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The Book of Daniel – Dan 3:1-30  I see Four men Loose, walking in the midst of the fire

[Study Aired February 29, 2024]

Dan 3:1  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. 
Dan 3:2  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. 
Dan 3:3  Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 
Dan 3:4  Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 
Dan 3:5  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: 
Dan 3:6  And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 
Dan 3:7  Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
Dan 3:8  Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. 
Dan 3:9  They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
Dan 3:10  Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
Dan 3:11  And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:12  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. 
Dan 3:13  Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. 
Dan 3:14  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? 
Dan 3:15  Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? 
Dan 3:16  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 
Dan 3:17  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.
Dan 3:18  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.
Dan 3:19  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. 
Dan 3:20  And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:21  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. 
Dan 3:22  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.
Dan 3:23  And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 
Dan 3:24  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. 
Dan 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. 
Dan 3:26  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. 
Dan 3:27  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.
Dan 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.
Dan 3:29  Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
Dan 3:30  Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.

If we follow the flow of the first three chapters of the book of Daniel, a pattern emerges which reveals the problem, the cause, and now in chapter three, the solution regarding how we are to overcome in this life as the body of Christ.

Chapter one introduced how the undefiled word of God is likened to the food that Daniel and his companions will eat while in captivity, as opposed to the king’s meat which typifies the churches of Babylon who have had the whole stay of bread and water taken away by the Lord, which is the problem (Isa3:1).

Chapter two explains how all the empires of the world have been blinded by the power of Satan that is manifested throughout the ages and represented by the dream about a multi-part statue of which Nebuchadnezzar dreamed. The dream is further interpreted in the seventh chapter of Daniel and Revelation 13:1-3 where various creatures are connected with the different sections of the statue. 

This statue represents the cause of all of humanity’s sinful behavior throughout the ages. The source of that cause is Satan who is typified by the head of the statue, which head is Nebuchadnezzar, a king of kings who ruled over Babylon as Satan has ruled over the kingdoms of this world, all being accomplished according to the counsel of God’s will (2Co 4:4, Eph 1:11). To make this connection even more evident for us, we have the composite beast spoken of in Revelation 13:1-2 which shows how all these beasts in Daniel chapter 2 and 7 are the same beast spoken of in Revelation 13:2, which beast is identified in Revelation 13:18 revealing that this beast is all mankind, and his destruction is prophesied and likened to the man of perdition spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8.

2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Rev 13:1  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 
Rev 13:2  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon [Satan, the god of this world, represented by the dragon] gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

The third chapter points to the solution through the miraculous destruction of this statue and all the beasts connected within us, a process of judgment typified by three men, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego” and Christ, the angel who is in the midst of the fire with them making all this possible. These four men represent the whole of the elect who will be used to save all of humanity. We learn in this chapter, very graphically, that we are delivered from the bondage of sinful flesh by going into the fiery furnace, which is the same as going through the Red Sea and being put in the lion’s Den is where we learn how God can stay the mouth of the lions that represent the devil who wants to sift like wheat the people of God (Luk 22:31-32). These three events typify for us how the man of perdition is destroyed by the brightness of his coming, which man of perdition is symbolized by this great statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (2Th 2:8).

Dan 3:1  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. 

Nebuchadnezzar was being shown, by the interpretation of the dream by Daniel, that he is the beast, and instead of repenting in sackcloth and ashes, he rather takes the interpretation of the dream to mean that he ought to build a statue in its likeness and have the people come and bow down and worship this idol. These actions point to these verses in Revelation that parallel what Nebuchadnezzar is doing.

Rev 13:9  If any man have an ear, let him hear [Nebuchadnezzar did not hear].
Rev 13:10  He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. 
Rev 13:11  And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 
Rev 13:12  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 
Rev 13:13  And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 
Rev 13:14  And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 
Rev 13:15  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Nebuchadnezzar’s newly made statue is “threescore cubits [60 cubits], and the breadth thereof six cubits [6 cubits]” telling us that it represents mankind with those sixes in the measurements. It is built in the “plain of Dura” that is “in the province of Babylon” as it represents that time when we are a defiled temple of God whose Adamic height is connected to the beast [6.6.6] as well as the breadth of six cubits. The word Dura means “circle or dwelling”, and a circle has 360 degrees in it, which is a multiple of six [6x6x10] that points to our Adamic dwelling place that is carnal and not able to inherit the kingdom of God (1Co 15:50). It is not just the head that is gold now, but the entire image is made of gold, which confirms that Nebuchadnezzar, who was the head of gold in the dream, has affected every other lesser empire (the rest of the statue) with his proud and vain spirit, explained in these terms below in Revelation. His golden image is cankered as he has not been ‘tried in the fire’ and as such remains spiritually blind to the spiritual captivity that he is in, as is all the world – the entire statue.

