Tuesday, April 10
Bible students have long noticed the link between Daniel 3, the story of the three Hebrews on the plain of Dura, and Revelation 13, a depiction of the persecution that God’s people have faced in the past and will face in the last days.
Compare Daniel 3:1-6 with Revelation 13:11-15. What are the parallels between these two passages?
In both cases, the issue of worship is central, but both talk about a worship that is forced. That is, the political powers in control demand the worship that is due to the Lord alone.
Read Daniel 3:13-18. What can we learn from the story that should help us understand not only what we will face in the last days but also how we should face what is coming?
As the most powerful leader on earth, Nebuchadnezzar mocked these men and their God, saying, “who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?” He was soon to find out for himself just who that God was, for later he declared: “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).
No question, after seeing such a miracle as that, the king was convinced that there was something special about the God whom these men served.
Suppose, though, that these young men were not delivered from the flames, something they realized was a distinct possibility (Daniel 3:18). Why would they still have done the right thing in not obeying the king’s command even if it meant being burned alive? This story presents a powerful testimony to their faith and their willingness to stand for what they believed, regardless of the consequences.
When the issue of worship arises in the last days, how can we be sure that we will stand as faithfully as they did? If we are not faithful now in what is “least”, what makes us think we will be faithful in something as big as the final crisis?
