I Will Not Compromise Even in the
Midst of Babylon!
By Debra E. Brandt
Deborahs Messianic Ministries
The walk of Holiness is a call not to compromise with the World, but to walk in obedience to the Word.
The Hebrew
word for “Holy” is Kodesh, it means something that is “set apart”. This setting apart, comes after we have
received Yeshua/Jesus into our heart as Lord and Savior/Messiah. There is no Holiness without Yeshua/Jesus, 1
Cor. 1:3-4 But of him are ye in Christ
Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that
glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. It
is only because of what Yeshua/Jesus did for us that we can stand before the
Father, Eph 1:3-7 3 Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in
him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure
of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his
grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his
grace;
(KJV)
After we have been saved by His grace through the shed blood of Yeshua the Messiah we then become his Called Out Ones/Holy Ones. We can walk a Holy/Kodesh/Set Apart life for His glory even in the midst of Babylon.
When the Israelites entered the Promised land under Joshua, they were undefeatable. They had just spent 40 years in the wilderness to learn the ways of God and His Torah, and to get the way of Egypt out of them and the ways of God into them.
When they walked with God as His holy/set apart ones, no one could conquer them, no one could defeat them because they Lord was with them! They were the “Super Power” of their day. Overtime corruption and idol worship and pagan practices crept into their society, they no longer as a nation were walking as His holy, set apart one. Soon judgement came in the form of captivity. However God always had a remnant of those who would not bow their knees to Baal and even in the midst of captivity they shown as lights in the midst of darkness.
11 Kings 25:8-11 Israels Fall and Captivity
8 And in the fifth month, on the
seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a
servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:
9 And he burnt the house of the
LORD, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's
house burnt he with fire.
10 And all the army of the Chaldees,
that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of
Jerusalem round about.
11 Now the rest of the people that
were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of
Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the
guard carry away.
2 Kings 25:8-11 (KJV)
Babylon is a type of the World system. There are many parallels between Gods people of ancient times and those of today
11 Timothy 3:1-7
1 This know also, that in the last
days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their
own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection,
trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are
good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded,
lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but
denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6 For of this sort are they which
creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with
divers lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to
come to the knowledge of the truth.
(KJV)
Vast wealth and great military power will not protect those who turn from God. What He made, He can break. Destruction need not always come from foreign invaders, it can just as easily be accomplished by collapse and pandomniam from within.
Look at our society today and see if we are not also in the midst of Babylon:
The list can go on and on! Yes I would say that we are in the midst of Babylon. But the question is how will we then live?
Daniel 3:14-30
Nebuchadnezzar dedicates
a golden image
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an
image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the
breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province
of Babylon.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent
to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges,
the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the
provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king
had set up.
3 Then the princes, the governors,
and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and
all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of
the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the
image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4 Then an herald cried aloud, To
you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,
5 That at what time ye hear the
sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of
musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king
hath set up:
6 And whoso falleth not down and
worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery
furnace.
7 Therefore at that time, when all
the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and
all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down
and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abed-nego are accused
8 Wherefore at that time certain
Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
9 They spake and said to the king
Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree,
that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut,
psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship
the golden image:
11 And whoso falleth not down and
worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery
furnace.
12 There are certain Jews whom thou
hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy
gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his
rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they
brought these men before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said
unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my
gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
15 Now if ye be ready that at what
time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and
dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I
have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into
the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall
deliver you out of my hands?
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to
answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we
serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver
us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto
thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image
which thou hast set up.
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of
fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the
furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20 And he commanded the most mighty
men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and
to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in
their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and
were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore because the king's
commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire
slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was
astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his
counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They
answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see
four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and
the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to
the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither.
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
27 And the princes, governors, and
captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men,
upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed,
neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said,
Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his
angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the
king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship
any god, except their own God.
29 Therefore I make a decree, That
every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God
of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses
shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after
this sort.
30 Then the king promoted Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
Dan 3:1-30 (KJV)
Will we say the same to the Babylon of today? I will not bow down, go ahead throw me in the furnace, but I will not bow down to your idols or forsake the Word of the Lord, even if it means my death!
They had no idea they would be delivered, they knew God was able to do it, but as far as they knew, they were doing to be burnt to a crisp! But that kind of faith and courage did not go unnoticed by God because he was there to deliver them, no a hair was singed, they did not even smell of smoke! They brought much glory to the God of Israel because they would rather suffer death the compromise His word!
