“And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength. Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.” Daniel 10:7-9
Daniel’s experience illustrates the difficulty that mortal, sinful creatures, even a prophet like Daniel, have when encountering the glory of God, or even one of His heavenly messengers, in relation to which the holiest of people come short. “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Rom. 3: 23). It was in this posture of weakness that Daniel was to be strengthened to receive additional revelation. Isaiah in the presence of God knew that he was nothing. “Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” (Isaiah 6:5) Today we don’t respect God or anything that has to do with God. We have asked God to leave our culture and He has respected our wishes. This is serious because our nation stands on the edge of the judgment of God. “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!” (Jeremiah 2:13)
The situation with Daniel’s vision was somewhat similar to that of the men who accompanied Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9: 7; 22: 9 ), except that here the men saw and heard nothing, but apparently sensed something that gave them great fear. Certainly they saw Daniel’s reaction and realized he saw something they couldn’t see. Daniel’s companions ran away, leaving him alone. Clearly, the choice of Daniel and no one else to see this vision was made by divine will. Those who accompanied Daniel were not allowed to see the vision because it was intended for him only. This incident makes it clear that this was an actual event that occurred near the Tigris River and that Daniel is not there merely in vision.