Once again, we have the privilege of looking into the Word of the living God. And I would ask you to take your Bibles and turn to Daniel chapter three. Actually, we will probably look at a few verses before that, but that will get you in the vicinity. And I might also say that this will be a little bit unusual in that I have a lot of Scripture to give you today. So, you'll have to hang on for the ride, if you will. Before we look at the text closely. May I say that the disintegration and humiliation of America brought upon us by woke leftists and the staggering incompetence of our President and his administration makes me long, all the more, for a righteous king, and an everlasting kingdom. According to Daniel seven, and many other passages, that kingdom is coming. In verse 13, we read "I kept looking in the night visions and behold, with the clouds of heaven, one like a Son of Man was coming. And He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom and that all the peoples nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed." While sinful human beings who are part of Satan's kingdom of darkness will always rebel against the Most High God, until Christ returns, whether they like it or not, God's universal kingdom operates without interruption. That's exciting to know. And all his creation are ultimately subject to his rule. And today, we can rejoice knowing that as Paul says, "our citizenship is in heaven." Our citizenship is in heaven, Philippians 3:20, "from which also we eagerly wait for his Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." And today we experience and enjoy the spiritual aspects of God's invisible kingdom that exist within the hearts of those who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But we also longingly await that future day when we are able to experience and enjoy the physical aspects of God's mediatorial kingdom, which will include a literal 1000 year reign of Christ upon the earth, consistent with Revelation 20, where he will rule as the last Adam, that final reign of Christ, often called the Messianic Kingdom, the millennial kingdom, when he will finally transform everything on this planet into conformity with the perfect will of God and His universal kingdom that exists right now. God has given us clear evidence of this progression in Bible prophecy, especially in Daniel two, as you will recall, and there we studied that prophetic outline of the rise and fall of four great world empires that will finally and permanently be replaced by a fifth Empire, the kingdom of heaven. And we can rejoice knowing that God has promised to bring that kingdom. And if we look in Daniel two beginning in verse 44, we read this, "In the days of those king," and by the way, the context here is the, the 10 toes of the iron kingdom that was described in the previous verses 41 through 42, referring to 10 future kings who will continue to control a territory of a revived Roman Empire under the rule of the Antichrist. That will happen during Daniel's 70th week of judgments as we will understand when we get to Daniel 9:24 through 27. But, "In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed. And that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, the Great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation trustworthy."

Of course, you will recall the symbolism of the stone cut out of the mountain without hands clearly indicates divine origination. Clearly the kingdom of God will not only replace every vestige of all the preceding Gentile kingdoms that have dominated Israel and the world, but also that kingdom will utterly destroy them. Nothing like this has ever happened. There is no evidence in history that fulfills the promise of Revelation 19:15, where Christ is said to "strike down the nations and He will rule them with a rod of iron." Gentile domination in the world today is as strong as it has ever been. But dear friends, that stone cut out from the mountain without hands will one day accomplish exactly what God has promised. When Christ the King returns in power and great glory as the lion of the tribe of Judah. We read about this, when he comes to destroy that last Roman king, the Antichrist, Revelation 19:11. We read, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war." He goes on to say beginning in verse 19, "And I saw the beast of the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. And the beast," referring to the Antichrist, "was seized and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worship his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh."

Beloved, as I watched all that was unfolding in Afghanistan this week. My heart longed to go to the word to hear the end of the story. Because what we're seeing is not the end of the story. Zechariah 14, beginning in verse four, "In that day, His feet," referring to Jesus, "will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. You will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach to Azel; yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!" Indeed, according to Colossians, three, four, "When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also, as believers, we, "will be revealed with Him in glory." Paul said as much in Second Timothy two in verse 12, we shall "also reign with Him." Tribulation believers, along with the redeemed from both the Old Testament and New Testament eras will reign with Christ for 1000 years as they're promised in Revelation 20 and verse four. Beloved, this is the glory that awaits us. This is the glory we long for, its glory that will be our solely because of God's sovereign grace, and his undeterred plan to bring glory to himself.

Now with that introduction, let's go back to Daniel two for a moment, because we want to get a running start into Daniel three. So little segue here, you will remember the context; Daniel reveals both the dream and the interpretation to Nebuchadnezzar, verse 46, "Then Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did homage to Daniel and gave orders to present to him an offering and fragrant incense." This by by the way, it was a way of the Babylonians expressing worship to Daniel's God. Verse 47, "The king answered Daniel and said, 'Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery.' Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon."

Pretty amazing, isn't it? For a guy about 20 years old, pretty amazing. And it all began when he refused to eat the food and the drink of the king and thus embrace his idols. Truly, God is rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Verse 49, "And Daniel made requests of the king and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego over the administration of the province of Babylon while Daniel was at the king's court." So he brings his friends in, they're obviously going to live somewhere else, Daniel gets to live in the palace.

Now, we come to Daniel three. You must understand that what takes place in Daniel three happened about 10 plus years later. In fact, the events of Daniel two occurred at the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar's reign in about 602 BC. And we know that the fourth chapter of Daniel occurred about the end, which would have been about 568 to 562 BC. And according to the Babylonian Chronicles, which were discovered in 1860, in the region of Nineveh, I have seen them they're displayed in the British Museum if you ever get there, but there's so many things you can see half the Bible is in the British Museum. But there you will read in the Babylonian Chronicles that there was a failed coup attempt against Nebuchadnezzar that occurred in December 595 through January 594 BC. Therefore, it is fair to say that the context of Daniel three is likely the king's response to that failed coup event, where he now summons all of his royal subjects to pledge their loyalty to him. And some scholars believe as well that this may have been written sometime after 585 BC, just after Nebuchadnezzar went back and destroyed Jerusalem. And he probably thought that Israel's God at that time had been severely disgraced if not defeated. In fact, we know, and here in chapter three and verse 15, he says, "what God is there who can deliver you out of my hands?" And so he was strutting his stuff by this time, okay? This is the context.

Now let's examine this historical narrative. It's amazing. Verse one, "Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold." Here, you must understand this was probably, as they would typically do, a wooden image overlaid with gold, and perhaps knowing that he was symbolized by the golden head and the dream that had been revealed to him, maybe he decided to expand that a little bit and make the whole image portray him. We're not sure. But the king makes an image of gold, "the height of which was 60 cubits, and it's with six cubits". So it's 90 feet high and nine feet wide, tall, skinny thing. "He set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon." That, by the way, is a valley plain, several miles southeast of Babylon. And to set that thing in the middle of this valley plain would have been a prime piece of real estate for everybody to be able to see this thing for miles and miles around. I might also add an interesting note, at least it's interesting to me. The Babylonians used a sexagesimal, rather than the decimal numbering system, with a sexagesimal system, the 60 is its base, where 60 is the smallest number that is divisible by every number from one to six. I find that interesting. By the way, we continue to use elements of that today, don't we? There's 60 minutes in an hour, right? There's 360 degrees in a circle. We speak of a dozen eggs or a half dozen. So we still have elements of that today. But I find it interesting that the number six, which is prominent in Scripture is designated as the number of man, Revelation 13:18, which is one number short of God's perfect number seven. In fact, in Revelation 13:18, we read, "Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast," referred to the Antichrist, "for the number is that of a man and his number is 666." The context there is during the tribulation, the Antichrist will be able to be identified somehow by this numbering system. And I find it fascinating that ancient Babylon which we know is a symbol of Satan's wicked world system and kingdom, embraces the number of man. Do with that what you wish, I don't want to start a new denomination based on that, but I just find it interesting.

So here Nebuchadnezzar erects this magnificent idol, to evoke an oath of loyalty and worship, exalting his power and his prestige. Verse two, "Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble to the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the rulers of the provinces, were a symbol for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then the herald loudly proclaimed, 'To you, the command is given, O peoples, nations and men of every language, that at the moment, you hear the sound of the horn, flute, the lyre, trigon, the psaltery, the bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you are all to fall down and worship, the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up." By the way, as a footnote, for those of you like me who have Scottish background, this is not a bagpipe, like we think of a bagpipe. So the Scots weren't there. Right? In the original language, this is really a term, it's really poorly translated here. It's really refers to a percussion instrument, a drum, a timpani. So, that's the scene. When you hear the music when you hear the instrument. Everybody's got a bow down. I was thinking about a passage in Psalm 137, three, where we read how the Babylonian soldiers were so cruel to the Israelites. When they captured them, they would make them sing songs of Yahweh that they sang in the temple. And in that passage we read, "For there our captors demanded of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion.'" Now again, remember, ancient Babylon is a symbol of the final empire of the Antichrist and the enormous amalgam of apostate religion that will be led by the False Prophet. Revelation 17, five describes it as "a mystery, 'Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and of the abominations of the earth.'" And in Isaiah chapter 14, in verse 11, God promises even there the destruction of the final Babylon at the end of the Tribulation. And I was thinking about this with respect to the music. Isaiah 14:11, "'Your pomp and the music of your harps have been brought down to Sheol; maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you, and worms are your covering.'" So again, when you hear the music, you've got to bow, worship the image. Verse six, "But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire." This would have been a large brick kiln, there's many of them that they have found; very common. "Therefore," verse seven, "at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. For this reason, at that time, certain Chaldeans came forward and brought charges against the Jews." Surprise, surprise, right? Ah, cancel culture all the way back in those days, right? The Chaldeans were the original woke police attacking those that did not share their worldview. And they were also undoubtedly jealous of these Judeans who had been elevated to such levels of prestige. These guys that had achieved much more than they had, you know that's not fair. Plus, these guys aren't worshipping our Babylonian gods. You know, pride produces jealousy and resentment, right? We all know that. Let's be honest with ourselves. We've all been there. And whenever you see that in the Bible, especially jealousy, almost inevitably, the next word is, "and strife." Jealousy and strife. When at the core, this is at the core of our depraved nature.

By the way, this is at the heart of all this social justice insanity that you see. I mean, the real problem is not social injustice, it's human depravity. But nobody wants to address that. That's what drives division in the United States, James four beginning in verse one, "What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel." So the Chaldeans come forward with their charges, verse nine, "They responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar, the king: 'O king, live forever!'" You know, they're just dripping with worship; salivating, hoping that they can replace these guys, "'You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe, and all kinds of music, is to fall down and worship the golden image. But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. There are certain Jews, whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.'" It doesn't say it, but I'm sure they had some little pictures of them they had drawn. "'These men O king have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship, the golden image which you have set up.'"

So what we have here, folks are essentially three charges against them. First of all, as we see they disregarded the king, which betrayed a lack of loyalty to him, which could basically be construed as treasonous. And secondly, they refuse to serve the Babylonian gods, who had favored the king and given him victory. And if you don't favor the gods, you might lose the next battle. And then finally, they refused to worship the golden image which represented the king himself. So their refusal to bow you must understand, was perceived as a threat to national security, but also an insult to the king. And I'm sure even though the text doesn't say this, I'm sure the king was very aware of the personal jealousies that were driving all of this, but he also knew that he could not tolerate insubordination at such high levels. And of course, the biggest issue for the king was wounded pride, wounded pride; that violent fuel of revenge, and retaliation. Look how it plays out in verse 13, "Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; then these men were brought before the king. Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, 'Is it true Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods, or worship the golden image that I have set up? Now, if you're ready,' in other words, I want to give you another chance here, 'if you are ready, at the moment, you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?'" Oh, such astounding arrogance. Pride comes before a fall right? You can see it coming and how quickly he forgot the one true God of Israel that had given him the dream and the interpretation, all of which revealed the infinite superiority of Yahweh.

