New Moon Message 1/9/32/120

Dear Friends,

We will begin to explain the Book of Daniel in a little more detail and explain some little understood aspects of the prophecies contained in the book of Daniel as they relate to the Last Days. We will begin with explaining the writing on the wall and tying that in to the other prophecies.

Daniel 5

[1] King Belshaz'zar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in front of the thousand. [2] Belshaz'zar, when he tasted the wine, commanded that the vessels of gold and of silver which Nebuchadnez'zar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem be brought, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. [3] Then they brought in the golden and silver vessels which had been taken out of the temple, the house of God in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. [4] They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. [5] Immediately the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace, opposite the lampstand; and the king saw the hand as it wrote. [6] Then the king's color changed, and his thoughts alarmed him; his limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together. [7] The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters, the Chalde'ans, and the astrologers. The king said to the wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing, and shows me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom." [8] Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or make known to the king the interpretation. [9] Then King Belshaz'zar was greatly alarmed, and his color changed; and his lords were perplexed. [10] The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banqueting hall; and the queen said, "O king, live for ever! Let not your thoughts alarm you or your color change. [11] There is in your kingdom a man in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him, and King Nebuchadnez'zar, your father, made him chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chalde'ans, and astrologers, [12] because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshaz'zar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation." [13] Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king said to Daniel, "You are that Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah. [14] I have heard of you that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. [15] Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation; but they could not show the interpretation of the matter. [16] But I have heard that you can give interpretations and solve problems. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. [17] Then Daniel answered before the king, "Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; nevertheless I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. [18] O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnez'zar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty; [19] and because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him; whom he would he slew, and whom he would he kept alive; whom he would he raised up, and whom he would he put down. [20] But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him; [21] he was driven from among men, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild asses; he was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of men, and sets over it whom he will. [22] And you his son, Belshaz'zar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, [23] but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven; and the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored. [24] "Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. [25] And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. [26] This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; [27] TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; [28] PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." [29] Then Belshaz'zar commanded, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put about his neck, and proclamation was made concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. [30] That very night Belshaz'zar the Chalde'an king was slain. [31] And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

The words written on the wall were Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin (Lat. mane, thecel, phares) or Upharsin in the KJV, which is often corrected to peres but the MT retains it. The “u” is merely the copulative “and.” The word pharsin or parsin is peres in the plural meaning “halves”. These are the names of weights as Babylonian money. The word mene is repeated, representing two mina, but the word itself is repeated to signify two entities. Some scholars do not understand the significance of the text and omit the second mene thinking it in error.  Mn’ is vocalised by Daniel, as he reads it and as it is recorded here, using the lemedh-he root as menah making it mean “He numbered.” The use of the second mene not only refers to the second of the rulers it also has the effect of retaining the four divisions for the first empire of the head of Gold as the empires themselves are in four divisions with the fifth division as replication of the fourth but is a religious empire and the sixth as a reorganisation of the fifth. The sixth empire is struck by the seventh which is the stone uncut by human hands. That is the return of the Messiah and the Millennial rule of Christ which destroys the sixth and effectively topples the whole edifice of the Babylonian religious system and the preceding structures for the reorganisation of the world. The symbolism is also retained in the week as the six working days or six thousand years of Satan with the Sabbath as the Millennial rest of Jesus Christ.

Tekel (Tql) means a shekel which is less than a mina. Vocalised as Teqal it means “He weighed”. The parsin is a divided or half mina taking its name from peres to divide. The written prs is vocalised as peras meaning “He divided.” The word peres is found on Babylonian half mina weights and thus it is tied to that weight for the context. That it relates to the half mina and not a half shekel is understood implicitly from the LXX which arranges them in that order and the Talmud refers to it as a half mina (and not as per Eissfeldt cf. Interpreters Dict. of the Bible, Vol. 3, p. 349a).  That is what Nabonidus did with the kingdom and divided the rulership of Babylon between him and his son, as viceroy during his absences and joint ruler although referred to as the crown prince on the tablets. Thus they, Nabonidas and his son were two half mina. The concept of the division was then taken to be divided between the Medes and the Persians due to their impiety and the restoration of the cult of the moon god Sin at Ur where Nabonidas made his daughter high priestess. The concepts of the names relate to the previous kings after Nebuchadnezzar (Nebuchadrezzar) (605-562 BCE). Evil-Merodach, his son, and Neriglissar are each represented by, or weigh, a mina. The third successor Labashi-Marduk is represented as weighing only a shekel. Parsin has the meaning of a divided mina or half mina. They thus carry also the concepts of numbering, of weighing, and dividing. In that way they were presented as prophecy in accordance with the prophecy of Daniel chapter 2, which he gave to Nebuchadnezzar signifying the end of the Babylonian head of gold and the concept of reducing in intrinsic value with the third and fourth successive rule. Daniel knew what was to happen because he had given the understanding of the prophecy of the statue of the head of gold etc. to Nebuchadnezzar four reigns earlier. That was to continue now until the time of the end and the final empire of the ten toes of iron and miry clay. This prophecy can only be understood again in the last days as these facts of the kings became known again from archaeology and history. The Bible does not contain all the names of the kings and is open to misinterpreting.

