Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
The time of his reign was six hundred years before the birth of Christ
and the size of his empire was a very great indeed
Within the royal court were people of many different languages and customs
people that had been conquered by the king
and then forced to help him rule
on one occasion King Nebuchadnezzar summoned the various rulers of the provinces to gather
in the court
and he watch them assemble from his royal pavilion
this was a special occasions
and no one would dare not to come
The King who stood up
the great moment had arrived
by standing the King was giving the signal
that the court was to come to order 0:01:03.670,0:01:10.620trumpeters stepped forward and sounded a royal fanfare
and the herald whose job it was to read the official announcements
stepped forth with a big scroll in his hands
and the captains and princes and the governors all stood very quietly
waiting to hear what the message from the King would be
and as they listened they heard the herald read - all people
nations
languages
hear ye the King's command
and the herald went on to tell them that the king
had had a gigantic statue made in his own likeness
The statue was ninety feet tall
and made of gold
This was to be their god
At the sound of the musical instruments
everyone was to bow down and worship the golden image
and the next thing that people heard was enough to put fear in the hearts of even the bravest
men 0:02:00.350,0:02:02.270"who so fallest not down
and worship that the image of the King
shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning
fiery furnace "
so when the musical instruments played the people fell down and worshipped the golden
image
just as the King had commanded them to do
Two Caldeans were worshipping close together when suddenly one of them saw something that 0:02:29.929,0:02:33.929made him tug at the other one's robe in an effort to get his attention - "look" the Caldeon said 0:02:33.929,0:02:36.509"it's just as we thought
the three of them, see? They're not bowing down - they're refusing to worship the golden image" and the Caldean
was absolutely right
three young princes
the rulers of the capital city itself
were openly 0:02:50.270,0:02:52.249disobeying the king
these men had been brought his captives from the distant land of Judah
their names have been changed
and because of their abilities they had been given high positions within the kingdom 0:03:03.099,0:03:03.949Hananiah
'beloved of God' was called Shadrach
or "Circuit of the Sun"
Mishael's cherished name was changed from 0:03:12.180,0:03:13.840" one who is like God"
to the heathen name Meshack
meaning "Sun-god"
and Azariah whose name meant "the Lord is my help"
came to be known as Abednego 0:03:23.799,0:03:25.719"the god of commerce "
Nebuchadnezzar had changed the names of Hananiah 0:03:29.230,0:03:30.980Mishael and Azariah
but their hearts remain the same
These men believed in Jehovah
as the One
the almighty God
and to kneel down before an image was something God had told them never to do
The two Caldeans lost no time reporting what they had seen to the king
they were jealous of Shadrach 0:03:51.080,0:03:53.099Meshack and Abednego
and they slyly reminded King Nebuchadnezzar
that these men that had refused to bow down before the image were the very men the king 0:04:01.200,0:04:04.019 ahad placed over the affairs of Babylon
"How dare these men disobey me?" shouted the king - "bring them here" 0:04:07.690,0:04:09.519" bring them here at once"
and Shadrach Meshack and Abednego were hurried to the royal pavilion
and the king asked if it were true that they had refused to bow down
and worship the golden image
and they told the king yes that it was true
King Nebuchadnezzar pride was about the most important thing he had
and for these three young men to openly disobeye him
even in the face of death
was a serious blow to a man of his importance
So the mighty ruler of the vast Babylonian empire
decided he would give the men another chance
If only they would do as they had been told
he would forgive them for their disobedience 0:04:47.549,0:04:49.770Bbut the brave young men replied
"our God is able to deliver us out of your hand o king
but even if he chooses not to
we will never serve your gods
or worship your golden image - the king was furious - he commmanded the furnace be made seven times hotter than
it usually was
and he ordered that Shadrach Meshack and Abednego 0:05:09.599,0:05:14.969 be taken to the furnace and beput to death for their wilful disobedience and it wasn't long until 0:05:14.969,0:05:20.059 the fiery furnace was made seven times hotter than it usually was and the three young men 0:05:20.059,0:05:24.900from Judah were securely tied and one by one they were thrown into the midst of the flames -
Shadrach 0:05:25.569,0:05:26.979 who was Hananiah 0:05:26.979,0:05:32.219 "the beloved of God" Meshack who was Mishael or "one who is like God"
and Abednego - the one whose real name was Azariah
"the lord is my help" and when the soldiers had thrown them in they turned and ran from 0:05:40.809,0:05:45.169 the terrible heat but before they could escape the flames leapt out of the furnace and burned
them to a crisp and then the king saw something that made him jump to his feet
he couldn't believe it was possible 0:05:51.970,0:05:53.710" No - it couldn't be "
Forgetting about his dignity and his pride 0:05:56.620,0:06:00.270king Nebuchadnezzar ran with the rest of the people to get a better look at this strange
thing that had happened "Look!" shouted the king
"Do all of you see what I see? Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire
I see four and they're loose and walking around 0:06:11.210,0:06:14.539and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" 0:06:14.539,0:06:17.020and king Nebuchadnezzar knew in his heart
that Jehovah 0:06:18.479,0:06:20.779was the true and living God 0:06:20.779,0:06:26.269and he called Shadrach Meshack and Abednego to come forth - to come out of the flames and
the people were amazed as the three Hebrew boys walked out of the furnace 0:06:30.729,0:06:36.549unharmed by all they had been through - not a single hair of their heads was singed
they didn't even smell of smoke
Nebuchadnezzar fell to his knees
and he lifted up his head and cried "Blessed be the God of Shadrach
Meshack and Abednego
who hath delivered his servants who trusted in Him" 0:06:50.169,0:06:51.679 and shortly thereafter
a new decree was read to all the nations under Nebuchadnezzar's rule
No-one was to speak against the God of the brave young men from Judah
and Shadrach 0:07:02.699,0:07:07.830Meshack and Abednego were promoted to even higher placed within the kingdom
but their real happiness
was in their freedom
to worship God