I’m Jemima L Yeggs, a.k.a. Stinker. Pink Lady Apple Yeggs, my landlady and my auntie, wants to read about how younger people, especially couples respond to what the Bible says. And she wants to know how God is at work at Lily the Pink.
B.B., Fireball, and I were not in our “green room.” We were at Michael Rowe Casey’s farm, like we were last Sunday.
Stormie and Joan were talking to Ethan, and giggling. Ethan was loving the attention.
I said, “Stormie, why don’t you and Joan go over and play with the toys. It’s time for our Sunday school class.”
Stormie asked, “Ethan stays for Sunday school. Can I stay?”
I nodded, “Sure, you can stay. But you are going to have to sit still and be quiet.”
Stormie turned to Joan, “Let’s go play.” Joan giggled and followed Stormie to the toy box.
Dakota and Sierra had bought the toy box and put some age-appropriate toys in the box. Since this would be the main meeting room when families came to the farm, they thought a toy box might be appropriate. You cannot pack an entire children’s room full of toys when you go on vacation. And I think Dakota and Sierra have credit cards that go to Lily the Pink as a billing address. Their expense reports have a check attached to account for the things that were not farm improvements.
Rev. Joseph led us in prayer and then he led us in Blessed Assurance.
I asked, “Why not The Fourth Man in the Fire? That one is a good one about something in the book of Daniel!”
Rev. Joseph laughed, “Have you ever tried singing it? If you haven’t, watch the Gaither Homecoming with Tim Lovelace version. Tim swears the his recording was a lot slower.”
I laughed, “I’ll check it out. Sierra and Dakota, did you study the verses with your beaus?” They nodded and smiled.
Michael Rowe Casey asked, “Where are we searching for Jesus today, Aunt Jemima?”
I smiled, “We are looking at Daniel. Arabella, do you need Mr. Dictionary?”
Arabella nodded, “Is this about Daniel Boone? And the usual Who, When, Where stuff.”
Easy, with eyes closed, said, “Belle, are you ever serious?”
Arabella asked, “Not if I can help it, Mr. Dictionary. I am seriously trying to find a funny angle whenever possible. Except in math. Maybe that’s why math is my weak subject.”
Easy smiled, “I will ignore the Daniel Boone comment. Who and Where: Daniel was chosen to be an official over his people, the Jews who had been part of the first exile to Babylon. In time, he distinguishes himself to become placed over satraps and governors. ‘The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.’ (Daniel 1:7). This is quite interesting. We know Daniel by his Hebrew name, but we know Daniel’s three friends by their Babylonian names, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But there has been controversy in recent centuries. The prophecy of Daniel in Daniel 11 is too accurate. The scholars were convinced that this chapter was added in the second century BC after the events took place. ‘He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him.’ (Daniel 11:17). The daughter in this verse is Cleopatra I, given by the Syrian king to the Egyptian king. The Syrian king thought she could betray her husband to her father’s advantage, but Cleopatra sided with her husband against her father. Thus, the part about his plans not succeeding. It was Cleopatra VII that ruled Egypt and fought against the Romans. But the entire chapter of Daniel 11 is filled with detailed things that happened when Alexander the Great divided the kingdom into four parts upon his death. But never fear, with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, copies of the book of Daniel were found in those scrolls that were before many of the events in the Daniel 11 prophecy. The historians said that it was impossible to predict with such accuracy, but anything is possible with God.”
Easy took in a deep breath, “When: It was the first exile from Judah. Only royalty and the cream of the crop among Hebrew officials were taken to Babylon. Then the best of the best were selected to be the officials, like Daniel. Daniel was probably on the young side of the teenager years when he was sent to the Babylonian school. ‘In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.’ (Daniel 1:1-2). So, Nebuchadnezzar was the emperor of Babylon at the time. And the How is through the interpretation of dreams and signs. ‘So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death. When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.’ (Daniel 3:13-16). Facing the penalty of death, Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. But then with the next emperor, Daniel interprets the writing on the wall. ‘“This is the inscription that was written: mene, mene, tekel, parsin “Here is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”’ (Daniel 5:25-28). And all of this before Daniel is cast into the Lion’s Den.”
