Having ascertained this much we proceed now to the last division of this remarkable prophecy. In ver. 27. we read “and he shall confirm a covenant with the many for one week.” It is not “the covenant” but “a covenant.” If “the” is inserted here we might infer that “the prince” means the Messiah and the covenant His. But this is not so. What we have is a person introduced most abruptly who makes a compact with the many, or the mass of the Jews. That he is a person of some importance we may safely conclude. But who is he? Expositors seem very much at a loss to answer this question. Hence, we need not be surprised that many wild theories have been propounded. The one most prevalent however, is that as he is said to be the prince “who is to come!” and the Lord Jesus is spoken of in ver. 25 as “Messiah the prince,” therefore He must be the person mentioned by the prophet in ver. 27.
But if this scripture be carefully examined (vers. 24-27), we shall find but few points of agreement between the two. We are informed in ver. 26, that the people of a coming prince shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Now the Jews are Jehovah's people after the flesh, but, as we have already seen, it was not the Jews who laid waste their own Zion. The Romans accomplished that work. Further, this prince is said to make a covenant with “the many,” or mass of the Jews, for one week i.e. seven years. We do not read, however, that the Messiah will make a covenant with the Jews for that period. His covenant will be an everlasting one ordered in all things and sure. It cannot therefore be the Prince Messiah that is introduced in ver. 27 but a Roman prince who shall come before the Lord is revealed from heaven. This person will be at that time the head of the federated European nations. But before the last week commences, certain events not mentioned here must take place. The Jews will be brought back again to Palestine, and they will set up a king over themselves there. In chap. 11:36, 37, this person is most abruptly introduced to our notice. His arrogant manner is described, and his infidel character delineated, in few words, by the Spirit of God. Mention is also made of him in some of the other prophets. In Zech. 11 he is called “the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock,” and in Isa. 30:33 “the king” — “for the king also it (Tophet) is prepared.” When the true Messiah came He had nothing; when this man comes the Jews will receive him and exalt him to regal dignity, and leadership. The temple will be re-built and its ritual performed, as aforetime. From what follows it seems clear that all the above mentioned events must take place before the last week begins. As we have seen, the first act of importance mentioned in connection with the last weeks of seven years is that the Roman prince will enter into covenant with the mass of the Jews. This could not be done if they were not already in the land of Palestine. These covenants are not formed with a nation without some recognized leaders, Be that there is every probability “the king” will be there also. Further, this seven years' contract has to do with religious services, as well as other matters. Hence it is said of the Roman prince that in the midst of the week “he will cause sacrifice and oblation to cease.” The broken agreement includes the temple service, therefore, at the time of its formation. Thus, we may safely conclude, Jewish worship will be established before the contract is signed. But this prince will not only interfere with their religious ceremonies, he will also set up “the abomination of desolation,” in the temple. That is, some form of idolatry will be introduced to the Jews as their code of religion. “The king” in the land will be his faithful ally and coadjutor in forcing this idol-worship upon the nation for the remainder of the week. Many will embrace this and bow down to the image set up, but there will be some who will refuse to do so. These will be subjected to the most trying persecution. Some of them, obeying the Lord's words, will flee into the wilderness to a place prepared of God for them (see Matt. 24:15-18; Rev. 12:6). Others will be slain by the sword. A remnant will pass through the siege of Jerusalem, and at the last extremity, they will be delivered by the Lord in person, when He comes to the earth for judgment (Zech. 14:4, 5).
Of this Roman prince, and his dealings with the Jews, we may obtain confirmatory evidence from other parts of the word. In chap. 7:25 of this prophet, the “little horn,” who is undoubtedly the same person, is said to “wear out the saints of the high places, and think (or purpose) to change times and laws; and they (i.e. the times and laws) shall be given unto his hand, until a time and times and the dividing of time.” Now, a “time” is said to have been the term used by the Jews to express the period from one yearly sacrifice or festival to another. It came to be used, therefore, for a year of 360 days. “Times” would represent two years; and the “dividing of time” would be a half-year. Thus then, we have three and a, half years during which this little horn shall have his way in putting a stop to all Jewish worship. And this agrees with the latter half of the week. Again this chapter informs us when these things will take place. In vers. 21, 22 we read, “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them, until the Ancient of days came and judgment was given to the saints of the high places; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” This seems clearly to refer to the future, and links itself up with the coming of the Lord in judgment. Other scriptures may be consulted in the New Testament which present the last three and a half years of the seven in a somewhat different manner, but, nevertheless, the same three and a half years, whether, as in the Revelation for example, as “a time, and times, and half a time” (12:14), or as “forty-two months” (11:2, 13:5), or again, as “a thousand, two hundred threescore days” (12:3, 12:6). It is possible, however, that the 1260 days of these last two scriptures may refer to the first half of the last week.
For this covenant with the Roman prince compare also Isa. 28:15-18, where the Holy Spirit describes it as a “covenant with death” and an “agreement with hell,” though not so recognized by the Jews themselves alas!
Now, in conclusion, we learn from the foregoing scriptures that the last week is yet future. Then, that a Roman prince will seem at first to favor the Jews and make an agreement with them; but after a time he will cause their sacrifices to cease and set up idolatry in their temple. Because of this a “desolator” will be sent against Jerusalem in the shape of the “king of the north” who will bring desolation upon the “desolate” city (Dan. 9:27) and its inhabitants. Since, then, all this is future, it follows, as already noticed, that there must be a division between the weeks, covering a long period of time not taken into account by the prophet. This being so, we may fairly conclude that no other form of interpretation will agree so well with the requirements of the prophecy. The force of this is made strikingly manifest when the current modern expositions of “the seventy weeks” are compared with the above. For one feels in most cases that the writer is laboring hard to make the scripture support his special theory or preconceived notions; instead of allowing the prophet to speak for himself, and our taking the word as it is, without doubt or question. This the critics have not done. On the contrary they have by their learned manipulation blunted the edge of the chronological testimony through finding a terminus for the seventy weeks anywhere but in the place assigned to it by the Spirit of God.
But perhaps it may he objected that the present view is modern as well as the others. By no means. For Hippolytus, as early as the third century, in his commentary on Daniel writes, “when therefore the sixty two heptads (or, weeks) have been fulfilled and Christ has come, and the gospel has been preached in every place, the times having been accomplished, one heptads (or, week) the last, shall remain, in which Elijah and Enoch shall appear; and in the half of it the abomination of desolation shall be manifested, by Antichrist announcing desolation to the world” (S. Hippol. Martyr's Interpret. in Dan. 22). This speaks for itself and shows that although the writer was not clear as to the difference between the Roman prince and the Antichrist, yet in the main his exposition is so far correct.
Again, we have seen that “times” and dates belong to the Jews. The Christian has nothing to do with either dispensationally. For when the Lord comes for His own we shall go up to meet Him. The time of this coming, however, is kept secret. Thus we see the presumption of those who pretend to give precise dates for the Lord's coming. When the last half of the last week has begun, then the faithful among the Jews will know that their time of “redemption draweth nigh.” But nothing more definite with regard to the matter seems revealed. The church will have passed away long ere this. Much might be said further, respecting the persons and circumstances mentioned in the prophecy, but I have dealt more particularly with the chronological part as was my desire.
Now in conclusion I commend you to God and to the word of His grace to keep and help and direct in the way that is well pleasing to Him. Cling to the word as His unfailing word of truth. Heed not the teaching of those who seek to undermine its inspiration or inerrancy. May the Lord thus keep all His own. W.T.H.
(Concluded from p. 134)