Rev 3:17  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 
Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Dan 3:2  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. 
Dan 3:3  Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

This section of scripture points to Revelation 13:15. The statue that Nebuchadnezzar had built of gold, which he demanded the people to either worship or they would be killed, represents how the god of this world will demand our unwavering acceptance and worship of his idolatrous ways that permeate society today (1Jn 5:19). How Satan accomplishes this deception is through the multitude of leaders who provide a perverted version of that safety that can only come through God’s counsel found in the body of Christ (Eph 3:10). The world’s counsellors are typified by those who Nebuchadnezzar gathered 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.” The reason they have been gathered together is to stand in a unified way to acknowledge the beast [mankind’s power in themselves independent of God] that is represented by Nebuchadnezzar’s statue, “and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up“. This gathering to do what Nebuchadnezzar requires of the people puts them all in the category of Revelation 13:8.

Rev 13:15  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Rev 13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Dan 3:4  Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 
Dan 3:5  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: 
Dan 3:6  And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 

There we have it! Comply or die is the command that is set forth. The herald crying aloud is like the negative blowing of the last trump that will summon the first resurrection (1Co 15:52). This heralding we’re reading is a cry unto captivity in the devilish world of the sensual, being associated with “the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick“ and compelling the masses to “fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up” or else you will be “cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.” The music represents the unified strong delusion of Babylon whose mantra says “in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity”, taking away the singleness and undivided mind of Christ (2Co 11:3-5) and leaving the power in the hand of the beast to determine what is essential and not essential. All of this signifies how the man of sin operates on the throne of our hearts, demanding our acknowledgement of his power and rule, and wanting us to do nothing less than worship him, making Satan the sovereign figure in our life rather than God and Christ  (Joh 17:3).

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 
2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
2Co 11:5  For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.

Dan 3:7  Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 
Dan 3:8  Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.

These verses again demonstrate the unity that is found in the world in regards to worshiping the beast and claiming our own righteousness and free moral agency in this life. It is “all the people, the nations, and the languages” who come and fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. What unites all the world is the belief that they have free moral agency [the golden image], and unless our names are written in the Lamb’s book, that is what the carnal mind will just naturally believe, all the while thinking the things of the spirit as being foolishness for they are spiritually discerned (Rev 13:4-7, 1Co 2:14). We will be hated by all men for his name’s sake, and it is “certain Chaldeans  [who] came near” at this time of worshiping the beast who “accused the Jews“, the Jews being a type of the elect who are hated and persecuted for obeying the commandments of God that we’ve been granted the patience and faith of Christ to hold fast to as a crown of life (1Co 2:15-16, Rev 2:10, Rev 3:11, Jas 1:12, 1Jn 5:2). It is “certain Chaldeans” who came near to king Nebuchadnezzar to be accusers of the brethren, the “certain” implying not all have this role in life, but God has already ordained the ones who would betray Christ and His Christ, and it is they of our own household that “certain Chaldeans” signify, just as it was the religious of Christ’s day, the Sadducees and Pharisees (Mat 10:36, Joh 6:71, Act 20:29, Php 3:18).

[See this article from Mike Vinson on this subject: Enemies of His Own Household]

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast [“all the people, the nations, and the languages“]: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 
Rev 13:5  And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 
Rev 13:6  And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 
Rev 13:7  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations [“all the people, the nations, and the languages“. This shows us that we all go into captivity (Rev 13:10) and it is the very few who are called out of Babylon by God’s great power (Eph 2:8)] 

Rev 2:10  Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. 

Rev 3:11  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown [1Co 2:15-16].

Jas 1:12  Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

Dan 3:9  They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. 
Dan 3:10  Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
Dan 3:11  And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:12  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.
Dan 3:13  Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. 
Dan 3:14  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?

This section of scripture reminds us that the world is looking at what the body of Christ is doing, and are bringing their report to ‘the powers that be’ to let them know that “they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” Satan knows he has a short time, and the fidelity of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is making Nebuchadnezzar furious in this story as does the faithfulness of the saints in this life cause Satan’s wrath to manifest (Rev 12:12). 

