Participants: Pr. C. A. Murray
Series Code: DAA
Program Code: DAA000005A
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00:04 Music...
00:25 Hello, once again we welcome you 00:28 to our study through the book of Daniel 00:30 called: Daniel All Access. 00:32 Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule 00:36 to meet with us 00:37 as we walk through this most fascinating of books... 00:42 it's companion book, the book of Revelation, 00:45 many of the things that are begun in Daniel 00:48 are concluded in Revelation, 00:50 some of the questions that are asked in Daniel 00:52 are answered in Revelation 00:54 and the two books go together, 00:56 we're very, very excited that somewhat later on 00:59 our Pastor and friend, John Lomacang 01:01 will be walking us through the book of Revelation 01:05 but for today, we are studying in the Book of Daniel, 01:07 Daniel All Access 01:09 seeking to ask the question not only what happened 01:12 but why it happened and who it happened to 01:16 and what does this marvelous book of prophecy 01:20 have to say to us, 01:21 we are coming down to the closing scenes 01:23 of the neo-Babylonian Empire 01:25 and you will note that 01:28 the Lord chose to spend a little more time 01:32 in Babylon or with Babylon 01:34 than He did some of the other kingdoms 01:37 until we come to an interesting beast 01:40 that speaks pompous words. 01:43 Then, the Lord really settles in 01:45 on that particular power and entity 01:48 but tonight, for our sitting tonight, 01:51 the title of the message is: eNIGMa 01:55 and we focus in on Daniel chapter 5. 01:58 Would you bow your heads now with me 02:01 as we seek the Lord in prayer. 02:03 "Father God, we do praise you 02:05 and thank you for the privilege that we have 02:10 of studying your Word. 02:12 When we open your Word with prayerful hearts, 02:17 there is always a message that comes to us 02:22 that can inspire, inform and encourage us 02:27 as we walk the road that leads to glory. 02:30 We ask, Father, that you give us your Spirit 02:34 for truly we cannot understand a word authored by the Spirit, 02:40 unless we are blessed by that same Spirit. 02:45 We thank you Father for sitting with us this day 02:49 in Jesus' name, amen. " 02:52 Pause. 02:59 On February 23rd in the year 1918, 03:05 a German Engineer by the name of Arthur Scherbius, 03:12 a brilliant man... 03:14 received a patent 03:16 for an electrical mechanical rotor cipher machine 03:23 it's a lot of words... 03:25 an electrical mechanical rotor cipher machine 03:31 that was later to be called: Enigma. 03:36 That is a picture of one of the early models 03:40 of the Enigma machine. 03:42 There were larger ones than that... 03:43 that is a portable one 03:45 but the Enigma machine enabled the German High Command... 03:53 that is... the military-grade Enigma machines... 03:57 it enabled the German High Command to communicate 04:00 with the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, 04:04 the other warring units of the Third Reich 04:07 without the Allied forces knowing the content 04:11 of their communication. 04:13 It was an ingenious machine 04:15 and early on, the Allies put much time and effort 04:21 in trying to decode the Enigma. 04:25 As early as December 1932, a Polish Mathematician 04:31 by the name of Marian Adam Rejewski... there he is... 04:37 he began working on a machine to crack the Enigma code 04:41 and that was the big thing across Europe and America 04:45 all of the Allied Forces were trying to crack the Enigma Code 04:51 so that they could understand 04:53 what the German High Command was doing. 04:55 So, Rejewski invested a machine 04:58 that he called: The Cryptologic Bomb 05:02 that was his personal name for his machine 05:05 and as the German Enigma machines 05:08 grew more and more complex, 05:10 the Polish Government 05:13 shared their work with the French Government 05:16 and the Polish and French shared their work 05:20 with the British Government 05:21 and it was left to a British Mathematician 05:25 by the name of Dr. Alan Mathison Turing 05:29 brilliant Ph. D. 05:31 there was actually a movie about his work... 05:34 Dr. Turing worked with a small team 05:40 of brilliant Mathematicians 05:42 and they realized that the key to cracking the Enigma code 05:45 was not knowing how to be an engineer, 05:50 but actually, it was a... a... a construct of math 05:53 and so, Turing and his group 05:56 worked to create an electro-mechanical machine 06:01 that was an improvement on the Polish Crypto bomb 06:06 and to create what was called the Turing Computer 06:11 which is what we call today "a user-friendly machine" 06:16 that completely cracked the German Military Enigma Code 06:21 and most scientists or rather, historians will say 06:24 that it was the cracking of the Enigma Code 06:27 that really led to the defeat of 06:30 the German forces in World War 2. 06:34 Dr. Alan Turing's machine 06:38 pause 06:40 was the first general-purpose computer 06:44 it is why... he is widely considered 06:47 to be the father of theoretical computer science. 06:51 Now, this is going way back to the 1940s. 06:54 His machine was considered the first general-purpose computer. 06:58 What is so interesting about the growth of computer science 07:01 there is... there is actually more computer technology today 07:05 in one of those little greeting cards 07:06 that you open up that plays the music 07:08 that has a little tiny computer chip in it... 07:10 there's more computer in that little greeting card 07:15 that you buy in the Pharmacy for maybe five dollars 07:19 than all of the computer science 07:21 that was in Dr. Turing's first machine. 07:24 Pause. 07:25 Dr. Turing is also considered the father of A I 07:30 which is Artificial Intelligence. 07:34 We understand that the word "Enigma" 07:38 is an obscure speech or writing... 