Daniel Ch10

Daniel 10:1

We are now two years on from events of the previous chapter (about 536 B.C.). As we have already noted, Cyrus and Darius both started their reigns simultaneously, so this would have also been the third years of Darius. The fact that Daniel doesn’t mention Darius here is probably due to the fact that Darius has now died. From what we know from secular history, Gubaru the Mead (whom we are certain changed his name upon receiving the throne to Darius the Mead) only lived for a short time after he was appointed as king of Babylon by Cyrus.

One of the most common attacks on the book of Daniel by the critics, is to state that there is no record of a person called ‘Daniel’ in the ancient Babylonian records that have been found, and therefore he must be a fictional character, and the book must have been written much later by psudo-Daniel. As Proverbs tells us, the first to state his case seems right until his neighbour comes and examines him! And so it is here. The critics arguments can sometimes seem plausible until one looks at the facts! For why would anyone expect to find Daniel’s name on any of the official documents of the day? Daniel was his Jewish name, and the Jews were mere captives in the land of the Chaldeans. As Daniel reminds us here, even as late as the third year of the reign of Cyrus – two years after Daniel had retired from public office (see Dan 1:21) – he was know as Belteshazzar. As Professor Robert D Wilson points out, there is ample evidence to confirm that a man by this name did indeed hold a high public office during this period in Babylon. As David said: “Your Word is true from the beginning!” (Ps 119:160)

Daniel here explains that something was revealed to him, and it was true. He also tells us that the fulfilment for that which was revealed to him was to be in the distant future; and as we will see, the last three chapters of the book of Daniel span human history from the time of Daniel to the time when Jesus will return to establish his kingdom and reign on the throne of David.

Daniel 10:2-3

3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

Daniel doesn’t tell us why he was mourning, but it was no doubt to do with his people and their future – certainly that which was revealed to him and is explained in the following chapters specifically relates to Israel and their future.

Daniel 10:4

Daniel 10:5

Now we are told of Daniel’s vision.

Daniel 10:6

We are not told why Daniel saw this vision, but it is the last vision he sees, and without doubt the greatest of them all.

Who is this ‘certain man’? Scholars are divided, some say a super angel, but I am with those who see this as a ‘Christophany’ – an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ. If we compare this vision to the vision that John saw on Patmos, it would appear to be the same person. Certainly, judging by Daniel’s reaction, bearing in mind he has already met angels, this would seem to be someone far greater than an angel.

Daniel 10:7

Just as Paul on the Damascus road, those accompanying him were terrified.

Daniel 10:8

As it was for Paul, John, and Isaiah, coming face to face with God exposes our own weakness and spiritual poverty like never before. All the ‘good’ that we possess is turned to filthy rags in the presence of a holy God, and like Isaiah, all we can say is ‘Woe is me! For I am undone’ (Isaiah 6:5).

Daniel 10:9

Notice what Daniel says here: I heard the voice of His words – any who have read scripture have heard His words; what must it be like to hear the voice of His words?! When we do, we will be face down too! We’re not actually told what was said, maybe it was just for Daniel’s ears. Maybe it was ‘well done good and faithful servant’. Will we hear those words? Are we living lives worthy of our vocation? (see Ephesians 4:1).

In the KJV, the phrase ‘deep sleep’ occurs twice in Daniel and 8 other times in scripture: On all but 2 occasions (Prov 19:15 & Acts 20:9) God is personally involved, as it seems He is here.

(Deep Sleep from the Lord: Gen 2:21 / Gen 15:12 / 1 Sam 26:12 / Job 4:13 / Job 33:15 / Isaiah 29:10 / Daniel 8:18)

Daniel 10:10

Daniel 10:11

After what Daniel has been through it must have been very comforting to hear these words ‘o man greatly beloved’. The angel now tells Daniel to stand up properly! (it’s as if the angel, seeing Daniel on all fours, says ‘Get up! You’re embarrassing me!’). Daniel duly obliges, albeit trembling.

Daniel 10:12

It is almost amusing that whenever angels appear in scripture they say ‘fear not’! Maybe they don’t understand us humans, ‘cos most of us would freak out if we saw an angel! Still, it's a nice gesture to try and calm us before the message is delivered!

