Cosmic Warfare | Sunday, August 13, 2023

In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and had understanding of the vision... I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. (Daniel 10:1–3)

When the veil is pulled back, we discover a world beyond our world—and a battle we did not know we were in.

A Broken World and a Troubled Prophet

I assume not a single person here this morning failed to see the things that happened in Maui this last week. When we see devastation like that, we are reminded that we live in a broken and fallen world. Disasters happen with such frequency in our 24-hour news cycle that we often turn our attention away quickly. But when a disaster is connected to us, it draws us in. I've walked Front Street with my wife and my kids; we've eaten in those restaurants and taken pictures under the big Banyan Tree. Nearly a hundred people have lost their lives, and some in our church have family in Lahaina. When tragedy touches a place you know, it impacts you.

That is similar to what we have been seeing in the Book of Daniel. Daniel has received dreams, visions, and interpretations that are connected to him, his people, and his homeland of Israel. Because these things touch what he loves, he is drawn in and deeply troubled. Look back at how he responds: in Daniel 4:19 he was "astonished for a time" and troubled. In Daniel 7:28 his thoughts greatly troubled him and his countenance changed. In Daniel 8:27 he "fainted and was sick for days," astonished—even horrified—by what he saw. Daniel was struck and shocked because these visions had to do with his people and his homeland.

Daniel Wants More Understanding

Like us scrolling for more information about a place we love, Daniel has been given advanced knowledge of his nation's future and longs to understand it more fully. He has seen the kingdoms that will rule over Israel for centuries and the coming of the Anointed One, the Messiah—but he has also seen future devastation and the destruction of his homeland. So he is moved, troubled, and compelled to seek God for greater insight.

We come to Daniel 10:1: "In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia." This gives us a specific marker on the timeline. Cyrus liberated Israel from Babylon in 539 BC, so the third year of Cyrus is about 536 BC. The message was true, but the appointed time was long—it was in the future. Daniel understood the message because the angel Gabriel had come and explained the strange visions of beasts and kingdoms: the Persians overcoming Babylon, the Greeks overcoming the Persians, and a much later kingdom overcoming the Greeks—history unfolding over roughly 500 years, seen before it happened. Yet Daniel wanted more insight into the timing of how and when these things would come to pass.

A World Beyond Our World

This text enlightens us to things we could not know apart from the revelation of Scripture. Point number one: there is a world beyond our world which works within our world. We Christians would call it a spiritual dimension—an incorporeal world that is outside this material world.

As hard as that is to grasp, nine in ten Americans believe there is something beyond this world. Your neighbors, coworkers, and family members who never go to church would still likely tell you there is more to this world than meets the eye. Even modern science, especially in mathematics and physics, has come to recognize there seems to be more to reality than what we can touch, taste, see, smell, hear, or measure with current equipment. Things happening in the cosmos tell us there is more than the three or four dimensions of height, width, length, and time. Physicists like Michio Kaku appear on the morning shows talking about string theory; our superhero movies delve into the multiverse, with dimensional windows opening so people come from another dimension into this one. There is a cultural recognition that there is something more.

When the physicist says this on Good Morning America, the Christians in the room say, "We've known that for a long time." There was a famous astronomer named Robert Jastrow—not a believer—who over the course of his study came to believe the world was far bigger than what we can test and see. In one of his books he writes: "For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries." I love that. There is a world beyond our world, and that world touches and interacts with this one.

Wrong Ways and Right Ways to Engage

There are also ways we human beings of flesh and blood can interact with this other world. Look at verse 2: "In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks." Why is he mourning? He has seen images that distress him concerning his people and his homeland. It is strange, because his people have just experienced a second exodus—Cyrus liberated Israel to go back and rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. Yet Daniel, still in the palace in Babylon, is filled with grief. He ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine, nor did he anoint himself—he set himself in self-denial and mourning for three weeks because he wanted to understand more.

Some of you have interacted with this other world by firsthand experience that was not good—not good because it was not in accordance with Scripture, and not good because it was not pleasant. One way is through the occult—Ouija boards, tarot cards, mediums, séances. There is a great danger in that, and if you are involved today, you need to stop. Another is through pagan, forbidden religious practices—Wicca, Reiki, shamanism, mystical Eastern meditative practices, all on the rise in our day.

Another way is what the Bible calls sorcery, witchcraft, and magic. Fascinatingly, the Greek word translated "sorcery" in the New Testament is pharmakeia, connected to our English word pharmacology. There were chemicals and substances, often hallucinogenic, used in pagan practices—we have evidence of cannabis burned in incense in pagan temples in Israel. There has been a revitalization of this in our day. Listen to Joe Rogan for a week—be careful, that is not an endorsement—and he will bring up mushrooms and every mind-altering thing imaginable, now presented as harmless and as opening you to spiritual experiences. People thousands of years ago understood these things connected them to spiritual entities outside this world. Atheist Sam Harris thinks it is all just happening in your brain, contained in your consciousness—but that is clearly not the case from Scripture.

These things are not bad because they are forbidden; they are forbidden because they are bad. God is not a cosmic killjoy. They are forbidden because they are dangerous and bring you into bondage—and Christ wants to set you free. The Scriptures reveal spiritual entities that oppose God and constantly bring people into bondage; their aim is to steal, kill, and destroy. God is the one who conquers them and sets us free.

So are there acceptable ways to interact with this world beyond ours? Yes. Daniel had a rhythm—three times a day he went to his room, opened his window toward Jerusalem, and prayed. Here at Cross Connection Church we say we want to live life in connection with God, one another, and the world through Jesus. We connect with God through the Scriptures, through prayer, through fellowship, through fasting and other spiritual practices—ways that are inside the bounds of what is biblically faithful. But we must recognize there are counterfeits that bypass what is right, and those are dangerous.

The Vision by the Tigris

Now at about 85 years old, Daniel spends three weeks in persistent, mourning prayer so he might understand more. You would think this would be a time of great joy—his people have experienced a second exodus, just as Moses led Israel out of Egypt in the first. Yet Daniel is downcast, much like Nehemiah, who later said, "Why should I not be troubled when I hear the bad news about my homeland?" Daniel has received advanced intel about both the good and the bad—and the good is overshadowed by the reality that his rebuilt Jerusalem and temple will one day be destroyed, with an abomination of desolation. So he just wants to understand the timing.

Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris, I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz! His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude. (Daniel 10:4–6)

The first month is Nissan, the month of Passover, which begins on the eve of the fourteenth day. Daniel began praying on the third day of Nissan, 536 BC, and now on the twenty-fourth day, after three weeks, he removes himself to the wilderness of Chaldea—modern-day Iraq—by the Tigris River. There he lifts his eyes to the sky and sees a man who is no ordinary man, almost like the Son of Man coming in the clouds spoken of in Daniel 7.

"And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves." Daniel was left alone, with no strength remaining, his vigor turned to frailty, and he fell into a deep sleep with his face to the ground. Maybe you have had a similar experience—not a vision, but a very real, ominous sense of a presence with great power. I think more than a few of you have. Daniel's companions felt that presence; but Daniel, in position to see beyond the veil, was leveled by this awesome figure.

The Same Vision in Revelation

There is another vision strikingly similar to this one that came 625 years later. In Revelation 1, John, on the island of Patmos, in the Spirit on the Lord's day, turned and saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to His feet, girded with a golden band, His head and hair white like wool, His eyes like a flame of fire, His feet like fine brass refined in a furnace, His voice like the sound of many waters, and His countenance like the sun shining in its strength.

Do you see the similarity to Daniel 10? I think Daniel and John saw the same man. And it is easier to identify Him through Revelation, because this figure says in verse 17, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore." Who was alive, died, and rose again? Jesus. John saw the risen, glorious Lord—likely similar to what Peter, James, and John saw at the Mount of Transfiguration. There is one interesting difference I don't have time to fully explore: Daniel sees this Son of Man in the clouds, in the sky, while John sees Him down on the earth. That difference is an important key. And the responses match: John "fell at his feet as dead"; Daniel had no strength and fell with his face to the ground.

Gabriel, Michael, and the Hindered Answer

Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you." (Daniel 10:10–11)

Who has called Daniel "man greatly beloved" before? Gabriel. I think Daniel sees the Son of Man in the clouds, and when he falls, Gabriel comes, touches him, and lifts him. Then Gabriel says, "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."

The moment Daniel began to pray, three weeks earlier, Gabriel was dispatched. But verse 13: "The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia."

Point number two: there are beings that we do not see fighting battles of which we are unaware. Gabriel was hindered for three full weeks by one called the Prince of Persia—an entity who opposes God and exists over a human region, having dominion over a sphere of human influence. It is my conviction that many of the evil manifestations we see on the earth indicate a spiritual battle happening behind the scenes. When something looks demonic, it doesn't just look demonic; something is manifesting in our world from behind the scenes.

