Enforced religion, unity

(new article tomorrow for certain)

The "last days" will be met with a monolithic, universal church using political coercion to produce converts and adherents. One of the final instruments employed in setting up this state religion will be music, the universal language.

Daniel 3 deals specifically with the attempted institution of an international religion by Nebuchadnezzar, a picture-type of the Antichrist and what he will do in the tribulation.

Nebuchadnezzar says in Daniel 3:15: “Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?”

“Nebby establishes this image’s dedication with a religious service, demanding people worship it," explains Richard Jordan. “There are things in this passage that are highly instructive for today.

Daniel 3:2 says, "Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and th’e captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellers, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up."

“You read that and you get the idea he had everybody; he didn’t leave anybody out! It’s an amalgamation of state and religion together into one and he’s proclaiming, ‘I’ll not just be the head of gold in this image, I’ll be the whole image! I’ll be the whole she-bang!’

“In other words, it’s an enforced religion—‘If you don’t worship, we’re gonna get you; we’re gonna kill you!’

"These people are determined there should be no lack of unity. Everybody is going to worship together and agree together about this thing and there isn’t going to be any division. 

“That’s why the Apostle Paul says that if a man is an idolater—that is, if he bows down to icons and images and all that kind of stuff—even if he’s called a brother, you’re to disassociate yourself from that man. Why? Because that is connected with a system that will ruin you and the people under your influence. It’s Baal worship.

“People say, ‘Well, I believe the right doctrine, but I’m just going to go along and not rock the boat.’ And they’re the types who will just bow down because the pressure’s on them to do just that.

“You know what the pressure of the religious system is? Play the game; don't make waves. Like Chamberlain said, ‘Peace at any price.’ He gave away Europe. You know what it cost? It cost the blood of thousands upon thousands upon hundreds of thousands of innocent boys on the battlefield.

“What you better maintain at any price isn’t peace; it’s truth! But they say, ‘We don’t care what your doctrine is—just bow down.’ Conformity. Unity. ‘Be one with us. Go along.’

*****

"When Daniel 3:8 reports, 'Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews,' the phrase 'accused the Jews' connects with Revelation 12:10 where John talks about Satan being 'the accuser of the brethren.'

“You see, God still had a faithful remnant even in Babylon who wouldn’t bow their knee to idols. If you go back to Exodus 20:1, you’ll see that God warned them not to do this kind of thing, and these people learned the lesson of their history.

Daniel 3:12-14 continues, “There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
[13] Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king.
[14] Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?”

“These Chaldeans come in and they begin to accuse Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego on political grounds for not obeying their religion, saying, ‘They don’t regard you, Nebby. They don’t serve your gods. They don’t go to your church. They don’t follow your orders.’

“You see, that’s what happens when you get church and state stuck together. You ever hear of anybody doing that?  It’s been going on for 2,000 years.

“The Council of Trent, in 1545, passed decrees that were binding in every country where the Roman church held sway and they said, ‘If you believe in justification through faith plus nothing, and you don’t believe in baptismal regeneration at the hands of Roman Catholic priests, or that the Apocrypha is part of the inspired Word of God, then you’re anathema. You’re accursed and the government has a right to murder you if you stand in public and say it.’

“And some of the most barbaric, butcherous, murderous acts that have ever been committed on the face of the earth happened as a result of that. The Counter-reformation,  the Valley of the Piedmont, the Spanish Inquisition—all those things went out under the authority and the sanction of the government to kill heretics and the heretics were simply Bible-believing Protestants.

“Did you know, folks, that the greatest minority in the world is an independent, Bible-believing Protestant? There’s all these groups—Hispanics, Blacks, Orientals—but do you know who the real minority is? The minority that doesn’t have ANY rights?

"It’s a bunch of saved, Bible-believing, Bible-preaching people, and if you don’t believe that, just hang around a little while longer, why don’t you!

“That’s what’s going to happen and that’s what these Chaldeans do, folks! They take them and accuse them on political grounds of not obeying religion. Now, you watch that go on and you’ll see that over and over and over in the world.”

*****

In Daniel 3: 16-18, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answer the king with, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
[17] If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
[18] But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

Jordan says, “Boy, you talk about putting a dude on the spot, man! Nebby says, ‘Look, guys, let’s be reasonable about this thing. You better think this thing over; I’m fixin’ to burn you! All you got to do is go out there and bow down! It ain’t no big thing! It won’t cost you any money! I mean, so what if you won’t believe; you got me between a rock and hard place, so just c’mon and be reasonable, will ya?!’

“But those three guys said, ‘Nebby, we don’t have to take conference; we’re not careful to answer you,’ meaning, ‘We’re not at all worried about this matter.’

“That word ‘careful’ there—that’s that word over in Luke 10:38 when Jesus tells Martha, ‘You’re full of care. You’re anxious, uptight and jittery; full of concern.’

“That’s like that verse over in Philippians 4 where Paul says, ‘Be careful for nothing.’ In Matthew 10:18, when Jesus says, ‘Don’t take any thought for it,’ it’s that same kind of idea.

“In other words, ‘We’re not mulling it over and getting all bent out of shape. We’re just going to give you a straight answer about the situation and we won’t have any problem with what’s going on here.’

“Now, you know something, folks, that’s a real rarity in life. They’re not in a sweat and they’re not going to be diplomatic—they’re just going to give a straight answer when they come up to a problem.

“Like the old song goes, ‘They wouldn’t bow, they wouldn’t bend and they wouldn’t burn.’ They said, ‘The God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the fiery furnace, and if not—if He lets us burn up—hey, we’re not going to bow anyway! We’re just going to trust Him.’ "