As we saw in the last chapter, Gabriel flew swiftly to answer Daniel’s prayer; here we see that God had heard Daniel’s prayer from the first day he started to fast and pray – 21 days ago. Does this then mean that Daniel only needed to ask once? Not at all. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2 Cor 10:4). The spiritual warfare we are engaged in is not just resolved by a single prayer, but requires persistent faithful petition, a sustained attack on the enemy’s position. In James 5:16-18 we read: “….The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”

Daniel 10:13

This is a glimpse into the unseen spiritual realm that is continually taking place even though we are not often aware of it. The prince of the kingdom of Persia is not Cyrus, or any other Persian ruler, but the satanic spiritual power behind the kingdom. We see this alluded to in Isaiah 14 where the passage starts by addressing the king of Babylon, but then goes far beyond the human king of Babylon to the spiritual power behind him – in that particular case, to Satan himself. The same is true in Ezekiel 28 when the king of Tyre is the initial focus, but soon the passage shifts to address the one pulling the strings in the spiritual realm.

Very often we overlook the influence in our lives of the spiritual realm, but we shouldn’t, because Paul warned us: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [i.e. heavenly] places.” (Eph 6:12) This is not an occasional wrestling, but an every day event. The battle is ultimately for the souls of men, the battle ground is the mind, that is where Satan’s most unassailable strongholds are erected. Paul says that we should be “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor 10:5)

Spiritual warfare is about mind control; if Satan can manipulate our thoughts, causing doubt, fear, discouragement, envy, lust, hatred and the like, he gains a foothold that becomes a foundation for him to build his stronghold upon. If on the other hand we are not conformed to this world, but are transformed by the renewing of our mind, we will not be subject to Satan but will know what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (cf Rom 12:2).

This is why Paul says we should set our affections on the things above, not on things of the earth (Col 3:2). Peter said: “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;” (1 Peter 1:13). In other words, be careful what you think about and dwell on, be in control of your thought life and don’t allow it to be overrun by emotions and passions; and hang in there until the Day of Christ, when by His grace, the struggle will finally be over.

For now, we are to “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil….Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Eph 6:11, 14-18)

As Chuck Missler points out, you need the armour in place before the battle commences. It is no use trying to put the armour on when you realise you are under attack. Roman soldiers would repair their armour between the battles too, a good lesson for us to take on board. Fellowship, reading the Word, prayer, communion. All of these do wonders for our spiritual armour.

NB: Typically Roman soldiers had no armour for the back – Historians have speculated that this was to discourage retreat and to remind the soldier to never turn their back on the enemy. As believers enlisted in God's army (2 Tim 2:4) we shouldn’t retreat (backslide/turn our backs on the enemy) either. It is worth noting that we are often at our most vulnerable when we are on our way home after 'a battle', when the pressure is off and no one is watching any more. We may have just had a great victory, preached a good sermon, led a great Bible study, witnessed to a friend or colleague, been at a powerful prayer meeting or worship time; but the enemy will be lurking and ready to pounce on the way home. One of his favourite tools is discouragement – ‘no one cares’, ‘what’s the use’, ‘they don’t appreciate me’, ‘after all that effort I’ve made no difference’….etc

Although Daniel may not have understood what was going on in the spiritual realm, he was faithful in prayer. As a result Michael the Archangel (there is only one Archangel), is able to come and assist the other angel in getting through to Daniel. What would have happened if Daniel had given up praying after, say, the 20th day, rather than persisting in prayer?

‘Prayer is God’s way of enlisting us in what He is doing’ – Chuck Missler

Daniel 10:14

Daniel 10:15

Daniel 10:16

Is seems the vision Daniel refers to, given the context, is the vision of Jesus he had just had. The Hebrew word for vision is ‘Marah’ and means mirror/looking glass/vision. The word for sorrows is ‘tsiyr’ which means pressed or crushed as in a hinge. Thus I believe that Daniel is saying, ‘I have seen myself as I am, and I am crushed’. When we come face to face with Jesus we see ourselves as we really are in contrast to His perfection. The same is true when we look into His Word, it reveals to us who we really are in the light of who God is. It is no coincidence that with the Tabernacle in the Old Testament, the Laver (big bronze bath for the priests to wash in) was made out of the mirrors the Children of Israel had taken out of Egypt. The Laver is analogous to the Word of God. It cleanses by the washing of water but also reflects our true selves back to us. That is why so many are opposed to the Bible. It tells the truth about the human condition; it shows we are not evolving and getting better, we are actually fallen from grace and in need of a Saviour.

