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It Is Written

John Bradshaw

Daniel the Prophet: The Writing on the Wall

Coming up next, please stay tuned for It Is Written, presented by Pastor John Bradshaw.

There's a 2 and a half thousand year old story in Daniel chapter 5 that speaks directly to the final days of earth's history.

Nebuchadnezzar is dead by now and his grandson, now sitting on the throne, has a terrifying experience when he sees the writing on the wall.

This story is the story of the downfall of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar was succeeded by his son, Evil-Meredak, which doesn't mean he was evil, Although 1 historian did write that the man reigned unjustly and lewdly.

Evil Meredak is an anglicized version of his name, Amel Marduk, Man of Marduk.

That means he was named after the supreme god in Babylon's pantheon of gods.

Other than what we read about him in the Bible, there isn't a lot known about him.

He's the man who released Jehoiakim, king of Judah, after Jehoiakim had spent 37 years in a Babylonian prison.

Amel-Marduk was assassinated and was later replaced by Nabonidus, who went to Arabia.

Now, for years critics of the Bible claimed that the book of Daniel was in error when it referred to Belshazzar as king, as Nabonidus was king.

Adding to the puzzle is that there's little to be found about Belshazzar outside the Bible, which shouldn't surprise anyone as any records would be 2, 500 years old and inscribed on clay tablets.

Not easy to find, especially given that Babylon was systematically destroyed over hundreds of years.

Higher critics, ignoring Daniel 2, Daniel 7 and Daniel 9, strong evidence for the veracity of the book of Daniel, asserted that the name Belshazzar was an invention and that the book of Daniel was written in the 2nd century AD.

The Cylinder of Nabonidus, now in the British Museum, was translated and it states that Nabonidus entrusted the kingship to his oldest son, which is Belshazzar.

Belshazzar was a co-regent with his father Nabonidus.

Astronomer Carl Sagan is credited with saying, the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, and it pays to remember that when dealing with archaeology.

Under Belshazzar's rule, Babylon began to decline.

At the same time, the Persian king Cyrus the Great was growing in power.

Cyrus and his army marched towards Babylon and were at the gates of Babylon at the time the events of Daniel 5 unfolded.

The chapter starts, Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand." A colossal mistake!

Belshazzar was partying while there was an enemy literally at his gates.

His Judgment was impaired because alcohol impairs a person's judgment, which leads to terrible outcomes.

Crime, immorality, lust and anger, and more, are fueled by alcohol consumption.

Experts will tell you alcohol is terrible for your health.

The MD Anderson Cancer Center says about 5.5% of all new cancer diagnoses and 5.8% of all deaths from cancer are attributed to drinking alcohol, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Yes, and some had multiple wives, and many owned slaves.

The fact that some drank wine then doesn't mean Christians should do the same today.

Never wise, always harmful, and if that's you, you can stop, because God is able to give you the victory.

If you're thinking of cutting back, keep in mind that the World Health Organization says, when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health.

In other words, if you're gonna cut back, cut back to 0 or else you're doing yourself real harm." Belshazzar's drunkenness spurred him to make a reckless decision.

He gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.

When Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem, the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his God, and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his God.

Now in a display of brazen defiance, Belshazzar had God's own holy items brought out so he and his friends could drink alcohol out of them while they praised false gods.

You know, this is really a serious warning.

But there comes a time when your decision is irreversible.

People can get bold when they insult God, and God doesn't seem to do anything about it.

The wise man wrote, Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." That's Ecclesiastes 8 verse 11.

That's Solomon saying, because things carry on as normal when some folks sin, they continue in sin and they harden towards God.

He abused the mercy of God and turned it into license.

He was shaking his fist in God's face in open rebellion.

It was time for the prophecy in Daniel 2 to be fulfilled.

Remember how the head of gold gave way to the chest and arms of silver?

We're about to watch that play out in real time.

Of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem.

And the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.

They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

The holy things of God were being used to honor the devil.

Belshazzar was going to use vessels that had been specially made for the worship of the Creator God to worship Marduk, as well as the gods of air, water, love, fertility, and on and on.

Now, this wasn't a matter of God losing His temper.

God had extended mercy to Belshazzar and had given light to Belshazzar.

The Babylonian King was stating he just was never going to respond to God's mercy.

So, in the same hour, the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, And the king saw the part of the hand that wrote." And now we see something for the third time in the book of Daniel.

When Belshazzar's grandfather had a dream in Daniel chapter 2, Daniel interpreted the dream.

Now there's the mysterious writing on the wall.

Just as Nebuchadnezzar needed someone to interpret his dreams, Belshazzar now needs someone to interpret this communication from heaven.

So the Queen, who was likely the Queen Mother given that she refers to what happened in the past, recommended Daniel be summoned.

She said that light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him, and that An excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel.

The monarch promises Daniel, if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.

But Daniel says, Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another.

Yet I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation." In other words, I'll interpret the dream, but you can keep your money.

For Daniel, serving God was not about financial gain.

Then Daniel explained to Belshazzar the history of his grandfather, the great sovereign Nebuchadnezzar, how God had given him a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor.

He referenced the 7 years Nebuchadnezzar spent in the wilderness, bereft of his right mind, living like an animal, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever he chooses." And look at what Daniel says next, "...but you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this." He knew!

Daniel said, "...you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven." Before recounting Belshazzar's wicked deeds, using the holy worship vessels from the temple of God in Jerusalem to honor and worship and praise the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know.

And the God who holds your breath in his hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified." When Nebuchadnezzar was convinced that the God of heaven was the true God, he humbled himself.

Now Daniel interprets the cryptic script written on the wall in the presence of the party goers by the hand of God.

He told the king that mene meant, God has numbered your kingdom and finished it.

When God looked into his case, He found that Belshazzar had chosen to harden his heart against God.

Techo, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting.

It's important to recognize every 1 of us is going to experience what Belshazzar experienced.

That is, the Bible says, "...every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." Paul wrote that We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ in 2 Corinthians 5.

If you haven't accepted Jesus as your Savior and surrendered your life to Him, you still have time.

Don't wait until it's too late, Because 1 day it will be.

God wants you to invite him into your life now.

Then Perez, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

It's over for Belshazzar and over for Babylon.

And then the king does something absurd really.

Daniel has just told him that his kingdom is finished, that Babylon had fallen, and the king still gave the command and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

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Daniel the Prophet: The Writing on the Wall

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