The prophecy in Daniel 9 regarding the 'seventy weeks' is most accurately interpreted as referring to:

A A literal period of 490 years culminating in the destruction of the second temple and the coming of the Messiah. B A symbolic representation of the entire period from the Babylonian exile to the final judgment. C A series of seven-year sabbatical cycles observed by the Jewish people throughout their history. D A Messianic prophecy fulfilled solely during the life and ministry of John the Baptist.