I. PRIDEFUL DEFIANCE

Daniel 3:1-7 (NKJV)
¹ Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits. He set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. ²And King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to gather together the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ³So the satraps, the administrators, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. ⁴Then a herald cried aloud: "To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, ⁵that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; ⁶and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace."
⁷So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
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Chapter 2 ends with Nebuchadnezzar recognizing the God that Daniel served as Almighty God. Chapter 3 begins with this act of a prideful, stubborn, defiant king. What happened?

We are not told the time of this event. Some Bible scholars believed it happened almost immediately after the events of chapter 2 and that, rather than humbling him, caused Nebuchadnezzar to be even more prideful and arrogant. Others believe that there was anywhere from 13-17 years between chapters 2 & 3 and, with the passing time, the events of chapter 2 had lost its punch with Nebuchadnezzar. If this later time is correct, it would have coincided with Nebuchadnezzar’s third invasion of Jerusalem and his destruction of the Temple (598 B.C., cuneiform documentation) which would have him feeling his oats and given rise to his pride and arrogance in chapter 3.

Whatever the time frame, the building of this huge image by Nebuchadnezzar reveals the extent of his pride. We are not told but it is likely that this was an image of himself. It is an open definace of God's revelation to him that his would be the first of four worldwide kingdoms. By making the whole image of gold (probably gold overlay) he is saying, "I have become so powerful that my kingdon will last forever. It will never end!"

Modern man has done the same thing that Nebuchadnezzar did - replacing God with themselves. Idolatry always begins by elevating yourself above God’s revelation.

We actually live in a post-Christian era today in America. The philosophy of today is Humanism which has at its core the elevating of self over God. It is making God in our image - not us in His.

Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with pride that he was making himself a god. Notice that the word “worship” is used 11 times in this chapter. He was seeking to unify all the people he had conquered with a world religion.

There are many today who are working toward a world religion, including the Christian denominations which make up the World Council of Churches. This is a movement which could lead to the formation of a world religion that will be the spiritual base for the Anti-Christ under the leadership of the False Prophet during the great tribulation period.

To motivate people to worship him, Nebuchadnezzar had a furnace with a roaring fire nearby. The Babylonian Symphony was to play and at a certain time, no doubt with great fanfare, to give the signal for everyone to bow down and worship the great image or be thrown immediately into the red-hot furnace.

II. PERSISTENT DEVOTION 

Daniel 3:8-18 (NKJV)
⁸ Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and accused the Jews. ⁹They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever! ¹⁰You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image; ¹¹and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. ¹²There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up."
¹³Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. So they brought these men before the king. ¹⁴Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image which I have set up? ¹⁵Now if you are ready at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, and you fall down and worship the image which I have made, good! But if you do not worship, you shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?"
¹⁶Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. ¹⁷If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."
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How tempting, how easy it would have been for them to compromise.
"It's the king's order. We have no choice."
"We'll bow on the outside but not on the inside."
"We're in such places of influence, what good would it serve God's cause if we're dead."
[By the way, where's their important friend Daniel? You'll have to come to Bible study to find out!¹]

Some Babylonian officials who were jealous of the position of these three Hebrew slaves were all to happy to report this disobedience to Nebuchadnezzar. You can hear the glee in their voices in verses 9-12.

True to form, the old hothead became enraged and infuriated by this report and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego be brought before him. He offers them a second chance and reminds them of the penalty for disobedience. And then challenges God by saying, "And who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?"

You can almost see a faint smile on their faces as the king himself confirms what they had felt all along: It was God who was being challenged, not them.
They had complied with the king's wishes as far as they could.
They had obeyed his call to attend this gathering.
But they could not, would not bow their knees to anyone but Yahweh.

"No need for a second chance, O King. This one is not even close!"

^17... our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

The resolve of these three Hebrew men remind me of Paul's admonition in Romans 12:2 

"And do not be conformed to this world ..." (NKJV)

"Don't let the world squeeze you into its mold." (Phillips translation)

Proconsul: "Swear and I will release thee; reproach Christ."

Polycarp: "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never once wronged me. How then shall I blaspheme my King Who hath saved me?"

Proconsul: "I have wild beasts; and I will expose you to them unless you recant."

Polycarp: "Call for them. Bring on the beasts.!"

Proconsul: "I will tame thee with fire since you despise the wild beasts, unless you recant."

Polycarp: "Why do you delay? Do whatever you please."

III. PERSONAL DELIVERANCE

Daniel 3:19-30 (NKJV)
¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. ²⁰And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. ²¹Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. ²²Therefore, because the king's command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. ²³And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
²⁴Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, "Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?"
They answered and said to the king, "True, O king."
²⁵"Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."

²⁶ Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here." Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. ²⁷And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king's counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.
²⁸Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! ²⁹Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this."
³⁰Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.
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Fully clothed, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace. Since they were bound, they fell down when they were thrown in and everybody assumed they were dead.

But for some reason, Nebuchadnezzar continued to look into the furnace. After a moment, to his amazement, he saw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stand up and began walking around in the fire. We aren't told, but I believe that they were raising their hands and praising God.

And then, can't you just see Nebuchadnezzar counting - one, two , three, four! Four!
"Hey, we threw in just three men in the fire, right?"
"I see four men and the fourth looks like the son of a god."

The pagan Nebuchadnezzar could not have had any understanding about the Son of God as we understand it. He did, however, recognize that there were four men, not three, and that the fourth was someone special.

Several times in the Old Testament we see appearances of the pre-incarnate Christ; that is to say, appearances by the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, before He became flesh as Jesus of Nazareth. I believe that this is one of those special  times.¹

God the Father did not stop Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from having to be in the fire. But He did send His Son to be there with them!

Notice that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were not anxious to leave the fire. It was not until Nebuchadnezzar said, “You servants of the Most High God, come forth.”

Then they came forth from the midst of the fire and all the top officials in Babylon were witnesses that the fire had not affected them in any way. Their hair was not singed; their clothes were not scorched, not even the smell of smoke!

The ropes with which they had been tied were gone! The only thing burned was that which was keeping them bound!

Nebuchadnezzar had asked earlier, “Who is the god who will deliver you from my hands?” In verses 28 & 29 he answers his own question:

²⁸Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! ²⁹Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this." (NKJV)

1. It is possible to be true to God when no one else is.
We’re conditioned to conform.
When the cause of Christ is at stake - Don’t conform! There are times we need to stand against the tide.

2. We are living in a world today in which we are going to have trouble.
When you find yourself in the fire, look for Jesus.
He has promised to never leave you nor forsake you. (Heb 13:5; Deut. 31:6,8; Joshua 1:5, NKJV)
Make trusting Him your focus. 
Find freedom in wholehearted commitment to Him.

It is true that God can keep you from the fire, and He often does. But if you are in the fire for His sake, because you refused to bow to the world’s images, you will discover that you are not alone in the flame.

1.  The fiery furnace represents the suffering during the great tribulation.
2.  Nebuchadnezzar represents the Anti-Christ, the last great world ruler.
3.  The image of gold represents the abomination of desolation (Daniel 9; Mattew 24).
4.  The three Hebrews represent the remnant of Israel miraculously preserved during this period.
5.  Daniel was away on kingdom business, a picture of the Rapture of believers before the great    tribulation period.