Listen to this articleBackground
For the past 2500 years, many have come up with different interpretations for Daniel 9:24-27. Much of what I am going to present is therefore not new. However, I myself have struggled with this prophecy for the past 12 years. I have read just about every popular interpretation out there, but still something has always been missing. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it until last week.
While I have done presentation on this prophecy before, this is the first time I am doing it with full conviction over the truth of what I am presenting. The challenge that I and many others have had in interpreting prophecy is that we have been focussed on revealing the antichrist. Once you become focused on the antichrist you lose the meaning and purpose of the prophecies.
The bible shows us in John 5:39, Acts 10:43, Hebrews 10:7, Luke 24:27, 44, 1 Peter 1:11 that the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation were given to point people towards the Christ. To reveal the Christ. When we are Christ centered in our approach of Daniel, not only do we get a magnificent revelation of the work of our Lord, but for the first time, Studying prophecy becomes spiritually edifying.
The seventy weeks of Daniel is one of the greatest revelations of the redemptive work of Christ, and when we interpret it purely based on scriptures, we find that everything in that prophecy was fulfilled by our Lord. But when we are overly focused on revealing the antichrist, we miss the main subject of that prophecy, the one whom the angel Gabriel had been sent to reveal. We miss the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us begin.
Introduction
It was almost seventy years since the nation of Israel had been in captivity in Babylon. Daniel found the prophecy of Jeremiah that Jerusalem would be burnt down and left desolate for 70 years.
Daniel 9:2-3 King James Version (KJV)
2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
As Daniel is praying for his nation, the Angel Gabriel comes with an answer. Now it is important for us to know, that this is a direct answer to Daniel’s prayer, so as we interpret the prophecy given by the angel Gabriel, let us remember to make reference to Daniel’s prayer.
The TEXT
Daniel 9:21-27 New King James Version (NKJV)
21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, [a]being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. 22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. 23 At the beginning of your supplications the [b]command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:
24 “Seventy [c]weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, [d]To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint [e]the Most Holy.
25 “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The [f]street shall be built again, and the [g]wall, Even in troublesome times.
26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall [h]be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 Then he shall confirm a [i]covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the [j]desolate.”
SEVENTY WEEKS
24 “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city,
The text literally says Seventy Sevens, and it’s widely understood that these are seventy weeks of years. Meaning 70 times 7 years. which is 490 years.
So Daniel is being told that 490 years have been appointed for your people (Israel) and your Holy City (Jerusalem).
Why Seventy Times Seven
Israel was under God’s 70 year punishment (Jeremiah 25:11). They had been punished according to the Law of Moses. But God had told Moses that if Israel had not repented still, he would punish them seven times more.
Leviticus 26:17-18 New King James Version (NKJV)
17 I will [a]set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you shall reign over you, and you shall flee when no one pursues you.
18 ‘And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.
So this would make 70 years times 7.
Jesus also speaks of this as the number of times you can forgive your brother for the same sin.
Matthew 18:21-22 New King James Version (NKJV)
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
Some Numbers
Jesus was baptized approximately 26AD-29AD and he was crucified approximately 31AD-34AD
I am not going into calculations at the moment but the 490 years will lead you to about 33AD-39AD depending on which starting point you use and mode of calculation.
The 7-PROMISES
There are 7 things that must happen within these 490 years.
1. The messiah was to come in 69 weeks.
Daniel 9:25 New King James Version (NKJV)
25 “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.
69 weeks was 483 years and leads to around 28-32AD depending on which starting point you use, and which mode of calculation you choose.
However, since Jesus Christ was baptized around 26-29 AD and was crucified around 31-33AD. then this is spot on.
Now lets see the other six things which have to happen before the 490 years are completed.
Daniel 9:24 New King James Version (NKJV)
24 “Seventy [a]weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, [b]To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.
As we shall see, these six things are simply a description of the work that the Messiah Jesus would accomplish when he came. And according to the scriptures, he did.
Daniel 9:24 New King James Version (NKJV)
24 “Seventy [a]weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, [b]To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.
