As the COVID-19 pandemic has rocked on for almost two years, I hear more and more believers desiring to get back to the way things used to be, praying for America to turn back and be morally restored. While this sounds virtuous and something that you can certainly petition heaven about, it may better serve the Kingdom of God immediately if we prepare ourselves and our families to live within the current condition of an iniquitous society. This writing is not a guide for passivity, certainly, anyone who knows me will testify that I am far from passive; it is a spiritual map to help you navigate the present circumstances. My goal is to see the Lord’s church rise to the occasion and be an example for those who do not have Christ as their Lord and Savior. To do this we will look back on an ancient society that was also perverse in many ways including its worship of false gods. But somehow amongst this heathen people, we see a handful of Jewish captives that refuse to relent to the surrounding culture.

Although it is Abraham that receives the friend of God title in the New Testament, there is perhaps no other person in scripture who embodies a friendship walk with God more in character than Daniel. Even after being taken captive, displaced to a heathen land, and surrounded by a pagan culture, he stayed true to the God of his fathers. This type of bedrock only comes through making the right choices every day despite the world around us. The avalanche of compromise often starts with something simple, just as the book of Daniel starts with a minor request for Daniel to eat the King’s food. Most people, or cultures, who fall away from God don’t wake up one morning and decide to do a complete one-eighty. It comes very subtly and usually in a nicely wrapped package. I want to look at three instances that Daniel faced, and the choices he made, that could serve as a guide for us while dwelling in an ungodly nation. At the risk of being lengthy, I have included each scripture in its entirety for convenience.

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore, he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. Why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.”

So, Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” So, he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days.

And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. Thus, the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink and gave them vegetables. As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

18 Now at the end of the days, when the king had said that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. Then the king interviewed them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore, they served before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm. Thus, Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus. Daniel 1:8-21 ESV

In this passage, we see that Daniel refused to take part in anything that would compromise his right standing with God. This discourse may have less to do with food and more to do with our living each moment as though we are in the very presence of our God. As the people of God, we should continually push back on things that will come between us and our relationship with the Lord. The keyword used here is defiled and it should be a priority for us to keep our souls clean before God. When we allow the world to creep into our lives it becomes a slippery slope that eventually leads to moral devastation. As I mentioned earlier these concessions usually look innocent enough at their beginning stages. A century ago, it would have been almost impossible for even a nominal believer to accept homosexuality as anything but an abomination to the God we serve. By the way, homosexuality is not a gray area regarding its scriptural context. The Bible is very clear about how the Lord feels about this and another sexual sin that distorts his creation. But now there are so-called clergy that not only accept this as a lifestyle choice but participates in it as well. As the people of God, it is our responsibility to be holy as he is holy. This is not a cry for legalism but a call to repentance for those who have been blinded by the cares of this world. If the goal for you and me as Christians is to be transformed into the image of Christ, then let’s come back to center on some basic things regarding God’srequirements. For us to be holy means that we stay submissive to the Spirit of God and his written word. As our hearts and lives are molded then we set the stage to allow God to work through us. This separation, or holiness, is essential if we are to live in a society of Ungodliness.

The second instance that Daniel faced was when King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that no one else could interpret. But true to form, Daniel called upon the Living God to guide him through the turmoil.

Therefore, Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation.”

Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, “I have found a man of the captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation.”
The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?”

Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon

your bed, were these: As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your
bed, about what would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has made known to you what will be. But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the
king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart.
“You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose
splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

“This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold. But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”

Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.” Daniel 2:24-47 ESV

Not only did Daniel remain pure amongst a nation drenched in ungodliness but it positioned him to speak with the power and authority of the one True God. To reveal a man’s dream and then interpret it without any preconceived idea of that dream is a testament to how great the God we serve can be. This kind of revelation can only come through the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in this situation. As believers in Christ, we should not only be holy in character but be powerful in our actions. We must be willing to allow the Spirit of God to work through us even when it is uncomfortable to the flesh. In his letter to the church of Corinth, the Apostle Paul

gives a list of spiritual things to be accomplished through us when the Holy Spirit gets involved in the situation. The Lord has not changed the way that he works or manifests himself regardless of man’s doctrine. One thing to remember here is that these manifestations of the Spirit are not about us, they are a gift for those that are hurt, lame, bound, and in need of God’s touch. As I’ve studied the twentieth-century church, it seems as though a lot of God’scharismatic people may have forgotten this principle. And while it is also very easy for us to look at the failings of a few and say that God isn’t in it, the Lord is always there to champion the poor and suffering and these are how the Lord shows himself strong and verifies his authority over all things. Please take some time to familiarize yourself with these Spiritual gifts or manifestations and hopefully it will equip your life to serve those around you to the fullest measure.

Thirdly, I want to look at an instance recorded that Daniel was used to pronouncing judgment on Nebuchadnezzar’s successor.

Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood, and stone. In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace, and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened, and his knees knocked against each other. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” Now all the king’s wise men came, but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation. Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were astonished. The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation. Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. Now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. “Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses. “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written. “And this was the inscription written :MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom and finished it; TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; PERES: Your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians. Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. Daniel 5:1-30 ESV.

From this, we see that as God’s mouthpiece, Daniel was not afraid to declare the full judgment of the Lord to this heathen King. As a people of the Spirit, we should not hesitate to proclaim to a perverse generation, the judgments of our King. When a person or society becomes entrenched in immorality and godlessness, it is our obligation as believers to inform them of the Lord’s imminent judgment. Some of our setbacks today is that we have made God out to be nicer than he is revealed in scripture to be. Because he never changes, our God is still judging the hearts of men and weighing them in the balance. If we are to walk out our faith amid a crooked and perverse generation, then be ready for there to be a confrontation. After all, this could be what helps restore a healthy fear of the Lord to their hearts. And that fear of the Lord is what will ultimately bring restoration and revival to our nation.

Living in Babylon is an amended excerpt from the book “The Greatest of These” soon to be released by Christian Faith Publishing. Copyright 2022 by Curtis Wilson