20241215_Daniel

[0:00] Thank you today for your love and for your grace and for the opportunity to be here this morning to worship with and to study your word. We just thank you for that opportunity. Guide us this morning to go through your word here in Daniel.

[0:14] And Father, for the prayer request we've had this morning, we pray for Alma and her family with the loss of her brother and just guide them and give them peace. For Julie, we continue to pray for her and the things going on in her life with this dizziness.

[0:27] And for Bednetti, we just thank you for them this morning and know the trials that they're going through now. And just thank you for family that they can be there and help out with them.

[0:38] And so Father, we just thank you this morning in all things. And we ask it this morning in our Lord and Savior's name. Amen. Okay, well last week we finished chapter 9 of Daniel.

[0:51] And chapter 9 was the chapter where Daniel prayed for Israel and all the things of the past and of the future.

[1:02] And just asking God for their forgiveness. And of course we know that God does forgive them. But he also doesn't, what I want to say, he doesn't give them everything because they do sin.

[1:18] And he goes against them and he's got trials and tribulations that will be coming. And we'll see some of that this morning in chapter 10. Now chapter 10, 11, and 12 will be the end of Daniel.

[1:33] And chapter 10 is just kind of an introduction. And it's really, it's going to be describing some spiritual, angelic type things that's going on in Daniel.

[1:45] And they're going to be telling him things, of things that's going to come. And we're not going to see what those things are in chapter 10. They're going to say that these things are coming, but they won't describe it.

[1:57] And when you get into chapter 11, it describes all the stuff that's going to go on for this period of time. And it's going to be talking about all the kings and the kingdoms of the north and the south.

[2:09] Really, we're talking about Syria and we're talking about Egypt. And who's in the middle? You've got Israel. So all this time of fighting back and forth, it's going to be for several hundred years.

[2:24] And so that's going to be described in chapter 11. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle that chapter because there's a lot of detail. And I don't know. We'll see when we get there.

[2:35] And of course, chapter 12 would be the ending. And we're going to be talking about the end and what's going to happen there. So we'll get started with chapter 10 this morning.

[2:51] And if you turn to Daniel, chapter 10. And I've got the wrong spot here. I sure do.

[3:11] Hold on. How's that?

[3:22] Sounds like an excellent time. Do I need you to step back? That help? Okay. Okay. No, it doesn't seem to. It just drops back and forth.

[3:35] Okay. Chapter 10. When Daniel was first captured and go all the way back to chapter 1, around the year 604 B.C., he would have been a young man.

[3:48] We see that his, in this passage, occurs nearly 70 years later, around 536. By this time, the exiles have been getting, starting to go back into Israel from the 70 years of captivity.

[4:02] And they endured hardships of rebuilding the city, and we see it in Ezra. However, Daniel is still in Babylon, now under the control of the Persian Empire. So, remember, as we talked early in Daniel, it talked about the four kingdoms.

[4:17] And we had the Babylonian kingdom, and they were taken over by the Persians, Medes and Persians. And we're still in that time frame. So, all the stuff that we've been talking about in Daniel has been occurring with just these two kingdoms.

[4:33] That Daniel described in chapter 1, or chapter 2, really, is where he described them. So, there's still a couple other empires that's going to be coming, which would be the Greek Empire, and, of course, then the Roman Empire.

[4:48] And then we've got this great time that's in between. And, of course, all that will start up again as the end times start approaching. So, here we are in chapter 10.

[5:00] And he's an old man now. He could be up anywhere from 75 to 80 years old. And Daniel sees another vision. Holy cow.

[5:11] What did you do there, Roger? The wrong thing. And Daniel sees another vision, this one involving some major conflict. Most interpreters believe this is what shakes Daniel enough to go into mourning.

[5:24] What he saw will be explained and elaborated on in chapters 11 and chapter 12. This is just going to give you some understanding of what he's going through before he gets all this, or before this information.

