{Teaching notes from mid-September, 2024, broadcast of Mishkan Katan. Video is now on my YouTube @genahood2818, under the Messianic LAMB TV network.}
Boker Tov! Good morning, and welcome back to Mishkan Katan. I was away from the studio much of last week, but I hope you were blessed by my interview with the esteemed linguist and Bible scholar, Andrew Gabriel Roth. I’ve gotten good feedback on that interview. If you did not have a chance to catch it live or in the On Demand section of the Lamb Network, you can find it now on my YouTube channel. The channel name is scrolling across the bottom of your screen. I’m very much being blessed by reading this new translation.
Allright, this morning we are back to our study of the book of Daniel, and as we usually do we are going to proceed through verse by verse, with probably a rabbit trail or two, as that is my usual style.
By the way, a couple of broadcasts ago, I referenced a book by Joseph Good, but could not think of the title. Here it is: “Rosh Hashanah and the Messianic Kingdom to Come”. Great book!
Let’s look at the first verse of chapter 10. I’m using the Complete Jewish Bible translation this morning.
In the third year of Koresh king of Persia, a word was revealed to Dani’el, also called Belt’shatzar. The word was certain: a great war. He understood the word, having gained understanding in the vision.
Remember that Koresh is the Hebrew pronunciation of “Cyrus”. So, this is King Cyrus the Persian, referred to here. Keep in mind that the chapters of Daniel are not presented in chronological order. Things seem to move along pretty chronologically until you get to Daniel 5 and 6. These two chapters occur chronologically AFTER chapters 7 and 8. Then, chapter 9 occurred in the one year that Darius ruled. Many believe he ruled for only one year. Chapter 10 occurred around 3-4 years later, in the 3rd year of the nephew of Darius the Mede, Cyrus the Persian.
Chapters 10-12 of the book of Daniel should be studied as a whole, since they are all related to the final vision given in this amazing revelation. Chapter 10 sets up the vision. It tells where it occurred, when it occurred, who appeared to reveal it, etc. Chapter 11 and barely over into ch. 12 relays the actual contents of the vision. And, then, the bulk of chapter 12 concerns the final instructions. Chapter 12 is brief, by comparison. Taken all together, these three chapters comprise Daniel’s final revelation from Father Yahweh. As we examine them, we are going to be given a peek into the “other world” that surrounds mankind. I’m referring to the spirit world, where angels and demons clash and battle, in the war of good against evil, Yahweh against HaSatan. Let’s continue on with chapter 10 now.
2 At that time I, Dani’el, had been mourning for three whole weeks. 3 I hadn’t eaten any food that satisfied me — neither meat nor wine had entered my mouth, and I didn’t anoint myself once, until three full weeks had passed.
Remember that, at this time, Daniel was close to 100 years old. Yet, he still retained his clarity of mind and at least some physical vigor. It was likely not physically wise for such an elderly man to return to Jerusalem with the first wave of returning refugees. By this time, Cyrus had made his decree that the exiles could return, and they had been returning. By leaving Daniel in his more “cushy” environment, God ensured he’d be in good shape to receive this final vision.
These elderly man experiences of Daniel’s remind me of those of the apostle John, on the Isle of Patmos. Both men were well-past 80. Both were in exile. Both must have felt quite alone. John had recently learned that he was the only living apostle. Both must have wondered if he had outlived his usefulness. My very elderly aunt has expressed this, since her husband died in his late 80s about 7 years ago. She can’t figure out why she is still alive. She questions her purpose. But, we can never tell when Father Yahweh is going to reveal Himself powerfully to us. He often does so after we take a major step of faith, I’ve noticed in my own life, at least. If you are truly following the example of the Mashiach, worshipping the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul, or at least trying to, you will NOT outlive your usefulness! Be clear on this: if you are still here, God still has plans for you.
