In the original biblical usage a Babylonian king held a feast and suddenly a disembodied hand wrote: MENE, MENE, TECKEL, PARSIN on the wall, which translated to

In the original biblical usage a Babylonian king held a feast and suddenly a disembodied hand wrote: MENE, MENE, TECKEL, PARSIN on the wall, which translated to: "Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end." "Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting." "Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” So you're right, it doesn't connote that something will endure, but that something will end.