[5:39] So, Daniel chapter 10 is a narrow-ranging chapter in the Bible. It contains some mysteries. It is one of conflict and warfare, but not exactly the type you would like to see on the 6 o'clock news.

[5:52] So, what do we see on the 6 o'clock news? We see fight wars, all this kind of stuff. But this, that Daniel has seen, when you turn on the news, you see the wars, battles, and conflicts.

[6:04] People not getting along. Ethnic groups getting along. Nations not getting along. But Daniel seeks a war, speaks of a war that no man reports, for it is one that no man sees.

[6:17] Yet, it goes on day after day and has a major impact on the wars that we see do here on the planet Earth. And this is something that a lot of people don't get into, the spiritual world.

[6:29] And there's things going on out there. There's evil influencers out there in the world today. And we don't see them. They're out there. And they influence nations.

[6:40] They influence empires. And it influences by the type of government you have. All these type of things is all controlled by the spiritual realm. Of course, our spiritual realm, when we have Jesus Christ as our Savior, we go with what that is in the Christian life.

[7:00] And we leave that out. And we see some of the things, and we should be living the type of life that leads us away from those type of things. And I know as a early Christian, or before I was a Christian, you know, you bought all the stuff that you see and you hear in the news, and you just kind of go along with it.

[7:20] But as you accept Christ into your life, you know, everything changes. And he gives you a new perspective on the things that's out there that's going on in the world. And sometimes it comes to the fact that there's things that's influenced these people.

[7:36] And we can't see it, but it's there. And this is pretty much what Daniel is seeing here in chapter 10. So it's not on the news.

[7:49] Daniel 10 lifts the veil that covers the natural and spiritual realms to reveal a battle that goes on in the invisible angelic realm. So that's what we're going to be seeing here in chapter 10.

[8:04] Despite that not being visible to the natural eye, there are lots of mysteries in this regard, and not all answers are going to be given here in chapter 10. But this chapter remains a fascinating and unique glimpse behind the scenes in the spiritual realm as we get into this chapter.

[8:24] As we start chapter 10, we see the remaining verses of the book of Daniel concern the final revelation of Daniel from God. And he's going to spell it all out here in 10, 11, and 12.

[8:36] It relays the contents of this vision, and Daniel expresses the final instructions expressed in this vision. God is going to lay this out. These are the things that's going to be happening when we get to the end times.

[8:50] Daniel 1, or 10, 1, reads this way. In the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel whose name was Balthazar.

[9:01] And the message was true, and it concerned great conflict. But to understand the message and had understanding of the vision. Verse 2, In those days I, Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks.

[9:15] Then he says, Did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine or any of my mouth, nor did I use any anointment at all, until the entire 30 weeks was complete.

[9:27] So verse 2, this year was around 536, and Daniel was around 85 years old, or 75 to 85. I can't really tell exactly how old he was, but it was 70 years of captivity, and he was a teenager, I think, when he was captive.

[9:44] So, The Persian Empire was thriving under King Cyrus, and the Jews' exile, captured under the leadership of Babylonian king, had recently been released per degree of Cyrus.

[9:55] These exiles had returned under the leadership of Zubaral, in Ezra 1-2. Daniel was captured at a young age, and assimilated into Babylonian culture.

[10:09] Part of that included being given a new name, Belshazzar. At the time of this vision, Daniel would have been some 70 years old. Other key details about his life are not offered.

[10:21] Some may say that he didn't return to Israel with Zubaral, why he didn't return. We're not sure if Daniel was too old to return to Israel, or if he was still in an important position.

[10:34] You know, Daniel, back in chapter 1, was given in chapter 2, and 3, and 4, was given extreme power for somebody who was a captive.

[10:45] And he was put into positions of the Babylonian Empire, and it carried right on into the Persian Empire, that he was some of the top leaders of those empires.

[10:58] And that was a very different type thing for a captivity. So Daniel had, he had, what do I want to say, God-given capabilities that was recognized because of the things that he did, and happened there in chapters 1, 2, and 3.

