(Through the Bible) Daniel 09-10 — Chuck Smith

Daniel Reads Jeremiah’s Prophecy of the Seventy Years

This time let's turn in our Bibles to the book of Daniel chapter 9. In the beginning of chapter 9 we have a very keen insight to this man Daniel. And we understand why God has declared of him that he was greatly loved by God.

For Daniel greatly loved God and he loved the Word of God. And his obvious knowledge and love for the Word is revealed here in the 9th chapter. As he understands the plight of the nation Israel and the reason for their plight.

He sees behind the issues that caused their being destroyed and now being captives. In the Persian Empire which has supplanted at this point the Babylonian Empire. But yet also because he was a man of the Word and studied the Scriptures.

He realized that the time of their captivity was about over. The first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus of the seed of the Medes. Which was made the king over the realm of the Chaldeans. In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by the books.

The number of years were of the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet. That he would accomplish 70 years in the desolations of Jerusalem. So Daniel was reading the prophecy of Jeremiah. Now you'll remember that Jeremiah was one of the last prophets in Judah prior to the Babylonian captivity.

In fact he was still prophesying when Nebuchadnezzar came. And Jeremiah in his prophecy was telling the people that God was going to give them into the hand of the king of Babylon. And the reason was they had forsaken God.

And that they had forsaken the law of God and the commandments of God. And therefore they were going to be captives in Babylon for 70 years. And that particular prophecy was in Jeremiah chapter 25 verses 11 and 12.

And there the Lord said in the whole land shall be a desolation and astonishment. And these nations shall serve the king of Babylon for 70 years. And it shall come to pass when the 70 years are accomplished.

That I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation saith the Lord for their iniquity. And the land of the Chaldeans and will make it perpetual desolations. So the Lord declared that in as much as they had been in the land from the time of Joshua 490 years.

And under the law God had told them that every seventh year they were to let the land rest. The land was to have its own Sabbath. Every seventh year they were not to plant it. But they were only to eat that which grew wild and so forth.

And gather up in the sixth year. The Lord would give them such a abundant harvest in the sixth year it would carry them through the seventh. The people did not obey this law of God. They did not give the land rest.

But they planted it every year. And so God said you've been in the land for 490 years. You've never given it its Sabbath. It's got 70 years coming. So I'm going to kick you out of the land for 70 years.

So that it can have its Sabbath. And then after 70 years you can come back into the land. So the 70 years of captivity prophesied by Jeremiah are about over. Daniel realizes this. He's been reading the prophecy of Jeremiah.

He realizes that the time of the captivity is about over. And so he set himself, his face, unto the Lord to seek by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. So he set himself aside for a period of intensive prayer and waiting upon God and seeking God for the nation.

Daniel’s Prayer of Confession and National Repentance

Now the prayer of Daniel is remarkable. And in it he surely sets forth the clear understanding that he has of the ways and the purposes of God. And it is interesting that he does not seek to condemn God at all for the calamities that have befallen the people.

But he acknowledges that these things have happened unto us because we were guilty. We turned aside from you. We went our own wicked ways. Now, so many times people want to blame God for the judgments that fall upon them for their own wickedness.

As we pointed out a week or so ago, God tells us not to do a particular thing. If you do it, God said you're going to hurt. So we do it and then we get hurt and then we say, oh God, that isn't fair to hurt me.

Well, God didn't hurt you. He just told you what would be the consequence of a particular action. Now, if you want to just defy God and go ahead and do it, then don't blame God for the fact that you got hurt.

And yet this is what people are so often doing. Now, Daniel did not have any of this recrimination against God, but acknowledged that everything that had happened to them happened to them because they were guilty before God.

They had forsaken God. Notice, I prayed unto the Lord my God, made my confession and said, O Lord, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant and mercy to them that love him and to them that keep his commandments.

We have sinned. Now, Daniel isn't pointing the finger at others in a holier than thou kind of thing and said, God, they're horrible sinners. They did this, but he places himself. We have sinned and identifies with God's people who had sinned against God.

