The Prophecy - Daniel 9:24-27 - Daniel's 70 Weeks |
Old Testament Prophecy |
24) Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. 25) So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26) Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27) And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate. |
The word translated as "sins" refers to sins other than revolt or rebellion-general immorality, dishonesty, and the like. The verb in the Hebrew text translated "put an end to" can literally mean "to seal up."(1)
Obviously sin has not completely ended yet. This passage points towards the Messiah who died because of our own sins. Isaiah 53 teaches about this. In Messiah's death, punishment for our own sins is paid for. Messiah's death is the end result of sin.
While this part of the prophecy was fulfilled in principle at Christ's first coming, it will be fulfilled in full at His return.(2)
"On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity (Zechariah 13:1).
Sin can be defined as a transgression of the law of God or a vitiated (faulty) state of human nature in which the self is estranged from God.(3)
Sin is sometimes referred to as "falling short" of God's commandments.
God will put an end to sin. The verb "hatam" has the idea of sealing up. Here the thought is sealing something up with a view to punishment (Deut. 32:34; Job 14:17). This emphasized that Israel's sin which had gone unpunished would be punished—in or through Jesus Christ, her substitute, who would bear the sins of the world on the cross. Then at Christ's second coming he will remove Israel's sin (Ezek. 37:23; Rom. 11:20-27).(4)
Here are some links that have been created to help move around inside of the Daniel 9:24-27 prophecy.
Other links of interest include:
