Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 September 1911 — OLD TESTAMENT TIMES BROOKLYN ABERNACLE BIBLE-STUDIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OLD TESTAMENT TIMES BROOKLYN ABERNACLE BIBLE-STUDIES

THE FIERY FURNACE Daniel iii—Sept 17 "T*e Lord <« «i> Helper, aad j Kill not fear Khat man thall do k»U> »e.”—Eeknv e». & -«k “TEBUCHADNEZZAR bad conquered the world. He instiI tuted a great peace celebra- / tion and brought his representatives from all parts of the then civilized world to Babylon. These were ro be duly Impressed with the greatness and magnificence of the Babylonian power and of the futility of resisting It They were to be given an illustration of the benefactions to result from having one government and having the entire world at peace. When the great day of celebration came, with the governors, princes, cap-

tains and provincial rulers, the judges, treasurers, counselors and lawyers, in their various robes of office and surrounded and interspersed with thjydelegates from various nations, the banners flying and the musical

instruments playing. It must have been an impressive sight It was a great time of jubilation. At the appropriate time the religious unity of the empire was to be demonstrated by a general worship of the golden image of Bel-Merodach. Proclamation was made that soon the bands would begin to play and that then all would be expected to fall down and worship and 'reverence the image. Courage of the Three Hebrews

Everything seemed to go well until it was reported to the king that three governors whom he had set over the provinces had rebelled against his decree and refused to worship the image of Bel-Merodach had defied the king’s power. Who were these three disturbers of Babylon’s peace, spoilers of the grea t peace festival ? They were the three young Hebrews whom the king had so graciously treated at the time of their captivity and who apparently owed so much to him. The courage of these three Hebrews stands out on the pages of history as sublime: The king had reminded them that none of the gods had been able to deliver any people out of his hand; their own city, Jerusalem, had been overthrown. They could hope for no rescue from the death that was before them if they persisted in defying the king of the wb-de earth. Their answer was that their God. Jehovah, they were sure, was quite able to deliver them from the fiery furnace, or from anything He might choose, and would do so lint if wot and if they were- certain, of it..in advancer-neveF-thcless. they would be His faithful servants and worship Hint alone T How sublime their frith nrd their courage!, St! h faith and such .e

we may be sure re plea si r. g t the Lord. We ' must hot expect th . t In every cast- G< d will thus deliver those who trust in Him; rgtLer. as these Hebrews intimated. we are not able to know the wise plans of our God. nor what may be His will respecting

what little remains of our lives. But of His power and love we are confident We can trust Him where we cannot trace Him. “Blessed Are They Who Put Thair Trust In Jehovah” The King was seriously disappointed at the only inharmony that had occurred in connection with-, his great project, which he felt sure was to work such blessings to all the earth, and such honor to himself. In his fury he commanded that the furnace should be made seven times hotter. The three Hebrews were bound in their clothing, and some of the strongest men of the king’s guard were commanded to throw them into the furnace. As the bound men were thrown in, the flames came forth and enveloped those who had thrown them in, and destroyed them The king already had had some evidence of the power of Jehovah God, and he intently watched the furnace. As the i king looked toward the furnace, to his utter astonishment he beheld four persons walking in the midst of the fire, unharmed. He said to his counselors. “We cast three men into the furnace, but, behold. I now see four. free, walking in the fire, and the fourth has an appearance like a son of the gods.” What had he done? What should he now do? He called to the three. “Ye servants of the Most High God. come forth and come hither!” They came, unharmed, with not even the smell of scorching upon their cloth- . ing. Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged i the miracle and praised the God who had thus by His angel of power delivered His servants that trusted in Him. and who had defied the king’s mandates and yielded their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God. Truly, “Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.”

“Bel-Merodach.”

The Fiery Furnace.