We as a nation have sinned. And surely as we pray, we need to acknowledge the sin of the nation. We as a nation have sinned against God. We've committed iniquity. We've done wickedly. We've rebelled even by departing from your precepts and from your judgments.

Neither have we hearkened unto your servants, the prophets. Now, he, of course, had been reading Jeremiah and he read how that when Jeremiah came and prophesied to them, they threw him in the dungeon.

And he recognizes how that they so totally failed to listen to the warnings of God. We have not hearkened to your servants, the prophets, which spake in your name to our kings and our princes and our fathers and to all of the people of the land.

Oh, Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces. Lord, you you're all right, but we're the ones that are confused. As at this day to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to all of Israel that are near and that are far off.

Through all of the countries where you have driven them because of their trespass, that they have trespassed against thee. Oh, Lord, unto us belongs the confusion of face and to our kings and princes and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.

To the Lord, our God belongs mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him. And neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord, our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants, the prophets.

Yes, all of Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing that they might not obey thy voice. Therefore, the curse is poured out upon us and the oath that is written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.

So he was familiar with the books of Moses and the law of God. He'd been reading that. He said, God, we've transgressed. And now you've done those things that you said you would do in the law of Moses.

And, of course, the Lord in the law of Moses did declare that if they would turn away from God and seek other gods, that he would allow them to be driven out of the land and all. So Daniel recognizes that all of these things have happened to us because we are guilty.

We have failed. You've confirmed your word, which you spake against us and against our judges that judged us by bringing upon us the great evil for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done in Jerusalem.

Actually, no city has been so devastated as was Jerusalem. As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil has come upon us. Yet made we not our prayer before the Lord, our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand thy truth.

In spite of all of this, we didn't turn from our sins. Therefore, hath the Lord watched upon the evil and brought it upon us for the Lord. Our God is righteous in all his works, which he do it for. We obeyed not his voice, not charging God at all, accepting the responsibility and the guilt.

A very important thing, not crying out against God when the judgments have befallen us, but to acknowledge honestly, hey, God, it's my fault. I am guilty. You are righteous. God is a God of judgment. But even in judgment, he is so right in his judgments.

God’s Justice in Judgment

In the midst of the great tribulation, when God is pouring out his judgments upon the earth, there are voices that come from the throne of God declaring, holy and righteous and true are thy judgments, O Lord.

There are a lot of people that are concerned about God not being fair. They say, but what about the poor people who have never heard about Jesus Christ? Is God going to damn them eternally and all? I don't know.

I do know God is fair. I do know that God will be righteous in his judgment. And when God makes the disposition of those particular cases, God will be absolutely fair. And when he does that, I say, all right.

I never thought of that. Man, that is so right on. Because God will be fair. Abraham challenged the Lord when they said, shall not the Lord of the earth be fair, be just? Lord, would you destroy the righteous with the wicked?

But the whole issue was the righteousness of God in judgment. And yes, God will be righteous in his judgment. And now, O Lord, our God, that thou hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and you've gotten renowned as at this day.

We have sinned. We have done wickedly. O Lord, according to all your righteousness, I beseech thee, let your anger and your fury be turned away from thy city, Jerusalem, thy holy mountain. Because for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all of those that are around about us.

Now, therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant and his supplications and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate for the Lord's sake. Lord, not for our sake, but for your sake, for the Lord's sake, O God.

Shine thy face upon the sanctuary that is so desolate. O my God, incline thine ear in here, open thine eyes and behold our desolations and the city which is called by thy name. For we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.

God, I don't plead this because I'm such a holy guy, but just because you're so merciful. I'm asking you to do this. Fabulous prayer of Daniel. It does give to us a keen insight into the spiritual depth of this man.

No wonder the Lord said, O Daniel, you greatly beloved of God. And then the final plea, O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, hearken and do. Defer not for thy own sake, O my God, for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.

Lord, people call us by your name and we're such a mess. God, here, do something for your name's sake because these people are called by your name. Now, Daniel said, while I was speaking and praying, while he was in the midst of confessing my sin and the sin of my people, Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord, my God, for the holy mountain of my God.

