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MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN
A Lesson From the Book of Daniel
First, let's begin by re-reading the book of Daniel.
For this lesson, we will quote the necessary verses.
Daniel 4:24-25
24 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree
of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:
25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall
be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee
to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew
of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou
know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and
giveth it to whomsoever he will.
Daniel 4:30-34
30 The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I
built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power
and for the honor of my majesty?
31 While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice
form heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is
spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee:
32 And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling
shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee
to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee,
until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of
men, and giveh it to whomsoever he will,
33 The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar:
and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and
his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were
grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like bird's claws.
34 And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted mine eyes
unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I
blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that
liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
After reading this section allow us to repeat the important point
of these verses:
it is clear that Nebuchadnezzar went HIS OWN way, and went against God
and God's ways. . .
the punishment is to eat grass like a beast for
seven years
until his reason was restored.
Let's take a quick history lesson:
NOTE # 1: This story is BEFORE the time of Rome.
NOTE # 2: The months in the time of Nebuchadnezzar have only
30 days.
12 months X 30 days X 7 years = 2,520
( The months of the calendar began to have 31 days in
the time of Rome in order to honor great rulers.
Example: Caesar Augustus was honored with 31 days
in the month of AUGUST, and Julius Caesar was
honored with 31 days in the month of JULY.)
Now we continue reading on to Belshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar:
Daniel 5:18-31
18 O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar, thy father
a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:
19 And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations,
and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would
he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would
he would set up: and whom he would he put down.
20 But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in
pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took
his glory form him:
21 And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was
made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild
asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was
wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high
God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over
it whomsoever he will.
22 And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast thou humbled thine heart,
though thou knewest all this;
23 But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they
have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and
thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in
them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of
brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know:
and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy
ways, hast thou not glorified:
24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing
was written.
25 And this is the writing that was written,
MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
26 This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered
thy kingdom, and finished it.
27 TEKEL; Thous art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting,
28 PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and
Persians.
29 Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet,
and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation
concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore
and two years old.
Note # 3: Notice that Daniel connects the verses by repeating the same
words in Chapter 4:25 & 4:32 and in Chapter 5:21.
We are not connecting these verses, Daniel is the only
one that is connecting them.
Note # 4 :
MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN IS WRITTEN ON THE WALL.
Mene = 1,000 in ROMAN.
Mene = 1,000 in ROMAN.
Tekel = 20 in HEBREW.
Uphasrsin = 500 in CHALDEAN.
------------------------
2,520
You go against God, His ways, or serve other gods and
you will be punished by serving Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin
or 2,520.
Note # 5: Here are some examples of Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Upharsin.
EXAMPLE: A
TRIBE OF EPHRAIM
(ISRAEL)
THEY FOLLOWED IDOLS AND FORGOT GOD. . . THUS, THEY SHALL SERVE
MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN:
Hosea 5:3-6
3 I know Ephrain, and Israel is not hid from me: for now,
O Ephraim, thou committest whoredom, and Israel is defiled.
4 They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God:
for the spirit of whoredoms is in the midst of them, and
they have not known the Lord.
5 And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore
shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity:
Judah will also fall with them.
6 They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek
the LORD; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself
from them.
Hosea 5:9
9 Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke: among the tribes
of Israel have I made known that which surely be.
The Tribe of Ephraim will not have their own land while they
are serving out their punishment.
Tribe of Ephraim goes into captivity in the year:
- 745 B.C.
add 1 year for crossing the year 0:
+ 1
add 2,520 for the years of punishment:
+ 2520 =
-745 + 1 + 2520 = 1776
So what country is formed in the year 1776?
The tribe of Ephraim! (United States)
The citizens of the United States come from all over the
world, just like Hosea 5:9 says, they have no land of their own
like the other 11 tribes have while they are serving MENE MENE
TEKEL UPHARSIN.
EXAMPLE B:
THE TRIBE OF JUDAH
(The country of Israel)
Remember Hosea 5:5
5 Judah will also fall with them.
The tribe of Judah goes into captivity:
-573 B.C.
add 1 year for crossing the year O:
+1
add 2,520 for the years of punishment:
+ 2,520
-573 +1 +2520 = 1948
So what country is formed in 1948?
The tribe of Judah ( The country of Israel).
Ezekiel 37:16-19
16 "As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write
on it: 'For Judah and for the children of Israel, his
companions.' Then take another stick and write on it, 'For
Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel,
his companions.'
17 "Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick,and
they will become one in your hand."
18 "And when the children of your people speak to you, saying,
'Will you not show us what you mean by these?'-
19 'say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Surely I will take the
stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the
tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with
it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and
they will be one in My hand."'
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