Watchtower Articles on Chronology - 1922

8/19/2019 Watchtower Articles on Chronology - 1922

1/41

UPO ~ he earth r irl

rc

111 nallons wlth prplexlw: the

l o d

the war n (the mwlrsr, dl


2/41

THIS

JOURNAL

AND

ITS SACRED MISSIGN

:ournal

is

one of the prime factors or instrum ents in th e aystem of Bible instruction, or Seminary Extension , now belng

presented In all p arts of th e civilized world by th e WATCH T o w ~ u IBLE

&

TRACT OCIOTX,harkerecl

A. D. l X X 4 ,

For the Pro-

motion of Christian 1


3/41

N

D

EPALD OF H

H S T ~

RESENCE

VOL:.XLIII

THE

G E N T I L E T I M E S

And if ye

tcill

not y e t for ll

this

heal.r'l.pt1 tinto ,me, fher~ wil l

punis

y o u srueir times nzo1.e for

?jotlr

sins.

Leiliticzu 6:

18

NOTIIER test is

011.

Wlio will weather thc storm?

out of the \viltlcr~~c~ss.s he go~s

11

in this \\ay,

A

t is a test of faith. "According to your faith be

becomes co~~viucctl

l l

his

01\11

llrill~l liat the Lord nia

it u~rtoyou." 1)uriilg the time of tllc 11arvc.st

a n~ibtalie ll S ~ I ~ L ~ ~ I I ~rotllvr It~~ssc~Ilis t l~a t m.uir

there have Iwrn spc~cial ests of faith a t fisctl int:.rvals.

aild this doubt 1c;~cls o the coilclusiolr 1atc.r o : ~ h

Call to milltl the shaki~lg hat came with t11~lisc~~rsio~i,

~ ~ ~ ~ t h t ~ russell was ]lot "tl

i ~ t

i~ r~~an t"it

i11I J LC

in this jo~rn~al,f tlic covcl~al:ts. 1'1rc~1ic.allre tlrtl slrak-

g h ~ so doi~bt \ lritt 1:l.t t1:01. 1trr::sc 11

\\

rot(*. t11tl so

ing rtlutil;,q to the t l l~l l ollo\\-~tli~rotlrt~rl~aliing

~ ~ C S C S liifi~s~lf.

o\\r 1 1 ~

Ii,sl.(::IIYI< tlic l,o~tl 'e Y:or

with the Sr~llrrdiscussio~rof consc~cr;ltior~111t1~r+ti ica-

I\-hitbh :iys: "TI.II: in the Loid

it11

:)I1

thin(> 1c

tion; then follo~\-cbtlht. trrt coiic.t~rnil~glrv Se~i~~i th

nt1 l ~ n n ot unto thinr own iintlcr~t~i~rtli~rg.II all t

Volume'; and then wrothcr test in 1 18 co~rc(- r l~ i~~gile

wnys arkno~vlcdgc rim, and 11t. s11:rlI tLil.c,cbt 111) ~)tl

harvest and the work. Prom a11 thcsc fiery tc ~ t s he

'l'hlts disrrgarcling this atl~noiiition, a~rt l )clillg

greater majority of the cons:.c~.:~tetl avc cnirrgt~dnn-

on by the s ~ b t l ~nfluence of the adversary, hr c

scathed; but some, berausc of I )i ttcr~~cssf 11c>al.t, ave

vinc~shimself that i t is his solcniir tlrrty to 1u1tl0

become blind of vision, gone out of thr truth alrtl hack

tilt? things that D~~otlrc~l.t~rrhc~Il:~ r~g l~ t

L I I I

to tl11 11

into the world, bei~rg ed a\wy by the error of the

church's vision in the rigllt way.

110

j)rcBj)arc.s niai

wiclted. There is a reason for this. Let us examine the

script and charts in support.of same, se t t i ~~gorth

facts concerning the reason.

views. Submitting i t

to

othrrs ant1 being atlvisc~cl

Lucifer was a crc~atr~ref ligllt n11t1 po\\.olnallti of

11is tl~oirglrta arc ~vro ~ig.1e c.ol~rirrtc~sl r i q t,o I I I ( V I I

great bcauty. 13clloltling his ornil I~cli~t~ty11t1 )cillg im-

dc~irc~o prcve~~tinr l'l.o~n c1rrnitti11g is light to sl

pressed with his otrn wistlom and ability, lie coilcluded al:tl disregartls such ntllice. So thoroughly is he i

to put into operation a plan of his o~rn, iflclrent from

prc~sst~dhat he ninct thus tcacl~ he pcwple and nn

God's arra~lgcnient nt] tlla carrying out of \vlricli ~vould

that which has hcr11 tcr rlg11t. that he 1)c.g 11s tlie p111)

malre T~ucifcr reat like unto Jehovah. I n his heart he

tion of his tl~or~glrt.: nt1 to send tl~cso orth to t

brcamc disloyal to God, tunltd away from the light and

consccratctl.

ITir

a~.; r~~nriitsccm plausil)lc to tl~osr r

truth, and becamc the wicl


4/41

T~~WATCH

O W E R

or positive opposition. If the person holding the tloubt

talcex himself too seriously, thinking more highly of

his own importance than he should think (12omans 12

3), or where he permits bitteriiess to abide in his heart,

darkness is almost cer tai~i o ellsue.

Agitation con ce r~ ~i ~~ glic error in chroilology lias con-

tinued to increase throughout the ycar. and some have

turued into positive opposition to tliat a-liicli lias been

written. This has resultcd in some of the Lord's dear

sheep becoming disturbed iu mind and ca~~si~ighem

to inquire, Why does not ' l 'rr~ WATCH TOWEILay

something? I s not its silence tantnlnol~nt o an admis-

sion that our chronology is wrong?

Prom time to time the questioa of publishing some-

thing in this journal has been considcred.

Each time

the Lord has seemed to interfere, until now. Why

should such bs the case? Our opiilion is that the Lord

had permitted the delay in the reviewing of the ques-

tion of clii onology silicc the agitation was bf>gun in

order to give thosc. who had thc vrrong condition of

IW::I.~

an opportunity to ma aifc ~t hmnsrlves. and to

givc tlic others an opportunity to have thcir faith tested.

FAITHFULNESS IS LOYALTY

To be iaithful mealis to be loyal.

To

be loyal to the

Lord means to be obedient to the Lord.

To abandon

or 1-cpudiatc tlie lAordYslioseu instrument means to

abandori or repudiate the Lord llimself, upon the prin-

cipl,: that lie who rcjccts tlic servant sent by the Naster

tlicrcby rejects tlie bIaster.

Tlicrc is no one in prcscut truth today who call hon-

estly say tl-t~llc rcccived a l


5/41


6/41

-WATCH TOWER

We now propose to prove that the gentile times, a

period of 2520 years, began in t he year 606 B. C. and

ended in the fall of t he year 1914; an d tha t the ouster

proceedings began promptly thereafter an d on time. I n

making th is proof we rely upon th e Bible and n ot upon

secular or profane history. We consider th e points in

the order numbered hereinafter, as follows,

t

wit:

POINT I: TENURE O KINGS

Th e time and duration of the reign of th e various

king s of Isr ae l is one of t h e Biblical methods of estab -

lishin g the various dates in o ur chronology. Saul,

Israel's first king, began to reign in t he year

A. M.

3009. T he total period of th e tenure of the kings of

Israe l was, to w it, 513 years. T he reign of the kings

ended with the year A.

M.

3522. No careful Bible

stud ents will dispute these facts. No o ther conclusion

can be reached except by juggling the

figures

and ig-

noring the Bible statements.

I n TH E WA TC H

TOWER

f May 15, 1896, page 112,

is set forth a statement of chronology from A dam

to

1914. These figures are given in nno Mundi time.

According to thi s calculation it is proven by the Scrip-

tures there cited that Jehoiakim's reign began in tho

year

A. M .

3500, which corresponds to the year 628

B. C. Th e beginn ing of th e reign of Jeho iakim, being

definitely fixed, gives us a startin g point from which to

count the time and by which to determine the universal

reign of N ebuchadnezzar and to reach a proper con-

clusion relative to the gentile times.

The f ir st year of the reign of N e b u ~ h a d l l ~ x r ,ing

of Uabylon, was th e fo ur th year of tllc rrign of Jclloirl-

kim. "The fo ur th yea r of Jehoiak im th e so11 of Jo siall

king of Ju da h, th at was th e first year of N ebucliad-

nezzar king of Babylon." (Jere mia h 25 :

1;

sec also

Jeremiah

46

2) Since Jehoialtim's reign brgan ill ti 8

B. C., i t follows tha t the first year of N ebuchailnezzar's

reign was the year 625

B.

C. Th ere was no attac k made

upon Jehoiakim by Nebuchadnezzar in the year of 625

B. C., th e firs t year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign. 'I'lierc

could have been no attack as a king made by him earlier

than that. It was in th a t fou rth year of Jclioiakim's

rcign and the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's rcign, to

wit, th e year 625 B. C., th at th e prophet Jerem iah

delivered the divine decree pointing out that it was

God's determination

to

leave th e land of Pa lestine deso-

lat e as a punishment upon Israel.

THE FIRST ATTACK

I n the fourth year of t he reign of Nebuchadnezzar

(an d therefore the eighth year of t he reign of Jehoia-

kim), Nebuchadnezzar made his first attack against

Jerusalem; and in tha t year Jehoiakim became the

serv ant or vasfial to t he ki ng of Babylon.

Three yeara

later, t o wit, in th e year 617 B. C., the same being th e

eleventh year of the reign of Jehoiakim, Nebuchatlnez-

zar. took Jehoiakim a prisoner a nd p ut him to d mth.

Th e record rea ds.

.7ahaiskim

was twenty an d five yeara

old when he 1)rgan to reign [(js 8 1i C y 1

;

~ l t l tl ~.cli;

eleven years 1617

I <

C . ] i n . I P ~ I I , C I I ~ C I I I .11 his (I

Nebuchadriezzcir king of Baby1011 canic. r p, n ~ ~ t lI tbll

kim became

his servant three

years: ti1c.n h r tnrn ct l i

rebelled against him [Nebucliadnezzor . 2

l i i l~gs

36; 24: 1 ) "Against him [Jeh oiak in~]

8 i l l r l t .

