The angel told Daniel that it would take 70 weeks of years, vis-à-vis 10 jubilees (490 years), to complete six works, which God intended to perform for his people, the Jews (Daniel 9:24). Logic demands that if the six wors are complete, so is the prophecy! I hope to prove by taking each of the six works in its own study that the work of God for the Jews (and the world) is complete and stands fulfilled, and if this is so, then the modern eschatology of most Christians is in error.
The angel said it will take 70 weeks of years “to finish the transgression.” What does this mean? Some scholars believe that this transgression has to do only with Israel and concerns either their rebellion against God or their national rejection of the Messiah. This is not entirely accurate. While it is true that Israel did rebel against God and reject Jesus as their Messiah, it is also true of the entire gentile world. In fact, I do not believe it would be stretching the truth to say that, but for a faithful remnant, Israel never received God and were always in a state of rebellion.[1]
On the other hand, other scholars believe that this is a prophecy to put an end to sin and cast it out of the sight of God. I don’t believe this to be true either, and observing how the word finish is used in other texts should show this beyond doubt. The Hebrew word is kala (H3607) means “to restrict”. It is used 15 times in the Old Covenant text[2] and probably should be translated restrain or shut up as it is translated in some of those occurrences.
None of these occurrences carries with it the idea that a matter was ended or finished. The scriptures speak of a temporary drought, God’s punishment of the nations, the imprisonment of Jeremiah, and refraining from sin etc. In the case of the Seventy Weeks Prophecy, “the transgression” should not be thought of as ended or finished, but should be understood as restricted in some way. Let’s not go beyond what the text says (1Corinthians 4:6) to say what kala (H3607) does not say, because that is what’s done by the translators of Daniel 9:24, for the word is translated “finished” only here!
Next, we find the word “transgression” (pesa; H6588). According to W.E. Vine, the word “signifies willful deviation from, and therefore rebellion against, the path of godly living.” Its verb form means “to rebel”. The word incorporates “two stages of rebellion. First, the whole process of rebellion has independence in view… 2Kings 1:1. Second, the final result of the rebellion is the state of independence… 2Kings 8:20. A more radical meaning is the state of rebellion in which there is no end of the rebellion in view. The state thus described refers to a status quo.”[3]
Therefore, “the transgression” (H6588) must refer to a particular sin, being in the singular form. In his Epistle to the Romans, Paul seems to make a distinction between “sins” (plural) and “sin” (singular) in the first half of his letter. In the first eight chapters of Romans, Paul deals with the question of sin (singular) and sins (plural). The first 4½ or so chapters deal with the evil deeds of men. However, from Romans 5:12 and onward through chapter eight, he deals with our sinful nature rather than the things we do. As a matter of fact, the word, sins (plural), is mentioned only once in the next 3½ chapters, while the word sin (singular) is mentioned some 31 times. This distinction is not so noticeable in the first 4½ chapters, but the subject matter, itself, is unmistakable. Paul refers to all men as hating God; we are proud, boasting of evil deeds and all of us have fallen far short of the glory God intended for us. We invent evil things, and those closest to God cause his name to be blasphemed throughout the world. It can hardly be denied that Paul has two subjects in mind in the first eight chapters of Romans:
1) sins – my own evil deeds (Romans 1-5:11)
2) sin “the transgression” or my sinful nature, the law of sin or the sin principle that is within me as described in Romans 7.
God forgives our sins as explained in 1John1:9, but nowhere in the word of God do I find that God forgives my sin (singular). God does not forgive the sin principle that works within men (Romans 7:15, 23). On the contrary, it is a kind of sickness from which we need deliverance (Romans 7:24; cp. Titus 2:14). Our sins are dealt with through Christ’s blood (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:12, 22).
There is a particular sin that God is concerned with, and it is tied into the sin principle that draws men away from him. It is the sin of rebellion.
The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29).
Rebellion is not an ordinary sin. One could disobey God and still be in a relationship with him, but to rebel against God is to seek independence from him. Rebellion ends the relationship; it is like getting a divorce. It cannot be forgiven like other sins that don’t end the relationship. It must be dealt with another way. I’ll speak further on this subject in my next study, before going on to the other five works of God that complete the 70 Weeks Prophecy of Daniel.
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[1] Moses testified of the rebellion of Israel (Deuteronomy 9:24; 31:27), and in the New Covenant text Stephen also testified of their rebellion just prior to his being stoned to death (Acts 7:51-53).
[2] See: Genesis 8:2; Exodus 36:6; Numbers 11:28; 1Samuel 6:10; Psalms 40:11; 88:8; 119:101; Ecclesiastes 8:8; Isaiah 43:6; Jeremiah 32:2; 32:3; Ezekiel 31:15; Haggai 1:10 (twice) & Daniel 11:24.
[3] W.E. Vine – An Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words: page 266.
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