Why Do Jehovah's Witnesses Point to 607 BCE for When the Jews Began Serving Babylon?
Many claim that Jehovah's Witnesses have made up the date of 607 B.C.E. as the date of when the Jews began serving Babylon to fit with their own convenient chronology, but is that true?
Well, most biblical historians agree that Babylon fell in 539 BCE and the captives were released a couple of years later according to the Cyrus Cylinder. 70 years prior to 537 BCE is 607 BCE. But where do we get the date from? Secular historians and secular history? No. We get it from the Bible.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe the Bible to be infallible. So what does the Bible say? At Jeremiah 29:10, Jehovah says, "When 70 years at Babylon are fulfilled, I will turn my attention to you, and I will make good my promise by bringing you back to this place [Jerusalem]."
However, the NIV translates this as "70 years for Babylon," suggesting that the 70 years applies to Babylon rather than to Jerusalem. But is this correct? Judge for yourself. At Daniel 9:2, Daniel wrote: "In the first year of [Darius'] reign I, Daniel, discerned by the books the number of years mentioned in the word of Jehovah to Jeremiah the prophet to fulfill the desolation of Jerusalem, namely, 70 years."
No matter what you believe about the details of what or how things transpired, this clearly shows that the 70 years applied to Jerusalem, not to Babylon, from the king of Judah beginning to serve Babylon in 607 to their release from captivity in 537 BCE. This is further supported by 2 Chronicles 36:20, 21. There are no lingual acrobatics that can get around those verses.
The following article links discuss the issues in more detail:
Well, most biblical historians agree that Babylon fell in 539 BCE and the captives were released a couple of years later according to the Cyrus Cylinder. 70 years prior to 537 BCE is 607 BCE. But where do we get the date from? Secular historians and secular history? No. We get it from the Bible.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe the Bible to be infallible. So what does the Bible say? At Jeremiah 29:10, Jehovah says, "When 70 years at Babylon are fulfilled, I will turn my attention to you, and I will make good my promise by bringing you back to this place [Jerusalem]."
However, the NIV translates this as "70 years for Babylon," suggesting that the 70 years applies to Babylon rather than to Jerusalem. But is this correct? Judge for yourself. At Daniel 9:2, Daniel wrote: "In the first year of [Darius'] reign I, Daniel, discerned by the books the number of years mentioned in the word of Jehovah to Jeremiah the prophet to fulfill the desolation of Jerusalem, namely, 70 years."
No matter what you believe about the details of what or how things transpired, this clearly shows that the 70 years applied to Jerusalem, not to Babylon, from the king of Judah beginning to serve Babylon in 607 to their release from captivity in 537 BCE. This is further supported by 2 Chronicles 36:20, 21. There are no lingual acrobatics that can get around those verses.
The following article links discuss the issues in more detail:
Comments
To share this true experience with you all, I had a discussion with someone who also disagreed with the 607 date, and to support my belief in the date, I simply shared the prophecy in Jeremiah stating that Israel will serve the King of Babylon for "70 years". I tied this in with the well-supported date of 537, the date Israel was restored to true worship, and simply counted backward which landed on 607.
You can image what was said to me next: This person called into question the 537 date, and even stated that scholars are starting to re-examine THAT date of restoration. Never mind that she never provided a shred of evidence to back this up, but this just shows how people will deny facts just to disagree with Witnesses.
We haven't conveniently accepted anything -- THEY conveniently DENY facts that supports Bible chronology on this issue.
Its to the point to where they have to outright deny clear scriptural evidence because apostates MUST prove JWs wrong.
I've yet to see any other religion's apostates this obsessed with their former religion.
Whatever makes being a "Christian" easier, and whatever makes you more acceptable to the intellectual wing of society, is what those religions are aiming for.
Most simply say that Jws believe 607 was the date of Jerusalem's destruction, and so they checked it, and scholars agree it was 587. So they claimed they could no longer believe it because we made it up to "jibe" with 1914.
What they hardly ever show is how we came about it. One of the easiest ways to do this is to count 70 years back from 537, the date the jews were free to worship, which lands at 607. After all, the Bible says Jewish captivity would last 70 years. (Daniel 9:2; Jeremiah 29:10). The overthrow of Babylon began in 539. This date is non-negotiable in history.
So in their efforts to justify their position, they have to lie to themselves and to the public.
This is why I admonish non-witness to research our beliefs on their own. The 607 date lines with 1914 because Bible Chronology points there.
This is what they don't want people knowing...
http://myaiua.blogspot.com/2008/12/607-bcefall-of-jerusalem.html
http://onlytruegod.org/jwstrs/607BCE.htm
scholar JW
In other words, apostates are whiners who throw tantrums because things don't go their way. Along with the obsession spoken of by Paul at 1 Timothy 6:4, it indicates the narcissism that is so common among them. I'm glad you were not so affected. You clearly have a good head on your shoulders. Always keep that balanced view and may Jehovah continue to bless you with more wisdom.
