In the book of Daniel, Daniel shared how Gabriel told him about kings of the north and south, and concerning one of the final kings he said, “the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things”, and in chapter eleven and verse thirty-nine of his book Daniel shared how Gabriel said about the king of the north, “thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god” where we read,
Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
The verse reads, “Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory:” Daniel began with the words, “thus shall he do in the most strong holds” or “this will he, the flattering king of the north, perform and produce within the greatest and largest places of safety, protection and refuge” “with a strange god” which means “by the use of a foreign, alien and heathen deity”, “whom he shall acknowledge” or “that he, the king of the north, will recognize, regard and respect” “and increase with glory” which means “and multiply and make greater by the use of honor, praise, splendor, abundance and riches”. Daniel shared how the flattering king of the north will put within the largest places of safety a foreign and heathen deity to whom he will glorify and magnify by the use of splendor, abundance and riches.
The verse continues, “and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.” Daniel added the words, “and he shall cause them” or “and he, the flattering king of the north, will make them, the people who give honor and reverence to him” “to rule over many” which means “to reign and have dominion beyond and above a numerous amount of people”, “and shall divide the land” or “and will apportion, aside and allot the region, territory and district” “for gain” which means “on behalf of price, hire and reward”. Daniel shared how Gabriel told him the king of the north will cause those who honor and reverence him to have dominion above a great number of people, and he will apportion to them the region or territory on behalf of price and reward.
When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn through Daniel how Gabriel told him this flattering king of the north will place a foreign and heathen “god” within the strongest places of safety, and he would promote this deity while placing people who align with him in positions of authority over masses of others who would be rewarded with land for their efforts. Matthew Henry wrote, “Thus shall he do in the most strong holds, in the temple of Jerusalem, which is called the sanctuary of strength (v. 31), and here the fortresses of munitions; there he shall set up the image of this strange god. Some read it, He shall commit the munitions of strength, or of the most strong God (that is, the city Jerusalem), to a strange god; he put it under the protection and government of Jupiter Olympius. This god he shall not only acknowledge, but shall increase with glory, by setting his image even upon God's altar. And he shall cause those that minister to this idol to rule over many, shall put them into places of power and trust, and they shall divide the land for gain, shall be maintained richly out of the profits of the country. Some by the Mahuzzim, or god of forces, that Antiochus shall worship, understand money, which is said to answer all things, and which is the great idol of worldly people.” With all his efforts and devises, this flattering ruler will not outmaneuver or replace Jehovah God. God’s plan of salvation was to go forth, and when 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, He made the way through faith and trust in Him for us to be forgiven of our sins, to receive everlasting life and to have His Holy Spirit within us to keep us in alignment with Him and no other god or ruler regardless of all the efforts they make to replace Him.
Next time Daniel shares how Gabriel says, “at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at 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".
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