Dan 5:1-31  Thou art Weighed in the Balances and Found Wanting

[Study Aired December 13, 2021]

Dan 5:1  Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. 
Dan 5:2  Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. 
Dan 5:3  Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. 
Dan 5:4  They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. 
Dan 5:5  In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 
Dan 5:6  Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. 
Dan 5:7  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 shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. 
Dan 5:8  Then came in all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. 
Dan 5:9  Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied. 
Dan 5:10  Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed: 
Dan 5:11  There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; 
Dan 5:12  Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation. 
Dan 5:13  Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry? 
Dan 5:14  I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. 
Dan 5:15  And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing: 
Dan 5:16  And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom. 
Dan 5:17  Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.
Dan 5:18  O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: 
Dan 5:19  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. 
Dan 5:20  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: 
Dan 5:21  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.
Dan 5:22  And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;
Dan 5:23  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:
Dan 5:24  Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
Dan 5:25  And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
Dan 5:26  This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
Dan 5:27  TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
Dan 5:28  PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
Dan 5:29  Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
Dan 5:30  In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
Dan 5:31  And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.

This chapter deals with God’s judgment. The first part of the chapter shows us our sins while in Babylon and the need for us to be judged.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 
1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

The second part of the chapter depicts God’s judgment which is meted out when our iniquity is full.

Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Dan 5:1  Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.

In this chapter, Belshazzar is portrayed as the king but actually, he was the son and crown prince of king Naboridus who was the last king of the neo-Babylonian empire. Usually, in certain parts of the scriptures, the first few verses of the chapter talk about the subject matter of that chapter before the details are given. This chapter is rendered in that pattern. King Belshazzar drinking wine before a thousand of his lords signifies that the time has come for Babylon within us to experience the wrath of God through judgment. Outwardly, the religious system of this world will be judged at the appointed time set by God.

Rev 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 
Rev 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 
Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

It is while we are in Babylon that the wrath of God is unleashed through judgment to destroy the old man or the beast within us. The king drinking wine in the presence of a thousand of his lords means that our sins have reached the heavens, and God has remembered us. This remembrance is to judge us. This is because the number thousand is made up of ten multiplied three times (1000 = 10x10x10). The number ten represents the fullness of the flesh, and the number three tells us that we are in the process of being judged to complete our spiritual process.

Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

The next few verses show us our sins which have reached the heavens.

Dan 5:2  Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.
Dan 5:3  Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.
Dan 5:4  They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

From these verses, it becomes obvious that while in Babylon, we took God’s gold and silver and made images of men with them.

Eze 16:17  Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

These images of men are the false doctrines we imbibe while in Babylon which becomes our idols of the heart.

Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 
Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 
Rom 1:23  And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 
Rom 1:24  Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 
Rom 1:25  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

In verse 3, the king’s princes, his wives and concubines all drank from the gold and silver vessels indicating that we, the elect, are all guilty of perverting the word of God (Gold and Silver vessels) into false doctrines. In the final analysis, we become adulterous by worshiping another Jesus whose characteristics are not consistent with our Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 4 tells us that we end up praising and worshiping another Jesus, signified by gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood and stone.

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

Dan 5:5  In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 
Dan 5:6  Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.

This finger of a man’s handwriting on the wall is the finger of God. In a negative connotation, this finger of God signifies judgment. It shows that our sins have caught up with us. In other words, our sins have reached heaven, and therefore our Lord is ready to judge us.

Joe 3:5  For you have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried my rich treasures into your temples.

Joe 3:14  Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
Joe 3:15  The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.
Joe 3:16  The LORD roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake. But the LORD is a refuge to his people, a stronghold to the people of Israel.

The changing of the king’s countenance from being in a festive mood to that of being troubled is to let us know that we all, in our time in Babylon, did not like to hear about an impending judgment. We become troubled when we hear about judgment. In the final analysis, our judgment is better for us.

Ecc 7:3  Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

The king’s joints of his loins being loosed and his knees smiting one against another is to let us know that we become incapacitated through our judgment so that we will learn how to rest in the Lord. It is through judgment that our feeble knees become strengthened, and our Lord makes straight paths for our feet.

Heb 12:11  For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Heb 12:12  Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,
Heb 12:13  and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. (ESV)

Dan 5:7  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 shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. 
Dan 5:8  Then came in all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.

As indicated in an earlier study, the astrologers, Chaldeans and the soothsayers represent the leaders in Babylon or the churches of this world who are not given to know the mind of Christ and therefore cannot interpret the word of God in the spirit.

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Verse 7 also says that if one can read the writing and interpret, he shall be clothed with scarlet and have a gold chain about his neck and shall rule with the king. This is to let us know that if we are given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, then we shall surely inherit the promise of reigning with Christ.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.  

2Ti 2:12  If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

Dan 5:9  Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.

We are troubled by the wrath of God just like king Belshazzar. However, in the end, we reap the harvest of entering our Lord’s glory.

