Bow or burn – that was the ultimatum given to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Standing in the shadow of Nebuchadnezzar’s golden colossus, these Hebrew boys showed courage in captivity. The narcissistic king tried to do everything in his power to assimilate them into the Babylonian way of life. He changed their diet, their clothes, their names, but he could not change their god!
What’s fascinating about this passage in Daniel chapter 3 is that it’s not just about the past, but it’s also a prophetic preview of things to come. Babylon 2.0 is rising in our time. The Hebrew children faced a despotic king, and we face a wicked cancel culture that is going to culminate in the Antichrist.
First, notice the dominion – Babylon. The plains where Nebuchadnezzar erected this idol, is the same place in Genesis 11 where Nimrod, Babylon’s first king, tried to build his ill-fated tower to the heavens. Both Babylonian kings tried to create a one-world government unified by religion. Both men were judged by God – God confused the languages of Nimrod’s day and turned Nebuchadnezzar into a beast for 7 years.
Second, there are the dimensions of the idol – 60 cubits high, 6 cubits wide (90 feet high x 9 feet wide). In Revelation 13:18 the number of the Antichrist is 666. In the Bible, the number 6 is always associated man (as man was created on Day 6 in Gen. 1). 7 is God’s number of completion and perfection. Thus, man always falls short of God’s standard of perfection.
Third, there is the despot. Nebuchadnezzar
is a foreshadowing of the Antichrist that is to come. The Man of Sin, Satan’s
CEO, will one day rule his empire from the same city - Babylon - and just as
Nebuchadnezzar demanded worship or death, so too the Antichrist will demand that
everyone accept his mark and worship him or else face persecution and death:
15 And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. 16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. (Rev. 13:15-17)
David Jeremiah wrote, “Nimrod and his tower to the heavens was the first attempt by a world ruler to unify mankind by self-deification. Nebuchadnezzar attempts to do the same thing with his golden idol. Both of these wicked kings were Old Testament forerunners or types of the coming “Beast,” who will reign over the whole Gentile world and demand worship. They say that history repeats itself and according to the Bible that’s exactly what will happen in the future Tribulation. In fact, we can see world leaders reviving the Babylon system over again.”[1]
We are living in an unprecedented time where the powerbrokers of this world are hoisting upon humanity their godless agenda to move the world towards global socialism and evil.
· On May 13, 2021 President Joe Biden tweeted out, “The rule is now simple: get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do. The choice is yours.” How’s that for freedom? Now we have businesses and private industries debating whether to enforce the so-called “vaccine passport,” saying you cannot participate or enter places unless you have a record of a COVID vaccine. Smartphone apps have already been created for digitized versions of passports. So far 10 states in the US have banned vaccine passports. Something tells me there’s more here than just public safety, like a test run for control. [2]
· “The Great Reset” is the plan to move the world closer toward a one-world economic system that sees the end of capitalism and emergence of global socialism. Those backing the movement are elites like Klaus Schwab, head of the World Economic Forum, Bill Gates, Prince Charles and a host of other politicians and corporate barons. TGR goals include: a single global currency, universal basic income, the end of personal property and a move away from fossil fuels (adopting the Green New Deal). Schwab has stated, “The world must act jointly and swiftly to revamp all aspects of our societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions. Every country, from the United States to China, must participate, and every industry, from oil and gas to tech, must be transformed. In short, we need a “Great Reset” of capitalism.”[3]
· Then there is the woke agenda of our cancel culture which uses the guise of “social justice” to force people into a warped worldview. I know a parent who pulled their children from their school because they were teaching white kids in the class to feel sorry for their “white-privilege.” The Equality Act which is on the verge of passing in the Senate, would give transgender men the freedom to enter a women’s bathroom, allow minors to get a state-subsidized sex reassignment surgery without parental consent and force states to recognize bizarre marriages like the “throuple” a marriage of three people.[4] If we don’t agree with this craziness then we are labeled as racists and haters.
Those are the idols being erected in our world today and you can see churches and Christians bowing before it, giving into the pressure. We’ve got entire denominations bowing to the LBGT idol, abandoning the biblical definitions of marriage and sexuality. We’ve got pastors who are so spinless that they won’t preach the true Gospel, but some watered-down social justice or prosperity message. Christians are bowing to the culture out of fear they won’t be liked on Facebook.
If the church will bow today under such light pressure, its not hard to imagine how people will bow their knee to an Antichrist who will threaten to cripple people economically. 1 John 2:18 & 4:3 tell us that “the spirit of Antichrist” is already at work in the world deceiving the masses.
I’ve got news for you – its not going to get any easier going forward to be a God-fearing, Bible-believing, Jesus-follower. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had a choice - bow or burn. They had to decide which was more important: the temporary and fleeting approval an arrogant man or the eternal and everlasting approval of a holy God. It was either the fear of man or faith in God!
That day of decision has arrived! God is
looking for a few bold men and women who will stiffen their spine, stand up and
say, “I’d rather stand with God and be judged by the world than stand with the
world and be judged by God.” As our world looks more like Babylon, as the days
grow darker, and wickedness abounds those who stand for Christ will stick out
more than ever! I’m praying that God
will give myself and you the courage to stand and not be ashamed of Christ.
-DM
[1] David Jeremiah, Agents of Babylon (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale,
2015), 96.
[2] Maryn Mckenna, “As the US Unmasks, the Pressure Is on for Vaccine Passports,” Wired, 25 May 2021 <https://www.wired.com/story/as-the-us-unmasks-the-pressure-is-on-for-vaccine-passports/>
[3]
<https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/06/now-is-the-time-for-a-great-reset>
[4] Erwin Lutzer, We Will Not Be Silenced (Eugene, OR: Harvest
House, 2020), 165-167.
No comments:
Post a Comment