Prophets and Kings
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 41: The Fiery Furnace
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In alarm the king, turning to his lords, asked, "Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?"
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The dream of the great image, opening before Nebuchadnezzar
events reaching to the close of time, had been given that he might understand
the part he was to act in the world's history, and the relation that his
kingdom should sustain to the kingdom of heaven. In the interpretation of the
dream, he had been plainly instructed regarding the establishment of God's
everlasting kingdom. "In the days of these kings," Daniel had
declared, "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 forever.
. . . The dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof
sure." Daniel 2:44, 45. {PK
503.1}
The king had acknowledged the power of God, saying to
Daniel, "Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, . . .
and a revealer of secrets." Verse 47. For a time afterward, Nebuchadnezzar
was influenced by the fear of God; [504] but his heart was
not yet cleansed from worldly ambition and a desire for self-exaltation. The
prosperity attending his reign filled him with pride. In time he ceased to
honor God, and resumed his idol worship with increased zeal and bigotry. {PK 503.2}
The words, "Thou art this head of gold," had made
a deep impression upon the ruler's mind. Verse 38. The wise men of his realm,
taking advantage of this and of his return to idolatry, proposed that he make
an image similar to the one seen in his dream, and set it up where all might
behold the head of gold, which had been interpreted as representing his
kingdom. {PK 504.1}
Pleased with the flattering suggestion, he determined to
carry it out, and to go even farther. Instead of reproducing the image as he
had seen it, he would excel the original. His image should not deteriorate in
value from the head to the feet, but should be entirely of gold—symbolic
throughout of Babylon as an eternal, indestructible, all-powerful kingdom,
which should break in pieces all other kingdoms and stand forever. {PK 504.2}
The thought of establishing the empire and a dynasty that
should endure forever, appealed very strongly to the mighty ruler before whose arms
the nations of earth had been unable to stand. With an enthusiasm born of
boundless ambition and selfish pride, he entered into counsel with his wise men
as to how to bring this about. Forgetting the remarkable providences connected
with the dream of the great image; forgetting also that the God of Israel
through His servant Daniel had made plain the significance of the image, and
that in connection with this interpretation the [505] great
men of the realm had been saved an ignominious death; forgetting all except
their desire to establish their own power and supremacy, the king and his
counselors of state determined that by every means possible they would endeavor
to exalt Babylon as supreme, and worthy of universal allegiance. {PK 504.3}
The symbolic representation by which God had revealed to
king and people His purpose for the nations of earth, was now to be made to
serve for the glorification of human power. Daniel's interpretation was to be
rejected and forgotten; truth was to be misinterpreted and misapplied. The
symbol designed of Heaven to unfold to the minds of men important events of the
future, was to be used to hinder the spread of the knowledge that God desired
the world to receive. Thus through the devisings of ambitious men, Satan was seeking
to thwart the divine purpose for the human race. The enemy of mankind knew that
truth unmixed with error is a power mighty to save; but that when used to exalt
self and to further the projects of men, it becomes a power for evil. {PK 505.1}
From his rich store of treasure, Nebuchadnezzar caused to be
made a great golden image, similar in its general features to that which had
been seen in vision, save in the one particular of the material of which it was
composed. Accustomed as they were to magnificent representations of their
heathen deities, the Chaldeans had never before produced anything so imposing
and majestic as this resplendent statue, threescore cubits in height and six
cubits in breadth. And it is not surprising that in a land where idol worship
was of universal prevalence, the beautiful and priceless [506] image
in the plain of Dura, representing the glory of Babylon and its magnificence
and power, should be consecrated as an object of worship. This was accordingly
provided for, and a decree went forth that on the day of the dedication all
should show their supreme loyalty to the Babylonian power by bowing before the
image. {PK 505.2}
The appointed day came, and a vast concourse from all
"people, nations, and languages," assembled on the plain of Dura. In
harmony with the king's command, when the sound of music was heard, the whole
company "fell down and worshipped the golden image." On that eventful
day the powers of darkness seemed to be gaining a signal triumph; the worship
of the golden image bade fair to become connected permanently with the
established forms of idolatry recognized as the state religion of the land.
Satan hoped thereby to defeat God's purpose of making the presence of captive
Israel in Babylon a means of blessing to all the nations of heathendom. {PK 506.1}
But God decreed otherwise. Not all had bowed the knee to the
idolatrous symbol of human power. In the midst of the worshipping multitude
there were three men who were firmly resolved not thus to dishonor the God of
heaven. Their God was King of kings and Lord of lords; they would bow to none
other. {PK 506.2}
To Nebuchadnezzar, flushed with triumph, was brought the
word that among his subjects there were some who dared disobey his mandate.
Certain of the wise men, jealous of the honors that had been bestowed upon the
faithful companions of Daniel, now reported to the king their flagrant [507]
violation of his wishes. "O king, live forever," they exclaimed.
"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." {PK
506.3}
The king commanded that the men be brought before him.
"Is it true," he inquired, "do not ye serve my gods, nor worship
the golden image which I have set up?" He endeavored by threats to induce
them to unite with the multitude. Pointing to the fiery furnace, he reminded
them of the punishment awaiting them if they should persist in their refusal to
obey his will. But firmly the Hebrews testified to their allegiance to the God
of heaven, and their faith in His power to deliver. The act of bowing to the
image was understood by all to be an act of worship. Such homage they could render
to God alone. {PK 507.1}
As the three Hebrews stood before the king, he was convinced
that they possessed something the other wise men of his kingdom did not have.
