America -- Weighed in the Balance and Found Wanting

Weighed in the balance and found wanting is a phrase from Daniel 5:27, where the mysterious writing on the wall during King Belshazzar’s feast declares: “TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.”

This means God has measured a person’s life, actions, or character against His perfect standard and found them insufficient. The imagery of scales symbolizes divine judgment—where moral, spiritual, and ethical worth is assessed with absolute fairness.

• In context: Belshazzar, despite his power and privilege, was judged for his arrogance, idolatry, and disregard for God’s past judgments (e.g., on his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar). His reign ended that night.

• Spiritual application: The phrase serves as a warning that no amount of wealth, status, or religious ritual can compensate for a lack of genuine righteousness.

• Biblical principle: As Proverbs 16:2 says, “All a man’s ways are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the motives.”

• Modern relevance: The concept applies to all people—individuals, nations, or churches—whose lives or systems fail to meet God’s moral and spiritual standards.

The phrase is often used to emphasize the seriousness of accountability before God, and the urgency of repentance and faith in Christ, who provides the righteousness needed to stand in God’s balance.

Weighed In the Balance and Found Wanting …

The great Babylonian Empire ended that night. Why? Because of all her wickedness and foolishness. She had deeply offended the One True Holy God who rules over all of the kingdoms of men. Jesus is in that position today: King of kings and Lord of lords!

Empires fall apart at the seems slowly for many years, almost unnoticed. But then when the accounting comes — they unravel at the seems quickly while the leaders are partying! It’s happened many times in history.

This week I want to take a hard look at our American Empire that tries her best to control the whole world. We just expect people to submit to our power. Like a big school bully. Sooner or later, someone stands up to the bully and smacks him in the nose. And that’s that!

Here’s the Truth: God is about fed up with the American Empire!

I’m not a prophet like Daniel was — I only notice what is happening around me. The house is beginning to fall apart at the seems. Literally.

America: The Handwriting on the Wall

• America is covered with the shedding of innocent blood. (Numbers 35:30-35)

• America has defiled the land with all of her sexual immorality. (Leviticus 18)

• America has become completely Divided. “Every kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. (Matthew 12:25)

• America has not just forgotten God, but deliberately Rejected God from ruling over her. “The wicked go down to the realm of the dead, all the nations that forget God.” (Psalm 9:17 — 1 Samuel 8:7)

• America openly violates every one of the 10 Commandments: (Deuteronomy 28)

• America has become a Violent, Cold-blooded War-mongering nation: (Nahum)

• America is filled with Lies and Cover-ups. (John 8:44)

• America is Proud and Arrogant: (Proverbs 16:18)

I know there are many honest, dedicated Christians is America. The only thing keeping America afloat for the past 25 years, is that there are still apparently enough righteous people to avert the coming catastrophe. (Genesis 18:23-33)

Every Christian who lives in America should be praying Abraham’s prayer every day. Jesus is the King and Judge.

The last book of the Bible opens:

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.” — Revelation 1:1-3