The 607 / 587 / 586 B.C.E. Research

by garyneal 28 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

garyneal

No feedback? Oh well, I will still continue my own research.
AnnOMaly

Way to go, garyneal!
how the Bible speaks on another king besides Nabonidus (and not in the list) to have reigned in 539 B.C.E.
Make him give you chapter and verse! The Bible does not mention Nabonidus but mentions Belshazzar, who we know from secular sources was Nabonidus' son. The Bible also mentions Darius the Mede and I suspect that is who he is thinking of. Unfortunately, no one is sure who Darius the Mede really was, but it is certain that the Babylonian years (their calendar) were dated to Cyrus the Persian's reign from when he conquered the city in 539 BCE. Darius the Mede would only have been an appointed king/governor under Cyrus (like Belshazzar was under Nabonidus) and therefore would not have added extra years into the Babylonian chronology.
All I've time for for now ...
garyneal

Thanks AnnOMaly,
That is exactly who he was referring to and thanks for your input. I've also found this thread to be very informative.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/186656/1/For-those-who-researched-607
Lady Liberty

Dear GaryNeal,
I feel for you in trying to show your wife information on 607. I was in your shoes, trying to help my minesterial husband see it was a lie too. I suceeded, and now we are both out and EXTREEMLY happy. He tells me how happy he is to be out regularly. Anyhow, I wanted to share with you my experience and how I got him out researching 607, and what happened after that. Here is a letter we sent out to over 200 families. I erased our names, but I think you may find some of the reserch info. valuable. Let me know what you think.
"Happy New Years!!"

Dear Friends,
I hope this letter finds you and your loved ones both happy and well. It has been a long time since we have seen many of you, yet some we seem to run into all of the time. When we do, some of you still are very happy to see us, but many are unsure how to react, and yet others seemed scared to death. So we decided to put your mind at ease and clear a few things up. Please be assured that we were encouraged by the Elders to contact everyone we know in order to clear things up some time ago. It seemed like a daunting task and that it would probably fall on deaf ears. But because of recent events we have decided to follow their advice.
Some of you are already aware, but many of you don’t know that a month ago we had our home egged and vandalized by 3 active Jehovah’s Witnesses, who were at our Witness neighbor’s home on New Years Eve. When these men found out they were caught in the act, they all 3 came forward and admitted their involvement. When asked why they did this, two of them confessed it was because they were frustrated we had left the organization. Yet in two years, these men had never once called us to even see WHY we left. So they took it upon themselves to punish us. They will have to answer for their actions, but the fact remains that they broke the law, and worse yet, they broke Jehovah’s law of love.
We are sure you have heard many very terrible things about ____ and I. Sadly though I can count on one hand those who have actually called us to see if the gossip they have been hearing is even true. Human nature is such that it is far more exciting to pass on what has been heard rather then to take the uncommon Christian route and stop the gossip from spreading. So now, we would like to set the record straight, for all of you. This way you can hear it directly from us for once, rather then not knowing who or what to believe.
As most of you know both _____ & I were raised as Jehovah’s Witnesses. _____ was a Ministerial Servant for many years, and we were both in good standing and very active in the congregation, including having book study for some time in our home. Even after my parents had pulled away from the organization, we continued, firmly planted in our beliefs.
Yet little did we know our whole world as we knew it was going to change. Most of you probably have formed an opinion that it was my parents that pulled us away from the organization. In fact, even some of our own family members have spread this untruth, out of denial for the real reason we have left, as it is much easier to blame them, then to accept the truth.
The things I am about to tell you will be very different from what you have heard. I hope you will discard all the other things you have been told and from this point forward, please, if you hear something, call us to find out if it is true, before you pass on the gossip you have heard.
Our Story:
One day, before the summer assembly, my parents informed me that they had serious doubts. They tried to explain to me why they had not been at the meetings in so long. This would be the very first time in all my life that they would not be attending the summer convention. I felt like I had been run over by a bus! They felt that we as their children, had the right to know why they had been pulling away, as I was always trying to get out of them what the real reason was. Little did I know that they were afraid to tell us for fear we would never have anything to do with them again if they told us. As they talked to me, I listened with disbelief, their voices became only a hum and blur in my mind. They had been the pillars to our whole family, and in my mind those pillars had just crumbled. From then on, my world as I have always known it, was never the same.
From time to time I would talk with my parents, begging them to reconsider, trying to reason with them from the literature. But I didn’t know how to handle the questions they had, even though I knew they were sincere. Since I couldn’t answer them and because we are all taught to believe that anyone who has doubts must be an "apostate", I followed what I had been trained to do. I told them that I never wanted to talk about it again, to never bring it up unless I had questions for them. It was just far too painful to try so hard to bring them back around, with all the serious questions that they had, that I didn’t know how to answer. Basically I didn’t want to hear it. I just wanted it to go away, and for things to be the way they used to be. They promised they would never ever bring any of this up again, and so that is the way things remained for about 2 years.
But the one thing I remembered, out of everything we discussed before I cut off spiritual conversation with them, was the whole question of the 607 date which the Society is constantly referring to. I remember my mother telling me about all the different lines of evidences that do not support 607. She told me to check out the British Museum online. So I did. Sure enough the date given there was 586/587 and not 607, which I was always taught, and had taught others. But a quick look at the Kingdom Come books Appendix’s explanation put my mind at ease. I pushed the subject out of my mind, but it came back another day about 2 years later.
Most of you are familiar with the movie National Treasure. Well, I loved it. After we saw it the first time I was telling my manicurist how great it was and a little about it. She informed me that there really are Freemasons. I was surprised. It made sense though, as to what all those Masonic Temples were that I had seen in various places over the years. Like I do with any movie I love, I generally see it twice. While watching the movie for the second time, I kept in mind that Freemasons were very real, and most likely the symbols used in the movie were real as well. While watching this time, two things struck me. First, the “Cross and the Crown” symbol, that was once on our literature was in the movie. And second, the Pyramid with the “All Seeing Eye” that is on the dollar bill, that too was on something years ago, wasn't it? I wondered.
On the way home we all talked about the movie, and the symbols on the dollar bill. How funny that we use this paper everyday, yet how many of us really take the time to look at it. When you do, is only natural to ask what do these symbols mean? So when we got home our daughter and her Witness friend decided to look up on the computer what the dollar bill symbols meant. I insisted on overseeing what it is they were looking at, as we all know how dangerous the Internet can be. When they got done, it was my turn at the computer. It was quite interesting just what all those symbols meant. As I pondered the dollar bill, once again, I wondered about those two questions I had from the movie: What about the cross and the crown? What does that mean? And why would it have been on the old literature? The same goes for the question of the “Pyramid and the All Seeing Eye”.
That night I called my mother. I said, “I have a question for you. Was there ever a pyramid on any of the older literature?” She said, "Yes, in the Divine Plan of the Ages, it has a whole pull out chart in the book." She said she actually had a copy of that book at home. Realizing that these were symbols of the Freemasons, I asked if Russell was a Freemason. She said, "There is much speculation about it. But if he wasn't, he sure spoke of them frequently calling them friends and used alot of their symbols in the publications." So I said, " OK. Thank you." Although I knew she must be wondering why I was asking such questions, we never discussed anything more about it. That was the end of that conversation.
