Biblical explanation
Gabriel told Daniel: "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city." Daniel 9:24 The prophecy is divided into 7 weeks, 62 weeks, and one final week. A major principle used in biblical prophecy is the symbolic relationship between days and years. Numbers 14:34 says: "Each day for a year." Ezekiel 4:6 similarly says: "I have appointed thee each day for a year." Using this prophetic day-year principle, 70 weeks represent 490 years. The prophecy begins with the command concerning the restoration of Jerusalem and reaches forward to the appearance of Messiah. Daniel says that after the 69 weeks: "shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself." Daniel 9:26 The prophecy also speaks of a covenant, the ending of sacrifice and offering, and the destruction of Jerusalem. The Common Prophetic Calculation The traditional biblical-historicist calculation understands the 70 weeks as: 7 weeks = 49 years 62 weeks = 434 years 1 week = 7 years Total = 490 years The starting point is connected with the decree to restore Jerusalem recorded in Ezra 7. Under this interpretation, the 69 weeks reach the time of Christ's appearance and baptism, and the final week reaches the events surrounding Christ's ministry and crucifixion. Daniel explicitly gives the 70-week period and its major events. The exact chronological calculation depends upon identifying the starting decree and applying the prophetic day-year principle. Therefore, the individual historical dates are an interpretation of the prophetic data rather than dates stated directly in Daniel.
Key takeaway
The great controversy reveals God's character as Christ ministers as our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. The dead await the resurrection, Christ's return will be visible and personal, and prophecy calls believers to faithful mission rather than date-setting or fear.