The Harvest Is Ripe!

(From radio broadcast of Bro. Julius Adewumi)

Daniel chapter 5

Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and took captive the people. Daniel was one of the captives. Daniel was elevated in the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar. But after Nebuchadnezzar, the new king Belshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar did not make use of Daniel like his father did. Like many younger kings usually retire the older generation, Daniel most likely was forced to retire. Therefore he was not in the king's service as he was in the days of Nebuchadnezzar until this episode we will read in Daniel chapter 5.

What I want to draw out of this story is this: No matter who you are, especially you that are highly placed in positions in governments, no matter what your rank is, fear before God. Tremble at his word. Honor God and honor his servants. Because, there is a greater king. The Lord God is King of kings and Lord of lords, and He is the overseer over all the earth. Whether you know him or not, He is watching you.

You may say, you don't even believe in him. You may say your own religion is not the same as the bible religion. Whether or not, your life is still in his hand. He is watching you! Think of some evil rulers and kings that have passed away, even in our own time. Think of the rulers that declared the Soviet Union as atheistic country in the 20^th century, not believing there is any God. Where are they right now? They all passed away. Joseph Stalin and the like, they all passed away, and what they tried to establish - an atheistic government, atheistic country, is no more atheistic right now. Many of the people have accepted the gospel. Where are those men that kicked against the God of heaven? They all turned to dust, were eaten by worms of the earth! But God is still alive, and God is still here.

You that read this may be a professor in college who said there is no God, or an agnostic who does not know God. After some time, you will be gone to face this God. Men love darkness. They want to do whatever they want to do not accountable to anybody, so they make up stories that there is no God, or they wish God was dead. After you are gone, God will still be here and God will still be alive. The whole human race was not deceived when we believe there is a God in Heaven who will judge the living and the dead. Think about it. You may be the one to have yourself to blame, for the bible said "the fool has said in his heart there is no God, they are corrupt and have done abominable works". (Psa. 14:1).

Belshazzar was one of those rulers that didn't fear God, and did not respect him. But God of heaven oversees what goes on upon the earth. You are going to be held accountable for everything you do or say on this earth. That should make you fear God.

Let's read it: "Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king , and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein"

Now these golden vessels were taken from the temple of the living God when Nebuchadnezzar overthrew the city of Jerusalem. They were sacred. You have to know that God does not drink out of those cups. They were simply called by his name, and once anything is dedicated to God, it belongs to God. It becomes disrespectful for any other person, king or ruler, to take those cups and use them anyhow.

Anything that belongs to him like that its just like - let me give an example-Suppose a young man came to baby-seat for you, and while you were away he tried on your new 3-pice suit or your beautiful jacket or coat just for fun, and put it back there? You may say well there's nothing to it but is it respectful or disrespectful? That is all that matters. Well you may say well you are not wearing this jacket right now what does it matter if this young man tries it on and then put it back where it is. But is it a respect for the owner of this jacket or is it disrespect for the owner? So that is the same thing.

Those golden vessels- even though God does not drink from those cups they were just for decoration of his temple. However because they were taken from the temple of the living God it becomes a disrespect if somebody takes that cup and drinks out of it. That is what we are talking about here.

Now Nebuchadnazzer who took this cup had enough fear to not use them. He simply put them in his own temple, too, for decorations or wherever he kept it. But Belshazzar didn't care for any god.

v.3: "Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem, and the king and his princes, his wives and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood and of stone."

What the bible is telling us is that they became so drunk, even though, they don't believe in any god, now they started praising gold and silver, like they were gods of gold and gods of silver or statues. In short what was really happening was that the devil took over their mind because the devil wanted to ridicule God.

Well, when you drink from somebody's cup it's as if you're equal with that person. Now another thing I wanted to point out is you may say it's just cups or anything. But he other thing you have to notice is the devil, Satan , who is a spirit, really wanted to ridicule God. Many times the bible would say to the people of God, "by your misbehavior, you are making the enemies of God to mock God." So the devil, Satan wanted to mock God so what do you think the devil did? He made the mind of those people to begin to praise idols- gods of gold, gods of silver, gods of bronze. By so doing the demonic spirit that were around them would begin to laugh at heaven. They knew the vessels came from the temple of the living God the only living God. So there was a mockery going on in the spirit by demons, instigating these men to be praising idolatrous gods of gold and silver in a mockery of the God of heaven. So when God is judging the Earth, God is also judging the spirits.

Men sometimes will not realize what they are doing. So listen to me. You may not realize what you are doing when you raise up your mouth and say there is no god or you curse God because you are drunk. But I'm saying there's an evil spirit that is instigating that in you to do that, or anyone that started leading a rebellion against the spiritual things of God. You may think you are just doing something for your own sake, for the sake of some group or for the sake of some people. However if it is some thing that is against God, there is an evil spirit that is behind it all, instigating the activity.

So the Lord sees the spiritual world and also sees the physical world. Just like God will judge the physical world he will judge the spiritual also. Those demons will be arrested and locked up in hell but those who have been instigated will not go free either. Every one will receive his due judgement- you have to remember that. Take for example when Adam and Eve sinned and God came down in the garden of Eden. God called Adam and said what have you done? Adam tried to blame it on Eve, and God asked Eve, what have you done? Eve tried to blame it on the serpent.

But whom did God punish? All of them, everyone of them received their punishment. You that is listening to me, you may say the devil made you do it … the devil made you think there is no God! Or the devil made you do something evil. Yes, the devil made you do it, yes the devil will receive his due punishment. You will also receive your punishment. That is why the word of God has been given to both the physical world and the spiritual world. All souls must obey it, and "the soul that sinneth shall die". You are a living soul, just as the devil has soul. The soul that sinneth shall die! Whether in collaboration with the devil, the soul that sinneth shall die. Even the devils that instigated the disobedience, the soul that sinneth shall die. They have the lake of fire in the end where they will go in the second death. (Rev.20).

Think about what you are doing and be careful. Search the word of God and make sure your deeds are acceptable before God.

Continuing the story of Belshazzar, after they drank wine from the golden cups brought out of God's temple, they praised the gods of gold and silver.

(Dan.5:5-8) … "In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. …."

Perhaps you don't know the whole story, go read it. Supernaturally, part of a man's hand appeared floating in the air in the palace, and wrote on the wall. The king saw the supernatural hand that wrote.

What was written was in another language they couldn't understand. They didn't see the rest of the person that wrote on the wall, only the part of the hand was seen, and it disappeared. But what was written remained on the wall for all to read. They called all the wise men and astrologers to come and interpret the writing. With a promise, "anyone who interprets the writing will be made the third ruler in the kingdom. But no one could. That was where someone remembered Daniel the prophet. This is how Daniel came into limelight again.

v.9 "Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied."

Why were they astonied? Perhaps they were surprised the king was concerned so much about the writing on the wall! Does it really matter? If you can't read it just forget about it? But No! The king knew that something is at hand. Not only that he was sure something was at hand, but also when God wrote the writing, He also put a fear upon the king. Because "fear" is a spirit! That fear is what I want you to nuture if you are one that does not believe in God. Maybe you will fear enough to come and believe God. The spirit of fear was put upon Belshazzar and it will not let him rest until he found out what was written. But what was written was "doom" for his kingdom.

v.10: "Now the queen by reason of the words of the king and his lords came into the banquet house:"

This was the mother of Belshazzar (mother queen), not the wife.

"And the queen spake and said, O, king, live forever: let not thy countenance be changed: there is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made the master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; For as much as an excellent spirit , and knowledge, and understanding , interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation."

Now just like the scripture said, "with the ancient is wisdom", old age sometime will tell. This is one of the reasons the bible command in the church of God that "older women should teach younger women to love their husbands, to keep the house". Some of this is not being done. That is why you see younger women sometime divorcing , disrespectful to their husbands, rebellious and wanting to be like the women of the world in women-liberation. Because the older women that had wisdom and experience are not teaching the younger women how to keep house.

The queen mother said, call for Daniel, he will interpret the writing. So Daniel was called.

v.13: "Then was Daniel brought forth before the king. And the king spake and said, art thou that Daniel, which art of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?"

Now you can see how Belshazzar was disrespectful. He was still thinking of Daniel as one of the men of the captivity of Judah, when Daniel had served in that kingdom for perhaps almost forty something years. He ought to be saying, "are you not that Daniel who was the former governor of the city, or former governor in the palace gate? or the retired governor of the palace? Instead of showing such respect for Daniel's previous position in the kingdom, he was addressing him as an ex-slave, ex-captive. That was disrespectful! All of those things were accumulating for this king and you will see the end of him in a moment.

v.14: "I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee".

Even the king's mother said Daniel had the spirit of the "holy gods" in him, but Belshazzar was so disrespectful and careless, he said Daniel had the spirit of the gods (holy or not).

v.15-16: " ….. and I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom."

Daniel was going to rebuff him in a moment.

v.17: "Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation."

That was the first rebuff Daniel gave to this king who had been disrespectful. He had not only been disrespectful to Daniel , He had disrespected God. Daniel could look around and recognize those golden vessels from the temple of God of Jerusalem on the king's table being used to drink wine. Daniel had been in that palace for years, he knew where they kept those golden vessels. He was one of them praying that God would restore Jerusalem and restore all those vessels to a new temple of God in Jerusalem, according to the prophecies by Jeremiah, which Daniel said he had read. (Dan. 9:1-2). When God allowed the Jews to be taken captive, he was also saying through the mouth of the same prophet Jeremiah that , all those temple vessels, in 70 years God would bring them back to Jerusalem. That sounded impossible then, but not with God.

