Daniel 2:47-48
“The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing you couldest reveal this secret. 48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.”
Daniel Chapter 10
Seeking Understanding and the Vision of Christ
Daniel 10:1 “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.”
The third year of king Cyrus was 534 B.C. In this year a thing was revealed to Daniel, obviously a vision as stated in the latter part of the verse. This vision was true, but the time appointed was a long time in the future v14. God was not going to reveal lies to Daniel but only the truth, for it is impossible for God to lie. (Hebrews 6:18) Daniel had the understanding of the vision.
Daniel 10:2-3 “In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. 3 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.”
When Daniel saw this vision he started to mourn for three full weeks/21 days, why? From v12 and 14 we see that there was something more that Daniel wanted understanding on. He understood the matter but wanted a greater understanding of what he had seen. To gain this greater understanding he ate no pleasant bread/no delicacies neither any flesh or wine. Daniel entered upon the simplest of diets so his mind was sharp and perceptive of the Holy Spirits promptings. Daniel’s reaction teaches us that diet has a direct link to our spiritual life. If the body is not given clean wholesome food it cannot produce good blood, thus bad circulation and a clouded mind that is unable to rightly discern the voice of God is all that is produced.
Anoint myself - The word anoint/cuwk/sook means to smear. In the hotter climates the smearing of oils upon the skin to protect and replenish it was quite common. Daniel forgoes this luxury with the rest of the pleasantries.
We are living in the time of the judgment. How are we setting ourselves to earnestly seek the Lord for a better understanding of how to walk with Him? Are the luxuries of life cluttering up our walk with God, are we seeking for that simpler way of life to enable us not to be too busy or relaxed to have quality time with God.
Daniel 10:4-7 “And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel; 5 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: 6 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. 7 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.”
Hiddekel - In Syriac it is translated as the Euphrates. In the Vulgate, Greek, and Arabic the Tigris. From this information we can quite possibly conclude that Daniel was at the point where these two rivers meet and become as one before they continue down to the Persian Gulf. This is where Daniel was situated.
A certain man - When looking at the description of Christ in Revelation 1:13-16, we see the description is basically identical to the description of this certain man that Daniel saw when he lifted up his eyes.
Daniel alone saw this vision of Christ, because the other men that were with him fled from the great fear that came upon them. Why did they flee? They fled for the same reason why the wicked call for the mountains and rocks to fall on them, and hide them from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. (Revelation 6:16) For an unsanctified life cannot stand in the presence of a holy God because God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29) and will consume any wickedness in His presence. (Exodus 19:17-18, 21-22, Deuteronomy 9:1-3) They fled because of their unsanctified life.
Daniel 10:8-9 “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. 9 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.”
Because of their great fear Daniel was left alone to see this vision of Christ. When he did see this vision no strength remained in him at all. Daniel himself states the reason for this; his comeliness, glory, honour, or majesty was turned into corruption. Even Daniel, being a godly man, saw his utter unworthiness in the presence of divinity and that all the good that he saw in himself was only corruption compared to Christ. All Moses could do in the presence of divinity was to immediately bow down and worship. (Exodus 34:8) Isaiah’s reaction was also similar, for when he saw the throne of God with the Lord sitting on it all he could exclaim was woe is me, I am undone and had unclean lips. (Isaiah 6:1-5) Another example is Saul on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9:3-6) This is why he had no strength.
Even though this had happened to him, he still heard the words of Christ. When he did a deep sleep like death fell upon him and he ended up face down toward the ground. Not even Daniel could stand in His presence.
Daniel 10:10-11 “And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. 11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto you, and stand upright: for unto you am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.”
A hand now touches Daniel and places him upon his hands and knees. Then someone reassures him that he is greatly beloved and to understand the words that he is speaking unto him. He is told to stand upright, which Daniel does in a trembling form. The experience is an overwhelming one for Daniel being about 89 years of age. But who is this person that touched him and has just spoken to him? The answer is given in the following words; unto thee am I now sent. If we look at this phrase and apply it to other passages in Daniel and elsewhere, we find that it is Gabriel who is sent. (Luke 1:19, Daniel 8:16-19; 9:21-23) So it is Gabriel that touched him and now is speaking to him.
Daniel 10:12-14 “Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that you did set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before your God, your words were heard, and I am come for your words. 13 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. 14 Now I am come to make you understand what shall befall your people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.”
Daniel is once again reassured by Gabriel with the words fear not. The reason why he is told not to fear, is that from the very first day that Daniel set his heart on understanding he was heard and Gabriel had come to answer his prayers. So Daniel’s prayer was heard right from the start, but why did it take 21 days for Gabriel to come to him? The prince/ruler of the kingdom of Persia, which was Cyrus at that time, was withstanding Gabriel for the 21 days.
If we look at the time frame of this situation, the Jews had not long before been released out of captivity to restore the temple in Jerusalem. They gained a lot of opposition from surrounding nations and it was this opposition that Cyrus was struggling with as well. (Ezra 4:1-5) The struggle for the master of Cyrus between the devil and his angels and Gabriel and the angels of God must have been immense. This is quite a possible answer for why it took so long for Daniel’s prayer to be answered. For part of his prayer could have been relating to this situation as well.
