Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order: War in the Gates

What Will It Take

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Civil Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2021-03-29

Synopsis: John Weaver examines Daniel 5 and the fall of Belshazzar to ask what it will take to bring individuals, families, churches, and nations back to God. He argues that God uses either salvation or judgment to turn people to Himself, and that when ordinary judgments are ignored, severe judgment follows. The sermon applies this to modern America, warning that the nation's capitals are sources of corruption and idolatry, and that without repentance, severe judgment is inevitable.

[John Weaver] All right, let's open our Bible's day to the book of Daniel chapter 5. Daniel chapter 5. We're going to read a few verses, but ultimately we will be covering a lot of the verses in this chapter. Daniel chapter 5. We'll probably read at least the first seven verses. Everyone is familiar with this chapter the title of the message is what will it take? What will it take? So notice Daniel chapter 5 beginning there in verse 1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords and drank wine before the thousand Belshazzar while he tasted the wine commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels and which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple, which

[John Weaver] was in Jerusalem, and the king and his princess, his wives, and his concubines might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God, which was in Jerusalem, and the king and his princess, his wives, and his concubines drank in them. They drank wine and praised the gods of gold and of silver, of brass and iron, of wood and of stone.

[John Weaver] In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace. And the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him so that the joints of his loins were loosened and his knees smoked one against another. Then the king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans and the soothsayers And the king spake and said to the wise men of Babylon, whosoever shall read this writing and show me the interpretation thereof shall be clothed with scarlet and have a chain of gold about his neck and shall be

[John Weaver] third ruler in the kingdom. Have you ever asked the question, what will it take? And the truth of the matter is we have asked that question probably many times and under differing circumstances. We've asked a question like, what will it take to purchase this item? What will it take to buy a new automobile? What will it take to finish this job? What will it take to restore our health? What will it take to get us out of the trouble that we're in? We ask this question so many times. But how about considering this question? What will it take to bring us to our senses? What will it take to bring our country back to its senses, down on its knees, and back to the sovereign God of heaven and earth. So we must not only ask what will it take, but also ask how will it be accomplished. So let me just point out the answers to these last two questions, what will it take and how will it be accomplished, can be answered very simply and very easily.

[John Weaver] And the answers are these. It will either take salvation or the judgment of God. If you would hold Daniel chapter 5 but turn back very quickly if you would to the book of Isaiah chapter 26. Isaiah 26 and let's begin reading there with verse 8 and read through verse 11. Note if you would Isaiah 26 beginning there with verse 8. Isaiah writes Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee. The desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night. Yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early.

[John Weaver] Now look what he says. For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

[John Weaver] Now he's going to show a difference between the righteous and the wicked. He says in verse 10, let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness in the land of uprightness? Will he deal unjustly and will not behold the majesty of the Lord? In other words, he's still blinded to God's grace and mercy. But notice what he says in verse 11, Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see, but they shall see.

[John Weaver] and be ashamed for their envy at the people, yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them." So he's talking about a judgment that is certainly going to get their attention. May I point something out? The next time you read through the book of Ezekiel, I want you to take a pen and just kind of underline this phrase every time you see it. In fact, you will be underlining at least 73, 75 times. just in the book of Ezekiel, the phrase is, and they shall know that I am the Lord. And don't just simply take note of that phrase. Also take note of the context in which that phrase occurs, because it usually takes place in the context of either judgment or salvation or condemnation and deliverance. And the truth of the matter is this, when you start underlining and when you start counting, You're going to observe the fact that that phrase, and they shall know that I'm the Lord, occurs more often and more frequently in the context of judgment than it does in salvation and deliverance.

[John Weaver] Now, it's the same truth that is actually given to us in the book of Philippians chapter 2, verses 5 through 11. Let me just quote that passage, and I want you to listen carefully. You know this passage. where the scripture says, let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not proper to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation and took upon himself the form of a servant and was made in likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death on the cross. Now listen, wherefore, in light of that, Wherefore, notice if you would, God hath also highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, of things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

[John Weaver] Philippians 2 verses 5 through 11 teaches us basically that every tongue is going to confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ and every knee is going to bow. The question is, how is that possible? And the answer is, every mouth will confess and every knee shall bow either in salvation or in condemnation, either in deliverance or in judgment, but they shall bow one way or the other, men are going to confess and men are going to bow the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the interesting thing is this, I don't know about you, but I think as you read the scripture, you're going to see that God has oftentimes used either salvation or judgment to turn us back to Him.

[John Weaver] It is true that he must actually do the turning. He may use judgment or he may use salvation, but still he must do the turning. If you would look back in your Bibles, holding Daniel 5, but look back in your Bibles to Psalm 80, and look if you would please just at the three times in this Psalm that David says practically the same truth. Look at it in Psalm 80, beginning there with verse 3. Psalm 80, Verse 3. David says, Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. So God must turn us. And when he smiles upon us and turns us, we shall be saved. Skip down to verse 7. Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. Skip down to verse 19. Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. So three times in this Psalm, David is saying that God must turn us, and when he turns us, the result will be salvation.

[John Weaver] If you will look in Psalm 85 and verse 4, here's the same truth, expressed just a little differently. Psalm 85 and verse 4, David prays, Turn us, O God, of our salvation. and cause thine anger toward us to cease." So when God turns us in grace and mercy, His anger does indeed cease toward us.

[John Weaver] Now there's another verse I want to quote. It's found in Isaiah chapter 1 and verse 27. I want you to listen carefully. He said, Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment. God oftentimes uses judgment to awaken us to see the danger that we're in. And then in grace and mercy, he turns us to himself.

[John Weaver] Now, I don't know about you, but personally, I had rather turn to the Lord in grace and mercy, bow to him and confess the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord. than be forced to do so by his power, his anger, and his wrath. But the truth of the matter is, every knee is going to bow, every tongue is going to confess, and God is going to be known either in salvation or in condemnation.

[John Weaver] Now, oftentimes, it is not just simply judgment that God uses to bring us to our knees. Oftentimes, it is severe judgment. Now, when I say severe judgment, the reason I say severe judgment is because the truth is that when God sends his ordinary judgments, most people do not pay attention. In fact, most people take the ordinary judgments and attribute them to nature or to weather. For instance, If you'll turn in your Bibles to the book of Amos, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, turn over just a few passages, a few books, and look in Amos chapter four, and let's begin reading there in verse six. And I want you to watch this carefully because he's going to delineate some of the judgments that he gave that the people never really paid any attention to. So in Amos chapter 4 and verse 6, God says, And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in your cities, and one of bread in all your places.

[John Weaver] Yet you have not returned unto me, saith the Lord. So here were shortages. Here was famine. Did not get their attention. Look at verse 7, And also I have withholden the rain from you. When there were yet three months to the harvest, I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city. One piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered into one city to drink water, but they were not satisfied. Yet have you not returned unto me, saith the Lord." So now here's drought. Look at the drought that is being faced in all parts of the country. In fact, Alice and I were just listening to the news and they were talking about Out west, they are expecting again a severe drought. But here it is, God said, I've used famine, I've used drought, yet you've not returned unto me. Look in verse 9. He said, I've smitten you with blasting and mildew.

[John Weaver] And your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased. The palmer worm devoured them. Yet you've not returned unto me, said the Lord. So here are crop failures. disasters here are grasshoppers and Palmer worms here is all kind of fungi and eating up your garden and and and mildew but he said it didn't do any good you didn't listen to me look in verse 10 I've said among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt your young men have I slain with a sword and have taken away your horses now I've made the stink of your camps to come up under your nostrils yet you've not returned to me said the Lord so Pestilence, war, didn't get anybody's attention. And then look in verse 11. He said, I've overthrown some of you as God overthrew Solomon Gamara.

[John Weaver] This is a supernatural event. And you were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning, yet have you not returned unto me, saith the Lord. So, he's used drought and famine and pestilence and plagues and insects and supernatural events, none of it got the attention. Look in verse 12. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel, and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.

[John Weaver] Now watch For lo, he that formeth the mountains, and created the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name." In other words, listen, you don't know who you're dealing with, saith the Lord. I've sent all these judgments, and you just simply have not listened to me. So, it's not just these things.

[John Weaver] If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Job, right before the book of Psalms, And look in Job 37. Job 37. And let's begin reading there with verse 9. Job 37 and verse 9. Look at what the scripture says. I've heard people say, oftentimes, well, that's just the weather. Really? Well, here it is in Job 37, beginning there with verse 9. Out of the south cometh a whirlwind, and cold out of the north.

[John Weaver] By the breath of God frost is given, and the breath of the waters is straightened. Also by watering he wearieth a thick cloud, he scattereth his bright cloud. And it is turned about, note, it is turned about by his counsels, that they may do whatsoever he commanded them upon the face of the world in the earth.

[John Weaver] Now look, he causeth it to come, whatever weather it is, He causeth it to come whether for correction or for his land or for mercy. And then if you can flip over in your Bibles to the little book of Haggai, you're going to find the book of Haggai right before the book of Zechariah and Malachi. So it's the third book from the end of the Old Testament. Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. But look in Haggai chapter 2 and verse 17. Look what God said. Haggai 2 verse 17.

[John Weaver] He said, I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail and all the labors of your hands, yet you've not returned to me, saith the Lord. So here is weather being used as a judgment. So many of these judgments you and I would simply would say are freaks of nature or weathered Well, no. Everything that comes to pass that I've just read about, God declares is His hand and His judgment.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go back, if you would, to Daniel chapter 5, because I want to begin showing you some things in this passage that certainly relate to judgment. And asking this question, what will it take? Now, there is a notable truth that is given to us in Daniel chapter 5. And here it is. Belshazzar was in the prime of his life. Look at it in verse 1. Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, while 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." So, Nebuchadnezzar is on top of the world, so to speak.

[John Weaver] Here he is, rich, and powerful, and proud, and arrogant, and positioned to do as he pleased. And that's exactly what he was doing, because he was throwing this bodacious party for a thousand of his lords. It seemed as if he was on top of the world. It seems as if nothing could hinder him and nothing could stop him. So here's the truth. Often times, when we least expect it, when we think we have the world by the tail and nothing can happen to us, judgment not only falls, but it comes with unmitigated haste.

[John Weaver] I want to show you something. On that day, when that handwriting came from God and wrote on the wall, on that day, the only warning that Belshazzar received was the warning from Daniel. So I want you to look in verse 30 of Daniel chapter 5. Look at it. Daniel 5. Remember now, he's called for Daniel. Daniel reads the writing. In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. Wow! In that night.

[John Weaver] There was no time to repair. There was no time to rectify. There was no time to reconcile. There was no time to make restitution. It was only a few hours after the warning that Belshazzar died. You see, many who die at 12 o'clock receive the news at 11.59 and it's too late. And when men and women put off salvation and they put off obedient and godly and righteous living, they're destroying their own souls. Now one warning should be sufficient. But you know the word of God talks about what happens to individuals who receive warning after warning after warning and they do not pay any attention.

[John Weaver] In Proverbs 29 verse 1 the Bible says this, he that being often reproved and hardened at his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy. Now listen to what he said, he that being often reproved, in other words, you've been told, you've been warned, and you will not listen and you just harden your neck. God said he shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy. Now, on that day, Daniel told Belshazzar, look, your kingdom has been weighed in the balances and you've been weighed in the balances. And you've been found warning.

[John Weaver] And in that night, he died. The interesting thing is this. Belshazzar had evidence of God's sovereignty, God's power, God's authority and God's rule. He ignored the evidence. He ignored the warnings. He ignored history. He ignored that. which happened in his own immediate family. Look, if you would, in Daniel 5, beginning there with verse 18. Daniel 5, verse 18. Here's what Daniel tells Belshazzar. O thou King, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom and majesty and glory and honor. And for the majesty that he gave him, All people, nations, and languages trembled and feared before Him.

[John Weaver] Whom He would, He slew, and whom He would, He kept alive, and whom He would, He set up, and whom He would, He put down. But when His heart was lifted up, in His mind hardened in pride, He was deposed from His kingly throne, and they took His glory from Him. 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 heavens, till he knew that the Most High God rooted in the kingdom of men, and that he appointed over it whomsoever he will.

[John Weaver] Now watch, and thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all of this. Hmm. He could not plead ignorance. He could not plead ignorance. He ignored God's judgment. He paid no attention to God's judgment. And God said, you've been numbered. You've been found warning. You will die. And that very night, He died. You see, one of the most notable things, notable things about God and His attributes, is the attribute of immutability. He is unchangeable.

[John Weaver] That's why the Bible says Jesus Christ yesterday, today, and forever. God is unchangeable. He is immutable. And the truth of the matter is that God does indeed judge rulers. He does indeed judge empires. He does indeed judge nations. And it is by Him that nations rise and fall. It is by Him that rulers rise and fall. If you'll look back in your Bibles to Daniel chapter 2. Daniel explained this to Nebuchadnezzar. In Daniel chapter 2, note if you would beginning there with verse 20. Daniel 2 in verse 20 Daniel answered and said blessed be the name of God forever and ever for wisdom and might are his and he that is God Changed at the times in the seasons he God removed Kings and set it up Kings he God giveth wisdom unto the wise and Knowledge to

[John Weaver] them that no understanding he God revealed the deep and secret things He knoweth what is in the darkness and the light dwelleth with him So it's God who puts up one and takes down another. And if you look in Daniel chapter 4, we learn the same exact truth. Daniel 4, beginning there with verse 24, because Daniel again is talking to Nebuchadnezzar, he says, this is the interpretational king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my Lord the King. that they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times or seven years shall pass over thee, till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots, thy kingdom shall be shown to thee after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.

[John Weaver] Wherever, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquility." Now, here it is, Daniel is explaining to Nebuchadnezzar exactly what's going to happen. And he gives him biblical counsel in verse 27. But when you get to verse 28, the Bible says, all this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. He didn't listen.

[John Weaver] He totally ignored the warnings. And of course, he had to learn the hard way that God was sovereign and that God ruled in the kingdoms of men.

[John Weaver] Now, let me quote to you Psalm 75 verses 5 and 6. I want you to listen. Because in this Psalm, We have the same exact truth that we just read. God says, lift not up your horn on high, speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south, but God is the judge. He put it down one and set it up another. He said, speak not with a stiff neck. Don't say, I'm here, I earned it, I got here, this is my position, I'm the one that calls the shots. No, you're not. God put you where you are, and God can take you down as easily as He put you up.

[John Weaver] And that's what the Bible is saying. So, men today, like Nebuchadnezzar, just totally ignore God's warnings. And they ignore them as quickly and as easily as did Belshazzar. They tend to believe that nothing bad will ever happen unto them, and that they are going to be the exception, and that they are going to escape God's wrath and God's judgment, and they're deceived. So we need to learn something.

[John Weaver] When folks are on the high mountain, I think the scripture says, He that thinketh, he standeth. Take heed lest he fall. And Lord, you better be careful. Because God put you up and God can take you down. And when you're in the high place and you think you have the world by the tail, then God says judgment will strike and it will strike very quickly.

[John Weaver] Now, here's the second truth. I want you to look again at verse one. Belshazzar the king made a great feast to the thousand of his lords and drank wine before the thousand. Now, here it is, verse two, Belshazzar While 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 dream therein.

[John Weaver] And of course they brought them. Let me ask you a question. Where did this take place? And the Bible tells us in the palace. Do you realize that Babylon was the capital of the Babylonian Empire?

[John Weaver] Now, in 2007, I preached a message from the book of Micah, which I entitled, Capital Sins. I'm not going to re-preach that message, but I do want to give you a quote from that message. I would encourage you to listen to it. But here's what I said in the introduction. As we examine our text today, you know, I was talking about Micah, which we'll turn there shortly. As we examine our text today, I'm sure that you will be simply amazed.

[John Weaver] The thing that amazes me again and again is how applicable and timely scripture is to current and modern day situations. It seems that if we simply changed a few names, the Bible would read like a modern-day journal or newspaper. Micah's time was not much different from our time. Corruption, humanism, idolatry, and wickedness abounded. Further, I might add, it abounded from the same centers or locations as it does in our time. Here's the next paragraph.

[John Weaver] When I speak of capital sins, first, I'm not speaking of capital, C-A-P-I-T-A-L, capitalism, or making money. Secondly, I'm not speaking about sins that merit capital punishment, although that could be easily incorporated in the message. In other words, I'm not talking about the death penalty. Third, the correct spelling for the title of this message is C-A-P-I-T-O-L, capital sins. A capital is the head of the state, the seat of government, and supposedly the seat of law and justice.

[John Weaver] Now, Nebuchadnezzar had ruled in Babylon. Now Belshazzar is. He is in the palace. He is at the capital. I don't know if you've ever thought about this or not, but when you read through the Bible, you're going to find that a lot of capitals are condemned. Why? And the answer is because usually they're the source of so many sins, corruption, and wickedness. Did you ever stop to think that when God sent Jonah to the Assyrian Empire, He sent him to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. And when God sent Amos into Israel, He sent him to Samaria, the capital.

[John Weaver] All I'm pointing out is this. You're going to find that capitals are the source of a lot of wickedness. Let me show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Micah. Turn over if you would. I think it's Micah, Nahum. Right before Nahum you have Micah. Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk. Look in Micah chapter 1. And let me point out the first five verses. Watch this. Micah chapter 1, verse 1. Look at this. The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Moreshite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. Remember now, Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom. Jerusalem is the capital of the Southern kingdom. Verse two, hear all you people, hearken O earth and all that therein is, and let the Lord God be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. So God is going to testify against them. For behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth and the mountain shall be molten under him.

[John Weaver] And the valley shall be cleft as wax before the fire, and as waters that are poured down a steep place. Here's why. For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom? And what are the high places of Judah? Are they not Jerusalem that is the capital?

[John Weaver] Now I don't know if you ever noticed this or not, I'm sure that you have, but I must point out the fact that the flood of wickedness, idolatry, theft, greed, bribery, corruption, pollution, defilement, filth, perversion, blasphemy proceeds from Washington D.C. It also proceeds from Atlanta, Georgia, Tallahassee, Florida, and you look around at all of the capitals of the state. Isn't it amazing that most of these capitals are now have the highest crime rate. They have the most violence of any part of the state. They have the most corruption, the most greed, the most theft, the most bribery. It is absolutely astounding.

[John Weaver] Well, there's a reason for that. Since you're in Micah, look in Micah chapter 2, beginning there with verse 1. Micah 2 and verse 1. Look at it. Woe to them that devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds. Now watch, they devise iniquity. That is, they're planning it, they're thinking it, they're scheming. Woe to them that devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds. When the morning is light, they practice it.

[John Weaver] That is, they implement it. They put it into practice. Why? How? Look, because it is in the power of their hand. That is, they have the power. Now watch verse 2. And they covet fields, and take them by violets, and houses, and take them away. So they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. Therefore, thus saith the Lord, behold, against this family, that is the family of the rulers, do I devise an evil from which you shall not remove your necks. Neither shall you go haughtily, for this time is evil."

[John Weaver] I want you to stop and think about our capitals. Eminent domain, confiscatory laws, unbiblical and unconstitutional taxation, and laws that enslave, deny liberty and freedom stem from those who have the power to devise iniquity and implement it, and they do so under the guise of legality. Look at Congress today. Look at the Equality Act. They're trying to disenfranchise the people, and here one Republican was elected, I think it was in Iowa, by six votes, and now they're trying to overthrow the will of the people there and say we need a Democrat because of just six votes. Look at it. Think about it.

[John Weaver] And then ask yourself this question. What will it take to bring this country back to its knees? What will it take to bring us to our senses? Let me give you a quote. This comes from Mark R. Rushdoony, who was Rusev's, John Rushdoony's son, who still is his son, but it was from the article in January of this year, A Rise and Build. I want to give you two paragraphs.

[John Weaver] Listen to what he said. Our government has been busy from the beginning of the War of Northern Progression in 1861. They have been busy misrepresenting the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, perverting history and rigging the system and covering up their tyranny. This misrepresentation provided a smokescreen for centralized government and the destruction of the Republic. There was a wholesale misrepresentation of the Republic which was advantageously morphed into a democracy.

[John Weaver] Some think that a democratic coming together will solve human divisions. This faulty concept has proved itself inept repeatedly. No! Only submission to God and his righteous word will be productive. And then he gives this quote. Listen carefully. After the American Civil War, public school textbooks began emphasizing the virtues of democracy. The process of democracy, not liberty under law, was presented as the process that made the American system work, the source of its greatness. At the same time, however, we have a great deal of historical and contemporary evidence that the democratic process has always been infected with, if not controlled by, blatant lies and fraud. The term politician early became synonymous with an opportunistic, self-serving fraud. Listen, Mark Twain once said, I can never think of Judas Iscariot without losing my temper. To my mind, Judas Iscariot was nothing but a low, mean, premature congressman. Wow.

[John Weaver] And then he adds this statement. Far from a refining process, our political system has been a method whereby men of the lowest character are elevated to positions of power. And that is true. That is true. Wow. Scripture verifies this repeatedly. So, look in Micah chapter 3 since you're there, and let's begin reading there in verse 9. Let me show you. Micah chapter 3, notice if you would please, verse 9. Here it is. Micah 3, verse 9.

[John Weaver] The Bible says, hear this I pray you, you heads of the house of Jacob. Notice the heads of the house of Jacob and princes of the house of Israel. What do these rulers do? That abhor judgment. And abhor is a strong word for hatred. That hate judgment. And what else they do? Pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money.

[John Weaver] Yet will they lean upon the Lord and say, Is not the Lord among us? None evil can come upon us. Then he says this, Therefore shall Zion for your sakes be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house of the high places of the forest. Just look at this passage and think of the applications that we could make. When he says in verse 9, the heads of the house of Jacob and the princes of the house of Israel, they have poor judgment. They pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood, abortion, wars, and Jerusalem with inequity.

[John Weaver] It is astounding when you read about People's houses being confiscated, taken from them because of a failure of something like a buck twenty cents difference in property taxes. There was one recently. They stole his house for a mere two or three bucks. Which was not an oversight, it was a mistake on their part. And yet they stole his house. Thankfully he finally got it back, but I'm just simply pointing out. Look at it.

[John Weaver] The heads are judged for reward. Look at the bribery. Look at the lobbyist. Years ago, I'm trying to think of the congressman's name. He wrote the book to harass our people. He was a Mormon. I forget his name. But he said back then, the going rate to get a bill passed was you put a bill on the congressman's desk and attach a $20 bill to it, he would sign it and take the $20 bill, and that's how it basically became law. Stump? Stump? No.

[John Weaver] S-T-U-M-P-H? No, no, no, no. No, no, that was not him. But anyhow, that's what he said way back, and that was nearly 40 years ago, 30 to 40 years ago. But I'm just supposed to say, look at it, because it's all here.

[John Weaver] Now, I'll be honest with you. One of my favorite quotes is by President Theodore Roosevelt. Here's what he said. When they call the roll in the Senate, the senators do not know whether to answer present or not guilty. Well, unhappily, that is much truer today than it was back then.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn back to the book of Daniel because here is the whole point of this. I want you to see the sin of Belshazzar. Here is the sin of Belshazzar. Listen carefully. Here is the sin of America. Here is the sin of Babylon. Here is the sin of Washington, D.C. Here is the sin of Atlanta, Georgia. Here is the sin of Tallahassee, Florida. Here is the sin of every state capital. Look in Daniel chapter 5, and let's read verses 3 and 4 again.

[John Weaver] 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 princess, his wives, and his concubines drank in them, and they drank wine, And praise the gods of gold and of silver, of brass and of iron, of wood and of stone.

[John Weaver] Now, skip down, if you would please, in the same chapter to verse 22. Skip down to verse 22, because now Daniel is going to pin this sin upon Belshazzar very quickly. And he said, And thou, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this. Lord, you were warned, you ignored it, but here's what the sin but has lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven.

[John Weaver] And they have brought the vessels out of his house before thee. And thou, and thy lords, and thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them. And thou hast praised the gods of silver, and of gold, and brass, and iron, and 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 thou hast not glorified.

[John Weaver] Now let me explain something. The abuse and the misuse of the temple vessels was bad enough in and of itself. Because those things were reserved for the priest of the Lord. That was bad enough in itself. Think about what we do in our churches today and how we abuse and misuse the things of God. That's bad enough in and of itself. But the worst part of Belshazzar's sin was this. He took those vessels that belonged to the one true and living God, the sovereign God of heaven and earth, And with those vessels, he then praised the gods of gold and silver and wood and stone and iron, and he totally ignored the one true and living God who held his life, who held

[John Weaver] his soul in his hand. Him he did not praise. Him he did not glorify. So, let me point this out again. This now is not just simply idolatry. It is more than idolatry. It is blasphemy. It is blasphemy. Belshazzar totally, completely ignored, refused, and failed to honor the one true and living God. And he already knew what God had done to Nebuchadnezzar. Wow! That brings me back to that same quote that I gave you for the last two weeks. when Congressman Jerry Nadler said, the will of God is no concern to this Congress.

[John Weaver] That's exactly where we are. So now you're going to have to ask yourself this question. What will it take? What will it really take? And the answer is, It's either going to take God's salvation or God's judgment. Let me give you some applications to try to tie this together. The first one is this. The evidence that we've turned our backs upon God, deserted Him, ignored Him, refused Him, and blasphemed Him is revealed in our politicians, our capitals, our laws, our rules, our regulations.

[John Weaver] When you have obvious sins such as greed and bribery and corruption and theft and pedophilia, all of these things are wrong and wicked in and of themselves. But the point I'm trying to make is this, all of these sins are mere symptoms. The real sin is that we've left God, ignored Him, deserted him, became idolaters, and blasphemed him. We're basically in the same position that Belshazzar is in.

[John Weaver] That's why God said in Isaiah 42 and verse 8, I am the Lord, that is my name, my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to raven images. So what will it take? When we refuse to honor and glorify and praise Him, we invite and we incur His wrath and His judgment.

[John Weaver] Now let me point something else out. It's clear. When we take that which God has given us, in which we are to praise Him and honor Him, and turn around and abuse and misuse it, and dishonor him, it is a double sin. Let me show you what I mean. If you would turn back to Jeremiah chapter 5. Jeremiah chapter 5. And I want you to look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 7. Look what God says, and we're talking about Judah and Jerusalem now. This is Jerusalem. This is the capital. Look back in verse 1. God tells Jeremiah, run you to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem.

[John Weaver] And see now and know and seek in the broad places thereof. If you can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment and that seeketh truth, I'll pardon it. God said, if you can find just one man in this capital that does what's right, I'll pardon the entire city. I'll pardon the land. Skip down, if you would, to verse 7. Of course, he couldn't find one. And God asked, how shall I pardon thee for this?

[John Weaver] Thine children have forsaken me, and have sworn by them that are no gods. They've turned to idolatry.

[John Weaver] Now look what he said. When I fed them to the full, that is, I gave them their food, I gave them their sustenance, then they committed adultery. and assembled themselves by troops in the harlot's houses. They were as fed horses in the morning. Everyone neighed after his neighbor's wife. Look at verse 9. Shall I not visit for these things, said the Lord, and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? What is he saying?

[John Weaver] You have taken what I have given you and perverted it, and instead of using it to honor me, you've used it to sin against me. Skip down to verse 21. He says, Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding, which have eyes and see not, which have ears and hear not. Fear ye not me, saith the Lord? Will you not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it? And though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet they cannot prevail. Though they roar, they cannot pass over it. But this people hath a revolting and rebellious heart, They're revolted and gone, and neither say they in their heart, let us now fear the Lord, our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter in his season.

[John Weaver] He reserved unto us the appointed weeks of harvest. In other words, we're not thinking about God and everything that he gives us. He says in verse 25, your iniquities have turned away these things and your sins have withholding good things from you. For among my people are found wicked men that lay wait. As he that setteth snares, they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit.

[John Weaver] Therefore they are become great and waxen rich. They are waxen fat. They shine, yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked. They judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless. Yet they prosper, and the right and the needy do they not judge. Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and a horrible thing is committed in the land.

[John Weaver] The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means, and my people love to have it so. But here's the question, but what will you do in the end thereof? He says, you've taken everything I've given you and abused it. You've taken everything I've given you. And rebelled against me with it. It was my corn, it was my wine, it was my land, it was my harvest, it was my rain. I've given you all of these things and you take it and abuse it. Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? So ask yourself this question. What will it take to bring America to her knees? Will it take the destruction of our political system? Will it take the defeat of our nation? Will it take the destruction of our cities? Will it take the loss of multitudinous lives? That's what it took to bring Babylon to its knees. That's what it took to bring Jerusalem to its knees. That's what it took to bring Samaria to its knees. Here's the third application.

[John Weaver] What will it take to wake you up? What will it take to make you obedient? What will it take to turn you around and cause you to seek repentance and faith? What will it take to turn you back to the Lord? What will it take to turn your family back to the Lord? What will it take to restore character and honesty and integrity to our lives? What will it take to open the eyes of our politicians? In the answer to all of these questions, is it will take either salvation or judgment.

[John Weaver] So the question is, which will it be? I will tell you this, folks. We deserve justice. If God gave us exactly that which we deserved, we would go down the tube so fast, it'd make your head swim. But although we deserve justice, what we prefer and what we want is mercy. But you have to understand this. God may save us or God may destroy us. We are in His hands. And if we want His mercy, we need to turn to Him in repentance and faith and learn to obey His Word. And all I can say is this, folks, if we do not begin turning back to Him in repentance and faith and obeying His Word, as bad as it is now, you better batten down the hatches because it's going to get a thousand times worse. Because if God does not turn us in salvation, it will be judgment. And it will be severe judgment that will be needed to get our attention.

[John Weaver] So what will it take? What will it take individually? That's where we have to start. What will it take familially? What will it take ecclesiastically? What will it take nationally? Either salvation or judgment. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. And we know, Lord, we are in Thy hand. Just like Belshazzar, Lord, he praised false gods and totally ignored and blasphemed the God who held his life in His hand. Lord, may we not do that. May we honor thee and glorify thee and seek repentance and faith and seek you, Lord, to turn us and to quicken us that we may call upon thy name. We ask you for mercy for thy people. And Lord, that thou wouldst be pleased to turn us back to thyself. By your grace. And salvation that is in Jesus Christ, our Lord. and whose name we pray, Amen.

[John Weaver] you

What Will It Take

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	N_OIMknlnRs
Subject	Civil Government
Course	Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order: War in the Gates
Genre	Sermon
Date	2021-03-29
Dictation Name
Book	Book 009: Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order — Chapter 26
Source Timed Segments	81

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Question 'What Will It Take?'

Weaver introduces the question 'What will it take?' and applies it to bringing us to our senses and back to God, suggesting the answer is either salvation or judgment.

All right, let's open our Bibles today to the book of Daniel chapter 5. Daniel chapter 5. We're going to read a few verses, but ultimately we will be covering a lot of the verses in this chapter. Daniel chapter 5. We'll probably read at least the first seven verses. Everyone is familiar with this chapter. The title of the message is "What Will It Take?" What will it take? So notice Daniel chapter 5, beginning there in verse 1: "Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, while 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. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God, which was in 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 and iron, of wood and of stone.

Scripture Reading — Daniel 5:1-7

" In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace. And the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosened and his knees smote one against another. Then the king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake and said to the wise men of Babylon, "

Whosoever shall read this writing and show me the interpretation thereof shall be clothed with scarlet and have a chain of gold about his neck and shall be third ruler in the kingdom." Have you ever asked the question, "What will it take?" And the truth of the matter is we have asked that question probably many times and under differing circumstances. We've asked a question like, "What will it take to purchase this item? What will it take to buy a new automobile? What will it take to finish this job? What will it take to restore our health? What will it take to get us out of the trouble that we're in?" We ask this question so many times. But how about considering this question: What will it take to bring us to our senses? What will it take to bring our country back to its senses, down on its knees, and back to the sovereign God of heaven and earth? So we must not only ask what will it take, but also ask how will it be accomplished. So let me just point out the answers to these last two questions—what will it take and how will it be accomplished—can be answered very simply and very easily.

Biblical Foundation: Salvation or Judgment

Using Isaiah 26, Philippians 2, and Psalm 80, Weaver establishes that every knee will bow to Christ either in salvation or judgment, and that God must turn us.

And the answers are these: It will either take salvation or the judgment of God. If you would hold Daniel chapter 5 but turn back very quickly, if you would, to the book of Isaiah chapter 26. Isaiah 26, and let's begin reading there with verse 8 and read through verse 11. Note, if you would, Isaiah 26, beginning there with verse 8. Isaiah writes,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 26:8-11

"Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early."

Now look what he says: "For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." Now he's going to show a difference between the righteous and the wicked. He says in verse 10, "Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord." In other words, he's still blinded to God's grace and mercy. But notice what he says in verse 11: "Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them." So he's talking about a judgment that is certainly going to get their attention. May I point something out? The next time you read through the book of Ezekiel, I want you to take a pen and just kind of underline this phrase every time you see it. In fact, you will be underlining at least 73, 75 times just in the book of Ezekiel, the phrase is, "and they shall know that I am the Lord." And don't just simply take note of that phrase. Also take note of the context in which that phrase occurs, because it usually takes place in the context of either judgment or salvation, or condemnation and deliverance. And the truth of the matter is this: when you start underlining and when you start counting, you're going to observe the fact that that phrase, "and they shall know that I am the Lord," occurs more often and more frequently in the context of judgment than it does in salvation and deliverance.

Now, it's the same truth that is actually given to us in the book of Philippians chapter 2, verses 5 through 11. Let me just quote that passage, and I want you to listen carefully. You know this passage, where the scripture says,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 2:5-11

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

Now listen: "Wherefore," in light of that,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 2:5-11

"God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Philippians 2 verses 5 through 11 teaches us basically that every tongue is going to confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ and every knee is going to bow. The question is, how is that possible? And the answer is, every mouth will confess and every knee shall bow either in salvation or in condemnation, either in deliverance or in judgment, but they shall bow one way or the other. Men are going to confess and men are going to bow the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the interesting thing is this: I don't know about you, but I think as you read the scripture, you're going to see that God has oftentimes used either salvation or judgment to turn us back to Him. It is true that He must actually do the turning. He may use judgment or He may use salvation, but still He must do the turning. If you would look back in your Bibles, holding Daniel 5, but look back in your Bibles to Psalm 80, and look if you would please just at the three times in this Psalm that David says practically the same truth. Look at it in Psalm 80, beginning there with verse 3. Psalm 80, verse 3. David says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 80:3, 7, 19

"Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved."

So God must turn us. And when He smiles upon us and turns us, we shall be saved. Skip down to verse 7:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 80:3, 7, 19

"Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved."

Skip down to verse 19:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 80:3, 7, 19

"Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved."

So three times in this Psalm, David is saying that God must turn us, and when He turns us, the result will be salvation.

If you will look in Psalm 85 and verse 4, here's the same truth, expressed just a little differently. Psalm 85 and verse 4, David prays, "Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease." So when God turns us in grace and mercy, His anger does indeed cease toward us. Now there's another verse I want to quote. It's found in Isaiah chapter 1 and verse 27. I want you to listen carefully. He said,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 1:27

"Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness."

Zion shall be redeemed with judgment. God oftentimes uses judgment to awaken us to see the danger that we're in. And then in grace and mercy, He turns us to Himself.

Now, I don't know about you, but personally, I had rather turn to the Lord in grace and mercy, bow to Him and confess the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord, than be forced to do so by His power, His anger, and His wrath. But the truth of the matter is, every knee is going to bow, every tongue is going to confess, and God is going to be known either in salvation or in condemnation.

Ordinary Judgments Are Often Ignored

From Amos 4, Job 37, and Haggai 2, Weaver shows that God sends judgments like famine, drought, and pestilence, but people attribute them to nature and do not return to God.

Now, oftentimes, it is not just simply judgment that God uses to bring us to our knees. Oftentimes, it is severe judgment. Now, when I say severe judgment, the reason I say severe judgment is because the truth is that when God sends His ordinary judgments, most people do not pay attention. In fact, most people take the ordinary judgments and attribute them to nature or to weather. For instance, if you'll turn in your Bibles to the book of Amos—Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos—turn over just a few passages, a few books, and look in Amos chapter 4, and let's begin reading there in verse 6. And I want you to watch this carefully because he's going to delineate some of the judgments that he gave that the people never really paid any attention to. So in Amos chapter 4 and verse 6, God says, "And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places:

yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." So here were shortages. Here was famine. Did not get their attention. Look at verse 7: "And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." So now here's drought. Look at the drought that is being faced in all parts of the country. In fact, Alice and I were just listening to the news and they were talking about out west, they are expecting again a severe drought. But here it is, God said, "I've used famine, I've used drought, yet you've not returned unto me." Look in verse 9. He said, "I have smitten you with blasting and mildew:

when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." So here are crop failures, disasters, here are grasshoppers and palmerworms, here is all kind of fungi and eating up your garden and mildew, but he said it didn't do any good; you didn't listen to me. Look in verse 10: "I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." So pestilence, war, didn't get anybody's attention. And then look in verse 11. He said, "I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,

and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." So, he's used drought and famine and pestilence and plagues and insects and supernatural events, none of it got the attention. Look in verse 12: "Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel." Now watch: "For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The Lord, The God of hosts, is his name." In other words, listen, you don't know who you're dealing with, saith the Lord. I've sent all these judgments, and you just simply have not listened to me. So, it's not just these things.

If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Job, right before the book of Psalms, and look in Job 37. Job 37. And let's begin reading there with verse 9. Job 37 and verse 9. Look at what the scripture says. I've heard people say, oftentimes, "Well, that's just the weather." Really? Well, here it is in Job 37, beginning there with verse 9: "Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: and cold out of the north.

By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened. Also by watering he wearieth the thick cloud: he scattereth his bright cloud: and it is turned round about by his counsels: that they may do whatsoever he commandeth them upon the face of the world in the earth. Now look: "He causeth it to come," whatever weather it is, "whether for correction, or for his land, or for mercy." And then if you can flip over in your Bibles to the little book of Haggai, you're going to find the book of Haggai right before the book of Zechariah and Malachi. So it's the third book from the end of the Old Testament. Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. But look in Haggai chapter 2 and verse 17. Look what God said. Haggai 2 verse 17.

He said, "I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands: yet ye turned not to me, saith the Lord." So here is weather being used as a judgment. So many of these judgments you and I would simply would say are freaks of nature or weather. Well, no. Everything that comes to pass that I've just read about, God declares is His hand and His judgment.

Now, I want you to go back, if you would, to Daniel chapter 5, because I want to begin showing you some things in this passage that certainly relate to judgment. And asking this question, "What will it take?" Now, there is a notable truth that is given to us in Daniel chapter 5. And here it is. Belshazzar was in the prime of his life. Look at it in verse 1: "Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, while 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." So, Nebuchadnezzar is on top of the world, so to speak.

Belshazzar's Sudden Judgment

Weaver describes Belshazzar's feast and the handwriting on the wall, emphasizing that judgment came suddenly and without remedy, as a warning to those who ignore reproof.

Here he is, rich, and powerful, and proud, and arrogant, and positioned to do as he pleased. And that's exactly what he was doing, because he was throwing this bodacious party for a thousand of his lords. It seemed as if he was on top of the world. It seems as if nothing could hinder him and nothing could stop him. So here's the truth. Often times, when we least expect it, when we think we have the world by the tail and nothing can happen to us, judgment not only falls, but it comes with unmitigated haste. I want to show you something. On that day, when that handwriting came from God and wrote on the wall, on that day, the only warning that Belshazzar received was the warning from Daniel. So I want you to look in verse 30 of Daniel chapter 5. Look at it. Daniel 5. Remember now, he's called for Daniel. Daniel reads the writing.

Scripture Reading — Daniel 5:30

"In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain."

Wow! In that night.

There was no time to repair. There was no time to rectify. There was no time to reconcile. There was no time to make restitution. It was only a few hours after the warning that Belshazzar died. You see, many who die at 12 o'clock receive the news at 11:59 and it's too late. And when men and women put off salvation and they put off obedient and godly and righteous living, they're destroying their own souls. Now one warning should be sufficient. But you know the word of God talks about what happens to individuals who receive warning after warning after warning and they do not pay any attention.

In Proverbs 29 verse 1 the Bible says this:

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 29:1

"He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."

Now listen to what he said:

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 29:1

"He, that being often reproved,"

in other words, you've been told, you've been warned, and you will not listen and you just harden your neck. God said he shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy. Now, on that day, Daniel told Belshazzar, "Look, your kingdom has been weighed in the balances and you've been weighed in the balances. And you've been found wanting."

Belshazzar Ignored Known Truth

Daniel reminds Belshazzar that he knew of Nebuchadnezzar's humbling, yet he did not humble himself, illustrating willful ignorance of God's sovereignty.

And in that night, he died. The interesting thing is this. Belshazzar had evidence of God's sovereignty, God's power, God's authority and God's rule. He ignored the evidence. He ignored the warnings. He ignored history. He ignored that which happened in his own immediate family. Look, if you would, in Daniel 5, beginning there with verse 18. Daniel 5, verse 18. Here's what Daniel tells Belshazzar:

Scripture Reading — Daniel 5:18-23

"O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: 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 set up; and whom he would he put down. 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 from him: 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. Now watch: "And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this." Hmm. He could not plead ignorance. He could not plead ignorance. He ignored God's judgment. He paid no attention to God's judgment. And God said, "You've been numbered. You've been found wanting. You will die." And that very night, he died. You see, one of the most notable things about God and His attributes is the attribute of immutability. He is unchangeable.

God Judges Rulers and Nations

Weaver cites Daniel 2, Daniel 4, and Psalm 75 to show that God removes and sets up kings, and that pride leads to downfall.

That's why the Bible says Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. God is unchangeable. He is immutable. And the truth of the matter is that God does indeed judge rulers. He does indeed judge empires. He does indeed judge nations. And it is by Him that nations rise and fall. It is by Him that rulers rise and fall. If you'll look back in your Bibles to Daniel chapter 2, Daniel explained this to Nebuchadnezzar. In Daniel chapter 2, note if you would beginning there with verse 20. Daniel 2 in verse 20:

Scripture Reading — Daniel 2:20-22

"Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: and he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: he revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him."

So it's God who puts up one and takes down another. And if you look in Daniel chapter 4, we learn the same exact truth. Daniel 4, beginning there with verse 24, because Daniel again is talking to Nebuchadnezzar, he says, "This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king: 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. And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.

Scripture Reading — Daniel 4:24-28

Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity." Now, here it is, Daniel is explaining to Nebuchadnezzar exactly what's going to happen. And he gives him biblical counsel in verse 27. But when you get to verse 28, the Bible says, "All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar."

He didn't listen. He totally ignored the warnings. And of course, he had to learn the hard way that God was sovereign and that God ruled in the kingdoms of men.

Now, let me quote to you Psalm 75 verses 5 and 6. I want you to listen. Because in this Psalm, we have the same exact truth that we just read. God says, "Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another." He said, "Speak not with a stiff neck." Don't say, "I'm here, I earned it, I got here, this is my position, I'm the one that calls the shots." No, you're not. God put you where you are, and God can take you down as easily as He put you up.

And that's what the Bible is saying. So, men today, like Nebuchadnezzar, just totally ignore God's warnings. And they ignore them as quickly and as easily as did Belshazzar. They tend to believe that nothing bad will ever happen unto them, and that they are going to be the exception, and that they are going to escape God's wrath and God's judgment, and they're deceived. So we need to learn something.

When folks are on the high mountain, I think the scripture says, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." And Lord, you better be careful. Because God put you up and God can take you down. And when you're in the high place and you think you have the world by the tail, then God says judgment will strike and it will strike very quickly.

Capital Sins: Corruption in Centers of Power

Weaver argues that capitals like Babylon, Samaria, Jerusalem, and modern Washington D.C. are sources of wickedness, citing Micah 1-3 and contemporary examples of corruption.

Now, here's the second truth. I want you to look again at verse one. "Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand." Now, here it is, verse two: "Belshazzar, while 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." And of course they brought them. Let me ask you a question. Where did this take place? And the Bible tells us in the palace. Do you realize that Babylon was the capital of the Babylonian Empire?

Now, in 2007, I preached a message from the book of Micah, which I entitled, "Capital Sins." I'm not going to re-preach that message, but I do want to give you a quote from that message. I would encourage you to listen to it. But here's what I said in the introduction. "As we examine our text today," you know, I was talking about Micah, which we'll turn there shortly. "As we examine our text today, I'm sure that you will be simply amazed. The thing that amazes me again and again is how applicable and timely scripture is to current and modern day situations. It seems that if we simply changed a few names, the Bible would read like a modern-day journal or newspaper. Micah's time was not much different from our time. Corruption, humanism, idolatry, and wickedness abounded. Further, I might add, it abounded from the same centers or locations as it does in our time." Here's the next paragraph.

"When I speak of capital sins, first, I'm not speaking of capital, C-A-P-I-T-A-L, capitalism, or making money. Secondly, I'm not speaking about sins that merit capital punishment, although that could be easily incorporated in the message. In other words, I'm not talking about the death penalty. Third, the correct spelling for the title of this message is C-A-P-I-T-O-L, capitol sins. A capitol is the head of the state, the seat of government, and supposedly the seat of law and justice."

Now, Nebuchadnezzar had ruled in Babylon. Now Belshazzar is. He is in the palace. He is at the capital. I don't know if you've ever thought about this or not, but when you read through the Bible, you're going to find that a lot of capitals are condemned. Why? And the answer is because usually they're the source of so many sins, corruption, and wickedness. Did you ever stop to think that when God sent Jonah to the Assyrian Empire, He sent him to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. And when God sent Amos into Israel, He sent him to Samaria, the capital.

All I'm pointing out is this. You're going to find that capitals are the source of a lot of wickedness. Let me show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Micah. Turn over if you would. I think it's Micah, Nahum. Right before Nahum you have Micah. Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk. Look in Micah chapter 1. And let me point out the first five verses. Watch this. Micah chapter 1, verse 1. Look at this.

Scripture Reading — Micah 1:1-5

"The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem."

Remember now, Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom. Jerusalem is the capital of the southern kingdom. Verse two:

Scripture Reading — Micah 1:1-5

"Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord God be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple."

So God is going to testify against them.

Scripture Reading — Micah 1:1-5

"For, behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall be molten under him,

and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place." Here's why: "For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria?" the capital of the northern kingdom. "And what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?" that is the capital. Now I don't know if you ever noticed this or not, I'm sure that you have, but I must point out the fact that the flood of wickedness, idolatry, theft, greed, bribery, corruption, pollution, defilement, filth, perversion, blasphemy proceeds from Washington D.C. It also proceeds from Atlanta, Georgia, Tallahassee, Florida, and you look around at all of the capitals of the state. Isn't it amazing that most of these capitals now have the highest crime rate. They have the most violence of any part of the state. They have the most corruption, the most greed, the most theft, the most bribery. It is absolutely astounding.

Well, there's a reason for that. Since you're in Micah, look in Micah chapter 2, beginning there with verse 1. Micah 2 and verse 1. Look at it.

Scripture Reading — Micah 2:1-3

"Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds!"

Now watch, they devise iniquity. That is, they're planning it, they're thinking it, they're scheming.

Scripture Reading — Micah 2:1-3

"Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it,

because it is in the power of their hand." That is, they have the power. Now watch verse 2: "And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil." I want you to stop and think about our capitals. Eminent domain, confiscatory laws, unbiblical and unconstitutional taxation, and laws that enslave, deny liberty and freedom stem from those who have the power to devise iniquity and implement it, and they do so under the guise of legality. Look at Congress today. Look at the Equality Act. They're trying to disenfranchise the people, and here one Republican was elected, I think it was in Iowa, by six votes, and now they're trying to overthrow the will of the people there and say we need a Democrat because of just six votes. Look at it. Think about it.

And then ask yourself this question. What will it take to bring this country back to its knees? What will it take to bring us to our senses? Let me give you a quote. This comes from Mark R. Rushdoony, who was Rousas John Rushdoony's son, who still is his son, but it was from the article in January of this year, "A Rise and Build." I want to give you two paragraphs. Listen to what he said. "Our government has been busy from the beginning of the War of Northern Aggression in 1861. They have been busy misrepresenting the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, perverting history and rigging the system and covering up their tyranny. This misrepresentation provided a smokescreen for centralized government and the destruction of the Republic. There was a wholesale misrepresentation of the Republic which was advantageously morphed into a democracy."

"Some think that a democratic coming together will solve human divisions. This faulty concept has proved itself inept repeatedly. No! Only submission to God and his righteous word will be productive." And then he gives this quote. Listen carefully. "After the American Civil War, public school textbooks began emphasizing the virtues of democracy. The process of democracy, not liberty under law, was presented as the process that made the American system work, the source of its greatness. At the same time, however, we have a great deal of historical and contemporary evidence that the democratic process has always been infected with, if not controlled by, blatant lies and fraud. The term politician early became synonymous with an opportunistic, self-serving fraud." Listen, Mark Twain once said, "I can never think of Judas Iscariot without losing my temper. To my mind, Judas Iscariot was nothing but a low, mean, premature congressman." Wow.

And then he adds this statement. "Far from a refining process, our political system has been a method whereby men of the lowest character are elevated to positions of power." And that is true. That is true. Wow. Scripture verifies this repeatedly. So, look in Micah chapter 3 since you're there, and let's begin reading there in verse 9. Let me show you. Micah chapter 3, notice if you would please, verse 9. Here it is. Micah 3, verse 9.

The Bible says, "Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us. Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest." Just look at this passage and think of the applications that we could make. When he says in verse 9, "the heads of the house of Jacob and the princes of the house of Israel, they abhor judgment. They pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood," abortion, wars, "and Jerusalem with iniquity."

It is astounding when you read about people's houses being confiscated, taken from them because of a failure of something like a buck twenty cents difference in property taxes. There was one recently. They stole his house for a mere two or three bucks. Which was not an oversight, it was a mistake on their part. And yet they stole his house. Thankfully he finally got it back, but I'm just simply pointing out. Look at it.

The heads thereof judge for reward. Look at the bribery. Look at the lobbyist. Years ago, I'm trying to think of the congressman's name. He wrote the book "To Harass Our People." He was a Mormon. I forget his name. But he said back then, the going rate to get a bill passed was you put a bill on the congressman's desk and attach a $20 bill to it, he would sign it and take the $20 bill, and that's how it basically became law. Stump? Stump? No.

S-T-U-M-P-H? No, no, no, no. No, no, that was not him. But anyhow, that's what he said way back, and that was nearly 40 years ago, 30 to 40 years ago. But I'm just supposed to say, look at it, because it's all here.

Now, I'll be honest with you. One of my favorite quotes is by President Theodore Roosevelt. Here's what he said. "When they call the roll in the Senate, the senators do not know whether to answer 'present' or 'not guilty.'" Well, unhappily, that is much truer today than it was back then.

Now, I want you to turn back to the book of Daniel because here is the whole point of this. I want you to see the sin of Belshazzar. Here is the sin of Belshazzar. Listen carefully. Here is the sin of America. Here is the sin of Babylon. Here is the sin of Washington, D.C. Here is the sin of Atlanta, Georgia. Here is the sin of Tallahassee, Florida. Here is the sin of every state capital. Look in Daniel chapter 5, and let's read verses 3 and 4 again.

The Sin of Belshazzar and America

The core sin is blasphemy: using God's vessels to praise false gods. Weaver parallels this to America's rejection of God, quoting Jerry Nadler's dismissal of God's will.

"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." Now, skip down, if you would please, in the same chapter to verse 22. Skip down to verse 22, because now Daniel is going to pin this sin upon Belshazzar very quickly. And he said, "And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;" Lord, you were warned, you ignored it, but here's what the sin: "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."

Now let me explain something. The abuse and the misuse of the temple vessels was bad enough in and of itself. Because those things were reserved for the priest of the Lord. That was bad enough in itself. Think about what we do in our churches today and how we abuse and misuse the things of God. That's bad enough in and of itself. But the worst part of Belshazzar's sin was this. He took those vessels that belonged to the one true and living God, the sovereign God of heaven and earth, and with those vessels, he then praised the gods of gold and silver and wood and stone and iron, and he totally ignored the one true and living God who held his life, who held

his soul in his hand. Him he did not praise. Him he did not glorify. So, let me point this out again. This now is not just simply idolatry. It is more than idolatry. It is blasphemy. It is blasphemy. Belshazzar totally, completely ignored, refused, and failed to honor the one true and living God. And he already knew what God had done to Nebuchadnezzar. Wow! That brings me back to that same quote that I gave you for the last two weeks, when Congressman Jerry Nadler said, "The will of God is no concern to this Congress."

That's exactly where we are. So now you're going to have to ask yourself this question. What will it take? What will it really take? And the answer is, it's either going to take God's salvation or God's judgment. Let me give you some applications to try to tie this together. The first one is this. The evidence that we've turned our backs upon God, deserted Him, ignored Him, refused Him, and blasphemed Him is revealed in our politicians, our capitals, our laws, our rules, our regulations.

Applications: Symptoms of a Deeper Sin

Weaver explains that societal sins are symptoms of leaving God. He uses Jeremiah 5 to show that abusing God's blessings invites judgment.

When you have obvious sins such as greed and bribery and corruption and theft and pedophilia, all of these things are wrong and wicked in and of themselves. But the point I'm trying to make is this, all of these sins are mere symptoms. The real sin is that we've left God, ignored Him, deserted Him, became idolaters, and blasphemed Him. We're basically in the same position that Belshazzar is in. That's why God said in Isaiah 42 and verse 8,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 42:8

"I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images."

So what will it take? When we refuse to honor and glorify and praise Him, we invite and we incur His wrath and His judgment.

Now let me point something else out. It's clear. When we take that which God has given us, in which we are to praise Him and honor Him, and turn around and abuse and misuse it, and dishonor him, it is a double sin. Let me show you what I mean. If you would turn back to Jeremiah chapter 5. Jeremiah chapter 5. And I want you to look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 7. Look what God says, and we're talking about Judah and Jerusalem now. This is Jerusalem. This is the capital. Look back in verse 1. God tells Jeremiah, "Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,

and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it." God said, if you can find just one man in this capital that does what's right, I'll pardon the entire city. I'll pardon the land. Skip down, if you would, to verse 7. Of course, he couldn't find one. And God asked, "How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses. They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's wife. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" What is he saying?

You have taken what I have given you and perverted it, and instead of using it to honor me, you've used it to sin against me. Skip down to verse 21. He says, "Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not: Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it? But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone. Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season:

he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest." In other words, we're not thinking about God and everything that he gives us. He says in verse 25, "Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you. For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit:

therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?" He says, you've taken everything I've given you and abused it. You've taken everything I've given you and rebelled against me with it. It was my corn, it was my wine, it was my land, it was my harvest, it was my rain. I've given you all of these things and you take it and abuse it. Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? So ask yourself this question. What will it take to bring America to her knees? Will it take the destruction of our political system? Will it take the defeat of our nation? Will it take the destruction of our cities? Will it take the loss of multitudinous lives? That's what it took to bring Babylon to its knees. That's what it took to bring Jerusalem to its knees. That's what it took to bring Samaria to its knees. Here's the third application.

