Where was Daniel During the Fiery Furnace?
In the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the question is often asked—where was Daniel? Why wasn’t he there with them?
Of course, we are usually assured that he was out taking care of the “king’s business.” I don’t think that’s a wrong answer, but wonder if maybe there could be another reason. You may be wondering if it really matters where he was or wasn’t, whether it was the king’s business or personal, or what bearing it could possibly have?
Before we get into the details, a couple of things to point out—
The trial of Daniel 3 that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego passed through was a revealing trial. In other words, when the decree went forth to bow down and worship the image, no one knew who would bow and who would not. A class of people have now been revealed, or, identified.
In contrast, the trial of Daniel 6 that Daniel himself passed through was a highly targeted trial. In this case, they knew exactly who he was. He is identified by his character and his religion. Just as Daniel was not a part of the trial with the three Hebrews, so they were not a part of Daniel’s trial.
So, what is this telling us?
Here is the point: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego represent God’s people at a certain point in time, and the same is true for Daniel, as he also represents God’s people at a certain point in time. They are distinct and different from each other.
As we’ll see in a moment, the first point in time would be at the National Sunday law here in the United States, and the second would be at the Universal Sunday law as it goes global. [1]
History will be repeated. False religion will be exalted. The first day of the week, a common working day, possessing no sanctity whatever, will be set up as was the image at Babylon… {ST, May 6, 1897 par. 14}
History will repeat itself. In this age the test will be on the point of Sabbath observance… a rival sabbath is exalted as was the great golden image in the plain of Dura. Men claiming to be Christians will call upon the world to observe this spurious sabbath that they have made. All who refuse will be placed under oppressive laws… {YI, July 12, 1904 par. 4} Complete quote here.
In the first Sunday law time period we see God’s people represented by three men.
Remember in Daniel 8:13, in the margin notes, Christ is referred to as Palmoni, meaning, the Wonderful Numberer. In the Bible, numbers are extremely significant.
The three Hebrews represent those who are standing under the three angels messages when the National Sunday law arrives. They understand what these messages mean, and have had an experience in the first and second angel’s messages and are now passing through the third, which is the Sabbath test.
Highly interesting is the fact that they had to pass through the testing experiences of Daniel chapter one, and chapter two, before they could experience the test of chapter three.
That may sound obvious.. more on this later. Just remember, you cannot have the third angels message without the first and second, and they must be received in their order. This was true for the old earthly tabernacle and the Heavenly Sanctuary as well—you cannot have a Most Holy Place without the Courtyard and Holy Place, and they must be gone through in their order. [2]
The first and second messages were given in 1843 and 1844, and we are now under the proclamation of the third; but all three of the messages are still to be proclaimed…There cannot be a third without the first and second. These messages we are to give to the world in publications, in discourses, showing in the line of prophetic history the things that have been and the things that will be. {17MR 6.2} See complete quote.
But for now, something to consider, is that the Sunday law is the great test for God’s people. So, at the first Sunday law God’s people are not sealed just yet, because it IS the great test, and if you were already sealed it would not be possible to fail the test. [3]
You say that Anna’s visions place the forming of the image of the beast after probation closes. This is not so… The Lord has shown me clearly that the image of the beast will be formed before probation closes; for it is to be the great test for the people of God, by which their eternal destiny will be decided…
This is the test that the people of God must have before they are sealed. All who prove their loyalty to God by observing His law, and refusing to accept a spurious sabbath, will rank under the banner of the Lord God Jehovah, and will receive the seal of the living God. Those who yield the truth of heavenly origin, and accept the Sunday sabbath, will receive the mark of the beast. What need will there be of the solemn warning not to receive the mark of the beast, when all the saints of God are sealed and ticketed for the New Jerusalem? ” {15MR 15.3} See complete quote.
It is also interesting to note that two things were destroyed when they were cast into the furnace. The mighty men that bound them, and the bands or ropes that were used to bind them. Even though this is not the topic of our discussion, those mighty men represent the character defects that we inherit, and the ropes that tied their hands represent those inherited defects that we strengthen, and also ones we acquire. Mrs. White calls them inherited and cultivated tendencies to evil in our character. It was the heat of the furnace that destroyed them both.
By now I think we can see the correlation between the three Hebrews and the National Sunday Law, but what about Daniel? And how does he line up with the Universal Sunday Law?
I think the first place to look is at his character. How does the Bible describe Daniel in chapter 6?
Verse 3 tells us there was an excellent spirit in him. That Excellent Spirit is none other than Christ! We are told that there will be a people who will have Christ formed within, the hope of glory. The mystery of Godliness will be completed.
Verse 4 tells us they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
So Daniel has an excellent spirit within, and there is no error or fault found in him.
This would be an accurate representation of God’s people after they are sealed.
For those of you who may be interested, the book of Job starts the same way. It identifies a person who is set apart from all others, and holds him up as one who is a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil. It is the very same principle as that of Daniel, who was found without fault or error, and both represent God’s people who have received the seal. This allows us to see that the whole of the book of Job deals with the experience of God’s people as they pass through Jacob’s time of trouble. We’ll explore this in depth at a later date.
Remember, we are dealing in the realm of types, and they in no way detract from the plain reading of the Bible. We should take the Bible just as it reads literally too.
Another way to identify the time period of Daniel 6 is found in verse 10.
“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God as he did aforetime.”
What writing was signed? A decree controlling the conscience. See verses 6-9.
What were the consequences of violating this decree? Death.
Who was it signed by? Darius, king of the Medes and Persians.
What is the leading characteristic of the Medo-Persia government? Its laws change not and cannot be altered. In other words, fixed, or uncompromising. See verses 8, 12, and 15.
History Will be Repeated:
Where else will we see a decree go forth attempting to control the conscience, carrying with it a penalty of death for non-compliance?
Signed by the US government and eventually governments all around the world?
Controlled by a religious power whose leading characteristic is its claim to infallibility? [4]
Have these persons forgotten the claim of infallibility put forth for eight hundred years by this haughty power?… As Rome asserts that the “church never erred; nor will it, according to the Scriptures, ever err… how can she renounce the principles which governed her course in past ages? {GC 564.1}
The papal church will never relinquish her claim to infallibility. Let the restraints now imposed by secular governments be removed and Rome be reinstated in her former power, and there would speedily be a revival of her tyranny and persecution. {GC 564.2} See complete quote.
This ties in directly with the death decree of Esther 3:13-15 as well. See also GC 635.1.
When the protection of human laws shall be withdrawn from those who honor the law of God, there will be, in different lands, a simultaneous movement for their destruction. As the time appointed in the decree draws near, the people will conspire to root out the hated sect. It will be determined to strike in one night a decisive blow, which shall utterly silence the voice of dissent and reproof. {GC 635.1}
Make it Plain:
The short answer to the question is that yes, in a literal sense, we have reason to believe that Daniel was elsewhere engaged in the king’s business when the event of the fiery furnace occurred.
However, when looked at in a figurative sense as a type, his absence takes on a very different perspective.
When viewed from this perspective we can see that the three Hebrews and Daniel each represent God’s people at a specific point in time, and those points in time are the National Sunday Law and the Universal Sunday Law. We can also see that the first group at the National Sunday law are not sealed, as it is the great test for God’s people, and there is still character work being accomplished, shown by the destruction, or removal, of the mighty men and the bands that bound them. The second group are those who have received the seal of God and pass through the Universal Sunday law with its death decree. We cannot say when these times will be, as in a specific date, only who and what they represent.
Before we leave off, there is one other distinction to consider between Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and that of Daniel. As we discussed before, the three Hebrews represent those who have passed through the first and second angel’s messages and then go on to the third and final test. Similarly, when we look at Daniel we find that he prayed three times a day with his window open facing Jerusalem.
The key is where he was facing. He was looking towards Jerusalem, which of course was built around the temple.
Just as the three Hebrews represent those who understand the three angel’s messages, Daniel’s three prayers while looking toward the earthly sanctuary are a type of those who, through the three angel’s messages, have entered by faith into the heavenly sanctuary. First, second, and third angel = Courtyard, Holy place, and Most Holy Place.
Remember 2 Chronicles 20:8-9?
“And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.”
In Daniel’s day the temple had been destroyed along with Jerusalem. That and the fact that he was still an official ‘captive’ under the seventy-year prophecy of Jeremiah made it impossible for him to stand before the actual temple. He may or may not have understood the visions given to him concerning the heavenly sanctuary, but he was still under the dispensation of the sacrificial system, and his eyes were fixed on the place where he knew the temple used to be.
For us living down at the close of earth’s history, we have the same problem. There is no earthly sanctuary for us to look to, but as we are now living under the dispensation of the new covenant and no longer under the old covenant, or sacrificial system, we are to look to the heavenly sanctuary. Not only do the Three Angel’s Messages take us directly into the heavenly sanctuary, they are in fact the only way into the heavenly sanctuary. The work of the three angels are identical and synonymous with the work of the sanctuary, and as the three Hebrews passed through the experiences of chapter one, two, and three, we also must pass through the experiences of the three angels in their order, to cooperate with the work of Christ in our behalf. The chapter in Early Writings called “A Firm Platform” pp. 258-261, is an excellent source concerning the relation between the three angels and the heavenly sanctuary.
More to come?
Absolutely!
In the meantime, some questions to ponder: Why did king Nebuchadnezzar give Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego a second chance? Was it because he liked them so much? And what does it mean when the form of his visage was changed against them? Remember, the National Sunday Law originates in the USA, and a king represents the government of a nation.
Honestly?
It is fascinating to explore Daniel in this way, and very Biblical as well. As we progress through Daniel 1-6, it should become clearer and clearer as to how types work, with the goal in view that anyone can learn to do it themselves by applying the rules of Bible study as set forth in Scripture and Spirit of Prophecy.
Let me know what you think!
Till then, God Bless!
https://truthintypes.com/sermons/the-fiery-furnace-of-the-sunday-law/
