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. |
One of the purposes of the seventy weeks was to allow God to make a way to bring in everlasting righteousness. That is, a righteousness that would last from generation to generation and last fore ever. Since this righteousness is everlasting, the source must be God Himself.
In Psalm 119, the one source of everlasting righteousness is identified as that of God Himself. Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true (Psalm 119:142).
To bring in everlasting righteousness, God Himself came to earth as our Messiah, lived a righteous life, died for our sins, was resurrected and ascended back into Heaven. This makes it possible for the prophecy to be fulfilled in principle at Christ's first coming, it will be fulfilled in full at His return.(1)
The Messiah brings in everlasting righteousness in different ways.
The most immediate way is through faith: Those who have faith in Him now (and in the past) receive the gift of everlasting life in Heaven with Him for all of eternity. Once in Heaven, righteousness will come naturally. Here on earth it doesn't due to mankind's sinful nature. It was almost impossible for God to establish everlasting righteousness here on earth because of our sinful nature. For the believer in Christ, the righteousness of Messiah Jesus is credited to our own identity so that because of His righteousness we appear righteous before God.
Not only is our sin taken away but we also become righteous because of our faith (not our works). Our righteousness must come through faith because Isaiah teaches us that all of our (works) righteousness are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Abraham, the first Jew, received his righteousness through faith and not works. Abram (name later changed to Abraham) believed the LORD, and He (God) credited it to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6).
Everlasting righteousness can also be found in the Law:The Messiah's righteousness is also a factor in dealing with the true goal or End of Mosaic Law. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes Romans 10:4. For a more in depth look at this verse check out End Of The Law.
There are a lot of things that will happen when our Messiah returns. Although this occurs at the end of Daniel's 70th week, it brings with it a new attitude and a new world order by those who will live here on earth.
His second coming points to the justice and peace of the new social order that Israel has been waiting for since the days of the prophets. It is a mark of the messianic age, which corresponds to what other prophets have also predicted.(2)
Everlasting righteousness was the goal and expectation of all the covenants and promises given to Israel and at its institution prophecy will be fulfilled. This part of the kingdom will be established when the Holy One or the Holy Place in the Millennial Temple is anointed. The Shekinah will return to the Holy of Holies. We can see that this prophecy anticipates the whole work of the Messiah for Israel: He will redeem and He will reign at the expiration of time stipulated in this prophecy.(3)
Zechariah teaches about this Messianic age to be ushered in. It comes at the end of the Time Of Jacob's Trouble when the Messiah must come back to earth to save Israel from the nations that have surrounded it and are at war. For more on this check out Zechariah 12:10.
Ezekiel teaches us that the nation of Israel will receive a "new heart" from the One who promised, "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep My judgments, and do them" (Ezekiel 36:26-27).(2)
Sometimes this term for everlasting righteousness is referred to as "righteousness of eternity."
By God implementing everlasting righteousness in its completed form all prophecy and vision will be fulfilled.
If the Jews had repented during this period (concerning the time frame of the first 483 years) the Messianic King would have come at its termination.(4) This commentary lends support to the fact that Messiah was expected at this time. Christians know that He did come but was not recognized.
This will usher in the epoch of the Messianic King.(4)
"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).
The phrase "to bring in everlasting righteousness" refers to the predicted millennial restoration, or "age of righteousness," that will reverse Israel's national rejection of her Messiah (Isa. 1:26; 11:2-5; 32:17; Jer. 23:5-6; 33:15-18).(5)
Sometimes read as “that God will set up eternal justice.” (6)
God will bring in everlasting righteousness. The form of the verb “bring in” here means “to cause to come in.” The word “everlasting” means ages. Thus this phrase ( “to bring in righteousness of ages”) is a prophecy that God will establish an age characterized by righteousness. This is a reference to the Millennial kingdom (Isa. 60:21; Jer. 23:5-6).(7)
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:
1). John MacArthur Study Bible p.1218
2). RBC Ministries - Discovery Series The Daniel Papers - Daniel's Prophecy of 70 weeks
3). Things To Come by J. Dwight Pentecost
4). ArtScroll Tanach Series (Daniel) p.261
5). Randall Price (Israel My Glory Feb/March 2000). Randall Price is President of World of the Bible Ministries, Inc., an organization involved in research and publication of information related to ancient and modern Israel and the Middle East.
6). The United Bible Societies Handbook on Daniel p.252.
