The Word for Today with Ray

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

A Vile Person Standing Up - Daniel 11:21

In the book of Daniel, Daniel shared how Gabriel told him, “the king of the north … shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed. He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him. After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him. Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found. Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle”, and in chapter eleven and verse twenty-one of his book Daniel shared how Gabriel said, “in his estate shall stand up a vile person” where we read,

And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honor of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.

The verse reads, “And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honor of the kingdom:” Daniel began with the words, “and in his estate” or “and within his, the leader who raises taxes, pedestal, place and office” “shall stand up” which means “will be erected, appear and come on the scene” “a vile person” or “a contemptuous, disdained and despicable human being”, “to whom they shall not give the honor” which means “that the people of the kingdom shall in no way or manner grant, bestow, ascribe or requite the beauty, comeliness, excellency and glory” “of the kingdom” or “pertaining to the royal power, reign or sovereign realm”. Daniel shared how Gabriel told him a despicable person would rise to power after the leader who collected taxes, and the people would not ascribe to him the excellence or glory of it.

The verse goes on to say, “but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.” Daniel continued with the words, “but he shall come in peaceably” or “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover he, the one without regard, will arise and enter in a peaceful, calm, prosperous and tranquil manner”, “and obtain the kingdom” which means “and gain, prevail, become strong and resolute concerning the royal power, reign or sovereign realm” “by flatteries” or “through the means of slipperiness, fine promises and smoothness”. Daniel said this new ruler would arrive in a calm and tranquil manner and would become strong in the sovereign realm through the means of fine promises and smoothness.

When we think through words in this verse, we learn through Daniel how Gabriel told him about the next ruler of the north. This despicable man would replace the ruler who collected taxes but would do so without the glory of the people in the kingdom being given to him. Even so, this ruler would gain his official role through smoothness of talk and fine promises. Matthew Henry wrote, “All this is a prophecy of the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, the little horn spoken of before (ch. 8:9) a sworn enemy to the Jewish religion, and a bitter persecutor of those that adhered to it. What troubles the Jews met with in the reigns of the Persian kings were not so particularly foretold to Daniel as these, because then they had living prophets with them, Haggai and Zechariah, to encourage them; but these troubles in the days of Antiochus were foretold, because, before that time, prophecy would cease, and they would find it necessary to have recourse to the written word. Some things in this prediction concerning Antiochus are alluded to in the New-Testament predictions of the antichrist, especially v. 36,37.” This man not only came to rule at this time, but also becomes a picture of the anti-christ who will appear in the last days. This can all be so frightening to us if we think about it too much, but because Jehovah God is in control of all the rulers and leaders of the world, we have no need to fear. God loves us, and He proved His love toward us when He sent His Only Begotten Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and raised Him from the dead after three days. When we put our faith and trust in Him as our Savior and Lord, our sins will be forgiven, we shall inherit eternal life and we will be assured by His Holy Spirit that regardless of who rules in the world, God rules over them all.

Next time Daniel shares how Gabriel says, “with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".

A Raiser of Taxes - Daniel 11:20

In the book of Daniel, Daniel shared how Gabriel told him, “the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand. But he that comes against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed. He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him. After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him. Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found”, and in chapter eleven and verse twenty of his book Daniel shared how Gabriel told him about, “a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom”where we read,

Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom:

but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.

The verse reads, “Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom:” Daniel began with the words, “then shall stand up” or “at that time will be erected, appear and come on the scene” “in his estate” which means “within his, the king of the north’s, pedestal, place and office” “a raiser of taxes” or “a collector pertaining to tribute” “in the glory of the kingdom” which means “within the splendor and adornment pertaining to the royal reign, sovereign power and rule”. Daniel shared how a person would rise to power after the death of the king of the north who would be a tax collector to gain tribute to maintain the splendor of the “kingdom”.

The verse continues, “but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.” Daniel added the words, “but within few days” or “however, notwithstanding and moreover in a small number of sunrises to sunsets” “he shall be destroyed” which means “he, the raiser of taxes, will be broken down, rendered violent, wrecked and crushed”, “neither in anger” or “no and not in any way within wrath that wrinkles the nostrils and nose”, “nor in battle” which means “no and not in any way within fighting and war”. Daniel said the person who would be a “raiser of taxes” would be broken in pieces and violently maimed, however it would not be because of wrath or war.

When we meditate upon words in this verse, we learn through Daniel how Gabriel told him the king of the north would be replaced by another ruler who would be a tax collector, and the tribute that was received would be used to continue the splendor of his “kingdom”. His rule would not last, and he would be destroyed only after a small amount of time expired. Matthew Henry wrote, “There rose up one in his place, a raiser of taxes, a sender forth of the extortioner, or extorter. This character was remarkably answered in Seleucus Philopater, the elder son of Antiochus the Great, who was a great oppressor of his own subjects, and exacted abundance of money from them; and, when he was told he would thereby lose his friends, he said he knew no better friend he had then money. He likewise attempted to rob the temple at Jerusalem, which this seems especially to refer to. But within a few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger nor in battle, but poisoned by Heliodorus, one of his own servants, when he had reigned but twelve years, and done nothing remarkable.” Rulers come, and rulers go, but God is over them all. God is aware of all the matters and concerns of mankind, and because He knew everyone has sin that separates them from a personal relationship with Him, He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and raised Him from the dead after three days. When we yield our lives to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and provide us with the assurance of His Holy Spirit regardless of who is ruling in the world.

Next time Daniel shares how Gabriel says, “in his estate shall stand up a vile person”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Turning a Face Toward the Fort - Daniel 11:19

In the book of Daniel, Daniel shared how Gabriel told him, “the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand. But he that comes against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed. He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him. After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him”, and in chapter eleven and verse nineteen of his book Daniel shared how Gabriel said, “he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land” where we read,

Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land:

but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.

The verse reads, “Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land:” Daniel began with the words, “then he shall turn his face” or “at that time he, the king of the north, will fix, put and direct the front of his head or countenance” “toward the fort” which means “to the place of safety, protection and refuge” “of his own land” or “belonging to his, the king of the north’s, own personal territory, region, district and country”. Daniel shared how the king of the north would direct his attention to the safety and protection of his own country.

The verse goes on to say, “but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.” Daniel continued with the words, “but he shall stumble and fall” or “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover he, the king of the north will stagger, totter, become weak and be cast down”, “and not be found” which means “and in no way or manner exist as encountered, discovered and secured”. Daniel said the king of the north would stagger and become weak after returning to his own country, would be cast down to the point that he would be undiscoverable.

When we consider Daniel’s words in this verse, we learn more about what Gabriel told him concerning the king of the north. After being reproached by the rulers in the islands, he would return to his own country and become weak and be put to ruin. Matthew Henry wrote, “when he was totally routed by the Romans, and was forced to abandon to them all he had in Europe, and had a very heavy tribute exacted from him, he turned to his own land, and, not knowing which way to raise money to pay his tribute, he plundered a temple of Jupiter, which so incensed his own subjects against him that they set upon him, and killed him;” God sets up kingdoms and rulers, and He takes them down. He knows all people are in need of a “Savior” because we have sin in our lives. He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind, and when we yield our lives to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us the wisdom of His Holy Spirit to be assured that He is in control of all the rulers, kingdoms and powers in the world.

Next time Daniel shares how Gabriel told him about, “a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

A Face Turned to the Isles - Daniel 11:18

In the book of Daniel, Daniel shared how Gabriel told him, “the robbers of your people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall. So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand. But he that comes against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed. He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him”, and in chapter eleven and verse eighteen of his book Daniel shared how Gabriel said, “after this shall he turn his face unto the isles” where we read,

After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him.

The verse reads, “After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many:” Daniel began with the words, “after this” or “following the time when the daughter does not stand for the king of the north” “shall he turn his face” which means “will he, the king of the north, put, set, appoint and direct the front of his head or countenance” “unto the isles” or “toward the islands”, “and shall take many” which means “and will remove a great number of people”. Daniel shared how the king of the north would direct his attention toward the islands and remove numerous people from them.

The verse continues, “but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him.” Daniel added the words, “but a prince” or “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover a chief, ruler, commander or dictator” “for his own behalf” which means “because, since and on account of his own personal benefit” “shall cause the reproach” or “will cease, desist, exterminate and destroy the scorn, taunting, shame and disgrace” “offered by him to cease” which means “presented and granted through him, the king of the north, to stop, desist and rest”; “without his own reproach” or “his, the king of the north’s, own personal scorn, shame or disgrace” “he shall cause it to turn upon him” which means “he, the king of the north, will make to come back upon him, the king of the north”. Daniel shared how a ruler from the islands would make the king of the north’s efforts to fail, and that which he intended will come back upon himself.

When we think through the words in this verse, we learn through Daniel how the king of the north, Antiochus the Great, will direct his attention toward the islands which were occupied by the Romans. Matthew Henry wrote, “His war with the Romans is here foretold. He shall turn his face to the isles (v. 18), the isles of the Gentiles (Gen. 10:5), Greece and Italy. He took many of the isles about the Hellespont-Rhodes, Samos, Delos, etc., which by war or treaty he made himself master of; but a prince, or state (so some), even the Roman senate, or a leader, even the Roman general, shall return his reproach with which he abused the Romans upon himself, or shall make his shame rest on himself, and without his own shame, or any disgrace to himself, shall pay him again. This was fulfilled when the two Scipios were sent with an army against Antiochus. Hannibal was then with him, and advised him to invade Italy and waste it as he had done; but he did not take his advice; and Scipio joined battle with him, and gave him a total defeat, though Antiochus had 70,000 men and the Romans but 30,000. Thus he caused the reproach offered by him to cease.” God was well aware of these desires and deeds of these rulers, and because they were leading to the birth, death and resurrection of His Son Jesus who was crucified on the cross for the sins of the world, He watched over them and made the provision for all who believe and trust in Him to be forgiven of their sins, granted everlasting life and to receive His Holy Spirit who will continually reassure us that He has nations, rulers and kingdoms all in His control.

Next time Daniel shares how Gabriel told him, “he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Setting His Face with Strength - Daniel 11:17

In the book of Daniel, Daniel shared how Gabriel told him, “the robbers of your people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall. So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand. But he that comes against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed”, and in chapter eleven and verse seventeen of his book Daniel shared how Gabriel said, “he shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom” where we read,

He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.

The verse reads, “He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him;” Daniel began with the words, “he shall also set his face” or “he, the king of the north, will even so and indeed appoint, put and make his, the king of the north’s, front of the head, presence or countenance” “to enter with the strength” which means “to come in accompanied by the power, might and ability” “of his whole kingdom” or “belonging to his, the king of the north’s, entire and complete royal reign and rule”, “and upright ones with him” which means “and correct, right, straightforward and righteous people alongside of him, the king of the north”. Daniel shared how the “king of the north” would fix his countenance to go in with the power and might of his entire royal reign along with righteous people by his side.

The verse goes on to say, “and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.” Daniel continued with the words, “and he shall give him” or “and he, the king of the north, will grant, bestow and assign to him, the king of the south” “the daughter of women” which means “the female offspring and progeny belonging to female human beings”, “corrupting her” or “ruining, destroying and rotting her, the female offspring”: “but she shall not stand on his side” which means “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover she, the female offspring, will in no way remain beside him, the king of the north”, “neither be for him” or “no and not in any way exist on his, behalf and in support of him”. Daniel said the king of the north would give his “daughter” to the king of the south to be a snare unto him, however, she will not align with the king of the north.

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn more of the acts and deeds of the king of the north against the king of the south. Matthew Henry wrote, the king of the north “shall still push on his war against the king of Egypt, and set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, taking advantage of the infancy of Ptolemy Epiphanes, and the upright ones, many of the pious Israelites, siding with him. In prosecution of his design, he shall give him his daughter Cleopatra to wife, designing, as Saul in giving his daughter Michal to David, that she should be a snare to him, and do him a mischief; but she shall not stand on her father's side, nor be for him, but for her husband, and so that plot failed him.” God knew these plans, and He spoiled all of them. God’s desire is to have an intimate personal relationship with us through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind, and He raised Him from the dead after three days so when we believe and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and teach us by His Holy Spirit to trust Him with the management of the rulers and nations throughout the world.

Next time Daniel shares how Gabriel told him, “after this shall he turn his face unto the isles”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Monday, February 23, 2026

Doing According to His Own Will - Daniel 11:16

But he that comes against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.

The verse reads, “But he that comes against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him:” Daniel began with the words, “but he that comes against him” or “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover he, the person who enters and rises up in opposition to him, the king of the north” “shall do according to his own will” which means “will perform, accomplish and act in keeping with his, own personal desires, pleasure, favor and goodwill”, “and none shall stand before him” or “and not one person will be able to remain, endure and continue in front of and within the presence of him, the king of the north”. Daniel shared how the “king of the north” will continue to be in opposition to the “king of the south” in keeping with his own pleasure, and no one will be able to resist him.

The verse continues, “and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.” Daniel added the words, “and he shall stand” or “and he, the king of the north, will remain, endure and continue” “in the glorious land” which means “within the beautiful, honorable, goodly and pleasant region, district and territory”, “which by his hand” or “who through the means of his, hand of power, might and authority” “shall be consumed” which means “will be completed, finished and at an end”. Daniel shared how Gabriel told him that the “king of the north” would remain within the “pleasant or beautiful land” which is Israel, who through the means of his authority and power will be finished.

When we consider Daniel’s words in this verse, we see how Gabriel told him the “king of the north” will rise up in opposition to the royal ruler of the south once again and will do so in keeping with his own pleasure and desire. The land of Israel will be part of the conquered range which became a battle zone between the “north and south” in these battles. Matthew Henry wrote, “the king of the north” shall carry all before him and do what he pleases, and he shall stand and get footing in the glorious land; so the land of Israel was, and by his hand it was wasted and consumed, for with the spoil of that good land he victualed his vast army. The land of Judea lay between these two potent kingdoms of Egypt and Syria, so that in all the struggles between them that was sure to suffer, for to it they both bore ill will. Yet some read this, By his hand it shall be perfected; as if it intimated that the land of Judea, being taken under the protection of this Antiochus, shall flourish, and be in better condition than it had been.” No doubt the people of Israel were within the center of all these battles because the Messiah Jesus was to be born from the people of Israel. This plan of Jehovah God was for the redemption and salvation of everyone who puts their faith and trust in His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was resurrected from the dead after three days. When we submit to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and give us His Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth according to His perfect will and purpose for us.

Next time Daniel shares how Gabriel told him, “he shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…