“It is not religious persecution for an informed person to expose publicly a certain religion as being false, thus allowing persons to see the difference between false religion and true religion.”—The Watchtower, 15 November 1963, page 688.
*This article uses the terms ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ (or ‘Witnesses’) and ‘Watch Tower Society’ (or ‘Society’). ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ refers to members of the religion or the religion as a whole; ‘Watch Tower Society’ refers to the official organization that controls the doctrines of Jehovah’s Witnesses. In 2001, the Watch Tower Society began stating that its publications are published by “Jehovah’s Witnesses”, however to avoid the ambiguity of stating that Jehovah’s Witnesses receive doctrine from Jehovah’s Witnesses, the term “Watch Tower Society” is still used by Witnesses and herein.
Background
One of the hallmark beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses is that the year 1914 saw an invisible return of Christ (being given greater authority in heaven), at which time Satan was ousted from heaven and the ‘last days’ (2 Timothy 3:1) began for the current ‘system of things’ (Ephesians 2:1). They believe that after the relatively short ‘last days’, the ‘great tribulation’ (Matthew 24:21) (a period of extreme worldwide political and civil unrest) will begin, followed shortly thereafter by ‘Armageddon’ – God’s war against unfaithful people (known by some as the ‘Apocalypse’†), at which time most of Earth’s population will be slaughtered. Thereafter, those remaining alive will be given 1,000 years to reach perfection on Earth, and others who have died (but not who died at Armageddon or other specific ‘judgements’ by God) will be brought back to life, also on Earth, to be ruled over by God, Christ, and 144,000 persons resurrected to heaven (including Jesus’ disciples of the 1st Century and a small number of Witnesses who claim to be ’spirit-anointed’). After the 1,000 years, Satan will be allowed to test those living on Earth, and then Satan along with any who succumb to the test, will be destroyed (Revelation 20:1-10).
*The terms ‘Old Testament’ and ‘New Testament’ are derived from an error in translation of 2 Corinthians 3:14 in the Latin Vulgate and the King James Version of the Bible, and are technically inaccurate.
†The term ‘Apocalypse’ is derived from a misuse of the original Greek name of the book of Revelation, ‘Apokalypsis’, which literally means ‘uncovering’.
Jehovah’s Witnesses select the year 1914 based on interpretations of several scriptures. A supposed ‘rule’ of ‘a day for a year’ (derived from Ezekiel 4:6) is applied to the ‘7 times’ mentioned at Daniel 4:16 to produce a result of 2,520 years. It is taught that this period began when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians in, according to the Society, 607BC, and that it counts forward to arrive at the year 1914. Charles Taze Russell (the founder of the Bible Students, renamed Jehovah’s witnesses in 1931) had been proclaiming since the 1870s that October of 1914 would see the fulfilment of this time period, though at that time it was held that Jesus’ invisible presence had begun in 1874, and that 1914 would see the beginning of Armageddon. Russell borrowed his theories from others who had previously used the same calculations to arrive at the year 1914 as early as the 1820s.
There are several problems with the ‘1914’ interpretation, which are discussed in the following sections.
2,520 Years and the Bible
The period of 2,520 years, applied to the period from 607BC to 1914AD, is drawn from the fourth chapter of the book of Daniel. A close examination of this chapter reveals that there is no reason for the ‘7 times’ to apply to any period other than that of the subject matter being discussed, specifically a lesson of humility for Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. The chapter specifically indicates the intended interpretation, and there are no unresolved elements in the chapter that warrant any additional interpretation. The Watch Tower Society does not apply the same ‘day for a year’ rule to the other two verses that refer to ‘times’ in this sense that occur in the book of Daniel (7:25 and 12:7).
The Society teaches that this period began when Zedekiah was removed as king of Judah, equating this with the ‘removal of the turban’ at Ezekiel 21:25-27. However, in those verses that expression is directed to Israel, not Judah. At that time, Israel and Judah were distinct from one another; this is confirmed by Ezekiel 37:15-23, which indicates that Israel and Judah would become one nation at a future time. (Some Witnesses argue that because the 10-tribe kingdom had been destroyed many years earlier, ‘Israel’ is used here in a generic sense to refer to Judah, however Ezekiel 4:5 indicates that the judgement of the 10-tribe kingdom was ongoing up until the fall of Jerusalem at the hand of the Babylonians.)
The period of 2,520 years is referred to by the Society as ‘the appointed times of the nations’, quoting Luke 21:24, however the original text of that verse employs a form of the Greek word esomai (‘will’), and indicates that the ‘appointed times of the nations’, regardless of its intended application, signifies a period of time that began after Jerusalem was captured by the Romans in 70AD and cannot validly be applied to an earlier period.
1914 and the Bible
The outbreak of World War I in the year 1914 is often championed by the Witnesses as giving credibility to their interpretations. Prior to 1914, the Bible Students were “expecting this Age to close with an awful time of trouble, … to break out with suddenness and force not long after October, 1914.” (The Watchtower, 15 May 1911). However, World War I began after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in June of 1914, too early in the year for the alleged October fulfilment. (Austria, Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and Serbia were at war prior to October.) It was not until the 1920s that a doctrine similar to the Witnesses’ current view of the events of 1914 emerged (since Armageddon obviously did not occur in that year).
Another claim by the Witnesses to defend their 1914 doctrine is that there have been increases in earthquakes, disease epidemics, famine and wars since that time. It is claimed that this is in fulfilment of passages such as Matthew chapter 24 and Luke chapter 21. These prophecies however, discussed events leading up to the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD. (Notably, the Gospel of John—the writing of which is set after 70AD*—provides no parallel account of these passages.) Statistics about people affected by war, earthquake, disease and famine seem significant, when viewed in the context of population growths and densities, as well as much greater accessibility to current events through modern media, indicate that such problems did not suddenly and dramatically increase in 1914. For example, bubonic plague killed a greater proportion of the population in the 1300s than did Spanish influenza following World War I.
*Many bible scholars state that all of the Gospel accounts were written after the 1st century. For the purpose of this discussion, the dates attributed by the Watch Tower Society are assumed for the examination of their beliefs. The Society gives the time of writing of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as 41CE, 65CE, 58CE and 98CE, respectively. The accounts may not have been in their complete form by the years suggested. Also, the author of the Gospel of John mentions the ‘kingdom’ only seven times, limited to two conversations (with Nicodemus in chapter 3 and Pilate in chapter 18)—likely because hope in the impending arrival of the kingdom had diminished significantly after 70AD.
The Witnesses also emphasise their door-to-door preaching work, given great impetus throughout the 20th century. Since Matthew 24:14 alludes to the ‘good news’ being preached throughout the world, that verse is commonly referenced by the Witnesses both to justify their preaching work, and to imply that that preaching work is part of the ‘sign’ of 1914. Though this preaching work does accomplish some good, encouraging clean living, and providing information on a wide range of topics, it does not prove that their interpretations regarding 1914 are accurate. Acts 5:42 and 20:20 are frequently cited to endorse the house-to-house preaching work; in the Society’s New World Translation of the Bible, these verses state that first-century Christians taught both at the temple and from “house to house,” however the original Greek expression is literally translated “according to the houses”. Specifically, early Christians held religious gatherings in the homes of believers, and it is those houses to which these verses refer, as the surrounding context reveals. In contrast, Luke 10:7 quotes Jesus telling his disciples that when they visit a city, they should “not be transferring from house to house”. (There is no ambiguity in the Greek rendering at this verse, and the New World Translation uses this rendering. Though Jesus’ words in this verse may have been specific to the social climate at the time, they certainly do not place emphasis on house-to-house preaching.)
The year 1914 is essential for several core doctrines held by Jehovah’s Witnesses. Significantly, they regard their interpretation of Jesus’ ‘faithful slave’ illustration (Matthew 24:45-47) as identifying the Watch Tower Society as God’s channel of ‘spiritual truth’, and the time of the identification of this ‘slave class’ is dependant on the year 1914, derived by their interpretation of parts of the book of Revelation. Specifically, Revelation 11:2-3 mentions periods of 42 months and 1260 days (both 3½ years). The Watch Tower Society applies this period literally, from October 1914 to the beginning of 1918, after which they apply the 3½ days of Revelation 11:11 figuratively, identifying these periods with their preaching work during World War I, followed by a period of imprisonment of early Watch Tower Society members in 1918. It was after their release from prison in 1919 that it is believed that they were approved as Jesus’ ‘slave class’. This creates a paradox as to whether they were approved by Christ prior to that point, and therefore whether their interpretations regarding 1914 should have been heeded.
607 and the Bible
Arguably the most significant problem with the Watch Tower Society’s 1914 doctrine is that it requires that Jerusalem’s destruction by the Babylonians occurred in the year 607BC. No historian or archaeologist acknowledges that the event occurred in that year. Almost all experts in the field (theologians and historians) agree that Jerusalem, along with its temple, was destroyed within a year of 587BC, and none come close to 607BC. There is a great deal of archaeological evidence that 587BC is the correct year.
The Witnesses arrive at the year 607BC for the beginning of the 2,520 years based on their interpretation of scriptures that mention periods of 70 years in the Bible books of Jeremiah, Daniel, 2 Chronicles and Zechariah. They assert that their stance is to put their trust primarily in the Bible rather than to accept the word of historians. However it is only the Witnesses’ interpretation of the Bible, and not the Bible itself, that is not consistent with the known history of the period.
The scriptures that refer to the 70 years are listed below (in chronological order as accepted by the Witnesses), followed by a consideration of each passage:
- Jeremiah 25:8-14
- Jeremiah 29:10
- Daniel 9:1-2
- 2 Chronicles 36:17-23
- Zechariah 1:7-15
- Zechariah 7:1-5
Jeremiah 25:8-14
8 “Therefore this is what Jehovah of armies has said, ‘“For the reason that YOU did not obey my words, 9 here I am sending and I will take all the families of the north,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “even [sending] to Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these nations round about; and I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of astonishment and something to whistle at and places devastated to time indefinite. 10 And I will destroy out of them the sound of exultation and the sound of rejoicing, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the hand mill and the light of the lamp. 11 And 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.”’ 12 “‘And it must occur that when seventy years have been fulfilled I shall call to account against the king of Babylon and against that nation,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘their error, even against the land of the Chaldeans, and I will make it desolate wastes to time indefinite. 13 And I will bring in upon that land all my words that I have spoken against it, even all that is written in this book that Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. 14 For even they themselves, many nations and great kings, have exploited them as servants; and I will repay them according to their activity and according to the work of their hands.’”
The Watch Tower Society’s explanation of this passage is that it refers to Jerusalem’s destruction, and the exile of the Jews to Babylon for 70 years. The Society attributes these events to the year 607BC. (Though the Bible records several occasions where exiles were taken from Jerusalem to Babylon, the Society here means the exile at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem’s temple.) The Society considers the references to other nations in this passage to be of little significance. Because the Society teaches that the Jews were released from Babylon in 537BC (though the evidence indicates 538BC*), their interpretation requires that the king of Babylon was ‘called to account’ before the 70 years ended. Daniel 5:26-31 places the ‘calling the king to account’ in 539BC, and the Watch Tower Society agrees with that date. The Society has no explanation for the contradiction between their interpretation of the 70 years and verse 12 of this passage, which requires that Babylon’s king be ‘called to account’ after the 70 years had ended.
*Josephus indicates that the temple foundations were laid in Cyrus’ second year (Against Apion, Book I, chapter 21), and Ezra 3:8 places that event in the 2nd month (Iyyar), corresponding with May of 537BC. Ezra 3:1 says that the Jews were “in their cities” in the 7th month (Tishri) of the year before, corresponding with October of 538BC.
Nebuchadrezzar (Nebuchadnezzar) is sent to “all these nations round about”, not just Jerusalem (Jeremiah 25:17-26†). Those nations were to “serve [Hebrew `abad, ‘work for’] the king of Babylon seventy years”. This period started when Babylon became a World Power. (The previous World Power was Assyria; Babylon captured Assyria’s former capital, Nineveh, in 612BC, and conquered Assyria’s new capital, Harran, in 609BC during the reign of Nabopolassar.) Therefore the 70 years began in 609BC, in agreement with the Bible and secular history.
†The verses list, in order, Jerusalem, Egypt, Uz, the Philistines, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, Ashdod, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Sidon, “the region of the sea”, Dedan, Tema, Buz, “those with hair clipped at the temples”, the Arabs, “the mixed company who are residing in the wilderness”, Zimri, Elam and the Medes.
It is possible that Jeremiah made this proclamation in 605BC (after the 70 years had begun), because at that point it was too late for the Jews to repent (Jeremiah 25:1-7). The effects of Babylon’s power, the “calamity”, started to directly affect Jerusalem in Nebuchadnezzar’s accession year#, when “royal offspring” were abducted and taken to Babylon^ (Daniel 1:1-3; 2 Kings 24:1). King Jehoiakim became a vassal to Nebuchadnezzar later in 605BC, who captured Carchemish in the same year, defeating Pharaoh Necho (Jeremiah 25:17-19; 46:2).
#When counting the years of a king’s reign, some nations (including Babylon) used the ‘accession year’ system. This means that the king’s first year was considered to start from the beginning of the next calendar year after they took the throne, following their accession year. Nations that did not use the accession year system considered the first year of the reign to begin immediately.
^The Society contends that Daniel and his companions were not abducted in Nebuchadnezzar’s accession year because it is not listed among the exiles recorded by Jeremiah. Though Berossus, a Babylonian priest of the Seleucid period, wrote that captives were taken in that year, the Society discounts his testimony because, according to the Appendix to the Society’s publication “Let Your Kingdom Come”, “Josephus states that in the year of the battle of Carchemish Nebuchadnezzar conquered all of Syria-Palestine “excepting Judea.”” This argument is baseless as there is no requirement for Judea to be conquered for some captives to be taken. The number of captives taken may have been too small to be considered an exile. Further, it is likely that Jerusalem was not conquered specifically because Jehoiakim allowed Nebuchadnezzar to take treasure and captives as booty.
Because the Watchtower Society’s chronology of these events is inaccurate, it introduces inconsistency with other events. In an attempt to work around this, a supposed discrepancy between Jeremiah 25:1 and Daniel 1:1 is used to attempt to justify its chronology. (Daniel says that Nebuchadnezzar was king in Jehoiakim’s third year, whereas Jeremiah says that Nebuchadnezzar’s first year was Jehoiakim’s fourth year.) In the book Pay Attention to Daniel’s Prophecy (chapter 2, page 19), the Society asserts that Jeremiah refers to Nebuchadnezzar’s rule relative to Jehoiakim’s rule appointed by Pharaoh Necho, and that Daniel means Jehoiakim’s third year as a vassal king to Nebuchadnezzar, in what they reason would have been Jehoiakim’s 11th and final year (though the original text provides no basis for this). Nevertheless, the actual source of the alleged discrepancy is that Daniel—living in Babylon—did not count Jehoiakim’s accession year, whereas Jeremiah considered it to be Jehoiakim’s first year, therefore Jeremiah’s reckoning is one year more. This explanation is supported by Daniel’s omission of the year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, only stating that he was king, because from Daniel’s perspective Nebuchadnezzar was in his accession year.
Jeremiah 29:10
10 “For this is what Jehovah has said, ‘In accord with the fulfilling of seventy years at Babylon I shall turn my attention to YOU people, and I will establish toward YOU my good word in bringing YOU back to this place.’
Bible translations not based on the King James Version say “for Babylon” here rather than “at Babylon”. (The original text allows for either rendering.) Because this verse relates to the servitude to Babylon mentioned at Jeremiah 25:11, “for Babylon” is more consistent. Though the Jews were told they would return to Jerusalem “in accord with the fulfilling of 70 years,” they were not told that it marked the end of the period.
Out of 25 bible translations considered, 18 support the rendering of “for Babylon”*. Though the Watchtower Society has at times highlighted the inaccuracy of the King James Version†, here it endorses that translation against the majority.
*American Standard, Amplified, Darby, English Standard, Green’s Modern King James, Holman Christian Standard, New American Standard, New International, New International Reader’s and New Life say “for Babylon”; Contemporary English says “After Babylonia has been the strongest nation for seventy years”; The Message says “Babylon’s seventy years are up”; Young’s Literal says “the fullness of Babylon – seventy years”. New Living, King James (also New KJ and 21st Century KJ), and New World Translation say “at Babylon”. The names of seven other translations considered (five in support of “for” and two in support of “at”) have been misplaced.
†For example, see Watchtower 1950, page 455; Watchtower 1957, page 323; Watchtower, 15 July 1998, page 6; Watchtower, 15 December 1998, page 6; Watchtower, 15 January 1992, page 23; Watchtower, 15 October 1993, page 28; Watchtower, 1 July 2003, page 30.
Most significantly, the New World Translation’s interpretation of this verse is invalidated by the context. In about 595BC, prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, Jeremiah wrote from Jerusalem to the exiles in Babylon, advising them that they would not be released until after Babylon’s 70 years had ended. (In the chronology of Jehovah’s Witnesses, this was in 615BC, prior to the beginning of the 70 years.) Specifically, the statement was made in response to counter claims by Hananiah that the Jews would be released from Babylon in two more years (Jeremiah 28:11). It would be meaningless to the already-exiled Jews that they would be in exile for 70 years starting from a period that had not yet begun, as is claimed by the Watchtower Society.
Daniel 9:1-2
1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus of the seed of the Medes, who had been made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans; 2 in the first year of his reigning 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.
Though only Jerusalem is mentioned, it is clear from Jeremiah chapter 25 that the devastations affected many nations. “Devastations” (the Hebrew noun chorbah) indicates ‘a desolate place’ (or ‘a place which is becoming desolate’), starting from the beginning of Babylon’s position as World Power (609BC). The same word is translated ‘devastated place’ at Jeremiah 25:11. It does not require complete depopulation or destruction; the related verb “devastated” (Hebrew chareb) is used to describe Jerusalem (when populated) at Nehemiah 2:17 when Nehemiah inspected the city walls. Jerusalem’s king had relied on surrounding nations for protection, and Jeremiah prophesied that for this, Judah would become ashamed of those nations (Jeremiah 2:36; 22:22); also some of the nations were to receive retribution from God for mistreating his people (Zechariah 1:15). Therefore the “devastations” of the surrounding nations could properly be referred to as “the devastations of Jerusalem,” that is, ‘the surrounding lands being made desolate as a result of 1) Jerusalem’s king putting trust in surrounding nations and 2) the surrounding nations’ attitude toward Jerusalem.’ Chorbah is a noun, here used in the sense of being possessed by Jerusalem to indicate responsibility, not a verb indicating actions that occurred at Jerusalem. The passage suggests that Daniel discerned that the 70 years had ended, not—as the Society suggests—that two years remained.
