(Dan 5) The Last Night of Babylon'sRevelry
Author: Yao Lianghong
In605 BC, the city of Jerusalem was captured by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,when Daniel and three of his friends were taken into exile to Babylon, alongwith the sacred vessels of the Temple in Jerusalem.In Nebuchadnezzar's time,King Nebuchadnezzar's visions ofa great statue and a great tree, and the miraculous experience ofDaniel's three friends being saved in a fiery furnace, were enough to give theBabylonians enough knowledge and fear of the true God. But after the death ofKing Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon, "the name of the world", was graduallyon the path of disintegration under the fatuous rule of his heir.WhenBelshazzar, the king's grandson, came to the throne, he did not learn valuablelessons from his grandfather. Instead, he intensified his rebellion against thetrue God. This chapter describes Belshazzar, the king of Babylon, theimmorality and blasphemy of the true God, leadingthe Babylonians in amighty struggleagainst God, and then losinghis reason in shameless drunkenness, and becamepossessed of a despicable animal nature. And he himself led a great uproar, andmade a great feast to a thousand of his nobles, and commanded that the vesselsof gold and of silver, which Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple whichwas in Jerusalem, should be brought in to drink, and to make merry, showingthat nothing was too holy for his hands to touch, and that he had filledhimself and all Babylon with sin. The God’s repressive hand can no longer hold back the impendingdisaster. Belshazzar became the last king of the Babylonian empire, and themighty Babylonian kingdom finally fell at his hands.
Thefall of the ancient Babylonian Empire symbolized the fall of the last greatspiritual Babylon. Babylon is a tool in the hand of the Lord, with the rod ofhis wrath in his hand. When Babylon has been used as a tool of God, the timehas come for her sword to be sheathed and for Babylon herself to be settled byGod.[Jer27:6-8] And now I havegiven all this land into the hand of my servant Nebuchadnezzar king ofBabylon…All nations willserve him and his son and his grandson until the time of his land comes.Theday of her own land is coming, and at last it has come. The ancient Babylon wasdestroyed by one man whorose up in the east, King Cyrus (theking of the combination of the Medes and Persians) andwas no longer in the world, whichsymbolizes in the last, the spiritual Kingof Babylon will be completely destroyed by the spiritual Cyrus- 144,000 people whocomefrom the Eastern Sunrise (the stone not cut out by hand)– China. From then on, the eternal the and harmonious Kingdom of Christ willbe established toreplace the old world,– the Universal and Spiritual Babylonian Empire.
[Dan 5:1]Belshazzar theking made a great feast to a thousand of his nobles, and drank wine before thethousand.
KingNebuchadnezzar's glorious reign lasted 44 years.And after his death the mighty andglorious rivers ofBabylon went down. Although the Babylonian empire lasted for another 22 years,it was already tottering due to repeated civil strife andassassinations.Belshazzar, the last king of Babylon, tried to calm his peopleby concealing his inner emptiness with his outward gratification. The lastKings of Babylon were Naponidus, (the king's son-in-law), and Belshazzar, his eldest son.The two Kings who ruled together.A palace of pleasure,ruled by KingBelshazzar, the city of Babylonbecame a land of materialism, depression of spirit, and indulgence. Accordingto archaeological findings, the floor ofBelshazzar's palace was covered with a very high quality carpet, and the wallswere inlaid with gold. In the magnificent palaces of Babylon, the king and hiscourt listened to all kinds of music, drank and indulged in revelry. Theirconsciences are paralysed, and passion completely overtakes reason. On acertain night when Cyrus king of Cyrus besieged Babylon, Belshazzar the kingcalled together a thousand of his ministers and made a great feast and drank wine andrevelry, but he did not know that that day was the day of their destruction.Therefore, later generations of people called this night "the last nightof revelry"!
[Dan 5:2-4] Belshazzar, while he was drinking the wine,gave orders to bring in the gold and silver vessels that his fatherNebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king andhis nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.So they brought in the gold vessels that hadbeen taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles,his wives and his concubines drank from them.They drank wine and praised thegods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.
Theking of Babylon and his nobles anesthetized in the night of revelry, butalso perished in this night. Belshazzar gaveorders to bring in the gold vessels that had been taken from the house of God,and to make them drinking vessels for himself and for the men. In fact, thesevessels were very sacred, and were kept in the house of God, inaccessible tothe ordinary people of Israel. Even when King Nebuchadnezzar took them, he wasmore or less aware of their sanctity and kept them in his temple Treasuryrather than use them freely. But Belshazzar the king dared to scorn andblasphemy God, and to drink wine from holy vessels, and to make fun of him, andto make fun of him. This shows how stubborn, hard and arrogant his heart was.He was intent on praising the false gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, woodand stone.He was obviously trying to fend off thetrue God and challenge the true God. Itshowedthat his evil hadreached the point of full and irredeemable. His actions proved that his end wasnigh.
Thisfigures in the last, the world also don't know, don't pay attentionto the moment of the trial of the living has come.Theirscene asthe ancient kingdom of the last night of the revelry, universal mass and theapostate pastoral staffare already in the carpe diem, and boastof secular civilization andtechnologicaladvancement, and satisfy the sinful pleasures of the flesh, whichare all over the land. All the world is livingthe last nightof the revelry.Before you know it, destruction will cometo the world as suddenly as the flood came to the world in Noah’s time. Jesus had warned his people to watch outfor the signs of the end of time: [Matt24:37-39] Like the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.For in the days before the flood they wereeating and drinking, marrying, and marrying, until the daythat Noah entered the ark. But they knew not that the flood came, and took themall away. Even so shall thecoming of the Son of man be.The last nightof ancient Babylon revelry with drunken feasting is a symbol of atime of a flood of the lastworld to eat,drink, marry and build, which means that the end of the world isapproaching!Isn't that what the world is like today?
Whydid Babylon perish? In the first place, they used to live a life of luxury and luxury; Second, theydisobeyed the explicit will of God and forsook his law principles. The`disease of their guilt reached the terminal stage of cancer, andall treatments were useless. As:[Jer 51:9]We sought to heal Babylon, but she was nothealed.Leave him! Everyone of us will return to his own country, for his judgment reaches up to heavenand reaches to the skies.The book ofJeremiah also records the destruction of Babylon. Babylon can no longer repent.Hertime of grace has come to an end,and herjudgment has reached heaven, and herdestruction is at hand. In the end, when June 11, 2017 officially opened theprelude to the living trial, it means that the grace period of the world hasentered the countdown, the end of the destruction is in sight!
Whywas Babylon destroyed?[Jer 51:39] In theheat of their heat I will make them feasts, and I will make them drunken, thatthey may rejoice, and sleep a long sleep, and not awake."Declares the Lord.Theydied suddenly in drunkenness and revelry. In the end, the Babylonian delusions,with their new and varied designs, cater to the needs of all kinds of people,and peopleare intoxicated, drunk, and unable to bethemselves. Finally they get drunk,andtake a long sleep.
Despiteall the light Babylon gained, they still ignored God's law and became a morallycorrupt nation. In the same way, the world is like the night of the destructionof Babylon, people are living in a world of great ethical and moral degradation. The universal feast is being presented invarious ways, such as arms race, economic forum, food culture, entertainmentart, etc., making people intoxicated in the feast of the last universal Babylon. As:[Jer 51-7]Babylon has been a golden cup in the Lord's hand, making all the earth drunk.Herwine will make all the nations mad.Theworld, intoxicated with the wine of Babylon, isaccumulating its sinful fullness, and soon the gates of grace are closed, ready to accept the destruction ofthe last spiritual Babylon (see Rev.18).It is time for the world to sleep long!
Asthe king of Babylon led his people to praise the gods of gold, silver, bronze,iron, wood, and stone, the destruction came upon the revelers unexpectedly.In the same old way, when the spiritual king of the last Babylon lead people to praise the idols of all kinds of false gods,the eternal destruction will come quietly upon the unsuspecting peoplefrom behind. For this reason Jesus warned His disciples, [Lk21:34-36]"Becarful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness andthe anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap,for so it willcome upon all people wholive on the face of the whole earth."Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able toescape all these things that are about to happen, and that you may be able to stand beforethe Son of man.This is awarning that in the last, all kinds of entertainment, revelry,fame and fortune, are Satanic weapons that make people ignore the omens of doom, and leadto their unwittingly demise. God's children must always pay attentionto the world, listen to the voice of the Lamb, and become spiritual observersof the sky!
Ecclesiastessays, "There isnothing new under the sun.Is there anythingof which one can say that this is new? It was already there in previousgenerations (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10).Thissentence from Solomon's words, the truth of the destiny of human history.Historyis short, but also repeated. The circumstances and consequences of the fall ofancient Babylon are being played out again today.
Whathappened when Belshazzar, the king of Babylon, led his courtiers in a ravedance of defiance against God and praise for idols?
[Dan 5:5-9]Suddenly the fingers of a man appeared andwrote on the plaster wall of the king's palace opposite the lampstand.And when the king saw the writing finger, hisface was changed, and his thoughts were troubled: and his loin was as ifdetached from him, and his knees touched one another.He shouted to bring in theastrologers, the Chaldeans and the soothsayers, and said to the wise men ofBabylon, "Whoever can read this writing and make known to me itsinterpretation must be clothed in purple and have a gold chain around his neck,and he will be the third ruler in the kingdom."Then came in all the king'swise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king theinterpretation. Then king Belshazzar was greatly troubled, and his countenancewas changed, and all his nobles were astonished.
WhenBelshazzar made his feast and his joy, Babylon had been under siege for severalyears by the Medes and Persians. But he thought the fortress of Babylon wasimpregnable, and he was sure that no enemy could invade it. He gave orders tobring in the gold and silver vessels that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken out ofthe temple that was in Jerusalem. He and his nobles, his wives and hisconcubines used them to drink and made merry. He had greatly transgressedagainst the holiness of God and was very unfaithful to God. So Belshazzar'sarrogance and desecration had a sudden and dramatic consequence. Immediatelythe fingers ofa man appeared and wrote on the plaster wall of the king's palace opposite thecandlestick. This is the crime and punishment God has pronounced upon him. WhenKing Belshazzar saw the writing finger, his face became pale, and his heart wastroubled, and his loin seemed disjointed.His heart was seized with terror, and hisknees trembled. Belshazzar, the proud king, was able to face the siege safely,still drinking and merry, but in the hands of God's judgment, his pride waslost.Hewas both panicked and at a loss. Andwho, at the end of the world, can stand before the harsh judgment of God? WhenGod's final judgment comes upon all the living on earth, "TheKings of the earth, the great men, the generals, the rich, the strong, and allthe slaves and free men, will hide themselves in caves and rocks;And say to themountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits onthe throne and from the wrath of the Lamb; For the great day of their wrath hascome, and who can stand? (Rev. 6:15-17)
Themystical characters on the wall described in this chapter, on the eve of thefinal fall of the Babylonian king and his empire, are the announcement of thefinal judgment of the Babylonian kingdom and the rapid coming of its end. Itimplies that the end of the world is imminent when all the mysteries of thebook of Daniel (mysterious characters) are solved!
Whenthe finger appeared to write on the wall, suddenly all the music in the palaceof Babylon ceased, and the noisy hall fell silent. People were in a state ofpanic and panic. They seem to have woken up from their drunkenness and stoppeddoing anything. All the people looked at each other, not knowing what to do.Belshazzar the king wasquick-witted and thought that there would be abrave man under the great reward.So he called on all the people to usetheir wisdom to solve the mystery in a way that belongs to the world: "who can read this writing and tellme what it means, he will be clothed in purple and have a chain of goldaround his neck to be the third ruler in the kingdom. " Belshazzarthe king showed no sign of repentance at the end ofhis death.He made use of the worldpower to enticed people to fall.So he showedno sign ofrepentance.
Whatdoes "third place" mean? Thearchaeologists found this inscription onthe corner stone of atemple which Naponidusbuilt for agod at the site of the ancient city of Ur:"I, Naponidus king of Babylon, will not sin against you. May Belshazzar,my firstborn son, whom I love, worship you."From other Babylonianinscriptions, we know that King Naponidus retired outside Babylon (ruling inname, but really resting).The responsibility for his army and governmentlay with his son Belshazzar.They ruled together. Since Naponidus wasinterested in nature, not in the world, but in flowers, insects and birds, hedelegated the chief duties of government to his son Belshazzar.So we can seewhy Daniel was called the third in the kingdom by King Belshazzar.
ThoughKing Belshazzar promised a bounty to find out the truth of the mysteriouscharacters. But he soon learned that there are things money and promotion can'tbuy. For the whole of Babylon was faced with a difficult problem. Learning and training, though useful, cannot solve the mysteries in which Godmeddles. What they needed was the revelation and insight of the true God. Thisbackground was specially designed for the reappearance of Daniel, a man of God.
Whenthere was no one in Babylon who could relieve the king, God, who loved sinners,gave Belshazzar a light of hope through the queen mother, in order to explainhis death and to show God's power and righteousness.
【 Dan 5:10-12】 Because of the words of the king and hisnobles, the queen went into the banquet hall and said, "O king, liveforever!Do not let your thoughts alarm you or let your face change color. Andthere is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit ofthe holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligenceand wisdom like that of gods. King Nebuchadnezzar your father– your father the king, I say- appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers,Chaldeans and diviners. In him is an excellent spirit, knowledge andunderstanding, interpreting dreams, explaining riddles and solving doubts. Theman's name was Daniel, whom the king also named Belteshazzar. Call him now, andhe will make clear the meaning."
