In Daniel 3, we find three Israelite captives, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, being threatened with certain death because they have refused to bow to a gold statue setup by King Nebuchadnezzar. After their refusal they are thrown into the furnace, and joined by a fourth figure (one “like a son of God”), and miraculously preserved from death. By the end of the story, they are promoted to high-level positions within the kingdom, and God is glorified.
Many of us have heard this story before and are glad to hear that no harm comes to the men because of their faith in God. But there are a few aspects of this story that we rarely think about:
If you’re wondering where the name “The Cloud” came from, here’s the answer: from the Old Testament, the New Testament, and technology-speak.
In the Old Testament, the cloud of God, or the cloud in which God was covered, led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness (it became a pillar of fire at night). The glory of God also appeared to the Israelites in a cloud. So the cloud signifies the presence of God with us. (Ex. 13:21-22, 16:10)
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul describes the “cloud of witnesses” in Hebrews 12:1 as representing the community believers throughout history. For us the cloud also signifies that we are not isolated, but are part of a much larger community made up of God’s people. (Heb. 11-12)
Finally, in technical parlance, the “cloud” refers to the Internet, so since we’re developing this community using the power and technology of Internet, naming this site The Cloud made sense from a technical perspective also.
The Cloud is a blog and social networking site for Christian women across denominations. The main blog posts center on teachings from the Bible and we invite comments, feedback and discussion on our posts.
The site is free to join, and we also provide members with a short profile and messaging capabilities to continue the discussions or begin new conversations.
Thanks for stopping by, and we hope to see you again soon!
