WEBVTT 00:00:01.100 --> 00:00:04.240 That certainly is a wonderful truth, isn't it? 00:00:06.200 --> 00:00:10.400 Let's bow together and allow the Spirit of God 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:15.539 to work in our hearts afresh to write God's love. 00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:22.160 Would you tell the Lord thank you for the ways 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:26.120 in which He has penned and proven His love in 00:00:26.120 --> 00:00:31.859 your life in recent days? Give thanks to Him. 00:00:32.380 --> 00:00:44.560 Express your love to Him too. The Lord has not 00:00:44.560 --> 00:00:46.759 made us to be merely containers of His love. 00:00:46.820 --> 00:00:50.460 He wants us to be channels of His love. Whom 00:00:50.460 --> 00:00:56.659 is it that God would love through you? Who's 00:00:56.659 --> 00:00:59.460 on your heart today? Would you pray and ask God 00:00:59.460 --> 00:01:03.880 to use you? To touch that person to touch that 00:01:03.880 --> 00:01:08.219 family to minister to that situation with his 00:01:08.219 --> 00:01:24.430 love His love is to be shared Our father from 00:01:24.430 --> 00:01:27.450 whom every family and heaven and earth derives 00:01:27.450 --> 00:01:33.349 its name. We pray that you would grant according 00:01:33.349 --> 00:01:38.489 to the riches of your glory that we might be 00:01:38.489 --> 00:01:41.170 strengthened with power through your spirit in 00:01:41.170 --> 00:01:46.650 the inner man. Do this so that Christ may dwell 00:01:46.650 --> 00:01:51.290 in our hearts through faith. And so that we, 00:01:51.450 --> 00:01:54.250 being rooted and grounded in love, may be able 00:01:54.250 --> 00:01:57.849 to comprehend with all the saints what is the 00:01:57.849 --> 00:02:00.810 breadth and length and height and depth, and 00:02:00.810 --> 00:02:05.090 to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, 00:02:07.409 --> 00:02:09.650 that we may be filled up to all the fullness 00:02:09.650 --> 00:02:19.550 of God. Amen. Would you open your Bible please 00:02:19.550 --> 00:02:21.750 and turn to the fifth chapter of the book of 00:02:21.750 --> 00:02:24.169 Daniel with me as we think today regarding the 00:02:24.169 --> 00:02:28.449 handwriting on the wall. That expression, the 00:02:28.449 --> 00:02:32.750 handwriting's on the wall, is synonymous today 00:02:32.750 --> 00:02:36.550 with something that is foreboding and inevitable. 00:02:38.610 --> 00:02:42.969 The stock value of a company collapses. The handwriting 00:02:42.969 --> 00:02:46.469 is on the wall. The stockholders are in trouble. 00:02:47.750 --> 00:02:51.569 The grades are already pinned in the book of 00:02:51.569 --> 00:02:54.689 the professor. The handwriting is on the wall 00:02:54.689 --> 00:02:58.610 for the student. There aren't enough votes to 00:02:58.610 --> 00:03:03.550 get the bill on through Congress. The handwriting 00:03:03.550 --> 00:03:05.849 is on the wall for that piece of legislation. 00:03:07.610 --> 00:03:10.229 This cliche, the handwriting is on the wall, 00:03:10.430 --> 00:03:14.050 finds its origin in our text today, Daniel chapter 00:03:14.050 --> 00:03:19.099 5. It refers to the fixed and final state of 00:03:19.099 --> 00:03:24.439 a matter, the end of an issue, the certain results. 00:03:25.580 --> 00:03:28.340 It means that there is no more chance. It's all 00:03:28.340 --> 00:03:32.800 over. The event in this chapter of the book of 00:03:32.800 --> 00:03:37.900 Daniel occurred in 539 BC, more than five centuries 00:03:37.900 --> 00:03:42.110 before our Lord was born in Bethlehem. It came 00:03:42.110 --> 00:03:46.169 at the end of the once grand and glorious empire 00:03:46.169 --> 00:03:52.969 of Babylon. Daniel had lived through 65 years 00:03:52.969 --> 00:03:57.789 of the history of this nation. You recall if 00:03:57.789 --> 00:04:00.110 you've been with us in our study of Daniel on 00:04:00.110 --> 00:04:04.210 previous Sunday evenings that Daniel was carried 00:04:04.210 --> 00:04:09.169 to Babylon as a captive from Jerusalem in 605 00:04:09.169 --> 00:04:12.780 BC when Nebuchadnezzar first invade in Palestine. 00:04:14.139 --> 00:04:16.379 And not only Daniel was taken, but others were 00:04:16.379 --> 00:04:18.860 taken prisoner as well. The best and the brightest 00:04:18.860 --> 00:04:23.500 of the Jewish young men were taken off captive, 00:04:23.779 --> 00:04:27.220 exiled to Babylon, there to become servants of 00:04:27.220 --> 00:04:32.160 the sovereign there. At the same time, Nebuchadnezzar 00:04:32.160 --> 00:04:35.199 also carried off certain vessels of gold and 00:04:35.199 --> 00:04:40.060 silver from the temple in Jerusalem. Two years 00:04:40.060 --> 00:04:44.600 after he arrived in Babylon, Daniel, by this 00:04:44.600 --> 00:04:47.779 time a teenager about 17 years of age, was called 00:04:47.779 --> 00:04:51.079 into the presence of Nebuchadnezzar that he might 00:04:51.079 --> 00:04:54.120 interpret a dream that Nebuchadnezzar had regarding 00:04:54.120 --> 00:04:59.459 a large statue made of various metals of descending 00:04:59.459 --> 00:05:03.240 worth from gold in the head all the way down 00:05:03.240 --> 00:05:07.079 to clay and iron in the feet and toes of the 00:05:07.079 --> 00:05:11.379 statue. Nebuchadnezzar wanted to know from his 00:05:11.379 --> 00:05:15.600 wise men what the dream was and what the interpretation 00:05:15.600 --> 00:05:19.519 of it was. Well the wise men were in a heap of 00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:22.160 trouble because they had no way of knowing what 00:05:22.160 --> 00:05:24.660 Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed though they could 00:05:24.660 --> 00:05:27.300 make an educated guess as to the interpretation 00:05:27.300 --> 00:05:31.019 and Nebuchadnezzar knew that of course. So he 00:05:31.019 --> 00:05:34.459 wanted the content of the dream before he would 00:05:34.459 --> 00:05:38.610 listen to the interpretation of it. Well, Daniel 00:05:38.610 --> 00:05:41.110 was God's man on the spot. He came into the court 00:05:41.110 --> 00:05:43.470 of Nebuchadnezzar and there gave to him the dream 00:05:43.470 --> 00:05:47.449 and the interpretation. An interpretation that 00:05:47.449 --> 00:05:53.269 really reaches right down to our day today. And 00:05:53.269 --> 00:06:00.389 then it was just shortly after that, well actually 00:06:00.389 --> 00:06:03.990 35 years later, that Daniel was again called 00:06:03.990 --> 00:06:06.620 into the presence of Nebuchadnezzar. Because 00:06:06.620 --> 00:06:09.240 Nebuchadnezzar had had a vision this time of 00:06:09.240 --> 00:06:12.600 a tree. It was a large tree that had been cut 00:06:12.600 --> 00:06:15.779 down, but which retained its roots. There was 00:06:15.779 --> 00:06:19.939 a stump there that was left. And Daniel was asked 00:06:19.939 --> 00:06:24.259 to give the meaning of this, and he did. God 00:06:24.259 --> 00:06:27.899 had given Nebuchadnezzar this dream. The tree 00:06:27.899 --> 00:06:30.279 was Nebuchadnezzar himself. He was going to be 00:06:30.279 --> 00:06:34.610 cut down, but not entirely removed. God would 00:06:34.610 --> 00:06:37.629 cut him down to size, as it were, humble him, 00:06:38.029 --> 00:06:41.129 and then he would recognize the true God, the 00:06:41.129 --> 00:06:45.529 God of the Jews. When Nebuchadnezzar let a year 00:06:45.529 --> 00:06:49.389 pass, and then one day was out walking on his 00:06:49.389 --> 00:06:51.529 veranda, his terrace, and looked over the city 00:06:51.529 --> 00:06:53.589 of Babylon, which he had helped to build and 00:06:53.589 --> 00:06:56.870 rebuild. And he said, is this not great Babylon 00:06:56.870 --> 00:07:00.149 that I have built for my majesty and glory? And 00:07:00.149 --> 00:07:03.209 at that moment, God struck him. with a mental 00:07:03.209 --> 00:07:08.529 disorder, a derangement in his thinking. He imagined 00:07:08.529 --> 00:07:13.069 himself to be an animal. And so his servants 00:07:13.069 --> 00:07:17.209 put him out to pasture. And for seven years he 00:07:17.209 --> 00:07:21.009 lived like a wild animal. It took upon himself 00:07:21.009 --> 00:07:26.149 a strange appearance as a neglected human being. 00:07:26.769 --> 00:07:31.529 And then God gave him back his sanity. Nebuchadnezzar 00:07:31.529 --> 00:07:34.649 recognized the true God and gave glory to him 00:07:34.649 --> 00:07:37.629 and some of the language in Daniel chapter 4 00:07:37.629 --> 00:07:41.370 suggests that Nebuchadnezzar became a true believer 00:07:41.370 --> 00:07:50.329 in the God that Daniel worshipped. Nebuchadnezzar 00:07:50.329 --> 00:07:55.610 died shortly after that experience in 562 BC. 00:07:57.110 --> 00:08:00.290 After he died, there were several kings who came 00:08:00.290 --> 00:08:05.470 to reign, but through intrigue, murder, and assassination, 00:08:06.410 --> 00:08:09.089 their reigns did not last long nor amount to 00:08:09.089 --> 00:08:15.529 much. Until 556 BC, a stronger man came to power. 00:08:16.389 --> 00:08:24.509 His name was Nabonidus. Now Nabonidus had a son. 00:08:25.129 --> 00:08:30.350 whose name was Belshazzar. We did not know this 00:08:30.350 --> 00:08:34.450 until more recent years. Daniel 5 talks about 00:08:34.450 --> 00:08:37.070 this Belshazzar, but liberal critics of the Bible 00:08:37.070 --> 00:08:39.889 have said there was no man in history by that 00:08:39.889 --> 00:08:44.110 name. But archaeologists have dug up proof that 00:08:44.110 --> 00:08:49.549 in fact, Nabonidus' son was Belshazzar. And Nabonidus 00:08:49.549 --> 00:08:52.169 was a rather unusual ruler. He did not enjoy 00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:56.580 living in the palace in Babylon, the capital 00:08:56.580 --> 00:09:00.500 city. He much preferred a retreat that he built 00:09:00.500 --> 00:09:03.879 in Arabia, or he liked to be out leading his 00:09:03.879 --> 00:09:05.820 armies, but he didn't like to live in Babylon. 00:09:05.960 --> 00:09:08.519 And so most of his 17 years that he was the king, 00:09:08.799 --> 00:09:11.600 he was gone from the city. But somebody had to 00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:14.740 be there to take charge. So he appointed his 00:09:14.740 --> 00:09:19.879 son, Belshazzar, as co -regent, as the number 00:09:19.879 --> 00:09:23.759 two man in the kingdom. And if somebody had a 00:09:23.759 --> 00:09:26.340 decision that had to be made, he was, for all 00:09:26.340 --> 00:09:31.779 practical purposes, the king of Babylon. Now 00:09:31.779 --> 00:09:34.419 it was that first year of Belshazzar's power 00:09:34.419 --> 00:09:38.220 as co -regent that Daniel himself had a vision. 00:09:38.620 --> 00:09:42.360 We studied this in chapter 7. It was a vision 00:09:42.360 --> 00:09:47.019 that Daniel had of four rather weird beasts. 00:09:48.549 --> 00:09:50.929 And we saw as we worked our way through that 00:09:50.929 --> 00:09:53.850 chapter that again the interpretation reaches 00:09:53.850 --> 00:09:56.850 all the way down past our day into the future. 00:09:58.370 --> 00:10:00.549 There's historical aspect to it and there is 00:10:00.549 --> 00:10:03.149 prophetic aspect to it from where we live today. 00:10:03.509 --> 00:10:07.730 At that time of course it was all future. And 00:10:07.730 --> 00:10:10.149 then three years after that vision, Daniel had 00:10:10.149 --> 00:10:14.309 another vision given to him by God. This one 00:10:14.309 --> 00:10:19.179 had to do with a ram, a goat, and a little horn, 00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:22.779 chapter 8. We studied that together. And once 00:10:22.779 --> 00:10:25.440 more we saw that while most of that chapter was 00:10:25.440 --> 00:10:29.700 historical for our day, we look back upon the 00:10:29.700 --> 00:10:32.019 fulfillment of it. There are certain aspects 00:10:32.019 --> 00:10:35.000 of it that are yet future that have not been 00:10:35.000 --> 00:10:37.639 fulfilled and which we anticipate to come to 00:10:37.639 --> 00:10:43.019 pass. That was in 553 BC. Now chronologically, 00:10:43.980 --> 00:10:48.610 we come to chapter 5 of Daniel. because now is 00:10:48.610 --> 00:10:54.509 the end of Belshazzar's reign. A little bit of 00:10:54.509 --> 00:10:56.470 historical background is important before we 00:10:56.470 --> 00:10:58.809 look at this chapter because you need to understand 00:10:58.809 --> 00:11:02.210 that while Babylon was the greatest power at 00:11:02.210 --> 00:11:06.509 this point, there was a rising power on the horizon. 00:11:08.029 --> 00:11:12.730 The Medes and the Persians had joined together 00:11:12.730 --> 00:11:17.960 in an alliance. And their leader Cyrus was growing 00:11:17.960 --> 00:11:20.759 in power and was beginning to challenge Babylon. 00:11:22.500 --> 00:11:24.919 In fact, he brought his armies toward Babylon 00:11:24.919 --> 00:11:29.279 and Nabonidus, Belshazzar's father, led the armies 00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:32.720 out to battle against Cyrus and the Persians, 00:11:33.240 --> 00:11:37.559 but was overcome. And he began to flee and he 00:11:37.559 --> 00:11:41.409 fled southward past Babylon. leaving the city 00:11:41.409 --> 00:11:44.629 of Babylon, his capital city, exposed to the 00:11:44.629 --> 00:11:47.450 advancing Persian armies coming from the north. 00:11:48.990 --> 00:11:53.070 And so as we come to this occasion, which happened 00:11:53.070 --> 00:11:59.250 on October 12, 539, when we come to this occasion, 00:11:59.370 --> 00:12:01.889 the city of Babylon has been surrounded by the 00:12:01.889 --> 00:12:07.009 Persian armies. It is a city under siege. And 00:12:07.009 --> 00:12:09.309 so it may seem strange to you what is said here. 00:12:09.529 --> 00:12:13.490 that Belshazzar the King held a great feast for 00:12:13.490 --> 00:12:18.149 a thousand of his nobles. One of the things we're 00:12:18.149 --> 00:12:20.490 going to see in this chapter, which we see throughout 00:12:20.490 --> 00:12:24.269 the book of Daniel, is that God is sovereign. 00:12:25.129 --> 00:12:27.909 The history of the nations is determined by his 00:12:27.909 --> 00:12:31.470 purposes. He raises up a nation and a people. 00:12:32.809 --> 00:12:35.330 And when his purpose has been accomplished, he 00:12:35.330 --> 00:12:39.149 puts them down and raises another up. And that 00:12:39.149 --> 00:12:41.889 is not only true of ancient nations, it is still 00:12:41.889 --> 00:12:46.110 true in the 1990s, that God is sovereign over 00:12:46.110 --> 00:12:51.029 the nations of the world. As we look at this 00:12:51.029 --> 00:12:53.570 chapter, it easily falls into three divisions. 00:12:53.730 --> 00:12:56.269 The first one is the indiscretion of the king, 00:12:56.769 --> 00:13:00.970 verses one through four. Belshazzar called a 00:13:00.970 --> 00:13:03.169 feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he was 00:13:03.169 --> 00:13:05.889 drinking wine in the presence of the thousand. 00:13:06.990 --> 00:13:10.289 Customarily, he was probably seated upon a platform 00:13:10.289 --> 00:13:13.610 so that every one of the banquet hall could see 00:13:13.610 --> 00:13:15.929 him and as he would drink or as he would eat 00:13:15.929 --> 00:13:20.649 they would follow his example. When Belshazzar 00:13:20.649 --> 00:13:23.669 tasted the wine, and the phrase there indicates 00:13:23.669 --> 00:13:25.789 that he was more than tasting, I mean he was 00:13:25.789 --> 00:13:30.210 getting into it, he was drunk by this point. 00:13:30.990 --> 00:13:34.470 He gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels 00:13:34.470 --> 00:13:37.470 which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out 00:13:37.470 --> 00:13:40.669 of the temple which was in Jerusalem. Just need 00:13:40.669 --> 00:13:43.850 to insert this point that the word father can 00:13:43.850 --> 00:13:46.289 be used a number of different ways in the language 00:13:46.289 --> 00:13:50.549 of the Old Testament. And it does not mean his 00:13:50.549 --> 00:13:53.149 immediate father in this context, but it means 00:13:53.149 --> 00:13:57.169 his ancestor. Actually it would be his grandfather. 00:13:58.740 --> 00:14:02.399 And so when you see father here or you see son 00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:05.779 referring to Belshazzar in relation to Nebuchadnezzar, 00:14:06.100 --> 00:14:08.440 it's not exactly father -son, it's grandfather 00:14:08.440 --> 00:14:12.440 -grandson. Nebuchadnezzar, his father, had taken 00:14:12.440 --> 00:14:15.860 out of the temple these gold and silver vessels. 00:14:16.500 --> 00:14:19.539 And so now Belshazzar orders them to be brought 00:14:19.539 --> 00:14:22.679 in order that the king and his nobles, his wives, 00:14:22.759 --> 00:14:27.000 and his concubines might drink from them. Then 00:14:27.000 --> 00:14:28.899 they brought the gold vessels that had been taken 00:14:28.899 --> 00:14:31.120 out of the temple, the house of God, which is 00:14:31.120 --> 00:14:33.519 in Jerusalem. And the king, his nobles, his wives, 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:36.639 his concubines drank from them. They drank the 00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:39.220 wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, 00:14:39.740 --> 00:14:44.519 of bronze, iron, wood, and stone." Does this 00:14:44.519 --> 00:14:47.759 seem like a rather foolish thing to you, that 00:14:47.759 --> 00:14:51.320 Belshazzar would call a feast on a night like 00:14:51.320 --> 00:14:55.159 this, when his city is surrounded by an enemy 00:14:55.159 --> 00:14:59.580 army? Perhaps he did it in order to raise the 00:14:59.580 --> 00:15:04.679 morale of his people. Maybe these thousand nobles 00:15:04.679 --> 00:15:08.700 needed a boost at this point. That's possible. 00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:12.019 And so he called a feast so that they might see 00:15:12.019 --> 00:15:15.860 him relaxed and not worried about the armies 00:15:15.860 --> 00:15:20.779 outside. It may be also that he called the feast 00:15:20.779 --> 00:15:25.480 to celebrate the security of the city. Now, it 00:15:25.480 --> 00:15:28.940 was a false sense of security he had, but he 00:15:28.940 --> 00:15:32.000 did feel confident that the city would not fall. 00:15:32.039 --> 00:15:36.299 Now, why was that? Well, Babylon was a city of 00:15:36.299 --> 00:15:41.480 some 3 ,000 acres in size. And around the city 00:15:41.480 --> 00:15:47.960 were walls. In fact, double walls. Two walls 00:15:47.960 --> 00:15:52.659 standing parallel around the whole city. 15 miles 00:15:52.659 --> 00:15:57.809 of two walls. walls that were 85 feet thick, 00:16:00.509 --> 00:16:04.649 and walls that were up to 350 feet high, as tall 00:16:04.649 --> 00:16:12.549 as a 35 -story building. At a hundred spots around 00:16:12.549 --> 00:16:16.149 the city on the wall there were towers from which 00:16:16.149 --> 00:16:20.710 the soldiers of Belshazzar could shoot arrows, 00:16:21.110 --> 00:16:25.529 pour oil, etc. down upon the enemy. that might 00:16:25.529 --> 00:16:28.129 be trying to scale the walls or come to the city. 00:16:29.289 --> 00:16:32.730 This was an impregnable city. Inside the walls 00:16:32.730 --> 00:16:37.330 they had enough provision to last 20 years of 00:16:37.330 --> 00:16:41.230 siege. No one would have to go outside the gate 00:16:41.230 --> 00:16:44.769 of the city of Babylon to find food for 20 years, 00:16:44.950 --> 00:16:48.090 enough food for everybody, for two decades. How 00:16:48.090 --> 00:16:53.000 long can an army out there sustain itself? Not 00:16:53.000 --> 00:16:54.799 only that they had all the water they needed 00:16:54.799 --> 00:16:59.179 because the city the river called Euphrates Float 00:16:59.179 --> 00:17:00.960 right through the heart of the city under the 00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:03.399 walls through the city and so they had all the 00:17:03.399 --> 00:17:07.160 water they needed So you see Belshazzar had a 00:17:07.160 --> 00:17:10.720 great sense that his city could never fall therefore 