Daniel Chapter 5

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Daniel Chapter 5

The Writing on the Wall

February 18, 2024 • Daniel 4

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The Writing On the Wall

22 “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. 23 And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven…”

- Daniel 5:22

Daniel Chapter 5 reestablishes prophecy as we shift our focus from Nebuchadnezzar to his grandson, some two decades later, with a stark warning for those who, having seen the faithfulness of God, would rebel against God. Much like our lives, Belshazzar had no excuse not to know of God as Nebuchadnezzar previously made Him known to the kingdom, “29… any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.” (Da 3:29) Such a decree would have been written and passed down. Later in the next chapter, we saw a truly humbled Nebuchadnezzar exalting God The Most High. And now, just two generations later, a king, with no reverence for the living God, must be reminded of God’s Sovereignty.

A society with no purpose or conquest gets complacent; complacency leads to indulgence; indulgence to indifference; indifference to irreverence; and irreverence to idolatry and destruction. Thinking highly of itself, Babylon had become complacent. With the medo-Persian empire setting the kingdom under siege, Belshazzar (the king) hosted a party to entertain and distract the nobles from their impending doom. Full of indulgence and irreverence, he defiles the things of God. Using holy items as common things to worship false gods. The Lord wrote on the wall, ‘You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting’ (paraphrase).

Read Daniel 5. How does it compare with Romans 1? If you were on God’s scales, how would you measure up?

More from Daniel - Study Guides and Videos

Daniel 12

May 1, 2024 • Pastor Spencer Fusselman • Daniel 11:36–45

13 “But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days. - Daniel 12:13 At the end of the prophetic message of the end times in Daniel 12, the Lord tells Daniel to “Go your way,” almost as if to say, this stuff is important but it’s not for this time. I believe this is the healthiest attitude for the study of eschatology. It is important to know that through all the dark times we and the world will struggle through, God has a plan, and his glory will be revealed to the world in due time! No matter which side of the eschatological conversation we find ourselves on, it’s important to know that we can’t truly pinpoint anything until it happens. Until then we have educated guesses with great Biblical evidence. A great principle is to ‘Not make a law where there is no law.’ So, if it’s all based on well-educated guesses and speculation, Why study it at all? How does it affect the way we live? Jesus’ answer was found in Mark 13:34 “It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.” If the doorkeeper was to keep watch, then it stands to reason the groundskeeper would tend to the grounds, and when the master comes back unannounced he would then be pleased with the condition of the house. What is the condition of your house? Looking back at the Lord’s message to Daniel was ‘You go your way,’ And the way of Daniel was truly the way of the Lord, as he had surrendered himself to God’s will for his life. He had a purpose in this life, just as each of us, when we surrender to God, have a purpose on earth. Bluntly that purpose is to ‘Make Disciples” But too many times all we can manage is to make excuses. How is Mark 13:32-37 similar to the Great Commission?

Daniel 11 part 2

May 1, 2024 • Pastor Spencer Fusselman • Daniel 11:36–45

In this final portion of Daniel 11 (vs 36-45) the timeline shifts to the future for us, even further to the future for Daniel as we are now looking into the time of the end. We are reintroduced to the character of the coming antichrist who would set himself up against God, blaspheming Him, and have no regard for any god other than himself. When we really boil this down it starts to sound like a lot of the people we know that are lost and in need of the Savior. Revelation 13:1–8 describes him as a man who would receive power from the dragon (Satan). Ultimately we see a man who would be a willing puppet for satan. A mouthpiece for the forces of darkness. We could also see this as a man used and manipulated by satan as he would die alone and nobody would help him. This is the sad state of the problem of sin. When we don’t have regard for God, but regard ourselves as better than others and put ourselves on the throne of our lives our fate will be the same as this antichrist. We will meet our end, and nobody will help us. This is true in the physical sense as well as the spiritual. The problem of sin is that it corrupts our minds, distorts our hearts, and drives us away from God and from people. How many people do we know that are being manipulated by the forces of darkness today? How can we have compassion on them and share with them the truth of Jesus? What does it mean to regard God above all?

Daniel 10 part 2

Most Christians look forward to hearing ‘well done good and faithful servant,’, but there will be some that enter the gates of heaven without hearing a word of it. In chapter 10, Daniel is called a “man greatly beloved”. How do we aspire to ‘earn’ such a title? Our goal as believers in many ways is to hear “well done”, indicating that we were faithful servants of His Glory while on earth. Though Daniel stands apart from most biblical characters we study, this week we are digging into why he is so significant, and why God would use him to write such heavy and impactful prophecy. I believe the character of a person is one of the most important attributes we can cultivate as believers. It’s every part of who we are, and who Christ has made us to be. If one claims to be a follower of Christ, but exhibits no Christ-like behavior, can we assume he is saved? As the adage goes, “Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character”. Character, then, is a result of the inner workings of our thought lives. As we meditate on scripture, it stands to reason that we should be transforming our character through the renewing of our minds. Daniel is truly a man of Christ-like character, he was a man of the word, reading and studying scripture, he was a man of prayer and a man of integrity. Over our study of Daniel thus far, what are some attributes of Daniel’s Character?