Midrash sa Daniel 3:25: Devarim Rabbah, Midrash Tehillim, Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition) & Shir HaShirim Rabbah

“The Lord your God has multiplied you, and, behold, you are today as the stars [of the heavens in abundance [larov]]” (Deuteronomy 1:10) – he said to them: ‘Today you are like the stars, but in the future, “larov” – you are destined to be similar to your Master [lerabkhem].’ How so? Here it is written: “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire” (Deuteronomy 4:24), and regarding Israel in the future it is written: “And the light of Israel will be a fire and its Holy One a flame” (Isaiah 10:17). Rabbi Levi bar Ḥama said: If one who worships an idol becomes like it, as it is stated: “Those who craft them, all who place their trust in them, will become like them” (Psalms 115:8), one who worships the Holy One blessed be He, all the more so that he will be like Him. From where is this derived? As it is written: “Blessed is the man who places his trust in the Lord…” (Jeremiah 17:7).
Another matter, Rabbi Abba said: In the future, the partition of the righteous will be farther inside than that of the ministering angels,³⁰The righteous will be closer to the Divine Presence. and [the angels] will ask them: ‘What halakhot did the Holy One blessed be He introduce today?’ Rabbi Levi bar Ḥanina said: Do not wonder, as even in this world their partition is farther inside than that of the ministering angels, as it is stated: “[I see four men…and the fourth resembles a son of the gods” (Daniel 3:25); they were farther inside than the angel, and he would extinguish the fire before them.³¹When Ḥananya, Mishael and Azarya were thrown into the fiery furnace and were unharmed, the people outside saw a fourth figure, which was an angel. The fact that he is described as the fourth implies that he was following them, yet he was still able to extinguish the fire before them so they would not be harmed (Matnot Kehuna). Alternatively, they walked before the angel in the fire and were not harmed, or perhaps even protected the angel from harm (see Etz Yosef).

"Rain upon the wicked coals and brimstone; and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup." This is as it is stated (Proverbs 26:21), "As charcoal is to embers and wood to fire, so is a contentious person to kindling strife." The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "Whoever exalts himself will ultimately be judged with fire." This was seen in the generation of the Flood, as it is written (Job 6:17), "When they are hot, they vanish; when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place." This was also the fate of the people of the Tower of Babel, as it is written (Genesis 11:8), "And the Lord scattered them abroad from there upon the face of all the earth, and they stopped building the city." The people of Sodom were also punished with fire, as it is written (Genesis 19:24), "Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire." Pharaoh was struck with hail and fire, as it is written (Exodus 9:24), "And there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail." Sennacherib was consumed by fire, as it is written (Isaiah 10:16), "Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire." Nebuchadnezzar was also punished with fire, as it is written (Daniel 3:22), "Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego." Shem's descendants, including Elam and Ashur, were burned in front of him, as it is written (Genesis 10:22), "The sons of Shem: Elam, and Asshur." Sisera was fought against from the heavens, as it is written (Judges 5:20), "They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera." Edom was judged with fire, as it is written (Daniel 7:11), "I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke; I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame." Gog and Magog were also punished with fire, as it is written (Ezekiel 38:22), "And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone." All the other nations will also be judged with fire, as it is written (Isaiah 66:16), "For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many." The traps used to capture animals are also made of coals, as it is stated (Proverbs 7:23), "Till an arrow strike through his liver; as a bird hastens to the snare, and knows not that it is for his life." Fire and brimstone are also used for purification, as Rabbi Yudan said, "When a person smells sulfur, his soul trembles because it knows that it will eventually have to endure it, as it is written (Jeremiah 18:17), 'I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; ' There are four cups of retribution for the nations of the world, and four cups of salvation for Israel."......

And how many remained of them? Rab said: "Ten, as it is said (Ib. 10, 19) And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few in number, so that a boy may write them down, i.e., what [letter] can a boy write, a yud whose numerical value is ten." And Samuel said: "Nine, as it is said (Ib. 17, 6) And there shall be left on it gleanings, two or three berries on the top of the uppermost bough, four to five on the outermost branches of a fruitful tree." R. Joshua b. Levi said: "Fourteen, as the just quoted verse reads two, three … four, five." R. Jochanan, however, said: "Only five, and they were Sennacherib, his two sons and Nebuchadnezzar and Nebusaradan; the latter is known by tradition; concerning Nebuchadnezzar, it is written (Dan. 3, 25) And the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods; if he would not have seen [an angel before] how would me know [to describe him so]?" And concerning Sennacherib and his two sons, as it is written (II Kin. 19, 37) And it came to pass, as he was prostrating himself in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, smote him." R. Abahu said: "Were it not for the following verse, it would be impossible to believe, [that the Lord himself did it] for it is written (Is. 7, 20) On the same day, will the Lord shave with the razor that is hired, (namely) by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the feet, and also the beard shall it entirely remove." The Holy One, praised be He! appeared before Sennacherib as an old man, and questioned him: "When thou wilt return to the kings of the East and the West, what excuse canst thou give to them for their sons whom thou didst bring with thee and who were killed?" And he answered: "I myself am trembling about this. Canst thou advise me what to do?" And he rejonied: "Go (Fol. 96) and change thyself that thou mayest not be recognized." "How can I do it?" The old man said: "Bring me a pair of scissors and I will cut your hair off." "Where shall I procure the scissors?" The old man said: "Go into that house and you will get it." He went there, and found angels who had appeared before him as men, engaged in grinding the kernels of dates. And he asked them for the scissors. To which they answered, "Grind one kernel and thou wilst get it." He did so, whereupon they gave him the scissors. But when he returned, it grew dark, and the old man told him to bring a light. He went and brought a light; and while carrying the light, the wind blew and the fire caught his beard, and therefore he had to cut off both his hair and his beard. And this is what is meant by the passage (Ib.) And also the beard shall it entirely remove. R. Papa said: "This is what people say: 'When you cut the hair of an Aramaen, and he likes it, singe his beard, and you will have plenty of sport'." When he went away he found a board from the ark of Noah. And he exclaimed: "This is the great God, who saved Noah from the flood. I vow that if I will succeed in the future, I will sacrifice my two sons to him." This his sons heard, and therefore they killed him, and this is what is meant by the passage (Kin. 19, 37) And it came to pass, as he was prostrating himself in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adramelech and Sharezer, his sons, smote him.