Daniel 2:46-3:15 | The Lure of the Idol

The Sovereignty of God and the Opening Prayer

Lord God, we come to you as we, again, open the book of Daniel, excited to learn and to experience the sovereignty of God. Nebuchadnezzar, troubled by a dream, was given a message through Daniel from God.

And Lord, we pray, Lord, now that we would be.

As.

Confident in you in all things, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen.

An LGBTQ group called the Sisters of Perpetual something or other.

Yes.

Have, for years, made an absolute mockery of Christ and his crucifixion, parading about naked and mimicking the crucifixion, and have just just absolute debauchery. Bowing to this movement, the Los Angeles Dodgers invited them to come and represent.

But by the grace of God, there was one Dodger who made a statement saying that his faith in Jesus Christ comes even before his job. He was unwilling to to bow down to that idol, and as a result, I think they ended up canceling that group and then inviting something else back to try to mitigate the position.

But the question is, when the woke mob.

Demands.

That you bow down to the LGBTQ pride flag, and they wave it over you, will you bow or will you stand against? This is the question of our age. This is one example of the kind of idols that our culture sets up.

There are different iterations of the same same idolatry. It may come in the form of the BLM movement, where all of America was called upon to bow to BLM. Now the letters are different, LGBTQ, but it's the same demand to bow to the idol, and those who refuse will be ostracized.

Recently, Target decided to bow to the idol, and they began producing clothes to make a boy look like a girl in a woman's bathing suit, and they put that at the front of the store, and they have been boycotted, just like Bud Light, and thankfully, there are many people in America that refuse to bow to the idol.

The question of our day is, who is willing to stand against, and who is going to bow? Let's turn to Daniel chapter 2.

Okay.

Yeah, nothing new under the sun. They just changed the letters of the isms, yeah. Yeah, but behind all of these these things are the forces of the devil. It's spiritual warfare behind it.

He knows his time is short. Yeah.

Yes.

Really? Yes.

And I heard Chick-fil-A has been getting a lot of pressure from the LBTQ, or what is it, whatever the alphabet. But they're actually standing firm, but they've been threatened a lot.

Good. Well, most recently, this week, I heard that there is an area where they're beginning to capitulate, too. Yeah, and that's what's so remarkable. It's not just out in the world. It comes into the church, and Chick-fil-A representing itself as a Christian company.

I heard that Fox News actually has gender-neutral bathrooms now. Gender-neutral bathrooms at Fox.

What about the hit show, The Chosen, which we all like? Yes. They were captured this last week with a pride flag in the background as they were filming. So, a pride flag flying behind as the filming was taking place.

Now, hopefully that was just one actor who planted it, and, you know, maybe they repent of that and rip it down and whatnot, but you know that the temptation is there, and it's a spiritual battle. John, would you read for us?

How many, you were saying it, but it's very important, how many evangelical churches capitulated to the Black Lives Matter, and now even to this, and say, well, we should accept them. Andy Stanley, Charles Finney's son, who was really good, Charles Stanley, his son is just promoting and saying they have more faith than we do.

Yeah. Because we're going to his church. Yeah.

Well, you know, Rick Warren was disfellowshipped from the Southern Baptist Convention because he ordained three women in 2021. But as you really dig how deep that rabbit trail goes, Rick Warren has pointed out that there's at least 300 churches that have female pastors in the SBC.

So, if they're going to disfellowship one, they really need to disfellowship all. The question, you know, it's a lot deeper than what we notice on the surface. The movement against the Word of God. Wow, that's the age in which we live, but Rick, thank you for what you said.

Nebuchadnezzar Honors Daniel, Yet a New Temptation Emerges

There's nothing new under the sun. Let's read it, John. Would you pick up and we'll go from Daniel chapter 2, verses 46 to 49.

Then King Nebenezer felt upon his face and paid homage to Daniel. He commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. The king answered and said to Daniel, truly your God is God of gods and Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries for you have been able to reveal this mystery.

Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and the chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel made a request of the king and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon.

But Daniel remained in the king's court.

Okay, so you'll recall what's happened here in Daniel chapter 2. The king had this troubling dream and he wouldn't allow the enchanters and the magicians and the Chaldeans to simply listen to the dream and then give some wild-eyed interpretation.

He said you tell me what I dreamt and then tell me what it means and they couldn't do it. But of course the king of kings the lord of lords is the revealer of mysteries and Daniel was able to tell him what he dreamt and to give the interpretation of all these coming kingdoms.

