We Can Only Guess about Battles in the Spiritual Realm, but Angels Fight for Us
The book of Daniel contains six stories and four prophetic visions. In Daniel’s final, and longest, vision, we get a glimpse— perhaps metaphorically—of what happens in the spiritual realm and how angels fight for us.
Starting with chapter 10, Daniel receives a vision about a great war. This troubles him. It saps him of his strength. Afterward, he stands up trembling.
Daniel mourns for three weeks about what this vision might mean. During this time he fasts and shoves aside personal hygiene. Daniel is in distress, trying to figure out the meaning of this terrifying vision.
Why is God not answering? Why is he delaying?
At last, an angel appears—three weeks late. The angel explains. God heard Daniel’s prayers on day one.
He dispatched his messenger immediately. But the angel had to battle an evil force that tried to keep him from carrying out his mission.
At last, the mighty angel Michael came to help this messenger battle the evil that opposed him. Together these angels fight the fallen angel.
Finally, with victory assured, this messenger, this angel, is no longer detained. He proceeded to Daniel to complete his mission and explain the vision.
Angels Fight for Us in the Spiritual Realm
This account of good angels battling bad angels in the spiritual realm may be hard for us to grasp. But the idea that angels fight for us should also encourage us.
God has angels working on our behalf, either directly, to come to our aid, or indirectly, to battle supernatural forces of evil.
Our reality is more than what we can observe, more than our physical world offers. There’s a spiritual dimension, too.
While we may not know what happens in this other reality, we are assured God works on our behalf in ways we can’t understand.
[Read through the Bible this year. Today’s reading is Daniel 10-12, and today’s post is on Daniel 10:12-13.]
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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