DANIEL CHAPTER 10 1 21 DANIELS VISION OF

DANIEL CHAPTER 10 1 - 21 DANIEL’S VISION OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE

THE FOURTH GREAT PROPHETIC REVELATION v In chapter 10, God gives Daniel a 4 th revelation. This is a vision of the great spiritual battle that’s going on behind the scenes of history. v The three chapters, Daniel 10, 11 and 12 should be seen as one unit, with three parts to it: (1) Chapter 10 is the prelude to the vision; (2) Chapter 11 is the explanation of the vision (3) Chapter 12 is the postscript to the vision. v The prophecy in chapters 10 through 12 sweeps over the same period of time as the chapter 8 prophecy did. It stretches from Daniel’s day until the great tribulation and the return of Christ and gives greater detail about the tribulation than any of his other prophecies. v Daniel receives a revelation of the future that 1) involves his people, the nation of Israel, 2) the last days, and 3) a great war.

DANIEL MOURNS FOR HIS NATION v In chapter 9 of the book of Daniel, Daniel was very much aware that Jeremiah had prophesied that the captivity of Israel would only last seventy years. and so he began to realize that the time must be coming for it all to end. v Daniel is a prophet in Babylon. He is with the captives who have been taken aware from their land, and their land has been destroyed. He was mourning over the state of his nation. v He knows that only about 42, 000 Jews had returned but met great opposition from the political leaders and the rebuilding of the temple was at a standstill for 16 years. This caused him distress. v Those Jews who did go back were discouraged and demoralized, the high ideal of rebuilding the temple was soon replaced by desires for their own comfort and rebuilding of their on their own houses.

DANIEL AND HIS FOURTH VISION v In verse 1, we see the date is 539 B. C. which is the third year after Cyrus’ conquest of Babylonian. Daniel was between 85 and 90 years old at the time. v Why had Daniel not gone back with the first of his people? Some say it was his age but many scholars believe it was the compassion he had for his people that kept him behind to help. v Why was he called Belteshazzar? It was a Babylonian name given him by King Nebuchadnezzar that connected with their pagan deity Bel. They were trying to encourage Daniel to forget his faith and his homeland conform to the ways and the gods of Babylonian. v In vs. 1, we find the word for “conflict” or “warfare. ” So you have armies of men, hosts or armies of angels, and actual warfare – all three referred to by that same Hebrew word.

DANIEL BEGINS PRAYING FOR HIS PEOPLE? v Daniel did what he always did and that was to go to God in prayer when things were not right. In vs. 2 it talks about a partial fast that Daniel went on during this intense season of prayer. v His physical preparation for prayer: 1. He fasted from pastries, meat, and wine. 2. He did not anoint himself at all for this period of time (meaning he didn’t shower or use deodorant. ) 3. He continued to mourn and shed tears for the fate of Israel v Daniel is mourning all through the Passover time and the seven days of Feast of Unleavened Bread. That was a very special season, a season of some celebration, a season of some activity. But all through that most important season of the Jewish calendar, Daniel is wrapped in mourning, praying, fasting to the end of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

DANIEL’S VISION OF A “MAN” v In verse 4, it says Daniel was standing on the bank of the great river Tigris, he saw a “man. ” v Some suggest this is Gabriel, and some suggest it is Michael, and some suggest it is some other unnamed angel of equal rank. Most biblical scholars see the vision not as any angel at all but as God Himself in the form of the pre-incarnate, uncreated, second member of the Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a preincarnation appearance of Christ. It’s what theologians call a Christophany. v The man’s dress in verse 5 was symbolic: Clothes of linen: Fine white linen is the garment of priests. It is a symbol of God’s holiness. A belt of finest gold: This is the richest and purest of metals and speaks of God’s sovereignty. A body of chrysolite: Or Beryl. This is a transparent, flashing jewel reflective of God’s glory.

DANIEL’S VISION OF A “MAN” A face like lighting: Revelation says He has the face like the sun. The brilliant light that’s manifest in His face speaks of His omnipotence and His power. His eyes were like flaming torches: His eyes are searching out, discovering reality. This is omniscience, penetrating knowledge. He knows everything. His arms and legs like burnished bronze: His feet stamp out judgment and represents the wrath of God. His voice like the sound of a multitude: His voice is like the roar of many waters. Like the “roars at the Metrodome. ” v It wasn’t really a vision in the sense of a dream. Many biblical scholars believe the “man” was physically there. It was real, a man clothed in linen. We find that out, because of the way He interacts later on with the other visitors.

JOHN’S SIMILAR VISION IN REVELATIONS 1 v Revelation chapter 1, verse 12. John says, “And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. Being turned, I saw seven golden lamp stands. In the midst of the seven lamp stands was one like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment to the foot, girded about the breast with golden girdle. His head and His hair were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire; and His feet burned like fine bronze, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice was like the sound of many waters. ” v Christ is the one who appears to John in Revelation 1. It is “I am the Alpha and the Omega. ” John saw Christ in His post-resurrection glory. Daniel saw Christ in His pre-incarnate glory. Jesus Christ was not created when He was born, He existed eternally. v Daniel’s response is the same as the apostle John. He fell on his face before this amazing person.