If we read those verses carefully, the text does NOT say that he had fasted for three whole weeks. That could have killed him. However, because he was in mourning, he did not eat rich, satisfying food. The text also does not say that he did not bathe for three weeks. Rather, it says he did not anoint himself with body oil, a common practice in that dry, arid climate. The vision came to him as he was in this period of mourning, probably at the end of it. What do you think he was mourning? It appears from the text that, prior to the period of mourning, he had received a “word” from the Lord, that a great war was imminent. This knowledge was incomplete, however. That a great war was coming was all he knew. It was enough to send him into this period of semi-fasting and self-denial, certainly accompanied by much prayer. It is obvious he dearly loved his people.
I got to thinking about how things are going in the USA at the moment, and also in Israel. I’ve been praying for deliverance for both countries, but I have not been semi-fasting, nor have I let my grooming lapse. It is quite convicting to read about how diligent, how patient and persistent Daniel was in seeking the Lord’s face, when he heard from the Almighty just a word of what was in store for his people.
4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, I was on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, 5 when I looked up, and there before me was a man dressed in linen wearing a belt made of fine Ufaz gold. 6 His body was like beryl, his face looked like lightning and his eyes like fiery torches; his arms and feet were the color of burnished bronze; and when he spoke, it sounded like the roar of a crowd. 7 Only I, Dani’el, saw the vision; the men who were with me did not see the vision; however, a great trembling fell over them; so that they rushed to hide themselves.
After Exodus 12, the first month of the Jewish religious year was changed by Father Yahweh Himself to Nisan/Aviv, which is in the spring, March or April. So, this vision took place on Nisan 24 of that year, what many believe to have been 536 BCE. Formerly, Genesis 1:1 through Exodus 11, the first month had been the month of Tishri, which occurs in Sept./Oct. To this day, on the Jewish civil calendar, Tishri is month one. Judaism has two main, operational calendars today, religious and civil. The names of the months are the same, and they are in the same order. It’s just the starting month that is different, when you are trying to describe the religious calendar vs. the civil. We are coming up on the month of Tishri next week, according to the rabbinical calendar.
Ok, so, we don’t have to wonder about which river is being referred to because Daniel comes right out and tells us that. Let’s look at this figure being described in verses 5 and 6. What are his characteristics?
*a man-like person, dressed in linen
*Belt of fine gold
*Body (like) beryl (a precious stone of a sea-green color; emerald and aquamarine are beryl)
*Face (like) the brilliance of lightning
*Eyes like fiery torches
*arms and feet like burnished bronze
*Voice like the roar of a crowd
Verse 7 tells us that his companions, his “men-in-waiting", maybe his Secret Service? They did not see this personage, but something filled them with a fearful awe, so much so that they ran away and hid, to get away from it.
Who do we think this was? The Jewish sages believe this “man” was the angel Gabriel. However, I don’t believe this to be the case. Daniel had encountered Gabriel before, and he did not have such a violent reaction on those occasions as he does here. Let’s look at verse 8. It sounds like to me Daniel very nearly had a stroke!
8 Thus I was left alone; and when I saw this great vision, there was no strength left in me — my face, normally pleasant-looking, became disfigured; and I had no strength. 9 I heard his voice speaking; and when I heard him speaking, I fell down in a faint, with my face to the ground.
I believe this was an appearance of the Divine, Majestic Mystery - - the Godhead. Although in Daniel 7, the prophet had seen Yeshua in the throne room of God, this appearance here in chapter 10 was very much more intense. Think of seeing a meteor far away in the night sky, and then think of one landing in your front yard. Distance is key! But, back to my assertion, namely that this appearance was of the divine godhead, let’s look at a couple of other passages, sets of descriptions for comparison. Turn with me, keeping your finger there at Daniel 10, to Ezekiel 1:25-28. What descriptors do we see given there?
*A person/man on or above a throne
*gleaming amber-colored fire, from the waist-up
*fire, from the waist-down
*surrounded by brilliant light
*CJB says in vs. 28 - - “This brilliance around him looked like a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was how the appearance of the glory of Adonai looked.”
Isn’t that glorious and awesome? The Sh’khinah (Shekinah) glory of Father Yahweh. The central personage in this Ezekiel vision is obviously “divine”.
The apostle John, in his gospel refers to Yeshua thusly in John 1:14.
14 The Word became a human being and lived with us,
and we saw his Sh’khinah,
the Sh’khinah of the Father’s only Son,
full of grace and truth.
