Daniel 3:25 // He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”
It is no small wonder that King Nebuchadnezzar was filled with astonishment as he looked upon his fiery furnace. Just prior, this idolatrous and egotistical tyrant had decreed to the entire nation that they must fall down and worship before his golden image and acknowledge the greatness of his kingdom. He had come to personify “the god of this world”, setting up his own kingship in opposition to the true King of kings. And just like the father of lies whom he followed, Nebuchadnezzar stopped at nothing then to get the full worship of his entire nation, so the defiance of these three young Jewish men sent him into a furious rage.
And what a brave faith these three must have had! They had been promoted to prominent positions, but now they faced losing it all for the sake of being faithful to their God. Nebuchadnezzar couldn't hardly fathom that someone would believe in a kingdom with higher authority and majesty than his own, so when these three refused to bow, he ordered that his fiery weapon of fear be turned up seven times hotter than normal.
All of this was designed by Nebuchadnezzar to show the world the greatness of his might, but such was the setup by our great God to show the power he possesses over the nations and kings of the earth. Nebuchadnezzar threw three bound men into the fire, but what his eyes saw were four unbound men who were walking unhurt in the midst of the fire. And though he thought highly of himself, he couldn't help but notice that the fourth man in the fire had an appearance like a son of the gods, for this was no ordinary man.
Dear Christian, let the lesson of these three not be lost on us today. It is better to be in the fire with Christ, than far from worldly flames without him. It is better to have the leader of a nation against you, than to stray from faithfulness to the King of kings. It is better to die in this life while holding our confession, than to deny Christ who alone can save for all eternity. For though He may or may not choose to deliver us temporarily from the kings of this earth, the fourth man in the fire alone is able to deliver us unto salvation.