The Daniel generation: Kingdom men in Babylon’s kitchen, By Ayo Akerele

In this time and age, you have to be intentional as a kingdom person not to defile yourself. No generation makes is easier to be defiled like ours. It’s so easy and simple to eat and drink from the kitchen of Babylon. The costs are really very low, but the consequences are deadly. IF DANIEL HAD DONE THIS, IT WOULD HAVE COST HIM HIS GLORY. Let me tell you what you must do to develop the capacity to be part of the Daniel generation.

“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” – Daniel 1:8.

The book of Daniel begins with the story of the invasion of Judah, a key city of Israel, by Nebuchadnezer, king of Babylon, between 606 and 605 BC. Among those captured during this invasion were four men: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. After they were captured and taken to Babylon, their names were changed.

You need to understand why Nebuchadnezer changed their names. Babylon had so many gods and idols. Some of these gods included Bel, Shadrach (another word for the god, Aku), Meshach (another synonym for the god, Aku), and Nebo or Negro. Now, see the names given to them by Nebuchadnezar: “To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego.” (Daniel 1:7).

Let me tell you what their original names mean.

Daniel means “God is my judge.”

Hananiah means “the Lord is gracious.”

Mishael means “Who is like the Lord?”

Azariah means, “the Lord is my helper.”

However, to brainwash these four boys, Babylon changed their names, giving them names after their gods. It was a kind of an induction process. It was a kind of humiliation of the God of heaven. To them the issue here was, “we can’t allow you to bear the names that honour God almighty. You must bear names that honour our gods”.

So, to corrupt them and thoroughly transform their godly culture to a corrupt one, they had to be re-christened and then taken to the kitchen of Babylon. Now, I am using ‘kitchen’ here as a figurative expression; it is where the menus of life are cooked. It is where values of life are shaped. For a child of God in our contemporary world, a kitchen might represent the church you attend; the organisation you work for; the business relationships you keep; your marriage; the schools you attend. All of these places are kitchens of life where values are shaped – positive or negative. And sadly, these are the places where Satan and his agents invade to corrupt culture and re-christen believers.

In Daniel 1:4-7, an interesting episode occurred. The king of Babylon needed to hire very gifted people to work with him. Now, I want you to note something: Babylon is the representation of evil. You must not be found in Babylon. Note that Daniel was forced to go there. You should not see Babylon as an option. Run from Babylon. But sometimes in life, we don’t choose our Babylons, or Babylon may choose us.

You may not choose to work in that organisation, but you just got a job there only to discover that your direct manager is an agent of the devil.

You may not choose to engage in a corrupt business activity. People may bring it to your doorstep, even within a legitimate business transaction.

You may not choose to marry a bad man. Five years into your marriage, your husband may backslide, bringing Babylon to you.

If you stumble at Babylon, don’t fret. You are part of the Daniel generation. And in fact, all genuine followers of Christ are part of the Daniel generation in these last days.

You need to understand the environment in which Daniel and his three friends were living. This was not a democratic environment. It was a monarchy in which the king held absolute power over human lives. He could order you killed for disobeying him. Daniel and his friends were to be trained for three years. Why? Babylonian libraries held thousands of books and literature that they developed as part of their global strategy to conquer the world through brain washing. They forced slaves and captives to read those books, so that they would be brainwashed.

These techniques are also used in various tyrannical societies around the world, whether in China, North Korea, Syria or many parts of the Middle East.

And to shock you, many of the books and materials that children are reading in their schools are also being adulterated with Babylonian contents, just to brain wash them. We must be alive to the fact that we are the Daniel generation.

Then they mandated them to eat their food and to take their drinks, but Daniel refused (Daniel 1:8). Why? Traditionally, the meat and drink prepared in the kitchen of Babylon are first dedicated to idols before being served to slaves.

God had warned the Jews never to eat any food offered to idols (Leviticus 11, Exodus 34: 14-15). Also, there are many new testament references mandating a child of God to abstain from food dedicated to idols in any form (Hebrews 11:24-26; Hebrews 7:26; 2 Corinthians 6:14).

Daniel was around 16 years at that time, and he remembered this law. He was living in an extremely corrupt society, far worse than ours today. You see, we do not have any choice at all these days. Romans 2:1 says, “we are inexcusable”.

Daniel, a 16 year old boy remembered God’s word and abstained from these pollutions by PURPOSING HIS HEART (Daniel 1:8).

In this time and age, you have to be intentional as a kingdom person not to defile yourself. No generation makes is easier to be defiled like ours. It’s so easy and simple to eat and drink from the kitchen of Babylon. The costs are really very low, but the consequences are deadly. IF DANIEL HAD DONE THIS, IT WOULD HAVE COST HIM HIS GLORY. Let me tell you what you must do to develop the capacity to be part of the Daniel generation.

The Daniel generation comprise men and women of purpose who do not live carelessly. They are focused on God’s plans for their lives.

The Daniel generation etch the words of the Lord in their hearts, and they don’t forget it. David in Psalm 119: 11 says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.”

The Daniel generation has zero tolerance for defilement. Its members are intentional about keeping themselves pure from sin.

The Daniel generation are men of strong faith who can take any risk to please God and do His will. Paul says in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

The Daniel generation are believers whose light shine in the darkness of Babylon. They are not compromisers.

Ayo Akerele, a leadership and system development strategist, and minister of the word, writes from Canada and can be reached through ayoakerele2012@gmail.com. 

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