**The Vision by the Tigris: Daniel’s Encounter with the Heavenly Messenger**
In the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel, who was also called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but it concerned a great conflict. Daniel understood the vision, though it required deep insight and prayer. In those days, Daniel, a man of great faith and devotion, mourned for three weeks. He ate no choice food, no meat or wine touched his lips, and he did not anoint himself with oil until the three weeks were completed.
On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, Daniel stood on the banks of the great river, the Tigris. He lifted his eyes and saw a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.
Daniel alone saw the vision; the men with him did not see it, but such a great terror fell upon them that they fled and hid themselves. So Daniel was left alone, gazing at this great vision. No strength remained in him; his face turned deathly pale, and he was helpless. Then he heard the sound of the man’s words, and as he listened, he fell into a deep sleep, his face to the ground.
A hand touched him and set him trembling on his hands and knees. The voice said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.
Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”
While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, “I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I feel very weak. How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe.”
Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.” When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.”
He said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince. And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.)”
The heavenly messenger then began to reveal to Daniel the future events that would unfold for his people, the Israelites. He spoke of wars and conflicts, of kings rising and falling, and of the ultimate triumph of God’s purposes. The vision was vast and complex, stretching far beyond Daniel’s lifetime, yet it was given to him so that he might understand and prepare his people for what was to come.
As the messenger spoke, Daniel’s heart was heavy, for he saw that his people would endure great suffering and turmoil. Yet he also saw glimpses of God’s faithfulness and the ultimate victory of His kingdom. The messenger assured Daniel that, though the battles were fierce and the enemies formidable, God’s plan would not be thwarted. The archangel Michael, the great protector of Israel, would stand with God’s people, and the forces of heaven would fight on their behalf.
When the messenger had finished speaking, Daniel was left in awe of the majesty and sovereignty of God. Though the vision was overwhelming, he found comfort in knowing that the Lord of heaven and earth was in control. The messenger’s final words echoed in his mind: “But as for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”
Daniel rose from his knees, his strength renewed, though his heart was still heavy with the weight of the revelation. He returned to his home, pondering all that he had seen and heard. Though the future was uncertain and fraught with peril, Daniel trusted in the God who had spoken to him. He knew that the Lord would fulfill His promises and that His people would one day see the fulfillment of His glorious plan.
And so, Daniel continued to serve the Lord with unwavering faith, a beacon of hope and righteousness in a world of darkness and turmoil. His life was a testament to the power of prayer, the importance of humility, and the unshakable truth that God’s purposes will always prevail.
