“Lo, I see four men, loose, walking in the midst of the fire”
Dan 3:1-25
(1)Vs 1. From dreams to images( idols): The heart is the source of all evil. Gen 6 / Prov 11-15 : He made it - instituted compulsory worship - universally: Is 44:12-21?
Will the image of God, that God has made, bow down to the image of man, made by man?
2) Compulsory worship of the state:2-4 : A foreshadow of the United Nations - Isa 14: 4,12-14 / Rev 13:15 / rev 17:1-6
(3) Paganism vs. the True gospel: 5-7 When you hear the sound!
Ps 89:15 - the gospel sound vs. pagan clamour!
(4) Babylonian worshippers despise the exclusivity of the gospel: Vs 8-12 / Pluralism, is the spirit of our age.
(5) The faithful Church typified: vs. 13-15 true witnesses:
Rev 14:4,5 / 17:14 - 2cor 11:1,3
(6) Standing firm: vs. 16! Eph 6:10-13 / Luther
(a) No debate - (b) We know Him: vs. 17 - ( c ) He will deliver us
(7) The trial and consequences of genuine faith: Vs 19, 20
1. The sufferings 3 Verses 2. The son ship 3. The revelation:
The trial of genuine faith, has it’s confirmation, the revelation of Christ, in it! Isa 43:1-4 / 1Peter 1:7.8 / 1Peter 4:11 /
{Jesus is on trial , in the life of the people of God} refer to article!
(8) Neb saw Him! Neb Saw Christ. Christ is revealed in the fire. Christ the sinners substitute, surety , and Savior.
“ God RULES. CHRIST reigns ”
Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, 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.
29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
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“God Works in His Church”
Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you.
19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.
20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
“There can be no greater mistake than to assume that God is not active in the cause of his Son, through the Church.”
And yet this is the most common sentiment among men without spiritual sight. Rev 1: 12,13
“What I have learned by this year election ”
The prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished Prov 22:3. Continued-- 4pg
First, that there is no such thing as wasted time. We are all either advancing in our comprehension of the truth, and conforming to the truth as it is in Jesus are we are evolving into the well anticipated autonomous man. It’s all about me. 2tim3:1,2
2ndly, Prayerful, straight talk, is the only effective way to reach the callassed hearts of men, with the gospel. Men or both naïve and resistant to the truth today. Openness of heart is a work of grace, coupled with plain teaching. John 16:8
3rdly, The enemy has demonstrated a successful advance of his agenda, by capturing the youth, who are ungrounded in the reality of God. And that another generation of this will result in a persecution of the godly. Remember, when the majority rules, oppression is the reaction to any protest or disagreement.
4thly, Apparently, the moral conscience of our state, still exist, though it appears to be diminishing rather quickly. This gives me hope. “ A smoking flax will he not quench” -
5thly, Politics is an amazing creature. It always promises much, and yields little. The sin, is the idolatry of placing our hope in men, when the scriptures have said otherwise, Jer 17:5.
6thly, There is no greater policy for life, than that set forth by Joshua. “ As for me and my house, we will, serve the Lord”
7thly. Pray for the king, and all that are in authority. God rules. And let us hope that we still live in a day, when the gospel is actually converting souls, and redeeming sinners. And those we love and care about, make them your first mission field. Mark 5:19
TORTURED FOR CHRIST.
( The seduction of gracious words. Mt24:24)
In the book Wurmbrand talks about how the "language of love and the language of seduction are the same. The one who wishes a girl for a wife and the one who wishes her for only a night both say the words, 'I love you.' Jesus has told us to discern between the language of seduction and the language of love... Prov 26:24,25
Unfortunately, when the Communists came to power (in Romania), thousands of priests, pastors, and ministers did not know how to discern between the two voices...four thousand priests, pastors, and ministers of all denominations (in Romania)...chose Joseph Stalin as honorary president (of the congress of all Christian bodies)...at the same time he was president of the World Movement of the Godless and a mass murderer of Christians.
One after another, bishops and pastors arose and declared that communism and Christianity are fundamentally the same and could coexist. ( humanism and Theism? )
One minister after another said words of praise toward communism and assured the new government of the loyalty of the Church. My wife ...told me, 'Richard, stand up and wash away this shame from the face of Christ! They are spitting in His face...'Then I arose and spoke to this congress, praising not the murderers of Christians, but Jesus Christ, stating that our loyalty is due first to him...I had to pay for this, but it was worthwhile." (pages 15-16)