Let us turn to the book of Daniel
again. Our text is found this evening
in the 10th chapter and verse 8. Part of that reading from
God's Holy Word in Daniel chapter 10 verse 8. The Prophet says, 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. There is much that is mysterious
and difficult for us to understand or to interpret here in the book
of Daniel. There are those portions that
are not dissimilar to the book of the Revelation. In fact, Both
Daniel and Revelation are often referred to as apocalyptic scriptures. There are strange sights and
visions to behold, but there are also those portions of Daniel's
book that are familiar even to the children, the Hebrew children,
cast into the fiery furnace or Daniel himself cast into the
lion's den I'm sure these are stories that most of us would
be familiar with even from our childhood alas today there are
multitudes who know nothing at all of the word of God and are
altogether unfamiliar with these great Bible stories, how things
have so degenerated in this once favoured land of ours. But here we read of remarkable
sights that Daniel was favoured to behold. In a way, what we
have at the beginning of chapter 10 is part of the answer to the
prayer that's recorded in chapter 9. And what does he see? As the
Lord answers him, he has this vision of the Lord Jesus Christ. I say that the answer to the
prayer is continued here in chapter 10 in view of what we read at
verse 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. When
was it that he chastened himself before God? Well, it was there
at the beginning of chapter 9, when he set his face to see God
by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. and now he is told that that
was not in vain that diligent seeking after God 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. Now what is the real end of his
prayer? What is the great end of all
true prayer? It is the revealing of Christ
to us It is that communion that we come to enjoy with God Himself,
our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ,
our Lord. And here we have this remarkable
sight, this vision that the Prophet is favoured with. So, tonight
I want us to look at the vision. The vision of the Lord Jesus
Christ. First of all to say something
with regards to the man that Daniel saw. The man that Daniel
saw struck me just now as we were singing that's him I don't
know that we've said it sung it very frequently previously
476 one of Isaac watches many hymns when
he says there in verse 7 this is the man the exalted man whom
we unseen adore but when our eyes behold his face our hearts
will love him more well it is the same man that Daniel saw Look at the description that
we have here at verse 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, his body also was like
the beryl, his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as
flames 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. Does it not remind you of another
that we read of at the end of the New Testament Scriptures?
Does it not remind us of the words that John uses to describe
that vision that he also saw when he was there exiled on the
isle of Patmos? We are familiar with those words
of the aged apostle. He says at verse 13 in that opening
chapter of the Revelation, in the midst of the seven candlesticks,
one like unto the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to
the foot, girt about the paps with a golden girdle, his head
and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow, and his
eyes were as a flame of fire, and his feet like unto fine brass,
as a bird in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters."
Striking similarities between the language of Daniel and the
language employed by John. And here in verse 5 of this 10th
chapter, he speaks of a man. Behold, he says, a certain man,
or as the margin says, behold one man. And you know the force
of the language, the behold. Oh, here is a sight that we should
look at, fix our eye upon, search into. What a remarkable sight
it is, this one man. It is the Lord Jesus Christ himself,
it is the man. Paul tells us the first man is
of the earth, earthy. The second man is the Lord from
heaven. Remember in God's sight there
are these two men. And we must be in one man or
the other man. By nature we are all in that
first man. We're all the descendants of
Adam. Adam is our great head. When
Adam sinned, we sinned in Adam. But then there is the second
man, the last Adam, because that first Adam was but a type of
one far greater than himself, the man. That is the man Christ
Jesus. And the great question that each
of us must really seriously contemplate is this, which of those two men
are we found in tonight? Are we in the first Adam, or
are we in the last Adam? Behold, One man. One man. Oh, that is the man
Christ Jesus. And so what we have here is a
description of Christ glorified just as John saw him after he'd
accomplished all that great work of redemption. And remember O
that there are several occasions recorded in the Old Testament
when the Lord Jesus Christ was pleased to appear to men. There
are those theophanies, those appearances of the angel of the
Lord. We often think of the experience
of Abraham there in the plains of Mamre when those three men
come and he entertains them and then we're told how two of
those men depart and they they go off to the cities of the plain
Sodom and Gomorrah God is about to visit a terrible judgment
upon those wicked cities how God's judgment will fall upon
the Sodomites but there is Lot and these two men they depart,
they go to Sodom and then when we come into the next chapter
we see it's two angels two angels who come to Sodom to deliver
Lot and his family but we're told how Abraham himself continues
before the Lord. The third of those three men,
the third of those angels was none other than Him who is the
Angel of the Lord, it's the Lord Jesus Christ. You know the scripture that's set
before us there in those verses in that 18th chapter. Verse 22 The men turned their
faces from thence and went towards Sodom. But Abraham stood yet
before the Lord. And Abraham drew near and said,
Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? He begins to
plead for Lot who is there in those wicked cities of the plain. And now he pleads and God is
pleased to hear his prayers. He says, I will not destroy it's
for 10 saketh, there's just 10 righteous souls but there's not
10 righteous souls or the judgment must fall upon those wicked cities
and then at the end of that 18th chapter we're told the Lord went
his way as soon as he had left communion with Abram and Abram
returned on to his own place, it was the Lord who appeared
to him there in the plains of Mamre as it says in the opening
words of that chapter it was the same man of whom Daniel is
speaking. And it's not just to Abram, there
are others. There are so many we could make mention of. There's
Joshua. Remember how Joshua sees the captain of the Lord's host. There in the 5th chapter of the
book of Joshua. Right at the end of that chapter,
here is Joshua by the city of Jericho. He lifted up his eyes
and looked, and behold, there stood a man over against him
with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went on to him and
said unto him, Art thou for us or for our adversaries? And he
said, Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now
come. And Joshua fell on his face to
the earth and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my
Lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord's
host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for
the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so. Who is this one? Spoken of as
the captain of the host of the Lord. Again, it is the man. It is an appearance, even before
his incarnation, an appearance of the Lord Jesus in human form. Him who in the fullness of time
would become the God-man. And then subsequently we see
it in the book of Judges. He appears to Gideon, he appears
to Manoah and his wife, the parents of Samson. and how the angel
of the Lord does wondrously. That's what we're told there
in chapter 13 of Judges. The angel of the Lord did wondrously
and Manoah and his wife looked on. Oh, this is that one who
is wonderful. Counselor of the mighty God, the everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace. And what does Manoah say to his
wife? We shall surely die. because we have seen God. Or we recognize that that was
God in human form. And his wife has to assure him
that God would not have done such wondrous things for them
if he meant to destroy them. No, his wife was going to give
birth to Samson who would be the great deliverer, the great
judge there in Israel. and destroy the Philistines. There are then these appearances,
and this is what Daniel experiences in answer to his prayer. He says here in verse 9, Then
was I in a deep sleep, on my face, and my face towards the
ground. It's as if Daniel has died at
the sight. So glorious is his sight, he's
on his face to the ground. Think again of the experience
of John when I saw him, he said, I was as a dead man. Well, that
was John's experience. I fell on my face as dead and
he laid his right hand upon me and said, fear not. I am the
first and I am the last, I am he that liveth and was dead and
behold I am alive forevermore." Oh, it's the same man. The man
that Daniel saw. But what do we see in the words
of the text? There's an effect. This site
has its effects. Daniel cannot be the same man
after he has been favoured with such a revelation of the Lord
Jesus Christ. All his comeliness, all that appears to be good in
the man, becomes sin. Therefore I was left alone and
saw this great vision, he says, and there remained no strength
in me for my comeliness The margin says, my vigor was turned in
me into corruption and I retained no strength. All is calmliness. Again, we can think of other
scriptures, we often refer to those words at the end of Isaiah's
book in Isaiah 64, we are all as an unclean thing and all our
righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Not our unrighteousnesses,
or our righteousnesses are as filthy rats. And we do all fade
like a leaf and our iniquities like the wind, they carry us
away." Oh, here we see something of poor Daniel's experience as
he sees this remarkable sight. Again later in verse 16, He says there, O my Lords, by
the vision my sorrows are turned upon me and I have retained no
strength. How can he abide such a sight
as this? He has no strength at all. He's
all weakness. He has nothing of himself. Isn't
this the consequence of a revelation. We know there is that ministry
of the Lord of God, that law which is the ministration of
condemnation and the ministration of death. We know that whatever
the law says, it says to them who are under the law that every
mouth may be stopped. Every mouth stopped and all the
world becoming guilty before God. And here this man becomes
dumb, his mouth is stopped Look at what he says at the end
of verse 15, I set my face toward the ground and became dumb. Oh, when there is such a remarkable
experience as this to see something of the glories that belong unto
the Lord Jesus Christ, what can a man say? Nothing can be said. The man is all weakness, no vigor
in him, all his comeliness, all his righteousness, his filthy
rags. He's dumbfounded now. This is what the Lord does when
he deals with his people. It's that conviction of sin.
It's that realization of what we are before a God who is holy. And this is the holy one. God
in three persons. Holy, holy, holy. Lord God of hosts are thrice
holy, Jehovah, Holy Father, Holy Son, and Holy Spirit. And this is the impact upon this
man, Daniel. But it's the Lord Jesus Christ.
