Last week we talked on the importance of letting God have revenge.
- When we forgive we give room for God, while anger gives room for satan
- When we forgive, we stand by God
- We must learn to hear from God when it comes to bringing justice to those who can’t fight for themselves
1. The Silver Kingdom comes
In the dream of the statue the gold kingdom is going to be taken over by the silver kingdom.
The Story of Daniel 5
This is 31 years after the humbling of Nebuchadnezzar where he finally acknowledges God is king. Nebuchadnezzar had a son named Nabonidus. He is a warrior who is often off fighting the Medes and Persians. Belshazzar his son is on the throne because dad is off fighting. They are having a party because Nabonidus was defeated by Cyrus. The party is either we are done so let’s party or the Persians will never get into Babylon so we are safe. While drinking, they bring out the cups that were used to worship God in Jerusalem and drink from them praising their own gods. Suddenly a hand appears and writes on the wall. Belshazzar is shaken and ask for his wise men to come and tell him what it means. His grandmother comes in and tells him about Daniel. Daniel comes before the king and tells the story of his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar. “You have forgotten the lessons of your Grandfather and not h0onored the God who gives you breath.
Mene = Numbered
Tekel = Weighed and not measured up
Parsin Divided between the Medes and Persians
Belshazzar honors Daniel and makes him third in the kingdom that night the Medes kill Belshazzar.
2. The purpose of Babylon
Webster defines politics as The science of government; that part of ethics which has to do with the regulation and government of a nation or state, the preservation of its safety, peace, and prosperity, the defense of its existence and rights against foreign control or conquest, the augmentation of its strength and resources, and the protection of its citizens in their rights, with the preservation and improvement of their morals
Government serves two purposes
- Punish evil Vs 4
- Reward good Vs 3
We are not to repay evil for evil as we saw last week, but the government is God’s agent of wrath in this world. They carry the sword
God used Babylon to punish Israel for forsaking Him. Babylon was worse than Israel, it didn’t matter because Israel had more knowledge of God.
Back to the definition of politics Ethics and Morals are two words that jump out.
If government has the power to be an agent of God’s wrath, then they better have some concept of Ethics and Morals.
Daniel 5: 27 You have been found lacking and not measured up. They fell short of the ethics and morals of God.
Results of lands that lost their moral codes and ethics leaving the only definition of what is right and wrong being what benefits the state
80 million since 1946 circle the globe three times.
3. What about the United States
Many definitions in our own country about what is Ethics and Morals to the point of United States is deserving of the same judgment. United States not mentioned in end times. There is also no mention of
- Latin America
- Central America
- Europe outside of the Roman Empire
- Any part of Northern Asia beyond Russia
- Africa outside of Egypt and Ethiopia
Don’t know what is in store but none of those are mentioned. I think all of these areas have a role to play in the end times
4. Church and Government
Last week we need to hear from God about what to do about ethics and morals. We do have a problem because there are no democracies in the Bible, but there are guidelines for what we are to act in relation to the government.
- Pray with thanksgiving for them
1 Timothy 2: 1 – 4 1 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God’s mercy upon them, and give thanks. 2 Pray this way for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth
Pray for God’s mercy on them and give thanks (Stumble of another party should not give us joy)
What about Hitler that is a little big for me so I will start with what I know
- View everyone from God’s perspective
2 Corinthians 5: 16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view.
Not as liberals or conservatives but as saved and not in relationship with God.
- Israel asked for a king because Samuel’s sons were corrupt (1 Samuel 8: 1, 2)
Vs 20 We want out king to go before us and fight our battles
Who was to go before Israel and fight their battles?
Deuteronomy 1: 30 The LORD your God which goes before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes