CHAPTER 10
In Daniel 10 we king of get a “backstage tour” of the unseen realm.
This is the chapter where we get “The Daniel Fast;” where one eats a bland vegetarian diet for 21 days. 🥕🥬🥦🥒🥑🍠
Daniel has been fasting and praying and mourning (that part usually gets left out) for 3 weeks. And on the 24th day, he sees a vision of a figure whose description matches that of Christ.
“I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man dressed in linen, whose waist had a belt of pure gold of Uphaz. His body also was like topaz, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.”
Daniel 10:5-6 NASB2020
“and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and wrapped around the chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze when it has been heated to a glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.”
Revelation 1:13-15 NASB2020
Both Daniel and John have the exact same response to this encounter – they fall on their faces like dead men. And in both instances, the shining Man touches them and tells them “Fear not.”
Then the shining Man tells Daniel something VERY interesting – he has been in a fight.
“Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia…
Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come. But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince.”
Daniel 10:12-13, 20-21 ESV
These are clearly not earthly princes.
Whoever the “Prince of Persia” is, he is opposed to this mysterious shining Man who is described in terms identical to Christ.
You get the sense that, like David’s 3 mightiest men getting water from the well of Bethlehem, the shining Man has broken through the lines of the principalities and powers of this world in order to bring this precious Word to Daniel.
We can glean a lot from these few verses.
- There are spiritual entities that are connected to empires and geographic locations
- That these entities actively resist the Word of the Lord and seek to interfere between God and His people
- That persistence in prayer is crucial because of potential unseen battles holding up the delivery of an answer
- That the LORD knows the future
- That He is personally involved in the happenings of the spirit-realm
- That the archangel Michael is assigned to God’s people and valiantly fights against rebel spiritual entities
BUT… it’s also crucial that we understand:
THIS IS A SNAPSHOT of OT REALITY, NOT NT REALITY.
And, while I would assume that some aspects would still be the same or similar, we must remember that as of the Ascension of Christ…
“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Matthew 28:18 ESV
“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”
Colossians 2:9-10 ESV
“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”
Colossians 2:15 ESV
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39 ESV
“…and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
Ephesians 1:19-23 ESV
“Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.”
1 Peter 3:21-22 ESV
(I could keep going but you get the idea.)
The resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ changed everything. And I do mean everything, both on earth and in the spiritual realms.
All authority belong to Jesus. But that doesn’t mean that all the beings in the heavens and on earth currently obey Him. So we still battle “against principalities and powers,” Eph. 6:12, but the outcome of the war is settled.
It’s a tantalizing peek behind the veil into the supernatural realm. If you would like to see a 6-min video that does a great job visualizing these evil forces, click here.
CHAPTERS 11 – 12
The Shining Man is the One Who brings this Word to Daniel. And He starts by explaining that He is the One Who established the rule of Darius.
“And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him.”
Daniel 11:1 ESV
If you are interested in a blow-by-blow, verse-by-verse explanation of Daniel 11-12, you won’t get that here. That’s WAY beyond the scope of this blog. I recommend reading a commentary (or 3). Here are a couple freebies.
Matthew Henry’s a super detailed, though I do not agree with his suggestion that Michael is another name for Jesus. For JF&B, you’d need to already be pretty familiar with the content but they have some great info too. Read, learn. You are under no obligation to agree.
I recommend commentaries because Daniel 11-12 is crammed with history we do not know. And because we don’t know it, we can easily get confused, lost, or even assume that this prophecy is all about things in the future when they are actually nearly all in the past. Commentators connect the text to the history fulfilled by it.
There are plenty of other commentary options if these don’t suit you. And I really do recommend reading a least 2. You’ll find that they are in strong agreement as to the identities of “the king of the south” (Egypt under the Ptolomies) and “the king of the north” (the Seleucid Empire, and in particular Antiochus Epiphanes), and the events (which are now a matter of history) that Daniel writes about. If we had all grown up reading ancient historians, Daniel 11-12 would sound like a history review of the Grecian Empire from the death of Alexander the Great through the death of the deplorable Antiochus IV Epiphanes, rather than some kind of cryptic secret message.
The bottom line is – nearly all of this content is about the past. It wasn’t past to Daniel. It was very valuable future information for a time when there would be NO prophets to help God’s people understand what was happening and why.
