Exodus 20:1-6
1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 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: 5 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; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 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: 5 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; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Daniel 3:1-6
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. 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. 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. 4 Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, 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: 6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
Exodus 20:1-6
1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 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: 5 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; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
In making this image Nebuchadnezzar violated all of the above. He took the name of the Lord in vain by proclaiming his greatness in interpreting his dream and then turning around and building a false image. Many scholars believe that the statue was an idol of the god Bel. Some feel it was an image of Nebuchadnezzar himself the personification of the Babylonian empire. The fact that God had handed the kingdoms of the earth into his hands may have swollen his ego. The metal chosen for the statue was gold which was also the metal used to describe the kingdom of Babylon in Daniel 2.
Daniel 2:36-39
36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. 37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
This much is known for certain the location of the plain of Dura holds the same name to this very day. It is a neighborhood in southern Baghdad. The remains of a pedestal which would have housed a colossal statue have been located there. Many feel this may have been for the golden image erected by Nebuchadnezzar. It was the intention that the entirety of he kingdom including the Hebrew people worship this image at the appointed time. The people were to bow in reverence of this image. Those who refused to obey were to be burned to death in the furnace. The very same hour those who disobeyed were to be punished.
Daniel 3:7-8
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. 8 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
In the extremes of faith once again Daniel and his Hebrew friends live for God in remembrance of the commands and scriptures. After having been triumphed by God by their faith it's a sure bet that the 4 Hebrews were targeted by the wise men in this case specifically the Chaldeans. We have to remember the Chaldeans were supposedly the most educated of the society. Some times the people having the biggest egos are the most dangerous when being upstaged by others. Especially when these others are supposedly of lesser intellect. Once again here we are finding the extremities of faith being displayed by our 4 Hebrew heroes. Their convictions in the love of God and His words.
Deuteronomy 6:12-14
12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. 14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; 15 (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.
Jesus sums up the faith displayed in this case.
Luke 12:4-5
And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 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.
This is most interesting because we have a capitalized spelling of the phrase Son of God. The Aramaic “bar” is translated as the word son specifically. If I'm not mistaken the only time the word Son is capitalized in scripture is when it refers to Jesus. In the broad sense of the Hebrew word we can even interpret meanings such as a son, youth, worthy, valiant and even can apply the word lamb. Jesus was all these things and also a builder of a kingdom for His Father. The rest you can search out for your self but for yours truly it seems as though we have a picture of Jesus saving the 3 Hebrews from the flames.
Psalm 7:11-14
Daniel 3:9-18
9 They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. 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: 11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. 12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego. Then they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? 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? 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 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. 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.
The phrase that God puts into my mind with these Chaldeans is worship weasels. They are so dedicated to reclaiming the importance they lost to the Hebrews they are chomping at the bit to get to the king and tell him. The accusation is not limited to the golden image itself but to all the false gods and goddesses of the kingdom. It's not exactly known what was going on with Daniel at this point. It's very possible with his new responsibilities assigned by Nebuchadnezzar he was away from the grasps of the Chaldeans at this time conducting affairs in some other location. The king issues what was intended to be a final ultimatum to the Hebrew nobles with regard to their faith. Nebuchadnezzar goes even further to mock the God of the Hebrews in being able to save them from his hands.
The response given back to the king is wonderful. They make known to Nebuchadnezzar they have no doubts in their statement. They proclaim that their God is perfectly able to save them. They also make known to the king they are not afraid to die even if God does not deliver them. There would be absolutely no acknowledgment of these false gods. The extremities of faith once again prevail as the Hebrews rely on the words of God to provide security through their tribulations. The difference between what some modern day denominations teach as fairy tales compared to what real belief in a real word can accomplish. AMEN!
Deuteronomy 6:4-8
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
Psalm 66:1-12
1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: 2 Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. 3 Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. 4 All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah. 5 Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men. 6 He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him. 7 He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah. 8 O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: 9 Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved. 10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. 11 Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. 12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
Daniel 3:19-23
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. 20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. 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. 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 Abed–nego. 23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
The flames were of such great intensity that the men who were leading them into the fire are burned to death. It seems a strange act to do this to the Hebrews in light of the favor God had shown concerning them. However the act of defiance to defile themselves with the worship of false deities or people in this case infuriated Nebuchadnezzar. The 3 fall into the fire fully clothed it should be mentioned. Without hesitation and fear they face their tribulation possibly recounting these words from Isaiah.