It is not necessary that the entire 70 years be applied to Jerusalem. In comparison, Isaiah 23:15 states that “Tyre must be forgotten seventy years.” Isaiah’s Prophecy – Light for all Mankind, volume 1, chapter 19, page 253, cites Jeremiah 25:8-17, and states “True, the island-city of Tyre is not subject to Babylon for a full 70 years, since the Babylonian Empire falls in 539 B.C.E. Evidently, the 70 years represents the period of Babylonia’s greatest domination,” acknowledging that Tyre was not ‘forgotten’ for the entire 70-year period and that the 70 years referred to by Jeremiah ended at Babylon’s fall in 539BC. This reasoning demonstrates that the 70 years referred to by Daniel need not exclusively apply to Jerusalem, as is confirmed by Jeremiah chapter 25. Also, Isaiah’s Prophecy here suggests that the 70 years ended in 539BC, contradicting the claim that the same period finished in 537BC.
2 Chronicles 36:17-23
17 So he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who proceeded to kill their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, neither did he feel compassion for young man or virgin, old or decrepit. Everything He gave into his hand. 18 And all the utensils, great and small, of the house of the [true] God and the treasures of the house of Jehovah and the treasures of the king and of his princes, everything he brought to Babylon. 19 And he proceeded to burn the house of the [true] God and pull down the wall of Jerusalem; and all its dwelling towers they burned with fire and also all its desirable articles, so as to cause ruin. 20 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; 21 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. 22 And in the first year of Cyrus the king of Persia, that Jehovah’s word by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah roused the spirit of Cyrus the king of Persia, so that he caused a cry to pass through all his kingdom, and also in writing, saying: 23 “This is what Cyrus the king of Persia has said, ‘All the kingdoms of the earth Jehovah the God of the heavens has given me, and he himself has commissioned me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever there is among YOU of all his people, Jehovah his God be with him. So let him go up.’”
Jeremiah’s prophecy did not mention paying off Sabbaths, which is a reference by Ezra to Leviticus 26:34-35. The fulfilling of the 70 years of serving Babylon started before paying off the Sabbaths began. The 70 years of Jeremiah’s prophecy (of serving Babylon for 70 years) were completed in 539BC (“until the royalty of Persia began to reign”) in Cyrus’ first year when Babylon ceased to be a World Power, at which point the king of Babylon was ‘called to account’ (Daniel 5:26-30).
The original texts from which the Bible is translated do not contain punctuation, which must be added by translators according to the context. Bearing this in mind, a rendering of verses 20 to 21 that is consistent with Jeremiah’s prophecy, might be: “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 fulfil 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 fulfil seventy years.” This rendering properly and logically relates both the 70 years, and their end (“until the royalty of Persia began to reign”), to Jeremiah’s initial prophecy mentioning the 70 years, and relegates the paying off of the Sabbaths to a period of unspecified duration starting from Jerusalem’s destruction in 587BC.
Ezra stated that the Jews were captive not only until the 70 years had ended, but he added “until the land had paid off its Sabbaths”. The paying of Sabbaths runs from Jerusalem lying “desolated” (Hebrew shamem, ‘appalled’) because the temple had been destroyed (in 587BC), until Cyrus’ decree “to build him a house in Jerusalem” in 537BC*. According to the Mosaic Law, the land was supposed to lie fallow every 7 years (Leviticus 25:1-7). If the entire 70 years applied to paying off these Sabbaths, this would indicate 490 (7*70) years, which would date back to 1097BC (if 607BC was the correct year), before David’s reign (anointed 1077BC according to the Watchtower Society), during at least some of which time the Sabbath was likely kept faithfully. If Jerusalem was destroyed in 587BC, then 50 years from its destruction to the people returning in 537BC would mean 350 (50*7) years, dating back to 937BC after the division of the kingdom of Israel.
The unpaid Sabbaths did not necessarily run as a contiguous period as the above implies. However, it is more likely that Jerusalem would be judged as a nation under the rule of a king for failure to observe those Sabbaths. Referring to Israel prior to having a king, Judges 21:25 says: “In those days there was no king in Israel. What was right in his own eyes was what each one was accustomed to do.” For that reason, it is less likely that the nation as a whole would be judged on the basis of individuals’ failure to keep the Sabbath year according to “what each one was accustomed to do.” Similarly, the nation as a whole was judged although there were likely faithful individuals who kept the Sabbath year during the reigns of ‘bad’ kings where most of the population may not have observed those Sabbaths.
The bible makes no explicit reference to how many Sabbath years were observed, or which ones. However, in the bible encyclopaedia Insight on the Scriptures (Insight), volume 2, page 844, the Society says, “Nowhere do the Scriptures state that the Jews had failed to keep exactly 70 Sabbath years; but Jehovah let 70 years of enforced desolation of the land make up for all the Sabbath years that had not been kept.” If that is the case, it weakens the position that exactly 70 years were required to pay off the Sabbaths.