THE REACTION TO THE VISION v Verse 7 tells us that Daniel was the only one who saw the vision. The men with Daniel never even saw the vision, but they knew something supernatural was going on, and they began quaking and they fled to hide. v Whenever you are in the presence of God, there is the power of His presence that is more than humans (especially sinners) can bear. It’s a very understandable reaction in the face of the majestic holiness of God. v Isaiah was a good and godly man, but when he saw God, he said, “I am unclean, I have unclean lips, and I dwell amidst a people of unclean lips. ” He fell to the ground. Habakkuk, when he saw God, began to shake and quiver and tremble. Peter when he saw the power of Jesus displayed, he said, “Depart from me, O Lord, for I am a sinful man. ” He wanted Jesus away.

AWE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD v Daniel couldn’t handle being in the presence of God. v Verse 8 says: “Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me; for my comeliness (appearance) was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. ” His color turned to a death-like pallor and pure panic set in. v Verse 10 says, a hand touched him and bids him to stand up. Most believe the hand belonged not to Jesus but to an angel sent by him. The angel proceeds to tell Daniel that his prayer had been heard the moment he began praying at the start of his 21 -day fast. v Daniel was asking on the basis of the will of God. Prayer is not a way by which we get God to do what we want; prayer is a way by which we get involved in what God wants done in this world.

WHY THE THREE WEEK DELAY? v But after three weeks of praying, fasting, and mourning, God tells Daniel that his prayers have been heard, and He does so by sending a messenger to Daniel from heaven. v The fascinating part of God’s confirmation of His answer to Daniel’s prayer is how long it took to notify him! There was a three week delay in receiving the answer, though verse 12 says God heard Daniel’s prayer on day one. Why this delay? V. 13 tells us: “But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me 21 days. ” v On the one hand, Cyrus, the earthly king of the Persians, is moved by God to give orders that the Jewish people may return to Jerusalem and rebuild their city and their temple, but on the other hand, the evil prince of the Persian Kingdom had the power to delay God’s messenger from telling Daniel that his prayers on behalf of Jerusalem had been heard answered! You are seeing actions both on earth and also in the spiritual realm.

SPIRITUAL WARFARE AND DEMONIC OPPOSITION v The angel reveals to Daniel that he had been hindered and delayed by demonic opposition between heaven and earth. v In vs. 13 it says, “But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. ” v The “prince of the Persian kingdom” cannot be a man because no man can hinder an angel sent by God. This was a demonic force assigned by Satan to serve in the Persian king. His job was to hinder God’s work and to discourage God’s people in Persia. v He must have been a strong demon because all by himself he stopped an angel for 21 days. Then Michael (who is an archangel assigned to guard Israel, see Daniel 12: 1) intervenes and the first angel is able to complete his mission.

THE ANGEL’S MISSION v At the end of the chapter we get even more information about angelic comings and goings. Verse 20 says, “Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. ” v This tells us that the angel has left his warfare to come to Daniel and will soon be resuming the heavenly battle. In verse 20, the angle says he will soon fight the “prince of Persia” again and later will take on the “prince of Greece. ” He also tells Daniel that two years earlier he had somehow interceded to help out Michael (perhaps also fighting against the “prince of Persia”). v This is all very mysterious to us. It tells us of unusual goings-on in the invisible realm where demons and angels wage warfare to either promote or obstruct God’s work in the world.

WE DO NOT WRESTLE WITH FLESH AND BLOOD v Ephesians 6: 12, 13 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ” v First, this verse reminds us that our battle is not against other humans. Sometimes we focus on the abortionists, the pornographers, the godless politicians, the corrupt business leaders, the drug dealers, as if they were the source of our problems. v Those people are unwitting victims of powerful spiritual forces that most of them know nothing about. They are morally culpable for their choices, yet there also in the service of evil beings who influence them in ways they do not realize. This is about spiritual warfare.

WE DO NOT WRESTLE WITH FLESH AND BLOOD v Second, this verse teaches us that there are various kinds of demonic powers. There are “rulers, ” “authorities, ” “powers of this dark world, ” and “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ” v It’s not clear how we should differentiate between them. Perhaps it is enough to know that just as there are various types of angels so the demons are organized and serve different purposes in Satan’s service. v This verse encourages us to “put on the whole armor of God. ” Our godly character (or lack of it) actually DOES make a day-to-day difference. Not only for us but also in the great struggle between good and evil. We are all foot soldiers in a vast invisible war that stretches across both Heaven and earth.

A WORD ON “TERRITORIAL” OR “EMPIRE” SPIRITS v Chapter 10 is the clearest reference in all the Bible to what people today are calling "territorial spirits. “ They are defined as high-ranking demonic powers over various regimes and dominions and governments and realms of the world; and that they work to create as much evil and corruption and spiritual darkness as they can. This term became popular within the Charismatic movement, Pentecostal traditions, and Kingdom Now movements. v “Since the New Testament tells us that this prince of demons "darkens the minds of unbelievers" (2 Corinthians 4: 4), and that he "deceives the world" (Revelation 12: 9), and that he plants his weeds (unbelievers) throughout the world (Matthew 13: 39), and that he takes people captive to do his will (2 Timothy 2: 25), and that he plucks up the seed of the Word when it is preached (Matthew 13: 4), and that he thwarts missionary activity (1 Thessalonians 2: 18), and that he throws ministers in prison (Revelation 2: 10)—we may conclude with good reason that this is what his sub-princes do as well. ” John Piper v Satan has always been a liar and a deceiver. The main aim of all his princes is to keep the book of truth from being known and believed. The truth frees people (John 8: 32) and sanctifies people (John 17: 17). Territorial spirits blind people to the truth.

THINGS WE DON’T KNOW FOR CERTAIN? v How are demons and angels organized? It’s clear that there are ranks of angels and a hierarchy of demon spirits. The four categories in Ephesians 6: 12 are suggestive, but they don’t tell us everything we would like to know. And how do angels work together to defeat demons? v How do our prayers impact the heavenly warfare? In This Present Darkness author Frank Peretti implies that our prayers somehow give strength to weary angels to aid them in their combat? v Are demons and angels assigned to every nation on earth? We know about Michael and Israel, and the demons assigned to Persia and Greece. Some writers suggest there angels and demons assigned to every city, town, street, home, school, office, and factory. They make much of “territorial spirits” and the importance of identifying those spirits by name and praying against them.

THINGS WE DON’T KNOW FOR CERTAIN v What about guardian angels? Many people believe that an angel is assigned to each person or each believer on earth. These ministering angels carry out God’s behests, and at times, are given special commissions, regarding men and mundane affairs. v Whenever we read a passage like Daniel 10, it’s easy to go off on a tangent. Either we dismiss it as superstition or we go off the deep end and obsess on the supernatural. Both extremes are wrong. v The only things we can know for sure about the spiritual realm are those things clearly revealed in the Word of God. Everything else is speculation. v It is important not to go beyond the scripture at any point with respect to the demonic. As evangelicals, we believe that the Bible tells us everything we need to know about the spirit world, and that everything the Bible says is actually true, and that there is no better authority for information regarding demons and angels.

WHAT THINGS WE CAN BE SURE ABOUT v 1. The prayers of believers are immediately heard by God. The angel tells Daniel in verse 12 that his prayers were heard in heaven the moment he sought wisdom from God. This ought to encourage all of us who wonder if our prayers ever reach beyond the ceiling. Since there is no time or distance with our Heavenly Father, we may pray with the assurance that he hears us as if we were the only ones speaking to him. v 2. Unseen spiritual warfare may at times delay answers to our prayers. What happened to Daniel may also happen to us. It may be that our deepest, most heartfelt prayers are sometimes delayed because of something coming from the other side of the curtain as angels and demons battle in the invisible realm. When we pray for our loved ones to be saved and for wayward children to return to the Lord, we should not be surprised that those prayers are not immediately answered. Satan will not give up his captives easily.

WHAT THINGS WE CAN BE SURE ABOUT v 3. If we could see the invisible, we would be amazed at the forces of good and evil all around us. Daniel 10 tells us that behind the movement of men and nations, unseen spiritual forces are at work. No one could have known simply by looking at the Persian court that a great battle was going on between an angel and the “prince of Persia. ” But when the curtain is pulled back, we see angels and demons battling against each other while human leaders are completely unaware of what is going on. Satan has no problems using his evil minions to harass and hinder the work of God in the world. v 4. The chief weapons of our spiritual warfare humility, prayer, knowledge, and perseverance. Since we can’t see the angels and the demons, we don’t need to worry about what they are doing. We must walk humbly before the Lord, seek his face in prayer, grow in knowledge from the Word of God, and persevere in our faithfulness.

WHERE THE REAL BATTLE LIES v Daniel heard about the local opposition to the rebuilding on the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem, and although he had some political clout, Daniel knew where the real struggle and the real power was. He knew that this was ultimately a spiritual battle, and that’s why he chose the weapon of prayer and fasting, to plead with God to act. v Dutch Prime Minister and Reformed Theologian Abraham Kuyper once commented: “If once the curtains were pulled back, and the spiritual world behind it came to view, it would expose to our spiritual vision a struggle so intense, so convulsive, sweeping everything within its range, that the fiercest battle ever fought on earth would seem, by comparison, a mere game. Not here, but up there – that is where the real contest is waged. Our earthly struggle drones in its backlash. ” v Daniel’s story underscores the absolute sovereignty of God in the outworking of His purposes and in response to the prayers of His people. Indeed, “he does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth” (Dan. 4: 35, NIV).