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…
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".
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