The Handwriting on the Wall - 29 February

Christian lady asked welcome to doing point would you division the more you build yourself up through the you have the danger of pride is the focus today is Dr. David Jeremiah explains how a king's pride could get a warning from the hand of God was a mistake which uses messaging the handwriting on the review noted God's long-suffering impatience are cardinal attributes that he alone possesses may reflect his grace and his mercy toward all of us, but we also know there's a line beyond which God's patience runs out and in today's lesson were going to see the king of Babylon as he crosses that line testing God's patience and inviting God's judgment. What an episode this is.

It's the signature lesson from this series called the handwriting on the wall. Please observe the Scripture says that the king made a great feast to thousand of his lords and he drank wine before the thousand or three things that I want you to notice about the feast of Belshazzar. First of all, please note the sensuality of the feast, the sensuality of the feast. According to the historians that often the feast was a solemn festival among the Babylonians to bear great God Bell after all Bell shadows are God's name from back God and so it would be quite right for the king Bell shadows are to observe the feast that honor the Babylonian God whose name was Bell archaeologist tell us that the hall in which this great feast was conducted in this carnival was held has been excavated in modern times and it was actually a great and huge hall some 60 feet wide by 172 feet long and the walls in that great Hall were decorated in stucco and all of the accomplishments of the Babylonian kingdom were next in writing on the walls of the great Hall. The sensuality of the feast of Belshazzar is demonstrated by the words of this text in at least two ways. First of all, the Scripture says that Bell says her drank wine before the thousand of his lords.

The phrase actually means that he was elevated above them and actually led them in drinking toast to their pagan gods. This was totally out all the dignity of the king of that day.

They never drank with their lords and with their counselors if they drank, they drank in dignity by themselves, but it this point in time. Belshazzar who is such a raucous character has decided that he's going to bring all of his lords a thousand strong into this great banquet hall and he literally elevates himself above them and leaves the toes that they drink to all of their pagan gods. The second thing that we learn about the sensuality of this feast is involved in the fact that Belshazzar invited all of the women to the drunken party. Now it was accustomed in that culture. Even later in the culture when the Persians took control that this was just not done.

For instance in the book of Esther in the first chapter we are told that when I has you Harris who was the king was having a drunken party but Bastille, his queen entertained the women separately.

Esther chapter 1 verses one through nine. But Bell says her through all restraint aside, he decided to leave the toast himself. Scripture says that he brought in all of the wives and concubines, and he drank with them and with all the men I think of two passages of Scripture that speak to this in the Old Testament one in the book of Proverbs that says it is not for kings old lamb UL is not for kings or for princes to drink strong drink last night and drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.

Proverbs 30 145, or the writing of Isaiah the prophet chapter 5 verses 22 through 24. Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine and men of strength to mingle strong drink as fire devours the stubble and flame consume with the chaff. So Pharaoh shall be as rottenness and their blossoms shall go up as according to the record. One by one the king and his men drank themselves onto the table. Add to this the overtones of sensuality that are obvious by the presence of the women and what you have is nothing more nor less than a drunken orgy not unlike many of the great parties that go on in our day. Now I have to admit I've lived a sheltered life never in all of my experience. Have I ever been anything like that nor do I ever intend to go but I want you to notice.

Secondly, under the feast of Bell shadows are the sacrilege of the fees the sacrilege of it.

Notice in verse two, while Belshazzar tasted the wine he commanded to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father, Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem. Belshazzar remembers that there's a place in the palace where the holy vessels of the Jews are Now. If you been with us through this whole study. Remember that back in the first chapter when Nebuchadnezzar came upon the city of Jerusalem and besieged it.

One of the first things he did was to take hostage Daniel and his compatriots, and along with them.

He took the vessels that were the holy vessels of the Jews, and he carried them away hostage to babbling for it was in the culture of that day and understanding that when you took the holy things of all foreigners God. You demonstrated graphically that their God was incapable of defending them, and so you put their guard down and put them down so Nebuchadnezzar had carried those vessels to babbling and Belshazzar. His grandson remembered that they were in the city and in his drunkenness, and in his involvement in the orgy of that night he decided to send someone to bring those holy vessels to the hall and to the banquet place so that he could desecrate them by drinking wine and using those vessels.

