As it turns out there was a big movement at the time of Israel’s captivity in Babylon to get along with the emperor.  They were called the syncretists.  They believed that since they were the chosen people and God was going to rescue them and return them to Jerusalem in 70 years, anyway, that they should wait around for the rapture, I mean restoration.  So they tried to glorify every abomination that the people of Babylon participated in, including the worship of Nebuchadnezzar.  They figured that God was all about love and after all Leviticus says “But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself” so they did everything they could to get along.

The Four Fools, burning for their legalism.

They knew that they would be killed if they didn’t worship the emperor, and how would they return to the land if they were all dead?  Some of the Israelites were great painters so they painted pictures of the Babylonian orgies.  Some of them were great at preparing food, so they made food to honor the Babylonian gods.  It was wonderful.

There were some men who rebelled,  they were the legalists.  A few in particular started a violent rebellion, and were burned alive.  I think their names were, Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael and Daniel.  They believed that God wanted the people to repent and obey his laws, before he would restore them, what idiots.  So, eventually the people were restored, Babylon burned and they all lived happily ever after, except for Hananiah and his friends, they were all dead.