Two thousand six hundred years ago 00:00:23.95\00:00:27.52 a remarkable scene played out on the plains of Dura 00:00:27.56\00:00:31.39 right near ancient Babylon. 00:00:31.43\00:00:33.40 An enormous golden statue of the most powerful king 00:00:33.43\00:00:37.70 on the planet had been set up. 00:00:37.73\00:00:39.37 And thousands of representatives from across his empire 00:00:39.40\00:00:43.14 were invited to pay homage to it in a splendid ceremony. 00:00:43.17\00:00:47.58 But when the vast assembly on the plain bowed down 00:00:47.61\00:00:51.61 to the ground toward the image, three young men remained 00:00:51.65\00:00:55.28 standing. They were quite conspicuous and really stood out 00:00:55.32\00:00:59.59 from the crowd around them that had bowed down. 00:00:59.62\00:01:02.72 Those young men had made a decision, 00:01:02.76\00:01:05.79 an exceedingly dangerous decision. 00:01:05.83\00:01:08.20 In fact, it placed their lives in imitate danger. 00:01:08.23\00:01:12.30 Their decision angered a king and shook an empire. 00:01:12.33\00:01:16.84 Who were these three young men and why did they risk their 00:01:16.87\00:01:21.84 lives? and why is their decision relevant to us today? 00:01:21.88\00:01:25.48 You'll want to stay tuned to find out because these young men 00:01:25.51\00:01:30.92 had discovered something very special that enabled them to 00:01:30.95\00:01:35.02 stand against the crowd that may just be relevant to us 00:01:35.06\00:01:38.46 today in the tumultuous times that we're living in. 00:01:38.49\00:01:42.93 The three young men who remained standing on the plain of Dura 00:02:03.62\00:02:06.99 2,600 years ago, were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 00:02:07.02\00:02:11.76 They were young Jews who'd been carried captive from Israel 00:02:11.79\00:02:15.60 in 605 B.C. and were being trained to govern the vast 00:02:15.63\00:02:20.34 Babylonian Empire. The three were required to appear before 00:02:20.37\00:02:26.24 this huge 30 meter high gold statue along with 00:02:26.27\00:02:30.45 representatives from every nation and tribe under the great 00:02:30.48\00:02:33.78 King Nebuchadnezzar's control. There were people present 00:02:33.82\00:02:37.85 from right across the Babylonian Empire, they were all there 00:02:37.89\00:02:42.06 to pay allegiance to the great king. Suddenly, trumpets sounded 00:02:42.09\00:02:47.90 and the king's herald made an announcement in a loud voice 00:02:47.93\00:02:51.53 that rang out over the plain. His words are recorded in 00:02:51.57\00:02:55.40 Daniel 3:4-6. It's amazing, listen to this: 00:02:55.44\00:03:00.94 Nebuchadnezzar didn't just want loyal subjects he 00:03:28.70\00:03:32.94 wanted allegiance, the kind that would fall down and worship 00:03:32.97\00:03:38.05 and so the three Hebrews who'd been taught since childhood 00:03:38.08\00:03:42.45 that there was only one being that God Jehovah worthy 00:03:42.48\00:03:46.25 of people's worship had to make a hard, a difficult, a though 00:03:46.29\00:03:50.83 choice, a life threatening choice. 00:03:50.86\00:03:53.80 Would they go along with every- body else? Would they follow 00:03:53.83\00:03:58.10 the crowd? Would they bow down to a counterfeit image? 00:03:58.13\00:04:01.77 violating the commandments of their God? 00:04:01.80\00:04:05.01 Well, that's an important question for us to consider 00:04:05.04\00:04:08.78 in our day. It's important especially because human nature 00:04:08.81\00:04:14.08 hasn't changed since Daniel's time. 00:04:14.12\00:04:17.62 We all want to go along with the crowd, it comes so easily 00:04:17.65\00:04:23.56 and naturally, even if the crowd's wrong, 00:04:23.59\00:04:25.99 we don't want to stand out and be conspicuous, we'd rather 00:04:26.03\00:04:30.17 just follow along and go with the flow. 00:04:30.20\00:04:32.90 However, there comes a time when those who follow God 00:04:32.93\00:04:37.24 have to take a stand for right and be counted. 