We're not to think really in terms of law here. It's a revelation of the Lord
Jesus Christ. It's a revelation of that grace
of God. That grace that is demonstrated
in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, that is the remarkable
thing. When you think of those things
that we read at the end of chapter 9. As I said, the language is very
much apocalyptic. It's strange language. We don't
find it easy to interpret the significance of the 70 weeks
and so forth, but there at verse 24, 70 weeks it says, "...are
determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish
the transgression, to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation
for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and
to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy." What is the significance? Aren't
these words a remarkable description of Christ and that work that
the Lord Jesus Christ came to do? There's gospel here. There's
gospel in the book of Daniel. Boy, there's gospel everywhere.
Not just in the New Testament. We're not just to think in terms
of the four gospels. There's gospel everywhere, it's
the grace of God. And we see the Lord Jesus Christ
so clearly here in what He said as that One who is the Great
Antichrist. Then at the end of that ninth
chapter, in the midst of the week, He shall cause the sacrifice
and the oblation to cease. No more oblations, no more sacrifices
for sins. All those Old Testament sacrifices
were typical, they are no more. Because Him who is the Antitype,
the Fulfillment has come. And He has made that one sacrifice
for sins forever. He is that One who is the Great
Substitute. Look at what it says in verse
26 there at the end of chapter 9. After three score and two
weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself. Not for himself. His death is
a substitutionary death. What truths! Great gospel truths,
tremendous doctrine is here at the end of this 9th chapter as
we come into the 10th chapter. All of it centering in the person
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the substitute. And there in that
Remarkable 24th verse. We're not only reminded of his
substitutionary death, but his righteous life. He doesn't just
make an end of sins and make reconciliation for iniquity.
He brings in everlasting righteousness. Oh, there's a robe of righteousness.
and that was wrought by Christ's obedience in every part of his
earthly life he came to do the will of him who had sent him
and to finish his work. All his work was perfect obedience
and in him of course we have the end of the revelation of
God. He seals up the vision and the prophecy In these last days
God has spoken unto us by His Son. No more revelation from
God. No more revelation. Oh, the wickedness of the false
prophets and those poor deluded souls who reverence the name of Mohammed.
What wickedness! Why the vision, the prophetic
office is no more? It's all sealed up. in these
last days God has spoken unto us by His Son it's all really
gospel that we have here so when we consider the consequence for
Daniel as he's left alone seeing this great vision he says there
remain no strength in me my comeliness was turned in me into corruption
and I retain no strength It's all because of Christ, who came
and stood in that law place for His people, made of a woman,
made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law,
that they might receive the adoption of sons. Deliverance, you see, from all
the condemnation of that law that was broken. Christ, obedient,
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. And as we
said even this morning, there is such a sight of sin when we
rightly consider the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
when we rightly view those sufferings, what does it bring us to? It
brings us to that gospel repentance, that godly sorrow, that godly
sorrow that worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented
of, so different from the sorrow of the world. that only works
death the great promise that we have there in in the book
of Zechariah the prophet where God says He will pour upon the
house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace
and supplications and they shall look upon me whom they have pleased
and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for an only son
and be in bitterness in him as one that is in bitterness for
his firstborn oh it's at sight of the Lord Jesus Christ this
is what Daniel saw he saw this man I lifted up mine eyes and looked
and behold a certain man, one man and the sight of this one
man what a profound effect it has upon the Prophet always utterly
broken, law and terrors do but harden all the while they work
alone but a sense of blood-bought pardon this is what Daniel has
the pardon of sins in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ how
it how it breaks the stony hearts this is that experience then
that Daniel knew and strange is it not, it's a lonely experience it's a lonely experience in so
many ways that's what he says in our text
therefore I was left alone and saw this great vision isn't
it true in our experience when we think back when the sinner
is awakened We not so often feel to be so much alone. Surely there's none like me.
There's none like me. None have had the sort of experience
that I've had. I seem to be different to everyone
else. It's always a personal thing, you see, real religion.
Always a personal thing. The psalmist cries out, I watch
and am as a sparrow alone, he says, upon the housetop. Now God's children feel like
that. Who's like me? I can't understand myself. I
speak to others and I hear what they have to say, I hear something
of their experiences, but my experience is so different. Well,
thank God every experience is different. We can't talk out
the way of God and tell him that he's got to deal with everyone
in the exact same way as he dealt with us. Yes, there are certain
similarities in experiences. We'll come to that presently.
