The Coming Prince

THE COMING PRINCE has been out of print for more than a year; for it seemed inadvisable to reissue it during the War. But the War has apparently created an increased interest in the prophecies of Daniel; and as this book is therefore in demand, it has been decided to publish a new edition without further delay. Not that these pages contain any sensational “Armageddon” theories. For “a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon” is situated neither in France nor in Flanders, but in Palestine; and the future of the land and people of the covenant will be a main issue in the great battle which is yet to be fought on that historic plain. Prophetic students are apt to become adherents of one or other of two rival schools of interpretation.

The teaching of the “futurists” suggests that this

Christian dispensation is altogether a blank in the Divine scheme of prophecy. And the “historicists”’ discredit Scripture by frittering away the meaning of plain words in order to find the fulfilment of them in history. Avoiding the errors of both these

- schools, this volume is written in the spirit of Lord i

il PREFACE TO THE TENTH EDITION.

Bacon’s dictum, that “Divine prophecies have springing and germinant accomplishment throughout many:

ages, though the height or fulness of them may belong to some one age.” And this world war is no doubt within the scope of prophecy, though it be not the fulfilment of any special Scripture..

Very many years ago my attention was directed to a volume of sermons by a devout Jewish Rabbi of the London Synagogue, in which he sought to discredit the Christian interpretation of certain Messianic prophecies. And in dealing with Daniel ix., he accused Christian expositors of tampering, not only with chronology, but with Scripture, in their efforts to apply the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks to the Nazarene. My indignation at such a charge gave place to distress when the course of study to which it led me brought proof that it was by no means a baseless libel. My faith in the Book of Daniel, already disturbed by the German infidel crusade of “the Higher Criticism,” was thus further undermined. And I decided to take up the study of the subject with a fixed determination to accept without reserve not only the language of Scripture, but the standard dates of history as settled by our best modern chronologists.* * As regards the regnal years of Jewish Kings, however, —

Fynes Clinton’s month dates are here modified in accordance with the Hebrew J/ishna, which was a sealed book to English

PREFACE TO THE TENTH EDITION. ili

The following is a brief summary of the results of my inquiry as regards the great prophecy of the “Seventy Weeks.” I began with the assumption, based on the perusal of many standard works, that the era in question had reference to the seventy years of the Captivity of Judah, and that it was to end with the Coming of Messiah. But I soon made the startling discovery that this was quite erroneous. For the Captivity lasted only sixty-two years; and the seventy weeks related to the wholly different judgment of the Desolations of Jerusalem. And further, the period “unto Messiah the Prince,” as Daniel ix. 25 ‘so plainly states, was not seventy weeks, but 7+62 weeks.

The failure to distinguish between the several judgments of the Servitude, the Captivity and the Desolations, is a fruitful source of error in the study of Daniel and the historical books of Scripture. And it is strange that the distinction should be ignored not only by the Critics, but by Christians. Because of national sin, Judah was brought under servitude to Babylon for seventy years, this was in the third year of King Jehoiakim (B.c. 606). But the people continued obdurate; and in B.C. 598 the far severer judgment of the Captivity fell on them. On the

readers when the Fast Hellenici was written. With reference to one date of cardinal importance I am specially indebted to the late Canon Rawlinson and the late Sir George Airey.

“fv PREFACE TO THE TENTH EDITION.

former capture of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar city and people undisturbed, his only prisoner:

Daniel and other cadets of the royal house. But:

on this second occasion he deported the mass of the

inhabitants to Chaldea, The Jews still remained

impenitent, however, in spite of Divine warnings by the mouth of Jeremiah, in Jerusalem and Ezekiel among the exiles 5 and after the lapse of another nine years, God brought upon them the terrible

judgment of “‘ The Desolations,” which was decreed to last for seventy years. Accordingly in B.C. 5890, —

the Babylonian armies again invaded Judea, and the city was devastated and burned. Now both the “Servitude”’ and the “Captivity,”

ended with the decree of Cyrus in B.C. 536, per-

-mitting the return of the exiles. But as the language of Daniel ix. 2 so plainly states, it was the seventy

years of “The Desolations” that were the basis of

the prophecy of the seventy weeks. And the epoch of that seventy years was the day on which Jerusalem —

was invested — the tenth Tebeth in the ninth year of Zedekiah — a day that has ever since been observed

as a fast by the Jews in every land. (2 Kings xxv. 1.) —

Daniel and Revelation definitely indicate that the

prophetic year is one of 360 days. Such moreover

was the sacred year of the Jewish calendar; and, as is —

well known, such was the ancient year of Eastern nations. (See p. 68, fost.) Now seventy years of ater

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PREFACE TO THE TENTH EDITION. v

days contains exactly 25,200 days; and as the Jewish New Year’s day depended on the equinoctial moon, we can assign the 13th December as “‘the Julian date” of tenth Tebeth 589. And 25,200 days measured from that date ended on the 17th December 520, which was the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month in the second year of Darius of Persia — the very day on which the foundation of the second Temple was laid. (Haggai ii, 18, 19. See p. 70, fost.)

Here is something to set both critics and Christians thinking. A decree of a Persian king was deemed to be divine, and any attempt to thwart it was usually met by prompt and drastic punishment; and yet the decree directing the rebuilding of the Temple, issued by King Cyrus in the zenith of his power, was thwarted for seventeen years by petty local governors. How was this? The explanation is that until the very last day of the seventy years of ‘the Desolations” had expired, God would not permit one stone to be laid upon another on Mount Moriah.

Dismissing from our minds, therefore, all mere theories on this subject, we arrive at the following definitely ascertained facts : —

1. The epoch of the Seventy Weeks was the issuing of a decree to restore and build Jerusalem. (Dan. ix. 25.)

vi PREFACE TO THE TENTH EDITION.

2. There never was but one decree for the rebuild- —

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