it was also quite obvious that “nor” was the “hair of their head singed” and “nor” was their “coats changed” and “nor” was the “smell of fire” found ANYWHERE to
have been “passed” upon them. In fact, ONLY the braided “bands” of which had “bound” them applied in
“haste” were
boisterously BURNED away. And as a real RESULT rendered, the fiendish “fire” had set them FREE but it could NOT ultimately TOUCH them. And if you have ever been
in a “fire” the sulfuric “smell” of its smoke screen
gets into absolutely EVERYTHING and will almost NEVER come out – WOW!
YEILDED Youths!
“Then” we find “Nebuchadnezzar” had further “said” concerning this SUPERNATURAL departure
from the supposed surreal SUFFERING sent upon
these “servants” of the “most high God” Himself:
Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and
said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his
angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the
king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship
any god, except their own God – Daniel
3:28
BIBLICAL BACKGROUND: The ETERNALLY great “God of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego” had indeed “sent” His living “Son of God” as the pre-incarnate
person of our “Lord
Jesus Christ” as the visiting “angel” to directly DELIVER them. WHY? Because these seriously
submitted “servants” have yearningly
“yielded their bodies” as they totally
“trusted in him” alone…
I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be
not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of
God – Romans 12:1-2
And as a righteous RESULT they
had completely “changed the king's word” concerning his caustic CONDEMANTION towards “these” fully faithful few of whom
would NOT selfishly “serve” or willingly “worship” absolutely “any god” but their “own God” from above – YEILDED Youths!
Pious PUNISHMENT Proclaimed!
“Therefore,” any “God” who can draw
this kind of ALLEGIANCE form his FOLLOWERS must be one sensational sort of
“God” indeed:
Therefore I make a decree, That
every people, nation, and language, which speak anything amiss against the God
of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses
shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after
this sort – Daniel 3:29
Here we find AGAIN that the
“King Nebuchadnezzar” has outwardly acknowledged
the grand “God in heaven” and makes a dire “decree” in that severe PUNISHMENT will be foisted upon EVERY sort
of “people, nation, and language” whom would “speak” absolutely ANYTHING ardently “amiss against” the great “God” of these fellow “Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego” as
such. Incidentally, just as the chided “Chaldeans” and wicked “wise men” were thoroughly THREATENED by their commanding “king” if they would NOT rightly
“interpret” his daunting “dream” in full, he now dutifully “decrees” that very SAME severe practical PUNISHMENT in being “cut in pieces” and their “houses shall be made a
dunghill” in kind – Pious PUNISHMENT Proclaimed!
The PROMOTION of Providence!
And
when you ALREADY rigorously rule in portions of
the powerful “providence”
proconsul and you AGAIN are “promoted”
on high, that is quite a provocative PROMOTION indeed…
Then the king promoted Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon – Daniel 3:30
Now,
if the “king’s” chastised “Chaldeans” and woeful “wise men” along with his abject “astrologers, magicians and soothsayers”
were uniformly UNHAPPY at the beginning of this
challenging chapter, we can only IMAGINE what
it was like for “them” at the end
of it! And this cynical “King Nebuchadnezzar”
is playing no FOOL here. WHY?
Because he is completely CONVINCED that it pragmatically PAYS to be ever so NICE to
this particular “God of heaven” as such. Therefore, he
definitely DESIRES to have this OMNISCIENT One openly – On HIS
Side!
PROPHETIC PROMISE: Beloved, “we”
too can set this wicked “world”
on edge. HOW? By lovingly “living” out an UNCOMPROMISING life
unto our loving “Lord”
so complete that even in their total UNBELIEF they will have
to say that “our” great “God” is the “Most High God” indeed. And in their utter DISCORD they
will properly proclaim BLESSED
be the “Most High God” of
those folks! WHY? Because any “God” who can draw
that kind of ALLEGIANCE unto Himself must truly be – The ONLY God!
More to follow… STAY tuned!
In
closing:
REAL REFLECTIONS: The twelve chapters of “Daniel” are powerfully PROMISED prophecies depicting the unfolding
of the HISTORIC events of which will take place leading up to
the literal “time” of the SECOND awaited
physical “coming” of our loving “Lord Jesus Christ” back to the earth:
And in the days
of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be
destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever – Daniel 2:44
And
our SERIOUS study of these PROPHECIES will
rightly REVEAL to each student of God's wonderful “Word” that the events FORETOLD
some 2,600 years ago could
possibly be FULFILLED in the seemingly near future…
We are not guaranteed tomorrow – tomorrow may be too late! If you haven't yet made that most important decision of your life, won't you make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior today - before it's too late? Today is the day of Salvation!
If you have been blessed by this message or have a specific question, prayer request or testimony, please send me a note to: encouragingconcepts@live.com
I love hearing from you. Keep reading Encouraging Concepts!
Blessings!
Shane K. Morin <><
Encouraging Concepts
Truth for Today
"Living Life From a Biblical Worldview"
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