Kingdom Down: A Study in Danielनमूना

Find Jesus in your Fiery Furnace As we continue our study of Daniel, it’s important to note that from chapter one to chapter two is three years. From chapter two to chapter three is 17 years. So now we're 20 years into the life of Daniel, and he's probably in his mid-to-late 30s at this point. What we continue to see in chapter three is that everything God creates, Satan counterfeits, so Daniel and his friends must choose between the real and the counterfeit, which takes discernment. Any sense of awe for God that Nebuchadnezzar had at the end of chapter 2 is now gone as he determines to set up his own counterfeit kingdom with himself as king. He worries that his subjects aren’t fully loyal to him as king and his kingdom, so he creates a special holiday that everyone is required to attend and unmasks a 90-foot statue of himself. Basically, he did really well in self-esteem in elementary school. He woke up one day and thought “what the world needs is a 90-foot me made of gold.” Here’s the big idea: You can bow down to Jesus, or you can bow down to false gods. Usually our idols aren’t as obvious as a 90-foot statue, but the enemy is pretty good at taunting us with idols like sex, control, comfort, money, security, and pride. In Nebuchadnezzar’s case, he creates a counterfeit church service dedicated to worshiping himself with counterfeit priests, counterfeit worship music, and counterfeit bowing to the king. Satan isn’t that creative, but he’s good at fooling even God’s people. Anyone who doesn’t bow down is thrown into a fiery furnace. The stakes are high for God’s people. Historians tell us that likely 300,000 people bowed down in an instant, which was everyone present except for 3 guys. This is not a political statement, but rather a spiritual one. And they’re alone in making it, which is astounding. Again, the king gets angry and sends them to the furnace, as he promised. And remarkably, Daniel and his friends comply. They choose God’s will over their own personal comfort. They’re not afraid of a little “k” king since they know their King of Kings will deliver them. They fear Him over any earthly man. And He does! Suddenly there’s a fourth guy in the furnace, Jesus, and they exit without even smelling of smoke. Again Nebuchadnezzar reveres God and makes a decree that no one can defame Daniel’s God and he promotes Daniel and his friends. After, once again, standing up for God as Lord over all and facing another trial, he again finds favor with an earthly king for alone revering his Heavenly King. What trial(s) do you find yourself in now? Are you seeking God’s will through it?