The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1922-07-13
LESSON FOR JULY IS
THE HANDWRITING ON THE
WALL.
LESSON TExT-Dan. e:i-si.


GOLDEN TEXT-God will bring every
work into judgment. with every secret
thing whether II be good, or whether IL
be evil-Eccl 12H
REFERENCE MATERIAI-Gen. I'll
q: Exod 14.2l-31; Eek. 3i:i-l4; Acts IL;
9-2.
PRIMARY ToPIC-Daniei Tells the
King Of His Wrong Doing.
JUNIOR ToPIC-Belshazzar's Feast
and Fate
INTERMEDIATES AND SENIOR TOPIC
judgment Against King Alcohol
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC
How to Enforce the judgment Against
Strong Drink.
!. BeIshazzar's Inpious Feast tvv.
1-4).
l. Who attended wv. !, y. Bel
shazzar. his wife and concubines and
thousand Of his lords.
2. Behavior thereat wv. 3, ~.
% They drank vine; they engaged
in revelry. (2) They committed sac
rilege. In their drunken revelry they
drank wine out of the sacred vessels
which had been taken out of the
temple. Of the house Of God, which
WIS at Jerusalem. When men are I'M
der the influence of intoxicating
liquors they lose all regard for sacred
things (3) They worshiped idols.
They prayed to gods of gold and of sill
yer. of brass. Of iron. wood anG stone.
". The Handwriting on the Wall
wv. 5-16).
|. The time of ". ~. II occurred
in the same hour in which they were
engaged in their drunken revelry.
Q. The effect upon the king ". 81.
He was greatly disturbed; he was
seized with CONSERVATION. "The joints
Of his loins were loOsed. and his knees
smote one against another"
3. The kings behavior wv. 7-16).
1) He called forth astrologers and
soothsayers. offering rewards of gold
and position ". 7-9). Their utter in
ability to interpret the writing left
the king even worse perplexed.
(2) Daniel brought at the suggestion
of the queen (vv. 1910. The queen
here was perhaps the wife of Nebu-
| chadneZZar who remembered DanieTs
service in interpreting his dream. For
| that reason he was sent for and prom
| Used great reward.
~. Daniel interpret, the Writing
wv. 1929.
l. Daniels address to the king (vv.
| 17-24). He brushes aside his prom
Used gifts ". ~. He would MOI have
his speech limited by the kings lifts
2. The Interpretation of the writing
wv. 25-2S). % "Mene" means num-
bered" w. 26). God hath numbered
thy kingdom and finished it," (2) 'Te-
KEEL" means weighed" ". 2O. Thou
art weighed in the balances and art
found wanting" (3) "Peres" means
divided" ". 2S). "Thy kingdom Is
divided, and given to the Modes and
Persians.'
". The Judgment Executed wv.
29-3D.
In that night was Belshazzar slain
and Darius the Medean took the king
dom.
| The Chaldean dynasty ended with
Belshazzar. So we may interpret this
whole scene as pointing to the con-
ditions at the close Of the times Of
the Gentiles and as adumbrating the
prevailing conditions. Let US note:
! /. The stupidity of men. They, like
people today, would not learn by ex-
ample. Nebuchadnezzar's fate should
have deferred Belshazzar from such
frivolity.
2 The magnificent splendor. This
/ ahar or NV
pOmp, display, parade. How charac-
teristic Of this age
| g. Luxury. The famous hanging
gardens of Babylon were Il notewOr-
thy example Signs Of luxury today
are on every hand.
| 4. Licentiousness. The king with his
wives and concubines. This is notO-
riously prevalent today.
5. Blasphemous sacrRege. And may
not the sacrilege of today be in ex-
cess of theirs, expressing itself in ~
a profession of religion for pecuniary
gain, social and political preferment ;
l2) use of the pulpit and of the min
istry for display and notoriety, even
for the propagation of false doctrine ;
CD uniting with the church, attend
ing the communiop, 50 as TO cover up
secret sins; (4) the use of the Word
Of God to give point TO a Joke; (5) de-
nying that the Bible is Gods Word,
making II a book Of errors, myths and
legends; 90 sneering AT the Virgin
birth, repudiating Christ's deity and
setting aside His vicarious atOnement.
o. Drunken carousals. The hand
writing is ON the wall. God will not
endure this forever; His judgment
shall fall. Conditions in the world
Indicate that the time is drawing
near. Are you readyi