The"queen mother" here was the wife of Naponidhu and the mother of KingBelshazzar."The queen entered the banquet hall because of the words of theking and his ministers," indicating that the queen did not participate inthe great feast of King Belshazzar,because she had witnessed the repentance of her father King Nebuchadnezzar, andwitnessed with her own eyes the power and magic of the Hebrew God, and musthave also repented and believed in the Lord.So the mother is not in the midst of thisdecadent feast. When she learned that her son was in trouble, she went into thebanquet hall and remonstrated with the king, his lords, and the wise men. Shespoke to Daniel and summoned him. Daniel by this time was an old man who wouldhave retired, and his public service might have ended when Nebuchadnezzar died.But the previous generation knew him well and respected him, as KingBelshazzar's mother did.
Fromthe introduction of Daniel by the queen mother, King Belshazzar's mother, itseems that Belshazzar was unaware of the information she was providing aboutDaniel's past service and the high status of the prophet underNebuchadnezzar.It shows that Daniel had been out of public service for a longtime and was almost forgotten by Belshazzar and others. With the death of KingNebuchadnezzar, Daniel's politics had fallen out of favor in the corrupt courtof Babylon. Impeached by political opponents, and aged, he may have retiredfrom public service long ago. However, in verse 22-23 Daniel condemns KingBelshazzar's words, "Though you knew all this (about Daniel and KingNebuchadnezzar), yet you didnot humble yourself, but exalted yourself against the Lord ofheaven…"King Belshazzar and his staff could not have been unaware of theamazing story that had happened between his grandfather and Daniel.
Therefore,King Belshazzar could have learned valuable lessons and examples from hisgrandfather, King Nebuchadnezzar, to serve and worship the true God.Then hislife could be filled with glory and benefit for God and men.When he reigned,Daniel wasstill healthy and alive.The king had enoughconditions to learn from Daniel ruling experience, but he always hardenedhis heartand refused to repent to God.He sank deeper and deeper into hissinful life,and he was indulgent in extravagance and suppressed the nations.He resisted the true God and servedthe false devil,and come to this sad state.
[Dan 5:13-16] Then Daniel wasbrought in before the king.The king asked Daniel, "Are you Daniel, one ofthe exiles from Judah?The onemy father the king brought out of Judah? Ihave heard that the spirit of the god is in you, and that light andunderstanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. And now the wise men andthe astrologers were brought in before me, that they might read the writing,and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not makeknown the interpretation thereof. If you can read this writing and tell me whatit means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain around your neck,and you will be the third ruler in the kingdom."
Andwhen the wise men of Babylon, and the astrologers, and the soothsayers, couldnot read the writing, Daniel was brought before the king. Daniel had been afavorite of King Nebuchadnezzar, but after the death of King Nebuchadnezzar,the Kings of Babylon did not use him any more, and even forgot him. No oneremembered him except the queen mother.Then Daniel was called in to interpret thewriting on the wall and explain to the king what it meant. No one on earthcould understand the heavenly words. Only Daniel understood that this was God'sjudgment on the kingdom of Babylon, and that it was irrevocable. Formerly Daniel not only interpreted dreams, butalso advised King Nebuchadnezzar that he might change his ways and be forgivenby God so that he might be saved. But this time it was different. Instead ofsoft words of love, he pronounced the sad fate of King Belshazzar and the Babyloniandynasty in a sharp and powerful voice.
Whatdid Daniel say when King Belshazzar asked him to explain to him what waswritten on the wall and promised to give him great status and reward?
[Daniel 5:17-24]Daniel answered before the king, "Keep your gifts to yourself and giveyour rewards to others.But I will read the writing to the king and make knownto you theinterpretation. O King, the MostHigh God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and sovereignty and glory andmajesty. Because of the greatness God gave him, all peoples, nations andlanguages trembled and feared before him. He could live and killat will,and could rise and fall atwill. But when his heart became proud and his spirit became hard and arrogant,he was deposed from his throne and stripped of his glory. And he was drivenfrom men, and his heart was made like that of the beast, and his dwelling waswith the wild asses; and he ate grass like oxen, and his body was wet with thedew of heaven, until he knew that the most high God rules in the kingdomof men, and appoints it whomsoever he pleases. But you his son, O Belshazzar,have nothumbled, though you knew all this.Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lordof heaven.You had the goblets from his temple broughtto you,and you and yournobles, your wives and your concubines drank from them.You praised the gods ofgold, silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone, who cannot see or hear or knowanything, but you did not glorify the God in whose hand your breath is and whorules over all your ways.Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription. "
Danieldid not care for the purple robe, necklace or title that Belshazzar had offeredhim. Before he read the writing on the wall, he was to rebuke Belshazzar in thename of God, to let him know that the writing on the wall was God's finaljudgment on his defiance of God and unfaithful mocking.Daniel reminded the kingbefore explaining the words, recalling the experience of his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar,who had refused to carry out God's will for him and his kingdom, and who hadlater repented and been exalted. In sharp contrast to the unrepentance of KingBelshazzar. Nebuchadnezzar, much stronger and wiser than the corruptBelshazzar, was forced to submit to the discipline of the true God and torepent with his heart.
Belshazzarwas told that as Nebuchadnezzar's grandson, he had acted wickedly before God,the Lord of his life. He had not learned from his grandfather's experience, andhe had betrayed the greatness of God. He had been arrogant and had actedrecklessly.Daniel rebuked the king, "You knew what God did to yourgrandfather, but you did not humble yourself. You exalted yourself against theLord of heaven and caused the vessels of his temple to be brought, and thenobles, the wives and the concubines to drink from the holy vessels.This is thegreatest blasphemy and offence against God. You praised the gods of gold,silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone, who cannot see or hear. (They worship idols, which are theirenemies,) butyou did not glorify the God in whose hand your breath is and who rules over allyour ways."The actions of Belshazzar and his nobles in their worship ofthe Babylonian paganism, their deliberate rebellion against God, their use ofsacred vessels, and their blasphemy against the only true God, will eventuallycome to their own fruition — God's severe punishment will come upon themquickly – the kingdom ofBabylon is about to be destroyed!
Belshazzar'ssituation was completely different from Nebuchadnezzar's. AlthoughNebuchadnezzar had committed serious SINS and had been punished and disciplinedby God, it was mainly due to the lack of true light and the lack of truth toguide him.Moreover, the heart of the king was not so hard that he could notrepent. Therefore, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, Daniel replacedharsh rebuke with sincere remonstrance, which also achieved good results. ButBelshazzar's situation was very different. He has got all this truth, thelesson of iron grandparents, Daniel living testimony, and made a long-term realinstructing all reveal the true god, but he still harden his heart against God.Even he took the sacred vessels of God, drank wine and laughed at God.The heinouscrimes of the flagrant defiance of thetrue light, the challenge to God, blasphemy against God made him push the evil to peak, promptingthe grace of his door closed. Atthe end of the grace period, so that he had to suffer from severe punishment. BecauseGod's judgment is measured by the light you get.
Danielclearly stated that it was because Belshazzar had not taken what had happenedto Nebuchadnezzar as a warning, but had exalted himself against the Lord of heaven.Even hemade a feast outof sacred vessels. His sin was full and he had no chance again.Therefore, Daniel had no counsel or exhortation with King Belshazzar this time,but explained the meaning of the word and proclaimed his sin and God's finalpunishment. The word of God was pronounced at once.
[Dan 5:25-29]"This is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN.Thisis the interpretation: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to anend.Tekel:You have been weighed on the scales andfound wanting; Peres:(synonymouswith PARSIN) your kingdom is divided and given to theMedes and Persians.”Then commandedBelshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with purple, and put a chain of gold abouthis neck, and made a proclamation about him, that he should be the third rulerin the kingdom.
ThenDaniel explained, "The writing written on the wall is MENE, MENE, TEKEL,PARSIN.""Mene," which means "tobe counted,"or "be calculated," means that God has counted theyears of the kingdom of Babylon and that the time of grace in the Babylonianempire is over and there is no more opportunity.At last God was going todestroy the mighty Babylonian empire.
"Tekel,"a unit of measurement in the passive voice, means that you are weighed in thescales to show that King Belshazzar has no chance of salvation, that the doorof his personal favor is closed.This was the result of the weighing of KingBelshazzar."Mene", "Tekel" and "PARSIN" all mean judgment, and this chapteris all about emphasizing the fact of judgment, implying that the judgment ofthe late Babylonian is a similar scene through the judgment of the ancientBabylonian.
Withthe judgment on the fate of King Belshazzar, the Babylonian empire had come toan end. The period of grace (opportunity for repentance) in the time of KingNebuchadnezzar finally ended at the hands of King Belshazzar.
“PARSIN”means:Your kingdom will be divided and given tothe Medes and Persians.To divide means to destroy or let a state perish. Babylon is destroyed. This task was doneby the Medes and Persians (Cyrus king of Cyrus). It shows that the empire ofMedes and Persia, which was in charge of King Cyrus, was going to replaceBabylon as the new world empire.
Theterrible judgment on King Belshazzarof Babylon was also a judgment on all who, like Belshazzar, ignored God-givenopportunities, and a prelude to the end of the universal Babylon. Now God is injudgment, and the steps of judgment have reached the stage of judging theliving. Every living person is now to be weighed in the scales of the sanctuary(Judgment) (Modern Truth) to see if their moral and spiritual condition iscommensurate with the light and blessing God has given them. Judgments made byGod are final and cannot be appealed. There is no chance to start again. Forexample, the judgments of persons with specific names, such as Shebna and NadabAbihu, are final judgments, and their fate is settled and unchangeable, as wasthe fate of King Belshazzar.Believe, and don't take any chances, that there isroom for Shebner to repent, and that is the sin of unbelief. With Shebna andother people haunted by mournful feelings, that is self-humiliation,self-destruction!
In view of the grave importance ofthe hour, every man mustbe on his guard lest he be found unprepared for the moment when his destiny will forever be decided (2Co 5:10;Rev22:11-12)!
WhenGod wrote on the wall of the palace of the king of Babylon, "MENE, MENE,TEKEL, PARSIN,"whichisnot only a judgment on King Belshazzar and Babylon, but also on the last greatBabylon.The inscription in the king's palace of theancient Babylon is a clear reminder todaythat Godis now weighing everyone on theearthwhohas heard warnings of theProphets:During the Adventist Movement, a warningwas issued to the universalBabylonians: "Fear Godand keep his commandments, for the time of his judgmenthascome( the fulfilment of the prophecy of2300 days.) Get out of Babylon, for Babylon the Greatis fallen, fallen "(Rev. 14:6-8).This is the warning to modernNebuchadnezzar, the first warning to people to leave Babylon. And the judgmentmessage of the living in the Book of the Prophets of theEleventh Hour is the lastcall to leave Babylonagain, the warningfromanother powerful angel, the last chance, and thewarning of the modern king Belshazzar. For the reign of King Belshazzar meansthat the end of Babylon is near, and the end of the world is near.
Ifthe United States of the AdventistMovement played the role of King Nebuchadnezzar, China of the movementof the Eleventh Hour is playing therole of King Belshazzar. How near is the end of history, how dangerous andterrible is the end of mankind!
AlthoughKing Belshazzar did not welcome the judgment of Heaven, he resigned himself inthe majesty of God and kept his promise. Though Daniel had made it clear thathe was not interested in the king's honor, Belshazzar, in a state ofdrunkenness and uncontrolled fear, gave orders, and Daniel was clothed inpurple, and gold chains were put around his neck, and he was declared the thirdruler in the kingdom.Just after Daniel had given his testimony and received hisreward, a flood of Medes and Persians burst into the banquet hall and"King Belshazzar was killed that very night."
[Dan 5:30-31]That night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain.When Darius the Mede wassixty-two years old, he took the kingdom.
Theancient historian describes the fall of Babylon as follows: "Cyruschanneled the waters of the Euphrates into a new channel and, using two rebelmen of Babylon as guides, walked along the dry river to the city.At that timethe Babylonians were drinking heavily at the feast of their gods. King Cyrusentered Babylon without a battle and killed King Belshazzar. Darius the Medetook the kingdom of Babylon and proclaimed himking in the city of Babylon for a short time until King Cyrus became king.
Somebiblical scholars point out: "Darius the Mede, who was Xeraceli, the uncleof Cyrus, took the kingdom.For Cyrus allowed him until his death the highesttitle of all the regions that Cyrus had conquered."As EllenG. White pointed out in Prophets and Kings 43, "Aftera while, the kingdom was in imminent danger.Babylon was surrounded by Cyrus,nephew of Darius the Mede, who commanded the allied army of Medes and Persians.
Prophets andKings: 45 Return to the Land, paragraph 21
Darius is theking of the medes. Cyrus ,the commander of his host,( Cyrus) took away the dominion over all the earthfrom the hand of the king of Babylon. The rule of Darius was honored by God. God has sentthe angel Gabriel"made him strong" (Dan11:1). After about two years after theoverthrow of Babylon, KingDariusdied and Cyrussucceeded him】Belshazzarand his ministers, onone last night of revelry, filledthemselves and all Babylon with evil,and God's repressive hand could no longer hold back the impending destruction.Godhad tried to teach them to respect His law by all kinds of experience. He saidof the Babylonians, whose SINS were so great, "We sought to heal Babylon,but she was not healed" (Jer. 51:9).At last God had to pronounce theirrevocable judgment because of the perverse and rebellious heart of Babylon.Belshazzar will die, and his kingdom will be given to another.
Accordingto the precise findings of modern archaeology, the date of the death ofBelshazzar and the fall of Babylon is: October 12, 539 BC.The detailed accountsof the destruction of Babylon that night by the allied armies of the Medes andPersians also fulfilled what had been prophesied by the prophets. For example,it was a great union of Medes and Persians (that is, Elam) whocame to destroy the kingdom of Babylon. (Isa. 21:1-9, 13:1-9;Jer. 50:9-10,51:11).And it came to pass in the night, while they were making a feast, eatingand drinking, and the Kings and the princes were drunk with wine, that thegreat river Euphrates, the moat that ran through the great city of Babylon,suddenly dried up (Jer. 51:36, 50:38;Isa. 44:27) because the Medes and Persiansdiverted the water from the moat and dried it up;The gates of the river wereopened on both sides (Isa. 45:1-2);The army of the Medes entered the city inthe dark by the riverbed. The fordswere taken and the four corners of the city were captured (Jer.51:31-32).Babylon wassuddenly fallen and destroyed (Jer. 51:8), and there was no escape.
Didyou ever see such a situation?Isn't that what happens in the sixth act ofRevelation 16?In the sixth calamity it was said of the war of Armageddon, and the waters of Euphrates shall bedried up to prepare the way for Kings from the rising of the sun. Itis a symbol that at the end of the world, when all Babylon’s forces have beendestroyed, Jesus willbring his angelsdown to meet 144000people, and destroy all spiritual Babylon’s forces on earth.Justas KingCyruswithheldthe Euphratesriver from below and made the moat of Babylon dried up.Inthe last, ten Kings(allied powers of church and state)who supported the Pope are going to fall apart. (Rev 17:16). Babylonhas noway to escape,and destruction will be upon her.
How will God protect his people when Babylon is destroyed? In Jeremiah, on the eve of thedestruction of the city of Babylon, God calls upon his people to get out of it.I will punishBel in Babylon and make him vomit out what he has swallowed. And nations shallflow unto him no more. The walls of Babylon will fall down. Go out of the midstof her, my people; Each saved yourself from the fierce anger of the Lord(Jer. 51:44-45).How God called on his people to get out ofBabylon in ancient times, God is still calling on the remnant to get out ofmodern Babylon to escape the seven great disasters of the end, because modernBabylon is also about to be destroyed. As:
[Rev. 18:1-8] After this Isaw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illluminated by his splendor.With a mighty voice he shouted: “Fallen!Fallen is Babylon the Great!She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evilspirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all thenations have drunk themaddening wine of her adulteries. The Kings ofthe earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth becamerich because of her excess luxury. And I heard another voice fromheaven saying, Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any ofher plagues…Therefore in oneday her plagues willovertake her: death, and mourning, and famine: and she will be consumedwith fire. For the Lord God who judges her is mighty.
Inancient times, through Daniel, God had given Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylonwarning and repentance in the time of his grace. However, under King BelshazzarBabylon was full of sin and Babylon came to its final destruction. Last of all,Godalso gave the modern Babylon to warn. With the message of the three angels ofthe American Adventistmovement, the warning to theentire world is to leaveBabylon.Today Godagain calls upon the people to leave Babylonthrough the message of another mighty angel inthe Chinese movementof EleventhHour- the truth of the Prophets.For the end of Babylon iscoming.TheLord who judges her is mighty.Today God's urge is more intense and urgentthan in ancient times.For the period of grace for the whole world willsoon come to an end!
Thedestruction of Babylon is also vividly described in the Book of Isaiah:
[Isa21:1-9]Like whirlwinds sweepingthrough the southland , an invader comes from thedesert, from a terrible land.A dire vision has been shown to me: The traitor betrays,the looter takes loot. Elam, attack! Medes, lay siege! I will bring to an endall the groaning she caused, says the Lord…Myheart falters, fear makes me tremble; thetwilight I longed for has become a horror to me…Behold, therecomes a company ofmen on horses, two by two. And he gives back the answer: Babylon has fallen,has fellen!All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground.
Here,it is said that the destruction of Babylon was "the arrival of a group ofmen on horseback," which describes the four stages of the rise and reformof the LastMovement of the Eleventh Hour.From the Light of Life, the Committee of Culture and Work, the small group of people, to the LastRevival, there were groups of men fightingagainst Babylon.At the end of the long and bitter struggle of armies, Babylon has fallen, fallen, and all her idols will besmashed to the ground.Finally,all her idols, visible and invisible, will be destroyedand shattered.[Jer 10:1-15]Every silversmith was ashamed of his gravenimages.For his moltenimages are falsehood; there is no breath in them.They are vanity,the work of deceit. At the time of their visitation they will be destroyed. [Isa2:20] In that day menwill cast to the moles and bats their idols of silver and their idols of gold,which they made for themselves to worship.Todayis the day for God to break the idols. They take great men and stars as idols,they take money and fame as idols, they take all kinds of pagan false gods asidols, they take priests and elders and religious authorities as idols…Theywill all perish together in the final destruction of Babylon.
Thecombined empire of the Medes and Persians destroyed the ancient Babylonianempire, and it was the combined armies from the east and the north that led tothe demise of modern Babylon. This combined army from the east and the north is the Spiritual Empire of Medes Persia, who are the united true remnent people from thetrue remnent people of the Eleventh Hour of China and from the universalBabylon. They are Spiritual Kings ofCyrus (Cyrus) from the east, 144,000 people.
God tolerated King Nebuchadnezzar for twelvemonths before he executed his punishment, and after seven years he pardoned him and restored him to thethrone. Under the current law, there was a one-year reprieve, which was thereprieve of the Babylonian Empire. During the reprieve, King Nebuchadnezzar'srepentance bought the Babylonian empire an opportunity to extend the graceperiod. But at this time God was very hard on Belshazzar, and afterhe had sentenced him to death. His punishment was executed the same night. This is how serious KingBelshazzar's sin was. The wickedness of the Babylonian kingdom,whose time of reprieve had expired, showedno sign of repentance, and had to be executed by shooting.
Similarly,the message of the three angels during the Second Coming movement was themessage of the spiritual Daniel (Ellen G.White) to the last spiritual King Nebuchadnezzar(America), and the message of the other powerful angels of the movement ofthe Eleventh Hour was the messageof the spiritual Daniel (SisterYao Lianghong) to the last spiritual KingBelshazzar (China, and even the world). From October 22, 1844 to June 11, 2017,humans are on probation.Starting on June11, 2017,the finaljudgement will be made on the fate of thosewho do not accept and repent of the message of the Prophetsof the living judgment as preached by theChurch of LastRevival.When people in every corner of the world have heard this message andmade their choice, then on the last night of Babylon ,thescene where King Belshazzar waskilled will be played out. Now it is God whois calling on his people, "Get out of Babylon, my people. "Nowis the time for every man to save himselffrom the fierce anger of the Lord.It's time to trade your possessions (money,time, knowledge) for your life, no matter what your profession or status!
Godis the great and awesome God, and no one is to despise him! And the wall of Babylon, which was sogreat and so impregnable, was taken overnight. Today the whole world is storingup sins forthe last night.In the days of finalclassification, whether you are Daniel, orthe queen orBelshazzar, or the minister andconcubine will dependon what you choose today and what you do each day!
Chapter 18 ofRevelation records the fall of the universal Babylon the Great.
[Rev. 18:7-10] Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxuryshe gave herself.In her heart she boasts, 'I sit asqueen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.'Therefore in oneday her plagues will overtakeher:death, mourning and famine.She will be consumed by fire, for the LordGod who judges her is mighty."When the kings of theearth, who committedadultery with her, and sharedher luxurysee the smoke ofher burning, they will weepand mourn over her. Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:‘Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!’.
Accordingto the prophecies of spiritual Babylon in Revelation 17 and 18, and inRevelation 14 and 16, the wealth, glory, power and final destruction of ancientBabylon were all prefigures of the last spiritual Babylon. Just as God calledhis people out of the ancient city of Babylon before it was destroyed, so Godwill call his people out of the last spiritual city of Babylon before it isdestroyed! As proclaimed in the warning of the second angel and the warning ofthe other angel: "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great…Come out of her,my people, so that you will not share in her SINS and receive herplagues."
Thehistory of the nations speaks to us today. God has a place for every nation andevery human being in His great plan. Every man and every nation of this day mustbe tested by the plummet inthe hands of the infallible God.Everyoneis in because of their own choices to determine their own destiny. And God isin charge of everything to fulfill His will. The prophecies of the"everlasting" God, revealed in the Bible, connect the events ofhistory one by one, and let us know where we are today in the course ofhistory, and what will happen in the future.Whatever is prophesied will beaccomplished. The world of today is progressing steadily in exactly the stepsforetold by the prophets, and the world is in the midst of the last revelry! May every wise man who hears the truthstep out of this last feasting and cherish the last chance of grace to besaved from the wrath ofJehovah!
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