I was urged by a brother to write regarding “how to live in the end times.”
In order to thoroughly examine this topic we are going to look at four Historical figures. Three of these figures can be found in the Bible and three of them are positive figures. They are Ezra, Nehemiah and Uldrych Zwingli.
The fourth figure will serve rather as how not to live in the end times. The fourth, as you may have already guessed, is Belshazzar. It seems fit to start with this despicable character.
For a long time we knew little about Belshazzar which served as a point for many critics of the Scriptures to try and disprove the Book of Daniel and label it as fiction. However, discoveries were made which helped us to prove the veracity of Daniel chapter 5! Which is absolutely thrilling! Usually the historical aspect of Daniel is quickly glanced over, but let me tell you a little bit of the back story.
After Nebuchadnezzar died, who ruled for forty three years from 605 BC to 562 BC, four kings arose after him in the quick span of six years. Amel-Marduk 562-560 BC, Neriglissar 560-556 BC, Labashi-Marduk April-June 556 BC, and finally Nabonidus 556-539 BC. Nabonidus was the biological father of Belshazzar.
Belshazzar at the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s death was a young adult and serving in the Babylonian military. After the series of short lived kings, Belshazzar orchestrated events to put his father onto the throne of Babylon. After certain circumstances which we will discuss later, his father leaves the city of Babylon and it is from this point that he rules alongside his father as Co-Regent and why in Daniel 5 he is called king.
Let’s think about this a little bit. Belshazzar for the standards of the time was already an adult when Nebuchadnezzar died. In Daniel 5 Nebuchadnezzar is called his father, but the word ab, which literally means father can also mean grandfather, so we know that Belshazzar was Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson via his daughter, which Nabonidus had married. So realize this. Belshazzar knew Nebuchadnezzar. He was familiar with him.
Only 23 years have passed since Nebuchadnezzar died, which would make Belshazzar in his mid forties years. He isn’t a child, he is an adult who should be in the prime of his life and an experienced statesman who has reigned for 17 years. He is competent since he managed to pull the strings to rise to the top and get rid of his rivals. In essence he is almost like Nebuchadnezzar. Almost.
This is where the similarities stop. You see, in Scripture itself, Nebuchadnezzar is several times called King of Kings. This is a title usually found with God Himself! However, how is Belshazzar introduced in chapter 5? Belshazzar is introduced as a pleasure seeking drunkard! What he was doing was not something that a king should be doing, especially not in that court! The text itself stresses how odd this is for that to happen. Belshazzar was at the very center of the party.
Dear reader, at the end of the chapter, Babylon is overthrown. What does this mean? This means that while this frivolous party is raging on attended by thousands of important officials, outside the city walls the massive Medo-Persian Army led by Cyrus is besieging the city. Think about this for a moment. Imagine the swat team is outside your house, helicopters are flying overhead, the sirens are blasting, guns are pointed at your door, through the megaphone they are blasting for your surrender, and you just ignore it and throw a barbecue party. This is what Belshazzar is doing. He is the epitome of arrogance. He has a good reason for it too!
The city of Babylon at its pinnacle had a population of 1 million, its outer walls were 22 km/14 miles long each side, the walls were double walls, there were inner walls as well, the walls were high and wide and could fit chariots on its top. The city was well provisioned and could withstand a siege for many years! Belshazzar thought he had good reason to be arrogant. But he didn’t. You see, he trusted in walls made by the hands of man. He trusted the strength of man and the strength of his gods.
It is here that we reach the pinnacle of Belshazzar’s blasphemy. As if to state that Babylon was all powerful, he knowingly and willingly had the sacred Temple vessels brought forth out of the treasury and used them in his sacrilegious orgy.
Reader, there is something you need to know about Babylonian religion. They believed that the actions that take place upon earth take place within heaven itself. What does this mean? It means that Belshazzar believed that by drinking from and desecrating the holy vessels, his god, the moon god ‘Sin’ was achieving victory over Jehovah God in heaven at that moment. Do you understand? This wasn’t just a drunken stupor that came over Belshazzar, though he was drunk, this was the manifestation of his belief system bearing fruit. Nabonidus and Belshazzar were devout followers of the moon god and Nabonidus especially went around the empire building temples to this god. This was a defiant act purposefully to show that his god was greater than the other gods and that Babylon will defeat the enemy at the gates!
