Dan 10 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Dan 10:1-12:13: 10:1–12:13 This final vision reaches historically from 536 BC to a distant future when Daniel would be raised from the dead and receive his inheritance. All earthly kingdoms would be destroyed, the eternal kingdom of the Son of Man would arise, God’s people would finally be rescued, and death—the ultimate enemy—would be defeated. 10:1 The third year of the reign of King Cyrus was 536 BC , not long after Cyrus issued his decree for the peoples and nations to return to their ancestral homes (2 Chr 36:22-23 ; Ezra 1:1-2 ). Daniel’s prayer (Dan 9:4-19 ) had been answered—the Exile had ended. • Belteshazzar: See 1:7 .

Summary for Dan 10:1-12:13: 10:1–12:13 ^a This final vision reaches historically from 536 BC to a distant future when Daniel would be raised from the dead and receive his inheritance. All earthly kingdoms would be destroyed, the eternal kingdom of the Son of Man would arise, God’s people would finally be rescued, and death—the ultimate enemy—would be defeated. 10:1 ^b The third year of the reign of King Cyrus was 536 BC, not long after Cyrus issued his decree for the peoples and nations to return to their ancestral homes (2 Chr 36:22-23 ^c; Ezra 1:1-2 ^d). Daniel’s prayer (Dan 9:4-19 ^e) had been answered—the Exile had ended.

• Belteshazzar: See 1:7 ^f.
Summary for Dan 10:2-3: 10:2-3 ^g Daniel was apparently in mourning because of his previous visions (10:14 ^h, 16 ⁱ).
Summary for Dan 10:5-6: 10:5-6 ^j The man dressed in linen clothing is an unidentified messenger of the Lord (cp. 10:16 ^k, 18 ^l; 12:6-7 ^m; see also Ezek 9:3 ⁿ).
Summary for Dan 10:7-9: 10:7-9 ^o Daniel’s response was typical for humans in the presence of heavenly beings (cp. Josh 5:14 ^p; Isa 6:5 ^q; Acts 9:7-9 ^r; Rev 1:17 ^s).
10:11 ^t very precious to God: See also 9:23 ^u; 10:19 ^v.
10:13 ^w the spirit prince: The spiritual forces behind the various nations, such as the spirit prince of Persia or the spirit prince of Greece, blocked the way of God’s messenger who responded to the prayers of God’s people (see 10:20–11:1 ^x).

• one of the archangels: An archangel was a chief among God’s heavenly messengers.

• Daniel’s world, and ours, is populated by more than meets the human eye. Daniel is shown the great events of history enacted against the background of a real spiritual world where spiritual beings support or hinder God’s people, where the conflicts of the ages are also carried out. Behind all of this, the Ancient One sovereignly guides all things and sits in judgment upon the process and its conclusion. God’s covenant with his people, and their relationship with him through prayer, are central to this process—the world is not ultimately governed by angels and spirit princes, but by the Ancient One, who hears the prayers of his people.
10:16 ^y touched my lips: Cp. Exod 4:11-12 ^z; Isa 6:5-7 ^aa.
10:19 ^ab God’s word gives strength to his servants (cp. Pss 29:11 ^ac; 68:35 ^ad).
10:20 ^ae The messenger described empires in terms of the spirit prince representing each of them. The Persian Empire had just begun and would later be replaced by the Greek Empire (cp. 8:3-7 ^af, 19-21 ^ag).
10:21 ^ah Book of Truth (literally writing of truth): The messenger was not speaking of himself, but from what was written in God’s Book of Truth. Compare God’s book in 7:9-10 ^ai; Exod 32:32-33 ^aj. See also Dan 12:1 ^ak; Ps 139:16 ^al. The Book of Truth contains what is revealed in Dan 11:2–12:7 ^am.

• against these spirit princes except Michael, your spirit prince: God divided up the nations, partitioning out the nations and their princes (Deut 32:8 ^an). God was over Israel, and Michael was Israel’s spirit prince.