Daniel 10:17

Daniel, of whom no sin is recorded, is under no illusion. How can one who is unholy talk freely with one who is holy? Praise God that through Jesus “we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need”. “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb 4:15-16 / Heb 7:25 / Heb 10:19-22).

Daniel 10:18

It is interesting that Daniel is powerless in this spiritual experience until he is strengthened by one like the ‘son of man’. We too are powerless in any spiritual conflict unless we draw our strength form the Son of Man. As Paul urged Timothy, we must “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:1). “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Eph 6:10-11)

Daniel 10:19

There is a sense of compassion in the angel’s reply: ‘Don’t look at yourself the way you see things, but know how God sees you – a man who is greatly beloved’.

Daniel 10:20

It is almost as if the angel wants to underline to Daniel just how difficult it has been getting to him, and how hard it is going to be to get back. Clearly from this verse we see that there are spiritual / angelic powers over nations / empires. This has led some to assume that these are the ‘strongholds’ that are spoken about in 2 Corinthians 10:4; and if we pray hard enough against these ‘strongholds’, we can bring them crashing down. This idea is then taken one step further and it is proposed that that the principalities and powers mentioned in Ephesians 6 are different orders of these fallen angelic beings that reign over nations, cities, towns etc. and exert spiritual control over those areas. Thus you will find in many Christian bookstores, books about ‘territorial spirits’ and how we can ‘do battle‘ with them. It was the acceptance of this kind of teaching that led to the numerous prayer-walks and marches that we witnessed during the late 80’s and early 90’s. It was said that if a big enough assault were launched against these territorial spirits, we could ‘bring them down’ i.e. defeat them and destroy their influence. This teaching went hand in hand with the view still being promoted today (under the guise of Purpose Driven, Emerging, Mission Shaped, Alpha, etc.) that the church will destroy all the evil in the world and bring about the kingdom of God on earth. ‘Kingdom Now’, ‘Dominion Theology’ ‘Restorationism’ are some of the more popular names give to this idea that the Church will rule world for Jesus Christ – who according to some, has already returned and is now reigning in the hearts of His people (thus they deny the Rapture, bodily Second Coming of Christ and His Millennial reign on the earth).

Sadly, because some of these ideas have been drawn from a Bible verse or passage – albeit taken out of context - many Christians have been unwittingly caught up in deception and delusion that has actually brought them into bondage by the message that purported to offer them victory. It is very easy to walk into a Christian bookshop and buy books by prominent authors who promote these ideas. What is much harder to find however, are books that deal with what the Bible really says about spiritual warfare. (For a really good, balanced and Biblical study, I recommend "Making War in the Heavenlies" by Pastor Bill Randles (2nd hand copies on Amazon are available for less than £5).

Daniel 10:21

Has the angel already read what is going to happen? Did he get a sneak preview before the ‘film’ was released? Why else would this angel say that what he is about to tell Daniel is noted in the ‘established and faithful writing’.

David said: “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” (Ps 119:89)

In Revelation we read: “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world” (Rev 17:8) For the names to be in the book from the foundation of the world, the book itself must have existed from that time.

Therefore, could it be that the angel is actually reading the written Word of God and relaying it to Daniel in advance?!

Michael is always seen to be fighting on behalf of Israel. Thus it would seem that Israel, i.e. God’s land that He has entrusted to the Jews, is the only place in the world that has a godly angel protecting it. This is stark contrast to the rest of the world, which is under the sway of the wicked one (1 John 5:19).

As we move into the next chapter we will find out what the angel was actually sent to tell Daniel…

May you be blessed and encouraged by this study.

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