In the book of Daniel, Daniel shared how Gabriel told him, “also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. And now will I show you the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will”, and in chapter eleven and verse four of his book Daniel shared how Gabriel told him, “when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven” where we read,
And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.
The verse reads, “And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven;” Daniel began with the words, “and when he shall stand up” or “and at the time and moment he, the mighty king, will be erected, appointed and established”, “his kingdom” which means “his, the mighty king’s, royal rule and reign” “shall be broken” or “will break down, be violently wrecked, crushed and quenched”, “and shall be divided” which means “and will be cut in two, halved and split” “toward the four winds of heaven” or “in the direction of the four breezes or directions pertaining to the sky”. Daniel shared at the time and moment the “mighty king” is established, his royal rule and reign will be violently crushed and split into the four directions, (north, east, south and west) in the sky.
The verse continues, “and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.” Daniel added the words, “and not to his posterity” or “and neither or in no way toward his, the mighty king’s, future generations or descendants”, “nor according to his dominion” which means “no and not in any way toward his, the mighty king’s, empire” “which he ruled” or “that he, the mighty king, ruled over, governed and reigned”: “for his kingdom” which means “because, since and on account that his, the mighty king’s, royal sovereign power and reign” “shall be plucked up” or “will be rooted out, pulled up and expelled”, “even for others beside those” which means “toward other people and rulers”. Daniel said the kingdom of the “mighty king” would not be given to his descendants or people within his empire, but would be given to other people beside them.
When we meditate upon Daniel’s words in this verse, we discover how Gabriel continued to tell him about royal rulers who would reign in the world. This “mighty king” who was “Alexander the Great” was to have his kingdom given to his descendants but as Matthew Henry wrote, “Arideus, his brother, was made king in Macedonia; Olympias, Alexander's mother, killed him, and poisoned Alexander's two sons, Hercules and Alexander. Thus was his family rooted out by its own hands.” After Alexander the Great conquered the known world, there were no other kingdoms to conquer and he died at a young age of 32, and his empire was divided. God knew all these things in advance, and he relayed them through Gabriel to Daniel so we, who have the advantage of hindsight, would not only see the fulfillment of these prophetic scriptures, but also know that God was so specific because He desires to have a personal relationship with us through 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 the wisdom of His Holy Spirit to know He sees and knows all the events of the past, present and future.
Next time Daniel shares how Gabriel told him, “the king of the south shall be strong”, 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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