“A period of seventy sets of seven[a] has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.” Daniel 9:24
The times here determined are somewhat hard to be understood. In general, it is seventy weeks, that is, seventy times seven years, which makes just 490 years. The great affairs that are yet to come concerning the people of Israel, and the city of Jerusalem, will lie within the compass of these years. The 490 years deal with Israel as a state and a nation. This does not pertain to the Gentiles. Gabriel is telling Daniel that the 490 years is required to fulfill Israel’s prophetic program.
When the 490 years are finished, the six things of verse 24 will be accomplished. They are as follows: To finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up visions and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. All six of these events Gabriel foretold in Daniel must be ultimately fulfilled and experienced by Israel. This will not happen until the end of the 490 years. Since not one of these prophecies was fulfilled in the first 69 weeks, there must be a future time in which they will be fulfilled. These six things will happen in the last seven years of the 490 years. These things will happen during the Tribulation period. We need to realize that these years are not to run consecutively. There have been starts and stops of these prophecies. In following Bible Studies, I will write on the six things that must happen and also on the three periods of the 490 years.