The fiery furnace so what does the fiery furnace represent in Scripture well we believe that these three passages will help Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 20 which you can see there in the yellow box on the screen first of Kings 8 51 which also says something very similar to Deuteronomy
And Jeremiah 11 verse 4 which again is very similar all of them speak of Egypt as the furnace of iron a fiery furnace from which of course Yahweh redeemed his people he brought them out of Egypt out of slavery and ultimately into the Promised Land so Israel of old had to experience that
Afari furnace and it has basically two purposes it can be a refining mechanism Isaiah 48 verse 10 says behold I have refined thee but not with silver I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction when we pass through trials of course that’s something like a furnace of
Affliction at times isn’t it it has a purpose it’s it’s refining of character it’s the building of faith and trust in our God but our God also uses that fiery furnace for destroying in our readings in Ezekiel uh just yesterday Ezekiel chapter 22 we have reference in
Verses 18 20 and 22 to the fact that Yahweh would cast Israel into the furnace to melt them because they were in fact Dross so it can be used to refine can be used to destroy the furnace either refines or purifies or destroys and we’re the ones who make the choice
So what are the challenges then of the latter days in which we find our souls Christ warned of the blinding and corrosive effects of materialism on Latter-Day Believers and some of you will have heard recent talks that we’ve delivered on Luke 17 and messages like that about the real danger of materialism in these times of fading prosperity moral declension and violence but also
Blight Society in the latter days that’s the clear reference there in places like Matthew 24 37 to 39 goes back of course to the times of the flood when violence and immorality filled the Earth at the end of every human era there has been of course a falling away from the truth however
Perhaps the most serious and certainly the most subtle challenge of our times is the pervasive influence of humanism and I think that may well be the furnace that we’re having to endure Revelation 16 of course verses 13 to 15 is probably one of the most relevant
Passages in the word of God for us right now because we’re seeing it we’re seeing it very plainly fulfilled and we’re seeing we’re seeing it mature which tells me that our Lord Jesus Christ is not very far away we know that humanism has its outgrowths there’s postmodernism post-modernism is
The view that there is no truth there’s no absolutes there’s no certainties you can have your truth and I can have my truth they can be as far away from one another as east and west and everything’s fine that’s post-modernism and of course now we’ve got aggressive wokism
And the work movement is challenging they are aggressive in their challenge or anything that has to do with Divine principles and if you try and uphold Divine principles they are going to be on your back you are the enemy you’re the one that’s going to cop their abuse
So that I believe is probably the severest challenge that we’ve got but there are many of them and so we’re going to have a look at this fiery furnace that we’re facing in the latter days I’d like you to join me if you would in Revelation chapter 16. I
Think this is really worth having a look at again now I know that in recent times you’ve probably heard talks on humanism and wokism but let’s just see how relevant this is to us in Revelation chapter 16 and at verse 15. it’s John who takes up the pen in verse 13.
And says that during the period of the sixth vial and we know that we’re very close to the end of the sixth vial period it began in 1820 it’s going to end at the time when the nations are gathered into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon and we can see
Things leading in that direction so we know we’re at the end of the sixth vial period and in verse 13 John writes and I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of three mouths I’m not going to go into those mouths right now one of
Them as a papacy of course and that’s happening big time but he says in verse 14 he says for they are the spirits of devils he’s actually talking about what happened as a result of the French Revolution you’re all familiar with that the forces that have shaped Human
Society ever since the French Revolution and slowly but surely they have insinuated themselves into every part of the fabric of Human Experience you can’t escape these three elements these three unclean attitudes that came from the French Revolution Liberty equality and fraternity now a spirit here of course is an ideology or a way
Of thinking and the passages you can see on the screen there would spell out if we had time to go through them and the word Devils as you know is Daemon from which we get demons it is used of The Madness of legion of insanity and diseases but also of
Earthly wisdom says James in chapter 3 verse 15 he uses a very similar word a cognate word which he says produces confusion and every evil work and which say Amen to that because we’ve seen the result haven’t we have humanism it’s taken over our schools our universities our workplaces it’s taking over churches
Every organization and every government on Earth maybe there might be one or two exceptions but every government on Earth is affected by this Spirit now when you read on here in verse 14 he says for they are the spirits of demons or Insanity working not Miracles but signs
Clear signs and they’re very clear signs to us and then he says this which go forth which mean they’re going to be aggressive they’re not just going to sit there and wait for you to come to them they’re going to go forth and you can’t go anywhere today can you
Without them going forth into your ears or into your eyes that’s what they’re doing they’re aggressive this is wokism they’re out in your face they will go forth unto the kings of the earth which means governments and to the whole world the word world there is it means the inhabited world
It matters not where you are you’re going to be impacted you’re going to be affected by these three unclean spirits like frogs and I don’t need to tell you that it’s taking its toll on our Brotherhood as well it’s very very evident when you travel around it’s taking its toll on our Brotherhood
So Christ was very clear about this that this is what was going to happen so these are the spirits of the French Revolution Liberty equality and fraternity and he says at the end of verse 14 that they have a purpose they’re going to gather them to the battle
