Daniel Lesson #5

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DANIEL 3
LESSON #05
THE TESTING OF FAITH

• MEMORY VERSE: HEB 7:25

• THE FIRST CHAPTER OF DANIEL SHOWS US GOD’S VIEW OF PAGAN CUSTOMS. THE SECOND CHAPTER OF DANIEL SHOWS US GOD’S VIEW OF PAGAN CULTURE AND PHILOSOPHY. THIS THIRD CHAPTER WILL SHOW US GOD’S VIEW OF PAGAN GOVERNMENTAL PRIDE.

• READ DANIEL 3:1-7 IMAGE OF GOLD (ABOUT 586 BC)
• DANIEL IS NOT PRESENT IN THIS CHAPTER AS HE WAS PROBABLY TRAVELLING IN ANOTHER PART OF THE KINGDOM. SINCE HE WAS THE PRIME MINISTER, HE HAD DUTIES IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE COUNTRY.
• THIS IS AN UNUSUALLY HIGH POSITION FOR A SLAVE LIKE DANIEL TO HAVE ACHIEVED. HOWEVER, WE SHOULD REMEMBER THAT GOD IS IN CONTROL, AND HE PUTS PEOPLE IN STRATEGIC POSITIONS TO FULFILL HIS PLAN.
• THIS CHAPTER IS ABOUT 20 YEARS AFTER CHAPTER 2 (586 BC)
• DURING THESE 20 YEARS, THE NATION OF JUDAH, THE CITY OF JERUSALEM, AND THE TEMPLE HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY DESTROYED. (IN 586 BC)
• IN ANCIENT TIMES WHEN A KING WON A MILITARY BATTLE, IT WAS A SIGN THAT HIS OWN DEITY HAD TRIUMPHED OVER THE GODS OF THAT NATION.
• THEREFORE, FROM CHAPTER 2 WE SEE NEBUCHADNEZZAR CHANGE HIS ATTITUDE TOWARD THE GOD OF ISRAEL.
• THE IMAGE WAS EITHER AN IMAGE OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR HIMSELF OR OF HIS GOD, (MERODACH) MARDUK, OR OF HIS FAMOUS FATHER, NABOPOLASSAR. MOST LIKELY IT WAS NEBUCHADNEZZAR HIMSELF, THOUGH THE SCRIPTURE IS NOT CLEAR.
• THE IMAGE IS NOT SOLID GOLD AS THERE HASN’T BEEN THAT MUCH MINED IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. IT WAS PROBABLY MADE OF WOOD OVERLAID WITH GOLD.
• OBVIOUSLY NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM INSPIRED THE BUILDING OF THIS IMAGE.
• PERHAPS THE BUILDING OF THIS IMAGE WAS AN EFFORT BY NEBUCHADNEZZAR TO UNIFY HIS NATION. NEBUCHADNEZZAR WANTED TO PERPETUATE HIS KINGDOM SO THAT NO NATION WOULD OVERTHROW IT ACCORDING TO THE DREAM. REMEMBER THAT THE DREAM PREDICTED THE COMING OF THE MEDES AND THE PERSIANS. HOWEVER, IF HE COULD MAKE HIS NATION A ONE-WORLD GOVERNMENT, IT WOULD LAST FOREVER.
• NEBUCHADNEZZAR HAD IN MIND A ONE-WORLD RELIGION.
• 60 CUBITS BY 6 CUBITS ACCORDING TO A SEXAGESIMAL SYSTEM BASED ON 6 (THE SIMBOLIC NUMBER OF MAN) = 90 FT BY 9 FT
• NOTICE THAT THERE ARE 6 INSTRUMENTS MENTIONED IN VS. 5
• SOME OF OUR SYSTEM STILL USES THE SEXAGESIMAL SYSTEM OF BABYLONIAN MATH.
• FOR EXAMPLE: THE BRITISH SYSTEM OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
• DOZEN
• UNITS OF TIME (60 MIN)
• GEOMETRIC MEASURES (ANGLES)
• THESE MEASUREMENTS AND NUMBERS PREFIGURE THE ANTI-CHRIST’S IMAGE IN REV 13:14-15, AND BASED ON THE NUMBERS 666.
• THERE ARE MANY OLD TESTAMENT PREFIGURES OF THE ANTI-CHRIST. HERE ARE JUST A FEW:

