Does The Watchtower even try to prove 607BCE anymore?

by VM44 26 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  wasblind

  You poor soul, I bet you got numbers written all across the wall In your room
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  DagothUr

  Larsinger, OBVES, the Borg are coming. Run! Where? Somewhere in the Kuiper belt there must be some asteroid big enough for both of you...
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  Larsinger58

  Alfred:

  Lasinger... Since the Bible states in no amiguous terms that "these nations will have to serve the king of Babylon seventy years", exactly how was it possible for the jews to continue serving the king of Babylon between 539BCE and 537BCE when this king was killed in 539???

  Very good. I'm shocked--someone actually paying attention and understanding what has to be fulfilled. The direct answer to your question is that Darius the Mede was the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar II and so qualified as a Babylonian king. In the meantime, Nabonidus was still ruling at-large during the 6-year rule of Darius the Mede. Thus it wasn't until Cyrus took over the entire empire and started his rulership years at 1 again that the Jews were released. So the death of Belshazzar did not end the Neo-Babylonian rulership, it continued through the sons of Nebuchadnezzar which was his son-in-law Nabonidus as primary ruler and Darius the Mede his grandson. This fulfills the prophecy specifically:

  Thus for you, the key verse to look at is when exactly the 70 years would end:

  2 Chronicles 36: 20 Furthermore, he carried off those remaining from the sword captive to Babylon, and they came to be servants to him and his sons until the royalty of Persia began to reign; 21 to fulfill Jehovah’s word by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had paid off its sabbaths. All the days of lying desolated it kept sabbath, to fulfill seventy years. "

  Darius the MEDE is not part of the royalty of Persia but the royalty of the Medes. That is why Darius is specifically called "Darius the Mede" and Cyrus is called "Cyrus the Persian." Cyrus represented the "royalty of Persia" and he would not begin to rule over Babylon until after the 6-year rule of Darius the Mede. So the 70 years ends when Cyrus comes to the throne, not when Cyrus conquers Babylon or when Darius the Mede begins to rule.

  As far as the nations serving for 70 years, obviously those nations conquered before the 23rd of Nebuchadnezzar would serve more than 70 years, just as those deported out of Judea before year 23 would also serve 70 years. Thus we are really only looking at who was deported in year 23 of Nebuchadnezzar?

  We know that the last remnant of Jews from Egypt were deported in year 23. But the Bible does mention the nations would serve for 70 years. This is a reference to those nations like Tyre and Ashkelon whose cities were destroyed during this time and their population and peoples deported. The Bible is not specific as to when some of these nations would be conquered, only that their destruction would come after Jerusalem was destroyed. So sometime after year 19 when Jerusalem was destroyed, Nebuchadnezzar conquered these other nations in the region. He may have let some poor people remain as he did after the destruction of Jerusalem. But in year 23, all in the land who were left were deported and they would not return until after 70 years of servitude at Babylon.

  Thus the nations deported in year 23 along with the last remnant of Jews are the ones who serve the 70 years at a time when the entire region was laid desolated. Thus the 70 years of desolation for the purpose of sabbath payback was the same 70 years spent at Babylon by the last deportees in year 23 of Nebuchadnezzar. They served down to the overthrow of Babylon by Cyrus and Darius the Mede, but continued to be ruled by sons of Nebuchadnezzar until the 1st of Cyrus, that is, Darius the Mede and Nabonidus. Thus the 1st of Cyrus ends the 70-year exile.

  You focussed on 539-537 BCE as far as years of servitude. The answer as I said before was that Darius the Mede was the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar so this qualified as part of the 70 years. Thus the Neo-Babylonian empire did not end until Cyrus began to reign, who was Persian. Only 539 BCE is not the correct date. The 1st of Cyrus falls in 455 BCE following a 6-year rule by Darius the Mede. Therefore, Babylon fell in 462 BCE, and the 6-year rule of Darius the Mede was from 461-455 BCE.

  So it all works out perfectly when you understand enough of the deails.

  LS
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  Larsinger58

  Larsinger, OBVES, the Borg are coming. Run! Where? Somewhere in the Kuiper belt there must be some asteroid big enough for both of you...

  OBVES and myself are not afraid of the WTS. We're here to condemn it. It is they who are running from us!!

  LS
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  pirata

  I double checked and Blondie's quotes are the most recent. The last time they touched 587 BCE in a publication was 21 years ago!
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  Vidiot

  All the addition and subtraction in this thread has given me a headache...

  pirata - "I double checked and Blondie's quotes are the most recent.The last time they touched 587 BCE in a publication was 21 years ago!"

  That pretty much says it all, right there.

  Although it won't make any difference to the hard-core oldtimers; most of them still hold to the 7000-year-creative-days meme.
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  Crisis of Conscience

  Marked - to have Blondie's collection of Watchtower quotes on this subject organized and on hand.
  Thanks Blondie!!

  CoC