In the National Gallery in London hangs a Rembrandt painting called "Belshazzar's Feast". No, the picture I included above is NOT that painting. It is, however, a cartoon rendition of the painting in which the cartoonist has taken some liberties with the translation of the "handwriting on the wall". He's not too far off, though!
Daniel 4 closed with Nebuchadnezzar recovering his mental health, being restored to his throne, and the reality of the Most High God who is sovereign over every eartly empire. Daniel 5 opens with a king named Belshazzar reigning over Babylon.
What we know is that the saying, "The handwriting on the wall," has made its way into our modern culture as an idiom for "impending and unavoidable doom." Maybe you didn't know that saying comes directly from Daniel 5!
In the midst of a Babylonian government drinking party and feast, Belshazzar expressed his pride and defiance toward the God who humbled Nebuchadnezzar. When a hand appeared and wrote a cryptic message on the wall, the party came to screeching halt! The DJ stopped the music and everyone froze in fear and astonishment. Is this really happening? What does it mean?
Daniel, whose wisdom seems to have been forgotten or ignored, is called from the dugout to help. Here are some things to consider....
If, according to history, the last King of Babylon is a guy named Nabonidus, then who is Belshazzar? Is the Bible wrong?
What was the message on the wall? What did it mean?
For answers to these questions and more, you will have to tune in or show up for our study of Dan 5. By the end of the Chapter, the impenetrable Babylonian Empire, that head of Gold (ch2), will have been replaced by the Medo-Persian Empire without even the smallest battle! Wow. Are you curious? I hope so!
Watch and See.....
Steve
Daniel 5
August 16, 2020 • Pastor Steve Feden
Daniel 1
June 28, 2020 • Pastor Steve Feden
I have had a chance to be reading through the book and thinking about the man -- Daniel. Amazing guy. Humble, gentle, courageous, stable. He is uprooted from family and neighborhood and culture and thrust into a new life of servitude in a Godless nation, Babylon. How potentially traumatizing to a teenager! But instead of seeing bitterness, anger, depression, or indulgence, we see a young man who prospers in a remarkable way, helping to lead an empire without compromise of Godly conviction. In fact, Daniel wins the respect of four kings he serves under! Maybe Daniel's influence is even behind the pilgrimage of the Magi coming from the East and following the Star of Bethlehem! How did Daniel beat the odds? How did he thrive when others would have shriveled? Think about the difference between "conviction" and "opinion". Is there a difference? What is it? Are you a person of conviction or just opinion? How does this relate to Daniel 1? Ha! You will have to tune in to find out! VIEW AND SEE, Steve
Daniel 2:1-30
July 5, 2020 • Pastor Steve Feden
We find ourselves in Daniel 2:1-30. The chapter is just too long and too important to speed through. It is one of the most amazing prophetic passages in the whole Bible! The chapter starts with a very troubling dream, and by the end of the chapter Daniel and the others have been promoted and the mighty king of the mighty Babylonian empire is acknowledging Daniel's God as the true God. This is the stuff we live for! The first 30 verses give the setup, and some important observations and contrasts. We continue to see Daniel shine in the middle of crisis after crisis. In an identity crisis -- Daniel holds to his convictions. The crisis now is a matter of life and death! Is Daniel freaking out? How does the world system operate to produce the crisis? How does Daniel respond to the crisis? As for the specific content of the dream and the meaning of http://it...well...you will have to watch the next message. It is worth it! Amazing. Steve
Daniel 2:31-49
July 12, 2020 • Pastor Steve Feden
We left Daniel standing in the presence of the Nebuchadnezzar, having announced that he knows the dream and the interpretation. Can you feel the suspense? What was the dream? What does it mean? Daniel tells the king his dream and then tells him what it means. I don't want to give away too much, but I can tell you the dream is of a magnificent, giant, stratified metal statue (idol). Statues like this would be very familiar to the idol worshipers of the day. The statue gives God a way to walk Nebuchadnezzar through the history of world dominating empires from their current time in history on into the future. There is a succession of "kingdoms" (empires) that all meet a common end as the statue ends up being hit by something like a meteor -- a stone cut out without human involvement -- which utterly destroys it! I know that you know we live in strange times. Many have a sense that things are not getting better, but getting worse. We also have a sense that things cannot go on like they are. Where does it end? What happens next? Trust me when I say you will not want to miss the next installment of our study in Daniel! Steve