Of that great day of God Almighty which is the one referred to in verse 16. the battle of Armageddon What I want you to notice verse 15. verse 15 is in parenthesis and it’s not John that writes verse 15. John is writing verses 13 and 14 and 16
And onwards but it’s not him but it’s writing verse 15. it is as though Christ grabs the panther from John’s hand and says I have a special message for my people in the latter days behold I come as a thief I am going to catch some people off guard that’s what
Thiefs do don’t they you might go home tonight and find her someone’s got through your window and stolen some of your goods that’s what thieves do you weren’t aware they’re going to come and if you lose sight of what he has told us and of the prophetic fulfillment that is going on
Around us it’s possible you might be caught off guard you see he’s actually talking about people who are impacted by humanism because humanism blinds behold I come as a thief blessed is he that watcheth and Keith his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame and that will be
Of course at the Judgment seat of Christ so we’ve got to be on our guard this is one of the things that’s in the far a furnace of the latter days and it’s having an enormous impact upon the world and Upon Our Own community so what is humanism essentially
Humanism is the exhortation of man and his thinking in opposition to God hence God’s word is rejected absolutely by atheistic men and relegated to an inferior position by Many religious Folk the Practical outcomes of this inversion of authority because that’s what it is whereas God used to be at the Apex now
They’ve tipped that triangle upside down it’s man that’s at the at the top it’s God who’s at the bottom if he’s considered at all these are the practical outcomes and they’re manifold but they include what they call situational ethics that is right and wrong are determined
By man you make up your mind as to what’s right or wrong not God and the diminution of the rights of the Creator and I use that term create it because he made all things he has certain rights I would have thought as a Creator just like if you
Create something you’ve got certain rights to it so it’s the diminution of the rights of the Creator by the exaltation of the rights of men men come before God this is the definition that they themselves give this is printed way back in 1947. this is from the architecture of humanism by Jeffrey Scott
And he defines what humanism is it hasn’t changed humanism he says is the effort of men to think to feel and to act for themselves and to abide by the logic of results in each case a new method is suddenly apprehended tested and carried firmly to its conclusion Authority habit Orthodoxy are
Disregarded or defied the argument is pragmatic realistic human so man comes before God so let’s stand with that background turn our minds to the Book of Daniel I’m going to start in Daniel chapter 1. in Daniel chapter one of course we have that wonderful story of Daniel and his three friends
Who stand aside from the education that was being thrust upon me without education of course we had a special design let’s start at the very first verse of the Book of Daniel let’s have a look at what we might call the big players in the drama that is
Before us the drama which culminates in chapter 3 tonight in Daniel 1 verse 1 we read in the third year of the reign of jehoiakim now working began to reign in 609 BC just after the the Battle of kakinish when Josiah of course was killed as Neko
Went up to the Battle of kakinis to support the Assyrians against the rising power of Babylon so this is the third year of the reign of jehoiakin and that means of course it’s the year 606 BC we’re Nebuchadnezzar as the general of the Babylonian Army came down he took away
The first captivity which was going to include many of the princes of the tribe of Judah including Daniel and his three friends now jehoiakim’s name means whom Yahweh has set up we’re going to find this little phrase had set up used nine times in Daniel chapter three so it’s like a
Little introduction here that’s a very important phrase in Daniel 3. now karap Jehovah Kim burnt the scroll of God’s word that was given through Jeremiah recorded in Jeremiah 36. he used a pen knife and as the scroll was read to him of the writings the Prophecies of Jeremiah he would cut off
What would have been read and he threw it in the fire must have been waited on threw it in the fire and the whole scroll was consumed that happened in the fifth year of jehoiakim the same year that God gave the revelation of Daniel 2 to Nebuchadnezzar by Daniel if you have a
Look at Daniel chapter 2 and verse 1 it says in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar now he began to reign in 603 and so this is the second year of his Reign it’s the same year in which burns the scroll isn’t this ironic that the king of Judah sitting upon
David’s Throne is burning the word of God and so God says right you burn the word I go to a gentile manner and I’m going to give him my word receives the word of God through the mouth of Daniel so Nebuchadnezzar he was nimrod’s successor his name means Nebo defend the boundary
And that’s what he’s going to do in Daniel chapter 3. Neva of course was the patron God of culture and learning in Babylon which is why when you read in Daniel chapter 1 that they began to educate those that they’d brought back from Judah that was what happened it’s the teaching
The learning of the cordians as we shall see now you’ll notice in verse two there’s reference to shiner it says there in the lord it’s in lower case it’s one of the places where the Sovereign changed Yahweh into Adonai so you can safely write in Yahweh Yahweh gave jehoiakim
King of Judah into his hand with part of the vessels of the house of God which he carried in the land of China to the house of his God now China just happens to be the Hebrew form of the name semaramus many of you will have heard of
Semoramus she was she’s called the Queen of Heaven she’s referred to an Ezekiel in Jeremiah you know she’s she’s she was the wife of nimrod she’s the one that that brought about such things as Ishtar or astar Easter in our language came right from samuramus see so very powerful woman she
Used to commit adultery by the way with the Kings over whom she brought at least a Time and that’s how she controlled them and of course she’s the one that’s used in Revelation chapter 17 to represent that woman that Harlot woman who sits Upon A Scarlet colored Beast so the roots go
