Category: pagan idolatry

The Handwriting on the Wall #9

Friday, October 9, 2020

“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” (Daniel 5:5 KJV).

What great Bible truths can we learn from Daniel chapter 5?

Let us finish reading Daniel’s rebuke of King Belshazzar: “[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.”

God’s message to Belshazzar is Aramaic, a mixture of Hebrew and Babylonian: “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.” Scripture defines these terms individually in verses 26 and 27. Paraphrased, “Belshazzar, your reign has reached its termination point. Having served God’s purpose, you and your empire can now fade into history. The Medes and Persians will overthrow Babylon and the city will fall.” Belshazzar is unfazed: God’s words do not bother him. He rewards Daniel as promised, and makes him “the third ruler in the kingdom” (more on this later). That very night, just as God vowed, Babylon is attacked and sacked, and Belshazzar loses his life in battle….

The Handwriting on the Wall #8

Thursday, October 8, 2020

“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” (Daniel 5:5 KJV).

What great Bible truths can we learn from Daniel chapter 5?

Keep reading the chapter: “[16] [Belshazzar addressing Daniel] 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.” Daniel referred to chapter 4, decades prior, when the LORD God cursed arrogant Nebuchadnezzar for seven years.

“[22] And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;…..” Wow! Daniel affirms Belshazzar has willfully repeated his grandfather’s sin, thus provoking God to write on the wall and pronounce Belshazzar’s doom and Babylon’s fall….

The Handwriting on the Wall #7

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

“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” (Daniel 5:5 KJV).

What great Bible truths can we learn from Daniel chapter 5?

Terrified Belshazzar’s “scholars” of religion are wholly unable to decipher God’s message to him, reminiscent of the events surrounding his grandfather King Nebuchadnezzar’s mysterious dream several decades earlier (Daniel chapter 2). As God through the Prophet Daniel illuminated Nebuchadnezzar, so He will use Daniel to teach Belshazzar.

Chapter 5 again: “[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.”

This “queen” (Belshazzar’s mother? Sister? Wife?) recalls Daniel’s amazing proficiency in discerning Nebuchadnezzar’s dream all those decades prior. She suggests Belshazzar summon aged Daniel for translation and explanation. “[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:….”

The Handwriting on the Wall #6

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

“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” (Daniel 5:5 KJV).

What great Bible truths can we learn from Daniel chapter 5?

As Belshazzar, the intoxicated King of Babylon, stared aghast at the mysterious message on his palace’s wall, he futilely sought solace from his “scholarly” religious leaders: “[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.”

First Corinthians chapter 2 says: “[9] But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. [10] But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. [11] For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. [12] Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. [13] Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. [14] But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

The Holy Spirit had written on the wall, so not only could it not be read without Him, it could not be understood without Him….

The Handwriting on the Wall #5

Monday, October 5, 2020

“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” (Daniel 5:5 KJV).

What great Bible truths can we learn from Daniel chapter 5?

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded Jerusalem on three separate occasions between 606 and 586 B.C. The Prophet Daniel, living in the area, was exiled to Babylon in the first invasion (chapter 1). The last attack resulted in Jerusalem’s fall and Solomon’s Temple’s demolition. See 2 Kings chapters 24 and 25, and 2 Chronicles chapter 36. As promised through Jeremiah the Prophet, the Jews would remain in Babylon for 70 years. By the time of Daniel chapter 5, Daniel is still in Babylon—nearly aged 90!

In the context of today’s Scripture, Nebuchadnezzar is long deceased. His grandson, Belshazzar, is King of Babylon, and he is a pagan idolater. What is most offensive to the LORD God, the God of Israel, is the fact Belshazzar has taken the holy vessels from Solomon’s Temple (that his grandfather removed from Jerusalem five decades earlier) and is using them in his raucous, heathen, religious festival! Verses 3 and 4 again: “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. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.”

It is precisely at this moment that JEHOVAH God intervenes to form the heart of the Bible’s famous “handwriting on the wall” passage: “[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.” Some disembodied fingers appear, and write a message on the palace wall! Belshazzar literally goes from partying to trembling….

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God’s Face Shining Upon Us #4

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

“God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah” (Psalm 67:1 KJV).

For the next several days, let us study Psalm 67 and see how it is but a small glimpse into the future.

Read from Psalm 80: “[1] Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. [2] Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us. [3] Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. [4] O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?….”

“[7] Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. [8] Thou hast brought a vine [Israel!] out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. [9] Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land…. [14] Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; [15] And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself. [16] It is burned with fire, it is cut down: they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance…. [18] So will not we go back from thee: quicken [resurrect!] us, and we will call upon thy name. [19] Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”

The curses of the Law have come upon sinful Israel (Leviticus chapter 26; Deuteronomy chapter 28). God has righteously judged her land with extreme hardship—political collapse, military defeat, Gentile oppression, illness, death, pestilence, drought and famine, and so on. The Prophet Daniel confesses his people’s sin, adding: “Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the LORD’S sake” (Daniel 9:17). Likewise, Israel’s believing remnant in Psalms acknowledges their nation’s sins, and asks for Christ’s Second Coming to set everything right again….

God’s Face Shining Upon Us #3

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

“God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah” (Psalm 67:1 KJV).

For the next several days, let us study Psalm 67 and see how it is but a small glimpse into the future.

In the Tabernacle (Moses’ ministry onward), JEHOVAH God manifested His glory: “Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34). When King Solomon constructed the Jerusalem Temple five centuries later, “…the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD” (1 Kings 8:11). By the time of the Prophet Ezekiel 300 years later, the Jews have sinned to such a degree that, “…the glory of the LORD departed from off the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims…. And the glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city” (Ezekiel 10:18; Ezekiel 11:23).

With Israel breaking the Old Covenant by engaging in heathen idolatry, God will continue to hide His face from them (Deuteronomy 31:14-21). Regarding the LORD’S presence leaving Israel six centuries before Christ, He declared: “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek [!] my [!] face [!]: in their affliction they will seek me early. [Israel’s believing remnant confesses….] Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight” (Hosea 5:15–6:2).

Now, carefully re-read Psalm 67 and Psalm 85. Israel’s believing remnant confesses their national sin of idolatry committed for thousands of years. Also, the Little Flock prays for the Lord Jesus Christ’s Second Coming. The face of God—hiding from Israel (He has left Jerusalem and returned to Heaven)—will at last be seen (cf. today’s Scripture). “And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him” (Isaiah 8:17)….

To Look Beyond the Makeup #13

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

“And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window” (2 Kings 9:30 KJV).

Removing her “paint,” what do we see?

Prior to our Dispensation of Grace, Satan’s evil world system contaminated ancient Israel with pagan idolatry (especially through King Ahab and Queen Jezebel). After our Dispensation, this will be repeated via “King” Antichrist and “Queen” Whore of Babylon. Remember, once Satan learns something works to his advantage, he will use it repeatedly. For thousands of years now, false religion has deceived mankind. If it was beneficial to the Devil’s plan then, and it will be helpful to him later, then he is indeed (!) operating it right now… and practically no one detects it!

Scripture explains how the harlot seduces a young man “void of understanding” (Proverbs 7:7). He is among the “simple [uneducated, unskilled] ones.” Carefully read the whole chapter. Exercising great subtilty, she lures him with the promise of physical delight (cf. 1 Timothy 4:1-3). Naïve and uninformed, he absolutely cannot resist. He merrily jumps in bed with her… and then she kills him! That man represents unsuspecting Israel—or even gullible “Christians” today—falling for Satan’s lie program of evil religion. The LORD God gave them His Word, but they ignore that Divine wisdom. Focusing on mere outward appearance (a “painted” face), they lack any sense to realize they have joined themselves to a “woman of the street!”

Finally, consider “eye-opening” 2 Corinthians 11:13-15: “[13] For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. [14] And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. [15] Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” False religion is attractive yet sneaky, Satan’s precise method in Genesis 3:1-6. It shoves aside God’s grace, and stresses our (self-) “righteousness.” With our eyes on the creature, they are off the Creator (Romans 1:25). Ignoring God’s Grace Message through the Apostle Paul, the Bible Books of Romans through Philemon, we have failed to look beyond the makeup… yea… fakeup!

To Look Beyond the Makeup #12

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

“And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window” (2 Kings 9:30 KJV).

Removing her “paint,” what do we see?

Through the Apostle Paul’s ministry, the Holy Spirit warned the Church the Body of Christ, in 1 Timothy chapter 4: “[1] Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; [2] Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; [3] Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. [4] For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: [5] For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

“[6] If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. [7] But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. [8] For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. [9] This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. [10] For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. [11] These things command and teach.”

To locate sound Bible doctrine, a good local church or home Bible study, we must look beyond superficialities. “Go to the church of your choice, the denomination does not matter” is downright foolish. “I love this group because of its multimillion-dollar ‘sanctuary’ and ‘moving worship services’” is downright ignorance. “You belong with us because we alone have these ceremonies and rituals” is stark nonsense. Dear friends, if the Word of God rightly divided is not valued there, if God’s grace is not taught and the Gospel of Grace is not clearly proclaimed there, it is utterly useless.

We now conclude this devotionals arc….

Bible Q&A articles #759 and #760: “What is the ‘judgment’ of Galatians 5:10?” and “Will God kill false teachers?”

To Look Beyond the Makeup #11

Monday, August 31, 2020

“And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window” (2 Kings 9:30 KJV).

Removing her “paint,” what do we see?

While the Book of Proverbs is often considered “God’s wisdom,” we can qualify that. Proverbs is God’s wisdom that Israel must adopt to avoid the pagan idolatry and deception of the Antichrist and his religious system (the Whore of Babylon).

Proverbs chapter 5: “[1] My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding: [2] That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge. [3] For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: [4] But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. [5] Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. [6] Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them. [7] Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth. [8] Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:….”

Now, chapter 7: “[1] My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. [2] Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. [3] Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. [4] Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: [5] That they may keep [guard] thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.” Read verses 6-23, how this prostitute seduces a thoughtless man to have intimate relations with her (like Jezebel attempted to lure Jehu in today’s Scripture!).

“[24] Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. [25] Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. [26] For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. [27] Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.” Israel should heed these warnings, as should we….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Why was the Temple’s veil rent when Christ died?”