Isaiah 46:1-4
1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. 2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. 4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.
Revelation 2:10-11
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. 11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
Daniel 3:24-27
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. 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 <01247> of God. 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, came forth of the midst of the fire. 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.
Take note of the 4th figure in the fire and his description. He is liken to the Son of God. Let's explore this in word study a little further. The first look will be the Aramaic and then the corresponding Hebrew.
01247:
1247 bar bar (Aramaic) corresponding to 1121; a son, grandson, etc.:--X old, son. see HEBREW for 01121
01121:
1121 ben bane from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to, (+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, + kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+) people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, + spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth. see HEBREW for 01129 see HEBREW for 01 see HEBREW for 0251
01129:
1129 banah baw-naw' a primitive root; to build (literally and figuratively):--(begin to) build(-er), obtain children, make, repair, set (up), X surely.
Psalm 7:11-14
11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. 12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. 13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Psalm 9:7-14
7 But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment. 8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. 9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. 10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. 11 Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings. 12 When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble. 13 Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death: 14 That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.
Psalm 62:1-8
1 Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. 2 He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved. 3 How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence. 4 They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah. 5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. 7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. 8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
Again it is worth mentioning that knowing and having faith in the word of God is different from the analysis some teachings provide. There are many fine Bible teachers that would rather describe the grammatical and poetic qualities and correctness of how these words are written as opposed to their truth and strength involving faith. Does this ring any bells for anyone?
Daniel 3:28-30
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, 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. 29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, 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. 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, in the province of Babylon.
Again we see that the king has obtained a little bit of Holy Spirit. It appears that the animosity of the political and religious enemies of the Hebrew nobles backfires upon them. Nebuchadnezzar makes it clear throughout the kingdom the lack of tolerance for the Hebrew God would lead to death. The outcome for the 3 Hebrews could not have been worked out any better. Extreme faith and love for God and His words triumphs over false religion.
Prophetic Mirrors and Food for Thought
Extremes are what we have learned much about in each chapter of Daniel to this point. In each chapter we have observed and learned how extreme faith for God overcomes the easy way out so to speak. The refusal of the king's diet could have led to the deaths of the 4 Hebrews. Extreme faith and prayer to God not only delivered the Hebrews from death but the many others Nebuchadnezzar had threatened. Within a 3 year period the extremes of faith took the 4 from the dungeon to authority. The refusals to acknowledge the false gods and goddesses of the many nations contained within the empire in addition to obeying the false religious customs keep the 4 alive and in the king's good graces. Nebuchadnezzar himself makes proclamation once again to the authority of the Hebrew God and His power of deliverance.
We can also see reflections once again between the 2 worlds of then and now in addition to the circumstances that Daniel and his friends were up against in the empire. Let's explore a few of these reflections and you can determine for yourself how you feel about these.
We have made some general associations between the world of Daniel and the world as we know it. In some ways the Babylonian society resembled that of Israel. The most important difference being religion. Many different temples for various gods and goddesses existed. In these centers of false worship matters of legalities, education, banking and archives took place. These are in some ways basic to all societies then and now. However It does not mean some of these systems were intended. In today's world we pretty much have different locations to achieve all the types of transactions above. For example we have our churches and synagogues for our religious practices. There are schools for our education systems although some schools are considered parochial. The banks where we tend to financial matters and libraries for our archives.
In addition of course we have different varieties of people. In the world of the Hebrew nobles the main problems come in the form of religion. Here in America we are beginning to see the same types of spiritual warfare grow in intensity as we move further and further toward the return of the Lord. This should not be surprising to us though. The very meaning of the word Satan implies accusation.
07854:
7854 satan saw-tawn' from 7853; an opponent; especially (with the article prefixed) Satan, the arch-enemy of good:--adversary, Satan, withstand. see HEBREW for 07853
07853:
7853 satan saw-tan' a primitive root; to attack, (figuratively) accuse:--(be an) adversary, resist.
The name Satan appears exactly 49 times in the OT KJV of the Bible. This is interesting because many times we study the word or number seven (7) there are some associations to testing, trials and judgment.
