This morning, we returned once again to our verse by verse study of the book of Daniel. So if you will take your Bibles turn to Daniel chapter 10. And I've entitled my discourse to you this morning, "A Glorious Preparation for Revelation." This is another astounding text that is often overlooked. But it is a text that has much practical application and instruction for our everyday lives. Because as we will see, Satan's efforts to thwart the purposes of God and to destroy his people, continues to exist to this day, as it did in the days of Daniel. And what we know biblically, as we will see from the prophecies, forthcoming from chapters 11, and 12, These things will worsen prior to the Lord's return as demons prepare the world for the rule of the Antichrist, by influencing wicked people, we see this already with the wickedness in the whole liberal, progressive movement, global elitist, and so forth. And in this chapter, we are going to gain great insights into the role of demons, and how they influence rulers and nations, and how world events are often shaped because of the things that they are up to. And we will also understand their unique commission to destroy the people of God and thwart God's sovereign purposes and plans. Just to get you thinking, I want you to understand, dear friends, that Satan is alive and well and he has a demonic horde that is actively and aggressively at work today. It is no coincidence that an unqualified career politician in a state of cognitive decline, with virtually no accomplishments and 40 years of politics, was elected President of these United States. It is no coincidence that this President and his top military advisors would humiliate United States of America in the withdrawal from Afghanistan. It's no coincidence that there is over 100 cargo tanker sitting off the coast of California, waiting to be unloaded. It is no coincidence that we have a supply chain crisis. It is no coincidence that the economic policies of the Democratic Party are not only destroying the economy in the United States, but also weakening the dollar all around the world. It's no coincidence that there is no end to the new COVID variants requiring unconstitutional experimental vaccine mandates, unending boosters, vaccine passports, destructive lock downs. And now they're coming after our children who are at virtually no risk. It's no coincidence that globalists continue to use fear to condition the masses to obey the government authorities. It is not happenstance that they are now pushing for embedded biometrics so that they can somehow have a digital vaccine passport. It's not just random reality that progressive corporate and tech billionaires censor those who reject their political ideologies. It is not just happenstance that progressive politicians have shut down the oil pipelines in our country, that they push this global warming hoax that they burden businesses with ridiculous environmental restrictions that sabotage our economy. And it's not just random reality that our government promotes subsidized unemployment. All of these things are going someplace. It's not coincidence that liberal politicians and religious phonies continue to promote the woke, critical race theory, LGBTQ insanity. Not only promote it, but try to impose those values on everyone. It's not coincidence that hundreds of 1000s of illegal aliens are flooding our porous borders and being released into our population without proper vetting. It's not just coincidence that the godless political left now rule our country through activist judges, through unelected bureaucrats, through public school teachers and academia and mainstream media and social media, and Hollywood. These things aren't just happening. They are all part of Satan's plan as he continues to rule this world temporarily. It's not coincidence that the two institutions that God has ordained and promised to bless--the two institutions of which Christ is to be the head--marriage and the church, are both under attack in our country. It's not by accident that we see an escalation of military conflicts around the world, especially the resurgence of anti semitism. It's not just by accident that Russia is now aligning itself with Turkey and Iran is being aided by Russia and by China. It's not just a coincidence that the European Union and NATO are beefing up their military might. It's not just something random, some happenstance that there is an increased demand for a central bank, digital currency. Beloved, all of these things are a result of Satan's plan and demonic activity. And through his minions, Satan is paving the way for global governance under the rule of the Antichrist, absolute totalitarianism, as we see in the prophetic Scriptures, a one world ruler, a one world economy, and a one world government. And what we are witnessing today is not only the systematic destruction of life as we know it in America, but hear this, we are witnessing God's sovereign plan being enacted, even through the use of his ape, Satan and his minions, and in that we can find comfort, can we not? What you're about to hear today, and over the next few weeks is a detailed explanation of the truths God has revealed to us through His Word. And sadly, many of these things most professing Christians know nothing about.

Well, let me give you a little background here of where we're going in the last three chapters of the book of Daniel, beginning here in Daniel 10. God is revealing prophetic truths concerning the future world events, beginning with the reign of Cyrus in 536 BC, all the way through the future reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, when he establishes his kingdom. So as there's this vast, historical, prophetic panorama that is being unfolded, this covers the same period here in chapter 10 and following that was set forth in Chapter Eight of Daniel, the reign of the Medo-Persian Empire, and later the Grecian empires. But what we're going to see is much more detail regarding the rule of Alexander the Great as well as the pre kingdom judgments, also known as the Great Tribulation.

Now, you will recall in Daniel nine, because it's been a number of weeks over the Christmas vacation, we moved away from Daniel and now we're back in it, but you will remember in Daniel nine, especially verses 24 and 27, that God revealed some amazing truths to Daniel. The background there--Daniel had offered heartfelt confession of sin, he was praying for his Israeli kinsmen, and he offered intercession on their behalf that they might be delivered from Babylonian captivity restored to their land and so forth. And God sent his angel Gabriel to answer his prayers. But in his answer, we see that what Daniel prayed for was not enough. That God's answer encompassed a far greater deliverance than merely the deliverance from the Babylonian captivity, he disclosed his plan to deliver his people from their sin, a remedy that could only be accomplished by Christ's death on the cross, at the end of his first coming, but his answer also looked beyond their Gentile oppressors in Babylon, to a final day, when they will be forever delivered from all earthly oppressors. And that will be accomplished by the triumph of Christ at His Second Coming. All of this will require 490 years, that is 70 weeks, as is revealed in that text, 70 weeks of years, literally seven sevens. And that was divided into two seasons of deliverance, the first requiring 69 weeks of years, or 483 years leading up to the death of Christ. And then, after an indefinite period of time, the final week, often called Daniel's 70th week, would ensue, culminating in the second coming of the Messiah, who will defeat the enemies of the Antichrist bent on exterminating all of ethnic Israel, and all who refuse to worship him. The details of that victory are given to us in chapter seven. And this brings us now to where we're at today. This is Daniel's fourth and final vision. And as I say, it is a magnificent prophetic panorama that is first introduced in chapter 10, through the first verse of chapter 11. That's what we will look at here today. And then we're going to see beginning in 11, to 35, there's the prediction concerning the immediate future from Daniel's perspective regarding Darius all the way to Antiochus. And then in verses 36 through verse four of chapter 12, you will see another division where he leaps into the far future, giving us great insights into what's going to happen just prior to our Lord's Second Coming. And then in chapter 12, verses five through 13, he gives a final message, and revelation to Daniel. So let's examine now, this introduction of Daniel's final vision recorded for us in chapter 10.

Again, I've been titled this "A Glorious Preparation for Revelation." We're going to look at it under three headings very simple, Daniel's mournful prayer to understand Israel's future. And then secondly, Daniel's terrifying vision of the glory of Christ. And then thirdly, Daniel's angelic strengthening, necessary to proceed. Now he begins in verse one by giving us the setting. In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar." You will recall this was the name that was assigned to Daniel when he first arrived as a young teenage boy in Babylon. So this now is about 536 BC. This is given to Daniel when he's about 84 or 85 years old. And this is about two years after Gabriel's appearance to Daniel in chapter nine, and also about two years after the Jews were allowed to return back to Judea, to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. Daniel was praying and he goes on to say, "And the message was true and one of great conflict." In other words, the message that he is about to receive, the message that we now have, under the inspiration of this prophet, speaks of great conflicts between nations in the future. And then he says, "But he understood the message and had an understanding of the vision."

