Facing Persecution: How Jesus Protects and Rewards you for your Faith - A Daily Devotional based on the Book of Daniel

4/5/2018

Facing Persecution: How Jesus Protects and Rewards you for your Faith - A Daily Devotional based on the Book of Daniel

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In this post, I will be sharing from God’s word how we as Christians can have the faith to endure through persecutions, no matter how intimidating it seems.

God promised in His word that all believers who desire to live a holy life devoted to Him will face persecution.

“Indeed, all who delight in pursuing righteousness and are determined to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be hunted and persecuted [because of their faith].”
(2 TIMOTHY 3:12 AMP)

The Book of Daniel tells two stories of believers having faith in God that leads to their deliverance from harm.
One of them is “Daniel in the Lion’s Den”, and the other which we will be focusing on in this post, is the story of “Shedrach, Meshach and Abed-nego rescued from the Burning Furnace”.

Learn about God's divine protection and rewards for those who endure persecution and martyrdom through the story of “Shedrach, Meshach and Abed-nego rescued from the Burning Furnace” in the Book of Daniel.

The Great Tribulation is the greatest time of persecution that Post-Rapture Christians will face

“Nebuchadnezzar the king made a gold [-plated] image, whose height [including the pedestal] was sixty cubits (ninety feet) and its width six cubits (nine feet). He set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and lawyers and all the chief officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and lawyers, and all the chief officials of the provinces gathered together for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up; and they stood before it. Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and speakers of every language, that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon (four-stringed harp), dulcimer, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.”” (DANIEL 3:1-6AMP)

Notice that the height of the golden statue is 60 cubits, and the width and length of it are 6 cubits by 6 cubits?
That’s 666 - The number of the beast who is the antichrist to come during the Great Tribulation - the time of the greatest persecution against Christians.
The clue of 666 will allow Christians who are alive during the antichrist’s lifetime to figure out who he is.

“And he deceives those [unconverted ones] who inhabit the earth [into believing him] because of the signs which he is given [by Satan] to perform in the presence of the [first] beast, telling those who inhabit the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded [fatally] by the sword and has come back to life. And he is given power to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast will even [appear to] speak, and cause those who do not bow down and worship the image of the beast to be put to death. Also he compels all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead [signifying allegiance to the beast], and that no one will be able to buy or sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let the person who has enough insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the [imperfect] number of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.” (REVELATION 13:14-18 AMP)

We who are believers now will not go through the Great Tribulation because it will only begin after Jesus takes us away to be with Him during the Rapture.

“Let no one in any way deceive or entrap you, for that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first [that is, the great rebellion, the abandonment of the faith by professed Christians], and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction [the Antichrist, the one who is destined to be destroyed], who opposes and exalts himself [so proudly and so insolently] above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he [actually enters and] takes his seat in the temple of God, publicly proclaiming that he himself is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now [from being revealed]; it is so that he will be revealed at his own [appointed] time. For the mystery of lawlessness [rebellion against divine authority and the coming reign of lawlessness] is already at work; [but it is restrained] only until he who now restrains it is taken out of the way. Then the lawless one [the Antichrist] will be revealed and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of His mouth and bring him to an end by the appearance of His coming. The coming of the [Antichrist, the lawless] one is through the activity of Satan, [attended] with great power [all kinds of counterfeit miracles] and [deceptive] signs and false wonders [all of them lies], and by unlimited seduction to evil and with all the deception of wickedness for those who are perishing, because they did not welcome the love of the truth [of the gospel] so as to be saved [they were spiritually blind, and rejected the truth that would have saved them].” (2 THESSALONIANS 2:3-10 AMP)

I believe that the devil is already scheming how he can mislead the most number of souls as he can during the coming Great Tribulation.
As the passage above says, he will have the permission to deceive the world with “unlimited seduction to evil” during that time.
The only thing preventing that dreadful event from happening right now is the Holy Spirit Who is indwelling every believer.
The Holy Spirit is the One who is restraining this evil.