Before I go on, I want to say that I felt comfortable in researching on the Internet because of articles such as the one in the June 2002 Watchtower on page 14 & 15which states:
[Box onpage15]
“In OurHands”
“If we want . . . a concordance to the Bible, we can find no better medium than the Internet. But if we want to read the Bible, to study it, think about it, reflect upon it, we should have it in our hands, for that is the only way of getting it into our minds and our hearts.”—Gertrude Himmelfarb, distinguished professor emeritus, City University, New York
So.. carefully, I began searching on the computer for Charles Taze Russell and Freemasons. To my disbelief, I found many disturbing things, photos of Russell’s gravesite, with the Masonic temple in full view, as well as his headstone and the Pyramid itself that Russell had the Bible students erect. What was all of this fascination of the Pyramid anyway? Well, I soon discovered, it’s called Pyramidology, and it is HEAVILY steeped in Demonism/Spiritism. If you look up Pyramidology at the library, the only place to find it is under the “occult” section. I still get goose bumps when I think of what I read that night!
What was Russell doing involved with Freemason symbols, as well as Pyramidology??? Through the Internets Google search engine, I discovered that one of the things that Russell based 1914 off the measurements of the inside of the Great Pyramid of Giza. WHAT???!!!?? I asked myself! You have got to be kidding me?? I thought 1914 was based on 607. It had to be a coincidence! What we have been taught, and teach others about 607 could not have roots in Pyramidology!?? Does it?
So, getting out both sets of Encyclopedias we had, I found only 586/587 for the destruction of Jerusalem not 607! I looked in the Insight book, the Daniel book.... They all read 607! Then it all came back to me. I remembered my conversation with my mother many, many month’s prior, when I had gone to the British Museum online. So, I visited the Museum online once again. 586/587! The ONLY place I found 607 was in the Society’s literature! Once again, the feeling of shock came over me. By now it was 2 or 3 in the morning. I just could not believe it! Could what my parents were trying to tell me be true?? After all they had NEVER lied to me.
So.. Around 4:00 am I tried to slip into bed without my husband ever knowing I had never made it to bed to begin with. But he knew I had been up all night. He said, "What have you been doing all night?" I said, "Oh, just some research". When we finally got up I decided to share with him what I had discovered. He said, "Did you go to the Watchtower Library CD? I said, "No, I forgot about that." So he quickly pulled up the only reference to the discrepancy the Society gives ... the Appendix to the Kingdom Come book.
After reading it to me, and doing the simple math of 539 minus 70 years, equals 607, I thought, OK?? I was RELIEVED!!! For I knew that if 607 was not factual, my world as I knew it would come crashing down. I knew how crucial this date was to our teachings, as you must have 607 because it is the very foundation to proving it is God’s chosen organization. As the months went by, it haunted me that the only place I found support for 607 was in the Societies literature, and no where else was there any other support for 607. It continued to bother me until I finally decided I had to put it to rest and finally find the needed proof for 607. So, I continued to try to find support for 607. But, the more I searched, the more the evidence continued to mount for the 586/587 date.
I started talking to my husband about it again. He pretty much brushed it off, but I couldn’t. I was desperate to find something, somewhere out there to prove that what we were teaching and being taught was in fact the right date. More than once I pleaded with him and more then once to the point of tears. I just needed confirmation of 607, that it was indeed factual. I was fearful to tell anyone of my concerns other then my husband because I knew I would be expected to ignore my concerns, or be looked at with great suspicion if I continued to have questions. I was afraid to let anyone know I was having questions. Surely anyone who knew of my questions would automatically blame my parents, rather then believe how I came to have my own questions. I feared that it would be taken that I was questioning the Organization, and I knew that you could have questions, but you could not question the answers. So, as hard as it was I kept this to myself. My husband seemed irritated that I wouldn't let it go and forget the whole date thing, but I could not sweep it under the carpet. I knew the gravity of what it meant if it wasn't true.
So… One Saturday he once again agreed to help me. And once again he used the Kingdom Come Appendix. He confidently said, " I don't see what’s so difficult to understand"?? He again simply went back the 70 years from 539 like the Appendix says to do. He didn’t yet understand you could not find support for 607 outside the Societies literature. So I said to him, “No, prove it to me without using any of the Societies literature." He confidently said, "Ok."
After about 5 hours, and after much study of the scriptures themselves, comparing it with the Kings lists, he could see that 586/587 was the match, not 607! He could not believe it! He just sat there in disbelief. He knew what this would mean. If 607 is wrong then 1914 is wrong, if 1914 is wrong then the date1919 when the organization says Jesus chose them as the faithful slave is wrong. He finally realized the problem I was having of "Cognitive Dissonance". The dictionary explains it as – “to have anxiety that results from simultaneously holding contradictory or incompatible beliefs.” After that realization, every meeting became more and more difficult. We found it harder and harder to sit there knowing what we knew, and to have to keep it all bottled up inside. Never did we realize how frequently the date 607 was taught from the literature and the meetings.
My husband privately disclosed to his mother what we had found. After much inquiring, she confided to us that her own Sister, my husbands Aunt, and her Husband, who live in California, had also discovered the same things. We were shocked. She also told us that her own Father, a Elder and District Assembly Coordinater, admitted years ago that he felt there was something terribly wrong with the dates. From that time forward both my in laws continued to bring up the subject whenever they were around either my husband or I. We had made it very clear that we feared this getting out, yet they always reassured us they would keep our concerns to themselves. They knew we feared that we would be disfellowshipped and or labeled “apostates” for questioning the organization. That in itself, really bothered us. Why can you ask those in the ministry to examine their faith, yet I had to be afraid to question mine. What’s worse is if anyone found out I was having questions I would be labeled. That was a red flag for us.
Shortly after we returned from a vacation together, my mother-in-law told me some of the friends had been asking about us. Instead of keeping to herself what was said in confidence, she told a whole group what we had discovered. When I found out what she had done, in a very unkind manner she let me know that that she would tell whoever she chose to tell regardless of the consequences. (I will not repeat to you, the words she used to me.) I am sure you can all guess what that did to our relationship. If my in-laws truly felt we were in danger, would not the proper most loving course have been to take it to the proper Elders, then leave it there, rather then tell everyone as much as they could? As parents ourselves who dearly love our child, we will never understand the course they chose to take.
Because of that course, it is the very starting point of all the gossip, slander and lies. Eventually, the Elders were moved to come for a visit. We were afraid to tell them of our findings, and so at that point we were pretty evasive as to what our real issues were. Funny thing is they never brought up 607, so neither did we. They read some scriptures, prayed with us, and encouraged us to come back to meetings. They hugged us both, and off they went.
I want to make it clear, we NEVER told the Elders not to return! Unfortunately though, that was not what began to circulate. We had always thought that Elders visits were kept private, boy, were we ever wrong! A while passed, and again we were contacted for another Elders visit. Again we agreed. But this time, we had decided that we were going to tell them what was really bothering us. Much time had passed since I first began researching 607, and I had discovered much more. We began by telling them the above story. And we finished by sharing with them our current findings. Shockingly, when you look up in the literature all the different Babylonian Kings, and the time period from which they reigned, and put it all in order, you have a complete Kings list that is in harmony with Archeology! The Society’s book Babylon the Great Has Fallen-God’s Kingdom Rules 1963 pg. 183-184 puts them all together, and all the Kings are accounted for. And when you read the scriptural accounts in Daniel and the other scriptures, prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, it all fits together, perfectly. There are no gaps of time, and for the first time with the Societies own literature, Archeology and the Bible are hand in hand regarding the date. The only problem was, that it is not 607, but 586/587! Also, when you look at Egypt’s records of their battles, the Battle of Carchemish between Pharaoh Necho II and King Nebuchadnezzar II fits perfectly together with the records Babylon kept record of for that event. When we shared this with the Elders, they looked like they were in shock. We showed them the chart we had made from the Societies literature. We wanted to know why the Society teaches 607 for the destruction of Jerusalem, but when you take all the publications that speak of the different Babylonian Kings and put them all together, you have a list that supports 586/587. Note: If you doubt what we found just look up these Kings in the Insight books for yourself to confirm. There are only 5 Babylonian Kings to research. Just go by the actual Kings, whose names and regnal lengths are known from tens of thousands of cuneiform tablets from many different towns and villages all over Mesopotamia. It is so simple even a child can do the math. You will most likely be as surprised as we were to find that the Society agrees with the list of Kings and their reigns.
(The attached chart is what we shared with the Elders.)
Finally one Elder admitted that “there is no proof for 607”. We were floored that he would say such a thing without doing all the research we had done to come to that conclusion. A family member later said they didn’t believe that the Elder really said this. But we do have proof this was in fact said. Remember that if you take this date away, you undermine the very foundation the organization is based on. If you think it doesn’t matter, then why is it taught so frequently? Because it does matter, and without it, everything is called into question. Why is 607 taught as fact when there is NO PROOF we thought?? In fact the latest book studied at the book study was “What does the Bible Really Teach?” which highlights the importance of this date-607.
After a very long meeting they left promising to get answers for us, and told us that they were going to do the research. One of them said that even if they had to contact the Circuit Overseer, then they would do so, in order to gets the answers. We pleaded that they address all the gossip and lies being spread about us, yet they told us that it was up to us to contact those we feel may have heard these rumors. How would we clear our name without first explaining what our findings were? We told them our concerns for doing so, and that being that the Elders would be upset that we were sharing with others our findings. They seemed not to care. So up until recently, we have kept quiet. But we have now decided it is most appropriate. Meanwhile, we anxiously awaited their return. We waited, and we waited, and we waited. Meanwhile the gossip and rumor mill continued to do its damage in a most feverish pace. Finally 8 months later we received a phone call from the Elders. This call was prompted by a phone call made from an Elder in California who is a family member. Upon him finding that we had still not been contacted after all those months, he wanted to know why. Sadly though, he was told that they had called and called trying to reach us, but we would not return their calls. This was an outrightlie!! The Elders know our home phone number; they also know each of our cell phone numbers, and they had our e-mail address. We were never called and no one ever left a message for us to return their call! We had been eagerly awaiting their call, as this was very important to us. Each week that passed, we knew we were not going to hear from them. Weeks turned into months. Prior to our family member calling them, we had not received a call to meet again. Unfortunately though, our family member that phoned in our behalf, chose to believe the Elder, instead of us. You can imagine how betrayed we must have felt. We were shocked and we were angry! Why would they lie??? Looking back on that event, how could we really think it would go any other way? It was at that point that we made the decision that we would not meet again with them. When they did finally call us, Mark asked them if they had found the answers to our questions they said “no”, but we still want to meet. We declined, but told them that if they found any information regarding our questions they could mail it to us, and we would read it. To this day, we have received nothing.
During the 8 months we waited, we discovered yet more shocking things regarding this date taught by the organization. In reading the Insight book Vol. #2 pg. 480 under Nebuchadnezzar, the Society quotes an author by the name of A.K. Grayson, a world renowned expert used to decipher Assyrian & Babylonian Chronicles for the British Museum. The Insight book references him as supporting the date 607. I was shocked, and thought this would be the only place I had ever found a person referencing that date outside of the organization. So immediately I checked out this book from the local library. It took a while as they had to send away to a College University for it. I made copies from that book that I reference below. An interesting note: the Society uses this very book in the Insight Vol.2 under Nebuchadnezzar to support their dates. However, when I finally received the book, I found it was completely misquoted. And the expert said just the opposite of what the Insight book had said. I invite you to check out the book from your library to see this for yourself.
In review of this book and coupled with scriptures we found, which supports these dates perfectly, see for yourself from the chart we made of ,what A.K. Grayson, the expert says happened in 607, and then again in 586/587:

The Seventy Years: 609 to 539 BCE

609- Nabopolassars 17 th reignal year. Babylon was dominating all surrounding nations. See Jer. 25:11, 25:17- 26. 27:6-8, 12-13(All the nations will have to SERVE the king of Babylon seventy years.) The 70 years begin. (Babylonian Chronicle 3- BM 21901)

607- Nabopolassars 19 th reignal year. Nebuchadnessar was not even in power yet! He was only a crowned prince at this time. (Babylonian Chronicle 4 –BM 22047)

605- Nabopolassars 21 st reignal year. Battle of Carchemish , between Egypt and Babylon. Nabopolassar dies, and Nebuchadnezar accends the thrown. This is year 0 for Nebuchadnezzars reign. Daniel finds himself exiled to Babylon, as well as the Royal offspring of Jerusalem, the utensils of the house of Jehovah were carried to Babylon. See Daniel 1- 2:1. Jer. 29:1,20 (Babylonian Chronicle 5- BM 21946)

603- Nebuchadnezzars second reignal year. See. Dan. 2:1

586/587- Jerusalem burned. Nebuchadnessar’s ninteenth reignal year. See Jer. 52:12-16 (There were still lowly ones left remaining in the city.)

562-End of Nebuchadnezzars reign.

557-Neriglissar’s third reignal year. ( Chronicle 6 –BM 25124)

556- Nabonidus becomes King. (Nabonidus Chronicle 7- BM35382)

539- 70 are fullfilled. Nabonidus is King of Babylon at this time. Cyrus overtakes Babylon in one night. Handwriting on the wall. Jews released from servitude. See- Dan. 5:25-26 Jer. 25: 12 ( Nabonidus Chronicle: Chronicle 7-BM 36304)

As you can see, the Insight book did not reflect the author’s comments. We found this shocking, but would not be the last time we would find such types of inconsistency. The issue of 607 is of course not our only finding. There are many others, which I will not go into in this letter, however they are very real and deserve honest answers as well.
While we waited for the Elder’s return we found that even the Circuit Overseer was involved, investigating these rumors about us through our family, but NEVER, EVER, calling us to see if these rumors were true. We have heard the rumors and they disgust us! Rumors such as: We started our own religion, we are printing literature, and we have started a website, to name just a few. We want you all to know these lies that have been told and spread not only about us, but about my parents, the ______, and the _______ are just that, LIES! We cannot stress enough that 99.9% of what you have heard is NOT TRUE! We would warmly invite anyone to call us if you want to clear up anything you have heard. Afterall, is that not what Jehovah and Jesus would expect?
We hope that each and every one of you will respect our decision to examine our faith, as the Watchtower encouraged us to do. (See Watchtower July 15 th , 2005 pg.17-19-, The Shrewd One Considers His Steps and Watchtower August 1st, 2001 pg.4-6-, Why Do You Believe What You Believe?) I highly encourage all of you to do the same, as it should only prove to be faith strengthening. I apologize that this letter is not hand written, but due to the fact that I have so many to send out, it would take me forever to hand write each and every one.
Please let me assure you all that we still have a deep conviction for Jehovah God and his Son Jesus Christ. We ARE NOT APOSTATES as we have been labeled. Apostasy according to the scriptures is a person who is the anti-Christ. And we certainly are not that! We still pray, we still read the Bible, and we have inner contentment, knowing that Jehovah and Jesus love us and have hearts that are far bigger then we ever imagined. We have learned a lot about what it truly is to be a disciple of Jesus, and what true love really means.
For those who choose to continue to gossip and slander our name, we will leave that in Jehovah’shands as we are confident that the outcome will not be pleasant for them. Matthew 7:1,2 clearly states,
“Stop judging that YOU may not be judged; 2 for with what judgment YOU are judging, YOU will be judged; and with the measure that YOU are measuring out, they will measure out to YOU.
And for the very few of you who have not chosen to listen, or partake in the rumors you have heard, but who have instead called us to find out the facts, we “Thank you”!! Thank you all for taking the time to read this letter, as we felt it was time to finally set the record straight and to clear our name. If you have any questions regarding anything we have said here in this letter, please feel free to contact us as we would welcome a letter or phone call from any of you. May Jehovah watch over you and your families.
Sincerely,
Lady Liberty and Black Pearl
Just start with Nabonidus, the last Babylonian king, and work backward.

Babylon falls to Cyrus the Persia -- 539 BCE
Nabonidus -- 17 years
Labashi-Marduk -- 3 months (WT says less than 9 months)
Neriglissar -- 4 years
Evil-Merodach -- 2 years
Nebuchadnezzar -- 43 years

Nabonidus -- 17 years
Year 17 = 539 BCE
16 = 540
15 = 541
14 = 542
13 = 543
12 = 544
11 = 545
10 = 546
9 = 547
8 = 548
7 = 549
6 = 550
5 = 551
4 = 552
3 = 553
2 = 554
1 = 555
0 = accession year = 556
Labashi-Marduk -- less than a year 3 months in 556
Neriglissar -- 4 years 4 = 556
3 = 557
2 = 558
1 = 559
0 = accession year = 560
Evil-Merodach -- 2 years 2 = 560
1 = 561
0 = accession year = 562
Nebuchadnezzar -- 43 years 43 = 562 BCE
42 = 563
41 = 564
40 = 565
39 = 566
38 = 567
37 = 568
36 = 569
35 = 570
34 = 571
33 = 572
32 = 573
31 = 574
30 = 575
29 = 576
28 = 577
27 = 578
26 = 579
25 = 580
24 = 581
23 = 582
22 = 583
21 = 584
20 = 585 19 = 586 BCE
18 = 587 BCE
So Jerusalem was destroyed in 586/587 BCE by Nebuchadnezzar.

