Daniel 10

Heavenly Visitors

Now in this book of Daniel, there are four great prophetic revelations. This is the last of them, and it stretches from chapter 10 through chapter 11 and chapter 12. This final great vision fills up and finishes the book. Chapter 10 introduces the vision, chapter 11 gives the prophecy, and chapter 12 adds an epilogue. So we’ve come now to the end of the things to come that are given to the prophet Daniel.

It stretches from Daniel’s day until the great tribulation and the return of Christ. It stretches throughout all of the remainder of human history until Christ comes again. However, the prophecy in chapters 10, 11, and 12 gives greater detail about the tribulation than any other prophecy.

In the previous chapter, chapter 9 of the book of Daniel, Daniel was reading in Jeremiah. And Daniel was very much aware that Jeremiah had prophesied that the captivity of Israel would only last seventy years. And you remember now, 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.

But Jeremiah said it would only last seventy years. And so as Daniel was reading Jeremiah’s prophecy in chapter 9, he came across those two prophecies where Jeremiah says it’ll only be seventy years; and he knew that it had been nearly 70 years since he had been taken captive, and so he began to realize that the time must be coming for it all to end.

And so in chapter 9 he began to pray, and he began to fast, and he began to confess his sin, and he began to ask God to fulfill the promise that the seventy years would fill up the chastisement and the people could return to their land. That was his prayer in chapter 9. And you’ll remember at the end of the chapter, God gives him a tremendous prophecy in answer to that prayer.

Now that prayer in chapter 9 and the subsequent answer by God occurred in the first year of Cyrus the king, the first year of the king of the Medo-Persian Empire.

You’ll remember that in that first year, according to Ezra chapter 1 all the way through Ezra chapter 3, Cyrus made a decree, and he said, “All of the people of Israel can now return home. You can all go back.” Daniel’s prayer was answered directly in the very year in which he prayed that prayer.

But you know what happened? As we come to chapter 10, what’s the first statement? “In the third year of Cyrus.” Where are we now? Two years later. And you know what? Two years later, a very disheartening and a very discouraging reality has occurred.

You want to know what it is? The people didn’t go back. They were comfortable. They were sufficiently paganized. They were enmeshed in the society in which they lived. They were prosperous. They were absorbed. They were too involved to care about the Promised Land, too involved to care about the rebuilding of Jerusalem, too involved to care about restoring the temple.

You say, “Didn’t any go back?” A few. Ezra tells us just 42,000 went back. You say, “Well, that sounds like a lot.” Not really. They had flourished in Babylon. There were myriads more than that. That was only a drop in the bucket; just 42,000 went back.

There had been many born in captivity, they didn’t go back. The few that did go back were led by a man named Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel was in the line of David. He had kingly seed. And he couldn’t establish again the monarchy, he just couldn’t pull it off. He was accompanied by a man named Joshua – not the Joshua of old, but Joshua the high priest who was to be their spiritual leader. And when they got back, it took them seven months just to clear the rubble off the temple ground to say nothing of the city. And as they started to try to rebuild the temple, they were opposed, and they were harassed, and they were mocked, and they were scorned, and they were hated; and finally the work came to a halt altogether.

So, you see, all of Daniel’s great anticipation had not been fulfilled. The great dream of his heart was that seventy years after he was taken captive, the whole nation would go back, and they’d rebuild the temple, and they’d rebuild the city, and they’d rebuild the wall, and they’d reconstitute their nation and their worship, and everything would be the way it used to be.

But it wasn’t so. A small number went back, and they couldn’t pull off anything.

They couldn’t establish the nation. They couldn’t establish the monarchy. They couldn’t rebuild the city. They couldn’t even get the sanctuary going.

At that same time, in the first year of Darius, a third monumental thing happened: Daniel retired, and he was one of the presidents of the Empire. He had been a president through the Babylonian period. And now even into the Medo-Persian period, he kept his place of tremendous power. And in this particular situation, it was time for him to retire. He was approximately 85 years old. And so he left the presidency, according to chapter 1, verse 21. He was only in the government until the first year of Cyrus.

And so he left the presidency, according to Daniel 1:21 “And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.”

Some have asked why didn’t Daniel go back?

Some have speculated that he was too old......?

One commentator said this about that: “I think he didn’t go back, because he was too disappointed. In other words, I think that he saw himself as having the responsibility to motivate the remaining Jews to go back; so he couldn’t leave because he wasn’t satisfied. He had a passion to see his sinful people forsake Babylon and return to their country.........Surely he would have longed to go himself, back to the land he loved; but he was utterly unselfish, and he was far too burdened for his needy people to worry about his own desires.”

This commentator believes that the mourning in verse 2 is the key to his view.

Mourning for 3 weeks.....21 days.

No fancy or choice food, or even the regular food......

He wasn’t concerned with personal grooming.

The 24th day of Nisan (March-April)......from the 3rd day of Nisan till the 24th day Daniel was mourning.

The 14th of Nisan is when the Passover would of been celebrated.

This mourning was during the celebrated time of deliverance for the Jews.

This great river is the Tigris, which flowed through Babylonia, it was located about 20 miles from the capital........

Daniel lifted up his eyes.....in the Hebrew this is a look of excitement. Daniel was amazed at what he saw.

“A Certain Man”.......There has been much debate on whether this “man” was an angel in human form or Jesus Christ Himself in his true form that John saw in Revelation 1.

Fine linen....we know that angels were clothed in fine linen in Rev.

Girded with fine gold.......

No one knows where Uphaz is or was.

Beryl-is a gold like stone.

Face like lightning

His eyes like lamps of fire

His feet like brass

His voice like many, a multitude of people.

Now let’s look at Revelation 1:13-15 “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the

Son of man,

clothed with a garment down to the foot, and

girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow;

and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and

his voice as the sound of many waters.”

That sounds a lot like what Daniel is seeing here........The reaction of the people who didn’t even see the “Man” is pointed and also Daniel’s reaction.

The people fled out of fear, it says they were shaking for fear and they fled to hide!

I heard one commentator say that is what all those will do who have not lived in with an understanding of Christ in His True Form......Run and hide!

Daniel reacted almost identical to John.

Revelation 1:16-17 “And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:”

Daniel’s severe reaction mimics John’s very closely, this tells me this was an appearance of the Christ the Son of the Living God.

The Mt. of Transfiguration would be next closest to what Daniel saw.

Daniel passed out, lost consciousness!

Most think that this is where it transitions to Gabriel or another angel. Gabriel because he handled Daniel the way he did some years prior.......Daniel 8:18 “Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.”

Verses 11-12 are pretty powerful to me.....The understanding of these things are extremely overwhelming, exhausting, and horrifying for someone like Daniel!

They are horrifying, especially knowing all the evils to come, but there is a great eternal part of this Truth and that is what Gabriel tells Daniel..... “you are greatly beloved”!

Because he was greatly beloved, Daniel would stand in the midst of calamity, he could handle the very difficult things he was about to hear.....

As Gabriel tells him in verse 12 “Fear not, Daniel”.......we do not have to be afraid of difficult prophecy because we are loved by God Almighty!

All I have to do to be assured of that is rest at the Person and Complete Work of Jesus Christ.....Jesus Christ and Him crucified!

Yet, Daniel as he stood up was shaking like a child....I love that view, because it is a sincere heart toward God!

Daniel had been in mourning wanting to know was going on and when, he had set his heart (desire) in wanting to know God’s plan....

He chastened himself, he lowered himself in fasting....

Gabriel said I came for your words.........I was sent just as he did in chapter 9........

In chapter 9 it was while he was praying....

Now, it took 3 weeks, 21 days! Why?

The prince of the kingdom of Persia........These next couple of verse are up for much debate.....it definitely pulls back the curtain, somewhat, to the spiritual warfare that goes on in the spirit realm.

Some have tried to make the argument that Gabriel was withstood by the actual prince or king of Persia.....

I believe that is a wrong thought about this.........The true battle that goes on in this world is spiritual.......Ephesians 6:12 “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 places.”

In a few places the devil is referred to as “prince”....Ephesians 2:2 “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:”

Jesus says this in John 14:30 “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.”

Michael is also mentioned as prince here.....same word for prince.

No reason to think that the idea is any different in Daniel’s day than Jesus’! So for that reason I believe Gabriel was held up because he was taking care of a demonic (fallen angel) spirit being that was trying to thwart God’s plan.....which they cannot nor is there any reason to think that they can.........whether he was trying to thwart God using these evil kings or trying to influence God’s people......I am not sure.

But, we know that this evil thing took a harsh stance against God’s plan and Gabriel was sent to handle it and Michael came in and let Gabriel go to Daniel.

Michael is the chief, most powerful and he is Israel’s angel, the “arch” angel

Michael has been assigned by God as Israel’s prince

Daniel’s experience should not be interpreted to signify that God is weak or that demonic forces have power to thwart the will of God. The Book of Daniel teaches throughout its pages the absolute sovereignty of the Almighty, and God could easily have ensured the delivery of the message to Daniel in a moment. Archer rightly comments: “While God can, of course, override the united resistance of all the forces of hell if he chooses to do so, he accords to demons certain limited powers of obstruction and rebellion somewhat like those he allows humans. In both cases the exercise of free will in opposition to the Lord of heaven is permitted by him when he sees fit. But as Job 1:12 and 2:6 indicate, the malignity of Satan is never allowed to go beyond the due limit set by God.” Believers should take comfort in these words, 1 John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

Chapter 11 verse 1.......This verse seems to belong to chapter 10, but most believe that Gabriel’s use of a date then that is the reason they divided it up.

In 10:13, 21 it is revealed that Michael had helped the interpreting angel; now in 11:1 Gabriel related that he had supported and protected Michael. The first year of Darius the Mede was ca. 538 B.C., two years before this vision. Gabriel’s awesome power is evidenced by the fact that he was called on to “support” Michael. How he would have protected Michael is not known since the harming of an angel in any way is certainly a strange concept

Therefore an intense spiritual conflict took place during the first year of Darius the Mede. Since Michael (Israel’s prince) was involved, the battle must have concerned the Jewish people. The text does not name the occasion of this particular struggle, but it may have been the fall of Babylon (Young), the conveying of the “seventy sevens” prophecy in chap. 9 (cf. 9:1), or the decree of Cyrus allowing the Jews to return to Palestine (Archer, Wood). All of these events took place in the first year of Darius the Mede (Cyrus), but the latter suggestion seems to be most likely. If so, the conflict involved Cyrus’s decision to allow the Jews to return to their homeland. Archer remarks: “Knowing that such a development could lead to the ultimate appearance of the Son of God as the Messiah for God’s redeemed, Satan and all his hosts were determined to thwart the renewal of Israel and the deliverance of its people from destruction

Chapter 11 is a continuation of Gabriel’s foretelling of things to come and a lot of these things have happened already and can be confirmed!