"1) Nt'

chadnezzar ki ng of Babylon, and bolultl n) i ti lettc

to

ca rr y h im t o Babylon."-2 Chl.onic lrs

D i

i.

T he carrying away of Jehoiachin to Babylon was

th e year 617 B. C. Jehoiakim's reign linvi~lgb c g m

628 B. C., and he having reigned cl e v c ~ ~c.:~~.s. ~

sarily

it ended in 617 B. C. At tha t time Nebnch

nezzar wa ssi n the eighth year of his reign. Th us

Sc riptu res prove beyond any question of a dou bt t

the captivity d id not begin in th e first year of Ne

chadnezzar's reign; nor did the desolation begin the

It is therefore seen that i t is utterly impossible

the gentile t imes to have begun in the first year

Nebuchadnezzar's reign, to wit, 625

B.

C. No one cla

tha t th e gentile times began in 617 B. C., the y

Jehoiakim was taken and put to death, as indeed su

a

claim could not be successfully mad e in view of

evidence hereinafter set forth.

HISTORIC CORROBORATION

It is reasonable to sum ose th at the Jewish histor

Josephus, being derply interested in his own peop

would be more reliable in fixing dates than would

historians of th e gentile nations. We do no t at all n

th e testimony of Josephus, bu t because it is corrobora

by tlic Bible we citc it liere for wllnt it is worth.

])lni~lly ntcs that 110 attack was nintlc 11pon Jcr~ls

a t the brgin ning of Nebnchaclnexzar's reign. We qu

from Ant ip t i t i es of the Jews Book

X

Chapter V

pages 365-367

"In tllc follr tl~ \-(>:trf .Tt>lloi:~kimone wllosc name m

Scl~ucIl:l t l~~t.r~:~r

o o k

llte go\el.illuent over tile B:tbylor~

\vl~o t ~ P s:llile ti~tlt vent

up

with a great army to

cbity

C:~rt,l~c.~l~isl~,

v1tic.h

was a t E~ ~p hm tesupon a resolut

tltut

ltc

11:til taken to figllt with Necho king of Egypt, un

\v\'l~olnll S;\-~.i;tllert wrls. And when Necho understood

intention of tlte 1ii11gof Babylon, and th at this expedit

\v\ llsnitltle against him, he tiid not despise his attempt;

ninrlt.

11:1stt~with-

n

great

b:lnd

of men to Euphrates,

tlrfelld I~i~llsc~lfrom Nc~bucl~t~cln~anr.nd

w h en

they h

.joi~~tul

~ i ~ t t l t -1tl Ivrtx

l)c-:~tett,lntl lost

11ii111y

~ I I O I I S L I I

his

soldirrs. So ll~e

ing

of I%ltbylonpassed over the Ephrates, nnrl took all Syrin, as frtr as Pelusium,

ezcep t

Juden Rut xvllen Nebuc1ladnt.zz:tr h:td already reigned f

gears , which was the eighth of .Te:~oinkin~'sovernment o

the EIebre~vs,he? king of Bi~b.vlon 11itdt.

a n

cspctlition w

minltty forces against the .Jews,

rutd

rcquluir(*d tribute

Jehoiakim

;

hreatening upon his refusal to make mar ag:~

him. He mas affrighted at his threatening, and bou

his peace wit11 money; and brought the tribute lie w

ordered to bring for three years.

"But on the third year, upon hearing that the k

of Babylon made r l n expedition against the Egyptians,

did not pay h i s tribute. . .

A little time afterward, the king of Ral)ylon made

espedition against Jehoiakim, wlio reccirecl

11im int.3

dts; and th is out of fea r of the foregoing predictions

Jeremiah, as supposing he should suffer

nothing

that

w


7/41

~

WATCH

T O W E R

terrib le; because lie neither sltut tile gates, nor fought

agctillst ttilll. Yet when he was coule into the city , he did

not observe the covenurltd Ile ltad lnade; but lie slew such

as \yere in tile flower of tlteir age. rtrtd sucl~ s were of tlte

greatest dignity; together with tltrir king Jel~oir~kitl~,\.hour

lie co~i~~t~ ur~d edo be thrown befor(* the walls. tvitlluut urly

bnriitl, u~ttl 11tude llis soti Jeiloiucl~ilt king of tttcs coul~try,

and of the city

;

tie also took the principal persons in tlignlty

for captives, tltree thousand in number, andled thrtn uwtly

to Babylon. Anlorig these

was

the pl-ophet Ezekiel, \v l~ o \-as

tl~etibut young. i l~ td his wvus the erttl of Icing .Jel~oi:tkitn,

wltcbl~ ts Ilrlil 1lvc.tl tl~irty-81s ellrs, ant1 rei~itt'd -lcb\-c*~~.Iut

I I P

\\.us succtbc*tlc*tlt1 the kingclo~n by Jeltoic~cliir~, host

lltother wus Kehusta, a citizen of Jerusalem. He reigned

t llrBe~ n o ~ ~ t l t s111d ten days."

Jehoiachili reigned only three mont ls and tell days,

and mas

succeeded

by Zctlckiah, whose reign began in

the year 617 B. C. "Jehoiachin was eight years old

when he Began to reign, and he reigned three months

ant1 ten (lays in Jerusalem: and he did that which was

evil in the sight of the Lord. And when the vear was

expired, kinf Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him

to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the housi of tlie

Lord, and made Zedekiah, his brother, king over Judah

nd Jerusalem. Zcdekiah was one and twenty years old

\\.hen lie bcgun to reign, and reigned clcven years in

Jerusalem." (2 Chronicles 36

:

9-11) Thus i t is clearly

Jrrcmiah the prophet spmking from the month of

I

lord. And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadn

zar.

.

They mocked

the messengers of God, a

despised his words, and misused his prophets, until

wrath of the Ilord arose against his people.

.

The

fore lie brought upon them the king of the Chald

[Nebuchadnezzar], who slew their young men with t

sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no co

passion upon .young man or maiden, old man, or h

that stooped for agc: hc gave thcaln all illto his han

Arid all the vessels of llic house of God, grru t and sma

and the treasures of the housc of tlie llortl, and t

treasures of the king, and of his princcs; all diese

brought to 13ahylon. And they B u I ~

he house of Go

and brake down

the

wall of Jer usa lem

and burnt

the palaces thereof with fire, and dcstroycd all t

goodly vessels thereof. And them tha t had escaped fro

the sword carried he away to Babylon

;

where they we

servants

to

him and his sons unti l the rciga of t

kingdoni of Persia: to fulfill the word of the Lord

the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoy

her sabbaths: for

as long as she

lay

dcsolatc she kc

sabbath

to fulfill tlirccscore ant1 tcli yc~ars."-2 Cliron

cles 36

:

12,13, 16-21.

seen that the reign of Zedekiah, which began in ~ l ?

NO CAI TIVITY BEF ORE

617 B. C.

B.

C.. lasted eleven years and ended in 606 B.

C. He

was the last king of Israel.

Tliis occurrrtl a t the cnd of the reign of Zctlekiah,

wit. in the vear GO

B.

C.

POINT : DECREE FOR PUNISHMENT

I

decree means a judicial dctcrminatidn by oile Iiav-

ing authority, defining what must be done.

It

means

a scntencc pronounced that must be enforced. Neces-

sarily decrees are always entered before they are en-

forced. Jehovah pronounced through Moses a divine

decree or judgment that should be enforced against

Israel as a punishment, and the dccree is in these

words:

1

will make your cities waste, and bring your

sanctztarie.~unto desolation

and I will not smell the

savor of your sweet odors. And

I

will bring the

land

iu to desolat ion:

and your enemies which dwell therein

~ha l l e astonished at it."-Leviticus 26

:

31,32.

It

must be conceded by all that the t d i n g of certain

of the Israelites as prisoners mid carrying them away

to Babylon would not constitute an enforcement of

this decree. The putting to death of Jehoiakim in no

wise fulfilled the decree. Besides after his death Zede-

kinh continued to be the king of Israel and reigned for

eleven years. Surely during those eleven years the city

was not in waste ; or were the sanctuari~sn desolation.

Surely during that period the Jews offered their sacri-

fices in Jerusalem. When, then,

in

all the history of

Israel do we find any record of the enforcement of this

divine decree? The Scriptures answw that it had i ts

fulfillment in the latter part of the reign of Zedekiah.

.

god

had restated the decree of judgment against

Istael through *Jeremiah.~Conctmihg edclriah, the Iast

Ir;qng,'we read: a ~ & d i d at. which was evil in the sight

of the Lord his God, and humbled

not

himself before

In corro1)oratioa of this me cite the fiwthel. rtco

dealiiig with the same slibjrct nlattrr, nladc I)y Ezck

the prophet. Ezrltiel coul~ts

he.

tii~lc ic*~itio~~c~n

h

prophccy from the tlatc tliat lie and ot11c.r

Jc\\rs

we

taken captive and carried away to Bal~yloi~.

1Gzek

1

1,2;

8

:

1

;

20

:

1) This captivity began iu the ye

61'7

B.

C. I n the seventh year of that captivity, in th

fifth month and the tenth (lay of the month, to w

about the first day of August, 610 B.

C..

which w

the fifteenth year of the reign of Ncbuchadnczxar, th

divine decree for the punishnic~itof Israel was restatc

in other phrase by the prophet Ezc.kic.l,.- -1':zc~liic~l0

The same judicial deter~nllat ion of

J

eho\ a11 a&;

forth in Leviticus 26: 31-33 was restated by Ezeki

in the following words: "Tlicrdorr thus saitli thc 1,o

Qod: Brcallsc ye have madc yolw iliiq~~ityo 11c rmlrn

bered. in that your t ra ns gr ~s io ns rc discovered,

that in all your doing your sins do appear; hrcbausr,

say, that ye are come to remembrance, ye shall

b 1

take

with the hand. And thou, profane wicked 1)rilict~

Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall Iia\c a

end, thus saith the Lord God: llcnlove the diatlcni. an

t a k e o g

the

crown;

this shall not be the salue: exa

him that is low, and abase him tliat is high.

I

\\

overturn, overturn, overturn it; and i t sliall

br 110

11io

.until he come whose right it is; and I will givc it [tc

him."-E7,kicl 21

:

24-27.

This restatement of the divine decree occurred fo

before its enforcement. Brother Russell says t h

the e~~forccrnent

f

th is divine decree ma& the begin


8/41

-WATCH

TOWER

ning of tlle gentile times; and Brother Russell is right.

-B-Y9, 71*2,3.

GENTILE

TIMES

BEGAN

606

B.

God had promised that the sceptre should not depart

from Judah nor a lawgiver from between his feet until

Shiloh come. (Genesis 49 : 1 0) It will be observed that

the

decree of punishment did not include the removal

of the sceptre. It nlcrrly state s: "Ren~ove the diadem,

take off the crow^^". I I t ( ~ cro\v11 is a synlttol of im-

perial dominion or rulership; while the sceptre is a

symbol of im perial author ity or right. Th e enforcelllent

of thi s divine decree, tl~ercfore, ook away from Israel

the dominion, wlticli dornillion should be enjoyetl by

th e gentiles until thc coming of him ~vhos c ight i t is,

nam ely, S hiloh , the Blessiah. 'l1l1e ge nti le times, th ere-

fore, could not possibly brgi~l ntil the enforcement of

this divine decree. (Ezeliiel 21 24-21) And since it was

pronounced by t l l ~ ro1)ht.t ISeeliiel while Zedekiah was

the king. i t conclusi~elyproves that the gentile times

did n ot . begiii with tho captiv ity of Je hoia kim or of

Jehoiachin, but tlitl i)r,rri~~it11 th e ov erthr ow of Zede-

kiah.

About August 1, iO i1

i O i s ]

H.C., Nebuchatlnrnzar the

kin g of Ba1)ylon brokr down th e city of Jeru sale m and

destroyed it, tooti %rc c*kiah imd p ut ou t h is eyes, altd

desolated the city a ~ tt l hcb ltl~id. ( . J~ re lr ~i n I~

9

2-9)

T hu s fro m anoth er lil~cl f p1.oof is de fi1 1it i4~stablishcd

th at th e divine dccrrc. \\ as enforced in 6 6 1 .. encling

the donlinion of Isl.i~ cl nd permitting t l ~ e ent il es to

estal)lish a t r ~ t i o r r ~ n ll o ~ ~ i i ~ t i ~ l ~ .I c I ' P , t this tintc,

it

was that Jcllo~t111.i g ~ r i ~ t i v c l ypealiii~g.witlldrew from

tlie sta ge of actio11 a ~ lt lpernlitted Satan. through his

rcprcse~ttative,Xc.l)ucltiitl~lc*m~-,o establish a universal

cmpirc. llc re it \\.as tha t Sfittin I)c~c~arneh ~

gocl

of Illc

whole worltl'; arid fro111 th at tim e f orw ard his r ule

through earthly r cp rcs en tnt i~e s s symholixcd by a wild

beast.,

ture (Daniel

1 1)

is this: Tliat the "third ymr" her

means the third yrar

of

t l ~ c r~ss:ll:~gc f .Icl~oialiint o

Nebuchadnezzar; or "the thi rd year of J eh oi ak in ~ Ln

vassal king]". It is plainly stated in the Scripturt.

as heretofore pet forth, th at in the ci gl ~t h ear of th

r e i p of Jelioiakiin as king, Ncb~bucl~ittlrtczxar am

against him and Jehoiakim became his servant an

paid tribute to Nebuchadnezzar

three years

and the

rebelled agains t him. (2 R i n g s

24:

1 ) ' l' l~crcforc, i t wa

exactly thrcc ycitrs It~tclr lio I . 'c> gin l~i ~~ gl' 11is vassalt~g

to

wit, th e ycar (il 7

B.

C., that Nebuchadnezzilr be

sieged Jerusalem and took Jehoiakim, a nd a t the sam

t i n ~ e arried away the prophets D aniel, Ezekiel, an

others, including I-Iananiah, Mishael, and Azariali

whose namcs were changed by the king to Shadracli

Meshach, and Abed-nego, respectively. Da niel wrote hi

prophecy while he was in Babylon; and it is quit

apparen t tha t he counted time from the date of th

beginnin g of th e vasealage of Je hoia kim a s Iring. 39ani

festly, then, the argument of Brother Russell's oppo

nents that the gentile times begail during the reign o

Jehoiakim must fall .

YOlNT IV: NEBUCtIADNEZZA R S DREAM

Again, opponents of the chrol~ologyas set for th b

Brother Itussell stat(&ll i l t the begi l tni~~gf th e gc'~tt

times is markod I g tlle nc-c.ossion of N ( ~ ~ u c ~ ~ L ( ~

t l ~ chro ne of Baby lon, a11t1 ll sn pp or t of t hi s contcirt io

cite Daniel 2: 1. This argument must likcwise fall .

1)aniel

2 :

1 ~.c nd s: 'In the srcolid yra r of t he reig

o f I S e l ) i ~ ~ I ~ ~ t l l ~ ( ~ % % i l., ;"r'c~ltnchadncxxn r rcln mead ~ ~ I ~

~ v l l e r e ~ v i i l ~1is y ir i t IV:IS t r o ~ ~ l ) l ( ~ ~ l ,n d h i s s I ( ~ y) t ~

from him". .l11(1 dl.c.:urn itstllf is s1.t fo rt li in wrscn s 3

to

35

of the snnlc ch al ttc ~. Nc bud ~atln czz ar lie 1iitl

had brollgl~t )clfo1.(1

l i l l l

I I I ; I ~ : ~ C ~ : I I I S .stl.olog(~rs,

Ol'I'l'1

ers, and Cllaltlnrlts to i~ltc~rprctis tlrcam, arid all

o

them failed. '"1'111~11 .4rioch [tlie ~i~lltilil\f the king'

gnard] brolrglit i l l l)al~ic.l1)cfol.c t l l ~ i ~ ~ gn h as te . a ~

said thus utlta ltin~.I haw foullcl a man of the em

tives of Jutlnll, thnt will 1 1 l i 1 1 i ~ x k n o \ t r ~ n t o t h c k i ~ t g h

POINT Il l DISClIEl ANCY EXPLA INED

interprc1t:~tio11.Tltc* king allsw(~rc~t1nd said to 1):111i

Opponents of B t . o t l~ ~r~ ussell's c o i ~ c l ~ s i o ~ ~ sn chro-

whose narne was Uelte~linzzar. A rt tlion able to m;~

nology attempt to show that the divine decree against

known unto me the drram which

I

hay(. sc3cn, an11 h

Israel began to he c~tlorc ed n th e third ypar of the

intc>rpretation thereof?"--1)anirl 2 : 25

2 ;.

reigii of Jel~oiakirn , ~ lt l i te as authority Daniel

1:1,

It

is utte rly impossi1)le fo r th is tl.alisaction t o 11 :

which reads:

111

th e t11i1.d year of th e ~acignof Jehoia- occurred in tlie sc~colld ear of tlie rr ig n of Neb~iclta

kim king of Juilali can~e cl)~~chadiiezzarin g of B aby-

nezzar for the following reasons, to wit: (1) l)rcn

loll u nto Jerusalem , ant1 I~esirge d t". A careful esam-

Daniel, in the secoud ycnr of Nch~ lchatll~czna r, i~ s

1 0

ination of this test at once shows that there is a dis-

i n Bab ylon and corrlrl not the n linve heen tnken befor

crepancy. I n tlie thirrl year of Jehoiakim's reign, as

the king;

2 ) because he was taken to Rahylon in th

we have heretofore seen. Nebuchadnezzar was

not

yet

year 617 B. C., which was th e eigh th year of th e reig

king

of Babyloll. II e did no t beconic, kin g unt il a yenr

of Nebuclindnexznr; and ( 3 ) I ) ( ( ~ I I I S C Daniel wns i ~

later (Jereminli

25: 1

; nd the plailt Scriptlira1 state-

peni~i l tc~t lo appcw before the k i~ tg

111til

ftrr Itc ha

men ts heretofore cited show th at Nebl~cliad11t~7.zar'sirkt

bee11 in llabylon

?l~i-ee

ears, according to his own testi

attack against Jerusalem began in the eighth vear of

I

mony.

th e reign of Jehoiakim: Henc e it wns inipo~si1)lc or

'I'he facts heretofore set for th definitely establisll th

him to attack in the third year of JeIloiakimys reign.

c o ~ . r r r t n e ~ sf reasons (1) and

2).

We proceed

to

til

The proper and reasonable'explanation of this Scrip-

e~rtmiiiationof

- a)

:


9/41

Man 1 922

-WATC H TOWER

I n the eighth year of his reign Nebuchadnezzar car-

rictl away to Babylon many of the Jcws, amorig whom

were 1)ailirl and the three Hebrew children. The king

gave an order unto Ashpenaz, the master of his eu-

nuchs, tha t he should bring certain of these Israelites

in

whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skilful

in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and under-

standilig science, and such as had ability in them to

stailtl in the king's palace, and whom they might teach

th.3 Icarnii~g nt1 the tongue of the Chaltlcans". I n other

wortls, tliose so selected were to be educated and trained.

"And the king appointed them a daily provision of the

king's meat, and of the wine which he drank; so nour-

ishing them

three years,

that

at the

end

thereof

they

might stand before tlte king. Now among tllesc were of

the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Ifishael, and

Azariah. Now

at the es~dof the days

[to wit, three

years] tha t the king had said that he should bring them

in, then the prince of the e ~~ nu chsrought them in be-

fore Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with

them

;

nd among them all was found none like Daniel,

IIananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:

therefore stood the3

bejore the

king."-Daniel 1: 3-6 , 18, 19.

