Jesus was a sweet source of comfort

JESUS WAS A SWEET SOURCE OF COMFORT
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Daniel 10:18 18Againthe one who looked like a man
touched me and gave me strength.
Our Lord’s Humanity a SweetSource ofComfort
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Scripture: Daniel10:18
Sermon No. 1295
From: Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 22
Our Lord’s Humanity a SweetSource ofComfort
“Then there came againand touched me one like the appearance of a man,
and he strengthened me.”— Danielx. 18.
WE are not able, as yet, to bear the full revelation of divine things. If any
intellect had been strong enough, if any heart had been pure enough, to see
the exceeding gloryof the covenantangel, surely Danielpossessedsuch a head
and heart; but even he fell upon his face, and was castinto a dead swoon, for
he was unable to bear the sight of the man clothed in linen, whose “body was
like the beryl, and his face as the appearance oflightning.” We ought to be

thankful that our God has revealedno more. The word of God is as excellent
in its darkness as in its brightness; had it unveiled more, its discoveries would
have been no more beneficial, perhaps they had been less profitable. As it is,
there is far more within this book than you and I have seenas yet, and we
need not wish that more had been written. If we entertain such a desire, our
loving Lord may silence us with the words, “I have many things to show unto
you, but ye cannot bear them now.”
It appears from our text that, when weigheddown under a sense of the
divine presence, the readiestmethod of consolationis found in the touch of a
certain sublime, mysterious, human hand. I know it is very usual to say that
the personagewho appearedto Danielwas the angelGabriel, but I cannot
bring myself to believe that he is the angelof this chapter. Surely this glorious
being was that uncreatedmessengerofthe covenantwho, though not born
into our nature in Daniel’s day, yet took upon himself the similitude of a man
for a time, as he had done before when on specialoccasions he appeared to
others of the saints before his actualincarnation. Even if we grant that an
angelwas the personwho touched Daniel, still the truth which I wish to bring
out will be none the less clear, namely, that even if an angel should wish to
comfort us, he must assume a visible human form, and he must lay upon us a
sympathetic hand like our own, so that there shall be, at any rate, “the
appearance ofa man,” or otherwise we shall not be strengthened. If this be
granted as a truth, I shall not insist upon the text immediately referring to
Christ, but I shall take the generalprinciple, and saythis— that comfort is
best brought to men by a man, and if we are to be strengthened, the touch of
“one like the appearance of a man” is needed. Thence we may without
difficulty rise to the reflectionthat it is ever to us the richest and highest
comfort, as believers in Christ, that the Lord Jesus is a man; and when he
strengthens us it is full often by laying his human hand upon us. He reveals his
kinship with us, and our spirit is consoledand strengthenedby a sense of his
union with us. My one objectis, by the Spirit’s aid, to draw water from the
ancient well of our Lord’s humanity.
The Son of God is also the Sonof man. We none of us doubt his deity, and
therefore we shall be able to spend all our time in this sermonin musing upon
his manhood, and the joys containedin that truth. Jesus is God; but Jesus was

born, Jesus lived, Jesus died, Jesus rose again, Jesus is in heaven, as a man. He
is God and man in one person, but there is no confusion of natures; he is
neither a deified man nor a humanized God. His Godheadis altogether
Godhead, and his manhood altogethermanhood. We must not divide the
person, nor confound the natures. He is as truly man as if he were not God,
and as truly God as if he had never assumedthe nature of man. It is of his
manhood that we are now about to speak;we shall not attempt to prove it, but
shall simply endeavourto show how the touch of the hand of Jesus, the man,
strengthens us.
I. And, first, dear friends, does it not cheerus WHEN WE LABOUR
UNDER A SENSE OF LONELINESS?
If we are true to him, we are strangers and sojourners with him, as all our
fathers were. Before his cross we find ourselves to be strangers in this land,
even as he was;for as the world knew him not so it knowethus not, and as it
placed him without the camp so also does it make aliens of us. It is sweetto
feel when walking the separatedpath, “I am a strangerwith thee”— a
strangerin the world as thou art, an exile as thou wast. In such solitude the
manhood of Jesus is a delicious cordial.
Some feelalone because they are the only ones of their house who serve the
Lord. How you wish it were otherwise!It is your daily prayer that all your
kindred may be followers of Christ, but they are not so;perhaps they openly
oppose you, and make your life unhappy through their hard speeches.Well,
there is a friend that stickethcloserthan a brother. There is a brother who
will hear what you have to say; nay, who knows all that is in your heart before
you utter it. He is the antitype of Joseph, and he knows what it is to be
separatedfrom his brethren. Of all that everlived he was the loneliestby far,
and therefore he sympathises with the forsakenones.
The child of God as he grows in grace becomesmore lonely under certain
aspects, justas the higher mountains have fewer familiars, till Mont Blanc
speaks to no equal in his awful height, but communes with himself apart. They
that serve God much, and well, and draw near to his innermost presence, in
that proportion draw awayfrom men, as to deriving comfort from them. But,

oh, there are no heights to which Jesus has not risen, no attainments which he
has not surpassed. That glorious man is with you, with you in the singleness of
heart with which you serve your God, with you in the perfectconsecration
which the Holy Ghosthas given you, with you in the intimate fellowship of
your soul with the Eternal Father. In your highest flight of ecstacythere is still
a man at your right hand, saying, “Fearthou not; for I am with thee: be not
dismayed; for I am thy God.”
It falls to the lot of some Christians to stand alone in their contentionfor
the faith. Mayhap there is made knownto them what has not been revealedto
others, or which, being revealed, others have refused to see, orseeing have
been afraid to declare. In such cases true-heartedmen find themselves
standing very much alone, at leastfor a time. They have a treasure which
others do not prize, and they are bound to show it, for to this end was the
treasure placed in their earthen vessel. Godhas not committed it to them for
themselves alone, but he has put them in trust with the gospelfor the good of
others, and they must speak it out. If when they do so they hear no
sympathetic answer, but are met in the spirit of controversyand unkind
rebuke, it is blessedfor them to know that “the faithful and true witness” is
the champion of every honesttestimony.
He stoodalone as our atoning sacrifice, and into that loneliness we never
intrude, but in all other work he is our companion, even he who is called “the
man Christ Jesus,” andtherefore we shall be cheeredby his presence if we
find ourselves without earthly helpers. Oh, if we had our choice between
having an angelto live in our house always, and to know our secrets,orto
have the man Christ Jesus to be our constantfriend, we should not deliberate
in our choice, but choose ourLord’s company at once. An angel would often
afflict us; we should be afraid to confess ourlittlenesses to him, we should fear
that he would think them meannesses. His unsuffering nature we should
suspectof contempt, and we should be ill at ease in his presence;but such a
feeling as that does not cross our mind when we have to deal with one who is
touched with the feeling of our infirmities. We know our Lord to be true man,
and therefore we speak to him with familiarity, and make him our bosom’s
dearestcompanion. Lonely one, take care that thou have no secrets apart
from Jesus. Love thy loneliness rather than seek to escape fromit, if it bring

thee nearerto him. Thou wilt do well to be always ready for Christian
fellowship, ay, and to seek it; but do not live on it, for fellowship with Jesus is
sweeterthan fellowshipwith saints. I know that fellowship with saints is poor
stuff if it come not through fellowship with the saints’ Master. When
communion comes from his hand, and we come to the feastin his company,
then every brother who sits at the table adds to our enjoyment, but if we
approachthe table to see them, and forget him, then every brother adds to
our discomfort, and forms another veil to hide the Lord. Cling to the Christ of
the gardenand the cross, andfind, O lone one, thy sweetestjoyin the thought
that he is a man such as thou art. Sing thou with me those sweetlines, —
“When gathering clouds around I view,
And days are dark and friends are few,
On him I lean, who not in vain
Experiencedevery human pain.
He sees my wants, allays my fears,
And counts and treasures up my tears.”
II. How sweetit is to feel the touch of the humanity of Christ WHEN WE
ARE HUMBLED IN THE PRESENCEOF GOD.
I know not, brethren, whether you are often favoured to behold the
outshining of the divine glory, and to feelthe inlettings of it into your own
soul. This I do know:if you are so, you find it a wearing and breaking joy. If
we had more of it, it might be a destroying delight, for “evenour God is a
consuming fire and when we come nearestto him, and best understand that
he is love, the glory of that love overcomes us. We cannoteat much honey,
neither canwe endure much sensible enjoyment of the divine glory; I mean
much comparatively, for of course it is much to us, but it is not much
compared with what ho could reveal if we were able to endure it. Have you
ever felt what it is to be as if you were not, to see your comeliness turned into
corruption, your excellencyall despoiled, and yourself not only lying low in
the presence ofGod, but being as if you had no being at all, as if you had no

separate existence in the presence of such wondrous majesty, such awe-
inspiring love? You feel no dread, far from it, and no unhappiness, but the
very reverse:yet you yourself seemgone, and God is all in all. A blessed
extinction of selfmakes room for infinite love. There is not one covenant
blessing but what, if we understood it, would have this humbling effect upon
us. Every gift which God bestows upon his chosen, if rightly understood and
truly grasped, would make us saywith Abraham, “I, that am but dust and
ashes;” or make us sit down with David and exclaim, “Whence is this to me?
Is this the manner of man, O Lord God?” Now, atsuch times of self-
annihilation it is strengthening to the mind, which is almost ready to expire
beneath the loadof heavenly glory, to feel the touch of that hand, and to
perceive that he who is our God is also very near unto us. It is bliss to me to
perceive that the Creatorhas become one with the creature, for Jesus Christ
was born at Bethlehem. Jesus ate, and drank, and slept, and wept, and bled,
and died, and now he sits at the right hand of the Father; and so,
notwithstanding the awe which crushes me, I see an infinite condescension—
nay, I perceive a near kinship, which draws me close to Godhimself; so that I
say, “My Father,” and with the next breath, “My Brother, my Friend, my
Husband, my Best-Beloved.”I wonder what we should have done if we had
known so much of God, and had not known Christ! I suppose I am speaking
paradoxically, and saying what I should not say, for we never could have
known God exceptin Jesus Christ in such a way as we do know him: but if
such a thing had been possible, it must have been destructive to us. But now,
God in Jesus Christ, how blessed!God out of Christ we know nothing of, nor
need we. Luther used to say, “I will have nothing to do with an absolute God.”
Beware ofattempting to deal with God apart from the Mediator, for no man
cometh unto the Father but through his Son, Christ Jesus.
Thus have we felt the touch of the human hand strengthening us when we
have fallen prostrate under a deep sense ofthe glory of God.
III. Thirdly, brethren and sisters, for here, perhaps, you sisters take
precedence ofus IN SORROW, oh, how blessedit is to feel the touch of the
man’s hand!

Pain of body is the portion of many of God’s people. They are seldom long
without it. Weakness,constantweakness,keeps many of God’s precious ones
tied to the bedchamber or to the house, and often the beloved means of grace
are takenfrom them because oftheir inability to come up to the assemblyof
God’s saints. Others endure the affliction of poverty: with all their economy
and industry they find it difficult to provide things honest in the sight of all
men. Some true Christians are naturally of a sombre temperament, and to
them even summer weatherhas a wintry aspect. The Lord has allotted to each
one of his children a cross to carry, and his loving wisdom led him to do so.
Those who are for the most part without trial are usually the weakestin the
church of God, the leastspiritual, the leastinstructed in experimental truth,
and altogetherthe leastgrownin divine things. We have our sorrows,but
have we not found by actualexperience that the choicestconsolationfor
sorrow is the fact that Jesus Christ knows all about it and is with us in it?
How often has that verse rung through my soul like a trumpet-note to urge me
onward when otherwise I should have retreatedfrom the battle —
“In every pang that rends the heart,
The man of sorrows had a part;
With boldness, therefore, at the throne
Let us make all our sorrows known.”
There is no abyss of grief into which Jesus has not descended. Sicknessof
body and pangs of soul, bereavement, poverty, scorn, slander, desertion,
treachery— he knows all these things: malice, envy, contempt, and deadly
hate, all shot their fiery darts againsthim. He has sounded the deeps of the
oceanof sorrow. Did he not saythat he was exceeding sorrowfuleven unto
death; and did not the sweatof blood which encrimsoned his face show how
terrible were the inward agonies through which his soul was passing? Prince
of sorrow art thou, O Jesus!Emperor in the realm of woe, art thou, O Christ!
Thou couldst say far more truly than the prophet of old, “I am the man that
hath seenaffliction.” Now, brethren and sisters, our bitter cup is sweetened,
for his dear lips have touched the brim; nay, he has drained it to its dregs.
Now, brethren, our hard sorrow is softenedbecause it is only a piece from

that loaf of which he ate the most himself. Well may we be satisfiedto go
through the valley of tears, for it is “the King’s dale,” and all along it we can
track his footprints. We know them, for they show the marks of the nails!
They are the footprints of the Crucified! Comrade with us in every grief and
woe, he is always at our side when our hearts are heavy. He earnedup to
heaven the selfsame human heart which was piercedbelow, and there he
remembers Calvary, and all the griefs he suffered on our behalf. He
sympathizes with us still. I delight in that thought of one of our hymn writers,
where he says,
“Yet even after death his heart
For us its tribute poured.”
After our Lord was dead his heart yielded blood and water for our sakes, so
that after death he was still in sympathy with us. Still Jesus gives his heart to
his people. Glory be to his name! Who among you will refuse to shoulder your
cross now? Did you lay it down just now and say, “I cancarry it no longer? I
must give up in despair”? Why, he carries the heavier end for you. Put your
shoulder to the burden which he consecratesby his fellowship. It will grow
light when you think that he once carried it. When Alexander’s troops were
on long marches, that which cheeredthem was that Alexander always walked
as far as they. If they were very thirsty in the broiling sun, and if any water
was to be found, of course, they brought it first to Alexander. Should they not
first considertheir king? But he nobly put the cooling draught on one side,
and said, " As long as a sick man needs water, Alexander will go without.”
This made eachwarrior strong, for his king fared as he fared. Let this
strengthen us to-night. Jesus Christputs his hand upon us, and says, " Fear
not. I am with you in your sorrow. My heart is as your heart; therefore be of
goodcheer.”
IV. I will not dwell long on any one thought, but leave you to dilate upon it.
The fact that Jesus Christ is a man, such as we are, should greatly comfort us
in ALL OUR STRUGGLES.
It seems hard, this battle of life, this “contending earnestlyfor the faith
once delivered to the saints” this fighting againstsin, this contention against

inbred corruption, this warring againstspiritual wickednessin high places;
and we are apt to think sometimes, “Canwe ever win? Is not the battle too
difficult?” In such moments look at yonder man who sits upon the throne of
God. He is the typical man, the representative to us of what manhood should
be, nay, of what through his grace it is. He wrestledhard, as hard as you do,
but he won the victory. You are tempted: does that cause you doubt? He was
“tempted in all points like as we are,” yet he did not sin. Are you distressedby
the contentions of godless men? " Considerhim who endured such
contradiction of sinners againsthimself, lestye be wearyand faint in your
minds.” The struggle is not so hard with you as it was with him, after all. You
have an easierbattle to fight, and you have the promise that, as your days,
your strength shall be. Now, as he overcame, finding strength enough for his
conflict, he is to you a living prophecy of what you shall do through him. Yes,
brother, you shall trample sin beneath your foot, you shall take the
strongholds of the adversary, and grace shallreign within your heart. The
world, the flesh, and the devil, that trinity of evils, shall be overcome by you;
you shall be a conquerer, nay, listen! “more than a conquererthrough him
that loved you.”
“As surely as he overcame,
And triumph’d once for you,
So surely you that love his name,
Shall triumph in him too.”
“Did a man ever do that?” askeda bold spirit concerning some renowned
achievement, “for if one man did it, another man shall.” It was a brave
speech. But let us apply it to Christ for a moment. Did he, a man, live in the
midst of this world amid fierce temptations, and did he come out of that
scorching furnace with not so much as the smell of fire upon him? Then the
eternal God canwork the like in other men, and we may believe, nay, we may
be confident, that the victory shall be unto us through the blood of the Lamb.
Be of goodcourage, O sons of men, for the Son of Man has won the victory.
Castnot awayyour confidence. Let not your swords be laid aside. Jesus, Jesus
the representative man, has conquered, and therefore those who are in him,

“strengthenedwith all might by his Spirit in the inner man,” shall conquer
also. Herein is comfort.
V. Further, brethren, in the fifth place, what a blessedthing it has been to
look at the manhood of Jesus Christ AT TIMES WHEN WE HAVE BEEN
DECEIVED IN OUR BRETHREN.
Our natural tendency to idolatry tempts us to confide in man. Among
religious people there always has been a tendency, much to be deplored, to
lean a gooddeal upon men of eminence— upon ministers, leaders, and men of
experience. We get a greatdeal of goodfrom them, blessedbe God, and,
therefore, we conceive a high opinion of them, as indeed we may rightly do, if
we attribute all that is praiseworthyto the God who gave it. But every now
and then we pass beyond the proper confidence which a younger brother may
place in an elder, and we pin our faith to the man’s sleeve, and make our hope
in a measure dependent upon his sincerity. This is the peculiar sin of young
Christians; but I have sometimes met with it in simple-hearted persons, even
in extreme old age. The “dearminister,” the “venerable man of God” — they
have lookedfar too much to him. Alas! there has come a discoverythat man is
only man, and that some men are not saints, though they talk in a saintly
manner. There has been the explosion of a profession, the total casting down
of an idol, and the breaking of it to pieces;and at such times the faith of many
has been grievouslystaggered, andeven those who are somewhatmore
established, have nevertheless receiveda grievous blow. We have seenJudas
again, and Demas, and Hymenæus, and Philetus, and old Ahitophel, rising
from the dead, and we have been filled with grief. At such times it is most
cheering to remember that there is one man who will never deceive us. There
is one who has not uttered a promise which he will not fulfil, nor won from us
a confidence which he will not more than justify. It is such a blessedthing to
see Jesus standing there: honesty, integrity, uprightness, righteousness
incarnate; truth his very nature, with no sinister motives or selfishdesires to
make him subtle for his own gain, but altogetherdisinterested, living for the
glory of God, and the goodof his people. To getback into his bosomagain,
and to nestle there, and to feel— “Child, here is a heart that is ever warm with
true love. Thou art safe here”— this is restindeed. To get back to Jesus and
say, “Now am I neither of Paul, nor of Apollos, nor of Cephas, but of Christ.”

To hear the news of religious strife in this denomination and that, and, amidst
the clashing elements of different ecclesiasticalparties, to say, “Vanity of
vanities, all is vanity and, clinging to Jesus, to feel “But this is not vanity, this
is reality, this is truth!” Oh, to keepwith Jesus, brethren and sisters! — never
to stir awayfrom him, and to feelthat the truth which you can trust, the
integrity on which you canrely, is embodied in the man Christ Jesus. Is not
man the meanest, beggarliestthing in all creation? Do you not feel him to be
so when he deceives you? But, then, when you look at Jesus, how manhood
rises in your esteem. After all, manhood is capable of something grand and
glorious, and you bless the Lord Jesus who has by the sublime perfectionof
his characterredeemedour nature from its frightful degradation.
VI. Again: I hope I shall not wearyyou. Surely I may continue to draw out
the silkenthreads of such a subject. Children of God will find the doctrine of
Christ’s humanity to be wonderfully comfortable to them IN SEASONS OF
DOUBT.
Many of you are free from grievous doubts, and I would be the lastto sow
them in your minds. I love Cowper's picture of the poor woman with her
pillow and bobbins, who only knew her Bible true, and left all the philosophies
in the world to those who cared for them. But there is a class ofdisciples like
Thomas, who think much, and are apt to doubt much; they do not love
doubts, they hate them, yet their doubts, often go very deep, and undermine
the most precious doctrines. The men are really stedfastin the faith, but it
costs them many exercises andpainful questionings. They ask, “How is this?
and why is that?” Perhaps they have more brains than heart. I suppose many
of us getinto that condition, and, do you know, to me a sight of my Lord is my
greatsecurity— a sheet-anchorwhich has held me fastin times of scepticism
and doubt. I cannotdoubt when I see him When I turn overthe book and
read his characterI find it impossible to be a disbeliever. If any man invented
the characterof Christ, I will worship him: he must be divine to have created
such perfection. It seems to me that if the life of Jesus were not a factthe very
fiction would be a creationdemanding perfect holiness in the inventor. Who
but a perfectly holy being could have conceiveda characterlike that of our
Lord and Master? Everyother characterhas its flaw. Man may be likened to
a statue I once saw in Cambridge, which I think is in Trinity College library

now— a statue of Byron. I remember looking at it from one point of view, and
the gentlemanwho showedit to me said, “There, sir, there is the poet!” Yes,
and a noble face it is, full of high thought, and rare imagination; and you
admire the man. “Come round to this point,” said my conductor, “for there is
the man who dared defy the Deity.” You could see atonce the semi-maniac
Byron, lost to all pure and devout emotion. The artist had sketchedthe
duplicate man, the true Byron, a man both great and wicked. Now, if some
artist able to exhibit the whole truth could thus set you forth in marble your
friends might go to everso many points, and say, “Beautiful! beautiful!
admirable! commendable! lovely!” and so on: but when they came to some
one point (and some of us may be very thankful that people do not get to that
point generally) they would exclaim, “Alas,” and they would not like to say
much more. They would feelthe conviction that things are not altogetherwhat
they seemto be, and that flaws are discoverable in those they most admire. It
is not so with Jesus. Survey him, before and behind, on the right and on the
left. Come upon him at midnight; look at him in midday. Watch him as a
child; see him as a man. Look at him alone;behold him in company. See him
in his pomp as he rides through Jerusalem;see him in his shame as they
hound him to his death. From every point he is perfect, absolutelyperfect: you
cannot improve upon him, you cannot hint at a fault in him. This is to candid
minds a solid establishment, rendering it hard to be a doubter; and it becomes
to believers who love their Lord and Mastera blessedchain which holds them
fast, so that they cannot give up the truth they have received, for they have not
followedcunningly-devised fables. If Peterand James and John, when they
saw their Lord transfigured, were established, so are we also when we view his
human life on earth, for his whole careeris the transfiguration of humanity: a
wonderful display of how poor human nature’s garments canbe made whiter
than any fuller can make them— how the brightness of manhood can excelthe
glory of the sun at noonday. This consolesus amidst the battle of doubtful
thought.
VII. Further, dear brethren, how blessedlythe touch of our Redeemer’s
human hand COMFORTS US IN THE PROSPECTOF DEATH.
Unless the Lord comes, “itis appointed unto all men once to die.” In the
presence ofdeath and the grave, when we really getto look at them, there is

hardly one among us who does not begin to ask himself, “Is it all right?” Must
we die? We shrink back;we cannot bear it. “ShallI rise again? If, after my
skin, worms devour this body, shall I in my flesh see God? Does it seemlikely?
Is it possible? Canthese dry bones live?” We have read the burial service
many times, and heard it read over our friends, and we have thought that we
believed in the resurrection;but when it comes to ourselves, and we are about
to die, and sickness tells upon us, then we ask the question over again, "Shall
we rise? And is it true? Is it surely true?” Often and often have I put myself
through my paces overthat question, and this is where I always land. I know
that the man Christ Jesus rose from the dead. I am sure of that. How do I
know it? No fact in human history was everbetter attested, oreven so well
attestedas this— that Jesus who was crucifieddid rise from the dead. The
witnesses are so many. ReadPaul’s summing up of the evidence in the
Corinthians. He shows that sometimes Christ was seenby one disciple alone,
then by twelve, and, on one occasion, atany rate, by five hundred witnesses at
once. Jesus showedhimselfalive by indisputable proofs: we are sure that he
rose from the dead. Well, then, I know that I shall do so;for the apostle, by
inspiration, has put the two things together— “If Christ rose not, then is there
no resurrection of the dead. But if Christ rose from the dead, how saysome
among you that there is no resurrectionof the dead?” One man has broken
from the prison of the grave, and therefore so will all who are like him.
Brethren in the Gaza of mortality, we shall escape from this city, for our
Samsonrose in the morning, and took awaythe gates, posts and bars and all,
and carried them to the top of the hill. The gates ofthe grave are open: pass
ye through, ye redeemed of the Lord! He has rent awaythe bars of the
sepulchre, it is a dungeon no longer. The tomb is now a bedchamber wherein
you shall sleepa little while, till your body shall be prepared for the Lord’s
embraces.
“What though our inbred sins require
Our flesh to see the dust,
Yet as the Lord our Saviour rose,
So all his followers must.”

VIII. Once more. Children of God, the manhood of Christ ought to be a
greatcomfort to you WHEN YOU ARE SEEKING TO DO GOOD AMONG
YOUR FELLOW MEN.
This is an awful world this world of human beings. If you ride along the
main streets, London looks to be a very respectable city, but just go down the
side streets, and from these turn into the courts and alleys. Enter Jack Ketch’s
warren, or TigerBay. Visit those regions where the means of livelihood are
sin, where drunkenness is the chief delight, where debauchery has ceasedto
be pleasure, and has become an occupation, where every villainy is transacted
unblushingly. Oh, God! When we think of what humanity is even where
Christianity keeps it within bounds, and then think of what it is when left to
itself to bow down before blocks of woodand stone, and offer orgies of vice as
the adorationof God, we might justly say, “Oh, it is a foul thing! Let it alone!
It scarce deservespity.” If we could but entertain the comfortable notions of
the Corinthian brethren, and believe that the world is not to be converted,
how easywe might be. We could sit down and care no more for this poor
earth, because the Lord Jesus is coming and the thing will end, and there is
nothing for us to do but to pull here and there a man off the sinking ship, for
the kingdoms of this world are never to become the kingdoms of our Lord and
of his Christ, and he is never to have dominion from sea to sea, atany rate not
by the ordinary method of the proclamationof the gospel, and we may as well
go to bed and enjoy ourselves, for effort is needless where success is hopeless.
So they tell us, and if I could believe them I could sleepmore soundly at
nights. But I believe that the world is to be convertedto God, and that here on
this battle-ground, and by the same weapons with which the fight began, the
conflict will be fought out to the glorious end, and sin shall be trodden down
by the Lord’s people, who will win the victory through his blood. Still look at
fallen human nature. Whitefield used to say that it was half beastand half
devil. He was very near the mark; but I question whether both beastand devil
are not slandered by being compared with man when he is left to himself.
Fallenman is a horrible creature, and eachone of us may see a specimenin
his ownnatural heart. But, oh, brethren, let us gird up the loins of our minds
and be encouraged. Letus look beyond the fall, and see what humanity once
was, and what it may yet become. Jesus took human nature upon him, and

thereby did it the highest honour: an honour which has more than rolled away
its reproach. Though free from sin, yet his nature was human; and in
assuming such a nature Jesus showedthe store which he set by our race. He
thought it worth his while to live, to suffer, to bleed, to die, for such poor
things as we have been speaking of. He thought it worth his while to preach to
a woman who had had five husbands, and was still living in sin; worth his
while to permit his feetto be washedby a woman who had been a sinner;
worth his while to mix 'with tax-gatherers and sinners— the common vulgar
people of the greatcities, for he was a physician, and he had come to heal the
sick.
Never let us give way for a solitarymoment to the proud feeling that
anybody is below us, or that any human being is so mean that he is not worth
looking after, and so bad that it is really of no use to hope to benefit him. Have
I not heard it insinuated with regardto fallen women, “Oh, it is very
melancholy work to have to do with them, and probably it would be better to
let them alone”? “And these children in the streets,”saysome, “these waifs
and strays— would it not be better to let those eminent Christian dignitaries,
the parochial authorities, instruct them in the poorhouse? Would it not be
better to let the grosserevils alone? They are so hideous. Drunkenness,
poverty, uncleanness— theyso abound in this great city that one runs great
risks and undergoes much pollution in coming near them.” Very superior
beings sometimes talk in this fashion. I mean rather to say that conceited
coxcombs thus speak. Is there one being on the face of the earth so degraded
that you and I might not have been more degraded still if the Lord’s grace
had been withheld? Does there live on the face of the earth one incarnation of
wickednessthat canpossibly excel what we might have been if exposedto the
same influences and denied the restraints of love? How, then, canwe talk of
sinners as being beneath us? Jesus Christ stoops indeed, but for you and for
me it is almostimpossible to stoop, for we are already down so low that we are
near to the very lowest, and there is no greatstoop possible on our part. This
always cheers me. If my Masterwould give me a house full of convicts who
had been imprisoned many times, and given over as hopeless, I should feel
greatconfidence in preaching the gospelto them, because I should think,
“Now, I am in the very place in which my Masterwould have chosento fix his

pulpit.” Did he not come to save us, who are convicts, under the law of God?
And, if he has done that, let us never despair of the worstof felons. Never
despair of a creature for whom Jesus died. Neverdespair of a creature the like
of which you may see by myriads before the eternal throne, singing, “We have
washedour robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” City
missionary, Bible woman, brother, sister, you who work among the lowestof
the low, let the Master’s hand touch you and afford you strength.
Now, I have done when I have said a few inviting words to those here
present who do not know much of the Redeemer, and have not yet believed in
him.
Do you feelyourselves guilty before God? Do you wish for mercy? Come,
then, and come directly, for Jesus Christ, a man like yourselves, invites you.
Remember, you cannot go to God without a mediator, but you may go to
Christ without a mediator: you may go just as you are. You want no
introduction to Jesus. Iknow that you can go and tell anotherman like
yourself your sin, for some are so foolishas to do so. They confess their sins to
the priests, as Judas did, but you know Judas then went and hangedhimself,
which was a very likely thing to do after such a confession. Butif you will go
and tell your sins to Jesus, who is a man, and something more than a man, he
will hear your story, and it will not pollute his ear. He will listen to it, and he
will do more; he will absolve you effectually. Have you not felt now that you
have grown up to be big fellows, that you wished you were boys again, so that
you could go at night and tell mother all that you had done wrong during the
day, so that mother might kiss you, and you would go to bed feeling that
everything was right again? Well, there is no mortal to whom you cango for
such forgiveness now, but the Lord Jesus Christ will be to you all that your
mother was to you when you were a child. Go and tell him all about it, and ask
him to washyou in his blood, and cover you with his righteousness,and he
will forgive you as freely as your own kind mother would have done. Jesus
Christ will feel for you, for he knows all your temptations, and weaknesses. If
there is any sort of excuse to be made for you, he will make it: he did that for
his murderers when he said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what
they do.” For that which cannot be extenuated at all he has something a great
deal better than an excuse— namely, his own atoning sacrifice. He will tell

you, “Simply trust me, and I will save you.” Do not be afraid to come and tell
him all your case. He will not spurn you. Did he ever spurn a sinner yet? The
dogs eat of the crumbs under his table, and he never drives them away. Dog of
a sinner, you may come to his feet, and he will make something better than a
dog of you. But you tell me, “the man Jesus is in heaven.” So much the better,
for if he were here on earth in this Tabernacle, then he would not be over in
SevenDials and Golden Lane, and over in north and eastLondon, or away
there in Scotland and Ireland, or across the seas;but, being in heaven, he is
within equal reachof us, wherever we may be; and whoeverdarts a thought
after him, or a wish towards him, above all, whoevertrusts him, shall find in
him eternallife.
Sinner, you have not to deal with an absolute God; you have to dealwith
God in Jesus, the man. Come, then, to him, for he has come to you. The
ladder, Christ Jesus, youknow has its footon earth, and its top in heaven; the
higher we ascendthe more we shall delight to think of the glory of Christ, but
our first business is to think of the foot of the ladder, and I want you to-night
to know that its footstands on earth, just in front of you. Jesus was suchas
you are; not sinful, that he could not be; but in all else like you— poor, and
suffering, as you are. Now, put your footon the first rung of the ladder, his
manhood, and his bloody sacrifice upon the cross. Trustthat, and you shall
climb till you ascendwhere the full deity of the incarnate Saviour blazes forth;
and you shall rejoice in his secondadvent, and all the splendours of his future
reign. To-night you may leave those higher things alone. Beginat the bottom
of the ladder, and commence to climb. The Lord help thee! The Lord bless
thee! May he lay his hand on thee at this moment, poor sinner! That will melt
thy heart, that will cheerthy spirit, that will give thee life from the dead. May
he do it for his name’s sake. Amen.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES

War In The Realm Supernatural
Daniel 10:13, 20-ch. Daniel11:1
H.T. Robjohns
And now will I return to fight with the Prince of Persia (ver. 20). In these
verses we have opened out the fact that there is warin the realm supernatural.
To understand them, it is absolutely necessaryto revise the Englishversion.
We read thus: "And the prince of the kingdom of Persia stoodagainstme
twenty and one days, and behold Michaelone of the chief princes came to help
me, and I gainedthe superiority there by the side of the kings of Persia And
he said, Dostthou know why I came unto thee? And now I will return to war
with the Prince of Persia, and while I [thus] go forth [to war], behold the
Prince of Javanwill come. But yet I will show to thee that which is written in
the book of truth. And not one is there showing himself strong with me against
these [the princes of Persia and Javan] exceptMichaelyour prince; I also in
the first year of Darius the Mode stoodin order to strengthen and for a
fortress to him" (i.e. Michael). This reading of ours is necessaryto make clear
the meaning of our homileticalculture. Lest any should be surprised at the
fulness of the revelation in Daniel as to angels and the angel-world, we may
observe that there are two epochs in Hebrew history, when angels are
speciallyprominent.
1. The time of the judges. Destitute of direct revelation or prophetic guidance.
2. The period of the Captivity. One of specialtrial, incident to contactwit h
heathenism.
I. THE ANTAGONISTS.
1. On the side of God.
(1) The Angel-God. The Logos. The "certainman" of ver. 5. The Lord Jesus.
The speakerthroughout (vers. 13, 20 - Daniel11:1).

(2) Michael. His name means, "Who is like unto God?" and implies that,
howeverhigh is the scale ofbeing, there is an infinite distance betweenhim
and God (see Daniel12:1; Jude 1:7; Revelation12:7). The following
propositions seemclearabout him: He is not the Logos;for he is here
distinguished from him. "One of the chief princes," one of the principal in the
hierarchy of heaven. "Your prince," the angelic representative and guardian
of the Jewishnation. "The greatprince who standeth for the children of thy
people." An archangel.
2. On the side of the world. The "princes" here named are the supernatural
powerstanding behind the daimoniae, who stoodbehind the national gods,
and were representedby them. They are spirits of evil, inspiring the worldly
anti-Divine actionof the greatempires of earth.
(1) The "Prince of Persia."
(2) The Prince of Javan; i.e. Greece.
II. THE WAR. The war was on behalf of Israel, and may be described as
being prosecutedthrough three supernatural campaigns. We considerthem
separately.
1. The first campaign. (Daniel 11:1.)
(1) The antagonist. Notmentioned here by name, but, following the analogyof
the restof the description, is certainly the celestial"Prince"ofBabylonia.
(2) The casus belli. The occasionofconflict. This, doubtless, was the necessity
of placing on the Babylonian throne one who would be favourable to the
return of Israelfrom the Captivity.
(3) Speciatlities.
(a) Michaelcarried on the war.
(b) The Christ supported him.
This order is reversedin the next campaign.
(4) The victory. Lies with the Divine in every case.

2. The secondcampaign. (Ver. 15.)
(1) The antagonist. "The Prince of Persia.'
(2) The casus belli. The obstruction raisedagainstthe restorationof the
temple, at the instigation of Israel's enemies.
(3) Specialities.
(a) This campaign was carriedon by the Angel-God himself.
(b) But aided by Michael. Here should be noted the doctrine that angels and
men may be co-workerstogetherwith God.
(c) Was synchronous with Daniel's prayer. All the way through the twenty-
one days the prayer was being answeredthrough a mighty conflict carried on
in a higher world.
(4) The victory. Speciallymentioned: "And I gained the superiority there by
the side of the kings of Persia."
3. The third campaign. (Vers. 20, 21.)
(1) The antagonists. The "princes" ofPersia and Javan.
(2) The casus belli. All that, in their worldliness, was attempted by Persia
afterwards, by Greece,by Alexander and his successors, especiallyAntiochus,
to the sore detriment of the Jewishpeople.
(3) A speciality. Only Michaelin this greatcontention was on the Christ-side.
Note:
(a) There is, then, liberty in heaven as on earth to do or not to do - to go forth
to war or to restin peace.
(b) Michaelmade a noble use of liberty.
(c) By endowment he toweredabove others "One of the chief princes."
(d) Therefore to him were greatresponsibilities entrusted. He was made the
guardian spirit of the Hebrew nation and Church. "To whom much is given"
etc., seems to be a law of all moral worlds. "Michaelyour prince. To a

subordinate spirit God will not entrust a work demanding specialpower and
greatness."
(4) The victory. Again not expresslymentioned, but sure. The following
deductions from the whole subject should, perhaps, have specialmention and
emphasis:
1. The Church has many and powerful enemies.
2. It abides under most powerful protection. What Michaelwas to Israelof
old, that, and more than that, is the Lord Jesus to Israel now; and he has
many helpers.
3. Its destiny is in conflict in the worlds above, as well as here below.
4. In the holy war here, the humblest may take a share. The Son of God
stoopedto avail himself of the help of Michael;so he ever stoops to acceptthe
humblest contribution, the lowliestservice.
"The Son of God goes forth to war,
A kingly crownto gain;
His blood-red banner streams afar;
Who follows in his train?" R.

Biblical Illustrator
And He strengthened me.
Daniel 10:18
Our Lord's humanity a source of comfort
We are not able, as yet, to bear the full revelation of divine things. We ought
to be thankful that our God has revealedno more. It appears that, when
weigheddown under a sense ofthe divine presence, the readiestmethod of
consolationis found in the touch of a certainsublime, mysterious, human
hand. Surely this glorious being was that uncreated messengerofthe covenant
who, though not born into our nature in Daniel's day, yet took upon Himself
the similitude of man for a time, as He had done before when on special
occasions He appearedto others of the saints before His actual incarnation.
The Son of God is also the Son of Man. He is as truly man as if He were not
God, and as truly God as if He had never assumedthe nature of man. Show
how the touch of the hand of Jesus, the man, strengthens us.
I. IT CHEERS US WHEN WE LABOUR UNDER A SENSE OF
LONELINESS. Some feelalone because they are the only ones of their house
who serve the Lord. Well, there is a friend that stickethcloserthan a brother.
The child of God as he grows in grace becomes more lonely. But there are no
heights of attainment which Jesus has not surpassed. It falls to the lot of some
Christians to stand alone in their contentionfor the faith. In all our work He
is our companion.
II. IT IS SWEET TO FEELTHE TOUCH OF THE HUMANITY OF
CHRIST WHEN WE ARE HUMBLED IN THE PRESENCEOF GOD. A
blessedextinction of self makes room for infinite love. There is not one
covenantblessing but what, if we understood it, would have a humbling effect
upon us. At such times of self-annihilation it is strengthening to the mind to

feel the touch of that hand, and to perceive that He who is our God is also very
near to us.
III. IN SORROW,HOW BLESSED IT IS TO PEELTHE TOUCH OF THE
MAN'S HAND! Pain of body is the portion of many of God's people. They are
seldom long without it. Others endure the affliction of poverty. Some true
Christians are naturally of a sombre temperament. There is no abyss of grief
into which Jesus has not descended.
IV. THE FACT THAT JESUS IS A MAN, SUCH AS WE ARE, SHOULD
GREATLY COMFORT US IN ALL OUR STRUGGLES. It seems hard, this
battle of life, this fighting againstsin, this contention againstinbred
corruption. We are apt to think sometimes, "Canwe ever win? Is not the
battle too difficult?" In such moments look at yonder man who sits upon the
throne of God. He is the typical man. "ConsiderHim who endured such
contradiction of sinners againsthimself."
V. WHAT A BLESSED THING IT IS TO LOOK AT THE MANHOOD OF
JESUS CHRIST AT TIMES WHEN WE HAVE BEEN DECEIVED BYOUR
BRETHREN.Our natural tendency to idolatry leads us to confide in man.
Sometimes there have come the discoverythat man is only man, and that
some men are not saints, though they talk in a saintly manner. At such times it
is most cheering to remember that there is one man who will never deceive us.
There is one who has not uttered a promise which He will not fulfil, nor won
from us a confidence which He will not justify.
VI. THE SAME IS TRUE IN SEASONS OF DOUBT. There is a class of
disciples like Thomas, who think much, and are apt to doubt much. They do
not love doubts, they hate them, yet their doubts often go very deep, and
undermine the most precious doctrines. A sight of my Lord is the sheet-
anchor which has held me fast in times of scepticismand doubt. I cannot
doubt when I see him.
VII. THE TOUCH OF OUR REDEEMER'S HUMAN HAND COMFORTS
US IN THE HOUR OF DEATH. One man has brokenfrom the prison of the
grave, and therefore all will who are like him.

VIII. THE MANHOOD OF CHRIST OUGHT TO BE A GREAT COMFORT
TO YOU WHEN YOU ARE SEEKING TO DO GOOD AMONG YOUR
FELLOW-MEN. This is an awful world, this world of human beings. But
Jesus took human nature on Him, and thereby did it the highest honour. He
thought it worth while to suffer and die for sinners. Let us think none so bad
as to be beyond hope of benefit. Jesus Christ stoops low;so let us do.
( C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Vision of Daniel
J.F. Stevenson, LL.D.
This is a record of the manner in which God reveals Himself to men, and it
especiallytells us how God strengthens them to hear His Word and do His
Will.
1. God's strengthening comes through what is divine becoming human. It
comes into human relations and human measures. Danielis representedhere
as overwhelmed by what he had seenand heard. We cannottake in too much
at a time even of the highest and noblest things. They require strength of
mind, clearnessofintellect, to graspand to carry them. It is so with
knowledge. It is true even of our affections. Justso it is with the presence of
God. We cannot dwell too long among the coruscationsand flashings of the
divine glory. Our week faculties reeland collapse beneaththe strain. Too
much was unveiled to Daniel. tie became strenghtless. How was he restored?
How did he gather strength again? One having the form of a man comes to
him and touches him. That human touch gives him strength once more. The
gentle touch of love, how it darts right through to our heart's core, and makes
our blood tingle. The soothing touch of pity is more eloquent than ten
thousand words. It is full of comfort, and gives patience and mighty peace.
Daniel was no longeralone. He had a companion — a human companion —
with him, and found heartfelt and infinite relief. Who was this human form?
We do not know. We are not told that it was an angel. We are not told that it
was Christ. In one sense it certainly was Christ, for all living manifestations of

God are utterances orsyllables, so to speak, ofthat eternalWord of God, of
which Christ is the full and perfect embodiment. Betterask, "Whatdoes He
mean?" than to press the question, "Who is He?" His appearance means this
blessed, consoling, universalfact, that God is not far from men, and that He
gives us power both to endure what He lays upon us, and to do His
commandments, by coming to us, as Himself in a sense human, as full of
human love and sympathy. There is something in God which is very near to us
and very dear. He is the light by which we understand. He is the pulse that
beats in the centre of our life. He is the soul of our best and purest joy. When
God shows us this side of His character — what I may callthe human side of
it — then we grow strong, and our poverty and weaknesspass atonce, and
pass utterly away. Thatis true every way. It is true in regardto our sins; and
m regards to our temptations. The knowledge thatChrist has overcome is
there before us. That alone helps me That perfectman is here, the head and
crownof humanity, and He will breathe peace and faith, hope and courage,
harmony and victory, into you and into me.
(J.F. Stevenson, LL.D.)
COMMENTARIES
BensonCommentary
Daniel 10:18-19. Thenthere came again, &c. — This seems to be spokenof the
same angel, namely, the angel Gabriel, touching him again, whereby he was
rendered more composed, and had his strength revived. And said, O man,
&c., fear not — Thou needestnot be under such terrible apprehensions, as if
this vision did portend to thee some mischief; for it is a peculiar tokenof
God’s favour to thee.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
10:10-21 Wheneverwe enter into communion with God, it becomes us to have
a due sense ofthe infinite distance betweenus and the holy God. How shall

we, that are dust and ashes, speak to the Lord of glory? Nothing is more
likely, nothing more effectualto revive the drooping spirits of the saints, than
to be assuredof God's love to them. From the very first day we begin to look
toward God in a way of duty, he is ready to meet us in the way of mercy. Thus
ready is God to hear prayer. When the angelhad told the prophet of the
things to come, he was to return, and oppose the decrees ofthe Persiankings
againstthe Jews. The angels are employed as God's ministering servants, Heb
1:14. Though much was done againstthe Jews by the kings of Persia, God
permitting it, much more mischief would have been done if God had not
prevented it. He would now more fully show what were God's purposes, of
which the prophecies form an outline; and we are concernedto study what is
written in these Scriptures of truth, for they belong to our everlasting peace.
While Satan and his angels, and evil counsellors, excite princes to mischief
againstthe church, we may rejoice that Christ our Prince, and all his mighty
angels, actagainstour enemies;but we ought not to expectmany to favour us
in this evil world. Yet the whole counselof God shall be established;and let
eachone pray, Lord Jesus, be our righteousness now, and thou wilt be our
everlasting confidence, through life, in death, at the day of judgment, and for
evermore.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Then there came again, and touched me ... - The same one is here referred to
doubtless who is mentioned in Daniel 10:16 - the angel. He came to him again
in this condescending and familiar manner in order to allay his fears, and to
prepare him to receive his communications with entire calmness.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
18. again… touched me—It was gradually that Daniel recoveredhis strength.
Hence there was needof the secondtouch, that he might hear the angelwith
composure.
Matthew Poole's Commentary

Daniel neededa secondtouch, and another word of encouragement, before he
could hear and bear the angel’s words as to the vision and prophecy; and now,
being fortified by degrees,he hath got courage.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Then there came again and touchedme one like the appearance ofa man,....
Or one like a man againtouched him; the same that touched him before,
Daniel 10:16, perhaps Gabriel, since he uses the same language in the
following verse as he does Daniel 10:11,
and he strengthened me; both in body and mind, by his free and familiar
conversationwith him, and the comfortable words he spoke to him, a divine
poweraccompanying them for that purpose.
Geneva Study Bible
Then there came again and touchedme one like the appearance ofa man, and
he strengthened me,
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
18. one like the appearance ofa man] ‘appearance,’as in Daniel 8:15, and
often in the visions of Ezek. (Ezekiel1:13-14;Ezekiel1:26-28, Ezekiel8:2,
Ezekiel10:1, Ezekiel42:11).
strengthenedme] i.e. both restoredmy physical strength, and also
‘encouraged’me, as the same word is rendered in Deuteronomy 1:38;
Deuteronomy 3:28.
18, 19. A third touch (see Daniel10:10;Daniel 10:16), followedby a second
reassurance(see Daniel10:11-14)onthe part of the dazzling being, restores
Daniel’s composure entirely.
Pulpit Commentary

Verse 18. - Then there came againand touched me one like the appearance of
a man, and he strengthenedme. The versions here call for no remark. The
prophet still stood, but trembling and powerless, unable to comprehend fully
the revelation;but now againthe strengthening hand touches him. It cannot
be regarded as a strain put upon the meaning here, if we see in this repeated
presence ofone in the form of man a symbol of Christ, who took upon him the
form of a servant, and was found in fashion as a man.
Keil and DelitzschBiblical Commentary on the Old Testament
Her judgment concerning Daniel is that of Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 4:5-6
(Daniel 4:8, Daniel 4:9); and that she states it in the same words leads to the
conclusionthat Nebuchadnezzarwas her husband. The ‫אּכלמ‬ ‫ךּובא‬ at the end of
this verse may be an emphatic repetition of the foregoing ‫ךּובא‬ ‫בּכ‬ ‫אּכלמ‬ (Maur.,
Hitz.), but in that case ‫ךּובא‬ would perhaps stand first. ‫ךּובא‬ is better
interpreted by Ros., v. Leng., Klief., and others as the vocative:thy father, O
king, by which the words make a greaterimpression.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCE HURT MD
Daniel 10:18 THEN THIS ONE WITH HUMAN APPEARANCE TOUCHED
ME AGAIN AND STRENGTHENEDME.
again:Da 10:10,16 8:18
Strengthened: 1Sa 23:15 Job16:5 23:6 Isa 35:3,4 Lk 22:32,43 Ac 18:23 2Co
12:9,10 Eph 3:16 Php 4:13 Col1:11
Daniel 10 Resources -Multiple sermons and commentaries

Touchedme again- First to speak when speechless,then to be strengthened
when without strength. Believers todaydo not speak by nor are they
strengthenedby the touch of angels but by power of the indwelling Spirit of
Christ.
Strengthened me - Once againDaniel's need = strength. God's provision =
The angel's strengthening touch (See the parallel principle in the NT - Php
4:13-note, 2Co 12:9-note, 2Cor12:10-note)
Daniel 10:19 HE SAID, "O MAN OF HIGH ESTEEM, DO NOT BE
AFRAID. PEACE BE WITH YOU; TAKE COURAGE AND BE
COURAGEOUS!" NOW AS SOON AS HE SPOKE TO ME, I RECEIVED
STRENGTHAND SAID, "MAY MY LORD SPEAK, FOR YOU HAVE
STRENGTHENED ME."
O man: Da 10:11 9:23 Jn 11:3,5,36 15:9-14 19:26 21:20
Do not be afraid: Da 10:12 Judge 6:23 Isa 41:10,14 43:1,2 Lk 24:36, 37, 38 Jn
14:27 16:33 Rev 1:17
Take courage:Jos 1:6,7,9 Isa 35:4 Hag 2:4 Zec 8:9,13 1Co 16:13 Eph 6:10 2Ti
2:1
May my lord speak:1Sa 3:9,10
You have: Da 10:18 Ps 138:3 2Co 12:9
Daniel 10 Resources -Multiple sermons and commentaries
O man of high esteem- Reassuring words are repeated(cf Da 9:23, 10:11).
Do not be afraid - Secondtime Daniel had to be reassurednot to fear(Da
10:12). Whether it was a Christophany or an angelic personage, it was
supernatural and it was emotionally and physically draining and productive
of a sense of fear.
Peace be with you (Hebrew = shalom; Lxx = eirene {Theodotion}) - Sometimes
this phrase was used in the sense ofa greeting but clearly that is not the case
in this verse. Danielneeded to be assuredthat all was well. Shalom conveys

the sense ofcompleteness,soundness, welfare, health, sense ofwell being,
security.
Take courageand be courageous(hazaq/chazaq) - means to be strong, to be
courageous, to overpower. In contextit speaks ofinternal strength of
character(cf Joshua's double encouragementin Joshua 1:6, 7, 9, cf Hag 2:4,
1Co 16:13, Eph 6:10-note, 2Ti2:1-note)
As soonas he spoke...Ireceivedstrength - How? The context would suggest
the "power" ofthe angel's encouraging words producedan inner strength and
resolve (cf the powerof words spokento one anxious in heart - Isa 35:4, cf
Heb 3:13-note).
May the lord speak - Danielnow had the strength to hear what would happen
to Israel in the latter days. (Da 10:14)
Whitcomb comments that "By way of spiritual application, no man can hear
and respond properly to the Word of God unless and until he has been
illumined by the Holy Spirit. Only as one receives "ananointing from the
Holy One" can he have "ears to hear," for "His anointing teaches youabout
all things" (1Jn 2:20, 27). It was because Israellackedspiritual strength that
they cried out to Moses:"Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not
God speak to us, lest we die" (Ex 20:19). (Whitcomb, J. DanielEveryman's
Bible Commentary)
Take courageand be courageous - NET renders it "Be strong! Be really
strong!"
THE OVERWHELMING CHRIST
Dr. W. A. Criswell
Daniel 10:1-12

3-19-72 10:50 a.m.
On the radio and on televisionyou are sharing with us the services ofthe First
Baptist Church in Dallas. This is the pastor bringing the messageentitledThe
Overwhelming Christ. In our preaching through the Book ofDaniel, we have
come to chapter 10, and I shall read the first four verses.
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealedunto Daniel,
whose name was calledBelteshazzar –
a name given him by the Babylonians seventy years earlier [Daniel 1:7] –
and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long:and he understood it,
and had understanding of the vision.
In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.
I ate no pleasantbread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did
I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
And in the four and twentieth day of the first month –
of Nisan –
as I was by the side of the greatriver, which is Hiddekel –
that is the ancientAkkadian name for the River Tigris –
then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certainman clothed in
linen.
[Daniel 10:1-5]
And then follows a descriptionof the glorious christophanic, theophanic
appearance ofthe Angel of Jehovah, the uncreatedMessengerofthe covenant,
the Sonof God, whom we know as Jehovah-Jesus [Daniel10:5-6].

