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The Fourth in the Fire

Three captives refused to bow, sure that God could save them and determined to obey Him even if He didn’t

  • 📖 Adult Sunday School
  • Week 46
  • 📅 Sunday, November 15, 2026
💡 The big idea

Real faith trusts God’s power without making obedience depend on the outcome; like Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, we can decide ahead of time to stay true “but if not,” and we will find that the Lord walks with us in the fire.

I can decide ahead of time to stay true to the Lord whatever the outcome, keep up the small daily devotions that make me steady, and trust that He is with me in the fire.

Study it yourself firstRead Daniel 1–7 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Daniel 1–7)
Know the chapters

Daniel and his friends were young men of Judah taken to Babylon around 605 BC. That was the third year of King Jehoiakim, years before Jerusalem fell. That’s Daniel 1:1–6. They got Babylonian names, trained for the king’s service and ate from his table. But Daniel “purposed in his heart” not to defile himself with the king’s food and wine. He respectfully asked for a ten-day trial of pulse and water. In 1:8–20, God blessed all four with health, knowledge and wisdom. Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2. Then his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, were put over the province of Babylon. That’s 2:48–49.

This lesson centers on Daniel 3. Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden image sixty cubits high, about ninety feet. Every official had to bow when the music played. Anyone who refused would be thrown into a burning furnace. The three friends refused. Their answer in 3:17–18 is one of the great statements of faith in scripture. God “is able to deliver us.” “But if not,” they still won’t bow. In 3:25 the king sees four men walking in the fire, “and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” In 3:28 he says God sent His angel. The Lord didn’t keep them out of the furnace. He met them in it. Compare Isaiah 43:2.

Around that story, the block shows other kinds of faithfulness. In Daniel 2, a stone “cut out without hands” becomes a mountain that fills the earth. It’s a kingdom that “shall never be destroyed,” in 2:34–35 and 44. Doctrine and Covenants 65:2 applies that image to the restored gospel rolling forth. Daniel 4 is Nebuchadnezzar’s own story of being humbled. Daniel 5 is the handwriting on the wall. In Daniel 6, Daniel is an old man. He still kneels three times a day with his windows open toward Jerusalem. He does it “as he did aforetime,” in 6:10, lions or no lions. In 7:13–14, Daniel sees “one like the Son of man” receive an everlasting kingdom.

Twenty-five minutes is enough for one chapter read well. Walk through Daniel 3 in five short readings: 3:4–6, 13–15, 16–18, 23–25 and 26–28. Bridge the gaps in a sentence. Give “but if not” real time. Daniel 1 and 6 are a short bonus. The stone cut without hands and the rest of the block are in the extras.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Daniel 3 in five short readings: verses 4–6, 13–15, 16–18, 23–25 and 26–28. Ask one question after each. Open by asking the class to silently finish, “I’ll keep trusting God as long as…” Study Daniel 3:17–18 and find what the friends are sure of. Spend the most time on But If Not. Close with 3:25. Invite everyone to settle one decision they’ll keep no matter what.

What to bring2 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Read Daniel 3 out loud once, then Daniel 1:8–16 and 6:10. Watch for 3:17–18 and 3:25. They carry the lesson.
  2. Think of your honest answer to “When has the Lord not taken the fire away, but walked through it with me?” If the room is quiet, you’ll go first.

Discussion tips

  • Quiet class? “But if not” touches deep things. Wait longer than feels comfortable, then share your own answer first. A minute of talking with a neighbor can help too.
  • One voice filling every pause? Thank them warmly, then say, “Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t had a chance yet,” and wait.
  • “But if not” touches real pain. Think of a prayer for healing that wasn’t answered as hoped. Think of a loved one who died or a marriage that ended. Don’t imply that enough faith always gets people out of the furnace. The three friends didn’t assume it would. That’s the point.
  • Someone asks why God rescued these three when other faithful people weren’t rescued? You don’t need to settle it. Say it’s a real question. Point to their words “but if not.” Testify that the Lord is in the fire with us, even when He doesn’t remove it.
  • Visitors or new members? Explain in a sentence who Daniel and his friends were. Never ask anyone to read aloud without checking first.

The 25-minute plan25 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Each “On the screen” line is what the class sees on a shared screen in Teach Mode in the Gospel Sparks app; on paper, read it aloud or write it on the board.

1. Hook

As Long As…

3 min

Surfaces the conditions we quietly put on our faith, so Daniel 3 can show faith with none attached.

  1. SAY“I’ll start a sentence. Finish it silently. You won’t be asked to share. Here it is: ‘I’ll keep trusting God as long as…’”
  2. Give them about 20 seconds of quiet.
  3. Ask, “You don’t have to share your own. What ‘as long as’ conditions do people put on faith?” Take three or four answers.
  4. SAY“Today three young men in Babylon show us faith with no ‘as long as’ attached.”

On the screen: 🤔 I’ll keep trusting God as long as…

2. Story

Daniel 3 in Five Short Readings

10 min

Walks through Daniel 3 a few verses at a time, from the golden image to the fourth in the fire, with one question at each stop.

  1. SAY“We’ll walk through Daniel 3 in five short readings. Listen for the moment each person has to decide something.”
  2. Show one scene at a time and give its one-line setup. You or a volunteer reads each passage.
  3. After each reading, ask the scene’s question and take two or three answers. Keep each stop about two minutes.
  4. After the last reading, let the quiet sit for a few seconds.

On the screen: 🔥 Daniel 3: three captives, a golden image and a fourth in the fire · Five short readings: 3:4–6 · 13–15 · 16–18 · 23–25 · 26–28

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: The shared screen (TV or device) with Teach Mode open

  1. SAY“We’ll walk through Daniel 3 in five short readings. Listen for the moment each person has to decide something.”
  2. Read verses 4–6, 13–15, 16–18, 23–25 and 26–28. Give each setup in your own words first. You or a volunteer reads.
  3. After each reading, ask the scene’s question aloud and take two or three answers. Keep each stop about two minutes.
3. Scripture

Faith with Two Endings

3 min

Studies Daniel 3:17–18 closely so class members see faith that trusts God’s power without depending on the outcome.

  1. SAY“Let’s slow down on their answer.”
  2. Read Daniel 3:17–18 while the class follows on the screen.
  3. Ask, “What are they sure of?” Follow-up: “What don’t they claim to know?” Draw it out. God is able. They won’t bow. They leave the rescue to Him.
  4. Ask, “Why does ‘but if not’ make their faith stronger instead of weaker?”
  5. Read Isaiah 43:2, “when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned.”

On the screen: ✋ Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us… But if not… · Daniel 3:17–18 · What are they sure of? What do they leave to God?

4. Talk it over

But If Not

6 min

Helps adults talk honestly about faith in God rather than in a particular outcome, and about decisions settled ahead of time.

  1. SAY“Most of us have prayed for a rescue that didn’t come the way we hoped. Let’s talk honestly about ‘but if not’ faith.”
  2. Pick two or three questions. Ask one, wait, then ask its follow-up before you move on.
  3. Before the last question, share President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s words about Babylon from “From general conference” below.
  4. Count to seven before you rescue a silence. If needed, share your own experience first.
💬 Ask the class
  • They knew God could save them. They didn’t know if He would. How do you live with that tension in your own prayers? Follow-up: What’s helped you keep praying when the answer was “not yet,” or “no”?
  • What is the difference between faith in God and faith in a particular outcome? Follow-up: How did you learn that difference?
  • When has the Lord not taken the fire away, but walked through it with you? Follow-up: How did you know He was there?
  • They had decided before the music ever played. Which decisions are best made ahead of time, before the pressure comes? Follow-up: What have you already settled that way?
  • What golden images does nearly everyone in our culture bow to? Follow-up: How do you stay standing without looking down on those who bow?

On the screen: 🔥 Faith in God, not in a particular outcome. · Daniel 3:17–18, 25

5. Testimony

Not Alone in the Fire

3 min

Ends with testimony that Jesus Christ is with us in the fire, and one simple invitation.

  1. SAY“Three men were thrown in. The king saw four walking. Would one or two of you share a time the Lord was with you in a fire?”
  2. Bear a short testimony. Jesus Christ doesn’t always remove the furnace. But He never leaves us alone in it.
  3. Invite: “This week, settle one ‘but if not’ decision. Pick something you’ll stay true to, whatever happens. And keep one small daily devotion.”

On the screen: 👣 Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire. · Daniel 3:25 · This week: settle one “but if not” decision.

6. Talk it over

Faithful in Babylon

4 minBONUS

Shows that Daniel’s great moments rested on small, settled habits.

  1. SAY“Daniel’s night in the lions’ den rested on small, settled habits.”
  2. Read Daniel 1:8, then Daniel 6:10.
  3. Point out “purposed in his heart” and “as he did aforetime.” Ask one or two questions, then close on time.
💬 Ask the class
  • Daniel “purposed in his heart” long before the lions’ den. What small daily choices build that kind of resolve? Follow-up: Which one is strongest for you right now?
  • When the pressure came, Daniel prayed “as he did aforetime.” He didn’t do something new and dramatic. Why does that matter? Follow-up: What habit do you want already in place on your hardest day?
  • In chapter 1, verse 12, Daniel asks respectfully for another way. He doesn’t make a scene. How can we hold firm standards without being harsh with people? Follow-up: Who has shown you how?

On the screen: 🪟 He kneeled upon his knees three times a day… as he did aforetime. · Daniel 1:8; 6:10

Read it together

The Furnace

Daniel 3:4–6; Daniel 3:13–15; Daniel 3:16–18; Daniel 3:23–25; Daniel 3:26–28 ↗

Scenes

  1. 🗿 A golden image ninety feet tall

    In Daniel 3, verses 1 to 3, Nebuchadnezzar sets up a golden image sixty cubits high. That’s about ninety feet. He calls every official in the province to its dedication. Now read verses 4 to 6. Notice the whole orchestra. And the furnace waiting behind it.

