Daniel 9:24 says, "Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, make an end of sins, make atonement for iniquity, bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up vision and prophecy, and anoint the most holy place." The six things listed are divided into two groups: the first group of three is negative and relates to sin. It's important to understand each!
Table of contentsThe First Group of ThreeFinish the TransgressionMake an End of SinsMake Atonement for IniquityThe Second Group of ThreeBring in Everlasting RighteousnessSeal Up Vision and ProphecyAnoint the Most Holy Place
Daniel 9:24 says, "Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, make an end of sins, make atonement for iniquity, bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up vision and prophecy, and anoint the most holy place."
The Hebrew word for weeks is šāḇûaʿ and it means seven like our word dozen means 12, so it’s saying 70 sevens, or 490. Daniel’s people would be the Jews and Daniel’s holy city would be Jerusalem. So this is not a prophecy primarily for Gentiles or the church. The only way Bible prophecy makes sense is by understanding God has a separate and distinct plan for the Jews and the church.
The second half of the verse lists six things that will mostly be accomplished during the 70th week, which is discussed in Daniel 9:27. The six are broken up into two groups.
The First Group of Three
The first group of three is negative and relates to sin.
Finish the Transgression
Daniel 9:24b to finish the transgression
Notice two things. First, it says transgression, a type of sin where people sin willfully when they should know better; it’s like people see the line but step over it anyway. Second, transgression is singular because it refers to one specific transgression of the Jews. No matter how many sins the Jews have committed, there’s one transgression that trumps all others combined and that’s their rejection of Jesus.
And it’s the same today: if someone isn’t a believer, no matter how many sins are in that person’s life, there’s only one sin that matters at that moment, and it’s that person’s rejection of Christ…because that is the sin that determines where they spend eternity. Consider:
John 16:9 [Jesus said], “When the Holy Spirit has come, He will convict the world of sin, because they do not believe in Me.”
That doesn’t sound like it makes much sense. Still, Jesus says it because even though there are tons of different sins, the one sin that matters is whether we believe in Jesus, and that’s why that’s the sin the Holy Spirit is going to convict the world of because if you believe in Jesus, I don’t want to say your other sins don’t matter. Still, IN A WAY, they don’t matter because they’re forgiven and paid for by Christ. And if you don’t believe in Jesus, your other sins don’t matter in a way because you’re going to be condemned for not believing in Jesus anyway:
John 3:18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God
John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him
This is why the Unpardonable or Unforgivable Sin is blaspheming the Holy Spirit. It refers to people deliberately, willfully rejecting the Holy Spirit’s work in pointing them to believe in Christ. That’s the sin they can never be forgiven for because they will have rejected the one way God has chosen to give us salvation.
This means that by the end of the 70th week, the Jews will have received their Messiah.
Make an End of Sins
Daniel 9:24c to put an end to sin,
There will also be an end to the Jews’ other sins because coming to Christ, or conversion, produces sanctification.
Make Atonement for Iniquity
Daniel 9:24d and to atone for iniquity,
By the end of the 490 years, the iniquity of the Jews will be atoned for, and that will bring reconciliation between them and God.
The Second Group of Three
Having dealt with all the negative (transgression, sin, and iniquity), three positive things can be accomplished.
Bring in Everlasting Righteousness
Daniel 9:24e to bring in everlasting righteousness,
There can be righteousness with all the transgression, sin, and iniquity out of the way. So this is saying before the end of the 70th Week, righteousness will be brought in and everlasting. This refers to Jesus's reign, which is characterized by righteousness. Now, the verse mentions everlasting righteousness because the righteousness begins at Jesus’ Second Coming at the end of Daniel’s 70th Week, carries on into the Millennium, and then into eternity.
Jesus’ Second Coming occurs at the end of the 70th Week or Tribulation. At Jesus’ Second Coming, the Battle of Armageddon takes place, and He destroys all His enemies. You can imagine how much righteousness that alone will usher in having all those wicked people gone. Then Jesus sets up His Millennial Kingdom.
If I could only choose one word to describe Jesus’ rule and reign, it would be righteousness. The Old Testament is FILLED with verses about Jesus reigning and many of them are about the righteousness of it:
Jeremiah 23:5-6 A King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth
Isaiah 11:4-5 With righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide equity for the meek of the earth...Righteousness shall be His belt.
Most people will tell you their greatest frustration with our government is its corruption. But that will not change until Jesus returns and sets up His kingdom, because as long as you have sinful people in government, you’re going to have sinful government. But when Jesus IS the government, there will be perfect justice, which will usher in perfect righteousness.
Seal Up Vision and Prophecy
Daniel 9:24g to seal both vision and prophet,
This is saying two things. First, no more prophecy will be added; prophecy will be sealed up or end. Second, past prophecies will be confirmed or fulfilled.
Let’s understand that the only reason there have ever been visions or prophecies is that we don’t know everything; our knowledge is partial. God wouldn’t need to reveal anything through visions or prophecy if we knew everything. If someone knew everything and you went up to him and said, “I have a prophecy for you,” He’d say, “I already know it. I knew you would come and tell me you have a prophecy for me.”
We have theological debates about things, like God’s sovereignty versus man’s free will, because we only know things partially. But there will come a time when we know things perfectly or fully. Then, vision and prophecy will be eliminated because they’ll be unnecessary. The key passage on this is:
1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away (Paul is saying these are going to disappear, just like verse 24 says they’re going to disappear). 9 For (or because) we know in part and we prophesy in part (we have these things: vision, prophecy, etc simply because know in part). 10 But when that which is perfect has come (when we hear the word perfect we think free from error, but in the Bible it means complete, so it’s saying when we have complete knowledge), then that which is in part (our partial knowledge and partial understanding) will be done away...11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things (his point is that just like children stop thinking like children when they grow up, when we grow up spiritually we’ll have a mature understanding of things). 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly., but then face to face Now I know in part (our understanding now is partial), but then I shall know just as I also am known (we’ll know and understand as well as God knows us).
To get this, you have to understand 1st-century mirrors: they were polished metal, so when you looked in them, they were blurry, and you couldn’t make things out very well – so you know when you’re trying to understand things like God’s sovereignty and man’s free will, but it seems blurry? That’s what he’s talking about!)(it won’t be like looking at something blurry, it’ll be like looking at someone face-to-face.
Anoint the Most Holy Place
Daniel 9:24h and to anoint a most holy place.
The temple was divided into two main compartments: the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. There will be a temple, and the most holy place in that temple will be anointed or set apart for God. But when Daniel received this prophecy, there was no temple as the Babylonians had destroyed it. So this is looking forward to a rebuilt temple. The near fulfillment is the temple built in Ezra’s day, which was destroyed in 70AD. But there’s also a future fulfillment where a temple will be built during the 70th Week.
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