It's been 2,000
years since the glorious
00:00:09.32\00:00:11.71
light of the cross illuminated
a world veiled in darkness
00:00:11.74\00:00:14.74
and confusion about
the character of God,
00:00:14.77\00:00:17.45
and still today
the greatest need of
00:00:17.48\00:00:19.31
mankind is a revelation
of God's love as revealed
00:00:19.34\00:00:22.34
in the life of Christ.
00:00:22.37\00:00:23.80
Amazing Facts presents
the "Everlasting Gospel"
00:00:23.83\00:00:27.25
with Pastor Doug Batchelor,
00:00:27.28\00:00:29.00
coming to you each week
from Sacramento Central Church
00:00:29.03\00:00:31.56
in sunny California!
00:00:31.59\00:00:33.05
Discover hidden
treasures in God's Word today.
00:00:33.08\00:00:37.43
Please turn in your Bibles to
the book of Daniel once again.
00:00:38.60\00:00:44.77
A few weeks ago, we
were looking at Daniel 6.
00:00:44.80\00:00:49.10
I'm going
backwards, today it's Daniel 5
00:00:49.13\00:00:54.36
We're going to talk
about the fall of Babylon,
00:00:54.39\00:00:58.58
and I think it's interesting,
as we prepare to look at this
00:00:58.61\00:01:03.96
story, a very
important study in the Bible -
00:01:03.99\00:01:07.69
that history, in some ways,
has a way of repeating itself...
00:01:07.72\00:01:12.67
And right now, the United
States is over in the country
00:01:12.70\00:01:16.31
that was once, Babylon
and Iraq - same vicinity.
00:01:16.34\00:01:24.64
I also think it's interesting
that our biggest problem
00:01:24.67\00:01:28.26
...right now, in
ancient Babylon over there,
00:01:28.29\00:01:32.22
is not the
Babylonians or the Iraqis,
00:01:32.25\00:01:35.96
but it's the ancient Persians.
00:01:35.99\00:01:37.92
We call them today, Iranians...
00:01:37.95\00:01:40.33
And, what we're reading
about in the Bible today,
00:01:40.36\00:01:44.24
in some ways, is still
being acted out 3,000 years
00:01:44.27\00:01:47.61
or 2,500 years later.
00:01:47.64\00:01:50.45
So Daniel 5:1, "Belshazzar
the King, made a great feast
00:01:50.48\00:02:00.04
for a thousand of his
lords, and he drank wine
00:02:00.07\00:02:03.99
in the presence of the thousand;
00:02:04.02\00:02:06.18
and while he tasted the wine,
Belshazzar gave the command
00:02:06.21\00:02:10.41
to bring the gold and
silver vessels that his father,
00:02:10.44\00:02:13.59
Nebuchadnezzar, had
taken from the temple,
00:02:13.62\00:02:15.82
which had been in Jerusalem;
00:02:15.85\00:02:17.49
that the king and his Lords
and his wives and his concubines
00:02:17.52\00:02:21.05
might drink from them.
00:02:21.08\00:02:23.00
Then they brought the gold
vessels that had been taken
00:02:23.03\00:02:26.09
from the temple
of the house of God,
00:02:26.12\00:02:27.84
which had been in Jerusalem,
00:02:27.87\00:02:29.84
and the king and his lords
and his wives and his concubines
00:02:29.87\00:02:33.17
drank from them.
00:02:33.20\00:02:34.42
And they drank wine and
they praised the gods of gold
00:02:34.45\00:02:38.33
and silver and bronze and
iron and wood and stone. "
00:02:38.36\00:02:42.50
Now, we're getting ready
to look into the recipe for -
00:02:42.53\00:02:46.84
"How do you destroy a nation"
00:02:46.87\00:02:50.01
Babylon is preparing to fall.
00:02:50.04\00:02:52.85
Babylon was, at this
point, one of the greatest
00:02:52.88\00:02:57.93
kingdoms, if not the
greatest kingdom of antiquity.
00:02:57.96\00:03:01.62
Daniel 2, describes
Babylon as a head of gold.
00:03:01.65\00:03:05.40
In chapter 7- Daniel describes
Babylon through prophecy
00:03:05.43\00:03:09.17
as the lion of the
beast; the king of beasts,
00:03:09.20\00:03:12.19
the golden head
of all the metals.
00:03:12.22\00:03:13.98
It was the greatest kingdom.
00:03:14.01\00:03:16.22
The historians, when
they describe ancient Babylon,
00:03:16.25\00:03:18.74
it scarcely is
possible to believe the scope
00:03:18.77\00:03:22.52
of what they talk about!
00:03:22.55\00:03:24.72
A city with walls
over 200 feet high.
00:03:24.75\00:03:28.52
It's almost as
high as a redwood;
00:03:28.55\00:03:30.73
60 miles in circumference,
80 feet wide at the top,
00:03:30.76\00:03:37.31
Herodotus, the
historian, tells us...
00:03:37.34\00:03:39.47
so that 4 chariots
could travel abreast.
00:03:39.50\00:03:43.33
There were 100 defense
towers above its walls.
00:03:43.36\00:03:47.84
Within the outer wall that
we just described, was farmland.
00:03:47.87\00:03:52.37
They also had 20 years'
worth of food store up in silos.
00:03:52.40\00:03:56.90
Now this is significant
to think about because
00:03:56.93\00:03:59.78
at the time of the
story we're reading about,
00:03:59.81\00:04:02.43
Babylon was engaged in a
war with a Medo-Persian empire.
00:04:02.46\00:04:08.21
As-a-matter-of-fact,
the Persians had besieged
00:04:08.24\00:04:12.93
the ancient city.
00:04:12.96\00:04:14.60
We got a map here,
we'll put up on the screen
00:04:14.63\00:04:16.30
about some of the scope of
the ancient kingdom of Babylon.
00:04:16.33\00:04:19.95
The Babylonian civilization,
it stretched all the way from
00:04:19.98\00:04:24.04
the Mediterranean
Sea to the Persian Gulf;
00:04:24.07\00:04:26.81
encompassed the
territory that involved,
00:04:26.84\00:04:29.59
what we call today, Syria,
Iraq and much of ancient Iran,
00:04:29.62\00:04:35.97
and it was one of the most
vast of the ancient empires,
00:04:36.00\00:04:39.98
the Golden Kingdom, right
there in the Fertile Crescent,
00:04:40.01\00:04:43.55
in the same location begun
by Nimrod - to be the first
00:04:43.58\00:04:48.69
kingdom built
in defiance to God.
00:04:48.72\00:04:51.31
The Tower of Babel
was in that same area.
00:04:51.34\00:04:55.11
As-a-matter-of-fact,
you can read about where
00:04:55.14\00:04:57.58
King Nebuchadnezzar,
he surveyed this massive
00:04:57.61\00:05:01.04
kingdom and said, "Is
this not the great kingdom"...
00:05:01.07\00:05:03.77
He looked at it from
his balcony and he was just
00:05:03.80\00:05:06.00
overwhelmed with how
magnificent this empire was.
00:05:06.03\00:05:11.85
But at that same time, this
young king named Belshazzar,
00:05:11.88\00:05:17.21
he was not all at concerned
that the Medo-Persians were
00:05:17.24\00:05:23.54
threatening to attack the city.
00:05:23.57\00:05:26.37
Now, when I first
mentioned Belshazzar,
00:05:26.40\00:05:28.46
I probably need to stop right
here because for many years,
00:05:28.49\00:05:31.76
critics of the Bible said,
"You can't trust the Bible,
00:05:31.79\00:05:34.20
nothing in all the
Babylonian history that we study
00:05:34.23\00:05:37.93
tells us there is anyone
by the name of Belshazzar. "
00:05:37.96\00:05:41.14
They thought they had all the
monarchs of Babylon mapped out;
00:05:41.17\00:05:44.33
there was no Belshazzar.
00:05:44.36\00:05:46.78
Who was Belshazzar?
00:05:46.81\00:05:49.85
Well after some archeological
digs, especially more
00:05:49.88\00:05:54.93
recent ones in the
region of ancient Babylon,
00:05:54.96\00:05:58.60
they've unearthed a
number of artifacts.
00:05:58.63\00:06:01.34
Belshazzar was the son of
a Babylonian King by name of
00:06:01.37\00:06:05.96
Nabonidus.
00:06:05.99\00:06:07.09
Now Belshazzar, Daniel says,
was a grandson of Nebuchadnezzar
00:06:07.12\00:06:14.03
but Nabonidus wasn't
related to Nebuchadnezzar.
00:06:14.06\00:06:15.73
He came to the throne
as a result of intrigue
00:06:15.76\00:06:18.25
and a few military
coups against the empire,
00:06:18.28\00:06:23.66
and so, folks say, "Well
the Bible can't be trusted"
00:06:23.69\00:06:26.68
But they continued to do
some archeological research,
00:06:26.71\00:06:30.03
and I've got a picture
here of an obelisk or a slate
00:06:30.06\00:06:35.86
showing Nabonidus
praying to the moon.
00:06:35.89\00:06:39.52
He was very religious.
00:06:39.55\00:06:41.08
He left the kingdom to the
care of his son, Belshazzar,
00:06:41.11\00:06:48.85
and he went off and he
was a very religious man;
00:06:48.88\00:06:51.61
he was praying in Arabia
trying to appease the gods
00:06:51.64\00:06:54.46
and trying to win
that southern kingdom.
00:06:54.49\00:06:56.26
In the archeological
research that they did,
00:06:56.29\00:06:59.12
they unearthed a few things...
00:06:59.15\00:07:00.54
One is, this
terracotta cylinder by Nabonidus
00:07:00.57\00:07:04.02
written in cuneiform
- you can see this today
00:07:04.05\00:07:06.51
in the British Museum and
another very important one
00:07:06.54\00:07:09.93
is called "The
Nabonidus Chronicle"
00:07:09.96\00:07:12.20
It looks a little bit like
the shape of the Rosetta Stone.
00:07:12.23\00:07:15.43
But in this ancient cuneiform,
00:07:15.46\00:07:17.36
he talks about
his son, Belshazzar.
00:07:17.39\00:07:20.20
Evidently what
happened is Nabonidus married
00:07:20.23\00:07:23.91
the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar,
meaning Belshazzar was not
00:07:23.94\00:07:29.38
related to Nebuchadnezzar
through his father,
00:07:29.42\00:07:31.20
but through his mother.
00:07:31.24\00:07:33.40
And, that comes up and
it plays very prominently
00:07:33.44\00:07:35.98
because she appears a
little later in the story.
00:07:36.01\00:07:38.54
When he has this
big drunken party,
00:07:38.57\00:07:42.37
the Persians had surrounded
the ancient City of Babylon,
00:07:42.40\00:07:46.43
the Medo-Persian kingdom;
they had laid siege to it.
00:07:46.46\00:07:49.76
Well the
Babylonians were not worried...
