The opening words of this new section of Daniel's prophecy, beginning chapter 10, would suggest that Daniel had had some great vision (the vision itself not recorded) and being unable to understand its meaning he sought unto the Lord to obtain the interpretation. "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, even a great warfare: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision." How he received this "understanding" is told us in the rest of the chapter.

      Here, as elsewhere (see chapt. 7:15, 16, 19; 8:15) Daniel did not attempt to interpret his symbolic visions for himself. Only the God who gave them could reveal the meaning of them. Men, in their ignorance may presume to guess at the meaning of prophetic symbols; but Daniel professed no knowledge of their significance until God gave him the interpretation. But on the other hand he could not rest until he had the understanding of the vision. He knew if God had given it, He must have intended that it be understood. He knew also that the understanding of it was of great importance to him and to his people. For God does not deal with trifling and unimportant matters, nor in things that are [102] merely interesting and curious. So Daniel set himself to obtain God's interpretation ("the truth," 7:16) of the things he had seen in the vision. In comparison with Daniel's earnest desire and determination our aspirations to know God's truth are very mild indeed. Who of us has spent many hours upon his knees appealing to God for light and knowledge and understanding of His word? (Prov. 2:1-5.) Daniel set out to obtain the understanding. For three whole weeks, in mourning, in fasting, in prayer, with unflagging purpose, he pursued this great and worthy end, that he might know this truth and that he might make it known to us. Like Jacob of old, he said, "I will not let you go until thou bless me," and wrestled on till the answer came. And when it came it came most wonderfully. "In the twenty-fourth day of the first month"--twenty-one days after he had begun his siege upon God's throne of grace--"as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel, (the Tigris) I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold, a man--." And then follows a seven-fold description of this "man" (vs. 5, 6), so much like the ten-item description of the glorious Christ in Rev. 1:13-16 that many have concluded that it was really Christ who thus appeared to Daniel. But let us not jump at this conclusion, for other things are said about this "man" further on, which would not so easily harmonize with the idea that it was Christ Himself.

      The effect of the vision was overwhelming. The men who were with Daniel saw nothing, but a great quaking fell upon them, and they fled to hide [103] themselves. But Daniel, now left alone, saw the great vision and utterly collapsed. "There remained no strength in me, for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption." And he fell on his face in a deep swoon. Then a hand touched him and set him on his knees and the palms of his hands; and the one that raised him up said to him, "O Daniel, thou man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright; for unto thee am I now sent." So Daniel rose up and stood trembling.

      Here we come to a marvelous revelation of unseen spiritual forces and their activities. What we learn here throws light on many things of which we read elsewhere in the Bible and explains many things that happen in the world. Note: (1) the strange delay of the answer to Daniel's prayers; (2) the cause of this delay; (3) the warfare of good and evil powers in the spiritual realm.

      1. "Fear not, Daniel," said the celestial messenger--"for from the first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand, and to humble thyself before thy God, thy words were heard: and I am come for thy words' sake." So Daniel's prayer went straight through to God, and was heard from the first day. But why, then, did Daniel have to continue waiting and wrestling in prayer for three weeks before the answer came?

      2. The explanation is astonishing: the answer to Daniel's prayer was intercepted and held up for three weeks by a hostile spiritual power! "The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty [104] days," said the heavenly messenger. Now, whoever this "prince of the kingdom of Persia" was, he was not a man. How the mere presence of the heavenly messenger who brought the answer to Daniel affected men in the flesh is seen in verses 7, 8. No human being could for a moment have resisted such a messenger from God. But the "prince of the kingdom of Persia" resisted him, and so successfully as to detain him for for twenty-one days; and it was not till Michael, "one of the chief princes" came to help him that he was able to proceed on his divine errand to Daniel. (Vs. 12, 13.) Now Michael is "the archangel" (Jude 9)--chief of all God's angels. It was by the combined power of Michael and of the heavenly messenger who had been sent to Daniel, that the "prince of the kingdom of Persia" was overcome, so that the latter could go on his way to carry God's answer to Daniel's prayer. Manifestly then, this "prince of the kingdom of Persia" was also an angel, an evil angel, belonging to Satan's kingdom; and that he was exceedingly powerful is also evident.

      We get here an inside glimpse of Satan's world-government. It was a meaningful word of the Savior's when, three times over, in the gospel of John, He called Satan "the prince of the world." (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11.) It was no empty claim that the Devil made at the Temptation, when he showed to Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and said to Him: "To thee will I give all this authority, and the glory of them: for it hath been delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it." (Luke 4:6.) To his own angels, as he pleases, Satan assigns [105] the control of the kingdoms of the earth, to one this, to another another. God held one kingdom for Himself--the kingdom of Israel, over which Michael was appointed as prince. ("Michael, your prince"; "Michael . . . the great prince, who standeth for the children of thy people." Dan. 10:21; 12:1.)

      The conclusion is fairly certain now that the heavenly messenger who appeared to Daniel in Daniel 10:5, 6 was not the son of God; for none of Satan's underlings, nor Satan himself, certainly, would have been able to detain Him; nor would He have needed Michael's help to enable Him to get through on His mission.¹

      3. The prayer of Daniel had been for understanding of the vision he had seen. At the very beginning of his supplication the answer was sent: a heavenly messenger was despatched to inform and [106] enlighten Daniel, and to give him the understanding of the vision which his heart craved. (Vs. 11, 12.) But the hostile powers of darkness, the "spiritual hosts of wickedness" (Eph. 6:12)--specifically, the evil angel who was sovereign over the kingdom of Persia--opposed God's messenger, as we have seen. The purpose of the opposition obviously was to prevent the message from getting through to Daniel. How great must have been the importance of that message! Nor was the conflict over, although the messenger had now reached his destination. The powers of evil would no doubt also struggle to prevent the fulfilment of the message. "Then said he, "Knowest thou wherefore I am come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia, and when I go forth, lo, the prince of Greece (the third world-power, already looming up in the background) shall come. But I will tell thee that which is inscribed in the writing of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me against these (against the prince of Persia and the prince of Greece) but Michael your prince. And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede (Dan. 5:31) I stood up to confirm and strengthen him." (Dan. 10:20-11:1.) In this latter statement lies the explanation of Darius' kindly attitude toward the Jewish exiles. But such a spiritual invasion of the kingdom of Satan is always conditioned upon the co-operation of God's faithful ones, in prayer and in deed. For on the earth initiative of action belongs to man. (Ps. 115:16.)

      Now follows the revelation of "the writing of truth," which occupies all the rest of the book of [107] Daniel, from chapter 11:1 to the end of chapter 12. This we shall take up in the next lesson.

[LOD2 102-110]