07:42 something hard to understand or explain. 07:47 That's Merriam Webster's definition of Enigma 07:52 and so, it is quite interesting 07:55 that the Hebrew word for the mysterious and unearthly writing 08:01 that appeared on the wall of a Babylonian Banquet Hall 08:06 and traced by a bloodless hand, 08:09 the New King James uses a translation of the Hebrew word 08:14 "Qetar" 08:16 which means to untie a knot 08:21 but it uses the word, "Enigma. " 08:25 So, we're looking at the last days of the Babylonian Empire. 08:30 There in the midst of a riotous party, 08:33 a bloodless hand wrote on the wall 08:37 some words 08:38 that for those who were watching them... 08:43 they were an enigma. 08:46 Belshazzar was the king, 08:49 he was just hours away from the end of his life, 08:54 hours away from the end of the Babylonian Empire, 08:58 just hours away from the capture of the city 09:03 and just hours away from his earthly end. 09:07 Pause. 09:11 Daniel now, is told by Belshazzar, 09:15 "I need you to unwrap... to decipher... 09:20 to explain this enigma. " 09:23 He didn't know what the handwriting on the wall meant. 09:28 He knew that it was important and like Nebuchadnezzar, 09:34 he knew that it was not good 09:37 but he didn't know what it meant 09:40 and so, he turns to his... 09:44 his... confidante Daniel 09:48 just like his father, Nebuchadnezzar, had done 09:52 exactly 50 years before. 09:54 Now, Daniel was around a long time 09:56 and the Lord kept him as a spokesman... a long time 10:02 and so, now the grandson... a full half century later, 10:08 Daniel is again called to deliver a message 10:12 which this king knows, like his grandfather knew, 10:17 cannot be good. 10:19 He's called to decipher the message on the wall. 10:24 Nebuchadnezzar was troubled by both of his dreams. 10:29 Belshazzar was terrified by this writing. 10:37 Allow me to let Ellen White and the pen of prophecy 10:41 set the scene. 10:43 Let's go to that banquet hall 10:46 on the last night of the Babylonian Empire... 10:51 the last night of King Belshazzar's life. 10:55 The last night of this fabulous city some 2,300 years ago. 11:03 Pause. 11:09 It is 539 B.C.E. 11:14 and let's look at a couple of paragraphs 11:18 from the book, Prophets and Kings, page 523. 11:21 Again, Ellen White fills in the Biblical narrative 11:25 and lets us know 11:27 what is going on behind the scenes, 11:29 she gives us... all access. 11:31 We read, "Little did Belshazzar think 11:35 that there was a heavenly Witness 11:38 to his idolatrous revelry... " 11:42 you know, there's always someone who sees and who knows. 11:45 In the darkest of days, you can go down to the basement, 11:48 you can hide up in the attic, but you cannot hide from God. 11:52 There's always somebody who knows that's going on. 11:54 You think you're alone, 11:55 you think you're getting away with it, 11:57 but there's always somebody who sees and who knows. 12:02 and so, there was a witness to this idolatrous revelry; 12:07 that a divine Watcher, unrecognized, 12:10 looked upon the scene of profanation, 12:13 heard the sacrilegious mirth, beheld the idolatry. " 12:19 You know, God is... God is taking notes... 12:21 God... you know... what is it? 12:22 Galatians chapter 6 verse 7, 12:24 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: 12:27 whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also... 12:31 that shall he also reap. " 12:33 God knows and God sees. 12:35 "But soon the uninvited Guest made His presence felt. 12:40 When the revelry was at its height 12:44 a bloodless hand came forth 12:47 and traced upon the walls of the palace 12:50 characters that gleamed like fire... " 12:53 you know, they must have been scared... 12:56 "words which, though unknown to the vast throng, 13:02 were a portent of doom to the now conscience-stricken king 13:10 and his guests. " 13:12 You got over a 1,000 people, 13:13 everybody's drinking, everybody's partying, 13:16 and all of a sudden, on the wall... a hand appears 13:19 and the hand begins to write 13:22 and the hand begins to write in words that are glowing like fire 13:27 you don't know what it means, 13:29 you don't know what it's saying, 13:30 but you know it can't be good. 13:32 So, a minute ago, they were partying, 13:37 now, everyone is quiet and everyone is scared. 13:41 Pause. 13:44 "Hushed was the boisterous mirth, 13:46 while men and women seized with a nameless terror, 13:52 watched the hand slowly tracing 13:54 the mysterious characters. " 13:57 That would have scared me. 13:59 Pause. 14:01 "Before them passed, as in panoramic view, 14:05 the deeds of their evil lives. " 14:08 Have mercy. 14:10 You're staring at something on the wall, 14:12 and you're looking at your own life 14:14 and you know those words are not a party greeting, 14:19 there's something really bad about to happen. 14:22 "They seemed to be arraigned 14:24 before the judgment bar of the eternal God, 14:27 whose power they had just denied. 14:30 Where but a few moments before 14:34 had been hilarity and blasphemous witticism, 14:38 were pallid faces and cries of fear. " 14:43 You see, "when God makes men fear, 14:47 they cannot hide the intensity of their terror. " 14:52 Amen. 14:53 The Bible says, "Be sure your sins will find you out" 14:57 and when God calls you into judgment, 15:00 you can't pretend to be cool and dispassionate 15:03 because God is reading what's going on in your heart 15:06 and God knows what's going on in your heart 15:08 and what's worse, when God calls you to judgment, 15:12 you know that God knows 15:15 and as she said in that final line, 15:17 "When God makes men fear, 15:19 they cannot hide the intensity of their terror. " 15:25 Pause. 15:27 So, Belshazzar the king 15:32 was the most terrified of all. " 15:35 And isn't it interesting as you read this chapter, 15:37 we don't even get introduced to Belshazzar 15:40 till the very last 24 hours of his life. 15:42 Did you notice that? 15:43 We don't get a lot of history on Belshazzar, 15:46 we don't get a lot of study into his mindset 15:49 like we do with Nebuchadnezzar 15:51 we kind of come upon Belshazzar 15:53 just as he's about ready to sign off 15:55 and just about... as the kingdom is ready to close, 15:59 that's when we meet this last king. 16:02 So, let's retrace now the footprints 16:05 of chapter 5 of Daniel 16:07 and begin at the end of Belshazzar's reign. 16:11 The fact that he reigned 16:14 and the Bible has absolutely very little... 16:19 almost nothing to say about his life and kingship 16:23 and as I said, we don't even meet him 16:25 till the last day of his life. 16:27 There's a spiritual reason for that. 16:30 Why is he this spiritual persona non grata? 16:34 You don't get a lot of history about Belshazzar. 16:36 During the last ten years of his reign, 16:40 he co-reigned with Nabonidus... that's his father... 16:44 Nebuchadnezzar's son 16:45 and he was such a historical non-entity 16:50 that most historians outside of the Bible, 16:54 don't even mention Belshazzar. 16:57 It is Hebrew scholars and Hebrew tradition 17:01 and Hebrew works that point him out 17:03 but outside of that, he's not mentioned too much 17:06 in... in historical literature. 17:08 Pause. 17:10 Some scholars didn't even believe he existed 17:13 but his name was found 17:16 and though he is relatively obscure, 17:19 he did reign for a while as co-regent 17:22 with his father, Nabonidus. 17:25 Only fairly recent discoveries in Babylonian text 17:31 mention Belshazzar 17:32 and they began to sort of clear away the... the fog. 17:37 So, the Bible says... he held a great feast 17:41 for 1,000 of his nobles. 17:43 This is a large party. 17:46 The Bible tells us that this was a... a big deal. 17:51 Now, I want to go to an Access Point. 17:54 Pause. 17:55 Why would Belshazzar hold a feast 18:00 on the eve of his destruction? 18:03 Why would he hold a feast? 18:06 The Medo-Persian army was outside of the gates. 18:11 You're getting ready to be attacked, 18:15 This is no time to hold a feast. 18:17 This is the time to get serious. 18:21 So, why would he hold a feast 18:25 at this time in the history of his country? 18:28 Well, I put some possible reasons down 18:32 in this Access Point. 18:35 One: Let's look at the dimensions of the wall 18:39 of Babylon, 18:41 now, I had to check my figures on this 18:42 because this is really quite something for an ancient city. 18:44 We find that the wall of Babylon 18:46 was 14 miles on each side. 18:49 14 miles on a side so that's 4 times 14. 18:53 This is a large city surrounded by a wall... 18:57 56 miles in total 18:59 so, if you wanted to start at one corner 19:01 and walk around the city of Babylon, 19:03 you got a 56-mile trek in front of you. 19:05 So, it's a big city 19:07 for ancient... ancient... ancient times. 19:11 Now, this figure I had to check several times 19:14 and several sources 19:15 because it seemed just unreal to me 19:17 but in all of the sources that I checked, including Herodotus 19:21 who is a great... the ancient Greek Scholar, 19:26 Herodotus says, the walls were 300 feet high. 19:29 Now, I checked that again because I said, 19:33 "Maybe there's a typo" 19:34 300 feet high 19:37 300 feet is the height 19:40 of a 30-story building. 19:43 It seems almost impossible, so I checked it again, 19:47 and I checked it again 19:48 and I checked it again... 19:49 and almost all of the sources agree 19:52 the walls were 300 feet high, 19:56 not 30 feet high... not 3 feet high... 19:59 300 feet high. 20:02 That's stacking the Statue of Liberty 20:04 on top of itself, three times. 20:06 Pause. 20:08 300 feet high... 20:10 25 feet thick... 20:13 that's 25 feet thick... 20:16 The ancient historians say that the walls of Babylon 20:20 were thick enough for four chariots to pass each other 20:24 in opposite directions. 20:26 That's a 25-thick wall... 20:28 25-feet thick wall... 20:30 Again, we get that from history, 20:35 Herodotus, I checked, says they were 80-feet thick 20:38 so, the numbers don't get smaller 20:40 they get bigger. 20:41 Suffice it to say, "tall wall... thick wall... " 20:44 pause 20:47 some archeologist say that the foundations of the wall 20:52 extended 35 feet into the ground. 20:55 So, you're looking at an imposing structure, 20:59 a massive structure, 21:01 just look at the numbers... 21:02 Pause. 21:05 300 feet high... 21:06 foundation is 35 feet in the ground 21:10 I suspect... if those numbers are true, 21:14 that Belshazzar trusted, pretty much, in that wall. 21:17 Wouldn't you? 21:19 You got a 300-feet-high wall 21:21 35 feet... they can't go over it... 21:23 it's 35 feet into the ground... they can't go under it, 21:27 it's 25 feet thick, they can't go through it, 21:31 so, he sees himself as being fairly secure 21:34 in the boundaries of this wall 21:37 that is 56 miles around all four sides. 21:41 Pause. 21:43 Someone had to know that the army was outside. 21:47 Someone had to know that they were under siege 21:51 but evidently, 21:53 Belshazzar trusted enough in his architecture 21:58 that he didn't feel 22:00 that he was in any particular danger. 22:02 The second reason that he may have chosen to throw a... 22:07 a party... to have a ball... 22:09 to have a feast on that particular night, 22:11 it may have been for moral purposes 22:13 or morale purposes... 22:15 You know, you've got an army outside 22:18 you're under siege, 22:19 that may be the best time to try to encourage your troops, 22:22 to try to encourage your nobles, 22:24 to try to encourage your lords, 22:26 by throwing a party. 