00:07:49.79\00:07:51.18
They said... We've got
enough food for 20 years;
00:07:51.21\00:07:54.27
we can grow our own
food within the city...
00:07:54.30\00:07:56.71
And a critical part of the
story - you must not forget is..
00:07:56.74\00:07:59.91
the Euphrates River,
we've all heard about,
00:07:59.94\00:08:02.28
the Euphrates goes all the
way back to the Garden of Eden;
00:08:02.31\00:08:05.42
it's in the news today...
ran underneath the walls
00:08:05.45\00:08:09.86
of ancient Babylon,
dissecting this massive city,
00:08:09.89\00:08:14.46
15 miles each
wall, 60 miles around,
00:08:14.49\00:08:19.78
providing an
abundance of water, cooling,
00:08:19.81\00:08:24.11
irrigating the
farms in the city...
00:08:24.14\00:08:26.23
So Belshazzar said...
We're not afraid of the Persians
00:08:26.26\00:08:28.83
...we're not worried about them.
00:08:28.86\00:08:30.23
They just closed the gates and
they said - We're going to relax
00:08:30.26\00:08:34.10
Well, the Persians
had a very clever plan,
00:08:34.13\00:08:38.76
but we're going to get
to that a little later.
00:08:38.79\00:08:40.50
The Persians
temporarily retreated
00:08:40.53\00:08:44.28
from surrounding Babylon.
00:08:44.31\00:08:46.84
The Babylonians
thought... Now they've given up,
00:08:46.87\00:08:49.52
they've left
and they celebrated.
00:08:49.55\00:08:52.19
They had a big party and in
the midst of this drunken party
00:08:52.22\00:08:56.85
history tells us that Belshazzar
especially disliked the
00:08:56.88\00:09:00.48
the Jewish
captives in his kingdom.
00:09:00.51\00:09:02.50
They had received some
preferential treatment under
00:09:02.54\00:09:05.61
the reign of Nebuchadnezzar;
you remember Nebuchadnezzar
00:09:05.65\00:09:07.89
exalted Daniel,
was prime minister;
00:09:07.92\00:09:10.40
Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego were in his cabinet.
00:09:10.44\00:09:14.01
Later, you hear that through
the intercession of Daniel,
00:09:14.04\00:09:17.14
the son of Nebuchadnezzar,
Evil Merodach or Evil Marduk
00:09:17.17\00:09:20.36
that he release
Jehoiachin from prison,
00:09:20.39\00:09:23.62
and so they had positions
of honor, they had respect,
00:09:23.65\00:09:26.01
but when the
kingdom was overturned,
00:09:26.04\00:09:28.41
Daniel was retired,
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
00:09:28.44\00:09:33.42
...we don't know
what happened to them,
00:09:33.45\00:09:34.65
but when Belshazzar
finally came into control,
00:09:34.68\00:09:36.82
he did not like
the Jews one bit.
00:09:36.85\00:09:39.12
And it says in some of these
cylinders that we just looked at
00:09:39.15\00:09:43.18
that they were
especially persecuted.
00:09:43.21\00:09:45.59
The Talmud tells us that the
Jews were especially persecuted
00:09:45.62\00:09:48.91
under Belshazzar.
00:09:48.94\00:09:50.74
When they saw the
Persians surrounding the city,
00:09:50.77\00:09:53.84
the Jews were thinking...
00:09:53.87\00:09:55.16
The prophecies of
Jeremiah are coming true;
00:09:55.19\00:09:57.87
this is a sign we're
going to be liberated soon.
00:09:57.90\00:10:01.60
As-a-matter-of-fact,
one of the generals of
00:10:01.63\00:10:04.46
the Persians by the name
of "Cyrus" was specifically
00:10:04.49\00:10:07.19
mentioned by name in
the prophecies of Isaiah,
00:10:07.22\00:10:10.75
and so the Jews
were very excited.
00:10:10.78\00:10:12.65
Belshazzar knew
that and he said...
00:10:12.68\00:10:15.90
"Their God cannot
save them from us. "
00:10:15.93\00:10:19.07
So to MOCK the God Israel...
00:10:19.10\00:10:20.92
You wonder - why did
he single out the Jews?
00:10:20.95\00:10:22.93
Why did he say - Get the
vessels from the Jewish temple?
00:10:22.96\00:10:25.48
He had many kingdoms
represented in his nation
00:10:25.51\00:10:27.95
that had been overthrown,
but he singles out the Jews,
00:10:27.98\00:10:30.76
very interesting.
00:10:30.79\00:10:32.59
He says - Get the vessels
that are in the treasury of
00:10:32.62\00:10:35.81
my grandfather Nebuchadnezzar,
that were taken from the
00:10:35.84\00:10:38.96
Temple of Jehovah and
we're going to show the Jews
00:10:38.99\00:10:41.91
that they need to
stop praying to their God,
00:10:41.94\00:10:43.60
they're not going
anywhere, and we're going to
00:10:43.63\00:10:47.18
praise our gods
with their holy vessels!
00:10:47.21\00:10:50.67
So you see what's
happening behind the scenes...
00:10:50.70\00:10:53.03
There's a war
between the gods going on.
00:10:53.06\00:10:56.63
So he begins to mock them
and mocks the God of heaven
00:10:56.66\00:11:01.29
begins to praise the gods;
takes these sacred vessels,
00:11:01.32\00:11:04.27
praise the gods of Babylon.
00:11:04.30\00:11:06.70
You'll notice in Daniel 2,
it talks about the metals of
00:11:06.73\00:11:09.98
gold and silver and bronze and
stone and it talks about wood,
00:11:10.01\00:11:13.47
the gods of all these
different materials, IDOLS.
00:11:13.50\00:11:19.05
So, right in the
midst of all this,
00:11:19.08\00:11:21.63
Babylon had been under siege of
the Persians - he has a party.
00:11:21.66\00:11:27.98
Now it's interesting
that frequently in the Bible,
00:11:28.01\00:11:30.94
it seems like there is
a party that's going on
00:11:30.97\00:11:33.64
just before a judgment.
00:11:33.67\00:11:35.56
I don't know why that
is; the Lord warns us about
00:11:35.59\00:11:40.23
knowing when to fast
and knowing when to feast.
00:11:40.26\00:11:43.79
Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:48,
speaking of the second coming...
00:11:43.82\00:11:49.59
"But if that evil
servant says in his heart -
00:11:49.62\00:11:52.16
My master delays his
coming and he begins to
00:11:52.19\00:11:55.24
beat his fellow
servants, and to eat and drink
00:11:55.27\00:11:57.59
with the drunken - feasting;
the master of that servant
00:11:57.62\00:12:01.59
will come in a day that
he's not looking for him
00:12:01.62\00:12:04.10
at an hour that
he's not aware of"
00:12:04.13\00:12:07.02
In the parable that Jesus tells
about the rich man and Lazarus,
00:12:07.05\00:12:10.91
"The rich man was
clothed with purple and linen
00:12:10.94\00:12:14.05
and he feasted on or
fared sumptuously every day... "
00:12:14.08\00:12:18.04
and then judgment
came to that rich man.
00:12:18.07\00:12:21.31
Judgment comes to
the unfaithful servant.
00:12:21.34\00:12:23.87
When the Children of
Israel saw Moses delayed
00:12:23.90\00:12:26.59
coming down the
mountain, they also had
00:12:26.62\00:12:29.76
a potluck that got
out of hand, didn't they?
00:12:29.79\00:12:33.18
And then Moses came... Judgment!
00:12:33.21\00:12:37.28
Adonijah had a feast
to proclaim himself king,
00:12:37.31\00:12:40.52
and then word came
to the banquet hall
00:12:40.55\00:12:43.17
...Solomon was being
coronated at that very moment,
00:12:43.20\00:12:45.81
and everybody left and the
party was over... Judgment came!
00:12:45.84\00:12:49.93
Jehu had a big banquet for
all the worshippers of Baal,
00:12:49.96\00:12:53.40
but it was really a rouse...
00:12:53.43\00:12:55.32
The whole thing was to
try to eliminate Baal worship
00:12:55.35\00:12:57.43
from the kingdom and everybody
came and had a big feast to Baal
00:12:57.46\00:13:00.22
and then he sent the
soldiers... and Judgment came!
00:13:00.25\00:13:04.48
You've got to know
there is a time to feast,
00:13:04.51\00:13:06.90
and there is a time to
fast, and right now when we are
00:13:06.93\00:13:10.17
at the borders of
the second coming,
00:13:10.20\00:13:12.39
it's not a time to be eating
and drinking with the drunken.
00:13:12.42\00:13:16.23
Shouldn't be
feasting before Judgment Day.
00:13:16.26\00:13:18.65
2 Peter 3:11, "Therefore...
speaking of the second coming,
00:13:18.68\00:13:24.93
since all these
things will be dissolved,
00:13:24.96\00:13:27.42
what manner of persons
ought you be in all holy conduct
00:13:27.45\00:13:31.37
and godliness... "
00:13:31.40\00:13:33.65
Just to give you the picture...
00:13:33.68\00:13:36.69
This was turning into
this banquet to celebrate
00:13:36.72\00:13:41.04
the withdrawal of the Persians;
00:13:41.07\00:13:44.09
it was turning
into the equivalent of
00:13:44.12\00:13:45.99
an ancient Roman orgy.
00:13:46.02\00:13:47.65
You got to remember
that it says here...
00:13:47.68\00:13:50.00
Unlike some of the
feasts where the Persians
00:13:50.03\00:13:52.64
had the men drinking and
the women were not allowed,
00:13:52.67\00:13:55.32
here it says
that... Belshazzar had his
00:13:55.35\00:13:58.78
concubines and
wives; the men and the women
00:13:58.81\00:14:01.65
were there.
00:14:01.68\00:14:02.82
It had turned into
something the equivalent of a
00:14:02.85\00:14:04.87
New Orleans Mardi
Gras or Brazilian Carnival,
00:14:04.90\00:14:08.78
where it was just a debauchery
of partying that was going on...
00:14:08.81\00:14:15.52
And then it says - When
the king has tasted the wine,
00:14:15.55\00:14:18.03
the effects of the
wine began to have its
00:14:18.06\00:14:21.70
inebriating impact on his mind,
00:14:22.54\00:14:25.59
that's when he gives the
very reckless command to bring
00:14:25.62\00:14:28.71
the sacred vessels
from the temple of God
00:14:28.74\00:14:31.36
and to begin to make
a mockery of Jehovah.
00:14:31.39\00:14:36.17
Now this is very significant
because he is now taking
00:14:36.20\00:14:39.34
something that was
dedicated for a holy purpose,
00:14:39.37\00:14:42.18
and it's being defiled.
00:14:42.49\00:14:45.14
You know, I was thinking about
what's happening in our country,
00:14:45.17\00:14:49.43
and I read an article in
Newsweek talking about how
00:14:49.46\00:14:54.33
the media, the censors
have just about closed down
00:14:54.36\00:14:57.59
their shop for television.