Did you notice any other comparisons to the description in Daniel 10?
Ok, let’s move to the last comparison I want you to see. Turn to Revelation 1:12-16. There’s no doubt about the identity of the divine personage in these Revelation verses.
Again, let’s list descriptors:
*like a Son of Man
*robe down to His feet
*gold band around chest
*white hair
*eyes like fire
*feet like burnished brass
*voice like the sound of rushing waters
In this third instance, the personage identifies Himself as Yeshua, and as in the previous two very similar appearances, the man of God seeing Him falls down on his face. What do you think? I think all three are manifestations of the Divine Majestic Mystery, the Godhead, the Echad, the One.
The word “like” occurs often when we read these descriptions, doesn’t it? In Daniel, the word is used 28 times. In the book of Revelation, it is used 63 times by the apostle John. And, the granddaddy of them all, Ezekiel, uses the word 92 times to try to describe the indescribable. All three authors were the recipients of supernatural visions, seeing things they could barely describe at all. Actually, I think they did rather well!
If you will recall a few weeks ago, when we were studying chapter 8, Father Yahweh introduced the interpretation, and then turned the detailed explanation over to an angel. We are going to see the same thing happen here, next.
10 Then a hand touched me and raised me, tottering, to my hands and knees. 11 He said to me, “Dani’el, you are a greatly loved man. Now pay attention to the words I am saying to you, and stand upright; for it is to you that I have been sent now.” After he had said this to me, I stood up, trembling.
In the Hebrew, the phrase “I have been sent” is “shoo-LAKH-tee", a verb form of the noun “malakh”, often translated as “messenger” or “angel” in the Bible. The being who touched Daniel was a “sent one”, a messenger. The messenger tells Daniel that he is a greatly loved man. Loved by whom? The implication is that Daniel is greatly loved by the One who sent the messenger TO him, that is the Almighty. What a way to begin a conversation! What a compliment from Father Yahweh Himself! But then, it starts to get funky!
12 Then he said to me, “Don’t be afraid, Dani’el; because since the first day that you determined to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words have been heard; and I have come because of what you said. 13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia prevented me from coming for twenty-one days; but Mikha’el, one of the chief princes, came to assist me; so that I was no longer needed there with the kings of Persia. 14 So I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the acharit-hayamim; for there is still another vision which will relate to those days.”
As is often the custom when a human has an encounter with non-human spirit beings, usually angels, the human is told “be not afraid”. It’s always good to hear those words of comfort, isn’t it? Next, the angel peels back the curtain. He says that he had been in a spiritual warfare conflict for the past 21 days with a spirit being, a fallen angelic being under the control of HaSatan, called “the prince of Persia”. Let’s hop back to my assertion/interpretation that the two holy spiritual beings in this chapter are the same one. I’ve asserted that the first was the Son of God, an appearance of the Divine, Majestic Mystery, and that this one who touched Daniel was a holy angel/messenger. Ok, so, if both holy beings in this chapter are the same one, i.e. a manifestation of the Divine, could ANY malevolent, fallen spiritual being have opposed Him at all, much less for 21 days? I certainly think NOT.
No, this spirit being who touched Daniel on the shoulder and then proceeded to speak with Him was not an appearance of the Godhead. He was, however, a very high-ranking angel. Otherwise, he could not have withstood such a high, territorial prince, such as the Prince of Persia for 21 days. AND, it took a really powerful angel, very high-ranking, to take over for him and allow him to come bring the Almighty’s message to Daniel. Some believe this angel was another of the archangels, Gabriel, the same Gabriel who appeared to Zacharias and to Mary (Miriam). But, we really don’t know this for certain.
Apparently, in the spiritual realm, there are high-ranking angels assigned to various countries. Here we see mentioned a “prince” (meaning angelic being) of Greece and a “prince” of Persia, with Michael being the “prince” of Daniel’s people, i.e. Israel. Man, Michael must be working overtime these days....
This is the first mention of the archangel (a “chief prince”) Michael in Scripture. Amir Tsarfati mentions that Michael is the most senior of the archangel rank. I find it very interesting that no angels are mentioned by name until we get to the book of Daniel.
This story enables us to realize why sometimes our prayers are not immediately answered. Spiritual warfare may not be the reason all of our prayers go “unanswered”, but it could certainly be “A” reason that some of them do! Perhaps the angel’s story in verse 13 resonates with you, because you have been praying and praying for something. Yet, God has not said, “yes.” He does not appear to have said, “no”, either. The answer appears to be “wait.” Not my favorite answer, and I imagine not yours either!
I have a friend in our local congregation who had been praying for years and years for her grandfather to come to know the Lord. She had invited him to church SO many times. The other Saturday night, at 11:30, he called her up and said, “Becca, I’m coming to church with you tomorrow.” The next morning, there he was ... this little 80-something gentleman. When the invitation was given at the end of the service, here he came, walking down the aisle, and the rest of the family followed him, in a show of support, hugging and crying tears of joy, as he cried tears of repentance. What a joy it was to witness!
Another friend of mine got married this past June. She is in her early 40s. Some may have thought God would never answer her prayer for a godly husband. Maybe she wondered too! But, in His own perfect timing, He did! How glorious to see her radiant face at the altar. Answered prayers....many prayers!
In my own life, I got to be an answer to prayer. My husband was 51 when we got married. It was his first marriage too, in case that question is in your mind...He told me that he used to lie in bed at night and ask God to send him a wife. The timing might have seemed odd, but in His own perfect timing, again, God answered! We are about to celebrate our 31st wedding anniversary. Glory to God! 31 beautiful years!
Our sons are not walking with God, and have not since high school. I’ve been very burdened about this and often wonder if their profession of faith was real, was genuine, or WORSE, if they will ever be converted and become a part of the Bride of Messiah? It has taken me years to get to this point - - after years and years of self-torture, where I blamed myself for their wandering ways and so on. People would say, “Believe the promises of God ... ‘train up a child in the way he should go, etc.’ I would point out to them that if that were true 100% of the time all the offspring of the faithful would come to salvation. “It’s a general principle,” I’d retort. All of this tormented me for nearly 15 years. But, I have finally decided (and this is a supernatural work of God in my life) that I am going to trust that God will bring them into His kingdom, in his own timing. A few weeks ago I saw a movie where one of the characters came to know the Lord after the death of his father, who was a fervent minister of the gospel and who had prayed for his son until his dying day. I may not live to see my sons become “mighty men of God.” Still, I am entrusting their souls to my Heavenly Father. 100%.
What are you praying for or about today? Have you been laboring in prayer a long time? Keep praying!
Allright, let’s look at verse 14 for a moment before we move on to the next set of verses. The angel tells Daniel that he is about to receive a vision, and that the vision will tell Daniel about the “last days” (that’s what acharit hayamim means) and about what will happen to Daniel’s people, that is the Jews, during that period of history to come. It’s important to remember that - - the vision pertains to the Jews or to kol Yisrael - - all Israel. We are going to read the rest of the chapter now.
15 After he had said these things to me, I looked down at the ground and couldn’t speak. 16 Then someone who looked like a human being touched my lips, after which I could open my mouth and speak; I said to the one standing in front of me, “My lord, it is because of the vision that I am seized with such anguish; I don’t have any strength. 17 For how can this servant of my lord speak with my lord, when my strength and breath have failed me?” 18 Then, again someone who looked human touched me and revived me. 19 He said, “You man so greatly loved, don’t be afraid. Shalom to you; and be strong, yes, truly strong.” His speaking to me strengthened me, and I said, “My lord, keep speaking; because you’ve given me strength.” 20 Then he said, “Do you know why I came to you? Although now I must return to fight the prince of Persia; and when I leave, the prince of Greece will come; 21 nevertheless, I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. There is no one standing with me against them except Mikha’el your prince;
Despite the reassurances of the great angel earlier, Daniel, according to verse 15, was still on the ground and unable to speak. When you consider he had just seen a manifestation of God, it’s understandable. God is sympathetic to the fact that we are flesh and bone, wrapped around the real us, our spirits. He is patient with our frailties. When a human comes face to face with a manifestation of the Living God, he can be in danger of dying of overexposure! So, the angel once again, and we are told now, here, that he looked like a human being, touched Daniel’s lips, to enable him to speak. This reminds me of Isaiah’s experience at the beginning of his ministry, when the LORD sent an angel with a burning coal from the heavenly altar to touch Isaiah’s lips. That’s found in Isaiah 6:7-8.
