Amen, you may be seated. Turning your Bibles tonight to Daniel chapter 10. Daniel chapter 10. Begin reading with verse one, reading through the end of the chapter, verse 21. Let's give our attention now to the word of our God. Daniel chapter 10, beginning with verse one. In the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, a word was revealed to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision. In those days, I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all for the full three weeks. On the 24th day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river that is the Tigris, I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen with a belt of fine gold from UFAS around his waist. 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. And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision. For the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength. Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep, with my face to the ground. And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 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. Then he said to me, fear not Daniel, for from the first day 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. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 days. But Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and I 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. When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and was mute. And behold, one in the likeness of the children of man touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke, and I said to him who stood before me, O my Lord, by reason of the vision, pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength. How can my Lord's servant talk with my Lord? For now no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me." again, one having the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me. And he said, Oh 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. And 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." May God add his blessing to this reading of his holy word. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for these words. We thank you for the revelation of peace and strength and comfort that you gave to Daniel. We ask that you would draw near to us tonight, that you would strengthen us in our faith and in our love and in our commitment to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We pray that you would bring peace to us in the midst of our trying and troublesome times. We pray, oh Lord, that you would bless us with a greater understanding of the book of truth and that you would use it to instruct, to teach and to guide us in paths that please you. We pray all of this in Jesus name. Amen. So if you were trying to describe what the Christian life is like, particularly to an unbelieving friend, what would you say? Would you say, since I became a Christian, all my troubles and problems have disappeared? Would you say that being a Christian is like walking through a nice park on a Sunday afternoon? Or would you say being a Christian is like being in a bubble of happiness and joy? Or would you say, you know, Sometimes living the Christian life in the midst of this perverse and corrupt generation can be really hard. I think Daniel would have certainly identified with the latter description. Remember, here is a young man who was taken away from his family, taken captive by a pagan king, and hauled away, forced to serve a godless king. He had to see his friends at times persecuted. He himself was thrown into the lion's den. And as we come to Daniel 10 through 12, these last three chapters, we find that Daniel receives one final vision. And that vision, my friends, is going to reveal a whole lot of trouble for the children of God. in years to come. Our text this evening is chiefly concerned with the messenger who brings this vision and who brings understanding to Daniel. He is one like the son of man according to verse 16. The messenger is not only a glorious spiritual being who miraculously appears to Daniel beside the river, but he is one who comes to reveal truth, one who comes to comfort, this servant of God, one who comes to give peace and strength to Daniel. Now this chapter, as I told them Wednesday night, is probably going to be one of the most challenging for us to interpret rightly. But at the same time, we want to recognize that this chapter is filled with practical lessons about how we understand the truth of God, how we receive that truth, and how we use that truth in our lives so that we might effectively serve the Lord. So the first two points I want to try to get through as quickly as possible. I just don't want to spend a lot of time here because the bulk of our focus is going to be on the third and final point. But the challenge of interpreting God's word. especially when we're dealing with this prophetic genre, when we're dealing with these images and these visions and mysterious appearances and figures. Now this is not the first time that we have encountered this unusual visions or strange prophecies. But hopefully, you may remember some of the principles that we have used in previous chapters with situations like this, with visions and dreams and images and appearances. Four things that I want to remind you of. Number one, stay with the text. When we looked at the 70 weeks of Daniel, the key idea there was not to add or take away from what God reveals in his word. Stay with the text. Secondly, keep the text in the context. I don't remember exactly who I was looking for this morning, but I thought they might have been in Zach's Sunday school class, and I cracked the door and looked in, and all I saw was a big screen that said, the context, the context, the context. Well, my friends, always keep the text in the context. because it's often the case that the surrounding verses, what comes before, what comes after, and is surrounding the text will provide you with the meaning. If you wanna turn back. a couple of chapters to chapter seven, verse 17. You see that in the beginning of this vision that Daniel receives, there are these beasts, these terrifying beasts that he beholds. And then we come to verse 17, and verse 17 spells it out for us. Yes, the vision was that of great beast, but the text and the context tells us those great beasts, which are four, are four kings. So let the context interpret the text for you, and you won't go wrong. Thirdly, you must identify the nature of the words. Are they literal? Or are they figurative? Or are they symbolic? You have to properly identify the nature of the text. Because if you interpret figurative words literally, or vice versa, if you interpret literal words figuratively, You're gonna end up in the wrong place. So it's critical, especially when we get to the book of Revelation, this is figurative language, almost from start to finish. And you can't interpret it literally if it's figurative language. The fourth thing, with prophetic language, don't expect every aspect of the imagery to have an exact equivalent in reality. Let me say it again. With prophetic language, don't expect every image to have an exact equivalent in reality. We won't turn there, but I'll give you one example, Revelation 5, 6. The lamb slain from before the foundation of the world comes and takes the scroll out of him who sits upon the throne. There's no question, the lamb is Christ. But he describes the lamb as having seven horns and seven eyes. My friends, we're not going to see the Son of God when we are in glory, having seven horns on His head and seven eyes in His head. It's figurative language for the seven spirits of God, for perfection, for power, for glory. So don't expect every image to have an exact equivalent. Taking figurative language and expecting a literal design to follow. So that's the first thing. We have a challenge of interpreting the word of God. particularly visions and imagery like we're seeing in the Book of Daniel. A second thing brings this passage home a little closer, and that is the necessity of receiving God's instructions. receiving communications from God to direct us, to guide us, to comfort us. Now, in practically every chapter of the book of Daniel, we find Daniel receiving some kind of communication from God. God graciously reveals his power, his grace, his will to his servant. Why is that? One of the reasons I believe that Daniel is receiving this from the very beginning is connected to something else that we see in almost every chapter. Do you know what it is? We see these visions, we see Daniel receiving communication. What else do we say? My friends, what we see are Daniel's prayers. In almost every chapter, Daniel is praying. But he's not just praying, he's praying earnestly. He's praying fervently, he's praying frequently, he's praying intensely with zeal, with passion, he's crying out to God. Here he's weeping, he's fasting for three weeks. He has not eaten anything in the way of meat or delicacies. He's devoted himself intensely to seeking God's face. Brethren, God's word is very clear. We are not justified by our prayers or by our knowledge or by our works. But that same word is also clear on this point. And you may want to turn back to Jeremiah 29. We've already talked about this. This is one of the passages that Daniel was reading and meditating on. And this is what we hear. Jeremiah 29 and verse 12, then you will call upon me and you will go and pray to me and I will listen to you and you will seek me and find me when you seek me with your whole heart. Daniel is seeking God with his whole heart. And my friends, God takes notice of that. He says, you will call upon me. You will seek me and find me and I will listen to you when you seek me with your whole heart. Brethren, this tremendous truth, this blessed truth, is what led George Mueller, perhaps no greater prayer warrior on the planet throughout the generations than this man, and this is what he said, prayer moves the hand that moves the world. He understood. what Jeremiah 29, 12, and 13 was talking about. Now what about you? Do you want to hear from God? Do you want God to draw near to you, to show you, to help you, to lead you, to guide you? My friends, if you do, seek Him. with your whole heart, devote yourself to prayer, coming to Him. Now on the one hand we might say, well wait just a minute, we don't receive revelation anymore, and that's true, we have the word of God, but listen brethren, we still need understanding of that word. We still need our minds enlightened as the Apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesians in chapter one and verse 18. Because if we don't have that work of the Holy Spirit working in our minds and in our hearts, the scriptures can become cold and lifeless. You know what, the Pharisees knew the word of God exceptionally well, but they didn't understand it. They didn't know what it meant and how to apply it rightly. We need that work of the Spirit. Paul, when he writes to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians chapter two says, as it is written, I has not seen nor ear heard nor has it entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him. But God has revealed them. through His Spirit. Now brothers and sisters, we need this work of the Holy Spirit. And I would urge you, if you want that, if you want God communicating with your soul and with your heart and with your mind, opening up your heart to receive the truth of God, then come to Him. Come boldly, as the writer of Hebrews says, to the throne of grace. Take hold of Jesus and cast your cares upon Him. Call upon Him, earnestly seek Him, and He will listen to you. Well, as I said, the third point is our main focus this evening, and that is the commitment to serving God in his kingdom. If we have been helped, like Daniel, to understand the vision, if we have received the word, like James tells us, with meekness, and apply that to our lives, we are going to desire to serve God. in all the various times and places and ways that he has appointed for us. And there are three things in particular, I think, that we see in the life of Daniel that we can benefit from. Number one is being where God wants you to be. When it comes to Daniel, The question is, why is Daniel still in Babylon? We're told in verse one that it was in the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, that Daniel receives this vision. But Ezra chapter one and verse one tells us that it was in the first year of Cyrus that the decree went out to start rebuilding Jerusalem. Many people had already traveled to Jerusalem. Why is Daniel still in Babylon? Number of commentators that I read suggest that Daniel was so old he couldn't make the trip. Well, possibly he is getting close to 90, but that's not what the text tells us. And so I would be hesitant to make that the reason. I think it better and safer to think of Daniel still in Babylon because God has communicated to him that's where he wants him to be. God has told Daniel to stay in Babylon. I don't think there can be much question that he would have much preferred to be in Jerusalem. but God was calling Daniel to serve him in Babylon, to remain there and to do in a very hard and difficult place what no one else was going to be doing. I've got it already called Ezra and Nehemiah, he had the political leadership, he had the spiritual leadership, he had moved in the hearts of the people to go and do the physical work, but he wanted Daniel in Babylon to do the vital but unseen work of prayer. God said, stay here and pray. My friends, are you serving God where He wants you to be? Sometimes our plans and our thoughts of where we're supposed to be are different from what God wants us to be. I can remember seven years ago, About this time of year, if you had asked me, where are you meant to be? And I would have said, I'm meant to be in Greenville, South Carolina. But you know what, my plans were not God's plans. And God, in His gracious providence, worked out all the details and made it very clear, I want you in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I can thank God now, I couldn't thank Him then because that wasn't my plan. That's where God wanted me to be. And thankfully, that is where I have been able to labor for nearly seven years. Secondly, being what God wants you to be. We look at verses four through nine and we see the circumstances that surrounded the setting of this vision and appearance. We read that Daniel and several of his friends decided to go down and hang out by the river and all of a sudden a man appears. A very unusual man. Now who was this individual? Well, the scriptures don't identify him per se. It could have been one of the angels. Gabriel has been mentioned. Michael is mentioned in this passage. I think more likely this is an appearance, a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the reason I say that is because there are some striking similarities between this appearance and what John sees on the Isle of Patmos described in Revelation chapter one. Listen to the way the appearance is written in Revelation one. Here, what we have in verse 13 and 14, John says, in the midst of the seven lampstands, one like the Son of Man, same language as Daniel. clothed with a garment down to the feet, girded about with a chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, white as snow, and his eyes like flames of fire. His feet were like fine brass as refined in a furnace, his voice as the sound of many waters. The linen is a priestly garment. And the gold is also mentioned in Revelation. Here, the barrel is a precious jewel, speaks of beauty. His appearance like lightning, his eyes like fire, his arms like burnished bronze, his voice like the sound of a multitude. There is striking similarities. and it is almost certain that this is the Lord Jesus Christ. Now here's a question. If you were down by the riverside having a picnic with your family and all of a sudden you were to see this vision, how would you respond? You might respond like Daniel's friends, they got up and left. They fled to hide themselves and they didn't even see the vision. Or you might have responded like Daniel who fell to the ground. What is interesting is that it describes here in Daniel 10 that Daniel became weak, that he had no strength, no breath in him. But this man touches him and strengthens him and raises him up. And I think this has much to say to us because you realize Daniel receives strength to serve God not from himself, not because of his great talents, not because of his great knowledge or understanding, not because of his commitment and resolve to serve God. He receives strength from another. And my friends, here is something that you and I can make use of. It's not because of who we are or what we have or how blessed we've been. We receive strength to serve God from another. Just as the Apostle Paul could say in 2 Corinthians 12 and verse nine, when he calls on the name of the Lord and he hears these words, my grace is sufficient for you and my strength is made perfect in weakness. We receive strength from another. We receive strength from the Lord Jesus Christ who draws near to us. But perhaps the most significant element here is what this man has to say. Look at verses 11 and 12. This man touches him, strengthens him, raises him up, and then he says in verse 11, oh Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you and stand upright for I have now been sent to you. My friends, the first thing that this man communicates to Daniel is this, you are greatly loved. Do you know how much you are loved by God? That's the first thing he communicates to Daniel. Those times of weakness, those times in which we have no strength, my friends, be still in the presence of God and listen, and he will say, oh, greatly beloved. This again is exactly what he says in Jeremiah chapter 31 in verse three. Jeremiah writes, the Lord has appeared of old to me saying, yes I have loved you with an everlasting love and therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you. What do you know? of the love of God for you, that he has drawn you with cords of loving kindness to know him, to love him, to serve him. Think of those words of the Apostle John in 1 John 3 and verse 1. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us. that we should be called the children of God. My friends, are you a child of God tonight? Then you are greatly loved. And to any here who might not be a child of God, He calls you. Come, as we heard this morning, come to me, all you that are weary and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Jesus says, the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you might have life abundant. God loves us greatly. But he also tells Daniel, I want you to understand. We'll say more about that in just a moment. Do not be afraid. And then these most remarkable words, as he says to Daniel, from the first day, verse 12, 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. My friends, perhaps you know what it is like Daniel to pray, to pray earnestly, to pray fervently. And yet sometimes, do we not feel that our prayers are not being heard? That they're not having an impact? Listen, it's been three weeks. Daniel's been fasting, praying day and night, crying out to God, and nothing is happening. But when the vision comes, he says, from the first day, from the first time you humbled yourself before God, your prayers were heard. And not only that, He says, because of your words, I have come. Because of Daniel's prayers, he has come and the work among the kings and kingdoms of this world that this individual was doing is directly tied to and related to Daniel's prayers. I'm here because of your words. We'll get into what was happening, what this individual was doing among the kings of Persia and of Greece, and chapter 11 gets very intense in these things about kings and kingdoms. But all of it, what I want you to see tonight, all of it was because of Daniel's prayers. Prayer moves the hand that moves the world. Well lastly, being who God wants you to be. I think the bottom line here is that God wants us to be men and women, boys and girls who pray, but he also wants us to be men and women and boys and girls who understand the scriptures, who understand the words that are spoken. Verse 11, understand, oh man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you. Brethren, listen, you cannot Begin to understand the importance of the role of your prayers until you realize far more than just this physical realm is involved. The prince of Persia, the prince of Greece are not merely kings of the earth. They are just instruments representing spiritual wickedness in high places. Rulers of darkness that rage against God and oppose God's kingdom. Understand, like Paul writing to the church of Ephesus in chapter six and verse 11 and 12, and he says, we do not wrestle. New Testament Christians, we do not wrestle with flesh and blood. We're wrestling with principalities and powers, with rulers of darkness, spiritual wickedness in high places. And that is exactly what is going on here. This individual speaks of the conflict that's going on with this prince of Persia resisting his will. My friends, if this was a mere earthly king, it would be no problem. We've seen it with Nebuchadnezzar. We've seen it with Darius. We've seen it with Belshazzar. We'll see it with Cyrus and many other kings. God is not troubled at all by these earthly kings. He speaks a word and they're gone. He raises them up and puts them down at his pleasure. But we're not talking about an earthly king. We're talking about spiritual wickedness in the unseen world. Now we see many obstacles to the kingdom of God in this world in which we live, but that's not all we're dealing with. We need to recognize, as Abraham Kuyper said, not here, but up there is the real conflict. The real battle, my friends, is raging in heavenly places. And I think we can put that in very practical terms by saying Satan is fighting. Fathers, mothers, Satan is fighting for the souls of your children. Young people, Satan is fighting to influence you, to draw you away from God, to afflict you, to hurt you, to destroy you. There is war going on in the unseen realm. Don't be oblivious to it. What does Paul say to the Ephesians? Put on. the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil every You and I are facing temptations. Every day we're facing trials and hardships and difficulties. Put on the armor of God. Clothe yourself with what He has provided for you in the Lord Jesus Christ and be strong. Stand against the wiles of the devil. You can ignore it, but that is not what God wants us to be. He wants us to be men and women, boys and girls of understanding, of spiritual strength, of power, that we might wrestle and win, though we wrestle with principalities and powers in the unseen realm. We have a lot to think about as we close this chapter of the book of Daniel. And I pray that God will give us grace, that he'll give us a hunger and thirst to know more of what God wants from us. that he wants us where he would have us serve, that he wants us to be what he wants us to be as we seek to serve him and to be who he wants us to be. May he granted for his own glory. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for these words. And we thank you most of all for the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need not be afraid. We need not fear. We can understand your truth and know that you have provided for us all that we need to be faithful servants of the Most High God. Help us tonight to see in the life of Daniel made him strong, what made him able to understand what filled his heart with joy being loved by God. And may we follow in his steps and serve you well. We ask for Jesus sake. Amen. Let's take a few moments.