Michael’s Intervention on Behalf of His People

The Prologue

Daniel chapters 10 to 12 are a unit in themselves, whereas chapter 10 is the prologue and chapter 12 is the epilogue. Daniel’s final prophecy is a capstone to all that has preceded it. It is the continued expansion of the previous symbolic portrayals. All earlier interpretations can be tested by the plain statements found in this closing section, particularly those that concern the latter days that are now enlarged upon.

These latter-day enlargements are those climaxes depicted earlier:

• The smiting of the image by the stone (Daniel 2:44,45).

• The Judgement scene and the coming of the Son of Man (Daniel 7:9-14).

• The “cleansing” or “restoring” of the Sanctuary (Daniel 8:13,14).

• The pouring out of the “decreed end” upon the abominable desolator (Daniel 9:25-27).

• The establishment of “everlasting righteousness” (Daniel 9:24).

Those symbolic images are now replaced by literal language.

The Historical Setting of the Prologue

Three decrees were issued for the Jewish repatriation:

1. Ezra 1:1-4 in the 1st year of Cyrus, c.537 BC.

2. Ezra 6:1-12 in the reign of Darius 1, soon after 520 BC.

3. Ezra 7:1-16 in the 7th year of Artaxerxes 457 BC. The decree of 457 BC was the only one that gave the Jewish state full autonomy; and it also marked the commencement date of the 70 weeks prophecy (490 literal years) regarding the Jews.

The 1st Decree by King Cyrus of Persia c.537 BC is mentioned in Ezra 1:1-4. Permitted to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. Cyrus supplied material assistance & he also returned the sacred vessels that had been taken by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Some 42,360 people returned along with their servants (Ezra 2:64). They started rebuilding the altar in the 7th month. Then they offered burnt offerings mornings and evenings. In the 2nd year they commenced laying the Temple’s foundations. The Samaritans were refused to help: Ezra 4:3; so, they set about frustrating the rebuilding programme: Ezra 4:4,5.

Following the death of King Cyrus, they wrote a letter to his successor, Ahasuerus (Cambyses) as soon as he acceded the throne, in which they made accusations against the Jews. They also continued their opposition by writing an accusation to his successor, Artaxerxes (the pseudo-Smerdis). They accused them of being a rebellious nation who were rebuilding their fortifications with the intention of revolting against Persia. They also suggested searching the archives to confirm why they were taken into captivity & their city laid waste by the Babylonians. Upon searching the archives, the accusation was upheld & a decree issued ordering the immediate cessation of the building programme: Ezra 4:23-24.

The 2nd Decree by King Darius I of Persia soon after 520 BC is mentioned in Ezra 6:1-12. The Jewish people became discouraged, but the prophets Haggai and Zechariah influenced Zerubbabel and Shealtiel to reconvene the building work and assured them of God’s help.

Tattenai, governor of the province challenged what they were doing. They informed him that they were carrying out the instructions decreed by Cyrus in which the cost was to be borne by the royal treasury. Tattenai informed Darius of the situation and ordered a search of the archives and it was found that the Jews were telling the truth; so Darius issued a further decree, stating that they were not to be hindered! The Temple was then completed.

The 3rd Decree by Artaxerxes Longimanus of Persia  457 BC is mentioned in Ezra 7:1-16. During the 7th year of Artaxerxes’ reign, Ezra, the scribe and priest, was granted leave to return to Jerusalem and Artaxerxes granted all he asked for the restoration. The king also sent a letter issuing his decree for full autonomy of the Jewish state. Some 13 years later in 444 BC, Nehemiah, the king’s cupbearer, obtained leave from Artaxerxes to go and build the walls of Jerusalem.  While he was there, they were constantly harassed and threatened by Sanballat and the Samaritan army; yet God protected them.

Daniel 10. Let us now backtrack in time once again to the 3rd year of Cyrus’ reign.

(vs. 1-3)
At that time, Daniel had been in mourning for three full weeks. The reason is obvious: the news from Palestine was not good! It was not an encouraging situation in Babylon either because only a remnant of the Jews availed themselves of the privilege to return home to Palestine. The rest of the Jews had settled down comfortably in their adopted land!

Similarly, only a remnant will return to our true Christian roots in these last days, while the majority of modern Christendom will remain settled in spiritual Babylon! (c.f. Revelation 18:1-5). Although Daniel was an elderly man by that time, he may have remained in service & worked to help his people. Those who had gone to Jerusalem were experiencing hard times, for those were the beginnings of a “troubled time” foretold in Daniel 9:25. In addition, they faced the trouble from the Samaritans who did all they could to hinder the rebuilding of the Temple.

Many of the returned exiles would become discouraged and became more concerned with building comfortable homes for themselves than with restoring the Temple of the Lord! All this is attested to by the minor prophets Haggai & Zechariah.

The recent prophecy of the ‘70 weeks’ in Daniel 9 declared that when the Messiah, the “Anointed Prince', came on the scene, He would be rejected by His own people resulting in further abominations arising to defile the sanctuary! The prospects were very disconcerting & it looked as though the God of Israel was finally in retreat!

A View into the Unseen World

(vs. 4-6)
After those 3 weeks of mourning, Daniel was standing on the banks of the River Tigris, when there appeared before him a divine Being. The description of His appearance is similar to what the apostle John later saw in vision on the Isle of Patmos; and he identified Him as Jesus: Revelation 1:13-15.

Daniel now sees the Messiah in all His glory; and like the apostle John, he fell trembling and weak to the ground. It was the Passover season (24th day of the 1st month). Jesus is robed as a priest, appropriately so, in fine, white linen as that which the high priest particularly wore on the Day of Atonement. The linen clothing with a golden girdle signifies Jesus as our High Priest and our King.

(vs. 10,11)
It was the angel Gabriel who touched Daniel and raised him to his feet. He had “been sent” to him (c.f. Daniel 8:15,16).    

(vs. 12-14)
He explained to Daniel that from the first day of that 3-week period his prayer had been heard but there was a conflict in the unseen world during that period. “The prince of the kingdom of Persia” represents one of the fallen angels under Satan, who is “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). But “Michael” stepped in to defend His people & to help Daniel understand what would happen to God’s people “at the end of days”.

Who is Michael?

“Michael” means ‘One Who is like God’. Jude 9 refers to “the archangel Michael”; and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 states that it is Christ’s command, the voice of the archangel, that raises the dead. In John 5:28 Jesus declared that it will be His own voice that raises the dead to life.

“The . . . [‘ish] seen by Daniel was no common angel-prince, but a manifestation of Jehovah, i.e. the Logos. This is placed beyond a doubt by a comparison with Revelation.i.13-15” (Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, p. 410).

Here is a portrayal of the invisible conflict between good and evil angels in the great controversy between Christ and Satan (c.f. Ephesians 6:12). Daniel 10 makes us aware that events on earth are the outcome of events in heavenly places:

What transpires here below is dependent upon prior resolutions and conflicts among the original protagonists of the supernatural realm. Satan claims this world as his; hence a spiritual battle is going on in the unseen world! While Satan was striving to influence the highest powers in the Persian Kingdom to show disfavour to God’s people, angels worked in behalf of the exiles. Once again, we witness the ‘Contest of the gods’ in this on-going battle between Christ and Satan: while Satan is “the prince of the kingdom of Persia”, Michael is called the ‘Prince of Israel’ (Daniel 10:21).

In Ezra 4-7 is the earthly view of what was happening in Palestine. In Daniel 10 is heaven’s view of supernatural powers engaging in the conflict concerning the rebuilding of the Sanctuary in Jerusalem. Satan knew that the return of the Hebrews to Jerusalem, and the restoration of the Temple, were steps that would advance toward the 1st Advent of Christ, and towards the evangelical period of His ministry and sufferings, by which Christ would destroy Satan’s own kingdom as He moved toward the future and final consummation in which all the kingdoms of the world would become the Kingdom of Christ.

The Wider Conflict

(10:20)
Gabriel informs Daniel that after Satan’s opposition through the Persian (11:2). Empire, he will continue to attack through the subsequent Greek Empire and so, Michael will once again engage with Gabriel against the opposition. Gabriel then proceeds to explain the truth of what is to transpire:

1. The prophecy of Daniel 11 begins with the trials of the Jews as they set about rebuilding the Temple and Jerusalem during the first part of the 490 years.

2. It then continues with the experience of ‘spiritual Israel’ - i.e. the Christian Church, during the remainder of the 2,300 years.

3. Then follows the last crisis in “the time of the end” when the church is called out of ‘spiritual Babylon’ (c.f. Revelation 14:8; 18:1-5).

4. Daniel 11 opens with events of local Israel and ends with events  affecting the global church.

Daniel 10:14 is the key verse of chapter 10: “I …. have come to help you understand what is to happen to your people at the end of days. For there is a further vision for those days” (Daniel 10:13,14).

In Daniel 9 Gabriel had only explained the first 490 of the 2,300 years but the vision was for a long time into the future - i.e. reaching to 1844. The “vision” (mareh) Daniel 10:1 clarifies that this prophecy is to delineate the events in the rest of the 2,300 years not yet explained.

The Final Showdown & The Epilogue

When Jesus enters the arena as Michael it is only in apocalyptic passages of Scripture and always in defence of His people (c.f. Daniel 12:1). The Temple of God with the controversy raging around it is a microcosm of the Kingdom of God & the conflict between Christ and Satan. That great conflict which began in heaven will terminate when Michael stands up at the end of time. Satan is the chief antichrist and both he and his Babylonian puppet, the papacy, and all who yield to their influence will meet their nemesis in the final showdown of earth’s history.

This article serves as the script for presentation #11 in "The Book of Daniel" series, delivered by Pastor Michael I. Walker. If you're interested in downloading a printable PDF version, just click here.

You can also find the video presentation recorded during the Zoom meeting on Wednesday, 12 March 2025, below.