00:14:57.62\00:14:58.98
They used to censor the
movies and censor television,
00:14:59.01\00:15:02.03
and what was appropriate,
what was inappropriate.
00:15:02.06\00:15:03.97
And the border has been pushed
further and further and further,
00:15:04.00\00:15:07.86
where now, even during daytime
television, they're showing
00:15:07.89\00:15:11.06
just very explicit things.
00:15:11.09\00:15:14.60
And you know what,
it's like boiling a frog,
00:15:14.63\00:15:17.07
little by little, the country
is being exposed to this,
00:15:17.10\00:15:19.03
and they just don't
know it and even Christians
00:15:19.06\00:15:21.26
are watching these
things without even blushing.
00:15:21.29\00:15:26.07
...Not to mention what's
happening in the theater.
00:15:26.10\00:15:31.01
Edward Gibbon.. Oh by the way,
00:15:31.04\00:15:33.53
Rome is sometimes
compared to Babylon,
00:15:33.56\00:15:36.16
and when Peter greets
the church in Babylon,
00:15:36.19\00:15:38.53
he's talking about Rome.
00:15:38.57\00:15:39.60
Edward Gibbon describing
the 5 main reasons for Rome's
00:15:39.63\00:15:44.01
downfall - we're
getting ready to study the
00:15:44.04\00:15:45.71
downfall of Babylon
here... Listen to what he says,
00:15:45.74\00:15:48.60
"The undermining of the dignity
and the sanctity of the home"
00:15:48.63\00:15:54.33
The sanctity of the home
and I think that would also
00:15:54.36\00:15:56.37
talk about marriage...
00:15:56.40\00:15:58.42
"Increasing taxes and
spending of public money
00:15:58.45\00:16:01.27
for bread and circuses -
00:16:01.30\00:16:03.82
Spending tax
money on public parties.
00:16:03.85\00:16:07.70
...the mad craze for
pleasure with sports becoming
00:16:07.73\00:16:10.59
more exciting and more brutal
- like extreme fighting...
00:16:10.62\00:16:16.90
The building of armaments
where the real enemy was the
00:16:16.93\00:16:19.94
decadents of the people...
This is was Edward Gibbons says,
00:16:19.97\00:16:23.42
And the decay of religion with
faith fading into mere form. "
00:16:23.45\00:16:29.09
At one time, about 200
A.D., the Roman empire...
00:16:29.12\00:16:34.40
they had been experiencing
what they call "Pax Romana"
00:16:34.43\00:16:37.00
the Roman peace - the laws and
the morals of Rome at one point
00:16:37.03\00:16:40.61
were very high, but
as they began to fall
00:16:40.64\00:16:43.30
and they gave
themselves over to the orgies
00:16:43.33\00:16:46.24
and to the gladiator battles
00:16:46.27\00:16:48.16
and to ultimately
killing the Christians,
00:16:48.19\00:16:51.08
it just - the kingdom imploded,
even though it had once been
00:16:51.11\00:16:56.67
the most powerful kingdom.
00:16:56.70\00:16:57.87
Philipp Meyer, in his textbook
00:16:57.90\00:16:59.37
called, "Rome,
It's Rise and Fall,"
00:16:59.40\00:17:01.51
made this
observation on the Romans...
00:17:01.54\00:17:04.57
"Almost from the
beginning, the Roman stage was
00:17:04.60\00:17:07.14
gross and immoral and it
was one of the main agencies
00:17:07.17\00:17:10.61
to which must be attributed
the undermining of the
00:17:10.64\00:17:14.01
originally sound
moral life in society.
00:17:14.04\00:17:18.05
So absorbed did the
people become in the indecent
00:17:18.08\00:17:20.97
representations of the
stage, they lost all thought
00:17:21.00\00:17:24.64
and care for
affairs of real life. "
00:17:24.67\00:17:26.77
The culture
became obsessed with...
00:17:26.80\00:17:29.62
the equivalent of their media,
00:17:29.65\00:17:32.76
and it was gross and immoral.
00:17:32.79\00:17:35.32
Could that happen
again to our country?
00:17:35.35\00:17:40.85
Now, one of the things that
shocked my socks off was when
00:17:40.88\00:17:46.83
I finally got the news that the
9th Circuit Court in California
00:17:46.86\00:17:51.94
had reversed the ban
on declaring that marriage
00:17:51.97\00:17:55.77
between gays would be legal.
00:17:55.80\00:17:58.67
That ought to give
you chills, friends.
00:17:58.70\00:18:01.81
Not just because of what
happened to Sodom and Gomorrah,
00:18:01.84\00:18:05.60
but I thought it was interesting
that one of our members
00:18:05.63\00:18:08.20
emailed me something...
00:18:08.23\00:18:09.54
You know, there's only
one other time in history
00:18:09.57\00:18:12.90
when contracts of homosexual
marriage were endorsed
00:18:12.93\00:18:17.50
by the government and it
wasn't Sodom and Gomorrah -
00:18:17.53\00:18:20.35
believe it or not, it
wasn't Greece - as decadent
00:18:20.38\00:18:22.56
as they were in Greece;
in Rome - as much as they
00:18:22.59\00:18:26.59
misbehaved in Rome,
there has always been
00:18:26.62\00:18:28.89
elements of
homosexuality in culture...
00:18:28.92\00:18:31.79
But when it was
RECOGNIZED by the government...
00:18:31.82\00:18:34.56
you know when that was?
00:18:34.59\00:18:35.90
Among the ancient
writings of the Jews,
00:18:35.93\00:18:39.13
they've got the
books called "The Talmud"
00:18:39.17\00:18:41.33
There's one manuscript
called "The Babylonian Talmud"
00:18:41.37\00:18:43.90
It really has
nothing to do with Babylon;
00:18:43.93\00:18:45.36
it's just something that
was preserved through Babylon,
00:18:45.39\00:18:48.26
and the ancient rabbis
that lived 1,000 years, well not
00:18:48.29\00:18:50.99
1,000 years but
500 years before Jesus,
00:18:51.02\00:18:53.90
they said that the
one sin that was the most
00:18:53.93\00:18:58.80
offensive to God
BEFORE the flood -
00:18:58.83\00:19:02.40
Going back to
the time of Noah...
00:19:02.43\00:19:04.94
was when the government
began to issue contracts for men
00:19:04.97\00:19:08.75
to marry men... and
then the flood came.
00:19:08.78\00:19:12.68
That was the proverbial straw
that broke the camel's back.
00:19:12.71\00:19:16.63
I can't imagine why I'm
not hearing more outrage
00:19:16.66\00:19:21.75
from people across
the country, that America
00:19:21.78\00:19:24.90
has come to the place where
we're going to take something
00:19:24.93\00:19:27.07
that was dedicated for a
sacred purpose - marriage,
00:19:27.10\00:19:32.18
and are going to hand
that over to a perverse use...
00:19:32.21\00:19:36.44
and to recognize it and
legalize it and endorse it.
00:19:36.47\00:19:40.56
I'm praying that
that decision is reversed,
00:19:40.59\00:19:43.83
but you know what,
even if it's reversed,
00:19:43.86\00:19:45.70
you just watch - it's temporary,
they're not giving up.
00:19:45.73\00:19:50.11
Jesus said, "As it
was in the days of Noah,
00:19:50.14\00:19:52.74
so will it be in the
days of the son of man"
00:19:52.77\00:19:54.83
Oh by the way,
they ate and they drank.
00:19:54.86\00:19:57.86
"They knew not until
the flood came upon them"
00:19:57.89\00:20:00.29
And you can believe all
of that was happening in
00:20:00.32\00:20:02.90
the judgment halls
of Babylon that day,
00:20:02.93\00:20:06.64
before they saw the
handwriting on the wall.
00:20:06.67\00:20:08.84
By the way, did I tell
you that's the sermon title?
00:20:08.87\00:20:12.36
You know, when I first
started reading the Bible,
00:20:12.39\00:20:16.78
one of the things that really
impressed me about the Bible,
00:20:16.81\00:20:18.44
I had no Bible background...
00:20:18.47\00:20:19.62
As I'm reading
through the Bible,
00:20:19.65\00:20:20.77
I finally got to
the story of Daniel.
00:20:20.80\00:20:22.10
Daniel 5 talks about
the handwriting on the wall;
00:20:22.13\00:20:24.36
and said - "Oh, that's where
that expression comes from"
00:20:24.39\00:20:27.67
I was amazed
how many expressions
00:20:27.70\00:20:29.72
that I had been
using all my life.
00:20:29.76\00:20:31.04
I had no idea
what I was saying...
00:20:31.08\00:20:32.33
"I'd tell people - "Well,
we're going the second mile,"
00:20:32.36\00:20:34.35
and then I realized
that came from Jesus...
00:20:34.38\00:20:36.04
or, "Turn the other cheek,"
00:20:36.07\00:20:37.81
or "At your wits' end,"
or "The skin of your teeth"
00:20:37.85\00:20:40.81
and all these
expressions that we use,
00:20:40.84\00:20:42.46
they're from the Bible.
00:20:42.49\00:20:44.13
And "The
handwriting on the wall,"
00:20:44.16\00:20:45.62
that's the message today.
00:20:45.65\00:20:48.59
The king called for
these holy vessels...
00:20:48.62\00:20:51.88
You know, I think there's
a secondary meaning for that.
00:20:51.91\00:20:54.66
When he took the
silver and gold vessels,
00:20:54.69\00:20:57.35
these were precious metals...
00:20:57.38\00:20:59.55
I also think it's interesting
the kingdom is getting ready
00:20:59.58\00:21:02.42
to go from gold to silver
that night... interesting right?
00:21:02.45\00:21:07.44
The golden head of Babylon to
00:21:07.47\00:21:09.98
the silver of the Meds
and the Persians that night.
00:21:10.01\00:21:12.80
But, what's another
symbol for vessels in the Bible?
00:21:12.83\00:21:16.11
What does the Bible tell us
can be symbolized by vessels?
00:21:16.14\00:21:19.28
1 Thessalonians 4:4,
"That each of you should know
00:21:19.31\00:21:24.23
how to possess his own vessel...
00:21:24.26\00:21:26.45
Your body is a vessel to
be filled by the Holy Spirit.
00:21:26.48\00:21:29.21
...unto holiness,
sanctification and honor. "
00:21:29.24\00:21:33.11
Our vessels should be
possessed in sanctification,
00:21:33.14\00:21:36.58
and that means
holiness and honor.
00:21:36.61\00:21:39.06
We are to be dedicated for that.
00:21:39.09\00:21:41.03
When King Belshazzar
called for the vessels
00:21:41.06\00:21:44.26
from the House of the
Lord so that he could drink
00:21:44.29\00:21:46.58
fermented drink in
them and praise pagan gods,
00:21:46.61\00:21:49.87
that's really exactly what the
00:21:49.90\00:21:51.16
devil wants to do
with all of God's children.
