Daniel 10 - An Angel Approach Daniel

Daniel 10 - An Angel Approach Daniel

This event happened in the third year of King Cyrus. In the first year of his reign, he had issued the decree allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem in 538BC (Ezra 1:1-4.) They started working on the temple foundation 14 months later (Ezra 3:8), and probably completed it around 24 months after they returned. Later on they were disrupted by the Samaritan settlers and for 17 years, they stopped working on the temple. (Ezra 4:21).

When Daniel heard that they have stopped building the temple, he mourned and fasted for three weeks. He was at the Tigris river, at least 400km from his home in the palace near Euphrates river. (v2-4.) Daniel gave us an example that when he was stressed, he went somewhere quite, away from home and work, and to pray to God. 

Daniel suddenly saw a man appeared before him. "His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude." (v6)

This person could be the pre-incarnate Christ as his description is similar to Revelation 1:12-16.  Daniel was very fearful and almost fainted with his face on the ground when he heard the voice of this man.(v9)

Then a hand touched him and comforted him, the man said: “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. 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, 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.” (v12-14)

This hand or this person may belong to someone else, for the pre-incarnate Christ do not need angel Michael to help him. Or perhaps they are the same person, and not the pre-incarnate Christ at all.  An example is when Ezekiel saw angelic figures clothed in linen (Ezekiel 9:2).

We can learn a few things here. First, God will reveal information to us if we dedicate ourselves to understand His word and humble ourselves before Him. When we pray, He will hear us and respond. However, just as the angel was delayed coming to Daniel, the answers to our prayers can also be "delayed" as far as we are concerned. But God will always respond in the right time, which could be now or in heaven. 

Secondly, God's response to him is not about promising him that the Jews will finish building the temple soon, but to give him the secrets of the end days. God is telling Daniel that he has a bigger plan to redeem Israel and the nations. Sometimes, we pray for our own personal issues, but God is letting us know that "it is not about us", but it's about the bigger picture for him in the process to redeem the world. 

 

Then angelic being also told Daniel about the spiritual warfare he was engaged in when Daniel called out. The "prince of Persia" meant a spiritual being who were influencing the affairs of Persia at that time. The being is likely a fallen angel, for he is able to keep this angel for 21 days until Michael came along to help. 

Daniel was still very fearful of the entire event and still felt weak and couldn't speak. The angle had to touch him two more times, and to comfort him. This reminds me that when we go to heaven, we will not be dancing and laughing, but like Daniel, we will all fall down on our knees, humble ourselves and solemnly worship our savior and Lord.  

 

The angel told Daniel that he will tell him about the future of Israel, but then he has to go back to the war with the prince of Persia, and that very soon the prince of Greece will come. (v20)

Epilogue

Spiritual warfare - based on the preaching of Pastor Chun Kai, CEFC Church, 

v20 - The unseen world is real. 

There is a war in the unseen world. The kingdom of God has a hierarchy and there are assignments to each angel.

"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." (Eph 6:12)

There are 3 types of struggle 

- Struggle against ourselves - we are inadequate; we are not smart enough; we are not pretty enough, etc. 

- Struggle against social relationship - trying to be better than the rest; criticism from others; judging one another. 

- Struggle against spiritual war fare - Deception, Defilement, Rage

 

The greatest weapon from the Satan is Deception. The devil have already analysed us to know our weakness. That's where he will strike. 

The second weapon is Divisions within the church. We need to be united and live as one. To forgive one another (Mat 6:12)

The third weapon is Defilement.  Fear due to wrong doing and failure. 1 John 4:18: "There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. The one who fears has not been perfected in love."

The forth weapon is Rage/ Anger - be angry but do not sin. Eph 4:26: "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27and give no opportunity to the devil." 

We may be angry but if we are wrong we should ask for forgiveness. If we refuse to forgive because of our thoughts give reasons not to do so, then that could be a spiritual warfare. 

How do we prepare and prevent ourselves from losing the spiritual warfare? By prayer (v12) 

Ephesians 6:11-17 list the armor of God to "stand against the schemes of the devil." The components of the armor of God are "belt of  truth", "breastplate of righteousness", "shoes for gospel of peace", "shield of faith", "helmet of salvation", and "sword of the spirit (word of God)". 

However, it is not ended there. In v18, is says "praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,"

Prayer is not a piece of the armor of God, rather it is the way to facilitate the armor of God and to get us ready for any spiritual attacks. When we work, we work but when we pray, God works 

Satan hates it when we pray. He will do anything to stop us from praying and fasting.