When Michael comes to Gabriel’s aid the struggle seems to be all over with the side of good gaining the supremacy. But who is Michael? The name itself in Hebrew means “who is like God.” He is also referred to as the Archangel in Jude 1:9. However, the Thayer Definition for the word Archangel in Jude 9 is: “archangel, or chief of the angels.” Christ is NOT an angel yet alone a created angel, but is the one in charge and the head of all the angels. It simply means, arch - chief of the angels - messenger, and Michael - who is like God.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible. Dr. John Gill (1690-1771)
Daniel 10:13 - but, lo, Michael one of the chief Princes, came to help me; called in the New Testament an Archangel, the Prince of angels, the Head of all principality and power; and is no other than Christ the Son of God, an uncreated Angel; who is “one”, or “the first of the chief Princes” (x), superior to angels, in nature, name, and office; he came to “help” Gabriel, not as a fellow creature, but as the Lord of hosts; not as a fellow soldier, but as General of the armies in heaven and earth, as superior to him in wisdom and strength; and he helped him by giving him fresh counsels, orders, and instructions, which he following succeeded:
In 1 Thessalonians 4:16 the voice of the archangel is associated with the resurrection, but we find in John 5:25, 28-29 that it is the voice of Christ that brings about the resurrection. The Greek text does not specifically say “the voice of THE archangel” as found in the KJV Bible and can also translated as “the voice of AN archangel” just to give two examples. Note this verse verbatim from “The New Testament: An Understandable Version” and the “Bible In Basic English” for further translation examples.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 AUV-NT “For the Lord Himself [i.e., Jesus] will come down from heaven with a commanding shout [Note: This probably refers to Jesus’ voice. See John 5:25, 28], [and] with the archangel’s voice [i.e., Michael. See Jude 9] and with the sound of God’s trumpet; [at this] the dead in [fellowship with] Christ will rise [from the dead] first.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16 BBE “Because the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a word of authority, with the voice of the chief angel, with the sound of a horn: and the dead in Christ will come to life first;”
Thus Christ is not an angel and is above them. (Hebrews 1:4) It simply means that Christ is the chief or prince of the angels, just as an archbishop is the head of the bishops. Christ is the commander of the angels. See Revelation 19:11-14. He created the angels. (Colossians 1:16)
So the struggle was on until Christ came and settled the matter. Gabriel leaves Michael there with Cyrus and comes to Daniel. Gabriel came to show Daniel what was going to happen to God’s people in the latter days as the vision was not for many days yet. So the events relating to God’s people is what the interpretation is about.
Daniel 10:15-19 “And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb. 16 And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spoke, 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. 17 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. 18 Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, 19 And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto you, be strong, yes, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for you have strengthened me.”
The effect that Gabriel had on Daniel when he spoke was similar to the reaction of Daniel with the vision of Christ. Daniel ends up face down toward the ground not being able to utter a word and with no strength.
Similitude of the sons of men - Daniel could not stand the glory revealed unto him, so Gabriel veils his glory in the garb of humanity. This is not unusual as you will see that Gabriel has already appeared to Daniel in the form of a man before 9:21.
Gabriel touches Daniel’s lips to enable him to speak. Daniel asks how he can speak to him as the vision that he saw was too much for him to bear, for there was no strength left in him nor any breath. Gabriel touches him again and strengthens him then speaks to him. He tells him once again that he is greatly beloved and not to fear as he brings peace, so be strong, yea be strong. When Gabriel had spoken these words unto him he was strengthened and told Gabriel to speak as he had strengthened him to hear.
Daniel 10:20-21 “Then said he, Knowest you wherefore I come unto you? 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. 21 But I will show you that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.”
Said He - Then said Gabriel to Daniel.
Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee - Do you now know why I have come or, do you understand my purpose so you do not fear anymore?
Return to fight with prince of Persia - Gabriel was going to go back to the ruler/king of Persia to stand by his side and fight with him, not against him.
When I have gone forth - When Gabriel leaves the king of Persia.
Prince of Grecia shall come - The ruler/king of Greece will come and overthrow the king of Persia. So we see that God fights with a nation until they have completely refused to surrender to Him. When it comes to this stage, the divine aid is withdrawn and another kingdom arises.
But before he goes back he is going to show Daniel the truth of the vision, or reveal to him the understanding. Notice that there is no other person accept Christ/Michael and Gabriel that know of these things that are going to be shown him.
This brings us to the end of the chapter with no interpretation of the vision that Daniel had. But we do learn that Daniel was a devout man who set his face to give himself wholly to God to understand what was not understood, even at the age that he was. Are we seeking to gain a closer relationship with Him, and pushing aside everything that is impeding us from having a closer walk with God. Will our characters stand in the review of the judgment, or will they collapse in the sight of a holy God?
God is saying to us as He was saying to Daniel through Gabriel, be strong, yea be strong.