Fighting the Prince of Persia - Daniel 10

this is a message from the ministry of calvary chapel santa barbara for more information about our church please visit calvary SB comm daniel chapter 10 this morning now Daniel chapters 10 11 and 12 formed something of a complete unit the main vision that's given in this section is contained in Daniel chapter 11 we'll talk about that next week but Daniel chapter 10 is something of a preview of that it gives us the circumstances that led to the vision of Daniel chapter 11 and then the vision continues into chapter 12 and kind of gets wrapped up in Chapter 12 so in Daniel chapter 10 what we have is Daniel's experience leading up to the great vision of Daniel chapter 11 look here at verse 1 in the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel whose name was called belteshazzar the message was true but the appointed time was long and he understood the message and had understanding of the vision in those days I Daniel was mourning 3-4 weeks I ate no Pleasant food no meat or wine came into my mouth nor did i anoint myself at all till three whole weeks were fulfilled so here what we have is this idea that an important message came to Daniel at a particular time in Israel's history what was the time it was in the third year of King Cyrus now the reason why that's important is by this time by the way Daniel was about 84 years old at this time by this time the Exiles of Jewish heritage who were in the Babylonian and then the Persian Empire they had already started to return to Jerusalem it was just a small percentage of them that came but those who were of a heart to return had already started to do this they did it under Ezra and zerubabbel and Joshua under those men and their leadership they began the return back to Jerusalem but in the midst of it Daniel starts mourning verse 2 says that he was mourning three full weeks what was he doing well he was sad we don't know exactly why he was sad we like to speculate about that one reason why he may have been sad was that proportionally speaking very few exiles returned it was a very small proportion most of the exiles of Jewish heritage who went to the Babylonian and then the Persian Empire they were just fine staying in Babylon they were just fine staying in Persia there was a small number who said though let's go back and Daniel might have been bummed out that it was so few now you might be saying well why didn't Daniel go back again as I said he was 84 years old number one but number two Daniel had a high government position and he probably rightly figured out that he could do more good for the people of God by staying in his position in the Persian government than he could by going back with them to Jerusalem but he was mourning for three full weeks and as part of that he practiced self-denial no doubt because he was seeking God verse 3 says that he ate no Pleasant food no meat or wine came into his mouth and he did not anoint himself at all these were practices of self-denial properly you wouldn't call them fasting fasting is when you abstain from food or drink it's saying no caloric intake that's fasting Daniel wasn't fasting but he was practicing self-denial in a seeking of God and before I go any further can I just look let's just lay it out on the table now or text gives us the opportunity to do so when's the last time you practice any form of self-denial in seeking God fasting is a great way to do it but it's not restricted to just fasting Daniel said I am NOT going to do this for three full weeks I'm gonna seek the Lord maybe for some of us that is a missing component in our own discipleship after Jesus Christ it's a missing component in our own following of Jesus I'm not gonna lay a law down on you I can't give a command but I just ask you to let that be between yourself and the Holy Spirit if there's not some way some form in which you should practice self-denial let's just say in this coming week let's just say for one day but to do it to seek the Lord well as he did that what happened verse 4 now on the 24th day of the first month as I was by the side of the great river that is the Tigris I lifted my eyes and looked and behold a certain man clothed in linen whose waist was girded with the gold of oofos which I guess is pretty amazing gold his body was like Beryl his face like the appearance of lightening his eyes like the torches of fire his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color and the sound of his words was like the voice of a multitude daniel sees this amazing man his skin is like bronze he isn't appearance it's like lightening it's as if that's flashing and eyes are like torches of flyer fire his face is like the appearance of life this is an obviously supernatural radical man that Daniel sees by the river now Daniel was a man who had had some impressive spiritual experiences before he's probably expecting ok God you want to do something here what's an interesting about it is that Daniel had this amazing vision of the man but look at verse 7 and I Daniel alone saw the vision for the men who were with me did not see the vision but a great terror came upon them so that they fled to hide themselves the guys who were with Daniel didn't perceive the man but they knew something spiritual was going on and all they could do is flee in terror they were there but they didn't perceive what was going on there's something this teaches us about the reality of the spiritual world is that there can be profound spiritual things happening right there in your midst and you don't perceive them that's possible it's possible that God can be doing something radical and for whatever reason you don't really perceive you know something's happening like these men knew something was happening they hid in terror but they didn't really perceive it and certainly they didn't benefit from it at all now look at what happens next with Daniel this is very interesting verse 8 therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision and no strength remained in me for my vigor was turned to frailty in me and I retained no strength yet I heard the sound of his words and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face with my face to the ground do you get the picture of what happened no strength remained in Daniel he saw this impressive vision his friends run he alone is left with this impressive radiant man and what does he do there's no strength in him he's frail and it's as if he just collapses on the ground now if I were