DANIEL - CHAPTER 10 LESSON 10 THE THIRD VISION GIVEN TO DANIEL CAME IN THE THIRD YEAR OF THE REIGN OF CYRUS WHICH WAS 536 B.C. ( THIS IS THE LATEST DATE GIVEN IN THE BOOK OF DANIEL ). DANIEL HAD LIVED TO SEE JEREMIAH'S PROPHECY FULFILLED IN 538 B.C. (JEREMIAH 25:11-12; 29:10-14). EXILES HAD RETURNED FROM BABYLON AND HAD BEGUN REBUILDING THE TEMPLE. (WE DON'T KNOW WHY DANIEL DIDN'T RETURN, MAYBE BECAUSE OF HIS AGE. IF DANIEL WAS FIFTEEN WHEN HE WAS TAKEN TO BABYLON, THEN HE WOULD BE EIGHTY-FOUR OR EIGHTY-FIVE AT THIS TIME. ) ISRAEL'S CAPTIVITY HAD ENDED. JERUSALEM WAS BEING REOCCUPIED, AND THE NATION SEEMED TO BE AT PEACE. BUT - THE VISION GIVEN TO DANIEL ON THIS OCCASION SHATTERED ANY HOPE HE MIGHT HAVE HAD THAT ISRAEL WOULD ENJOY HER NEW FREEDOM AND PEACE FOR LONG.. FOR GOD REVEALED THAT THE NATION WOULD BE INVOLVED IN MANY CONFLICTS. NOTE: IT IS A GOOD REMINDER TO US AS WE SERVE THE LORD TODAY, THAT OUR TIMES ARE IN HIS HANDS (PSALM 31:15) AND HE IS NEVER LATE IS ACCOMPLISHING HIS WILL. WE ARE GOING TO SEE THE PREPARATION OF THE PROPHET (10:1-11:1) CHAPTERS 10-12 ARE THE FINAL VISION FOR DANIEL. NOTE: DANIEL'S LAST RECORDED VISION EXTENDS FROM CHAPTER 10 TO THE END OF THE BOOK AND IS ONE UNIT. VS 1 WHAT IS THE TIME PHRASE? WHO IS RULING?. WHAT WAS REVEALED TO DANIEL? WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THIS MESSAGE? 1. AND 2. DAINEL WOULD LEARN THAT HIS PEOPLE WOULD EXPERIENCE GREAT SUFFERING IN THE YEARS AHEAD, BUT THE LORD WOULD WATCH OVER THEM AND ULTIMATELY ESTABLISH THE PROMISED KINGDOM. BUT DANIEL AND HAD AN (NOTE: IN THIS VERSE DANIEL IS WRITING IN THE THIRD PERSON. THIS SUGGEST THAT THE STATEMENT THAT OPENS THIS CHAPTER MAY BE AN OFFICIAL "IDENTIFICATION TITLE" FOR THE LAST THREE CHAPTERS OF HIS BOOK. ALSO, THE USE OF HIS BABYLONIAN NAME, INDICATES THAT THIS OPENING STATEMENT IS PROBABLY AN OFFICIAL "LABEL " FOR THE DOCUMENT.) VS 2 UNDERSTANDING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE VISION, DANIEL FASTED FOR THREE WEEKS. (DANIEL SWITCHES TO FIRST PERSON) WHAT IS THE TIME PHRASE? REFERING TO WHAT DAYS? WHAT IS DANIEL DOING? THE HEBREW WORD HAS THE FORCE OF CONTINUAL MOURNING. FOR 1
NOTE: A STATE OF MOURNING. THE WORD (ABAI) DENOTES 1. MOURNING FOR THE DEAD (GEN 37:34), OVER SIN (EZRA 10:6) AND OVER A CALAMITY(EZEK7:12) VS 3 DURING THIS TIME OF MOURNING HE ABSTAINED FROM CHOICE FOODS AND APPARENTLY WAITED ON GOD IN PRAYER. WHAT DID DANIEL'S "MOURNING" LOOK LIKE? 1. 2. 3. 4. GOD LAID A BURDEN ON DANIEL'S HEART AND BECAUSE DANIEL PRAYED, WE ARE STUDYING HIS PROPHECIES TODAY. MAY THE LORD HELP US TO LEAVE SOMETHING BEHIND IN OUR JOURNEY OF LIFE SO THAT THOSE WHO COME AFTER US WILL BE ENCOURAGED AND HELPED. VS 4 WHAT IS THE TIME REFERENCE? WHERE IS DANIEL? IT IS DURING THE FIRST MONTH OF THE HEBREW YEAR THAT THE JEWS CELEBRATE PASSOVER, THE FEAST OF UNLEAVEN BREAD, AND THE FEAST OF FIRSTFRUITS. (LEV 23:1-14) DANIEL COULDN'T CELEBRATE THESE SPECIAL EVENTS IN BABYLON, BUT CERTAINLY HIS HEART WAS MEDIATING ON THEM. A CERTAIN MAN VS 5-9 VS 5 WHAT DOES DANIEL SEE? 1. 