The Coming Overthrow of Belshazzar

When Babylon fell, we read in Daniel 5 that it occurred the night that King Belshazzar held a booze party using the vessels of the temple (5:2-4). This was the "last straw" signaling the end of the Babylonian empire. Suddenly the handwriting appeared on the wall: "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin." It meant that God had foreclosed upon Babylon and was selling them at sheriff's auction to the Medes and Persians.

That night Belshazzar was killed, and Darius the Mede took over the city at the age of 62.

This November, it will be 62 years since the Palestinian Resolution was passed (Nov. 29, 1947). Next year on May 14, the Israeli state will be 62 years old officially. I think it is prophetically significant that this 62-year cycle is reached in the year 2010.

For many years I have studied the 2,520-year cycle and how modern events have been tied to biblical events that occurred 2,520 years earlier. It really began in 1776 with the founding of the USA precisely 2,520 years after Israel began to be deported by the Assyrians in 745 B.C.

Then in 1800, when Washington D.C. was built and the "Adams family" moved into the White House, the date was 2,520 years after Israel's capital, Samaria, had been conquered and destroyed by the Assyrians. So at one end was the destruction of the capital city, and at the other end was the building of America's capital.

We saw the same thing happen in the history of Judah and Jerusalem, and with Babylon. Babylon became an empire in 607 B.C., and the New Babylon ("Mystery" or hidden Babylon) became an empire in 1914 (2,520 years later) when President Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act, putting us all into bondage to this revived Babylonian Empire.

Babylon conquered Jerusalem in 604 B.C., and 2,520 years later, British General Allenby took Jerusalem without firing a shot in 1917.

Jerusalem fell in 586 B.C., and 2,520 years later America was brought into bankruptcy in 1933-1934.

After a long captivity, we are now coming out of Babylon's dominion, and once again the 2,520-year cycle plays its role in prophecy. Babylon fell to Medo-Persia after being an empire for precisely 70 years (607-537 B.C.). The captivity of Jerusalem was also a 70-year period from 604-534 B.C., since we find that in 534 B.C. the Judahites were allowed to return to their former land in Palestine.

Likewise, 2,520 years later, the captivity of many people by the Soviet Union lasted from 1917-1987. On the USSR's 70th anniversary celebration (1987), President Gorbachev gave his famous speech before the Supreme Soviet that began the decline and fall of the USSR.

This occurred right after the 120th Jubilee from Adam (Oct. 1986 to Oct. 1987).

The next big focus was upon the building of the second temple. The first Judahite refugees left Babylon in 534 B.C., laid the foundation for the temple, and then (because of local opposition) ceased work on the temple until the second year of Darius (520). They finished the temple on March 15, 515 B.C.

534 B.C. plus 2,520 years = 1987 Foundation Laid, but work ceases
520 B.C. plus 2,520 years = 2001 (Sept. 11) Work Resumes
515 B.C. plus 2,520 years = 2006 (March 15) Temple Completed

When we arrived at the final completion date for the temple on March 15, 2006, we saw an unusual sign that our dating was correct. I have written about it before. And then we entered a 3-1/2 year period required to build and cleanse the VESSELS of the temple. This time frame ends on Sept. 15, 2009, about a month from now.

Vessels signify people, but the focus is upon their callings, that is, their area of ministry.

Since September of 2007 we have seen evidence that God is establishing and developing "callings" among His people, to be used in the days of ministry ahead. (Ministries are the application and outworking of divine callings). So this has been developing for the past two years, largely under the surface.

On July 15, 2009, this entire "vessel" theme came to the surface unexpectedly, and we took note that the vessels (as a whole) had been built. We then entered into a cleansing/consecration cycle, which (it appears) culminates 2 months later on Sept. 15, 2009.

Thus, the full 3-1/2 year period from March 15, 2006 to Sept. 15, 2009 is reaching its conclusion next month. This is a very important watch date, especially when we combine it with other things that we are seeing by the Spirit.

It appears that modern Belshazzar is about to misuse the temple vessels once again by using them to praise the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone (Dan. 5:4). It appears that the date to watch is Sept. 15 in this regard, and if so, the handwriting would then be seen on the wall, declaring Babylon to be bankrupt and sold to the creditors (Medes and Persians).

Sept. 15, 2009 is the one-year anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the takeover-agreement for Merrill Lynch in 2008. That, of course, was followed by the collapse of AIG. On Sept. 18, 2008 "financial armageddon" was barely averted, as AIG was nationalized at the cost of $85 billion.

Economists look back on Sept. 15, 2008 as a major turning point in our economic system. They often refer to it as the near collapse of the banking system. (It was more likely the collapse of the main competitor for Goldman Sachs, leaving just one "superpower" in the economic system in America. Goldman Sachs' idea of a depression is when there are no more sheep to fleece.) But at some point this head of gold will be sacked.

As I see it, Sept. 15-19 is a most important "watch" time. It is also the time when the next story of Elisha ought to surface. That is the story found in 2 Kings 4:11-37. It is the story of death and resurrection of the son of the Shunammite woman. It looks to me like we should watch Sept. 15 for the "death" and Sept. 19 for the resurrection (feast of trumpets). Will this overlay with the death of modern Belshazzar? That remains to be seen.

Sept. 19, 2009 is Rosh Hoshana, the feast of trumpets. It is the prophetic day of resurrection. It is probably too early to see the First Resurrection this year, but it looks like a lesser fulfillment of resurrection could be seen this year, probably relating to the vessels of the temple.

In view of last week's petition before the divine court that those who are plotting against us would have their own plots put upon their own heads (like Haman being hanged on his own gallows), it may be that our petition will be answered on Sept. 15-19. It is a little hard to tell at this early date, but again, these are "watch" dates. By what happens, we will know how these things are fulfilled and how we should understand these events.

We had a conference this past week end, where Ron pointed out that last September, when the taxpayers were called upon to bail out the Babylonian banks, in a quirky sort of way it represented the overturning of the tables of the money changers. The creditors became the borrowers; the borrowers became the lenders. Babylon is a walled city ("Wall Street"), and so it falls under the law in Lev. 25:29-30. The American taxpayers "bought" urban property, and so Babylon had one year in which to redeem its property. They cannot do so, of course, so next month, when the year has passed, that "sale" will become permanent.

Babylon is falling, and though they think of this as a simple theft of bailout money, God has tricked them into selling urban property within the wall. Foreclosure is nearing its completion. Watch for a slave revolt.