The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1917-09-14
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson XII.-Third Quarter, For
Sept. is. 1917.
HE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Rev. D. MI. Stearns.
We shall not understand this third
chapter Of Daniel unless we have grasp
ed in some measure the second chapter.
The Bible must be studied as a whole,
end each book as whole, and yet each
as an essential part Of the whole reve
lation of Gods eternal purpose by His
Spirit. AS the heavenly bodies Of our
solar system and all the systems in the
universe move in circles, SO is it also
with Gods heavenly truths. The last
two chapters in the Bible complete the
circle, which begins with the first two,
telling Of this earth without sin or sor-
row. or death. The third chapter from
the end (Rev. XXX completes the circle
which began with Gen. iii, telling of the
great adversary, his beginning in rela
ton to the earth and man and his end.
We have seen in recent lessons that
we have come in the Bible story to the
beginning Of what is known as the
times of the gentiles, but this book of
Daniel covers the whole period and tells
us of the end Of those times, which we
are now in the history of the world APP
preaching or are already in.
In chapter Ii we have Gods revela-
ton to ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS of the whole
period which began with Him and will
end with the setting up Of the kingdom
Of heaven after the times Of the gen.
tiles, a kingdom which shall never be
destroyed, but shall stand forever, and
these things are certain and sure Dan.
Ii, A, 40. In chapter vii we have the
same period covered In vision given
to Daniel and ending in the same con-
summation dan. vii, 10, Il, 20. To
man Of the world like Nebuchadnez-
Ear the ,tsion was fascinating, as are
the things represented by gold and sill
yer and brass and iron to such people,
but to q man Of God like Daniel the
whole thing was represented by wild
beasts devouring each other. Chapters
iii and vi are another pair showing
what it costs to stand for God in these
evil times, while chapters iv and V are
another pair showing how God will
humble all pride, to bring to repentance
If at all possible or, If not, to bring to
everlasting punishment.
The vision Of empire given to Neb
uchadnezzar SO affected him that In
stead of making him humble by the
honor thus conferred upon him by the
God Of heaven he became filed with
pride and had a great image of gold
made and set up in the plain Of Dura
and caused all the people of his king
dom to assemble to worship it, threat
ening with death in the, fiery furnace
any who would dare to refuse to wor
ship the image which he had set up.
Now here is another strange circle Of
truth, for at the very end of the times
Of the gentiles during the last three
and half years after the church has
been taken away there will be another
image set up by the world power that
shall then be, and all who will not
worship that image shall be killed
(Rev. xiii, 14-1S). The pride and bias
phemy Of the king of Babylon are seen
in such saying as "Who is that God
that shall deliver you out Of my
hands?" Oil, 15.) But it will be ex-
ceeded by the blasphemy of the anti
christ Of the last days before he shall
be sent alive to the lake of fire Rev.
xiii and xix, 10, 2O). OF all the multi
tudes who were assembled on the plain
Of Dura that day only three young
Jews dared to refuse to bow down to
the image, and that was because they
knew and worshiped the only Living
I'd ro1 off
ond opportunity to bow down and thus
spare their lives they most decidedly
refused in the glorious words of verses
II, IS. May our hearts ever cry, "Our
God whom we serve is able"
Bound in their clothing they were
cast into the burning fiery furnace,
which had been heated seven times
hotter than usual, so that the flames
slew the men who cast them in. But
the three young men walked about In
the furnace, unframed, because the
Son of God was with them, and they
lost nothing but their bonds. do most
heartily believe what the kings coun-
selorS and great men saw when these
three came out of the furnace-that
nor was a hair Of their head singed
verse %. SO it will be in the last
days when some shall refuse to re-
ceive the mark of the beast or worship
him Rev. XVI. See in verses $3.50 Of
our lesson how God was gloriied in
these men by the decree Of the king
that no one should dare to speak any
thing amiss against a God who could
deliver in this way
The only place where God was seen
that day was in the burning fiery fur
mace, and when God allows any of His
people to pass through fiery trials Of
any kind it is that He may be seen
with us and in us, and He will fulfill
the words Of our Golden Text. In
chapter iv we see this proud king hui
INFLATED, and the last word in his
worldwide epistle is 'Those that walk
in pride He is able to abase" Gv, 80.
We would do well to adopt as our
own the words Of Paul In II Tim. ",
Is, 'The Lord shall deliver me from
every evil work and will preserve me
unto His heavenly kingdom" We
should remember also that it is the
purpose of the Lord to stain the pride
of all glory and bring into contempt
all the honorable of the earth that the
Lord alone may be exalted Qsa xiii
8; II, II, I'D.