Behind the Curtain: God’s Invisible War for His Beloved
SERMON • What if God’s silence is not His absence, but the tremors of an unseen spiritual war? Daniel 10 reveals both the inexpressible glory and the cosmic conflict of the spiritual realm invisible to the natural eye. Be encouraged to pray with fresh faith and see your struggles in a new light, knowing you are beloved and that the hosts of heaven are fighting for you, even when you cannot see it.
Daniel 10 Challenges How We See Reality
Materialism is the atheistic belief that physical matter is the only true reality. According to materialism, everything that exists—including thoughts, emotions, and consciousness—can be explained solely in terms of physical processes and material interactions. There is no spiritual realm in materialism—no supernatural beings, no soul, no God. Only the observable, measurable universe is real. All else is fantasy.
Living Like a Practical Atheist?
Though we Christians confess faith in God and believe—at least officially—in angels and demons, we so often live like practical atheists. We organize our lives around only what we can see, touch, and control. In this way, we hold to our beliefs on paper while functionally acting as if the material world is all that really matters.
It’s as if we live under a blinding neon sign that insists: “Be anxious, forgotten one. What you see is all there is.”
When this is the case, prayer becomes a formality or afterthought at best. Spiritual realities—such as angels, demons, spiritual warfare, and even the hidden providential workings of God—are largely disregarded, ignored, or simply forgotten as impractical considerations.
Daniel 10 pulls back the curtain on reality. It bursts the bubble of materialism. I’m titling this message “Behind the Curtain: God’s Invisible War for His Beloved.” Daniel 10 is easily broken into two parts.
In verses 1–9, we see 1. The Invisible Realm Revealed.
And in verses 10–21 we see 2. The Invisible War Revealed.
1. The Invisible Realm Revealed (vv. 1–9)
In verses 1–3 we read:
“In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named 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.”
Pulling Back the Curtain
The events of Daniel 10 take place in the third year of Cyrus. According to secular sources, Cyrus rose to power over Babylon in 539 BC. The ancient Nabonidus Chronicle records Babylon’s fall to Cyrus on October 12, 539 BC. The Cyrus Cylinder, an ancient Babylonian artifact, also describes Cyrus’ conquest, confirming his reign began that year. Remarkably, this coincides with the completion of the 70-year exile prophesied by Jeremiah.
The Uncanny Accuracy of Jeremiah’s Prophecy
The clock began ticking at the first Babylonian deportation of Jews in 605 BC, in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim. That same year, Jeremiah prophesied in Jeremiah 25:8, 11–12:
“Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Because you have not obeyed my words... [11] This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. [12] Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,’ declares the Lord.”
This amazingly precise 70-year exile prophecy began in 605 BC and ended in 535 BC, coming to an end just after the defeat of the Babylonian empire by Cyrus the Persian king. Furthermore, the Lord put it into the heart of Cyrus to allow Jews to begin returning to Jerusalem soon after coming to power, effectively ending the 70-year exile. The first exiles to return to Jerusalem were led by Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest—42,360 Israelites (Ezra 2:1–2, 64)—following Cyrus’s decree to rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1–4; Ezra 2:1–2).
Five Stars Align
If we use the popular analogy of “stars aligning,” realize that five stars aligned for this to take place:
Star 1: The 70-year exile corresponded to 490 years of Israel neglecting to rest the land from planting crops every seventh year—one year of exile for every neglected seventh year over 490 years (see Leviticus 25:1–7; Leviticus 26:33–35; 2 Chronicles 36:20–21; Jeremiah 25:8–12).
Star 2: The 70-year exile began in the first year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign and conquest of Israel.
Star 3: The 70-year exile ended just after the rise to power of Cyrus over Babylon.
Star 4: The first exiles returned to Israel after Cyrus unthinkably decreed the rebuilding of the Jewish temple at the end of the 70-year exile (Ezra 1:1–4).
Star 5: The fifth star is the fact that Jeremiah prophesied ahead of time all four of these occurrences: (1) the Babylonian exile itself (before Nebuchadnezzar invaded Israel), (2) the length of the exile, (3) the overthrow of Babylon at the end of the 70 years, and (4) the return of the exiles at the end of 70 years.
Random Coincidence?
A naïve materialist would say those five stars just happened to align by chance. Jeremiah got really lucky. But the odds are astronomically against such a random alignment in human history. If you’re being intellectually honest, does this sound like a random coincidence? No, God was orchestrating human history on behalf of his people, which is the overall theme of the book of Daniel.
Yet Daniel 10 finds Daniel mourning over the incompleteness of Israel’s full restoration to their former glory. He is fasting, abstaining from comforts, and praying for three full weeks. And God seems silent. For three weeks, Daniel hears nothing from heaven.
Daniel’s Vision of Christ
Then everything changes in verses 4–9:
“On the twenty-fourth 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 Uphaz 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.”
The seeming silence of heaven is broken as Daniel receives a vision. While standing on the bank of the Tigris River in Babylon, Daniel sees a “man”—radiant, majestic, and otherworldly. Who exactly is this majestic figure?
Daniel 10 and Revelation 1
Daniel’s vision closely parallels the description of Jesus Christ himself in Revelation 1:13–16, where the apostle John sees “one like a son of man” with a strikingly similar, awe-inspiring appearance. This has led many to identify the figure in the first part of Daniel 10 as a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ—that is, a Christophany.
However, some Christian scholars question whether the figure in Daniel 10 is Christ and not instead an angel, since in the second half of Daniel 10, an angel tells Daniel he had been struggling to overcome the demonic “prince of Persia” and needed Michael the archangel’s help to come to Daniel. It’s implausible that Christ, the omnipotent Son of God—whom demons, even in his earthly ministry, feared and obeyed without delay—would need Michael’s help to get to Daniel (cf. Jude 9, which proves Christ the “Lord” has power over Satan).
A Comparison of Christ in Daniel 10 and Revelation 1
Harmonizing Two Figures in Text
The best explanation is that Daniel first sees a vision of Christ in verses 5–9 and falls into a “deep sleep with [his] face to the ground.” Thereafter, an angelic messenger wakes Daniel, strengthening him and delivering a message in verses 10–21. The text certainly allows for this.
Illustration 1: Elisha and the Fiery Army
This isn’t the first time God pulled back the curtain to allow someone to see into the spirit realm in Scripture. First, this reminds us of the story of Elisha the prophet and his servant in 2 Kings 6. The king of Syria had surrounded the Israelite city of Dothan, intent on capturing Elisha. Elisha’s servant wakes up early, sees the enemy army encircling them, and is overcome with fear: “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” he cries. Elisha responds, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” But the servant could only see the threat—until Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” In that moment, the servant’s eyes were opened, and he saw the surrounding mountain full of horses and chariots of fire all around them.
Illustration 2: A Modern Vision in a Prayer Meeting
A trustworthy friend of mine once told me of being in a prayer meeting in a gymnasium years ago. As the group prayed, he looked up at one point and something caught his eye to his left. When he looked, he saw a magnificent, winged man in white that stood as tall as the gymnasium ceiling with his arms outstretched over them. When he grabbed the person’s arm next to him and looked back, the angel was gone. He says he frequently thinks about this and draws encouragement from this experience, knowing that we are not alone and our prayers are heard.
Illustration 3: Angelic Intervention in Real Life
When I was a sophomore in college, I was taking a night class and driving home around 9:30 p.m. on a Monday evening. I had stopped to get a burger to eat on the way home. And like the immature 20-year-old I was, I had the light on in my truck cab, driving down the pitch-black road, steering the truck with my knee as I unwrapped my burger and began to eat. As I drove along and looked down at my messy burger for a few seconds, I felt the unmistakable movement of the steering wheel jerking to the right. This startled me, and I looked up. A few seconds later, I passed a person riding their bike in the lane to my left.
I can’t imagine how my life would have changed from that moment on if my steering wheel had not mysteriously yanked to the right. This experience rattled me and convinced me more than ever that God had delivered the cyclist and me on that dark night in 2004.
Widespread Testimonies of Deliverance
Hundreds of books have been written chronicling the stories of miraculous deliverances and angelic appearances, and I’m confident many of those stories are true. In fact, it’s the height of materialistic bias, closemindedness, and arrogance to simply write off thousands of biblical, historical, and contemporary stories of divine intervention as mere myths. Many of you, no doubt, have your own stories to tell.
How aware are you of spiritual realities all around you? The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12 wrote of being caught up into the “third heaven” and seeing things too wonderful to describe. In fact, so magnificent was his vision of the spiritual world that God gave him an unrelenting infirmity in his body lest he be lifted up in pride because of the loftiness of his vision.
“You Can’t Handle the Truth!”
It’s far more likely that God requires us to walk by faith and not sight not because the unseen isn’t real, but because we can’t handle seeing such terrifying realities in our not-yet-glorified bodies—as we one day will see after our bodily resurrection and glorification at the end of this age, when Christ returns. Certainly, if Daniel’s petrified response in verse 9 is any indication, it’s for our good that we do not yet see the spiritual dimension of reality.
2. The Invisible War Revealed (vv. 10–21)
Verses 10–12 state:
“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 that 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 fact that Daniel had been paralyzed in a deep sleep at the vision of Christ in verses 4–9 helps explain that the figure in verse 10 was an angel sent to strengthen Daniel and bring a message from God. The angel touches Daniel and calls him “greatly loved.” Daniel’s prayers had been heard “from the first day,” but the answer had been delayed.
Why the Delay in God’s Response?
So, we ask, why the delay? In verses 13–14 the angel explains: “The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and 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.”
This is amazing. Throughout the entire twenty-one days of Daniel’s fasting and praying in the physical realm, a war was being fought for Daniel in the spiritual realm. So mighty was the “prince of the kingdom of Persia” that Michael, a chief angelic prince, had to come to this angel’s aid. The message for us is clear: what is happening in history and in our lives is part of a greater war in heavenly places.
Paul’s Call to Spiritual Warfare
For this reason, Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:11–12:
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Is this how you see the world? It’s how God sees the world.
Daniel continues his firsthand narrative in verses 15–17:
“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. 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.’”
It’s little wonder that Daniel responded in this way. He was reduced to a jellyfish in the presence of Christ and the angelic being. Scripture vividly portrays the overwhelming might and terror of angels. In 2 Kings 19, one angel killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in a single night. In Exodus 12, an angel of death killed all the Egyptian firstborn sons. In Matthew 28, an angel’s appearance at Jesus’ tomb caused the Roman guards to tremble and—similar to Daniel—become like dead men. Angels are awe-inspiring and terrifying in their power.
Illustration: The Testimony of Murderers
On January 8, 1956, five missionaries—Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, and Pete Fleming—were killed by members of the Waorani tribe on a sandbar of the Curaray River in Ecuador, where they had been attempting to share the gospel. Years later, after several Waorani came to faith in Christ, some of the men who had killed them recounted a remarkable story. They described seeing “lights” and hearing singing in the trees above the bodies of the slain missionaries—songs unlike anything they’d heard before. Nate Saint’s sister, Rachel, recorded these testimonies.
How much of the seemingly pointless suffering in your life is actually the result of the spiritual realm teeming with life all around you? Is this how you see the world? It’s how God sees the world.
Overwhelmed by Glory
Daniel concludes our text in verses 18–21:
“Again one having the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me. And he said, ‘O 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.’ Then 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.’”
The angel addresses Daniel again as “O man greatly loved,” repeating the theme of God’s deep affection and covenantal care for his people and his servant Daniel. In verses 20–21 the angel explains the reason for his visit and ties Daniel’s experience into the ongoing cosmic conflict unseen by the natural eye. Daniel was living in Babylon under the rule of the Persians. And the angel could not get to Daniel for twenty-one days, because the “prince of Persia” had kept him away from Daniel.
