quote -The date for Assyria's ending as a World Power is problematic but the accepted Date is 609 BCE and that is fine with me because it has absolutely nothing to do with the beginning of the 70 years. - end quote
Thank you for that answer...and you are just showing that you really have no idea what you are talking about, but by no means please don't stop, PLEASE see this whole thing out.
You say you are fine with saying Assyria ended being the 2nd world power in 609 (which is correct) because it "has absolutely nothing to do with the beginning of the 70 years".
Take note of this first:
[12-1-71 WT p. 715 - This prophecy begins to apply, therefore, after
Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian brought about the downfall of Babylon in
the autumn of the year 539 B.C.E. and the Medo-Persian Empire was established
as the Fourth World Power of Bible history. This Empire, which grew to greater
size than that of Babylon, eastward and westward and southward, continued its
world domination from 539 to 331 B.C.E.]
Notice that the WTS states accurately that the Medo-Persian Empire was established as the 4th world power in 539 with the downfall of Babylon (3rd world power).And they go on to show that Medo-Persian Empire was the 4th world power until 331 and although not stated here it ended in 331 due to Greece overthrowing it and thereby becoming the 5th world power.
Likewise, Babylon defeated Assyria (2nd world power) in 609 thereby becoming the 3rd world power until 539 and as we just read Medo-Persian then became the 4th world power having defeated Babylon.
So if you know that Babylon defeated Assyria in 609 then why do you say that they (Babylon) did not become the 3rd world power until 607 and that they were only a world power for 68 years? Even the WTS states that Babylon's greatest domination period was 70 years long.
Anyway, I hope you are aware that Nabopolassar (Nebuchadnezzar's father) was king and with Nebuchadnezzar when they defeated Assyria in Haran in 609, and Nabopolassar died 4 years later in 605 and that is when Nebuchadnezzar became king and then the Bible account goes on to say that Nebuchadnezzar sacked Judah 18 years after becoming king.
605 -18 = 587... But all here know that the WTS likes to magically add 20 years to 587 to arrive at 607...but that also means that they add 20 years to the Babylon overthrow of Assyria in Haran 609 which would be 629.
629 - 539 = 90 years
So knowing that the WTS stated that Medo-Persian became the 4th world power starting at the point they overthrew Babylon until they were overthrown by Greece...do say that:
Babylon defeated Assyria in 629 and thereby the 3rd world power for 90 years until 539?
Or do you say:
Babylon defeated Assyria in 609 and thereby the 3rd world power for 70 years until 539?
Or do you still say that Babylon became the 3rd world power in 607 for 68 years until 539?
If so, do you say they defeated Assyria in 629 (like the WTS does) or 609?