of the chief princes. There can be but one archan

gel; and hence it is

word in the plural.

manifestly improper to use the

The Scriptures never so use it.

Paul, in 1 Thess. 4:16, states that when the Lord appears the second time to raise the dead, the voice of the archangel is heard. Whose voice is heard when the dead are raised? The voice of the Son of God. John 5:28. Putting these scriptures together, they prove, 1. That the dead are called from their graves by the voice of the Son of God. 2. That the voice that is then heard is the voice of the archangel. The archangel, therefore, is the Son of God. 3. The archangel is called Michael. Therefore, Michael is the Son of God. In the last verse of Daniel 10, he is called "your prince," and in the first of chapter 12, "the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people;" expressions which can appropriately be applied to Christ, but not to any other.

VERSE 14. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days; for yet the vision is for many days.

The expression, "yet the vision is for many days," reaching far into the future, and embracing what should befall the people of God even in the latter days, shows conclusively that the days given in that vision, namely, the 2300, cannot mean literal days, but must be days of years.

VERSE 15. And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb. 16. And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men

touched my lips; then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my Lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. 17. For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.

One of the most marked characteristics manifested by Daniel, was the tender solicitude he felt for his people. Having come now to clearly comprehend that the vision portended long ages of oppression and suffering for the church, he was so affected by the view, that his strength departed from him, his breath ceased, and the power of speech was gone. The vision of verse 16 doubtless refers to the former vision of chapter 8.

VERSE 18. Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, 19, And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee; be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me. 20. Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. 21. But I will show thee that which is noted in the Scripture of truth; and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.

The prophet is at length strengthened to hear, in full, the communication which the angel has to make. And Gabriel says, "Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee?" That is, do you now know to what end I have come? Do you understand my purpose, so that you will no more fear?

He then announced his intention to return, as soon as his communication was complete, to fight with the king of Persia. The word, with, is in the Septuagint, meta, and signifies, not against, but in common with, along side of; that is, the angel of God would stand on the side of the Persian kingdom so long as it was in the providence of God that that kingdom should continue. But when I am gone forth, continues Gabriel, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. That is, when he withdraws his support from that kingdom, and the providence of God operates in behalf of another kingdom, the prince of Grecia shall come, and the Persian monarchy be overthrown.

Gabriel then announced that none, God of course excepted, had an understanding with him in the matters he was about to communicate, except Michael, the prince. And after he had made them known to Daniel, then there were four beings in the universe with whom rested a knowledge of these important truths: Daniel, Gabriel, Christ, and God. Four links in this ascending chain of witnesses: the first, a member of the human family; the last, the highest Being in the universe!

Chapter XI.

A LITERAL PROPHECY.

VERSE 1. Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. 2. And now will I show thee the truth. Behold, there shal! stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all; and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.

We now enter upon a prophecy of future events, clothed not in figures and symbols, as in the visions of chapters 2, 7, and 8, but given mostly in plain language. Many of the signal events of the world's history, from the days of Daniel to the end of the world, are here brought to view. This prophecy, says Bishop Newton, may not improperly be said to be a comment and explanation of the vision of chapter 8.

The angel, after stating that he stood, in the first year of Darius, to confirm and strengthen him, turns his attention to the future. Three kings shall yet stand up in Persia. To stand up, means to reign; three kings were to reign in Persia; referring doubtless to the immediate successors of Cyrus. These were, 1. Cambyses, son of Cyrus. 2. Smerdis, an impostor. 3. Darius Hystaspes.

The fourth shall be far richer than they all.

The fourth king from Cyrus was Xerxes, more famous for his riches than his generalship, and conspicuous in history for the magnificent campaign he organized against Grecia, and his utter failure in that enterprise. He was to stir up all against the realm of Grecia. Never before had there been such a levy of men for warlike purposes; never has there been since. His army, according to Herodotus, who lived in that age, consisted of five millions, two hundred and eighty-three thousand, two hundred and twenty men (5,283,220). And not content with stirring up the East alone, he enlisted the Carthagenians of the West in his service, who took the field with an additional army of three hundred thousand men.

VERSE 3. And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. 4. And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.

The facts stated in these verses plainly point to Alexander, and the division of his empire. See on chapter 8:8. Xerxes was the last Persian king who invaded Grecia; the prophecy therefore passes over the nine successors of Xerxes in the Persian Empire, and next introduces Alexander the Great. Having overthrown the Persian Empire, Alexander "became absolute monarch of that empire, to the fullest extent it was ever possessed by