604/603 BC: Babylon established as the dominant world  Empire of the day        + 2,520 years     = 1917/1918 Downfall of the Empires of the Babylonish Succession - Germany, Austria, Hungary, Czarist Russia. General Allenby marched on Jerusalem and the land was freed from its Turkish rule.

539 BC: Belshazzar - Supreme Pontiff of Babylon defiles the vessels of the Jerusalem Temple. In one night his kingdom falls to the Medes and Persians. + 2,520 years = Pope John Paul II - Supreme Pontiff of the Babylonish Mystery Religion, is received in Britain, offers up the idolatrous Mass publicly in the cities of regathered Israel, the "appointed place" of 2 Samuel 7:10. He kissed the ground and claimed the ground.

It was an interesting ‘set-up’ here in Babylon. Belshazzar was king (v.1) … and he wasn’t king!

It was one of those ‘strange’ situations. You do need to get an understanding of the history to catch something of what was going on.     Here is the history:

Nebuchadnezzar lived from 606-562 BC (44/5 years)

His son, Evil-Merodach (“worshipper of Marduk”; chief god of Babylon, equivalent to Baal), succeeded him and reigned for a period of 2 years (562-560 BC).

However, Evil-Merodach was murdered and overthrown by his brother-in-law Neriglissar (559-556 BC).

Neriglissar died and was succeeded by his young son, Labash-Marduk (556 BC), a child king.

There was a palace revolution and that child, Labash-Marduk, was beaten to death by one of the army generals, Nabonidas, and he reigned from 556-539 B.C. (17 years).

During these 17 years he strengthened his hold on the Babylonian throne by marrying Nitokris, Nebuchadnezzar's daughter.

Nabonidas and Nitokris had a son, Belshazzar. Since Nitokris was the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar Belshazzar was the legal heir to the throne … but, practically, he had to share it with Nabonidas, hence Dan. 5:7 And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and show 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.

So this King Belshazzar was a ‘co-regent’ with King Nabonidas and it was a kind of a ‘false rule’ because he was only sitting on the throne ‘in the place of’ (anti) Nabonidas.

He was ruling in the stead of (anti) another. Belshazzar was only the second authority in the Babylonian empire; he was living and working and reigning in another man’s stead, i.e. he was simply representative (anti) of Nabonidus, - the supreme ruler of Babylon.

Babylon stood for all that opposed God, - whether it was under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar, Nabonidus or Belshazzar.

Such was the evil influence and their opposition to God.

You know, the spirit of Babylon has never ceased, … in fact, it has grown.

Back in the days of Belshazzar it covered a large area … but nothing in comparison to what the new Babylon covers today.

That Greek word (anti) can mean “to be in opposition to” or it can equally mean “to be in place of, to represent”.

Babylon stands for everything that opposes God, - His authority, His Word, His ways, His Holiness.

	It not only stands “in opposition to”, but it also stands “in place of” God.
	Turn to Mt. 2: 22  But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of [anti] his father Herod

Paul warned the Thessalonians about the influence of the spirit of Babylon,

II Thess. 2: 3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

Where did this spirit of Babylon begin? Is. 14: 12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

The spirit of Babylon has Satan from hell as its source!

… Back to Daniel 5. Belshazzar didn’t ravage the temple in Jerusalem, - that had already been done, and the temple was lying in ruins.

And how else did he manage to oppose God and take unto himself that which was God’s? Simple … 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.

What did he do? … and what did he encourage others to do? v.4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

Those items that Solomon had dedicated to the glory of God and were to be used for no other purpose but in the worship of Jehovah Belshazzar took them, used them for his own pleasure, and then applied them in the worship of his pagan idols. i.e. he replaced [anti] God.

Don’t you see how we can apply that? The spirit of Babylon has never been removed from this world. It has increased. It affects the lives of every inhabitant upon the face of this earth.

	In governments today the law of God has long been replaced (anti),
	In many churches today the holy God has been replaced (anti) by the old pagan idolatry of human superstitions and human aspirations,
	In society the Word of God is vilified, laughed at, has no relevance and has been replaced (anti). Horoscopes are consulted, reincarnation is believed, eastern mysticism is so subtle that not even many Christians recognise it.

From the throne of Babylon and from its table the spirit of Babylon is very much in evidence today.

God said, “Enough!” While all these powerful men and dignitaries were mocking His Name and mocking the symbols taken from the House of God in Jerusalem He stepped in where He wasn’t invited!

… And when God spoke, the king shook. The party ended! The laughing stopped. The mocking ceased! The golden and silver vessels from the temple of Jerusalem, out of which they were drinking (vv.2,3) … they were now sitting on the table.

That evening in Babylon, the Lord came like a thief in the night … and those people trembled!

	They were no longer drinking their wine,
	They were no longer praising their gods.

… because God Himself came uninvited into their presence!

Babylon wasn’t expecting Him. As far as they were concerned, He was the God of a foreign nation. God had nothing to do with Babylon! Babylon was outside His jurisdiction!

… But God was not outside His jurisdiction; King David wrote, Ps. 47:7 God is the King of all the earth … 8  God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.

There is a day coming when this same God, in the form of the Lord Jesus Christ, will burst in upon this modern-day Babylon, Rev. 1:7  Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.

And that is what was happening around this table of the king’s in Babylon.         He saw the finger writing the words:        … v.6

	His face became all distorted with the fear that rushed through his body,
	His conscience took a tremendous hold upon him,
	The bones of his body tightened, his knees knocked together.

This man and those with him had come face-to-face with the holiness and the awesome power of a terrible God.

This king and those with him were in absolute terror at the coming of God into their midst!

The throne of the king, the table of the king, the king’s trouble and the king’s terror.           On to the scene comes Daniel …

v.12 now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation. 13  Then was Daniel brought in before the king.

It’s important to notice this, - they had to call Daniel! Daniel wasn’t among them.

What had he become? … the queen came in and told Belshazzar, v.11b Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers … and yet, Daniel wasn’t at this big feast … when undoubtedly he could have been!

He stayed away from their company. He didn’t want to share company with Babylon … because Babylon stood in opposition to everything he believed; Babylon stood in opposition to (anti) God!

And Daniel wouldn’t share company with them … and that is why he had to be called in … because he wouldn’t sit with them as they drank out of and mocked the vessels of the beloeved temple in Jerusalem, and neither would he sit with them as they worshipped other gods.

You see the lesson there, don’t you? The ‘table of Babylon’ is no place for the child of God.

How would Daniel have felt if he had been sitting there drinking out of those cups with the enemies of God … enjoying himself … and the finger beginning to write on the wall?!

Babylon is a reality today! The spirit of Babylon is increased. The Bible says, Rev. 17:14 These [Babylon and her allies] shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

Daniel didn’t share their company. … and …

v. 17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another

“I’ll give you all this if you can tell me what the writing on the wall means”, said the king.

“I don’t want it. I don’t want to live off the proceeds of the enemies of God. I’m not looking for your treasure.” said Daniel

Daniel was looking for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God (Heb. 11:10). … not Babylon!

He was relying on the promises God spoke through His prophets, - the promises he believed in that would bring him back to Jerusalem again.       Babylon was not his final home!

That’s why Daniel didn’t share their company or seek their treasure.        
One final thought …

v.23b the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified

He didn’t sit at the table of Babylon, he didn’t seek their treasure, and he didn’t shirk his responsibility.

Who was his first responsibility to? To Belshazzar? No! To the people of Babylon? No! To the captive people of Israel? No!

Who was his first responsibility to then? … God.

	God had brought him to Babylon.
	God had taken him into the court of the king.
	God had given him the ability to interpret dreams.

His first responsibility was to God!

… And he didn’t water down God’s Word. He didn’t smooth the rough edges. He didn’t ‘flavour it to the king’s palate’.

He gave it as he received it from God.

When God lays a passage of Scripture and a message on your heart you daren’t do anything else but preach it as He gives it!

I don’t write the message … I’m only the messenger!

You imagine Daniel standing up in front of those 1000 (v.1) dignitaries, politicians, influential people … and yet he gave them God’s Word … nothing else!

He didn’t shirk his responsibility.

Even before Daniel faced the den of lions (ch.6) he faced the ‘thousand lords’.

Isn’t it a lesson to learn from this prophet of God who by now, - like John on the island of Patmos, - was an old man!

He stood faithfully before the king’s throne,

When many another one half his age would have ran away he stood, - he didn’t sit at the king’s table!, - he didn’t share their company or seek their treasure.

He recognised the king’s trouble and the king’s terror but he spoke the word of God nevertheless, - Daniel didn’t shirk his responsibility.

May the Lord teach us through His Word this evening to stand even as Daniel stood!