The word Lucifer appears 1 time in the OT found in Isaiah 14:12
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer <01966>, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
1966:
1966 heylel hay-lale' from 1984 (in the sense of brightness); the morning-star:--lucifer. see HEBREW for 01984
01984:
01984:
1984 halal haw-lal' a primitive root; to be clear (orig. of sound, but usually of color); to shine; hence, to make a show, to boast; and thus to be (clamorously) foolish; to rave; causatively, to celebrate; also to stultify:--(make) boast (self), celebrate, commend, (deal, make), fool(- ish, -ly), glory, give (light), be (make, feign self) mad (against), give in marriage, (sing, be worthy of) praise, rage, renowned, shine.
We do not note the word Devil until the NT times and the name proves for a most interesting word study.
Matthew 4:1
1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil <1228>.
01228:
1228 diabolos dee-ab'-ol-os from 1225; a traducer; specially, Satan (compare 7854):--false accuser, devil, slanderer. see GREEK for 1225 see HEBREW for 07854
01225:
1225 diaballo dee-ab-al'-lo from 1223 and 906; (figuratively) to traduce:--accuse. see GREEK for 1223 see GREEK for 906
These words are used in specific description of Satan. At other times in the NT the following word appears in description of demons or demonic manifestation.
Matthew 9:32
32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil
01139:
1139 daimonizomai dahee-mon-id'-zom-ahee middle voice from 1142; to be exercised by a dæmon:--have a (be vexed with, be possessed with) devil(-s). see GREEK for 1142 .
01142:
1142 daimon dah'-ee-mown from daio (to distribute fortunes); a dæmon or supernatural spirit (of a bad nature):--devil.
If you will permit let's turn back to the word “diaballo”
01225:
01225:
1225 diaballo dee-ab-al'-lo from 1223 and 906; (figuratively) to traduce:--accuse. see GREEK for 1223 see GREEK for 906
The word traduce is a very interesting way of describing the Devil. Let's get out the old Webster's Dictionary and check this out for a minute.
traduce
Matthew 24:8-22
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,(whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
All the same types of things that happen to the 4 Hebrew nobles are described and because of a growth of intensity over time in iniquity Jesus states the love of many would grow cold.
Please notice when Satan managed to start this spiritual warfare. It was approximately 1.5 years from the rebirth of Israel as a nation. We managed to win this battle. Unfortunately though this opened the doorway or some cracks in our wall if you please toward taking our God out of schools completely. America starts it's role reversal of nations just before the rise of Israel.
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The word traduce is a very interesting way of describing the Devil. Let's get out the old Webster's Dictionary and check this out for a minute.
traduce
to lead across, lead along, exhibit as a spectacle, disgrace, transfer, derive;
To transfer; to transmit; to hand down; as, to traduce mental qualities to one's descendants
To translate from one language to another; as, to traduce and compose works
To increase or distribute by propagation
To draw away; to seduce
Matthew 24:8-22
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,(whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
All the same types of things that happen to the 4 Hebrew nobles are described and because of a growth of intensity over time in iniquity Jesus states the love of many would grow cold.
Revelation 12:7-12
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. 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.
John describes how our adversary has journeyed all through biblical history from generation to generation. The old serpent which we met in Genesis 3 and from that point forward began using and deceiving people away from faith. Just as his name implies through Greek word study. You may not care a whole lot about this concept but it makes a mind blowing word study of preciseness and detail of God's word. AMEN!
Accusations are exactly what happened to the Hebrews. The Chaldeans as we mentioned before were probably trying to regain some type of credibility with Nebuchadnezzar. So of course Satan uses jealousy and persecution to attack the people of God. Do we see this in the world we live in today? Of course we do only in today's situation jealousy to a great degree has been replaced by hatred. At this point in history at least it does not involve that taking of human life(in the western world) just yet but according to prophecy it's going to at some point.
Everson v. Board of Education, 330 U.S. 1 (1947) was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court which applied the religion clauses in the country's Bill of Rights to state as well as federal law. Prior to this decision the words, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," imposed limits on the federal government, while many states continued to grant certain religious denominations legislative or effective privileges. This was the first Supreme Court case incorporating the so-called Establishment Clause of the First Amendment as binding upon the states through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The decision in Everson marked a turning point in the interpretation and application of disestablishment law in the modern era.