00:21:51.19\00:21:53.71
He wants to take God's people,
00:21:53.74\00:21:55.97
who have been dedicated to
be filled with God's Spirit
00:21:56.00\00:21:58.67
in God's house and bring
them into his banquet hall,
00:21:58.70\00:22:01.56
and fill them
with his intoxicants,
00:22:01.59\00:22:03.60
intoxicating
drinks and praise devils.
00:22:03.63\00:22:07.51
Because you know, the Bible
says when they worship idols,
00:22:07.54\00:22:09.49
they are really
worshipping devils.
00:22:09.52\00:22:15.25
2 Chronicles 36:10
tells us that Nebuchadnezzar
00:22:15.28\00:22:21.03
sent and brought King Jehoiachin
him to Babylon with the
00:22:21.06\00:22:25.71
goodly vessels from
the house of the Lord.
00:22:25.74\00:22:27.75
These vessels had
come from the house of God.
00:22:27.78\00:22:30.99
There's something
incongruous about when we come
00:22:31.02\00:22:36.31
from the house of God,
when we leave this place,
00:22:36.34\00:22:38.98
we should not be going into
00:22:39.01\00:22:41.18
the feast house
of idols from here.
00:22:41.21\00:22:44.62
We should be
reserved for a holy purpose.
00:22:44.65\00:22:47.21
He was, in effect, mocking God
00:22:47.24\00:22:49.76
and what happens
when you mock God?
00:22:49.79\00:22:51.73
"Will a man mock God?"
00:22:51.76\00:22:56.09
Here the Persians
were outside the walls;
00:22:56.12\00:22:58.03
the Jews were
praying for deliverance,
00:22:58.06\00:22:59.61
and he wanted to show that
the God of Israel was powerless.
00:22:59.64\00:23:03.81
Didn't do this with any of
the other gods he had conquered,
00:23:03.84\00:23:06.22
but he did Jehovah.
00:23:06.25\00:23:07.90
Because the real battle
in this world is not between
00:23:07.93\00:23:10.26
the devil and the kings
and all the pagan religions,
00:23:10.29\00:23:13.16
it's between Satan and Christ
00:23:13.19\00:23:15.55
and you can see that
coming out in the story.
00:23:15.59\00:23:18.24
The one god he was threatened by
00:23:18.28\00:23:19.82
was the God they
could not make an idol of.
00:23:19.85\00:23:24.74
He's a God that you
can't make Him, He makes us.
00:23:24.77\00:23:32.44
Galatians 6:7,
"Do not be deceived,
00:23:32.47\00:23:35.48
God is not mocked;
for whatever a man sows,
00:23:35.51\00:23:38.67
he will also reap. "
00:23:38.70\00:23:43.11
When the government begins to
00:23:43.14\00:23:44.73
mock what God calls
holy, then Babylon falls.
00:23:44.76\00:23:49.60
Now turn back to
your Bibles, Daniel 5:5
00:23:49.63\00:23:54.45
I read you verses
1-4, "In that same hour,
00:23:54.48\00:23:58.68
the fingers of a man's hand... "
00:23:58.71\00:24:01.14
In the midst of their drinking,
00:24:01.17\00:24:02.26
and their praising
their different gods of
00:24:02.30\00:24:03.72
silver and gold -
they're going through this
00:24:03.75\00:24:05.14
ritual and all
the different lords.
00:24:05.17\00:24:06.22
He's got the most beautiful
women in the kingdom there.
00:24:06.26\00:24:08.89
You read in the
book, "Prophets and Kings,"
00:24:08.92\00:24:10.82
the most brilliant minds
in the kingdom are there.
00:24:10.86\00:24:14.38
It was an impressive scene.
00:24:14.41\00:24:15.84
They've got the
paparazzi there taking pictures,
00:24:15.87\00:24:18.47
or etching them or
something or painting them,
00:24:18.50\00:24:21.38
because I'm mean,
the Who's Who in Babylon,
00:24:21.41\00:24:24.13
and Babylon was the
biggest kingdom in the world...
00:24:24.16\00:24:26.18
If there was a party you
wanted to go to and find out
00:24:26.21\00:24:28.40
where all the influential
people were, it was this party!
00:24:28.43\00:24:33.25
Daniel wasn't
there because he knew
00:24:33.28\00:24:36.32
what was going to be going on.
00:24:36.35\00:24:38.75
"In that same hour, the fingers
of a man's hand appeared,
00:24:38.78\00:24:42.70
and wrote opposite the lampstand
on the plaster of the wall
00:24:42.73\00:24:47.65
of the king's palace,
and the king saw the part
00:24:47.68\00:24:50.88
of the hand that wrote...
" It wasn't a whole arm,
00:24:50.91\00:24:53.20
it's a hand and it has
the fingers curled around
00:24:53.23\00:24:56.33
maybe some instrument
and it's etching in burning
00:24:56.36\00:25:00.61
characters in wall over by the
lamp where everybody could see,
00:25:00.64\00:25:04.28
and a hush - a terror fell
upon that assembly that day.
00:25:04.31\00:25:08.38
Everybody - one minute
they're praising their god,
00:25:08.41\00:25:10.63
they're partying,
they are being profane,
00:25:10.66\00:25:12.73
they're using bad
language, telling lewd jokes,
00:25:12.76\00:25:17.16
behaving in an
unseemly way and it was AMAZING
00:25:17.19\00:25:20.95
how when they saw the hand
of God writing on the walls,
00:25:20.98\00:25:23.75
everybody's
attitude instantly changed.
00:25:23.78\00:25:29.20
People usually sober up
when God starts to write.
00:25:29.23\00:25:34.21
You need to pay
careful attention;
00:25:34.24\00:25:36.86
I can only think of
about 4 times in the Bible
00:25:36.89\00:25:39.25
when God writes anything.
00:25:39.28\00:25:41.98
You've got, of course, the Lord
writing the 10 Commandments,
00:25:42.01\00:25:45.03
but you know, He did it twice.
00:25:45.06\00:25:47.41
The first time,
God provided the stone,
00:25:47.44\00:25:49.23
the second time,
Moses broke them, remember?
00:25:49.26\00:25:51.69
God said... Look, you
gotta cut your own this time,
00:25:51.72\00:25:53.84
I'll write on them again.
00:25:53.87\00:25:55.20
So He wrote on them
again the second time.
00:25:55.23\00:25:57.76
Then you got this writing
on the judgment hall walls...
00:25:57.79\00:26:02.72
I'm sorry, it was a
feasting hall but it became a
00:26:02.75\00:26:05.12
judgment hall
didn't it... of Babylon.
00:26:05.15\00:26:07.85
And then Jesus is writing in
the dust of the temple floor,
00:26:07.88\00:26:10.48
and they got real
quiet when He started
00:26:10.51\00:26:11.91
writing too, didn't they?
00:26:11.94\00:26:16.75
"And the king's countenance
was changed"... I guess!
00:26:16.78\00:26:21.27
"and his thoughts troubled him;
00:26:21.30\00:26:24.83
so the joints of his
hips were loosed... "
00:26:24.86\00:26:29.78
You ever get so nervous
that your knees smite together?
00:26:29.81\00:26:33.08
Now I don't want to
put you on the spot,
00:26:33.11\00:26:34.48
but I find it
sometimes interesting,
00:26:34.51\00:26:37.16
and I can always tell
when a person is nervous
00:26:37.19\00:26:39.97
when they are up front -
because I know how it feels.
00:26:40.00\00:26:43.21
The first time I
got up to preach,
00:26:43.24\00:26:44.47
I was absolutely terrified;
I don't get that way anymore,
00:26:44.50\00:26:47.20
praise the Lord...
Oh sometimes if it's in
00:26:47.23\00:26:49.88
you know, live satellite
feed, that first night,
00:26:49.91\00:26:51.87
I get a little nervous
for the first few minutes,
00:26:51.90\00:26:53.51
but sometimes, you
know, I'll be sitting here,
00:26:53.54\00:26:56.78
and someone is up there doing
special music and you can see
00:26:56.81\00:26:58.77
the knees are knocking
together or you can just see the
00:26:58.80\00:27:04.78
bottom of their
dresses fluttering like that.
00:27:04.81\00:27:08.54
Or I'll see different
speakers - and I tell Karen,
00:27:08.57\00:27:10.69
I'll say, "Yeah, they're licking
their lips every 2 seconds,
00:27:10.72\00:27:12.85
see their eyes
blinking like that"
00:27:12.88\00:27:14.03
I said, "They are
scared to death. "
00:27:14.06\00:27:17.09
But when you get so
scared that you're doing
00:27:17.12\00:27:19.39
the Charleston... some of
you know what I'm talking about.
00:27:19.42\00:27:24.82
He couldn't stop and
it gets worse than that.
00:27:24.85\00:27:27.65
It says, "The joints of
his hips were loosed... "
00:27:27.68\00:27:31.44
and actually in some versions
it says "his loins were loosed,"
00:27:31.47\00:27:35.54
and I read some
commentaries on this, this week,
00:27:35.57\00:27:38.33
and a number of
scholars, new and old, say...
00:27:38.36\00:27:41.48
"That means he lost
control of his loins"
00:27:41.51\00:27:45.66
You drink a lot of
wine, that can happen,
00:27:45.69\00:27:48.86
combine that with a
little bit of abject terror...
00:27:48.89\00:27:53.73
By the way, don't forget
that because we're going to read
00:27:53.77\00:27:55.81
the prophecy where it
says, "The kings of Babylon,
00:27:55.84\00:27:58.04
their loins are
loosed with fear. "
00:27:58.07\00:28:04.46
"And his knees
knocked against each other"
00:28:04.49\00:28:07.03
That bold, brave king
was shaking his puny fist
00:28:07.06\00:28:09.79
in the face of God,
all of a sudden his knees
00:28:09.82\00:28:11.68
are knocking together.
00:28:11.71\00:28:12.94
And a lot of people
are very bold about saying,
00:28:12.97\00:28:15.00
"I don't believe in
God, there is no God"
00:28:15.03\00:28:16.92
acting like fools and
some day when they see
00:28:16.95\00:28:19.84
the handwriting on the wall,
they're not so brave anymore.
00:28:19.87\00:28:23.93
We're all going to be
judged for everything we say,
00:28:23.96\00:28:26.54
every idle word we
speak, everything we do;
00:28:26.57\00:28:29.35
we'll all stand and give an
account of ourselves before God,
00:28:29.38\00:28:33.44
something we need to remember.
00:28:33.47\00:28:34.85
"And the king cried aloud"
00:28:34.88\00:28:37.07
He's screaming, he's terrified!
00:28:37.10\00:28:39.14
"BRING IN THE ASTROLOGERS"
They see these words,
00:28:39.17\00:28:41.21
and then finally the
writing stops and there it is
00:28:41.24\00:28:43.33
glowing and
burning characters...
00:28:43.36\00:28:44.88
And I don't know if
the hand was still there
00:28:44.91\00:28:46.51
or they could see the
hand, but there was just
00:28:46.54\00:28:49.22
TERROR in the
banquet hall there.
00:28:49.25\00:28:52.41
"And he cries out, he screams,
bring in the astrologers,
00:28:52.44\00:28:56.07
and the Chaldeans
and the soothsayers"
00:28:56.10\00:28:57.94
"And the king spoke to
the wise men of Babylon"
00:28:57.97\00:29:01.04
They came and
rushed in before the king.
00:29:01.07\00:29:03.25
"Whoever reads this writing
and tells me its interpretation,
00:29:03.28\00:29:06.42
he'll be clothed with
purple, and have a chain of gold
00:29:06.45\00:29:09.52
around his neck and he'll be
the third ruler in the kingdom"
00:29:09.55\00:29:14.35
Babylon, the biggest kingdom
in the world - to be number 3,
00:29:14.38\00:29:17.09
you might be wondering, why
didn't he offer him number 2?
00:29:17.12\00:29:20.02
That's because
that's all he was.
00:29:20.05\00:29:22.46
The real king was in
Arabia, his father, Nabonidus.
00:29:22.49\00:29:25.04
He was only really
serving as the vice regent.
00:29:25.07\00:29:27.82
He was king number 2.
00:29:27.85\00:29:32.32
Ruler #2, he's offering number
3 to whoever could interpret it.
00:29:32.35\00:29:38.25
Now the king's wise men came in,
00:29:38.28\00:29:40.30
but they could not read
the writing or make known
00:29:40.33\00:29:43.83
to the king what the
interpretation was of it. "
00:29:43.86\00:29:48.85
I think it's very interesting,
Isaiah 47:13, prophesying
00:29:48.88\00:29:54.63
about this - the
wise men are mystified.
00:29:54.66\00:29:59.50
That often happens...
00:29:59.53\00:30:00.69
Pharaoh brings in his wise men,
00:30:00.72\00:30:02.10
can they tell what
his dream means? No
00:30:02.13\00:30:05.68
Nebuchadnezzar
brings in his wise men,
00:30:05.71\00:30:08.05
not only for his dream
about the golden image,
00:30:08.08\00:30:11.20
but later, he
dreams about the tree...
00:30:11.23\00:30:12.97
the wise men of the
world, they don't know.
00:30:13.00\00:30:17.34
Isaiah 47:13, "Thou art wearied
in the multitude of thy counsel,
00:30:17.37\00:30:21.81
let now the astrologers and
the stargazers and the monthly
00:30:21.84\00:30:25.66
prognosticators stand up
and save thee from these things
00:30:25.69\00:30:29.24
that shall come upon thee. "
00:30:29.27\00:30:30.41
His wise men could not help
him. They could not save him.
00:30:30.44\00:30:33.96
They could not
interpret what was happening.
00:30:33.99\00:30:37.19
You know, I'm concerned when
I see God's people going to the
00:30:37.22\00:30:45.37
wisdom of the world for
advice, when that advice
00:30:45.40\00:30:49.64
conflicts with the Word of God.
00:30:49.67\00:30:52.62
The wisdom of the
world is foolishness;
00:30:52.65\00:30:54.64
don't forget that the
wisest people in the world
00:30:54.67\00:30:56.86
once thought the earth was flat.
00:30:56.89\00:30:59.56
The wisest people in
the world once thought
00:30:59.59\00:31:01.18
if you had a fever,
you had too much blood,
00:31:01.21\00:31:02.66
so you just bleed them!
00:31:02.69\00:31:05.01
And that was the wisdom,
I mean, who could know more
00:31:05.04\00:31:07.28
than the doctors and the
scientists and the scholars?
00:31:07.31\00:31:13.00
The wisdom of the
world is foolishness to God.
00:31:13.03\00:31:17.24
1 Corinthians
1:20, "Where is the wise?
00:31:17.27\00:31:19.89
Where is the scribe?
00:31:19.92\00:31:21.12
Where is the
disputer of this age?
00:31:21.15\00:31:23.15
Has not God made foolish
the wisdom of this world?"
00:31:23.18\00:31:27.22
You can read in the
book, "Prophets and Kings,"
00:31:27.25\00:31:29.72
"But of no avail was his
appeal to his trusted advisors,
00:31:29.75\00:31:33.70
with offers of rich rewards,
heavenly wisdom cannot be
00:31:33.73\00:31:37.30
bought or sold. "
00:31:37.33\00:31:39.20
He needed one of God's
wise men to tell him what
00:31:39.23\00:31:41.97
God's writing said.
00:31:42.00\00:31:44.55
And then this is
very interesting here...
00:31:44.58\00:31:48.63
"The wise men could not
tell him and his countenance,
00:31:48.66\00:31:52.46
in verse 9 of chapter 5...
00:31:52.49\00:31:54.36
The king's
countenance was changed,
00:31:54.39\00:31:56.33
and his lords were astonished;
everyone was totally mystified.
00:31:56.36\00:32:00.80
Verse 10: "The queen,
because of the words of the king
00:32:00.83\00:32:05.04
and his lords, came
to the banquet hall. "
00:32:05.07\00:32:07.14
She was not there
also, isn't that interesting?
00:32:07.17\00:32:10.06
This is the
daughter of Nebuchadnezzar.
00:32:10.09\00:32:11.81
Nebuchadnezzar,
who ended his life by
00:32:11.84\00:32:13.53
extolling the God of heaven.
00:32:13.56\00:32:15.61
This is a daughter who
is probably a little more
00:32:15.64\00:32:17.81
amenable to the God of heaven.
00:32:17.84\00:32:19.84
She was not invited.
00:32:19.87\00:32:21.79
She was brought
to the judgment hall,
00:32:21.82\00:32:23.01
and now, word is going
everywhere about this event.
00:32:23.04\00:32:27.26
"And the queen's spoke"
00:32:27.29\00:32:28.95
This is probably
Belshazzar's mother.
00:32:28.98\00:32:31.56
"O king, live forever,
do not let your thoughts...
00:32:31.59\00:32:35.42
Don't forget that,
"O king, live forever"
00:32:35.45\00:32:37.41
"Do not let your thoughts
trouble you, nor let your
00:32:37.44\00:32:39.83
countenance change" Do
you underline in your Bible?
00:32:39.86\00:32:42.92
I got 4 words for
you... "There is a man"
00:32:42.95\00:32:47.30
I like that, when God
says, "There is a man"
00:32:47.33\00:32:50.13
They got all the
wisest men in Babylon,
00:32:50.16\00:32:52.35
and they can't figure it
out, but God still has a man.
00:32:52.38\00:32:55.87
"There is a man in your kingdom
00:32:55.90\00:32:58.42
in whom is the
Spirit of the Holy God,"
00:32:58.45\00:33:01.87
...unlike the
gods you are praising.
00:33:01.90\00:33:03.83
"and in the days of your
father, light and understanding
00:33:03.86\00:33:08.62
and wisdom, like the wisdom
of the gods was found in him"
00:33:08.65\00:33:11.51
Keep in mind, this
is the queen mother;
00:33:11.54\00:33:14.25
she is describing events that
had happened 40 years earlier.
00:33:14.28\00:33:18.62
Most of this
generation has forgotten about
00:33:18.65\00:33:20.77
those miracles of Daniel's
wisdom and his interpreting
00:33:20.80\00:33:25.00
the various
dreams of Nebuchadnezzar.
00:33:25.03\00:33:30.81
"The wisdom, like the wisdom
of the gods was found in him,
00:33:30.84\00:33:35.12
and King
Nebuchadnezzar, your father...
00:33:35.15\00:33:37.02
And they use the word "father
and grandfather' interchangeably
00:33:37.05\00:33:39.93
"Your father the king,
made him chief of the magicians,
00:33:39.96\00:33:43.34
astrologers,
Chaldeans and soothsayers.
00:33:43.37\00:33:45.82
In as much as an
excellent spirit, knowledge,
00:33:45.85\00:33:48.56
understanding, interpreting
dreams, solving riddles,
00:33:48.59\00:33:51.82
and explaining enigmas
were found in this Daniel
00:33:51.85\00:33:54.79
whom the king
named "Belteshazzar"
00:33:54.82\00:33:57.24
That's interesting, you got
Belshazzar and Belteshazzar.
00:33:57.27\00:34:01.85
"Now let Daniel be called and he
will give the interpretation. "
00:34:01.88\00:34:06.17
You noticed she has absolutely
no doubt... let him be called.
00:34:06.20\00:34:10.58
She doesn't say... Let
him take a crack at it.
00:34:10.61\00:34:12.93
She says, "He has never failed
00:34:12.96\00:34:15.59
to give an interpretation,"
he'll give it to you.
00:34:15.63\00:34:18.43
"Then Daniel was
brought in before the king"
00:34:18.46\00:34:20.56
Now, the king has been
mocking the God of the Jews...
00:34:20.59\00:34:22.90
Who is brought in to interpret
the king's writing? A Jew
00:34:22.93\00:34:29.11
"And the king spoke
and said to Daniel,"
00:34:29.14\00:34:32.25
"Are you that Daniel, who is of
one of the captives of Judah?"
00:34:32.28\00:34:35.50
You know, when they
wanted to get rid of Daniel,
00:34:35.97\00:34:37.87
in chapter 6,
they say, "That Daniel"
00:34:37.90\00:34:40.63
"... who is one of the captives
of Judah, who my father,
00:34:40.66\00:34:45.30
the king, brought from Judah"
00:34:45.33\00:34:46.40
You're just a foreign captive.
00:34:46.43\00:34:49.76
It still irks the king
that he is having to ask a Jew
00:34:49.79\00:34:52.60
to explain the writing.
00:34:52.63\00:34:54.19
"I've heard from you that
the Spirit of God is in you,
00:34:54.22\00:34:57.19
and that the light of
understanding and excellent
00:34:57.22\00:34:59.51
wisdom are found in you. "
00:34:59.54\00:35:01.03
"Now the wise men and
astrologers have been brought
00:35:01.06\00:35:03.41
before me to read this writing
to make known its interpretation
00:35:03.45\00:35:06.92
but they could not give the
interpretation of the thing.
00:35:06.95\00:35:10.85
And I've heard of
you, that you can give
00:35:10.88\00:35:12.46
interpretations
and explain enigmas.
00:35:12.49\00:35:14.92
Now if you can read
the writing and make known
00:35:14.95\00:35:17.87
to me its interpretation,
you will be clothed
00:35:17.90\00:35:20.13
in purple, Oh big
deal... and have a chain of gold
00:35:20.16\00:35:24.03
around your neck and you'll
00:35:24.06\00:35:26.04
be the third
ruler in the kingdom. "
00:35:26.07\00:35:29.61
Offering him these rewards.
00:35:29.64\00:35:31.28
You think that impressed Daniel?
00:35:31.31\00:35:35.38
It's amazing how quickly
Nebuchadnezzar's behavior
00:35:35.41\00:35:39.16
went from
mockery to abject terror.
00:35:39.19\00:35:44.02
How does Daniel
feel about these rewards?