Daniel was one of them praying that "Lord, restore Jerusalem, restore your temple". He could have gone several times to pray over those temple vessels for their restoration to Jerusalem one day. For a king to come along and began to use the vessels for his drinking would be like a setback to Daniel's prayers, wouldn't it? He knew this man had gone too far! Indeed Belshazzar went too far. What he did may look simple, but to God, Belshazzar had gone too far.

Don't mess with God, young man. Don't mess with God, old man. Don't mess with God's servants, you that call yourself a ruler of the people, for the bible said "he that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God." (2Sam. 23:3). Remember that, you king, you ruler, you presidents of countries. Remember this: You must rule in the fear of God.

(to be continued…)

An experience I had many years ago had taught me to believe what Christ said that he has abolished death. It was one night in 1976; my soul was captured by some spirits.

In fact I will say I was dead upon my bed early that morning. I found myself being taken away by some spirits. It was after I was born again. They were taking me on a road that was inclined downwards, like downhill to hell. The Lord warned me a day before. The Lord wanted me to do some fasting and I was careless. I was expected to take a long fast (40 days) and I stopped once on the 7th day. Being grieved by the Spirit I started again and on the 7th day, the temptation to stop was strong the second time. The Lord knew I would yield to the temptation, so he showed himself to me in a vision that morning. The vision showed that I was expected to clean the floor, but instead I was playing around, so the father spanked me in that vision. I did not think too much of the vision, and I broke the fast again that evening. Therefore the Lord allowed my soul to be taken away by the Hell spirits in the night on my bed. I know it was after 3.30 a.m. because I had just woke up to pray and went back to bed. I was temporarily dead on my bed and I found myself, like a young boy, being taken away by those hell spirits. They were three rough boys about my size except for their weird looking eyes. I was so weak and couldn't resist them. They were dragging me downhill and we arrived at a huge gate. They wanted to drag me through that gate when a voice spoke to me: "Don't go in there!" That voice gave me some strength, and I pulled myself away from their grip, and I was then catapulted into another prison yard. It was later that I realized, concerning the gate, that in Job 38:17 the Lord asked Job "Have the gates of death been opened unto you? Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?" I landed in that prison yard and was tied to stake amidst many other people, also tied to stakes, who were being flogged by one man with along and cruel whiplash. I was whipped twice by this guy and there were so much noises of cries and groans in the air, heightened by heavy drumming, with sounds of the whiplash striking those at stake. The only thing I had memory of while there was that I am a son of God. In my weak and helpless state, I lifted up my eyes and cried to the Lord: "Deliver me O Lord!" Immediately the Lord grabbed me out of there. When I opened my eyes and found myself back on my bed in my room, "I WAS GLADTO BE BACK." That is how people are taken in death. Remember the earlier vision in the previous writing about the dead man, which I saw his soul tied to stake. That is why I tell some of those tough guys who behave as though they are ready to go to hell, not fearing God nor scared of hell. I usually tell them "you don't know what hell really is! You don't know what you are talking about! They will whip hell out of you first, before you will know whether you'll go to the fire". From that day, I decided I'll do what the Lord wants me to do.

It was no joke. Only God can deliver anybody from there. His voice alone called Lazarus out of the grave. Wherever he was! Whether in hell or Paradise, when Jesus called him, "here he comes!" Every chain that was holding him down would break loose. The force from God, like magnet, would pull him back into his body. It is that power which Christ said as a son, he has in himself, to quicken whom he wills. You may say "suppose the body is rotten in the grave for years (or burnt to ashes in cremation), it makes no difference to the Lord. The bible said "the bones shall live again!" (If anyone does not believe God created man from dust, how will he believe God can turn the dust back to a human body in resurrection? Do you now see the falsehood of scientific evolution? i.e. if you hold to evolution, you cannot believe the resurrection.)

And this power is what Christ said is for the sons of God to have life in themselves and to quicken whom they will, as revealed in John chapter 5 verse 21,26. This is the stature of the Son of God. Christ has abolished death! If you believe it, resist the devils that try to cause death with the scriptures such as in psalms 118:17 which says: "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord"; and verse 18 says "the Lord has chastened me sore: but he has not given me over unto death." Call the Lord's attention to your situation as you resist death spirits with such scriptures as psalm 30:9 or psalm115:17 which says "the dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence." Confess the promises of God against death and the victory Christ purchased for us on the cross with scriptures such as 2Tim.1:10 or Heb.2:14b which says "Christ has destroyed him that had the power of death, that is the devil." Yea, Christ came and tasted death in our place, and because he did not like it at all, he abolished death! Put the devil to shame by the scriptures and make him know that our Jesus now has the "keys of hell and of death", as it was declared in Revelation 1:17-18 where the Lord said: "Fear not, I am the first and the last. I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive for ever more, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."

Yea, the devil is defeated!

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