Verse 16, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter,'" meaning, we admit our guilt, we have nothing else to say in this matter. And then, folks, these faithful young men give one of the most succinct and profound responses in all of Scripture, expressing their confidence in the goodness and the sovereignty of God. Verse seven, "If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.'" You know, what's fascinating friends is they had no guarantee that God was going to save them, but they had absolute confidence in his power to do so. You see, the issue was not whether or not he would, or he was able to do this, but rather, is this within the purview of his will. And for them, whatever God chose to do is perfect. Good with it. Good to go.

Verse 19, "Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego." I mean, you can just see, can't you in your mind's eye, this apoplectic grimace? This rage begins to distort his face. He's just foaming at the mouth here at this point. "He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated." Which is really kind of crazy, you know, I mean, why not lower it a little bit and torture the guy some right? I mean, I don't know. Anyway, he's lost it here. "He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire. Then these men were tied up in their trousers, their coats, their caps, and their other clothes and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire." Now, it doesn't say this, but it is reasonable to assume that a large crowd had gathered by now to watch the spectacle. There was great expectation to see this horror. Verse 22 "For this reason, because the king's command was urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. But these three men Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up." You know I have to smile these are exactly the kind of odds that God loves, right? I mean, I mean, let's just make it so over the top ridiculously impossible so that I will get all the glory reminded of Jeremiah 32, beginning of verse 17. "Ah, Lord God, behold, you have made the heavens in the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm, nothing is too difficult for you." And later on in verse 27, God says, "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for me?" Verse 24, "Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded, and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, 'Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?' They replied to the king, 'Certainly, O king.' He said, 'Look! I see four men, loosed, and walking about in the midst of the fire, without harm and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!" So he sees these guys walking around in there, they're unharmed, they're untied, and he sees a fourth supernatural being. Is this an angel? Is it is it the pre-incarnate Christ? We don't know, that would be speculation. But certainly, God is up to something, it is supernatural.

"Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of the blazing fire; he responded and said, 'Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego come out, you servants of the Most High God and come here! I mean he's on a rescue mission now, right? He's on a rescue mission. "Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the midst of the fire." My what an astounding spectacle. Can you imagine what everybody's thinking and saying and doing? "The satraps, the prefects, the governors of the kings, high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them." My, so much for the schemes of evil man, right? And what a testimony of the power and the supremacy of God to deliver those who trust in him. My dear old professor, Dr. Whitcomb said this quote, "When our God delivers miraculously, he delivers completely. Not one Israelite perished in the Red Sea, not one Assyrian soldier survived to attack Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah, not one of the 144,000 will perish in the day of Jacob's trouble. In countless cases, when our Lord Jesus Christ healed the sick and raised the dead, there was complete healing." Then he says this, "Spiritually speaking such examples are great, and reassuring to God's people." Indeed, they are.

Well, you would think maybe now these people are going to put their trust in Yahweh. Maybe some of them did, we don't know. But we see verse 28, "Nebuchadnezzar responded and said 'Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the Kings command, and yielded up their body so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God.'" By the way, this implies how the king was originally impressed by their unyielding faith, willing to die for their faith in their God rather than worship of the gods. And by the way, what a magnificent thing it is to behold those who share such unyielding faith. I've always marveled at the testimonies of martyrs. What an amazing thing.

And by the way, what happened here was a literal fulfillment of a promise God gave to Israel over a century earlier in Isaiah 43, beginning in verse two, here's what we read there, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you for I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." O dear child of God, we would all do well to remember who our Lord truly is. What we see here in this true story is a contrast between the one true God and the false gods; the false idols of the Babylonians, idols that continue to manifest themselves today in a variety of other forms. And this is a sober reminder, isn't it, that Satan, the god of this world, is the driving force behind Gentile domination in the world, but it's also a reminder that Satan and his minions and all the peoples who follow him, are doomed for eternal judgment unless they repent, and trust in Christ. They will perish in judgment at the hands of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of the Bible, who has revealed himself in the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The eventual downfall of the nations depicted in Nebuchadnezzar's dream in chapter two, dear friends, really foreshadows the final destruction of all Gentile domination. What we read in Scripture, as the end of the times of the Gentiles. Again, when the Lion of the tribe of Judah returns as King of kings and Lord of lords.

