UNDERSTANDING DANIEL'S SEVENTY WEEKS

Daniel 9:24-27 (KJV) - [24] "Seventy weeks (*four hundred ninety years) are determined upon thy people (Israel) and upon thy holy city (Jerusalem), 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 (*forty-nine years), and threescore and two weeks (*four hundred thirty-four years): 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 (He will die, not for His own sins, as He had no sins - Heb. 4:15, but He died for the sins of the world - Jn. 1:29; 1 Jn. 2:2): and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary (since Roman destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the future "prince" will be from the Roman Empire); and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.  [27] And he (the future "Roman prince") shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (*seven years): and in the midst of the week (*1260 days; or 42 months; or a time, times, and half a time) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate (see Mt. 24:15; Rev. Ch. 13), even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."

*    "Weeks" must refer to seven-year periods, because verse 27 describes the last "week" as being     divided into to halves.  Each of the two halves is defined as being:
1) Twelve hundred and sixty (1260) days (Revelation 12:6,14). This would be
             equivalent to 3½ years and also equivalent to 42 months (of 30 days).

2) Forty-two (42) months (Revelation 11:2; 13:5).

3) “A time, times, and half a time” (Daniel 12:7; Rev. 12:14) - a “time” equals one year; “times” equals two years; “half a time” equals a half year; for a total
            of three and one half years. 

4) The key:  Half of a week with the week consisting of seven years, hence a
            3½ year period (v. 27).