Danial 6:16-28
1 It pleased Darius to set over the
kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;
2 And over these three presidents;
of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them,
and the king should have no damage.
3 Then this Daniel was preferred
above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in
him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
4 Then the presidents and princes sought
to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find
none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there
any error or fault found in him.
5 Then said these men, We shall not
find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him
concerning the law of his God.
6 Then these presidents and princes
assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for
ever.
7 All the presidents of the kingdom,
the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have
consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree,
that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of
thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
8 Now, O king, establish the
decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of
the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
9 Wherefore king Darius signed the
writing and the decree.
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.
11 Then these men assembled, and
found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
12 Then they came near, and spake
before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree,
that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty
days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king
answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes
and Persians, which altereth not.
13 Then answered they and said
before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity
of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but
maketh his petition three times a day.
14 Then the king, when he heard these
words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to
deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
15 Then these men assembled unto the
king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and
Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may
be changed.
16 Then the king commanded, and they
brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king
spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will
deliver thee.
17 And a stone was brought, and laid
upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with
the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning
Daniel.
Daniel is saved
18 Then the king went to his palace,
and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before
him: and his sleep went from him.
19 Then the king arose very early in
the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
20 And when he came to the den, he
cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said
to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest
continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O
king, live for ever.
22 My God hath sent his angel, and
hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before
him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no
hurt.
23 Then was the king exceeding glad
for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So
Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him,
because he believed in his God.
24 And the king commanded, and they
brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the
den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the
mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the
bottom of the den.
Another great light that shined
in the midst of darkness was
Daniel. Daniel too, refused to bow
down to the idols of Babylon, even in the midst of evil, he remained Gods
holy/set apart one, why? BECAUSE HE
BELIEVED IN HIS GOD!
Hebrews 11 – Gods Hall of Faith!
1 Now faith is the substance of
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2 For by it the elders obtained a
good report.
3 Through faith we understand that
the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were
not made of things which do appear.
4 By faith Abel offered unto God a
more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was
righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
5 By faith Enoch was translated
that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated
him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
6 But without faith it is
impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he
is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
7 By faith Noah, being warned of
God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving
of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the
righteousness which is by faith.
8 By faith Abraham, when he was
called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance,
obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9 By faith he sojourned in the land
of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac
and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which
hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
11 Through faith also Sara herself
received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was
past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
12 Therefore sprang there even of
one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in
multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
13 These all died in faith, not
having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded
of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were
strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For they that say such things
declare plainly that they seek a country.
15 And truly, if they had been
mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had
opportunity to have returned.
16 But now they desire a better country,
that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for
he hath prepared for them a city.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was
tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his
only begotten son,
18 Of whom it was said, That in
Isaac shall thy seed be called:
19 Accounting that God was
able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received
him in a figure.
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and
Esau concerning things to come.
21 By faith Jacob, when he was a
dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the
top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made
mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment
concerning his bones.
23 By faith Moses, when he was born,
was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper
child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
24 By faith Moses, when he was come
to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer
affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a
season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ
greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the
recompence of the reward.
27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not
fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
28 Through faith he kept the
passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn
should touch them.
29 By faith they passed through the
Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho
fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
31 By faith the harlot Rahab
perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with
peace.
32 And what shall I more say? for
the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of
Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of
the prophets:
33 Who through faith subdued
kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of
lions,
34 Quenched the violence of fire,
escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant
in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
35 Women received their dead raised
to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they
might obtain a better resurrection:
36 And others had trial of cruel
mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
37 They were stoned, they were sawn
asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in
sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
38 (Of whom the world was not
worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens
and caves of the earth.
39 And these all, having obtained a
good report through faith, received not the promise:
40 God having provided some better
thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Heb 11:1-40 (KJV)
Even in the midst of a pagan
society we can live a holy set apart life for His glory. The furnace may be hot, and the lion might
look mighty hungry but our God will be there if we keep Him first place in our
life and refuse to bow our knees to worlds ways (Ha Satans ways) of living and
serve the Holy one of Israel!
See outline Holiness
Set Apart for His Glory for further study.
We can live in the Kingdom of God
and operate in the Kingdom of God even in the midst of Babylon. We are in the World, but not of it
We have been translated from the
Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of light
We can walk victoriously in the
midst of darkness, we might get thrown in the furnace, but we will not get
burned, we might get thrown to the lions, but their mouth will be shut up tight
by the power of God.
Baruch Ha Shem Adonai