DEVIL, YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED

September 8, 2002 am
Mike Blume

TEXT:

Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spoke, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.
(Dan 5:1-8)

Israel had been taken captive into Babylon due to disobedience 62 years before this event took place.

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done. At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it. And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land. And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.
(2Ki 24:8-15)

Darius the Mede conquered Babylon the very night this event transpired in Daniel 5.

In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.

(Dan 5:30-31)

It turns out that the first year of Darius' reign was the 62nd year that Israel was in bondage in Babylon.

Daniel 9 shows the first year of Darius' rule, and Daniel realizing, after reading Jeremiah's prophecy, that it was soon time for deliverance - 8 more years to wait!

And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.
(Jer 25:12)

God told Jeremiah Nebuchadnezzar would come and conquer Israel.

Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations.
(Jer 25:9)

Imagine Daniel reading about the very king he confronted coming down to take Israel captive for 70 years, and then reading of the very events when God would punish the king for wickedness, and realizing you were the one who told the king about God's wrath upon him.

Daniel was in the very time period when the 70 years had elapsed, and Israel would soon be set free.

He read it in the Word of God and was seeing it come to pass.

Belshazzar decided to feast one night and took the golden vessels of the temple that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem's temple, as we read.

He filled up the golden holy cups with wine.
He partied with his wives and concubines and princes in a drunken night of carousing and revelry.
As he drank wine in such a mocking manner with God's holy vessels, he celebrated the false and pagan gods of Babylon, to add to the mockery.

And with the holy golden candlestick lighting up the revelry, which had only been used to lighten the holy place and the the location of the most holy place and the veil in the temple, suddenly God's hand appears and begins writing on the wall.

We've all heard the expression, "The writing is on the wall" when we refer to a doomsday and the end of something or someone.

That saying came from this chapter of the Bible.

As though fingers peaked out from behind the wall itself, Belshazzar saw the hand of God write on the wall in the light of the seven-branched candlestick of the temple.

What was written confounded him and his magicians, and smote him with such fear that we read the joints of his loins were loosed and his knees smote against one another.

None knew the words, let alone any interpretation to be had from them.

And the queen came and declared that Belshazzar's father, Nebuchadnezzar, had associations with a man of God who could settle doubts and explain mysteries, and made captain over all magicians due to his uncanny exactness and correctness of interpretation of prophecies given in the past.

Daniel was summoned, and told he would be enrobed with scarlet and a gold chain around his neck if he could interpret the writing on the wall.

Daniel disregarded the reward, telling the king to keep it, and looked at the writing and proceeded to interpret the message of God to the king.

He recounted the fact that his father Nebuchadnezzar had learned a might y lesson from God Almighty that this present king was fully aware of.

In Chapter 4 of Daniel, we read where Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of a large tree filled with birds of all kinds, that was chopped down at the stump for seven years.
In that event, Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that he had exalted himself up in pride for his accomplishments, when it was God who sets up and pulls down.
He said Nebuchadnezzar must repent and give glory, for God would bring his kingship down to the ground for seven years to teach Neb. who is Lord.

Nebuchadnezzar disregarded the words, and a year later he traipsed out on his balcony to pat his own back for the great kingdom he set up.

Suddenly God spoke from heaven and declared the kingdom was taken from him.
A certain "they" were said to have driven the king to the wilderness to live like an animal, turning his hair in to feathers and his fingernails into talons and claws.
The king was demon possessed, and remained so for seven years.

After the ordeal was over we read:

And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou? At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honor and brightness returned unto me; and my counselors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
(Dan 4:34-37)

Notice the words.

Everyone on earth is nothing compared to God Almighty.
Kings of this world are here and gone.
But His kingdom is from generation to generation.
It is an everlasting dominion.
God does what He wills with the armies of Heaven as well as the inhabitants of earth.
Nobody can stop his hand and nobody can challenge his decisions.
God put Nebuchadnezzar up just as quick as He brought him down.
Neb. was nothing!
God only let him be king for a purpose and a reason for a time.

Belshazzar knew all about this.
Nobody could word it as sternly as did Daniel, himself.

But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him: And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will. And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:
(Dan 5:20-23)

So as much as devils came and possessed his father, Daniel said this hand was then sent and wrote the words they all saw.

The reason nobody else could understand the words, was because they were written in Ancient Hebrew.

God used the very language with which the Hebrew people wrote the words of God, in order to show that the True God honours His own religion amongst Israel, as all others are false.
He wrote directly by the candlestick of the temple, showing the crime and wickedness in profaning and making common the holy vessels of the temple of the God of Israel.
He wrote in a language Daniel knew about so as to exalt Daniel at this time for all to hear him and believe.

And He wrote these words, which Daniel interpreted.

Mene, Mene, Tekel Upharsin

(me-nay') (tek-al') (per-as')

NUMBERED, NUMBERED, WEIGHED DIVIDED.

Daniel knew exactly what the words meant.

God gave him understanding as much as he had to be able to interpret the dreams and visions given in his time.
This king had mocked the true and Living God.
This king had God's people in bondage.
But God sets up and God tears down.

This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
(Dan 5:26-28)

Me-nay' -- NUMBERED.

God numbered Belshazzar's kingdom and finished it.
In other words, his span of rulership was all in God's control.
He was only going to rule for as long as God decided.
God chose a specific amount of time for that rule.
That time had arrived and expired.
That night Belshazzar was killed.

In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
(Dan 5:30)

This tells us something.

Babylon means confusion.
We've all been bound in confusing circumstances at times.
Like Israel, our own disobedience put us there at God's allowance.
But God has our captor's days numbered.
Praise God!
That king was only God's pawn.
Belshazzar was not loosed out of God's control.
Neither is the enemy of our souls out of God's control.
He's on a leash that can only let him run so far.
God has allotted the devil only so much time.
Satan is loosed for a season, but its a specific amount of time.

Satan, your days are numbered.

I don't think we realize the weight of what actually happened in this chapter.

The planet's history books all marvel at Babylon's world conquering power.
Babylon was no small matter.
And it was in this very chapter that we find the events that transpired to cause Babylon and King Belshazzar to topple to the ground.
It was in this night that Babylon's power ended.
This was the night when the huge and dominant world figure of Babylon would be succeeded by the Medes and the Persians who became the next world power on planet earth.
Darius and Cyrus took over the kingdom.

Satan was given freedom when mankind disobeyed God long ago in the garden of Eden.

Satan captured mankind's souls.
He became god of this world.
But Satan's days were numbered.
As Belshazzar took the vessels of God's temple and mocked God Almighty and the true religion of Israel in his drunkenness and revelry, Satan took the grand vessel of the Son of God and reveled in wicked mocker
His demons that possessed the Romans and the Jews who crucified Him cried out in laughter and hatred of the Lord.

But Christ resurrected from the dead after the cross and that day of revelry in hell mocked the Lord of Glory in the shame of the nakedness of the Lord on the cross suffering in agony.

The candlestick where the hand of God appeared to write the word of God was the same candlestick John saw in the first chapter of Revelation.

It was where Jesus appeared in the vision.
Jesus, THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, the WORD OF GOD was seen, just as the HAND appeared and wrote doom on the wall.
And as John was isolated in captivity on the island of Patmos, the Hebrews were bound in Babylon.
But deliverance was coming!

In Revelation you read about Babylon is fallen is fallen!

The Babylon of the church's persecutors were coming down, and John was shown the great victory to come against their persecutors.

The cross of Satan's ultimate persecution only led to the resurrection in Christ's greatest victory.

God had Satan's day numbered.
From the day Adam sinned, God already had a plan of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

We read in Daniel 5 that Darius conquered Babylon and slew Belshazzar.

And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
(Dan 5:31)

What is so significant, is that Darius was 62 years old when this occurred, and that actually means that he must have been born when Nebuchadnezzar was in his eighth year of dominion.

What happened when Nebuchadnezzar was in his eighth year of ruling?

And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.
(2Ki 24:12-13)

That was the same year that Babylon took Israel captive!

This is saying that God had a man born the year Israel was taken into Babylon with the vessels of the temple, who would in 62 years come and defeat this world power of Babylon and deliver them from Belshazzar's mocking persecution.
God has a deliverer right there all ready.
The days of the enemy's powers over you are numbered!

I am glad that my life is not numbered as Belshazzar's was.

I have eternal life in me from Jesus Christ!
My days are not numbered because I am going to live forever with the Lord.
If my natural body dies, I am going to be changed one day, and those who are alive ar going to be changed, also, and we'll meet in the air.

When you are in sin, your days are numbered!

Belshazzar was NOTHING in God's hand.

He was only a vessel used temporarily to deal with Israel in the school of hard knocks.
God saw ahead in time and saw Belshazzar's mockery and sin.
And God ordained that His usefulness for Belshazzar would end then and have Darius nicely come in and defeat Babylon and put and end to Belshazzar's life on this night of mockery.

Make sure your life is not so insignificant due to your sin that God has merely numbered your days.

Sinners who come face to face with God's reality and who reject Him are only around to be pawns in God's hands, whose days are numbered.
I do not want to be numbered with the transgressors.

When your days are numbered you're doomed and you know it.

WEIGHED --- One weighs gold and silver and precious stones to determine the value of them.

If the gold is only a plating and beneath the surface lies a worthless material, the weighing will bear that out.

This king had been weighed and revealed to be lacking any value whatsoever that God highly esteems.

The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
(Psa 34:18)

For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
(Isa 57:15)

Many will stand before God one day without a wedding garment, naked and shameful, and be carried away from His presence.

The virgins without oil will weep and gnash their teeth.
All will stand before the great white throne as He weighs out our lives by the scales of His word, opening the books and judging us by their words.

Measure up.

DIVIDED.

Belshazzar's kingdom and wealth and riches would be divided up amongst the Medes and Persians.

All his glory left to other people, his enemies.

All of this reminds me so much of the man who had one talent and buried it.

Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strewed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(Mat 25:24-30)

The earth is what our flesh was made out of.

We can have the goods to give God glory -- the talents.
And bury it all within our lives beneath all our fleshliness that refuses to serve God adequately.
And God will take account of us one day.
And give our talent up to another.

But Christian, your enemy is nothing.

He's a pawn.
His days are numbered.
He is going to be thrown away one day.
The enemy's days are numbered just for your benefit.
God is giving you character through the hard knocks you go through.
And when you've learned your lesson, the devil is wasted.
Your hardship is over.

Trials are all in God's hands

He's not forgotten about you.
But He knows just how long the trial needs to be.
And He will not suffer you to be tempted about what you are able to bear.

Devil, your days are numbered!