The Handwriting on the Wall

Sunday, January 23
The Handwriting on the Wall 

Thank you for joining me today for our second and conclusionary message of this great story for the ages where God showed a Pagan king a mystery that only one man could decipher.

The king was Belshazzar of Babylon, the interpreter Daniel the prophet.

As we ended last week’s message, we were working on our way through Part 2 of Daniel is remembered.

the king’s son that there was still a man in the Kingdom that could interpret the meaning of the four words written on the wall by the fingers of a man's hand.

Everyone else failed of the caste of the Babylonian wiseman, so the king had nothing to lose by calling for Daniel to come to the banquet hall.

We established Daniel was in his early 90s and nearly 70 years had passed since he became renowned for interpreting the kings grandfather’s nebuchadnezzar's famous dream of the statue of the world's empires.

Much has had happened you know some decades including Babylon right then and there to the Medes and Persians.

Somehow this national hero looks to have become a forgotten man until the Queen Mother reminded her son in thousands about the prophet Daniel still being around.

The king heeded her advice and called the elderly Israelite before his presence.

I would believe it was pretty quiet in that hall as everyone awaited the prophet.

Verse 13-16

the king was verifying Daniel's identity.

It wasn't like he remembered hearing these attributes of Daniel from someone.

His mother had just prior spoke those things.

The king related that the best that were at his disposal were dumbfounded by it all.

So, you Daniel are my final hope and chance to know what this means.

He promised
Daniel the same rewards as he did the other wise men.

And on that thought come part 3 of this intense biblical drama. 

Part 3 – The Rebuke of the King vs 17-25

Daniel now begins to speak, can you imagine how deadly silent that great pool was, everyone waiting anxiously for every word that was said.

Daniel told the king to keep his rewards because Daniel would interpret it nonetheless.

He told Belshazzar that God had given his grandfather nebuchadnezzar listing them and it was indeed great and that Daniel’s God hast great, in honor upon his grandfather.

God bless Nebuchadnezzar, no greater king was to be found.

He gave great power to subdue all he came against, he let live who he chose and slew whom he chose, he placed people in positions and removed them.

But Nebuchadnezzar lost focus and thought he himself was responsible for all he possessed.

Pride caused him to be removed from his throne in his glory subdued.

God permitted the king to go mad. He went into the wilderness and ate grass like an oxen and his hair became so thick it appeared like layers of feathers and his body was dripping from wetness of the dew. His nails grew like eagle’s claws.

It appears that he tended to during his insanity as he dwelled among the animals.

There are folks that believe that this was a case of Lycanthropy.

This is a person believing that they are or have transformed into an animal.

This classic case of this is from clinical reports of people believing they are transformed into a wolf.

Yes, this is from which the horror stories of werewolves have taken place.

People who falsely believe this to be factual grunt, claw, let their hair grow long and their nails grow long like a wolf.

I honestly believe that Nebuchadnezzar had lost mine and was being he was a wild animal perhaps a wolf.

It was psychological and even demonic.

this went on for seven years and one day a light bulb came on and his mind became clear again and he finally understood that Jehovah is the one God.  He repented of his pride and arrogance.

That quick history lesson by Daniel then did a 180 and he his words were turned directly to Belshazzar.

You his grandson are guilty of the same prideful heart he had.

You thought you could mock the God of heaven and arrogantly and disrespectfully brought his temple treasures to drink from in this debaucherously hall, wow you have done this you have praised your Pagan gods, which cannot hear you, see you or know you and you have rejected the very God that blessed you as he did your grandfather.

At that moment they had disappeared just as quickly as they appeared.

Now, just how long this had remained in midair is not known, but Can you imagine the king and everyone watching that supernatural thing remain until that point.

Act 4

the interpretation and final indictment Daniel said here are the words that are written:

Mene, mene, tekel, upharsied

What language was this, it wasn't Chaldee, Hebrew, Samaritan, or any known language of the Kingdom, if so someone would have been able to interpret it.

My opinion! It was angelic, it was of the dialect of heaven. But God gave Daniel the supernatural gift of interpreting it.

Here is what it's meant.

God has numbered the days of your reign and Kingdom and the king it is finished

Tekel meant weighed

I think of this statue of Lady Justice who wears a blindfold and has a set of weights and balances in her hands.

But had weighed the ranges are and once was wanting on the side of humility and heavily on the side of pride and arrogance.

Upharsin or Peres meant division.

King, your Kingdom is being divided between the Medes and the Persians.

The king kept his word, he placed a scarlet/ purple robe on him, regal.

He put a gold chain on his neck indicating status and authority and he made him the third person of authority.

It may have been the shortest promotion in history of time, because before the night was out the Medes and the Persians we are told, have diverted sections of the Euphrates River so that the water level flowing through the city of Babylon was reduced and the armies were able to enter through the corridor at the bottom of the walls with low water levels.

King Belshazzar died that night, just as Daniel, God's prophet had declared as he interpreted the “Handwriting on the Wall.”

That old saying is still around two and a quarter million years later that's how important those words were. We've all probably said them or had them said to us.

They are meant that whatever lies ahead for us there are times God on approval what it..

Sometimes God will reveal those words to us personally.

Sometimes God will reveal those words to us through others.

The words written don't always have to be negative, why can't they also be a blessing?

There are nothing for a Christian to fear we actually did see God's eternal handwriting on the wall, there were words of warning and blessings.

John 3:16

John 14:6

Romans 10:13 All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Romans 3:10 As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one:

Romans 6:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:13 For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

What happens if we didn't interpret those handwritings on the wall?

Romans 3:23 to spiritually interpret those words or to reject them

for the wages of sin is death

John 3:36 whoever does not obey the sun shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

God spiritual handwriting on the wall cannot be ignored, they cannot be rejected. You must understand them if through people like me.

God’s spiritual handwriting on your wall of life is there, will you accept that or reject it?

The spiritual Medes and Persians are at our gates

Will you be as Daniel and see and believe the writings on your wall or will you be like Belshazzar and understand once it is too late?