Handwriting On the Walls -Daniel 5-Study,11/8/2023
Handwriting On the Walls -Daniel 5
Daniel 5;1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.
⦁ NOTE–Signs of the Times,July 20, 1891-Results of Refusing to Walk in the Light–“Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand…. 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. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.” While they were engaged in this sacrilegious feast, a bloodless hand traced opposite the king, characters of writing that could not be read or interpreted by any of the magicians or wise men of the court. “Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him.” But if they could not understand the writing, why were they so troubled? The writing on the wall gave evidence that there was a witness to their evil deeds, a guest not invited or welcome to their idolatrous feast, and his presence convicted of sin, and foretold doom and disaster. Before them passed, as in panoramic view, the deeds of their evil lives, and they seemed to be arraigned before the Judgment, of which they had been warned. Belshazzar was most terror-stricken of them all; for great had been his opportunities for knowing the God he had blasphemed and derided. He knew the history of his grandfather; how, because of his exaltation of self, his wisdom and reason had been taken away, and he had gone forth to be a companion of the beasts of the field. But Belshazzar disregarded the lesson as completely as though these things had never occurred, and made himself guilty of the very sins for which his grandfather had been condemned. He was guilty because he had had the privilege of knowing and doing the right, and of leading others in the way, and yet refused to heed the light that God had permitted to shine upon his pathway. He had every opportunity of becoming acquainted with God and with his truth, but he would not deny himself in order to know and do righteousness. Now in the midst of his most pronounced idolatry and defiance of God, the bloodless hand writes his doom. Daniel 5;2 Belshazzar, whiles 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.
⦁ NOTE-Signs of the Times,vol,14.January,20.1888,pp,par 6– Daniel was in Babylon that night, and tells what happened there: “Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father [grandfather, margin] 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.” Jeremiah said it was “a land of graven images,” and prophesied that they would be “mad upon their idols.” Chap. 50:38. And Daniel says that in that night’s feast which he saw “they drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.” Daniel 5:1-4. Isaiah, one hundred and seventy-six years before, said that their night of pleasure should be turned into fear. Chap. 21:3, 4. Daniel tells what did it: “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.” Chap. 5:5.
Isaiah in vision pictured him thus in his fear: “My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me;” “therefore are my loins filled with pain; pangs have taken hold upon me; … I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.” Daniel tells what was the reality: “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.” Daniel 5:6. Isaiah showed that he would call in the astrologers: “Let now the astrologers, the star-gazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee;” “none shall save thee.” Isaiah 47:13, 15. Daniel says the king did so: “The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers; … but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. Then king Belshazzar was greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonished.”This was the scene in the king’s banqueting-house, but it was only a sample of what was going on all over the city, for it was a national feast. Says William Hayes Ward, in the Sunday School Times:— “We are told in Daniel that Babylon was captured on the night of a great feast to the idol gods, at which the wives and concubines joined in a wild revelry. But the women were not in the habit of feasting with men—how is this? An account, by Cyrus himself, of his capture of Babylon, was dug up only three or four years ago. In it he declares that Babylon was captured, ‘without fighting,’ on the fourteenth day of the month Tammuz. Now the month Tammuz was named in honor of the god Tammuz, the Babylonian Adonis, who married their Venus or Ishtar; and the fourteenth of Tammuz was the regular time to celebrate their union, with lascivious orgies. On this day of all others, the women took part in the horrible rites; and it was in this feast of king, princes, wives, and concubines, that Babylon was taken and Belshazzar slain. The Bible is here fully and wonderfully corroborated.”—Vol. 25, No. 42, pp. 659, 660.
5:1-2 In the twenty-three years since the death of Nebuchadnezzar, a series of incompetent rulers had brought Babylon to the edge of ruin. The Medo-Persian army under Cyrus the Great was attacking from the north. The king of Babylon, Nabonidus, left his son Belshazzar in charge of the kingdom and went out to do battle. Two days before Belshazzar’s feast, Nabonidus had surrendered the battlefield without a fight and fled. Meanwhile, one of Cyrus’ generals, Darius the Mede, rushed his forces to the walls of Babylon and laid siege to the city. But the city was well situated to handle a siege. Its walls were tall and strong. Its storehouses bulged with food. And the Euphrates river brought water right through the middle of the city.
Daniel 5;3-4 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
⦁ NOTE–5:3-4 Belshazzar defied the God of heaven, and desecrated the sacred golden vessels taken from the temple in Jerusalem.
⦁ NOTE-The Signs of The Times July 20, 1891,Paragraph 1–Results of Refusing to Walk in the Light–“Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand…. 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. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.” While they were engaged in this sacrilegious feast, a bloodless hand traced opposite the king, characters of writing that could not be read or interpreted by any of the magicians or wise men of the court. “Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him.” But if they could not understand the writing, why were they so troubled? The writing on the wall gave evidence that there was a witness to their evil deeds, a guest not invited or welcome to their idolatrous feast, and his presence convicted of sin, and foretold doom and disaster. Before them passed, as in panoramic view, the deeds of their evil lives, and they seemed to be arraigned before the Judgment, of which they had been warned. Daniel 5;5-6 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister 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. ⦁ NOTE–5:5-6 While the drunken reverse drank toasts to their idols out of the golden cups which had been sanctified to God, a mysterious hand appeared and wrote on the wall God’s judgment upon Babylon. See vss. 26-28. 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.
Daniel 5;7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew 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 king Belshazzar was greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied. 10 Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed: 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 shewing 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 shew the interpretation. 13 Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake 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 shew 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. 18 O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: 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: 24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written
⦁ NOTE–5:22-24 Belshazzar knew all of God’s dealings with his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, yet he persistently chose to turn away from the light and remain in darkness. 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.
⦁ NOTE–The Great Controversy,pp,491–Watch ye therefore: … lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping.” Mark 13:35, 36. Perilous is the condition of those who, growing weary of their watch, turn to the attractions of the world. While the man of business is absorbed in the pursuit of gain, while the pleasure lover is seeking indulgence, while the daughter of fashion is arranging her adornments—it may be in that hour the Judge of all the earth will pronounce the sentence: “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.” Daniel 5:27. 28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. 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.
⦁ NOTE–Prophets and King,pp.530–In that last night of mad folly, Belshazzar and his lords had filled up the measure of their guilt and the guilt of the Chaldean kingdom. No longer could God’s restraining hand ward off the impending evil. Through manifold providences, God had sought to teach them reverence for his law. “We would have healed Babylon,” He declared of those whose judgment was now reaching unto heaven, “but she is not healed.” Jeremiah 51:9. Because of the strange perversity of the human heart, God had at last found it necessary to pass the irrevocable sentence. Belshazzar was to fall, and his kingdom was to pass into other hands.As the prophet ceased speaking, the king commanded that he be awarded the promised honors; and in harmony with this, “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.” 31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
⦁ NOTE–5:25-31 That very night God’s judgment on Babylon was fulfilled. Darius had the seasonally low waters of the Euphrates river diverted, and under the cover of darkness his en waded under the city walls where they found the river gates still open. Once inside, they slew the unsuspecting guards and took control of the city. Daniel lived long enough to see the first part of Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of the image fulfilled. Daniel 2. Babylon did come to an end and another kingdom took its place. The fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians in Daniel’s time foreshadows the fall of modern-day spiritual Babylon. See Revelation 17 and 18.
NOTE-– in Daniel’s time foreshadows the fall of modern-day spiritual Babylon. See Revelation 17 and 18.–Amazing Discoveries ,Babylon Introduction– Bible prophecy uses Babylon as a symbol for the power that would rise against God in the end times. Studying ancient and modern Babylon will help us understand the prophecies about the coming end-time Babylon.
Babylon through History Ancient Babylon, according to the Scriptures, was the center of ancient worship. It was larger and more impressive than any other city of its time.
Tower of Babel Public Domain https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Valkenborch_babel-tower.jpgBabylon reached the height of its power and glory under Nebuchadnezzar. Ancient inscriptions tell how Nebuchadnezzar and his father Nabopolasser restored the ancient tower of Babel, a monument to the power of humanity. Nabopolasser said this:
At the time Marduk commanded me to build the tower of Babel, which had become weakened by time and fallen into disrepair; he commanded me to ground its base securely on the breast of the underworld, whereas its pinnacles should strain towards the skies
Approximately 300 years before King Xerxes of Persia destroyed Babylon, the prophet Isaiah predicted its fall:
And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there (Isaiah 13:19-20).
Modern Babylon In spite of Isaiah’s prophecy, there have been attempts to rebuild Babylon. Alexander the Great tried to restore the tower of Babel to its original glory and make the city his capital in 330 BC, but he died before he could begin. More recently, Saddam Hussein of Iraq was also restoring Babylon, a work he began in the 1980s. He used approximately 60 million bricks in the process and had his name engraved every three meters so that he would be remembered.
However, Hussein must have read the prophecies of Isaiah. His restorations were not an attempt to inhabit the city. Instead, he had his palace built on the other side of the Euphrates River.
End-Time Babylon Babylon, the great city we read about in the book of Revelation, does not refer to literal Babylon, as that was never to be inhabited again. Rather, Revelation is referring to end-‐time Babylon, a much greater fulfillment of all that ancient Babylon stood for.
End-time Babylon will be a confederacy of intolerance and false doctrine. This end-time confederacy, however, will fall just like ancient Babylon did. It will even fall for the same reasons—because it will seduce all the nations of the earth into following its false doctrines (Revelation 14:8). Christ will put an end once and for all to all the lies, deception, and hatred when He comes.
Ambassadors of Christ 