Conclusion: What Will It Take for You?

Weaver challenges listeners personally and nationally, concluding that it will take either salvation or judgment, and urges repentance and faith.

What will it take to wake you up? What will it take to make you obedient? What will it take to turn you around and cause you to seek repentance and faith? What will it take to turn you back to the Lord? What will it take to turn your family back to the Lord? What will it take to restore character and honesty and integrity to our lives? What will it take to open the eyes of our politicians? And the answer to all of these questions is, it will take either salvation or judgment.

So the question is, which will it be? I will tell you this, folks. We deserve justice. If God gave us exactly that which we deserved, we would go down the tube so fast, it'd make your head swim. But although we deserve justice, what we prefer and what we want is mercy. But you have to understand this. God may save us or God may destroy us. We are in His hands. And if we want His mercy, we need to turn to Him in repentance and faith and learn to obey His Word. And all I can say is this, folks, if we do not begin turning back to Him in repentance and faith and obeying His Word, as bad as it is now, you better batten down the hatches because it's going to get a thousand times worse. Because if God does not turn us in salvation, it will be judgment. And it will be severe judgment that will be needed to get our attention.

So what will it take? What will it take individually? That's where we have to start. What will it take familially? What will it take ecclesiastically? What will it take nationally? Either salvation or judgment. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. And we know, Lord, we are in Thy hand. Just like Belshazzar, Lord, he praised false gods and totally ignored and blasphemed the God who held his life in His hand. Lord, may we not do that. May we honor Thee and glorify Thee and seek repentance and faith and seek You, Lord, to turn us and to quicken us that we may call upon Thy name. We ask You for mercy for Thy people. And Lord, that Thou wouldst be pleased to turn us back to Thyself. By Your grace and salvation that is in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and in whose name we pray, Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Salvation or Judgment as God's Means of Turning People

Summary: God uses either salvation or judgment to bring people to acknowledge Him, as seen in Ezekiel's repeated phrase 'they shall know that I am the Lord' and Philippians 2.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'It will either take salvation or the judgment of God.' and 'every mouth will confess and every knee shall bow either in salvation or in condemnation'.

Ignoring God's Warnings Leads to Sudden Destruction

Summary: Belshazzar ignored the evidence of God's power and the warning from Daniel, and was slain that very night, illustrating Proverbs 29:1.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.' and quotes Proverbs 29:1.

God's Sovereignty Over Rulers and Nations

Summary: God raises up and brings down kings and nations according to His will, as demonstrated in Nebuchadnezzar's humbling and the prophecies of Daniel.

Evidence: Weaver cites Daniel 2:21 and Psalm 75:6-7: 'he removeth kings, and setteth up kings' and 'promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west... God is the judge'.

Corruption Originates in Capitals

Summary: Capitals like Babylon, Samaria, Jerusalem, and modern Washington D.C. are centers of wickedness, devising iniquity and perverting justice.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'the flood of wickedness... proceeds from Washington D.C.' and cites Micah 1:5: 'What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria?'.

Blasphemy: Using God's Gifts to Honor False Gods

Summary: Belshazzar's ultimate sin was taking the temple vessels and praising idols, ignoring the God who held his life. This is paralleled to America's rejection of God.

Evidence: Weaver reads Daniel 5:23: 'the God in whose hand thy breath is... hast thou not glorified' and quotes Jerry Nadler: 'The will of God is no concern to this Congress.'

The Need for Personal and National Repentance

Summary: The sermon concludes with a call to examine what it will take to turn individuals, families, churches, and the nation back to God, emphasizing repentance and faith.

Evidence: Weaver asks: 'What will it take to wake you up? ... What will it take to turn you back to the Lord?' and answers: 'it will take either salvation or judgment.'

Key Arguments

God's judgments are meant to teach righteousness, but the wicked ignore them.

Summary: Isaiah 26:9-11 shows that when God's judgments are in the earth, people learn righteousness, but the wicked refuse to see even when God's hand is lifted up.

Evidence: Weaver reads Isaiah 26:9-11 and comments: 'he's talking about a judgment that is certainly going to get their attention.'

Ordinary judgments are often dismissed as natural events.

Summary: Amos 4 lists famine, drought, blight, pestilence, and war, yet the people did not return to God. Job 37 and Haggai 2 attribute weather to God's correction.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'most people take the ordinary judgments and attribute them to nature or to weather' and reads Amos 4:6-12.

Belshazzar's judgment was swift and without remedy because he ignored repeated warnings.

Summary: Belshazzar knew of Nebuchadnezzar's humbling but did not humble himself. He was warned by Daniel and died that night, fulfilling Proverbs 29:1.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.' and notes Belshazzar's death in Daniel 5:30.

God actively removes and establishes rulers, and pride leads to downfall.

Summary: Daniel 2:21, Daniel 4:24-27, and Psalm 75:5-7 demonstrate that God is the judge who puts down one and sets up another, and He opposes the proud.

Evidence: Weaver quotes Psalm 75:5-6: 'Lift not up your horn on high... God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.'

Capitals are epicenters of sin because those in power devise and implement iniquity.

Summary: Micah 1-3 condemns Samaria and Jerusalem for their transgressions, and Micah 2:1-2 describes those who devise evil and practice it because they have power.

Evidence: Weaver reads Micah 2:1-2: 'Woe to them that devise iniquity... because it is in the power of their hand.' and applies it to modern capitals.

The core sin of Belshazzar and America is blasphemy: rejecting God while using His blessings for idolatry.

Summary: Belshazzar used the temple vessels to praise false gods, ignoring the God who held his breath. Similarly, America's politicians dismiss God's will.

Evidence: Weaver reads Daniel 5:23 and quotes Jerry Nadler: 'The will of God is no concern to this Congress.'

Societal sins are symptoms of forsaking God, and abusing His blessings invites His vengeance.

Summary: Jeremiah 5 describes Jerusalem's adultery, deceit, and oppression after God fed them to the full, and God asks, 'Shall I not visit for these things?'

Evidence: Weaver reads Jeremiah 5:7-9, 25-29 and emphasizes: 'You have taken what I have given you and perverted it... Shall I not visit for these things?'

The only alternatives are salvation or judgment, and we must choose repentance.

Summary: Weaver concludes that what it will take for individuals and the nation is either salvation or judgment, and urges turning to God in repentance and faith.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'What will it take to wake you up? ... it will take either salvation or judgment.' and prays for mercy and turning.

Scripture References

Daniel 5:1-7

Context: The opening reading of the chapter describing Belshazzar's feast and the handwriting on the wall.

Isaiah 26:8-11

Context: Used to show that God's judgments teach righteousness, but the wicked do not learn even when favor is shown.

Philippians 2:5-11

Context: Quoted to demonstrate that every knee will bow and every tongue confess Jesus Christ as Lord, either in salvation or judgment.

Psalm 80:3, 7, 19

Context: Threefold plea for God to turn His people and cause His face to shine, resulting in salvation.

Psalm 85:4

Context: A prayer for God to turn His people and cause His anger to cease.

Isaiah 1:27

Context: Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, showing God uses judgment to awaken and redeem.

Amos 4:6-13

Context: God lists judgments (famine, drought, blight, pestilence, war, overthrow) that did not cause Israel to return, ending with 'prepare to meet thy God.'

Job 37:9-13

Context: Weather phenomena are under God's command, coming for correction, land, or mercy.

Haggai 2:17

Context: God smote with blasting, mildew, and hail, yet they did not turn to Him.

Daniel 5:30

Context: Belshazzar was slain that very night after the warning.

Proverbs 29:1

Context: He who is often reproved and hardens his neck will suddenly be destroyed without remedy.

Daniel 5:18-23

Context: Daniel recounts Nebuchadnezzar's humbling and rebukes Belshazzar for not humbling himself despite knowing it.

Daniel 2:20-22

Context: Daniel praises God who changes times and seasons, removes and sets up kings.

Daniel 4:24-28

Context: Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream, warning him to break off sins, but the judgment came because he did not listen.

Psalm 75:5-6

Context: Promotion comes from God, not from east or west; God is the judge who puts down one and sets up another.

Micah 1:1-5

Context: God's word against Samaria and Jerusalem, identifying the capitals as the transgression of Jacob and high places of Judah.

Micah 2:1-3

Context: Woe to those who devise iniquity and practice it because they have power; God will devise evil against them.

Micah 3:9-12

Context: Heads and princes abhor judgment, build Zion with blood; therefore Zion will be plowed as a field.

Isaiah 42:8

Context: God will not give His glory to another or His praise to graven images.

Jeremiah 5:1, 7-9, 21-29

Context: God challenges to find one righteous man in Jerusalem; the people abused His blessings and committed adultery; He will visit for these things.

Historical References

Babylonian Empire and its capital Babylon

Context: Babylon was the capital of the Babylonian Empire where Belshazzar ruled and held his feast.

Mark R. Rushdoony's article 'A Rise and Build' (January 2021)

Context: Quoted regarding the misrepresentation of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and the corruption of the political system.

Mark Twain's quote about Judas Iscariot and congressmen

Context: Twain said, 'I can never think of Judas Iscariot without losing my temper. To my mind, Judas Iscariot was nothing but a low, mean, premature congressman.'

Theodore Roosevelt's quote about the Senate

Context: Roosevelt said, 'When they call the roll in the Senate, the senators do not know whether to answer 'present' or 'not guilty.''

Congressman Jerry Nadler's statement

Context: Nadler said, 'The will of God is no concern to this Congress.'

American Civil War (referred to as 'War of Northern Aggression')

Context: Mentioned in Rushdoony's quote as the beginning of government misrepresentation and centralization.

Equality Act and contested Iowa election

Context: Weaver references current events: the Equality Act and a disputed election in Iowa as examples of political corruption.

Property confiscation over small tax errors

Context: Weaver mentions a recent case where a house was confiscated over a few dollars in property taxes.

Congressman who wrote 'To Harass Our People'

Context: Weaver recalls a Mormon congressman who wrote about bribery in Congress, but cannot recall his name.

2007 sermon 'Capital Sins' from Micah

Context: Weaver references his own previous sermon on Micah, noting the timeliness of Scripture to modern situations.

Important Quotes

It will either take salvation or the judgment of God.

Significance: This is the central thesis of the sermon, summarizing the two ways God turns people to Himself.

every mouth will confess and every knee shall bow either in salvation or in condemnation, either in deliverance or in judgment, but they shall bow one way or the other.

Significance: Explains the inevitability of acknowledging Christ, highlighting the dual outcome of salvation or judgment.

He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Significance: A key warning from Proverbs applied to Belshazzar and modern listeners about the danger of ignoring repeated warnings.

the flood of wickedness, idolatry, theft, greed, bribery, corruption, pollution, defilement, filth, perversion, blasphemy proceeds from Washington D.C.

Significance: Directly applies the 'capital sins' concept to modern America, identifying the seat of government as a source of national sin.

The will of God is no concern to this Congress.

Significance: Quoted as a modern parallel to Belshazzar's blasphemy, showing the explicit rejection of God by political leaders.

You have taken what I have given you and perverted it, and instead of using it to honor me, you've used it to sin against me.

Significance: Summarizes the sin of Belshazzar and America: abusing God's blessings for idolatry and sin.

What will it take to wake you up? What will it take to make you obedient? What will it take to turn you around and cause you to seek repentance and faith?

Significance: The personal application questions that drive the sermon's call to self-examination and repentance.

if God does not turn us in salvation, it will be judgment. And it will be severe judgment that will be needed to get our attention.

Significance: The concluding warning that without repentance, severe judgment is inevitable, echoing the pattern of Amos and Belshazzar.

Discussion Questions

What are some 'ordinary judgments' (like weather events or economic hardships) that people today might dismiss as natural rather than seeing as God's call to repentance?

Context: Based on Amos 4 and Job 37, where God sends judgments that are ignored.

How does Belshazzar's knowledge of Nebuchadnezzar's humbling make his sin more grievous? What parallels can we draw to our own knowledge of God's works?

Context: Daniel 5:22 shows Belshazzar knew all this but did not humble himself.

In what ways do modern capitals (Washington D.C., state capitals) reflect the 'capital sins' described in Micah? Can you identify specific policies or practices?

Context: Weaver applies Micah 1-3 to modern government corruption.

What does it mean to 'take God's vessels'—the blessings He has given us—and use them to praise false gods? How might we be guilty of this individually?

Context: The sin of Belshazzar in Daniel 5:23 and the application from Jeremiah 5.

Weaver says societal sins like greed and corruption are 'mere symptoms' of the real sin of leaving God. Do you agree? How should this shape our response to cultural decay?

Context: Application point that sins are symptoms of forsaking God.

The sermon asks, 'What will it take to wake you up?' What would it take for you personally to turn more fully to God in repentance and obedience?

Context: The concluding personal application.

How should the reality that 'every knee will bow' either in salvation or judgment affect our evangelism and our prayers for our nation?

Context: Philippians 2:5-11 and the theme of inevitable confession.

Weaver quotes Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain about political corruption. Is such cynicism justified for Christians, and how can we balance it with honoring governing authorities (Romans 13)?

Context: Historical quotes about politicians and the biblical call to respect authority.

Applications

Recognize God's hand in judgments

Summary: Instead of dismissing hardships as natural events, we should see them as potential calls from God to examine our lives and return to Him.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'most people take the ordinary judgments and attribute them to nature or to weather. Well, no. Everything that comes to pass... God declares is His hand and His judgment.'

Do not ignore known truth

Summary: Like Belshazzar, we are accountable for what we know about God. We must humble ourselves and respond to His revealed will.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'He could not plead ignorance. He ignored God's judgment. He paid no attention to God's judgment.'

Examine our use of God's blessings

Summary: We must consider whether we are using the gifts God has given us (time, resources, influence) to honor Him or to serve idols.

Evidence: Weaver applies Jeremiah 5: 'You have taken what I have given you and perverted it, and instead of using it to honor me, you've used it to sin against me.'

