Daniel 10:1-21 Daniel’s Vision of a Messenger
10 In the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia,[536 B.C.] Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) had another vision. He understood that the vision concerned events certain to happen in the future—times of war and great hardship.
When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been in mourning for three whole weeks. All that time I had eaten no rich food. No meat or wine crossed my lips, and I used no fragrant lotions until those three weeks had passed.
On April 23, [On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This date in the book of Daniel can be cross-checked with dates in surviving Persian records and can be related accurately to our modern calendar. This event occurred on April 23, 536 B.C.] as I was standing on the bank of the great Tigris River, I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people.
Only I, Daniel, saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground.
Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling.
Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.”
While he was speaking to me, I looked down at the ground, unable to say a word. Then the one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing in front of me, “I am filled with anguish because of the vision I have seen, my lord, and I am very weak. How can someone like me, your servant, talk to you, my lord? My strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe.”
Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning. “Don’t be afraid,” he said, “for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!”
As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, “Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”
He replied, “Do you know why I have come? Soon I must return to fight against the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia, and after that the spirit prince of the kingdom of Greece will come. Meanwhile, I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. No one helps me against these spirit princes except Michael, your spirit prince.”
How does one become a prophet? There have always been many self-styled prophets; however, the calling to be a prophet is a special one that can only come from God. Although there are some young prophets, many times the gift of prophecy comes more strongly to the elderly who have suffered and experienced loss. The challenge is simple: true prophets become channels of God’s Word, omitting their own opinions. True prophets also pray and seek God’s perfect Will, rather than simply representing their own ideas. When God began giving Daniel the visions that he recorded, Daniel was elderly, having served the Babylonians and then the Medo-Persian Empire for decades.
At the time of this vision, Daniel had been praying and fasting for three weeks. Although he continued to eat, he evidently was taking very simple food, likely bread, water, and vegetables. Although Daniel was undoubtedly bathing, he refused to anoint himself with the fragrant lotions that men of his stature would normally use. How did Daniel know that he needed to pray special prayers and fast? Sometimes the convicting power of the Holy Spirit will come upon us, and we simply know that we must do something, even though we have no explanations. Obedience brings enlightenment. Disobedience leads to futility.
When the angel came to Daniel, the fear of the Lord fell on Daniel’s companions and they fled. Daniel himself fainted and only stood after the angel had touched him, giving him supernatural strength.
Notice what the angel says to Daniel: “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” Later, the angel repeats that affirmation by saying, “Don’t be afraid, for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!”
“You are very precious to God.” WOW! How many of us believe we are precious to anybody, let alone to God? Most of us believe that we are toilers in obscurity, struggling to make it through our daily routine. If the angel had said nothing more than this simple statement, Daniel would still have been thrilled for the rest of his life. But there’s far more.
Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.”
Let’s look at this assurance:
- Daniel’s requests were heard in heaven from the first day when he began to pray for understanding. Many times, we are impatient with God, feeling that when God does not answer as promptly as we wish, it means that God is not listening to us.
- Daniel’s requests were heard in heaven when he humbled himself. Why must we humble ourselves before we can hear from God? In Luke 18:9-14 Jesus tells the story of two men who went to the temple to pray. The pharisee stood in the middle of the temple, reciting his virtues while the tax collector huddled in a corner, beating his breast and begging, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Jesus assured his audience that it was the tax collector who was justified before God and not the pharisee. As long as we are lecturing God, we can’t possibly hear from Him.
- The angel began coming to Daniel; however, the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed him for three weeks and he required help from the archangel Michael. When we underestimate the evil opposing us, we make a sad mistake. The assassination of Charlie Kirk has unleashed a fire storm of filthy comments from those opposing what Kirk stood for. God has used Kirk’s death to rip the mask off the face of evil, and never again can believers pretend that their critics and opponents are simply misguided individuals who can easily be brought to the light. The war against evil is very real.
- This vision will be fulfilled in the future, and the spiritual battle will contine. “Do you know why I have come? Soon I must return to fight against the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia, and after that the spirit prince of the kingdom of Greece will come. Meanwhile, I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. No one helps me against these spirit princes except Michael, your spirit prince.”
God in His Infinite Wisdom has created Daniel, training Daniel when he was young, and has allowed Daniel to be carried off to Babylon, knowing that eventually the Medo-Persian Empire will succeed the Babylonian Empire. Throughout Daniel’s life, he has persistently and consistently honored God. Now God is favoring Daniel with visions that foreshadow those described in Revelation. At the same time, Daniel’s description of this vision also gives us a glimpse of the reality of spiritual warfare. Tomorrow we will continue to explore the lessons from this vision, but for today, remember that if you want God to reveal things to you, you must humbly and persistently seek Him in prayer.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, You are the One with all the wisdom in the universe while we only posses tiny crumbs. Help us to honor You in everything we say and do. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment