Seventy Weeks - Six Conditions

There are some, for example preterists, who will argue that all of these conditions have been fulfilled.

[Dan 9:24 LSB]  Seventy weeks have been determined for your people and for 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 Holy of Holies.

Let's break it down while keeping this in mind:  "Seventy weeks are decreed as to your people [Israel], and as to your holy city [Jerusalem]..."

[Dan 9:24 LITV]  Seventy weeks [490 years] are decreed as to your people [Israel], and as to your holy city [Jerusalem], [1] to finish [H3615 - kalah] the transgression [H6588 - pesha], and [2] to make an end [H8552 - tamam] of sin, and [3] to make atonement for iniquity, and [4] to bring in everlasting righteousness, and [5] to seal up the vision and prophecy, and [6] to anoint the Most Holy.

[1]  to finish the transgression - The Hebrew word for "finish" is: kālāh: A verb meaning to complete, to accomplish, to end, to finish, to fail, to exhaust. Its primary meaning is to consummate or to bring to completion. 

The Hebrew word for "transgression" is: peša‛: A masculine noun meaning transgression, rebellion. 

This should be obvious to most, but take a look around you in this world.  Has "rebellion" been brought to "completion"? 

Their claim is that at Yeshua's death, rebellion was restrained.

[2Ti 3:1-5 LSB]  But know this, that in the last days difficult times will come. [2]  For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, [3]  unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, without gentleness, without love for good, [4]  treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, [5]  holding to a form of godliness, but having denied its power. Keep away from such men as these. 

Contextually, this was admittedly written to Christians, but nonetheless can still be applied to Israel.

[2]  to make an end of sin - You might be asking "what is the difference between [1] and [2] ?".  The first deals with bringing Israel’s open rebellion to its appointed climax and end.  The second deals with removing the guilt of sin for God’s people forever.

The next question you should be asking is "Has Israel's sin been removed forever?"

The Hebrew word for end is: tāmam: A verb meaning to be complete, to finish, to conclude. At its root, this word carries the connotation of finishing or bringing closure.  In other words, it is never used as simply a restraint of anything.

Here we are told, without reservation, that transgression and sin themselves will be finished. There is no theology that can account for this other than a futurist view.  

A direct reference to this, in a prophecy concerning the Millennium, can be found in Ezekiel:

[Eze 37:21-23 LSB]  “And speak to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; [22]  and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms. [23]  “They also will no longer defile themselves with their idols or with their detestable things or with any of their transgressions; but I will save them from all their places of habitation in which they have sinned, and I will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God.

[3]  to make atonement for iniquity - Some will claim that this was fully accomplished at the cross.  Yes, Yeshua has reconciled us to the Father (2 Cor 5:18-19).  But I would submit that if we look at this in context, this is a prophecy about the Jews and Jerusalem.  

This won't be realized for the Jews until the Millennium.  Paul is quoting from Millennial passages in Isaiah:

[Rom 11:25-27 LSB]  For I do not want you, brothers, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; [26]  and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.” [27]  “AND THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.”

Paul, who was obviously writing after Christ’s death and resurrection, is saying that there is a yet a future "turning away of ungodliness" and a "taking away of sins" from national Israel.

[4]  to bring in everlasting righteousness - This is the only other one of the six prophecies that I might agree with the preterist by saying that it could indeed be said that everlasting or perpetual righteousness came in with Christ’s atoning death. Our righteousness is in Christ and is not dependent upon ourselves anymore if we are saved and therefore is everlasting. 

However this again has the weakness of requiring you to divorce this from the context of having to do with the Jews and Jerusalem.  This idea of bringing in everlasting righteousness, like the idea of a future ending of sin, is a common theme found in promises to Jerusalem about the future Kingdom age.

[Isa 62:1-3 LSB]  For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep quiet, Until her righteousness goes forth like brightness, And her salvation like a torch that is burning. [2]  The nations will see your righteousness, And all kings your glory; And you will be called by a new name Which the mouth of Yahweh will designate. [3]  You will also be a crown of glory in the hand of Yahweh, And a turban of royalty in the hand of your God.

"...you will be called a new name"

[Eze 48:35 LSB]  The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be, ‘Yahweh is there.’”

[5]  to seal up the vision and prophecy - this absolutely cannot happen until the end.  The prophecies of Jerusalem and its future judgment and subsequent restoration and reconciliation are the completion of all of Bible prophecy.

The almost last words of Yeshua in the Bible, which even a partial preterist would admit is still future, refer to a prophecy in Isaiah 11 being fulfilled concerning the root of Jesse.

[Rev 22:16 LSB]  “I, Jesus, sent My angel to bear witness to you of these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

All eschatological promises throughout Scripture, dealing with Israel, are yet to be fulfilled.  The promises to Israel are the final things that must occur.  The prophecy and vision cannot be sealed up until Yeshua returns completes His mission.  

[6]  to anoint the Holy of Holies - The temple that Ezekiel spends almost nine complete chapters describing at the end of his book has obviously never been built.  The size of this Temple is approximately equivalent to the size of the entire city of Jerusalem right now.

In other words this prophecy of anointing the most holy place is saying that there will be 70 weeks before the inauguration of the Kingdom age Temple of Ezekiel 40-48, a Temple that must be built in order to fulfill prophecy.

All six of these conditions will begin to be met upon the return of Yeshua.