Daniel 10:18-21 – Again, one having the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me. And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come. But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince.”
2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem.” Ezra 1″2-3
The Decree of Darius – Ezra 6:1-5
6 Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in Babylonia, in the house of the archives where the documents were stored. 2 And in Ecbatana, the citadel that is in the province of Media, a scroll was found on which this was written: “A record. 3 In the first year of Cyrus the king, Cyrus the king issued a decree: Concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, let the house be rebuilt, the place where sacrifices were offered, and let its foundations be retained. Its height shall be sixty cubits and its breadth sixty cubits, 4 with three layers of great stones and one layer of timber. Let the cost be paid from the royal treasury. 5 And also let the gold and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that is in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, be restored and brought back to the temple that is in Jerusalem, each to its place. You shall put them in the house of God.”
In the Book of Daniel there are four great prophetic revelations. This is the last of them and it is revealed in the last three chapters. Daniel 10–12 forms one unified vision. The Bible was never originally written with chapters and verses. In its earliest forms it was kept on Hebrew scrolls, Aramaic texts, or Greek manuscripts. Scripture, therefore, was presented as a continuous, unbroken text from beginning to end. It was meant to be read aloud, memorized, and interpreted in context with how God had revealed it to His people. Chapters 10-12 would therefore, have been understood as one continuous prophetic revelation which in our modern Bibles is broken into three chapters. Chapter 10 is the prologue to the vision with Daniel’s encounter with the heavenly messenger. Daniel 10 sets the date, context, and spiritual backdrop for the revelation that unfolds in chapters 11 and 12.
The heavenly messenger is most definitely Gabriel sent by God to explain the vision. Gabriel is one of the few angels explicitly named in the Bible and one of the most important heavenly messengers in all of Scripture. After Daniel he next appears to the priest Zechariah to foretell and announce the miraculous birth of John the Baptist in Luke 1:19. He then appears to the virgin Mary to tell her that she would conceive and bear a son in Luke 1:26–38. Daniel describes this heavenly messenger that stands before him stating that “His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.” He is God’s agent to present the vision, an angel equipped to engage in the spiritual conflict to come and when it is needed, he is aided by the Archangel Michael. The heavenly angel in Daniel 10 explicitly tells Daniel that he has come to reveal “what will happen to your people in the latter days” (10:14). His revelation will be described to Daniel exactly as God intended to have it conveyed to him. His narrative which begins in Chapter 10 continues without pause into chapter 11 as the heavenly messenger’s message continues where he left off beginning in 10:20 and then moves seamlessly into 11:1 and onward.
Daniel 11 continues the revelation of the prophetic vision and is one of the most accurate prophetic chapters in the Bible, describing Persian kings, Alexander the Great, the division of his empire, centuries of conflict between the Ptolemies and Seleucids, the rise of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and then a sudden shift to a future final king many identify as the Antichrist. Daniel 11:36–45 describes “at the time of the end,” a future end‑time ruler as a blasphemous, self‑exalting, militaristic king who rises in the final period of history, surpassing even Antiochus. This strongly alludes to the same end‑time figure described elsewhere as the little horn, the final king, and the Antichrist. This is a ruler unparalleled at any time in ancient or current history. Chapter 11 closes by sealing the fate of this end-time ruler. “Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.”
Chapter 12 describes “The Time of the End” including the final tribulation, resurrection, and deliverance of God’s people, all of which the New Testament explicitly connects to Christ’s return. Daniel 12 opens with the declaration of a unique, unmatched time of trouble, guarded over by Michael, the heavenly prince assigned to Israel. Michael is the only angel in scripture explicitly called “the archangel.” This chapter is also a time for God’s message of hope for His people: “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.” These are God’s people, His remnant, a people for Himself. In the New Testament, the Book of Life specifically refers to those who belong to God and have attained eternal life. Revelation 20:12-15 describes the final judgment, where the dead are judged according to the books, including the Book of Life. Those not found in the Book of Life face eternal separation from God, while those whose names are written in it enjoy eternal life. The mention in Chapter 12:1 “But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book” shows the Book of Life clearly includes all the saints of the entire history of mankind. This certainly includes those Jews who never turned away from their God while in Babylon or have turned back to their God upon their return to Jerusalem.
Chapter 10 – Daniel’s Terrifying Vision of a Man
“In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision.”
In verse 1 of this chapter, we read that Daniel received this revelation from God in the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia. That was the year 536 BC and about two years after the first return of the Jewish exiles to Judah. It was two years after Daniel’s prayer in chapter 9. In that time some Jews began returning to Canaan to start rebuilding the temple. Many, however, would permanently remain in Babylon. The Jews who stayed in Babylon after the 70 years did so because many had been born there and life in Babylon had become stable, prosperous, and familiar. Judah was their grandparents’ homeland, not theirs. They were not going back. For those that chose to return to Judah they would be faced with hardship, uncertainty, and rebuilding a ruined land.
The return of the Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem, known in Hebrew as Shivat Tzion (“Return to Zion”), was not a single event but a multi‑stage restoration that unfolded over roughly a century (538–c. 430 BC). The first return was in 538 BC and was led by Zerubbabel, a descendant of King David. Ezra 2 lists the first wave of returnees and concludes that “the whole assembly together was 42,360”. The second return was in 458 BC and was led by the prophet Ezra, the priest and scribe, this group focused on spiritual and religious reforms, emphasizing the importance of the Torah and Jewish law. The third return was in 445 BC and was led by the prophet Nehemiah, who was appointed as governor, this wave concentrated on rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and restoring the city’s defenses. It was God’s will that leaders such as Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah would direct the people during their return. They were crucial in revitalizing the Jewish identity and faith after the trauma of 70 years of exile. The return, however, was met by much opposition.
The main opponents of the Jews returning from Babylon were the peoples settled in and around Samaria, especially the Samaritans and other mixed populations placed there by the Assyrians. Ezra and Nehemiah name several specific groups and leaders who resisted the rebuilding of the Temple, the walls, and the re‑establishment of Jewish life in Judah specifically in Nehemiah Chapter 2 and Ezra Chapter 4 .
Adversaries Oppose the Rebuilding – Ezra 4:1-6
4 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.” 3 But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”
4 Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5 and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
Opposition to the Work – Nehemiah 4:1-9
4 Now when Sanballat1 heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. 2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” 3 Tobiah the Ammonite2 was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” 4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. 5 Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders.
6 So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.
7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. 8 And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. 9 And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.
The Jews became discouraged by this and gave up the work. They started building their own houses, but not the house of God, the Temple. They stopped building the Temple for about 16 years. God then confronted them through Haggai letting them know He had withheld His blessings from them. 6 “You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.” Haggai 1:6
Daniel 10:10-14 – “For the vision is for days yet to come”
10 And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. 13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, 14 and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”
Daniel is seeing this vision beginning in Daniel 10 two years after the first Jews returned to Jerusalem and they are immediately confronted by opposition from the local Samaritans and others. Daniel would have known of the opposition the returning Jews were facing. Daniel almost certainly did understand that the returning Jews had stopped building the Temple. He also would have known that God was withholding His blessings on them. Daniel says he entered a state of mourning for three weeks (Daniel 10:2–3). This was not a ritual fast but a grief‑driven response to the prophetic message of a “great conflict” in Daniel 10:1 which immediately relates to the problems faced by those in Jerusalem. The opposition the returning Jews faced and God’s response to their disobedience certainly brought Daniel to grief, however by the end of Daniel Chapters 10 through 12 he would realize that all of this was due to the spiritual warfare that began from the day Eve took the bite out of the apple.
“And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. The “great conflict” in Daniel 10 needs to be understood as a spiritual battle involving heavenly and demonic forces. The heavenly messenger explains that his mission, for instance, was delayed 21 days by opposition from the “prince of the kingdom of Persia” until Michael came to help (10:12–13). In this instance Satan used the “prince of the kingdom of Persia”, who was not a human ruler, but a Satanic spiritual counterpart to Michael. It was his task to prevent the angelic messenger God sent to Daniel from ever reaching him. God’s will, however, will always prevail and Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help the angelic messenger bring Daniel God’s prophetic message. So, what would be the purpose of the 21-day delay? There had to be a purpose since God is all powerful and could have wiped out all opposition before the angel. There was a purpose. God’s purpose was to make it clear to Daniel and to the Jewish people, as they returned, that there would be spiritual opposition that they would face. Satan would not give up in his efforts to prevent the rebuilding of the Temple or would he permit that the Jewish people would be resettled in their Promised Land.
