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Daniel #6

            ¶ Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him. The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king. (Daniel 2:46-49 KJV)

            It would be surprising if someone correctly guessed a nightmare and its future outcome. However, people these days probably wouldn’t worship someone just for interpreting dreams. Nebuchadnezzar, despite his arrogance, feared God more than any ruler today. More so than any theologian, the Pope, more so than any famous religious figure, or any other man of God. God loves people who Love His word, and he receives the brokenhearted. The Bible is very clear that God receives those who come to Him brokenhearted because of their sins. Nebuchadnezzar quickly understood the word of God, unlike many who hear it proclaimed today. He worshipped Daniel instead of God, which showed his fear of the word of God and his reverence for people. The Bible mentions that many gifts and spices were offered to Daniel, but he simply let Nebuchadnezzar bow down to him. When the angel of the Lord appeared to John in the book of Revelation, John simply bowed down. The man said, “Do not worship me. Only worship the Lord. I believe this to be Daniel. “I am a servant prophet like you.” Because the Lord told Daniel what was going to happen, but then he told him to seal it, and he revealed it to the apostle John.

            Daniel should’ve told Nebuchadnezzar to worship only God, not him when the king fell down and worshipped him. Again, Nebuchadnezzar was the greatest king alive back in those day. Of course, God bestowed such power unto him. Daniel did not hesitate to sit at the king’s gate. The king’s gate means to become the second in command. Then he put Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in charge of the affairs of Babylon as well as himself, and Daniel accepted all sorts of oblations and gifts. In a way, this could be seen as Daniel being tested and failing as even a man of God can sin. No one is perfect. The Bible says: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23 KJV) And we’re going to see what happened to Daniel when he went into the lion’s den and almost died. You’re going to see some terrible suffering. When you read the scripture, you realize that even people who appear to be blameless and righteous in the eyes of man have one or more blemishes. No one is perfect. Even Joseph, who was the second in command in Egypt, his deception by hiding the silver cup in Benjamin’s money bag and used that to leverage Benjamin as hostage. Look at Noah. Noah was a righteous man in his time, but then he is saved from the flood, as he and his family were the only ones left in the world. Feeling like the king, he let himself loose and got drunk and slept naked, ended up cursing Ham. Noah wasn’t a perfect man either, and we know from the Bible that no one can claim righteousness apart from the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. What about David? David was also a perfect man. God says he was perfect except for his sin with Bathsheba, as he ended up committing adultery and murder. What about Moses, he couldn’t control his anger, he killed a man and he struck the rock twice. God told him to speak to the rock, but the people made Moses so angry that he struck it twice. Sure, the water came out of it, but because of that Moses couldn’t enter the land of Canaan. What about Paul? The Holy Spirit told him not to go, but he ignored him four times and went to Jerusalem. Philip’s daughters prophesied that Paul would be imprisoned if he went to Jerusalem, but he ignored it and went. What about Peter? He made an oath to follow the Lord even unto death. But he denied the Lord three times. Stephen was a perfect obedient man. But when he was martyred, he did not pray for the sinners, but for himself. However before our Lord died on the cross, He prayed for sinners to be forgiven of their sins and said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. The bottom line is that no one can deny they are a sinner without the blood of Jesus Christ. That’s why Jesus said to the Jews, Matthew 5:48 (KJV) Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. But we can’t be perfect. The only way we can be perfect is through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ, because He has taken away all our sins, and when we put our full faith in Him, that’s when we’re made perfect. That’s the gospel. Out of 10,000 laws, even if I violate one but obeyed 9999, we have no choice but to fall into hell. Everyone is full of flaws. But who blotted out all flaws and sins? It is Christ who died and rose again for all who believe in Jesus, and we cannot condemn anyone. The Lord has already died and risen for each and every one who believe in Jesus, and we cannot judge anyone. That’s why we should also pray for our enemies. The Lord died on the cross for them as well. Jesus prayed first for His enemies, then for the Roman soldiers who crucified Him, and then He breathed His last breath. In this way, among those who have appeared on earth, there is none righteous, not even one, except Jesus Christ, who appeared as a man. Romans 3:10 (KJV) As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There was not then, there is not now, and there never will be. Daniel was no exception. Only the Lord is to be praised. No one else can be exalted, and no one else can be judged. For the Lord has died for them all.

Daniel 2:47 (KJV) The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth [it is], that your God [is] a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. Nebuchadnezzar had the intellect to immediately know the Word of God. But he did not know that God was his Savior. But he knew at once when he heard Daniel speak. He only knew that God is the God of gods. Many people are like that. They claim to believe in God. But don’t know why they should believe in Jesus. There are also many people who say, “I received God, not Jesus Christ,”  they do not know the gospel. Jesus did say: John 14:1 (KJV)…ye believe in God, believe also in me. In verse 48, they gave gifts and made them rulers. In the past, Balaam received many things from a gentile king and ended up being rebuked by God. We can see in that scenario God recompensed, but if we dig deeper, such minor mistake leads into a greater one, starting with the fact that Daniel did not stop Nebuchadnezzar from bowing down to worship him. We can once again affirm that only God is righteous.

Daniel 3:1-3 (KJV) 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. 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. 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. We just saw in chapter 2. When the king worshiped Daniel, he accepted it and made this mistake. A picture of: Once you fall into sin, you will continue to sin. Here they make a golden image and worship it. And many people claim Daniel must have gone on a business trip. An extraordinary event of bowing down to the golden image was taking place, but where could Daniel, the second in command, go on a business trip? For some reason, I thought Daniel was a perfect person. Daniel can’t possibly be bowing down to the image. But there is no scripture about whether Daniel bowed or not. Those who did not bow down were condemned to die. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into a fiery furnace because they disobeyed the king’s orders. If Daniel hadn’t bowed down, he would have fallen in there along with his companions. Considering that Daniel already made a mistake and sinned in chapter 2 and was later thrown into the lions’ den, we must believe absolutely nothing happens without God’s permission. We’ll go over this later. Had Daniel just bowed his head without realizing it, how would he feel when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell into the furnace? Back in the day, famous Korean pastors bowed their heads at the Japanese Shinto Shrine worship. And even though they had to go through heavy repentance, it’s to show that anyone can commit this sin. During the Korean War, the People’s Army came down from the North and threatened to kill anyone for attending church on Sundays. Out of fear, most went off to work. Only a few went to church. The pastor of the church who Pastor Song once served, always wanted to be martyred. While many wrote down notes on the church buildings not to be bombed on June 25, this pastor didn’t put up such signs. And when the People’s Army told everyone to go to work, he didn’t, instead he just rang the church bell. But the People’s Army did not arrest him. Later, in the early morning hours of September 1988, while studying the Book of Revelation, he was stabbed in the heart by an assailant and died on the spot. He was finally martyred as he wished. He had much respects of Pastor Yangwon Son and Pastor Joo Ki-cheol, and preached about them, and in the end God accepted the pastor as a sacrifice of martyrdom. Anyone can sin like that. And repent again. So we can’t point our finger at anyone. If Daniel had given in there, we can only imagine the heartache he would’ve felt. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23 KJV) We can think of it that way here.

 In verse 1, Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold. It was 60 cubits high and six cubits wide. It was built in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Remember, King Nebuchadnezzar was a type of Antichrist. He was a great dragon. But 60 cubits, six cubits. Note the number 6. There are height, width, and depth of a statue. Usually the width and the depth tend to be the same. Hence, it is 60 cubits high, 6 cubits wide, and 6 cubits deep, becoming 666. It is no coincidence that the image is made of gold. We have already seen the sight of the merchants of the earth weeping and mourning when they saw the smoke of Babylon the Great during the Great Tribulation in Revelation 18. Gold is at the top of the list of commodities that traders deal in. Let’s look at (Revelation 18:11-13 KJV) And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. Killing souls has become a trading commodity. Gold is the first of them. Revelation 17:4 describes the harlot, BABYLON THE GREAT; And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: (Revelation 17:4 KJV) Among the ancient Roman emperors one of many Caesars always held a golden cup in his hand. They made a coin, and on one side is him holding the golden cup. We have already seen many pictures of a certain religious man always holding the golden cup. Gold is the most precious metal out there. It’s the best stuff. Diamonds burn but gold doesn’t. That is why gold is in the power of Satan and also in the temple of God. Even New Jerusalem, the road is golden. It is pure gold. Like very clear glass. Although we will not fall later in the New Jerusalem, but if we do, we will fall on gold. Gold is a very significant metal. Nebuchadnezzar made an image with this, and we see it’s dimensions are 666. And when it was announced to bow down and worship this image they played musical instruments. (Daniel 3:5 KJV) shows the 6 instruments involved in the music; 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: This is not coincidental. There are 6 verses about set up of the image starting with verses 1,2,3,5 and 7. 6 times the setting up of the image is mentioned. Remember 6 is the number of man. The number 666 appears elsewhere in the Bible besides the book of Revelation.

