JW’s, or followers of Christ, where can I find a historical reference to the date of 607 BC?
In an on-line article from the watchtower we can read this apparently incorrect date of 607 BC for the overthrow of Jerusalem.
“How and when, though, did God’s rulership begin to be “trampled on by the nations”? This happened in 607 B.C.E. when Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians. ”http://www.watchtower.org/e/bh/appendix_10.htm
The JWs arrive at the date of 1914, their most important date, by using the date Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians and some very inventive mathematics.
1914 was to the end of the world, but when that didn’t happen they changed that to 1915, then back to 1914 as the date that Christ took His place on His throne invisibly. The "time of the gentiles" did not end so they had to use the date for some other important event.
I have done some investigation on the internet and can not find a reference anywhere to that date of 607 BC. (With the exception of JWs publications. it seems they are the only ones to believe this is the correct date)
Where can I find a reference from an recognized historian as to 607BC being the correct date?
I can not find any interdependent site to show that 607 BC is correct.
As 586 BC seems to be the correct date that would make the invisible return of Christ in 1935 not 1914.
What was so special about 1935?
Could the JW’s be incorrect with the information they publish?
586 BC .After Judah again joins with Egypt against Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonians invade Jerusalem,destroy the Temple, and drive the population into exile in Babylon
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israe…
589-7 Siege and fall of Jerusalem; second deportation July/August 587
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonian_…
From the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple and the cessation of the Davidic monarchy in 586 B.C.E. through the decree permitting the exiled Judeans to return to Judah in 538,
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/history/…
Babylonian Exile
Unlike the Assyrians, the Babylonians, in 586 B.C.E., succeeded to conquer Jerusalem. The Babylonians, led by Nebuchadnezzer, destroyed the Temple and exiled the Jews to Babylonia.
http://judaism.about.com/od/jerusalem/a/…
Please help the JWs out and find a reference to agree with their published date of 607 BC, sorry, we have to keep Christ out of it, therefore 607 B.C.E.
Why do the JW’s need to remove reference to Christ in regard to the date?
Thomas Moore, I think independent historical evidence does not include an opinion from a JW on another site.
We may as well read the LIES in the Watchtower as read that trash.
Not a Jehovah’s Witness but a Christian. Independent research confirms that Jerusalem was finally destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BC. The reason historians and archaelogists can be so confident about the exact date is because of the wealth of recorded evidence that exists.
History of the Babylonians by Alan Millard: “In 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar (605-562) defeated the Egyptian Pharaoh Necho at Carchemish. The last king, Nabonidus (555-539) lived in northern Arabia for 10 years, leaving the kingdom in the hands of his son, Belshazzar. Judah became subject to Babylon after Carchemish, but a few years later King Jehoiakim rebelled. Nebuchadnezzar’s army marched to Judah and besieged Jerusalem. The new king, Jehoiachin, was taken prisoner to Babylon with many leading citizens. Cuneiform tablets record rations issued to him and his family there. The siege with its date (15-16 March 597 BC) is entered in the Babylonian Chronicle. Ten years later Nebuchadnezzar returned because Zedekiah, the king he had appointed, revolted. This time the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple and took most of the people to Babylonia (587/6 BC). For all its glory, the Babylonian Empire lasted less than a century. The army of Cyrus the Persian captured Babylon in 539 BC."
Jerusalem besieged 15 January 588 BC (2 Kings 25:1; Jeremiah 52:4; Ezekiel 24). Fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC. Within a few months of the fall of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar’s army laid siege to Tyre for 13 years. Sidon also fell. (Ezekiel 26 – 28) Of the seven prophecies against Egypt (Ezekiel 29-32), six can be dated according to historical evidence:
Ezekiel 29:1-16: 1st – January 587
Ezekiel 29:17-21: 2nd – New Year’s day, 571 – The long and costly siege of Tyre ended about 574.
Ezekiel 30:20-26: 4th – April 587 – Pharaoh Hophra’s army had made a half-hearted attempt to relieve besieged Jerusalem but had been defeated.
Ezekiel 31:1-18: 5th – June 587 and Ezekiel 32:1-16: 6th – March 585 – After the news of Jerusalem’s fall had reached the exiles.
