A Fiery Furnace and a Fiery Faith - Part 1

What you doing tonight do you have the courage of your convictions you want to know the answer when life is going well, the truth. This happens when the heat is today on Turning Point.

Jeremiah seeks the stage I of the Bible's most examples of someone demons fighting the fire from the handwriting on the state to introduce today's message fiery furnace. I can pretty well imagine that you've heard about these three guys, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego there are the heroes in the story were going to talk about today from Daniel chapter 3, these boys who stood up when everybody else was kneeling down to a false God and how God used them to fire up the faith of the people who watch them stand up for what they believed.

Never has there been a better audience for this story than we have today in this world in which nobody wants to stand up for anything. Well, here we go. This is the beginning of this famous story from Daniel chapter 3 the fiery furnace, fiery, what is the greatest need of our generation would have to think long about Toledo. I might have to think a lot about how to express it. I think the need is the same no matter what arena you may choose whether it's the political arena.

The ecclesiastical reign of the church educational arena, whether it's in sports wherever you may choose. There's one crying need in our generation and that need is men and women who have a conviction of their purpose and whose lives are internally governed and are not governed by the circumstances of the those kind of folks are hard to find. I don't know if you notice that it seems like everybody today is all over the map when there with a certain group of folks there.

One way but you move them out of context and put them over here in another context, and they change like the proverbial chameleon. It's a rare person who is consistently the same no matter where use whose convictions are so deep and so strong that no matter where he made me no matter what circumstance he may be found is exactly the same. You can count on him. You can be sure that if you trust him into a place of opposition that he will be exactly what he is when he is with you in private, not anything I know, more discouraging them to try to deal with people who change on the basis of their company.

I want to tell you what were going to learn from the third chapter is a mighty lesson in the conviction that comes inwardly from our deep rooted belief in the word of God, not just praying to God would use his word to instill within just one person.

The determination that would last the rest of their lives that no matter what happens I'm going to be a person whose life is consistently based upon the conviction of my heart. Based upon the word of God. Now we come to the third chapter and one of the first things we notice in the third chapter is that though this is the book of Daniel. We can't find Daniel anywhere. He's gone. It doesn't show up in the third chapter and there's a great deal of conjecture as to where you might be. But most scholars believe that he's away on the king's business is representing thing that you could measure in some foreign court so we don't see anything about him. All we hear about her history buddies Shadrach me shack and Abednego now in the first two stories of the book that we've already studied these three men seem to be the companions of Daniel, just sort of his friends there, standing in the wings. Daniel gets the main thrust of the press and they sorta get talked about a little bit in the rest of the book after the third chapter will never hear about him again gone but in this chapter.

They are on center stage and they take the limelight and it's kind of interesting to me to see it this way because sometimes when we read the first two chapters we might think that Shadrach me shack and Abednego just yes-men just do whatever Daniel tells him to do just because of his strength there the way they are.

But now we see them isolated from their leader and we see that they are men of great courage and it has nothing to do with their association with Daniel is important to notice as we begin the third chapter that I rather long interval has elapsed between Chapter 2 and chapter 3 is not quite possible for us to know exactly how long. However, in the Septuagint account of this passage were told in that account that it's the 18th year of King that you could measure that would mean that somewhere between 16 and 20 years of past from the end of the second chapter to the beginning of the third we don't know all this happen, but we do know that between the time that chapter 2 ends in chapter 3 begins.

Something's happened in the heart of Nebuchadnezzar for will remember that when we last saw this king Daniel has just interpreted for him. The great dream he's told him what his dream was stolen what it meant and the result of that was such an impressive thing to King Nebuchadnezzar that we read in verses 47 and 48 chapter 2.

That the king answered him to Daniel and he set up a trunk that is your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and the revealer of secret seeing doctors reveal this made Daniel a great man gave many gifts, etc., etc. so when were at the end of the second chapter king that he could measure makes what sounds like a public profession of his faith. Sounds like he's almost becoming in the Old Testament since of the word Christian is so impressed with Daniel and what Daniel is done and he knows that it's the God of Daniel. That's involved in so he makes all these positive statements about Daniel's God, but now these years of past and we see him in the next time we see him. He is involved in the most heinous of sin, raising up an idol on the plain of Missouri and causing all of his realm to bow down before that I some reminder to us that sometimes when we hear the great public professions of faith that come from quote unquote public if you tested by way of time. You may be disappointed. Have you learned that sometimes we have some celebrity get saved in the first thing you want to do is get them on national television. Put them on all the talk shows and get them to come speak at our banquet and before we know it. They've embarrassed us you know Nebuchadnezzar is like that. So when we meet him now the third chapter were not too impressed.

For we read in the first three verses that Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of go whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth of its six cubits, and he set it up in the plane of Dürer in the province of Babylon. The Nebuchadnezzar, the king sent to gather together the princes the governors the captives the judges the treasurers, the counselors, the Sheriff's and all the rulers of the province to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king set up in the princes, the governors captives the judges the treasures of counselors and sheriffs and all the rulers of the province were gathered together under the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Now here's the story. Point number one. The dedication ceremony verses 1 to 3.

Nebuchadnezzar had become so impressed with the dream he had and he was so enamored with the fact that in that dream. He was the head of gold. They must've reasoned in his own heart.

If they had, why not the whole body and so he built himself an image out of goal and he set it out there in the plain, and he caused all the people to come and worship that image and it's time now to dedicate this project in order to dedicated officially invites all of the official family to come to the dedication ceremony now. From what we can learn concerning that particular time. It is probable that the image or the statute of gold was made out of wood overlaid with gold that seems to of been the way they did things in Babel and in that day, and as you remember from one of our previous studies. Babylon was the golden age of gold was very prevalent in Babel, so he made this huge image out of Woody overlaid with gold and he set it up in this flat place called claimant Dora project probably took a number of months, perhaps even years to complete and now it's finished and he's invited everyone to come to the dedication I just like to point out to you as we studied in the past that this man represents the beginning of the times of the Gentiles.

Do remember that he is the first ruler of the first Emperor if you will. The world Empire of significance. He sets up an image and he causes the people to bow down before it go all the way through the history of the world all the way over to the book of Revelation clear to the 13th chapter of the book of Revelation and you see the last ruler of the kingdoms of men.

The Antichrist himself, and what does he do, he builds an image and he puts it out there and he causes all the people to fall down and worship just the way man started out he ends up. Have you ever notice that man, even apart from Christ is incurably religious. He inevitably has to have something he can worship and he's always creating something other than the God who made them.

If you don't have any knowledge about. I encourage you to read the first chapter of Romans you will see the history of it in that book now this image that he built was a grotesque and strange looking thing Scripture says it was 60 cubits high and six cubits wide. It was 90 feet tall, the great Colossus of Rhodes is only 70 feet high, so this was a gigantic image were not told specifically that it was an image of Nebuchadnezzar, but it is very good conjecture that it was the image of a man 9 feet tall, 60 cubits by six cubits now the thing that's grotesque about that is this that the ratio of the image was 10 to 1.

Knowledge.

I some that's a skinny man.

What the average proportion is 51. This image is the one it's all along skinny you think about the desert waving in the sunlight, and in the wind and in the brain that gold shimmering in the sun sticking up out of the horizon. You could see it for miles away because the people of his kingdom to come bow down before it worship the image. Now we don't have time to go and all the people on his guest list. Let me just quickly go down the list and we will talk about each one very much but let me tell you who they were the satraps or the princes were protectors of the realm. The prefects were the superintendents. The governors were those who ruled an assigned region. Then there were the judges of the chief arbitrators and the treasurers masters of the treasury and then the lawyers are the guardians of the law and the Sheriff's interesting fellas. It says in the Scripture. They were the ones who passed out the sentences and all of the officials and all the Royal ambassadors. All of them were invited. Now when you read the text. It's a little bit redundant, isn't it.

I want to point out that this is not by accident. It says in verse two Nebuchadnezzar, the king sent together, the princes, governors, captives, the judges treasures counselor sheriffs all Rosewood province, dedication, then princes, governors, captives, judges, treasures, counselor sheriffs all resume problems go together dedication. What that means is when you got an invitation from King Nebuchadnezzar you came you just came everybody who got an invitation showed up it was peer pressure in the highest form. All of those people games were going to see they all fell into what the king wanted them to do. Now that's the dedication ceremony I want to point out before we move on to the next section, a very interesting fact that the beast or the image.

The number of the image was 60 cubits by six cubits, and when you moved to the 13th chapter of the book of Revelation. You get to the 18th verse. The last verse in the chapter it says that the number of the beast of the antichrist was the number of a man and the number was 666 just as the beast in the end is a beast of sixes so the beast at the beginning is a beast of sixes and I want you to notice also that in this orchestra that were going to study a few moments. There are six instruments six different kinds of instruments.

It's interesting that as you study the Bible, six is the number of a man seven is the number of perfection in the Bible's six is the number of man man's just a little bit short. He never comes up to the standard someone told me one time that when you get converted you move in the eyes of God from a 6 to 7 that need God's already got you on a scale of one to €7.07. If you don't know Christ you're still six now the image is a good picture of man is overlaid with gold. That's the way man's projects are. That's the way man is he is outwardly imperishable, inwardly inferior, he is outwardly magnificent, inwardly vulnerable man is always setting up his gigantic projects. They look good on the outside to get down to the core of your fine really not much there.

This image is a perfect portrayal just like the one in chapter 2 of the kingdoms of men and of the kind of person that medicaments are really was. Now I suppose we need to ask a question before we go too far and that is why whenever you could measure do such a thing even if he was a pagan, why would he set up an image in the desert. I think there's one very basic reason and perhaps another suggestion.

