Today is a second message beholding the majesty of Christmas from the vantage point of Daniel’s prophetic record.  Last week we considered the interpretation of the king’s composite statue vision as a countdown to Christmas.  Today we turn over a chapter to another incident illuminating the glories of the incarnation.  This time from a ‘before and after’ perspective, we compare the fiery furnace ordeal survived by Daniel’s three friends, with the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew’s gospel.  What difference does Christmas make in world history and the destiny of believers?  The scriptures gloriously answer in their particular instruction and their big picture perspective.  It is primarily from this second point of view that we behold the glories of Christ incarnate in our sermon today.