Daniel pt 5

This story seems to go straight from chapter 4. It does seem like the first 6 chapters of Daniel move from one story to the next to the next in a very intertwined way. We are about to read about the son of Nebuchadnezzar after his father lost and regained his mind.

So lets start with the ideology that we ended from last time.

When we read about the king of Babylon, we're reading about a type and pattern. Belshazzar is a type of antichrist, but the antichrist is a type of Satan. And here is where it starts from: Belshazzar is holding a huge party and decided to bring out the gold and silver vessels from the temple of God to use. From that simple mindset, what are we dealing with here?

This is obviously a type and pattern of the antichrist who calls himself god and sits himself in the Temple. He has no respect for God nor for any other god. His pride has caused him to have no fear, even though his own father was humbled by the same God that he is defying here and now. It isn't hard to see how this is a foreshadowing of the antichrist and Satan.

It isn't any wonder why the writing was put on the wall.

MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN

The repeat of MENE would tell me that most likely this forms two sentences:
You have been weighed in the balance and found wanting, so God has numbered your kingdom and finished it. God has numbered your kingdom and finished it, so your kingdom has been divided and is given to the Medes and Persians.

So that very night Belshazzar was slain and Darius the Mede was made ruler.

Are there any deeper insights to look into?

I guess we can recap.

In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar's dream had foretold that the Medes and Persians would overtake his kingdom.

In Daniel 3, we have a display of how three young men (practically still boys) stood up to an entire system that represents an antichrist Satanic system. From this the young men were delivered. God overcame this system and now offers freedom from the oppression and bondage of such a kingdom.

In Daniel 4, we see how this kingdom of darkenss was still at work in the heart of Nebuchadnezzar. He, like his father Satan, had pride in his heart and refused to acknowledge and give credit and glory to the God of Heaven. He was then cast out into the wild like an animal and humbled before being restored into his right mind. This is essentially all of our stories  as people who were once bestial and hated everything and everyone living under the Satanic influence of society and culture before we were brought into a place of death that we might be resurrected by the glory of God. This is how we all found salvation.

Here we are in chapter 5 with Nebuchadnezzar's son knowing all of this and yet still refusing to acknowledge or give glory to God.

Thus God stripped the kingdom out of his hands.

This brings me to ask a question.

Do you believe that God really has power to influence and govern nations?

It says in Deuteronomy 32 that God established the borders of the nations according to the number of Israel.

Does God have that much power and influence?

Can God really set up nations and tear them down?

Can God really establish the rulers and kings?

Does God really do this?

The Bible says He does.

Yet many of us live as though He doesn't.

Many of us who claim to believe this very claim live and act like we don't think He can actually do it.

If only Obama wasn't in office!

If only Romney would have won!

If only we wouldn't have a government full of Democrats!

Or even worse!

Liberals!

Oh that God would give us a Republican government that will rule this nation correctly!

Yet the worst thing that God can do is give us a Christian President that will make the "right" plans and choices that we can all follow and believe in.

Even if we don't want to admit it, we really don't seem to believe that God has a role in the secular affairs of men. We don't really seem to believe that God can or does work in government places. He is somehow outside looking in. And then we want to say He is all powerful.

But God does establish kingdoms and rulers. He also brings them down. The God of the nations is always making His ways known to those very nations. It takes a prophet to be able to recognize the role and affiliation of God in these secular affairs. The prophet can see through and proclaim the authenticity of the situation. The prophet can understand and proclaim it on the mountain.

Obama is a judgment.

So are most all government officials.

They are all puppets anyway.

They are all submissive to the force that influences the culture and society to promote homosexuality and abortion and lewdness and public nudity.

They are only pawns to the Satanic kingdom that rules and governs all governments and nations that refuse to acknowledge God in all their ways. Righteousness exults a nation, not programs and wealth and stimulus and low unemployment rates. Righteousness can only come from God. Otherwise it isn't righteous. It might be moral, but it isn't righteous. God alone is righteous and apart from Him can be no wisdom, prudence, or righteousness.

And this is where we fall.

We think that problem comes from the wicked government.

It actually comes from the lukewarm and wicked Church.

Like Jesus told the Church in Sardis: "I know your works, that you have a name that says you're alive, but you are dead. Be watchful and strengthen what remains: it is dying fast. For there are not yet any of your works that I can call perfect before God."

How many congregations come to mind with that one?

How many people do you think of?

How many ministries that make tons of money even, and yet are nothing but show and pizzazz?

The Spirit isn't moving. And thus the Spirit is stifled. With the Spirit comes life. Without the Spirit, we speak death. How many believers and congregations can you think of that are dead men speaking to dead men about dead sermons and dying dreams?

This is why we're where we're at.

We haven't seen or experienced any kind of government official that would be humbled like Nebuchadnezzar because we haven't had any kind of witness to confront the system that is employed.

I said in an earlier blog that the first chapters of Daniel are preliminary before we can dive into the prophecies of Daniel. It takes a certain kind of character and mindset to comprehend what God is speaking. Generally we have been lacking in this character and mindset, but I believe that God is able to raise up people who are able and willing to humble themselves. Humility and willingness are the keys. Without them we won't have a proper attitude to move on into chapter 7.

But first, lets look at chapter 6.