more acrobatic in my preaching I would like imitate this but we're not even gonna bother with that he collapses on the ground and his face is on the ground he does a faceplant so to speak I was in deep sleep on my face with my face to the ground now this gives just a reason to talk about something that I think we need to talk about from time to time and it's the phenomenon of strange spiritual experiences would you not agree that this was a strange spiritual experience in Daniels life this never happened to me I'm not looking for it to happen to me but it never happened to me but it happened to Daniel I think we have to have our thinking clearer about strange spiritual experiences there was a time in my life especially as a pastor that I felt like I had to have an explanation for every strange spiritual experience some years ago I just kind of came to that I don't need to explain it pastor this really weird thing happened but wow that was weird not that there was nothing in it really biblical or unbiblical it was just weird and what I realize is simply this strange spiritual things may happen but that should never be our focus it is not as a cliche goes but it's a pretty good cliche it's not how high you jump it's how straight you walk so you had a profound spiritual experience well good how does that help you in your day-to-day discipleship with Jesus Christ does it really make any difference does it really help you is there good fruit from the spiritual experience and in thinking about it I kind of came to the idea that there's basically three categories of spiritual experiences there's what we might call biblical spiritual experiences these are things that are found in the Bible and they're recommended to us just one example I just throw it out here the idea of laying hands on somebody and praying for them that's a biblical ID you find it in the Old Testament in the New Testament you find this as a practice that people do that they pray for people as a special form of Prayer they'll pray for them they'll lay a hand on them and sometimes it's connected with the filling and the gift of the Holy Spirit fantastic laying hands of people it's biblical that you should seek that experience that's a fine thing for you to do there's biblical experiences then there's some experiences that even if the Bible mentions them they're not really prescribed for us I'd call those non biblical experiences losing all your strength falling on your face and hearing from a divine messenger that's nothing that were to imitate if it happens in a person's life well whatever what's the fruit of it that's our concern and then there's a third category of biblical experiences spiritual experiences I would say that are anti-biblical spiritism Ouija boards you could go on and on and just describe anti bit things that the Bible tells us not to do those should be avoided no matter what attraction a person might have to them so biblical experiences we pursue anti-biblical experiences we absolutely reject and those are just like non spirit okay if they happen they happen but we shouldn't seek after them and what we should really be looking for is specifically how that affects a person's walk with God in their daily following of him look that's just kind of how I see it when it comes to spiritual experiences I think that gives a handy grid in that threefold direction but anyway look what happens here in verse 10 it says suddenly a hand touched me which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands and he said to me Oh Daniel greatly beloved understand the words that I speak to you and stand upright for I have now been sent to you and while he was speaking this word to me I stood trembling I get the point here Daniel is on his face plant before God before this radiant being that stands before him and it seems that the radiant being comes over to him and he touches him and he gives Daniel the strength to get down on his hands and knees again if I was more acrobatic I would demonstrate but just forget about that he's on his hands and knees and then what happens next what happens next is he lifts him up and he says stand I'm gonna speak to you there's something about that number one that I like that when it came Dan time for Daniel to receive that word from God God said I want you to stand before me as a man there's a few places in the prophets where it's very clear that when God is gonna speak to the Prophet he says stand up I need to speak to you and there's just something about that that's very I don't know it speaks to who we are as men and women before Jesus Christ I says stand up I've got a word for you stand before me as a man stand before me as a woman I don't want you to grovel on the dust yes I'm glad you respond to me and fear and awe but there's work to be done stand up I need to speak to you there's just something about that image I like but secondly I want you to notice that Daniel as he rises first to his knees then stands up before God what's the first thing that God says to him look at it right there in verse 11 he says Oh Daniel man greatly beloved man greatly blub now remember that next week we're gonna get into one of the most complicated chapters in the whole Bible somebody might say David why even going to teach that chapter next week it's so complicated so listen I'm the guy that talked about the judgment of God on Mother's Day for heaven's sakes if the Bible teaches it I want to teach it it's just what's in there so we're gonna talk about Dan chapter 11 next week but in the midst of all that intricate complicated prophecy that we're gonna look at next week I want you to keep one important thing in mind keep that that the whole message started by saying Daniel God loves you Daniel look at it right there right there in verse 11 Daniel man greatly beloved that is always God's first word to a man or woman I love you even when God has to challenge them or rebuke them God's first word as I love you even when there needs to be a call to repentance God's first word is I love you and we should never forget that we should never forget the great love of God when we speak to men and women about Jesus Christ even when we have to warn them we need to do it out of love it has to be done with love love love and when we talk about what God did for us on the cross it all comes back to love I could talk to you about what happened on the cross as it being a legal transaction because there is that imagery of it in the scriptures the idea that the guilt and the shame that I deserve was put upon Jesus Christ at the cross and he bore it so that I wouldn't have to bear it we get that there is the idea of there-there's a legal thing that happened on the cross but don't get so lost in the legal that you forget the motive for what God did what prompted God to send His only Son to stand in my place so that he could be judged so that I would not be judged what motivated that for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son love-motivated it God may have half a dozen things to say to you here this morning but I tell you what his first word is to you his first word is you're greatly beloved by him he loves you he cares about you your problems are his problems your concerns are his concerns he cares about your life and he didn't just start caring about it when you walked into this room he's cared about your life your entire existence God loves you and that's where the message begins now verse 12 then he said to me do not fear Daniel for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before your God your words were heard and I have come because of your words but the Prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days and behold Michael one of the chief Prince's came to help me for I had been left alone there with the king of Persia now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days for the vision refers to many days to come now the vision itself we're going to talk about next week in Daniel chapter 11 but notice the circumstances under which this vision came to Daniel what were the circumstances ladies John this is absolutely remarkable the circumstances of that vision came was that Daniel started praying God sent the answer it's right there in verse 12 from the first day your words were heard Daniel didn't pray for three weeks and then finally after three weeks God heard his prayer God heard his prayer from the moment he started praying and then what did God do God dispatched an angel to give Daniel the answer to his prayer verse 12 I have come because of your words I just need to touch on this quickly don't pass this over lightly an angel was dispatched because of Daniels prayer brother and sisters prayer matters it matters sometimes we talk about prayer as if it were only a therapeutic exercise sometimes people say like this and I know they mean well when they say it they say prayer doesn't change God it just changes me well I agree prayer doesn't change God in that sense but prayer moves his hand Daniel prayed and God acted prayer is not just a matter of self-help although it does help me thank the Lord prayer is a matter of God's hand being moved Daniel prayed and an angel was dispatched but then the other thing we see that's very strange verse 13 it says that the Prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me this Prince was able to oppose the angelic messenger to Daniel we know that that was more than a man this prince of the kingdom of Persia was some kind of angelic being and since he stood in opposition to the work of God it's very fair to assume that this was an evil angelic being some kind of dark spirit some kind of demonic spirit that was resisting God's work it's as if this happened Daniel prayed God dispatched an angel but God said excuse me but the response from the powers of darkness were to say no we're gonna oppose this we're gonna block it and some spiritual entity came to oppose the answer to Daniel's prayer that's freaky is it not I've never seen this happen with my eyes there are things that happen in the spiritual world that we don't perceive with our eyes and apparently there is a battle that is fought in the spiritual world that we can't perceive it with our sight but it is nevertheless real that there are battles between angelic beings and there are battles between demonic beings angels and demons battling against each other in the spiritual realm that we never see but here's the thing to notice how long did it take the angel to reach him twenty-one days how long did Daniel pray twenty-one days which raises the provocative question what if Daniel would have stopped after 18 days what would it have been hinder it's almost this is this is if there's no way that the devil can stop God's plan do you understand that maybe I need to make sure that we're very clear on a basic principle here do you understand that God and the devil are not opposites that the universe doesn't run with like a yin and a yang a good light side of the force and a dark side of the force you know they're kind of equal do we get that please nod your head like you get this this is so nothing that that that the devil is not God's counterpart who is God's counterpart no one God is God there's no one like him now therefore if God allows even a delay in the execution of his plan there's a reason for it now sometimes we get overly confident about the reasons God might have for something what's the reason is this the reason is this I don't know if we can even know all the reasons God might have for doing something like that but I'll give you at least one likely reason in this case it was to draw out of Daniel greater persistence and faithfulness and prayer Daniel was of the heart to say I'm gonna pray and I'm not gonna stop praying until the answer comes and he didn't stop praying until the answer comes I don't know if in the heavenlies Daniel understood that there was a spiritual battle taking place and he couldn't perceive but the length of Daniels prayer no doubt had a connection to the eventual answer that came to him it teaches his brothers sisters do not stop in prayer persistent prayer there's a battle to be fought in prayer and this foul spirit withstood for 21 days and then verse 13 I don't understand this but I can read it Michael one of the chief priests 'as princes came to help me in other words Daniel prayed God dispatched an angel it came to bring Daniel the answer that was withstood by the Prince of Persia who apparently did not want that answer to come to Daniel that's why he's blocking it and then that battle was going on many days until God finally said Michael go down and help that guy and I don't know if too angels could put a whooping on the Prince of Persia that one angel couldn't do I don't know if I had to do with authorities I don't know it had to do with structures but breathlessness is this what happened it happened that when Michael came the tide was turned he came to helping and verse 14 says now I have come and again it was