Dan 3 - And Revelation 13

Daniel 3 and Revelation 13 Brief Idea: The story of Daniel's three friends and the fiery furnace seems to be the origin of the metaphors in Revelation 13 as the story of the Babylonian captivity is the origin of the metaphors in much of the rest of the Apocalypse. The story sheds light on our near future. Daniel 3 records the efforts of the king of Babylon to defy Jehovah's revealed will for the future. Nebuchadnezzar envisioned a never-ending kingdom. He required all nations to worship to the image of his nation as evidence of their loyalty to him. Though imposing, the image was not the authority. Honor showed to it was thinly-veiled honor shown to the king. The herald "commanded" in his name. A human command regarding worship was placed in violation of God's command in the 2nd Commandment. The queue for bowing to the image was all kinds of music. Fire, visible to all, compelled obedience via a death-decree. What do we find in Revelation 13? The efforts of a blasphemous mystical Babylon to defy Jehovah's revealed will. The beast deceives all nations and demands their worship. He receives it. An image is set up, in honor of the beast, and is made fearful by "fire" from heaven. To this all nations bow excepting those braving a death-decree. Worship of the image is accepted as worship of the beast. Those that resist are figured in chapter fourteen as those that keep the commandments of God. The implication is that those that bowed did so in violation of a Divine command and in respect to a human one. Other parallels that may or may not be intended include the dimensions of the image and the number of the beast, 6, 60, and 666 respectively. Also, the beast had a period of lethal woundedness, though not death, just as Nebuchadnezzar had a period of loss of power that ended with his restoration to his former glory and more. What Daniel 3 provides is a model of how to handle the coming pressure. The false worship, in the land of the image at least, will be connected intimately with various genres of music. God's men will have to stand out sorely at the risk of their life just to remain faithful to God's law. It will not be a time for diplomacy. "We are not careful to answer thee in this matter." Such courage will save us from subtle arguments. We should refuse second chances. And we should speak of our confidence both in God's purpose to spare us and, if not, our willingness to die for His law. Our testimony will be used by Jesus, who will join us in the time of trouble by His Spirit, to cause the most arrogant knee, that of Satan, to bow to Him. The men intent on destroying us will themselves meet a fiery death. And our captivity will end in the fire.