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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
🏆 Showdown
💡 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 in the third year of King Jehoiakim, around 605 BC, years before Jerusalem fell (Daniel 1:1–6). They were given Babylonian names, trained for the king’s service and fed from his table. Daniel “purposed in his heart” not to defile himself with the king’s food and wine, asked respectfully for a ten-day trial of pulse and water, and God blessed all four with health, knowledge and wisdom (1:8–20). When Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, were set over the affairs of the province of Babylon (2:48–49).

This lesson centers on Daniel 3. Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden image sixty cubits high, roughly ninety feet, and commanded every official to bow when the music played or be thrown into a burning furnace. The three friends refused. Their answer is one of the great statements of faith in scripture: God “is able to deliver us,” and “But if not,” they still would not bow (3:17–18). The king saw four men walking in the fire, “and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God” (3:25), and later said God had sent His angel (3:28). The Lord did not 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 the stone “cut out without hands” becomes a mountain that fills the earth, a kingdom that “shall never be destroyed” (2:34–35, 44); latter-day revelation applies that image to the restored gospel rolling forth (Doctrine and Covenants 65:2). Daniel 4 is Nebuchadnezzar’s own account of being humbled, Daniel 5 is the handwriting on the wall, and Daniel 6 shows Daniel, by then an old man, kneeling three times a day with his windows open toward Jerusalem “as he did aforetime” (6:10), lions or no lions. Daniel 7 looks ahead to “one like the Son of man” receiving an everlasting kingdom (7:13–14).

Twenty-five minutes won’t hold the lions’ den and the furnace and the dream. Read Daniel 3 well, give “but if not” real time, and touch Daniel 1 and 6 in the second discussion. The stone cut without hands is ready as a bonus step.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Daniel 3, 1:8 and 6:10 once. Open by asking the class to silently finish, “I’ll keep trusting God as long as…” Walk through the furnace, then read Daniel 3:17–18 together and look for their two statements of faith. Spend most of the time on the “but if not” questions. Close by reading Daniel 3:25 and asking each person to write down one decision they will 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 straight through, then Daniel 1 and Daniel 6. Watch for verses 15, 17–18, 25 and 28 in chapter 3; they carry the lesson.
  2. Ask two people ahead of time to read: one as the Herald (3:4–6) and one for the King (3:15 and 3:24–25). A quick Saturday text is plenty.
  3. Set out index cards and pens so they’re ready at the end.
  4. Think about your own 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.
  5. Pick the two or three questions you most want to reach in each discussion. Let the rest go.

Discussion tips

  • Quiet class? After reading Daniel 3:17–18, give a full minute for pairs to talk about the difference between “he is able” and “but if not.” Then invite a few to share what their partner said.
  • 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: a prayer for healing that wasn’t answered the way someone hoped, a loved one who died, 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, and that is the point.
  • If someone asks why God rescued these three when faithful people in other stories were not rescued, you don’t need to resolve it. Acknowledge that it’s a real question, point to their words “but if not,” and testify that the Lord is present in the fire even when He doesn’t remove it.
  • Visitors and new members: explain briefly who Daniel and his friends were, show references on the shared screen, and 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. On the web you can play Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

As Long As…

3 min

Surfaces the quiet conditions we sometimes attach to our faith, before anyone opens Daniel.

  1. SAY“I’m going to start a sentence. Finish it silently in your own head; you won’t be asked to share it.”
  2. Put the headline on the shared screen and read it: “I’ll keep trusting God as long as…”
  3. Give 20 seconds of quiet.
  4. Ask: “Without sharing your own, what are some of the ‘as long as’ conditions people tend to put on their faith?” Take two or three answers: health, answered prayers, a child staying close, things making sense.
  5. SAY“Today three young men in Babylon show us faith with no ‘as long as’ attached.”

On the screen: 🤔 Finish silently: “I’ll keep trusting God as long as…”

2. Story

Read It in Context: The Furnace

6 min

Reads Daniel 3 as a real moment of pressure so the words “but if not” carry their full weight.

  1. Open Teach Mode to the scripture scene. The shared screen shows one scene at a time.
  2. Read each scene’s context yourself, then let the assigned voices read the verses. The Herald and the King read the king’s words; the whole class reads the three friends’ answer.
  3. Keep it moving: context, verses, next scene. Save comments for the discussion.
  4. After scene 6, let a few seconds of quiet pass before moving on.

On the screen: 🔥 Daniel 3: a golden image, a furnace, and three who would not bow · Follow along in Daniel 3

3. Scripture

Faith with Two Endings

4 min

Studies Daniel 3:17–18 closely so class members see how certainty about God and uncertainty about outcomes can live together.

  1. Put Daniel 3:17–18 on the shared screen and read it slowly.
  2. SAY“With the person next to you, find the two things they are sure of.”
  3. After a minute, draw it out: they are sure God is able, and they are sure they won’t bow. The one thing they don’t claim to know is whether He will rescue them.
  4. Ask: “Why does ‘but if not’ make their faith stronger rather than weaker?”
  5. Read Isaiah 43:2 aloud: “when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned.”

On the screen: ✋ Our God is able to deliver us … But if not, we will not bow. · Daniel 3:17–18 · What are they sure of? What don’t they claim to know?

4. Talk it over

But If Not

6 min

Helps adults separate faith in God from faith in a particular outcome, and see the Lord’s presence in the fire.

  1. Pick two or three questions; don’t try to cover all of them.
  2. Start the second question in pairs: one minute with a neighbor, then invite a few to share with the room.
  3. Let silence work. Count to seven in your head before rescuing a question.
  4. If the room is quiet, share your own answer first.
💬 Ask the class
  • They were certain God could save them and uncertain whether He would. How do we live with that same tension in our own prayers?
  • What’s the difference between faith in God and faith in a particular outcome? (Talk with a neighbor first.)
  • When has the Lord not taken the fire away, but walked through it with you?
  • They had decided before they reached the furnace. What decisions are best made ahead of time, before the pressure comes?
  • The king said they “yielded their bodies” rather than bow (3:28), and his own heart changed. How does quiet faithfulness affect the people watching?

On the screen: 🔥 Faith in God, or faith in an outcome? · Daniel 3:17–18, 25, 28

5. Talk it over

Faithful in Babylon

4 min

Connects the furnace to the small, steady choices in Daniel 1 and 6 that make that kind of courage possible.

  1. Read Daniel 1:8 and Daniel 6:10 aloud, one after the other.
  2. Point out “purposed in his heart” and “as he did aforetime”: the big moments rested on settled, ordinary habits.
  3. Share President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s words about Babylon (in “From general conference” below).
  4. Ask one or two questions, then move to the testimony on time.
💬 Ask the class
  • Daniel “purposed in his heart” long before the lions’ den. What small daily choices build that kind of resolve?
  • Why does it matter that Daniel prayed “as he did aforetime” instead of doing something new and dramatic when the pressure came?
  • What are the golden images of our culture that nearly everyone seems to bow to?

On the screen: 🙏 Daniel prayed three times a day, “as he did aforetime.” · Daniel 1:8; 6:10

6. Testimony

Not Alone in the Fire

2 min

Ends with testimony of Jesus Christ, who walks with us in the fire, and a concrete, private commitment.

  1. Read Daniel 3:25 once more.
  2. Hand out the cards. Invite each person to write, privately, one “but if not” decision: something they will stay true to whatever happens. They keep the card.
  3. Invite one or two people to share, in a sentence or two, a time the Lord was with them in a fire.
  4. Bear a short testimony that Jesus Christ does not always remove the furnace, but He never leaves us alone in it.
  5. Invite: “Put that card where you’ll see it this week, and keep one small devotion as faithfully as Daniel kept his prayers.”

On the screen: 👣 Four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt. · Daniel 3:25 · This week: write your “but if not.” Keep one devotion “as aforetime.”

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: An index card or slip of paper and a pen or pencil for each person

  1. Read Daniel 3:25 once more.
  2. Invite each person to decide silently on one “but if not” commitment: something they will stay true to whatever happens.
  3. Invite one or two people to share, in a sentence or two, a time the Lord was with them in a fire.
  4. Bear a short testimony that Jesus Christ does not always remove the furnace, but He never leaves us alone in it.
  5. Invite: “Write that decision down when you get home, and keep one small devotion as faithfully as Daniel kept his prayers.”
7. Talk it over

A Stone Cut Without Hands

5 minBONUS

Explores Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and its latter-day fulfillment in the restored Church and kingdom of God.

  1. Read Daniel 2:31–35: a great image of gold, silver, brass, iron and clay, and a small stone that shatters it and fills the earth.
  2. Read Daniel 2:44–45, then Doctrine and Covenants 65:2, where the Lord applies the stone to the gospel rolling forth in our day.
  3. Point out that Daniel first asked his friends to pray with him (2:17–18) and gave God the credit (2:27–28).
  4. Ask one or two questions.
💬 Ask the class
  • What does it mean that the stone was cut out “without hands”?
  • Where have you seen the stone rolling forth in your own lifetime?
  • Daniel asked his friends to pray with him before a hard task. Who do you ask to pray with you?

On the screen: 🪨 A stone cut out without hands became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. · Daniel 2:31–45 · Doctrine and Covenants 65:2

8. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A light, friendly review if you finish early.

