The Prince of Persia

"Then he said to me, "Do not be afraid Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. but the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me, for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. Now, I have come to give you understanding of what wil happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future." (Daniel 10: 12-14)



The Book of Daniel tells the story of a Jewish man who was deported from the southern kingdom of Judea when it was overthrown by the Babylonian empire in 605 BC, and who then was placed into the court of Nebuchadnezzar, it's powerful king. Daniel is much more than just the story of an individual because almost the entire book is devoted to prophecy that will affect the Jewish nation. If we want to understand and correctly interpret Biblical prophecy that concerns the times leading up to the second coming of Jesus, and there is a lot contained throughout scripture, we must first understand the prophecies in Daniel. And the first key to unlocking the mysteries in Daniel is to realize that everything has a connection to the geographic location which God promised to Abraham and his descendants. The book talks about the countries and empires that would invade and control the Jewish nation from the time frame of Daniel, up to the time of Jesus. And it talks about the forces that will be involved in "the latter days", when a person known as "The Antichrist" will invade the same geographical area in an attempt to oppose the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

The second key that helps us understand the mysteries in Daniel, as well as many other prophecies in scripture, is to realize that there is a struggle, a conflict, affecting that geograpic area, and indeed the whole world, that has been going on unseen for thousands of years. This is a struggle between the angels loyal to God and the angels and evil spirits loyal to the evil one. Scripture does not present us with a clear "This is how everything works" manuel on spirit to spirit warefare. But scripture does give enough puzzle pieces to help us appreciate , at least a little bit, the struggle going on in the spirit world, and that if affects in a major way the politics happening in the physical world. This is true, not just as we look at prophetic scripture in a historical sense, or as an intellectual exercise, but also as we consider what is happening geo-politically in the Middle East region today.

The conflict is much more than just a two way struggle between God and the evil one. All intelligent creatures, whether spirits without physical bodies, or people with a body, soul and spirit, were created by God, and each individual is allowed by God to follow a course of actions that is determined by the individual. Angels do not have physical bodies, but it appears that many exist in such a way to interact with the physical world. At some point an angel, created by God, and having been given both great physical beauty and earthly responsibilities (Ezekiel 28), rebelled from God. Then he convinced other angels to join in his rebellion. He is, in a sense, the leader of all beings, both spiritual and physical, who oppose God. This is not a battle between two equal forces. God allows rebellion, but all rebellion will be dealt with by God. The forces that oppose God are not necessarily united in their opposition. The same selfish will that rebels against God is also competing with others for it's own gain. Just as man competes against man for resources, honor and power, so it seems rebellious angels and evil spirits compete for the same. Man may act counter to the will of God, and in so doing has aligned himself with the desires of the evil one, but that does not mean that he will be doing everything that the evil one wants. And many of the angels that followed the evil one in rebelling against God may also have their own agenda.

With both man and angel there are some who exercise more authority. They have a greater degree of power and influence, controlling the actions of others, and competing for territorial advantage. However, the physical part of man eventually dies, and the struggle for dominion must be left to his descendants or allies. But spiritual beings do not die. They work to influence man and events in a particular geographic area, and they struggle in the atmosphere above the land against other evil angels. Perhaps when they gain an advantage in the heavens they have greater access to man on the earth. And perhaps when certain things happen on earth, they lose out in the heavens.

It seems to me that the person talking to Daniel in the scripture above is Jesus, who for this message has taken on a human form. He is sent by God the Father to provide Daniel with an important prophetic word for the future of the Jewish nation, but was opposed in the heavens (the atmosphere above the earth) by a powerful angel named the Prince of Persia, along with others called the kings of Persia. Daniel was in Babylon, but the Babylonian empire had recently been conquered by the Medes and Persians, as Daniel had earlier prophesied. The Lord was delayed by those spirits for 21 days, but a powerful angel, Michael, who is the chief angelic prince for the Jewish people, comes to help. After the Lord has given Daniel the message, He concludes by telling Daniel that an angel known as the Prince of Greece would one day surplant the Prince of Persia as ruler over that area.

