"But if not..." Dan 3:18?

Daniel 3
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

It is commonly believed that the "But if not..." in verse 18 means that if God does not deliver them from the fiery furnace. I disagree.

What do you think?

just my thoughts:

I think they are saying If it is God's will He will save us....however, we will not worship any other God but the God of heaven, under penalty of death. We are willing to die for out belief in our God and His law.

Is n't this going to be what is looking us in the face if we shall be alive when Jesus comes? We had better learn to be firm now in all our decisions for they are the testing for tomorrow.

If the "If it be so..." refers to them being tossed into the fiery furnace, how can the "But if not..." be referring to the same thing?

They declared that God "is able" and that "He will" deliver them from dying in the fiery furnace. Why would they doubt it with their next breath?

After probation closes at the end of time will God's chosen people doubt God's promises to deliver them?

Lets not take God's choices away from Him. The purpose of a miracle is to Glorify God and to further His cause. If the death of the three Hebrews would have been to God's advantage/glory...they would have perished.

The martyrs of the dark ages prayed the same prayers as did Daniel in the lion's den and the three Hebrews, but their death was to help spread salvation to others. God's promises to be with us always and to deliver us us does not always mean out lives will be spared....delivering us is in the understanding of God, we just give our lives up to His understanding and for His Glory.

The "if" means there is a condition, and what the three were saying is "we give our lives unconditionaly to God to use for His service, and however it serves Him best and to His Glory, it is alright with us. We are willing to die for our God rather than worship another, His will be done."

What really matters is that we place our lives in His hands, to use in His way, to His Glory. Like Esther said...If i perish, i perish.

Amen. I totally believe that God can be glorified through the death of martyrs. My only question is, Is that what is happening is Dan 3?

Dan 3
15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

If God had chosen to allow them to die in the flames would Neb have been impressed with the glory of God? and would he have written Dan 4?

Given Neb's boast against God could God afford to allow the Hebrews to die in the fiery furnace? Could it be that they understood the issues at stake and that's why they were able to confidently say - Our God is able and He will deliver us from death!