  1. Split the room down the middle into two teams.
  2. Launch Scripture Showdown on your phone or tablet and read each question aloud.
  3. After each reveal, read the reference so people can mark it.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

On the screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: how well do you know Daniel 1–7?

Read it together

The Furnace on the Plain of Dura

Daniel 3 ↗

Reading parts

  • HeraldReads the king’s decree in Daniel 3:4–6.
  • KingReads Nebuchadnezzar’s challenge in Daniel 3:15 and his astonished words in 3:24–25.
  • The ClassEveryone reads the three friends’ answer together: Daniel 3:16–18.

Scenes

  1. 🗿 A golden image ninety feet tall

    Nebuchadnezzar rules the greatest empire on earth. He raises a golden image about ninety feet tall on the plain of Dura and summons every official in the province to its dedication. Among them are three young captives from Judah he has promoted.

    🎬 The teacher reads this context. The Herald reads Daniel 3:4–6.

  2. 🎶 The music plays, and everyone bows

    The instruments sound, and a whole plain full of officials drops to the ground. Three men stay standing. Someone notices, and someone reports it.

    🎬 The teacher reads Daniel 3:7–8 and 3:12.

  3. 😠 “Who is that God?”

    The king is furious, but he offers them one more chance: bow when the music plays and all is forgiven. Refuse, and it’s the furnace. He ends with a taunt.

    🎬 The King reads Daniel 3:15.

  4. ✋ “But if not”

    Their answer is calm and completely settled. They don’t need time to think. They have already decided.

    🎬 The Class reads Daniel 3:16–18 together. Let a few seconds of silence follow.

  5. 🔥 Seven times hotter

    The king orders the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual. His strongest soldiers bind the three in their clothes and throw them in, and the heat is so intense that it kills the soldiers.

    🎬 The teacher reads Daniel 3:19–23.

  6. 👣 Four men walking in the fire

    The king leaps up. He counted three men thrown in bound. Now he sees four, unbound and walking. When the three come out, not a hair is singed, and they don’t even smell of smoke.

    🎬 The King reads Daniel 3:24–25. The teacher reads 3:26–28.

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.

Scripture Showdown7 questions

  1. What did Daniel ask to eat instead of the king’s food?
    • A. Pulse and water
    • B. Bread and wine
    • C. Fish and honey
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Pulse and water Daniel 1:12: “let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.”

  2. How tall was Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image?
    • A. Six cubits
    • B. Threescore (sixty) cubits
    • C. A thousand cubits
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Threescore (sixty) cubits Daniel 3:1: its height was threescore cubits, roughly ninety feet.

  3. Which words show the three friends’ faith didn’t depend on being rescued?
    • A. “O king, live for ever”
    • B. “But if not”
    • C. “Is it true?”
    Show answer

    ✅ B. “But if not” Daniel 3:18: “But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods.”

  4. How much hotter did the king order the furnace heated?
    • A. Twice as hot
    • B. Ten times hotter
    • C. Seven times hotter
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Seven times hotter Daniel 3:19: “one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.”

  5. How many men did the king see walking in the fire?
    • A. Four
    • B. Three
    • C. Seven
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Four Daniel 3:25: “I see four men loose … and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

  6. What did the stone cut out without hands become?
    • A. A temple
    • B. A great mountain
    • C. A new golden image
    Show answer

    ✅ B. A great mountain Daniel 2:35: it “became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.”

  7. How often did Daniel pray, even after the king’s decree?
    • A. Once a week
    • B. Only at night, in secret
    • C. Three times a day
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Three times a day Daniel 6:10: he kneeled three times a day and prayed, “as he did aforetime.”

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

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 Faithful in Babylon, after reading Daniel 1:8 and 6:10.

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

Keep your “but if not” card where you’ll see it every day this week. And choose one small devotion (morning prayer, scripture study, a moment of gratitude) to keep 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, told the king, “But if not” (Daniel 3:18), and were seen walking in the fire with a fourth person “like the Son of God” (3:25). Take it home: read Daniel 3:16–18 together and ask each person to 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 5:1–6: Belshazzar drinks from the vessels taken from the Lord’s temple, and a hand writes on the wall.
  2. Read Daniel 5:22 and 5:25–28. He knew what had happened to Nebuchadnezzar and still did not humble his heart.
  3. Ask: “What is the difference between knowing a lesson and letting it humble us?”

👑 The King Who Looked Up · 4 min

  1. Read Daniel 4:29–33, where 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 on His throne, and one like the Son of man receiving an everlasting kingdom.
  2. Read Doctrine and Covenants 116:1, which identifies Adam-ondi-Ahman as the place where the Ancient of Days shall sit, “as spoken of by Daniel the prophet.”
  3. Ask: “How does Daniel’s vision of an everlasting kingdom change how we see the kingdoms of our own day?”

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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