9.3- Discussion of Daniel 10 verses 14-21

>>> Verse 14: It says in this verse that God sent His angel to “make Daniel understand what will happen to his people in the future” God wants that his children understand what will happen to them at the end of times (see also Hebrews 1 verse 1: “In the past God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets”, and Daniel 9 verse 23: “He loves you, and so I have come to tell you the answer. Now pay attention while I explain the vision”). God does this so that we will not live in fear, but look forward to the day of His return, see 2 Peter 3 verses 11-14: “……But we wait for what God has promised: new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will be at home. And so, my friends, as you wait for that Day, do your best to be pure and faultless in God's sight and to be at peace with him”.

>>> Verses 15-17: This vision and these words, - this participation in God’s Plan -, is too much for a mortal being as Daniel, and also for us. It is too wonderful, but at the same time too impressive, and therefore it takes all our strength away.

>>> Verses 18, 19: Nevertheless, the Lord wants to involve his children in what happens. Therefore It says: “Once more he took hold of me”. For that purpose He gives them power: He touches them again and again. (3 times: in verses 10, 16 and 18). In this contact there is purification and power. See Matthew 9 verses 20 and 21: “A woman who had suffered from severe bleeding for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If only I touch his cloak, I will get well”. 

>>> Verses 20, 21: The “….the guardian angel of Persia…” is an angel in the service of Satan, against which the Lord fights for the purpose of the salvation of the creation. He does this persistently. Also we ought to be prepared for this during our prayers, See Ephesians 6 verse 18: “Do all this in prayer, asking for God's help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God's people”. 

9.2- Discussion of Daniel 10 verses 7-13 

>>> Verses 7-9: The words, “I was the only one” in verse 7, and “I was left there alone”, in verse 8, show that only God’s beloved (See verse 11), are being affected, although they can’t assimilate it themselves. The unspiritual human flees with great fear. See also rev.1 verse 17: “When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He placed his right hand on me and said, “Don't be afraid! I am the first and the last”.  And also 1 Cor. 2 verse14:” Whoever does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God's Spirit. Such a person really does not understand them, and they seem to be nonsense, because their value can be judged only on a spiritual basis”. And again in Acts 9 verse 7: “The men who were traveling with Saul had stopped, not saying a word; they heard the voice but could not see anyone”.

>>> Verses 10-12: Only when Jesus Himself raises us up again, can we stand straight in front of Him.

And, like in verse 12, also to us He wants to come in answer to our prayers. See John 14 verse 26: “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you”. And also see John 15 verse 26: “The Helper will come—the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God and who comes from the Father. I will send him to you from the Father, and he will speak about me”.  And John 16 verse 13: “When, however, the Spirit comes, who reveals the truth about God, he will lead you into all the truth”.

>>> Verse 13: Note that it says that the angel, prince of the kingdom of Persia, opposed him. …. But with the prayer of a righteous person, there is no devilish power that can withstand God’s word and revelation. Also not by the evil god of this world, which was represented by Persia at that time, See 2 Cor. 4verse 4: “They do not believe, because their minds have been kept in the dark by the evil god of this world. He keeps them from seeing the light shining on them….”. Also now we see that the powers of prosperity and materialism (Babylon), occultism (New Age), “Rome” with its ism’s, unbelief and uncleanliness try to obstruct God’s kingdom. 

9.1- Discussion of Daniel 10 verse 1-6

>>> Verse 1: we are in the year 534 BC. Cyrus is the son of Esther (the cousin of Mordecai of the book of Esther). It says here that the message was true but extremely hard to understand. Daniel knew that the message came from God, and therefore was the truth. See John 17 verse 17: “Dedicate them to yourself by means of the truth; your word is truth”. The only place where we can really find the truth is in the bible.

>>> Verses 2 and 3: Daniel suffered because of the coming misery of his people. He was “mourning” it says in verse 2. Persistently, he searches for God’s plan for the salvation of Israel, (see verse 12).

>>> Verses 4-6: And this effort is in accordance with God’s will. It is in effect, participation in God’s plan and action. This He proves to Daniel by revealing Himself to him. See also Revelation 1 verses 12-15: “I turned around to see who was talking to me, and I saw seven gold lampstands,   and among them there was what looked like a human being, wearing a robe that reached to his feet, and a gold band around his chest.     His hair was white as wool, or as snow, and his eyes blazed like fire; his feet shone like brass that has been refined and polished, and his voice sounded like a roaring waterfall”.  This appearance of Revelation 1 is the same as the one explained here in verses 5 and 6 of Daniel 10. And again we find much similarity of this in the Vision of the “One Who Has Been Living Forever” of Daniel 7 verse 9, where we read that “His clothes were white as snow, and his hair was like pure wool. His throne, mounted on fiery wheels, was blazing with fire. It is clear that in all these cases, the Lord Himself appeared in a vision. This occurs in many other instances mentioned in the bible. For example also in Genesis 15 verse 1: “After this, Abram had a vision and heard the Lord say to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I will shield you from danger and give you a great reward”…. Only in this participating unity with Him will we be shielded from danger and be able to obtain insight in the techniques of the powers of misperception and fraud, such as humanism, New Age, apostate world church, false religions, and many other movements and powers that do not come from God. 

9.0- Daniel's Vision by the Tigris River

In Daniel 10 and Daniel 11 verse 1 we read:

1 In the third year that Cyrus was emperor of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who is also called Belteshazzar. The message was true but extremely hard to understand.  It was explained to him in a vision.

2 At that time I was mourning for three weeks. 3 I did not eat any rich food or any meat, drink any wine, or comb my hair until the three weeks were past. 

4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month of the year I was standing on the bank of the mighty Tigris River. 5 I looked up and saw someone who was wearing linen clothes and a belt of fine gold.

6 His body shone like a jewel. His face was as bright as a flash of lightning, and his eyes blazed like fire. His arms and legs shone like polished bronze, and his voice sounded like the roar of a great crowd.

7 I was the only one who saw the vision. Those who were with me did not see anything, but they were terrified and ran and hid. 8 I was left there alone, watching this amazing vision. I had no strength left, and my face was so changed that no one could have recognized me. 9 When I heard his voice, I fell to the ground unconscious and lay there face downward. 10 Then a hand took hold of me and raised me to my hands and knees; I was still trembling.

11 The angel said to me, “Daniel, God loves you. Stand up and listen carefully to what I am going to say. I have been sent to you.” When he had said this, I stood up, still trembling.

12 Then he said, “Daniel, don't be afraid. God has heard your prayers ever since the first day you decided to humble yourself in order to gain understanding. I have come in answer to your prayer.   13 The angel prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief angels, came to help me, because I had been left there alone in Persia. 14 I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the future. This is a vision about the future.”

15 When he said this, I stared at the ground, speechless. 16 Then the angel, who looked like a human being, reached out and touched my lips. I said to him, “Sir, this vision makes me so weak that I can't stop trembling. 17 I am like a slave standing before his master. How can I talk to you? I have no strength or breath left in me.”

18 Once more he took hold of me, and I felt stronger. 19 He said, “God loves you, so don't let anything worry you or frighten you.”

When he had said this, I felt even stronger and said, “Sir, tell me what you have to say. You have made me feel better.”

20-21 He said, “Do you know why I came to you? It is to reveal to you what is written in the book of Truth

Now I have to go back and fight the guardian angel of Persia. After that the guardian angel of Greece will appear. There is no one to help me except Michael, Israel's guardian angel.

He is responsible for helping and defending me.

8.3- Discussion of Daniel 9, verse 27

<<< Verse 27: Suddenly appears here “the ruler”, which is the antichrist. The jump Daniel makes here to the end of times is also the division between the 69 “yearweeks” and the seventieth “yearweek”.

The reason for this long time span is because it concerns here the restoration of all of Israel. See verse 7 of this chapter: “This is true of all of us who live in Judea and in Jerusalem and of all the Israelites whom you scattered in countries near and far because they were unfaithful to you”. This period of time between the 69 “yearweeks” and the seventieth “yearweek” is called in the bible: “The time of the gentiles”. See also Luke 21 verse 24 where we see that a fixed time is set for the heathen to attack Jerusalem: “Some will be killed by the sword, and others will be taken as prisoners to all countries; and the heathen will trample over Jerusalem until their time is up” And also Revelations 11 verse 2:”But do not measure the outer courts, because they have been given to the heathen, who will trample on the Holy City for forty-two months”. ….These 42 months are those of the “Great Tribulation”, which will start immediately after the antichrist breaks the peace pact he had set up, including with Israel. 

This firm pact is the treacherous pact the antichrist will have at the beginning of the last “yearweek”, or 7 years.

In the midst of this, by God fixed period of 7 years, he will show his real nature and bring great evil to Israel by destruction and also ending the daily offering. See also Daniel 8 verse 11: “It even defied the Prince of the heavenly army, stopped the daily sacrifices offered to him, and ruined the Temple”. And also Dan. 11verse 31: “Some of his soldiers will make the Temple ritually unclean. They will stop the daily sacrifices and set up The Awful Horror”, and Matt. 24 verse 15: “You will see ‘The Awful Horror’ of which the prophet Daniel spoke. It will be standing in the holy place”, ….. and more verses such as in 2Thess. 2: 3 and 4, Rev. 13: 3 and 4 and 12-15, Rev. 16: 2, and Daniel 12: 11.

