The weeks are weeks of years so the 70 weeks equal (7x70 weeks) 490 years. The weeks are divided into three parts. The first part is from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem by Artaxerxes in the twentieth year of his reign (7x7 weeks) 49 years. The second part is from the building of the wall until the Messiah (7x62 weeks) 434 years. The third part (1 week) of 7 years concludes with the still-future blessing of Israel.
In Dan. 9:26 we read, "After threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, and shall have nothing." (margin.) The moment of His cutting off is left vague, that is, it does not confine it to the moment of the conclusion of the sixty-ninth week (62 + 7) of years, but "after" it.
The Lord during His three and a half years of ministry gathered a remnant of the people to Himself. For the believing remnant His ministry was the first half of the seventieth week. His cutting off was in the middle of the seventieth week, leaving only half the week to come.
For the apostate Jews the seventieth week is yet to come. Consequently, the seventieth week has a double those who had faith for it, yet Elijah has yet in fact to those who had faith for it, yet Elijah has yet in fact to come (see Matt. 17:10-13; Mal. 4). For the Jews with faith, the first half of the week was fulfilled and then the Messiah was cut off, while in fact, it would still have to come.
In Scripture when you come to counting out of days, only the last half of the seventieth week is ever named. The passages of Scripture where it is counted are Dan. 7:25; 12:7; Rev. 11:2, 3; 12:6; 13:5.
The Lord's coming for the saints may happen at any moment, and, the first half left. week being thus le vague, any period necessary (longer or shorter, as the case may be) for what has to be accomplished, may take place between the rapture of the saints and the commencement of the final events of the period of tribulation, during the three and a half years or last half week. At its close, the Lord will appear for the deliverance of His people.
When Messiah was cut off at the cross and got no kingdom, sixty-nine-and-a-half weeks were gone for the true saints, sixty-nine weeks only for the apostates. Then comes in the great Church parenthesis, when all time has ceased to be counted, because the Jews are set aside, and God is gathering the Church—the body of Christ—to which times and seasons do not belong. When that is accomplished, He turns again to time, the earth, and the Jew. Half a week only then has to come, the last of the seventieth, for those who had received Him, a whole week for those who did not. The conclusion of it will bring in the full blessing of Israel.