 |  |
"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, stand in the holy place" (Matt. 24: 15).
Notice the nature of this testimony--"Daniel THE prophet". While Matthew speaks
of Isaiah the prophet, Christ Himself speaks of but two in this way--and, significantly,
two whose integrity is most challenged and whose witness was directed to the Gentiles,
"Daniel the prophet", and "Jonah the prophet" (Matt. 12: 39).
We are asked by the modernist to believe that Christ spoke only the language of His
day. Be it so. But what shall we do with the majestic assertion recorded within the space
of twenty verses from the Lord's confirmation of Daniel's prophecy?
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away" (Matt. 24: 35).
Is this truth, or is it bombast, aye and worse--blasphemy? Again, when the Lord was
brought before Caiaphas the High Priest, He bore testimony to the prophetic truth of
Daniel:--
"I adjure thee by the living God, that Thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son
of God. Jesus saith unto him, thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall
ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of
heaven" (Matt. 26: 63, 64).
This, said Caiaphas, was blasphemy, for he realized that in so saying, Christ, was
appropriating to Himself the prophecy of Dan. 7: So that once again, in that solemn
hour of trial, and with death near at hand, the Saviour bears personal testimony to the
truth of the book of Daniel. If Christ could by any means prove to be mistaken, all would
fall to the ground. It would not matter to us who wrote Daniel's prophecy, or what it
contained--for it could be meaningless, and its fulfillment could never be accomplished.
If Christ should prove to be fallible, Bible study would be a waste of time; things far
more important than the visions of Nebuchadnezzar would concern us; our very
salvation would become a myth and a dream; and we should be of all men most
miserable.
But such, happily, is not the case. Daniel's prophecy will stand when the last of his
critics have perished, and as we consider together its inspired pages, there will be found
ample intrinsic proof of its truth. He who could preserve Daniel from the lions, can, and
will, shut the mouths of all his critics, and in the day of Christ bring forth His Word in all
its triumph and glory. May we ever be kept heart-whole regarding all His Word!