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The feast of Belshazzar

The feast of Belshazzar. Daniel 5. Introduction. 70 UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS against Israel from 1955-1992 Gush Katif evacuation impossed by our president What part does America play in Daniel’s visions. Outline. The revelry of the king ( 5:1-4 )

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The feast of Belshazzar

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  1. The feast of Belshazzar Daniel 5

  2. Introduction • 70 UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS against Israel from 1955-1992 • Gush Katif evacuation impossed by our president • What part does America play in Daniel’s visions

  3. Outline • The revelry of the king (5:1-4) • The revelation to the king (5:5-12) • The request of the king (5:13-16) • The reply by Daniel (5:17-28) • The revelation fulfilled (5:29-31)

  4. The kings of Babylon The Kings of the Neo-Babylon Empire

  5. The revelry of the king (5:1-4) • "King Belshazzar prepared a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles, and he was drinking wine in front of them all. While under the influence of the wine, Belshazzar issued an order to bring in the gold and silver vessels—the ones that Nebuchadnezzar his father had confiscated from the temple in

  6. The revelry of the king (5:1-4) • Jerusalem—so that the king and his nobles, together with his wives and his concubines, could drink from them. So they brought the gold and silver vessels that had been confiscated from the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, together with his wives and concubines, drank from them. As they drank wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone." NET Bible

  7. Wine is a mocker and not fit for kings • KJV Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. • NAU Proverbs 31:4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Or for rulers to desire strong drink, • KJV Leviticus 10:9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:

  8. The gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. • Nebuchadnezzar’s statue • All our idols come from things God has made • What do we worship? jewelry, money, cars or houses?

  9. The fall of Babylon parallels the fall of end time Babylon in many ways. • Corrupted with wine. In the end Babylon corrupts the whole world with the "wine of her fornication". • Judgment.The handwriting on the wall announced the outcome of a judgment against Babylon. • Euphrates. The river protecting the city is dried up so that the conquering forces can enter the city.

  10. The revelation to the king (5:5-12) • "At that very moment the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the royal palace wall, opposite the lampstand. The king was watching the back of the hand that was writing. Then all the color drained from the king’s face and he became alarmed. The joints of his hips gave way, and his knees began knocking together. The king called out loudly to summon the astrologers, wise men, and diviners.

  11. The revelation to the king (5:5-12) • The king proclaimed to the wise men of Babylon that anyone who could read this inscription and disclose its interpretation would be clothed in purple and have a golden collar placed on his neck and be third ruler in the kingdom. So all the king’s wise men came in, but they were unable to read the writing or to make known its interpretation to the king. Then King Belshazzar was very terrified, and he was visibly shaken. His nobles were completely dumbfounded.

  12. The revelation to the king (5:5-12) • Due to the noise caused by the king and his nobles, the queen mother then entered the banquet room. She said, “O king, live forever! Don’t be alarmed! Don’t be shaken! There is a man in your kingdom who has within him a spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, he proved to have insight, discernment, and wisdom like that of the gods. King Nebuchadnezzar your father appointed him chief of the magicians, astrologers, wise men, and diviners. Thus there was found in this man Daniel, whom the king renamed Belteshazzar, an extraordinary spirit, knowledge, and skill to interpret dreams, solve riddles, and decipher knotty problems. Now summon Daniel, and he will disclose the interpretation.”" NET Bible

  13. Belshazzar • Until the nineteenth century Belshazzar was unknown, but when the Nabonidus Chronicle was discovered it became clear that it was his son who ruled. • That queen was probably the mother of Belshazzar, the wife of Nabonidus • The scene of the writing on the wall has been unearthed in archeolical digs, 58 x 173 ft

  14. The request of the king (5:13-16) • "So Daniel was brought in before the king. The king said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives of Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? I have heard about you, how there is a spirit of the gods in you, and how you have insight, discernment, and extraordinary wisdom. Now the wise men and astrologers were brought before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation.

  15. The request of the king (5:13-16) • But they were unable to disclose the interpretation of the message. However, I have heard that you are able to provide interpretations and to decipher knotty problems. Now if you are able to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, you will wear purple and have a golden collar around your neck and be third ruler in the kingdom.”" NET Bible

  16. The reply by Daniel (5:17-28) • "But Daniel replied to the king, “Keep your gifts and give your rewards to someone else. However, I will read the writing for the king and make known its interpretation. As for you, O king, the most high God bestowed on Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom, greatness, honor, and majesty.

  17. The reply by Daniel (5:17-28) • Due to the greatness that he bestowed on him, all peoples, nations, and language groups were trembling with fear before him. He killed whom he wished, he spared whom he wished, he exalted whom he wished, and he brought low whom he wished. And when his mind became arrogant and his spirit filled with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and his honor was removed from him. He was driven from human society, his mind was changed to that of an animal, he lived with the wild donkeys, he was fed grass like oxen, and his body became damp with the dew of the sky, until he came to understand that the most high God rules over human kingdoms, and he appoints over them whomever he wishes.

  18. The reply by Daniel (5:17-28) • “But you, his son Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, although you knew all this. Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You brought before you the vessels from his temple, and you and your nobles, together with your wives and concubines, drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone—gods that cannot see or hear or comprehend! But you have not glorified the God who has in his control your very breath and all your ways!

  19. The reply by Daniel (5:17-28) • Therefore the palm of a hand was sent from him, and this writing was inscribed. “This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEQEL, and PHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the words: As for mene—God has numbered your kingdom’s days and brought it to an end. As for teqel—you are weighed on the balances and found to be lacking. As for peres—your kingdom is divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”" NET Bible

  20. Judged. • If we look at the poetic pattern of the words we see that they have the same structure as the time given to evil Babylon. "Two counts, weigh and divide" sounds very similar to "time, two times and the dividing of time".

  21. Zoroastrianism • Zoroastrianism was founded in Persia by the prophet Zoroaster, or Zarathustra (sixth century b.c.) not Christian • characterized by worship of Ahura Mazda the Supreme Being represented as a spirit of light, truth, and goodness • Ahura Mazda is opposed by an archrival, Ahriman (or Angra Mainyu), a spirit of darkness, falsehood, and evil. • dualistic forces of good and evil. • Zoroaster taught, however, that eventually Ahura Mazda will defeat Ahriman and good will triumph over evil

  22.  The revelation fulfilled (5:29-31) "Then, on Belshazzar’s orders, Daniel was clothed in purple, a golden collar was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed third ruler in the kingdom. And in that very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, was killed. So Darius the Mede took control of the kingdom when he was about sixty-two years old." NET Bible

  23. Darius? • The Medes under Darius? • and the Persians under Cyrus attacked Babylon and overthrew it in October 539 BC. • Cyrus was known in Persia as a wise and tolerant ruler. • He gained the goodwill of the varied ethnic and religious groups • the empire extended from India to the western edge of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). • The Old Testament describes him as chosen by the Lord God of Israel as the deliverer of His people. (Isa 45:1-5, a God fearer?) • He declared that God “commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem” (2 Chr. 36:23). • The famous Cyrus Cylinder, containing records of Cyrus’ reign, revealed that Babylon’s chief god, Marduk, had accepted Cyrus as “righteous prince,” and had appointed him ruler “over the whole world.”

  24. The stealth victory • They "dried up" the Euphrates by stopping the flow of the water. • At night they entered the city by going under the unguarded gates that were above the river. • In the night of the wild party, the head of gold falls in a blood bath as the silver empire takes its place.

  25. Everlasting devastation of physical Babylon Isaiah 13:19-22 (NASB95)19 And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there. But desert creatures will lie down there, And their houses will be full of owls; Ostriches also will live there, and shaggy goats will frolic there. Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers And jackals in their luxurious palaces. Her fateful time also will soon come And her days will not be prolonged.

  26. Comparison of The Fall of Babylon and the End

  27. Comparison of The Fall of Babylon and the End

  28. Comparison of The Fall of Babylon and the End

  29. Conclusion • Belshazzar was a bad boy • The wine and carousing resulted in idolatry • Divine providence of God Isa 46:10 • He used Cyrus – a worshiper of Marduk • In the end Babylon will be part of the dream given to Daniel, where are you in the dream? Are we Babylon?

  30. Nebuchadnezzar image as the eye of Marduk, “he gave his life”

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