Arabella smiled, “Thank you, Mr. Dictionary.”
I said, “And I have something to add. When books are written, they can be written in first person. ‘I did this. I did that.’ This limits the author to what the first person experienced. But the author can explore what the first person felt and thought. Some authors use third person. The author becomes the fly on the wall watching what the main character is doing. The fly can fly into someone else’s home and explain what they are doing. But the author is left with only guessing about motivations and thoughts. Daniel writes in third person until Daniel 7. ‘“I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me.’ (Daniel 7:15). And from that point on, Daniel writes in first person.”
Matthew (Daniel 3:19-28) “Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?”
They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”
He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.”
Matthew said,”There is a lot to unpack, if we just look at the miracles. Easy, what does seven times hotter means?”
Easy shrugged, “I have given that some thought. They may have had bellows blowers to make the fire hotter. Probably one blower was used to melt most of the metals that they dealt with. Let’s say they worked with 14K Gold. That melts at about 1700F (927C). But if they added an extra bellows, then you might see the temperatures in the furnace only a couple hundred degrees hotter. But seven bellows, you might provide enough oxygen to consume all the fuel and get a furnace temperature up to 24K gold melting temperatures, nearly 2000F. And to make iron and steel workable to make swords and such, you might need even hotter temperatures, but those were made in a small furnace. I am thinking a large furnace that four people can walk around inside… That’s probably the furnace used to make the statue that they would not bow down to.”
Matthew said, “Thanks, and I think the thing Aunt Jemima is looking for is that there were four men in the fire. And the fourth looked like a son of the gods. Of course, He was the Son of God.”
Mercy (Daniel 7:13-14) ““In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Mercy said, “There is a lot here, Aunt Jemima. What did you want by giving us this verse?”
I shrugged, “What did you get from reading it?”
Mercy huffed, “That’s unfair!”
Dr. Ellie laughed, “That’s why we call her Stinker.”
Mercy groaned, “Okay. This Son of Man who will have every nation worship Him is Jesus. Was it a vision or the physical Jesus? I don’t know. But talking about Him having dominion over the earth that is everlasting, this is definitely a Messianic Prophecy.”
I smiled, “Yes! Does anyone have a kewpie doll? I don’t want to say you win a kewpie doll without us physically having one here to give you. No, kewpie doll? Bummer. But, you got the whole thing. It was either a vision or a physical presence – definitely a Christophany if in physical form. And it is a Messianic prophecy also.”
Mike (Daniel 9:24-27) ““Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
“Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”
Mike said, “This is not a Christophany in that the angel, Gabriel, appeared. But can I confess that we cheated?”
I smiled, “Sure, but I encourage you to collaborate and do research, Mike.”
Rev. Joseph smiled, “They came to me, since I was babysitting Ethan when they had a day off from storm chasing.”
I laughed and shook my head, “Sure, Mike, what did you learn from your research?”
Mike shrugged, “If you had 12 scholars, you probably have at least thirteen ideas about what the sevens mean and if it is literal. Each seven is supposed to be seven years. And the number of years from Daniel’s time until they kill Jesus on the cross might add up to 62 sevens. But a lot of scholars cannot figure out why the world is still ticking. It comes down to some of those scholars think there are gaps in this timeline. And we have the seven years of tribulation and the End in the seventieth year. So, I guess we are living in the gap between the 69th and 70th seven years, since the Tribulation is seven years.”
I laughed, “That was a wonderful summary, Mike. Somehow, those seventy sevens will be explained when we see Jesus face to face, but the point is that the prophecy given by Gabriel to Daniel is about Jesus. That is the point of this class, to see Jesus throughout the Bible.”
Maddie (Daniel 10:5-6) ‘I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.‘
Maddie said, “Rev. Joseph mentioned how Lapis Lazuli might be translated as a different stone, so Mike and I looked at English translations of Daniel 10:6. Topaz might be a beryl or a Chrysolite. Those are greenish stones where a topaz might be a variety of colors. But one translation, the Expanded Bible says yellow quartz. So, His body was like a precious stone of some kind. But this sure looks like Jesus when He appeared to John on Patmos. Not exactly, but freaky.”
I laughed, “I will agree with your assessment. As long as we are reverently calling Jesus’ appearance ‘freaky.’”
Maddie blushed, “Absolutely reverent, Aunt Jemima.”
I smiled, “Okay, we have three quotations and we have four guests in our class.”
Sierra (Daniel 7:13) ““In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.”
Sierra said, “Don’t worry, Jemima. Virgil and I can split up the cross references. ‘“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.’ (Matthew 24:30). That talks about the Son of Man coming on the clouds. ‘“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”’ (Mark 14:62). These are both Jesus talking. And now Virgil will read two more and give his take on something He has observed.”
I nodded, “Oh, goodie.”
Virgil said, “In Luke we read…. ‘“At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.’ (Luke 21:27). Again we see the Son of Man coming on the clouds. ‘“Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen.’ (Revelation 1:7). And to get the piercing and the mourning, we have to go to Zechariah 12. ‘“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.’ (Zechariah 12:10). Now, what I think, and it may be stinking thinking, but notice when Jesus is on trial in front of the Sanhedrin and religious leaders, it takes a false witness to get the chief priest to admit to the blasphemy charge. Jesus made a lot of I AM statements, mostly in parables or just with the Twelve. But in large public gatherings, especially after when they were trying to trick Him, He used the third person when talking about being fulfilled prophecy. He made that mistake in Nazareth, and they wanted to kill Him on the spot. But then, Jesus never made a mistake. My point is that in referring to Himself in the third person when talking about prophecies. No one could clearly state that He was talking about Himself. So, they had to bear false witness to have Him crucified.”
I smiled, “I think you have something there, Virgil.” Sierra smiled and squeezed Virgil’s hand.
Dakota (Daniel 11:31) ““His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation.”
Dakota said, “Then something added in Daniel 12. “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.’’ (Daniel 12:11). This has sacrifices being abolished and some character called the abomination of desolation. ‘“When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.’ (Mark 13:14). So, the abomination of desolation is going to take over the holy places. Thumbing his nose at God. And this is Jesus quoting the verses from Daniel.”
Jeff (Daniel 12:3) “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.”
Jeff said, “The key here is the shining like the sun and the stars. ‘Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.’ (Matthew 13:43). These verses talk about the righteous shining like the lights in the sky. And I would like to say something with a bunch of witnesses. My wife died a few years back. They say not to rush into another relationship, so I have been standoffish with Dakota here. And that is not fair to Dakota here. They say that everyone who grieves has their own timetable. And I am declaring I am done with that. Dakota, you been good to me, and I don’t deserve it. But I am going to make it up to you today. After church, you and me are going out on a real date. Sierra, she might not get back before dark, so don’t wait up.”
He intended to kiss Dakota on the cheek, but she turned her head in time to kiss him on the lips.
Dakota said, “That should have been at the end of the date, but we have been friends for months now.” Jeff blushed.
I smiled, “Thank you four beautiful people. You have been a welcome addition to our class. This ends our classes on the farm, but somehow, I think we have two wonderful friendships that are starting here.”
Mags (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3) “We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Brooke said, “Stormie and Joan, church time!”
Stormie laughed and said, “Book. Church! Yay!”
Credits
Here is the Gaither Homecoming version of The Fourth Man in the Fire with humorist Tim Lovelace. Tim Lovelace is actually a wonderful pianist besides playing the guitar, singing songs that he composed, and telling some hilarious stories.
And for a more serious version, here are the Statler Brothers.
I was walking atop an operating furnace one day taking temperature measurements. My boss stopped me to give me a bit of advice. I was to stay on the designated walkways. If I stepped outside the walkways and the roof caved in under my foot, the furnace would be so hot that it would burn my foot off. But then he added, “Don’t worry about bleeding from the stump. The furnace is so hot that it will cauterize the wound as it goes.”
That same boss had spent a few days in the hospital by breathing gases near 2000F coming out an opening from a similar furnace.
So having the soldiers die while throwing in Daniel’s three friends is something I can relate to.
But in roughly 20 years of working all over such furnaces, I never had an accident. Now, getting so hot that I had to stop to spend time in the airconditioned control room? Several times. You never see it coming on, but your workmates can tell.
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
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