Gabriel was held off until Michael showed up. Michael is one bad dude. We see him in three places: in Jude he "contended with the devil"; in Revelation he commands legions of angels like a general in God's army; and here. Gabriel is always a messenger—that is what "angel" means—but Michael is a warrior. Gabriel, hindered by spiritual entities he could not overcome, was finally freed when Michael came to help, and so he could come and minister to Daniel.

This informs something important. Many of you have gone to God in prayer and felt your prayers were hindered. Sometimes it is unconfessed sin; but Scripture also clearly shows that sometimes those who oppose God's work hinder the working of God in this world. People object that God is all-powerful and all-knowing—and He is—yet sometimes His messengers are opposed by demonic forces. Daniel persisted in prayer. Too often we give up too quickly. Throughout 2,000 years of Christian literature there is this idea of pressing through and laboring in prayer. Jesus said to ask, seek, and knock—keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. Some things do not happen without prayer; Jesus said certain dominions come out by nothing but prayer and fasting, and Paul told churches that what he asked would not happen except by their prayers.

We Are in the Battle

Point number three: though we are unaware of the battle, we are not uninvolved in it. The moment you became a Christian, you engaged as a warrior in a battle you probably didn't realize you were in.

Gabriel continues in verse 14: "Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come." Daniel turns his face to the ground, speechless. Then one having the likeness of the sons of men touches his lips, and Daniel speaks: "My lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength... no breath is left in me." The one like a man touches and strengthens him: "O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!" And Daniel is strengthened.

We are in a very real spiritual battle, and it is critical we recognize it, because the sad reality is that most Western Christians don't think such things exist, or they live as practical atheists about them. Paul writes to the Ephesians: "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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."

God Equips His Servants

Point number four: God strengthens and provisions His servants for spiritual battles. Be strong in the Lord; put on the whole armor of God. The idea of spiritual battle might frighten you, but there is no reason to be afraid—greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. In Christ we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37). Apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5), but we can do all things through Him who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).

So what should we do? Paul says in Ephesians 6: "Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit."

Notice Paul says "having done all, to stand." Here is a convicting question I had to ask myself this week: have you done everything you need to do in order to stand?

Doing All That We Can to Stand

Point number five: we must do all that we can to engage and stand in the battle—and I think we are probably not doing much. How many of you are concerned by what seems to be the rise of wickedness in our culture? If you are concerned, what should your response be? The response I keep hearing is that we need to become politically active. Fine—but if you do not begin with prayer, it will be totally ineffective. God's power is all we can reliably rely upon.

First, we must recognize we are in a battle. There is a line from a film I won't recommend: "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist." Many Christians live like practical atheists about demonic forces, but the abounding wickedness in our culture makes clear there are demonic entities at work.

Second, we must put on the whole armor of God—all of which is focused on His power and strength, not our own. The offensive weapons are the Word of God and prayer. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10 that though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh; the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds. Jesus overcame the enemy in the wilderness by the Word of God: "It is written... It is written... It is written." He used the Word as a sword.

This whole world is not all there is. There is a world beyond our world that interacts with this one, and beings fighting battles we are unaware of—but we are not uninvolved in them, and we must engage. Ultimately the victory is the Lord's. The battle is not ours but His, and we are victorious in Him—never apart from Him. Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world, and in the end He wins.

The easiest way to lose the battle is to think you are not even in a fight. That is why the church has been impotent and weak for generations—we have failed to recognize we are in a battle. One day we will actually see this enemy we call the devil, and we will all be shocked at how small he is. Years ago I used to run long distances, and there was a little Chihuahua behind a three-foot fence who would chase me from one end of the yard to the other, barking, convinced he was the most ominous beast prowling the earth. That is what I think of the enemy—he thinks he's winning, but he is a defeated foe. As Paul says to the Romans, it is high time to wake out of our sleep. God has given us, by His power and His Spirit, what we need to overcome—but first we must recognize there is an enemy, and that through persistent prayer and the Word of God we have power over him.

Closing Prayer

Father God, I thank You for Your Word, which reveals mysteries to us. You do not want us to be unaware or ignorant; You want us to walk circumspectly, understanding that the times we live in are evil days, and redeeming the time. So God, help us to walk in wisdom with our eyes wide open, having the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, taking up the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, and pushing forward by prayer. Help us to labor in prayer, trusting that ultimate victory is in Your hands. Strengthen us, Your church. Open our eyes to see the dominions and powers here in our town, here in North County. There is most certainly a prince of North County who has bound people in bondage to sin and death—God, would You help us to be a force bringing the liberating truth of the gospel to people. For we ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, Amen.