Prince of Persia
Daniel 10:13-23 [13] But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
[14] Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.
[15] And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb.
[16] And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength.
[17] For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.
[18] Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me,
[19] And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.
[20] Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.
[21] But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.
See All... mentions the princes (guardian angels) of Persia and Greece; Who is none: are they other princes/angels of nations, do these type angels rule the nations in our times yet and if yes how can we experience them?
Daniel 10:10-21 [10] And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.
[11] And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.
[12] Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for 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.
[13] But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
[14] Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.
[15] And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb.
[16] And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength.
[17] For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.
[18] Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me,
[19] And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.
[20] Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.
[21] But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.
See All... gives us a fascinating glimpse into the spiritual world which we cannot see. There are four angels in this passage:
- The messenger angel who came to bring the interpretation of Daniel's vision (Daniel 10:10-12 [10] And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.
[11] And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.
[12] Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for 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.
See All...). He is not named in the passage. - The prince of Persia. This is evidently a fallen angel working under the direction of Satan who operates as the "god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
See All...). The prince of Persia withstood the messenger angel for twenty-one days (Daniel 10:13But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
See All...) and hindered him from coming to Daniel. By this we know that the prince of Persia is of the evil one. This should not be surprising since Paul warned us, "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" (Ephesians 6:12For 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.
See All...). Principalities refer to the rule of princes. The prince of Persia was one of these principalities. - Michael, one of the chief princes. Michael comes to the rescue of the messenger angel and relieves him for a time so that he might bring the interpretation of the vision (Daniel 10:13-14 [13] But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
[14] Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.
See All...). So, who is Michael? In Jude 1:9Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
See All..., Michael is called "the archangel" and he personally contends with the devil. In speaking to Daniel, the messenger angel calls him, "Michael your prince." The personal pronoun "your" is plural (something that is not distinguished in modern English versions). Therefore, Daniel was not being told that Michael was his own personal angel. Rather, Michael was the angel of Daniel's people. He was the prince of Israel. In Daniel 12:1And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
See All..., Michael is called "the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people." It only makes sense that God would take His most powerful angel and put him in charge of his chosen people. - The prince of Grecia. His coming is prophesied by the messenger angel: "Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come." The prince of Grecia (or Greece) would be another of Satan's mighty princes and he will direct the ways of Greece when it becomes the main world empire.
This passage, therefore, is not about guardian angels. Mostly, it is about angels who have such great power that they are called princes. From their element in the spiritual world, they direct the affairs of nations. The news we read on a daily basis is not just the result of the actions of men. It also reflects the spiritual battles that are going on in the spirit world. The princes of this world are often led by their corresponding princes in the spirit world. These principalities, in turn, are all under the authority of "the prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 6:12For 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.
See All...)--by Satan himself. We do not and cannot understand all that is going on in the spiritual realm, but it is important for us to understand that the battles we face have another aspect to them; an aspect that is real though it is unseen. Our battle truly is a spiritual one.