But every believer is dealt with in an individual fashion. Jacob. Jacob who becomes Israel
And what are God's children even in the gospel day? They are the
Israel of God, they are the spiritual Israel. Jacob was left alone,
it says. And there wrestled a man with
him until the breaking of the day. The same man that Daniel
saw, was the one that met with Jacob there at Peniel and wrestled
with the patriarch. and Jacob would not let him go
until he blessed him. But Jacob was alone. Jacob was
alone. It is so personal when the Lord
comes and deals with us. It's this one man and it's this
one sinner. The Lord comes, you see, for
his sheep and he comes for every one of them individually, personally. What a wonder it is. But I said
that there are similarities I like the illustration I think I first
read it in one of the sermons of Mr. Philpott where he speaks
of the believers as the leaves on the trees and you look at
a tree, you look at an oak tree and you take the leaf and you
examine it and you know by the shape of the leaf and so forth,
that this leaf has come from an oak. It's not come from a
beech or a birch. The cedar tree, it's come from
an oak tree. Because it has the shape, the form of an oak leaf. But you won't find two leaves
identical. You won't find two leaves on
that tree, or any tree, or all the trees, all the oak trees
in the world that are identical. Every one is a unique leaf. And
so it is with the people of God, but there is a similarity. And
there is a similarity, you see, with other believers that we
need to take account of with regards to what Daniel says when
he says he was alone when he saw the vision. Or there is such
a doctrine as the communion of saints. It's confessed in the
Great Apostles Creed, I believe in the one holy catholic and
apostolic church. That's not the Roman Catholic
Church, that's the true universal church. I believe in the communion
of saints. Lord do we believe in the communion
of saints, and not just living saints, not just living believers,
but those who have gone before us. When we can come and read
something of their writings, the sermons of godly men or the
memoirs of godly men and women as they speak of the Lord and
their dealings how it can be a real comfort to our soul there
is a similarity you see but primarily we must come to the word of God and consider what is written
here what are we told concerning these Old Testament scriptures
Paul there in 1 Corinthians 10.11 says now all these things happened
unto them for ensamples he is speaking in the chapter of course
in particular of the man Moses but he's not just speaking of
Moses he's speaking of all the Old Testament Scriptures all
these things happened unto them for ensamples and they are written
for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come.
The ends of the world. That's today. The last days, the day of grace,
the gospel dispensation. All these things that we read
in the Old Testament, they're written for us, they're written
for you. They're written for me. The communion of saints. And don't we see a similarity
when we think of of Daniel and Daniel's experience
as he describes it. 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. It was the same with Job was
it not? And all the mystery of the book
of Job and all the Job experiences and all the great losses that
that man suffers And those friends are such poor comforters. But
then when we come to the end, what does he say? I have heard
of thee speaking to God. The Lord speaks at the end of
the book. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but
now mine eyes seeth thee, wherefore I abhor myself. I abhor myself. It's the same, my comeliness
turned into corruption. I have bore myself, says Job,
and repents in dust and ashes. It's a similar experience. It
was the same in the experience of Isaiah as he describes it
there in that great sixth chapter of his prophecy. Woe is me, for
I am undone. or no comeliness in me. Woe must
be pronounced, I only deserve that the Lord should send me
to hell. All His righteous law would approve
that well. Woe is me, I am undone, mine
eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. He feels his sin, He confesses
his sin. He is a man of unclean lips.
He dwells in the midst of a people of unclean lips. And he's seen
the King. The King of Kings, the Lord of
Lords. And who was it that he saw? Well, you know, we're told
in the New Testament that it was none other than the Lord
Jesus Christ himself. We know that. Remember how the
New Testament always throws light on the Old Testament, interprets the Old Testament.
And there in John, John 12, 37, Though the Lord Jesus had done
so many miracles before them, it says, Yet they believe not
on him, that the saying of Isaiah is the prophet might be fulfilled
which he spake, Lord, you have believed our report. And to whom
hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? He's quoting from Isaiah
53. Therefore they could not believe
because that Esaias, that is Esaias said again, He hath blinded
their eyes and hardened their heart that they should not see
with their eyes nor understand with their heart and be converted
and I should heal them. He's quoting there from Isaiah
6. And then these words, these things
said Esaias That's Isaiah, simply the Greek form of the name Isaiah. These things said Isaiah, when
he saw his glory and spake of him. Who is the him? It's the Lord Jesus Christ, who
had done these mighty miracles and they believed not. John tells
us, with all the authority of God, that it was Christ that
the prophet looked upon. there in that 6th chapter and
seeing the sight for an ounce is a wow. But we can come to
the New Testament and it's the same there, here is the Lord
Jesus now manifest in the flesh even in that state of humiliation
at times how the apostles see so much of the glory of Christ
and how the sight utterly overwhelms them. when he performs the miracle
of the great draught of fishes in Luke chapter 5. These are experienced fishermen.
