Ben Stuart is back to walk us through Daniel 10 to discuss the powers that exist in the supernatural realm and how they affect us here on Earth.
Key Takeaway
There are spiritual forces at work in the supernatural and earthly realm, but we are not powerless in the fight. We have the Word of Almighty God, and through prayer, those He has set in authority are affected.
In Chapter 10 of Daniel, he is about to have a massive vision, but the setup is important because it gives us a glimpse into the angelic realm—an open window to the unseen world.
Cyrus had allowed the exiles to return to Jerusalem, but Daniel was suffering and praying for them as he heard of the hard time they were having. For three weeks, he relentlessly asked God for mercy. Suddenly, he saw a man dressed in linen, the outfit of the priesthood, but he was far more than a man. He was bright like lightning, and his voice sounded like a crowd. Daniel had a hard time grasping what he saw in a way he could articulate. The men with him could not see what was happening but could feel its power and ran. The encounter was so overwhelming that Daniel passed out.
A hand touched him and set him back up. He told Daniel that he was sent from Heaven because of Daniel’s prayers. How his prayers moved Heaven is a mystery—but it happened. Why did it take twenty-one days to get there when the last time an angel showed up mid-prayer? Because he was withstood by the Prince of Persia and needed Michael, who was also a Prince, to help him fight. Daniel was praying for something personal and political, but an agent from Heaven was sent to address the spiritual opposition. When Daniel heard this, he fell again.
Daniel was strengthened again, and the angel told him more about what would come. He didn’t stay long because he had to get back to continue the fight with the Prince of Persia. There is also a Prince over Greece, and the Prince over Daniel’s people is Michael.
Only two angels are mentioned by name in the Bible: Gabriel, who proclaims messages, and Michael, who is always in a fight of some sort. Jude talks about Michael and calls him the Archangel, meaning he’s the first, preeminent, and top. This lets us know there is a hierarchy in the supernatural. In Revelation 12, Michael leads his angels in a fight against the dragon. It’s interesting that in Daniel, he is called a Prince because that denotes he is a ruler. He is an archangel, not just over angels but Daniel’s people. So, when the Prince of Persia and Greece are mentioned, we know that spiritual authorities in the supernatural realm are somehow connected to state power.
There are supernatural beings throughout the Bible. They rejoice at creation and are associated with earthly powers. They are ministering spirits to do God’s will but are bit characters. They pop in and out to move the plot along in the Bible.
Isaiah 24:22 teaches that not only will there be a day of judgment for earthly powers who use their power to hurt people, but the same is true for heavenly powers with earthly connections that did the same thing. Isaiah 14:12-15 starts by talking about the King of Babylon but then switches to discussing Daystar, Son of the Dawn, a beautiful star in Heaven that fell. Ezekiel 28:12-16 starts with the King of Tyre but ends with a casting down. Satan was cast down when he said he would be like God.
So, what do we do with evil? The Bible offers the most satisfying answer. We don’t decide what’s evil by vote. We believe in a holy standard at the foundation of all things above any earthly power. Evil is not equal to good; it’s a distortion and a parasite. There is a good God, and He is holy; spiritual forces rebelled against Him, so there is a present spiritual darkness. Satan means adversary; the devil means accuser. He does have power and is the origin of sin. The original sin is pride. We want things our way. Multiple verses say we are children of the devil if we haven’t put our faith in Jesus.
The goal of spiritual darkness is to oppose the work of God and oppose the people God made. He does this through deception, which is meant for destruction. You were made in the image of God, and the devil loves to distort and destroy the image in you.
God’s solution for our problem with Satan is to send us a Savior. 1 John 3:8 spells it out plainly. Jesus came to destroy the devil; we can’t do this in our power. Jesus did it all for us. The only weapon that the Devil has against you is the accusation that you’re a sinner. Jesus, who had no sin, became sin for us, taking our penalty. He disarmed the rulers and authorities with HIs death and resurrection. There is no power greater than Jesus.
So, how do we overcome the devil's temptation? We answer with God’s word and pray. Your power comes in Christ and Christ alone.
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"As God has made you in His image, for His glory and your good, the devil wants to destroy the image of God in you. He hates it."
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Ben Stuart
Discussion Questions
Why was Daniel laboring in prayer for 3 weeks? What was he so upset about? Are you moved to pray for the same thing today?
What was so overwhelming that Daniel kept falling down or passing out? How does this inform the seriousness of what we read in the Word of God?
Read Daniel 10:12-14. What was going on in the spiritual realms while Daniel prayed? Do you believe that your prayers have the power to move heaven?
Daniel was praying about personal and political issues; what did the angel come to address?
Who are the two angels mentioned by name in the Bible, and what are their roles? What is Michael also called, and how does it give us a glimpse into how the hierarchy is set up?
Who are the Princes mentioned in Daniel 10? How are spiritual forces in the supernatural realm connected to state power?
Read Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:12-16. Who do these passages start out talking about, and who do they end with?
What was the original sin? How did Satan use it in Genesis 3 to tempt Eve to do evil? What belief is our answer to evil built on?
Who is Satan, and does he have power on this earth? Why is the devil so intent on destroying you? See John 8:44 and 2 Corinthians 4:4.
Read Hebrews 2:14-15 and Colossians 2:13-15. What did Jesus do to solve our problem with sin and Satan? What is the only weapon the devil has against you, and how did Jesus disarm it?
Scripture References
Daniel’s Vision of a Man1.In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar). Its message was true and it concerned a great war.10:1 Or true and burdensome The understanding of the message came to him in a vision.2.At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. 3.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.4.On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, 5.I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6.His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.7.I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. 8.So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. 9.Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.10.A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11.He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.12.Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. 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. 13.But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14.Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”15.While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. 16.Then one who looked like a man10:16 Most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text; one manuscript of the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint Then something that looked like a human hand touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, “I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I feel very weak. 17.How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.”18.Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. 19.“Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.”When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.”20.So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; 21.but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.
12.For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
15.The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. 16.But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. 17.He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians,36:17 Or Chaldeans who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and did not spare young men or young women, the elderly or the infirm. God gave them all into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. 18.He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord’s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. 19.They set fire to God’s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there.20.He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power. 21.The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.22.In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:23.“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:“ ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord their God be with them.’ ”
24.“This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb:I am the Lord,the Maker of all things,who stretches out the heavens,who spreads out the earth by myself,
8.In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings. 9.But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”1:9 Jude is alluding to the Jewish Testament of Moses (approximately the first century a.d.).10.Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them.
7.Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.
4.“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?Tell me, if you understand.
8.When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,when he divided all mankind,he set up boundaries for the peoplesaccording to the number of the sons of Israel.32:8 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls (see also Septuagint) sons of God9.For the Lord’s portion is his people,Jacob his allotted inheritance.
22.They will be herded togetherlike prisoners bound in a dungeon;they will be shut up in prisonand be punished24:22 Or released after many days.
12.How you have fallen from heaven,morning star, son of the dawn!You have been cast down to the earth,you who once laid low the nations!13.You said in your heart,“I will ascend to the heavens;I will raise my throneabove the stars of God;I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.14:13 Or of the north; Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.14.I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;I will make myself like the Most High.”15.But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,to the depths of the pit.
12.“Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:“ ‘You were the seal of perfection,full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.13.You were in Eden,the garden of God;every precious stone adorned you:carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,topaz, onyx and jasper,lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.28:13 The precise identification of some of these precious stones is uncertain.Your settings and mountings28:13 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. were made of gold;on the day you were created they were prepared.14.You were anointed as a guardian cherub,for so I ordained you.You were on the holy mount of God;you walked among the fiery stones.15.You were blameless in your waysfrom the day you were createdtill wickedness was found in you.16.Through your widespread tradeyou were filled with violence,and you sinned.So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,and I expelled you, guardian cherub,from among the fiery stones.
19.Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.
1.As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2.in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3.All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh2:3 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit. and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
14.Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15.and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
13.When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you2:13 Some manuscripts us alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14.having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15.And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.2:15 Or them in him
About the Contributor
Ben Stuart is the pastor of Passion City Church D.C. Prior to joining Passion City Church, Ben served as the executive director of Breakaway Ministries on the campus of Texas A&M. He also earned a master’s degree in historical theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Donna, live to inspire and equip people to walk with God for a lifetime. View more from the Contributor.