Once we are taken away during the Rapture, the Holy Spirit’s presence will no longer be on earth, and the Great Tribulation will begin.

However people who will believe in Jesus after the Rapture have to go through the Great Tribulation and they will definitely face persecution from the antichrist.
The measurements of Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statue tells us that this story in the Book of Daniel is pointing to a similar persecution that post-Rapture believers will face during the Great Tribulation.

“Now if you are ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image which I have made, very good. But if you do not worship, you shall be thrown at once into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can rescue you out of my hands?” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to answer you on this point. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up!”” (DANIEL 3:15-18 AMP)

Just like what will happen during the Great Tribulation, King Nebuchadnezzar (an antichrist figure) commanded that whoever did not worship the image would be put to death - in this case, death by burning in the furnace.
He was forcing everyone to commit the sin of idolatry - worshipping anything other than the one true God.

Take a look at the courageous response of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.
They refused to betray their faith in the true God.
They trusted that God was on their side and that God was more powerful than whatever King Nebuchadnezzar could do to them.
The three men were also prepared to die for their faith in God as well.
I can only say that they are shining examples of believers who have complete faith in God.

King Nebuchadnezzar was furious when he heard their response and he commanded for the three men to be thrown into the burning furnace.
Let’s see what happened next:

“Then Nebuchadnezzar the king [looked and] was astounded, and he jumped up and said to his counselors, “Did we not throw three men who were tied up into the midst of the fire?” They replied to the king, “Certainly, O king.” He answered, “Look! I see four men untied, walking around in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt! And the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!” Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the blazing furnace and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, servants of the Most High God, come out [of there]! Come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego came out of the midst of the fire. The satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king’s counselors gathered around them and saw that in regard to these men the fire had no effect on their bodies--their hair was not singed, their clothes were not scorched or damaged, even the smell of smoke was not on them.” (DANIEL3:24-27 AMP)

Despite the heavy persecution that Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego faced, they were able to persevere in faith and God sent a divine figure whom I believe is the Pre-Incarnate Christ to rescue them from death.
it was a perfect deliverance - they were not injured at all.

The passage above describes the fourth man as “a son of the gods” which would certainly seem that way to King Nebuchadnezzar who had pagan beliefs which embraced the idea of multiple gods (a polytheistic religion).

I believe that God had a divine purpose for this miraculous and dramatic rescue of the three men.
It could be for the sake of testifying to King Nebuchadnezzar and everyone present that the Lord is the true God.
Something good came out of this persecution: the Lord was honored and received glory through it:

“Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and rescued His servants who believed in, trusted in, and relied on Him! They violated the king’s command and surrendered their bodies rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego shall be cut into pieces and their houses be made a heap of rubbish, for there is no other god who is able to save in this way!”” (DANIEL3:28-29 AMP)

Such a decree from the king would possibly stir up the curiosity and faith of the people of Babylon, giving them the opportunity to believe in the true God instead of worshipping false idols.

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I believe that God had a divine purpose for this miraculous and dramatic rescue of the three men. It could be for the sake of testifying to King Nebuchadnezzar and everyone present that the Lord is the true God. Something good came out of this persecution: the Lord was honored and received glory through it.

Those who endure persecution will be greatly rewarded both in this life and in heaven

God doesn’t rescue believers from death through persecution all the time.
Stephen was the first martyr of the church. He was persecuted for his faith in Jesus and stoned to death.
He was a faithful believer, yet God deemed fit that he should die at that time.

Sometimes, by God’s divine purposes, believers become martyrs (believers who die because of persecution) for their faith.
We hear and read of stories like that, especially in countries where there is strong persecution against Christians.
We must pray for these brave Christians to have the faith to endure through the persecutions.
But we can be encouraged and rejoice for them because they will have great eternal rewards in heaven.

““I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” (Revelation 2:13NKJV)

Jesus sees and will not forget the sacrifice that the martyrs make.
Essentially, martyrs are doing what Jesus did at the cross for us: they are obedient to God even to the point of death - and that holds great rewards because it is the ultimate sign of their unwavering faith in God.

