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: Monday, September 13, 2021
Chapters: Daniel 1-3
Message: We Will Not Serve Your Gods
Hello My Friend,
I have not talked about politics for quite some time, but there is something quite alarming that needs to be addressed, which actually lines up with today’s Bible reading. The vaccine mandates that our very own president is trying to force and all this stimulus money that they keep handing to people as though they care about their wellbeing is going to come back to haunt us. I really do not have to say one more word about how dangerous this is because it is all in the Scriptures that we reading today, but I am going to say that it is time that we all take a stand and instead of trusting in the man to provide for our wellbeing, we need to trust in Jesus Christ.
[Luke 12:27-31 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.]
The Book of Daniel contains twelve chapters. The author of the book is Daniel and it was first written to Judah, those who were held captive in Babylon, about 434BC. The purpose of the book was to show how God rules the affairs of all men and nations. What we are to learn from the book is that God is the only God and gives honor and protection to those who worship only Him, [Daniel 3:28 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.]
Daniel was one of the captives carried into Babylon, he was quite young, perhaps even a teenager, he and three of his friends were favored and assigned new Babylonian names. The name Daniel means God is Judge, but his Babylonian name, Belteshazzar means prince of Baal. Daniel and his friends were among a group of Jews that they king chose to teach them the ways of the Babylonians.
[Daniel 1:3-7 And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes; 4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. 5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. 6 Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: 7 Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.]
[And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat,] This is how indoctrination begins, they provide for them, win their trust, and all in an effort to control them. The king did this for three years, and while it may have worked for the others, it did not work for Daniel and his friends.
[Daniel 1:8,10–12,15,17 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. 10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king. 11 Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. 15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat. 17 As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.]
[And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh] Okay, so, their food was simply fruit, vegetables, beans, and water. If there is one thing that I learned through my inability to digest gluten it is that eating simple food that is prepared from its simplest form keeps me healthier, looking younger, and reduces so much pain. A corrupt government does not care about your wellbeing, all it wants is to keep you dependent upon them so they can eventually control you. Look what happen during the Holocaust, the Jews that trusted in the government ended up in gas chambers. Go to Greece, China, Cuba, and most recently, Venezuela, they are disasters right now because they trusted the government. Man will always have an agenda for their freebies, God’s only agenda is to save your soul from something far worse than gas chambers, and that is hell, [Romans 5:8-9 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.]
So, now, we will see why God had given Daniel the ability to interpret dreams, Nebuchadnezzar had a rather disturbing dream, but like most dreams, he forgot what it was. Nebuchadnezzar, insisted that that dream was something significant, so, he called for all the magicians, wizards, and physics to interpret the dreams, which they called “wise” men. However, it did not go so well.
[Daniel 2:1-5 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. 2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. 3 And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. 4 Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation. 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill.]
[if ye will not make known unto me the dream,] In other words, he was going to kill them if someone did not only tell him what the dream meant, but the dream itself. Now, there are no such things a physics, they cannot predict the future or summon those who have died, all they do is make up things from what information is provided to them. Now, even these “wise” men had to admit that only a god can interpret a dream, but Nebuchadnezzar was not pleased, he actually sent out a decree to have all the “wise” men killed, including Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
[Daniel 2:13,16-20,23 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. 16 Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation. 17 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions: 18 That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: 23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.]
[That they would desire mercies of the God] There is no better gift than to give someone the truth about Christ and how they can be saved. The world will never understand Christ, and that is exactly why God made it that way, only true worshipers of God will hear His Word, understand it, and believe in all of it, not what they pick and choose. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had all sorts of opposition, but never gave up on God, and it was for that reason that God had not only revealed the dream to Daniel, He also protected them from death. Daniel meets with Nebuchadnezzar and reveals both the dream and what it meant.
[Daniel 2:26-30 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? 27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; 28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; 29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. 30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.]
[this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living,] Let me tell you, I nor any preacher, teacher, or anyone else who is knowledgeable of the Word of God is any more wiser than the one who has no knowledge of God’s Word at all. Only God can give us the interpretation of His Word, and is revealed to us through the Holy Spirit that indwells is all who receive Christ as their Saviour, [1 John 4:1-3 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.]
And here it comes, the real reason why Nebuchadnezzar was so gracious to care for the wellbeing of these young men and women who were carried into Babylon, that they would all be forced to worship him. In fact, he had a giant golden statue made of himself for that purpose.
[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.]
[To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,] Do you think that it is out of the wellbeing of people that all of these illegals are crossing our borders? The day is coming when we will all be forced to bow down to these fools, and if we do not, then it will be the death of us. And I tell you what, my God will not let one hair from my head perish, so, they might as well throw me in the furnace because I will bow down to no one, but my God. And that is exactly the way, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego felt. Now, Daniel was safe because he tended to the affairs of the king, but Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego worked out in the world. When Nebuchadnezzar found out that these men would not bow down to the statue, he ordered them to be placed in the furnace, he took it one step further, and had it heated up seven times hotter.
[Daniel 3:14,16-18 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? 16 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.]
[But if not, be it known unto thee,] They had complete faith that God was going to save them from burning to death in the fire, even if that meant they would die in it. However, something incredible happened when they were thrown into the fire, besides the fact that the ones who threw them in the furnace died instantly.
[Daniel 3:22-25,28 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. 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.]
[and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.] How in the world did Nebuchadnezzar know that there even was a Son of God, especially when He had not been revealed? The Holy Spirit. 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 is the only God, but at this point, he gave full support to those who wanted to worship God. And this is exactly how it should be, and why we as Americans have a Constitution that gives us the freedom to worship God and Him alone without any government telling us otherwise. They can try to intimidate and bully us, but we need to stand firm in our faith, even in the face of death, because it is Jesus right there in the midst of the fire with us. Amen! [Philippians 1:20-21 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.]
Jesus Christ Magnified: [Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 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.]
Today’s Prayer: God, 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. As much as we think and even know that all things are possible with You, when temptations and pressure comes our way, it can be hard to stand firm in our faith when we are being thrown into the fire. Lord, give us Your power, wisdom, and guidance, help us to look beyond the fire, trusting that everything we need will be provided for us through You alone. I ask this in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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