2. DRESSED 3. WHOSE WAIST WAS VS 6 DANIEL'S DESCRIPTION OF THE "CERTAIN MAN" CONTINUES...4. BODY WAS LIKE HIS FACE HIS EYES AND FEET AND THE SOUND OF HIS WORDS LIKE WHO WAS THIS MAN? WAS HE AN ANGEL SENT TO ASSURE DANIEL THAT GOD'S HEAVENLY ARMIES WOULD CARE FOR THE JEWISH PEOPLE AND SEE TO IT GOD'S WILL WAS ACCOMPLISHED? WAS IT GABRIEL, WHO HAD ALREADY VISITED DANIEL? OR WAS IT A PREINCARNATE APPEARANCE OF JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD? STUDENTS OF SCRIPTURE HAVE ABLY DEFENDED EACH OF THESE VIEWS AND SO IT IS UNLIKELY THAT WE CAN BE DOGMATIC. IF WE DECIDE THIS GLORIOUS MAN IS THE SAME BEING WHO TOUCHED DANIEL AND SPOKE TO HIM (DAN 10:10-15), THEN WE WILL HAVE TO OPT FOR GABRIEL OR ANOTHER ANGEL, BECAUSE IT IS NOT LIKELY THAT JESUS WOULD NEED HELP FROM MICHAEL TO DEFEAT AN EVIL ANGEL. (VS 13). VS 7 WHAT DOES DANIEL TELL US? WHAT HAPPENED TO MEN WITH DANIEL? AND LOOK AT ACTS 9:7 7 The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the [a]voice but seeing no one. 2
AND ACTS 22:9 9 And those who were with me saw the light, to be sure, but did not [a]understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. VS 8 WHAT HAPPENS? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. VS 9 WHAT HAPPENS? I HEARD WHAT HAPPENS? A HEAVENLY MESSENGER VS 10-11 AS WE EAVESDROP ON THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE ANGEL AND DANIEL, FIVE PRINCIPLES REGARDING PRAYER WILL EMERGE. WE GET THE IMPRESSION THAT THE GLORIOUS MAN CLOTHED IN LINEN VANISHED FROM THE SCENE AND ONE OF THE ANGELS, PERHAPS GABRIEL, TOUCHED DANIEL. VS 10 THEN AND THE ANGEL HAD COME TO GIVE DANIEL A SPECIAL REVELATION CONCERNING THE JEWISH PEOPLE AND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THEM IN THE LATTER DAYS (VS 14). PARTS OF THIS PROPHECY HAVE ALREADY BEEN FULFILLED, BUT MUCH OF IT REMAINS TO BE FULFILLED IN "THE END TIMES", DURING THE SEVENTIETH WEEK OF THE "PROPHETIC CALENDAR" GIVEN IN CHAPTERS 11-12. VS 11 WHAT DOES HE CALL DANIEL? WHAT DOES HE SAY TO DANIEL? 1. 2. 3. THE ANGEL SPOKE TO DANIEL AND THIS GAVE HIM THE STRENGTH TO STAND UPRIGHT. IN THE NEW TESTAMENT WE SEE ANGELS MINISTERING TO OUR LORD. MATTHEW 4:11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. AND MARK 1:13And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME DANIEL WAS TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL (8:18; 9:21;10:16) HE WILL BE TOUCHED A FOURTH TIME IN 16, AND AGAIN IN 18-19. AN INVISIBLE WAR VS 12-21 THE ANGEL HAD COME TO GIVE DANIEL A SPECIAL REVELATION CONCERNING THE JEWISH PEOPLE AND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THEM IN THE LATTER DAYS 3
(VS 14). AS WE STUDY THIS COMPLEX PROPHECY, WE MUST FOCUS ON ISRAEL AND NOT ON THE CHURCH, EVEN THOUGH ALL SCRIPTURE IS PROFITABLE FOR ALL BELIEVERS AT ALL TIMES. PARTS OF THIS PROPHECY HAVE ALREADY BEEN FULFILLED, BUT MUCH OF IT REMAINS TO BE FULFILLED IN "THE END TIMES". (VS 24-27) VS 12 WHAT DOES HE ENCOURAGE DANIEL TO DO? WHAT IS THE TIME FRAME? DANIEL HAD SET HIS AND WHAT HAPPENED? AND 1. WE SEE THAT WHEN A BELIEVER PRAYS, GOD HEARS IMMEDIATELY. ANY DAY AT ANY TIME, WE HAVE IMMEDIATE AND OPEN ACCESS TO THE THRONE ROOM OF GOD-- AND HE IS NEVER TOO BUSY FOR HIS CHILDREN. DANIEL'S CONVERSATION WITH THE ANGEL REVEALS TO US THE IMPORTANT FACT THAT THERE IS AN "INVISIBLE WAR" GOING ON IN THE HEAVENLIES BETWEEN THE FORCES OF EVIL AND THE FORCES OF GOD. VS 13 WHY WAS HE DELAYED? THE PRINCE OF THE KINGDOM OF PERSIA = MICHAEL, ONE OF THE CHIEF PRINCES = 2. WE SEE THAT DEMONIC FORCES CAN DELAY ANSWERS TO PRAYER. HOW COMMON IS THIS? WE DON'T KNOW, BUT SCRIPTURE CLEARLY TEACHES THAT SATAN IS OUR ENEMY AND SEEKS TO HINDER OUR COMMUNION WITH GOD. THIS EVIL ANGEL WAS ASSIGNED TO SEE TO IT THAT THE KING OF PERSIA DID WHAT SATAN WANTED HIM TO DO. MICHAEL, THE ARCHANGEL ASSIGNED TO MINISTER TO ISRAEL (VS 21). ASSISTED GABRIEL AND TOGETHER THEY WON THE BATTLE. STUDENTS WHO STUDY ANGELS CALL THESE SPECIFIC EVIL ANGELS "TERRITORIAL SPIRITS" BECAUSE IT APPEARS THAT THERE ARE EVIL ANGELS ASSIGNED TO VARIOUS NATIONS. WHEN LUCIFER REBELLED AGAINST GOD AND WAS JUDGED, SOME OF THE ANGELS FELL WITH HIM AND BECAME THE DEMONIC EVIL ANGELS THAT OPPOSE CHRIST AND OBEY SATAN. MATTHEW 25:41 Then He will also say to those on His left, Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; AND PAUL SAYS IN EPHESIANS 6:11-13Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against [a]flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the 4
spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.. LOOK AT REVELATION 12:11 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 [a]when faced with death. WHAT ARE WE TOLD? OUR SAVIOR THROUGH HIS SACRIFICIAL WORK ON THE CROSS DEFEATED SATAN AND HIS ARMY AND WE CLAIM THAT VICTORY BY FAITH. WE PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD BY FAITH AND USE THE WORD OF GOD AND BELIEVING PRAYER TO OPPOSE AND DEFEAT THE WICKED ONE. AS BELIEVERS, OUR WORSHIP AND PRAYER BELONG TO GOD ALONE. WHEN WE PRAY, GOD DIRECTS THE ARMIES OF HEAVEN TO FIGHT ON OUR BEHALF, EVEN THOUGH WE MAY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE BATTLES THAT ARE BEING WAGED IN THIS INVISIBLE WAR. 2 KINGS 6:16-17 SHOWS US ONE OF THESE BATTLES. So he [a]answered, Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the servant s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. THIS