Furthermore, Daniel asked the Lord to forgive them, not based upon their righteousness but based upon God's great compassion (vv. 18-19a).
In verses 21 through 23 we have God's answer to Daniel's prayer and supplication. God's answer was Gabriel's relating of the seventy weeks commanded by God.
In his desperate prayer, Daniel requested that God recover the holy land, send His people back, and rebuild the holy city (vv. 15-19). But God answered him by giving him the report through the angel Gabriel of the seventy weeks (vv. 20-27). This answer exceeded what Daniel requested.
Verses 24 through 27 are the contents of the vision. The contents are the seventy weeks.
The seventy weeks are the destiny apportioned by God for His people and for His holy city (v. 24a).
The purpose of the seventy weeks is to close the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make propitiation for iniquity, to bring in the righteousness of the ages, to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the holy of holies (v. 24b). Today in the old creation under human government, transgression, sins, and iniquity are prevailing. When Christ comes to crush human government, at the time appointed, the transgression will be closed, sins will be ended, and iniquity will be propitiated.
Then the righteousness of the ages will be brought in. The expression of the ages is a Hebrew idiom which means "eternity" or "eternal." Hence, the righteousness of the ages is an eternal righteousness. The coming kingdom age will be an age of divine righteousness, and in the new heaven and new earth, there will be eternal righteousness (2 Pet. 3:13).
Daniel 9:24b also speaks of the sealing up of vision and prophet. The vision and prophet will be sealed because everything will be fulfilled. There will, therefore, be no need of visions or prophets. In the kingdom age, there will be kings and priests but no prophets.
The last aspect of the purpose of the seventy weeks is to anoint the holy of holies. At the time of Daniel's prayer, the holy of holies was contaminated, defiled, and devastated. But when the apportioned time comes, the holy of holies will be properly anointed. This means that the service to God will be recovered. What a blessing!