...and a big smile on his face... as if to say "I can finally shut you up"...
rewinding a bit.... about 18 months ago, I read "Gentile Times Reconsidered" and discovered this doctrine had more holes than swiss cheese. But it didn't end there, I read several Studies in the Scriptures, The Even Tide by John Aquila Brown (not all of it) and then proceeded to write multiple letters to Brooklyn, all of which were responded to by dodging simple questions such as: "If the 70 years ended in 537 and Jeremiah says there would be 70 years of servitude, which Babyonian king were the jews serving between 539 and 537?"
I showed all three of the Society's responses to an elder in my congo (even though he received copies of these himself) and he could see that they were "canned" responses that in no way anwered my queries. But he shrugged it off as "the Society never claimed to have perfect men in the Service Dept".... wtf???
I'll spare you the back and forth that went on between myself and this elder about this subject (and others) but there was a period of 9 months where we had no communication between us whatsoever... then he shows up unannounced with these two rags (the OCT & NOV WT) and tells me (with a big grin): " Look Alfred, the Society has finally answered your questions" (handing the rags over to me)...
My response: Thanks Brother Yes-Man, but I've already read these two magaziines and I have even downloaded Stellarium, wrote emails to John Steele and studied this subject inside out. I have concluded that both articles are complete misrepresentations of the tablets mentioned, the work of the scholars cited and the Bible itself.
He then says: "Not the Bible, Alfred. Don't go that far"... I responded Brother Yes-man, what does Jer 25:11 say? (no response) It says that these nations will have to serve the king of Babylon 70 years, both articles conveniently leave out this important fact because the Society knows that Belshezzar and Nabonidus were killed in 539... That would mean that the Society is indirectly saying that the 70 year period is really just 68 years long...
His response: Alfred, you're probably right about all of this but I think you're paying way too much attention to details. In the past, Jehovah's servants were not necessarily educated so why would you expect them to be educated enough to know all these details?"
(A big internal WTF ???)
I give up...
(sorry for any errors... I'm writing really fast as I promised my wife I would cut back on my internet time... gotta run)