Sunday: An Angel Delayed
Daily Lesson for Sunday 2nd of March 2025
As we have seen, the false “gods” of the nations were demons in disguise. And elsewhere we see evidence that demonic celestial rulers are sometimes behind earthly rulers. Even angelic agents sent by God can be opposed by the forces of the enemy.
Read Daniel 10:1-14, with special attention to verses 12, 13. What do these verses teach that is relevant to the cosmic conflict? What do you make of the angel sent by God being “withstood” for twenty-one days?
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How could it be that an angel sent by God could be “withstood” for three weeks? Being all-powerful, God possessed the power to respond to Daniel immediately—that is, had He chosen to. If He exercised His power to do so, He could make an angel appear to Daniel right away. Yet, the angel sent by God was “withstood” by the “prince of the kingdom of Persia” for three entire weeks. What is going on here?
“For three weeks Gabriel wrestled with the powers of darkness, seeking to counteract the influences at work on the mind of Cyrus. . . . All that heaven could do in behalf of the people of God was done. The victory was finally gained; the forces of the enemy were held in check all the days of Cyrus, and all the days of his son Cambyses.”—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 572.
In order for such a conflict to transpire, God must not be exercising all of His power. The enemy must be afforded some genuine freedom and power that is not removed capriciously but is restricted by some parameters known to both parties (the details of which are not revealed to us). It seems there must be parameters in the cosmic conflict that even God’s angels are operating within, which in the coming lessons will be referred to as the “rules of engagement.”
In a certain sense, understanding these limits might not be hard if we grasp the idea, already talked about, that God works only by love, and that love, not coercion, is the foundation of His government. This idea, that God works only through the principles emanating from love, can help us better understand the great controversy.
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How have you experienced the limits of working only through the principles of love and not coercion? What lessons did you learn about the limits of power? |
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It is sobering to note the magnitude and intensity of the ongoing warfare in the spiritual realm. This is vividly captured in Daniel chapter 10. The delayed angel in this chapter is likely to be Gabriel based on Daniel 8:16 and 9:2. This is likely to be one of the rarest passages in the Bible where two of the most high-ranking celestial beings (Gabriel and Michael) are collaboratively involved to accomplish God’s mission. Gabriel was delayed (Daniel 10:13) because of the intense spiritual warfare in the spirit realm, between the forces of God and demonic forces. Michael the Archangel, the chief warrior of God’s angels, came to assist Gabriel to complete his mission (Daniel 10:21, Jude 1:9). The work of demonic forces is real, intense and deadly (Ephesians 6:12). God’s angels are engaged in real combat to deliver the message of salvation to all inhabitants of the earth. Demonic forces are enraged about the salvation of mankind, and they are doing what they can to prevent it, but God’s forces will ultimately win.
Perhaps it might be helpful to highlight the roles of the two high-ranking celestial beings (Gabriel and Michael the Archangel).
Michael is the only angel in the Bible who is explicitly referred to as “archangel” (chief messenger) -Jude 1:9.
Michael – He is a warrior battling the Prince of Persia - Daniel 10:13
Michael – He protects God’s people - Daniel 12:1
Michael – He has great authority to contend with Satan - Jude 1:9
Michael – He leads God’s angelic army against Satan - Revelation 12:7-9
The name “Gabriel” means God is my strength. He is God’s main messenger in delivering key revelations about God’s plans. He is a cherub or seraph, part of God’s inner circle of messengers.
Gabriel – He provided an explanation to Daniel about end time prophesies - Daniel 8:16
Gabriel – He delivered 70 week prophesy about the coming of the Messiah - Daniel 9:21-23
Gabriel – He announced the birth of John the Baptist - Luke 1:11-20
Gabriel – He announced the birth of Jesus Christ - Luke 1:26-38
These two angelic beings show how God works to protect, guide, communicate, and save mankind. The cosmic battle is so intense that God involves His key messengers to support us, human beings who are so weak before the formidable enemy, Satan.
“A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” – Ephesians 6: 11-12 (NLT)
I plead ignorance and claim trust when talking about the involvement of heavenly and demonic forces in the affairs of men.
Last year I visited a beautiful peaceful rainforest scenario in Queensland known as the Babinda Boulders. Water flows through a series of pools gently descending over smooth granite rocks. The whole area is surrounded by beautiful rainforests and the sounds of tropical birds echo through the trees. Yet Babinda has a well-deserved reputation of being a dangerous place. In the last 60 years, over twenty people have died swimming in the pools. The problem is that hidden between the rocks there are holes that act as surge chambers. If you slip into these holes the pressure of the water holds you there and you cannot escape. The surface looks calm and peaceful, but underneath there is a raging torrent.
What we see and experience in the battle between good and evil is just the surface, the visible interface, of the cosmic battle.
There is a lot happening behind the scenes that is not revealed to us.
It takes faith to anchor our hope and trust in God knowing that He is working out these hidden scenes for our good, just as He did in Daniel's vision!!!!!!