Daniel and the Demons - 18

Christian lady asked Turning Point. We could if you're a Christian you're used to praying for God's blessing and abilities of others but do you also pray against Sgt. Jim was his constant prayer is listed as that which is his message Daniel and the demons friends. We are not usually aware of the fact that there is an array of foreign powers out there beyond our eyesight and we need to be aware of their influence in our world. Sometimes we pray there doesn't seem to be an answer, or at best.

The answer is a long time coming. We grow discouraged. We think God doesn't care it's possible.

Has Daniel discovered that the answer to our prayer was delayed by hostile heavenly beings to learn about that today we can envision I'd like to suggest the passage we have before us is very interesting one because it kind of draws the curtain aside and helps us to look beyond the scene into a world where Satan operates where we might not normally be aware of his operation. In order for us to get to that portion of the chapter, we have to set the stage and understand what's happening in the 10th chapter of the book.

Daniel chapter 10 of Daniel introduces us to the last three chapters in the last section of the book you're now in Daniel's fourth vision.

His final vision and actually chapters 10, 11 and 12 are all kind of connected. They all fit together.

This is the beginning and it just flows through kind of filling in the empty places of all of the visions that have already gone in the book, but the important thing to understand about the 10th chapter of the book of Daniel is that there are two things going on in this chapter. First of all, there is a conflict that is waging in the heart of the prophet that's going on down here on the earth. But while that's going on. There is a conflict in the heavens. And so if you want to outline the chapters easy to do it. Conflict in the heart of the conflict in the heavens. That's all going to look at the chapter.

First of all, examining the conflict. It was in the heart of Daniel. Now, the chapter opens by telling us that this is the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, that may not seem to be too important except as a reminder to us that it was in the first year of the reign of Cyrus the King that the edict of Cyrus was given allowing the people of the Jews to go back to their homeland and began to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Cyrus proclaimed that any Jew who wanted to go back could go back and begin the process of rebuilding that sacred place that was so very special to the Jewish people as we open the chapter we read that Daniel in the third year of Cyrus two years after that decree has been made. Daniel whose name was called Delta Shatzer and he had a dream or thing revealed on to him.

And the thing was true, but the time appointed was long and want to stop just there. That phrase, the time appointed was long really be translated.

The time appointed, or the time appointed in Daniel's life was a time of great conflict. That's what the phrase mean has nothing to do with time. The phrase literally means that the time appointed on the experience. Daniel was going through was an experience of great conflict in his inner life, and he understood the thing and he had understanding of the vision and in those days I Daniel was morning for three full weeks. I know pleasant Brad neither came flexion or wind in my mouth. Neither did I anoint myself at all till three whole weeks were fulfilled other things going on in Daniel's life is this, that he is now alone by himself in battle and are still many Jews left in Babylon, but Daniel's alone is contemplating the situation of his people and he is overwhelmingly burdened by what is going on. First of all, when Cyrus gave the opportunity for the Jews to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple, surprising as it may seem to us just a view under 50,000 volunteered to return.

There were many thousands of Jews beyond that number that were still in Babylon who could have gone back, but they didn't go and I believe that Daniel was burden because of the apathy of this people here was their opportunity to go back to the holy city. Be involved in rearing up again the house of God that was so special to them and all this captivity that been looking forward to that time.

Now that opportunity came Cyrus that it's all right only a small number in comparison of the Jews were in battle and volunteered to go back.

But here's the scenario. Once those who did go back returned to the city of Jerusalem as we read in Ezra chapter 3. It took them two years just to get the foundations of the temple started they weren't working at it very hard. They were just sort of playing at the job when you come to the fourth chapter of the book of Ezra.

You learn that the renegade Jews who lived in that territory decided that they were going to give these Jews terrible strife in rebuilding the temple and you read in the fourth chapter of the book of Ezra.

