When it comes to religious liberty—however religion is defined; for Daniel and his three companions this freedom meant two things: the freedom to choose what went into their physical body and the freedom to choose which god to have a relationship with. These are the only two tests of faith recorded in his book as having been given to these wise young men.
The first test came when they were appointed to eat certain foods which the God of Heaven had not declared clean. A second test came later when Daniel’s companions were commanded to fall down and worship the gold image or be thrown into a fiery furnace.
The third test (Daniel’s second) came under a new empire, when it was decreed that whoever prayed to any god but the new king would be cast into the den of lions. All three tests were designed to sever their relationship with the God of Heaven by coercing their allegiance instead, to the state and authority of man.
These tests involved both their physical and spiritual health. By choosing to eat only clean foods, the four companions had a noticeably better physical appearance and mental acuity. Peter, in his first letter (1:13), shows us that a healthy, strong mind is necessary for a revelation of our Messiah. The following tests had to do with prayer and relationship. Daniel’s custom, following the example of David (Psalm 55:17), was to pray three times a day. Two of these prayer times likely coincided with the evening and morning tamiyd (translated as “daily” in Daniel’s prophecies). An integral part of these twice daily, tamiyd, services in the sanctuary was to set the showbread on the gold table in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:30). This ceremony was a reminder that, as our Messiah says, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of Yahweh” (Deuteronomy 8:3).
Healthy physical food and daily prayers are essential to our relationship with our Creator. Without connection to our Source of Life, humanity dies, as evidenced by the death of our Messiah after he felt this connection severed and cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1). The goal of our ultimate adversary, Satan, is to populate hell with as many of humanity as fail these tests and thus show little regard for a connection to their Sustainer of Life. This hell is marked also by the absence of connection to the Creator—a place of non-existence. Religious liberty at its core then, is all about the freedom to choose eternal Life over eternal death. “Give me liberty, or give me death” cried Patrick Henry.
When the state, or any organization, whether knowingly or unknowingly, places its authority above that of the God of Heaven, it tests our allegiance to our Creator and His laws that were designed to give life when obeyed. The obedience of Daniel and his companions, when presented with these tests, offers those of us living in these last days guidance, encouragement, and hope of divine preservation. These stories are the context of the prophecies of his book! Down through the intervening millennia, various Kings of the North—as the prophecy styles the successive empires—have arisen that all manifest a character of challenging these dual freedoms.
The Babylonians and then the Persians tested Daniel and his companions. The Greco-Roman empire, has throughout history, and yet still intends “to change times and law” (Daniel 7:25). The word “times” here is translated from the root Zman. This same word is used twice in Daniel 6 to describe Daniel’s daily prayer times. Even today it is possible to search for Zmanim and find an app that will give your local prayer times. Zman and Tamiyd are intricately linked to the spiritual health of those obedient to the Creator and without which life is desolate.
The recent attack on the freedom to choose what goes into ones physical body is just the beginning of prophesied events yet to increase in severity. For the four Hebrews, the tests began with their physical health and progressed from there to deeper issues of the heart and worship. More than your physical health, the adversary is coming for your spiritual health as well. Satan wants to eliminate the time spent connecting with the Creator, severe your relationship with Him, and leave you desolate.
The coming adversary in human form needs given no name, it will be identified by its characteristic of coercion in attempting to change the times the Creator setup from the beginning. If we continue to focus on the identity of the final King of the North, we may just alienate neighbors whose religious background is different than our own. Many hearts across sectarian divisions were awakened during this last test (C-19) and we need as many allies as we may find in the coming ones. Rather than focusing on identity, our unique message of religious liberty, both in physical health, and spiritual connection to the Creator, is what stands tall above other messages.
We must focus our efforts on these issues and warn all humanity in these end times. These are our two pillars, guarding our bodies as temples of the God of Heaven. These are our Boaz and Jachin, our strength and stability in these last days.
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Ryan Thompson holds a Master of Science degree in Geoscience, worked for over a decade in the petroleum industry, and now teaches math and science for online homeschoolers. While a student himself, he excavated fossil fish with Loma Linda University and dinosaur bones with Southwestern Adventist University. After living in the Holy Land he authored Revelation’s Geology which discusses the geology of the region and prophecy with a focus on the first angel’s message.