Visions and Beasts No More. . .
Daniel Sees Jesus
Chapter ten of the Book of Daniel is
the introduction to his last recorded revelation and is the first of three
parts of a vision-a vision some scholars say is the greatest of all the
revelations of Daniel. This chapter gives us information on something decidedly
different from anything we've read as we are introduced to a special group of
angels- some who harbor ill-will toward God and attempt to defeat the divine
purpose as it relates to God's rule over His people, Israel, both in the
present (in Daniel's time) and in the days yet to come (at the time of the
end).
Chapter ten is graphic in that it
also provides detailed information on how Daniel received his final revelation,
including many surprising incidents that accompany God's delivery of this
message to Daniel.
Daniel 10:1-3
Daniel's State of Mind
This last revelation received by
Daniel came to him just two years after King Cyrus had officially brought the
Babylonian captivity to an end by allowing the Jews to return to Israel.
However, the Jews returned home without Daniel. We don't know precisely why
Daniel remained behind, but we can surmise it was either because of his
advancing years-now in his mid- to upper-eighties-or because he still may have
had essential work to do for the Persian leadership-perhaps as a senior
advisor. Therefore his presence was vital. He also may have felt that to remain
behind would permit him to use his enormous influence for good as his people,
the Jews, made the difficult transition to return to a land that many had never
seen-or that was a fading memory.
Daniel Understands the Vision
The revelation Daniel was about to
receive was hard for him to hear and more difficult for him to accept, although
he knew in his heart that it was true. Daniel's vision revealed an enormous
conflict that would afflict his people at a later time. This would be the
greatest war the world's powers had ever encountered, a future conflict that
would include something unheard of before: a massive angelic invasion that,
while unseen, would be instrumental in shaping the final result of
international events.
The most difficult part of the
message for Daniel to accept was that this future trauma would threaten the
very existence of Israel-a nation and people who had already suffered so much,
been so long in captivity, and seemed to be on a perpetual losing streak that
would play out to the time of the end. Unlike Daniel's earlier visions and
dreams, he declared that he understood this one, and that he also comprehended
how the events predicted would not occur during his
own lifetime. Daniel, however, took little comfort in this knowledge, because
his heart was so tender toward the ultimate destiny of his people.
Daniel understood that during the
"seventy weeks" to come the Jews would suffer great persecution
(Daniel 12:1) as the forces of Egypt, leading an Arab federation (Daniel
11:40), and a king from the North, Russia, plus kings from the East, China, and
other Oriental nations (Daniel 11:44), would move in upon Israel for the
bloodiest confrontation in history. Daniel knew this would take place during
the seventieth week-a time period of seven years known as the "latter
days" (Daniel 10:14), and referred to as "the time of the end"
(Daniel 11:40; 12:4).
While Daniel could not know the
specifics of this terrible era of suffering yet to come, he had enough
understanding to know that it would be a horrible period of history for the
people of Israel. That's why this saintly prophet-loved by God-is so moved that
he mourns at the thought of what is going to happen to his people. He knew the
time of the end would be a period of unprecedented judgment on the Jews as the
nations of the world would move against his people, and particularly against
Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:2).
When Daniel received the first part
of this final revelation, he had been fasting for twenty-one days. Daniel was
so focused on remaining humble before God that he kept himself in a constant
state of alert so he would be ready to hear the word of the Lord. It's quite
possible that Daniel was still grieving-and therefore fasting-because of the
inner turmoil he felt after the unsettling vision in chapter eight, wondering
why his people would continue to suffer after the close of the seventy years of
captivity. Had the Jews not suffered enough?
And had God not made a promise to relieve
them of their pain at the close of the seventy years of captivity? What we now
see in Daniel is a progressive understanding of what was to happen in the days
to come. We also see a kind, gentle old man whose sensitivity to the things of
God-and to the plight of his people-remained acute: Daniel remained God's man
to the very end.
Daniel 10:4 - 9
Daniel Sees the Pre-Incarnate Christ
One day Daniel, either on a
leisurely stroll or on business for the government, was standing by the Hiddekel (or Tigris) River. There he was confronted by a
likeness he had never observed before. The Bible describes this figure as
dressed in linen with a waist girded with a belt of pure gold, a body like
beryl, a face with the appearance like that of lightning, eyes like flaming
torches, arms and feet of polished brass, and the sound of his voice like the
sound of a tumult. Is there any doubt in our minds that such a being would
capture Daniel's attention! The question, however, must be asked: Who was this
heavenly being? Why was he there?
We don't need to search long for our
answer because the description of this being bears a direct correspondence to
the glorified Christ we read about in Revelation 1:13-15:
"And in the midst of the seven
candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the
foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes
were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine
brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many
waters"
An almost exact description of what
Daniel saw that day by the shores of the great Tigris River. Like the
appearance of a fourth person in the fiery furnace, this was a Christophany-a physical appearance of the person of Jesus
Christ.
Christ-the Same Yesterday, Today,
and Forever
If, for some reason, Christ's
eternal existence sounds farfetched, what does one do with John 1:3:
"All things were made by
him"
Or John 1:10,
"He was in the world, the world was made by him"
Or Colossians 1:16, which says,
"For by Christ were all things
created that are in heaven and in earth"
This may not be easy for us to
understand, but whether we comprehend it or not, this is God's Holy Word. In
Proverbs 30:4 we read:
"Who hath ascended up into
heaven, or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound
the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What
is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?"
Isn't it amazing-this text states
that God had a son hundreds of years before Christ's birth at Bethlehem. We
must conclude, then, that the heavenly being standing before Daniel is none
other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
Daniel was not alone when he was
confronted by the person of Jesus Christ. There were companions with him-but
not for long. While they apparently sensed that something momentous was taking
place, they were unable to withstand the dread of the moment, similar to Saul's
experience on the Damascus turnpike (Acts 9:7). They, too, could do nothing but
hide their faces from the glory of Christ and flee, leaving Daniel alone in his
encounter with Christ.
Suddenly Daniel-man among men,
strong, lion-tamer, and counselor to the kings of Babylon, fell to the ground
when he heard the words of the Lord. Immediately His strength was sapped, His knees
buckled, and he fell into a deep sleep when the sound of thunderous, divine
words-like the sound of many rushing waters-assaulted his human ears.
Daniel
10:10-17
And, behold, an hand
touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.
And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly
beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for
unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood
trembling.
Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from
the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand,
and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for
thy words.
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood
me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to
help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
Now I am come to make thee understand what shall
befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.
And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set
my face toward the ground, and I became dumb.
And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons
of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake,
and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are
turned upon me, and I have retained no strength.
For how can the servant
of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me,
straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in
me.
Daniel Regains His Strength and
Understands the Reason for Christ's Appearing
Now the scene suddenly changes. It
is no longer Christ who stands before Daniel, but an angel. There is a specific
reason for us to interpret this section of the passage in this way. If this
were still Christ speaking to Daniel, we would be forced to conclude that
Christ had little or no power, because the prince of Persia (v. 13) who
withstood the messenger would be able to stand firmly against Christ and,
therefore, demonstrate more power than the Son of God possessed. This, of
course, would be impossible. It is therefore safe to conclude that the one now
standing before Daniel is an angel-probably Gabriel-who again has made his
incredible journey to Daniel's side from the third heaven-an astronomical
distance, described in chapter eight. This holy messenger speaks words of
comfort to this choice servant of God.
But imagine Daniel's confusion: One
moment he sees the pre-incarnate Christ, and the next moment the angel Gabriel,
who lifted him up, and delivered a message from the Lord. The words uttered by
this heavenly being are words you and I certainly would want Jesus to say to us
when that great day arrives as we stand before Him: words of comfort, love, and
appreciation for our faithfulness to the cause of Christ during our witness on
earth.
But the angel had even more to say
to Daniel. We begin to see this revelation take on a new dimension, as Gabriel
speaks of the kingdom of Persia's power, and how a demonic spirit that
controlled the ruler of Persia had "withstood" God's angel, probably
Michael, for twenty-one days. Throughout the Bible we read of many rulers of
the world who are controlled by these evil, demonic spirits. In Isaiah
14:12-14, we find that Satan fell because he wanted to be like God. In Luke
10:18, Jesus said, "I saw Satan as lightning fall from heaven"-a
reference to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2).
Today, Satan is still in control of
heaven number one, and heaven number two. That's why he can approach the end of
heaven number two and keep up his incessant verbal abuse of God's people- the
brethren (Revelation 12:10). The Bible says that Satan is still the god of this
world system.. . that he is
the prince of this world (John 12:31). That's why you and I do not wrestle
against flesh and blood-against other human beings-but instead against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, and against spiritual (literally, spirit) wickedness in high
places (Ephesians 6:12).
Peace... Not Fear
Fallen angels are everywhere, and
Satan is the head of them, holding the designated title of prince of the power
of the air (Ephesians 2:2). This prince of the first and second heaven, along
with millions of his demonic spirits, has the ability to control political
leaders.
It was the prince (or ruler) of
ancient Persia who was controlled by one of these demonic agents. This enemy of
mankind is powerful, but not all-powerful. Ultimate power and control belong to
Yahweh. The message here is clear: "Daniel, I know that what you've
heard in your visions is emotionally devastating to you. You feel sorry for
your people and are saddened to realize what will happen to them in the latter
days. But don't be afraid. Your God is strong- omnipotent, or all-powerful. He
is in control of the affairs of men. His angels surround you, and they
represent the power of your almighty God."
This sounds much like the comforting
words spoken by Jesus in John 14:27:
"Peace I leave with you, my
peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I
unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
That was the angel's message to
Daniel. He wanted to remove all sense of dread from Daniel's heart. He wanted
him to know that it was exclusively the enemy, Satan, who put timidity into his
spirit. If he relied on the mercy and faithfulness of God, that fear would
vanish (2 Timothy 1:7).
Gabriel was putting this angelic
warfare into perspective: There are good angels, and there are bad angels. The
angels of God stand with the Lord's people to comfort them, and hold them up
when times get tough. Such angelic beings were also available to our Savior.
Jesus said in Matthew 26:53,
"Thinkest
thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more
than twelve legions of angels?"
What power-to literally snap His fingers
and be able to command the arrival of twelve legions of angels, a legion in a
Roman army being seven thousand men! (See also Matthew 4:11.) Hebrews 1:14
says,
"Are they not all
ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of
salvation?"
Our guardian angels are there to
protect us. They are the elect or holy angels, numbering into the millions (1
Timothy 5:21; Hebrews 12:22). On the other hand, millions of evil angels also
fill the heavenlies. These are the "devils"
(literally, demons or fallen angels) mentioned often in God's Word, and Satan
is the prince of these demons (Matthew 9:34). Together he and his minions
control the minds of leaders who are the personification of evil-the
holocaust-producing Josef Stalins, Adolph Hitlers, and Idi Amins of our
world. I have spoken of these heavenly beings in some depth because they are
integral to our understanding of this introduction to the last revelation
received by Daniel.
Message of the Latter Days
The message was again difficult for
Daniel to hear and accept-but this time he understood it. He did not need
further clarification. He knew there would be a horrendous persecution of
Israel (Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 12:1; Matthew 24:22; Revelation 12:13), and that
it would occur during the latter days, a term equivalent to the time of the
end.
Today, with an existing European
Union, a nation called Israel, and Jews in control of Jerusalem, we find
ourselves with an increasing number of signs pointing to the time of the end.
As you'll recall, Daniel's end-time prediction began when the prophet stated
under Nebuchadnezzar's reign: "There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, that has sent me to tell thee,
Nebuchadnezzar, what shall be in the latter days." For us moderns, the
handwriting is on the wall. The seventieth week of Daniel is rapidly
approaching. But the good news for believers is that prior to the beginning of
the seventieth week, we will be raptured (Revelation 4:1).
At this point, Daniel fell to the
ground, speechless. When he recovered, he became aware that the
"lord" was standing in front of him. If you'll notice in the text the
word lord has a small l. If this were deity, the word would have
a capital L as its first letter. This means that a different angelic
being has come to comfort him. Daniel's response is one of humility. He feels
lowly and unworthy, not fit to stand in the presence of this holy being sent by
his heavenly Father with a message of comfort, which is to "fear
not."
Daniel 10:18 - 21
Then there came again and touched me one like the
appearance of a man, and he strengthened me,
And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace
be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was
strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou
hast strengthened me.
Then said he, Knowest
thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return
to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of
Grecia shall come.
But I will shew thee that which is noted in the
scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth
with me in these things, but Michael your prince.
Daniel
Regains His Strength
The angel does not give up on
Daniel. He touches him again, giving him more strength as he encourages this
prophet to be strong. This is as important a message for us today as it was for
Daniel ages ago: Our strength comes from the Lord, and it comes by degrees. The
Bible says that we should partake of His strength on a daily basis. We don't
receive a month's, or a year's worth of strength instantaneously.
Instead, God gives us grace for each day. That's why we are to pray without
ceasing, because it is when we become lackadaisical that the "prince of
the power of the air" attempts to "devour us" (1 Peter 5:8).
Daniel knew he needed help, and he
did not decline assistance when God sent it to him. By now, the angel had
completed his mission to Daniel and asked Daniel if he understood why a
heavenly being had been sent by the Father to encourage him. What kindness,
patience, and compassion. I wonder if we are that loving and kind when we try
to communicate Christ's gospel of love to those who are confused and doubtful
about the veracity of God's Word. Perhaps we could take a lesson from this
heavenly being.
At that point the angel announced
his departure because he, Gabriel, needed to get back to the battle zone-but
not until he was sure Daniel fully understood what God had shown him about the
future of his people, the Jews. Gabriel was going to join Michael in battle
against the fallen spirits controlling the ruler of Persia. Later, when the
battle in the heavens would cease after defeating the demons controlling the
ruler of Persia, there would be yet another skirmish with the leader of Greece.
Simply stated, Medo-Persia would ultimately fall to
Greece and another satanic spirit would control the ruler of this conquering
nation. Isn't the Word of God amazing? This is precisely what happened, just as
the angel told Daniel it would-two hundred years in advance.
There's a double meaning in the text
when the angel states: There will come a time when the nations will fight
again. So when will Persia again war against the Jews? This will happen when
the Russian army marches against Israel, as mentioned in Ezekiel 38:1-2 and 5.
Ancient Persia is known today as Iran and Iraq. Then when Russia invades
Israel, the European Union leaders will say, "This simply cannot
happen" (Daniel 11:40-41). Then the western forces march to try to put an
end to the northern army of Russia and her allies: Egypt, the Arabs, and others.
This is when we find the prince of Greece involved.
How can we be sure of this? Because Greece became the tenth nation to join the European Union
on January 1, 1981. The powerful revived Roman Empire, including Greece,
is already beginning to form its own army-an army that will one day move with
great strength into the Middle East. It will happen in our generation The time is coming. The seals that kept the lid on the
mysteries of Daniel are now coming off, and with their unsealing we see how
close we have come to the time of the end.
Michael,
the Warrior
Gabriel is the one who, while able
to do battle, and battle well, is usually cast in the role of announcer of the
message. But the archangel who leads the military hosts of heaven is Michael,
and he is the one mentioned here in the Book of Daniel as well as in the Book
of Revelation. One of the most significant predictions Daniel received is in
12:1 where Michael stands for (protects) the people of Israel. And when will
Michael arise to do battle for the Jews? When the greatest
anti-Semitic purge in history takes place, when Satan is cast Out of heaven
(Revelation 12:7-13).
Michael will be there to fight
for-and defend-God's people. Michael is that warrior angel, and Satan, once god
of the heavens, loses, and is cast out. He adds woe to the inhabitants of the
earth and the sea, but he knows he has limited time to do his work-only
forty-two months. Half of the Tribulation period is over by then, the first
half having been ruled and energized by Satan empowering the Antichrist. But
now as Satan comes down to earth, he incarnates the body of Antichrist, and
this world leader-once applauded by the world's nations and people-goes
berserk. What does he try to do? He attempts to obliterate every Jew on the earth.
Revelation 12:13 states:
"He persecutes the woman who
brought forth the man child."
This woman is Mary, the Jewish
virgin who depicts the greatest anti-Semitic onslaught in history.
Nevertheless, the good news is that there will be a time of victory, and the
archangel Michael will be in the middle of the fray. Michael is going to win
the final battle, because the Lord intervenes. He stops the terrorism being
inflicted on the Jewish people and saves them from their distress. Jeremiah
30:7 and Daniel 12:1 talk about their glorious day of deliverance, a great day
that is yet to come. Even now, we pray for the peace of Israel, because they
who do shall prosper (Psalm 122:6).
Following this time, Christ descends
to begin His thousand-year reign upon earth, and Michael rids the world of its
vilest enemy. Revelation 20:1-2 says,
"I saw an angel come down from
heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And
he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan,
and bound him a thousand years."
Amazing mysteries have been revealed
in chapter ten, but the vision is only partially unsealed to our eyes. As we
now move on to the final two chapters of Daniel, angelic beings persevere in
providing us with information about the time of the end and how the role of our
Savior and Lord Jesus Christ-and legions of angels-will continue to intervene
in the affairs of men and women everywhere. Behind the headlines of CNN, the
believer can be assured that God remains in control of our world as
international events unfold-circumstances we will grasp more fully as we peel
back more mysteries hidden for centuries.