According to the Scripture to drink wine and praise the gods of gold and silver and of brass and of iron and of wood and of no someone describes what happened in graphic terms.

Shortly the slave arrived with the holy vessels at that raucous banquet room. The moment had arrived for this magnet of a man to do a God defying act, the erotic dancing suddenly stopped. The musicians put their instruments down and the house lights were turned up. Belshazzar took the goblet and filled it with wine from his own private wine supply and smirking with arrogance. He slopped the crimson liquid to his lips as it dribbled down his beard. He glared around with the fair I've done it look as if possessed by the devil. He was honoring he has done it a thousand gas. Suddenly, a cheer broke out glass famously applauding the daring act, Belshazzar sunk down in his elegant seat.

The music and the erotic dancing began again. All that last he felt like a man" Dr. Seitz in his book voices from babbling his written not only their ill-timed merriment there trampling on the customary proprieties and their drunkenness, but even there full hardy and blasphemous insult to the most high God is bailed over and cloaked up with a pretense of devotion. But this was as far as it was possible for human daring and infatuation to go. It was more than the powers of heaven could quietly endure this was the end that is the sacrilege of the feast. Think of it with me for just a moment tried to put yourself in the back kind of setting. Think of someone someone inebriated someone drunken walking into our church and coming up to this platforming where our communion table is taking one of the little glasses in which we drink the cup and honoring the death of our Lord taking that cup and pouring out the juice and pouring into it a shot of whiskey and standing in front of this congregation and saying I drink it toast to the what you have is what happened that night so that he wanted God said that's it. That's the line the sacrilege of the fees now want to talk to.

Thirdly about the stupidity of the feast, as we view the drunken orgy in Belshazzar's palace.

We are reminded of the words of an old proverb whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad prophecy and history will reveal to us what a stupid thing. It is for Belshazzar to be celebrating 40 is literally celebrating his own funeral wake, but he doesn't know it, you know, the prophet Jeremiah almost 100 years before this event prophesied in almost exact detail every single thing that was going to happen on that night and I don't often do this. Sometimes I just generalize this but I think this is so exciting. I want you to take your Bibles and turn with me. Everyone of these passages will do it quickly.

There almost altogether. I want you to write down that Jeremiah said this is what's going to happen years before it took place. I want you to carefully chronicle this. And then when we come back and I tell you what happened. You'll be amazed.

Jeremiah chapter 50 versus 1 to 3 in verse nine. This is what that prophecy teaches us it tells us that babbling would be conquered by a nation from the north. Notice Jeremiah 50. The word that the Lord spake against babbling and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet declared to be among the nations and publish and set up a standard publish and conceal not say babbling is taken.

Bell is confounded. Notice this mad dog is broken in pieces. Idols are confounded. Her images are broken in pieces for out of them are there, the pronation against her would show make her land desolate and none shall dwell therein.

They shall remove they shall depart both man and beast notice verse nine for low I will raise and cause to come up against babbling on assembly of great nations from the North country and they shall set themselves in array against her from fence, she shall be taken, their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man none shall return in vain.

Now just pause for a moment after the head of gold, which is babbling, what is the next Empire to take over who Medo Persian. All right, long before this happened. Listen to the words of Jeremiah chapter 51 verses 11 and 28 make it right.

The arrows gather the shields the Lord hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the me for his devices against babbling to destroy it because it is the vengeance of the Lord. The vengeance of his temple. Verse 28 of the same chapter prepare against her. The nations with the kings of the means the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the land of his dominion. Not only will it be a nation from the north, but it will be a nation associated with the means Medes and the Persians. Now let's look at another one Jeremiah chapter 51 versus 53 and 58. This tells us what babbling is going to be like when she is captured.

