The Caldwell Commentaries Podcast Caldwell Commentaries

Daniel chapter 5 contains the downward spiritual journey of the last king (Belshazzar) of the ancient Babylonian Empire - it is also a microcosmic, prophetic picture of the downward spiritual journey of the whole anti-God, Israeli-oppressive world system.  As the proud young king rejected the testimony of his grandfather (Nebuchadnezzar) about the truth of Daniel's Most High God and had not sought wisdom from God's true "wise man," Daniel during all the years of his rule - preferring to trust in his false "gods" and the flattering false counsel of his foolish young peers, so has gone world history.  As Belshazzar, his lords and their women fulfilled the lust of their flesh and deceived themselves into thinking that "peace and safety" prevailed within their Babylonian fortress, the fact was that their enemies were in the very process of infiltrating the city!  
Since Babylon's fall the night of Belshazzar's foolish feast, the world's nations and people groups have likewise foolishly neglected to keep out the great thief, Satan.  They have fallen prey to his many "alluring tricks" that numb their minds from the truth of the perilous condition without God.  Every ruler, nation, and individual without Him in, like Belshazzar, "one hour" from sudden destruction.

The arrogant, degenerate young King Belshazzar of Babylon had directly challenged God by using the holy vessels stolen from God's House (the Temple in Jerusalem) to praise his worthless chunks of metal, wood, and stone that his pagan culture called "gods".  Putting his ridiculous "gods" against the all-powerful Supreme God was extremely foolish and met with an immediate, very frightening response!  Supernatural fingers appeared from out of nowhere to write a cryptic message on the candlestick illuminated plaster wall near the king's throne!  Belshazzar's drunken red face instantly turned deathly white.  His knees knocked together in total fear.  Not a single idol-worshipper in his kingdom could interpret the message.  So, finally the king met Daniel, whose Babylonian name was Belteshazzar.  
Learn the mysteries of "The Handwriting on the Wall," for they are fascinating and rich in meaning.  Remember this: God not only numbers our days, He weighs our lives!  

In Daniel chapter 25, which is the record of events that took place 25 years after King Nebuchadnezzar's public testimony to the greatness of the Most High God (see 4:2, 37), we meet Nebuchadnezzar's grandson, Belshazzar.  He turned out to be the final king of the ancient Babylonian Empire.  He was a degenerate, drunken fool, who learned nothing from the experience of his grandfather.  He brazenly desecrated the Temple vessels of God in drunken toasts made to his false "gods" with all his young and equally foolish and immoral peers.  It marked the end of him and the end of the Babylonian Empire.  Everything ended abruptly in one night, just as Mystery Babylon the Great and the king of the final Gentile world empire will come crashing down in one day (Revelation 14:8; 18:8).

Will post a blurb on this lesson on Daniel 4:28-37 at a later time.
This lesson is about King Nebuchadnezzar's great humiliation, as he lived like an ox in the field for seven years, after he claimed for himself glory that belongs only to God.  It is also on the king's great humiliation, when he lived like an ox in the field for 7 years after having claimed for himself the glory that belongs only to God.

Daniel 4:19-27
Telling the most powerful man on earth he is about to be "cut down" is not the most desirable aspect of the "job description" of a prophet, who doubled as a prime minister, but that was exactly what God required of Daniel.  As soon as Daniel heard Nebuchadnezzar's second God-given dream, his God-given gift of dream interpretation "kicked in," for he knew what it meant.  It predicted great shame and disgrace for the king, and Daniel had come to love the king - as chapter 4 shows us. 
Learn about the meaning of the great tree of Nebuchadnezzar's dream and the significance of it being cut down and trimmed, but leaving the stump with the roots in the ground.  Find out the judgment, purpose, and  hope of the dream and listen to Daniel give personal counsel to the king; that counsel was essentially this: "King, you have one of two choices.  You can either humble yourself before the Most High God and accept His grace, or you can experience great humbling for 7 years".  
What did the mighty king decide to do?  Listen and find out.
 

The grande finale!  You DO NOT want to miss this exciting end to the account of Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, who were cast into the fiery furnace for their stedfast obedience to God's command to not bow before any other "god".  Lo and behold, they were not instantly "turned to toast"!  In fact, they were so completely protected and preserved from the flames of great tribulation, there was not even the smell of smoke upon them!  Their greatest blessing, however, was that they enjoyed fellowship with none other than the preincarnate Son of God, Who was in the furnace with them!
Did you know those three Hebrews are picture-types of the 144,000 sealed, believing Jews of the "fiery furnace" Tribulation days?  Where was Daniel in this story?  Why wasn't he among the three who would not bow to an idol (the Antichrist will also set up an idol of himself and force the world to bow to it)?  For sure, if Daniel had been there, he would not have bowed or budged - and then, like his friends, he would not have burned.  Daniel was not present because he pictured believing Jews of the Church, and the Church will not be thrown into the fiery furnace of the Tribulation Period on earth (see our podcast on the Rapture, under the tag "Revelation and End Times").