Daniel 10 - Insights on Spiritual Warfare

Introduction

Opening Quote: Thailand — Coming to Faith in Christ

I’ve shared this story once before but I’d like to share it again. Years ago I was a missionary in Thailand and there was one particular evening. I had been investing my time in a Thai friend, deeply Buddhist, for a number of months. One evening, my friend was staying at my apartment on the extra bed. We had a deep study in the Scriptures that evening and I could see his heart was softening. As I was preparing for bed that night, I had the overwhelming that my friend was about to accept Christ. I got into bed, and suddenly a feeling came over me that I can only explain as a tremendous fear. I was terrified, of what, I’m not sure. But I still remember to this day feeling anxious and afraid. The next thing I know, I’m out. I wake up in the morning, and my friend who had stayed over said, “I’m ready to accept Jesus.” I said, “What happened?” He said, “Last night before I fell asleep something was telling me to leave. But before I could, I felt a finger on my forehead, essentially telling me I was His.”

Personal

I think we in the Western Church often fail to live with a Biblical worldview. A worldview that recognizes that there is far more happening in this world, both in the smaller relational issues we face, to the larger issues that we face with work and finances and health, all the way to the political issues we face as a city, and as a nation. The Biblical worldview is that there is this crossover happening of the phsyical world we see and the spiritual battles taking place underneath those issues. I believe that night in Thailand there was a tremendous battle happening for my friend, and it ended the moment the Lord claimed him

Contextual

In our passage today Daniel has a vision of an angel that sheds light on the spiritual realities taking place behind what Daniel could see with his eyes. Daniel 10 begins this way:

Daniel 10:1 “1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision.”

This gives us the context of the passage. This date is placed right around 536BC. About two years has passed since the events of chapter 9 where the angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel and told gave the prophecy about the coming of the messiah who would take away sin. Since those events, the first wave of Jewish people had been taken back to the land of Israel from Babylon. Daniel was not in that first resettlement crew. Rather he was still serving in the courts of Persia. Again, Daniel is in his early 80s.

Big Idea

Today’s has one very simple Big Idea that I want us to take away. Behind every earthly trouble lies a spiritual battle. I’m going to try to show you three insights from Daniel 10 to help you understand this.

1 God Reigns Supreme Over Your Battles (2-9)

The first insight is that God is Bigger than your Biggest Trial.

Daniel 2:2-10 “2 Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 3 And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” 4 Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. 6 But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.” 7 They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.” 8 The king answered and said, “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, be…”

This Begins with Daniel Praying Fervently

What is happening in this text? This incident begins with Daniel praying fervently. Consider how fervently Daniel was praying. He was “mourning” for three weeks. He was fasting from meat and wine for three weeks. Verse 4 even seems to indicate that he had left his post in the center of Persia to go to the banks of the Tigris River. He is likely on a spiritual retreat of sorts when these events take place. Here’s the point. Daniel was seeking God and seeking answers from God. He was troubled over circumstances and he was pouring his heart out to God. What exactly was he troubled about. The text doesn’t say exactly.

What Was He Mourning Over

The question is ‘What was he mourning over?’ and the answer is, ‘We don’t know exactly.’ But it seems likely that Daniel is overwhelmingly nervous for his fellow Jews who have been released to be part of the first wave of migrants to go back to Jerusalem after the 70 years. This would been an incredibly dangerous trip. Daniel is likely in angst over the condition of his people. Are they okay? Will they survive once they get to Jerusalem.

Some Believe He is an Angel

And then, while Daniel is praying, he looks up and he has a vision of a heavenly being. this is a being that far surpasses any created being we see in scripture. His face is like lightning. His eyes like flaming swords. His voice sounds like a chorus of millions speaking simultaneoulsy. There is debate over who this being is. Some believe that the identity of the being that Daniel is seeing right now is an incredibly high ranking angel but I don’t think so.

I Believe it is God

I believe, as do many others, that this is a vision of God. What Christians would call a vision of the pre-incarnate Christ. The significance of this is quite important. This is not the only time that God has appeared in physical form to prophets in the Old Testament. In Exodus 33 God makes his glory pass by Moses. But because his glory is so powerful he hides Moses in the cleft of a rock so that Moses would not be overwhelmed. God permits Isaiah to have a vision of the throne room of God in Isaiah 6 where God appears in physical form to Isaiah. The prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 1 had a nearly identical experience. And so, its not uncommon in the Old Testament for God to appear to his prophets in some physical glorified form. We call that the the pre-incarnate Christ.

Revelation Supports this View

Further, the book of Revelation in the New Testament has a passage that describes a scene where Jesus in heaven. And we read the following words:

Revelation 1:13-15 “13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.”

