Daniel stayed behind in Babylon when King Cyrus sent the Jews back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Maybe he was too old to travel, or maybe his responsibilities as an administrator in the Persian Empire kept him where he was, but whatever the reason, Daniel was perfectly placed to continue his work of prayer on behalf of his people.

In Daniel 9 he prayed fervently, confessing the sins of the nation and God rewarded him with a vision of the Anointed One, the Savior who would come and take away the sins of the world. In today’s passages Daniel prayed deeply again and once again he received a great vision of the future.

A Unique Prophet

In his excellent commentary on Daniel, Dr. John Walvoord  had this to say about the passages we read today:

“The final three chapters of the book of Daniel record an extensive revelation of the prophetic future which is without parallel anywhere else in Scripture, As Leupold has expressed it, “There is hardly anything in the Bible that is just like these chapters, especially like chapter 11. The word, the vision, and minute prediction are combined in a manner that is found nowhere else in the Scriptures.” https://walvoord.com/article/251

Dr. Warlvoord’s commentary can be read online and I really recommend it, especially for these final chapters of Daniel.

Because Daniel was so constant in prayer he was regularly in position to hear the voice of God. And because he was such a faithful servant, he excelled in recording the Word of the Lord. As the centuries passed, readers saw history unfold just as Daniel predicted.

The Heavenly Messenger

Two years after the people of Israel returned to Jerusalem, the work of rebuilding the temple halted because of opposition from their neighbors. Daniel must have heard about this and he plunged into prayer for his people.

“At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.” Daniel 10:2

Daniel was engaged in spiritual warfare, fasting from certain foods and avoiding all self-indulgence until he felt released from the need to pray.

After twenty-one days Daniel saw his fourth great vision, a heavenly man, whose face shone like lightning, whose eyes were on fire, and whose body gleamed like topaz and polished brass. When he spoke to Daniel his voice sounded like the voice of a multitude.

The people who were with Daniel couldn’t see the vision, but they were terrified by the unseen presence and they fled. Daniel lost all his strength and fell to the ground in a deep sleep. The man raised him trembling to his hands and knees and explained why he had come.

“Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.” Daniel 10:12

While Daniel was engaged in spiritual warfare for twenty-one days, the heavenly man was on his way with an answer to his prayers. But the messenger was delayed for exactly twenty-one days in a battle with spiritual forces over Persia. While Daniel prayed about conflict on the earth, God’s messenger fought a battle in the air.

Highly Esteemed Man of God

God loves everyone, but there are some people who earn his special esteem, and Daniel was one of them. When Daniel was overcome by the presence of the messenger, the man gently touched him and told him how much he was loved. It was as if he were quieting a frightened child.

“Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. ‘Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,’ he said. ‘Peace! Be strong now; be strong.’” Daniel 10:11,19

Daniel drew strength from the man and was able to  listen to what he had to say. The messenger was part of continuing warfare in the spiritual realm. He had won a battle with the satanic angel over Persia, but he was going to back to fight again, and then there would be a dark spiritual force over Greece for him to battle.

The Prophetic Vision

Daniel’s fourth vision prophesied the complex and multifaceted story of the rise of the Greek Empire. Daniel recorded this prophecy in the sixth century BC, but events he predicted didn’t begin to unfold until two hundred years later, in the fourth century BC.

Bible scholars and historians agree that Daniel’s writings are the most complete example of prophecy being fulfilled in the Bible. It’s so amazingly accurate that for a time there was an attempt to prove that Daniel’s book must be a forgery. But when fragments of the Book of Daniel were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Qumran caves in Jordan, careful study revealed that Daniel was a man who actually lived and wrote his prophecies in the sixth century.

I don’t have room in this space to explain how prophecies in Daniel 11:1-35 relate to all of the actual historic events that followed, but please go to https://walvoord.com/article/252 and read John Walvoord’s commentary on Daniel 11:1-35.

It will strengthen your faith and encourage your belief in the truth of Scripture!

The Anti-Christ

The man Daniel described in Daniel 11:36 – 12:4 has not yet appeared on the earth. He is the ultimate anti-Christ, a person who will have more global power than any other tyrant who ever lived. He will exalt himself above every god, and he will defy the God of gods.

He will reward his followers, but the people who belong to Jehovah will be in constant danger as the Anti-Christ attempts to slay every one of them. He will control commerce and military might all over the world, making life impossible for those he hates.

“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people – everyone whose name is found written in the book – will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, other to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” Daniel 12:1-3

There are several theological views of the timing and sequence of these end-of-time events. As it was with every prophecy, no one knows how it will actually be fulfilled until it is fulfilled.

Eschatology, the study of end times, is beyond the scope of what I am writing here, but we can rest assured that what God has said will come to pass in his perfect timing and order. And the Lord will care for his people, no matter what happens.

Two Prophets Come to Jerusalem

When God saw that his people had stopped working on the temple, he sent the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to speak to them. The people had gone to their homes and were building them instead of the temple.

“Then the word of the Lord  came through the prophet Haggai: ‘Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?’” Haggai 1:3

The prophet asked them to consider how well life was going while they disobeyed God. They planted crops that produced failed harvests; they went hungry and thirsty; they were dissatisfied in almost every way because they weren’t experiencing the blessings of the Lord.

“‘You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.’” Haggai 1:9

God was able to provide everything his people needed to prosper. All he asked was that they put him first. If they were worried about opposition from their neighbors, he could take care of that, too.

The People Pay Attention

Fortunately, Zerubbabel and the other leaders listened to Haggai. The people decided to resume the work God had given them and Haggai was able to give them God’s blessing.

“‘I am with you’ declares the Lord. So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God.” Haggai 1:13-14

The people of Judah ran into opposition and it brought them to a halt. But in the heavenly realms, angels were doing battle for them, in Babylon Daniel was praying fo them, and in Jerusalem God was with them.  God holds his people in high esteem and he fights for them — and for us when we belong to him.