Daniel, A Man Greatly Beloved

1. In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision. 2. In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. 3. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. 4. And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel; 5. Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: 6. His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. 7. And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. 8. Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. 9. Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground. 10. And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. 11. And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. 12. Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. 13. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. 14. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days. 15. And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb. 16. And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. 17. For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. 18. Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, 19. And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me. 20. Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. 21. But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.

*Ezra 4:1-5, "Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity built the temple unto the LORD God of Israel; Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, And hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia."

In 396 B.C. the foundation of the temple in Jerusalem was laid and Daniel had a vision by the Tigress River. No one saw this vision except Daniel. All the others were frightened and fled. Daniel alone remained and the words which were spoken to him gave him understanding of the visions which he had since the beginning.

Daniel had been fasting and praying for three full weeks. For twenty-one days he had not eaten nor anointed himself. He watched as the people gathered together to set their hearts to return to the land of their fathers. The fulfillment of the prophesies were beginning to unfold before his eyes. Yet, he knew in his heart that the indignation was not over. There was more that his people and the holy city of his God would suffer before the time of the end. But when, how long, he did not know nor understand. Daniel set his heart to know, to understand, and the Lord came to him in a vision and revealed all that his heart desired to know.

*Revelation 1:10-18, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."

The word of God itself is like one vision after another. Traveling through one generation after another, it spans over four-thousand years of history. What Daniel witnessed over two-thousand years ago was a vision of what was, what is, and what is yet to come.

What Daniel saw with his own eyes, what he witnessed, many had desired to see. *Matthew 13:17, "For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." A man whose presence caused a great quaking and Daniel felt corrupted in the radiance of His appearance. Yet He spoke to Daniel and said, "O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you. Stand up because I have been sent to you now. Fear not, Daniel, because from the first day you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before God your words were heard. I have come because of your words."

Daniel stood in the presence of the Lord and heard the words which He spoke. The time was 'now' in the third year of the reign of Cyrus king of Persia. "And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine 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 one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia," (11-13.)

When the foundation of the house of the Lord had been set up the scripture tells us, "Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, And hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia," *Ezra 4:4-5. There was resistance between the people whom the king of Assyria had placed in the land and the nation of Israel. They hired counselors to frustrate the building of the temple which they sent to Cyrus king of Persia.

Until the days of Artaxerxes they continued to hinder the work of the house of the Lord. *Ezra 4:7-10, "And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue. Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort: Then wrote Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions; the Dinaites, the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Susanchites, the Dehavites, and the Elamites, And the rest of the nations whom the great and noble Asnapper brought over, and set in the cities of Samaria, and the rest that are on this side the river, and at such a time."

*Ezekiel 28:14-15, "Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee."

There are three princes mentioned in this chapter; the prince of the kingdom of Persia, Michael one of the chief princes, 'your prince,' and the prince of Grecia. "Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince," (verse 20-21).

'Prince, "nagiyd or nagid" in Hebrew, means; 1) leader, ruler, captain, prince 1a) ruler, prince 1b) prince-overseer 1c) ruler (in other capacities) 1d) princely things. By comparing the following scriptures we have a greater understanding of who these princes mentioned in Daniel chapter ten are.

We know that Ezekiel was in captivity in Babylon during the time of these prophesies, yet the Lord told him to speak to the prince of Tyrus. By applying the above definition and the observance of these scriptures and the one in Ezekiel chapter 28:14, it would indicate that these princes were the spirits or spiritual angels (overseer) which covered these nations.

*Romans 8:31, "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" The scriptures tell us that all things work together for good for those who are called according to His purpose. When the enemy comes in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord lifts up a standard against him. We, like Daniel, have these sure and precious promises that the Lord is there and will fight for us in every situation we encounter. There is nothing to fear.

*Ezekiel 48:35, "It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there."

&Oh greatly beloved, are you beginning to see the importance of looking at the whole council of God as you move through this study? Next we will step into the interpretation of the visions of the book of Daniel. The next chapter will draw from all that you have observed so far. Read through Daniel chapter eleven, once again, this time marking each ruler with a distinctive mark or color. We will look at each according to the 'seven weeks' time period in history as recorded in Daniel chapter nine.