The Fourth Man

Babylonian Bullies Part One We Will Not Bow Crime and Punishment Three young men, government employees, stood waiting to be sentenced. It came as no surprise when they learned that they were to be executed immediately. Their crime? Refusing to adopt the values of the land where they lived in exile. Backstory Before we dig deeper into this story, let me give you a little historical context. Around 600 BC, Nebuchadnezzar, a powerful Babylonian king, conquered Jerusalem, burned it, and destroyed the temple that Solomon had built. He then exiled the Israelites to Babylon, where they lived for 70 years. Some of the Jews were placed in positions of responsibility over the affairs of Babylon. Three of them, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, are the   heroes of this story. Limited Options So, we left off with our three heroes being sentenced to death. Let's rewind the tape a little and start from the beginning. King Nebuchadnezzar had a 90-foot gold statue erected and the people of Babylon w