Daniel Sees Jesus
"I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed." – Daniel 7:13-14
In his vision, Daniel apparently sees One who looks human but is a perfect representation of humanity--and that would have to be Jesus. Jesus Himself also uses the name “Son of Man” to refer to Himself on multiple occasions. Of course, this passage in Daniel was written some 550 years before Jesus’ birth, but this is just one of many times when Jesus shows up in the Old Testament even before anyone really knew of His existence! To me, this gives us even more evidence that Jesus really is who He claimed to be, and that He has been around since the beginning of time.
Various Thoughts About Prophecies
"Thus he said: The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces. The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High... " – Daniel 7:23-25a
Prophecy is very difficult to fully understand. This is certainly by design; if we knew for sure when Jesus would return, can you imagine how that knowledge would drastically impact the choices that we make? Some people believe that this prophecy refers back to Rome, while others think it refers to a future kingdom. The part about “pompous words” definitely fits the present time, as atheist groups and many others continue to speak out against God and against Christians. A passage in Revelation 17 (verses 12-14) also refers to these horns and kings, which leads me to believe that this passage is referring to the End Times.
Possible Description of the Antichrist
"And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; he shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; he shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people. Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; and he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without human means. And the vision of the evenings and mornings which was told is true; therefore seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future." – Daniel 8:23-26
According to the angel Gabriel in Daniel 8:17 and 8:19, this vision does refer to the End Times. What does that mean to us? If the End Times are near, then we should be on the lookout for someone who fits this description. Just be careful not to let someone’s words fool you, because I feel like the antichrist will be a slick type of person who manipulates people with his words.
Daniel’s Physical Reaction
And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king's business. I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it. – Daniel 8:27
Daniel added this short closing after the description and interpretation of his second vision. Clearly it was a very powerful, intense, and disturbing time for him if it caused him to become so sick and weak afterwards. To me, that just gives us another piece of evidence that it did in fact come from God; otherwise, it could not have had such a powerful impact on Daniel. An intense physical reaction can make a person’s witness and testimony much more powerful, just like what happened to Saul’s (Paul’s) eyesight when he was walking along the road and Jesus spoke to him. The prophecies in Daniel are difficult to fully understand and to even attempt to analyze a portion of them would require much more space than I have here. I encourage you to read them for yourself and take the time to research and analyze these words to develop a better understanding of what is to come as we approach the End Times.
Daniel Refers to Jeremiah’s Prophecy
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans--in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. – Daniel 9:1-2
Do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will not harm you. Yet you have not listened to Me," says the Lord. ... And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. – Jeremiah 25:6-7a, 11
Daniel had read and knew the early writings that now make up the Bible and he refers back to some of those writings in his own book. Here, he refers to Jeremiah’s prophecy of Israel’s captivity, which is now nearing its end during Daniel’s time. Daniel goes on to pray for the people of Israel, and we will look at some portions of that prayer in the coming weeks.
Daniel’s Prayer for Israel, Part 1 of 4
And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day--to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You." – Daniel 9:4-7
Daniel begins his prayer by praising God and confessing, openly and honestly, the sins of himself and all of Israel. Read and consider the words in this prayer carefully, taking time to ask yourself if your prayer attitude may need to change.
Daniel’s Prayer for Israel, Part 2 of 4
"O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. We have not 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 Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem." – Daniel 9:8-12
For seven straight verses, Daniel does nothing but confess the sins of Israel in his prayer. He is about as open and honest with God as anyone can be, which is something we should all strive for. God sees our sins anyway--don’t be afraid to confess them so that you no longer have to feel like you’re hiding something!
Daniel’s Prayer for Israel, Part 3 of 4
"As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. Therefore the Lord has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice. And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day--we have sinned, we have done wickedly!" – Daniel 9:13-15
Once again Daniel shows how well he knows the Word of God, at least the parts that had been written prior to his lifetime. He is referring to a passage in Deuteronomy (28:15-68) during which God, through the hand of Moses, thoroughly details the punishment that will come upon Israel if they do not follow His commandments. Although that warning may have been directed more at Israel, I believe it is a warning we should still heed today. God can destroy us at anytime, and if our country continues trying to move away from God, He has every reason to do just that.
Daniel’s Prayer for Israel, Part 4 of 4
"O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord's sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name." – Daniel 9:16-19
After praising God, confessing the sins of all Israel, and admitting that he understands why God had to punish His chosen people, Daniel just now makes his request. Everything else came before the request. Also notice the enthusiasm with which he prays toward the end. We can all learn a great deal from Daniel’s prayer!
Question to Ponder: What have you learned from Daniel’s prayer that you can apply to your own prayer life?
Daniel Sees Jesus Again
Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris, I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz! His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude. And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength. – Daniel 10:4-8
In Daniel 7:13-14, Daniel saw someone who was most likely the preincarnate Jesus Christ. Here, he seems to see Jesus again, based on the description. It is similar to the description given by the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 1:4. This vision was for Daniel alone, and it was so powerful that it caused him to lose his strength. We’ll discuss more about this vision in the coming weeks.
Question to Ponder: Have you ever had an encounter with God that was very intense or powerful?
Attributes of Daniel
Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you." While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words." – Daniel 10:10-12
It seems most likely that an angel of God is now speaking to Daniel in his vision. Why was Daniel chosen for this gift and responsibility? God saw that Daniel had a heart to understand and that Daniel humbled himself before Him. The angel also tells Daniel that God has heard his prayers for Israel and that is why he (the angel) has come. Daniel had such great fear and respect for God that he trembled, and that makes me wonder--do we have that same fear and respect today? If (hypothetically) Jesus Himself walked toward you on the street, would you run to Him in awe and reverence or would you be too busy to even stop?
Question to Ponder: Do you fear and respect God as much as Daniel did?
Good vs. Evil
"But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come." – Daniel 10:13-14
This is an interesting little passage, and I did some extra research to try to better understand what is going on here. It wouldn’t make sense for an angel to be held back by a mere human for 21 days, so most people seem to agree that this passage refers to a battle between good and evil. The “prince of the kingdom of Persia” seems to be someone who is working for Satan, trying to lead and influence the people of Persia. This is one passage that reminds us that the battle between good and evil is very real. It isn’t something many of us talk about very often, but we find multiple references to it in the Bible and it is a real battle. This is one reason why we need to be very careful about the kinds of evil things we allow to come into our hearts and minds.