The Reality of the Unseen: Pt.1
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Intro:
Imagine you're out with friends to witness the recent solar eclipse. As the moon slowly obscures the sun, everyone around you is in awe of the spectacle unfolding in the sky. But suddenly, you realize something peculiar – you can't seem to see the eclipse like everyone else. No matter how hard you squint or adjust your gaze, the eclipse remains elusive, hidden from your sight.
Feeling disappointed and left out, you wonder if there's a way to experience the eclipse like everyone else. Then, a friend approaches you and hands you a pair of special glasses designed for viewing solar events. Skeptical yet hopeful, you put them on, and suddenly, a breathtaking sight unfolds before your eyes. Through the lenses of these special glasses, the once-hidden eclipse is now vivid and clear, revealing its beauty in all its glory… Just because you couldn’t see it, doesn't mean it wasn't there.
In Daniel chapter 10, God gives Daniel a pair of “Spiritual Glasses” and allows him to see things that are happening that are beyond the scope of human vision. Through this divine revelation, Daniel gains insight into the spiritual battles being waged in the heavenly realms, revealing the unseen forces at work behind earthly events.
As we have been making our way through this prophetic section of Daniel’s book, you may have noticed that the visions of the book tend to increase in length and complexity as they unfold… Up to this point the visions have been handled in one chapter each…
However, As we delve into Chapter 10, it's crucial to recognize that it serves as the preamble to the vision Daniel receives in Chapter 11, with additional insights shared in Chapter 12. So these final 3 chapters are all tied together and cover the Daniel’s final vision, that was given to him by our Almighty, Sovereign God.
There are many people who fail to see the importance of this chapter and even go as far as to say that “there is nothing in this chapter that had any value for preaching.”… that simply is not the case… and as we look at this chapter, we will see
“The Reality of the Unseen”
“The Reality of the Unseen”
Through the vision given in chapter 11, God reveals specific things about Israel and the Future, however, in this chapter (chapter 10), which serves as the preamble to the vision, God clearly shows us that we are in a very serious Satanic war… which we will get more details about in the second half of this chapter, Lord willing, Next week.
But for now, Let’s read Daniel 10:1-9… and look at...
The Setting of the Vision:
(Stand)
Meat:
As is Daniel’s custom, he paints a vivid picture for us as to the events surrounding his reception of this vision. He starts right out and tells us exactly when he received it… … That’ll be the first point on your outline this morning…
1. The Timing
1. The Timing
Daniel 10:1 “In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision.”
If you remember from earlier on in our study, at the end of Chapter 5 when the Medo-Persian came in and defeated Babylon the same night that Belshazzar had seen the writing on the wall… That happened in 539 B.C.
So now, if we are talking about the 3rd year reign of the Persian King, Cyrus… that would put us…
1.1 Around 536 B.C.
1.1 Around 536 B.C.
This was about the same time that the Lord rescued Daniel from the lion's den… I am guessing very shortly after his night in the lion's den…
We are nearing the end of Daniel’s life at this point. 70+ years since he was taken into captivity, puts him in his late 80’s, possibly even 90 years old.
This vision came during…
1.2 A Time of Mourning
1.2 A Time of Mourning
At least a time of mourning for Daniel… look at vv.2&3…
Daniel 10:2–3 “2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. 3 I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.”
The question is… What was causing Daniel to mourn so greatly that he chose not to eat, drink or anoint himself… which by the way, means that he didn’t put on any good smelling perfumes…
For 3 weeks he didn’t do anything that would feel good, didn’t eat or drink anything that would taste good and didn’t apply any oil or perfume to his body that would help with any of his aches and pains or make him smell good.
To get the answer as to why he was mourning in this way, we need a quick reminder of what happened back in Chapter 9...
In Daniel 9, Daniel is studying the writings of Jeremiah, who prophesied that Israel's captivity would last seventy years. Despite being exiled in Babylon, Daniel finds hope in Jeremiah's words, knowing that their time of captivity is limited. As he reads Jeremiah's prophecy, Daniel calculates that almost seventy years have passed since their captivity began, leading him to anticipate the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy and the end of their exile.
