We have seen a succession of miracles in the Book of Daniel. Those miracles achieved a great deal: they revealed the tumultuous changes that God was going to bring about in the empires of the world; they preserved the lives of God’s faithful servants; they humbled the most powerful of rulers on earth; they kept Jews from genocide and restored their comforts, all on account of the believing remnant among them. But what miracles never succeeded in doing – and God knew they wouldn't achieve this – was that they never saved anybody. Nebuchadnezzar had three great miracles shown to him; he had these extraordinary experiences. After both of the first two, his pride reasserted itself. We cannot be sure if Nebuchadnezzar was finally saved during his period of madness, but if so, it was through the work of the Spirit of God in bringing him to submit to the one true God. We think back to the 1980s when the late John Wimber became extraordinarily popular in Britain and America. His books were immensely popular and influenced many people and gave rise really to the whole movement of so-called Vineyard churches. An American man and a teacher within the Charismatic Movement: he brought in his own style of healing and prophecy, and his great point was that when Christ was on earth, and the apostles, they never saved souls without there being a power encounter, and every time they preached or witnessed there had to be a power encounter. Of course that was ridiculous nonsense, because anyone can go through the New Testament and look at all the occasions when Christ taught, and it is by no means true to say that there was always what Wimber would have called a power encounter. There was most certainly not always a miracle. But right from the Old Testament, miracles never saved. That was not what they were intended to do. And through the Book of Daniel these great supernatural interventions and miraculous events: they didn’t save. They did what God intended them to do, which was wonderful: they denoted his sovereignty and preserved the lives and the peace of his people, but they didn't save. We see from this fifth chapter the importance of the word, and the centrality of the word of God, and the power by the work of the Spirit of the word of God.
Although we are looking at Belshazzar, an unbelieving king, we learn too as believers. Be careful as Christian people. There is a culture these days of critical thinking and self-expression, and you are encouraged to think what you like, express your opinion, follow your desires, and young people are coached non-stop as an older generation never were. Past generations were put down by their elders. But today the whole idea is, you are special, and your opinions and your thoughts and your feelings matter. But then, by God’s grace you are delivered; you are saved. You are given a new perspective, a new life. Christ comes to your life; the Holy Spirit dwells within, and that way of thinking, that whole outlook which the world drilled into you, has got to be rejected. It is anti-God; it is anti-Christ. But it isn't easy. So, we say particularly to the young: be very careful. When you are converted to Christ, and you find yourself thinking, ‘Yes, but I think this, or I'd like that, or my opinion is this. I feel this is right; I don't agree with that; I think it should be like this.’ Watch yourself! This is what Satan has programmed for you through your worldly past. Now it should be: ‘What does the Lord say? What are the Scriptural standards? What is right, and what is in the word?’ It’s quite different now. Do watch that, because the world puts its stamp upon you, and part of sanctification is to get rid of that stamp and to be a servant of God and humble before him and obedient to him.
One problem has bothered some people, and that is that it was almost bloodless, though not entirely. The enemy troops got in; the city collapsed; the empire was down. Yes, but all the prophecies, such as Jeremiah and Isaiah, had said that Babylon would fall with great bloodshed and commotion. And those prophecies did not seem to be literally carried out. But they were, about fourteen years later. Because while Babylon fell quietly, because of the manner, benevolent manner of government – or comparatively benevolent manner of government of Cyrus – the city of Babylon and its region was able to pull itself together, reassert itself, declare independence, and take a stand. And that time it was utterly routed and the prophecies were finally fulfilled. However, that's another story. But this is the account of the fall of Babylon. The sidelined prophet is brought in to announce the end of the reign of the king, the emperor.