Right back to semaramus so whenever you read China read simmeremis she was a queen in Babylon she said to be of course the founder of the Hanging Gardens in Babylon Nebuchadnezzar would like that badge to be on him but it was in fact simaramus so what happened to these boys well they
Were essentially young men boys Daniel chapter 1 verse 4 we read children the word is yellow damn it means youths in whom was no blemish and but well favored and skillful in all wisdom and cunning in knowledge and understanding science and such as had ability in them to stand
In the king’s Palace and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the cordians and we’re learning there in the Hebrew sifra means the books Bolinger says character this was actually about changing the way they thought by education and the word tongue here that’s shown in the Hebrew means it’s
Got the idea of a tongue or a language and it’s first used in Genesis 10 verse 5. now we know what happened of course as a result of Genesis 10 and 11. Nimrod produced the confusion of God’s lip or suffer as the word is in Genesis
11 verse 1. it actually refers to God’s religion that’s why we read in Zephaniah chapter 3 verse 9 I will turn to the peoples a pure suffer he doesn’t mean that everyone in the King was going to talk Hebrew they will eventually you’re not talking about that he’s talking
About everyone speaking the language of God and the language of God is religion and they say Hebrew is the best language for both religion and praise surprise surprise it’s God’s Own tongue at least the original Biblical Hebrew so here we’ve got the education process it was applied to Daniel his three friends and
It’s to learning that the cordians audience means Claude Breakers the only one occurrences of that word in the Old Testament and 46 of them in Jeremiah they’re a distinct class of people religious people devoted to the perpetuation of nimrod’s religion so this wasn’t just simply a university education this was a religious education
Which is exactly brothers and sisters what universities are today because the religion they teach is humanism well you can you can learn about mechanics and engineering and Science and but they will pump you like they’re pumping out children in public schools with what they’re really about and what they’re really about is getting
Your children your young people to think like they think Liberty equality and fraternity that’s what this was about making them think the way the Babylonians store now back in Genesis 11 verses 28 and 31 we have reference to the fact that Abram was called out of er of the cold ease
Out of the very heart of nibirov’s religion now he’s called a course out of idolatry the message of Joshua 24 verses two and three is your father’s dwell on the other side of the flood and they served other gods and so God calls Abram out of that mess out of that idolatry
But he might start all over again to bring a pure religion a pure lip ultimately to All Peoples and we know what happens here Daniel takes a stain look at verse 8. what was going to happen here is that they were going to have to eat the King’s food from his own table
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat or food nor would the wine which he drank therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs then he might not defile himself now the events of Daniel 1
Were in fact to prepare Daniel’s three friends or what’s going to happen in Daniel chapter 3. so that’s why it’s important to consider this right up front because they are prepared for what happens and what they do in chapter three why what happens here in chapter one the issue is religious not political
Daniel is confronted with the challenge to the first two of the Ten Commandments of old in Exodus chapter 20 verses 3 to 5. thou shall have no other God beside me said Yahweh and thou should make no graven image the food that was going to be presented to them was offered to
Idols and Nebuchadnezzar himself was seen as the godner of that religion so there was a problem to Daniel so meet other Idols is Paul’s theme of course in 1st Corinthians chapter 8 and 9. and there he teaches some very important things he says yes the idol is nothing there’s only one God
Refusal to eat is for the wealthier of others I’m not going to do you any harm but you don’t eat it he says because you don’t want us you don’t want to cause anybody else to stumble you don’t want the weak who who don’t have the perception that you have you don’t want
Them to see a bad example from you and he’s he goes on to say at the end of chapter 8 that if eating meat offered to Idols was going to cause any problem to his Brethren he would be a vegetarian for the rest of his life so complete abstinence is advised if the
Eternal salvation of Brethren is at stake and it’s Daniel who makes this stand and because of that his three friends are encouraged to follow him so what do they do well they ask to be fed pulse instead of that wonderful food that came from the table of the king of course
You find that in verse 12 they say to the man in charge to melzar prove thy servants I beseech thee ten days and let them give us pulse to eat and water to drink now that word pulse in the Hebrew means something soon a vegetable that is planted some kind of
Sort of seed or grain hence of course we know that that’s the very imagery that is used the symbology that is used of the word of God in James 1 21 the implanted word in First Peter 1 23 you’ve got the word that is sown in our
Mind so it’s the seed of the word of God in the type that they’re asking for in the parable the sower the seed of course is the word of God and the soil is the mind Daniel and his three friends chose the word of God over the learning and
Religious tongue of the Babylonian world and what happened well we you know the story as well as I do look at verse 17 of Daniel chapter 1. as for these four children God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom and Daniel Hunt had understanding in all visions and dreams
And then in verse 20 you read and in all matters of wisdom and understanding that the king inquired of them he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his Realms so the result was pretty good wasn’t it that they had refused what the king had
Offered because of its connotations and Yahweh stepped in and he gave them the results of those who turned diligently to his word so to speak now that’s some of the background we need for chapter three here’s a little bit more because this is chapter two I
Don’t need to say much about this do you because you’ve heard talks on this over and over again Daniel chapter Two but let me just tell you a couple of things that are very important here have a look at verses 28 and 29 of Daniel 2.