Repent of national and personal idolatry

Summary: The core sin is rejecting God and praising false gods. We must turn from cultural idols and glorify the God who holds our breath.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified.' and calls for repentance.

Pray for God to turn us

Summary: Since only God can turn us, we should pray as David did in Psalm 80 for God to turn us and cause His face to shine, resulting in salvation.

Evidence: Weaver reads Psalm 80:3,7,19: 'Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.'

Choose salvation over judgment

Summary: Weaver urges listeners to turn to the Lord in grace and mercy, bowing to Christ willingly rather than being forced by judgment.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'I had rather turn to the Lord in grace and mercy, bow to Him and confess the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord, than be forced to do so by His power, His anger, and His wrath.'

Start with personal repentance

Summary: National change begins with individual turning. We must ask what it will take for us personally to wake up and seek repentance and faith.

Evidence: Weaver asks: 'What will it take individually? That's where we have to start.'

Heed warnings without delay

Summary: Belshazzar's sudden death warns us not to put off repentance, as we may not have time to rectify later.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'There was no time to repair. There was no time to rectify. There was no time to reconcile.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T18:25:34Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T10:44:24Z

Clean Transcript

What Will It Take

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

All right, let's open our Bibles today to the book of Daniel chapter 5. Daniel chapter 5. We're going to read a few verses, but ultimately we will be covering a lot of the verses in this chapter. Daniel chapter 5. We'll probably read at least the first seven verses. Everyone is familiar with this chapter. The title of the message is "What Will It Take?" What will it take? So notice Daniel chapter 5, beginning there in verse 1: "Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple, which
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was in Jerusalem, that the king and his princes, his wives, and his concubines might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God, which was in 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 and iron, of wood and of stone."
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In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace. And the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosened and his knees smote one against another. Then the king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake and said to the wise men of Babylon, "Whosoever shall read this writing and show me the interpretation thereof shall be clothed with scarlet and have a chain of gold about his neck and shall be
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third ruler in the kingdom." Have you ever asked the question, "What will it take?" And the truth of the matter is we have asked that question probably many times and under differing circumstances. We've asked a question like, "What will it take to purchase this item? What will it take to buy a new automobile? What will it take to finish this job? What will it take to restore our health? What will it take to get us out of the trouble that we're in?" We ask this question so many times. But how about considering this question: What will it take to bring us to our senses? What will it take to bring our country back to its senses, down on its knees, and back to the sovereign God of heaven and earth? So we must not only ask what will it take, but also ask how will it be accomplished. So let me just point out the answers to these last two questions—what will it take and how will it be accomplished—can be answered very simply and very easily.
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And the answers are these: It will either take salvation or the judgment of God. If you would hold Daniel chapter 5 but turn back very quickly, if you would, to the book of Isaiah chapter 26. Isaiah 26, and let's begin reading there with verse 8 and read through verse 11. Note, if you would, Isaiah 26, beginning there with verse 8. Isaiah writes, "Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early."
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Now look what he says: "For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness."
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Now he's going to show a difference between the righteous and the wicked. He says in verse 10, "Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord." In other words, he's still blinded to God's grace and mercy. But notice what he says in verse 11: "Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see,
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and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them." So he's talking about a judgment that is certainly going to get their attention. May I point something out? The next time you read through the book of Ezekiel, I want you to take a pen and just kind of underline this phrase every time you see it. In fact, you will be underlining at least 73, 75 times just in the book of Ezekiel, the phrase is, "and they shall know that I am the Lord." And don't just simply take note of that phrase. Also take note of the context in which that phrase occurs, because it usually takes place in the context of either judgment or salvation, or condemnation and deliverance. And the truth of the matter is this: when you start underlining and when you start counting, you're going to observe the fact that that phrase, "and they shall know that I am the Lord," occurs more often and more frequently in the context of judgment than it does in salvation and deliverance.
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Now, it's the same truth that is actually given to us in the book of Philippians chapter 2, verses 5 through 11. Let me just quote that passage, and I want you to listen carefully. You know this passage, where the scripture says, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Now listen: "Wherefore," in light of that, "God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
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Philippians 2 verses 5 through 11 teaches us basically that every tongue is going to confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ and every knee is going to bow. The question is, how is that possible? And the answer is, every mouth will confess and every knee shall bow either in salvation or in condemnation, either in deliverance or in judgment, but they shall bow one way or the other. Men are going to confess and men are going to bow the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the interesting thing is this: I don't know about you, but I think as you read the scripture, you're going to see that God has oftentimes used either salvation or judgment to turn us back to Him.
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It is true that He must actually do the turning. He may use judgment or He may use salvation, but still He must do the turning. If you would look back in your Bibles, holding Daniel 5, but look back in your Bibles to Psalm 80, and look if you would please just at the three times in this Psalm that David says practically the same truth. Look at it in Psalm 80, beginning there with verse 3. Psalm 80, verse 3. David says, "Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved." So God must turn us. And when He smiles upon us and turns us, we shall be saved. Skip down to verse 7: "Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved." Skip down to verse 19: "Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved." So three times in this Psalm, David is saying that God must turn us, and when He turns us, the result will be salvation.
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If you will look in Psalm 85 and verse 4, here's the same truth, expressed just a little differently. Psalm 85 and verse 4, David prays, "Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease." So when God turns us in grace and mercy, His anger does indeed cease toward us.
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Now there's another verse I want to quote. It's found in Isaiah chapter 1 and verse 27. I want you to listen carefully. He said, "Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness." Zion shall be redeemed with judgment. God oftentimes uses judgment to awaken us to see the danger that we're in. And then in grace and mercy, He turns us to Himself.
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Now, I don't know about you, but personally, I had rather turn to the Lord in grace and mercy, bow to Him and confess the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord, than be forced to do so by His power, His anger, and His wrath. But the truth of the matter is, every knee is going to bow, every tongue is going to confess, and God is going to be known either in salvation or in condemnation.
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Now, oftentimes, it is not just simply judgment that God uses to bring us to our knees. Oftentimes, it is severe judgment. Now, when I say severe judgment, the reason I say severe judgment is because the truth is that when God sends His ordinary judgments, most people do not pay attention. In fact, most people take the ordinary judgments and attribute them to nature or to weather. For instance, if you'll turn in your Bibles to the book of Amos—Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos—turn over just a few passages, a few books, and look in Amos chapter 4, and let's begin reading there in verse 6. And I want you to watch this carefully because he's going to delineate some of the judgments that he gave that the people never really paid any attention to. So in Amos chapter 4 and verse 6, God says, "And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places:
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yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." So here were shortages. Here was famine. Did not get their attention. Look at verse 7: "And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." So now here's drought. Look at the drought that is being faced in all parts of the country. In fact, Alice and I were just listening to the news and they were talking about out west, they are expecting again a severe drought. But here it is, God said, "I've used famine, I've used drought, yet you've not returned unto me." Look in verse 9. He said, "I have smitten you with blasting and mildew:
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when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." So here are crop failures, disasters, here are grasshoppers and palmerworms, here is all kind of fungi and eating up your garden and mildew, but he said it didn't do any good; you didn't listen to me. Look in verse 10: "I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." So pestilence, war, didn't get anybody's attention. And then look in verse 11. He said, "I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,
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and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." So, he's used drought and famine and pestilence and plagues and insects and supernatural events, none of it got the attention. Look in verse 12: "Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel."
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Now watch: "For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The Lord, The God of hosts, is his name." In other words, listen, you don't know who you're dealing with, saith the Lord. I've sent all these judgments, and you just simply have not listened to me. So, it's not just these things.
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If you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Job, right before the book of Psalms, and look in Job 37. Job 37. And let's begin reading there with verse 9. Job 37 and verse 9. Look at what the scripture says. I've heard people say, oftentimes, "Well, that's just the weather." Really? Well, here it is in Job 37, beginning there with verse 9: "Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: and cold out of the north.
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By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened. Also by watering he wearieth the thick cloud: he scattereth his bright cloud: and it is turned round about by his counsels: that they may do whatsoever he commandeth them upon the face of the world in the earth.
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Now look: "He causeth it to come," whatever weather it is, "whether for correction, or for his land, or for mercy." And then if you can flip over in your Bibles to the little book of Haggai, you're going to find the book of Haggai right before the book of Zechariah and Malachi. So it's the third book from the end of the Old Testament. Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. But look in Haggai chapter 2 and verse 17. Look what God said. Haggai 2 verse 17.
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He said, "I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands: yet ye turned not to me, saith the Lord." So here is weather being used as a judgment. So many of these judgments you and I would simply would say are freaks of nature or weather. Well, no. Everything that comes to pass that I've just read about, God declares is His hand and His judgment.
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Now, I want you to go back, if you would, to Daniel chapter 5, because I want to begin showing you some things in this passage that certainly relate to judgment. And asking this question, "What will it take?" Now, there is a notable truth that is given to us in Daniel chapter 5. And here it is. Belshazzar was in the prime of his life. Look at it in verse 1: "Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, while 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." So, Nebuchadnezzar is on top of the world, so to speak.
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Here he is, rich, and powerful, and proud, and arrogant, and positioned to do as he pleased. And that's exactly what he was doing, because he was throwing this bodacious party for a thousand of his lords. It seemed as if he was on top of the world. It seems as if nothing could hinder him and nothing could stop him. So here's the truth. Often times, when we least expect it, when we think we have the world by the tail and nothing can happen to us, judgment not only falls, but it comes with unmitigated haste.
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I want to show you something. On that day, when that handwriting came from God and wrote on the wall, on that day, the only warning that Belshazzar received was the warning from Daniel. So I want you to look in verse 30 of Daniel chapter 5. Look at it. Daniel 5. Remember now, he's called for Daniel. Daniel reads the writing. "In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain." Wow! In that night.
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There was no time to repair. There was no time to rectify. There was no time to reconcile. There was no time to make restitution. It was only a few hours after the warning that Belshazzar died. You see, many who die at 12 o'clock receive the news at 11:59 and it's too late. And when men and women put off salvation and they put off obedient and godly and righteous living, they're destroying their own souls. Now one warning should be sufficient. But you know the word of God talks about what happens to individuals who receive warning after warning after warning and they do not pay any attention.
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In Proverbs 29 verse 1 the Bible says this: "He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." Now listen to what he said: "He, that being often reproved," in other words, you've been told, you've been warned, and you will not listen and you just harden your neck. God said he shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy. Now, on that day, Daniel told Belshazzar, "Look, your kingdom has been weighed in the balances and you've been weighed in the balances. And you've been found wanting."
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And in that night, he died. The interesting thing is this. Belshazzar had evidence of God's sovereignty, God's power, God's authority and God's rule. He ignored the evidence. He ignored the warnings. He ignored history. He ignored that which happened in his own immediate family. Look, if you would, in Daniel 5, beginning there with verse 18. Daniel 5, verse 18. Here's what Daniel tells Belshazzar: "O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: and for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him:
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whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down. 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 from him: 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.
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Now watch: "And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this." Hmm. He could not plead ignorance. He could not plead ignorance. He ignored God's judgment. He paid no attention to God's judgment. And God said, "You've been numbered. You've been found wanting. You will die." And that very night, he died. You see, one of the most notable things about God and His attributes is the attribute of immutability. He is unchangeable.
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That's why the Bible says Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. God is unchangeable. He is immutable. And the truth of the matter is that God does indeed judge rulers. He does indeed judge empires. He does indeed judge nations. And it is by Him that nations rise and fall. It is by Him that rulers rise and fall. If you'll look back in your Bibles to Daniel chapter 2, Daniel explained this to Nebuchadnezzar. In Daniel chapter 2, note if you would beginning there with verse 20. Daniel 2 in verse 20: "Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: and he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to
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them that know understanding: he revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him." So it's God who puts up one and takes down another. And if you look in Daniel chapter 4, we learn the same exact truth. Daniel 4, beginning there with verse 24, because Daniel again is talking to Nebuchadnezzar, he says, "This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king: 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. And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.
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Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity." Now, here it is, Daniel is explaining to Nebuchadnezzar exactly what's going to happen. And he gives him biblical counsel in verse 27. But when you get to verse 28, the Bible says, "All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar." He didn't listen.
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He totally ignored the warnings. And of course, he had to learn the hard way that God was sovereign and that God ruled in the kingdoms of men.
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Now, let me quote to you Psalm 75 verses 5 and 6. I want you to listen. Because in this Psalm, we have the same exact truth that we just read. God says, "Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another." He said, "Speak not with a stiff neck." Don't say, "I'm here, I earned it, I got here, this is my position, I'm the one that calls the shots." No, you're not. God put you where you are, and God can take you down as easily as He put you up.
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And that's what the Bible is saying. So, men today, like Nebuchadnezzar, just totally ignore God's warnings. And they ignore them as quickly and as easily as did Belshazzar. They tend to believe that nothing bad will ever happen unto them, and that they are going to be the exception, and that they are going to escape God's wrath and God's judgment, and they're deceived. So we need to learn something.
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When folks are on the high mountain, I think the scripture says, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." And Lord, you better be careful. Because God put you up and God can take you down. And when you're in the high place and you think you have the world by the tail, then God says judgment will strike and it will strike very quickly.
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Now, here's the second truth. I want you to look again at verse one. "Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand." Now, here it is, verse two: "Belshazzar, while 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."
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And of course they brought them. Let me ask you a question. Where did this take place? And the Bible tells us in the palace. Do you realize that Babylon was the capital of the Babylonian Empire?
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Now, in 2007, I preached a message from the book of Micah, which I entitled, "Capital Sins." I'm not going to re-preach that message, but I do want to give you a quote from that message. I would encourage you to listen to it. But here's what I said in the introduction. "As we examine our text today," you know, I was talking about Micah, which we'll turn there shortly. "As we examine our text today, I'm sure that you will be simply amazed.
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The thing that amazes me again and again is how applicable and timely scripture is to current and modern day situations. It seems that if we simply changed a few names, the Bible would read like a modern-day journal or newspaper. Micah's time was not much different from our time. Corruption, humanism, idolatry, and wickedness abounded. Further, I might add, it abounded from the same centers or locations as it does in our time." Here's the next paragraph.
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"When I speak of capital sins, first, I'm not speaking of capital, C-A-P-I-T-A-L, capitalism, or making money. Secondly, I'm not speaking about sins that merit capital punishment, although that could be easily incorporated in the message. In other words, I'm not talking about the death penalty. Third, the correct spelling for the title of this message is C-A-P-I-T-O-L, capitol sins. A capitol is the head of the state, the seat of government, and supposedly the seat of law and justice."
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Now, Nebuchadnezzar had ruled in Babylon. Now Belshazzar is. He is in the palace. He is at the capital. I don't know if you've ever thought about this or not, but when you read through the Bible, you're going to find that a lot of capitals are condemned. Why? And the answer is because usually they're the source of so many sins, corruption, and wickedness. Did you ever stop to think that when God sent Jonah to the Assyrian Empire, He sent him to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. And when God sent Amos into Israel, He sent him to Samaria, the capital.
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All I'm pointing out is this. You're going to find that capitals are the source of a lot of wickedness. Let me show you. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Micah. Turn over if you would. I think it's Micah, Nahum. Right before Nahum you have Micah. Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk. Look in Micah chapter 1. And let me point out the first five verses. Watch this. Micah chapter 1, verse 1. Look at this. "The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem." Remember now, Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom. Jerusalem is the capital of the southern kingdom. Verse two: "Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord God be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple." So God is going to testify against them. "For, behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall be molten under him,
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and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place." Here's why: "For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria?" the capital of the northern kingdom. "And what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?" that is the capital.
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Now I don't know if you ever noticed this or not, I'm sure that you have, but I must point out the fact that the flood of wickedness, idolatry, theft, greed, bribery, corruption, pollution, defilement, filth, perversion, blasphemy proceeds from Washington D.C. It also proceeds from Atlanta, Georgia, Tallahassee, Florida, and you look around at all of the capitals of the state. Isn't it amazing that most of these capitals now have the highest crime rate. They have the most violence of any part of the state. They have the most corruption, the most greed, the most theft, the most bribery. It is absolutely astounding.
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Well, there's a reason for that. Since you're in Micah, look in Micah chapter 2, beginning there with verse 1. Micah 2 and verse 1. Look at it. "Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds!" Now watch, they devise iniquity. That is, they're planning it, they're thinking it, they're scheming. "Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it,
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because it is in the power of their hand." That is, they have the power. Now watch verse 2: "And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil."
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I want you to stop and think about our capitals. Eminent domain, confiscatory laws, unbiblical and unconstitutional taxation, and laws that enslave, deny liberty and freedom stem from those who have the power to devise iniquity and implement it, and they do so under the guise of legality. Look at Congress today. Look at the Equality Act. They're trying to disenfranchise the people, and here one Republican was elected, I think it was in Iowa, by six votes, and now they're trying to overthrow the will of the people there and say we need a Democrat because of just six votes. Look at it. Think about it.
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And then ask yourself this question. What will it take to bring this country back to its knees? What will it take to bring us to our senses? Let me give you a quote. This comes from Mark R. Rushdoony, who was Rousas John Rushdoony's son, who still is his son, but it was from the article in January of this year, "A Rise and Build." I want to give you two paragraphs.
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Listen to what he said. "Our government has been busy from the beginning of the War of Northern Aggression in 1861. They have been busy misrepresenting the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, perverting history and rigging the system and covering up their tyranny. This misrepresentation provided a smokescreen for centralized government and the destruction of the Republic. There was a wholesale misrepresentation of the Republic which was advantageously morphed into a democracy."
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"Some think that a democratic coming together will solve human divisions. This faulty concept has proved itself inept repeatedly. No! Only submission to God and his righteous word will be productive." And then he gives this quote. Listen carefully. "After the American Civil War, public school textbooks began emphasizing the virtues of democracy. The process of democracy, not liberty under law, was presented as the process that made the American system work, the source of its greatness. At the same time, however, we have a great deal of historical and contemporary evidence that the democratic process has always been infected with, if not controlled by, blatant lies and fraud. The term politician early became synonymous with an opportunistic, self-serving fraud." Listen, Mark Twain once said, "I can never think of Judas Iscariot without losing my temper. To my mind, Judas Iscariot was nothing but a low, mean, premature congressman." Wow.
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And then he adds this statement. "Far from a refining process, our political system has been a method whereby men of the lowest character are elevated to positions of power." And that is true. That is true. Wow. Scripture verifies this repeatedly. So, look in Micah chapter 3 since you're there, and let's begin reading there in verse 9. Let me show you. Micah chapter 3, notice if you would please, verse 9. Here it is. Micah 3, verse 9.
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The Bible says, "Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money:
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yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us. Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest." Just look at this passage and think of the applications that we could make. When he says in verse 9, "the heads of the house of Jacob and the princes of the house of Israel, they abhor judgment. They pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood," abortion, wars, "and Jerusalem with iniquity."
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It is astounding when you read about people's houses being confiscated, taken from them because of a failure of something like a buck twenty cents difference in property taxes. There was one recently. They stole his house for a mere two or three bucks. Which was not an oversight, it was a mistake on their part. And yet they stole his house. Thankfully he finally got it back, but I'm just simply pointing out. Look at it.
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The heads thereof judge for reward. Look at the bribery. Look at the lobbyist. Years ago, I'm trying to think of the congressman's name. He wrote the book "To Harass Our People." He was a Mormon. I forget his name. But he said back then, the going rate to get a bill passed was you put a bill on the congressman's desk and attach a $20 bill to it, he would sign it and take the $20 bill, and that's how it basically became law. Stump? Stump? No.
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S-T-U-M-P-H? No, no, no, no. No, no, that was not him. But anyhow, that's what he said way back, and that was nearly 40 years ago, 30 to 40 years ago. But I'm just supposed to say, look at it, because it's all here.
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Now, I'll be honest with you. One of my favorite quotes is by President Theodore Roosevelt. Here's what he said. "When they call the roll in the Senate, the senators do not know whether to answer 'present' or 'not guilty.'" Well, unhappily, that is much truer today than it was back then.
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Now, I want you to turn back to the book of Daniel because here is the whole point of this. I want you to see the sin of Belshazzar. Here is the sin of Belshazzar. Listen carefully. Here is the sin of America. Here is the sin of Babylon. Here is the sin of Washington, D.C. Here is the sin of Atlanta, Georgia. Here is the sin of Tallahassee, Florida. Here is the sin of every state capital. Look in Daniel chapter 5, and let's read verses 3 and 4 again.
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"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."
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Now, skip down, if you would please, in the same chapter to verse 22. Skip down to verse 22, because now Daniel is going to pin this sin upon Belshazzar very quickly. And he said, "And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;" Lord, you were warned, you ignored it, but here's what the sin: "but hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven;
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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."
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Now let me explain something. The abuse and the misuse of the temple vessels was bad enough in and of itself. Because those things were reserved for the priest of the Lord. That was bad enough in itself. Think about what we do in our churches today and how we abuse and misuse the things of God. That's bad enough in and of itself. But the worst part of Belshazzar's sin was this. He took those vessels that belonged to the one true and living God, the sovereign God of heaven and earth, and with those vessels, he then praised the gods of gold and silver and wood and stone and iron, and he totally ignored the one true and living God who held his life, who held
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his soul in his hand. Him he did not praise. Him he did not glorify. So, let me point this out again. This now is not just simply idolatry. It is more than idolatry. It is blasphemy. It is blasphemy. Belshazzar totally, completely ignored, refused, and failed to honor the one true and living God. And he already knew what God had done to Nebuchadnezzar. Wow! That brings me back to that same quote that I gave you for the last two weeks, when Congressman Jerry Nadler said, "The will of God is no concern to this Congress."
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That's exactly where we are. So now you're going to have to ask yourself this question. What will it take? What will it really take? And the answer is, it's either going to take God's salvation or God's judgment. Let me give you some applications to try to tie this together. The first one is this. The evidence that we've turned our backs upon God, deserted Him, ignored Him, refused Him, and blasphemed Him is revealed in our politicians, our capitals, our laws, our rules, our regulations.
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When you have obvious sins such as greed and bribery and corruption and theft and pedophilia, all of these things are wrong and wicked in and of themselves. But the point I'm trying to make is this, all of these sins are mere symptoms. The real sin is that we've left God, ignored Him, deserted Him, became idolaters, and blasphemed Him. We're basically in the same position that Belshazzar is in.
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That's why God said in Isaiah 42 and verse 8, "I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images." So what will it take? When we refuse to honor and glorify and praise Him, we invite and we incur His wrath and His judgment.
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Now let me point something else out. It's clear. When we take that which God has given us, in which we are to praise Him and honor Him, and turn around and abuse and misuse it, and dishonor him, it is a double sin. Let me show you what I mean. If you would turn back to Jeremiah chapter 5. Jeremiah chapter 5. And I want you to look, if you would please, beginning there with verse 7. Look what God says, and we're talking about Judah and Jerusalem now. This is Jerusalem. This is the capital. Look back in verse 1. God tells Jeremiah, "Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,
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and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it." God said, if you can find just one man in this capital that does what's right, I'll pardon the entire city. I'll pardon the land. Skip down, if you would, to verse 7. Of course, he couldn't find one. And God asked, "How shall I pardon thee for this?
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thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery,
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and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses. They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's wife. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" What is he saying?
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You have taken what I have given you and perverted it, and instead of using it to honor me, you've used it to sin against me. Skip down to verse 21. He says, "Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not: Fear ye not me? saith the Lord: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it? But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone. Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season:
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he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest." In other words, we're not thinking about God and everything that he gives us. He says in verse 25, "Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you. For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit:
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therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;
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the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?" He says, you've taken everything I've given you and abused it. You've taken everything I've given you and rebelled against me with it. It was my corn, it was my wine, it was my land, it was my harvest, it was my rain. I've given you all of these things and you take it and abuse it. Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? So ask yourself this question. What will it take to bring America to her knees? Will it take the destruction of our political system? Will it take the defeat of our nation? Will it take the destruction of our cities? Will it take the loss of multitudinous lives? That's what it took to bring Babylon to its knees. That's what it took to bring Jerusalem to its knees. That's what it took to bring Samaria to its knees. Here's the third application.
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What will it take to wake you up? What will it take to make you obedient? What will it take to turn you around and cause you to seek repentance and faith? What will it take to turn you back to the Lord? What will it take to turn your family back to the Lord? What will it take to restore character and honesty and integrity to our lives? What will it take to open the eyes of our politicians? And the answer to all of these questions is, it will take either salvation or judgment.
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So the question is, which will it be? I will tell you this, folks. We deserve justice. If God gave us exactly that which we deserved, we would go down the tube so fast, it'd make your head swim. But although we deserve justice, what we prefer and what we want is mercy. But you have to understand this. God may save us or God may destroy us. We are in His hands. And if we want His mercy, we need to turn to Him in repentance and faith and learn to obey His Word. And all I can say is this, folks, if we do not begin turning back to Him in repentance and faith and obeying His Word, as bad as it is now, you better batten down the hatches because it's going to get a thousand times worse. Because if God does not turn us in salvation, it will be judgment. And it will be severe judgment that will be needed to get our attention.
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So what will it take? What will it take individually? That's where we have to start. What will it take familially? What will it take ecclesiastically? What will it take nationally? Either salvation or judgment. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your truth. And we know, Lord, we are in Thy hand. Just like Belshazzar, Lord, he praised false gods and totally ignored and blasphemed the God who held his life in His hand. Lord, may we not do that. May we honor Thee and glorify Thee and seek repentance and faith and seek You, Lord, to turn us and to quicken us that we may call upon Thy name. We ask You for mercy for Thy people. And Lord, that Thou wouldst be pleased to turn us back to Thyself. By Your grace and salvation that is in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and in whose name we pray, Amen.
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you
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T18:25:34Z

