APPENDIX C: “PRINCE OF THE HOST”

To identify the “Prince of the host” is to identify ha tamid (“daily”/continual; Dan 8:11), for it is taken from the Prince. That the Prince is Christ is affirmed by parallel terms such as, “Lord of hosts” (ie., Ps 46:7, 11) and “Captain of the hosts of the Lord” (Josh 5:14), that refer to Him as Captain and Protector of God’s spiritual army. This with “hosts of Israel,” a term for Israel’s armies, provides strong support for Christ as “Prince of the host.” But internal support is even stronger:

[The “little horn” power (Dan 7:8) that] made war with the saints, ... shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High ... But the judgment shall sit, and ... take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it unto the end” (Dan. 7:21-26).

The issue is a blasphemous “little horn” that, in Christ’s name and claiming to represent His office, wars against “the Most High” and persecutes His “saints,” but is defeated and condemned to final destruction by the judgment that proclaims in favor of Christ and His saints. The same scenario characterizes the “little horn” in Chapter 8, that announces the time and explains the heavenly judgment of Daniel 7 over which he was greatly perplexed (7:28). The judgment reverses casting down of the truth of the place of the sanctuary where Christ ministers to His saints. From that “place” a cleansing judgment to begin October 22, 1844 would indict the villain & vindicate all true followers.

The cast remains the same in Chapter 8, as in 7, where the “little horn” war climaxes in the judgment, but some symbols change. “Son of man” and ”Most High” of Chapter 7 becomes “Prince of the host”/Prince of princes in Chapter 8. The “host,” is His army of “saints” persecuted by His arch-foe’s “little horn” power.” The warrior-defender designation, “Prince of the host,” assures close identification between Christ, the Prince, and His oppressed people, the host:

[The] little horn ... waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host ... to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the Prince of the host and from him [Prince] the daily [tamid = continual] was taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down, And an host [army of priests] in transgression was given him [Papacy] against the tamid and he cast the truth to the ground (Dan 8:9-12).

After the vision, with its “until when” question regarding the devastating “little horn,” Gabriel, commissioned to “make this man to understand” (8:13-16), identifies the “Prince of the host” as the “Prince of princes,” The “little horn,” he explains, “shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand” (8:25). That the “Prince of the host” can thus be none other than “the Prince of princes” is assured by Daniel’s pattern of titles.

Christ is identified 14 times in 6 chapters (7-12), with 12 different titles! The only one repeated occurs three times! Chapter 11 has only one title; Chapters 7 & 10 have two each. Chapters 8, 9, & 12 have three each. Two in Chapter 12 are identical, “Man clothed in linen.” This key designation identifies Christ as the One Who commands Gabriel (8:16). Obvious parallels in the 12 titles revolve around: a) Prince–six times in five of six chapters (8-12); and b) Man–five times in four of the six chapters (7, 8, 10 & 12). The 14 references with 12 different titles occur as follows:

  1) Son of man                             7:13
  2) Most High                                7:25
  3) Prince of the host                     8:11
  4) Man between the banks of Ulai     8:16
  5) Prince of princes                        8:25
  6) Most Holy                                 9:24
  7) Messiah the Prince                     9:25
  8) Messiah (Prince = implied)            9:26
  9) Man clothed in linen                    10:5
10) Michael, head of chief princes         10:13
11) Prince of the covenant                   11:22
12) Michael, the great Prince              12:1
13) Man clothed in linen                     12:6
14) Man clothed in linen                     12:7 

Chapter 12 identifies “Man clothed in linen” (only title repeated) with “Michael the great Prince; Chapter 10 identifies “Michael, [as] head of chief princes.” All three Chapter 8 references (“Prince of the host,” Man between the banks of Ulai,” & “Prince of princes”) are thus identified with Michael, Who is Christ (Jude 9), as confirmed by a theophany in which Michael is identified as “the Man clothed in linen,” Who is thus identified as divine! (10:5)

Significantly Christ is identified as Prince in every chapter but 7, and twice in 8. Indeed, the first Prince reference is “Prince of the host, in the crucial verse (8:11). Two of six differing Prince references are connected with Michael. And half the Prince references are to Him as Man, while the two Michael connections and the “Man clothed in linen in 10:1 identify Him as God.

Man occurs in all but 9 & 11 and is implied even in these. In Chapter 9 He is Messiah the Prince (anointed Man) and in 11 He is “Prince of the covenant.” Half of the six chapters (8, 10 & 12) contain both Man and Prince. And at least one (Prince or Man) occurs in every chapter from 7 to 12.

With an integrated theme throughout all six chapters and all titles inter-related, six variations of Prince being connected to all other titles, how can “Prince of the host” be other than Christ? The clincher to the Papal view lies in Gabriel’s explanation in Chapter 8, identifying “the prince of the host” as “the Prince of princes”! If this is not conclusive evidence, where could such be found?