What is the meaning of Daniel 5:26? And this is the interpretation of the message - Daniel begins with certainty: “interpretation” comes directly from God, not guesswork. Just as in Daniel 2:28—“there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries”—the Lord again unveils what human wisdom cannot. - Joseph voiced the same confidence in Genesis 40:8, reminding fellow prisoners, “Do not interpretations belong to God?” The pattern is clear: whenever God speaks, He also clarifies. - This assures us today that Scripture means what it says. We do not need to dilute or revise it; we simply receive and relay it. MENE - The single word appears twice on the wall (v. 25), underscoring urgency. Repetition in Scripture often signals emphasis, much like Jesus’ “Truly, truly” in John 3:3. - “Mene” means “numbered.” Job 14:5 agrees: “Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with You…” Every pulse is on God’s timetable. - Psalm 139:16 adds that all our days “were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” Kings and commoners alike live on a divine countdown. - Luke 12:20’s rich fool learned this overnight: “This very night your life will be required of you.” The handwriting on Belshazzar’s wall offers the same sobering reality. God has numbered the days of your reign - The declaration is specific: not merely numbering Belshazzar’s life, but his reign. God rules over rulers. Daniel 2:21 affirms, “He removes kings and establishes them.” - Romans 13:1 reinforces that “there is no authority except from God,” so a throne lasts only as long as He permits. - Belshazzar had mocked the sacred vessels from Jerusalem (Daniel 5:2–4). By numbering his reign, God publicly answers the blasphemy. - Jeremiah 25:12 foretold Babylon’s fall after seventy years; the prophetic stopwatch has reached zero. and brought it to an end - The verdict is already executed in heaven, and within hours it will be visible on earth: “That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain” (Daniel 5:30). - Isaiah 14:22 predicted the Lord would “cut off from Babylon name and remnant.” The end of Belshazzar marks the beginning of that dismantling. - Finality reminds us that God’s patience has a limit. Galatians 6:7 warns, “God is not to be mocked.” Judgment may seem delayed, but it arrives right on schedule. - For believers, this is both caution and comfort: caution against pride, comfort that evil never ultimately prevails. summary Daniel 5:26 teaches that God Himself counts and concludes every human reign. “Mene” declares heaven’s stopwatch has hit zero for Belshazzar. The same sovereign Lord who numbers days then ends them, proving His absolute authority and the inerrant reliability of His Word. |
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