These things have transpired betweenthe ninth chapter, out of which I
completed preaching last Sunday morning, and the tenth chapter in which we
begin today. In the previous chapter, in chapter 9, Daniel was reading the
prophet Jeremiah, especiallychapters 25 and 29, and there he found the Lord
had said by the mouth of the holy prophet that the captivity of Israelwould be
for seventyyears. And at the end of the seventy years, they would have
opportunity to return home [Jeremiah 25:11-12;29:10-14]. Danielwas taken
captive in 605 BC [Jeremiah 25:1-7;Daniel 1:3-6], and Cyrus overwhelmed
the Babylonian empire about 536 BC [Daniel 9:2]. So Daniel could see that
the seventyyears was about up – it had passed. And depending upon the time
in which God computed the first yearof the seventy, the day was drawing
nigh when the captives could return home.
So he gave himself in confessionin sackclothand in ashes to an importunate,
intercessoryprayer in behalf of the people [Daniel 9:2-3] – that God might
bring it to pass that they be liberated and allowedto go back to Canaan, the
PromisedLand. Now, Cyrus had written the decree in the first year of his
reign. He had done it, and the people were at liberty to go back and to rebuild
their sanctuary [Ezra 1:1-4]. But the response was disheartening in the
extreme. The people had settled down in Babylon. They were prosperous and
comfortable. They were immersed and enmeshedin the world. And the
decree of Cyrus to return to Judah was greetedwith indifference and
unconcern.
Out of the multitude of the Jews who had been led awaycaptive, there was an
insignificant number of just forty-two thousand, three hundred that deigned
to go back home [Ezra 2:64]. They were led by Zerubbabel [Ezra 2:2], who
was of the line of David but unable to restore the monarchy, and by Joshua
the high priest, their spiritual leader[Ezra 3:2]. And not only was the
receptionof the decree discouraging and disheartening, but the exiles who
returned found their work difficult in the extreme. They were opposedand
harassedby Tobias and Sanballatand by all of the localpopulation
[Nehemiah 4:7-8]. The exiles were greetedwith contempt and scorn and
disfavor. It took them sevenmonths just to clearthe rubbish and rubble away
from Mt. Moriah and to find a level place on which they could base the

restorationof the new sanctuary on the site of the old Solomonic temple [Ezra
3:6, 8].
Daniel therefore, in mourning, has given himself to prayer and fasting [Daniel
9:3-4]. After two full years, and now almostthree since Cyrus placed his
decree in writing, there still is no measurable response to the callof God for
the people to return home. He prays two weeks before God, beginning on the
first day of Nisan. He prayed through the time of the Passoversacrifice. And
there was still no answerfrom heaven. He continued his intercessionfor one
more full week;that is, through the Feastof Unleavened Breadto the twenty-
first of Nisan, and there still was no response. Goddid not answer, and the
heavens were brass. Danielprayed three more days in fasting, and evidently
had been sent by the state on some national mission sixty miles awayto the
Hiddekel, to the Tigris River. And on the twenty-fourth day [Daniel 10:2-4],
there came an incomparable vision, an answer, an explanation from heaven.
And the rest of the Book ofDaniel – chapters 10, 11, 12 – all the rest of Daniel
concerns this final vision that is introduced here with this christophany. For
he writes:
As I stood by the side of the greatriver Tigris,
I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certainMan clothed in linen,
His loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz – Ophar, Arabia:
His body also was like the beryl, and His face as the appearance oflightning,
and His eyes as lamps of fire, and His arms and His feetlike in colorto
burnished polished brass, and the voice of His words like the voice of a
multitude, like the sound of many waters . . .
And when I saw this greatvision, there remained no strength in me: for my
comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.
[Daniel 10:5, 6, 8]

And Danielis prostrate with his face toward the ground [Daniel 10:9]. This is
a description of the pre-incarnate Lord. This is a christophany, it is a
theophany. It is an appearance ofGod in the similitude of a man, in the
likeness ofhuman form; the morphos of God in the flesh. Johnsaw the
glorified Christ on Patmos after His incarnation [Revelation1:12-18]. Here,
Daniel sees the same glorified Lord before His incarnation, on the banks of
the Tigris River [Daniel 10:4-6].
This is the third time that the Lord has appearedin the Book of Daniel. In the
third chapter, in the story of the fiery furnace, as the three Hebrew children
were walking free in the midst of the burning flames, Nebuchadnezzarlooked
and saw a fourth walking with the three. And the countenance and face of the
fourth were like the Son of God [Daniel 3:25]. The secondtime the theophany
is seenis in the seventh chapter of the Book of Daniel, when in the vision of
the throne of the Ancient of Days there comes One like the Son of Man, and to
Him is given an everlasting kingdom that shall never pass away[Daniel 7:13,
14]. And the third theophany is here in this vision – the glorious countenance,
His face like the sun, like lightning, His eyes like flaming fire, His feet like
polished, burnished brass, and His voice like the sound of roaring waters
[Daniel 10:5-6].
This theophany, this pre-incarnate appearance ofour Lord, is seenall
throughout the Old Covenant againand again. In the fifteenth chapter of the
Book ofGenesis He appearedto Abraham [Genesis 15:1-6]. In the thirty-
secondchapterof Genesis atPeniel, He appeared to Jacoband changedhis
name to Israel [Genesis 32:28]. In the thirty-third chapterof the Book of
Exodus He appears to MoseswhenHe shut the greatlawgiverin a clift of a
rock, coveredhim there with His hand, and passedin glory before him, took
awayHis hand and Moses sawthe afterglow ofthe glory of the pre-incarnate
Christ [Exodus 33:21-23]. He appears in the sixth chapterof Isaiahwhen the
greatprophet saw Him high and lifted up, and His train filled the earth
[Isaiah 6:1]. He appears again in the first chapter of Ezekiel[Ezekiel1:4-28],
the glory, the indescribable glory of God on His throne – a theophany, the
pre-incarnate Christ. And now the statesmanprophet Daniel sees Him here,
and looking upon Him is overwhelmedby the glory of His person [Daniel
10:5, 6, 8]. For this is God manifest in human form – in the likeness and in the

similitude of a man. And as such, we see Him incomparable, indescribable.
The words cannot bear the weight of the glory and the majesty of His person.
We have this morning then, this moment, to look at the glory of the person of
the Lord Christ – the Angel of Jehovah, the uncreatedMessengerofthe
covenant. Nota superman, not a superhuman, but God Himself manifestedin
the likeness ofhuman flesh and human form; here seenbefore He took our
nature in Bethlehem in the days of His flesh [Matthew 1:20-2:1]. What an
incomparable personHe is; a somebody. God is not an "it," He is not a
"force." He is not an "element." He is not a "first cause." He is not the
"greatunknown and unknowable." He is somebody. He is a person. And He
has revealedHimself in the Old Covenant and in the New Covenant as being a
man – in the form and likeness ofa man, and in heaven our greatGod and
Savior is a man; here lookedupon, revealedas in the other theophanies in the
Bible in the similitude and likeness ofa man; but oh, what a glorious
personality! What an incomparable person. What a marvelous, indescribable
Lord. There is no fault in Him.
In one of the beautiful passages thatI read in Spurgeon, he describeda visit to
Trinity College Library in Cambridge, England. And there in the library is a
statue of Lord Byron – the famous and dissolute Englishpoet. The man who
was taking Spurgeon through the library and showing him this particular
statue said, "Come and look at it from this point of view." And when
Spurgeonlookedat the piece of bronze from this point of view, he saw the
nobility of that English poet; so gifted – a magnificent representative of the
finest literary genius of English literature. Then the man said, "Now come
and look at it from this point of view." And from this point as Spurgeon
looked, he saw the blasphemous, wicked, dissolute, debauchedsoul that had
given himself to everything exceptdevotion, and reverence, and honor before
God. Thatwas Lord Byron.
And Spurgeonpointed out that all of us are somewhatlike that. There are
points of view where we canbe seenand we would exclaim how admirable,
and how fine, how noble. But in all of us – look at us from another point of
view – alas, and alas, and alas, there is fault and failure and mistake. All of us
are like that. But how ever you look at the Lord Christ – from any vantage

point, always He is perfect and flawless:in His childhood, in His ministry, in
the goodof the deeds of His life, in the gracious words ofgrace that He spoke,
in His suffering and death, in His resurrection, and finally His reign,
returning to glory. Howeveryou see Him, there is no fault in Him. As
Pontius Pilate announced the final verdict, "I find in Him no fault at all"
[John 18:38].
And when we classifythe greatLord-God-Christ-Messiahwith other men,
somehow the Christian heart is offended. To us it is not only wrong, it is bad
taste. I cannot help but sympathize with this word from Ian Maclaren, quote:
When one seriouslyrecommends Jesus to the notice of the world by
certificationfrom a Rousseauora Napoleonor when some lighthearted man
of letters embroiders a needy paragraph with a string of names, where Jesus
is wedgedin betweenZoroasterand Goethe, the Christian consciousnessis
aghast! This treatment is not merely bad taste, it is impossible by any canon
of thought. It is as if one should compare the sun with an electric light bulb or
the colorof rouge with the bloom of a rose. Christ is not a subject of study.
He is a revelationto the soul. He is that or nothing.
[from "The Mind of the Master," IanMaclaren
(rev. John Watson), 1896]
As one man said,
If Jesus Christ is a man, –
And only a man – I say
That of all mankind I will follow Him.
And to Him will I follow always
But if Jesus Christ is a God,

And the only God – I swear
I will follow Him through heaven and hell,
The earth, the sea, and the air!
["The Song of a Heathen," Richard WatsonGilder]
He is the unique. He is the separate. He is the greatunlike. He is the
MessengerofJehovah. He is the God-Christ in the likeness ofhuman form.
Now, the reactionof any who have ever lookedupon the Lord in His glory is
always like this of Daniel: "And when I saw Him, I found no strength in me:
and my comeliness was turned into corruption" [Daniel 10:8]. When a sinful
man stands in the presence of God, he immediately finds himself bowedto the
ground. That was true with Isaiah. When he lookedupon the Lord high and
lifted up [Isaiah6:1], he said, "Mine eyes have seenthe Lord of hosts";and "I
am undone: for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell amidst people of
unclean lips" [Isaiah 6:5]. When Simon Petersaw the miracle, he fell at the
feet of Jesus, and said, "Lord, depart from me; for I am a sinful man" [Luke
5:8]. When Saulof Tarsus met Him on the road to Damascus, he was blinded
by the glory of that sight and fell down to the earth [Acts 9:3-4; 22:6, 11]. And
in the first chapter of Revelationand in the passages thatyou read, when John
the sainteddisciple saw Him on the isle of Patmos, he fell at His feet as dead;
the overwhelming Christ [Revelation1:17].
But He is also the Lord God of compassion, andmercy, and sympathy. Three
times does it say here in this tenth chapter of Daniel, in verse 10, in verse [16],
in verse 19, three times does it saythat that glorious Lord Christ reached
forth His hands and touched him. He touched him, He touched his lips, and
he touched him once again. Three times He touched him [Daniel 10:10, 16,
18].
He is kin to us. His heart is with us. In the first chapter of the Revelation,
when John fell at His feetas one dead, the Lord stretchedforth His right hand
and touched him [Revelation1:17], the same blessedJesus. ForHis glory had

made no difference in His heart. Could there be a richer, a deeper, or a finer
comfort than to know that our Lord God in heaven has a human heart, and
has human understanding, and was in all points tried as we are, though He
was without sin? [Hebrews 4:15]. A sympathetic High Priestto whom we are
invited to come and find grace to help in time of need [Hebrews 4:14, 16].
What a marvelous revelationthat our God in heaven is a man with a human
heart. Notthat He is not God; He is God, as though He were not man, but He
is man also as though He were not God. His Godheadis complete. His
manhood is complete. We are not to separate the persons or to confuse the
natures. He is the God-Man, the Jehovah-Jesus, the Angel of the Lord, the
Son of God, who also is the Son of Man. And His sympathies, His kinship is
with us. And seeing Danielprostrate on his face, He reachedforth His hand
and touched him and lifted him up, raised him up [Daniel 9:9-10].
There was a historian who was seeking to illustrate why the soldiers of
Alexander the Great loved him so much and followedhim so faithfully. And
the historian said that when the soldiers marched, always Alexander marched
before them. Their sufferings he shared. And the historian said that
marching through Asia Minor, Turkeytoday – some of you have been there,
under the broiling sun and the endless dust and heat – marching before them,
the army all lackedwaterand suffered with thirst. And when they came to
water, the first refreshing cooling draft was brought to Alexander himself.
Was he not their king and their general? Butalways Alexander would take it
and asked, "Is there one of the soldiers who is sick? Alexanderwill not drink
until first the cooling wateris sharedby that soldier who is sick."
Our Lord is like that. As long as one of us is sick, He is not well. As long as
one of us is in want, He is not full. As long as one of us is in prison, He is not
free. He has identified Himself with us. He is one with us. And our great
Mediator, and Intercessor, andSavior, is the God-Man Christ Jesus, revealed
here in the theophanic form before His incarnation. And in those days, and
years since, glorified in heaven, the same Personin the Old Covenant;in the
New Covenant, the God-Man, Christ Jesus.
Now, we have here an explanation brought to Danielof why the delay in the
answerto his prayer. He prayed two weeks andthe heavens were brass. He

prayed another full week – there was no reply from God. He prayed three
more days, until the twenty-fourth day of the month, and then the answer
came, and with it the explanation. This glorious Personthat lookedlike beryl,
and His face that was like the sun, and His voice like thundering, falling
waters, He says to Daniel, "On the first day thy words were heard [Daniel
10:12]. When you prayed the first day, God heard. But," He says, "the
prince of the king of Persia withstoodMe. And it was only when Michael,
your chief prince, who guards the fortunes of Israel, when he came to help
Me, that the messagecame through" [Daniel 10:13].
Now, in my studying, I found what I suppose most – seemedto me it was most
– most of the men who comment on this tenth chapter of Daniel say: that this
glorious person could not be the Lord Christ, because He could not be
hindered. He could not be thwarted. And yet, this personspeaking says that
"On the first day thy words were heard. They came before God. But the
prince, the fallen angelthat guides the destinies of Persia withstoodMe"
[Daniel 10:13]. So they saythat this could not be the Christ, this could not be
the Lord God, for He is omnipotent and could not be thwarted or hindered. I
wish that were so. Or maybe, not having infinite wisdom, I cannot
understand why it is so. I think it is true. I think the Lord God is omnipotent.
I would be the last to deny that. All authority is in His hands [Matthew 26:14-
16]. But I also am the first to avow that I also think that the purposes of God
can be hindered, and that our prayers can be thwarted. I think there is
another will in this universe beside the will of God. And I think God can be
opposed. And I think our prayers can be hindered and frustrated. And I
think God’s people can be harassedand attacked, and were it not for the
sovereigngrace ofGod, destroyed.
I find that in the Lord Himself when He came to Nazareth, where He had
been brought up. The Scriptures say "He did no greatwork there because of
their unbelief" [Matthew 13:58]. He was hindered and thwarted by their
unbelief. When He came to Gadara, the swine keepers and the pig sty owners
beggedHim to leave [Mark 5:17], and He left. In the story of the parables in
the thirteenth chapter of Matthew, it says He was speaking in parables
because "The hearts of the people have waxedgross, and their eyes they have
closed;and their ears they have stopped; lest they should see with their eyes,

and hear with their ears, and feel with their hearts, and be converted"
[Matthew 13:15]. God’s will can be thwarted and hindered and frustrated.
And I suppose from what I can read here that the same frustration that is
found in praying and in living in this world, I think I read in this text also that
that is true in the unseen, invisible angelic world. There is opposition to God
at the heart of the universe. Civil war and strife and division is at the very
centerof existence in creationand heaven itself. And there was war in heaven
[Revelation12:7]. There is a divided will in this universe. And here it is
again. Satanopposes, andit took three weeks forthe answerto come from
God [Daniel 10:13], three full weeksand three days besides.
Why, I read that in the Scriptures, Satanopposes. Satanattacks. Where the
goodseedis sown, he oversows it with tares [Matthew 13:24-25]. He even slew
the Lord; he entered in Judas and betrayed the Lord [Matthew 26:14-16].
There is such a thing, these commentators and scholars to the contrary, there
is such a thing as opposing God, and hindering God, and thwarting the will of
God. But it is temporary. Always there is ultimate and final triumph. We
are not to be discouragedas though the battle is lost – that Satan has won and
that the prince of the darkness has takenover the reins of government out of
the hands of God, and we have nothing but frustration and despair for us.
He says "Michael, one of the chief princes, the archangelMichael, who stands
for thy people, came to help Me" [Daniel10:13]. Now is that unusual? In the
temptation it says:"And the angels ministered unto Him" [Matthew 4:11].
And in the gardenof Gethsemane it says, "And an angelcame down and
encouragedHim, ministered to Him" [Luke 22:43]. In the fourteenth verse of
the first chapter of Hebrews it says that the angels are ministering spirits to
encourage us and to help us who are the heirs of salvation[Hebrews 1:14].
That is not unusual. Michaelcame, who stands for the people of Israel, to
help Him and stand by Him [Daniel 10:13]. And then the Lord avows an
unusual thing. "And there is none that holdest with Me in these things, but
Michaelyour prince" [Daniel 10:21].
The whole world seeminglywas filled with discouragementagainstthe plan
and program of God for his people. And seemingly, from what I can

understand, the whole world of darkness, the fallen world of Satanand
Lucifer, also opposedthe programming of God. It was His will – and I
haven’t time to expatiate – it was His will for His people to return. It was out
of that return that the greatmessianic hope was to be born and find fruition
and realization in Bethlehem. And it is God’s will that, oh so many things in
the future are yet to be given to Israel. So much was involved. But in that
involvement, he says, "There is none that stands with Me in these things, but
Michaelyour prince" [Daniel 13:21]. But what a noble and singular
exception!
It is as if a young man were a musician and the world looks upon his
compositions with contempt. There is no sale, there is no appreciation. And
the young man writes, "There are none that hold with me in these things but
Beethoven– just Beethoven." But his signature and his approval and
approbation would be worth more than a whole world of contemptuous rivals,
would it not? Or a young man is an artist and the world is blind. There is no
sale for his pictures. There is no appreciationfor his genius. And he could
write, "But there are none that hold with me in these things but Raphael."
But having the love and approval and encouragementand approbation of
Raphaelwould be like having the world above and below. That is the way it is
with us. "If God is with us," cried Paul in the eighth chapter of Romans,
"who could be againstus? [Romans 8:31]. . . Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God’s elect? [Romans 8:33]. . . All things work togetherfor goodto
them that love God" [Romans 8:28]. As the forty-secondPsalmsays, "Why
art thou castdown, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me?
Hope thou in God" [Psalm42:11].
I have to close. Thatis why at the beginning of the verse – in the first verse of
the revelation, that the thing was true, but the time appointed was long
[Daniel 10:1]. Ah, the wearywaiting. Would it ever come to pass? Willit?
Will we ever see the day? Will we? The thing is true, but the time appointed
was long, long, long. And to us, the division of the two is so needless and so
severe and so grievous. It is not to God. To us it is two different things; this
that we pray for and ask and believe and its fruition. The time is long. But it
is not to God. To him it is an everlasting now. It is an everlasting present. He
looks upon it all. And He bids us, "Be of good courage andof good cheer

[Matthew 14:27; John 16:33;Acts 23:11]. Forthe divine will cannever be
ultimately and finally frustrated – never." Godshall bring it to pass, and we
shall live in hope and in assurance andin victory and in optimism, praying,
"Thy will be done, in me, in this earth, as it is in heaven" [Matthew 6:10].
And that is our appealto your heart – to open your soul God-wardand
heavenward, to give yourself to the Word and work and purpose and plan and
program of God for you and for your life. Will you do it today? In a moment,
we shall stand to sing our hymn of appeal, and in the balcony round; a family,
a couple, or one somebody you; there is a stairwayat the front and the back
and on either side of the auditorium, and there is time and to spare for you to
come. If you are seatedon the last row of the top of the secondbalcony, come.
Come. Make the decisionnow and come. The throng and press of people on
this lowerfloor into that aisle and down here to the front, "Here I am and
here I come. I make the decisionnow. I open my heart and my life to the
purpose and plan and program of God for me. I acceptit. If the Book says
He died for my sins [1 Corinthians 15:3], I acceptthat forgiveness. IfHe said
He was raised for my justification [Romans 4:25 ]to present me some day to
heaven [Jude 1:24], I acceptit as a free gift of grace. I open my heart God-
ward and heavenward, and here I come." Families of you putting your life in
the fellowshipof this dear church, or a couple, or just you, as we sing our song
and as the Spirit of God shall press the appealto your heart, make the
decisionnow and come. On the first note of that first stanza, come now. Do it
now. Make it now, while we stand and while we sing.
BOB DEFFINBAUGH
Lifting the Veil (Daniel 10:1-21)
Introduction