It’s almost the same description. What is God doing here? Daniel is mourning, broken, deeply hurting. He’s been waiting for some answer to God. Nothing, nothing, nothing. And then finally God shows up and presents himself to Daniel. Before a word is said. Before an answer is given. The most important thing Daniel needed to have happen to him in his brokenness was for him to see God with clarity and remember that God Reigns Supreme Over Our Battles.

Turn it On Us | We Need to ReFrame Our Issues

What god has done here is so important. Every one of us is prone to see the challenges that we face as somehow the end of the story, the buck stops with us. Oftentimes in our deepest struggles, whatever they may be, we give God a quick prayer here or there, but in the grand scheme of things we’re relying on ourselves. We minimize God. We make him small by keeping him sidelined on the issues that matter most to our life. And perhaps the greatest thing God could do for any of us when we begin to get into that mindset, is to gift us with an overwhelming sense of the greatness of God in all of His glory. He does this in so many ways. For me, he’s done it very regularly through setting time aside to read Scripture. Sometimes he just overwhelms you. Sometimes he does that here in this room. You come into a Sunday distracted by all the weight of life, and by the third song you suddenly remember who God is. I don’t know what trials and challenges you’re facing today but God Reigns Supreme Over Your Battles.

2 We Battle From Our Identity in Christ, not For Our Identity in Christ.

Daniel’s Countenance was “Fearfully Changed (8)”

We read, “his radiance was fearfully changed and he retained no strength.” It then goes on to say that he, “fell on his face in a deep sleep with his face to the ground.” Essentially Daniel was overwhelmed to the point of passing out. This is the right response of someone who has a proper sense of God’s transcendance.

God’s First Words to Daniel

Verse 10, Daniel is woken from his stupor by an angel. I believe this angel who speaks in verse 10 is another angel, not the same person we just read about. Likely the angel Gabriel who we just met in chapter 9. What are the first words, the angel says to Daniel, “O Daniel, man greatly loved.” Friends — if that was the only phrase I had to preach on today, the sermon would be lacking nothing. “Oh Daniel, man greatly loved.” I had multiple conversations this week with members from this Church struggling with all sorts of brokenness, wondering about their identity, wondering what their supposed to do, wondering why things just seem so hard. Feeling a lot like Daniel. And what they needed to remember is how big God is, and then hear those precious words, “Oh Daniel, man greatly loved.”

The Gospel

This is such comfort. Let me make sure you understand the gospel and how this point applies. Every religion in the world tries to tell you how to earn favor with God. If you do this, God will love you. The challenge is that deep down inside this always leaves a person wondering if they are loved. Have I done enough? Christianity is fundamentally different. Christianity recognizes that all have fallen short of God’s standard (Rom. 3:23). Even our thought life gets put under the judgment of God, and we have all failed the test. But...

John 3:16 “16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Above Every Other Identity

The Gospel is that Jesus took your place underneath the judgment of God. Christ was struck, that you might be loved. Christ was crucified, that you might be forgiven. Christ died that you might have life. In Christ, you are loved by God. This is your identity above and beyond every other identity you might claim. Before you are anything else. Before you are successful or not succesfful, before you are strong or weak, before you are this race or that race, or this age or that age. If you’re faith has been placed in God’s messiah, Jesus Christ, you are deeply loved by God, that’s your identity.

Satan Wants to Rob Your of Your Joy

So much Spiritual Warfare is over this issue today. I see it regularly. Satan wants to attack your mind and rob you of your joy in Christ. Satan wants to convince you that somehow God’s love for you is incomplete, is lacking. But this passage demonstrates that often teh very first thing we need to hear is this truth. When you know you are loved this deeply, it sets you free from the rat race of trying to earn God’s love. You’re already loved fully. We Battle From Our Identity in Christ, not For Our Identity in Christ.

3 The Battle is Real and we Must Be Equipped for It (10-14)

Thirdly, we see that the Battle is Real and we must be equipped for it.

Daniel 10:10-21 “10 And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. 13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, 14 and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.” 15 When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and was mute. 16 And behold, one in the likeness of the children of man touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and …”

God Has Responded

Those few verses give usmore insight into the behavior of angels and the reality of spiritual warfare than almost any other passage in the Old Testament. The angel says that “from the moment” Daniel began praying three weeks prior, God had immediately dispatched angels to come respond and help Daniel. Pause there. God often responds to our prayer requests by sending angels. Isn’t that an incredible idea. Very often it is the case, that God hears your prayers, and the right response to your prayer is for God to send an angel, either to bring a word, or to provide protection, or to do something else that only an angel can do.

When You Pray

This teaches us a lot about prayer. When you pray you are reaching your hand into the Spiritual realm beyond what you can see with your eyes, and you are participating in the shaping of world history. Remember the main idea today, behind every earthly struggle is a spiritual battle. What was Daniel’s Earthly Struggle. The Jewish people who had been in captivity for 70 years were beginning to be released back to Jerusalem. And it was a dangerous journey. That’s what the eyes could see. What they eyes couldn’t see is that a battle was raging between angels and demons behind the scenes.