I quoted up on the screen there Daniel 2 29. Under The Heading world history revealed to Nebuchadnezzar when you read verse 29 that’s what he’s being told but I’m going to read verse 28 first because verse 28 is more important in the scheme of things then verse 29.
It says this in verse 28 Daniel has interpreted the dream and he says but there is a God in heaven that reveals secrets and maketh known to the King Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days that’s our guys so the image of this the the vision the
Dream of this image that stands up is a really essentially about the latter days because in fact it doesn’t stand up complete until the latter days now that’s why that’s the most important thing one then follows in verse 29 is this as for thee O King so yes
Significantness you might like to know how this dream that you have seen applies to you personally well you’re he’s told a booster you’re the head of gold as for the O King thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed what should come to pass Hereafter and of course it goes
On to speak about what that image represented in terms of four successive Empires that would come from Nebuchadnezzar’s Day write down uh to our time so we understand I think nebuchadnezzarism is pretty well there it is but the way that it’s seen there hasn’t yet happened and will not happen
Until the gogian host is Victorious in the land of Israel and therein lies the drama of Daniel 2. what we’ve had is the bits we’ve had the Gold Head yep 606 BC through to 539 we’ve had the silver and chest and arms we’ve had that the Persian Empire 539 BC
To 334. we’ve had the brass but you see the gold and the silver of the historic big on we’ve had the Roman after the brass the Grecian Empire and then we’ve got modern Europe all the nations of today the iron and the clay the feet in fact haven’t yet been formed
But brother Thomas correctly says they haven’t been formed this image can only stand up like Nebuchadnezzar saw it when the golgian forces are victorious in the land and as soon as it stood up boom it’s knocked over and that’s the drama of Daniel chapter 2. that’s why you read here
In verse 35 of Daniel 2 then was the iron the clay the brass the silver and the gold broken to pieces together it can’t be broken to pieces together unless they are together they have to be complete it has to stand up on its feet in order to be knocked
Over and then crushed became like the chaff of the summer threshing Claws and the wind carried them away no place was found for them replaced of course by the kingdom of God that stone power comes out of the mountain cup with our hands out of the mountain it grows
And grows and grows until it fills the whole world there’s your drama of Daniel 2. this terrifying image only stands up when Goga is victorious in the land it is immediately toppled by Christ that is broken and consumed over the next 40 years in Daniel 2 45 we in fact are given
Curiously we’re given the order of the destruction it’s outlined or enumerated for us in verse 35. then was the iron the clay and the brass now who do they represent it’s Russia headquartered in Constantinople he had to choose a medal for constella Nova what would you choose it’s Greek brass
Allied with the papal iron in Rome and the European Democracies who are the Clay they’re the ones who form the Confederacy that comes down upon the mountains of Israel and the first ones to be destroyed what comes next the silver that is the region immediately adjacent to the land of
Israel the countries like Syria and Iraq and Iran and Lebanon all that sort of those Nations around Israel then finally the gold is going to be of course 40 years before the head of gold is completely destroyed because it represents Babylon Babylon the great the last power that Christ and the Saints
Will destroy before the kingdom of God can be fully established when you think about that and of course it’s the basis of what comes in chapter three before I get to chapter three it’s important to note one little thing out of Daniel turn to Daniel chapter 4
And verse 17. how often do we quote this verse Daniel 4 17. this is this matter it says is by the decree of the watches namely the angels and the demand by the word of the Holy ones to the intent that the living may know doesn’t do any good to the Dead
That the living might uh may know that the most high whenever you read that title you’re in the context of Armageddon by the way comes from Genesis 14. that the most high rulers in the Kingdom of men I’m gonna stop there as far as God’s concerned brothers and
Sisters and young people there’s only one Kingdom on the Earth right now there might be 193 nations in the United Nations but as far as he’s concerned is one Kingdom when you go to the passage Revelation 11 verse 15 here are three translations of it
If you read it in the King James it says and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ kingdoms plurals not plural God doesn’t see it that way it’s the kingdom of the world hath become the kingdom of our Lord and of
His Christ the RSV says the kingdom of the world the dialogue says became the kingdom of the world it’s only one Kingdom so that image which represents the kingdom of men as far as God’s concern includes them all includes more and that is the problem in Daniel chapter 3.