Up through the building of the 2nd temple and the events of the book of Esther, there are prophets: Daniel, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Then nothing… until John the Baptist. The people of God will go through one of the top 4 worst experiences in their entire national history and there won’t be a single prophet around to help them make sense of it or encourage them to stay faithful to Yahweh. So the LORD gives them this detailed prophecy centuries in advance.
😐 What are the top 4?
I would say, based on history (and in chronological order):
- The destruction of the 1st temple and the exile of the Jews by Babylon
- The desecration of the 2nd temple and persecution under Antiochus Epiphanes
- The destruction of the 2nd temple and the exile of the Jews by Rome
- The Holocaust & Stalin’s Pogroms of the 20th Century
Jesus Himself references Daniel’s “Abomination that makes desolate” as something not only past but also future to the disciples.
“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”
Matthew 24:15-16 ESV
In this same dialog in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus gives the context at the start. It’s the destruction of the temple; which we know happened in 70AD. And the disciples ask when that would happen. And Jesus’ answer of when the temple would be destroyed includes a reference to Daniel’s “abomination of desolation.”
“And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”
“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”
Mark 13:2-4, 14 ESV
This is concerning “those who are in Judea” not “those who are in America.”
Again, my note to self a the beginning of Daniel: “Daniel wrote for captive Jews, not 20th or 21st century Christians.”
But look how the Holy Spirit inspired Luke to record this same conversation.
“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
Luke 21:20-24 ESV
Jesus spoke of the “Abomination of Desolation” as something the people in Judea would face in their lifetimes. And that after it would be an unspecified “times of the Gentiles.” It may be that the trampling of Jerusalem by the Gentiles connects to this:
“but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.”
Revelation 11:2 ESV
Will there be a 3rd Jewish Temple and a 3rd “Abomination of Desolation?” I don’t know. Maybe. Prophecy is repetition of pattern. But I don’t think any of these texts from the Gospels or Daniel specifically require that. Jesus is clearly talking about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD. And the Christians took Him seriously and left before the Romans showed up.
Could there be a spiritual fulfillment of a 3rd Abomination of Desolation where the Church has idols set up within her? I don’t know that either. Some would say that has already happened and continues to happen.
It behooveth us to be very careful when interpreting a text as applying to our future. Because, if we happen to be wrong, then we set ourselves to anticipate something that may never occur. And we would look for it. And if you look for something very hard, you are apt to see it whether it’s truly there or not.
What I’m trying to say is…
Let’s all hold our interpretations of future events rather lightly. Let’s be nimble and humble and continually learning, and prepared to change our understanding if need-be. Let’s not demand that…
There MUST be a 3rd Temple and it MUST be on the Temple Mount and then there MUST be a supreme world dictator who goes into said temple and sits on a throne and demands worship in order for the scriptures to be fulfilled.
Cuz, what if it doesn’t look like that?
What if none of that happens like the Left Behind series imagined?
What if a future “man of sin” is not an obviously evil world dictator? Would you support him? What if he looked nearly identical to Jesus and actually saved the world? What if he finally brought about an end to war and accomplished world peace?Do you think even some Christians would be fooled?
Jesus’ first coming didn’t look like what all the prophecy experts (the Pharisees) thought it would look like.
And I suspect that the events surrounding His return will (again) not look like what the prophecy experts think it will look like.
The reason for the tendency to interpret at least part of Daniel 11-12 as future to us is because he speaks of a time of great trouble and a resurrection (12:1-3) and that sounds a lot like a “Great Tribulation” and the final resurrection which has not yet occurred.
This may indeed refer to the final tribulation and resurrection, in which case, we need to realize that centuries of the Church Age are skipped over. This is not unusual in OT prophecy. We’ve already observed it a few times.
It might also be a dual prophecy. It could refer not only to the time of the end but also the “resurrection” of Ezekiel’s dry bones. The nation of Israel is resurrected and some of them are faithful to Yahweh (they rise to “everlasting life” – incidentally, the first time this term is used in the Bible) and some forsake Yahweh and partner with the Greeks (everlasting contempt).
“And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.”
Daniel 12:6-7 ESV
If Daniel – who could interpret all those wild dreams and visions – “heard and did not understand,” (v8), then I think we should be very humble about thinking we DO understand it and be leery of anyone who claims they have it all worked out.
