Daniel 10 provides us with a brief glimpse into some of the activities of the demonic realm. There we read of an angelic messenger of God warring against demons set over Persia and Greece. Daniel 10 doesn't provide us with a great deal of information about the nature of this demonic influence over political nations and leaders, but this passage does open our eyes to a very real reality that is currently at work.
Starting back at the beginning, the Bible doesn’t tell us clearly where Satan and the demonic came from. We know that Satan is not like God, is not equal to God, but is apart of the created order of God. We also know that God created only that which was good, and so God did not make demons as they currently are, but at some point demons came into existence under the permissive will of God. Simply put, the Bible doesn’t tell us where demons came from or why God allowed them to come into existence. Instead, in Genesis 3 we are simply introduced to a character who opposes the Word of God. And that really is the heart of the demonic realm. Satan at some point resisted God, sought his own glory and pride, and from that day forth has lead a massive war against God to try and supplant Him. That is why Satan has made man, who is the chief creation of God, his main target. It is the mission of the demonic to destroy that which God has made and to claim it for their own.
This, of course, was accomplished in Genesis 3. However, God still chose to elect a nation of people, to bless them, and to redeem creation from sin. Thus, the story of the Old Testament is one where Satan tries to do all he can to destroy Israel. He tempts Israel’s leaders to wickedness and self–reliance. He tempts the people to idolatry and rebellion. Moreover, as we see in Daniel 8 and in Daniel 10–12, he manipulates earthly governments and kingdoms against Israel. What we find in Daniel 10 is that God has appointed Michael, the archangel, to defend and strengthen true Israel. The reason for doing so is that Satan has set a demon over every other nation of the earth to guide, manipulate, and control those governments toward evil and destruction.
Now to be clear though, it does not seem, given the context of all Scripture, that Michael represents the literal, political nation of Israel, but instead as Paul speaks of in the book of Romans, the true people of God, true Israel. That means that as we get to the New Testament, Michael is our representative as well, charged with defending and strengthening us against the spiritual realms of evil. Likewise, it should not shock us then to see the worldly governments of our age and every age engaged in warfare and destruction, for if Daniel 10 tells us anything, it tells us that demonic forces are at work in every world government, including America, to try and lead it to destruction.
This ought to give us a greater understanding and zeal of why we pray for our leaders, especially our Christian politicians. Though he is not a Christian, President Obama surely needs God’s protection against demonic influence. Our leaders in the Senate and the House need protection against demonic influence. There is nothing the Evil One would love more than to mire and halt our government from governing correctly. We, the church, must pray for our leaders, but not just hopefully but confidently! Romans 14 tells us that God has ordained all world governments and affairs, which means he is in control of the government shutdown. However, God desires to use the prayers of His church to resolve the situation. God does not need our prayers in order to act, but we need them, to remind ourselves of the sovereignty and necessity of God's actions and so that we can give God the praise He is due when He answers.
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