Don’t look to the world to interpret the things of God! The best of Babylon couldn’t do it, they needed a ‘Daniel’. Dan. 5
Strange and unusual events are happening in the world around us today, things may never be quite the same again. Politicians and the news media want to appear well informed and in control of the situation — they’re not! God is not responsible for everything that happens in our world but He is in control and events are moving in line with His Word.
Daniel 5 is the story of Belshazzar, son or successor to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Belshazzar held a feast for a thousand of his nobles and during the course of the banquet he called for the gold and silver goblets taken from the Temple of God in Jerusalem. They drank from them and praised the gods of gold and silver… In a sense there’s been a spirit of feasting and drinking here and little respect for God and the things of God! Suddenly a hand appeared writing on the plaster of the wall near the lamp stand and the king was terrified. ‘Then ALL the king’s wise men were called but they could not read the writing or tell what it meant’. So they called for Daniel, the man who knelt down three times a day at his open window(visible) and prayed to God. Daniel didn’t have to run to God for the answer, he was before God every day, hearing from heaven!
He told the king that he could keep his gifts or give them to someone else, nevertheless he would read the writing. He spoke candidly and told Belshazzar that Nebuchadnezzar had been humbled and lived like an animal for seven years. He had known this and yet had he had not humbled himself, but set himself up against the Lord of Heaven by drinking from goblets dedicated to Him and praising false gods.
In English this saying, ‘the writing’s on the wall’ now means something is going or about to happen, there’s an inevitability about it. The writing on the plaster meant, Belshazzar’s reign was over, he’d been weighed and found wanting, his kingdom was divided and given to others. He put a purple robe on Daniel and a gold chain around his neck and made him third highest in his kingdom — alas too late, that night he was slain.
I believe God still hears and answers prayer and that we need to be serious about getting before Him in prayer, but I also sense that things have shifted and are shifting. The might of the Babylonian empire was useless before the God of Israel, I don’t expect the world powers of today will fare any better(Psalm 2, why do the nations conspire and the people’s plot in vain… the One enthroned in heaven laughs at them).
We as Christians have access through Jesus to the throne room of heaven and that’s were the answers will lie in the times ahead.
God bless and keep you today.