The Book Of Daniel - Chapter 10

Chapter 10 of the book of Daniel is the introduction to his last recorded revelation and is the first of three parts of a vision. A vision many scholars say is the greatest of all the revelations of Daniel.

This chapter gives us information on something quite different from anything we’ve read as we are introduced to a unique group of angels.  Some who harbor ill-will toward God and attempt to defeat the divine purpose as it relates to God’s rule over His people, Israel  -- both in Daniel’s present day and in the days yet to come (at the time of the end). 

Chapter 10 is graphic in that it also provides detailed information on how Daniel received his final revelation, including many surprising incidents that accompany God’s delivery of His message to Daniel.

vs. 1-3 (Daniel’s state of mind)

This last revelation received by Daniel came to him just 2 years after king Cyrus had officially brought the Babylon captivity to an end by allowing the Jews to return to Israel. However, the Jews returned home without Daniel. We don’t know precisely why Daniel remained behind, but we can speculate. It was either because of his advancing years – now in his mid to upper 80’s – or because he still may have had essential work to do for the Persian leadership – perhaps a senior advisor.

-         DANIEL UNDERSTANDS THE VISION   -

The revelation Daniel was about to receive was hard for him to hear and more difficult for him to accept, although he knew in his heart that it was true.

Daniel’s vision revealed an enormous conflict that would affect his people at a later time. This would be the greatest war the world’s powers had ever encountered, a future conflict that would include something unheard of before.

--- A massive angelic invasion that, while unseen, would be instrumental in shaping the final result of international events.

The most difficult part of the message for Daniel to accept was that his future trauma would threaten the very existence of Israel.  A nation and people who had already suffered so much – been so long in captivity – and seemed to be on a perpetual losing streak that would play out to the time of the end (of course, which it does).

Unlike Daniel’s earlier visions and dreams, he declared that he understood this one, and that he also comprehended how the events predicted would NOT occur during his own lifetime.

Daniel, however, took little comfort in this knowledge, because his heart was so tender toward the ultimate destiny of his people.

Had the Jews not suffered enough?! – And, had God not made a promise to relieve them of their pain at the close of the 70 years of captivity?

What we now see in Daniel is a progressive understanding of what was to happen in the days to come – How it pained him!!

VS 4-9

DANIEL SEES CHRIST

Here we see Daniel standing by the Tigris River. There he was confronted by a likeness he had never observed before.

The bible describes this figure as dressed in linen – with a waist girded with a belt of pure gold – a body like beryl – a face with the appearance like that of lightening – eyes like flaming torches – arms and feet of polished brass – and the sound of His voice like a sound of a multitude!

Is there any doubt in our minds of who this is?

We don’t need to search long for our answer because the description of His being bears a direct comparison to the GLORIFIED CHRIST we read about in REV 1:13-15

It’s an almost exact description of what Daniel saw that day by the great river.

Like the appearance f the 4^th person in the fiery furnace, this was a ‘CHRISTOPHANY’ – a physical appearance of the person of Jesus Christ.

We also see that Daniel was not alone when he was confronted by the person of Jesus Christ.

There were companions with him – but not for long. – While they apparently sensed that something momentous was taking place, they were unable to withstand the fear and dread of the moment, similar to Saul’s experience on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:7)

They, too, could do nothing but hide their faces from the Glory of Christ and flee, leaving Daniel alone in his encounter with Christ.

Suddenly Daniel – man among men – strong – counselor to the kings of Babylon – fell to the ground when he heard the words of the Lord. Immediately, his strength was gone!

VS 10-17
now the scene suddenly changes! It is no longer Christ who stands before Daniel but a holy messenger.

There is a specific reason for us to interpret this passage this way …

If this were still Christ speaking to Daniel we would be FORCED to conclude that Christ had little or no power, because the prince of Persia (V13) who withstood the messenger would be able to stand firmly against Christ.

This, of course, would be IMPOSSIBLE. Therefore, we know that the one standing before Daniel is an appointed angel.

Imagine Daniel’s confusion! One moment he sees the pre-incarnate Christ, and the next moment… an angel!

The words uttered by this heavenly being are words you and I would certainly want Jesus to say to us when that great day arrives as we stand before Him.  Words of love and appreciation for our faithfulness to the cause of Christ during our time and witness on Earth.

In verse 12 and 13 we get a remarkable insight into the unseen world and the conflict even now being carried out in the heavenly planes. And may we not find here also the reason why many of our prayers do not seem to be answered when and as we would desire to have them?

For three whole weeks Daniel had been before God in earnest supplication. He prayed, he interceded on behalf of his people, yet no answer had come.

Had Daniel ceased praying, he might have given up the object of his prayers and declared that God turned a deaf ear to his petitions. 

But the angel tells him that at the very beginning of his supplication the commandment went forth, and he was set from the very throne of God to make known to Daniel that which would set his mind at rest in regard to God’s purpose and the final blessing of his people.

But, for 21 days this angel had been fighting his way through the ‘fiends of the upper air’. The prince of the kingdom of Persia (not Cyrus himself, but an evil angel evidently, delegated by satan to seek to influence the hearts of the Persian kings against the people of God) had withstood this holy angel of the Lord for 21 days

Nor could the divinely sent messenger prevail until Michael, here called “one of the chief princes” and in the New Testament “the Archangel”, came to help him.

Now I would agree with you that all of this stuff is very mysterious. It is something altogether outside the sphere of our human thought processes.

We know nothing whatsoever about the conflicts continuously being carried out in the unseen world; accept what we can learn from our Bibles.

This much is clear! Here was a man who was praying earnestly on earth and God had heard that prayer in Heaven. In answer to it, He sent an angel, but for 3 weeks there was some hindrance keeping that angel from reaching Daniel. That hindrance was in the unseen world and by such a power that the ARCHANGEL HIMSELF was needed to overcome it!

Now let’s bring a few other scriptures that have to do with this solemnic subject. In the first chapters of the book of Job we find the sons of God presenting themselves before the Lord, and we are told that satan came also.

The sons of God are clearly an order of angelic ministers engaged in carrying out the will of God in connection with this world in accordance with the word.

7) “He maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers aflame of fire. “
14) “Are they not all ministering spirits, send forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation”
Hebrews 1: 7 & 14

Among these sons of God, satan, the foul leader of the evil hosts walks unabashed. He acts as one who has no fear of rebuke in that company.

He is there, as on other occasions in scripture, as the great adversary and accuser of the brethren. He accuses Job in the very face of God and as in the case of the apostle Peter and the other disciples; he seems to demand them that he may sift them as wheat.

And the Lord does not deny his demand but delivers Job into his hands… for Job’s own good, as we know.

So we gather from this scripture that God is able to use even the devil to carry out His own purposes for the blessing of His children.

He has not been outwitted by satan, but uses him all through this present time.

THE DEVIL IS THE SIFTER OF GOD’S WHEAT

The Lord wants His wheat sifted; He does not want a lot of chaff.

But when the devil is used to sift God’s wheat, when His children are thus put into the devil’s sieve, not one grain of wheat is lost.

The devil is simply used by God for the separation of the chaff from the wheat – that is all.

Do not despair then, if, like Job and like Peter you are put into the devil’s sieve. It is God who is letting you be sifted like that, because he has seen the chaff in your life and wants the real to be separated from the false!

Now, let us link up with this important passage in Rev 12: 7-10. Remember that it speaks of something that is still future.

This gives us the end of satan’s place as the accuser with access to the Heavens. He is driven out by that same Michael who came to the assistance of the Angel who speaks to Daniel in our chapter.

This event will take place in the midst of the 70th week of the 9^th chapter, and after that, no foul or evil spirit will evermore have access to the presence of God.

SATAN IS THROWN OUT OF HEAVEN!

In the 6^th chapter of Ephesians there is a passage of great importance. In vs. 11 & 12 it says
“Put on the whole armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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”

In other words, we Christian’s foes are these wicked spirits, who, like the prince of the kingdom of Persia, are ruling the hearts of men in these final days of darkness.

Against their wills – we are warned

The great and immediate business of satan at this present time is to seek to deceive the people of God with things that seem to be in accordance with his mind & will, but in fact are really deceitful imitations.

Look at today’s churches or Christians themselves.

In the 6^th chapter of Ephesians we are told that our warfare is with “the world rulers of this darkness”
Who are these world rulers?

They are not the Queen of England, the presidents of Russia or Germany, nor the president f this country.

These important and sometimes good men have to do with the temporal government of this world. They are ‘The powers that be’ and are ordained by God – yet they may be like the little figures on a chessboard, in the hands of the real rulers of this darkness.

This is what we learn in this 10^th chapter of Daniel

·         The prince of the kingdom of Persia who withstood the angel of the Lord 21 days was one of the world rulers of this darkness prince of Greece coming up in vs 20 was another one seeking to influence the hearts of the Grecian rulers against the will of God.

·         And then, on the other hand, have you noticed what Michael is called in the last verse (vs 13)? He is designated as Michael, the chief prince, or, Your prince – and in 12:1 he is called “The great prince who protected your people”

·         That is, Michael the archangel seems in a special manner to have a care for the people of Israel. Thusly, while evil angels were seeking Israel’s ruin, Michael and his hosts of benevolent angels were protecting their interests.

·         In the present age our conflicts as Christians is said to be with ‘principalities and powers’ who are not of flesh and blood.

·         This makes it evident that there are degrees in rank among angels, whether fallen or unfallen, as there are in human armies.

·         The special effort of these organized ‘hosts of hell’ is now to deceive the people of God by presenting something else for their hearts to take the place of Jesus Christ and His truth and keep them from their blessings, or worse, their very salvation.

Have any of you noticed how every precious truth of scripture has its satanic counterfeit?

It has been so from the very beginning of the church… Remember how Paul talks to the early churches in his letters – Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus etc

Let’s get back to teaching the basic salvation of the cross for those who accept its full meaning and the consequences for those who don’t. The simple basic truth of all the 1^st Century Church will do just fine.

Now, thank God that the hosts of the ‘upper air’ are NOT all evil. You remember at the siege of Dothan, in answer to the prayer of Elisha, the Lord opened the eyes of the prophet’s servant and he saw the mountains all around full of fiery chariots
“The angel of the Lord encamps around them that fear Him” Ps 34:7

WE JUST NEED TO OPEN OUR EYES then we would see the angelic host camping around us for our protection and watching over us for good. Then we would fight on with new courage, clothes in this armor of God, knowing hat against Christ’s church, the gates of hell shall NOT prevail!

VS 18-21
The angel now comes and touches Daniel again, giving him more strength as he encourages this prophet to be strong. This is as important a message for us today as it was for Daniel back then. Our strength comes from the Lord, and it comes by degrees.

The Bible says that we should partake of His strength on a daily basis. We don’t receive a month or a years worth of strength all at once. Instead, God gives us grace for each day.

That’s why we are to pray without ceasing, because it is when we become lazy that the ‘prince of the power of the air’ attempts to devour us.
(1 Peter 5:8)

Remember Daniel knew he needed help, and he did not decline it. Ask, listen and God will send help. At this point, the angel announced his departure because he needed to get back to the battle zone. But not until he was sure Daniel fully understood what God had shown him about the future of His people, the Jews.
This angel was going to join Michael in the battle against the fallen spirits controlling the ruler of Persia. Later, when the battle in the heavens would cease concerning Persia, there would be yet another skirmish with the leader of Greece. Simply stated, Medo-Persia would ultimately fall to Greece and another satanic spirit would control the ruler of this conquering nation.

Isn’t the Word of God amazing? This is precisely what happened – just as the angel told Daniel it would – 200 years in advance!

Finally, we see Michael, the warrior, mentioned right at the end of chapter 10 – Gabriel, is the one who, while able to do battle, is usually cast in the role of the announcer of the message. But, the arch-angel who leads the military hosts of heaven is Michael, and he is the one mentioned here as well as in the book of Revelation.

One of the most significant predictions Daniel received is in 12:1 where Michael stands for (or protects) the people of Israel.

And when will Michael arise to do battle for the Jews? When the greatest anti-semetic purge in history takes place, when satan is cast out of Heaven (Rev 12:7 – the middle of the 70^th week).

Michael will be there to fight for – and protect – God’s people.

Amazing mysteries have been revealed in Chapter 10, but the vision is only partially unsealed to our eyes. As we now move on to the final 2 chapters of Daniel, angelic beings persevere in providing us with information about the time of the end and how the role of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ – and legions of angels – will continue to intervene in the affairs of men and women everywhere.