DATE

OF

DREAM WAS

614

B. C.

According to the king's decree, this transaction of

Dnnicl's standing before the king could not have oc-

curred until the end 6f the three years of instruction,

which was, to wit, in the year 614 B. C. and in the

eleventh year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. Evidently

it

was about one year thereafter that Nebuchadnezzar

had the dream in question.

Now to remove all doubt as to the correctiiess of this

conclusion, we find that the

Variorum

rendering of this

text (Daniel 2 : is : And in the

twelf th

year of the

reign of Nebnchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed

dreams," etc. The circumstantial evidence produced by

Daniel himself proves that the

Variorum

rendering is

correct.

The explanation of Daniel 2: 37, therefore, is th at i n

the interpretation he told the king in substance that

Jehovah had determined that he (Nebuchadnezzar should

be

the head of the image observed. We are not left

to

guess about matters of this kind, because the apostle

Paul plainly says that God "calleth those things which

be not as though they werey'. (Romans

4:

17') Other-

wise stated, Jehovah had determined that Nebuchadnez-

zar should occupy this position; but at that particular

time Zedekiah was the king, had been king for three

years, and reigned thereafter eight years before Nebu-

chadnezzar really assumed the position as head of the

image.

POINTV

TE E REIGN

OF

CYRUS

The argument hereinbefore made proves that the

.

gentile timm a s a period is based upon the tenure of

office of the Jewish kings. This evidence shows that it

was the year 606

B. C.

when the crown (power to

ex-

ercise dominion) was taken from Israel, and a gel~til

king permitted to exercise that power. Now xc intro-

duce another line of proof by beginnilig dt a later iixtd

date and counting back, measuring the time by unhn-

peachable Biblical testimony, which also sllows the be-

ginning of the gentile times to be

GO6

3 C. The latter

line of proof is a complete corroboration of the forrner.

God had foretold through his prophet I sa ia l~ (see

chapters 44 and 45) that the kingdom of the Babyloll-

ians under Nebnchadnezzar wonld be ovcrthrowr~ arid

that then 'Israel would be returned to licr ow11 Itlntl.

The Lord's prophet even named the victorious king,

Cyrus. The date of the beginning of thc reign of Cyrus

thcrrforc hecomes important.

The reign of Cyrus is shown by thc tcstimoliy of

many secular or profane historians. This testimoi~y s

here cited for two reasons: 1) because there is scarcely

a doubt about the correctrless of the date as statctl; and

2 )

because the date is corroborated by the Scril)tural

proof. Hence the secular history may be used as c~ uuu

lative testimony luuder tlie rnlc. We give brlow a num-

ber of these authorities.

ItEIGN BEC.4N 586 B C., SAY IlIB'I'OItIANY

Smith's

Bible Dictionary,

u~lcler lie t ~tlts

Ca

[)ti \ tics

of

>he Jews", pages

9 3

and 100, says: '"l'lie 13aI1ylo1lia

captivity was brougl~ t o n

claw

I)y the 11cc;rrcof Cy1.u~

B. c. 536 .

Ilible Co.mme~ats

Jamison, Vancc1tt and Brown), Vol.

1,

page 285 gives the dtitc of tllr reign of Cyrus and

the issuing of the dccree as 5 3 6

13 C.

Szc~intnn's Tl i~ to ry , age 40. ~ivcs

3 6

B. C. as tlie

date of the edict of Cyrus for thtl rctnrn of tht. Jews.

Historiasts' Il is fo ry of the IVorld,

TTol.

2 ,

p a p

27,

gives 536 B. C. as thc (late of the decree of Cyrus for

the return of the Jcws.

Universal Escplopedin. Yol.

6 .

l)agtJ

445,

gives

536

B.

C. as the tlntr ol the rt~igiiof Cyr~ls.

Sanford's Concise Cyclopedia of Religious Ir'noroledge,

j)agti''

471

gives the date of thc bcgilmi~igof Cyrus'

reign as

B.

C.

I n the Scriptures we read: "Now in the first year

of Cyrns X-il~gof Persia. t ha t the word of the Lord

spokm by the mouth of Jerc~i~iiilli ight b~ acconi1)lish

~ t l , he Lord stirred up t l l ~ pirit of Cyras Irii~g of

Persia. that he made a proclanlation throughout all his

kingdom, and put it also in n-riting, saying, Thus saith

Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth

hath the Lord God of heaven given me; and he hat11

charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which

is in Judah. Who is there anlong you of all his people?

The TJord his Oorl be with him. and lot hiin go np."

2

Cflro~licles3G: 22, 23) "Tl~cn rosc

111) t11~

11ic.f of

the fathers of Judah and Ben janii ~~.nt1 tllc l~riest

and the Levites, with all them whdsc spirit God had

raised, to go up to build the house of the Jlortl which is

in

Jerqsalem.

. .

Also Cyrus the k i n ~)rn~r~rlfnrth

the vessels of the house of the Lord, M-liicl~ c ~ l ~ ~ ~


10/41

T O W E R

nczza. had brought forth out of Jerusalem.

. ll

thesc (lid Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the cap-

tivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jeru-

salem." (Ezra 1 5,7,11) ('And when the seventh month

was come and the children of Israel were in the cities,

the people gathered themselves together as one man

to

Jerusalem.

.

They gave money also unto the

ma

eons, and

to

the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and

oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring

cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa, according

t the grant that they had of Cyrus king of Persia."-

Ezra

3

: I,?

;

ee also Ezra

5 :

12-14.

'Phis Scriptural proof ~liows hat the Jews' captivity

to 13abylon elided with the first year of the reign of

Cyrus; and the secular historians above cited show that

that year was 536 B. C. I n the next succeeding point

will be observed the Scriptural proof showing that

the

date

536

B. C. is correct, which proof also shows that

the date 606 B. C. is the beginning of the gentile times.

POINT V1: DESOLAT ION NOT CAPTIVITY

hluch cor~fusionhas resulted from using the words

captivity, servitude, and desolation as synonymous

tenus: The Jews were in captivity niore thail once and

for different periods of time; but there

was only

one

period of desolation. It is true that tlic Jews were in

captivity during the period of tlcsolation, but such cap-

tivity was merely incidental to the desolation. Their

f i r ~ t aptivity to Nebuchatll~ezzar began ,in tlie year

61 7 U. C., and not until elrvrl~years thereafter was

the land made desolate, withoilt an inhabitant. What

God intended for us to underetand must be determined

by the language employed in his tlecree for the punish-

ment of Israel. Therein he said : I will make your

cities waste, and bring pour sanctuaries unto

desola-

t ion, and I will not smell tlie savor of your slreet odors.

And I

will

bring the lalld into

desolutwn;

and your

enemies which dwell thcrrin ~ 1 ~ ~ 1 1e n~tot1i41ed t it."

(Leviticus 26

:

31, 32) Time and again the Lord re-

stated the decree through the mouth of Jeremiah: I

will make Jerusalem heaps. and a den of clragons; and

I will make the cities of Judnh d e s o l a t ~ .~~i tholr tn in-

habitant". (Jeremiah

9

: 11

;

ee also Jrrc~n~iah

3 :

10

;

34: 22) As heretofore seen, this tlivine tlecrec was en-

forced with the ovcrttirow of Zedelriali in the year 606

B. C.

The period of this drr;olation of the larid is fixed by

the Scriptures as seventy years. The pt~rposc f the en-

forcement of the divine decree as ~ e torth in 2 Chroni-

cles

36:

18-20 was "to fulfill thc word of the TJord by

the mouth of Jeremiah, 111iti1 hr Innd hnc ~njoyetlher

sd,l)atlis; for as long as she

lay desolate

sne kept sab-

bath, to fulfill threescore and ten years . (Verse 21)

The prophet Jeremiah had ?aid : "This whole land shall

be a desolati~n. nd an nqtonishment ;and these nations

&all serve the king of lhbjlon aeventy years2'.--Jere

miah

25:

11.

DESnl ATE FOR SEVENTY Y E A R S

The proof lien4.of'ore adduced shows tliat tlir rcign o

Cyrus began in the year 536 B.

C.;

and that tlie firs

year of his reign marked the end of the dcsolation o

the laud, in which year he issued a decree for the re

building of Jerusalem. The Scriptures cited show tha

this period of desolation was to be seventy years i

duration. Counting back, then, seventy years from 53

13 C. brings us to 606 B. C., con11)lctcly corroborutil

the other line of proof showing that 606 U.

C.

is th

date when the crown was removed from Israel, when th

desolation began, and when the gentile times began.

Incjdcntally, here we remark that mnch has bcrn sai

about tlie ni~ tete en ears

of the reign of Nebucliadurzza

before the overthrow of Zedekiah; and an attempt i

made

to

show that this indicates that there is a paralle

of nineteen years to

be

fulfilled with reference to tli

close of the gentile times and the complete fall of gen

tile governments. There is absolutely no justification

for any such conclusion.

It

is not warranted by reaso

nor by Scriptures. The nineteen years have nothing

whatsocvcr to do with thc gentile tinie~,lic4r beginning

end, or the overthrow of governments.

It

has merel

been injected to confuse the minds of some.

\Ye

niigli

as well say that because a rat has "nine livr?' i t v~11

take nine years to kill all t l ~ c ots. as to

x y

that, 11

cause Nebuchadliezzar reiglied nil~ctrrn ears beforo li

overthrew Zedelriah, therc~fore lie o ~wtl ir onof gc~iit

dominioil ivould be nineteen years aftcr 1 )14. 'l'lie ar

gument is unreasonable, uiiscriptural, aritl ~ioi~sc~i

POINT

VII:

TH E END USTER PROCEEDINGS BEGUN

Upon all the evidence there cannot be the sliglites

doubt about the gentile times. Tlic 1ra.r of univclrsa

dominion to the gentiles could not brgin as long a

there was a vestige of God's typical kingtlom. It mat

ters not when the lieathen king Nehuchadnezzar began

his reign. The nineteen years of his reign so mlich

spoken of are wholly in~material. or c i~n o the issnc

The possession and exercise of i111l)tbrial dominion by

Israel, symbolized by the crown.' ceased when that crown

was removed, to wit, when tlie last ruler of Israel wa

detliroiled. That occurred in 606 U C. Thcre tlie do

nlinioil to the whole world was left in the haitds of the

ger:tiles, which date is by every line of proof fiscd as

6OG B. C There the period of gentile domillion began

Ueing seven s-ymbolic times in duration, to wit, 2520

years, it ended in 1914 A. D.

