Christ is spoken of as “prince of the covenant” (v. 22), and it is He who was to “confirm the covenant with many for one week” (ch. 9:27). That covenant is the plan of salvation, laid in eternity and confirmed by the historic act of Christ’s death. It seems reasonable, then, to understand the power here referred to as one which at heart would be in opposition to that plan, and to its outworking in the souls and lives of men. Some see specific reference here to the invasion of Judea by the Romans and to the capture and destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Others suggest that Constantine is the subject of the prediction. They observe that although Constantine professed conversion to the Christian faith, he was actually “against the holy covenant,” his objective being to make use of Christianity as an instrument for uniting the empire and solidifying his control over it. He extended great favors to the church, but in return expected the church to support his political policies.

 Some expositors see in this prediction a reference to the siege and destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in A.D. 70. Others, who hold to the chronological continuity of the prophetic narrative (see on v. 23), see a further description of the work of Constantine the Great.