So when we get to this passage and it's Nebuchadnezzar's reaction, of course his mind is blown. He is just in awe that there is a God that could reveal mysteries and it looks like all is well in verses 46 to 49.

In fact, look at verse 47. Truly your God is God of gods and Lord of kings. Rich, what do you say? Does that settle it? Is he a born again? Israelite? Sure looks like it, right? Until you get to chapter 3 verse 1.

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold and he makes an idol to himself. So here's what I would like to propose. That even in verses 46 to 49 the victory celebration you have already the introduction of the next temptation.

The great victory is actually the introduction of the next temptation because look at verse 46. King Nebuchadnezzar falls upon his face. Is that a good posture before a human?

Nope.

Shouldn't want to be bowed down to and I'm sure Daniel didn't want that. He gave homage to Daniel and commanded that an offering and incense be offered to Yahweh to him. And see here's the thing. The king is flattering and even worshiping.

I'm glad you moved on that side. We have men on this side and women on that side. Well, I'm glad he knows his place. At this age people don't know anymore. So the incense is offered to him. This is a form of worship and idolatry and the temptation to Daniel even if part of him is repulsed by it something in him might lurch for that.

Might love the attention. Might like the esteem. Wow, there's a king bowing down to me. Now, I don't think that's in Daniel. We don't see any picture of sin in him in the book as well as in the life of Joseph.

We also well, I see it maybe a little bit early on but in his his life I think Christ-like in the portrayal that of his innocence, but you don't see anything wrong here in Daniel that the king is falling down.

But this behind the king is a temptation from the enemy. Notice also his friends, the great gifts, the high honors, the ruler over the whole province of Babylon, the chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.

Esteem lifting up what goes before the fall? Pride. The puffing up of the head is a potential here in verse 49. Daniel made a request of the king and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon.

They're being elevated.

Daniel stayed humble.

He did stay humble. But notice that this could be a temptation to them. The esteem. They're now given gifts and honors and they're above others and surely they're living in a nice house. They have a lot to lose at this point.

The Golden Image and the Appeal of Idols

So when we move into chapter 3, John, if you could read the first three verses.

King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold whose height was 60 cubits, its breadth 6 cubits. He set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then king Nebuchadnezzar sent together the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, and the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the province to come to the dedication of the image that king Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Then the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

So these power players will create idols. And that's as true today as it was back in the day. Have you ever seen a structure that blew your mind, that you were just in awe? I remember being in Kentucky, and we went to see the ark that Ken Ham and Answers in Genesis had built.

And you come down this winding road, and then you see it over the horizon, and it's just like, wow! Look at this thing. It's just awe-inspiring, right? Have you ever seen anything like that?

I think

It's like the Mormon tabernacle.

The Mormon

Yes, either direction.

In DC.

Either direction. It just comes up out of the roadway.

Yes.

And as you come around the corner, all of a sudden, oh wow, it's there.

Yeah.

It's amazing.

What's that? Mormon tabernacle.

Rick, how high would you estimate this ceiling is in this room?

Maybe 30 feet.

30?

Can you imagine a 60-foot statue of gold?

That's a little existence from home plate to first base.

Home to first

That is a big golden statue.

I had the one ratio people would meet,.

And it had a thin waist.

It must have been on a pedestal.

Okay.

Mine said it was 90 feet tall.

Oh, really?

By 90 feet wide.

Okay.

Oh, I'm reading 60 cubits.

Yeah.

60 cubits. That's 90 feet.

That's a major league distance.

Oh, major league.

Yeah. Oh. Yeah.

Mine's still table one. That's big. It's just huge.

That's a lot of gold.

Yeah.

And can you imagine what the craftsmanship would have been like? The work put in this to make it look like him. And it's out in this plane, and people approach the sense of awe. They come before it, and it says at the end of verse three, they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Idols have a certain appeal. There's something about them that makes people want to worship. That Mormon tabernacle is meant to have this grandiose kind of sense of transcendence with little Moroni up there blowing his trumpet from the top of it.

The Mormon Catholic Church knew that with their collection of relics and whatnot.

Yeah, if you go to New York City and that Roman Catholic Cathedral they have downtown, it was just filled with idols. Yeah, it has a mystique about it, and that's how this is. It's set up in the plane.

