Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until
Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall
be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.
Daniel 9:25
The verse today comes from the famous 70 weeks prophesy in Daniel. The short explanations of this portion is that 69 weeks of years (i.e. 483 years) after King Cyrus’ declaration to rebuild Jerusalem, the Messiah would be cut off. After Christ’s resurrection, early Christians did the math and discovered that it came out to the very week the Savior was crucified. The detail and precision of this Old Testament prophesy convinced many that Jesus was, in fact, the Son of God during the early centuries of the Christian church.
By adding Prince to the Messianic title, the focus is on the Lord’s nobility. Christ came from the seed of David and the root of Jesse. Being born into that family made Him a Prince. Jesus’ genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew proved that He would have been in line to the throne of David if Romans were not in power. A king in waiting by definition is a prince.
Kings without kingdoms have no palace, army, or right of decree. As time and generations go by, those would-be kings need day jobs to survive until the political pendulum swings back in their direction. Joseph, Christ’s adoptive dad, could trace his birthright back to David, but did carpentry work to pay the bills. He and his wife Mary were so poor when they started out that their little Prince was born in a stable.
Jesus preached of His kingdom, but few bowed the knee before Him. Pilate brought him before the mob and declared, “Behold your king,” but the crowd shouted Him down screaming, “Away with Him! Crucify Him!” (John 19:14,15). The rejected king was still a Prince.
Peter reminded the chief priests of their rejection when he addressed the Sanhedrin: “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior (Acts 5:30, 31).
Very soon, Christ will return to Earth with an army of mighty angels to claim His throne and kingdom. He will be hailed as the King of Glory and will lay aside the title of Prince.
February 4