Zechariah 1:7, 11-15
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, that is, the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius [519BC]… 11 And they proceeded to answer the angel of Jehovah who was standing among the myrtle trees and to say: “We have walked about in the earth, and, look! the whole earth is sitting still and having no disturbance.” 12 So the angel of Jehovah answered and said: “O Jehovah of armies, how long will you yourself not show mercy to Jerusalem and to the cities of Judah, whom you have denounced these seventy years?” 13 And Jehovah proceeded to answer the angel who was speaking with me, with good words, comforting words; 14 and the angel who was speaking with me went on to say to me: “Call out, saying, ‘This is what Jehovah of armies has said: “I have been jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great jealousy. 15 With great indignation I am feeling indignant against the nations that are at ease; because I, for my part, felt indignant to only a little extent, but they, for their part, helped toward calamity.”’
The Watchtower Society equates this 70-year period with the 70 years mentioned in the books of Jeremiah, 2 Chronicles and Daniel. However, according to the angel quoted by Zechariah, “these seventy years” had still not ended in 519BC, and cannot be the same as the 70 years of Babylon’s position as World Power. (The expression “how long” for a period of known length is also used at Amos 8:5, to indicate frustration or impatience. Almost every question in the bible that asks “How long…?” refers to frustration with the circumstances rather than a request for an actual duration.) The other nations that had been serving Babylon were now “at ease,” whereas Jerusalem was still “denounced” (Hebrew za`am, ‘to express indignation’) because the temple had not been fully rebuilt.
The period of denunciation ran from the destruction of the temple in 587BC to near its completion following Darius’ decree to rebuild it in 519BC. (As is suggested at Haggai 2:1-3, the temple reconstruction that had been commissioned by Cyrus in 537BC had not progressed significantly.)
Zechariah 7:1-5
1 Furthermore, it came about that in the fourth year of Darius the king [517BC] the word of Jehovah occurred to Zechariah, on the fourth [day] of the ninth month, [that is,] in Chislev. 2 And Bethel proceeded to send Sharezer and Regem-melech and his men to soften the face of Jehovah, 3 saying to the priests who belonged to the house of Jehovah of armies, and to the prophets, even saying: “Shall I weep in the fifth month, practicing an abstinence, the way I have done these O how many years?” 4 And the word of Jehovah of armies continued to occur to me, saying: 5 “Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ‘When YOU fasted and there was a wailing in the fifth [month] and in the seventh [month], and this for seventy years, did YOU really fast to me, even me?
The 70 years mentioned at Zechariah 1:12 ended “in the fourth year of Darius” (517BC), 70 years after 587BC, the year established in history that Jerusalem, with its temple, was destroyed. This coincides with the nearing of completion of the temple after the decree by Darius. Sharezer and Regem-melech were then sent to ask if the weeping and fasting (that commemorated the destruction of the temple and the death of governor Gedaliah in the fifth and seventh months, respectively) should stop, because the angel had said that the denunciation would last 70 years.
Daniel 5:26-31
In addition to the scriptures that specifically state a period of 70 years, Daniel 5:26-31 helps to properly identify the timing of the period.
26 “This is the interpretation of the word: ME´NE, God has numbered [the days of] your kingdom and has finished it. 27 “TE´KEL, you have been weighed in the balances and have been found deficient. 28 “PE´RES, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and the Persians.” 29 At that time Bel·shaz´zar commanded, and they clothed Daniel with purple, with a necklace of gold about his neck; and they heralded concerning him that he was to become the third ruler in the kingdom. 30 In that very night Bel·shaz´zar the Chal·de´an king was killed 31 and Da·ri´us the Mede himself received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
The following table shows the parallels of this passage with the relevant scriptures pertaining to the 70 years:
| Verse | Quote | Scriptures |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | ME’NE, God has numbered [the days of] your kingdom and has finished it | Jeremiah 25:11,12; Daniel 9:2; 2 Chronicles 36:21-22 |
| 27 | TE’KEL, you have been weighed in the balances | Jeremiah 25:12 |
| 28 | PE’RES, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and the Persians | Daniel 9:1,2; 2 Chronicles 36:20 |
| 30 | In that very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed | Jeremiah 25:12 |
| 31 | Darius the Mede himself received the kingdom | Daniel 9:1 |
The Society agrees with secular authorities that Babylon was captured by the Medo-Persians in 539BC. As this passage of Daniel connects strongly with the verses referring to the 70 years of servitude to Babylon, this inextricably places the end of the period in that year.
