The Handwriting Is On The Wall: But, do You See and Understand it?

By Pastor Aubrey Duncan

Reflecting on the Past, Understanding the Present, and Peering into the Future

There is a Biblical narrative that is profoundly iconic of the times in which we live. The story is presented in the fifth chapter of the book of Daniel. Belshazzar, the monarch of the mighty Babylonian empire, invited his high officials from throughout his realm, along with their wives and concubines, to attend a party. The occasion turned out to be a licentious, riotous, and drunken affair.

King Belshazzar, in his inebriated stupor, commanded that the sacred Jewish vessels seized from the Jewish nation by his father, Nebuchadnezzar, be brought into the vile celebrations. Those golden and silver vessels had not been used for seventy years. Whether Nebuchadnezzar had them displayed as museum pieces to show his power over the Jewish nation or harbored reverence for their sacredness did not matter to his son, Belshazzar. The young monarch showed his disregard for the vessels, and by extension, the Jewish people, by drinking alcoholic beverages out of his father’s prized possessions.

At the height of the rambunctious celebrations, something frighteningly unusual occurred: a hand not connected to a living body appeared and wrote on the wall of the banquet hall. The inscription by the fingers on the hand was so terrifying that it caused the young monarch to have an involuntary bowel movement; his knees began shaking ferociously, one against the other. His morally debilitated guests were equally astonished and terrified. None in that horrified company was able to read or interpret the handwriting on the wall.

Soon, the king sobered up enough to do what his father had done some seventy years ago when he, Nebuchadnezzar, had a rather impactful dream but could neither remember nor interpret it. Belshazzar called upon his so-called wise men to help him out. His promise to them was as that of his father: he would lavish them with costly gifts and prestigious positions in his empire if they could read, understand, and interpret the handwriting on the wall. But they, not unlike the astrologers and soothsayers of his father’s day, were unable to satisfy his request.

But Daniel, the same Jewish captive who interpreted his father’s dream, was able to read and interpret the mind-boggling writing for the king. The king quickly summoned Daniel to the banquet hall and offered him precious gifts if he could interpret the handwriting on the wall. Daniel refused his offer but went on to give the king the interpretation of the mysterious handwriting on the wall: “This is the interpretation of the thing: Mene; God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it … Tekel; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting…Peres; Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians” (Daniel 5:26–28). The record concluded: “In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old” (Daniel 5:30–31).

And so, in a very real sense, is the condition of the world today. The majority of earth’s inhabitants are overwhelmed with the cares of this life, immersed in worldly pleasure, debased with mindless entertainment, and intoxicated with the wines of spiritual Babylon. Not unlike the fun-loving, inebriated gathering in Belshazzar’s palace, it seems that none can read nor understand the handwriting on the wall of current national and world affairs. But Creator God has the only correct interpretation of the writing on His prophetic wall. His pronouncements accurately foretold the nature of our times, and we need to take heed because they equally interpret the handwriting on His prophetic wall.

The writing on the wall of the current state of affairs is that the Roman church, in uniting with the nations of the world, will usher in a season of despotism, horror, and terror such as the world has never before seen. Since his appointment as pope more than ten years ago, Francis has traveled around the world, coalescing all the nations and coaxing the varying religious faiths into a united movement for the ‘common good’. That ‘common good’ essentially means that ultimately the Vatican church/state will ultimately have control and ownership of all property and goods. This program is based upon the church’s long-standing doctrine of the Universal Destination of Goods, which states that private property must always be used for the common good. Therefore, in an extreme emergency—if it is a matter of basic survival—no one has a right to insist on his property claims: everything is then common, and the church decides what is its best use for the common good. That emergency is upon us in the context of the climate crisis; that’s how Francis sees it.

He proposes: “The principle of the common use of created goods is the “first principle of the whole ethical and social order”; [96] it is a natural and inherent right that takes priority over others. [97] All other rights having to do with the goods necessary for the integral fulfillment of persons, including that of private property or any other type of property, should, in the words of Saint Paul VI, “in no way hinder [this right], but should actively facilitate its implementation”. [98] The right to private property can only be considered a secondary natural right, derived from the principle of the universal destination of created goods. This has concrete consequences that ought to be reflected in the workings of society. Yet it often happens that secondary rights displace primary and overriding rights, in practice making them irrelevant” (Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, sec. 120).

Recently, Francis ordered that all Vatican funds and other liquid assets currently in the custody of other banks be withdrawn and deposited into the Vatican Bank, which is beyond the control of any regulatory banking institution. When one considers the rapid implementation of Central Bank Deposit Currency (CBDC) where all deposited funds will be controlled by the central bank of respective jurisdictions, Francis’ move begs to be instructive. What do he and his cabal know that the rest of the world does not?

Simultaneously, the Roman Pontiff has announced the release of his newest encyclical, Laudato Si’ 2, for October 4th, 2023. Laudato Si’ 1 was released on June 18, 2015. Its essential premise was the appeal to all humanity to honor Sunday for the purpose of mitigating the climate crisis. That appeal has been resoundingly effective. Countries large and small, private enterprises, international monetary organizations, NGOs, trade unions, and especially the media have been echoing Francis call for Sunday sacredness. Almost the entire world is entering into Francis’ Trojan Horse.

Laudato Si’ 2, from all indications, will be a demand for the nations to legally implement the pope’s foundational principle for world domination. He emphasizes: “I am writing a second part to Laudato Si’ to update it on current problems”. Quite interestingly, the pope made his announcement to a group of lawyers on August 21 during a meeting in the library of the Apostolic Palace. For him, the universal legalization of Sunday sacredness is the panacea for the climate crisis and oppression of the poor and disenfranchised, and it must be implemented swiftly.

Catholic observer and antagonist, Ayn Rand, wrote: “The Catholic Church has never given up the hope to re-establish the medieval union of church and state, with a global state and a global theocracy as its ultimate goal” (Rand, Capitalism, pp. 315). Certainly not basing her observation on the Biblical text, nevertheless, Rand is in complete agreement with it: “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth … And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast” (Revelation 17:9, 12–13). This Biblical prophecy describes a universal church/state union with the Roman church, ruling over the nations.

Not unlike the church’s actions in years past—the Dark Ages, to be more precise—when the church commanded the kings and princes, compelled the consciences of the people, and coerced the movements of the masses, it will do so again on a universal basis. So reads the handwriting on the wall. But do you understand it?

The Hated Strategic Partner

There is but one way for Ayn Rand’s observation and John’s prophetic vision to come to pass: Every principle of liberal democracy must be eradicated from the face of the earth. America is the most dominant and rapidly deteriorating of the few remaining democracies. The nation is under the stress of a seemingly imminent demise. The sure word of prophecy says it will transition from a system of relative openness and public participation to one of ruthless dictatorship and oppression: “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon” (Revelation 13:11).

John the Revelator previews the next scene in the Drama of the Ages. He foretells of the day when the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave will become exactly like the power to which it willingly ceedes its authority, the Roman Papacy: “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:15–17).

The handwriting on the wall is not only telling us that we are almost there, but it truly reveals that the final movements will be rapid ones.

In the current Religio/Political morass, the Seven Mountain Movement is rapidly gaining strength. This aggressive church/state initiative is speeding on like an unstoppable locomotive. It has a plan for America: controlling all aspects of American life. By injecting religion into its political agenda, the extremely well-funded and tightly organized movement is strategically focused on its ultimate goal of transforming America according to its Seven Mountain Mandate. And what are those seven mountains? 1) Education, 2) Religion, 3) Family, 4) Business, 5) Government/Military, 6) Arts/Entertainment, 7) Media.

This movement is believed by its followers to have begun in 1975 with a purported message from God delivered to evangelicals Loren Cunningham, Bill Bright, and Francis Schaeffer ordering them to invade the “seven spheres” of society. Based upon their misinterpretation of certain well-chosen Biblical texts, the movement operates on the belief that these seven sectors of society are thought to mold the way everyone thinks and behaves. So, to tackle societal change, these seven “mountains” must be transformed. It’s not politically correct; nevertheless, it is rapidly gaining steam, and you ignore it at your own peril.

Another measure of no small consequence, Project 2025, is aligned with the the Seven Mountain movement and has as its objective: “Our goal is to assemble an army of aligned, vetted, trained, and prepared conservatives to go to work on Day One to deconstruct the Administrative State … It is not enough for conservatives to win elections. If we are going to rescue the country from the grip of the radical Left, we need both a governing agenda and the right people in place, ready to carry this agenda out on day one of the next conservative administration’ (Project2025.org).

Tucked away in the belly of their position document, The Mandate for Leadership, is this statement: “Sabbath Rest. God ordained the Sabbath as a day of rest, and until very recently the Judeo-Christian tradition sought to honor that mandate by moral and legal regulation of work on that day. Moreover, a shared day off makes it possible for families and communities to enjoy time off together, rather than as atomized individuals, and provides a healthier cadence of life for everyone. Unfortunately, that communal day of rest has eroded under the pressures of consumerism and secularism, especially for low-income workers.” (Mandate for Leadership, page 589). The Sabbath being referred to here is not the Seventh-day Sabbath of the Bible, but Sunday, Rome’s purported mark of authority.

Project 2025, an initiative of the enormously powerful Heritage Foundation in cooperation with several other conservative organizations, is determined to change the course of America. It’s a well-thought-out plan designed to achieve what these organizations call the deconstruction of the Administrative State. Simply stated: repudiation of the American Constitution. Project 2025, the Seven Mountain Movement, and others may be planning for America, but the Roman Church has a much broader agenda, though identical in characteristics and objectives. Their agendas are autocratic in nature and harbor a deep disdain for democratic principles and religious freedom.

These movements fit like hands in tailor-made gloves with the Papacy’s accelerating plans for control of the entire world. Pope Francis explains in a document that outlines the Vatican’s plan for the establishment of a New World Order of which he and his church will be at the helm: “For these reasons, the Church, while respecting the autonomy of political life, does not restrict her mission to the private sphere. On the contrary, “she cannot and must not remain on the sidelines” in the building of a better world or fail to “reawaken the spiritual energy” that can contribute to the betterment of society. [266] (Fratelli Tutti, sec. 276).

The Overarching View

In His last conversation with His disciples, Jesus remarked: “And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe (John 14:29). Not unlike the handwriting on the wall in Belshazzar’s court, the events and developments transpiring around us constitute the handwriting on the wall of God’s prophetic calendar, written by the Creator Himself.

The year was 1611. The Pilgrims had landed at Plymouth Rock. These Christians were fleeing the persecution of the church/state union that held sway throughout Europe. Sadly, those rebels implemented some of the same policies on the shores of their new-found home. Those who did not go along with their religious tenets were persecuted, harassed, and killed by the state for not following the doctrines of the church. Incidentally, one of those doctrines was going to church on Sunday.

Roger Williams, one of the pioneers of what was to become the American Experiment, and a fierce opponent of that arrangement, remarked: “Religious matters are to be separated from the jurisdiction of the state, not because they are beneath the interests of the state but, quite to the contrary, because they are too high and holy and thus are beyond the competence of the state … God has appointed two kinds of government in the world, which are distinct in their nature, and ought never to be confounded together; one of which is called civil, the other ecclesiastical government” (Roger Williams, The Bloody Tenet of Persecution for Cause of Conscience). Being vehemently against the status quo, he felt the pangs of its persecution.

Roger Williams’ idea of separation of church and state is the bedrock upon which the concept of the democratic empire of America is built. Its founding documents, drafted by a group of patriots who adopted William’s political concept and fought to disband the yoke of tyranny and injustice of a foreign church/state power, explicitly states:  “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (1st Amendment of the US Constitution).

That idea, though not perfectly implemented, established the basis for the development of the most powerful economic, robust military, and socially equitable empire the world has ever known.

But how far have we come? The movement to tear it down from within is intensifying at an alarming rate. The Pew Research Center, an organization that surveys and reports on the social and cultural developments of the United States, reports: “Roughly one-in-five say that the federal government should stop enforcing the separation of church and state (19%) and that the U.S. Constitution was inspired by God (18%). And 15% go as far as to say the federal government should declare the U.S. a Christian nation” (Pew Research Center, October 28, 2021). Undoubtedly, that number has risen since it was first reported. Pew’s research demonstrates the rapid repudiation of a principle that is essentially the foundation of the American Experiment.

One of its principal architects remarked: “In the Papal System, Government and Religion are in a manner consolidated, & that is found to be the worst of Govts. In most of the Govts. of the old world, the legal establishment of a particular religion and without or with very little toleration of others makes a part of the Political and Civil organization and there are few of the most enlightened judges who will maintain that the system has been favorable either to Religion or to Govt.” (James Madison, Letter to Jasper Adams, September 1833).

Less than 250 years later, former president and now presidential candidate Donald Trump, in addressing a group of Catholic supporters, boasted: “To support the noble mission of Catholic schools, my administration is working to advance School Choice. It was my great honor to help the Catholic Church with its schools. They needed hundreds of millions of dollars nationwide, and I got it for them. Nobody else. I got it for them. I hope you remember that on November 3rd, but I got it for them. And it was an honor to do it. I did it at the request of Cardinal Dolan and others of your leaders. They really needed it. We took care of that situation. Very important”.

But here’s the thought of another one of those originators of the American Experiment: “When religion is good, it will take care of itself. When it is not able to take care of itself, and God does not see fit to take care of it, so that it has to appeal to the civil power for support, it is evidence to my mind that its cause is a bad one” (Benjamin Franklin, Letter to Dr. Richard Price, October 19^th, 1790).

Nineteenth-century Bible commentator Ellen G. White is even more specific: “When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and Republican government and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near” (Testimonies to the Church, Vol. 5, p. 451).

The late Dr. John W. Robbins, a Presbyterian minister and authority on Roman Catholicism, agrees with her and makes this eye-opening assertion: “The Roman church/state is a hybrid, a monster of ecclesiastical and political power. Its political thought is totalitarian and whenever it has had the opportunity to apply its principles, the result has been bloody repression. If during the last 30 years it has softened its assertions of full, supreme and irresponsible power and has murdered fewer people than before; such changes of behavior are not due to a change in its ideas but to a change in circumstances… it is only when the Roman church/state faced public opinion that disapproved of church/state sanctioned murder, that it slowed its persecutions and attempted to speak with a voice  less bloodthirsty. The Roman church/state in the 20th century, however, is an institution recovering from a deadly wound. If and when it regains its full power and authority, it will impose a regime more sinister than any the planet has ever seen” (Dr. John W. Robbins, Ecclesiastical Megalomania, page 195).

The future of America and the world is written on the wall of Bible prophecy. John the Revelator amplifies the aims and final chapter of Francis’ massive ‘common ground’ project: “These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful” (Revelation 17:14).

Here’s the interpretation of the handwriting on God’s prophetic wall: “The present is a time of overwhelming interest to all living. Rulers and statesmen, men who occupy positions of trust and authority, thinking men and women of all classes, have their attention fixed upon the events taking place about us. They are watching the strained, restless relations that exist among the nations. They observe the intensity that is taking possession of every earthly element, and they realize that something great and decisive is about to take place—that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis” (E.G. White, RH November 23, 1905, Art. A, par. 7). My sincere prayer is that you will not only understand the handwriting on the wall but also make the right choice before the banquet is dismantled. Your only hope is in Christ Jesus.

About: Follow Pastor Aubrey Duncan at his Unfolding Prophecy Page.