Here is a brief primer about the empires, ultimately influenced by strong angelic spirits, that controlled the land promised by God to Abraham and his desendants. The first was the Egyptian, followed by the Assyrian. Both are prior to Daniel, and are not mentioned in the prophecies of nations leading up to Jesus first coming, but both are involved in the "latter days". Assyria is a nation that began in an area which is now the northern part of Iraq, spilling over into today's Turkey and Iran. The area today is inhabited mainly by the Kurds (although some here still call themselves Assyrians). I mention this because the Antichrist is several times in scripture referred to as "the Assyrian". It will be very interesting if Iraq ends up being divided, with the Kurds becoming a separate nation. The first and greatest empire mentioned in Daniel is Babylon, and it's orgin is in the area of modern day Iraq. The Median and Persian empire is next, existing at the time of the prophecy above to Daniel. Persia is modern day Iran. The Greek empire follows, led by Alexander the Great, and at his death broken up into four smaller empires. The Antichrist will emerge from one of those four. Then came the Roman empire, which controlled the Holy Land in the days of Jesus. Each of these is pictured in Daniel as a particular "beast", perhaps also a reference to the angelic spirit influencing that empire. After the Roman empire the area was ruled by Arabs, Christians, and Turks. It appears that the current strong angel in the Middle East today is Allah, which the Arab people once worshipped as their moon god. Today there is a bloody struggle between different branches of Islam, indicating that there may well be angelic sub princes fighting for control. The chief princes of each of these ancient empires still desire to rule that special area, perhaps to gain greater favor with the evil one.

At some point the evil one will step in to start taking direct control ovr the politics in the Middle East. He will create his empire by deceit and force, and many will submit to his will. Powerful evil spirits and demonic armies that have been bound for thousands of years will be set loose, and the judgment of God will be upon the earth and upon those opposed to Him. As bad as things are today, there is still a Restrainer. People can choose to follow the will of God and through prayer can affect the battles that happen in the heavens. Nations can still overcome the desire of evil princes to influence them. And regions, cities, and even chruches can stil be victorious over the evil spirits sent to corrupt and destroy.

The Four Spiritual Laws

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes". (Romans 1:16)

It was in the mid 1950's that the late Dr. Bill Bright founded Campus Crusade for Christ. He began by printing pamphlets or tracts that explained what he called "The four spiritual laws". Since that time there have been over 2.5 billion of those pamphlets printed. Even today the very simple and easy to understand message found within that tract is the number one tool used by Christians worldwide to present the gospel message. Through it's use millions of people have been led to commit their lives in faith to accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord. People can discuss religion all day long, and point to people in other places and other situations, but the statements and the questions in the four spiritual laws bring the focus directly to the individual. Most want to be right with God. Many work hard in various ways to be right with God. But the Holy Spirit testifies to each individual that they still come up short.

The first law says that God loves us, and that He has a wonderful plan for our lives. John 3:16 is quoted to show God's love, and John 10:10 is used to show that God wants us to have abundant life. Most people have this belief that God is love, but they really don't know what that means. Surprisingly, many even doubt that God can love them. All people desperately want God to love them, but the reason they doubt is their conscience (the Holy Spirit talking to the heart) has indicated to them that they have done things that God is not happy with. Deep down people want to feel accepted by God, and they want to know that their life has meaning.

The second law states that man is sinful and is separated from God, therefore he cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life. Romans 3:23 is quoted telling us that everyone has sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God, and Romans 6:23 says that sin causes spiritual separation from God. Man was created to have fellowship with God, but our self will, putting our desires before God's desires, causes that separation. Understanding this is important because the number one belief in the world today is that if a person is good enough, if they do all the works their religion or personal philosophy demands, if they cancel out the negative by adding more of the positive, their lives will be in a positive position after death. They think that others have achieved this, and most feel that they themselves are basically a "good" person. And yet, if they are honest in looking at their own life, they know that they actually fit into the category of "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God".

The third law explains that there is only one way to bring man and God together. "Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life". The quote used from Romans 5:8 is great because, again contrary to what man normally thinks, he does not have to do things to make himself worthy to receive God's love. "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us". And to show that Jesus is more than just a great teacher or philosopher, scripture shows where Jesus testifies of Himself; "I am the way; and the truth, and the life. no one comes to the Father, but through Me". (John 14:8)

Finally we are instructed that it is not enough just to understand intellectually the first three spiritual laws. "We must individually RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives". The pamphlet then explains that we receive Christ through faith, which leads to a new birth of our spirit which was separated from God. The first step in receiving Christ is to hear the invitation He makes to us. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears and opens the door, I will come in to him". (Revelation 3:20) I believe the Holy Spirit uses that scripture to bore directly through all the clutter and confusion in a person's life, direct to the heart, so that they really do hear this invitation.

The next step is to make a decision of the will to repent from past actions and attitudes dictated by our selfish desires. Again, it is not enough just to agree intellectually that Jesus is God's Son, and that He died on the cross for the sin of man. There still needs to be a desire to turn over the lordship of our own life to Jesus, so that He will be our Lord. And to believe as well that when Jesus died for sin, He died for our sin. We follow through on that desire by examining our conscience, asking God to bring to our mind anything that is in rebellion to Him. We then ask God to forgive us for those things. And we promise God that to the best of our ability we will now live for Him.