[11:16] So, Daniel was an important man in these type situations. So, we're not sure why he didn't return. Perhaps Daniel just told him, he chose to remain there to have influence on the kings such as Cyrus and his people on their behalf.

[11:36] So, we don't know for sure. Daniel was given another vision and message as a divine communication that was sure to perfect and true. This is what the vision said. The exact nature of this vision is not stated, but are many details, or not many details.

[11:55] The fact that Daniel understood it and possibly went into mourning because of it, as seen in verse 2, suggests that it was about a war to come on the people of Israel.

[12:06] So, his vision and grief also aligned with the struggles experienced by the Jewish people as they began to rebuild the reference. It had been two years since the last time Cyrus had issued this degree.

[12:19] So, there was people going back and they were rebuilding the temple and the things there in Jerusalem. But, as previously mentioned, it was also a message behind the scenes showing the puppet masters pulling the strings of this vision.

[12:36] So, go to Daniel 10.4. On the 24th day of the first month while I was by the bank of the great river, that is the Tigris, I raised my eyes and looked and behold, there was a man dressed in linen whose waist had belt of gold and pure opas.

[12:56] His body was like topaz, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were the flaming torches, his arms and the feet like the gleam of polished bronze and the sound of his words like the sound of the multitude.

[13:11] So, verse 4. So, what was so important about this date of the 24th day of the first month? Well, clear through history, it relates to the Jewish holiday of the Unleavened Bread.

[13:24] The Passover commemorated the great deliverance of the people of Israel from the Egyptians and the people of God longed for similar deliverance after 70 years of captivity.

[13:35] This is what was going on. Although Babylon had been comparably gracious to Daniel, he still missed being in the homeland. As Israel's most vital holiday approached, the aging prophet surely mourned his absence among these returning to Jerusalem.

[13:53] So, we don't know if this was the exact thing that was going on there, but it's quite possible. He remembers this holiday and he wants to be there for that, but he decides to stay there where he's at.

[14:07] So, Daniel now tells us where he saw the vision. And the Tigris and the Aphrodite were separated by about 35 miles and not far from Babylon. So, he didn't go far. Daniel may have been traveling on government business.

[14:19] When he reached the Tigris River, we don't know why he was there. He was not dreaming or just seeing the Tigris in a vision or some would suppose he was physically present at the site.

[14:31] And a certain man clothed in linen in verses 5 and 6. Nothing like a vision like that to shake you out of a mournful fast. As Daniel looks up, he sees one very impressive looking man.

[14:46] Scholars debate whether this is a vision of Jesus, whether it's an angel. Most of the commentators are divided over the identity of this certain man. On one half, believing that the view that a certain man is the Lord Jesus Christ, and the other telling why he could not have been Christ, but rather a created angel.

[15:07] Some say that this is Jesus, knowing that the description is remarkably like, but totally like, not totally like, what John saw in his vision in Revelation chapter 1.

[15:19] And in that, it says, Revelation 1.12, Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me, and having turned, I saw seven gold lampstands. In the middle of the lampstands, I saw one like a son of man, clothed in robe, reaching to his feet, and gritted across his chest with a golden sash.

[15:38] His head and his hair were white, like white wool, like snow, and his eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze when it had been made to glow in the furnace.

[15:54] I saw his voice was like the sound of many waters. Verse 16, In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came his sharp two-edged swords, and his face was like the sun shining in its strength.

[16:07] When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man, and he placed his right hand on me and said, Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last. Revelation 1.18, And the living one, and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

[16:26] So some others think that the certain man is a numbing angel of high rank, and it is possible that Dan's vision was a description of an angel.

[16:37] Clear through Scripture we see references where they see somebody standing and looks like a man, and he's shining, and he has all the light, and sometimes it's angels, sometimes it's Christ.

[16:50] And we don't know for sure at this point which one it is. I kind of lean towards this first one that he saw when it may have been Christ at that point. Now this is a vision, so we're not talking about an actual Jesus Christ standing there, although he may have been.