00:04:37.27\00:04:40.81 We can't always flow with the crowd no matter how tempting 00:04:40.84\00:04:45.48 it may be to do so. Because Daniel's sister book in the 00:04:45.51\00:04:49.18 Bible, Revelation predicts that God's people living during 00:04:49.22\00:04:54.02 earths final crisis will face a similar type of situation. 00:04:54.06\00:04:57.83 We're going to have to decide where our religions really lie. 00:04:57.86\00:05:03.73 How will we survive during that time? 00:05:03.77\00:05:07.04 Well, let's return to those three young men on the plains 00:05:07.07\00:05:10.41 of Dura because they had something that enabled them 00:05:10.44\00:05:14.04 to stand against the crowd. Something very special that will 00:05:14.08\00:05:18.51 really help us when we have to take a stand. 00:05:18.55\00:05:22.38 When the Royal Orchestra struck up its fanfare to 00:05:22.42\00:05:25.69 King Nebuchadnezzar, everyone bowed on cue, 00:05:25.72\00:05:28.96 everyone except Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 00:05:28.99\00:05:32.63 They simply would not bow to this idol. 00:05:32.66\00:05:36.16 Well, the king was outraged, who could possibly interrupt 00:05:36.20\00:05:42.50 his moment of glory? He had the men brought before him 00:05:42.54\00:05:45.87 but when he saw that they were three friends of Daniel, 00:05:45.91\00:05:49.01 men whom they come to respect and like. 00:05:49.04\00:05:51.61 He decided to give them another opportunity. 00:05:51.65\00:05:55.08 Nebuchadnezzar pointed to the blazing furnaces which had been 00:05:55.12\00:06:01.06 prepared for anyone who might make trouble. 00:06:01.09\00:06:03.49 He knew that the young men had an allegiance to a God 00:06:03.53\00:06:07.30 of their own but he asked very pointedly, what God will be able 00:06:07.33\00:06:13.07 to rescue you from my hand? Well, the answer these you men 00:06:13.10\00:06:18.31 gave is justly famous and as inspired people everywhere 00:06:18.34\00:06:22.74 let's read it again in Daniel 3: 16-18. 00:06:22.78\00:06:27.98 These men answered the proud king's challenge without 00:06:55.54\00:06:59.15 hesitation, they did so by telling him that they fully 00:06:59.18\00:07:03.55 trusted the God of heaven and earth. 00:07:03.59\00:07:05.42 Yes, He could deliver them from the furnace no matter how hot 00:07:05.45\00:07:10.59 Nebuchadnezzar made it, their god was sovereign over all. 00:07:10.63\00:07:15.10 He could do anything, that was the kind of god they served. 00:07:15.13\00:07:19.93 I believe we get a picture here of a kind of faith 00:07:19.97\00:07:24.77 that will get us through the time of the end, 00:07:24.81\00:07:27.31 whatever that time of the end may bring. 00:07:27.34\00:07:30.01 These three young men had their eyes fixed on how great God is, 00:07:30.05\00:07:35.22 not on how the fires were, when pressured they didn't try to 00:07:35.25\00:07:39.85 make excuses, they didn't try to squirm out of a tight spot, 00:07:39.89\00:07:43.83 they took the opportunity to testify of God's power. 00:07:43.86\00:07:48.43 And they did something else, they talked about their 00:07:48.46\00:07:52.87 commitment to Him, even if he chooses not to deliver us, 00:07:52.90\00:07:57.21 now did you get that? They'd vow that they'd still be loyal 00:07:57.24\00:08:02.14 to Him even if they weren't delivered. 00:08:02.18\00:08:05.15 They still wouldn't betray Him, we will still worship Him 00:08:05.18\00:08:09.48 they said and Him alone. 00:08:09.52\00:08:11.52 You know, a weak faith won't get us through the rough times 00:08:11.55\00:08:17.46 in life and certainly won't stand in the end times. 00:08:17.49\00:08:20.96 If our faith always depends on God always giving us what 00:08:21.00\00:08:24.97 we want, on things going smoothly, then we've got our 00:08:25.00\00:08:29.54 eyes fixed on the wrong things. 00:08:29.57\00:08:31.74 A real faith is a relationship with God based on a belief that 00:08:31.77\00:08:37.91 He really knows what's best for us. It involves a commitment 00:08:37.95\00:08:42.18 to do what God asks regardless of the circumstances. 