Further Thought: Large feasts were common in the courts of the ancient world. Kings loved to throw parties with extravagance and luxury to show their greatness and confidence. Although we do not know all of the details of this particular feast, we know that it took place when the Medo-Persian army was poised to attack … Continue reading –>
Read Daniel 5:29-31 along with Revelation 14:8, Revelation 16:19, and Revelation 18:2. What can we learn about the fall of Belshazzar’s Babylon that points to the fall of end-time Babylon? Whatever his faults, Belshazzar is a man of his word. So, despite the bad news, he is satisfied with the interpretation given by Daniel, which is why he bestows upon … Continue reading –>
Read Daniel 5:13-28. What is the reason Daniel gives for the soon-to-come demise of this king? Forced by the circumstances, the king resorts to consulting Daniel, but he seems to do so with reluctance. This may tell more about the attitude of the king toward the God of Daniel than toward Daniel himself. In turn, Daniel’s … Continue reading –>
Read Daniel 5:9-12. What does the queen say about Daniel that the king should have known already? What does it say about him that he seems ignorant even of Daniel’s existence? As the banquet hall is thrown into confusion because of the mysterious message on the wall, the queen comes and provides direction to the befuddled … Continue reading –>
Read Daniel 5:5-8. What happens, and why does the king respond as he does? In what ways does this account parallel Daniel chapter 2, and why is that parallel important? (See Ps. 96:5, Col. 1:15-17). As Nebuchadnezzar does in previous crises (Dan. 2:2, Dan. 4:7), Belshazzar calls the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers to clarify the mysterious writing. … Continue reading –>
Read Daniel 5:1-4 along with Daniel 1:1-2. What is Belshazzar doing that is so bad? How does it reveal his true character? Compare his actions with Revelation 17:4-6. What parallels can you find? The king commands that the sacred utensils of the Jerusalem temple be used as drinking vessels. Nebuchadnezzar seizes the vessels from the Jerusalem temple, but he … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Daniel 5:1-31, Rev. 17:4-6, Ps. 96:5, Col. 1:15-17, Rom. 1:16-32, Eccles. 8:11, Rev. 14:8. Memory Text: “And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding” (Daniel 2:21, NKJV). In Daniel chapter 5, the Word of God gives us … Continue reading –>
Finding Christ in the Caucasus By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission Seventeen-year-old Stepan Avakov volunteered to help interpret when a group of Americans organized a Quiet Hour health expo in the southern Russian city of Volgodonsk. When the expo ended, organizer Vincent Page invited Stepan to follow the expo to the North Caucasus region. It was … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: From Pride to Humility “The once proud monarch had become a humble child of God; the tyrannical, overbearing ruler, a wise and compassionate king. He who had defied and blasphemed the God of heaven, now acknowledged the power of the Most High and earnestly sought to promote the fear of Jehovah and the … Continue reading –>
The repentant king declares: “All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing” (Dan. 4:35). Given the context, what important point is he making? How do we know that Nebuchadnezzar indeed genuinely accepts the true God? We find a major piece of evidence in the fact that Nebuchadnezzar himself is the author of the letter inserted … Continue reading –>
