Introduction

The last three chapters form a whole. We find historical information about the dealings of pagan powers with God’s earthly people from the time of the reign of the Medes and Persians until the final liberation under the reign of Christ. The key verse is: “Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet [future]” (Dan 10:14). This shows that is about what will happen to Israel “in the latter days”. We will see that these “latter days” for Daniel concern both the near and far future.

1. Daniel 10 is the introduction. In this chapter we are told about the time in which Daniel receives the messages, the circumstances in which he finds himself and what the effect is on himself, what it does to him.

2. In Daniel 11 a prophetic sketch is given of the events that take place in connection with the kings of the countries north and south of the holy land. The areas north and south of Israel are the two most important areas of the four into which the Greek-Macedonian empire has fallen apart.

3. Daniel 12 shows God’s actions with a faithful remnant of the Jews at the time when the people went through the great tribulation of three and a half years. This period precedes the establishment of the kingdom of Christ.

A Message Revealed

We find ourselves “in the third year of Cyrus king of Persia”, which is the year 536 BC. It is the time that a first part of the people, a remnant, has returned to the land. That happened in the first year of Cyrus (Ezra 1:1-3; 5). However, Daniel did not go along with them. That will undoubtedly be because God has told him to stay in Babylon. But his heart is with the returnees. Despite his old age, his interest and involvement in the ups and downs of God’s people has not disappeared, but is as great as ever.

A message is revealed to him. In the joy that he will experience about the return of (a small part of) the people, there is also insight with him about how the people will be doing. He knows that the return will not bring the promised blessing for the land. The restoration of altar, temple and city will only apply to a small part of the people and will also only be temporary.

The remark “the message was true” shows the deep conviction that the revealed message will definitely happen. There is no doubt in his mind that this is so, although the time of fulfilment will be long in coming and will not take place until long after his death. This certainty will be of great use to the consolation of the Jews who will have to go through the foretold time of great fight that will come upon the people.

Unlike other visions, about which he has questions and which he also asks, he understands what is revealed to him now. What is being presented to him is clear.

Daniel Mourns

Daniel receives this revelation of the message while humbling himself (Dan 10:12). Why does he do that? Is there no reason to be happy about the partial return of God’s people to the promised land? Surely it means a new start in their spiritual history, would it not? Are expressions of joy and celebration not more appropriate? But the man of God feels the sinful past and the present weakness and he also foresees the great misery that will come upon God’s people in the future.

Among those who have returned, the young people have indeed expressed their joy because of the rebuilt altar. That joy is fully appropriate for them. At the same time, the elderly weep, for they have the memory of the former glory of God's house, from which the restored altar stands out sharply (Ezra 3:12; Hag 2:3).

It is good when a revival that takes place by God’s grace offers space for both expressions of feelings. The young people will experience a revival as a refreshment and the elderly as well. For the elderly, however, there will be an additional awareness that the perfection of honoring and praising God will only become a reality when Christ comes. They will therefore be characterized more by prayer and confession at every revival than by joy, although there will also be room for joy among them.

Daniel’s feelings show that he knows the people. He also knows the people who have returned and what they will still experience in the future. That now prevails with him. That makes him mourn. His humbleness is not only a matter of his mind. His body also shares in it. For three weeks he takes nothing tasty. He only takes what is necessary. He even refrains from taking care of his body. He is so busy with God’s people, with whom he feels so much connected, that all that is pleasant, permissible and also necessary for life is pushed into the background.

Daniel Sees the Lord Jesus

Through the mind and attitude that Daniel has, he is able to receive communications from God. He is even shown in a vision an appearance of the Lord Jesus. The description given here is at least reminiscent of Him. This description resembles the description of the Son of Man in Revelation 1 (Rev 1:13-15). It is about Him in prophecy and He will fulfill everything.

His whole appearance radiates overwhelming glory, holiness, majesty, strength and authority.
1. He is “dressed in linen”, which speaks of purity and cleanliness, of perfect righteousness (Rev 19:8).
2. His “waist”, a picture of the power of the walk, is girded “with [a belt of] pure gold”, which speaks of Divine glory.

The different characteristics of His Person are further compared each time with an element from nature, which is indicated by the word “like”.

3. “His body”, His stature, is reminiscent of beryl. This precious stone can be red, blue, green, yellow and also colorless.
4. “His face” has the appearance of lightning and “His eyes” are like flaming torches. This speaks of His all-pervading and judgmental abilities, where nothing can escape His attention.
5. “His arms and feet”, speaking of his acts and walk, are like the gleam of polished bronze, which speaks of an unbreakable exercise of right. His judgment is perfectly righteous.
6. Finally, His voice is reminiscent of the sound of a tumult. “His words,” which He pronounces, overpower any other sound.

Powerless

What Daniel sees makes a great impression on him and takes his strength away. We see something similar with John on Patmos when he sees the Son of man (Rev 1:17a). Thus the Lord also shows Himself to us as we concern ourselves with His future and that of His people. When we see Him in His majesty and think that He holds the future in His hand and governs it, we too are filled with awe, and will fall down before Him.

