Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Tuesday
August 21, 2018
Pastor Rick Kabrick
The Aramaic word for watchers means angels.
They are described here not only as watching over the affairs of men, but also entrusted with carrying out certain decrees of God.
The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, visible to the
whole earth, with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the wild animals, and having nesting places in its branches for the
birds: You are that tree!
“You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals;
you will eat grass like the ox
and be drenched with the dew of heaven.”
“Renounce your sins by
doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed.
It may be that then your prosperity will continue.”
PRO 16:18, Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.
Seven years later (the number of completion) the king acknowledged GOD
and his sanity was restored his kingdom returned.
It is GOD that is in control. Kings, Presidents, Shahs,
Emperors are in power because ultimately, GOD allows them to be in power.
Nebuchadnezzar married a beautiful princess from Persia. Probably a gift from a conquered kingdom.
And she was very depressed because she missed the
mountains and forests and the animals of her homeland.
GOD will not be mocked.
And that no one gets away with anything, again, the theme is GOD is control,
DAN 2:21, GOD controls the course of world events;
HE and HE alone removes kings and sets up other kings.
This is about ten years and 4 kings after Nebuchadnezzar.
Whether she was a believer in the true GOD we don’t know.
Menae Menae = Appointment.
It is used twice meaning there was a GOD given start to his reign and a now a GOD given end to it.
Tekhel = You have been weighed on the scales and found lacking.
Uoo far sin = Divide.
Your kingdom is now divided and it will be given to the Medes and Persians.
Belshazzar means Bel will protect. Bel and Nebo were those two main gods of the Chaldeans. They didn’t do very well in protecting the king this time as he was assassinated by his own bodyguard.
He declared himself to be
“the Lord of lords and the King of kings”.
That sealed his fate. Within less than a decade, much less actually, the country was run by the Ayatollahs, the wealth was gone and the Shah was dead. GOD will not be mocked; By a nation nor an individual.
HEB 11:25, Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
PRO 14:12, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death”.
“I know that there is only the smallest measure of inspiration that can be taken from this devastation, but there is a passage in the Bible from Isaiah that I think speaks to all of us at times like this.”
“The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with dressed stone;
The fig trees have been felled, But we will replace them with cedars.”
The Shemittah reminded the nation that all their blessings came from GOD.
PHI 2:12, Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
Belshazzar knew what he should have done, and yet he had not learned from the past mistakes of his ancestors.
This is a failure of many through the ages up to our present day.
Like father like son;
Like mother like daughter are not always good things.
Sometimes bad trends are passed down.
The death of Belshazzar and the defeat of Babylon was the judgment of GOD
on a city and a people who profaned the name of the GOD of Israel. Once again, GOD will not be mocked.
PSA 14:1-2, “Only fools say in their hearts, ‘There is no GOD.’ They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!”
PRO 14: “Envy rots the bones.”
It is a vile and terrible thing to get involved with.
Those who are envious of another persons possessions or positions are never satisfied with their own.
They usually lack the capacity to have what they are envious of.
Daniel said, My GOD sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions.
They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in HIS sight.