[17:06] He visited other people, but not in the form that we know that he was when he came on earth. So, other places, John described it in his gospel in verses 4 and 5, the word gave life to everyone that was created and his life brought light to everyone.

[17:29] The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it. He also has the power to redeem and strengthen Daniel and to us. So, it's quite possible it may have been Jesus Christ at this point.

[17:43] We just don't know that for sure. Daniel 10, 7, Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision while the men who were with me did not see the vision.

[17:54] Nevertheless, the great fear fell on them and they ran away to hide themselves. Daniel 10, 8, So I was left alone and saw this great vision, yet no strength was left of me for my complexion turned to deathly power and I retained no strength.

[18:13] Verse 9, that I heard the sound of his words and as soon as I heard the sound of his words I fell deep into a deep sleep in my face and with my face to the ground.

[18:25] So we see here in verse 7, Daniel alone saw this vision. This shows us there was something supernatural about this vision. This is not something that happens where they came and there was actually somebody there talking because these people would have seen it and they would have heard it.

[18:43] So there was something supernatural about this vision. Daniel saw what he saw regarding the glorious man but his companions could not see it. What does that remind us?

[18:54] It reminds us of the Apostle Paul. He was riding in to go into wherever he was going, Damascus, was it Damascus? To take all the Christians back to Jerusalem to be put in jail, to be hung or whatever because this was before his conversion.

[19:15] We know that something, a vision, something struck him, knocked him off to his horse and he heard this sound and of course it was Jesus talking to him.

[19:27] Nobody else heard it. They heard a noise but they didn't know what was being said. So this is pretty much kind of just the same type of thing that was going on here with Daniel.

[19:38] He came to speak to Daniel and the ones that was with him, his companions, did not hear so they did not see what the vision was all about. Verse 8, They fled to hide themselves.

[19:50] They heard but didn't see. Frightened, they hid. As godly as Daniel was, he was undone by the vision of the glorious man. Daniel's experience shows us that even the holiest of men falls short before God.

[20:04] And Daniel was holy. He had all these things that God wanted him to do and he did them. The miracles, all the type of things he did. But this vision still shook him.

[20:16] So when Daniel saw the vision he had no strength left. Verse 9, It took everything from him. It is unclear why seeing the vision had such a profound physical effect on Daniel.

[20:27] But we need to remember that spiritual forces are powerful and we just can't know how we're going to deal with them. So Daniel has been fighting in this unseen battle for three weeks.

[20:40] He had been fasting and in prayer. Something about the supernatural nature of the vision simply overwhelmed him. It was more than his sense could take. Perhaps that's why God conceals his full glory from us.

[20:54] Our physical bodies we just could not take it in. There's no way. Daniel 10.10 then behold a hand touched me and shook me on my hands and knees and he said to me Daniel you who are treasured understand the words that I'm about to tell you and stand at your place for I have now been sent to you and when he had spoken this word to me I stood up trembling.

[21:22] Verse 12 then he said to me do not be afraid Daniel for from the first day that you sent your heart on understanding this and the humbling of yourself before God your words were heard and I have come in response to your words.

[21:38] And this takes us all the way back to the beginning of chapter nine when Daniel said I want to know what's going on and he asked God and he was in prayer with God all the way through most of chapter nine and this is just a continuation of that.

[21:56] But a hand touched him reassured Daniel and set him on his feet. Sure his knees were still knocking loudly but at least he could stand up now. Some believe that the hand that touched Daniel is part is that of an angel who had been sent with a message for Daniel and is separate from the vision of the man on the riverbank recovered earlier.

[22:16] Doesn't really say so we don't know for sure. It seems Daniel was in a deep sleep after seeing the vision of Jesus earlier and this is now the hand of another who wakes and comforts him.

[22:29] The measure reassures Daniel that he is highly esteemed and not to be afraid. Easy to say. This reminds us of the early words of Gabriel when he came to Daniel on chapter nine.