00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:15.119 He called a feast and it's clear that this drunken 00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:20.680 feast Soon turned into an orgy as the women were 00:17:20.680 --> 00:17:26.140 brought in And in the midst of all this debauchery, 00:17:26.980 --> 00:17:30.859 Belshazzar had an idea. He wanted to do something 00:17:30.859 --> 00:17:34.700 that would really raise the morale of this pagan 00:17:34.700 --> 00:17:39.160 group of nobles. He decided to defy the God of 00:17:39.160 --> 00:17:43.339 Israel. And so he ordered that those vessels 00:17:43.339 --> 00:17:48.440 that had been taken by grandpa 65 years before 00:17:48.440 --> 00:17:51.950 this from the temple in Jerusalem should be brought 00:17:51.950 --> 00:17:53.950 into the banquet hall. Now up to this point, 00:17:54.410 --> 00:17:58.369 they had likely been kept in a temple where they 00:17:58.369 --> 00:18:02.269 were preserved. But Belshazzar wants them brought 00:18:02.269 --> 00:18:05.230 so that they can use these sacred vessels for 00:18:05.230 --> 00:18:09.170 drinking their wine and for offering out libation 00:18:09.170 --> 00:18:12.829 offerings, drink offerings, at the feet of their 00:18:12.829 --> 00:18:16.930 idols of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood 00:18:16.930 --> 00:18:22.779 and stone. So that's the situation. We have a 00:18:22.779 --> 00:18:27.240 king here who is acting indiscreetly in his drunkenness. 00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:32.599 He is thoughtless in his debauchery. He is defiant 00:18:32.599 --> 00:18:38.299 in his attitude against the true God. That brings 00:18:38.299 --> 00:18:40.359 us to the next section of the chapter, which 00:18:40.359 --> 00:18:45.039 is the intervention of God. The party is interrupted 00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:49.890 by a supernatural act. It says suddenly, The 00:18:49.890 --> 00:18:54.450 fingers of a man's hand emerged, and began writing 00:18:54.450 --> 00:18:58.349 opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the 00:18:58.349 --> 00:19:03.130 wall of the king's palace. And the king saw the 00:19:03.130 --> 00:19:06.349 back of the hand that did the writing, and the 00:19:06.349 --> 00:19:08.789 king's face grew pale, and his thoughts alarmed 00:19:08.789 --> 00:19:11.930 him, and his hip joints went slack, and his knees 00:19:11.930 --> 00:19:14.809 began knocking together." There's the source 00:19:14.809 --> 00:19:17.289 of another picture of fright that sometimes is 00:19:17.289 --> 00:19:22.809 used. I mean, this man went to pieces as the 00:19:22.809 --> 00:19:26.089 sovereign god now announces his verdict upon 00:19:26.089 --> 00:19:29.549 the kingdom of Babylon. The language here suggests 00:19:29.549 --> 00:19:32.089 that the hand came through the wall backwards. 00:19:32.809 --> 00:19:35.509 There was no arm attached to it, just a hand. 00:19:36.609 --> 00:19:38.910 And in the hand was a writing instrument of some 00:19:38.910 --> 00:19:42.769 sort, and the hand began to write words upon 00:19:42.769 --> 00:19:47.410 the plaster wall of the banquet hall. It is interesting 00:19:47.410 --> 00:19:49.910 that archaeologists in digging around this ancient 00:19:49.910 --> 00:19:53.150 city of Babylon have uncovered the king's palace, 00:19:54.089 --> 00:19:56.569 and in that palace they have found the remains 00:19:56.569 --> 00:20:01.589 of a banquet hall that was 55 feet wide and 169 00:20:01.589 --> 00:20:05.130 feet long, well able to take care of the crowd 00:20:05.130 --> 00:20:08.589 of a thousand nobles. And not only that, but 00:20:08.589 --> 00:20:10.750 there is proof that the walls of this banquet 00:20:10.750 --> 00:20:13.990 hall were made of plaster, not just ordinary 00:20:13.990 --> 00:20:18.099 stone. And so it is very likely that the archaeologists 00:20:18.099 --> 00:20:21.339 have uncovered the very room where this event 00:20:21.339 --> 00:20:28.240 took place on that night in 539 BC. And as the 00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:31.279 hand wrote, absolute terror filled the heart 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:35.859 of Belshazzar. He was a religious man, you recall, 00:20:36.400 --> 00:20:40.839 many gods. And his heart is now filled with terror 00:20:40.839 --> 00:20:44.579 as he recognizes that there is some supernatural 00:20:44.579 --> 00:20:51.319 force that has entered into his room. It is interesting 00:20:51.319 --> 00:20:55.519 that God chose to write right over the lampstand, 00:20:56.299 --> 00:21:00.000 the place in the room that would be best lighted. 00:21:01.299 --> 00:21:03.700 And scholars who have studied these things tell 00:21:03.700 --> 00:21:06.559 us that likely that lampstand was beside where 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:10.359 Belshazzar was. He would be in the best lighted 00:21:10.359 --> 00:21:13.019 part of this banquet hall. And so the picture 00:21:13.019 --> 00:21:15.460 that comes to mind is of a hand that comes out 00:21:15.460 --> 00:21:18.319 of a wall right behind Belshazzar and begins 00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:24.720 to write over his head. And the king called aloud 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:28.420 to bring in his advisors, the conjurers, the 00:21:28.420 --> 00:21:32.019 Chaldeans, the diviners. These are the wise men 00:21:32.019 --> 00:21:36.960 of Babylon. And he promised them reward. a robe 00:21:36.960 --> 00:21:40.779 of purple, a gold necklace, and the third place 00:21:40.779 --> 00:21:44.220 in the kingdom. If anyone can tell him what these 00:21:44.220 --> 00:21:48.839 words are and what they mean. Now you understand 00:21:48.839 --> 00:21:51.039 why he promised the third place in the kingdom 00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:53.220 because of what we said before regarding the 00:21:53.220 --> 00:21:56.660 arrangement between his father and himself. So 00:21:56.660 --> 00:21:58.680 he was offering the highest place that he could 00:21:58.680 --> 00:22:02.720 offer to the one who could interpret these words. 00:22:05.940 --> 00:22:08.299 The writing remained visible for a period of 00:22:08.299 --> 00:22:11.220 time so that everyone who wished to could examine 00:22:11.220 --> 00:22:14.759 the words. The wise men came in. They looked 00:22:14.759 --> 00:22:17.039 at the words. They could not even decipher what 00:22:17.039 --> 00:22:21.940 the words were, let alone tell the meaning of 00:22:21.940 --> 00:22:26.140 them. Now, it's wondered why they were unable 00:22:26.140 --> 00:22:29.740 to read the words. Well, it may be that God used 00:22:29.740 --> 00:22:35.640 a script of lettering that they did not recognize. 00:22:35.799 --> 00:22:37.940 We don't really know why they could not read. 00:22:37.980 --> 00:22:41.259 That's not been determined. But they could not 00:22:41.259 --> 00:22:43.460 even read the words that were up there. Some 00:22:43.460 --> 00:22:45.380 have thought perhaps they too were a part of 00:22:45.380 --> 00:22:49.619 this drunken brawl outside the room. And they 00:22:49.619 --> 00:22:53.000 were too intoxicated to do the work that they 00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:56.140 were asked to do in reading the words. But their 00:22:56.140 --> 00:22:59.859 inability even increased the alarm in Belshazzar. 00:23:00.480 --> 00:23:03.140 He recognized that the wisest men of his realm 00:23:03.140 --> 00:23:06.349 were unable to read the words and his face became 00:23:06.349 --> 00:23:12.349 paler and his nobles even more perplexed. That 00:23:12.349 --> 00:23:15.029 brings us then to the third portion of the chapter, 00:23:15.849 --> 00:23:19.349 the interpretation of Daniel. You will notice 00:23:19.349 --> 00:23:23.609 that he is summoned by the king at the suggestion 00:23:23.609 --> 00:23:27.630 of the queen, it says in verse 10. Most likely 00:23:27.630 --> 00:23:33.000 this is not Belshazzar's wife, the queen. where 00:23:33.000 --> 00:23:37.559 she was probably in this room. It describes his 00:23:37.559 --> 00:23:40.700 wives being in there earlier. The word queen 00:23:40.700 --> 00:23:44.740 here can also mean queen mother, which would 00:23:44.740 --> 00:23:48.859 mean that this would be the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar. 00:23:53.059 --> 00:23:55.019 Now the queen mother came into the room hearing 00:23:55.019 --> 00:23:58.460 all of the racket and she said, O King, live 00:23:58.460 --> 00:24:01.240 forever. Do not let your thoughts alarm you or 00:24:01.240 --> 00:24:06.079 your face be pale. There is a man in your kingdom 00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:08.460 who can tell you what this is all about. The 00:24:08.460 --> 00:24:12.480 language she uses here indicates that at least 00:24:12.480 --> 00:24:16.039 she knew about Daniel from her father, Nebuchadnezzar. 00:24:17.019 --> 00:24:19.819 Because in chapter 4, some of the same wording 00:24:19.819 --> 00:24:24.539 used by her father of Daniel is now used by her 00:24:24.539 --> 00:24:29.839 as she speaks to Belshazzar. And she describes 00:24:29.839 --> 00:24:33.960 the greatness of this man. And she says, let 00:24:33.960 --> 00:24:36.900 Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the 00:24:36.900 --> 00:24:40.559 interpretation, verse 12. You will notice, by 00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:43.579 the way, that she calls him Daniel first and 00:24:43.579 --> 00:24:46.200 then says, whom the king, that's her father, 00:24:46.740 --> 00:24:52.619 named Belteshazzar. You notice there the similarity 00:24:52.619 --> 00:24:56.839 between Belshazzar and Belteshazzar? The names 00:24:56.839 --> 00:25:00.079 are almost identical. They both mean God will 00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:04.660 protect. By God it means Bel, or Marduk, their 00:25:04.660 --> 00:25:08.900 deity in Babylon. Bel will protect the king, 00:25:09.220 --> 00:25:15.259 is what Belshazzar means. And Bel will protect, 00:25:15.579 --> 00:25:20.299 is what Belteshazzar means. But she prefers to 00:25:20.299 --> 00:25:24.420 call him Daniel. Now the word Daniel has the 00:25:24.420 --> 00:25:28.839 name of the true God in it. Daniel. Elohim. El, 00:25:28.839 --> 00:25:33.680 E -L on the end of it. Therefore some commentator 00:25:33.680 --> 00:25:38.440 suggests to us that this woman really understood 00:25:38.440 --> 00:25:43.359 the God of Daniel. And she understood that he, 00:25:43.359 --> 00:25:46.079 Daniel, was a prophet of the true God and she 00:25:46.079 --> 00:25:50.539 herself may have been a convert to the God whom 00:25:50.539 --> 00:25:53.890 her father it seems, had come to worship at the 00:25:53.890 --> 00:25:59.630 end of his life, the God of Israel. But she says, 00:25:59.710 --> 00:26:03.130 Daniel will tell you the meaning of these words. 00:26:03.950 --> 00:26:06.950 So he is brought in and the king says, are you 00:26:06.950 --> 00:26:10.109 that Daniel who is the one, one of the exiles 00:26:10.109 --> 00:26:14.490 from Judah? Now I've heard about you, that a 00:26:14.490 --> 00:26:16.690 spirit of the gods is in you, that illumination, 00:26:16.970 --> 00:26:19.029 insight, extraordinary wisdom have been found 00:26:19.029 --> 00:26:22.390 in you. He recounts the failure of his wise men, 00:26:22.490 --> 00:26:24.750 but he says in verse 16, I personally have heard 00:26:24.750 --> 00:26:27.930 about you, that you are able to give interpretations 00:26:27.930 --> 00:26:30.710 and solve difficult problems. Now, if you're 00:26:30.710 --> 00:26:33.269 able to read the inscription and make its interpretation 00:26:33.269 --> 00:26:36.890 known to me, you will get my reward, what I offer 00:26:36.890 --> 00:26:42.849 to the others. And so, Belshazzar offers to him 00:26:42.849 --> 00:26:45.390 the very highest prize that he could offer in 00:26:45.390 --> 00:26:49.910 the land. Daniel's character is revealed in verse 00:26:49.910 --> 00:26:53.990 17 as he refuses the reward. Isn't it marvelous 00:26:53.990 --> 00:26:59.789 that after 65 years living in this pagan, godless 00:26:59.789 --> 00:27:05.930 culture, Daniel is still a man who refuses to 00:27:05.930 --> 00:27:09.990 be motivated by what motivates the pagans. He 00:27:09.990 --> 00:27:13.029 stands above them. He stands apart from them 00:27:13.029 --> 00:27:17.279 as a man of God. Oh, that's the kind of people 00:27:17.279 --> 00:27:21.819 God wants today in our pagan culture, who over 00:27:21.819 --> 00:27:24.960 the years of even close association and working 00:27:24.960 --> 00:27:29.960 with people who don't know God, refuse to accept 00:27:29.960 --> 00:27:34.720 the same kinds of motivations of the world, who 00:27:34.720 --> 00:27:39.720 stand above and apart from all of that as his 00:27:39.720 --> 00:27:47.380 men, his women, in the midst of paganism. Daniel's 00:27:47.380 --> 00:27:54.059 message in verse 18, beginning in verse 18, begins 00:27:54.059 --> 00:27:57.579 with an historic illustration. He points back 00:27:57.579 --> 00:28:01.259 to Nebuchadnezzar. He says, O King, the Most 00:28:01.259 --> 00:28:03.779 High God granted sovereignty, grandeur, glory, 00:28:03.900 --> 00:28:08.160 and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar, your father. And 00:28:08.160 --> 00:28:10.220 because of the grandeur which he bestowed on 00:28:10.220 --> 00:28:12.599 him, all the peoples, nations, men of every language, 00:28:12.759 --> 00:28:15.740 feared and trembled before him. Whomever he wished 00:28:15.740 --> 00:28:17.960 he killed, whomever he wished he spared alive, 00:28:18.079 --> 00:28:20.000 whomever he wished he elevated, whomever he wished 00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:24.779 he humbled. But when his heart was lifted up 00:28:24.779 --> 00:28:27.039 and his spirit became so proud that he behaved 00:28:27.039 --> 00:28:31.000 arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne, 00:28:31.140 --> 00:28:34.799 his glory was taken away from him. He was also 00:28:34.799 --> 00:28:37.559 driven away from mankind, his heart was made 00:28:37.559 --> 00:28:41.420 like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was 00:28:41.420 --> 00:28:45.400 with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to 00:28:45.400 --> 00:28:48.400 eat like cattle and his body was drenched with 00:28:48.400 --> 00:28:51.859 the dew of heaven. What probably happened to 00:28:51.859 --> 00:28:55.039 Nebuchadnezzar as he experienced this mental 00:28:55.039 --> 00:28:58.619 disorder, this insanity, was that his servants, 00:28:58.779 --> 00:29:01.140 in order to keep this knowledge from the rest 00:29:01.140 --> 00:29:04.559 of the kingdom, put him into a royal preserve 00:29:04.559 --> 00:29:08.960 or a park where they kept animals for the king's 00:29:08.960 --> 00:29:12.259 enjoyment. And they kept him there privately, 00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:14.900 letting no one know what was happening to Nebuchadnezzar 00:29:14.900 --> 00:29:20.019 over these seven years. But now, that had been, 00:29:20.019 --> 00:29:24.700 by the way, a royal family secret. And now, in 00:29:24.700 --> 00:29:29.220 the midst of everybody, Daniel exposes it. He 00:29:29.220 --> 00:29:31.099 says, here's what happened to your grandfather, 00:29:32.200 --> 00:29:34.940 until he recognized that the Most High God is 00:29:34.940 --> 00:29:38.200 ruler over the realm of mankind, and he sets 00:29:38.200 --> 00:29:42.400 it. He sets over it whomever he wishes, pointing 00:29:42.400 --> 00:29:46.380 to the sovereignty of God. And yet you, his son, 00:29:46.519 --> 00:29:49.019 Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even 00:29:49.019 --> 00:29:52.619 though you knew all of this. The rest of the 00:29:52.619 --> 00:29:59.220 nobles didn't, but Belshazzar knew. The message 00:29:59.220 --> 00:30:01.460 that we see here in this historic illustration 00:30:01.460 --> 00:30:08.339 is that God hates pride. God will deal with defiance. 00:30:09.319 --> 00:30:13.740 He will humble those who exalt themselves before 00:30:13.740 --> 00:30:18.980 him. He will bring them into judgment. And so 00:30:18.980 --> 00:30:24.140 Daniel now very boldly lays before the king God's 00:30:24.140 --> 00:30:28.279 indictment of him. In the first place he says 00:30:28.279 --> 00:30:31.720 in verse 22, you have sinned against knowledge, 00:30:32.079 --> 00:30:35.799 Belshazzar. You knew what happened to your grandfather. 00:30:36.119 --> 00:30:39.039 You knew what God does to the proud. You knew 00:30:39.039 --> 00:30:44.099 how He judges the defiant. You see, it is one 00:30:44.099 --> 00:30:48.420 thing to sin in ignorance. It is another thing 00:30:48.420 --> 00:30:53.240 to sin against knowledge. And that's what Belshazzar 00:30:53.240 --> 00:30:57.680 had done. That was the first indictment. Next 00:30:57.680 --> 00:31:01.140 he says, you have exalted yourself against the 00:31:01.140 --> 00:31:04.599 Lord of Heaven. by bringing in the vessels and 00:31:04.599 --> 00:31:09.440 abusing them. You have blasphemed God, Belshazzar. 00:31:10.079 --> 00:31:13.599 Endicament number two. And then number three, 00:31:13.660 --> 00:31:16.619 he says, in the middle of the verse, you have 00:31:16.619 --> 00:31:19.859 praised the gods of silver and gold and so on 00:31:19.859 --> 00:31:25.359 which do not see, hear, or understand. But the 00:31:25.359 --> 00:31:28.559 God in whose hand are your life, breath, and 00:31:28.559 --> 00:31:32.700 your ways, you have not glorified. Point number 00:31:32.700 --> 00:31:35.779 three, you have worshiped idols and not the true 00:31:35.779 --> 00:31:39.240 God. They have poured out their drink offerings 00:31:39.240 --> 00:31:43.200 in their drunkenness to these false gods who 00:31:43.200 --> 00:31:47.779 cannot see or hear or understand anything. And 00:31:47.779 --> 00:31:50.859 not only that, the very God who gives to Belshazzar 00:31:50.859 --> 00:31:54.900 his life breath, who enables him to walk in his 00:31:54.900 --> 00:32:00.119 ways, Belshazzar has lifted his fist to and defied. 00:32:02.410 --> 00:32:09.009 And therefore we have the indication that Belshazzar's 00:32:09.009 --> 00:32:14.529 time is up. Verse 24, then the hand was sent 00:32:14.529 --> 00:32:17.710 from him and this inscription was written out. 00:32:19.549 --> 00:32:22.390 And so we come now to the prophetic interpretation. 00:32:23.529 --> 00:32:27.609 Verses 25 to 28. Now this is the inscription 00:32:27.609 --> 00:32:36.119 that was written out. Taqil yufarsin. Those are 00:32:36.119 --> 00:32:38.819 the words. Obviously the first one is repeated. 00:32:39.619 --> 00:32:43.339 Then there are two other words. This is the interpretation 00:32:43.339 --> 00:32:48.400 of the message, says Daniel. Many. What does 00:32:48.400 --> 00:32:50.980 that mean? Well, it is a word in the Aramaic 00:32:50.980 --> 00:32:55.140 that means numbered. One, two, three, four, five, 00:32:55.279 --> 00:33:00.220 six. Numbered. Counted out. And here's the meaning 00:33:00.220 --> 00:33:05.519 of it. God has numbered your kingdom and put 00:33:05.519 --> 00:33:10.859 an end to it. God has measured out your reign, 00:33:11.019 --> 00:33:19.299 Belshazzar, the time's up. Tekil. That is another 00:33:19.299 --> 00:33:22.559 Aramaic word that means to be weighed or to be 00:33:22.559 --> 00:33:26.819 found light in the balance. In those days they 00:33:26.819 --> 00:33:30.859 would weigh things in scales. in a balanced scale 00:33:30.859 --> 00:33:34.700 and the measurement weight would be put on one 00:33:34.700 --> 00:33:36.819 side and the item to be weighed on the other 00:33:36.819 --> 00:33:42.319 side to see if it was worthy. And what is happening 00:33:42.319 --> 00:33:44.740 is that God has put Belshazzar and his reign 00:33:44.740 --> 00:33:48.539 into the scale. He's been found light. He's not 00:33:48.539 --> 00:33:53.400 worthy in character, in his morality, to carry 00:33:53.400 --> 00:33:59.049 on as the king. He says, you have been weighed 00:33:59.049 --> 00:34:04.890 on the scales and found deficient. Perez, that 00:34:04.890 --> 00:34:08.829 is a singular form of the plural form that is 00:34:08.829 --> 00:34:13.769 used in the earlier statement. The you is a connective, 00:34:15.690 --> 00:34:20.130 like a conjunction, and. And the end of the word, 00:34:20.269 --> 00:34:23.789 S -I -N, is the plural form of the word. Daniel 00:34:23.789 --> 00:34:26.269 chooses to make it singular. He says, Peres. 