Daniel
Chapter 10
{Note:
Chapters 10 and 11 are really one concept.}
{Verses
1-9: Introduction by the Lord Jesus Christ}
{Verse
1 : Summary - Details will Follow}
1a~~In
the third year of Cyrus king of Persia
{this time we are starting with when Cyrus ordered
the Jews could go back into the land - 536 BC -
so this is referring to circa 534 BC}
the
Word/'Doctrine presented categorically' {dabar}
{in particular, the application of what was taught
Daniel will be revealed in Chapter 11}
was
revealed unto Daniel,
whose
name was called Belteshazzar.
1b~~And
the Word/'Doctrine presented categorically'
was
True {all doctrine from God is True}.
1c~~But
the time appointed . . . {was} long
{means it covers a long period of history}
1d~~And
he {Daniel} 'understood and applied' {biyn}
the
Word/'Doctrine presented categorically'
{principle: you can not teach what you do not know - Daniel
had to know doctrine in order to teach it}
and
had discernment {biynah} concerning the vision.
{biynah - is a noun translated as a verb - this
places great emphasis on 'understanding' -
means great concentration and stick-to-it-ness}
{Verses
2-3: Occasion for the Vision}
2~~In
those days
I,
Daniel, was fasting three full weeks.
{Note:
Daniel fasted for 21 full days. To fast means to replace the time it
would take to do a natural activity - like eating here - and instead
use that time to increase your intake of the Word or to pray. Here
Daniel is being taught by the angel Gabriel. So, RBT says this means
Daniel attended the 'Gabriel Bible College' for say 3 hours a day for
21 straight days = 63 hours of intense study of the Word taught by
Gabriel. And, in this day, most water supplies were polluted so
people normally drank wine. During these 21 days Daniel drank only water.}
{3
Things Daniel did NOT Do and 1 He did Do}
3~~
I did not eat leavened bread,
neither
came flesh/meat {a steak}
nor
wine in my mouth . . .
{but}
I did anoint myself {good grooming},
until
the three whole weeks were fulfilled.
{Note:
RBT says in the Hebrew this says Daniel DID continue to groom
himself -Persian style - during this 21 day period. The principle is
that in times of stress and testing, keep your grooming up. No excuse
to get sloppy. And, to 'look bad' to try to get sympathy is not
biblical (and is a little pathetic).}
{Date
and Location of the Vision}
4~~And
in the four and twentieth day of the first month,
{April 24, 524 BC - Daniel fasted thru the 23rd so he missed
the Passover}
as
I was by the side of the great river,
which
is Hiddekel {Tigris River}.
{RBT says was probably in the southern 500 miles of the Tigris
River}
{Verses
5-6: Content of the Vision}
5~~Then
I kept on concentrating
{idiom: literally 'lifted up my eyes'},
and
kept on looking,
and
behold a Unique Man
{'echad iysh - The Unique Man of the Universe - Jesus Christ -
the Only Manifest Member of the Godhead}
clothed
in linen,
{Jesus is described as dressed in Bright White Light in Revelation
and on the Mount of Transformation}
whose
loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz
{'Uwphaz - was a well known region of fantastic gold mines
in this day - exact location not known today}.
{Note:
This brings in the principle of the Progressive nature of
revelation. The 10 Commandments were not given until Israel became a
nation because the commandments were for all national entities - the
Magna Carta of Human Freedoms. The Church Age was a mystery because
it would not help the Jews to know this until the time was right. The
same thing is happening here to Daniel. First he interprets the dream
of Nebuchadnezzar. Next, Daniel has a dream himself. Now he is
progressing to having a conscious vision and direct teaching of the
Word of God. After the canon of Scripture is completed, then all that
God desires for us to understand in Time is in writing for us to
study. No more direct communication through dreams, visions, angels,
or prophets. Only pastor-teachers remain to teach us.}
6~~His
body {a Christophany - Jesus Christ}
also
was like the beryl/topaz/amber {tarshiysh},
and
His face as the appearance of lightning,
{great flashing beauty}
and
His eyes as lamps of fire,
{see also Revelation 1:14}
and
His arms and his feet like in color to polished brass,
{see also Revelation 1:15}
and
the voice of His words like the voice of a multitude/'great army'.
{see also Revelation 1:15}
{Mechanics
of the Vision}
7~~And
I Daniel alone
'saw
and discerned' the vision . . .
{the others did not have the doctrine in their
souls to comprehend what was happening}
for
the men that were with me
'saw
not' the vision;
{in the sense that they could not understand
what was happening - perception}
but
great quaking fell upon them,
{means they were scared and shook to their bones}
with
the result that
they
kept on running away to hide themselves.
{results of their fear}
{Note:
At this time Daniel had retired from the Persian State department
and was most likely traveling on state business as retired
dignitaries continue to do today. Those in his party were not mature believers.}
{Daniel's
Reaction to the Vision}
8~~Therefore
I was left alone,
{no one else there was qualified to take
in this advanced doctrine}
and
'saw and discerned' this great vision,
and
there remained no strength in me . . .
{Daniel was drained by the SHOCK of what
was revealed to him}
for
my 'animation of face coloring'
was
turned in me into paleness,
{we say the blood drained from his head he
turned so pale}
and
I retained no strength.
{Note:
RBT says in Chapter 11, the details of all that will happen to
Israel will be laid out. Here they have been presented to Daniel and
he was horrified. He went pale and in the next verse will faint away.}
9~~When
I heard the voice of his words
and
when I heard the voice of His words,
then
was I in a deep sleep on my face
{Daniel fainted from the shock},
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.