00:35:44.05\00:35:46.82
Chapter 5, verse 17,
"Daniel answered and said
00:35:46.85\00:35:50.32
before the king, "Let
your gifts be for yourself,
00:35:50.35\00:35:53.42
and give your
rewards to another. "
00:35:53.45\00:35:55.78
Ooo... Do you know, we
have other ways of saying that,
00:35:55.81\00:36:03.94
but I won't say that!
00:36:03.97\00:36:07.37
You don't say that
to a king in front of...
00:36:07.40\00:36:10.77
oh yeah - I think
about another banquet hall,
00:36:10.80\00:36:14.42
and the king
started drinking wine.
00:36:14.45\00:36:15.66
Remember Harold and
John the Baptist... things.
00:36:15.69\00:36:19.22
And yet some Christians
think it's okay to drink alcohol
00:36:19.25\00:36:26.98
So he says, "Daniel, look
what I'm going to give you"
00:36:27.01\00:36:29.90
Whenever a prophet
makes out a receipt for you...
00:36:29.93\00:36:33.17
when a prophet says -
I'll give you a prophecy,
00:36:33.20\00:36:34.79
but just let me get out
my credit card machine...
00:36:34.82\00:36:38.82
You better go
looking for another prophet.
00:36:38.85\00:36:41.07
As-a-matter-of-fact,
a prophet of God,
00:36:41.10\00:36:42.57
if he's got a message for you,
00:36:42.60\00:36:44.17
you cannot pay him
to NOT give it to you!
00:36:44.20\00:36:48.11
Is that right?
00:36:48.14\00:36:50.37
So the idea - if you
give me a prophecy...
00:36:50.40\00:36:52.92
Naaman - he comes for healing.
00:36:52.95\00:36:54.86
He offers Elisha a FORTUNE!
00:36:54.89\00:36:57.00
He says - Keep your money, you
can't even pay for your healing.
00:36:57.04\00:37:01.74
God's Word is free;
Joseph's brothers tried to
00:37:01.78\00:37:03.99
put money in Joseph's
hands so they could get bread,
00:37:04.02\00:37:07.22
and Joseph said -
You can't pay for it.
00:37:07.25\00:37:08.90
...Put the money
back in their sack.
00:37:10.70\00:37:11.84
A lot of astrologers,
soothsayers and palm readers,
00:37:11.87\00:37:16.51
and you can go visit
them and they're going to
00:37:16.54\00:37:18.23
charge you for
your visit, right?
00:37:18.26\00:37:21.06
The other thing is... when
Daniel talks to King Darius
00:37:21.09\00:37:27.45
in the next chapter, he
says, "O king, liver forever,
00:37:27.48\00:37:29.25
my God has sent his angels
and shut the lion's mouths.
00:37:29.28\00:37:31.50
O king, liver forever...
" That's the proper way
00:37:31.53\00:37:33.55
you greet a king, right?
00:37:33.58\00:37:35.89
But you notice, he
doesn't say to Belshazzar,
00:37:35.92\00:37:37.92
O Belshazzar, live
forever. You know why?
00:37:37.95\00:37:39.81
He KNEW he wasn't
going to live forever.
00:37:39.84\00:37:43.75
No sense
wasting it and he wasn't
00:37:43.78\00:37:45.57
going to give him
that kind of glory.
00:37:45.60\00:37:47.23
He KNEW what the
handwriting on the wall said.
00:37:47.26\00:37:50.73
Back to chapter 5...
Oh, and he's offering him
00:37:50.76\00:37:53.19
position - what's the position?
00:37:53.22\00:37:54.62
You get to be third
ruler in the kingdom!
00:37:54.65\00:37:57.30
When you turn the
page, don't do it,
00:37:57.33\00:38:00.45
and you read chapter
6, Daniel is getting ready
00:38:00.48\00:38:04.16
in chapter 6, to be
second ruler in the kingdom.
00:38:04.19\00:38:09.36
He didn't need to get Belshazzar
to off him third place!
00:38:09.39\00:38:13.40
He says, You know, God is going
00:38:13.43\00:38:15.03
to give me second
place in one more chapter!
00:38:15.06\00:38:20.24
Isn't that what it said?
00:38:20.27\00:38:21.31
"Darius thought to set
him over the whole realm"
00:38:21.34\00:38:23.94
He was already chief
of the three presidents.
00:38:23.97\00:38:25.94
He thought to set
him over the whole realm
00:38:25.97\00:38:28.58
because of this excellent
spirit that was in him.
00:38:28.61\00:38:32.61
"O king, let your gifts be
for yourself"... keep your gifts
00:38:32.64\00:38:37.54
"... your rewards for another;
00:38:37.57\00:38:38.60
yet I will read
the writing to you...
00:38:38.63\00:38:40.56
can't wait to read
the writing to you...
00:38:40.59\00:38:44.96
to make known to him
the interpretation. "
00:38:44.99\00:38:48.44
Now, bear with me,
you got your Bibles,
00:38:48.47\00:38:49.82
you may want to read this.
00:38:49.85\00:38:52.53
"O king, the Most High God
gave Nebuchadnezzar your father
00:38:52.56\00:38:56.70
a kingdom and majesty
and glory and honor"...
00:38:56.73\00:38:58.96
unlike any other
king, I might add...
00:38:58.99\00:39:00.90
"And because of the
majesty that he gave him,
00:39:00.93\00:39:03.71
all peoples, nations
and languages trembled
00:39:03.74\00:39:06.26
and feared before him.
00:39:06.30\00:39:07.70
Whomever he wished, he executed;
00:39:07.73\00:39:09.48
whomever he
wished, he kept alive;
00:39:09.51\00:39:11.20
whomever he wished, he set up;
00:39:11.23\00:39:12.51
whomever he
wished, he put down. "
00:39:12.54\00:39:14.49
He was a total, absolute ruler.
00:39:14.52\00:39:17.17
"But when his
heart was lifted up,"
00:39:17.20\00:39:19.34
Remember his pride - is
this not the great Babylon
00:39:19.37\00:39:21.83
that I have built.
00:39:21.86\00:39:22.89
"And his spirit
was hardened in pride,
00:39:22.92\00:39:24.96
he was deposed
from his kingly throne,
00:39:24.99\00:39:27.79
and they took
his glory from him. "
00:39:27.82\00:39:30.66
"Then he was driven from
the sons of men and his heart
00:39:30.69\00:39:33.19
was made like a beast's heart,
and his dwelling was with the
00:39:33.22\00:39:37.46
wild donkeys. "
00:39:37.49\00:39:39.26
When you're proud, God can send
you out to feed with donkeys.
00:39:39.29\00:39:47.82
"They fed him with grass
like oxen and his body was
00:39:47.85\00:39:50.98
wet with the dew of
heaven, till he knew that the
00:39:51.01\00:39:53.94
Most High God rules
in the kingdom of man,
00:39:53.97\00:39:56.97
and appoints over at
whomever he chooses. "
00:39:57.00\00:39:59.15
In other words, Daniel is
all about, will you worship the
00:39:59.18\00:40:02.93
true God, who has the
real kingdom or the idols
00:40:02.96\00:40:05.75
in the false kingdom,
and they were praising
00:40:05.78\00:40:07.98
their idols and
trusting their idols to protect
00:40:08.01\00:40:10.47
Babylon from the
Persians, and the one God
00:40:10.50\00:40:13.82
they could trust or
that could help them,
00:40:13.85\00:40:15.97
they were not trusting.
00:40:16.00\00:40:19.05
"But you his son, Belshazzar,
have not humbled your heart,
00:40:19.08\00:40:24.01
although you knew all this... "
00:40:24.04\00:40:25.95
You knew what the history
was, your mother told you.
00:40:25.98\00:40:28.82
"and you've lifted yourself
up against the Lord of heaven,
00:40:28.85\00:40:31.23
and you've brought the
vessels of His house before you,
00:40:31.26\00:40:35.43
and you and your
lords and your wives,
00:40:35.46\00:40:37.27
and your concubines
have drunk wine from them.
00:40:37.30\00:40:39.99
And you have praised the gods
of silver and gold and bronze
00:40:40.02\00:40:43.01
and iron and wood and
stone which do not see or hear
00:40:43.04\00:40:46.80
or know anything. "
00:40:46.83\00:40:49.82
You get the context of this?
00:40:49.85\00:40:51.19
Daniel, what a man!
00:40:51.22\00:40:53.36
Someone said the lions
didn't eat him because he had
00:40:53.39\00:40:55.46
too much backbone.
00:40:55.49\00:40:57.06
He is in a judgment hall where
they've got all of the idols
00:40:57.09\00:41:01.91
illuminated; beautiful
idols all around the walls of
00:41:01.94\00:41:05.79
the judgment hall; that's
why they were all praising them.
00:41:05.82\00:41:08.41
And they're going through the
ritual; they're praising them
00:41:08.44\00:41:10.27
and the most important,
the most POWERFUL people
00:41:10.30\00:41:13.14
in the kingdom are there
and Daniel stands FEARLESSLY
00:41:13.17\00:41:16.39
in their midst -
85 years old, perhaps.
00:41:16.42\00:41:20.87
He had been carried
away 70 years earlier and he
00:41:20.90\00:41:24.80
denounces that
their gods are dead;
00:41:24.83\00:41:27.50
they're stone,
they're wood; they do not see,
00:41:27.53\00:41:30.13
they do not hear, what a sermon!
00:41:30.16\00:41:31.90
Ooo - that takes courage!
00:41:31.93\00:41:35.22
That's like when Paul
goes in the amphitheater
00:41:35.25\00:41:38.42
of Greece and says that...
I'm going to tell you about
00:41:38.45\00:41:41.80
the one unknown God;
you've got all these idols,
00:41:41.83\00:41:43.58
you don't even know
what you're worshipping.
00:41:43.61\00:41:47.66
"But the God who holds
your breath in His hand,
00:41:47.69\00:41:50.84
who owns all your ways,
you have not glorified. "
00:41:50.87\00:41:54.73
"Then the fingers of
the hand were sent from Him,
00:41:54.76\00:41:58.18
and this writing was written. "
00:41:58.21\00:42:01.14
Now, we're going to
look at the writing.
00:42:01.17\00:42:04.96
"And this is the inscription
that was written... "
00:42:04.99\00:42:06.76
You know, most scholars
believe probably the writing
00:42:06.79\00:42:09.38
was in Hebrew.
00:42:09.41\00:42:10.51
It was in the ancient Hebrew
and the soothsayers and the
00:42:10.54\00:42:17.83
Babylonians...
00:42:17.86\00:42:18.89
You see, Daniel was
instructed in their language,
00:42:18.92\00:42:20.97
and he
understood both languages,
00:42:21.00\00:42:22.35
but they were not
instructed in his language.
00:42:22.38\00:42:24.92
What were the 10
Commandments written in?
00:42:24.95\00:42:28.39
But what language?
Probably Hebrew, right?
