The Plain of Dura. King Nebuchadnezzar. All (Daniel excepted) of the governmental personnel. And, as Herodotus wrote, a golden statue, 90 feet tall. An orchestra. A brick kiln, blazing hot. The difference between the king’s dream and his statue was that, whereas the dream had the statue made of different metals, this statue was ALL gold, which was Nebuchadnezzar telling God He was wrong: HIS empire would never end!
The herald proclaims, “When you hear the music, fall down and worship.” While everyone else bows, three fellows just stand there. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But, other than Daniel, were they the only fellows from Israel that had been taken to Babylon? Don’t think so. What were they doing? Bending over and retying their shoelaces?
Skimming ahead to Revelation 13, there are two “beasts” spoken of in that chapter: the sea beast and the land beast. Beasts, as you probably know, represent world empires. If you were to take all the characteristics mentioned about either one, you would conclude that the sea beast is well represented by the Vatican, while the land beast is well represented by the United States of America. The last half of the chapter (all about the land beast) points out that the U.S. is going to cause the entire world to form an image of the sea beast (Catholicism). Everyone is going to have to bow before the image, and if you don’t, first, you won’t be permitted to buy and sell, and then you’ll pay for it with your life. Now, if this sounds reminiscent of Daniel 3 and that image, good thinking on your part. That’s exactly what it is.
The U.S.A. began as a two-horned lamb that later began to speak like a dragon—the dragon that forces the rest of the world. That, my friend, is a change of character. The USA is going to change—and not for the better. What happens to cause that? Ellen White wrote that this country is going to repudiate every principle on which it was founded. In other words, the Constitution is going to be thrown under the bus.
Question: Daniel’s three friends stood tall before the image, the fiery furnace, and the king. Daniel also stood tall—on his knees in front of the window. He could have closed the window blinds, but that wasn’t Daniel’s style. It, of course, got him reported to the king, who had to commit him to the lions. The next morning, he was taken up out of the lion’s den, completely unharmed. Question: What was it that caused these four to stand so tall when everyone else was retying their shoelaces? And more importantly, when it comes to you and me, what would cause us to stand tall in front of the coming image, when some are going to be bending over, retying their shoelaces?
I think there is one thing that explains their actions: they knew and loved God. They had a relationship with Him. He meant more to them than life, itself. He loved them, and they loved Him. I want to challenge you on this point: get on your knees before the Scriptures, pray, and trust the Holy Spirit to fill your heart and life with love for the Father God who loves you more than you’ll ever love Him. Place your full trust in Him, and as the final crunch nears, focus on the One who gave His Son to die for your sins so you could live forever with Him. And don’t worry about your shoes, okay?