A New Jersey law authorized payment by local school boards of the costs of transportation to and from schools - including private schools. Of the private schools that benefited from this policy, 96% were parochial Catholic schools. Arch R. Everson, a taxpayer in Ewing Township, filed a lawsuit alleging that this indirect aid to religion through the mechanism of reimbursing parents and students for costs incurred as a result of attending religious schools violated both the New Jersey State Constitution and the First Amendment. After a loss in the New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals, then the state's highest court, Everson appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on purely federal constitutional grounds. Arguments were heard on November 20, 1946. The decision follows:
The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment is incorporated against the states. However, the Supreme Court found that the New Jersey law was not in violation of the Establishment Clause.
</>The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment is incorporated against the states. However, the Supreme Court found that the New Jersey law was not in violation of the Establishment Clause.
Please notice when Satan managed to start this spiritual warfare. It was approximately 1.5 years from the rebirth of Israel as a nation. We managed to win this battle. Unfortunately though this opened the doorway or some cracks in our wall if you please toward taking our God out of schools completely. America starts it's role reversal of nations just before the rise of Israel.
Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 (1962), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case that determined that it is unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and require its recitation in public schools. The case was brought by the families of public school students in New Hyde Park, New York who complained the prayer to "Almighty God" contradicted their religious beliefs. They were supported by groups opposed to the school prayer including rabbinical organizations, Ethical Culture, and Judaic organizations. The prayer in question was:
Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country. Amen.
The plaintiffs argued that opening the school day with such a prayer violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The decision:
Government-directed prayer in public schools violates the
Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, even if the prayer is denominationally neutral and students may remain silent or be excused from the classroom during its recitation. |
Abington Township School District v. Schempp (consolidated with Murray v. Curlett), 374 U.S. 203 (1963), was a United States Supreme Court case argued on February 27–28, 1963 and decided on June 17, 1963. In the case, the Court decided 8–1 in favor of the respondent, Edward Schempp, and declared school-sponsored Bible reading in public schools in the United States to be unconstitutional. More famous than Schempp was the plaintiff in Murray v. Curlett, the son of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, who founded the group American Atheists in 1963. The Murray case was consolidated with Schempp's on appeal to the Supreme Court. We will be exploring more about Ms. O'Hair in the future. The decision:
Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602 (1971), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Pennsylvania's 1968 Nonpublic Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which allowed the state Superintendent of Public Instruction to reimburse nonpublic schools (most of which were Catholic) for the salaries of teachers who taught secular material in these nonpublic schools, secular textbooks and secular instructional materials, violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The decision also upheld a decision of the First Circuit, which had struck down the Rhode Island Salary Supplement Act providing state funds to supplement salaries at nonpublic elementary schools by 15%. As in Pennsylvania, most of these funds were spent on Catholic schools. The decision:
The Court decided 8–1 in favor of the respondent, Edward Schempp, and declared sanctioned organized Bible reading in public schools in the United States to be unconstitutional.
It's interesting that approximately 3-4 months after most schools would have started their year we lost our president John F. Kennedy in an assassination. If you do not think these types of matters are important in faith just read the books of 1ST AND 2ND Kings.
Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602 (1971), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that Pennsylvania's 1968 Nonpublic Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which allowed the state Superintendent of Public Instruction to reimburse nonpublic schools (most of which were Catholic) for the salaries of teachers who taught secular material in these nonpublic schools, secular textbooks and secular instructional materials, violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The decision also upheld a decision of the First Circuit, which had struck down the Rhode Island Salary Supplement Act providing state funds to supplement salaries at nonpublic elementary schools by 15%. As in Pennsylvania, most of these funds were spent on Catholic schools. The decision:
The Court's decision in this case established the "Lemon test", which details the requirements for legislation concerning religion. It consists of three prongs:
The government's action must have a secular legislative purpose;
The government's action must not have the primary effect of either advancing or inhibiting religion;
The government's action must not result in an "excessive government entanglement" with religion.
If any of these 3 prongs are violated, the government's action is deemed unconstitutional under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
We will be exploring many court cases as our studies progress. Maybe our Supreme Court (and every other court) should have to pass a lemon test with scripture. After all is it not the 10 commandments and most of the other 613 Levitical laws that keep our court system in business. Why stop there? Maybe our presidents should pass the same lemon test of scripture instead of traveling around the world announcing we are not a Christian nation.
John 12:44-50
As always Thank You and God Bless
John 12:44-50
44 Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. 45 And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. 46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. 47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. 49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.
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