The Lord directs them having been laboring all through the
night taking nothing but then they obey the Lord's command
they take a remarkable draught. And Simon Peter saw it. When
Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart
from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished,
and all that were with him at the draught of the fishes which
they had taken. All comeliness, you see, is gone.
What does Peter confess? I am a sinful man. Depart from
me. He cannot abide the presence, the glories of Christ. it's too
much for the poor man Paul think of Paul and his experience
there he's come to the very gates of Damascus he's about to go
into that city to lay wicked hands upon the followers of the
Lord Jesus Christ and Christ confronts him and he says you know how he saw
he saw no man. Or rather those who were with
him saw no man. It was only Paul, or Saul as
he then was, who saw that vision. Although there were others with
him, they didn't see what he saw. In chapter 9 of of the Acts. Verse 3. He journeyed, came near
Damascus. Suddenly there shined round about
him a light from heaven. And he fell to the earth and
heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou
me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord?
And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. It is
hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling
and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And
the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it
shall be told you what thou must do. And the men which journeyed
with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the earth,
and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man. But they led him
by the hand and brought him into Damascus. He was blinded by the
sight, but he saw something. He saw something and the men
who were with him they heard the voice but they saw nothing. And so here also with Daniel. Verse 7, 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. There are similarities you see.
in the experiences of these Old and New Testament believers though
the Lord deals with each in a personal and an individual why there is
such a truth as the doctrine of the communion of saints we've
already referred to John and John's experience and what similarities? what similarities? doesn't John also hear a voice and so too Daniel
look at the language that we have here verse 9 he said unto
me O Daniel a man greatly beloved understand the words that I speak
unto you and stand upright for unto thee I am now sent and when
you had spoken this word unto me I stood trembling and then
said he unto me fear not Daniel for from the first day that thou
it set thine heart to understand and to chasten thyself before
thy God thy words were heard and I am come now for thy words as with Daniel so it was with
John there in the revelation John
says when I saw him I fell at his feet as dead and he laid
his right hand upon me and said fear not I am the first and the
last I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive
forevermore and have the keys of hell and of death and see
how Daniel is so similar a deep sleep comes upon him, he's on
his face, his face toward the ground, and behold, a hand touched
me, he said, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of
my hand, and he said unto me, O Daniel, greatly beloved, understand
the words. Stand upright. There are these
similarities. There are these similarities.
And how this man is repeatedly told that he is greatly beloved.
Back in chapter 9, Verse 23, at the beginning of
thy supplications. Interesting he doesn't say at
the end of thy supplication, the end of thy prayer, at the
beginning. When he first began. The commandment came forth and
I am come to show thee for thou art greatly beloved. Therefore
understand the matter and consider the vision. Or before they call
I will answer, God says. While they are yet speaking,
I will hear." It's not our prayers, it's not the words we say, it's
not the multitude of our words. It's the grace of God, the goodness
of God, the mercy of God. Now the Lord is nigh, and is
nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon
Him in truth, says the Psalmist. He will fulfill the desire of
them that fear Him. He will hear their cry, and will
save them. That's the God that we have to
do with. That's the God that we should come and pray to. We were looking this morning at Solomon and his great prayer
at the dedication. We read tonight Daniel's prayer.
So many prayers recorded here in the Word of God. We made reference
this morning to Jonah. Jonah's prayer in chapter 2.
His prayer out of the fish's bellies. all these things written
for our learning that we through faith and comfort and faith of
the scriptures might have hope that we might have hope oh what
a day it is that we're living in it is the gospel day the accepted
time it is the day of salvation But what is that salvation? That
salvation centers in a person. Even the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ centers in Him who is the God-man. Or to see Him, I
lifted up mine eyes and looked and behold a certain man. One man! Or tonight, which man
are you in? Are you in the first Adam or
the last Adam? Do we know anything in even some
small measure of Daniel's experience? Those personal dealings. Therefore
I was left alone and saw this great vision. I'm not contending
for visions. We're not visionaries. But there
is a sight of Christ. There is a sight of faith. There
is looking onto Jesus. The author and finisher of our
faith. Daniel says, he saw this great vision, there remained
no strength in him, my comeliness was turned in me into corruption,
and I retained no strength, nothing of ourselves, or to be brought
to see that all our salvation is only in the man Christ Jesus. Amen.