It's meant to create a sense of awe.

Sense of awe. I found it fascinating that after having had a dream of the image, that he chooses to make an image.

Yeah. Yeah.

Of course, it was most likely of himself.

Yes.

Doesn't want to see people.

But it will look by God for a purpose.

Yes. Obviously. Yes.

God's allowing it for a purpose?

Yes.

Now, when the idols of our culture are set up, they don't put a monstrous face on it. They put the most beautiful representatives they can to do their most attractive dances and all that they can, although it's becoming more and more monstrous.

Baphomet images.

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Baphomet imagery, yeah. But they try to sell it as this virtue, right?

Defending the poor and the oppressed,.

And trying to stir the emotion of here you are. You're on the right side of history. You're a defender of the poor, and you're good and you're virtuous. It's not the sense of, well, you know, come and worship the devil.

They don't, well, now more and more they even do that. That's part of the Super Bowl performance and the performances at the Grammys with dressing and worshiping Satan. It's becoming more open as we approach the end times.

Yeah.

I just finished reading a book about Eva Peron, and even with her millions of dollars worth of jewelry and whatever, she was a champion of the people.

Right.

They worshiped her.

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Interesting. Yeah.

The Command to Bow and the World Under the Sway of the Wicked One

Okay, so let's move on to chapter three, verses four to seven. Candy, would you want to read that? Daniel three, yeah, four to seven.

And the herald proclaimed aloud, you are commanded of peoples, nations, and languages, that when you hear the sound of the horn played, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.

And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning, fiery furnace. Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

So the command is issued, you are to bow down and worship, and as soon as the music is played, therefore, the people heard the sound, they fell down and worshiped. That tells me that the world is under the sway of the enemy, under the sway of the devil.

People are dancing to the music of the enemy. They're under the sway. It goes back to Exodus when Moses was up on the mountain. Rick, could you read for us Exodus 32, verses six and 19? You can read right off the notes.

But if you recall, Moses went up to meet with God on the mountain, and when he came back, he discovered the idolatry of the people.

And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses' anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.

Okay, notice in that story, the people are eating and drinking, and they rose up to play. It's kind of metaphorical for their debauchery. And the dancing, Moses saw the calf and the dancing. They're dancing around, they're playing, they're filled with delight.

I think you have a similar scene here in the book of Daniel. The music that's mentioned. It's in the scene of this rejoicing and this revelry. It's like a dance studio. They're having fun. They're loving it.

The whole world being led into idolatry. But it seems to them like so much fun and such good, and who's the stick in the mud that's gonna stop this?

Yeah.

First John 5 .19 in the King James reads, in the New King James, we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.

So when we look out at the world around us, and we see what's happening with the Dodgers, and with Target, and with Chick-fil-A, and so many other examples, should we be surprised?

Not really.

Sad.

We should be sad. But what we've experienced in a country that has been so influenced by Christianity is actually the aberration, not the rule, in the history of the world. Idolatry and the worship of idols, paganism in the Roman Empire, and around the world has been the rule.

That's the norm.

And so to see it coming into our culture breaks our heart. And it's been there all along. Maybe not in this overt fashion. I think we've kind of hit a tipping point in America where there is a new boldness.

There is maybe a majority now of those who are pagans over against Christians, and so it's bringing out this, they're emboldened to put their worship on display, and their revelry on display. But it was there all along.

It maybe hit a tipping point to where it's now more overt, but yeah.

And then really significant is going after the generation, the new generation right now, because now they have, in schools, after school Satan clubs, and you can wear that. It's becoming widespread. Oh yeah, it's very true.

And so, but they've always gone after the kids in school. And we've lost the flags, a lot of them don't wanna buy flags, the Christmas trees, you can't do that. I was growing up in the 60s, 70s, and we had prayer in school.

That became the way, so they're getting rid of it in schools, the kids.

Yeah, Hitler knew it, controlled the kids, and he controlled the nation, yeah.

Is there any indication that the image is of Nebuchadnezzar?

No, I think as Rich pointed out, it's likely, but it's not, it doesn't say that in the text.

It says the image that he had set up.

Yeah. Yeah.

What, Nebuchadnezzar's for what, worship?

Whether it was made to look like him.

Oh, that's my guess, yeah.

It's a guess.

I've heard that in other commentaries, other commentators have said that.

Commentators have speculated, but we can't know for sure, yeah.