00:42:28.42\00:42:31.64
The language of the
people; does that make sense?
00:42:31.67\00:42:34.84
And what do you think
Jesus wrote when He wrote
00:42:34.87\00:42:36.46
on the judgment floor,
rather in the temple floor dust?
00:42:36.49\00:42:41.84
He wrote probably Hebrew.
00:42:41.87\00:42:43.36
Was there Hebrew also
above the head of Christ
00:42:43.39\00:42:45.34
when he was crucified?
00:42:45.37\00:42:47.23
So I think there's a
good argument that these were
00:42:47.26\00:42:49.23
Hebrew characters.
00:42:49.26\00:42:50.62
No problem for
Daniel to read this.
00:42:50.65\00:42:54.50
"MENE, MENE, TEKEL UPHARSIN"
00:42:54.53\00:42:56.75
is the writing.
00:42:56.78\00:42:59.64
Now if I were just
to say that to you,
00:42:59.67\00:43:01.25
you would probably want
to know what that means.
00:43:01.28\00:43:02.96
As-a-matter-of-fact,
even if you understood Hebrew,
00:43:02.99\00:43:04.83
each one of these
words; one, repeated twice,
00:43:04.86\00:43:08.21
each word represents a sentence.
00:43:08.24\00:43:11.06
The sentence is
summarized in the word.
00:43:11.09\00:43:15.71
Pastor Harold told
me a story this week...
00:43:15.74\00:43:18.27
I told him - I hope he doesn't
mind my robbing his story
00:43:18.30\00:43:20.84
about a young person
that was studying the truth,
00:43:20.87\00:43:24.85
and wanted to accept the truth.
00:43:24.88\00:43:28.12
His family was from
charismatic background,
00:43:28.15\00:43:31.32
and they just were
very worried about him
00:43:31.35\00:43:32.83
that he might become
a Seventh-day Adventist,
00:43:32.86\00:43:34.41
and they thought
what he really needed was
00:43:34.44\00:43:36.32
the gift of tongues and
everything would be all right,
00:43:36.35\00:43:38.79
so they took this young person
and brought him into a church,
00:43:38.82\00:43:41.23
and surrounded him
with pastors and they said,
00:43:41.26\00:43:42.76
"We're just going to pray
until you speak in tongues,
00:43:42.79\00:43:44.70
and we're not leaving here
until you speak in tongues!"
00:43:44.73\00:43:46.18
And they all surrounded
him; they're all praying,
00:43:46.21\00:43:48.17
and they're speaking in tongues
and they were laying hands
00:43:48.20\00:43:50.03
on him and they
were carrying on.
00:43:50.06\00:43:51.09
He doesn't know what to
do and he's standing there,
00:43:51.12\00:43:52.63
and he's praying and praying
and they're going on and on,
00:43:52.66\00:43:54.24
and FINALLY.. he said,
"MENE, MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN"
00:43:54.27\00:43:58.89
and they all said,
"PRAISE THE LORD" and they left!
00:43:58.92\00:44:02.44
But they didn't
realize what he said was...
00:44:02.47\00:44:03.96
"You're all weighed in the
balances and found wanting"
00:44:03.99\00:44:09.76
Just remember that in
case you ever need it.
00:44:09.79\00:44:14.05
"And so then he
gives the interpretation,
00:44:14.08\00:44:16.96
verse 26: Mene - God is numbered
00:44:16.99\00:44:21.82
Well let me back up here
and I want to give this to you
00:44:21.85\00:44:24.39
from the Hebrew.
00:44:24.42\00:44:26.64
In the Hebrew, I've got
the characters written here,
00:44:26.67\00:44:29.59
and that won't do you any good.
00:44:29.62\00:44:30.74
"Mene" signifies
the word numeration.
00:44:30.77\00:44:33.72
"Tekel" - weighing,
and "Peres" - division.
00:44:33.75\00:44:38.97
So, just to give
you that background.
00:44:39.00\00:44:42.07
So back here to the
writing, Daniel 5:26...
00:44:42.10\00:44:47.46
"This is the
interpretation of each word:
00:44:47.49\00:44:49.80
Mene - God has numbered
your kingdom and finished it.
00:44:49.83\00:44:53.27
Tekel - You have been
weighed in the balances...
00:44:53.30\00:44:56.52
There's a judgment, a
scale... and you've been weighed
00:44:56.55\00:44:59.71
and you are found wanting. "
00:44:59.74\00:45:02.25
You know, they
used to check pure gold,
00:45:02.28\00:45:04.82
they'd weigh it
against a certain weight
00:45:04.85\00:45:06.64
to see if it was
pure or if they had
00:45:06.67\00:45:07.83
something else mixed in
with it and it was impure.
00:45:07.86\00:45:11.23
It had some false
material in there.
00:45:11.26\00:45:15.39
"You are weighed in the
balances and found wanting"
00:45:15.42\00:45:18.66
"Peres - Your kingdom is being
00:45:18.69\00:45:21.31
divided and given to the
Medes and the Persians. "
00:45:21.34\00:45:24.45
I think it's
interesting that, at that point,
00:45:24.48\00:45:29.86
the walls of Babylon,
at the very moment that
00:45:29.89\00:45:35.60
Daniel was speaking those words,
00:45:35.63\00:45:36.93
the outer walls
had been breached.
00:45:36.96\00:45:41.73
Now let me give
you a little history
00:45:41.76\00:45:45.20
in case you didn't know this...
00:45:45.23\00:45:47.47
What Cyrus did... Cyrus
and the Medes and the Persians
00:45:47.50\00:45:51.10
had this confederacy;
they had surrounded Babylon.
00:45:51.13\00:45:54.15
They realized they could not
breech the walls of the city,
00:45:54.18\00:45:57.43
they were too high.
00:45:57.46\00:45:59.19
They could not get through
the gates, they were too thick,
00:45:59.22\00:46:02.14
and they could
shoot down from the walls.
00:46:02.17\00:46:03.62
And as they
studied the situation,
00:46:03.65\00:46:05.45
they came up with an idea...
00:46:05.48\00:46:07.59
When they built Babylon,
they had the old place the
00:46:07.62\00:46:10.53
river used to run;
they redirected it through
00:46:10.56\00:46:12.43
the city after they
finished building the aqueducts
00:46:12.46\00:46:16.18
that went through the
city, they had to dam that off
00:46:16.21\00:46:18.94
for a little while
some ways up stream
00:46:18.97\00:46:21.86
so that they could
do the construction.
00:46:21.89\00:46:24.44
Cyrus found that and it was
a number of miles out of sight.
00:46:24.47\00:46:27.86
He had his army dig
a BIG basin in a canal
00:46:27.89\00:46:33.53
that would re-route
the Euphrates River.
00:46:33.56\00:46:36.52
Just as the sun
began to go down,
00:46:36.55\00:46:38.65
he had all of
his soldiers retreat,
00:46:38.68\00:46:40.32
the Babylonians celebrated;
00:46:40.35\00:46:41.53
they thought that the Persians
and the Medes had given up.
00:46:41.56\00:46:43.86
They retreated out of
view; they broke the dam
00:46:43.89\00:46:48.61
that let the water run
off in the other direction.
00:46:48.64\00:46:51.95
The regular flow of
the Euphrates went down,
00:46:51.98\00:46:55.47
it was dried; the flow
of the river ran off in this
00:46:55.50\00:46:58.08
incredible old canal,
so at least temporarily
00:46:58.11\00:47:01.57
dropped the
water level many feet,
00:47:01.60\00:47:03.90
and it tells us that the
soldiers were able to walk
00:47:03.93\00:47:07.27
underneath the walls
because the level of the water
00:47:07.30\00:47:09.22
had dropped to where it
wasn't more than a stream -
00:47:09.25\00:47:11.24
this is the Euphrates
River which normally flows
00:47:11.27\00:47:14.52
like the
Mississippi, it's a big river!
00:47:14.55\00:47:17.64
When they got to
the great iron gates,
00:47:17.67\00:47:20.38
not only were they
able to go under the walls,
00:47:20.41\00:47:22.73
but the soldiers were all drunk.
00:47:22.76\00:47:23.99
They were celebrating
the retreat of the Persians.
00:47:24.02\00:47:26.28
They left the
iron gates unlocked.
00:47:26.31\00:47:29.79
Right as Daniel is in there
saying, "You are found weighed
00:47:29.82\00:47:33.20
in the balances and
wanting," they can hear the cry
00:47:33.23\00:47:37.64
of the soldiers
outside the judgment hall,
00:47:37.67\00:47:39.99
and they're saying,
"The Persians are here,
00:47:40.02\00:47:42.18
the Medes are here,
there's an army coming,
00:47:42.21\00:47:44.34
we're overwhelmed. "
00:47:44.37\00:47:45.92
They swarmed in like
ants, underneath the walls.
00:47:45.95\00:47:49.70
Then they
opened the other gates,
00:47:49.73\00:47:51.18
the army came in
through the other gates,
00:47:51.21\00:47:53.56
and the city quickly fell.
00:47:53.59\00:47:59.35
"Babylon fell"
I've got the writings
00:47:59.38\00:48:03.77
here from,
again, from Herodotus...
00:48:03.80\00:48:06.67
"Cyrus dug a trench and diverted
the flow of the Euphrates River
00:48:06.70\00:48:10.15
into this new channel
which led to an existing swamp.
00:48:10.18\00:48:13.86
The level of the river
then dropped to such a level,
00:48:13.89\00:48:16.36
it became like a stream. "
00:48:16.39\00:48:18.45
His arm was able
to take the city.
00:48:18.48\00:48:20.25
The Babylonians at
this time were celebrating
00:48:20.28\00:48:23.07
intensely at a feast
to one of their gods,
00:48:23.10\00:48:26.63
and they were taken
totally by surprise.
00:48:26.66\00:48:29.45
There was a festival
going on and they continued
00:48:29.48\00:48:32.33
to dance and enjoy themselves
until they learned the news
00:48:32.36\00:48:35.77
the hard way...
That's from the historians.
00:48:35.80\00:48:39.06
It goes along with the Bible.
00:48:39.09\00:48:40.45
Isaiah 45:1- Listen
to what Isaiah says over
00:48:40.48\00:48:43.78
a 100 years before
these events transpired.
00:48:43.81\00:48:49.68
...About 150 years.
00:48:49.71\00:48:51.25
"Thus says the Lord to
His anointed, to Cyrus...
00:48:51.28\00:48:53.89
Cyrus is not born
yet; we know from the
00:48:53.92\00:48:58.28
Dead Sea Scrolls, Isaiah
wrote this before it happened...
00:48:58.31\00:49:01.49
...whose right
hand I have helped,
00:49:01.52\00:49:04.28
I'm going to help this king.
00:49:04.31\00:49:06.31
...to subdue nations before
Him to loose the armor of kings
00:49:06.34\00:49:12.41
To open before
him the double doors,
00:49:12.44\00:49:15.80
so the gate shall not be shut. "
00:49:15.83\00:49:18.06
It's actually to loose the
loins of kings... interesting!
