Beyond the Land Promise: 70th Week (Daniel 9:20-27)

We can relate with a desire to return to normalcy, the things that bring us close to God, and our religious traditions that we cherish. The Lord has ripped these things from the Israelites, Daniel has confessed that Israel deserved this consequence, and now he waits upon the Lord. It is in the content of Daniel's confession that Gabriel comes to assure Daniel that the Lord is still working. Gabriel reveals that there is going to be strife and struggle throughout this age for God's people. If there is strife and struggle then why continue in the Christian life? What is so significant about the "strong covenant" in the 70th week?