This realization prompts Daniel to engage in a dedicated period of prayer, fasting, and confessing his sins and the sins of Israel… His request to God revolves around the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy regarding the seventy-year period of exile and the eventual restoration of the Nation to their homeland.
As chapter 9 draws to a close, God responds to Daniel's earnest supplication with a profound prophecy… which revealed God’s Timeline for Israel’s Future.
Now… I say all of that to say this… at the end of the seventy years, during the First year of King Cyrus’ reign, he made a decree, and he said, “All of the people of Israel can now return home.”… … Daniel’s prayer in Chapter 9 was answered!
Look at…
Ezra 1
Ezra 1
Now, if you hold you place in Daniel, and pinch the front cover of your Bible, split that in half, you should be pretty close to Ezra…
(Read vv. 1-7)…
That was during the First Year of King Cyrus’ reign… Where are we in Daniel 10??? … The 3rd year of Cyrus’ reign… two years later… and guess what… The people didn’t go back.
If you read chapter 2 of Ezra, which we won’t take the time to do this morning, but if you read it, you will see that some did return… if you add up the numbers listed it comes out to about 42,000 people that returned… Which may sound like a good amount of people, but you have to remember that In Babylon, they had thrived. Their numbers were far greater than that; and when a mere 42,000 returned, it was a very small fraction of the amount of Israeli’s that were living in Babylon.
Yes, Daniel stayed, as he was not in any shape to make the long journey back home… But for the others that stayed, it was because they had grown accustomed to their surroundings. They had fully embraced the pagan culture around them. They were deeply intertwined with the society in which they resided. They enjoyed prosperity and they were now a part of Babylon. They were so engrossed in their lives that they had little concern for the Promised Land, the reconstruction of Jerusalem, or the restoration of the temple.
I give that description and you can sit there and think about how terrible that is and how dumb these stubborn Israelites must have been to not return to their God given home… but guess what!… we do the same thing!
We allow sin to become a comfortable and familiar part of our lives… We may become desensitized to its presence, gradually accepting and even embracing behaviors or attitudes that are contrary to God's will. Like being "sufficiently paganized," we may find ourselves adopting worldly values and priorities, becoming entangled in the culture around us.
“Well, everyone is doing it”… “Well, it’s legal now”… “Well, we are going to get married eventually”… “Well, God will forgive me”… “Well, your old fashioned and the Bible is outdated”…
Maybe the Bible you are reading is outdated, but mine is Living and Active and it is just as applicable today as it was the day it was written!… …
We may become so absorbed in our sinful ways that we lose sight of our spiritual inheritance and the importance of aligning our lives with God's purposes. Just as the exiles were too involved to care about the Promised Land, the rebuilding of Jerusalem, and the restoration of the temple, we can become too preoccupied with our own desires and pursuits to prioritize our relationship with God and His kingdom.
This is why Daniel was mourning, this is what caused him to not want to eat or drink, this is what caused him to forego any ointments that might sooth any pain or make him smell good.
The deepest longing of his heart was for the restoration of his people. Seventy years after his captivity began, he envisioned the entire nation returning to rebuild the temple, the city walls, and their nation. He yearned for the restoration of their worship and the revival of their former glory. Yet, reality fell short of his dreams. Only a handful returned, and their efforts were futile. They couldn't revive the nation, reinstate the monarchy, reconstruct the city, or even restore the sanctuary.
We’ve got to move on… … back to Daniel…
The second setting detail that we see is…
2. The Place
2. The Place
Daniel tells us exactly where he was when he recieved this vision… and that is…
2.1 The Tigris River
2.1 The Tigris River
Daniel 10:4 “4 Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris,” … …
This is the second and last time that the Tigris River is mentioned in Scripture… The first time is back in Genesis… Notice where it is…
10 Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers.
