JOSEPH W. TKACH
PASTOR GENERAL

March 1988

Dear Friend:

Thank you for your recent inquiry about the mysterious words "MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN" found in Daniel 5:25.

Belshazzar, ruler of the Babylonian Empire, watched as these words were supernaturally written on the palace wall the very night his kingdom fell (October 13, 539 B.C.). Each of these words is a measure of weight (used in much the same way as our ounce, pound, hundredweight, and ton).

The basic unit of weight in Babylon was the gold shekel (TEKEL in this verse). The mena equalled 50 shekels; the upharsin (half a mena) equalled 25. The four words, therefore, stood for: MENA, 50 shekels; MENA, 50 shekels; TEKEL, 1 shekel; UPHARSIN, 25 shekels. The total was 126 shekels.

In addition, each shekel was divided into smaller units (as our pound is divided into ounces, for example). The shekel was equal to 20 gerahs (Ezek. 45:12). The 126 shekels of Daniel 5:25, then, equalled 2,520 gerahs.

The handwriting on the wall symbolized the fact that God had "weighed" Belshazzar's kingdom and found it wanting (verses 26 and 27). God was about to punish Belshazzar's realm for 2,520 years. This is confirmed by another prophecy in Daniel.

King Nebuchadnezzar had been told that a total of "seven times" of punishment would befall Babylon (Dan. 4). In prophecy, a "time" equals a year of 360 days. This can be seen by noting that 3 1/2 "times" equals 42 months or 1,260 days (Rev. 12:6, 14; 13:5). "Seven times," therefore, equals 2,520 days. In certain prophecies, however, such as here, each day represents a year in fulfillment (Num. 14:34; Ezek. 4:6). (For a complete explanation of this principle, see Chapter 6 of our booklet THE UNITED STATES AND BRITAIN IN PROPHECY.)

So, then, from the experiences of both Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, it is evident Babylon would be punished for a period of 2,520 years.

After that time, it was to rise again -- as symbolized by the tree which sprouted and grew after the iron band was removed (Dan. 4). We can expect to see the rise of modern Babylon in this present generation (foretold in Revelation 18). It will appear in the form of the final revival of the Roman Empire in Europe! The PLAIN TRUTH magazine will keep its readers informed on those developments.

Thank you for your question. It is a pleasure to assist you with your study of the Bible.

PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE DEPARTMENT