But, say those nho oppose Brother Russell's conclu

sions, what has happened to show that tlie gcntilo times

have ended? Are ~ ~ o tl ic gent i le govor l~~~~c~~till rx

erci~i ng uling power? Are not things going on tliey

'were from the beginning?

\\re answer, Everrtliing has happened that the Lord

foretold would happen. With the close of the [Jeyish)

year 1914, he whose right

it is

thok unto himself his

great power and began

his

reign; the nations were an


11/41

i

WATCH

TOWER

gry, aiicl the day of God's wrath began.--Lw :icl 21 :

ycoyl[l iiiiglit reeog~lize hc 11ideouslic.e~of Satan's em

27 lievclation 11

: 1:. 1s

pirc ailtl the blcssc(lncss offered by the 3Iessianic em

GENTILE

TIMES ENIIE N 1914

On the first day

o

Octoher, 1914, Urotlicr li~iasell

walked illto the cliniilg-rooni at Ilitlicl and, cla1tl)ilig

his hands, aiiiiouiiced ill ~t~iitori;il~olies: "'l'lic g1111tile

tiiiics have ended 'l'lie kings of earth liavc llatl tlicir

day " Urotlier ltussell was riglit then. l i e ~vas ight

when he wrote Volunlc I1 concerning tlie gentilc tilnes.

If thc contciition of liis opponeilts co~iccriling lironolo-

gy

is right, then everything that tmiiwl)ired in 1014 and

since must be disregarded as evidence of 11essiall's king-

dom. It is admitted by them that the tenure of office

of I~rael'skings must be cl~angetl n order to ngrre with

some liistorians who w ~ r c griits of Satan. Such

a

change would put out of jo i~ it ll our chronology. and

destroy the value of the datcs 1874, 18?8, 1881, 1910,

1914, and 1918. Such would be equivalent to saying,

"Where is the proof of his presc5na?" "My Lord

de-

layeth his coil~i::;:."--2 Pctcr :; : 1 ; fatthew 24 :48.

Is any Christian so bliud tliat he cannot see what

hnj11)cnctl in 191-1; and thereafter, evidencing the end

of tlie gerltilc times? 13y way of illustration: A tenant

holds a piece of property under a lease, which lease ex-

pires January

1

1914. The tenant refuses to vacate.

The landlord, in order to legally olltain possession, must

institute 0nstc.r proceedings. God granted to the gentiles

a lease of dominion for a term of 2620 years, which term

or lease ended about August, 1914. Then came forward

the T,andlord, the rightful Ruler (Ezekiel 21

27 ,

and

begail ouster proccedings. It is not to be expected that

he would sucldenly wipe everything out of existence,

for that is not the wav the Lord does things; but that

pi,,(; to tlic cull that nlniiy of th s might be broug

1 io

llrougli tlic trouble and be rcady for the restor. t '

bl:~.ings that are to follow.

T o this end, exactly on time, the ouster procceding

begait in the Worltl War, followcd clliicltly by famin

pestilence, and revolution, the re1i:itilitation of Palee

tine by the Jews, persecution of Christians in*variou

parts of the earth, oiferises amongst those who claim t

be Jesus' followers, wllilc the love of many waxed cold

All of these things Jesus stated would constitute a try

ing time, a trial of faith and patience, which would b

so severe tliat only 'he that endurcth to the end shoul

bc

savcd'. (Matthow 24: 7-13) llrliilc tllc~scoustcr pro

cecdil~gs re in progress, lie coninla~:dshis followers

tell the people that Satan's empire has ended; tha t th

gentile times have elided

;

hat the world has ended, an

here is the proof of i t ; that the kingdom of heaven

a t hand; that the time of restoration is here; that mi

lions now living will never die; and that "this gosp

[good news] of the Iringdom sliall he preached in a

the world for a witricss unto all i~:~tions,nd then sha

the end come".

Are those who oppose the co~iclusions of Brothe

Russell concerning clironology obeying this comman

of giving the witness? Do wc liild thosc who arc i

harmony with his colielusioiis eo~iccriliiig lic gc*iit

times obeying this injunction and preaching the ev

dences of the kingdom and that millions now livin

will never die? Surely everything has happened exact

as the Lord snit1 it would 1ial)l)eli co~icorlii~iglitt cn

of the gentile times.

he would overrule thk contending element;, causing

What will tral i~pire n 1925? Wait 11pon the Lor

these to destroy the present order; and that \mliile this

and see. Be faithful to present privilcgc~s. Every Chri

is going on he would have his faithful followers give a

tian's faith is on trial. "According to your faith be

'tremendous witness in the world, s that the teachable

unto you."

TEXAS CONVENTION

A

OUR-DAY convention of the Bible Students

was held at Dallas, Texas, March 9 to 12, Pil-

grim Brother Edward Stark serving as chair-

man. The other speakers were Brothers V

C

Rice,

S

H

Toujian,

G

R

Pollock,

0.

Magnuson, Scott

Anderson, A.

H

Macmillan, and Brother Rutherford.

The convention

was

attended by friends from Texas,

Olilahoma, ICan.~as,Arkansas, Louisiana, and Missouri,

the largest number of friends attending on any one day

being about five hundred. It was indeed good to be

there, and on every face was obscrvcd the happy Chris-

tian smile. Frequently the remarli \Itas made: 'This is

the best convention

I

have ever attcndcd'.

These conventions serve as a great uplift and strength

to

the friends, particularly the isolated ones. They liave

very little fellourship with others, and coming to a con-

vention of several (laye is to them like transformatio

into a n entirely diflerent atmosplic~re. The testimon

meetings gave stro~lg viclencc of tlti,s, the friclltls show

ing

by their testi~nonieshat they are not only

rejoicin

in

the opportiiiiities of service, but are growing i

knowledge of tlie Lord's plan and thc fruits and grace

of the spirit.

On Sunday morning a question meeting was conduc

ed by Brother Rutherford and we append hereto a fe

of the questions and answers:

Qticstion: Is Jr hu

a

type of thc p a t company?

A,nsu*or:

No. l hc Script~ire~lml.ly indicntc tlia

Jehu did not

represent

a spiritual class. Some time ag

the Society requested the Pilgrim brethren not to die

cuss in their discourses Jehu in antitgl)e, bccausc it ha

been deemed a wise course

to

take.


12/41

upon

talrh distress ol nallons r l t h ~erplexltr; t an and Ole wares (the resU~ ss, dl~conlented) ronrlng: men' hearts falllns them for fear and lor lwklng ta

tbr

t l ~f i l s l

upan

the earth (t oel ev) .

for tho

pu

of

the ber nm (ecdr~lastlclsmj rhsll

be

shahen. When

Ye s

thew thin-s

hrrln tn nlme to

plw

a n now

(hat

the KLnOdom of

Ood

n

at

band.

Lo

up,

l l f t

m

lour

brad ,

relola, for

l o w

ndc m~ tlo n draw&

dlh-Matt

24:33;

Mnri

3:

29:

Luke

2 1 :

25 15


13/41

VOL

XLIII

MAY 15

1922

HRONOLOGY

So

n

But 8amctify the Lord God in yozir I~enrts;and be ready alzcays to give

n

answer to every man that asketh y

a reason of the L O ~l~ lit s in you wi th meekness and fear. -1 Pet er

3:

16

HAVE

no doubt whatever in regard to the

chronology relatin g to th e dates of 1874, 1914,

1918, and 1025. Some claim to have found new

lig ht in connection with t he period of seventy years of

desolation and Israel's captivity in Babylon, an d are

zealously seeking to make others believe that Brother

Russell was in error.

Th e apostle Ja m es assures us tha t if any of you lack

wisdom, let him ask of God, th at giv eth to all men

liberally, and upbraideth no t; and it shall be given

him . We believe tha t promise and daily pctition fo r

heavenly wisdom and grace to be guided arigh t. We

also believe tha t th e prayers of t he sa ints ascend daily

to the thron e of heavenly grace for divine guidance as

to what shall appear in THE

WATCH

OW ER, nd we

are very appreciative of t ha t fact.

n

accurate understan ding of chronology apparently

is not a necessity to salvation. Th e su b~ ec t as been

largely concealed during the dark ages, and doubtless

many saints have made their calling and election sure

without th e aid of the chronological featu res hidden in

the Bible. B ut they had a knowledge sufficient for

their time. Even now some find it very difficult to

grasp chronology fully, and therefore depend upon the

explan ations of others. However, a fuller understand-

ing of th e times an d seasons affords a great joy to th e

toiling saints of God, and is a st im u l~ ~ so zeal.

.

.

Tow ard the close of the gospel age, in harm ony w ith

th e prophecy of Dan iel, God began to opcn th e flood-

gates of knowledge along many lines, in preparation fo r

the incoming kingdom . As people began to awake

to

the light, they comnlenccd to investigate and explore in

every direction. Old libraries were ransacked, long-

buried cities were excavated, in search of more light

upon the hidden past.

heralded f a r an d wide with a gre at show of wisdo

Some of t he discovered records give evidence of gr

age, and are accordingly given much weight as auth

ity. Conclusions are drawn by co mpa ring various w

ings from difFcrent countries, and an endeavor made

piece together broken fragments, found here and the

l h t even af ter their best

endeavors,

they ar e often for

to ad mit tliat the ir coilclusioris cannot be proved. C

tradictions are often found in some, and connecti

cannot be made in others.

Some of their best authorities are found a t tim

to be u nrc1 iol)le ; as, for illst:~licc., Josrp lius an d l'tolcm

These mcn lived diving tlie first two centuries af

Christ. They had d ifliculty in compiling their recor

for complete data were not acccssiblc to them. No d o

t h ry d id thc b c ~ tl~ c y oultl untlcl- thr ir limitcd circu

stauces. 'l'licy ar e acccpted 'as among the best tliat sc

lar history can produce.

From these and from othe

certain dates have been generally accepted by histori

11-ritera; but to be generally accepted does not necessa

imply absolute accuracy. However, to impress the ~ ~

gf their wisdom upon their readers, these conclusi

are often stated i n positive langyage, and t he studen

inclined to accept them a t their face statem ent with

further investigation.

But why rely upon uncertainties tvhen the Lord h

provided in his Word a complete reliable record fr

Adam to the return of the+ Jew s rom liahylon, and fr

that time on secular records are reliable?

Tllougli

the casual reader there are apparent brcdrs, God h

so overruled that every such break is fully bridged el

where. We need not trace all th e tangled an d brok

threa ds of secular chronology when we have a stra ig

one to follow. T he adv ersary has always endeavored

deceive people. No dou bt he' has ha d m uch t o do towa

causing the confusion in the historica l records of an ci

histori where he could not dcstroy them altogcthcr.

SOUGHT TO DISCREDIT

BIBLE

Bu t in spite of Satan's attemp ts thus to break co

T h e worldly-wise have a l ~ a y s isliked the Bible, b e nections, God.has continued to keep a n unbroken l

cause it discounted their wisdom and held it up to

that his people may not walk

in

darkness.

1

Thessa

scorn. Th ey would rejoice greatly if they could prove

nians 5: 1-6) However God has purposely hidden the

it unt rue. With eagerness, tlierefore, have they searched

from the worldly-wise, who prefer to walk in the lig

long and diligently to th at end. Any new discovery ie

of their own wisdom.-Daniel 2: 10.

47


14/41

T ~ W A T C H

OWER

TRUE BIBLE CHRONOLOGY

For the benefit of ,some who mav not be so familiar

with these divine records and for* some of the more

recent' readers of THE WATCHTOWER nd also that

all may refresh themselves with tliese beautiful trutlis,

we herewith epitomize the l i~le f -chronology. For de-

tails as to the first six periods here given we refer the

reader to pages 42 to 50 of Volume

11,

STUDIES

N

THE

SCRIPTURES

Years

From creation of Atl:~mto the entl of the flood...... ..... 1056

From the flood to the covenant with Abraham

..........--.-.

427

From the covenant with Abraham to the Exodus

....-......

430

From the Exodus lo lhe tlivisioli of

th

land

.....-.... ..-.

....

46

Period of the .Judgrs of Israel.........-..-.-------.-..-.-.--..-..50

Saul to Zedekiah (21 kings).......................-..--------------.------13

Creation of -4dam to clethrontxment of Zedekiah

The break in the Old Testament records as to the

length of the time the Judges ruled, and the length

of the reign of King Saul are carefully covered in the

New Testament. Evidently this is of God's overruling

for the edification of his people.

It is

in

the endeavor to connect secular records with

the Bible record at the time of the seventy years of

drsolation that some claim

to

have found the new light.

'Practically all agree that B C. 536 'was the first year

of Cyrus mentioned in Ezra

1: 1,

at wllicll time such

Jews as desired were permitted to return to Jerusalem.

From thence we have connected records to the present.

There can be no exception taken to the line showing

that the last ycar of Zcdekiah

\\.as A M

3622, as shown

above. 'I'hcrc is uo

contention

about thc first ycar oE

Cyrus being

B C

53G. It does make considerable dif-

ference where these two records are connected as to

what pear

A I.

we are now .in.

TH E PERIOD OF CAPTIVITY

111 Jrlcmiah 29: 10 and 85:

11,

12 a period of cap-'

tivity of 70 years is mentioned. When did this period

b-::in? Thc Bible locates the time definitely as 3522

A I.

GO6

13

C.), the 19th p a r of King Nebuchadnez-

zar.. Secular historians vary considerably. The question

hinges upon the date of the omm men ement of the 70

years period, some calling

it

the 70 years of captivity

and others the 70 years of desolation . Does the cap-

tivity synchronize with the desolation?

Ilaniel

9 :

25 states tha t from the going forth of the

commandment to restore and build Jernsalem unto Mes-

siah the Prince would be 69 weeks of symbolic time,

483 years actual time. Jesus became Messiah the Prince

at his baptism. A. D. 29, as chown fully in Volume 11,

page 60. 483 years less the 29 A D would leave 454

B

C. as tlie date when Nehemiah received his com-

mission from King Artaserxes to rebuild the city qnd

the walls. 454 B. C. was 82 years af kr 536 B.

C.

and

the Jews were still under the dominion of Babylon.

Comparing Nehemiah

5 :

14 hnd 13

:

6 we find the Jews

still under the yoke of Babylon, bringing the date down

12 pears later, or to

442

13 CI This would make a

period of

9

years after the return of some in 536 B.

C

If we add the 70 years to that we have a total of at lea

164 years, 606 to 442

13

C. under the king of .Babylo

We see in a moment, then, that the desolation an

captivity therefore could liot synchronize The Uibl

testimony is clear that the Jews first became tributar

to Babylon three years before the death of Jehoiakim

(2 Kings 24: 1); ut Jerusalem was not captured, no

did Nebuchadnezzar appear before the city, at that time

At the end of the three years Jehoiakim rebelled, Nebu

chadnezzar took the, city, Jehoiakim died; and Nebu

chadnezzar left Jehoiachin, a son of Jehoiakim, on th

throne. He ruled only three months and was carric

captive to Babylon, together with Daniel and his thre

companions and Ezekiel. Zedekiah, an uncle of Jehoia

chin, was left upon the throne. The city was left, th

Temple was not destroyed, nor was the governme

overthrown.

SEVENTY YEARS OF DESOLATION

We now desire to review some positive evidcnce'tha

the 70 years of desolntion did not 1)cgili to count fro

thi,ci capture of Jerusalem. Not until the overthrow

Zedekiah, 11 years still later, did it count. I n Levitic

25 the law of the jubilee is given. Every fiftieth ye

was to bc a jubilee. Jewish reckoning was thus divide

into semi-centuries, an easy nianner of computing tim

Elcry fifty-first year would l)e the first year of anoth

jubilee cycle of 50 years. IIad the Jews been obedie

to their law, there co~lltlhave 11ec.n no doul~t s to th

chronological record; for tliry cvould never have go

into captivity, and would have preserved their recor

without interference. Did their disobedience alter Gor

outlined time arrangements for. the bringing in of tl

antitype? No inti~notion f such a changr is fomid, b

on the contrary the evidence is that he held to h

original plan..

Leviticus 26

:

31 to 35 rcalls as follolvs

:

31

And I wil l n~trl;e yolil' cttieq ?r.cr..lr1. 1:1r1

i try

yo

yo

anctzcaries zcnto dcrolmtio,a, and I will not sn~ el l he s.1

of your sweet ot1ol.s.

32

A.nd I will b r i ~ ~ gke lawd illto dcsolntioll

:

:tntl yo

enemies which d\vclll tl~c~l.einhtill he f~sto~~isht*tlt it.

33

And I will scnttcr yon

I I I I ~ O I I F :

ile 11cr1lll~11,

~ r i t l

w

draw out a s\vord nfter you: ilnd your lnittl shall be desoln

and

your

cities waste.

34 Then shall the land ei~iol j er snbbcttl~s,as long

It lieth desolate, and ye be n

uoz11-

cneit~ics' and, zzjen th

shall the land rest,

and

enjolj

Rcl.

sabbrrihn.

35

As long

as

(t lietlc dcaokrte it shrrll rest: because

did

not rest n flour ~nbhntlts.rlltr,n t1c

t l~ c7t

wpott it.

This is a

prophetic

statc~~iicilt,ut atltlrrsscd to t

nation. I t did not rcst when ye dz lt r?jaslf

upon it shows clcarly that 11o11rof the time ~rl iilr 1

were on the land wonld be co~~iitctl. he word he

rendered 'd~velt' is the same Hebrew word

(yns lrn

tha t is rendered 'inhabitai~t' in Jeremiah 44: 22

P

shab

is rendereii 'dwell'

4 4

tin~rs, rcliiain' 23 ti~i

'sit' 25 times, 'inhabitant' 31 times, and by vario

other rendering in the King James version. The

nat i


15/41

*WATCH

TOWER

was not to be an illhabitant; for it was to the nation

that the statement ~ i ade. God foreknew what course

it ,would take, aiid so he foretold how he would deal

with it.' The people would be sent into the land of their

enemies; their

land

their c i t ie~ nd their sanctuaries

would all be laid waste and become desolate. The length

of the time of desolation is not here stated, except that

it would be long enough for the land to enjoy her

sabbaths . There is no Scripture

to

prove that' the land

was denuded of every individual.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR S THREE MOVES AGAINST JEWS

Nebuchadnezzar went against Jerusalem three .times,

in person or by his orders: first, in the eighth year of

Jehoiakim, which was the fifth year of Nebuchadnezzar

(2

Kings

24: 1);

econd, during the three'months reign

of Jehoiachin, who followed Jehoiakim, three years

later, which was the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar (2

Kings 24: 2) Apparently Jehoiachin put up - no de-

fence, but surrendered without a fight.

At' this time

(617 B. C.) Daniel and his companions and Ezekiel

ere carried captive

to

Babylon.

It

is from this date

that Ezekiel dates his prophecies, Ezekiel

8.:1

;

0 1.

Although Nebuchadnezzar took many captives and

much treasure on the second invasion, he did not remove

the nation. He left a king upon the throne, many people

in the cities, and the Temple and its sanctuaries. The

government was still recognized, and therefore the pro-

phecy of Leviticus 26: 31-36 could not yet be applied.

It

was not yet true I will make your citiee waste, and

bring your sanctuaries unto desolation.

and I will

bring the land into desolation .

The third time was 11 years later. (606 B.

C.

The

reCord

in

2

Chronicles

36

1421

s very explicit, making

mention of the Temple, the cities and the land.

18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and

small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the

trensures of the king, and of his princes; all these he

brought to Babylon.

9 And they burnt the house of God, and brake dotun

the wall of Jerusalem and burnt all the palaces thereof with

are, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.

