Victory Over False Worship

By Tim Hayden

www.SealedRemnant.com

Daniel 2:37-38

Daniel 3:1-7

God’s People at The End

•Rev. 13:13-15•At the end, there will be a symbolic image that all will be forced to worship

•Rev. 3:18•All who refuse it will be threatened with death and will be tried by fire

Daniel 3:5

“That at what time ye hear the sound of . . . all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchad-nezzar the king hath set up.”— Daniel 3:5

God’s People at The End

•Rev. 14:7, 9-10•True and false worship are contrasted in the last days

•Rev. 14:2-3; 18:21-22•Music is part of true worship and essential to false worship

“The things you have described as taking place in Indiana, the Lord has shown me would take place just before the close of probation. . . .

“There will be shouting, with drums, music and dancing. . . .”— Manuscript Releases, vol. 21, p. 128

“This is an invention of Satan to cover up his ingenious methods for making of none effect the pure, sincere, elevating, ennobling, sanctifying truth for this time. . . .

“The powers of satanic agencies blend with the din and noise, to have a carnival, and this is termed the Holy Spirit’s working.”— Manuscript Releases, vol. 21, p. 128

“The same kind of influence came in after the passing of the time in 1844. The same kind of representations were made.

“Men became excited, and were worked by the power thought to be the power of God.”— Manuscript Releases, vol. 21, p. 129

“The Lord desires to have in His service order and discipline, not excitement and confusion. . . .We need to be thoughtful and still, and to contemplate the truths of revelation [the Bible].

“Excitement is not favorable to growth in grace, to true purity and sanctification of the spirit.”— Selected Messages, vol. 2, p. 35

“The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power;

“and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience [unite church and state].”— The Great Controversy, p. 588

Daniel 3:8-12

“In the midst of the worshipping multitude there were three men who were firmly resolved not thus to dishonor the God of heaven. Their God was King of kings and Lord of lords; they would bow to none other.”— Prophets and Kings, p. 506

“The exact date for the fiery furnace experience is not known. It seems likely, however, that it occurred in 594/593 B.C., the year that coincides with the fourth year of King Zedekiah of Judah.

“According to Jeremiah 51:59 Zedekiah made a journey to Babylon in his fourth year. It is quite possible that he made this journey in order to attend the dedication of the golden image.

“If so, he evidently bowed down even though he was a Jew and knew the Ten Commandments.”— Maxwell, God Cares, vol. 1, p. 58

“It will be declared that men are offending God by the violation of the Sunday sabbath; that this sin has brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced;

“and that those who present the claims of the fourth commandment, thus destroying reverence for Sunday, are troublers of the people, preventing their restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity.”

— The Great Controversy, p. 590

“Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of . . . 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 . . .”— Daniel 3:15

“Pointing to the fiery furnace, he reminded them of the punish-ment awaiting them . . . But firmly the Hebrews testified to their allegiance to the God of heaven, and their faith in His power to deliver.

“The act of bowing to the image was understood by all to be an act of worship. Such homage they could render to God alone.”

— Prophets and Kings, p. 507

“Then with his hand stretched upward in defiance, he demand-ed, ‘Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?’ ”

— Prophets and Kings, p. 507

“They will be threatened with fines and imprisonment, and some will be offered positions of influence, and other rewards and advantages, as inducements to renounce their faith.”

— The Great Controversy, p. 607

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

“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.

“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.”— Daniel 3:16-18

“Their faith strengthened as they declared that God would be glorified by delivering them . . .”

— Prophets and Kings, p. 508

“But their steadfast answer is: ‘Show us from the word of God our error.’ ”

— The Great Controversy, p. 607

“Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego:

“therefore he spake, and com-manded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.”— Daniel 3:19

Daniel 3:20-23

“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.”— Isaiah 43:2

“But the Lord did not forget His own. As His witnesses were cast into the furnace, the Saviour revealed Himself to them in person, and together they walked in the midst of the fire.

“In the presence of the Lord of heat and cold, the flames lost their power to consume.”

— Prophets and Kings, pp. 508-509

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

“And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”— Revelation 13:16-17

“In the last great conflict in the controversy with Satan those who are loyal to God will see every earthly support cut off.

“Because they refuse to break His law in obedience to earthly powers they will be forbidden to buy or sell.”— The Desire of Ages, pp. 121-122

Daniel 3:24-25

“How did that heathen king know what the Son of God was like? The Hebrew captives filling posi-tions of trust in Babylon had in life and character represented before him the truth. . . .

“They had told of Christ, the Redeemer to come; and in the form of the fourth in the midst of the fire the king recognized the Son of God.”— Prophets and Kings, p. 509

“We shall find that we must let loose of all hands except the hand of Jesus Christ. Friends will prove treacherous and will betray us.

“Relatives, deceived by the ene-my, will think they do God service in opposing us and putting forth the utmost efforts to bring us into hard places, hoping we will deny our faith.”— Last Day Events, p. 150

“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.”— Matthew 24:9

“And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.

“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.”— Luke 21:16-17

“And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellers, 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.”— Daniel 3:27

Was Zedekiah in the crowd who examined the three young Hebrews?

“. . . every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, 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.

“Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.”— Daniel 3:29-30