The first and most basic of reasons is that he was doing his very best to unite his kingdom religiously as a rolled over the vast empires that were his more than likely he had on great occasions. Great concern over how he would keep all of these people moving in the same direction and so he decided that one of the vehicles he would use to unite his empire was to bring them together religiously and cause them to be one in their religion and make religion mandatory and cause them to uniformly bow down before this image and bring them together. Nimrod tried that.

Remember the course. That's what the antichrist is doing in the end of time bringing everyone together religiously. The second thing is doing. If we are studying the text carefully is that he is deifying himself and those two things go together people. If you study history, you'll discover that the great egomaniacs who have tried to conquer the world have been men who have tried to use religion for their own purpose. I came across something written right after I was born back in the early 40s, late 30s. This comes from the review of world affairs quote. One cannot be a good German and at the same time deny God, but in avowal of faith in the eternal Germany is at the same time and avowal faith in the eternal God. Whoever serves Adolf Hitler. The Führer serves Germany and whoever serves Germany serves God and later on in 1942. This was written there is a lot of mystic talking Germany about Hitler's messianic characteristics.

The thesis that Hitler is a miraculous being sent by a supreme power and that he is capable of mystic communion with the German masses is gaining greater currency and consequently the attack on Christian religion becomes more severe in Germany. No attempt is made to stamp out the faith in the supernatural.

The policy is more blasphemous it is to replace Christ religion is now counterfeited.

Rather than dismiss this extraordinary tendency is, perhaps, without parallel during the last 2000 years. The Nazis are trying to create an antitype of Christianity.

They have made their leader, their God, that's historically true. Study the great movements where the great atheistic mystic leaders have come to power. They've always used religion in some way to their own in.

That's what Nebuchadnezzar is doing is trying to unify the people around this image well.

He has all of these people.

They are now we come secondly to the decree commanded verses four through seven then Harold cried aloud to you is commanded old people, nations and languages that at the time he knew the sound of the hornpipe flyer sack with sultry dulcimer and all kinds of music you fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king of set up and whoever follows not down in worship of show the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Therefore, at the time when all the people heard the sound of the hornpipe flyer sack what's altered all kinds of music all the people the nations and the language spelled out worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king set up.

I can see that picture clearly in my mind's eye when they heard that word. They were all looking for a piece of ground to hit soon as the music was playing on just a foot run hit the ground.

When the music starts at the fiery furnace is the alternative object. The ground now.

It's interesting as you read this. Nebuchadnezzar, like all false gods and all false religion had his paid preacher. The hero I use that word for this fella. That's what the Bible says he was he was a Harold.

He was a paid false preacher got up and said just exactly what he was told to say I will go off on that rabbit trail, but I wanted to dozens of those folks around paid preachers who just get tell everybody what they're told to say, and he announced that when the orchestra played everybody had to worship the false God. Now this was a weird orchestra. I mean I try to find out what all these instruments were not look them all up. I'm telling you it must've been a strange sounding thing.

There was a horn of a wind instrument. There was a flute.

The word in the Hebrew is to his sword to whistle for that instrument. Then there was a thing called a Harper a liar. Another instrument: some versions of tried God triangular instrument of four strings which played real high notes and then move sultry was another instrument which had its four strings beneath the sounding board. Then it was just a plain old bagpipe from what we can gather, this was the King's Royal orchestra.

You never heard anything strange that your life and when the band played. Everybody had to fall down when the orchestra leader got up and directed the orchestra that was assigned.

Everybody in the worship the way Nebuchadnezzar blew his own horn. I'm surprised even needed in orchestra. You know that that's what he used many women. This is nothing more than one of the early indications in the word of God, of the prostitution of music that's been the history of the world has it not the prostitution of music almost every major call and is in all of the major false religions have found some way to use music to their own in uneven in the greater Christendom.

Some of the fanatics things that happen in the quote unquote greater Christendom music is used to hyped everybody up so that they can get them to do what they want the kind of mind control what we have the final issues with the three Hebrew children coming up in the next couple days and see what God did to honor their faith and it's tremendously encouraging lesson because he's the same God that's there for us when were going through the fire following is the same God that he is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think we'll see right here tomorrow. Thank you so much for being a part of information on your life series. The headline, please visit our website Jeremiah/radio we offer two free ways to help you stay no monthly magazine and L daily email devotional sign-up today and Jeremiah don't think David Jeremiah/radio ask for a copy of David's companion for this series the secret handwriting on any of them. Jeremiah study Bible, English standard version named new international version as well as an stamp of the large print and J available in your choice of Jeremiah/radio join us tomorrow as we continue the series. The handwriting on the wrong Turning Point.

Jeremiah taking time to listen to non-piece in question