Yes, while I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. Gabriel, one of the chief angels of God, named in Daniel, named also in the book of Luke as the angel that appeared to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, and later appeared unto Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Gabriel came and he informed me and talked with me and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give you skill and understanding. At the beginning of your supplications, the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee, for thou art greatly beloved.

Therefore, understand the matter and consider the vision. Seventy, and the word weeks there in Hebrew is just sevens. The translators translated it weeks because of seven days in the week, but literally, seventy-sevens are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city.

Notice there are seventy-seven year cycles that are determined upon the nation Israel, thy people, and upon the city of Jerusalem. And so this is a prophecy that relates to God's dealing with the nation of Israel.

It will be accomplished in seventy, seven year cycles. And in these seventy-sevens, the work of God will be fully established as far as the nation Israel is concerned. Because within the seventy-sevens, there will, first of all, be the finishing of the transgression, making an end of sins and making reconciliation for iniquity.

To bring in everlasting righteousness and to seal up the vision and prophecy or to complete the vision and prophecies. And to anoint the most holy and probably the most holy place, the new temple in the kingdom of God.

So there are seventy-sevens in which all of the prophetic aspects of the nation Israel will be complete. During which time there will be reconciliation made for sins, for iniquities. Finishing of the transgressions, making an end of sins, bringing in the everlasting kingdom of righteousness and completing the whole prophetic scene.

The Seventy Weeks and the Coming of Messiah

Now he divides these seventy-sevens. Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem unto the Messiah, the Prince, will be seven-sevens and sixty-two-sevens.

The street shall be built again and the wall even in troublous times. So there is to be, first of all, seven-sevens and sixty-two-sevens from the time the commandment goes forth to restore and rebuild Jerusalem to the Messiah, the Prince.

Daniel wrote this in the first year of Darius, the year 538 BC. About ninety-five years later, in the year 445 BC, the commandment was finally given by Artaxerxes to Nehemiah to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.

Earlier, Ahasuerus and the other Persian kings had given commandments to Ezra to go back and to rebuild the temple. But this prophecy was to be from the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. Though the temple was rebuilt, the walls of the city were still torn down and the houses were still destroyed.

And you remember that Nehemiah said, I was a cupbearer to the king. And the king said, how come you look so sad? And Nehemiah said, how can I be happy when the city that I love lies in ruins? And so the king gave commandment unto Nehemiah to take a contingent of people and to go back and to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

445 BC, in fact, according to records that were found by Sir Rawlinson in the Palace of Shushan, that order was given in March 14th, 445 BC. Now, it is an important date in history because according to the promise here and the prophecy here, from the time that commandment goes forth to restore and rebuild Jerusalem unto the Messiah, the Prince, will be seven sevens and sixty-two sevens or 69 seven-year cycles or 483 years.

And so from the year March 14th, 445 BC, according to the prediction here, the Messiah should have come in 483 years from the time of this commandment. Now, the years in the prophecies of Daniel are 360 day years, which was predicated upon the Babylonian calendar of a 360 day year.

We, of course, compute now with a Julian calendar of 365 and a quarter days a year. But Daniel's prophecies were predicated upon the Babylonian calendar of 360 days a year. And so it would be best to transpose the 483 years into days in order to figure out the time of the coming of the Messiah, the Prince.

And transposed into days, 483 times 360 would give you 173 ,880 days. And if you take and then work that out on our calendar, you'll find that it comes out to the date April 6, 32 AD. On April 6, 32 AD, Jesus said to his disciples, Go over into this city and on a corner you'll find a colt that is tied.

Untie him and bring him to me. And if while you're untying him, the masters say, What are you doing untying my colt? Just tell them that the Lord has need of him. They went over and just where Jesus told them, they saw the donkey tied and they untied it.

The owner said, Why are you untying my donkey? And they said, The Lord needs him. And so they brought the donkey to Jesus and they began to lay their garments in the path between Bethany and Jerusalem.

And they began to wave palm branches as they cried, Save now, save now. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Psalm 118. Psalm 118 is a messianic psalm. Psalm 118 declares, This is the stone which was rejected by the builders, but the same has become the chief cornerstone.

This is the Lord's work and it is glorious in our eyes. Hosanna, Hosanna. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. This is the day that the Lord hath made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. We so often get up on a beautiful morning and look out and see the sunrise and say, Oh, this is the day that the Lord hath made.

We will rejoice and be glad in it. That was not written for any beautiful morning. That was written for one special day. The day of God's salvation for the world. The day that the Messiah would come. Prior to this day, Jesus had never allowed public worship of himself.

When they sought by force to make him king, he disappeared from their midst. But on this day, he not only set the scene, he is encouraging his disciples. And when the Pharisees said, Lord, you better cause them to shut up because they are being blasphemous.

Jesus said, I'm going to tell you something, fellas, and I want you to get it straight. If these men would at this point hold their peace and be silent, these very stones would start crying out. This is the day that the Lord hath made.

The day of redemption for the world. The day the Messiah would come. 173 ,880 days from the commandment of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. Right on schedule. And as Jesus came on the Mount of Olives and he looked at the city of Jerusalem, he began to weep and cried, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou, if thou had only known at least in this thy day the things that belong to your peace.

But now they are hid from your eyes and they're going to come and they're going to encircle the city. They're going to destroy you and your children are going to be dashed in the streets. And he tells of the desolation that is going to transpire upon them for their ignorance, not knowing the day of God's deliverance.

And so this prophecy of Daniel is one of the most remarkable of all of the prophecies concerning the coming of Jesus Christ, because Daniel here is declaring the very day that the Messiah is to come. The wall will be built in troublous time.

Read the book of Nehemiah. As they were building the wall, they had a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other, because there were guys constantly guerrilla attacks against them. And the PLO was constantly trying to defeat them in their attempts.

The Messiah Is Cut Off and the Prophetic Clock

Now, after the sixty two seven year periods, notice the Messiah will be cut off. Not the Messiah will be acclaimed and accepted and salvation will come and all of the prophecies will be complete and the everlasting kingdom will come in.

No, the Messiah will be cut off, but not for himself. That phrase, but not for himself, is literally and receive nothing for himself. Or the Messiah will be cut off without receiving this everlasting kingdom at that time.

Of course, we know that Jesus was crucified that very week. He was cut off. He was not given the kingdom at that time. He was rejected as was predicted by Isaiah. He is despised and rejected by men and the prince of the people that shall come.

That is the Roman army that was going to come, which did come Titus under the edict of Nero, who died before Jerusalem actually fell completely. The prince of the people that shall come shall destroy the city.

And the sanctuary. And the end thereof will be with the dispersion. A flood or a dispersion. So here Daniel predicts that the Messiah would come. Messiah would be cut off and that a nation would come and destroy the city and the Jews would be dispersed.

You read history and you find that's exactly, of course, what did happen. Christ was crucified. The Roman armies came. The temple and the city of Jerusalem were destroyed. As Jesus said, not one stone was left standing upon another.

And the Jews at that point were dispersed and remained dispersed throughout the world until 1948. So this portion of the prophecy literally completely fulfilled. And unto the end thereof, wars are determined.

Desolations are determined. Now we have one seven-year cycle that is not yet transpired. Seventy-sevens are determined upon the nation Israel. These seventy-sevens were to begin at the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.

445 B .C. They were to culminate in the coming of the Messiah. That is 69 of them. But the Messiah would be cut off. Now in a sense you might say that at that point God's prophetic time clock was stopped and has remained stopped.

But now we have another event which will signal the beginning of the time clock once again. The beginning of the seventieth seven or the last seven-year cycle. Verse 27. He who, the prince of the people that shall come, or the ruler of the revived Roman Empire that would be represented by ten nations federating together which were once a part of the Roman Empire.

You have to go back in Daniel chapter 2. Nebuchadnezzar's vision of the great image, the legs of iron representing the Roman Empire and the feet of iron and clay with ten toes. Iron representing still the Roman Empire but mixed with clay showing that it is not as strong as the Roman Empire was in an autocratic sense.

But it was weakened because it was a democracy. Nations that were joined together with treaties. Also you find the same parallel vision of Daniel as he sees them as a beast with ten horns in chapter 7.

And this other little horn coming up and devouring three of the horns. So the leader that will arise over this ten nation confederacy related to the Roman Empire or called by many Bible scholars as the revival of the Roman Empire will confirm the covenant with many for one week.

The Covenant, the Temple, and the Seventieth Week

Not with all of Israel but with many of them. Now there are today in Israel a very divided feeling as far as God is concerned and religion is concerned among the people of Israel. It is not really a religious state though they do have religious laws and though they do observe religious laws.

And though they keep the dietary laws where they will not eat meat with dairy products. And they keep the Sabbath. Yet the people for the most part are not religious people. The reason why these laws are in effect is because of the whole political setup in Israel with two major parties.

The Labor Party and the Likud Party but neither of them strong enough to form a coalition in the government on their own. And in order for either the Labor or the Likud to remain in power just like this last week.

They had another meeting in which they sought to oust Bagan because he dared to speak out against the big brother who's trying to control him. I like this funky little guy. You've got to admire him. And they had a vote of confidence.

And anytime some issue comes up they can call a vote of confidence. And if Bagan does not pass in the vote of confidence then a new election has to be called. Now to form a coalition in order that he might have a government because the Likud Party does not have a clear majority.

They have to depend upon the religious party and its ten votes to be cast with them in order that they might remain in power and have a majority. And the religious men in the Knesset, those from the religious party, charge a high price for their support.

They force them to make certain laws that govern the religious aspects of the people. Now for the most part the people hate these religious laws. But there's something that they realize they have to live with in order to keep a government in power.

And so they live with it. But the people really are not wild about the religious aspects of their government. There are only about 10 of the Jews that are really religious. And of course they are divided into Reform, Conservative and Orthodox.

And of course then in the Misharim you have the Ultra-Orthodox. But even they are of the Hasidic or the Shephardim or the Yemenites. And it's really a divided issue. So when he makes his covenant it will not be with everyone in support of it.

But with many the leader that arises out of Western Europe is going to make a covenant. Now the covenant, or he's going to confirm a covenant, not make one, confirm a covenant. No doubt confirming the covenant that God established with the nation whereby they could relate to him by basis of the sacrifices that they would offer.

Now the Ultra-Orthodox desire to rebuild the temple and begin the sacrifices again. But you ask the most of the Jewish people about rebuilding the temple, they'll say, Oh I hope they don't because if they rebuild the temple then some fool is going to want to offer a lamb as a sacrifice.

And that would be horrible. And that's the general opinion of the general public. But the Ultra-Orthodox are desiring greatly to rebuild the temple and to begin sacrifices again. And so that's a very divisive issue.

And so he will confirm the covenant. That is, will allow them the right to rebuild the temple. Now how can he do that with the Dome of the Rock Mosque? No problem. It would appear that the site of Solomon's temple was not there at the Dome of the Rock Mosque as we dealt with Ezekiel chapter 42.

But the Dome of the Rock Mosque sets over what was the outer court of Solomon's temple. North of the Dome of the Rock Mosque, a large vast flat area, perhaps as much as 10 acres, in which they can easily rebuild their temple and never disturb the Holy Moslem site.

I'm certain that this will be the suggestion. In John's vision of the new temple, Revelation chapter 11, where John is ordered to measure it, the Lord said, don't measure the outer court. It's been given to the pagans.

In Ezekiel, when he sees the temple, he says, and there was a wall 500 meters to separate the holy place from the profane. And so I believe that a wall will be put up along the north porticles of the Dome of the Rock Mosque and the Jews will be allowed to rebuild their temple and will begin their sacrifices again.

And when that covenant is confirmed by this European leader, at that point, the last seven year cycle will begin the 77, the final seven year cycle, which at the end will bring in the everlasting kingdom.

It will complete the whole prophetic picture and the most holy place will be anointed and the kingdom of God established upon the earth. So he will make or he will confirm the covenant with many for one week, the 70th week or one seven year cycle.

