And he said, Knowest thou wherefore I am come unto thee? And now I return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I go forth, behold, the prince of Greece shall come.
Daniel has mourned and prayed for three weeks, and now the messenger who reaches him explains why he must leave: he is going back into a fight. He names two opponents, "the prince of Persia" and "the prince of Greece" — but who are they, and why must an angel of God fight them?
The messenger asks Daniel, "Do you know why I have come to you?" He came to teach him first. The fight could wait.
In the angelic world there was also 'the prince of Greece', as verse 20 shows. But these hostile powers did not stop the messenger of God. He came to Daniel, lifted him up, and strengthened him to receive the message that God was now sending him. Conflict in the angelic realm still had to take place with the princes of Persia and Greece — and Greece was the empire that would soon overthrow Persia. Yet the instruction of this humble and devoted servant of God came first, in time, even before that.
The wording rules out reading these "princes" as kings or generals.
Of whom is the angel speaking? Not of a man. How could the Persian ruler hinder an angel coming from heaven with an answer to the prophet's prayer? How would he even know that the prophet had prayed at all? The angel speaks of a mighty spirit — a spirit that took an interest, for good or for evil, in the affairs of the Persian monarchy... It is impossible to bring men into such a passage. The angel is speaking of movements and counter-movements in the spirit world.
This chapter names princes on both sides. Michael is "one of the chief princes." The prince of Persia works against God's purpose. Dennett draws out what that tells us about evil.
The "prince" of Persia is an angel, and here he acts against the mind of God. So he is a bad angel — in fact, one of Satan's princes. This helps us understand something we often find in the New Testament: there are good principalities and powers (Eph. 1:21; Col. 1:16; Col. 2:10; 1 Peter 3:22), and bad principalities and powers (Rom. 8:38; Eph. 6:12). It seems, then, that Satan has copied the kingdom of God, and formed his own ranks of power on God's model.
Dennett reads the prince of Greece in the same way. He also explains why Persia was the enemy at that moment.
If the prince of Persia means a Satanic angel, so does the prince of Greece. We are not told why he will appear, except that we know it must be in hostility to God's people. It is easy to see why "the prince of Persia" was so hostile. Persia was the kingdom in power at this moment, so it held the people of God captive. Satan's prince was at work in it. Apart from any natural reasons, Persia would be the enemy of Daniel and his people, however tolerant its rule was. Persia had an interest in keeping them under its power. Remember this, and you can better understand why the angel had to fight.
Daniel 6 tells how Daniel's enemies plotted against him and how King Darius favoured him. This chapter shows what was moving underneath that story.
In Daniel 6 we have the outward history: in Daniel 10 and Daniel 11:1 we see the spiritual conflict behind the history. We now learn that the hostility of Daniel's enemies came from spiritual wickedness working behind the scenes. In the same way, the favour Darius showed to Daniel was the result of God's angelic messenger confirming and strengthening the king. Neither Daniel's enemies nor his friends knew that these spiritual beings were at work.
Mawson applies the verse beyond the ancient empires, to the upheavals of his own day.
We believe there is more in the present upheaval in the world than the wickedness and ambition of godless men. Spiritual powers are working behind the scenes — the principalities and powers in the heavenly places that rule this world's darkness (Eph. 6:12)... We read in the prophecy of Daniel of "the Prince of Persia" and "the Prince of Greece." These were great spiritual powers. They controlled and gave energy to those world empires in ancient days. We are convinced that such powers are growing more active in world affairs in our time.
- Behind Persia. The "prince of Persia" is a spirit, not a king. No human ruler could block an angel carrying an answer to prayer.
- Behind the throne. Daniel 6 looks like ordinary court politics. A spiritual conflict was running underneath it, and neither side saw it.
- Behind the empires. The angel names Greece before it rises. The same hidden opposition carries over from one world power to the next.
- Behind the delay. Persia held God's people captive. That is why its prince fought the messenger so hard.
- Ahead of the fight. The angel teaches Daniel first, then returns to the battle. God's servant gets his message before the war goes on.