• CAIN – MURDERED CHOSEN SEED (GEN 4:5-14 JUD 11 1JO 3:12 REV 11:7)
• NIMROD – CREATION OF BABYLON & BABEL (GEN 10 GEN 11 REV 17)
• PHARAOH – THE OPPRESSION OF GOD’S PEOPLE (EXO 1:8-22 REV 17:6)
• KORAH – REBELLION AGAINST GOD (NUM 16:1-3 JUD 11 REV 13:6)
• BALAAM – ATTEMPT TO CURSE ISRAEL (NUM 23 NUM 24 2PE 2:15 JUD 11 REV 2:14)
• SAUL – INTRUSION INTO THE OFFICE OF PRIESTHOOD (1SAM 13:9-13 MAT 24:15)
• GOLIATH – PROUD BOASTING (1SAM 17 DAN 11:36-37)
• ABSALOM – ATTEMPT TO STEAL THE THRONE (2SAM 15:1-6 REV 17:11-13)
• JEROBOAM – SUBSTITUTE RELIGION (1KIN 12:25-31 REV 17)
• SENNACHERIB – EFFORTS TO DESTROY JERUSALEM (2KIN 18:17 DAN 11:41,45)
• KING ZEDEKIAH – BROKE A PEACE TREATY (EZE 21:24-27 DAN 9:27)
• NEBUCHADNEZZAR – HIS GOLDEN STATUE (DAN 3:1-7 REV 13:14-15)
• HAMAN – PLOT TO EXTERMINATE THE JEWS (EST 3 REV 12:13)
• ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES IV- DEFILEMENT OF TEMPLE (DAN 11:21-35 MAT 24:15)
• JUDAS ISCARIOT – INDWELT BY SATAN (JOH 6:70-71 LUK 22:3 JOH 13:27 REV 13:2)
• “SON OF PERDITION” — JOH 17:12 2THE 2:3
• “TO HIS OWN PLACE” — ACT 1:25 REV 19:20

• READ DANIEL 3:8-18 A TEST OF FAITH
• THE ACCUSATION AGAINST THE THREE HEBREW MEN WHO DID NOT BOW WAS, THESE MEN, “…HAVE NOT REGARDED THEE…” (12)
• THIS ACCUSATION WAS UNTRUE. THE THREE HEBREW SLAVES WERE FAITHFUL TO THE KING AND HAD RESPECT FOR NEBUCHADNEZZAR. HOWEVER, THEY HAD AN ALLEGIANCE TO A HIGHER POWER AS THEIR GOD.
• THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A TEST OF THE FAITH OF THESE THREE HEBREW MEN.
• WHY DOES GOD TEST OUR FAITH? DOES HE NOT KNOW HOW MUCH FAITH WE HAVE? YES, BECAUSE GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING. HOWEVER, WE DON’T KNOW HOW STRONG WE ARE UNTIL WE ARE TESTED.
• SHADRACH, MESHACH, ABEDNEGO ARE A PICTURE OF THE FAITHFUL REMNANT WHO WILL NOT BOW DOWN TO THE ANTI-CHRIST IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD. (12)
• COMPARE DAN 3:15 WITH DAN 2:47 NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S CONFESSION OF FAITH.
• WHAT IS NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S SPIRITUAL STATUS?
• VERSE 16 IS DIFFICULT TO TRANSLATE:
• “WE ARE NOT CAREFUL TO ANSWER THEE” = EITHER “WE HAVE NO ANSWER FOR YOU”, OR “WE HAVE WEIGHED THE CONSEQUENCES CAREFULLY”
• MOST LIKELY THEY HAVE COUNTED THE COST AND ARE NOT CAREFUL FOR THEIR OWN LIVES.
• NOTICE THE WORDING IN VERSES 17-18 “BUT IF NOT”
• DISCUSSION

: DO YOU THINK THIS IS AN EXCUSE FOR A FAILURE OF FAITH? WHY OR WHY NOT?