Verse 53 though babbling should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength yet from me shell spoilers, diversity of the Lord. We talked about the walls of Babel and how high were they and how wide were they 387 feet high 87 feet wide. The great fortifications of babbling notice verse 58 thus saith the Lord of hosts. The broad walls of babbling shall be utterly broken and her high gates shall be burned with fire, and the people shall labor in vain and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary.

Now notice the picture prophetically is building a nation from the north associated with the Medes shall come against babbling when she is fortified within the great walls of her city. Now chapter 50 and verse 24. Jeremiah tells us that the fall of babbling is going to be by some kind of a subterfuge some kind of a trick.

Some kind of a snare notice verse 24. I have laid a snare for the and thou art also taken all babbling and Bao was not aware thou art found and also caught because thou has striven against the Lord help the prophet Jeremiah says that when babbling falls. It's going to be some sort of a trick.

Some sort of a military cleverness, God is going to use to catch that city within her great fortified walls are high fortifications in her broad walls and then notice one other one verse 36 of chapter 51. This verse tells us that the fall of babbling is going to have something to do with the drying up of water follows therefore thus saith the Lord, to Babel, and behold, I will plead by causing take vengeance for the and I will dry up her see and make her springs, dry and babbling shall become heat. Now let's just review for moment. Jeremiah the prophet said that someday babbling is going to be dealt with by God by a nation from the north associated with the Medes and they are going to come upon that city when it is greatly fortified within its huge walls and broad walls and through a trick or a snare and through something that has to do with the drying up of water, God is going to capture that city. Now let me tell you what happened is not in the Bible, but secular history tells us what actually took place and it's a thrilling thing to see how God fulfilled the word of the prophet Cyrus was leading the Medes and the Persians against babbling, but the Babylonians were out in the field fighting with Cyrus and the Medo Persians and when he advanced and got near to their city.

The Babylonians decided that they couldn't stand against Cyrus and the Medo Persians and so they decided to go in the city and fortify themselves against the enemy. They had watched Cyrus out in the battlefield and noticed his strategy and they realize that sooner or later he would come against their city so that they can great precaution we historians tell us that they had stored up within the walls of their city. Great provisions. In fact, one historian says they had enough food and water provision within the city of babbling to last the whole city for over 20 years. Cyrus found himself in great difficulty as well. He had decided to besiege the city to surrounded them to hold it and see what he realized he couldn't go on forever doing that he didn't know what to do and so whether someone came to him with a suggestion or Cyrus had the idea himself.

He formulated in his mind, a plan if you remember our description of babbling. We said that the great Euphrates River flowed right through the middle of the city right through the center of that great place. Cyrus got the idea that he would take the city by subterfuge in the following way. He took the best men of his army and he divided them in half station, half of them at the place where the Euphrates River came into the city and he station the other half of his best man at the place where the Euphrates River ran out of the city and they took the rest of the Army, who he felt were not capable as fighting men with him and he went to a place where the Euphrates River passed a huge small and with the rest of his fighting men. He built a huge sluice gate or canal by which he planned to divert Euphrates River away from the city.

He told his men were stationed at the front of the city and at the back of the city where the river ran through that they were to wait there until the river was affordable and to watch it, and so on the night on the very night when Belshazzar is having his drunken orgy, Cyrus diverts Euphrates River and half of his army at the front half of his army at the back. Notice that the waters of that great river began to receive as the water is diverted into the great Swamp goes down and down and down until one of the soldiers gets in and discovers that he is able to afford the river at the height of his thigh and so under the wall where the river ran into the city, Cyrus Army from where the Euphrates River entered the city and where it went out of the city began to walk in the riverbed in the water under the walls into the city.

Remember that the city was a huge place and so they enter at the very extremities of the city and little by little the whole Army began to come in under the wall. This impregnable city. The city which was beyond attack which could never be taken in the historians tell us that they entered the city without even being known without even being seen a few lives were lost as they were encountered, but the activity at Belshazzar's hall that night was the center of attraction.

And that was right at the center of the city and they were so involved in their drunken medicine in their revelry. They had no idea that anything like that was happening of Cyrus Army entered on the walls into the great city.

In fact, one historian quote Cyrus is saying that the palace doors will probably be unlocked because they seem to be given to revelry tonight and then they marched with their army and that is why I say that that was the most stupid feast that the world has ever known. While Belshazzar was drinking under the table with his men and reveling in the truth that their city could not be taken and no one can ever get them and while they had the courage to take the holy vessels of the God of Jerusalem and desecrate them literally to call them up in the face of God and find him at the very moment they were doing that the Persians and the Medes were coming in under the walls and was all over.

Never in all the world has never been recorded more stupid feast. Isn't that like the world they think they have it all together and thereafter drinking it up and having a great time and the judge stands at the door, the feast of Bill Shatzer now that brings us to the second part of the finger of God and this is exciting in the same hour. The Scripture says in verse five. In what hours that will, in the same hour when Belshazzar is drinking and he's defined God in the same hour when the Persians and the Medes are coming in on the wall in the same hour came four fingers of a man's hand and rolled over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace and the king saw the part of the Hamburg Road out of the finger of God. Notice first of all, the supernatural side supernatural sign verse five. This verse has so captured the imagination of the world that we have literally adopted the phrase the handwriting on the wall, the words describing human hand writing on the plaster in the palace banquet room we know it's more than human for the Babylonians used to decorate their walls with the list of their accomplishments and I believe that God using the picture of the human hand is writing over all of their accomplishments. This closely ghastly finger is scratching out a word on the wall. Someone is said that same hour while the belching slobbering drunks were sopping up the wind out of holy vessels God's patience ran out in the cup of iniquity was full and he wrote them a message of judgment could have been the same hand which had previously written on the two tables of law for God's people might've been the same hand that later wrote on the ground in defense of up or fallen but penitent woman now that hand writes the deathknell for Bill Shatzer supernatural sign. I want to know to secondly the sobering significance.

Scripture says in verse six that the king's countenance was changed everything about the scene lends itself to figure out try to imagine this amount, mind, and I hope you imagine it with me. I never been in a scary place like this. There were dozens of open saucer like lamps distributed in the hall. Each was sending up a column of smoke toward the ceiling. In addition to the feeble lighted cast about the room was murky, dark all of a sudden an apparition on the wall.

I have to think that King Bill Shatzer may have set an all-time record in getting sober just like that. No coffee, nothing, just so now notice what the Scripture says about first of August.

Countenance was changed. Gone was the smirk.

No longer was his mouth turned up at the corners as he defied God, but there was stark terror on his face became pale as he looked at that thing happening to them on the wall. His thoughts were greatly troubled with Indians, as the Scripture and the joints of his loins were loosed. The text actually says the vertebrae in his back were loosed. I want to tell you that was an adjustment like no adjustment.

You can ever get from a chiropractor.

He couldn't sit down and he couldn't stand up.

He just stood there sort of event happening between place in the Scripture says, fourthly, that is needed smoke together in one short moment the finger of God turned frivolity into fear, despair swept over that drunken despot in one brief hour.

The boastful profane king becomes a shivering, shaking, helpless, hopeless, mortal. He had come up against the boss of Jehovah, and it was too much. That brings us. Thirdly, after the supernatural sign in the sobering significance to the simultaneous summons notice verse seven says that Kane cried aloud literally it says the king shrieked. After this whole thing settling on him and his knees were hit back and forth together in his back was all, loosely going to stand up becomes an out. All of a sudden he got enough courage any shrieked.

He literally let out a scream that all the rest of the people in the hall were scared. You know, and notice what he screamed for poor guy. The only hope you had were these fellows that came screamed bringing the astrologers, the Chaldeans in this insane future must not talk to his grandfather for in chapter 2 they had failed him. In chapter 4. They had failed him in there just about keep their record clean and pure. In fact, I noticed something that I was studying this that before the king called them in the Scripture says that he was troubled and after they got done within verse nine he was greatly troubled. He was in worse shape than before because they couldn't help feast of Bill Sheridan. What a night that was. We hope you enjoyed today's tuning points weekend edition with Dr. David Jeremiah to hear this and other tuning point programs will get more information about this ministry.

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