Judean Monarchy
When tabulating the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah (PDF), from Solomon through to Zechariah using only the Bible, the data can only be reconciled with known historical details of the periods when using 587BC as the pivotal year for Jerusalem’s destruction. Years for the Jewish reigns in the linked chart are strictly applied as stated in the Bible, and are not in all cases those assigned by modern historians. This is intentional, and illustrates that the Bible allows for contemporaneousness with dates assigned by historians to other nations in its own right, which is not the case when 607BC is assumed for Jerusalem’s destruction.
After considering the relevant scriptures, it can be seen that the 70-year periods addressed in the books of Jeremiah, 2 Chronicles and Daniel refer to Babylon’s position as World Power from 609BC to 539BC, and that the 70 years of Zechariah relates to the ‘denounced’ state of the temple, from its destruction in 587BC to 517BC following Darius’ decree to rebuild it. This interpretation resolves the contradictions introduced by Jehovah’s Witnesses that the 70 years ended two years after Babylon’s king was killed despite the fact that he was to be ‘called to account’ once the 70 years had been completed, and that the 70 years mentioned in Zechariah’s time had not ended until 22 years after Babylon ceased to be a World Power. Significantly, this interpretation is also in harmony with the known archaeological history of the period. Some of the available archaeological evidence, and the Watchtower Society’s attempts at discrediting it, are addressed below.
607 and Archaeology
In the absence of any secular sources stating that Jerusalem was destroyed in 607BC, publications of the Watchtower Society go to great lengths to discredit sources that place the event in the year 587BC. This creates an awkward situation, because their interpretation of the scriptures forces them to accept historical sources that confirm that Babylon ceased to be a World Power when it was destroyed by the Medo-Persians in 539BC (with which they agree, even though it conflicts with their interpretation of Jeremiah 25:12), and then reject the same historical sources when they cite 587BC for the destruction of Jerusalem.
Ptolemy
One of these sources is known as Ptolemy’s Canon, writings of a Babylonian priest and historian, Claudius Ptolemy (70-161AD), based on information from the Seleucid Period (4th to 1st Centuries BC). The May 8, 1972 issue of the Watchtower Society’s fortnightly journal, Awake! contained an article entitled When Did Babylon Desolate Jerusalem?, which contended that Ptolemy is unreliable because his calculations were based on astronomical calculations. (Astronomy was extremely important to the religion of the Babylonians; solar and lunar eclipses and other astronomical phenomena were meticulously recorded.) In part, the article states that “There is no way to be sure that Ptolemy was correct in assigning a certain number of years to various kings.” However in other Society publications, the lengths (but not the starting points) of all of the kings of the Neo-Babylonian period are stated to be the same as those reported by Ptolemy*.
*Insight on the Scriptures, volume 1, pages 236, 238; Insight on the Scriptures, volume 2, page 457; Watchtower1 January 1965, page 29.
Ptolemy also agrees with the year 539BC for Babylon’s fall; however the Watchtower Society appears reluctant to place credence in his testimony. Instead, a number of articles in Watchtower publications† state that the ancient historians Diodorus (1st Century BC), Africanus (3rd Century AD) and Eusebius (3rd-4th centuries AD) support 539BC. Africanus and Eusebius used Diodorus’ writings for their source material, which in turn used Berossus (a priest of the Seleucid Period) as its source; therefore all three historians ultimately obtained their data from the Seleucid Period, the same source used by Ptolemy.
†Insight on the Scriptures, volume 1, page 454, 458; Watchtower 15 May 1971, page 316.
Astronomical Dating
In an attempt to undermine the validity of astronomical dating of events, Insight, in the section dealing with Chronology, under the subheading Astronomical Calculations, states that “only in the case of a definitely stated total solar eclipse visible in a specific area would there be little reason for doubt in the fixing of a particular historical date by such means,” (formatting added). However, under the previous subheading of the Chronology section, it is agreed that the astronomical dating of a single lunar eclipse “evidently” (formatting theirs) identifies the fall of Babylon in 539BC. (Though the year 539BC is not in dispute, there is less evidence to support it than there is for the fall of Jerusalem in 587BC, and the Society accepts the date using methods that it rejects as being unreliable.) The source of the lunar eclipse accepted by the Society is said to be “a Babylonian clay tablet,” though it is not mentioned that the tablet is ‘Strm.Kambys.400’, an astronomical diary.
Contemporary Evidence
Because the Society’s chronology places the event of Jerusalem’s destruction 20 years prior to the agreed year, a gap of 20 years appears in the dates it assigns to Babylonian kings for the period. Specifically, from 580BC to 556BC the Society only accounts for 4 years and 9 months of rule, leaving 20 years unaccounted for. In contrast, archaeologists have found contemporary records from the entirety of the period.
In the appendix of their publication, “Let Your Kingdom Come”, the Society admits: “Thousands of contemporary Neo-Babylonian cuneiform tablets have been found that record simple business transactions, stating the year of the Babylonian king when the transaction occurred. Tablets of this sort have been found for all the years of reign for the known Neo-Babylonian kings in the accepted chronology of the period.” Their subsequent explanation is that all of those records have been misinterpreted.