There are six things that must be accomplished in 490 years. and as we shall see, all six things are a revelation of the redemptive works of Christ.
1. To finish the Transgression
So 490 years had been determined for Israel and Holy City in order to finish or bring to completion, the transgression.
Remember that the angel Gabriel has been in response to Daniel’s prayer, and Daniel had prayed concerning the transgression of his people. when we look at his prayer, we could understand how it could be brought to completion.
Daniel 9:11
Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him.
Daniel cries to God that Israel was now under the curse of the Law because they had transgressed the Law of Moses. So now, Daniel is being told that the Messiah would come in 483 years and by 490 years, the transgression and curse of the Law that was upon Israel and Jerusalem would be finished. The New Testament tells us that Jesus the Messiah surely accomplished this.
Hebrews 9:15 New King James Version (NKJV)
15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
Galatians 3:13 NLT
But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
So the answer to Daniel’s request was fulfilled by Jesus Christ when he hung on the cross, and took the punishment for all transgressions committed under the covenant of the Law of Moses.
2. To make an end of sins
Some versions say sin, others say sins. The Young’s Literal translation says, to seal up sins.
The next promise being given to Daniel is that after the messiah has come he would make an end of sins within seven years. This is a hard saying. What does it mean to make an end of sins. does it mean people will stop sinning? Another version says, to bring sin to completion.
We have to understand how sins came in the first place…
Romans 5:12 NIV
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned–
The new testament scriptures assures us that Christ has already dealt with all sins of the world that were ever committed, or will ever be committed. Christ has taken away all those sins.
Hebrews 9:26 International Standard Version
Then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the creation of the world. But now, at the end of the ages, he has appeared once for all to remove sin by his sacrifice.
Other versions say, he abolished sin, others say he destroyed sin by his sacrifice.
John 1:29
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Hebrews 9:28
so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
1 John 3:5
But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.
Hebrews 10
17 Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”
18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
So Jesus removed sin, he abolished and destroyed sin, he took away all the sins of the world. I know some may want to make a big deal about sin vs sins, but some versions say sin others say sins.
3. To make reconciliation for iniquity
Other versions say, to make atonement for iniquity.
Let’s go back to what Daniel had asked in his prayer for Israel.
Daniel 9:13
13 “As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.
16 “O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us.
Israel was being punished for the iniquities of their fathers. Daniel is being told that after the Messiah has come, in seven years he would have atonement for all those iniquities and he would reconcile the people back to God.
Did Jesus make atonement for humanity.
1 John 2:2
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 4:10
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Romans 5:10
For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
The bible says, we were all reconciled to God, while we were still his enemies.
Colossians 1:22
But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—
its a done deal. Christ reconciled us to God, and God did not count our sins against us.
2 Corinthians 5:18
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation
4.To Bring in Everlasting Righteousness
The bible presents us with different types of righteousness. The righteousness of God, the righteousness of man, the righteousness of works, the righteousness of faith etc. Daniel was under the Law of Moses, operating under the righteousness of the law. But he is told that when the Messiah comes, within seven years he would have brought in an everlasting righteousness. What is this everlasting righteousness?
Psalm 119:142 King James Bible
Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.
God’s righteousness is an everlasting righteousness. So to bring in an everlasting righteousness would be to bring in the righteousness of God to men. Paul explains this better.
Romans 3:21 -22
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,
This righteousness is not given because of good works, but is credited to the one who believes. It is an everlasting righteousness because it is not our own righteousness but the righteousness of God imputed upon us.
Romans 1:17
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed —a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
As a result, we have become the righteousness of God, which means we have been made an everlasting righteousness.
2 Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
5. To Seal up Vision and Prophecy
Some translations say, “To seal up the prophetic vision”. Others say, “to seal up vision and prophet”. Others say, “to confirm the prophetic vision”
This is not the only time the bible speaks of a vision or prophecy being sealed up. What it means is that the meaning of the vision or prophecy is being kept hidden and can not be understood.
Isaiah is the first to be told what the sealing of a vision means…..
Isaiah 29:11 ESV
And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”
Daniel himself is then told to seal up his visions
Daniel 8:26
“The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.”
Daniel 12:4
But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
Daniel 12:9
He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end.
So what this means is that God has determined 490 years in which the prophecy and the vision are to be sealed, hidden, can not be understood. After the 490 years, the Messiah would have been revealed, the new testament put into effect and the Holy Spirit given. The prophecy and vision could not be understood under the old testament.
If the 70 weeks are not yet fulfilled, then it means the prophecy and vision can not yet be understood. We thank God that Jesus fulfilled all the law and the prophets, and thus the mysteries which were hidden are now revealed unto us his servants.
Colossians 1:26 New International Version (NIV)
26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people.
Romans 16:25-26 New International Version (NIV)
25 Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from[a] faith
6. To Anoint The Most Holy
This text is written literally as, “To anoint the Holiest*. It was a clear reference to the Holy of Holies, the inner most part of God’s Temple.
This inner most part was called the Most Holy because it was the only place in Israel you could find the Manifest Presence of God. It was referred to as God’s dwelling place in Israel. The very purpose that God had asked Moses to build a tabernacle, was so that he could dwell among his people.
Exodus 25:8 New King James Version (NKJV)
8 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.
Because God’s presence was to be found in this innermost part of the temple, All Israel had to go to Jerusalem in order to worship in the presence of God. But even then, the presence of God was hidden behind a veil and only the high priest could enter this most holy place.
However, when Nebuchadnezzar burnt down the temple in Jerusalem, the Ark of the covenant was never seen again. The ark of the covenant was the throne of God on earth and the place where the presence of God could come and dwell.
So Daniel is praying to God that he may restore his dwelling place, his sanctuary, his temple which was in ruins.
Daniel 9:17
17 “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary.
So Gabriel is telling Daniel that his most holy dwelling place, his Temple in Israel would be anointed in 490 years. But he has already been told that this vision is to be sealed for 490 years, meaning people would not be able to understand this until the 490 years are over.
The reason is God could not effectively dwell in a building that was made by human hands. a building that could be raided by the philistines or polluted by the Aaronic priests. A building that needed to be washed by the blood of goats and bulls every year.
Acts 7:48-50 New International Version (NIV)
48 “However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says:
49 “‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me?
says the Lord.
Or where will my resting place be?
God had planned to build for himself in Israel a tabernacle of flesh that he would dwell in. It would be an everlasting temple, not made by human hands. It’s a concept that could not be understood in the old testament.
Hebrews 10:5 New International Version (NIV)
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
In the body of Christ, god could finally dwell among his people in a greater way than he ever could in the tabernacle built by Moses. The body of the Christ would be the perfect temple, the Most holy place for his Spirit to dwell in Israel.
So soon after Jesus Christ had been baptized and received the Holy Spirit, he goes to the temple that had been built by the Jews and makes a bold declaration.
John 2:18-20
18The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”
19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
20They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?”
21But the temple he had spoken of was his body.
They could not understand that God’s new temple, his sanctuary, his dwelling place in Israel was no longer a building of bricks and mortar, but a body that could talk, walk and eat among them. Jesus then later again shows them that he was a holier and greater temple than the physical one.
Matthew 12:6
I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.
And when Jesus Christ died, the Veil of the Most Holy in the physical temple was removed, meaning there was no more Holy of Holies in that building.
Matthew 27:51
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split
While the temple in Jerusalem is where people came to meet the presence of God, Jesus then said,
John 4:21-24 New International Version (NIV)
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
The Samaritans had built a tabernacle in the mountains and the Jews had built their temple in Jerusalem but Jesus now says the father will be worshipped in none of those places. The Father will now be worshipped in the Spirit because God’s dwelling place is now in the Spirit.
Will God Anoint Another Physical Temple?
For God to anoint a physical building and call it is most holy dwelling place, would require a total reversal of what the New covenant is about. But God promises us that the only anointed temple of his that we will find in Jerusalem is Jesus Christ.
