588 BC is a JOKE because the 70 years Josephus talks about begin in year 23, the year of the last deportation. The WTS knows this! They know the 70 years begin with the last deportation. The "poor people" who spend 70 years in exile off the land are the last people moved off the land. The land cannot begin to pay back its sabbaths for 70 years until all the people are off the land! That did not occur until year 23 because those who ran down to Egypt returned to Judea for a short whlie. So the land was not desolate until after they left in year 23.
JW get 607 BCE by adding 70 years to 537 BCE and claim that year 18 of Nebuchadnezzar is the year Jerusalem fell and thus 607 BCE and year 18 are the same year. But that's just not the case. the 70 years don't begin until the last deportation. People were left in the land after Jerusalem was burned down by the Babylonians. The land had to be completely desolate to begin the 70 years. That did not begin until year 23.
So let me QUOTE:
Josephus, Antiquities 9:7 "7. And when they were there, God signified to the prophet that the king of Babylon was about making an expedition against the Egyptians, and commanded him to foretell to the people that Egypt should be taken, and the king of Babylon should slay some of them and, should take others captive, and bring them to Babylon; which things came to pass accordingly; for on the fifth year after the destruction of Jerusalem, which was the twenty-third of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, he made an expedition against Celesyria; and when he had possessed himself of it, he made war against the Ammonites and Moabites; and when he had brought all these nations under subjection, he fell upon Egypt, in order to overthrow it; and he slew the king that then reigned (16) and set up another; and he took those Jews that were there captives, and led them away to Babylon. And such was the end of the nation of the Hebrews, as it hath been delivered down to us, it having twice gone beyond Euphrates; for the people of the ten tribes were carried out of Samaria by the Assyrians, in the days of king Hoshea; after which the people of the two tribes that remained after Jerusalem was taken [were carried away] by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon and Chaldea. Now as to Shalmanezer, he removed the Israelites out of their country, and placed therein the nation of the Cutheans, who had formerly belonged to the inner parts of Persia and Media, but were then called Samaritans, by taking the name of the country to which they were removed; but the king of Babylon, who brought out the two tribes, (17) placed no other nation in their country, by which means all Judea and Jerusalem, and the temple, continued to be a desert for seventy years; but the entire interval of time which passed from the captivity of the Israelites, to the carrying away of the two tribes, proved to be a hundred and thirty years, six months, and ten days."
Jeremiah 44:14 and 28 clearly says that a remnant of those who ran down to Egypt would return to Judea. That means there were inhabitants as late as year 23! So that is when the 70 years must begin, year 23! Not year 18. So 607 BC is out as ever being the year Jerusalem fell. It's just that simple.