The Prince of Greece to Come
The angel further tells Daniel that “when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come.” To us, what the angel says sounds like it may happen in the next few minutes. But as it turns out, this would take place a little over 200 years later. The Greeks, led by Alexander the Great, would defeat the Medo-Persian Empire in 331 BC, marking the end of the Persian Empire and the beginning of Greek dominance in the ancient Near East.
God’s Timetable Is Not Ours
How should this passage and God’s timetable inform our prayer lives? We too often imagine God working by waving a magic wand and fixing things like a fairy godmother. But just as God has arranged the physical world to work by natural processes unless supernaturally redirected, so in the spiritual realm events unfold according to spiritual agents and battles and forces of good and evil in conflict. When we pray, we expect immediate answers to immediate needs. “God, just use your wand and bah-zing!” But God and his holy angels are not bound by time and are working answers to prayers that may take generations to unfold. Our prayers are too often puny, near-sighted, and oblivious to all the factors at work in God’s cosmic reign.
Our Petty Prayers and the Spirit’s Intercession
It’s great comfort that Romans 8:26–27 says,
“The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
Our prayers too often are like a child demanding candy from her daddy as he carries her in the dark running from a bear. In our limitedness and short-sightedness, we have no clue what’s actually going on around us beyond our sight. We just know we’re hungry.
Scripture Reorients Our Vision
We need to constantly be renewing our vision of reality by saturating ourselves in Scripture’s vision of reality as God knows it to be. When we do this, like Daniel, we are more humble, more earnest, more sober, more intent on the things that matter more than our temporal comforts and joys.
Does 2 Corinthians 4:18 describe your outlook today?
“We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
This is why materialism—whether the ardent atheistic variety or the Christian functional living variety—is a tragic and naïve waste of our lives. It is truly living in an illusion to think and live as if only what meets the eye is all there is. Daniel would challenge this childish view of the world.
Where is the Gospel in Daniel 10?
Every human who knows deep down there is a spiritual realm longs to peer behind the veil of our material world to experience or meet or join the metaphysical. This is the goal of every world religion known to man. But to bring us to God, God has not given us the seven sacraments of Roman Catholicism, the six vows of Jainism, the five pillars of Islam, the four aims of Hinduism, the three treasures of Taoism, or the two truths of Buddhism to enter his presence. He has provided the one way—the man Christ Jesus—God incarnate in material, physical, tangible, mortal, human flesh, to bring us past this veil of tears and bring us to God.
God’s Greatly Loved Son, Our Savior
Three distinct times in Daniel 10 Daniel is called “greatly loved” of God. And in the Gospels, on three distinct occasions Jesus Christ is called “God’s beloved Son.” And it is God’s Son who not only appeared to Daniel but who entered fully into the material world he made as God incarnate. He is the one who waged the ultimate unseen war for our souls.
In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus faced the dark prospect of taking our sins upon himself and seeming defeat by the powers of evil. And like Daniel, he cried out in prayer to the Father to let the cup of divine judgment pass from his holy lips. In that moment of agony, God sent an angel from heaven to strengthen him, as recorded in Luke 22:43: “And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.” But despite the strengthening, all Jesus heard from heaven at his cries for deliverance was silence.
While on the cross of Calvary—falsely accused, mocked, beaten, crucified, and punished by God in our place—he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” But all Jesus heard from heaven at his cries was silence.
And was it not the voice of a holy angel in shimmering apparel who first broke heaven’s three-day silence with the words, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen” (Luke 24:4–6)? Though heaven was silent from the human vantage point, God was orchestrating the greatest victory over sin, Satan, and suffering the world has ever known.
Conclusion
So, while you wait... while you pray... while you wonder if God hears... while you yearn to see and to hear from heaven, God’s love and wisdom and power is actively fighting for you right now—even when you can’t see it.
Friends, what may feel like heaven’s silence today is actually a giant neon sign saying: “Patience, beloved one. God is warring and working on your behalf.”
Don’t settle for living as if the material world is all there is or all that matters. May Daniel’s vision reignite your hope and your perseverance. God loves you. He works for you. He fights an invisible battle for you. And the ultimate victory of all who put their trust in Christ Jesus is sure. ❖