Revelation 21:2-22 New International Version (NIV)
2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
That seals it.
Colossians 1:19 New International Version (NIV)
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
Colossians 2:9 New International Version (NIV)
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
So when God anointed Jesus, he was anointing his Most Holy sanctuary, his most holy dwelling place in Israel.
These are the Six promises of the 70 weeks of Daniel and they have all been fulfilled in Christ.
Desolations Decreed
Daniel 9:25-26 New International Version (NIV)
25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,[a] the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.
26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.[b] The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.
In brief this is saying that after 483 years, the messiah would come and he will be killed. After the messiah is killed, this will lead to the people who belong to the antichrist to come and destroy Jerusalem and the physical temple in Jerusalem. There will be no peace in Jerusalem until the end, and the Jerusalem sanctuary will remain desolate to the very end of all things.
When we say that the Jerusalem and the Sanctuary are desolate, it simply means God’s presence is not dwelling in there. The angel says, these desolations are decreed to the very end. As we said, God has moved on to a better covenant, a better dwelling place, he will never come back to anoint another stone building as his sanctuary.
Jesus Christ was killed between 31-34AD and surely enough, the romans came about 36 years later, destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, and Jerusalem has not been God’s centre of worship ever since.
The Seventieth Week
Gabriel then comes back to explain the seventieth week in detail.
Daniel 9:27 King James Version (KJV)
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
He shall Confirm the covenant
Some versions say, he shall make a covenant. The issue is not the translations but actually variations in different manuscripts.
The oldest translation of this passage is found in the septuagint. Translated 200 years before Christ was born. It is this version that is used by the apostles in the New Testament. it says here…
Daniel 9:27 LXX septuagint
27 And one week shall establish the covenant with many: and in the midst of the week my sacrifice and drink-offering shall be taken away:
Who shall confirm the covenant for seven years. Is it the messiah or the antichrist. Some very educated linguists have done textual analysis and concluded that its the antichrist. other equally educated linguists haven made textual analyses and concluded that it’s the Messiah. So that route takes us nowhere.
What we know is that the one who confirms the covenant for 7 years is the one who causes sacrifices and offerings to cease, or to be taken away.
Let’s remember that this is in response to Daniel’s prayer. So what did Daniel talk about a covenant that needed to be confirmed?
Daniel 9:4 New International Version (NIV)
4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,
This covenant is alluded to in other areas of the book of Daniel.
The Wicked Prince would particularly fight against the covenant.
Daniel 11:32 With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.
Daniel 11:30 Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.
I believe the one who confirmed the covenant is Jesus Christ because he is the one who caused sacrifices and offerings to cease after 3 and half years of his ministry.
Let me explain.
God made a covenant with Abraham that was to be confirmed in all his seed through the sign of circumcision.
Genesis 17:10-11
10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you
Those who were uncircumcised were called gentiles, and unworthy to receive the blessings of Abraham.
Matthew 15:24
But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
When Jesus first sent the 12 apostles, he specifically told them to not go to the houses of the gentiles.
Matthew 10:5-6 New King James Version (NKJV)
5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
This was Jesus confirming God’s Israel with Israel. Even after the church was founded, only those who were carried the sign of God’s covenant with Israel, the sign of circumcision were being saved and added to the church.
The first uncircumcised person to become part of the church was Cornelius, and this was a few years after Jesus had ascended.
Acts 10:45 New King James Version (NKJV)
45 And [a]those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
Sacrifice and Offerings Seize
Daniel 7:27
27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
Now this is an interesting statement. He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. This sounds absolute.
Christ is the one who brought Sacrifices and Offerings to an end.
Hebrews 10:8-10
8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law),
9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, [b]O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second.
10 By that will we have been [c]sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.
14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being [d]sanctified.
15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had said before,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,”
17 then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
18 Now where there is [e]remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.
So it was Jesus who put an end to sacrifice and offering when he gave himself as the perfect sacrifice. Amen.
