Daniel 3:22
“Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.”
What does Daniel 3:22 mean?
The heat from the furnace was so intense that it killed the soldiers who were simply escorting Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to the fire. King Nebuchadnezzar had ordered the furnace heated to an extreme degree, both out of anger at the men's refusal to bow to his idol and to ensure they would die. This detail shows us just how deadly the situation was, setting up the miraculous turn: the three faithful men will survive what killed everyone else who came near it.