00:08:42.22\00:08:46.12 Let me tell you about one man who met adversity in the way 00:08:46.15\00:08:50.63 these three Hebrews did by testifying of His faith. 00:08:50.66\00:08:54.86 On the 5th of July, 1940, the Eastern European Country 00:08:54.90\00:09:01.50 of Romania entered into an Alliance with Nazi Germany 00:09:01.54\00:09:05.57 and declared war on the Soviet Union. Romanian troops 00:09:05.61\00:09:10.05 joined with the Nazi military machine on the 22nd of June 00:09:10.08\00:09:13.85 1941, as part of Operation Barbarossa to created one huge 00:09:13.88\00:09:19.95 eastern front under the German high command Romania provided 00:09:19.99\00:09:25.83 equipment and oil to the troops of the eastern front. 00:09:25.86\00:09:29.10 In fact, they committed more troops to the eastern front 00:09:29.13\00:09:33.03 than all the other allies of Germany combined. 00:09:33.07\00:09:36.84 But history tells us that Operation Barbarossa was a 00:09:36.87\00:09:42.58 failure and the turning points in the fortunes of 00:09:42.61\00:09:45.65 Nazi Germany and its Allies. 00:09:45.68\00:09:47.42 On the 23rd of August 1944 one million Russian troops 00:09:47.45\00:09:53.05 entered Romania. The Russian army and the communist regime 00:09:53.09\00:09:57.96 took control of the country. Soldiers, secret police and 00:09:57.99\00:10:01.90 spies where everywhere and Atheism became the new chosen 00:10:01.93\00:10:07.34 state religion. To believe and proclaim your belief in 00:10:07.37\00:10:10.97 Jesus publicly was reason enough to be arrested. 00:10:11.01\00:10:14.54 Church leaders now had a choice, either they enlisted in the 00:10:14.58\00:10:19.21 service of the Soviet party or go to jail. 00:10:19.25\00:10:22.45 A well respected Lutheran pastor, Nicolai Ionescu know as 00:10:22.48\00:10:27.79 Richard Wurmbrand began to organize a Christian ministry 00:10:27.82\00:10:32.06 to his fellow Romanian country- men and to the Red Army 00:10:32.09\00:10:36.10 soldiers. And when the Communist government attempted to control 00:10:36.13\00:10:39.83 the churches, he immediately began what became known as 00:10:39.87\00:10:44.44 underground churches. It soon became a time of persecution 00:10:44.47\00:10:48.78 for anyone who spoke out against the government and had a belief 00:10:48.81\00:10:53.65 in God. A large Congress was held with the purpose of showing 00:10:53.68\00:10:58.09 that the different religions in the country of Romania 00:10:58.12\00:11:01.06 were loyal to the Communist party and its ideologies 00:11:01.09\00:11:04.63 one by one the various religious leaders announced their loyalty 00:11:04.66\00:11:10.50 and allegiance to the Communist regime. At the Congress 00:11:10.53\00:11:15.37 Richard Wurmbrand stood up and publicly said that Communism 00:11:15.40\00:11:20.31 and Christianity were not compatible and denounced the 00:11:20.34\00:11:24.38 government's control of the churches. 00:11:24.41\00:11:27.02 Richard was reported to the secret police and was arrested 00:11:27.05\00:11:31.15 on the 29th of February, 1948 while on his way to church 00:11:31.19\00:11:35.39 services. He was imprisoned for eight and a half years 00:11:35.42\00:11:40.10 and during that time, spent three years in solitary 00:11:40.13\00:11:44.10 confinement underground. He could not tell day from night 00:11:44.13\00:11:49.00 and kept his sanity by remembering Bible passages. 00:11:49.04\00:11:53.01 It's an inspiring story of how he survived additional 00:11:53.04\00:11:57.58 prison sentences and a total of 14 years in a Communist 00:11:57.61\00:12:02.15 prison was tortured and beaten by the guards and yet 00:12:02.18\00:12:06.72 kept his faith. Here is part of his story. 00:12:06.76\00:12:11.03 Two men confronted each other in a Romanian prison around 1950. 00:12:11.06\00:12:20.04 One was a self-assured, intelligent tough young 00:12:20.07\00:12:24.84 lieutenant named Gresus, he was a dedicated Communist 00:12:24.87\00:12:28.94 who thought he was making a better world. 00:12:28.98\00:12:31.51 The other was a young Lutheran pastor by the name of 00:12:31.55\00:12:35.38 Richard Wurmbrand, he was weak and pale. On his face were the 00:12:35.42\00:12:41.36 heavy shadows of a man who'd endure torture and depravation. 00:12:41.39\00:12:45.83 Gresus sat at a desk with a rubber truncheon in his hand, 00:12:45.86\00:12:49.93 he'd been interrogating the pastor, on this morning 00:12:49.96\00:12:54.20 he shouted, your story was lies. He was angry that the pastor 00:12:54.24\00:13:00.08 had not given him the names of his associates and of his 00:13:00.11\00:13:03.48 connections with the west. 00:13:03.51\00:13:04.88 Gresus pushed back his chair and shouted ENOUGH! 00:13:04.91\00:13:09.42 Here is some paper, we know that you have been communicating 00:13:09.45\00:13:13.05 in code with the other prisoners, now we know exactly 00:13:13.09\00:13:17.33 what each of them said. 00:13:17.36\00:13:18.69 The lieutenant cracked the truncheon on his desk and said 00:13:18.73\00:13:23.06 you have half an hour, I want you to write on that paper 00:13:23.10\00:13:26.63 exactly what you've been talking about with your friends. 00:13:26.67\00:13:30.54 Richard Wurmbrand faced a terrible dilemma as he stared 00:13:30.57\00:13:35.81 at the white piece of paper. He had to write a confession 00:13:35.84\00:13:39.48 yet he didn't want to reveal anything that might endanger 00:13:39.51\00:13:43.62 his fellow prisoners and almost anything he said could be 00:13:43.65\00:13:47.82 twisted and turned into the evidence that he was a spy. 00:13:47.86\00:13:52.23 Finally, this pastor decided to make a confession. 00:13:52.26\00:13:57.43 A confession of his faith in Jesus Christ. 00:13:57.47\00:14:00.87 He admitted that he has been tapping a code on the cell walls 00:14:00.90\00:14:04.91 trying to communicate the good news about a savior. 00:14:04.94\00:14:09.48 He testified in these words. 00:14:09.51\00:14:12.51 I'm a disciple of Christ who's given us love for our enemies. 00:14:12.55\00:14:17.19 I've never spoken anything against the Communists, 00:14:17.22\00:14:20.32 I understand them and I pray for their conversion so that they 00:14:20.36\00:14:24.99 will become my brothers in the faith. 00:14:25.03\00:14:27.50 Lieutenant Grayson returned after half an hour swinging 00:14:27.53\00:14:32.90 his truncheon, he'd been beating prisoners, 00:14:32.93\00:14:36.04 he picked up the paper and began to read. 00:14:36.07\00:14:38.64 After a while, he put his truncheon aside. 00:14:38.67\00:14:42.64 When he came to the end of the pastor's confession 00:14:42.68\00:14:46.21 he looked up with troubled eyes and said, 00:14:46.25\00:14:48.92 Mr. Wurmbrand, why do you say you love me? 00:14:48.95\00:14:52.75 This is one of your Christian Commandments that nobody can 00:14:52.79\00:14:56.66 keep, I couldn't love someone who shut me up for years alone 00:14:56.69\00:15:00.80 and to starve me and beat me. The pastor replied, 00:15:00.83\00:15:05.90 it's not a matter of keeping a Commandment, 00:15:05.93\00:15:08.44 when I became a Christian, it was if I'd been re-born 00:15:08.47\00:15:13.34 with a new character which was full of love. 00:15:13.38\00:15:16.54 For two hours these two men talked earnestly about 00:15:16.58\00:15:20.92 Christianity and Marxism. This young pastor took a stand 00:15:20.95\00:15:26.12 in that prison of terror, he resisted by a 00:15:26.15\00:15:29.69 positive confession by proclaiming what he did believe. 00:15:29.72\00:15:34.10 Those three Hebrews, also wanted to proclaim what they 00:15:34.13\00:15:39.33 believed, that is not to just to refuse bow down to an idol, 00:15:39.37\00:15:43.91 but to powerfully testify of their faith and confidence 00:15:43.94\00:15:48.54 in God. And what was the result? Well an enraged Nebuchadnezzar 00:15:48.58\00:15:54.02 had his furnaces fired up to maximum and had the Hebrews 00:15:54.05\00:15:58.82 thrown into the flames. 00:15:58.85\00:16:00.86 Now their example raises a question for us. 00:16:00.89\00:16:07.33 Is our faith and trust in God strong enough that we would 00:16:07.36\00:16:12.33 be able to stand up to such a test? 00:16:12.37\00:16:14.57 Would we be able to exhibit the same spiritual courage 00:16:14.60\00:16:18.51 that they showed? Are we sufficiently grounded in His 00:16:18.54\00:16:22.31 word and with our experience with him, that we too 00:16:22.34\00:16:26.31 could stand before a king and declare that under no 00:16:26.35\00:16:29.75 circumstances would we dishonor the God who loved us? 00:16:29.78\00:16:34.02 These are relevant questions because sometime in the future 00:16:34.06\00:16:39.36 we may indeed have to face a test like this. 00:16:39.39\00:16:42.56 For the present, however, our lives are confronted with lesser 00:16:42.60\00:16:46.77 challenges, how we respond to these prepare us for greater 00:16:46.80\00:16:51.74 tests. They indicate how we will respond when larger issues 00:16:51.77\00:16:57.78 arise. The Bible has a principle of spiritual life that applies 00:16:57.81\00:17:02.28 here, you find it outlined in Luke 16:10. 00:17:02.32\00:17:07.96 The wear and tear of ordinary every day life are directly 00:17:13.93\00:17:19.73 related to the great challenges of life. 00:17:19.77\00:17:22.67 God prepares us to meet the great trials of life 00:17:22.70\00:17:26.24 in the every day school of hard Knox. And here's another 00:17:26.27\00:17:31.45 important point, we don't have to be afraid 00:17:31.48\00:17:34.12 of the challenges we may face now or in the future, 00:17:34.15\00:17:37.82 they can be an opportunity to see our Lord very close 00:17:37.85\00:17:42.52 and very powerful. 00:17:42.56\00:17:44.39 Do you know what these young men found in the furnace? 00:17:44.43\00:17:50.53 They found none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:17:50.57\00:17:54.47 He was already there in the flames, He was standing with 00:17:54.50\00:17:58.87 them in the flames of life Christ is there. 00:17:58.91\00:18:03.14 Nebuchadnezzar was astounded to see four men walking around 00:18:03.18\00:18:09.42 in those flames, and the forth man was like the Son of God. 00:18:09.45\00:18:14.29 These young Hebrews had their eyes fixed on the great God 00:18:14.32\00:18:19.59 and in their hour of trial, they found that this great God 00:18:19.63\00:18:23.93 had come to be with them. 00:18:23.97\00:18:25.70 That's what an unconditional faith, a committed faith 00:18:25.73\00:18:30.41 can do for us, it'll bring God close in the worst of times. 00:18:30.44\00:18:36.48 Those three Hebrews in the fiery furnace made a life- 00:18:36.51\00:18:41.08 changing impact on that haughty king, Nebuchadnezzar. 00:18:41.12\00:18:44.79 He rushed up to the edge of the furnace and called them out 00:18:44.82\00:18:48.72 and as they emerged, the king approached them, he noticed 00:18:48.76\00:18:53.46 that their hair wasn't even singed, their robes were not 00:18:53.50\00:18:57.10 scorched, they didn't even carry the smell of smoke. 00:18:57.13\00:19:01.37 Ultimately that fiery trial that the Hebrews went through 00:19:01.40\00:19:06.68 only burned one thing, the ropes that bound them. 00:19:06.71\00:19:10.98 It freed them from their bonds. Shadrach, Meshach, 00:19:11.01\00:19:15.25 and Abednego came out free, they came out conquers. 00:19:15.28\00:19:21.02 The trials of life can either leave you bitter or better. 00:19:21.06\00:19:27.40 They can either strengthen your faith or destroy it 00:19:27.43\00:19:31.07 the difference is whether you focus on Christ or the crisis. 00:19:31.10\00:19:36.64 Through your tears, heartaches and disappointments 00:19:36.67\00:19:39.91 you too can see Christ, He's there in the flames of your 00:19:39.94\00:19:46.28 life. Possibly your life has been torn apart by divorce 00:19:46.31\00:19:50.89 you may be going through a very painful family problem 00:19:50.92\00:19:54.09 right now. Possibly you have severe health problems, 00:19:54.12\00:19:58.03 or you may be facing a very serious financial crisis, 00:19:58.06\00:20:02.06 well remember this. In the flames of life, 00:20:02.10\00:20:06.23 He is there, look through your tears, the understanding 00:20:06.27\00:20:11.37 compassionate Christ is there by your side to whisper words 00:20:11.41\00:20:16.04 of encouragement. Nebuchadnezzar now realized that there was a 00:20:16.08\00:20:20.85 God out there far bigger than he could ever be, 00:20:20.88\00:20:23.69 he called the three Hebrews servants of the most high God 00:20:23.72\00:20:28.59 Up to this point, the king had tried to be the most high 00:20:28.62\00:20:33.40 himself with his massive golden statue but now, he made a 00:20:33.43\00:20:38.70 remarkable confession. We find it in Daniel 3:28. 00:20:38.73\00:20:43.81 Nebuchadnezzar's rage had turned to admiration, the unconditional 00:21:04.96\00:21:10.87 faith of the Hebrews had proved contagious, king Nebuchadnezzar 00:21:10.90\00:21:15.60 and the thousands of Babylonian officials on the Plain of Dura, 00:21:15.64\00:21:19.64 were brought face to face with the true God of heaven. 00:21:19.67\00:21:23.08 You see, it's confessing our faith when times get hard 00:21:23.11\00:21:27.48 that really has an impact. 00:21:27.52\00:21:30.09 The faith that will stand in the end time is also the faith 00:21:30.12\00:21:34.69 that will win others in the meantime. God will come close 00:21:34.72\00:21:39.93 to those around us too. 00:21:39.96\00:21:42.50 Richard Wurmbrand, the pastor I told you about earlier 00:21:42.53\00:21:47.20 who made his confession of faith had quite an impact on 00:21:47.24\00:21:50.74 Lieutenant Grasu, after that first long talk, the lieutenant 00:21:50.77\00:21:55.08 invited him back to that office almost every day and they'd 00:21:55.11\00:21:59.01 talk for about an hour. Pastor Wurmbrand told him that the 00:21:59.05\00:22:04.29 early believers were actually part of a revolutionary 00:22:04.32\00:22:08.12 movement. Grasu was surprised to learn that Carl Marx had once 00:22:08.16\00:22:12.93 written that Christianity is the ideal religion for the renewal 00:22:12.96\00:22:17.40 of lives made right by sin, to Grasu, this was shocking. 00:22:17.43\00:22:23.41 As they continued to talk Grasu was more and more impressed 00:22:23.44\00:22:28.34 by the Christian ideals of love and service to everyone. 00:22:28.38\00:22:32.28 Frequently he would say, I was brought up an Atheist 00:22:32.31\00:22:36.35 and I will never be anything else. 00:22:36.38\00:22:38.15 But this pastor standing before him was an argument 00:22:38.19\00:22:42.92 he could not refute, God was real. Two weeks after they 00:22:42.96\00:22:49.46 begun their dialogue, Lieutenant Grasu realized he'd come 00:22:49.50\00:22:53.74 to know and love Jesus and decided to receive Christ 00:22:53.77\00:22:57.24 as his savior. What a scene it was there in that prison, 00:22:57.27\00:23:01.28 as the Lieutenant in his security police uniform 00:23:01.31\00:23:04.85 knelt down beside Pastor Wurmbrand in his patched prison 00:23:04.88\00:23:09.15 rags and made his prayer of confession. 00:23:09.18\00:23:12.45 When they arose to their feet, the two men were brothers. 00:23:12.49\00:23:17.49 There is nothing quite as eloquent as faith in the flames, 00:23:19.03\00:23:22.30 wouldn't you like to have a faith like that? 00:23:22.33\00:23:25.03 A totally committed faith, a faith that will stand tall 00:23:25.07\00:23:29.30 when the times get tough, well, it's available to each of us. 00:23:29.34\00:23:34.44 God wants to develop this strong faith within you. 00:23:34.48\00:23:39.51 Faith developed as we made Jesus and His word the center of 00:23:39.55\00:23:43.39 our lives is a faith that will stand the test of end times. 00:23:43.42\00:23:47.92 If you spend time with God, quality time communicating 00:23:47.96\00:23:52.56 with Him, a committed faith will result. 00:23:52.59\00:23:56.67 If you spend time looking at Jesus and your Savior and Lord 00:23:56.70\00:24:00.84 an unyielding faith will result. 