....... Chapter 5 - Belshazzar's Feast & The Writing on the Wall

Dan 5 (KJV) Dan 5 World Wide Study Bible On- Line Bibles	Why do Nations Fall? Does History Repeat itself? Can we learn from the past? Can these lessons help us move ahead to the future? What happens when we ignore the past? Consider the above questions as you read and study Daniel 5. Background Daniel is an old man of over eighty years. This event takes place 23 years after death of Nebuchadnezzar. Its apparent that Daniel was no longer the high office that he once had under Nebuchadnezzar. The Belshazzar controversy Dean Farrar said, "There was no such king as Belshazzar". John Walvoord states, "Until the discovery of Nabonidus Cylinder, no mention of Belshazzar, whom Daniel declares to be king of Babylon, had been found in extrabiblical literature. Critics of the authenticity and historicity of Daniel accordingly were free to question whether any such person as Belshazzar existed. Since the publican of Raymond Dougherty's scholarly research on Nabonidus and Belshazzar, based on the Nabonidus Cylinder and other sources, there is no longer any ground for questioning the general history of Belshazzar..." Until 1853 no mention was found of Belshazzar in Babylonian Records. In 1853 an inscription was found in the cornerstone of a temple built by Nabonidas in Ur to a god, which read: "May I, Nabonidas, king of Babylon, not sin against thee. And my reverence for thee dwell in the heart of Belshazzar, my first-born, favorite son." Halley's What's Nabonidus's relationship to Belshazzar. Since Nabonidus liked to travel so much, he entrusted the kingship to Belshazzar in 553 BC. Belshazzar was the co-regent with Nabonidus for fourteen years. That also explains why Belshazzar offered to make Daniel "third highest ruler in the kingdom" (vs 7). Instead of being a mistake, the reference to Belshazzar demonstrates the accuracy of Daniel's book. Douglas Connelly Nebuchadnezzar to Belshazzar BC 605 - 562 Nebuchadnezzar King BC 562 Evil-merodach (Nebuchadnezzar's Son) succeeded him BC 559 Nergal-sharezer (Nebuchadnezzer's Son-in-law) murdered Evil-merodach and replaced him on the throne Nergal-sharezer's Son - reigned just a few months. Nabonidus (another one of Nebuchadnezzar's Son-in-laws) murdered Nergal-sharezer'w son and took the throne for the last 25 years of the empire. From inscriptions it has been learned that Nabonidas, much of the time, was in retirement outside of Babylon, and that Belshazzar was in control of the army and the government, co-regent with his father, and that it was he who surrendered to Cyrus. Halley's Belshazzar (Nabonidus son) remained in Babylon as a co-regent while Nabonidus spent much of his time away from Babylon on foreign expeditions. This shows the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophesy that states: Jer 27 6 Now I will hand all your countries over to my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him. 7 All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate him. (NIV) The Queen could have been the Queen Mother (wife of Nebuchadnezzar) McGee or Daughter of Nebuchadnezzar. Luck Gold vessels from the Temple of God in Jerusalem Dan 5:3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. (NIV) These were considered to be holy or set aside for the use of God. Belshezzar defiled God by using these vessels.
	Babylon Was a Fortress The King believed the Fortress was able to stand up against any enemy. History tells us they had a 20-year food supply. Babylon had the fresh water of the Euphrates River flowing through it. Jeremiah Prophesied regarding this takeover by the Medes and the Persians around the beginning of his captivity. Jer 51 11 "Sharpen the arrows, take up the shields! The LORD has stirred up the kings of the Medes, because his purpose is to destroy Babylon. The LORD will take vengeance, vengeance for his temple. 12 Lift up a banner against the walls of Babylon! Reinforce the guard, station the watchmen, prepare an ambush! The LORD will carry out his purpose, his decree against the people of Babylon. 31 One courier follows another and messenger follows messenger to announce to the king of Babylon that his entire city is captured, 39 But while they are aroused, I will set out a feast for them and make them drunk, so that they shout with laughter-- then sleep forever and not awake," declares the LORD. 49 "Babylon must fall because of Israel's slain, just as the slain in all the earth have fallen because of Babylon. 50 You who have escaped the sword, leave and do not linger! Remember the LORD in a distant land, and think on Jerusalem." 56 A destroyer will come against Babylon; her warriors will be captured, and their bows will be broken. For the LORD is a God of retribution; he will repay in full. 57 I will make her officials and wise men drunk, her governors, officers and warriors as well; they will sleep forever and not awake," declares the King, whose name is the LORD Almighty. 58 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Babylon's thick wall will be leveled and her high gates set on fire; the peoples exhaust themselves for nothing, the nations' labor is only fuel for the flames." 59 This is the message Jeremiah gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah king of Judah in the fourth year of his reign. 60 Jeremiah had written on a scroll about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon-- all that had been recorded concerning Babylon. (NIV) This is what the Historical Record Tells us The fall of Babylon is thus related by Xenonphon, Herodtus and Berosus: "Cyrus diverted the Euphrates into a new channel, and guided by two deserters, marched by the dry bed into the city, while the Babylonians were carousing at a feast of their gods." Halley Inscriptions found in recent years, state that the Persian army, under Gobryas, took Babylon without a battle, that he killed the son of the king; that Cyrus entered later. Halley This man Gobryas was marching his army to the inner city where the palace was located. History records that he and his men were on the inside of the inner city before the guards had even detected that anything was wrong. It is Xenophon, the Greek historian, who recorded for secular history the way in which the Persians took the city. McGee Gobryas is believed to have taken on the title Darius. The events of this chapter which have been discounted by critics for years have now been confirmed by secular history. Writing on the Wall (vs 25 - 28) MENE = Number. God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it. In other words, "his number is up". Tekel = weight. You have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. Babylon has been weighed on the divine scales and come up short. UPHARSIN = divisions. Your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians. What was Belshazzar condemned for? Dan 5:22-23 22 "But you his son, O Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. (NIV) This was not a sin of ignorance. He knew all the facts about Nebuchadnezzar's situation but did not learn from that lesson. Did not humble his heart. Belshazzar went out of his way to defile God. Belshazzar worshiped other gods.
	Daniel emphasizes the importance of learning from the things of the past in order to move ahead to the future. In Dan 5:20-21, Daniel describes the arrogance of Nebuchadnezzar and how God dealt with him. Belshazzar new this but chose to ignore it. When weighed on the divine scales, Belshazzar and the Nation of Babylon came up short. Does History repeat itself? Can we learn from History? What happens when we ignore history? Do any of these lessons apply to our Nation? What about us as individuals? PROBLEM: Rom 3:23 "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (NIV) In other words we have been weighed on the divine scales and have come up short. SOLUTION: Rom 3 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (NIV)








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