A suspicious coincidence is found in Insight under the Chronology subheading Egyptian Chronology, which states: “The difference between the [dates used in Insight] and those generally assigned by modern historians amounts to as much as a century or more for the Exodus and then narrows down to about 20 years by Pharaoh Necho’s time” (formatting added). The independent contemporary records of Babylon and Egypt, in harmony with each other, both contradict the Watchtower Society’s chronology.
The following table and diagram below indicate the differences between secular and Watchtower Society chronology for the Neo-Babylonian period.
| King | Secular | Watchtower |
|---|---|---|
| Shamashshumukin | 20 years: 667-648BC | ? years: ? – 648BCE |
| Kandalanu | 22 years: 647-626BC | not mentioned |
| Nabopolassar | 21 years: 625-605BC | 21 years: 645-625BCE |
| Nebuchadnezzar | 43 years: 604-562BC | 43 years: 624-582BCE |
| Evil-Merodach | 2 years: 561-560BC | 2 years: 582BCE – ? |
| Neriglissar | 4 years: 559-556BC | 4 years: (no years given) |
| Labashi-Marduk | 9 months: 556BC | 9 months: (no years given) |
| Nabonidus | 17 years: 555-539BC | 17 years: 556-539BCE |
Josephus
The Society claims that the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus agrees with their interpretation of the 70 years*. They convincingly quote Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews, Book X, Chapter 1: “all Judea and Jerusalem, and the temple, continued to be a desert for seventy years,” and Against Apion, Book I, chapter 19: “our city was desolate during the interval of seventy years, until the days of Cyrus” (formatting theirs). It is true that the temple was in a state of disrepair for a period of 70 years from 587BC to 517BC, and this is likely to what Josephus referred. In their quote from Against Apion, the Society places emphasis on the word desolate; when emphasis is shifted to the word during, it becomes evident that Josephus may have meant that the desolation was only for a part of that period. While the Society’s reasoning on these quotes may seem reasonable, Against Apion, Book I, chapter 21 pointedly states: “Nebuchadnezzar, in the eighteenth year of his reign, laid our temple desolate, and so it lay in that state of obscurity for fifty years; but that in the second year of the reign of Cyrus its foundations were laid, and it was finished again in the second year of Darius,” (formatting added). The Witnesses suggest that this reference to 50 years is a scribal error, however, the introduction to Antiquities of the Jews, Book X, states “Containing the interval of one hundred and eighty-two years and a half. From the captivity of the ten tribes to the first year of Cyrus.” This can only be harmonized if 50 years are allocated for the period between the destruction of the temple and Cyrus’ decree to rebuild it. This clearly indicates beyond any doubt that Josephus is in agreement with other archaeological sources, and in disagreement with the Watchtower Society. When confronted with this information, the Society’s response is that Josephus is not always reliable. Thus by their own reasoning, quoting Josephus to support their interpretation is meaningless.
*“Let Your Kingdom Come”, Appendix to chapter 14, page 188.
Jehovah’s Witnesses and Bible Study
The Witnesses are encouraged to read the Bible for themselves, and to do personal study. Why then, do most of them not realise that there is a fundamental error in their 607 doctrine? For some, the answer is partly that they do not want to know anything that conflicts with the Society, for fear of losing their faith and of being shunned. Largely though, whilst the Society does tout the catchphrase ‘read God’s word the Bible daily,’ it is stressed that they should study the Bible only with the aid of information from the ‘faithful and discreet slave,’ that is, the Watchtower Society. This is emphasised by quotes such as:
- “Individual Bible study, certainly! Independent Bible study, beware!” (formatting theirs; Watchtower, 15 August 1952, page 501);
- “Yes, what a stimulant to our spiritual wakefulness is diligent personal study of the Scriptures using Bible-based publications provided by “the faithful and discreet slave”!” (Watchtower, 15 December 2003, page 22);
- “We all need help to understand the Bible, and we cannot find the Scriptural guidance we need outside the “faithful and discreet slave” organization.” (Watchtower, 15 February 1981, page 19);
- Questions from Readers article: Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses decline to exchange their Bible study aids for the religious literature of people they meet? (Watchtower, 1 May 1984, page 31).
The Society will not focus on Bible verses that inexplicably conflict with its doctrines, so submissive ‘sheeplike ones’ who never examine information from any other source rarely consider them in any depth.
Scripture quotations, unless otherwise stated, are from the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures – with References Copyright ©1984 Watchtower Bible & Tract Society.
The Watchtower, Pay Attention to Daniel’s Prophecy, Isaiah’s Prophecy – Light for all Mankind, Awake!, Insight on the Scriptures, “Let Your Kingdom Come” Copyright © Jehovah’s Witnesses / Watchtower Bible & Tract Society.
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