Daniel

Daniel Chapter 5

At His word kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall. It is the fear of God and respect for innocent life that keeps a kingdom going. When a ruler oversteps his bounds, he is on dangerous ground.

Daniel 5:1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.

Belshazzar was the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar. This is not in chronological order. Chapter 5 follows Daniel chapter 8. Daniel chapter 7 took place in the first year that Belshazzar was sort of a joint ruler with his father Nabonidus. Daniel 8 took place in the third year of Belshazar. Perhaps all the prophetic parts of Daniel were put together for some reason.

The name of Belshazzar has been deciphered in inscriptions found at Babylon, from which it is inferred that he was associated with his father in the kingdom, and was left to defend Babylon. Sir Rawlinson, one of the great archeologists was doing a lot of excavating in the area of Babylon, the Palace of Shushan when they discovered it.

Wine is a mocker and strong drink is raging and whoever is deceived by it , it not wise. It is easier to sin against God if our inhibitions are dulled by alcohol or strong drink.

Daniel 5:2 Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.

This showed lack of respect and no fear of the God of the Hebrews. So many today have this lack of respect for God and all His commandments making light of the gospel and even go so far as to forbid the name of Jesus to be spoken in public assemblies. They fail to realize that at His word, they can fall. Some leaders of nations think they are so mighty and can do what they will. Where is Hitler today, Stalin, Alexander the Great and the Roman Emperors who dared to persecute God's people? Alexander the Great died very young when he thought he was so great.

Looks like this was an act of defiance for they praised the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood and stone. It seems like God didn't show the same mercy that he did toward his grandfather. Belshazzar did know all what happened to his granddad according to the words of Daniel further in this chapter, but was rebellious against it, preferring the false gods of Babylon. God is a just God and this king's time was running out. The bible doesn't use the word grandfather just father.

One word from God and our country is history. It doesn't matter how great are armies, navies and marines are, in one hour we can be history. God would not have to do one thing to destroy us. All He would have to do is remove His hand of protection and we could fall. We exist by the mercy of God and Him alone, yet we cast Him from our public schools and forbid the teaching of His word.

Daniel 5:3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.
4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

This was deliberate. They purposely used the vessels of the Jewish temple to drink from and then worship and praise the idols. We can see this to be a direct rebellion against the God of the Hebrews which was really the only real God.

Notice also that in the world today and perhaps in the past also that those who worship the real God; our God who brings the only way of salvation, are the most persecuted. The enemy we call Satan doesn't care what religion we practice as long as we don't serve the real God. The only way of truth is the Son of God, Jesus our Christ. That is why the name of Jesus brings the most offense like Jesus said it would. Our human nature wants to do things our way. We might call Him different names in different languages, Yeshua in Hebrew for instance but it is only by faith in Him that anyone can be saved and inherit life eternal.

Daniel 5:5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
6 Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.
7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spoke, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.
8 Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.
9 Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonished.
10 Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spoke and said, O king, live forever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:

The queen remembers Daniel. This has happened before even in the time of Christ. Pontius Pilate was warned by his wife to be careful in dealing with Jesus because of a dream she had. That is found in Matthew 27:19 The queen remembered Daniel and acknowledged that Daniel had the wisom of the gods and that Nebuchadnezzar made him mastor of the magicians.

Daniel 5:11 There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;
12 Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and showing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.

Daniel appears to have been ignored until he was greatly needed again. By the time Belshazzer took the throne any fear that they had for God was gone. The 70 years of captivity pronounced upon the nation of Judah was coming to a close. All that were present at this feast saw the hand writing. The king was so scared he shook. In our modern terms, we could say he was white as a sheet when he saw this.

Daniel 5:13 Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spoke and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?
14 I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.
15 And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not show the interpretation of the thing:
16 And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.
17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

Daniel does not do the service of God for gifts and rewards. His faithfulness to speak the truth even though he could make the king angry and Daniel could be in jeopardy of losing his life, he chooses faithfulness to God than to say what men would rather hear. This writing by the mysterious hand was not in a language common to those that saw it. It took someone that could hear from God by the Holy Spirit to discern the meaning.

Daniel reminds the king of what happened to Nebuchadnezzar.

Daniel 5:18 O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honor:
19 And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.
20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:
21 And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.
22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;
23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

This king was not given a chance to repent as his grandfather had received. What happened to Nebuchadnezzar was well known for who could lose his throne for seven years and turn into a mad man living like the beasts without it becoming a story to tell in years to come.

We fail to realize the holiness of God even among us Christians. He is a holy God. This was years before Jesus Christ had come to die for sins and usher in a way in which all who believe in Him can be cleansed from sin and begin to worship Him in spirit and in truth. Until that time only sanctified priests could enter into the temple to offer sacrifices pointing to the time when the perfect sacrifice for sins would be offered. Everything had to be done according to the instructions given to Moses showing them that the perfect one had not yet come. God is so holy that sinful man cannot come into His presence without being cleansed of His sin and made holy.

To use the vessels dedicated in the service of the temple in such a disrespectful manner and on top of that in honor of a false god was truly the ultimate disregard for the holiness of God.

Even today we who have been cleansed of sin and are filled with God's spirit need to keep our vessels clean and not return to the sin we were saved from.

Hebrews 12:13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

God is holy and we must seek Him to be partaker of His holiness. If we allow ourselves to forget that we were purged from sin and make light of our salvation, we too can suffer judgment from God.

Daniel 5:24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

This was a partial fulfillment of the message found in Chapter 2 of Daniel. The head of gold of the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream was about to crumble. The arms and breast of silver was about to arise and rule over the empire.

Daniel 5:29 Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.

Here we hear of the first fall of Babylon just as God said it would come. We can rebel against God, refuse to believe and purposely disrespect all who represent Him but it does not stop one iota of God's word from coming to pass.

Xenophon, a Greek historian, says he was slain by two lords, Gadatas and Gobrias, who joined Cyrus to avenge themselves of certain wrongs which Belshazzar had done them.

In Revelation chapters 17 and 18, we read of a latter day fall of Babylon. There are many different views on what this Babylon is. Chapter 17 calls her a woman and pictures her as riding a beast. She is called Mystery Babylon. In Chapter 18 we see a commercial Babylon that the kings of the earth depend on for trade and commerce. It is called a great city that rules over the kings of the earth.

Some believe this mystery Babylon and the Commercial Babylon are the same thing. Some believe Mystery Babylon is a great latter day religious system that is a false religion but claims to be true. The commercial Babylon is the capital city ruled by the antichrist. Some believe the city is actually Rome instead of Babylon. Some believe that the literal city of Babylon will be rebuild and then judged by God for a final time. I get into that in more detail in the Revelation study.

The prophecies in Daniel and Revelation actually are different ways of describing the same events in some cases. No matter what we believe concerning the interpretation of Babylon, we must see that no matter how great, it is going to fall. Sin will be stopped and will not continue. Both Mystery Babylon and Commercial Babylon kill the saints of God. This is the last resort when this takes place. This causes the wrath of God to come down hard on those that kill innocent people that are trying to preach the gospel and warn of God's judgment to come. When we persecute and kill the messenger, we are in trouble. "God help us to discern and be careful not to harm the true servants of God." DC

Daniel Chapter 6

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