These words then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah, they troubled them in building and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose. All the days of Cyrus king of Persia and other words here now is small limited Jews that have been allowed to go back to their city. They played around for two years. Just getting the foundation up and now the renegade Jews live in that I decided to fix them good and so they go to the leadership and they persuade the leadership of these Jews are rebels and that their traders that there really back to restore the walls of the city and so can pieces gives an edict that he shuts the whole thing down in the word filters back to Daniel.

He's back in Babylon. He's been praying for these dear people every day. Committing them to the Lord and he's just overwhelmed with sorrow for what is becoming a travesty of the grace of God in the lives of his people and along with that. He also heard the word that many of the Jews who had returned and fallen back into sin, and they started marrying foreign wives getting back into the same kind of thing that got been put into captivity in the first place. And here's Daniel the man of God, the righteous prophet and what does he do.

He is broken hearted. He's burdened he's filled with inner conflict and so we read of his conflict in this text, the result of his burdened party is that he goes into great inner turmoil and the Scripture says he began to sorrow and to mourn one days three weeks of day and he began to fast. He ate know pleasant food and no meat or wind came to his lips. The Scripture even says there wasn't any outward show. He didn't anoint his body and that's a very interesting phrase because if we put that in our culture it's sort of like slapping some aftershave lotion on before you go out in public, the Jews had this kind of ointment when they went out in the joyous frame of mind. They went out the anointed with the ointment and what that says is that Daniel was very sorrowful even anoint his body wasn't seen in public. He stated in his home and he fasted and prayed and he lifted up his heart God because of the overwhelming burden he had first. Here they were at the end of the captivity, they should've learned all of these lessons that God wanted to teach them. They been given a new opportunity they were blowing that opportunity. Daniel's now some 90 years old. Please watch this whole process is on his face before God to be single God, what am I going to do what is to become of these people.

It's interesting to me that when Daniel got burned in his heart he knew where to go. I like you to jump ahead in the text. If you will, to the 12 verse, which is a report of the angel to Daniel after he finally arrived with the answer. He says this in the 12 verse then said the angel, on to me, fear not, Daniel four from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

This tells us what happened when Daniel got burned what you do when you get burdened you look back over my life and I discovered that I have some terrible temptations when I get burdened. I want to go find a friend who will let me dump on you do that and you know that's all right, everybody needs to have a friend that you can go and just pour out your heart to what is it interesting that we do everything else but the one thing God is provided for us when we get under a bird and what Daniel did was he went straight to the source and the Scripture says that he began to pray this prayer was an overwhelming prayer as described in the 12 verse.

It was a spiritual prayer, for it was offered before God. It was an emotional prayer because it says here that he sent his heart. It was an intellectual prairie desire to understand. It was a volitional prayer.

He was determined to get an answer.

The word set his heart is the same phrase that is used of the Lord Jesus when we read him that he set his face toward the cross.

He was determined to get an answer that I believe it was a verbal prayer and out loud prayer if you will. I don't think Daniel prayed under his breath. I think you got someplace alone. Nobody could hear him and he just poured his whole heart out to God, he lifted up his words. In fact, the angel said it was your words that got me down here so is concerned the Hartford conflict in his heart, the burden in the battle that he was going through was directed toward heaven. This burdened man begin to pray and I want to tell you his prayer must've been something because it was a prayer that got the attention of the Angels, and in fact, this turned out to be a prayer that brought the Angels down the angel said in verse 12 Daniel what I heard you praying soon as your words came. That's what initiated my response.

Now there's a great deal of discussion over this messenger from heaven is we read in verses five through nine. That is, Daniel was praying and as he was alone in the vision that he was left alone.

He saw this great vision in verse eight, and there remained no strength in me for my comeliness was returned to me in the corruption.

I retain no strength that I heard the voice of his words. When I heard the voice of his words that I was in deep sleep in my face toward the ground. Hand touched me, would set me on my knees and upon the palms of my hands. If you go back to the fifth verse you discover that what Daniel saw in his vision when the angel came down with something like a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen whose lines were girded with Feingold you fat as his body also was like barrel in his face was as the appearance of lightning in his eyes as lamps of fire in his arms and his feet like in color to polished brass and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude is put yourself in his place.