CERTAINLY LIFTS PRAYER OUT OF THE LEVEL OF A HUMDRUM RELIGIOUS EXERCISE AND SHOWS IT TO BE ONE OF OUR STRONGEST AND MOST IMPORTANT SPIRITUAL WEAPONS. REMEMBER ONE OF SATAN'S CHIEF TRAPS IS TO GET PEOPLE TO THINK HE DOESN'T EXIST OR, IF HE DOES EXIST, HE'S NOT WORTH WORRYING ABOUT. VS 14 WHAT WAS THIS ANGEL GOING TO REVEAL TO DANIEL? WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO WHEN? THIS VISION PERTAINS TO VS 15 WHAT WAS DANIEL'S REACTION? VS 16-17 WHAT DOES DANIEL SAY ABOUT THE VISION? 1. AND 3. WE SEE WRESTLING IN PRAYER IS EXHAUSTIVE WORK. PRAYER IS NOT FOR THE WEAK-WILLED BUT FOR THE TENACIOUS. VS 18-19 STRENGTHENING DANIEL - 4. WE SEE GOD BRINGS ENCOURAGEMENT JUST WHEN WE NEED IT. GOD'S TIMING IS PERFECT- HE IS NEVER LATE, NEVER EARLY 5
VS 20 WHAT IS THE QUESTION? WHAT IS HE GOING TO DO?. WHAT DOES HE TELL US ABOUT THE FUTURE? THE ANGEL MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE BATTLE WASN'T OVER. HE WOULD RETURN TO ASSIST MICHAEL IN BATTLING THE PRINCE OF PERSIA AND THE PRINCE OF GREECE, TWO SATANIC EVIL ANGELS WHO WERE OPPOSING THE PLANS OF THE LORD FOR THESE NATIONS. 5. OVERCOMING DEMONIC FORCES IS NOT A ONCE- FOR-ALL MATTER. VS 21 WHAT IS HE GOING TO TELL DANIEL? WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT MICHAEL? WHAT IS THE "WRITING OF TRUTH" OR "BOOK OF TRUTH"? " IT WAS PROBABLY "GOD'S RECORD OF TRUTH IN GENERAL, OF WHICH THE BIBLE IS ONE EXPRESSION" - JOHN WALVOOD. THE ANGEL TURNS DANIEL TO THE WORD OF GOD. DANIEL WILL NOT HEAR OR SEE ANYTHING THAT CONTRIDICTS THE WORD OF GOD. THE MESSENGER IS ABOUT TO TELL DANIEL GOD'S PLAN FOR ISRAEL UNDER PERSIA AND GREECE (11:2-35) AND LATER IN THE TRIBULATION (11:36-45) AND THE MILLENNIUM (12:1-4). 11:1 TWO THOUGHTS ON THIS VERSE: 1. WHEN DARIUS THE MEDE BEGAN HIS RULE OVER BABYLON IN 538/539 B.C. THE MESSENGER SUPPORTED DARIUS IN SOME WAY. - OR 2. IF "HIM" REFERS TO MICHAEL THEN THE THOUGHT IS THAT THE MESSENGER SUPPORTED MICHAEL IN RETURN FOR MICHAEL SUPPORTING THE MESSENGER. ONE REASON WHY GOD COMMANDS US TO PRAY FOR THOSE IN AUTHORITY IS SO THAT GOD'S WILL, NOT SATAN'S PLANS, MIGHT BE FULFILLED IN OUR PRAYERS. LOOK AT 1 TIMOTHY 2:1-3 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in [a]authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and [b]dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, TO CLOSE: WHEN WE GROW WEARY IN PRAYER, REMEMBER THESE PRINCIPLES: 1. WE WILL FIND COURAGE IN THE INVINCIBLE MIGHT WITHIN US. 2. HOW DIFFERENT OUR LIVES WOULD BE IF WE COULD SEE AS ELISHA DID. 3. LET US DO BATTLE, ON OUR KNEES, ARMED WITH SPIRITUAL WEAPONS. 4. LET US NOT SHIRK OUR DUTY, EVEN IF LIKE DANIEL IT COSTS US ANGUISH FOR DAYS. 6
1 JOHN 4:4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. WHAT A GREAT PROMISE TO CLAIM- LET'S PRAY! 7