DS #13 The Tests of God

God has an encouraging word for you and me today. The Bible-based breach Dr. Don Wilton about the past, the Daniel series continues in Dr. Don Wilton's opening God's word in just a moment when what you know where 866-899-WORD is the phone number or meet us online@twon.org now Dr. Don Wilton. The question why what happened is that any possibility that anything that I have today with everything. Thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ because he's the only one looking like the difference is that any sense in which the blessings of the fathers have been pasta down to the songs in the door. Now folks I want you to think of this when we come to this chapter in the book of Daniel and I made to show you something very interesting in Daniel chapter 4 infecting verse 37 now maybe you could master praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble I want you to turn the chapter 5 in verse 23 and the second part of verse 23 of chapter 25 keep your finger right there with me.

In chapter 4 verse 37 members, 37 now I maybe you could manage their praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven that you go to chapter 5 and verse 23, which perhaps is the key verse of chapter 5 I'm going to read it to you may not want a soul decided to give but you did not honor the God who holds in his hand.

Your life and all you'll ways.

Now let's repeat that the gathering pieces. Let's read that lost section to get you ready altogether, but you did not honor the God who holds in his hand.

Your life and all your ways let's do it again.

Everybody reading that, but you did not honor the God who holds in his hand. Your life and all your ways. That's quite a mock contrast is what I want you to know that between chapter 4 and chapter 570 years in time has paused by historically speaking, there is a 17 year gap between chapter 4 chapter 5. In fact we going to notice that Daniel is no longer a young man. He's in his 80s. Daniel is now a respected senior citizen is no longer this 15 1617-year-old you that we were dealing with.

Back in chapter 4321. He's not just this young man anymore 70 years in time has paused between them.

You could Meza and Bell Delta shadows all 70 years. Maybe you could master was Belshazzar's grandfather now you going to find here that equals maybe you could Meza's father, but Nebuchadnezzar is referred to Belshazzar is referred to as the sun. It's just that in the Hebrew text they didn't have any way of saying grandson there's no such thing is that in the Hebrew text so they didn't cite grandson lay said son with you are a grand summer sun you would consider the sun but 70 years of cost between the two, and something very interesting. This happens your approach not only as Nebuchadnezzar did what we are about to witness the collapse of the Babylonian empire.

The Babylonian empire which is an penetrable Chris of Empire power is about to be brought to its knees and what is happened historically here is that two groups of people the means.

On the one hand, and the Persians. On the other hand got together and they've said is more powerful than one.

And so they united together like I am against the Babylonian Empire and so you had the beginning of the Medo Persian Empire. It was an amalgamation between two superpowers that combined together to be the ultimate superpower. But it's very interesting to see how the Babylonian empire came to an end because they were rarely powerful folks. Historians tell us there was no way that the Babylonian empire could've been defeated just like America today. There is no way that this country can ever be brought to their knees. America can never be defeated. We know we know that this country can never be destroyed.

We are too strong. We've got the ultimate key to world democracy. We got more money than anybody could shake a cigarette. We've got all the tax on the nuclear power we control the United Nations. We've got the strongest democracy in the world.

The White House is the most powerful governmental institution in the world. There is not a single person or a single country or a single philosophy in this world that can ever bring this country to her knees so it was with the Babylonian Empire. They were the United States of Babylon. They were powerful in every respect, not anywhere they powerful they were untouched by wars they could sit back in their seats and say you know the one blasting about us is that when the jacks attacked. At least they didn't get further than Pearl Harbor. They could sit back and say listen, we took part in the second world war and maybe will take a trip overseas to God and remind ourselves of the incredible heroism in the giving of our people.

But thank God, it never touched on the shores they could genuinely say and so it is here that we have a remarkable scene being set up that we need to understand the background of the Babylonian empire.

How did all this happen. Well the scene in chapter 5 is the final battle of the Babylonian empire believed players, Belshazzar, the final King of the Babylonian Empire. This particular context. We understand that he was a man in his early 30s, perhaps he was mean, it was bigoted. He was immature. Historians tell us that Belshazzar was a man of extremes. He was up one minute and down the next. Apparently he was one of those people. That is, subjects used to sit around and shivering their birds because they could never read his moods.

They never knew when they were open and eligible for public execution or public commendation and just happened to be whatever mood the king found himself. What is the lesson that we can learn from all of this. I think it is what we've said before, perhaps ladies and gentlemen, that the greatest lesson that we learn from history is that we never learning the lessons from history. I think that's a patent of human nature, sadly sometimes we use it as an excuse but I'm going to say to you today beloved friends that the greatest challenge to me as an individual person is to understand the complete relevancy of Scripture to my heart today. Yes, with talking about the prophecy of Daniel yesterday, but this prophecy and this story is as relevant to me today as he any time in the history of mankind.

