If you were in the forest and were looking for evidence that a particular kind of animal lived in the area, you would look for the unique signs and tracks that would tell you the animal had been there. The devil also leaves tracks—and they’re not very hard to find.

The prophet Daniel had been fasting for 21 days. Why he was fasting is not entirely clear except that he wanted to understand some earlier prophecies. He was in Babylon - more specifically, in the old region of Persia, along the banks of a river called Hiddekel.

As he stood there, staring into the water, he sensed a presence. Looking up, he saw what appeared to be a man. It was, however, a most singular man. Daniel describes him as dressed in white linen, with a solid gold belt. His body, according to Daniel, was like beryl, his arms and legs like polished brass. But what turned Daniel’s knees to jelly and left him trembling was the face of the man. The best Daniel could do was to describe his face as the color of lightning and his eyes like lamps of fire.

When Daniel saw this “man,” he collapsed in a heap, face down upon the ground. He was sure enough that what he saw was a spirit, but he did not know how to respond. The “man” (by now we suspect he is an angel) put out his hand and took Daniel and pulled him up on to his hands and knees. This is what Daniel heard him say:

“Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days” (Daniel 10:12–14 KJV).

Now the vision Daniel received in answer to his prolonged prayer is fascinating enough, but in the process of revealing the vision, the messenger of God dropped a small piece of tantalizing information. Most of us believe that God is all powerful, that all He has to do is say the word and all powers, human and demonic, fall down before Him. Yet here is an emissary of God who is held up for three weeks by someone called the “Prince of Persia.” Who is this “Prince of Persia” and how was he able to thwart an angel of the Almighty?

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