The Jackson herald., 1905-09-28
a5SuI1Da EHoOIs
zzsNl !: :s'ol}- !
oNE-ocToBER
the L0rd is

now drawing near 10 tne close Oi lhe
seventy years dating from the begin
ming Of the captivities B. c. 60G.D for
which period jeremiah had foretold
that the exile should continue tJer.
25: 12).
We now come to the providential
movements which made the Return
possible A new king. and a new pol
icy. now took possession Of the empire
that held the Jews captive. Cyrus the
Persian conquered Babylon.
Babylon the Great. From the time
OF Nebuchadnezzar's father tB. c. 62b)
Babylon rose in grandeur, power and
extent, till II became, under Nebuchad-
nezzar, such a city as never was seen
before, the most magnificent and beau
tiful city Of antiquity.
Belshazzar. The nominal king OF
Babylon at this time was Nabonidus.
lie was a most scholarly man rather
than ruler, interested In his country's
institutions. and making most valuable
records on clay cylinders. There Is,
says Mr.. Pinches. every probability
that Belshazzay. the son Of Nabonidus,
was the real ruler" We have learned
about Belshazzar from these tablets
and inscriptions lately discovered In
the ruins of Babylon. He was the
crown prince, and may well have been
acting as king during his fathers alb
sence from the city at this time,
though he is not called king on the
tablets.
Cyrus the Conqueror OF Babylon, the
king OF Elan, Media, and Persia, ap-
pears on the horizon at this time, ad-
vancIng toward Babylon, in his vic
torIous career. with his wide-extended
troops whose numbers like the waters
OF river could not be known" fle
entered Babylon without fighting
which agrees with both Herodotus and
Daniel. His policy was entirely diff.
ferent from that of the previous kings,
and opened the way for the return Of
the eXiles.
H. Belshazzars Great Feast.--Vs
a. Belshazzar was a youth flushed
with the excitement OF almost uncon-
trolled power. Even while Cyrus was
approaching with his victorious army.
the young man, secure in the unriyal-
ed strength OF his city defenses, made
a great feast to a thousand of the no
blcs. probably In E-sagila, the magnif-
cent temple of Belus, within the walls
Of Babylon.
Belshazzar was seated on his throne
OF gold. From Daniels words to the
king Tvs. %, 23) we learn that the
young king used the sacred vessel Of
the Jewish temple as an act of de-
fance TO the t.ue God. boasting that
his heathen gods were greater and
stronger than Jehovah since they had
made captives OF his people, little real
iZing that the very reason why God
had permitted the Jews to be made
captives was on account OF their turn
ing to idols and their cherished sins,
and as a means of disciplining them
from all idolatry.
III. A Hand Writing His Doom on
the Wall.-Vs. SO. In the midst of the
carousal, the king saw the fingers of
n mans hand writing strange words,
letters of fate and characters of
fear" on the wall in the full blaze of
the candlestick, perhaps the great gol-
den candlestick taken from the tenn
pie. There is something blood-curd-
ling in the visibility of but part of
the hand and its busy writing. No
wonder IL the riotous mirth was frozen
into awe. and the wine lost flavor"
THE portent astounded and horri-
fed him. The flush of youth and OF
wine faded from his cheek; his bright.
nesses were changed his thoughts
troubled him; the bands of his loins
were loosed his knees smote one
against another in his trembling atti.
tude as he stood arrested by the aw.
full sight With n terrible cry he or
dered that the whole familiar tribe OF
astrologers and soothsayers should be
summoned. ."-FarraT.
~. Daniel Summoned to Interpret
the Writing.-Vs. 1923. Belshazzar,
in his terror and horror, summoned
his wise men to declare what the
strange apparition and the blazing let
ters meant, and promised great re-
wards to the one who should interpret
them; but all failed. Either they could
not make sense of the letters. or could
not perceive what meaning they had
Even If they had understood, It is not
likely that one of them would dare to
speak 1t out before the king.
Then the queen mother, mother Of
BelshaZzar came in and spoke of Dan
lei as one who had shown great gifts
at Interpretation to his grandfather
Ncbuchadnezzar. The event took
place more than thirty-five years be-
fore. and nothing is known of Daniel
In the interim. Daniel was sent for,
and came into the festival hall. He
heard the kings offer, and then spoke
brave and true words which might cas-
lily cost him his life. II was one of the
most courageous acts in history, We
cannot appreciate the greatness OF
Daniels course without seeing him in
the excited crowd Of princes, under
the influence OF wine, the king on the