If God didn't intend for his prophetic history to be applicable to my lap. He would live included in the holy Scriptures. He would've said take that out what I need to learn about balance.

As on Babylonians anyway. Couple of things that I want to say about the Medes and the Persians.

First of all we need to nurture that the Medes and the Persians. A good Babylon surrounded let me tell you couple things about Babylon that a very interesting Babylon.

According to historians was pregnant below. Nobody could defeat Babylon. They were the mightiest of all mighty fortresses and powers in the they were the ultimate United States of Babylon just to give you some of the statistics that I've read about the listen to all types of others. The surrounding wall around Babylon was 350 feet high with an 87 foot width.

Just think about that 350 feet high and 87 feet wide.

Not only that, we are told that these wolves were constantly patrolled by chariots with the most elite gardens that used to man these wolves morning noon and night around the clock.

Nobody could slip unnoticed into Babylon to take matters to even greater extremes with told by historians that the population of Babylon at this time was about 1.2 million people and these people had so much foresight they had enough stored with the walls of Babylon to the 1.2 million people for 20 years without ever having to go outside the walls so they could never use starvation tactics on them. They couldn't surround the city and say listen what we can do is we just going to stick it out for little while and soon arrive. Later they going to have to come out. What about drinking water well we know about the river Euphrates.

The Bible said I had plenty of water from the Hubert River Euphrates. They could never run out of it because it came from within to without brought them from without and within. The nobody could talk to poison the water so they had water that I had drink. I had walls that had patrols that have a reputation I had the mightiest army in the world that had everything behind them, including an unbelievable reputation and blow me down here come the Medes and the Persians. Not only that they had a moat with a booth around the city 55 foot wide and I'm sure they have some most unpleasant looking lads floating around in that most, if not some other things but it was a great church. Nobody could get in there. So how in the world is Babylonian, to lead folks. It's the old story.

The collapse of brightness always comes from within, not from without forgiving reps will be back in just a moment Dr. which must be remind you are here for you 24 hours a day were taking calls for prayer at 86688668999673 and you're the middle of a wonderful study on Daniel. All of these messages available as podcasts and as other forms of connectedness on our website@twonline.org that's TW online.org.

Now back to a sermon right in the midst of this king Belshazzar calls a party. He says let's have Mardi Gras. He says listen man where just so situated around it. We don't need to be concerned about anything. Let's put up video poker machines all over Babylon who cares about moral standards and values. We need to be about the money making business here and besides just think you could benefit we could put some more food and health of the people from the profits we Michael Belshazzar sat back in his arrogance and began to shout the dogs into the face of God. I'd like us to read about and let the word of God speak Daniel chapter 5 king Belshazzar gave a great banquet for thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them while Belshazzar was drinking his wine. He gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets. The Nebuchadnezzar his father had stolen or taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines.

My drink from Lynn. So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem and the king is his nobles, his wives and concubines drank from and as they drank the wine.

They praise the gods of gold and silver of bronze, iron, wood and stone, not just for those of you that were unable to be with us this takes us immediately back to the vision of Nebuchadnezzar. In Daniel chapter 4 and basically the golden statue was about God making known to Nebuchadnezzar, his plans for the future, the head of gold. God had given to Meg maybe could master the kingdom, the power of the strength and the glory God had caused him to rule over all people. The breast and arms made of silver, another kingdom inferior to Nebuchadnezzar, the Bailey and the size of Braun. The third kingdom which would rule over the earth, the legs of the fourth kingdom, strong as iron, which will crash and break all of these in pieces and defeat parking, iron and partly clay stone cut without hands, it will be a divided kingdom will have the toughness of time.

Some of the kingdom would be strong in some of the kingdom would be brittle and yet we have Belshazzar, the grandson of limb you could me as a defined the face of God and we read about this time he goes out and even gets.

Which had been stolen from the temple and they began to praise the God of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone. Verse five.

Suddenly the fingers of the human hand appeared and wrote on the cost of the warming of the lampstand and the royal palace. The king watch the hands is a wrote his face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees not to get in these legs gave way the king called out for the Inchon quiz the astrologers and the divine is to be bold and say to these wise men of Babylon who ever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be closed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck and he will be made. The third highest ruler in the kingdom, and all the kings wise men came in. They could not read the writing will tell the king what it meant soaking.

Belshazzar became even more terrified and the spice grew more playable. His nobles were even baffled. Now the Queen by the way, that's the Queen Mother hearing the voices of the king and his nobles came into the banquet. All she was a wise lady. She knew exactly what to say.

First of all, she understood the mean-spirited bigoted nature of this man was up one minute and down the next, and so she said the right thing. First she said all okay live forever. I mean she just made absolutely certain that she was still going to be Queen Mother off the she said what she was about to say. Don't be alarmed on Pixar. Plato there is a manual kingdom has the spirit of the holy God's and him in the time of your father. He was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods king that you could measure your father your father the king.

I say appointed him chief of the magicians and traumas astrologers and diviners. This man Daniel, whom the king called Delta Chavez was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding and also the ability to interpret dreams explain riddles install difficult problems call for Daniel and he will tell you what the writing means, so Daniel was brought before the king.

The king said to him, are you Daniel one of the exiles. My father the king brought from Judah I've heard the spirit of the gods is in you that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom the wise managing charges were brought before me to read this writing.

Tell me what it means, but they could not explain it. Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations of the solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing. Tell me what it means you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around her neck, and you will be my third highest ruler in the kingdom. And I love verse 17 in Daniel on some of the king you might keep the gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else.

Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell them what it means okaying the most high God guide your father, Nebuchadnezzar, sovereignty and greatness glory and splendor because of the high position. He gave him all the peoples in the relations of man of every language, dreaded and feared him those the king wanted to put to death. He put to death those he wanted to spare. He spread does he want to promote. He promoted those you want to humbly number but Winnie's heart became arrogant and hard with pride he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal. He lived like a wild donkey's and a boss like capital and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he acknowledged that the most high God is sovereign over the kingdoms of man and states over them.

Anyone he wishes, but you his son. Oh Belshazzar you have not humbled yourself though you knew all of this instead you've set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought and you and your logos, your wives and concubines drank from them. Not only that, but you praise the gods of silver, gold of bronze ironwood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. He points to the futility of these worship but you did not honor the God who holds in his hand.

Your life and more doorways. Therefore the same to the hand that wrote the inscription. This is the inscription that was written many many tackle possible. This is what these words mean meaning God has number the days of your brain and brought it to an end tackle you been weighing on the scales and found wanting to read is your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and the Persians then at Belshazzar Kaman.

Daniel was clothed in purple a gold chain was placed around his neck and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.

What a desperate measure. I think Belshazzar brought into a state of panic. However, verse 30 says that very night Belshazzar king of the Babylonians were slain, and Darius the Mead took over the kingdom at the age of 62. I hope you understand. Just a little bit more. Some of the context of that passage is we rated together very important. I want to live. All I want to do is I want to talk to you about the first that comes out of this and I've called it a night of revelry, a night of revelry from this one here in chapter 5 we going to read about exceeding overconfidence. The use of sacred vessels, which the Bible calls blasphemy. Blasphemy is anything that we do that flies in the face of the holiness of God. It's sacrilege.

The use of God's name of the use of God's property or the use of anything that is of God, of his person of each holiness of his character and the things that had been stolen from the temple by his father with the prime reason why God brought an end to name you could master Belshazzar knew that, but he took those anyway, and he used them for his own benefit and for those were around him. That happens to me and all of us.

Perhaps the key phrases in verse four of chapter 5 as they drank the wine.

They praise the gods of gold and silver of bronze ironwood and stone. It seems to me that Belshazzar was making every endeavor in verse four to be politically incorrect what he wanted to do as he wanted to take the Constitution of godly foundation and he wanted to fly in the face of everything that God represented as far as the Babylonians were concerned and so was that he quickly began to praise the gods of gold and silver, he began to look openly and worship defiantly the very opposite in the antithesis of God, the God of his fathers and the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.

Essentially what he was doing was he was saying that I'm going to worship God to make note of the mountains on me.

Who are these goggles. These are the gods who insist on faith without action. These are the gods who insist on conviction without commitment. These are the gods to major on service without any call for sacrifice, these are the guards who demoted time without ever insisting upon the use of talent. These are the guards who provide comfort without any concern.

These are the gods to encourage us to study without ever being involved in service ourselves. These are the gardens tell us that what we need to do is we need to support everybody else never be concerned about personally surrendering our that the faith of the moms know it's a comfort zone religion and it seems to me gathered as they began list nine of revelry that the confidence demonstrated by Belshazzar and he is called from with the context of the walls of the impregnable fortress of Babylon. Seems to me that God and all his sovereignty down upon the sins of the son, and said it's time for me to draw the line opportunities clear. Let us pray with you at 866899673 or online at TE double on Margie before we get away closing thoughts from Dr.are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now. Dear God, I know that Iversen and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross today, I repent of my sin and by faith I receive you into my heart.

In Jesus name, my friend. I welcome you today into the family of God. This is exciting news in the midst of life's changes and we each need to frame confidence somebody will come alongside us and share everything with our journey you will advocate for rest and comfort someone tracked this month. Your get Encouraging Word. We were thinking the inspiring Jesus died in your hands a lot in Jesus and lots draws on knowledge and personal story including her recent cancer diagnosis understand.

Percent of the training, the holy, 86999 think having three to request a copy of Jesus and me today Encouraging Word you are and hearing God's truth. Think the phone number one more time is 866-899-WORD 866-899-9673 anytime 24 hours a day. Would love to pray with you and for you. That's 866-899-9673 or online at tewonline.org