[22:41] The angel also tells Daniel that soon as he started humbling himself in praying the angel was sent. And from the first day my words were heard, God responded to Daniel's prayer and the very moment he made his request known, Daniel had been a great and serious prayer for these full three weeks.

[23:02] So I've come to, says there, I have come because of your words. We can't pass this over lightly. An angel was dispatched because of Daniel's prayer. Daniel prayed, God answers by sending him an angel.

[23:18] And we saw that back in chapter nine also. A side note, when we walk in communion with our blessed Lord, we may rest in the assurance that we can take our place before the throne of grace in prayer.

[23:31] And prayer is so important in his life back then and it's also important in our life today. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the request which we have asked for from him.

[23:46] And we see that in 1 John. I don't think that's the prayer that we pray today, is it? I mean, everything we ask for and we know that God has seen it, does that mean it's going to happen?

[24:00] I don't think so. But I think we should be going with the prayer in Philippians where it says pray for everything and have peace of mind that God will answer in his way and not for just the things to go your way when you request that prayer.

[24:16] So I think that's the way to pray for us today and we can have peace that God is going to take care of the situation no matter where it's good or bad.

[24:27] We know that it's in God's will and that's the main thing. So sometimes our will gets out of hand and God will answer the way he wants. So a question must be asked, if the angel was sent when Daniel started humbling himself and remember Daniel was been in this state for three weeks, then why did it take all that time for the angel to get to him?

[24:53] It took three weeks, 21 days. The next verse gives us the answer and a bit unusable. Let's see what it took. Three weeks for the angel to arrive.

[25:04] Daniel 10, 13. But the prince of the knowledge of Persia, Iran, today, Persia today is called Iran, was standing in my way for 21 days.

[25:17] Then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the latter days because the vision pertains to the days still future.

[25:33] These two verses contain an amazing disclosure. Giving us a rare glimpse into the unseen world of the spirit forces, here is revealed a conflict that is totally disregarded of most people in the world today.

[25:49] Actually, it was the struggle behind all struggles that are recorded on the pages of history today. And that's the fact that what a remarkable insight and angelic realm we are given in this passage.

[26:03] This angel was restricted from getting to Daniel for those three weeks because another called the Prince of Persia. Now this is not a capital P.

[26:15] This is just Prince. And most of the time that means an unworthy prince. What do I want to say here?

[26:27] I got lost. But it's an unworthy angel. angel. And he's battling with the angel that was to come to Daniel at this time.

[26:39] So it's only when Michael, one of the chief princes arrived, that this other angel was able to get through to Daniel. So there was this battle going on between two angelic beings.

[26:52] One from Persia and one that was going to go to see Daniel. and there's this conflict going on all the time. And he was stopped from going to see Daniel.

[27:04] So I think we have no idea what is going around us. The prince is not Cyrus, the king of Persia. As a matter of fact, he is not a man at all. He is an evil angel. This prince of Persia is a demonic angel being that had been assigned to the Medo-Persian empire to influence it.

[27:24] And not in any good way. It was obviously a powerful angel being because they could also prevent this other messenger from getting through to Daniel. And, you know, I got to think that there's influences here in the USA today, too.

[27:40] And all over the world. And all these countries and nations it's set up that's been established over all these years. And all the conflict that's going on. Especially over in Europe and that part of the world.

[27:53] And there has to be something behind that. And I think it's these type of things that's going on at that point. And this makes it kind of a tough chapter to get into because of these type of things that's going on.

[28:05] But notice that Michael is called one of the chief priests. He is not the only one, but he is of a higher order and has the authority and the power to help this other messenger break through to Daniel.

[28:16] Finally, with Michael's help, the angelic messenger from God can deliver what is going to be an amazing outline of future history and conflict. The angel's message will be the focus of the next two studies in chapter 11 and 12.

[28:34] So Satan is opposing God on a day-to-day basis. He opposes them and he does so now. He uses politics, laws, and governments to enact his policies and fight against God.