Rev 12:12  Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Our life is a vapor that appears for a little while (Jas 4:14), and so in that sense Satan knows “he hath but a short time” to try and deceive the very elect, if it were possible, in every age since Pentecost (Mat 24:24). Of course it is not possible, and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego being brought before the furious king was all purposed by God (Eph 1:11) to give a witness to Nebuchadnezzar and all others of the greatness of the God of heaven and earth that they serve (Mar 13:9). 

Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Mar 13:9  But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.

Dan 3:15  Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? 
Dan 3:16  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 
Dan 3:17  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. 
Dan 3:18  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.

God has set the stage for the words that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are about to give to the king, and the first thing they tell him is, “There is no need for us to give you an answer to this question” [BBE], meaning “We already have our minds made up in regard to what we are going to do and so will answer you what God has given us the power to proclaim, and what He proclaims is that we are more than conquerors through Christ and that whether we are delivered or destroyed by this fire, we will live unto the Lord and be delivered regardless.” Their answer typifies the faithful witnesses we have been called to be through Christ (Rev 11:3, Rev 11:7) and whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s, and He will deliver us and not a hair on our head will be hurt (Luk 21:18). This all implies that our spiritual status in the Lord, our crown, is not going to be taken from us if we believe and know that we are more than conquerors through Him in every dire circumstance, via the faith of Christ we’ve been given (Mar 13:11, Rom 14:8, Rom 8:37, Eph 2:8-9).

Luk 21:18  But not a hair of your head will come to destruction. 

Mar 13:11  And when you are taken and given up to be judged, do not be troubled about what to say: but whatever is given to you in that hour, say: because it is not you who say it, but the Holy Spirit.

Rom 14:8  As long as we have life we are living to the Lord; or if we give up our life it is to the Lord; so if we are living, or if our life comes to an end, we are the Lord’s. 

Rom 8:37  But we are able to overcome all these things and more through his love. 

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Dan 3:19  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.

As we submit to Christ and resist the devil, he will flee from us (Jas 4:7), and regardless of what men can do to our flesh (Mat 10:28), we are being told with this story not to fear men, but fear God (Luk 12:5) who is all-powerful and able to take us through the fiery trials of this life (1Pe 4:12) which will perfect His workmanship in us (1Co 10:13, Eph 2:10). The furnace being “seven times more than it was wont to be heated” typifies for us the seven plagues that must be poured out upon God’s elect. Those plagues represent the cup we drink in this life (Rev 15:8) that Christ makes a way for us to partake of by the power of God who calls us to be more than conquerors through Him (Mat 20:23, Rom 8:37). 

Luk 12:5  But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Mat 20:23  And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.

Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Dan 3:20  And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 
Dan 3:21  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. 
Dan 3:22  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. 
Dan 3:23  And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

Binding Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego by the most mighty men that were in his army, and casting them into the fiery furnace, represents how we are bound by our sins. It is “their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments” symbolizing their own righteousnesses, that cleaves to us in this flesh and must be thrown into the fiery furnace where Christ is in the midst to loose us from it (Joh 8:36).

The king’s commandment was urgent and the furnace was exceedingly hot, so that these mighty men who were putting them in the fire were killed themselves. These men represent the wood, hay and stubble (1Co 3:12), the carnal and natural things that are the first to be burned out of us (1Co 3:13-15). 

1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 
1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Dan 3:24  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. 
Dan 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. 

Here we see God defying the laws of physics which tells us that nothing is impossible for our Father, and when He says He won’t try us beyond what we can endure He means it (1Co 10:13), and will always make a way for us to bear the trials He gives us, even if they destroy our flesh, or the proud image of the beast that we all start off as. The natural man “Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied” and asked his counselors, “Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” of which they responded “True, O king.“

Nebuchadnezzar then says “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” which is really an incredibly encouraging statement for us to contemplate. First of all there are “four men loose” which symbolizes that the whole [4] world will be loosed from sinful flesh or set free from sin by that fourth man who is in the midst of the fire, Jesus Christ (Joh 8:36, Rev 5:3, Act 4:12, Luk 17:24). It also tells us that the elect who are represented by the other three men will be saviors who come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau, setting the world free from sin with Christ as the Lord’s scapegoat (Oba 1:21). Three men in the fire also represents the process of judgement [3] we must go through in this life as God’s elect if we are going to be purified by God’s word which is likened to fire (Jer 23:29, 1Pe 4:17).

Jer 23:29  Is not my word like as a fire? [Joh 1:1] saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? 

Dan 3:26  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. 
Dan 3:27  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.
Dan 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.

Nebuchadnezzar came near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, but he did not get in it, symbolizing that he has not changed yet, but is being witnessed to, as the world will be, by those who have gone through the fiery words of God’s judgment in this life that will prepare the bride for the rulership that is set before the church (Rev 20:6). Again Nebuchadnezzar asks them to “come forth.” However, he does not go toward them because no man can go to the son unless the Father drags him (Joh 6:44). This also shows us how the Lord will use wicked men to accomplish His purpose in the elect, of being dragged into fiery trials (Psa 17:13, Luk 21:12, 1Pe 4:12, Rev 2:10).

Psa 17:13  Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:

Luk 21:12  But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name’s sake.

Rev 2:10  Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

So they came forth and witnessed to all that had occurred to “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.” This all represents the witness that the elect will be to the world, showing them what God can do through the weak of the world, the not many noble or mighty of this world, who are judged first (1Co 1:26-29, 1Pe 4:17), and whose garments are spoken of in this way at this stage, “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” (Isa 33:14-15, Mal 3:2, Rev 16:15, Luk 21:18).

Isa 33:14  The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
Isa 33:15  He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

Mal 3:2  But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap<:

Rev 16:15  Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

Luk 21:18  But there shall not an hair of your head perish.

Nebuchadnezzar then 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.” The angel who is sent is Christ (Joh 20:21, Joh 3:17-18) who is our savior, and God’s elect are sent for the same purpose of being saviors who are prepared to be those saviors through a process of suffering with Christ, enduring fiery trials symbolized by this event with “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego” (Heb 1:13, Oba 1:21, 2Ti 2:11-12). The elect are called out of Babylon to yield their lives to Christ long before giving the ultimate sacrifice as was demonstrated here in this story. This tells us that he who is faithful in little is faithful in lots (Luk 16:10). The servants trusted in God, and that trust is forged through the many fiery circumstances the Lord causes (2Co 1:9). The world will change its evil ways as a result of the miraculous new creation they will see when the first resurrection occurs “and have changed the king’s word“, but this change of attitude is not a permanent conversion of the mind.

2Ti 2:11  It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
2Ti 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 

Luk 16:10  He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

Nebuchadnezzar does not typify someone who is converted at this point, but rather someone who has to see a sign, which is for the unbelieving (1Co 14:22, Joh 20:29), after which he says, “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.“

1Co 14:22  Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.

Joh 20:29  Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. [in type-and-shadow faith that is not unto salvation in their case, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego believe the Lord can deliver them through life or death (Rom 14:8), without having to see him before they claim this news to Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 3:16-18)]

Rom 14:8  For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.

Dan 3:29  Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. 
Dan 3:30  Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon. 

Nebuchadnezzar’s enthusiasm is not to be mistaken as conversion and is more akin with an ‘anon with joy’ spirit (Mat 13:20) receiving of those things that “the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego“, not his God, but rather their God, has performed. 

Nebuchadnezzar makes this decree, symbolic of the wrath of God that will abide on all mankind until it does not (Rom 1:18), words typifying what will happen to the first man Adam in all mankind: “Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill.” In the negative shadow, Nebuchadnezzar is still in charge and calling the shots independent of truly understanding the sovereignty of God. 

Christ and His Christ, typified by Daniel (a type of Christ),  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, understand today that God is sovereign. However, Nebuchadnezzar at best, can only make a decree: “That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.” Again he points to the outward miracle but does not have a change of heart in regards to his own personal relationship with God. He believes in God, in other words, like the Christians today and the Jews in Christ’s day who Christ said believed on him, but needed to continue in the truth to become disciples indeed, who are crushed under the stone as a result of being blessed to continue in the truth (Joh 8:30-36, Mat 21:44, Joh 6:44).

Mat 21:44  And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Nebuchadnezzar then promotes “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon“, typifying for us when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of the Lord and His Christ (Rev 11:15). This represents what will happen during the thousand-year reign of the saints, and like Israel of old, the Israel of God (Gal 6:16) will ‘spoil the Egyptians’ (Exo 12:36), as Nebuchadnezzar is doing by promoting “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.“

Next week, Lord willing, we will get into chapter 4 of Daniel where one of the main lessons being shown is how pride comes before a fall.

Dan 4:30  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? 
Dan 4:31  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. 

Pro 16:18  Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. 
Pro 16:19  Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.