"Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.
Many, in fact most interpreters place the 70th week into the future. Pre-tribbers place it following the rapture of the church and some Post-tribbers place it just before the return of Christ during a time of tribulation or wrath. It is true that all 6 objectives were decreed for His people in the time frame of the 70 weeks. But how are his people going to accomplish them? When one carefully looks at the list, it becomes obvious that he only way that could be possible is for them to accept their Messiah the prince who would come after first 69 weeks. If this is true, then Jesus accomplished all of the six points for them. Is this a Messianic Prophecy pointing to the cross?

The Six items mentioned in the list are:
1. To finish the transgression
2. To make an end of sins

There are two different words for sin used here. The first, "finish transgression" is sin as rebellion against God. The second phrase "put an end to sin" means sin as missing the mark or the standard. It means breaking God's law. Israel was to put away sin and develop a righteous society, in order to be prepared for the Messiah to come.

The problem is that Israel never was able to put away her sins. That is the reason God provided the sacrifices offered at the sanctuary. Every sacrifice pointed forward to Jesus. In the temple, they were forgiven for their sins by Grace thru faith in the Lamb who would come. So Jesus Himself "finished transgression" and "put an end to sin" with a better sacrifice than the blood of Goats and calves.
"But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Heb 9:26).
How was Jesus going to do away with sin? At he cross!! By sacrificing Himself.
The only way that Israel could ever Do away with sin, is by accepting her Messiah who did in fact put an end to sin by his own sacrifice! It is all about Jesus, not Israel. Israel can only participate in what Jesus has already DONE!
Hebrews is unmistakable; Jesus began the work of putting away sin at the cross. He is not done yet. There is still a completion of the act to totally do away with sin which will not be done until the lake of fire. That is the NT principle of already-not yet or inagurated - consumated. He inagurated the process athe that cross, so much so that the writer of Hebrews could say "He was sacrificed to do away with sin."

3. To atone for wickedness. Jesus certainly did this too. "God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement" (Rom 3:25), Are we to believe that Israel Makes her own atonement for her wickedness? Only Jesus can do this, and Israel can only make atonement In Christ. Some would try to argue that Israel makes atonement when they offer the sacrifices. That is obviously true, but that is not what Daniel is referring to here. They made atonement every day and on the Day of Atonement, every year from the begining. But those atonements were not sufficient. Daniel is talking about "The" Atonement Jesus made by offering himself on the cross.

4. To bring in everlasting righteousness.
Certainly no sinful human being or nation would ever be able to bring in everlasting righteousness. Only one, and that was Christ. "Christ has become for us (and Israel) our righteousness" (1 Cor 1:31).

5. To seal up vision and prophecy.
The New Testament has some powerful stuff that is far too involved to get into here.
But again, Only Jesus can seal up the vision (Dan 8) and prophecy.

6. To anoint the most holy [place]. Again this cannot be referring to annointing any most holy place in any temple on earth. That was done over and over again in OT times. It wold be pointless for Daniel to predict an anointing of the temple on earth. Again, the NT clarifies this prophecy.
Heb 9:11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.

It is often overlooked that Dan 9 is Gabriel's explanation of the portion for the Vision in Daniel 8 which Daniel himself did not understand. Gabriel had already explained the ram and the goat of the vision as symbols of Greece and Medo-Persia, that was easy to understand. The part Gabriel did not explain was the little horn's attack on the sanctuary and the cleansing of the sanctuary at the end of the 2300 days. Daniel did not understand that as evident in his prayer at the beginning of chapter 9.

It is obvious from Hebrews 9 that Jesus did in fact anoint the Most Holy place with his own blood when he ascended to the right hand of the Father, after the resurrection, well within the 70 weeks, but this is possible only if the 70 weeks are continuous. Projecting the 70th week into the future is to deny the High Priestly ministry of Christ as clearly outlined in the book of Hebrews as a fulfillment of Daniel 9. Furthermore, there is no hint of a great tribulation in any of the six items to be accomplished during the 70 weeks.

Where is the Cross?
There is one more major problem for a future 70th week. The Cross.
Daniel pinpoints the coming of the Messiah at the end of the first 69 weeks.
Notice he said, that there would be 69 weeks until the Messiah comes. It does not say there would be 69 weeks until he is cut off. It says there will be 69 weeks until he comes. Then Messiah would be cut off after the 69th week (v26). This is crucial; it places the cross (cut off) into the 70th week. "After the 69th week" would be into the 70th week. This is in agreement with verse 24 stating that he would make atonement for sins within the 70 week period.

Summarizing:
1. The cross had to fall within the 70 week period.
2. However, Messiah would not appear until after the first 69 weeks.
3. He would be cut off (the cross) after the first 69 weeks.
4. That places the cross in the 70th week.

69 weeks ----> Messiah Comes----> during the 70th week Messiah is cut off the cross..

That is an impossible dilemma for a future 70th week.

JESUS DID ALL OF THIS ALREADY!!!
This is a prophecy about Him.
Israel was given 70 weeks of years to receive her Messiah.
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