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During my last sermon we started reading the book of Daniel, which contains prophecies about our Savior, Jesus Christ. One of the prophecies was about a rock cut out of a mountain (2:45), which symbolized that the rule of the Romans and all other powers would be destroyed, and there would be a new kingdom. That rock which is stronger than anything is the Messiah. The Messiah to be born was Jesus, and the followers of this Messiah would spread throughout the world, going beyond national borders and eras of history. The new kingdom in this prophecy can be understood to be the kingdom of heaven and the Church. When King Nebuchadnezzar heard Daniel’s prophecy, he placed Daniel in a high position and put Daniel’s friends in charge of affairs in Babylon. So Daniel and his companions both gained high positions. This is what we read previously.
However, Chapter 3 records that they were persecuted after that. In particular, accusations were brought against Daniel’s three friends, who served as administrators among other local officials who did not like them. Let us read chapter 3.
3:1 says that King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue. It was about 30 meters high and 3 meters wide. He commanded the people of Babylon to worship the statue; otherwise, they will be thrown into a fiery furnace. This was a problem for the three Jewish young men. If they disobeyed, they would be in great trouble. The faith of these young men who wanted to serve the true God is similar to Daniel’s that we read about last time. In 2:20, Daniel praised God as the one who changes the times and seasons. God is the one who removes kings and establishes them. God is the light that shines in the darkness. That is how Daniel described God. Therefore, as he says in 2:23, “I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors.” Daniel’s friends had the same kind of faith.
Naturally, they did not want to—or rather, were unable to—worship anything other than the true God. So they were condemned. 3:8 says, “At this time some Chaldeans came forward and denounced the Jews.” They denounced Daniel’s friends for not worshipping the king’s statue. It was foolish. For us modern people, the king may seem a foolish dictator, asking people to worship a statue he had made. The accusers seem foolish too, those people who were jealous of the talented young Jews.
Then, Daniel’s 3 friends made a confession of faith in front of the king. Let’s see what they said. Chapter 3 verses 16 and 17: “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.” What an amazing faith they had, I am thinking. And they even said, in verse 18, “But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” They said, “. . . even if God does not deliver us from the fire”. They said that they believed in a God who held their lives in his hand and they would obey his will even if he chose to take their lives away. Of course, the Bible teaches us not to test God, and we shouldn’t do that intentionally; but still, I am deeply touched by the faith they had even in those circumstances. They would simply accept God’s will no matter the outcome. That is the kind of faith they declared. The dictator King Nebuchadnezzar became so furious he ordered the furnace to be fired up. And then he had them bound and thrown into the furnace.
Their situation was critical. They had no escape. However, in the book of Daniel, the Savior’s help is revealed anew. Standing in the furnace with them was the Savior, who protected them. The Messiah, who was yet to be born, took physical form to come and save them. I believe we can understand the passage this way. Now, let’s continue reading.
3:25 says, “The [king] said, ‘Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.’” The king, who was a pagan, described the fourth person as someone who looked like a son of the gods. For Christians, we can understand this to mean that he actually saw the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Then, after ordering the three men to come out of the furnace, King Nebuchadnezzar gave a new command: Do not make light of their God, he said. “. . . for no other god can save this way” (verse 29). Then he promoted the three friends to higher positions in Babylon. And that is story of Daniel chapter 3.
Today we come unexpectedly to the theme of persecution. If we look back on the history of Christianity, we will be moved by the way believers stood against persecution. In the Roman Empire, Christians were persecuted many times by the Roman emperors, who considered themselves divine. Many believers were persecuted and killed. Many Christians hid underground and waited for the storm of persecution to subside. They created a space that was almost like an underground city. You can still see some of those hiding places today. I was able to visit these caves in Cappadocia, Turkey, where they dug holes deep underground and hid during persecution. I saw where they worshipped. When I looked up at the small place of worship, which was dug about 2 meters above the cave floor so that it could not be easily seen, I shed tears thinking about those believers who gathered there to worship God, help each other, pray for each other, and who kept their faith.
In Nagasaki, Japan, there is a museum called the Twenty-Six Martyrs Museum. A monument there honors 20 Japanese saints and 6 missionaries who died for their faith. The museum has a room that teaches about the history of persecution and the Christians who hid on the islands and tried to keep their faith alive. Today, churches stand on those islands and people from around the world visit. But back then, every believer had to make a difficult decision. Some were miraculously saved in the midst of persecution, while others lost their lives, and still others kept their faith by hiding. None of us can judge their choice. We can only pray that such a time will not come again to Japan. And at the same time, let’s remember that there are many people in the world who are still persecuted for their faith. Let’s pray that Jesus will help them and that believers will help each other.
Daniel’s 3 friends received a special help from Christ. But there are others who confessed the same faith and still lost their lives. This is a reality we have to accept. Also, we should remember that persecution strengthened the Church. In particular, in Rome, the center of the Roman Catholic Church, the Church grew because of the martyrdom of Peter and the precious sacrifice of many nameless believers.
When we encounter trials and persecution, let us read again the words of Daniel 2:20-21: “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” In the midst of persecution and trials, we should not panic but keep our heads and pray, and keep our eyes on God. Let us quietly receive wisdom from God. The Bible’s promises do not change. God will give us trials, but He will not give us trials that we cannot bear (see 1 Corinthians 10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.”). Believing in that promise, let us walk firmly in the faith this new year.
Let me end by telling you about the tombstone of Kanzo Uchimura, who lived from the Meiji era to the Showa era. He was known for being chased out of a prep school for the Tokyo Imperial University (now known as University of Tokyo) after he refused to bow deeply to a portrait of Emperor Meiji and to a document of imperial policy on education. This was considered an incident of disrespect and was condemned throughout Japan. During this period, during which he was like an outcast and in poverty, he published many books and articles, including “Comfort for Christians” and “How I Became a Christian.” His tombstone bears the following words: “I for Japan, Japan for the World, The World for Christ, And All for God.”
Finally, I would add that the current prime minister of Japan is a Christian and that many Christians are praying for the president of the United States.
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