The idea that there is a gap between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel is not biblical.
The idea that the 70th week of Daniel represents a 7-year tribulation period is not biblical.
These two ideas have done more to hinder the proper understanding of End Times prophecy than anything else.
There is no gap in the 70 weeks of Daniel. All 70 weeks "came and went" in a single unbroken span of 490 years.
The entire 70 weeks of Daniel are 100% past history, with regard to the time span of the 70 weeks, or 490 years.
The end of the 69th week is the start of the 70th week. It is no different than any other two consecutive weeks.
The end of the 490 years marked the end of the 'Times of the Jews' and the start of the 'Times of the Gentiles'.
The last 490 years of the 'Times of the Jews' is exactly and precisely what the Daniel 9:24-27 prophecy is about!
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Christ was crucified in the middle of the 70th week.
At the end of the 70th week, the 'Times of the Jews' ended and the 'Times of the Gentiles' began.
After that, Jerusalem began to be "trodden down of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24).
The 'Times of the Gentiles' will continue until the Second Coming of Christ.
There will be no 7-year treaty between any antichrist and Israel (as being in accordance with bible prophecy).
There is no 7-year 'prophetic' End Times period.
While this discussion is mainly focused on the verses quoted above, it is offered in the context of the whole chapter - in which, Daniel is pleading for mercy from the Lord concerning the sins of Israel. In answer to his prayer, the Lord sends the angel Gabriel to explain to Daniel what God has appointed for Israel.
As you read what follows, remember that the two italicized phrases in the previous paragraph indicate what the chapter - and the prophecy - is about.
The phrase 'Times of the Jews' (based on the phrase 'Times of the Gentiles' in Luke 21:24) refers to the 'era' during which God is "dealing with the Jews" - before turning His attention to "dealing with the Gentiles" during the 'Times of the Gentiles'. This passage of scripture (Daniel 9:24-27) describes the last 490 years of "the time the Jews have left" before God turns His attention to the Gentiles. In essence, God is informing them that "their time" is coming to an end - and, telling them what is to transpire before it ends.
The first part of verse 24 is a pronouncement concerning the Jews ('thy people') and Jerusalem ('thy holy city'). Remember that this passage is about the events of the end of the 'Times of the Jews' and not the End Times Scenario. This passage makes no reference at all to the End Times Scenario.
Following that pronouncement, verse 24 describes the purpose and outworking of the declaration:
~ to finish the transgression
The finishing of the transgression was the crucifixion of Christ.
~ to make an end of sins
~ to make reconciliation for iniquity
~ to bring in everlasting righteousness
Fully accomplished by the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
~ to seal up the vision and prophecy
Complete fulfillment by the end of the 70 weeks.
~ to anoint the most Holy
This is referring to Christ at His baptism.
The events of the First Coming of Christ completed the fulfilling of all of the things listed in verse 24.
The phrase 'to make an end of sins' is not referring to a point in time after which no more sins would ever be committed. It is referring to the spiritual "process" by which sins were made-of-no-effect (Romans 6:6; 8:2) -- in the same sense of death being "swallowed up in victory" in 1 Corinthians 15:54.
To explain it another way, the words 'to make an end of sins' are referring to the "setting up for the fall of" sins - the 'causation' of the ultimate "end of sins" by virtue of the "robbing sin of its power"...
Based on the usage of the word 'make', the phrase 'to make an end of sins' means:
"To produce the means and method - and the desired result - by the carrying out of the operation of that means and method, by which 'sins' would be defeated/destroyed."
Thus, Christ defeated/destroyed 'sins' on the cross of Calvary; thereby, "making an end of sins' - or, ensuring the ultimate "death" of 'sins' - or, bringing 'sins' to its end.
The idea behind the words 'end of sins' is not chronologically-based (as in, "no more sins committed after a certain point in time"); rather, it is referring to the ultimate "death" of 'sins' (in spiritual terms).
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Grammatically speaking, the phrase 'seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks' in verse 25 cannot be "dismantled" so that - in the next verse - 62 weeks can be added to the 7 weeks at the beginning of this phrase. With regard to "counting", the phrase must be taken and understood as simply 69 weeks.
