THE LAST POPE AND THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL

THE LAST POPE AND THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL 1

A long time ago an event similar to our own in the story of the last Pope occurred in the kingdom of Babylon. The king Belshazzar organized a great feast for all his noble men and officials in his kingdom. As they drank and ate, suddenly they saw a hand which wrote writing in an esoteric language on the wall.

Dan 5:24-25

25 And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and UPHARSIN.

The king was visibly shaken and he announced that anyone who could read and interpret this writing will be promoted to be the third ruler of the land. There was no man considered to be wise and worthy enough to perform this feat until the Prophet Daniel was brought in to solve the mystery.

THE LAST POPE AND THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL 2

At this particular point in time the power of Babylon as an empire was fast declining. They were at war with a rising world empire; the Medians and the Persians. The action of the king Belshazzar in organizing a feast for his nobles was the highest act of irresponsibility ever displayed by a king to his subjects. His grandfather, the great Nebuchadnezzar could never have tolerated such foolishness this grandson of his was displaying had he been alive but he was dead and the young king had not been thoroughly schooled in the act of strategic warfare.

THE LAST POPE AND THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL 3

The frontiers of the Babylonian Empire have already been conquered. It was only the main city of Babylon that was left. During the reign of Nebuchadnezzar the great, he fortified the walls of the city. He built a wall around the existing wall and merged both walls together to form a solid impregnable wall of defense. So strong was the wall that it is said by historians that the width of it can accommodate at the least six chariots moving side by side on it.

Moreover he dug a very deep trench surrounding this wall and caused the river Euphrates to run round it. It was therefore almost impossibility for any external army to penetrate this wall.