00:34:27.389 --> 00:34:32.130 Now here again is an Aramaic word. It is a word 00:34:32.130 --> 00:34:37.349 that means to divide or to break into something. 00:34:38.389 --> 00:34:41.150 And so he says, your kingdom has been divided 00:34:41.150 --> 00:34:46.429 and given over to the Medes and Persians. And 00:34:46.429 --> 00:34:49.619 so that is the message. The handwriting on the 00:34:49.619 --> 00:34:55.199 wall is, you're finished, Belshazzar. And so 00:34:55.199 --> 00:35:01.059 is this empire that you rule over. It says in 00:35:01.059 --> 00:35:03.679 verse 29 that Belshazzar gave orders and they 00:35:03.679 --> 00:35:06.460 closed Daniel with purple, put a necklace of 00:35:06.460 --> 00:35:08.940 gold around his neck, issued a proclamation concerning 00:35:08.940 --> 00:35:12.659 him that he now had authority as the third ruler 00:35:12.659 --> 00:35:16.309 in the kingdom. And so he got what he didn't 00:35:16.309 --> 00:35:18.230 really care for anyway, which he had earlier 00:35:18.230 --> 00:35:23.429 refused. Why did Belshazzar give him this stuff? 00:35:25.449 --> 00:35:28.409 Well, it may have been that Belshazzar was mocking 00:35:28.409 --> 00:35:32.710 Daniel. That's possible. It may have been that 00:35:32.710 --> 00:35:34.510 all of this was kind of like a joke. When he 00:35:34.510 --> 00:35:37.329 heard what the writing was and what it meant, 00:35:38.710 --> 00:35:42.829 Belshazzar responded by chuckling. This could 00:35:42.829 --> 00:35:45.960 never be. Bring the robe and put it on this man. 00:35:46.059 --> 00:35:47.980 Put the necklace around his neck. Let's issue 00:35:47.980 --> 00:35:51.360 a proclamation regarding him. He is now the third 00:35:51.360 --> 00:35:54.039 ruler in the kingdom. That's possible to understand 00:35:54.039 --> 00:35:58.460 it that way. Whatever reason he had, the fact 00:35:58.460 --> 00:36:01.900 is it wasn't worth a whole lot. For he was the 00:36:01.900 --> 00:36:06.260 third ruler in Babylon for but a few hours. Because 00:36:06.260 --> 00:36:09.260 that same night, it says, Belshazzar, the Chaldean 00:36:09.260 --> 00:36:14.699 king, was slain. And so Darius the Mede received 00:36:14.699 --> 00:36:18.039 the kingdom at about the age of 62. We'll talk 00:36:18.039 --> 00:36:22.599 about him next week. On this night, according 00:36:22.599 --> 00:36:28.420 to secular historians, October 12th, 539 BC, 00:36:29.579 --> 00:36:32.360 the Persian army figured out a way to get through 00:36:32.360 --> 00:36:36.119 the walls of the city of Babylon. They couldn't 00:36:36.119 --> 00:36:38.199 go over the walls. They couldn't go through the 00:36:38.199 --> 00:36:43.119 walls. Therefore, they engineered a diversion 00:36:43.119 --> 00:36:47.460 of the Euphrates River and caused the river to 00:36:47.460 --> 00:36:50.139 be diverted into a lake bed so that the river 00:36:50.139 --> 00:36:54.099 level dropped. And the Persian soldiers were 00:36:54.099 --> 00:36:57.199 then easily able to wade into the river and under 00:36:57.199 --> 00:37:00.579 the wall of the city of Babylon entering the 00:37:00.579 --> 00:37:03.119 city. And when they got in there, according to 00:37:03.119 --> 00:37:07.059 Herodotus and Xenophon, two of the Greek historians, 00:37:07.860 --> 00:37:12.260 they found out that the whole city was involved 00:37:12.260 --> 00:37:15.739 in this feast. Everybody was making merry. There 00:37:15.739 --> 00:37:18.980 was nobody defending the place. And they say 00:37:18.980 --> 00:37:21.139 that there was not a person who was killed in 00:37:21.139 --> 00:37:24.880 defending the city of Babylon. The Persian army 00:37:24.880 --> 00:37:28.219 simply entered in, eventually got to this hall 00:37:28.219 --> 00:37:30.900 where the party was going on, and there they 00:37:30.900 --> 00:37:36.360 killed the king and took over the city, as it 00:37:36.360 --> 00:37:42.639 were, without an arrow being fired. From this 00:37:42.639 --> 00:37:44.739 chapter we learn some important lessons that 00:37:44.739 --> 00:37:48.920 we want to observe. The first one is simply this, 00:37:49.000 --> 00:37:53.340 that when God's moment of judgment arrives, nothing 00:37:53.340 --> 00:38:01.460 can provide escape. Belshazzar's moment had come. 00:38:01.599 --> 00:38:04.320 The handwriting was on the wall and there was 00:38:04.320 --> 00:38:08.179 nothing that could provide deliverance for this 00:38:08.179 --> 00:38:12.489 man. He was damned. He was doomed. at this point. 00:38:14.150 --> 00:38:18.090 When God's moment of judgment comes, it's final. 00:38:21.409 --> 00:38:23.670 You may not know the name of Robert Ingersoll. 00:38:25.050 --> 00:38:27.670 A few days ago I was in a bookstore where I was 00:38:27.670 --> 00:38:29.889 looking at the used religious section and I came 00:38:29.889 --> 00:38:33.090 across one of his writings, a collection of a 00:38:33.090 --> 00:38:37.869 number of the lectures that he gave. Robert Ingersoll 00:38:37.869 --> 00:38:44.170 was an atheist. A man who was devoutly anti -Christian, 00:38:45.170 --> 00:38:49.869 anti -God, and who traveled all over the country 00:38:49.869 --> 00:38:52.269 giving lectures and debating Christian leaders 00:38:52.269 --> 00:38:55.250 of his day trying to dissuade people from their 00:38:55.250 --> 00:38:59.429 faith. He was the Madeleine Murray O 'Hare of 00:38:59.429 --> 00:39:05.349 his generation. There were times, as has Madeleine 00:39:05.349 --> 00:39:07.670 Murray, when he challenged God and he said, now 00:39:07.670 --> 00:39:12.179 if there is a God, Let him strike me dead right 00:39:12.179 --> 00:39:18.440 now because of what I'm saying." Nothing happened. 