That very night Belshazzar, king of Babylon was slain and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom (Dan. 5:29-30). This king of the Medes was almost certainly regent for Cyrus king of Persia as the dates of Nabonidus and Cyrus overlap by two months and the Bible is definite on the rule of Cyrus in succession of Nabonidus and Belshazzar. Darius was not the name the leader of the subjugated Medes was known by to history. Darius is a Persian name but the line of the Medes by then may well have been named or taken the name of Darius as the Bible states.

The tablets prove that Astyages was the last known king of the Medes. Astyages due to a dream refused to marry his daughter Mandane to a Mede but rather married her to Cambyses the Elamite (of Anshan, later termed of Persia) who was the father of Cyrus. Cambyses was thus the son-in-law of Astyages and Cyrus was Astyages’ grandson.  After a subsequent dream and the interpretation of an oracle, he tried to have the new born Cyrus murdered.

The lineage of the Anshan Elamites is as follows

Archamenes

1. Teispes
2. Cambyses
3. Cyrus
4. Teispes
5. Cyrus
6. Cambyses
7. Cyrus (the Great King)
8. Cambyses (the Great King)

Darius follows in another line from (4) Teispes to Ariaramnes, Arsames, Hystaspes, as (9) Darius the Great King.

Astyages was subjugated by Cyrus in 549 BCE and in 546 BCE, for the first time, Cyrus styled himself king of the Parsu or Persians. History records that Astyages was well treated by Cyrus. The application of the name Darius was unknown.

Darius the Mede is recorded by Josephus as Cyrus’ uncle, son of Astyages, placed in rule over Media (Jospehus, A. of J., Book X, ch. X, s. 4).  The evidence of the Bible indicates one of the family named Darius was placed in command of the Medes. He was thus a vassal king ruling over Media for the Persians.

Cyrus’ general Gobryas took military command of Babylon before Cyrus arrived but he was neither a Mede nor 62 years of age. There were thus two entities in command in Babylon in the initial occupation in 539 BCE.

In 525 Cambyses son of Cyrus invaded Egypt (see the paper The Fall of Egypt the Prophecy of Pharaohs Broken Arms (No. 36) and also The Sign of Jonah and the History of the Reconstruction of the Temple (No. 13)).

He was succeeded by Darius son of Hystaspes in 521 BCE after the one year reign of the Magi in 522. The text in Ezra 4 takes this sequence along from Cyrus down to Artaxerxes II and the end of the OT period with the death of Ezra in 323 BCE in the same year as Alexander the Great and the close of the OT canon.

We can thus see how the sequential break down of the Empires was applied even within those systems becoming progressively of less value within Babylonian rule through the four kings subsequent to Nebuchadnezzar and down through the Medes and Persians as the upper torso made of silver with two arms and the chest incorporating Babylon also.

The Greeks were the lower torso of bronze representing Alexander the Great and the legs split into the two sections proceeding into the legs of iron representing the Roman Empire which became the effective King of the North after the Greeks. We will deal with that aspect in its appropriate chapter.

The Roman Empire was effectively in two divisions of East and West being ruled from Rome and Constantinople. This Empire came to an end from 410 when Alaric the Goth invaded Rome and finally and completely in 475 CE. The empire was reinstated as the Holy Roman Empire which was the empire of the feet of iron and clay in 590 by Pope Gregory (termed the Great). Each progression is more warlike and brutal than the previous but of less intrinsic value to civilisation.

The ten toes are the last and least socially valuable institution and will be destroyed by Christ at his second coming to save the elect and to rule the world. These concepts are dealt with in the relevant chapters in more detail where appropriate. In this section the major lesson is the progressive reduction both in empires and within those empires until the Last Days sees a structure of low social worth and injustice and a completely corrupt administration ruled by an oligarchic structure signified by the ten toes. We will explain those aspects as we progress.

Wade Cox
Coordinator General