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The Writing on the Wall - The Book of Daniel · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. Then Daniel answered and said before the king,
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  Speaker 1: Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards
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  Speaker 1: to another. Yet I will read the writing unto the king,
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  Speaker 1: and make known to him the interpretation. Dear Heavenly Father,
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  Speaker 1: through today's reading, I can see that the writing is
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  Speaker 1: on the wall. It is evident that through the life
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  Speaker 1: of King Belshazzar, that you desire nothing less than my
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  Speaker 1: complete devotion as I live my life. I declare that
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  Speaker 1: I will not give in to drunkenness of pleasure and self-gratification.
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  Speaker 1: I will not choose short-term satisfaction in exchange for long-term pain. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: I will set my priorities on things above. I will
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  Speaker 1: dedicate my life to honor you in all that I do, Lord.
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  Speaker 1: I choose to activate the same willpower that Daniel possessed
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  Speaker 1: when he had the choice to choose the riches of
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  Speaker 1: this world, but chose the riches of your word instead.
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  Speaker 1: Daniel understood that it is better to be blessed by
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  Speaker 1: the Lord than to compromise for the blessings of man.
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  Speaker 1: With all of this truth in Daniel 5, I make
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  Speaker 1: the conscious choice to live it out through my life.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, amen. Listening to these daily prayers strengthens
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  Speaker 1: your relationship with God. Continue hearing from the Lord by
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  Speaker 1: listening to today's Bible in a Year. Brought to you
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  Speaker 1: by Bibleinayear.com.
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  Speaker 3: THE WRITING ON THE WALL In our last story, we
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  Speaker 3: witnessed the madness of King Nebuchadnezzar. He fled like a
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  Speaker 3: beast to the wilderness and lived on the land for
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  Speaker 3: seven years. In that time, the great tyrant king was
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  Speaker 3: reduced to the identity of a mere animal. It was
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  Speaker 3: humbling he needed to truly see God with a clear
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  Speaker 3: and sober mind. Nebuchadnezzar then ruled with righteousness to the
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  Speaker 3: end of his days and leaned on Daniel for guidance.
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  Speaker 3: In this story, we get a glimpse into the character
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  Speaker 3: of Nebuchadnezzar's son, Belshazzar. Unlike his father, he lacks discipline
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  Speaker 3: and courage. However, he inherits the pride of his father,
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  Speaker 3: and it proves to be his downfall. God will send
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  Speaker 3: him a special message, a message of doom and judgment,
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  Speaker 3: inspired by the book of Daniel.
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  Speaker 4: Welcome to the Bible in a Year podcast. This is
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  Speaker 4: Jack Graham. In our previous episode, we heard of King
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  Speaker 4: Nebuchadnezzar's seven years of madness, living like a beast in
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  Speaker 4: the wild until he humbled himself before God. His journey
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  Speaker 4: to faith was a long one with ups and downs,
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  Speaker 4: successes and failures, just as our journeys often are. But
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  Speaker 4: in the end, he did surrender his life to God
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  Speaker 4: and serve the Lord as a righteous king until the
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  Speaker 4: end of his days. What a turnaround. Today, we will
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  Speaker 4: meet a new king. Nebuchadnezzar's son and successor, Belshazzar. Though
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  Speaker 4: he will struggle with pride just as his father did,
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  Speaker 4: Belshazzar's heart will not bend to God and he'll never
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  Speaker 4: be the righteous ruler his father lived to be. God
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  Speaker 4: will once more speak to the ruler of Babylon, this
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  Speaker 4: time not through dreams, but in a public spectacle that
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  Speaker 4: terrified everyone who saw it. It is a riveting story.
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  Speaker 4: Let's listen to the reading of God's word.
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  Speaker 3: The age of King Nebuchadnezzar had faded into history. The
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  Speaker 3: tyrant king had conquered nearly all of the known world
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  Speaker 3: and taken captive every surrounding nation under his boot. However,
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  Speaker 3: all men, no matter how strong, ultimately returned to dust.