Ezekiel 32:17-32: 7th – March 585
Major events in Jeremiah’s lifetime:
627 – Jeremiah called to be God’s prophet. Death of Ashurbanipal, last king of Assyria.
621 – Discovery of the book of the law. King Josiah’s great reformation begins.
612 – Nineveh, capital of Assyria, falls to Babylon.
609 – The Egyptian army marches north to help Assyria. Josiah intercepts it at Megiddo and is killed. On his return from Assyria, Pharaoh Necho deposes the new king, Jehoahaz, placing Jehoiakim on the throne.
605 – Egyptian forces routed at Carchemish by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
604 – Nebuchadnezzar subdues Syria, Judah and Philistine cities.
598 – Alliance with Egypt brings the Babylonian forces down on Judah again.
597 – King Jehoiakim dies, Jerusalem falls to Babylon after a two-month siege. The new king, Jehoiachin, is deported to Babylon. His uncle, Zedekiah, is put on the throne.
588 – Under pressure from the pro-Egypt party, Zedekiah breaks faith with Babylon. Jerusalem under siege for 18 months.
587 – The Babylonian army breaks into Jerusalem. The people are deported, the city plundered and burned, the Temple destroyed. Three months later, governor Gedaliah is murdered. Jeremiah is taken to Egypt.
No historical evidence exists to support 607 BC as being the date when the Babylonians finally destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.
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607 bc was the overthrow of the northern kingdom commonly called samaria by he assyrians
in 587 the babylonians overthrew the southern kingdom of judah , and that was the exile
israels’s history may be found in psalms 78, 105,106, 135, 136,
after the exile and the return to judah and jerusalem,can be found in this order
ezra chs. 1-6
nehemiah. chs. 1-7, 11-13
ezra. chs. 7-10
nehemiah . chs. 8-10
also in haggai. zecharia. 1-8. malachi. obadiah, and joel
References :
There is so much info on this matter that it is better for you to go to a Kingdom Hall and go to the library and look into the book Scriptures inspired pages 284-285. I tried to cut and paste but it is just too long and Yahoo answers will not allow me to do this. But if you are truly interested, you will make this journey to a kingdom hall. Or have a JW bring this info to you in your area and just ask for the SI book.
Or I can send you this info if you email me your web address.
References :
Scriptures inspired page 284-285 Published by Watchtower
You’ve already asked this question
(please see keiichi’s excellent answer pointing out that we as Jehovah’s Witnesses believe God’s word rather than man’s.)
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AuifUJKmdnRLZUczxSPTT_Xty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20100708010745AA7bXYJ
(The manner of this ‘question’ is in the form of a rant btw)
Why ask us questions when you don’t want the answers from us?
(someone told me that was called trolling)
References :
You can find the historical reference to 607 BCE from the Bible itself.
From 607 B.C.E. to return from exile. The length of this period is fixed by God’s own decree concerning Judah, that “all this land must become a devastated place, an object of astonishment, and these nations will have to serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”—Jer 25:8-11.
The Bible prophecy does not allow for the application of the 70-year period to any time other than that between the desolation of Judah, accompanying Jerusalem’s destruction, and the return of the Jewish exiles to their homeland as a result of Cyrus’ decree. It clearly specifies that the 70 years would be years of devastation of the land of Judah. The prophet Daniel so understood the prophecy, for he states: “I myself, Daniel, discerned by the books the number of the years concerning which the word of Jehovah had occurred to Jeremiah the prophet, for fulfilling the devastations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.” (Da 9:2) After describing the conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, 2 Chronicles 36:20, 21 states: “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; 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.”