22:27 So, a 1,000 of them come together, 22:29 they are secured behind their wall, 22:32 it is an ideal time for them 22:35 because they don't fear an attack, 22:37 your citizens, your satraps, your nobles, 22:40 rather than to let them get shook up... 22:44 keep them calm... 22:45 throw them a party. 22:47 Now, historians and archaeological scholars agree 22:52 that Cyrus gained access to the city 22:56 not by going over... 22:58 but by going under. 23:01 Pause. 23:03 The Tigris river... or rather, Euphrates river 23:07 was diverted... sometime ago when the Assyrians were there 23:13 they had built a lake that had dried up 23:15 and most scholars agree 23:18 that Cyrus discovered this engineering feat, 23:21 and simply dug a fairly innocuous channel 23:25 to drain that water into that pre-existing lake 23:28 and on that night, 23:31 something very, very tragic happened. 23:36 The river was diverted 23:39 and... 23:42 what is interesting to me is that 23:47 this... this engineering feat 23:51 wasn't a one-day feat, 23:53 wasn't a one-week feat, 23:56 that Medo-Persian army had to be out there for a while 24:00 and somebody had to know 24:03 that that army was out there for a while 24:08 and yet, Belshazzar chooses to have a feast. 24:13 This cavalier attitude in the face of danger. 24:17 His wives, his concubines, his generals, 24:22 his lords, they're all there... 24:26 the wine is flowing... 24:28 the music is playing... 24:30 and nobody is aware of... 24:32 or cares about what's going on outside. 24:36 So, you see the reason, number 2, 24:38 it's a morale booster... 24:39 he's trying to keep the troop's morale up 24:42 in the face of impending danger. 24:44 I'm in Prophets and Kings, page 523... 24:48 look at Ellen White's words here. 24:49 "With reason dethroned through shameless intoxication, 24:55 and with the lower impulses and passions 24:59 now in the ascendency 25:02 the king himself took the lead 25:05 in this riotous orgy. " 25:08 So, this is a bad time, 25:10 God is being blasphemed, 25:12 things are not going well 25:14 and they're throwing caution to the wind... as it were, 25:18 the king himself taking the lead 25:21 in what Ellen White calls, "an orgy" 25:25 Belshazzar is inebriated, 25:28 he is arrogant, 25:29 he sends now for the temple vessels. 25:31 You know, it's so interesting to me 25:34 that when people get full of liquor, 25:36 they kind of get a false bravado 25:38 you do things under the influence of alcohol 25:41 that you would not do otherwise, 25:43 your brain exits your skull 25:46 and you begin to think really, dare I say, dumb thoughts 25:52 and you do dumb things. 25:55 We used to have a friend... he was a friend of my mom's 26:00 my mother and her best friend worked in a hospital 26:04 and her brother was a Catholic Priest 26:06 and, bless his heart, 26:09 that was the fellow who liked alcohol 26:12 and when he imbibed alcohol, his personality totally changed. 26:18 The Bible is wise when it says, "Stay away from liquor" 26:22 nothing they can do to help you, 26:24 nothing they can do to aid you 26:26 and I think there is a spirit that comes into your... 26:30 your... your mind... your heart... 26:31 more than the spirits when you imbibed alcohol 26:36 and so, reason is dethroned. 26:39 They are intoxicated, they're not thinking 26:43 and Belshazzar says, "You know what? 26:46 Let's... let's go and get those... those holy vessels... 26:51 those cups... those bowls... those plates... 26:53 that my grandfather brought from Israel. " 26:56 Now, they've got cups and bowls and plates, 26:58 they don't need to get God's cups and bowls and plates 27:01 but that's what... that's what liquor will do to you, 27:04 it will... it will separate you from reason 27:09 pause 27:12 and so, the nobles drank from the sacred vessels 27:16 and the princess drank from the sacred vessels 27:20 and the wives... and the concubines 27:22 drank from the sacred vessels 27:24 and Ellen White says, 27:26 "... they drank wine and praised the gods of gold 27:29 and silver and brass and iron and wood, 27:33 they defamed and profaned the word and the name of God. " 27:40 Now, you know, Brothers and Sisters, 27:42 here's a lesson for us today. 27:44 The Bible says... God is a patient God, amen... 27:49 that's why we're not consumed, 27:50 we ought to thank the Lord that we serve a patient God 27:53 but you never know when God... 27:56 can I say... has it up to here... 27:59 you know what I mean? 28:00 You never know when God... because God will forgive 28:05 and forgive and forgive and forgive and forgive 28:10 but the Bible says, 28:12 "My spirit will not always strive with mankind" 28:16 and it says it very early in the Word of God. 28:21 Pause. 28:24 God took a lot of time with Nebuchadnezzar 28:26 and when we closed out the scene with Nebuchadnezzar, 28:30 we discovered... that Nebuchadnezzar was a saved man, 28:34 amen. 28:36 Yeah, Nebuchadnezzar's saved... 28:37 his name is written in the book of Life. 28:39 When... when the righteous come up, 28:41 Nebuchadnezzar is coming up with the righteous, amen. 28:46 Pause. 28:48 It was a hard battle... but the Lord got him. 28:50 That's why, I'm so glad that 28:53 we have that because my dad fell into that category. 29:00 Hard battle... 29:01 but the Lord got him, 29:03 amen... the Lord got him 29:05 but Belshazzar, for reasons known only to God, 29:12 the fuse is a lot shorter... 29:14 the string is a lot shorter on Belshazzar 29:16 and I think I know why, 29:18 I'm going to show you in just a little bit. 29:19 Suffice it to say, long or short... 29:21 God doeth all things well, amen 29:24 and everybody gets an opportunity 29:26 to accept Him or reject Him. 29:29 Now, Belshazzar was a bad king 29:33 and a bad person before this night. 29:36 Pause. 29:37 If he wasn't... this night would have never happened. 