So first, let's look under the heading of Daniel's mournful prayer to understand Israel's future and see what the Spirit of God has for us. Verse two, "In those days, I Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks. Have you ever mourned for something for three entire weeks." Have you ever had that level of burden, he was burdened for his people. He saw the troubles they had encountered when they returned back to Judea. It's been about two years now. The physical difficulties, the enemies in the land, their spiritual difficulties. He knew the horrors as well of the divine judgment that awaited them in years to come. He could look back and recall the 400 years of oppressive bondage in Egypt, despite the promises God made in his covenant to Abram in Genesis 15. He was burdened for these things. He was very aware of the captivity and banishment in its several stages, with the invasions of Nebuchadnezzar in the past. But, dear friends, the predictive revelations he had received made him aware that the sufferings of his people were just beginning. He wanted to understand these things. The subjugation under the Romans, the eventual destruction of Jerusalem, was absolutely unimaginable. And persecution has continued down through history, to this very day. But the revived Roman Empire under the rule of the Antichrist, in Daniel's 70th week, would be the worst of all, oh, dear friends the ravages of sin. Do you mourn over it in your life and in the lives of others in the lives of the people of the world? Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn for they will” be what? Comforted. Seldom do we really come to grips with sins, deadly consequences, especially in our culture of ease. In fact, most professing Christians have never really suffered for their faith. Because most professing Christians are just professing Christians. They're Christian in name only, they're chameleons. They have a dead faith that cannot save. They're pretend Christians so they blend in with the culture, so they're not going to be persecuted. But of course, friendship with the world is enmity with God, and God will judge all who rebel against Him. But Daniel now is mourning over the future of his people. He's longing for understanding, to be sure he loved the Lord and he loved his people. He was truly a godly man, something that is rare in his day, and in our day, in fact, later, the angel described him in verse 11, as "a man of high esteem," verse 12, a man who set his "heart on understanding," humbling himself before his God. And we see the depth of his passion in verse three, "I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine into my mouth." Of course, being in the king's court, he had the advantage of all of these luxuries, but he limited himself to a meager diet, so that he could focus on what was really at hand. And plus, he was distressed over all of this, so he had very little appetite. He said, "nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed." You see, it was customary for them in those days to anoint exposed flesh with oil to protect it from the sun's rays. But all of that also was a symbol of joy, which would be discontinued in times of mourning. And these acts of self-denial were not intended to somehow really get God's attention; that's not why he was doing this. But rather, the intention was to help him concentrate on the matters at hand and to help him maintain the proper priority of his heart. And sadly, self-discipline and self-denial are foreign virtues in our culture, of self-indulgence and gluttony and sloth, all you have to do is go to Walmart and you will see that.

Dave Harrell

Verse four, "On the 24th day of the first month, while I was by the bank of the great river, that is, the Tigris." Let me pause there for a moment. This is important. This would have been the month of Nissan. So he prayed through the Passover season that was celebrated on the 14th of that month immediately followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which lasted for seven days. So this was a fitting time for his petition to the Lord, because it was the time that commemorated Israel's original exodus from the bondage of Egypt, going into the promised land. But now he's witnessing another exodus, his people going back to their land after the Babylonian captivity, and he wants to understand more what's going to happen to them.

So we moved from Daniel's mournful prayer to understand Israel's future to secondly, Daniel's terrifying vision of the glory of Christ. Verse five, "I lifted my eyes and looked and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen." All through Scripture, dear friends, linen is white. And white linen is a symbol of purity, it was worn by the priests, and I can't help but think of Isaiah one and verse 18, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be as white as snow. Though they are red, like crimson, they will be like wool." In fact, the Saints in glory are described in Revelation three, five as being "clothed in white garments. He goes on to describe what he sees. This being had a waist, that was "girded with a belt of pure gold of Uphaz." We don't know where that is, it's an unidentified place in Scripture. So he sees this heavenly being appearing as a human. But obviously, it has all the trappings of deity. It is indescribable, terrifying glory. Imagine what it would be like to be on the bank of a river, and to look out across the river and all of a sudden you see this elevated in front of you. It produced paralyzing fear. I believe, dear friends that this was a theophany, a visible manifestation of the pre–Incarnate Christ, the Lord of Glory who reigned supreme over all of his creation, in the purity of his holiness. And the reason why I, and many other conservative scholars would believe this, is because Daniels description has undeniable parallels with other descriptions of the glorified Christ in Ezekiel and Revelation. In fact, John the Apostle had the same reaction when he saw the glorified Christ in Revelation 1:17. It says, "I fell at his feet like a dead man." It goes on to say in Revelation one beginning in verse 13, "In the middle of the lampstand I saw one like a Son of Man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet and girded across his chest with a golden sash. 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 has been made to glow in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. In his right hand, he held seven stars and out of his mouth came a sharp two edged sword and his face was like the sun shining in its strength." We can go to Ezekiel chapter one and see a very similar description and a similar reaction.

Now notice the similarities back to Daniel 10, beginning in verse six. His body that he says, also "was like beryl." Beryl was, I should say is, a magnificent gem having a yellow and gold luster to it, kind of quartz like in structure. He goes on to say, "his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches." Imagine looking into the face, the glowing face of deity, and seeing the penetrating eyes of divine omniscience, looking back at you. Absolutely terrifying. This is what he sees. "His arms and feet were like the gleam of polished bronze and the sound of his words, like the sound of a tumult." We're not sure what he said, but his voice sounded like a thunderous crowd of people speaking in unison. Verse seven, "Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great dread fell on them and they ran away to hide themselves." They couldn't see what was going on, but they knew Daniel, and they saw what was going on with his face, the color of his skin, and they could tell something supernatural was occurring. And they rent ran and hid themselves.

So verse eight, "I was left alone and saw this great vision; yet no strength was left in me, for my natural color turned to a deathly pallor, and I retained no strength." Beloved, this is always the reaction in Scripture, when someone is given a glimpse of the glory of God, it is one of sheer terror, and overwhelming sense of utter unworthiness and helplessness. At that moment, all sense of self sufficiency and self-aggrandizement evaporates like a fog when the Son comes out, and beams its rays upon it. Verse nine, "But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground." He was in a state of shock, he just passed out. It was just overwhelming. Now, I think it's fair to ask the question, why would the Lord appear in this way, and terrify his humble servant to the point of death? Well, Scripture doesn't necessarily say, but when we look at this context, and we look at other passages of Scripture, I think it's fair to assume that what God wanted to do is to remind Daniel of his ineffable glory and his sovereign might. Behold, Daniel, look at me, the one to whom you were praying. I want you to see the preexistent, self-existent, uncreated Creator of the universe. I want you to look upon the one who is omnipotent, the great I Am that is omnipresent, that is omniscient, that is sovereign over all of his creation. I am the invincible ruler of the universe, be comforted with that, be strengthened by that. I am the one according to Isaiah 46:10, "declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times, things which have not been done, saying, 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish my good pleasure.'" O, dear Christian, when the storms of life, toss your little boat to and fro and you feel like you're going to be drowned in the depths of the sea. You must look up and behold the glory of God and be comforted by his great strength and care. Be confident in his purposes in your life come what may. If you're drowning in sorrow, perhaps here today, if you're collapsing under the weight of some great burden, if you're confused about the direction of your life, dear friends, please hear me. You need a soul destroying, I should say sin destroying, soul invigorating, so captivating vision of the glory of God. This is what Daniel needed. And it was something I'm sure he never forgot. You say Well, yes, pastor, but but how I how can we see such a vision? We cannot see what he saw. Well, that's true. In fact, the apostle Paul tells us that for now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face someday we will see Him face to face. Now I know in part he says, but then I will know fully just as I have also been fully known. But we can, dear friends, see the glory of Christ in the gospel. We can through the eyes of faith see him revealed on every page of Scripture. We can see him in his true church. Indeed, he abides in each one of us, Christ in you the hope of what? The hope of glory.

The apostle Paul made it clear in his epistles, that all that God is and all that God does speaks of his intrinsic glory, especially his invasion to the material universe through the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, which the apostle John described in these words, "and the Word became flesh," John 1:14, "and dwelt among us. And we saw his glory; glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." Sadly, we live in an evangelical culture today that has little concern, to see the glory of Christ. His word is not that big of a deal, his person is not that big of a deal. People really don't want to know him intimately. They don't care to commune with him to nourish their souls upon his word. They just live for themselves. And certainly, this is true of the unregenerate. In fact, those without Christ, and if that is you, you're probably sitting here right now and you're absolutely bored stiff. And the reason for that is you are alienated from God, and you are darkened in your understanding, and you are without Christ, and therefore you are without hope. And I would challenge you to do business with God this day, repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. But many professing Christians leave their first love, right? And as a result, they have no zeal for the glory of God or a passion to live in such a way that others will see the glory of Christ in them. They are just caught up in the world. And they don't see the Lord's glory, because frankly, they care nothing for it. The Titans game on Sunday is much more important. So their lives are powerless. And they serve what David Wells calls "a weightless God."

Let me give you a little background here because it's very important. The Old Testament Hebrew term for glory is "kavod." And it comes from a root word that means heavy or weighty. It carried the idea of the heaviness of something and was therefore used even as a measure of worth or a measure of value. For example, we might say that something is worth its weight in gold. So you see the value there. Therefore, the term is often used in a figurative sense in Scripture, to suggest the remarkable worthiness or intrinsic value of a person and when applied to the Lord Jesus Christ, as Daniel sees him, as he beholds him, he is absolutely astonished by the weight of his glory, which produces an ever increasing zeal for his glory. Beloved, bear in mind, because we are united to Christ, he dwells within us, and we not only reflect His glory, but it actually radiates from within us. But many today in evangelicalism know nothing of any of this. They know nothing of the glory of God, in his holiness, for example, which is the all-encompassing attribute of his infinite perfection, and purity and power. But oh, dear friends, to see the effulgence of the celestial majesty of God, the resplendent light of his glory glowing off of him. I long for that day, I hope you do as well. Even though I can't see it, as Daniel did, I can see it in my mind's eye and through the eyes of faith, through his word, I can see it clearly. But oh, how much more clearly, when we see him face to face. Child of God it is our zeal for God's glory that unleashes the power of the Holy Spirit of God within us, causing our lives to redound to the glory of God and our souls to be flooded with the inexpressible joy of his presence and his power. This is what God wanted to reinforce in Daniel. But sadly, as I say, many serve what David Wells calls "a weightless God." Here's what he said, "It is one of the defining marks of our time that God is now weightless." In other words, this is the opposite of "kavod." "I do not mean by this, that he is ethereal, but rather that he has become unimportant. He rests upon the world so in consequentially as not to be noticeable. He has lost his saliency for human life. Those who assure the pollster of their belief in God's existence may nonetheless consider him less interesting than television. His commands less authoritative than their appetites for affluence, and influence his judgment, no more awe inspiring than the evening news and his truth less compelling than the advertisers sweet fog of flattery and lies that," he says, "is weightlessness."

Contrast this dear friend to the Lord's command given to us in Psalm 96, beginning in verse two, "Sing to the Lord, bless His name, proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples, for great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods." Oh, dear Christian, the pre incarnate glory of Christ, mind you, dwells within you, in some mysterious way that we cannot fathom. Remember that he has redeemed us that he might inhabit us, and one day glorify us in ways similar to his glory. And let this be the driving force of your life. Let this animate your heart to perpetual praise and confidence in his sovereign plan. Much of which is delineated in His Word. This is why I believe he appeared to Daniel has such an amazing, unforgettable way. I mean stop and think about it. If you saw for just one second what Daniel saw, what would happen? I'll tell you what would happen. Every priority in your life would suddenly be different, right? Everything would change, and your confidence in his plan and purposes would be unshakable.

Now, back to the text. We've seen Daniel's mournful prayer to understand Israel's future in his terrifying vision of the glory of Christ. And now thirdly, we're going to see Daniel's angelic strengthening, necessary to proceed. Verse 10, "Then behold, a hand touched me." Now this is probably the hand of Gabriel. As we will see, Gabriel had done this before, for example, in Daniel nine. And he says he "set me trembling on my hands and knees." So get the scene now, Daniel is at the riverbank here he has seen this. He's now raised up from his face in the ground, but he still tottering to and fro on his hands and knees, he can hardly even remain in that posture. Verse 11, "He said to me, 'O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.' And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up, trembling. Then he said to me, 'Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.'" Oh, dear Christian, what a powerful reminder that God hears and he answers prayer. But remember, he hears and answers the prayers of those who fear Him, who humble themselves before him, who seek understanding. And what a testimony to see how God dispatches his angels, to do his bidding to minister to us. Remember Hebrews 1:14, they are "ministering spirits," the writer tells us "sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation."

Now, what follows is evidence of how demonic forces are exceedingly active in thwarting the purposes and plans of God, exerting their influence on the rulers of nations. Verse 13, "'But the prince of the kingdom of Persia,'" This is now a reference to some powerful demon, perhaps, even Satan himself, "'The prince of the kingdom of Persia, was withstanding me for 21 days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.'" This is really fascinating. Michael, whose name means "who is like God" is one of the most powerful of the holy angels. He is the one who leads and protects Israel as we see, for example, later on in verse 21. In fact, in Jude nine, he's called Michael, the archangel, "archaggelos" in the original language, meaning the first angel. He is the one that goes on to say, who disputed with the devil, and argued about the body of Moses. That's another story for another time. And the phrase here in this text, "for I had been left there" is really interesting. In Hebrew, it helps us see in the passive voice, it's referring to being left over or remaining in a position of preeminence. As if to say he was the only one left on the field of battle. That's the idea. And so the point here is with the help of Michael, Daniel's visitor, who I believe is probably Gabriel, gained the victory, and was thus left beside the kings of Persia. In other words, he replaced Satan's demonic envoy and now assume the position of influence with the Persian ruler. Notice "kings" is plural. So the godly influence extended now to Persian kings for actually a period of two centuries, until Alexander the Great would come along and conquer them, and become the new ruler of the world. And these angelic battles, dear friends, have continued down through the millennia of redemptive history. Now, bear in mind, this conflict even continued even after the message was given to Daniel. So because Daniel was receiving the message isn't the reason for the conflict. Rather, it was probably, we can't say for sure, but probably related to Cyrus's decree to allow the Jews to return to Judea and rebuild the temple. Oh my, from Satan's perspective, that's one of the worst things that could ever happen. Because if Jerusalem is intact, and the people are in the land and the temple is rebuilt, what might happen? The Messiah might return, can't have that. This, dear friends, is why the Temple Mount in Jerusalem remains to this day the most disputed piece of real estate in all of the world. It is the epicenter of the battle between Satan and God. So God used his holy angels here, Michael and Gabriel to influence the Persian monarch to release the Jews against the will of Satan and the battle ensues, a battle that continued even with the demonic forces over Alexander the Great and his Grecian empire that would follow.

Verse 20, will speak of that. God's people would be under their jurisdiction, following the Persian dominance. And as I say, this warfare continues to rage to this very day, as the holy angels may battle Satan's minions that endeavor to rule this world system. And you know, Satan is the ingenious and diabolical general of a demonic army that's waging this invisible war against God and all who belong to Him; Ephesians six speaks of this in particular. He is according to Second Corinthians four four, "The god of this world; who has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ." But he is also an enemy that God will one day defeat. We read about that in Revelation 12, for example. You know, Hitler was one of Satan's great stooges. In Mein Kampf, he posited the lie that there was a Jewish conspiracy to gain world leadership. Do you realize that it's still going around to this day? Staggering. This became the heart of the Nazi propaganda that led to World War Two. And as a result, 85 million people were killed in a span of about five years. 55 million of them innocent civilians. Joe Biden and his administration are Satan stooges today, as have been other administrations that we've had. Their policies are not only destroying America, but they are absolutely antithetical to the will of God in Scripture. Their obsession with the brutal dismemberment of unborn and unwanted babies is just one example of this. They scoff, they censor Christians. And frankly, those who support these rulers are deceived, and they are damned because they do not know God. I can't imagine a person calling themselves a Christian voting for these people. It's incomprehensible. Like the godless Pharisees, of whom Jesus said, "'You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe.'" Jesus went on to say "'He who is of God hears the words of God. For this reason, you do not hear them because you are not of God.'" For generations, the American people have been lied to by demonically empowered, elected politicians. Teachers in our public schools that tell them that there is no God. There is no creator, that all the magnificent things in this world, all of the living systems, in this physical universe, are really the exalt of some big explosion 13 to 15 billion years ago. We continue to be lied to by psychologists and philosophers who tell people that they are basically good. And if given the proper environment, their true nature will show. And oh boy their true natures do show. All you have to do is look at what happens in these so-called protests. Look what happens in the crime of so many of these cities. They tell people that man is basically deprived, not depraved. Oh, you can't say that. So they scoff at man's need for the saving, transforming power of the gospel. We've been lied to by college and university, professionals, professors, by progressive liberals who fanned the flames of identity politics. With the unbiblical concepts of critical race theory and intersectionality, the found the national tenets of the Black Lives Matter movement and so forth. We've been lied to by generations of false religions, false teachers, even within the ranks of evangelicalism to the point where so many evangelical churches today are populated by people that do not know Christ. They do not understand the gospel. They want nothing to do with the truth. And even many people who do know Christ are so superficial. They have no biblical discernment. And when you look at their lives, it's hard to distinguish them from the lives of the unregenerate today. We can't trust the media. We can't trust politicians. We can't trust the FBI, the DOJ, on and on it goes right. Why? Because "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one," First John 5:19. Ephesians six, Paul says in verse 12, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." Who knows to what extent UFOs are tied to all of that? I don't know and I don't care. But we see this so clearly in our text this morning.

Back to the text, verse 14, Gabriel says, "'Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the day's yet future.'" In other words, what I'm about to tell you is the future far beyond what you've been praying about with respect to Israel.

Verse 15, "When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless. And behold, one who resembled a human being was touching my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke and said to him, who was standing before me, 'O my Lord, as a result of the vision anguish has come upon me, and I have retained no strength. 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.'" In other words, he's saying here that I can't even hardly breathe, I'm so terrified. "Then this one with human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. He said, 'O man of high esteem, do not be afraid. Peace be with you; take courage and be courageous!' Now, as soon as he spoke to me, I received strength and said, 'May my lord, speak for you have strengthened me.' Then he said, 'Do you understand why I came to you?'" In other words, he's reminding him here that, that I've come to answer more than just what you were asking about pertaining to the immediate future of your people, but to show you also the spiritual warfare that is occurring in the world today. He goes on to say, "'But I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the prince of Greece is about to come.'" So this Prince of Greece now is going to be another emissary of Satan, to influence Alexander the Great and his people, and on and on, it goes down through history. So he obviously wanted Daniel, and all of us to be fully aware of the kind of spiritual warfare that's going on behind the veil of human awareness. And dear friends, were it not for God's omnipotence, which includes his use of the holy angels to accomplish his purposes, and fighting back the angelic, the demonic forces of this world, were it not for all of that, the people of this world would kill every single Christian and burn every single Bible.

Verse 21, "'However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth.'" In other words, what I'm about to tell you is reliable, it's infallible, it's inspired. It's come from directly from God himself. Then he says something interesting, "'Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince.'" In other words, Michael and I have this covered. We have this covered.

Then verse one of chapter 11 really goes with this, "In the first year of Darius the Mede, I arose to be an encouragement and a protection for him." In other words, two years earlier, Gabriel says, I went to assist Michael in a time of need. So relax, we've got this covered. By the way, that would have evidently been the time when the Jews returned to Judah under Sheshbazzar in Ezra one. And there was that return we know from Ezra, was fraught with all kinds of demonic resistance. And probably resistance may be coming from Darius and Cyrus, requiring both Michael and Gabriel to somehow intervene to gain the victory.

So, beloved, this is the introduction to what is to come in chapter 11, and chapter 12, a glorious preparation for revelation. And may I challenge you in closing this morning--dear friend, if you do not know Christ, today is the day that you need to place your faith in him because he is coming again. And for those of us who know him, oh, dear Christian, may we all get serious about our walk with Christ, about living lies for the glory of Christ and not for ourselves? I think of what Paul said in Philippians, three, beginning of verse seven, "Whatever things were gained to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ." More than that, he says, "I count all things to be loss." And here's why. "In view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them, but rubbish, so that I may gain Christ." No, this dear friends, God's plans cannot be thwarted by man or by demon. His kingdom will come and his will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And let us all rejoice with great confidence in those realities and live consistently with them. Amen.

Father, thank You for the truths of your word that speaks so directly to our hearts. I pray that because of them even this day, you will save sinners and you will edify and encourage saints that we may live for your glory until you come again to take us unto yourself. We thank you, we give you praise. In Jesus name. Amen.