On the other hand, for the believers who go through persecution and do not become martyrs in the process, they can be encouraged too: they will also receive great rewards and restoration for their faith.

“Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.” (DANIEL 3:30 AMP)

As a result of standing firm in their beliefs, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego prospered after facing the persecution! That was one of their rewards and restoration.
What the three men experienced reminds me of a passage in Psalm 66:

"For You have tested us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined. You brought us into the net; You laid a heavy burden [of servitude] on us. You made men (charioteers) ride over our heads [in defeat]; We went through fire and through water, Yet You brought us out into a [broad] place of abundance [to be refreshed]." (Psalm 66:10-12 AMP)

Sometimes, very sadly, persecution can even come from a believer’s own family.

“Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.” (Mark 10:28-30 NKJV)

However, we shouldn't despair because Jesus Himself promised that such believers who choose to hold on to their faith even if it means sacrificing familial relationships, will receive “a hundredfold” rewards both in this life and in heaven as well.
God is a good God who rewards us when we place our faith in Him.

Notice that Jesus said “with persecutions” too which means that there will always be persecution as long as you live a life that is devoted to Jesus.
That’s because the devil hates it when Christians do that, and will stop at nothing to try to destroy Christians who live by faith.
The devil has no problem with a believer who lives like a sinner, but when a believer lives like a redeemed child of God, the devil comes roaring angrily like a lion, trying to devour him or her.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.” (II Corinthians 1:3-5 NKJV)

If you’ve lost anything or anyone dear to you because of persecution, God will give you the strength to continue on in life.
He is the “God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation.”

Suggested reading: If God Loves me then Why do I Suffer? (A Devotional based on Paul’s Journey to Rome in Acts 27-28)

The secret of divine protection in the names of the three men

To wrap up this devotional, I’m going to share a secret of divine protection in the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego for Christians who go through persecution.
This revelation came to me when I studied the meaning of the names of these three men:

“Among them from the sons of Judah were: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. The commander of the officials gave them [Babylonian] names: Daniel he named Belteshazzar, Hananiah he named Shadrach, Mishael he named Meshach, and Azariah he named Abed-nego.” (DANIEL 1:6-7 AMP)

You see, Shadrach’s original Hebrew name was Hananiah which means “Yahweh is Gracious”.
Meshach’s original Hebrew name was Mishael which means “Who is Equal to Yahweh?”.
Abed-nego’s original Hebrew name was Azariah which means “Yahweh has Helped”.
Yahweh is one of the names of God which many Christians believe to refer to Jesus.

When you rely on Jesus’ grace and see Him as a good God who loves you even in the midst of persecution, that’s the first step to walking in His divine protection.

Secondly, realize that your problems are small compared to Jesus, and He is simply greater than anything else.
Focus on how powerful He is instead of focusing on how heavy the persecution is.

Lastly, always meditate on the times where Jesus has helped you or delivered you out of a trial.
If He has done so before, He will do it again - believe in His everlasting goodness and love for you.

When you have this right believing, it places you in the best spiritual state to receive God’s divine protection for your life, even in the midst of heavy persecution.

“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]” (JOHN 16:33 AMP)

I don’t know what persecution you are facing, but I know that Jesus has promised that we can enjoy His perfect peace and joy even in the midst of persecution.
We can do so because through the cross, Jesus has already overcome the world and conquered Satan, sin and death!

Closing Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that you strengthen the precious brother or sister in Christ who is reading this post as well as all fellow Christians who are facing persecution because of their faith in Jesus.
Cover them with Your divine protection and fill them with the faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.
Allow them to emerge out of the persecution, victorious, rewarded and restored, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!

I'm currently reading "The Heavenly Man" and it's an inspiring true story of the heavy persecutions that Brother Yun from China experienced while following the Lord's will for his life to build the church in China. It's really a must-read!

Pinterest Pinnable Image. Repin this to encourage others how they can persevere through persecution and to let them know about the great rewards in store for them both in this life and in heaven!

Are you currently facing persecution in your life? Let me know in the comments below and let's pray together about it!

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