The Handwriting on the Wall - Part 2

What you doing tonight is increasing in the prisons of God's judgment. Even the proudest of things can instantly melt into a quivering mass of traffic today I'm feeling good thing Jeremiah explains how this exact scenario played out in ancient Babylon.

Even now serves as a school is David to conclude the message that changes its name without series handwriting on the I remember the first time I saw this lesson that were studying today. I believe it or not in flannel graph. My teacher, my junior church teacher name was Ida Hamilton and she was a great teacher and I was a student in the church in Toledo, Ohio, where my father was a pastor. I remember the words of being put up on the on the flannel graph. I can't remember if they could put them up in English. You have been weighed in the balance and found wanting and then we were told with the mansion.

It was explained to us at that level and I been listening that story and teaching that story now for many years. One of the great moments in history is that moment when God intervened in a pagan feast and nothing was ever the same as you probably wonder when that happened. Well, you can find all of that in Daniel chapter 5 finish up talking about it today. All friends. I can't wait to conclude the story from Daniel five. Here is part two. The handwriting on the wall in verse 36 of chapter 51. This verse tells us that the fall of Babylon is going to have something to do with the drying up of water dollars therefore thus saith the Lord, to Babel, and behold, I will plead not causing take vengeance for the and I will dry up her seat 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 means and they're going to come upon that city when it is greatly fortified with huge walls and broad wall and trick or snare 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 what 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 what the Babylonians were out in the field fighting with Cyrus and the Medo Persian exam.

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, 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 and 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 battle and 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. He stationed half of them at the place where the Euphrates River came into the city and he stationed 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 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 portable 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 noticed 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. 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 drunkenness and in their revelry. They had no idea that anything like that was happening of Cyrus Army entered on the walls into the grades. 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 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 have 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 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 have 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 him but wrote out a finger of God noticed 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 all over all of their accomplishments. This ghostly ghastly finger 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 cool and he wrote them a message of judgment in 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 a poor 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 setting up a column of smoke toward the ceiling. In addition to the feeble light 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 the Scripture says about first of August. This was changed. Gone was the smirk. No longer was his mouth turned up at the corners as he defied God, but there was little spark tear on his face became pale as a look at that thing happening to them on the wall.

His thoughts were greatly troubled with idioms as the Scripture joints of his loins were loose. The text actually says the vertebrae in his back were loose. 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 aegis their sort of in between place in the Scripture says Wortley that his knees 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 to come sit out. All of a sudden he got enough courage any shrieked to 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, and this is your must not talk to his grandfather for in chapter 2 they had failed him. In chapter 4. They had failed him. And there just about keep their record clean and pure 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 shelter in the finger of God. What a night that was in the city of Babylon. The stories and over, but in terms of the history of it. We have to stop there. But don't put your Bibles away and don't put down your pin because I want to take just a moment to share with you some applications of what we've learned in history into three areas. First of all I want to share with you a national application if I might, I can't help but think that what was happening in babbling is like what happens in our country today walls strong fortification, great prosperity, everything that a man's heart could desire, we are impregnable. No one could ever take this country.

I've read that when the barbarians, the Vandals entered Rome they listen to an orator in the Senate proposing a plan to stop them if they should ever invade the land, but they were already there, sitting in the Senate and one historian said that some of the invaders poked the Roman Senators to see if they were alive because they look like statues and they were asleep. They had become neutralized by their decaying society even when the enemy sat in the Senate with them. They didn't know they were there and I am told that when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor that they waited until the Americans had received their monthly pay packet at a certain time in the Japanese said we will wait till they all get their pay and they will get drunk and on Sunday morning.