00:39:19.599 --> 00:39:26.239 He said, see, there is no God. And his blasphemy 00:39:26.239 --> 00:39:32.719 continued for years and years until the moment 00:39:32.719 --> 00:39:37.599 of God's judgment came. You see, God is patient 00:39:37.599 --> 00:39:41.380 with sinners. God is long -suffering, not willing 00:39:41.380 --> 00:39:43.460 that any should perish, but that all should come 00:39:43.460 --> 00:39:50.059 to repentance. God does not respond to the silly 00:39:50.059 --> 00:39:55.699 defiance of a man like Robert Ingersoll. God 00:39:55.699 --> 00:40:02.500 is not impetuous. God is patient. But, there 00:40:02.500 --> 00:40:04.539 comes a moment when the handwriting is on the 00:40:04.539 --> 00:40:12.070 wall. And Ingersoll died. And he met the God 00:40:12.070 --> 00:40:18.469 whom he defied and was judged. I was looking 00:40:18.469 --> 00:40:20.989 recently in a Life magazine, a collection of 00:40:20.989 --> 00:40:24.050 pictures from Life from the last 50 years, a 00:40:24.050 --> 00:40:27.630 fascinating book. Among the pictures was one 00:40:27.630 --> 00:40:30.610 that was taken, I think, back in the 50s, covertly 00:40:30.610 --> 00:40:35.510 in the mausoleum in Moscow of Lenin and Stalin 00:40:35.510 --> 00:40:40.599 in their death repose. As you know their bodies 00:40:40.599 --> 00:40:43.260 have been preserved and are on display there 00:40:43.260 --> 00:40:45.559 in the mausoleum because they are the heroes 00:40:45.559 --> 00:40:52.119 of what is now a collapsing revolution. But here 00:40:52.119 --> 00:40:56.900 were two men likewise who defied God and got 00:40:56.900 --> 00:41:00.760 away with it for decades until the moment of 00:41:00.760 --> 00:41:04.000 God's judgment came and then there was no escape. 00:41:05.860 --> 00:41:08.199 And it's not only true of atheists, it's not 00:41:08.199 --> 00:41:11.320 only true of communists, it's true of capitalists. 00:41:12.460 --> 00:41:15.980 A few weeks ago, Malcolm Forbes, one of the wealthiest 00:41:15.980 --> 00:41:19.400 men in the world, a man who last year invited 00:41:19.400 --> 00:41:22.500 the rich, the wealthy, the famous from all over 00:41:22.500 --> 00:41:25.280 the world to come to a 70th birthday party and 00:41:25.280 --> 00:41:29.820 flew them there in Concord jets, died suddenly. 00:41:35.150 --> 00:41:37.449 My point is that when the moment of judgment 00:41:37.449 --> 00:41:41.050 arrives, there's nothing that can deliver one 00:41:41.050 --> 00:41:46.150 out of the hands of God. So how wise to make 00:41:46.150 --> 00:41:50.889 peace with God while you can. Behold, today is 00:41:50.889 --> 00:41:54.210 the day of salvation. Seek the Lord while He 00:41:54.210 --> 00:41:57.969 may be found. Call upon Him while He is nearer, 00:41:57.989 --> 00:42:02.070 says the prophet. If today you are one who is 00:42:02.070 --> 00:42:06.630 outside of Jesus Christ, You are not a Christian. 00:42:07.909 --> 00:42:10.389 Maybe like Ingersoll of old, you lifted your 00:42:10.389 --> 00:42:16.929 fist in God's face in defiance. Or like very 00:42:16.929 --> 00:42:21.090 sincere religious people today, that defiance 00:42:21.090 --> 00:42:25.210 and rebellion against God is inside. It's not 00:42:25.210 --> 00:42:30.349 exterior, it's interior problem. You know you're 00:42:30.349 --> 00:42:35.550 not a Christian. Today's your opportunity. Do 00:42:35.550 --> 00:42:39.590 not delay. For when the moment of God's judgment 00:42:39.590 --> 00:42:47.809 arrives, there's none that can deliver you. There's 00:42:47.809 --> 00:42:49.929 another lesson that we must look at before we 00:42:49.929 --> 00:42:54.909 close, and that is it is possible, it is possible 00:42:54.909 --> 00:42:59.949 to be a Daniel in the midst of a pagan culture. 00:43:00.710 --> 00:43:05.030 It is possible to be a man or a woman of integrity 00:43:05.030 --> 00:43:11.289 and of purity in the midst of godliness. It doesn't 00:43:11.289 --> 00:43:15.530 happen automatically. How foolish are the parents 00:43:15.530 --> 00:43:18.289 who say, well, I'm going to raise my kids and 00:43:18.289 --> 00:43:20.429 someday let them make their own decision as to 00:43:20.429 --> 00:43:22.849 what they want to believe, if they want to believe. 00:43:23.989 --> 00:43:31.340 How damnable that is to parenting. Daniel had 00:43:31.340 --> 00:43:33.880 been raised, obviously, by godly parents, so 00:43:33.880 --> 00:43:36.380 that by the time he was a teenager, when he was 00:43:36.380 --> 00:43:39.219 jerked away from family, from home, from culture, 00:43:39.599 --> 00:43:42.119 and taken hundreds of miles away, never to see 00:43:42.119 --> 00:43:45.539 parents, home, or culture again, and to be raised 00:43:45.539 --> 00:43:51.199 in the midst of a pagan place, Daniel was able 00:43:51.199 --> 00:43:54.219 to stand alone. He did so as a teenager at about 00:43:54.219 --> 00:43:58.380 15 years of age. And now we see him at 80, standing 00:43:58.380 --> 00:44:01.679 before the king. giving him the truth of God. 00:44:02.119 --> 00:44:08.760 It is possible in 1990 to be a Daniel. It doesn't 00:44:08.760 --> 00:44:12.760 happen automatically. We parents have part to 00:44:12.760 --> 00:44:15.039 play in that and the way we nurture our children 00:44:15.039 --> 00:44:21.019 in the things of God. But it's also up to us 00:44:21.019 --> 00:44:25.739 to look after our own personal spiritual development. 00:44:26.860 --> 00:44:30.059 To develop in ourselves the courage to take the 00:44:30.059 --> 00:44:35.420 unpopular path. To commit ourselves to lay everything 00:44:35.420 --> 00:44:40.059 on the line for God. To consecrate our all to 00:44:40.059 --> 00:44:43.960 Him, to Him alone. Oh, that we might respond 00:44:43.960 --> 00:44:48.639 to what the chorus writer penned when he said, 00:44:49.099 --> 00:44:54.670 dare to be a Daniel. Dare to stand alone. Dare 00:44:54.670 --> 00:45:00.250 to have a purpose firm and dare to make it known. 00:45:01.809 --> 00:45:06.570 What our culture today needs is a population 00:45:06.570 --> 00:45:10.570 of Daniels. You see, we are living not only in 00:45:10.570 --> 00:45:12.809 a pagan culture, we are living in a culture that 00:45:12.809 --> 00:45:19.130 is likewise under the judgment of God. And if 00:45:19.130 --> 00:45:21.630 you look carefully, you can see the enemy outside 00:45:21.630 --> 00:45:26.429 the walls. While our civilization is partying, 00:45:27.710 --> 00:45:30.309 and we think we cannot collapse, but I tell you 00:45:30.309 --> 00:45:33.809 in one night, as this ancient empire collapsed, 00:45:34.690 --> 00:45:43.090 so can we. Oh, to be Daniels. Oh, to be men and 00:45:43.090 --> 00:45:45.909 women of God who are committed to Him, whatever 00:45:45.909 --> 00:45:50.789 the cost, who will not buy into the spoils of 00:45:50.789 --> 00:45:54.800 the world system. Who, when the culture comes 00:45:54.800 --> 00:45:56.880 and says, we'll give you a purple robe, we'll 00:45:56.880 --> 00:45:59.800 put nice ornaments on you, we'll put you in a 00:45:59.800 --> 00:46:03.780 position of power. Men and women who say, I will 00:46:03.780 --> 00:46:07.320 not settle for that. I will be God's person. 00:46:08.840 --> 00:46:12.440 That's what we need today are Daniels. Who will 00:46:12.440 --> 00:46:15.980 represent God faithfully, even when the handwriting 00:46:15.980 --> 00:46:17.360 is on the wall.