{Daniel is now on all fours}
{Note:
As we will see, the spiritual world is the background for the human
world. Gabriel is here to teach Daniel doctrine and explain that God
DID answer his prayer immediately, but the first thing that had to be
done was to fight off the Kosmokrator demon in the Persian Court.
Michael also came to help Gabriel. Apparently Michael is the only
angel with the power to fight Satan directly (Michael is the
protector of Israel). Gabriel is Daniel's teacher and guardian angel.
We will see he fought one Kosmokrator demon in Persia and another in
Greece at the court of Alexander the Great.}
{Two
Commands to Daniel on His Knees}
11~~And
He {Gabriel} said unto me,
O
Daniel, a man greatly beloved,
{certain angels also respect Daniel}
be
caused to understand the words/'doctrinal communication'
that
I will teach categorically unto you,
{understanding comes FIRST}
and
stand upright . . .
{then standing up is secondary!}
for
unto you I am now sent.
And
when he had spoken this word unto me,
I
stood trembling.
{Why
Gabriel Was Delayed 21 Days}
12-13~^
Then said he {Gabriel} unto me,
"Fear
not, Daniel
{don't be afraid that your prayer was not answered}
for
from the first day
that
you did give your 'right lobe'/heart
{to 'give your heart' means to concentrate}
to
be motivated to understand,
and
to chasten yourself before your 'Elohiym/Godhead,
{rebound technique to judge or chasten yourself - confess sins}
your
words {prayers} were heard,
and
I am come
because
of your words. 13~~
But
the prince of the kingdom of Persia
{a Kosmokrator War demon at the court of Persia -
see also Ephesians 6:12 ' a world ruler of darkness'}
opposed
me one and twenty (21) days.
But,
lo, Michael,
one
of the chief princes
{a very high-ranking archangel as is Gabriel},
came
to assist me
for
I was left there with the kings of Persia
{circa BC 516 to BC 323}."
{Note:
Apparently Gabriel was contesting with Kosmokrator (world powerful -
war demons) demons who are nearly as powerful as he is. Therefore the
archangel Michael had to go to assist him on this occasion. See also
Revelation 16:14 for more on these fallen angels. See also Ezra
Chapter 4, Haggai and Zechariah for more. Michael is keeping things
in control in the Persian court until Gabriel returns.}
14~~Now
I {Gabriel} am come
to
cause you to understand
what
shall befall your people {the Jews}
in
the latter days {Tribulation} . . .
for
yet the vision is for many days.
{Verses
15-17: Daniel Reacts to the Information}
15~~And
when he {Gabriel}
had
spoken such words unto me {Daniel},
I
set my face toward the ground {concentration},
and
'I became dumb' {'kept my mouth shut'}.
{Note:
Principle: you can not concentrate on doctrine and talk at the same
time. Daniel shut up and concentrated hard to more fully understand
what was said the first time (when he fainted above).}
16~~And,
behold,
one
like the similitude of the sons of men
{Gabriel appeared in the likeness of a man}
touched
my lips.
Then
I opened my mouth, and spoke,
{time now for questions and answers}
and
said unto him who stood before me,
O
my lord
{title of respect - Daniel respected Gabriel's authority as his teacher},
because
of the vision
'my
great distresses' are turned upon me,
and
I have retained no strength.
{Daniel can not endure the hardships that the Jews will face
Daniel is shocked and burdened for Israel when he sees their history}
17a~~For
how can the servant of this my lord
talk
with this my lord?
{idiom meaning 'how can I even talk with you,
I don't even know where to begin'}
17b~~For
as for me,
straightway
there remained no strength in me,
neither
is there breath left in me.
{the wind has been knocked right out of Daniel}
18~~Then
there came again and touched me
one
like the appearance of a man,
and
he 'strengthened me by explaining in detail'.
{Note:
This means that even though the Jews will be severely punished under
the 5th cycle of discipline, it is revealed to Daniel that there will
be many spiritually mature believers who will hold up magnificently
under the pressure and this fact gave strength to Daniel.}
19a~~And
said,
O
man greatly beloved, fear not . . .
peace
be unto you,
be
strong {spiritually strong},
yes,
be strong {physically strong this time}.
19b~~And
when he {Gabriel} had spoken unto me,
I
strengthened myself {by understanding},
and
said, Let my lord speak;
for
you have strengthened me.
{Note:
Means that Daniel now has the doctrine in his right lobe where he
can now use it. That gives him great strength and comfort.}
20a~~Then
said he {Gabriel},
"Do
you know why I came to you?
{Daniel must have nodded Yes}
20b~~And
now I {Gabriel}
must
return to fight
against
the prince of Persia.
And
when I am gone forth, behold,
the
prince of Greece
{a second Kosmokrator War demon}
is
about to come.
{Note:
So Gabriel will spend a few hundred years in the Persian court
protecting Cyrus the Great and others. Then he will move to the court
of Alexander the Great where demons will then be attacking.}
21a~~However,
before I go,
I
{Gabriel} will cause you to understand
{nagad - a different word for teaching - means to
teach by illustrations}
that
which will be written down
in
the scripture of Truth/Doctrine.
{Gabriel tells Daniel and he writes it down -
Gabriel knows this will be part of the Word}
21b~~And
there is no one
who
reinforces me against these {war demons},
except
Michael your prince
{Michael is the archangel of the Jews}.
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