When was the end of the 70 Years? The Bible clearly states that the end of the 70 years would be when the King of Babylon (namely Nebuchadnezzar) was called to Account. What date was this? 539 BCE. (Read Jeremiah 25). The 70 Years was not only applied to Jerusalem but also to 'Surrounding Nations'. If you count 539 BCE and Add 70 Years you get? Yes thats right 609, the date that the Assyrians were defeated by the Babylonians. This not only fits in with Scripture but also with History, unfortunately despite supporting both the above it fails to support the teaching of the Watchtower Society. I Once took the Liberty to Contact the British Musuem which i still have the emails from, these went against what the Society claims. I recommend anyone looking to fill any gaps in their Knowledge take a quick peak at the British Musuem Website and Search for the likes of Nebuchadnezzar, its Interesting. In the Insight book a particular Tablet from the British Musuem is there for all to see, only the Society claims it shows something other than what the British Musuem claims it does. Who is right? Who has more to lose by being wrong?
607 BCE - Jehovah's Witnesses come out and Defend your Beliefs.
by KW13 16 Replies latest jw friends
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deaconbluez
KW, just a couple of questions:
Is this the picture on the British Museum's website that you're referring to?
And also, where at in the Insight book is the picture with the conflicting description?
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stillajwexelder
Oh come on- dont. Scholar will come crawling out of the woodwork
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deaconbluez
I think I may have found the one you were talking about.
I thought you meant in the "store" part of the website, and not where they have the historical stuff listed.
So I found this, catalog number 219496 in the British Museum:
The British Museum says that the cylinder tells us: "In 605 Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian crown prince, replaced his father Nabopolassar." as well as "Nebuchadnezzar's army besieged Jerusalem and captured it on 15/16th March 597 BC. The new king of Judah, Jehoiachin, was captured and carried off to Babylon."
The Insight book, Volume 2, page 480, under the heading "Conquest of Jerusalem", says this: " Jehoiachin surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar (in the month of Adar [February-March] during Nebuchadnezzar’s seventh regnal year [ending in Nisan 617 B.C.E.], according to the Babylonian Chronicles). A cuneiform inscription (British Museum 21946) states: "The seventh year: In the month Kislev the king of Akkad mustered his army and marched to Hattu. He encamped against the city of Judah and on the second day of the month Adar he captured the city (and) seized (its) king [Jehoiachin]. A king of his own choice [Zedekiah] he appointed in the city (and) taking the vast tribute he brought it into Babylon." (bold mine)So do you see what they did there? They deceptively use the tablet, give credit to the British Museum as the source, and then MISQUOTE it regarding Nebuchadnezzar's reign. The British Museum's scholars as well as:
T.C. Mitchell, The Bible in the British Museu (London, The British Museum Press, 1988) A.K. Grayson, Babylonian and Assyrian chroni (Locust Valley, J.J. Augustin, 1975) D.J. Wiseman, Chronicles of Chaldaean kings (London, Trustees of the British Museum, 1956) J.B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern texts rel, 3rd ed. (Princeton University Press, 1969)and many, many others all attest that Nebuchadnezzar's reign began in 605BCE. But in order to make history and the Bible, which confirm each other nicely, fit their theology (LOL), the Watchtower has to use deception to make their members think that Nebuchadnezzar was king in plenty of time to have made a conquest of Jerusalem in 607BCE, therefore marking the beginning of the 2,520 years at a point that will arrive at their 1914 date. Thanks for point this out, KW. This is even more devastation to the theological scandal that the 1914 date has turned out to be.
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Leolaia
Personally, I think Columbus discovered America in AD 1776. Who cares what the historians say. See, I believe the Book of Mormon is God's holy word, and I have some convoluted, twisted logic that interprets the reference to Columbus in 1 Nephi 13:10-12 as establishing the date of 1776. Who cares if "secular evidence" all agrees about 1492....the only thing that matters is God's word. [/sarcasm]
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VM44
The Watchtower tries to present chronology as if there is a conflict between the Bible and secular historical records.....but what if if there is NO such conflict?
So, who should we believe? The Bible and the consistent secular evidence on the one hand? or the Watchtower on the other?
--VM44
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VM44
One thing that really irked me was the Watchtower's attempt to smear the astronomer Ptolemy just because they didn't like the neo-babylonian kings list that appeared in one of his writings.
--VM44
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deaconbluez
VM44, the Watchtower accepts Ptolemy's king list, and has published it ever since their teaching of Daniel's "7 times" prophecy being 2,520 years. That's what is so ironic: the same list shows Nebuchadnezzar's 19th year (year of Jerusalem's destruction) to be 587BCE. It's like the Watchtower doesn't expect the average JW to figure out the discrepency. Unfortunately, very few have.
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KW13
deaconbluez that is the same tablet i was referring to yes.
as for the kings list, dotted around different literature over the years they've provided the times different kings ruled and as said it doesnt support 607.
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scholar
KW13
You are talking blatant nonsense. The Bible does not say that the 'calling to account' applies to the events of 539 BCE with the Fall of Babylon. This is impossible because Daniel discerned that the seventy years was at the time of writing Daniel 9:2 that the period was then yet unfulfilled. The seventy years ended only when the Jewish exiles returned home in 537 BCE. So, 539 is also impossible because 'the calling to account; which happened after 539 BCE was the desolation of Babylon which happened long after 539 BCE.
The seventy years beginning in 609 BCE is not widely accepted as others propose 605 BCE so there is no definitive event is mutually agreed for the beginning. Jeremiah describes the period as exile-servitude-desolation and could have begun when Nebuchadnezzer destroyed Jerusalem in his 18th regnal year in 607 BCE.
scholar JW