The next few verses name each of the four rivers and in v.14 we read…
14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
The first time the Tigris River is mentioned is in the Garden of Eden, a sanctuary of peace and perfection where humanity dwelled in harmony with God and nature. It represents the ideal state of creation, untouched by sin, and characterized by tranquility and abundance.… …
In contrast, the second mention of the Tigris River occurs here in Daniel Chapter 10, during a period of exile and upheaval for the Israelites… and It is seen as a place of mourning.
I believe this is an illustration of the stark contrast between the fallen world and the paradise lost in Eden.
Let’s keep going…
So far, in explaining the setting of this vision, Daniel has given us the time and the place…
Our next verse reveals, what I will call…
3. A Divine Encounter
3. A Divine Encounter
This is the first part of what is generally unseen...
Look at vv. 5&6…
Daniel 10:5–6 “I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz! 6 His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.”
Now, there is a major debate among scholars and commentators as to who this “certain man clothed in linen” is referring to.
Some suggest this is Gabriel, some suggest it’s Michael, and some suggest it’s some other unnamed angel of equal rank.
I personally don’t believe it is an angel… I wrestled with this for quite some time, suffered a bit of a headache and may have even caused one or two as I posed the question to a trusted, fellow Daniel enthusiast.
A case can be and has been made for each of the views and in lieu of not keeping you here for the next hour and a half, I’ll give you mine… and after you write this down… if you’d like… you can make a note beside it indicating that this is Pastor’s view.
I believe that the “certain man clothed in linen” is a…
3.1 Manifestation of Christ
3.1 Manifestation of Christ
My main reason for taking this stance is found in Revelation chapter 1… Turn there for a quick moment…
This is the vision that was given to the Apostle John… Listen to the description that John gives…
(Read vv. 12-16)… … Who is this??? Look at vv. 17-18 (Read)… … John is describing Christ and it is pretty much identical to the being that Daniel describes… the main difference being John mentioning His hair… other than that it is almost an exact parallel.
When we get to Chapter 12, we will see this linen man again and I will give you another reason as to why I believe this is Christ and not an angel when we get there…
Lastly this morning… this Divine Encounter had…
3.2 An Overwhelming Effect
3.2 An Overwhelming Effect
Daniel 10:7 “And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.”
The identities of these individuals remain unclear; the passage doesn't specify whether they were unbelieving Jews or pagans. Nevertheless, their response is remarkable: despite not witnessing the vision themselves, they discerned the gravity of the situation and reacted with fear. Trembling with apprehension, they quickly fled to find cover and hide.
It would seem that they felt “The Reality of the Unseen”…
Daniel 10:8–9 “8 Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength. 9 Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.”
The exact same thing happened to John when he was in the presence of Christ… the same thing happened to Saul (or Paul) on his way to Damascus… It also happened to Ezekiel, when he saw the chariot of cherubim and became suddenly aware of God’s throne and His likeness appearing as a man above it… he fell on his face, overwhelmed by experiencing the glory of God.
Closing:
That is where we will stop for today and Lord willing we can look at the latter half of this Chapter next week.
However, before we go, I want to turn your attention back to the reason Daniel recieved this vision… we will see next week that it was once again prompted by his fervent prayer…
But what was he praying for?… … His nation… His loved ones… That they would seek God’s will and not their own.
Remember, he is fasting and mourning… For 3 weeks he didn’t do anything that would feel good, didn’t eat or drink anything that would taste good and didn’t apply any oil or perfume to his body that would help with any of his aches and pains or make him smell good.
Do you pray and mourn in this way for the ones that are lost?
Daniel's example challenges us to consider the depth of our own prayers and mourning, particularly for those who are lost spiritually.
Are we willing to make sacrifices in our own lives, setting aside personal comforts and pleasures, to fervently intercede for the salvation of others?
Daniel's dedication serves as a powerful model for us to emulate as we pray for the lost, reminding us of the importance of sacrificial devotion and persistence in seeking God's intervention in the lives of those who have yet to know Him.
May we continue to pray without ceasing, trusting in God's faithfulness to hear and answer our cries for the lost souls around us.
Prayer: