We Can Move Angels and Demons

So, what Satan was seeking to do was keep the Jewish people, Israel, under bondage and away from returning to their own land. What Daniel was praying for was the return of Israel to their own land.

This satanic prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood him. And then the angel goes on,

“And Michael, one of the chief princes, or one of the archangels, came to help me.”

This angel couldn’t break through on his own. This is really a fascinating picture. Why did Michael come? What is Michael’s particular job amongst the archangels? He has one very important assignment.

Anytime Michael is in the center, you can be sure the Jewish people are center stage in history, because his particular task is to watch over them, protect them from Satan’s attempts to destroy them, which have been, as we all know, very numerous. The angel concludes with,

“I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.”

Now, ‘kings’ is plural. And I think, contrary to our usual usage, the prince was the supreme ruler; the kings were under him. So, there was one prince and under him a number of kings. That’s what I said: rulers with various areas and descending orders of authority. What were the jobs of those kings? We have no word from God. But I personally believe that, for instance, if—let’s take Great Britain—Satan has a prince over Great Britain, which I don’t doubt he has. By no means do I doubt that.

Under that major prince, there are lesser rulers who probably dominate each of the main cities of Britain. As a preacher going around, I’ve learned by experience to put out my antennae when I come to a city and try to discern what is the particular satanic power over that particular city.

Then in the Persian kingdom, there were many different ethnic groups. And I’m inclined to believe that there is a satanic power over each major ethnic group.

And so he says,

“And when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come,”

the satanic ruler over the next major empire. Under Alexander the Great, the Greek Empire totally crushed and defeated the Persian Empire and assumed dominion over a tremendous area of the earth’s surface. Alexander, in 10 years, conquered from Greece in the west to India in the east, including also the area, the south coast of the Mediterranean. One of the most tremendous feats of military conquest.

But there was another person. There was a prince behind him. I’m really inclined to believe that most of the major events of human history can only be fully explained in those terms.

And then he says—the angel in verse 21—

“But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth.”

In other words, I really came to tell you what the word of God says, and you’ll find the next chapters contain that. And he says,

“No one upholds me against these, except Michael, your prince.”

And then he goes on in the first verse of the next chapter, which is part of the same talk,

“Also, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him.”

Now, Darius was the first Medo-Persian ruler that crushed the Babylonian Empire and moved in and took its place. And Darius and Cyrus after him opened the way for the Jewish people to begin to return to their own land. So, in a certain sense, the defeat of Babylon by Darius was a major spiritual victory in the purposes of God. And this angel says, “I was the one that strengthened Darius.”

Again, we see that human rulers and human commanders don’t operate in a vacuum on their own. Remember, this particular situation, nothing happened till Daniel prayed. I don’t know of anything that challenges us more to prayer than this revelation. And it seems to me, although this may seem strange, that Daniel’s prayer was one of the forces that enabled the angel of God to break through.

So, brothers and sisters, maybe you’ve been underestimating the possibility of what your prayers can do.