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The spiritual scene in Daniel 10 includes both good and evil spirits that are engaged in an invisible spiritual war—vv. 12-13, 20-21:
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While Daniel was praying (vv. 2-3), a spiritual struggle was taking place in the air between two spirits, one belonging to Satan and the other belonging to God.
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It is crucial for us to see that behind the scene a spiritual struggle is taking place, a struggle not seen with human eyes.
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As the struggles are taking place between the human governments, God is behind the scene managing the world situation—7:10.
Morning Nourishment
Dan. 10:2 In those days I, Daniel, had been mourning for three full weeks.12-13 And he said to me, Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand this matter…, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me for twenty-one days…
Following the vision concerning Christ as the precious One in God’s move, we see something regarding the spiritual struggle in the air. According to [Daniel 10:10-17], the evil prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood the sent angelic messenger, probably one of the chief princes, for twenty-one days. Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help the sent angelic messenger, and the sent messenger remained there with the kings of Persia. The evil prince of the kingdom of Persia must have been an evil spirit, a rebellious angel, who followed Satan in his rebellion against God and who was commissioned by Satan to help Persia. This evil spirit struggled against the sent angelic messenger for twenty-one days. This means that while Daniel was praying for all those days, a spiritual struggle was taking place in the air between two spirits, one belonging to Satan and the other belonging to God. They were fighting because the sent angelic messenger (he might have been Gabriel) had been sent by God in answer to Daniel’s prayer. Michael came to help the sent angelic messenger. Just as the archangel Michael fought in Jude 9, so he came in to fight here in Daniel. The crucial point we need to see is that behind the scene a spiritual struggle, a struggle not seen with physical eyes, was taking place. (Life-study of Daniel, p. 96)
Today's Reading
In [Daniel 10:18-21] we see more of the spiritual struggle behind the scene.The angelic messenger would return to fight with the evil prince of Persia.
The evil prince of Greece was then about to come. No one would hold with the angelic messenger against these two evil princes except Michael, the prince of Israel. The name Michael means “Who is like God?”
In the first year of Darius the Mede, the angelic messenger stood up to support and strengthen Darius (11:1). Darius was strengthened in this way in order to receive the kingdom. Before the vision concerning the destiny of Israel was unveiled to Daniel, he was given a vision of the spiritual scene that is behind the physical scene. In this spiritual scene Christ is preeminent. This scene also includes both good and evil spirits, spirits that are engaged in an invisible spiritual war.
After this vision of Christ, an angelic messenger came to tell Daniel about the things behind the physical world. He told Daniel that he himself was fighting against the prince of the kingdom of Persia, a rebellious evil spirit. Then Daniel was told that there was another evil spirit, the prince of Greece (Javan). There was also the archangel Michael, who was a prince fighting for Israel. At least four spirits are covered here.
In Daniel 5 we saw how Belshazzar was indulging in debauchery and how in the same night Darius the Mede came to defeat him and kill him. We did not see that there was a spirit fighting for Darius. Daniel 11:1 says, "I, in the first year of Darius the Mede, stood up to support and strengthen him.” Darius was strong even as an old man because this heavenly messenger stood up to support him and strengthen him. The angelic messenger strengthened Darius to defeat the Babylonians because the Babylonian Empire’s commission from God had been completed. With the death of Belshazzar, the Babylonian Empire became the empire of Medo-Persia to carry out another commission for God.
Apparently, all of these struggles are merely the activities of human governments represented by the great human image in Daniel 2. Actually, God was behind the physical world managing the entire situation. (Life-study of Daniel, pp. 96-97, 91-92)
Further Reading: Life-study of Daniel, msg. 15