As we watch events unfolding in the Middle East, it is clear that Iran is a major instigator of the problems involving attacks on Israel.

Iran is believed to be providing both financial and armament support to several terrorist groups in the region, including Hamas (Gaza), Hezbollah (Lebanon), and Houthis rebels (Yemen).

Even other Middle Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia, which was actually attacked by the Iranian-backed Houthis in 2019, are concerned about Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East.

As I have mentioned in an earlier article, before 1935, Iran was commonly referred to by its ancient name Persia.

In a recent Christian Post article, Jason Jimenez wonders if the issues we are seeing in Iran today are being instigated by powerful demonic forces that are influencing the country’s political leaders, whom even the Iranian people despise.

Jimenez asks if the Bible’s description of a powerful fallen angel, who influenced Persia in its ancient past, is exerting itself once again?

In Daniel 10, the prophet Daniel, who was living in Persia (verse one), spoke of an encounter he had with an angel of the Lord.

Daniel had entered a time of prayer of fasting for 21 days after sensing there was a time of great conflict (Daniel 10:1-2).

Three verses later, Daniel was visited by an angel of the Lord, who had been sent to deliver a message to Daniel when he started praying, but had been hindered from delivering it for three weeks.

“The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days,” the Godly angel said (Daniel 10:13).

The Angel of the Lord was finally able to deliver the message, after Michael, who is described as one of the chief angels, showed up to help the Godly angel. This is the same Michael who drove Satan out of heaven in Revelation 12:7-12 and the one who stands guard over Israel (Daniel 12:1).

After delivering this message, the Godly angel then states he will be returning “to fight against the Prince of Persia.” This indicates there was more battling to be done (Daniel 10:20), as this angel had been told to stay with the Kings of Persia in verse 13.

This fight would not be seen with natural eyes, because it was taking place in the spiritual realm, and the Prince of Persia refers to a demonic angel who had a dominant influence in that country.

In fact, the Pharisees used the same title, prince, when they accused Jesus of casting out demons through the agency of a more powerful demonic angel.

“It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man [Jesus] casts out demons,” the scribes said in Matthew 12:24.

This reveals that there is a hierarchy in the demonic realms, with more powerful fallen angels at the top.

The question that we need to ask ourselves is what type of influence do these demonic angels have in their respective countries?

We get a clue about this in arguably one of the worst chapter breaks in the Bible, which actually interrupts the very conversation that the Godly angel was having with Daniel.

The angel who is speaking to Daniel in the last verse of chapter 10 continues the conversation in the first verse of chapter 11.

“And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him,” the Godly angel says.

The angel had taken a position beside an earlier King, Darius the Mede, who was part of the Medo-Persian empire that toppled Babylon.

As part of his role to ‘confirm and strengthen‘, the godly angel not only protected the Persian Kings but also influenced the political decisions, they made.

It was because of this continuing godly influence of the Persian kings, that God described King Cyrus as His shepherd (Isaiah 44:28) and ‘anointed’ servant (Isaiah 45:1). Not surprisingly, it was Cyrus who allowed the Jews to return from their captivity and rebuild Jerusalem and the temple (Ezra 1:1-9).

However, if that Godly angel had not taken this position beside the Persian king, undoubtedly the demonic prince would have held this key place of influence.

Jesus tells us that Satan’s goal is “to steal and kill and destroy,” (John 10:10), making some wonder if the Prince of Persia is back.

On a related note: