King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 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.]
Date: Thursday, September 14, 2023
Chapters: DANIEL 3-5
Study: The Higher Thoughts And Ways of God
Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,
We hear of, and even witness miraculous testimonies, of people even dying for a few minutes and returning to tell about heaven. We hear of and even witness people who had some life threatening condition recover as though it was noting. We hear of, and even witness many who spent years fighting the same condition only for it take them suddenly. And yet we hear of and even witness many whose lives were taken in an instant. I am not even going to try to explain how God works in that department, [Isaiah 55:6-9 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.]
I can honestly tell you that God has miraculously intervened in my life more times than I can count, and often wondered why. I mean there are far more faithful Christians out there than me who suffer tremendously and yet God always seems to have His hand on me. Do not get me wrong, I have my own cross to bear and thorn in the side that Christ uses His grace to suffice, but He has gotten me through some stuff. We have no idea what our future holds, but God does, and if He has to bring us to heaven to protect us, He will, [Matthew 10:29-33 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. 32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.]
As we continue in the reading of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar, feeling pretty good about all his accomplishments in not only besieging Judah and Jerusalem, but becoming the leader of so many provinces decides to have a huge statute of himself made. While this was not something unheard of as many leaders have statutes of themselves made, what was unheard of was what he wanted the people to do.
[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.]
[ye fall down and worship the golden image] Okay, so, whenever you hear this loud music playing, every person was to stop what they were doing turn toward the image, then fall down on your knees and worship the statue. Oh, and if you do not comply, then it will be to your own death. Let me tell you, we may not have giant statues that we are worshiping here in America and several other countries for that matter, including Canada, England, and Australia, but we are being commanded to worship the earth. With the constant cries of Climate Change! Covid! BLM! Me Too! Open Borders! Transgender Right! Dysphoria!, to name a few, we are being forced to bow down to these images or face persecution. Saved, born again Christians are to bow to no one, but God and while we may need to respect the land we are on and law of the land, God’s commands always trumps mans, [Matthew 4:9-11 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.]
It truly is the devil who attempts to get God’s faithful to go against their faith. Nevertheless, most of the world is complying to these demands, just as the people bowed down to this image whenever they heard that music, including many Christians. However, there are a faithful few of God’s people who will not bow down to the worlds unheard of demands. When word got out that the Jews, in particular, leaders in the kings affairs, were not complying to this demand, the Chaldeans told Nebuchadnezzar.
[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,] There is always the wonder of what you would do in a situation where you were forced to choose between God and man. That is where a huge amount of faith comes in, and I will be honest and say that there have been times when have failed God, but the one thing I never did was bow down to man nor deny my God, in particular my Jesus. He is the key to getting back up whenever we do have a lapse of judgment, [1 John 2:1-3 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.]
Well, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in all honesty could not stand before Nebuchadnezzar and say that they would bow down and worship this statue. Needless to say, Nebuchadnezzar, was not pleased by their answer, in fact, he was so enraged that he had the furnace turned up seven time hotter.
[Daniel 3:16-19,21-22 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. 21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 22 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.]
[But if not, be it known unto thee,] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were careful in their words, they knew that unless they bowed down to this statue no other answer would have been acceptable. However, they also knew their God and even if they died in that furnace they rather die in their faith than deny God. That furnace was so hot that the men throwing them in the fire burned to death instantly. Here these are men on the outside of the furnace burning to death while the men on the inside were actually dancing around in there.
[Daniel 3:24-27 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. 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. 27 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.]
[and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.] How did Nebuchadnezzar even know that there is a Son of God let alone that He was the one running around with the men in the fire? That would be God Himself. Nebuchadnezzar, was well aware that the only reason why he was able to besiege Judah was because of God, what he was not aware of was that there is only One God, and He was the One and Only Living God, [Hebrews 10:30-31 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.]
[nor was an hair of their head singed,] Every hair of every saved, born again Christian is numbered, Jesus, said this and it actually sounds a lot like what we are reading today, [Luke 21:14-19 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: 15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. 16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. 17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. 18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish. 19 In your patience possess ye your souls.]
This is proof that, Jesus is, was, and always will be revealed as the Son of God to those who truly believe in Him. Now, further down in our reading we will discover that Nebuchadnezzar would be converted, and how God had finally convinced him that he needed to worship on Him, but at this point, he was not, but did give full support to those who wanted to worship God.
[Daniel 4:1-5 Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you. 2 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.]
[that the high God hath wrought toward me.] Do you see his mistake? He puts God at the top of this list of gods that he apparently still worships. Well, he had another dream, this time he remembered it and goes to the “wise” men for the meaning of it. When that did not work, he went to Daniel, and even goes as far as admitting that he changed his name in the name of his god, [Daniel 4:4-5,8-9 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.]
[because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee,] Do you see what the world’s biggest mistake is? They worship what they know not, [Acts 17:23-27 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. 24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:]
Remember, it was God that 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 4:13-17 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. 17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.]
[the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will,] The world may think that they are in control, Satan, may even think that he is in control, but God is always the one in control. We can wonder why God is allowing all this evil taking place right now, but the simple truth is that God is the one in control. Do you think that He actually wanted Joe Biden and his godless and corrupt government to rule this nation? No, He did not. However, He knows that this will either turn this nation back to Him or He will take His people out of it, and it will become as Sodom and Gomorrah, [2 Peter 2:9-10 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: 10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.]
None of what is going on in the world today is the will of God, in fact, it is the will of a bunch of privileged, proud, spoiled brats, who never got taught the value of life, what it means to work for something, nor the consequence of their reckless actions. God, does not mess with ones ability to choose good or evil, that is a choice that we must make, any evil that befalls us by those choices will overtake us unless we as a nation return to Christ and repent. Nebuchadnezzar learned that the hard way as he turned into that animal in his dream.
[Daniel 4:30-31,33 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. 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.]
[that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power,] Talk about a dream or rather nightmare come true, and what a way to humble someone. There was that pride, the one where he gave himself credit for being such a powerful leader by his own might. And let me tell you how fast God will knock you down from on top of that much pride, and it will be humiliating. Nebuchadnezzar spent seven years as an animal, but by the end of those seven years, he surely humbled himself, and became a great testimony.
[Daniel 4:34-35,37 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.]
[and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?] Yes, we have no just cause to question God’s methods on how He brings people to repentance. And if you think that this is some kind of fable, think again, people do turn into some ravaging beasts when they are full of pride and under Satan’s influence. And God does all these bizarre things for one reason only, so that the world can see things things and hopefully turn to Him as well. We, who are saved and born again, are the only Light of Christ in this dark world, we shine His Light upon them when God does these incredible things, [Matthew 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.]
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 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 in Jerusalem and began using them and worshiping their gods with them.
[Daniel 5:1-2,4-5 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. 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. 5 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.]
[commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels] Why he thought that it was a good thing to do this is beyond reason, but my goodness, talk about digging your own grave, and the same goes for those who drank from them as well. Satan, can influence people to do some really dumb things, but this takes the cake. Taking the holy vessels that were used for the temple and not only drinking from them, but doing so to honor their man made gods. And people wonder why God gets so angry? 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. They brought Daniel before the king.
[Daniel 5:7,13-14,17 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. 13 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.]
[Let thy gifts be to thyself,] And there is from the mouth of someone who rejects God. Oh, and unlike, his father 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-,20-23 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: 21 And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will. 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:]
[though thou knewest all this;] 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.]
Today’s Prayer: God, As You bring prosperity to Your people by our simple faithfulness to You, You are the Light that shines through us to let the world know that You exist and live through us. With all the things that are going on today, and all the persecution we face just for choosing Your Son, 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 one who rules. 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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