• COULD IT BE THAT IT IS NOT THE POWER AND ABILITY OF GOD IN QUESTION, BUT GOD’S WILL THAT IS IN QUESTION? FOR EXAMPLE:
• URIJAH WAS NOT SPARED BUT JEREMIAH WAS SPARED JER 26:20-24.
• YOU CAN HAVE FAITH IN GOD’S POWER AND ABILITY AND YET NOT KNOW GOD’S PLAN OR HIS TIMING.

• READ DANIEL 3:19-30 THE DELIVERANCE OF GOD
• FIERY FURNACE (19)
• THIS WAS A LARGE PIT IN THE SIDE OF A CLIFF THAT WAS STOKED FROM A LARGE HOLE AT THE BOTTOM WHILE THE ENTRANCE WAS AT THE TOP OF THE CLIFF.
• IN THE MIDST OF THE FIRE WERE 4 WHO WALKED UNHARMED (25)
• READ ISA 43:1-3
• WHO IS THE FOURTH MAN?
• THIS IS A THEOPHANY
• WHAT IS A THEOPHANY?
• IT IS AN OLD TESTAMENT PRE-INCARNATE APPEARING OF JESUS CHRIST.
• THERE ARE SEVERAL THEOPHANIES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT WHERE CHRIST APPEARS EITHER IN ANGELIC FORM OR IN HUMAN FORM.
• SOME OTHER PRE-INCARNATE APPEARINGS:
• GEN 12:7 GEN 16:7 GEN 17:1 GEN 18:1
• GEN 21:17 GEN 26:24 GEN 28:13
• GEN 32:24 GEN 35:9
• DISCUSSION

: COMPARE NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S CONFESSION OF FAITH ON DAN 3:15 WITH DAN 3:29 AND DAN 3:26. WOULD YOU CALL NEBUCHADNEZZAR A BELIEVER?

• KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND BELIEF IN GOD ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. THERE IS NO INDICATION HERE OF ANY PERSONAL FAITH OR BELIEF IN GOD AND NO EVIDENCE OF REPENTANCE.

• DISCUSSION

: HOW DOES A CHRISTIAN COME TO THE POINT OF HAVING SO GREAT A FAITH THAT HE IS WILLING TO LAY HIS LIFE ON THE LINE?

• THE PROPHETIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CHAPTER:
• NEBUCHADNEZZAR PROPHETICALLY REPRESENTS THE ANTI-CHRIST WHO SEEKS WORLD DOMINATION AND WORSHIP IN THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.
• THE IMAGE IS PROPHETIC OF THE IMAGE THAT THE ANTI-CHRIST WILL SET UP FOR WORSHIP IN THE JEWISH TEMPLE AT THE MIDDLE OF THE TRIBULATION.
• THE 3 HEBREW MEN WHO SURVIVED THE FURNACE PROPHETICALLY REPRESENT THE FAITHFUL JEWISH REMNANT IN THE TRIBULATION THAT WILL SURVIVE BECAUSE OF GOD’S MIRACULOUS PROTECTION.
• THE FURNACE PROPEHTICALLY REPRESENTS THE SUFFERING DURING THE TRIBULATION PERIOD.
• DANIEL’S ABSENCE IN THIS CHAPTER PROPHETICALLY REPRESENTS THE ABSENCE OF FAITHFUL BELIEVERS IN JESUS CHRIST WHO ARE RAPTURED BEFORE THE TRIBULATION PERIOD, AND, THEREFORE, MISS THE FIRES OF SUFFERING DURING THE TRIBULATION.
• THE FOUTH MAN PROPHETICALLY REPRESENTS JESUS CHRIST WHO WILL WALK CLOSELY WITH BELIEVERS THROUGH THE SUFFERINGS OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD, JUST AS HE WALKS WITH US THROUGH OUR PARTICULAR TRIALS AND PROBLEMS OF LIFE.

• PERSONAL APPLICATION:
• READ THE FOLLOWING SCRIPTURES CONCERNING GOD’S PERSONAL PRESENCE DURING TRIALS AND SUFFERING:
• JOH 10:27-28
• JOH 17:11, 15
• HEB 7:25
• 2TIM 1:12
• ROM 8:38-39

HOMEWORK
DANIEL 4
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FOR CORRECTION.