"In the scripture at Ezra 6:15 it states that the temple was rebuilt in Darius(persian) 6th year of reign. It couldnt be darius the Mede, because he had already died in 539bce, he only ruled for 3 weeks (Dan 5:30). So Darius the persians 6th year of reign was 516bce ( began to reign in 522bce when his father cambyses died). So if you go by the bible scriptures and information, and you add 70 years onto 516bce, you get 586bce, as the destruction of Jerusalem, according to the bible. If it was 607bce then surely that would mean the rebuilt date was 70 years later in 537bce.But it was not. So how come the Governing Body claim different to the actual facts in the bible?"
First, the Governing Body makes no claim to infallibility. That said, in this matter, they are not wrong (as I prove below). Additionally, the current GB is not to be blaimed for anything belonging to a previous GB. For example, no one on the current GB was a GB member during the 1975 incident, so attributing anything to them regarding the 607 BCE date is not appropriate. Be careful about developing an adverse spirit to Jehovah's appointed representatives. If you are already in full opposition to them, then I recommend you find a group that you do believe represents God, because being under the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses would only be an uneven yoke to you otherwise.
First, your claim that Darius the Mede ruled for only three weeks is based on the assumption that Darius the Mede is Gobryas who seems to have died three weeks after conquering Babylon according to the Nabonidus Chronicle. But Darius the Mede's rule has not yet been confirmed by archaeology or any ancient historian and the Bible does not say any such thing about him. So we cannot make that connection between Gobryas and Darius the Mede. The organization makes no claim that Darius the Mede was Gobryas. (Second link below.) But that is neither here no there since you have also made an assumption about what the Scriptures claim.
The 70 years prophecies do not state that the temple would be rebuilt by the end of the 70 years. That is your assumption. Instead it says that the land paid off its sabbaths, in which the land was to lie desolate. (Le 26:3
4; 2Ch 36:21) So how could the land lie desolate if the temple is being built in that time? It also says that they would serve Babylon for 70 years. (Jer 25:11) It is at the end of the 70 years that Jehovah would bring the king of Babylon to account. (Jer 25:11) Jer 29:10 says that the Jews would not return to the land until the end of the 70 years. The Jews returned in 537 BCE, according to the Cyrus cylinder, exactly 70 years after 607 BCE.
The year after the Jews returned to Jerusalem, the foundation of the temple was laid, but it was before the foundation was laid that the altar was built and sacrifices began to be performed. (Ezra 3:1-10; Haggai 2:10-18) So sacrifices and true worship were performed before work even began on the temple. This is because true worship does not depend upon the existence of a house for worship.—2Sa 7:5-7.
You would fair better to rely upon the organization's publications than those of our opposers who have left careful study behind.
Some helpful links:
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200000970#h=242:0-242:842
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200001124?q=gobryas+darius&p=par
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darius_the_Great
According to the Babylonian Chronicles, Nebuchadnezzar was appointed by his father as the crown prince (king designate) two years earlier when his father's health began to deteriorate.
I will not be discussing that further. Thank you for sharing your beliefs. This issue is contentious for many, so I will not be allowing comments about alternative views (and there are many).
Thank you for identifying the broken link. It appears that the website hosting the article no longer exists. I have added the PDF link to the downloadable version you provided instead.
I will not be linking the second pdf you listed because the author has adjusted his view so that he no longer backs his statements in the second half of the document according to an online post he made about it.
Thank you for your contribution.
I will not be linking to anything that references Rolf Furuli, who officially announced his apostasy last year.
The organization does not claim to be perfect in its understanding. We are not associated because they claim perfect knowledge. We are associated because we earnestly seek to please the one and only true God, to live forever and to associate with others who seek the same things.
It is always best to keep the message simple. The Bible says that Judah would serve Babylon from 70 years before the release from captivity. So regardless what any person or organization claims, that is 607 BCE. The details have been conjecture on all sides. That the Bible says 607 BCE is all we need to know. 1914 was the year the world changed. There is no other year that can be identified as the beginning of the last days.
I will remove the link, but I recommend you keep it simple. No argument can stand against the Bible’s simple truth.
For now, do not hold it against him and love him for the qualities you like as a worldly man and discuss nothing spiritual with him. Stay strong and he may find repentance. Give him no cause for complaint against us. Show him what it means to be loyal without compromising your spiritual health.
If he insists on pushing his erroneous ideas, ask him to stop. If he doesn’t then let the elders know so that they can protect the congregation. This will let him know, by action, that he is the one driving the wedge, not you. If he does not insist on his ideas, then you have something to appreciate about him, but do not let it cause you to drift away.
Show love, but don’t let your guard down.