29:40 So, we get to meet him and get to understand him 29:45 on the last night of his life 29:47 but, make no mistake, 29:50 this is a pattern in his life 29:53 and we're going to see this in just a little bit. 29:55 This is a pattern in... in his life 29:57 so this is the last night of his life 30:00 and instead of circumspect behavior, 30:03 he throws a party 30:04 and then he wants to flaunt himself 30:07 in the face of God by drinking out of vessels 30:10 that he had to send for, they were not there... 30:13 he said, "Go and get them 30:14 so that we may drink from them 30:16 and defame the face of God. " 30:20 How sad... how very, very sad. 30:24 Pause. 30:28 You know, I think of this, this reminds me of Sennacherib 30:30 some 700 years before. 30:32 Pause. 30:34 This idea that kings feel that they can flaunt themselves 30:37 in the face of a loving God 30:39 and presume on the grace of God. 30:43 Pause. 30:45 So now, the God who had been there all night, 30:50 chooses to introduce Himself. 30:54 God had been watching 30:56 a holy Watcher had been watching and listening 30:59 all night long 31:01 and a bloodless hand appears and begins to write on the wall. 31:08 What did he see? 31:11 He saw: MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN 31:18 these words were actually written in Aramaic. 31:21 Remember, I told the first night that... 31:24 that Daniel is this sandwich 31:26 you've got Hebrew at the beginning, 31:29 you've got Aramaic... veggie patty in the middle 31:33 and then you've got Hebrew at the back end 31:35 so we're still in the Aramaic section 31:37 and these words are in Aramaic 31:40 but Aramaic is close enough to Babylonian, 31:43 the scholars say, 31:45 that they should have been able to understand it 31:49 had God wanted them to understand it. 31:52 What God was sending to them was a riddle, 31:55 it was a riddle 31:57 and it took Daniel to decipher the riddle. 32:02 Pause. 32:05 The words refer to weights and measures. 32:10 Here's the riddle, it is an Enigma. 32:16 Mina or Mene, Mena Tekel or Shekel, 32:22 Upharsin 32:24 so, here's the riddle, let's unpack the riddle. 32:26 Mene, Mene, Shekel or Tekel 32:31 or Mina Mina Shekel... 32:34 a Mina or a Mena is 50 Shekels 32:39 so this is a riddle that God is giving to them. 32:42 Pause. 32:43 Mena, Mena... 50 Shekels 32:46 a "Mina" or a "Mene" is a weight of currency 32:53 but it's also a measure of money. 32:56 So, Mena, Mena is currency currency weight weight 33:02 or money money cash cash 33:07 so, a Mina is a unit of weight and a unit of currency 33:13 as is a Shekel. 33:15 A Shekel is a weight, it's also a piece of money. 33:20 So, God is saying something in riddle 33:23 that they would have never understood. 33:26 God is saying, "When it comes to weight, 33:30 you are light. " 33:33 In other words, "you don't have enough weight 33:36 and when it comes to money, you are short. " 33:39 Amen. 33:41 That's what God is saying, "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin" 33:46 Mina, Mina, Shekel, Upharsin. 33:49 So, you don't have enough money to buy your way out of this, 33:54 and you don't have enough weight 33:56 to get your way out of this, 33:58 you are weighed in the balance and you're coming up short. 34:02 You follow? 34:04 That's what God is saying. 34:05 Mene, Mene, Tekel... 34:07 Mina, Mina, Shekel, Upharsin. 34:11 When it comes to currency, you are short. 34:14 Peres: is a word that was inserted in there 34:18 that means, to pull apart... 34:20 to separate... 34:22 and Upharsin... comes from the same root as Peres, 34:27 it means to pull apart. 34:30 So, here's the riddle. 34:32 Mena, Mena, Tekel, Upharsin 34:35 Mina, Mina, Shekel... separated... 34:38 God was saying that night, on that wall, 34:42 "I've weighed you, I've looked at your kingdom, 34:46 I've looked at you for the last ten years 34:50 and tonight, I've decided 34:53 you're a little light in currency 34:56 and a you're little short in weight 34:59 and the kingdom is going to be separated from you" 35:04 and so, Belshazzar calls Daniel in 35:06 and Daniel delivers the bad news. 35:09 His knees are already shaking like a little girl, 35:11 he's upset, 35:13 he knows this news cannot be good 35:16 pause 35:18 and we're looking at the last several hours 35:22 of this king's life and this empire's destiny. 35:27 So now, let's... let's take a moment 35:29 and re-chase retrace... rather... 35:32 Belshazzar's spiritual legacy 35:34 and there is much to be learned... 35:37 much indeed to be learned from his... his legacy. 35:42 Let's go back to Prophets and Kings 35:47 and I'm in page 523 and 524. 35:54 "Admitted in his youth to a share of the kingly authority, 36:00 Belshazzar glorified in his power 36:04 and lifted up his heart against the God of heaven. " 36:08 Remember, he had been ruling for ten years... 36:11 from a young man with his dad 36:14 pause 36:16 so he knew what it was all about. 36:19 He knew what it was to rule, 36:21 he had been doing this for a while. 36:24 "Many had been his opportunity to know the divine will 36:30 and to understand his responsibility 36:33 of rendering obedience thereto. " 36:35 This is what scares me 36:38 and scares pastors... 36:40 you have people who attend church every day 36:44 or every week... 36:45 Wednesday night Prayer Meeting... 36:47 they're in the presence of... in the face of... 36:51 under the power of God 36:53 and yet, in their lives, they determine 36:57 that they don't want to fully surrender themselves to Him, 36:59 that... that's what... 37:01 what always gave me fright when I was pastoring 37:03 that there were people out there sitting before me 37:06 listening to my words 37:07 and by their actions they're saying, 37:10 "You know what God, 37:12 I'm only going to give you this much... 37:13 I'm only going to go this far, 37:16 I'm not going to surrender everything... 