LEARNING DAILY

Daniel 3:16-18, Shadrack, Meshack, and Abed-Nego answered, and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If 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. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will worship the gold image which you have set up.”

Another thought was briefly mentioned in the weekend’s message at Community Bible Church regarding the statue built as an image of Nebuchadnezzar. He had “an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its width six cubits” (over 90 feet high and 9-10 feet wide). It was set in an area where all the government officials and “peoples of the nations” could see it and bow down and worship when the music began. We know from Daniel’s account that all the people bowed to the statue when the music played – all but Shadrack, Meshack, and Abed-Nego.

There is another day when an image will be built, and all people will be required to bow down and worship it. Read what John writes in The Revelation 13:15, “He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed”. In The Revelation a second beast (known as the False Prophet) forced the people living at this time to bow and worship the image of the Antichrist. “It will set up in the most sacred area of the newly constructed Jewish temple” (David Jeremiah Study Bible).  All of that may have seemed impossible a few years ago; think of the advances in technology today and the impossible now seems a lot more likely. Refusal to obey the command to worship this image will result in the death of those people.

I want to be real this morning. At any given time, this event is only three and one-half years away. Think about that for a moment. Sometime after the first half of the tribulation, what is known as the Great Tribulation will begin and that includes this image being built in order to be worshipped. When does the tribulation begin? In my opinion, it begins when the True Church, the True Followers of Jesus Christ are taken up to meet Him the air/clouds in what is known as the rapture. It is at that time that the Antichrist makes a peace treaty with Israel for three and one-half years. After that time terrible persecution of those Jews (and Gentiles?) who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior worsens and the Antichrist establishes himself as God!

That is nice but what do people do today? Believers stand! They stand by making sure they put on the belt of truth and guard their heart with the breastplate of righteousness! You stay ready so there is no getting ready! Is that day close? I do not know but I am not willing to take a chance that it is far in the future. Believers walk the narrow way and do not just talk about it! Even if the rapture does not happen before the Lord takes you home, you live for Him, giving Him praise, honor, and glory through that process.

We are living in days where the signs Jesus said would occur before He returns are happening more frequently and more severely! Evil and deception are spreading misinformation in every area of life. Do not be misled. Only those who have been saved by Jesus Christ and are in the process of being changed by Him will be taken when the trumpet blows to meet Him. Those who remain will be left to walk in the days of tribulation. This has not been meant to scare anyone. I write to encourage all Believers and possibly encourage those who are not walking on the narrow way to get on it through Jesus Christ, the only way to be placed on it.