There still remains one more step for us to take. We have repented from our past actions, asking Him to be our Savior. We have told Him that we want Him to be the Lord of our life. Now we need to ask Him to come into our hearts, so that our spirit will become reborn. We do this by faith, not looking for a feeling or emotion. Faith is the trust we have to ask this, and our belief that He loves us, that He is trustworthy, and that He will do what He promised in His word. Confirmation may come with emotions for some, but the true gauge will be the resulting change in what we desire. We should then thank Him for forgiving our sins and for becoming the Lord of our life.

Other Christian groups have adapted this message successfully. When I was a Catholic, involved in Charismatic prayer meetings, there was a seven session teaching called "Life in the Spirit seminars", which was usually held before or after a weekly prayer meeting. Week 1 presented the first law that God loves us. Week 2 talked about the second law that man sins and falls short of the love of God. And week 3 gave the good news that man can be united with God through Jesus as Lord and Savior. Week 4 talked about what the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is, and was a preparation for week 5, which was devoted to praying for anyone wanting to receive the release of the Holy Spirit in their life. After each presentation a seminar would break down into smaller groups, each with a leader, to answer questions about the presentation. Between week 4 and 5 a leader would try to meet personally with each person to better answer any additional questions. Then week 5 began by leading each person individually in a short prayer of repentance, and asking in that same prayer that Jesus would be their Lord and Savior. It was only then that a person would be prayed for to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Weeks 6 and 7 were devoted to explaining the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, and how to live a balanced Christian life. I believe that for many Catholics, where salvation is not emphasized because of the belief that salvation comes at the sacrament of Baptism, the prayer at the start of week 5 became their rebirth experience.

Christianity is not religion. It is a relationship with God brought about because our spirits become reborn. One does not have to be taught a lot of theology to become a Christian. The message is simple, and the truth of the message is conveyed by the Holy Spirit to the heart of man. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. Scripture says, 'but how can they hear if there is no one to tell them?' If you have just read this, and have never surrendered your life to Jesus, now would be a good time.

The Witness of Nature

I live in an area that once was a woods, and the name of our neighborhood still has "woods" as part of it, and rightly so. We are surrounded by trees, many of them very tall, and if you walk down any of the roads nearby you will often find yourself looking up to the gap in the tree canopy that the road creates. It makes you realize just how tall many of those trees are, and I am in awe as to how beautiful they look. However, with the beauty does come the challenge of living in a woods. No matter what the time of year, there is always something falling from those trees. One day it may be pollen, one day tiny green worms that hang from somewhere up above. In the early fall we will wake up to the bang! bang! of acorns hitting our roof or deck, sort of an early warning system to the mass of dead leaves sure to come in the late fall. Anytime year round when there is a windy day we will find lots of branches on the ground, and one year after a particularly strong all day wind that averaged 50 miles an hour, with gusts that night up to 80 mph, our house was hit by a very large tree that brought five others with it.

It was about one o'clock in the morning, the electrical power was out, and a terrific boom! shook the house. My wife and I then heard our youngest daughtger scream from her bedroom, and we immediately grabbed the flashlight and bolted down the dark upstairs hallway toward her room. We found her lying unhurt on the floor next to her bed, huddled in a ball, and noticed that there was a broken two by four from the tressel of the now open roof, it's jagged edge piercing the center of our daughter's mattress. We had been praying hard all day for protection from the effects of the wind, and I don't know why the trees still hit us, but my wife and I both believe that an angel moved our daughter off her mattress just before those trees hit. And as things worked out, insurance did pay for a brand new roof that was moss resistant, a problem we had with the old roof.

Just a short time ago I listened to an interview on the radio about the discovery only 24 years ago of a whole unexplored eco system in the canopy of some old growth redwood trees on the North coast of California. One of my daughters, after hearing me ramble on about it, went on line to Amazon Books and had them send me the book, Wild Trees, which discusses the same thing. Although I loved the book it was interesting to me that neither the author nor any of the other main people involved in this exploration seemed to give God any credit for the amazing beauty and biological diversity described. They could think of these trees as ancient, and living. They named all the tallest ones, and some felt New-Age mystical while spending the night in the canopy suspended over 300 feet high on a hammock type device. They had been able to experience a beauty of creation that few others ever have, yet without being aware of the Creator.

Two weeks ago Jackie and I went to a church service where a third daughter and her family attend. Their church sponsors a variety of missionaries and they send someone from their church every year to visit each one they support. On this Sunday a man from the church had just returned from his visit to a woman who was ministering in Nigeria, and we were able to hear stories and see photos of a bible center and the surrounding area. The woman visited was one of several teachers in a small bible school that was mananging to train a large number of Nigerians to be pastors. One of the photos showed a very big tree that was worshipped by most of the people in what we would call a county wide area. The man from the church told us that this was by far the largest tree for miles around, and while they were allowed to take a picture of it, they were told that they could not approach it or touch it. He reported that he could feel the oppressive spiritual feeling in the area. As I have mentioned in other posts, evil spirits will inhabit objects used for worship, whether it is a tree or an idol or even a talisman given to someone by a local witch doctor.

The first chapter of Romans talks about the witness concerning God that comes from what He has created. It says that "that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them". Or in other words, the same God who designed nature also designed the heart and soul of man. God placed in man's being the ability to recognize God through nature. "For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made". Romans then goes on to say that men who do not acknowledge God are without excuse because even though they have been designed to know God, "they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks. They became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened". The heart receives light, or truth, or life, from the Holy Spirit. When man rejects the witness designed into nature, and revealed to the heart of man by the Holy Spirit, the heart remains in darkness. "Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image . . . they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever".

People that do not recognize the truth of God as Designer and Creator, Savior and Lord, are believing in a lie. They follow after philosophies created by man or by evil spirits, and they live in spiritual darkness. The professors who climb the tall trees without awareness of the One who planted them are in no less darkness than the people who worship trees and live in fear of evil spirits. Indeed, all of the world's non Judeo-Christian religions and beliefs deceive men, hiding or distorting the true nature of God, and of His plan for man and for creation. But it is God's desire that all men would seek Him, and honor Him, and receive Jesus into their lives by faith, so that the Holy Spirit can transform lives, and can work to conform lives, into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. By the will of the Father, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Son called forth creation. Sin put the status of man and of nature into darkness and confusion, but the One who created is also the One who saves and restores. Death and corruption came into the world through sin, affecting every living thing. But praise God, Jesus is called "The First Born From The Dead". A promise to us and to the world we live in.

Our Helper

"Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; otherwise believe on account of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do, because I go to the Father".

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And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

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If you love Me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever, that is the Spirit of Truth, who the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you". (John 14: 11-17)

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Look at all the words connected with the way the Holy Spirit works. He reveals who Jesus is, and the mysteries of God, He draws men and women to encounter the Christ, and He convicts the conscience, bringing to us awareness of our sin and weaknesses. He brings Christ's healing to the body, soul and spirit. He is the power that descerns the intent of men's hearts and the presence of evil spirits, providing power as well for deliverance from evil spirits, and from all things that bind us. And He gives us scripture as a sword to fight the evil one. He creates out of nothing, moving and changing our understanding of time and space and physics, in ways we call miracles. He comforts those who are hurting. He restores both the body and the soul, and builds up the individual. He unites those in the larger body of the church to honor and serve the Father for a common purpose. He explains things to us, and directs us in the way that God desires us to go. He teaches and interperts, He exhorts and inspires, He excites and enables.

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In doing all of those things the Holy Spirit never seeks to draw attention to Himself, but instead He always brings the focus toward Jesus, and ultimately toward the Father. The Son, in obedience to the Father, sent the Holy Spirit. The Spirit draws man to the Son, and then brings the Spirit of Christ to man to unite with man's dead spirit, bringing about a rebirth of our spirit. The Holy Spirit then works in man to conform him to the image of the Son, so that the kingdom of God may be proclaimed and established on the earth. One day we will be with the Son in the presence of the Father. And the Son, by the power of the Spirit, will one day complete the restoration of all creation. Sin, sickness and death will be no more. And He will give this all to the Father.

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There is a word found in scripture that describes Jesus, but can also be applied to the Holy Spirit, and that is "advocate". An advocate is a witness, or someone who will go to court to testify for you. "If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for those of the whole world". (1Jn. 2: 1-2) "Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my advocate is on high". (Job 16: 19) When Jesus told His disciples that He would send them another Helper, the Greek word for "Helper" is "Paraclete", and it is the same word that is translated "Advocate" in 1 John. The Spirit testifies to us concerning the truth of who Jesus is, and in doing so He also gives us the power to testify to the world. And the Son gave us the Spirit not just to testify in word, but also through the "greater works".

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The Holy Spirit as described in the words above has already been given. It already is the will of the Father that we have the Holy Spirit, and that He will work in power in our lives, so that we may grow in spiritual maturity, having as evidence the fruit of the Spirit. It is already the will of the Father that the Holy Spirit will flow through us in power to minister to others, so that the "greater works" will be evident in our lives and in our ministry to others. What do we accommplish when by singing or praying we ask God to send more of His Holy Spirit, or to send the Spirit in power, or to fill the place where we meet? The best way to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit, and to have the power ot the Holy Spirit evident, is to focus our prayer, our praise and our worship on the Father. When we surrender our voice, in understanding and in the Spirit, when we cry out to God to exult and to glorify Him, when our focus is not on what we can get or what we can feel, but is instead directed to surrender to the Father, we are doing what we were created to do.

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Our tendency is to focus on what we see, or what we feel, and that distracts us from seeing the Truth in faith. But praise God, we have been given a Helper.