(2 Chronicles 9:13 KJV) ¶ Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold; Tremendous weight of gold, 666 talents of gold was used toward the building of the temple. Then in (Ezra 2:13 KJV) The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty and six. That’s 2 verse 13’s. 13 is the number of rebellion in the Bible. Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. (Genesis 14:4 KJV) First mention of rebellion. The United States of America declared its independence in 1776. But in reality, it is treason against England. It was built in rebellion against the British empire. That’s why there were 13 stars on the American flag at that time. Very odd number. And there are 13 arrows. We can use these as a reference that 13 has to do with rebellion. Moving on to verse 2, we see everyone has gathered for the dedication ceremony of the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Towards the forthcoming Babylon the Great, ‘Let all gather together, let all religions unite. Let’s unite all peoples’ We can see that not only the World Order but all religions are integrated as well. It’s their goal is to worship Babylon the Great. The Bible says that such religious organization that works in the future kingdom of the Antichrist is Babylon the Great. Babylon the Great inherited the ancient Babylon, and it is even greater. In verse 3, the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellers, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, including Shadrach Meshach and Abednego 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. (Daniel 3:3 KJV) If you go to Revelation 13, you will find the Antichrist. Antichrist is one who rebels against God. Chapter 13 deals with the Antichrist. Even there, it is revealed that the number of the beast is 666, which sets up an image and kills all who do not worship the image. The image of Nebuchadnezzar is a model of the image the Antichrist will set up during the Great Tribulation. Of course, the false prophet sets it up for the Antichrist.

 (Revelation 13:14-15 KJV) 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. 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.  Walt Disney Company made wax figures of past presidents in their exact likeness. They also have a show where the figures open their mouths and talk. This is no coincidence. It will be just like this in the future. God said not to make any images or statues. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; (Exodus 20:4-5 KJV)  But people have created a lot of images over time. Churches also participate in inauguration ceremonies by making statues of people who fought for the independence movement. We were told not to make statues, figures. They are not obeying God’s word. (Jeremiah 51:34 KJV) Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out. Nebuchadnezzar is a type of the Antichrist. That’s why he made an image with dimensions of 666 and ordered to kill all who did not worship it. In the future, God will throw those who worship the beast’s image into the lake of fire. No one will survive that. The Lord saved those who did not worship the image Nebuchadnezzar made even if they fell into the fire, but those who worship the image of the beast rather fell into the fire. We are seeing the appearance of the future Antichrist through Nebuchadnezzar. That is why God said this is Babylon the Great.

Let us pray. Father God, we thank You that all Your Words connect, and that through Your Word You have helped us to know all things that are to come; that we know when they will happen and how long we have, and that through these words we watch and pray and prepare for the day of Your coming. For these words are the light, and we are the light dwelling forevermore and we know that the day of the Lord will not come as a thief. Father God, just as Anna and Simon were certain to meet the Lord who was born even when they were old and holding the Messiah in their arms, please help us to always be vigilant, waiting for the day of the Lord’s coming to meet the Lord in glory. Help us, Lord, that all who belong to this church, from children to the elderly, may share in that joy and appear with You in glory. As we remain in the Word, let us remain in the light. May we abide in the light by abiding in the words. Lord, help us so that no one dwells in darkness and the day comes upon them like a thief. Thank you, and we pray in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.