all to accomplish the greater purpose that God wanted to accomplish no doubt in Daniel himself now verse 15 when he had spoken such words to me I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless and suddenly one having the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips then I opened my mouth and I spoke saying to him who stood before him lying my lord because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me and I have retained no strength for how can the servant of my lord speak with you my lord and as for me no strength remains in me now nor is there any breath left in me then again the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me and said o man greatly beloved fear not peace be to you be strong yes be strong so when he spoke to me I was strengthened and he said let my Lord speak for you have strengthened me Daniel hears the news from this messenger and he is so wiped out spiritually and physically that there's no strength in him he's standing but he's hanging down his head is bowed there's no strength it's like God whatever this message is that you want to give to me I don't have the strength to receive it there's just something lacking there I'm so wiped out now by the way doesn't this tell us something about a person's encounter with God when we encounter God do not expect that it was always be a light and frothy thing I'm all for joy in the Christian life if you ask me to vote ok David more joy or less joy in the Christian life more joy more put me down on the more joy list but not every encounter with God is joyful sometimes it wipes you out sometimes you're so in awe of the holiness and the majesty and the power and the bearing of who God is that you just wiped out by and that's where Daniel was Daniel was a very godly man but there he stands because I don't have the strength as I can't do it and then what happens this one who it's interesting people debate who this one was some people think it might have been one of the angels present there some people think this might have been an appearance of Jesus himself before his incarnation at Bethlehem but this one came to Daniel and strengthened him he said oh man greatly beloved I love that phrase again greatly beloved fear not peace be upon you be strong yes be strong and what happened it says right there in verse 19 when he spoke to me I was strengthened the Word of God brought strength to Daniel he didn't have to give him a pill he didn't have to give him an injection he didn't have to send him to a training course it was my word is gonna give you strength and it did for Daniel Daniel was strengthened and ready to receive what God had to give him so here it was he's ready to receive it now verse 20 and I'll read all the way to the first verse of verse 11 chapter 11 then he said do you know why I have come to you and now I must return to fight with the Prince of Persia and when I've gone forth indeed the Prince of Greece will come but I will tell you what is noted in the scripture of truth no one upholds me against these except Michael your prince also in the first year of Darius the Mede I even I stood up to confirm and strengthen him this is the crazy part the angel that came and helped he said my battle with the Prince of Persia is not done I bet that blew Daniels mind what I got to go back because there is a power of spiritual evil that would oppose the work of God I'm gonna go up there and continue the fight with that and I bet you anything Daniel thought this I'm glad that there's someone fighting that battle for me do you know what you need you need someone in heaven to fight the battle for you does anybody have any suggestions for someone in having to fight the battle for you when you hear a question in church and you don't know the answer what's the safe answer all the time Jesus better and greater than any angel Jesus Christ the captain of your salvation is enthroned in heaven to fight the battle for you now it's a battle that you and I engage in but fundamentally it's a battle that he has fought on our behalf the doom the disgrace the disarming the ending of Satan's power was accomplished by what Jesus Christ did at the cross and we just point him to that again and again and again we have a representative in heaven we have one look to Jesus and sometimes when we talk about these things that happen in the spiritual world sometimes when we talk about angels or demons or this or that sometimes people get the focus all wrong the focus in whatever spiritual battle you have to fight the focus is not on yourself focus on yourself you're sure to lose but neither is the focus on the devil sometimes people put the focus too much endeavor where should you put the focus on Jesus himself he is your representative in heaven he will strengthen you in whatever battle you have to face now let's end with just these two thoughts just as point of review remember strange spiritual things may happen but we do not guide ourselves from them we guide ourselves by what God has revealed to us in this book and number two there is a real spiritual battle that rages and you need to trust in your representative in heaven to get anywhere in that battle that's what happened Daniel and the next week man the gloves are off and we are in Daniel chapter 11 but let's pray right now and ask God to confirm this to our own life to our own heart father this is us Lord we we need you Lord sometimes we perceive the spiritual battle around us and sometimes we don't sometimes we're sensitive to it sometimes we're blind to it but Lord no matter what that particular circumstance is we pray that right here right now you would help each and every person to look to Jesus as the captain of their salvation to look to Jesus as their one in heaven who wages the warfare on their behalf Lord we don't want to put the focus on ourself we certainly don't want to put the focus on the devil and his agents our focus is upon you Jesus thank you for winning the victory on our behalf and Lord now help us to worship you to give you the honor the praise that you deserve you're a good god and we praise you for it in Jesus wonderful name amen this is a message from the Ministry of Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara for more information about our church please visit calvary us be com

Channel: David Guzik

Views: 40,738

Keywords: daniel, michael, archangel, spiritual warfare

Id: dNs91C5Si2I

Length: 30min 10sec (1810 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 19 2018