 Would you open your Bibles with me tonight to the fifth chapter of Daniel? Daniel chapter 5 verse 1 Daniel 5 Bell Shazer the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords and drank wine before the thousand Bell Shazer While 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 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 In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand and Wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace and The king saw the part of the hand that wrote 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 The king cried aloud The setting here is that Babylon that great magnificent heathen capital was under siege by the Medes and Persians and During this time of besiegement The king as he was engaged in this season of merriment Called for the vessels that were stolen out of the temple of God and they were brought to him and they Began to drink and make merry from those sacred vessels God of course was very displeased with this and so the Bible tells us in this account That there were fingers of a man's hand That were seen and they wrote upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace Something happened when those fingers wrote upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace We recognize tonight that the message was inscribed upon the wall But more than that the message was also inscribed upon the will upon the will of the king and This king reacted the Bible tells us about Belchazer's reaction It says in verse 6 that is he had troubled thoughts It says he had to change countenance and it says he has loose that he had loose and loins in verse 7 The Bible goes on to say that Belchazer engaged in cries and bribes as he sought For someone to read and to explain the handwriting on the wall Now living in Babylon If you wonder tonight what living in Babylon was like I believe that all you need to do is just look around you and you'll see what it was like to live in Babylon Just think about the events that are transpiring in this land in which we live As pilgrims and strangers You recall with me just a few weeks ago on june the 26th The supreme court of this land declared that homosexual marriage was legal in all 50 states You might not know some other events that happened about a month after that But in the space of three days time There were several things that happened One thing that happened was that the supreme court of the state of Oklahoma Made a ruling that the monument the 10 commandment's monument in the state capital of Oklahoma must be removed Another thing that happened in the state of Kentucky A pastor who had been credentialed to consult and to counsel Juveniles who were who were imprisoned or who were detained That individual though he had 10 years of experience was forced to step down Because he would not promise not to counsel against homosexuality In the state of mississippi A a school district was fined several thousand dollars because they opened an assembly with prayer Just a day previous to that in Detroit, michigan Saint and statue was erected there amid much pomp and circumstance late one night as a neared midnight Those are some of the things that happened in the space of three days time In this country in which we live I suppose I don't need to tell you about what happened in Ottawa, canada Just a week ago today when a young man a young christian brother was stabbed by an angry individual Nor should I need to tell you That in the last 42 years Since the supreme court in this nation Legalized abortion There have been 55 million or more babies who have been murdered by the abortionist murderous scalples I don't suppose any to tell you that this nation in recent years has turned her back upon gods chosen people the nation of israel The abrahamic covenant still speaks tonight And god is not pleased when people refuse to bless his people when nations no longer Bless his people and god has promised a consequence to that And so tonight the handwriting is on the wall We're living in babbling all we've got to do is look at the plaster and see the handwriting that god has placed there now bell shazer as he reacted As he had troubled thoughts As he had to change countenance As he had loosened loins as he cried and tried to bribe someone to come and tell him Read the writing and explain the writing to him Bell shazer Wanted someone so badly to just read the handwriting on the wall Let's read verses 25 through 29 in this fifth chapter of daniel Daniel was selected to come and to read the handwriting on the wall Daniel came and read like this This is the writing that was written Meanie Meanie Teacol you farsan This is the interpretation of the thing Meanie god had numbered thy kingdom and finished it Teacol thou art weighed in the balances and art found wanting Periods thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians Then commanded bell shazer 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 Notice the things that are said here Meanie Meanie Teacol you farsan Three things that daniel explained two of them had to do with the kingdom And the third had to do with the individual who was enthroned there in that kingdom First of all the bible says that the kingdom was numbered That means that his days were finished The kingdom was numbered The second thing is that the person was weighed The person was weighed and thirdly the bible says the kingdom was to be divided As we come here tonight in jesus name To worship and to pray together and to fellowship together If we think about the earthly kingdom in which we live You and I have very little opportunity to impact that in lasting ways There are some things we can do but very little opportunity to impact it in lasting ways But dear brother and dear sister tonight We do have an opportunity to do something about the weighing of the person We have the opportunity to look within our own hearts We have the opportunity to meet god in dynamic manner this weekend We are we are in control of this thing to a degree at least The person was weighed god is weighing god is sorting god is measuring us And we want to be sure that we have the measure of the stature the fullness of christ as god measures us as god weighs us We personally can really only in insignificant ways at least impact the weighing It's not a time to be careless We're living in precarious times There is no time to be careless The bible says concerning these three words Meany, Meany, Teacol, Eupharsan That that the kingdom was numbered That the individuals weighed and the kingdom was to be divided That speaks to us about death Our days are numbered we're dying individuals and death is coming But praise god tonight those who have confessed jesus christ those who are living in him those who are walking in victory We recognize that death is only a portal. It's only a gateway to the entrance of glorious and eternal day Numbered speaks of death Wade speaks of judgment the bible tells us in hebrus chapter 9 verse 27 That it is appointed a man wants to die and after this the judgment Divided speaks about hell It speaks about the time when all nations are going to stand before the judge of the earth Matthew chapter 25 portrays the scene when the sheep are rushing to the right hand The goats are sent to the left hand the nations are divided the righteous the unrighteous the holy and profane Meany, Teacol, Eupharsan death judgment hell I insist tonight and I know you that you believe it that we are living in the last days The handwriting is on the wall. These are the last days Paul describes it this way He says these are perilous times 2nd timothy chapter 3 verse 1 This know also That in the last days perilous times shall come For men shall be lovers of their own selves covetous boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to parents Unthankful unholy without natural affection false accusers truthbreakers incontinent Fierce traitors heady high-minded lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof I ask us tonight to those 19 descriptors describe the day in which we're living And I say certainly they do amen. They do Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God having a form of godliness But denying the power thereof From such turn away For of this sort are they which creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with sins led a way of diverse lusts ever learning And never able to come to the knowledge of the truth now as jannies and jamborees Wisted moses so do these also resist the truth. They are men of corrupt minds Reprobate concerning the faith That's the apostle paul's description Of the last days the handwriting is on the wall Peter says it this way He says there are going to be scoffers There are going to be lust driven individuals in the last days Second peter chapter 3 verse 3 There shall come in the last day scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying Where is the promise of his coming for since the fathers fell asleep All things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation For this peter says they willingly are ignorant of that by the word of god The heavens were of old and the earth standing in the water and out of the water Whereby the world that thin was being overflowed with water Parished but the heavens and the earth which are now by the same word Are kept in store reserved unto fire. That's a reservation that no one will ever be late for That's a reservation that will be filled reserved unto fire Against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men Dear ones tonight brother and sister my unconverted friend tonight the handwriting is on the wall There's a great day of god's wrath coming You can just count on it. It's as sure as sure it can be It's as sure as the eternity of god The bible says in revelation chapter 6 verse 12 I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal and lo there was a great earthquake And the sun became black as the sackcloth of hair and the moon became his blood And the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree is shaken with a mighty wind And the revelator goes on to say the scene that he saw The heavens were departed as a scroll when it's rolled together And every mountain and every island were moved out of their places And the rich men the kings the rich men the chief captains the mighty men every bond man every free man Fled out of their places and they went to the dens and to the rocks and the mountains And they cried to the mountains and rocks fallen us and hide us from the face of him That stood upon the throne and from the wrath of the lamb for the great day of his wrath has come And who shall be able to stand? The handwriting is on the wall The time is short My dear friends tonight The time is short brother sister It's not a time for the faint of heart The time is short the question is What will you do? What will you do? The handwriting is on the wall One of the things that we want to do is we want to lift the standard We want to lift the standard The bible says in isaias chapter 59 You all have looked at this verse in the past several days or past several weeks But the bible says when the enemy of the lord When the enemy shall come in like a flood the spirit of the lord shall lift up a standard against him Now notice that speaks about what god is going to do In lifting up the standard when the enemy comes in like a flood god is going to lift up a standard It will happen the holy spirit will see to that But let me ask you to consider another verse Turn over to isaias chapter 61 62 And i want you to think about this verse in connection with isaias 59 19 And i want you to think about what what the prophet is saying here He says isaias 62 verse 10 Go through go through the gates Prepare ye the way of the people Cast up cast up the highway Gather out the stones Lift up a standard for the people now god is going to do his part He is going to do his part the bible says in clear Unmistakable tones the spirit of the lord will lift up a standard against the enemy But the question tonight is are we are you am i going to do my part our part Are we going to do what we should do to lift up a standard We have the opportunity for just a couple of days to be engaged in this standard lifting work In this ministry that babbling of our age so desperately needs as the handwriting is on the wall Lift up a standard isaias says it in verse 10 of chapter 62 He says there's four things to do the first of those is to penetrate Go through go through the gates Get out there speak the message penetrate give testimony of what jesus christ has done for us And speak of god's impending judgment upon this earth Penetrate the second is to prepare Prepare ye the way of the people get them ready Make it make it so they understand prepare the way More than that the third thing is we're to cast up cast up the highway That means to promote lift it up let people see the highway of salvation the salvation of jesus christ Promote and finally there's some purging work that must be done It must be done gather out the stones gather them out get rid of that Remove the hindrances as we think about god's work and our work tonight It ought to bring a very sober sober time of reflection in our hearts now The concluding thought that I'd like to share with you tonight is That every one of us has been created by our wonderful god And more than that we've been redeemed by the blood of jesus christ We are his people the bible says that we are his vessels We are his vessels We want to be used in the service of the master We want him to have free access to us We are his vessels And so many individuals in the day and time in which we live They want to grab the vessels out of the hand of the god who created us out of the god who redeemed us And they want to pour their sacrilegious Juices into that thing and they want to make merriment out of stolen vessels We are god's vessels. We are chosen vessels. We are sanctified. We are to be sanctified in the service of the master Don't try to steal the vessel of god. Don't let anyone else steal the vessel that god has created and entrusted into your care Dear brother. Dear sister tonight The handwriting is on the wall. What are we going to do?