Here are the Societies references from the CD-ROM:

Quotations from WT literature which support the reignal lengths for each king listed above
From WT literature, we have the kings of Babylon and the length of their reigns:
Nebuchadnezzar -- 43 years
Evil-Merodach -- 2 years
Neriglissar -- 4 years
Labashi-Marduk -- assassinated within 9 months
Nabonidus -- 17 years
This agrees with the thousands of cuneiform tablets which show:
Nebuchadnezzar -- 43 years
Evil-Merodach -- 2 years
Neriglissar -- 4 years
Labashi-Marduk -- 3 months
Nabonidus -- 17 years
Here are quotations from WT literature showing the lengths of each king's reign:
Nebuchadnezzar -- 43 years
*** it-2 p. 480 Nebuchadnezzar ***
Nebuchadnezzar ruled as king for 43 years

*** w00 5/15 p. 12 Pay Attention to God’s Prophetic Word for Our Day ***
Learning that his father, Nabopolassar, had died, this young man named Nebuchadnezzar took the throne in 624 B.C.E. During his 43-year reign...

*** w86 11/1 p. 5 A Dream Reveals How Late It Is ***
Since Nebuchadnezzar reigned for 43 years (624-581 B.C.E.), this is a reasonable conclusion.

*** dp chap. 7 p. 99 Four Words That Changed the World ***
Proud King Nebuchadnezzar’s 43-year reign in Babylon ended with his death in 582 B.C.E.

*** dp chap. 4 pp. 50-51 The Rise and Fall of an Immense Image ***
9 Nebuchadnezzar, who reigned for 43 years, headed a dynasty that ruled over the Babylonian Empire. It included his son-in-law Nabonidus and his oldest son, Evil-merodach. That dynasty continued for 43 more years, until the death of Nabonidus’ son Belshazzar, in 539 B.C.E

*** it-1 pp. 238-239 Babylon ***
Finally, after a 43-year reign, which included both conquest of many nations and a grand building program in Babylonia itself, Nebuchadnezzar II died in October of 582 B.C.E. and was succeeded by Awil-Marduk (Evil-merodach). This new ruler showed kindness to captive King Jehoiachin. (2Ki 25:27-30) Little is known about the reigns of Neriglissar, evidently the successor of Evil-merodach, and of Labashi-Marduk.
Evil-Merodach --- 2 years
*** w65 1/1 p. 29 The Rejoicing of the Wicked Is Short-lived ***
Evil-merodach reigned two years and was murdered by his brother-in-law Neriglissar, who reigned for four years, which time he spent mainly in building operations. His underage son Labashi-Marduk, a vicious boy, succeeded him, and was assassinated within nine months. Nabonidus, who had served as governor of Babylon and who had been Nebuchadnezzar’s favorite son-in-law, took the throne and had a fairly glorious reign until Babylon fell in 539 B.C.E.

*** it-1 p. 453 Chronology ***
For Awil-Marduk (Evil-merodach, 2Ki 25:27, 28), tablets dated up to his second year of rule have been found. For Neriglissar, considered to be the successor of Awil-Marduk, contract tablets are known dated to his fourth year

*** kc p. 186 Appendix to Chapter 14 ***
NabonidusHarranStele (NABONH1,B): This contemporary stele, or pillar with an inscription, was discovered in 1956. It mentions the reigns of the Neo-Babylonian kings Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-Merodach, Neriglissar. The figures given for these three agree with those from Ptolemy’s Canon.
Neriglissar -- 4 years
*** w65 1/1 p. 29 The Rejoicing of the Wicked Is Short-lived ***Evil-merodach reigned two years and was murdered by his brother-in-law
Neriglissar, who reigned for four years, which time he spent mainly in building operations. His underage son Labashi-Marduk, a vicious boy, succeeded him, and was assassinated within nine months. Nabonidus, who had served as governor of Babylon and who had been Nebuchadnezzar’s favorite son-in-law, took the throne and had a fairly glorious reign until Babylon fell in 539 B.C.E.
Labashi-Marduk -- less than a year
***
dx30-85 Labashi-Marduk ***
LABASHI-MARDUK
king of Babylon: w65 29; bf 183-4 *** w65 1/1 p. 29 The Rejoicing of the Wicked Is Short-lived ***
Evil-merodach reigned two years and was murdered by his brother-in-law Neriglissar, who reigned for four years, which time he spent mainly in building operations. His underage son Labashi-Marduk, a vicious boy, succeeded him, and was assassinated within nine months . Nabonidus, who had served as governor of Babylon and who had been Nebuchadnezzar’s favorite son-in-law, took the throne and had a fairly glorious reign until Babylon fell in 539 B.C.E.
Nabonidus -- 17 years
*** it-2 p. 457 Nabonidus ***
NABONIDUS
(Nab·o·ni´dus) [from Babylonian meaning "Nebo [a Babylonian god] Is Exalted"].
Last supreme monarch of the Babylonian Empire; father of Belshazzar. On the basis of cuneiform texts he is believed to have ruled some 17 years (556-539 B.C.E.).

*** w68 8/15 p. 491 The Book of Truthful Historical Dates ***
17 Other investigators say this: "The Nabunaid Chronicle . . . states that Sippar fell to Persian forces VII/14/17* (Oct. 10, 539), that Babylon fell VII/16/17 (Oct. 12), and that Cyrus entered Babylon VIII/3/17 (Oct. 29). This fixes the end of Nabunaid’s reign and the beginning of the reign of Cyrus. Interestingly enough, the last tablet dated to Nabunaid from Uruk is dated the day after Babylon fell to Cyrus. News of its capture had not yet reached the southern city some 125 miles distant."—Brown University Studies, Vol. XIX, BabylonianChronology626B.C.—A.D.75, Parker and Dubberstein, 1956, p. 13.

Footnote
"VII/14/17": The 7th Hebrew month Tishri, 14th day, 17th year of Nabonidus’ reign.
So there you have it.
If you start with the WTS's own date of 539 for the fall of Babylon and count backwards through the Kings of Babylon for each year of their reigns, you arrive at 586/587 for Nebuchadnezzar's 18th/19th year, when he destroyed Jerusalem.
I think the key quotation is the one from WT 1965 1/1 p. 29 , which shows Evil-merodach reigned two years, followed by Neriglissar, who reigned for four years, followed by Labashi-Marduk, who reigned less than 9 months, followed by Nabonidus.
This is an important quotation because it shows the succession of the kings, with no room for an extra king in between, and it also agrees with the conventional chronology's regnal lengths.
Using the WTS's own data for the neo-Babylonian kings and the lengths of their reigns, there is NO ROOM for an extra king or for an extra 20 years.
If you start at 539, the WTS's own date, and count backward according to their own data regarding each king and his reign, you will arrive at 586/587 for Nebuchadnezzar's 18th/19th year, when he destroyed Jerusalem.
reslight2

garyneal wrote:
The elder stated that 'some guys in Europe' were calculating 1914 based on 607 B.C.E. and the 2520 years of the gentiles times at about the same time as Charles Russell. Since he said that he read the proclaimers book I did not bring up the subject of pyramidology as I did not want to make too many waves and if he did read it thoroughly, he should have at least seen where it was mentioned in that book. I did ask him, though, what exactly was Charles Russell expecting to happen in 1914. He appeared to have dodged the question and stated that Russell did not know exactly what to expect that year. Interesting since my research showed that Russell clearly expected Armagheddon to happen that year. Appears to me that there is a strong motive on the WT's part to hold on to 607 B.C.E.. I wonder if he is aware of what Raymond Franz said concerning the time when the governing body was considering moving the date from 1914 to 1957 to correspond with Sputnik? I did not ask him this.
Russell did not have any concept of "Armageddon" in the JW sense. His view was that Armageddon was a period of time, which he seemed to correlate with the "time of trouble" and the "great tributation." Russell was expecting the time of the Gentile to end in 1914, and for the time of trouble to "begin" in 1914. He did not actually set a date for the ending of the time of trouble, although he did mention dates that other Bible Students had set. Yes, Russell did say that he did know for sure what to expect would happen in 1914.
In 1909, Russell wrote:
These 2520 years we believe will expire with October, 1914; at that time we believe the Gentile lease of power will expire, and that the God of heaven will set up his Kingdom in Israel. We do not expect universal peace to immediately ensue because Christ is styled the Prince of Peace. On the contrary, to our understanding the collapse of the nations will be through a fierce strife, “a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation,” in which “there shall be no peace to him that goeth out, nor to him that cometh in,” because God will set every man’s hand against his neighbor. Our belief is that the warfare between capital and labor, emperors and peoples, will be short, sharp, decisive, and bring untold calamity upon all concerned.
"Time of the Gentiles, The National Labor Tribune, July 11, 1909
In 1912, Russell stated:
We are expecting in October, 1914, that a great change will be due. Now, how quickly will it come? Whether on the stroke of the clock or not we do not know. We believe that it will land upon humanity by that time. Perhaps some of it will come before that, but we believe it will be stayed off until that time. Now, dear friends, what if it does not? We are just as well off as the rest. That is what the Bible states. If it does not state that to you, we have no quarrel. And if it does not come we will not try to bring it about. But, on the contrary, we will try to practice peace and holiness withal. We are children of peace and peacemakers, not strife breeders. But we believe the Bible teaches October, 1914, as the time. If that is incorrect for a year, or five, or one hundred years, no matter, it is coming some time, whether we have it right or not.
Convention Sermons Report
Also 1912, he stated:
We pointed out that the evidences seem more and more to corroborate our expectations. At the same time we suggested that should our expectations for October, 1914, not be realized – for years thereafter – this delay would not invalidate God’s Great Plan nor our faith therein. Our consecration vow calls for faithfulness, “even unto death” – whenever death may come.
"Our European Conventions," The Watch Tower, October 1, 1912, page 310
Again in 1912, Russell wrote:
We do not claim infallibility. To err is human. If, therefore, the Father permits us to blunder in respect to His Word in this matter, nevertheless, He will undoubtedly have a great blessing for us. And if it should be that the year 1914 should not mark the close of the Gentile Times, we would still believe that the time could not be very far distant; for the nearer we come to that time, the nearer we see the fulfilment of the things which the Scriptures indicate will then occur.
"Spare in the Day of Trouble," The Watch Tower, October 1, 1912, page 321.
Convention Report of 1913 reports this concerning Russell's sermon on "Old Earth Will Go Rolling On."
Pastor Russell at once attacked the doctrine that the world will some day be consumed in fire and come to an end. All the predictions which have been made, he said, concerning the end of the world are founded on mistaken impressions of what is contained in the Bible. When St. Paul wrote that the earth was to be burned up with fire, he meant, said Pastor Russell, not that the world was to come to an end, but that the nations of the world were to pass through a period of trial and suffering from which they would emerge a better people, inhabiting God’s kingdom upon earth.
Also in 1913, Russell stated:
We are waiting for the time to come when the government of the world will be turned over to Messiah. We cannot say that it may not be either October, 1914, or October, 1915. It is possible that we might be out of the correct reckoning on the subject a number of years. We cannot say with certainty. We do not know. It is a matter of faith, and not of knowledge. “We walk by faith, not by sight.”
"Resume of the Ending of the Gentile Times," The Watch Tower, page 307.
1915 is one of the dates that had been suggested for the ending of the "time of trouble," allowing the time of trouble to last for one year after October 1914. As best as I can determine, this date was first suggested by the Edgars (John and Morton) of Scotland around 1904. Some other dates were also suggested by other Bible Students, and some of these dates were also mentioned in the pages of Watch Tower before 1914.
I have a lot more info on the expectation for 1914 at:
http://ctr.reslight.net/2009/01/25/1914.html
AllTimeJeff