    💬 Ask: The music made bowing feel normal, even festive. What makes it easy to bow along with everyone today?

  2. 😠 “Who is that God?”

    In verses 7 to 12, the music plays and the whole plain bows. But three men stay standing. Some Chaldeans report them to the king. Now read verses 13 to 15. Listen to the king’s last line: “who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?”

    💬 Ask: The king offers one more chance. Why can a second chance to compromise be harder to refuse than the first?

  3. ✋ “But if not”

    Now verses 16 to 18. They don’t ask for time to think. Listen for three small words that make their faith unshakable: “But if not.”

    💬 Ask: What had these three already decided long before they reached the plain of Dura?

  4. 🔥 Four men loose in the fire

    In verses 19 to 22, the furious king heats the furnace seven times hotter. The flames kill the soldiers who throw them in. Now read verses 23 to 25. Notice the contrast. Three men fall in, bound. Four are seen walking, loose.

    💬 Ask: The Lord didn’t keep them out of the furnace. He met them in it. What does that teach you about how He helps?

  5. 👣 Not even the smell of fire

    Now verses 26 to 28. Not a hair is singed. The king blesses their God, because they “yielded their bodies” rather than bow. Afterward, in verses 29 and 30, he protects their worship and promotes them.

    💬 Ask: Their faithfulness changed a king. Whose quiet faithfulness has changed you?

Key verse

Daniel 3:17–18 ↗
“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. 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.”
In plain words: They were sure God could save them, and they decided that even if He didn’t, they would stay true. Their faithfulness didn’t depend on the outcome.

More verses

Daniel 3:25 ↗
“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.”
In plain words: The Lord didn’t keep them out of the furnace. He was with them inside it.
Daniel 1:8 ↗
“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.”
In plain words: Daniel settled his decision in his heart first, then asked respectfully for another way.
Daniel 6:10 ↗
“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.”
In plain words: When prayer became against the law, Daniel didn’t make a show of it or hide it. He simply kept praying the way he always had.
Daniel 2:44 ↗
“And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”
In plain words: Empires rise and fall, but God will set up a kingdom that lasts forever.

From general conference

“The ancient city of Babylon is in ruins. Its splendor is long gone. But Babylon’s worldliness and wickedness live on. Now it falls to us to live as believers in a world of disbelief.”

— President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Be Not Afraid, Only Believe,” October 2015

Share in But If Not, before the question about the golden images of our culture.

Read the talk ↗

Songs

  • Choose the Right Hymns, no. 239

    A hymn about choosing right when the choice is hard, the heart of Daniel 1, 3 and 6. Find it ↗

  • How Firm a Foundation Hymns, no. 85

    A hymn of the Lord’s promise to stand by His Saints in their trials. Find it ↗

This week’s invitation

But If Not

Write down one “but if not” decision. Keep it where you’ll see it every day this week. Then pick one small devotion, like morning prayer, scripture study or a moment of gratitude. Keep it as steadily as Daniel kept his prayers, “as he did aforetime.”

Take it home

In Sunday School we read how Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego refused to bow to a golden image. They told the king, “But if not.” That’s Daniel 3:18. Then they were seen walking in the fire with a fourth person “like the Son of God.” At home, read Daniel 3:16–18 together. Have each person name one thing they’ve decided to stay true to no matter what.

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

⚖️ Weighed in the Balances · 4 min

  1. Read Daniel 5:2–5. Belshazzar drinks from the vessels taken from the Lord’s temple. Then a hand writes on the wall.
  2. Read Daniel 5:22 and 5:25–28. He knew what happened to Nebuchadnezzar and still didn’t humble his heart.
  3. Ask, “What’s the difference between knowing a lesson and letting it humble us?”

👑 The King Who Looked Up · 4 min

  1. Read Daniel 4:29–33. Nebuchadnezzar boasts over “great Babylon, that I have built” and loses everything.
  2. Read Daniel 4:34–37. He lifts his eyes to heaven, and his understanding returns.
  3. Ask, “What helps us look up before life forces us to?”

☁️ The Ancient of Days · 4 min

  1. Read Daniel 7:9–10 and 13–14. The Ancient of Days sits on His throne. One like the Son of man receives an everlasting kingdom.
  2. Read Doctrine and Covenants 116:1. It names Adam-ondi-Ahman as where the Ancient of Days shall sit, “as spoken of by Daniel the prophet.”
  3. Ask, “How does Daniel’s everlasting kingdom change how we see the kingdoms of our day?”

🪨 A Stone Cut Without Hands · 5 min

  1. Read Daniel 2:31–35. A great image is made of gold, silver, brass, iron and clay. A small stone shatters it and fills the earth.
  2. Read Daniel 2:44–45. Then read Doctrine and Covenants 65:2, where the stone is the gospel rolling forth in our day.
  3. Ask, “Where have you seen the stone rolling forth in your lifetime?”

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

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