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  Speaker 3: So Nebuchadnezzar passed, and along with him, the reverence for
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  Speaker 3: the God of Israel. His son Belshazzar became king in
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  Speaker 3: his place. Belshazzar was a wily man. He loved to
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  Speaker 3: drink and revel rather than battle and conquer. He rested
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  Speaker 3: comfortably on the bed of his father's accomplishments. The god
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  Speaker 3: of heaven and earth was but one god of many
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  Speaker 3: to him. He would soon learn to know and fear him.
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  Speaker 3: One day Belshazzar made a large feast for thousands of
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  Speaker 3: his lords and leaders. Together they drank and sang. They
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  Speaker 3: soaked in every single pleasure they could come up with.
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  Speaker 3: They withheld nothing from themselves. Belshazzar was surrounded by thousands
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  Speaker 3: of his friends, wives, concubines, and prostitutes. Flirting with every
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  Speaker 3: form of debauchery, Belshazzar ordered for the golden vessels his
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  Speaker 3: father had taken from Jerusalem to be brought. These vessels
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  Speaker 3: were taken from the temple before it was destroyed, and
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  Speaker 3: Belshazzar used them to fill his gut with more wine
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  Speaker 3: and exotic drinks. Belshazzar and his companions danced and drank
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  Speaker 3: the night away. but the festivities were abruptly interrupted by
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  Speaker 3: a strange figure on the palace walls. Belshazzar wiped his
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  Speaker 3: eyes to make sure what he was seeing was real.
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  Speaker 3: Then he looked over to his companions. They were all
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  Speaker 3: staring at the same image. What appeared to be a
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  Speaker 3: human hand was hovering over the palace wall. Its fingers
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  Speaker 3: were writing into the plaster walls strange words. All color
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  Speaker 3: left the king's face as he watched the hand methodically
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  Speaker 3: write a message. Enchant us, he yelled. He called for
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  Speaker 3: the wise men of Babylon to come and inspect the
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  Speaker 3: strange writing. Whoever can decipher this writing on the wall
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  Speaker 3: will be the third ruler in my kingdom, the king shouted. Magicians, enchanters,
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  Speaker 3: and wise men from the nation came to the king
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  Speaker 3: and inspected the words written on the wall. Yet they
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  Speaker 3: could not understand the writing, nor come up with an interpretation.
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  Speaker 3: King Belshazzar's mother watched as her son grew mad over
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  Speaker 3: the words. She remembered his father being tormented by similar issues,
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  Speaker 3: messages given yet not understood. She approached her son and said,
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  Speaker 3: In the days of your father, he too was disturbed
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  Speaker 3: with strange messages. In his day, a man of light
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  Speaker 3: and wisdom stood beside your father to guide him in
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  Speaker 3: these matters. He can interpret dreams, solve riddles and possesses
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  Speaker 3: and understanding beyond all the wise men here. Call for
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  Speaker 3: that man named Daniel. It had been a while since
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  Speaker 3: Daniel stepped foot in the palace walls. He had grown
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  Speaker 3: close to King Nebuchadnezzar and counseled him often in matters
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  Speaker 3: of the heart. However, since his son assumed the throne,
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  Speaker 3: Daniel had been forgotten. He looked at King Belshazzar. He
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  Speaker 3: looked like his father, yet lacked his strong presence. He
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  Speaker 3: was weaker, more anxious, and clearly more given to strong drink.
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  Speaker 3: Daniel stood before the king and gave a slight bow.
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  Speaker 3: You are Daniel, one of the Judean exiles, are you not?
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  Speaker 3: the king asked. Daniel nodded and gave a slight smile.
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  Speaker 3: I heard you possess the spirit of the gods. Tell me,
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  Speaker 3: can you read what has been written on my wall?
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  Speaker 3: If you can, I shall shower you with great gifts
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  Speaker 3: and influence. Daniel shook his head. Please keep your gifts
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  Speaker 3: to yourself, my king. I do not need them. However,
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  Speaker 3: I will tell you what the writing means. Daniel made
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  Speaker 3: his way to the wall. He ran his hands against
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  Speaker 3: the plaster and inspected it carefully. Well, Belshazzar snapped impatiently.
