King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Saturday, September 14, 2024
Chapters: Daniel Chapters 3-5
Message: The Dark Side
Hello My Friend,
As I was reading the chapters for today, this passage came to mind, [John 1:1-5,14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.]
It is said that the plainest explanation as to why the Son of God is called the Word is because our words explain our minds to others, so in other words, the Son of God was sent in order to reveal His Father’s mind to the world. All things were made by the design of God for God and everything that is made is made from something that God has made, including these cloned animals and bio-engineered food. We wonder why all of these what I call mad scientist are able to do these things, but the reason is right here, [the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not] The world is a dark world, all semi-directed by the devil himself, and the reason why I say semi-directed is because he can only go as far as God allows him to go, [James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.]
Nebuchadnezzar, made a huge name around the world when God used him to not only send judgment on Judah, but becoming the largest, most powerful nation in the world, having rule over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces. While Nebuchadnezzar credited God for being King of kings and Lord of lords, he had no concern for making Him his God. As we continue in the reading of Daniel, we learn that instead of turning the nation to God, he had a giant statue of himself made and commanded the people to worship it.
[Daniel 3:1-2,4-6 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: 6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.]
[cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.] Talk about corporal punishment, this mode of punishment was used among the Babylonians as a way to instill fear among the people to obey the law. Since all were required to fall on their faces in adoration to the statue as soon as they heard the music, it would be all the easier to pick out those who might refuse to obey the king’s decree if they were standing up. That was when the Chaldean’s noticed that some of the kings noble men were not obeying the law.
[Daniel 3:8-9,12-14 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. 9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. 12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?]
[do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?] Every nation had and still has its own gods that they serve, and they are all man made. Nebuchadnezzar, basically told Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that if they did not worship the god he made then they would be thrown in the furnace. Nevertheless, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, could not bring themselves to bow down and worship this idol when there is only one God to worship and respectfully declined.
[Daniel 3:16-20 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. 20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.]
[we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.] Just a few years back a man at a college had held some people hostage and if they did not denounce their faith in Christ then they were shot. I believe out of all of them only one person stood by their faith and died as a result. The question often comes up in what would you do if you were forced to go against God, but true faith has no fear of what man can do because those who choose Christ know that they will be delivered by Him one way or another, even if they were to die in their faith, [Matthew 10:27-28 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. 28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.]
[the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego:] The man who had come to respect these three men, and who at one time touted them as being the wisest men in the nation now became so angry that he ordered the furnace to be seven times hotter than it was heated. I imagine if you were to get an idea of how hot this furnace was it would be like getting thrown into the sun. In fact, it was so hot that the most mighty men who were called to throw them in the furnace died the instantly.
[Daniel 3:22-25 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.]
[Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?] The king’s chair was placed on the opposite side of the furnace, which was open to permit a strong drought to fan the fire, and it was from here that he witnessed the execution, but what he saw was truly something incredible as well as those who were standing there with him. Every time I read this I wonder how Nebuchadnezzar saw the forth man as being the Son of God, but it is obvious that either God revealed that to him or he figured out that God was truly with them. So, here these are men outside of the furnace burning to death while the men on the inside were dancing around. Not one piece of clothing or one hair on their heads had been touched.
[Daniel 3:27-29 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. 28 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.]
[because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.] Nebuchadnezzar, was well aware of God, and even praised Him as being the God above all gods, but he never acknowledged Him as his God, his pride being the one thing that kept him from doing that. Well, God was about to show him just how much his pride would be his fall, God gave him another dream, and he knew that Daniel was only one person in the kingdom that could help him interpret the dream. He calls for all the people and told his story of how Daniel’s God was the only one to interpret dreams.
[Daniel 4:2-5,8-9 I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. 3 How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation. 4 I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace: 5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. 8 But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying, 9 O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.]
[to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought] Nebuchadnezzar, was just like the rest of the world who has some belief in God, believe that all religions and beliefs in a higher power leads to the same path. Well, that is actually the biggest form of deception from the devil himself and sooner or later all will come to understand that there is only one way to heaven and only ONE GOD who happens to be in the three persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, [1 John 5:6-7 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.]
Remember, it was God who used Nebuchadnezzar to judge Judah, not destroy them, and in fact, He sent judgment upon all the nations that had any connection with Israel, and Nebuchadnezzar was well aware of that as well. Unlike the first dream, Nebuchadnezzar actually remembered this one in great detail, and God revealed something to him that we really does reveal to every leader that He uses to judge His people.
[Daniel 4:13-16 I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven; 14 He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches: 15 Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth: 16 Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.]
[Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth,] While this is referring to Nebuchadnezzar as he will turn into a wild animal, the stump is a reminder that while any saved, born again Christian can fall into an abyss of sin through pride, but because they are rooted in Christ they cannot fall away from Him completely. Oh, they will get chastened, but nothing can remove them from the Root or the Vine, of Christ, [John 15:4-5 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.]
Now, when Nebuchadnezzar told Daniel this dream, Daniel was quite disturbed by it, in fact, he would not tell him what the dream meant for an hour. Nevertheless, Nebuchadnezzar pressed him and he finally revealed to him that he was going to turn into an animal and for seven years live out in a field.
[Daniel 4:19,22,24-25 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies. 22 It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth. 24 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king: 25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.]
[till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men,] Why it would take seven years before God would bring him back to his natural human state is only something that He has the answer to. I imagine that since seven is a number of completion to God, it may have taken Nebuchadnezzar that long to fully understand that it is God who rules. Well, exactly one year after Daniel revealed to Nebuchadnezzar what his dream meant, Nebuchadnezzar did something that made that dream become a reality.
[Daniel 4:30-33 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? 31 While the word was in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. 32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. 33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.]
[Is not this great Babylon, that I have built] The purpose of the God punishing him by such a humiliating state was to bring him to a realization that he was not the source of all his success. Humility, is the best form of repentance to those who truly come to the realization that there is only one God and one way to worship Him and that is through Christ. It is also the best way to reform Christians who have gotten lost in sin, and while God does not always go to such extremes to do that, sometimes utter humility is necessary as in this case with Nebuchadnezzar. Well, for seven years he remained an animal, living in the pasture, eating off the grass and not even knowing who he was, but as soon as the seven years were up he immediately returned to his human state and knew exactly what was going on.
[Daniel 4:34,36-37 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: 36 At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. 37 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.]
[mine understanding returned unto me,] There was no doubt that even though Nebuchadnezzar was not in his right state of mind, he certainly was able to think about all that was going on and that is why it took him seven years to figure it out. Can you imagine being in a state to where you only have your thoughts and cannot communicate with anyone? And if you think that this is some kind of fable, think again, people do turn into ravaging beasts when they are full of pride and under Satan’s influence, [Matthew 12:44-45 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.]
Apparently, Nebuchadnezzar’s testimony did not convince his son that he ought to repent, he too will discover that God is in control of all things. When his grandson, Belshazzar reigned as king, you would have thought that he would have recognized God, but he denied Him, even took the cups from the temple that came from Jerusalem and began using them and worshiping their gods with them.
[Daniel 5:1-3 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. 2 Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. 3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.]
[whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels] Why he thought that it was a good thing to do this is beyond reason, but talk about digging your own grave. Of course, he was drunk so that in itself was part of the reason why he became so bold as to do something so ridiculous, but then he went and encouraged the others to do the same thing. Did not these fools see what happened to Nebuchadnezzar? Well, just as these fools were drinking it up to their gods something out of a horror film happened, a hand appeared and began writing something on the wall.
[Daniel 5:5-7 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 6 Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. 7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.]
[the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.] In other words, he was scared to death, so much so that his knees were literally knocking together. Let me tell you, you do not and cannot understand the power of God until you face a dangerous situation. That is when many do turn to God for answers, or I should say someone who knows God. And of course, they first tried to get answers from the fortune tellers and that did not work they found Daniel.
[Daniel 5:13-14,17 Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry? 14 I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. 17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.]
[Art thou that Daniel…whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?] Seriously, were these people so blind that they did not know what happened some eighteen to twenty years ago? And there is from the mouth of someone who rejects God. Oh, and unlike, his grandfather who saw the writing on the wall so to speak, there was no sign that this king repented. Daniel, reminded him of what happened to his father, and that he was well aware of I, and even reminded him of the dumbest thing that he ever did.
[Daniel 5:18,20,22-23 O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: 20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: 22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; 23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:]
[hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;] You see, they were not ignorant to what happened when Nebuchadnezzar was turned into an animal. However, unlike Nebuchadnezzar’s pride led to his fall and repentance, Belshazzar’s did not, in fact he was even more in danger because he was not at all remorseful of what he had done. Well, no sooner that Daniel told Belshazzar what the writing on the wall said, he was captured by and killed.
[Daniel 5:25-30 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. 27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. 28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. 29 Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. 30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.]
[was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.] And this is where God’s mercy runs out. These are people who are well aware of the testimonies of those who got saved, yet refuse to humble themselves and turn to Him. God, gave His Word to His believers so that they could have something to show them how to worship Him His way, and what happens to those who do not, [Romans 14:11-12 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Daniel 3:25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Daniel 4:13 I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven; Daniel 6:22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.]
Today’s Prayer: God, You are the Light that shines through Your faithful to let the world know that You exist and live through us through Your Son. With all the things that are going on today, it is comforting to know that He is in the midst of the fire with us. I have chosen, and still choose You to serve and will not bow down to any god. All of the things we go through, whether it is easy or difficult, are used to give You honor and glory, and as long as our spirit is right with You, and we are faithful to You, we will continue to prosper, and receive even more than we even imagined. Lord, lead us and guide us, keep us humble, if we get too boastful remind us that You also take if we forget that You are the source of all our blessinfs. Keep us shining in Your Light so that we may never be in the dark. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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