You see what happens in Daniel 3. is that Nebuchadnezzar produces an image with there it’s complete and as far as he’s concerned is permanent and he’s the rule of the world he’s got all Nations under his control all right and it’s going to go on forever there isn’t going to be any
Silver or brass or iron or clay forget them it’s all gold so this is 19 years after Daniel chapter 2. I don’t know what your memory is like but I can’t recall what I did five minutes ago this is 19 years after the events of Daniel 2. and he’s forgotten all about
What he said in verse 47 of Daniel chapter Two come back to verse 47 of Daniel chapter 2. this is what he said when the dream is interpreted to him then the king Arts under Daniel and said by the truth it is that your God is a god of Gods
And a lord of kings and a revealer of Secrets seeing thou Curtis reveal this secret so he acknowledges the supremacy of the god of Israel but 19 years later it’s all different because he produces this image all of God in defiance of the dream because he
Was told that the head of God would be succeeded by the silver and then by the brass and then by the iron and then by the iron and Clay forget all that now we’ve just read this chapter and we saw three men standing standing out like a pimple on a pumpkin
Everybody else is down on their knees or on their face and they’re standing upright in the midst of that group doubtless as you can see in that picture shoulder to shoulder that’s how we should stand against the world brothers and sisters shoulder to shoulder so here they are
I want you I want you to examine what we’ve got here let’s read again verse one and I want you to notice that repetition of many things in this chapter well I’ll give you the reason why there’s a repetition here this one Nebuchadnezzar the king it’s a very important statement you’re going to
See it actually occurs seven times in this chapter made an image of gold whose height was three score cubits and the breadth thereofs six cubers and we’ve got another phrase that’s going to be repeated over and over again in fact nine times it’s the next phrase he set it up
In the plane of Jura in the province of Babylon now let’s let’s see if we can drill down here what happens of course is that there is a law created that you must bow in worship whereas the decree the dream decreed the end of the image and in
Verse 29 we’re going to find you come to the end of this chapter in verse 29 Nebuchadnezzar is forced back to tours he says therefore I make a decree that every people nation and language would speak anything amiss against the god of Shadrach Meshach and Abednego shall be
Cut in pieces the houses be made at dunghill because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort so the challenge that is presented here in verse one of Daniel 3 is finally overcome it collapses in the heat now this is what you can pick up if
You’re into using different colors to highlight certain things in your Bible this is the magic chapter for it you’ll never get a better chapter than this one because there are things repeated over and over again I’m going to point some of them out to you and what God is doing
Here is he’s actually ridiculing the pride of man and this is a Divine parody over and over again you see repetition well I’m gonna I’m gonna try and play the the game if I can and just show you how this this comes out this one Nebuchadnezzar the king seven times in
The chapter I’m going to point them out to you at the beginning of verses one and two you find it again towards the end of verse three you get it again in verse 5 at the end of verse seven okay what do we got here one two three
Four five six we need one more don’t we and it’s over in the beginning of verse 24. so this is something a little exercise you can do when you get home while it’s fresh in your mind take out a different colored pencil for each one and just highlight that phrase
Never get near to the king now why is that important do you think or you see seven is a very important number isn’t it seven is an important number it’s a number of covenants number the spirits number of completion and here you’ve got a man who’s tried to corrupt the minds
Of God’s people the people of the Covenant he wants them to have another king a permanent King well there’s only one permanent King but he wants them to see him as the permanent King just let the papacy once it’s people to see it as a as a permanent ruler so Nebo
Is defending his boundaries because he’s he’s nimrod’s successor Yahweh was the true king by his own admission as we read from chapter 2 verse 47 we just read it from chapter 3 verse 29 and you get it again in Daniel 4. verses 34 and 37 so he comes to that conclusion finally
He makes an image of gold in defiance as I said of the dream of Daniel 2. and he set it up used nine times I’ve got these in red in my Bible it’s in verse 1 in verse two it’s twice in verse three it’s
At the end of verse five it’s at the end of verse seven it’s at the end of verse 12. it’s at the end of verse 14. it’s at the end of verse 18. nine times in this chapter so it goes over and over again why would you get this sort of repetition
Well you see it’s a parody we’ll have a look at a moment at Psalm 2 and you’ll see what is happening here did you notice in verse one it said he’d set it up in the plane of Juror Jura means Circle or dwelling and of course a circle doesn’t have an