Jerusalem came under final siege in Zedekiah’s 9th year (609 B.C.E.), and the city fell in his 11th year (607 B.C.E.), corresponding to Nebuchadnezzar’s 19th year of actual rule (counting from his accession year in 625 B.C.E.). (2Ki 25:1-8) In the fifth month of that year (the month of Ab, corresponding to parts of July and August) the city was set afire, the walls were pulled down, and the majority of the people were led off into exile. However, “some of the lowly people of the land” were allowed to remain, and these did so until the assassination of Gedaliah, Nebuchadnezzar’s appointee, whereupon they fled into Egypt, finally leaving Judah completely desolate. (2Ki 25:9-12, 22-26) This was in the seventh month, Ethanim (or Tishri, corresponding to parts of September and October). Hence the count of the 70 years of desolation must have begun about October 1, 607 B.C.E., ending in 537 B.C.E. It was in the seventh month of this latter year that the first repatriated Jews arrived back in Judah, exactly 70 years from the start of the full desolation of the land.—2Ch 36:21-23; Ezr 3:1.
References :
Insight on the Scriptures: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.
I found one here :
( http://www.jehovahsjudgment.co.uk/607/ )
References :
Not a Jehovah’s Witness but a Christian. Independent research confirms that Jerusalem was finally destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BC. The reason historians and archaelogists can be so confident about the exact date is because of the wealth of recorded evidence that exists.
History of the Babylonians by Alan Millard: “In 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar (605-562) defeated the Egyptian Pharaoh Necho at Carchemish. The last king, Nabonidus (555-539) lived in northern Arabia for 10 years, leaving the kingdom in the hands of his son, Belshazzar. Judah became subject to Babylon after Carchemish, but a few years later King Jehoiakim rebelled. Nebuchadnezzar’s army marched to Judah and besieged Jerusalem. The new king, Jehoiachin, was taken prisoner to Babylon with many leading citizens. Cuneiform tablets record rations issued to him and his family there. The siege with its date (15-16 March 597 BC) is entered in the Babylonian Chronicle. Ten years later Nebuchadnezzar returned because Zedekiah, the king he had appointed, revolted. This time the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple and took most of the people to Babylonia (587/6 BC). For all its glory, the Babylonian Empire lasted less than a century. The army of Cyrus the Persian captured Babylon in 539 BC."
Jerusalem besieged 15 January 588 BC (2 Kings 25:1; Jeremiah 52:4; Ezekiel 24). Fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC. Within a few months of the fall of Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar’s army laid siege to Tyre for 13 years. Sidon also fell. (Ezekiel 26 – 28) Of the seven prophecies against Egypt (Ezekiel 29-32), six can be dated according to historical evidence:
Ezekiel 29:1-16: 1st – January 587
Ezekiel 29:17-21: 2nd – New Year’s day, 571 – The long and costly siege of Tyre ended about 574.
Ezekiel 30:20-26: 4th – April 587 – Pharaoh Hophra’s army had made a half-hearted attempt to relieve besieged Jerusalem but had been defeated.
Ezekiel 31:1-18: 5th – June 587 and Ezekiel 32:1-16: 6th – March 585 – After the news of Jerusalem’s fall had reached the exiles.
Ezekiel 32:17-32: 7th – March 585
Major events in Jeremiah’s lifetime:
627 – Jeremiah called to be God’s prophet. Death of Ashurbanipal, last king of Assyria.
621 – Discovery of the book of the law. King Josiah’s great reformation begins.
612 – Nineveh, capital of Assyria, falls to Babylon.
609 – The Egyptian army marches north to help Assyria. Josiah intercepts it at Megiddo and is killed. On his return from Assyria, Pharaoh Necho deposes the new king, Jehoahaz, placing Jehoiakim on the throne.
605 – Egyptian forces routed at Carchemish by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
604 – Nebuchadnezzar subdues Syria, Judah and Philistine cities.
598 – Alliance with Egypt brings the Babylonian forces down on Judah again.
597 – King Jehoiakim dies, Jerusalem falls to Babylon after a two-month siege. The new king, Jehoiachin, is deported to Babylon. His uncle, Zedekiah, is put on the throne.
588 – Under pressure from the pro-Egypt party, Zedekiah breaks faith with Babylon. Jerusalem under siege for 18 months.
587 – The Babylonian army breaks into Jerusalem. The people are deported, the city plundered and burned, the Temple destroyed. Three months later, governor Gedaliah is murdered. Jeremiah is taken to Egypt.
No historical evidence exists to support 607 BC as being the date when the Babylonians finally destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.
References :
The New Lion Handbook to the Bible (1999)