There are three distinct periods of time here indicated.  First:  Seventy weeks between the time of the vision, and the age of “everlasting righteousness” and anointing of the most Holy; or, from the time of the vision, to the earthly kingdom of Christ, which is yet future.  Second:  Sixty-nine weeks; beginning to reckon from the same time, or from the command of the King of Babylon to restore Jerusalem, and continuing unto the death of Christ, which is referred to as the “cutting off of the Messiah.”  And lastly:  One week, for the overspreading of abomination and that which is determined to be poured upon the desolate.

History fortunately interprets the time here indicated:  for, from the command of the King to rebuild Jerusalem, to the death of Christ was 483 years, or sixty-nine weeks of seven years each.  This leaves but the one additional week of the seventy before the bringing in of the everlasting righteousness.  That one week is here described as the time of most terrible desolation and overspreading of abomination, when the people are under a covenant with another prince.  This present age is as a parenthesis in Jewish history and, as no account is made of it in these reckonings, the last unfulfilled week (seven years) of the seventy, before the kingdom is established upon the earth, must be the time between the gathering out of the Church—­an event which completes the purpose of this parenthetical age—­and the final bringing in of the kingdom.

The last period of seven years of desolation is, however, to be shortened, according to the words of Christ:  “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved:  but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matt. 24:21, 22).  It should be noticed that this period cannot be confused easily with any other, for it is referred to as the time more terrible than any other that has ever been, or ever will be (Dan. 12:1; Joel 2:2; Matt. 24:21, 22).

Reference has been made at length to the tribulation period in order to make clear the exact conditions in which the Man of Sin is to appear; for this mighty world-ruler makes his advent in those days of earth’s darkness and gloom when all the light of God has been withdrawn, and the world is left in its own helpless confusion.  He appears in the tribulation as the agent of Satan after that mighty head of the Satanic system has been cast out of heaven into the earth (Rev. 12:7-12).  The time of the destruction of the Man of Sin is also revealed in that it is mentioned as one of the events in the glorious coming of Christ (Dan. 2:44; 7:11-14; II Thes. 2:8; Rev. 19:20).  He, therefore, appears as the culmination of the Satanic effort, and a careful study of his person and character will reveal the fact that he is the most stupendous work of Satan in his enmity against God.