How Could The Prince of Persia Restrain Gabriel?

In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.Here’s this week’s question:Dear Dave and TA:In Daniel 10, the angel Gabriel tells Daniel that he was sent to give him a message, yet it took him 21 days to get to Daniel because he was restrained by the Prince of Persia, and finally broke through with the help of Michael the Archangel.What’s that all about?

Tom:

Dave, this really has to do with spiritual warfare, which, you talk about avoiding prophecy, except for some who have a bent for deliverance ministries, and things like that, but this is, in reality, spiritual warfare.What’s your take on this?

Dave:

Tom, it certainly has nothing to do with territorial spirits.This wasn’t even about Persia, “the prince of the king of Persia withstood me.”It wasn’t about Persia, and the angel doesn’t say that he bound this prince, that this was a demon, which I believe it was, because I don’t think the Prince of Persia, a man on the ground in Persia, could prevent an angel from coming to Daniel.And it doesn’t say that it had to do with the Persian kingdom at all.It doesn’t say it had to do with the salvation of the Persians, you know.It isn’t what the delusion today is---oh, there’s a territorial spirit that has control of Miami, and it’s causing drug addictions, and so forth, and we’re going to buy that and then people will get saved.C. Peter Wagner, they even say this.They even say that the spiritual warfare techniques now are going to set people free to come to Christ---there will be millions to be saved as a result of it.

Tom:

That’s their methodology, that’s their techniques, but Dave, let’s go back to this.

Dave:

But that’s not what this is about.

Tom:

Well, 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..., it says:“But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days.”So this prince, you said you believe it’s a demon, correct?

Dave:

Right.

Tom:

Okay, and he had something to do with Persia, because later in Daniel Chapter 10:20---let me read that.“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.”Of course this is referring to the kingdom of Greece under Alexander the Great.So, is what’s being said here that there are demons that are assigned to leaders in the world to, through Satan, maybe Satan personally, and so on, to direct, to influence, whatever.

But, how is it, Dave,that an angel, and we assume this is Gabriel because he spoke to Daniel, and then we have Michael the Archangel, I mean, there is war going on.There is a spiritual warfare that seems to be taking place.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..., seems to tell us that.

Dave:

Yeah, Tom, it a big subject, I don’t know if we have time to deal with it.As for a demon being behind rulers, that certainly is the case.There were certainly some demons behind Hitler, for example, Satan himself.But if you go to Isaiah 14, the king of Babylon is being addressed, but it’s very clear that it’s Lucifer, Satan that you’re really talking about.So, you’re talking about both, king of Babylon and Lucifer.If you went to Ezekiel 28, then you are talking about the king of Tyrus, the prince of Tyrus, but it says, oh, he was in the garden of God, and so forth.No, the king wasn’t there, but certainly Satan was.So, you get the idea that, well, in fact Paul tells us that he is the god of this world, the prince of the power of darkness.Now, but spiritual warfare is not the kind of warfare these people are talking about.

Tom:

Right.

Dave:

Daniel certainly knew nothing about what was going on up there, and he was not travailing in prayer for some battle in the heavenlies.What does it say?Well, it’s very clear what it says.It says, Verse 12:“From the first day that thou did set thine heart to understand, to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.Well, what was it all about?Verse 14:“I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days:for yet the vision is for many days.”So you get the impression that Satan did not want Daniel to have a revelation of what would be happening in the future.And we talked already about how the Book of Daniel is just attacked because Daniel was going to have revelations that would, I mean, beyond the shadow of a doubt, if this book was written before these events, which we can prove that it was, you cannot deny that God foretold the future.Okay, and there’s some powerful prophecies in the Book of Daniel.So now when it says he’s going to go back to fight with the prince of Persia, and so forth, I don’t understand what’s happening, and I don’t think we can.But when you come to Revelation Chapter 12, for example it says:There was war in heaven.I think that’s yet future!Satan and his angels---

Tom:

Well, let me read it:Revelation:12:7-8 [7] And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, [8] And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
See All..., “And there was war in heaven:Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels.And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.”We also have in Revelation:16:14For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
See All...:“For they are the spirits of devils working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”Dave, so what do we do?We just have a minute left.What do we do with regard to the spiritual warfare in the heavenlies, angels against demons?

Dave:

I’m not fighting that for them, I don’t even know what’s going on, but I can tell you this, Tom, later on in that chapter it says, “They overcame him by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony, they loved not their lives unto death.”There is a battle between God and Satan for the eternal destiny of mankind and of planet earth, and it involves moral decisions.It involves the submission of ourselves to God’s will.We have choices to make and the battle is, is Satan going to win this or is God going to win it?Will men be loyal to Satan or will they be loyal to God?That’s really what’s it’s about.So it’s not just some---you got big swords up there and demons fighting angels.No, it involves mankind on this earth, and God’s purposes and plans for him, and how are we going to fight this?We’re going to stand on the Word of God and we will submit to God’s will, and that is how we will win through the blood of the Lamb.