Who is the wicked prince of Israel in Eze 21:25?
How about “the prince of the covenant” of Dan 11:22?
Commentaries will say the wicked prince of Eze 21:25 is Zedekiah, as you can check on Bible Hub in their collection of commentaries. Just type in the verse.
But then, as you know, there is almost always a near and far fulfillment, the past being very often the pattern of last things. So my best guess would be that the “wicked prince” is also the “foolish / idol shepherd” of Zech 11:15, 17.
Apparently, just about the time of the renewed sacrifice, some venerated figure within Judaism will have emerged to become, if not Messiah (less likely), perhaps a potential candidate for Messiah (more likely), or perhaps the officiating high priest over the restored sanctuary and sacrifice.
This highly honored presumer will evidently be “overflown and broken” at the same time the power of the IDF falls to the now irresistible force of the combined armies of the AC (Rev 13:4).
Daniel 11:22 (KJV)
“And with the arms of a flood (see Isa 28:2; 59:19; Dan 9:26) shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.”
This I read as taking place in the middle of the week. There are a couple of good reasons for this that I’ll not take time to go into, but I think it’s important that we NOT permit the placement of Dan 11:22 before the abomination of Dan 11:31 to imply an earlier invasion of the Land and the killing of this leader. Here’s why:
Just as Dan 12:1 functions as a ‘recap’ of the event that was introduced in Dan 11:31 (as clearly confirmed by Dan 12:11); in the same way, Dan 11:22 is inserted as a ‘precap’ of the same time that begins when the Antichrist floods the Land in the middle of the week (Dan 9:27; 12:11).
We know this because until that point, Israel is enjoying an illusory, short lived peace that finds them wholly unprepared for the suddenness of the AC’s surprise invasion to start the 42 months of downtreading of Jerusalem (compare Isa 28:18; Lk 21:24; Rev 11:2, Mt 24:16, 2Thes 2:4; with Eze 38:8, 11, 14; 39:26; Isa 28:15, 18; Dan 8:25; 9:27; 11:23-24; 1Thes 5:3).
Then, beginning with the following verse (i.e., Dan 11:23), there is the resumption of an actual unbroken chronological order of events that make up the first half of the week, beginning with Israel’s disarming peace “league / alliance / covenant” made with the man who will become Satan incarnate at the middle of the week (Dan 8:23-25; 2Thes 2:4, 8-9; Rev 13:5, 8; 12:7-12; Rev 17:8, 10).
This is the one who fulfills the final installment of the ongoing “mystery of lawlessness” (2Thes 2:6-8), the ordained counter-antithesis to the “mystery of godliness” (1Tim 3:16). This final mystery of incarnation of the two seeds of the Garden brings the incarnation of the ancient serpent who stands behind all the anti-God, covenant despising aggressors of history (Eze 38:17). This is the “coming PRINCE” of Dan 9:26 (compare Eze 38:2-3; 39:1; Dan 10:13).
As the collective “seed of the serpent” (Gen 3:15), i.e., “the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience (Eph 2:2-3; 5:6; Col 3:6; 2Thes 2:6, 8-9) the man of lawlessness will be the final and complete embodiment of this mystery in a man (Dan Dan 7:8 with Rev 13:18).
So, from Dan 11:23-30, we have a ‘play by play’ order of events from the “confirming” / “strengthening” / “endorsing” of the covenant to begin the week (Dan 9:27, which, most evidently, should be understood as taking place at the same time as “the league made with him”, Dan 11:23) – to the breaking of the alliance (and assault on the “holy covenant”, Dan 11:28, 30) in the middle of the week.
Then, beginning with verse 31, we have a clear order of the events of the second half of the week, which is, of course, what Daniel and Jesus will call the “great”, unparalleled “trouble / tribulation” (Dan 12:1; Mt 24:21).
This “understanding” among the ‘maskilim’ (Heb. the wise having insight) of the basic order and meaning of the final seven years, particularly the first half as critical preparation for the second half, will prove of massive strategic value for the fulfillment of God’s purpose for the close of this age. It will be a bulwark against the unparalled deception (Dan 7:11, 25; 8:23-25; Mt 24:4-5, 11, 24; 2Thes 2:3, 9-10; Rev 13:8). It will be critical to the explaining the divinely intended meaning of the unfolding these final events. It will bring final, gloriously manifest harmony between the Old and New Testaments, what I’m so fond of calling, “the glory of the Story”.
Such manifest fulfillment of prophecy supporting the truth of the gospel, preached under great anointing, will turn to the greatest harvest of souls ever witnessed in history amid “THE tribulation, the great one”. (Dan 11:32-33; 12:3; Mt 24:14; Rev 7:9, 13-14; 14:6).
“When this agreement shall have been confirmed, the wise will know that the final Seven of years has commenced, that the end days are present, that the consummation of the age has arrived. They will expect the violation of the covenant after three years and a half, and will not be overwhelmed with surprise, having been told beforehand by this prophecy. Then will it be seen in fulness that the knowledge of prophetic Scripture is simply priceless.” (G. H. Lang, “The Histories and Prophecies of Daniel”; pg. 140).
