In the book of the Prophet Daniel, we come to read the following in Chapter 3: Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?” (Daniel 3:13-15) King Nebuchadnezzar had built a golden statue of the Babylonian god Marduk. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused to bow to this pagan God, as they remained obedient to the ONE and True God, remaining faithful to Gods command: Thou shalt have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3). In verse 23 the scriptures also say, Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold. Therefore, these men of God refused to bow to such an abomination, as this one presented by the king of Babylon. The were bold and not ashamed, and they stood on righteousness and Truth, resisting to bow to any other, as only YHWH is the true and only God over ALL. As it continued, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18) This is how each and every believer should feel in their heart, knowing with all certainty that our God is faithful and will deliver us out of any circumstance. Gods New Covenant with us is through His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The name of the Messiah is the name above every name on this earth: Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). This is the name feared by the adversary and every host of wickedness, and the anti-christ spirit seeks to bring each and every mortal into subjection to Satan, tempting the will of man to rebel against the Lord. Organized religion has been mans stumbling block for centuries and, in the perilous times to come, shall it grow worse. The golden statue of the modern age is by means of world religions, propaganda, the social media, entertainment, books, education, the music industry, and of course worldwide governments. The satanic/luciferic influence even makes its attempts to infiltrate the Body of Christ, causing divisions, discord, debates, and sectarianist ruination. There shall come a day when intimidation, violence, and brutality will spread more and more. The persecuted church exists today, it always has, and they remain steadfast and in Christ. So shall we all be. As the story unfolds in Daniel 3, we come to see the kings action against Gods people: Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. 20 And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22 Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. (Daniel 3:19-23) But with ALL of those who truly believe and are Gods children, this will hardly be the end. Read on: Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” 25 “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. (Daniel 3:24-25) Some may find this quite profound; many others may even come to have doubt. But you need not have any doubts, but allow the unseen to become your true sight and refuge. The Lord said to Thomas, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Remember: faith is the EVIDENCE of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). We have to consider that we exist within a world today that thrives on physical evidence and unbelief. It will present numerous versions of a golden statue or a marduk so that you will doubt the true God and bow to the false god. There are as many false gods in the world as there are hairs on your head, and each of them have an ambition to sound convincing; this also includes atheism. Unlike religions, atheism makes no claim to believe in any particular god, so to speak, but its beliefs rest on man himself, the here and now, and perhaps other things such as science and evolution. Atheism then become ones hypothetical marduk as it places its trust in another belief system outside of the true God, which is then no different than religion itself. The greater the numbers, the greater the confusion. When many declare truth and all sound wise to the human senses, the REAL Truth will become ignored because many have no Spirit Wisdom within themselves. The religious spirit, though a spirit, appeases the carnal nature of human beings; it is a prison cell of the flesh. However, the Lord Jesus Christ has unlocked each and every prison cell of human beings. All that remains for those in the cells is to WALK OUT. It is the same today as it was during the days of Christs ministry over 2000 years ago, which is the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force (Matthew 11:12). As believers we need to be diligent, bold, steadfast, enduring, strong, and not be stagnate with our faith, but be like a great FORCE that cannot be silenced. The violent take it by force should be very familiar to the Christian believer, because it is by FORCE that this world seeks to silence the Gospel of Jesus Christ; therefore, it is by force that we need to stand for that very same Gospel. By FORCE did the religious extremists and legalists of Christs era want Him silenced, and by FORCE does the same mentality want to silence the believer in Christ today. Therefore, it is by FORCE that we resist the spirit of antichrist, and boldly stand for our faith in Jesus Christ who is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE and no one comes to the Father but through Him (John 14:6). During their era, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego knew there was ONE God, and they remained faithful to Him, no matter who or what tried to take them by FORCE. King Nebuchadnezzar by FORCE had these men placed into a fiery furnace. It was also by FORCE they were delivered from the furnace by the power of the living God. The Lord rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6), and Daniels three friends remained diligent in their faith, even in the midst of a fiery furnace. Today believers are still surrounded by the Nebuchadnezzars of our time and they still stand in the midst of their furnaces. Will we remain diligent? Which FORCE rules us? Is it the force of the world or the force of God? Which of these is the FORCE that exists within our hearts? There are countless things within this world that become the golden statue (or marduk) in a persons life, and these things want us to bow to them. These are things that want to take our minds off of God and become focused on the things of this world. They often intimidate us, oppose us, threaten us, and cause confusion, doubt, and unbelief to rain down on us like a wicked storm. But our Lord and Savior is one who rebukes storms (Luke 8:24), for there is NO OTHER name (Acts 4:12). For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. (Romans 14:11). God is not just a FORCE–He is an unstoppable FORCE, as well is He (God) an immovable object. Even those who refuse to believe cannot remove THE Almighty God from their minds. There are those who are fanatical which believe in Him, as well as those fanatical who disbelieve. But, regardless, the Lord is an unstoppable FORCE and an immovable object and the human race cannot get Him out of their minds, including those who despise Him and boast in their unbelief. The world is based on men imposing their agendas on each other by means of FORCE. Every governmental and economical structure, every religious denomination and type, every war fought, every slave trade, act of racism, social environment, and society as we know them, exist by means of FORCE. History reveals much, and history also repeats itself. But it is also true that history will cease, be changed, and forever be of no consequence when the Creator, the true FORCE behind ALL things, sends His Messiah a second time, and every golden statue of man will cease to exist and be remembered no more. He is the living Word of God (John 1:1-5), and Gods Word does not come back to Him void (Isaiah 55:11). As we meditate on the things of God, believe in His Word, and trust Him above and beyond all things, there shall be NO fiery furnace that will take us, and we will walk out of them, because no lie is great enough to overpower the Truth. Jesus Christ is the Truth, and He is alive and in the hearts of believers. The Truth will set you free (John 8:32), and this includes any golden statue or fiery furnace set before you. You serve a God who will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6), and if God be for us who then can be against us? (Romans 8:31). Let us recall what happened when Moses and Aaron confronted Pharaoh in Exodus 7: Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’” 10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Lord commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 12 For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. 13 And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said. (Exodus 7:8-13) The point in my sharing this part of scripture should be clear. In the world today, we experience many who cast down their rods. They seem convincing, intimidating, and overwhelming. As with Moses and Aarons rod, we are also outnumbered and seem to have the odds against us. But for those who remain steadfast, they are those who only need that ONE rod which was sent by ONE God (which is Jesus Christ), and because HE is the Truth, will the Lord swallow up every lie that opposes us. This is the God we serve, because He is real. There is no statue high enough, no name great enough, and no furnace vast enough to contain those who live for the Truth and the only name under Heaven. The Bible reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:57: But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is sure that no statue is great enough nor can any furnace hold you, because the victory in Christ has already been established. No matter what exists around you, always walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Sight will discourage, but faith will make you conquer discouragement; it is alive like the Christ you place your faith in. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4) He is Risen!
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 19:01:37 +0000
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