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  Speaker 3: What does it mean? Before Daniel read to him the writing,
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  Speaker 3: he turned and spoke. Daniel looked at him intently. My king,
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  Speaker 3: your father was a great and mighty man. He conquered
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  Speaker 3: many kingdoms, and he kept nothing from himself. This made
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  Speaker 3: him proud. However, he was eventually humbled by the God
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  Speaker 3: of heaven and earth, the God of Israel. You share
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  Speaker 3: your father's pride, but you have not yet shared in
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  Speaker 3: his humility. Daniel spoke with authority. Belshazzar was taken back
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  Speaker 3: by Daniel's forwardness. Daniel looked back at the wall and said, Mene, Mene, Tekel,
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  Speaker 3: and Parsin, The king was confused. What does it mean,
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  Speaker 3: he asked timidly. Many, Daniel said. God has limited your
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  Speaker 3: days as king. They are numbered and they are coming
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  Speaker 3: to an end. Daniel placed his hand on the second word. Tackle.
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  Speaker 3: You have been judged and weighed. Your worth is not
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  Speaker 3: what you thought it was. The king began to worry
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  Speaker 3: as Daniel spoke. He continued. Parson, your kingdom is going
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  Speaker 3: to be divided and given to another. the Medes and
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  Speaker 3: the Persians. Despite the king's fear of losing his kingdom,
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  Speaker 3: he knew he needed to reward Daniel. He made him
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  Speaker 3: ruler over a third of his kingdom. Daniel was clothed
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  Speaker 3: in purple and given a gold chain to be worn
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  Speaker 3: around his neck. After this, the king retreated to his
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  Speaker 3: bed to sleep in peace. That night, there was a
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  Speaker 3: stirring in the city. Like a rising tide, the Persians
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  Speaker 3: swept up the city of Babylon. It was a silent
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  Speaker 3: yet brutal overtaking. Swords were slid across the throats of
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  Speaker 3: Babylonian men. Before Belshazzar could wake up to the news
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  Speaker 3: that his city had been captured, he had a dagger
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  Speaker 3: driven into his side. He lay there lifeless as the
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  Speaker 3: bed soaked with his blood. Standing over him was King
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  Speaker 3: Darius the Mede under Persia.
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  Speaker 4: We begin today's reading with a changing of power. Nebuchadnezzar
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  Speaker 4: reached the end of his life having lived the last
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  Speaker 4: part of his reign as a humble, God-fearing king. The
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  Speaker 4: empire that he built was vast. The lands he conquered
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  Speaker 4: stretched throughout the known world. It's into this incredibly wealthy
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  Speaker 4: and prosperous kingdom that his son Belshazzar stepped in to rule. Sadly,
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  Speaker 4: the new king did not share his father's commitment to
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  Speaker 4: the God of Israel. Belshazzar looked much more like the
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  Speaker 4: Nebuchadnezzar of old, given to pride and living for his
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  Speaker 4: own pleasure and glory. He enjoyed all the spoils of
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  Speaker 4: war his father had amassed and spent much of his
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  Speaker 4: time drinking and partying with his friends. Belshazzar did not
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  Speaker 4: acknowledge the Lord as the one and only God. But
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  Speaker 4: he went further. He actively disrespected the Lord, taking golden
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  Speaker 4: goblets brought from the temple in Jerusalem and using them
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  Speaker 4: at his drunken parties to praise the false gods. As
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  Speaker 4: we've seen again and again, God is a patient God,
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  Speaker 4: a loving God. but ultimately does not allow mockery of
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  Speaker 4: his house and his name to go unanswered. The Bible says,
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  Speaker 4: God will not be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he
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  Speaker 4: will also reap. What happened to Belshazzar is truly shocking.
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  Speaker 4: In the middle of one of his parties, everyone witnessed
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  Speaker 4: something like a hand scrawling on a wall, leaving unrecognizable
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  Speaker 4: writing for all to see. The king was arrogant and foolish,
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  Speaker 4: but not impervious to fear. And what he saw absolutely
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  Speaker 4: terrified him. The color drained from his face, and his
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  Speaker 4: knees were knocking against each other. So he summoned someone, anyone,
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  Speaker 4: who could interpret the writing to give him insight. But
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  Speaker 4: just as his father experienced with his dreams, none of
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  Speaker 4: the pagan magicians or diviners had a clue. They were
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  Speaker 4: at a total loss. But The king's wife remembered the
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  Speaker 4: man Nebuchadnezzar had made chief among all the seers and
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  Speaker 4: wise men of the nation. His name, Daniel. Daniel was
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  Speaker 4: certainly the man for the job. God had kept him
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  Speaker 4: there for a reason and sustained him. And when he
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  Speaker 4: was called upon, Daniel was ready to serve again. He
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  Speaker 4: had no interest in any of the rewards the king offered,
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  Speaker 4: but he agreed to interpret the writings. He then told
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  Speaker 4: the king that Nebuchadnezzar had once been just like him,
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  Speaker 4: powerful yet proud. God had humbled him, and he turned
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  Speaker 4: to God and had been restored. And then Daniel said,
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  Speaker 4: as we read in Daniel 5, 22 and 23, But you, Belshazzar,
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  Speaker 4: his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. Instead,
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  Speaker 4: you have set yourself up against the Lord of heavens.
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  Speaker 4: While we don't know if Nebuchadnezzar actively shared his faith
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  Speaker 4: with his children, we do know that he provided an
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  Speaker 4: example at the end of his life. He did make
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  Speaker 4: God's name known, and Belshazzar had a choice to make.
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  Speaker 4: He could follow God or follow his own way. He
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  Speaker 4: chose his own pride and in his arrogance rejected God.
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  Speaker 4: There's no more dangerous place in your life than the
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  Speaker 4: place that Belshazzar found himself. You have set yourself up
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  Speaker 4: against the Lord. God has no rival. He has no equal.
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  Speaker 4: No matter how powerful a man may be or how
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  Speaker 4: vast a kingdom he may rule, God is the ruler
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  Speaker 4: of all rulers. He's the God above all. And he
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  Speaker 4: was about to show this to Belshazzar. The news Daniel
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  Speaker 4: gave him was tragic. God had numbered Belshazzar's days. His
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  Speaker 4: kingdom was going to come to an end. and it
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  Speaker 4: would be divided between the Medes and the Persians. Daniel
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  Speaker 4: was given a third of the kingdom to rule. God
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  Speaker 4: was keeping him in a position of influence because there
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  Speaker 4: was work yet to be done in that place. But
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  Speaker 4: what about Belshazzar and his kingdom? That very night, the
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  Speaker 4: Persians attacked and overtook Babylon. The king was killed in
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  Speaker 4: his bed by Darius the Mede. We'll learn more about
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  Speaker 4: the new king the next time we're together. Dear God,
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  Speaker 4: we thank you for including this startling revelation in your word.
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  Speaker 4: We know that you will not be mocked and we
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  Speaker 4: can never stand against you. May your sovereign and supreme
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  Speaker 4: power rule in our hearts through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
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  Speaker 4: We commit our ways to you. We do trust in you.
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  Speaker 4: We thank you for the cross of the Lord Jesus
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  Speaker 4: and the resurrection. And we believe and receive you as
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  Speaker 4: our Savior and Lord. We humble ourselves before you. And
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  Speaker 4: we thank you for your grace in our lives. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 4: Once again, thank you for listening to today's Bible in
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  Speaker 4: a Year podcast. I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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  Speaker 4: make Bible study and prayer a real priority in your life.
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  Speaker 4: And if you are enjoying this podcast, share it with
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  Speaker 4: someone you know, someone you care about, because sharing God's
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  Speaker 4: word has a powerful impact upon people's lives. And if
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  Speaker 4: you want more resources as to how you can find faith,
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  Speaker 4: grow in your faith, develop as a disciple and follower
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  Speaker 4: of Jesus, be sure to visit me at jackgraham.org. We
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  Speaker 4: have plenty of resources that will encourage you and equip
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  Speaker 4: you for life. God bless you.