Among preachers, the story is told of an unforgettable baptism. Construction
on a new church building was nearly complete, with the baptistery functional
even though changing rooms were not yet available. When the need arose to
use the baptismal, sheets were hung temporarily where those being baptized
could change.
The lastperson to be baptized made her way down into the water. Terrified of
going under, she had been assuredthere was no reasonfor concern. But she
panickedin those final seconds before being loweredinto the water, clawing
the air for anything to keepfrom going down. Within her graspwas the
curtain hung behind the baptistery which formed the front barrier of the
men’s changing room.
Having just steppedfrom the baptistery, there stood a man completelynaked.
Realizing something dreadful was wrong, he turned around, only to see the
entire congregationgaping at him in embarrassedastonishment. Assessing the
situation quickly, he did the only sensible thing—he dived into the
baptistery—with the preacherand the panic-strickenwoman!
On rare occasionsin the Bible, the curtain is lifted to unveil things normally
kept from view. Chapter 2 of 2 Kings exemplifies one such passage. Elijah’s
death is viewed from heaven’s perspective, as the prophet is carried awayinto
heaven by horses and a chariot of fire (2:11). A similar scene is described by
our Lord in the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Lazarus was “carried
awayby angels to Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16:22).
Later in the sixth chapter of 2 Kings, we see yet another lifting of the veil with
Israelat warwith Aram, a neighboring nation. Every time the king of Aram
planned an attack, the prophet Elisha informed the king of Israelwhat to
expect. The Israelites were therefore always prepared, and the king of Aram
was never able to win a victory. Word finally reachedthe king of Aram that
Elisha the Israelite prophet was the source of the “leak” inhis security, and an
army was sent to capture Elisha.
Elisha’s servant had risen early in the morning and gone outside. In the light
of the rising sun, he saw the enemy’s army surrounding them and with great
alarm informed his master. Unruffled, Elisha told his servant, “Do not fear,

for those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings
6:16). Elisha then prayed for the eyes of his servantto be opened, so that he
could see the unseen realities of the spiritual realm. The servantsaw the
heavenly forces, the horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha. When
Elisha prayed again, the eyes of the enemy forces were blinded, and the
prophet was able to lead this enemy army into the city of Samaria.
At times, the veil is lifted in the Bible allowing the Christian to see the unseen.
At the birth and baptism of our Lord, the veil concealing the glory of our
Lord was lifted, and the heavens opened revealing the angelic hosts. At our
Lord’s transfiguration, once again the veil is lifted, allowing three of His
disciples to see a preview of the kingdom of God.
Chapter 10 in the Book of Danielprovides another rare passagein which the
veil is lifted for the reader to see the unseen. Some things are similar to what is
seenelsewhere.But our text also reveals some things which should challenge
our preconceivedideas, whichfail to conform to our preferences. Theseare
realities we need to see and accept, allowing them to shape our perspective
and our practice.
As the veil is lifted in this tenth chapter, may we, by God’s grace, see, believe,
and behave in a way consistent with the revealedtruth. MayGod grant us the
ability to see the unseenhere and then to live in the light of these realities.
An Overview of the Text
Chapter 10 does not stand alone. Chapters 10-12 recordDaniel’s final vision
recordedin this book. Chapter 10 is the introduction to the vision, with
chapter 11 spelling out the detailed events which will occurfrom Daniel’s day
to the end of time. Chapter 12 then provides a final broad overview of the
prophecies of this book, restating the big picture, and closing with comforting
words spokento Daniel.
Chapter 10 and the first verse of chapter 11 introduce the vision describedin
detail in chapter11. Verses 1-3 provide a brief description of the events
leading up to the vision. Verses 4-6 describe the One whom Daniel sees in his
vision. The impact which this vision had on Daniel and those with him at the

time is revealedin verses 7-9. Verses 10-14 disclosethe words of the angel who
spoke to Daniel, explaining the purpose of his visitation and the reason for his
delay. In verses 15-17, anaccountis given of the debilitating impact this
visitation had on Daniel. Verse 18 of chapter10 through verse 1 of chapter 11
provides a record of the encouragementand strengthening of the angel, along
with his accountof the part he plays in matters in heaven and on earth.
Our text, Daniel 10:1–11:1, canthus be outlined as seenon the following page:
(1) The setting of the vision verses 1-3
(2) Daniel’s vision of the Lord verses 4-6
(3) Responsesto the vision verses 7-9
(4) The angel’s words to Danielverses 10-14
(5) Daniel’s weaknessverses 15-17
(6) The angel’s ministry verses 18–11:1
The Setting of Daniel’s Vision
(10:1-3)
1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message wasrevealedto Daniel,
who was named Belteshazzar;and the messagewas true and one of great
conflict, but he understood the messageand had an understanding of the
vision. 2 In those days I, Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks. 3 I
did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use
any ointment at all, until the entire three weeks were completed.
Daniel’s last recordedvision is in the “third year of Cyrus king of Persia.”
This does not contradictthe statementfound in Daniel1: “And Daniel
continued until the first year of Cyrus the king” (Daniel 1:21).
From the statementgiven in the first chapter of Daniel, we learn that his
careerlasteduntil the first year of Cyrus. This means the vision recordedin
Daniel 10-12 is one receivedin Daniel’s retirement years when he may have
been in his mid-eighties. From what he was told in chapter 12, I infer that

Daniel’s death was not too far in the future (see 12:13). The date must be 537
B.C. The first wave of Jewishcaptives would thus have already made their
way back to Jerusalem.
From what we are told in verse 1, we know that unlike the vision of chapter 8
(see verse 27), Daniel did understand this vision receivedin chapter 10. The
essenceofthe vision con- densedinto one word would be “conflict.”
Daniel’s vision was precededby three weeks ofmourning during which time
he did not enjoy the fine foods were available to him.105 Over what was
Daniel mourning? We are not given the answer. Perhaps he was mourning
over Israel’s sin or over the difficulties the Jews who had returned to
Jerusalemwere having. It could have been the new temple would not have the
same glory as the old (see Ezra 3) or the enemies of the Jews were hindering
the rebuilding of Jerusalemand the temple (Ezra 4). In the final analysis, we
only know that Daniel was mourning and that he had sethis heart to gain
understanding. Daniel’s vision was a belated answerto his prayer (see Daniel
10:12).
Daniel’s Vision
(10:4-6)
4 And on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, while I was by the bank of
the greatriver, that is, the Tigris, 5 I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold,
there was a certain man dressedin linen, whose waistwas girded with a belt
of pure gold of Uphaz. 6 His body also was like beryl, his face had the
appearance oflightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet
like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of
a tumult.
Along with severalothers (see verse 7), Daniel was standing beside the Tigris
river106 when he receivedhis vision. He was not transported to this place in
his vision, as in chapter 8 (verses 1-2), but was alreadythere when the vision
appearedto him. It was now the twenty-fourth day of the first month after
three full weeks ofmourning. The reasonfor the delay will be given shortly,
but first Danielgives us an accountof what he saw in the vision.

Looking up, Daniel saw a personwith human characteristicsbut with
qualities which seemedto far surpass those of any mere man. Clothed in linen,
his waistwas girded with a belt of the finest pure gold. Somehow the splendor
of this creature’s body could not be concealedby the linen garment, for Daniel
tells us his body was like beryl. Beryl was one of the stones setinto the
breastpiece ofjudgment (Exodus 28:20). The mysterious “wheels” ofEzekiel1
were, in appearance, like beryl (verse 16). Part of Satan’s adornment in the
garden of God was of beryl (Ezekiel28:13). Some of the foundation stones of
the heavenly city were beryl (Revelation21:20). To have a beryl-like body was
to have greatbeauty.
The face of this marvelous creature was also striking. His face had the
appearance oflightening. It would seemthat his face radiatedthe brightness
and brilliance of lightening. While lightening is a phenomenon which lasts but
for a few seconds, the brilliance of this being’s face was constant. His eyes
were like flaming torches.
The arms and feetwere like the gleamof bronze. What a reflectionthe arms
and feetmust have given off, due to the radiance of his face and eyes!When
he spoke, it was not the sound of one magnificent voice, but more like the
combined voices of a large multitude.
Whether this “man” was an angelor a theophany (a manifestation of the pre-
incarnate Christ) provokes considerable discussion. I have concluded the
answeris found by answering this question: “What was the vision Daniel
receivedin chapter 10?” The more I read and reflecton the text, the more I
am forcedto answer:“The vision Danielreceivedin this chapter was the
appearance ofthis marvelous being, describedin verses 5 and 6, and indicated
as such in verse 7.”
If Daniel’s vision is the appearance ofthe spectacularbeing in verses 5 and 6,
then I am convinced this being is none other than our Lord Himself. Compare
this vision in our text with these two other visions, recordedin Ezekiel1 and
Revela-tion 1:
26 Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something
resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance;and on that which

resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance ofa man. 27
Then I noticed from the appearance ofHis loins and upward something like
glowing metal that lookedlike fire all around within it, and from the
appearance ofHis loins and downwardI saw something like fire; and there
was a radiance around Him. 28 As the appearance ofthe rainbow in the
clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance ofthe surrounding radiance.
Such was the appearance of the likeness ofthe glory of the LORD. And when
I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking (Ezekiel1:26-28).
12 And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having
turned I saw sevengoldenlampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands
one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across
His breastwith a golden girdle. 14 And His head and His hair were white like
white wool, like snow;and His eyes were like a flame of fire; 15 and His feet
were like burnished bronze, when it has been causedto glow in a furnace, and
His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 And in His right hand He held
sevenstars; and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edgedsword;and His
face was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 And when I saw Him, I fell at
His feetas a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, “Do not
be afraid; I am the first and the last. 18 and the living One; and I was dead,
and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades
(Revelation1:12-18).
It makes goodsense that the final vision of the Book of Danielwould be that of
none other than our Lord Himself. God has decreedthat all things be summed
up in Christ:
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may
know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His
inheritance in the saints. 19 and what is the surpassing greatnessofHis power
toward us who believe. These are in accordance withthe working of the
strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised
Him from the dead, and seatedHim at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name
that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. 22 And He put
all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to

the church, 23 which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all
(Ephesians 1:18-23).
15 And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. 16
For in Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible
and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all
things have been createdthrough Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all
things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also headof the body, the
church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He
Himself might come to have first place in everything. 19 Forit was the
Father’s goodpleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him
to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His
cross;through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. 21
And although you were formerly alienatedand hostile in mind, engagedin evil
deeds 22 yet He has now reconciledyou in His fleshly body through death, in
order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—
23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly establishedand steadfast, and not
moved awayfrom the hope of the gospelthat you have heard, which was
proclaimed in all creationunder heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a
minister (Colossians1:15-20).
In the first prophecy of Daniel in chapter 2, our Lord was symbolically
introduced by the “stone made without hands” (2:34-35, 44-45). In chapter 7,
He is presentedas the “One like a Son of Man,” who is “givendominion, glory
and a kingdom” (7:13-14). In chapter8, He is the “prince of princes” whom
the little horn opposes (8:25). In chapter 9, our Lord is the Messiah“who will
be cut off and have nothing” (9:26). Now, in chapter 10, we see our Lord in
His splendor and glory, as He will appear at His SecondComing.
The Response to Daniel’s Vision
(10:7-9)
7 Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who were with me did not
see the vision; nevertheless, a greatdread fell on them, and they ran awayto
hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone and saw this greatvision; yet no strength
was left in me, for my natural colorturned to a deathly pallor, and I retained

Jesus was a sweet source of comfort

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