20 And

them that had escaped from the sword carried

he nwny to Bnbylon, where they were servants to him and

his sons until tile reign

of

the kltlgdom of I'ersla,

21

To fulflll the word of the Lord

by

the mouth of

Jeremiah, un il the

l nd

had enjoyed her sabbatlu: for as

long as sh [the land1 lay desolate

he

kept her sabbath, to

fulfill threescore

and

ten years.

Here is the complete statement

in

a nutshell-the

axplanation of the desolation of the sanctuaries, the

waste of the cities, and the desolation of the land,

without an inhabitant'? nation. No nation was per-

mitted to hold a dwelling on the land while the Jewe

were in Babylon. Here commenced the fulfilling of the ,

prophecies of Leviticus 26 31-35 eremiah 25 8-11;.

29

: 0; 44,: 2;

nd Daniel 9

:2.

This shows conclu-

sively- hat the

lmd

was ta be desolate, to rest for 70

years; and that the desolation began a t the downfall

of

Zedekiah, 606 B. C. and closed at the first year of

Cyrus, 636 B.

C.

Thus 3592 A. M. and

U.

C. 536 are

joined clearly.

Note again the fiuthcr s tatenlei~ts f the Scriptures

Those who returned did not all go to Jerusalem, but

unto Jerusult,n~and Jntluh, v ry on t ~ f i t o

is

own

city . They did not have to reconquer the land; their

cities were still waiting their return. This shows clearly

that the previous order was restored to considerable

extent, the rehabitation of the country and the cities

and the reestablishment of the sanctunry at Jerusalem.

(Ezra 2

:

1, 70; 1-6)Thus the beginning and the end

of the period known as the

70

years desolation are so

clearly marked we do not see how blicre can be any

question whatsoever.

UNRELIABLE SECULAR CHRONOLOGY

How can this be harrnollized with secular chronology

which states that Nebnchadnezzar began to reign in

606 B. C., reigned 43 gears, and died in 5G1 B. C.?

We are not called upon to harmonize the Bible with

secular chronology any more than nre are expected to

harmonize the gospel of the Bible

n

th secular creeds

It is for the students of secular chronology to harmonize

their records with the Bible. All Script1u.c given by

inspiration of God [and the Scriptures quoted abov

mufit have been given by inspiration of God] is prolit

able for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for in

struction in righteousness; that the man of God may be

thoroughly furnished unto all good works .

The Bibl

is clear and connected, while the worldly records ar

acknowletlged to be faulty, disconncctcd, unreliable,

ant

fragmentary. Daniel 12: 10 foretells that the worldly

wise will not accept God's Word, and therefore shall no

understand. They will lean unto their own wisdom and

thus be misled, and on this account God will send to

them an energy of delusion, to their believing the false

hood .--2 Thessalonians

2 :

11.

It makes no difference to the

student of the Bibl

whether Evil Merodach and Belshazzar were the only

two kings to follow Nebuchadnezzan until Cyrus; o

whether, as some claim, there were several others also

nor how long each one is said to have individually

reigned. The period is fully covered by the records abov

cited. Besides, the testimony of the larger cycles fully

corroborate them, thus making a cable and not a single

thread. Those who are humble enough to rely upon the

Word of God will be wise enough

to

understand, and

these are all that are desired by the Lord a t the presen

time. I n the near future, when

all

those kings ant1

rulers and historians shall have returned, it will be an

easy matter to straighten out all the snarls. There no

adversary will be permitted to interfere.

Recapitulating then, the Bible record is conclusive

that the first year of Nebuchadnezzar synchronizes with

the fourth year of king Jehoiakim, which was the year

3503 A.M. or 625 B. C. The nineteenth year of Nrlw

chadnezzar coniiects with the eleventh year of Zed~~ki;

and was 3522 A. 116 or 606 B. C Seventy years

I a t y


16/41

= W A T C H

T O W E R

when the Jews rctnrned to their land, connects with the

first year of Cyrus, and would be 3592 A. M. or 536

B.

C. Thus 1922 is 6050 A. M. s shown on THE

W TCH OIVBR-3592 plus 536 plus 1922.

ST MPED WITH GOD 8 APPR OVAL

It was on this line of reckoning that the dates 1874,

1914, and 1918 were located; and the Lord has placed

the stamp of his seal upon 1914 and 1918 beyond

ny

possibility of erasure. W hat fur the r evidence do we need?

Using this same measuring line, beginning with the

entry of the children of Israel into Canaan, and count-

ing th e full 70 cycles of 50 years each, as clearly ind i-

cated by Jehovah's sending of the Je ws into Babylon fo r

the full 70 years, it is an easy matter to locate 1925,

probahly th e fall, for $he beginning of t he antitypic al

jubilee. Th ere can be no more question about 1925 thar .

there mas about 1914. The fac t that all the things that

some looked for in 1914 did not materialize does aot

alter the chronology one whit. Notin g the date marked

so prominently, it is very easy for the finite mind to

conclude th at all thc work to be done mu st ccntcr abont

it, and thus many are inclined to anticipate more tl~an

has been really foretold. Th us it was in 1844, in 1874,

in 1878 as well as in 1914 and 1918. Looking back wc

can now easily see that those dates were clearly indi-

cated in Sc riptu re and doubtless intended by the Lor d to

encourage his people, as they did, as well as to be a

means of te sting an d siftin g when all th at some expectrtl

did not come to pass. Th at a ll tha t some expect to see

in

1925 may not transpire that year will not alter the

date one w hit more t ha n in th e other, cases.

The preparations for the kingdom have been coming

on

apace, an d th e announce ment of it is being heralded

with a world-wide witness. Th e results follow ing~ t

aat es of 1918 an d 19 21 indicate more an d more distinct

ly that they were turning-points or mile-stones on th

chronological highway, ancl clearly foreknown and fore

told by the D esigner of the 1)ivinc Pl an of th e Age

Th e trump et of liberty for the people has been sound in

with ever-increasing volume since 1918, and the worl

is staggering like a drunken man. Never before has

been so

inanifest that '"there is nothing covered, tha

shall not be revealed; neither hid that shall not b

known". (Luke 1 2: 2) All the signs indicate tha t th

world is in the rapids of the coming cataclysm, unabl

to rescue itself, a nd yet unw illing to accept divine assi

tance.-Jeremiah 51

:

, 9.

t

seems that God has permitted the adversary to dis

connect every othe r lin e of chronology prio r to the t im

of C yrus. No .don bt S ata n though t he had succeede

completely until God overruled that St. Paul shoul

give just the needed information in his writings. T

some this is a tes t of fa ith. To the consecrated child o

God i t is anothe r man ifestatio n of God's care ful con

sidcm tion for th e needs of his children, of his provisio

for their protection in matters of instruction

ant rtlif

cation. f others prefer worldly wisdom, that is thei

privilege. God has promised th at his instruc tion wi

perfec t th e "man of Godyy.W e need to pu t on t he 'whol

arm or of God, tha t we may

e

able to withstand i

the evil day, and having done all [this] to stand [hav

in g assured ourselves of God's ful l provision fo r ou

protection, we need not to worry, but to rely upon him

fully and conficlcntlyl'. A prominent p art of th is armo

is the shield of faith, in his Word, wherewith we ar

able to qaench (ward off) all these da rts of unbelie

which are liable to wound even unto death.

WITNESSES

FOR

THE TRUTH

These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness. -Revelation : 14

I

HAS been a rule for some time observed by the

Bible Students to have a t xt for the year and a

text for th e week fo r special consideration an d

meGitation. Th e consideration of these texts is intended

to enable the followers of Ch rist to keep in mind the

character of th e perfect Pa tte rn a nd to be conformed

thereto. Th at this is the proper course for the Christian

is abund antly testified to by the Scriptures. Th e apostle

Paul writing to the church said: "We all with open

Face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,

are changed into the same image from glory to glory,

even as by the s pirit of th e Lord". ( 2 Corinthians

:

18 A mir ror is used to rcf kct t he image of one who

loolts into

it.

I n t his instance the Bible is symbolized

by a mirror, w hich Bible reflects the character of J &

hovah and of the Lord Jesus. Th e spirit-begotten

anointed ones have their faces opened or unveiled. Th is

is the result of the illu mina tion tha t comes to those who

are anointed

of

th e holy spirit. To such God has re-

vealed th e deep thi ng s of his Word.-1 Co rinth ian s 2

9 10.

OUR

MINDS TRANSFORMED

Th e mind of the new creature is the battle-ground

The m ind is tha t which,is to be transformed. (Roinan

1 2: ) The figure, then, here given by thc Apostle an

stated in other phrase

is

to

this effect: As new crea

ture s in Chris t Jes us our vision is opened. We dcsire t

have our minds transformed. T o do this we are to loo

into God's Word as thoug h we were looking into t mir

ror; and looking into it we see the reflection of Jeho

vah's chara cter an d th e chara cter of his beloved Son

ancl thus beholding, the transformation from onc ile

gree of glory to a greater degree takes place, even b

the spirit of the Lord.

La st year o ur week-texts used for th e prayer meeting

related to Jehovah, the Father. Th is year our week

tex-ts relate to t he Son. These various texts enable u

to

view th e Lord fr om different standpoints. How,

th-.


17/41

ban

Lbe talrb dsue nf muons

fth

per~1erlgr

tbt

m rod

(tw mf.ks dlseonkotnl)

rolrrln6,

- a fmbl U f a nu t nn

r d

f@w~

tblm

comxn~ upon

tbs nb ( c o d e ) ; r e

mpo n

tbc hpa-

(cccle cm)

onu

mn p

k h

to l pu

o t rt

the

K l ~ d o m

f

j

t

ug

w,

*,

f r

lopr

l dempdolr

-*- *

%1:31:

I s : B:

31:2CI


18/41

A

WEPALD

O

CWRBST S PRESENCE

POL.

XLIII J U ~ E 1922 No.

