Big Idea: God reveals the essential, though sometimes overwhelming, reality of spiritual warfare behind his purpose and plan for humanity.

Understanding the Text

The literary unit of Daniel 10–12 is woven into the book’s structure in several ways. First, it is the last of Daniel’s four apocalyptic visions: chapters 7 and 8 in “symbolic” form, and chapters 9 and 10–12 in “appearance” form (see “Table 1: Appearance Visions of Daniel 9 and 10–12” in the unit on 9:1–6). Second, it concludes the concentric Hebrew section of Daniel 8–12, which parallels the book’s Hebrew prologue (chap. 1). These sections frame and inform the book’s Aramaic core (chaps. 2–7). Third, it completes the chronology of chapters 8–12, as well as that of the book as a whole, extending it to Cyrus’s third year.

Daniel 10–12…