End does it so it stands for eternity so this image is all about eternity it’s going to last forever that’s this Kingdom of men all of gold yeah you see it’s the same thing that men do Psalm 49 I’m going to have a look at Psalm 49 I’ll keep my
Hand in Daniel chapter three and Psalm 49 verses 11 to 13 tell us the spirit that’s involved here says this Psalm 49 verse 11. thereinwood thought is that their houses shall continue forever in their Dwelling Places to all generations they call their lands after their own names nevertheless man being in honor abideth
Not he is like the beasts to perish this their way is their folly yet their posterity approve their sayings you think that they’d learned can Hitler they think that the kingdom of man’s permanent he wanted his kingdom to go on forever it ain’t gonna go on forever
Let’s really now drill down into verse one we read there in verse 1 that this image had a height of three score cubits and a breadth of six cubits that’s 60 by 6. which happens to be 360. and 360 of course is the number of days in a Babylonian year which the Jews
Brought back from Babylon so the Jews have in the you know their calendar it’s a year is 360 days so they have to have every six or seven years they have to have a 13th month to catch up otherwise your seasons will be all out of whack wouldn’t they
So they brought that back from Babylon yeah and the numerical value of the words that are used to describe the image here is 4662 which just happens to be seven times six hundred and sixty six and Nebuchadnezzar the king is used seven times you remember so there’s a certain wonder about the
Way God presents his arguments here now you can check me out can I do you you your numerology yeah have a look at it seven times six hundred and sixty six in verse 2 the Pomp and pageantry of all the celebrities is parody let’s repeat it again verse three so I’m going to
Read it to you this is how the spirit would want it to be read Because Yahweh is laughing at them he’s scorning them he’s making a parody of their Pomp and their circumstance let’s read it then the wickedness of the king sent together to the princes the governors and the captains the judges
The treasurers the councilors the sheriffs and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up then the princes the governors the captains the judges the treasurers the don’t eat her anymore you got an idea it’s a parody he’s laughing at us
In verse four you’ve got six oh yeah six the number of men musical instruments and it’s repeated four times you pick that up in verse four it says um probably you mean verse five verse five that at what time you hear the sound of the cornet
The the flute the heart the sackbutt the sultry the dulcimer and all kinds of music you read it again in verse seven and our brother had to read this four times this this uh these musical instruments and it wore him out you see it’s a parody and then another little fact here that’s
I think very important is that the Hebrew in the Book of Daniel ends at chapter 2 verse 4. and then you get called in until the end of chapter seven isn’t that incredible the spirit just switches from yahweh’s language to Nebuchadnezzar’s language and goes on through these chapters
Chapter two through right through the chapter seven so what have we got I think we’ve got a reference here to another important thing Revelation 13 verse 18. the papal system has a number doesn’t it 666. this image has got a head of gold which represents Babylon but the rest of its
Gold as well and the papal system sees itself as the permanent resident of the Throne of God sitting in the temple of God yeah so what we have is I think something that is very relevant to all of us now this is what I said about psalm 2.
This is verses one to four why do the Nations rage this is about what’s going to happen in the very near future when Armageddon occurs straight after it this is what happens the Babylonian powers of Europe will revolt against the rule of Christ why do the Nations rage and the people
Imagine the vain thing the kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against Yahweh and against his anointed his mashiach his Messiah saying let us break their bands asunder and Cast Away their cords from us shall laugh Yahweh shall have them in derision and
That’s what he’s doing in Daniel chapter 3. he’s having that system in derision well here’s another thing that occurs over and over again the phrase fall down in verse five you see that let’s read that verse that at what time you hear the sound of the corner the fruit the
Heart the sackbutt the sultry the dulcimer and all kinds of music ye Fall Down and Worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up that that little word there in the Hebrew nephil occurs seven times in this chapter six of them as a command for all the people to fall down
The seventh is in verse 23 when the three faithful are thrown into the furnace against their will see they weren’t going to fall down so six times it’s about obeying the command the seventh is when they’re thrown in to that furnace Revelation 13 verses 15 to 18.
The scene of Daniel 3 is duplicated let’s have a quick look at that Revelation 13 15 to 18. Revelation 13 verse 15. this is the Beast he makes an image to the Beast which had the wound by a sword and did live in verse 14.
And he had power to give life unto the image that’s the language the image of the Beast yes and the image being referred to there is the Beast of the sea that preceded the Beast of the earth it’s the papal system with political power
Says it goes on to say that the image of the Beast should both speak and caused it as many as would not worship that is bow down or fall down to the image of the Beast shall be killed and he calls us all by small and great rich and poor
Free and bond to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads and that no man might buy or sell save he that had the Mark or the name of the Beast or the number of his name here is wisdom that hinden hath understanding
Count the number of the beasts for it is the number of a man and his number is 600 preschool and 666 notice the language is almost picked up out of Daniel chapter three papers of papacy of course is supported by the Empire which compels image worship at least it did in the middle
Centuries in the Dark Ages as I said Psalm 2 verses 1 to 4. um is very relevant here repeated post Armageddon is the papacy opposes Christ Bow Down now that little phrase we read in verse 5 there worship the golden image that just happens to occur in Daniel 3
Six times so what have I got now I’ve got one color for the phrase Nebuchadnezzar the king I’ve got another one for he set it up and it’s equivalent I have another one for the the rulers of verses two that are repeated in verse three I’ve got another color for the
Musical instruments of verse five and again in verse seven I’ve got another color for fall down I’ve got another color for worship the golden image and there’s just one more I think as we’ll come to it later on so you know you can do a lot of coloring here and it
Won’t do any harm to you when you read this again because it will impress upon you what this is really about in verse 12. the accusation is made because these three friends of Daniel do not bow down they do not fall down you know brothers and sisters it’s pretty easy to fall
Very easy to fall off the log as they say yeah it’s much easier than standing upright when everybody else has fallen and that’s what these three do certain Jews but not all Jews you get the message of that get the picture do I need to spell that out certain Jews but not all
Most of them fell down yeah that’s that’s the exaltation that comes out of this we’ve got to make sure we’re among Daniel’s three friends and who were they well look at verse 12 it gives us their names they name them there are certain Jews who now sent over the Affairs of the
Province because of course these men were jealous they hadn’t been appointed over the province had they and these are Jews you see what they would say they’re Jews it’s anti-Semitism that’s coming out of this of the provinces of Babylon and here’s their names Shadrach Meshach and Abednego
These men O King have not regarded thee they serve not thy Gods nor worship the golden image which thou has set up now these names that they give a course out of their Babylonian names Shadrach is inspired of the Sun his real name is hananiah means Yahweh hath David and you’ve got Meshach
It means he who belongs to Shaka or shishek one of the Gods of Babylon his real name is Michelle he who is like ale at bedigo means the servant of The Shining fire that is the god of the Furnace that made babylon’s bricks and perhaps cast the image of gold
But his real name his Hebrew name was Azariah helped of Yahweh the world does give people names in their universities and you end up with letters after your name thank you I’ve got to be careful what I say brothers and sisters but my observation is there’s not always a good thing
Not always a good thing we had one brother stand up in our meeting a few years ago and he said now listen here he’s talking about Genesis chapter one I have a science degree and I’ve written yeah I’ve got my phds and listed off all
Of his titles and he said you need to listen to me and he went went on to say that the six days of creation were not 24 hours they were much longer periods the beginnings of the teaching of theistic evolution I didn’t start my talk by telling you
That I’ve got a PhD because I haven’t if I had any qualification at all and I don’t boast about it I just read and study the Bible and that’s all that counts to me a little lesson that comes out of that the world will give you a different name
They want to give you titles well let’s have a look what happens here what’s the result verse 13. then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and Furies like the fiery furnace isn’t it this word rage regas is violent anger Chima means anger so your rage and anger
He’s angry and in fact he’s angry for a good reason because you know what the face was on the image it was never good NASA’s face all right now which idiot who built this image would not put his face on it of course it was his face he was the god
He was nimrod’s successor so here his face is a rage because you see they have not bowed down to his face on that image yeah and verse 19 we’ll tell you something about that because verse 19 is linked I believe with verse 12 because it says they have not regarded thee see
That in verse 12 they have not regarded thee and in verse 19 you read them was Nebuchadnezzar full of Fury and the form of his Visage was changed now it’s just a simple fact that that word form in the English there is the word selem which is rendered image in verse 1. and
It occurs 12 times in the chapter and this is the 12th occurrence here in verse 19. so it could be rendered the image of his Visage yeah what’s Visage his face so it’s actually Nebuchadnezzar’s face on the image which these three friends of Daniel have refused to capitulate to
End goes on to say that he gives a command that they should heat the furnace so it would be like his human face which was red with Fury you’re so angry so the heated it says one seven times more what does that mean the word one Chad infers the furnace is heated by
Stages to increase the pressure to submit and I’m going to show you that’s what they’re doing you know get it going one more time one more to a room seven times When you’re standing there you’re the three friends you’re standing there watching this and it’s so hot you know what happens the men the strongest men in his army would throw the three friends of Daniel into that furnace die while they’re throwing these three friends in they perish themselves that’s how hot it is
Seven times rutherhand translates it seven times hotter than it was ever seen heated yeah to match Nebuchadnezzar’s countenance his rage and it’s Fury in verse 21 they’re very subtle now normally normally prisoners were stripped before they were thrown into the furnace he does the exact opposite
Judy does he let’s read verse 21. then these men were Bound in their coats their hosen and their hats and their other garments and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace so this is a very slow process that they’re bound and there are coats means a cloak
The hosem means a tunic the hats means a mantle the garments means clothing so there are four items of clothing or covering specified here and four just happens to be the biblical number of righteousness and God manifestation they’ve got a pretty good covering haven’t they but think about why they’re doing this
It’s going to take you about 10 or 15 or 20 minutes to do that so what Nebuchadnezzar is saying right I am going to wait and see whether or not you’re going to capitulate so they go about the protein put on on do up all the buttons no you know it’s
Slow isn’t it and the soldiers Whispering her in there saying you know you’ve got time to recant you’ve got time to change your mind which is exactly what our world is doing to us brothers and sisters exactly they’re giving us time and time is killing some of our people
You know that I know that it’s happening yeah just slowly you know just slowly push it in push it in pushing I’ll give up one day yeah if that’s not happening to you in the workplace or at school you know the only place to be safe for men at school is in the
Heritage College it’s happening the numerical value of Daniel is 95. of hananiah that’s 120 Michelle 381 and Azariah is 292. which when I went to school added up to 888 three eight and eight is the biblical number for immortality and in a figure these men were immortal
Because the men who threw them in died but they didn’t so in a figure they’re immortal and if you divide that 2 times 444 4 is the number of righteousness and God manifestation immortality because of righteousness and God manifestation this is entirely accidental all this stuff yeah
And they are saved by one like the Son of God have a look at verses 24 and 25 of Daniel 3. you know we read back there in in verse 22 that the men perished who threw them in and then it says in verse 23 these three men Shadrach Meshach and Abednego fell
Down bound that’s the last occurrence of that word that is used seven times but they can’t help it because they’re thrown in bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace then Nebuchadnezzar the King was astonied the word means to be aptly amazed I mean he would be wouldn’t he he’s utterly amazed
And then we read on and he rose up in haste and spake and said unto his counselors did not we cast three men won’t you notice this is an important word bound into the midst of the fire yeah true okay he answered and said lo I see four men look at the word
Loose see the contrast like going down but he sees them walking loose they’ve been loose brothers and sisters it’s almost as though they’d be made Immortal I’m looking to the day when I’m loosed are you loosed from a nature that’s very rapidly taking me to the ground
And it’s working in many of our very good friends yeah I want to be loosed and the Day’s coming so there’s some very important words there there’s three and there’s four and he is one like unto it says there with that verse doesn’t it
At the end of verse 25 the form of the fourth is like the son of God the word is lower a mighty one the son of a mighty one and they’re walking she’s like Isaiah 57 verse 2 says None consider us that the righteous are taken away where are they
Well they’re resting in their beds it says everyone walking in his uprightness huh in the grave walking in their uprightness yeah because of Romans 4 17. that God can call those things which be not as though they were we just read haven’t in our daily readings about the stupid Sadducees that came
Along and presented that picture of a woman who had seven husbands and he said you’re idiots you don’t read your Bible in fact they knew what it said and that’s what the Greek says they actually knew what it said God’s the god of the living Abraham Isaac and Jacob might be dead
But as far as God’s concerned they’re alive that’s the message I get out of this walking in their uprightness yep verse 26 Nebuchadnezzar gets it the Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and he spake and said Shadrach Meshach and Abednego ye servants are the most high God yep
Straight out of Genesis 14. come forth and come hither and there’s a call isn’t there Step forth and come hither they can have two applications can’t it you find similar words in Revelation chapter 18 and verse 4. when there’s a call that goes out to God’s people to come out of Babylon come
Out of her my people yeah that’s the call it’s a call to you and me let’s come out of this world and there’s a call that’s going to come very shortly when the Angels come to raise the dead and to take us to join them at the Judgment seat
Come forth and come hither verse 27 we read this from the princes and the governors and the captains and the King’s counselors being gathered together saw these men upon whose bodies the fire had no power nor was in here of their head singed neither were their
Coach changed nor the smell of fire had passed on them they pass through the fire of judgment that’s what fire represents the fire of judgment without harm and there are four things listed here count them there are four things in verse 27 listed and four as we’ve said over and over
Again tonight represents in the scriptures righteousness and God manifestation verse 29 he comes to the conclusion there is no other God that can deliver after this storm so brothers and sisters as we come to the end of our study tonight we asked this question will we survive the fiery furnace
Of the latter days many in today’s world are transfixed by the problems that are besetting them setting the whole human race is political corruption ineptitude there’s human rights and personal freedoms that are just insane there’s the problem of climate change and global warming and persistent disasters almost every second day
Is increasing violence and oppression and all you can go on for hours and they desire is to preserve what they’ve got and everything that they do their exertion is designed to perpetuate the kingdom of men they’ve got a golden image haven’t they it’s all gold they want it to go on forever like
Nebuchadnezzar there’s not gonna go it’s not God’s plan we must stand tall and not fall down to humanism’s demands and objectives for this world’s attracted prosperity because it’s out there so will you survive the foreign furnace
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