דניאל, פרק ט׳, פסוק כ״ד

The history of the Jewish people, with its cycles of destruction, exile, and redemption, is not a random sequence of events but a precise Divine plan. A heavenly decree establishes a strict historical timeframe during which the nation must undergo a profound process of purification and atonement. The primary approach among commentators is that this designated period spans seventy Sabbatical cycles, totaling four hundred and ninety years. This era begins with the destruction of the First Temple, encompasses the seventy years of the Babylonian exile, and covers the four hundred and twenty years of the Second Temple period. This measure of time was decreed to atone for past failures. Specifically, the seventy years of the Babylonian exile served as a direct punishment for the Israelites failing to observe seventy Sabbatical years during the preceding four hundred and ninety years of sin [מלבי״ם].

The ultimate purpose of this extensive period, which concludes with the destruction of the Second Temple and the severe hardships of the subsequent exile, is to cleanse the nation. Because the Second Temple era was not a complete redemption and the people continued to falter, the prolonged exile acts as a crucible to purge their wrongdoing. Commentators divide this process of atonement into three distinct layers of human failure. One perspective suggests that the purification targets sins of thought, sins of action, and sins of speech [יוסף אבן יחיא]. Another approach categorizes these failures as interpersonal offenses, transgressions driven by physical desires, and severe sins of heresy and idolatry [מלבי״ם]. Conversely, a stricter perspective views the culmination of these sins not as a process of atonement, but as a condemnation. In this view, the measure of the nation's guilt simply reached its absolute limit, making it the inevitable time for punishment and the heavy burden of exile [אבן עזרא].

Once the stage of purification concludes, the world will transition into a state of complete rectification. The promise of everlasting justice points toward the arrival of the Messiah, who will rule forever and establish true justice on earth. During this time, all humanity will recognize the true faith, and the Tablets of the Covenant, which were absent during the Second Temple era, will return to the Temple. Following the stricter interpretation mentioned earlier, however, this arrival of justice might instead represent a harsh, absolute judgment from God or the fading of Israel's own righteousness. Ultimately, the culmination of this era brings the complete fulfillment of every promise delivered by the prophets of Israel. Just as a signature finalizes a document, this stage represents the total realization of all prophetic visions. It also marks the return of the spirit of prophecy to the world, an abundant spiritual gift that will be granted to humanity, compensating for its complete absence during the days of the Second Temple.

The absolute peak of this destiny is the elevation and crowning of the supreme holiness. The Holy of Holies will be restored to its ultimate greatness with the building of the Third Temple. Unlike the Second Temple, which stood without the Ark of the Covenant and the sacred anointing oil, the future holds a complete restoration. All the holy vessels and altars will be returned to their rightful places. Guided by a prophet, the Temple will be anointed anew, preparing the world for the eternal resting of God and His Divine Presence.