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Lesson 11 March 7-13
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Eph. 6:12, Daniel 10, Ezra 4:1-5, Josh. 5:13-15, Rev. 1:12-18, Col. 2:15, Rom 8:37-39.
Memory Text: “O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!” (Daniel 10:19, NKJV).
Daniel 10 introduces the concluding vision of Daniel, which continues in chapters 11 and 12. We are informed at the outset that this vision concerns a “great conflict” (Dan. 10:1, ESV). While Daniel 11 fleshes out some details of this conflict, Daniel 10 shows its spiritual dimensions and reveals that behind the scenes of earthly battles rages a spiritual conflict of cosmic proportions. As we study this chapter, we shall see that when we pray, we engage in this cosmic conflict in a way that has profound repercussions. But we are not alone in our struggles; Jesus engages the battle against Satan in our behalf. We shall learn that the ultimate fight we are engaged in is not against earthly human powers but the powers of darkness.
As the apostle Paul put it centuries after Daniel: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12, NKJV). Ultimately, our success in the conflict rests on Jesus Christ, who alone defeated Satan at the cross.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, March 14.
Read Daniel 10:1-3. What do we again find Daniel doing?
Daniel does not spell out the reasons for his extended mourning period. But such a fervent intercession is most likely motivated by the situation of the Jews, who have just returned from Babylon to Palestine.
Read Ezra 4:1-5. What challenges are the Jews facing upon their return?
We know from Ezra 4:1-5 that at this time the Jews are facing strong opposition as they attempt to rebuild the temple. The Samaritans send false reports to the Persian court, inciting the king to stop the reconstruction work. In the face of such crises, for three weeks Daniel pleads with God to influence Cyrus to allow the work to continue.
At this point, Daniel is probably close to ninety years of age. He does not think about himself but about his people and the challenges that they face. And he persists in prayer for three full weeks before receiving any answer from God. During this time, the prophet follows a very modest diet, abstaining from choice food and even ointment. He is totally unconcerned about his comfort and appearance, but he is deeply concerned about the welfare of his fellow Jews in Jerusalem a thousand miles away.
As we look into Daniel’s prayer life, we learn some valuable lessons. First, we should persist in prayer, even when our petitions are not answered immediately. Second, we should devote time to pray for others. There is something special about intercessory prayers. Remember that “the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends” (Job 42:10, NKJV). Third, prayer prompts God to do something concrete and real. So let us pray always, all kinds of prayers. In the face of unbearable trials, big problems, and overwhelming challenges, let us take our burdens to God in prayer (Eph. 6:18).
Read Daniel 10:12. What does this tell us about prayer as an objective experience that moves God to do something, rather than it being just a subjective experience that makes us feel good about God?
Read Daniel 10:4-9. What happens to Daniel here?
What similarities do we find between Daniel‘s vision of the Son of God in Daniel 10 and those in Joshua 5:13-15 and Revelation 1:12-18?
According to Daniel, those who are with him are frightened off, and Daniel himself falls weak and frail to the ground. The manifestation of God’s presence simply overwhelms him. Yet whatever his immediate fears, Daniel’s vision shows that God is in control of history. Indeed, as the vision unfolds, we will see that God provides Daniel with an outline of human history from the times of the prophet until the establishment of God’s kingdom (Daniel 11 and 12).
If, as we have seen over and over in Daniel, the Lord can keep human history under control, what can He do for our individual lives?
Read Daniel 10:10-19. What happens each time an angel touches Daniel?
Overwhelmed with the radiance of divine light, the prophet falls. Then an angel appears to touch him and comfort him. As we read the narrative, notice that the angel touches Daniel three times.
The first touch enables the prophet to stand and hear the words of comfort coming from heaven: “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” (Dan. 10:12, NKJV). Daniel’s prayer has moved the heavens. For us this comes as an assurance that God hears our prayers, which is a great comfort in times of trouble.
The second touch enables Daniel to speak. The prophet pours out his words before the Lord, expressing his feelings of fear and emotion: “My lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength. For how can this servant of my lord talk with you, my lord? As for me, no strength remains in me now, nor is any breath left in me” (Dan. 10:16, 17, NKJV). So, God does not only speak to us; He wants us to open our mouths so that we can tell Him about our feelings, needs, and aspirations.
The third touch brings him strength. As Daniel recognizes his inadequacy, the angel touches him and comforts him with God’s peace: “O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!” (Dan. 10:19, NKJV). Remember that the angel has been sent to Daniel in response to his prayers, in order to give him insight and understanding. In other words, the vision that follows in chapter 11 will be one that is intended to encourage Daniel in response to his mourning and meditation over the present situation in Jerusalem. With God on our side, then, we can have peace even as we face affliction. His loving touch enables us to look into the future with hope.
“To us in the common walks of life, heaven may be very near”. — Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 48. How often do you think about just how closely tied heaven and earth are? How might you live differently if you always kept this truth alive in your heart and mind?
Read Daniel 10:20, 21. What is revealed to Daniel here?
The heavenly messenger pulls the curtain aside and reveals to Daniel the cosmic war that transpires behind the scenes of human history. As soon as Daniel begins to pray, a spiritual battle starts between heaven and earth. Heavenly beings began a struggle with the king of Persia to let the Jews continue the reconstruction of the temple. We know from the opening of Daniel 10 that the king of Persia is Cyrus. However, a human king left by himself cannot offer significant opposition to a heavenly being. This indicates that behind the human king stands a spiritual agent who instigates Cyrus to stop the Jews from rebuilding the temple.
A similar situation occurs in Ezekiel 28, in which the king of Tyre represents Satan, the spiritual power behind the human king of that city. So, it should not be surprising that the kings of Persia against whom Michael comes to fight include Satan and his angels. This shows that the human opposition to the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem has a counterpart in the spiritual realm.
Read Daniel 10:13. What kind of battle is described here?
“While Satan was striving to influence the highest powers in the kingdom of Medo-Persia to show disfavor to God’s people, angels worked in behalf of the exiles. The controversy was one in which all heaven was interested. Through the prophet Daniel, we are given a glimpse of this mighty struggle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. For three weeks Gabriel wrestled with the powers of darkness, seeking to counteract the influences at work on the mind of Cyrus; and before the contest closed, Christ Himself came to Gabriel’s aid. ‘The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days’, Gabriel declares; ‘but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia’. Daniel 10:13. 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, who reigned about seven and a half years”. — Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, pp. 571, 572.
Read Colossians 2:15. How has Jesus accomplished victory in the cosmic conflict?
As we face the forces of evil, we can have faith in Jesus our champion. He defeats Satan in the beginning of His public ministry. During His earthly life, He defeats Satan in the desert when assaulted with temptations, He fights demonic hordes, and He sets people free from the power of darkness. Jesus defeats evil even when it is disguised behind Peter’s attempt to dissuade Him from moving towards Calvary. In His final words to the disciples, Jesus speaks of His impending death as a battle, which will culminate in a decisive victory over Satan: “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:31, 32, NKJV).
Sometimes we look around, and things look really bad. Violence, immorality, corruption, and diseases crop up everywhere. An enemy, not made of flesh and blood, brutally attacks us from all sides. But no matter how difficult the battles we have to fight, Jesus fights for us and stands as our Prince and High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary.
Read Romans 8:37-39. How can we make the promise of being a conqueror a real experience in our own Christian lives?
Further Thought: “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.
“What great honor is shown to Daniel by the Majesty of heaven! He comforts His trembling servant and assures him that his prayer has been heard in heaven. In answer to that fervent petition the angel Gabriel was sent to affect the heart of the Persian king. The monarch had resisted the impressions of the Spirit of God during the three weeks while Daniel was fasting and praying, but heaven’s Prince, the Archangel, Michael, was sent to turn the heart of the stubborn king to take some decided action to answer the prayer of Daniel”. — Ellen G. White, The Sanctified Life, p. 51.Inside Story~ European Division ↥
“I’m very sorry”, the doctor told Fusae Suzuki. “Your husband is very young but, unfortunately, he will die tonight or at the most in a few days”.
The news devastated the young Japanese mother. She went to the river to fetch water and, looking into the water, considered throwing herself in. But then two men in black suits appeared.
“Be patient for just a while”, said one.
“Yes, be patient”, said the other.
After those words, the men disappeared from her sight.
The encounter pulled Fusae back from despair, and she returned home to nurse her husband, Mitsuharu, a farmer stricken with tuberculosis.
Soon she was pregnant with her second child. Mitsuharu could not bear the thought of his wife struggling to raise two children on her own. Finally she agreed to his pleas to terminate the pregnancy. The government supported the decision.
The pharmacist prescribed a strong medicine that, she promised, would work without fail.
“Be careful with the medicine, and don’t exceed the prescribed dose”, she cautioned. “Otherwise, your own life will be in danger”.
Fusae swallowed the first dose, enough to end the pregnancy. Weeping in sorrow, she felt the fetus move. “My baby’s still alive!” she cried out.
The next day, she repeated the dose. Then again on the third day. Yet the fetus kept moving inside her. In desperation, she drained the medicine bottle, but still the baby remained alive.
“It’s totally unbelievable!” she told her husband.
A healthy baby boy was born. Several months later, she and Mitsuharu attended evangelistic meetings, and they were baptized on Akeri’s first birthday.
“Their baptismal date always reminds me that God intervened in my mother’s womb to save my life”, said Akeri Suzuki, a veteran Japanese pastor who retired after serving as executive secretary of the Adventist Church’s Northern Asia-Pacific Division. “My parents became the first Adventist church members in my village”.
Akeri was 30 before his mother revealed his origins.
“When I heard the story of my birth from my mother, I was terribly shocked and felt as if I had been struck by powerful lightening”, he said. “My whole body trembled”.
Overwhelmed by God’s tremendous love, he thought, “I am a very precious gift from God”.
He re-dedicated himself to God at that very moment.
“God intervened in my mother’s womb to save my life”, he said.
Victor Hulbert is communication director for the Trans-European Division.
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