2007-12-02 - Daniel ~ A Messenger

Chapter 10: Part 3 ~ Installment 79

Verses 1-3: Daniel's account has once again moved forward in time. This vision comes to him while he is serving in the Medo-Persian empire. And really, this chapter is one part of the vision recorded over the last three chapters. This section is an account of how the vision came to Daniel, and the last chapter is a postscript to the vision as recorded in chapter 11.

Daniel had modified his diet for three weeks. He had been fasting and in mourning. The passage does not say what was grieving him. His grief may have been over the cumulative effect of the messages he had been receiving from the Lord during the last few years, and concern for the final fate of his people. It may have been that he was concerned for the ongoing Jewish suffering in Diaspora. He was certainly anxious for the conditions of the handful of Jews who had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and start work on the restoration of the city.

Verses 4-6: After some three weeks of this modified fasting, after the season of Passover, one comes to Daniel in the appearance of a man. And who is this being? Some conclude he is the pre-incarnate Christ, and while the description is similar to the one found in Revelation 1, it seems unlikely this is Christ. The reason? He was unable to come to Daniel until he was rescued by the angel Michael.

Other writers argue that Daniel saw Christ in verses 5 and 6, and another being who appears in verse 10. It seems that only one individual is seen in the chapter - and this is an angel, not Christ. This messenger is one of the hosts of Heaven, an angel who had been given the responsibility of bringing God's word in response to Daniel's prayer.

The account found here seems strange to us. It describes the reality of the spiritual warfare that is going on in the Heavenlies. It is clear that within the two angelic kingdoms, the one of God and the one of Satan, there are ranks of power and authority. The angel that comes to Daniel is identified as a powerful being. We know that he is a Heavenly being because of the description given. He wears priestly garments, and his rank is shown by the golden girdle and the gold ornamentation of the garments.

The physical description of this individual, that he had the appearance of stone and crystal, brilliant features and arms and legs of burnished bronze, certainly makes him out to be more than human, regardless of his humanoid features. This is a messenger of the Lord, one of the angelic beings who serve in the courts of Heaven.

Comments or Questions?
Geoff

GKragen@aol.com
http://www.cfdevotionals.org

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