This is a great thread, and the experience here demonstrates how learning the real truth of an ancient event can free one from cult bondage. My congratulations garyneal!
reslight2

So.. carefully, I began searching on the computer for Charles Taze Russell and Freemasons. To my disbelief, I found many disturbing things, photos of Russell’s gravesite, with the Masonic temple in full view, as well as his headstone and the Pyramid itself that Russell had the Bible students erect. What was all of this fascination of the Pyramid anyway? Well, I soon discovered, it’s called Pyramidology, and it is HEAVILY steeped in Demonism/Spiritism. If you look up Pyramidology at the library, the only place to find it is under the “occult” section. I still get goose bumps when I think of what I read that night!
The Masonic Temple was built a long time after Russell was buried. Russell had nothing to do with the fact that Freemasons built that temple across the street from the cemetery.
Russell was never a member of the Freesmasons, and he never used any Masonic symbols on his publications. Such is pure nonsense, and somebody's imaginations gone ary with imaginations that would presume such an idea. Russell was certainly not in favor of the Freemasons' organization. I have collected together some things Russell said about freemasonry:
http://rlctr.blogspot.com/2009/09/russells-comments-on-freemasons.html
I have also done a lot of extensive research regarding this:
http://ctr.reslight.net/category/freemaons
There is absolutely nothing at all wrong with Biblical pyramidology. I, myself, have never found a book on Biblical pyramidology in the "occult" section. One book I found in a section under Egypt, but I have never found such a book in the "occult" section. I have many books on Biblical pyramidology, and not one of did I purchase from any "occult" section, nor did I ever have any thought that such study would considered demonic occultism until I began to see such ideas being promoting on the internet. My first reaction was the same as when I found out Rutherford claimed that the devil had the Great Pyramid built: Why would anyone possibly think that the Biblical study of the Great Pyramid would occult demonology? Did the demons know in advance what was to be revealed in the book of Revelation? I have read and listened the arguments for the idea that Biblical pyramidology, and they are simply strawman arguments set up to be knocked down. Rutherford holds great responsibility for his statement and the strawman arguments he presented, as he should have known better. However, the more recent strawman arguments against the pyramid seem to be presented by people who do not really know what it is about, but rather what they have assumed it to be In reality, Biblical pyramidology has nothing to do demonic occultism.
I have also written much concerning pyramidology:
http://ctr.reslight.net/category/pyramidology
reslight2

I left the "not" of the following sentence, which makes it say the opposite of what I meant to say:
Russell did say that he did know for sure what to expect would happen in 1914.
This should have read:
Russell did say that he did not know for sure what to expect would happen in 1914.
reslight2

I discovered that one of the things that Russell based 1914 off the measurements of the inside of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
No, Russell did not "base" 1914 on the measurements of the Great Pyramid. Russell, himself, did not do much study on the Great Pyramid. What he presented is what others had found. The chapter on the Great Pyramid was basically the same material that Barbour presented long before. 1914 was known by Barbour and others as the end of the Gentile Times long before any study was made of the Great Pyramid regarding that date. The date was based on several prophecies of the Bible, not the Great Pyramid. However, several measurements in the Great Pryramid do corroborate the date 1914, as several authors, even some who are not associated with either the JWs or the Bible Students, have pointed out.
thetrueone

They.... Russell and associates thought it would sell.... it did........ end of story
The free capitalist system works

The 607 / 587 / 586 B.C.E. Research

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