The Fourth Man!

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Now I am going to give you one more chance. If you bow down and worship the statue when you hear the music, everything will be all right. But if you don't, you will at once be thrown into a flaming furnace. No god can save you from me.”

The three men replied, “Your Majesty, we don't need to defend ourselves.  The God we worship can save us from you and your flaming furnace.

But even if he doesn't, we still won't worship your gods and the gold statue you have set up.”

Nebuchadnezzar's face twisted with anger at the three men. And he ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. Next, he commanded some of his strongest soldiers to tie up the men and throw them into the flaming furnace.

The king wanted it done at that very moment. So the soldiers tied up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and threw them into the flaming furnace with all of their clothes still on, including their turbans. The fire was so hot that flames leaped out and killed the soldiers.

Suddenly the king jumped up and shouted, “Weren't only three men tied up and thrown into the fire?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” his officers answered.

“But I see four men walking around in the fire,” the king replied. “None of them is tied up or harmed, and the fourth one looks like a god.”

Daniel 3:15-25

When you stand up for what you know to be right there will sometimes be a fiery furnace waiting to punish you for not going along with the rest of the world. Persecution of the righteous started when Cain killed Abel and has continued up to this very moment.

Suffering for righteousness sake is a promise in scripture that no one likes to claim!

If you walk through the mud your feet will get dirty. If you claim that you have been walking in the mud and your feet are clean you are obviously telling a lie.   If you live righteously in the sight of the world you will be persecuted. If you have gotten no persecution from the world it is not because you are living right, rather it is quite the opposite. When you refuse to bow down to the golden idols of this world you will be thrown into the fire.

And when you are tossed into the furnace instead of looking for the silver lining, look for the Fourth Man! Remember Christians are Crucified with Christ!