384
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
June 1927
tion confirming this conclusion is the fact that the per sonal pronoun “he” in verse twenty-seven grammatically has for its antecedent this one referred to as “the coming prince.” “He” of verse twenty-seven makes a “firm covenant with many for one week.” Historically, so far as our records go, Titus did nothing of this kind. The precariousness of the argument from silence cannot break the force of this argument since the making of the coven ant is an outstanding feature of this prediction and surely its fulfillment would have been sufficiently important to have received recognition by the historians. Another fact which seems to differentiate between the Messiah, the prince, and the prince of verses twenty-six and twenty-seven, is the fact that wherever reference is -made to making a covenant such as the New Covenant which Christ made (see Jer. 31:31), the expression used literally means to “cut a covenant,” i.e., to establish a covenant; but the Hebrew expression used here is entirely different, which means literally to “be strong,” “mighty,” and in the form in which it appears here, to “cause to be strong” or “confirm” a covenant, implying that the cov enant or treaty has previously existed but now it is enforced. Such language appears to be inconsistent with the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. W h en W ill C ovenant B e C onfirmed ? From what has been said above concerning the sev entieth week of Daniel, and its being yet in the future, the question immediately arises, “When will this covenant be confirmed ?” In reply to this question the writer wishes to state that he does not know “the times nor the seasons, which the Father hath set within His own authority.” While the fact just stated is true and is strengthened by the fact that we know not the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming, it is also true that the Chris tians “are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a, thief” (1 Thess. 5:4 cf. Luke 21:34-36). It appears to the writer that, though no one can be dog matic and set dates for certain events, world conditions seem to point definitely and clearly to a rapidly approach ing crisis such as is set forth in the “sure word of pro phecy” to come to pass in the end-time, for “the night is far spent, and the day is at hand” (Rom. 13:12). Verse twenty-seven of this prophecy assumes the existence of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem and the revival of their ritualistic worship in the end-time. This assumption is furthermore strengthened by the statement of our Lord in Matt. 24:15 which, as the context indi cates, is a reference to the end-time: “and then shall the end (end of the age, see verse three) come. When there fore . . . .” Likewise 2 Thess. 2 seems to assume their existence. It seems quite clear that the Jewish nation restored to their land (Zeph. 2:1-3) by a treaty will be enabled to resume their ancient worship. When the treaty has been in force for three and one-half years this Greco- Roman prince of the end-time will consider the covenant or treaty as “a scrap of paper” and will stop Jewish wor ship, which impious acts and decrees will precipitate what is known as “the great tribulation” at the conclusion of which the Son of Man will come in glory and power to reign for a thousand years. Conclusion : In the meantime let us be diligent about our Father’s business, bearing “the fruit of the Spirit.” “snatching them (human souls) out of the fire” and puri fying ourselves “even as He is pure.”
Prophetic Study “ The Coming Prince” B y D avid L. C ooper
^ S stated last month, the one referred to by the expres- sion “the anointed one, the prince,” and the other one referred to as “the prince that shall come,” must be sharply differentiated. As to the former one, there seems no doubt as to its referring to the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, because He in prophecy is con stantly called “the Messiah” and is “the Prince of the house of David.” As to the latter, “the prince that shall come,” there is, at least to the writer’s mind, no question concerning its being a reference to a Roman prince, there being several considerations leading him to this conclu sion, among which are the following: First: the Hebrew expression translated “the people of the prince that shall come” is literally translated “the people of the coming prince.” The reference to “the coming prince” implies the reader’s acquaintance with the same. In the former chapters there is no reference to Christ as a prince. It is quite true that He is referred to in the vision of the second chapter, being set forth sym bolically by “the smiting stone;” likewise in the vision of the' seventh chapter He doubtless is referred to as “a son of man.” Hence, it is improbable that this expression should refer to Him. On the other hand it seems quite probable that the expression is a direct reference to the prince referred to in Daniel 7 :24, 25, who arises after the ten kings mentioned herein and who suppresses three of;the same and speaks “words against the Most High.” In like manner, there seems to be a reference to this same prince found in the eighth chapter, verses 23-25. The context of the passage from chapter seven seems to indicate that the nationality of the prince there spoken of is Roman whereas the prince or king of chapter eight, as also the context indicates, is of Greek nationality. Hence, it appears to the writer that, since there is much data which identifies the persons of these two passages as one and the same, this prince is of Greco-Roman descent. If this conclusion is correct, it seems that the expression under consideration, namely, “the prince that shall come,” is a direct reference to the one mentioned in these passages. C annot R efer T o T itus Second, this prince of verse twenty-six is the prince of the people who “shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.” As to who destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the sanc tuary, there is no doubt since both Jewish and Roman his tory affirm that the Romans accomplished this desolation. These facts being true, there seems to be no room for doubt but that this prince of verse twenty-six is a Roman prince and, as stated in the argument above, the same referred to in chapters seven and eight. Some scholars, however, have considered this pas sage as a reference to Titus, a Roman prince who des troyed the city of Jerusalem in the year A. D. 70; but this position seems to the writer untenable because the expression “the coming prince” seems to refer, as set forth above, to a prince previously mentioned in the book. Since no previous passage can be interpreted in the light of its context to refer to Titus, it appears obvious that this passage cannot refer to him. A further considera
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