The Handwriting On The Wall Part 1

One rainy forest looking to Jesus under the judgment of God may be long in coming, but it can come with a vengeance ranch in Babylon that time came when Daniel foretold the tomb of Babylon skating. We in America should take heed as this story might well be ours from the Moody Church in Chicago. This is when books are clear. Teaching helps us get across the finish line.

Today we continue a series on the church in Babylon unleashing the power of the spirit filled witness estimates are some hydrometer today famous story of the handwriting on the wall you know Dave when I read that story. I've often wish that it had been videotaped. Can't you just imagine the king watching that understanding that he was under judgment and it was going to happen immediately, what a story God's judgment oftentimes comes in various ways and today as we speak about this judgment, we always have to be reminded also of America and by the way I want to thank the many of you who support this ministry, would you consider becoming an endurance partner that someone who stands with us regularly with their prayers and their gifts. Of course you need more info, you can go to RTW offer.com. Click on the endurance partner button that's RTW offer.com. Click on the endurance partner button or if you prefer you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 thanks in advance for helping us and now we turn to God's word is not possible to visit the sites of World War II without being impressed at the high cost of freedom to be able to stand on Utah Beach and remember that it is here that combine allies came together and in the process. Lives were lost as they went across in difficult circumstances with mines virtually everywhere.

It's also interesting that we were able to stand not only on Utah Beach but Omaha Beach and we were reminded there of the tremendous sacrifice about 70% of all of the young men who came there ended up being killed because the Germans were able to just be on the cliffs and they were able to shoot and to kill everyone who is coming up. What a price. What sacrifice was paid for that and then of course we think of the cliffs we call the cliffs point to talk and that those cliffs were scaled by our American troops. If I remember correctly about 290 went up the cliffs and about 90 were alive and the others ended up being killed as they went up those cliffs. We also thought of John steel if you saw the movie the longest day. You know that he was featured because he was a paratrooper who landed on a church and that the church steeple caught him, and even today. He is memorialized.

There is sort of an effigy hanging from the church steeple well when the paratroopers came down they came down in the wrong place and they were just being shot by the Germans as they were landing. It was horrible. He landed there and pretended that he was dead and then he was captured by the Germans. But then he left was able to escape and actually win many victories for the allies. He died in 1966 the great hero. This actually the church is in St. Mary and Glace and it is a church that Represents the fact that this was the first town captured in Normandy by the allies but the price paid was horrific, but I think the most moving thing that we experienced was the cemetery. The cemetery and it was there that the beautiful flowers of the American Cemetery in France cannot obscure the trim in this price that was paid by our young men as you walk through the cemetery. You look at the dates and you discover that many of these young men were only 20 years old. Many went into battle fearful crying, weeping, but they gave their life that we might be able to have freedom and how wonderful it was for us to see. Also, a cross dedicated to the unknown soldier.

It reads here rest and honored Gloria comrade in arms, known but to God and most of us will dies unknowns.

As many of you know I was born in Canada but became an American citizen. A number of years ago and I have to say that as we were there in Normandy seeing the American flags and looking at nearly 10,000 graves. I was very proud to be an American and proud of the American flag and you think of all of the families all of the mothers and fathers, all of the relatives whose young people die and the tears that were shed, but they were shed for freedom and for that we are deeply grateful but I think it's true to say that we live in a country that is very different now than the country was back in 1940 and 45 and on. And that's why today I speak with a very heavy heart, a message entitled the handwriting on the wall. The handwriting on the wall is actually the last in a series of 10 messages entitled the church in Babylon unleashing the power of the spirit filled witness. I speak this message because first of all we have to know what God is doing here in America and how God deals with nations but at the end of the message. Also, I'm going to be giving some challenges to live for Christ and for that which is right in our present generation. I pray that as I speak. I will speak with Lovell speak with compassion, but also speak truthfully so that we will understand that even in our own nation. We have to interpret the handwriting on the wall. The passage of Scripture is Daniel chapter 5 Daniel chapter 5 your member how we been emphasizing the fact that Daniel was taken to Babylon as a teenager when Daniel chapter 5 opens he is now a man in his 80s.

60 years at least the past, since those original days when he purposed in his heart to serve God no matter what.

And as a result of that Daniel is now going to stand once again for God even as an old man.

Daniel was alive during the days of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar was the king you know who went insane. He began to eat grass like animals and and the whole bit until he came to the conclusion and this is the last part of chapter 4 at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted my eyes to heaven. My reason returned to me and I blessed the most time and praised and honored him who lives forever for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from one generation to another, and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed is nothing that he does according to his will in the Army of heaven and amongst the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay at Sanders and on what is now no question but that I expect to see Nebuchadnezzar in heaven but chapter 5 opens with his grandson Chaz are there in between there were kings and were assassinated. It's a very complicated history belch as there is a co-ruler with a man by the name of Napa night us and belch as he recalls the feast where in chapter 5. It's the happy hour King belch as certain made a great feast for a thousand of his lords and drank wine in front of the thousand belch as her when he tasted the wine commanded the vessels of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar's father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem to be brought and they use these vessels to drink to their pagan gods set the scene. They are basically drunk. By the way, sometime I should preach on alcohol. You know, because the Bible doesn't condemn wine but approves it in certain contexts. People often use that in its often a pathway for young people to become alcoholics.

I want to pick on Germany. But when we were there last week.

Our guide told us that Germans discovered that those who are between 20 and 32 were drinking less severe now you might think that's good. Actually, a study showed that it is bad. The beer isn't strong enough, they are taking stronger pain where a nation that is addicted but that belch as her does two things. First of all, not only is he and the concubines.

I mean, this obviously is an orgy of sorts. They are old drunk. Also he blasphemes God he takes the vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had brought from the Temple of Jerusalem and he uses them to drink wine to his God's clearly shaking his fist in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Now why is it that belch as her felt so confident that he could have this party went outside there were Medes and Persians gathered and had been there for a couple of months. He was confident because Haviland was impregnable nobody would be able to get into the city.

Some people say that the walls were 300 feet high.

Can't believe that. I think that's an exaggeration. We do know, however, they were 80 feet wide so nobody was going to come over the walls. Soldiers were up there guarding. They had supplies for food for 10 years.

Supposedly, and water ran under the city because the Euphrates river ran through the city absolutely confident that they would be there for as long as they wanted to be and could party. What was the happy hour. Now there's a change and it becomes very much the perplexing hour on the perplexing hour. Verse five. Immediately the fingers of the human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace opposite the lampstand and the Kings saw the hand as it wrote, then the king's color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him.

His limbs gave way and his knees knocked together. What a change if you ever wondered whether or not the Bible is really true.

You know you say you read the stories. Did they really happened.

Did you know that archaeologists in ancient Babylon uncovered a room also. That seems to have been plastered. That was 60 feet wide and 170 feet long. I think that's enough to get a thousand people in to have a party and so they are they are there partying and suddenly they see without a body and hand write on the wall and the king becomes absolutely terrified. What a description of the year and he calls in his astrologers and his charmers and says what did this mean and none of them knew what it meant they couldn't interpret it. While the queen mother not his wife.

She was already in the party.

No question about that, but the Queen Mother probably the his grandmother hears about this and remembers Daniel, who is been living in obscurity for the last 40 or 50 years, but she remembers that he was able to interpret dreams and visions and that he would be able to interpret the handwriting so this woman suggests that he, and that Daniel is offered 1/3 of the kingdom. Why 1/3 because belch as it would've had 1/3 Napa night. Us would've had the other part and he's willing to give Daniel 1/3 of the kingdom.

If he can interpret this particular vision.

The handwriting on the wall.

Daniel of course totally discounts it he says in verse 17. Let your gifts be for yourself and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I can interpret this but then he gives the King's speech. In verse 22.

What he does is he rehearses what happened to Nebuchadnezzar how that because of his pride God humbled him and experienced a disease called boa and Tropez hope I pronounce that correctly where he actually acted like an animal until he repented, and Daniel rehearses that and says to belch as you knew about this and you deliberately defied God. He makes three accusations against belch as her verse 22 and US son belch as her have not humbled your heart though you knew all this, but you've lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven and the vessels of his house have been brought in before you and you and your lords and your wives and your concubines have drunk wine from them yet praise the gods of silver and gold of bronze ironwood stone which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath while in whose hand is your breath that God you have not honored three indictments.

First of all, pride. You refuse to humble yourself, you didn't learn from what happened to your grandfather. Secondly, you have blasphemy you use the utensils and the vessels that were brought from the city of Jerusalem and you use those to drink your own wine and appraise your own gods and then also you served your idols and notice this Shatzer and his entourage did it knowingly, even though you knew this, and the Bible says in Romans chapter 1, those who practice debauchery. You know what it says it says who, knowing the judgment of God. Not only do such things, but take pleasure in them that do them. They know better because the law of God is written on their hearts they take pleasure in dethroning God and substituting themselves. Well, we've gone from the happy hour to the perplexing hour.

The fearful hour and now we get to the last hour.

Daniel says Sarah I want you to recognize the words and by the way, those words must've stayed on the plaster for quite a while because the soothsayers of Babel and were able to read them. Evidently the words were still on the wall when Daniel got there and they called for him to interpret them, and these are the words in their given to us. There verse 26 this is the interpretation of the matter. Many got his number. Your days and your kingdom is brought to an end in the vernacular would simply say that Daniel said to belch as are your kingdom is gone.

Your number is Spanish. Not only that, but trickle technical I should say means weighed the imagery. There is of a scale and you know how those ancient skills would go on the one hand, there was a correct way to say of 1 pound and on the other side you see whether or not it balances with 1 pound God says, I put my righteousness on one side of the scale and you have come up light.

You are deficient you are not meeting the March in your rebellion and then finally Perez and there are two different interpretations are two different spellings because there's a play on words going here Perez really refers to. Also Persia, so Daniel is interpreting this as a reference also to Persia because he says your kingdom is divided and it's being given to the needs and it's being given to the Persians. So that's the end of your kingdom and up story. Now notice verse 29 then belch as her gave the command Daniel was closed with purple. He didn't want to be but the king said, put a chain of gold around his neck proclamation was made about him that he should be the third and the ruler of the kingdom. Last thing Daniel was interested in and then verse 30.

That very night Eliphaz or the Chaldean was killed and Darius the Mead received the kingdom being about 62 years old.

You know what happened. Herodotus tells us. Thank God for historians what he said was that time the Persians diverged in the Euphrates River. Now they couldn't divert the whole thing, but they they built a tributary and kept it blocked like with the dam and then they took the dam away and the waters flowed over here in the water when down far enough that the soldiers were able to cross under the walls and so you have all of these soldiers who are going under the walls because the Euphrates river was low enough and they come into the banquet hall where all Shatzer and all of his friends are having this party and he is beheaded in the year 539 October 11 and the 12th and of Babylon.

Yes, my friend. That was the end of Babel and of course the Bible predicts that a day is coming when another Babel and will arise and we might not know all the details, but isn't it wonderful to know that God does. I don't think you so much for your involvement in the ministry of running to win when I think of this ministry. Remember, it's not the ministry of a man or a church or an organization. It is yours, would you consider joining the running to win the family. I'm holding in my hand a letter from someone who says your teaching has lifted me out of my life-threatening depression and extreme anxiety through many sleepless nights. I would listen over and over again to the wisdom, the truth, and the promises of God coming through your program you my friend have a part in testimonies just like this. As you partner with us. Would you consider becoming an endurance partner that someone who stands with us regularly with their prayers and their gifts.

You can get more info. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com and when you're there, click on the endurance partner button or if you prefer you can call us at 1-888-218-9337.

In my mind and heart. I can visualize the many of you who come alongside of us. You are in effect holding our hands with your prayers and with your gifts. Thank you so much you can go to RTW offer.com. Click on the endurance partner button or right now: 1-888-218-9337 it's time now for another chance for you to ask estimates are a question about the Bible or the Christian life. When jobs are scarce. All options need to be on the table.

An anonymous listener hears our program on W NBI in Chicago and is asking this. Do you have any opinions on working in multilevel marketing companies such as Amway and ACN for income.

Is it ethical to work in a multilevel company while in answer to your question, I think the answer is yes, but I do want to say a few things about those kinds of companies.

First of all there's a tendency for those who are involved in the company to try to use those who are on the lower layers so to speak, to do all of the sales for them.

And of course they get a certain commission and so you have people buying into the company thinking almost do nothing, but I will recruit others to do the work for me. That's the way in which those companies work, so sometimes I think that it can degenerate into kind of a get-rich-quick scheme and how do I use other people to make money for me and I think that that motivation certainly is wrong in certain situations. Another thing I've noticed just by observation is that there's a tendency to over exaggerate the kind of income that people will have if they sign on with you and begin to sell for you. I know many people who have these kinds of products and they end up with a garage full of them. So you must be very honest and scrupulous in your relationships, but if everything is done in accordance with truth and high ethical standards.

I don't see anything wrong in working with a multilevel company. Some wise counsel from Dr. Erwin Blitzer. Thank you Dr. lutes are if you'd like to hear your question answered. Go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask Pastor lutes or or follow us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us at running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 processor's fees began with revelry and ended with Bell says are dead. Babylon died with him. As Mike America. If we don't heed the warnings of God. Next time I'm running to win our series on the church and Babylon conclude thanks for listening. This is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the Moody Church