Spiritual warfare in Daniel 10 is the Bible’s clearest revelation showing that earthly events are influenced by real conflicts among angelic and demonic powers. Paul in Ephesian 6:12 writes: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Because of this vision Daniel right from the beginning of Chapter 10 understands what he and the Jewish people will experience. He states that the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And that he understood the word and had understanding of the vision. The Bible speaks about spiritual conflict from Genesis to Revelation, and it does so with remarkable consistency. The serpent in Genesis 3 is the first sign that humans are not alone in the moral universe. Satan purposed that Eve would bite that apple and disobey God. God in Genesis 3:15 in turn declares a long war between the serpent and the woman’s offspring. This was to be the Bible’s first prophecy of spiritual warfare. Scripture presents a recurring pattern of Satan working through both spiritual beings and human agents to oppose God’s purposes. As we read through Chapters 10-12, we should be able to see who these are.
God’s angelic host is the vast, organized army of holy angels who serve Him, worship Him, and engage in spiritual warfare against demonic powers. In scripture they are referred to as the “host of heaven”. They are God’s army and stand in God’s presence, receive His commands, and execute His purposes in both the heavenly and earthly realms. 1 Kings 22:19 – “And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left.”
Satan’s opposition is most recognizable whenever God is advancing a major redemptive purpose such creation, the revelation of God’s covenant with His people, Israel’s mission to the world, the coming and arrival of the Promised Messiah and the spread of Jesus’ Gospel message, the through His Great Commission. Notable individuals that Satan used are Cain, Pharoah, Balaam, King Saul, the Pharisees and Sadducees, Judas Iscariot, Herod the Great, Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate, and the Jerusalem leaders. During the Church Age Paul mentions false teachers who he says are energized by “deceitful spirits” and the “teachings of demons.” Paul when he was on his first missionary journey, was continuously beleaguered by opposition. Elymas the Magician (Bar-Jesus) is a good example. “Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name)” opposed Paul when he was in Cyprus (Acts 13:6–12). Elymas used direct occult spiritual resistance to block Sergius Paulus, a political leader from hearing the gospel. The Apostle Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, however looked right at Elymas and declared “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.” Acts 13–14 is a case study in how Satan mobilizes specific people, groups, and pressures to block Paul from spreading the gospel, yet every attempt ends up advancing it.
It was God’s purpose to send Gabriel, not only to reveal the vision but also to strengthen Daniel for what was to come. God strengthened Daniel in chapter 10 because the revelation he was about to receive was so overwhelming. It was spiritually, emotionally, and physically challenging, and without divine strengthening Daniel would not be able to endure it, understand it, or even stand in the presence of the heavenly messenger that was bringing him this message. He needed God’s imparted strength just to face God’s heavenly messenger. He needed God imparted strength to understand the weight of the revelation and the reality of spiritual warfare. Daniel had been chosen by God to lead, represent, and preserve the faithful remnant in Babylon because of who he already was, a young man of exceptional covenant loyalty, wisdom, purity, and spiritual discernment. Yet Daniel was at least 80 years old by this time. He had been through a lot in his 70 years of exile. As strong a leader as Daniel been to guide the Jewish people through their exile Daniel was still only human and God knew he needed divine strengthening to continue through what was to be revealed.
18 Again one having the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me. 19 And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” 20 Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come. 21 But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince.”
Meanwhile Gabriel was to be contending against the prince of Persia, a high‑ranking demonic power and Satan’s territorial spiritual ruler opposing God’s purposes for Israel during the Persian period. This will be followed by Micheal contending with the prince of Greece, another powerful demonic ruler who would rise after Persia, influencing the Greek Empire. These “princes” were Satan’s counterparts to oppose Gabriel and Michael, Israel’s angelic princes. They would be the influencers of demonic power during the Persian and Greek Empires and their future actions toward Israel.
God prepared Daniel in chapter 10 for what was to be revealed by strengthening his body, steadying his emotions, clarifying his identity before God, revealing the reality of spiritual warfare, and getting him ready to receive the most detailed prophecy in the entire Old Testament, the revelations of Daniel 11 and 12.
- A Samarian leader and Persian imperial official, active during Nehemiah’s governorship of Yehud. He is consistently portrayed as the instigator of opposition to Jerusalem’s restoration. ↩︎
- Tobiah in the Jewish return to Jerusalem is Tobiah the Ammonite, a politically connected adversary who actively opposed the restoration efforts led by Zerubbabel and Nehemiah after the Babylonian exile. His role spans both the Temple rebuilding (Ezra) and the wall rebuilding (Nehemiah), making him one of the most persistent external–internal threats to the returning community. ↩︎
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