They had been faithful in the performance of every duty. He would give them
another trial. If only they would signify their willingness to unite with the
multitude in worshiping the image, all would be well with them; "but if ye
worship not," he added, "ye shall be cast the same hour into the
midst of a burning fiery furnace." Then with his hand stretched upward in
defiance, he demanded, "Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my
hands?" {PK 507.2}
In vain were the king's threats. He could not turn the [508]
men from their allegiance to the Ruler of the universe. From the history of their
fathers they had learned that disobedience to God results in dishonor,
disaster, and death; and that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
the foundation of all true prosperity. Calmly facing the furnace, they said,
"O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it
be so [if this is your decision], 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." Their faith strengthened as they declared that God would be
glorified by delivering them, and with triumphant assurance born of implicit
trust in God, they added, "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." {PK 507.3}
The king's wrath knew no bounds. "Full of fury,"
"the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego," representatives of a despised and captive race. Directing that
the furnace be heated seven times hotter than its wont, he commanded the mighty
men of his army to bind the worshipers of Israel's God, preparatory to summary
execution. {PK 508.1}
"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. 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." {PK 508.2}
But the Lord did not forget His own. As His witnesses were
cast into the furnace, the Saviour revealed Himself to [509] them
in person, and together they walked in the midst of the fire. In the presence
of the Lord of heat and cold, the flames lost their power to consume. {PK 508.3}
From his royal seat the king looked on, expecting to see the
men who had defied him utterly destroyed. But his feelings of triumph suddenly
changed. The nobles standing near saw his face grow pale as he started from the
throne and looked intently into the glowing flames. In alarm the king, turning
to his lords, asked, "Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of
the fire? . . . 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."
{PK 509.1}
How did that heathen king know what the Son of God was like?
The Hebrew captives filling positions of trust in Babylon had in life and
character represented before him the truth. When asked for a reason of their
faith, they had given it without hesitation. Plainly and simply they had
presented the principles of righteousness, thus teaching those around them of
the God whom they worshiped. They had told of Christ, the Redeemer to come; and
in the form of the fourth in the midst of the fire the king recognized the Son
of God. {PK 509.2}
And now, his own greatness and dignity forgotten,
Nebuchadnezzar descended from his throne and, going to the mouth of the
furnace, cried out, "Ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and
come hither." {PK
509.3}
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came forth before the
vast multitude, showing themselves unhurt. The presence of their Saviour had
guarded them from harm, and only their fetters had been burned. "And the
princes, governors, [510] and captains, and the king's
counselors, 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." {PK 509.4}
Forgotten was the great golden image, set up with such pomp.
In the presence of the living God, men feared and trembled. "Blessed be
the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego," the humbled king was
constrained to acknowledge, "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." {PK 510.1}
The experiences of that day led Nebuchadnezzar to issue a
decree, "that every people, nation, and language, which speak anything
amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in
pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill." "There is no
other god," he urged as the reason for the decree, "that can deliver
after this sort." {PK
510.2}
In these and like words the king of Babylon endeavored to
spread abroad before all the peoples of earth his conviction that the power and
authority of the God of the Hebrews was worthy of supreme adoration. And God
was pleased with the effort of the king to show Him reverence, and to make the
royal confession of allegiance as widespread as was the Babylonian realm. {PK 510.3}
It was right for the king to make public confession, and to
seek to exalt the God of heaven above all other gods; but in endeavoring to force
his subjects to make a similar confession [511] of
faith and to show similar reverence, Nebuchadnezzar was exceeding his right as
a temporal sovereign. He had no more right, either civil or moral, to threaten
men with death for not worshiping God, than he had to make the decree
consigning to the flames all who refused to worship the golden image. God never
compels the obedience of man. He leaves all free to choose whom they will
serve. {PK 510.4}
By the deliverance of His faithful servants, the Lord declared
that He takes His stand with the oppressed, and rebukes all earthly powers that
rebel against the authority [512] of Heaven. The three Hebrews
declared to the whole nation of Babylon their faith in Him whom they worshiped.
They relied on God. In the hour of their trial they remembered the promise,
"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through
the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire,
thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee."
Isaiah 43:2. And in a marvelous manner their faith in the living Word had been
honored in the sight of all. The tidings of their wonderful deliverance were
carried to many countries by the representatives of the different nations that
had been invited by Nebuchadnezzar to the dedication. Through the faithfulness
of His children, God was glorified in all the earth. {PK 511.1}
Important are the lessons to be learned from the experience
of the Hebrew youth on the plain of Dura. In this our day, many of God's
servants, though innocent of wrongdoing, will be given over to suffer
humiliation and abuse at the hands of those who, inspired by Satan, are filled
with envy and religious bigotry. Especially will the wrath of man be aroused
against those who hallow the Sabbath of the fourth commandment; and at last a
universal decree will denounce these as deserving of death. {PK 512.1}
The season of distress before God's people will call for a
faith that will not falter. His children must make it manifest that He is the
only object of their worship, and that no consideration, not even that of life
itself, can induce them to make the least concession to false worship. To the
loyal heart the commands of sinful, finite men will sink into [513]
insignificance beside the word of the eternal God. Truth will be obeyed though
the result be imprisonment or exile or death. {PK 512.2}
As in the days of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, so in the
closing period of earth's history the Lord will work mightily in behalf of those
who stand steadfastly for the right. He who walked with the Hebrew worthies in
the fiery furnace will be with His followers wherever they are. His abiding
presence will comfort and sustain. In the midst of the time of trouble—trouble
such as has not been since there was a nation—His chosen ones will
stand unmoved. Satan with all the hosts of evil cannot destroy the weakest of
God's saints. Angels that excel in strength will protect them, and in their
behalf Jehovah will reveal Himself as a "God of gods," able to save
to the uttermost those who have put their trust in Him. {PK 513.1}
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"True Greatness"
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