Psa 30:7  LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.

Psa 90:7  For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.

Dan 5:10  Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed: 

The queen here represents the elect or the wife of the bridegroom who is Christ. Part of what every joint supplies is that we should not worry about the troubles we go through. Our Lord will make a way of escape for us so that we can bear every trial that we go through.

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Dan 5:11  There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; 
Dan 5:12  Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.

We are the men in the kingdom of our Lord who are endowed with the spirit of the Lord so that we can walk in the fear of the Lord which is understanding and wisdom.

Pro 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

We, like Daniel, are given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Dan 5:13  Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry? 
Dan 5:14  I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee. 
Dan 5:15  And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing: 
Dan 5:16  And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom. 

As we have said earlier, it is us who are given to have light, understanding and wisdom. The wise men of Babylon, representing the leaders of the churches of this world, are not given the understanding to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. God showing mercy to us by granting us the grace to understand His words means that if we continue in what we are doing, we shall surely receive the prize of rulership.

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Dan 5:17  Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.

This verse is not suggesting that Daniel did not want the reward or the joy that was set before him. However, it is showing us that Daniel was not using the wisdom and insight that the Lord had given him for his personal advantage or reward. He was not like Balaam who ran greedily after the reward.

Jud 1:11  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

Dan 5:18  O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:
Dan 5:19  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.
Dan 5:20  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: 
Dan 5:21  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.

The Lord used the life of Nebuchadnezzar as an example for us to know that in the fullness of time, we shall reign with Christ. As we know, Nebuchadnezzar became proud and taught that it was through his own effort that his kingdom was built. This pride relates to our self-righteousness or iniquity which characterized our walk in Babylon. We are then humbled through our experience of evil which brings us to acknowledge that we are not different from beasts just like Nebuchadnezzar’s life as a beast. It is then that the Lord comes in with the brightness of His coming through His word to destroy the old man or beast within bringing us to offer our bodies as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. This ensures that we shall reign with Christ.

Verse 19 indicates that Nebuchadnezzar slew or kept alive whomsoever he will letting us know that our reign with Christ shall be characterized by the rod of iron which signifies discipline.

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

As we indicated in the previous review, the whole essence of Nebuchadnezzar’s story is to show us Christ and His ways. That is what it means when the scripture says that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men. The kingdom being given to whomsoever He will signifies that the kingdom of heaven is given as a gift, and therefore it is not obtained by our own efforts.

Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Dan 5:22  And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; 
Dan 5:23  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:

These verses are spelling out our sins while in Babylon. We become proud because we think that it is through our own supposed freewill that we have come to Christ. We therefore glory in our self-righteousness which is iniquity, and we end up perverting the word of God to suit our carnal desires. All these lead us to worship another Jesus whom we have created in our image.

Eze 33:13  When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.

Eze 16:17  Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,

Being shown our sins gives the Lord the occasion He is seeking to come and judge us.

Joe 3:5  Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:

Joe 3:7  Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:

Eze 7:19  They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

The next five verses, therefore, show us our process of judgment.

Dan 5:24  Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
Dan 5:25  And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
Dan 5:26  This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.

The Lord numbering our kingdom and finishing it is to let us know that the boundaries of the kingdom of our old man in our lives has been marked. The old man, or the beast within, cannot go beyond what he has caused us to do against the Lord. In other words, the old man’s reign over our lives is being brought to an end through judgment.

Isa 26:8  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.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Dan 5:27  TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. 

This verse shows us that we have missed the mark of the high calling of God. In other words, our deeds are not according to the standards set by the Lord for His children. We gloried in our own integrity and taught like Job that our Lord will find us up to His standard. However, this integrity that we taught we have just like Job, is this self-righteousness, which is iniquity.

Job 31:6  Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity.

Dan 5:28  PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

According to Strong, the primitive root of the word divided is to break up into pieces. So, what we are being told here in verse 28 is that the kingdom of our old man is going to be destroyed through judgment and replaced by the new kingdom of our new man. This new man is represented by the Medes and the Persians. Persians means ‘pure’ or ‘splendid’ and Medes means ‘the middle lane’. This means that the new man is pure and splendid and is after the image of Christ and will take us through the narrow or middle lane of life.

Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Mat 7:13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 
Mat 7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Dan 5:29  Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom. 

As we indicated earlier, our eyes seeing and our ears hearing what the spirit of the Lord is telling us is what makes us able to understand and accept our Lord’s ways of judgment. This is what guarantees our inheritance of reigning with Christ in the age to come.

Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Dan 5:30  In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. 
Dan 5:31  And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.

Our old man, represented here by Belshazzar, must be slain through judgment by the Lord before the new man, signified by Darius, dominates our lives within. This judgment of Belshazzar is the same as the judgment of the harlot or Babylon within us.

Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

Rev 18:15  The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
Rev 18:16  And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
Rev 18:17  For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,