DANIEL - CHAPTER FIVE

  I.        INTRODUCTION

A.   A picture of the moral and religious conditions which will characterize the closing days of the times of the Gentiles.

B.   Belshazzar’s feast marks the turning point from the head of gold to the arms and breast of silver.

C.   The events of Chapter 5 took place 23 years after the death of Nebuchadnezzar.

 II.        THE FEAST OF BELSHAZZAR (vs. 1-4)

A.   A feast of rebellion - the city was under siege by the Medes and Persians under Darius

B.   Takes place 70 years after chapter 1

C.   A feast of revelry (vs. 1, 2, 4, 23)

D.   A feast of religious blasphemy (vs. 4, 23)

E.   A feast of prophetic revelation

1.    Speaks of the character and course of the times of the Gentiles

2.    Speaks of the sudden destruction of Gentile rule when the Lord returns to earth.

III.       THE FINGER OF GOD (vs. 5-28)

A.   A prophecy of three words

B.   Their meaning

1.    “Mene” - numbered (v. 26)

a.    Means to fix or limit as to time or duration (vs. Leviticus 15:12, 28; 23:16)

b.    God had fixed the duration of Babylon as a ruling empire.

c.    The day of her destruction had come.

2.    “Tekel” - weighed (v. 27)

a.    The scales of God weighed accurately and with perfect justice.

b.    On the perfect scales of God’s justice Belshazzar’s kingdom did not weigh enough to escape judgment.

3.    “Upharsin” - divided (v. 28)

a.    The plural form of “peres” (cf. v.25)

b.    It is also the plural form of “Persian.”

c.    Means broken up into its constituent parts

d.    It was given to Daniel to discern that the kingdom of Babylon would be broken up and given to the Medes and Persians.

VI.       THE FALL OF BABYLON (vs. 30, 31)

A.   When Daniel was given the interpretation, the Medes and Persians were already on Babylonian soil.

B.   “In the night” (v. 30) Babylon went down to defeat.

C.   The battle was won “without a shot being fired.”

1.    Cyrus, the general of the Persian forces, literally changed the course of the Euphrates River, which ran under the walls and through the center of the city. Once this was accomplished his soldiers marched under the walls on the dry river bed and totally infiltrated the city “in the same night” that Belshazzar was hosting his sensual feast.

2. "Under the leadership of Cyrus's resourceful commander, Ugbaru, the Medo-Persian military conquered Babylon on the night of October 12, 539 B.C. Some eighty years later, Greek historian Herodotus recounted what happened: Hereupon the Persians who had been left for the purpose at Babylon by the riverside, entered the stream, which had now sunk (because the Persians had diverted it to a nearby lake) so as to reach midway up a man's thigh, and thus got into the town. Had the Babylonians been apprised of what Cyrus was about, or had they noticed their danger, they would never have allowed the Persians to enter the city, but would have destroyed them utterly; for they would have made fast all the street gates which gave upon the river, and mounting upon the walls along both sides of the stream, would so have caught the enemy as it were in a trap. But, as it was, the Persians came upon them by surprise and took the city. Owing to the vast size of the place, the inhabitants of the central parts (as the residents at Babylon declare), long after the outer portions of the town were taken, knew nothing of what had (happened), but as they were engaged in a festival, continued dancing and revelling until they learnt of the capture but (learnt of it) too certainly."

3.    The very action and subsequent victory was in fulfillment of a prophecy forecast some 175 years before the actual event! (Isaiah 44:28-45:1-4)

 V.        THE FOREVIEW OF BABYLON (Revelation 17, 18)

A.   Babylon represents more that just the Chaldean empire of Nebuchadnezzar.

B.   In its final form it represents the great religio - political system of the last days. (The Tribulation)

C.   Religious Babylonionism represents apostate Christendom.

D.   Together with the beast, in league with the great political ruler, it will rule and dominate the last form of Gentile power. (Revelation 17:3)

E.   Religious Babylon will become a great commercial entity. (Revelation 18:11-19)

F.    Her fall will be even swifter than the Babylon of Belshazzar.

1. “In one day” (Revelation 18:8)

2.    “In one hour” (Revelation 18:10, 17, 18)

3.    A complete and once-for-all judgment (Revelation 18:20-24)

VI.       CONCLUSION

             Do you think that we are even now witnessing the preparation for the acceptance of this wicked, apostate system?

                                                                               End of Chapter 5