However, I will declare unto thee that which is set down in the scripture of truth; and there is not one that sheweth himself strong with me against these, but Michael your prince.
An angel is about to return to a struggle over the Persian court. Before he goes, he gives Daniel two things: the contents of a book already written, and the name of his one ally. The verse shows God's word and God's unseen servants at work for a people held in captivity.
The phrase "the book of truth" (older translations: "the scripture of truth") is unusual. One reference work notes how rarely it appears:
This word occurs only once in the Old Testament, where an angel speaks of "the scripture of truth." Daniel 10:21. In the New Testament the various parts of the Old Testament are called "the scriptures." They are the "holy scriptures," 2 Timothy 3:15. They must be fulfilled. They cannot be broken. John 10:35; Acts 17:2, 11.
We can read today what was written then. The parts already fulfilled guarantee the parts that are not:
He had come to show Daniel "what is noted in the Scripture of Truth." He spoke as if it had already been noted. But we may indeed thank God that it has been noted in the Bible — the Scripture of Truth — which we hold in our hand and can read today. ... What has been fulfilled so exactly assures us of the rest. The important things still to come will all take place just as exactly, in their season.
The order of the angel's words matters. He announces a return to conflict, then says he will first tell Daniel what is written:
As we understand it, the last clause means this. Before the angel goes out against the prince of Persia, he will give Daniel his message — that is, the contents of chapters 11 and 12... Persia was the kingdom in power at this moment, and so held the people of God in captivity. Beyond any natural reasons, Persia was influenced by Satan's prince. So Persia would be the enemy of Daniel and his people, however tolerant its rule... Satan was even then the god of the world, though it had not yet been shown. His angels had supreme influence with the governments that ruled the nations. So on earth there was not one to stand by and help this angel in his conflict with Satan's agents, except the archangel who cared for the interests of the chosen nation in the way of God's providential government.
The opponents named here cannot be human kings:
Of whom is the angel speaking? Not of a man. How could the Persian king stop an angel who came from heaven with an answer to the prophet's prayer? How would he even know that the prophet had prayed at all? It is a mighty spirit the angel speaks of — a spirit that interested itself either for good or for evil in the affairs of the Persian monarchy. In verse 20 the angel says he will return to fight the prince of Persia, and that when he has gone out, the prince of Greece will come. It is impossible to bring men into such a passage.
Michael's few appearances in the Bible share one feature:
Who is Michael? The name means "who is like God." This distinguished angel is named five times in the Scriptures (Daniel 10:13, 21; Daniel 12:1; Jude 9; Revelation 12:7). He seems to be the leader of the angelic ranks, as Jude calls him "the archangel"... In each of the five passages where his name occurs, and in their contexts, the Jewish people are in question. Evidently he is the angel to whose guardian care the interests of Israel are committed.
Michael is called Israel's prince, though no throne or crown is in view:
We learn here that Michael was above all the prince of Israel. In what sense? Not as reigning visibly, but as invisibly taking up the cause of the Jewish people... And as to the angel speaking with Daniel — he says, "there is none that holds with me in these things," that is, in opposing the princes of Grecia and Persia. Why? It appears that the princes of Grecia and Persia were not favourable to the Jewish people.
Angels still serve God's people. In Daniel's day their care had a different object:
We read of them in Hebrews: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" So we are indebted to angels now... At this time, in Daniel, it was not so much a question about the heirs of salvation; it was a question of the Jewish people. They were the great object of God's care in their fallen state. They had been most guilty, but they were beloved.
- Written — the "book of truth" is God's word; the angel reports what is already noted there, and Daniel 11–12 is its content.
- Withstood — the princes of Persia and Greece are spirits, not kings. No human ruler could delay an angel, or even know that a prophet had prayed.
- With him — on earth no one stood with the angel except Michael, who takes up Israel's cause invisibly, not by visible rule.
- Watched over — Michael appears wherever the Jewish people are in question. They had been most guilty, but they were beloved, and their interests are in his guardian care.
- Written for us — part of the book has already come true. That is our security that the rest will come true in its season.