The Writing on the Wall: Babylon's Final Judgment

Daniel 5

1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.

2 Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.

3 Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.

4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

5 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

6 Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.

7 The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.

8 Then came in all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.

9 Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.

10 Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:

11 There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;

12 Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.

13 Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?

14 I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.

15 And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing:

16 And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.

17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

18 O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:

19 And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.

20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:

21 And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.

22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;

23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:

24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.

25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.

27 TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

29 Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.

31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.

The Doom of Babylon: An Analysis of the Handwriting on the Wall

The mysterious handwriting on the wall of King Belshazzar’s palace represents the definitive moment of judgment for the Babylonian Empire, signaling the transition of world power to the Medo-Persian EmpireDAR 97.2+1. This event occurred during a night of impious revelry, where the king and his lords defied the God of heaven by profaning the sacred vessels taken from the temple in JerusalemBEcho September 17, 1894, par. 1+1. The appearance of a bloodless hand tracing letters of flame upon the palace plaster served as a divine witness to their sacrilege, declaring that the kingdom had been weighed in the scales of heaven and found wanting4BC 1170.7+1.

The Context of Sacrilege and Defiance

Belshazzar, the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, ruled as the second monarch in the kingdom, associated with his father NabonadiusETI Daniel.5+1. Despite knowing the history of his grandfather—how Nebuchadnezzar had been humbled by God and driven to live with the beasts until he acknowledged the sovereignty of the Most High—Belshazzar failed to humble his own heart Daniel 5:18-22YI November 9, 1893, par. 6+1. On the night of his final feast, he hosted a thousand of his lords, drinking wine and praising gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone Daniel 5:1-4BEcho September 17, 1894, par. 1. In a crowning act of defiance, he commanded that the golden and silver vessels consecrated to the service of Jehovah be brought forth for use in this lascivious festival Daniel 5:2-3FEE 76.1+1.

The Supernatural Manifestation

At the height of this sacrilegious mirth, the hilarity was suddenly checked by a terrifying supernatural omen1888 961.2. A bodiless, bloodless hand appeared, tracing mystic characters upon the wall over against the candlestick Daniel 5:5DAR1909 103.2+1. The king’s reaction was one of immediate and overwhelming terror: his countenance changed, his thoughts troubled him, the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote together Daniel 5:6DAR1909 103.2+1. While the king could not read the unknown language, his aroused conscience interpreted the flashing characters as a denunciation of his sinsTM 435.2+1. He cried aloud for his astrologers and wise men, promising that whoever could interpret the writing would be clothed in scarlet, wear a gold chain, and be made the third ruler in the kingdom Daniel 5:7DAR1909 103.2+1.

The Interpretation by Daniel

When the wise men of Babylon proved unable to read or interpret the writing, the queen-mother suggested calling for Daniel, whom Nebuchadnezzar had made master of the magicians because of his excellent spirit and understanding Daniel 5:10-12SDP 70.2+1. Daniel was brought before the king and, after disclaiming the offer of rewards, he faithfully delivered the message from God Daniel 5:17DAR 97.2+1. He first rebuked Belshazzar for his pride and for failing to glorify the God in whose hand his breath was Daniel 5:23PK 529.3. Daniel then read and interpreted the four words:

• MENE: God has numbered the kingdom and finished it Daniel 5:26DAR 97.2+1.

• TEKEL: The king has been weighed in the balances and found wanting Daniel 5:27RR 188.2+1.

• PERES (or UPHARSIN): The kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians Daniel 5:28DAR 97.2+1.

Historical Fulfillment and Moral Legacy

The divine sentence was executed without delaySITI September 17, 1885, page 566.4. That very night, while the revelry continued, the forces of Cyrus the Persian entered the city by diverting the river Euphrates, seizing the undefended gateways Isaiah 45:1SITI September 17, 1885, page 566.9. Belshazzar was slain in his palace, and Darius the Median took the kingdom Daniel 5:30-31ASC 136.6+1. The accuracy of this record is supported by the fact that Daniel was made "third ruler," as Belshazzar himself was second to his father NabonadiusBEST January 15, 1889, page 25.3+1. Furthermore, the "bloodless hand" that wrote the doom of Babylon is the same hand that rent the temple veil from top to bottom at the moment of Christ’s death, signaling that the earthly sanctuary service had met its end1BC 1107.7+2.

In summary, the writing on the wall serves as a perpetual warning that God is an uninvited Witness at every gathering and that all actions are weighed in the balances of His immutable law 1 Samuel 2:3YI November 9, 1893, par. 1+1. It demonstrates that no earthly power can shut out the messengers of doom once a nation or individual has filled the cup of their iniquityCOL 258.4+1. Babylon fell because of intemperance and pride, reminding all future generations that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of menARSH May 31, 1898, page 348.1+1.