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I believe the story of Nebuchadnezzar and the "fiery furnace" was put into the Bible as a future WARNING to believers throughout the church age. It is a story of comparisons of KINGS who rule over us....and our worship of those kings. Do we worship a God like Nebuchadnezzar? Or do we worship the God of the Bible. We can't do both.

The God of the bible is all-knowing, all-loving, and merciful to all; and we who worship Him must worship Him in the way the Bible says:

John 4:23-24..."But the hour cometh, and now is, when the TRUE WORSHIPERS shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (vs.24) God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

The God that we worship is one or the other:

#1...The God of the Bible:

He is loving, merciful, and just, and punishment is ALWAYS corrective in nature and always with a look toward redemption....and He sent Jesus, His Son, to die for the sin of the world.

#2...The God like Nebuchadnezzar:

He is vengeful, strict, and unjust. Because He is not obeyed in each specific detail, he will throw the disobedient into a "fiery furnace". It doesn't matter if the punishment fits the crime....murdering someone, or stealing a paperclip....same punishment....no exceptions.

WHICH IS THE GOD YOU WORSHIP?

Great article by Dr. Larraine Day:


http://www.goodnewsaboutgod.com/studies/spiritual/the_organized_church/daniel_chapter3.htm


Piece of the link article:


“Humiliation and blessing go hand in hand. Most men would consider Nebuchadnezzar’s exaltation to be the head of gold, the supreme monarch of the world, as the height of blessedness. Not so. His real blessing begins when he humbles himself under the Supreme. His degradation to the sphere of the animals will be found his most valuable experience. God begins to bring him down in the valley of Dura. There the servants of the Supreme God defy him and make him retract his declaration. But alas! He does it in such a highhanded way, by threatening all who speak carelessly of the Supreme God (of which he himself was guilty) that it is evident that his pride is not laid low as yet.

“But let us not minimize the revolution wrought in the king’s mind. From blind defiance he is converted to intelligent blessing. He is not yet ready to accept the God of these Judeans as his God, but he will not allow Him to be slighted in his kingdom.”

Satan’s objective was to destroy the worship of God and cause it to cease in the entire empire of Nebuchadnezzar. Except for a few fugitives, perhaps, the name of Jehovah would have been banished from the earth. But the result was the very reverse. Satan overreached himself. He turned the government in favor of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and their God, rather than against them.

This is a lesson for us. Though it may seem very dark when the government demands our allegiance and prohibits the worship of the God of the Bible, we must remember that God is in charge of everything and everyone, including our enemies.

And we can rejoice for at least two more important reasons:

1) that God can convert ANY heart, even the heart of pride-filled king Nebuchadnezzar, even when he wasn’t looking for salvation, just as Jesus converted Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. Conversion is God’s job. He does it in His own time. It is NOT the decision of “man.” “God is the Savior of ALL mankind.” 1 Timothy 4:10 “Is anything to hard for the Lord?” Genesis 18:14



2) that our God is NOT the “God” worshipped by the “Christian” Church, a “God” like Pagan King Nebuchadnezzar, who will throw those who don’t worship “Him” into the fiery furnace of “Hell”! It is NOT the fear of Hell that will lead a person to Christ. “It is the goodness of God that leads to repentance.” Romans 2:4

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Good food for thought...

Arlene