If you been fasting for 21 days and had anything to eat.

You are isolated away from everybody you're pouring out your heart to God over that brief time and all of a sudden you looked up you saw something like what Daniel just described.

It's no wonder the Scripture says he passed it out. You stated that on the spot.

In fact, it took the Lord's will see in a few minutes. Many separate stages to get Daniel back to the place where he was comprehensive and was able to understand what God wanted to communicate to another thing I want you to notice this this angel that came down from heaven. Some people say that was the son of God in the Old Testament that was Jesus coming down.

Recall that in theology at Christophe and he or a theophany in Old Testament appearance of Christ and there was a time when I studied this passage when I thought that was true because when you read that description of that person he saw.

You have to believe it was the son of God. It sounds just like the picture of Jesus in Revelation chapter 1 over in the book of Ezekiel, but I've come to believe that is the Lord because the Scripture says that that one who came down were going to see in a moment was withstood by the Prince of Persia. One of Satan's emissaries and it took them 21 days overcoming in my Lord isn't like that.

I doubt if the Lord's ever been detained 21 days by an emissary of Satan. Even though he was taken out to the wilderness for 40 days by Satan himself. So what we have here is a situation where Daniel was praying. He's been burned apart this great conflict in his heart he lifts up his voice to God. God answers and he sends out an angel now the interesting thing that's going on here is this. While this conflict is happening in the heart of Daniel. There's something going on out in space that we don't find out about we get to the 13th verse, verse 13, the angel comes and I'd like to if I could just sort of fantasize what happened you know Daniel wasn't use to a 21 day weight for an answer from God and he got it was custom to better service than that last time he prayed the Scripture says before he got the words out of his mouth got answered and write a little prayer.

Remember now. He's been playing for 21 days and nothing is happening.

I mean you just keep praying and praying is like God is gone all of a sudden 21 days later the angel shows up and I can imagine Daniel saying. So where you been in the Angels explaining why he is 21 days late coming in answer to the request verse 13 but the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and 20 days, but low, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now this is a fascinating thing. I don't know of any place else in the Bible we see anything like this get this Satan intercepted the answer to Daniel's prayer between heaven and earth. Now, stay with me because I'm not a heretic.

I want you to understand that.

Here's what happened.

Daniel prayed on earth. God heard in heaven and he answered, he dispatched an angel to come and give the answer to Daniel between heaven and earth that Angels accosted by an evil angel and they did warfare in outer space if you will for 21 days before God's angel finally prevailed and he was allowed to continue his journey to birth, you say Jeremiah, that is the most bizarre thing I've ever heard in my life but first of all we need to establish that it is in keeping with the doctrine of the word of God.

Did you know that Satan has his angels over and over again. The Bible tells us that Satan has his angels. We need to understand that his angels are organized over and over again. The Bible tells us that Satan has his angels. Revelation 12 seven says in war broke out in heaven and his angels, God's angels fought against the dragon and the dragon and his angels, and then in Matthew chapter 25 in verse 41 we read these words, then he will say unto those on the left hand depart from me, you cursive into everlasting fire, prepared for new the devil and his angels, and the Prince of Persia is obviously not a man.

The Prince of Persia mentioned in 13 could not be a man for no human could have resisted the messenger of God for 21 days has to be something supernatural.

Since he did oppose God's emissary must've been one of Satan's evil messengers or demons because that's the only kind of conflict that you can explain in terms of what happened in the angelic messenger. With the help of the chief angel Michael, as we learned later, was able to rest the position of influence away from this Persian prince and have victory. So once again what's happening is Daniel's praying God's answer and he dispatches an angel and angel comes is intercepted in between heaven and earth by an evil angel and a war against each other for 21 days you say to me. Pastor Jeremiah what evil angels do well they run Satan's world. Wait a minute.

This is God's world. No, Satan's world. I think that's one of things we forgot Satan has control of this world as it is when man sinned in the garden.

He lost the opportunity to run the world and he submitted to Satan the control of the world.

In fact, over and over again as we read in the Scripture we find three times.

Jesus calls Satan the prince of this world. I think the greatest proof that Satan is in control of this world is found in this fact that one day in the presence of Jesus. He claimed that the world was his and Jesus did not correct him. You might want to turn to this in your Bibles to the book of Luke chapter 4 verses five through seven. This is in that temptation. In the wilderness.

I want you to notice carefully and the devil taking him up into a high mountain and showed him to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and the devil sent him to the Lord all this power I will give the glory of them for that is delivered unto me and to whomsoever I will I give it, if thou wilt worship me, all shall be thine. Now notice Jesus didn't say Satan who you try to get this is your world. This is my world is not what he answered is, he never rebuked him at all for claiming that the world was his what he did was in verse eight Jesus said get behind me Satan, for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Jesus rebukes Satan, for Satan's attempt to get Jesus to worship him. But he never corrected Satan. When Satan said this world is mine, and I'm running it. If Satan runs the world. How does he do it. Satan is not omnipresent. That means he can't be everywhere at once.

We probably don't know Satan on a one-to-one basis, but we know his ambassadors, his demon and they call at every opportunity to attempt to draw us away from the things of God.

In fact that's what it means in Ephesians 612. When it says for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Satan is organized and he's got his troops out there, everywhere.

In other words, the Satan runs the world he assigns the control of the kingdoms of the earth to his own angels in this passage we learn about the demon that was assigned to Persia. The Prince of Persia is assignment from Satan wants to do everything he could to keep God's plan and Persia from going forward. But as I mentioned archaeological questions aren't easily solved because some of you are sitting back there say Jeremiah I thought you teach that Satan was judged at the cross.

I mean that's what it says in the Bible John 1611 says that the ruler of the world was judged at the cross and Hebrews chapter 2 in verse 14 says that Christ through death destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, that's right. Satan was judged at the cross, but if he was judged house, he seems to be winning coming for a dead person.

He sure seems quite alive. We look out at our world today, we see the rapid deterioration of the home. We see the rapid demise of the visible organized church we see the calamity of nations of states and cities.

Satan seems to gain control of philosophy and religion and politics. And if Satan is judged I want to know who is doing his work. I think maybe more than anything else. I say this is the thing that helps me more understand what's going on in our world. The Bible is very clear that Satan has been judged at the cross of Calvary's victory was a victory that destroyed all the claims that Satan has upon us. But the enforcement of that victory is a different matter. See, that's really the question legally.

Calvary was Satan's complete undoing. Legally, the cross completely destroyed. Satan legally. All claims were canceled when the Lord died on the cross. But like any other legal victory. It's got to be enforced Sunday it will be enforced forever. When Satan is thrown into the pit of hell in there forever with his angels is consigned to awful torment, but he is loose today. Even though the sentence has been passed in the judgment has been rendered that sentence, which was legally taken care of at the cross is not enforced, it will not be of any value to us not receive a explain what I mean in our government we have three branches.

We have the legislative government which makes the laws we have the judiciary branch which supposedly interprets the laws. Sometimes they try to make a few to then we have the executive branch of the government and we know that the purpose of the executive branch of the government is to enforce the law. No back some years ago. Some of you remember there was an amendment that was fought over call. The 18th amendment and the 18th amendment was passed legally in the Congress. It became an official law.

There wasn't anyone who could dispute that the 18th amendment was legal it was legal on every book. Everybody knew it was legal was anything you could do to dispute its legality, but unfortunately the enforcement of the 18th amendment was put into the hands of the van, secretary-treasurer man by the name of Mellon who happened to be the owner of the largest Rotary syndicate in the world. And guess what, he didn't enforce the amendment. So all of the legality of the amendment have nothing whatsoever to do with what was going on in the world because the one charged to enforce it wasn't enforcing it at all, and in my estimation, that's what's going on in our world today. Satan has been judged at the cross.