They will have a hangover and we will take them by surprise and they did say in our own hearts as Americans can happen to us. Listen, the kind of thing that's going on in the fifth chapter goes on every night of the week and many many places in our land and in places great responsibility. I hate to know the truth about what happens in the place where this land is governed about Shatzer's reign in their palaces and in their drunken orgies in Washington DC we say as we look at all that this is the great babbling which we live can happen in America better wake up and begin to recognize that God will not allow her to go on flaunting their spiritual privileges in his face national application pretty frightening and it I want to share with you. Secondly, personal application message God's hand is writing on the wall of your heart. What is he writing some poet, his said it this way at the feast of Belshazzar in a thousand of his lords while they drank from golden vessels is the book of truth. Courts in the night as they reveled in the royal palace hall. They were seized with consternation at the hand upon the wall so our deeds are recorded. There's a hand that's writing now sooner give your heart to Jesus to his royal mandate bow for the day is approaching, it must come to one and all. When the sinner's condemnation written on the wall pretty personal list.

Then can help but think that if one finger of God can paralyze a man in fear what will be the result of those who fall into the hand of a living God. Thirdly, there's a prophetic application today. There is the mad pursuit of worldly pleasure in our land. The craze for sports uncontrolled eating and drinking in a false sense of security, which is been built upon a fake prosperity. The Bible says this know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous posters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient errands, unthankful and holy second Timothy two. Just as the downfall of Babylon meant the end of the great civilizations so the end of the age will be marked by the end of the Gentile world Powers and this is a picture of it. The doom of Babel and foreshadows the doom of Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. Read Revelation 17 five men today laugh when we tell them that our modern civilization is doomed, but I am certain that Belshazzar never conceived in his mind the possibility of his mighty empire being overthrown.

The Bible says there's coming a day when the mighty babbling of the world.

Gentile powers in the future are going to be like that's prophecy. Prophecy is always hinged on history, just as it happened in Babel and it will happen in the future. And then lastly spiritual application national application a personal application a prophetic application and then those of us were Christians. Spiritual application. What was it that brought down the curtain on Belshazzar was it the drunken orgy. No. Was it the presence of the women in the feast sexuality of it all know was it the great King of babbling drinking before his subjects.

No. But when that king took the holy vessels of God and desecrated them. God said that's enough. And our bodies are the vessels of God, not to become aware that if we take that holy thing that belongs to God and we desecrated with the world. God's judgment is at the door for some of you are involved in that wickedness and immorality.

Your Christian but you taken that vessel that holy vessel that belongs to God and you've made that a part of the world you've joined to those outside of God. You corrupted it with the use of drugs and alcohol and nicotine all of that in God will not honor that.

I believe he considers that to be a serious matter and when Arnold summed it all up when he said he ended in his passing foot was heard but none made answer, not a lip was stirred, moved the free time in band.

His fearless brow. The mystic letters had their meeting now soon became their other sound.

The clash of steel. The heavy ringing of the iron heel.

The curse in dying the cry for life bloodied voices of the battle strife.

That night they slew him on his father's throne. The deed unnoticed. The hand unknown crown lists and scepter lists no shadows or lay a robe purple round of play that you may know that the most high in the kingdoms of men will know where pickup by will open whatever store you. You choose to study and the more you reflect on the more spiritual truth just flows into your heart and this is a story worth considering.

I don't know where you are, my friend, but if you do not know the Lord, you may have a Coke yourself into thinking that it doesn't matter. God doesn't really care, and perhaps you'll even talk yourself into believing that you've seen past the place where God can bring you to himself, if you read the story and Daniel chapter 5, you can say that if you read the story in Daniel chapter 4, you can't say that in one place a very ungodly king was brought to God in another case of very ungodly king was judged by God. You have a choice what chapter do you want to live in.

You want to be in chapter 5 you want to be in for a lot of the Nebuchadnezzar from God or Belshazzar who did not. Sure choice. You need to make that choice if you will pray and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior. He'll change your life help you let us know because we have something to love the sinner started growing walk with the Lord wonderful weekend. Listen to just painting you from the Shadow Mountain Community Church in the David Jeremiah to see would love to live and help to the point is touching please write us the point, PO Box 338, San Diego, CA 92163 visit our website at David Jeremiah talking/writing you a copy of the series on the sequence from the prophecies of handwriting.

You can also download the free Turning Point mobile smart phone or tablet searching for the key Turning Point ministries instantly exit programs and was go to David Jeremiah don't/radio for the tiles joined us Monday as we continue the series.

The handwriting on the point with Dr. David Jeremiah for taking time to listen to non-piece in question