The appearance of the Lord Jesus is to Daniel personally. The men who are with him do not see Him. Yet His appearance to Daniel also affects them. They feel the presence of an impressive heavenly figure, without being able to touch, see or hear anything. That fills them with dread. They flee and hide. It is similar to what happens to Saul and his companions when the Lord Jesus appears to Saul (Acts 22:7-9).

Daniel remains alone, while all his strength has flowed out of him. He feels totally without strength. It’s said here twice. Also, all color has gone out of his face. When he hears the sound of the words of the Lord Jesus, he falls asleep. He is so exhausted, both physically by fasting and mentally by what he sees and hears, that he becomes unconscious. He lies with his face on the ground, indicating that he did not fall asleep in the usual way.

With Daniel we see what the effect on a person is when the Word of God comes to him with power and enters into him. The words of the Lord Jesus and His appearance have the same effect. The Word of God and the Lord Jesus are identified. The words of the Lord Jesus reveal Who He is. His words reflect His Person.

Then a hand touches Daniel. This is not the hand of the Lord Jesus, but of an angel. The sequel shows that it is no longer the Lord Jesus Who acts and speaks, but an angel. But there is power in the touch because it is thereby that Daniel, though still trembling, sets from his lying position on his hands and knees. Then the angel encourages him by naming his name and adding that he is a “man of high esteem”.

This tells him that he is in God’s favor (Dan 9:23). He is therefore able to pay attention to the words the angel will speak. He has to stand up for that. The standing position is the right one to listen attentively to what the angel has to say, because that is what he had come for at that moment. Daniel does what the angel says and stands up trembling. He is still impressed by everything he experiences.

Here too we see that prophets are ordinary people. They do not always immediately recover from a shocking experience, even if they are very much encouraged. It is not about fear of God, but about the reaction of body and mind to what they experience. Prophets are not supermen who receive and pass on messages unaffected. Their whole being is involved in the service they do.

So it will be with us when we read and hear God’s Word and when we are in prayer. What comes to our attention does something with us if we really desire to know the meaning of God’s Word and have in mind the welfare of His people, the church.

The Battle Behind the Scenes

As a special consolation, Daniel is told that he does not have to be afraid. The words “do not be afraid” have been a great encouragement to many believers in difficult circumstances over the centuries. It seems that Daniel has become afraid that his prayer would not be heard. This can be deduced from the word “for” that follows. It took a long time before an answer was received.

But his fear is unfounded, “for” he is told now, his prayer has come before God from the first day. It also brought God directly to action, for He sent an angel to respond to Daniel’s words. The fact that it took so long to get an answer does not mean that God would not have heard his prayer or would not want to answer it.

What is said here to Daniel may also encourage us with regard to our prayers. We may know that our prayers are heard by God at the same time we say them. Even if we have to wait for an answer, we may know that our prayer has ‘arrived’ with God and is given full attention by Him.

If we have to wait, that is an incentive to persistently pray for a matter. At the same time we may know that from the very first time we prayed for a matter, God is busy answering us. The delay in the answer is a test of our faith and tests our perseverance in trusting Him. If the matter for which we pray really occupies our hearts, we will take the word to heart: “Pray without ceasing” (1Thes 5:17).

Before the angel tells the answer that he is coming to bring to Daniel, the angel lifts the veil of an event in the invisible world. What he says about this is unique and extremely instructive for us. This gives us insight into the struggles that are being waged in the heavenly places. Here we look behind the veil. Through what the angel says, it becomes clear that behind the earthly powers lie spiritual powers. It is as if Paul speaks to us about the real power we have to deal with. That is not flesh and blood, but these are the rulers, the powers, the world forces of this darkness, the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly realms, so not on earth, but in the air (Eph 6:12).

Every war on earth is the result of an agreement in the invisible world between devilish powers. In the invisible world, there are no distinctions between rival parties. The force ratios in the world, for example, between east and west, are not determined by the parties or countries on earth, but in the spiritual world. In the spiritual world there are no contradictions among the powers of darkness, there is no struggle, but complete demonic unity. The dark powers work together to destroy mankind, focusing above all on God’s people.

The prince of the kingdom of Persia is not the earthly prince, but an angelic prince. An earthly prince could never resist an angel on his way with a message from God to one of His own. Demonic princes, however, are so powerful that they are even able to stop an angel of God for so long. This demonic prince, who especially influences the kingdom of Persia, is so powerful that the archangel Michael has to come into play. Michael is the prince of Israel. In Dan 10:21 Daniel is told that Michael is “your prince”. The people of God have their own angel. Michael is here called “one of the chief princes” and in the last chapter he is called “the great prince” (Dan 12:1).

We know that angels are used by God in a special way for the protection of His own (Heb 1:14). Here we further learn that they are the executers of the will of God in His provident actions with people. They communicate to people what God tells them. We also see here that chosen angels help each other in their fight against the apostate angels. Michael was sent to help the angel who was sent to Daniel. This one was stopped by the angelic prince of Persia, which made it impossible for him to carry out his mission. He stayed behind and stood before other angelic princes who had Persia under their sphere of influence. These evil powers were concerned with thwarting God’s work in Persia.

The Content of the Prophecy

This verse gives us an important clue about the main purpose of prophecy. We could call it a key verse because it opens the door to the content and purpose of prophecy. The angel says that he has come to Daniel to give him “an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days”. This is about the people of Daniel, that is the people of the Jews. All God’s plans for the earth are connected with His earthly people, the Jews. The next chapter should also be seen in this light. Then we will be kept from all kinds of misinterpretations.

The main purpose of this prophecy is to show what will happen to God’s earthly people, Israel, in “the latter days”. As noted at the beginning of this chapter, “latter days” means both events in the near future and events in the distant future. In the continuation of the angel’s communications on this subject, our attention will be drawn to events that have been predicted and which were fulfilled fairly soon afterwards. There are, however, other events that point forward to the distant future and are still future today. We have to think of the revelation of the antichrist and the great tribulation that will come over all the earth.

God’s thoughts and plans have Israel as their goal and center, in connection with their Messiah, the true center of all God’s plans. With the nations it is first and foremost about Israel and not about the kings of the north or the south. All the players on the final stage are in a way actors to let all light fall on the protagonist. Then it will become clear that the main actor, Israel, will shine, because this people represents the brilliance of the Director.

Daniel Is Strengthened

Daniel is once again overwhelmed by what he has heard. He bends his head and can no longer utter a word. In the light of the communications that have been made to him, he feels his unworthiness and powerlessness. He feels, as it were, the whole weight of the future rests on him and does not know what to say. It is as if contractions have overtaken him when he sees the vision, as he says after his lips have been touched and he can speak again.

His lips are touched by “one who resembled a human being”. That seems to be someone else than the angel who has spoken to him so far. If so, there is much to be said for saying that we have here an appearance of the Lord Jesus. He touches the lips of Daniel, so he can speak again (cf. Isa 6:6-7). But it may also be that it is the angel who has spoken to him. Daniel addresses him in a respectful manner and addresses him with “lord”, that is ruler, master. He acknowledges in the angel his superior. He also confesses to him his powerlessness because of everything he has seen.

The reason that all power has flowed out of him is that Daniel has fully empathized with the vision. He was fully involved and it has taken all his strength. He even has no power left to speak to this mighty angelic host. A subject that involves a person’s whole personality cannot be discussed on an intellectual level only. The emotions are also addressed. A subject can be so intense, that someone full of emotion feels incapable of saying anything about it. Breathing can be difficult for someone when he thinks of something poignant and even more so when he thinks about saying something about it.

Then the heavenly being touches Daniel for the second time and strengthens him. This seems to indicate that we are dealing with the angel who came to Daniel. When the Lord Jesus in Gethsémané was in a heavy prayer struggle, there also “an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him”, i.e. physically (Lk 22:43). Again Daniel hears the encouraging words that he is a “man of high esteem” (Dan 10:11) and “do not be afraid” (Dan 10:12). Then he is told the wonderful word “peace be with you”.

There is not much which is greater than living with the peace of God in the heart. If the peace of God is in our hearts, we will not be discouraged by the circumstances because we know that God has them in His hand. And does He get restless about anything? Is there anything in the universe that can take His peace away from Him? Of course not. Well, if that peace He has is in us, it will keep our hearts and thoughts in Christ Jesus Who is our peace (Phil 4:6-7).

The result is that there is power to do what is asked of us. Daniel is reminded of this (cf. Jos 1:9). He is already strengthened by the touch (Dan 10:18). By the peace it can be said to him that he must be strong (Dan 10:19a), that is to say that he must also use the obtained power. Now it is said in addition (Dan 10:19b) that he is strengthened, while being spoken to him. That indicates the effect that good words have. Good words give strength. When we are told something that makes us happy, it gives us new energy. At the same time, there is the desire to hear more of these reinforcing words. Daniel expresses that desire.

The Writing of Truth

From this point Daniel becomes a listener. The angel informs him that he will soon return to fight against the satanic angelic princes of Persia and Greece. The battle is always that between demons and the angels of God, with the faithful remnant as the stake of that battle. The change of power on earth is the result of a battle in heaven. To see that, our eyes must be opened (2Kgs 6:15-17). Our real opponents are in the invisible world. The real opposition is against the people of God.

Before the angel enters into this new battle with spiritual forces of wickedness, he will tell Daniel “what is inscribed in the writing of truth”. The writing of truth is what is known to God. God writes the history and the course of events, that is to say, it is fixed with Him, it is recorded in His heavenly history. The angel will tell us in the next two chapters what is written in it with regard to the latter days. For us, “the writing of truth” is the Word of God. Everything is inscribed in it. That is why we have to read and study that Book. God’s Spirit wants to guide us in this and make the meaning clear to us.

Daniel is assured that “Michael your prince” will firmly stand with this angel in the task assigned to the angel. The angel is facing force majeure. This force majeure consists of the princes of the empires of Persia and Greece, i.e. the demonic powers that govern these empires. Through these empires, these evil spirits seek to destroy God’s people. They will do all they can to ensure that the angel does not fulfill his service towards Daniel and the people of God. But with the help of Michael, the angel will be able to fulfil his task towards Daniel and the people of Daniel.