Because he figured he was the head of gold in the dream, he might as well be the old statue.

Yeah, so tying into the dream that he had, which, yeah, he might be representing now. Oh, I'm the head of gold, well, let's make a statue of me.

It's striking me now that, you know, in the past, the story of this chapter was always Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and fiery furnace.

Right.

But it's striking me now that these three verses, four to seven, may be the bigger stories in this chapter.

Wow.

Because, like you said, it's what's happening now and what is going to happen with the Antichrist.

Right.

Yep, we're returning toward the days of Noah. Our expectation of what things are gonna look like is not that we, the church, will make the world Christian so that Christ can come back, that's the post-millennial view, but as pre-millennialists, and not because of our system of theology, but because of the texts that we read, right?

Of 1 Thessalonians 5, and then in 2 Thessalonians 2, we get this expectation. Plus, if anybody's read the book of Revelation, it certainly doesn't look like the whole world is worshiping, but Matthew 24, that Olivet discourse where Jesus discussed what it will be like as the end approaches, the signs of the times, you're gonna have false Christs, and wickedness will increase as in the days of Noah, before the flood.

So that's what we would expect to happen. So lift up your head, your redemption draweth nigh. Let's give her action. Verses eight to 12. Carol, would you mind reading?

Yeah, sure.

But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, long live the king. You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of all the musical instruments.

That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a glazing furnace. But there are some Jews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon.

They have defied your majesty by refusing to serve your gods or to worship the gold statue you have set up.

So why would they go narc on them? Why would they go tattletale? Because they're jealous. Yeah, well, what's their aim, though? What do they want to see come of this?

Get rid of it.

Yes.

They want them dead.

Because they were exalted.

Yes.

Yeah, there was a jealousy before, but now when they see that they do not bow down to the idol, they are filled with rage, hatred. They want to see these men dead. The world will hate those who refuse to dance with them to idols.

And that's the case today. Do you expect that the world will love us?

No.

Sandy, could you read for us 1 Peter 4 .4, and that's in your notes?

With respect to this, they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, debauchery, and they malign you.

So we're told in 1 Peter, do not think it's strange when you face various trials and these fiery testings of your faith. So we should expect the world not to like us and to persecute us, for them to malign us.

How does the world actually view us? Strange.

Right, we're freaks.

Prior to 1 Peter 4 .4, where we were just reading, in the end of chapter three, it draws on the metaphor of baptism, that we are baptized underwater as a symbol of our salvation. If someone from the neighborhood is watching on Sunday, June 11, when we baptize a bunch of people, what does that look like to them?

Strange.

Strange, what are those cult members doing? They're dunking themselves underwater.

Gotta be a cult.

What on earth? That looks so bizarre to them. And they mock. They laugh at that concept. Why would you get put underwater and brought back up in the presence of everybody? That's just strange. They mock it, they laugh at it, but they stop laughing when you refuse to do what they do and when you uphold the righteous law of God.

The reason why they will hate you is not because you get baptized. Let people have their own religion. In paganism, the Roman Empire would have happily allowed the worship of Jesus Christ.

Yeah, if he was considered one of the cults.

If he would just be one among the pantheon. Yeah, you can have yours. Everybody can have their cultic religion. Rome didn't care about that. What they cared about was the exclusive claim to the lordship of Christ, that he is king of kings and lord of lords, that he is over the emperor and he's over all things.

And they, the Christians, refused to pinch the incense and lay it on the altar, to throw it to the altar. They refused to bow to idols. They said, that is idolatry and we can have no part in it. We worship the king of kings.

And now there's a problem. Now Christians begin to be thrown to the lions and lit up like torches in Rome, persecuted for their faith in Christ.

Heroes and martyrs.

Because they condemned the ungodly. Noah was a preacher of righteousness and according to Hebrews, he condemned the world. The world hated Noah. They mocked him for all those years of preaching, as he upheld the moral law of God and called for repentance.

And built an ark.

And built an ark. And I'm sure that's the part they mocked. I mean, that picture's baptism too. Also, according to Peter, that's being brought safely through the water.

Until it started to rain and they were begging to get in.

Yeah, yeah.

But the point here in the text is, the hatred that they have, because these three refuse to bow with them. They want to feel good about their sin. Down deep, they're suppressing the knowledge of God. They know that they're sinning.

But if the whole world does it, they feel like they're safe. But to the extent that there are Christians that say we will not bow to the pride flag. That pride goes before the fall. We will not bow. Just by that very act of refusing to affirm sin, you will be hated.

These men were hated because they would not bow to the idol of the land. The world will hate those. Second Timothy 3 .12. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

It's your moral life, your godly life, the stands that you have to take that will invite persecution. People will be fine with you going to church as long as it's live and let live. But if you refuse to participate, or as Peter puts it, to plunge with them in the same flood of dissipation.

If you refuse to plunge in with them, if you don't jump into the pool with them, if you don't join in the worship of the false idol, they will malign you. The mockery will turn beyond just laughter. At that point, you become their enemy.

You're in their crosshairs. Now, we do live in a blessed country because there still are Dodger players that will stand up to their own organization. And I think that group was kicked out and they went with some other LGBT nun or something like that.

Nun? Nun.

I don't know, I read some weird thing. It's a battle, but our side does have numbers as well. In fact, there's an entire movement on our side that is looking to reestablish a Christian nation. And their hope is to have anti-sodomy laws and anti-blasphemy laws and all these kinds of things.

Christian nationalists who identify that way. I think it's their post-millennial expectation that's leading them into overstatement and things like that. I think we do need to do the best that we can to be salt and light and preserve the culture as long as God will until the restrainer takes us out of the way.

So we don't just give up and say, all right, we're gonna lose. No, we don't have a loser theology. We are gonna fight and we're gonna stand and we're gonna trust God, come what may. But not worry ourselves about what the future holds that way because we don't know.

We know who the winner is.

We know, yeah, we know the end of the story. But I'll tell you what though. When the United States of America, prior to Christopher Columbus, was dominated by paganism and the Aztec Indians down in Mexico City had a giant mountain and daily they would rip out the still beating hearts of victims.

And throw the bodies down and offer that as sacrifice. It sure didn't look like things would ever get better but things did. The United States of America is the evidence of the power of the gospel to change even culture, right?

So how do we know but that we will win for a season of time? There could be a massive revival. There absolutely could be. So we know how we're going to be regarded but that doesn't mean we ever join the dance.

Where do you think there will be?

Thinks there will be a revival, yeah.

Like I know you two go to the gym.

Yeah.

Last year they had pride flags all over the place. Do we say something about that? Like that offends us.

Yes, I think so. Chick-fil-A wore pride pins on their shirt last June for the pride month, the one in Marlton. So I went and spoke to the manager and I said, look, here's the Chick-fil-A handbook about political activism and things and that it's not allowed.

And he says, I don't care about that. You know, we're going to do what we want. We don't care about you bigots and all your hate. You know, he tried to turn it against, like we're the haters. But ultimately Chick-fil-A does not allow that at the national level.

They're the ones.

So speak up.

So speak up and say something.

Yeah, say something. Why does it hurt? They're going to hate you for it. They're going to think, oh, there's that bigot.

We should have pride pins being up there. Proverbs 16, 18, pride goat before destruction.

What about yours about the rainbow?

I think that this would be a great month to have a reclaim the rainbow T-shirt.

And wear it to the Y. Yeah.

Yeah, that's a good idea.

It was ours first.

It was God's symbol.

Yeah.

Yeah, that's right.

Satan always does that. Taste what's good and turn it into something for himself.

Such an important point.

And he did it in the Garden of Eden.

Yep.

And your desire will be your husband.

He will rule over you.

Yeah.

How important that is, that the sinful nature today even wants you to have a switch role. Satan wants you to follow his way.

Reversal of rule.

Yes.

God creates, Satan counterfeits.

Yes.

He always counterfeits whatever God does and tries to turn it upside down. Isaiah 5, 20.

Yes.

Make good evil, evil good. Sweet bitter, bitter sweet. Everything upside down. Okay, and then lastly, in verses 13 to 15, we're gonna see that masking internal fury, worldly powers act as if their demand is only reasonable.

This is only reasonable. But their underlying hatred for God is still obvious. Rich, would you mind reading 13 to 15?

13 to 15, that's Daniel 3, right?

Yeah. Okay.

Then Nebuchadnezzar, in furious rage, commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?

Right, that's 15, 13.

Yes.

Now read 15.

One more, 15 to.

Oh, okay, I only read the fourth one. Now, if you are ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, tri-john harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, fall down and worship the image that I have made well and good.