What took Gabriel so long

Daniel, fasting for three weeks, testifies in Daniel  10:

[5] Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:
[6] His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.
[7] And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.
[8] Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.
[9] Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.
[10] And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.

“This is very reminiscent of Revelation 1, where John describes having seen the Lord Jesus Christ very much in the same description as verses 5-7 make of this angelic appearance to Daniel,” explains Richard Jordan.

“In Revelation 1, John falls on his face as though he were dead and then he hears this voice and a hand touches him and says, ‘Arise, I’m going to show you some things.’

“What you’re going to read about in Daniel 11-12 with the revelation to Daniel is going to be something John picks up on in the Book of Revelation. That’s why in Daniel 12:4 the angel says to him, [4] But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

“That’s not talking about automobiles and computers. I’ve heard prophecy preachers use that forever. They say, ‘Oh, the Bible predicted cars; people are going to run to and fro.’ Amos 8 says people are going run to and fro looking for light and revelation and knowledge shall be increased.

“What the angel’s saying is, ‘Hey, I’ve given you some basic information but Daniel there’s more information coming, and it can be found in the Book of Revelation.’

"Daniel, when he finishes his book, knows God has more to tell him about this, but here’s a basic outline of what ‘the last days’ are going to be like.

"Daniel 10 reveals about the information from Gabriel: [11] And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.
[12] Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

“How many days prior to that did Daniel start asking God to tell him some things? Three weeks. He fasted and all that. Twenty-one days Daniel’s been praying.

“The question to Gabriel is, ‘What took you so long to get here?!’ Wouldn’t that be a good question? If you’re a Muslim, you believe because the Koran teaches that the distance from earth to heaven where God's at is the distance of how far a man can walk in 1,000 days.

“You know where they got such a wild idea as that? Mohammed, almost verbatim, assimilated the mysticism of the paganism in the world in which he lived at that point. Their pagan writings, he just put right in. That’s why Mohammed says it takes a day for Gabriel to come. Why? II Peter 3:8: [8] But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

“When Mohammed lived there was a great scientific center in Egypt called Alexandria. The repository of the wisdom and the science of Greece and so forth was right there and they had people in Alexandria during the 7^th and 8th century who were teaching that the sun was the center of our solar system and the planets revolved around the sun rather than everything around the earth, like most people thought at the time.

“They knew all that stuff about the stars that astrology today is based on and they taught that then, so the idea that the distance between here and heaven was as far as a guy could walk in 1,000 days, they went, ‘Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo.’ And you know what happened? When you disagree with Mohammed he comes in with the scimitar and converts you and eliminates your opposition.

“But why is it that it takes 21 days? Verse 13-15: [13] But 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.
[14] Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.
[15] And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb.

“Who’s Michael? He’s an archangel. He’s the commander of the armies of heaven. Michael says, ‘I’m up here with the Father. He hears your prayers.' He says, ‘Gabe, take this message down there to him and tell him what’s going to happen in the last days,’ and Gabriel steps out and begins to go across the universe and the king of Persia stopped him and said, ‘Nah-ah, bud, I don’t want you to get down there.’

“It took Gabriel 21 days to get through the opposition to bring the answer to Daniel. In verse 20 he says, [20] 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.
[21] But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.

“He says, ‘I’m not just gonna have to fight the prince of Persia; I’m gonna have to fight the prince of Greecia, too!’

“In other words, there’s a battle going on up there in the heavens and he’s going to have to fight another guy to get home.

“Where’s the prince of Persia in verse 13? He’s in the heavens. The prince of Greece isn’t even there yet on the earth because the Persian empire is going to be replaced historically by the Greek Empire.

“Daniel 11:2: [2] And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.

“Historically, there’s going to be manifest on the earth kingdom after kingdom after kingdom, but Daniel’s saying here that those kingdoms on earth have a representation in the government of the heavens! In the angelic realm up there!

“Behind the scenes of world affairs, and the conflicts between the nations of this earth, there’s a spiritual conflict going on that is reflected in the angelic realm. What’s happening as the nations of this earth work their wiles, it’s an outworking of something more than just the animus between one nation and another.”

(new article tomorrow)