Opening the Gates of Heaven Perry Stone

In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men. —D ANIEL 4:17

This decree to remove the king from his throne was a decision made by the “watchers” and the “holy ones” (Dan. 4:17). The English translation says this was a “decree” by the watchers . The Aramaic word for “decree” comes from the root word gezar, meaning, “to cut.” The imagery is that this decision had been “cut out” and established before the decision actually came to pass. The “holy ones” in Aramaic is kadishiyn , meaning, “the set apart ones.” It is equivalent to the Hebrew word kadoshim , which means, “set apart or holy ones.” In the Scripture, the holy ones would refer to the Jewish people who were following God’s law and obeying His covenant. Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed Jerusalem, burnt the temple, and seized the golden treasures from God’s temple. From this narrative in Daniel 4, it appears that the Jewish saints (holy ones) were making a demand (which in Aramaic means a judicial/legal decision or mandate) decreeing that God would judge Nebuchadnezzar for his actions against them, thereby proving to the proud king that God rules over all men. This decree in the form of prayer was heard in heaven, and an angel was assigned to