The Bible says that he is been defeated that he has wonderfully and legislatively been rendered inoperative in the world one day. That sentence will be carried out and forever you will be banished from our presence. But in this present world.

The church of Jesus Christ, which is the body of Christ has been put in charge of enforcing that sentence we don't enforce Satan runs rampant. You say how do we enforce the sentence. Well, we enforce the sentence. Men and women through prayer, you know, one of things that so often we get locked into the idea that prayer is to someone in the Bible teaches us that prayer is also against someone turn in your Bibles now to a key passage that will teach us that truth in second Corinthians chapter 10 verses four and five. In this passage of Scripture we are told how to fight the battle, how we enforce the judgment that is been passed against Satan says in verse four, second grade gives him for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, that means not we do humanly not fleshly but they are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. If you turn over your Bibles to the book of Ephesians you will see it again. Ephesians chapter 6 we read this earlier, but I want you to notice beginning in verse 11 it says put on the whole armor of God, that you might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Therefore take him to you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, having done all the stand stand having your loins girded about with truth having on the breastplate of righteousness your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you will be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

Now notice praying always with all prayer there only to offensive weapons in this list.

Once the word of God and the others prayer. We often don't even include prayer in the list of weaponry and it's the most important weapon in the list. The Bible says that this battle that wages out there that affects what goes on down here is ultimately worn by what we do and pray. Why is it that the angel finally prevailed and got to earn in my estimation, it was because Daniel never quit praying.

Daniel kept on praying and importune prayer and over and over again he prayed, and ultimately the victory that release that Angel from the charge and have been accompanied by the strength of Michael was that Daniel continued to pray. In other words, the tool that enforces Satan's defeat is the tool of prayer.

In essence what God is telling us is that the church will not pray that God will not act I did understand that for a long time but you see, God has determined that he will only operate in this world through prayer. God doesn't need our prayers to get his work done, but he is using prayer to teach us what it means to live the life of sovereignty that one day we will live in the kingdom and I like to think of prayer like this. I have a safety deposit box at the bank. I don't know what in the world for what we people are little papers and things in their when you go out of that safety deposit box, you go and you know what it's like you have a key. When you go in, you have to go to the place where they keep that in the secretary that works in that area.

She has a key and you go into the vault and you put your key in the lock and she puts her key in the lock and you turn it ended safety deposit boxes released my estimation, that's what prayer is all about. There was a day in the matter of Satan. When God put his key in the box and he defeated Satan, and he has determined that that defeat will be implemented in our lives when we put the key prayer in and we turn it and then that victory is released to us. We have not because we asked not. We are not in victory, because we don't take what God has given us and we don't play against Satan. We don't play against a strategy in our schools and in our homes and in our country. I daresay that most of us don't even really comprehend, and I know it's been a new thing in my life understand what it means to pray against always praying to praying for praying against its daily battle daily confrontation and there's no ultimate victory. And there's no place where you can relax and there's no one place we can say well I can stop praying for a little bit. Men and women. If we are going to survive for the grace of God and for the glory of God.

We have got to start praying, talking about surface kind of play I'm talking upon the kind of intensity we see in this passage remain so burdened could meet. Praying we hope you enjoyed today's tuning for the weekend edition with Dr. David Jeremiah to hear this. Another Turning Point programs to get more information about this ministry. Simply download the free tuning point my black smart device or visit our website David Jeremiah total/radio David Jeremiah.org/radio. You can also view Turning Point television free channel 72 Sunday morning tonight I CCTV Sundays at 6:30 AM and Friday afternoons one. We invite you to join us again next weekend is the Jeremiah she is another powerful message from God's word here on Turning Point, weekend edition thanks for taking time to listen to find a nice trendy thing all