Belshazzar throws a feast for Babylon's elite while the city is under siege by the Medo-Persians. Unaware that his father has already been defeated, Belshazzar drinks heavily and commits sacrilege by drinking from holy vessels from the Temple in Jerusalem. That night, a disembodied hand writes a cryptic message on the wall that is interpreted by Daniel as meaning Babylon's downfall. The Medes and Persians enter the city that same night through the drained river, killing Belshazzar, and fulfilling God's prophecy through Jeremiah of Babylon's destruction.

1. Daniel 5
Verse 1
• Belshazzar has a party of
drunkeness for Babylon’s elite
• It’s the type of setting you had to
have to have connections to get
invited to in the first place

2. Daniel 5 Verse
1
• But hold on a second, what
is the condition of Babylon
while Belshazzar is
throwing this party?
• Babylon is being
besieged by Medo-
Persia under the
leadership of Cyrus

3. Daniel 5 Verse 1
Who in their right mind would throw a
party while their country is in the middle
of a siege?
Recall Babylon’s siege of Israel that
was so severe women were eating
each other’s babies!

4. What
Belshazz
ar
Knows:
• Belshazzar is a Co-Regent
meaning he is sharing the
throne with his dad
Nabonidus
• His dad is outside the gates
fighting the Medo-Persians
• The very night of the feast is
a full moon

5. What
Belshazzar
Knew:
• Belshazzar is behind
85ft of Brick
• Division of the
Babylonian Army
inside with him
• 40 year food supply

6. Belshazzar
likely does
not know:
Nabonidus has been defeated 2 days
prior to Belshazzar’s feast and has fled in
exile
Tigris Euphrates River diverted and
Gates breached by the Medo - Persians
General at his gates wants Belshazzar
dead because Belshazzars dad had killed
his son
It is the season of Yom Kippur: Day of
Reckoning

7. Verse
2 & 3
• While intoxicated Belshazzar
goes too far...
• He decides to defile God’s
holy vessels...

8. Verse 5 &
6
On seeing the hand Belshazzar is so
terrified his knees literally violently
knock against one another and he
literally soils himself:
“joints of his bowels were loosed.”

9. Verse 10-
12
• The Queen reminds the King that
in his realm is one within whom
the Spirit of God dwells.

10. Daniel 5
• Daniel interprets the
message for the king – that
he has been judged by God
and that the king would have
his kingdom taken away
from him

11. Daniel 5
• Mene – numbered
• Tekel – weighed
• Parsin – Persians
• It was in the Aramaic language

12. Daniel 5
• That very night Daniel was
honored with “the third position in
the kingdom”
• Belshazzar was killed when
Darius the Mede entered Babylon
and took over the capital city

13. Daniel 5
How did the
Medes and
Persians enter
Babylon?

14. Daniel 5
• Two and a half weeks later,
Cyrus led the main army into
Babylon where he was
welcomed by crowds of
people throwing leafy
branches in his path
• He then established Darius
as ruler over Babylon

15. Daniel 5
• Why did this happen to Babylon?
• Jeremiah 50:9, “Behold, I am stirring up
and bringing against Babylon a
company of great nations, from the
north country, and they shall fight
against her.”
• Jeremiah 51:36, “I will dry up her sea
and make her fountain dry.”
• Jer. 50:39, “she (Babylon) will never be
inhabited again.”