From our Sunday service on July 13, 2025, Daniel 10. This is part 10 of our Daniel series. Watch the full message: Unseen Battles – Daniel Series #10 on YouTube.
Please turn to Daniel chapter 10. This message will be a little different from the last ones. Every week so far we’ve done one chapter at a time, and each chapter has been one vision. But the last three chapters of Daniel are one continuous vision, so today we can only look at the opening of it. I expect that, if everything goes according to plan, we’ll have two messages on these three chapters rather than three.
Why two? Most of Daniel 11 has already been covered when we talked about Daniel 8. This vision is a followup to that one, and since I’ve already explained Antiochus Epiphanes, I don’t feel the need to spend another entire Sunday retelling it. Next week we’ll skim up to where Daniel 8 left off and then go through the second half of chapter 11 and chapter 12.
This vision deals with the upcoming desolation of the temple, the abomination of desolation that came when Antiochus Epiphanes swept through Greece and conquered the Israelites. The vision in Daniel 8 happened around 550 BC. This one is around 535 BC, fifteen years later, and we’ll find that Daniel is still struggling with some of what he saw. God is about to give him the answers he’s been worrying about. The next three chapters are a single vision of double prophecy. Daniel 10:1 through 11:35 details only past events, those of Antiochus IV. Daniel 11:36 through 12:13 details future events with the Antichrist, later built on in Revelation and by the teaching of Jesus.
From today’s lesson I want you to take away this: God wants you to know there’s a whole world of unseen wonders at work in our lives. We’re going to be talking about angels quite a bit, because Daniel gets a big insight into how angels actually work and how God uses them. Someone asked me through our question box for a lesson on angelology, the study of angels, and today we’ll hit on that.
A Vision After Fifteen Years
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.
Daniel 10:1
Like every vision before it, this one opens with an introductory statement telling us what the document records. It’s 535 BC, the third year of Cyrus. Daniel, “whose name was Belteshazzar,” gets a vision, and it’s a true vision. It’s certain. Sometimes a prophecy comes with a big “if.” When the people entered the promised land, Deuteronomy 28 said that if you follow me there’s blessing, and if you don’t there’s cursing. This vision isn’t like that. It isn’t dependent on anything Israel does. It will happen.
And this time there’s happy news for Daniel. When he recorded the earlier prophecies, he said he didn’t understand them. This time “he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.” Finally, at ninety years old, God gives him the answers he’s been looking for.
At this point in his life, Daniel has retired from his political work. He served in the courts of Babylon, under both the Babylonian and Persian empires. We know from Daniel 1:21 that he continued until the first year of King Cyrus, and now we’re in the third year of Cyrus, so Daniel is in his nineties and just spending time with God day in and day out.
Remember that most of the book of Daniel deals with the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecies. The first half shows the exiles living faithfully in Babylon, as Jeremiah taught them. The second half so far has shown Persia conquering Babylon and sending the people home. Daniel has seen the first exiles return to Jerusalem and begin the reconstruction. The seventy years are done.
So what does Daniel have going on? He isn’t employed by the government anymore, and he isn’t praying for the return to Jerusalem anymore, because they’ve gone home. Yet we find him still in Babylon. Daniel longed all his life for his people to go home. Why isn’t he with them? Sadly, because he’s elderly, and the trip is too hard. When you look through the Bible’s records of those who returned from exile, Daniel isn’t listed among them. He is like Moses, who looked over the promised land but never saw his people enter it, with one difference: Daniel sees his people return and still cannot go himself.
Jerusalem at this time is not a safe place. The temple was destroyed seventy years ago, the walls were torn down, and there are no defenses and no food supply, nothing to take care of an elderly man. So Daniel sits waiting for God to speak to him again. He is sick, worried, stressed and anxious as he struggles to come to terms with all that has happened over the last couple of years. Today God starts addressing that worry.
A Daniel in Mourning
In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel;
Daniel 10:2–4
The Bible doesn’t tell us specifically why Daniel is upset. In Daniel 8 he was physically ill over the desolation coming to Israel. Based on the previous chapters, I would assume the same thing is going on here. The people have returned, but things are not great. If you look at Ezra and Nehemiah, which we’ll cover at some point, there was still a lot of sin in Israel and a lot of unsettled business. The temple was still destroyed, the walls of Jerusalem still weren’t built, and some people weren’t doing God’s will. Daniel is ninety. He isn’t going to see God restore Israel one hundred percent, so he mourns and grieves over the state of his nation.
We’re told some details about this fast. He begins it at the start of the feast of unleavened bread. That feast means a week of eating bread without yeast, basically crackers and water. Daniel doesn’t stop when the week is over. He keeps up this light fasting until the feast of Passover twenty-one days later, which is why the angel doesn’t arrive until the twenty-fourth day. He stopped on the twenty-first because the Passover feast is commanded by God and has to be eaten, so he couldn’t keep the fast any further.
Daniel is saying, “God, you called me for a week to give up comfort food and focus on you. I’ve done it for the week, but I just want to get your attention, so I’ll give it up longer.” So he does so for as long as the law of Moses allows. He gives up enjoyable food and sticks to boring food like crackers and water.
There’s a good application here. When we talk about fasting, we often talk as if it’s one hundred percent or nothing: give up everything or don’t do it at all. Here is someone who does something in the middle, and we’re going to see that he gets a vision, so God recognizes it. Some of us can’t go without food at all, but that doesn’t mean we can’t fast and get God’s attention. We can do what Daniel did and give up comfort food. No more Twinkies and chocolate cake. I’m just going to eat boring food because I want time alone with God and don’t want to be distracted by enjoying things. In the modern day, maybe I give up social media, or the news, because politics just makes me depressed and anxious. If it’s becoming a distraction, I’ll stop looking so I can focus on God. Fasting doesn’t have to be all or nothing. It can look different for different people at different times.
A Vision of Christ
Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.
Daniel 10:5–6
Theologians debate who this is. I’ll tell you what I believe. Daniel is depressed, struggling and mourning, and he looks up and sees the angel of the Lord, who is the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. God has come to visit him.
Why do I think so? Because the description matches descriptions of God elsewhere in the Bible. “The voice of his words like the voice of a multitude” means a big crowd, loud and thundering. Ezekiel 43:2, written around the same time, gives that same thunderous sound of God’s voice.
And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.
Ezekiel 43:2
The feet like polished brass appear in Revelation 1, which continues Daniel’s visions. There Jesus has feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace, and a voice like the sound of many waters.
And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
Revelation 1:15
Because these details describe the angel of the Lord, the pre-incarnate Jesus, and Jesus in Revelation, I’m forced to presume this vision is of Jesus Christ, the ultimate answer to Daniel’s question about what will be done with Israel.
And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.
Daniel 10:7–9
Daniel, seeing and hearing the angel of the Lord, falls on his face unconscious. This may be familiar from the New Testament. In the garden of Gethsemane the soldiers say they’re looking for Jesus, he says “I am he,” and they go backward and fall to the ground before him as he speaks. It may also sound like Revelation 1:10-18. When Jesus talks, there is power behind it. Daniel, seeing the pre-incarnate Christ, feels completely inadequate and his soul melts within him. Isaiah was the same: when he saw God, he was overwhelmed by the inadequacy of his own soul.
Daniel is a good man, a faithful believer who sometimes struggles with faith, and that’s all of us. Yet when he sees God truly for who he is, he can’t help but pass out, overwhelmed by God’s glory. Notice too that Daniel is the only one who saw it. No one else got the privilege. Daniel was rewarded because he was precious to God. He pleased God and was faithful to him.
Gabriel Arrives
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.
Daniel 10:10–11
Who is speaking? It says “a hand,” not “his hand.” This isn’t the hand of the One he just saw. It’s somebody else. There are a few reasons we know this isn’t the angel of the Lord. Daniel is told to stand up, and if it were the angel of the Lord, God would normally allow you to kneel in worship. This messenger is saying, “Don’t worship me. I’m not God.” He also says he was sent to Daniel, and God doesn’t send himself. “Angel” means messenger, and this messenger was sent by God to show Daniel the vision of Jesus Christ.
We’ll also see in a moment that whoever this is needed help fighting off angelic forces, which wouldn’t be needed if he were the angel of the Lord. I don’t think Jesus or God needs to have a debate with an angel about what to do. And you can’t see it in your English Bible unless you’re really paying attention, but the Hebrew word used for “lord” in referring to this being is adon, lord with a lowercase l. It’s not Yahweh, which is what’s always used for the angel of the Lord, and which you’ll see in your Bible as LORD in all capitals.
Chapter 12 will tell us it’s not Michael the archangel either. So who is it? Back in Daniel 9 we heard the phrase “O Daniel, a man greatly beloved.” That’s the phrase Gabriel uses. And when Gabriel goes to Mary in the New Testament, he says she is “highly favored.” Greatly beloved, highly favored: two different languages, same idea. Gabriel is also the angel who resembles a man, and in this passage the angel resembles a man. So the one meeting with Daniel is Gabriel, the same angel who appeared in the other visions.
The Prince of Persia
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.
Daniel 10:12–14
There’s a lot packed into these few words. First, Daniel prayed, and his prayer was answered, but the response didn’t reach him right away. Gabriel says that from the first day you set your heart to understand, twenty-four days ago, God told me to come give you an answer and reveal what would happen, so you could write it down for future generations. But there was a problem: the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, and then Michael came to help.
Now we meet some new groups of princes: the prince of Persia, the prince of Grecia, and Michael, who is called “your prince.” Interpreters debate this, but they agree these are divinely appointed authorities, not earthly figures. A few would say these are just the literal kings of Persia and Greece, but I see no basis for that. Verse 13 uses both “the prince of the kingdom of Persia” and “the kings of Persia” as two different groups. If they were the same, it would have used the same phrasing both times.
So we’re dealing with angelic forces, things we don’t see, happening behind the scenes. The princes in this passage are angels with divinely delegated authority from God over the nations. We’re told in Scripture that each nation has a head angel overseeing it, and scholars sometimes call this the divine council. We don’t see it much through the Bible, but we see it enough to say for sure that it exists. Let me share some passages.
First, Ephesians 3 tells us there are heavenly authorities and powers.
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Ephesians 3:9–10
You’ve heard me mention this before, that angels look at our redemption story and want to learn from it. Now I’m looking at it in the context of the divine council. There are principalities and powers in heavenly places, authorities and rulers who look on Christians and are taught by the church. I don’t know what teaching angels looks like, but this council exists and interacts with us in unseen ways.
What do they do? In 1 Kings 22 we see a meeting of the divine council. The context is that King Ahab has been told he’s going to die. The heavenly council meets and decides how to fulfill the prophecy. What is prophecy? It’s God saying beforehand what he’s going to do. Do prophecies just happen, or do things need to fall into place? Things need to fall into place, and the Bible tells us the heavenly council is partially responsible for driving things into God’s prophetic future.
And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.
1 Kings 22:19–23
So the prophet gets a vision of God’s throne room. God says, “I said Ahab’s going to die. Who’s going to make sure it happens?” Some angels say, “I’ll do it this way,” others say, “I’ll do it that way,” and then one comes forward with a plan. God says, “Okay, go enact it. You have my power behind you.” And so God delegates the fulfillment of prophecy to the heavenly council. That angel flies to Ahab and whispers in his ear, and in the ears of his prophets and advisers, and they all say, “It’s a great idea,” because this angel has been pushing them to fulfill the prophecy. Ahab goes to war and is killed.
Satan sometimes appears at the divine council as well. We see it in Job 1 and Job 2.
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
Job 1:6
We’re all familiar with this verse, but we rarely think about it. There’s a heavenly council, the angels are meeting to discuss what they’ll do, and Satan comes to accuse Job.
Satan sometimes gets some of the jobs from the council. David is tempted to number the people, and 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21 are worded differently. In one, Satan tempts David to number the people. In another, God does. How can both be true? Look at the council. In 1 Kings, God gave the authority to the angel and the angel went and did it, and it says Yahweh did it because he did it through the angel. Here, apparently, Satan saw an opportunity in that council meeting. God has to correct David for his sin, so who gets to hurt David? Satan says, “I can hurt David. That guy’s a man after God’s own heart. I’ll do it.” So David gets Satan whispering in his ear to number the people, and he is punished because God told him not to.
We see the divine council all through Scripture. In Deuteronomy 4:19, God warns Israel before they enter the promised land that they will be tempted to worship these angels.
And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.
Deuteronomy 4:19
The council’s purpose is to oversee the nations. When the iniquity of a nation is full, judgment comes, and the angels debate whether now is the time. Some of these nations worship their angel in charge, and the false gods the nations believe in seem real because the angels are working on their behalf to fill out God’s purposes. They recognize a pattern and an order to things, and instead of worshiping God, who is over that order, they worship the angel of their nation. God says, “Israel, don’t fall for this. Don’t worship the angel of your nation. We’ll find out in Daniel 12 that your angel is Michael. They’re not gods. They’re just delegates, authority given by God to spiritual beings.”
Some of these angels abandoned their positions, and that’s how we get fallen angels.
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
2 Peter 2:4,9
Jude says something similar.
And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
Jude 6
So there were angels who were supposed to be doing this job. That’s not the only job angels have. Other classes of angels are there to worship the Lord, and other ones do other things. Gabriel’s job seems to be to give prophecy to Daniel. But some abandoned their post. Satan is one of them. Satan had a purpose in heaven and God had a plan to use him, but he said, “I don’t want any part of your divine plan. I’m going to do my own thing.”
Isaiah tells us the angels will be judged.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
Isaiah 24:21–22
And Matthew 25:41 tells us hell was made for them.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Matthew 25:41
Not all of the divine council kept their job. Some said, “I don’t want to be accountable to God for how I do my job. I want to run the world my way. I’ll be sent into the pit one day, so I’m going to bring every human God loves down with me, because it’ll hurt God when he has to punish them. I’ll cause chaos, lead people into sin and destruction, make them waste their lives, and in the end they’ll join me in the pit.”
Paul says saints will hold the angels accountable.
Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
1 Corinthians 6:2–3
There are two ways to look at this. One is that the angels to be judged are the fallen ones, but I feel that’s already cut and sealed. Why would we need to be on the jury for that? The other is that we will judge whether the heavenly council did its job of controlling the nations appropriately, because we’re about to see the angels disagree on the best way to carry out God’s will.
Michael and the Heavenly Princes
But first, who is Michael? He shows up a few times. Michael is what we call an archangel, which means he’s in charge. Some people say there are multiple archangels, but in the sixty-six books of the Bible only one is ever mentioned, and that’s Michael. Michael is the head of the whole divine council, and he holds veto power.
Here’s the conflict. Gabriel wants to give Daniel his answer on the first day of his prayer, and delivering a message to Daniel is his responsibility as an angel. He’s done it multiple times, which is how we get the book of Daniel. But the angel in charge of Persia says, “No, I disagree. You shouldn’t give this message to Daniel.” Probably because Israel was still sinning. “Israel doesn’t deserve the good news yet. Leave them to sit in their discomfort a little longer. Israel sinned against God, and their uncomfortable feelings are justified.” So for twenty-four days Gabriel can’t do anything. Then Michael, the archangel, comes along and says, “Angel of Persia, I know you want to do what’s best for the kingdom you’re responsible for. But Daniel is greatly loved by God. Go give him that message now. He’s waited long enough.” The angels vetoed, and Gabriel goes to Daniel.
We have a prince for Persia, a prince for Greece, and a prince for Israel, and that’s Michael, the guardian angel over the nation. I would extend Michael to be the guardian over all believers too, because in Revelation Michael has a war in heaven with Satan and casts him out through the power of Christ’s death on the cross. That makes Michael our prince, our representative, and it should bring us comfort that our representative is the one with veto power over all the other forces of heaven.
Are there other heavenly princes? In Matthew 18:10, Jesus tells us there are angels who oversee justice for children.
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
Matthew 18:10–11
Do not mistreat children. God has angels who will see that justice comes to those who harm them. Don’t think you’ll get away with it. God has guardian angels, as we like to call them.
There are also angels who protect the faithful, which is what we see in Daniel with Gabriel.
Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
Psalm 91:9–11
Satan used this against Jesus in the New Testament. He said, “Jump off a building, because the Bible says angels will protect those God loves.” And Jesus said, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” But those who are faithful to God do have angels over them to protect them, guide them and help them in their walk. That should bring us great comfort.
So why was Gabriel delayed? There are two interpretations. One is that all these princes are good angels, the divine council is perfect, and they are having a bureaucratic dispute. The angel in charge of Persia forbids Gabriel to visit Daniel because he thinks Israel deserves to suffer, and Gabriel says, “No, God loves Daniel, so I think he should go.” They get into a gridlock over how God’s will should be carried out. The other interpretation says some of the princes are good angels and some are fallen.
I don’t know that I agree with that. I don’t know that a fallen angel, a demon like Satan, would have any authority to stop Gabriel. The Bible tells us the nations are divided among the angels in Deuteronomy 4, and I don’t think God would allow the demons to run these things or that demons are part of the heavenly council. Satan is sometimes used by God and allowed to do things. Satan was allowed to crucify Christ, and you can bet it never would have happened if God hadn’t wanted it. So I believe it was a bureaucratic dispute, in which the angels disagreed on how best to carry out God’s will. Part of the dispute was that this vision doesn’t deal with Daniel’s lifetime. It will happen hundreds of years in the future, and the angel of Persia may have thought it wasn’t important. But Daniel gets the vision anyway.
Daniel Is Strengthened
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 10:15–17
This angel is Gabriel again, the one who looks like a man. Angels don’t have wings, guys. Only in visions do angels have wings. When angels appear in real life, they look like a person. A lot of the time people don’t even realize they’re talking to one until the angel does something miraculous and disappears. The Bible tells us to be kind to strangers, because sometimes we’ve entertained angels unaware.
Daniel is so overwhelmed by what he saw that he can’t speak and feels inadequate. So Gabriel touches his lips and says, “You can speak. I give you permission, with God’s power.” Daniel replies, “How can my servant talk with my lord?” Notice it’s not LORD in all capitals. He is talking to Gabriel, not the angel of the Lord. He’s saying, “You have so much more authority than I do. How do I have the right to talk to you?” And Gabriel’s answer is that Daniel has the authority of God behind him. That’s the whole reason Gabriel is here.
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.
Daniel 10:18–19
Gabriel repeats that phrase: you are precious to God. You have pleased him. You’ve been faithful for all these years, and because of that I have been allowed to come. Daniel says, “Then speak to me. Tell me what God wants to say.”
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 10:20–21
Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him.
Daniel 11:1
In these few words Gabriel takes all that happens behind the scenes and says it plainly. “Do you know why I’m here? I’m here to give you encouragement. Do you know what’s been going on? I’ve been fighting, not a physical fight, but more like a debate, a conflict with the prince of Persia. He doesn’t want to give Israel all its autonomy back. That angel wants what’s best for Persia, and he’s representing the righteous people in Persia. It’s a bit like Sodom and Gomorrah, where if there were a certain number of righteous, God wouldn’t send his judgment. There are righteous people in Persia too, so should they fall to Greece? Maybe we can delay it a little more.”
“I’m here to encourage you. We’re working on fulfilling everything for Israel. I know you’re discouraged that things aren’t back the way they should be. But you have representatives with God, and we’re working this out. Our goal is to make all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose. When I leave you, I’ll go back to the heavenly council and we’ll try to solve this problem. We’ll eventually succeed, the Messiah will come, righteousness will be restored, and we won’t have these kinds of problems again.”
“It isn’t going to be over, though. I’m going to talk to the angel in charge of Persia, and the people will get extra help building the wall and the temple. Worship will start again, the walls will be built again, and Israel will be safe again. That conflict will end. But also in this heavenly council, the prince of Greece is going to come. Israel will have to be judged again. That angel of Greece will whisper in the ear of Alexander the Great, the man from Macedon I talked to you about in Daniel 8, and the angels will convince him to go on a crusade, and he’ll conquer Israel again for their sin. It won’t be good. But that’s not the end of the story. I’ll show you what’s noted in the Scripture of truth.”
“Don’t worry. Do you know who represents the believer? Michael the archangel, in charge of the heavenly council under God. You don’t think we’re going to work this out for you? Your representative has the veto power. God put him in charge, and he’ll make sure things go right.”
“Do you know that a couple of years ago, when Cyrus came and freed the Israelites, I was there whispering in Darius the Mede’s ear? I was with him when he came and conquered Babylon that night. That wasn’t an accident. We met with God and talked about this plan, and God gave me the power and authority to do it. The reason your people have returned is that God is working in your life. His plan just isn’t finished yet.”
God Is Working Behind the Scenes
Daniel 10 pulls back the curtain and gives us a glimpse of the spiritual realities behind earthly events. After years of faithful service, Daniel, now an elderly man, has been quietly mourning and fasting, burdened by the slow, painful restoration of Israel. Yet even in his isolation, God hears him and continues to answer his prayers. Though they aren’t instantaneous, God is working and the gears are turning. From the very day of his first humble prayer and fast, God sent him help. Even though the answer was delayed by an unseen spiritual conflict, God still answered.
This chapter reminds us there is far more happening in the world than we can see, know or understand. There are heavenly forces active, and they are always doing the will of the Father. Spiritual warfare is a real thing. Nations will rise and fall under the influence of unseen powers, yet it is ultimately God who remains sovereign over all of them and directs history toward his appointed end.
Perhaps most important for today, God does not forget his faithful children. Daniel is called “greatly beloved” twice. The delay in the answer wasn’t a denial of his prayer, or a sign that he wasn’t important enough. It was a sign of the intensity of the battle being fought on his behalf. The same God who sent his angel to strengthen Daniel sends his Spirit to strengthen us today.
So as we walk through each phase of our lives, we can know that God still sees, still hears and still fights for us. The battles will continue to rage, but our trust is secure, and we can find peace in knowing God watches over his people. One day God’s ultimate victory will be made known. God wants you to know there’s a whole world of unseen wonders at work in your lives. So will you trust your God to work things out for you?
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