Daniel 10:12-14 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days [acharit hayamim (in the end of days), for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”
Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world’s rulers, of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Make no mistake—the spirit of antisemitism is very much alive today. Yet this isn’t a new struggle. It is an ancient spiritual war that has been ongoing for thousands of years. As people worldwide celebrate Purim, recalling the Jewish people’s deliverance from Haman’s evil schemes that took place in the ancient Kingdom of Persia (Iran), we are reminded of a deeper reality: a spiritual conflict between heavenly powers and demonic principalities.
In Daniel’s time, this battle was clearly depicted as the Principality of Persia waged war against the angels of God, delaying Daniel’s answer to prayer for twenty-one days.
When the Apostle Paul wrote of our battle being not against flesh and blood but against spiritual principalities, I firmly believe he was recalling this ancient conflict revealed to Daniel. The very same spiritual enemy who opposed God’s people then continues to oppose Israel today.
When we witness this in the rhetoric and actions of modern-day Iranian leaders who openly call for Israel’s destruction, this is not just geopolitics; it’s the continuation of the spiritual war that was present in Esther’s day, a prophetic battle outlined long ago.
This ongoing struggle reaffirms the truth and power of our faith. The persistent hatred towards the Jewish people testifies to the existence of our God. The unrest and conflict we see today in the Middle East serve as undeniable evidence of Daniel’s prophecy unfolding before our eyes. Indeed, these are signs of the “acharit hayamim,” the end of days.
So let us grasp this truth clearly: the conflict Israel faces physically is, in reality, a spiritual war.
We have been divinely positioned, just like Esther, for such a time as this. (Esther 4:14) And like the sons of Issachar (1 Chronicles 12:32), who understood their times and knew precisely what Israel should do, we too must discern our role in God’s prophetic plan.
Let us rise boldly in this hour! Stand firm in prayer, passionately seeking God’s divine purposes for Israel and the Middle East. Remember, we have indeed been born for this very moment in history — for such a time as this!
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.
How to display the above article within the Worthy Suite WordPress Plugin.
[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]“Teacher”, said a young boy, “why is it that so many prayers are unanswered? I do not understand. The Bible says, ‘Ask, and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find; knock and the door shall be opened unto you.’ But it seems to me a great many knock and are not admitted.
As I write this devotional about planting seed, it's interesting since my name (George) means "farmer" or "worker of the earth".
Have you ever heard how a pearl is formed? It is truly fascinating. A foreign object, often a grain of sand, somehow makes it's way into the tightly sealed crack of an oyster. Instead of spitting out this irritating object, the oyster covers it with layer upon layer of a substance secreted from it's own body. After months or even years, a beautiful pearl is formed. The longer the pearl stays in the oyster, the more valuable it becomes.
President Franklin Roosevelt used to attend church in Washington. One day somebody phoned the church and asked, "Do you expect the President to be in church this Sunday?" The rector answered, "That I cannot promise. But we can expect God to be here, and we fancy that will be incentive enough for a reasonably large audience."
If you ever have the chance to visit Jerusalem, one place you must see is Solomon’s quarries – also known as Zedekiah’s cave.It’s a gigantic underground quarry beneath the old city of Jerusalem, an amazing archeological site which offers a glimpse of the handiwork of the builders of the first temple of King Solomon. Can you imagine, as the Temple was under construction, what the craftsmen and the builders must have been thinking about this glorious house they were building?
A large group of European pastors came to one of D. L. Moody's Northfield Bible Conferences in Massachusetts in the late 1800s. Following the European custom of the time, each guest put his shoes outside his room to be cleaned by the hall servants overnight. But of course this was America and there were no hall servants.
As I traveled across the U.S., I occasionally came across individuals who didn’t believe that Israel and the Jewish people were relevant to God’s redemptive plan. Amazed, I would show them this passage in Jeremiah foretelling how God would make a ‘New Covenant’ with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah!