Daniel and the Babylonian Crisis

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Crown Prince Nebuchadnezzar, was the oldest son of Nebopolassar. Nebopolassar rebelled against Assyrian rule and with an alliance with the Medes, he sacked Ninevah in 612 BC, establishing the Babylonian empire. Nebuchadnezzar became King and succeeded his father after the great battle of Carchemish in 605 BC. Immediately after ascending the throne, he marched on Jerusalem taking Daniel and the three Hebrew boys captive. He became the longest reigning King of the Babylonian empire, an empire which lasted only from 626 BC to 539 BC, 86 years. Historians refer to him as Nebuchadnezzar II to distinguish him from a previous Chaldean ruler.

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Evil-Marduk (Amel Marduk) was the son and successor of Nebuchadnezzar II. He is recorded in II Kings 25:27 and Jeremiah 52:31 as the person who released Israelite King Jeconiah from prison after 37 years of captivity. The Hebrew redactor of II Kings spell his name Evil-Merodach. It was recorded by Jewish historians that Evil Marduk thought that Jeconiah was unjustly imprisoned by his father, Nebuchadnezzar II.

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Nergal-sharezer (Nergal-šar-uṣur) murdered his brother-in-law Evil-Marduk. Nergal-sharezer was the son-in-law of Nebuchadnezzar II and is recorded as a high official in the Neb. II ruling class. He is mentioned in Jeremiah 39:13 one of Neb. II's princes who was a leader of the final siege of Jerusalem from 588-586 BC.

Ruling only 9 months, he was murdered by Nabonidus and Belshazzar who deemed him unfit to rule. He was the son of Nergal-sharezer.

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Nabonidus and his son and co-regent, Belshazzar, were the final ruling tandem in the Babylonian empire. They were not of royal lineage. Nabonidus left the city of Babylon for 10 years, leaving his son Belshazzar to rule the city and nearby districts. Belshazzar is the ruler that provoked God in the drinking episode of Daniel 5 (handwriting on the wall). His father, Nabonidus, was defeated by Persian King Cyrus along the northern cities dotting the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. While Cyrus' general Darius captured the city of Babylon by draining the Euphrates with a canal, Nabonidus snuck into the city after his son Belshazzar was put to death by Darius (a Medo-Persian). One of the most powerful illustrations of the strength and conviction of image worship in ancient Mesopotamia is probably the treatment of cult statues in times of war. Assyrian and Babylonian sources of the first millennium frequently allude to the removal of divine statues from the temples as the result of a city being conquered. Spoliated statues were usually carried off to the land of the victorious power (Assyria in most known cases) where they remained in captivity until a turn of events would allow them to be restored to their shrines...rather than incur the capture of their gods and the resulting implications of such capture, namely, that the gods were abandoning the city and calling for its destruction, cities often tried to prevent the transfer of the statues to enemy territory, since continued possession of them in the face of adversity proved that the gods were still protecting and supporting their people and native land. (...) [D]uring the months which preceded the invasion and conquest of Babylonia by the Persians in 539 BC, King Nabonidus ordered a massive gathering of the gods of Sumer and Akkad into the capital.

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Cyrus was the founder of the Achaemenid (Medo-Persian) Empire. His empire was the largest the world had yet seen, stretching from the Indus River of India to the Hellespont of Asia Minor-Eastern Europe down to the door step of Egypt. He defeated the Babylonian empire of Nabonidus and Belshazzar and planted his uncle Darius (at age 62) as ruler of the Babylon province. He conquered the Medes in 560BC, then the Lydians of Asia Minor, then the Babylonians in 539BC.

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Daniel Chapter 1

It is speculated that Daniel was 17 years old at the time of his deportation. His life is a parallel with Joseph's of Egypt captivity. He is given the dream and interepretation of the Gentile ruler, he is elevated politically to high office, and his life is an example of perserverance for monotheistic loyalty to the God of Israel, YHWH. Note that Daniel uses the Babylonian Chronology system for dating his deportation as opposed to Jeremiah's use of the Hebrew Chronology system (Babylonian year of ascension is first year of a King's reign [Dan 1:1 vs Jer 25:1]).

Daniel was carried off captive immediately after the capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in the summer of 605 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar was the eldest son of King Nebopolassar. He was then the general of Babylonia's armies. He would soon become King of Babylon after the death of Nebopolassar and was just a few years older than Daniel.

605 B.C. is a year that marks two great victories for Babylonia: 1) Victory over Assyria at Carchemish and 2) Victory over Judah at Jerusalem. The Babylonian victory at Carchemish over the Assyrian empire (Jer 46:2; 2 Chr 35:20; Isa 10:9) was due to King Nebopolassar's alliance with the Medes in the early part of that year, a battle north on the Euphrates. Then Jewish King Jehoiakim (Josiah's son) was soon subdued by a lesser Babylonian force, headed by General Nebuchadnezzar travelling south from Carchemmish. Here, “the Holy Place vessels and Menorrah from the Temple of YHWH” were carried away, as a victory trophy for the land of Shinar. These trophies were kept in the temple of Marduk, Babylonia's national idol.”

Several captives of the Royal family and elites were also taken with the Temple artifacts, bound to become Eunuch's (Isa 39:7 prophecy), Magi, and translators. This was Babylonian transformation of a conquered foe, a declaration and system of subduction of national identity, gods and nobles. Upon entry back to Babylonia, Nebuchadnezzar Crown Prince, began his long Kingship over Babylonia (605 BC - 562 BC).

“Shinar” is a term used for Babylon as a place most opposed to Hebrew monotheism, worshiping a trinity of deities. It is associated with Nimrod (Gen 10:10), became the locale of the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:2), and is the place to which the wicked of wickedness are deported (Zec 5:11) according to scripture.

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Daniel Chapter 2

The meaning of the metal man dream of world empires was hidden from Nebuchadnezzar but was revealed to the young man Daniel, who was in training to become a Magi of Babylon. This dream accomplished 3 major things:

1. It separated Daniel from all other Magi, establishing him to Israel and Babylon as a True Prophet. He will reveal the ONE TRUE God's predictive prophecy power. The SEAL of Daniel's ministry will not be completely unveiled to Israel until the ROCK Messiah (crushing the feet of the statue) and His Church begin the work of destroying satan's world empires, commencing 33 AD on the day of Pentecost.
2. That God was in Babylon with the deported captives of Jerusalem immediately after the initial deportation of 605 BC. God never leaves or foresakes His people.
3. That world idolatry will afflict Israel (emperors as god), keeping them subject to external powers until the advent of their King Messiah. This rock will smash the secular idol/emperor image worshiped by the world (Deu 32:1-4, Mat 16:15-18, I Cor 10:4). The image of the beast is identified: world emperor worship.

Daniel (Belteshazzar), Hannaniah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abednego) are given administrative mayoral posts over the city and districts of Babylon. Promotion comes not from the east or west, but the Lord lifts up one and puts down another... (Psa 75:6-7)

The metal man dream in this chapter will fold in the Empire dream of Daniel in Chapter 7. In reality, God revealed Nebuchadnezzar's dream first to Daniel.

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Daniel Chapter 4:1-27
Nebuchadezzar is again shown a second predictive prophecy. But this time, the dream is about his own pride. God shows Nebuchadnezzar the great Kingdom God Himself established for the purposes of reforming Israel. However, Nebuchadnezzar mistakenly believes that he alone brought this Kingdom to pass and that his own pride is about to be dealt with. God establishes these principles in Dream 2:
1. God brought Nebuchadnezzar to power to establish God's own purposes.
2. The sovereignty and power of the ONE GOD has been shown to Nebuchadnezzar yet he continues in idolatry and its companion, self exalting pride.
3. Nebuchadnezzaar's Tree is a far reaching Kingdom and the first world empire. Yet it is subject to God's whim, will, and power.
4. When God chooses, the very root of the empire will be cut down. Nebuchadnezzar himself will be humbled as all world dictators eventually are.
5. The interpretation of the dream is of course given to God's prophet, Daniel.

Nebuchadnezzar knows when he has been given a Divine dream and prophecy and he also knows which man knows the True God; Daniel.
Only Daniel's God can reveal and give understanding of predictive prophecy.

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Daniel 5

Now approximately 78 years old, Daniel records the overthrow of the Babylonian empire by the Medo-Persians in his memoir (book of Daniel). The chest of silver, Medo-Persia (Archaemid empire) of Cyrus the Great (also known as Cyrus II) is conquering the weakened empire of Babylon in 539 BC.

Key people

1. Crown Prince Belshazzar - co-regent with his father Nabonidus. A Babylonian regional ruler. He is the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar but Daniel's memoir calls him 'son of Nebuchadnezzar' in ancestral terms, a common language vehicle in the ancient Middle East era.
2. Darius - he is a 62 year old viceroy of Cyrus the Great (regional ruler), who leads the division of Medo-Persians down the Euhrates river ater daming and diverting of the Euphrates river into a canal north of Babylon city. In this chapter, he is both a General and a Viceory King after the Babylonian province comes under Medo-Persian defeat.
3. Cyrus the Great - the Medo-Persian Emperor who has created a great empire that is usurping the Babylon empire, after many successive battles. Darius above is his elder Uncle, who is a trusted family member.
4. Nabonidus - not mentioned in Daniel's memoir, but he is actually the Emperor of the Babylonian empire. He is the son of Nebuchadnezzar who delegated rule over Babylon city to his son and co-regent, Belshazzar.
5. Nebuchadnezzaar - also known as Nebuchadnezzar II, he began as a General in the Assyrian military but broke away and founded the Babylonian empire through military conquests. He won a great victory over Egypt in early 539 BCat the Assyrian city of Carchemish found north on the West bank of the Euphrates river. This ancient site now lies on the border of Turkey and Syria. Recall that in 605 BC, Nebuchanezzar invades Judah and takes vessels from the Hebrew Temple along with several young men from the Royal family to train as linguists and administrators in his Empire.

Context

Babylon empire is decaying after Nebuchadnezzar's death in 562 BC. The Babylonians have seen their empire shrink under the assault of the Medo-Persians. Nabodinus retreats to Babylon city after experiencing defeat to Cyrus at the northern Babylon city of Opis on the Tigris river. An 11 day festival is underway causing Belshazzar to throw a ballroom feast for his political elites, all 1,000 of them. In a Divine intervention of Belshazzar's drunken use of the Temple vessels, a vision is given of a hand writing the Hebrew words, "MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN" on a plastered wall in the ballroom. Belshazzar calls for a man of reputation, Daniel the Hebrew, to translate the writing.

Description

On October 12, 539 BC, Belshazzar (Bel hides me) ruled the decadent city of Babylon. The annnual 11 day festival is underway and the Babylonians are memorializing all of their territorial conquests.

During this drunken banquet at the palace, Belshazzar has the vessels of the Hebrew Temple brought into this ballroom, a large hall. 1,000 of his officials are celebrating with him, drinking the wine of fornication from the Temple worship vessels, pitchers, and cups. This particular banquet is memorializing the destruction of Solomon's Temple by Belshazzar's grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar. It took Solomon and the Hebrews 7 years to build the Temple, its precincts, furniture, and vessels. Belshazzar and his compatriot elites are re-enacting YHWH's supposed defeat at Jerusalem by their Babylonian deities, especially the idol deity called Marduk.

But YHWH sends a text message to the foolish elites and Belshazzar. This was done by a visage of a hand writing on a large plastered wall in the banquet room: Meine Meine, Tekel Upharsin (YHWH has numbered your kingdom and finished it [declaration repeated, irrevocable]. You have been weighed in the Divine balance and you have robbed God of His glory with your pride. Now your kingdom is divided among the Medes and Persians. You have been found lacking and your days are numbered).

Daniel had courage to utter this interpretation. He reminded Belshazzar of God's dealings with his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, and his 7 years of insanity (1 year for each year it took Solomon to build the Temple). This translation of the handwriting on the wall sobered up Belshazzar quickly as he reluctantly rewaded Daniel with a chain of gold. Daniel's reputation and status as wisest of the Magi was proved yet again to the Babylonians. There is only ONE GOD and He is Lord of all and Israel is His chosen nation.

In conquering the city of Babylon, Darius (not Darius of Ezra's day), leads his army down the Euphrates silently south, having lowered the water level via a canal. The Babylonian Octoberfest continued late into the evening until the Medo-Persian army entered the Ishtar gate from the Euphrates, before assaulting the palace and ballroom of Belshazzar. No doubt, a fifth column of compromised Babylonian generals permitted the route, discusted with continual defeats and the decadence of the Babylonian empire. In the net few days, Cyrus himself will enter Babylon city joining his General Darius (his uncle) in establishing a new government. Daniel himself will be adopted by Darius and Cyrus as key administrator over the Babylon province, divided into 120 districts (counties) under 3 provincial rulers.

Belshazzar is immediately executed by Darius and the city of Babylon is overthrown the very night of the hand writing on the wall. Nabonidus, Belshazzar's father, had retreated to the city only a few days earlier under pressure of the Persian invasion of the empire. He was eventually arrested and held until Cyrus can enter the Babylon city.