00:49:18.09\00:49:23.05
"The double doors
would be left open"
00:49:23.08\00:49:25.47
This is EXACTLY what happened!
00:49:25.50\00:49:28.34
Jeremiah speaking of the fall
of Babylon in chapter 51:30;
00:49:28.37\00:49:32.33
"The mighty men of
Babylon had ceased fighting;
00:49:32.36\00:49:36.14
they've remained
in their strongholds.
00:49:36.17\00:49:38.70
Their might has
failed; they became like women,
00:49:38.73\00:49:41.28
they have burned
her dwelling places.
00:49:41.31\00:49:43.41
Her bars of her
gates are broken. "
00:49:43.44\00:49:45.45
They were unable to
fight, they were all drunk
00:49:45.48\00:49:47.75
and intoxicated - they
fled before the Persians,
00:49:47.78\00:49:49.83
no resistance was put up.
00:49:49.86\00:49:52.06
Now I think this is significant
because if you read in
00:49:52.09\00:49:54.82
Revelation 16- nothing in
the book of Daniel talks about
00:49:54.85\00:49:58.52
the drying up of the Euphrates.
00:49:58.55\00:50:00.08
This is in history though
and all the Jews knew this.
00:50:00.11\00:50:03.97
So when you read
Revelation 16:12,
00:50:04.00\00:50:06.19
"Then the 6th angel poured
out his bowl on great river
00:50:06.22\00:50:09.40
Euphrates and its
water was dried up,
00:50:09.43\00:50:12.21
so the way of the kings from
the east might be prepared. "
00:50:12.24\00:50:15.36
When Darius the Median
king and Cyrus the Persian,
00:50:15.39\00:50:19.16
who later became king...
00:50:19.19\00:50:20.33
When they came from the
east, it meant deliverance
00:50:20.36\00:50:24.07
for the people of God who had
been held captive in Babylon.
00:50:24.10\00:50:28.15
I think right now we
can hear the shouting
00:50:28.18\00:50:30.79
from the judgment hall
00:50:30.82\00:50:31.85
or from the banquet
hall, I should say...
00:50:31.88\00:50:34.12
And soon you're going to hear
shouting from the judgment hall;
00:50:34.15\00:50:37.11
that I think we're on the
borders of a very similar event,
00:50:37.14\00:50:40.59
that the end is near.
00:50:40.62\00:50:42.63
Now you read in the last few
verses of Daniel 5, and it says;
00:50:42.66\00:50:51.40
verse 29, "Belshazzar, he gives
the command and they clothe
00:50:51.43\00:50:57.60
Daniel with purple and they put
a gold chain around his neck,
00:50:57.63\00:51:00.91
and they made a
proclamation concerning him,
00:51:00.94\00:51:02.96
that he should be the
third ruler in the kingdom. "
00:51:02.99\00:51:05.51
This is the last command
of Belshazzar before he dies.
00:51:05.54\00:51:08.73
What is his last
command? To glorify a Jew,
00:51:08.76\00:51:13.78
to make a Jew the
third ruler in his kingdom.
00:51:13.81\00:51:17.90
And then you
read the next verse...
00:51:17.93\00:51:19.19
"That night, Belshazzar the King
of the Chaldeans, was slain,
00:51:19.22\00:51:25.37
and Darius the Mede received
00:51:25.40\00:51:26.97
the kingdom, being
about 62 years old.
00:51:27.00\00:51:30.22
Of all the leaders in the
Babylonian cabinet that were
00:51:30.25\00:51:34.15
executed, they didn't
execute Daniel, did they?
00:51:34.18\00:51:39.11
You know why? All
the Babylonians fell.
00:51:39.14\00:51:41.85
It doesn't matter
if you're in Babylon,
00:51:41.88\00:51:44.31
you just got to make
sure Babylon is not in you.
00:51:44.34\00:51:47.38
God tells His people that
we should come out of Babylon.
00:51:47.41\00:51:51.20
Now, we might be surrounded
with Babylonian behavior,
00:51:51.23\00:51:54.42
and you might even see elements
of Babylon in the church,
00:51:54.45\00:51:57.47
but the church is not Babylon.
00:51:57.50\00:52:00.03
But some people in the
church got Babylon in them!
00:52:00.06\00:52:05.40
And we need to pray
that the Lord will help us
00:52:05.43\00:52:07.84
to treat our vessels
as holy Amen friends?
00:52:07.87\00:52:11.08
I think these are signs
that the Lord is coming soon,
00:52:11.11\00:52:13.60
and we need to do
everything we can to prepare...
00:52:13.63\00:52:17.59
Do you see the
handwriting on the wall?
00:52:17.62\00:52:20.23
I believe that the evidence is
there that Jesus is on His way.
00:52:20.26\00:52:24.98
Turn in your Hymnals to 626.
00:52:25.01\00:52:27.26
I'm trying to think
about how do I end this sermon?
00:52:27.29\00:52:30.53
I don't think I can and I think
God is going to have to end it.
00:52:30.56\00:52:32.96
You just keep
watching the headlines,
00:52:32.99\00:52:35.16
I'll let the Lord end it.
00:52:35.19\00:52:37.35
Turn in your Hymnals to 626.
00:52:37.38\00:52:38.66
Let's stand
together and let's sing this.
00:52:38.69\00:52:40.37
First and last verse - "In a
Little While We're Going Home"
00:52:40.40\00:52:50.37
Let us sing a song that
will cheer us by the way,
00:52:50.41\00:52:56.44
In a little
while we're going home;
00:52:56.47\00:53:01.96
For the night will end
in the everlasting day,
00:53:02.00\00:53:08.02
In a little
while we're going home.
00:53:08.06\00:53:13.61
In a little
while, In a little while,
00:53:13.65\00:53:19.17
We shall cross
the billow's foam;
00:53:19.20\00:53:24.59
We shall meet at last,
When the stormy winds are past,
00:53:24.62\00:53:31.88
In a little
while we're going home.
00:53:31.91\00:53:39.19
Before we sing the last verse,
00:53:39.22\00:53:40.83
I just feel like I need to offer
a moment for you to respond,
00:53:40.86\00:53:46.82
and I always struggle and say,
"Lord, I don't know if I was
00:53:46.85\00:53:50.22
able to communicate to
them the power and intensity
00:53:50.25\00:53:53.78
of this story and how relevant
it is today that I see. "
00:53:53.81\00:53:59.39
What happened there in that
banquet hall many years ago,
00:53:59.42\00:54:02.68
that's being acted out
in our country right now.
00:54:02.71\00:54:04.82
What happened in ancient
Rome... and I think that unless
00:54:04.85\00:54:07.85
there's major
repentance, we're going to see
00:54:07.88\00:54:10.05
some pretty dramatic
changes taking place very soon.
00:54:10.08\00:54:14.54
And it's time for us to make
sure that we're not in Babylon,
00:54:14.57\00:54:18.09
and it's not in us. Amen?
00:54:18.12\00:54:20.97
Some of you might have different
needs in your hearts and lives,
00:54:21.00\00:54:23.45
and the Lord is speaking
to you and He is calling you.
00:54:23.48\00:54:25.76
I'd like to have a relationship
with the Lord like Daniel had -
00:54:25.79\00:54:28.73
where people will accuse us of
00:54:28.76\00:54:30.30
having the Spirit of the Living
God in us, is that your desire?
00:54:30.33\00:54:35.07
Some here may be
have some special needs
00:54:35.10\00:54:37.82
you'd like to bring
to the Lord right now.
00:54:37.85\00:54:39.44
As we sing the last
verse, and you want to know
00:54:39.47\00:54:41.89
you're ready for Jesus to come;
00:54:41.92\00:54:43.18
if you need
special prayer; Come...
00:54:43.21\00:54:44.98
As we close with prayer, verse 4
00:54:45.01\00:54:48.90
There's a rest beyond,
there's relief from every care,
00:54:52.15\00:54:58.56
In a little
while we're going home;
00:54:58.59\00:55:04.48
And no tears shall fall
in that city bright and fair,
00:55:04.51\00:55:10.19
In a little
while we're going home.
00:55:10.22\00:55:15.81
In a little
while, In a little while,
00:55:15.84\00:55:21.68
We shall cross
the billow's foam;
00:55:21.71\00:55:27.28
We shall meet at last,
When the stormy winds are past,
00:55:27.31\00:55:34.73
In a little while we going home.
00:55:34.76\00:55:42.50
Father in Heaven,
We do look forward to
00:55:42.53\00:55:45.34
and long for that
day when Jesus comes.
00:55:45.37\00:55:49.24
We can see the Euphrates
River drying up even now, Lord.
00:55:49.27\00:55:53.32
That's the harbinger
that Jesus is coming.
00:55:53.35\00:55:57.82
I pray that each one of us can
find a way to excuse ourselves
00:55:57.85\00:56:05.03
from the feasting
banquet hall and make our way
00:56:05.06\00:56:09.26
to the fasting, that we might
humble ourselves before You,
00:56:09.29\00:56:13.53
and recognize that
there is judgment looming.
00:56:13.56\00:56:17.00
I pray Lord, that there
will be revival in our church
00:56:17.03\00:56:22.13
that will really come before
you and surrender ourselves
00:56:22.16\00:56:25.72
and return to the faith that
was once delivered to the saints
00:56:25.75\00:56:29.27
I pray Lord, there will
be revival and repentance
00:56:29.30\00:56:32.08
in our country and
that we will, as a nation,
00:56:32.11\00:56:35.33
humble ourselves and
turn away from the decadent
00:56:35.36\00:56:39.75
behavior that seems to be
modeling the fall of Babylon,
00:56:39.78\00:56:45.06
and the fall of Rome once again.
00:56:45.09\00:56:48.08
I pray also, Lord, that
there can be a revival in our
00:56:48.11\00:56:52.08
personal devotional
lives, in our relationship
00:56:52.11\00:56:54.79
and our witness for You.
00:56:54.82\00:56:56.06
We're very thankful
for the young people
00:56:56.09\00:56:58.31
preparing to go
on this mission trip.
00:56:58.34\00:56:59.53
We ask that You guard
them, watch over them,
00:56:59.56\00:57:02.01
and bless them as well.
00:57:02.04\00:57:04.21
Pour out Your
Spirit on our church,
00:57:04.24\00:57:06.35
and the blessings
of this Sabbath day
00:57:06.38\00:57:08.04
as we close
this worship service.
00:57:08.07\00:57:10.03
We pray we can
take Your presence
00:57:10.06\00:57:11.80
and those blessings with us.
00:57:11.83\00:57:12.98
Help us to be Your witnesses.
00:57:13.01\00:57:14.65
We pray that Your
Spirit will be in our hearts,
00:57:14.68\00:57:16.61
and will sense it there.
00:57:16.64\00:57:17.83
We ask in Jesus name... Amen
00:57:17.86\00:57:19.86