SEVENTY

YEARS'

DESOLATION

(PART 1)

wThsm

that

had

escaped

from

the

w o r d carried

he [Nebuclurdnezzar]

away to

Babylon, where they were servan

to Aim and hzs

sons

tmtil the reig~a f the kingdom of P e r k : to fulfil the

word

of the Lord by the

mouth of Jeremiah,

until

the land had enjoyed her sabbaths;

for

as long

as she

lay desoldte

she

kept

sabbath

to fulfill

threesm6 nd ten yeurs. -9 Chronicles SO:

0,

g2.

F

OM time to time

Bible

students who quite evi-

heresies among you, that they which

me

[divinely

dently are either unfamiliar with all the teachings

approved may be made manifest among you. 1 Co

of present truth or

unappreciative

of

the

thorough-

inthlans

11:18, 19) If any

finally decide

that

the

going convincingness of what has

been

brought out do not desire to reman with us in our service of

th

through

the

SocietyZ disco\er

some

error in proved Lord, they most follow their own

consciences;

but w

present truth. Without

~ ~ u t l n g

o communicate

with

may rest

in

the Lord, sssured that, whoever they

ma

the Society,

which could

help tl~em,

nd

without making be that leave

us,

; they went

out

from w, but they we

a

thorough search and althout properly ascertaining not

of us; for if

they had been

of us, they would n

the weight of evidence

pnbllslled

and the insubstantial- & I ~ M

hare

continued with us: but they went ant th

ity

of their own findmgs 1 Timothy

3

6

; Timothy they might be made manifest that

they

were

not d

4: 4 ,

they

rush

to communicate their new

ideaa to

of us .

1

John

2: 19)

These are the promised

ahakin

others. A few others, no better grounded in the truth which will shake everything except tha t which cannot

than

these

mistaken leaders,

follow

their injudicious shaken. (Hebrew6

12

7) However, let the church fe

course,

and

are led into

a

state of uncertainty and not the slftinga and ahakings; for these

are

part of th

doubt; and some of them, especially of the leaders, divinely-promised work of the complete Cleansing

forsake the way of

present

truth, abandon the oppor- the church

as

it a p p h e a he

end

of

the

way. (Ma

tunities

and privileges of co-working with

God

2

Cor-

thew

13

1

;

Revelation

I

5)

Rather let the churc

inthians

6 : 1 )

and of

suffering with

Christ Philip of God rejoice at these evidences of the'FatherYsatten

pians 1

9 ,

separate

themselves

from

those

in

present tion to

it

welfare,-John

15

.

truth,

lightly

leave their crowns

to

others (Revelation

3 I),

and

m ke ~ h i p m k f their

glorious

hopea.

WEEN m

THE

8

YEARS

BEGIN?

(1 Timothy 1

9 )

The uniform experience

in

all such This time

it

is

the matter

of

the date

cd the

be@nin

abandonment.

of

the faith and in the divisions so in-

of the

seven@

years

desolation of Jndea and of wheth

augurated is that they start

out with

a loud noise of

it

was all

desblotion or

all captivity.

This

is testing th

professions of loyalty

to

abstract troth and soon dimin-

faith of some.

This

has been fully and adcgiatdy C ~

ish in numbern and zeal untll either wholly scattered or ered by Pastor R~nssell n The Time

I s

at Hmd

~et tl ed o ~ unto

a state of

inactivity--of ~\~ait lnppon

pages 51 52, and

111great

detail in

Dr. John

and itlorto

the Lortl , as tiley me plcssed to term their slothfrllness Bdgar's 'Great

Pyramid

Passages , Volume

2, p~t

in service.

29-31;

to both of which works we

refer

our rcader

On

account

of

their smallness of numbers,

each

of

But

for

the

benefit

of

those not having U

the

111f

thew p u p s regards itself

tho

Tittle flock . There are

mation at hand we will review

the

salient points,

a

dozen

such

schismatic 'li tt le flocks , cha,r&erlzed by bring them again dearly to remembrance.-2 Peter 3

an

increasing littleness and

by

an absence of the pre-

dicted

glorious

activity in

the warfare

of

the Lamb with

SEVENTY

YEARS' DESOLATION, NOT CApTmr~y

the beast. (Isaiah 61

; Revelation IT 4)

The r e d t

Concerning the desolation

Pastor

Russell mys:cT

i s a slight temporary diminution of the amount of work

dates the seventy

years

desolation eighteen years earli

done

in his

name,

w i t h

a

more than compensating

in-

than shown above. He evidently

makes

he not

u

crease of

zeal

among

hose holding the faith.

common &take

of

regarding those

seven9 years

as

Tbese occurrences

are

the

periodic siftings

and

shak-

period

of cuptivity, whereas the

Lard

4~eclar

Sngs which the Lord has foreknown and which are ed- them

to

be

seventy

years

of dcsolatia, of

the

land, th

dently necessary to cleanse and purify the church; for

the land

should

Iie desolate, without an f i b i b f . , $

9here

be

divisions

amcmg

you.

There mnst

also

be

The

yesn

were

yeam of

deaohtion,

not

c

188


19/41

SWATCH T O W E R

tivity. This is shown in the Scriptura l hiatoncal record,

which

a n n o t

be

otherwse un(lcrstood, a i d according to

whlch the

S C B C I I ~ Y

pal s d1c1not hegin nntil

ufter

the

overthrow of th e la& king, Zcdckiall,

111

606 13. C.:

Them t h a t

haci

escaped from

the

snord

cnrrled he

[Nebuchaclnezzar, m

GOG

B. C.]

nt\ ay t o

Eabjlou,

n

bere

they were servants [for scvenl~xcars] to h l ~ n n d t o

his

sons, until the

I-clgn

of

the

kmg(tom

of

Persra

tun

der Cyrus,

53G U. C.3

to fullill the \void of the Lord

by the

n~out l l f J c r cnnd~ , n t l l

the

land had ei~joycd

her sal>l>atl~s

or

a long

as

she luj dcso ate she kept

sabbath, to fulfill

t l~rccscorc nd

years*'. (2 Cllroiu-

cles

36

20, 2

1

'l'liis

pas=.qy l ) ra s

of

s~m~l l tuneous

desolutron, scrvltude a i d

capt l~ t .

Other

~ : ~ F ~ ; c ~ R c s

ho\vlng

th.ll

rtccolat ion rneaus wi

th-

out

an

1n11ab1tzln.t

are s follo~\ls

Cc'l'o

~ 1 . 1 1 ~ 1 ~

hy iand

desc~7a

ci

~ n d lzy elties sl~all

e

laid

I\

rt5t e u2 h 7d ct,n rnltlnb t n n i

' J c r e ~ n l c l f r .

"I

1\~11I

n~dcche

c l t ~ c r

l Jutla11 clesolnte, wathout an

(nltab

rttmt.''

-

-J

cr?rniah

9

:

11

" h i

t h ~ s lace.

v

h ~ : h

>-e e q boll

be

clesolnte. .~crtlrorrt

main

ao~d

tthoztt l icfr \f

even

111

the citles of Judafi,

izud

in thc stlmcets of-

3

elur:alcm. -,Tcreminh

33

:

10.

I

\\

111

make the

c l t~e ,

f

JncI~1ia de~olatto t tw ~ t k o u t

an ~nibcaLztnnt.':--;Tcre~~~tnh4 2.

Others that

mtght

hc quctcd

+are

Jeremiah

2

5

;

44 22 ;

m ~ d 1

1, all

~l\o\\l lnghnt the prechcted

ST

enty years' desolatioi~

I ~ e l t ~ l t51 period

sf

that length

in

~vhlch he

land

should. be w~t ho ut

an

~nhat i t an t .

Thls

s t a h was never

reached,

or even

begun, until

after

the

overthroqrv

of

Zedekiah, the

removal

of

the

people

to

Babylon, and the flight of the

small

remiia~ i t nto

Egypt for fear of the Cl~aldeans(Jeremiah*43 1-'i),

leaving

the

land,

as

dlvinely predicted , desolate, 1~1th-

out

an

~n f~a bltan t, o r ''threescore an d ten years .

HISTORICAL CONFIRXATION

The

Jewish historian Josephns? I\ r i t i r~g

fter

the oc-

currence and esprcssing the k~owleclgeof a l l J e ~ g -

who

certainly

were conkersant,

ith

the facts- s a p that

the seventy

gears

nere yeare of

de,oolntcon after the

fall

of the

c ~ t y d e r Zedclaah: He [Nebuchadnczzar]

reduced then1

dl, and

sct

our

tcmple which

was at

Jerusalem on fire

[2

Chroiucles

36 19-21],

nay, re-

moved our people entirely out of

their own

couutry,

and transferred them t o

Ba b~ l on ; vl ~en

t

so happened

that

our city

was desolate

during

the

interval of seveoaty

years, unt i l the d q a of Cyrus

klng

of Persia .--Apion

1: 19.

In anather

place Jo se pl n~ s eltcra tes 11iq staten lent ss

to

th e seventy gears of cleso,lation: But th e k111g of

Babylon,

\\.ha brougllt out the two trilxs rJoda11

and

Bcnjamin],

placcd

no otlier llatloa in t hm coui~try, y

which means al l Judea and Jerusalem, and the temple

c o ~ t i n r ~ d

o

be

a

desert

fo r seventy yearsgJ.-Ant. AX,

8: 7.

It

:a

quit

obvious

that

a

Jewish

historian, even

though not inspired, ~ w u l d

ot

record

the se~enty ea

as

a

desolate or descrtf' state which

Ilegan after t

destruct~on f Jerusalelt~,had t h ~ s ot been the actu

c.onclit~on,as generally l;uo\\n

by

111s people.

It

m

hate

bee11 poe s~ l~ leo-r Josep hus to

be

unceitain

lu. som

detalls

of

ol~scu re iates, b11t i t is beyond th e b o ~ ~ n

possibihty for liml to ha\-e

been

misttiken about su

all

m~por tant ,o ~ ~ t s t a l ~ d l n gtlct of

his

people's lustor

The Jews

of

that time were far more hkely

to h o

the simple

fact,

\\-hethcr those w r e seventy years

desolation or of cnp tl\ity, t ha n is eonle over-zealous h

less 1ix£ornled or nliccinf

ormed

scl

Documents

Watchtower Articles on Chronology - 1922