The “time, times, and a half a time,” (3 and a half), is a period of time that shows up a lot in scripture.
- It is half of a prophetic “week” in Daniel’s 70 weeks.
- The length of time Jerusalem was held by Antiochus IV Epiphanes according to Josephus and other historians
- Length of time after which “he” causes the sacrifices to cease (Dan. 9:27)
- The length of Christ’s public ministry
- Length of time that the Gentile nations “trample” the city of Jerusalem (Rev. 11:2)
- Length of time that “the two witnesses” prophesy (Rev. 11:3)
- The 2 Witnesses lie dead for “3 and a half days” and then are resurrected and ascend to heaven as their enemies look on (Rev. 11:9-12)
- The woman who gives birth to the Messiah is protected in the wilderness for “a time, times, and half a time” (Rev. 12:13-14)
It’s clearly an important number.
Here’s another “fun fact.” If one were to overlay the whole of human history (as stated by the Bible) on to a 7,000 year long “week,” the events prophesied here of the kings of the north and south and the desolation of the temple, happen after exactly 3 and a half “days” of history.
The interesting thing about the “time, times, and a half a time” is that it isn’t either of the usual Hebrew words for time.
The Hebrew word for “day” is also used for “time.” This is the word used in “the DAY of the Lord.”
Daniel’s “time, times, and half time” is this:
If this looks familiar it’s because we’ve looked at it before in Har Mowed (Armageddon), the Mount of Assembly.
Mow’ed is a fixed or appointed time. It’s not just any old time. The Lexam English Translation captures this very well:
“And I heard the man who was clothed in linen who was above the water of the stream, and he raised his right hand and his left hand to heaven and he swore by the one who lives forever that an appointed time, appointed times, and half an appointed time would pass when the shattering of the power of the holy people would be completed; then all these things will be accomplished.”
Daniel 12:7 LEB
Y’all, I have a timeline that I drew in my Bible at the end of Daniel (which I made probably 20 years ago). I attempted to put a date on a future Abomination of Desolation and the two witnesses and maybe a ballpark estimate on the return of “Messiah the Prince.” I did math. Lots of math.
😏 And we know how good you are at that.
I considered lots of important historical dates and counted days and weeks of years based on those dates. If any of it was going to work the way I had it figured, the two witnesses should’ve showed up in early 2023. And the Image of the Beast would’ve been ordering us all to be marked with a 666 last year.
Thank goodness the timeline is in pencil. It’s time I erased it.
Those dates and days and 3 and half years in Daniel are not about the second coming of Christ. They just aren’t. If they were, then I don’t think Jesus could’ve said “no man knows the day or the hour.”
I have been a serious student of prophecy since about age 14 when Mom and Dad got us up at Heaven-only-knows how early to have morning Bible study on Daniel and Revelation.
😐 You had family Bible study on Daniel and Revelation before breakfast?
Before sunrise.
😯 Whoah. That is hard core.
I even took the class Daniel-Revelation at Bible College TWICE so I could hear the perspectives of two very different professors.
Daniel and Revelation in my Bible are packed with notes, circles, lines, arrows, and dates. After all these years of study, I have to say with Daniel…
“But as for me, I heard but did not understand; so I said, “My Lord, what will be the outcome of these events?”
Daniel 12:8 NASB2020
My best summary of Daniel’s visions of:
- The 4 beasts & the horns
- The Ram & Goat with the horns
- The 70 weeks
- The Kings of North & South
They’re all covering the same period of history from the time of Daniel to the time of Jesus.
And, since prophecy and fulfillment show up as repeated patterns, some of the things prophesied about the temple desolation under Antiochus applied to the temple desolation under Rome.
Antiochus Epiphanes is vey possibly a pattern for a future Antichrist. He was certainly a super-villain to the Jews on par with Hitler in intensity if not in scale.
The book of Daniel gave Jewish people persecuted under Antiochus hope because it designated a clear END to the devastation. It was an appointed time meant to purify, cleanse, and refine God’s people. And for saints today, and in the years to come, who must also face the refiner’s fire of persecution, we can also know that the fire will not last forever. It will come to its appointed end because our God, who walks in the fire with us, is in control of ALL the kingdoms of this world. And His Kingdom rules over all and has no end.
To The Reader 