[28:47] And note that this demon is not a weakling. For three weeks he was unable to successfully resist this angel and slowed him off his mission. This angel had a job to do and it was to keep him from going to Daniel.

[29:02] And he did that. Who stepped in? Michael. Michael is the highest of the angels. You don't hear much of him. I think there's only two or three times in the Bible that he's mentioned. But he is the one.

[29:14] And we'll see of course when we get into Revelation that Michael is the one that kind of heads this thing off in Revelation. And he appears again.

[29:26] So let's turn to Daniel 10, 15. When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. So he's telling me these things, but we don't know what it is.

[29:40] So behold, one who resembled a human was touching my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke and said to him, who was standing before me, my Lord, due to the vision, anguish has come upon me and I have retained no strength.

[29:55] So what he was told weakens him. And we'll find out later what these things are. But for right now, Daniel hears them and he knows that this stuff is coming and it weakens him.

[30:08] For how can such a servant of my Lord talk with such as my Lord? As for me, there remains just now no strength in me, nor has any breath been left in me.

[30:20] He was exhausted from this thing. I mean, it really shook him. Then at verse 18, this one with human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. And he said, you who are treasured, do not be afraid.

[30:34] Peace be to you. Take courage and be strengthened. And said, my Lord, I felt strengthened. And he said, may my Lord speak for you have strengthened me.

[30:48] So he was weak and this angel came and strengthened him by saying these things to him. Clearly, Daniel was completely overcome by what he had seen, so much that he said he could hardly grieve.

[31:00] This is a fair amount to take for any 80-year-old man. Notice that the text reveals that there are two different characters with Daniel. There's the angel who had come with a message for Daniel and also the one that looked like a man.

[31:14] This is obviously describing two different people. So Daniel was once again touched and strengthened to counter the overwhelming effect of his visions.

[31:25] As before, the being who touched him is one who looks like a man being. It seems likely that this may be the same being with whom Daniel was speaking, an angel, probably Gabriel.

[31:37] However, not all congregators agree at this point. So, when we're talking about these angels here in chapter 10, nobody seems to know which exactly one we're talking about.

[31:48] The first touch was meant to encourage Daniel, and that we saw in verses 10 and 12. The second touch enabled him to speak. The third now provides strength.

[32:00] This is important. So, Daniel is about to be given more information and he will need his strength to endure what he is about to be told. And again, we don't know what that is.

[32:12] So, Daniel 10 20. Then he said, Do you understand why I came to you? But I shall not return to fight against the prince of Persia. So, I am leaving and behold, the prince of Greece is about to come.

[32:26] Oh, now all of a sudden we're going to hear about the prince of Greece. We haven't heard about him since chapter 2 or 3. So, now he says that this prince of peace is about to come.

[32:40] That doesn't mean he's going to be here tomorrow, but he is about to come, which means Persia is going to be in control and do all kinds of things, but eventually they're going to be replaced with Greece.

[32:52] And how, verse 21, however, I will tell you what is recorded in the writing with truth, that there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael, your prince.

[33:05] So, even these angels know that there's other angels out there that's causing all this uproar and things with all these different empires. So, the ultimate warfare is still to come.

[33:19] 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. But first I must tell you these words.

[33:30] We see from this passage that it isn't just Persia that has too many angels being assigned to them. The coming rise of the Grecian empire under Alexander the Great, still 200 years in the future, will be overseen by the prince of Greece as well.

[33:47] And this is the prince is also in small letters meaning that this is an angel that's going to take them through all the bad things that's going on and all the wars. Fortunately, as we have previously seen, the nation of Israel also has angelic protection of the highest order in Michael, the archangel.

[34:08] So, in this chapter, we've been given the glimpse of the influence that that angelic realm has into the affairs of men. The ultimate fulfillment of this influence, however, will occur just prior to the return of Jesus when we read in Revelation 16 and 13 and 14.

[34:27] Then I saw the evil spirits that looked like the frogs. They came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits or demons performing miraculous signs and they go out to the kings of the world to gather them for the battle of the great day of God Almighty.

[34:47] And this is something that we're seeing here these demons going out and influencing these different nations. And some of that influences even in our nation here in America today.

[35:03] And I think we're seeing a lot of signs of that going on at this point. The dominic influence upon earth will reach its climax when the kings of the whole world will be drawn by the spirits of the battle against God and his people.

[35:18] And that's what we see in the very end times after the tribulation and all that. So chapter 10 does not give us all the answers but the unseen angelic world.

[35:29] But we must admit that a lot remains a mystery. But it does give us a glimpse and remind us that we all are in a spiritual battle. The angels are sent from God to render service to those who are his yet a lot of service like the angels themselves as unseen to the human eye.

[35:50] We should however remember the familiar hopeful words of the apostle Paul who wrote this in Ephesians chapter 6. Finally be strong in the Lord and his mighty power.

[36:03] Put on the full armor of God. God has that we can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 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.

[36:23] So put on the full armor of God. And this is what the apostle Paul gives to these new Christians. The fact that the false prophets and all the things that's going on during that time, he says put on the full armor.

[36:39] Know what the scriptures say. You're protected by God. And those are amazing verses there in chapter six. And you go through it and talk about the armor that's on these soldiers.

[36:52] And he describes exactly what those are for. And how if you take this and use it in your life, in your prayer life, that you can fight against all this stuff that may be coming into your life.

[37:06] And it gives you peace. So that's one of the key verses that I take from this chapter that we can go before God and leave this stuff to him. Because we can't understand it.

[37:19] So, and that is the end of chapter 10. Is there any questions or comments about what we talked about? It was a very confusing one for me to bring us today.

[37:29] Chapter 11 is going to be the same way. And I don't know exactly how I'm going to present 11 because there's so much detail. And it's detail about past histories and stuff of all these nations fighting each other.

[37:43] It kind of reminds me of going back to 1 Kings and 2 Kings and Chronicles of all the kings and all the battles. They have this thing and they turn before God and then they go for 10 or 20 years or 100 years and then they go back again.

[38:01] Back and forth. And that's going to be a lot of what chapter 11 is all about until the end of the chapter. and it's going to talk about and get us to the antichrist and the things that's actually going to happen in those seven year period.

[38:17] And then chapter 12 we'll finish that up. So any questions about chapter 10? Okay.

[38:27] I don't know whether, what is it, quarter tail? I'll just give you a little bit about chapter 11 before we end here.

[38:40] But chapter 11, we saw the last time that an angel was sent to Daniel to bring him an important prophetic message, yet he took 21 days to reach Daniel because of the conflict with the angelic demons.

[38:54] To be specific, a dominic spirit called the prince of Persia and resisted Daniel from reaching Daniel. The introduction of the prayer of Daniel 11 is given in the preceding chapter, and that's what we just discussed.

[39:10] It began with the third year of Cyrus, the king of Persia. Message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was Belshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long. There's a long period between Daniel receives this, well, until the time of Christ.

[39:25] all these things are going to be happening. And a lot of the stuff that's happening, you're not going to find it in the Bible because it's not there. And it talks about it, but all this is history, and you're going to see it in the book of Maccabees.

[39:42] There's other scriptures, there's other documents out there that record a lot of this stuff, but it's not stuff that you want to find here in the Bible. The Bible just puts it out there, and these are the type of things that's going to be happening.

[39:56] But this is history, and it's a part of what happened, and it's going to be a part of what's going to be happening. So there's a lot that goes on in over a 200-year period, and they say there's a gap, and that's part of this gap that we're talking about between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

[40:19] So what happened during this time? Well, there's a lot of the stuff that we're going to see here in chapter 11 that was going on during this time. And there's a lot of bad stuff going on at this point.

[40:30] So we'll see that as we get into chapter 11 next week. So for now, let's have a cup of coffee, and we'll see you next week. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.