Daniel 9:24 and the End of Condemnation, Not the End of Sin

Daniel 9:24 and the End of Condemnation, Not the End of Sin


One of the most misunderstood prophetic verses in Scripture is Daniel 9:24:


“Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness...”



To many futurists and traditional interpreters, this verse is taken to mean that sin itself—universally and existentially—will one day cease. But from a fulfilled perspective, we see something far more covenantal, precise, and beautiful.


Daniel 9:24 is not teaching the elimination of sin from the earth. It’s proclaiming the end of sin’s power to condemn God’s covenant people. The focus is not on universal moral perfection, but on covenantal cleansing—a purified record for a renewed people.



Covenant Purification, Not Universal Perfection


Daniel’s prophecy was about his people (Israel) and his holy city (Jerusalem). It was about the end of an age, not the end of human failure.


 Isaiah 1:25–26 – Removing Dross from Zion


“I will thoroughly purge away your dross, and take away all your alloy... Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness.”



This is not about universal sinlessness. It's about Zion being cleansed—purified of corruption, not made incapable of ever sinning again. God’s justice would remove the penalty and presence of guilt from His people, not the presence of imperfection in human behavior.


Isaiah 4:3–4


“He who is left in Zion... shall be called holy... when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion by the spirit of judgment and burning.”



Again, the focus is local, covenantal, and transformational. The "spirit of burning" is not worldwide annihilation of sin, but the refinement of a remnant—a purified New Covenant Israel.



The End of Condemnation, Not the End of Mistakes


Jeremiah 31:34


“I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”




This is about God's covenantal forgetfulness—He no longer holds sin against His people. It's not that they never sin again, but that sin no longer stains their record. Hebrews 10 confirms this was fulfilled in Christ: “Where there is remission... there is no longer an offering for sin.”


Jeremiah 50:20


“In those days... the iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none...”


This doesn’t mean Israel never sinned again. It means their record was clean, because the sin-debt was cancelled. The forensic penalty of sin was removed from God's covenant people.



Refinement, Not Eradication


Malachi 3:2–3


“He is like a refiner’s fire... He will purify the sons of Levi... that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.”


Refinement doesn’t destroy. It transforms. The people still exist, but now as clean vessels, made fit for worship and presence.


Zechariah 13:9


“I will refine them as silver is refined... They will call on My name.”


The remnant is not sinless, but they are faithful and accepted. Their relationship with God is restored, not because they never sin, but because He has dealt with their transgression.



Forgiveness That Sticks


Micah 7:18–19


“You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”


A poetic image of covenantal amnesty. God buries the sins of His people. This is not a universal decree but a promise to redeemed Israel.


Zephaniah 3:12–13


“The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness…”


This doesn’t mean perfection. It’s a statement of covenantal identity: the refined remnant lives faithfully because God has changed their hearts and removed their guilt.



Daniel 9:24 Fulfilled in 70 AD


By 70 AD, the old covenant system—the temple, sacrifices, priesthood—was dismantled. The record of guilt that stood against God’s people was erased through the cross (Colossians 2:14). Daniel’s seventy weeks came to a head in that generation, not at the end of time.


“To make an end of sins” — not to erase human flaw, but to end the covenantal remembrance of sin (Hebrews 10:17–18).


“To bring in everlasting righteousness” — a people made right by faith, not by law (Romans 3:21–22).



Isaiah 65:20 (NIV)– Proof That Sin Remains


“The sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.”


This verse envisions the New Covenant age where life and blessing abound, yet sin still exists. This completely contradicts the idea that Daniel 9:24 promised the elimination of sin from the world. Even in the redeemed order, humans still sin—but the stain no longer defines or condemns God’s covenant people.



Conclusion 


Daniel 9:24 teaches us this:

God didn’t promise to make people sinless.

He promised to make His people blameless.


Sin’s record is gone.

Sin’s curse is lifted.

Sin’s power to separate is broken.


New Covenant Israel walks not in sinless perfection, but in covenantal freedom—refined, forgiven, and indwelt.


“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” – Romans 8:1


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