The Invisible War Series

The Invisible War

Book of Daniel Series

CCCAG 6-1-2025

Text: Daniel 10 (CSB)

Introduction-

Today, we’re digging into Daniel 10.

With all of the chaos catching our attention in our world today, we often forget is this physical world we live in is only one of two realities. In addition to the physical plane we live in each day, there is also a spiritual plane. That spiritual plane can be sensed with our spirit, we can touch it through prayer and worship, but most of the time, we are ignorant to what is actually going on there.

It’s useful to remind ourselves that humanity was created first spiritually. Remember, God said, “Let us make humanity in our image, in our likeness”. God is a spirit being, and we are created in that likeness first.

The body was meant to house the spirit so it could interact with the creation God has made.

It's important to review that because it helps us understand the spiritual realm a little better. I believe at creation and before they sinned, Adam and Eve could interact fully with both realms. At the fall, their access to the spiritual and the Holy Spirit was cut off- revealing to them the nakedness of their condition.

Today we can only sense and experience the spiritual realm through prayer, worship, interacting with the Holy Spirit, but actually seeing into that realm is largely denied to us at this time.

We only see the effects of the spiritual realm when it crashes into the physical realm.

Our existence is like wading in the ocean and suddenly being struck by a huge wave. We can’t see or understand what caused that wave, we can only see and feel it’s effect on us and those around us.

The spiritual realm works in the same way.

Some of those waves from the invisible war around us are obvious.

Maybe it’s the sting of unfair treatment.

Maybe it’s a relationship issue, or a work problem.

Maybe it’s watching the news, looking at social media, or experiencing people who have given themselves over to the darker side of the spiritual realm trying to share it’s evil and destructiveness into our physical world.

Like me, you might be wondering why things have gone so south so fast- the answer is the spiritual battle is spilling over into our existence.

The more you read and study the bible, especially the prophetic books like Daniel and Revelation, the more you will appreciate what is happening. These books pull back the curtain for us to remind us that our Eph 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.

This is the value of studying books like Daniel and Revelation as they pull back the curtain to see into that realm.

Daniel 10 is a fascinating chapter that unveils the invisible war raging around us—spiritual battles that shape our lives.

Let’s set the stage.

Daniel feels that something not right in his spirit, leading him to mourn and fast and pray for three weeks. God pulls back the curtain on the spiritual realm for him, and he gets a view of the invisible war.

We will start with reading about what Daniel saw-

Dan 10:4-7 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, (5) I looked up, and there was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of gold from Uphaz around his waist. (6) His body was like beryl, his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude. (7) Only I, Daniel, saw the vision. The men who were with me did not see it, but a great terror fell on them, and they ran and hid.

Prayer

Today, we’ll unpack five truths from Daniel 10.

(1) Jesus is with us in the battle,

(2) We are highly favored by God,

(3) Prayer is answered,

(4) Seeing the answer often requires spiritual warfare, and

(5) We must remember who we are before God.

Let’s start with the first point-

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Point 1: Jesus Is There with Us in the Battle (Daniel 10:5-6)

Daniel is in third year under Persian rule after the Medo-Persians conquered Babylon. Daniel’s prophetic gift allows him a heightened spiritual sensitivity that there is something not right. He feels God’s call to go into a time of fasting and mourning for his exiled people.

God hears this prayer, and pulls back that spiritual curtain to give Daniel a glimpse of the answer.

Daniel sees this figure—radiant, majestic, almost terrifying. The linen and gold suggest priestly purity and kingship; the lightning face and torch-like eyes scream divine power. I agree with most scholars and the commentaries that this is what is called a Christophany—a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ.