Global Warning Daniel 5

Global Warning- God who holds your breath in His hand
The Writing on the Wall: Daniel 5

Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone (Dan 5:1-4).

What we’ve just read looks like a seemingly lackluster historical event that took place over 500 years before Jesus Christ. But in actuality this is a turning point in world history and a high water mark of God’s revelation not only to the Jews, but indeed, the world. It signaled the beginning of the demise of one of the most ancient and powerful empires that ever existed[1]. It was also reminder that the God of the Jews was not some muted and ineffectual tribal deity like the ones worshipped by the nations around them.

It is must be noted that twenty years has passed since chapter four when King Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity brought him to the sanest realization of all: let me use his words from the end of chapter 4,

[The Jewish God’s] dominion is an everlasting dominion,
And His kingdom is from generation to generation.
All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing;
He does according to His will in the army of heaven
And among the inhabitants of the earth.
No one can restrain His hand Or say
to Him, “What have You done?”

There’s a disconnect here between Father and Son. It’s clear by the way in which Nebuchadnezzar’s son profanes the holy things of God with such impunity and mockery that either Neb. failed to train his son up in the fear and admonition of the Lord, or that his son was simply a fool ignoring His father’s training and denying the true and living God.

What would you do if you knew that your city was surrounded by a superior and hostile invading army? Would you throw a party and indulge in dissipation and mockery of God? Remember life before September 11th? Things haven’t changed much since then. Belshazzar’s order to bring the vessels that had been robbed from the Temple of God show the hardness of Belshazzar’s seditious heart. It reminds of Romans 1 where it says that,

…since the creation of the world [God’s] invisible attributes are clearly
seen… even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were
thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were
darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools… (Rom 1:18ff.).

A perfect example is the generation at the time of Noah; listen to Jesus’ description of that generation,

For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know
until the flood came and took them all away… (Mt 24:37-39).

Jesus might just as well have been describing our generation.

Look at v. 4, “They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.” It’s as absurd as appreciating the beauty of creation and praising the god of evolution and chance.

v. 5 in the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote a message on the wall… just as pride comes before the fall, the king’s countenance changed and he began to fear. He cried out for someone to interpret the meaning of the message, but none of his wisest men were able to tell him what it meant. Then it was remembered that there was a Jew in whom the Spirit of God resided and who might be able to interpret the message just as he had interpreted the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar.

V. 13: then Daniel was called and asked to give an interpretation; in exchange he would recieve the 3rd highest office in the land (which was a bit like getting a corner office on the 21st floor of the south World Trade Tower on September the 10th). Look at v. 17 (READ vv. 17-21).

Daniel reminds Belshazzar that even though his father was perhaps one of the most powerful men who had ever lived; in spite of his majesty and glory and honour; in spite of the fact that all people, nations and languages feared Him; in spite of his own free will to choose to rebel against the God of heaven and worship himself- Nebuchadnezzar could do nothing other then confess and believe that God was the true ruler of the affairs of men; the most powerful men on earth are puny to God; He appoints them to rule over the nations. This is why Romans says,
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. …whoever resists their authority resists the ordinance of God, …bring[ing] judgment upon themselves. (Rom 13:1-2).
In Isaiah 46 God says,

“Remember this, and show yourselves men;
Recall to mind, O you transgressors.
Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,’
…Indeed I have spoken it;
I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it;
I will also do it (Is 46:8-11).

It’s one of the things about Satan’s temptation of Jesus that makes me scratch my head and wonder how stupid the devil must be to offer the Kingdoms the Earth to the king of kings and the one who appoints the kings and destroys kingdoms.

Doesn’t that make you want to ask why Nazi Germany? Why North Korea? Why the Taliban? But the perhaps the question we should be asking is, why Canada? Why does God’s judgment against our nation tarry? Every year our wickedness and rebellion is multiplied. Every day we invent new ways of evil. Every eight minutes an unborn baby is murdered in Canada. Where are the furious editorials? Where are the angry mobs? Where is the indignation? I wish people would get as indignant about the infant holocaust in our own country as they do about George W. Bush toppling murderous dictators in other countries. (Don’t accuse of political preaching, that’s morality not politics!).

Global warming gets more of a rise. Everyone from the media to the hippies to the politicians are up in arms about climate change; but no one hears the calm voice of God who says in Psalm 104:5,11 that He,

…laid the foundations of the Earth so that it should not be moved forever.
…[and He] set the boundary [for the oceans] that they may not pass over, that
they may not return to cover the earth.

Everything we believe about global warming is a farce! The strange weather we’ve been seeing isn’t climate change- it’s a global warning. The God who holds our breath in His hands also holds the weather and no one talks about Him. Jesus said watch out for these signs, they signal that his coming is soon. The writing’s on the wall- he’s coming soon. I don’t hear anyone preaching that anymore (including myself).

There is a famine in this land- it’s famine of the word of God. People --even Christians-- don’t want to hear it anymore. “Give something more eloquent, something more encouraging and positive, something practical.” “Preach a sermon on how to get along with my In-laws and how to invite people to church.” Sure people --even non-Christians-- want to hear God, they keep inventing new ways to hear Him telling them how much he endorses their banal egotism and impiety. But the writing is on the wall, figuratively speaking, its in this book- written by the very finger of God.

Jesus said he would one day return to judge the world. His return will be a day of weeping for the nations and a day of joy for Hid church. Ah, but what shall it be for Belshazzar? Daniel’s point to Belshazzar is what I believe God would say to Canada- to the world, and that is that What can be known about God is clear to everyone so that they are without excuse. God doesn’t need some mystical hand to write an enigma on the wall to get Belshazzar’s attention; he knew the truth about God’s sovereignty. Look at verse 22 (READ 22-31)

Why does God go to all this trouble for Belshazzar? Could it be that Belshazzar is one of God’s elect? Could it be that God wants to bring him to repentance? After all, Daniel says to him, “…the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified (v. 23b).

God owns all his ways, not some- ALL! Even is impiety? Even his profaning of the holy things? Does not God work all things together for good? The question is ‘what was the good purpose that God was working in the life of Belshazzar?’ we may never know. The text does not say that he repented… but he might have. Oh how I hope that he did. Oh how I hope that we might see him in heaven, for whom God went to so much trouble to reveal Himself. But he died that very night and the mystery as to the eternal destiny of Belshazzar’s soul is safe with God.

One thing is for sure, there is no injustice with God and Belshazzar is without excuse. I wonder if we get the point any more then Belshazzar. Are there any here today who are like Belshazzar that you have profaned the Holy things of God in your heart by rejecting the gospel? Belshazzar died that night! A few hours before his death he was the party boy- living the high life. God holds our breath in His hands. He is the author of life; He both gives life and he takes it away and He gives life everlasting because He is sovereign over- not some- all of our ways He owns them. Pray that He will grant you repentance and faith so that you might be where He is, seated in the heavenlies

AND THOUGH THIS WORLD WITH DEVILS FILLED
SHOULD THREATEN TO UNDO US
WE WILL NOT FEAR
FOR GOD HATH WILLED HIS TRUTH TO TRIUMPH THROUGH US
THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS GRIM WE TREMBLE NOT FOR HIM
HIS RAGE WE CAN ENDURE
FOR LO HIS DOOM IS SURE
ONE LITTLE WORD SHALL FELL HIM

Notes
[1] (one that Saddam Hussein envisioned he would rebuild)