37:18 I'm going to keep back a little for myself" 37:20 there's a pastor sitting right there, 37:22 every minister has that fear, 37:25 "Are you going to give it?" 37:27 and as I said the other day and I want to... 37:28 I want to touch on this again. 37:30 In your life... everybody's got to ask the question, 37:34 "How much is Jesus worth to me?" 37:37 You got to answer that question. 37:39 Sooner or later... and if you don't say it in your mouth, 37:43 your actions will answer that question. 37:45 "How much is Christ worth to me? 37:48 Is he worth everything or am I going to try... 37:51 am I going to try to negotiate with Jesus?" 37:53 "Lord, you give me this, you give me all... 37:56 I'll give you half" 37:57 pause 38:00 so, from early days, Belshazzar knew who God was 38:06 and he had the record of his grandfather 38:10 in his life. 38:12 "He had known of his grandfather's banishment, 38:17 by the decree of God, 38:19 from the society of men; 38:21 and he was familiar with Nebuchadnezzar's conversion 38:25 and miraculous restoration. " 38:27 He knew the story 38:29 and as I said to you and I want to repeat... 38:31 one of the most incredible miracles in the entire Bible... 38:34 seven years... 38:37 out eating grass like an animal, 38:40 no one to take care of him, no one to bathe him, 38:43 no one to destroy... uh, disturb him... 38:46 seven years... 38:47 no one comes and takes the kingdom, 38:49 no one assassinates him, he's in a weakened condition, 38:53 for seven years, the miracle took place 38:57 every single day 38:58 and when he came to his senses 39:02 and God brought him back, 39:03 the kingdom was right there as he left it. 39:05 It's one of the greatest miracles in the entire Bible 39:08 that God would take care of Nebuchadnezzar 39:11 for seven years 39:13 when he could not take care of himself. 39:14 Pause. 39:16 So, Belshazzar had that understanding. 39:19 He knew that story 39:20 and that story should have sobered him, 39:23 that's why Ellen White says, 39:25 "If... if... your spiritual batteries 39:28 are running a little low, sit down and... 39:30 and muse over the closing scenes of Christ's history 39:34 it will humble you... but it will also encourage you. " 39:37 So, Belshazzar had that story 39:41 "but he allowed the love of pleasure 39:45 and self-glorification to efface the lessons 39:49 that he should have never forgotten. " 39:52 You see, there are some things, Ladies and Gentlemen, 39:54 in this... in this world the Lord takes you through 39:56 you should never, ever forget, 39:58 you should never forget. 40:00 Sometimes God brings things into your life 40:03 they are meant to stay there as an ensign to you. 40:07 1979... I was driving along the Grand Central Parkway 40:10 in New York City 40:12 just past Shea Stadium where the New York Mets play 40:17 and heading through Flushing Park 40:20 and I came across an accident... 40:21 I've told this story many times 40:23 some young people got drunk... got into a car... 40:26 got the car up to about 110 miles an hour... 40:28 crossed over onto one, two, three, four 40:31 lanes of oncoming traffic 40:33 decapitated the man in the first car, 40:35 and came in to rest on the chest of the man in the second car, 40:39 and I got out of my car and I walked... 40:41 and I saw that car sitting in the chest of that man 40:45 and then I walked around the car 40:47 and there, lying on the ground in front of me 40:49 was a human head... lying on the ground 40:52 and I've never forgotten that to this day, 40:54 never... 40:56 it's like... I can see it just like that... 40:58 I've never forgotten that 41:00 and there on the bumper sticker of that car 41:02 on the car... the bumper of the car... 41:04 was a bumper sticker that said, 41:05 "Get it through your head, Jesus is dead" 41:08 never forgotten it... 41:09 never... 41:11 I've never forgotten it. 41:12 It's like... that happened in 19... 41:15 that happened Mother's Day... 1979 41:18 and I've never forgotten that 41:20 and it has... it has colored my ministry. 41:23 If someone can drive an expensive Jaguar 41:26 with a bumper sticker that says, 41:28 "Get it through your head, Jesus is dead... " 41:31 I've never forgotten that 41:33 ever... 41:34 and it has motivated me 41:37 to preach the gospel to this very day. 41:40 Now, that man has been dead lo these many years 41:43 and Jesus is still very much alive. 41:46 Audience: Amen... amen. 41:48 So, there are some things that you go through in your life 41:54 some experiences that the Lord brings you to... and through 41:58 that you should never, ever forget. 42:00 Never. 42:01 They ought to stay with you 42:03 and they are to motivate you throughout your life 42:06 and so, one of Belshazzar's mistakes was... 42:10 he forgot what Nebuchadnezzar went through 42:13 he let that memory slip from his mind 42:16 and Ellen White says, 42:18 "Some things should never, ever be forgotten" 42:20 something you ought to hold on to 42:22 so "he wasted the opportunities graciously granted to him 42:29 and neglected to use the means within his reach 42:33 for becoming more fully acquainted with truth. " 42:36 You know, here's the truth, 42:39 some people are going to be lost 42:41 not because of what they did 42:43 but because of what they failed to do. 42:45 Amen. 42:47 You got a Bible sitting on a coffee table collecting dust 42:50 you ought to open that Book up 42:53 some people are going to be lost not because of bad deeds, 42:57 not because they went out and sinned 42:59 or killed somebody or murdered, 43:01 they simply failed to grow in grace. 43:04 They simply failed... Ellen White says, 43:07 "When we fail to make use of God-given opportunities 43:12 for growth... growth... 43:14 heaven calls that 'treason'" Ladies and Gentlemen, 43:17 she said, "You are committing treason" 43:20 God puts something in front of you 43:22 that may be unpleasant to you 43:26 because He wants you to grow 43:29 and you say, "I don't want to" 43:32 that's treason... 43:35 but it is also a failed opportunity for growth. 43:39 Go next door and do something nice for your neighbor 43:43 well, "I don't like them and they don't like me, 43:47 I'm not going. " 43:49 That's a failed opportunity for growth. 43:53 Now, they lose out... because you don't witness to them, 43:58 but you lose out... because you neglected an opportunity 44:02 for God to help you grow 44:04 pause... 44:06 and Belshazzar had a long history 44:08 40 years... Nebuchadnezzar ruled that kingdom, 44:12 he knew that history 44:14 but he didn't take advantage of it. 44:16 "That which Nebuchadnezzar had finally gained 44:22 at the cost of untold suffering" 44:25 we went through his story 44:26 "... and humiliation, 44:29 Belshazzar passed by with indifference. " 44:33 These things which are written aforetime, 44:37 written for our admonition 44:41 upon whom the ends of the earth are come... 44:43 those things that Nebuchadnezzar went through 44:46 humiliated time after time after time 44:51 were done for Belshazzar's admonition 44:56 pause 44:58 he passed them by with indifference. 45:00 You know, when I was... when I was younger 45:03 it didn't occur to me that old people had any wisdom 45:05 pause 45:09 "they're old... what could they know?" 45:11 Pause. 45:17 "Old folks don't know anything... " 45:19 but as I got into my teens, 45:21 I used to actually actively seek out 45:24 old people to talk to 45:25 because when you're 15... an old person is 40... 45:29 now that I'm just a day or two beyond 40... I know... 45:33 I know a little bit better 45:35 but when you're young 45:37 you don't think old people know anything, 45:38 "my parents don't know anything" 45:40 pause 45:44 so there's wisdom there 45:45 and Belshazzar... you'll forgive my pejorative English, 45:50 "blew it off" 45:51 and that is why I believe 45:53 that the string... the fuse was so short on him 45:57 because he had the benefit 45:58 of all the years of suffering and humiliation 46:01 that Nebuchadnezzar went through 46:03 and he chose not to avail himself of it. 46:06 Pause. 46:09 He chose not to use it. 46:11 He understood what Nebuchadnezzar went through 46:16 but the lessons were of no value to him. 46:20 He wasted opportunities graciously given to him 46:25 and he neglected to use the means within his reach. 46:30 He didn't care 46:32 and a lot of people fall into this category sadly 46:36 Belshazzar could have known... should have known 46:40 and had every opportunity to know 46:43 but he chose ignorance, 46:46 he was willfully ignorant 46:49 of the will... the way... and the Word of God. 46:53 That is why... as I said before... 46:55 I worry about those who reject 46:58 overtures of faith by Christians. 47:01 People who live next door to Adventists, 47:04 people who work with Adventists, 47:06 people who know Adventists... 47:07 see, we've got... we've got... 47:09 we've got a duty to share 47:13 but they've got a duty to accept 47:17 and sadly the ranks of the lost 47:21 will be filled with people who let their opportunity pass by 47:28 pause 47:30 because they chose to be willfully ignorant 47:33 of the Word of God. 47:35 Surrounded by the accoutrements of Adventism, 47:38 but who choose not to... 47:40 not to accept and not to follow. 47:44 Ladies and Gentlemen, here's the truth, 47:46 pause 47:49 there is a price to be paid 47:51 for thumbing your nose at the grace of God. 47:56 Amen. 47:58 There is a price to be paid. 48:00 Pause. 48:02 I am so glad that we serve a longsuffering God 48:08 because as I look at my life, 48:11 I think I've tested Him a time or two, 48:13 in fact, I know I have 48:15 and don't look at me with your eyes so wide... 48:17 so have you... amen 48:19 but we serve a longsuffering God, 48:21 because I... I can look at my life 48:24 and I can think of more than one time 48:26 when I've made some decisions one... relatively recently... 48:31 when I said to myself in retrospect, 48:34 "What in the world was I thinking?" 48:37 Amen. 48:40 Pause. 48:42 Sometimes we can make some boneheaded decisions, 48:45 bad decisions 48:48 and they're not all... 48:51 they're not all... ones that will keep you out of heaven, 48:55 they're just flat, dumb decisions 48:58 pause 49:02 and you know, God loves you still. 49:04 Amen, yeah, He does. 49:08 Even those bad decisions, those boneheaded decisions, 49:12 when you think, "What was I thinking?" 49:15 Pause. 49:20 But the Lord loves us still. 49:22 But the truth is, there's a price to be paid 49:26 for neglecting the gracious overtures of a loving God. 49:32 Every day, there are people who are hardening their hearts 49:38 to the love of God. 49:40 That's why this story of Belshazzar 49:43 is so very, very important 49:44 because he had ample opportunity 49:47 that's the message... 49:50 he had ample opportunity 49:52 but he hardened his heart 49:55 and he let these things go by with indifference. 50:01 Pause. 50:03 Hebrews chapter 2, verse 3, 50:05 this is the New Living Translation. 50:08 I picked up one of these just a couple of years ago 50:10 and I like the way it... it takes this. 50:13 It says, "What makes us think... 50:16 what makes us think that we can escape 50:20 if we ignore this great salvation" 50:25 that's a powerful statement... 50:28 "that was first announced by the Lord Jesus... " 50:32 You can't ignore the overtures of God and escape punishment, 50:37 He loves you with an everlasting love, 50:40 He has promised never to leave you nor forsake you, 50:43 he's promised to give you... 50:44 He's more willing to give you good gifts 50:46 than earthly parents are to their own children. 50:50 He's promised to bless you, 50:52 He's promised to hear your prayers, 50:53 He's promised that if you confess your sins, 50:57 He will forgive your sins and He will cleanse you. 51:04 He's promised to give you grace. 51:06 He's promised to give you faith, 51:08 He's promised to give you all of those things 51:11 that pertain unto salvation 51:13 and all heaven is ready at your bidding 51:16 to assist you 51:18 so, how then, do you think that you will escape 51:21 if you ignore that kind of love 51:24 and that kind of grace 51:26 and that kind of caring 51:28 that God gives us. 51:29 You can have the presence and power 51:33 as long as you want... whenever you want... 51:35 the cafeteria is never closed, 51:37 He can always be with you and all you've got to do is ask. 51:41 You don't have to cut yourself, 51:43 you don't have to take a trip to Mecca, 51:44 you don't have to starve yourself, 51:46 you don't have to beat yourself, 51:47 you don't have to flagellate yourself, 51:48 all you've got to do is ask Him and He's there 51:52 Johnny on the spot 51:54 so how do we think we can escape 51:56 if we neglect that kind of love. 51:59 Audience: Yes... amen... 52:02 Pause. 52:04 Kind of escape... 52:06 and that is why... THAT IS WHY 52:12 Belshazzar had such little time 52:15 because all that was available to him 52:19 was neglected and rejected by him 52:23 and now we come down to the last night of his life. 52:29 Pause. 52:34 And the Bible has nothing good to say about this king 52:39 who had ruled since he was young, 52:43 there are no commendations 52:46 there is nothing good to be said about him 52:51 and now the clock is running out on his life. 52:56 His life too... is an Enigma. 53:01 As much of that Enigma as that handwriting on the wall. 53:10 Let's get back to Ecclesiastes chapter 11... chapter 8 rather 53:16 verse 11... and I'm in the NIV. 53:19 "When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, 53:26 people's hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. " 53:33 Danny Shelton tells a story... we were with him once 53:38 and I remember Pastor Lomacang was there... 53:40 and he had committed an infraction 53:44 I don't remember what it was 53:45 and I guess it doesn't really matter, 53:47 but his father told him, 53:50 "When we get home, you're going to get a spanking" 53:52 well, it was a little worse than a spanking, 53:54 there was a term that they use, 53:56 it's a sort of rural term and I can't remember what it was 54:00 but it means, a pretty good beating... 54:01 and this happened on a Friday 54:06 and they were at one of the relative's house 54:10 and so, Danny asked... could he stay over at the house 54:13 and the fellow said, "Yeah, just ask your dad" 54:17 and Dad said, "Sure, you can stay over at the house" 54:20 so he stayed over Friday night and then he said, 54:23 "Call my dad, and ask him if I can stay over another night. " 54:26 so he stayed over Saturday night 54:27 and, of course, Sunday you got to come home 54:31 so you can go to school Monday morning 54:32 and I suspect he thought 54:34 the infraction of Friday 54:36 will not be remembered by Sunday night 54:39 and when he got home his dad said, 54:43 "Now you think that you outfoxed me, 54:46 I'm going to give it to you worse... 54:49 not because you did so bad 54:52 but because you think that I'm not smart 54:55 and that my memory is so short. " 54:58 See, the Bible says when... when... when... when... 55:01 punishment for a crime is not quickly taken care of, 55:04 rather than being humble, we get haughty. 55:06 Amen... 55:07 We start thinking, 55:09 "Well God can't do anything, he's a paper tiger" 55:11 so, that Sunday night, 55:13 our dear friend Brother Shelton found out 55:16 that his dad was much like the Lord in that case, 55:21 he doesn't forget... 55:22 he was weighed in the balances 55:25 and found wanting. 55:27 Pause. 55:29 But the Bible says, 55:30 "Because punishment is not quickly carried out" 55:32 and so, for years and years and years, 55:33 Belshazzar neglected it, he just neglected it... 55:36 he neglected everything. 55:37 He neglected the history, he neglected the... 55:40 the things that God had showed him 55:42 through Nebuchadnezzar, 55:44 he just neglected it but now judgment has come. 55:47 The Talmud says that his last hours were not very flattering. 55:55 Then I read in my mission an account of his last hours 55:59 that actually... is fairly detailed 56:02 but I... I can't give to you, 56:03 first of all, it's gruesome, it sounds like a horror show 56:05 but suffice it to say... that very night, 56:10 while they were partying... 56:13 and this is what's interesting... 56:15 you know, there are always these sub-texts in the Bible... 56:17 my time is running out on me but here's what's interesting, 56:19 Belshazzar said to Daniel, 56:21 "Tell me what these words mean, 56:25 I will make you third in the kingdom, 56:28 behind my dad... I'm second... you'll be third" 56:32 when he was saying that to Daniel, 56:34 Ellen White says... the army was already under the palace, 56:38 so the kingdom wasn't his anymore... to even give, 56:41 he wasn't king anymore and he didn't even know it. 56:45 Shortly thereafter, 56:47 the army broke in... the party was ended... 56:50 the kingdom was destroyed... 56:52 and then, the Bible closes with this last line. 56:59 It says simply this, Daniel 5 verse 30, 57:05 "That very night, Belshazzar was slain. 57:09 And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, 57:14 being about sixty-two years old. " 57:18 What an inglorious end to the Babylonian Empire 57:22 but more importantly, 57:25 what an inglorious end to the life of its last king. 57:31 If there is a message from this incident, 57:36 the message is this, "Take God at His word, 57:42 take advantage of God-given opportunities 57:47 and where He leads, follow Him. " 57:51 Amen. 57:53 Audience: Amen. Pastor Murray: And Amen. |
Revised 2018-07-30