When are the goals of the 490 years (Daniel 9:24) fulfilled?

Purpose

In Daniel 9:24, God identified 6 goals for the 490 years, namely to:

1. 1. 1. Finish the transgression,
      2. Make an end of sins,
      3. Make reconciliation for iniquity,
      4. Bring in everlasting righteousness,
      5. Seal up the vision and prophecy, and to
      6. Anoint the most Holy.

In the traditional interpretation, Jesus Christ, 2000 years ago, through His earthly life and death, fulfilled most of these goals. In contrast, Dispensationalism denies that Christ’s first advent fulfilled these goals. It claims that these goals will only be fulfilled when Christ returns, at the end of the 490 years. For example, Walvoord agreed that making reconciliation for iniquity seems to be a rather clear picture of the Cross of Christ. However, he still maintains that the actual application of that “reconciliation for iniquity” will only be seen when Christ returns.

To evaluate the alternative interpretations, this article analyses the meaning and possible fulfilments of these goals:

Guidelines

The following are proposed as guidelines for interpreting these goals:

Israel – Firstly, these goals were specifically given to Israel, “your people and your holy city” (Daniel 9:24). In other words, these goals must be fulfilled by or through Israel.

490 Years  – Secondly, Israel was given 490 years to fulfill them. These goals must, therefore, be fulfilled during the 490 years, not at the end of that period.

Final Seven Years – Thirdly, Daniel prayed for Israel and Jerusalem. He did not pray for a messiah. But the prophecy adds a messiah because the goals must be achieved through the messiah. The Messiah arrives at the end of the first 483 years (Dan 9:25). Therefore, the Messiah will fulfill these goals AFTER the first 483 years, presumably during the final seven years.

Sequence – Fourthly, the goals are probably listed in the chronological sequence in which they were to be fulfilled.

Finish Transgressions, End Sins

The first two goals are “to finish the transgression and to make an end of sins.” That seems like a single goal, stated in two ways.

One can see why Dispensationalism argues that these goals have not yet been fulfilled, for we still live in a world full of transgression and sin. However, for the following reasons, it is proposed that these first two goals do not refer to sin in general, but specifically to Israel’s sin:

•  At the time, Israel was in exile due to their sins. In his prayer, Daniel confessed Israel’s sins (Dan 9:5, 13, 20) and he prayed that God would forgive them (Dan 9:19). Given this context, when Daniel hears that 490 years were decreed for Israel “to make an end of sins,” he would have understood that Israel had to make an end to their own sins. He would not have understood this goal as implying the end of the world and of human existence as we know it.

•  This is supported by the definite article “the” (the transgression), which seems to identify the transgression as some specific sin.

•  The goals are probably listed in the sequence in which they were to be fulfilled, and these two goals are mentioned before the third goal, which is to make atonement for iniquity, which was certainly fulfilled by Christ’s death.

Walvoord agrees that “transgression” and “sin” here refer specifically to Israel’s sin.

The prophecy promises the Messiah (Jesus Christ). These two goals, therefore, in particular, required Israel to accept the Messiah when he comes. But they killed Him.

Reconcile for Iniquity, Bring Righteousness

The third and fourth goals are:

• • • “To make reconciliation for iniquity and
    • To bring in everlasting righteousness.”

Reconcile for Iniquity

Walvoord admits that “‘to make reconciliation for iniquity’ seems to be a rather clear picture of the Cross of Christ.” However, he still maintains that “reconciliation” will only be ‘applied’ when Jesus returns. He  wrote: “The actual application of it is again associated with the second advent of Christ.”

However, although we will only see the result when Jesus returns, the Bible makes clear that God, through Jesus, ALREADY made “reconciliation for iniquity” (2 Cor 5:19; Rom 5:10, 11; Col 1:19-22). Jesus was “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). His blood was “poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt 26:28). He was sacrificed for our sins and did away “with sin” once and for all when he offered himself (Heb 7:27, 9:26-28). Therefore, our sins are already forgiven (e.g., Matt 26:28; Heb 9:12; 9:26-28). It is an existing reality.

Bring in Everlasting Righteousness

“Righteousness” describes thoughts, deeds, and desires that are good and right with God. With the word “everlasting” added, it refers to a condition in which all thoughts, deeds, and desires are always “right” with God. The phrase “bring in” points to the event that begins that condition.

In Dispensationalism, only Christ’s return will bring in everlasting righteousness. However, evil will still exist during the 1000 years after His return (Rev 20:7-8).

Furthermore, “righteousness” is the opposite of “iniquity.” Therefore, since the first two goals express a single thought, the 3rd and 4th goals may also be understood as a single goal. On that basis, since Jesus made “reconciliation for iniquity” through His life and death, that same act also brought in “everlasting righteousness.” Note how the Bible speaks of the eternal consequences of the cross as an existing reality:

“God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life” (1 John 5:11-12; cf. e.g., John 5:24).

“We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb 10:10).

“By one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Heb 10:14).

These two goals, therefore, were fulfilled through Christ’s life and death, even though the visible realization is still future.

Seal up Vision and Prophecy

This is the fifth goal. The word translated as “prophecy” is “nabi.” It actually means ‘prophet.’ Hatam (“seal up”) can have different meanings:

To hide – Hatam may mean to hide or conceal something, for instance, “conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time” (Dan 12:4). But to conceal vision and prophet hardly seems appropriate as a goal for the 490 years.

To end – Hatam can also mean to end something. This goal, therefore, could be that there would be no further vision or prophet for Israel. However, these goals were given to Israel to fulfill, and it does not make sense to say that Israel had to end the vision and prophecy.

To validate – A third possible meaning of hatam is to validate something. Since the other possible meanings do not fit, it is proposed that this is the intended meaning. Specifically, it is proposed that the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah were to be validated by the events of the 490 years, particularly by the life and death of Jesus Christ. For example:

“Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers” (Rom 15:8).

To anoint the Most Holy

This is the sixth and final goal. The phrase ‘qodes qodasim,’ translated as “most holy,” occurs more than 40 times in the Old Testament. In every instance, with the possible exception of 1 Chronicles 23:13, it refers to the temple. The most holy place was the central chamber of the tabernacle, where God is present. To anoint the most holy place means to inaugurate it (Heb 9:18-23). But to which temple does the prophecy refer?

The Temple in the New Jerusalem

Some propose that it refers to a temple that will exist after Christ has returned. However, since the six goals were to be fulfilled DURING the 490 years, it cannot be the inauguration of a temple that will exist after Christ has returned. Furthermore, in the eternal dispensation, after the 1000 years, namely in the New Jerusalem, there will not be a temple (Rev 21:1-3; 22).

The Jewish Temple

Another possibility is that it refers to the Jewish temple that Daniel 9 predicts will be rebuilt, and which was rebuilt after the exile. But we assume that the goals are listed chronologically. Therefore, since the third and fourth goals already point to Christ’s life and death, the last goal cannot refer to a temple that was rebuilt centuries before Christ. Furthermore, we assume that these goals are primarily fulfilled through the Messiah, who only appears after 483 years, long after the Jewish temple was rebuilt.

The Temple in Heaven

It is, therefore, proposed here that this final goal refers to the inauguration of the temple in heaven.

The temple in heaven and Jesus as our high priest in that temple is a main message in the letter to the Hebrews:

That is the “true tabernacle” (Heb 8:2), not made with hands (Heb 9:24; cf. 8:1-2). The earthly tabernacle was only a copy of the true tabernacle (Heb 8:5; 9:24).

Similar to Daniel 9:24, Hebrews refers to the temple in heaven as the “holy place” (Heb 9:24; 10:19).

Particularly relevant to the goal in Daniel, to anoint the most holy, according to Hebrews, the first covenant was inaugurated by sprinkling the tabernacle with the blood of the calves and the goats (Heb 9:19, 21). But the “heavens,” meaning the temple in heaven, were “cleansed” with “better sacrifices” (Heb 9:23), namely “through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption” (Heb 9:12).

In other words, according to Hebrews, after Jesus had obtained eternal redemption at the cross, He entered the holy place. We see the same sequence in the goals in Daniel 9: the most holy is anointed after atonement for iniquity has been made.

The Temple in Heaven is not Literal.

It is not proposed that there is a literal temple in heaven that was literally anointed or cleansed. Rather, the Jewish temple and its ceremonies were images or symbols of the real and cosmic events in salvation history (Heb 8:5; 9:24). The ‘temple in heaven’ is merely Old Testament language used as symbols for such real and cosmic events.

In the Old Testament temple system, sins were forgiven by offering sacrifices at the temple. But the temple first had to be inaugurated. In the same way, the phrase “to anoint the most holy place” uses Old Testament language to describe the eternal and cosmic consequences of Jesus’s life and death. The following are examples of the consequences in ‘heaven’ of Christ’s death on earth:

•  Before Jesus died, there was a book in heaven which no one could open, but through His death, Jesus became worthy to open it (Rev 5:1-5). See the series of articles on the seven seals of Revelation.

•  The New Testament often quotes Psalm 110:1 to say that Jesus, after His ascension, sat down at His Father’s right hand (e.g., Eph 1:20; Rev 3:21). After He sat down (Rev 12:5), a war broke out in heaven (Rev 12:7). Satan and his angels were expelled from heaven (Rev 12:8-11). In other words, Christ’s death enabled God to exile Satan and his angels from heaven.

•  Through Christ’s death, God reconciled all things to Himself; “whether things on earth or things in heaven” (Col 1:20). (See, Why Jesus had to die.)

•  Through Christ, God “disarmed the rulers and authorities” (Col 2:15). These are “the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12).

Conclusion

The first two goals required Israel to be faithful, but they failed. The last four goals were fulfilled through Jesus Christ on behalf of Israel. That Hebrew man atoned for the sin of the whole world. Through Jesus – the Lamb of God, God reconciled the world to Himself (Rom 5:10, 11; 2 Cor 5:19; Col 1:19-20).

However, Jesus had not yet returned. Before He can return and make a final end to sin, He must have a special people (cf. Rev 7:3) through whom God will overcome sin. It was His intention to do so through Israel. IF Israel had accepted the Messiah, history would have been very different. IF Israel were faithful, they would have proclaimed God’s message to all nations through the power of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus would have returned 2000 years ago. But Israel failed. Are God’s people now ready?

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Other Articles

Daniel 9

🔗 Summary of the articles below
🔗 Daniel 9 Explained, Verse-by-Verse
🔗 Introduction to Daniel 9
🔗 The 70 weeks renewed God’s covenant with Israel.
🔗 What was the Decree to Restore Jerusalem?
🔗 When did the 490 end?
🔗 Are the events described chronologically?
🔗 Who makes what covenant during the last seven years?
🔗 What is the Abomination of Desolation in 9:27?
🔗 When will the goals in 9:24 be fulfilled?
🔗 When did Daniel 9 say the Messiah would come?
🔗 Does Daniel 9 describe the same crisis as Daniel 7?
🔗 Was the vision the answer to Daniel’s prayer?
🔗 Where are the 70 years of Babylonian captivity in history?
🔗 The Book of Nehemiah – Valuable context for Daniel
🔗 Dispensational Interpretation – An Evaluation
🔗 Other Anomalies in the Dispensational Interpretation
🔗 Historical-Critical Interpretation of Daniel 9
🔗 The Symbolical Interpretation of Daniel 9

Other Core Articles

🔗 The Mark of the Beast
🔗 All articles on this Site
🔗 Daniel’s Little Horn Identified
🔗 Daniel 9 – Verse-by-Verse
🔗 Daniel 9 – Four Alternative Interpretations
🔗 The Dragon of Revelation 13
🔗 The Beast of Revelation
🔗 The Trinity Doctrine
🔗 The True Origin of the Trinity Doctrine
🔗 The Sabbath was part of the Arian Controversy.
🔗 Christ’s Return

Other Article Series

🔗 The Antichrist in Daniel
🔗 The 490 years of Daniel 9
🔗 Book of Revelation
🔗 Christology – Who is Jesus?
🔗 Why does evil exist?
🔗 Death, Eternal Life, and Eternal Torment
For general theology, I recommend Graham Maxwell.