Part Five of END TIME SERIES►Daniel 5: THE FALL OF BABYLON & THE RISE OF MEDO-PERSIA.

►Sat/Feb 1/2014|||Part Five of END TIME SERIES►Daniel 5: THE FALL OF BABYLON & THE RISE OF MEDO-PERSIA. (How Babylon was conquered by Medo-Persia in fulfillment of prophecy).

Medo-Persia tried hard to conquer Babylon but to no avail. The night King Belshazzar was feasting, Medo-Persian army encamped outside the walls of Babylon, unable to enter. History says Cyrus & his uncle Darius, who led the army disguised themselves & were employed as gate keepers at the royal palace. Being alarmed at the mysterious handwriting on the wall, the King Belshazzar feared someone would disguise himself &enter the palace to kill him. So he gave orders to his two doorkeepers to behead anyone who tried to enter into the the city that night, even if such person claimed to be the king himself.

Don' forget, his grand Dad Nebuchadnezzar also took such a hasty decision before. When Daniel narrated & interpreted the Parts of the Statue in the dream in Chapter 2, the king, due to fear of losing his kingdom (the head, made of gold) quickly made a statue of gold from head to foot. Meaning, his kingdom should stand forever &demanded everyone should worship it. It wasn't surprising that, years later, his grandson would make similar hasty humanistic decision.

On the contrary, his effort accelerated the fulfillment of the prophecy. The night, after Daniel interpreted the Mysterious Handwriting on the wall, after giving those orders to the two gatekeepers, king Belshazzar felt sick & left the palace unnoticed through a rear/back exit. When returning, as if he forgot the very orders he had already given them. He begged the gatekeepers to let him in because he was a king; but they refused him.They said, "Has not the king ordered us to put to death any one who attempts to enter the palace, even if he claims to be the king himself?" Suiting the action to the word, Cyrus & Darius grasped a heavy ornament forming part of a candelabrum, and with it shattered the skull of their royal master (Cant. R. iii. 4).

Now, when King Belshazzar was killed, the way was paved for Babylon to be conquered. But as we learned, Babylon was a great city built by Nebucchadnezzar (14miles by 14miles, surrounded by walls of 350ft high & 90ft thick. It also had the Hanging Garden, one of the seven wonders of the world). So it was very difficult for Cyrus & his Uncle Darius to penetrate to invade it. There was a soft spot of entrance to Babylon; that was where River Euphrates flowed from, through the middle of the city. It was heavily protected by iron gates always. But at this, because the river was full, they opened the gates; for they thought no one could enter Babylon through that end. But Cyrus invented a scheme; he dug channel &diverted its course to another lake to bypass Babylon. The result was that Euphrates dried up & in that night, Medo-Persian army, led by Cyrus & uncle Darius, entered Babylon & that was the end of the Kingdom of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar reigned for 45yrs, Evil-Merodach 23yrs & Belshazzar was a monarch of Babylonia for only 2yrs (was killed at the beginning of his third year on the fatal night of the fall of Babylon). So, the three kings, together, reigned over Babylon for seventy(70) yrs. Daniel was then about 87yrs; a clear indication that he came into exile at the age not more than 17yrs. The Kingdom of Babylon came to an end & the Kingdom of Medo-Persia became the world super-power -- exactly in fulfillment of Prophecy.

God willing, on Sunday & Monday, February 2 & 3, 2014, we shall see the Lessons we have to learn From Daniel Chapter 5.

Samuel Kwasi Forkuo
ALL GLORY TO GOD

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