Sermon - AudioDaniel 10-12 - Audio
Daniel 10-12 - Reading
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Visionary literature like Dante’s Divine Comedy and Milton’s Paradise Lost is filled with encounters between a supernatural being and either the narrator of the work or a character in the story. Chapter 10 enacts this famous motif. The action begins with the placing of the prophet Daniel in a specific time and place (vv. 1–4). The second phase is the appearance of an angelic being, so dazzling that the prophet falls into a deep sleep with his face on the ground (vv. 5–9). In an atmosphere suffused with the supernatural and numinous, further exchanges between Daniel and supernatural beings occur, the general effect being to encourage Daniel (vv. 10–20). Daniel’s experience here is paradigmatic of the experience of the OT prophets: he encounters God directly and is overwhelmed by the transcendent glory of God. The narrative function of this chapter in the book of Daniel is to serve as a prelude to the ensuing visions of the future. -ESVLB
v1-3 "I think too that Daniel’s sorrow was occasioned partly by the repetition of those words to him: 'The vision is true, but the time appointed is long.'" -Spurgeon-
v4-6 - Some believe this figure to be Jesus as described in Rev 1:12-16 by John. Others would say that it is an high-ranking angel.
v7 - This vision is specifically for Daniel's eyes.
v10-11 - Daniel is called "greatly beloved." He is strengthened by a hand. He is then called to attention.
v12 - Daniel has a heart to understand, and is humble before God...and his words were heard.
v13 - The angelic messenger was delayed on his journey twenty-one days by the prince of the kingdom of Persia, an evil angel associated with the Persian Empire and who resists God’s purposes. This information showed that the Jews were not simply facing human opposition and enmity at the earthly court of the Persian king but powerful spiritual beings operating in the heavenly realms. Although this spiritual opponent was powerful enough to delay God’s messenger for a period of three weeks, all he could do was delay him. When Michael, one of the chief princes (angels), came to help him, the angel was finally able to complete his journey and bring the message of encouragement to Daniel. Michael appears to have a special responsibility to care for the nation of Israel (cf. 21; 12:1). -ESVSB-
v15-16 - On hearing of the magnitude and power of the spiritual forces ranged against God’s people in Jerusalem, Daniel was overtaken again by such an overwhelming sense of weakness that he was bowed to the ground, unable even to speak until the angel touched him on the lips.
v21 - God continues to support his people.
Daniel 11 & 12
*Maybe the most confusing chapter in the Bible. Many of the greatest scholars of our time have given their opinions on much of this, just to throw their hands up in the air afterward. We will not go into much detail regarding these passages, but much of what has been prophesied has come to pass. The ESV Study Bible gives some great information pertaining to much of these fulfilled prophesies, but there is just too much to list here.
How to read Daniel 11
The rhetoric of this chapter is visionary, meaning that we are bombarded with a host of details regarding what will happen in the future and that are envisioned in the imagination, since they have not yet happened. The details, moreover, appear in a kaleidoscopic and phantasmagoric pattern, and the effect is that we are reading something in code. Consulting a study Bible will show that it is possible to interpret the details as political allegory, but for many readers that produces a more bewildering picture than does reading the visions as a symbolic and apocalyptic account of history. If we read at a symbolic level, it is obvious that the main ingredients of the vision—the rise and fall of empires, international warfare, an endless succession of nations and rulers that have their day and then vanish—constitute a pattern that is always in the process of being fulfilled in earthly history.
How to read Daniel 12
If the preceding chapter has allowed for an apocalyptic reading of the visions, the final chapter of the book requires us to read it in that manner. The chief motifs are as follows: (1) the ushering in of eternal bliss for the righteous; (2) details that lift the veil just a little to reveal a supernatural reality that transcends the earthly sphere; (3) conflict between good and evil and the need for the righteous to remain pure from the wicked; (4) the need to wait for the promised end.
*What can we gain by these chapters?
A few things: We understand God's sovereignty in a deeper way. We see that His hand throughout history and in the future. We know that He is trustworthy. Also, we see that God works through different avenues to bring about His work. We see that man has tried throughout history to do things outside of God's plan...they have failed. God has seen the destruction of each nation that has chosen against His path. These passages give us hope for Shalom in the future.
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