Lesson 4, January 18-24
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Daniel 3, Revelation 13:11-18, Exodus 20:3-6, Deuteronomy 6:4, 1 Corinthians 15:12-26, Hebrews 11.
Memory Text: “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.” Daniel 3:17
“Thus these youth, imbued with the Holy Spirit, declare to the whole nation their faith, that He whom they worshiped is the only true and living God. This demonstration of their own faith was the most eloquent presentation of their principles. In order to impress idolaters with the power and greatness of the living God, His servants must reveal their own reverence for God. They must make it manifest that He is the only object of their honor and worship, and that no consideration, not even the preservation of life itself, can induce them to make the least concession to idolatry. These lessons have a direct and vital bearing upon our experience in these last days.” Ellen G. White, In Heavenly Places, p. 149.
While facing the threat of death because of the issue of worship might seem a thing of some pre-scientific and superstitious age, Scripture reveals that at the end of time, when the world has greatly “advanced”, something similar will unfold, but on a worldwide scale. Thus, from the study of this story, we get insights into the issues that, according to Scripture, God’s faithful will face.