So Nebuchadnezzar now has another opportunity to encounter the God of Israel, preparing him for what is believed to be his ultimate conversion in chapter four. But to close it out in verse 29, we read this, "'Therefore I make a decree that any people nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is no other god who was able to deliver in this way.'" He obviously had no understanding of what it was to be seeker sensitive right? "Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to prosper in the province of Babylon."

Well, there you have that amazing story. But I wish to challenge you with some very practical and I believe timely truths that emerge from this passage and a few others as we wrap this up here this morning. As I said earlier, we are witnessing the disintegration and the humiliation of America. I just shake my head while woke liberals obsess over absurdities, like micro aggressions and toxic masculinity and systemic racism and LGBTQ pride and all of those things our country suffers under; the rule of fools unrestrained in their depravity. It's so heartbreaking to see this. The horrifying pandemonium and chaos of the evacuation in Kabul and the macabre scenes of carnage after the bombing, bloody corpses floating in an open sewage canal. I mean, don't think for one moment that God hasn't orchestrated all of that for the world to see. Here's where your depravity will take you, America. Images that we will never forget, images that are a testimony to the imbecilic, insane policies of progressive Democrats who are more concerned with critical race theory, and LGBTQ indoctrination and open borders, and socialist spending; more concerned with all of those things than upholding the Constitution and protecting the people, but certainly more important than worshipping the one true God. Our heart aches for those families who lost loved ones killed in that bomb. Our hearts ache for the 1000s that are going to be left behind. I can't bear to think about it. Women and girls that will basically become sex slaves, Christians that will be tortured and killed. The greatest military power in the history of the world now at the mercy of medieval sociopaths, misogynist pedophiles, driven by a satanic religion bent on dominating the world. I talked with a military officer yesterday. I was quick to go write down almost word for word what he said. We were talking about this. He was just shaking his head because he's been there. And he said, many of us are seriously concerned that the administration is somehow working with a foreign enemy. Because nobody can make this many stupid decisions that so directly impact the security of our nation. Folks, we have a national security crisis in Afghanistan. And by the way, I'm not suggesting that, you know, our administration is working with an, I don't know, I don't know what's going on. Certainly, human depravity is perfectly capable of doing all of this. All you have to do is read Romans one, when God gives people over to a worthless mind. I mean, that's probably all this is but we have a national security crisis in Afghanistan. We have a national security crisis at our southern border. I saw where 6900 migrants per day are crossing that border. We have a national security crisis, dear friends inside America, because we have a government that is absolutely bent on legalizing things that God calls an abomination. And criminalizing things that God raises up as a standard of righteousness. From redefining marriage and family and gender, to slaughtering babies in the womb. Our freedoms are being taken away. The goal of all of this, of course, is to ultimately destroy the institution of marriage and the family that God has ordained. Make our children wards of the state. We've been told for years by some of these people that it takes a village. No it doesn't. It takes a godly man and a godly woman, a godly father and a godly mother to raise a family. And when the family's gone, everything's gone. Satan knows that. We are witnessing a moral and a social freefall in America. I could go on about all of these blasphemous abominations, I don't want to do that.

The point dear friends is we are being forced to bow to a satanic image, not unlike what Nebuchadnezzar erected. An image of godless humanism. And the severity of the consequences of all of that are growing daily. As a number of you are aware, I've heard from a number of you who, your jobs are being threatened because you don't do what the culture demands you to do. So in closing, I want to prepare you for that day when you are asked to bow to whatever degree that might be. Just for a few moments, I want to close by looking at Second Thessalonians chapter one, a persecuted church. Paul gave thanks for this church, beginning in verse three, because their "faith is greatly enlarged and the love of each one of you toward one another, grows ever greater; therefore we ourselves speak proudly of you, among the churches of God for your perseverance," the original language, perseverance means the ability to hold up under severe testing, "for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure." Then in verse five, he says, "This is a plain indication of God's righteous judgment, so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering." In other words, their persecution, our persecution is always proof positive of God's righteous judgment upon those he loves. And why would he do that? Because the father chastens those that he loves, because he wants to perfect our faith, conform us into the likeness of Christ. And persecution is the refiner's fire that purifies the saints. We all know that suffering for our faith is often the most powerful and effective means that God uses to accomplish his purposes in our life. Verse six, "For after all, it is only just," meaning fitting or proper "for God to repay," literally to give back to recompense, "it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you." Jump down to verse eight, "dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus." This is referring to those who are willfully ignorant of who he really is, and also those who reject Him. Those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These are the ones that reject the promise and the offer of salvation. Like grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Verse nine, then "these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction," the idea of eternal ruin, not by the way, annihilation, but eternal ruin. Revelation 14:11 describes the suffering of hell, as a place where quote, "the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. They have no rest day and night." In Isaiah, chapter 66, verse 24, God spoke through his prophet, and describes the horrifying and eternal state of all who rebelled against him and reject to the Lord Jesus Christ, that place will be one in which "their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched." So when Paul says here to the Thessalonians, "the penalty of eternal destruction," he speaks of eternal hopelessness, eternal misery. In fact, the term comes from ancient jurisprudence and carries the idea of, of paying the consequences for a wrong committed. Jude seven we read the guilty will suffer "the punishment of eternal fire." Jesus said in Matthew 25:41, "Then He also will say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones into the eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.'" And I find it amazing that the gospel offers the promise of eternal comfort and good hope through grace according to chapter two and verse 16. But the rejection of God's invitation in the gospel will result in the punishment in a place of unquenchable fire. According to Jude 13, a fiery furnace a place of "black darkness, that has been reserved forever." Revelation 21, eight, a fiery lake of burning sulfur. And somebody asked me not too long ago, "Do you preach hell at your church?" My response was, of course, I preach the Bible. And it was amazing how this person who had been in church all their life, said, "Well, you know, I don't believe you know, God would never do that type of thing." How sad.

But also, this penalty of eternal destruction will include, as we read, being cast away from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. Folks, this is the idea of being shut out in the solitary confinement, confinement of an eternal hell to be excluded from the presence of the Lord, from which that judgment proceeded. And I'm sharing this with you because this will be the fate of all who persecute Christians. And we need to love them, and pity them enough to give them the gospel. Because I don't want this to happen to my worst enemy. And when will the separation occur? Well, at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Back to the text at the end of verse seven, "when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire." Drop down to verse 10, "when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day and to be marveled at among all who have believed--for our testimony to you was believed." So this will happen when the Lord Jesus will be revealed "apokalupsis" in the original language, "apo" means to take away and "kalupsis," this is a cover. So this is the unveiling or the taking away of, the uncovering, the laying bare of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle John saw this in his inspired vision on the Isle of Patmos in Revelation 19 verse 11, we read, "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war." Oh dear friends, what a stark contrast to Jesus first coming when the King of Kings rode up upon a lonely donkey, a beast of burden when he came to bear the burden of our sin in his body. But now he symbolized as the King of kings that was riding upon a magnificent mount, a steed of splendor, the kind ridden by conquering generals in Rome, in majestic, processionals, and triumph.

Notice more about the rider, "He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True." Dear friends, can there be a more perfect title of the king? Can there be a more fitting description of the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ? I think not. "Faithful" carries the idea of being totally trustworthy and dependable. In other words, all that he has decreed in eternity past will come to fruition. And he is "True," which carries the sense of real genuine, he is the very essence of truth. No deception, no spin. No Orwellian doublespeak like we're used to hearing every day. "'I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Me,'" John 14 six. And then finally John says that he's coming "in righteousness He judges and wages war." You see, this is both the motive and the mission of the return. He's coming to judge and to conquer. Yes, today, we are increasingly asked to bow before the satanic image of godless humanism. Dear friends, expect it. We're going to see more of it. But fear God, not man, trust in God and do not bow because our King is coming. And that's what motivated the church at Thessalonica and countless others of the redeemed down through the years. And then remember as verse six says, and he will "repay with affliction those who afflict you." Verse seven and "to give relief." I love that word by the way, it means rest or refreshment, restoration. Boy I'm ready for some restoration, aren't you? For some refreshment? He is going to come, he's going to give relief to you who were afflicted, and to us as well.

Well, in closing, I want to do something that is quite different. In my studies, as I was looking at the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, I noticed that that they had inserted the apocryphal prayer of Azariah. Azariah was the Hebrew name of Abednego, as well as another ancient document called "The Song of the Three Youths," which was recorded in the Hebrew Bible. Now, mind you, the apocryphal books are not considered inspired. They're not part of the inspired canon, but I wanted to read you just one little section here that recounts what perhaps Abednego said, when he went to the furnace. If he didn't say it, it would be something very close to this. And I trust that this would be the attitude of our heart. This is entitled "The Prayer of Azariah in the Furnace." "They walked around in the midst of the flames singing hymns to God and blessing the Lord. Then Azariah stood still on the fire and prayed aloud, here's what he said, 'Blessed are You, O Lord, God of our ancestors, and worthy of praise, and glorious is your name forever. For you are just in all you have done, all your works are true and your ways right. And all your judgments are true. You have executed true judgments in all you have brought upon us and upon Jerusalem, the Holy City of our ancestors. By a true judgment you have brought all this upon us because of our sins. For we have sinned and broken your law and turning away from you in all matters, we have sinned grievously. We have not obeyed your commandments, we have not kept them or done what you have commanded us, for our own good. So all that you have brought upon us and all that you have done to us, you have done by a true judgment. You have handed us over to our enemies, lawless and hateful rebels, and to an unjust king, the most wicked in all the world. And now we cannot open our mouths. We, your servants who worship you, have become a shame and a reproach for your namesake. Do not give us up forever. And do not annul your covenant do not withdraw your mercy from us. For the sake of Abraham, your beloved and for the sake of your servant Isaac and Israel, your Holy One, to whom you promised to multiply their descendants like the stars of heaven and like the sand on the shore of the sea. For we, oh Lord, have become fewer than any other nation and abroad low this day in all the world because of our sins. In our day, we have no ruler or prophet or leader. No burnt offering or sacrifice or ablation or incense, no place to make an offering before you and defined mercy. Yet, with a contrite heart and a humble spirit, may we be accepted as though it were with burnt offerings of rams and bowls or with 10s of 1000s of fat lambs. Such may our sacrifice be in your sight today, and may we unreservedly follow you for no shame will come to those who trust in you. And now, with all our heart we follow you. We fear you and seek your presence. Do not put us to shame but deal with us in your patience, and then your abundant mercy. Deliver us in accordance with your marvelous works and bring glory to your name O Lord. Let all who do harm to your servants be put to shame. Let them be disgraced and deprived of all power and let their strength be broken. Let them know that you alone are the Lord God, glorious over the whole world."

Let's pray together. Father, may this be our testimony as well, as we reflect upon the glory of your name, as we reflect upon your goodness and your Grace. And as we long for you to come soon and to take back from the usurper that which is yours. How we long for that day when the glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. But until then, may we be found faithful, unyielding, unwilling to bow to the false gods of our culture, may you find us faithful and may you bless us mightily for your sake. And Father, finally, for those that may be here today that know nothing of what it is to be reconciled to a holy God through faith in the only Savior, the Lord Jesus, I pray that today you will overwhelm them with the reality of their guilt so that they might cry out for your undeserved mercy that you will lavish upon them so rich and so free. Save them by your grace. May today be the day that they experience the miracle of regeneration. Father, thank you for our time today. Strengthen us encourage us. May we be salt and light for the glory of Christ. For it's in his name that I pray. Amen.