The antichrist will continue his awful destruction and devastation for the time God has prepared for him. After this time of great tribulation, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, will return. See Matthew24 verse 29-31: “Soon after the trouble of those days, the sun will grow dark, the moon will no longer shine, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers in space will be driven from their courses.  Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky; and all the peoples of earth will weep as they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. The great trumpet will sound, and he will send out his angels to the four corners of the earth, and they will gather his chosen people from one end of the world to the other”.  ….. This will mean the end of the seventh week, or last seven years, as seen by Daniel in his vision. 

8.2- Discussion of Daniel 9, verses 25 and 26

>>>Verse 25: Basically, at the time from 536-457 B.C., the Israelites were a group of people with no real government, city, or well defined country. It wasn't until Artaxerxes came to the throne in 464 B.C., that we actually see them starting to rebuild the city. The time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem occurred in approximately 457 BC. See Nehemiah 2 verse 1-8, where we read:  “One day four months later, when Emperor Artaxerxes was dining, I took the wine to him. He had never seen me look sad before, so he asked, “Why are you looking so sad…………...“What is it that you want?” …… and then I said to the emperor, “……..  let me go to the land of Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, so that I can rebuild the city.” The emperor, with the empress sitting at his side, approved my request…………….. I asked also for a letter to the keeper of the royal forests, instructing him to supply me with timber for the gates of the fort that guards the Temple, for the city walls, and for the house I was to live in. The emperor gave me all I asked for, because God was with me”. The rebuilding of the city took 49 years. The restoration is finished in approximately 408 BC, 49 years later. (-457 + 49= - 408).    

62 “yearweeks” later (=434 years in reality,-> 62 times 7= 434), Jesus Christ arrives as Messiah in the year 27 AD, approximately.

During all of the years that Jerusalem existed, until the arrival of the Messiah, the Jews have been suffering under the Persians, the Greek, the Seleucids, The Ptolemy’s, the Maccabees, the Romans, such that this has been “a time of troubles” as is mentioned at the end of this verse.

>>> Verse 26: The 69 “yearweeks” bring us at the time of Jesus’ death on the cross.  This is the time mentioned in this verse saying that :  God's chosen leader, (the Messiah), will be killed unjustly”, and there is nothing that can be said against Him.

See John 15 verse 25: “This, however, was bound to happen so that what is written in their Law may come true: They hated me for no reason at all.” And also Isaiah 53 verse 5: “But because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did” 

The destruction of Jerusalem took place in 70 AC., however not without God’s permission, See Romans 8 verse 20: For creation was condemned to lose its purpose, not of its own will, but because God willed it to be so. Yet there was the hope……” This is the hope for the New Jerusalem. 

8.1- Discussion of Daniel 9, verses 20-24

>>> Verses 20-23: From the moment that Daniel began to plead with God, He already answered him. God wants to be prayed to. See Ephesians 6 verse 18: “Do all this in prayer, asking for God's help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God's people”.

In the beginning of verse 20 it says: “I (Daniel) went on praying”….  Our prayers are as “gold bowls filled with incense”, to His honor. See Rev. 5 verse 8: “As he did so, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each had a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God's people”. See also Rev. 8 verses 3 and 4: “Another angel, who had a gold incense container, came and stood at the altar. He was given a lot of incense to add to the prayers of all God's people and to offer it on the gold altar that stands before the throne. The smoke of the burning incense went up with the prayers of God's people from the hands of the angel standing before God”

Verse 21 says that it was the “time for the evening sacrifice to be offered”. God always acts at the time of - (and on the basis of) - the evening sacrifice. This of course speaks of Golgotha, where Jesus died towards the evening. See also 1 Kings 18 verse 29: “They kept on ranting and raving until the middle of the afternoon; but no answer came, not a sound was heard”. Only after that, in the evening, Elijah set about repairing the altar of the Lord.

>>> Verse 24: The 70 years, about which Daniel prayed in verse 2, and where it says that he “was studying the sacred books and thinking about the seventy years that Jerusalem would be in ruins “, are now being explained by Gabriel. It is important to understand the relation between verse 2 and verses 24 – 27: Because, as the 70 years of exile relate to the 490 years of iniquity (not celebrated Sabbath rests), these 70 years also speak about the coming 490 years- (70 “sevens” of yearweeks)- , in which all the iniquities are being reconciled. These iniquities include those of the whole nation of Israel, and not only the Jews. In this verse it says: “Sin will be forgiven and eternal justice established”. This is prophecy of the time when all sin will be ended and the eternal kingdom of the Messiah is being installed.