Daniel 10 opens to us something we seldom see in the Scriptures. We get a glimpse into the spiritual realm of good angels fighting Satan’s demons over the kingdoms of this world. We have no reason to believe this is not what is going on in the heavenly realms all the time. Ephesians 2:2 calls Satan the prince of the power of the air. 1 John 5:19 says the entire world lies in the lap of the evil one.
Luther was very aware of the spiritual conflict. They say he threw an ink well at the devil one night when he wouldn’t let him sleep. He wrote: “And though this world with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God has willed His truth to triumph through us,” and about the devil Luther assured us, “Lo, his doom is sure.” When his friends warned him about going to the Diet of Worms in 1521 to meet with the papal reps and the king of the Holy Roman Empire he said, “I shall go to Worms though there be as many devils as tiles on the roofs.”
Daniel 10 introduces the final vision God reveals to Daniel about his people Israel and the future. Daniel 11 tells us in much detail about Israel’s immediate future and the final end times of the tribulation period, and then Daniel 12 brings it all to a conclusion. This is just an amazing portion of God’s Word! We’ll look at chapter 10 in five parts.
THE GREAT ANGELIC CONFLICT – vv. 1-4
Daniel 10:1, In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar; and the message was true and one of great conflict, but he understood the message and had an understanding of the vision.
Daniel received this message around 536, a couple years after Daniel 9. Daniel is about 90 years old and nearing the end of his life. Daniel wants us to know he is the same Belteshazzar from chapter 1 when King Neb gave him his Babylonian name. Daniel calls this message true and a great conflict. Like us, Daniel knew that all Scripture is God-breathed and therefore pure truth. Whether we understand it all, whatever the Bible says is so. And what we’re going to hear in chapters 10-12 is true. It has to do with a “great conflict,” in Hebrew a tsabah gadohl, a war, a great one. Ever since Satan tricked Adam and Eve in the garden, all of world history has been a great conflict. Satan and his demons have fought God’s great plan of redemption all the way up to the first coming of Christ and on through the church age to the tribulation period and Christ’s second coming.
Revelation 12:3-12 gives us the best insight into Satan and his work.
And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 12 For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”
Satan has fought tooth and nail to keep Christ from coming to earth, to kill him when he came (remember Herod’s sending those soldiers to kill all the baby boys born in Bethlehem?), and now Satan and his demons are fighting to corrupt the truth of the Gospel in our own times. Never forget that Satan is a liar and deceiver. Paul said we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places! Your Christian life is a conflict, a war, a struggle, not just with your own flesh and the world, but against the devil who is roaming around looking for Christians to destroy. You must fight the good fight of faith! You’re in enemy territory, but greater is He in us than he who is in the world. Now don’t get all looney tunes on us. The way to fight the devil is not to take advanced spiritual warfare training so you can learn to kick demons around. No, you resist the devil by being strong in the faith, strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Let’s let God’s angels slap the demons around for us.
Daniel 10:2-4, In those days, I, Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks. 3 I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed. 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, while I was by the bank of the great river, that is, the Tigris…
Daniel may have heard that work on the temple had stopped because of the enemies. So he’s been mourning and fasting and refusing to do the normal things because his heart is so consumed with his concern for his people Israel. Remember how Jesus wept over Jerusalem. And Paul said in Romans 9:1-2, “I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart for my kinsmen according to the flesh.” When you stop and think about your people who are blindly and stubbornly turning away from God and the gospel and who will face the consequences if they never come to Christ, sorrow and grief will pierce your hearts as well.
Now Daniel is about 35 miles from Babylon along the Tigris River, carving out special time to seek the Lord for the Jews. He had no appetite even for tasty food and didn’t even rub oil on his skin to protect it against the sun and give him a presentable odor to others. They didn’t take showers every day and douse themselves with cologne like some of us do. The time of these verses is immediately following the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. So his people the Jews and what is happening over in Jerusalem are burdening his heart. Daniel had not gone to Jerusalem. The reason may have been his age or that he was still needed at the top of the Persian government.
A CERTAIN MAN APPEARS – vv. 5-9
Daniel 10:5, I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, whose waist was girded with a belt of pure gold of Uphaz. 6 His body also was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a tumult. 7 Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great dread fell on them, and they ran away to hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone and saw this great vision; yet no strength was left in me, for my natural color turned to a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength. 9 But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.
Suddenly Daniel sees this “certain man.” Who is this? If we compare him with the person John saw on the Isle of Patmos, we have to conclude this was more than an angel.
Revelation 1:12, Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. 14 His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man.
You see at least six matching descriptions and we know John saw the glorified Christ. So here you have a pre-incarnate appearance of the second person of the Godhead, Jesus Christ. Daniel needed this vision even though it totally knocked him out! Notice the others ran away, scared witless. This “certain man” spoke with overwhelming authority and the sound of a tumult. When people caught a vision of Christ, they didn’t pop off with, “Hey, cool, Jesus is my buddy!” No, they hit the ground like a dead man. There’s a sense of awe and dread when exposed to the glory of God. God wanted Daniel to catch a glimpse of the overwhelming glory and awesomeness of Israel’s Messiah.
GOD ANSWERS PRAYER vv. 10-12
Daniel 10:10, Then behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. [11] He said to me, “O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. [12] Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.”
This is not the same “certain man” of verse 5. This is an angel, presumably Gabriel, who came to Daniel in chapter 9. He gently gets Daniel up on his hands and knees, still trembling. He encourages him again with that description of “greatly loved” or “most precious” in God’s sight. Does God have favorites? Daniel would qualify, right? He was totally immersed in the reality of his God. And as the angel speaks, Daniel gains more strength. He stands up, but he’s still shaking with holy dread. I’d love to hear this angel’s voice as he encourages Daniel with “Don’t be afraid, Daniel.” Those assuring words must have brought calm to Daniel’s soul.
In verse 12 Daniel’s attitude in prayer was two-fold – wanting to understand and humbling. A humble learner’s prayers are heard instantly. “Your words were heard!” God’s ears are open to our prayers! And the angel says God sent him in response to Daniel’s words!
A RARE VIEW INTO THE ANGELIC CONFLICT vv. 13-14
Daniel 10:13, But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future.”
Here is something we really don’t understand. For twenty-one days God’s angels and the devil’s demons fought it out. The demon was assigned to the Persian kingdom. We have no idea what this all means except we know Satan hates God and everything that represents God. The demon may be trying to influence the Persian kings to destroy the Jews. What is clear is that God’s angel needs help and here comes Michael, Israel’s special angel, to help fight this demon for a while.
What do we learn from this? There are specific angels assigned to various nations. Leon Wood, and American theologian, wrote, “Satan often assigns special emissaries to influence governments against the people of God.” We can conclude Satan has his demonic minions all over the globe influencing nations right now. This explains mass murderers like Stalin and Hitler. What we see happening on the human level is not the full story. Surely demons influence culture. Our current cultural insanity goes beyond what is normal when Christians are being called the immoral ones because we stand against ideologies that are abominable to God. Today we see evil being called good and good being called evil.
Don’t worry, though. God has everything under control even in our chaotic times. And we know there’s no question about who wins in the end. God told Satan at the very beginning that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. And that happened. Jesus did crush Satan’s head through the cross and resurrection. That was Christ’s strategic victory. He came to destroy the works of the devil, sin, and death. Tactically Christ will lock Satan in the abyss for 1000 years and finally throw him into the lake of fire, to be tormented forever. Satan is a doomed devil and he knows it. Therefore, as we get closer to the end times he will try to do as much damage as possible, especially in the tribulation period through the Antichrist and the False Prophet.
THE POWERFUL IMPACT OF GOD’S TRUTH
Daniel 10:15-19, When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. 16 And behold, one who resembled a human being was touching my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke and said to him who was standing before me, “O my lord, as a result of the vision anguish has come upon me, and I have retained no strength. 17 For how can such a servant of my lord talk with such as my lord? As for me, there remains just now no strength in me, nor has any breath been left in me.” 18 Then this one with human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. 19 He said, “O man of high esteem, do not be afraid. Peace be with you; take courage and be courageous!” Now as soon as he spoke to me, I received strength and said, “May my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”
What happens to Daniel when he hears these great truths about Israel’s future and latter end? He becomes speechless and is flooded with his own sense of weakness. “Who am I?” That’s exactly what every preacher and human spokesman for God’s truth should feel. Paul said, “Who is adequate for these things?” “We have this treasure in earthen vessels.” Once you lose that sense of weakness and humility that says, “Who am I?” you’re on the road to disaster. There’s no room for pride or self-sufficiency in the Christian life.
But then this angel touched Daniel’s lips and spoke to him. Verse 19 says, “As soon as he spoke,” Daniel was strengthened. All his strength came from God’s Word. During the spiritual war that we know is going on around us all the time, we need to find our strength in God’s truth alone. We need to arm ourselves with the sword of the Spirit and the shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16-17).
Daniel 10:20-21, Then he said, “Do you understand why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the prince of Greece is about to come. 21 However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince.”
Why did this angel come to Daniel? Verse 14 says he came to tell Daniel about the latter times and that God is at work on behalf of His people Israel. The coming vision will take us all the way to the second coming of Christ.
At the same time, another demon who is connected to Greece is ramping up and this angel and Michael, Israel’s special angelic agent, will be standing against that demon. In 200 years Alexander the Great will conquer everything in his path across the Middle East, including the Persian Empire.
But the angel also is going to tell Daniel what is “inscribed in the writing of truth.” This is God’s decreed, predestined plan for Israel. So this angel is both fighting demons along with Michael and he’s going to reveal to Daniel what’s coming. The writing of truth is not speculations, opinions, editorials, guesses – it is the “writing of truth,” God’s truth! Daniel 11:2 repeats, “Now I will tell you the truth.”
SO WHAT?
The angelic conflict is real. Behind the curtain of our awareness there is an intensifying conflict as we approach the end of the age. Satan and his hordes of demons are using every deceptive tactic in their book to oppose, thwart, and destroy God’s redeeming work in this world. God is sovereign and His plan is sure. But He uses Satan to accomplish His purposes. Satan is God’s useful idiot or like one preacher said, Satan is like a pit bull on God’s chain. He can only do what God allows him to do to further the unfolding of God’s predestined plan.
One of Satan’s great tactics today is to blind the eyes of unbelievers so they can’t see the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). Only God can open the lost person’s eyes to see their need for Christ and eternal salvation. Has God opened your eyes to the gospel? Romans 10:13, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Are you trusting in Him alone as your Lord and Savior?