Sermon - Daniel 10:1-11:1 - A Message Sent - Littleby Baptist Church - August 23, 2020
Chapter ten is not the last chapter of the Book of Daniel, but it does bring us to the beginning of the last vision. What we start here will carry us through wrapping up the book of Daniel over the next several weeks.
This fourth vision is a deep dive into the vision of chapter eight. In chapter we saw a ram who ruled for a period of time, which was the Mede and Persian empire. Then an amazingly fast and very strong goat arrived and knocked the ram out of commission. The goat was Greece under Alexander the Great. He ended up dying at a young age and his kingdom was split into four. Many years later when the people of Israel had turned their back on God, one of the kings from one of the four kingdoms conquered the Israelites. The king set himself up as a god and stopped all worship to the One True God. Eventually after the kings death the people turned back to god and rededicated the temple.
As we get into the Word over the next couple of weeks, we will see a lot more detail that we had seen before.
Daniel 10:1
“10 In the third year of King Cyrus of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. The message was true and was about a great conflict. He understood the message and had understanding of the vision.
To put this into historical context, this vision was given to Daniel after a little over 40K exiles returned home to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the temple had begun. This being the third year of his reign it is believed to be just after the second anniversary of the end of the 70-year exile. From what we will read, Daniel had not returned to Jerusalem with the rest of the people. What we read here is that the hope for the future of the people had a dark cloud hanging over it with some great conflict in its future.
Daniel 10:2-3
“2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks. 3 I didn’t eat any rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I didn’t put any oil on my body until the three weeks were over.”
Some of Daniel’s people have headed home, so why would he be mourning? Bible does not give us a clear answer here, but what we do know is that the people were struggling. If you read in Ezra, there were Persian nobles who were actively trying to hinder the Jewish people from rebuilding the temple of God.
Ezra 4:23
“23 As soon as the text of King Artaxerxes’s letter was read to Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their colleagues, they immediately went to the Jews in Jerusalem and forcibly stopped them.”
Chances are Daniel was mourning the problems his people were facing. He cast aside his comforts and prayed to his God.
Daniel 10:4
“4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris,”
This shows us that Daniel did not return to Jerusalem with his people. He was still in the Persian Empire.
Daniel 10:5-6
“5 I looked up, and there was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like beryl, his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.”
The description is very similar to what we find in Revelation.
Revelation 1:13-15
“13 and among the lampstands was one like the Son of Man, dressed in a robe and with a golden sash wrapped around his chest. 14 The hair of his head was white as wool—white as snow—and his eyes like a fiery flame. 15 His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and his voice like the sound of cascading waters.”
The person described in Revelation is Jesus, as similar as the description is, I don’t think Daniel is describing a pre-incarnation of Jesus. In Daniel 10:13 we see that this man was held up for twenty-one days by the prince of Persia which is a demon. I find it hard to believe that Jesus would have been held up like this. There is no definitive answer found in these verses, but I would say that the visual similarities between Daniel’s visitor and Jesus in Revelation are just similarities. Knowing that Moses’ face glowed after spending time with the presence of God, it would only be reasonable that an angel would reflect Heaven’s glory with the time spent in heaven.
Daniel 10:7-9
“7 Only I, Daniel, saw the vision. The men who were with me did not see it, but a great terror fell on them, and they ran and hid. 8 I was left alone, looking at this great vision. No strength was left in me; my face grew deathly pale, and I was powerless. 9 I heard the words he said, and when I heard them I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground.”
Those who were with Daniel were terrified and fled. They did not see what Daniel saw, but it impacted them, nonetheless. Daniel was left weak, pale, powerless, and feel into a deep sleep.
Daniel 10:10-11
“10 Suddenly, a hand touched me and set me shaking on my hands and knees. 11 He said to me, “Daniel, you are a man treasured by God. Understand the words that I’m saying to you. Stand on your feet, for I have now been sent to you.” After he said this to me, I stood trembling.”
Imagine an angel coming to you and telling you that you are treasured by the almighty and that he had been sent to you specifically. I would hope that no matter what was going on that those words would bring a level of peace but they would be overwhelming at the same time.
Daniel 10:12
“12 “Don’t be afraid, Daniel,” he said to me, “for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your prayers were heard. I have come because of your prayers.”
The angel coming to Daniel was a direct answer to him humbling himself and praying to his God.
Daniel 10:13
“13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me after I had been left there with the kings of Persia.”
This is the verse I was referring to earlier when I said this could not be the pre-incarnate Jesus. It is most likely Gabriel who was held up by the demons in the area while he was on his way to Daniel. Then the angel Michael came to help Gabriel carry out his mission.
Ephesians 6:12
“12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.”
There is a battle going on around us between angels going about the Lord’s business and demons who follow the devil’s lead. That is why we need to do our fighting in prayer. We cannot fight this battle on our own, we need to follow Daniel’s lead to pray and let God handle the rest.
Daniel 10:14
“14 Now I have come to help you understand what will happen to your people in the last days, for the vision refers to those days.””
God sent Gabriel to help Daniel understand what is going to happen to the Nation of Israel in the future.
Daniel 10:15-19
“15 While he was saying these words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and was speechless. 16 Suddenly one with human likeness touched my lips. I opened my mouth and said to the one standing in front of me, “My lord, because of the vision, anguish overwhelms me and I am powerless. 17 How can someone like me, your servant, speak with someone like you, my lord? Now I have no strength, and there is no breath in me.” 18 Then the one with a human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. 19 He said, “Don’t be afraid, you who are treasured by God. Peace to you; be very strong!” As he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.””
Daniel was overwhelmed when he learned that the angels and demons were battling to prevent this message from being delivered to him. I know I would be floored to find out that angels and demons where battling like this if God was sending me a message. The angel understood the impact it was having on Daniel, strengthened him, and reminded him that he is treasured by God.
Daniel 10:20-11:1
“20 He said, “Do you know why I’ve come to you? I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I leave, the prince of Greece will come. 21 However, I will tell you what is recorded in the book of truth. (No one has the courage to support me against those princes except Michael, your prince. 11 In the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to strengthen and protect him.)”
Gabriel must return to the battle, but God wanted Daniel to know what was written in the Book of Truth. The Book of Truth being where the decrees of God concerning the future are written. If we think about this in context of what has happened and what will happen. Israel being captured by Nebuchadnezzar would have been recorded in the book, as well as the Persians conquering Babylon. Those would have been in the past at this point but future events would be recorded there also, such as Alexander the Great swiftly defeating the Mede and Persian Empire, his kingdom being split into four after his death, the birth and second coming of our Lord, and more.
God wanted Daniel to know what was going to happen so he could prepare those who came after him, including each one of us.
God treasures Daniel, answers his prayer, and lets Daniel hear that there is a war out there.
Psalm 139:13-16
“13 For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well. 15 My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began.”
If God knitted us together and wrote out our days before we took our first breath, I think it is safe to say that He treasures each one of us. If you have heard nothing else that I have said this morning, please hear this. God was intimately involved in creating you because He Loves You. He values you more than you can know. You are precious to Him and He listens to each of your prayers and He does answer them. We may not realize it or understand it, but God does answer our prayers.
Remember God Treasures You!
God Bless,
Robert
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