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 –>
Read Daniel 4:34-37. How, and why, do things change for the king? God allows Nebuchadnezzar to be stricken by a strange disease, but eventually He readily restores him to a sound mental state. Interestingly, everything changes when, at the end of the seven years predicted by the prophet, the ailing king lifts up his eyes to … Continue reading –>
Despite his being told to repent and seek God’s forgiveness, Nebuchadnezzar’s unrelenting pride causes the heavenly decree to be executed (Dan. 4:28-33). While the king is walking in his palace and praising himself for what he has accomplished, he is afflicted with a mental condition that forces his expulsion from the royal palace. He may have … Continue reading –>
Read Daniel 4:27. Besides the warning about what will happen, what does Daniel tell the king to do, and why? (See also Prov. 14:31). Daniel not only interprets the dream, he also points Nebuchadnezzar to a way out of his situation: “Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being … Continue reading –>
Read Daniel 4:1-33. What happens to the king, and why? God gives Nebuchadnezzar a second dream. This time, the king does not forget the dream. But because the Babylonian experts fail again, the king summons Daniel to provide the interpretation of the dream. In the dream, the king sees a big tree reaching up to heaven … Continue reading –>