00:24:00.87\00:24:03.74 Let's decide ahead of time that we'll develop a 00:24:03.77\00:24:07.71 relationship with God based on a real trust. 00:24:07.74\00:24:11.51 A trust that He knows best, a trust that He'll see us through 00:24:11.55\00:24:15.72 the End Times. It's really rather simple, 00:24:15.75\00:24:18.89 the three Hebrews didn't bow down to that golden image 00:24:18.92\00:24:23.46 because they were already bowing to someone else. 00:24:23.49\00:24:27.03 Would you like to bow your head with me right now wherever 00:24:27.06\00:24:31.80 you are and say Lord, I'm totally committing my life 00:24:31.83\00:24:36.17 to you right now. Grant me the courage and faith 00:24:36.20\00:24:40.51 to stand for you now and at the end time. 00:24:40.54\00:24:43.41 Faith is a gift that only God can give. 00:24:43.45\00:24:47.75 Why not ask Him for it right now as we pray. 00:24:47.78\00:24:52.45 Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us the 00:24:52.49\00:25:00.30 example of the three young men in the fiery furnace. 00:25:00.33\00:25:04.07 Thank you for your promise to stand by us as we face the 00:25:04.10\00:25:08.70 fiery challenges of life. 00:25:08.74\00:25:10.41 We want to trust you more completely today, 00:25:10.44\00:25:13.68 our aim is to please you and always stand true for you. 00:25:13.71\00:25:18.41 Accept our commitment now. In the name of our Savior, 00:25:18.45\00:25:23.12 Jesus Christ. Amen! 00:25:23.15\00:25:25.39 The story of the three young men in the fiery furnace 00:25:29.86\00:25:33.19 has encouraged and inspired people down through history. 00:25:33.23\00:25:37.87 They took a stand for God to find a king and shook an empire 00:25:37.90\00:25:43.07 their faith stood firm in the flames. 00:25:43.10\00:25:46.84 There's nothing quite as eloquent as a faith under fire, 00:25:46.88\00:25:51.48 a totally committed faith, a faith that will stand 00:25:51.51\00:25:55.35 tall when the times get tough. 00:25:55.38\00:25:57.59 If you'd like to have a faith like that, then I'd like to 00:25:57.62\00:26:01.36 recommend a free gift we have for all our viewers today. 00:26:01.39\00:26:05.46 It's the book "Faith on Trial" and there's more, 00:26:05.49\00:26:09.93 you'll also receive a free Bible Reading Guide 00:26:09.96\00:26:12.97 on the book of Daniel. 00:26:13.00\00:26:14.90 These booklets are our gift to you and they are absolutely 00:26:14.94\00:26:18.24 FREE. There are no costs or obligations whatsoever. 00:26:18.27\00:26:22.51 So make the most of this wonderful opportunity 00:26:22.54\00:26:26.75 to receive the gifts we have for you today. 00:26:26.78\00:26:28.95 Here's the information you need. 00:26:28.98\00:26:31.65 Phone of text us at 0436333555 in Australia or 00:26:31.69\00:26:40.16 0204222042 in New Zealand, or visit our website 00:26:40.20\00:26:45.87 tij.tv to request today's free offer and we'll send it to you 00:26:45.90\00:26:51.51 totally free of charge and with no obligation. 00:26:51.54\00:26:54.44 Write to us at: 00:26:54.48\00:27:01.62 or: 00:27:01.65\00:27:08.92 Don't delay, call or text us now. 00:27:08.96\00:27:11.79 If you've enjoyed today's journey to Ancient Babylon 00:27:11.83\00:27:17.50 and our reflections on the commitment an bravery, 00:27:17.53\00:27:21.17 of the three young men Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, 00:27:21.20\00:27:24.97 then be sure to join us again next week when we'll share 00:27:25.01\00:27:28.58 another of life's journey's together. 00:27:28.61\00:27:30.68 Until then remember the ultimate destination of life's journey. 00:27:30.71\00:27:35.55 Now I saw a new heaven and new earth and God will wipe 00:27:35.58\00:27:39.85 away every tear from their eyes. 00:27:39.89\00:27:42.09 There shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying. 00:27:42.12\00:27:45.19 There shall be no more pain, for the former things 00:27:45.23\00:27:48.46 have passed away. 00:27:48.50\00:27:50.63