“Seventy (year-) weeks have been appointed over you people and over your holy city, to restrain the apostasy and to make an end of sin, and to atone for the error, and to bring everlasting salvation [“everlasting righteousness,”]

Daniel 9:24-26, Zunz’ translation.

Interestingly, while the Scriptures here speak of the bringing in of everlasting righteousness, this is not attributed to the Messiah’s rule. To the contrary, it is associated with the Messiah’s being cut off in death!

Additionally, we are told that these events are connected with “an end of sin.” This is indeed remarkable, for the Hebrew Scriptures tell us that we all have an inborn tendency to do wrong, or sin. For example, at Genesis 8:21 God is quoted as saying: “The imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” We are also told: “No man is so righteous upon earth, that he should do always good, and never sin.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20, Leeser) Yet, in spite of this inclination we all have that we cannot completely overcome, the Messiah’s appearance and death actually brings “an end of sin”! No wonder this is spoken of in connection with ‘the bringing in of everlasting righteousness’!

Furthermore, Daniel 9 says that the Messiah’s appearance and death would “atone for the error.” In the Hebrew Scriptures “atonement” refers to the covering over of sins through the offering of animal sacrifices. (Exodus 29:36) But, curiously, Daniel 9 speaks of atonement, not in connection with the death of any animal, but, rather, in connection with the death of the Messiah!