Journal Through the Bible: Week 79 Friday

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Daniel chapter 10

Daniel received another vision during the third year of Cyrus' reign. I find this to be the most thrilling vision of all because I believe that God incarnate visited Daniel!

Daniel was in mourning for 3 weeks. It does not tell us why he was mourning, but whatever caused him such grief caused him to fast and pray.

The Man in the vision told Daniel that there had been a battle going on around Persia in the spiritual realm for 21 days. Remember that Cyrus was a Persian king and prophecies had been foretold about him back in Isaiah's day. We are told in Ephesians 6:12 that we do not battle against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness in high places. We see an example of this in chapter 10.

Does God issue any commands?

• If the messenger in the passage is God, and I believe that He is, God told Daniel to stand upright and not to fear.
• The messenger was sent to make Daniel understand end time prophecy.

Does God make any promises?

• God told Daniel to be strong and then He gave him strength. There is great promise in this for all God's people!

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?

• Based upon the description of Christ in Revelation when He appeared to John I believe that the man who appeared to Daniel was Jesus. (This is called a theophany.) He was clothed in linen, he had a pure gold belt, his body was bright like light, his eyes glowed like lamps, his arms and legs were bright like brass, and his voice was sonorous.
• Michael, which means "Who is like God?" is said to be Daniel's prince. This is either another name for Jesus, or Michael is one of the warrior angels who is fighting the battle on God's side against the Persian prince. (The following is conjecture on my part, but it makes sense that Satan would not want the Jews to be allowed to return to their homeland at that time since it was during the reign of Cyrus that the prophecy said the remnant would be allowed to begin their migration home. The return of the remnant would fulfill the promises of God made to Jeremiah and it would continue the plan of God to have the Baby born of a Jewish mother in Bethlehem! This may have been another one of the ways that Satan attempted to interrupt God's plan for the Messiah to come in due time. Remember that Daniel had previously been told when the Messiah would come. See chapter 9.)

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?

• The messenger that came to Daniel had an encounter with the prince of the kingdom of Persia who withstood him for 21 days. This is reminiscent of Daniel 8:24 when the little horn, probably Antiochus Epiphanes of Greece is said to be a ruler controlled by Satan. Revelation makes it clear that in the end times rulers of the Middle East will be controlled by Satan and used by him to battle the saints of God and Jerusalem itself.
• Daniel is told what will happen to the Hebrew people in the latter days. This also caused Daniel much grief as he saw how his people would be persecuted.