The Writing on the Wall

Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon is dead and his son King Belshazzar has taken his place. But Belshazzar had not recognized God the same way his father had and he was about to get a startling wake-up call. At one of the many feasts he threw a mysterious sign took place as a phantom hand wrote strange words on the wall. None of the King's men could interpret what it meant. None except Daniel. These words would reveal to the King that his kingdom was no longer his own, God had given it to the Persians.

In our previous episode, we heard of King Nebuchadnezzar’s seven years of madness, living like a beast in the wild, until he humbled himself before God. His journey to faith was a long one, with ups and downs, successes and failures – just as our own journeys often are – but in the end, he submitted to God and served the Lord as a righteous king until the end of his days. Today we’ll meet a new king, Nebuchadnezzar’s son and successor Belshazzar. Though he will struggle with pride just as his father did, Belshazzar’s heart will not bend to God and he’ll never be the righteous ruler Nebuchadnezzar lived to be. God will once more speak to the ruler of Babylon, this time not through dreams but in a public spectacle that terrified all who witnessed it.