And in the midst of this seven year period or after three and a half years, he shall cause the sacrifice and oblations to cease. And for the overspreading of abominations, he shall make it desolate even until the consummation or the final consummation of the age and that which is determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

And so this remarkable prophecy of Daniel that deals specifically with the day of the coming of the Messiah and then the 70th week takes us out to the end of this age in the last 27th verse. Now in chapter 10, in the third year of Cyrus, the king of Persia, a thing was revealed unto Daniel whose Babylonian or Chaldean name was Beldeshazzar.

Daniel’s Fasting and the Vision of the Man in Linen

And the thing was true, but the time appointed was long and he understood the thing and had understanding of the vision. In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks and I ate no pastries, neither meat nor wine.

Neither did I anoint myself at all until the three whole weeks were fulfilled. So again, a time of special waiting upon God. The denying of his flesh by not eating any pastries or any meat, just on a vegetarian type of a diet, not drinking any wine.

And after the 21st day and in the 4th and 20th day of the first month, I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel, and then I lifted up my eyes and I looked and behold, a certain man who was clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with the fine gold of Euphrates.

His body also was like the burl and his face as the appearance of lightning and his eyes like lamps of fire and his arms and his feet like in color to polish brass and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.

And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision for the men that were with me did not see the vision, but a great quaking fell on them so that they fled to hide themselves. Those are the kind of friends you want.

Something goes a little wrong and they flee. And so Daniel's left alone. But as he describes this man in linen girded with gold, he said the appearance is extremely similar to John's vision of Christ in Revelation chapter one.

And if you'll put those two passages side by side, it would appear that they are describing the same person. Indeed, John said he turned to see the one who was walking in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks and he was clothed with a garment down to his foot and around the chest he had a golden girdle.

His head and his hair were white like wool as white as snow. His eyes were like flames of fire. His feet like unto fine brass and his voice like the sound of many waters. And so you find parallel descriptions.

And because of the parallel descriptions, many Bible scholars affirm that who John actually saw here was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. This also is confirmed in their minds by the reaction that the appearance of this man had on Daniel, verse eight.

Therefore, I was left alone and saw this great vision and there remained no strength in me for my comeliness was turned into corruption and I retained no strength. The effect of seeing him, it was just devastating to Daniel.

He would just became weakened, no strength and his beauty just turned into corruption. This is the effect of any man who has a real vision of God. Daniel said in the year that King Uzziah died. Then I saw the Lord high and lifted up sitting upon the throne is trained to fill the temple.

Then said I woe is me for I am and I am undone. I am a man of unclean lips. I dwell amongst the people of unclean lips. The effect of seeing the Lord is always seeing yourself in the true light. We don't see ourselves in the true light because we see ourselves in the light of others.

I say, oh, I'm not so bad. Look at him. And I and I'm comparing myself with others. But Jesus said, you do err in that you compare yourself with men to see myself in the real light. As God sees me, I must see myself in the light of Jesus Christ and looking at myself in the light of Jesus Christ.

All I can do is bow my head and say, I'm ugly. I'm filled with corruption. I'm unrighteous. I'm unholy. Oh, God, depart from me. I'm a sinful man. As Peter declared, my comeliness, my beauty was turned into corruption.

And I was weak. I was faint. And I heard the voice of his words. And when I heard the voice of his words, then I was in a deep sleep on my face, my face towards the ground. It just sort of wiped him out.

He was just down on his face in the ground. And John, when he saw the vision of Christ, he fell on his face and was as he was dead. And so the same effect on John as it had on Daniel here. Now, the difficulty with this bright, glorious creature that Daniel saw as being Jesus Christ comes in the next passage or in the next portion of the passage.

Spiritual Warfare and the Strengthening of Daniel

And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee. Well, and behold, the hand touched me and set me on my knees and upon the palms of my hands and said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee and stand up straight for unto thee am I now sent.

And when he had spoken these words unto me, I stood trembling. And then he said unto me, Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you did set your heart to understand and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard and I am come for thy words.

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me for twenty-one days, but lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now am I come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days, for yet the vision is in the future many days.

So I'm going to give you again an insight what's going to happen to your people in the days to come. Now, it is inconceivable that the prince of Persia, which, of course, is Satan, the power behind the earthly thrones.