What Will It Take

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver examines Daniel 5 and the fall of Belshazzar to ask what it will take to bring individuals, families, churches, and nations back to God. He argues that God uses either salvation or judgment to turn people to Himself, and that when ordinary judgments are ignored, severe judgment follows. The sermon applies this to modern America, warning that the nation's capitals are sources of corruption and idolatry, and that without repentance, severe judgment is inevitable.

Introduction: The Question 'What Will It Take?'

Weaver introduces the question 'What will it take?' and applies it to bringing us to our senses and back to God, suggesting the answer is either salvation or judgment.

Scripture Reading — Daniel 5:1-7

" In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace. And the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosened and his knees smote one against another. Then the king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake and said to the wise men of Babylon, "

Biblical Foundation: Salvation or Judgment

Using Isaiah 26, Philippians 2, and Psalm 80, Weaver establishes that every knee will bow to Christ either in salvation or judgment, and that God must turn us.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 26:8-11

"Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early."

Scripture Reading — Philippians 2:5-11

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

Now listen: "Wherefore," in light of that,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 2:5-11

"God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 80:3, 7, 19

"Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved."

So God must turn us. And when He smiles upon us and turns us, we shall be saved. Skip down to verse 7:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 80:3, 7, 19

"Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved."

Skip down to verse 19:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 80:3, 7, 19

"Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved."

So three times in this Psalm, David is saying that God must turn us, and when He turns us, the result will be salvation.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 1:27

"Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness."

Zion shall be redeemed with judgment. God oftentimes uses judgment to awaken us to see the danger that we're in. And then in grace and mercy, He turns us to Himself.

Ordinary Judgments Are Often Ignored

From Amos 4, Job 37, and Haggai 2, Weaver shows that God sends judgments like famine, drought, and pestilence, but people attribute them to nature and do not return to God.

Belshazzar's Sudden Judgment

Weaver describes Belshazzar's feast and the handwriting on the wall, emphasizing that judgment came suddenly and without remedy, as a warning to those who ignore reproof.

