Take your Bible and turn to the Book of Daniel, Chapter Three. The scene takes place in the area we today refer to as Iraq. The empire was called Babylonia which got its name from its capital city of Babylon. This area, at one time, had in it what the Bible refers to as the “Garden of Eden.” (Genesis 3:23). It is also the area from which Abraham came, for it was from a very great city of this particular empire called Ur of the Chaldees that Abraham left. Babylon was situated in what is the geographical center of the world.

In that great city, a vain yet fabulous and very great king called Nebuchadnezzar built what became known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. He built this for his beautiful queen, called Amytis.

In Verse 23, we learn that three men were bound and placed in the burning fiery furnace. But in Verse 25, the king sees “4 men walking around in the fire and the 4th looks like the Son of God.” The KJV uses the upper case S and G to infer that the fourth is Jesus. However, the NIV uses the lower case s to infer that the fourth is a son of a pagan god (lower case g). The upper case Son should refer only to Jesus, who became a Son of God by being begotten [John 3:16 KJV]. We Christians become sons of God (lower case s) by believing (1 John 3:2). Therefore, according to the Word of God, “Son” in the KJV should be changed to “son” because Jesus was definitely not the fourth. We should note that the KJV and NIV concur in Verse 28 that the fourth was an angel, most probably Michael or Gabriel.

Daniel 3:25 NIV does not say, “It is the Son of God”; it says “the 4th looks like a son of the gods.” “Like” is a simile; not a fact. Sons of God in the Book of Job and in other places are angels. Note: Michael is the top angel that is responsible to fight for the Lord’s believers. Gabriel is the top angel that is responsible to deliver messages from the Lord. (Daniel 9:21-23).

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had gone into captivity, had hung their harps on a willow, and had refused to sing the song of Zion because they said, “How can we sing the songs of Zion in an unbeliever’s land?” These three men had hazarded their lives for the integrity and accuracy of that one true God. When the king had said, “You have got to fall down and bow to my golden image,” they had said: “King, we will not do it. We may die but if we die, we are going to die believing in our one God who stands alone.” Finally, the king said, “No other god can save in this way.”

Let us say with that same greatness again today: “Our God is able and our God is able to deliver us, but IF my believing is not big enough, I still am not going to bow.” Amen

Sidney Terhune P. O. Box 6, Wash. C. H.