Here, Daniel spoke of how the vision thoroughly “did him in”, noting that his breath and strength have failed him. In verse 18, the angel again touched him in order to impart strength. His voice likewise imparted strength to Daniel, when the angel reiterated how very loved Daniel was. As Joshua said to the people of Israel, on the brink of their moving in to take the Promised Land - - “Be strong and of a good courage!”
The end of verse 21 seems a strange place for a chapter break. It would have seemingly been better to end the chapter after verse 19. That is not what we see here in the Scriptures. But, for the sake of continuity, we will end our teaching today by looking at a question the angel poses to Daniel. “Do you know why I came to you?” And, then, next week, we will begin with these last verses, 20-21, because they are so relevant to the content of chapter 11.
So, why DID the angel come? Look back at verse 12 with me for a moment, because the angel had given part of the answer there. Without doubt, the angel came to fulfill the will of God. But, Daniel also had a part to play. The angel commended him for the following:
Setting his mind to understand
Humbling himself before God
What does it mean to “set your mind”? Beth Moore says in her Daniel study, “Our minds are the battlefield on which this fight is won or lost.” Man, that is a true statement. Have you ever gone through a period where you mind seems like a wild antelope, leaping to and fro wherever it wants to go, and you seem almost powerless to stop it. You have to grab that thing by the neck and drag it kicking and screaming back into its boundaries? I’m not talking to non-believers here. I’m talking to the Redeemed, the Bride. I go through periods like that, where my mind does not line up with God’s Word, with Yeshua’s example, etc. It is a miserable time, constantly bringing my mind and body into submission. It’s exhausting.
Colossians 3:2 admonishes us to set our mind on heavenly things, not on earthly things - - to fight that battle, because it is worth winning.
Then, in disciplining his mind, Daniel was an avid student of the Scriptures. He actively sought understanding. This was not a man who committed to merely mindlessly “reading his daily devotional”. In Jewish terms, he went for the “sod” level (pronounced “soad” like “road”).
There is an acronym in rabbinical studies and it is spelled P-A-R-D-E-S. The word means orchard or garden, in Hebrew. Metaphorically, it stands for Torah study. Here is what each letter stands for:
P – P'shat - - - stands for determining the simple, literal meaning
R – Remes - - - a hint or a suggestion
D – D'rash - - - allegory or insight (the Hebrew word Midrash comes from this word, “from insight”, literally)
S – Sod - - - this is the deepest level of understanding. It means “hidden”, “secret” or “mystery”. When the apostle Paul said, “Behold, I show you a mystery...”, he was saying “Look, I am showing you the sod of the matter, a secret.
Daniel dug for the Sod, as one might dig for a buried treasure.
The next thing Daniel focused on and was commended for was his humility. Moses was likewise commended for his humility. But, Moses was a late bloomer. His ministry did not even formally begin until he was 80! Daniel was faithful from his teens to his 90s. What an example.
How important is it to guard our hearts against pride? It is of tremendous importance, since pride was the original sin, the one that toppled HaSatan from the heights of Heaven.
C.S. Lewis said this: “There is one vice of which no man in the world is free, which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else, and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagined they are guilty of themselves. It was through pride that the devil became the devil. Pride leads to every other vice. It is the complete anti God state of mind.”
If you walk in pride, God can’t use you effectively. It may seem as though He is, but in reality it is more likely that the Enemy is using the prideful servant. Most people don’t know that the highest personal characteristic attributed to Moses was his humility. Numbers 12:3 actually says, “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.”
May we pray to be and do likewise, following these awesome examples.
Allright, that is our teaching for today. Next week, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, on the widely accepted rabbinical calendar, we will be in Daniel 11, a massive and deep chapter. I look forward to being with you then. SHALOM!