Daniel’s Prayer Moved the Needle on the Battle

And Daniel’s prayer, as one who was loved by God, was moving the needle on that battle. Ahhhhh. That ought to make you pray with a bit more fervency. When you pray for your kids, you are stepping into spiritual battles that you cannot see that are underneath the challenges your children face. When you pray for our missionaries overseas, you may be sending angels to protect them from harm. When you pray for spouse, you may be sending angels to battle off the demons that have been harassing her. When you pray for the safety and courage of your Supreme Court Justices, you are entering into a war that is being fought for the heart of our nation.

The Angel Was Delayed

What happened in these verses above should make you really think about our reality. Apparently this angel, who I think is Gabriel, was on his way to go help Daniel. Meaning this angel had to travel. He didn’t just appear, he had to travel. Angels are not omnipresent. But on the way he got caught up in a fierce battle with an enemy called the Prince of Persia. This angel couldn’t get out of the battle until another angel, Michael appeared to help him get on his way. What do we learn from this? Let me answer three question from this section.

Who is the Prince of Persia?

This “prince of persia” is some demonic entity who was very powerful. This verse seems to indicate that the Devil has organized his army geographically. There was an extremely powerful demonic stronghold over Persia at the time. He withstood Gabriel. This means that in a city like Chicago we can assume, based on this verse, that there an organized effort over this city led by very high ranking demonic forces. If you live here in Chicago, you are the greatest threat to that “Prince of Chicago.” He hates you, he hates what you stand for. He wants to silence you and harass you. And one of the strongest tools he has in his pocket today is to convince Christians that its not their place to speak into society. To convince Christians that Christianity is a religion of cowardice. Jump with me down to the end of this passage briefly

Daniel 10:19 “19 And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.””

Before this passage is over, this angel strengthens Daniel and prepares him for the work ahead. I don’t claim to understand the details of how Satan structures his army. But I know, he hates courageous Christians.

Who is the Angel Michael?

Who is the angel Michael? Michael in this passage is the angel who helped Gabriel get through Persia to Daniel. Michael shows up a few other places in Scripture including the book of Revelation. But look at verse 21 with me:

Daniel 10:21 “21 But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince.”

“Your prince.” I don’t think that means “Daniel’s private prince.” I think what that means is that Michael was the angel who was in charge of protecting God’s people under the Old Covenant. Michael was the angel in charge of making sure the Jewish people survived and were protected.

What is the Significance of this Battle?

What is the signficance of this battle between spirits that was invisible to Daniel. Why was Satan and his army battling so mightily to not let the Jews return to Israel? Well… I have an idea of why. The Jews returning to Israel meant the cards would begin getting stacked in such a way that the messiah might be born according to the Jewish prophecies. He would be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah (Micah 5:2). He would be of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 40:10). Zechariah prophesied that he would enter into Jerusalem on a donkey. At this moment in Daniel, a spiritual war is being fought to stop Cyrus from letting the Jews return to Israel. The demons of that area are raging to do anything to not let them return. Why? Because they know the Scriptures.

The Messiah Has Come

Park — That is exactly what happened. God was moving the nations. Persia, Greece, Rome, these were all tools in the hands of God building towards the fulfillment of His Word, that His Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. From Daniel’s perspective, the exiles returning to Jerusalem looked like sitting ducks. But if he could see what God saw, they had an archangel battling on their behalf.

The Point: Until We Have Prayed We Can Do Nothing

I want to be careful not to overdo this. But hear this carefully, as Christians we have an enemy who is doing everything he can to distract you and draw you away from your first love of Christ and from the mission God has given you. The Bible warns us about this regularly.

1 Peter 5:8 “8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in the faith...”

How do you fight these battles. It is in prayer. That was Daniel’s primary weapon. Yes — there are other weapons. Yes – the people of God do more than just pray. We fight, we advocate, we get laws changed, because we love God and we love His law. But until we have prayed we can do nothing! The battle is more than finally giving up that bad habit. That’s just what you can see. The battle is more than your children getting bullied. That’s just what you can see. The battle is more than getting Roe v. Wade overturned. That’s just what you can see. Behind all of these things is an intense spiritual battle. What are the issues you are facing. Depression? Addictive Behaviors? Hurting Marriages? Broken Relationships? Worries for your Children? There is more happening than you can see with your eye. Pray fervently to the God who is able to respond. Trust that he is responding. If there is sin in your life repent of it, don’t let it linger, becuase that invites spiritual warfare. And all things, may God get the glory.

Closing

As I close let me remind us of the one main idea. Behind every earthly trouble lies a spiritual battle. We must learn to see with the lens of Scripture. We must see what’s happening underneath what’s happening. That is a Biblical worldview. That’s what Daniel 10 teaches us.