Acts 12:20-25 Daniel 5:1-31
Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin
There was no greater king than Nebuchadnezzar during the time of his reign, but his earthly kingdom eventually came to an end. His son Belshazzar showed poor judgement as king when he brought the items Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, using them to drink from in defiance of God.
A sign was given to Belshazzar, not in a dream but through a hand, writing on the plaster. This caused the ‘great’ Belshazzar to soil himself.
Belshazzar condescendingly called for Daniel the exile as a last resort to unlock the mystery of the writing, but only after the Queen mother reminded Belshazzar of Daniels abilities and service to king Nebuchadnezzar.
Belshazzar was without excuse for his actions. He knew how God had dealt with Nebuchadnezzar and should have known better than to show contempt towards the true and living God who is able to humble the proud.
Daniel the servant of YHWH outlived the kingdom of Babylon and its kings. We as servants of the true God are heirs of his eternal kingdom and will also outlive the kingdoms of this world thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who humbled himself for our sakes, so that we might live and reign forever with him.