Teachinghearts	Church and State The King Legislates Idolatry "Explore the Word. Change the World"	Lesson 3: Time: 12 minutes Print: 3 pages

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Three prophetic views The Mark of the Beast
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Daniel 3 Revelation 13: 11-18

Background
In Chapter 2, we saw how Nebuchadnezzar learned that his kingdom was the head of Gold. His empire would be overthrown by the silver empire of the Medo-Persians, who would in turn be overthrown by another.

Here we see Nebuchadnezzar attempting to install himself as the king of the golden empire by forcing the whole world to worship a golden image. His behavior was probably due to ancient pagan religious beliefs. They believed that time repeated itself in cycles. In these, a golden age was followed by a silver, bronze and then a dark or iron age. In the iron age, God came and destroyed the kingdoms and started a new golden age.
According to the vision of chapter 2, he was told that he was the king of the golden empire, he probably expected the characteristics of that era to appear. In his religion, people lived to be 100,000 in the golden age. There was no vice, only wisdom, piety and virtue. People loved religion. Therefore, he must have thought that it was his duty to promote religion among a people who would welcome religion.

Unfortunately, it is also a story about the terrible consequences of church and state combining to legislate worship. This experience is an example and a warning of what will happen to God's people in the end time.

This chapter is historical instead of prophetic. However, the issues that evolved have a striking resemblance to the issues in the last days. Therefore, they will help those faced with the threat of death by the beast of Revelation 13 during the persecution of the Mark of the Beast.

• Babylon the Great. The last empire is called Babylon the Great.
• Image Worship. The last empire forces people to worship an image to the beast.
• 666. This number is associated with the name of the image.

The Number of the Image (66)
Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. (Daniel 3: 1)

Babylon the Great Daniel 3 is a foretaste of the Mark of the Beast. His number is 666. (Revelation 13: 11-18)

The Dimensions of the Image: The gold statue is 60 cubits by 6 cubits which is visually equivalent to 66. Notice the similarity to the number 666. The number of the beast is six hundred, sixty and six. It is a three dimensional number instead of the two dimensional measurement of this statue.

• Six (6) is related to man and beasts. They were created on the sixth day. (Genesis 1: 26-31)
• Six (6) is the base number of Babylon's number system. (Our numbering system is in cycles of ten or Base ten)

A Global Religious Test
The Government. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
The Sound of Music. Then the herald loudly proclaimed: "To you the command is given, O peoples, nations and men of every language, that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.
Death Penalty. "But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be thrown into the middle of a furnace of blazing fire."
Global Idolatry. Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. (Daniel 3: 2-7)

• Global. People from all nations and languages participated.
• Government. Treasurers, judges and administrators supported this action. In the last days they will also lead the way in gathering all the economic and religious forces into their efforts.
• Forced Worship. Nebuchadnezzar sets up forced worship and promises death by fire for those who disobey.
• Entertainment. Note the central role played by music here. We need to realize the significant influence that music can have over people. In 1704, the great Scottish patriot, Andrew Fletcher stated (this is a paraphrase)

  "You write the laws, and let me write the music, and I will rule your country!".

  Music is a powerful tool, either used "for God", or used "against God".
• Global Idolatry. The people broke the first and second commandments. They acknowledged another god and they bowed before an image. In the last days the people will break the first four commandments. The final apostasy will be much greater.

Conspiracy to Create Law Breakers
For this reason at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and brought charges against the Jews. ... There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up. (Daniel 3: 8,12)
Here we see the enemies of the Jews taking the opportunity to get rid of them. In Daniel 6, this conspiracy escalates. They created a situation which would force the Jews to disobey the law and so that they could be sentenced to death.

• Opportunity. The wise men see their chance to retaliate at the aliens Nebuchadnezzar put in charge over them.
• Conspiracy. In Daniel 6 they create a temporary law which was designed to trap the Jews into a death penalty.

Sentenced to Death (The Wrath of Nebuchadnezzar)
Wrath. Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king. Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the middle of a furnace of blazing fire;
The Challenge. and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?
Faithfulness. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.
Death Penalty. Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. (Daniel 3: 13-19)

• Faithfulness. The people of God must face the persecution. However, God will liberate them if they are faithful. But notice that these three men were determined to remain faithful whether or not God helped them. There were martyrs and there will be martyrs. But in the end of time, we will see rescues as spectacular as this one.
• Death Penalty (Seven Times). Nebuchadnezzar's wrath caused him to increase the punishment by making the furnace seven times hotter. In Revelation 16, the wrath of God causes him to send seven last plagues.

Rescued by God!

The Wrath of the Beast Just like these three faithful Hebrew men, the church will not escape tribulation in the last days. However, God will be with us. And God will respond to the wrath of the beast with His own wrath. He will respond with seven plagues.

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, "Was it not three men we cast bound into the middle of the fire? They replied to the king, "Certainly, O king." He said, "Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the middle of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!" (Daniel 3: 24-25)
The son of God came and tabernacled with them in their persecution. Many times when God appeared in the Old Testament, we see the glory of His presence referred to as a burning fire, a smoking furnace, or a consuming fire. So only the righteous can live in the presence of God's fiery hot glory. This is why they will survive at the lake of fire and the wicked will not.

More Religious Laws
Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, because there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way. (Daniel 3: 29)
Although he acknowledges the true God, we see that he has not learned his lesson. Now, thinking that he has found the true God, he tries to legislate religion again. He did not learn that he cannot bring about true worship with human laws. Because, even though his laws protect the true God from blasphemy, they still acknowledge lesser gods.

Repetition and Enlargement
The events at the end time merges both the events of the persecution of Babylon and the Persian conquest.
Eastern Kings. The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east. (Revelation 16: 12)
In the end Babylon the great falls after the kings of the east dries up the Euphrates river, just like ancient Babylon.
As we are experiencing the fulfillment, we see that the world is politically and psychologically being brought back to these times because we will inherit the punishment of our ancestors when we repeat their mistakes.
Rumors from the North East. But rumors from the east and from the north will disturb him, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy an annhilate many. (Daniel 11: 44)
In the end, the king of the north falls after he chases rumors from the north and east. The king of the north is also Babylon the Great. So we conclude that because the occupation of Iraq appears to be a local fulfillment, the hostilities with Iran are also a local sign that the fulfillemt is near. Babylon the Great will fall under the same circumstances as ancient Babylon.

Babylon The Great										Exodus
Now 1981	United States Defeats and Occupies Iraq					United States conflict with Iran			Babylon the Great Falls	Back to Heaven
	United States becomes Babylon the Great					Forced Sunday Worship		Idolatry (666)
Past 609BC	Ancient Babylon				Babylon Falls 539 BC	Ancient Persia				Back to Israel
		Idolatry		Fiery Furnace		Changed Worship Time		The Lion's Den

The Pattern in the End.
The exodus of Israel back to the Promised Land did not occur until after the fall of Babylon, after the conflict with Persia. If our current events follow this pattern, we will see the Sabbath test occur after the Iranian conflict. Those hostilities began in 1979-81. Our persecution includes both the tests of idolatry and worship time and petitioning a man.
Babylon the Great commits all these crimes because it is a combination of all the powers from Babylon to Rome.

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Study to show yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.   2 Timothy 2: 15 Copyright     Updated : February 12, 2005, 2008 Credits: Author: Laverna Patterson. Editor: Patterson (January 2008)