It was at this moment that Jehovah God showed up. I am sure you are all familiar with this event. When Belshazzar saw the hand, the KJV and most Bibles write it politely, but the phrase “his hip joint became unlocked,” is a nice way to try and translate that Belshazzar literally soiled and wet himself in front of all the thousands of people. When his grandmother, the wife of Nebuchadnezzar, Nitocris, The Queen-Mother, comes and reminds him of Daniel, he still resists and pretends that he does not know who he is! He is willfully being resistant to God even though he is getting this one last chance!
He knew who Daniel was, remember that he was an adult when his grandfather passed. This much is also revealed by the words of Daniel. “You know the story of Nebuchadnezzar, you know everything about him!” Daniel rebukes Belshazzar because he had the example of his grandfather intimately before him! He knew all the details! He saw his grandfather becoming mad and eating grass and acting as a wild animal for seven years! He witnessed his grandfather completely lose his mind and not recognize anyone and act weird, giving strange orders that would contradict themselves. He saw all of that!
But even more than that! He saw the miraculous recovery that his grandfather experienced! Nebuchadnezzar praised and accepted Jehovah the God of Israel as his own! Belshazzar knew all of this. Nebuchadnezzar most likely told his grandson and others as well (since his wife, the Queen Mother knew Daniel) of the vision he had received from the Hand of God all those years ago and how Daniel had interpreted it for him. Remember and look carefully. What are the metals of the vessels that appear in Daniel 5? Gold, Silver, Bronze, Iron, Wood (not that wood is a metal) and Stone. What are the Metals that appear in Daniel 2? Gold, Silver, Bronze, Iron, Iron mixed with Clay (neither is clay a metal) and the Great Stone that appears smashing the Statue and the great mountain rising up. Belshazzar knew the vision and prophecy. He knew it but he rejected it. He saw the armies outside of the city and said in his heart “Jehovah God you are wrong, Babylon will last for another 1000 years, my god, the moon god will save us.”
Brothers and Sisters, there is more to it! You see, we know when Babylon was captured by the Medo-Persians. You see, we know it was captured October 12th 539 BC. However the Gregorian Calendar is of little help to us here. That date corresponds to approximately the 15th of Tishri. You might be scratching your head, “pastor Arthur, what does that mean?” This date, (which William Shea speaks of in his book, Daniel, A Reader’s Guide) is quickly after the Day of Atonement! The Day of Atonement is when Judgement happens. It is when the Sanctuary is cleansed. It is when mercy is meted out to those who sought mercy and forgiveness from God but also when Divine Justice is meted out to those who have rejected God. And on that night, for Belshazzar, he received the divine deliberations and was notified of his sentence. You see, the reason for his results were even given to him. He had all the information he needed to be saved. He had access to the prophet of God, Daniel, since his youth. He knew all the events that happened to his grandfather, king of kings Nebuchadnezzar. It was all at the tip of his fingers. But he resisted. He resisted and resisted and resisted. He rejected God and reaped the fruits of his life. He lived his life as a pleasure seeker to drown out the voice of God.
You might be asking yourself, “Pastor Arthur, what does this have to do with how we live in the end times?” You see, Daniel chapter 5 serves as an example of how Babylon itself will fall.
We know this, the cry has come forth, Babylon has Fallen, has Fallen, come out of her my people! Belshazzar did not come out of Babylon. Belshazzar died with Babylon. The God of Grace had given Belshazzar every conceivable opportunity and advantage to secure salvation. But rather he drank of the wine of the wrath of fornication of Babylon, lulling himself into a drunken stupor, instead of being watchful and sober minded. Belshazzar tried to drown out the voice of God because he wanted to accomplish his own will!
Do not be like Belshazzar. Do not be a pleasure seeker and self seeker trying to accomplish your own will. Wake up, be sober minded. Stop drinking from the pleasures of this world that will blind you to what is going on.
Our world mirrors Babylon that night. We see all the crazy things going on in this world. We see the wars. We see the heresy that is happening in the world. We see the madness and confusion that men do not know whether they are men or women (and the same for women is true too). We see how our children are being indoctrinated by lewd teachers of immorality. We see how democracy is being stepped on and ignored in our own country. We see all of this. But where do we find ourselves? What are we doing? Do we do nothing? Do we hold our hands and fiddle our fingers? Some of us are even worse than do-nothings! Do we find ourselves like Belshazzar? Caught up with our selfish pleasure seeking? Do not be like Belshazzar my friend. God is giving you this opportunity right now to learn of Him. You have that advantage. Everything that you need to know can be found at your fingertips. Do not resist Him. Do not ignore Him.
Do not forget the experience of your ancestors, perchance who faithfully carried the gospel banner. Do not refuse the lesson that Belshazzar refused to accept. Do not be like Belshazzar.
Choose life.
****