The phrase 'unto the Messiah the Prince' in verse 25 is referring to the 'arrival' of Jesus (as being identified as the Messiah) during the First Coming of Christ. The end of the 69 weeks of verse 25 points to this moment in time (at His baptism, when God identifies Him as the Messiah).
The words 'And after' in verse 26 refer back to the last part of verse 25 (after the colon) as the beginning of the counting of the 62 weeks.
A proper understanding of the end of verse 25 is critical to obtaining a proper understanding of the 62 weeks in verse 26. It represents and refers to the end of the rebuilding of the city, which was 52 years after the decree went forth to rebuild the city - which places the start of the 62 weeks in the middle of the 8th week - and the end of the 62 weeks in the middle of the 70th week.
The "countdown" for the 62 weeks starts at the end of the rebuilding of Jerusalem - not at the end of the 7th week.
If the 62 weeks of verse 26 were counted starting from the end of the 7th week, it would place 'shall Messiah be cut off' in verse 26 at the same point in time as 'unto the Messiah the Prince' in verse 25. This would have Him to be "cut off" at the same time that He 'arrives'. This makes no sense in the "bigger picture" of the First Coming of Christ - especially with regard to the time span of His ministry. The phrase 'unto the Messiah the Prince' points to the start of His ministry, and the phrase 'shall Messiah be cut off' points to the end of it.
So then:
The "countdown" for the 69 weeks in verse 25:
The "countdown" for the 62 weeks in verse 26:
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The phrase 'And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week' in verse 27 does not indicate that the length of the covenant is for 1 week; but, rather - that the confirmation of the covenant is for 1 week.
The phrase 'in the midst of the week' in verse 27 is referring to the same point in time as 'shall Messiah be cut off' in verse 26.
The phrase 'he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease' in verse 27 is referring to the occurrence of - and the ramifications of - this:
38 And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
It is the middle of the 70th week. Christ dies on the cross. The veil of the temple is rent from top to bottom. Sacrifice and oblation cease.
The rest of verse 27 is referring to the desolation of the temple and the events that occurred in and around Jerusalem circa 70 A.D.
(It is not talking about the Abomination of Desolation.)
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There is no 'prince' in verse 27. The words 'he' in verse 27 (all three of them) refer back to the word 'Messiah' in verse 26. And, in verse 26 - 'prince' is not the subject of the clausal statement after the colon - 'people' is the subject - 'prince' is part of a prepositional phrase which helps to define 'people'. So then, because 'prince' is not the subject of the clause - and is only "prepositional" - it is not a valid target for the word 'he' in verse 27.
And, "aside from that"...
The last part of verse 26 - from the colon until the end of the verse - is what I like to call an 'aside' (because, in terms of thought process, the focus of what is being said shifts temporarily away from the "current focus" onto something else). Because the focus shifts away from the "current focus" - the new, temporary, focus is not necessarily constrained by the "current focus" at the point that the focus shifted. What this means for this passage is that, there is no necessity for the "destruction" that it is talking about to have anything [directly] to do with the 70 weeks (the "current focus" at the point of the 'aside') - especially where timing is concerned. The phrase "that shall come" simply points to "some time later" - and does not mandate that the target thought/focus align with the 70 weeks in any particular way. In terms of thought process, it is a complete jump away from the 70 weeks that is being "discussed" before the point of the 'aside'.
At the beginning of verse 27, the focus returns to what it was before the 'aside'.
This 'aside' is referring to the events circa 70 A.D. - which occurred after the end of the 70 weeks.
A shamefully erroneous and wickedly dangerous interpretation of Daniel 9:24-27 has been propagated for many generations.
It has attained to such extensive acceptance among Christians so as to become something that is forbidden to be questioned.
For a Christian in the modern day, it is increasingly important to have a proper biblical understanding of End Times prophecy.
I sincerely hope and pray that this discussion will provoke those who were taught that particular interpretation to question it.