Scripture Reading — Daniel 5:30

"In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain."

Wow! In that night.

In Proverbs 29 verse 1 the Bible says this:

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 29:1

"He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."

Now listen to what he said:

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 29:1

"He, that being often reproved,"

Belshazzar Ignored Known Truth

Daniel reminds Belshazzar that he knew of Nebuchadnezzar's humbling, yet he did not humble himself, illustrating willful ignorance of God's sovereignty.

Scripture Reading — Daniel 5:18-23

"O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: and for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him:

God Judges Rulers and Nations

Weaver cites Daniel 2, Daniel 4, and Psalm 75 to show that God removes and sets up kings, and that pride leads to downfall.

Scripture Reading — Daniel 2:20-22

"Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: and he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: he revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him."

Scripture Reading — Daniel 4:24-28

Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity." Now, here it is, Daniel is explaining to Nebuchadnezzar exactly what's going to happen. And he gives him biblical counsel in verse 27. But when you get to verse 28, the Bible says, "All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar."

He didn't listen. He totally ignored the warnings. And of course, he had to learn the hard way that God was sovereign and that God ruled in the kingdoms of men.

Capital Sins: Corruption in Centers of Power

Weaver argues that capitals like Babylon, Samaria, Jerusalem, and modern Washington D.C. are sources of wickedness, citing Micah 1-3 and contemporary examples of corruption.

Scripture Reading — Micah 1:1-5

"The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem."

Remember now, Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom. Jerusalem is the capital of the southern kingdom. Verse two:

Scripture Reading — Micah 1:1-5

"Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord God be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple."

So God is going to testify against them.

Scripture Reading — Micah 1:1-5

"For, behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall be molten under him,

Well, there's a reason for that. Since you're in Micah, look in Micah chapter 2, beginning there with verse 1. Micah 2 and verse 1. Look at it.

Scripture Reading — Micah 2:1-3

"Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds!"

Now watch, they devise iniquity. That is, they're planning it, they're thinking it, they're scheming.

Scripture Reading — Micah 2:1-3

"Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it,

The Sin of Belshazzar and America

The core sin is blasphemy: using God's vessels to praise false gods. Weaver parallels this to America's rejection of God, quoting Jerry Nadler's dismissal of God's will.

Applications: Symptoms of a Deeper Sin

Weaver explains that societal sins are symptoms of leaving God. He uses Jeremiah 5 to show that abusing God's blessings invites judgment.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 42:8

"I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images."

So what will it take? When we refuse to honor and glorify and praise Him, we invite and we incur His wrath and His judgment.

Conclusion: What Will It Take for You?

Weaver challenges listeners personally and nationally, concluding that it will take either salvation or judgment, and urges repentance and faith.

What Will It Take

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	N_OIMknlnRs
Subject	Civil Government
Course	Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order: War in the Gates
Genre	Sermon
Date	2021-03-29
Dictation Name
Book	Book 009: Civil Government: Power, Nations, and Constitutional Order — Chapter 26
Source Timed Segments	81

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Question 'What Will It Take?': Weaver introduces the question 'What will it take?' and applies it to bringing us to our senses and back to God, suggesting the answer is either salvation or judgment.
Biblical Foundation: Salvation or Judgment: Using Isaiah 26, Philippians 2, and Psalm 80, Weaver establishes that every knee will bow to Christ either in salvation or judgment, and that God must turn us.
Ordinary Judgments Are Often Ignored: From Amos 4, Job 37, and Haggai 2, Weaver shows that God sends judgments like famine, drought, and pestilence, but people attribute them to nature and do not return to God.
Belshazzar's Sudden Judgment: Weaver describes Belshazzar's feast and the handwriting on the wall, emphasizing that judgment came suddenly and without remedy, as a warning to those who ignore reproof.
Belshazzar Ignored Known Truth: Daniel reminds Belshazzar that he knew of Nebuchadnezzar's humbling, yet he did not humble himself, illustrating willful ignorance of God's sovereignty.
God Judges Rulers and Nations: Weaver cites Daniel 2, Daniel 4, and Psalm 75 to show that God removes and sets up kings, and that pride leads to downfall.
Capital Sins: Corruption in Centers of Power: Weaver argues that capitals like Babylon, Samaria, Jerusalem, and modern Washington D.C. are sources of wickedness, citing Micah 1-3 and contemporary examples of corruption.
The Sin of Belshazzar and America: The core sin is blasphemy: using God's vessels to praise false gods. Weaver parallels this to America's rejection of God, quoting Jerry Nadler's dismissal of God's will.
Applications: Symptoms of a Deeper Sin: Weaver explains that societal sins are symptoms of leaving God. He uses Jeremiah 5 to show that abusing God's blessings invites judgment.
Conclusion: What Will It Take for You?: Weaver challenges listeners personally and nationally, concluding that it will take either salvation or judgment, and urges repentance and faith.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

God's judgments are meant to teach righteousness, but the wicked ignore them.

Isaiah 26:9-11 shows that when God's judgments are in the earth, people learn righteousness, but the wicked refuse to see even when God's hand is lifted up.

Weaver reads Isaiah 26:9-11 and comments: 'he's talking about a judgment that is certainly going to get their attention.'

Ordinary judgments are often dismissed as natural events.

Amos 4 lists famine, drought, blight, pestilence, and war, yet the people did not return to God. Job 37 and Haggai 2 attribute weather to God's correction.

Weaver says: 'most people take the ordinary judgments and attribute them to nature or to weather' and reads Amos 4:6-12.

Belshazzar's judgment was swift and without remedy because he ignored repeated warnings.

Belshazzar knew of Nebuchadnezzar's humbling but did not humble himself. He was warned by Daniel and died that night, fulfilling Proverbs 29:1.

Weaver states: 'He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.' and notes Belshazzar's death in Daniel 5:30.

God actively removes and establishes rulers, and pride leads to downfall.

Daniel 2:21, Daniel 4:24-27, and Psalm 75:5-7 demonstrate that God is the judge who puts down one and sets up another, and He opposes the proud.

Weaver quotes Psalm 75:5-6: 'Lift not up your horn on high... God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.'

Capitals are epicenters of sin because those in power devise and implement iniquity.

Micah 1-3 condemns Samaria and Jerusalem for their transgressions, and Micah 2:1-2 describes those who devise evil and practice it because they have power.

Weaver reads Micah 2:1-2: 'Woe to them that devise iniquity... because it is in the power of their hand.' and applies it to modern capitals.

The core sin of Belshazzar and America is blasphemy: rejecting God while using His blessings for idolatry.

Belshazzar used the temple vessels to praise false gods, ignoring the God who held his breath. Similarly, America's politicians dismiss God's will.

Weaver reads Daniel 5:23 and quotes Jerry Nadler: 'The will of God is no concern to this Congress.'

Societal sins are symptoms of forsaking God, and abusing His blessings invites His vengeance.

Jeremiah 5 describes Jerusalem's adultery, deceit, and oppression after God fed them to the full, and God asks, 'Shall I not visit for these things?'

Weaver reads Jeremiah 5:7-9, 25-29 and emphasizes: 'You have taken what I have given you and perverted it... Shall I not visit for these things?'

The only alternatives are salvation or judgment, and we must choose repentance.

Weaver concludes that what it will take for individuals and the nation is either salvation or judgment, and urges turning to God in repentance and faith.

Weaver says: 'What will it take to wake you up? ... it will take either salvation or judgment.' and prays for mercy and turning.

Scripture References

Daniel 5:1-7: The opening reading of the chapter describing Belshazzar's feast and the handwriting on the wall.
Isaiah 26:8-11: Used to show that God's judgments teach righteousness, but the wicked do not learn even when favor is shown.
Philippians 2:5-11: Quoted to demonstrate that every knee will bow and every tongue confess Jesus Christ as Lord, either in salvation or judgment.
Psalm 80:3, 7, 19: Threefold plea for God to turn His people and cause His face to shine, resulting in salvation.
Psalm 85:4: A prayer for God to turn His people and cause His anger to cease.
Isaiah 1:27: Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, showing God uses judgment to awaken and redeem.
Amos 4:6-13: God lists judgments (famine, drought, blight, pestilence, war, overthrow) that did not cause Israel to return, ending with 'prepare to meet thy God.'
Job 37:9-13: Weather phenomena are under God's command, coming for correction, land, or mercy.
Haggai 2:17: God smote with blasting, mildew, and hail, yet they did not turn to Him.
Daniel 5:30: Belshazzar was slain that very night after the warning.
Proverbs 29:1: He who is often reproved and hardens his neck will suddenly be destroyed without remedy.
Daniel 5:18-23: Daniel recounts Nebuchadnezzar's humbling and rebukes Belshazzar for not humbling himself despite knowing it.
Daniel 2:20-22: Daniel praises God who changes times and seasons, removes and sets up kings.
Daniel 4:24-28: Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream, warning him to break off sins, but the judgment came because he did not listen.
Psalm 75:5-6: Promotion comes from God, not from east or west; God is the judge who puts down one and sets up another.
Micah 1:1-5: God's word against Samaria and Jerusalem, identifying the capitals as the transgression of Jacob and high places of Judah.
Micah 2:1-3: Woe to those who devise iniquity and practice it because they have power; God will devise evil against them.
Micah 3:9-12: Heads and princes abhor judgment, build Zion with blood; therefore Zion will be plowed as a field.
Isaiah 42:8: God will not give His glory to another or His praise to graven images.
Jeremiah 5:1, 7-9, 21-29: God challenges to find one righteous man in Jerusalem; the people abused His blessings and committed adultery; He will visit for these things.

Historical References

Babylonian Empire and its capital Babylon: Babylon was the capital of the Babylonian Empire where Belshazzar ruled and held his feast.
Mark R. Rushdoony's article 'A Rise and Build' (January 2021): Quoted regarding the misrepresentation of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, and the corruption of the political system.
Mark Twain's quote about Judas Iscariot and congressmen: Twain said, 'I can never think of Judas Iscariot without losing my temper. To my mind, Judas Iscariot was nothing but a low, mean, premature congressman.'
Theodore Roosevelt's quote about the Senate: Roosevelt said, 'When they call the roll in the Senate, the senators do not know whether to answer 'present' or 'not guilty.''
Congressman Jerry Nadler's statement: Nadler said, 'The will of God is no concern to this Congress.'
American Civil War (referred to as 'War of Northern Aggression'): Mentioned in Rushdoony's quote as the beginning of government misrepresentation and centralization.
Equality Act and contested Iowa election: Weaver references current events: the Equality Act and a disputed election in Iowa as examples of political corruption.
Property confiscation over small tax errors: Weaver mentions a recent case where a house was confiscated over a few dollars in property taxes.
Congressman who wrote 'To Harass Our People': Weaver recalls a Mormon congressman who wrote about bribery in Congress, but cannot recall his name.
2007 sermon 'Capital Sins' from Micah: Weaver references his own previous sermon on Micah, noting the timeliness of Scripture to modern situations.

Important Quotes

It will either take salvation or the judgment of God.

This is the central thesis of the sermon, summarizing the two ways God turns people to Himself.

every mouth will confess and every knee shall bow either in salvation or in condemnation, either in deliverance or in judgment, but they shall bow one way or the other.

Explains the inevitability of acknowledging Christ, highlighting the dual outcome of salvation or judgment.

He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

A key warning from Proverbs applied to Belshazzar and modern listeners about the danger of ignoring repeated warnings.

the flood of wickedness, idolatry, theft, greed, bribery, corruption, pollution, defilement, filth, perversion, blasphemy proceeds from Washington D.C.

Directly applies the 'capital sins' concept to modern America, identifying the seat of government as a source of national sin.

The will of God is no concern to this Congress.

Quoted as a modern parallel to Belshazzar's blasphemy, showing the explicit rejection of God by political leaders.

You have taken what I have given you and perverted it, and instead of using it to honor me, you've used it to sin against me.

Summarizes the sin of Belshazzar and America: abusing God's blessings for idolatry and sin.

What will it take to wake you up? What will it take to make you obedient? What will it take to turn you around and cause you to seek repentance and faith?

The personal application questions that drive the sermon's call to self-examination and repentance.

if God does not turn us in salvation, it will be judgment. And it will be severe judgment that will be needed to get our attention.

The concluding warning that without repentance, severe judgment is inevitable, echoing the pattern of Amos and Belshazzar.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What are some 'ordinary judgments' (like weather events or economic hardships) that people today might dismiss as natural rather than seeing as God's call to repentance?

[Context]

Based on Amos 4 and Job 37, where God sends judgments that are ignored.

[Question]

How does Belshazzar's knowledge of Nebuchadnezzar's humbling make his sin more grievous? What parallels can we draw to our own knowledge of God's works?

[Context]

Daniel 5:22 shows Belshazzar knew all this but did not humble himself.

[Question]

In what ways do modern capitals (Washington D.C., state capitals) reflect the 'capital sins' described in Micah? Can you identify specific policies or practices?

[Context]

Weaver applies Micah 1-3 to modern government corruption.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'take God's vessels'—the blessings He has given us—and use them to praise false gods? How might we be guilty of this individually?

[Context]

The sin of Belshazzar in Daniel 5:23 and the application from Jeremiah 5.

[Question]

Weaver says societal sins like greed and corruption are 'mere symptoms' of the real sin of leaving God. Do you agree? How should this shape our response to cultural decay?

[Context]

Application point that sins are symptoms of forsaking God.

[Question]

The sermon asks, 'What will it take to wake you up?' What would it take for you personally to turn more fully to God in repentance and obedience?

[Context]

The concluding personal application.

[Question]

How should the reality that 'every knee will bow' either in salvation or judgment affect our evangelism and our prayers for our nation?

[Context]

Philippians 2:5-11 and the theme of inevitable confession.

[Question]

Weaver quotes Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain about political corruption. Is such cynicism justified for Christians, and how can we balance it with honoring governing authorities (Romans 13)?

[Context]

Historical quotes about politicians and the biblical call to respect authority.

Applications

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